All posts by onathought

#sol18 March 29 A slice of time

March 29, 2018Family, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Time. Remember time? I used to clean the kitchen after my babies were asleep for the night. I’d pick projects to do, or shows to watch, or both!

I noticed today, once again, that my kitchen is always a mess. Someone mentioned to me that they are out like a light around 8:30 every night because they are so tired. Hours later, I was still reflecting on my internal reaction to this proclamation. I had blamed my children, albeit in my head, for my never going to bed on time. But, honestly, I’ve never been able to go to bed on time.

Time. Remember time? I used to sit on my bedroom floor and listen to cassette tapes over and over again, until I had the lyrics memorized. “Tropical the island breeze/ All of nature wild and free/ This is where I long to be/ La isla bonita. . . “

When I plug my phone in my car, my music starts playing alphabetically. This drives me crazy, but sometimes I don’t take the time to skip through, or put it on shuffle, or pick an actual album I’d like to listen to from my library. I love my Hamilton, but I’ve listened to Aaron Burr, Sir a few too many times. (And then yes, The Adams Administration…and then, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that the next “song” is always Air Conditioner – Loopable with no fade.)

Time. Remember time? I used to get bored. I’d sit in my room, bored.

I read today that phones are a distraction even when they are off. When I’m waiting for something, I pick up my phone. Sometimes I read my book on my kindle app, sometimes I check facebook, sometimes I write an email. The time is gone in a jiffy. I am not bored.

Time. Remember time? I used to sit and think, or get into bed and dream up stories and plans. Sometimes it took over an hour for me to fall asleep!

Tonight, I tucked in all three kids, and fell asleep twice. I’ve gone to bed 2 times already tonight, and I haven’t thought one dream, one story or one plan.

Time. Remember time?

#sol18 March 28 6 word slice

March 28, 2018Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Today was full of too much.

(So that's all I can write.)

#sol18 March 27 The dog is crying

March 27, 2018Pets, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

the dog is crying
in his crate
even though he's been sleeping in a crate
up until 6 weeks ago
when susie died 

the dog is crying 
in his crate
even though we moved it to the room he loves
because we didn't want him 
to be lonely

the dog is crying 
in his crate
even though I could really use a moment of peace
a moment that isn't a reminder
that I can't keep everyone happy

the dog is crying
in his crate
even though I gave him lots of love and a treat
as if to remind me,
"You didn't let your human babies cry it out."

#sol18 March 26 A slice of Someday Maybe

March 26, 2018Family, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Someday you might be the mom racing into school right on time. Maybe your kids will drag their feet, maybe it will be you. Maybe a combination. Maybe nobody will listen the first few times you say it’s time to pack their lunches, get their shoes, put away the iPad they aren’t even supposed to have out in the morning… Maybe nobody will listen the fifth time you say it either. Maybe nobody will ever listen to you again.

Someday you might be the mom who uses your lunch break to walk the dog, make some popcorn for lunch, and stuff your kids’ karate things into bags before heading back to school. Maybe popcorn for lunch will seem normal to you.

Someday you might be the mom racing out of school, 8 year old racing along with you. Maybe you’ll have to pick up your 9th grader and somehow get to your 11 year old’s volleyball tournament at the high school. Maybe it will be next to impossible for you to park. Maybe you’ll be stuck behind buses, have to turn around on a side street, and then be stuck behind more buses. Maybe you’ll park just as a high school student gets to his car. Maybe he’ll open his doors, blocking your daughter in her seat. Maybe you’ll have to smile and ask him to move.

Someday you might be the mom getting your kids to karate half an hour late. Maybe the volleyball tournament went a little longer than you had planned for. Maybe your kids were starving after that so you had to stop for a quick snack. Maybe little containers of apples and pretzels will be the healthiest thing you can get them. Maybe your kids will bicker in the car, and beg to not have to even go to Karate because they are tired, sick, late anyway. Maybe you’ll drink too much seltzer water, maybe you’ll find a parking space, maybe you won’t.

Someday you might be the mom stopping by your own parents’ house after the first karate class. Maybe you’ll have your youngest with you. Maybe you’ll let him use your phone to play a game. Maybe when you mom says, “What can I get you?” You’ll say “What are you offering?” Maybe you’ll eat her homemade vegan chili without feeling guilty. Maybe you’ll have a secret wish that your parents had a homemade soup delivery service.

Someday you might be the mom who fails the early bedtime almost every night. Maybe you’ll be the mom who snuggles each kid, plus the dog, and then the kittens. Maybe you’ll stick to your no snacks after the kids go to bed, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll catch up on your work when the house is quiet, maybe you’ll finish your dystopian book. Maybe you’ll go to bed on time, or maybe you’ll play with the kittens first.

Who knows!

#sol18 March 25 A sunny Sunday celebration slice (from my chair)

March 25, 2018Celebrate, Family, Pets, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing! I’m also celebrating with Ruth Ayres today!

I sit to write at a sunny window. It’s quiet-ish around here, and I look around. From my chair, I see some lovely Sunday celebrations. I see…

H sitting next to me, his mini paper towels are complete, and he’s working on his mini Harry Potter Book. He sits chatting and singing Into the Woods songs, making miniatures.

Finn, somehow still downstairs, not staring at the the bedroom door trying to sniff out the kittens. He sees something outside and leaps to our rescue. I don’t know what it was. A bird? A neighbor? A leaf? We will never know.

E, drawing monsters in the kitchen. He has pages and pages of creative monsters he’s drawn. They have strengths, weights, evolutions, and awesome names. So many details, so much color.

Things don’t stay the way they are for long. That’s the only thing that’s constant around here: Change.

E was frustrated with his pictures, he’s taking a break from his coloring. H is done with this miniature book, he’s searching for his next project. Finn is finally tired out enough to rest on his couch in the sun. (As he should be, since I took him out for a 2 hour walk…) And that, friends, is something to truly celebrate.

#sol18 March 24 Before That… Kitten Edition

March 24, 2018Family, Pets, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Home to slice, before I go hang out with my dog, and then snuggle the new kittens.

Before that, we went out to dinner. I confess, I mostly wanted to go to get a little break from our dog, Finnegan whining about the new kittens.

Before that, we spent time trying to get Finnegan to calm down at the closed door where the kittens were playing.

Before that, I took Finn on an hour walk, hoping to tire him out a little.

Before that, Finnegan was crying at the door and straining at his leash to see those kittens.

Before that, we had the dog sniff the carrier holding a fluffy orange and white kitten. He stared a little, whined a little, and lunged a little. Fluffy kitten didn’t care — Didn’t even flinch.

Before that, we took the tiny tabby kitten in her carrier towards the house. Finn sniffed, and the cat hissed. She was scared!

Before that, we drove 2 kittens home from the shelter.

Before that, we sat at the shelter deciding. We knew we wanted the orange and white cat, but the little tabby sat on my chest, all curled in. She was purring.

Before that, we walked in. The kids went to the orange and white fluffy cat they knew they wanted. A little tiny tabby cat stared up at me, so I picked her up.

Before that, the shelter volunteers told us two cats was better than one, and that it didn’t matter if we got one later.

Before that, we took our one pet carrier out of the car and walked into the shelter. We only needed one. Because we were only getting one kitten. The orange and white fluffy one.

Before that, the pet supply store people told us that we should get one cat now and two cats later, rather than two cats now and one cat later.

Before that, I took a deep breath, reminded the kids that it was going to be a lot of work training Finnegan to ignore any new kittens.

Before that, the kids did so many things to remind me that they needed kittens. I didn’t argue. I need cats in my life too!

Before that, I saw a quote online. “Sometimes the best way to honor the life of the pet you lost is to save another. . . Don’t wait too long, a shelter animal is waiting for you…”

Before that, we were a home without cats for the first time in a long time.

Before that, Susie passed away.

Before that, Billy passed away.

#sol18 March 23 Goodnight

March 23, 2018Family, Reflections on coaching, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Goodnight: a haiku typed on my phone

Downstairs closed and dark
Laptop tucked away down there
Upstairs quiet calls

#Sol18 March 22 Finnegan’s Medicine

March 22, 2018Pets, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Finnegan’s Medicine

The vet’s office said Finnegan would like his medicine.

“It’s in a chicken suspension, so it shouldn’t be a problem. He should like the taste,” they said.

I stared at the huge syringe and thought, ‘Ok.”

But, they were wrong.

Yes, those are my Valentine’s Elmo socks. I wore them under my boots today. Then, I had to throw my boots away because they are broken now. That’s a different slice. A sad slice. I was going to crop myself out of the picture, but then I thought, I should be my authentic self.

The vet was very, very wrong.

I’m sure there’s a better way to do this.

Finally, most got in his mouth, but some did splash on the floor.

“UGH! Chicken juice on the floor!” my vegetarian family groaned.

Luckily, Finnegan did like the taste when it was on the floor.

If he ever needs this medicine again, I plan on just pouring it on the floor.

Dogs are weird.

(But sweet and cute enough to make it up for it)

#Sol18 March 21 Spring Snow Day

March 21, 2018Family, poetry, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Spring Snow Day: A day in a few words

Delay!
Cancelled!
Yay!

Coffee?
Coffee?
Coffee?

Clean
Your
Stuff.

Chores?
No!
Chores!

Whine?
Too
Much.

Wine?
Too
Early.

Chores?
No!
Chores!

Ignored
Annoyed
Tired

Roads?
Clear
Enough.

Lunch
Shop
Home

Vet
Karate
Grandparents

Home
Snack
Write

Clean
Your
Stuff!

Hope
Bedtime’s
Soon.

#Sol18 March 20 Kindergarteners

March 20, 2018Reflections on coaching, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

I’m ready for Kindergarten.

Thanks to help of another coach, I have an interactive writing lesson planned for this morning. Thanks to a kind kindergarten teacher, I have a bunch of kids to practice with! Thanks to my love of sticky notes, I had just enough to cover my mystery pictures.

Last night I practiced with Mr. Thought. I needed to make sure I had the flow of the lesson down. As we peeled sticky notes away, he wasn’t as excited as I hoped the kindergarteners would be. But, he cooperated as we labeled a few important parts, and came up with some sentences to go with our eagle picture.

“That was a little boring,” he told me.

“Maybe that’s because you already know how to read, past a kindergarten book!” I said and I scowled a little, hoping the kindergarteners won’t think it’s boring.

Despite my boring practice session last night, I am ready for kindergarten.

As I sit with kindergarteners, I can’t help but think, “How lucky am I?”

We do so much in our small group meetings. They are definitely more excited than Mr. Thought was.

I knew we would guess what pictures are, label important parts, analyze the details, sound out words, write sentences, count words, sound out more words, and read our pages. I wasn’t planning on kids saying they want to label the fish “prey” not just “fish,” and those who add, “Well, then we need to label predator too.” (That’s a hard word to sound out cold with kindergartners…)

I knew I’d be trying to get them to see what our whole book was about. I wasn’t planning on the boy saying after the first look, “This must be a book about the Food Chain!”

I knew we would need to go over some norms for talking. I wasn’t planning on the girl saying emphatically, “So we will take all our ideas and work together?” (“Yes, please!”)

I knew they would want to make decisions about what we put on our page. I wasn’t planning on the group who brought their pencils and are so disappointed that I am holding the pen today. Their disappointment quickly turns to excitement when I give them each a small yellow sticky. At first this causes a chorus of “How do you write….” but as soon as I remind them to use kid writing, they are on a roll. Of course, I do smile a little when the kids who wrote “nachur” and “tlug” (tongue) insist that their friend add the ‘k’ to “roc.”

I knew that kindergartners were brilliant. I wasn’t planning on the group with a different perspective. Their first page includes the sentences “The fish are swimming away from the whale shark.” and “The whale shark is determined to get the fish in his mouth!” They want each page to have a sentence from both the prey and predator perspectives. “Determined?” Way to go with the vocabulary! Later, another group will insist on the word “pouncing!”

This group added questions to their pages! Original Image from here.

I knew there would be kids who interrupted me with things like, “I got this new bracelet, do you like it?” I wasn’t planning on the boy asking, “Which mommy are you?” I remind him that although I am a mommy, I’m actually also an Instructional Coach. Then, I thank the group for letting me come to practice in kindergarten today.

“Am I doing okay so far?” I whisper.

They all lean in, and nod. One child whispers back, “You’re doing great!”

I knew I loved Kindergarteners.