The Little Things ...

I decided to write something about the stuff that makes up our lives here lately. When I speak of finding my own personal peace, this is the sort of stuff I'm talking about. Not the highs and lows; no bells and whistles - just simple things that happen from day to day. It's these little things that make an ordinary life into something extraordinary.



I'm a teacher. I love being a teacher and, after 18 years, I still don't want to be anything else. This is crunch time for us here ... Make-or-Break time for the students. Midterms are going well, despite the two day storm delay. My English midterm is tomorrow and the kids didn't seem to be taking it very seriously, but I think I straightened them out today in class. For the most part, they are highly responsive to my soft-spoken approach to teaching, but sometimes, I have to amp it up a little. LOL



I'm also a mommy. Nothing in my life has ever felt as right or as rewarding. Modesty aside, I think I am doing a pretty good job of bringing up my son. Sure, I'm as imperfect in this as I am in anything else, but he seems to be flourishing despite my mistakes ...

The B-man and I have increased his responsibilities at home - he has always had chores, but now that he's 6, we have discussed the possibility of him doing something extra that he hasn't been responsible for, in order to earn a small salary. Rules of this "game" are that he has to "bank" this money and keep an accounting of the sum. When he has enough, he will be permitted to withdraw the money from the bank and purchase a much-coveted item at the toy store. He needs $40 to buy the toy he wants.

He has chosen to walk the dog around the block daily before supper (it's a safe neighbourhood and the dog would put her life on the line to protect him, but I still have been watching them every step of the way - lol), as well as laundering towels and bedding, from gathering, sorting, washing, drying and folding them (I help with the bedding, of course). His "paycheque" is a crisp new $5.00 bill each week that these additional chores are completed. He also gets a daily bonus of $0.25 when he gets the dog walked on schedule.

I went to the Dollar Store and bought a sticker chart and stickers and a "can" bank that requires a can opener to retrieve the money, then to the bank teller to get a stack of brand new $5.00 bills and a roll of quarters. The first 5 days have been a rousing success. He loves registering his bonuses in the account book with the stickers and has colour coded them to be different from the fivers he will be getting. He has even figured out that it's going to take him 7 weeks to earn enough money to get his prize. I wouldn't have given him quite so much money a week, except I didn't want him getting discouraged when it takes so long. A week seems an eternity when you're 6 ...

With most kids, I might wonder if they'd stick it out but I know B-man will, and once he reaches his goal, he will set a more ambitious one. Isn't that a great learning tool? I'm so impressed with myself for thinking of it. :P I'll let you know how it turns out.



Other than that, I'm dating a little, I've joined a kinky crafts group (don't think I won't blog about THIS in the near future!! lol) and I'm back online here. Life is pretty good, if a bit tame. But right now, tame is good.