Valentine's Day

Preschool is a GREAT place to be on Valentine's Day. 

The girls embrace the opportunity to wear their "pretty-in-pink" . . . . . .  or purple, or red.

And, the boys, too, wear their colors, handsome and proud.  

They bring with them valentines, either store bought, or made from home. 

Eyes all aglow with anticipation,

     as they wait for the opportunity to hand out  their paper-made gestures;  

then, carefully placing them into decorated envelopes or bags.

For snack, some sort of sugary sweet,

     shaped like a heart,and dipped in chocolate . . . . . . yum!

Which, we enjoy, as we talk about love and giving,

     caring, and sharing, and friendship.  

That's what Valentine's Day is about.  

To Swing

I recently saw the movie, Extremely Loud and Uncomfortably Close,

and there is a scene where the main character

     discovers the joy of what it feels like . . . 

to SWING.

Do you remember what it feels like?

That feeling of weightlessness and flying.

No worries or thinking about the time. 

Anything can happen,

     and we can be anyone we want to be.    

Challenging ourselves to swing higher;

     releasing our hands from the chains;

surrendering our bodies into the sky.  

Soaring, soaring, soaring

                                 . . . . . . landing.      

Then, right back up again. 

  

It's been a while.  

Maybe I should go for a swing.   

 

As They Should Be

And, Charlie ran outside, just like any other morning, 

     only to find himself sliding across the frozen tundra that had become our backyard.

     "What IS this?" he wondered (the way dogs wonder about things).  

He pounced on the white, slick stuff, and went sliding again; 

     his gray-white coat blending in with the wintery landscape.  

     "I'm not sure I like this, " he barked ( and barked, and barked ).

And, ran back inside, where things were as they should be.    

Milk, Bread, and T.P., Too

( To the tune of "It's Raining, It's Pouring" ) 

It’s SNOW-ing, it’s SNOW-ing,

The OLD man is GOing

     TO the store for MILK and bread

     And T.P., too ( to USE the head),

     Slipped ON some ice and BUMPED his head,

     And WENT inside and WENT to bed,

     Woke UP and it was ALL mel-ted,

     But, at LEAST he has his MILK and bread,

     And T.P., too ( to use the head ), 

     Cuz if he DIDN'T then he MIGHT be dead . . . . . .

( BIG BREATH ) 

ALL because it’s SNOW-ing.    

Driving Class

It was a rainy day, and for many a preschooler ( and teacher ),
     this means "indoor recess".

Or, what I now refer to as "Driving Class".  

For, when it is too cold or wet outside,
     we take a trip down the long hallway, trimmed in colorful artwork, 
into a large, open room filled with tricycles and scooters,
     as well as bright orange cones for the children to maneuver around 
until their hearts' content.  

As I stood and watched my little preschoolers drive around in circles,
     I found humor in the realization that watching them handle their tricycles
was much like being out in "real" traffic.

There was "Sunday Driver Suzie":

     She was in absolutely NO hurry, driving slowly and carefully around the cones, 

     taking time to notice EVERYTHING around her, 

     but not letting it distract her from driving in a SLOW straight  line.  

     AND, not allowing ANYONE to make her feel rushed. 

And, "Steady Eddie".

     He was driving at a very consistent speed ( not too slow, not too fast ),
     ALWAYS looking ahead ( not side to side ) and ALWAYS staying in a straight line.  

Also, "Speedy Petey":

     Like a race car driver, he was ZIPPING around the track, weaving in and out of traffic,
     not slowing down for ANYONE or ANYTHING,
     and ACTUALLY doing a pretty darn good job of it.   

And, "He Should Never Have a Cell Phone Sam":

     He noticed EVERYthing around him, pointing his "trike" in the same direction as his attention,
     going on and off the course, running into other tricycles and cones. 

And, of course, "Rule Breaker Bob":

     He was PURPOSELY driving outside of the cones and against the traffic,
     causing all KINDS of trouble, making all of the other drivers mad at him,
     and THOROUGHLY enjoying himself, in the process.    

And, "Traffic Cop Tammy":

     Telling EVERYONE ELSE what they SHOULD be doing or what they AREN'T doing right,
     to the point of parking her tricycle in an INCONVENIENT spot, and standing up in traffic,
     causing a traffic jam.   

And, then there was  "Public Transit Paul":

     He stood safely outside of the cones, and while he considered getting on a tricycle,
     watched everyone else drive around like maniacs, and with a concerned look on his face,
     decided to just . . . watch.    

Hmmmmm.   

Which one are you ? ? ? 

 

( The names have been changed to protect the innocent. )

Forty-three

Soccer, latte,
     a comfy place to sit.

Road trip, friendship,
     a place to "shoot the shit".

A nap and some exercise,
     a movie on tv,

A nice hot shower -
     OH, what a luxury!

Dinner with my parents
     and my awesome kids, three. 

Wine and chocolate -
     how much better can it be?

And now for some football,
     as I wind down my day

I think I celebrated "ME"
     in a pretty good way ! 

My Heroes

I was shopping at Whole Foods, the other day,
     and when I moved my small cart over to allow room for a wide load of produce to pass through,
I knocked over some strategically placed plastic containers full of nuts.

Before I even realized what had happened,
     a cute little, happy-faced boy (about 10 years old)
appeared out of nowhere,
     and without saying a word,
began to pick the containers up and put them back on the shelf.  

Not far behind him, a darling little girl (about the same age) came over to help,
     as if she wanted "in" on the fun.   

     "How kind of you!  Thank you!" I said, as the three of us cleaned up together. 

Just then, I heard a mother's voice calling over.

     "What are you two up to?" she asked.

     "Did you ask them to help me?" I asked.

     "No," she said, with laughter.  "I was just wondering where they disappeared to!"

     "WOW," I said.  

And, after praising the two "do-gooders" and their mother,
     I just stood there . . . . . . STUNNED. 

I think I just met my heroes, I thought.