p. 1

ife l of pia co nu or c a whimsical look at my life toni szabo

[close]

p. 2

cornucopia of life a whimsical look at my life written by toni szabo september 13 2011

[close]

p. 3

cornucopia of life copyright © 2011 by toni szabo toni szabo has been married for 9 years and is the mother to five amazing young people she spends her time wearing the many hats that motherhood and marriage demand while still pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher acknowledgment i would like to acknowledge my god above all else without his hand in my life i never would have made it this far i would also like to thank my children and husband for all the sacrifices they have made both physicall and mentally to get me where i am lastly i d like to thank dr melissa comer who s e-driven assignments brought me to the writing of this book all rights reserved no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from toni szabo powered by bookemon www.bookemon.com

[close]

p. 4

prologue cornucopia of life captures how full and eclectic my life has truly been since i was a child my world has curved and spun me in directions only god would have known had a final destination though chaotic at times i would not change one portion of the abundant harvest of experiences adventures sadness and joys that i have been blessed with in my journey for higher education i have been given the chance to express in writing just a few of the little things that make up who i am in my attempt to be the best teacher i can be i am writing this e-book to better understand not only the writing process but how to incorporate technology into my own classroom.

[close]

p. 5

toni szabo beloved mother wife teacher friend may she forever live on in the hearts she touched and the children she inspired 1975 ?

[close]

p. 6

what s in a name though most people call me toni my given name is antoinette joanna growing up i wished for any name other than the one i had i loved playing pretend because it gave me the chance to be jessica or mary or even madonna now as an adult i understand and smile at the circumstance that led to my not-so-common name my father s name was anthony no middle name just anthony of course all of his friends called him tony when my mother was pregnant ultrasound was not common practice and so she could only wish and assume if i was to be a boy or a girl with a very male-minded italian family that already consisted of two girls and only one boy my mom was sure i had to be a boy when the time came for my grand entrance into this world the doctor proclaimed it s a girl in complete disbelief my shocked mother who had been so sure that i was a boy that she never even visited the idea of girl names replied that can t be his name is anthony joseph i suppose the rest is history a few letters here and there solved the problem of a name but my mother was ostracized the first few months by my grandfather for giving birth to a girl i still do not like my given name antoinette but i do embrace it though my dad has since passed i proudly carry on his name.

[close]

p. 7

toni 2 cups 1 cup 3 tbs god s love mother s heart passion 1/2 cup compassion 1/4 cup dreams 1/3 cup charity 2 tsp 1 tsp procrastination obsessive compulsive splash of humor pinch of fiesty mix together mother s heart passion dreams obsessive compulsive compassion charity procrastination,humor and fiesty until well blended sprinkle god s love throughout mixture being sure each piece is covered in it she will fall several times while baking when this happens add more of god s love and continue baking repeat as needed.

[close]

p. 8

things that worry me 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 my children s safety when i m not around my grades whether or not i will find a job i enjoy after graduation finances my health how i will juggle childcare for practicum and student teaching will i know enough by graduation to be an effective teacher being in 5th grade for this terms practicum

[close]

p. 9

there is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children there is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected that their welfare is protected that their lives are free from fear and want and that they grow up in peace kofi annan in other words be joyful in hope patient in affliction faithful in prayer romans 12:12 ain t about how fast i get that man is richest whose success is not the key to happiness pleasures are cheapest there ain t about what s waiting on the other side it s happiness is the key to success if henry david thoreau you love what you are doing you will the climb -miley cyrus be successful albert schweitzer a wise man will make more opportunities than he finds -francis bacon if you re going through hell keep going winston churchill remember if you re headed in the wrong direction god allows u-turns -allison gappa bottke when you feel like giving up remember why you held on for so long in the first place author unknown our lives begin to end the minute we become silent about things that matter martin luther king the burned hand teaches best j.r.r.tolkien i can do all things through christ who gives me strength -phillipians 4:13

[close]

p. 10

are you hungry if i could have anything to eat it would be a juicy medium-rare skirt steak hot off the grill the flavoring must be just right a little lawry s seasoning and garlic powder hmmm-mmmm i can smell it already on the side would be some of my mom s incredible stuffed artichokes still moist from the steam and al dente garlic pasta for dessert a demitasse with a splash of anisette and homemade cannoli that were made fresh that morning so that the ricotta is so cold and creamy it takes on a gelato texture are you hungry i know i sure am!

[close]

p. 11

mother i wear this hat every minute of every day even when the kids are not with me my heart beats for them there is nothing on earth that i would trade for the smiles tears or even tantrums that i have been blessed to experience as a mom who am i nurse this is a role i dread to play when boo-boo s happen my job is to treat the pain and the fear without a tinge of my own pain and fear for this tiny little patient it might be one of my toughest roles disciple one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another webster s dictionary i try to uphold this role in all my day to day journeys though i fail more than i d like i am very involved in awana and try very hard to follow the tug that the lord put on my heart years ago to the children s ministry in any free time i do have inspirational speaker this role goes hand in hand with mother if you are a mom then you are an inspirational speaker bringing your teen from the blackness of heartbreak convincing your daughter that she can do anything she puts her mind to or even just getting your son to try one more turn at bat that a winner never quits accountant this would have to be the least fun of all the roles i play each day bills to pay birthdays to fund and a future to plan it can be very overwhelming!

[close]

p. 12

austin 17 such an intelligent young man he has just began his freshman year of college at the citadel in south carolina donovan 12 an amazing writer and very special young man who knows who he is and how to get there my most successful accomplishments abigayle 8 mommy s princess and quite an enigma just when you think you ve figured her out the rules change alexis 15 so beautiful inside and out she is a sophomore in high school and the most talented dancer i ve ever seen jakob 5 my little spitfire for sure he s the baby of the family and boy does he know it he has such a tender heart and inquisitive mind.

[close]

p. 13

likes massages after a long day snuggling with my children rainy days with a good book sunning on a float in the pool hearing my children laugh out loud sunday morning praise shopping for bargains the excitement of the first snow white chocolate photography dislikes bullies when my children hurt cleaning my house saying goodbye to friends family each summer having my picture taken taking time away from my family for school paying full price when my kids argue liars bad service at restaurants

[close]

p. 14

you ll never believe what happened i am so sorry i missed class yesterday but you are never going to believe what happened i had such a busy weekend with three school projects due and the kid s extracurricular activities that the days bled into each other and i couldn t remember if it was saturday or sunday i woke up yesterday and went into the living room to turn on the news as i usually do but the screen was black after pushing several buttons it finally started working i was just about to wake up the kids when i heard the newscaster say thank you for joining us this beautiful sunday morning what how could i not know it was sunday and not monday i decided that i deserved a break from all the school work and started packing up our stuff for a day at dollywood boy will the kids be surprised two hours later we are at the park just about to disembark from the trolley when the driver mentions that the park closes at 6 p.m that evening thinking that was odd since it usually closed at 7 p.m i turned to the passenger next to me to see if they knew why the park was closing early that s when it hit me it s monday not sunday you see i had been in such a rush to get my homework done that after only a couple minutes of t.v the morning before i froze the dvr so i could watch it after i was done the kids spent the day outside playing so i would have quiet and i never did get back to the show i really need a vacation!

[close]

p. 15

remembrance of things present to the future me never forget the excitement in your children s voice when they ve learned or discovered something new and just have to share it before they explode those times are precious and such a vital part of their growth how wonderful to know that you could share your own love of learning with them in such a way that they too felt that spark keep with you the beautiful and innocent smile on your spark s faces when you hand them their very own bible don t ever forget that those seeds planted during your wednesday night meetings are the most important seeds you will ever be blessed to sow finally always remember that teaching isn t about work it s about passion and a desire to make a difference in our young people i pray that while memories may fade you will always stay true to your never ending journey of learning sharing and inspiring others in twenty years many of the everyday experiences and joys that surround me may not be so easy to recall because of this sad fact i have chosen to immortalize those moments now so as not to forget them later.

[close]