Napping: Pleasure or Curse

No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap.

-Carrie P. Snow

 

 

Today I took a four hour nap. Now you are thinking that I must have had a rough day. Not really. Next you might be thinking that there isn't anything wrong with a four hour nap. I agree, there isn't. Unless it starts at 4:30 in the afternoon!

 

I don't know what happened! I laid down to rest for a few minutes and before I knew it, it was 8:30! That's normally the time I am thinking about going to bed.

 

It is now 3:01 a.m and I have sought after sleep since about ten. Epic fail.

 

I have caught up on all of my Internet interests, played a few games and thought about all the things I need to do both at home and school, along with plans for the summer and the next school year.

 

Wednesday could be a very interesting day for everyone involved in the 4th grade!

 

P.S I hope that I am not giving naps a bad name

Just as Long as We're Together

Today I had a "this is why I teach" moment. On Wednesday last week, I recommended "Just as Long as We're Together" by Judy Blume to a student. I know that Judy Blume's books can sometimes be taboo (I just finished reading Forever and informed my fourth grade students that they were not allowed to read it until they were 40,) but I felt that she would really connect to the book. She acted like I gave her a million dollars! All she did this weekend was read and came to school full of comments and wanted to talk about it all morning, even in the middle of math!

Once we had a chance to actually talk about it, she told me that she really felt like this book touched her and she wanted her own copy. She promised me that she would read it again when she got older. She felt that she could connect to the characters and that it may prepare her for things to come.

I have gone ahead and arranged for her to have her own copy. I love these moments when kids get excited and find their own *heart flutter*

What book made a difference in your life, either as a child or as an adult?

Favorites Friday

Some of my favorite things:


Celebrating the end of the week with Breakfast Burrito Friday.

 

Naming and loving on OTHER people's animals.

 

 

Walking down country roads with friends on a beautiful spring day.

 

 

Eating popcorn, sipping wine and sitting on the porch swing.

 

 

 

Spreading Love

 

As I mentioned yesterday my sister sent my class a letter in response to their letter to her. In the letter was a little something for me too! OH my! What a *heart flutter* that was! She had come up with a list of 30 reasons she loved that I was her sister. I will share a few with you. (They are all so good, but you wouldn't understand all of them.)

• You only like to ride on one side of the car
• You taught me naughty words in sign language
• You smell good
• You save stuff on your DVR for me
• You push me to embrace my  inner artist
• You help me find my successes
• You call me "Erin Molly"

I have read over this list numerous times today and my *heart flutters* every time I read it! I even shared it with a few of my students who are kindred spirits.

My students loved getting a response in the mail and felt special also. It just goes to show that even a small task can make a world of difference!

*Heart Flutter* number two for the day. We had our field trip today and while walking along with one of my students she said to me, "Ms. Wilson, I know why you planned this field trip today. You aren't grumpy on Thursdays!" Oh how scary it is how much they notice and listen to me! Thursday's are usually a pretty good day for me and it was neat how she had noticed that or listened when it was talked about over the year.

Challenge: Make a list for someone special in your life and give it to them. You will be surprised at the impact it will make!

May Day

Once again May first and May Day have snuck up on me. For a few years now I have wanted to do something for this fun day even though I have not ever received or given a May basket. Sadly, since it is such a crazy time of year, the day is upon me before I can get anything together!

Today Mother Nature has blessed us with big, fluffy, wet snowflakes! It snowed most of the day but wasn't too cold. I am thankful for the moisture even though it is keeping me from wearing my Chacos and sitting on my newly remodeled porch swing. I do worry about our field trip tomorrow to the Wildlife Sanctuary, but if nothing else, it will be an adventure.

Today I have a fun *heart flutter* to share with you! Not too long ago, my sister was having a hard time and I wanted to send her a smile. So I had all of my students sign a card for her and we mailed it. Well today, in my mailbox at school, I found a response! My students are going to be so excited. They really like my sister and talk about her often. I had to contain myself and not open it yet until the kids are with me.

 

 

Thank you Erin Molly for the *heart flutter* and making my students and myself smile!

I Call a Redo

I tried to blog. I got discouraged and stopped. Now I want to try again and try harder this time.

I have changed the name to *Heart Flutters* because I have been thinking a lot lately about what makes my heart flutter and what makes me happy. Focusing on these things seems to make all the little annoyances and irritants fade away.

As before, I don't know where it is going to take me, but I have some ideas.

To begin with, I want to talk about Tuesdays. I have dubbed Tuesday as "No T.V Tuesday" At no point during the day will I turn on the t.v (which today is really hard since Michael Buble is going to be on Dancing With the Stars, and he is an epic *heart flutter*) This was brought by the fact that I often watch too much t.v and also while reading "The Library Card" with one of my reading groups, one of the characters had to turn the t.v off for a whole week. I asked the students to write a paragraph about their thoughts if they had to do a "Great T.V Turn Off." It was very interesting to hear their responses. I wondered myself what I would do and if I could handle it.

During these times, I plan to focus on other things. This could be catching up on things that I have put off, cleaning, creating, being active, reading, or just being. Not using the t.v to fill the silence.

On this Tuesday, I am revamping my blog and finishing "Anne of Windy Poplars" (another *heart flutter*) and putting away the three loads of laundry that I have washed but put off putting away. I look forward to what these Tuesdays bring.

What would you do if you turned your t.v off for a whole night? A week?

 

Back In the Day

Salida, Colorado



Every year my family and I go to a small mountain town in Colorado called Salida. I LOVE this town and if I ever leave my current living place, I will look into moving here. Mountains, trees, super cute houses and plenty of stuff to do. Every year we go to the small local book store called the Book Haven and also to a coffee shop called The Simmering Cup. I always by a book, usually a used one. This year I found a Mary Higgins Clark thriller! We sit in the coffee shop talking and people watching and just enjoy each others company.

This year was different.

I realized that one reason I enjoyed this trip so much was my step mom, Sandy. She, like myself, found joy in the simple pleasures of life and got excited with me about such little things. We sat in the coffee shop for hours and those are some of my favorite memories of her.

She passed away in October. Although I still enjoyed going to Salida and doing all the things we do, it just wasn't the same without her. To add to the void, it was her birthday that weekend. So what should have been a time celebrating and making memories, we were trying not to break down in such a public place.

I am thankful for my sister Molly being there with me. To partake in the annual events and adding a few new things to look forward to next year.

This picture was taken across the street from the coffee shop and used to be the side of the book store, but the book store moved across the street. I have always liked this wall, and have taken pictures of it before, but never have done anything with it. There are several of these walls around downtown.

Even though we were sad and missing Sandy, we had a lot of fun and I look forward to next year.

This is an old picture, taken about three years ago, but this was a time that the whole family was able to go. Ali isn't in this picture, but came the next day.