A Boring Life

I like to think of myself as having a very simple life, what some people would refer to as boring. When I look at the big picture, I'm a mom of three grown children, I teach fifth grade, I'm a daughter to two great parents, and I'm not such a bad friend. It certainly sounds manageable and I sometimes actually wonder how I fill my days with so few "duties."

Today I woke up at 5:30 to walk Grace, my dog, and by 6:45 I was ready and off to school.

At 7:15, I was helping two kids drag in a huge barrel to collect shoes and blankets for the homeless. I then had a lengthy discussion (maybe it just seemed lengthy) as to what a Cheese-a-dilla actually was -- that was what the cafeteria had listed as a lunch choice.

I also timed Collin as he went to the bathroom because he has a tendency to lose track of time, a lot of time. Then noticed that Hannah the hamster's cage was a little stinky and suggested she might need a cleaning. During the day, I also helped a couple kids with long division, listened to someone's Christmas Wishes, which included a visit from his estranged dad, who happens to spend his holidays in prison. Believe it or not, the only college prep I had to any of this was the long division, and I'm not sure how important that is anyway.

I assisted Sean in drilling holes in a plastic bottle to make a bird feeder. He placed the hole too high from the perch in my opinion, but he insisted there were tall birds who needed to eat too. I read aloud from The Great Gilly Hopkins, then read it again to a couple of kids who are so easily distracted they need a private reading. I spent quite a bit of time playing with blocks trying to convince my kids that just because there are three pieces to a puzzle doesn't necessarily mean its divided into thirds.

Somewhere in there I ate Nachos (I opted out of the Cheese-a-dilla) and gave a few high fives in the hall to the kids who reassure me that they're going to be in my room next year.

At 2:30, I put the last kid on the bus and went to a faculty meeting. We talked about our Christmas party and the "dirty Santa" game we always play. It sounds quite provactive but it's actually very tame. Lori, our principal, then talked about a new nationally based standard curriculum, where 5th grade will be assessed in all subject areas. I said "Bring it on." (Actually, I don't think that was my exact quote.)

On the way home, I touched base with Carly, who was in a much better mood. Talked with my mom and dad. At home, I walked Grace, did a load of laundry, cleaned my living room floor (that's almost a daily chore when you live at a zoo.) Now I'm on my way to a book club meeting.

If my life gets any more boring, I'm going to have to start working weekends.