this week1

this week1 by mgilbert featuring gold jewelry


This week in the Gilbert household we are trying to recover from our BUSY, BUSY week and weekend. We had three sets of friends in town and LOVED it! I'm trying to convince Adam to buy his first par of Tom shoes....not going so well... I had a chance to get together with a good friend and see The Help! So Good! Read the book first but, both are SO good! Fall TV is finally beginning and I can't wait!!! Along with TV football season is in full swing....eh. I'll watch the Cardinals and the Saints but 3 games on Sunday, 2 games on Monday, and another on Thursday is WAY over my limit. Oh well, what...5 more months:( I recently found a new non-profit company called To Write Love On Her Arms. Such a cool concept behind the brand. It focuses on teen depression and even hits on cyber bullying- something that really scares me. I feel so bad for teens these days! Visit TWLOHA.com for more info if you want to learn or donate! Lastly, the countdown is on for Prague and Budapest! My family decided a couple months ago that this would be our Xmas vacation! SUPER excited...hope it works out! Well that's the Gilbert Fam this week. Have a good one!

Things You Might Not Know...

I was in the worst mood on my way into work today but, as soon as I pulled onto the street my school was on, I felt calm and almost still. The entire street was lined with American Flags! Beautiful!

Day to day conversations with Adam or I probably don’t go into detail and there are Some Things You Might Not Know…

Compared to most in our generation Adam and I are pretty “into” politics. We love to discuss, learn, and challenge each other and other people when it comes to the laws and views of others. If you were to judge us by our “covers”, I can tell you right now that you would be WRONG!

I am obviously a huge supporter of the environment, education, and animals. I try to live in a free and natural world without chemicals/pesticides. I was raised in a non-judgmental family. Growing up my parents never questioned religion of others, race, ethnicity, etc… I was always encouraged to hang out with who I wanted and see the world. Knowing my background & family, seeing me happy and bubbly talking about the latest celebrity gossip, and knowing I’m a teacher; you would assume I am very liberal and left….not so much:)

Adam was raised in Arizona (always known for being a more conservative state) in a small, private Christian school setting. He was mostly surrounded by upper middle class Caucasians who basically had the same home life as himself. His father was a small business owner, as well as most people in his family and most of his friend’s parents. Seeing him on a day to day basis and knowing his background you would think he is extremely conservative and right….not so much:)

The truth is Adam has grown and has taken on many political and personal views that can sometimes be liberal, but he doesn’t ever stray from his conservative roots either! I have grown into my own shell and surprisingly strayed from my parents and taken on a more conservative view! Very Interesting! We cross the line between republican & democrat all the time. I love to use Meghan McCain’s term “moderate republican.” We believe in human right and equality, education, and the environment (me more). We also believe in being fiscally conservative and that America was built on the dream of enterepranualism.

My biggest republican view comes into play when talking about the military. I am a HUGE supporter of our troops. Adam & I believe war is an action we have to take at points and I am so VERY grateful for the men and women who choose to protect our freedom…something that many American’s take for granted. We’re the country we are today because of these heroes. It’s a dangerous and selfless job that many people are not brave enough to do.

I love seeing them walk through buildings, stores, and airports in uniform. I love when they can board planes early, get preferred seating at an event, and in rare yet thrilling circumstances, receive rounds of applause.

I love people taking pride in our country. I love seeing them holding the flag while we play the national anthem. I always stop and stand still no matter where I am when I hear it. I love seeing people who keep their flags up year round and not just on certain holidays. Most of al I love the camaraderie that troops, the flag, and specials days like today bring. 9.11 is such bittersweet day …it took such a horrific event to help people put down their judgments and political views and band together. Be at peace today.

My Love note to T.V.

In the Gilbert household we love TV... at an almost unhealthy level. If we ever have kids, it will definitely be a hard habit to break:/ But, we cannot have our kids watching it as much as we do! DVR is my best friend...I literally get excited on certain nights just because specific shows are on! LOL! Like I mentioned....weird obsession! One thing I have to give ourselves props on is not having a TV in our bedroom. I read once in college random statistics on how TV's in the bedroom can: cause abnormal sleep habits, have a powerful impact on taking away communication between couples, and how people who have TV's in the bedroom tend to not read as much. Well, reading is a VERY close second to TV for me so this article made me think. When I got married I wanted my bedroom to be a sanctuary. I am proud that Adam and I have stuck to it!

So, our nights consist of sitting on the couch, throwing the ball for the dogs, snacking, and watching the boob tube! Thankfully, Adam can "stand" most of the shows I watch so we can hang out together, watch, and laugh (or make fun of and comment on the unorginality and fakeness- if you're Adam). Right now our FAVORITE show is Rosanne's Nuts on the Lifetime channel. OMG....what can I say! Automatically, I fell in love with her feelings and realizations of how shallow and vain the LA entertainment industry can be and how we as American need to stop being so materialistic and get back to the basics of life. She wanted to find herself, so she moved to Hawaii and bought a nut farm. She lives off the land, works on her land, and yells at everyone! If you have not watched it yet, you HAVE TO! It is HILARIOUS! She goes from 0-10 in 4 seconds and I can totally relate! I love how she has no problem cussing any poor soul out and then four seconds later smiling and chatting with her victim! She's brilliant, powerful, matter-of-fact, and has gusto. All things you don't find in many human beings any more. I envy her so much... she gets to say how she feels to anyone she meets and in any way that she pleases! She doesn't sugar coat or walk on eggshells...what a life:) One day when there's no business, no boss, no parents, no worry about judgments...I want to be just like that:) I don't want to worry about saying the "appropriate" or ...if I have to use this saying (I can't stand it).."politically correct" thing. I just want to be able to say it like it is! Oh well.... these days I'm working on my tact and holding in my feelings...but a girl can dream!

In the mean time...We'll just keep on watching Rosanne and laughing our asses off!!! Enjoy the clip above!

For those who think teachers don't work long hours or years, etc... Read this post:)
So, this week has been the week from Hell for me:( I have been trying to implement so many new things into my classroom and I have definitely bit off more than I can chew:( I didn't have any parent helpers this week either, so my weekend has so far consisted of school work and prep. Monday and Tuesday I went to a conference on how to teach math by only using Number Sense and am in charge of rolling out the program for my grade level. There is a lot of pressure doing this and I am so nervous about being observed by the top 5 "big wigs" in my district... It kind of feels like we are reinventing the wheel at my school with no help:( I had a minor breakdown on Saturday when I found out other schools have math coaches who are modeling in their rooms on a daily basis for practice. So, I got online and began blog hoppin! I found some GREAT things! So, I trucked into my dark, hot school today (YES on a Saturday) and got to work. I spent time creating math reviews, buckets of activities, 5 frames, & 10 frames. I'm getting a little excited about the new learning now:) I also started gathering stuff for my science curriculum. My journals, which have been in my cabinet for weeks, are now all ready to go! (Thanks to kindergartenkindergarten.com) I'm hoping the kids like the dice, domino, and matching/memory games and they give me a good base for independent center time:/ So this year will now consist of Daily 5 Rotations: http://www.thedailycafe.com/ Math Stations: http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9282 Science Inquiry http://kpoindexter.wordpress.com/category/inquiry-based-science/ and Michael P. Klentschy's book: Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms, and my ALL TIME favorite Writer's Workshop: http://www.ralphfletcher.com/ YIKES!