Mercy Magazine
Trimester One
From the Editor
Students in the Mercy Magazine Club are encouraged to explore a variety of topics and then choose a topic in which they have a particular interest or strong opinion. This trimester our topics range from politics to pets, popular vacation destinations to not so well known heroes. The students have been working hard since October 9th researching and writing about their chosen topics. They have written pieces that will inform, entertain, or take a stand.We hope you enjoy this first issue!
Mrs. Rita DiCarne, moderator
Email: rdicarne@olmcatholicschool.com
Website: olmcatholicschool.com
Location: 29 Conwell Drive, Maple Glen, PA 19002
Phone: 215-646-0150
Twitter: @RitaDiCarne
Inside This Edition
California, Here We Come - Cassidy Palazzo
Republican Selections for the Election - Gretchen Reese
Budget - Ella Eustace & Paige Metzler
Teachers: What Students Want to See in Them - Siobhan Brogan
Behind Enemy LInes - Lucas Braccia & Drew Dolaway
Rescue a Dog at Last Chance Ranch - Anna Cramer
Everything You Want to Know About Cheetahs - Patrick Fisher
Common Misconceptions About Animals - Liam Delaney & Ryan Zimmerman
Christmas in Different Countries - Sarah Hughes
The Social Media Debate: Good vs. Bad - Dan Cronin & Gavin Morgan
No More Gender Stereotypes! - Charlotte Roper
Mom - Micaelina Carter
Vacation Destinations
Bahama Bound
Have you planned your 2016 vacation yet? If not, then take a look at the Bahamas. First of all, if you are wondering if the price is really worth it, it is. Even though it is a little expensive, it is a once in a lifetime experience and super fun!
Since the Bahamas is out of the country, you will need to get a passport. It takes about four to six weeks for the general process. Now where exactly is the Bahamas you might be wondering? The Bahamas is its own country and is located southeast of Florida. If you are a person who does not like long plane rides, the Bahamas is a place for you. The plane ride is only two hours and 40 minutes long.
Once you get to the Bahamas, the place to visit first is Atlantis. Some activities they have are the waterpark, the resort beaches and restaurants, a golf course and tennis center, and last, but not least,the dolphin cay. In case you don't know what the dolphin cay is, it is when you get to be in the water and communicate with the dolphin.
At Atlantis, there are three different towers. The first one is Beach Towers. Since it cost the least, it is the farthest away from the water and other sites, like the dolphin cay and a few more. In the middle is Coral Towers. It is between Beach Towers and Royal Towers. Last, but not least, is Royal Towers. Royal Towers cost the the most, but is the closest to a good amount of the main sites.
Atlantis
California, Here We Come!
~ Cassidy Palazzo, Grade 6
If you are looking for a fun exciting family trip, driving the California coast is a great choice. My family and I went there this summer, and it was amazing. Here are some of the best places to see and activities to do in California. We flew into San Diego and rented a Jeep for our adventure, which I highly recommend. Some fascinating places to stop in San Diego with a family are the San Diego Zoo and the famous Hotel Del Coronado. The San Diego Zoo is the #1 zoo in the country and has many great animals and tours. Coronado is an adorable beach town right over a bridge from San Diego. The Hotel Del Coronado is a beautiful historic hotel with many activities. My favorite was paddle boarding.
Another place to stop is Los Angeles. This is where many TV shows and movies are filmed and you can go on a behind the scenes tour like I did. We went to Warner Bros. Studios, and I saw the set of Friends, Pretty Little Liars, and The Ellen Show. If you like movies and you like rides, you have to go to Universal Studios. Most of the rides are simulations, and you actually feel like you are part of the movie. While in the Los Angeles area, you can also go to Beverly Hills and get a cute family picture in front of the sign while looking for a celebrity. One place that I didn't like that much was Hollywood. In town it was a bit dirty and crowded, but we did get to see many celebrity stars and handprints. We also saw the famous Hollywood sign, but it was a little too far away for a good picture.
Leaving Los Angeles we drove through the campuses of a few gorgeous universities, including Pepperdine and Santa Barbara. Who knows, maybe I’ll go to one of them and sit on the beach in between classes! One of my favorite parts of our trip was seeing Monterey, which is where my dad grew up.
Our last stop was San Francisco. Because it is in northern California, it is not as warm as San Diego. There are many things to see in San Francisco like the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. California is a great trip, and I would definitely recommend it to you.
Politics in the News
Republican Selections for the Election
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, and Jeb Bush. We’ve all heard these names frequently over the past few months. We know their beliefs, policies, and opinions. Aside from these five candidates, there are four other Republican candidates that still appear to have strong campaigns and doing well in the polls. These five are Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, and Rand Paul. You may have heard of some of them, but do you really know them?
Carly Fiorina is a former Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard, one of the largest technology companies in the world. In this position, she made tough calls in tough times and plans to do the same for this country. She believes that the government is corrupt and it only works for the wealthy. Fiorina wants to give the government back to the people, know matter their party. Also, she wants to make taxes easier for common people to understand.
Mike Huckabee is a Christian minister and former governor of Arkansas. He believes that the government, in his words, “doesn’t play by the same rules” as citizens. Plus, Huckabee believes that the American tax system is too broken to repair and has created a tax plan, called FairTax, to eliminate the IRS. He wants to control the government’s reckless spending and balance the federal budget. As President, he plans to secure America’s borders and end illegal immigration.
John Kasich is the present governor of Ohio, former member of the House of Representatives for the 12th District of Ohio, and former chairman of the House Budget Committee. Kasich has been the spark of much controversy during this election, releasing ads comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler and attacking Trump directly. His top priority for America is to balance the federal budget and wants to get the country moving again. In addition to this, he hopes to strengthen the United States’ alliances and reinvigorate the military. Finally, he does not approve of deportation and the separation of families because of it.
Rand Paul is a physician and the present Senator of Kentucky. Paul wants to maintain the principles of liberty in our country. He believes that America’s debt is unsustainable and cut spending in all areas in order to balance the budget. On the topic of illegal immigration, he believes that we have to secure the borders but encourage legal immigration simultaneously.
Budget
~Ella Eustace & Paige Metzler, Grade 7
As we all know Governor Wolf has still not passed the budget for education. This means that we can't get workbooks until he decides with his fellow governmental peers on a number that will best suit the governmental needs. So far he has vetoed the budget bill of $30.18 billion. Wolf even had a plan to conclude the budget, but he needed to get votes in order to pass the proposal. The problem was he couldn't even get everyone in his party on board. The next day the impasse reached 100 days. Also he was definitely not in favor of the Republicans' pension reform plan. In August, the Republicans proposed a compromise that would meet Wolf's key demand of restoring school funding, but require the governor to agree to a plan to reform public pensions. Governor Wolf said he would review the proposal. The Republican majorities in state household and senate passed an $11 billion short term plan, but Wolf vetoed it on September 29th. Next, let's look at what Cassidy Palazzo, a 6th grade student and a 5th grade teacher, Ms. Timlin, had to say about the budget.
Cassidy Palazzo
Do you like not having workbooks? Why?
"No I don't like having workbooks because when teachers print papers it wastes trees and it's bad for the environment. Also it makes folders heavier, and I forget them for homework"
Do you know why you don't have workbooks?
"Yes I know why I don't have workbooks. It is because Governor Wolf didn't pass the budget, therefore we can't get them"
Do you know what the PA budget is?
"I do know what the PA budget is. It is when Governor Wolf decides on the amount of money to spend on workbooks"
Why do you think Governor Wolf won't pass the budget?
" I think Governor Wolf won't pass the budget because he can't agree with fellow people of government and after they agree on the budget it takes a lot of time to get it all worked out"
How does the PA budget affect classes at OLM?
"The PA budget affects class because it takes time out of class to hand out papers, where if we had workbooks we could take them out right away"
Ms. Timlin
Do you like not having workbooks? Why?
"No, it is challenging not to have workbooks because it uses more paper and it harder for students to keep track of them."
Do you know why you don't have workbooks?
"Our school does not have workbooks because the governor has not passed the budget."
Do you know what the PA budget is?
"Yes, I do know what the PA budget is. It is the way for the state to balance how much money it takes in and how much it takes out."
Why do you think Governor Wolf won't pass the budget?
"Governor Wolf won't pass the budget because there is no cooperation among legislators. Also because state leaders can't agree on how to spend money."
How does the PA budget affects classes at OLM?
"The PA budget effects class because we don't have entitled resources and it takes up class time. Another way this affects me is that it takes up my teacher time that I could spend preparing for my next class or finding other activities for my class. Instead of doing these things I'm stuck printing out papers."
As you can see both student and teacher are not in favor of Governor Wolf's decisions about the budget.
Teachers: What do students want to see in them?
Students like many different kinds of teachers. Here are the results of a survey I conducted with OLM students.
K-Katie McMullen
R-Reese Miller
B-Bella Gentile
G- Grace Toriello
A-Anna Emma
Q:What is your favorite kind of teacher?
Answer: All of the girls said they like fun teachers. Anna personally likes a teacher that tells stories.
Q:Favorite kind of learning?
Answer:
B: I like learning in groups because we get to hear everyone's opinion and we can understand more
G: I like learning when we do review games
A: I like learning when get to play games and figure some things out on our own
K and R: We like learning when we get to play games.
Q: Favorite subject and why?
B: Social Studies because I like learning about history
G: Social Studies because the teacher is very kind and entertaining
A: Social Studies because I like learning about different countries
K and R: We love Math b/c adding is so fun!
Q: Do you like lunch?
B: The food is fine but it could be tweaked. At the recess yard it is way too crowded. Us 5th grade girls are supposed to have the top left corner, but the 8th grade boys always kick us out. I think we should go back to the three lunches in my opinion. If we don't have enough parent volunteers the safeties could always watch over us.
Q:Should we use our iPads more?
Answer: All of the girls say yes because they love using them and they wouldn't waste paper. They also said it would be fun if they could make iMovies and pic collages, not to mention it would give it a personal touch.
Over all these students would love to play games, do skits, make collages, and really just want to have fun. All they want is to make school fun. Yes they do have to write essays and summaries, it would never hurt to make it fun for all of them.
A Piece of History
Behind Enemy Lines
~Lucas Braccia & Drew Dolaway, Grade 7
Introduction
In our short history of America, we have experienced many heroes. Sadly though, we do not recognize some of those heroes, and they become lost in history.
Sergeant York
It was WWI and the 308 regiment was fighting the Germans in the woods of France. They were cornered. Sergeant Early was told to gather a group of men and find a way out. He did that. One of the men he got was Corporal York.
While looking for the way out they spotted a group of Germans. They ambushed the group of thirty Germans but were then ambushed themselves. Sergeant Early was wounded and put York in charge. York told the others to guard the prisoners while he took aim at the approaching Germans. He took down 24 Germans and then a little later some more Germans came and he took care of them to all by himself too. The Germans then surrendered.
York strategically thought of a way to get out of enemy territory. He forced the prisoners to get in a line. When they walked the Germans hiding also surrender because they thought that if they shot they might hit their own men and that they were outnumbered by a lot, which they were not at all. This happened again too. When they arrived at their territory they had 130 prisoners. The men they saw when they got back thought that the six men had captured all of the Germans, but the men said that it was just York. He was promoted to sergeant and given a great award.
Sybil Ludington
Most people know who the great Paul Revere was. He was the man who went out of his way to warn the people the British were coming, but there is someone else in history who dId exactly what Paul Revere did, but twice as much and she gets no recognition!! Her name is Sybil Ludington.
Sybil was born in Paterson New York, in 1761. Her father was the leader of the local militia. She was a normal girl in Colonial Times, and helped her mother around the house. Her mother would need a lot of help with with her 12 brothers and sisters!
One night when Sybil was tucking in her siblings, a messenger came to her house. He brought an urgent message to her father. The British burned the town of Danbury, the center for the militia. They only had 150 troops to protect the town. Someone would have to go get the word out to gather more troops. Sybil decided to volunteer for the perilous job.
She began her ride on her horse Star. She went from town to town spreading the news of the recent troubles. Many people were sleeping, and she had the neighbors spread the news. She even had to hide behind a tree to avoid the British!!
At the end of her ride, she mustered over 400 troops to fight the British. She was highly rewarded, and even thanked by George Washington himself. She would then disappear into history, behind the shadow of Paul Revere.
Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov
Now whether or not you can pronounce this guys name, you owe him a great debt, because if it were not for him, you might be dead right now.
To understand how Vasili saved your life, you need to understand the time. It was the middle of the Cold War and right after the Cuban Missile Crises. There was a very good chance that WWIII could happen at any second. There was large amounts of military presence, American and Soviet, in the Cuba area. That is where Vasili is, aboard a Soviet nuclear submarine.
One day, Vasili's sub found themselves surrounded by 11 US warships and an aircraft carrier. The captain of the sub wanted to fire the nuclear missile at the warships, but in order to do this, there must be a unanimous vote with the top three sockets on the boat. Vasili was one of them. The other two wanted wanted to do it, but not Vasili. He argued with the other two, and convinced them not to launch it, thus NOT starting the third world war.
Even though he was a Soviet, he saved a lot of the Western world's lives, and we owe him a debt of gratitude.
Animals, Animals, Animals!
Rescue a Dog at Last Chance Ranch
~Anna Cramer, Grade 6
Last Chance Ranch is a great place to adopt a dog. Adopting is a great thing to do because it gives amazing dogs a second chance at a happy life. Even though when you adopt you will probably not get a purebred, a purebred dog is a dog who only has one kind of dog in him. Mutts are not purebred dogs, but they can be just as cute. If you are not able to adopt a dog you could always donate. They always need help with buying supplies such as toys and food.
Last Chance Ranch has a great website, so that you can find the perfect dog for your family. Their website helps you to get to know the dog before you meet him or her. It also tells you how you can donate. Another thing on the website is when they are having special events.One year they asked people who adopted dogs from them to send a picture of the dogs, and he or she could get picked to be on that year’s calendar. If you are interested in adopting a dog you can contact them from their number on the website, and they will set up a date for you to visit the dog you are interested in.
Maybe dogs aren't your thing; well if you prefer cats than you can ask for a cat. Even if you do not like cats or dogs, Last Chance Ranch has a variety of animals. A lot of the animals are sweet, kind, and will love you forever. Last Chance Ranch always makes sure that the dog is perfect for you. My friend and I have both adopted a dog from them, and they both are so sweet. My dog is very gentle, and he loves everyone. He was the perfect dog for my family. Last Chance Ranch is a great place to adopt a dog. http://lastchanceranch.org/
Everything You Want to Know About Cheetahs
~Patrick Fisher, Grade 6
Cheetahs are found in Iran and Africa. They are very fast and can run at speeds of between 68-75 mph without getting tired. When running, the cheetah have short bursts. They are the fastest land animal.
They may be fast, but cheetahs are poorly equipped to defend themselves against other larger predators. Their only defense is speed. Cheetahs are carnivorous. They eat antelopes, impalas, and zebras. Cheetah predators are eagles, lions, hyenas, and baboons.They kill their prey by suffocation.
The cheetah population is decreasing. The population is decreasing due to the fact that cheetahs are not breeding, and cheetah cubs don’t usually live long. There are only 10,000 cheetahs left in the wild.
Common Misconceptions About Animals
~ Liam Delaney & Ryan Zimmerman, Grade 7
In today's society there are many misconceptions about many things. Today we will be talking about common misconceptions about animals. Such as goldfish have a three second memory span, this is a very popular misconception about goldfish. This was proven wrong because goldfish can recognize their owners and can associate some sounds with their feeding times. This would require a much longer majorly span than three seconds.
Another common misconception is bulls are enraged by the color red. This misconception originated from the Spanish bull fighters, Matadors. Many studies show that Bulls may be color blind like many other animals. Many scientists think it is the swift movement the Matadors use to make Bulls charge.
Another misconception conception is that camels store water in their humps. This is not true. How you may as? Camels store fat in their humps, the kind of fat that is under human skin. They store fat in their humps because allows the camels to survive for many days in the desert without stopping for food.
Bats are blind. This refers to the idiom “you are as blind as a bat.” Most bats are not at all blind, some even have equal sight with humans. Although some bats might have very bad eyesight.
Christmas in Different Countries!
Christmas can be very different in many different countries. These are just a few examples of some.
In Argentina, Christmas is celebrated in warm weather. Many people celebrate Advent because a lot of people in Argentina are Catholic. Just like in the US, they start preparing for Christmas in early December, and sometimes even November. People in Argentina decorate with lights and wreaths with green, gold, red, and white flowers. They also have garlands. They have their trees decorated by the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. They can use any tree, and some people use cotton balls to represent snow. People put the nativity scene or 'pesebre' near the Christmas tree. Instead of having their main meals on Christmas, they have them on Christmas Eve. They have food like turkey, roasted pork, stuffed tomatoes, Christmas bread and pudding. Fireworks go off at midnight, and some people go to midnight services. People even open their gifts at midnight! On Christmas Eve night, the skies are lighted with globos. These creations are paper decorations with a light inside. Also, people might even stay awake all night on Christmas Eve, and sleep on Christmas Day. Those are some facts about Christmas in Argentina!
The next country that I decided to do was Madagascar. Madagascar is an island off of the east coast of Africa, so as you can imagine it is very warm during the Christmas season. Holly, robins, and snow are some popular decorations here, but Madagascar doesn't have any of those! The official language of Madagascar is Malagasy. To say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Malagasy, you say 'Mirary Krismasy sambatra sy Taona vaovao tonga lafatra ho anao'. Most people who live in Madagascar only give each other small presents. They call Santa, 'Dadabe Noely'. Most Malagasy's go to a 5:00 PM mass or service on Christmas Eve and it lasts until after midnight. People perform songs and even plays celebrating Jesus' birth. People can go to church on Christmas too, and after the mass people give out treats to the people in the church. They have popular Christmas carols that they sing. Some example are: Sambasamba Zanahary ('It's a big opportunity Lord that you send your only Son to save us from our sin') and Avia Ry Mino ('Oh Come all ye Faithful'). Malagasy's usually have chicken or pork with rice and for dessert, a special cake, but if they are rich they can go out to restaurants to get food. They dress in their best clothes for these celebrations. Poinsettias grow not only at Christmas but all the time because it is the national emblem of Madagascar. One special food that they have at feasts is fresh lychees. They get these fresh from trees , and the streets and roads are coated with lychee skin. Those are some facts about Christmas in Madagascar!
Lastly, I chose to do France. A nativity crib like in most countries is used to decorate, but these figures are made out of clay. They might even buy them at fairs in some towns in December. Sets have regular figures as well as figures such as a butcher, a baker, a policeman, and a priest. In French, Merry Christmas is 'Joyeux Noë'. On Christmas Eve people carry Yule Logs made out of cherry wood into their homes and sprinkle red wine on it to make it smell nice when it's burning. A tradition is that they leave the log and candles burning all night just in case Mary, Joseph, and Jesus come through. They also say 'Père Noë' as Father Christmas. An interesting facts is that Santa actually comes with a man dressed in black named 'Le Pere Fouettard'. The main meal in France might be eaten on Christmas Eve or early on Christmas Day and is called 'Réveillon'. This includes foods like roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose. It also has lobster, foie gras, cheeses, and venison. For dessert most people have a log that is a chocolate sponge cake and they call it 'bûche de Noël'. They also have 13 different deserts made of fruits, nuts, and pastries, but this is only in some countries in France. On January 6, they celebrate the epiphany and they call it 'Fête des Rois'. They eat a flat almond cake on this occasion called 'Galette des Rois'. It has a toy crown inside and a paper, gold crown decoration on the top. Christmas in France is pretty different than Christmas in the US!
I hope you enjoyed learning about Christmas in different countries!
The Social Media Debate: Good vs. Bad
~Dan Cronin & Gavin Morgan, Grade 7
In recent years social media has been taking a big role in our lives, good and bad.
The Bad
Let's be honest, people are on their phones way too much. At sporting events, dinner, or anywhere else people go on their phones to check or look at things. People worry about what they post and who will look at it. On social media bullying is really common. This is called cyber bullying. People spread rumors about other people and their reputations are ruined. If this goes to an extreme level people might end up committing suicide.
The Good
Not all things on social media on bad. News spreads quickly allowing good news to reach many people. People can communicate with other people around the world. On social media businesses can communicate with their customers so their customers can get what they want and know what it is happening within the business. People know about and donate charities on social media.
Our Opinions
Gavin's Opinion- I think social media is bad. A lot of people in school are cyber bullied every day and do not go into school because of it. People sometimes post something that has a person doing something that they do not want on social media.
Dan's Opinion- I believe that social media is a good thing. Social media helps people around the world find out information. People can spread good news about people. Social media can be really helpful to people.
No More Gender Stereotypes!
~Charlotte Roper, Grade 8
For centuries, almost everything has been labeled feminine or masculine. These gender stereotypes are unnecessary and make people who do not fit them feel uncomfortable or unwanted.
From a young age, many girls are taught to play with dolls and wear dresses and bows. Boys are told to like action figures, and revolve themselves around sports. There are lots of other things that have been said to little children to help them play along with these gender roles. One being that if a boy is mean, or teases a girl, it means he likes her. This teaches the girls that abuse is a sign of affection, and to let themselves be okay with being put down. It also teaches boys that it's completely fine to be harsh and aggressive with girls, and that they can get away with it.
This next topic has been something that is going on in the workforce, and when it comes down to it, it makes no sense. Men are paid more than women for doing the same job, and the same hours. This tells us that the work industry values men more than women, and we can't do a good job. For women to get enough money at a lower pay, they work more hours to make as much as a man does.
We have all heard someone say that makeup is for girls, and football is for boys. If someone sees a boy wearing makeup, he is always judged, and everyone assumes things about him. Traditionally, football was for men, but lately women have gotten interested it football, but have been denied to be on the team because of their gender. I think this could be avoided if society kept their thoughts to themselves, and minded their own business.
As a feminist, I want to put an end to these stereotypes, which are so harmful to our world, but I believe that we are improving. If we start teaching to go against gender roles in schools and on the streets, this would be a better, more accepting world.
Mom
~Micaelina Carter, Grade 8
I think that we all have funny and crazy stories with our mothers that we can recall. I just seem to have more of those stories than most people. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother. It's just at times she can be...eccentric.
The only way to describe my mother’s crazy ways is through a story. This is the story of how we both almost got stuck on the roof. I promise you that this story is 100% true (I couldn't make something like this up).
My family and I had just enjoyed a fun day at the beach. As we traveled back to the car we discussed about what we were going to do the next day. When we got back to the car my mom insisted that I wipe all of the sand on my feet off before I got into the car. At this point I took both of my shoes off, and I began to wipe my feet. My mother on the other hand sat in the car with just her feet sticking out. She then wiped off her feet and got the rest of her body into the car. Now from the time she wiped her feet, to when she got into the car she only seemed to grab one shoe. The left shoe to be exact. After about only 2o minutes into our car ride home she realizes that she had lost her right shoe. This is about the 4th time this has happened. And every time it is always the right shoe that she forgets. One might ask - She hasn’t learn to be extra aware of her right shoe? The answer is no, no she does not.
Another story was when my mother tried to clean the roof and we both almost got stuck.
My mother loves to clean, and one day she decided that it would be a good idea to clean the roof. Now, when most people want to clean their roof they would call a professional. Well, that’s not what my mom did. She thought that she could just clean the roof on her own. Let’s just say that it didn’t turn out so well.
Later that day my mom grabbed a broom and started to climb out of the window and onto the roof. The part of the roof my mother wanted to clean was a far jump down from the window, and my mom is a short woman. She struggled to find her footing on the roof, all the while I had no idea any of this was going on. You should have seen the shock on my face when I saw my mom halfway out of the window trying to jump down onto the roof. I ran upstairs to the window and questioned her as to what she was doing. She explained to me that she was just cleaning the roof, as though it was apart of her daily routine. The funny thing is that this isn’t the craziest thing she has done. I shrugged it off and decided to let my mom clean the roof in peace.
Two hours later I hear my mom screaming my name. I run to her and she is still standing on the roof. She explains that I need to help her get through the window, since she is too short to do so on her own. For the next half-hour I tried to hoist my mother through the window and into my house. Finally I pulled her in, and we both took a sigh of relief. I thought that I could finally put all of this behind me. I was wrong. It was at this moment that my mother informed me that she left her broom out on the roof.
She told me that I had to get the broom. I tried to protest but my mom gave me the “look”, and I knew that there was no way I was going to get out of doing this. The only good thing was that she left the broom right under the window. My mom told me just to drape myself over the window and simply grab the broom. I began to climb halfway out of the window, with my mom holding onto my feet. It looked as though I would be able to retrieve the broom easily at this point. I reached out to grab the broom, but it was just centimeters away from my fingers. I told my mom to lower me closer, but she said that she had lowered me as far as she could. I started to wriggle and squirm, trying to inch myself as close as I could to the broom. Something on the window was stabbing me and I didn’t know how much longer I could on. Finally after struggling for what seemed like hours I finally reached the broom. I told my mom to pull me back into the house. Slowly but surely she got me back into the house. That was the last time she ever tried to clean the roof.
As crazy as my mother can get, I love her. She makes every day of my life interesting and exciting. Without my mom I would not have so many hilarious memories.