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Playing Catch-Up

Posted on May 17, 2010 by auburnchick

I love blogging, I really do.

It just seems like it has been hard to find the time the last few days!  So, I’m making this a catch-up post.

As you know, last Friday capped off a two-week AP Exam frenzy.

The way the exams work is that all exams usually have two sessions, with two exams being administered, per a national schedule, each day.  Session 1 is around an hour.  Then, students and proctors are given a ten-minute break.  Session 2 then begins, and it lasts anywhere between one hour and two and a quarter hours.

I think my rear end has wood grain marks from the non-cushioned chairs I was planted on (when I wasn’t walking around on patrol).

Exams were administered around 8am and 12pm.  Sometimes, we had only seven minutes between tests – not a lot of time for lengthy breaks, although everyone managed to get small breaks thanks to wonderful, thoughtful school administrators.

A few of the AP teachers provided their students and us proctors with snacks…

Bags contained such goodies as these…

Oh yeah.  I think this was my favorite goody bag…loads of chocolate…my favorite!

Although proctoring was not physically tiring, I was mentally wiped out each afternoon.

Hence my retreat into brain cell oblivion this past weekend.

The Mr., Soccer Chick, Rooster, and Guy Friend went to see a movie on Saturday.

I chose to stay home, relishing the quiet.

Honestly, I cannot remember what I did.

Oh wait.

I remember.

I did NOTHING.

So lazy…that’s what I was.

It was d-i-v-i-n-e.

Sunday was busy, though.

My church had Senior Recognition Day.  Coupon Queen and Grand Pooba drove over to share in the day’s festivities.

Chicky was asked to speak before one of the services.

She did a lovely job, sharing how her relationships with her youth-group friends have been one of the main things that has kept her from the secular pitfalls that fellow students of her’s have fallen victim to.

She was well-spoken and never once said, “Um.”

I was very proud of her.

After church, we attended a luncheon in the fellowship hall.  Younger members of the youth group served us.  The food was delicious…prepared by the same gentleman who cooked Chicky’s high school soccer team’s pre-game meals.

After a short visit with the in-law’s, they left.

Chicky departed for some place that I can’t remember.  She’s had so many engagements lately that they are all starting to run together.

Meanwhile, Rooster and I headed back to church to a farewell reception for my associate pastor and his family.

I sure am going to miss this amazing little group of people.  The wife was my Bible Study leader, and her husband is simply one of the most gifted young men I’ve ever had the honor of listening to.  Their new church is very blessed to be welcoming them into its fold.

I left Rooster at church so he could attend youth group, and I headed home to watch the Survivor Finale.

Take a look at the following picture…

Do you see Russell’s face?

That’s the face of exasperation…or rather the look that one gets after taking a bite of Humble Pie.

He had to sit and listen to Jeff pull out vote after vote for Sandra and Parvati, when all along, he was sure that he was going to win this time.

Fortunately for smart, non-flirty-to-get-ahead girls everywhere, Parvati did NOT win either!

I love the way Sandra played the game.  She was smart, recognizing the troll that was disguised as Russell, and hung in there.

Nice girls do finish first sometimes!

Next, I watched the newest installment of Celebrity Apprentice.

A couple of seasons ago, I promised myself that I would not watch another episode.

Donald Trump is such a pompous man!  Ugh.  Dirty-minded too.

However, I allowed myself to be sucked in.

I love challenges and watching as people rise, or fall (as the case may be) to the occasion.  I’d like to think that I would do well in these challenges too.  Heck, I’m a mom.  Winning challenges is the name of the game that’s called Motherhood.

But I digress.

I’m rooting hard for Holly Robinson Peete, who’s playing for her autism charity.

Monday morning came all too quickly.

I had a subbing job for Rooster’s English teacher.

Yay, him.

Seriously.

He’s a good sport.  We tend to ignore each other when I am his teacher.

Today was an important one for the seniors at the school.

Their caps and gowns were ready to be picked up.

I brought Chicky’s home and hung it up for her…

Graduation is May 1st…two days after Rooster turns 16.

Yeah.  I know.

I have an eventful two weeks ahead of me, eh?

I mean, in addition to the above, Dancing With the Stars will have its finale, as will 24, Celebrity Apprentice, and Flash Forward.

Sigh…

:::AuburnChick fans herself:::

Oh well.  Might as well get a bunch of stuff out of the way at the same time, eh?  Nothing like being efficient!

Filed under: children, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

An Interesting Voicemail

Posted on May 10, 2010 by auburnchick

Today, while I was administering the AP Biology Exam, Chicky’s third period teacher paid me a visit.  In her hands was a note that read, “Chicky needs Midol.”

I looked at her and mouthed, “Does she have a headache?”

“No,” Ms. H. said.  “Her stomach is not feeling right, and she has chills.”

Ugh.  I thought she might be getting the flu, with the chills and all.

I wrote a note to Chicky:  “Check out, cancel your internship and babysitting for the day, and take your temperature.”

The teacher quietly left, and I finished up with the exam.

I headed to the office to sign out for the day, turning on my phone as I walked.

I had the following voicemail from Chicky:

Mama, I’m not sick.  I just need Midol.  I’m not gonna take my temperature.  I feel fine.  I’m not canceling internship, and I’m not canceling babysitting.  I just need to go poop and take Midol.  I’m fine.  Alright.  Goodbye.

Um, yeah.  I guess you could say she didn’t mince words, eh?

When I got to the office, I looked at the student check out log and saw she had checked back in shortly after checking out.

I guess she wasn’t kidding.

Indeed, she was alright.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Dinner for Four

Posted on April 30, 2010 by auburnchick

A rare sight these days is that of the four members of my family sitting at the dinner table together, at the same time, eating the same food.

Such an event happened last night, and I almost cried as I saw it unfolding.

I am not very good at planning dinner.

Oh, I sometimes remember to pull meat from the freezer, but actually getting it cooked, with starches and veggies is like a Halley’s Comet sighting.

Bad, I know, but true.

So yesterday, I actually had the foresight of:

1) Buying the meat ahead of time
2) Keeping it in the fridge the night before in preparation for dinner.
3) Researching recipes the night before.
4) Putting everything in the crockpot early enough to get stuff cooked.
5) Watching items on the stove so nothing burned and everything got done at the same time.
6) Setting the table, all by my lonesome self, and even filling glasses with ice.

Now, when we eat dinner together, someone usually winds up getting mad, for whatever reason.

Sometimes, because I’m not that great of a cook, something will be said about dinner, and I, wearing my feelings on my sleeve (guess I am a feeler after all – see Random Dozen post from this week), I either get upset or mad.

But all of the planets must have aligned, because everyone was…

Hold your breath now…

HAPPY.

There.  I said it.

And, the kids actually…

Hold your breath now…

Started telling us about their day…

Without being prompted.

I KNOW!!!

I could hardly believe it, but I dared not draw attention to this mini-miracle in fear that it would dissipate as quickly as my paycheck every other Friday!

I dare say that our conversation resembled…

Hold on to your hats…

Adult conversation.

I KNOW!!!!

And you know the kind of sad thing?

This happened just a few months before the Party of Four turns into a Party of Three, when Chicky leaves for college.

It’s yet another memory I’ll tuck away.  What might seem like an ordinary evening for some truly became a special moment for me.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

The Chicklets are on Patrol

Posted on April 27, 2010 by auburnchick

Last night was the BIG night.

No, I’m not talking about Dancing With the Stars and the first show without Kate.

*Bad AuburnChick*

What I am referring to is Chicky and Rooster’s final night of lifeguarding class – THE night when they had to take their final exams.

Rooster had been nervous for a few days, concerned about the emergency scenario he would be given.  He had not done well on the practice test last week.

I did not get to see the kids before they left because I had gone to teach a couponing class (more on that in another post).

But, I did take Rooster aside and pray with him.

The Mr. and I waited up for them.  We were actually surprised when class went the full length…until 10pm.

We waited anxiously.

Rooster texted me to let me know they were headed home (a safety rule in this house)…

“On our way home,” he said.

“And…” I asked.

“Chicky failed part of her test, but I passed,” he said.

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” I said, hollering to the Mr. that Chicky supposedly “failed.”  I was doubtful because we like to play jokes on one another.

“Yeah,” Rooster texted back.

Oy.  The boy can be cruel sometimes.

The kids walked in the house shortly after, laughing at the trick they pulled.

Yeah, yeah.  All was forgiven when they proudly displayed their lifeguarding and CPR certificates.

I am so proud of them for hanging in there.  I am proud of them for acting responsibly by looking and preparing for jobs rather than taking the lazy way out and whiling away the summer eating Doritos and playing Xbox.

I chuckled when a parent come up to me at church and ask if he could send his son to my house for training.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , | 6 Comments »

A New Beginning and a Lesson in Trust

Posted on April 9, 2010 by auburnchick

Look what Chicky was up to this week…

I don’t know if you can tell, but that box contains graduation invitations.

Yet another milestone for the girl…for all of us, actually.

As I write this, Chicky and the Mr. are on their way home from an out-of-town visit.

They were down south, visiting a college.

But it wasn’t Rollins.

It was another college.

You see, the hard week I referred in one of my recent posts was about Chicky’s recent announcement that she wants to attend a different college.

In a way, I wasn’t completely surprised, but the news still came as a shock.  It’s been something I’ve been coming to terms with over the last two weeks.

This has been similar to a grieving process.  Rollins seemed like the perfect fit – academically, athletically, and socially.

I was numb at first.  Then, I got angry.  I asked a lot of questions.

In between those phases, I cried a lot.

I tend to be a woman of my word, so for me, her going back on her promise to play soccer at Rollins just reeked of poor judgment.

Poor Chicky.  I know it was hard for her.  She had wrestled with this decision for a while before getting up the courage to speak her mind.

She told us that she believes that God is leading her somewhere else.  She recently found out that Rollins’ head coach accepted a position at a larger school in a different state.  She took this as a sign from God that this was not the school for her.

She wants to attend a small, Christian college – Southeastern University.  It also happens to be the college that Guy Friend attends, although she made quick assurances that his presence there isn’t the reason she wants to attend (I’m not completely sold on that).

The thing about this college is that the environment is Christian-oriented.  Chicky wants to immerse herself in this atmosphere where partying isn’t the main reason students choose to attend.

The school has a number of athletic teams, including a women’s soccer team.  Guy Friend plays on the men’s team.

I’ve gotta tell you that this has been a defining moment in her life and mine as well.

As a mom, Chicky’s decision has become the event that has led me to let go of her.  I have come to the realization that Chicky is her own person, and this is her life.

For her, I think it has become important that she be the “driver” of her life, so to speak.  I pray she understands that she’s only riding in the front seat beside God, who is really the One in control of her life.

This decision, though, has caused Chicky to take up the reins and drive the vehicle that has turned off the path already paved into the unknown.

She spent the following days calling Rollins’ coaches (oy, but this grieves me so much as I LOVE them), getting her soccer release taken care of, and applying for admission to the new school.  She has also been applying for scholarships and financial aid, as this is another private college and not cheap.

She wants to go, and she’s making every effort to make it happen.

This is a new beginning for her.

It has become a huge lesson of trust for me.

I know that God has a plan for her life.  I don’t know if she’s making a mistake.  I thought, at first, that she was.  Now, I’m not so sure.

But I know that whether it’s a mistake or whether it truly has been God’s plan for her all along, God will use whatever comes to shape her life and make her into the woman He intends for her to be.

The trust comes in letting God do His thing without my worrying about it.

I am also having to learn to trust Chicky.

In the middle of my huge sob-fest, Chicky drew near, tears running down her own face, and asked me to trust her.

I’m trying.  It’s hard.  But God is working on my heart.

This is, quite obviously, a new beginning for me as well.

Filed under: children, Christian | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

A Celebration That Calls for Ice Cream

Posted on March 18, 2010 by auburnchick

Some celebrations call for ice cream, plain and simple.

Take, for instance, yesterday’s occasion.

Rooster had a very special appointment.  It was one he had been looking forward to for over a year.

It was one I had been looking forward to for ten years.

What, pray, tell, could warrant such anticipation?

See if you can figure it out by looking at the picture below…

Ok…I know I live in Podunk, USA, but no, I did not let Rooster get his first goat.

teeheehee

It’s what’s ON the goat that is key.

BRACES!!

After two children, four “phases,” and ten years, Rooster, my baby, got his braces OFF!

Rooster and I did the Braces-Free Happy Dance…

Now, I am of the firm opinion that such a day had to be marked in an uber-special way…

DQ ice cream!!

Can I just say that one of my favorite ways to spend the afternoon is with my children, chomping down on a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard?

There is something about ice cream that opens up a line of dialogue between mother and child.  I mean, how could you even consider arguing when spooning in some of that delicious stuff?

Rooster and I enjoyed ourselves immensely before heading home, where he donned his newly-manufactured retainer.

Meanwhile, I pondered the years gone by.

Chicky started out in Braces Land way back in the second grade.  She had a severe underbite that required the use of an expander to correct it.  It wasn’t the kind you had to turn with a key.  We went in frequently to have her wires tightened, and oh what days of pain those were.  Trips to the ice cream shop (TCBY back then) always followed the appointments, because the cold numbed her sore tooth sockets.

She had a permanent retainer put in shortly before we moved back to north Florida, and we had about six months of braceless children before Rooster got fitted for his own expander to fix a cross-bite.

A year later, he was getting his expander removed the same day that Chicky was getting Phase 2 braces put on.  In fact, they sat beside each other in chairs, Rooster grinning from ear-to-ear in that annoying little brother sort of way while Chicky endured the torture of having metal cemented back to her teeth.

She exacted revenge a year and a half later when their roles were reversed, and he was enduring Phase 2 installation.

And then came yesterday, when we were done, once and for all (with the exception of retainer checks every so often).

Our visits have been so numerous over the years that I asked the receptionist if we could have the family’s last name etched in the stone that sat in front of what we called “Our Parking Spot.”  It was the closest to the building and hidden by foliage.  Only one time did we find someone parked in “Our Parking Spot,” that’s how well it was hidden.

Heck…might as well put up a statue in our honor.  We came, we saw, we conquered.

And so, that’s why, after ten long years of having pay checks docked $200 per month to pay for said mechanics, Your’s Truly celebrates.

No more fighting insurance companies to pay the promised half of these procedures.  No more emergency trips to the drug store in search of wax.

The one thing I will miss is seeing the receptionists’ smiles as they greeted us each time.  Such lovely ladies.  They’ve become like family.  I watched one go through her own phase of braces, and now I’ve watched her prep for her daughter’s wedding.  I observed as Chicky’s first orthodontist dealt with her husband’s cancer diagnosis and unfortunate death from the disease.

Oh yeah.  After ten years, you become very close to these people.

Anyhoo, I’ve digressed way further than I meant.  If you’re a mom, you probably understand what I’ve been talking about.  If you’re not a mom but wore braces, you understand.  If you’re neither, then you’re much more patient than me, barreling through the mumblings of a migraine-laden gal!

Hmmm…wonder if ice cream will fix this?

heehee

Filed under: children | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

A Typical Day in My Life

Posted on March 8, 2010 by auburnchick

Readers, the byline on my blog should give some “indication” that a day in the life of AuburnChick is no ordinary, blah-blah day.

Take today, for instance.

First of all, it was a Monday…but no ordinary Monday.  It was a Monday after a weekend of soccering, which meant that I was already starting behind the 8-ball.

I got up my usual 15 minutes past when I should have.  I’ve become a night owl and just cannot seem to get into bed before 12 or 12:30.

Ugh.

The kids and I did devotions.  This was the only calm part of my day.

Somehow, on the way out the door, Chicky and I managed to have a knock-down-drag-out argument.

Great.

I despise starting the day like that.

Next, I went to school, where I had the pleasure (and I mean that in an evil-grin-sort-of-way) of surprising a few students who were not expecting me to be their sub for the next two weeks.  Envision this:

Said students lazily walk in to class…semi-smiles on their faces…chatting it up with other said students.

They briefly glance up to see Your’s Truly standing at the podium in front of the class.

“Cough, grumble, grumble,” was all I heard out of their mouths.

I smiled a Cheshire Cat Smile.

Gotcha!

“You better watch what you say,” one student says to an unsuspecting classmate.  “She hears everything,” he continues.

They know me well.

I then overhear something said about me and say something in response, to the surprise of the guilty offender.

He looks up, surprised.

“Told you so,” says the other student.

I laugh.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that first period was not as bad as last semester’s class.  Second period was a dream.

That was the best part of my day.

I had Planning after second period and went to pick up the dogs.  Ok.  This was another good part of my day…seeing their happy, waggy behinds greeting me.  I had paid a little extra to get all three bathed, and they were soft, fluffy, and smelled like doggy perfume.

Pele thought I was up to something…I think he was worried I would be dropping him off at the doggy hotel again…

Aubie was her usual happy self, but you can’t tell it in the picture below.  She assumed her “I Didn’t Eat for a Week to Fit into My Outfit Model Face” when asked to pose…

I hurried to gather a few coupons together, planning to head back to the grocery store for a few more items before the current sales end.  However, it was just at that time that I received a text from Rooster…

“Mama, can you come get me at lunch.  I’m sick.”

Oh no.  I get visibly upset when my children are sick.  I mean, you’d think I’d don a professional “doctor” attitude…semi-cold and all business when the kids don’t feel well, but noooooo…I have to get all weepy-worried still!  Ugh.  Remember…I have turned into a cryer.

Anyhoo…I ran back to the school, this time in Mom-Mode, not Substitute-Mode.

Now, you have to understand that when Rooster gets sick, he REALLY gets sick.  He’s not your sniffly kind of kid.  He has a strong immune system, so when a virus hits, he goes down hard.

He went straight to bed when he got home.

Ever the practical gal and wanting to get my free spaghetti sauce, I headed to the store, where I got this for $1.83, saving over $20…

During my trip, though, I received a phone call from Rooster.

“Mama, where are you?”

“I’m at Publix.  Are you okay?”

“I threw up, and I need you to come home and clean it up,” he said.

“Weren’t you in the bathroom,” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“No, I couldn’t make it there,” he said.  “I threw up on the floor.”

Great.  This is just what every mother wants to hear when she’s in the process of putting food in her buggy.  Kind of takes the appetite away, you know?

Unfortunately, this is not the first time he’s done this.  The last time he got sick, he tried to be smart and threw up into his trash can.  The only problem?  It was a wicker basket.  Everything went right through.

Blech.

Well, I made an instant decision.  Rooster will be cleaning up the puke when he feels better, and as soon as we’re financially able, that carpet is getting replaced.  Between dog puke and human puke, we’ve covered almost his entire room.

Blech.

Sorry for the vivid imagery.  I know you didn’t ask for it.  However, when you load up my blog, you do so at your own risk.  All’s fair in love and AuburnChick’s blog, eh?

LOL

The rest of my afternoon was spent arguing with Chicky (as only moms and daughters can do), discussing my “issues,” and catching up on laundry from the weekend.

Oh yeah, and answering phone calls from Rooster.

Yep.  He used his cell phone to call me from his bedroom to ask me to take him a glass of water.

Seriously?

Yep.

Poor kid.  He has FCAT the next two days, and I’m thinking he’s going to have to make them up.

But, if you live in my world, today’s events are really not that unusual.  It’s just another day in my life.

Filed under: children, Saving Money | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Always Carry Eyeliner in Your Purse

Posted on February 26, 2010 by auburnchick

Guys, unless you’re Adam Lambert, you might not need the above advice, but ladies, if you’re reading this (and you know you are), press on.

You see, I am so thankful that I am somewhat smart and usually plan ahead.  I’m actually known for being organized.  If you saw my house, you’d think otherwise.

But I digress.

Now, you might be wondering why you might want to carry eyeliner in your purse.

If you’re a teenager, you might be meeting some hot computer nerd in the library for lunch, so you prep your face in the bathroom during 3rd period to get ready.

But, if you’re a mom who is about to attend her daughter’s last soccer banquet, you might find it especially prudent to carry an extra stick of charcoal in your mom-purse.

It all started with this afternoon…

Wait.

No.

It all started in August when Chicky began her senior year.

I thought I was in control of my emotions.  I’ve always been the mom who held to the philosophy that my job as a parent was to teach my children the skills they needed to function on their own (i.e. outside of my home) and love and serve the Lord.

So, milestones like tying shoes for the first time, getting drivers’ licenses, and attending proms have rarely made me cry big mom tears.

Something happened this year, though.  Suddenly it wasn’t about the “firsts” but the “lasts.”

Yes, as I type this, I am psycho-analyzing myself (a scary thought, eh?) and realizing that this is, in fact, what the deal is.

Anyhoo…moving on…

Since attending Chicky’s team to the Final Four playoffs, I’ve been busy creating a slide show for the soccer banquet.  Oh, not a small thing, I assure you, but one I really sunk my teeth into.  After all, I love technology, and I discovered that Macs are the way to go for this type of project.

I give God the glory for helping me create a great slide show.

As I looked through the pictures, searched for music, and edited the video, I found myself tearing up numerous times.

It didn’t matter how many times I watched the completed video…I still got choked up…especially during the portion dedicated to seniors.  For every picture Chicky selected for herself (she didn’t want any naked baby surprises), a memory rose to the surface.  I remembered the exact moment in time when each photo was created, and it tore at my heart.

Still, I persevered, creating personalized DVDs for each senior and coach (thanks, LightScribe!).

This afternoon after work, I headed to Hallmark to select a birthday card for Chicky’s coach.  He’s turning “hmmm-hmmm” years old today.  While I was there, my eyes lit upon a “goodbye” card.

Oh my, but hot tears rose to the surface as I read it.  In May, Chicky’s coach will be moving to Washington to be near his children, so this had been his last season with the girls.  The card was perfect.  I bought both for the girls to sign.

When I got out to my car, I allowed myself time to have a good cry.

I cried as I drove from Hallmark to the church where we were having the banquet.  I called Super Sis and told her I thought I was having a PMS moment.  She listened, agreed that part was probably due to hormones, but justified my feelings by reminding me that this was a year of “last’s” (there’s the word again).

I wiped my eyes and went into the church to finish setting up.  My heart felt heavy though.

One of the other moms was there, and we sat down together to watch the DVD.  Nobody would be there for some time, so we had the place to ourselves.  We ate popcorn and drank soda as we watched the 19-minute video.

I fanned my eyes as the music for the senior section started.

Then she left, and I had some quiet time with my knitting before realizing that I needed to check my face in the mirror.

Oh my!  I raced back to my purse for my eyeliner, getting interrupted to unlock the church doors for a coach who had arrived to set up trophies for his team.

I sheepishly admitted that I had been reapplying makeup after having a cry party.  He chuckled in understanding.

The tears returned later that evening as Coach J gave his long farewell speech.

I cried when I started the video.

Sigh.

I teared up when the president of the booster club presented flowers to me…

I cried tears of laughter when Coach J joked about a “certain” player’s mom who, nine games out of ten, ran out on the field during warmups to take a “certain” player (the one who ate the most before each game but still managed to get hungry minutes before game time) a pack of crackers.

Guilty.  I even did this during the Final Four game.  Chicky was mortified, but when she sent out an SOS, I responded!
Regardless, I cried.

Ugh.

I’ve turned into  a cryer.

And the year isn’t over yet.  Chicky still has graduation.  Another BIG “last!”

Oy!

I think I’d better invest in a couple more sticks of eyeliner.  I think they are going to come in handy!

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

AuburnChick Wants a Chicken Biscuit Party

Posted on February 6, 2010 by auburnchick

For the last three weeks, I’ve been subbing for an English teacher.  She has four classes.

I knew, immediately, that this would be a good subbing assignment.  The students are respectful and work hard.

Last week, there was a fund raiser for leukemia and lymphoma.  It was called Pennies for Patients.  The way the fund raiser worked is that buckets would be given to each first period class.  Every day, first period classes were encouraged to dump change in the buckets.  The buckets would be collected each day, and the change counted with totals accumulating during the week. The class that collected the most money would be rewarded with a Chick fil A chicken biscuit party.

Well, you know me.  I like challenges.  I also like to win.  Put the two together, and you have one very determined substitute teacher.

I went in, guns blazing, encouraging my the 23 students in my first period class to pull out all stops.  Mrs. AuburnChick wanted a chicken biscuit party!  More important, though, was the very worthy cause.

The first day, we only dumped in a couple of dollars’ worth of change.  No biggie.  Word was still getting out, and I was only getting started.

The second day, I grabbed a gallon-sized baggie and scoured my house for change.  We have a large glass mug that we dump change into.  Down it went, into the baggie.

When I went to school, I showed it to the students and made a big show of pouring it into the bucket.  The girls who came around to collect change brought with them a small baggie.

“Honey, you’re going to need something a little bigger than that,” I told one girl.  She grabbed the bucket and carried it off with her.

That day, we upped our total to over $30.  My students were encouraged.

The next three days, we continued to put in money.  My students surprised me by bringing in baggies of their own.

Day #4 arrived, and I could not believe what I saw when I got to school.

The bucket was nearly half full…

One student dropped in six, two-dollar bills!  So generous!

Now, that day after first period, I had Planning.  I became discouraged about some other matter and went back to school a little down.

When I returned, I started teaching my third period students.  Unexpectedly, Chicky made an appearance in my classroom.

She had been in her Leadership class.  It’s a class where the students assist one of the teachers with various SGA activities.  These students do a lot of behind-the-scenes work and are vital to keeping various activities around school going.

They had been in charge of counting the money collected all week.

Chicky proudly announced that my class had collected a little over $114.

Just that day.

Day #4.

I sat in my chair in shock.

My spirits lifted.

My 23 ninth-grade students had collected over $100 in change.

Unbelievable.

Now, something I haven’t told you yet is that every afternoon, the teacher in charge of the fund raiser had been sending emails to the staff giving the top five class totals.  My class started out not even being on the list.  The second day we were in third place, but we dropped to fifth place on Day #3.

The teacher in first place also “happened” to be the teacher in charge of the fund raiser.  She claimed it wasn’t rigged, but rumor had it that she had been throwing in $20 bills…something I could not afford to do.

So, I had gotten even more competitive.  This is such a nice teacher…all of the students love her, and I have chatted with her a few times.  She’s awesome!  But I was out to beat her.

AuburnChick wanted a chicken biscuit party.

Day #4’s total put us in the lead by $50!!!

I was psyched!

I talked about it to everyone I knew.  Other students asked me what I had said to them.  I told them that I’d said I am a soccer mom.  Second place doesn’t get the trophy.  It’s not worth doing anything if you don’t give it your all.

Words of encouragement, don’t you know.

Plus, Mrs. AuburnChick wanted a chicken biscuit party.

After our grand showing on Day #4, I didn’t hold out much hope for Day #5.  I mean, one can only collect so much change.

My students, however, had different ideas.

I got to school early, and the students were already arriving…eager to start dumping in change.

Folks, my students brought in MORE baggies of money.

We made a big deal of each one, holding each up for the class to see before pouring the change in.

Students dropped in $1 bills and dug in their pockets to fish out quarters.

Inspired, I hunted through my wallet one more time.  I knew I had given every spare bit of change, but still I looked in the hope that I had missed a coin or two.

I found 50 cents in my pants pocket and a nickel hiding in my wallet.

I threw in the nickel with an Emeril “Bam!”  My students laughed.

My bucket was now 3/4 full!!

The girls came in to collect my bucket, and their eyes bulged.  I proudly announced that we had collected over $114 the day before, and I was hoping to top that amount.

They looked dismayed, and I quickly figured out why.

They were students in my main competition’s class.

(insert evil laugh here)

Yeah, I’m mean.

Before they could leave my class, though, one of my students arrived (a little tardy).  She said, “Wait, I have money.”

We waited…

And watched…

As she reached for her wallet…

And pulled out…

A…

Crisp $20 bill!!!!!

We all cheered.  You probably could have heard us from the front office.

I proudly displayed the bill for my class, explaining to the girls waiting to take it that my class had seen it.  I didn’t want it to go “missing.”  And then I buried it into the change just in case it wanted to “fly” off the pile when the girls walked down the hallway.

They left, one girl carrying the bucket with both arms.

I went to the door and watched them walk down the hallway.  I encouraged them to be very careful.  I didn’t want them “tripping” and spilling my precious change on the floor.

Yeah, I’m bad.

AuburnChick wanted a chicken biscuit party.

Chicky came into my classroom later that day.

Wanna know what we collected?

$125!!!!!

Can you believe it?  We topped the previous day’s total!!

That afternoon, an email came across the system.

Chicky’s class had raised a grand total of $273.96!!!  We beat the #2 class by $125.82!!

AuburnChick is getting her chicken biscuit party.

More importantly, the school fund raiser raised over $600.

In one week.

That’s no small change.

My students told me that if I was a regular teacher at the school, I would probably win all of the contests.

If there’s a chicken biscuit party (or chocolate) offered as a reward, you betcha!!

Filed under: Charity | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

It’s Official!

Posted on February 3, 2010 by auburnchick

Today is National Signing Day.

If you’re not a sports person, you might not know that National Signing Day is the all-important milestone in a young athlete’s career.

It is the day he/she signs a Letter of Intent…the contract between the athlete and a college.

Important stuff.

We received Chicky’s paperwork in the mail a couple of days ago; however, NCAA rules state that an athlete cannot sign the letter until February 3rd.

We decided to wait until this afternoon because mornings are always rush-time for us.  Plus, I wanted to make sure we did things properly…camera at the ready, of course.

As we set the papers on the table, I felt emotional.  I simply could not believe that this moment was finally here…a culmination of the last 12 years of hard work and steely determination.  I wish I had kept track of the number of practices we’ve driven Chicky to…the number of games she’s played in, the miles we’ve put on our cars, and the number of weekends we woke up at the crack of dawn for.

Twelve years sounds like a long time, but it seems like it flew by.

All for this moment…

My sweet Chicky, pink fingernails and all, is now, officially, a Rollins Tar.

Chicky, if you happen to be reading Mama’s blog, here’s a special message to you:

Today is another big milestone for you.  I am incredibly proud of you.  I remember you in your pig tails, dribbling the ball around as only a six year old can.  You didn’t know what you were doing, but you were having fun.  Oh, how my heart swelled with pride when I watched you play in your first game.

And oh, the laughter that filled my lungs when I watched you get chased by a bumblebee while you took your turn playing goalie.  That goal was so big, and you were so small, and there you ran, trying to escape the bee not concerned one iota about what was going on in the game.

And you grew.

As you grew, you got better, and you gained confidence.

And my heart overflowed with joy as I watched you doing something you enjoyed so much.

Every season, you have gotten better and better.

Oh, how my eyes have filled with tears as I’ve watched you unknowingly inspire others through your triumphs over the challenges thrown in your path.

As important as soccer has been in helping you develop into a shining jewel, I pray that you take away one very important lesson.  Though you sign this Letter of Intent, this game of soccer is not what defines who you are.

Playing soccer is what you do.  It will allow you to get an solid education, give you an immediate circle of friends, and give you a niche to fit into at college.

However, being a child of God is who you are.  THIS is what defines you, on and off the field…wherever you go in life.

I know that YOU know this, because daily I observe you living your life in a way that honors Him.  May you always do so.

Of this, I am and will be most proud.

I love you more than you will ever know.

Love,

Mama ♥

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

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