Someone is seriously stalking me. HAHA. I got like 20 hits from yahoo searches… someone searching for “Nicole Barczak”. Hmm….. anyone wanna confess? You’re creepin me out.
***ok that sounded mean. I just am curious as to who the heck is doing like 20 searches for my name… every day. Weird.)
Wanna see some cute kiddos?
They’re quite possibly still a little gray… but I’m still not positive on where I stand with contrast. There’s a fine line between a perfect white and blown out whites. And you don’t want blown out… which seems to be what happens when I try to do some major contrast on my photos.
The worried little blonde is Donny… Katie’s little guy. He’s so serious and always concerned about what is going on around him.
The dark haired cutie is Sawyer, Katies’ friend Heather’s little guy.
I’m having fun experimenting with PhotoShop… lots of learning to do still. I just emailed Jess today and about beat down her door…. You told me my black and white photos were a “liiiitle” bit gray… but OMG they were SOOO flippin gray compared to how I can make them now in PS!” HAHAH! I have new eyes now… I can see the contrast. Now I have to find time to go back and re-edit all my photos… UGH.
I started school today… kids are hilarious.
Teaching.
I was literally tackled by the kids when they passed by the class from lunch on their way out to the playground. They’re not happy to have me back or anything.
OHH too freaking funny…. The kids were way excited to share all their stories, you know how kids are. So, instead of silent reading I decided to draw names (they’re written on popsicle sticks) and let them each tell me one thing they learned/or that happened while I was gone.
Lots of kids had new baby cousins, and you know what happens when you make a comment like “Oh lots of new babies… I had a baby, Mrs. F is having a baby tomorrow, K and P both have new baby cousins…” everyone suddenly wants to join in that baby club and have something to share that has to do with babies. Two other kids had cats that had kittens… of course I added “Oh my goodness more babies!”
Well, we get to little “A” and she doesn’t have a new cousin, or a cat with kittens. She tells us “My cat is in heat.” BWAHHHHH!!!! Numerous confused looks pour over the kids faces… “What is heat?” they ask. OMG OMG OMG. One little guy says “It means her cat is going to have kittens.”
Smartly, little “A” whips back… “No, it means she wants a boy cat.”
OH my FREAKING WORD!! How the heck do you answer back to that? So… we quickly moved on to the next kids new story to share… I’ll let their parents sort out what HEAT is and why “A’s” cat wants a boy cat.
Another funny story…
We were making nutrition folders for Science today… and we brainstormed healthy foods. Their assignment was to make a folder, write “Nutrition Folder” on it and draw 20 healthy foods on the cover.
“A” (yes, the same one) comes up to me and says matter-of-factly: “My mom told me that in the Bible, I’m not sure where, but it says that its healthy to drink 2 beers or 2 glasses of wine each day.”
I kind of blow it off, and say “Hmm.. well I think I heard something about wine in the Bible… go on back to your desk and finish your folder”
A short bit later “C” comes up to me with her folder. C sits in the same group as A. C says to me “I keep counting up the foods I have on my folder and keep coming up with different numbers…will you count them and tell me how many I need to draw still.” So I take her folder and scan over her drawings. Up at the top I notice a wine glass, with a W written below it. I say “What is this, C?” And she looks a little confused, and says “Its wine. “A” told me that the Bible said its healthy or something like that.”
Oh my word. So now I’m going to have 2nd graders taking these nutrition folders home with beer and wine drawn on the front!! I’ll definitely have to check over A’s groups folders… hopefullys he hasn’t corrupted them too much. I told C that wine isn’t healthy for kids, and that whatever the Bible said about beer or wine was meant for adults. We decided she could call her wine glass Grape Juice.
I’m sure there’ll be more stories tomorrow!
nicolebarczak.com 
OK, I just started killing myself about the cat in heat thing and then had to explain to Brad what I was laughing about! Gotta love kids. I used to teach kids karate and this one kid wouldn’t move from a certain position because apparently he was a fossil. Guess they had learned about fossils in school that day or something. So I lied and said fossils did karate and all was well LMAO
LOL- I love kids and the way THEY view life!
My boys told our babysitter that when I don’t feed them that they go outside and eat grass like animals- because I call them animals. What the heck? and to plead my case on that one— my kids NEVER stop eating- even if I do not sit it in front of them- they are ALWAYS eating something- have not seen them grazing in the yard yet- the little craps! LOL.
By the way- I have been coming here a lot more the last couple of days- I have been using your photography links on the right- thanks for them BTW – but I have not been using any search engines to search you out- YIKES!!!
Kids…gotta love ’em! I use Photoshop CS, but I don’t know any special conversion tricks. I usually just “desaturate”. Any other tips?
Love your stories about the kids:)
Oh my word! I about died at the cat in heat thing. Halarious!!
OMGoodness…I don’t think I would have been as composed as you were about the wine incident. Or, the cat incindent either…lol. Sounds like someone’s parents are trying to turn their little girl into a “grown up” way too fast!
Confession…it’s me stalking you. LOL just kidding…I know where U live! So how do you know that someone has looked for you? That is so bizarre!
LOL about your kids telling you all about the babies in their lives… too funny… I know just what you mean! Yay for being back to teaching! Those pics are absolutely GORGEOUS! I don’t have PS either, but I know I will be like “OH MY GOSH” when I Finally do the correct conversions! Wow!