First...

First, let me say this. I never promised to consistently update my blog. There. This is my second defense of the sort and I stand by my desire to only blog when I want. And...I was at the cabin, lots. And...there is no Internet service or computer at the cabin. Only water skiing, swimming, hiking, running, biking, lounging, reading, and now sudoku-ing (kind of fun when sitting on a porch swing). So with that said, there are other firsts occurring this week which did keep me from blogging sooner.

This Week's Top Ten List of Firsts

10. FIRST day of school

9. FIRST checker boarded backpack

8. FIRST day in a long time that boys are wearing clean, unripped clothing

7. FIRST day of third grade

6. FIRST time there have been textbooks sitting on the desk of one of my children

5. FIRST day of kindergarten!

4. FIRST time riding the bus!

3. FIRST time eating hot lunch!

2. FIRST time I cried while telling a friend about his first day of school!

1. FIRST time I am working full-time since the boys were born!

It's true, G-man has textbooks. A pile of them at that. Roo started school all proud and happy and thrilled to death with his teacher (who he may secretly have a crush on). And I am officially a full-time participant in the work force. I really don't want to. I really wanted my day off to be all about ME. Not home doing laundry and going to playgroups but doing what I want to do. Like ski or bike or run. To get up, get the kids off to school and drink my latte slowly while listening to NPR. Who knows, maybe I'd even blog. But no, I'm working full-time. My friends and family think I'm crazy, and I possibly am. All I know is that for my efforts, I got new bedroom furniture! The first time since middle school! It's amazing to think that EJ was okay with my childhood furniture for 15 years! But now it's gone with a new location at the cabin. So now a teaching friend tells me I can call my room my "Tuesday Room" because I gave up my Tuesday for my new bedroom. Now you may think that personal freedom may be more worthwhile than furniture and I will tell you that you are likely correct in that assumption. However, there is another aspect to this story. You see, one of the other preschool teachers had a baby in December. She took her leave and came back for the end of the school year. Like most new mamas, she wanted to work part-time so she could have some time home with her bebe. So we switched FTE which gives her one day home and me money to redecorate my house. So you see, I would love my day off, but it was time to pass the torch to a new mom who needs time with her little one. I know I loved mine.

FIRST DAY

AUTISM

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. If you are interested in more information about autism, check out Autism Speaks. I feel fortunate to be a teacher of many children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and many more who are suspected. Each day that I teach I see how this disorder interferes with basic daily tasks such as making a friend to washing their hands. I watch parents struggle through through the early stages of suspicion and diagnosis, and I watch these amazing children leap hurdles to make incredible progress.

ALL ABOUT ME

As a teacher of young children, I always like to start the school year getting to know each of the kids and letting them get to know me. We do this by creating an "All About Me" book and add to it as the year goes on. As I venture down the path of blogging, I figured all you curious friends and family may enjoy a glimpse into some of the daily basics. Although I will spare you my painted handprints and self portrait, I will share my second home...my classroom.

This is my classroom. This is where we play, laugh, learn, and cry. I took this picture today before my afternoon preschool class. All was calm, and then they came. Today was not a typical day, but not an unusual day. Today was the first day after spring break. One week of no class can send preschoolers with high needs into a spin. Today was spinning, especially in the afternoon class. Today is the kind of day that makes me wonder why I torture myself, even if they are adorable (a few of them were not showing their adorable side today). Today is the kind of day where I wonder what they learned. Today, when I turned on the walkie talkie to radio for help, the batteries were dead. Today, I wanted to cry. But I didn't and Wednesday, when they return, I will be ready, or I will cry.

This is one half of our most recent bulletin board. This side was created by my morning class. I love this bulletin board. The kids created every aspect of it. Their project was to create an animal using shapes. I don't know about you, but I see a few houses, and two, maybe three, identifiable animals. Check out the green one on the bottom right. It's a dog.

Meet Whiskers

Whiskers is our class rat. She's new and was voted on as our class favorite after trying out a fish, hermit crab, rat and zebra finches. This little experiment came about after the tragic death of our class guinea pig, Joe. Whiskers is an amazing pet (much better than the guinea pig) and I would highly recommend a rat to anyone wanting something sweet and fuzzy (just don't ask the Endorphin Junkie "EJ" about it). Whiskers brightens our day and can increase interaction for some of my students. I'm glad she won our vote, second place was the fish.