I Made It!

#SOL15

I did it! I honestly cannot believe I blogged for the entire month of March! This challenge has really made me hone in and focus on my day to day life and activities. I may have missed some great moments, or not have seen the little moments that were huge, had I not been thinking about this challenge each day. Hopefully I can keep up my writing streak!  :-)

Why I Love What I Do

#SOL15

I love when a student comes up to me and expresses their love for writing or reading. It makes me feel really good about my job, and it also opens up a dialogue with the student about something I'm passionate about. 

Today we had school because we had to make up a snow day. I am officially on Spring Break, even though it doesn't feel like it yet! Despite the excitement of vacation in the air, the kids were really good today; more focused than I would've imagined. At the end of second period today, one of the students approached me.

"Mrs. Narvesen, I was wondering if you'd like to read the short story I've been working on?"

"Really? Of course!" I replied. 

"It's here in the notebook. Sorry, but it's kind of long. I've really been working on it. When I come back 4th period I'll bring you the artwork that goes with it."

My mouth dropped. This was awesome! I love that he wanted me to read his piece, and I love that he trusted me enough to see the unfinished product plus the art. I felt really touched that he asked me to read his story. He could have asked any of his teachers. Was it because we always talk about all my favorite authors? (Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King) Was it because we always talk about how much I love writing and how I write daily? I don't know what it was, but what I do know, is that this meant something to me. It was an amazing feeling to be trusted with something as personal as someone's creative writing. (And did I mention, they were doing this all for fun?! It's not a class project or an assignment. They're writing and drawing because they love to. Wild!)

I started reading right after he gave it to me. I read it straight through my free period. His story turned out to be 13 pages long. Quite a large feat for a 7th grader! I was impressed! I gave it back to him when he returned. I told him everything I loved about it, and I told him I would love to read the final product. He even showed me the monster drawing that goes with the story, and I have to say, that was also truly amazing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this. There are some great students in the building where I teach. I'm so fortunate to know a lot of them. It's days like this that reaffirm why I chose my profession and why being passionate about reading and writing is such a huge part of my life. I hope this boy continues his passion and runs with it. The encouragement of teachers and people in his life will make him the amazing writer he aspires to be.

Little Talks

#SOL15

Today my 18th month old daughter finally said love you! She didn't originally say it to me, She said it to our virtual cat named Cooper. It's a game we play on my tablet. I wrote a post about Cooper several weeks ago. She just loves this game! But either way, this was a huge bright spot in my day! I asked her to say it a few more times, and she did say it every now and then. We'll have to work on it more, but really...it's the most amazing thing I've heard in a long time.

Saturday Night Dinner Prep

#SOL15

It's Saturday night again. The week flew by! But this is another weekend for me to try and make a nice meal and create a nice family dinner. Tonight we had medium rare London Broil, avocado salsa (don't get excited...it's basically just chunky guacamole. haha. But it's awesome with steak!), homemade mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli.

Sometimes I try and keep Chloe out of the kitchen when I'm cooking because the oven is on or I'm doing too many things. Many of you moms know this is not always possible. Tonight was one of those days. She started crying and wanting to come in. She got so upset, so when she finally did come in, she just wanted to be held. I was making mashed potatoes and wasn't sure how I'd finish with only one hand. I pulled over a small stool, threw the rest of the ingredients in the bowl, and put the bowl on the stool. I told her to help me cook.

"Cook. I cook," she told me, as she put her hand above mine on the spoon. I slowly mixed the potatoes in the bowl and watched her start to smile. We did this a few more times. She took the spoon out a couple times, and some potatoes went flying, but it was nothing major. Plenty left! After a few minutes, I gave her a taste. "MMMmmmm." She expresses pleasure when she likes food these days. She makes a yummy noise. It always reminds me of the dessert scene from Young Frankenstein. lol. She's too cute.

I made up her dinner plate, giving her a small scoop of potatoes she cooked, and she ate it all! I even gave her a second helping and she ate that too. The whole time she kept making all different mmmmm sounds and telling my husband she cooked the potatoes. It was so cute! I couldn't help but wonder if she ate it all because she cooked it and knew that, or did she eat it all because they really were delicious? (I'll admit, they were pretty awesome tonight.) I guess there really is something to having kids help you cook in the kitchen because they are more apt to eat what they create.

Honestly, this SOL challenge has made me focus so much more on little bits in my daily life. I really never would have zoomed in on that moment or saw it for the precious gem it really is. I really want to bring her into the kitchen more often now and have her help me. Tomorrow is a new day, so I'll see what we can create together. :-)

Back To The Music Department

#SOL15

For the past two days I have had the pleasure of covering chorus classes for a friend of mine. I truly had the best time. The two chorus classes were 6th and 7th graders, and I have to say, I am so impressed with them! They sounded wonderful! It made me miss my days at GFMS singing in chorus or playing flute in the band. They harmonize together, use hand signals determining notes and pitch (something I wish I learned back in school!), and really just sound professional. It moved me so much, that I actually researched to see if there are any choirs for adults around our area. THERE IS! Unfortunately, my plate is full almost every night with work, tutoring, or my writing group. I can't spare another night out of the house during the week.

Maybe some day in the future I can pick up my passion for singing again. Right now, I'm pretty happy being able to follow my writing passion, so that's good enough for me. I still have the vocal warm ups and songs of the past few days stuck in my head. I'm sure I'll continue singing them around the house all weekend. Fine by me. I'll even belt out a couple notes in the shower or sing to my daughter. ;-) It may not be the choir I'm looking for, but it'll do for now.

**The link I share below is NOT the choral group from my school. The song Ah, Poor Bird is a warm up they do, and it has been stuck in my head for two days. It's beautiful, and I just want you to hear it. Enjoy!**

Where Do You Keep YOUR Cutting Boards?

#SOL15

It's a normal Thursday night, and I'm getting ready to wind down and head to bed. But first, I need to write my slice for the day. I sit here and wonder, what am I going to write about? Nothing really jumps out at me. I'm staring off into space when I notice something. It makes me smile. It's my cutting boards. That's odd, you think. I've never heard of anyone smiling because of their cutting boards! Well, believe it, because I AM!

For past few weeks, my daughter has been into my kitchen gadgets, which is completely fine. She seems to love all of my cutting boards. They are bendable plastic and come in 4 different colors. She loves to grab them all at once and carry them around. Whatever works, right? About a week ago, she's playing with them in the living room and I hear, Oh no! Oh nooooo! I come rushing in, and what do I see? She slid the cutting boards through the top of the glass cabinet and into the entertainment unit. They were now resting comfortably on to of our cable box. HAHAHAHA! She now does this on a daily basis no matter how many times I take the boards and put them away.

So, if you're still wondering why I'm smiling, it's because as I stare straight ahead, I see 2 cutting boards sitting on top of my cable box. A blue board and a red board. Remnants left from earlier in the evening when Chloe was playfully keeping herself occupied. They're nestled nicely behind the glass, as Chloe is dreaming sweetly in her bed. It's the little things she does throughout the day that make me smile; even if she's not in front of me at the moment. I can't wait to see what she'll think about doing tomorrow. So, I ask you, where do you keep YOUR cutting boards? ;-)

Look closely on top of the cable box. :-)

What Time Is It?!

#SOL15

Why can't I go to bed at a normal time? The question is mostly rhetorical, but seriously. Why not?! All day long I tell myself I will lay down at a normal hour and get plenty of sleep. I want to wake up refreshed in the morning. But here it is, 11:06pm in New York, and I'm awake and writing this blog post.

I suppose it is the life of a mom. Maybe. I have always stayed up late and liked it. I watch TV, I check emails, I write, etc. But now, I feel that after my daughter goes to bed, that's MY time. Like a college kid who has gained their freedom, I just go crazy thinking of all the things I can do now that C is in bed. Is that strange? All I really end up doing is vegging out, and trying to think of what I'm going to write about today.

So, before it gets any later, I'm going to say goodnight. 5am sneaks up on me really fast, and I told myself I'm going to get up and work out tomorrow morning. (Oh boy.) I'll leave you with the words I say to my daughter every night before putting her to bed: Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere.