Oh The Places You'll Go

A friend sent this to me. I DO so love Dr. Seuss! I get get teary eyed almost every time I read one of his stories to my students.

I'm tired

I feel a lot of things about teachers and education and the way children think and learn. It's an exhausting discussion that I often shut down about, because I can't see the solution or the winning point. I quit talking about it and just go back to my classroom. I do however get fired up/furious/sad when teachers are lumped together as whole single unit working to destroy the lives of the children we come in contact with.

I don't blame parents for the problems in education. However, I don't think it's all my fault either. :)

http://theeducatorsroom.com/2012/09/the-exhaustion-of-the-american-teacher/

The Summer Review

Now that school is in full swing and somewhat less time consuming, I looked back through pictures of the long forgotten summer. We were fortunate to have an action packed one full of adventure and family time. Here are a few pictures to prove it.

Zooey turned two  in June and we celebrated with a few friends in the backyard. There were Super kid capes, a new sandbox, sprinklers, bubbles and lots of cupcakes!

Zooey and I took a road trip to Mississippi to see Grammi and Pappi. We got to stop in Hattiesburg to see Aunt Amy, at work at the zoo, along the way. She gave us the VIP treatment complete with a train ride, petting zoo and up close snake encounters. (Amy will definitely be the wild/fun aunt.)  Zooey is NOT afraid of snakes and may think that he can pet them. :)

 The Shepherd's went to Colorado!!! It seems like a dream  that we actually drove across the country, rented an apartment and lived in Fort Collins for a month. It was a joking conversation at first that neither of us really thought was possible, but the pieces fell into place and we jumped at the chance to escape the Florida July heat.

 The River, our favorite

enchanted forests

where buffalo roam

camping, hiking

more river time

The Great Stupa at the Shambhala Mountain Center

As I said before, lots of adventure. 

Next on the list... The Fall Review - the adventure continues.

Baking with Zooey

The weather was actually cold this weekend, so it was a perfect time to make cookies! My friend, Laurie- an awesome cook, made me so happy awhile back when she posted her cookie recipe, so Zooey and I decided to try it out.

With not a lot of counter space and Zooey wanting to be in the middle of the action, we mixed our cookies on the floor.

Zooey's stirring was a bit flingy.

Zooey sneaking raisins from the batter. Stir a little...snack a lot.

Yummy success!

Even though I miss a really cold snowy day, a Florida winter has a few perks. There are tons of awesome, blue sky, sunny, warmish days that are perfect for picnics and hikes, as evidenced below: