Sweet Surprises {SOL 4-28-15}

Spring is here!

As I write this, the sun is just beginning to rise and already I can hear the birds busy in conversation outside.  {I wonder what makes birds wake up and begin chatting?}

Last night, I went for a walk.  It was still a bit cool, but I felt that I needed to get some fresh air and sunshine.  I had to keep my jacket zipped, but the cool air felt so good against my face.

I love this time of year because there are so many different shades of green as the world comes back to life.   I'm surprised I don't trip over something as I walk because I'm so busy looking around that I don't pay much attention to what I'm doing.  (As someone who is very uncoordinated, this could cause trouble.)

Luckily, I happened to be looking down when I saw this:

What a sweet surprise!

15 Minute PD {SOL 4-21-15}

If you are looking for some daily inspiration and are an early riser, you need to check out the Twitter chat #BFC530.   (5:30am EDT)

This 15 minute chat is just the dose of daily inspiration I need to start my day.  The topic is different every day and in just a short amount of time, I make connections and gain insights from others around the country and around the world.  I learn something every day!

Today's topic was about the reading and writing connection.  I was able to call on my classroom experience and my knowledge base from working with my local Writing Project to put together about 12 tweets in the 15 minutes.  I made two book recommendations, wrote about mentor texts and connecting the read aloud to writing.  I learned more about RAFTS in the content areas and writing data.

Participating in this chat is early, it's actually 4:30am for me here in the CST, but it is worth it.  It may be a tiny 'slice' of my day, but it carries me through.  It is 15 minutes of professional development every day.

Roots {SOL 4-14-15}

The weather was perfect this past weekend.  Highs in the 60's and sunny skies -- perfect weather for getting outside after a long winter of household hibernation.

I'm excited to see my tulips and daffodils poking their heads up through the earth.  I can hardly wait until they add their beautiful colors to the landscape.  It will be soon.

Spring is also the perfect time to get some weeding done.  I have to laugh when I think that one of the first plants to show its face in the early spring are dandelions.  Those things are invincible!  However, the recent spring rains made the soil just right for weeding.  I crouched down, grabbed the spiky leaves of the dandelion and pulled.  With little effort, it popped right out. I was satisfied.

Next I moved on to the puffs of grass that have made their appearance.  I hate having grass growing in my flowers, but in the middle of summer it is hard to get rid of it because the soil is so hard and dry.  But not now.  One gentle pull will often yield a long string of roots with grass shoots that haven't even emerged yet.  I follow this root for as long as I can, careful not to break it.

In the end, I am satisfied with my efforts.

Celebrating this Week {4-04-15}

I'm glad to be back with Ruth Ayres and everyone else to celebrate this past week.

This week was exactly what I needed...

* I was on spring break.  What did I do?  A whole bunch of NOTHING and it felt great!  OK, that's not necessarily true.  I did do a few things, but they were just what I wanted to do and nothing else. :)

* My son, Ryan, comes home today from spending his spring break in France.  It was a really crazy week for him that began with a cancelled flight and ended with a cancelled flight.  Luckily, this last cancellation worked out in his favor and he will be home about seven hours earlier than expected.  I am really looking forward to having him home.  I have missed him, but I won't miss are those middle of the night text messages because of the seven hour time difference.

* I am also celebrating the return of my daughter's boyfriend, Zach, who was in Spain for 12 days.  Although we all missed him, it was very nice to have my daughter's full attention for those 12 days.  The one thing that I enjoyed the most was seeing how much this relationship has made her mature and mellow out a bit.  Their relationship is built on a strong friendship and that has made a world of difference.

* This week, I also finished reading Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.  Have you read it?  If not, you MUST!  I loved it so much, I am going to reread it as my read aloud when we get back to school.

* Finally, spring has sprung!  I giggled with joy when I saw these babies pop up in my front yard:

I hope you had lots of things to celebrate this week as well!