I turn 40 in a few days.
Mostly I’m just fine with 40. It’s a pretty nice spot that I’m sitting in at this age.
I do wish there was more time. I wish things were a bit less wrinkly/droopy/squishy. I thought by now I would have figured out a really good system for keeping the house clean.
But other than that? I accept the challenge of this next decade. Bring it on.
(Celebrated with fine dining and even finer friends. And a singular blurry photo.)
Last week we added a camera to our classroom. It’s an inexpensive number, for obvious reasons.
We wanted to give them another way to express themselves, working within the limitations of their developing fine motor skills. In addition, it gives them a way to document and honor their work, such as a block tower, before it need to be disassembled and used by the next person.
They’ve already taken thousands of photos. (Thank you digital age!) As we browsed them, we giggled and pointed and discussed what makes a good photo. We talked, in the simplest terms, about composition. They are loving the challenge and the responsibility of a “real” camera.
We’ve created a Flickr account to house their work. The photos are SOTC—not cropped or edited. This is one of my favorites, shot, I believe, by a three-year-old.
Look at us! Out for the night! With friends! And drinks! And brussels sprouts pizza!
Filled to the brim in so many ways. Good stuff.
Today in class we talked about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his significance in history. At this age, we try to find a gentle way to talk about this subject.
We began with a basket of eggs in a variety of colors. We gave each child an egg and asked them describe it—color, size, and shape. Then one at a time, we asked for the eggs back, cracking them into a big bowl. What we noticed was that while the shells of the eggs looked very different, for the most part, the insides of the eggs looked very much the same.
We talked about how this was much like people—we look very different, but on the inside we are very much the same. We told the children that this was the work of Dr. King, to spread the idea that he felt all people should be treated equally, regardless of the differences we might see on the outside. We all deserve love, respect, and a chance to thrive.
(I wish I could say this was my original idea, but some brilliant mind thought it up some time ago.)
Today the whole school went to the local Senior Center and sang for them. They love seeing all the little faces, singing their hearts out.
As this is the first year of the preschool, we were first-time participants. We’d been practicing our songs for weeks, and I’m so proud of them.
Neko and Shep did a great job singing with the older kids, which makes me smile, as I remember the year when Neko was a kindergartener, hiding under a chair so she didn’t have to sing.
When we had our third child, people would ask if the addition made things much harder. My honest answer was that the baby was a challenge, but it was the laundry that was killing us.
Now that I’ve gone back to work, I have a similar answer. I feel as though I’m getting into my groove at school, but, again, the laundry might do us in. When we get behind, the laundry accumulates in depressing piles in the kids’ bedrooms or in the mudroom. When we’re all caught up, their tiny closets are bursting at the seams.
As I contemplated the switch to fall clothes, I hatched a plan. We would provide each child with five pairs of pants and ten tops. Pants would be neutral and tops could offer color and fun. As the kids are still at the age where they let me do the shopping (those days are numbered), I would take into account everyone’s favorite colors and styles. This should be plenty as, just like adults, kids tend to wear only a certain percentage of their wardrobe.
I won’t even begin to go down the road of commenting on the state of the children’s fashion industry, as enough folks have done that recently. But let me just say that in order to complete this task, I had to shop at seven different stores. Mostly online. And that factored in several hand-me-downs and things that still fit from last season.
Today, I pulled the trigger on the plan, and purged and restocked the closets. I left a few short sleeve shirts and shorts for the occasional summer-ish days that remain. But otherwise? Things in their closets are deliriously simple.
Now if only I could look at my own closet through a similar lens…
http://player.vimeo.com/video/28275361
I’ve been tracking Irene on the news, thinking of all our friends on the east coast and hoping for the best. Although the hurricane seems to be less destructive than anticipated, we’ve been thinking of strangers who are sitting directly in the path. The inevitable gathering of scattered pieces when it is all over.
Today Tom was outside with Ellery, moving an old tarp. It’s gorgeous and sunny today, albeit a bit windy—our little piece of Irene, perhaps. And then something magical happened with that old tarp and the wind, and lumped together with all the unrest in the world, it reminded me to be thankful for all my good fortune all over again.
(I’m also wishing a very happy birthday to my amazing sister, Bonnie!)
Whew. That was quite a month.
We passed the state inspection, the paperwork ducks are in a row, all the furniture was moved in, decorating occurred, pencils were sharpened, and the first week has come and gone.
I’m officially a preschool teacher.
I’m tired, but it is good. I think it will take a while to get into the groove, both at school and at home. There’s a new rhythm to be established, and routines to be learned.
In the meantime, I’m miserably behind on blogging. I did take a few photos in the past 40 days, but it’s going to take me a while to catch up. Expect some backposting, but also moving forward. On all fronts.
