The Best Birthday Present Ever

Yikes!!!! I should have fired
my hair stylist!!!! (circa 1983)

The day started out like most any other except that it was to be no ordinary day. I awoke at the usual time, 6:30 a.m., brushed the sleep from my eyes, and immediately realized what today was. September 25th, the day when I blessed my Mom and Dad with their beautiful "bundle of joy", as my mother so endearingly refers to me, even though it has been 49 years. After taking a brief moment to ingest the reality of having lived as long as I have, I decided to make my way downstairs for a calming yoga session to gently ease into my day. I went about the rest of my day in the usual fashion, but gosh, I wanted it to be riddled with excitement, joy, and complete and utter bliss. Gee, was I asking too much? Good grief! Was it my responsibility to see to it that I enjoy myself on my birthday?  Ha! Ha! That's what I have a family for; to make me feel like a queen as I am supposed to feel! Ha! Ha! In any case, as is customary in my family, receiving a barrage of phone calls on one's birthday is usually a highlight of the day . However, on this very day, I was to receive an unexpected phone call that brought me all the joy, exhiliration, and bliss I needed. Wow! She took me by complete and utter surprise! I am referring to my good friend, Donna. Donna and I met 38 years ago, when both of us, new to our neighborhood, were standing at the bus stop on the first day of 5th grade. Little could have I imagined that all these years later, a friendship that started out strong and solid would still endure today. It hadn't been since our 30th High School reunion, two summers ago since we last spoke. I miss Donna but didn't realize how much until I heard that usual, Laaaauuuuuurie (my real name is Laurie) I always used to hear when she called. It was to be a phone call filled with laughter and tears - it was as though time stood ever so still. I was saddened to hear of the passing of Donna's mother this past March as she was like a second mother to me. She was one of the funniest people I have ever known. Holy cow! We laughed like we used to at our countless sleepovers when we were young girls! Although our phone calls are few and far between and the times we see one another even less, I know one thing is for certain, my friendship with Donna will always be like a ship holding its course steady in gusty winds. So, on my 49th birthday, I lifted my glass of wine, made a heartfelt toast and said, "Gee whiz! How'd I get so gosh darn lucky to have received the best birthday present ever?"

Vocabulary
1. ordinary (adjective)- average or usual, no different or special in any way
2. endearingly (adverb)- making someone like or love you
3. ingest (verb)- to take things in mentally
4. yoga (noun)- exercises that help calm the mind and body
5. fashion (verb)- manner in which something is done
6. gosh (interjection)- a word used to express suprise
7. riddled (adjective)- very full of something
8. barrage (noun)- a lot of something (ie, questions, complaints)
9. utter (adjective) complete or extreme

Exercise:
Yikes!!!! Can you guess what the mixed-up, topsy-turvey words below are? Unscramble them to find out. Notice I didn't give you any hints!!

1.  rabgear  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

2.  anordyi    __  __  __  __  __  __  __

3.  gsnite  __ __  __  __  __  __

4. hafinso  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

5.  gaoy  __  __  __  __

6.  yiganledenr  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

7.  teutr   __  __  __  __  __

8.  erdildd  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  

9.  ohsg  __  __  __  __  

Grammar Point
Interjections are a lexical category that literally means "thrown in between" from the Latin inter (between) and acere (thrown). In lay terms it is a big name for little words or phrases used to show excitement or emotion on the part of the speaker. Examples of some interjections are eeek, gadzooks, bam, holy smokes, oh my, and yikes. Do you use interjections in your everyday speech? Write a 1-page story about an unexpected surprise you experienced using as many interjections you possibly can.

Not always considered acceptable when producing  adequate writing samples in today's classrooms, interjections are definitely a useful and effective way of expressing oneself. To better understand their place where areas of English grammar are concerned click on the following links:

http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/list-of-interjections.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhHpJ45_zwM

Laughter is the Best Medicine

There is no simple way of saying it, so I will just come out and say it! Life is stressful, hectic and unbelievably busy, busy, busy! As I glance around while out and about, all I see is a foggy, haze of people in a constant state of motion, running here, going there, doing this, and taking care of that. Personal schedules are oftentimes fraught with mundane, ordinary and robotic-like activities that are continually propelling us into action. Lately, I find myself, more times than I care to admit, quizzically standing in a room unable to recall what external force had swiftly carried me there. It's at these very times when I usually find myself questioning my mental acumen and realize that my plate is plenty full. As I ponder this notion, I reflect on the good ol' days when life was simple and uncomplicated. Part of this simplicity was being afforded nightly opportunities for effortlessly kicking back on a soft, cozy couch and spending a relaxing evening watching a favorite television program with not a care in the world. Nowadays, comedies have become my program of choice as a way to assuage life's stresses. Much thanks to my husband, Jesse, and son, Noah, I have truly grown to love the feeling of a hearty, side-splitting, guffaw. There is nothing better than experiencing the sheer pleasure one derives from feeling the day's stress ebb quickly away while watching any one of today's great comedy classics such as Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Will and Grace or Curb Your Enthusiasm. So long as life continues on the merry-go-round as it shall, I intend on getting my much-needed daily dose of comedy - for laughter is truly the best medicine!

Vocabulary
1. hectic (adjective) very busy, hurried
2. glance (verb) to look at someone or something for a short time and then quickly look away
3. haze (noun) air that is hard to see through
4. fraught (adjective) to be filled with alot of something (ie. problems, pain, danger)
5. mundane (adj.) not interesting or exciting, ordinary
6. propelling (verb) to move, drive or push something forward
7. acumen (noun) being able to think quickly and make good judgments
8. cozy (adj.) small, comfortable, and warm
9. assuage (verb) to make a bad feeling less intense
10. guffaw (verb) to laugh loudly

Activity

Now that you have learned the meaning of many new words complete the following Matching Exercise.

mundane                  laugh loudly

hectic                       drive or push something forward
 
guffaw                     not interesting or exciting, ordinary

acumen                    air that is hard to see through

glance                      very busy, hurried

assuage                    small, comfortable and warm

fraught                     make a bad feeling less intense

cozy                         look at something for a short time, then quickly look away

haze                         able to think quickly and make good judgments

propelling                  filled with a lot of something (problems, pain, danger)

Grammar Point: Adjectives are words that describe things about a noun, noun phrase or noun clause. When used effectively they can bring "life" to the noun it describes by enhancing its description. Can you identify at least 5 adjectives in the paragraph? What kinds of things do you like to do to relieve stress? Write a short paragraph about them and be sure to include lots of great "describing" words.

Music is a fun way to teach grammar! Check out the following link to learn more about adjectives.

Schoolhouse Rock - Adjectives

A New Chapter in the Book of Life



Caleb's High School graduation - June 2010

Perhaps the hardest thing to do as a parent is sending one's child out into the "great big world" for their first college experience. How is it possible that Caleb was eagerly awaiting his departure to UMass when it was only yesterday that he cooed happily as I caressed him lovingly in my arms? The years have flown by all too quickly and somehow from a rambunctious little boy grew an extremely confident young man. I have always known the time to say goodbye would arrive, yet it came much sooner than expected. Much to my amazement, parting ways was easier than I anticipated. With text messages and phone calls coming frequently for requests to send money, it's as though Caleb never left home. All kidding aside, I take great comfort in knowing that our goodbyes have opened up wonderful doorways for my son as he begins the next exciting chapter in his young life. Even though I miss Caleb alot, I know that he will soon be returning home with a really huge pile of dirty laundry in tow.

Vocabulary
experience (noun) skill or knowledge gained from doing something over time
eagerly (adverb) having a strong desire to do something
departure (noun) the action of leaving a place
cooed (verb) to make a sound like a low cry
rambunctious (adjective) full of energy and behaving in a way that cannot be controlled
extremely (adverb) very great in degree, very unusual, severe or serious
confident (adjective) sure that you can do something well
amazement (noun) a feeling of great surprise
anticipated (verb) to expect that something will happen
requests (noun) to ask for something

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary words:

1. The boy made many _______________ to stay up late every night.
2. The young girls ____________ awaited the Justin Bieber concert to arrive.
3. The soccer coach was ___________ that his team would win the tournament.
4. It is a good idea to arrive at least an hour before ____________ for your flight to Costa Rica.
5. We watched in ______________ as the clown juggled four balls at a time.
6. The students were ____________ when they returned to their classroom after recess.
7. The baby __________ with delight which made his mother very happy.
8. We ______________ the children getting dirty on the playground.
9. My sister felt sick after her first ______________ riding a roller coaster.
10. Mountain climbing is an _________ dangerous sport.


Grammar Point: A simple definition of an adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Adverbs can be used many different ways in a sentence. Can you identify some of the adverbs in the paragraph? What are some ways in which these adverbs have been used  (manner, frequency, relative time, degree, focusing or quantity) in the sentence? What position are the adverbs found in the sentences? Using the paragaraph substitute your own adverbs in place of five adverbs you have identified. Rewrite these sentences with the adverb that you have substitued. Do you think the sentences have changed their meaning as compared to what the writer was trying to say?

Check out the two websites below for helping students learn about adverbs!

Learning Adverbs with Songs
Learning Adverbs with Appu