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?

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.

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...."

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."

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.)

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.

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.

Lucky duck

Yesterday before school started I saw an email that there were 20 ducks hidden around the school and if you found one you could take it to the office for a prize.

Then I promptly forgot about it.  

There was an assembly and my BYU teacher was being observed at a certain time so I had to switch everything around.  The day was a constant recalibration of what was happening, but some days are like that.

I prioritized read aloud time because Ramona.  We skipped science and abbreviated phonics and had math after lunch and it was all topsy turvy.  Also, the sun was shining and I was wearing my clogs so my soul was happy remembering my 4th grade clogs that were the pinnacle of fashion (at least 10 year old Thelma thought so and 50 year old Thelma concurs).

After school I was scrambling to get everything ready because I was leaving early to go to the dermatologist with Adam.  (We know how to have fun....)

I was scurrying to the office to ask a question and I ran into Bailey, a 5th grade teacher.  She handed me a rubber duck.  She said, "This is the 3rd one I've found."

In the office, I gave my duck to Matt and he gave me peanut m and ms which are my hands down favorite candy.

Just another Monday.  Topsy turvy, sunshine-y, productive and lucky.

Not a bad Monday at all.

Weekend

 Friday I met Emma at Ulta after work.  I told her for my birthday I wanted to go make-up shopping and I wanted her help.  That girl hates a clothing store, but she navigates Ulta like a native.  She steered me away from brands that were "not great" and when I was looking at one brand, she walked away and said, "They test on animals."

She asked me what my "goals" were.  I didn't know.

I was clearly out of my depth.  

We got some things that I may or may not be able to use properly and I got a teeny tiny bottle of Gucci perfume that I loved.  (Teeny tiny so I wouldn't need a second mortgage.)

It was fun.

We had a little time so we walked next door to Nordstrom Rack.  We both found some cute cute shoes so that was even more fun.  Chipotle was close, so we walked there for dinner.  I feel an ease and joy being with Emma that I wouldn't have believed possible when she was in junior high.  She is a good time. 

I went to use the bathroom and when I got back to the table, she was looking at her phone with a kind of stricken face.  I said, "What's wrong!?!" 

She said, "I want to be at that beach."

Mark and Adam were at a beach, flying a kite and sending videos.  I was glad that was the only tragedy in her life at the moment.

From there we went to Clarissa's school to watch the play she directed and last minute played Jack's mother because the actor that was supposed to play her quit.  

Clarissa started the drama program from scratch and I was so impressed with her.  Most of the students had never been in any kind of show before, but they were up there on stage, singing and acting their little hearts out.  At the curtain call, I looked at all those happy faces and the stage crew lining the wall and I thought, "Clarissa did this!"  One person can make a difference in their corner of the world!

We sat by Marianne and Hyrum and Liberty and you've never met a more appreciative audience member than Hyrum.  

Saturday I did my little household chores and reorganized the last bathroom drawer and went clothes shopping.  When Adam used to regularly go to London, I would paint walls and move furniture.

Now, apparently, I shop.  (I don't have anyone around to help me move furniture anyway.)

Jamie and Holly and I went out on the town Saturday night!  We got burgers at Chom and in the car Holly got really mad at one of her kids over the phone.  He's 13 and we bonded over parenting.  I told her the gem of truth Geri shared with me:  if you can let your sons live between the ages of 11 and 15, you can do anything.  Jamie and I promised her it gets better.

It was fun to ride to Salt Lake City together and chat and listen to BTS, which Jamie insisted on because it is her daughter's favorite.  Her daughter is currently serving a mission, but BTS keeps her close to Jamie's heart.  

Who am I to doubt my life coach?

The Bored Teachers comedy show was 95% percent hilarious and 5% rude.  I think in balance, that is too much rudeness for me and I wouldn't recommend it or go again.  I think comedians who don't need to resort to crassness are the truly humorous.  

I had a good time with my friends though.  And it was fun being with so many teacher friends.  In the elevator in the parking garage we were all comparing which schools we taught at.  They are my people.

I was asleep when Adam got home, but he woke me up, as instructed, and I was happy to see him.

On Sunday we watched the Relief Society broadcast commemorating the birthday of the Relief Society during church instead of later.  I loved it!  Those are even more my people.  I loved being reminded of truths I know and feeling love for the women sitting shoulder to shoulder with me in that room, love for my mom and sisters and daughters (including Anna!) and granddaughter and grandmothers and nieces, and love from my Heavenly Father.

As Sunday afternoon progressed, I felt more and more worn out.  I took a restless nap and finally called off Sunday dinner.  When Adam got home, we snacked and took a drive.  My requirement was that I wasn't going to get out of the car.  I was just tired.  It was really nice to be with Adam again.

Grateful Friday

Mark is on spring break this week so he joined Adam in going to Anaheim--for work, no Disneyland unfortunately.

I suggested maybe there are barbers in SoCal.  Doesn't it seem really fun to be my offspring?

They are sending me sunny updates and pictures, but I'm not without my own good time around here.  Last night I had dinner with Marianne and Robert.  It seems like every time they are in town, Adam is not and I'm sure Robert would rather have dinner with us rather than just me, but he is nice about it.

(Also, I forgot to give Emma's name at the restaurant.  I said Thelma and when they were bringing the food, the guy called, "Elma?"  I said, "Thelma?"  He said, "Alma?" I said, "Thelma, with a th." He said, "Oh, Telma."  I said, "Sure...."  In the progression of phonics instruction, CVC words are first, followed by blends, but digraphs are third!  Why does everyone struggle with my very phonetic name so much?!?)

Tonight I'm meeting Emma for shopping prior to my birthday, we'll get dinner and then go to the play that Clarissa is directing at the school where she teaches.

Saturday I'm going to a Bored Teachers comedy show at the Eccles in SLC.  I'm going with my friends Jamie and Holly and I couldn't be happier about it.

In between all that I'll putter and do my little tasks and Adam will be home Saturday night.  

Life feels pretty good and I'm grateful about that.

Gee...thanks

Yesterday one of my girls brought a Chinese jumprope to school.  They didn't exactly know how to do it so I taught them what I used to do at recess.

I showed them how to put it around their ankles and then stretch it between two girls.  I demonstrated for  them the jump routine I knew (Marianne taught it to me in our old playroom/Enoch's room).

One-two-three-four in out in on.

One of my girls admiringly said, "She is old, but she can do it!" 

Serendipity

Adam and I often drive by a vintage shop in Pleasant Grove.  On Saturday I said, "I want to go there sometime."

Adam (because he's always game) asked, "Do you want to stop right now?"

I declined because I had to prepare to host a party.

Yesterday I got home and the cleaners were still at our house.  I decided it was my moment.

It is a little store with even smaller booths, but all the pretty things gave me the hit of dopamine that I've been missing by not going to Snohomish, Washington on a regular basis.

In the winter I have lights on the mantle and then when I change stuff out, I take away the lights, but it still gets dark.  I decided I wanted a lamp.  At the vintage store, I got two lamps because I liked them both and I was not sure which one I would want to use.

I decided I liked this little guy on the mantle.  Still not sure about the overall arrangement....

I put this one on the piano.  Still not sure about the overall arrangement....

I found a few other tchotchkes but my favorite find was this:

It's a 1926 copy of the book!  Adam read Winnie the Pooh aloud to me when we were dating.  Our children adore it and now Braeden and Anna read it to QE.  She loves it too.

It's kind of our family book.

Also, it delighted me because it was from a school library in Maine.

The thrill of the hunt!  I love finding treasures I didn't know I needed.

I came home and Adam was home.  He had come home early to prep for bishopric meeting.  He had noticed though that the disposal under the kitchen sink was leaking.  He took it all apart and spent about an hour cleaning and reassembling because it was really gross and stubborn.

When he was finished, he asked me to fill the sink and let it drain so he could make sure it was not going to leak.  I said, "I'm impressed you even know how to do this.  I would have no idea how to fix that."

He said, "Well, first I get a little mad and then I figure it out."

I guess that's a good formula for success!

Professional Development Day

On Saturday at our little party, Jamie confessed that she was stressed about our PD day.  She said, "I am supposed to be making a presentation that has a theme from The Bachelor and I've never seen the show."

I said, "If I know you, it will be amazing."

Jamie doesn't do anything halfway.

It all came about when people were a little punchy from a long meeting and leaning into alliteration and when someone said we were going to talk about data at our PD day, someone else called it a date with data and Matt went with it.  Make it Bachelor themed!

But he put Jamie in charge.  She said she went around the building and talked to anyone she could about the show so she could make her presentation. 

We had a short break and she marshaled the coaches and set up lights around the library and had rose petals and champagne flutes on the tables and Matt wore a suit. (He was quick to point out he was not the bachelor, but the host.)

They came around and poured us sparkling cider.  And then Jamie gave a really great presentation that was just about data but it was very helpful and well done and data matters to us so it was good.

Everyone got a rose at the end.  

Later, after Matt had changed back into casual clothes, he gave us a presentation on RISE test ethics (that's our state test).  One of the teachers said, "This was a perfect opportunity to play the clip of "Let's Get Ethical" from The Office."

Matt said, "OK, fine.  Play it." And she did.

School can be heavy sometimes.  We have lots of really struggling students and lots of heartbreaking situations.  It can be hard and exhausting and a lot.

It can also be really fun.  When you have that many creative people who bring their whole heart and soul to their job and don't take themselves too seriously, it is a good time.

Weekend

I know you've been on pins and needles, but I think I finally got the rug situation resolved.

The second rug I bought was a better size but had a weird stamped on design and looked thin and cheap.

Friday night Adam and I went to At Home to look for an alternative.  We walked past the seasonal display where there were a few fake plants mixed in with the bunnies and ducks and Adam said, "Oh, maybe I should look at fake plants here."  (He is low-key thinking about decorating the bishop's office and I'm over here saying put me in coach because I want to decorate it, but he's giving me a solid maybe to everything I suggest.  Also, it hurts my heart a little that he doesn't want a real plant.  He thinks he would kill it.)

I said, "The fake plants are over there." 

I turned one way and he said, "The sign says bathroom stuff is over there."

I said, "But the bathroom textiles are over here."

I got two rugs with the intention of sewing them together.  No one in the world has a bathroom like ours apparently.  

Next stop was to look at fake plants and the plants were exactly where I thought they were too.

We have been to At Home maybe six times ever.  I had never looked for bathroom rugs or fake plants there.  How do I have stores I rarely go to easily mapped in my brain but not roads I travel every day?

We were stopping at Trader Joe's on the way home and Adam took a road that seemed like a strange choice and I asked, like I often do, "Where are you going?"

He said, "State Street."

And sure enough pretty soon there we were on State Street.  I know where places are (as long as I have been there SEVERAL times) but I only know my one way to get there (unless I have been there MANY MANY times).  Adam has it all mapped in his brain like I have At Home mapped in my brain.

I don't have to tell you which brain is more useful.  But hey, let me know if you are wondering where the bathroom rugs are at At Home....

Here's our bathroom now.  I gave up on the sunburst rug idea although I really liked it.  I sewed those two yellow rugs together and that is the end of that.

Saturday we stopped at Chipotle for lunch while we were out doing errands.  Adam approached a table of PGHS baseball players.  They looked slightly guilty/nervous when he approached their table, like he was going to tell them to quiet down or something, but he said, "My sister is at Spring Training and she's been sending me pictures of herself with Major League Baseball players all week and here I am with the PG baseball players.  Can I take a picture?"

They laughed and said yes.

Will kids someday look at pictures of themselves and wonder why they were always holding up fingers in  various arrangements?  I don't know.  I wonder now and I will wonder then.

We stopped by my classroom because I got a new iPad and Adam helped me set it up and clear out the old one.  I showed him the biome pictures my students had created and he gamely admired them.

Saturdays with Adam are my favorite.

Saturday night, he worked on his talk for church and I had some of my friends over.  We had a good time.  One of them referred to someone as a homeschooler and another covered her eyes in horror and I said, "Hey, I homeschooled my kids!"

Whenever I mention that among my teacher friends, you never saw anyone backpedal so fast.  I understand where they are coming from because a lot of the children we get at school who were "homeschooled" were not taught a thing.  I want them to widen their worldview a little though.  All homeschoolers aren't crazy.  (And it is a little fun watching them squirm.)

We talked late and the time changed so that was not great planning.

Sunday morning after changing the clocks I look at most so I wouldn't be confused, I went to our 9:00 AM church.  I didn't have time to change all of them.

It was our ward conference so Adam spoke.  He was nervous about it but he did very well like I knew he would.

Clarissa and Liliana came as well as our kids.  Shortly before dinner, Liliana got a phone call and it was my mom.  She had been trying to call me, but my phone was among the missing.  I love having my phone on Do Not Disturb and then forgetting where I leave it.

(My family members don't love this trait.)

My parents were in Salt Lake for my mom's appointment this morning so they came to visit.  It was a great surprise.  Emma brought a pie that she had made.  She went to a vintage store with some friends and bought a cute pie plate and said it was crying out for a pie so she made one.

Adult daughters are a pretty good gig.

I had Adam reprise parts of his talk and we had a good gospel discussion.  My parents told us about some new missionaries in their area and one of them is our kids' third cousin on the Dahl side.  I got on Family Search and tried to map out how we are related to him on both the Dahl and Gardner side and any time I delve into the Gardner side of family history I feel like I need to leave bread crumbs so I can find my way back out.

Every time I look into it, I get it figured out and then it is so convoluted that I need a refresher.  I mapped it out on a paper so I understood it and then I explained it to everyone and my dad said, "I still have no idea."

Good thing I'm not a teacher or anything...

  

It is often remarked in our family that the Gardner/Egbert genes are strong.  It's because they kept marrying each other.  I'm surprised I only have ten toes.

An actual photo of the Gardner family tree

Grateful Friday

I didn't not become a teacher so I could do little art projects along the way.

We're having a contest at school decorating eggs.  Each class was given an egg on cardstock to decorate and each teacher was given a tiny wooden egg to decorate.

Here is my class's egg (every student made thumbprint flowers) and my little Mondrian inspired egg:

I loved how excited my students were about the project.  I told them about my idea and they oohed and aahed like the great audience they are.  I told them I'd order the ink from Amazon and they asked me multiple times a day if it had arrived. 

No.  It is supposed to arrive Thursday.

A few hours later...

Is the ink here yet?

When it was ink time, I teased some of them, "Now if you mess up, it will ruin the egg for everyone."

To others, I said, "I will help you, don't worry."  And I guided their little thumbs. 

I love this time of year when I know my students well and I know who likes to be teased and who needs to be encouraged and literally have their hand held.

I also love how much they love Ramona!  We finished Beezus and Ramona yesterday.  I told them, "Tomorrow we will start Ramona the Pest.  It is one year later and from Ramona's point of view."

They wanted me to start right away.

I am grateful I get to be a teacher.  I really love it, even when it is hard.

The children are so sweet and cute and maddening and lovable.

Yesterday a girl asked me if she could move desks and sit by her friend.  I said, "No.  You will be too chatty."

She argued, "I'm chatty where I am now."

I said, "I know.  Moving you by your friend won't help!"

Also, on the way to lunch yesterday, my sweetest boy in the universe asked me what I wanted for my birthday.  I said, "My favorite thing is something someone makes.  I want a picture or a note or maybe some folded origami."

He got a small smile on his face and said, "OK, OK."

When the sweetest boy in the universe wants to give you a birthday present, you know you have a pretty great job!

Tiresome

My rugs arrived and they are too small.  I measured and I thought they'd work, but when it came down to it, they won't.

It is an awkwardly shaped room...

Why is returning things and ordering new things so exhausting?  I am spoiled by instant gratification.

On Saturday, Adam and I were walking into Walmart and started listing random things we needed to remember to do.  It was a whole litany.

I need to polish my shoes.

I need to order new shoes.

I need to make that appointment.

I need to get my car washed.

I need to refill that prescription.

I said, "It's a pain to be a person sometimes isn't it?"

It is.

I know how much I have to be grateful for.  I have shoes to polish and insurance to make doctors and prescriptions affordable.  (And there is modern medicine!) I have a car to drive.

And Amazon has pretty painless returns.

It's nice to be a person.

(And I ordered different rugs.  Stay tuned....)

Whatever it takes

The other morning, minutes after the bell rang, one of my boys said drearily, "I'm already bored."

I told him that if my kids told me they were bored, I would offer them an extra job to do.  A few other kids said their moms were the same.

I said, "You have an imagination, so you should never be bored.  Sometimes when I was in elementary school, I would pretend I was sitting in an office at work."

That little conversation carried over into the next day, when yesterday they collectively decided they all wanted to pretend they were on an airplane.  

Since they had all popped out of their seats incessantly to watch the snow earlier in the day, I also used my imagination.

(Can we just talk for a second about them popping out of their seats to see the snow.  These kids live in Utah.  They have seen snow!  Why must they go watch it?!?)

Anyway, back to my imagination.

I said, "Please make sure your seatbelts are buckled and your tray tables are in the upright and locked position.  Make sure all your personal items are stowed."

Most of them had never flown, so they kind of lost their minds about airplanes having seatbelts, but I told them they needed to be buckled up.

So they all sat down.  And stayed sitting.

When it was time for WIN time where they switch classrooms, I said, "Please gather your personal belongings and proceed to WIN time.  We know you have a choice when you fly, so thank you for flying with us today."

They loved it.

When they returned, I had them buckle up again.  Two girls told me impishly that they had cut their seatbelts. 

I said, "We can't take off until everyone is buckled."  

The rest of the class looked at them expectantly until they pretended to buckle up.

When anyone got out of their seats, I told them the captain had the fasten your seatbelt sign on, so they needed to stay seated.

Someone said they were flying 1st class.  Someone else corrected them that it was 3rd class (since 3rd grade) and that sounded even better to them.  

They wondered why I was up and walking and I said I was the flight attendant.  They said the papers I was passing out were snacks.

I said, "Don't eat them."

Do I think this will ever work again?  Probably not.  But we had one good day of children in their seats and that is worth a lot.

Is there a doctor in the house?!?

We have Monday Funday on (you guessed it) Mondays.  It is 15 minutes of free time for students if they finished their iReady lessons on the computer the week before.  One third grade classroom is "the work room" and the other two are play rooms.  

Yesterday my new student had finished her work but in the ensuing chaos of the third grade mixing up between work room and play rooms, she came up to me with eyebrows raised questioningly.  I looked around and none of my Spanish speakers were in the room.

"Is there someone who speaks Spanish?" I asked over the cacophony.  A boy from Miriam's class was heavily involved in a domino situation but he came hurrying over to me.  I asked him to explain to my student what was happening.  He said, "Ah," and broke into Spanish and explained it all.  She smiled and he smiled and they went their separate ways to play.

It was later that I realized the boy who helped me had been new to the country in August.  He hadn't spoken any English when he arrived.

I will never not be so impressed with these kids!

Weekend

I changed out some decor from winter to spring on Saturday--in the middle of a blizzard.  It may have been snowing, but the quality of light tells me spring is on its way and I shifted things around accordingly.  I used to be very enthusiastic about decorating seasonally.  I still hit Christmas with gusto but everything else gets a more subtle shift.  Less Hobby Lobby seasonal aisle and more put a plant on the mantel.

Ambling around the house, changing a picture here and putting a candle there makes me happy.  Also, throw pillows, how I love thee.

I pruned my plants and I'm trying to make little trees out of one of my jade plants and it isn't going all that well.  They look less like little trees and more like, "Wow, what happened to that plant?!?"  I'm trying.

Felicia (my fiddle leaf fig) has been a bit on struggle street.  I have been giving her a root treatment and she isn't getting worse, but I cut off some of the damaged leaves and then some of the very healthy leaves on the top and that is always painful because they're so pretty, but she can't get too tall.  It isn't an actual jungle we've got here, Felicia.

I have embarked on deep cleaning the bathroom.  I took everything out from under the sink on Adam's side and emptied his drawer on the counter and cleaned the inside of the drawer and under the sink.  I even washed out the little divided container that lives in the drawer.  

I announced to Adam to pick what he wanted to keep and throw the rest away.  Then I said, "Do you want to arrange the stuff back in your drawer or do you want me to?"  (I do like arranging things into those little divided containers.)

I don't think he ever answered my question because he was floored by it.

"This is my drawer?!?"

I said "Yes."

He said, "I never knew this was my drawer."

I said, "It's always been your drawer."

Granted, I use some of the stuff in there, but in my mind, it's his drawer.  

He started putting things back in the drawer, still marveling.  "I didn't know it was my drawer." (Next he's going to realize the other three drawers are mine.)

We bought new lightbulbs for the can light above the tub and the weird shower light above the shower.  One of the options said it would last 45 years.  It's possible to buy a lightbulb that will outlive us.  What a time to be alive!

I ordered new rugs for the bathroom too (yet to arrive).  The place is really getting a spruce up!

All the little domestic pursuits done, Adam and I had dinner with our neighbors, Rod and Kim.  We met at Via 313 for Detroit style pizza.  The waiter came twice to take our orders and we'd been talking too much and hadn't looked at the menus yet.  That's when you know you're going to have a good dinner conversation.

When the waiter came the third time, Rod said, "Finally!" and the waiter looked a little taken aback/confused, but I thought it was funny.

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting and it is wonderful how many good people there are in the world that you can connect with and relate to.  I love having friends that we will never run out of things to say to each other.

Sunday was Liliana's birthday.  Last Sunday, Adam and I quizzed her about what she would like for a birthday dinner.  She was very noncommittal and said anything was fine.  I asked her what kind of birthday cake her mom made and she said banana cream pie.  I quizzed her on various types of food, "Italian or Mexican?" "Chicken or beef?" We finally landed on Asian bowls which for us is just whatever kind of Asian flavored meat we come up with in bowls with rice and vegetables.  Anna thinks anything in a bowl tastes better and I agree with her.

Olivia found out about the pie and called me and said, "I am so sorry Lili said banana cream pie!  You can make something easier!  I hope you have an easy way to make banana cream pie."

She was worried I was going to make my mom's recipe which according to Olivia, my mom stirs "for hours."

I said, "That doesn't sound like something I would do."

I usually find the easiest way to make something and spend my time setting the table.

Although my mom's banana cream pie is amazing, so there's that.

Olivia also told me that probably the reason Liliana didn't have an idea of what she wanted for dinner was because their kids always want Edgar to cook for their birthdays.  (I also would want Edgar to cook for my birthday!)

So the pie didn't measure up to my mom's and Edgar didn't do the cooking, but at least the table looked pretty...

I love having these bright lights in our house every week!

Grateful Friday: a list

• reading poetry to third graders
• reading Beverly Cleary to third graders
• toast
• sunshine
• plants
• my friends--we're planning another get together in March and I'm ready!
• I get to go to the BYU Literary Promise conference
• Adam
• cross-stitch
• Trader Joe's
• pura diffusers (Adam got one as a gift and I liked it so much I bought another one.  Adam gets really fancy gifts at work and I get mugs and packets of hot chocolate.  But he shares.)
• Joan, my beloved car
• Zelda, Jamie's beloved car
• the fact that Jamie is my friend and we talk about everything from nail polish to education to our children to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• how easy it is to crack my students up
• good books to read
• the freedom to abandon books that are just meh
• podcasts, especially the Follow Him podcast
• Adam reading aloud to me (he's reading a Finnish book right now--it's translated into English but I like to hear him pronounce all the Finnish names)
• texts and calls from our children
• A new calendar and a new season (I know it's not spring until later in the month but in my mind, March is spring)