Cookies and Cheers (But NO Tears)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! This christmas was definitely a memorable one over here in Ukraine. I was able to skype my family and watch the annual present exchanges. I also got to celebrate christmas with the Kelly family. Man, I forget how exciting it is for Santa to come and all the preparation/anticipation that comes with Christmas...

My room all decorated, just in time for Christmas! 

 Picking out Cookies for Santa :)

 Good Morning and Merry Christmas!!!! Can't wait to see what Santa brought!!!!!!

P.S. this was my favorite christmas gift! They know me too well and encourage my disney princess lovin'

Snow Bunnies

Today was a babysitting day and the fist day for snow to stick on the ground all day long. The kiddos were super excited and HAD TO PLAY IN THE SNOW!! Thankfully Masha (my friend visiting) was there to get coats, boots, gloves and hats on all three kids with minimal tears. There wasn't enough snow to sled on or make a snowman but we still had fun. We went to "the hill" in the back of the property and ran up&down it a couple of times. Abbie can do it by herself but I had to help the other two quite a bit. Noah can barely walk in all his snow gear lol They really do make cute snow bunnies!

Watch Out For Them Injuns

This week we are learning about Indians. Can I just say I love Indians and learning about their culture! Highlights so far: making our own beats and songs in the classroom, watching real Indians dance, sing, and tell stories, making up stories from Indian writings.

(Abbie drew her own pictures and I had Sophie pick some for me to draw and then she added the faces and fingers lol)

It's a Wonderful Life

Many people ask me where I am and what I do all day. For those of you curious, read on my friends but be warned.... This blog be a long one!

I live in a cottage like structure (one bedroom, full bath, with a joint kitchen/living room) right next to my employers and the school room. I wake up between 8:00-8:50 every day and school starts around 9:00 on Monday through Friday.

A typical school day:

9:00-10:00 Abbie and I do math work sheets, phonics, work on reading and writing until Sophie joins us. We also play "princess card" games or other short games in-between the seat work.

10:00-10:30 Abbie finishes up her seat work (mostly doing her daily journal) and Sophie works on learning how to write her letters.  If she does three letters then she earns a sticker, just like Abbie does when she completes all her work.

10:30 We have snack time! Juice pouches are a necessity and are usually complimented with crackers, wafer cookies, or animal cookies. We also watch a short clips of bible stories or read a book while they have to sit still. 

10:45ish-11:40ish is completely free flowing and depends on their energy level. We make up games, do science experiments, make crafts, finish up other work, talk through concepts, read fairy tales, have dance breaks, act silly, do puzzles, and play board games.

11:40-12:00 This is my absolute favorite part of the day! We sing silly songs, children's songs and bible class songs till it is time to go home. At first this was hard because they didn't know very many songs but they were quick to learn new ones. It is so precious to hear them sing about God in their little high-pitched voices. Some of the favorites are I'm in the Lord's Army (Texas Cowboy Style), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (we literally sing this every day for Sophie), Peace Like a River, and Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Sometimes we try to see who can sing them the loudest and sometimes we see who can sing them the fastest just to spice things up. 

Things that make teaching possible: 

Imagination- looking around and using things that surround you is the best! For example, there is a multi-colored puzzle piece rug in the middle of the classroom. It is a great place to read a book, play a card game, or the rug becomes a game itself. They love having races on the rug, hopping on one color back and forth, or choosing one puzzle piece to sing silly song (if they don't than they usually end up accidently hurting each other, annoying each other, or distracting each other).

Expo markers, white boards and other dry erase supplies- They are so versatile and the kids love using them for homework, games, coloring, etc. It also cuts down on wasting paper and other hard-to-find supplies!

Patience- Working with kids can be hard and patience goes a long way. Things get done faster and more efficiently in the long run if you can keep calm during the tears/stubbornness/high-energy moments.

Good Support Team- Not only do they pick me up when I am down, they make me laugh, give me wisdom, and care about my well-being. Thanks Jenny, Andrew, Zander, Mom and Dad, Ashley, and Lindsey and Lindsay!

Princess themed everything- So thankful that the girls like princesses and I use this for rewards all the time. Abbie loves to play Old Maid, Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Memory Matching, and I Spy with our 2 decks of princess cards. These games are great breaks in-between seat work in the mornings. We listen and dance to disney princess music almost every day. I also have a Princess party with the girls after every Unit (5 weeks of work) as a reward and encourager for good school work. When I am in the states, dollar tree is my best friend! They have puzzles, party favors, stickers, certificates, and decorations. It still amazes me how much princess stuff $20 can buy!
Pinterest- Why reinvent the wheel? I love seeing how others teach and repurpose things that can be found all over the world (aka empty water bottles, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, kitchen supplies). There are also great educational games that I can use with my lessons to make learning more fun.

Other things I do outside of school time:

I babysit the Kelly kids every once in a while. These have been some of the hardest and heartwarming moments I've been here; thought, I wouldn't have it any other way. I help cook food for the shelter a couple times a week and enjoy hanging out with the peeps over there. I get to attend church in Kiev with the Kelly family, Zander and Lindsay. They might be long car rides, but playing games and listening to Disney music makes the ride doable. I am sometimes the designated driver for Sasha Project runs. Each run is fun and filled with interesting characters and friends, plus my co-partner in crime makes all the driving part enjoyable. I read, watch movies, prep for school, and take naps during my "free time." I have also started to learn how to be a better cook. Most days I make things from scratch (and not using things from boxes and cans; pinterest and sisterspoon.com blog have helped out immensely). Unfortunately still working on the cleaning up after myself part so my living room is usually a mess... Don't know if I will ever get that down lol

I believe that's all folks!

threw the card away but not my life

November is suppose to be the month of thankfulness, but my traitorous mind is having a hard time being thankful. I keep thinking of all the things going wrong instead of all the things going right. I am also feeling sick (runny nose, cough, low energy) and tired. To top it all off, today I threw away my debt card on accident in a public place; and, they had emptied out the trash can before I realized what I had done. No big deal until you factor in that I now live in Ukraine and will probably have to wait until after Christmas to get a new one.

On a happy note, I have parents who can call the bank, set up a temporary solution, and solve all of my problems way before they normally wake up. I have friends who are willing to spot me until I can pay them back. AND I have a nice cosy home with lots of hot water, tea bags, meds and food to help me get better.

I am thankful for my life, even if it is not filled with rainbows and butterflies every day. Here is a short list of other things that I am specifically thankful for:

~ Jenny-- Literally my saving grace... always inclusive, welcoming, and encouraging
~ pinterest-- I would have no idea how to cook things from scratch without this gem
~ Noah's hugs-- When I walk into the Kelly's house, Noah will run towards me and give me a big hug. They are precious and always make me feel better.
~ Abbie's learning-- so encouraging to see your pupil experiment, learn, and retain information.
~ Spanish-- It amazes me that I can communicate with Spanish in Ukraine
~ Zander-- He can always make me laugh and has the opposite view (from me) in almost everything
~ Sophie-- always has something to say (usually comical) and has wonderful whimsical thinking
~ heaters-- a wonderful friend as the nights are getting colder
~ random warm sunny days in this Indian summer
~ internet-- helps me stay connected to my family, friends, country and great entertainment
~ electricty-- never know when it will go but always thankful it will come back on
~ both my ukrainian and iphone
~ my kindle-- it can work without internet or electricty (for a good while).... I can carry all of my books, download new books, and play games all on the same amazing item.
~ friends at home that txt or message me on fb-- thanks for continuing to include me in your lives even when we cant be physically together

Thankful Posting

Okay, to be honest with y'all I was bored on facebook so I started to look at all of my old photos. The photos brought back many memories and moments that I had forgotten. I was hit with major homesickness and just wanted jump on the next airplane out of Ukriane. Then God did something wonderful (like he always does). HE changed my perspective. HE made it about how much HE has blessed me in the past, provided me with friendships long&short at just the right times in my life. He reminded me of all the laughter, smiles, inside jokes, awkward moments, and friends I hadn't thought about in a while. Thank you Lord for all of my friends new&old and for friends of the future.

Make new friends but keep the old 

One is silver, the other's gold

A circle's round, it has no end

That's how long I want to be your friend

State Side

I got to visit my parents for a quick 2 weeks! We ate out, shopped, and spent lots of bonding time together. I am happy to say that my parents are settling in well. They know where to find good eats plus  the closest Salvation Army, Dollor Tree, Wal-mart, and cider mills!

I loved seeing my family come together to celebrate my dad's new job at Rochester. We had lots of laughs, smiles, and good food. We also got to meet Jace and Jepfrom Duck Dynasty (my first celebrity meeting!!!) Hearing them talk was very inspiring and refreshing!!! Sad to see this family time go by so fast but happy none the less!! Heading back to Ukraine to teach those wonderful kids :)

Pics from the highlights:

PriNce$$ PaRTy!!!!! (round 1)

SOOOOOO I have been struggling to get Abbie to do her seat work since week one. Frustration mounting, I start talking to God. Next thing I know, I am planning a princess party to encourage her to keep working hard. This past week all she could think about was 4, 3, 2, 1 days till PRINCESS PARTY!!!!!!!! When you have a princess party, you have to dress up! They wore their costumes for the school part and for the party. Here are some of the awesome princess things we did at the party -->


the decorations:

Pin the crown on the princess:

Tea Time:

Take home gifts and Certificate:

Kola's Crazy Castle

I usually feel awkward on the Sasha runs because I can't talk to anyone. Everyone acts like I understand and I will not or make those little agreement noises when Zander does, but honestly I feel silly most of the time... until I went on the run in Ivankiv. First house we went through very quickly. Next, we went to a family that has recently moved to Ivankiv. The mom was wonderful and would ask  Zander and I questions. She really cared about how we were doing and would wait for Zander to translate for me. Then it comes up that her daughter went to Spain this summer and knows a little bit of Spanish! I got to talk to her and it was so much fun!!!!  Next we went to Big Kola's house. This guy use to work for Andrew but now is what we would call a foster parent with his wife. The government has built them a 2 story house and they have filled it to the brim with children and love. They have 10 kids total right now, four of their flesh and blood, but claim them all as their children. I loved visiting their house because it was barely controlled chaos (my favorite kind when kids are involved)!!!!

Literally "read" through that whole kid's bible in Ula's lap. Mark would give his version of what the people did in the pictures while Ula and I laughed at his clever whit. Most of his version included sound effects (farting, burping, and falling down) so it was actually pretty funny. Plus even if I didn't understand, Ula's laugh was contagious!

Zander with some of the munchkins that would sit still.

This kid stole was the cutest little one and somehow he never got hurt! As everyone is running around, bouncing of couches, banging into each other, he is just sitting in the middle of the floor playing with a bucket! Also notice the T-shirt... Made me even happier that the ACU love had spread to this wonderful house. Once a Wild Cat, always a Wild Cat :) 

Birthday Bash

Today was my 23 birthday! School time was a little bit rough at times and I made Abbie sit in timeout for the first time, but things smoothed out when Sophie joined us. That night I was invited to the Kellys for dinner and desert. Yummy mexican food, laughter, and a little performance from Abbie and Sophie definitely made the night. Jenny asked me what my favorite birthday was and I instantly stated my 18th but honestly I've had some really good ones..
 5th or 6th(?)-- Pocahontas birthday themed was my first sleepover birthday which became a tradition after that. We made our own dresses like the one she wore in the disney movie!
8th-- wore awesome dress up dresses and modeled them the rest of the night
11th-- had a pool party and then slept in the club house on the property! We did cheerleader stunts, played truth or dare for the first time, and watched A Walk To Remember for the first time.
15th-- We actually had a volleyball tournament so everyone came early, ate breakfast and cake together. I mostly remember how excited to get my first cell phone (big step even if I couldn't text lol)!!!
16th-- Lunch with mom&dad and got my driver's license
17th-- Played games inside Hillcrest with all of my friends and then went rolling (with toilet paper borrowed from the chruch....). I remember we played sardines after dark with all the lights off. Talk about wild, heart racing times!
18th-- I had a broken right arm that was taking it's sweet time to heal and I was becoming more depressed every day. I was dreading my birthday to say the least and it seemed like everyone forgot about my birthday anyway (including my family). That day one of my best friends asked if I wanted to go to the mall. So we walked around and decided I needed to cut my hair since I could not fix it with a broken arm (middle of back length hair chopped off to jaw short!). Around this time I decided that I wanted to celebrate my birthday after all and tried to convince my mom to throw a party together. Little did I know that my mom had all of my friends gathered at Hillcrest waiting to surprise me. It was my first surprise birthday party and I loved every minute of it.

Birthdays in college were fun and filled with lots of laughter. They were more spur of the moment but still I was surrounded by love from friends and family, even in Uruguay for my 20th!!!

Sorry for the long post but it is fun to remember good moments, such as wonderful birthdays. Out of all the birthday memorys, one thing I remember the most is that my mom made me invite every girl in my class to every birthday. I remember not being invited to some of their birthday parties, hurting from their exclusiveness (especially in middle school), and not understanding why I had to invite them. She taught me to always be inclusive; the more, the merrier. Looking back, I am so thankful for my mom's wisdom.

Hurricane of Energy

Y'all, these past couple of days have been crazy! Here is a quick update of the people that have come and gone:
1) Some sweet ladies from Texas came to do a quick seminar with the women in Ivankiv. They came here to empower women of the faith and to learn the needs of the surrounding communities.
2) Richard and Vicki Nelson (old missionary friends of the Kellys that have moved back to the states) came to visit for a few days and help with the dental clinic. This couple have hearts of gold and I hope to see them again! They have such a cool story
3) Stephen came to town for two days. I should just leave it at that, but I am going to brag about my new friend. This man organizes a ministry (Mercy Trucks) that now has at least 100 Ukrainian dentists volunteering in different communities all over Ukraine each year. Stephen sets the area up the day/night before the event, helps run and organize the event all day (sometimes the event can last up to 1 week), and then cleans everything up. Some people call him an energizer bunny but I like to think of him as a hurricane of energy.
4) The dental clinic this round had 4 dentists and one hygienist set up (one dentist working in the mobil clinic and the others working in the lodge). They started seeing people at 9:00 am and finished up around 4:30-5:00; these volunteers cleaned and fixed teeth for 33 patients.

I wasn't able to attend the the seminars but I did help out with setting up and taking down the dental clinic. I did school with the girls (like we do every day) and then asked Stephen how I could help. Iwas paired with this young dentist named Angelique. I was in charge of the spit/blood sucker as she worked on people. Lets just say it was more pleasent experience than when I "helped" a dentist in Honduras....

This is Angelique (she was such a blessing to work with!!!!)

I also grabbed a pic with Vicki as she was heading out the door

 

Choot-choot

This weekend was amazing and hectic!! I babysat the kiddos so Jenny could pick up Andrew (he's finally back from his 2 week trip!!!!!!) and 5 other ladies that will be staying in the lodge. Then I helped Zander pick up some boys for a weekend retreat. 

I cooked three meals for them and was able to hang out with Anya and Slava more this weekend than I ever have before :) This weekend happened to be a holliday in Ivonkiv (sp?) so Zander and I got to herd four middle schoolers and one 5 yr old around town for a couple of hrs. It was interesting to say the least. I also learned another word that's sounds like a train but means a little bit. Now I sound like a bird and a train every day (Ha ha) 

These boys have been coming to camp for many years. We picked up Sasha first (the boy they named the Sasha project after) and Andrei and Denis were waiting at his house. Andrei was the boy I sponsored for 2 years and it was so fun to see him again. All three boys went to the camp over a year ago that Hillcrest did for the first time. I love being able to see them again and getting to know them better.

 Sasha has a servant's heart. He was always looking for ways to help people and will do anything you ask him to. Andrei is a natural leader and people naturally gather around him. He has the best humor and is always cracking jokes to make everyone laugh. Denis tends to be quieter/moodier out of all of them. I think he is still trying to figure himself out and God out. Sadly, he has the most cards stacked against him compared to the others. Andrei's mom rarely drinks now and his house is more stable from what I gather and Sasha's dad does not beat him or his siblings (praise the Lord) but Denis has nothing to come home too. His mom was completely drunk we we took him home. So far that was the hardest thing I've had to do here. Drive away leaving Denis with a drunken mom who doesn't care about him. 

I'm learning that prayer is a powerful thing. If you can stop and take a moment to pray for Denis and other children in his situation that would be wonderful. 

Quick update: Tanya's parents are threatening and causing a stir but Social Services are going to keep their decision an will not let her parents take her home!!! (Praise The Lord)

Run Sasha Run

Never have I ever driven outside of the states.... Until today. I went on my first Sasha project run as the driver. It was fun to see Zander talk with the families and hug kids that had been to camp this summer. It was also comical to meet families who didn't know who Zander was, but once we said we were friends of Jenny they would smile and open up.

Quick explanation: Sasha Project is one of Jenny's ministries. Generally speaking, she would go once a week on one route. This is a way to follow up on the kids in tough situations that had attended camp. Each family gets a bag of goodies (that usually includes rice, pasta, oats, vegetable oil, cartons of juice and some candies for the kids) while Jenny would talk to the mom and kids building up relationships with the families throughout the year. Each year more kids are invited to camp, some the same an some different. During camp, Jenny and Andrew will listen to the kids and add them to the Sasha project list if needed.  There are now four routes with an average of 9 families that are visited in each route. This ministry has grown now to where Jenny cant do it by herself. She has been in the process of teaching Zander (an Ukrainian they have just hired) the ropes and this was the first time to go on a run without Jenny.

Zander visiting on a Sasha run with one of his favorite kids from camp this summer

Oh Metro

I was introduced to the most wonderful store in Kiev. Let me try to describe this experience for you.

Imagine a store bigger than the biggest Sam's club you have ever been too. It has clothes, books, sports equipment in one corner and then the rest of the store is food. There were so many choices that it made my head spin. The Ukrainian labels and different currency didn't help the matter. In the end, I had a cart full of goodies that hopefully will last 3ish weeks. 

1st day of school!!!!

These are the two cuties I am blessed to teach. World, meet Abbie and Sophie. Be prepared cuz they are filled with energy, attitude and huge amounts of fun. They will steal your hearts and rock your world.