Teddy, Before

Shaggy little pup

Moments before entering the grooming truck 

Who 'dis? 

How you like me now? 

Cannot even believe this is the same puppy! (He's been sleeping for hours....think all the puppy spa treatments, trimming and fussing exhausted Mr. Teddy Graham.) 

I was down before I knew what happened. The leash slipped from my hand. Teddy started running.

"Grab the leash Alex!" I shouted at my son who turned to see my down on the ground and Teddy running. 

Thankfully, thankfully he caught the leash moments before Teddy darted into the street. 

Raised sidewalk, I suppose, was to blame. My hands and knees were scraped but otherwise I was fine. 

It has not been my day.

The day began with a stomach bug with sharp cramps and I'll spare you the rest. When you are the mom, you can't really take much time to not feel well. So as the bug subsided, I was up again, making lunch, driving to the barber shop, going shopping for Easter clothes and prizes for Brownie Bingo, making dinner, walking the puppy.....

I'm feeling the need to call it a night and hope tomorrow is a better one. 

Last week, my puppy Teddy Graham had some tummy troubles that resulted in a vet visit. Teddy is my first pet ever and I had gotten into the habit of giving him lots of people food. Chicken nuggets, cheerios, bacon, hamburger, cookies....a lot of people food. Turns out, this was very bad. The vet said the only thing I could give him besides his dog food is boiled chicken. 

The problem is Teddy has gotten so used to eating people food that he constantly hounds us at meal times for something to eat. He puts his paws on my leg and looks at me with such a hopeful face, pink tongue out, tail wagging. It's so hard to turn him down.

Tonight' s solution? Have some of his boiled chicken near me and feed him that when he does his usual puppy eyes begging routine. He was happy, I was happy, and hopefully his tummy stays happy. 

Dear Easter Decorations,
I know, by now, you would be proudly hanging in the windows, sitting on windowsills and otherwise making my house look festive and fun. After St. Patrick's Day, I planned to take you out and hang you up, but guys- this month has been crazy. Today my plan was to put you up and get a full week of Easter festivities in, but let me tell you why you are STILL sitting in the bins, undecorated.

My house was a disaster this morning and you really can't decorate a disaster. Too much clutter everywhere, needing to be cleared before I could put out the pastel eggs, bunnies and baskets. Then, the puppy needed breakfast and a walk. Soon after, I had to shower to get ready for my son's flag football game. My husband, son, daughter, puppy and mom all got to the crowded park and spent an hour watching my son's team try.....but ultimately lose. Not their day. Next, a consolatory trip to Carvel and then drop off my mom and the puppy (she's puppy-sitting this afternoon). After that, dear Easter decorations, it was quick lunch and change to get ready for a walk/run at our local park with friends. 

We spent two beautiful hours at the park and got lots of steps in before my children were invited to keep the fun going at a friend's house. So it was drop off the kids, drop off a car, go to my mom's to get the puppy. Then get home, write a blog post and walk over to pick u the kids from play date. Convince the kids it was, indeed, time to go. Get home, order dinner, do some laundry, eat, go for a walk again with the puppy and the kids.

Now? I could start to put them up now but just made a cup of coffee and the houses is still, disaster-ish. Tomorrow, Easter decoration, tomorrow I will put you up. We still have a week to go until Easter!

Apologetically yours,
Kathleen 

Spring break is here. 
Exhale.
March has been a march.....a long march towards this time of break. It's been an incredibly busy, emotional month. There are still to-do's to do, but I can breathe a bit easier now. We are days away from completing the March SOLSC.....I love this month and this time to write but I'm also eager for it to end. To have more free time and less stress about getting my blog post written and making sure I am reading and commenting. This is the first March I missed a couple of days and I think it just speaks to how challenging this month has been for me. 
But cheers to Friday, cheers to the finish line getting closer and cheers to Spring Break! 
​

Funny when report cards for your students and report cards for your children collide. I've just finished my second trimester report cards and my students will receive them on Friday. My children just had their report cards published and I reviewed them today. Tomorrow I will meet with their teachers via Google Meet to discuss their progress. Meanwhile, I've been calling my students' families this week to discuss their report cards and progress so far. 

As a teacher, I'm mindful to say something positive always in the comments. I try to lean on the side of positive when I can for any indicator. I feel badly when a child receives all 1's and minuses and try to soften the blow with kind comments about positive things I notice and appreciate about the child. 

Years ago, my son had difficulty with reading and writing, The report card had a lot of 2's (below grade level) in these areas. I can't tell you how delighted I was to see 4's down the columns for reading and writing! Exceeding grade level?! Back in second grade I remember meeting with his teacher and AIS provider. I said I didn't want him to be a "lifer" in AIS reading and wanted him to close the gap. I'm so proud of him for how far he's come through a rough few years to be doing so well academically.

Report cards are a challenge as a teacher, but I see as a parent how much they mean. It makes the work more important and I vow to help every child feel appreciated and valued. I hope to paint an honest picture for parents while also being hopeful and letting them know what we can work on.....together. 

I hope I don't get pulled over this morning, I think to myself as I pull my curly hair into two pony tails. It's Music In Our Schools Month Spirit Week and today is Crazy Hair Day. My music teacher colleagues have made this month so much fun for everyone and have worked hard to put it all together for the kids. I want to support their efforts and participate, even though I really prefer my hair in, well, not pony tails? 

I have a bunch of phone calls to parents today to discuss progress and the upcoming report card. Grateful today that these conversations will not be on Google Meet! 

The end of the day has arrived. Students are packing up. My new student approaches, holding her Smartpal. She shows me the note you see above. And I don't know what I've done today to inspire such a lovely and thoughtful note. But this student had not been in a physical classroom for a year and when she joined our class, it was my goal to make her feel welcome and included.

Some days it is hard to know if you are making a positive impact or any impact. And then some days you get a note that helps you know you do make a difference. 

The first day of spring brought us to Cedar Creek Park for my son Alex's flag football game. We decided to bring Teddy, our cavapoo puppy, with us this time. Teddy sniffed every blade of grass it seemed and raised his little furry leg at every tree we passed. The whistle blowing and football flying captured his attention. He captured the attention of all the children who were on the sidelines. 

"Your dog is so cute!"  

We met little boys and little girls who loved Teddy alike. One boy said he looked like a swiffer (Teddy is due for a grooming!) 
In between plays, Alex came over to play with Teddy and get kisses. 

Alex's team won the game and the kids got ice cream to celebrate. A puppy in the park, a winning game and ice cream too made it a lovely first day of spring.