Day #30…missing a few slices….

Well, I just returned from my spring break trip to the Big Island of Hawaii last night. While I was there my plan had been to post my slices everyday. Usually at our timeshares there is a room that has free internet access for the guests…guess what they didn’t have this time!

One of the most amazing things was being able to run outside every morning. We are on a 5 hour time difference so getting up early was not an issue any day. The sun would rise about 6:30 and most days than not was out of the door for my morning run about that time. I ran without music the entire trip and ended up logging 46 miles total. I finally accomplished my goal of running 10 miles as well  – all in one workout.

Most people I passed on the road waved and smiled. It was nice to be out looking at the trees, the beaches, lava rock and the beautiful flowers. Contary to Indiana, there is no snow to contend with on the roads which therefore leads to NO POTHOLES! There is smooth road the whole way. I had this silly grin on my face most of the time as I ran just drinking all the sites in. The passerbys must have thought I was looney at some points!

I burned through one pair of running shoes and had to buy new pair while I was in Hawaii ..it seemed fitting since I was running everyday! They will be a good memory of that week as well.

Slice #20 – Runs and Music

I went for a run this morning without music. After I read an article in Runners World, it said for every 2 runs with music you should run 1 without. It was such a different run. I could hear the squirrels, the wind, and the chipmunks. The rhythm of the run was good, the pace was good, and the run felt good. It was a great way to begin my spring break! Tomorrow I am off to Hawaii!

Slice #19 – Hair!

There is nothing quite like getting your haircut when you are really itching for it to be done. I am lucky and have found a salon with FANTASTIC stylists that really know what they are doing. I have a short texturized cut and need someone who really knows what they are doing. At this salon, there is always a wonderful head massage before they shampoo which is almost worth the price of the haircut right there! When I have an appointment there it is one of the few times that I feel really pampered. There is a newness – like the first page of a new notebook – when you get your hair cut. You feel all spiffy and wonderful. I need to bottle that feeling!

Slice # 18

Coming into school at a time I am  not used to sends me into a weird mode. I  had a morning meeting this morning before school and even though I made it back before my first class I didn’t get to follow my regular routine of things to do which sent me into a paniced mode. I feel like certain things needed to be done that didn’t get completed. It is getting better but time seems to slip away when this happens…..

Slice of Life #17

Top of the morning to you! and you…and you!

So for writing this week many of us, I am sure have a leprechaun theme somewhere. To avoid having all the same stories with a green leprechaun finding a pot of gold I have been doing a writing activity for the past couple of years that puts a little twist on the assignment.

I have the students make a list in their notebooks of

1. an animal

2. a color

3. a mode of transportation

4. a place

5. a food

6. a name – (not their own and not anyone’s in the room or someone famous)

– I always try to anticipate potential problems before we write!

Anyway, so then I tell them to make the changes they want now and then to put their pencils down. The idea is that they write a leprechaun story about the list. Their leprechaun wears the color they put on the list, has a pet that is the animal, gets around on the mode of transportation, eats the favorite food and the story place is the setting.

Over the years some of the students have gotten quite creative and insightful and some years  it is just plain fun! But, you don’t have to read the same story over and over and the writers voice tends to come out!

Happy Leprechaun Day as my 7 year puts it!

Slice #16 – Reading is Everywhere

In Lester Laminack’s dream speech there is a line where he says, “Of schools that post poems and quotes in public spaces where children wait for lunch, queue up in line for water and restrooms, to enter the library or wait for buses.” which reminded me that in college to get everyone’s attention the RAs would post signs in the bathroom stalls. I have used this concept when my classroom used to be right outside the bathrooms. I would put up stories and other snippets of writing for them to read as they waited and lined up.

So yesterday morning I went into the girls’ bathroom and taped poems to the doors. It didn’t take long for some of the girls to come back to their classrooms and proclaim, “There are poems all over the bathroom!” Unfortunately, one girl decided to take them all down, but had no explanation for her behavior. I have put them back up and shall see what happens next.

Reading is always an adventure!

Slice #15

The passage of time is a funny thing. There are times when I am enjoying what I am doing and the time “flies” or I am in the flow of writing and time doesn’t even seem to exist. Then there are the days when we enforce daylight savings time. A student asked me today why we move the time and I honestly have no idea. I once heard it was so that the students would not be standing waiting for the bus in the morning in the dark in the winter, but honestly I do not know what the real answer is…time for some reseach this afternoon!

I always decribe the time change as jet lag without the benefit of going anywhere on vacation. Luckily, I will be on a plane in less than a week to an exotic locale with my family for spring break and will suffer from jet lag for real…but until then I have daylight savings time jet lag to hold me over! ….maybe a nap here and there too!

Slice #14

After my new exercise adventure yesterday I woke up a little more sore than I expected. I still went for a run. It is back to being cold and my eyes watered as I turned north toward the trail. My legs felt like they had lead in them but I kept pushing forward thinking that I am strong and that a less than perfect run was better than no run at all.  As the day went on, my arms and legs got even more sore but thanks to ibuprofen it improved.

Another thing that improved my mood was attending a Pampered Chef party where the consultant made some of the best ravioli I had ever eaten. We also had chocolate volcano cake – where the molten chocolate is on the bottom….nothing fixes feeling badly like chocolate!

Slice #13

13 has never been an unlucky number for me. I tried something new today and wasn’t great right off the bat. I like to try new things and usually pick them up pretty quickly. This was an exercise class…..I need some more practice but I think I have the strength and the will to get it right eventually! Going with a friend of mine was the best part. It always makes things better to have someone with you that can laugh and experience the newness with you.

As fit as I am, it still sometimes surprises me when you try another form of exercise how taxing it can be on you! Using different muscles and having to think about it makes all the difference!

Slice of Life #12

It is finally Friday!

I got my book order in the mail this week and ordered Boo Hoo Moo by Margie Palatini – the same author who write Piggie Pie. I did a very energetic reading of the new book with my rendition of the barn animals singing. I amused the kindergarteners and all the adults that were in the room this morning! It is so fun to see the joy of reading in little people’s faces. Hopefully, you too will have a wonderful read aloud in your class!