Tuesday: SOL 10.4.12

It's school holidays here in and I'm looking after my grandson.  I've forgotten what it's like to look after a little toddler.  It's all about routine and time management.

Hubby and I travelled through to pick our precious cargo up on Saturday.  Sometimes I wish I was a painter so that I could capture the precious moments:

• All during Saturday he kept saying to hubby and I, "I'm toming coming!"  
• He wouldn't let hubby and I out of his sight,  "I'm coming!"
• Sunday morning arrived and he was following hubby all over the house,  "I'm coming!"
• We were leaving at 10.20 am and he grabbed hubby and I by the hand,  "I'm coming!"
• His mum says, "Is mummy coming?"  
• Grandson replies, "No!  I'm coming!"

• Early Monday morning he woke up and was crying, "Mummy, mummy, mummy."
• Little sweet heart...that morning rang his mummy.

• I've been making paper beads and he says, "Look Nana?  Aw tool cool Nana!"  (Huge genuine smile on  his face).  So cute!
• The last few nights I've been lying in bed with him for about an hour.  I love cuddling and patting his little back so he can go off to dreamland without missing his mummy too much.

Well, this Nana needs an early night.  Hubby has gone hunting and I need a good night sleep.

Tuesday: SOL 3.4.12

Brenda: Punk Rocker

I once knew a girl who was different from me

She was a punk rocker

And I was just me

She wasn’t a mocker

Which I thought was cool

We started at school halfway through the year

Some of the other students could be rather cruel

But in an odd way we were brought together because of fear

She wasn’t my friend

I wasn’t hers either

We existed as a means to an end

But today I remember her and I couldn’t be pleaser

SOL: 31.3.12

Musings about writing

I made it!  Wow!  I just can't believe that everyday for the last 31 days I have written a slice of my life.  The time has flown and it only seems like yesterday when I thought, "Writing for 31 days that's impossible for me."  Throughout this journey I've used the 31 slices above to give me inspiration to write.  This prompter above gave me focus and to some seasoned writers it would be quite constricting but for an amateur like me it's just what the doctor ordered.  Now, I understand how my reluctant writers in class feel because just like I was given a stepping stone into writing most of my students need a stepping stone.  

In my classroom my students have been writing everyday at school along side of me and it has been great.  I had no strict and hard rules for myself and my students in class because I just wanted my students to write.  We have been swimming all week and when we were back in class I would keep them to draw a picture about what they learnt at swimming today.  I used these sentence starters: Swimming today was fun because I learnt and Dear swimming instructors thank you for teaching me how to.  I nearly forgot to say that before they started writing I always sat down with the whole class and we would write a word list of all their ideas.  Just like I needed a push to motivate myself to write I gave my students the same help.  We would talk about my slices and I read and showed my class some of my slices (our Internet is so slow at school).  I could see the progress of my students from day one right through to our last day of writing at school.  Yesterday, during reading I sent one reading group off to draw a picture about the beach.  They then had to write a story about their beach picture.  AND, each of the three children wrote amazing stories they used conjunctions and interesting vocabulary.  They did this without a word list or bank of words.  I was so proud of them.  I sat with them and wrote comments about their writing and gave them feedback just like I received here.  They gave each other feedback and I just could not stop smiling.  Writer's love and need feedback.

On my journey I have not only taken my students along for the ride but I've also taken my hubby.  I've shared my poems and stories and we have laughed and joked along the way.  Does it matter that I'm terrible with editing and grammar?  I would have to say, "Yeah - Nah!" (Kiwi slang for yes it matters but not really in this case).  Not really in this case because I came here has a turtle with my head inside its shell and I had to stick my head out and give this challenge a go.  I had a list as long as my arm why I shouldn't - couldn't - wouldn't participate.  But to use a phrase from a female bible hero, "If I die I die!"  Well, I did and I'm still alive to write about my journey.   You know the biggest thing I learnt is that there is a story in every area of our lives you just have to be looking and listening.  Capturing those special moments in your life for me has been magical.  I have written snippets of my life that I will treasure forever and I would never had caught those moments if I wasn't for this challenge.  Some days I feel a little sheepish about my babblings but I just had to let go of my inhibitions.  I've grown so much as a teacher...just like I've seen growth in my student writers I can see the growth in myself as a writer. It's time to celebrate.

Hubby and I are travelling again today to see our adult children and our grandson.  I have my list ready to buy gifts for my Slice of Life party for my students.  I wonder what photos I'll take today during my weekend away.  Next week is our last week at school and then we are on holiday but Thursday of next week imagine me here in New Zealand celebrating and gifting with my class.

As I travel and burble today with hubby I'll celebrate by filling my basket with gifts for my student and I'll stop by a coffee shop and buy myself a celebratory cup of coffee and something sweet and delicious.  Thank you to the community of writers here for the encouragement and feedback.  Thank you to Ruth and Stacey.  I've had a blast.

What next?  (giggling to myself)

SOL: 30.3.12

SOL: 29.3.12

Traditions:

• Hubby traditionally cooks a roast dinner every  Sunday
• Traditionally I write scriptures for each of my family members who attend Christmas dinner at our house
• We traditionally forget our wedding anniversary every year
• Traditionally every Christmas I make trifle and eat 75% of it (that’s a lot of trifle)
• I traditionally get mixed up with my mum and brother’s birthday
• Traditionally each year I attend our cultural festival
• Traditionally hubby cooks dinner Monday-Thursday (I give him Friday off and we may have takeaways)
• I traditionally buy and wrap all the birthday and Christmas gifts
• I traditionally cook and prepare Christmas dinner
• I traditionally do all the Christmas dishes
• Traditionally I spend too much money at Christmas time and never tell him how much I spend and traditionally he never asks
• Traditionally I buy hubby a new t-shirt and a pair of shorts for Christmas
• Every April hubby traditionally takes a week to go hunting - it’s the roar
• It is my tradition to take a handful of tissues to bed with me every night
• At end of the school year I traditionally travel out of town to attend my two niece’s birthday
• Each year I post my school reports in the last 2 days of school
• It is my tradition that I wait until I have 1 day worth of seretide left before I go to the doctors for a new prescription
• Traditionally I go to bed late and find it difficult to get up in the morning (dah)
• Traditionally hubby and I attended our son’s basketball tournaments each year
• Traditionally we eat fish on Friday nights

While writing this list I remembered a tradition that I learnt from my dad.  Whenever we travelled with him when we were kids my father always picked up hitch-hikers.  I don't know why...he just did.  I suppose looking back I never felt afraid and they would have been silly to try and take on my dad.  The faces of the hitchers have disappeared from my memory and I hadn't really thought about them until now, faceless hitch-hikers.  Traditions are handed down and I without thinking I picked up hitch-hikers when II travelled.

Whenever I am driving I tended to pick up female hitch-hikers.  Twice I've stopped and the hitch-hikers had long hair and I thought that they were female.  But it wasn't until I pulled up beside them that I realised that they were actually males.  I still gave them a ride.
  

Late last year I was travelling to see my two children who live 2 hours away from us.  Halfway through the trip I noticed a young boy of about 15 years old sitting on the side of the rode.  He was clutching his stomach.  To be honest I really didn't want to stop but as I slowly drove past him he looked utterly dejected.  Hesitantly, pulling to the side of the rode and backing back towards him.  It was a bitterly cold day and he had a thin t-shirt on, blue jeans and black boots.  I opened the passenger side of the door and asked him if he needed a ride.  Stupid question I know but...it's what you do when picking up hitch-hikers.

He got into my car and started to tell me how his father had beat him that morning and he had had enough.  He decided to run away from home and was heading to see his mother.  He told me his father beat him most days.  At this stage I was still quite wary of him but he showed me his stomach where his father had whacked him.  The funniest thing about this story is that the boy was a student at the school which I taught at.  But I had never seen him.  Our school is divided into three areas and he was a senior and I taught juniors.    But like I said I had never laid eyes on him until that moment. 

I took him to my children's home and feed him.  My son gave him a pair of shoes because the ones he was wearing were too small.  We bought him a bus ticket and sent him on his way.  I even told him about Jesus.

The sadness part of this boy's life was that he came back to our hometown and committed the most heinous crime.  I won't go into the details but my whole country of 4 million hate this boy.  My daughter rang me and told me what this boy had done I was shocked and appalled.  My heart was breaking for the family affected by the hitch-hikers actions (action is not a strong enough word for what he did).  But the long and short of this is that a tradition which I learnt from my father put me off ever picking up another hitch-hiker.  This hitch-hikers faced is embedded in my mind.  

SOL: 28.3.12

Shopping


I used to dread shopping when the budget was tight
But now I rather enjoy hitting the malls at night
I always wanted plenty of money to spend
But now it's just a case of when
I once sat at my sewing machine and made my clothes
But now I sit at my computer and suppose
If I could try on purchases
I would surely look quite gorgeous
I never really like to window shop
But I might well consider that this is just a flop
I can't see the point in that
But I can instead Skype and chat
I won't shop online anymore
But I might do better at dancing on the floor
I used to visit the opportunity shops
But now I live in a town where thrifting is not an op




Quick slice for me on this day as I have parent interviews

SOL: 27.3.12

Bedtime

I am soft and cosy
I wonder what I will dream tonight
I hear mooing as cows jump over the moon
I see sheep jumping one by one
I want to get in bed with my mummy
I am soft and cosy

I pretend that I am zooming to see my nana and koko
I feel love engulf me as they snuggle me close
I touch the silver clouds of dreams
I worry for nothing because I am loved
I cry because I want to get in my mummy's bed
I am soft and cosy

I understand that I must sleep
I say, "mama, mama, mama"
I dream of screeching up to McDonald's golden arches
I try a six pack of nuggets
I hope that one day I can get a sundae without regret
I am soft and cosy

Our grandson's new bed arrived today all the way from America.  We live in New Zealand.

Our daughter is just at this moment putting him to bed in his new car bed.  Putting him to bed is never an easy thing to do but today he's graduated from a cot to a car.  We were able to Skype him and chat about his new bed.