Spring things...Sunday of seven

 Spring in Texas means several things to our family .....
1. Bluebonnets and wildflowers
2. Severe weather
3. Allergies/sinus troubles
4. Soccer tournaments
5. Lots of sunshine
6. Lots of mowing the yard and
7. TAKS testing

TAKS testing is the acronym for the state's tests that are given every year to school children to ensure that they are making adequte progress academically. It's a big deal to schools and kids. Schools of course want their kids to do well so they can earn a higher accountability rating. You can see this posted on banners and schools across the state. The highest category is exemplary. While I admit it is important......it really isn't important. Yes I grew up in a household of educators and am married to one. It is hard to keep it all in focus....funding comes from the rating, communities love the exemplary ratings, and the kids feel more conficent when they do well. But it is ONE DAY IN THE SCHOOL LIFE OF A CHILD. Period. No child should be forced to feel stupid or inadequate because they did not perform well on that particiulair test on that particuliar day. Yes, I realize that Texas is under mandate from the federal government to have an accountability test. I do not have the answer. I just think way too much emphasis is put on a single test given on a single day. Both of my daughters are of TAKS testing age. Both of their normal every day lives comes to a screeching halt during TAKS week. No school activities. Limited church activities. Getting to bed early. Does it really have to be this way? For Grace, probably not. She is learning self discipline and could probably handle it. For JoGail, absolutely. Not being a great test taker and not having much self discipline yet, we have to slow her down and make sure she gets lots of rest this week. Enough of my rambling..and good luck to my teacher friends and friends of TAKS taking age!

Grace adn Coy are back at Waxahachie for the final day of the soccer tournament. I stayed home with JoGail. Gives us a littel chance to rest before out big week. (TAKS testing)  The Lady Destroyers played well yesterday even though they lost one game. The team they played was really good and probably a year older. Alot can be learned from that little scrappy team. Just to look at them you wouldn't htink they would be very aggressive or good at soccer, but they are. There's a core group of girls that has been together since the beginning of third grade. Grace is about the only one with any kind of size. Most of them are blond and skinny. A couple of red head thrown in (twins). We have one dark haired girl, MariLu. We call MariLu the matriarch since she is the oldest. She is actually a grade ahead of most of the girls in school. She is super quiet and plays ferociously. C-Ray is the youngest. She plays center mid and is a natural  in that position. She goes up against girls two times her size. I've seen her run through another players legs and flips girls twice her size. She knows how to use her shortened stature to her advantage. These girls and their families have become family to us over the past 5 years. We've watched and helped them grow up. Yes they are normal teen age girls. We confiscate phones prior to games and they giggle in the blankets at the cold games.  Why they may be normal, I think they are above average. I cannot think of a time when these girls have been mean to one another. In fact, I think it's the opposite. The maddest I have seen the team is when someone gets hurt. They are loyal to the core to one another. Yep, they have a temper when someone gets hurt or they even think someone is playing unfair. Love those girls and their families. Hope they are playing well this afternoon!

I guess I have rambled on enough for one post.
Here's my menu plan for the week. We'll see if we stick to it!

Monday : Soup and Sandwiches (planning on working in the yard)
Tuesday : Pinto beans and cornbread
Wednesday: Church ---we eat at church and it's always a surprise what we are having
Thursday: Cold shrimp
Friday: Stacia's shepherd's pie