I Am 30 Years Old

I am 30 years old. I can say it (barely).

Over the past few weeks, as my birthday loomed in the future, I "might" have been obsessing about what it means to be "30." And the conclusion I have finally come to is that I have absolutely NO IDEA what it means to be "30." I cannot seem to define this age and this moment in my life. There is so much I love about my life and so much that I do not want to change...but also I feel as though my future is this huge open space in front of me and it is my responsibility to fill it...and (because I'm a perfectionist) to do a fantastic job of filling it. 30 years from now I would love to look back at this day as the day I truly took control of my life and made it what I want it to be!

So I have created a list (me make a list...shocking I know) of things I want to experience during this year that I am "30." My plan is to do these 30 things before December 10, 2011 and (lucky you) blog about them all.

Please to enjoy my list: (in no particular order)

1. Celebrate my 30th Birthday in Vegas!

2. Learn to cook with Tofu.

3. Go somewhere completely new to me.

4. Read 30 books that I have never read before.

5. Try rock climbing.

6. Sew something, on a sewing machine, all by myself.

7. Teach Emma to cross stitch.

8. Spend an entire day at a movie theater, going to movies one after the other all day long.

9. Re-pierce my ears (the 4th time is the charm?)

10. Get my arm pits waxed.

11. Make Beignets.

12. Take a dance class.

13. Go paragliding.

14. Learn to make Grandma Allie's Rolls

15. Figure out (and implement) the best possible skin care regimen for a woman in her "30's."

16. Go real camping, in an actual tent, for at least 2 nights.

17. Write a children's book manuscript.

18. Try Indian food.

19. Live 2 weeks without spending ANY money.

20. Spend an entire day (open to close) at a bookstore.

21. Go on a random road trip.

22. Make, write, and mail a card to 30 people who have influenced my life.

23. Learn to crochet.

24. Be caffeine free for 3 months.

25. Keep a plant alive for 6 months.

26. Do something that absolutely terrifies me.

27. Take an art class.

28. Eliminate 30 items, that I don't actually need, from my life.

29. Learn to make toffee and caramels.

30. Buy myself something with a diamond in it.

I am accepting applications from people who would like to join me for any of these (hopefully) super-awesome experiences.

Stay Tuned..........

Potty Time

The question that has been nagging me lately is this:

Why won't preschoolers flush the toilet?

I really can't figure it out. It takes mere seconds, seconds! I know that they are old enough to know that it isn't a monster that is going to get them. And it doesn't take an abnormal amount of finger strength to accomplish. But it seems like a very large percentage of preschool aged children I work with are not inclined to flush the toilet after they go. I swear I say "did you flush the toilet?" at least 20 times a day...really I'm not exaggerating. I haven't been able to come up with an answer...I think it is one of those great un-answerable questions (related to the chicken and the egg one) so I suppose I'll just have to try to move on.

But while we're on the subject, here are some funny moments...

Little Boy: "Hey, Miss Dawn. I have the itchies, the bum itchies."

Me: "Oh really?" (in my head: "GROSS!!" but I am a professional....sort of.)

Little Boy: "Well, I haven't really been wiping my bum very good lately."

Me: "That doesn't seem like a good idea."

Little Boy: "Yeah, usually I just use one toilet paper to wipe when I go poop. But my mom said to use 3 toilet papers to wipe when I go poop."

Me: "That sounds like a really good plan. And also, don't itch your bum at school."

Another day and another little boy...

Using my "super-spidey-sense" I *knew* that one little boy needed to head into the bathroom.

Me: "Do you need to go potty?"

Little Boy: "No."

Me: "I really think you do."

Little Boy: "I don't."

Me: "Then why are you dancing around?" (okay so maybe it's not a super-spidey-sense)

Little Boy: "I just want to practice my dance moves."

Me: "Oh really? Then stop dancing."

Little Boy: "I can't."

Me: "Because you need to go potty. Please go into the bathroom and go."

Little Boy: "Oh I know! I can just pinch it...then I won't have to go anymore."

Then he did in fact pinch it (yup...it's exactly what you think) and apparently didn't need to go anymore because the dancing stopped.

I have to say that although I LOVE being a preschool teacher I do sometimes day dream about having a job where I am not required to care about the bathroom needs, habits, or issues of anyone other than myself. I wonder what a day would be like if I never said "Do you need to go potty?" or "Did you flush the toilet?" or "Did you wash your hands?" or (and this more than any other) "Did you have an accident?" I don't think I would miss that...but I would miss "my kids." So I will keep worrying about what is (or isn't) going on in the bathroom in exchange for all the painting, silly jokes, games, singing, giggling, pictures that are drawn for me, and hugs that I get. Oh yeah, and also all the funny things they say.

But I will still keep trying to get them go when they need to, to wash their hands after and mostly to flush the damn toilet!

My Grandpa

I have always loved coming to my grandparents' home in the tiny town of Monticello Utah. A large part of that are my wonderful grandparents. Well, them and the 'candy cupboard'. Today I am in Monticello again, sitting in my grandpa's office surrounded by two or three desks cluttered with envelopes, invoices, computers, checkbooks, and piles of papers. I can see him sitting in this very office working on all the paperwork for his cattle operation. In fact, everywhere I go in this house there are memories of my grandpa. In the kitchen I can remember him from when I was a child, getting out his recycled milk jug of frozen water as he headed off for a day of hard labor on the ranch. When I smell the wood burning stove I remember him chopping wood in the garage and countless trips from the garage to the house with arms full of wood. I can picture him at the kitchen table playing barnyard rummy with a handful of grandchildren, games that he regularly won because he never played favorites or let anyone win at cards. I can imagine him in his recliner in the family room, flipping channels on the TV until he found the weather channel or a news channel to fall asleep to. Outside there are handfuls of memories of riding horses, learning about different plants and flowers, and piling into the back of his pick-up to go for a ride. I can still hear him on a Sunday morning as he walked down the hall dressed in his suit and tie as I asked, "Where are you going Grandpa?" and without fail his answer was "Crazy. Wanna come?" Not that long ago he sat in the red chair in the living room and told the unbelievably romantic story of how he carved his and grandma's initials on the mountain side by knocking down hundreds of trees. But my favorite memory usually took place in the dining room, just moments after I entered through the side door. He would always get up to come hug and kiss me and welcome me into his home. That was my favorite moment of being here. And it was the lack of that moment this weekend, when I arrived and he wasn't there with his ready kiss and warm hug, that broke my heart. My grandpa passed away a week ago and I miss him so much, and I always will. So I will hold on tightly to all the memories I have of him and to the knowledge that I was his "Favorite Granddaughter" (just like all the others!)

I love you Grandpa!!

My Family

I really do love my family...I know I'm not always great at showing it (to the grown ups that is). There are times that these people are my favorite people in the entire world....and then there are times they make me want to move to Australia...but mostly they are great.

This is a quick "snapshot" of our family during our recent family vacation

(yeah we just hang out in semi-wooded areas near ponds with expensive cameras and tripods)

But I personally like this version better....

I feel like it's a more accurate portrayal of our family dysfunctionality

(if you want to really see how awesome this pic is....click on it)

But even when we were "randomly" snapping this photo we knew it would soon be outdated..(just check out the baby bumps on Cami and Lindsay!)

Just a few days ago Lindsay delivered Adam Washburn Taylor.

And only 3 weeks before that, Cami delivered Eddie Samuel TimothyI am grateful for my family...my sisters for having babies so I can be an auntie....my sister-in-law for taking great "snapshots"....my brothers for reminding me of all my short comings (but secretly thinking I am pretty amazing?)....my niece and nephews for being SO adorable!!

And mostly for my mom being the most amazing mom I know!

Back To School 2010

School has officially started again at Discovery Corner Preschool! Here are the top ten ways I can tell school has started:

10. My thighs are sore from the work of sitting down on and getting up from chairs made for 3 year-olds.

9. I get free lunch at mom's house everyday!

8. I get to see my good friends at Maverick almost every morning....as my need for caffeine has sky rocketed.

7. I keep checking things off my preschool "to-do" list.

6. My preschoool "to-do" list doesn't seem to be getting any shorter...regardless of number 5.

5. There is constantly some combination of paint/sharpie/yogurt on my hands.

4. I am staying up way too late and not sleeping nearly enough.

3. I ask "Did you flush?...Did you wash your hands?....With soap?" at least 20 times a day.

2. My pile of To-Be-Read-Books has (sadly) sat un-touched for several weeks.

1. I am almost always smiling or laughing...how can I not when I'm surrounded by 10 little smiling faces.

I love being a preschool teacher...it is the best job I have ever had!! Now if I can just back into a regular sleeping routine I'll be set. :)

For Real

I swear these quotes are real! Kids are so funny...please to enjoy.

Cami and Emma were planning Emma's recent baptism:

Cami: "You need to choose someone to give a talk at your baptism. How about Auntie Dawn?"

Emma: "Dawn doesn't want to give a talk."

Cami: "It is a short talk, only 2 minutes."

Emma: "Dawn really doesn't want to give a talk!"

I love that Emma knows me SO well...but I probably would have said no anyway.

At the daycare there is this little girl who cracks me up...every single day:

Me: "Go put your purse in your cubby!" (this was the 5th time in a row I told her to do that.)

She ran off but then came back with her purse still in her hand

Little Girl: "I can't reach my cubby."

Me: "Then go hang it on the hook."

She ran off again...but still came back with her purse

Little Girl: "What is a hook?"

Me: "It is the little silver thing under your cubby."

She ran off again...this time she came back without her purse

Little Girl: "Teacher!! I found the hookers!!"

(I did manage to keep the prostitute joke in my head...but it wasn't easy.)

Another day with the same little girl:

Little Girl: "Teacher. Me underwears is stick in me bum." She was simultaneously picking said underwears out of said bum

Me: "Oh no. Sorry to hear about that."

Little Boy: "Sometimes me underwears stick in me swimming suit and get me poop out."

Me: I really don't think I responded....I didn't know how to.


A different little girl:

Little Girl: Throws a toy zebra and toy horse as hard as she can against the floor.

Me: "Why did you do that to the toys?"

Little Girl: "The horses are in time out!" (said very angrily)

Me: "Why are they in time out?"

Little Girl: "They were hitting! They are so naughty!"

Me: "Sounds good!"

Just now:

Brent: "James, what did you learn at church?"

James: "Me a child of God."

Me: "Is mama a child of God?"

James: "Yeah."

Me: "Is dada a child of God?"

James: "Yeah."

Me: "Is grandma a child of God?"

James: "Yeah."

Me: "Am I a child of God?"

Brent: (interrupting as usual) "No. Dawn is the spawn of the other side."

Me: "Way to go Brent...he is going to remember that."

Me: "Lindsay, guess what your husband taught your child...watch."

Me: "James, is Dawn a child of God?"

James: "Nope."

My Reunion

After the annual Washburn Family Reunion it is always interesting for me to read other people's blogs about the reunion...there are always things like "We played softball" or "We went for a hike." It is at this point I always think "Really?! Where was I?"

So this year I paid attention and at my Washburn Family Reunion I...

-Rocked out to 80's karaoke with Emma on the way to Monticello
-Went through a box and a half of tissues due to my cold (thanks a lot immune system)
-Took a nap on the deck (short nap)
-Tried to find out what dead animals were mixed into my food without anyone seeing me trying to find out. (answer: too many)
-Attempted nap (lack of being able to breath made it mostly impossible)
-Played (but never won) several games of Barnyard
-Read 2.25 books
-Reminisced with Aunt Connie (whose attendance was a complete and happy surprise for me)
-Took a nap in my bedroom (yay! for a 3 hour long nap)
-Held my tongue during all political conversations
-Counted dead animals hanging on the wall of the cabin(I already forgot)
-Worked my way (with help) through two containers of "Monticello Salsa"
-Played with other people's cute babies (although due to "Favorite Auntie" status I am required to say that Emma, Pratt and James are the cutest kids in the whole world!)
-Hung out with Alyssa and McKale (who always laugh at my jokes....so I really like to hang out with them)
-Went swimming at the hotel (in the freezing cold pool for 5 minutes....and the ridiculously hot hot tub for an hour)
-Got Mat in trouble with Brittany (can you smell that?)
-Ate at least 30 otter pops (YUM!)
-Sat with my Grandpa (best part of the whole time!)

I didn't go for any hikes (or do any sort of physical activity), shoot guns, see (living) wildlife, play sports, golf, get dirty, or get up early. So all in all I would say this reunion was a huge success!

Thank You to all those Washburn Women for their hard work in making a great weekend for all of us!!

This Week's Favorites

My favorite things I heard this week:

"I've become too practical for romance. I'll probably end up an old maid." -Anne Shirley

"I miss my dad...I wish he wasn't in jail." -5 year old

"It wasn't me." -Pratt (in reference to everything)

"My dad was WAY off the hook...he pinched my ear WAY harder than it really hurt!" -Emma (on how painful her birthday ear piercing was) *PS...I don't think she really knows what "off the hook" means.

"Show me that you don't have a baby in your tummy." -2 year old (sorry...not cutting my belly open to prove it to you.)

"The thing about being single is that you only have to explain your behavior to yourself." -Me quoting a TV show...because it's SO awesomely true!!

Summer is fun right?

What's Your Name Again?

During the summer I always miss the funny things that kids say....but this year I'm covered because I am spending my summer working at a child care center. This is a conversation I had with a little girl on my first day.

Little Girl: "Um.....what's your name again?"
Me: "My name is Dawn. The friends here call me 'Dawn' or 'Teacher Dawn' so you can choose what you would like to call me."
Little Girl: "OK."
(Long Pause)
Little Girl: "So how about I call you 'Teacher Sparkle'?"
Me: "Well....sure. Why not."

I thought it was cute and funny but I never thought she would remember it the next day. I was wrong. We are now 3 weeks in and I regularly hear things like;
"Teacher Sparkle, can I have more juice?"
"Teacher Sparkle, will you put piggy tails in my hair?"
"Teacher Sparkle I want to color."

The name is really starting to grow on me....maybe I should make a T-shirt....I'll use glittery iron-on letters.

The Phone Call

Setting: my comfy bed

Me (in my head): 'What is that noise? It should stop.'
Other Me (in my head): 'It is the PHONE! Answer it!!!'
Me (out loud but very groggy): "Hello?"
A Brother: "Did I wake you up?"
Me (in my head): 'You seriously need to ask that question...isn't it obvious?'
Me (out loud): "mmmm"
A Brother: "It is 11:00 am." sounding equal parts judgemental and incredulous
Me (in my head): 'Is that supposed to mean something to me?'
Me (out loud): "OK"
A Brother: "I need your professional opinion."
Me (in my head): 'I guess this isn't one of those conversations that I can be partially awake for and then quickly go back to sleep when it is finished. Ugh.'
Me (out loud): "OK"

Note to my readers: I have no spouse or children to interrupt my beloved weekend sleeping routine (which consists of sleeping as long as I possibly can) and I make the most of that situation. Please do not judge me simply because you are jealous.

Boston!!

Things I learned on my recent trip to Boston:

Day 1:
*I am easily bored when forced to sit in one seat for 5 hours.

*Veggie Burgers from UBurger are quite yummy...and their fries and onion rings are even yummier.

*Red Sox fans are serious, and I mean serious, about their team. Here's a note to the girl sitting in front of me...your date was WAY more into Ortiz than he was into you.

Day 2:

*Utah is lame...because we don't have Dunkin Donuts.

*Duck Tours are actually a cool tourist thing to do in Boston (truthfully I was a little worried that it would be completely uncool.)

*I am a descendant of 2 men that came to America on the actual Mayflower...how cool is that?! (This is relevant to my Washburn relations)

*If you are at all interested in dressing up in period clothing and speaking in a British accent for several hours a day...you should definitely move to Boston (and surrounding areas) because there are lots of jobs available.

*If you are interested in that kind of job, you should hope that I don't visit your place of work because I will mock you mercilessly and refuse to speak to you.

*Pad Thai is actually really delicious. (well that one kind of pad Thai that I ordered at that one Thai restaurant I ate at in Harvard Square was really delicious)

*Eric seems strangely invested in making me try new foods. (This happens every time we travel)

*If being super excited to see the place where Car Talk is located makes me a nerd...then you can call me a nerd!

Day 3:

*The glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History are so incredible..and no I am definitely not overstating that...they are incredible!

*Harvard is a really beautiful place that made me want to be smarter (don't worry the feeling only lasted for a few hours.)

*There are a group of people in Boston who apparently believe tourists are the dumbest species on the planet and have therefore made a line out of red bricks and paint that guides the stupid people all over the city to famous historical sites.

*The red line made of bricks and paint is quite useful.

*There is a Holocaust Memorial in Boston that is intensely powerful and emotional.

*I LOVE pasta...and the homemade pasta with marinara and 4 cheeses that I ate in Boston's North End was quite possibly my favorite thing that I ate on this trip.

*The line at "Mike's Pastry" will be long...but the cakes, cookies and cannolis that you get after waiting 45 minutes will definitely be worth it.
Day 4:

*I am officially in love and want nothing more than to marry the object of my affections...who is this man? The talented, brilliant, visionary, and all around perfect man who invented toffee chip pancakes. (PS...if that man is reading this, please call me!)

*It is possible to visit the home where Louisa May Alcott lived. Her classic book Little Women is one of my all time favorites and I was fascinated being there. I didn't even know about it, so thanks to Eric for taking me (although I'm sure it wasn't on the top of his must do list!)

*It is difficult to enjoy the beauty of Walden Pond and the surrounding area when you are hiking in sandals and are trying not to trip over roots and rocks. But the times I dared look up it was beautiful, and I can completely understand why Thoreau lived and wrote there.

*If you place a stone on the pile of stones that marks Thoreau's home site at Walden Pond, you can make a wish that will come true on the 4th day. (I'm not telling but my wish may have had something to do with the inventor of toffee chip pancakes...)

*I saw lots of beautiful Coach Handbags in the swanky shopping area of the Back Bay. They wanted me to take them home with me, which of course I couldn't, but I can barely sleep at night because I am still haunted by their cries...truly heartbreaking.

*It is possible to partially satisfy ones craving for a Coach Handbag by buying a super cool Johnny Cupcakes bag instead. (which was significantly cheaper and more unique)

Day 5:

*I think it would be so fun to live in a charming little house in Marblehead Massachusetts, it was the most adorable town I have ever seen.

*The fact that there is a town called Salem Massachusetts does not mean that that is the location of the famous Salem Witch Trials of the 17th century. (which seems rather deceptive if you ask me)

*There was a woman named Susannah North Martin who was hanged for being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials...and she might be my ancestor! How cool is that?! (this is relevant to my Taylor relations...and I'm still investigating the definite-ness of this claim...fingers crossed!)

*Apparently the red line making people took their cause to Salem.

*I still don't know where that line was supposed to take me...

General Info:

*$50 shoes that are made specifically for comfort during walking and that have been broken in for several weeks by the owner are apparently worse than the $8 "sandals" (really a piece of plywood with a 1/2 inch leather strap wrapping around one's ankle) when it comes to getting blisters...and I have the 1000 blisters to prove it.

*Being a vegetarian in Boston is significantly easier than being a vegetarian in Lehi.

*Humidity is not my friend.

*People on airplanes are weirdly friendly...we are complete strangers!!!

*Eric is a great driver/tour guide/travel agent/and provider of lodgings! Thanks Eric!!

Spring Break 2010!!!

(blog title to be read in the voice of a female 21 year-old college student drinking something alcoholic on a beach somewhere in Mexico)

All winter long I have been looking forward to April 2nd because that was, of course, the start of SPRING BREAK 2010!!! I really needed to do something different than my everyday routine (sleep too late, play at preschool, possibly go to second work, read, hang out with Tera, field a strangely high number of blind date requests, and avoid doing laundry). Now I am not saying that I don't love my everyday life....I absolutely DO LOVE all those things (except maybe the blind date situation). It was just that I needed to do something different....even if it was just for a couple of days. So that is exactly what I did.

For 4 days I went to visit my grandparents in Monticello Utah. I love both of them so much, and I love Monticello almost as much. It seems almost impossible for me to feel overwhelmed or anxious while I'm there....and this visit was no exception. I read books, crocheted baby blankets, ate too many treats, talked with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. I endured a little Fox News Network and Weather Channel (my grandpa's 2 favorite channels). It was also nice to spend 8 hours alone with my mom talking about anything while we drove.

Then I spent a couple days at home, including a trip to the Dinosaur Museum with Pratt, Lindsay, James, Tera, Kim, Jackson, Ellie and Jane. It was so fun to get to do some of the fun things I tend to miss out on since I am always working! Then I got ready for yet another trip.

I spent another 3 1/2 days visiting my friend Jill and George Skouson in (or around) Denver. I absolutely love getting together with Jill (a former roommate) because we have so much fun together. We played games, stayed up late talking, laughing and crafting (I did take some pics but can't figure out how to upload them on my computer so....). I laughed more and laughed harder there than I have in weeks and it was so nice. Still to this day I can remember some joke we laughed at(meow!) and start laughing by myself (as I'm walking through the grocery store....which does make me look like a crazy person). They are so nice, and I really appreciate their letting me escape from my life and crashing in their life for a few days. And I even won 1 whole game!

I had a great week off and returned to the everyday routines more relaxed and able to handle all those things....although I still have a suitcase of laundry to do.

Glitter!

I do love glitter (who doesn't?) Here are the reasons why I love glitter:

1. I am a girl
2. It makes boring stuff un-boring
3. It is sparkly

But today my love of glitter increased because a bubbly little 3-year-old was dancing around me and sang this....

"I love glitter! I love glitter! It makes shit shine!"

I'm pretty sure she was just trying to say "It makes it shine" but the combination of an 's' at the end of the previous word and the 'sh' at the beginning of the next word made it impossible for her not to say shit...I mean it.

Laughable Moments

This week has been full of laughable moments and I'm here to share some of those moments with you, please to enjoy....

On Tuesday afternoon I was driving with my 2-year-old nephew and his most beloved stuffed panda in the car. For a solid 20 minutes Pratt and Panda had a conversation. Below is my favorite excerpt of the conversation: (imagine Panda's voice as a mixture of a squeaky little mouse and a kitten)

Pratt: "Hi Panda!"
Panda: "mew-mew-mew-MEW!"
Pratt: "What doin' Panda?"
Panda: "MEW-mew-MEW-mew-MEW."
Pratt: "Panda wanna snack?"
Panda: "Mew."
Pratt: "What want Panda?"
Panda: "Mew-Mew"
Pratt: "Oh. Panda want candy."
Panda: "Mew."
Pratt: (to me this time) "Dawn! Panda want candy!"
Me: "I don't have any candy."
Pratt: "OH MAN!"
Pratt: (back to Panda) "No candy Panda."
Panda: "MEW-mew-mew-mew-mew."
Pratt: "ok Panda," said in a reassuring tone as he gently cradled and and stroked Panda.

It was so adorable. Pratt doesn't even open his mouth when Panda "talks" so it is all the more believable. I was trying SO hard to not laugh because I didn't want him to be interrupted and stop.

Not long after this Pratt and I picked up his big sister, Emma, at the bus stop. I suggested we drive to the store to buy cupcake supplies and then head home to bake them. Both kids were excited, but as we drove Emma's comments took a turn for the worse:

Emma: "Dawn?"
Me: "Yes?"
Emma: "I need to tell you something."
Me: "Ok. What is it?"
Emma: "It's not me, like I SWEAR it's not me! But.....some people, not me!....but some people think you are really rude."
Me: "Oh really? Who are these people that think I am 'really rude'?"
Emma: "My friends."
Me: "Why do they think I am rude?"
Emma: "Well, they think you are rude 'cause you don't let me do stuff."
Me: "Oh. Well, I guess I'll just have to live with that."

Seriously, where did a 7-year-old learn "I SWEAR!" and when did she learn the 'blame bad things on your friends' bit? (for the record I am actually a really mean auntie and I don't let her do everything she wants to do and can often be heard telling her no, so I do understand that she, I mean some people, think I am really rude.)

In preschool this week I heard these comments:

Joseph: "Chris, can I use that block?"
Chris: "No."
Joseph: "Please?"
Chris: "Sorry no. This block says 'Jo-seph is al-ler-gic to this block' on it. So you can't use it 'cause you are allergic." (he very carefully tracked his finger along the imaginary words as he "read" them.)

Joseph strangely accepted this logic even though there is absolutely no writing on the block.


Sara was playing with the little people and said to the little people boy:

Sara: "Do you want to go to juvee?"
Little People Boy must have answered in her head because then she said, "Well, if you don't want to go to juvee then you need to do what I say."
Me: "What's 'juvee'?"
Sara: "Juvenile Detention. Bad kids go there."

Question: Where did a 5-year-old learn about "juvee"?
Answer: I have no idea and I'm not sure I want to know......


Luke: "Hey girls! Can I play at the kitchen with you?"
Grace: "Yes. You can be the daddy."
Lucy: "Yeah! And we will all be the mommies," gesturing to the three girls playing there.
Grace: "Here daddy, these are all your babies," handing Luke 4 baby dolls.

Do I really think they were playing 'polygamist family'? No, but it sure did sound like it.

A Driveway Moment

This post is dedicated to Eric, who I know secretly reads my blog!

Yesterday afternoon while driving home from running errands I caught the beginning of "This American Life" on NPR. I was immediately hooked and I wanted to hear the end of the hour long piece. So I spent the next 50 minutes sitting in my car listening while I snacked on a muffin and diet coke (luckily I had just been to the store!) When the program was over I got out of the car, now behind on my "To Do" schedule, but glad that I had chosen to listen instead of replying to emails.

And for the rest of the day I couldn't stop thinking about Eric, my older brother who introduced me to "This American Life" on his iPod during a road trip. He also taught me what a "driveway moment" is...which is what I did yesterday afternoon. Being in the car with Eric usually means you can count on listening to only NPR for however long it takes to arrive at your destination. This used to make me want to claw my own skin off.....now I only feel that way during the really boring news parts. In fact, these days, I often find myself changing the radio to the NPR preset to see if there is something interesting on.

I definitely don't listen to as much NPR as Eric does....but I might be slowly converting.....a little bit.....thanks to him.

My Car

Yesterday as I was driving I started to notice a few things about my car....

My cup holders weren't holding beverages because they are full of necklaces and bracelets....I wear my jewelry everyday but then by the evening I am sick of it and I shed it right into the cup holders

My backseat currently serves two purposes (neither of which is allowing people to ride in my car) it is half shoe graveyard and half hanger collection facility.

The floor of my front seat is where all the really important bags of clothes go (I always need a change of clothes handy....just in case) which makes sense since the backseat is already pretty full.

If anyone is in need of bobby pins, clips, or pony-tail holders they need look no further than my stick shift....it just works so well!

And the little dip under the emergency brake is the PERFECT size for my favorite lip glosses...it easily hold 3 to 4.

and I realized...it's really more of a transportable closet than simple car.

Anne (with an 'e') and Me

Once there was a girl named Anne, who was not a boy, and this was a real problem for the people who wanted to adopt a boy but got her instead. So they made a plan to send her back to the orphanage. This upset Anne and she said, to her would-be-adoptive-mother Marilla, "I can't eat! I never can when I'm in the depths of despair!"

Lately I have been feeling like I'm slipping into the depths of despair. Certainly, life is not as bad for me as it was for Anne. I'm not being returned, unloved and unwanted, to an orphanage. The problem is that I can't come up with an easily identifiable reason to explain it all away, in fact I think that it is oh so many little reasons that have just piled up....

I'm heartbroken and angry over the struggles my friends are going through. And completely frustrated over my inability to do anything to help. I'm jealous of some people...but I don't want to be jealous. So I'm also tired all the time from trying to not be jealous (which doesn't really work because I'm still fairly jealous). I feel cranky, but I can't be cranky because I am a preschool teacher and under "job description" the 2nd bullet down says "Cannot Be Cranky." So I spend all day not being cranky with my cute preschoolers (of course it's not their fault) and then, inevitably, all my crankyness explodes all over some innocent (if rather annoying) person that I encounter later in the day. I am entirely out of patience for winter...enough with the cold, precipitation, disgusting air quality and piles of black snow everywhere (people think snow is pretty....this is not always true.) I'm bugged because 2 weeks after my foot injury, my foot is still swollen and bruised and won't fit in my cute boots (yep...still whining about it). I'm stressed about doing my taxes. I hate doing my taxes. I'm sickened by the gray hair I found and plucked out (I AM ONLY 29 YEARS OLD FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!!!) And also...I'm infuriated that when I'm in the depths of despair I, unlike Anne, want to eat fries and chocolate all day long.

At this point you might be thinking, "That Dawn needs a reality check. She has a pretty great life." Or possibly, "Snap out of it!" And you would be right...I do have a really great life and I know that I am so very lucky to have all the things I have! And I'm trying to "snap" out of it....but how?

Our friend Anne perked right up when she met Gilbert (typical) and spent the next several years flirting with him before he proposed marriage and a future full of diamonds....this is not the solution I'm looking for. But I am looking for a solution....maybe that also lies in all the small things. Playing with Pratt, James and Emma. Going to a movie with friends. Eating In-n-Out cheese fries and chocolate shakes (in moderation). Reading. Planning trips out of Utah (watch out denver and boston!). Watching my huge pile of favorite movies. Buying a new dress. Having a few valentine's day parties in preschool. Blogging my issues for all the world to read and judge. Laughing...talking...and sometimes crying it all out with Tera. I'm already feeling better....

In case you don't know (and shame on you!) Anne never did have to go back to that orphanage and she did marry Gilbert.

I'm Back!

I do realize that it has been quite a long time since I graced the blogging world with my hilarious stories and amazing prose....but not to worry I am back. And for your enjoyment today I have some preschool stories:

A little girl drew a picture of a person with a huge purple mouth, giant red dot cheeks and dark blue circle eyes. She told me "That is you Miss Dawn, with lots of make-up!"
She was so excited and proud of her picture while I became obsessed with my make-up application habits. So truth time all my blog readers...do I wear too much make-up?


In preschool we sing a song called "Once There Was a Snowman" (you know the one where the snowman melts?) well to mix things up a little bit I taught the kids to sing the song backwards...instead of melting, the snowman grows taller in the snow. The other day:

Me: "Everybody stand up and we will sing the snowman song."

Little Girl: Jumping up and down yelled, "Can we do it the AWKWARD way?!?! PLEASE!!"

***I'm not really sure how that would go....although a few "conversations" from my past blind dates might work.


I recently sprained my ankle (you may have heard me whine about it....) I thought I was at the bottom of the staircase, but as it turns out there were still 2 more steps....so my foot was in bad shape.

Little Girl: "Miss Dawn, why are you walking like that?"

Me: "I hurt my foot and it really hurts to walk."

Little Boy: "Why did you hurt your foot? Do you think that was a good choice or a bad choice?"

Me: "Bad choice, I guess. But it was an accident."

Little Boy: "You're right, it was a bad choice. Next time you need to make a good choice."

We obviously talk A LOT about choices, good and bad. And it would appear at least some of it is getting through.


Just this week we were discussing Groundhog Day. I was trying to explain the superstition behind the day.

Me: "A long time ago there weren't TVs with people telling us what the weather would be like, so people had to find other ways to find out about the weather."

Little Boy: "Oh. So they would just check the computer."

Me: (while trying not to laugh because he was so earnest) "Well, no they didn't have computers either."

Little Boy: "No TV and no computer? Wow."

Me: "Yeah...I wouldn't like it either"