Teachers Collaborate!

For a while now, I have been a Pinterest fan and it has brought to my attention SO MANY BLOGS. While at times the blog roll can be overwhelming, I love that we teachers can collaborate, share, learn, and laugh together as if we really were one big happy family! With the election coming up, I have been wanting to find resources that are 6YO friendly while still relevant. And I think this teacher is about to make my life easier: http://flyingintofirst.blogspot.com/2012/10/election-units-giveaway-starts-at.html A wonderful resource for a truly important event! Can't wait to really dig in!

Just breathe.

I've had a bit of a whirlwind lately. End of baseball season, for which I planned the coaches' gifts. 5th Grade Promotion, for which I made the slideshow that would forever preserve ~100 students' elementary memories, including those of my own son. High School Graduation, to which I sent my family (and missed them TERRIBLY). End of school hoopla, with which came academic rigor plus "fun" events to keep it all together. Funeral for my friend's husband who died quite unexpectedly, causing great confusion and anger. Retirement party for a dear, dear friend, for which I organized the invitations and party favors. Both kiddos up and down with sickness from either end, sometimes both. Fever of 102 for me. Both Gorgeous and I out of town on separate errands while leaving kiddos behind. Parent having surgery. I was joking that all I needed was a baby and a wedding and all life events would be covered when I found out that 2 of my friends are pregnant.

So the merriment marie-ment?

So pleased with the teamwork and good sportsmanship Rascal's team showed all season long. So pleased with the friends we made and grew.

So proud of the Elder for his academic excellence, his musical skill, his artistic ability, his way with grown-ups and kids alike.

So amazed at the journey our niece has taken from a "surprise" for young parents to a poised, beautiful, ready for the world young woman.

So joyful at the class with which I got to spend the last year; so excited to watch them grow and achieve.

So blessed to hear the stories and see the pictures of a man's life, rejoiced as we honored his death and his family.

So tickled that a career worthy of accolades was celebrated just as she would have wanted.

SO grateful that my children are rarely, rarely sick and that we have the friends and support system that we do to help us when we just couldn't reschedule life.

So hopeful that my mom will finally have relief from her pain and so thankful that there is the procedure that will help her.

VERY happy that I am not knocked up! :)

So I am taking a moment... just a moment!... to breathe. Life is just so good.

Today is a GREAT day.

It's my birthday! It's my birthday! It's my birthday!

It's Mother's Day! It's Mother's Day! It's Mother's Day! It's a beautiful day! It's a wonderful day! It's yet another day in which I love my husband, my sons, my dogs, myself, my everything... It's not just today-- that's every day. And how was YOUR day?

75% Done

In less than a week, our school will be starting the final quarter (nine weeks). Happy/sad!

Sad because:
~my class this year absolutely rocks. I am not having a "Snow White" year (where the woodland creatures follow us happily down the halls as we sing merrily) but they are responsible, respectful, and hard-working kiddos that I genuinely like.
~the kindergarten classes are way over-crowded, so our usually magic-making kinder teachers have not been able to help shape the group into first graders as much as play "whack-a-mole" at just about every opportunity
~a few of my students are not progressing academically as I would have hoped, and the time to make decisions that forcefully impact their school careers is quickly approaching (and what if I decide wrong?)
~my own kiddos will be either out of 1st grade (and thus, from MY grade) or out of elementary entirely. I am going to miss seeing them both every day like CRAZY.

Happy because:
~Duh! SUMMER.
~this job provides a do-over EVERY YEAR. Something didn't work? It might with a different group. Something could work better? Opportunity to tweak and refine.
~my teammate and friend will NOT be out on maternity leave next year like she is this year (I miss her!)
~super fun stuff (like butterflies and Ocean Week and Beach Towel Fridays) are coming up

"Yesterday was history; tomorrow is a mystery--> today is a GIFT. That's why it's called the PRESENT." --Alice Morse Earle

So even though our year is 75% over, I am going to enjoy my gift of today. Hope you do, too!

Teaching Blogs and Target: 2 of my Favorite Things!

http://lessonswithlaughter.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-and-erin-bradley-surprise.html#more

How I wish I had time to be an awesome blogger like this!

Put me in, Coach!

Today the Rascal will try out for machine-pitch baseball. Trying out isn't really about anything except being able to balance the teams as much as possible, but I'm still a little anxious on his behalf.

I am also feeling nostalgic for tee ball. Yes, I know! Every kid gets to bat every inning; there are no "outs" or strikes; everyone scores and everyone wins and kumbayah! It's not REAL baseball! But I'm going to miss that a bit.

I'm going to miss the no-stakes dirt digging. I'm going to miss the free-wheeling monkeyshines of the four shortstops. I'm going to miss the sheepish grins that follow the 17 swings-and-misses, followed by the beam of pride when the bat FINALLY connects... "I'm AWESOME!"

Still, the kiddo has some true athletic ability (when he's not hitting himself in the head) and I am looking forward to watching him in a slightly more competitive arena. Many of his friends are also signing up, and I will enjoy cheering them all on no matter what team gets them. I am hopeful and confident that, with some practice, he will feel that beam of pride as his bat connects firmly with the ball that is NOT on a tee. He IS awesome! I can't wait!

Marie Christmas!

I’m going to start this post by complaining.



This year, my outside lights are sparse and intermittent. We've got to replace a post on our porch (a repair we can't currently afford) so hanging the wreaths from the 2nd story windows is unsafe. I used the strings that would normally wrap our banks of trees to line to top of our metal fence and it is—well, underwhelming..

Our attempt to have a live tree led to a cypress that can’t hold heavy (or really, anything but paper light) ornaments. Because we usually have a pre-lit tree, the only lights we have are the garden dragonfly lights, and they cover about 1/3 of the entire tree. So barren of bright lights and shiny ornaments, plus a noticeable lilt to one side, our tree looks more Charlie Brown than Griswold.

Our decision to make this year more about quality and quantity has also backfired, at least when you look at the pitiful few gifts wrapped under the crooked tree. And while I hope my kiddos appreciate how lucky they truly are, the idea that they might have that disappointed feeling of not getting the one thing they truly wanted is weighing heavily on me.

And the topper? Not 100% sure the Eldest truly “believes” anymore. And I am 100% sure I’m not ready for that.



But… and you knew I would have a big but :) … Rascal woke up this morning at 6AM, bounded into our room and exclaimed with sheer glee, “Merry Christmas!” Even when we explained it was merely Christmas Eve and not quite yet the big day, his only response was to be even more excited because he had additional anticipation time. Da Boyz are both looking forward to spending time with their grandparents and are delighted with the various baubles and trinkets of holiday cheer sprinkled around our home. And the other day, the Eldest gave me a big hug and said, “Mom, no matter what, it’s going to be a great Christmas.” He’s right.

Family, friends, love- what it’s all about. I hope you all have a “Marie Christmas”!