parenting | BulgingButtons

February 17, 2014
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

My Little Valentines

Friday we celebrated Valentine’s Day in my fourth grade classroom. There was no avoiding it, and honestly I enjoy this celebration.

I’ve always worked to keep it low key, since for the majority of my teaching career I worked in a school where many of the children come from rather dire situations. Sometimes there isn’t money for Valentines, and sometimes there isn’t anyone at home who cares whether a child has Valentines to bring to school or not. It’s really very sad, since a box of store bought Valentines can be had for a dollar, far less than the cost of a pack of cigarettes or six pack of beer or another tattoo, but I digress.

I don’t work in that situation anymore, and the atmosphere on Valentine’s Day was electric. The children were so excited to share their cards and candies, and I couldn’t help but enjoy their enthusiasm. We had a wonderful morning and accomplished all that we set out to do, then after lunch we finally distributed cards. I had a couple of kids who didn’t bring their own cards distribute mine, and I soaked in the atmosphere. The kids were happy and cooperative and they reminded me of my own elementary school Valentine’s days. I also watched as my little bag overflowed, and heart shaped boxes of candy piled up next to it. These kids spoiled me like crazy! Along with the cards and hearts, I received a giant kiss, a pink Webkinz fish, and a Starbucks gift card. All of these are great, but my absolute favorite is the little solar powered pig with wings that I was given by one of my little boys. O.M.G. It’s adorable. The kids know I love my flying pigs, and this little guy found the perfect one. It has a place of honor in the classroom.

I’m so fortunate to work with these children, and with these families who go out of their way to help their kids out and show appreciation for their teachers. I definitely felt the love this Valentine’s Day, and for that I am so grateful.

December 18, 2013
by BulgingButtons 6 Comments

Throwback Thursday – Sick

Knock on wood I’m not sick at the moment, but a lot of my students have been. I’ve been washing my hands like a maniac and pumping out the hand sanitizer. It got me thinking back to when I was a kid and what it was like when I was sick. Here are a few of my childhood memories.

1. Mom and Dad’s bed. This is where I would spend the day missing school and watching game shows and sleeping. Mostly sleeping. There were so many pillows, and a bathroom closeby. Just in case.

2. Cough medicine with codeine. Worked like a charm. I’m sure Mom appreciated it too.

3. The sliver bowl. Next to the bed. ‘Nuff said.

4. Ginger ale from the big glass bottle. There was this weird rubber and metal plunger stopper thingie that reclosed it and kept the bubbles in. Mostly.

5. The glass thermometer under the tongue. I hated that thing. My mom always put it too far back and poked me.

6. The revolting taste of penicillin. I thought my dad was so lucky that he was allergic to it, but now that I’m all grown up I’m glad I was able to benefit from it as a child.

7. My grandmother’s huge fluffy featherbed from Germany. I believe the down of an entire flock filled that featherbed. It was toasty warm and chased those nasty germs away.

8. The horrible ordeal of getting a shot at the doctor’s office. Oh how I cried. Always. I was such a big baby. I still cringe when I get my blood drawn.

9. Kaopectate, chalky and soothing. I never even had Pepto Bismol until after I graduated college.

Through it all, my mom was there. She took my temperature, cleaned out the silver bowl (ew), took me to the doctor’s office, tucked me under the featherbed, turned on the silly game shows, and poured out the ginger ale and codeine laced cough syrup. She has always been there when the going gets tough, because that’s when the tough, like my mother, really get going.

December 11, 2013
by BulgingButtons 15 Comments

More Simple Things – Car Related

These are some of the things that, while not huge, make me happy. I try to be mindful of all the simple pleasures life has to offer, but there are simply too many!

1. Finding the perfect parking spot. It is a pleasure not to have to drive around a crowded parking lot or worse, a crowded parking ramp. Sometimes the perfect spot is just waiting for me to arrive, and it makes me smile when that happens.

2. The HOV lane on a busy morning. I’m not a morning person, and budgeting my time is not my greatest strength (those of you who know me personally can stop snorting now). That being said, sometimes, very occasionally, we leave the house slightly later than we perhaps ought to. On those mornings, when the right three lanes are crawling, I’m grateful for the HOV (or carpool) lane on the left. It moves along swiftly so I can get my son to school, then myself to work, on time. Of course on the days I don’t have him I’m in the other three lanes with the rest of the suckers, so that leads me to the number 3.

3. Sharing part of my commute with my son. On most days we ride together to and from school, and I really enjoy and appreciate the time we get to spend together, one on one. We may not have a deep conversation, but that’s okay. Just being together is good.

4. I’m thankful each and every time my car starts and takes me from place to place safely. It has about 123,000 miles on it, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will get many more before it earns its retirement. Hey, it’s a terrific car, and it’s paid for!

5. Singing along to the car radio makes me happy. I don’t pick the songs, they just show up, and they sometimes surprise and delight me. I’m not shy about singing along, even though I have a lousy singing voice. I turn it up loud enough so I blend in (at least in my mind). If I’m going to be stuck in traffic, I might as well enjoy it.