tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37288326791114087062024-03-05T20:53:56.649-05:00Peppermint Patti's Ponderings"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."
Welcome to Peppermint Patti’s Ponderings. I’ve met so many great people throughout the years. I decided to create a virtual clown club so I can hang out with all my friends. Please join me on my escapades as I clown around New England and beyond…
Don’t forget to write me with questions, suggestions, and adventures. I’d love to hear from you.Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-55190144330297038892012-09-21T20:37:00.000-04:002012-09-21T20:37:25.597-04:00Bernardston ParadeOn Saturday, September 22, 2012, I have been invited to be lead clown for the Bernardston, MA parade! I am so excited! I have all kinds of fun sight gags planned to entertain the crowd. After the parade I'll be making bubbles and balloons. There may be some pocket magic and general clowning around! I hope to see you there!Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-63100075590518005422012-03-22T20:33:00.000-04:002012-03-22T20:33:56.392-04:00Continuing to DownsizeIn my ongoing effort to streamline my life and reach my ultimate goal of becoming a published author, I've decided to condense this blog. Writing three blogs each week has become overwhelming for me this year due to my day job as a fourth grade teacher. Because we have more teaching to the MCAS, including an additional teaching block called RTI, I have more correcting than I've ever Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-11973971718430524192012-03-01T06:17:00.000-05:002012-03-01T06:17:21.501-05:00Downsizing Your LifeI’ve been working towards being a famous writer when I grow up for almost two years now. I realized (duh) recently that some of my activities have veered me off of that path. Although I love being an Aqua Zumba instructor, I have decided to give that up. That actually benefits me in a few ways. The first and most important advantage is that I’ll have more time to write. I’ll also save $30 a Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-68575400377074292062012-02-16T17:10:00.001-05:002012-02-16T17:10:00.103-05:00Woodland Elementary Book FairOur school held a book fair at Barnes and Noble Friday last night. It was so much fun! Many families attended along with our principals and teachers. The staff at Barnes and Noble was amazed! They had never experienced such a successful book fair before. Especially noteworthy was the number of teachers participating. Woodland is a wonderful school and we take pride in what we do. One of thePeppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-15153953373983207312012-01-22T09:24:00.003-05:002012-01-22T09:30:13.560-05:00East Coast Face Painting Convention 2012Even though I’ve been face painting for over thirty years, or maybe because I’ve been face painting for over thirty years, I thought it was time to take a refresher course. Well, actually 13 classes at the 8th Annual East Coast Face Painting Convention in Manchester, Connecticut.
To save money, I commuted each day for four days. Driving in on Thursday and Friday mornings wasn’t bad—I missed Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-2734948620158310722012-01-14T07:16:00.000-05:002012-01-14T07:16:49.026-05:00Responsible Pet OwnersNow that we have a big picture window in our former-kitchen-now-dining room, we have a front row seat for the miserable life of the
dog next door. I’m not sure why a family
would pay $1,000 for a dog and then basically ignore it.
He is a gorgeous (when he's clean) German shepherd with a matted, muddy coat of long fur. Good thing he's got that very long fur coat because this dog Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-69962285631536897342012-01-07T09:15:00.000-05:002012-01-07T09:15:54.838-05:00Happy New Year!Happy New Year! I actually get two fresh starts every year. The first one happens in September when I get my new batch of students. It’s the official start of the school year and so full of hope and promise. And yes, my calendars should all begin in September, not January, because that’s how my mind works: September to June as the “regular” year with July and August being somewhat of a limboPeppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-73330177721092378482011-12-28T09:29:00.001-05:002011-12-28T09:30:21.789-05:00Changing TraditionsWhen my twenty-four-year-old son recently said, “This doesn’t feel like Christmas,” the title of a book by Thomas Wolfe, “You Can’t Go Home Again,” popped into my head. Although we did some decorating as well as some gift shopping and wrapping, the meager group of presents under the tree didn’t look like the gift pile of past Christmases.
“Welcome to Grown-Up-Land,” I replied. When the kids Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-43658443254366328492011-12-17T12:31:00.002-05:002011-12-17T17:47:31.988-05:00‘Tis the Season of GratitudeIs it just me or is our society getting ruder? Please and thank you are so underrated and underused lately, in my opinion. When I worked at a fast food restaurant, my first “real job” back in the 70s, we were taught to give the customer their change and/or food, look them in the eye, and say, “Thank you, come again.” We even added a “Have a nice day.” With a smile.
My recent shopping Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-22246510881540622532011-12-09T06:09:00.000-05:002011-12-09T06:09:40.568-05:00NaNoWriMo“Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year?” I heard some people asking each other in my writing class a few years ago. I had no clue what they were talking about so I eavesdropped so more. I soon learned that NaNoWriMo stood for National Novel Writing Month which happens to be November. It sounded insane to me—write a novel in a month. Write a novel in a month? Fifty thousand words, to be exactPeppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-67502393454777007702011-11-30T18:10:00.000-05:002011-11-30T18:10:42.104-05:00NaNoWriMo 2011Hi Everybody!
I just finished my first draft of my first novel ever! I'll be back next week to tell you all about! I'm all typed out.
Yours truly,
Peppermint Patti P.E.Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-28780064255911020962011-11-09T06:28:00.000-05:002011-11-09T06:28:28.353-05:00The Halloween That Wasn't
This year Halloween didn’t happen. At
least, not in the traditional sense. We
had a big nor’easter a few days before that wreaked havoc on trees that had not
yet shed their leaves. Thousands of
people were without electricity. Streets
were dark and littered with downed branches and wires. We went into survival, not haunting mode.
While some people got their power Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-28455226231716445352011-10-25T06:16:00.000-04:002011-10-25T06:16:30.754-04:00Jaywalking is NOT CoolChickens aren’t the only ones who cross the road. We all have to get to the other side eventually. The safest and smartest way to do that is to not only look both ways but also obey the pedestrian laws. The other day I saw three young, probably pre to early teen, boys cross the street. Not just any street, a four lane state highway that runs through my town. Granted, the top speed for that Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-64428399865626784512011-10-12T06:31:00.000-04:002011-10-12T06:31:39.836-04:00Manners--A Thing of the Past?The teenagers in my neighborhood don’t know it but they’re participating in a little experiment of mine. When I’m out walking Benny the Wonder Dog before school in the mornings the high schoolers are waiting for their buses. I don’t want to walk rudely by them so I say “Good morning” or “Hello.” The first time this happened not one of them responded to me. I thought they didn’t hear me. But Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-90045911172253423832011-09-29T06:14:00.000-04:002011-09-29T06:14:21.777-04:00Brat FactorWhen I entered the grocery store last night, I knew I was in for trouble. An ear-piercing shriek emanated from the produce section. Wincing, it didn’t take long to discover the source of the ruckus: two rambunctious children under the age of six were playing tag around the fruit and vegetable bins. A tired looking mom and dad basically ignored their offspring occasionally muttering, “Quiet Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-57433038172321524162011-09-17T10:36:00.000-04:002011-09-17T10:36:46.304-04:00Getting Organized
My
second grade teacher had a method for dealing with students with messy
desks: dump them on the floor. You guessed it; my desk was dumped almost on a daily basis. Quite frankly, it didn’t make me more
organized. Embarrassed, I just picked
up all the stuff and crammed it right back into my desk. I often wonder where I would be today if I
had been taught Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-17867704453522796542011-09-11T06:43:00.000-04:002011-09-11T06:43:17.727-04:00Letting Your Child Stay Home Alone
One of my favorite movies of all time is “Home Alone.” It’s amazing how an eight-year-old boy, Kevin
McCallister (played by Mccaulay Culkin), outsmarts the bad guys! Unfortunately that doesn’t always happen in
real life.
It’s important to stay safe when you’re home alone, no
matter how old you are. People think
this is just something to think about for children, but it’s Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-64350870153207413772011-09-05T05:39:00.000-04:002011-09-05T05:39:44.745-04:00Cutting Your Own Hair Can Be a Disaster
I don’t know
why but I don’t like going to get my hair cut.
I put it off and put it off until my hair style is shaggy and all grown out
with lots of dry ends due to all my pool time.
One time I
was invited to my niece’s baptism and once again I’d put off going to the
salon. I thought I would take matters
into my own hands. How hard could it
be?&Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-51115645891913739782011-08-25T06:09:00.004-04:002012-03-01T06:04:52.181-05:00Children's Author Jamie MichalakChildren’s book author Jamie Michalak visited our school this past spring. I sat in on her chats with the children every chance I could get! I thoroughly enjoyed her visit and wanted to follow up with a few more questions. Find out more about Jamie at Candlewick Press. CLICK HERE for the link.
Peppermint Patti: On your website you list one of your oddest jobs-- dressing up as a Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-89054200786336442362011-08-18T06:12:00.000-04:002011-08-18T06:12:00.272-04:00De-stressing With Meditation not MedicationMy doctor has “prescribed” meditation for me because my blood pressure runs a little high and I’m overweight. So after our daughter moved out I converted her old bedroom into my “Zen Room.” My husband and I hung a photo mural of a tropical sunrise on one wall. I took one of the sky colors from the mural—a periwinkle blue, and painted that on the other walls. Window treatments came next Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-743212978322238542011-08-11T11:10:00.000-04:002011-08-11T11:10:18.933-04:00Don't Depend on SpellcheckI’ve noticed recently that proper spelling has become a thing of the past. I’m not just talking about everyday people and their correspondence, I’m talking about professionals; people who make a living out of using the English language. In my opinion, they’ve gotten sloppy.
Now, I realize the English language is one of the more difficult languages to learn. In fact, “Mark Pagel, Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-88038542070300116432011-08-04T06:18:00.004-04:002011-08-04T06:18:02.807-04:00Good DJ!
While at a party this past weekend I had the opportunity to
clown around while listening to some nice, appropriate children’s music. You’re probably thinking, big deal this must
happen to you a lot. On the contrary, in
my 35 plus years of clowning around, the music choices of the various DJs have
been, shall we say, rather disgusting.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love music. Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-53879766023027289562011-07-28T13:46:00.002-04:002011-07-28T14:50:25.950-04:00Nutrition/Wellness PoliciesWith school starting soon, children in many school districts
will be receiving their “summer letters” in the mail. These are letters from teachers, welcoming
their new students into the classrooms.
This first interaction children have with their upcoming teachers helps
alleviate some first day jitters.
One thing I include in my welcome letter is my Healthy Snack
Policy as Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-59871083800775016012011-07-21T05:15:00.001-04:002011-07-21T05:15:00.456-04:00Book Review: Hamlet and the Magnificent SandcastleTitle: Hamlet and the Magnificent Sandcastle
Author: Brian Lies
Publisher: Moon Mountain Publishing
Pub Date: 2001
ISBN: 0967792924
Category: FICTION - JUVENILE
Concepts: sandcastles and friendship
Audience: Ages 5-8
Reviewer: Patricia Bessette
Review Date: July 21, 2011
Hamlet, a pig with a vision, determines to build the biggest sandcastle in the world. His porcupine friend Quince is his Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728832679111408706.post-47817878767341943752011-07-14T06:08:00.000-04:002011-07-14T06:08:04.957-04:00Riding My Bike
My parents were always sticklers for safety when I was
growing up. That included lots of rules
for safely riding our bikes (helmets weren’t available for kids, yet or we
would’ve worn them). We didn’t have
sidewalks on our street so we learned the rules of the road early.
My sisters and I had hand-me-down bikes my dad got from the
dump and fixed up for us. The one Peppermint Patti PEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937170396774064010noreply@blogger.com0