Stepping out into the World

Today I went on a 3.5 mile, partially off trail, hike.

I spoke to a few people and listened to a few more.

I actually spent most of my afternoon in silence,

enjoying the beauty around me,

appreciating the challenge of the trail.

The one person I did speak to at length was a woman who was hiking with her elderly father.

I think she could sense that the hike held significance for me,

that it was more than just an outing.

As we talked, she told me of her "Wild Caving" in college and of her adventures out West after she was divorced at thirty. She said she decided to go because she had always wanted to and so she did.

I understood completely.

Although I have family and friends who care deeply for me and faith in a loving God,

I am nervous about starting over.

Today's hike was, for me, a celebration of my future.

Of not waiting for life but instead, going out to meet it.

As I stood on the top of the ridge and my fellow hikers sat down to snack and rest, I leaned against a tree and closed my eyes.

No profound thoughts filtered through my mind, no great realizations.

In that moment, with quiet conversation all around me, I felt only peace.

Quietness. Strength. Hope.

All gained from a hike in the woods?

I promise you it is true but, then again, I am an "outdoors girl".

Don't despair, I am positive you can find your own moment of reflection somewhere dry and warm if you need to.

You may not be starting over in the same way I am.

However,

each day is a new beginning for us all.

Take the opportunity to examine and reflect.

I wish for you today only good things.

Peace in your heart and

a beautiful journey.

Being Brave

Tomorrow I am going on an adventure.

I love the outdoors and during the summer it is a rare week when I haven't taken my children to at least one of our wonderful Metro Parks.

Without spending a dime except for gas, it is possible on any given day to find a green space where silence prevails and raccoons dream of rubbish bin leftovers.

Sadly,

as summer turned to autumn,

real life started again for my children and I,

our happy routine of hikes and picnics slipped away.

Caught up in the day to day, the "time" for adventure seemed to have disappeared.

The past month or two I have again discovered the wonderful joy of no longer being a passenger on the road of life.

It is in the spirit of this new found freedom that I am headed out tomorrow.

With new "sensible" shoes already broken in, I am going hiking.

No one I know wants to go with me; most would roll their eyes at the very suggestion and shake their head with a chuckle in my direction.

I am not letting this stop me.

I will probably end up muddy and cold.

I'm not worried,

I'm sure to find a large coffee when it is all said and done.

This is a year for new beginnings,

for growing,

for stretching myself to become more than I am...

To become who I am meant to be.

What is it that you want to do and are afraid to try?

Today, close your eyes and see yourself doing it.

Learning the new skill you'd like to acquire,

meeting new people,

being brave.

Let me remind you,

as a dear friend has reminded me.

Your life is a blessing and you are loved!

Become who you are meant to be,

I know you can do it!

Yikes! Ms. Susan meets an untimely end.

This morning my students made adorable lions that had an opening in their mouths to feed a strip of "word family" words through. The top of the paper proclaimed that the lion had better be "fed" or it would eat the reader!

Inspired by our phonics activity, our writing prompt was all about an escaped lion and what it would eat if it was really on the loose.

I offered my students various suggestions about what their lion might like to eat, perhaps a penguin, maybe themselves or by chance, their very own teacher.

With glee in their hearts and quickly moving crayons, most of my kiddos squealed as they drew my untimely demise.

One of my most spirited and artistically talented student's paper was especially funny. He drew me in the lion's cage about to be eaten with himself on the outside laughing. I pretended of course to be terribly outraged and he chuckled even harder.

Only two of my students opted not to have me become a feline snack.

The things we do to catch the attention of others is sometimes extreme.

Sometimes I resort to singing crazy songs, wearing unusual props or even a cape. Kindergarten kids enjoy silliness and are more than willing to participate in the lessons.

I'm not sure whether I should wish you find the same level of silliness I sometimes resort to or whether I should hope that you don't have as much trouble getting and keeping the attention you desire.

Since I am unsure, my wish is for you to be able to face whatever challenges come your way with humor and patience. Sometimes we all need to laugh.

Thank heavens for escaped lions!

Blueberry muffins!

This morning I woke up and decided that I would like some muffins for breakfast and I thought my family would too. I absolutely love blueberry muffins and as I had a mix in my cupboard, I happily headed to the kitchen and preheated my oven.

Scooting back and forth, I did a few chores, falling into the morning routines that guide my actions and have a soothing comfort in their familiarity.

Packing lunches, ironing, even finding my favorite earrings..

It is the little things that take up so much of my time.

Do these minute actions hold meaning?

I say yes.

As our lives open before us, we spend most of our time on choosing cereal, doing laundry and sometimes, if you're a bit like me, a little too much complaining.

Sometimes in my daily life I become so focused on myself and what I am concerned about, that I forget to reach out to those around me.

Too many times I could start my own "Crybaby" club... the laundry that never ends, the dishes that really need a dishwasher that isn't me.... the teenagers that are moody at my house... all these things sometimes get to me.

I am almost positive that each of you can identify at least one time when you have felt this way.

What I wish for you today is not that you are "magically" thankful for the bumps in your road of life, but rather that you find a way to be happy despite them.

Enjoy the blessings that are obtainable...

...Play a quick game of cards, Call a chatty friend... and by all means, go ahead and mail that card you've been meaning to send...

Find your own "Blueberry muffin".

Super Hero Readers!

Raised by a most amazing and resourceful mother, I enjoy using things creatively. It is a challenge to stare into a craft box or catch what falls out of the top of my art closet and figure out something delightful to do with it.

This past weekend, my eldest helped me turn one hundred and seventy odd Easter eggs into number sight word egg games for my students. My Kindergarten kiddos were delighted to receive them and my closet had one less thing to endanger anyone brave enough to open it!

In the course of the egg creation, I came across leftover felt from our Thanksgiving Pilgrim hat project. Since then, the image of the felt has been filtering around in my mind. Tonight, as I pondered some "gimmick" for tomorrow, an idea solidified in my mind.

The felt is about to become masks for my "Super Hero Readers"! I softly laugh to myself when I envision my students' excitement and their compliance during lessons. We'll make stories too, all about ourselves as heroes. I can not wait. I have a fair amount of prep to do, but, once again, I know my eldest will be happy to help me. Even if she isn't interested, the work will be worth it.

I can already "see" the happy faces, "watch" the books take shape and "hear" my charges read happily to me to "earn" their very own mask.

Did I mention I'm swiping my kids old dress-up cape for added affect?

Go ahead and laugh....

I am absolutely delighted....

I really do belong in Kindergarten.

Don't think it's all fun and games...

I better see spaces, punctuation, and nice pictures!

What a joy to be able to be silly for a few moments, to wear a cape and laugh along with the kids.

What a blessing to be able to bring such joy with a scrap of fabric and some imagination.

The next time you see a large box, a stack of empty toilet paper tubes or even some old playing cards, may you not just see junk.

Before you bin the "garbage".... remember the joy of the fort, the kazoo and a card tower....

Take a moment to smile and reminisce... and if by chance you have a dear small one near... think twice before the recycling truck is given all your "treasures".

May you be blessed with the simple happiness that children have.

Take care, be safe, have fun!

Kindergarten Phonics Fun

Teaching Kindergarten is a challenge. Five year old's need to move and play. As a teacher I acknowledge this freely and I rejoice in my young charges exuberance at life. However, teaching little moving atoms of energy is like finding a way to keep socks on an infant, it can be difficult.

I try to alternate "seat work" with more active times. Today was a day when I think I struck the perfect balance.

This morning, before I took charge of my children, I set up three phonics games in our gym. Later, after morning snack, I told my students about my plans and reminded them that our morning circle routines had to be completed first. With the promise of "fun" in the gym our morning exercises went fairly smoothly.

When we finished our first part of the day, my students excitedly got into line to go downstairs. Before we went into the gym, everyone sat on the stage steps and heard my expectations. Going into the gym, the excitement and learning began.

Our first game required my charges going through an obstacle path while I hummed, when I stopped, the child who ended up in the large hula hoop had to supply me with a rhyme for whatever word I threw at them. You should have seen the kids try to be in the hula hoop when my "music" stopped. It was a hoot.

The next game required partners and hopping sacks. Two by two the children hopped in sacks toward me, read the "ay" family word on my big dry erase board and taking the bags off ran back to their friends who were waiting for their turn. We read "say" and "day" and so many others and the kids seem to really love the motion.

To conclude, we practiced number sight words tacked on the walls. Today it was the number words one, two, three and four. The kids ran, slid, crawled and hopped to the numbers I called out. Today the numbers and words were shown together. By the end of the month, the numbers will be gone and only the words will remain.

After our activities, my students did a good job of calming down. We took a bathroom break and we all got a drink before we headed back upstairs. We completed a handwriting paper, a phonics paper and even a journal activity. Our center time went smoothly and our classroom was picked up and neat at lunch time.

This was definitely a wonderful day to be a Kindergarten teacher!

(and... I didn't even tell you about our fun vinegar experiments after lunch!)

Really, really funny

Several days ago I had a mishap on my treadmill...
The kind that could have earned me money if it had been recorded.

Sadly my skinned and bruised knees and pride fared better than my exercise equipment that got covered with water in the process of the incident.

So, while I am figuring out if the crazy thing can be fixed, I bought myself an exercise video. With absolutely no sense of rhythm and the dancing talent of a dead rock, I was comforted by the assurance that it had modifications for beginners.

Ha! While I certainly work up a dripping sweat doing the routine, it is sadly comical. I think today I finally was going the right direction at least half of the time! The first day I tried it I actually made my youngest daughter go to bed because she was watching me with a smirk!

Not that I wasn't funny, but my ego couldn't take it.

With any luck in a month or two I might have figured out the moves...

.....anything is possible right?

I don't believe in giving up and with my treadmill's health unlikely to make a full recovery, I have to do something.

So, go ahead and imagine me going the wrong way... have a laugh... I know I do!