West Ottawa Homecoming Assembly

The kids joined me for the West Ottawa Homecoming Assembly.  They had never seen anything like it.  So fun!

West Ottawa High School 2013 Lip Dub in HD

**Click on the white title above to open the video in a separate window**

Friday Night Football

We went to our first football game of the year.  We had a GREAT time! 

As many of you know our school allegiances have officially been divided this year.  Brighton has a school and this mama has a school.  They are not the same. They just happen to be rivals, but they just happen to both be pretty awesome. 

We are somewhat of a rarity.  We even had someone holler out from the bleachers asking if we should be there (all in good fun of course).   

Don't worry though, there is enough love in our hearts for both fabulous schools/teams!  

We bleed black, white, and maroon.  

WOHS Lip Dub 2012

This is the third year that my broadcast journalism students have produced a lip dub at West Ottawa High School.  Last year they actually pulled it off in my absence, but this year we've spent the last couple months planning and practicing.  It premiered on Friday, December 21 at our holiday assembly.  It proudly demonstrates our "Panther Pride" and features hundreds of WOHS students.  In case you'd like to watch some of it, here it is...

Happy Birthday to Me

I'm 34.  And let's be honest, birthdays really aren't a big deal anymore.  I am perfectly fine with just having it be another day and letting it slide on by.  I envision a quite night out with my hubby maybe.  This year, that was not the case.  It was Homecoming at West Ottawa.  After a week of insane school spirit, my birthday fell on Friday: the day of the annual Homecoming Assembly.  This is of course an assembly to not be missed; I had Panther Pride coming out of my pores.  (To get a taste of this you can check out clips of the assembly: Senior Walk, Senior Mock Rock, Teacher Mock Rock, and more.  And of course in addition to all of this, my students and my family threw in some birthday celebrations.  It is a day that will not soon be forgotten.

First, my students secretly put a video in our morning program that both made me cry and then I was overcome with embarrassment (the show goes to over 2500 students, plus the staff, plus online to parents and the community where it lives forever).  If you'd like to check out this touching (and embarrassing) video that was already broadcast to the entire WOHS community, it's here at 3:34...

Then my family showed up with four dozen donuts.  Brighton was a bit shy, but Tilden couldn't get enough of all the craziness.  I love how she is hanging out with my students...a sea of black and white that day.

Then one of my students brought in an ice-cream cake (she works at Dairy Queen).  I had a donut and a piece of ice-cream cake before 9:30 am.  Yes, a sugar high and a gut ache.

Whoa!  I was never wished "Happy Birthday" so many times in my entire life.  When I got home I was ready to crash.  I did get to hit Nordstrom Rack on Saturday for a bit.  Just being able to go was a great gift.  Jon, maybe a nice night out next weekend?  Life is busy and often chaotic, but I am for sure a 34 year old that feels loved.  

WOHS Lipdub 2011

Wow!  So very proud to teach these students.  The lipdub this year turned into a major school event with lots of student participation. The WOBNers planned, organized, and produced this - very impressive.  It premiered today at the Month of Caring Holiday Assembly.

West Ottawa High School Lip Dub 2010

What is a lip dub?
A lip dub is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. It is made by filming individuals or a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song. There is often some form of mobile audio device used such as an MP3 players. Often they look like simple music videos, although many involve a lot of preparation and production. Lip dubs can be done in a single unedited shot that often travels through different rooms and situations within a building. - Wikipedia

These Boots are Made for Walking

I had to dust 'em off, but I wore my cowboy boots to school this week. It was for a legitimate reason too, not just because I missed them. Last week was homecoming at West Ottawa - super fun! I am wishing I had a picture of myself. Oh well, this one will have to do.

.

Vote for WO!

Back to School 2010

I haven't written the proverbial "Back to School" blog post yet. So much to do, and so little time. Thankfully I did get some help with my "Back to School" to-do list this year from my boys. Maybe we'll have to make this an annual tradition, what do you think? Hopefully next year we won't have to get out the ladder.

The "Back to School" transition for us went well this year. Jon has stepped up at home. Bright is loving life with his grandmas and friends while I'm at school. I am adjusting to a 6 hour day on a semester schedule, but I do have a student teacher. I also have really great kids; my days have been great.

All Out Pink Out

We headed to West Ottawa last night for Pink Out. If you live in the area, you probably read or heard about the event arranged by one class of students and one teacher from WO, all in an effort to plan a fun community event that would also raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Our little guy was so excited to head to another "backetbaa" game, and I was thrilled I was able to wear a pink t-shirt and jeans to school on Friday. My students and my family were all looking forward to what was going to be a really fun Friday night. In great games, we did lose to Rockford, but the event was super fun and hugely successful.

Way to go WO!

Visit for 31

I turned 31 years old this week.  

Yup, I'm just throwing the exact number out there.  I have not resorted to gimmicks about my age....not yet anyway. 

My birthday came and went without too much thought on my part as this was an extrememly busy week.  We did have Friday off this week, but that was due to having conferences two nights this week, and one of them was the exact day of my birthday.  My birthday ended up being a 13 hour work day, but to my surprise Jon and Brighton visited me at school Monday morning.  They brought themselves and donuts for my students.  It was an awesome birthday just for that reason alone.  
Thanks boys!

The Annual Transition

Summer vacation is a HUGE blessing in my life, but each fall transitioning from summer to being back at school is like going from zero to sixty at some ridiculously jarring rate. I'm not alone either. Just about everyone I know is in transition mode. With back-to-school in full swing, it's that way for us and most of our friends and family. It affects everyone really, from grandparents to the littlest ones. For us, things are going as well as to be expected. We all had a great week outside of one unforgettable incident. The first day of school was a thumbs up for me until I got home and Brighton decided to draw with pen all over our red leather ottoman. You can see the evidence if and when you ever visit us. It about made me sick, but I'm over it now. As my grandma told me, it won't be the worst thing he does. At school so far, I have kids that behave...so far. No one has really announced themselves as the class troublemaker(s) yet. I don't know if I should be thankful or wait and worry.

Although on some days it doesn't feel like it, I will say that Jon and I are getting pretty good at juggling our schedule and our responsibilities at work and at home. I really struggle with wanting to be productive and efficient while wanting to spend fun quality time with my son. It's a daily battle for me...a little insight into my personal struggles for you. Jon has figured out that there are a couple things he can do with Brighton (at least right now) that are productive and really fun at the same time. So, yesterday morning Jon and Bright washed the car while I set-up gradebooks for my classes. No question who had more fun. The car washing did require a new clean and dry outfit for each of them, but I readily accept some extra laundry as I got a really clean car out of the deal. What's another outfit when they each go through a couple each day anyway? The never-ending laundry: now that's another topic for another blog post.

Anyway, I hope this post finds you transitioning as well as possible. Hope you had a nice weekend too.

The New Normal

The combination our new little guy, Brighton, and going back to school has brought about the new normal that we are in the process of adjusting to. And I thought we were busy before.
I have to say...so far so good. I have little to no free time, but I do feel somewhat in control. Here's what our school days look like:

5:40 am - Lindsay wakes up.
6:00 am - Jon wakes up.
6:45 am - Brighton wakes up.
7:00 am - Brighton eats.
7:15 am - We leave for daycare or she arrives at our house.
3:00ish pm - Lindsay arrives home from school or picks up Brighton.
3:30 pm - Brighton eats.
4:00 pm - Play with Brighton, return phone calls, answer emails, do housework, plan dinner, etc.
5:30 pm - Jon gets home.
5:45 pm - Walk/Run (all three of us)
6:45 pm - Dinner
7:15 pm - Brighton's Bath
7:30ish pm - Brighton eats.
8:00 pm - Brighton goes to bed. We hopefully have one hour before Lindsay goes to bed to prepare for the next day. If we're lucky we might be able to watch a little TV.
9:00 pm - Lindsay showers.
9:30 pm - Lindsay goes to bed.

If we've neglected you dear friends and family, we're so sorry. Maybe now you can see what we've been up to. I'm sure it will be much easier in the near future, but it's taking a lot of effort to maintain at this point.

The weekends are priceless, but they must come to an end. Here comes another week, and this one will be five days - yikes.

TGIF!

Friday was my last day teaching for the year, and it was really hectic, but AMAZING! I finally was able to meet and spend some time with the sub that will be replacing me for the rest of the year. The kids were really sweet, and I received several adorable gifts from students and colleagues.

The principal and I took the students to video competition award ceremony in the middle of the day, and they won! They won huge! We took first and second place, earning WOBN $3000. I still can't really believe it.

The winning video will be shown at the Holland 7 and the Grand Haven 9 movie theaters before every movie this summer. The hope is to neutralize the smoking message that is present in so many popular movies; this has been proven to influence especially teenagers. 4,000 teenagers in the US try a ciggarette for the first time everyday.

One other thing...I have to include a few pictures because they printed out giant checks for us. I've never been on the giving or receiving end of a giant check. I must say it's pretty cool. You should've seen the kids walking around with those things - priceless.

Little Stinker Update

I had another ultrasound on Friday, so I took my sister and mom along. We saw what they said was quite a bit of hair, and we watched him suck his thumb - so cute! At one point his thumb fell out of his mouth, and the "Little Stinker" did not like that. His head and hands were moving back and forth quite a bit until he was back at it again. We saw this all on an ultrasound, and I felt it too. Technology is amazing!

According to the baby size equation that doctors use, he already weighs approximately 7 pounds and 7 ounces. I hear that babies at this stage gain about an ounce a day. I think he should join us sooner rather than later don't you?

My doctor also told me that he wouldn't let me go past my due date. That was exciting news. I have a good friend that went 18 days past hers. It's comforting to know that is out of the equation for me. That means he'll be here sometime in the next 3 1/2 weeks!

Everyone is asking us, "Are you ready?" The answer is almost. We'd be thrilled if he would show up tonight. We're ready in that sense. Jon is excited, but I sense he is getting a bit anxious about the actually day or night when it's time. I'm doing okay in that department, but I'm not ready at school. I'm scheduled to work the next two weeks yet (9.5 days!), but I am going to attempt to have everything ready and waiting for a sub in the next few days just in case. This is no small task, but I'm almost there. Ideally, I'd like to meet with the sub, but they haven't found one yet. It's nice to know I'm not that easy to replace. The administration has been telling me not to worry about it, but now they seem to be scrambling. Oh well. My kids will survive, and pretty soon I really won't be worrying about it at all.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I'll post more about my super fun weekend soon. Have a great week!

What's in a name?

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

Every year I teach Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet to freshmen. I'm teaching it right now. It's a challenge, but I really enjoy it. Most students end up getting a big boost of confidence as they make it through and understand a Shakespearean play. Some of the lines we look at are the ones above about names. One of the reasons their love is doomed from the start is because Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet; their families are long standing enemies. As they quickly fall in love, they wish names weren't important. The lines above explain that a rose would still be a beautiful rose even if it was called something else. Unfortunately, it's not so simple for them. I think we all know how it ends.

Names are of course taking on a whole new meaning for us right now. I'm pretty sure we have a name selected for our "Little Stinker." It's a big responsibility! At this point, sometimes I question our choice, but I think it's only when I focus on the enormity of the decision. Jon seems more sure, so that is comforting.

For those of you wondering and haven't asked yet, we have decided to keep his name a secret. I get asked by curious students everyday at school. And my mom wins the grand prize for trying to figure it out. She asks questions such as: "What letter does it start with? How many letters are in the name? The nickname?" In Disney World, she also offered to buy a really cute name print for us, but we would of course had to reveal the name. Both Jon and I have resisted the pressure, and we haven't slipped yet either.

Our three year old nephew, Braden, also weighed in on the name topic this week. When Pam asked him what he thought his new cousin's name should be, he replied "Pablo" without hesitation.

Thanks for all of your concern this week about my cold and Jon's thumb. We're both on the mend, and we are LOVING this warmer weather. We're at the Raterink Cottage putting in the dock and shore station. Well, I'm not any help and Jon isn't contributing 100% either, but on days like today you realize that summer can't be far off.

Enjoy your warm weekend!

More Comments from Students

Back by popular demand...

Here are a few more memorable comments from students about my pregnancy that have come my way in the last couple weeks:

• Mrs. Walcott, are you scared?

• Mrs. Walcott, you are waddling.

• Mrs. Walcott, I can see your belly button.

• Mrs. Walcott, did you grow a lot since yeseterday?

Getting Ready

I am 29 weeks along, so we are definitely in the stage of actively getting ready for our "Little Stinker" to arrive in May.

• We attended a birth class at Holland Hospital on Saturday. I really don't know where to begin, so I'll just leave it at that.



• Jon tried to install the carseat today, and although as a mechanic he was confident (and so was I) that he could install the thing, he has decided to call the Lakeshore Safe Kids Coalition just to be sure. Not as easy as we thought.




• We received our rocking chair this past week. A great gift from Dan & Jordan. It's so cool! I was bit concerned about the comfort at first, but then rememembered I'm pregnant, and it's not exactly comfortable to be rocking like that at this stage of the game.
  
• I got a couple of great things from Petunias. Kelly hooked me up with a great blanket, burb clothes, an icky bag, and even a onsie that says...you guessed it..."Little Stinker." You can access her Etsy stores here and here. Great stuff!
  
• Our crib and changing table is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. Can't wait for that! You know what we'll be doing Tuesday night.

This week at school (and many high schools across the state) is going to be crazy. We've been "Getting Ready" for quite some time now. The Juniors need to take the MME, and the rest of us need to do something while they're doing that. During this time we're not in regular classes, but divided up into grades doing a variety of activities. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are going to be crazy. Thankfully the principal decided to release the seniors for one of the days, and I'm with them, so who knows what I'll end up doing when they're gone. Maybe they'll be nice to me because I'm pregnant :)

Have a great week everyone!

Snow Day #6

Wow! The snow is something else again today, and it sounds like it's going to keep coming. This is snow day #6 for West Ottawa and Holland Christian here in the Holland area. I'm sure I'll hear soon, but I wouldn't be surprised if we have to now add time back into the remaining school year schedule. I wonder how many years it has been since local schools have had this many days off due to bad weather.

While this weather gives me a day off, it is a totally different scenario for Jon. Not only does he need to make the tough lakeshore commute to Grand Haven, but also the driveway has been giving Jon some stress lately. First, there's lots of snow. Second, there's lots of ice underneath due to all that rain. Third, we regularly have significant drifting in the driveway. He's having difficulty getting traction even though our tractor has chains and is weighted in the back. We've got two hills in the driveway, and it isn't a short driveway either. If you know Jon, you know he doesn't get frustrated easily, but this is testing his easy-going personality. I feel so bad for him that he has to start his day that way especially when I'm still in my pajamas looking at a day off. On these big snow days, he's out there snowblowing for almost an hour starting at 6:30 am. On the flip-side, our tractor is for sure paying for itself this year, and on a lot of days Jon really enjoys snowblowing. Thanks for all of your hard work Jon! I can't imagine what our plowing bill would've been this season.

If you live in West Michigan, you can probably feel his pain if you're doing your own driveway or if you're paying to have it plowed. Our grandparents in condo complexes are definitely the lucky ones.