365 Less Things has inspired me to get rid of my stuff.  My stuff I don’t need.  My stuff I don’t use.  My stuff I don’t even remember I have.  She has listed mini missions and weekly missions.  I am not entirely sure how it is all going to work, but I am going to try to keep up with it.  I am also going to try hard to keep up with my household routines.

This was the week’s mission list and what I did:

1. Saturday – Find something that can be used up but has been hanging about in your home for too long and start using it up. This could be moisturizer, something from the pantry, a note pad etc.  I have a ton of journals, note pads, post-it pads.  I am taking several in to school to use in my classroom.
2. Sunday – Time to visit your book stash again there must be two books that are out of date or unlikely to be read again. Put them in the donation box. Didn’t do it.
3. Monday – Evaluate your plastic storage containers are there some you could declutter? Tupperware sells on eBay you know. There are probably some that have seen better days to or ones with missing lids these are seldom used and are probably ready for the recycling bin. Threw away a couple of pieces.
4. Tuesday – Go to a storage area of your home (the garage, a closet or drawer for instance) that you rarely use things from there must be one item of clutter you can delete. Collected some Christmas items for give away.
5. Wednesday – Now that Christmas is over and birthdays are on the way gather all of your greeting cards, gift wrap etc. together in one place. Weed out what you will never use and discard. Boxed up some Christmas cards I won’t send now that I make my own photo cards.
6. Thursday – Go and find 1 “I might need it one day” item that you haven’t “needed” for years and put it in your donations box. Didn’t do it.
7. Friday – Declutter one item from your closet that you know you didn’t use last season. Four bags ready to go.

• my super smart wonderful little boy who learns new words every day
• my terrific husband who is willing to do a lot of the things I don’t want to
• my coworkers, especially the one who is finding herself and finding love at the same time
• my third grade student, he perseveres and gives it his all even when everything (outside of school) is working against him
• my third grade tier 2 group, because they are interested, inquisitive and innovative
• my most difficult second grader, he is teaching me patience, to think on my feet, and how to entertain a kid who is too smart for his grade, but too impulsive to just sit and listen
• my boss, he started last year by establishing his alpha position and is now starting to relax and be comfortable in the knowledge that we will do what he says, but sometimes our ideas work well too
• finally being able to celebrate my dear friend’s 20th birthday with her, I am thankful every day we are friends
• knowing that when I go home tonight there will be food, shelter, and love

When I was in high school a friend gave me a book called 14,000 Things to be Happy About.  I started a list of my happy things in 1993.  When I stopped I had 223.  I doubt I will ever get to 14,000, but I thought I might try to hit 1000 in my lifetime.  I added to the list last year, and then again last night.  Here are my latest additions that make me happy:

1. my son
2. my baby’s smile
3. walks on a perfect summer day
4. bagpipes in the distance
5. crisp fall days
6. my students doing well
7. back pain-free days
8. homemade apple pie
9. fresh macaroni and cheese
10. new books
11. computers that work consistently
12. having a president of color
13. the freedom to speak out against your government without fear (even if you are stupid)
14. watching my husband take care of our son
15. sleeping late while my husband takes care of our son
16. car trips
17. leaves changing color in the fall
18. maple cotton candy
19. comfortable shoes
20. going barefoot
21. fresh lemonade
22. apple fritters with ice cream
23. apple cider donuts
24. that first glimpse of Star Island
25. shiny blue bow ties

as in sucks to find snow on the ground on April 4.

as in shoes which I sorely need to buy.

as in shopping which is what I needed to do, but instead I watched TV.

as in stupid which is what I am for forgetting to take the calibration, book the stage, and bring the books home for Sunday.

as in Sunday School which I should be preparing for.

as in sex which is what my husband and I should be having, but we aren’t.

as in sorry for not having sex with my husband.

as in sleepy.

1. The Eiffel Tower
2. Ayars Rock
3. The Great Pyramids
4. The Rockies
5. Grand Canyon
6. A female president
7. My own baby

1889 – The Eiffel Tower is inaugurated.

1. Dry erase boards I hate how my hands feel after using the chalkboard. White boards are so much fun to use in class. They come in handy for quick lessons or a list of things they have to do in independent work. We can write in all sorts of colors and they come clean without much mess.
2. Clipboards What a handy thing for moving around the room.  We use these for paper activities on the floor.  Clipboards also let us take our work to other places in the building.
3. Crayons Not just for coloring.  I let the kids practice their spelling words in rainbow writing with crayons.  We also use crayons to mark nouns and verbs on papers.  Lately I have been using crayons to mark papers so I can see how many times they needed to make corrections.
4. Digital projectors I used to teach computer lessons by showing them on my computer.  Now I can project it on the wall and they can see it big and from their seats.
5. Recess Need I say more?

1858 – Hymen Lipman patents a pencil with an attached eraser.

1. weigh in
2. get breakfast at Dunkin Donuts
3. read blogs
4. write blogs
5. read blogs
6. play games online
7. watch TV shows you watched last week, because your husband didn’t see them
8. fall asleep
9. wake up
10. move to other couch
11. fall asleep
12. shower
13. watch your husband rock the world in a play he joined 4 days ago

1976 Nicole Marie born in Bennington, Vermont.

1. Recess monitor at arts summer camp.
2. Cashier at town pool.
3. Waitress at family conference center.
4. Educational Technology Specialist

Four movies I can watch over and over

1. Legally Blonde
2. Princess Bride
3. Finding Nemo
4. Sweet Home Alabama

Four places I’ve lived

1. Meta Glass 212
2. Dew 202
3. Manson 112
4. Manson 205

Four TV shows I love

1. Monk
2. Grey’s
3. LOST
4. How I Met Your Mother

Four places I’ve vacationed

1. Cancun
2. Star Island
3. Florida
4. Scotland

Four of my favorite dishes

1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Prime rib
3. Thanksgiving dinner
4. Potatoes, polenta, pesto, asParagus, ham from a Pig

Four sites I visit daily

1. TVGuide.com
2. For Better or For Worse
3. Facebook
4. Bloglines

Four songs I will stop and sing along with

1. In Your Eyes
2. Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Constantinople/Istanbul
4. We Didn’t Start the Fire

Four places I would rather be right now

1. Home in bed
2. Cancun
3. Scotland
4. a massage table

1930 – Constantinople and Angora change their names to Istanbul and Ankara.

1998 – The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States.

Today’s list is:

Days left in March

• Wednesday, March 26 I have decided to slack off today, so my kids are doing Type to Learn and Professor Fizzwizzle. After work I have to go to the grocery store. The Lord has rehearsal (did I mention he stepped into a part 4 days before opening night?) and I am going to watch TV and go to bed early.
• Thursday, March 27 Today we have massages for Staff Appreciation Week. Mine is first thing in the morning. I hope the guy isn’t late. In the evening we have rehearsal. I am going to have to step in for T since he will be at the dress rehearsal for his other show. I hope bedtime comes early again.
• Friday, March 28 Opening night. I won’t be going. I will be going both Saturdays, so I am making other plans tonight. I thought I might get my Sunday Schoolers to go to Hill’s play, but it is getting kind of late for that. Whatever I do, I am not over eating. I have to weigh in on Saturday.
• Saturday, March 29 Today is m high school best friend’s birthday. She lives a couple hours a way and we don’t talk much any more. She and her husband split up this past year and she is totally starting over with 2 kids. I sent her flowers. I hope she likes them.
• Sunday, March 30 I am planning to take my Sunday Schoolers to visit a different church today. We’ll see how it goes. I am trying to find ways to get them engaged and involved. Then I have rehearsal. Fortunately it is an afternoon rehearsal. Unfortunately, it is to accomidate my husband’s matinée.
• Monday, March 31 Today I start Girls on the Run. I haven’t heard from my assistant coach; I don’t have that many registrations; I am totally not prepared. But since it is my 5th year, I should be okay. Then I will be late for an evening rehearsal. But I may get to go to bed early!

1484 – William Caxton printed his translation of Aesop’s Fables.