For Cíntia, on Her Birthday

It's your birthday, but your mom and dad got the gift...
a gentle, sweet, beautiful daughter
who is always a pleasure to be with.


On your birthday, special one,
I wish that all your dreams come true.
May your day be filled with joy,
Wonderful gifts and goodies, too.


On your day I wish for you
Favorite people to embrace,
Loving smiles and caring looks
That earthly gifts cannot replace.



I wish you fine and simple pleasures.
I wish you many years of laughter.
I wish you all of life’s best treasures.
I wish you happily ever after!


Happy Birthday, dear Cíntia!


By Joanna Fuchs

Look at me! I am pretty, aren't I?

It would be such fun to see
An elephant in school
I'd let him sit in front of me
In fact, that'd be the rule

I'd never have to see the teacher
And she'd never look at me
When she would look my way
The elephant is all she'd see.poem: here

Do you prefer this one?

A Mother Giraffe’s Baby-Kiss!


This is your mother’s kiss, my child!
Don’t you worry: things will be fine;
Just eat and sleep and play awhile.

You’ve had your birth on lovely earth;
You’ll take your time to grow up tall;
Soon you’ll become a long-necked beast!

Wait till your legs get strength to stand;
Wait till your bones can make you walk;
Wait till your mouth reaches tree-leaves!

And when you’re tall as your mother,
And children look at you in awe,
You will feel truly, very great!

This is your mother’s kiss of love;
This is your mother’s kiss of pride;
For when you match her neck and stride,
You must bend low too, from above!

Dr. John Celes

Who am I?

Of all the animals in the zoo,
I am the tallest. That is true.
Who am I? I am the giraffe.
I am brown and white with a little red,
And I have two knobs on the top of my head.
Who am I? I am a giraffe.
My neck is long, I am very tall,
But I don't have very much voice at all.
Who am I? I am a giraffe.
I have one big ear on each side of my head.
High up in the air is where I am fed.
Who am I? I am a giraffe.
I walk right up to the tallest tree.
And I eat the leaves that are good for me.
Who am I? I am a giraffe.Do you like this one, Ant Célia? My friend Maria Manuel is the artist!

No winners. No defeat.

The teacher who wins an argument or competition does not win students over. Victory is an external event, not a personal thing. It signifies lack of harmony or understanding. A winner on one side always promotes a loser on the other. There is nothing to be proud of in any loss of humanity or humility. (...) A classroom with a "win-lose" environment is full of tension, manipulation and one-upmanship*.
If you have won a battle your children, you have diminished their pride in thinking for themselves. Find a way of both of you to win." Greta Nagel
*"the practice of, or skill in, seizing an advantage or gaining superiority over others"
Image source: Getty Image

The giraffe- my favourite wild animal.

Giraffes are one of the world's tallest mammals. They are well known for their long necks, long legs, and spotted patterns. Giraffes have small "horns" or knobs on top of their heads that grow to be about five inches long. These knobs are used to protect the head in fights. Giraffes are non-territorial, social animals. They travel in large herds that are not organized in any way. Herds may consist of any combination of sexes or ages.Female giraffes typically give birth to one calf after a fifteen-month gestation period. During the first week of its life, the mother carefully guards her calf. Young giraffes are very vulnerable and cannot defend themselves. While mothers feed, the young are kept in small nursery groups.

Paul Pott

English is fun!

THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE

I WROTE THIS FOR A SPECIAL FRIEND

God put people in your life for a reason
Some for a while and some for a season
But with you I know it’s for a lifetime
Because your friendship and love is hard to find

You never judge or look down on me
And you see things in me I would never see
And that’s the way a friendship is suppose to be

I say my prayers and thank him for you
Because without you I don’t know what I’d do
I know you be tired and you have your own life
But you’re still there for me without malice or strife

You’re my strength when I can’t take it anymore
all I have to do is knock on your door
You’ll stop whatever your doing to see about me
And what you some people would charge a fee

This poem is to let you know
That I really appreciate you
And to let you know that I love you too
But most of all it’s just my way of saying THANK YOU

By Ronnie

Dear Ants Célia and João

Try to be happier and happier each day!

Why happiness is important...

Sometimes when we pick up a newspaper or see the news on television, it seems as though the world is filled with doom and gloom and, even in our own hectic lives, it would be foolish to think that we could feel happy every moment of our waking lives. But is a state of being happy that far from being attained by us all? The answer is no – it is within our own grasp.
We tend to forget how important happiness is and get consumed with our own negative feelings of doom and gloom from time to time too. Furthermore, we sometimes don’t consciously realise we are doing this to ourselves.

Although we may sometimes neglect to cultivate our own happiness, feeling happy is intrinsically important. If we are happy it has added knock on effects and benefits. These include us becoming more compassionate and feeling healthier both physically and emotionally. We become more creative, witty, energetic and fun to be around and it can also lead us to become more financially successful.

Cats

I'm Only A Cat

I'm only a cat,
and I stay in my place...
Up there on your chair,
on your bed or your face!

I'm only a cat,
and I don't finick much...
I'm happy with cream
and anchovies and such!

I'm only a cat,
and we'll get along fine...
As long as you know
I'm not yours... you're all mine!

Author Unknown

Yes, we're still here

But we are not watching TV...

WITHOUT YOU

Mom, without you, there would be no me.

Your love, your attention, your guidance,

have made me who I am.

Without you, I would be lost,

wandering aimlessly,

without direction or purpose.

You showed me the way

to serve, to accomplish, to persevere.

Without you, there would be an empty space

I could never fill,

no matter how I tried.

Instead, because of you,

I have joy, contentment, satisfaction and peace.

Thank you, mom.

I have always loved you

and I always will.

By Joanna Fuchs

Moms?

Every mom cares about her baby, even when he (or she) is "big" enough to walk, to run, to drive, to fly on his (or her) own... If you are a "big baby" and you are reading this, don't forget to tell your mom that you still love her and that everything is OK with you:no headache, no toothache, no stomachache, no ache at all... All your mom wants to know is that you are happy and healthy!