Day 6: My Loves

Laundry
Dishes
Dusting
Sink cleaning
Trash removing
Dinner making
Bill paying

All things that never end

Homework
Legos
Video games
Shopkins
Dolls
Curious George books
Mom, will you help me?

All things that will end too soon

I think today I'll ignore the things that won't go away
and pour my time into the things that matter most
the little ones that grow up too fast
and we will make the cookies
play with the toys

read the books
play the games
and enjoy

my loves
today

Day 5: Buh-Bye Long Hair

My girls have been asking for haircuts for a while now.  I finally found a Saturday without plans and made the appointments. 

Today was the big day.  Emma, who's hair reached her waist, had decided she wanted to cut it near her shoulder.  She also knew she had long enough hair that she would be able to donate it.  She was pretty excited to be able to donate it and help someone who needed it.

Before:

(I may have forgotten to take the before pictures this morning...but I dug up a couple good ones that showed how long their hair was.)

Maddie wanted her hair cut to her chin.  She had it like that a couple years ago and really liked it.  This was what she'd been asking for.  As we sat in the salon today waiting for our turn, I realized that she probably had long enough hair to donate hers as well.  When I told her I thought she had enough her little face lit up!

Before:

Our turn arrived and two happy girls climbed up into the chairs.  30 minutes later I was walking two girls to my car that I barely recognized with goofy grins from ear to ear. 

After:

It's the little things like haircuts that we often take for granted.  We had a fun morning together at the salon today.  Nothing crazy or unusual.  Nothing overly special.  Just a mom and two of her girls spending some time together.  These are the little things I know I will look back on and miss someday. 

Day 4: My Daughter, the author

My ten year old daughter has been reading the Harry Potter series.  She is currently reading the fourth book and is enjoying every minute.  She will randomly ask me questions at the dinner table because she knows I have read them and she will ask her dad if he knew some little fact from the books because she knows he has not read them.  She has also watched each of the first three movies multiple times.  That's part of the routine...read the book and then watch the movie (a few times).

Last night, as she was mixing up cookie dough, she told me she thought she'd like to be an author.  She had decided that she'd like to write children's chapter books.  You know, like J.K. Rowling does.  After school, as I was packing my bag to leave, she told me that her teacher told her if she finished her library book (Who Is J.K. Rowling?) over the weekend, then she would have read over 1,000,000 words so far in fifth grade.  Tonight, as I was making dinner, she said she was going to her room for a while because she wanted to write a story.

A bit later she returned, notebook in hand.

"Mom? I need a last name for one of my characters.  Do you have any ideas?  His first name is Daniel."  After much contemplation, she settled on Brooks.  And then she began to tell me the story idea:

"Daniel is best friends with Suzy Palmer and Mat Thomas.  They all attend Mr. Berny's School of Transforming Arts.

Daniel is a brave and curious 11 year old boy who's dad sent him to Mr. Berny's School of Transforming Arts after they find out that Daniel can transform into a snake.  Mat is Daniel's genius best friend that has an IQ of 155% and was sent to Mr. Berny's school by his Aunt who saw him turn into a dog in his sleep.

Suzy Palmer, who is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but still likes to have fun, was sent to the school because her parents kept catching her eating all the carrots at night.  One time when she was eating carrots, she had a horse nose and was galloping around and around the kitchen."

This sweet girl left her notebook on the counter at bedtime and I couldn't resist sneaking a peek at what she had been working on.  Here is a look at her notebook.  Shhh...don't tell!

 

Dad

Free Fallin' - the song that takes me back
to driving up north in the truck
still makes me giggle a little

You're not lost unless you run out of gas - the rule that takes me back
to the snowmobile trip that would never end
but my hands stayed warm under yours

Can't can't do anything - the wisdom that takes me back
to awful math homework at the kitchen table
I was right, I have never used it

You can do anything if you put your mind to it - the advice that takes me back
to all the times I said I couldn't and you said I could
you were right

Wonderful tonight - the tune that takes me back
to every wedding we ever went to and danced together
even if the words weren't for daddy/daughter 

It all ends up in the same place - the words that take me back
to my foods touching on my plate and the only thing you said that I never believed
it's still gross, foods shouldn't touch

Day 2: The Snow Pile

"Mom, look!" Emma cries out, her nose an inch from the window.  "They are making a new snow pile!"

With eyes glowing, Maddie asks, "Can we go play outside, Mom?"

Avery comes bounding into the room, hearing all the commotion.  She begins to jump up and down at the sight of the big, yellow snow plow. 

"Can we go make a fort?  Can we? Can we? Can we?" she shouts.

In the span of 30 seconds, the snow day went from good to magical.  The snow pile in the cul de sac is back!

This fall, we moved to a new town, a new street, a new house, all with new possibilities.  We have begun to stretch our wings and explore this new town and all it has to offer.  We have been able to spread out in the new house and find out what it feels like to not be on top of each other all the time. 

Similarly, we have begun to learn about our new street.  There is the older, retired woman who lives in the house on the hill who knows the people we bought the house from.  The one who started asking questions and created a few rumors when we brought in a small dumpster.  No, we are not removing the fireplace (say what?), we are just trying to catch up - to remove the boxes from the move that are (finally) mostly unpacked and the boxes that joined the piles from Christmas and a November birthday.  Then, there is the young window a couple houses over with the two young boys who take turns playing on the snow pile - because, of course, girls and boys can't play on the snow pile at the same time.  There is also the neighbor to the right who feels the need to shovel each time we get an inch of snow.  On the left, there is the house that sits empty because the owner is in a nursing home.  It's a quiet street and we are smack dab in the middle/back of the cul de sac. 

Each time it snows the city arrives with a plow truck.  Each time it snows we end up with a snow pile in the middle of the cul de sac.  It is a beacon for the children on the street and my kids are no different. 

There is much to be done when the snow pile arrives.  There are tunnels to dig and slides to be made.  Steps to be carved and snow to be packed.

And best of all?  On this second snow day in a row, when the kids are beginning to wonder what they are going to do all day, the city finally arrived with the snow plow.  The magical pile has been created again. 

The day holds new possibilities and new promises.  And wet snow clothes, and red cheeks and runny noses.  Cups of hot chocolate and plates of cookies.  And smiles.  Lots of smiles.

Thank you Mr. Plow Man.  You just saved the day.

Day 1: Thank Goodness For You

 

I read a story recently where the author talked about how interesting it is to think about when we met certain people in our lives.  Have you ever thought about the timing of those meetings?  Did you meet that person at just the right time in your life and it changed everything?  I met someone a few years ago that changed my teaching and the way I think about teaching forever.  I will always appreciate that person and what she did for me.  She will always hold a special place in my heart.  At the same time, I had another friend that held similar teaching ideas as me.  We used to "talk shop" a lot in those days and the learning that was happening during that time for me was just explosive!  I would learn from my guru and talk it through with my friend and my learning curve was amazing.  I treasure those days, those memories and those thought processes that led me to this place I'm in today.  This line of thinking led me to this poem and it's fitting because these two relationships encouraged my own writing habits to bloom as well - some good thoughts for the first day of the Slice of Life Challenge.

I thought about you today.
I wondered how you were doing.
I remembered when we met and what that changed in me.
I thought of all the changes that happened after you came along.
I wondered what would be different now if it weren't for you.
I remembered the encouragement you gave me to try the difficult instead of fearing it.
I thought how differently things may have been if you hadn't come along at just that point in time.
I wondered if I would be the teacher I am today.
I wondered if I would be confident in my own writing.
I wondered if I would even be writing this slice today.
I remembered your kind words.
I remembered how you may me feel about my knowledge, my abilities, my desire to learn.
I remembered the time we spent learning together, talking, growing together as peers.
I thought about how funny it seems to call you my peer.
I thought about how you share your knowledge with such passion that people WANT to absorb it all.
I thought...
Thank goodness I met you.
Thank goodness you walked into my life and rearranged my thinking.
Thank goodness you decided to make a difference because that is what brought us together.
Thank goodness my life brought me to you and you to me.
I thought about you today.
I appreciated you today.

Welcome to March!

I can't believe it's almost March!  I've been looking forward to starting the SOLC challenge this year.  I know it is just what I need to get back into writing as a habit.  Life has gotten hectic and time has gotten away from me.  Oh sure, there is still time in my day to write, I just haven't made room for it.  But I want to and that is half the battle, right?

I have even talked a friend, maybe two, into joining in the challenge this year.  They are very unsure that they can write a post that many days in a row...but I know they can! It is my hope that by having someone new to encourage along, as well as being a part of the welcome wagon, will help solidify my writing habits again. My writer's muscles need some stretching and I can't wait!  I'll consider this post my trial run.

The days run together
time slips past
the clock ticks faster
or at least it seems
tasks get prioritized
jobs rearranged
but
time must be made
created or shifted
it must
I must
because it is time
to write again!
Welcome to March!