Two Days

Yesterday:

Today:
These past two days have been quite contrasts of each other. Yesterday we colored Easter eggs with Eric and Mia. Every year when we do this, we notice how much they're growing up. It used to be that the activity would last about 20 minutes, throwing eggs in dye and then they were done. Now they spend a lot of time deciding on colors and techniques for coloring the eggs. Eric got into the basketball spirit and made an egg for each of the teams playing tonight.

And then last night a storm moved in. I got the call at 5:15 this morning that we had a snow day. A snow day in April? Okay! A snow day is a snow day, right? I think we really could've had school, since the snow is just a wet snow. You can tell in the picture that the streets and sidewalks are pretty clear.

Now just three more days until spring break begins. I can take it.

Creature of Habit

Yet another thing that I blame on my Mom. And again, something that won't come as a surprise to her. Like most people, I am a creature of habit. Although, sometimes I think that my habits flirt with neuroses.

Growing up, we had many things that were done in an organized matter. I'm not surprised because trying to run a household with 7 people had to be organized. There really wasn't room for spontaneity, simply because there wasn't time. The schedule and menu for eating was pretty fixed. We knew that on Saturdays there would be french toast for breakfast, followed by a whirlwind of chores to be done. And on Sundays there would always be pancakes for breakfast. The Saturday menu could be thrown off occasionally by some cocoa wheats, and Sunday could be thrown off by a German pancake or scrambled eggs. But that was really rare.

In eating, one rule applied: never, and I mean never, was breakfast served for dinner. Dinner consisted of traditional dinner foods: spaghetti, tacos, chili, chicken, etc. Straying from that would send any of us into hysterics. My siblings tell the story of the time when my Mom was in the hospital having me, they had to go to a neighbor's for dinner. When the food was served, they looked down at plates of pancakes. Immediately, most of them burst into tears. After some counseling from our oldest sister, they agreed to be polite and eat some of the "dinner" and waited anxiously for my aunt to rescue them and take them to McDonald's.

The same rule goes for breakfast: dinner foods are never to be eaten for breakfast. Breakfast strictly consists of things that are listed on any diner's breakfast section of the menu. There's a reason why it has the title breakfast.

It was always interesting to realize that not every other family did the same thing we did. Soon, after spending many nights sleeping over at friends' houses, I started branching out into the forbidden territory. I realized that pizza wasn't so bad for breakfast when you were really hungry, and sometimes pancakes tasted a little different, but still good, when you had them for dinner.

Yet, even though I did experience things on the other side, I still remain true to my upbringing. Every weekday, with the exception of the days we're out of milk, I have oatmeal for breakfast. The lunches I bring to school contain the same things everyday: a turkey sandwich with mustard on wheat bread, a cheese stick, a V-8, and a piece of fruit. This isn't far from my high school lunches, which consisted of lunch meat on wheat bread, a juice box, and a piece of fruit. Sometimes this habit is a result of laziness, or rather that I don't want to make big decisions in the wee hours while getting ready for school.

And even though I'm married to a man who likes breakfast for dinner and vice verse, I still like my breakfast foods for breakfast and my dinner foods for dinner. I am my mother's daughter, after all, the product of the creature of habit who taught me well.

Ms. Heuman, This is for You

I told you in the last post that I need to start writing things down. I have a small list swirling around in my brain that I need to write down before I forget. My high school English teacher, Ms. Heuman, will be proud.

I am still in sort of a writing funk, which I hope ends soon. Writing to me is therapeutic in a way, so I guess I'm not in need of much therapy these days! But, before I forget, I will write down my list (which is in no particular order):

-In search of good Chinese food
-Books that are piling up
-Creature of habit
-Facebook findings
-Music
-Detroit

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I Know

I haven't posted anything for almost a week. My excuse? Um, nothing. Nothing has been going on, nothing to report. I may have to dig deeper into the well for some ideas. I also need to write things down when an idea strikes. One of my English teachers in high school told us that we needed to carry a note pad around with us to record any ideas. Some days I hate to admit that she was right. What is it with teachers and their good ideas?!

We were out with friends recently and two of the most-talked about topics inevitably came up: the weather and the economy. I finally said, "I'm just tired of talking about it!" As I'm sure everyone is. It is weighing on everyone's mind (I'm sure the latter topic more than the former) and it easily becomes conversation.

I am trying to make a concerted effort to think about and look for good things around me. Local stuff, national stuff, whatever. So I ask you, what's something good that's going on with you? Share this with whomever you talk to. Give someone something else to think about.

In the meantime, I'll compile my list, and also start writing some things down. And I won't talk about the weather either. No one likes a complainer, right?

The In-Between

I'm starting to get impatient. It's that in-between time of the seasons that I hate. I think waiting for spring to come is the most brutal wait of any season.

I'm tired of my clothes. Heavy sweaters and jackets, scarves, and gloves. I'm done with them. Those days of warmer weather we had last week were a tease. I didn't have to wear a coat, I had the windows down in the car, and I could actually hear the birds chirping.

There are signs that spring is coming: the crocuses and daffodils have poked up from the dirt in the courtyard at school. Dairy Queen is open. It is staying lighter outside later at night. The first sight of a robin. Yet all these signs also seem to be a tease. I want warm weather for many days in a row. Starting tomorrow.

Demanding, I know, but I'm ready. Ready and waiting.

There's Something About Tulips

That makes me hopeful for spring. That makes me happy.

What I Needed to Hear

I have mixed feelings about my job. I know I'm not alone in this, and it's not anything new to me. But because I'm a long-term sub in the position, my job has always felt temporary. All year, I never knew if the job would suddenly be filled, and I would be back to regular subbing. I never knew if I should plan something that would last a few weeks, only to be told half-way into it, I was done. So this whole year, I have been going week to week, and planning accordingly. Talk about being in limbo.

It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I found out I will be in the position until the end of the year. Yet, because of this, I now need to take almost 35 days off so that I can last until the end of the school year. You see, as a sub, you can only sub 140 days, and there are 180 or so in the school year.

As I have been taking days off and thinking about ending the school year, a somewhat apathetic attitude has crept in. Even though I can plan some long-term projects now, I know that I won't be in the position next year. I can't help but think that it may be a lesson in futility. And taking time off gives me that separation and interruption to the continuity. Then the guilt factor creeps in. The reason I'm doing this work? The 250+ kids who depend on me to expose them to books and authors and computers. No pressure there.

Today I heard some kids say things that not only set my attitude straight, but also gave me a little lift. I was with the 3rd graders, and the conversation came around to why I had to take days off. Apparently the sub I had last week told them that I needed to take the days. I guess I wouldn't have told them these details, but whatever. As it came out that I was only a sub and that I wouldn't be here next year, a boy in the class who had overheard our conversation said, "You should be our teacher. Why can't you be our teacher?" I didn't go into details with him about the hiring process or the qualifications I lacked as part of No Child Left Behind. I was content knowing that I had reached them. That they liked what I taught them.

For the next class I had the 4th graders. They're a lively bunch, and I usually spend half of my time putting out small fires of incessant talking. But they all mean well, and have a good sense of humor. At one point we were talking, and again the idea of me as a sub came up. "I don't get it," one girl said. "Why can't you just be our teacher?" Again, I didn't go into details.

That was (selfishly) all I needed.