Fav. things continued...

Hi again,
I'm trying to surprise you by posting again so quickly!! Ha, ha! I loved reading your favorites. I've got a few more...
- SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- when Kyle SLEEPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- and SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:) Can you guess what I'm not getting enough of right now??? It's finals week for Rudy, so he's been super busy and I've had to take care of Kyle non-stop for quite a long time. It's soooo fun but so exhausting, too! I need a break! :) Soon...

You guys are almost done with the semester, huh? What are your plans for the break?
I'm so glad to hear that all of you are enjoying your classes, Suzanne and middle school in general. That's so good to hear!!

I was thinking of you guys the other day. I think I used a gift card from one of you to Target and Babies R Us, and was SOOOO thankful for that shower you all threw for me and Shmu. If it hadn't been for that, we would have had practically nothing for Shmu. It is sooo helpful and appreciated to be able to use a gift card for something we need!!!!!!! Thank you to all of you for each gift you gave. Whenever I use something from one of you, I think of you and say how lucky I was to be your teacher!!! Even when I put Shmu's diapers in his diaper pail, I think of Jessica. Thanks, Jess! :) This December, for our 6th anniversary, we will use Stephen's gift card to PF Chang's. I can't wait!!! We haven't been out to dinner in soo long... thank you, Stephen!!!! :)

I love you all. I am so proud of you all. Thank you for being such good kids and making your teacher proud!!!!! That's the BEST present of all! :)

Love,
Mrs. Martin

ps. I'll check that out, Angel. My time is limited cause Rudy's always on the computer for school things. Soon...

Favorite things...

Just thinking about some of my favorite things this year and wondered about yours. Share with me some of your favorite things. They can be as random or specific as you'd like.

Mine are as follows:

- my family (especially my son!)

-reading a book (The Time Traveler's Wife)

-hot chocolate, a blanket, a book, and the rain

-being able to buy presents for people

-good friends

-my church (finally found a great one we really like)

-teaching (although I don't know when I'll do it again!)

-my students (I remember and miss them very much.)

-the color blue

Ok, that's enough for me. I know I've asked you some of these questions before. Just curious what your current favorites are. Tell me some favorites about your day, your classes, etc.

:) Mrs. Martin

Hello out there!!!!!

Hi M-team!

Thanks for continuing to comment even without a new post from me. I'm just now reading them and am so glad to hear from you. Miss you tons!! I'm glad to hear you all are well. Hope you had a great Halloween, Thanksgiving and now a great Christmas!! I love December! Don't you just love the rain right now!! :) Kyle doesn't really notice too much (can't see the rain yet), but he does like when the wind moves the branches on our palm tree. He stares and stares at it.

Life over here has been so busy. It's amazing how much time a little baby can take. I love it though, so I'm not complaining! Just explaining that I think of you a lot and hardly have the time to type anything or check emails. Shmu doens't like it when I am so focused on the computer and am not playing with him! Haha!! So right now he is sleeping and I thought I'd take the chance to write to you guys. Oh, and Rudy's always at the desk and on the computer with his school work, so I don't get to log on at night either.

So, all that to say, I'm sorry for not keeping better in touch! Angel, my email from school wouldn't work now because I don't work there anymore. If you'd like to email me, kids... you can at mindymartin24@yahoo.com. I'd love, love, love to read your paper, Angel. Please send it again!

Take care of each other! I miss you and hope to see you guys sometime soon. I'll bring Kyle and let you know some day. Until then, hugs to you all!! :)

Love,

Mrs. Martin

How are my kids?

I miss you guys a lot. I had so much fun being your teacher last year! I'm so glad you are all doing well and enjoying middle school and all your new teachers. I'm so proud of you!!!

I looked closely at your test scores again, and I wish I could talk to each one of you individually and tell you how proud I am of you!!! Some of you make HUGE progress and I feel SO PROUD of how much you grew last year!!! Good job and keep it up!

I'm so excited it finally turned fall. It seems strange that the days are shorter and it gets darker earlier, but I love the cool crisp air and the different color leaves you can see on some of the trees!

Do you like the fall? How is it running now for p.e.? Better, huh? I always hated running during 6th or 7th period when it was so hot!

So what's new with you? What's new with school? How are you doing?

Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Sorry for the silence! :)

I'm sorry for the long silence! I rarely have a spare minute to do anything for myself, so please don't take my lack of blogging as a sign I don't think or care about you. I do. I think of you often and wonder how things are going. It's so nice to not have to worry about you, though. I know with full confidence that you're doing well and that in spite of all the homework and stress, you'll be fine!

I trust you're settled in to the new routine your 6th grade holds for you? Thanks for keeping me posted on what this year is like for you.

I am LOVING life with my new family of 3. Kyle and I have great days where we go on walks, visit the library's story telling time, read books and listen to classical music on the rug while he tries to stretch and roll over. I love being a mom and I think it will make me a better teacher, too. Now I understand how all your parents feel about you guys. They love you so much. Even if they don't say it. Everything they do is for you and because of you. I'm really enjoying Kyle and he's fun to watch learn and grow.

Here are some pictures:

Rudy playing with Shmu...

Rudy pulled Kyle around the house in this shoe box.

He tied a cord through a hole in the box. I think Shmu liked it.

Hard to tell... he seems so serious still.

Sorry about that...

That last post was meant for my other Vejar class blog. I guess you can tell how tired I am from Shmu keeping me up all night! :) Sorry about that. James is from my other class. Thanks, William for keeping me on my toes! :)

I only heard from William and Jessica about their grades, so if you're reading this and haven't commented on that, I'd really like to know. I'm so proud of both of you!! I think we did SO WELL last year and it makes me smile even now, just thinking about you guys! You really were one of the best classes I'll EVER have in my teaching career. Thank you!

I posted a new poll. Weigh in when you have the chance!

Happy Labor Day to all of you!! (What did you do?)

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Happy September!

I love this month. I don't like the heat, but I love my birthday month! It's also when school begins and I love that, too. I'm really enjoying being home this year, but I'm thinking of you a lot!

Someone posted earlier that your teachers weren't giving a lot of homework at Suzanne. Just be patient and count your blessings!!! Of course, in the beginning teachers don't pile it on. They gradually build up to it. Also, the 6th grade teachers know how stressful it is to transition to middle school and they are going slow to make the switch as easy as possible for you guys. So, just wait... you'll see what I mean. In the meantime, enjoy it! School just gets more and more complicated as the years go by. Fortunately, the farther you go along the more interesting it gets, too. And you get to pick your classes later on!

Glad to hear you are doing well! I'm so proud of all of you.

By the way... I got all your test scores back from the state test and let me tell you how PROUD I am of you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, our scores were SOOOOOOOO good!!!!!! In fact, out of the entire class (35 students) there were 31 kids who scored advanced in math! WOW! Can you believe it?? I won't talk about people's personal scores on this blog... but you know if you did well and if you improved and I want you to know that I know who you are and I am so proud of you!!!! Congratulations!

Post how you felt about your scores. Don't say the number, just say if you're happy with it or not, k? I'd like to know what you think about it. :)

Love to you all,

Mrs. Martin

Ok, checking in...

First of all, I have to thank all those who came to visit. It was SOO good to see you!!!!! I missed you after you left and was so sad I can't see you more often. Of course, I also missed those of you who weren't there! Thank you to Tania, Doris, Derek, William and Melissa for your gifts. We really appreciated them! Also, Valerie, thank you for the cake everyone enjoyed so much! If I'm forgetting someone, let me know. I haven't slept too much and my memory is terrible right now! But thank you, to all of you who came! Tania - I've enjoyed the chocolates little by little and am sad that they are almost gone! :) Thanks for the gift card, too! You and your family have been so generous! Derek, I keep looking at those stacking toys and am excited for when Kyle can play with them! Doris, thank for the sign and for the gift card. We really appreciate all the extra help, especially because I'm still out of a job and babies are expensive. Meliss and William, we love the clothes! Thank you!!!! You are so kind and thoughtful! Sorry I didn't get to spend as much time with you, Meliss.

I've been thinking of you so much this week. How have your first three days been? What do you think about middle school? Is it just like I said? What has surprised you about it all? What do you like and what do you dislike, if anything?

Fill me in... I'm dying to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Coming for a visit! :)

So, Kyle and I will be coming to Vejar, to visit you all this Thursday (the 20th) from 11am to 1pm. We may stay longer, but we for sure won't be there before 11. We will be by the office, in the teacher's lounge or in the center courtyard. I'm sure you'll be able to find us.

I'd love to see you all and am looking forward to it! If you can't make it, but can do another time, let me know. I can stay longer if it means getting to see just one more student of mine! :)

Can't wait to see you!

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Kyle Dakota

Hi kids!!

Wow, I can't believe we're already well into August! Are you getting excited for Suzanne? I will come by and visit in a couple of weeks and I will let you know in advance. We'd love to see you!! :)

Life has been so fun with Shmu, but I haven't gotten much sleep and am pretty busy taking care of this one. Although it's a lot of work, Rudy and I are so happy. Here are some latest pics!

3 weeks old

Rudy playing with Shmu

Shmu's first trip to the beach, on his due date, August 10th!

Shmu has arrived!!!!!!

Rudy and I proudly introduce....

Kyle Dakota Martin

Born July 22, 2009 at 7:08am

5 lbs 7 oz and 19 3/4 inches long

I'm so sorry it has taken me soo long to let you know. We were in the hospital from Tuesday evening until Friday evening and it's been so busy here at home trying to take care of everything. I keep trying to sit down and blog but something or someone :) always interrupts me! So, I can hear Shmu stirring and soon he will want to eat, but I'll write as much as I can now.

I think I mentioned the doctors were worried that he might be a little small and not getting enough nutrients or oxygen. We went in for a test and Shmu did well, but had one heart deceleration (that means that the heart rate dropped too low). They sent us to Labor and Delivery to monitor Shmu. We stayed there for 7 hours hooked up to machines. It was a long and tiring night. Shmu passed the test, but had another deceleration. They told me to come in the following day to test Shmu again. So, I went to the hospital thinking that I would just be going in for a simple test, but while we were there, Shmu's heart rate dropped multiple times and for longer periods of time. The doctors told me they would induce me. That means that they gave me medicine to start my labor. I got induced at 8pm. At 7:08am, Shmu came. Rudy got to catch him and announce to me that it was a BOY!!

Shmu apparently had been moving soo much in my belly that he had twisted his cord so much that not enough oxygen was getting to his lungs! He came out just fine though and he is healthy!! He spent a day in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), just like my friend Esther's babies. He had low blood sugar levels due to being so tiny! He's half the size he looks in the pictures. Sooo small and cute! :)

We are home now, and all is fine! We are LOVING this little bundle of joy! We can't believe Shmu is finally here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Some more pictures:

Right now, Shmu's eyes are dark blue.

Daddy had to study for a test while we were in the hospital.

He was a little distracted though! :)

Good to hear from you!!

I love hearing details about your summer break! A lot of you are in school for at least part of the day and I enjoy hearing what you're learning or what classes you're taking. Valerie, it sounds like some tough classes and lots of work! Doris, sounds fun to get to swim every day! Melissa, how cool you found out a friend of yours is also related to you. I wonder if she'll be there again this year? Angel, wow!! I am sooooo glad you enjoyed your D.C. trip! That makes me so happy to hear! I would love to know more. I emailed your parents a letter (all parents got the same letter) at the end of the year and they have my email address so please write me more details,k? Otherwise, email me your phone number and I'd love to call and hear about it. William, I'm glad you're having some fun while in school! Sounds like you're already feeling comfortable with the campus and will feel much better about your first day of school with already having been there a lot. Good for you!

I can't comment about everyone, or I'd be here awhile, but I love ALL your updates!

Shmu is doing great! At first the doctor was concerned that Shmu was too small. Tell that to Stephen Chien!! :) I haven't gained any weight in over a month and my belly is measuring too small. So, we had a bunch of tests for Shmu on Friday, and Shmu passed! I was hooked up to a couple of monitors that measured Shmu's heartbeat and we had to get Shmu moving to see if his/her heart rate would accelerate. The test was designed to see if the baby is getting enough oxygen. Well, Shmu was sleeping at first but then Rudy spoke to it, and the heart rate went up instantly!! It was so cool! Then, Ru picked and poked at it and Shmu started squirming. We can't figure out if Shmu likes daddy "playing" with him/her or if Shmu's annoyed by it and tries to get away. Either way, it got Shmu moving and he/she passed the test! :)

Then we got to see a picture of Shmu on an ultrasound. Shmu was big to us! The picture was pretty funny looking though. They measured how much fluid I had in Shmu's home. You remember how dehydrated I always was? Well, there was enough liquid in there! Yeah!! :)

Now we are home, waiting to find out from the doctor what all the tests say to us. We hope Shmu is growing well and doesn't have any complications. I am 37 weeks pregnant and have only 3 more to go!! :)

Ok, I'd better go now! Take care everyone. I'll post updates on Monday if Shmu is ok or not!

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Hi M-Team!

How are you all? It's been awhile and I'm sorry for my absence! We've had family visiting us from out of town and it's been a busy, busy time. I'm feeling pretty tired and am excited to take it easy now. Hopefully, things will calm down for us and we'll be able to enjoy these last few weeks before Shmu comes. I just had a baby shower with friends and got some pretty fun things! I'm going to be washing Shmu's clothes and getting our hospital bags ready for the big day!

What are you guys up to? Who's had the best summer? Who's had the worst? Anyone still going to summer school or taking any classes? How are they?

How that our guests have gone and I have my time back to myself, I'll be sure to blog more often!

Let me know how you all are!

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Happy month of July!!

Can you believe it's already July? It seems as though once July hits, summer really flies by! I really want July to fly by because then I get to meet Shmu!! :) I'm getting pretty uncomfortable at this point and would love to have Shmu out, instead of in! We're painting, getting new carpet and setting up the crib in the next two days!! I'm so excited to get ready for Shmu. I'll post a picture when it's all done.

What are you doing this week? Do any of you have plans for the 4th of July? My brother and sister in law will be here from Chicago and after the weekend, we're off to Santa Barbara for a week. I'm really looking forward to that as it will be our last vacation with just us and no baby! :)

Miss you all,

Mrs. Martin

I'm back from Minnesota!

So what is the capital of Minnesota? I was there at the hospital, located in the capital city with my best friend from college, Esther. We had a great time and I was able to help out a lot, which is exactly what I wanted! Her babies are adorable and I had so much fun holding them and getting to know them in real life, instead of just through a picture! We had one who was already sent home and we would go visit the other one still in the hospital. Just when I left, the other one came home! Now my friend has her two babies at home at last!! She spent 7 weeks after they were born driving down to the hospital every day to be with them and take care of them. I'm glad she can stay home now! Here are a few pictures of the girls...

Liana Sophia and Amaya Noel

Amaya

Liana

I'm also glad that I'm home, too. It was safe to fly and everything with Shmu is great, but you still don't want to take any chances and be that far away from home when you're getting as close as I am (6 weeks away). Shmu did something funny though. Every time we took off and ascended (30 minutes) to the highest altitude and everytime we descended back to the ground (another 30 minutes), Shmu would be going crazy in my belly. Once we either got on the ground or were up high in the sky, Shmu went back to sleep. It was the weirdest thing! I think Shmu could feel there was something going on around him/her.

So, I'm glad I got to go and am glad to be home now. Thanks for all your postings. I love hearing from y ou! Jess, your post made me smile that you think of Ru, Shmu and I. Tania, I'm glad you had a great birthday! William, good to hear about your crooked teeth! :) Angel, I'm honored! Thank you so much! I can't wait to hear how your trip goes. When are you leaving?

Today is Saturday, and by the looks of it, a beautiful day to go for a bike ride with Ru. We have beach cruisers that have wide seats and are lower to the ground, so it's not like a regular bike where I'd have to hunch over. Lot's of space for Shmu still.

Ok, hope you have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Martin

Hello from Minnesota!

Hi kiddos,
I'm visiting my friend Esther in Minnesota this week! Remember her? She's the one who had the identical twin girls in May. It's so fun to be able to see her and her house, her life, her town, her in-laws and most importantly... her girls!! They are adorable little miracles! We've spent the last few days going to the hospital to visit one of them, while bringing the other one who was discharged a week ago. They are beautiful and healthy!

So, that's what I'm up to. I'll be coming home tomorrow and will try to blog more frequently. How are all of you? What are you up to? Tania, how was your birthday? William, you're getting braces? Better now than later in high school. I got mine in 7th grade and had them until my 9th grade year. I was so embarrassed to wear my retainers afterwards because they made me talk funny. So, instead of being good and wearing them and keeping my teeth straight after all that hard word the braces did, my teeth actually got a little crooked in the front. So, the moral of the story is to follow directions where your teeth are concerned. Your orthodontist knows what he's talking about! :)

Ok, talk to you all soon! Just wanted to say hi!
Love,
Mrs. Martin

Off to San Diego!

I still want to read your comments from the previous post, so keep adding to it if you haven't already. Just wanted you all to know that I won't be able to post for 4 days because I'll be in San Diego at a training. I don't have a laptop anymore, so I'll be able to check the blogs when I get back.

I hope you all have a great week! Comment on this one about what you did or are going to do! :)

See you later,

Mrs. Martin

Tell me your favorite...?

Tell me your favorite...

1. Thing to do at home on vacation

2. Book to read right now

3. Food to eat

4. Movie or T.V. Show

5. Color

Mine are as follows...

1. Take a nap (Boy, I sure sound old!! Seriously though, I don't sleep more than 4 hours a night, so I try to make up for it during the day with little bits of rest.)

2. Baby books

3. Yogurt (I have weird taste buds right now.)

4. Oprah (Otherwise, I don't watch much t.v.)

5. Blue/Teal

Shmu had his/her 1st doctor's appt. today!

We met our pediatrician today! It was so fun to go to the pediatrics section of the hospital for the first time. I was anxious to meet the doctor and see if we liked him or her. Fortunately, she was perfect! Both Rudy and I loved her and I'm so glad we have a good one! Hannah, don't you want to be a pediatrician? It seems like a really special job. 

Tomorrow my mommy is coming to visit and we'll go do some shopping for Shmu. Thanks for your gift cards and great gifts! We'll be organizing them and arranging where we'd like to put everything! Fun! 

Kevin, I'm so jealous... Alaska! Remember how we were supposed to go but then I'm too pregnant and they won't let me on the boat? Bummer! Maybe next year for Shmu's 1st birthday! :)

Hope you're having a great night!

-Mrs. Martin

1st week without school!

I have to admit, it was rather nice to sleep in today! :) I miss you all so much and I miss coming to Vejar, but a break is good, too! I worked so hard that last week (12 hours a day) and didn't sleep much, so Thursday, after packing everything I noticed I was really getting sick. All I could do Friday was sit, lay down, and sleep (oh, and blow my nose, too!). It was a "great" way to start vacation. I can sympathize, William! :) 

Over the weekend, Shmu and I went to go see Rudy surf, then a Dodger game (they won in the 12th inning!) and then cooked and cleaned the house on Sunday after church. Today, I went to Vejar to turn in my laptop and finish checking out. I ran errands, did laundry, cooked, etc. Now I'm totally pooped! :) I'm going to put the clothes away and lay down! Ru comes home pretty late, so I have time before cooking dinner. Yippee! 

What are you doing? Doris, how did the dance recital go? Tania, how was Vegas? 

We will have to do a reunion before you start school. Let's meet at Vejar and have a picnic on the grass, or at Suzanne park. We'll plan it after Shmu is a couple of weeks old and just before you start. Good idea guys!! I'll be really looking forward to that! I copied all your parents' email addresses from my laptop, so I'll email everyone and post on the blog when Shmu's coming. 

Ok, I'd better go! 

Love to you all,

Mrs. Martin

Thoughts from our last day of school...

Hi kids,

Yesterday went by so quickly and I didn't get to hug all of you! I hope you had a good last day and that you liked, The Cay. I'm glad we got to finish and get that in before it was too late!

It was a very sad day for me. Packing up my room and shutting the door for the last time made me cry. I love the memories in that room and I love that you were my last class for a while. Thank you for all the wonderful gifts and cards and notes. I loved everything!!! We feel so loved and appreciated! Thank you all for the card you signed (I think Angel made it and passed it around). It is really special to me! I LOVE all the gifts and gift cards, too!!!! How fun! I will be using the gift cards as Shmu's time approaches and will be thinking of you so much. I'll be sure to blog about it, so don't stop checking. 

I love hearing about what you are up to, too! And all your birthdays... Melissa, you're first... I want to hear about what you all do! :) 

Thank you for a great year! You were the best and so sweet to me and Shmu! :)

Love always, 

Mrs. Martin

Happy Memorial Day!

How is your Monday going? What have you done this weekend? Ru and I have worked on so many projects around the house, getting ready for Shmu. I'll take pictures and show you our work sometime this week. Today, we're going to Vejar to pack some things up and take them home. I think we'll stop at Yogurtland with my family!  Yum! :)

As you enjoy being home today, remember why we have the day off. We are supposed to remember those who have fought and died for our country. We also remember the sacrifices of all the family members who let their loved ones go off to war or be in the military. 

I know you appreciate the little things you have in life and that makes me proud of you. Reading about Phillip losing his eyesight really helps remind us of all the things we can be thankful for, even though we can always find things we wish were different or better. 

Hope you have a great day! I'm off to work! 

Accomplishing my goal!!

I set a goal today to post and here I am! Rudy finished his test and thinks he did well! I'm glad that's over! Now no more school for him until July! Yeah, a month and a half off! We just got back from voting. Have your parents? 

What do you think will happen in The Cay? Will Phillip and his mother safely arrive in Miami? We will continue reading tomorrow! :)

Right now, Ru and I are going to eat a pizza and watch our shows with our ice cream! :)

Hope you're having a good night and getting all your homework done WELL!!! :)

Love, 

Mrs. Martin

Wow!!! We are so happy!!

Hey M-Team, this is Rudy. THANK YOU SOO MUCH!! I was shocked to see all of the gifts you bought for Shmu! Mrs. Martin's car was packed full of loot! We had to walk up and down the stairs like 10 times to bring stuff in our house! You and your families are very generous. I can't thank you enough. Shmu got hooked up beyond belief! 

Another thing that is cool to see is that you know how much you mean to Mrs. Martin and in turn how much she means to you also.  She really loves you guys. Thank you for all of the kind words, cards, and gifts. They were all very thoughtful and greatly appreciated!

You guys rock. Seriously. Thank you!  

-Rudy

P.S. I'll come see you before the end of the school year to thank you in person. That is if you don't mind me coming to your classroom? 

Ok, M-team, Now, this is Mrs. Martin. 

I am still stunned by what happened yesterday! What a  great surprise and what an amazing afternoon of love and generosity. I LOVE Shmu's things!!!!!!!! The dining room table is filled with all the things and I've been busy all morning writing thank you notes to you all! I can't believe how many wonderful things Shmu has now! :) Thank you for your generosity and for celebrating yesterday, with me! Shmu was awake and kicking most of the time! It was so cool, too, because I've been to many showers, but this one was the first where I was celebrating MY baby!!!!!!!!! Wow!!! 

I love you, I love you, I love you! Thank you!!!!!! And I can't wait to spend the gift cards, too! :) This is so much fun! 

Hope you have a great weekend. Post a reply about what you're doing, ok? :)

See you Monday, kids! 

Love,

Mrs. Martin & Shmu! :)

Yeah, we did it!

Hey guys, 

Sorry we couldn't celebrate being done with testing today! I was pretty excited about our otter pops out on the grass. Hopefully, they will be frozen and ready tomorrow! Now we know not to depend on a little freezer like that! :) 

I'm so glad we made it through testing and that everyone was there and on time! Good job! I know you did well, because you all thought it was okay and not too hard. Thanks for adding to the poll so I know what the class thought about the test. 

What are your plans for the weekend? Anything coming up? It's Daniel's birthday on Sunday, so be sure to wish him a happy one tomorrow. I wonder what he'll do? 

I'm going to be visiting my friend's new baby in the hospital and hopefully resting enough to feel completely better! This is the first weekend where I don't have anything big to do or go to. That's kind of nice, for a change! 

Ok, well, I'll see you tomorrow! 

Love,

Mrs. Martin

So proud of you!

Every time I think about the state test, I feel proud of you! I'm not worried one bit! You guys are doing so well and I have full confidence that you'll see your scores rise, come August when you get them in the mail!

Just wanted to wish you a happy weekend! I am accomplishing my monthly goal by having some more people over to my house tonight for dinner and games. It will be fun, but I'd better get to cleaning my house! :) 

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Mrs. Martin

The Oval Office!

Hi kids,

I may or may not be able to go on the field trip with you. I am scheduled to go to a hearing about my job. Like I said, I'm not sure that I'll go, but wanted to let you know it's a strong possibility. So, before you go, I'd love to know what you're looking forward to seeing or doing the most. Then, after you go, we can compare what you thought it was going to be like to what it actually was like! 

Love,

Mrs. Martin

How's spring break?

Hi my M-Teamers,

Happy birthday to Ariana, Eric, and Rudy tomorrow! I'll be thinking of you! Hope your day is super fun! :) Rudy's already excited about his special birthday cake! 

Jenna, how did you do on your run? I know you tried your hardest and I'm proud of you either way! 

How are you all spending your days? I hear that some of you are bored?? :) I have been reading, working at school for a day, registering for baby Shmu at Target and Babies R Us (We had such a fun time doing that! I can't wait to start setting up Shmu's nursery!), and cleaning my house! I can't believe it's Friday tomorrow and the break is almost over! Wow, how time flies! 

I got some things ready for you for Monday and I'm so excited to see you guys. I am so confident you'll do REALLY well on the state test! Remember to get lots of sleep over the weekend, so you're ready for Monday morning! :) I'll try to remember that, too! 

Hope you have a great weekend!

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Figures of Speech

We've got our test tomorrow... so show me what you know! Think of a good example of either a hyperbole, idiom, personification, metaphor, simile or alliteration. Tell us which one you choose and then give the example. Hopefully we all check tonight and get some more studying in! :)

Good luck tomorrow! I know you'll do great! :)

-Mrs. Martin

Tory vs. Patriot

Today, we talked about our story, "Katie's Trunk." (Notice I used quotation marks around the title, because it is a story within a larger book!) We started discussing whether or not we would have befriended a Tory (if we were Patriots). What do you think? Why would or wouldn't you be a friend to a supposed "enemy" of the times. Remember the time period and what we discussed regarding conflict. Let me know your thoughts! :)

How was your day today?

I missed you all today! I learned some great things though, and I am so excited to share them with you! Tell me about your day and what you did. How are our caterpillars? :)

See you tomorrow!

Story Hats!

Which hat and presenter today did the best job at sharing about memorable facts in his/her life? Who used the most eye contact and spoke clearly and loud enough for all to hear? I will be rewarding great presenters with a ticket and I want to know your thoughts. This is M-Team Idol... you get to vote! :)

Love to you all,

Mrs. Martin

M-Team Rocks!

Just had to say it! It is true! You guys are the best and I love how sweet you've been while I've been so sick and how you've been so kind to each other. We really have a good class, don't you know it? 

So, I've been asked for a Rudy story... 

I'll go looking through some pictures and post something. Then I'll tell you about it in class. Rudy stories are never the same typed out! :) 

Here we are in Big Bear snowboarding.

How's your weekend?

Hi kids,

Thinking of you today, wondering what you're up to. I'm working on report cards tomorrow after I go to a friend's baby shower. Hope you all do something fun and relaxing! 

Have a good Sunday,

Mrs. Martin

Science Projects!

Hey team, 

Thanks for posting about your projects and your table groups. Contrary to what Melissa thinks, the groups will be like this for the rest of the year! So ha! Groups will change once or so, but I'm really liking them. Those of you that can't see or have trouble, let me know and we'll work something out. 

So, on to the science projects. Tell me which one you thought was... 

1. Most creative

2. Most time spent working on it

I'm curious. I'll grade them tomorrow morning before school! They will also be put on display during Thursday night's Science Fair. 

Congrats for accomplishing such a big project! :)

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Table Teams

Hello my wonderful students!

I know it's been such a long, long time since we have blogged together! My apologies. It's so nice to be feeling better and hopefully I'll be able to be more frequent in posting! 

What do you think of the new seating arrangement? Of course, you've got to give it a few days to see what we'll do with our new teams. I think you'll like it once we get going and more comfortable moving around the room. If you have any ideas about how to make the chairs not so close to each other, let me know! 

How are the science projects going? Who has started to create their poster board? They are being sold in the office, if you still need to get one! 

I'm off to bed and I hope you all are sound asleep by now, too! :)

See you tomorrow,

Mrs. Martin

Inauguration Day!

Hi kids,

To answer Melissa's question... yes, we will be watching the inauguration through my computer on our big screen. So, please come to school Melissa (and everyone)! 

Doris, can't wait to hear how you liked Twilight. Should I read it?

Melissa, good job scoring 2 goals and advancing in your tournament! 

Happy Birthday Stephen and Dylan (although I doubt Dylan checks this...)

Jenna, how cool your dad will be your coach. That's like Alyssa and her dad!

Ariana, so sorry you got thrown up on. That's terrible... reminds me of that story I told you with my sister throwing up on me! :) 

Everyone, thanks for the well wishes. I've been better, but not great. I'm sooo ready to be done with this sickness! Soon, I hope! This could be the magical week! :)

See you tomorrow! 

-Mrs. Martin

MLK Jr. Holiday Weekend!

I hope you're having a good weekend so far! I was SOOOO sick Wednesday night and kept throwing up. Four times to be exact... then two more times the next day. So, I knew I couldn't come in to school. I hope you had a good day anyways. I had to write sub plans from home and was throwing up while typing, so I'm not sure what I told the sub to do or if it made any sense! :) 

I'll miss you guys over the long weekend, but I'm glad to be home, in bed, and hopefully get better by Tuesday. Tell me what you're up to, if you get the chance! 

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Open Real Estate

So if there was some great land for sale in either Salem, Providence or with an Indian tribe, which would you pick to live and WHY? :)

-Mrs. Martin

Ready for school?

One more day till school again!! How are you going to spend your last day? Are you excited to come back? What are you looking forward to? 

I am going to be doing some school work (grading papers, updating the gradebook, etc). Today is my dad's birthday so we're off to dinner to celebrate with him. I'm excited to see you all again. It feels like a long time, since I've been with you all.  I went to school on Friday to work a little and noticed dirty, sticky desks from the party!! Hmm... :) We'll have to clean those! 

Have a wonderful last day and I'll see you bright and early on Monday. Get some sleep. I'll be challenging your brains to remember what we were learning before we went on break! Tickets to the group who remembers the most! 

Love,

Mrs. Martin