Friday, November 14, 2008

Tag!

Playin' Tag
Krista tagged me with this Meme of "Four Things." K, this will be the easiest Friday post ever!

I love the inventor of "Copy & Paste!"

A. Four places I go over and over:
1. Wal*Mart (I always need something.)
2. Wee Care (Twins asthma)
3. Church
4. On the Internet?

B. Four people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Mom
2. Aunt Barbara
3. Aunt Debbie
4. My twins!

C. Four of my favourite places to eat:
1. MacCool's
2. Winger's
3. Prairie Schnooner
4. Applebee's

D. Four places you'd rather be:
1. Fishing
2. Watching NASCAR with my hunny
3. Warm and asleep
4. Arizona

E. Four TV shows I could watch over and over:
1. NASCAR
2. America's Funniest Home Videos
3. Everybony Loves Raymond
4. Hannah Montana (The one where Billy Ray writes her that song, "Ready, Get Set, Don't Go.")

F. Four people I think will respond:
1. Mom
2. Aunt Barbie
3. Andie
4. Tori

Maybe not online, but they will respond somehow. :)

P.S. That was not as easy as I hoped it would be.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Three Days...

My Diet:








In the Catholic Religion, The Three Days refers to the shortest season in the church year.

In JanineLand, it's the LONGEST and most miserable. (For my guts. They hurt.)

My poor students. Today one of my favorite little students asks me:

"Teacher JaMean, what's wrong? You don't look right."

"Oh, my tummy just hurts," I answer.

"My mom's does, too," he says sadly. "Grandpa told her to drink a fifth and go to bed."

I tried very hard to stifle my laughter. Curiosity got the best of me, but before I could even ask, he offered me his explanation:


"Just get better before all the 5th Graders are gone, ok Teacher Jamean?"

I laughed so hard, despite my guts protesting. I could just see what my special little friend was picturing in his head; Mom and Teacher Jamean drinking Fifth Graders.

5th Graders...Drinkable or not?



I didn't have the heart to tell him that I couldn't drink a fifth on a good day, let alone feed my grumbling guts some nasty evil spirit!
Have I mentioned how much I love my job?

I play a game I made up called "Squishy." (Ever seen Finding Nemo?) I am not sure what happened, or why, but the "Squishy" game stuck. "Squishy" consists of screeching that word at some loud ear-piercing level, while tickling small tummies. (I must have been trying to diffuse a situation?)


Well, one of my other, not-really-verbal special friends came up to me, with his beautiful smile and screeched "Squishy, Squishy, Squishy," while he poked at my jelly belly.

After swallowing whatever had risen (yucky, I know...) I had to look into his green eyes and tell him:

"No Squishy today. Teacher's tummy hurts."

He stopped and looked at me. Then, he screeched it again, and reached for my neck. "No hurt," was all he could say.
I was SO amazed that my small friend, who will beat me up when he's mad at me, actually understood and respected me!

One small victory for Teacher JaMean! I love my job!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

What REALLY Happened..

Hey guys! It's Wednesday, Day #2 of the Nastiest Flu EVER! Ug!
Friendly Reminder:

*PLEASE STAY HOME if you are ill! Keep your kids home if they are ill!*


Ok, enough of that. 2 weeks until Thanksgiving! My friend, Christina, had a post on her blog a week or so back that read my mind:




Retail TOTALLY skips over Thanksgiving! Now, I am not condoning the sweet Pilgrim & Indian story we were all taught in 1st grade. Because, anyone with a college degree from WSU knows, we were taught what really happened that First Thanksgiving. My heart was crushed, thanks to my professor, Dr. Francis.


Dr. Francis, you are evil! I knew it from Day 1, when you came skipping into our lecture hall at 6:59 a.m. singing and sipping your coffee. Who skips into class that early? Who in their right mind can be cheerful? Dr. Francis could, because he knew he was going to disprove everything we were ever taught in History as children.



*Sigh* I still remember that lecture. I was trying to sleep that morning, because my (then) baby, Tyler, had kept me awake 'til some crazy hour of the night. Enter Dr. Francis, skipping and singing at the top of his lungs. I knew all about Thanksgiving, and I aced every test in his class, so, again, I was trying to sleep. My pile of books in my bag were a wonderful pillow.



**SLAM**


Evil Dr. Francis towers over me, his face contorted into the sick, cheerful smile he always wore. His hand was still raised high, triumphant at the heart attack it had surely given me from dropping his 40 pound briefcase on my table.


"You are going to love my lecture today, Ms. Moore," warned Dr. Francis, "We are going to learn what really happened that First Thanksgiving."


I sat up, glaring at him as I pulled out my 50 subject notebook that was already 3/4 full of notes from his lecture. My heart raced. What could he mean by "What really happened?"



Were the Indians and Pilgrims not really friends? Didn't they smoke a peace pipe whilest sharing in a bountiful harvest? Did my mother dress my sister and me up in vain as gorgeous little pilgrim girls?




"Ok, Dr. Francis," I thought, "You have my attention." I ignored the amused looks from some of my classmates and the annoyed looks from the Dr. Francis worshipers.


Dr. Francis then proceeded to ruin the beautiful picture I had painted in my head. Turns out, our European ancestors were starving over here. They did not know how to farm the land. The Indians, specifically the Wampanoag tribe, showed the "Pilgrims" how to plant corn, squash and other vegetables. They taught them which wild game were suitable for eating. When Harvest came, true story: there was a celebration. History still speculates on details. Here is one page from my notes from 8 years ago:



**What historians do know about Thanksgiving**


There are many myths surrounding Thanksgiving. Here are nine things we do know are true about the holiday.


1. The first Thanksgiving was a harvest celebration in 1621 that lasted for three days.




Cooking all that for 3 days? Sheesh! One day kills me. No wonder she looks miserable!







2. The feast most likely occurred between September 21 and November 11.


3. Approximately 90 Wampanoag Indians and 52 colonists - the latter mostly women and children - participated.



They really did get along. See?



4. The Wampanoag, led by Chief Massasoit, contributed at least five deer to the feast.



Chief Massasoit in bronze.

Anyone for Deer Meat?





5. Cranberry sauce, potatoes - white or sweet - and pies were not on the menu.



This ugly guy was though..





6. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag communicated through Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, who knew English because he had associated with earlier explorers.



Squanto! Remember him?





7. Besides meals, the event included recreation and entertainment.



Lol.



8. There are only two surviving descriptions of the first Thanksgiving. One is in a letter by colonist Edward Winslow. He mentions some of the food and activities. The second description was in a book written by William Bradford 20 years afterward. His account was lost for almost 100 years.




William Bradford




9. Abraham Lincoln named Thanksgiving an annual holiday in 1863.

Honest Abe.







No pumpkin pies? NO PIES?! How could this be true? NO POTATOES? Whatever! ALL LIES!













Ok, so I was a bit dramatic in my story. Dr. Francis was really one of my favorite people of all time, and I was one of the nerdy Dr. Francis worshipers. :) The stories we teach our Elementary aged students are not totally untrue, they just leave out important details.


Now, you all know what really happened that First Thanksgiving.


Lame ending huh? he he he...

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Flu Season Education


The Flu. What a nasty phrase. The CDC defines the flu as this:

What is Influenza (Also Called Flu)?
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year.



Um, I missed getting my flu shot. :( Grrr... Seriously, the flu SUCKS.


**NOTE TO ALL PEOPLE: If you are sick, PLEASE STAY HOME!!**

No one else wants your cooties! Just in case you just think you ate something rotten, like a pumpkin ice cream cone from Arctic Circle, check out the symptoms:


Symptoms of Flu include:
  • fever (usually high)
  • headache
  • extreme tiredness
  • dry cough
  • sore throat
  • runny or stuffy nose
  • muscle aches
  • Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than adults

*Note to PARENTS!* I know you want to get rid of your kids during the day, but when should you send them back to school? We don't want our angels to fall behind, but the CDC says this:

When can my child go back to school after having the flu?
Keep your child home from school until his or her temperature has been
normal for 24 hours. Remind your child to cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing, to protect others (you may want to send some tissue and wipes or gels with alcohol in them to school with your child).

*Just use common courtesy and think of it this way:*

Would you want someone, (anyone) else to send their child or spouse to work/ school knowing how sick they can make everyone else?

Hi!

Hi!
This is the coolest dog ever!