You have one life...
a thousand opportunities...
pick right...
choose who you want to be.

More Poems...

A meadow of stillness
As pretty as can be
A meadow of silence
Waiting for you and me.

Flowers

Blue, yellow and green

Flowers

A pretty sight to see

Flowers

That smell so sweet

Flowers

That bring joy to me

My latest poem

If it was your last day
what would you say

If it was your last night
would you hold me tight

If it was your last time to say goodnight
would you kiss me twice

If it was your last time
You would make it quite fine

NEWSPAPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AC holds a garbage bag next to Grooving Green Team members C D, EW, S C, AD MW, HG and SB

You would not believe your ears I WAS IN THE NEWSPAPER . At my school I run a green team and a week ago my team was interviewed by a reporter. This is the article...

As their classmates swing on the monkey bars and master the balance beam, a dedicated group of fourth-graders circle their local playground, picking up trash.

Every Monday and Thursday, the student-initiated Grooving Green Team dons yellow rubber gloves and scours its campus for garbage.

Trash “makes a beautiful place ugly,” fourth-grader [AC] said.

The team noticed there was always more trash around its playground on Mondays, especially if the preceding weekend had sunny weather. This only made them more determined to beautify the grounds, as if each candy wrapper collected were a prize they can’t wait to throw away.

The initial green push started during the summer of 2008, when a group of teachers, administrators, staff and parents decided to join a Green Schools Program.

When fourth-grade teacher [SM] had her students spearhead the waste-free Wednesday green school project this past year, they jumped onboard, creating posters and writing a skit that drew attention to the event.

The County also presented students with several garbology workshops. On Earth Day, [M's] students picked up trash. It was then that the Grooving Green Team came into existence.

As part of the Earth Day festivities, fourth-grader [AD] read an article in a Scholastic magazine about green projects. What, she wondered, could she and her classmates do to help her school?

She decided they should pick up litter. [AD’s] mother bought the group a supply of yellow gloves and made each member a nametag. Before long, the team of four had grown to eight.

Fourth-grader [MW] said the group found all sorts of trash, including food wrappers, Styrofoam and cigarette butts. “It keeps our school healthy,” [W] said of
picking up the litter.

“Once this teacher said,’ it’s better to have garbage in one place than all over the place,’” fourth-grader [CD] said.

[HG] joined the group to help the environment and to be with her
friends. At the end of every recess, [G] hands her gloves to [M], who
washes them in disinfectant. Students who want to flex more of a green
muscle can join [M's} book club. Every week, they read another three chapters
of the ecological mystery, “The Missing ‘Gator of Gumbo Limbo.”

“I just really like going outdoors and doing stuff like that,” fourth-grader [SC] said. [M] said she offers these opportunities because of the students’ interest. "Hopefully, they’re going to take home the message that they’re a part of this world,” [M] said. “We’re all part of the problem, so that we’re all part of the solution.”

School Project

For the past 2 weekends I created a cool school project. We had to make an electrical house and I chose to make the Disney castle. First on weekend #1, I cut, folded, and taped boxes to make the castle's structure. Then on weekend #2, I decoupaged the castle. Next (still weekend #2) I did the electrical part. That happened to be making circuits so the castle can light up. One of the nastier aspects was my father banged me in the head with a wire stripper while cutting a really really big wire. On Monday I was able to hold my head up high and turn in my electricity project. Boy, that was fun. We had third, fourth, and fifth graders come in to look at our projects and mine got "oooohhhed" and "aaaahhhed." Finally, on Tuesday, we got to vote for our top 3 electricity projects to go into the display case that the WHOLE SCHOOL sees and mine was one of them.

Fan Cam

Have you ever heard:

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks
I don’t care if we ever come back
So it’s root root root for the Mariners
If they don’t win it’s a shame
For its one, two, three, strikes you’re out
At the old ball game.

Well, you hear that one at Safeco Field and guess what? That’s where I was on Friday night. I went with my really good friend and we were having the greatest of times. Then the young lady sitting in front of us said that her friend sitting next to her was trying to get us on the fan cam. We were thrilled! We danced at every interval and just when we were about to dance no more- we were on the fan cam. We were sooooo excited! Even when the game started up again, we told each other, “we were on the fan cam, we were on the fan cam.” If I’ll ever remember a ball game, it’ll be that one!!!

A Story I Wrote After Seeing Picasso's Painting

Chow And The Seafood

600 years ago, there was a land called Viola. Viola was very popular for its seafood and the best seafood seller's name was Ching Chi Chow. Ching Chi Chow had a seafood selling cat named Chow Chi Ching. Every day Chow Chi Ching would see juicy red lobster or a rusty orange dungeness crab being sold. Chow longed to have something tasty other than the tuna Ching served him every day. One night Chow decided to slip down the fish deposit (a place where fishermen deposited fish when they caught them). To his delight there were lobsters, crabs, calamari, clams and even mussels!!! "Oh boy Yummy yum yum," thought Chow. Chow started feasting when THUMP THUMP THUMP was coming down stairs to the fish deposit. "Golly" a small voice said in his head. He then saw it was Ching. "Chow!" Ching exclaimed. "Chow, you ate lobsters, crabs, calamari , clams and even mussels!!! I did not know a cat liked those things. I'll start serving you these fish," and he did.

Moral:

Ask for what you want

The Wave Board

I recently bought something called a wave board. A wave board is like a skate board because you stand on it and it is almost the same concept. However the wave board you wiggle and it has two wheels. So I learned how to ride it. Then my family and I went to a flat surface to improve my skill. Suddenly I found myself going really very fast when BAM I fell flat on my face. I started wailing and I burst into tears! Down my chin there is a big red line. In my mouth I have a blister. That day was very eventful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just something I wrote:

Why Do You Wear Your Shoes?
Once a little boy went about taking a question to three men. He asked the first man who was walking the pavement with a black briefcase, “Why do you wear your shoes?” The man ROARED in a deep voice, “They’re my work shoes and they keep my feet dry!” To the second man who was at a concession stand, the boy inquired, “Why do you wear your shoes?” The man replied in a snippy and wheezy voice, “They look good and fit me. Now shoo!” The little boy didn’t know who to have the third man be. Then as he walked, he spotted a man in a telephone booth. It looked like he lived there. This was the third man. The boy knocked on the door and the man opened it.

“May I ask you a question?” cautiously said the boy.
“Certainly,” replied the man. “Come on in.”
“Why do you wear your shoes?” solicited the boy.
“Well,” the man said, “I wear these beauties.” He held up the most tattered and ragged pair of shoes there ever was.
“You call those beauties!” exclaimed the boy.
“Yes I do.” The man said in the same tone. It was as if he was waiting for the boys’ reaction.
“So” the man went on “My grandfather wore them before my father and my father wore them before me. When I wear them, I know I am loved. They shine my path even in the darkest times.”

The boy went home that night. He looked at his bed and his teddy bear and realized there is so much to be thankful for right here!

Florida

My mom and I took a trip to Florida. We visited my moms mother. we did all sorts of things together such as swam, colored, played schmutsky (dominoes), paddle ball, and got a tan. Well I got the tan. Then my father flew out and we visited his mother, 3brothers, 2aunts, 3cousins, and 1brothers girlfriend. A very busy household. together we all went to Disney, Naples, and lounged around. My trip to Florida was amazing. It all was a blast!!!!!!!!

SPELLING BEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow-Three weeks ago I WON 3rd place in my 4th grade spelling bee. I won a medal and a certificate. I was amazed at how well I performed. I was really nervous I could not look at the crowd.I got out on the word porcupine. I spelled it porqupine later I found out it was porcupine.

This Christmas

This Christmas I am suppose to go to my cousin's house but her brother has a fever in the 100's so unfortunately I might not get to go. I can't believe how many people's Christmas is getting ruined because of snow! It definitely is amazing I-90 is covered in a white blanket of snow and ice. I am really very curious if my friend's trip who is suppose to go to Black Butte Ranch OR is canceled. It will be a white Christmas and a weird one!!!!!!

A WINTER WONDERLAND

Outside my very own house I have a winter wonderland. Step outside...

Majestic mountains covered in a powder we call snow.

Powder scatters the rocky pavement.

Snow lands softly in the lair of monsterly tall grass.

Trees bound tightly by enormous buckets of the powter.

Blizzards come falling from the celling that is millions of feat above us.

That is my Winter Wonderland.

My Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Song

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

had a dazzling snowman

and if you ever saw him

you would even say he's grand.

All of the other reindeers

wanted such a grand snowman.

They never built a snowman

and they were surprised they can!

Then one cloudy Christmas Eve

Santa came to say

Look at all these grand snowmans

I - have- a fabulous plan.

Lets have a celebration

in honor of your snowman creations

for all your dedications

and your marvelous formations

We'll have scrumptious food and games

Don't worry it won't be lame

it might even go down in fame

and - you'll be glad you came.

All of the reindeers loved it

there was so much joyous cheer

it became very clear

they would have one every year!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

A Day in the SNOW

It's been snowing since 4:30 in the morning for all I know, maybe even earlier. My friend invited me over to play in the snow at her house (she is my neighbor). She picked up me and two other friends (they're my neighbors too). We had an enormously exciting time building an inner tube runway with a jump. When we got freezing cold we each went down the runway 4 last times and went inside for hot cocoa and tea. After we finished our tea and hot cocoa, we played a little while and then my Mom picked me up. I couldn't stand staying in the house. I put my snow clothes right back on and ran outside. I made a runway at my house and went down it 4 times. After that, I made the starting of a snow fort. I got 2 layers down and then moved on to building a snowman. I heaved with all my might but I couldn't lift the middle part onto the base. My Mom suggested to make 2 but after that it was no use. I came inside, warmed up by the fire, and put my p.j.'s on. I sure had a marvelous day and now am exhausted!

The BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was my first time taking the bus. I was a bit anxious at first but I soon relaxed. I went on with my friend. A rude boy on the bus said, "I'm not sitting by no girl." My friend squeezed into the aisle seat opposite of mine and I sat by the window with the rude boy. Somehow, thank goodness, my friend moved to the seat next to mine. That was the point on a mood-o-meter that I started to relax. Also, another rude boy told my friend, "Shut up Granny," 2 times which was pretty funny cause my friend is a boy! Of course I had to giggle in my seat. Thankfully, the rude boy was pretty much a first grader so he might not have known better - doubt it though! Through the first part of the ride, a girl was crying because my friend wouldn't sit with her. (This might be obvious but she has a crush on my friend.) I stared out the window most of the ride or talked a bit with my friend. I got a pretty bad impression - especially for my first time - and I don't think I want to take the bus again. At least it was only a 15 minute ride!!!

100% CLUB

In our school, we have a system called 100% Club. It is a club for all the kids that have 100% of their work turned in for class and reading group. Today, the fun activity we got to do was play B-I-N-G-O. There were prizes too. I REALLY REALLY wanted the balsa wood build-it-yourself airplane. One time I had one square left to win. Unfortunately, I lost. Well, I lost all the rounds but it was still amazing anyway! It was sure nice of the teachers to give us candy at the end, but I politely passed it up. Boy, I sure like 100% club and can't wait for the next!!!

Nothing to Write About?

Have you ever had nothing to write about?

You get that feeling where you can think of all the things in the world but you can't just make a paragraph or a sentence out of it.

You can think - I just learned algebra today- or - I can't jump over a hurdle in P.E. - or even - I had spaghetti and meatballs for lunch.

But really what's the big deal about spaghetti and meatballs, not being able to jump over hurdles and learning algebra? Cause what do you write about them?

So if you have nothing to write about, write about nothing to write about, and then you've written about something!

DARN IT!!!

This afternoon I was in a big rush to get to reading group so I grabbed my book and flew out the door. When I got into my class I started to read but then my teacher gave me a packet that I had 2 questions left to finish. So I picked up my pencil - WOAH... HOLD IT - I didn't pick up my pencil. I FORGOT my pencil! My teachers' policy in reading group is if you forget your pencil, you have to give her a shoe. I told my teacher I forgot my pencil and took off my shoe. My teacher got a pencil for me. Yet, the thing is, the pencil she gives out are the ones that you find in a library. They are so small and stubby with no eraser and barely any lead on top. I took it back to my seat and did my work. At least, I had a pencil.

Of course, at the end, my teacher gave me back my shoe and I gave her her "darling" pencil back.

Trying to Handsew a Really Pretty Pillow

Gee- this morning I sewed a pillow. I tried to add embroidery although it didn't turn out too good. First, I took a big piece of fabric, folded it in half, and cut out a circle. (It made 2 circles because I had folded it in half.) Then, I left one circle on my bed and took the other one and started to embroider. It was my first time after all and I kinda taught myself so obviously it wasn't too good. But after I finished with the embroidery, I sewed the other circle to the circle with the embroidery on it and left a small hole that way I was able to stuff it. In the end, it turned out that parts of the embroidery string sort of came loose but not too much. I never knew how hard it is to handsew a really pretty pillow!