Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
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Food and Life

Nick: What I Learned in Fifth Grade

June 20, 2013 · Narrative

My creation
I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of this kid. This year was a challenging one. For him. For me. If Nick isn’t interested in a subject, he exerts the bare minimum effort. Which means lots of nagging from me, and logging in extra homework time from him. While we both struggled to get through long division with decimals (ack!), he ended up with an awesome report card, and worked so very hard for it.

While his class (of 154!) doesn’t have a traditional graduation, they *do* have an awards ceremony. And as I listened to the teachers and Principal talk about the collective group of kids, I felt myself getting choked up. They all leave this school and embark on new adventures in middle school in the Fall. They go from being the oldest at school to the youngest, and the challenges begin all over again. But when they put their mind to it, together and individually, they can do anything.

And Nick? Walked away with one of the President’s Awards in Outstanding Academic Achievement.

This Mom? Bursting with pride.

This year showed continued interest in Math and Science. He had amazing teachers in those subjects and that makes a world of difference in how their students receive the information. As I wrote in a note I sent in to Nick’s Science teacher, his passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter is contagious and truly a direct result in Nick loving Science so much. Nick is still not a big fan of reading, and, for the most part, will only do the bare minimum, unless it is a subject he is intensely interested in (like any of the Guinness Book of World Records book, or odd fact books, for example). I’m hoping that he comes around eventually, but I’ll take the B in Reading in the meantime. Especially from such a reluctant reader.

Nick’s friendships with a few kids really developed more this year, kids that I love him hanging out with. Boys that are full of pleases and thank yous, and ones that are kind to Madeline, instead of treating her like a pesky little sister. In addition to Nick’s continued love of soccer, this year, he discovered new loves: track and acting. It seems that around every corner, there is something new that he discovers or delves into, and it’s fun to be on the ride with him, as he figures out who he is and what he wants to do.

As for the pictures above, he has definitely grown a few inches over the last nine months. And in his face, I see traces of “kid” disappearing, making way for a glimpse of “young man.” (Wait until you see the difference in Madeline’s first day/last day pictures tomorrow!) And although Nick’s sneakers did not survive the year (I believe we’re on the third or fourth pair now), the backpack and lunch bag did.

Hurrah for that.

And so, as I have done in years’ past, I quickly sat Nick down with the interview questions, so we could memorialize his fifth grade year in a little snapshot.

What was your favorite part of fifth grade? Getting nearly straight B’s on my report card (just one C+!)
What was your least favorite part of fifth grade? My teacher torturing us by making us write essays
What will you miss about school over the summer? Seeing my favorite teachers every day
What do you want to be when you grow up? An architect
What are some things you learned in fifth grade? A lot of new things in Math, like addition with large numbers with decimals, and doing long division with decimals
What excites you about going to sixth grade? Having a lot of afterschool clubs and activities that I can join
What will you miss about leaving your old school?
All of the nice teachers helping me along the way

A look back…
Nick: What I Learned in Fourth Grade
Nick: What I Learned in Third Grade
Nick: What I Learned in Second Grade

My creation

Tomorrow? Madeline’s graduation and a look back.

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: fifth grade, graduation, school

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    June 21, 2013 at 6:18 am

    I really can’t believe he is already graduating fifth grade!! Insane. I’m so happy for all of his achievements! he is really coming into his own. :)
    Joanne recently posted..Recipe: Grilled Corn and Poblano Guacamole

    Reply
  2. Faygie says

    June 21, 2013 at 9:40 pm

    I’ve been reading your blog for so long that even I got teary-eyed reading this, and I don’t even know him. But from everything you say about him, he seems like such a wonderful kid!

    Reply

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

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