April 30, 2015

Extraordinary Book

Recently I finished the book, The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. This was a book selected by my Book Club...3 months ago! Well, I may have missed the deadline but I'm glad I read it. It's based in Manhattan in the early 20th Century when part of this famous island was still wilderness. It is a work of fiction but the author incorporates some actual historical events that involves Coney Island and the implorable working conditions in clothing factories. The book is a little dark and a little disturbing but the characters are interesting and you grow to care about them. A very extraordinary read!

April 29, 2015

Safety First

Our little Maxwell is sheltered from the outside- it is a scary place when you are teeny tiny and only 2 pounds. We also live in a bad neighborhood with several miscreants. Besides the obvious coyotes, we also have hawks and just recently, pelicans. Not to mention snakes, voles, and bunnies with attitudes. Just in case his furry paws may end up on the wrong side of the fence, I had a tag engraved for him today. The fashionable tags with bling were way too heavy so I had to make myself go with a small plain one. However, engraving has come a long way. Now it is a laser machine and very cool to watch! You also are able to engrave more lines on the tag so I could include address, name, phone number, blood type, and bank PIN number in case of kidnapping....

April 28, 2015

No

I am a team player. I am a helper and I like to assist people whenever I can. I say "yes" often and usually don't regret it. Today, however, I decided to say "no." I was asked to do something at work that I started to agree to but decided later to decline. "Yes" would have pulled me away from my work which I decided was more important. It was extremely hard for me -"the people pleaser" but I felt empowered afterwards and now know that I need to put my big girl panties on more often!

April 27, 2015

Tell the Truth

While working with 4th graders today, I learned some interesting things:

When I asked a boy if he had any hobbies, he said, "not really." Prodding him further, I asked him what he did in his free time....nothing. I jokingly said, " so you just sit in a chair and stare at the wall?" He looked at me in a serious way and said, "sometimes."  

A girl shared that she liked pickles. I agreed that pickles are delicious and asked if she ever tried drinking pickle juice. She said yes but her mom doesn't like her to because it gives her diarrhea!

Moral of this story: we should all be as honest as 4th graders!

April 26, 2015

Meet Max!

Friday night we became parents again! Besides my lingering head cold and the drive to Fort Collins, this was my easiest labor yet. A few weeks ago, my friend Karen made me aware of a dog that needed a home. It had a bad bite. Why would I want a puppy that bit everyone? However, I soon realized that the puppy had an overbite and would need dental work. After much discussion and convincing my better half that we needed a. A new puppy b. A teeny, pocket dog puppy c. Said husband to do the dental work since he is, conveniently, a veterinarian  - we decided to expand our household although not by much. This little "morkie" (Maltese, Yorkie, Poodle) is currently a mere two pounds! He is 10 weeks old and as cute as a button. After much deliberating, we decided to name him Maxwell - as in Maxwell Smart but recently the Max he resembles is Max in the children's book, Where the Wild Things Are! He is a wild thing! Maggie is adapting and I think she kinds of likes him. We have fallen in love with him and will adore him even more when he is housebroken!

Maggie meets Max

My two furry kids!

April 23, 2015

Mystery Solved

We travel to Fort Collins quite often to visit Paige, attend CSU football games, and other CSU events. We like taking Hwy 287 because it is more scenic and less stressful than I-25. Last Fall, we noticed books tossed on the side of the road and median. Unfortunately, I wasn't driving or you can be sure I would have stopped and rescued all of these wayward works of literacy. Was this just a result of poor packing or someone's equivalent of book burning? The mystery continued when we came across discarded books on a few more trips after that. I wasn't the only person wondering about this- so was the Department of Transportation. Today Channel 9 posted on Facebook that they caught the perpetrator read handed! The article below does not explain why the man felt the need to throw books out the window-hopefully there will be another chapter to this story!

http://www.9news.com/story/news/2015/04/23/csp-nabs-book-dropper-red-handed-along-highway-287/26261483/

April 22, 2015

Grown Up Science Fair

As a part of a program Paige is in, she has to present a poster about a project she is working on in her lab on campus. It's like a grown up science fair. This is her third poster presentation but this one is special. This poster is about her very own project that she did - not just what her lab did. Of course, I don't even understand the title but I know how hard she worked on it and I think it looks great! Why don't they let moms be on the judging panel? Anyway, great job Paige!

April 21, 2015

Bound to Happen

I ignored it all day. I pushed it to the back of my mind and moved myself into denial. It still came....tonight my sinuses filled up and like my dad would say, I became upside down = my feet smelled and my nose started running! On the positive side, this is unbelievably the first time I have been sick this entire school year! It looks like I'll be popping that vitamin C because I don't have time to be down and out......

April 20, 2015

I Remember

Today is the day we remember Columbine. I will always remember that day. The word silently spread to the teachers and staff at my school but we couldn't turn on the TV because we wanted to protect the students from the horrible scene unfolding. Because of that terrible day, our school district is ultra vigilant to protect our kids. Lock Down drills, which have become commonplace, are taken seriously. As soon as students walk into our building they are "our children" and I know that there is not one teacher who would not hesitate to do whatever they needed to keep them safe. 

On a much lighter note: Sometimes we see a reflection of ourselves in kids. While working with students today, a boy pulled his glasses down to the tip of his nose and declared, "look I'm a librarian!" Well, that was a giant step backward in my quest to eliminate the stereotype! Maybe I should get a tattoo and dye my hair purple!

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April 19, 2015

Weekend Observations

It was a laid back weekend here at the Ostwald household. The slower pace allowed me to conduct a few observations:

* apparently my body needs 9 to 10 hours of sleep every night - or that amount to refuel my empty sleep tank

* you can still find The Love Boat on an obscure channel - still entertaining but the ship is much smaller than the gigantic ships of today

*a person still gets hungry even though the biggest exertion is walking to the refrigerator

* 300+ channels with nothing with entertainment value..except The Love Boat (see above)

*I feel safe in my home because my dog Maggie alerts me to every person ( or thing) that may walk on the sidewalk within a block radius 

*The Monument Men is a great movie - I never realized how lucky I was to see the classic art I have enjoyed in my life

*Making dinner is not so hard when you're home all day

*I feel like going on a cruise to see art

*prediction= work pants will be a struggle tomorrow after two days of yoga pants!

April 17, 2015

A Crack in the Ceiling

Tonight we went to see The Archbishop's Ceiling at the Arvada Center. This play was written by Arthur Miller and takes place in Prauge during the Cold War - and seemed to me that it lasted as long! I think I was semi comatose during the first act. There was so...much...talking! The second act was a  little better because there was a gun involved but it seemed to me that the entire story could have been told in 30 maybe 45 minutes tops. I guess I am not intellectual enough to fully appreciate this production. On the positive side, the set was unique and intriguing and the performances by the five actors were phenomenal, especially Heather Lacy who played Maya. They should get special awards for memorizing all....that...dialogue! Of course, spending time with the in-laws and the nice dinner beforehand was delightful and the highlight of this evening!

April 16, 2015

The Roll of the Dice

Bunco was calling me tonight. Actually it wasn't the game that got me out on this cold, snowy night but the people who were gathering to play the game. This Bunco group only meets a few times a year and I have missed the last few due to conflicts but not tonight. Tonight I got to visit with some of my dearest friends that I currently work with, used to work with, or have met while working. Many of these ladies are retired teachers and it was funny how they were in no hurry to finish up and go home -their alarms are not going to go off before they're ready! It was a winningly, fun night to catch up with everyone and throw some dice even though I didn't win a prize!

April 15, 2015

Super School News

I had a fun experience with my Fremont News kids today. We have been working since January on preparing for today - the day we taped our News show at the KRMA Channel 6 Studios! Super School News is a program sponsored by Rocky Mountain PBS. 56 schools are selected each year to participate. I'm not sure how Fremont got selected but I jumped at the chance! All ten of my News kids participated - 2 Anchors, 4 Special Reporters, a Producer, and 3 on the Production Crew. They decided on the two news stories, wrote the script, and created our banner. They did this by meeting during their lunch and recess time every other week for the last three months in addition to the times they have to meet to plan their regular News show. If you know sixth graders at all, you will know how sacred recess and social time is! They did awesome today and they made me very proud!

Channel 6 will broadcast our show five times the week of April 27. Here is the link to watch it although our show is not posted yet.

April 14, 2015

Busy Mind

I made myself go to yoga today. I had a dozen excuses why I shouldn't but I decided I needed it. I was right. If you have ever been to yoga, you will know that the instructor always tells you to "calm your mind, let go of your day", etc. This is when I realize how noisy and busy my brain is! Today I really struggled with tuning out my overactive thoughts. Here is a snapshot of what went on inside my head:

I really should have painted my toenails, my feet are a little stinky, I should have ordered the pizza for tomorrow, that girl's shirt is really cute, I have so much to do tonight, I wish I didn't have to go to the grocery store, I hope I don't fart, what did she say?, I need to print out that order, when is my haircut-was it today?, wow that needed stretching........

I need an off button!

April 13, 2015

Cross eyed

7:30pm. That is the time I left work today. I totally underestimated how long it would take me to set up two schools for testing which starts again tomorrow. It wasn't setting out the 110 computers between the two schools, it was the the set up. There is a quick test that I had to run on each computer to make sure the actual test loads properly. I guess I didn't appreciate the help I had in March when we were setting up the first time! The positive of all this is that now I know I need to recruit help when I set up again in May and I feel confident that because I took the time, testing will go smoothly tomorrow....I knocked on wood too!

April 12, 2015

Weekend Update

I was remiss in blogging this weekend because it was a busy one! It all started with the race car drivers visiting one of my schools Friday morning. They were such a hoot and the kids just ate it up - especially when they revved their engines! The drivers, Rickey, Chris, and Dale really emphasized how they have to read to learn how to work on their cars as well as race them. I was so glad that the weather cooperated and provided a beautiful day.

Then Don and I raced our own car over to Fort Morgan after school to attend the Fort Morgan Historical Society's annual auction. This was our third or fourth time to attend to support this worthwhile organization as well as my sister and my father-in-law who are both on the Board. Tonight I had another important mission. I had to fill in for my sister who had unexpected surgery this week. She is on her road to a full recovery but was not up to socializing last Friday. My job was to record the auction data on the computer so at the end of the night we had a record of what all of the items were sold for as well as what all the bidders bought. Luckily my sister had everything inputted and I just had to push buttons. The downside of my participation behind the scenes was it prevented me from bidding! 

Saturday night found us at our first official Rockies game of the season. Unfortunately, we brought them bad luck and and their winning streak came to a screeching halt! However it was a beautiful night at the ballpark. While we were there, the man sitting beside me had a little shock when his seat broke. He alerted the usher and surprisingly a technician came within minutes and fixed it right up! Seats must break often to justify the "seat technician" to be on call like that. Actually, this was understandable when I took into account the constant concession stand trips by the fans around me during the game! Baseball makes you hungry...and of course thirsty!

April 9, 2015

Cable Girl

Last Friday, right before our school broadcast, I clicked the switch and....nothing! No signal, no picture. After some mumbling, grumbling, and pulling out hair I don't have, I wisked my anchor students off to the office and we did a "radio show" over the intercom! The broadcast cart we use Every week is old school but is a necessity for us to produce shows with lots of features. The problem is that I know a minuscule amount about what all the wires do and what goes where. The back room where the cable set up is located is even scarier. However, determined to save $100 by not calling Comcast, I cranked up my problem solving skills and tried to figure out the problem on my own. Two hours and 10,000 steps on my pedometer later, I came close. I had a picture but it was very snowy. Unfortunately, I had to throw in the towel and called in the Calvary. Of course those very nice Comcast technicians solved the problem within an hour and told me that I had been very close to the solution. I had diagnosed  the problem correctly but was off by one cable! The great news is just that - the News will go on tomorrow. The best news is that if Digital Teacher Librarians become extinct, I see a future as Cable Girl!

April 8, 2015

Knit Friends Together

We had a great group tonight at knitting club. One new member, and one who hasn't come in awhile. Some of the people who came tonight hadn't seen each other for a few years so it was a little reunion. It is always surprising when you introduce two of your friends and they already know each other! It just shows how connected people are even though we live in a metropolitan area. I don't know how much knitting we got done but we had a ball!

April 7, 2015

Book Mobile

I love to listen to audio books in the car. I almost wrote "books on tape" which is still accurate for my car, but not for most. I have a few books on tape that I've picked up at library book sales so I guess I can't trade my car in until I listen to them all! Most of the time however, I  just download a book from the library on my iPad or phone and listen to it on the go. I became an expert on this when we traveled last summer. Don's new truck didn't even have a CD player - just Bluetooth. It took me from Denver to Vail to figure it out the first time but I did! Listening to books in the car has always been an essential part of all our family road trips. It kept the whole family entertained. The only drawback was that everyone got tired of filling me in on the chapters that I snoozed through which was..and is...kind of a common occurrence! Mysteries are the best but be careful - you may take the long route home to find out who dunnit!

April 6, 2015

Sugar Grump

This morning started out to be a no-good-rotten day. The computer on the broadcast cart crashed right before broadcast. I was able to revive it and since a student was sitting right beside me during my tantrum, I couldn't verbalize like I wanted! Then, right after the News, I was handed an iPad with a shattered screen! Ugh! I blame it on all the sugar I consumed yesterday or maybe it was payback for all the insects I slayed with my car on the way home from Fort Morgan. Whatever it was, the day got a little better as it progressed, I ate a little more sugar tonight to counteract the withdrawals, and had a memorial service for all the departed bugs at the car wash. Yes, tomorrow will be a better day!

April 5, 2015

Happy Easter!

We had a Fort Morgan Easter and what a beautiful day it was! We didn't even need parkas over our Easter dresses! It is fortunate and unfortunate that Don and I are from the same hometown. The best part is we can see both sides of the family and the worst part is it is hard to split up the day. I went to church with my mom and sister, Paige went to church with Don and his parents, sister and family. We had dinner at Don's parents house and dessert at my nephew's house. Needless to say, we got a lot of visiting..and eating...done! 

Just ignore the man behind the window! Another successful hunt with the Wassons but we were missing a very important person...Alex! 

April 4, 2015

Egg Beautification Project

Paige and I converged on mom's house today just in time for lunch (!) Sister Debby came by and we proceeded to make plain white and brown eggs works of art. I must say that Paige was the artistic one today. We also found that when you dye brown eggs they become really vibrant colors! Another egg- cellent time around mom's kitchen table!

April 3, 2015

Spaced

Today I was teaching a third grade class how to research First Americans with online data bases. They were following along on their iPads while I was demonstrating on the Smartboard. Me: "ok type in Stott, space, Es."(Stott Es). Student expresses frustration because he is not successful so the classroom teacher went to help him. Teacher:( with smile on her face) "Mrs, Ostwald you should have said stott, space bar, Es! " apparently he took me literally (stott space Es)! Watch what you say, say what you do!!

April 2, 2015

Spring?

I know I should be used to Colorado weather but I would rather have rain this time of year than snow. Oh well, on the positive side it is great moisture to have......

April 1, 2015

Not a Fool but a Smarty Pants!

There is not one positive thing to write today....APRIL FOOL!

Speaking of fools, my daughter is not one - she is a Smarty Pants! Today of all days she found out - and it was not a joke - that she was accepted for an internship at CU Denver this summer. She was one of eight chosen to participate in STEM cell research at the Anschutz Medical Campus! The best part for mom is that she will be living at home this summer...win, win for both of us! Congratulations Cell Queen!