Slice of Life Day 28 & Celebrate~ this week! Classroom Spring Cleaning and Rearrangements

Today's post will merge two of my digital communities.

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for hosting the Slice of Life March challenge.  I am joining other bloggers and writing every day in March.  Please visit their site to read other slices and please remember to let the blogger know you read their post, share the love in the comments! 

&

Ruth Ayers of Discover. Play. Build. invites  us to share weekly celebrations, big or small, on her blog. This week I am jumping in, celebrating my opportunity to work alongside a preservice teacher and practice my OLW~ Listen!   Thanks Ruth for hosting! 

I want to celebrate  Mary Kay's thoughtfulness in rearranging our rooms and the arrangement and the promise it holds.  We went into school on Friday to tidy up and make a few adjustments.  I let Mary Kay make all the decisions. I listened as she explained her thoughts for wanting to move something and then helped  make the move.  

• Rotated the carpet to improve student comfort in looking at the large screen while seated not he floor.
• Moved island (which houses paper, dry erase tools and other writing supplies) to allow more open feel when entering the room and student accessibility in gathering tools. 
• Cleaned out tanks from previously living organisms (Yes, our mealworms actually died, of natural causes, I was sure you couldn't kill mealworms…)
• Added larger table to improve use of document camera in displaying work and books.
• Moved treasure chest of books (houses class favorites) to a safer location to prevent lid from falling shut. 
• Added poetry books to tables and  physical science books to display shelf to activate prior learning and front load upcoming studies. 
• Switched out markers for colored pens to improve legibility of writing. (Markers are still available, but not on tables.)

Mary Kay experienced first hand how one little change turns into a few more little changes and a few more decisions.  Mary Kay was thoughtful about traffic patterns, seating, work space for small groups and individuals and student preferences and keeping the balance with her needs as the lead teacher.   I am eager to see how the kids respond Monday! 

Slice of Life Day 12~New perspectives

Our class is fortunate to have a student teacher join our class for the year! It's such an honor to learn and grow alongside a student teacher, but it's not easy. This week I am taking on a new perspective…

sitting back, listening, watching and thinking….

I Hear~
Kids commenting on the lesson
Kids talking quietly as others share with the group
Some kids repeating the same answer over and over and over
Some kids laughing
Someone making sounds with their mouth
An excited teacher talking with the class seated around her


I See~
Some kids raising their hands
Some kids sitting quietly
All kids looking at the teacher
A student teacher glowing in her opportunity


I Wonder~
Do they do this for me?
How would I deliver the lesson?
Would it be the same as I envision sitting here?
Does the noise maker know they are making sounds with their mouth?
Will the noise maker ever stop?
What are the intentions of those repeating the answer over and over and over again?
Does the teacher teaching hear the samethings I hear?
Do they know I still care?

this is undoubtedly the HARDEST thing I have ever had to do.

Slice Of Life day 1

Today's slice is short…I seem to have a stomach bug for the second time in February!

It seems when we are immersed in our busy lives all we long for is a day in our jammies. A day in our jammies, guilt free time to relax. Then the day comes and forces you to stay in your jammies and I all I thinks about all I should be doing!

I hear my husband come back from the grocery store and think, I should be shopping.

I hear my daughter packing herself for an all day rehearsal and I think, I should be reassuring her  and encouraging her endurance for an 8 hour rehearsal.

I hear my husband doing laundry and i realize how fortunate I am, I didn't have to ask him to do anything, he just jumped in and took over, he even brought home popsicles for me.

SOL 30 Day Writing Challenge Day 26~ 15 Minutes Tops!

I am participating in the 30 Day Writing Challenge hosted by the team at Two Writing Teachers.  Only 6 more post (5 after this one) and I can't believe we are so close to the end of the challenge, I will be back next year, I still have more to discover about my life and writing! 


Yesterday as I was browsing through the many posts posted at Two Writing Teachers I saw a comment by @Betsy_Writes asking us to play a game with her.

The idea of playing a game intrigued me so I clicked right on over to Betsy's link.  Well, I am glad I did!  I found a few new blogs and left a few more comments than I usually do.  But, that's not all!  Betsy encouraged her readers to visit her friend Robin's Slice but, only if you're brave enough!  Did Betsy say If you're BRAVE ENOUGH??  Oh, game on, I love a challenge, a dare or whatever you want to call it!  I clicked on over to Robin's blog and laughed and laughed!  Go ahead, you know want to… click on the link but, make sure you come back because I have a TMI story too.  I even won a radio contest by sharing this story!  OK, I have probably have set your expectations too high, lessen your expectation and read on if you dare.

One day I ran a quick errand to our local mall with my 7 month old first born daughter.  As I pulled into a parking place I debated taking in the stroller.  It's so much to lug it out of the trunk and then back in, did I really need it?  I decided no, I was only ordering a wedding gift for a friend, I wouldn't have any packages and if things go well I will only be in there for 15 minutes tops!

So, I lifted my daughter out of the car seat and walked into the mall, confident that this shopping addicted mommy would be in and out in 15 minutes tops!  We walked into the mall, right at the women's clothes and make-up counters. The color of the new spring clothes and  the smells of the perfumes and clothes took over my senses and the next thing I knew I was browsing through the new spring clothes.

I'll just walk through and enjoy the spring clothes, it's on the way to housewares anyway!  Then it hit me,  I was pregnant last spring.  This spring I could get back into REAL clothes, no more panels, no more roomy smock tops WOW!  I could probably stand a small update to my spring clothes.  So I allowed myself to browse a little deeper…

The next thing I knew I found myself in a fitting room with a dress.  I sat my daughter on the floor, careful to make sure there were no pins or anything she could put in her mouth.  The bottom of the fitting room walls were open, I knew I would have to be quick, I knew it was a risk, but my daughter is pretty mild mannered, I am sure she will stay put.

I slipped off my jeans AND top. I turned to grab the dress to see the bottom of my daughters shoes just passing under the open wall!  OH NO!  Here I am in my underware  and my daughter is escaping the fitting room!  I had no choice, I ripped the dress from the hanger and held it to my front side and went to grab my daughter.  Well, being like her mommy she was in awe of the pretty colors and somehow had made in about 100 ft from the fitting room before I caught up to her!

Yep!  There I was in the MIDDLE of the store (near the mall entrance) in my undies chasing a crawling baby!  My daughter and I tried to make it back into the fitting room unnoticed and to this day I have no idea who may or may not have seen me but, it felt like the WORLD was watching. I never did try on the dress or go buy that wedding gift!
                                                                       So all-in-all we were out in 15 minutes tops!

Slice of Life Day 25- Searching for the Balance in Independence and Healing

I am participating in the Slice of Life 30 Day Writing Challenge.  Writing is reflective and a great way to discover more about your life.  To learn more about the challenge or read other Slice of Life posts visit Two Writing Teachers.

Little did I know the hard part was just beginning…

Thursday my husband was released from the hospital 3 days after having a five hour surgery on his back.  When the doctor asked "Are you ready to go home?"  My husband smiled for the first time in weeks. (He was very nervous about having the surgery and in a great deal of pain prior to the procedure).  I was excited to see him smiling and to be bringing him home, no more trips to the hospital, no more hospital food, no more tubes and no more insatiable beeping machines!

Home will be quiet, Tim will rest quietly and I will catch up on reading, writing and a few chores around the house. Tim and I can stay up late chatting and watching movies. This will be like mini "staycation."  Friends will come to visit and I will cook a few big meals that we can munch on thorough the week  and we will just sit back and rest, both of need to rest, this is going to be perfect.

Well, I wasn't entirely wrong…

 I am doing more writing, I am actually reading a fiction book for pleasure. (I am only on page 100 after 3 days… are you starting to see where this going?)  Tim is resting, and resting and resting.  He's too tired to even finish a 30 minute sitcom- so no movies.  We are having trouble getting the pain under control so I am setting an alarm for every 4 hours (yes, 24 hours a day) to make sure we keep his medication at the correct level to keep him comfortable.  So as you can imagine all these meds make late night conversations very one sided, I do get the best answers this way!

We do have friends and family dropping by to visit, bringing us food and keeping me balanced!  I am thankful for this because the homemade meatballs I planned to make Friday are just now (9PM Tuesday) simmering in the pot!  It seems just as I begin a task for the house or myself I need to be nurse. As I am working as a nurse I am not being an empathetic wife and as I work to be more of an empathetic wife I am acting like  I am his mom.  Where is the balance in making sure he is doing what he needs to heal and allowing him to have his independence and showing empathy?  I feel like the only approach I have is tough love.

I don't mean to be motherly or strict on him, it's just so difficult to see your anchor down when you both want him to be up on deck.  Maybe this isn't tough love or motherly maybe it's just necessary to bring him back to better than he was prior to surgery.

Working to find the balance~ taking each day slowly and lovingly.

SOL Day 15/31~Family Weekend

This weekend has been reserved for family! Sadly our college girl heads back to campus Monday and my husband Tim will undergo back surgery.  Knowing the upcoming week(s) will be difficult on us all we have all locked down our calendars for family only! 

So what fantastic things do we have planned?  Nothing!  Yep, I said nothing!  We are playing it by ear, hanging out and just being together. Today started out as we watched as Livi walk in the St. Patrick's Day parade with her dance studio. After the parade we stopped by to visit Grammy and Papaw and then headed out to lunch. After lunch we went home and started cleaning! 

Yep, our exciting, play-it-by ear day led us to cleaning. We cleaned the house (the key word here is WE)!  Working as a team and conquering the enormity of cleaning the house (which seems to grow the minute you take out the cleaning bucket) seemed like what this family needed to do on family weekend.  Is it possible we are all nesting in preparation for the weeks to come?

Of course, we were all to tired to cook after all this collaborative cleaning so we headed to favorite restaurant downtown.  We have eaten at this restaurant many times and it's always been great. Tonight was especially nice.  We lucked into a window table!  I just love a window seat and this table was in a corner of windows! The neighborhood was busy, the local homes were gorgeous, and the coming and going of the customers along with the basketball game on the TV kept this family lively in conversation and enjoyment. 

Now that we are settling in for the night in a fresh house, with clean laundry and new sheets we can wait to see what tomorrow holds!  Lets hope something more fun seeps into our day tomorrow! (*Smiling*) 

The Jr. High Devils~ SOL Day 6

This month I am participating in the Slice of Life Challenge. Each day for the month of March I will write about a slice of my life. My first graders are also participating!


This Slice of Life was born back in the days before caller id, when phones were still connected to walls, when teens ran like lighting to answer a ringing phone and then spent HOURS TALKING on the phone. Remember those days? Where they've gone I am not sure, but I do know they have left an imprint on my life. 


Step back into this memory with me. I was spending the night with one of my best friends, Sue. We were sitting in her room talking, dreaming and scheming. Sue and I were good at scheming and quite proud of our skills, (just ask our middle school counselor who fondly referred to us as the "Jr. High Devils")! Well, this night was one for the history books.

Sue and I sat in her bedroom talking about all the things young teen girls do and we planned prank calls for our entertainment.  We loved to call neighbors and ask to borrow bullion cubes, ask for Prince Albert in a can and our all time favorite, Is your refrigerator running… you know that one I am sure. Of course, we called cute boys just too hear their voices and then we  "pretended we had the wrong number."  We were the MASTER of the prank call and all our friends knew just how good we were, we were legendary! 

So this particular night we called Pam (the third of the Jr. High Devils). We knew she would know it was us, this would just be our "warm up" call for the night. 

RING, RING, RING…

        "Hello"

      

       "Hi! This is Carol Dempsey from WNCI Radio and if you can tell me the phrase

that pays YOU win the new FRAMPTON COMES LIVE album!" pause… (Sue and I are holding back bust-a-gut giggles-)

     "Oh, Oh, WNCI means more music!" Pam screams eagerly back into the phone! 

  What!!! Did she really believe we were Carol Dempsey? Pam didn't recognize my voice? No way! We talked on the phone all the time! Are we that good that we could fool our best friend? 

  

     "OK, please stay on the line so we can get your information and we will get the album out to you." Carol replied.

Pause…control laughter…stay in character...

    "OK, I am ready can I get your first and last name, OK good, your street address...  your zip code? Great we will have this out to you as soon as possible! Congratulations and thanks for listening!"  Sue and I are laughing so hard Sue is snorting and I am crying! Did poor Pam really think she had won?  She couldn't have? She knows us!

Wow! Sue and I had reached an all time level of THE MASTER PRANK CALL!  Monday at school Pam shared her "great news" with everyone, Sue and I stood backed and watched. Finally, we pulled Pam aside, we couldn't let our best friend go on anymore, we had to come clean and confess our prank. Pam listened, but held strong, she HAD talked to Carol Dempsey and she had WON the album. 

Jump ahead to Pam's 40th birthday… Guess who was there… CAROL DEMPSEY (AKA as me and Sue!) with Pam's album, Frampton Comes LIve! Sue and I took the microphone and reenacted the infamous call and then presented our dear sweet friend with the Frampton Comes Live album! The hugs and tears that followed were intense; if I pause I can still feel the pressure and warmth of those hugs, hugs that marked 25 years of friendship. 

Sue and Pam and I are still close friends! We have known each other since jr. high and when we start chatting about old times or our lives today that connection is still there, it always will be! 

Love ya both! 




Somethings Never Change

This month I am participating in the Slice of Life Challenge. Each day for the month of March I will write about a slice of my life. This blog and this challenge are a place for me to look at life and discover where writing will take me. I am proud to share with you that my first graders are also participating!

Yesterday my oldest daughter (who is now in college) posted this photo on FaceBook for Transformation Tuesday. This photo made me pause; my girls have grown so much over the years. As cliché as it sounds, it really does seem like just yesterday they were toddlers running through the house laughing and leaving toys and sippy cups in their paths. Well, wait not everything has changed, now one daughter flies in and out the house leaving car keys, water bottles, gym bags and shoes, shoes, and SHOES in her path. 

It's funny how I look back and miss a time that once was and still look forward to what's yet to come. A friend once told me every age will be your favorite. I didn't understand this at the time, but now I can say she was right. Each stage brings new experiences and new discoveries. I love watching my girls grow into beautiful young women with opinions and goals. It can be a challenge to step back just enough to let them reach for those dreams even though they may struggle along the way. This is just what moms do, we pull back, then we push forward and we pray all the way. 

Looking around my house I can still see the signs of my daughters they just look different. The lower level that once was FILLED with toys of all sizes is now filled with an air hockey table, football, hockey and Broadway Play memorable, a popcorn machine, game table, a treadmill and a large screen TV. The table that was once accessorized with highchairs and booster seats is now covered with book bags, purses, car keys and coats. The bathtub that was once overtaken by rubber ducks, baby shampoo and plastic books is now home to a variety of shampoos, face wash, and a loofah. The bedrooms that were once pink fairies, American Girl Dolls, books, special blankies and dolls are now floors littered with clothes, tech devices, magazines and special blankies and dolls. 

~Some things never change. 

Writing Anxiously...

Well, here I am writing my first slice for the 30 Day Slice of Life Writing Challenge.  I accepted this challenge with trepidation.  Not because I don't know what to write, I have lots of stories swirling in my head and if you know me you know that's true.  I love to write and when I sit down to write (most days, but not all days) words I didn't know I had just seem to find there way to the paper.  I am nervous because I am afraid my writing will sound pretentious.  I love words and when I read the words of others I think, I wish I could write like that, or that's a great word or phrase. I think I have been a bit of a word admirer most of my life. So now I as join this challenge I hope to find my personal writing voice, a voice that represents my thoughts and is authentic to who I am. 

I have had many gentle nudges and words of encouragement along my journey of writing, but @cathymere knows me well, maybe too well.  Cathy asked me to consider offering this challenge to my class!  This was an offer I couldn't say no too, this was something the class would have to decide.  So I presented the idea to my class as an option and the excitement in my room was palpable, kids cheered, some clapped and some even jumped to their knees with excitement.  Immediately we had 10 of 21 first graders committed to the 30 Day Writing Challenge, by the end of the day we had 17 committed and excited writers!  I am not sure where this journey will take us but I know we will find support and encouragement along the way. 

So now I have completed day one of the 30-day challenge! I already have a few ideas for tomorrow, we will see which worlds find their way to the page tomorrow.