Vince Gill

A couple of weeks ago, the family and I got to escape to the beach for the weekend to enjoy a Vince Gill Concert at Chinook Winds.  Matt and I went down the first night and then mom, dad and Jer joined in for Saturday night.  We enjoyed some great weather in Lincoln City, got to walk on the beach and ended up with some great seats for the show.  All in all, it was a very relaxing weekend.  Enjoy a few photos from the weekend!

Statesman Dinner

I was invited to attend the Oregon Statesman Awards Dinner with the Chalkboard Foundation earlier this month.  What a night!  It was pretty wild to attend a formal dinner like that; cocktails and hors de' orves to begin with then a full 3 course catered dinner.  The evenings keynote speaker was Arnie Duncan and he had a very powerful message.  The Chalkboard Foundation was given an award and I was asked to be one of the 8 people to go on stage to accept it.  It felt very 'adult' and I really enjoyed the whole experience.  A little blurb about the dinner can be found at http://www.oba-online.org/oba-news/statesman-dinner/.  I haven't been able to find pictures or anything yet, but, trust me, it was fancy.  =)

Playtime

I found this article very enlightening.  Kids do need more time to play!  I wish our school day was longer so I could include more time to "play".  As great as organized sports and activities are for kids, we must not allow them to replace the idea of free play, they should only enhance a child's life, not clutter it so much that they miss out on these opportunities.

After 7 years of teaching, one very interesting thing I have found is how little kids want to do at class parties (such as Harvest, Holiday and Valentines Day).  We have a few snacks, a movie in the background and then free time.  Most kids just enjoy the down time with their friends, visit, play and snack.  It is a wonderful moment to see them as the kdis they really are. 

Here is the article, if you are interested in reading it:

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/10/all-work-and-no-play-why-your-kids-are-more-anxious-depressed/246422/#.TpjGvtahg61.facebook

Ok...Now, go play!  =)

IKEA

Tonight Matt and I lost our IKEA Virginity with Alex.  We had a great time!  After a 3 hour "tour" we left with full tummy's from the food court, wooden hangers, book boxes, and 1 new chair for my classroom (from the 'as is' section, none the less, so 1/2 off...which I love). 

Thanks, Alex, for a fun night! I always enjoy our time together

Turn your head sideways for a view of my new Read Aloud chair  =)