Friday April 10, 2015.
- Holly's last day of spring break
- Movie night (pizza and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
- Got the oil changed in the car
- Took the littles to the park, laid in the grass and enjoyed the sunshine
- Holly sent off her proposal for revision (spring break goal... check!)
- This time last week we were relaxing with Jayme, Preston and Goldie after a day hiking to the Hollywood sign and playing at Venice Beach

I need to warm back up to writing, something I'd really like to do.  However, I am pretty rusty and this will have to do for tonight.

ATT Internet and Education Scholarship Submission

Has the On Demand revolution and shift to consuming media online affected you positively or negatively as a student?  

Definitely positively.  Truthfully, I probably watch just as much TV for educational purposes (working on a project, presentation, or actually in class) as I watch for entertainment purposes.  

Media makes connections that textbooks cannot offer

In my historical foundations of education class, we studied the Trail of Tears, racial integration, immigration issues, and many other subjects through clips found on youtube and Netflix.  The images and experiences were told by people who experienced them firsthand.  

In my educational psychology class, I was able to hear different theories of learning straight from the mouths of Skinner, Gardner, and Kohlberg themselves through online media.  I could put a face to the names printed in my textbooks, and make connections that the textbooks cannot offer, such as the fact that Dr. Sternberg looks a lot like Adam Sandler with grey hair.

Robert Sternberg

In a classroom management class, I shed a few tears watching a video the teacher showed about bullying and the damage it does in the lives of some students.  

I have given multiple presentations in many classes and I’ve used online media to prepare and present the material every time.  I do research with video clips, youtube, articles, and studies.  I use images and videos to illustrate concepts.  My presentations would be less educational, less interesting, and more arduous to prepare without the aid of online media.

Education without media is usually much less interesting

I don’t know if it is possible to avoid media in today’s world.  Sometimes, I admit, it would be nice to have a break from it.  However, as a future high school math teacher, I realize I need to be familiar with the culture of my students in order to have an impact on them.  Much of that culture comes from the media.  If I can present material, yes, even math material, that is relevant and engaging, they will understand the concepts on a deeper level and get more out of their education.  Using media in the classroom is one way to teach in a relevant and engaging way.  There are many educational opportunities in media, and I hope to encourage students to find the good stuff out there.  

Burp=Sleep

Burp! Please Burp!

Announcing our littlest princess.

Cora Hope

5.15.11

6 lbs 3 oz

A Berry Yummy Birthday Party

Teah turned 7!!! We (she) thought the day would never come, she'd been counting down the days since Christmas. To celebrate the big day, we decided to do a baking/cooking birthday party. Inspired by this party, we came up with some really fun ideas for a bunch of girls to do:Everyone had a chef's hat and an apron waiting for them when they came. Their first job was to make a flower to decorate their hat- we used cupcake liners and coffee filters. Love the creativity!Next we had cooking stations. The girls made lemon berry tarts...They cut up and mashed up some strawberries for our jam, then we put them in these little jars...chocolate dipped strawberries...And, of course, cake and ice cream (cake made by my ever so talented sister, Jill).In the end, each little chef got to take home her creations.

This party was seriously SO fun to plan and do for Teah. It would not have been possible without the help of my mom, Jayme, Jill, and LeRoy. THANK YOU ALL a ton!

ps- all the awesome photography is courtesy of Jill.

3 old shirts repurposed

Okay, I admit, I a little proud of myself right now. We had a chill at home night tonight, Eden went to sleep, Teah and Havi watch the Labyrinth (you remind me of the babe...) and I went through my (and my sisters) D.I. pile and found three shirts- a white one with a stain on the side, a grey one with a hole on the bottom, and a polka dot one that was just unwanted. I had a creative burst, got out the scissors and sewing machine and put them together in this fun little dress!

18 months

18 months isn't that long...

That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

Truth be told, 18 months is just too long to wait for a reply when texting my little sister.

It's a whole year and a half of holidays with someone missing.

What will the 4th of July be like without Kelsy's annual stars and stripes swim suit?

Mom's house won't look as good at Christmas time... hopefully we have enough pictures to help us remember where to put the decorations.

Oh no, pictures! 18 months of my photography skills and equipment... sorry girls.

I know this is shallow, but what will Christmas be like without Santa's little helper pointing Mrs. Claus in the direction of the really cute shoes, clothes and accessories??

I'm going to miss Fridays where Kelsy was off work and I could hang out with her or drop off a girl or two while I'd go to an appointment. They're going to miss that, too.

When Teah found out that Kelsy would be gone for TWO of her birthdays, she said, "Aw, dang! You give the best presents!"

As much as it's going to hurt for Kelsy to be gone, I'm so glad she's doing this.

Hermana Kelsy Alsup, Texas Houson South, Spanish speaking mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I am so proud of my little sister. I know this mission will be a wonderful experience for her, and I look forward to hearing about her experiences and learning from her example (some more). She will teach my kids so much. They already look up to her, and all their aunts, and I'm so glad they each lead such exemplary lives.

We're going to miss you a TON, Kels! Work hard and don't forget about us!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Scary Night

I know this is one of those things that, as a mother, I really need to discourage. Really, it's not good for the long term relationship between these girls, not good for the short term either.

Bad. Naughty (my hand is covering my smile and I'm trying really hard not to laugh).

On another note, here are the three little monsters- a vampire, pumpkin and a witch.

Highlights from the night:

"That's a good one, mom" Said by Havi for no real reason at all as we walked from one house to another. Maybe it's just me, but that made me laugh.

Another Havi, as she's about half way through the trick-or-treating route and feeling the weight of her bucket: "Just two more houses and that's IT. Oh, and that one... just THREE more houses and that's IT!"

Teah had ulterior motives tonight- she collected moths as well as candy. Monday is LeRoy's birthday, and Teah wants to give him moths in a jar to use for his fishing.

Down the street from us is a the SCARY house. They go all out with costumes, ghosts, body parts all over the yard, etc. They even have a spook alley through their backyard, it's awesome. The girls have been talking about all month, and tonight, Havi told me to "wait right there, mom" on the sidewalk as she marched right up the skull walkway to the scary man and said, "Trick or treat". She got her candy, came back as proud as can be and we walked away with her telling us all about how brave she was. I was proud of her. Teah wanted to wait until it was really dark to go to the scary house, which we did. She even went through the spook alley... holding my hand really tight.

Eden stayed home with LeRoy and handed out candy. She waved and said, "HI!" to everyone. EVERY ONE. Cutie.