I love the smell of crayons in the morning!

With everything going on with Dad, and Henny, and just general life, it is easy to adopt an overall worried/stressed attitude, a kind of "down-in-the-dumps" mentality. It's a rut. But I do know that it is a choice, and you can change your mood if you just try hard enough. But believe it or not, I have found out a way to change your mood almost instantly. And it only takes a minute.

Or an hour.

 

I decided at the beginning of this year to do something about an issue that has been really bugging me for the last 2 years, since I have not been working for myself and making my own schedule. That was to be able to spend more time in my children's classes...field trips, etc. Not just hear at the end of the day what they were doing:

"How was your day at school today honey?"

"Fine."

"What did you do?"

and I would get one of two choices...

"Play" or "Same stuff"

Fabulous. Very descriptive.

So I decided to volunteer in the girls classes in the mornings before I have to be at work. And boy am I glad I did!

 

Maybe it is the genes of the Kindergarten teacher my Mom was, but did I ever have a good time! The colorful room, the short tables, the beautiful faces of kids so proud of their new uniforms and school supplies...no one more so than my own Sugar Plum. The art supplies, the chubby little fingers trying to clumsily cut with blue and purple scissors, the fat crayons, I just soaked it all in. The kids were hilarious, even when they were acting up (one little girl had her head stuck in her cubby crying for her Mom...first week blues but it was really funny) but most were just really excited to be there, "big kids" and doing school work. Getting to do it with Andrea was definitely an added bonus.

 

One of the activities they were working on was making a "mini-me" a paper doll that was supposed to look like the child. This one caught my eye...hey, some were a little more anatomically correct than others!

They were also "cooking" making Stop Lights, which I found out were two graham crackers with frosting and red, green and yellow M&M's. Yummy.

 

Near the end of the hour, Mrs. Kahler (who reminds me SO MUCH of Mom) put her arm around me, squeezed my shoulders and said, "Mrs. Warren, I'm just so glad you were able to do this!"

Me too, Mrs. Kahler...me too. You have NO IDEA how much.