#32 Leave encouraging notes in my students' desks, one a day

I have this note that my friend Tiffany wrote me.  It probably didn’t take her long to write it.  It actually started as a thank you note, but she added a few extra lines to the end.  I’m sure she didn’t realize that it was just what I needed to hear, that I would cry for a half and hour after opening it, or that I would keep it in a drawer and pull it out to read so often. 

My note from Tiffany
Its really a note from God, via Tiffany...
but that's another blog entirely!

           Kind words can have this effect on people.  I wanted to give this kind of encouragement to my students, so I decided to write a nice note to a student every day and leave it in their desk.  As I thought about how to execute these “nice notes”, I had a better idea.  Instead of getting one nice note from me, my students would 25 nice notes….one from me, and one from each of their classmates.  Like most fourth grade classrooms, we have our share of unkind things said on the playground and spats between students.  I thought that if students had to write nice notes for everyone in their class, they would have to spend some time examining what they like about each other.  

           

         I introduced the idea to my class and they were excited.  Every morning, before we started class, I passed out 4x6 index cards to each student and we wrote something nice about the “person of the day” (we went in alphabetical order).  I wrote three sentence frames to put on the board to help them come up with nice things to say.  There were a few things we had to discuss as the days went on.  For example, if you say “This is hard” while trying to think of something nice to write about someone, it will probably hurt their feelings!  I had to make a rule that if you wrote “You are great”, you had to say WHY they are great.  And, I had to tell one student that if she wrote “You’re good at four square” on every single nice note, it lost its sincerity.

When it was a student’s turn to have nice notes written about them, I made them write one to themselves.  These ended up being my favorite ones to read (I read them all before binding them with ribbon and delivering them, just in case someone wrote a not-so-nice note…which, incidentally, never happened.  They always wrote nice things to each other….I was very proud of them).  One student wrote to herself “Good luck in your acting career!”, many wrote, “You’re good at  (insert sport here)”.  One little girl wrote, “You’re sort of a good artist”…I crossed out the “sort of”.  

I also loved reading what they wrote to each other.  I only required one sentence, but some students regularly wrote 2 or 3.  Some of them were pretty basic, like “You’re good at math” or “You’re funny”, but others were really thoughtful:

“I like that you never get down on yourself or give up”
“You’re good at making people feel good about themselves”
“You cheer people up when they are hurt”
“You always play fair at recess.”
“You’re nice to everyone, no matter what”
“I love you’re unique sense of style”

       

               Reading these nice notes myself was great.  So was delivering them to eager students and watching them pore over them, grinning from ear to ear.  But, my favorite parts of this whole experiment have been the times that I have watched students pull their nice notes out of their desk and reread them, days or weeks after receiving them.  Even when I had to tell students to put them away and pay attention to my lesson, I did it with a smile on my face.  Like my note from Tiffany, they can pull their notes out when they need to be built up.  When they’re feeling down about themselves, they can be reminded of all the wonderful qualities that others see in them, and be encouraged. 

P.S.  Do you know how many BFF’s a fourth grade girl has?  According to our nice notes, they’re pretty much “BFF’s” with every other girl in their class. Seriously, it was an epidemic.  I didn’t address this, though, because the sanctity of “best friendship” is a lesson more effectively taught by experience.  

The Big Apple: Part I

The Big Apple

The City that never sleeps

New York City.

I’ve wanted to visit New York City for as long as I can remember.  I saw it in movies, television shows, art, and magazines.  I’d heard Frank Sinatra sing about it.  I’d read books about it.  But I wanted to SEE and experience it for myself.  My friend Jenn and I had talked about going since we were in college, and we especially wanted to see it at Christmastime, decorated for the season.  So this year, 10 years after we graduated from college, we finally made it there.

In September, we booked our plane tickets, our hotel room, and two tickets to see “Annie” on Broadway.  I started doing my research early to ensure that we saw and did as much as we could in the three and half days we would be there.  I found an app for my phone that I would recommend to anyone going to New York called the “New York City Essential Guide”.  I bought a new coat, more hats and scarves than days I would be in New York, gloves that work with touchscreen phones, cuddleduds, and some fabulous new all-weather boots.  Unfortunately, the boots didn’t show up on my doorstep until 2 weeks after I got BACK from New York…but that’s another story.

My cute boots that were in a postal sorting facility
while I was tromping around the snowy sidewalks of New York.
Fortunately, my mom had some boots I could borrow.

Jenn had asked me what I was packing...I sent her a picture.

As our trip approached, the weather in New York was getting wild.  We would be getting into town just before a blizzard (A blizzard that would be the first in what would come to be known as “The Polar Vortex”).  The night before my flight, I went online to check-in and found that my flight from Washington, D.C. to New York had been cancelled.  It was a small jet that wouldn’t be able to handle the storm.  After over an hour on hold with United Airlines, I got a new flight that would connect through Houston…and it left at 6:30 a.m.!  That meant I’d be leaving my house around 4:15 and waking up around 3:30.   Fortunately, I love to travel, so I didn’t mind!  My flights went smoothly, and before I knew it, I was landing in Newark, New Jersey. 

The photo I took to remember where I parked my car at 5 a.m.

Add caption       

Waiting for the air train 

         Originally, Jenn and I had planned our flights so we would both fly into JFK, but when I had to change my flights, those plans changed and we would have to meet at our hotel.  I got my luggage and took the AirTrain to Penn Station in New York.  Penn Station was 12 blocks from our hotel…way too many to walk in a blizzard, so I had to take the subway from Penn Station to our hotel.  I bought a 7 day metrocard that allowed me unlimited rides for $30.

         Penn Station was confusing, but I eventually found the subway line I needed.  I wheeled my luggage up to the turnstile and swiped my card.  I started to walk through with my luggage…but it wouldn’t fit.   So, here I was, the country mouse visiting the city, halfway through a subway turnstile, tugging on her huge suitcase trying to get it to fit.  I backed up, ready to try again, only to find out that once you swipe your subway card, you can’t swipe it at the same station for 20 minutes.  So, I bought a one time use subway card just to get through the same turnstile!  This time, I wheeled my suitcase sideways, under the turnstile before me, THEN swiped my card and followed it.  NOW, I could board the subway train.   

         The subway looks just the way it’s represented in TV and movies.  The loud sound of the trains approaching on the tracks, the “subway tiles” on the walls, the swarms of people getting on and off.  What they can’t communicate to you through the television, however, is the stench.  The minute you walk down the subway steps, the smell of urine hits you.  If you’re lucky, it’s just urine…sometimes you get a hint of vomit.  If it smells this terrible in freezing temperatures, I can only imagine what it’s like in July. 

         It only took two stops to get me to 50^th Avenue.  I’d been underground since I got to Manhattan, so I was anxious to haul my suitcase up the stairs and onto the streets of New York.  I’ll never forget that moment…like my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it was tattooed on my memory.  The bright yellow taxis were racing by on the street and people were speeding around me on the sidewalk.  Even though the sun had set hours before, the lights of the billboards, the buildings, and traffic lights kept it lit up like it was daytime.  And the snow!  It had just started snowing, I could tell because there wasn’t much on the ground yet, and it was snowing sideways!  My face has never been so cold.  Just keeping my eyes open was difficult because of the snow hitting them.  Still, I couldn’t help but grin…I was in New York City! 

My first glimpse of the city

I was on the corner of 50^th street and 8^th avenue.  I knew our hotel was on 50^th, between 7^th and 8^th….I just didn’t know what direction 7^th Avenue was.  Fortunately, I guessed right and found it, and Jenn, waiting for me in our room! 

Our Hotel

         We stayed at the Amsterdam Court Hotel. It’s a small, simple hotel, but it was clean and the location was ideal!  We could see the “Wicked” sign on the Gershwin Theater from our window.  It’s just a block from the lights of Times Square and Broadway.  Our room was a king size bed with about two feet of floor on three sides of the bed, and a bathroom.  Tiny, but all we needed.

Keep in mind, I'm holding the phone up in the
corner of the room to try and get as much
as I could in view. Tiny.

 It was about 7:00 pm, and we were hungry, so we bundled up (I hadn’t worn my cuddleduds, wool socks, or snowboots while I traveled, afraid I’d be sweating on the plane) and headed out into the blizzard to explore and find something to eat.  Snow was already sticking to the ground and was turning the city white.  It was beautiful, but it was FREEZING!  I just kept laughing as we walked around, because it was just so unbelievably cold.  I described it later to my mom saying, “It’s like a blizzard!”, to which she replied, “It’s not LIKE a blizzard…it IS one!”. 

 We wandered around, taking it all in, until we’d had enough of being pelted in the face with snowflakes and ducked into a pizza place.  We’d both been looking forward to New York Pizza.  It didn’t disappoint!  It was delicious!  After some more exploring, we headed back to the room.  It was only 10:00, but we were exhausted.

         The next morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland!  There was about 8 inches of snow blanketing the city.

        

                                                To Be Continued...

#18 Make Crepes

             J’aime crepes.  I love crepes.  My first exposure to this delectable French pancake was as a kid.  Occasionally, my mom would make us crepes for desert.   My favorite filling was chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and walnuts.  Sometimes we would have ice cream in them, with bananas and chocolate sauce.  I loved the nights we had crepes for dessert. 

            Fast forward to the first crepe that wasn’t made by my mom.  This crepe was made by a street vendor in Paris…the home of the crepe.  It was bigger and thinner than the ones my mom made.  It was warm, coated with a thin layer of Nutella, and folded up into a triangle for easy eating while walking along the Seine and gazing at the Eiffel Tower. 

[Pause for my heavy sigh and quick pout]. 

Okay, I’m back. Since then, I’ve had some pretty great crepes in Portland (both at a food truck and at a creperie in the Hawthorne District) and San Francisco on Pier 39.  And, I’ve made my own, but it had been awhile. 

My family at the creperie in San Francisco

Crepe Food Cart in Portland, Oregon

So, on Saturday night, I decided to go to Paris.  Not literally, but imaginatively.  I would spend an evening eating French food, listening to French music, watching a French movie, and even wearing French perfume. 

                                                        Arletty sings "C'est Mon Homme" 

                                                          (translation: "This Is My Man")

I went to the store to get the ingredients I would need for crepes, as well as a new pan.   I’ve had the same frying pan since I moved into my house 8 years ago.  When I bought it, in my naivete, I thought, “I don’t need to buy nice pots and pans, when I get married, I can just register for them!”.    Good plan, Sarah, good plan.  I’ve been using the same set of cheap pots and pans since then, and I shudder to think of all the Teflon that I’ve digested over the years….they’re pretty scraped up.   So, I decided that I would at least buy a new frying pan….one that wouldn’t leave black flakes in my crepes!

My new pan

I downloaded some French music from the 1940’s…Josephine Baker, Arletty, and Edith Piaf.   I put on my new French playlist and got to work making crepes.  My secret ingredient (actually, my mom’s secret ingredient) for dessert crepes is almond extract.  YUM!  

I was too lazy to climb on my counter and get my blender out of the upper cabinets in my kitchen, so I just whisked it briskly (using the blender is good for getting out the lumps of flour).  My new pan made flipping the crepes really easy!  Usually, the first crepe is kind of like the first pancake in a batch…a flop.  But, the butter I coated the pan with, paired with the slippery surface of my new (unscratched) nonstick pan made for easy crepe flipping!  The trick is, you have to wait until the edges of the crepe start to peel up from the pan.  By this time, you can actually swirl the pan around and the crepe should slide around like a greased up kid on a slip-n-slide.  If you’re really good, you could probably flip it in the air, but I’m not very athletic, so I use a spatula. 

Once my batter was gone, about 6 crepes later, I put them in the fridge and started dinner.  And by dinner, I mean I sliced the baguette and the brie and plated it with some fruit (my kind of cooking!).  I settled into my couch for a little Cinema Francais! 

I found an article online entitled, “17 Feel Good French Films you Should Definitely Stream on Netflix”.  There were several movies that looked cute, but I settled on “Romantics Anonymous”, which would be appropriate for me, but it isn’t really what it sounds like.  In French, it translates to Les Emotifs Anonymes”, or “”Emotionals Anonymous”.  It’s about a man and a woman who are both painfully shy and anxious in social situations.  He carries a briefcase with extra shirts in it because he sweats profusely when anxious, and She sings a song to boost her confidence when feeling insecure.  They are also both chocolatiers, which is very French (have you seen Chocolat?).  Although it’s a rough go because of their interpersonal insecurities, they manage to bumble their way into a relationship….it’s very endearing. 

Halfway through the movie, I paused it (because you can’t just listen from the other room when the movie is in French) and fixed my crepe.  I made this one with nutella, bananas, whipped cream, and slivered almonds.  Mmmm.  I also enjoy strawberries and whipped cream, or lemon juice and powdered sugar, or even just a sprinkling of granulated sugar (this is when you really appreciate flavor of the almond extract). 

This one was breakfast on Sunday morning

Whether you’re in Paris or in your house pretending you’re in Paris, crepes are always a good idea!  Une magnifique idée!

#30 Leave inspirational notes in library books

en·cour·âge·ment

/enˈkərijmənt/ - noun

Definition: the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.

Encouragement.

Who doesn't need it from time to time?  We all do!  But, it's not something we'll ask others for.  So, it's important that we give it to others freely, and frequently.  

I decided to encourage some strangers through books at my local library.  I thought about the books I might find in the non-fiction section of the library, books about weight loss, illness, depression, gardening, travel, etc., and I wrote encouraging messages on notecards that were targeted at people who might check these books out.  Some were quotes I liked, others scripture that I have found encouraging, and some just notes from me.  

I headed to the library down the street to carry out my covert op. I spent an hour looking for just the right books to put my notes in.  I didn't want to get caught, so I had to keep my eye on the other patrons through the bookshelves, making sure they weren't headed down my aisle.  I tried to choose books that have a chance of getting checked out.  My library has some pretty antiquated books on it's shelves, so I found books that I may be drawn to (because, lets face it, we DO judge books by their covers), in hopes that others would be drawn to them as well.  Even so, I'm sure some of my notes will sit in those books for years before anyone finds them, which is why I prayed that they will be received by readers who are in need of their encouragement.  

Here are some of my notes and the books they are hiding in.

33 Things to do While I'm 33...or at least try.

It's that time...again.  (How does it go so fast?)

      Although I didn't finish my last list, I've made a new one.  With this new list, comes a new attitude toward it.  With my first two lists, I really wanted to finish them...do every single item.   Last year, though, I realized that this isn't realistic, nor is it necessary.  Sometimes, I don't have the money to do everything.  Sometimes I don't have the time.  Other times, I don't have anyone to do them with.  And sometimes, a months after putting an item on the list, I don't really have the desire or feel the need to do it anymore (or something more interesting...like a trip to New York City...takes its place).

       And I'm okay with it.  The list isn't a contract, it's inspiration.  Ideas meant to keep my life moving.  

So here's my new list: 

1.  Get a henna tattoo
2.  Invest in some luggage!
3.  Get reusable grocery totes and use them
4.  Make a Fantasy Football Team
5.  Learn the alphabet backwards
6.  Learn the military alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.)
7.  Go down Lombard Street in San Francisco
8.   Finish the 21 day fix
9.   Drink from a coconut
10.  Paintball
11.  Buy a car
12.  Try yoga
13.  Donate half of my clothes
14.  Register to be a bone marrow donor
15.  Make a book of my Instagram photos
16.  Stop drinking soda for 3 months (I've done this already, but fell off the wagon shortly after my three months were up)
17.  Update my passport (just in case!)
18.  Make crepes
19.  Make over my twin chairs (two chairs in my vast collection that have leopard print seats)
20.  Read a book by C.S. Lewis (besides the Chronicles of Narnia)
21.  Write a blog post every month
22.  Catch, clean, and cook a fish
23.  Stop biting my nails (again) and keep a manicure for 3 months
24.  Take a sunset hike in Alaska this summer (when the sunset is after 10 pm)
25.  Make three recipes from my Pinterest "Yummy" Board
26.  Use my treadmill every day for a month.
27.  Paint my living room and dining room
28.  Get a new dresser
29.  Have Thanksgiving dinner on the beach in Hawaii 
30.  Leave inspirational notes in library books
31.  Built a fort with the kids and sleep in it
32.  Leave encouraging notes in my students' desks, one a day
33.  Take a spontaneous road trip

If you see any you want to help me with or join in on, let me know!