Amanda's 19th Birthday!

Our President's Day weekend was packed full of busyness!  We started the weekend on Friday night with a visit from my sister and two of her friends.  Sunday was her 19th birthday, and she wanted to come down here and celebrate a little early!  On Friday night we went to to Casa Bonita which is a Mexican restaurant in Denver that has not only dinner, but entertainment as well.  Cliff divers, a live Mariachi band, and an arcade are just a few of the types of entertainment there!  Here are some highlights from the restaurant:

 Mariachi band singing "Happy Birthday" to Amanda.  It was awesome!

Shots from the arcade : )

They had this sweet machine that blew up a balloon for you and then placed a cork in the end of it and walla!  You have a balloon to take home with you!  I'd never seen anything like it before!

After dinner we went back to our house for dessert!  When I had asked Amanda earlier what she wanted me to make for dessert she said "Oh Sarah, you don't have to do that!  A tomato would be fine!"  And if you know how much Amanda loves tomatoes, you'd know that there was actually a hint of truth in that... so what did I get her for dessert???  That's right.  A tomato with a candle on top : )

Just kidding!!!  She had a real cake too : )

But that doesn't mean she still didn't enjoy the tomato!

Happy Birthday Amanda!!!! I'm so glad I could be a part of it!!! : )

Bursting with Ideas

Lately my head has been SO full of ideas.  Ideas about projects to do with preschoolers that is!  I'm in a class this semester where I have to do a ten week practicum at a preschool.  As part of this practicum, I have to present an invitation and two lesson plans based on the same science topic.  The topic I chose is "color!"  Oh my goodness, what a wide topic to choose from!  But that is the beauty of it.  I went to this AWESOME local teacher resource store this last week and now I am even more excited about it than before!

I present my invitation next week which will start out by reading the book "Mouse Paint," and continue with children being invited to mix colored water with eyedroppers and then transfer that colored water onto coffee filters to look at the designs and colors that makes.  The idea of the invitation is for me to learn what the kids already know about colors, what they want to know, what intrigues them, etc.  Then I'll plan my lessons from there.  I am one excited soon-to-be preschool teacher! 

...And I hope that's a good sign... I've really been wondering lately if preschool is really where I should be.  Working at an after school program has made me really wonder if I choose the right major.  I love working with 5-12 year olds.  They can do so much more for themselves... I can hold a meaningful conversation with them without being confused by what they're saying once... but then, preschoolers are fun too.  I love knowing that I get to help them learn... that maybe I'm really making a difference in their future.  It's so exciting to watch a child discover something for the first time, to see them really "get it."  Maybe I'll figure out eventually which age group I want to work with!

But for now, my head is just brimming with color ideas.  I even woke up two nights ago several times thinking about color and kids.  Here are some of the great resources I've discovered:

http://scienceforpreschoolers.com/topic/physics/color-science

http://www.ideasforpreschoolers.com/colors.php

http://www.amazingmess.com/

http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/

My Favorite Cooking Blog

The internet can be a wonderful resource to use when you don't know what the heck to have for dinner... which for me is much to often.  So where do I turn when I need an idea for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert?  I'll admit, I have googled  "Coupon for Pizza Hut" a time or two, but if I want to PLAN something, my go-to website is http://www.melskitchencafe.com/.  This blog has PRACTICAL, SIMPLE recipes that use NORMAL ingredients.  The woman who writes it has a family of her own, so she doesn't get too fancy.  That's my kind of cooking blog.  If you have questions about the recipe steps or cooking in general, she'll respond to your comment right away.  I also LOVE her "Tutorials" section.  If you want to know how to do something like how to shape rolls or how to cut a pineapple and you want step by step pictures, this section rocks.  All of the recipes are well organized in the Recipe Index so if you're searching for something specific, this is the place to go.  I've tried several of the recipes, and I can't wait to try more!  Check it out for yourself!

Pay It Forward

What's the  next book I'll be reading in my free time?  Pay It Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde.  Perhaps you've heard of the movie by the same name?  Did you know that there is also a Pay It Forward Foundation, or numerous days throughout the world dedicated to "paying it forward?" 

So what exactly does it mean to "Pay It Forward?"  Well, it means to preform a random act of kindness for someone, and not to expect anything in return except for asking that person to do something good for someone else, and continue to pay it forward.  At a time when it seems as if everything in the world is bad, it feels good to do something you know will brighten someone's day.  I like to think of it being like the Golden Rule.  Treat someone like you would want to be treated, do something for someone else that you would like done for you.  It could be something simple like greeting someone with a smile, or make more of an impact.

The first time I can remember witnessing an act like this that really made an impression on me was when I was in high school.  I was on an FFA trip with about 20 other students and we were eating at McDonalds.  After all of us had placed our order, my adviser stepped up to the register to pay and the gentleman behind him insisted that he pay for our entire group for no other reason than that he was impressed with us and wanted to do something to help us out.  This event will always be in my memory.

This past Christmas, Mark and I had a voucher for a free  night at Best Western that we weren't going to be able to use before it expired, and so we took it to a Best Western and asked the hotel manager to please apply it to someone's stay that night.  It felt SO good to do this for someone else, even if she didn't know who we were. 

I just read a friend's status on facebook that said the person in the car in front of them at the drive thru paid for their dinner.

What can you do to "Pay It Forward?"  Keep this going, and hopefully everyone will know what it feels like to do this.

Time to SSSLLLOOOWWW DDDOOOWWWNNN

Ah!  I can finally breathe a sigh of relief because finals are done around this house for both Mark and I!  Whew!  I really made it a lot harder for myself this semester by putting off an independent study class until the last week which meant I had oodles of paper to write and a few final exams to take, but it's over now, thank goodness.  Mark had a final presentation to make, and an independent study class to complete too.  After we were done with everything last night (around 8:30...) we decided to go out to dinner to celebrate!  We talked about how FAST this year has gone and how much  has happened.  We realized that after the completion of next semester with both of us graduating, and moving for a real job, it will be kind of like the end of the beginning for us.  We won't be students any more... no more living temporarily, no more late nights with homework, no more scheduling around classes... it will be a bit strange, and it's just around the corner!  I think we're both ready to move on though.  It's time for a change, and as long as we're doing it together, it makes it a lot less scary and a lot more exciting... 

I am SO excited for Christmas and to be able to spend time with family!  I think I pretty have all of my gifts ready to go, or I at least know what I need to get.  We have a Christmas tree this year!  We didn't get around to getting one last year and it was a little sad : (.  What's Christmas without a tree?  We did get this Nativity last year though, which I love.  I'd still like to do a little decorating, but it can wait until I get the house clean (now that I actually feel like I have some time).