Day Seventy-Three

Happy Halloween!

These are my fun toe socks... a relaxing way to celebrate!

Shown here, Maya and I in 1989. My costume is a "nerd"... Todd says I didn't need a costume... but I sure liked wearing a beanie, and I didn't wear one of those everyday.

Day Seventy-One

Another fun day on the river.


I am fighting off a cold or other various bug in my body, but it felt good to get out and work my muscles tired. Its been a long week and today was a beautiful day. Crisp air. Cool air. Colder water.

Day Sixty-Nine

Sheer exhaustion.
I want to break down and cry. Not out of sadness. But out of sheer exhaution.
Conference day is the hardest day of the year for a teacher. You have 9 non-stop hours of you: you-talking, you- listening to you own voice, you- answering questions, you- smiling... the smiling is the worst. My whole face feel as if its going to crack open and fall off. I am writing this entry with my mouth open as wide as possible... stretching. I imagine I look a bit like a fish. Open. Shut. Open. Shut. Wiggle. Open. Wiggle. Shut.
My brain is ready to turn off.
I think I will let it.

Day Sixty-Eight

Snow does not go with fall foliage.
That is all I can say.

On a brighter note, if you would like to see some of my favorite photos, I have shared them online at:
http://kindergartenerinme.shutterfly.com

Day Sixty-Five

River Mascot


Today was a beautiful day on the river. Just active enough that we didn't get the camera out, but I felt good and it was my first clean run on the New Boston section of the Farmington River. The links show some of the rapids we ran today.

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/photos/?photoid=2742

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/photos/?photoid=2771

I hit a combat roll early in the run, which gave me confidence. (The last time I ran this section of river I walked off frustrated half way down the run.) A bit later Todd got stuck in a side surf and I crashed right into him. Then he had a chance to even our combat roll score. That was the last of the excitement and I felt proud to successfully run the river I considered my nemesis. Now I feel like I have run a marathon. Mom left a gift of Girl Scout Cookies (hot chocolate and Baileys) which is my only salvation to sooth my aching bones.

Todd is jacked up for more tomorrow now that it is raining.
Let's pray to the rain gods.

Day Sixty-Three

A few photos from play-dough making.


What fun being a teacher. This is my homework now.

In all reality, its a bit of a pain in the butt. Mixing. Cooking. Mixing. Cooking more. Hot, hot dough that you can't touch to find out when its ready. Todd saved the day running out to buy salt. I had one cup, but needed two. Now Todd knows why my kids eat it... MMMMmmmmm... salty.

Evening Sixty-Two

Dinner photos

Day Sixty-Two

Thank you all for thinking of me.
Today I am feeling much better.
A 24 hour bug crept into my tummy but has since passed.

The best feeling was listening to my kids in the hall this morning talking to each other:
A: "Emily is back today."
J: "Yesssss...."
Then they came in and told me that they missed me.

That is Kindergarten love.

Day Sixty-One

The downside to teaching

The downside to teaching is that you get sick. wretching sick. sick like-you are-a-little-kid-and-all-you-want-is-your-mommy sick. puking 'til you choke for air. Adults shouldn't puke unless highly intoxicated... or unless they are a teacher.
thank heavens for nice husbands and substitue teachers.

Day Fifty-Nine, evening

Week-end Blessings:

• Slumber parties with my mom, watching movies, reading books, eating french toast for breakfast, drinking coffee.
• Sleep, glorious, relaxed sleep. Sleep in a cool bedroom with heavy weight of cozy quilts piled on top of me. The cool of my pillowcase against my cheek. The smell reminiscent of my childhood blanket.
• Yummy comfort foods made by mom... no cooking, only reheating.
• Open house at my school. Fall festival for the families. Compliments and praise from everyone we met.
• Shopping at Joann Fabrics, buying many unneccesary clearance items, and finally getting my sewing machine cleaned properly.
• Finishing a good book, starting a new one.
• A completed to do list.
• A fridge full of groceries.
• Fun "Bizarre Bazaar" shopping for crafty goodness, buying gifts for family and getting project ideas for me.
• Scrapbooking all day, creating beautiful pages to show off all the wonderful people in my life and the fun times I had over the summer.
• Seeing Todd after a week-end apart, happy greetings and cuddles.
• Wonderful souvenirs brought back by Todd... new boating gear to keep me warm in the cooler weather: gloves, fleece, pants, and socks. All good bargains.

I am truly blessed.

Day Fifty-Nine

Quotes from my favorite "I Am" poem, written by a first grade student:

I like to eat macaroni and cheese bowls in the bathtub.
I like to swim in my blow up pool.
I like to eat ice cream for dinner.
I like to eat M&M's for breakfast.
I like playing pirates on the swingset.
I like to blow out the candles on my birthday cake.
I like to switch costumes with my brother.
I like to have pillow fights at night.
I like to give my brother lots of birthday cards.
I like eating doughnuts and making a mess in the car.
I like gardening with my mom.
I like trick-or-treating with my brother and he takes my candy.
I like teaching my brother how to play piano even though he does not know how to play.


A Kindergartener's:

I remember when I was a little kid.
I remember when I was just a baby.
I remember my first haircut.
I remember when I first started playing soccer.
I remember when I moved into this class.
I remember when I first saw the leaves change color.
I remember when I first started writing this poem.


How five and six-year-olds define themselves is facinating.

Day Fifty-Eight

I'd thought you all might be interested in a few excerpts from my latest class newsletter...

Life in my world consists of:

It has been an fun and short week in the K-1 classroom.

We have begun working in our vetrinarian's office and curing all of our sick animals (except a few of course who could not be saved, they were buried under the computer desk). We also worked on building our pet store, although much of the work will need to be completed next week. We made many signs that remind shoppers not to touch the animals. H. wrote "Do not tach the animuls." C.'s reads a simple "PLS!"



In science we took a tree identification walk. We also began discussions of what it means to be alive. The discussion was great, and created some debate. After working out a list of requirements, we sorted pictures into two categories "alive" and "not alive". We were then able to revise our list. While the original list said that to be alive required that you are able to run, talk, read, use muscles, ride a bike, and play, we reformed our list to include only "breathe, eat, drink, grow and do lots of things". Similarities were drawn between certain objects. A. was convinced that cars are alive because they drink and eat gas. A. thought computers were alive because they were so smart. Robots called all our thinking into question. What a well though debate!

When did you last think about the meaning of life?

Day Fifty-Seven

Somebody, Somewhere is missing a whole lot of pumpkins.

Yesterday was Yom Kippur and a holiday from school. My day to relax and catch up... not so much atonement, but it made this week a three-day work week. It doesn't get much better than that.

Todd and I decided to take our boats out on the local River- the Kinderhook. Its a fun little class II jaunt, with some small rapids and a few places to play. It was chilly, windy, rainy...

We could see the water line from the week-end's floods, it was about three feet above where we were paddling today. We saw a few ducks, some beautiful foliage, fallen leaves swirling beneath the surface, and pumpkins... lots of pumpkins lodged in log jams and resting on shore. I am sure someone, somewhere is wondering what happened to their pumpkins. We must have seen about 50 all together. Spead out over the few miles that we paddled.

At the take-out, Todd thought to collect a few to bring them home... and so he did. 6 free pumpkins. A bit scarred. A bit waterlogged. A bit silly.

It's the odd moments that make these easy river trips memorable. There's always something...

Day Fifty-Six, Part 2

Black and Whites of My World

Day Fifty-Six

Pumpkin carving.

What could be more fun on a cool, cloudy fall day?

We decided to go get our pumpkins at a local farm. Quick trip. Then the set-up in the kitchen to work and saw and cut and pull and goop and grip and trim and light.

Our arms ache from the cutting pleasures.

Our bellies full of salty seeds.

Maya decided to make an owl, Tom made a tree, I made maple leaves and Todd decided that flames are his new stand-by. It was great creative fun... and gave me an excuse to take more artsy photographs. We lit them and admired them in the dark.

Day Fifty-five, Part 2

Dinner party for four, artistic edge

Day Fifty-Five

Dinner Party of Four

After hiking, Maya and Tom came over our house to make a delicious dinner of pork, potatoes, squash, and beans. The best part was our apple crisp dessert. Real whipped cream, homemade.

Good food. Good friends. Good fun.

MMMMMMmmmmmmmmm...... How spoiled I feel.

Day Fifty-Four

Fantastic fall fun, Part two

In Black and White

Day Fifty-Three

Fantastic fall fun, Part One



This week-end has been as relaxing as necessary and as fun as possible. With Maya and Tom visiting we have made the most of this cool and wet weather.


Yesterday we went on a waterfall hike (mollie is still recovering) and saw the falls gorged by all the recent rain. This is the Race Brook Falls in Sheffield, MA- a worthy hike. Beautiful view from above and below.

Day Fifty-Two

Self portraits after shower

Day Fifty-One

If I were a different person, all this rain might give me the blues... but all I feel is some glorious fall splendor. Todd amd I had breakfast out this morning and dodged the raindrops as we ran errands to the post office, library, and grocery store. I feel fully loaded because last night I went through my clothes and did the seasonal switch, summer clothes away, winter clothes out. I atleast feel I have a few more daily options now.
My iPod sings. The rain is dreamy--- pittery pattery on the air conditioner that is still in place for its last few warm fall days. I completed almost every item on a long to do list and rewarded myself with a luxuious nap on the couch after beginning a new book. This afternoon will be filled with a hot iron, a steamy bowl of chili waiting for me in the crock pot, a sub-titled movie, and the hum of my sewing machine. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.................

Day Fifty

Todd, on cuddling: "If we were in space, we could hug with both arms".


Todd is the nicest husband ever. I guess I could just be saying that because he is mine... but he leaves me nice little good morning notes and kisses me good night each night as he tucks me in...

Yesterday, he also bought me a nice, just because present. A new iPod Nano. This toy is incredibly cool and also very motivating at the gym. I am a work-out queen and have to resist singing electronica and pop music out loud while I run. The mellower stretching playlist is a bit easier to chill with... but I often wish the world could hear what I was listening to and be happy and rock out with me.

This is my new tiny nano on top of Todd's iPod. Amazing the technology. It only holds 1000 songs, but it came in a really cute bag!

Day forty-nine

We are also celebrating Halloween a little early! Maggie's bib reads "My first Boo".



We of course have lots of treats... but check out these costumes... Kitty cat Maggie and Elmo. Maggie was drowning inside her tiny kitty costume and it took three grown ups to handle the beast to take the photos. I decided she was a baby panther rather than some domesticated breed.


Willy was facinated by Elmo's eyes and nose... Feeling them up on his own head.



He's been a bit cranky this visit so we have been entertaining him however we can. Teething. He is growing is fangs.