Thankful Thursday

Just like a couple of weeks ago, I have many things to be thankful for, but I am going to focus on just one.

First, some background: in addition to The Books Nook, I have a classroom blog. I write at the end of every school day about homework the kids have or about upcoming events or about interesting things that have happened during the day. I use it chiefly as a communication tool with parents, keeping them informed of what goes on during those seven or eight odd hours during the day that their kids have lives that don't always involve parents.

Yesterday, when I sat down to do my classroom post, I logged on to our blog and found my latest Books Nook post - on my classroom blog.

Yesterday morning I had dashed off a post quickly before I left for work, and I had accidentally posted it on the wrong blog!

My first reaction was complete and utter mortification! I hurriedly deleted the post and sat, holding my chest for a moment as my heart ran a sprint.

Then, as my mind cleared, I began to analyze the situation. First, I checked my statcounter. As my luck would have it, I had had more visitors that day than usual.

Next, I thought hard about the content of my post. It was a really quick post about a computer game I've discovered on addictinggames.com , and the only personal editorial comment was that discovering a new game could be dangerous for me this time of year. Okay...deep breath...that's not so bad.

And that's where Thankful Thursday comes in. I am so very grateful that my accidental post was not this or this. I think I might have been looking for a different position for the fall if that had been the case!

By the way, my new obsession is a game called Lucky Balls. Give it a try, but don't say I didn't warn you - it is fairly addictive!

What Was the Right Thing to Do?

I attended a church council meeting tonight.

It was probably the first one in which I invested any emotional attachment. My question is, though, was that the right thing to do?

Until tonight, I was detached, sitting back, learning the ropes, nonchalantly voting on financial statements and whether or not to purchase a new stove for the catering committee.

Tonight, though, our church school co-ordinator's contract was up for renewal.

Not to seem biased, I have to say that she is currently an invaluable part of my life - my spiritual life, anyway. But I don't want to seem biased. ;-)

First, as a church school teacher, I owe her a debt of gratitude because she makes my job do-able (Is that even a word?). She does virtually all of the preparation, she runs all of the joint portions of the time (ie: the opening singing, the large group prayers, etc.), and she completely co-ordinates the large-scale productions, such as our musical. Without her, there probably would not be a church school, certainly not to the extent that we enjoy now.

Second, as a parent, I owe her a debt of gratitude because without her efforts, I'm not sure #1's life would be nearly as inter-twined with the church as it currently is. She was hired almost two years ago now, right around the time when #1 started to get a hint of "pre-teen attitude". Without our co-ordinator causing church school to be cool again, I may have lost him from the fold, so to speak. Instead, now I have a 12-year-old who has volunteered to regularly change the saying on the sign in front of the church, advertising up-coming events and who engages in discussions regarding religious symbolism in the movies with the priest .

Third, she is my friend. I appreciate her work so much, but I also treasure her friendship and would never want to lose that.

So, I'm sure you can see why, in a discussion regarding the renewal of her contract, I could possibly get a little hot under the collar. Of course, there are only two people on church council who have anything to do with the church school, so several of the opinions put forward were overshadowed by ignorance on the subject (Again, no bias intended ;).

I tried hard to sound detached, intelligent, and impartial, but I'm not sure it worked.

The good news is that yes, we are re-newing her contract. The other good news is that, during the refreshment time after the meeting, I had a chance to suck up to all of the people I may have (just slightly) offended during the meeting.

I hope I did the right thing.

Brotherly Advice

Today is the track and field meet at the boys' school.

#2 is a little worried, as it's his first meet. Last night, he was anxiously thinking aloud, "They haven't even taught us how to do the ball-throw yet."

#1 replied with the air of contemptuous authority that only an older brother could convey, "I believe ... you throw ... the ball."

(Note the pauses for dramatic effect.)

;-)

This time of year...

...seems to bring out the real craziness in my business.

A few weeks ago, a friend from the university told me that one of her profs had speculated in class that in the next five to ten years there will be a new designation of student requiring special ed help. This student will be labelled "The Pampered Child" and will require special ed help because they possess no problem-solving skills.

At first I thought she was joking, but then I encountered the following.

One day last week a parent of four told one of my colleagues, "Every day when my children get home from school I ask them how their day was."

Okay, I know what you're thinking - probably the same thing I was at this point in the story - "That's nice."

Just wait...

She continued on, "If any one of them can't tell me something positive, I call the school right away."

Wow! Think of the problem-solving skills those kids must have!

Speaking of the Circus...

Last night, #3's little dance troupe performed at a local arts festival.

It was spectacular! (Granted, I am a biased stage mother.)

There are five of them in the group, and they were all clowns in a circus act. Oh - except #3. He was the ringmaster.

They garnered loads of applause, and we were all very proud. Even the older boys had to grudgingly admit that it was a lot of fun to watch.

After each of the groups from #3's dance studio performed, the adults from the group - the teachers and others who perform with them - executed two dances. One was a robotic type synchronized piece, and the other was a fire dance. It was so cool! (Oops - I guess "cool" isn't exactly the word for a fire dance, is it? Oh well, you get the idea.) Again, even my cynical 12-year-old was just about blown away with the acrobatics and showmanship of the act.

A word about our dance studio: we are absolutely thrilled with the attitude toward dance that it puts forward. Dance is not just a show with our teachers; it is an experience.

I will try to describe what I mean. You know how dancers in a group are almost always expected to look identical to one another? Perfectly matching hair, make-up, fake smiles. That's not the case here. Each of the little boys put together his own costume. They were individual and creative. And the smiles were anything but fake.

These children are not just learning dance steps and routines. They are cultivating a love for dance and performing that will hopefully last them a very long time.

Bravo, #3! We're all very proud of you.

Somedays I Feel Like Joining the Circus...

You know, somedays the most bizarre part of my job is dealing with the parents. The kids are really a delight compared to their parents.

The circus is coming to town. Our school, like many others in the vicinity, have received vouchers to distribute to the younger students. These vouchers can be traded in at ticket outlets for circus tickets.

A friend of mine who teaches Grade Two received this phone call today at noon hour.

Hello, Mrs. M. I'm calling to let you know that my husband and I are dead set against circuses, particularly those that exploit animals. When Emma (name changed to protect the innocent) came home with her circus voucher, she promptly threw it in the garbage. We were very proud of her. We do feel, however, that she is old enough to make her own decisions about a topic such as this, and she has decided to attend the circus after all. Would you please send another voucher home with her this afternoon?

Is it just me, or is that not one of the strangest things you've ever heard?

Maybe I've just become an incredibly jaded teacher. Actually, there's no maybe about it; I have become cynical and jaded.

Still though, is that bizarre or what??

Thankful Thursday

This week, I am thankful...

...that it has been raining and snowing almost all week, because it has given me a week off of soccer and softball. I really needed that time to catch up on laundry and other household tasks.

...that when the Grade 2 student who was running in the hallway at recess ran into me, I was holding the water bottle I got at Dollarama, not the brand new "World's Greatest Librarian" mug the boys gave me for Mother's Day.

...that Main Man was able to download the season finale of Brothers and Sisters, because I had to miss it when it aired Sunday night.

...for the Highland Games, which we attended on Sunday. The afternoon was spent watching highland dancing and "heavy games" like the caber toss, and listening to some fine pipe and drum bands. Then, the evening brought the ceilidh, with lots of dancing and Scottish refreshment. What a wild time! And the kids enjoyed it all as much as we did (well, all except the "Scottish refreshment"!).

...for the recovery of our friend from church - a little guy about 11 years old who was high-jumping at his school and missed the mat, hitting his head on the concrete floor of the gymnasium. He was hospitalized for almost a week, but when we visited him Sunday, his Dad described his recovery as 100%.

...for four day weekends!

...that the store where Main Man bought my outfit for the job-interview-that-wasn't takes back returns so readily.

...for my big brothers, both of whom are celebrating a birthday today. Yup, they were born on the same date, six years apart. Cool, eh?

...for those moments when the boys cause each other to double over in giggling fits.

...for #3's new Spiderman light-up sneakers. I paid only $6.94 for them!

Have a great week, everyone.

World History According to #3

#2 (after watching the movie The Wedding Singer): I wish I'd lived in the eighties!

#3 (who had not seen the movie): Really? Why? You'd have to fight knights and stuff!

Thankful Thursday

This week, I am thankful for many things, but I will write about one particular one.

A week ago today, I was frantically getting a C. V. together. I had not applied for a job in 18 years, but I was going to take the leap and apply for a new job.

First, I need to establish something: I love my job. I had not been scanning the employment pages for weeks, desperately seeking a way out of my dead-end job. That was not my situation at all.

However, a job had materialised that I was interested in. It was with the same school division I have been teaching in for almost 20 years, and it would mean no report cards to fill out, no parent-teacher interviews to smile through, and virtually no marking to take up my weekends. It was an itinerant position in which I would visit six specific schools and help their staffs design and carry out "literacy programs". Basically, lots of work with teachers, some work with students, and none of the stuff listed above which is burning me out. There would be a fair bit of driving involved, but I like driving. And in this position, I would get paid for my mileage, as driving is a requisite for the job.

I worked really hard on getting this job. My Mother's Day weekend was completely engulfed in preparations for the interview: buying just the right outfit and shoes (not easy among all those Pussycat Doll shoes!), reading up on theories and methodologies of teaching reading and writing, anticipating questions and preparing the perfect answer for each one.

Well, folks, I didn't even get an interview for the job.

And I can honestly say that I am grateful.

As I already wrote, I love my job. I really do. And I think I love my job even more now.

Every day the kids I work with make me smile.

And over the past few days, every time I've smiled at work, I've said to myself, "How could you have considered giving this up?"

Really, how could I have considered giving it all up?

Shoes Blues

I had to drag a very unwilling #3 with me yesterday as I shopped for a new pair of shoes for work.

Heavily laden with a head cold, he flopped down on a bench as I scanned the wide variety of sandals, most of which were totally inappropriate for professional wear.

He must have noticed that too, for as he sat there with red weepy eyes, trying to keep his head up, he commented, "Mom, these shoes are not for you. These are Pussycat Doll Shoes."

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Editor's Note: Life is a whirlwind here. I'm afraid I have too little time to visit you right now. I even have too little time to reply to comments. I still love reading them, though, so if you happen to stop by, feel free to leave a little blurb. I miss you all, but I'll fill you in as soon as I can. L.M.

Overheard by the Grade Six Lockers

Grade Six Boy #1: But I thought you really liked her!

Grade Six Boy #2: Nah ... that was yesterday.

How Sexy Are You?

Check this out!

I'll have you know that I'm a steamy 9 on the scale.

Watch - all of you are probably 10s.

Hah!

Let me know how you do ... if you dare.

Wasn't That a Weekend!

I'm not sure I'll have enough time to get everything down in one sitting. This was the ultimate weekend. I'm still having trouble believing we fit it all in!

Friday suppertime saw me off to the church for an institute for church leaders. I still feel that calling me a church leader is a bit of a stretch, but, as a member of church council, I was expected to attend.

It started with a pizza supper, then an evening of exploring our own personalities and those of each other. Normally, I find these sorts of things slightly (if not very) annoying, but this was sort of enjoyable. There was lots of laughter, and everyone had an open mind.

It finished with a wine and cheese, but I begged off as the boys had been on their own through the evening, and I felt I should get home to them. Main Man was out of town for the weekend at a conference - more on that later.

Saturday morning I was back to the church bright and early for breakfast before continuing the leadership institute. I didn't enjoy Saturday morning quite as much. The focus turned the corner to explore how the talents, skills, and personal attributes we discovered the night before could best be used in our work for the church. I'm not sure if my lack of interest Saturday was caused by fatigue or extreme self-centredness. Possibly a little bit of both.

Lunch was also provided, but again I had to beg off because I had to get #2 to his guitar lesson.

Most of the afternoon was spent in preparation for the evening, because what an evening we were planning for! Each of the boys was off to a sleepover (Thank you so much, you wonderful people who helped us out!), and I was off to spend the night here with Main Man on the last night of his conference.

The boys set off to their various destinations, sleeping bags and pillows in hand, backpacks filled with overnight necessities such as pyjamas, toothbrushes, toys, videos, and junkfood, at about 5:00, and I was off on my own. What an amazingly decadent feeling! I was off on my own for the next 20 hours or so - no kids, no dog, no homework. Main Man was the only thing left that I would have to cope with. (Ha-ha - just kidding, Honey.)

Before I headed out on the open highway, I stopped for a quick visit to a grocery store for some essentials for a romantic evening: fancy cheeses and crackers, smoked oysters, pate, olives, and cheesecake. Next stop: the liquor store for a fine bottle of Australian Shiraz.

When I arrived at the hotel, Main Man was still schmoozing at the conference reception, so I curled up on the king-size bed and watched the beginning of Casablanca on tv. How peaceful, how quiet, how delinquent!

Once he arrived at the room, we enjoyed some appetizers, then we headed down the street for dinner. We found a trendy, casual place that specialized in international appetizers and tapas. The food was heavenly. We shared an herb tomato soup with coriander cream, an order of Portuguese roll-ups (bacon-wrapped dates), some coconut crabmeat dip, and some spicy lamb wraps. We ate so much, we felt like Weebles when we were done.

The night was young, though, and we had to keep going, no matter how Weebly we felt.

After changing into our bathing suits, we set off for the geo-thermal pool. I could actually feel the tension leaving my muscles. It was like swimming in paradise. I could have napped right then and there. When we arrived at the pool, we had thought we might stay until midnight when it closed, but it was so relaxing, we headed back to our room about eleven o'clock, just in case one of us did fall asleep in the pool!

We had also expected to spend some time at the casino before we hit the hay, but the pool had done both of us in. We were spent - in a beautifully relaxing, peaceful way.

We awoke in the morning, lounged, and watched tv. Again, I felt almost corrupt; it was Sunday morning and I was not teaching Sunday School. Would I be struck by lightning?

Eventually, we made it down to the brunch buffet in the hotel restaurant, perhaps our only disappointment of the experience. For a fairly hefty price, we "enjoyed" a pretty ho-hum brunch. Still, nothing could dampen our weekend.

After a bit of shopping in various and sundry gift-shops, we headed home to our boys, and our lovely serene mini-break was but a memory.

Still, it's a memory to keep us going for quite a while.

Newsflash: Since we arrived home, #3 learned how to ride his two-wheeler ... all by himself. Yes, you read that correctly - he learned how to ride a two-wheeler without one lesson from Main Man or myself. He simply started off on our driveway, pedalled down the slope into the street (Fortunately, we live on a very quiet street.), and took off.

There will be no holding him back now, no matter how hard we try!

Am I an Optimist or a Pessimist?

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass. You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

Could I possibly be more boring?!