My Heart Is Sad :(

Something sad happened right in my own neighborhood a little more than a week ago.

A house just a little over a block from us on a well-traveled road was broken into during the day.  (And the house next door to them was burglarized earlier the same day.)  The burglar(s) ransacked a part of the house but didn't get away with anything because they think the homeowner came home and startled the burglar.

Lucky for them.

Not really.


They lost something more valuable than some stuff.

The tragedy was that the idiot(s) who broke in brutally killed the family's beloved eight year old pet, Sadie.

This is a photo of Sadie that was in the paper and can be seen on posters around town offering a reward to help capture her killer(s).

Click HERE to read the newspaper article.

Most of you who regularly follow my blog know I am a dog lover.  We actually have three dogs.  (We'd probably have more if there weren't laws, neighbors, vet bills, and the hubs.)  I've never imagined anyone breaking in and killing our family pets.  Who could imagine that?

I imagine my pets following the intruder around begging for a treat or bringing over toys with that "play with me" look in their eyes.  Just like Sadie's owners think she probably did until the ransacking began.  Because even dogs know that's wrong.

Or I imagine someone tossing a big juicy steak in and sneaking around while the dogs gorge themselves (like happened to my aunt who lives in the Chicago area many, many years ago).

Did Sadie decide to attack?  Maybe.  Hopefully she did some damage before they did too much to her.

I often worry about my pets being trapped in the house if a fire broke out and perishing but this takes the cake!

My girls are worried about this happening to their best "fur" buddies and are even afraid to have their windows open in their bedrooms.  And they aren't little anymore.

What kind of sicko does this?  And what would this person (or persons) have done if a human being had been home?

I know there are wack-a-doodles out there but this just hit too close to home.

Thanks for listening.  It feels good knowing I could share my thoughts on this.

BTW, the family offered a thousand dollar reward for information helping to find the person or persons who did this and now the community is involved and donations are pouring in to add to the reward.  If the reward goes unclaimed the money will be donated to a local animal shelter.

What To Do When You're Angry!

Wow, I can't believe how close I am so 400 followers.  I'll have to think of something special to do.  (My husband just suggested I could shower!  Har har, honey!  It's summer and I don't have to!  Na na na na na na!)

Seriously I don't want you to think I'm sitting here in my own swill stinking the place up.  But sometimes often when the hubs comes home for lunch I'm sitting on the couch or deck on the computer still in my pj's.  So he isn't looking at me with a whole lot of lust in his eyes.  That's all I'm saying.

So I'll have to do some thinking.  Maybe while I'm in the shower cuz I do good thinking (and singing) in there.  And best of all, during the summer, it's not a quick-I'm-gonna-be-late-for-school shower.  No siree!  It's the-water-tank-still-has-a-bit-of-warm-water-left kind of shower.

Thank you to all who have said they like and can use my little posters for 2nd Step.

Here is another poster freebie for you.  This one kind of integrates the problem solving and calming yourself down steps but also includes reflection time.

Enjoy!

Problem Solving Poster

Pick yourself up off the floor . . .

Come on, you can do it!

I know it's shocking that I've posted a so many times in the last week or so after neglecting this little ol' blog for months.

But it's summer people!

Can I hear a woo woo?!

A few days ago I posted a freebie poster about how to calm yourself down.

Here is another one.  Click on the picture to download.

We brainstorm problems and go through each step.  The kids love it.  Role play, be silly, have fun, be serious!

Use it for problems big and small.

Post it somewhere where you and the kids can easily see it.  I even have a laminated copy that I have been known to hall to recess with me.  (Some years and groups you need it more than others.)  I've got the poster on how to calm yourself down on the back.  Use a ring to hang it on the fence during recess if you need to.

Make it so that kids can use it.

There have been years where I've forgotten to bring it to recess and someone will ask if they can go get it.

The more you use it at the beginning of the year the less you'll need it physically later on as the kiddos internalize it.

Enjoy!

Summer Time = Fun Time

Head over to Honey Bunch Blog Design and grab yourself one of two cute summertime freebies.  Or if you like grab them both.
Speaking of bare feet, I am in serious need of a pedicure.  But I am so, SO ticklish I think the pedi-girls want to hide when they see me come in.
It is so, SO embarrassing!
Like I've almost wet my pants embarrassing.
Tickling someone's foot (even if you don't mean to) while they have the other foot submerged in warm water is just evil, let me tell you.
Then they always suggest I invest in one of those scrapers that looks like a cheese grater.
Now is that because my feet are so bad I need one.
Or is it so they don't have to do it.
Hmmmm....
Anyone else so ticklish?

More Labels

I had a request for my labels from yesterday's post with ladybugs.

If I didn't have a bee theme I think it would be ladybugs.  They are so darn cute and can't help but make people happy.  Kind of happier than bees . . . which often want to sting people and make my kiddos run and scream and freak out when they fly into the classroom.  Yes, no screens on the windows.  Those cost money people!

Side note here:
Our building is phasing in new windows.  Nice windows that are better at holding the heat in (from our aging boiler).  The kind that you don't have to scrape with a scrapper on the inside to have your calendar person check the weather.  The kind that don't let the wind through to blow the shades around.  And the kind that slide open instead of push out.

Best of all, the kind that have screens!

But, and this is a BIG but, the roller shades are being taken down and tossed out, which they probably deserve to be (yick!) and they are not replacing them with anything!

Now, I love me some natural sunlight but some of my kiddos get flat out hot with the sun shining in on them.  Not to mention that it makes it hard to see anything on the Elmo projector or Promethean board.  And heaven forbid we watch an educational video.

Last fall they were installed (during school) on the kindergarten side of the building.  Picture those littles watching the men working on the scaffolding instead of the teacher.  The drilling.  The hammering.  The chaos.  This kindergarten group was a challenge as it was . . . so you can imagine the teachers.  It wasn't pretty is all I'm saying.

This summer (supposedly BEFORE school starts they are doing the first grade side of the building.  And next summer they'll do the second grade side of the building.

So in a few years I won't hear the screams of "There's a BEE!" at the pitch of a jet taking off.

So here's the ladybug labels.  I made two because I couldn't decide which bug I liked better.

Enjoy!

Curtain Number One - Soft Subdued Ladybug

Curtain Number Two - Dark Red Ladybug