con$igning tips

Tis the season for consignment sales. I recently went to my first Sweet Repeats sale and am gearing up for Just Between Friends OKC. I missed the Pass it On sale, but it looked similar. I have consigned several times with JBF and have gone to many of their sales. I've also consigned with a children's store in Waco and have learned some things along the way. If you're a consigning newbie here's some tips that might be helpful:

*You're more likely to sell items and get the price you want if you consign through the sales events rather than a store. Stores usually price the items for you.

*Set up a tub (or more--one for spring/summer, one for fall/winter, one for keeps) in your child's closet to store items you want to sell. Then you don't have to scramble before the sale to decide what you wanted to get rid of or keep. If you have the space, hang up clothing.

*Save the plastic hangers you get from the stores. Check your local sale, but most let you use these hangers and you don't have to get rid of your nice ones.

*Prep your merchandise before you put it in the tub. Group similar items in plastic bags or (if required) safety pin clothes to hangers or multiple items.

*Tag early! Each of the three sales mentioned above have online tag making. Go online and fill in the tag information before you put it in the box and it will be saved until you're ready to print. If you already have 6 or more items (to save paper) prepped print and attach early.

*Each sale and each sale location is different so read all the information carefully.

*Check your clothes for stains under fluorescent lights. Your normal lights at home can be deceiving. Most sales are held in churches, gyms, or large buildings with fluorescent lighting. You don't want to have spent time prepping an item and have it pulled, and some sales will drop you as a consigner if this happens too often.

*Consigning and volunteering get you the most bang for your buck. You usually get to shop early and get a bigger percentage back. However, it has to be worth your time. I've never been able to volunteer because the times didn't work for my schedule due to nursing or having to get a babysitter.

*If you want to consign or volunteer, sign up early! The larger sales only take so many consigners. And if you need a specific time, get on the mailing list early to find out when they start signing up so you can get the time you need.

*Be honest with yourself about what to keep and what to buy! This is something I've really had to try hard at because all those baby clothes seem too special to get rid of. But, we don't have the space to keep everything and who knows when and if the "not yets" will be here. Most sales only sell two seasons of clothing so think carefully about what your kid will be wearing.

*It's really worth it! I can get a ton of clothes for 1/2 or even a 1/4 of what I would pay in the stores. Especially for the more expensive brands like GAP, Gymboree, or The Children's Place. You can find other great deals too. This weekend I found this spring horse for $30 and it's in excellent condition. Retail price = $150. Cha-ching!



Anyone have any other suggestions?

media literacy mondays

This is a day late, but I wanted to go ahead a post it.

A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to take a class on media literacy at Baylor. It was a life changing experience for me and since then I've felt a calling to promote awareness about this topic. When I started the class I had no idea what "media literacy" was or what it had to do with education. Since then I constantly find areas where media literacy could be helpful (even in Christianity) and ideas of how to incorporate it into the classroom. It's one of those things I wish someone had told me about when I was in a K-12 classroom. So I've decided that on Mondays I'm going to share something about media literacy. Today I want to give a brief description of what media literacy is, hopefully giving you the general idea, but will expand on it each Monday.

Henry Giroux claims the term "literate" can no longer mean to teach and learn the culture of a book. When was the last time you went to a newspaper or book for information about a topic? Most likely you went to the the television or internet. Increasingly we are getting information from sources other than print, but we're not learning how to critically "read" the messages those sources, or media, are putting out. Therefore, in order to be considered literate you should not only be able to read and write print, but also be able to "read" and "write" media messages.

What is media? Here's a short list, but is not exhaustive:
media = TV, movies, radio, Internet, print ads, commercials, t-shirts, bumper stickers, magazines, video games, newspapers, bill boards, graphic novels…even my blog!

What's a definition of media literacy?
media literacy = the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce media; critically consume and create media (New Mexico Media Literacy Project)

What's up with media? Media concepts:
• All media messages are constructed.
• Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
• Different people experience the same media message differently.
• Media have embedded values and points of view.
• Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.

What does it look like to be media literate? First, you can deconstruct media with these questions:
1. Who created this message?
2. What techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently from me?
4. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message?
5. Why was this message sent?
*Then you can create your own media.

Here's some media literacy resources:
• Media Awareness Network
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/index.cfm
• New Mexico Media Literacy Project
http://www.nmmlp.org/index.html
• National Association for Media Literacy Education
http://www.namle.net/
• The Merchants of Cool video
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/view/
• PBS kids
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/media_lit/

This is a brief introduction, but, hopefully, it gave you a good idea of what this topic is about.

Cute Valentine's and Derek's Cowboy Birthday

Derek's Birthday Party (My sister and her family did such an awesome job!)







"Bear Hugs" Elle got from one of her classmates (teddy grahams & hugs candy)


Elle's Valentines for her class and teachers

9 years later

{an anniversary present 2009}
Feb.16, 2002 Chris and I went on our first real date and celebrated our first Valentine's Day together. Chris gave me a box of Godiva chocolates and took me to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the IMAX theater and then to dinner. I was pretty spectacular on such a large screen. Feb. 16, 2011 Chris and I celebrated Valentine's Day by going to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast Broadway musical. We did have to ride a bus and go with 130+ students, faculty, parents, and guests, but it was still pretty awesome. No italian dinner, but I did get a box of Godiva chocolates again. I highly recommend going to see this musical if you get a chance. I was really impressed with the scenery and costumes. We had a really fun time out "by ourselves", which we rarely do. My Grandma graciously came over and watched Elle for us. She is such a special person to us! We were surprised how many people asked why we didn't take Elle, but the show was about 2.5 hours long and some parts would have been pretty scary for her. Several times they turned out the lights or had bright flashes, plus lots of loud bangs and roars. The beast could be a bit intimidating for young kids. They also shot confetti into the audience a couple of times, which we thought was great, but could also be startling. They added a few more songs and tweaked the story just a bit so that the characters are turning into the objects, but it explains their still human-like form. They've also added some physical comedy and a few more jokes. Overall, it is a great experience.

an improvised valentine's day

My love!

Yesterday marked the 9th Valentine's day Chris and I have spent together and Elle's second. We didn't really have our official date because that's tomorrow night (more on that after tomorrow). I do want to say though Elle and I are so blessed to have Chris love us so much. I love him and Elle more and more each day! We weren't totally boring though. We went over to the school building last night to watch TwinProv (http://www.twinprov.com/). It's a set of twin brothers who graduated from OSSM in 1998. They formed an improv group who also do musical comedy. They're pretty good and we all had a good time. I recommend watching the New Moon Rap!

the P word

It seems like lately everywhere you look the concept of a princess is being thrown at girls. Maybe this is more apparent to Chris and I because we have a girl, but it just seems like it's the thing that little girls are supposed to be into. On a recent trip into the Disney store I noticed half of it is devoted to selling the various princess movie merchandise. Parents magazine recently had two interesting articles devoted to the princess phenomenon. The first is titled the princess diaries and the latest article is an interview with the author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girly-Girl Culture. I haven't read this book, but have it on reserve at the library. Both articles caution parents that the princess obsession may be pushing girls to grow up too fast and teaches them to value being spoiled, the bling, and narcissism.

I'm not saying Elle can't be into princess stuff (although the thought of it makes Chris' hernia hurt), but I want to make sure she understands what that means. I want her to focus on the good messages of the movies or stories, to learn the virtues that are imbedded in the fairy tale. Most of the stories have the underlying message that good triumphs over evil (and kindness to animals : ) ) and each of the characters hold certain virtues. Here's a short list based on the "Disney Princesses":

Belle- wisdom, philomathy, acceptance
Cinderella-hopefulness, kindness, perseverance
Snow White- optimism, cleanliness
Sleeping Beauty/Aurora- obedience, respectfulness
Ariel- curiosity, courage
Jasmine- self-respect
Pocahontas- courage, truthfulness
Mulan- honor, strength, courage
Tiana- determination
Rapunzel- loyalty, creativity (I haven't seen this movie, just going on what I've read)

I think many of the virtues can overlap princesses, but you get my point. I also think it's a good idea to talk about what a real-life princess does. It's not just about tea and pretty things. What good things have real life princesses done with their title? I'm not going to say they're perfect, but most princesses are involved in some charity work and are highly educated. (Did you know Princess Caroline has a degree in philosophy and can speak 5 languages?) The meaning of royal duties might also be a good topic to discuss. I've also seen that there is a christian children's book series called gigi: God's Little Princess, but I don't know anything else about it. This has just been on my mind lately and especially as Elle gets older.

no snow day for you!

What do OSSM professors do when a blizzard is expected? Spend the night! Several professors and staff spent the night in offices to make sure they could be here. A couple of people probably won't go home until tomorrow. School doesn't stop when everyone lives at school. Classes must go on, which means Chris has had to teach extra classes for those who couldn't make it here. Most of the students have been earning school service hours for shoveling the sidewalks. Elle has been sick so she hasn't been too active, but we broke out the playdough as a special treat. She took a brief trip out in the snow (probably 5 minutes). We're especially grateful for the cafeteria and janitorial staff who have made it here to provide the kids with food and to clean. The last pic is of our living room window with the snow blown up on it (please ignore the dirt that has blown in from construction).