Slight Turbulence: my blog, my life...

Tuesday Activites = √

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 09:00:55 -1000

Whenever the children have a school break I sit the family down and everyone brainstorms activities to do during the vacation. Usually, I’ll make a calendar and post it on the refrigerator so I’m not constantly barraged with “What are we doing today?” or “Where are we going tomorrow?” questions.

The system works pretty well. Everyone gets a say in what we’ll do and so for the most part are happy and excited and productive.

I will admit that my own preference of vacation activity (if we are not traveling) to sleep-in and do purge cleaning, never makes the list. However, so does the children favorite of “going to Wet ‘N Wild Water Park.” So, yes, it’s a compromise more for some than others.

Yesterday the plan was to visit the North Shore Soap Factory and watch the soap being made. It turned into a wonderful North Shore Adventure that had Cortez declaring it the “Best Tuesday Ever!”

We made it to the soap factory and were delighted to watch them pour a batch of kukui scented soap. We selected our favs and the kids got to stamp some soap slivers before leaving.

Since we were on the “north shore” I figured what a better time to see what all the shrimp truck fuss was about. We ended up at Romy’s for no other reason than it was the 2nd place we saw.

Romy’s garlic and butter, spicy, and fried shrimp plates were a hit and it was time for dessert. Instead of heading for shave ice, I figured since we would be heading back home through Wahiawa, the Dole Plantation pineapple whipped cream would be perfect. I was right!

The kids loved the “road trip” and it made me happy that they enjoy spending the day exploring and creating our own family adventures.

North Shore Adventure Photos

Christmas Party with Cris’ Family

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:18:33 -1000

Every year Cris’ (Bartolome) family looks forward to getting together on Christmas for a family party. It’s Aunty Naty’s birthday on the 25th and so, for better or worse, our cousin Miriam usually ends up being in charge because it’s her mom’s birthday. She will plan and coordinate the food, set up the gift exchange, decide the location, organize the entertainment and games, and even serves of MC for the evening.

Some years you can tell the stress gets to Miriam because everyone just expects her to take care of everything. However annoyed she may feel, she accepts the responsibility with grace, and we all have a great party. This year was no exception.

One of the games we played was a very clever fill-in-the blank game with candy bars. We were given a bag of candies and then strips of sentences. Using the candy, we needed to fill-in-blanks with the correct candy. (Our team won!)

The other game that was extremely entertaining was the final game. In groups of four, teams had to dress one of their players in a shirt, sweat pants, and pair of socks. The catch was that the items were frozen solid. It was hilarious to watch the teams work together using water or brute force. It was a close race between the team of “seniors” and “young men.” In the end Jamelee was dressed first and the winner!

Our thanks to Miriam for putting on a wonderfully entertaining party again this year. We loved it!

The Bartolome Banner 2010

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 07:14:15 -1000

Wow! I haven’t posted in quite a while. Have no fear though, it’s almost New Year’s resolution time (whoa, did Cris just cringe?) and I’m out of the classroom until 2015 so hopefully I’ll be online a little more often.

We are attempting to save resources this year, but still holding on to some traditions. We mailed out photos and newsletters to some of the “older generation” family and friends as usual. However, for those tech savvy, kool kids, we slapped a label on the back of the picture, directing you to a .pdf version of (duh, duh, Duh) my ANNUAL CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER!

Of course, I was in a rush and the link was extremely long and tedious (I’ll fix that next year). Also, my mailing list seemed oddly incomplete or perhaps I saved an updated version using an obscure file name that totally made sense at the time. Regardless, here’s another opportunity at reading what THE KIDS WROTE THIS YEAR! (You know, because I’m training them to completely take over all my routines and tasks!) And if you didn’t get a photo in the mail, please send me your home address, I need to update that mailing list.

The 2010 Bartolome Banner

Just for good measure and because it’s such a great picture of Cris and me taken at Sherryl’s graduation party
(thank you Auntie Frances for giving us a copy!)

The “Do Nothing” Weekend

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:47:38 -1000

This was really supposed to be a “do nothing” weekend. Mostly because of scheduling, the girls had no hula or gymnastics on Saturday and Cris was on his “four days” off from the firehouse.

It’s Sunday night at 9 pm and only now am I winding down from the week-end and getting a few relaxing moments to myself. What happened?!?!

Friday night was calm enough. The kids officially got word from Grace Fellowship that they won’t be having Awana Club on Friday nights there this year. Disappointing. Life goes on and there are some other churches running clubs in the area so Cris and I are discussing options.

Saturday morning the plan was to wake up early and head across town to the KCC Farmer’s Market. The girls had no hula or gymnastics on this particular Saturday. So sweet Kahuku corn and chirizo sausages were calling our names.

Seven. Seven-thirty. Eight o’clock and we were still lounging around in our sleep clothes. We all mutually acknowledge we were all too lazy for the Farmer’s Market. Brunch would be our goal for the day.

We drove to Kailua to give Crepes No Ka Oi a try. I’d been there once with my friend Melody and I wanted to share the experience with the family. They were not disappointed!

Cortez with hot chocolate

Isabel ordered a Banane du Nutella Crepe

A stop at Old Navy for some school clothes happened before we made it back home. The afternoon had suddenly disappeared because it was time for the kids to pack their overnight bags for a sleep-over at Granny’s house. Cris and I were attending a fundraiser for friend battling cancer. It started at 5 pm and you never really know what traffic you might encounter driving into town.

The evening lasted into the early morning hours for Cris and me. I’m sure the kids didn’t adhere to their usually 8 pm bedtime either, so on Sunday morning we were all moving a bit slower than usual.

I picked up the kids and figured a treat was in order so we stopped by Nandings Bakery in Waipahu for those yummy Spanish Rolls and pandesal. Church and then home for a quick change and we were headed into town for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Isabel came dressed to the musical (gotta make use of the money spent on that costume!) and Disney did not disappoint. Everyone had a lot to talk about as we briskly exited the concert hall and headed to Aunty Cindy’s house for a Sunday Family bar-be-que.

Cris and Aiyana with Isabel in her Belle dress and crown

No particular reason to get together except bring family together. We have expanded the extended family invitation list by seven people minimum (more when you throw in significant others).

Joining us for the first time were the Keith and Jamie Catolico and their three children (one who is named Kealani, I can’t remember the two boys’ names); Blaine Kaaikala (living upstairs with my mom, is BJ’s uncle); Josiah (living upstairs with Aunty Cindy, is Aunty Kau’i’s son from Maui). Grandma Tolentino was also here to celebrate Auntie Stella’s birthday on Wednesday.

Isabel, Granny, and Jamie

Uncle David, Aunty Strella, Grandma Tolentino, Keith, and Aunty Lala

Aunty Cindy and Darren

Gina and Tyler

4th generation cousins

It was as if the weekend slowly gained speed as we went along and then, it was over. So much for a “do nothing” weekend.

Oh well, it was great fun and those are the best weekends ever!

The Joys of Being a Teacher

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 23:23:26 -1000

I had yard duty this afternoon. That means today I take a turn to supervise the playground after lunch from 11:45-12:05. It’s a rotation schedule so some weeks I go out twice, other times, it’s just once for that week. Needless to say, it’s not the highlight of my day. However, today I had a smile on my face as I stood in the sun and refereed a three-on-three basketball game of sixth graders.

“Mrs. Smith, how old are you?” said one of the sixth graders as I called their class from the lunch table to walk down to the park.

I didn’t answer.

“Are you 19?” he persisted.

“I’m much older than that,” I replied.

“So you’re 22?” he attempted again as a few of his classmates listened in on the exchange.

“It’s not polite to ask a lady her age,” I told him as I smiled at the girl who was lining up behind him.

“But I already asked, so are you 22?”

Boy he didn’t give up!

“I’m almost double that -- I’m 42,” I finally relented.

“No way! You only look 22!”

Ha! Yard duty wasn’t too shaby today.

A Small Celebration

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:12:58 -1000

We got the grant! I found out on Friday afternoon. You know, after I came home from a pretty great week of teaching.

What does this mean?

The school will need to hire a new teacher and then I’ll be transfered into the Grant Coordinator position of the complex.

Needless to say, it’s a little bittersweet. I was really enjoying my time in the classroom and I think the kids were adjusting to the new schedule of “less mommy and more daddy” to help them with their homework. I think of all of us, Cris is actually the most enthused about the news.

We treated ourselves to dinner to celebrate. What I really want is for Cris to indulge me with some King Crab legs for dinner, but I’m going to save those festivities for when I’m officially out of the classroom.

What can I say, I love seafood!

Week 2 at Kalei’op’uu

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 08:00:34 -1000

It is strange to say it out loud. “I had a great week teaching sixth grade!”

As I drove home yesterday I reflected on what I was taking home from work. Papers to correct from math and language arts, first drafts from my Writer’s Craft lesson, the teacher’s edition exploring prime time numbers, factors, and multiples, and pictures of the newly formed math teams. I felt very productive, a little tired when thinking of everything I needed to correct, and then a lot excited.

I was excited about planning for next week. I was excited about how productive I had been -- my class had been. I was excited because I was truly enjoying working with my grade level team of teachers. I was excited about teaching!

Positive Behavior Support

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:54:39 -1000

On Wednesdays, students are dismissed about an hour earlier than usual. The schools use the longer afternoon block as an opportunity to conduct planning and articulation meetings. This Wednesday at Kalei’opu’u Elementary School was designated as “Committee Meeting Day.”

I’m assigned to the PBS Committee. The acronym stands for Positive Behavior Support. The committee is responsible to introduce, support, and publicize the 4 Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, and Caring.

It’s been a long time since I’ve just been a member of a working team or committee. Most of the meetings I’ve attended in recent memory were meetings I’ve facilitated or directed. It was good to see the process from the other side. I realized it’s always good to introduce or have people introduce themselves. I also appreciated that our committee chair honored the time frame established at the end of the meeting. We not only ended on time, but we also started promptly.

I’ve got myself some committee tasks and responsibilities – morning announcements to be done by my sixth graders, a couple write-ups to turn in for our “Make a Difference” campaign for the staff, and directions to collect feedback from my grade level regarding ideas and programs to implement in the coming months. The more I get into the school year, the more settled I am, and the more I wonder how great a year it could be if our complex doesn’t get the grant....

...I still want the grant though!!!!

Manic Monday, August 9

Mon, 9 Aug 2010 19:47:39 -1000

Right now, what’s on your mind?
How come, whenever I get a pedicure, my feet just feel fine? Whenever I get home from work my feet hurt so much that I usually think, “I’d love a pedicure right now.”

List 10 things you expect from a good friend.
1. Kindness
2. Patience
3. A sense of humor
4. A positive attitude
5. Honesty
6. Being trustworthy
7. Happy
8. Able to take and give sarcasm
9. Tolerance
10. Able to keep my confidence

What is something you’ve done that you wish you hadn’t?
I wish I hadn’t been so focused on getting a permanent job after graduating from college. It would have been nice to live in Europe for a year.

Joy! I Found E Workroom

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 23:26:34 -1000

They say find the small things that make you happy rather than wait and be mired in melancholy waiting for a big thing to happen. Well, I found the E Workroom!
The copier is faster than the one I was using in the library. The workroom is closer to H Building (where I am) than the library. And.... wait for it.... there is a soda machine in the E Workroom!
Ah, the simple things in life that truly bring joy. =)