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One talented fourth grader left me this memento. It’s a rather decent likeness! She left out the gray streak in my hair, but that’s okay. I’ll take it.
I hope she and her classmates all have a wonderful summer.
>Chilled Potato Salad
1-1/2 lb. new potatoes, quartered or red salad potatoes, diced
1/2 cup Miracle Whip Dressing
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 to 18 min. or just until potatoes are tender; drain. Rinse with cold water until cooled; drain well.
Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add potatoes; mix lightly. Salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.
Serve with Super Burgers or other delicious main dish cooked on the grill, of course!
Chuck makes a dynamite German potato salad. I thought I’d attempt the American standard on my own instead of making a visit to the deli. Kraft Kitchens called this Pack-a-Punch Potato Salad. Honestly, I found it a bit bland. Any suggestions?
Super Burgers? Since you asked, each cook in the family makes them slightly differently. Basically, my Super Burgers are 1 1/2 lb. ground chuck, 1 egg, 2-3 Tablespoons bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, and about 1 Tablespoon McCormick’s Grill Mates. I like their Montreal Steak flavor. Whisk egg, bread crumbs, W. sauce, and spices together. Add ground chuck and mix thoroughly. Form into hamburger patties. Cook over hot coals! This formula makes a tasty burger that can still take any toppings desired, including but not limited to BBQ sauce or cheese.
>I entered this blog tour with a touch of envy. I’ve sample the joys of interactive boards in other classrooms and I am registered for training before the next school year starts. I don’t have one in my elementary classroom – yet – but I do have access to an interactive board in another location down the hall.
Currently, I have an oldfashioned chalkboard and overhead projector in my room. I share a media cart (laptop and projector) with the other teachers in my unit. My fourth grade students have grown up with technology; they consider a computer as natural as a telephone. Many even have their own cell phones, email accounts, and even Facebook pages. Maybe they’ll friend the Smart Love of Learning page! If you’re not on Facebook, you can find the Smart Love of Learning here.
A Smart Board does much more than provide a writing surface. In fact, it takes the computer and projector several steps farther, incorporating technological options into the projecting surface. This video on YouTube showcases the Smart board’s potential for fun. In addition to its use as a teaching tool, my school also uses the technology in staff meetings to project everything from test statistics to crisis intervention plans to inspirational videos.
MomCentral asked its bloggers to talk about the best teacher ever. I’m biased, of course; I’d like to think I’m the best teacher ever! If you talk to the student who drew the picture below, I think she’d agree. Maybe I’ll keep a small chalkboard around just for kids like her.
I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smart Love of Learning and Smart Technologies. I did not recieve a Smart Board to facilitate the review, but I did receive an Amazon gift certificate to thank me for my time. I can, however, enter the contest on Smart Love of Learning’s web site with prizes including (you guessed it!) a classroom Smart Board. PTA moms and other advocates, pay attention! Click on the apple, enter the relevant information, and you could win one for your child’s teacher.
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Me: Kiddo, don’t get too excited, I’m just warning you.
Amigo: What?
Me: There’s a toilet in your bedroom.
Amigo: Great! Does it work?
Me: Nope. Now get your cap and gown and let’s go.
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No? Then you were a deprived child. They’re Mother’s Cookies, the circus kind, with pink and white frosting and sprinkles. The company is expanding into the Kansas City market, so they asked MomCentral for a little help generating excitement for their brand. Of course I said I’d help!
These cookies are a little sweeter than standard shortbread animal cookies, but they’re still mild enough to eat a handful as a snack without overdoing the sugar. Young kids like them with milk. I like mine with coffee. My teenager likes his with Mountain Dew and a computer. Well, he didn’t eat the computer.
If Mother’s Cookies aren’t in your market yet, you can find them at Amazon. You won’t find them at my house until we go shopping again; the two bags provided for the review went quickly. I’m finishing the last of the batch right now – for breakfast. Shh; it’s okay. I’ll have a grapefruit later.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mother’s Cookies and received two bags of cookies and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to facilitate my review. Good timing; I can put it towards an order for Father’s Day. Chuck hinted about a train book….
>I’m overloaded with end-of-year paperwork and (wild) behavior at my school.
Amigo graduated last night; pictures and stories soon, I promise.
Those are my excuses for reposting a piece originally posted on MidCentury Modern Moms. Enjoy!
While La Petite was graduating, Chuck was packing things in boxes and loading the minivan. He filled most of the minivan, and then he piled the two bunnies in their cages on top of the boxes, directed Amigo into the front seat, and headed home.
Meanwhile, I headed back to the hotel down the street, settled in for the night with my everpresent schoolwork, and let La Petite and her roommate figure out the rest of the packing process before they went out to party.
When I arrived in the morning, Egg McMuffins and coffee in hand, the apartment was looking better. Emptier, at least. It was time, after three years of living, to say goodbye.
Goodbye, empty living room with wild duck lights! 
…that which did not go home in the minivan or land in the dumpster is here in the Saturn.
Chuck used the term “packing with a shoehorn” and it wasn’t too far off. Every inch had something in it.
>Chuck put in a few blueberry bushes! I hope we get to the berries before the birds do.
Meanwhile, I put in the tomatoes and peppers and a little broccoli.
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… unless Chuck repaints it, antiques it, and cuts a hole in the seat so it can become a planter. This chair was destined for the dump; we rescued it off a curb on garbage day.
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Crust:
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
Mix together and press into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or lightly browned.
Mix:
5 c. diced rhubarb
3 egg yolks, beaten
3 T. flour
2 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
½ c. cream
Pour over baked crust. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven.
Meringue:
Beat 3 egg whites. Add 1/3 c. sugar, a little at a time, and then ½ t. vanilla. Beat until it peaks. (Don’t make meringue until you have taken dessert out of the oven.)
Swirl meringue over top of baked dessert. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.
This sweet and tart treat was a major hit in the teachers’ lounge. I highly recommend it!
And yes, as the badge indicates, I’ve signed up for NaBloPoMo for the month of June. Why not? School’s out, and the mom/garden/teacher blogger will play!