Dog/Cat food warning

I will never again feel guilty for buying Solid Gold Brand holistic dog food for $9.00 a bag.

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/rat-poison-found-in-recalled-pet-food/20070323113009990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

I don't believe in the lawsuit driven society that often exists here in the US, but I think that if Lucy had died b/c of rat poison in her dog food, I'd be awfully tempted to sue.

Last Day Before Break- Give Me a Break

Ok, so we all know that teachers are not among the highest paid workers in America. Our jobs, however, do have some perks that money can't buy. The smiles of the kids, the way their faces light up when they learn something new, spring break.
Yes, remember spring break? The excitement, the better weather, and sometimes the vacations. That was spring break as a student.
Allow me to give you spring break as a teacher. Students, who otherwise speak in normal tones, shout no matter what they need to say. Energy comes bounding out their ears (really, you can feel it if you stand close to them). Giggles for no reason, escape from the mouths (when not shouting). No one can sit still, no one. Tap, tap, tap... What's that? Oh, that's the 10 kids tapping their pencils, or hands, or feet, or whatever else my angels get their hands on. Don't even get me started on the pen clicking... Not even the little Saint of my class can keep still.

Of course, this applies only to the students that are here. Many parents pull their kids out a day or two early to head South. Which, in turn, makes things hard on me, because this is an unexcused absence and any work done on these two days is a zero. So, even the kids who aren't here stress me!
Add to that the fact that we have already had an 'off' schedule this week for Junior Achievement. Thank goodness, our Kindergarten teacher's husband is volunteering for my grade. I think we would have scared off anyone else. Also, as if that weren't enough, Wednesday we had a soldier who is a nurse in Iraq come in to talk to my class(she is a member of our parish), followed by Stations of the Cross. Thursday we had 5 students out for the Regional Science Fair. We've also had the flu going around and had numerous kids out sick. Did I mention that report cards go out today? And (that's right- there's more) we had a huge storm last night and the ceiling of my classroom is leaking....
Spring Break- is it really worth it? I'm not sure, but I do know that I deserve it:)

Humility

When I entered the "real world" and got my first job, I realized that grown ups spend a great deal of time commuting. After about a year of a 25 minute each way commute, I grew tired of this "wasted" time. I began listening to books on CD. Then, about a year ago, I found some language CDs at the library. I checked out the Arabic CDs and my quest to learn Arabic began. I started as a surprise for someone, but I quickly realized that the nerdy side of me really enjoyed learning a new language. Basically, the speaker asks you how to say something and you say it or repeat after he/she says it. I'm hoping to grasp enough to speak some Arabic when we go to Jordan this summer.
What was unexpected, though, is that this has taught me not only a language, but humility. You see, I'm an English teacher. I have always loved grammar, reading, writing, and spelling. Yes, that's right, I love grammar. I'm not used to being wrong when it comes to English. However, I'm so wrong when I speak Arabic! It kills me that I might be speaking incorrect grammar, something that was taboo in my house. My Granny always corrected incorrect grammar, as did my mother, as now do I. Arabic has taught me to suck it up and do my best. My goal has changed from speaking perfectly, to being understood, and it has been humbling. It's funny how life's little lessons sneak into everyday activities.

Prejudice

What is it anyway? For whatever reason, this is something that I've been thinking frequently about lately.
I know that I am blessed to have grown up in the family that I have, as far as prejudice is concerned.
My grandparents are French (well, my Granny is Belgian but French Belgian- Walloonian). In fact, my Grandmother didn't even speak English until she went to Kindergarten. My grandfather's family is from Alsache, which through the years has been in Germany and France. My Granny's family, specifically, was very open-minded. They were, according to Granny, appalled at the racisim that existed in America when they moved here in the 20's. It would make sense; there are two national languages in Belgium, so they must be used to getting along w/those different from them. Whatever the reason, I was raised that all races are equal, each race and culture have people that are commendable and those that are not. I also know that all cutlures have their pros and cons. The trick is to look for the pros. If you look for the negative in something- you'll always find it.
One of the things that bothers me is when I hear people say, "Well, I don't have a problem with _______ (insert race or culture), but I wouldn't want my kid to marry one." Well, then you do have a problem with them, at least on some level. What is the person like? Are they kind and generous? Do they have the same expectations of marriage that your child does? How will they treat your child? Those are the real questions that should be asked. And for many, are they the same religion? Many faiths, including my own, support marriage of someone from the same faith (for Christians- we are not to be unequally yoked). But, to exclude someone solely based on their color or country of origin is prejudice.
I think we all have some presumed ideas about different races and cultures, but we really must try to learn as much as we can about each culture, and keep an open mind as well. One thing I like about where I work is that every afternoon, after prayer, we say, "Remember to give an honest effort and to keep an open mind."

Traveling nieces...

Last weekend, my baby niece came up to stay (ok, so she's not exactly a baby- she's four). This was her first visit by herself. It always amazes me how different my nieces are. The oldest is 16 and way too cool for family. She has her license and zooms here, there, and everywhere. Then there is the 10 year-old, Olive Oil (she's written a post before) who is practically inseperable from me. However, Baby Olive Oil, has always been a home-body. She begins Kindergarten next year, and now she's decided she's old enough to spend the weekend in "Emilyinapolis" (aka, Indianapolis).
She packed a week in advance and carried her suitcase all through the house with her! The good news is that she made it the entire weekend (she wasn't sure because she thought she might miss her mom too much). We had a "slumber party" Saturday night. I let her eat chocolate chip cookies and popcorn for dinner and we watched "Hannah Montana". Then, she put in her Hannah Montana CD and we danced the night away. I discovered that I can no longer eat junk and bounce around for longer than 15 minutes at a time- I'm too old and feel nauseous. We had a great time. During our dance marathon, Baby Olive Oil turned to me and said, "I'll bet we're the last people still awake at your apartment!!" I looked at the clock- it was 7:44! I didn't have the heart to tell her that probably most people were still eating dinner:) Poor thing, she inherited our early to bed syndrome. On Sunday, we met my mom, sister, Olive Oil, and Granny half way between our hometown and Indy to go shopping. As I was driving back to Indy Sunday night, I was so thankful that I can enjoy the alone time with my nieces. These are really the memories that can't be bought.
And not to be outdone, Olive Oil is on her way up here for the weekend as I type this!

Answered Prayer X Four

I am the youngest of three; my brother and sister are 6 and 7 years older. For whatever reason, I never wanted to be the youngest and I was always asking for another sibling. I don't know why. Many people relish their "youngest" status, but I just never felt like our family was complete. One year at Christmas (I was about 5), when Cabbage Patch Kids were the most sought-after gift, I told my mom that she could either buy me 5 Cabbage Patch Kids or have a baby for me for Christmas. I even added, "That's the deal. Take it or leave it." I ended up getting two Cabbage Patch Kids.
About that time, China began its one-child-per-family policy and orphanages in China were being overrun with baby girls. In Chinese culture, the family must pay a large dowery for the girls; consequently, families would put their girls up for adoption and try for a boy. This hurt my family deeply, as we love both baby boys and girls. To appease my desire for a baby, my mom told me to pray that God would leave a Chinese baby girl on our doorstep. So, each night when she came in to hear me say my prayers, I prayed for that Chinese baby. At the time, we didn't know anyone who was Chinese, which made this prayer all the more odd.
Years went by, and my parents didn't have another baby, nor did the stork drop one off on our doorstep. I had forgotten about my Chinese baby.
When I was 15, my sister began dating a new man, who happened to be Chinese. As their relationship became more serious, we were completely adopted into his family. We went to the Chinese parties, we ate at their family-owned restaraunts, and became bonified blonde Chinese. Well, one cousin in particular stuck out to us. She was in the 5th grade and her father had recently passed away. Her mom worked long hours, and we began to take her to her cheerleading practices, to friends' houses, etc. As the years went on, (and my sister married the man) this girl became part of my family. When her mom decided to move a half an hour away, she moved in with us. And....guess what! I got my Chinese baby!! Well, ok, so she wasn't exactly a baby, but I got the little sister that I had always wanted.
The cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake was that my sister and her husband have three kids, all girls. Not only did my prayer get answered, it was answered times four! When I feel like God isn't acting on something I am praying about, I just sit back and remember that not only does He answer- He often exceeds my expectations!
Happy Chinese New Year!

I LOVE it!

(INDIANAPOLIS) -- Smoking in passenger vehicles with children under age 13 would be against state law under legislation endorsed by an Indiana House Committee on Tuesday.
The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill 8-1 and sent it to the full, Democrat-controlled House, where its author, Democratic Rep. Charlie Brown of Gary, predicted it would pass. He said he was not sure how it would fare in the Republican-ruled Senate.
Under the bill, police could not pull over a motorist solely because someone was smoking with children in the car. The initial stop would have to be based on a suspected primary offense such as speeding.
The offense would be an infraction carrying a $25 fine for the first offense and $100 for any subsequent violations.
Brown said he understood that some people would view the legislation as government intrusion. But he said studies have proven that secondhand smoke was harmful to adults, and its effects could be worse in children whose lungs and other organs are less developed.
"We need to protect children who have no choice but to ride in cars," he said. "It doesn't matter whether windows are opened or closed, it's still a negative impact. It's best to look at prevention on the front side."
The bill also would make it illegal to smoke in mass transportation terminals such as airports or bus stations, or within 100 feet of their entrances.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)