Day 29: Rhyme Time

Today I am thankful for childhood rhyming skills and their uncanny ability to make us laugh. Sofia's class has been working on rhyming all week and today, their class published a little book for parents to see. Each student got to create their own page with two words of their choice that rhymed.

This was Sofia's page:

 

I literally laughed out loud in the hallway when I saw this. The teacher in me immediately was proud that she was making connections to her real world. The Meghan in me just thought this was beyond hilarious! She is sooooooooo my child!  :)

Day 28: 6 Years, 500 Posts

You read that right! This is my 500th post on Adventures Out West. Craziness!

Today, I am thankful for this blog. Over the past 6 years, I have been able to use this space as a way to capture memories, self-reflect, and create a living document of our lives. Writing on this blog has meant a lot to me over the years. My hope is that as our kids grow, we will have a really unique chronology of our lives as a family. I stink at scrapbooking, but I'm damn good at using my computer. :)

Thanks to all of you who have joined in on our adventures. I have a feeling we have only just begun...

Day 27: Patience

God blessed me with patience....and today I really, really needed it. Two children, both with very different sicknesses and very needy personalities, camped themselves on my couch all day long.  Between the crying, whining, puking, coughing, fevers, fatigue, medicine distribution, and movie choices, I was stretched just about as far as I have ever been...and then some. I quite possibly took more "deep breaths" in one day than ever before.

Granted, the kids have been sick at the same time before, but never like this. It was a long day.

But, we survived. My sickos and I survived. As I laid each of them down tonight, both were happy and calm. I felt good about that. And for this, I am thankful.

A little glimpse...

Day 26: Backseat Giggles

Every day, I pick up Sofia and our little neighbor girl, Hayley from school. I love walking into their classroom and having them both run up to give me giant hugs. On a good day, it's like herding cats to get them out the door of the classroom, but we eventually get there. :) They race to their "cubbies" in the hallway to grab their things and then it's off to the car to drive home.

The drive home is typically filled with questions, "Sofia is..", "Hayley is..." and the occasional whine. But more abundant than anything else are giggles. These girls play with words, make goofy sounds, silly voices, talk about their day, and giggle. I love it.

I have long days. On days like today when the ride home is filled with laughter, it all seems that much more bearable.

Four-year-old giggles from the backseat of the car. For this, I am thankful.

Day 25: Crappy TV

I stayed home sick today. No fun. But, the one shining light about today was being snuggled underneath my covers and watching crappy TV. Getting to watch television uninterrupted -- getting to do anything uninterrupted -- is so rare. I didn't care that the afternoon was filled with B Grade movies. It was just me, the remote, and a box of kleenex.

Today, I rested...really rested. And for this, I am thankful.

Day 24: The Nap Blanket

Today I feel awful. Nico is sick too. So, in a rare moment of rest today, I snagged the "nap blanket". Don't lie...we all have one. Mine is this amazing down blanket that is super soft. It's the kind of blanket that makes you forget that there is a world that exists around you. It's simply divine.

For about 30 minutes, I was able to rest and relax under my blanket. And for this, I am thankful.

Day 23: Clean Hands

What I am thankful for today is something simple: a clean, car door handle.

Today was a busy day filled with lots of errand running and random tasks. One stop included a run through our neighborhood car wash. After days of opening my car door with a dirty, nasty, gritty handle, I gripped the handle this afternoon without having to wipe my hands down promptly afterward. It caught me off guard how much I appreciated not feeling dirty after just trying to get into my car. That was a nice feeling. Simple and nice.

Day 22: Yes, please.

If there's one thing I appreciate about my husband, it's that he knows how to anticipate many of my needs and wants.

After a long, busy week both at work and home, there was nothing better than to arrive at our favorite neighborhood restaurant this evening to find a drink and tasty appetizers already waiting at the table. Both were delicious and we proceeded to have a great family dinner.

A husband who knows me and an hour just as a family...for this, I am thankful!

Day 21: 8:14

It is a rare evening when both of my children go to bed without 30 minutes every possible tactic to avoid going to sleep. Tonight, however, was different. Within minutes after closing the bedroom door, both kids were asleep.

By 8:14 p.m. I sat quietly on my couch.

Quiet. That was nice.

Day 20: A is for AVID

There are definitely benefits to working in a school with one of your best friends. Not only does it make the day fun with quick visits in the hallway or copy room, but also, a genuine openness to try new strategies and tools in the classroom exists.

My friend Dawn is quite possibly one of the most talented teachers I have ever seen. She is creative, brilliant, rigorous, relevant in her instruction, and genuinely cares about the success and future of her students. That being said, Dawn is always willing to try new things to help her students gain an edge in education.

Today, she let me come and work with her 6th, 7th, and 8th AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students so that they could learn how to use Google Docs. This is where my thanks come into play. First of all, spending a day watching my friend truly make teaching into an art form was simply awe-inspiring. I learned so much just from watching her! So for this, I am thankful. Beyond the observation, I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to share and teach kids something that I am truly passionate about. The kids were energetic, interested, and could hardly contain their excitement to play with Google Docs themselves!

It's teachers like Dawn that truly make a difference in education. She models what it means to try new things to her students and is honest about the challenges ans rewards that come from taking risks. I am lucky to have her as a friend and honored to be able to teach in her presence.