Thursday, October 29, 2009

Fatherhood and Education

Yippee!!!! Today, was a big one for me. It was the first day that I had to speak to a large group in years. I was part of a group presentation teaching a lesson on the importance of fathers in society and education. My group all wore ties. We had a super powerpoint that included some great videos (here is a great one from ABC News), handed out a rockin' brochure and gave out tootsie "POPS"! I spoke about my dear friend Mark who is a wonderful and involved dad! I had asked him questions about how to make father's feel welcome and what future teachers need to know about father involvement among a few other things. Here are a few of his answers:

  • Ask for help with enthusiasm and expectancy!


  • Make sure to extend offers to fathers.


  • Have dad specific activities. Getting one Dad in the door will encourage other Dads to join the fun!


  • Dads can be an additional resource that wasn't previously expected.

Here are some interesting facts:

  • Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Center for Health Statistics. Survey on Child Health. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1993


  • Father involvement in schools is associated with the higher likelihood of a student getting mostly A's. This was true for fathers in biological parent families, for stepfathers, and for fathers heading single-parent families.Source: Nord, Christine Winquist, and Jerry West. Fathers’ and Mothers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools by Family Type and Resident Status. (NCES 2001-032). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2001


  • A study of 1330 children from the PSID showed that fathers who are involved on a personal level with their child schooling increases the likelihood of their child's achievement. When fathers assume a positive role in their child's education, students feel a positive impact.Source: McBride, Brent A., Sarah K. Schoppe-Sullivan, and Moon-Ho Ho. "The mediating role of fathers' school involvement on student achievement." Applied Developmental Psychology 26 (2005): 201-216


  • http://www.fathers.com/ This is a great website for fathers and for those of us who want to encourage their involvement!

OK... so can you tell I am VERY excited about everything I am learning :-)



My kids are very lucky to have a wonderful Dad who takes his role in their life VERY seriously!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Happy Hump Day!

Shhhhhhh.....here is Jax's secret ingredient to eggs:



Coffee Sugar



(AKA: refined white sugar)



Making me happy this Hump day is listening to Jax tell the secret to anyone and everyone. He loves making scrambled "chicken" eggs in the microwave without help. On the weekend, he wakes early and starts making these "sweet" eggs for EVERYONE! This day I was up early enough to suggest him helping me make some sunny side up eggs and "pan-na-cakes".

This boy loves cooking! He also loves gathering the eggs at Harold and Doc's house.
"Chicken" eggs are the best!!!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Two Love Bugs in the Kitchen

The kids were all at the table last week when Ollie announced,

"2 Love Bugs in the Kitchen!"

Dax and I were fixing the kid's plates. We had stopped to sneak a kiss when Ollie caught us!

Even at 5...... they don't miss a beat!

Today, we have been married 14 years! WOW!

Last night, Dax took me out to celebrate.

Here are the pictures I got the sitter to take before we left.

Snapshot Sunday by the "Little"brooks


Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Happy Hump Day!




My happy thing for this Wednesday is
Emma always having a books in her hands.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Happy Hump Day!

Making me smile this Hump day is a funny conversation with the boys.

Jax: "Mom, I remember you said Ollie is a ladies man!"

Mom: "You are both ladies men!"

Both boys grin a devilish grin!

Ollie: "Yeah Jax, you have a wife and a girlfriend!"

Jax: "So....you do too!"

Ladies take this as your warning: These boys are dangerously cute!!!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Snapshot Sunday by the "Little"brooks




I have so many photos that the kids have taken over the years. I thought I would start sharing. We let them take off with the camera on a regular basis. The world from their perspective is funny, fun, strange, amazing and beautiful!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Stay away....

from us!
Don't come around our house! We have 2 kids have type A flu!
Fevers, coughs, aches, snotty noses, and bad moods...

This kid is not a morning person!


Yummy, Emma made me waffles!



Emma made me take this picture so she could make a b-day present for her Dadda!

Em has been a super helper with everyone being sick! I am so proud of her!!!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Straighten UP...



One of the girls friends has a new CHI flat iron. Every time De comes home she has straight hair! I have done it for her once for school! They are growing up too fast!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Spin Jammers


These have been the talk of our house for weeks. In P.E., all the kids have been using Spin Jammers. They can do many tricks and the older 3 are now playing disc golf with them. Well, the coaches just started selling ones the students could buy! FUN! So the first day, each of my kiddos went to school with their $5 and returned with their very own. They really are fun and addicting!

The girls like to spin, dance, and sing the Miley Cyrus song Hoedown Throwdown :-) Cute!




Even Ollie can really jam!!!! The oldest kids throw them in the air and catch them most of time. They spin it under a leg and arm. All of them can pass to a friend.




No matter where or what they are doing you can find the spin jammer.




Ollie was resting watching TV in my bed and spinning away!

Friday, October 2, 2009

This was a blonde moment!


Her answer to all the questions she got was, "The closet light is out!" We all got a good laugh out of this one! She laughed along.... no worries for this blue eyed girl!!!!!!
Dede, Everyone Loves A Blue Eyed Girl TOO!!!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Happy B-day Dax!


Three Words Describing Dadda:




  • Delaney, 10yrs.= fun, curious, and entertaining

  • Jax, 7yrs.= golf, love, and Daddy

  • Ollie, 5yrs.=goofy, loving, and hangs me upside down

  • Emma, 10yrs.=goof-ball-ish, funny, and nice

Favorite thing Dadda does:



  • Delaney= He is good at math. He describes things in kooky ways the other kids don't get, but I do!

  • Jax= Golf!

  • Ollie= Sometimes, he lets us go to the movie theater!

  • Emma= When he calls me all the funny nicknames!

My favorite activity with Dadda:



  • Delaney= ripsticking together

  • Jax= Golf

  • Ollie= play baseball with him

  • Emma= Going to the library with him & playing sports with him

If you could give him any B-day gift in the whole world what would it be:



  • Delaney= A see through glow-in-the-dark ripstick!

  • Jax= A new golf club

  • Ollie= A new green golf bag..... let's go get him one now...... Ollie, he already has a new green golf bag..... ok, how bout a red one!

  • Emma: A flying hovercraft that you could go fishing on & play baseball on!

Happy Birthday Dadda!


xoxo: Delaney, Jax, Ollie, and Emma


Dax,


I hope that this is the best year yet! I love you so much. You always go above and way beyond... thank you! I am not going to get too mushy here....


xoxo, Bethy