I Remember...

I've struggled to write this one for a while...never really sure if I ever would.  And if I did, if I would share it.  But here it is.  I guess it's time.

To read more Slice of Life stories, check out the Two Writing Teachers blog hosted by Ruth and Stacey.







I remember standing over you in disbelief. Watching you in your tiny crib. Watching the monitors with one eye, all the while watching your little chest rise and fall-looking for reassurance.  I remember praying feverishly that you would be alright.

 I remember the sting of the words of the doctors as they explained how small and delicate your heart and veins were. Some as tiny as a single strand of hair. I remember being terrified as I sat at the huge hospital table with pamphlets and papers and illustrations as the doctor explained the surgery.  I remember thinking it wasn't possible that you were inside me just days before...safe and warm.  I remember crying as I looked at the new IV, the one in the side of your head because that was the best placement for it. I remember the PIC line.  The tubes.  The tape.  Everything.  I will forever remember the smell of the soap as we scrubbed our hands before coming in to see you.

 I remember the privacy screens that they placed around other cribs when time was running short.  I remember praying that we would never be behind one of those screens.  I hated those screens.  I hated the emptiness they left behind when they were taken down.  I hated that place.

I loved that place.  I loved that doctor who worked miracles.  I will forever remember him.  I will forever thank God for him.

I will forever remember the day we got to bring you home.  I had dreamed of it and prayed for it and I was terrified.  I remember the nurse giving us all our special instructions.  Do not pick him up under the arms.  Do not forget to give him his medicine three times a day.  Be sure he eats his special high calorie diet and be sure to visit your family doctor in two days.  Don't forget about the cardiac doctor who will expect to see you for your appointment in one week.  Make sure to monitor him for any sign of a fever and call your doctor right away if you notice one.  On and on and on.  There were pages of directions.  Terrified.  There were pictures, notes, crib name tags, special animals and outfits and flowers to pack up too.  There were even hugs from nurses who cared for our little man.  Still there was terror. 

What if...  It was a long drive from the hospital in the big city to our small town home.  What if...  There were no more monitors to reassure me that everything was ok.  What if...  There were no nurses checking in every few minutes.  What if...  There was nothing to reassure me. 

No, that's not true.  There was you. 

There was your sweet little face to reassure me.  There were tiny little pink toes and big blue eyes to reassure me.  There was crying in the middle of the night and dirty diapers and gurgles and coos to reassure me.  But most importantly, there was you.  We had you.  You were perfect.  You, with your little chest scar just like Grandpa.  You, with your little figures that would hold mine so tight.  You.

I can't believe you are turning 10 this month! What a blessing you have been to our family, my sweet Bugaboo.

Leading Literate Lives

I've been watching my children lately through a literate lens.  I have always loved to read and have been in and out of writing throughout my life.  As a child, I went to the local library with my mom once each week to get new books.  It was always a favorite time of mine.  I've always hoped that my children would have a similar love of reading...and maybe if I was really lucky, writing too!

As I drove to work each morning this week with my children in the backseat, I was reminded again and again how lucky I am.  My children really do love to read.  Each morning, instead of playing with a toy or video game, my nine year old son and seven year old daughter chose to bring and read books on the way to and from school.  It is such a wonderfully warm feeling to look in the rear view mirror and see two heads bent over books, and occasionally sharing a funny picture or silly passage in their books with each other.

Today, as we were sitting at my in-laws house celebrating my father-in-law's birthday, I was reminded again about how great my children were.  My seven year old and my four year old were endless entertained by a box of crayons and a stack of blank paper.  They drew pictures, wrote names, and my personal favorite, wrote notes to each of us.  They were so happy and content with those simple pleasures for well over an hour.  No arguing, no fighting, no trouble sharing, nothing!

A few hours later, as my youngest was enjoying a little milk break, what does she reach for? A stack of books!  Yes, even the 18 month old enjoys reading!  She sat with her little stack of pink books for about 15 minutes...long after the milk was gone from the cup.

As I sit at the kitchen table typing my slice, that same little sweetie is begging me for a paper and pencil to "color."  Give this girl a pencil and anything to write on and she's a happy camper.

It sure does make this Mama feel good to know that her kids are readers and writers.  Oh how I love these literate lives we lead!


If you would like to read more Slice of Life stories or even join in the March SOL challenge, head over to the best blog around, Two Writing Teachers, hosted by Ruth and Stacey.

Poo Happens

Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by Ruth and Stacey at their blog Two Writing Teachers.  Come join it the fun - read some slices and even write your own!

She might be the fourth child but she has brought us many new and different challenges.  We thought by the time we had her, we had experienced most everything.  We were wrong.  She's our only climber.  She's our worst sleeper.  She's our best medicine taker.  These are all minor things compared to what awaited us this morning.

I was snuggled in my warm, cozy bed this morning when I heard her wake up.  She sounds so sweet when she first wakes up.  She sings and plays with her babies.  She is always happy when she wakes up.  These were my first thoughts this morning...quickly followed by another nice thought.  Daddy should get up with her this morning and let Mommy sleep in for a few minutes this morning.  And, he did!

But sleeping in was not meant to be today.

Today was the day that we were introduced to our first and only diaper remover!  Yes.  You read that right.  She woke up, didn't like her poopy diaper and so...she took it off.  In her crib.  By herself.

We had a blond haired, blue eyed, brown covered baby girl staring up at us from the crib this morning.  The rest I will just you imagine for yourself.

I should be thankful that the mess was mainly contained in one area.  I should also be thankful that this is our only child to do it.  But, EWWW, it was gross!  

The bright side?  I already had my SOL topic for the day taken care of!

Can you believe this sweet little face could do such a thing?

Friend

Join the Slice of Life Challenge hosted by Ruth and Stacey at their Two Writing Teachers blog.

A friend is...

a Snickers on a tough day.
flip flops in the summer time.
a cup of hot coffee in the morning.
a warm blanket on a cold evening.
a good book on a rainy day.
the light in the tunnel.
flowers for no reason.
an umbrella in the rain.

A friend is...

necessary.

You've Got A Friend In Me - Forever

I've been thinking about friendship today.  My own friendships.  My children's friendships.  My student's friendships.  They are so important!  I've been trying to put my words down on paper this evening and I can't seem to get my thoughts out very well.  They just aren't coming together.  But I've had a song in my head today that feels just right.  It might not be my own words today, but it's important to say anyway. 

For more slices of life, head over the Two Writing Teachers hosted by Ruth and Stacey. 

You've Got A Friend In Me (from Toy Story)

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
Just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got troubles, well I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and we see it through
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
But none of them will ever love you the way I do
It's me and you
And as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see
It's our destiny
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

25 Things That Make Me Smile

I'm getting excited about March!  It's such a great month.  If I'm lucky, it there will be a hint of sprint in March.  It's the month when things feel like they are falling into place in the classroom-finally.  It is a month of growth in many ways!  It's a month of birthdays - my dad, my husband, my son, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law, and several friends.  But...it's also a month of writing!  I'm really looking forward to the Slice of Life Challenge this year.  Last year was my first time participating and it was amazing.  I'm sure this year will be equally fulfilling.  My writing habits haven't been strong lately so I'm looking forward to an "excuse" to make time to write.  I've made my list of ideas to fall back on in case there is a day I just can't find the words.  Now I'm ready ... bring it on SOLC 2013!
 
I've been thinking lately about what makes me smile.  There are so many different things and so many different stories I could tell about them, it's a little overwhelming.  Instead, for today, I think I'll just make a list.  Who knows?  Maybe it will fuel more posts later!

25 Things that Make Me Smile

1. A hot cup of  French Vanilla cappuccino
2. Snow falling softly outside my window
3. The sound of my children laughing
4. My husband's smile
5. A hug
6. A note from a friend
7. Reading a good book
8. My fuzzy, red blanket - a Christmas gift that keeps giving!
9. Snow days!
10. Hearing my most favorite words from my most favorite people, "I love you Mommy!"
11. Waking up slowly on a Saturday, without the alarm blaring
12. A hot shower
13. Date night
14. Watching my children play in the snow
15. A great quote
16. The hum of learning 
17. Smiles on my children's faces
18. A chat with a good friend
19. A Cherry Coke!
20. Watching a child's face when they begin to understand something difficult
21. My mom
22. Knowing our babysitter loves our children
23. Helping others
24. The smell of a new baby
25. Crawling into bed at night

Writer's Workshop Gone Awry

 

To read more stories that matter, head to Two Writing Teachers and dive in!

I admit it.  It's been a while since I made myself sit down and write.  I've missed it but I've had a lot on my plate and writing was pushed aside.  And then today happened and I knew I needed to write.

Today was one of THOSE days at school.  It started out alright.  By 9:05 I started to think it was getting off track.  By 10:00 I knew I needed to reign my class in a bit more.  By lunchtime, I was tired.  

Next came writer's workshop.  I look forward to this time each day.  I look forward to seeing my students talk, draw and write.  They have so many wonderful stories to share and they are getting so much better at getting those stories onto the paper.

Not today.

Today I should have stopped after "talking time."  It was at that moment that I knew things were going downhill.

Did I stop?

No.

Of course not.  It was time for WRITING!

 

I should have stopped.

I should have stopped before I was disappointed in their lack of concentration.  I should have stopped before I was frustrated that there was so much chatting and goofing around happening all around me.  I should have stopped the moment I realized that unless I was sitting next to the child, the child wasn't writing.

Unless I was sitting next to the child, the child wasn't drawing and most likely wasn't even LOOKING at the paper on the table.

I should have just stopped.  They weren't in a good place, and therefore, neither was I.

Then there was that little glimmer.

At the end of the day, I sat with my little munchkin, R.  We were filling out his daily behavior note to let his parents know how his day went.  It was only then that I realized that he had earned a star for EVERY SINGLE PART OF THE DAY TODAY!!!  FIRST TIME EVER!!!

Ok.  If R can have an all-star day, then we can get it back together.  We can get back on track.  Tomorrow is a new day, as they say, and we will begin again with a fresh start.  Somehow, in the meantime, I need to convince my students of something very important: 

You have stories to tell.  Your stories are important.  Your stories matter.  Share your stories.

 The picture above, from the Kelly Rae Roberts Collection, was a gift from a good friend.  Someone who knows that our words and stories are important.  It's the perfect inspiration.  A treasure...both the friend and the picture.  (Thanks B-Fly!)