Mandatory 'gay' day for K-5 students

I also found this while surfing the net today. I, for one, think that teaching children about these issues should be left to the parents and not part of the school's curriculum.

Mandatory 'gay' day for K-5 students

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You've Got to Be Kidding Me

I found out about this on a message board that I visit and just had to post. I cannot believe that our "wonderful" president, with the terrible economy and country at war, had time to come up with this BS. It's no wonder our country is going to hell in a handbasket. Veterans who have sacrificed their lives only get one day of recognition, yet gays, lesbians, and the transgendered get a whole month to shove their agenda down our throats. Makes no damn sense to me. I personally agree with don't ask, don't tell. Keep what should be private, private. Nobody needs to advertise their sexual preference. Just my two cents.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 1, 2009

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic.

Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.

These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

School, Life, Etc.

My only reason for not posting in such a long time is school. If you remember, I graduated with a BA in Elementary Education a year ago and started teaching in January 2008. I took a leave position in a first grade classroom and loved every minute of it. I did such a good job that even though the position was only supposed to be until the end of the school year, I was asked to stay on and teach first grade again this year.

This year has been so completely different. It has been a struggle to bond with this class. There were too many strong and needy personalities wanting my attention and doing whatever necessary to get that attention whether it was positive or not. It took a lot of work and a lot of tears (mine) to get my class to where we are now. We have bonded and I love these kids just as much as I love my kids from last year. They are not as well-behaved as last year's class, but I have to admit that I enjoy them more. The other morning one of my boys walked in 10 minutes after class had begun. His hair was standing up, it looked like he had just rolled out of bed, so I smoothed his hair down and asked him if he had lost his comb. He smiled up at me and without missing a beat said, "Mrs. Cheryl, I can't comb my hair every day. If I did I'd have to beat the girls off of me with a stick." How can you not laugh at that?

Not only has my class been a challenge, but so is the curriculum. No, I don't have trouble understanding first grade curriculum, but I have struggled with the new reading series that our district adopted this year. We did not receive teacher editions or student editions until the week before school started, so all of the planning and preparation that could have been completed this summer has had to be done on a weekly basis. I am unfamiliar with the series and so is everyone else in my district, state, and nation...it's brand new, so I have struggled with what components to teach, what to skip, and how to fit in everything that the series suggests that I teach. It is just now starting to come together and feel a bit more natural. I finally feel like I can breathe.

My kids this year are great, bright, funny kids. Some of my kids come from situations I can't even begin to comprehend, but I am so thankful that they can leave that at the door and just be a kid in my class. I feel that I am instilling a love for learning in each of them. I am amazed at the growth not only academically that they have made, but more importantly socially and emotionally. I have a revolving door on my classroom...my class roster changes more than some folks change their underwear(joke)...but honestly, I have had 5 children leave so far this year and they have been replaced by 4 new children. It's funny, but it seems like as soon as one leaves, another walks in about a week later.

It is challenging, but I choose to believe that God places a child in my class because I'm the only one that can teach that child what he or she needs to learn ...not necessarily school related, but socially/emotionally. It helps me to know that He trusts me enough to place these children in my care. My prayer each day is to have God guide my hands and my words to provide the support and education that my kids need to be successful in life. I pray for my children to see just a little bit of God in me...in the kindness that I share with all of them, in the love that I show to each and every child, and in the way that I guide, lead, and teach my class.

Life is good and just keeps getting better. I have been blessed with a wonderful, supportive husband who might not always agree with me and what I do, but supports me any way. I can't say thank you enough. I have also been blessed with a son who, no matter what, makes me proud that I am his mom. We have had our trials and tribulations, but I truly believe that he is on the right path to become the wonderful man that I know he is meant to be. Sure, there will be missteps along the way, but his steps are guided by the Lord and I find peace in that knowledge.

On a more personal note, I feel better and look better than I have in years. I have lost approximately 40 pounds since August. Hopefully I can keep if off and lose some more. I want to be fit at forty...only about 18 months to go. Holy shit!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Here's a picture of the front yard covered in snow. I can hardly believe my eyes. Snow in SW Louisiana, who'd have thought it was possible?



This is the neighbor's front yard. They decorate for Christmas every year. It looks so nice with the snow. Reminds me of the Christmas's of my youth up in the Chicago area.

Another shot of the neighbor's front yard.

This is the trailer we use to haul the four-wheeler. It has about an inch of snow on it.


My footprints in the snow. Still can't quite believe that conditions were right for snow to fall, let alone accumulate on the ground. WoW!!!

Another wintery scene.

The view of my front yard while I was walking down the driveway.

A snowball that I made at 5:00 am and is still sitting on my back porch, intact/unmelted, at 7:34 am. AMAZING!!!!

I feel like a kid again. John and I even had a snowball fight before he had to leave for work. I don't have to go to work. School has been canceled today...icy roads and snow. Unbelievable!

Day Two

So, today is the second day after my seeing the weight loss doctor and so far so good. I am eating meals that consist of high protein and low-fat foods and am learning portion control. So far I have been successful in staying in the 1200 calorie range that my doctor has prescribed for me. But gosh, that isn't much food compared to what I was eating. Even when I thought I was eating healthy in the past, my portions were too large. I think that comes from eating quite frequently in restaurants where the dishes served can feed at least two people. I really learned a lot in the nutritional consultation that I was required to attend.

My eyes were really opened when I began to look up the calories of all my favorite foods that I love to eat when my husband and I go to out to dinner. Did you realize that the Aussie Fries at Outback have almost 3000 calories...a bread stick at Olive Garden, 140 calories...and the list goes on and on. Looking at these figures it is easy to see why so many people, including me, are overweight.

As I said before, my goal is to get to a healthy weight and stay at a healthy weight. I am fortunate that I do not have any weight related medical conditions. I want to keep it that way. I have a wonderful husband, son, and extended family that I want to enjoy for many years.

A New Journey Begins

Well, it’s official; I am overweight. I want to use the word fat instead of overweight, but my husband gets upset with me when I say that I am fat. I guess a better word to use might be obese, but I have always hated the way that obese sounds, so for the lack of a better word to use, I will go with overweight.

Now for the good news, I am finally going to do something about my weight. I visited a weight loss clinic today and am immediately starting a new eating and exercise plan. This morning was my first visit, a nutritional consultation, where I was told all the things about food that deep down I knew, but refused to acknowledge, and given the tools and information I need to correct my poor eating and unhealthy lifestyle.

It’s no secret that I love to eat…it shows, but you know, you get to a point in your life where you have to say enough is enough. Yes, I love food, but take one look at me and you can see that it doesn’t love me. It has distorted my shape into something I am not proud of. I’ve been told too many times to count that I would be beautiful if I could just lose some weight. I am not looking to become as thin as a model, but I would like to get my weight in the healthy range.

Some people abuse their bodies with alcohol, tobacco, and drugs…I chose food. During my 38 years on this earth I have beat addictions to both alcohol and tobacco, but I honestly feel that my greatest battle will be with food. I am one of those people who eat for comfort…to make myself feel better. And honestly, food does make me feel better, at first that is, instant gratification and all, but then I see how my love affair with food has made my body look and it sickens me. The initial feeling of comfort disappears as I become disgusted with myself and my lack of self-control.

So, as an effort to be honest with myself and to have some form of accountability I will post here each week with my triumphs and battles with this journey I am about embark upon. I hope that by exposing myself on the world wide web, I will at least cause someone to take a look at the things that need to be corrected in his or her life and encourage them to pursue the path to correct whatever that may be.

I look forward to your insights and support.

A Most Excellent Weekend

What a weekend!!

Friday night hubby and I drove 2.5 hours to the middle of BFE to see Bo Bice in concert. He put on an awesome show, so the drive was worth it, but I sure hope next time he comes to Louisiana he plays somewhere other than in the middle of the boondocks. Here are a couple of pictures from the show.

Thanks John for being such a good husband and accompanying me to the concert. It means a lot to me.


On Saturday morning we got up and drove to Nederland, Texas to look for my new car. The salesman at the local Toyota dealership that I was dealing with refused to give me a price on the RAV4 I was looking at, so I decided to take my business elsewhere. If you are looking to purchase a new car, I highly recommend Phillpot Motors in Nederland, TX. Great customer service and no BS. I will post a picture of the new ride later.


Sunday morning hubby and I went to 8:30 mass, had breakfast at McDonalds, and then swung by the house to pick up an ice chest and an 18 year-old son on our way to a crawfish boil. Good food and a good time was had by all.

That's what I call a most excellent weekend!

It's Amazing

I haven't posted a thing in two months and I still have people come by and check out my blog. The most popular post is still "I Want a Tattoo." Come on people, haven't some of you gotten your own cardinal tattoo by now. I think I will finally be going to have mine done sometime this summer. I have a couple of months off from work, so I figure I may as well.

I am excited about having my first summer off in 20 years. I almost feel like a kid again. I don't have a real lot planned for this summer. There are a few days of training that I have to attend, but other than that I have a bunch of free time on my hands.

I'm thinking about buying a new car...SUV to be exact. In fact, I have an appointment in about an hour or so to go test drive a Toyota RAV4. I really like the way this vehicle looks. Hopefully I'll enjoy driving it and will take the big plunge of purchasing a new car. I'll let you know.

I should be posting more often being I have all this time on my hands. I hope to share with you some of the funny stories I have from teaching a wild bunch of first graders. I will never forget this class...they sure do hold a special place in my heart. It's only been a week since I have seen them and I miss them already. I hope they are having fun this summer and are being safe!

Having Mom Over for Dinner

You don't even have to be a mother to enjoy this one...

Brian invited his mother over for dinner. During the
course of the meal, Brian's mother couldn't help but
notice how beautiful Brian's roommate, Jennifer, was.
Brian's Mom had long been suspicious of a relationship
between Brian and Jennifer, and this had only made her
more curious.
Over the course of the evening, while watching the two
interact, she started to wonder if there was more
between Brian and Jennifer than met the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Brian volunteered,
"I know what you must be thinking, but I assure
you Jennifer and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Jennifer came to Brian saying,
"Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been
unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. You
don't suppose she took it, do you?"

Brian said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll send her an e-mail
just to be sure. So he sat down and wrote:
_________________________________________________


Dear Mom,

I'm not saying that you "did" take the gravy ladle from
the house, I'm not saying that you "did not" take the
gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been
missing ever since you were here for dinner.
Love, Brian
_____________________________________________

Several days later, Brian received an email back from
his mother that read:
_____________________________________________


Dear Son,
I'm not saying that you "do" sleep with Jennifer, I'm
not saying that you "do not" sleep with Jennifer.
But the fact remains that if Jennifer is sleeping in
her own bed, she would have found the gravy
ladle by now.
Love, Mom
______________________________________________


LESSON OF THE DAY - NEVER LIE TO YOUR MOTHER

There's a Reason I Haven't Been Posting

The reason I haven't been posting is that I took my very first teaching position on Jan. 22 of this year, a first grade class whose teacher had been sick all year long. Her doctor finally told her to take the rest of the year off and that is where I came in. It has been a rough couple of months, trying to get adjusted to teaching and getting the materials I need to teach together for the next day. I usually get to school at about 6:45am and leave around 6pm. All you people who think that a teacher has great hours better think again. Teaching is hard work, but I love it. Now that I am actually in my own classroom I don't think that I could ever do anything else.

I always said that I couldn't/wouldn't teach any child younger than third grade, but I have to tell you I love my first graders. Yes, I have some little stinkers, but I truly love each of them and want to see how much they can grow as both students and people during the remainder of the school year. I love how excited they are when they learn something new. Nothing can beat seeing that light bulb go off when they finally understand something they have been struggling to figure out. They bring me such joy and I know that I am truly where I am supposed to be.

John 3:16

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner,
the people were in and out of the cold.

The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell
many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said,
"Mister,
you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could
find a warm place to sleep tonight would you?

You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and
down the alley and it's awful cold in there, for tonight it

Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You
go down the street to that big white house and you knock
on the door. When they come to the door you just say
John 3:16, and they will let you in."

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the
door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said,
"John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son."

She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom
rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went
off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself:
John 3:16 ...I don't understand it, but it sure makes
a cold boy warm.

Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry ? "
He said, "Well, just a little.. I haven't eaten in a couple of
days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food,"

The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table
full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat
any more. Then he thought to himself:
John 3:16 .Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure
makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub
filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a
while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16
I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy
clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my
whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in
front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.
The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room,
tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers
up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out
the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the
window at the snow coming down on that cold night,
he thought to himself: John 3:16 ...I don't understand it but
it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him
down again to that same big table full of food. After he
ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom
rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible.

She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face.
"Do you understand John 3:16 ?" she asked gently. He
replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it
was last night when the policeman told me to use it,"
She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain
to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace,
he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there
and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it, but it sure
makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either,
how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how
Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand
the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as
they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense
love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end.
I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.