Day 175: Hot Box Organization

Today, Chris, the kids and I went over to school to start getting my new classroom organized. 97 degrees outside and the air conditioning in the school was off. You guessed it: HOT! Regardless, we set to work unpacking boxes, hanging posters, and organizing shelves.

After a few hours, I began to feel pretty good about my new space...and I think my students will too.

And for this, I am thankful.

Day 174: The Doctor Is NOT In

You know you are at the your child's doctor's office too often when you walk in and more than one doctor and nurse (who are not yours) know you by name. But add the following phrase, "it's been a while", "I love your hair", "he's one?!?" after a personalized greeting, and it's a good thing.

Until today, Nico had not been to the doctor since May 1st. Nearly 8 weeks later, it felt good to walk into the office and be recognized for both familiarity and absence.

While Nico had a little bump in the road this week , it has been a wonderful stretch of complete and utter stress-free healthiness.

And for this, I am TRULY thankful!

Day 173: On Time

Chris works so hard. Often, he is not home until 7 or 8 after leaving the house around 6 a.m. each day.  But tonight, he was able to come home on time so that I could go over to a girlfriend's house for a get-together. He and the kids got some much needed one-on-one time together and there were smiles all around.

A Daddy-filled night for Sofia and Nico...for this, I am thankful. :)

Day 172: Unforgettables

There are certain things that Sofia says that I never want to forget. For instance, instead of "in between" she says, "in totween". For months, she added a "c" to the beginning of umbrella -- totally awkward and hilarious at the same time. She loves the words "actually" and "rather" and uses them with as much frequency as possible. And today, she added a new one...

At Bedtime:
Me: Night night, honey. I love you.
Sofia: Love you too, Mom. But Mom?
Me: Yeah?
Sofia: Would you please rub my back before you leave? 
Me: You bet.
Sofia: Thanks, Mom. I've just got the worst backrake.

My funny girl. And for this, I am thankful.

Day 171: 4 Mile Brainstorm

I've been feeling awfully anxious lately about heading back to the classroom. Millions of questions have been swirling around my brain about procedures, lesson ideas, room set-up...you name it, I've thought about it. But today, much of that anxiety was quelled thanks to my dear friend, Dawn. After ordering some iced chai teas, we headed over to Wash Park for a 4 mile walk around it's ridiculously picturesque perimeter. We walked, talked, and brainstormed like crazy.

And it was just what I needed.

I am so grateful that Dawn understands my need to process verbally and that she acknowledged my feelings instead of just saying "you'll be fine, don't worry". Being a teacher is both exhilarating and scary at the same time. I am thankful that Dawn gets that and gets me. :)

Day 170: Tidy

Today I stayed home with the kids and worked on getting the house back into shape after our 3 weeks of being gone. Not an easy task. I was baffled at how one mess seemed to erupt in the midst of another as tried to tackle the chaos. It took me all day, but I have nearly everything, and I do mean everything, in our house clean, organized in it's own special place. It feels good to look across my house when it's shiny and tidy. It won't stay that way for long, but I'm going to revel in the little moment of triumph. :)

And for this, I am thankful.

Day 169: Too Many Daves

In 1986, my grandparents gave me a book of children's poetry for Christmas. I remember vividly sitting in my pajamas with my sister and mom before bed as she read us some of the most hilarious, nonsensical poems I had ever heard. This continued for many years and the beloved book was even pulled out periodically into my teenage years. But that was the last I saw of it...

Our favorite poem by far was called Too Many Daves, a story of a woman with 23 sons whom she had named all Dave. She daydreams of what she should have named them instead and the new roll call is where the laughter is sure to begin.

As I was tucking Sofia in one night while we were back in Michigan, I looked over at the stack of books in the room and noticed the book of poems. My mom had found it while cleaning the basement and it was now mine to take home with me. Woo hoo!

So, tonight, I read Too Many Daves to Sofia. I giggled as I read but she was mostly impressed with the fact that some lady had 23 kids. Oh well. Even though she didn't quite get it, I was glad to be able to share something so memorable from my childhood with her.

And for this, I am thankful.

Day 168: Home Sweet Home

We have successfully traveled across the country and back with a 4-year-old and 1-year-old. We are home, safe, exhausted and full of memories. And for this, I am thankful.

Day 167: The Return of Bear Bear

Whoa. Did we ever divert quite possibly the biggest disaster EVER! After unloading our overnight items into our hotel, I went back down to the car to grab a couple more items from the cooler. While I was in the car, I saw that Sofia's favorite bedtime lovey, Bear Bear, had been left behind on her car seat. Naturally, I grabbed it with the other items and headed back to the room.

Fast forward 20 minutes. Bags unpacked, food in the fridge, room organized. But where was Bear Bear? In all the hub bub, I didn't realize that he had slipped from my full armload on the way up to the room. I panicked internally. I mean seriously panicked. Sofia has had this lovey literally since the day she was born. She sleeps with it every night without fail. I decided to backtrack.

I was no further than 2 steps out of the elevator in the lobby when an elderly man stopped me. "I bet you're looking for something special!" He clearly read the panic on my face. "Um, yes," I responded. "Just so happens that I found a little bear in the elevator about 15 minutes ago. I'm guessing a little one might have a hard time sleeping tonight without it."

Thank you, Mr. Nice Man. You saved some serious tears in an unfamiliar hotel tonight. :)

Day 166: Life-Size Tetris

Well, we're packed. Or should I say, Chris has packed us. He is a master when it comes to organizing our travel items into our car so that everything and items that need easy access can be reached without struggle. Sometimes I think he has theme music playing in his head as he takes on this life-size game of Tetris. It's fun to watch. :) It's nice to be able to go to sleep tonight without any anxiousness about getting on the road tomorrow, thanks to all the work Chris did today getting us ready.

We've had a wonderful time here in Michigan and will remember this trip for many years to come. I'll be sure to do a highlights post soon.

And for this all, I am thankful.