It’s almost that wonderful time of year. It’s cold outside and some mornings are ice cold.
We have been debating whether or not to put up the Christmas tree this year. It’s fun setting things up and decorating; when it comes time to take everything down and storing, none of my helpers are to be found. Either way, having a Christmas tree gets us into the holiday mood as well as listening to Christmas music.
Holiday Elves.
We didn’t go for a white Christmas this time. We opted for the little green Christmas tree and a few of our favorite ornaments. This year, the huge elves are on the shelves and their fun mischievous (medium size) replica on a ladder next to the Christmas tree.
Christmas Tree and Elves on Ladder.
This year, my favorite ornaments on the tree are the Lauren Conrad Christmas ornaments below. The Mouse Candy Cane, Fox and Bunny Ballerina. They are beautifully well made.
Lauren Conrad Christmas Ornaments.
I love the nativity scene glass cloche below featuring Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Nativity Scene Glass Cloche.
I found the beautiful miniature living Christmas trees at Walmart earlier this morning. Went in to buy a t-shirt for my son’s project and couldn’t resist bringing one home.
Miniature Living Christmas Trees.
For the first time in many years, the neighborhood is alive this holiday season. Most of the neighbors have decorated their yards and put up lights and the sight is beautiful at night (which is enough for us). We are keeping things simple and to a minimum.
We are extending our attitude of gratitude by continuously giving to charities.
Warmest wishes of the season from our family to yours.
It’s Saturday and Saturdays have become the day we rake leaves and clean up the front yard. We no longer have trees in the front yard. Strangely however, with a little help from the wind, these falling leaves from neighboring trees tend to find solace in our yard.
Fallen Leaves.
I noticed a while back that one of my Photinia Fraseri in the front yard wasn’t as tall as the rest and I suspected that it wasn’t getting enough water. Sure enough, while inspecting the plant I realized that not only was it not getting water, the irrigation tubing was damaged. Somehow roots found their way into the tubing and clogged it. We checked how far the damage went, cut out the damaged section and replaced it.
Damage Irrigation Tubing by Plant Roots.
I planted two Dwarf Myrtle shrubs a few years back, only one survived. This drought tolerant, deer resistant and evergreen shrub with delicate creamy-white flowers is one of my favorite shrubs in the garden. The foliage and stems exude a pleasant scent when crushed. I usually don’t pay much attention to the plant once its done flowering. I recently and accidentally realized it was covered with dark blue berries.
The leaves, flowers and berries are edible. The berries are used to make essential oil, jam, alcoholic beverage and tea. I heard it’s a plant that represents love and death (get more interesting facts about the plant here). The plant attracts many pollinating insects, such as honey bees and butterflies. It will also attract birds.
Dwarf Myrtle stems with dark blue berries.Dwarf Myrtle flowers (June, 2014).
The evergreen Asparagus Fern is a beautiful ornamental plant, ideal for hanging baskets. It is said that the stems of the plant are safe to eat. The fruits however are toxic to humans as well as dogs and cats; causing symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting and skin irritation. Birds are highly attracted to the fruits.
Asparagus Fern green and red berries.
The cold weather has given the bulbs I transplanted a head start.
Allium Drumstick shoots.
New buds emerging at the crown of Julia Rose Itoh Peony plant.
Julia Rose Itoh Peony Buds.
Happy gardening as you get yourselves into the holiday spirit.
It’s been a while since it rained, so we are grateful for Saturday’s much needed rain.
The weather’s great. The plants are thriving with their leaves changing colors and starting to fall. Somehow, I am missing the Raywood Ash tree this year.
A few of the plants in my gardens are blooming profusely this Fall. A variety of Daylilies, Trumpet Creepers, Roses, Mums, Snapdragons, Hibiscus and Gaura are still blooming. Many Hibiscus are not cold-hardy in the High Desert, so they have to be taken indoors over the winter.
Hibiscus Flower.Hibiscus Flower.
Oddly, I find Mums the prettiest in fall, especially Orange Mums. They are one of my favorites plants and stunning blooming beauties.
Orange Mums.
I love Bougainvilleas for their stunning flowers and colors. I planted a few many years ago, they lasted a couple of years and died. While digging them out, I found curl grubs (the larvae of different species of beetle) feeding on the roots of the plants. I will give this plant another shot.
Bougainvillea Flowers.
Snapdragon are also on my list of favorite plants. This plant will self-seed if its flower-head is left untouched at the end of the growing season. Just a few weeks ago, I had some white and orange flowers.
Snapdragon Flowers.
Baby Sun Rose cascading over the side of its hanging container.
Baby Sun Rose.
Asparagus Plumosus look great in hanging containers and large planters. I have had the one below for six years now, divided and repotted a few times and they keep coming back every year. Be careful while handling the plant as its stems have thorns and the plant can irritate the skin.
Asparagus Plumosus.Asparagus Fern.
Like a magnet, the rain brought out insects …
I spotted a large black bee, possibly a carpenter bee, collecting pollen from flowers.
Mexican Bird of Paradise.
I wasn’t always fond of Praying Mantises. However, many years ago, after finding out that they are beneficial garden insects, every sight of them became a breath of fresh air. I am an avid gardener, I planned my own landscape design and created my front and backyard gardens from scratch. I have so many plants and Praying Mantises as well as Ladybugs have been my garden silent helpers. While Ladybugs appear around Spring, Praying Mantises on the other hand have been seen all year round.
It’s amazing how they can turn their heads and look over their shoulders.
Praying Mantises.
I found a dead dragonfly next to one of the Purpleleaf Cherry Plum trees and felt a little sad. What a beautiful and fascinating creature.
When the bully oppresses you without using words …
Child abuse just doesn’t happen at home. It happens everywhere, especially at schools and from the individuals you would suspect the least: teachers. It seems to be a growing trend lately. Teachers, the silent bullies. These abuses are not limited to assaults, public humiliation, unfair grades, isolation, discrimination, etc. Bullies are finding new methods to upgrade their game and it is our duty as parents to be watchful.
For the first time in the eight years that my son has attended an elementary school, he is dealing with a teacher who doesn’t like him and who is trying her best to fail him wherever and whenever possible. My son doesn’t slack off and has always been an A student for the past 7 years (above grade level). Every single one of his previous teachers had nothing but good thoughts and best wishes for him. This year, he’s met someone who wants to break his spirit: Mrs. Diaz.
I remember a few years back, when teachers would either call a parent with concerns or send a note home. Things were really good then because of the ongoing communication. Now, some teachers think they can toy with our children just because, you know, they have some authority over our children while we are not watching. My kids are extremely respectful and their greatest flaw is that they are perfectionists and sometimes too smart for their own good. I have an accent due to the fact that I went through a French education system and I have always encourage my children to correct me whenever my pronunciation is off.
A couple of weeks ago, during parent-teacher conference, I realized that my son’s teacher is holding a grudge against him for correcting her in front of the whole class. Mind you, she didn’t bring the issue up until I asked about his behavior in class to which she responded, “he’s rude to me, correcting me all the time.” This is a woman who says she doesn’t believe in punishment, yet she doesn’t hesitate to sanction my son based on her mood of the day. Of course, I apologized and asked why I wasn’t notified of it. I instructed my son right there to stop correcting her. She went on bragging about working towards her master’s degree and her years of teaching. She made the mistake of telling us a story about refusing to help a former student who used to be rude to her. Red flag! Did this woman just tell me she will ruin my son’s life if he keeps on correcting her? Is this behavior acceptable to anyone? For a school with bad ratings and extremely low rankings, these are the type of teachers they hire? Are they just out to destroy our children? And we wonder why our children are struggling so much! Go figure!
Pulling someone down will never help you reach the top.
This school strongly believes that the bad behavior of a single student should tarnish the entire class. The school seems to take pride in this strange idea. The principal says he doesn’t agree with it; however, he told me straight out “I can’t do that” when I suggested he could advice his teachers to stop penalizing the whole class for the behavior of one student. He doesn’t agree, yet he let’s it slide? This is abuse!
They threaten students to sit them next to someone they dislike/don’t get along with, if they don’t behave. I know this for sure because I talk to other parents, to other kids and to mine. How do you think these kids will feel toward a classmate who gets them punished every time because of the classmate’s bad behavior? Isn’t this another way of encouraging bullying? Am I missing something here?
Sure, they have fun activities for the kids, none of which really help struggling students to learn, read or write. How about we start listening to parents’ concerns and get those kids some much needed help? What exactly are they celebrating when their school is doing so poorly? 4827th of 5,662 California Public Elementary Schools (rankings for the 2017-18 school year, via SchoolDigger.com). I personally know two parents who took their bright kids out of this school due to discrimination and bad management. Most teachers are great and you can tell teaching is their calling. Others are show-offs who yearn for recognition and play favorites (these are the ones who always look forward to teacher appreciation week).
“Now, we must all fear evil men. But, there is another kind of evil which we must fear most and that is the indifference of good men.” – The Boondock Saints
The thing I despise most at this school (and everywhere else) is the fact that some teachers deny kids their right to use the bathroom and force them to hold it. The idea of maintaining control over kids has gone too far. They will give you excuses such as allowing kids to use the bathroom disrupts the class or that kids just want to go out and play (some probably do). What about when the teachers need to leave? Don’t they go as they please, as often as they please and stay as long as they please?
No excuse gives them the right to put our children’s health at risk. In my daughters class for instance, points are deducted each time (from the group table where the kid seats) whenever a kid from that table leaves to use the bathroom and in other classes, the kids have to move their pin down whenever they go. What if a child develops urinary tract infection, kidney failure from bladder pressure or bowel obstruction, will the school take responsibility? We cannot tell kids when to go and when to hold in waste because that’s not how the body works. This is not right and it’s not a healthy thing to do. This is abuse and neglect.
My kids cannot function properly without water and they need plenty of it throughout the day. At every start of the school year, I make sure their teachers are aware of it. And I also request that they please allow them to use the bathroom whenever they need to. I have seen too many kids covered in waste because their teachers told them to hold it and they couldn’t. I am grateful for my well behaved children, who know to respect their teachers and understand that they are in charge of their own bodies. I have instructed them to politely request to step out when needed and to step out anyway, if their teachers deny them the right to do so. It is their right.
“Educate your children about abusive personalities, to prepare them for the possibility of meeting such people.” – Joan Ambu
I know we are busy as parents, but please, please, take a few minutes every day to talk to your children. Find out about their day, ask if anything good or bad happened at school and how their teachers treat them. Get involved. Many kids are struggling, not because they are not able, but because they are being silently bullied by their teachers and they feel like they have no voice. Be their voice. Be their strength. Fight their fight and win.
I spoke with a few good teachers who want to see change at the school. But when the head is rotten, what do you expect? Good teachers are a school’s greatest asset, they shape and impact student lives. These students, in turn, are what make the school great.
Here are a few red flags you need to pay attention to:
When you raise concern and the teacher ignores you (they are guilty or simply don’t care)
When your child complains about a teacher and begs you not to report ( they are afraid of retaliation)
When the principal has no interested in getting involved (it’s a toxic school)
Bad grades or drop in grades if your child was great (the teacher is discriminating)
Stress, sadness if you had a joyful child (abusive teacher)
Sudden loss of interest in everything (verbal, mental and psychological abuse)
I don’t think the school will change unless someone steps in and cleans house. You know birds of a feather flock together. Every end of year the school sends out a form to rate its performance for that year and gives opportunity to parents to tell them what they like, dislike and what changes they would like to see. I thought it was a wonderful idea, unfortunately there hasn’t been a single change or improvement (none that I have seen to date).
People don’t change, they adapt when odds are against them. I urge you parents to talk to your children and file complaints with your districts if the schools are unwilling to work with you. Hopefully a higher authority will rid these toxic schools of their bad seeds.
By JM Perez
