GELDS: MA1.4f

CD-MA1 – The child will organize, represent and build knowledge of number and quantity.

CD-MA1.4f Tells numbers that come before and after a given number up to 10. 

WSO:  Understands and begins to apply addition and subtraction to problems.

Activities: Number Jump.  Place the number on the floor in numeric order.  Introduce the game by having students jump on a number.  Then begin giving direction of jumping on the number that comes after or before.  They have the visual of the floor to assist them in discovering before and after.  If they look as though they are still lost, try changing the phrases to positional words of "in front of" or "behind."  This rewording also helps to strengthen their understanding of the terms "before" and "after" when it comes to numeric process.

Missing Number.   Using sentence strips, write numerals out in order but leave two out.  For example: 1 2 3 _ 5 _ 7 8 9 10.  Students can using magnetic numbers to fill in the missing numbers.

Turn Counting.  This is another one that can be done as transition or anytime.  Students call out what number comes next after you stop.  Counting forwards or counting backwards.  

Books: 5 Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

Question: Connie

My favorite favorite?  Of all of my favorite everythings, what is my favorite of all of those?  

My first reaction is to say Utena.  

I stopped and thought.  I thought a whole awful lot.  I love teaching.  That's my number one love.  My favorite is Utena.  Yup.  I have my love and I have my favorite.  My favorite favorite is Utena.

All questions are answered in the order they are received.  If you would like to ask one, you may do so in the comments.

Glasses

I've been talking about my need for glasses for a while now.

How did I go from not needing glasses to having to wear them?  Family genetics was part of this and I'm sure other factors were involved as well.

How could I tell?  Well, in short stuff would get blurry.  I didn't like looking at people in the eyes for too long because it felt like my eyes were beginning to cross or somehow my eyes were doing something visible to others that showed my vision going askew in those moments.

I have reading glasses now but I'm still waiting for my prescription lenses to be ready for pick up for regular wear.  

The phantom glasses feeling is really weird.  Sometimes I feel as though I'm wearing my glasses on my nose when they're on my head or that I'm wearing them on my head in the shower.  

I have much to get accustomed to.

I need to pick up an actual lens cleaning cloth.

Update: just got the phone call that my prescription glasses are ready for pick-up.  Excited!

Update: I have glasses!

Smash the World's Shell

"If it cannot hatch from it's shell, the chick will die without ever truly being born. We are the chick; the world is our egg. If we don't break the world's shell, we will die without truly being born. Smash the world's shell, for the Revolution of the World." 

Touga's motivation to duel.  To be the one to smash the world's shell. Not really to bring about revolution but just simply for the power.  Touga is a very power-driven character.  He attempts to attain this through his sexual conquests, how he steps up to being Akio's errand boy.  He wants to have that power and control.  

After everything that he went through from his sexual abuse as a child, this makes sense.  He had no power in what happened to him, no control over it.  So he seeks out that power.  To be the one in control rather than being controlled.  

Adventures at the Hospital

New Years Day was pretty mellow.  Woke up, ate Waffle House, came home and vegged.

And then I saw it.  Ashley posted that she had delivered her baby girl New Years Eve!  Like the photo announcement followed immediately by messaging Molly.

And the back to vegging until I heard back from Molly because I'm not going to see Ashley without her.  Well, I would if Molly was out of town or something but she wasn't and she'll wake up eventually.

Finally a response followed by a phone call debating to go up that day or the next.  Hang up so that Molly can text Ashley and see which she would rather.

And back to piddling around.  Well, not really piddling around.  I was working hard to finish a 2014 calendar while finishing up small detail of Ashley's hospital gift.

Molly received word!  Something like if we want to see the baby to come the next day.  Hmm.. Sounds like we need to go visit Ashley.  Gather the gift, gather my daughter, and away we went to pick up Molly.  Molly's mom (the fantastic Marcia Mayo) had made an ADORABLE Cabbage Patch Kid cap/wig for the new baby.

Arrive at the hospital and delightfully walk through the entrance and go up the first elevator that we come to.  Wrong on because a hospital can have nine elevators that take you to different places but the only way to get around is the main floor.  Every other floor doesn't like connecting for some reason.

So back downstairs and we'll just walk our way to the women's center past these weird glass sliding.. doors?  Jiggle the handle to see how they open and look inside.  Get chewed out by Molly to leave it alone.  My daughter is behaving more responsible than I am so far on this trip.

Past where the old entrance used to be and, wait.. where did it go?  They walked up the old entrance but still have an info booth.  Looks like they blocked the hall for out-patient surgeries too.  I don't know how to get anywhere anymore.  Follow the signs.  We'll make it there.  Except when we reach a sign that removed the women's center from the directions.  I guess the only option is to take the elevator behind us and go upward.  

Climb in to the rickety elevator with the emergency phone duct taped shut and it's weak little bell that goes off nearly an entire minute before stopping at the floor.  Did you hear that loud thud?  Get out of the elevator NOW!

We went down some hallways that kind of looked right, even though Molly and I could swear there used to be some murals leading to the women's center.  Maybe we're going the right way.. A door!  Press numbers to buzz through...  Okay, I press the numbers and nothing happens.  I pick up the phone and try while Molly looks at me like I'm an idiot for trying the numbers without picking up.  I've seen spy movies, it could've worked.  Talk to the nurse to buzz us through and I've solved the door puzzle!

We easily manage finding Ashley's room from here and go on with our visit.  Ashley told us about everything leading up to the delivery and more.  We were even lucky enough to be present for Ashley's first moments of getting to hold her daughter.  Yay!

Then her family and the dad's family came so we took our leave.  Make it down in the same scary elevator that doesn't have many years left in it.  Head out to the parking lot, tell my daughter to hold hands and Molly got the honor of hand holding.  Then my daughter got on to me because I needed to hold Molly's hand to.  So we held hands, the picture perfect family walking across the parking lot questioning the need for free valet parking there and making jabs at the idea.  As we got in the car, a gentlemen who was directly behind us entered the neighboring vehicle and we realized that we were poking fun of the valet parking while being followed by the valet attendant.  

Oops.

Looking Back on 2013

1:What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before? Visit Babyland, the place where all of the Cabbage Patch Kids are "born."  
2:Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Geez, I don't even remember what my resolutions were last year.  If I resolved to get my bachelor's degree then I was successful!  
3:Did anyone close to you give birth? YES!  Congratulations to Armando and Lauren! Congratulations to Ashley!
4:Did anyone close to you die? No
5:What countries did you visit? Did pretty well to stay within the same state the whole year long, much less travel out of country.
6:What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? Glasses.  Tired of blurred vision.
7:What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 20 - Graduated Kendall College!  August 1 - My daughter started kindergarten!  
8:What was your biggest achievement of the year?  Have I mentioned my degree?
9:What was your biggest failure?  Hmm....  I guess I still have two canvas projects left unfinished...
10:Did you suffer illness or injury?  I caught the flu this year.  That was a bummer.
11:What was the best thing you bought? All of the stuff from buycostumes.com for $5 during the $5 sale.
12:Whose behavior merited celebration?  My friends.  We really are the cool kids in town.
13:Whose behavior made you appalled?  The Others.  They're kind of like me and my friends, except they live on the other side of the island and are full of drama.
14:Where did most of your money go?  Daycare and college.
15:What did you get really, really, really excited about?  There was those three minutes when I found out about Day of the Tentacle HD being worked on and possible iPhone release before I found out that was being crushed with every other project LucasArts was working on.

16:What song will always remind you of 2013? 

 

17:Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? (a) sadder  (b) thinner  (c) richer
18:What do you wish you’d done more of? Reading and creative writing.
19:What do you wish you’d done less of? Less writing papers for school.  But they did get me that degree....
20:How did you spend Christmas?  Awesomely.  Christmas Eve was at my parent's house, Christmas Morning was at our house, and Christmas Dinner was at my in-law's.  
21:Did you fall in love in 2013?  I'm always falling in love.  As I talked about, I seriously develop loving relationships with my friends.  My daughter is full of moments that warm my heart.  My husband constantly fills my heart with glee.  
22:What was your favorite TV program?  On Netflix, I kind of fell in hard with Chuck and Supernatural and Fringe.  Hulu keeps me coming back for Once Upon a Time.
23:Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?  Not that comes to mind really.  
24:What was the best book you read?  My list was so few to pick from..  Most likely I'll have to go with The 5th Wave.  2014, let's work hard to read some better literature.  
25:What was your greatest musical discovery?  

  
26:What did you want and get? My degree and the remastered Utena collection.
27:What did you want and not get?  To go to a fancy ball.  
28:What was your favorite film of this year?  Catching Fire! *fangirl scream*
29:What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying? My brother got his degree.
30:How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?  I found clothes and put them on.  They are clean.
31:What kept you sane?  Communication with others.
32:Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  Hmmm......   Well, there is that Chris Hemsworth fellow...
33:What political issue stirred you the most? There were quite a few but I usually try to keep quiet about them simply because there's enough people on the internet to address it without me having to add in my opinions.  There was one that got me to the point of saying something.  
34:Who did you miss?  I missed people here and there all over the last year, but they made appearances in my life last year as well so I didn't spend the whole year missing them.  
35:Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.  There's always going to be that one person who is going to look for the negative in everything; don't let them bring your self-opinion down just because they refuse to see anything good.
36:Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  "Got one hundred steps to go, tonight I'll make it ninety-nine."

My Resolution

The new year is almost upon us.  A time for new beginnings and a fresh start.  

I resolve to provide you all with something new this coming year.  

At the start of each month I will post up a monthly calendar filled with activities for you and your little ones to do together.  

I wish you all a wonderful year bonding filled with shining memories.

(Feel free to add or remove to the calendar and make it best fit your family)

This calendar can be used in your home or be printed and sent home for parents in your classroom.  

Download for January available here.