:: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 ::

"Her face is a map of the world..." (K.T. Tunstall)

Brown-sugar-cinnamon coffee is the new best thing ever.

::Inhales delicious, swirly smells::

I love autumn.

Labels: Broiled Brain

:: Bethany Bassett - 2:25 PM :: + ::

"We come with the funky style that gets us known for the show..." (311)

Week in review:

Darlene, proudly: "I can count to 105 by tens!"

Silas: "I think the mall has one hundred million THOUSAND stores!"

Me: "Repeat after me: 'A hardware store is where you buy things to fix your house.'"
Ann: "A horror stone to be is you wear fix-a to the how."

Me, pointing to a picture of a dolphin: "Does anyone know what this is?"
Class: "Dog!" "Ty-gro!" (Tiger) "Dorley!" (Donkey) "Awful!"
Me: "Remember, it's a fish that begins with the letter D."
Don, triumphantly: "I know! Penguin!"

Labels: Pedagogy

:: Bethany Bassett - 12:55 PM :: + ::

"Don't for a minute change the place you're in..." (John Mayer)

News flash: Dan has either tonsilitis or menopause (the diagnosis is still unclear). Just thought you should know.

We were talking this morning about being six years old, and how Dan's favorite activity at that age was building with Legos, and how my favorite activity was writing novels (intense and gripping ones, I might add). The discussion made us wonder whether people's favorite activities at age six are indicators of what they will want to do with the rest of their lives... It's pretty obvious with us!

What did you like to do when you were six?

Labels: Christmas Newsletter

:: Bethany Bassett - 11:20 AM :: + ::

"We don't need no education..." (Pink Floyd)

Because I love you...

2nd grade reading class, trying to form compound words by matching up short words from two lists:
Britney: "Camp… house?"
Me: "That's not really a word; try the others."
Britney: "Camp... book?"
Me: "Not quite."
Britney: "Camp... time?"
Me: "Nope."
Britney: "Fire?"
Me: "Yes! Now, try putting it together."
Britney, proudly: "Firecamp!"

1st grade ESL:
Me, showing the class a safety pin: "Have you ever seen a baby's diaper pinned with one of these?"
Darlene, dubiously: "I think that was back in the eighty-hundreds."

And finally,
Me: "How many aunts do you have?"
Amy: "I have three aunts!"
Charlie: "I have three sisters!"
Don: "I have pants!"

Labels: Pedagogy

:: Bethany Bassett - 9:36 PM :: + ::

"I just wanna stay right here until never dawns..." (Corinne Bailey Rae)

Natalie ran up to me yesterday holding a toy dog and shrieking, "Kitty!" Apparently, this is Dan's dream come true. :)

I can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up. She knows how to open everything in the house and draw pretty pictures on the walls and have relational crises when Bear is MIA. (Bear, by the way, has been potty-trained for three months now; Natalie trains her stuffed animals well.)



Natalie can play computer games and put DVDs in the player and call people on my cell phone, skills I didn't acquire till I was somewhere around 17 (and my computer gaming skills are still dubious at best). She says "thank you" and "sorry" and "goodbye" and "hello," though assuredly not when we're trying to show off her perfect politeness to friends. Oh yes, and she also says "Dude!" or "Sweet!" when she sees anything interesting. Gotta thank the husband for that! Still no "Mommy," though I tend to forget that every time Natalie runs over to give me a kiss.

Being so busy this fall has made me triply appreciate any time I get with my sweethearts.



In conclusion, Dan went down to the basement yesterday to do laundry, closing the door behind him so Natalie wouldn't plummet down the steps. She, of course, ran straight to the closed door and started pounding on it, calling, "Where'd it go? Where'd it go?"



::Giant smile::

Labels: Christmas Newsletter

:: Bethany Bassett - 8:36 AM :: + ::