FREEDOM

I remember this night four years ago...the fourth of July 2006.  My husband, daughter and I were sitting on the roof of the parking garage at the Gaylord Texan Hotel watching the fireworks over Lake Grapevine.   That was the day that my hair fell out!  I was in the 14th day of treatment for breast cancer. 

I guess freedom comes in many different forms because here I am today celebrating freedom from cancer.  I had my four year check up this week and it is gone!

I collect watercolor prints of Brian Andreas called the storypeople. http://www.storypeople.com/  Each has a saying that means something to me along with some really crazy looking people.  I have seven of them in one bathroom.  Sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom and read all of them.  This is a particularly good one.....

Everything changed when she learned

there was exactly enough time

for the important things in life.

Here are some important things that I learned during the six months of treatment....

• It is ok to spend the day doing "nothing productive".  This was a hard one for me because I always based my worth on what I could do and get done.

• It is ok to spend the day curled up with a blanket in a big chair reading a book that has no socially redeeming qualities.

• It is ok to spend the day in your pajamas.  I learned the lessons so well that I still do it even though I am back working everyday.  I am fortunate that I work at home!  Although my husband often asks,  "Aren't you ever going to get dressed?"

• It doesn't take long to get dressed when you have no hair, no eyebrows, and no eyelashes.  Think about it! That part was a real timesaver!

• Mosquitoes don't bite you when you are on chemo.  They don't like your yucky blood either.

• You don't ever have to shave your legs...another time saver!  (However,  it does not seem fair that chin hairs come back before any other hair!)

• You learn to have selective hearing. From my surgeon on that day I heard only two things...."It is cancer!" and "It is totally treatable!" Treatable...that is all I needed to know.

• Don't sweat the small (or fat) stuff.  Once I was crying in the office of my oncologist.  When he came in he said, "What is wrong with you?"  I said, "In the last 14 days I have gained 14 pounds!"  He said, "You have to realize that I am doing this to you. It is my fault, not your fault.  It's what it takes to get you well.  Now, go wash your face and go in and get your chemo!"  P.S.  I still have those 14 pounds!  Maybe it was not all his fault. I love my oncologist!  He is 30 years younger than I am.  He says we will be connected for the rest of our lives! It is good to have a younger man in your life....even if it is your doctor.

• Friends are precious!  Sometimes, it is surprising who your real friends are.  With one friend I laughed as we shared a bottle of wine while she shaped my wig (one side might have been a little shorter than the other but you couldn't tell if I tilted my head a little).  Then we tried to put false eyelashes on me.   That doesn't work if you don't have any eyelashes to attach the false ones to.  

• Another friend set me a note on the day of each treatment.  The notes were always addressed to My Precious Friend.   It is good to know that you are PRECIOUS to someone.

• Family is everything!  My husband and I built a "chemo" garden.  We had a rock border put in an area in the backyard.  Each Sunday before my treatment we would go to the nursery and buy some plants.  (Friends that found out what we were doing gave us plants from their gardens.)  After I finished each treatment I would sit outside in a lawn chain and he would plant another section of the garden.  Now four years later, this is a view of part of the garden from our bedroom window.

One Sunday evening my grandson, Trevor, and I were at my house making brownies and talking.  I said, "Oh, Trevor, I have to go get my yucky medicine tomorrow and I REALLY don't want to do that."  He looked at me with big brown eyes and said, "But G, you have to get your yucky medicine.  It makes you better and I REALLY want you to get better!"  Great wisdom can come from five years olds.  Sometimes it takes yucky stuff to make us better.  I hope that I am a better person because of the yucky stuff.
Regardless of what the AMA recommends, have your mammograms.  One in eight women will develop breast cancer.  Early detection is the key to the cure.  It saved my life!
Let Freedom Ring!
Want to watch a really great movie on this subject?  Go to www.mylifetime.com/movies/living-proof

Games Galore!

Language and Math Games Galore

Grades K-2 are available now Grade 3 available in August three books for each grade level 10 matching games per book full color pictures card-stock pieces ready to use easy to prepare easy to play in a variety of ways

At CTP we have a new slogan for our books like Games Galore. It is "Buy today...Use tomorrow!" All the Games Galore are ready-to-use books. Each book contains 10 matching games that provide differentiated skills levels....perfect for the response to intervention initiative.

The books are $12.99 which makes each game less than $1.50. That is a deal! The games are easy to prepare. They can be adapted to play in many ways. You can really.... "buy today and use tomorrow!

Each game consists of two pages from the book. Pieces are perforated so they can be easily separated. An answer key is provided with each game.

After separaating the pieces store in a ziplock bag along with the answer sheet.

Have you ever played the game Concentration? Like the classic game the object of Games Galore is to find the most pairs of matching cards using visual recall. With Games Galore, the kids are also practicing math or language skills.

A few weeks ago I took some of the games to school to share with a kindergarten class. As you can see we had a great time playing with the games.

Cate lined the cards up side down on a gridded chart. I made the 3" square grids to keep the cards in order. Having the grid helped the kids remember where the matching cards were. There is a solid black line on the back of each card that helps line up the cards correctly so the cards are not upside down or sideways. Cate is playing alone but she could also play with a friend to see who can make the most matches.

When You Play Alone,
You Are Always the Winner!

"I did it"

Adapt the Games Because the games are printed in color and on card stock they can be easily made into file folder games. Simply glue one piece of the match to the file folder. Save the other half of the match. Laminate the folder and the seperate pieces for durability. The game is played by matching the cards.  Use the answer key to check the answers.  The game can be played alone or with a friend.

Another way to use the cards...  Have the kids shuffle the cards and then match them in a pocket chart.  This is good for a  center activity because it doesn't require much space.

With Games Galore,
YOU are the WINNER!

Monkey Business

 

Today was the last day of VBS at our church.  I was on the snack detail.  We had almost 800 children each day.

Needless to say we were thrilled to have that many kids, but today all of the adults were weary!  The theme for the week was the rainforest.  The new Monkey Designer Cut-Outs were perfect decorations. 

                                                  

 With the JUMBO monkeys it was easy to turn any room into a rainforest.  We  just added a few colorful tissue paper flowers and twisted paper vines with big green leaves

to make it a junge.

Monkeys and jungle are popular classroom themes.  When we were taking the decorations down today a lady was following me around  gathering up all the vines, leaves, and flowers.  I could tell she was a teacher!!  She looked at me and said,

"I just decided what my classroom theme is going to be next fall?" 

  I gave her all the monkeys.  She is all set for next year!

Get creative and bring the theme to all corners of the classroom.  Bulletin boards, borders, name tags, name plates, storage boxes, stickers....monkeys are everywhere.  And that is not even counting the ones in your class!!

You can find all our monkey products at http://www.creativeteaching.com/

Sure, the new JUMBO Monkey Designer Cut-Outs add to the jungle theme, but think outside the box!  You can do lots more with the monkey JUMBO cut-outs.

To make a themed step stool simply use  Modge Podge to adhere

the  Monkey Cut-Out to the stool.  This one is perfect for preschoolers to use to reach the sink to wash their hands.

A few construction paper leaves and a couple of buttons add to the "jungle" look. This same technique can be applied to a chair or

file cabinet or anything else in the room that needs
"something" to add a little fun.

Need more fun?  Add a monkey to a lap desk.  Again, use Modge Podge to adhere the monkey and a few construction paper leaves to the top of the desk.  You can personalize the desk with our 1" letter stickers.  This lap desk would make a great birthday gift or for someone special at your house.

You can never have too much monkey business!!

JUMBO DESIGNER CUT OUTS

A couple of weeks ago I went to California to work on some display boards that are being sent to stores to show CTP's new product for back to school.  Here is one of the boards that we did.  Notice the new calendar and calendar days that form a pattern as you add the days to the month. 

If you look on the right side you see a little black board that features our new designer cut outs.  They now come in three different sizes.  The 10" ones are called JUMBO designer cut outs.  We added to our existing line of 6" exciting designer cut outs.  In addition, we added new mini  designer cut outs that are 1".  Of all the new product, I had the most fun playing with the jumbo cut outs.  There are 11 different styles of jumbos to choose from.  Here are some things you can do with JUMBOS!

Go to http://www.creativeteaching.com/ and search for jumbo designer cut outs to see all the different styles.

The Jumbo 10" cut outs are perfect for math and word mats.

A math mat is simply a place to hold manipulatives while the student is working the problem.  This is the Chart Card cut out set.  I divided one of the cards into two parts using a marker.  Large buttons are the used as manipulatives.  We are working on the fact family for 6.

           2 + 4 = 6

The Dots on Black Apples cut outs make great word mats.  Write your sentence on a sentence strip  then cut each word apart and scramble the words. 

Arrange the words in the correct order on the word mat.

Use the pointer to read the sentence.

After Kate arranges her sentence on her word mat, she writes it on a sentence strip.  She practices reading the sentence one more time!

Next time, more stuff to do with designer JUMBOS!

Step on a Spot

For the last four years I have been working for an educational publishing company called Creative Teaching Press.  Being a part of CTP is a joy for me.  I get to do what I love to do with really great people.  CTP is located in Huntington Beach, CA, the surfing capital of the world...not that I ever surf when I am there.  But, when you are the oldest employee in the company you do get special treatment.   Most of the time I work from my home in Texas in my pajamas.  Sometimes, I go to shows like IRA or NAEYC.  My main job there is to talk.  I can do that! 

Recently I decided that I needed some business cards.  They told me I could have some made as soon as I decided what my title was.  It is hard to describe what I really do besides play with product and talk to people.  After much thought and deliberation I finally came up with a title. 
My card says Tommie Netzer....Creative Consultant.  I think that is pretty good.  Creative means I get to take cute stuff and make it cuter.  Consultant means I get to tell everyone what I think and to give my opinion on everything!  That is pretty much what I do. 

Here is an example of my "work".  Marketing sent me a package of 4" black numbers and a package of  Poppin' Pattern designer cutout dots.  They said can you think of something cute that could be made from these?  "Of course!" I said.  "My job is to take cute things and make them cuter!"

A walk- on number line 
 I started with a 12 foot piece of bulletin board paper that was 20" wide. (Here is a tip that I learned from making this the first time....Fold the paper the way you plan to store it before you put anything on it.  Don't put anything on a fold.  Then you will be able to fold it when you finish.  It is impossible to fold in the middle of a dot or number!)  I spaced the dots and numbers along the paper.  When they looked evenly spaced I glued them down.  I added Poppin' Pattern 4" letters to spell Step on a Spot!  That pretty much explains what a kid is supposed to do. A border along the edge finishes off the number line. 

This is my kindergarten friend, Eva, using the number line at her school. 

Here are some things a kid can do on a number line:

• Walk forward counting as she steps on a spot
• Start at 20 and count backwards as she steps on a spot
• On what number is Eva standing?  16
• What is the number before 16? 15
• What is the number after 16?  17
• If Eva stands on the number 1 and steps forward on 5 spots what is the new number?  6  What is the number sentence? 

      1 + 5 = 6

Anything that can be done on a desk-top number line can be done on the walk-on style.  It is just more fun to move your whole self when you do your thinking.

Have some fun!  Take a walk on a number line. 

                                                                         

Tommie Becomes a Blogger

This is my confession….
I am technologically challenged!
I was quite proud of the power point that I designed recently until I saw the one that my nine year old grandson, Trevor, did on Guatemala. His had 31 slides with pictures and graphs and all sorts of fancy things. Now, he is my technical support on all power points.                             

Since I am so technologically challenged Kelly Murphy, the online marketing guru from Creative Teaching Press, set up my blog and has posted for me in the past. Thanks, Kelly! However, today I shall become a blogger.

Kelly offered me some advice…

• Keep it short and sweet.

• Use pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words!

• Don’t get too commercial.  However, my projects feature wonderful products from Creative Teaching Press. Check them out.   All products can be found at http://www.creativeteaching.com/. 

• Post often and be personable. Try to create some followers.

Seems like good advice. I will try to follow it.



My husband once told me, “If you could just find something to do with all the ‘dumb stuff’ that you know how to do….” Actually, some folks love my “dumb stuff”.  Perhaps you will, too.



Check in tomorrow for the beginning of “The dumb stuff that Tommie knows how to do!”

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Flash Cards

Just in time for Earth Day, which is April 22nd!

LESSON:

1. Display reduce, reuse, recycle messages on a bulletin board or pocket chart. CTP's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Mini Bulletin Board set is a great option with lots of pictures and facts to spur on conversation.
2. Go over each message (or piece from the bulletin board set) to discuss and reinforce the concept of conserving natural resources.

ACTIVITY:

1. To reinforce the conservation methods, have students cut pictures of related items from magazines (the example above shows an environmentally friendly cleaning product) and glue them to the back of the flash cards, or for extra fun, use Take Care of the Earth Designer Cut-Outs.
2. Next, assist children as they glue a craft stick to the back of the flash card or cut-out.
3. Encourage children to take turns in discussing how the image relates to the concepts of reduce, reuse, or recycle.