Friday, December 25, 2015

A Year Of Many Firsts

This year has been a year of many firsts and with that a lot of growing up. I graduated college and moved to Las Vegas, where I got my first teaching job. I'm teaching kindergarten and loving every moment!
Moving here was scary, but I can say I've overcame a lot of fears since I've moved here. On my birthday, I went skydiving with my dad and overcame many fears I had. If I can jump out of a plane, I know I can conquer many more of life's challenges.
Over the summer, I purchased my first car and named her Carla. She is treating me well.
If you know me, you know I hate driving, but this year I overcame that fear and now enjoy driving. This year Carla took me on my first long road trip, by myself, to Utah to see Michael and Jenny.
I also had the chance to see Montana for the first time when visiting my
mom, Kevin, Bailey and Nora.
This year has been full of challenges and adventures and I know I wouldn't have made it through without all of you! So here is to my first Christmas card THANKING you all!


I love you all! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
XOXO, Lara

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Ms. Dill loves apples!


This last week was my first week back from track break. It always seems like I'm on a track break. I love it! But I also love being in the classroom with my students. It always brings me joy. Last Wednesday was Back To School Night. It was nice to see my students come in and show off their classroom to their parents. One of my students came in and the first thing she said was, "Mom! Ms. Dill loves apples!" It was so cute. I just smiled and said, "Yes. Yes I do!"

This last week, we did a theme of apples. From my room covered in apples and then doing a theme on apples, if my kids didn't know I love apples they now do. At the end of the week, when I was putting up their school work on the bulletin boards, I thought I had to blog about this because I was proud how well my kiddos did this week.

On Friday we labeled the parts of an apple. I just gave my students a blank piece of paper for them to draw an apple and label it. I was proud how they turned out. I can say some of my kindergarteners make good artists.


After knowing all the parts we cut into four different types of apples to taste them. The kids had fun tasting all four apples. The best reaction was to the Granny Smith apple. One students shouted out "Ms. Dill, this is sour!" Their faces were priceless to watch. Then we graphed all the data with what their favorite apple were. Red Delicious was the winner!


With  a theme on apples you need books to read to the students. Here are a few I read this week:



Apples A to Z, by Margaret McNamara

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, by Marjorie Freeman

The Biggest Apple Ever, by Steven Kroll

Ten Apples Up on Top, by Theo. LeSeig

Johnny Appleseed, by Jodie Shepherd

Lastly, for a craft we got to stamp with apples. The kids loved this! I just cut apples in half, put red and green paint on a paper, and then let the kids stamp away. 


Themes truly makes teaching more fun. Every week flows into the next week and we are constantly making connections from pervious weeks. Next week is on Fall. Alright, well if you're a teacher take my ideas and do an apple theme! If not hope you enjoyed the post.

Monday, August 10, 2015

#DillsDoDisney2015

August 8-9, 2015

Our Christmas present was finally here! We were going to Disneyland! The night before I literally was a kid on Christmas Eve and couldn't sleep.
That morning we had to wake up Nora which was probably the only time I saw her upset. That girl loves her sleep... she is totally Kevin's child. Her being upset was shortly lived and turned into joy as the bus from the parking lot arrived. She kept saying "bus, bus, bus!" And she had no clue that wasn't even the funnest ride, but that we were headed to Disneyland!


We started the day in California Adventures. We went on rides and of course ate and ate. About mid day we all decided to separate for about an hour before meeting up for dinner. I stayed with my mom and we decide to do the mini tour of the sourdough company. We mostly did it for the free sample of bread, but that tiny piece of bread didn't satisfy us so we got a bread bowl to split. Oh were we in heaven! I could live off bread!
We meet up with everyone and went on the new Carsland ride. Way fun! And after that we went to dinner.
We had some time after dinner so we went back to Carsland and the shops and that's where we got Nora her "1st visit" pin. This was Nora's first visit at Disneyland/California Adventures and when she got her "1st visit" pin she was so proud of it! She held onto that pin like it was her pride and joy. She was one happy girl! 



After looking at the shops we went to the California Adventures light show which was AMAZING! 

Bailey, me and Jenny before the California Adventure light show. I have some pretty AMAZING sisters! 

Then we headed over to Disneyland to watch the parade on Main Street. It was magical how it all worked out. Just as we were walking up Michael and I got benches in the perfect spot to watch the parade. The parade was FANTASTIC! Nora was so tired, but that didn't stop her from waving to all the characters as they went by. She was just adorable. 


The next day Jenny, Michael and I went to the park opening. Parking opening is always so magical where they pick a family to open the park. I always tear up it's so magical. The first thing we did was race to space mountain, my favorite ride! We were one of the first to get on the ride... Only way to ride that ride. After that the line gets too long. Then we did a few more rides before the rest of the family came. One ride was the teacups. We did them twice, which I thought they would get me sick, but looking back they were the favorite ride from the day. We ended up going four times that day! 


Shortly after the teacups we went back up to the front and met my mom, Bailey, Kevin and Nora. We took some family pictures because yes we had matching shirts and yes Jenny and Michael made them and yes they were adorable!! Then we took the train to it's a small world and toontown. 


In toontown Nora met Mickey for the first time and it was so cute. The first thing she did was showed Mickey her Olaf shirt. So adorable! 



Disneyland isn't complete without all the food. We had churros, corn on the cob, bread bowls, corn dogs, marshmallows on a stick and my favorite frozen lemonade! Listing all that food just makes me hungry!


After all the eating and shopping the teacups was a must again to recreate the first Disney trip. We even got the teal teacup, but you can't see it in the picture. And I believe we got the facial expressions down to a tee! 


Disneyland was truly so special because I got the see Disney through Nora's eyes. It was so fun seeing her light up at everything... Pure happiness!  


"Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy" -Walt Disney 

#DillsDoDisney2015



Sunday, July 26, 2015

Sometimes You Must Put The Brakes On

I have been non stop with work and everything that I needed some time away from Las Vegas. This weekend I went to Big Bear to meet up with my dad, aunt, cousin and grandma.
My favorite part of the weekend was the alpine slide. As we were about the get on the ride a lady next to me said, "oh you got the crappy, slow racer. Don't use the brakes when you go down." 
Going down the slide I just kept thinking how I don't want to use the brakes or I will go slow. Well I got to a corner and felt like I was going so fast I might wipe out or crash so I quickly put on the brakes. 
This is like life...We want to go fast and keep up with everyone else. But if we go too fast and never put on the brakes we will end up crashing. This weekend was my slowing down on my roller coaster of life. I have been so crazy with work, church and trying to have a social life that I needed some time to just slow down and relax. 
Big Bear was exactly what I needed. I only have 2 more weeks till my small summer break. I can do this! 


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Dance Parties In The Kitchen

July 14, 2015

This next post is to Miss Nora. You can't read, but one day I hope you can look back at this and remember that you can get through anything and know that there is an inter kid within us all.

Today you will be turning 2! Wow! Where has the time gone? The very first moment I meet you I fall in love and this was a love I have never felt before.

Last week, before your 2nd birthday, I came to visit. Goodness, you have grown! You are full of energy and I have loved seeing you develop that wonderful personally you have. My favorite part of seeing you last week, was dancing in the kitchen. Your sweet smile and giggle kept me dancing with you. We could have danced for hours. We jumped and twirled and did it all over again.

In this world you will have ups and downs. You will have days that don't go your way and days that you think, "how can life get any better?" Being with you over the pass few days have been some of the best days for me. You have reminded me how simple and great life can be. You bring so much joy to me. Your sweet and innocent spirit has taught me of being a kid again and just having fun with life.

Keep that quality in life of just having fun. You don't need a reason to have a dance party in the kitchen. Just do it because you can! Know you are loved dearly by me. Keep giggling and smiling that beautiful smile.





Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Staycation!


July 1st-6th, 2015

Overlook of my staycation in July:

Wednesday, July 1:
After a few days of being in Montana, I came home and meet my aunt (Elizabeth) and cousins (Ryan and Morgan) at the airport in Las Vegas. I went home and grabbed a few clean outfits and then we headed to the hotel. We had a chill night with looking at the lights of the strip and tried to ride some of the casino rides, but couldn't because of the weather.

Thursday, July 2:
Today was Wet N Wild waterpark day! We rented a cabana and lay out all day... my kind of vacation. My aunt Margie met up with us mid day at the waterpark. After a long day we had to pick up my uncle from the airport. He was suppose to come in on Friday, but got an early flight. Driving up to the airport I thought I had spotted him, which is totally embarrassing because we weren't really there to pick him up. Little did I know it was my mom we were picking up! She had surprised me!! And I screamed when I realized she was the one we were picking up. It literally was the best surprise ever!


Gosh, don't mind my no makeup and nappy hair. We came straight from the waterpark to pick her up. After picking her up we decided to walk to the Strip and we checked out Coca-Cola world and New York New York. 

Friday, July 3:
Friday was an early morning where we went and did some off roading in Red Rock Canyon. We bused out to Red Rock and got into a pink Jeep and had a fun tour. Living in a city of mostly lights, it was fun to see the nature side of Las Vegas. 



Later that night we went to the Statosphere and went on the rides. The views were amazing of the Strip up top. On the way home we decided to drive the Strip to see more lights and crazies that come out at night.



Saturday, July 4:
Happy Independence Day! In the morning we went on a rafting trip down the Colorado river. It started at the Hoover Dam. Every time I see the Dam I fall in love with it more and more. It's a great part of history! 



During the rafting we found a small waterfall and so my mom and I had to take a picture of our matching shirts with the perfect backdrop.
Later that night we headed to the Strip again to ride The High Roller. We got on at the perfect time with the sun setting and the fireworks starting to come out for the Fourth celebration.



Sunday, July 5:
Today my mom left as well as my uncle and cousin (Morgan). I think our running around and non stop doing things caught up to us and we were all tired. The rest of us went to the south end of the Strip and toured the casinos. We went to the Mandalay Bay and checked out the shark reef and then took the tram to the Luxor   After sitting there for a bit we decide to got to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the women soccer championship game. We waited for a bit but then we were seated and watched the rest of the game. Of course USA won! 

Monday, July 6:
Last day before Elizabeth and Ryan left. We went to Fremont Street where we had delicious nachos for lunch and then went ziplining. 
We couldn't end the trip without a happy hour at the hotel. The staycation was way too fun and ended way too early! I was so happy my family could come out. I truly have the coolest family ever!! 

Monday, June 29, 2015

Meet Carla

Every kid that is the youngest always gets the hammy downs. Well I'm the youngest in the family which means I always got the hammy downs like toys, clothes, and even the family car. The good thing about getting the family car last was I got to keep it when I graduated college. Carlos, our white, two door Honda Civic has treated the Dill kids with love and care. Carlos have been there for us many times. He has been on many road trips, there for first kisses, college adventures and many more. 
As I graduated and got a job as a teacher, I knew it was time for me to start looking for a car that was more reliable. About two weeks ago, I called my dad up saying how everyday I see a stranded car on the side of the road and didn't want that to be me. It was time to start getting serious about looking at cars. Earlier this year, in April, I looked at cars and really liked the Jeep Compass. I've always loved the VW Tiguan, but the Jeep was more in my price range so my hopes and efforts were leaning towards the Jeep when I called my dad. We chatted for a bit and that was that. The next day my dad called me saying he had test drove cars for me. Okay.... Things just got serious! 
He had test drove the Jeep Compass and VW Tiguan and told me it was like night and day and how he liked the VW WAY better. Okay.... I thought. I have always loved the VW Tiguan, but I didn't think I could afford it. Turns out that the VW Tiguan could be in my price range if I found the right one and could get a deal on it. My dad asked what exactly I wanted in the car. If you know me, you know I can be high maintance at times and I wasn't going to settle for a crap car that I didn't like. I told my dad I wanted beige leather interior and white exterior. That is if it was in my price range. That night my dad found a car in Fresno and it was exactly what I wanted in my dream car, 2014 white VW Tiguan with beige interior. It was a little high on my price range, but it had exactly what I wanted in a car. I was sold and I hadn't even seen the car in person. 
Before driving to Fresno I needed to test drive a VW Tiguan to even see if I loved the type of car. It was a Saturday morning and I woke up, and thought to look at the cars here in Henderson/Las Vegas area. Everyday I had been looking at the cars in the area and nothing compared to the one in Fresno. That Saturday, when looking I found one VW Tiguan that wasn't far from my house at the VW dealership. I thought I might as well go look at it and test drive a Tiguan before I drove to Fresno. 
The first thing I said when I walked in the dealership was, "I am not buying a car today, I just need to look and test drive a Tiguan to see if I love it." The dealer probably thought I was crazy. People always say that. Well it turned out when I test drove the 2012 VW Tiguan on the lot with black interior I loved it! I was worried about having black interior, but I ended up loving how it was all black and classy inside the car. It was an older car, but had less miles on it than the one in Fresno. I left the dealership and had to call my dad. I had two cars I really liked and they both had pros and cons. Thus far this has been the biggest decision I have ever made. This is a ton of money that I would be spending on a car. After thinking and counseling with my dad I came to a decision.
I cleaned out Carlos and headed back to the dealership. I said goodbye to Carlos and hello to my new car. I choose the older, less mileage, white exterior and black interior VW Tiguan. Her name is Carla. She is sassy and classy and everyday since my purchase I have loved her and don't regret buying Carla. Sometimes you think you want something and in the process you find something better that is totally different. I started this car purchasing adventure thinking I was getting a Jeep Compass and ended up getting Carla, my white VW Tiguan. Meet Carla....







Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Glimpse Of Motherhood

Today as we made our Mother's Day gifts at school, I got a glimpse of motherhood and realized how all mothers rock! I stamped over 75 handprints, I had a student pee his pants, I was followed and tapped on to get my attention, I tied shoelaces that I would end up tying again and at the end of the day I felt like I got nothing done. All I wanted was to come home and get in my pjs and just do nothing. Checking the mailbox before I got home, I thought, gosh today would be a great day to just get a letter from someone since I felt so alone and unappreciated. Nothing... Then I walked up to my apartment and sitting there was a little package. I don't know how my mom does it!!! My mom is truly the best mom ever!! She had sent me a package and in it was a framed picture of us two in Italy. I can't wait for that day I can make my daughter's day like my mom just did for me. Love her so much!!


Sunday, May 3, 2015

We Don't Need Someone Else To Make The Jump

April 25, 2015

My dad came into town for my birthday. He came in on Friday night. I had told him earlier that week how it would be fun to go skydiving for my birthday. He responded with "I'd have to think long and hard about that". 
Thinking we weren't going skydiving I threw out other suggestions, but skydiving keep coming back into my mind. A few days before he came, I called my dad saying how I really, really wanted to go skydiving for my birthday. I had looked up the costs and where we could do it. It was all a go except my dad didn't really like the idea of jumping out of an airplane. He finally agreed that he would take me, but he wouldn't jump. Nothing was going to stop me from doing this. I would jump even if I didn't have someone to do it with.
The night before I jumped, I will admit I was a little scared. I not afraid of heights or even death, but something got to me. People around the world put this on their bucket lists and overcome their fears with someone. Many people skydiving with friends, siblings or a spouse. They jump out of a perfectly good plane to conquer the unknown questions that go through your mind. If you can jump together, you know you can conquer anything else the world throws at you. 
The night before I guess it came down to I was scared I would be doing this alone. Of course I would have a stranger strapped to me and I would be putting all my faith in that person to open the parachute, but that didn't scared me. It was that I wasn't doing it with a friend or boyfriend or whoever. I was doing this crazy thing by myself. When I gave my dad the idea I told him how here in Vegas I am trying to find my own independence. I'm not really dating and I am still trying to find friends. It's hard moving to a place where you don't know anyone. When I thought of the idea of skydiving the first thing that popped in my head was how fun would it be to do it with my boyfriend or husband someday. Then I thought, waiting for a man to come into my life isn't living at all! If I want to skydive, I should go skydiving. A part of being independent is to do the crazy and scary things that life throws at you. If you can do it alone, it will be some much easier to do them together. 
As my dad was arriving into town, he called saying how he needed to go to target or somewhere to get a sweatshirt. I asked him why and he said how he didn't bring one for skydiving and how it would be cold 15,000ft in the air. I responded that he probably wouldn't need one because it wouldn't be cold on the plane and he wasn't jumping so it didn't matter. Then there was a pause on the phone and out came oops! Then my dad explained how he changed his mind and how he was going to jump with me. What?! I was in shock! My fear turned into excitement. I wasn't doing it alone.  
On my birthday, we woke up early drove to Boulder City airport. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was rising and it was partly cloudy. It was a perfect day to make the jump. As we got to the airport we signed in and did a quick training before gearing up in our suits and harnesses. We were both excited! I meet my stranger that I would be strapped to and would be putting my full faith in. Geoffrey and I become friends really quickly because we had to trust each other. Our group of eight crammed into a tiny plane. Flying up to 15,000ft, Geoffrey kept asking me if I was ready. I was completely calm. I knew I could make this jump. I wasn't afraid. As the door opened and I was hanging outside of the plane I saw the Earth below me. We were so high up and all I could think was I can do this! Free falling was my favorite part. I was doing something many people dream about, I was flying. It was a short five minutes and we were back to the ground. 
That short five minutes taught me a lot. Even though I did have someone to jump with, my dad, I jumped by myself and for myself. We must remember WE DON'T NEED SOMEONE ELSE TO MAKE THE JUMP. Find your own happiness. Find who you truly are. We can't wait around forever for the "right" time to do something. NOW is the right time to go out and do something with your life. Live your life with no regrets; I know I do!









Sunday, April 5, 2015

That Time I Drove 6 Hours...

March 27-30, 2015

Another trip I took during my track break was driving to Utah to see Michael and Jenny. And I drove... let me repeat... I DROVE. If you don't know me I do NOT drive. I think the farthest I've driven is around the block to go to the store. Even though I have always hated driving I have actually enjoyed it lately and decided that I could drive 6 hours to see Michael and Jenny.
I drove during the day and got there around dinner time. Michael and Jenny had chicken curry ready for me for dinner. We watched Scandal while we ate our dinner. Which was so amazing to actually watch it with them. They got me into the show, but I had never really watched it with them. So it was fun to sit with them and actually talk instead of text them to chat about the show. Since they had work they next day we went to bed shortly after the show.
The next day they went to work and got off earlier so we still had our Friday night to hang out. Since it was such a beautiful evening we decided to go to play mini golf. We got free tokens and we played some arcade games too.

All I can do is laugh with these two!

Playing some Skee ball at the arcade.

That Friday night we made pizza and these two introduced me to Gilmore Girls... and yes, I now have another show I love. 
The next day was Saturday, where all the Saturday errands happened. Running around town I keep seeing the beautiful pink blossoms. Every tree I saw I had to stop and take a picture. We don't have blossoms in Vegas so I had to soak them up while I had the chance. 


Within our errands we did stop at the wood store to make some crafts. While watching the Women's Conference we made some Easter crafts. 


With being Sunday the next day, we decided to go to Music and The Spoken Word. Michael and I had never been. It was beautiful to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing. And I was very touched by the message given teaching us not to be afraid of failure, but to just try and keep practicing. It was exactly what I needed to hear that Sunday morning.

Inside the Tabernacle {If you look closely you can see the hot man from Sweden ;) }

After the performance was over we walked around Temple Square and took pictures of the beautiful flowers. I can say I've been to Temple Square in every season and Spring is by far my favorite to see. 


This was pretty much the highlights of my trip. It was short and sweet and way worth driving 6 hours to see Michael and Jenny! I miss them already!!


MOMtana

March 12-22, 2015

For the past month I have been on track break for school. During this month I got to travel, relax, and organize my classroom. I'm liking this whole all year around schooling since I get a break to reenergize.
My first trip I took was to MOMtana. Since my mom just moved to Montana, I wanted to see what all the excitement was all about. So I got a ticket out for about ten days to see the beautiful state or Montana. Ok....Wow.... If you haven't been to Montana, I definitely suggest it to be on your bucket list of places to see. It is beautiful!
I got there late Thursday night, so I didn't really get to see the scenery because it was dark. But, I did get to see a pretty sunset from the airplane.


After landing we went out to dinner and then headed to my mom's cute little house. I got a tour of the house and then it was off to bed.
The next morning mom had to go to work so I got to sleep in for a little bit before I went to the hospital to see mom's new work. I met a few people she worked with and then she had to go to a meeting. I snatched the car for the rest of the day which was fun to explore the small town of Kalispell. Well it really isn't that small. I could live there... they do have a TJ maxx!
After exploring I picked up mom from work and we had dinner and waited up for Kev, Bailey and Nora to come into town. They arrived late so once they got there it pretty much was bed time.
Waking up the next morning was fun because we had Nora to snuggle with. For about an hour my mom, Nora and I all snuggled in the bed with reading her new books I got her, Frozen books. Nora is at such a fun age. She is at the exploration age where everything is fun! She is giving me kisses in this picture :)

After all waking up and getting ready we headed to Glacier National Park. We couldn't go far in the park because it was snowed in, but it didn't matter. The views that we did see were amazing!

Part of Lake McDonald

A dock looking out on Lake McDonald

Taking pictures of all the scenery Nora wanted to join in 

With driving all day in the park and exploring we were very hungry so we went to dinner and headed back home.
The next day was a lazy sunday. We had another cuddle session with Nora, asking her where her eyes, nose and belly button is. 


That Sunday was hard to say my goodbyes because I won't see then now till summer. Living away from family is so hard. Thank goodness for facetime! 
I got to stay there for another week. I will admit there was a lot of sleeping and catching up on my shows during the day time, but every night after mom was home from work we would always try to do something. We went to the movie Cinderella (such an adorable movie), a Relief Society birthday dinner, a rodeo, up to the Canadian border and "shopping" (remember it is Montana people). We also found a new pizza restaurant  in Kalispell and Cafe in Whitefish that are both very yummy.
Oh yeah.... and it was St. Patrick's day when I was there so we had to do our St. Patty's day tradition... getting shamrock shakes!

Twins....I know. I get my good looks from her!

Montana is such a beautiful place and I'm so happy for my mom and moving there. I'm happy to call this place "home"... Home is where mom is. So MOMtana is home.  


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Reading Week

A few weeks ago at school it was reading week. There was a theme everyday. It was like homecoming week, but in elementary school. It was fun to see the kids excited for the day, all dressed up and ready to learn. They got to dress up each day in a different theme. There was a  crazy socks day, dress up as your favorite book character day, a twin day and superheroes day. 
Throughout reading week I thought about my own struggle in my life with reading. Many don't know my story and it's taking me a few weeks debating if I even want to write it to all of you. But I thought I would share it because it is a huge reason why I became a teacher. So here it is... 
As children we learn our letters and sounds in kindergarten. The alphabet is the first step to learning. These symbols put together make sounds and then words. My brain saw these symbols and memorized them to pass the "test" to get into the ABC club, meaning I got my picture on the wall with all the other students that knew their letters and sounds. They were put in my brain for a short time and forgotten very quickly, which shouldn't happen. Learning the alphabet didn't really stick and moving onto the next grade was very difficult because we were now using the alphabet to sound out words and reading. If I didn't know my sounds, how could I possibly start sounding out words? This was a challenge for me. 
In second grade my teacher noticed that I wasn’t processing the concepts taught, but memorizing the facts to get me through the tests. Instead of passing me on to the next grade, my teacher took the time to figure out what was occurring. She, along with my parents, were committed to correct the problem before it was too late. With many tests and assessments we concluded that I had a disability called Audio Processing Disorder (APD). APD is where students can't process the information they hear in the same way as others because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate the information. It took me more time to process all the information we were learning. For example, lets think of running. Someone super fast can run a mile in five minutes. And then there are the normal running people that will run a mile in ten minutes. The fast runner will run two miles in the time the normal person will run one mile. The fast runner gets more miles done in the same time. This is like me and learning. My wonderful brain takes twice as long to fully understand and process what I am learning. 
Many people know I hate reading aloud. This is because if I get to a word I don't know it takes my brain twice as long to look at each letter and then think, "ok what sound is this?" And then have to continue this for each letter. By the time I do that someone has already told me the word, with others chuckling around me. I know now people probably don't chuckle, but I guess I'm scarred from middle and high school. Teenagers can be mean! 
This disability will live with me for the rest of my life, but it doesn’t define who I am. I just have to work twice as hard to finish that mile. I can't say this weakness is a strength just yet. I'm still running that mile. But I guess that is a good thing because that means I am still learning nice things everyday. With this whole process I have realized I want to help those children that need extra help. I want to be that teacher that makes a difference in my students’ lives, like my teachers did for me. During reading week, I think I heard at least three times a day, "Ms. Dill, I love school!" Every child should want to learn and should love school. I want every student that enters my classroom to feel safe and comfortable with learning. Kindergarten is a time for exploration and finding new things. 
Pondering on my story was eye opening on how important reading is for children. Reading is in everything. You start learning letters that turn into words that then make sentences. This is all reading. Someone that has struggle their whole life with reading, I know how important it is to learn at a young age your letters and sounds. Not knowing this basic concepts you can not move to the level. It's like building blocks. You first learn the basics and build upon them, line upon line, percept upon percept.
As a teacher I see some students that don't get the extra help they need at home. A lot of people think that teachers can teach children all they need to know. Realize we are only given a small amount of the day to be with your child and on top of it we have 20 more students that are all on different learning levels. There just isn't enough time to teach your child everything. There is 1 of us and 20 of them. As future parents or parents now realize how important you can be to your child. Simply reading to your child at a young age will allow that child to start recognizing the alphabet. A standard in kindergarten is for a child to know that print is read from left to right. This standard may seem super simple and it is! By reading to your child and pointing to each word from left to right can teach this standard to your child. Reading to your child can start as young as the child is born. I have seen my little niece, only 20 months old, become familiar with books. Being a teacher, this makes me so happy. A child that isn't even two yet can open a book and know human do something with this book. Learning doesn't have to start in kindergarten. Start with you children as soon as possible. Letters are all around us. Next time drive to the store, look around and see how many letters you see. They are everywhere! Practicing letters with your child will only help their future educational journey. 

 We had a special guest come for Dr. Seuss's birthday, Cat In The Hat. 

I dressed up as Pinkalicious for favorite book character day. 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Easiest Enchiladas Ever!

I love being in the kitchen. From cooking to baking and then eating... I just love food! Being single it makes it hard to cook everyday because recipes usually make way too much and there is always leftovers... and I am not a fan of leftovers. So I don't cook as much as I would like to. Anyways... On Monday I was driving home from work and thought, I have a taste for my delicious enchiladas. I thought I would post the recipe for you all. 

 Ingredients:
2  cans of chicken
8 oz cream cheese
*cumin
*oregano
1/2 onion chopped
10-12 tortillas
1 bag of cheese
1 can of enchilada sauce (green or red)

*sprinkle in for taste

Directions:
In a frying pan put cream cheese to melt. Add in onion and chicken. I shred the chicken with a fork before sticking in the pan. Mix the cream cheese, onion, and chicken together. Sprinkle the oregano and cumin. I just guess how much I sprinkle. Add more cumin than oregano. Taste and add if more is needed.

Once the chicken mix is done remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Move to an area where you have space to spread and roll the enchiladas.


Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a pan. This helps the enchiladas not to stick on the pan when cooking.


Next your ready to spread and roll. Spread some of the chicken mix on a tortilla. Then add some cheese and a small spoonful of sauce. Roll tortilla and place in pan. Continue till chicken mix in gone. The more chicken you add in a tortilla, the less enchiladas you will make. It makes between 10-12 enchiladas. 


Once enchiladas are rolled, pour the remaining sauce on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle bag of cheese evenly over enchiladas. Put in oven for about 20 minutes or till cheese is melted. Dish up and eat!


And there you have it Easiest Enchiladas Ever! Serve with spanish rice and beans.