A Real Day (of Post-its and kids)

4:45am:  snooze times 3

5:30am:  scheduled a 40 minute workout this morning, which is now down to 20 minutes thanks to my Facebook scrolling.

6:00am: time with God in scripture and prayer, so many needs I'm reading about, so many things to hand over to our all knowing, loving Father.

6:20am: Connor has 2.3 seconds to get ready because I am Súper Late-O!  His blood is instant coffee.  He is up and running.  Lucky his hair looks the same brushed or unbrushed.

6:40am:  breakfast sausage and eggs, 

pack lunches, while getting dressed (at the same time) 

daily hairdo choices:  bun or ponytail

"natural look"

7:00am: Connor awakens Carlee.  Darren gets up.  He begins to get himself and Carlee ready for daycare.  kisses and cuddles

7:20am:  Out of the Door..... when Connor reminds me, he doesn’t have a book bag.  The arm broke off yesterday.  Crap. Double Crap.

He has three options:  Food Lion Bag, Flowery Vera Bradley, or my MAC case.  MAC case it is.

7:35am:  pull into school on two wheels and give over our concerns to God.  I silently pray my clothing is on right side out.  When we get in,  Mr. E. has saved the day by repairing the broken book bag.  

C: ‘Now I won’t look like a dork.’

7:45am:  I have three things on my list this am.  I start to work when  a. the phone rings- parent concern  b.  a visitor asks for a favor since I have a “less children” and a “full time TA”  (sigh)  I want to explain the purpose of intervention, needs, and regulations.  Instead I smile and write down the favor on a Post-it.

8:30am:  planning over.  zero accomplished on list.  

8:40am:  Unit Weather Morning Circle:

I get another phone call, when I see a child balance himself on a chair like a trapeze artist (and I’m kind of impressed) but tell the child to get down before child is hurt.  Meanwhile, another little person comes up to me and gives me a shoe that is tied in such intricate knots that I swear David Blaine couldn’t get them loose.  Milk spills on another table.

Mrs. E. is finding extra breakfast and a change of shirts for another student.  I have to cut this call MAJOR short.  I write down to call back...  on a Post-it.

10:00am: celebrations.  One child achieved 100% letter sounds for the first time, and one child moved up a reading level!  whoop.  

New progress notes on a Post-it.  

Skittles and Pennies all AROUND.  

Such accomplishments and BIG smiles.

11:00am:  Tornados in a Jar and Writing Time 

(after reading all about what we would do...) 

me:  What do we do in school if there is a tornado Little Johnny?

Little Johnny:  Why do your glasses look weird?

I give a lecture about respect, paying attention, and that my glasses are totally cool.

me: Little Sally, where do we go if there is a tornado?

Little Sally:  Can I take this tornado in a jar home?

I get it.   Time for a break.  I ponder putting my own head between my knees and taking a nap against the wall as a “demonstration”.

Instead I get out a ruler, scissors, and a #2 pencil because ....

I will get this shoe unknotted.

The SPECTACULAR Mrs. E. finds another pair of shoes to replace the knotted pair because I give up.

11:40am: late 20 minute lunch-  a bologna sandwich, greens, scooby snacks, and leftover rice from last night (aka. whatever would fit in my bag).

I watch Mrs. E. put the finishing touches on our Fundraising Flower Pot for the silent auction- due tomorrow.  #itsabeautifulbirdfeeder

busy day 
(but she is really joking around here)

I start to work at my desk, when I remember I need to phone in a allergy prescription (sore throat coming on) and call Aunt T. back.  We have a chat and she is coming to take me to lunch Saturday with no children.  #treat

12:15pm:  There is a  universal rule curse on me when using the copy machine. One of these must happen:  1. be jammed  2. run out of toner  3.  copy my copy in a magnification of 500 while it staples in the center and I have no idea how to fix it quickly 4.  another teacher is making 10000 copies of War and Peace in front of me.

Curse machines and the knotted shoe.  They have both licked me today.

1:00pm:  NuMbErS

The students dress in rain gear and stomp/hop on laminated number puddle the appropriate # of times. #numbersense

HIT.  5 stars!

Game:  students roll (not throw. roll.  not throw) dice and place that number on self designed umbrella.  2.5 stars! 

Counting to 10 or 100.... never gets old.

2:30pm:  need to leave soon for Carlee’s wellness visit.

A child reminds me that I promised I would get his spiderman gloves from his classroom teacher.  I run (meaning walk as fast as I can without passing out).  The teacher says it is ok to give the gloves back as long as there is no play with them during class.      

2:45am:  social lesson:  gloves are for wearing, not playing.  Even if you are the real spiderman.

3:15pm:  daycare run.... late, late, late.  I put Carlee’s new coat on her.  She gets mad and throws herself on the floor because she wanted to do it!

common theme these days

She screams bloody murder all the way to the van and all the way to the doctor.  I consider inventing a valium drive thru for times like this.

3:30pm:  Carlee needs a diaper change that goes right through her clothing.  I have one outfit in her diaper bag.

Two sizes too small.

The Clampetts have arrived.  

like my outfit??

3:44pm:  Dr. T:  I can see you don’t like me.  Would you like a sticker and a sucker?

Carlee:  a dada?

Dr. T: Dora?

Carlee:  uh. huh.  

Dr. T. chats with me about both children.  He is a very attentive and good doctor.  

hearing assessment is in order next week.

(another Post-it)

Carlee has one shot.  She has officially had all of her vaccinations until kindergarten.  She is healthy!

lipstick makes the boo boo better

4:30pm:  Dollar Store:  pick up a few things to teach next week's language theme:  Spring/ Gardening.  
$20.00 and Carlee gets a cookie for her ‘boo boo’.

5:00pm:  Pick up time for Connor.  He tells me he was in a bit of trouble.  He found a plastic comb and pretended it was  switchblade.

I talk to him about the seriousness of words, and causes for suspension at school.  He said he was acting out the part in “Grease”.  Lovely.  I will just call after school care and explain that he meant he was going to “kill” with slicked hair, bad singing, and a switchblade comb.  no. thank you.

5:30am:  Carlee and Connor hug like they have not seen each other in weeks.

5:32pm: Connor starts yelling at Carlee for throwing his John Cena behind the couch.  

5:34pm:  They are giggling hysterically over the book ‘Potty’.

5:36pm:  Carlee is crying because she wants Connor’s shoes off of his feet and he refuses.

5:45pm:  I burn the bread.  

6:00pm:  Darren comes in and the children embrace him like he is the one trying to fix their burnt bread.

How was work?  How are you?  
(what we really mean- I need a nap)

6:15am:  another diaper change is needed.

Darren:  I’m tired from work, can you do it? 

Me:  (a stare that spawned a thousand deaths)

Darren:  ummm.  never mind.

6:30pm:  Dinner and we discuss a way to manage school fundraiser time, kid pick ups, soccer saturday, car repair appointment, and things we need.  Connor tells a funny story.  Carlee shows her “boo  boo”.  Connor takes three bites, and asks if he can have cereal.

(insert death stare here).

6:40am:  Homework/ Review of Awana Scripture

Connor and I have lots of engaging conversation.

How was school?

I don’t know

What did you learn today

I don’t know

Who did you talk to at lunch today?

I don’t know

7:00pm:  making a lot of careless mistakes.  I talk to him about the importance of using his brain and thinking things out.  

I can’t read planner- what does  ‘bring shack mean?’

I don’t know.

I text another mother.  

20 minutes later I get ‘shack’ is ‘snack’.  

I quit talking about using your brain.

7:15am:

spell. the. word. it has been 15 minutes.  spell. the. word.

I leave the room to have him work independently.

I come back and he is hanging upside down off the bed saying “Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?"

My voice is like a firecracker to “hurry up” and he falls off the bed.

We finish, review scripture, and give a prayer of thank you.

7:30am:

Darren gets the kids in the bathtub.

I clean up the living room.

finally some Disney TV time

8:30pm:

Darren gets the kitchen.  (Rocks it.)  

I play and cuddle Carlee.

She likes for me to ask her to find things in books.

Carlee sleeps with four blankets and four stuffed animals.

They all kiss. kiss. kiss. kiss. her.  She giggles.  A lock of her hair falls over her eyes.  She is my sweetie cutie doll.  

She is a gift.

9:00pm:

Darren works on bills.  I avoid him at this time.

Connor gets in my bed.  He asks me if Michael Jackson’s ghost is real.  There are no ghosts.  He starts to tell me about WWE, and that he gave another boy a pep talk at after school ‘just do your best, trying your best is what matters’...  and it felt good.  Then he asks me why I wear MC Hammer pants.

my PJ- MC HAMMER pants?
I love C.  He is so full of energy, personality, and compassion.  

9:15pm:  I get on the computer to work on my list of things to do from this morning and to organize all my ‘post its’.

I open my first PBIS email:  ‘SET accessories and overview: SETS are active, This is not to say that schools do not have to use data or submit data - it just might not include ODR data due to PowerSchool issues.  Include that information when presenting the exemplar implementation efforts!’  

I decide it must be written in Chinese because I don’t know what in the HECK I’m reading.  I cut to mindless Facebook and read the latest headlines instead.

10:00pm:

Darren finds his debit card in his shoe, we see his wallet is open on the dresser (within Carlee’s reach), and the other cards are under bed.  

We tell a story or two about the day.  He tells a funny story about how when he was younger the only way to watch a wrestling ‘paperview’ was a closed circuit TV with a limited set of monitors. Once he got tickets to watch it at the BIG I on the BIG screen!

We are olddddddd.

11:00pm:   Thankful for day to day life, the ability to work hard, the health of everyone in the family, no emergencies, the richness of the day.  

high five day

Thankful for Post-its.

Thankful for sleep.

..blink twice for I love you, zzzzzzzzzzzzz