ONLY A WEEK GONE BY! WOW!

Only a week has gone by since my last post. The joy of summer and free time! Here's what went on last week.

• I took Allie & her friend Maddie to see "Judy Moody" at the theatre. The kids loved it, I thought is was pretty boring and dozed a bit. Jake & friend Paul went to see "X Men" on their own. A big step!


• Allie spent the night at Maddie's house.


• Jake spent the night at his friend Christiano's house for his birthday. He said that they had fun and that his dad "made burgers that we as tender as melted butter."


• Jake had 2 ballgames. Both ended pretty bad with HUGE losses. Both were in the rain, which made it worse! In one of the games, one of our players got his in the elbow when he was up to bat & it broke his arm. Bummer! In the other game we were short 1 player, so it was rough.


• The kids went to their friend Makenna's birthday party.


• Jake started his first basketball camp of the summer at UNI. He loves it. Next week he starts his 2nd camp sponsored by CF schools.


• Allie has been going to Music Mania camp this week. They are singing, learning to play instruments, dancing and doing a few art projects. At the end of the week, they are putting on a play. Allie's role is "Moon 4" and playing the drums.


• Both kids have been going to VBS at their new church. They are having a great time. I volunteered one night at VBS.


• I went for drinks with my friends Karen & Cathi while the kids were at VBS. It was fun catching up with them. I also spent a morning (while the kids were at camp) shopping in downtown CF with my friend Kristin.


• We went to Drew & Delaney's birthday parties. Delaney was a hoot digging into her cupcake. Drew loved playing with Scott.


• Each day after basketball camp, Jake has hooked up with friends and played whiffle ball in a vacant lot nearby. I love our neighborhood and the fact that at any given time there are 2-15 boys around hanging out & staying active.


• Scott and I celebrated our 15 year anniversary! He surprised me with a BEAUTIFUL anniversary ring. He is getting a new laptop or iPad from me (he hasn't decided which he wants more).


• Next week: Jake has a ball tournament & several games, my brother & his family are coming to visit, Jake has basketball camp, Allie is going to spend several days with my family, Jake has a movie planned, I have drinks with friends planned, my sister & her kids are coming to visit for a couple of days, Jake has ball practice, Sturgis Falls weekend and Jake is running another 5k. Whew!

Delaney

Drew with his cake.

Kylee

Laney

Nana & her girls

Jake at bat

Jake pitching.

Jake & friends at Makenna's party

Makenna's party goers

Tug of War gone bad!

SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE!


Yep, that's right, school is out for the summer. YAY! I was ready, the kids were ready & now finally Mother Nature seems to be ready. Here's the latest and greatest from our home.

• Jake had Safety Patrol and was named one of the captains for next year. He has to be responsible & make the right decisions even when no one is watching. His teachers thought he met that description, so now he is a captain.


• Allie spent a week at Museum school. The entire 3rd grade toured the museums in the Cedar Valley & learned all about the history of our community.


• Jake's baseball team has won 2 games and lost 4. Jake is hitting well and fielding well too. The boys are having a lot of fun with their new coaches. They are a great group of boys.


• Allie finished up tutoring for the school year. We are giving her a couple of weeks off and then going 2 morning a week to keep her math skills fresh in her mind.


• Allie had 2 concerts for UNI Children's Choir. The first one was for parents and the 2nd one was at the Gold Star Teacher Awards, so lots of community members were there. They did great.


• I attended a carnival planning meeting for next Fall's carnival. I stepped down from the co-chair position and am now helping on the Silent Auction committee. What a relief to take that big task off of my plate.


• My dad had a hip replaced and the surgery went really well. I was able to go hang out with my mom and siblings while he was in surgery. He is recovering nicely, I hear.


• The school staff held a baby shower for co-workers Angie & Erica. Both are having boys this summer.


• Allie had her poetry fair. She did a great job and wrote some wonderful poetry.


• We had beach day at school. Allie dressed up and loved it. Jake was too cool.


• The kids practiced every week for the Talent Show. Both groups did a great job!


• Snow Cone Days was held at school. The kids were on a sugar high for 2 days.


• The kids ran the mile at school. Jake got 6:40 & Allie got around 10 mins. (I think).


• We spent Memorial Day building a new deck on our house. I even helped. It looks great and should be completely finished this weekend.


• I wrapped up chairing this year's Talent Show. I keep saying that I'll advise next year, but won't chair it. Why do I think that I'm mistaken on that?


• Allie had 2 Brownie meetings. She won several awards for selling the most cookies in her troop. She already has signed up for next year.


• The last day of school went well. I'll miss my kiddos a bunch. Jake told me that this was his FAVORITE year. He loved the kids in his class AND he loved his teacher...that doesn't always happen. Allie isn't sure how she will top this year. She had a great year.


• The final report cards are in and Jake got 3 A's and 2 B's. Allie ended with straight B's. We are pretty proud of them.


• We made our first trip to the pool. It was a 5th grade reunion for Jake. Seriously, about 20 kids from his grade were there. Allie bumped into several friends as well.


• Coming up Allie has music camp, Jake has basketball camp & both kids have vacation Bible school.
  
  Allie's class

Allie & friends Jordyn & Makenna

Teachers at the Gold Star Awards

Allie & friends Skylar, Morgan & Abbie

Jake's Class

Allie at Field Days

Allie singing at Gold Star

Allie on Beach Day

Allie at the Poetry Fair

Jake's ball team

Jake & buddies Nick, Adam, Paul & Ben

Allie & friends Abbie, Morgan, Caitlyn, Skylar & Katie

Jake's Talent Show group Ben, Makenna, Paul, Olivia & Sophie

Jordyn & Allie's Talent Show group (YMCA)

Baseball team at BWW after a big win.

ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER

I have to start out this post by announcing that Miss Kylee Kay Fischer made her way into our family on April 18th. She is perfect! Congrats to my baby brother & Tesha. I just love my growing family!

Now onto what the Grinstead's have been up to lately:

• Jake is still practicing baseball 2-3 times a week. He will be playing 1st base and right field as of now. He is pretty happy with those positions. He's also hitting the ball. Not to brag, but I pulled up at practice the other night just as he smacked one past the 3rd baseman...it rolled to the fence. Yay!


• Religious ed is over for the year. Next year, we are trying out a new church.


• Allie went to her friend Morgan's birthday party. They did lots of girly stuff.


• I went to an awards banquet (see previous post).


• Allie is still going to tutoring for math once a week.


• Allie is getting ready for a concert this weekend. She has worked hard all semester and I can't wait to hear how good her choir sounds.


• We spent Easter with my family. It was a great weekend! We got to meet our newest family member, Kylee. We celebrated Ben & Maddie's birthdays. I got to babysit Drew & Delaney. Scott & my brother golfed. Allie saw "Hop" with Maddie. We had a big supper with all of my siblings, their spouses, my parents & my nieces & nephews. I love it! We had an Easter egg hunt with my nieces and nephews. All in all a WONDERFUL weekend.


• Talent Show practice has begun. We are still looking for an idea for Allie & her friend.


• Allie had a Brownie meeting.


• We celebrated May Day. Allie delivered lots of May Day treats and had tons of fun. Jake's girlfriend brought him a special May basket with kisses and a Scratch cupcake. She even signed the note with a heart & her name!


• Allie & her class are spending the week at Museum School. They go to the local museums all day, every day this week. They learn about the history of our area & lots of other cool stuff. She loves it!


• Both of Scott's grandmothers recently fell. Charlotte is suffering from a brain bleed & has undergone surgery. Granny broke her hip & wrist and had surgery. We are hoping that both recover soon. Scott and I made a quick trip to Iowa City to visit them.


• My class went to the symphony.

Kylee
Maddie, Drew, Delaney, Allie & Ben having dinner.

Maddie blowing out her candles, with Drew's help.

Me & my newest niece.

Drew finds an egg in one of Nana's gardens.

Ben with his cake.

Jake with his Easter basket.

Allie with her basket.

The Fischer 7. Ben, Maddie, Delaney, Allie, Drew (sporting Papa's glasses), Jake & Kylee

Maddie finding eggs.

Allie with a carrot shaped egg

Delaney with some eggs.

Allie coloring eggs.

AWARD

So, I was nominated and won an award. I. I attended a banquet that honored me, retirees of the CF district and some others. Here is a copy of the amazing speech that Jim Young, the teacher I work with every single day, gave. I was moved to tears and had to share the nice things my friend had to say about me.



Maggie Grinstead
CFEA Education Support Professional Award
April 15, 2011

I am privileged tonight to honor Maggie Grinstead as our CFEA Education Support Professional for 2011. I knew from the first week of school that I’d nominate Maggie for her work, and every day since, my students and I continue to be blessed by her presence in our classroom.

I tried to write about Maggie in a regular type of speech, but it was getting too wordy.. (who would ever guess that from me? )) so finally I came up with the idea to come up with an alphabet list to describe Maggie. (which is still probably too wordy.)

A- advocating for children is her number one priority. She is looking for accommodations that will allow students to show what they know and build their skills.

B- Busy.. she likes to have things to do.

C – caring and compassionate; the kids know that Maggie is a person they can go to for help, she will answer their questions, give a well-deserved compliment, and always a friendly smile.

D – doer .. she is always willing to do something to help anyone out. She is dedicated to doing her very best!

E – extraordinary and exemplary in every way!

F- family is very important to her. She’s a great mom. She and her husband Scott have two kids - Jacob and Allie; Maggie is close to her parents, sisters and brother, and her broader family.

G – goals for her students –she comes up with modifications and accommodations to meet their academic, social, and behavioral goals and needs

H –heat.. something she’s not had much in my classroom.. it is always cold.. this winter she’s usually had several layers on and even her cuddle duds..

I – intuitive .. impressive, and takes initiative,

J- jobs around the school.. she is willing to help out other paras and do things for others.. if something needs to be done, she can do it

K – kid oriented: She will often say, “This is what I would want for my son and daughter.”

L –love you.. this is a daily ritual her kids have as they leave to go to the playground.. However, Maggie and I have learned to be careful about our conversations being taken out of context…we were walking down the hall one day, Maggie was telling me the story about catching her son Jacob running in the hall.. when he saw her, he said “love you” thinking that would be a way to soften her reminder of school rules.. Well … another associate heard the “Love you” part of that story.. she came to Maggie to ask what was the reason she said “love you” to me!

M – mentor to other ESPs in our building- She has helped compile a check list of items to go over with new staff members regarding the contract, a tour of the building, how to access email , and to make sure that they feel welcome and knowledgeable about their new position. Their hope in turn, is to have less turnover and better morale among the paraeducators at Hansen. She serves as a familiar face to go to with questions and concerns.

N – neat and organized.., she has put up with my messy desk and piles.. at times it is my sense of organization..

0 –observant of students – she keeps an eye on every student and notices things that help explain changes in students’ behaviors. Her observations are perfect in gathering data for IEP and GEI students…. She’s great about giving those “I noticed” compliments to the students too!

P – PTA –she has done a lot for Hansen’s PTA as carnival co- chair, secretary, the fundraising queen for our school playground; talent show committee, the giving tree, and she’s a fantastic room mom according to Laurie Wyckoff.

Q – quiet and unassuming.. she doesn’t like fussing about her

R – Robert – a young man that she’s worked with now for several years; she’s watched him grow in his skills, shared in his humor, tolerates his changing moods, but most important… he knows he always has her!

S – Shawtez – another young man she supports; she is always trying to teach him manners and encouraging him to make good choices; a real tribute to what she’s done for him.. he’s asked her if she could be his mom.. I owe her some adult beverages!

T – treats.. Maggie is a great cook.. She is always baking and making goodies for staff gatherings. the recipe is usually posted on email soon afterwards.

U – understanding of the role of the Association. Her mom has been a member of the “union” in her hometown. Maggie remembers growing up and seeing her mom be part of the negotiations team. Maggie is the CFESP treasurer – it is what she can do right now as busy as she is with her kids and other activities.

V – valued volunteer

W – Wonderful; willing to do whatever .. she’s done all the putzy tasks for my grade level and me like counting out lots of print orders, filing, taking notes, googling information for me while we’re discussing things in class.. and a zillion other things

XYZ.. like etc.. there is so much more about Maggie I could share.

Maggie, I respect the work you do.. You are truly an extraordinary and exceptional professional. I have tried to make sure I’ve said thank you every day for everything you’ve done for my students and me.

Tonight, with great appreciation for your contributions to our school and the lives of children, CFEA is honored to present you with the 2011 CFEA Education Support Professional Award!

I THINK SPRING HAS ARRIVED... Yep, I think Spring has sprung and I couldn't be happier. Our heat is off, the flannel sheets are gone & there is no snow on the ground. I even have a lone daffodil blooming. Yep, it's finally here! Here's our what's gone on since my last post:

• Jake has had baseball practice twice a week. He loves everything about his new team. He comes home happy & positive. Yay!


• Allie is still going to UNICC weekly. They are preparing for 2 performances in May. She can't wait.


• Both kids are finishing up religious ed for the year. Next year, we are switching churches. I am enrolling them in a program through the Lutheran church. Jake's basketball coach is one of the people in charge of the youth programs and the programs seems to fit my kid's needs more than our current church. Both kids are thrilled to switch.


• Allie is still going to tutoring for math once a week.


• I got my hair cut and colored. I went crazy and got some bangs cut into my hair. I love them and will go with more at my next appointment.


• We had a week off for Spring Break in March. The kids and I spent a few days with my family. We went out for dinner to celebrate Kim & Will's birthdays. We went to Incredible Pizza to play, it is like Chuck E Cheese's on steroids! The kids loved it! They also got to play with their cousins and their friends that live in Uncle Michael & Aunt Kim's neighborhood. Overall, we had a nice, relaxing trip.


• I had my yearly doctor appointment. The doctor found a lump in my left breast. She suspected that it was a cyst, but just to be sure I had a mammogram done. The mammo came back normal and no further tests were run. I was quite relieved. It was a very LONG couple of days waiting for the mammo results. Your mind sure does wander and mess with you. Lot's of "what if's" were going on!


• Allie & I went to a bridal shower for my co-worker Amy. It was a nice time.


• Jake went to his friend Mason's birthday party. They saw a movie and had a sleepover. He was exhausted when he got home.


• Jake played in his last basketball tournament of the season. They won their first 2 games very easily. The won the last game in OT and it was a nail biter! They won the whole tournament. He played on a team with just a few of his normal teammates and then some other guys from another team. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they all did considering that they really hadn't played together. Jake looked really good during the tournament. He scored a bunch, had tons of rebounds and played great defense. We were pretty proud!


• Allie went to her friend's Tessa and Sami's birthday parties. They were held together at the pool.


• Allie had a Brownie meeting.


• Jake ran in a 5k. He ran the race in 25:05 and placed 2nd in his age group. Pretty good for a kid that didn't train!


• Jake had an end of the year basketball party. All of the 5th grade Tiger ball boys got together for pizza, desserts, soda and dodgeball. Jake loved every minute of it.


• Jake spent the night at his friend Paul's house. They also saw a late movie and had a good time.


• I had the stomach flu. I was quite sick all night long. I can't remember the last time I felt so awful. Scott took great care of me while I was stuck in bed (for about 48 hours).


• Allie had a doctor appoint to get a planter's wart removed from her toe. That stinker won't go away!


• I went to a girl's night dinner at a new restaurant. The food was good, the conversation was great and being kid free for a few hours was wonderful!


• We went to the Godfather's night fundraiser with our friends Kristin, Cathi, Karen & their kids. Good thing we went early and were almost the only people in the place. We were a loud bunch.


• I went to a Lia Sophia party at my friend Denise's house. I ordered way too much jewelry, but had a ball.


• Scott & I went a hockey game with some of my coworkers. It was lots of fun getting out!


• Allie went to her friend Beth's birthday party.


• Allie & I went to see the play Beauty and the Beast. It was awesome. We had such a great afternoon.


• Coming up: practices, PTA, ISEA banquet, Talent Show tryouts and waiting for my brother's baby to arrive!

Cousins at Osaka (taken on my cell...hence the poor quality) Tournament winners

Happy birthday Kim!

Jake at the pizza place

Al at the pizza place over break

Drew & Maddie decorating Kim's b-day cupcakes.

SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!

I can feel it in the air, spring is just around the corner. I can't wait for the warmer weather! Here's what we've been up to the past couple of weeks.

• Both kids had conferences and both kids did really well. Jake got 3 A's and 2 B's. Allie got all B's and 1 A. Both teachers told me how nice & polite my kids are. That means WAY more to me that their good letter grades.
• Allie finished up basketball for the winter. I am glad that it is over and we can free up a couple of nights. Actually, we just replaced those nights with other activities.
• Jake had 2 basketball tournaments. One in South Tama that they won (barely) and another in Waverly that they pretty easily won. I believe we may play in one more tournament and then be done for the season.
• Allie is still going to UNICC each week. They are scheduled to perform during the Gold Star Teacher awards in May.
• Jacob started baseball practice. They are working indoors. He loves the new coaches and team. It has been a great change so far.
• The kids and I each had dentist appointments. I had to get a tooth filled (bummer) and the kids had 6 month check ups. They each had a cavity, so we will go back in a few weeks.
• Jacob and Scott had to go to the 5th grade boy's meeting. They learned all about puberty and other things. Jake's only question after the meeting was "Why would you ever need to use a condom? I mean don't you ONLY have sex to get someone pregnant?" So innocent!
• Allie had a Brownie meeting and her cookies are in. We've been working on getting all 200+ boxes delivered.
• I had a PTA meeting. We set our Talent Show audition times.
• The kids had 80's day at school. It seems wrong that they are having a fun day at school that is mocking how I dressed as a teenager!
• Kim, Mandy & I held a baby shower for Tesha. She had a huge crowd and got so many wonderful gifts. She sure has a nice group of friends.
• Scott had outpatient surgery last week. It was a minor hernia repair. He is healing nicely and will be back at work on Monday. I was shocked that he took several days off to heal. I'm lucky to have 2 friends that took care of the kids for me while we were in the hospital after school. Thanks Kamie & Kristin!
• Allie attended 2 birthday parties. One for her friend Maddy and the other for friend Caitlyn. Both were at the pool and she had tons of fun.
• The school math fair was last week. Both kids had entries in the fair that they did with friends. I wasn't able to attend because I was taking care of Scott, but the kids went with our neighbor and had a nice time.

That's about it for now. Hopefully my next post will be in 60 degree weather!

Miss Tesha at her shower.

Allie & Morgan with their math fair project.

Winners of the Waverly tournament.

Jake dribbling the ball.

Nick, Jake & Paul with their fair project.

Winners of the South Tama tournament.