Four On Friday

Happy Friday...

1. Today is a comp day for parent/teacher conferences and time to catch up at home. One son is at drama camp (an activity offered by our district). He was very nervous he would be the only boy at camp and was relieved to see other boys when we arrived. The other two little brothers ( Mo and Curly ) are helping me clean out drawers and cupboards in between video game breaks and playing outside.

2. My sister called and asked me to jump in and run the last six miles of the Columbus Marathon with her. I am excited and hopeful I can help her keep pace for the last leg. I have to admit that since I was sick a few weeks ago, I haven't pushed my self to run consistently. Looks like this is the perfect opportunity to get back into the groove.

3. I have this co-dependent issue with my own children. You know when they try something new and you know it is going to kick their butt...like my oldest who is trying to play hockey for the first time with kids who have been playing since they were 3. I have a sick to my stomach feeling often as I watch him on the ice. I feel every little up or down with him and sometimes want to take on his emotions. He has this huge desire to play and we are supporting him, encouraging him and loving him. He has taught me so much about courage. Even though he gets down, we build him back up and remind him that he is getting better each practice. We remind him of his natural strengths and that this experience is helping him grow. He is learning to let go of kids teasing him and trying to find friends on the team who support him. I want to cry some days as I see him frustrated and defeated. Then I remember that I am the cheerleader...this parenting stuff kicks my butt some days.

4. I took my class to Glacier Ridge Metro Park yesterday for a field trip where we learned about seasonal changes from two naturalists. This trip was AWESOME!!! My students were able to witness, talk and ask questions about the seasonal changes that occur here in Ohio. I took a ton of pictures I will use with the kids. I think we might gets our hands into oil pastels to do some work making a background for the pictures and use the pictures to reflect about what we learned. I am still thinking about how it will look as a final product...collage of some kind.