Three Things...Gratitude Thread

[flyingdumbo127]

Please stay well, extra safe, and warm those of you experiencing true winter. Pretty to see in a movie. I admit not for me or dad anymore (he grew up in IL) to live in.

 

[PollyannaMom]

What About Maine?? Is it Maine Day? Things you love about Maine? Things you DON'T love about Maine?? Help me out here!

Last one on the daily holiday list said "National Maine Day" - that's all I know.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I must admit, I love winter!! -

I wholeheartedly agree with lack of bugs!

I'm also all for cozy hooded sweatshirts, fun Christmas socks, etc.

And l actually love snow - it just brightens every up

 

[PollyannaMom]

Happy Mathematics Day!!
(read more here)

X

Today's Topic - 3 teachers you're grateful for (yours, your kids', friends who happen to be teachers, educational TV hosts... be creative with this one)

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good morning

By my faith belief, Jesus is my greatest Teacher in/above all.

Champ along with kiddos from years past have sure taught me extra faith, fun, and sheer love and kindness.

A former church choir director reinforced to me that I could make a joyful noise unto the Lord indeed. My time in that church choir meant so much to me.

 

[slo]

Good Sunday Morning!
It’s the first day of Christmas Week!

There’s so many teachers I’m grateful for.

#1 - My Band Teacher - He was the best of the best. He was like a military sergeant and we all respected him. He expected 100%, 100% of the time. There’s no way a teacher today could be like this teacher was - they’d get fired in 2 seconds. If you got in trouble by him, parents didn’t complain to the school - they’d side with Mr. Jordan every single time. He was awesome and maybe if teachers could be tough like this today, we would see less craziness in schools like we do today.

#2 - Religious Ed Teachers - I’m very grateful for them volunteering to do this. Both my girls had wonder ful teachers. One day, I’m going to do this. I don’t know when, but I do know that I’m really feeling the calling to do this.

#3 - Journalism Teacher - Both my girls did the class that runs the high school TV station. This teacher taught them so much in regards to meeting deadlines, making and editing videos and so so much more. My girls loved this so much and have the best memories doing this.

 

[leebee]

Let's hear it for MATH DAY!!!

Mr. Terlizzi (7th and 12th grade science) and Mr. Cunniff (9th grade English): Both of these men were great teachers. They taught more than their subject; they taught us how to learn, and how to LIKE learning. There was none of this current edu-babble of dumbing down things until everyone got a good grade. They set the standard and taught you how to achieve. They were both also wickedly funny men who treated their high-school aged students as people, and not as kids anymore. I learned a lot from each of them, more than just the subject material, and was so excited that Mr. Terlizzi moved from junior high to high school with us, so I could have him again!

Gene, Cassie, Serena, Ivy. These were my daughter's dance teachers. DD spent at least 4 hours a day, at least 6 days a week, in the dance studio during middle school, high school, and through college. She is a classically trained ballerina, which takes work and dedication, and during high school she spent more waking hours in the dance studio than at home.(Ivy, her main ballet teacher, was chosen by George Balanchine as a teen to be one of his principle dancers and she left Balanchine for Joffrey when he started his company- so any of you who are as old as I am, who recognize these names, knows what this means, and knows DD's ballet training is SOLID.) These people were not just dance teachers, though. They were role models, teachers, and friends. They are all excellent, responsible, caring people who helped raise DD, helped give her her work ethic and morals. I cannot be more grateful that they were all invested in DD as a person, as well as a dancer.

My teaching assistants. I manage the organic chemistry labs at the University of Maine, as well as teach them, but I couldn't do my job without my graduate student teaching assistants. Of the 12 lab sections we offer, my TAs teach 10 of them. They are dedicated, smart, funny, responsible, caring teachers. They all have a full load on their own, aside from teaching, taking their own classes and doing their own research. Being a TA is supposed to be a 20-hour a week position, but with grading my TAs all work at least 25-30 hours. It's a burden, for sure, and the students can be uber-frustrating, but these folks just hang in there and keep on giving. They are invested it their students' learning (part of the frustration these days- to care more about the kids' learning than they seem to) and do a super job of monitoring the labs in addition to teaching, staying on top of the mundane, day-to-day things. They are also terrific at being my back-up, talking me through things (I am not a chemist, so sometimes it gets challenging), and just plain old caring and being my staff. I couldn't do my job without them, and I will miss them when 4 of them graduate this spring!

 

[PollyannaMom]

My math teachers in junior high and high school - I had absolutely wonderful teachers who made learning fun and made us feel like we could do anything.

My DS's preschool teachers - They were truly dedicated and did some amazing projects and field trips with the kids.

Mr. Rogers - for reaching kids all over the country with warmth and calm and the assurance that they mattered

 

[WDWEPCOT]

My neighbor growing up was a teacher and I used to help her grade papers and set up her room every year she eventually had kids and then then I used to babysit for her too

My 10th grade Current Events teacher - I enjoyed his class and had great respect for him - I did assist him in 11th grade he was a very kind person

My CPA teacher in college such an interesting man full of funny stories about fraud and other things in life we heard his stories every class as we learned Accounting !!! He was much older and had married one of his students and had a little boy We all thought for the longest time that was his daughter and grandchild - nope wife !!! Such a scandal back then !!! He was very entertaining and very smart !!! he wanted to make sure we all understood this if you’re ever going to embezzle claim it on your taxes so that way they’ll never get you for it if you pay taxes on it you’re in the clear because that’s how they usually end up arresting people who embezzles because they don’t pay taxes on it this is one of the funniest things I remember him ever saying in all the years I had him!!!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I wholeheartedly agree with lack of bugs!

I certainly miss that. We don’t get that benefit with the lack of real winter. We had four large red wasps end up in our front window this week because it got warm enough that they thought it was spring. The mosquitoes are also still pretty relentless.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Today's Topic (Mon, 12/23) - 3 movies or movie-related things you're grateful for

 

[slo]

Good Monday Morning

I’m going to stick with Christmas movies, since it’s Christmas week.

#1 - Christmas Vacation - every time I see this movie it makes me think of one by DH and I saw it for the first time. It was such a fun date. I always tell DD21 how before we saw this movie her dad took me out for pizza, at a pizza place that doesn’t exist anymore, and we got extra cheese on our pizza - I have never had extra cheese on my pizza and I loved it (my mom doesn’t like cheese so therefore our pizzas were always light cheese). The theater we saw this movie and doesn’t exist anymore either.

#2 - The Polar Express - I’m grateful for all the wonderful memories I have cuddling with my girls watching this movie. In the past, we watched this whenever we had time. Now we watch this on Christmas Eve. We go to 5pm Mass, pick up a stuffed pizza, then go home and get situated in the family room, eat our pizza and watch The Polar Express - a wonderful, relaxing Christmas Eve with DH and DD21.

#3 - All The Disney Mickey Christmas Movies - I still watch these every year and I feel a little emotional when I do, because my girls loved these movies when they were children. Where has the time gone? One minute your children are little and you’re getting ready for Santa to visit them, and the next minute your empty nesters. It blows my mind how fast time goes.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

I’ll do Christmas movies
It’s a wonderful life Has to be my favorite Christmas movie
A Christmas story - I can watch that all day during their 24 hour marathon and I still think it’s the most hilarious movie
National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation It’s like everybody’s families Christmas in a movies - I love it when Clark telling his dad our Christmases were always so crazy how did you get through it and dad saying I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels

Bonus movies
The Santa Claus movies
Christmas with the Kranks
Four Christmases
Jingle all the way this movie is quite funny
Meet me in St. Louis
Miracle on 34th St. the original
I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch but those are my top ones that I watch and I watch them a lot over and over

 

[flyingdumbo127]

The Perfect Gift (A Christmas Movie with Jefferson Moore)

The Santa Clause (First movie)

One non Christmas movie I'm grateful for is
The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Also planning on the holiday movie theme...

1. It's a Wonderful Life - It is our Christmas Eve tradition. It is the only holiday movie I will not watch early. It just really grounds me and makes so thankful for the people that make this all special and worthwhile.

2. The Sound of Music - I don't actually consider this a Christmas movie, but they play it every year during the holidays. My Favorite Things is now even considered a holiday song by many. I've just always loved the movie and the music and one of my close friends does consider it a holiday movie, so we have a fun night of watching from our respective homes but periodically messaging about it while it's on.

3. A Christmas Story - We definitely turn it on several times during the 24 hour marathon and watch it a few times over the course of the holiday season. At some point tomorrow, I expect DH and I to randomly start saying things like "Not a Finger!" and "You used up ALL the glue on purpose."

 

[leebee]

Movies/related things:

Hot, buttered movie theater pop corn, the kind that leaves your fingers and lips greasy for hours- what more is there to say?

There are series of books that I simply cannot read (Tolkien's trilogy, Star Wars books) but having watched the movies, I do not feel quite so illiterate and "out of it."

Family Movie Night. Given that we can now stream any movie we want, at any time, these aren't as special as they used to be, but man, what a thing to look forward to in years gone by. You'd read that some classic was going to be shown for the only time that year (Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, etc) and you'd be full of excited anticipation for weeks in advance. When the "big day" arrived, we'd make a special trip to the grocery store to pick out our TV dinners (remember those? Everyone could have their own meal, and it was awesome), then eat in the living room, everyone wrapped up in blankets, and watch that special movie together. We'd wait for the commercials and then race each other to the bathroom, because nobody wanted to miss the movie when it started again. After it was all over, we'd talk about the movie and sing the songs until our parents tucked us into bed, warmed inside from sharing a wonderful evening but a little sad, knowing we couldn't see these special favorites for another whole year.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Christmas movie stuff - grateful for:

...watching It's a Wonderful Life with DH on Christmas Eves when DS was little. After we got him to bed, we would put the movie in and assemble anything that needed to be put together, then watch the rest and relax a bit before going to sleep ourselves.

...watching Home Alone with DS. It was a tradition for several years, including me tearing up when Kevin watches the reunion at his neighbor's house, and DS laughing and hugging me.

...Hallmark movies. I love the "warm & coziness" of a good, predictable, happy ending.

 

[PollyannaMom]

It's Christmas Eve!!

Today's Topic (Tues, 12/24) - 3 traditions you're grateful for

(If you don't celebrate Christmas, feel free to choose any sort of traditions.)

 

[leebee]

Giving DD her annual ornament on Christmas Eve. i try to find something that "speaks" to the year she's had. I can't say what this year's ornament is yet, but I'm really excited to give it to her!

When I was a kid, our family had a tradition on Christmas Eve. We would all get our stockings and "bring Christmas to our home." My dad would light a candle and we'd line up behind him, with my mom bringing up the rear. We'd circle thru every room in the house, singing Christmas carols, to bring Christmas to every corner of our home. We'd end up in the living room by the fireplace, hang our stockings, put out the Santa Treats, and then go to bed and hopefully to sleep!

Christmas lights drive. We used to do this when I was a kid, thru a specific area of a neighboring town, and then have Chinese food for dinner. We started doing this last year with the resident 8 year old, without the Chinese food. He really liked it... ice cream, driving around in the car, playing at the local light festival, looking in people's windows to see what's on the TV.... Yeah, we talked with him about that!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah (same day this year!), and Happy Holidays to all!

 

[slo]

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone!

#1 - Newest Christmas Tradition Here - Tonight will be the third year that we pick up a big stuffed pizza after 5pm Mass. We go home, change into our jammies, get settled in the family room to watch The Polar Express and eat our pizza. After The Polar Express we then watch Christmas With the Kranks. We love our very relaxing Christmas Eve night.

#2 - Christmas Morning Monkey Bread - My DH has been making this for as long as I can remember. I asked DD21 if he should continue to make it and I pretty much got this from her with a big Yes


#3 - Christmas Eve Mass - It’s very special celebrating the birth of Jesus with the same like minded people in your faith. It’s also very special to proclaim God’s word at Christmas Eve Mass and this will be my 17th year doing this. To stand up at the ambo and look out at a standing room only church is very special, because I am up there being a part of all of their Christmas Eve tradition, and I am very humbled and grateful that I am blessed with the opportunity to do that. I pray that when I Lector to those that attend, that the words I speak enter their hearts and minds to make a difference in their lives.