Time is Crawling/Flying

Every day this last week I put "blog" on my to-do list.  And every day was too jam packed.  Life is just so surreal right now.  I have been working hard on teaching, creating lessons that take forever to create because you have to make a little video about how to do this or a video about how to do that.  Then you have to respond to all the questions because students didn't actually watch the videos I made.  It takes a lot more thinking to plan each lesson.  And assess each assignment.  Anyway, I could go on about this but I won't.  Anyway, this time is showing the reality for me that teaching will expand to fill the time I give it.  And both last week and this week--that was a lot! 
Last week:

It was ART day for Student Council on 5/1, so I wore my paint clothes to help students pick up their bags of stuff from their desks.  I did that Thursday and Friday mornings.  It felt so good to get out and do something helpful. 

I created signs both days.  

I also made homemade pizza dough.  Okay, so we ate pizza 3 times last week.  But it was 3 different types.  1.  Safeway thin crust frozen pizza, 2.  Homemade pizza, 3. Costco pizza.  Variety is the spice of life, right? 

On May 1st, we did a drop of of dinner for Grammy's 73rd.  We are getting good at the front yard singing! 

Then this week, one reason I felt so busy, is that I was also trying to cram 5 days of teaching into 4 days, because Friday and Saturday I attended (virtually) the LDS Storymakers workshop.  It was on my 20 for 20 at attend a writer's workshop.  I wanted to do this because I do love writing...but I wouldn't even know where to begin if I wanted to write a book.  The workshop was also going to be killing 2 birds (or more) with one stone because I was going to travel to UT to go to the workshop with my mom--and be with her for Mother's Day!  Well, corona changed that.  BUT--I will say that it was awesome to be texting on the side with my mom and attending workshops while taking down the last things in my classroom (Friday) and cleaning here at home (Saturday).  It was also so easy to pop out of a class that I didn't like (which only happened a couple of times).  Many of the instructors pre-recoreded their main message, so then they could be there on the chat answering questions throughout the presentation.  That was amazing.  I learned so much!  It was like drinking from a firehose.  I have some ideas about what I could write.  But I'm going to let them sit on my back burner for awhile and see if I feel moved to write this summer.  I have a long list of books I want to read, both books about writing and mentor texts about great writing.

One of my favorite classes was a BYU professor called Writing Essays using borrowed forms.  He actually had us do some fun writing using a couple of online tools.  This one above was like magnet poetry with word banks from famous writers. 

This one was a pangram writing tool that would show you how many of the letters of the alphabet you had used in your writing.  Super fun.  He challenged us to create a haiku using each letter.  I didn't make it.  But what a fun exercise.  For sure assigning this to my students for journalling.

Really this workshop just made me want to teach creative writing!  (And we found out that there is going to be a 25 teacher RIF this week...so that will create a big shuffle.  Who knows what I'll be doing next year...maybe just that?)

One time suck this week was trying to figure out what happened to these banners I ordered.  I had to go to 3 different post offices until I found them.  But they look great, right? 

Lazy Stuffie Day for Student Council this week.  

We discovered that 4 square is a good family game--except when dad gets too competitive and Libby is too hungry.  (Wednesday night ended with me giving Libby a pedicure to help her calm down after 45 minutes of crying.) 

Libby organized a "choir" and they performed for Maren and I.

Norton Family Chats are amazing on Monday Nights. Leanne has new hair (hair salons in CO are open!)

Geneva is on the mask making bandwagon!  It was a reason for her to finally get out the new sewing machine we bought her for Christmas.  Twin masks!  (I'm still not wearing one when I go out unless I absolutely have to.  It is so hard to breathe and so uncomfy--ugh.)

This Friday was Ben's "Movie Theater."  Sonic the Hedgehog.  After the movie started Maren and I went up to drop off birthday cards to Alayne.  We sat in the backyard, 6 feet apart, and enjoyed each other's company for a few minutes.  It was lovely.
Anyway, two weeks in a nutshell.  Lots of movies watched (by the kids).  Lots of time on the computer for mom including school work, MP Swim Club board meeting, Staff Meetings, etc.

Here's to staying safe and slowly reopening life (please)?