For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 31:
Easter Preparations
Mother, son, daughter,/
decorate, dye hard-boiled eggs-/
Easter traditions.
Of course there is always at least one egg casualty (see cracked egg above).
For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 30:
My Reader
Alaina scans the titles on my bookshelf. Her fingers run along the book spines.
“You have A LOT of books, Mom.” She's right. Buying books is my downfall. I have more titles than someone could probably read in a lifetime.
“I know. Too many. I’m trying not to buy so many and using the library instead.”
“What’s this one about?” She holds Kim Liggett’s The Grace Year.
“Oh, that’s a dystopian YA novel. I started reading it last year, but I must have gotten distracted. I remember liking it, but it is dark.”
“I’ll try it, Mom.”
Alaina dives into The Grace Year. She reads it in the car as we are running errands. She reads it at the kitchen table while she eats a snack. She reads me snippets of the book periodically.
“This book is SO disturbing, but I cannot stop reading it!”
“The ones you can't put down - those are the best kind! Just remember-it’s not a real story.”
She nods and returns to the book.
For the next few days, instead of her usual iPhone/iPad fixation, she’s immersed in this book. I overhear her tell her big brother about The Grace Year. (The even get in a bit of a debate about all of the disturbing books they have read and which one is the most disturbing.)
It's Spring Break, and my daughter is buried in a book. This mamma couldn’t be happier.
For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 29:
Cat Anniversary
They were brought over from across the street - me carrying Emma, Dave with Victor. It was the most simple cat transfer.
I found a place for their litterboxes in the basement. I set out their food and water bowls in the kitchen. We had a basket of cat toys waiting for them and even purchased a small scratching post for them.
We didn't see Emma for at least three days. Victor was cautious, but once he realized that we would provide him with food, he was eager to be sitting on laps and discovering new sunbeams in our house.
It's been over a year since we welcomed Victor and Emma into our home. Now Emma greets me at the door when I return home. She is often my shadow, eager for my attention. Each night Victor climbs up into my lap and purrs. I believe that they are living their best cat lives.
Little did I know that these two creatures would provide my children and me with so much companionship, curiosity, and joy. Rescuing these two felines was a welcome change. I am pretty sure that my children would agree.
For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 28:
Rollerblade Driveway Delight
My daughter has been begging for rollerblades for the last few months. She has been rollerskating a few times before, but not rollerblading. It's also been a while since we went roller skating, and we haven't had many opportunities to skate.
On Friday I had the good fortune to borrow several pairs of rollerblades from a friend - a fellow parent who knows that it's wise to try out something before you invest in purchasing it.
I have a flat and wide driveway, perfect for rollerblading. With knee pads, helmets, and wrist guards, the three of us put on our gear.
We all began a bit shakey, especially my daughter, who has had the least amount of experience on wheels. She fell several times and clutched onto my arm before she was able to achieve balance on her own. Soon, although a bit shaken, she was skating back and forth between the width of our driveway.
“I’m awful at this, but it’s SO fun!” She exclaimed.
“You are doing just fine. It takes practice.” I reassured her.
We spent at least an hour roller blading before we headed inside.
"Can we do this again, Mom?"
I nodded, thrilled that we could enjoy something outside together.
Lace skates. Find balance./
Rollerblade driveway delight./
Outside spring pleasure.
For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 27: Desks
Outside the classroom: fifteen desks hugging the concrete hallway wall. The desks have been sitting in storage during virtual and hybrid learning to ensure six feet of social distancing. Following Spring Break, students will be seated in desk pods of four with limited social distancing.
Another upcoming pivot.
For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 26: Delightful Surprise
Last Monday morning I peered into my wooden mailbox slot in the school office. I noticed a small envelope with my name on it.
I could barely wait to see what was inside and opened it before I even got to my classroom door. To my surprise, it was an encouraging note and sticker from a friend/colleague. Smiling to myself, I hugged the note and sticker close to my chest.
For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 25: Right Now
I recently saw this post on Leigh Anne's A Day In the Life. I enjoyed reading it and wanted to share my own list.
What I'm Reading - I'm notorious for reading more than one book at a time. I thrive on this. After reading a post about this book from Ramona, I ordered and began reading Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the time of COVID-19. It's a collection of interviews, poetry, and essays. I am also listening to Searching for April Raintree, a powerful novel. This is the story of two Canadian Métis sisters who were raised in foster care for most of their young lives and deal with racism and exploring their identity as adults.
What I'm Writing - Aside from lesson plans and feedback on Canvas, I am mostly only writing daily blogs for the Slice of Life Challenge and journaling. At some point I would like to write more and publish. Lately this goal seems so out of reach.
What I'm Learning - I am learning that it is okay to be gentle with myself and continue to realize that life is a journey that I am still figuring out how to navigate. At school I am learning again how to be flexible as we pivot to our fourth learning model this year. Personally, although I haven't lost anyone due to the pandemic, I have been processing grief and trying to figure out how I want to spend my time and energy when the pandemic is over. Therefore, I plan to participate in Elena Aguilar's Bright Morning Feel Better Program.
What I'm Loving - Catching the sunrise is always a love. Signs of spring give me so much joy. Playing board games with my children is one of my favorite ways to spend time with them. My parents are now both fully vaccinated, and I am part-vaccinated; we can visit again! I adore comedy and laughing until my belly aches.
Thank you for this inspiration, Leigh Anne.
For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life , hosted by Two Writing Teachers. Slice of Life Challenge #21...
