Spring Is In The Air

I think it's wishful thinking in our area, but spring is coming. Twenty things I love about spring.

1- The dirty snow melts.
2- The rain cleans the earth.
3- Little buds peaking out of the ground.
4- The first signs of green on the trees. It's just that little hint of green.
5- The birds chirping in the morning.
6- The fresh smell of spring.
7- The excitement that's felt on the first few warm days. Everyone's outside.
8- Prepping the garden for annuals.
9- Sweet beautiful daffodils.
10- A crisp clean home.


11- The anticipation of our boat in the water.
12- Sunny mornings when I drive to work.
13- Spring Break, yes I'm a teacher.
14- Fleshly painted toes and sandals.
15- Long walks outside.


16- Seeing the pure delight of my pups playing outside.
17- Home improvements we planned all winter.
18- Fresh air and open windows.
19- My first siting of a cardinal.
20- The blessings of good health and a fresh new season.

I feel fortunate to live in an area that has all for seasons to the fullest. I love each one. What is your favorite season and why?

One Blog... One Word and Reader At A Time

Suzie Harris at Bienvenue wrote about her thoughts at Blissdom '09. It really resonated with me. What I took from the post is, find your voice, find your brand, and be true to yourself. The rest will follow. Blogging takes time. I've tried for two years to maintain two blogs and it does not work for me. I thought I needed to keep my love for teaching separate from my love of home and family. I really hadn't thought about it until last nigh when I read Suzie's post. That said, I'm going to maintain my Cafe Class Blog. It's who I am. I am creative, I am a teacher, I love my kiddos(students). I must combine my passions into one effort. They really do go together. Although I don't have children, I work with children. I love my home, my honey, my pups, and I want to share about all of them. All of me. I'll be working on transferring my sidebar items from De-Ja Brew to this blog, my passions all combined. The title works for me... my love of coffee, my love for my classroom, and my love for a little "class" in my life.
Thank You Suzie!

All my best,
Trudi

Twenty Things Children Need for School

The local newspaper, The Elkhart Truth, had an interesting article about what children truly need for school. (Sunday September 7, 2008) It listed 20 things:
1. A #2 pencil and a willingness to erase.
2. A respect for themselves and others.
3. An awareness that the world does not revolve around them. They are responsible for their own actions.
4. They need parents that teach by example a love for reading.
5. An assurance that school is a safe place, and parents who will not leave them.
6. School is a "job".
7. Open communication between home and school.
8. A plan to get to school on time.
9. A public library card.
10. A pet to care for.
11. encouragement to try new things, the freedom to fail, and the opportunity to try again
12. Someone to welcome them home and listen to them. Really listen.
13. Help someone less fortunate.
14. Confidence to deal with bullies.
15. To be good at something or at least pretty good. To realize not everyone is the best at everything.
16. The gifts of being well fed, well rested, well mannered, medical care, child care and dental care.
17. Nothing to do but daydream at times.
18. Be loved unconditionally.
19. Spend more time with humans and less time with computers and video games.
20. School won't last forever, but learning is life long.

This is a wonderful list. They only thing I see missing is the right to a physically fit body.