And so it begins...

Grad school! I am not sure about you, but being out of college for four years, I might have, kind have, forgotten what going back to school was like. The biggest difference I found was unlike college I need to read the text book, I need to do the problems in the text book, I need to actually circle/underline/highlight what I don't understand in the text books. Grad school is a lot harder than undergrad. I can hear the groans echoing out through the computer screen...

                             

Why yes... That is the motion that I am giving myself in the head. If you haven't seen or talked to me recently you might start to pick up that I am slowly loosing my mind to the mere concept that is 12 hours of grad school. 

                                   

Another area that, for some reason, I did not realize would hit hard is the tornado. The tornado come through and hits my house hard. It's not like I wasn't expecting this, it always happens when I go back to work after summer break. What is different this time is that I don't have time AT ALL to attempt to fix the tornado. 

                               

I'm not exaggerating, see the pizza box... I have a pizza box, Chinese containers, beer cans, and a pot of baked beans all sitting out. Now, part of that is because the fiancé had his boys over last night to watch football, but the pizza and beer cans is due to the tornado. 

AND CUE THE ANXIETY. How many of you guys can not do anything while staring at a mess? I CAN NOT work like that and the fiancé doesn't help. Bless his heart :).  It took me on my hands and knees in the shower scrubbing instead of studying for the fiancé to come in and say "Well... maybe we should hire somebody to come in and help every once and a while"... uuurgh! 

                              

So... How is school going? I have decided what my critical issue term paper topic is... Hopefully I can continue on with this topic into my thesis and maybe even dissertation... Drum roll please...

What qualifies a truly objective diagnosis of ADHD, including what are some recommended approaches to correct unreliable assessments for young children when dealing with attention concerns. 

Eeeeeek! I am so excited. My research has already shown me a case in which an interview of 482 mothers, 49% cited over activity and 30% cited restlessness, all using their own criteria and judgment. When going back and doing interviews and tests, only 52% of those mothers responses were found reliable. 

                              

I mean come on... Clearly the little boy above has attention issues :-P

So... with that said... I am now going to sign off so that I can study my statistics. Are you interested in what my life looks like currently? Well... Here is a picture for you...

Rethinking the label (shhh ADHD is a stigmata)... Let's try Genius

If you know me personally, which I am assuming most of you do, than you know I am very open and vocal about having ADHD. No, I do not see it as a label, a stigmata, or a negative thing. I see having ADHD as a gift that allows me to think outside of the box. I'll explain that reason here in a little bit.

"Oh I am being so ADHD right now."
"Oops, Sorry. ADHD."
"SQUIRREL... Hahaha I must have like ADD or something."

I know for a fact that either you have said or know somebody who has said the above phrases. That's okay- I totally use it as a crutch, or the ending of a bad joke, but mainly as a crutch when I truly forget to do something... which is a big problem

You see, one thing that people don't realize when they don't have ADHD is that people like me, someone who does, we tend to forget things a lot. We forget that we promised to call you, to make plans with you, to pick up a light bulb at the grocery store (oh but I will come home with a 5 lbs bag of gummy bears and be so proud of my find). It's not because we don't like you, that we are being lazy, that we are being irresponsible. It's truly that we forgot.

This is a huge and never ending argument between Tony and me. "You called and asked if I needed anything from the store, I said lemonade and you still forgot it. So you drove home to tell me you forgot the lemonade but that you were heading back out to the store to go get it. While you are getting the lemonade for round two, could you get a light bulb." Did I bring home a light bulb? No, but I did bring home iced coffee that comes in the same container as the lemonade. Tony didn't find this awesome discovery as amazing as I did.

So why am I bringing this up? Some of you may have heard, I am taking a year off of work to get my masters. I will be getting my masters in Special Education in the field of Educational Psychology, while completing my Educational Diagnostician certificate. Now I know that I am new to this, but my focus that I am most interested is ADD/ADHD. That goes with out saying I guess.

I want to help those who truly do have ADD/ADHD live, learn, reteach and retrain their perspective (most importantly their parent's ideas) to know that they are the 1% that thinks differently. They are the 1% that will see the world in colors. They are the 1% that day dreams. They are the movers and the shakers, who will push buttons, drive people crazy around them, and leave people completely in awe of how awesome and amazing they are!

Here is where having ADHD is a gift: Malcolm Gladwell is the author of a book that I am currently reading. I saw his interview on 60 minutes and instantly wanted to be his friend. With his crazy Kramer looking hair, humble outlook on life, but just brilliantly genius take on life, I felt like he was screaming EXACTLY what I have been trying to tell people my entire life.

His book is called David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. Malcolm Gladwell argues the idea that having the disadvantage actually  makes you stronger.

Here is my argument (in conjunction to his): People who have a learning disability, a physical obstacle, or a mental/emotional obstacle sets you back. Or so they say. But in all reality, it makes you stronger. You have to learn how to think, walk, talk, WHATEVER backwards, forwards, and differently. This allows you to see every aspect of everything. You might not be walking like everybody else, but you are leaping two steps ahead with every one step.

Did you know:

Alexander Grand Bell
Napoleon Bonaparte
Terry Bradshaw
Walt Disney
Albert Einstein
Thomas Edison
F. Scott Fitzgerald
John F. Kennedy
George Patton
Bill Gates...

The list goes on and on (click to see the fascinating list) were all Famous People with "Learning Disabilities".

Do you see a label or a stigmata now? How about we relabel them as:

- Genius
- Movers and Shakers
- Revolutionaries
- The greatest minds of our time
- Irreplaceable
- Leaders
- World Leaders

Does that sound like a title you would give somebody with a learning disability? Am I hearing a surprising and long stretched out yeeeeeessssssss.

Your welcome.

So with all that being said, I will leave you with my latest **sigh- guess I have to turn around again**. This morning I went to target to get two things, and only two things: weed killer and stamps. More importantly stamps. I had just spent the last two hours addressing save the dates only to run out of stamps. I pull up to Target and begin talking to my grandmother on the phone. Long story short, after wandering Target for 45 minutes while talking on the phone, including staring at the prices of TV's and realizing that what I think is a good deal on prices I really have no idea, it was time to check out. I put my new swim suit, magazine, DVD connection cord (I lost mine... another story later about how I loose all of my electronic cords), and the weed killer on the belt. As I walk up to pay I realize that OH MY GOSH Target has new credit card swipers. They are so new looking, clean looking, and black- not red! I am then am told that only half of the counters have the new credit card machines, which led me to come up with theories of why that is, all while the poor cashier girl is listening to my ramblings.  Needless to say, the whole reason I was at Target was for STAMPS and I walked away, completely forgetting to ask for my two books of stamps. UUUGH... Off to Tom Thumb I go.

App Smashing!!!

Okay, Okay, Okay I have some BIG news. Especially for all of you teachers out there. There is a really cool new thing called App Smashing. Check it out!

I recently attended the TCEA conference the first week of February. I took the Math Academy (which I loved!) and the English Academy (not so much- actually very disappointed). One of the classes that I took was App Smashing. I LOVED it, and got to become pretty good friends with the lovely lady who taught the class. Here is her presentation all about app smashing. 

App Smashing is the art of taking multiple applications and smashing them together to create your final project. 

So after attending her class it got me all inspired to do big and great things with my class. **side note- I recently was told that I am soooooooooo far out here in incorporating technology while the rest of us are just here. Slow down and bring it back** I went back to my hotel room and started planning. 

Anyway fast forward. I went back to school and introduced app smashing. 

Some background information of what we have in our classroom: Each classroom kindergarden through third grade has five iPads per class. I hold the iPad cart for all of second and third grade. We have done this app smashing projects only using five iPads (one per table) but it worlds so much better if you can get your hands on 10 - 15. In the project I am about to show you we just so happened t have all thirty iPads. None of the second or third grade teachers were currently using them. I firmly believe when life gives you lemons. 

The two iPad applications I decided to use was:

Geoboard

Pic Collage

We recently were learning about congruent and similar figures. First I introduced Geoboard and how to use it. Within this application the students had to make two shapes that were congruent and two shapes that were similar. Here is what the application looks like while you are using it. 

After they created their shapes they were to take a screen shot of each. Now for the fun part. I introduced the application Pic Collage. They had to incorporate different aspects that I stated, like a title, their name, a background, and stickers if they wanted. They have so much fun with this application. We actually have used this a couple of different times!

 

So they took the application of Geoboard, their iPad camera, and Pic Collage, smashed them all together and created this lovely poster. What a great quick assessment tool! 

Before we did this app smashing project we did another where I had the students walk around the classroom and take pictures with the iPad camera. They had to take a picture of a pyramid, cylinder, cone, cube, rectangular prism, and sphere. Then they use the application Pic Collage to create a poster. Here was my example for the students. 

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, how do you do's. I would love to hear from you!

Hope your spring breaks start off wonderful and fantastic. Stay tuned for our next App Smashing project: it had everybody absolutely impressed that second graders could do such a thing! (Well duh! Second Graders are super heroes.)

Leprechaun Traps

It has been a while since I've said anything- but do not think I have been just sitting around. Quite a bit has happened. Let's see

- I was nominated as Decorations Chair for Neath the Wreath this year
- I decided I was going to go back to school and pursue my masters
- That means I am currently applying to four colleges, maybe more
- I took the GRE (ugh!)
- I organized my pantry (for all who know me this is a HUGE deal)
- We had Tony's birthday

and much much much more.

So today, however, I am going to talk about what we did as part of our half day before spring break in Miss Welch's classroom. We made leprechaun traps. What are leprechaun traps? Well... be prepared to be amazed.

This is an activity I did two years ago with my second graders and we had a blast. For some reason, be it behavior or lack of time, we were unable to do them last year. I introduced the idea, there is a rascally leprechaun that is on the loose. He is traveling the world with his gold and we want to try and catch him.

Cue my one student screaming ** LEPRECHAUNS ARE NOT REAL. YOU ARE MAKING THIS US. THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS LEPRECHAUNS.**

I showed my students one example of pictures and told them to bring their materials in to school tomorrow (today). Even the boys were over the moon excited. It was the quietest project that lasted over an hour, most dedicated, most interested project we have done. Even the one student (might or might not have been the student who was screaming leprechauns were not real) that didn't bring their material was helping his friends and really involved.

Check out some of their traps!

This was the ouside- it has candy luring the Leprechaun in...

She addd quick sand with sparkles and a laser pointer with a blue light!

 

  

Rat Race

Okay, so I picked up this book the other day from Barnes and Noble Quiet Mind One-Minute Retreats from a Busy World. I really loved the piece from today's so I decided to share it with you.

The trouble with the rat races is even if you win, you're still a rat. - Lilly Tomlin

The metaphor of the rat race as a way to talk about the nature of contemporary life is instructive. I wonder about its origin. And just what is a rat race? I picture a maze in some scientific laboratory with a dozen rodents scrambling in all directions, trying with great frustration to find their way to freedom. Is this a rat race? Did anyone tell the rats they were in a race? Is there really a winner in a rat race? 

And that we should choose this metaphor as a way to talk about the way we live our lives is... what? Alarming? "Well, we've got to get going and join the rat race." We do?

The metaphors we use not only reflect the way we live, but create the way we live. If we call life a rat race, it will tend to become one. 

So let's change metaphors. Here are a few suggestions: 

Life is a cat prowl. I envision slow and careful steps, a calm awareness of what is going on in my  neighborhood, and a pace that suits my  needs. 

Life is a dog walk. I move now with lively interest, with stopping and goings, encounters with other dogs, trees, and people, always ready to respond to a friendly petting. 

Life is a fox trot. Here is a bouncy-stepped way to dance through life. Find a partner! You can always sit the next one out. 

Life is a monkey march. Life is a pony canter. Life is a whale breach, Life is a swallow soar. Life is a pig parade. Life is an elephant lope. Life is a bear excursion (the one I'd pick). 

Spend a quiet time today and pick your metaphor for life's journey. 

Kundtz, David. Quiet Mind One-Minute Retreats from a Busy World. New York: Bristol Park Books, 2000. 9-10. Print.

Okay, so my personal favorite has got to be Life is a monkey march. I feel like my classroom is a daily jungle. Okay, okay, for those of you who know me and have seen my classroom that is an awful joke, my classroom looks like a jungle. But with 27 second graders, it is definitely full of monkeys. 

Have a wonderful, fabulous, and shining day. Go live life as a Monkey March (or whatever other metaphor suits your need).

Meditation

Breath in... Breath out... Okay, that's not really what I am here to talk about.

So last Monday we were sitting in a nutritional inservice. Halfway through the speaker said (which is something commonly said) meditation is good for you. So the first thing you think of when somebody says is...

Who has time for this? I know that even with out kids, with out any SERIOUS commitments, I don't have time for this. So by this point in his talk, I started to daze off. Then he made a pretty interesting comment. He said that on his 30 minute commute too and from work, he started turning off his radio. The silence is his meditation. 

Okay, so here is what I am thinking: I get enough silence. I come home from work and I usually get some peace and quiet. I don't have children, and I do most of my grading at school after school- even if it means I have to stay later. I get tones of silence. 

So that day I went home and thought about it, I was SO WRONG. Two giant dogs, wrestling, running into everything, knocking everything over, barking at each other, wrestling. Two 80 pound dogs. Not quiet. The tv, always on, not quiet. I do not allow myself any quiet time. 

The next morning I decided to drive in silence. Woah, there is nothing that can describe the feeling, emotion, silence. I actually gave myself 20 minutes of Taylor time, time to think, time to decompress, time to just be silent. 

Why and I sharing all of this? My challenge to you, dear readers, to drive at least one trip in silence. My grandmother, who has never had the radio on in her car for as long as I can remember, must have been on something. See what happens. Tell me how you feel. Comment or shoot me a message. I hope your experience is just as amazing as mine. 

On another note: Here is a new wreath that I created! The link to my etsy store is below. 

Click here for the Etsy Store

Until Next Time,

Making Wreaths is Always an Adventure

Okay, so I officially feel like I belong in the league of "somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody". I went on a roller coaster of an adventure, clearly starting the day not knowing what I was doing, and it ending with exactly what I had envisioned in the beginning. Let me begin:

My customer LOVED the spring wreath that I made yesterday. They have requested three other wreaths, including one that has a gavel and scales of justice. Oh and don't forget that they also requested a wreath for a man who has built, restored, and collected clocks for a very long time. That is, if I can actually make it. Oh and it has to be done by the 8th.

So I set out wanted clock gears, a gavel, a scale of justice, oh and an antique clock. Where do I go from here? I don't know many stores here in Dallas, but I do know that we have tones of cool antique stores. So that led me to a clock store in Plano. I walked in and kindly asked the nice lady if they had any spare clock parts that they were willing to part with (it worked before at a music store when asking for piano keys- "Hey just go around back, you can take the piano apart you can keep the keys"). I definitely got strange looks and a resounding "No, we need those parts." Sigh, okay let's keep going.

I haven't ever been to downtown Plano, but though maybe they might have some cool stores down there. So I walked into a really super cute store that had really nice things inside. Clearly I walked in and asked them for guidance, which led me to a Grandma something's antique shop. That is where I met Victor. Victor is from Poland. Victor sold me on a clock that I really hated but it was the only clock that I could find. Victor pulled a gavel from the back of his jewelry counter. Victor asked me to pay in cabbage. Victor offered to repay me in Vodka. Victor informed me that sadly he had drank all of his Vodka during New Years. Victor is now my new friend.

Okay, so now all I need is gears for clock parts. Easy right, I can totally get those at any Home Depot. WRONG. Okay, so I can get them at Auto Zone. WRONG. But I will tell you that the man at Home Depot sent me to Auto Zone, and the man at Auto Zone sent me to the Frisco Mercantile. Woah, holy awesomeness of missing Canton today. The Frisco Mercantile is AWESOME!!! Well, I didn't find any gears but I did find the clock that I was dreaming about (Sorry Victor). Even better, the clock even works! While I was checking out I asked the guy behind the counter if he knew of any place I could get gears. Not only did he refer me to a place in Denton (Shop the Barn- sounds like a great lead), but he also gave me the business card for a man named Richard. Richard opened up Relic Warehouse and is a picker from McKinney.

So on my way home (it has been over six hours now and it was getting dark) I called Richard. I explained my situation, and basically begged him to help me. He thought he might have some gears at his Airplane Hanger, but definitely in his warehouse. So I asked if their store was open on Sundays, and no. BUT he did offer to meet me there and sell me what he had! Oh My Gosh, what an amazing man to give up part of his day for a complete stranger. So we made plans to meet on Sunday.

Sunday morning rolls around, Richard calls and wakes me up. I drive out there and OH MY GOSH this is the coolest store ever. I am taking a friend out there to take pictures, I definitely need to add those to my blog. Anyway after I bought the gears, and then I stayed and talked to Richard for over an hour an a half. What a neat and interesting man.

So, anyway, long story short, I went on a really long adventure and I actually came out with the clock parts that I was envisioning. After this long story, would you, my dear readers, like to the wreath that I made?

Until Next Time, 

Story of Lux Wreaths

A few of you know, I make wreaths. This is something that I started after being on the decorations committee for Junior League of Collin County's Neath the Wreath. One day they called and said I need to come in and make wreaths, something I have never done before. Well surprise surprise, I wasn't making one wreath, it was MANY wreath. After many hours of making the same wreath over and over, I got pretty good at it.

One of the many wreaths that we made

So anyway, I went home and was INSPIRED (an incredibly scary word in this household) to make a Halloween wreath. So I went and got a christmas wreath, white deco mesh, letters, spiders, ornaments, and made a Halloween wreath. Once I brought it home, Tony looked at it and said:

"Um... Isn't that a Christmas Wreath?!?!"

My response was simple: "NO! It say's BOO... clearly it's a Halloween wreath".

So after many other wreaths that were made, I promise I will not put all the pictures up on line here, Tony convinced me to create my own company. That is how Lux Wreaths was born. I have sold two other wreaths, but what I didn't think about was that... um... people want to buy Christmas wreaths before Thanksgiving. But big plans for next year!!

This year (as in 2014) I was given a very special opportunity to work with a woman who is a realtor. Her special gift to her clients is a homemade wreath. The company she usually uses did not have any spring wreaths made and she needed one pretty soon. So her card was passed on to me and we had a very lovely chit chat.

I am currently in the process of completing an amazing spring wreath that I hope she loves. I'll attach pictures of it, simply because, well, I am so proud of this wreath!

Oh, and I made this other wreath last night as well. I have never made a grapevine wreath, and really it is not my style as much. But the trend for wreaths, and young people buying wreaths is the grapevine wreath. So, of course, I had to make at least one.

Interested in my Etsy Website, or some of my other products that are available? Check out the links below!