ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Videos

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge took social media by storm this year. In case you're not aware, people would challenge other people to donate towards ALS research or to dump a bucket of ice water on their heads. 

Whether or not you approve of the tactic, I got some great memories out of it!

First, Nana took the challenge. She asked me to video tape.

Then one of Gaston's daughters challenged my wife. She's pretty competitive.

Carrie challenged Daniel's mom, Jessica. I don't have that video, but I do have footage of Shane and Daniel trying to be just like her!

The boys did not use ice water, though. They enjoyed getting wet and running around!

I held off on posting in case I got challenged. The whole craze has died out now.

The Final Result: Nelsonification

Day 4 - A Closet to Explore

Nelson sanded and painted the closet with Carrie's 'oops' paint turned right. You can still see old carpet.

The guest bathroom got an upgrade, as well.

Sickies

Daniel's birthday party was on Saturday. I was bummed, because Shane was sick. Then Shane saw the balloons outside their house. He was bummed, too, when he realized there was a party and he wasn't going to it.

They brought us cake the next day. How awesome is that?

Shane had a low-grade fever on Friday. He spent the day with Nana and Pop. Saturday, his fever was mostly gone, but Carrie and I decided not to go to Daniel's party. We were looking forward to it, but it would be selfish to potentially pass around whatever Shane had. Especially because Carrie got it, too. She felt like crap on Saturday (even if it was a 'still-go-to-work' level of crap.)

Shane felt better today. His stomach/gut have been upset, but no fever means daycare in the morn.

Random: Space Race

India sent a probe to Mars. 

And then my friend sent me this:

Go India!

The Second Sleepover

Daniel slept over Saturday night. That's officially two sleepovers before Shane's fourth birthday (and Daniel's third). Not bad for budding social lives, right?

Jessica was at a birthday party, so Mike brought Daniel over and we all hung out. When the boys went to bed, Carrie and I introduced Mike to Portal.

This sleepover did not go as well as the first. First, Daniel did not finally go to bed until close to 11. Shane was zonked. Daniel was highly congested and coughed himself and me up at 2 AM and at 3:30 AM or so. Then, both boys woke and were ready to shine at 5:15 AM. I laid on the floor in their room as damage control, but gave up and allowed them downstairs at 6 AM.

The boys were wired. They bumped over the hamster cage while I made coffee. Several minutes later they started hooping and hollering and woke Carrie (who was not happy with the wake-up call). 

Ironically, the boys played awesomely together. Shane was ornery Saturday night, but it was all water under the bridge Sunday. We read books and played in Shane's room while Mommy got caffeinated.

Later that morning, Mike and Jessica brought over chocolate chip pancakes for everyone. Daniel was supposed to take a Claritin for his allergies last night. He never did. That explained the massive snot rockets I wiped off with his shirt.

The boys cried and cried when we went our separate ways to get ready for church. When they aren't driving each other crazy, they're the best of friends.

Maybe next time, Shane will spend the night at Daniel's house and Carrie and I will sleep in :)

Random Adventures

Did I mention there's a retaining pond alongside the road next to Shane's day-care? We spent half an hour walking around and picking up sticks. There's something different about walking places instead of driving.

A Not Very Shy Shane Moment

Shane likes to run up to random packs of girls...

...and climb the trees in their yards.

It works when you're young and cute.

Swedish Meatballs

Shane napped in the car on Sunday as we scooted down to IKEA, the Swedish furniture wonderland experience.

Carrie loves it there.

Shane's a believer, too. He enjoys crawling and bouncing on all the furniture!

He had a new experience this Sunday: Smallworld! There were toys, a ball-pit, and lots of other children. He hugged his mom and went on to have a blast.

Best of all, it's free. Parents drop off kids who don't want to shop, and then they get to walk through the showrooms at their leisure. I remember hanging out in a different Smallworld with my siblings when I was back in sixth grade.

The only glitch was they paged us early. Way early. We wandered for five minutes before it buzzed and flashed.

Carrie's eyes bugged and she took off at a sprint. I found a shortcut through a side door. We arrived to an "Oops...we paged the wrong number." Shane was having a blast. He would not have left willingly if we asked.

Shane got to played another half an hour before the final buzz. We took him upstairs to eat. Our meal was free because Carrie bought a couple things.

We got stuck in line forever, but Shane's showing more interest in drawing things. It kept him occupied and happy!

It was a good IKEA day. It doesn't hurt that Nana and Pop's house is right at the halfway point on the route home either! We stopped for a visit and pizza to top off a happy Sunday.

Project Closet...and Beyond

The results of Nelson Day 3: crown molding (master bedroom + downstairs bathroom), painting (main bedroom), hiding cables through wall (main bedroom), and some odds and ends.

Not to mention painting prep work.

Carrie called for a family trip to Home Depot after work. She grabbed some more crown molding and took an 'oops' paint gallon and had some extra dye mixed in to make it the color she wanted. Translation: the gallon cost $5 instead of $30. Nelson is going to be fixing up the guest bathroom next.

The list of things to do in the house gets shorter and longer simultaneously. It's looking good so far!

Nelson Day 1 and 2

Stuck-Butt Boy

He's not a super hero likely to make the headlines, but Stuck-Butt Boy was bouncing and crawling around over the weekend.

It's an easy costume. Find a bucket and sit in it. If your mother is nearby she may help stuff you in (those over 40 lbs are on their own).

Stuck-Butt Boy doesn't move too quickly. He moves even slower when a mirror is available!

Celestial Ceiling

Carrie put glow in the dark stars and planets on Shane's ceiling.

I don't know why we didn't do this before! We had the pack!

Shane thought it was the best.

All he wanted to do afterwards was lay on the floor and look up.

Hamster Surprise

In case the previous pictures weren't enough, we know have two robos hamsters. I don't know their names. Shane re-designates them each time I ask.

Project Closet (Backdated)

Project closet is underway. We hired Nelson, the guy who impressed Carrie from the bathroom team.

Another Carrie Surprise

Guess what I found when I came home from work today.

I did not see this one coming.

The Flat Stanley/Bubbles Project

Shane's school assigned a "Flat Bubbles Project." First, the children will read Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. Then they'll try to recreate the adventure themselves.

This is Bubbles the school mascot.

The project is to take (or mail) Bubbles to interesting places and get pictures. Shane didn't even notice when I demo'd Bubbles with him.

If everyone turns in pictures of Bubble's adventures, Shane's class will have a lot to see! From there it becomes a geography lesson and what have you.

Would anybody like to help out? We can mail Bubbles to you if you're far away or drop the elephant off if you're nearby!

Scottish Referendum

I am dying to see how the Scottish Referendum turns out on the 18th. I remember when I first heard about it years ago. "Oh, Sean Connery is part of the Scottish National Party? I guess he does have an accent."

I only really started to pay attention around May, though. That was when I got the "I wonder what it would be like to teach in Scotland" idea into my head.

Who knows if I ever will, but whether or not Scotland decides to separate from the United Kingdom could influence things.

Everyone Loves Ice Cream

High School

My room needs more flair.

It's a lot smaller than my old room and someone etched a small penis into the dividing wall behind me before I inherited it, but it's now home. I sent Carrie a couple of snapshots and she immediately located some snazzy posters. Most of my old stuff is science related or old student science projects. I'll have to put my new kids to work to fill up the new space!

So far, high school is very similar and very different from middle school. I used to be at a school where I knew of almost everyone, knew my curriculum backward and forward, and had a stockpile of resources. I could walk into my room, gauge the students, call an audible, throw away whatever was prepped and have an alternate gameplan ready in minutes. Now, I'm working with a similar, but new curriculum in a larger school with some students who look older than I am (and certainly more fit). Many of them are academically right where I left off. Some of those are legal adults.

Like I said, different and the same. I find it interesting. I like learning new things and I like new challenges (most of the time!). I did not realize how used I was to middle school. It will take me more time to get to what I call 'efficient' in my new position. The blocked classes are double the length I'm used to, and I see most of my classes every other day instead of daily. I'm sticking with more basic lesson plans through the review and until I have a better sense of timing and the 'kids.'

I've also realized I was spoiled at my old school. I had a bigger, nicer room and the desks and chairs (while not perfect) were a lot newer. I had a printer in my room, too. My new high school is a very good one, but it's double the age of my old middle. Printers and copiers are a further walk and instead of having an interdisciplinary team to cooperate with I work solely with the math department. They have their own staff room up on the third floor. I will be meeting with the special ed department after school once a month, but it's more scattered and independent. If I don't seek someone out to check on a kid I won't be bumping into anyone who's not math or close to my room. I suppose I could yell back and forth with the teacher I share a wall with. He's fun, and the sound carries. I plan on color commentating one of these days if an opportunity presents itself!

The school itself is a large one. There are over 2600 students enrolled. They are spread across three floors and three different outdoor trailer areas (of which I have a class every day in). The hallways are designed non-symmetrically and my classroom is near a central student hub. I forgot what it was like to maneuver in a press! My middle school was big with 1400 kids, but the traffic was shorter and flowed better.

I feel like I've transitioned well. There is still plenty of room to learn and grow. If things go well this year, I'm strongly considering trying for my National Board Certification next. Gotta keep moving forward somehow!

More Cicada Shell Fun

Shane loves cicada shells. He farmed out our yard, so we had to shake down our neighbors' trees.

He used them to decorate my shirt for Mommy. Won't she be surprised?

A Picture Story from Sunday

The best shot was first. I held Shane up to see a horse over the fence, but he wanted Mommy to hold him.

Mommy wanted to hold him, too!

Shane never sits still for long. He grabbed Carrie's shirt (much to her surprise).

I love the look.

Thankfully, he only pulled on the shirt!

Surprise Ruined

Carrie wanted to surprise me. When she renewed the registration on the Volvo, she also ordered a custom license plate. She wanted to get something Scottish to match my kilt: "H1GH LND"

I saw an alternate meaning.

Now I'm in trouble.

: )

Random Neighborhood Note

Another reason I love our quirky neighborhood: Someone trailered in their horses. They put one horse in their backyard to hang out. They hitched the other one to a carriage to go for a stroll.

Where else would you see that around here?

Also From That Last Garage Sale

A box full of Knex. Not as cool as Legos, but definitely a fun afternoon or two. Shane loves to build things. They become wrecking balls, hammers, and all-purpose 'whackers' most of the time, but he does love to build them.

Shane's First HW Was Due Last Friday

I'm not a student; I'm a teacher! At Shane's age, any HW assigned is really for the parents.

I left it in Shane's cubby. I hope we get an A.

A Victorious Return

The remote missing for the last month has been found. Huzzah for cleaning!

Carrie and I celebrated with some Netflix.

I Married a Budding Architect

Carrie theorized there was dead space left over from the initial construction of our house. "Mike, do you trust me?"

All the stuff floating in front of the camera probably isn't the best to breathe.

Carrie let me help in between pictures.

And Carrie was right.

The floor is solid. There is an identical pocket on the other side of the wall. Carrie's thinking "his and her" closests.

After insulation and drywall we should gain around 18 square feet (I think). I have not measured. We lost most of our closet space with the bathroom expansion, so this will fix that.

Once it's done, at least. For now, we have a large hole!

Very Random: Animals of Rank

It started with Sgt. Reckless.

Reckless was a horse promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the Marines for her actions in the Korean War. It was not an honorary promotion either (like Sgt. Stubby from WW1); it was a legal one.

There is a statue of her at Quantico. If traffic is ever bad enough on 95 and we're riding through, I'd love to stop and take a peek.

I sent my friend, John, the link for the article and he replied back, "Wasn't there a dog who was a general?"

It's amazing what you can find on the internet.

Nils Olav is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian Royal Guard and knights. He's also a king penguin (in Scotland, nonetheless). John insisted that he should have a cameo in the Penguins of Madagascar movie or series. 

William "Billy" Windsor retired as a salaried lance corporal in the Royal Welsh infantry battalion. He got daily rations of Guinness and cigarettes. There was one mar on his career when he was demoted for trying to headbutt his brother in arms nether regions in a parade.

There was a horse that was a Roman senator, a cigarette chewing bear that fought the Nazis, an elephant that had to be the oldest surviving non-human animal WW2 Veteran (He passed away at 86 years old), and many many other stories. (The elephant is the first animal on the link).

Today, all military service dogs in the US are NCOs and outrank their handles. 

It's fun to learn random things. If I can somehow tie this in to a math activity or to get my student's attention all the better.

Cicada Shell Fun

We found some cicada shells in our front yard the other day. Shane had me help him pick the tree clean of everything in reach.

When we couldn't reach any more, Shane complained. "Why don't you grab a stick?" I asked.

What was I thinking? Some skills come naturally! It's more proof that Shane can listen to me when he wants to!

New Tenant

Roxy left and now a groundhog has dug a home under my shed. Ironically, it's preferable to the holes he kept digging under my front porch.

More Garage Sale Toy Fun

$10 for a bunch of wooden track and Thomas toys a couple weekends ago: Still fun.