Have a Great 2013!

Well, it's been just over a year since I started my blog and I certainly haven't been doing a great job of keeping things up.  It's just been a really crazy year with changing schools and my husband's health.  As the blog is more for myself than anyone else, I guess it isn't any great catastrophe.... but I do plan to do better this year.

I'm really looking forward to 2013 and hoping for great things or at least better things!  I have next week free other than some things that I have to do for work and cleaning around the house so I will try to get something up.

For Christmas this year, most of my presents for friends and family were terrariums that I made.  I think I'll do a blog on that with instructions, pictures, and such.  They are great to use in classes as well, so I can include some lesson ideas.

2013 will be here in just a few hours.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy time tonight and a beautiful start to the New Year tomorrow!  See you next year!!!

First they came for...

When I consider whether or not a cause is important enough for me to support, I often think of the above quote by Pastor Martin Niehmoller. He was a Protestant clergyman in Germany during the early days of the Nazi government in the 1930s. He initially supported Hitler because his mother did, but later actively opposed the Nazis. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1937 and sent to the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. Allied forces liberated him at the end of World War II.

The background of the picture above is of the American Cemetery at Henri-Chappelle, Belgium.  It is where my uncle who died fighting the Nazis is buried. He was shot and died just after the battle of the bulge and not long before the end of the war.  He and many others DID stand up so that we could fight this awful evil.  Isn't it better to fight prejudice and bigotry BEFORE people have to die for it in wars? Whether or not our religious or political beliefs agree with something it is never a reason to support denying the human and civil rights of others.

Staples new teacher policy...

Teachers (specifically) have recently been notified of Staples new policy regarding limits on purchases during their special back to school sales.  Little Miss Kindergarten's blog explains the issue and why it is a problem here: http://littlemisskindergarten.blogspot.com/2012/06/dear-staples.html?m=0

I and some other have been posting on Staples Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/staples to find out more about this policy.  We would be more than happy to provide ID proving we are teachers so that we know we are not just crazy deal people looking to clear the shelves or something and hoarding the materials.  We really need those items for our classrooms. We are not asking for anything free, we simply wish them to continue letting teachers purchase more than 5 of each deal as they did last year during these sales.  Many of us teach in poor districts and need classroom sets of things that in other schools the students or school supplies. We do not mind paying out of our pockets or searching out deals.  We just feel it was offensive to single out teachers in this case.

Life and science gets in the way...

I've felt incredibly guilty for not keeping up my blog after so short a time posting. Being a teacher, sometimes things just get too busy doing much other than planning lessons, setting up labs, grading, and trying to keep the family going. This year I had to prep for 3 different subjects spread over 6 classes and it was just kind of crazy at times.  I LOVE teaching, but at times it is a whirlwind!  Anyway, I hope that over this summer I can get back in the hang of blogging. I'm teaching summer school for a bit, but that isn't as crazy. *lol*  Anyway, until the next update I wanted to share a favorite Jane Goodall quote.  Teaching science is definitely my passion, and I love passing it on to all my students, but particularly to girls.  Girl science geeks are the best!

Couponing: Value Minded Resolution

My Resolution:  Use coupons on every grocery and health item shopping trip possible.  Around Thanksgiving I started gearing up to take a serious stab at couponing. I already have my binder started and have made a couple of test runs as I learned the finer points. They were very successful, so I intend to really focus on it this and report it here.  I don't intend to make this blog just about couponing in 2012, but I will include it as a feature.

These are some links that might help you if you want to get started with couponing or even if you already do it some:

"How to Organize Your Coupon Binder" (Krazy Coupon Lady, Heather Wheeler) NOTE: Instead of buying my binder and inserts, I lucked up on one at a yard sale where the guy was getting rid of his baseball card collection. Anyone into baseball cards? I have some from the 80's to go to a good home.  This is a picture of my binder.  I organize by sections in the grocery store.  Canned goods and dry goods first and moving to produce, meat, dairy, and frozen goods last since that is how I shop.  Here is a picture of my binder:

BEWARE of Coupon Clipping Services! If you're getting coupons just from newspapers or from some of the legitimate coupons online (which are free) and from manufacture websites, you are fine.. but don't pay for coupons! It is against the policy of coupon makers to sell coupons.  Watch here if you are interested:

This is one of the online coupon websites that is good:  http://www.shopathome.com/

Also, many local newspapers now over some of their coupons from the inserts online as well.  This one is from my local newspaper: http://www2.scnow.com/coupons/ and the online version of our paper also recommends http://www.dealtaker.com/ which has deals, promotions, etc. as well as coupons.