Hey all! Just checking in with you today. Here are some random stories and musings about this past week. I hope you enjoy the trip into my crazy brain!
1. Adventures in 3rd Grade Music Class...
In third grade music class, we learned the song 50 Nifty United States. Not only is it an extremely catchy song, but it is a great way for students to learn all of the states in alphabetical order.
I though it would be fun to do an activity where everyone had a map and a crayon and we colored all the states that someone in our class has visited.
Believe me, I gave them CLEAR instructions.
Me: If I say "Who has been to South Dakota?" and you know your dad went there once when he was five, that doesn't mean you have been to South Dakota. If you think you have been to Hawaii but you're not sure, it probably means you have not been to Hawaii because that is something you will remember.
Boy did I have high hopes for a fun little coloring session and a discussion about geography, but by the end of this activity, my head was about to explode.
- One boy apparently has 3 sets of grandparents, all who lived in Missouri, New Mexico, and Alaska. He claims to have visited them all. He is eight.
- Another little boy drove to Wyoming to go to the beach.
- One student was at Rehoboth Beach and his family decided to drive to Alabama to spend the night (one night!) in a hotel with a pool.
- A little girl set sail on a cruise from Florida and went all the way to Hawaii.
I am never doing this activity again.
2. A Wake Up Call
On Monday, I was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. All of my troubles were first world problems, but still, my anxiety levels were through the roof and I was in a major funk. By the time I got home from a long day, I didn't feel like talking to anyone- not even Paul. I put on my jammies, poured a glass of wine, and did an entire puzzle while I watched television.
One of the shows I watched was Ellen. She makes me cry almost every episode, including the one on Monday. Ellen surprised a girl (who lost her leg in a car accident) with $20,000 for college as well as transportation to and from college for a whole year. The girl wants to be a physical therapist who works with amputees. It was so touching.
... And here I am, all pissy about my first world problems. Why is it that some days, it takes a glass of wine and a segment about an amputee on Ellen to make me really thankful for how lucky I have been in my life? Seriously, shouldn't I be able to feel thankful without all that?
I posted my feelings on Facebook, and I got some wonderful, thought provoking responses...
From one of my FB Friends: "From time to time we all take things for granted and forget how truly lucky we are! But it's always good to take a step back and realize even on our shittiest days, we have so much more than 99% of people on the planet! Be ever thankful!!!"
From another FB Friend: "Luck is subjective. Everyone has their own burdens and life is not a contest over who has it better or worse. Or it shouldn't be. It's about doing your best with what you have and being kind to those who were not as lucky. Your luck enables you to give to others in so many ways. It's all a matter of perspective."
Well said, Facebook friends!
For the past several years, my lunch time at work
coincided with the third grade teachers as well as several specialists. I am so
happy the schedule lined up that way because it allowed me to become better
friends with those teachers. Not only that, but these teachers are fun and a little rowdy at lunch.
Obviously, I fit in perfectly!
But this year, something sad happened. Not only
did my lunch time get moved and I do not eat with those teachers anymore, but
my lunch is now at 11:00 am! Sorry, that is just too early for me to eat! Our cycle is eight days, so six days out of the cycle I don’t even go to
the faculty room to eat lunch. I warm up my lunch and bring it downstairs to my
desk and just grab bites in between classes when I can. But the other two days,
I have a plan period during the time the third grade teachers each lunch. So
during my lunch I do work, and then
when they eat, I go up and eat. It is really fun to actually talk to ADULTS on
those two days!
It is October, which means I
have lots of fun fall songs, pumpkin songs, and Halloween songs to sing with
the students. I would like to share a kindergarten favorite. It is sung to the
tune of On Top Of Spaghetti….
The month is Octooooober, the air’s turning cold
The leaves are all changing to red and to gold
The month is Octooooober, there’s so much to do
Play football and hockey, and pick apples too
The month is Octooooober, and up in the sky
The birds are all traveling and south they will
fly
The month is Octooooober, my friends I have seen
They’re out trick or treating, it’s now HALLOWEEN!
So the next time you are bored at work this
October, please remember that I am probably singing the October song for the
ONE MILLIONTH TIME and then your boredom won’t seem as bad!
5. Colbert
Paul and I have a new show to watch together- Colbert! I love his style of humor and I like when the presidential candidates visit him. He just had Michelle Obama on the other night and Paul said to me, "She is definitely the hottest first lady!" I reminded him of Jackie O, and he agreed she is pretty hot too. Interesting, because I feel like maybe Obama and JFK are the hottest presidents?
6. Paul is a basement gardener.
My garden SUCKED this year. I blame it on going on vacation for twelve days during the prime growing season. My tomatoes took over everything. My peppers grew crooked. It was a mess. My last hope was the butternut squash vine, but that dream came to an end when I accidentally ripped the vine in half when attempting to pick the first ripe squash. So yeah, my garden dreams exploded this summer. However, I did manage to salvage about 30 green tomatoes. Paul took them down to the basement, wrapped them in newspaper, and has them in a tub. Eventually, they will turn red and we will be able to eat them! (I don't know why, you will have to google it. But trust me, it works.) So I joke arounf with Paul and tell him he has a garden in the basement.
My garden, during happier times.
7. Speaking of Paul...
He is a great piano student! And he agreed to record a video for the blog! I don't know why he is sucking up to me. He must want something. Anyway, here is the ever elusive Paul. Please, ignore the out of tune-ness of the piano!
How do you spend your lunch hour (or half hour!) on a normal day?
Are there any states you haven't been to yet that you are dying to visit?
I think I would like an 11am lunch- I am always starving so early! But Im sure its nice for you on the days you get to interact with other adults:)
ReplyDeleteYes, I love to talk with people who don't want me to tie their shoes.
DeleteI am so impressed by you + Paul! I know you have a beautiful singing voice but way to go, Paul, on the piano skills! I agree w/ you -- JFK and Obama. I always eat my lunch at my desk. Such a bad habit but I am normally on the phone in a meeting anyway. I have seen a lot of states. Would love to visit the northeast some more and, of course, Hawaii!
ReplyDeleteI wanted him to harmonize but he wouldn't! I can't believe I got him to play on camera to begin with though so I shouldn't complain! :)
DeleteBRAVO! For both you and Paul. You have such a beautiful voice! My lunch is about 130, right before I head up to school to coach xc. Sometimes it is in the car. I hear you about the adult conversation...piano students in am (homeschoolers) and jhxc team in the afternoon. Luckily, sometimes with the jh kids you can have a legit conversation, but usually it is all about the drama!
ReplyDeleteLunch right before xc is perfect! I can't imagine the drama the junior high kids talk about!
DeleteHmm. People really consider Jackie O a hottie? I always thought she was rather plain-looking (but still a bomb diggity First Lady). But then again, I suppose her and Michelle are the only ones we have to choose from; all the other first ladies were pretty much grandmas. Wait a second, that's not true. Hillary was kind of a hottie in the early 90s!
ReplyDeleteI too wonder why it takes reminders of people in dire circumstances for us to wake up and realize how much we take for granted. But, I think it's just how our minds work. We are conditioned to think of ourselves and respond to our own needs. If we're not living with cancer or extreme poverty every single day, it can be hard to consider the toll these things take unless something reminds us, because that's just not our experience. I think it's important to remember that we can always be better, but we can never be perfect. In other words: your FB friends are on point. I also think that exposure is the best solution - the more we are exposed to other people and situations, the more we can maintain awareness of them. Regular volunteering, getting out more, making more of an effort to get to know more diverse people and hear their stories, etc. That's what I'm striving to do, anyway.
I forgot about Hillary! I liked Jackie O's fashion for sure. And she was not a grandma like you said so obviously that helps.
DeleteI agree exposure is everything because it teaches us to be empathetic or like you said motivate us to do volunteering. Paul has such a great perspective. Even though he has a serious health issue, we always feel SO THANKFUL that he has world class doctors taking care of him. So even that aspect, yes, he has a brain tumor, but we live in the freaking USA with the best doctors, I have health insurance, we have family support... I mean, it is a sucky, horrible situation but wow it could be much worse and that is always good to remember.
I had to chuckle at the map talk. We have taken our kids to Mexico when they were pretty young (2nd grade I think) and it's amazing how many of their classmates have been to Mexico too! Or were going soon. Uh huh, sure. Kids crack me up.
ReplyDeleteMy poor garden is a neglected pile of overgrown plants right now. Ever since the watermelons never grew larger than tomatoes, I have been ignoring it. Time to pull it out!! It did produce a ton of tomatoes this year though, so I will plant again next year!
Some of my kids have been to mexico too! And that girl with the cruise- I am sure she was on a cruise in the Carribbean so she got that part right, but there's no way she went to Hawaii from here haha.
DeleteI am glad you got a ton of tomatoes! I loooooooooooove tomatoes.
That video is so sweet! I could never talk Matt into doing anything remotely close to that. I have a confession: I thought the "October Song" was so cute and I sang all of the words while reading this post! I also plan on teaching it to my class, LOL. My school also has lunch at 11:00 so I totally get what you're saying! It IS too early. :(
ReplyDeleteYay I am so excited to hear how the October song goes! You will smile when they go, "Octooooober" hehehe.
DeleteYou think 11 am is early for lunch, mine is at 10:46...lol.
ReplyDeleteMy students just showed my a video the other day on how they remembered all the states in the USA, I wonder if it is the same one. It was a pretty catchy tune!
10:46 IS A CRIME!!!!!
DeleteWow, Paul is a natural on the piano. I tried playing the piano when I was growing up but my fingers are tiny and I struggled with the coordination.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about first world problems. In my recent sleep deprived, discourage state I have felt sorry for myself on more than one occasion. Then I quickly remind myself that there are people who can't have kids or spend thousands of dollars trying to have kids. I need to be thankful for what has come easy to me. Sleep deprivation is a small price to pay.
State I would like to visit --> Massachusetts (BOSTON!!!)
Yeah Boston!!!! :)
DeletePaul grew up singing with his family and played the drums, so he is one of my easier piano students since he already has a background in music. That being said, he is still picking up the piano pretty fast and practices A LOT!
It is good to remind ourselves of how lucky we are.
Ah, I love how Paul looks at the camera first and announces what he's going to do, so professional! It's like an audition tape for the two of you to go on a talent show! (Which you should do!).
ReplyDeleteI think Michelle is definitely the hottest first lady. She super fashionable, loves working out and radiates confidence. It's just too bad that the Obama's have a First Dog instead of a First Cat like the Clinton's. I'm hopeful that Hillary will bring a cat back to the white house, she's *obviously* so much more of a cat person than a dog person ;)
I am so surprised he let me record it. Isn't he cute? :) I was drinking wine, and of course I like attention, so I was up for anything!
DeleteYes Hillary is totally a cat person. But I don't want her to get cat hair on her nice pant suits!
I will NEVER forget the 50 Nifty United States song! We used to have competitions in my music class to see who could sing it the fastest. My lunch is at 11:10 and I'm always starving by the end of the day. I make sure to bring snacks!
ReplyDeleteThat is cool you had competitions! I totally would have tried to win something like that when I was a kid.
DeleteI remember the States song! I was singing it with Matt the other day lol. But I'm not surprised by the confusion in the coloring activity - even my 8th graders would have played fast and loose with the guidelines haha!
ReplyDeleteI miss Colbert's old show. I'm just not a fan of hour long entertainment/late night style shows. I'm loving "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver, and I'm willing to give the Daily Show a chance even though Jon Stewart is gone now. Colbert has had good guests though!
I know, I sometimes overestimate what the kids can comprehend. Geography is NOT their strong suit. But then again Geography is not on standardized tests, so teachers can't even spend a lot of time on it!
DeleteWe did not watch Colbert's old show, even though I KNOW we would have enjoyed it. Part of the reason I enjoy watching Colbert now (other than that he is funny) is that I want Paul to know what is going on in politics. We fast forward the guests we don't enjoy.
I would love to go to Utah and hike!
ReplyDelete