Ludden’s Lighthouse

A resolution is another word for a firm decision.  It is a tradition for many people to make a New Year’s resolution which is usually a decision to change something about their life, break a habit, or try something new.  Unfortunately most people don’t make it past February with their resolutions.  I’ve only been successful a few times, but every year I think about how I could improve myself.

This year my first resolution is to consistently use the Wii fit that Mr. Ludden gave me for Christmas.  (In case you’re wondering, it was MY idea, not his)    And my second is to do a better job of sending birthday cards to friends and family BEFORE their birthdays.  This is a weakness of mine.

Write me a post and tell me what your resolution is.  I would also love to hear about your Christmas! My Christmas was the most peaceful and wonderful that I have had in a long time, and I am so thankful for my family.

Happy New Year!!!

Meet me at the Tinseltown in Pflugerville this Monday, December 29 for the 10:10 showing of Despereaux.  I will check the movie times again this weekend, but they usually change on Fridays so I think we’ll be okay.  Please post a comment here or email me letting me know that you will be coming so that I can reserve seats for you and any family members that are coming along.   I will be there early so we can all sit together.   If you have trouble getting there, call a classmate and see if you can hitch a ride!

I ‘ve been thinking about this Christmas and what presents to buy my own children. Then I started thinking about when I was a kid and the presents I received.  You know, most of those presents aren’t around anymore.  They either broke or were lost or simply given away when I outgrew them.  Only a few are still with me.  Take my guitar for instance – the one I play in the class.  That was a gift to me as a teenager that I have always cherished.

I would like to know what is the best gift you have ever received?  As a kid, mine was a special doll that my dad couldn’t get out of the box fast enough.  My parents have a picture of me sobbing as he tried to undo the box.  As an adult, I think my mother passing on my grandmother’s engagement ring ranks pretty high.  I used to sneak into her bedroom as a kid and try on that ring and imagine I was engaged. 

So respond to my post and tell me what the best gift is that you have ever gotten and why- and it doesn’t have to be a Christmas gift.

What kind of things are you thankful for?  The older I get, the more I realize just how many things I could live without and the few things that I really need. 

I am thankful for my sweet husband, who works very hard to do his own job AND pick up the slack for me when I have extra teaching responsibilities.  He is such a good dad, too.

I am thankful for my children, each unique in their own way.  I’m sure parenting them has taught me more about myself than I have taught them!  They bring me joy even when things are difficult.

Lastly, I am thankful for you!  You make my days meaningful and are woven into my thoughts.  I love being with you each day and learning with you about the world and our part in it. 

Have a wonderful holiday!

A month or so ago, we read an article about how girls in other parts of the world have fewer educational opportunities and how Unicef, a charitable, child-focused organization is working to close the gap by building additional schools and trying to change the perception of girls being educated in certain countries.  We went to the Unicef website to find out more, and I noticed that Unicef was still promoting trick-or-treat collection boxes like when I was a kid.  Immediately the class wanted to do it, so I ordered the boxes and gave them the option of participating.  Several of them did…

But then a group of girls decided that they wanted to take it a step further and have a booth at the carnival to collect more donations.  On their own they got approval, created a poster, a schedule, and  a collection box for the booth.  It was a big success with $70.79 raised – and that was with us being set up right by the ticket sales where most people were more intent on spending their money there.  Way to get things done!

Thanks to Jake., Rosie, Lisa, Madison, Cassie, Jennifer, Lyric, Hailey, Paden, and for all the contributions you raised.  I’m sure that a child somewhere will be benefiting very soon from your good will.

This is the first time I have ever tried to set up anything like this so bear with me as I learn the ins and outs.  Ultimately our class would like to use this as a classroom community tool to post work, photos, questions, etc.  I am open to suggestions about what kinds of things parents and students would like to see on this site.