Amazing Moments

It my first year teaching middle school and my classroom was quickly becoming a second home to me. I even had a small fridge in my room. I would often find myself at school well into the evening; grading papers, planning lessons, and making worksheets. On this particular evening, I looked up and saw several of my students walking down the street and duck behind the gas station. Curious, I headed out. I also ducked behind the gas station and startled my teenage students who had lit cigarettes handing off their lips. They were flustered to find me standing there. Giving them an out, I invited them all to my room. Over chips and pop, I discovered they basically ran the streets of Olde Towne unsupervised until late evening. They were starting to stir up trouble. I extended an open invitation to them to come to my room, 136, any day. Why not, I figured, I’m always here. Well, to my surprise, they took me up on it. The next night, there they all were, all five of them. We...

YUM! As a young girl, the smell and sight of peanut brittle at Grandma’s house meant one thing…Christmas was here! One of the special treats of the season was a giant candy plate overflowing with peanut brittle. As grandma and I both grew older, I was able to help make this delectable treat. The process, I soon discovered, was very time consuming. While we waited for the bubbly pot of corn syrup, sugar, and water to boil, we had plenty of time to talk about the good old days. Grandma would talk and stir, I would measure the temperature and listen and so we would pass the afternoon. My legs would get SO tired just standing there next to her. This soon became our holiday tradition, making peanut brittle together. Grandma grew older and now I was married with children. The seasons changed. This particular Christmas season started as we normally did. Grandma was at the stove stirring, a little slower than usual, and I was doing my job measuring and keeping track of the tempe...

It all started many years ago when I found myself alone, with three small children on Friday nights. My husband worked nights at a manufacturing plant 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day and was never home on Friday or Saturday nights. People would talk about all the fun they were planning to have on the week-end with their families or friends and sometimes I would find myself feeling a bit jealous and bummed that I was not out there having fun somewhere. So, I thought about it. Every Friday, I was home with the kids. I needed to shift my perspective. Instead of feeling like I was missing out on something, I needed to think how lucky I was to be home with my amazing children. It was up to me to make being home fun, exciting, and memorable. That is when Special Treat Night was born. Special Treat Night is kicked off by enjoying a delicious home cooked meal, prepared as if company were coming over. I get out the special dishes and glasses. The kids pick what I cook, taking tur...

As a young girl I dreamed of playing the piano. My best friend could play the piano so beautifully. I loved listening to her play. I loved the way her fingers would gracefully glide up and down the keys. How I wished I could be like her. I dreamed of taking piano lessons. For me, piano lessons just weren’t in the cards. It was the 70’s and times were tough. My dad just lost his job and my mom was back at work. Money was non-existent. Piano lessons were we not in the picture. One day, our music teacher announced that there would be a talent show in the spring. Anyone could audition. My best friend wanted to play a piano duet but didn’t have a partner. That is when we came up with a brilliant idea. My best friend started giving me lessons during recess in the music room. I was so excited and so was she! The moment I had waited for was now happening; I was going to learn to play the piano. Recess was my favorite time of the day! She diligently taught me the notes and ga...

Our car was totaled, thanks to an older woman who couldn’t see out her smudged windshield one sloppy January day. So that is how we got a car upgrade to a used Camry, only a few years old complete with a sunroof, iPod outlet, AND a viper security system. The Viper Security System. That is where my trouble began. This viper security system is guaranteed to keep the car secure. In fact, our first night home with the car was quite an event. Within moments of parking, the kids swarmed the car and the alarm went off. It wasn’t just any alarm, this alarm meant business. It has sirens, whistles, the horn honks, lights flash, the works, and it goes on for at least three minutes. We had no idea how to shut it off. Every time the door opened, the siren started up again. We started to laugh, it was so loud and no matter what we tried, it would not stop. The dogs howled, the kids plugged their ears, and we shut the garage door and ran into the house. Finally, after a chat with th...

Shampoo I never thought about the value of shampoo until I was a stay at home mom and money was tight. I clipped coupons, shopped sale racks, and I used the cheapest shampoo possible, whatever was on sale. I had recently had a new baby, baby number four! I was feeling a little blue because I still had the baby weight, was not sleeping great, and lots of children to tend to. I decided to splurge and bought an expensive shampoo from the salon! I loved this shampoo. It was like gold, expensive, rare, and wonderful. I made sure not to use too much so it would last a long time. It smelled great and I felt like it made my hair look fantastic. It was such a perk! On this particular day, my bottle was starting to run low, below half. I was giving my three year old son a bath in my tub, when my new baby started to cry. I left him for a moment and dashed down the hall to get the baby. When I came back, I was aghast to see the lid off the bottle and my son holding the shampoo und...

There’s nothing out of the ordinary about the inside of my fridge. It serves its purpose, keeping stuff cold or frozen and serving out ice cubes and water like a champ to four thirsty kids. The outside of the fridge is the family hub, where the bright colored magnets secure calendars, photos, and invitations. When the kids began to draw, these were shoved to the side as art projects, school work, and report cards competed for the center spot.  Each week, I clear off it off and make way for new masterpieces found in the backpacks.  The kids love to see what I choose to display. And so it has gone on for years. As the kids move through the grades in school, fewer papers come home in their backpacks.  So the fridge continues to be full of elementary papers, and rarely something from middle school or beyond. Just the other day, I looked over at the fridge and there, front and center, was a calculus test proudly hanging in the prime spot of honor, shining like a lighthouse on ...