Friday Elementary School Pass-Along...
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Making the best of a difficult situation...

A boy wants a dog. Because of "tight times," his parents say no.

His dad explains what "tight times" means to their family.

__prices of everything seems to keep going up
__they eat Mr. Bulk cereal instead of cereals in little boxes
__instead of going to the lake, they run through the sprinkler in the yard
__no roast beef and expensive food on Sunday
__they eat lima beans and lots of other soupy things

Then, making matters even worse, his father loses his job. On that same day, he finds a scrawny cat in a trash can. He brings it home for some milk. His parents say he can keep it. He names the cat, "Dog."

Here's a classic for every helper's shelf:

Tight Times
by Barbara Hazen (1979, Puffin, 5.99)
     [Check/Credit Card Price...Less 21% = 4.73]
The story of a boy, his desire to have a dog, and his family experiencing tight times because the father has lost his job. He finds a starving kitten in a trash can on the same day his father loses his job. Grades K-3.
[9” x 7”...30 pages]
http://www.any-book-in-print.com/grades_k5/hard_times_k5.htm

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And teachers think they have it bad...

Many years ago, after an overnight flight to meet my father at his latest military assignment, my mother wearily arrived at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany with my eight siblings and me--all under age 11.

Collecting our many suitcases, the ten of us entered the cramped customs area. A young customs official watched our entourage in disbelief, "Ma'am," he said, "do all these children and this luggage belong to you?"

"Yes, sir," my mother said with a sigh. "They're all mine."

The customs agent began his interrogation, "Ma'am, do you have any weapons, contraband or illegal drugs in your possession?"

"Sir," she calmly answered, "if I'd had any of those items, I would have used them by now."

The official allowed us to pass without opening a single suitcase.
                                 ,,,,
                               (o o)
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Hummingbirds...
  are nature's way of teaching humility to cats.

                            .oooO Oooo.
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                                 \ ( ) /
                                \_)(_/

A doctor tip for panicky new moms...

Panicking when her toddler swallowing a tiny magnet; my sister, Betty, rushed him to the emergency room.

"He'll be fine," the doctor promised her. "The magnet should pass through his system in a day or two."

"How will I be sure?" she pressed.

"Well," the doctor suggested, "you could stick him on the refrigerator. When he falls off, you'll know."

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