Transition is a Good Thing

Today's blog is on "transition". I have always known in my life that everything changes and nothing stays the same. I have also blogged in the past on "life long learning" and how important it is to focus on learning something new everyday. Please check out the site on 15 steps to cultivate life long learning. Many times it feels safer and more comfortable to stay in your box. The problem with that is we are not pushed to the limit of learning something new. Learning can take on many different shapes and sizes. It can make you nervous, a little stressed, and then it can also build your confidence and most importantly your knowledge. As we get older it is important to continue doing activities that make us think and use different parts of our brain. Many times during our life we experience many forms of transition. Just to name a few, going to college, getting married, children leaving home and losing a loved one.

I am experiencing transition in my work place "Essdack". It has been exciting to learn some new technology and support skills that are different than what I have previously experienced. At Essdack we have educational specialists that support educators in the learning process. These are folks that work diligently to have learning be fun and exciting whether you are a kid or an adult. These are creative folks that put all of themselves in to their trainings. Supporting them is not new for me but my responsibilities have changed and the transition feels good.

Hot Chili Peppers!

A couple weeks ago Tim, myself and friends spent a few fun filled days in Toas, New Mexico. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets in several different locations in the area. Sunsets are beautiful no matter where we are, but there is something about the mountains that makes for magnificent "eye candy". We enjoyed the square with so much to see. We all loved the food of the area too!

To that end this blog mainly is about "chili peppers". We enjoyed peppers one night in almost a soup form. It was so delicious! It was so good we all could have taken a spoon and eaten it like soup. We had the opportunity to come home with a sack of of "chili peppers". I decided that I would use both red and green for our brats and kraut lunch. Chopped chili peppers seemed the perfect addition to our meal. I proceeded to my chopping block with a knife and peppers in hand. I was thinking to myself fresh from New Mexico doesn't get much better. I prepared the peppers for the grill and went on about the business at hand. Tim did the grilling and I was attending to last minute details so that we could enjoy our invited guests. As I am chopping away I noticed that I was getting hot! I mean like my skin, finger tips, and eyes. Now please understand I was pretty inexperienced with chili peppers straight from New Mexico. I continued chopping because I was on a mission to have these hot things for lunch.

Lunch was served and so were the peppers. One bite for me was plenty because at that point my fingers felt as though I had burned them on a hot stove. I had barely any feeling on the tips of my fingers. Please read this link on How to Treat a Hot Pepper Burn. This saved me from continuing to burn. I will always love peppers but I will treat those little things with a lot of respect! Beware the next time you are thinking of tackling them bare handed.

Life is a Journey Worth Doing!

This past weekend was spent with my daughter Emily, Sam age 6 and Haley age 10, my grandchildren. Also included in the weekends festivities were 3 other special people, Diane, Cameron 10 and Mackenzie 8. They are very special friends of Emily's family. They came to Hutchinson for the Kansas State Fair and a concert on Sunday afternoon from Lawrence. As I had the opportunity to spend quality time with this gang, I began feeling very blessed! They all were awesome to be with. My heart began feeling full of how blessed I am to have them in my life. For those of you that know me and for those of you that don't, I am a relationship person. If my life begins going in a direction that I am not enriched by relationships I am not a happy person. I feel discontentment that makes me feel unsettled. If my life situations put me in a spot that I don't feel connected with my loved ones or friendships acquired over a lifetime I struggle with what is important.

The exciting thing for me about this weekend is that my grand daughter Haley has been so excited to share our home with her friends. That in itself is pretty awesome! She is awesome so I shouldn't be surprised. She is a kid that is about relationships too! I love being in her life as well as her families life. Haley and her friend Cameron are just a duo. They compliment each other in such a way that shows such maturity. They are friends for life, I can see that already. To be a grammy and have a grand daughter that is intuitive, social, loving, that enjoys spending time with me is a blessing that brings me such joy. Please don't be mistaken I love all of my family and grand children. This blog just happens to focus on Haley and her zest for life in such an exuberant way it just inspires me. There is no price tag that could be put on spending quality time with my relationship people. This weekend was NO exception.

It Takes a Village

As I reflect on the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" I have somewhat changed my views over the last few years on whether or not I agreed. Being a grandma, "grammy if you will" is what my own grand kids elected to call me upon me expressing that is what I wanted them to call me. It just seemed best suited for me personally. Oh my, it does take a village as you see little ones as darling babies grow into their own individual person. What I have observed as I think about "the village" is how valuable grandparents are in the lives of our grand kids. I have worked diligently since my 3 have been babies to be a very intricate part of their precious lives. I have always told them to call me anytime of the day or night, if you just want to talk. I will always be there for you and never, ever, go away!! Kids need to know that there are other adults in their lives besides mom and dad that will care for them unconditionally. It is important for them to feel at ease with changes that may happen in their world. School and other social situations in a kids life can put pressure on them and for some they may need another ear to listen.

What does the word "village" really mean. Check out what Webster's says. The residents of a village are compared to the people in a child's village, or their world. Many people make up a child's world. Parents, grandparents, step parents and step grandparents, teachers, coaches, church school teachers, scout leaders, the list could go on and on. Often times one or more of the names on this list are very involved in a child's life. That person or persons can help the child with life and the issues that are present on any given day. As I have observed the changes that happen as children develop, both my own kids, grand kids, and all others that have been a huge part of my life, could not have survived without the support of their "village".

Yes, in my opinion and in my small world there have been many villages of great human beings that have been there for kids of all ages.

The Changing of Life Habits for a First Grader

My youngest grandchild , Sam, just started first grade. He is attending school in a district that did not offer all day kindergarten. His experience may be a little different than a child that has had the experience of being in school all day. As I ponder the life of my own children as they progressed through public education and beyond it seems like a moment ago! I remember thinking oh, first grade, we have years ahead to grow and develop into adulthood. Wow, did that time fly by me like a rocket! Now I am watching the same thing with grandchildren. Sam is a typical first grader in many ways. He loves learning new things but it takes the talent of a creative teacher to make his classroom creative and exciting to hold his attention. Not having experienced all day kindergarten he is experiencing for the first time a longer day of learning. I know that earlier bedtime is very important for these young ones to succeed in school. The proper amount of sleep does help. But how much sleep does your child really need? This is a great read on the topic of sleep and how much is needed and of course it always depends on the individual child.

With the changes that come along being a first grader also comes educational expectations with learning. So much is expected in first grade. Reading is certainly a subject that is very necessary for a young student to grasp. It is the reading skills that one possess that carries us into many other facets of our education. For without learning to read we are stifled when it comes to everything else that is also expected as a learner. It takes special first grade teachers to challenge their students in such a way to make reading a fun experience. For it is with that in place when young students begin to love reading. As parents at home reading to our young ones is still a fabulous way to spend quality time with our kids or grandchildren. If we are reading to young ones, stopping every so often and asking a question or two, is a great way to find out what the child is hearing in the story. It is a great way to have wonderful one on one time too!

I have mentioned before in my blog that "my kids turn" is a great website for parents, grandparents, or anyone that has the opportunity to be involved in the learning of a child. Please check it out and have fun with any student. There are many games and strategies to help in all areas of learning for kids.

Life is Good-so Good

What an exciting season on the yearly calendar. Fall is just my favorite time of year, what can I say! "Life is Good" really good for many reasons. Our geological region has just experienced the worst heat for as many days in a row as I can remember. Oh, fall! That means children are leaving their comfort zones and headed into another school year. For some little kindergartners' heading off to school, away from their comfortable surroundings, it is often times a little scary. For other kids there is positive energy and they are anxious and ready for their independence. We are all different in many ways and that is a very good thing. Those differences are what makes life happen and makes the world go around.

Here in the Essdack office the staff is bustling around like Christmas is around the corner. Our specialists are so very busy with in service training for districts in our area and outside the state of Kansas. I continue to be amazed at their ability to "wow" teacher audiences with their knowledge and experience. By sharing their knowledge they broaden the thinking of educators and give tools and information that helps to make learning fun and interesting for kids.

My hats go off to teachers. Their challenges are different every year they teach. Each classroom of kids has a different set of circumstances. Educators have a huge responsibility in meeting the needs of every child. We are richly blessed in Kansas to have wonderful devoted educators that keep on going each and every year to enrich the lives of their kiddos! "Life is Good" for many reasons and this time of year it is good because we have classrooms full of life-long learning.

We have parents who have released their children into classrooms with great expectations for learning and excitement for their child or children. Parents please remember "my kids turn" is available with wonderful learning tools to help your children at home. The activities are very fun and interactive. Check it out!

Summertime and the Living is Easy

I remember as a kid growing up it did seem to me that the slogan "summertime and the living is easy" really worked in my youth. The older I get the quicker time passes me by, and time will never stand still. It has been a long summer for most of us, with the temperature in the triple digits. Our move happened in May and the rest has been a blur! For all of my friends out there you all know that fall and winter are my favorite seasons of the calendar. Oh my, how fall seems like a distant dream in my head and with it comes cooler weather, beautiful leaves and the awesome color that inspires my thinking. I am so looking forward to getting the fall box out of storage and begin to adorn my home with the colors that make me happy. I am so anxious to enjoy the outdoors when I can take a walk or sit in my backyard and enjoy the cooler breeze that the change of season brings.
With the change of season also comes the start of another school year for kids, teachers and all staff associated with learning. It is such an exciting time in the Essdack office to be looking forward to another amazing year. Our educational specialists are very busy with requests from school districts to present in their field of expertise to their staff. They are amazing folks that work hours and hours in preparation to continually present the most current information. Once again, "life long learning" is happening and it is awesome to be a part of it.
Parents please remember to check out "My Kids Turn" where you will find activities that you can do at home to extend learning for your children. There are games and tips on each link that are so fun for you and your children and it really makes learning fun too!