Another Day On The Ranch

OK technically I am usually wearing boots but hey. Linking up from here.

6:00 Alarm goes off. Hit the 10 minute snooze. Knock a cat or two off the bed.
6:10 Get up and do yoga. (Don't stress. The mat is right next to my bed.) Return to bed, read bible and pray / meditate.
6:20: Put water on for coffee. Turn on country music station. Hear Cowboy Dad groan because he knows another riveting day has begun. Make lunches for myself and Small Cowgirl. Pour coffee. Take a cup to Cowboy Dad who immediately cheers up.
6:45: Bring Small Cowgirl her clothes and wake her up with some kind of cheerful anecdote about what the day will bring ("It's a P.E. day!" Or on Fridays: "Donut Day!!!") She groans and begs for five more minutes.
6:46: Get dressed. Contemplate wearing something other than jeans. Laugh and put on one of ten pairs. Do something with my hair, usually this. Apply makeup. Wish I had better light to put on makeup. Every time.
7:00: Pour Small Cowgirl some cereal and fill her to go cup with hot chocolate. Pack my backpack. Start the car and crank up the heater.
7:15: Leave for school. Wave goodbye to the horses. Two miles on the dirt road and a left on the pavement. Highlights of the trip:

Yes that is the ocean beyond the trees. I have a 25 minute commute but I rarely see another car and that suits me just fine.

I also see the ocean from my playground. But I digress...

7:45 Arrive at school. Kiss Small Cowgirl goodbye as she leaves for the Big Kids Playground. Open my classroom and flick on one bank of lights because I can't stand them both... feels like I'm in the operating room.

Scan the room, do whatever prep work I was too lazy to do didn't have time for yesterday. Pour coffee from my to go mug into my school mug. Chat up the P.E. teacher, my K partner, and whomever else crosses my path (my classroom is right next to the staff room *love*) Check email. Depending on what animals I have at school at the time I 1) change the rabbit's litter box 2) take the rat out for a little play time and/or 3) stick some romaine lettuce in the tortoise's cage.

8:20 Little Darlin's arrive at the door. Take deep cleansing breath. Plaster a smile and throw the barn door open wide.

Morning routine, then calendar, story and LA work time. T Th are Developmental P.E. days and I get a 30 minute prep which feels like 30 seconds. Chat up the parent helpers and roll my eyes a lot. M W we do Centers.

10:00 Snack recess. Remind Little Darlin's to only take ONE thing out of their lunch for snack. Watch the ones with Lunchables try to choose. Wish I could ban Lunchables.

10:15 Story and Math work time. Try hard not to compare this class with other years. Pray I can finish all 12 chapters by June.

11:00 The Bane of my Existence, i.e. Sharing. (I exaggerate. Kind of.) Then we either run laps (on non P.E. days) or have "Quiet" Reading Time. My school is VERY big on fitness (we have virtually no obese students) and there is a yearly Jogathon so running laps is encouraged. I LOVE THIS.

11:50 LUNCH. I always pack a great lunch so this is the highlight of my day. I. love. food.

12:25 Back to class for Choice Time, or on W we do calendar, jogging and Sharing. Two days a week the two kinder classes switch for Art and Music, then Science and Social Studies. In theory. We haven't really started that yet.

During Choice I pull students for extra help or to finish up work. Choice is strictly developmental i.e., they get to play. sshh.

1:15: Clean up, pack up, review our day. Kiss the Little Darlin's buh bye.

Run around like a maniac getting ready for the next day. Attend meetings (IEP, SST, CTA, etc.) Run around some more. Check email, make lists, run copies, blah blah blah. Small Cowgirl shows up at 2:45 and starts her homework plays Club Penguin.

4:00: Head for home. Stop for provisions as needed (just one store up here and I'm bound to run into a student or ten so I try not to need.) Jump into shower to wash off the children relax and unwind. Do the dishes from yesterday.

5:00 Feed horses: push five flakes of hay and a bucket of grain up the hill to the horse pen. Scoop poop. Check water. Feed chickens and change water. Collect eggs. Feed bunnies and sweep bunny pellets off the deck. Smack some firewood and start the woodstove (our only heat). Start dinner. Help Small Cowgirl with homework. She feeds the dogs.

6:00 Small Cowgirl and I eat dinner. Blog. Read blogs. Facebook. Think about reading some of the books I brought home about teaching. Read more blogs.

7:30 Cowboy Dad gets home and I reheat dinner and we chat. Fill up hot water bottles and throw more wood on the fire... it's suddenly Winter. No TV on weekdays so it's off to bed by 8 to read until my eyes droop.... usually by 8:06.

Well that's it... my exciting life. Stay tuned for more of the same.