Hey Blog World!
I just had a wonderful visit from my mother and Nana. They came and stayed for about 5 days which included so much fun. I was able to share my life with them, which amazingly enough, means so much to me for them to experience it.
The days started off with Captain N making dinner for us after I picked them up for the airport. What a sweet thing seeing my Mom at the airport. One image I will never forget. Or the image of Nana coming off the elevator. After an enjoyable car ride home, we enjoyed a spectacular dinner and just hanging out.
Saturday consisted of shopping, which resulted in birthday gifts for Captain N and me. Who can argue with getting gifts, but apparently, I have that ability to argue about it, but my mother and father got me some wonderful new clothes. I am so blessed. After a quick visit with friends, Captain N made the second delicious dinner. He is the best cook I know! He made ribs and I made a Caesar salad.
Sunday, we enjoyed church which I was excited because Mom and Nana enjoyed the sermon and songs. I didn't know any of the songs because they were traditional ones, and I have been surrounded by contemporary ones, but it was so good to hear their strong voices singing.
After church, we enjoyed lunch out and a very nice day at the pool. We were so lucky to get 3 chairs together at the pool! What a relaxing time! I loved it! Sunday ended with a nice light dinner of cheese and crackers.
Monday was a normal day with work, but then we got to see one of my mom's bridesmaid's family who I adore. It was so good to see them and see how their life is changing.
Tuesday was BEACH DAY! What a glorious day to go to the beach. We had a really good drive there and back. We enjoyed sitting in the waves and laying out in the sun. A perfect beach day.
Wednesday was sad. I had to say good-bye to them and drop them off at the airport.
I tell you, I LOVE the time I had with them. I enjoyed every single moment with them. I loved talking with them, watching tv, and just doing anything and everything with them. The hardest part of them leaving is not knowing when I will see them again. I love having my mom in the country because since her visit, we have been texting back and forth and talking on the phone.
If you have gotten to the end of this blog post, please remember to treasure every single moment with the ones you love. I know I did, and it is still hard for me to look back at some of the things we did together without getting a tear in my eye. I miss them terribly, but I am so blessed to have them and Captain N in my life.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A Blueberry Story
One of my blog friends posted this blueberry story that her teacher union's president passed on to her and many others. Enjoy. Thanks The Undomestic Goddess
The Blueberry Story
A business leader learns his lesson.
by Jamie Robert Vollmer
'If I ran my business the way you people operate your schools, I wouldn't be in business very long!"
I stood before an auditorium filled with outraged teachers who were becoming angrier by the minute. My speech had entirely consumed their precious 90 minutes of in- service training. Their initial icy glares had turned to restless agitation. You could cut the hostility with a knife.
I represented a group of business people dedicated to improving public schools. I was an executive at an ice cream company that became famous in the middle-1980s when People Magazine chose its blueberry flavor as the "Best Ice Cream in America."
I was convinced of two things. First, public schools needed to change; they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the Industrial Age and out of step with the needs of our emerging "knowledge society." Second, educators were a major part of the problem: They resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by tenure and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly. They needed to look to business. We knew how to produce quality. Zero defects! Total Quality Management! Continuous improvement!
A school is not an ice cream company: It can't send back its inferior blueberries.
In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced—equal parts ignorance and arrogance.
As soon as I finished, a woman's hand shot up. She appeared polite, pleasant. She was, in fact, a razor-edged, veteran high school English teacher who had been waiting to unload.
She began quietly, "We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes good ice cream."
I smugly replied, "Best ice cream in America, ma'am."
"How nice," she said. "Is it rich and smooth?"
"Sixteen percent butterfat," I crowed.
"Premium ingredients?" she inquired.
"Super-premium! Nothing but triple-A." I was on a roll. I never saw the next line coming.
"Mr. Vollmer," she said, leaning forward with a wicked eyebrow raised to the sky, "when you are standing on your receiving dock and you see an inferior shipment of blueberries arrive, what do you do?"
In the silence of that room, I could hear the trap snap. I was dead meat, but I wasn't going to lie.
"I send them back."
"That's right!" she barked, "and we can never send back our blueberries. We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused, frightened, confident, homeless, rude, and brilliant. We take them with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, junior rheumatoid arthritis, and English as their second language. We take them all. Every one. And that, Mr. Vollmer, is why it's not a business. It's school."
In an explosion, all 290 teachers, principals, bus drivers, aides, custodians, and secretaries jumped to their feet and yelled, "Yeah! Blueberries! Blueberries!"
Schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs, and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, to improve public education means more than changing our schools, it means changing America.
And so began my long transformation.
Since then, I have visited hundreds of schools. I have learned that a school is not a business. Schools are unable to control the quality of their raw material, they are dependent upon the vagaries of politics for a reliable revenue stream, and they are constantly mauled by a howling horde of disparate, competing customer groups that would send the best CEO screaming into the night.
None of this negates the need for change. We must change what, when, and how we teach to give all children maximum opportunity to thrive in a postindustrial society. But educators cannot do this alone; these changes can occur only with the understanding, trust, permission, and active support of the surrounding community. For the most important thing I have learned is that schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs, and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, to improve public education means more than changing our schools, it means changing America.
Jamie Robert Vollmer, a former business executive and attorney, is now a keynote presenter and consultant who works to increase community support for public schools. He lives in Fairfield, Iowa, and can be reached by e-mail at jamie@jamievollmer.com.
The Blueberry Story
A business leader learns his lesson.
by Jamie Robert Vollmer
'If I ran my business the way you people operate your schools, I wouldn't be in business very long!"
I stood before an auditorium filled with outraged teachers who were becoming angrier by the minute. My speech had entirely consumed their precious 90 minutes of in- service training. Their initial icy glares had turned to restless agitation. You could cut the hostility with a knife.
I represented a group of business people dedicated to improving public schools. I was an executive at an ice cream company that became famous in the middle-1980s when People Magazine chose its blueberry flavor as the "Best Ice Cream in America."
I was convinced of two things. First, public schools needed to change; they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the Industrial Age and out of step with the needs of our emerging "knowledge society." Second, educators were a major part of the problem: They resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by tenure and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly. They needed to look to business. We knew how to produce quality. Zero defects! Total Quality Management! Continuous improvement!
A school is not an ice cream company: It can't send back its inferior blueberries.
In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced—equal parts ignorance and arrogance.
As soon as I finished, a woman's hand shot up. She appeared polite, pleasant. She was, in fact, a razor-edged, veteran high school English teacher who had been waiting to unload.
She began quietly, "We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes good ice cream."
I smugly replied, "Best ice cream in America, ma'am."
"How nice," she said. "Is it rich and smooth?"
"Sixteen percent butterfat," I crowed.
"Premium ingredients?" she inquired.
"Super-premium! Nothing but triple-A." I was on a roll. I never saw the next line coming.
"Mr. Vollmer," she said, leaning forward with a wicked eyebrow raised to the sky, "when you are standing on your receiving dock and you see an inferior shipment of blueberries arrive, what do you do?"
In the silence of that room, I could hear the trap snap. I was dead meat, but I wasn't going to lie.
"I send them back."
"That's right!" she barked, "and we can never send back our blueberries. We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused, frightened, confident, homeless, rude, and brilliant. We take them with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, junior rheumatoid arthritis, and English as their second language. We take them all. Every one. And that, Mr. Vollmer, is why it's not a business. It's school."
In an explosion, all 290 teachers, principals, bus drivers, aides, custodians, and secretaries jumped to their feet and yelled, "Yeah! Blueberries! Blueberries!"
Schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs, and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, to improve public education means more than changing our schools, it means changing America.
And so began my long transformation.
Since then, I have visited hundreds of schools. I have learned that a school is not a business. Schools are unable to control the quality of their raw material, they are dependent upon the vagaries of politics for a reliable revenue stream, and they are constantly mauled by a howling horde of disparate, competing customer groups that would send the best CEO screaming into the night.
None of this negates the need for change. We must change what, when, and how we teach to give all children maximum opportunity to thrive in a postindustrial society. But educators cannot do this alone; these changes can occur only with the understanding, trust, permission, and active support of the surrounding community. For the most important thing I have learned is that schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs, and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, to improve public education means more than changing our schools, it means changing America.
Jamie Robert Vollmer, a former business executive and attorney, is now a keynote presenter and consultant who works to increase community support for public schools. He lives in Fairfield, Iowa, and can be reached by e-mail at jamie@jamievollmer.com.
Monday, May 31, 2010
100 Blog Entries....
Happy Memorial Day!
This weekend has been a ton of fun full of great memories of a wonderful woman. We celebrated my grandmother's life. She was a wonderful woman who had 5 great accomplishments. Now, hopefully I can remember them all...there was
1) Marrying my grandfather.
2) Having 5 beautiful children which include my dad. :)
3) Writing an article about a institution where boys were badly mistreated. This article helped major political figures close the institution.
4) Helping an awesome woman find a home in the United States who lived in Jamaica. She made it so easy for her family to come live in the USA after she moved here.
5) Helping her sister adopt her daughter back when my parents were married.
What a wonderful woman. She did many things which I loved. She had a wonderful garden in the back of her house. You could walk out there and the smell of the many flowers hit you. It was a wave of flowers. The garden was decorated with statues and bird baths. It was simply lovely to just sit out there and smell the flowers without putting your nose directly to them.
She wrote 3 books on how to play bridge and teach it easily. She was a wife to a great preacher. She was my grandmother.
She was 96 years old when she went on to be with our Heavenly Father. She is now sitting up there with my Grandfather and aunt.
We celebrated her this weekend and enjoyed lots of family stories. We also were able to see everyone in her immediate family. What a glorious weekend.
---
Another note! I can't believe I have 100 Blog Entries! Who knew I would ever get there! Hope there are 100 more....though they may or may not come more slowly than the last 100.
I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Memorial Day.
:-)
This weekend has been a ton of fun full of great memories of a wonderful woman. We celebrated my grandmother's life. She was a wonderful woman who had 5 great accomplishments. Now, hopefully I can remember them all...there was
1) Marrying my grandfather.
2) Having 5 beautiful children which include my dad. :)
3) Writing an article about a institution where boys were badly mistreated. This article helped major political figures close the institution.
4) Helping an awesome woman find a home in the United States who lived in Jamaica. She made it so easy for her family to come live in the USA after she moved here.
5) Helping her sister adopt her daughter back when my parents were married.
What a wonderful woman. She did many things which I loved. She had a wonderful garden in the back of her house. You could walk out there and the smell of the many flowers hit you. It was a wave of flowers. The garden was decorated with statues and bird baths. It was simply lovely to just sit out there and smell the flowers without putting your nose directly to them.
She wrote 3 books on how to play bridge and teach it easily. She was a wife to a great preacher. She was my grandmother.
She was 96 years old when she went on to be with our Heavenly Father. She is now sitting up there with my Grandfather and aunt.
We celebrated her this weekend and enjoyed lots of family stories. We also were able to see everyone in her immediate family. What a glorious weekend.
---
Another note! I can't believe I have 100 Blog Entries! Who knew I would ever get there! Hope there are 100 more....though they may or may not come more slowly than the last 100.
I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Memorial Day.
:-)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Cheese and Candy
I've got schoolwork to do right now, but like every good procrastinator, I'm writing a blog entry instead.
Let's see....CHEESE is DELICIOUS! Last night, Captain N and I had cheese. I ordered a small pizza from a local place with just cheese. It was so good! I also had Cheetos with my meal. Talk about cheesy goodness. Easter lunch included broccoli covered in cheese, and cheesy hash browns. YUM!
I have also found a new blog that dives into a random article topic and tells you about something. Sometimes these might be boring, yet more often than not, they are interesting articles. Check out this blog entry on Candy! Love the fact about the 3 Musketeers bars!
Alright, off to do some schoolwork....
:-)
Let's see....CHEESE is DELICIOUS! Last night, Captain N and I had cheese. I ordered a small pizza from a local place with just cheese. It was so good! I also had Cheetos with my meal. Talk about cheesy goodness. Easter lunch included broccoli covered in cheese, and cheesy hash browns. YUM!
I have also found a new blog that dives into a random article topic and tells you about something. Sometimes these might be boring, yet more often than not, they are interesting articles. Check out this blog entry on Candy! Love the fact about the 3 Musketeers bars!
Alright, off to do some schoolwork....
:-)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
8 days til cheese!
and Jesus' Resurrection!
Enough said. :)
PS-I'm doing well with the no cheese...though I really do miss my pizza.
PSS-Ruby Tuesday's salad bar is awesome!
Enough said. :)
PS-I'm doing well with the no cheese...though I really do miss my pizza.
PSS-Ruby Tuesday's salad bar is awesome!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Flat Nick
Have you ever heard of the story about Flat Stanley? It's a wonderful story about a boy who is flattened in his sleep and travels around the world because he is flat. He can fit into small places, go under closed doors, and through the mail. Since he can go through the mail, many classes take the opportunity to send a version of their Flat Stanley all over the world and hopefully have it returned to his original destination by a certain date.
On Friday, I received in the mail Flat Nick from my cousin. Flat Nick has travelled around the US and landed in my mailbox. My mission was to show Flat Nick around my town. How exciting! So here is my journey with Flat Nick. I had to do errands and since he was an unexpected visitor, I took him along! :)
Here is Flat Nick.
First we had to stop at the post office to mail off our taxes! (We did them early!! :) )
Then we went for a lunch date with KT. It was so good to catch up with her, but I'm sure Flat Nick was bored. (side note...she's pregnant!!!) Flat Nick did enjoy the food though!
On Friday, I received in the mail Flat Nick from my cousin. Flat Nick has travelled around the US and landed in my mailbox. My mission was to show Flat Nick around my town. How exciting! So here is my journey with Flat Nick. I had to do errands and since he was an unexpected visitor, I took him along! :)
Here is Flat Nick.
First we had to stop at the post office to mail off our taxes! (We did them early!! :) )
Then we went for a lunch date with KT. It was so good to catch up with her, but I'm sure Flat Nick was bored. (side note...she's pregnant!!!) Flat Nick did enjoy the food though!
Next we went to Rita's! Rita's always gives out a free water ice on the first day of spring so KT and I had to take advantage of that! It was delicious. Flat Nick really enjoyed tasting a couple bites of my mango water ice!
After our lunch date, we headed to Target for some grocery shopping. Flat Nick helped me choose some delicious meals for the week. When we were on our way home, he insisted on a picture of our trip to Target...but then he buckled up.
Flat Nick...Thank you for coming along with me today! I had a great day with you!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
42 days til CHEESE
Today Captian N and I visited our local Carrabas! What a challenge it was to pick something on the menu without cheese! My favorite dish even has cheese in it...Fettucine Alfredo.
I ended up picking the Make Your Own Pasta dish with noodles and a tomato based sauce. Again, Carrabas did it....DELICIOUS!
So far, my journey has been a rollercoaster. There are times when I think this eating no cheese thing will be easy....and then others where it can be difficult.
42 days til CHEESE!
I ended up picking the Make Your Own Pasta dish with noodles and a tomato based sauce. Again, Carrabas did it....DELICIOUS!
So far, my journey has been a rollercoaster. There are times when I think this eating no cheese thing will be easy....and then others where it can be difficult.
42 days til CHEESE!
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