This week I’m thankful for…

• turning my alarm clock off for the summer
• a sweet last day of school with my little ones and some of my awesome parent volunteers
• making cookies with a friend
• vases of fresh flowers given to me on the last day of school
• homemade strawberry blackberry jam made by a friend
• ice-cold watermelon
• warmer weather

This week I’m thankful for…

• the rain that held off for our field trip to Turtle Bay Museum
• the rain that held off yet again for our swimming trip to the Aquatic Center
• my sweet little one who said “Mrs. McCauley, we’ve been a lot of great places this year, but the swimming field trip was the best!”
• my wonderful parent volunteers who make field trips seamless
• my first grade team
• my husband, who opens the door for me every single time
• riding my bike up hills that are so hard I want to puke
• somehow not puking on those hills
• reading in bed
• ice-cold watermelon
• my new writing critique group
• the last day of school tomorrow.  It will be bittersweet, but mostly sweet.  And that’s what I’m most thankful for.

This week I’m thankful for…

• days when I’m organized enough to leave school shortly after my students
• when the mailbox has something good in it like a magazine or a package
• the Northern California Writing Project and the opportunities they give me to learn and collaborate with my colleagues
• nights when I don’t dream about school and the well-rested mornings that follow
• Q Tips.  I don’t care that they’re not intended for my ears or that in putting them in my ears I may somehow puncture my brain.  I love the feeling of cleaning out my ears.
• getting all four of the hotel pillows to myself
• television finales and the return of summer shows
• my husband, who attended our class musical dress rehearsal and said lovely things about my children
• the looks on the faces of my little ones as they performed our class musical for their loved ones
• teachers being moved to first grade this year who are comfortable enough in their own skin to ask for help
• the opportunity to share what I love with other teachers
• wearing my flannel pajamas, slippers and winter robe in May

This week I’m thankful for…

• getting a pedicure with my mom
• walking the river trail
• my critique partner at Writers Forum and her helpful suggestions
• leftovers
• rainy weather that lets me wear my winter clothes in May
• sweating hard in spin class and then walking in the rain to my car
• reading in bed with my hubby
• days when the rain holds off until after recess
• the bouquet of roses my husband brought to my classroom
• the little boy who finally nailed his solo during practice for our musical
• the man outside of Barnes and Noble who said “Hey, beautiful, smile.  Every day is a good day.”  It was a particularly rough teaching day and I needed to be reminded that it was still a good day.

This week I’m thankful for…

• field trips that require me to tromp around outside by creeks and stuff with my little ones.  It’s so cool to take them out in nature.  We capped our last trip off with a picnic lunch.
• parent volunteers
• making my mom laugh on my grandmother’s birthday
• strawberries from the stand
• BikeSnobNYC’s article on Wouter Weylandt
• for my friend, Danielle, who helped me make this flip book of verses I want to memorize.  I’m thankful for creative friends who dream up beautiful things and turn them into reality.