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!