Toddler Room Tales

Just the other day I was musing that my kiddos weren't being funny...seems they heard that as a challenge and brought their A game this week

To the kiddo with the burgeoning foot fetish:
I don't think she wants you to touch her feet
Do you hear how she is telling you No!
Stop touching her feet
Your friend is trying to give you a message, I need you to respect it
If you don't stop touching her feet I will need to help your body 
     screaming, thrashing toddler
I'm sorry this is making you angry, but you needed help.
If a friend tells you to stop, you need to stop touching her feet!


We may or may not be threatened by a lice outbreak from the older classrooms
     Yes I have been super itchy thank you hypocondria
     Yes I come home from work everyday and make Jesse check my hair
     Yes I have been alternating: letting my hair get super dirty gross and shampooing it like 
     crazy with Coconut shampoo, cause the rumor is lice hate both those things
So picture this:  nap time, rubbing a cute toddler back helping him fall asleep
All of the sudden he starts scrubbing at his head like crazy
     (sidenote:  older sibling in the outbreak affected classroom)
Are you itchy?  Head nodding
Deep breath and a quick glance through his hair (yay for little boys and short haircuts)
Turned out to just be a toddler trying to avoid falling asleep   whew!


and courtesy of a toddler parent...
How was the storm that rolled through?
     Appropriate response of how it was loud but we talked about being brave cause we know 
     we are safe at school
Ignoring me completely going on to say...
Yeah a big reason we switched schools was cause of the storms
We figured you guys are in a bigger building, you probably don't lose electricity often
     assuming he wasn't serious I responded...yeah you know how clintonville is
Blank look
     Do you live in the community?
Yeah we live in UA
     also known as land of underground powerlines that rarely loses power
     very unlike clintonville, land of powerlines through the back of properties cleverly disguised 
     by big trees that like to fall down

Do you have shadows in your bed?

We're saying goodbye to kiddos left and right this time of the year
Unlike our birthday celebrations which we have down to a science,
Our last day celebrations are much more a bit of this and a bit of that
     with random toddler tantrums thrown in

It's their special day, we do all of their favorite things, shower them with hugs and kisses
For our most recent graduate, this involved reading (and rereading) our collection of monster books

including The Great Monster Hunt by Norbert Landa
The first book this kiddo every asked me to read,
when he was finally warming up to us and the classroom
I read this one book for a solid hour yesterday
Each time I finished he piped up it's not a monster, its a mouse!  Read the Monster Hunt again?

Savoring the last moments with this kiddo
We poured so much into him
He grew so much in a year
Hate that he is moving away

Of course I will keep reading your favorite book
After the third reading, the conversation began
     I scared.  Shadows in my bed
     Do you have shadows in your bed?

Note:  I do in deed have shadows in my bed.  After many nights of waking up in panic, staring into the darkness of the room, I went out to buy a nightlight.  Its a retro pink glittery lava lamp and I love it.  It makes the shadows go away

But who needs to bring baggage like that into a classroom.
Enter important life lesson time
     and the conversation that kept repeating for an hour


Yep, sometimes I have shadows in my bed
When I feel scared, I take a deep breath, and feel really really brave
If I'm still scared, I turn on a light- that makes the shadows go away
If I'm still scared I ask for help, from my mom or my dad or a friend

Much head nodding followed by...
I scared.  Shadows in my bed.
You have shadows in your bed?

By the end of the hour the conversation began to look different

I scared.  Shadows in my bed.
You have shadows in your bed?
You feel brave.  I feel brave
Mom and dad help me

the anatomy of a spontaneous roadtrip

Prequel:
Survive raging thunderstorms, power outages and hysterical parents while their toddlers wonder
     "Carri, why is a tree rolling across the parking lot"
      oh please, please avoid my car
Run around like a maniac, completing my to do list by 4 pm
      Fun adventure bike riding to Farmers Market
      Detouring to see the ginormous trees that fell across the road, smashing cars

      Sewing, packing, procuring beverages
      Airport Run
      Invent decorations from materials gathered from CVS
             Tissue paper, wrapping paper and streamers go a long way

we may have gotten a little artistically inappropriate with this by the end of the night

Party like a rockstar celebrating a dear friend's last weekend as a single lady

The Spark of an Idea:
Wake up barely avoiding a hangover:  Winner!
Count my lucky stars that I have power and a hot shower
Begin remembering just how long my work was closed last time power went out
     a whole week:  it took them 4 days to restore power and 1 day for cleanup
Begin wondering what am I going to do for the next few days if I don't end up working

The Moment of Rationality:
phone calls ensued
3 trusted confidants
     all who sent me to voicemail
ten minutes of waiting for a return call
deciding to go ahead and pack
     cause i can always unpack
one last glance at the clock

Throwing Caution to the Wind:
Hit the Road Jack, Don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more

10 miles south of Columbus my first returned phone call
     the advice:  do it!  it'll be a blast
40 miles south of Columbus, second returned phone call
     the advice:  a bit more rational, but do it!  Hit the road!  Yay for road trips!
5 miles north of Cincy, final returned phone call
     the advice:  you've already left now haven't you- ha!  he knows me well

Sent to the Nashville Crew along with

what are yall doing tonight?

     want some company?