Dear Spring: Where Are You?

I am really getting tired of winter and feeling the itch for spring to arrive.  Yesterday, temperatures here finally made it into the 40s, so we went outside for a little bit.  Jacob stomped through the leaves in the grove of trees by our neighborhood playground.

Today, rain moved in, and now we're waiting for another winter storm to arrive.  School for tomorrow has already been cancelled.  We've used up all of our built-in snow days, so now we're in the snow day hole.  It sounds like the district will make our professional development day at the end of March into a regular school day.  Then I'm not sure where they'll make up more time from.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with this next unit of study for my GT 10 kids.  The theme is "Global Perspectives in a 21st Century World."  I gave the kids the essential questions for the unit and asked them to come up with 2-3 suggestions for independent reading.  So far, they're submitting some really interesting choices.  I still need to figure out how I'm going to handle the independent reading though.  I'm also trying to figure out how to really start the unit.  I want to try to incorporate more non-fiction and informational texts into this unit, but the idea of globalization is so huge.  It's hard to get a good grip on it.

I'm also struggling to find pants that fit.  I went out to Old Navy with my friend Emily today.  I found a pair of pants that fit well, with the exception of the visible underwear line they gave me.  Not going to work for teaching high school...  LOFT seems to be my best choice for pants.  Maybe GAP.  I need to find time to get out there to look for something.  Cords and jeans will not be appropriate forever.

Jacob has become a little chatterbox.  He's also gotten to be more stubborn and bossy.  If you don't play trains the way he wants you to play trains, you need to watch out.  Today's fits were instigated by us not allowing him to eat his cereal bar snack on the couch, I didn't construct the train track the way he wanted it, he wanted a tunnel for his trains but I didn't build it right, I wasn't playing the right train video, and I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water for myself.  He's at a fun age, but he's also at an annoying age.  My biggest issue though is his toy throwing.  Whenever he doesn't get his way, or if he gets bored, he starts throwing toys.  And I'm not sure how to stop it.  So any suggestions would be welcome.  He's a very observant and thoughtful little boy.

"Mommy dis?"

"Dis here."

And that's all for now, folks.  We'll see about a snow day update tomorrow...  No promises.