Back...well, sort of

Summer is here! 

Things have been nutty around the Cunningham abode; we could not have fit one more event into May. May is the new December if you ask me. Things have been really busy. School as finished, jobs have finished, interviews have started, a move happened in there somewhere and now we have landed on the other side of the Equator. Chile is our home for the next three weeks.

I don't know if I will update or have the desire while we are here. I am considering our time away "my recovery"... something I am in desperate need of. But, if I were to venture a guess, I will probably update as adventures tend to happen here in our second home. 

For now, I would like to make a public service announcement for the good of the cause: When on an international overnight flight, do not assume that everyone goes to sleep when in-flight movie is over. That's right, "handsy" couple in 37J and 37H, I saw that make out session last night.... all of it. 

My dad

In celebration of my dad recently turning the big 5-0, I have complied the following list in his honor...

An incomplete list of things I learned from my father...

1. You should vacuum like a painter--in straight lines.

2. When driving, you must keep both feet on the floor and ready.

3. Nothing good happens between a dating or engaged couple after midnight.

4. Don't spend more money than you have.

5. (When working to demonstrate my "rights" as a young teenager, I learned that) Children don't have rights, they have privileges. 

6. Serving someone practically is another way to say "I love you"

7. Snacking is pointless if you are eating enough at each meal 

8. Integrity counts even if it goes unrecognized.

9. Family vacations are important and should be made a priority.

10. If you can't find friends to be with, there is always someone who will hang out with you at home.

11. Learning how to be on a team is an important life lesson.

12. Sandals should only be worn if it is over 70 degrees. 

13. When it can be prevented, food should never go to waste. 

14. Encouraging your spouse in whatever he/she wants to do is great use of your time and will bless your marriage significantly. 

15. Always eat a sandwich before you go to a potluck... you never know what will be served and you don't want to be hungry. 

16. Playing along never hurt anyone.

This is just the beginning of what I have learned from the old man.

 He's a good egg and I couldn't be more proud to be a part of his gene pool. 

Happy Birthday, Bri. 

I like these people

My incredible husband and I

My thin mother and charming youngest sister, Madeline

My kind sister, Leah and the birthday boy (my dad)  

My fun brother and his lovely soon-to-be wife (who I adore... but more on that later)

I like these people.

What I learned about myself at Pilates:

1. I will do anything if it is considered the "advance way" or if it will earn me "2 extra bonus points" and while you may think these points don't exist, I know exactly how many I have!

2. I don't have a "core". I don't even know what a "core" is or where you can get one.

3. I like work-out accessories and I know who has the best "mat" in the class.

4. I don't have a "core".

5. I have no sense of balance and while my Pilates-mate can balance on one toe, while reaching to the sky, lifting her back leg AND thinking thoughts of serenity, I simply fall over. 

6. I don't have a "core".

7. I am freakishly flexible. I don't know why or if it has something to do with my gnome-like extremities, but it is bizarre. 

8. I don't have a "core".

9. I am more likely to work out if I belong to a class.

10. I LOVE Pilates!

More movies!

Death at a Funeral

An outrageous story of a complicated, character-filled group of people gathering for a funeral. A "Waking Ned Devine"- like movie loaded with unbelievable moments that make you laugh, gasp and keep you entertained while completing ignoring all formalities or respectful elements of a funeral. 

My only problem: Can't think of one!

Rating: Recommended if you remember that this has nothing to do with how I see funerals or what I wish would happen at funerals. This movie is outrageous and if you are in the mood to laugh, rent it.

 

August Rush

A farfetched story of an abandoned child who believes his parents will come and find him through "the music". You guessed it: in the end... the family is reunited.

My only problem: Hmmm...where do I start? Maybe at the fact that this could never happen? Maybe my distain for Robin Williams' disturbing character? Maybe because this kid seemed way too happy? Hmm... I just don't know what my only problem  with this movie is....

Rating: Only recommended to self-proclaimed cheese-balls who like any movie with a swelling sound track.

Looking forward to... Lars and the Real Girl and Juno (although I have seen it four times already), both of which come out on Tuesday!

Kids say...

While I do have an entirely wonderful and full life outside of teaching, there were too many priceless teaching moments to ignore this week. One of my favorite elements of teaching is how kids phrase things... you could not script this stuff. Enjoy!

When talking about about the thunderstorm this week and how it made all of us feel, one my intensely-eager-external-processors, exclaimed, "Mrs. Cunningham! That thunder scared me right down to the bottom!" 

As I was checking this kids' fish poems this week, I found one that stood out dramatically. Students were supposed to follow a pattern of "describing" words to talk about their fish. One of my more reflective students was writing a really great poem about her fish called "Rainbow". Well, instead of writing "rainbow", she wrote "Rambo." So her poem read...

Rambo

Beautiful dancing

Spinning color

Rambo

I can see you

Hiding

Beautiful dancing

Rambo

We have been working on using "second grade" words when we talk (all that really means is better vocabulary then "good", "nice" and my favorite "cool"). Well one little boy raised his hand while we were writing the fish poems, clearly very eager to share a story with me. When I asked him what was going on, he said "Well, I wanted you to know that before I existed my parents had a fish. But for some reason when I starting existing they had to get rid of it!"

One of my more "challenging" students has a really hard time focusing. I have to "redirect him" roughly eight times an hour (the reason I know this is because I take an incredible amount of data on this child)! We were lining up for lunch on Wednesday and he was looking particularly confused. I couldn't tell what was going on, but I was curious because of the very difficult morning we had just had. So, I got down on my knees, looked him in the eye and inquired about his apparent confusion. This was our conversation...

 "Mrs. Cunningham, I can't believe it's lunch time."

"Why?" I asked in a sweet, calm teacher-voice.

"Because I didn't know I was here for all the morning time."

"Wow" I replied, trying not to think: No wonder we had such a awful morning!

And then he exclaimed with unmistakable excitement...

"I think my brain was sleeping, while my eyes were awake!!!"

I am so excited I have finally reached the weekend!

Reality Check!

With the peace of Spring Break behind me and the glory of Summer ahead, I returned to school on Monday. The first day back was idyllic: children followed directions, I received many "love notes" (pictures and notes from my students), lessons were taught, concepts were mastered and it was "an all green day" (which basically boils down to "no one was bad"). I came home feeling energized by the success and flow of the day. All was well.

Today, however, was a very different day. One of those days were somewhere in the middle I found myself thinking, "I really do spend my entire day with six-year-olds". 

The day was thick, one that I had to drag myself through. Despite my effort, most of my lessons finished dry and slightly boring. Reviews of yesterdays concepts revealed that little was understood or retained. And the behavior was... unbelievable... peaking when one of my "friends" decided that the paper mache looked so much like frosting that he should in-fact take a bite of his creation. 

The difference in these two days is not recognized as uncommon by elementary teachers. This is the ebb and flow of our work. We base our work around six-year-olds who in their own development are changing dramatically in a short period of time. 

I must, however, mention a small highlight in my day. With today being the first of April, I spent a part of yesterday explaining what April Fool's Day means. I talked about how sometimes it is fun to tell silly jokes to friends that end in "April Fool's!!!" As fate would have it, I heard nearly 20 April Fool's jokes today! Here are some of my favorites:

"Mrs. Cunningham, guess what?"

"What?"

"My mom broke both of her legs last night!"

"Really, what happened?"

"APRIL FOOL'S!!!!!)

"Mrs. Cunningham, did you know I have an elephant at home?"

"Oh really!"

"Yeah, he lives in my room (long enough pause to attract the attention of his peers)......... even on days that aren't April Fool's!"

(The odd thing about this one, was there wasn't really a punch line. I wonder if he really thinks...)

"Mrs. Cunningham, guess what happened last night?"

"What?"

"My mom changed her name last night."

"Really? To what?"

"Cinderella"

"Wow!"

"APRIL FOOL'S!!!"

Five minute pause....

"Mrs. Cunningham, wouldn't it be cool if my mom really did change her name to Cinderella?"

A great find!

I recently found this place through a Craigslist posting. It is an fantastic "Raveswood Find". The furniture is incredible; each piece being different from the last. The prices are reasonable as well. Totally worth the trip (or a browse through their online catalog).

Snickerdoodles

Bruce does not have a sweet tooth. He doesn't crave sweets or massive amounts of sugar. He thinks frosting is gross and...wait for the ball to drop... he doesn't like chocolate! 

However, the one sweet thing that he does like and will occasionally ask for are Snickerdoodle cookies. I tried this new recipe yesterday and they turned out super well!

Snickerdoodles

Source: allrecipes.com

Season: year-round 

What you need:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of shortening

1 1/2 cup of white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 3/4 cups of all purpose flour

2 teaspoons of cream of tartar

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of white sugar

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

What you do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough into small rounded balls. Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll each cookie ball into the mixture to coat the dough. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Yuck!

I was grocery shopping this morning and all of a sudden had a craving for a sandwich I ate ALL THE TIME during college. I think I invented this sandwich, having no recollection of eating it on other occasions. I loved this sandwich in college. I would crave it, make it with care, and on a good day, make an extra for one of my roommates.

So after finding the ingredients at the store, I anticipated my reunion with the sandwich all morning! I was so excited for lunch. At the first sign of hunger, I carefully made the sandwich exactly how I had perfected the recipe over the years. My excitement and hunger grew. 

I sat down, took a bite of the sandwich and savored the familiar taste. I slowly took a few more bites, continuing to enjoy my creation. 

And then much to my surprise, I had a very unfamiliar feeling. 

I wanted to throw up! I looked at the sandwich and wondered how I ever enjoyed this collision of tastes, textures, and colors between two pieces of bread. I was disgusted. 

Amazing what you think is delicious in college on a work-study budget. 

Any one else have a "in college, I used to eat..." story? 

"Oh, the things I have seen..."

Bruce and I have been looking for an apartment for a few weeks now. We have spent many a weeknight, rushing home from work to meet someone with keys to our potential home, only to find that people live in VERY different living conditions than we do. Our home isn't spotless by any means, but we do tend to be on the "tidy" side. To be messy is one thing, but we have seen some crazy stuff in people's apartments. 

Here are some my favorites:

• a framed picture of a women parting the back of her hair to show her exposed brain
• a model skeleton, standing at the foot of someone's bed
• a mosaic dinning room table tiled with 1-inch orange tiles (if you are thinking this sounds cool, it wasn't. It was scary)
• A COMPLETELY yellow kitchen
• a dining room floor covered in dry cat food... it was crunchy to say the least
• a four room apartment: one painted neon blue, one painted neon yellow, one painted neon green and one painted white
• molding PAINTED "marble" with various brush sizes and paint colors, a feature that not only covered the whole apartment, but also that the landlord referred to as real marble!

Thankfully, our search may be over considering a pending apartment application that is in process! 

I like to listen

Free! Free! Free!

Slightly depressing, but always interesting... something I like to listen to.

Movies, Movies, Movies

Things We Lost in the Fire

Interesting story about a recent widow who befriends her late husband's best friend after years of resenting their friendship. Benicio Del Toro (who plays the husband's best friend) is incredible in this movie. I felt that he captured the stunned, life-shaking aspects of grief beautifully. 

My only problem: I didn't find Halle Berry's portrayal of a grieving wife to be believable. 

Rating: Recommended. 

Into the Wild

A true story of a twenty-something bucking the system and working to find himself and the meaning of life through wild adventure. Beautifully filmed in natural America, this story is full of awesome scenery, entertaining characters, and reflective internal dialogue. I must mention that much of the music in this movie is done by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam (who is a resident saint in the Cunningham household). 

My only problem: This movie is really heavy. Watch it when it sun is out.

Rating: Highly Recommended. 

Across the Universe

A love story set in the political and social unrest of 

the 1960s. The cinematography is incredible in this movie! It is awesomely creative. Even the music (mostly Beatles songs) are creatively reshaped and placed throughout the movie.

My only problem: I am a literal realist, so watching such a creative, abstract movie is really hard for me. I am too connected to "figuring it out". 

Rating: Recommended.

Michael Clayton

A smart story of a large law firm caught in the middle of an environmental scandal involving hundreds of people and billions of dollars. The story is fast and smart. The former E.R. star, was convincing and sharp throughout the film.

My only problem: Loads of dialogue in this one. Watch it with the subtitles on... it will help!

Rating: Recommended. Watch it with my brother if you can, because apparently aside from being a giant, he is also very good at explaining complicated movies.

On another note, I must mention that we also tried to watch Rendition this weekend. It was so bad, we stopped it after the first twenty minutes. Rating: Not Recommended.

Intake Turns to Overflow

When I am tired, I go into "intake" mode. I read books, watch new movies, listen to talk radio, read the newspaper, sit in silence... absorbing as much as I can. I find this practice to be incredibly refreshing for me. This is how I recover. (Note: the frequency of school days off in the spring, also helps in this recovery!) 

While the length of this process may vary in nature, the end is incredibly abrupt. It does not  transition or wean, but rather stops unannounced and shifts into "overflow". Overflow is exactly what it sounds like: when all that I have absorbed, received and taken in... simply comes out. 

The following posts (and those to come later this week) are signs of my overflow. 

I hope you enjoy them.

One day

One day, I want to have enough time and energy to think of something like this, find people to join me and then perfect it!

My Giant

I have a younger brother named Peter who up until a mere six years ago, I referred to as my "little" brother. I am two years older and because of this honor, had full authority and leadership over him throughout our childhood. As a child, I was notorious for getting Peter into precarious situations and holding him hostage, until my parents came and rescued him. I would make him be "the dog" while playing "house" (leash included), "time him" as he went and got things for me... your basic power-happy-older-sibling-manipulation, really. 

My rule and reign over Peter, however, ended abruptly one day. 

We had been left home alone for an evening and we started fighting about something. (Prior to this event, our fights would consist of your basic sibling exchanges of verbal and physical punches in which I ALWAYS came out victorious.) But, that evening was different. Our fight began as normal, following your basic teenage fight format "You little ____"/"I am going to ____ you"/"If you even ____, I will _____". However, somewhere in the middle of the fight, after saying something that really made him mad, Peter lunged towards me, picked me off the ground by my shoulders, looked me dead in the eye and said, "If you ever say that to me again or touch me, I will hurt you." As he let me go, I fell to the ground stunned. It was then that I realized that he really was bigger than me. Somewhere in the midst of my reign and rule, he had grown over a foot taller than me, gained a significantly lower voice and had enough physical presence to shut me up. 

I was no longer the boss.

I have since come to terms with the fact that I can no longer boss Peter around and wouldn't dare enter into a physical contest of strength. I have settled into my stature and assumed a less powerful dominion. I now refer to Peter as "my giant"... simply because he is. From my vantage point, he is huge. 

Well, apparently I remark about his height quite a bit, even to my students. Yesterday, as we were talking about how some trees in the rain forest are over 15 feet tall, we began comparing 15 feet to things we can see. The conversation went like this...

"Are they bigger than our cars?" Girl A asked.

"Yes", I replied to stunned little faces.

"Are they bigger than the swings?" Boy A asked.

"Yes", I said. 

"Are they bigger than our principal?" Girl B asked.

"Yes", I said in the midst of "wow" and "whoa" swirling around me.

And then I called on Boy B.

"Boy B?"

And in a hushed, shockingly reverent voice, Boy B asked, "Mrs. Cunningham are they bigger than your brother?"

"Yes, they are, Boy B." I replied softly.

"Wow," he said. "They must be really huge".

Tired

It's been awhile.

Too much has happened in the last two weeks. Things I never expected, planned or prepared for. And I am now sitting, wrestling actually with the residue and as a result, I am tired. My brain, my emotions, my body needs rest. It feels good to say that, good to claim, that yes, life has for a bit worn me out. 

...

On the upside, I feel an anticipation for good things to come. I don't know much of what the next few months will look like, but I will say that growing deep somewhere beyond my fatigue is an excitement. 

And that alone is refreshing.

I am off to read, to fall asleep in my favor position--in the pages of a book.

More to come this week!

Online Shopping

I hate to shop.

Point blank... I hate it, unless I am shopping for school supplies, which is the one addendum to my distaste. I despise every aspect of the shopping experience from finding a parking spot, to the broken-record music, to cheery sales people asking me if I want to save 10%, to being stalked as I return to my glory-holding parking spot. I don't think its fun, a way to spend time with others, pleasant or relaxing. I will admit that at times, I will have a moment of insanity in which I think I feel the urge to shop. I have come to realize that this feeling lasts about an hour and if I choose to partake in the activity, I will need a two hour nap to recover.  Over the years, I have learned to compensate for my disdain by befriending (and marrying) people who love to shop and then forcing them to come with me. Many have fallen victim to my persuasion and have later learned to not shop with me unless I am well fed, well rested and have some sort of "reward" to look forward to at the end of the excursion. 

I would like to announce, however, that I have found a way to overcome my hatred, move beyond that which has forced me to impulse buy for the sake to getting out of a store and now enjoy purchasing... ONLINE SHOPPING!

While many have been using their mouse to browse for years, it is only since I have come to terms with my long standing hatred, that I have enjoyed the speed, annoyance free process of online shopping! The process makes sense: select store or distributer, select large category in which desired item may be found, narrow search down by choosing between various detailed items, peruse items, select one, check out, insert credit card number WITHOUT HAVING TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO SAVE 10% and expect your purchase within a week! Incredible the amount of steps one can go through while experiencing of the comfort of their couch, the refreshing taste of a diet coke and whatever music he/she wants to listen to.

As an expression of my new found freedom and love for online shopping, I have listed my most favorite, frequently visited places to shop:  

• Overstock.com-- LOTS to look at, some good, some bad. You can't beat their $2.95 for shipping!
• Target.com--Classic, easy and I spend less online than I do standing in line deciding if I need a bottle of Purel for my keychain. Watch the shipping costs, though, as they can be a bit much. I have found stuff I like and then just gone to a store to pick it up (this saved me $60 on our new TV stand)!
• Ikea.com-- Interesting choice, I know, but this helps me decide if Craigslist purchases are worth it. Only problem, not all items are available online. It also saves us city people at trek out to the middle of no where!
• Crate and Barrel Outlet-- Some really good finds. Easy to look at. 
• Amazon.com--I think their prices for used books are great, especially for their used children's books. They often have books that are out of print as well!
• Etsy.com ---For those that claim online shopping misses out on good finds and individualized purchases!

And that is just the beginning of the list! 

Happy Shopping!

A little poem

I came into school on Thursday morning and found this poem on my desk...

"Mrs. Cunningham is sweet as honey

she likes to be funny.

Everyone knows she has a heart full of gold."

You have got to love the cheesiness that comes with being an elementary school teacher!

The Birthday Boy

We had a birthday in our class today! The little guy was very excited about turning 7 (which is considered a VERY big feat among first graders). He is one of my "high needs" students, someone who requires constant monitoring and supervision. I was warned about this one at the beginning of the year. Tales from his previous teachers poured into my room like warning sirens. He entered my room with a file folder FULL of accommodations, modifications, interventions and specialists notes. I was terrified to meet this kid...

And now, with the first of March coming, I can say that every one of those traumatized teachers was correct! He is a handful and requires the amount of supervision that a three year old needs. I have to remind him of VERY basic socially appropriate behaviors nearly 10 times a day. He is nuts. He sees more specialists than I can count. He does nothing independently and is always within an arms reach of my frantic grip. 

But... today was his birthday. And if you have a birthday in Room 26, regardless of your learning ability, behavior patterns, special needs, or "nuttiness", you will be celebrated. 

And just as we were about to sing "Happy Birthday", I saw the birthday boy suck his thumb and pick his nose at the same time, with the same hand... and I let him be. 

Uncommon Ground, Rogers Park

I had the pleasure of enjoying a tasty lunch with my future sister-in-law and friend at Uncommon Ground in Rogers Park today!

Food: very tasty, huge portions

Service: pleasant, waitress actually helped me redesign the turkey sandwich the way she preferred it!

Ambiance: fireplace, exposed brick, artwork by local, yet pricey artists, wood tables

Bathrooms: very nice! (Why the need for a bathroom score, you may ask. Bathrooms are a very important part of the eating out experience. Bad bathrooms are not appreciated!)

Price: a bit pricey... roughly $15 a person minus alcohol

Overall: Great place!

Recipes, starting with Chicken Pot Pie

In the year that I have been married and have had rule over my own kitchen, I have come to really enjoy cooking. I don't cook a fabulous, note-worthy meal every night, but I do make effort to make a variety of interesting/tasty/healthy meals. I am ALWAYS looking for new recipes but I tend to be a harsh critic when it comes to food. I would say that I cook roughly one dish for every fifteen recipes that I look at! 

So, to make up for my ____ (some would say "picky", others would say "refined") taste buds, I will contribute to the search of "good recipe finding" by working to post a recipe a week! I must also insert a personal disclaimer here... I am a seasonal eater. This means that compared to the rest of you normal people, I can and will only eat certain meals in certain seasons. So all of my recipes will include not only my source, but also the season which I find best compliments this meal. 

This week's I will highlight a very tasty comfort food... Chicken Pot Pie. My mom gave me this and most of my other decent recipes. And while you may be thinking that your mom is the best cook around, you are mistaken. My mom could kick your mom's butt when it comes to cookin'! 

On to the recipe...

Chicken Pot Pie

Source: my mother

Season: late October to late February 

You will need: 

4-6 cups of cubed chicken breasts

5 cups of chicken broth

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 sticks of butter

2 cups of chopped yellow onions

3/4 cup of flour

1/2 tsp. of pepper

1/4 cup of heavy cream

1- 16 oz. pkg of frozen peas and carrots

2 pre-made pie crusts

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken broth and bouillon cubes. In a large pot, melt the butter and saute the yellow onions over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minutes, stirring until thick. Add pepper and heavy cream. Add the chicken and package of peas and carrots. 

Meanwhile, roll out one pie dough to fit into the bottom of a 9x11 pan and pour the filling over the crust. Roll out the other pie crust over the top. Brush the dough with egg wash (1 beaten egg and a tablespoon of water), make a few slits in the crust and bake on a baking sheet (to catch the spills) for 1 hour at 375.

Enjoy!

If I were president...

Today's writing prompt was "If I were president..." and I thought you might be interested to read what our future may hold...

"If I were president, I would make more things for boys and more Legos. I would make toys because they make kids happy."

"If I were president, I will stay up late because I love to stay up late so you can sit at the computer. And watch TV and video games."

(From my student who is ALWAYS needing to be reminded that we "walk" in the halls) 

"If I were president, I will not let anyone walk. Only running and jumping. They will  go to jail if they walk, even if it is a accident."

And finally...

"If I were president, I can help poor people get stuff  by buying them stuff and make bad guys be good. That I will do if I were president. I will make the bad guys be good by teaching them to be good."

Where most of my entertainment comes from

This is my second year as a first grade teacher and I can confidently claim that I have one of the most entertaining jobs on the planet. Regardless of how seamlessly I think I have planned and prepared for the day, there is no telling what is going to happen! Six-year-olds have a remarkable way of adding "spice" to my life. 

For example, I was in the middle of a math lesson yesterday when I heard a scream coming from the front of the room. When I asked the "screamer" what the problem was, he pointed to the door and said "LOOK!" There in the middle of my inviting, friendly, colorful doorway to endless learning experiences was... a pair of children's underwear. 

What happened at work yesterday for you?!

Good guests

We enjoyed our company this weekend! I had a great time listening to the adventures they had as kids. It was quite entertaining. :)

 Seba and Isaac---you are welcome any time!

A nice date...

Mon Ami Gabi

To "celebrate" feeling healthy after two weeks, Bruce and I visited Mon Ami Gabi on Friday night. We really liked it! We visited the Lincoln Park location and found it to be an excellent combination of nice/casual/fancy/unpretentious. 

Just because I think it is funny...

Charlie bit me!

The beginning...

I have wanted to do this for about a year now. I have tossed titles and tag lines back and forth, working to find the one that best describes who I am and what I want to write about. I have thought about waiting for a more "interesting" time in my life, something I could blog specifically about. And...I have thrown catchy phrases and "perfect" subjects to the wind and have decided I am just going to start...