Just Family Time

Jenna is keeping me so busy with dance and school. She did not win the Science Fair, but she learned about my cochlear implants. She is just a fantastic gal. We are off to a dance competition today. Jenna has two dances, Shop Around and Footloose. Mom gets to do makeup, hair and all the great stuff. She gets to dance and enjoy being her! Go Dance Force!!!

I have not posted a picture of my husband, Alex or the dog, Brandi. This picture speaks volumes. Brandi it so spoiled she things she is human. No, the dog whisper can not solve her problems. That is okay, she is the best dog we have ever had. ***Hope Alex does not see picture, he will get me.**** :)

Enjoy the weekend, remember sing loud, dance like no one is watch(or in Jodi's case, dance naked), and hug the ones you love.

How can a word cause so much pain?

I want to share with you my experiences. I can't wait to explain the changes in my life, since my cochlear implants. Better I want to tell you about how wearing hearing aids as a child really helped. How I am having a difficult time learning ASL.

Oh well,

Nevermind!

Cochlear Implant Science Experiment

Just a quick posting, as we are off to dance competition this weekend. My lovely daughter did her science fair experiment on Which Magnet will stick to a cochlear implant. As you can see she won 2nd place in the school competition. I am very proud of her hard work. This project grow from a natural curiosity into why is mom putting magnets on her head! She wanted to see if any other magnets would work. It did! 3 out of 6 magnets worked. So now we are off to the county science fair on March 7th.

Deaf Teacher???

How would you feel if your child had a teacher who was deaf? Okay, Okay let me make myself clear - How would you feel if your hearing child had a regular education teacher who was deaf?

Hmmm...This has been the debate I was part of today. Because what do teachers do on a day off, but talk about education and stress. I wondered what the parents of my past students felt the first time they met me. I wonder how they felt having their child in my class. How do people with a disability or impairment become their career title first and the disability second. I really wonder if I ever can be just the teacher, not the deaf teacher or the hard of hearing teacher.

When I decided to change from Pharmacy to Elementary Education, my mother was so angry. Why, why, why she said. I told her I wanted to make sure each child in my classroom would receive the best education. I wanted to make sure the children were first - a child-centered classroom. The majority of the teachers I had were fantastic, just the best. It was just this one teacher who tried to take my love of learning away. I wanted to be the one who caused students to fall in love with education - books, math, thinking, and learning. I hope I have been successful.

I have been so prosperous to be at the same elementary school for 14 years. I love the people I work with. I love the students and the parents. I love even the boxes that hold my mail and the lunchlady who feed me cucumbers when I was pregnant with Jenna. Teaching is not a job, it is my life. Hearing, hard of hearing, or deaf, I hope I taught others that being deaf is not a disability, it makes me, ME.

Now back to the orginal questions - do you care if your child's teacher is hard of hearing or deaf?

Jersey Gal's Birthday!

Just a quick posting to say Happy Birthday to one of my favorite gals, Abbie at http://contradica.blogspot.com/ . When I started on this adventure in July 2007, she was one of the first people I met online. Where I did a little research, she knew the type of computer and all the fine details. She keeps me on track and makes my life interesting. Just like Jen over at http://stereophonicbionic.blogspot.com/ , she is one of the few people I would love to celebrate her birthday with. Awesome writer, funny person, and an overall great gal.

So I will make sure I eat something high in calories for you today - maybe a blizzard or starbucks or cake or doughnuts or oh well you get the idea.

Another thing happen yesterday, I had to asssist in breaking up a small fight at school. It was an afterthought about my CIs. My concern was to stop the danger and get the kids to the office. I wonder how I can balance the need to keep the peace and my technology.

Science fair has been postpone due to weather here - the snow - so hopefully we get the results next week. I will post how she did and all about it. Just a teaser - it was so much fun and I hope she stops sticking magnets to me soon.

A CI make over

How did I get a CI make over. Judge for yourself.

This is after.




This is before

How did I get a CI make over - judge for yourself.

I am new to this type of posting, so I hope you understand that I had to cut and paste it a number of times to get it right. I just hope you can see why my CIs may not be a "miracle", but they are darn better than my hearing aids ever could be. That is why I did it, for me, for my family, for my career, and most importantly for my child.

CI Gal at Hannah Montana

Who thought taking three girls to Hannah Montana 3D movie would be a blast!!!! I have been avoiding movies for years. I only go to the ones that Jenna must see. Usually I just sit there picking up a few words here and there. So for the past 6 months post activation, I have been waiting for the right movie. Along comes Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus the best of both worlds. So with a lot of planning and me keeping my big mouth shut, we did it.

My partners in crime are two of the best gals that someone can have, Billie and Vanessa. Billie's daughter has danced with Jenna for 5 years. So for 5 years she has repeating just about 90% of what is going on, so I can know what is going on with dance and get there on time. We share the love of Starbucks and shopping. Our daughters are best friends and act like two peas in a pod. I mean how many gals will cut the wrapping off after CI surgery, when my husband was ready to faint? Now Vanessa is my other special education teacher at school and my car pool gal. We share a tiny portable with 2 other teachers, so it is really tiny! We laugh and she keeps me in stitches. We share the love of ordering Chinese on Friday and sweet tea in the morning. And after surgery kept me in chocolate pudding, fat free, for weeks. It was the only thing I could eat after CI surgery. Her daughter is Hannah, not the Montana one, just beautiful Hannah age 5. These gals are my lifeline. Come on how many put up with me. I drive them crazy!!!

We planned for at least a month. Finally got the tickets last week. 15 bucks a ticket! So all set for Saturday afternoon. Lets see - Billie told Kayla the night before, because she said why did you not get tickets. So she finally told her. I told Jenna an hour before we left. I lied through my teeth for a week. She turned to me and said,"Mom, you are a big fat lier." I took that as a complaiment. I finally, I mean finally did not say anything. Wow, I'm impressed, I might be able to keep hubby's Valentine gift a secret. Vanessa did not tell Hannah until we walked up to the movie. I'm so impressed!

Forgot to say it is in 3-D, those black rimmed glasses looked so good on three excited gals and the little gals.

The movie was oh so exciting. Guitar piks flying, guitars swinging, and confitti streaming. I felt like I was in the front row. Disney pulled off a shocker! Three little gals eating popcorn, drinking Dr. Pepper and singing "Best of Both Worlds!" Oh course I wanted them to stand and dance in the aslies, but one one would do it. Except for a few loud singing, they were just so sweet. It was a dream come true - to sit in the movies with my daughter and yes, mom can enjoy it too!

2 ticket to Hannah Montana - 34.00

Popcorn, drink and candy - 18.75

Enjoying a movie with my little gal and best friends - priceless, really priceless

So now from the silly files: I am coming up with a love/hate relationship with my CIs. I hate my hair, I seem to have bad hair days, really bad days since I cut my hair. The magnets keep me from pulling it up. I have decided to find a hair style that will work with my CIs. I am on a lifetime mission to find a hair cut that does not clash with my magnets exceptly since my magnets are bright red with CI hear on them :)

From the serious file: My hubby surprised me!!! Really did, I got an ipod touch. My very own. So now I can listen to my 45 songs over and over again. I got a new song - "Take the Long Way Home" by Supertramp( not related to someone I know who will remain nameless :))

From the Science files: Upcoming blog, Jenna's science fair experiment. The title "Which Magnets Stick to Mommy's Cochlear Implants?"

CI Moment - I heard the tornado sirens last night without anyone telling me. So we are safe and sound. Thank goodness for technology!

Lollipops and gumdrops,

Valerie