Memoir

Today I introduced Memoir to my kids and it went great. We read two stories, The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and What You Know First by Patricia Maclachlan. We talked about what is in our own notebooks. My students know what it is mine so together we looked through it and came up with 3 Life Themes. Then students looked into their notebooks and came up with their own themes. Tomorrow we are going to look at 3 different chapters of Knots on my Yo-Yo String by Jerry Spinelli. Our focus is to look at why people write memoir before we begin writing our own.

My 3 Themes that appear most often in my notebook are

1)My family-my daughters and days from my childhood
2)Remembering who I am-thoughts I have about myself and how I am growing
3)When my eldest daughter received the diagnosis-Mosaic Down syndrome

Challenge #31~Today~

As I was getting my girls' dinner ready I saw a bird's nest and even though we had 8 inches of snow on Sat. and 60 degree weather on Sunday. I felt that Nature was speaking to me through this beautiful sight.

Today I am one step closer to being the teacher I always dreamed I would have.

Today I am reminded to pause and embrace the moment.

Today I believe my life journey is for a reason.

Today I hope I can make a difference in someone's life.

Today I can forgive myself for not being perfect.

Today ends.

Tomorrow begins.

A new to-day.

Inspired by Ruth's post on TWT.

Challenge #30~Down to the Wire~

Tonight as I was preparing my school bag and Emma's backpack I began to think about what I would write for my slice today. A sadness hit me. Full force.It could have knocked me down it was so strong. Soon this journey will end. My first reason for participating in this challenge was to help me get into the habit of writing each day consistently. In addition, I wanted a challenge for my students as they ended the genre study of essays and finished with the state writing test. I never expected to feel so close to a group of people so much that I am already missing our daily slices. I loved reading about our daily pieces of life whether funny, silly, melancholy, happy or sad. I felt a part of a writing group. I will admit at first I was nervous. I wasn't confident enough, but as I have looked at Ruth's posts this week I am reminded that I too need to just love myself for who I am. Just as the writers who participated in this challenge treated me with such respect, I should treat myself the same. Thank you to this wonderful group of writers. This has been a fantastic, inspirational journey.

Cheers to the Slicers of 2009!

Challenge #29

I don't win many things. In fact this week, I found out I didn't receive two of my grants that I applied for, but someone was smiling on me. I won a blog award~the Splash Award. Thank you to Thinking Aloud for this honor. The Splash award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring blogs. Upon receipt of the award, one must

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom your received your Splash award.

My nominees for the Splash Award are

1)Elizabeth at Pen*Ink*Paper for inspiring me to continue to write even though life sometimes interrupts us.

2)LiteracySpark is splashed with inspiration for showing others ways to use a writer's lens.

3) Trish at My New Normal for living a life so open that others flock to her for help at a point in their life they need to hear her words, touch her spirit, and receive her love. Thank you!

Challenge #28~I sweet~

"Bath-y time!" I call to Emma and Grace as I ran the water and poured in the "fairy dust" aka bubble bath.

I quickly undressed and put the girls in. I love watching them play. They have a great time. Suddenly Gracie looks up at me and says, "I sweet, mahmah."

I giggle and say, "No, you're ornery!"

She laughed and said, "I ahn-ree!"

Nana laughed from the other room, "Did she say what I think she said?"

Gracie replied with, "Yeah, I ahn-ree!!"

My Gracie-sugar and sweet with a WHOLE LOT of SPICE!!

Challenge #27~In Honor of My Class~

Journey of Writers
In honor of my class of 2008-9
LYS

The sea of faces,
Changes each year.
Each one unique.

I don’t know you yet,
But I will.
As we ride the journey together

You tentatively jump aboard.
This new day.
Days of writing, revising, and writing and revising.

Overcoming our fears,
Realizing we are all writers.
Growing one-by-one.

Fears abate,
Trust occurs,
Crafting our words.

This journey will take
a new shape at the end,
But do not fear,
For they will gently move you farther.

Celebrate with me
So we all can see
The journey of writers during a year.

Challenge #26~Disappointment~

I teach my children that writing matters. We write because we want to write and our thoughts are important.Today I feel worthless as a writer. I want to cuss, give up and just never try again. I failed to receive my grant to hear Ellin Oliver Keene.I poured my heart into the application. I poured out my dreams. My dreams for what works best in my classroom. And it was rejected. I know it isn't personal, but oh how it still feels personal.

I am a writer. My thoughts are important. Disappointment won't last forever. I will even see it again (hopefully not soon), but it still hurts. I am a writer.

Challenge #25~Conversation~

"What do you mean you are purposely taking other laptops?" I asked my fifth grade students.

I could feel my blood pressure rising as I realized they only wanted to see what would happen if they crossed the line.

"Well, I suppose we should all put up the laptops and instead of taking the tutorial to study for our test we will complete a worksheet," I stated.

Worksheets in my room are the signal of death. The hush of the classroom deafened my ears. Their heads began to hang as I passed out the 4 page study guide over the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

After 20 minutes, I asked the students to put their pencils down and to come to the carpet for a meeting. Instead of reaming them out again we discussed a possible solution to the behavior that occurs during transition time. It took about 8 minutes from their recess, but we all felt better afterward.

Hoping tomorrow's transition between classes and subjects goes better, if not there is always ice cream to make the day better!

Challenge #24~Spring Life~

Today as the weathermen prepares us for severe weather I wrote this concrete poem for my class. Sorry it's in Scridb, but it was the only way I could get it to look correct on the blog.

Concrete Poem

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Creative Writing love ebook

Challenge #23~Back to School Blahs~

I arrived at school so excited to begin the last nine weeks. We are wrapping up our poetry unit preparing for our big celebration on Friday. Then someone asks when I am starting test prep and I realize the tests are only 3 weeks away. It seems now we are in a testing crunch time line. It was so depressing to see teachers handing out booklets of test prep today. I don't even know what to say. I guess I just have the back to school blahs.

Challenge #22~Inspired by william carlos williams

morning arrives too soon

inspired by william carlos williams

written by: lys

so much depends
upon

a diet dr.
pepper

awakening my
mind

from the sandman's
dreams.

the red wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

by: william carlos williams

Challenge #21~Heart Pains~

I know that my marriage is over and I have grieved that moment, but we have tried hard to make sure that we dissolved a marriage and not a family. We did not want to make our children feel as if our issues were more important than them. At almost a year post separation I believe the picture below speaks volumes. I have no idea if my girls will understand our decision when they are older. Hopefully, they will see 2 parents who despite their faults, knew they were good parents. I have never said he wasn't a good Daddy. I know our girls feel loved. Today, I was able to capture it. Sigh. It makes my heartache not of pain, but of love. Love for my family.

Challenge #20~Bedtime Saga~

"Amen," I say as I tuck Emma and Elmo into bed. I quickly put the guard rail up, double check the tucked in Emma, and kiss her good night.

"Wov you," she says as I shut the door.

"Love you too, baby girl," I whisper.

Not even one minute has gone by, Emma has thrown back the covers, grabbed her Pooh alphabet book, and opened her door. "Mommy?" she asks.

"Emma we are not doing this again!" I exclaim, "you must go to bed."

Two and half hours later I call my mother, "Mom, you were the master at getting a particular girl to stay in bed. I have tried everything."

"What about ignoring her?" She asks.

Okay, I think to myself I am desperate. I close my door and sure enough I hear Emma's door open. I know she is just standing in the hallway dragging Elmo looking around wandering where I am. But, I was wrong. Instead she went to the kitchen let Jazzy (her black cat) in from the garage and locked the door. Then she went back to the hall. I hear her talking with Jazzy. Then she starts saying my name louder, louder, and louder. Finally, after about 7 minutes I open my door and she is standing in the hall petting Jazzy. But, she has stripped of her cute, pink PJs and her diaper. I had no idea she was a streaker.

What is a mother to do in this situation? Get angry or laugh. Well, I chose not to react and put her back to bed. Then I went straight to my computer. Motherhood...funny, fascinating, and unforgettable.

Challenge #19~Our Mortality~

Not that I know Liam Neeson or his family, but this tragic accident has given me pause. Pause to be thankful for each day that I have. Pause to be aware of those around me and realize it is those things that are important. Today nothing great happened or not necessarily significant, but I did spend time with the ones I love...hoping they realize what they mean to me.It was just simple.

Challenge #18~Syching my self up for the next nine weeks

It's Wednesday and all I can think is the fact that I have had 2 very sick kids during Spring Break, I have not had time to read the professional text- because I checked out some entertaining books from the Library-(what I call no brain required reading), and then I receive this email from The Sisters.

Fair Is Not Always Equal - The "Tigers" in the Classroom

After a lengthy rehabilitation following knee surgery, Tiger Woods made his big return to professional golf a couple of weeks ago at the Accenture Golf Tournament in Tucson, Arizona. The event was highly anticipated by golf enthusiasts all over the world, all of whom wondered, "Would he be able to perform at the same level as the pre-surgery Tiger?"

Since we're married to golfers and enjoy dabbling a bit in the game ourselves, we tuned into the tournament with the rest of the world to see how Tiger would do.

Did Tiger win the tournament? No. Did he do as well as the pre-surgery Tiger? That answer is still under debate. Regardless, Tiger Woods is still one of the best golfers in the world.

So what does Tiger Woods have to do with our lives as classroom teachers? We all have "Tiger Woods" type students; those high flying children who excel academically, functioning above some or many of the others in the room, often times in spite of us!

We believe our "Tigers" deserve wonderful instruction, and endeavor to divide our time fairly between all our students. This lofty ideal can lead to a sense of guilt when our more needy students consume a greater portion of our time. What we've come to realize is that "Fair is not always equal."

Every student needs and deserves a great "coach" in the classroom. Even Tiger Woods has a golf coach who works with him periodically to fine tune his swing, offer advice on club selection, or refine techniques. Periodic support is sufficient for Tiger. Someone of his caliber doesn't need daily coaching and instruction. He spends hundreds of hours practicing on the golf course, driving range and putting green, and having a coach check in with him once in awhile adequately meets his individual needs.

Alas, The 2 Sisters require a more frequent regime of coaching. We are beginning golfers. We need someone to check in often during our practice sessions. We need more explicit instruction, more correct modeling, and more scaffolding to ensure success. We need someone to monitor us frequently, to make sure we are not developing bad habits that will hurt our game. Is it unfair to Tiger if we get more support than he does? No. He doesn't need it. We sure do!

So, once we accept that fair doesn't mean equitability of time, we can let that old unsubstantiated guilt go. We'll periodically swoop in and coach those little Tigers in our classrooms, then send them off to practice, rejoicing in the time they free up to meet the needs of our other students. Now that's fair!

And I realize this newsletter was for me. I have been struggling all year feeling as if I have ignored my writers that quickly get started and write long and strong. I meet with them much less frequently than my others. I also realized that my main frustration is that the "Tigers" are few in my room this year. We all knew this class struggled, but I believe our pride got in the way. They won't struggle with us, we said somewhat smugly, our rooms contain best practices. We were wrong. They did struggle and I am not so sure all the needs have been met due to the overwhelming lack of confidence in writing. So before Monday I am going to sit down and map out who I need to meet with first next week, so hopefully they will go on as sixth graders just a little more confident in their abilities.

Challenge #17~I'm as bad as my kids~

Patience is not exactly a virtue when I am excited about something to happen or a package to arrive. However, this time I didn't log on to UPS to track the package each day or each hour. :-) Instead I waited until I could wait no longer. After the girls and I woke up from our 2 hour nap (thank you for letting them sleep during Spring Break), I got online to view the delivery window. One precious word lit the screen in blue: DELIVERED. I quickly ran to the front door and there it was my package. I brought it inside and ripped the tape with scissors. Then I opened the box and my brand new mary jane ballet slippers were inside. What a rush! I swear I am just as silly about getting new things as my own kids are.

Challenge #16~All it takes is one moment~

As I walked slowly from my car to the surgery waiting room,my mind filled with thoughts of what if? What if she doesn't make it? What if they couldn't fix it? But, my mind was not expecting the what if we heard. Maw Jean's knee replacement has been long coming. Her pain has been very debilitating. It is hard to watch a loved one in pain, even when they are older than you. We waited. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. I watched as the scrub nurse walked toward us. She explained that while Jean was doing well, it was taking longer than they thought. Four hours after the replacement surgery began we got the report from the doctor. Something is wrong with the bone. They were able to finally build a replacement knee, but the bone kept breaking. I know we were all hearing the unspoken words in the room~cancer. But, not one person uttered it. All it takes is one moment....one moment to cause your life journey to change focus. Now we wait again. Days this time, not hours. Days to find out if it's cancer.

Challenge #15~A OMG I'm Old Moment~

Today my kids were with their daddy. So needless to say I was able to pick the music in the car on the way home from church. Flipping through the stations I turned to my favorite station. It has been a few years since I truly listened to it.

"Justin Timberlake...coming up next," quipped the DJ.

Alright! I thought...as the music started I realized that obviously this wasn't the Justin Timberlake from my late teen early twenties years. I can't understand a single word!He is the same age as me....surely this can't be right.

Then it hit me! The realization of OMG I am so old and I sound just like my mother!!!

What am I going to do? So I quickly flipped to another station.

"Welcome to the station that plays the hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s," said the DJ.

Ahhh, home sweet music home.

Challenge 14~Shoe Shopping~

I have always thought that shoe shopping was a fun thing UNTIL I had children. Today I took the girls to Stride Rite to be fitted for new tennis shoes and Spring dress shoes. It was a mad house!! Babies crying, mommys wishing they could cry and the heat must have been cranked up to 80 degrees. Every time I requested a particular shoe they were always out of the girls' size. Exasperated the clerk said, "Look just get the more expensive shoes and be done with it! I know you want the sale shoes, but they don't have any in their size."

"Well, can I get a discount then?" I asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

So 10 minutes later we were checking out leaving the crying, yelling and other chaos behind to enjoy some well deserved frosties and Wendy's.

Note to Self: Never be a kids shoe clerk.

Challenge #13~A Break~

Supposed to be time to relax,
Perhaps I shouldn't have brought my book bag home,
Realizing I am thinking of what we are doing when we get back,
I wish I could just STOP and not think about the last nine weeks,
No one realizes my brain never stops thinking about school,
Guessing this is probably normal for teachers.

Bewildered that I can't just sit and not do anything,
Realizing that there is always something to do
Everyone has to feel this way too
Aren't we always feeling as if something is left undone?
Keeping ourselves busy instead of just taking a moment to ourselves.

SOLC during Spring Break Reminder

After Friday, my students will be on Spring Break. In order to help them remember to write each day for our SOLC, I created the bookmarks below and then etched a notch in it with Basic Grey's notch die system. They turned out pretty cute and they fit perfectly on the page.

SOLC Bookmarks

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Challenge #12~It's Raining!"

Today was Emma's first dental appointment so I took the day off. It started out marvelous because the girls slept in until 8 AM. As we got up and started to the kitchen Emma looked out the back glass door. "Momma, it's raining!" Emma yelled. I turned to look and those raindrops were actually fluffy white snowflakes. "That is called Snow Emma," I replied. We all ran to Emma's side to watch flakes fall on the grass. My heart warmed as my two girls hugged each other yelling, "It's raining!" Spring has obviously been put on hold, but it is warm with love in our house.

Challenge #11~Humbled~

I left Emma's meeting humbled. Once again I realize that when I am on the "other side" in IEP meetings I hope that I am just as respectful and understanding as Emma's teachers. To hear wonderful things like almost a 2 year gain and she is really learning how to climb stairs correctly~without fear touches my mother's heart. I also realize that I am actually part of the team and there was no hidden agenda on the school's side. We decided what was best for Emma. In fact goals were added and changed as we sat and discussed what was best for Emma.

Through the years, I have learned that advocacy is tough in the district you work in, but I hope the lessons I learn each time I am a parent in an IEP are carried over into the IEPs I sit on as a teacher.

Challenge #10~Worries~

I need this day to fly by. I need today to go quickly. I need to get to MY child's IEP. The is dragging on. Hour by hour the clock creeps. It's as if it is saying, "Ha, ha! I know you are worrying...so I will slooow doown."

It's true. I've never denied being a worry wart. But this is about my child. MY CHILD. Will they see all the progress she has made? Or will it be all that she can't do? Are these fears because I'm really in denial? I know my child has a cognitive impairment, and I despise those that feel because I choose to focus on her CAN DO'S that I am in denial. So for now...all I have are worries. Perhaps it is more a protective instinct. The mother bear protecting her young cub. Protecting her from those that can't see past her extra chromosome. Maybe it's just anticipating the unknown. Maybe.....

Challenge #9~Sighting Spring~

Zooming back from a quick run to the store, I pulled into the driveway. I noticed a small peek-a-boo of a yellow flower close to the brick of the house. My forsythia is blooming! I thought. Oh, spring is so near. I quickly parked the car, put up the groceries and grabbed my camera. All I could think was I must capture these flowers. Capture this moment. As I tried different angles to capture the perfect picture of the one bloom…I realized that my fuchsia blooms on the plum bush were just as gorgeous.

Really what I wanted was to capture the arrival of spring…it didn’t matter if the photo was perfect. What did matter? I ignored the busyness of the evening, and actually stopped to look at Spring. As I began to take pictures of the blooms, I quickly grabbed the garden angel and plopped her in the middle of them. When I snapped the next shot, I realized that was it. I had done it. Spring for me has started. It doesn’t matter that it is going to be 40 degrees in two days or that the dead leaves still haven’t been cleaned out of my flowerbeds…that doesn’t stop Spring. Nothing can. She has finally arrived.

Challenge #8~Write your heart~

As I glance back through my week, I realize that I have begun to look forward to the moment that I can sit, relax and write. Some days this week, as soon as something happened I knew when I got home I would write about that for my slice, but other days were more of a ruminating moment. Sitting, reflecting, drinking hot cider by the laptop figuring out what my heart was speaking to me about. And still other days I felt so rushed by the time I sat down that it seemed I had nothing to write, but still I wrote. As a result of this first week of slice, I realize the Slice is about stopping. Being Still. Listening. And writing from the heart. As quoted from a mighty fifth grader in my classroom during his student led conference on Thursday, "I will never stop writing; I will always write from my heart."

Challenge #7~Moment with Mom~

Why is it a 31 years old I still cherish those small moments with my mom? No grandchildren running around, no Dad to interrupt our conversation, or a brother asking a questions. I cherish these moments...just mom and me. The smell of garlic in the restaurant and the soft conversation around us as we talk...well I guess just mother daughter talk. Special. Heartfelt. Loved.

Challenge #6~Words of Wisdom~

Conferencing. Why is that I can conference with a child and not be nervous and know exactly what to say, but get a bunch of adults around me and I feel like a bumbling fool?

"Good evening. Welcome to our room!" I said as one of my students walked in with his mother and grandfather.

"I am so glad you came back," I announced to the grandfather.

"I wanted to see how he had improved," replied the grandfather of his grandson.

"Well, why don't you sit down. He will get his items to show you."

Wow! I thought. I can't believe his grandfather came back. He had attended his last conference because my student's parents were out of town. I quickly left them to help another student get his family situated for their student led conference.

"Excuse me young lady. May I speak with you? " the grandfather asked.

"Absolutely!" I walked over to them.Thrilled to be called young lady!

"I am quite impressed," he stated, "I have been listening and reviewing my grandson's writing and kudos to you for not giving into the demands of testing and diagramming sentences and filling entire workbooks of grammar pages."

I know my face must have been in shock because he began to chuckle. Then he smiled, folded his arms as he leaned back in the student chair and said, "I am a retired English professor and I wish my students could have come to me writing like this. You have done what many cannot do...create a class full of writers."

I quickly thanked him for his kind words and began to talk with him about the journey of writing and how important it is. I could have talked with him all day about writing, but I knew the student had worked hard at preparing his work to show and discuss with his family.

It is moments like these that make the long day rewarding. To him I say bless you.

Challenge #5~Who Am I?~

As I worked with my students on their "remembering who you are" poems. I realized mine needed some serious updating. I really had to start all over because my other Who Am I was written 8 years ago. My how life and dreams change over time.

Who Am I?
I am my big, pink cheeks and my boisterous laugh,
I am my “seriously” followed by a knowing and forgiving smile,
I am my small moments cherished in my heart,
I am filled with stories.

I have turned 30 and survived,
I have gone from manis and pedis to burp rags and poopy diapers,
I have achieved my greatest gift to the world~my children.

I am a real person who hides my sad times,
I am a person who celebrates the little things,
I am a person whose heart has cracks, but still believes time will heal.

I have traveled unexpected journeys,
I have conquered my fears,
I have accepted life’s path,

I am my own.

I am me.

~LYS~

Student Led Conferences

If you have not tried student-led conferences...it is a must! This is my second year to do them and I am thrilled with the response from parents and my students. This is a time for students to shine and to explain their areas of growth. It does have to be practiced, but student to get it. Many times parents are apprehensive at first, but realize they actually learn more about their child than from a 15 minute quick update with the teacher. My students are using the paper below as a reminder of what to do, but they really make it their own.

Conf Student Led2

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Essays Academic Work money credit

Conf Student Led

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work money credit

Challenge #4~7 Minutes~

Seven minutes to work from house. Seven minutes of silence. No radio. No crying. No giggling. No, Ms. Snow! No-Nothing. For seven minutes every morning I am alone with my thoughts. Silence. It is as if my brain is saying, "Ahhh, a breather for a few moments." But, the moment I park my car, grab my bag, and walk through the 7:20 AM swarm of students heading to breakfast from the buses my mind is on my students. My seven minutes are over, but I am headed to a great day!

Challenge #3~Poetry~

My favorite unit: poetry. Today we are going to immerse ourselves in writing. We all listen to the words of the poems, some whispered, some silent and some real loud. The fluid words echo in out of my ears as if I am swaying in the breeze. The language speaks to my heart and my writer's hands are jealous that my words don't sound so sweet. After months of us writing together on our new journey, they still don't quite trust me. Yet after the 3 days of immersion they are guessing at what writing poetry is as if they have never attempted to write before. Leaving me frustrated, empty and yet knowing they can succeed and will accomplish this new path on our writing journey. Poetry~music to the soul, but difficult to put into the words. As we discuss what poetry is and finally someone says, "It's the words that flow from your heart into someone else's heart!" Ahhh...the art of writing said by a fifth grader. Words on paper that speak to you, in order that they speak to another.

Tomorrow I try again...a new poem, a new attempt, and a new day.

Challenge #2~Spring Fever~

Why is it in Oklahoma when Spring (my favorite season) begins to arrive I can hardly speak because of allergies? All day long today I heard, "Wow! What did you do to your voice or Get away from me you have the crud!" I would sigh and begin my explanation of how my yearning for Spring to arrive by working in my yard, punishes me by not allowing me to talk or see (my eyes usually swell shut)until after the trees blossom. So as I am walking down my hallway back from lunch today I cough (sounds much like smokers cough, but I have never inhaled one). A teacher began to make a comment and one of my students turns around and says, "Hey, haven't you ever heard of allergies?" The look of shock on the colleagues face was priceless. Moral of story: Don't mess with his teachers!

Conversations With a Writing Partner

On Friday, my afternoon class and I were looking at Antwone Fischer's poems as mentor text to write a poem that day. We talked about the significance of the repetitive line in the poem. I hadn't written my poem yet and I brainstormed from my heart topics that we had done earlier that day. "Ms. Snow, I think you should write about being a mother. You talk alot about that," said D. He and I talked for a couple of more minutes about the "meaning" for my poem. The first repetitive line he gave me~"Who thought being a mother could be so hard." As a result of us conferring the poem below bloomed.

Motherhood

Mothers are fearless,
They never doubt,
What do I do for her?
Tiny hands, tiny feet,
Will I be a good mother?

Mothers know the answers,
They never doubt.
Will I know what to do when she is sick?
Wheezing, fevers at midnight,
Am I a good mother?

Mothers are all knowing,
They never doubt.
What will I say when she is asked out for her first date?
First kisses, first heartbreaks,
Am I a good mother?

Questions aren't always answered,
Mistakes are made,
Listening to your heart,
Trusting your child,

I am a mother.

~LYS~

Challenge #1: Ornery Children

My mom and I were having a great conversation while eating our sub sandwiches this afternoon. Roughly 15 minutes later it dawned on me that my house was awfully quiet. Too quiet. Dangerously quiet for having a five year old and a two year old running around. I put up the dishes, threw away the trash, and walked down the hall.

"Emma? Gracie?" I asked as I walked into Gracie's doorway. I gasped.

"Oh, no!" I yelped. Post it notes were all over Gracie's room and Emma had a pencil from my scrapbook table. I ran into my scrapbook room scared of what I would find. The laptop open....my surprise matchbook notebooks that I made for students...destroyed. My heart sank. I was so excited to have those as a surprise for Monday for those that started the Slice of Life challenge. I bent to my knees and picked up the scraps of paper. I realized I would be able to salvage two of the notebooks. I sighed. Well, at least one student from each class can get a notebook.

As I threw away the scraps of paper, I noticed my laptop looked dirty. "Emma Lynne, what did you do to this?" I asked somewhat loudly.

"What?" she replied.

I couldn't believe my laptop was covered in pencil markings. What will I do with her? I thought.

"You know...Emma didn't know those notebooks were special for your students," my Mom said.

"I know," I replied, "but that isn't what I am upset about. She knows better than to do that to the laptop."

I was able to clean up the laptop and I put Emma in a chair and talked with her about the laptop. I asked her if she was sorry and she patted herself on the back and said, "Yes, mommy, sorry."

Then I got the biggest Emma hug.