Playing With My Son

This afternoon, I put everything down and played with my son. Yes, I had lots of other things that I could have been doing. It is the last week of school and things are very hectic. I had paperwork to do, award certificates to sign, and grades to post, but I decided those things could wait until after his bedtime. My little boy is only little once.

We went to his favorite place...outside. We threw the football, we ran in the grass, and we used our imaginations as we laughed and played together. I loved every minute of it!

I watched him later as he played in the bathtub, and again as we cuddled on the couch, his chin resting on both of his little hands, and I thanked God again for this precious gift that He has given me. I don't ever want to take him for granted, not even when the times are tough.

Not Knowing

I am the kind of person who likes to have a plan.
Give me lots of details and information, and I am happy.
I like to have things organized in my life. 
I like to know what's going on.
It's how I roll.
Throw in some uncertainty and chaos, and I have a hard time.

Sometimes when I pray, I don't even know what to say.
To be honest, not knowing the outcome scares me.
I know that God knows the desires of my heart.
I must  ask Him for those things specifically.
I have been struggling with this lately.
I am having to learn to give things over to Him.

Last night at Bible study I heard this quote more than once,
And I felt like God was trying to tell me something.
I think I need to listen.
Hopefully it will bless you, too.

"I don't have to know how or when, as long as I know WHO."

I think I am going to write this down and post it in my house.
It's something I need to remember on a daily basis.
I am not the one in control of things.
HE IS.

Fingernails on Your Toes

What? You don't know what I'm talking about? 

Welcome to the world of a sweet, although sometimes mischievous, toddler!

The other day, Chandler was playing with his feet at my parents' house

when he looked up with a serious face and said, "Grandmommy, I need to cut

the fingernails on my toes!"

She said she had to hide her face to keep 

him from seeing her laugh.

This evening after his bath when I was helping him get

dressed for bed, he laid down in the floor and pulled his foot up to his chest.

When I asked him what he was doing he replied,

"I'm gettin' the fuzz out of my toes!"

That boy cracks me up!

      I guess he has a thing for feet right now.

 

                                                                                                                               Easter Sunday

Spring Break Review

Alas, Spring Break has come and gone again. It was nice while it lasted, 

but now it's back to the real world. 

It was nice to sleep a little later (yes, 7:00 a.m. is late!), get in a little retail shopping,

take Chandler for his first dental visit, 

play with bubbles and sidewalk chalk,

read lots of books and sing lots of songs,

 eat some yummy yogurt from Race Trac with my little man, 

and get a few things done around the house

like cleaning out the garage

in preparation for a future yard sale. 

We were also able to squeeze in a short and fun trip to Greenville.

Thursday was rainy and cold, but that didn't keep us from exploring the

awesome interactive Children's Museum downtown.

We all had fun climbing walls, pretending to be astronauts, construction workers, and farmers,

lifting ourselves with pulleys, and generally being silly together.

We even got to see real firemen and firetrucks 

when we had to evacuate the building due

to the emergency door being opened!

Drury Inn saved us from having to get back out in the cold 

as we enjoyed hotdogs in the lobby for supper

and a swim in the nice pool.

After we warmed back up,

we even had popcorn for a

bedtime snack!

Thankfully, Friday's weather dawned much fairer than Thursday's,

and we were able to venture out to the zoo and playground.

We all had a blast together, 

and we had time to see most of the animals

twice in the two hours we were there. 

The zoo and the park were both fabulous!

Not only is is a little smaller than Zoo Atlanta (which is great for little ones),

but it's also less expensive,

and the park is mostly covered, which would be perfect

for those hot summer days outside. 

We will definitely

be going back!

After playing hard,

we fed our tummies at Sticky Fingers

and headed home, glad to have had the chance to spend some time together

as a little family.

Chandler and I were so tired that we both slept most of the way home.

I'm sure Brent enjoyed the peace and quiet!

I am so thankful that I had the chance to spend 

Spring Break with the ones I love.
It was definitely refreshing!

These little breaks are what keep me going!

 

 

Together

Today, Brent and I spent almost 3 hours together cleaning out and organizing the garage. It seems like such a simple and mundane task, but I loved every minute of it. Why? Because I got to be with the man that God made just for me.

He has been with me in the good times and in the bad.
He has laughed with me and cried with me.
He has kept the promise that he made to me
before God, family, and friends
almost eight years ago.
I have learned not to take these simple moments together for granted.

Yes, he's got his quirky little ways, and so do I.

That's why we work together so well.
I think we compliment each other nicely.
Opposites really do attract.

My newest purchase from Etsy pretty much sums up 

our relationship, and it's now in its rightful place

over our headboard,
and I love it!

Distracted

Some of you undoubtedly saw my post on Facebook about not being able to find brown dress shoes to go with Chandler's nice new Easter outfit. Who would have thought it would be such a difficult task? I mean, every store we went in had dozens of dress shoes for little girls and barely anything for little boys other than tennis shoes.

About halfway through the hunt (that went on for several days and took us to about a dozen stores), 

I just lost it. I wasn't happy at all, and I had a very poor attitude.

I finally just decided that Chandler would wear casual shoes with his nice new Sunday suit 

on Easter Sunday morning.
I was angry!

My poor husband felt so bad that he treked out on his on Saturday afternoon and FINALLY found

some brown dress shoes at a store we had not thought about in Gainesville.
How sweet was it that he did this for me?
I felt very guilty about how I had acted. 

Then, I realized something...

I was making a big deal out of something that really wasn't a big deal.

I was depriving myself and my family out of the joy of Easter and what it really means.

Easter is NOT about the perfect shoes and the perfect outfit.

It's not about the candy and egg hunts.

It's not even about the family gatherings, even though they are nice,

and it's definitely not about the Easter Bunny.

It's about Jesus, my Risen Savior.

I had allowed Satan to distract me from this

with such a silly thing as a brown pair of dress shoes 

to match my son's Easter outfit.

But, you know what the best part of the story is?
My Savior also forgives, 
and for that, I am forever grateful. 

Here's my handsome little man on Easter morning! 

 

A Teacher's View of Spring Break

If you know any teachers, have ever lived with a teacher, or you are or have been a teacher yourself, you know that the words SPRING BREAK are music to an educator's ears. I am no exception. It's no lie that most of us count down to the next school vacation we will have, sometimes even 

before the current one is over. 

 It's not that I don't enjoy my job, because on most days I really do enjoy my job. It's what God has called me to do, and I work hard to take kids to the next level. 

I love when the lightbulb finally comes on for a child that I have been working with, and there is certainly never a dull or quiet moment 

in my entire day. 

NEVER.

I am not only their teacher, but their nurse, their mama, and their caregiver...ALL DAY LONG!

I must constantly be aware of not only each student's location, but I must also be 

aware of each child's educational, social, health, and safety needs. 

They are constantly changing!

This doesn't even include all the interruptions that occur throughout the day. 

Little Johnny needs to ride a different bus home today than usual and he needs a note from the office, as well as an escort to the bus so he knows where to go. Little Susie has a sore throat and tells me about it every 5 minutes even though I have already given her a peppermint and she has already seen the nurse, and we have a water fountain in our classroom that she can go to freely.  Little Joey has problems keeping his hands to himself no matter how many times he is reminded. Little Sally picks up things off the floor and puts them in her mouth and/or sucks her thumb even though she has been reminded at least a hundred times how nasty this is. Little Timmy always finishes pretty much any assignment he is given in 2.7 seconds flat, while Little Leroy takes forever and a day to complete the same task.  Little Mary needs to go to the bathroom again right in the middle of my teaching time even though she's already been three times and it's only 10:00 a.m. Little Pete needs to go to the Counselor's office, but he doesn't know where it is, and neither does anyone else in the classroom, so I have to escort him there while another teacher watches my class for a few minutes. Little Bobby says something inappropriate and he and I have to discuss why we shouldn't say those words. Little Lucy decides it is appropriate to write on the carpet and/or her forearm with a marker. Little Nan fell and scraped her knee. Little Sarah has a papercut and she thinks she's dying. Little Betty came in late or is absent again, and I have to make sure I set aside time to catch her up on what she misses. (Little Betty doesn't understand that the world keeps spinning when she's absent.) Little Jimmy is upset because he and his family are having to move to a new house and he doesn't want to. Little Jamie didn't eat breakfast this morning and he's hungry, so I need to find him a snack.  Little Sam whines and complains about everything constantly and doesn't use his manners. Little Amy needs to go to (speech therapy/ESOL testing/small group/the office, etc...) and she'll miss out on part of our lesson, so I'll have to meet with her one-on-one later in the day. Little Carrie has asthma, so when she starts wheezing I have to intervene. Little Lisa misses her mama and needs some extra loving. I have a parent to call or a note to respond to in a child's agenda. Money for (yearbooks, fundraisers, etc...) are due. It's (Halloween, Christmas, Easter, someone's birthday, a special event, etc...), and I spend my own time and money to make sure the students get to celebrate in a fun and interesting way while learning something new. Due to (special school event, testing, a short week, required half-day meetings, being absent, whether planned or unplanned, etc...), my schedule is completely thrown off track, yet I am still expected to teach the students the same amount of content as usual. I am in the middle of teaching an important lesson and someone says or does something that gets me and/or the students completely off task for five minutes.  There are pencils, crayons, gluesticks, and jackets on the floor, but mysteriously no one knows how they got there. It's time to line up, and I am having to remind everyone AGAIN that we need to line up quietly and keep our hands off the wall and face the front.  I ask everyone to stop what they are doing when it's time to move on to something new, and at least 3 kids continue what they are doing rather than stopping and looking at me. The lunch line is incredibly long and slow, and I only get 20 minutes to eat my own lunch. Five kids didn't put their name on their paper and I have to figure out who they are. Four kids didn't understand the new concept I just taught,  or the concept that I just retaught, and I must find time during my day to work with them in a small group to do some extra reteaching. (Meanwhile, I must keep the other students, who are only 6 and 7,  on task and doing something meaningful while I work with that small group. ) We can't get too loud, especially when other grade levels are testing, yet we are encouraged to let our students think and work creatively. I must take at least two grades per subject area per week per student and put them into the computer, as well as sort all the papers appropriately and make necessary notes so parents can see them once I send them home on Monday (after I spend at least 45 minutes sorting all the papers and putting them in the take home folders).  Lesson plans for all subject areas have to be created and reworked constantly. There's homework and a newsletter to create on a weekly basis. Copies have to be made. The phone is ringing. An announcement is being made over the intercom. I have a meeting to attend right in the middle of my class time and a substitute will be with the kids for the next hour. My class is divided into three different groups for Art, Music, and P.E. so I have to get them all to the right place at the same time and I have to pick them up at the same time, too. Another teacher needs to talk to me for a minute about a student concern. There's a fire drill. Someone threw up. I haven't been to the restroom in about 4 hours and my bladder is about to pop. The office called and said I have a new student. Another student is moving away and I have to gather all of his or her things to send to the new school as soon as possible. It's library day, but three different kids didn't put their book in their bookbag even though they have been instructed over and over to keep it in there when it's not being read.  Pencils need to be sharpened, tables need to be cleaned, bookshelves need to be straightened, papers need to be filed. It's been raining and/or cold for the last ten days and we've had to have indoor recess, so I must get creative about how the students can burn up some of the stored up energy they have. It's nice outside and we can go to the playground, so I have to monitor them and make sure they are playing safely. This important student data is due today. Progress monitoring graphs must be updated. The curriculum is all new, and we are just now getting to dive in and learn how to use it. 

I think you get the picture.

Did I mention that I do it mostly by myself?

These kids are 6 and 7 years old, so they are still pretty needy. They don't always 

understand that I can't help everyone at once. 

If you have even one young child at home, you know

how needy they can be sometimes.

Patience is definitely not a strong point

for most kids this age.

You know how they don't always listen to what you say.

You know how you have to constantly repeat the same directions over, and over, and over again...

day after day after day after day. 

Now, multiply that by 18 (or some years up to 24).

And, remember, I don't have help most of the day! 

Yes, I know there are millions of people who also work 8 hour days just like me and they don't get a Spring Break. However, these little breaks are what keep us teachers sane. (Or at least a little more sane than we would be if we didn't get these breaks!) 

I can't just call in sick and leave it at that.

I have to make detailed plans any time I am out, even if I am sick as a dog, 

and it's almost impossible to make plans that allow a substitute to 

know and understand everything they need to know about your class when you can't be there. 

I have a notebook with a lot of necessary details, but there's no way to include everything.

Let me put it this way- I may get paid for an 8 hour day, but on average, I put in at least

a 10 hour day. That's about 10 hours a week that I get no compensation for, and no, I do not get paid for the hours I don't work. 

Teachers don't get paid for going to PTO meetings, getting to school early or staying late,

 and contrary to the belief 

of some, we also don't get paid for the summer. Our paycheck just gets divided 

over 12 months so our families don't have to go hungry in the summer. 

So, why do I keep doing it, you ask?

The smiles on their faces, the sweet hugs, notes, and drawings I get on a daily basis, the look in their eyes when they are in awe at something new I have helped them discover, the moment they finally understand something that has been difficult and the lightbulb goes on, the funny things they say and the meaningful conversations we have, the books we read together and discuss, the activities we do together and learn from, the field trips and events we attend together, the thank-yous from their parents when they begin to notice a difference, hearing a non-reader learn to read, the satisfaction that I have helped open the eyes of a group of students to something new.

It's not an easy job, but it's the job God has called me to, and as long as He wants me to, I will continue doing it, and I will do it to the best of my ability.