Tuesday Tidbits

Here's my hit list:

• Technology: I do adore it. But, after going 4 days without an iPhone, I loved having to ask people the time and thinking I was living in the Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Days of the 21st Century. 
• There's nothing better than face-to-face communication. Even if it's over video chat or FaceTime, nonverbal expression compose the majority of communication.
• No panic feeling. How I've grown in 3 years? First day back from winter break, most teachers are scrambling. Then, my principal walks in 5 minutes before school starts with a new student for my class. No panic. No scrambling. All will work out especially if you remain calm. Although, this put a hamper on my resolution of not eating while standing up. Breakfast wasn't until 10:45.
• 10 minutes later. There's woman in the bushes outside my classroom. Knocking on my window. It's a friend from the gym who bakes everything from scratch. She had a humongous chocolate cupcake. At the end of the day, I shared it with the new student.
• DonorsChoose. I've had 2 projects fully funded in the past month. The last one was fully funded by people not even living in Cpep or VA for the most part. They worked for corporate sponsors who chose to use their gifts cards to donate to my room. How cool is it that people donated to kids they don't even know? I like those odds.  But, the odds are on these kids. Because of these donations, I'm able to reach all the kids in my room and meet him or her where they're at. Good stuff. www.donorschoose.org/annerichardson
• My neighbor. I don't want to force community. But, ask her and her husband to get my mail while I was traveling. She invited me in yesterday and chatted about life at her island (she asked me to sit down!~yeah! a friend/neighbor maybe!). 
• Flurries outside.
• Crystal Light Pink or Yellow Lemonade packets...for the afternoon at school
• A freshly cleaned/waxed car
• Purging/organizing/cleaning/recycling/donating...whatever it takes to simplify and have what I need but pitch some wants
• Little kiddos looking like eskimos or the Michelin man all bundled up
• Someone mentioned summer in an email to me. I do love summer.
• Paying bills online. Stamps=$, Licking envelopes=yuck!
• Shellaced nails. Just do it. "My Ms. R your nails are so shiny they look like rims." Note they aren't that shiny.
• 9 PM. A snoozing dog on my lap to the left. Knitting to the right. Feet up on the coffee table (my house, my rules), and Texas Multi Mamas on (thanks to Momma for stalking this show for me...it's a hoot!).

Moral of the Story: My custodian today pulled me aside in a big huge and said 'looks like break suited you well.' It did. Good stuff.