Thanking Tuesday

I've decided to be thankful for those things I'm not fond of head-on. Bring on the wind. Bring on Tuesdays. 

3:00  AM - wake to see J off

7:00 AM -Oops! I got up late. Maddie is already dressed and ready. Wow. 

7:15 AM - breakfast for me and girls; Avery gets up. Finally. 

7:30 AM - still working on my makeup and all of our bedheads

7:45 AM - out the door. Whew!

8:00 AM - must be ready to meet with elementary school principal regarding her laptop

9:00 AM - must be at the administration bldg for a technology meeting

11:45 AM - leave early for presentation at elementary. 

12:05 PM - realize that I'm way early for meeting. I jet off for a quick lunch. 

12:25 PM - back at elementary and present to the sweet kindergarteners. 

1:10 PM - leave fun, small children; en route to bigger, more sarcastic children at HS. 

1:20 PM - meet with co-worker; discuss weekend briefly

1:30 PM - bell rings; 13 broadcast students pile in and begin working on their projects

2:00 PM - realize my lesson plans are STILL late

2:30 PM - class almost over; vice principal surprise visit

2:45 PM - break free to make it to the elementary school once more for Tuesday Tech Training

3:00 PM - check on Madison and her friend. Homework is a must!

3:15 PM - give my teachers a wealth of information about technology, professional development and skype. 

3:45 PM - leave finally after individual questions. 

3:50 PM - Avery is dropped off by my BFF Kim. 

3:52 PM - time for the BOOKFAIR. At least I get to miss tonight's crowd. 

4:15 PM - time to run to the store

4:30 PM - one errand left, but it can WAIT. 

5:00 PM- Finally home. *sigh*

Was this day crazy? Maybe. Was it abundant? Maybe. 

On this Tuesday, I took time to breath, albeit in between stop lights and slow trash men, but breaths all the same.  I took time to acknowledge my gratitude for my job.  

The most impactful moment of my day? The second I found out the news that a former student was found dead in her bedroom early this morning. 

Stop. 

I'm breathing. Have a job. My girls. Our health. All that we truly need. 

Tuesdays are full of blessings, after all. 

Necessary Boundaries

We all need them. We all struggle to keep them. Some of us overstep them. Boundaries. 

My week seemed to take a turn around Tuesday. Tuesdays are like that always. Mark my words. Tuesdays seem to take on a life of their own with me. I've blogged about it before in the 1st chapter. 

For some reason, this Tuesday's theme was boundaries. I had to deal with several people and several situations where people overstepped their boundaries. I'm not sure how I really dealt with this before. Probably the same as I did as a kid. I never want to make anyone upset. I have difficulty telling people that they need to "step back." I don't want to disappoint. On this particular Tuesday, I think I had to redirect at least 3 people due to a boundary issue. Wow. The amazing thing is that I handled it. I wasn't rude or disrespectful, but I called it like it was and refused to give away my power.

The past year has taught me a lot about what is ok and what is NOT ok. When you say no, it means no. When someone is making themselves part of your conversation to someone else, they need to be redirected. When a person is trying to enter your life after saying, "No, thanks," they need to set straight. When someone is trying to manipulate a situation, call them on it. 

This is something that I'm now addressing with the girls. I feel that discussing it with them at a young age might help prevent them from being "run over" in the future. Girls, especially, need to be taught that their voice matters and no one has the right to discount their opinion, thoughts, or words. To help with this idea, I'm seriously considering putting them in karate. Actually, I'm seriously thinking of taking it with them. Ironically, this month is Women's History Month. I'm so glad that during this time there are so many strong women for my girls to look up to and, thankfully, some of them are in our lives now. 

Boundaries. We all need to be more conscious of them. Wednesday was a new day and as I sat down at my desk at the administration building, I noticed my co-workers desk. Coincidence? There hasn't been one in my life yet. Sitting neatly on her desk was a copy of Boundaries.