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Friday, March 29, 2024

Grateful Friday

Hurrah for Spring Break!  It feels really busy thinking through preparations for two different trips, but I know once we are out there spring breaking, it will be very nice.  And I'm also looking forward to next weekend, when we have a weekend at home with General Conference.

Today we're having a little "reading party" at school which consists of all the leftover Easter candy I enthusiastically bought for the YM/YW on Wednesday and silent reading time.  Also, I will finish reading Ramona the Pest to them.

(Speaking of reading Ramona, Jamie said she almost asked my class the other day if I was behaving myself, but thought it was better to let them forget.  Yes!  We will never speak of that again!)

Here's what else I'm grateful for today:

My sweet boy brought me a little travel sized pack of Kleenex yesterday so I wouldn't "have to walk all the way across the room for Kleenex."  My eyes are still on the allergy struggle bus.  My classroom isn't that big/the Kleenex isn't that far away, but he is the kindest boy in the world.

Another sweet boy made it to the garbage to throw up yesterday.  When Riley came to empty the garbage, I said, "He made it to the garbage!  That is a win!"

Riley said, "I will take that any day."  Elementary school custodial work is not for the faint of heart.

When they were working on their computers a sweet girl who very often says, "Oopsie Daisy!" or "Doodles!" when she is flummoxed was humming "Praise to the Man" for all she was worth.

Another girl made this for me for my birthday.  (Red, because they know that is my favorite.)  It delights me every time I see it.  Some people have their framed diplomas on the wall.  This is my credential:


I love these kids.

We met after school to plan and the coaches joined us and often that turns into laughing more than planning, but we plan a little.  We have perimeter coming up and Jamie said, "I can't remember the perimeter song I wrote, but I've just written a new one."

Because in addition to everything else she is so good at, she can write a perimeter song, twice.

It was to the tune of "O Christmas Tree" and I may have it in my head until next Christmas.

At the end of the meeting, they asked, "Is there anything else we can do to support you?"

I said, "Now that we have the Perimeter Song, I don't think we'll ever need anything else again.

I mean, what more can you want?

Thursday, March 28, 2024

The boy who can

Yesterday Mark came to my classroom after the students had left to assemble the set of drawers I had purchased.  I have a bookshelf that is in its last stages of life and I decided to switch it out for a set of drawers.  Hidden storage is my love language. 

So is Mark.

It wasn't an IKEA piece, which Mark and I regretted.  It was a made in China/ordered from Amazon situation and let me tell you, the Swedes have the Chinese beat in ready to assemble furniture!

We screwed in a million (give or take) tiny screws and I hadn't brought a drill, which would have been smart, but I had two screwdrivers and Mark let me use the better one, which was nice of him.  As we were assembling the tracks the drawers go on, Mark said, "I'm not sure this is right."

I looked at the illustration.  "Yes, it is," I said.

We assembled the top and the bottom.

Mark said, "I don't think this is right."

I said, "Yes, it is."  (I was starting to think it was a good thing I was there to guide the ship.)

We finally finished assembling the drawers and they slid in, but in a very wonky fashion.

Mark said, "I think we made a mistake."

I said, "It's just cheap.  This is how it is."

Mark stooped down and looked at it.

"It's wrong," he said.  He showed me the error of our ways and I realized I should have listened to him all along.

He looked at it for a few minutes and said, "OK, I can fix it."  

He flipped it upside down and quickly removed the parts he needed to (he used a magnet to pull out those little metal things that twist over screws--there may be a technical term but I don't know it).  He zipped along and soon it was correct.

My trouble is that I was looking at the not so fabulous pictures and Mark's trouble was that he was listening to me.

We were following the directions/pictures one at a time, but Mark was looking at it holistically because he understands stuff like that and I don't.  Next time I will listen to him!

I was so grateful to him, I went to Jamie's office (she was still there too at 5:00 PM) and got him a soda out of her fridge.

This picture is from March 2014.



All those years that Mark's bedroom floor was like this have ended up paying off.


Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Oh dear

I told Adam, "I accidentally said a swear word in my class today."

He said, "You did?" like he hadn't heard me right.

I said, "Yes."

"But you don't even swear."

I know.

I was reading (with great gusto I might add) Ramona the Pest.  I was reading about the kindergarten Halloween parade when Ramona was dressed up as a witch.  She went around the parade yelling, "I'm the baddest witch in the world!"  She said it several times and one of the times I was reading, my tongue got twisted and I said a word that very much rhymes with, but isn't, witch.

I kept going, thinking maybe, hopefully, they hadn't noticed.

Narrator:  they had noticed.

When I finished the chapter, one of my students said, "Teacher...did you accidentally say a swear word?"

I said, "Yes.  I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to."

A boy cheerfully said, because it is our mantra in class, "Mistakes are proof that you are trying."

And a girl said, "And you were trying!"

Then I hoped we could move on.

Narrator:  we couldn't move on.

They giggled and whispered and covered their faces and were just generally delighted/shocked/flabbergasted and I was just generally embarrassed.

The good news is that I have a new low bar.  If ever I think things aren't going well, I can think, "At least I didn't swear at them...."


Tuesday, March 26, 2024

My businessman in shining armor

 Yesterday was a rough day.  I was ill prepared and I don't do well when I am ill prepared. (It's why I am a pre-crastinator.  I know myself.)

I missed Thursday and Friday last week because of my conference and so in addition to being behind on grading and organizing, I missed some prime planning-for-next-week time.  I could have stayed late last week.  I could have gone in on Saturday.

I didn't do either thing.

So I was trying to make it work.  My first terrible realization was that I had forgotten a birthday treat for my class.  I can't emphasize enough how many times we had discussed the fact that we would celebrate my birthday on Monday.  They were very concerned about it.  They were very interested in me bringing them a treat.

And I completely forgot. 

I decided I would go to the store during my lunch break.  It would mean I wouldn't be able to do a scramble prep time, like I was planning, but needs must.

Then Adam texted he would bring me a treat. 

He is a gem.

That is all. 

It turned out we had inside recess, because of snow.  We don't have prep time on Monday and we had a district professional hour after school so I didn't have time after school either.

(Which is why I left the school after 5:00 last night.)

Back to Adam.

My very concerned (about their treats) students were very interested.  They knew I'd forgotten the treat and they knew that I couldn't leave at lunch.  I told them, "My husband is bringing the treats.  Isn't that so kind of him?!?"

"What about work?  Is it his day off?"

I said, "He'll just leave his work and then go back later." (He just worked from home the rest of the day.)

"So you won't see him tonight?"

I said, "No, I will."

"Is he a construction worker?"

I said, "No, he works in an office."

That was a very novel concept to a lot of them.  "So is he a...businessman?"

I said, "Yes."

Adam came in with a grocery bag (during science) and went to put it on my desk like he wasn't going to disturb us.  I knew that wouldn't work.

I introduced him to everyone and told them we had the same birthday.  Adam said I was older so I had them figure out how many hours older I am than he is. (We coincidentally started learning time yesterday and exactly two of them even have an analog clock at home and it is hard!)  They sang happy birthday to both of us.  They added their cha cha cha verse that 3rd graders are seemingly incapable of omitting.  I gave Adam a candy "candle" out of my birthday cake.

My students were completely delighted by the whole thing.

Then, without really thinking about it, I kissed Adam good-bye and that sort of mortified them.  

I said, "It's fine.  We're married.  We can kiss."


Monday, March 25, 2024

Weekend

 Friday was another great day spent at the literacy conference.  I loved it.  The only thing marring my joy was that something is blooming or pollinating that is making my eyes itchy and watery.  A lot.  I pretty much wept through the day which must look weird when you're sitting in a class about teaching writing.

I came home exhausted.  However sitting still all day is more tiring than teaching, I'll never know, but it is.  Hats off to people with office jobs.  I am way too fidgety to like to sit all day.

Adam and I usually go to dinner on Friday night, but I was too tired.  Instead, I made an oven pancake.  I am not sure how that was less tiring than having food served to me, but it was.  Maybe because I didn't have to decide where to go and what to order.

Oven pancake for dinner.

Being empty nesters is nice.

Saturday was the big 5-1.  We both slept in a bit and although we meant to go to breakfast, it was more lunchtime.  We enjoyed our breakfast food for lunch and then went to IKEA.  We bought a few things and looked at more and pointed to things we liked and things we didn't and I always just enjoy walking around holding Adam's hand. 

We went home and did a tiny bit of work and then met Olivia and Edgar and Liliana for dinner although it was late afternoon.  Olivia insisted on buying us tacos and we enjoyed visiting with them.  Because we have to have groceries, even though it was our birthday, we hit Winco on the way home.  Then Adam did some church stuff and I folded laundry.  

We had a late dinner of pumpkin pie.  They had this big display of pumpkin pies at Winco and we decided it was a good birthday cake.  

Since our birthday is the same day and we no longer live by Janet, we never really have birthday cake.  It doesn't really occur to us, so the pumpkin pie was a nice surprise (especially pumpkin pie in March--novelty!)

I felt loved by many who called and texted throughout the day.  Adam's cousin Pam texted us happy birthday greetings and then I felt like a HORRIBLE PERSON because her birthday had been the day before and I'd missed it, her first birthday without her husband, who passed away.

I texted back how sorry I was and then come to find out her birthday was actually the 24th anyway.  I knew it was around our birthday, but I was going in the wrong direction.

Sunday I texted her Happy Birthday, for real this time.  Hopefully she knows that despite my follies, I really love her.

Saturday night we had a terrific lightning and thundering and hail and rain and snow storm.  When the wind and rain blow just right, we get a leaky window.  Luckily it has only happened a handful of times in the nearly decade we've lived here.  Desert living for the win.

Sunday morning we woke up to snow and when I was backing out of the driveway on the way to church, I saw the daffodils with their heads bowed under the new snow.  Poor daffodils!  Then I realized this happens almost every spring and the daffodils bloom anyway.

My new goal is to be like the daffodils.  Bloom anyway.

I was leaving church with a lady in our ward who is older than me and always a little cantankerous and intimidating.  She openly rolls her eyes in Relief Society if she observes nonsense.  As we walked down the steps and the snow was still falling, she said something about not being happy about the snow.  I said, "I have had lots of itchy and watery eyes from allergies so at least the snow will help that."

She said, "I'd rather you had allergies."

Somehow it made me happy.  I felt like she liked me well enough to say a sassy comment like that.  I felt like I'd arrived in some way.

Also Sunday we had a bunch of youth and their leaders for a meeting at our house.  Adam led some training and I stayed upstairs which suited me just fine.  Mark came partway through the meeting and he joined me upstairs in my office.

He brought me a bag of peanut m and ms and said, "Happy Birthday!"

It's impossible not to be happy with peanut m and ms.  (But I said, "Does this mean you won't build those drawers for me?"  Because that was what I requested for my birthday.  He said he would still build them plus he got a haircut.  Happiness all around.)


Friday, March 22, 2024

Grateful Friday

 Yesterday and today I have the blessing of attending the BYU Literary Promise conference.  So far I have LOVED it!  It reminds me of when I used to go to Women's Conference at BYU and get a shot in my arm for mothering encouragement.  

Yesterday I got a shot in my arm for teacher encouragement and inspiration and I'm excited to go back today.

It was also fun to go with my friends.  Jamie drove Holly and Tricia and me from Bonneville and we met up with two other teachers there.  Then Janelle joined us and we were in a huge room with teachers greeting teachers and it was a happy scene.

I'm also grateful for birthday season.  QE's and ours.  What a huge blessing that little girl is in our lives!  Happy birthday little sweetie.

Tomorrow Adam and I are 51.  Every year I get to spend with him is a happy one.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Balancing out

Yesterday was a STRUGGLE with one of my students.  They slept for 2 1/2 hours right at the beginning of the day, which is a big this child is not getting enough sleep and has a super chaotic life indicator.  There were issues/misbehavior/defiance for the rest of the day.

It was egregious enough that I went to the office to report about it (twice actually).

While I was in the office I was told I had $150 to spend that I didn't know about.

There's always something to put a little spring in my step!

Speaking of steps, I wore my new bright pink shoes to school.  My girls were enamored.  One of them told me that when she was in first grade, her teacher had a new shoes song they would sing whenever someone had new shoes.

I need to learn that song.

New shoes just cheer a person up.

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