Sometimes we all get stuck in a rut. Things become habit. And we get bored.
Well that wasn't my Friday at all. It was a typical start to the day - out of bed, shower, coffee, and drive. I'm in the planning process for a presentation in a few weeks and went to discuss things with my friend Robin. She has some great information from a recent conference, and I'm all about using the resources available. And from 8:00-9:00, she was available. We bounced around some ideas, discussed a few things, and she agreed to help me do some research. I was just leaving when the secretary called on the intercom telling me to call my principal. Today we had the baseball team headed to regional tournament, and the softball was hosting regional tournaments. Because we were short-handed, he asked me if I could do elementary P.E. for the softball coach. It was only two classes.
I've raised two children. I have several nieces and nephews. I normally teach seventh grade. I coached jr. and sr. high cheer for several years. One year I taught a fitness class. I knew that this was something I could do. Apparently, my principal wasn't so sure because the last thing he said to me was, "And Mercer, please don't let any little kids get hurt." That just made me laugh.
I went to get 4th grade first. I teased them about being in elementary and having to walk every where in a straight - that's one of the things my seventh graders are always so happy to leave behind. I told them that we would have to walk in a straight line with me as the leader, and then we played follow the leader from the outside of their building to the P.E. area - there was nothing straight about. We circled almost every pole we passed. Everyone was dizzy when we got to our destination - and I was already a sweaty, stinky mess.
Almost immediately there was a "face plant" that I thought might be an injury - but the boy bounced right up. We were locked out of the building, so the kids chose to just play outside on the playground. There was a very competitive kickball game going on in minutes. Soon the younger kids came out for recess.
It didn't take long for someone to come limping up. It was a kindergartner; he had fallen and skinned his knee. It wasn't a bad cut, but he sure thought is was. I wasn't sure if he was going to cry or not, so I tried to get his mind off the pain. He sat down, and I started asking him about it. I asked him if he wanted me to make it heal really fast. He said, "Yes, what are you going to do?" I told him that I was going to spit on it with my magic spit that would only burn a few minutes and then the cut would go away. After several minutes of me teasing him (without him crying at all), it dawned on me that I probably shouldn't be telling a kindergartner that I was going to spit on him, even if I was just kidding.
Can you imagine the conversations around the dinner table tonight? "Mom, I hurt my leg today and Mrs. Mer wanted to spit on me." or "My friend got hurt on the playground today, and Mrs. Mer spit on his leg." or "Mrs. Mer spit on a boy today at recess, and his leg starting bleeding." or "Mrs. Mer made a boy cry today. She cast a magic spell, spit in his eye, and now he can't walk."
I quickly told him that I was just teasing him and took his side when the duty teacher wanted to spray the burning medicine on it before she put on the bandaid. Just so you don't thing I'm evil - I asked him if his mom ever put a little spit on her thumb and wiped something off his face. He said yes, she had. I told him that she had magic spit, too - that all momma's had it. The duty teacher confessed that she, a mom, had magic spit too.
In the next class (another group of kindergarten), there were a few small boo-boos. Nothing major that required the nurse or a bandaid. But I never mentioned my magic spit even once.
And when that one little boy told the class he knew the "F" word and a little girl quickly whispered in his ear and he said, "Not that one - the real "F" word!" I didn't even laugh out loud. I just told him that I didn't need to hear any more about that.
Maybe routines aren't so bad. And my principal knows me pretty good - maybe that's why he made that last comment.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
to coupon, or not to coupon
After school today, I had to run to get groceries. I went to Pine Bluff. I traipsed all over the store to fill my buggy and then headed to a register. Isn't that always fun? The gamble at the register.
- Go for a short line only to discover that the cashier is a slow motion queen. Or the one I hate the most analyzes each and every item that I put on the belt. And asks me what it tastes like. Or where I found it.
- Look for someone with very little in her buggy. And then listen to her scream at her husband and/or kids for 10 minutes. Or watch helplessly as the kids come out of nowhere and slowly fill her buggy with their items.
- Find the one line that is moving at a reasonable speed only to have someone move in from behind and crowd MY space. Sometimes I can't even punch in my debit card code because the person behind me is so freaking close. I have been known to give said person's buggy a slight "bump" to remind him/her that there is such a thing as too close.
Today I was dreading the line. The store was very busy. But somehow I found a line that had one family mid-checkout. They had a full load, but the conveyor belt was moving quickly. As I started loading the my things on the belt (in the proper order, of course), I noticed that the woman was price matching almost everything. It wasn't slowing up the checkout process at all. I was amazed at her ability to quote prices from various stores. My sister has always been able to tell me the price of items in her pantry. Many times she has excitedly told me that one grocery store or another is running ketchup for .72 a bottle or something like that. And I always have to ask if that is good or bad. Today the woman in front of me kept glancing my way. I finally told her that I was impressed with her ability to quote the prices. Her husband teased that she has hopes of being an extreme couponer. She explained that they were a one income family and couldn't get by without couponing and price matching groceries and essential household items.
Why did this make me a little uncomfortable? I felt a little guilty with my overly filled buggy and not one thing planned ahead or priced matched or even a single coupon. And I still can't tell you how much I paid for one single item in the buggy. I take that back - there's one thing, just one, that I know the price of.
We all have different talents and gifts. Mine is definitely not menu planning or grocery shopping. I got to my car, went to get gas, and realized that I had forgotten one of the main things I had gone in to get. I'm just not cut out for grocery shopping. But I sure wish that I was a lot better at price matching and coupon clipping.
Do you extreme coupon? Do you price match? Do you crowd the person in front of you in the check out line? Or do you give a little bump to those crowders behind you?
- Go for a short line only to discover that the cashier is a slow motion queen. Or the one I hate the most analyzes each and every item that I put on the belt. And asks me what it tastes like. Or where I found it.
- Look for someone with very little in her buggy. And then listen to her scream at her husband and/or kids for 10 minutes. Or watch helplessly as the kids come out of nowhere and slowly fill her buggy with their items.
- Find the one line that is moving at a reasonable speed only to have someone move in from behind and crowd MY space. Sometimes I can't even punch in my debit card code because the person behind me is so freaking close. I have been known to give said person's buggy a slight "bump" to remind him/her that there is such a thing as too close.
Today I was dreading the line. The store was very busy. But somehow I found a line that had one family mid-checkout. They had a full load, but the conveyor belt was moving quickly. As I started loading the my things on the belt (in the proper order, of course), I noticed that the woman was price matching almost everything. It wasn't slowing up the checkout process at all. I was amazed at her ability to quote prices from various stores. My sister has always been able to tell me the price of items in her pantry. Many times she has excitedly told me that one grocery store or another is running ketchup for .72 a bottle or something like that. And I always have to ask if that is good or bad. Today the woman in front of me kept glancing my way. I finally told her that I was impressed with her ability to quote the prices. Her husband teased that she has hopes of being an extreme couponer. She explained that they were a one income family and couldn't get by without couponing and price matching groceries and essential household items.
Why did this make me a little uncomfortable? I felt a little guilty with my overly filled buggy and not one thing planned ahead or priced matched or even a single coupon. And I still can't tell you how much I paid for one single item in the buggy. I take that back - there's one thing, just one, that I know the price of.
We all have different talents and gifts. Mine is definitely not menu planning or grocery shopping. I got to my car, went to get gas, and realized that I had forgotten one of the main things I had gone in to get. I'm just not cut out for grocery shopping. But I sure wish that I was a lot better at price matching and coupon clipping.
Do you extreme coupon? Do you price match? Do you crowd the person in front of you in the check out line? Or do you give a little bump to those crowders behind you?
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