"Hey Mom, I didn't know Cal got glasses." - Brett
"He didn't. Why do you ask?" - Me
"He had them on at lunch today." - Brett
"Did you ask him why he was wearing glasses? - Me
"No, Mom, it's Cal. I just go with it." - Brett
That last line just cracked me up. If anyone would know Cal, it would be the person who shared a room with him for fourteen years and did everything with him for the first 12 years of Cal's life. Brett was there when Cal at age 4 showed up to his seat after intermission with one of the concession signs. When his Grandpa asked him what he was doing, Cal replied, "It said FREE!" (He left out the fact that it was the popcorn that was free, not the sign.)
Brett was also there when Cal was in third grade and wore his hair slicked back with gel to look like his idol, Elvis Presely. When Cal tried to pick up my Dad at my Grandma's funeral and they both fell to the ground in a loud thump, Brett was there to say what everyone was thinking, "Oh, it's just Cal and Grandpa." He was also witness to the box incident - Cal and his buddies wore boxes on their heads to a middle school girls basketball game to support one of their friends (from the opposing school) whose last name was Box.
As Cal, wearing his NBA Denver Nuggets hat, led his team to a "Putters" chant on the practice green before the NLC golf match, Brett was there. He can also vouch for Cal's after game basketball attire - tennis shoes without socks, basketball shorts and a sweater vest with nothing underneath. So, wearing someone else's glasses at lunch just to see if the guy would notice shouldn't surprise Brett. I'm glad to know that it didn't!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Enjoy the Good Days
Today was a great day for the Heinisch children in the world of sports. This is not always the case, as we have found in participating in youth sports there are a lot more loses than wins. So, today I have encouraged them to bask in the glory of their achievements, because all too soon the agony of defeat may well be upon us.
The day started bright and early as Cal and his golf team headed out at 7 a.m. for an early morning tee time. This would be his first tournament as a high school student and I know he was feeling a lot of pressure. The coach was smart enough to put him on the JV team for this one. None of us were able to attend the invitational, but we talked of him all day, especially when it was sleeting and hailing here. Golf is challenging to play when the temperature is below 45 degrees.
Once Doug made sure Cal was on the bus, he and Meg got ready for their first soccer game of the spring season. Because she is twelve, Meg moved up to the big field. She was a little nervous having to play against 8th grade boys, but she did very well. Most of her team is young, but the two 8th graders on her team were a big help and very supportive of the younger players. They were able to win 7-2 despite the wind, rain and cold. I have to admit that I watched the game from the heated seats of our van. The Heinisch children enjoy calling me a wimp, and I will not disagree when it comes to cold weather.
Cam ran out onto his soccer field as Meg headed to the van. Her AAU basketball team had a shoot out 45 minutes away and we wanted to see if she could catch part of the first game. I was kept abreast of the happenings of Cameron's team by Doug and my parents. Cameron was happy to record a win, and even happier to report that he scored a penalty kick that put his team in the lead.
Meg made it to her game in time to play the second half. It was their first win of the season as well, so she was glad that she was able to participate. The next two games did not go in their favor, but she was thrilled to have a new shootout shirt to add to her wardrobe with her name and number on the back. It was fun for me to watch the girls eat lunch together, giggle and enjoy the day.
It was late into the afternoon by the time we heard from Cal. As I watched him walk off of the bus with two medals around his neck, I couldn't help but feeling a sense of pride. He is not much for talking, but was quite pleased to tell me that his JV team won the invitational and he placed 4th out of 54 golfers.
Although you may not realize it by this post, once you get to know me, you soon realize that I am not a "soccer mom." My children play sports because they love it, never to please me or Doug. I am the one sitting in the stands nervous for all, feeling sad for the losers and steering clear of the fanatics. Today, however, I do have to say I am extremely proud of their sports achievements. It is not because they won, but because they worked hard, set goals and reached them. Next Saturday may be completely different as there will be new games and invitationals. Thus, today we will celebrate. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
The day started bright and early as Cal and his golf team headed out at 7 a.m. for an early morning tee time. This would be his first tournament as a high school student and I know he was feeling a lot of pressure. The coach was smart enough to put him on the JV team for this one. None of us were able to attend the invitational, but we talked of him all day, especially when it was sleeting and hailing here. Golf is challenging to play when the temperature is below 45 degrees.
Once Doug made sure Cal was on the bus, he and Meg got ready for their first soccer game of the spring season. Because she is twelve, Meg moved up to the big field. She was a little nervous having to play against 8th grade boys, but she did very well. Most of her team is young, but the two 8th graders on her team were a big help and very supportive of the younger players. They were able to win 7-2 despite the wind, rain and cold. I have to admit that I watched the game from the heated seats of our van. The Heinisch children enjoy calling me a wimp, and I will not disagree when it comes to cold weather.
Cam ran out onto his soccer field as Meg headed to the van. Her AAU basketball team had a shoot out 45 minutes away and we wanted to see if she could catch part of the first game. I was kept abreast of the happenings of Cameron's team by Doug and my parents. Cameron was happy to record a win, and even happier to report that he scored a penalty kick that put his team in the lead.
Meg made it to her game in time to play the second half. It was their first win of the season as well, so she was glad that she was able to participate. The next two games did not go in their favor, but she was thrilled to have a new shootout shirt to add to her wardrobe with her name and number on the back. It was fun for me to watch the girls eat lunch together, giggle and enjoy the day.
It was late into the afternoon by the time we heard from Cal. As I watched him walk off of the bus with two medals around his neck, I couldn't help but feeling a sense of pride. He is not much for talking, but was quite pleased to tell me that his JV team won the invitational and he placed 4th out of 54 golfers.
Although you may not realize it by this post, once you get to know me, you soon realize that I am not a "soccer mom." My children play sports because they love it, never to please me or Doug. I am the one sitting in the stands nervous for all, feeling sad for the losers and steering clear of the fanatics. Today, however, I do have to say I am extremely proud of their sports achievements. It is not because they won, but because they worked hard, set goals and reached them. Next Saturday may be completely different as there will be new games and invitationals. Thus, today we will celebrate. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Patience
Tonight Brett and I spent several hours making a photo DVD for graduation. We found great pictures, quotes and special effects. Unfortunately, we have spent an equal amount of time trying to get it transferred to our DVD player connected to the TV. As I type this, Brett is trying one more thing before we call it a night! Fingers crossed that it works! Luckily, we still have 8 weeks until graduation to figure this out! Wish us luck!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Maybe It Is Enough
In November one of the freshmen girls in Cal's class committed suicide by stepping in front of a train. Obviously, that was a horrible event for the students. I had known the girl since she was in early elementary school and I felt awful for her friends and family. We talked to the boys about suicide, feelings of despair and let them know there is nothing that we couldn't or wouldn't help them with. The high school sent home a letter and provided counseling for anyone who needed extra help dealing with this situation.
Then the Sandy Hook tragedy took place. Another sad topic that was all over the news. I decided not to watch TV during that time period. It was too sad to think about. School safety was a big topic and classroom doors are now locked at all times. My students and I talked about what they should do in that situation and where they would go. What my classes felt they learned from that horrible event was to listen to the teacher and trust him/her if she tells you to hide in closet, crawl out of the window, etc.
In January, the unbelievable happened as a sophomore at our high school committed suicide. News traveled fast as the story broke during a Friday night basketball game - more sad news in such a small town. Administrators met and decided to bring a motivational speaker to our town to help our community cope. Meg and I went to hear him speak and the boys listened to him at an assembly during the school day. He did a great job, told some fun stories and was very encouraging. Within a week after this visit another student at the high school tried to take his life as well.
So many feelings were expressed by members of our community - panic, sadness, shock. I just kept thinking Spring would come, then maybe we could all start feeling happy again. This week the ministerial society brought in a motivational group that sang, put on skits and encouraged the middle
school and high school students. I listened to some of my students talk afterward and they expressed
the same thoughts that my own children had - "It was nice to have a convocation, but we are ready to be happy again." Maybe it is enough - we have talked, cried, and stood together. Now we can move on, not forget, but live outside of the fear, panic and grief. Spring is a time of renewal. I am glad that it is here.
Then the Sandy Hook tragedy took place. Another sad topic that was all over the news. I decided not to watch TV during that time period. It was too sad to think about. School safety was a big topic and classroom doors are now locked at all times. My students and I talked about what they should do in that situation and where they would go. What my classes felt they learned from that horrible event was to listen to the teacher and trust him/her if she tells you to hide in closet, crawl out of the window, etc.
In January, the unbelievable happened as a sophomore at our high school committed suicide. News traveled fast as the story broke during a Friday night basketball game - more sad news in such a small town. Administrators met and decided to bring a motivational speaker to our town to help our community cope. Meg and I went to hear him speak and the boys listened to him at an assembly during the school day. He did a great job, told some fun stories and was very encouraging. Within a week after this visit another student at the high school tried to take his life as well.
So many feelings were expressed by members of our community - panic, sadness, shock. I just kept thinking Spring would come, then maybe we could all start feeling happy again. This week the ministerial society brought in a motivational group that sang, put on skits and encouraged the middle
school and high school students. I listened to some of my students talk afterward and they expressed
the same thoughts that my own children had - "It was nice to have a convocation, but we are ready to be happy again." Maybe it is enough - we have talked, cried, and stood together. Now we can move on, not forget, but live outside of the fear, panic and grief. Spring is a time of renewal. I am glad that it is here.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Memories
Last Saturday night I started going through five years of newspaper clippings that I had saved. First, I went through and organized them by school year. Once that part of my project was complete, I then opened up the bookcase doors and started searching through all of our photo albums starting with the year Brett was born. I knew I was looking for items for Brett's graduation party, but wasn't sure what I wanted. As I searched, several themes to our lives in the last 18 years became very apparent. The most noticeable was the trips to Bloomington and Disney World, so I started piles of pictures from those events.
Next, I looked at Brett's school pictures, but I am not a big fan of head shots. They feel so artificial. Instead I realized that every year I had taken a picture of the Heinisch children on the first day of school, so another theme tackled. As much as I enjoy Christmas and Easter, the pictures that stood out next were the ones from Halloween. I loved all of the different costumes that my children have picked out over the years. Brett's have always been the most unique - King K.Rool from Donkey Kong, the Headless Horseman, Goldfinger, etc. Thus, another group of photos were placed on the table. Piles of our Christmas picture cards and some of my favorite family/sibling pictures rounded out my search.
Once this was accomplished I decided to go back to all of the newspaper clippings that I had sorted by school year and reorganize them by child. I spent several hours today putting all of Brett's "newsworthy" events into a binder. I asked him if he wanted to look at it when I was finished this evening. I loved listening to him exclaim, "No way, I didn't remember Thomas was on my soccer team." "Hey look, there's Amanda when we were in elementary school." "Mom, I didn't know I entered a mitten coloring contest at the library. That's where I got that panda bear book I just loved." Although my back was sore from bending over photos and articles, hearing Brett's excitement made it all worthwhile!
Next, I looked at Brett's school pictures, but I am not a big fan of head shots. They feel so artificial. Instead I realized that every year I had taken a picture of the Heinisch children on the first day of school, so another theme tackled. As much as I enjoy Christmas and Easter, the pictures that stood out next were the ones from Halloween. I loved all of the different costumes that my children have picked out over the years. Brett's have always been the most unique - King K.Rool from Donkey Kong, the Headless Horseman, Goldfinger, etc. Thus, another group of photos were placed on the table. Piles of our Christmas picture cards and some of my favorite family/sibling pictures rounded out my search.
Once this was accomplished I decided to go back to all of the newspaper clippings that I had sorted by school year and reorganize them by child. I spent several hours today putting all of Brett's "newsworthy" events into a binder. I asked him if he wanted to look at it when I was finished this evening. I loved listening to him exclaim, "No way, I didn't remember Thomas was on my soccer team." "Hey look, there's Amanda when we were in elementary school." "Mom, I didn't know I entered a mitten coloring contest at the library. That's where I got that panda bear book I just loved." Although my back was sore from bending over photos and articles, hearing Brett's excitement made it all worthwhile!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Back to Our Routine
This is our second day back to school after Spring Break and so far the transition has went pretty well. I can't say that any of us were ready for the alarm clock Monday morning, but knowing that this is the last big push before summer break has made it a lot easier. The weather feels, smells and sounds a lot more like Spring and that definitely helps. Golf and soccer season are in full swing. That makes for a lot of running around, especially since Meg and Cal are also playing as much basketball as possible. The musical is over for Brett, so at least his schedule has calmed down quite a bit. Cameron has already asked his grandparents when he can go swimming off of their pier. I love his enthusiasm for summer, but it is not quite warm enough for that yet.
I wasn't sure how school would be after the ten day break, but so far the students are right back at it. I even gave a test today and all did pretty well. My writing lab finished up their fantasy story writing yesterday. I was so happy that my student that was sad to be leaving school for Spring Break greeted me Monday morning by shouting down the hall, "Mrs. Heinisch, I was able to write two more chapters over break. I can't wait to type them!" I am glad that all is going well. Like the students, I am on the count down to summer. However, it is great to see, that just as the Heinisch children, my students are still enthusiastic and have big plans for a great end to the school year.
I wasn't sure how school would be after the ten day break, but so far the students are right back at it. I even gave a test today and all did pretty well. My writing lab finished up their fantasy story writing yesterday. I was so happy that my student that was sad to be leaving school for Spring Break greeted me Monday morning by shouting down the hall, "Mrs. Heinisch, I was able to write two more chapters over break. I can't wait to type them!" I am glad that all is going well. Like the students, I am on the count down to summer. However, it is great to see, that just as the Heinisch children, my students are still enthusiastic and have big plans for a great end to the school year.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Math, Who Needs It?
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard Brett utter the words, "Math, who needs it?" I always find it funny when he says this, because Brett's knowledge of math as a science is deep. He meets with his Calculus teacher several times a week just to explain the concepts to her and to make sure he is understanding it all. She tells him that he does, but he still grumbles anytime the subject is mentioned.
As a math teacher, I do realize that AP Calculus probably isn't an important skill to have for someone who wants to be a lawyer. However, Doug then reminds me that math teaches us to solve problems and that is a life skill we all need. Tonight I hope Brett at least could see the benefit of having this knowledge while he was helping Cal understand the concepts of Honors Algebra II, teaching him the value of taking notes, and encouraging him to ask the teacher for help when he doesn't understand something. I know I could see it and I loved listening to them banter back and forth as they were talking math.
Brett found out on his college visit last year that if he passes the Calculus AP Exam with a score of 4 or 5, he will not have to take math in college to graduate with a political science degree. I hope he does, but I know he will still need his math skills. Cal is taking dual credit Pre-Calculus next year and will need all of the FaceTime help Brett will give him!
As a math teacher, I do realize that AP Calculus probably isn't an important skill to have for someone who wants to be a lawyer. However, Doug then reminds me that math teaches us to solve problems and that is a life skill we all need. Tonight I hope Brett at least could see the benefit of having this knowledge while he was helping Cal understand the concepts of Honors Algebra II, teaching him the value of taking notes, and encouraging him to ask the teacher for help when he doesn't understand something. I know I could see it and I loved listening to them banter back and forth as they were talking math.
Brett found out on his college visit last year that if he passes the Calculus AP Exam with a score of 4 or 5, he will not have to take math in college to graduate with a political science degree. I hope he does, but I know he will still need his math skills. Cal is taking dual credit Pre-Calculus next year and will need all of the FaceTime help Brett will give him!
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