Cinderella….or Spiderella, or Cheetahrella

My students have been writing (FOR A MONTH) a fairy tale story.  We read a number of fairy tales.  (you’d be surprised–if its not a Disney movie–they don’t know it–like Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk or Rapunzel)

Now we are writing Cinderella stories.  I have a collection of Cinderella’s –like Dinorella, or Cinderella Penguin.  SO they chose an animal set and they got to it!!  Each day or two, I would lay out the foundation of the next set of details.  (First introduce Cinderella…lovely, beautiful…. had to live with SS and SM.  They make her do all the chores….give details.)  then the next day:  Now do the invitation…what is the prince’s name, what kind of ball (that matches the types of animals there are)  and then the SSisters say “You can’t come to the ball… you are too dirty…etc)  It took them over 2 weeks to write the story.  But they have never written so much!!!!  I have pages and pages from each student.

Now its taken 2 weeks.  I will edit a chunk at a time and tell them when to stop on each page.  Like a picture book, some pages only have one sentence, and some have a lot more.  But, each page will have a coloured picture with it.

The stories are so funny!!!!  Snakearella lost her tiara (and the picture of the snakes dancing is a little rude), Pigerella fell in love with a Chicken Prince, Cheetahs, tigers, dogs and cats are all going to the ball!!!!  Each completed book is between 12-25 pages with illustrations and everything.  I am going to use the spiral binder to make the books last a long time.

I hope mom’s and Dad’s like the stories and will keep them.  I ‘ve had a great time helping them write!!!

Things I love that start with B

another teacher today was making a list of things she loves that start with B.  Hmmm sounds like a great blog!

• blogs-  I love to write mine.
• bubbles– in baths, blowing bubbles outside, bubbles in pop, MY BUBBLES
• biting– I BITE faces!!!!!
• beach!!!  I love the beach–the sound of the water, the smell of the sea air–oh Gulf of Mexico, I will be there soon!
• banana bread–yum yum
• burgers–with a lot of cheese
• bracelets–especially sparkly ones
• bling–again, anything with sparkles
• blankies– I love being snuggled in blankies
• bears– polar and teddy especially
• baked goods–they are my favourite treats, over chocolate or candy
• Bones–What a great show– the entire cast is wonderful  (and Angel’s on it but not being broody)
• black and white animals are all my fav’s–pandas, penguins, cows, skunks, zebras, if its black and white– I like it!
• babies.  Oh so cute.  I like tosniff them (’cause babies smell good),  take their clothes off and look at their little feet.
• boys– ’nuff said.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer– The show, not the movie
• bags–like funky purses.  I always carry a 35 pound bag with everything you could possibly need plus 17 pounds of stuff you don’t need.
• braids–I like when girls have french braids in their hair.  I don’ know how to french braid
• back bacon (only I call it ALLIGATOR BACON- don’t ask me why)
• balconies– overlooking the water
• the B game (When you annoy your husband/partner/lover with touching and announcing all the parts of them that start with B–do it when good TV is on for maximum effect!!!  Touch their: brow, boobies, belly, backs of their knees, bottoms of their feet, bum,  etc)
• bakeries–yum
• Beauty and the Beast is my favourite Disney movie.  (and my copy is broken)
• buttertarts– with raisins.
• books-especially Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, any Terry Prachett, The Time Traveller’s Wife,
• ballerinas
• bedtime!!!  (even though bedtime is for babies)
• BASEBALL– Marco Scutero
• bridges
• and THE B BOOK–I don’t think its Dr. Seuss, but its in that set.  Big, brown bear, blue blue, beautiful baboon, blowing bubbles biking backwards, bump black bugs banana boxes, and brother bob’s baseball bus and buster beagles banjo, bagpipe, bugle band……and that’s what broke baby bird’s balloon.   (that’s from memory at my desk–someone find the book and check–I’m sure I’m close)

And those are some things I like that start with b!!!  (I will do things I hate that start with b later– barfing, blisters and botulism  will begin the list….)

As it has been pointed out to me, I have missed BROWNIES (which did get covered by Baked goods, but V is right, they are so yummy that they deserve their own mention)

And BRITTANY BEATON!!! (and the rest of the Beaton Clan).  Yes I love them, too.

When you don’t feel well

Yesterday was a bad day.  Nothing I could do helped my headache.  I took Tylenol, Advil, had water, had a diet coke, wore my sunglasses in the house, but nothing broke the pain.  I slept, I put an ice pack on my head and neck– nothing.  Then, last night I couldn’t sleep.  I was up until 12:00.  I saw the clock at 2:30, I read Harry Potter (#5–they rode the Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic) from 2:30-3:15 and finally moved to the couch around 3:30am

(There is something about the Magic couch when you are sick— as a child, the couch was where mom bundled you up with pillows and blankets and it somehow feels different from your bed.  I still have to be on the couch sometimes in the middle of the night–even though I know it drives Phillip nuts)

Zoolander was on Showcase at 3:00 in the morning–weird.  So I finally slept a little from 4:00ish to 5:53am when the alarm clock rang.  Another handful of Advil, shower and I’m off to school.  But I still don’t feel well.  I am all shakey-like I’m just getting over the flu. I want nothing more than to have a little cry and curl up with a blankey and my new Sock Monster (named Edwardo).  But, here I am at school trying to put on a brave face for these little monkeys. 

Luckily, they seem just as sleepy and out of it as I do.  Let’s all have a nap.  (Well, my class will “play dead” for up to 10 minutes at a time.  God bless the book “Scaredy Squirrel” and all its life lessons!)

Random things that I like to do…

Y’know how you have comfort foods, or comfortable jeans.  I have some routines, books, movies that are like that too.  There are some things, that no matter what else, will always make me happy.  Plus in these hard economic times, its nice to have free or almost free things that will always put a smile on your face

• Going to Ikea– I love Ikea, I play house in their little model homes.  Everything about Ikea is fun.  The meatballs are yummy, and the Lingenberry Juice–yum.  I walk around saying the “Swedish” name for everything “TORK”  “ECTOR”  “MALM”  gotta love that MALM.  And no matter how much I say I’m not buying anything, somehow a basket, kitchen gadget or pillow always comes home with me.   (Note: I don’t  go to the Leslie St Ikea anymore– the parking garage scares me.  Seriously-have you been up on top of that thing? Its all slanty and almost going to collapse, and to be under it —yikes.  Now I will go to the Jane and the 407)   But a fun date is a trip to Ikea, its just hard to convince the peeps at home to take me.  (Hey Megan, wanna go to Ikea???)  Oh–personal message : when they have midnight madness at Ikea, and you think “How many people will really be at Ikea at 11:30 at night—THE ANSWER IS LOTS!!!!  Avoid this at all costs.  No cute stacking baskets are worth that madness.
• The carwash.  This has already been mentioned, but Its worth repeating.  I love going to the carwash.  I don’t like washing the car with a hose and bucket-yuck, but the soft cloth car wash.  Ohhhh spend the extra money and get the TRI COLOURED foam soap.  Woo hooo I love it.  (But if I owned a carwash I would buy little LED lights and rig them up so they looked like gremlin eyes.  Imagine that–soapy windows, you can’t really see, but you catch sight of little glowing eyes–Spooky).  For our anniversary one year, Phillip and I went to the carwash and then Ikea, it was a great day!!!
• I LOVE Harry Potter– I read the Harry Potter books continuously.  Really I mean CONSTANTLY.  Before bed every night, I read about a page or two.  I can’t read new books during the school year–I’m just too tired.  That’s why I read 3 or4 new books over Christmas Break or March Break, and even more during the summer.— But now its Harry Potter.  When I finish book 3, I read book 4 etc…. and when I am finished the entire canon, then I start again.  Since I started reading all seven in order, I have probably gone over the entire set 5 times by now.  I just can’t stop!!!
• I also love the Harry Potter movies.  (Don’t get me wrong–books are better than movies, and if you want to have a discussion about books vs movies I have some strong feelings.  But the movies are visually wonderful! The first one, wow!  How did they know what the Hogwarts Express looked like in my mind).  If I am working on something else and need some noise in the background, a Harry Potter movie is always a good choice.
• Other movies that I watch obsessively are Ocean’s 11, Clueless, Notting Hill, Twister, The Rock, Con Air, Armageddon, American President, Legally Blonde, and Outbreak (or in its alternate title MONKEYPOX)— It doesn’t matter how often I have seen these movies, I will always watch them again and again.  (What does this say about me???  I’m not sure)
• When I am at the grocery store, I always have to check the cakes and pick the birthday cake that I want.  It is probably not my birthday, but I always look. Hmmmmm Blue’s Clues or Spiderman…….. sometimes its a tough choice.  Princesses usually win.  Also purple flowers or balloons in icing.  (at least I don’t slap the roasts–anyone who would do that is really weird)
• I love to buy nailpolish.  I don’t wear a lot of nail polish, but I own a lot!!!  Nothing can pick up a grumpy mood like a $3 bottle of fun!!!