Little Things

You know how they say "take it a day at a time"?  Well lately even a day at a time has sometimes been too much to try to deal with.  So instead I'm taking it 'one thing at a time'.  I am lucky that I can do this with my day.  I take it pretty much one hour at a time - 7-8 is arrival and morning activities, 8-9 is reading, 9-10 is planning, 10-11 is math, 11-12 is lunch and recess, 12-1 is science and word study and 1-2 is writing.

When I break my day down like this - I find that I can manage.  I focus on one thing (subject) for an hour and then move on and focus on the next.  I only focus on what needs to be done during the hour.  This has been quite effective lately.  I also makes it so my mind can't wander and remind me of all the external BS going on.

So in breaking my day down into hours and taking one thing at a time - I've been able to focus on little moments during the day.  I focus on little things that make me smile, laugh or make my heart happy.

Little Things

1.  A and H bringing me flowers from their gardens at home because we are studying plants (I'll try to remember to take a picture tomorrow).  It's quite nice to walk by my desk and smell flowers...as opposed to little kids.

2.  M telling me a 15 minute story (no lie) about going to the zoo last weekend and then giving me the two pictures of giraffes her mom took for me  -  b/c she  "knows my favorite animal is a giraffe and there was a baby giraffe there, so she knew I'd want to see the baby, and since we're going on our field trip to the aquarium next week instead of to the zoo, I won't be able to see the baby giraffe next week, and even if I go to the zoo later, it won't be a baby anymore..." (see how it was a 15 minute story??) 

3.  R reading his part in the Reader's Theater Play totally in character today.  FYI - his character is a gruff old man - to which R gave a nice slow southern drawl/twang.  This kid's going to make millions as an actor one day.  I couldn't wipe the smirk/smile off my face for at least 30 minutes after the play ended.  Srsly - not growing up in the south and growing up listening to 'New Englander' parents & extended family has made me have an extremely odd appreciation for the "Southern Drawl" - and R nailed it today.  

4.  Doing a science experiment to find out what happens to grass when you cut it - does it grow back or does it die or does it stay the same length or ??? ... - They made their hypotheses (most saying they thought the grass would die - clearly not thinking about grass in the ground and lawn mowers and such), and then we cut/trimmed the grass that we planted two weeks ago.  Many of them were so upset to cut it b/c they thought we were killing it. 

When we were touching/smelling the grass that we'd cut and were about to throw away - R asked if she could keep it. 

To which I replied "no, b/c this will dry up and die before you get it home".

Them:   "GASP!!  You just gave the results/answer/experiment away!!!"  [note:  I love it when they use the vocabulary we're learning...too cute.] 

Me:  "No, I told you what would happen to the grass that we cut from the plant.  That *points to the potted grass* is still planted in soil and attached to the roots."

Them:  Ohhhhhh....

You'd think THAT would be a dead giveaway to the results... but alas, no.  They still all left today with one last longing glance to the plants - mourning the freshly cut potted grass we have growing in all its green glory- thinking they'd come back to brown, dead grass tomorrow.  *sighs*  woe is them.  

5.  In using the internet to gather information about bears this afternoon to go along with our "Bear Study" this week - we read on a site that said that on average bears live 20-25 years.  (yeah can you see where this is going??)  

25 kids for the most part all at once: "GASP!!!  *silent pause*  HAHAHAHA  Mrs. ----  If you were a bear...you'd be dead already.  LOLOLOLOLOLOL..."

Me:  *crickets* ... yeah you guys are Hilaaaaarious...