As a grown up I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them I learned from my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through expereince. Many of them I learned from my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all of the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. They may not work for everybody and you may not agree with all of them, but each one is a rule that I either try to live by or wish I did.
# 15 Learn to swim.
Learn to swim, learn to swim, learn to SWIM!!!!!!!!
Growing up, we did not have a pool, and not many of my friends did. I remember that some friends of my parents had one and we would go over there occasionally, and one of my aunts also had one. I would always play around in the shallow end, and on a floatie. I never learned to swim. My fourth grade teacher also taught swimming lessons during the summer, so I begged my parents to let me take them. I got a brand new swimsuit and I was ready to go. I finally got to the point where I could swim from one end of the pool to the other, as long as the teacher was in the pool. However, as soon as I graduated from swim lessons, the summer was over and I never practiced. After that I never really did it on my own again.
I am terrified of the water. Drowning, more specifically. It comes from a tragic event at a water park when I almost drowned because of a very large woman. I spent all of high school, not going to pool parties because I was terrified that one of the boys would try to throw me in. When I did go and they tried, I just gripped their necks so tightly that when they tried to throw me in, they came in with me. At water parks, I wouldn't go down the slides, and I would make up some excuse like "oh I have to go to the bathroom,I'll meet you guys in a bit," or "oh, I have to go take my medicine, I'll be right back."
I was too embarassed to tell my friends that I couldn't swim.
In 2008, I moved to Maui for a year. What a great place to conqure a fear of the water... sort of.
While I was there, I snorkled, scuba dived, attempted surfing and even jumped off of a (very tiny) waterfall. I realized that it wasn't necessarily that I couldn't swim. I knew how, it just terrified me. However, once I put that mask on and I could see everything, I could do it. It took a few times of someone else holding my hand, but eventually I did it.
If you don't know how to swim, you can potentially miss out on a lot of fun. Marco Polo is a wonderful game. So are pool volleyball, chicken and all of the others. If you know how to swim, you can go to pool parties and the beach with your friends and actually have fun in the water. And, you won't have to make up excuses as to why you are only going in the water up to your knees.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Spiders and what not...
As a grown up, I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through experience. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say, everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all of the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. They may not work for everybody and you may not agree with all of them, but each one is a rule that I either try to live by or wish I did.
# 14 Catch Spiders in a Jar
I would like to begin by saying that this is one that I am still working on. I am almost there, but I don't quite have it yet.
My mother would never kill spiders. "Don't kill it," she would say, "they kill mosquitos." She would stop whatever she was doing, whether it be drying her hair, laundry, cooking, and would always catch spiders in a jar.
Now, there is actually an art to it. You can't just put a jar down and hope that the spider jumps in. In order to catch a spider properly in a jar you need: a small glass jar, slightly larger than a baby food jar. Then you need exactly half of a paper plate. It has to be one of those cheap, flimsy paper plates with the ridges on the rim. Then you very gracefully, and quickly, place the jar down around the spider, before he knows what hit him. Then you slide the jar, and its contents, onto the half of a paper plate. Once this is accomplished, you pick up both the plate and the jar and take him outside and release him.
I know it may sound simple, but trust me, the hardest part is the moment when you pick up both the plate and the spider. It took me a very long time to get it so the spider would not fall out in the split second that I stood up.
There are lots of reasons why you shouldn't spray spiders with your hairspray, or beat them with your shoe, or surrender your house to them and just move. Spiders eat mosquitos. That is a proven fact. I would also like to interject here with, I have no problem with you killing mosquitos. Spiders also, are more afraid of you than you are of them. I know you've heard that one before, but imagine being dropped down in a land where everyone was at least 10,000 times your size. I would certainly not want one of them to stomp on me with his shoe. Also, spiders have families that they need to provide for, just like we do. They do not come into your house to scare you. They get lost and loose their way, and need someone to rescue them.
The moral of the story is this: Save a spider, kill a mosquito.
# 14 Catch Spiders in a Jar
I would like to begin by saying that this is one that I am still working on. I am almost there, but I don't quite have it yet.
My mother would never kill spiders. "Don't kill it," she would say, "they kill mosquitos." She would stop whatever she was doing, whether it be drying her hair, laundry, cooking, and would always catch spiders in a jar.
Now, there is actually an art to it. You can't just put a jar down and hope that the spider jumps in. In order to catch a spider properly in a jar you need: a small glass jar, slightly larger than a baby food jar. Then you need exactly half of a paper plate. It has to be one of those cheap, flimsy paper plates with the ridges on the rim. Then you very gracefully, and quickly, place the jar down around the spider, before he knows what hit him. Then you slide the jar, and its contents, onto the half of a paper plate. Once this is accomplished, you pick up both the plate and the jar and take him outside and release him.
I know it may sound simple, but trust me, the hardest part is the moment when you pick up both the plate and the spider. It took me a very long time to get it so the spider would not fall out in the split second that I stood up.
There are lots of reasons why you shouldn't spray spiders with your hairspray, or beat them with your shoe, or surrender your house to them and just move. Spiders eat mosquitos. That is a proven fact. I would also like to interject here with, I have no problem with you killing mosquitos. Spiders also, are more afraid of you than you are of them. I know you've heard that one before, but imagine being dropped down in a land where everyone was at least 10,000 times your size. I would certainly not want one of them to stomp on me with his shoe. Also, spiders have families that they need to provide for, just like we do. They do not come into your house to scare you. They get lost and loose their way, and need someone to rescue them.
The moral of the story is this: Save a spider, kill a mosquito.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
If you have to go... go
As a grown up, I realize that I have learned many valuable lessons through the course of life. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through expereince. Many of them were taught to me by my Aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned from living. So, here it is. A year's worth of advice for all of the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. They may not work for everybody and you may not agree with all of them, but each is a rule that I either try to live by or wish I did.
# 13 If you have to go to the bathroom, get up and go.
When I was in the third grade, I wet my pants at school. It was within the last 45 minutes of the day and I asked my teacher to let me go to the bathroom. She told me to hold it, that she knew I could wait just a few more minutes. A few minutes later, I asked her again and she told me again, more firmly that I needed to sit down and wait.
Let me just insert here that I HATED my third grade teacher. My mom HATED her too.
So, moving on. I still remember what I was wearing, though that doesn't matter now. I wet my pants and my horrible excuse for a teacher told me that I did it on purpose just to get attention, and would NOT let me leave the room until the bell rang.
One of my friends gave me her jacket to tie around my waste and walked me to my mom's car as I cried my eyes out.
My mom took one look at me, asked me what happened, and my friend told her. She grabbed my hand, marched me back into the school principal's office and demanded to speak to my teacher. My teacher finally waddled into the office and my mom said words that I know I was never supposed to hear. She told my teacher that from this moment on, If I had to go to the bathroom, I would not ask. I would get up in the middle of whatever was going on, and I would go. PERIOD!
For the rest of my school career and even into adulthood, I have carried this advice with me.
It is our God given right to be able to go to the bathroom. If anyone tells you that you can't, who cares. How dare anyone try to judge when someone else's bladder is full. You know when you need to pee... so just get up and go.
# 13 If you have to go to the bathroom, get up and go.
When I was in the third grade, I wet my pants at school. It was within the last 45 minutes of the day and I asked my teacher to let me go to the bathroom. She told me to hold it, that she knew I could wait just a few more minutes. A few minutes later, I asked her again and she told me again, more firmly that I needed to sit down and wait.
Let me just insert here that I HATED my third grade teacher. My mom HATED her too.
So, moving on. I still remember what I was wearing, though that doesn't matter now. I wet my pants and my horrible excuse for a teacher told me that I did it on purpose just to get attention, and would NOT let me leave the room until the bell rang.
One of my friends gave me her jacket to tie around my waste and walked me to my mom's car as I cried my eyes out.
My mom took one look at me, asked me what happened, and my friend told her. She grabbed my hand, marched me back into the school principal's office and demanded to speak to my teacher. My teacher finally waddled into the office and my mom said words that I know I was never supposed to hear. She told my teacher that from this moment on, If I had to go to the bathroom, I would not ask. I would get up in the middle of whatever was going on, and I would go. PERIOD!
For the rest of my school career and even into adulthood, I have carried this advice with me.
It is our God given right to be able to go to the bathroom. If anyone tells you that you can't, who cares. How dare anyone try to judge when someone else's bladder is full. You know when you need to pee... so just get up and go.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Lunch is for companionship
As a grown up, I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some I learned in school and through expereince. Many of them I learned from my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are many things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all of the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. They may not work for everyone and you may not agree with all of them, but each one is a rule that I either try to live by or wish I did.
#12 Don't let anyone sit alone at a lunch table
Before my first day of school, every year, my mom would say: "Shanna, you make friends very easily, but some people don't. If you see someone sitting alone at lunch, ask them to join you. Or go and sit with them."
In elementary school, this was never really an issue, because we sat at long picnic like tables that folded in the middle. Boys at one and girls at another. No one really had the opportunity to be left out, so I never really understood.
However, on the first day of middle school, I got it. I thanked God that I had some of my friends from the 6th grade there when it came time for lunch. I walked into the cafeteria and I was completely overwhelmed. I had two of my friends with me, and we were trying to decide where to sit. Should we try to sit with the cheerleaders, even though we didn't make the squad? Should we sit with the "nerds" who were reading books and not talking to one another? Should we sit with the eccentric "theater kids" who were dressed in black and asking one another for a location?
Finally my mother's words popped into my head. I made the decision. I said, "today seems like a good day to make new friends."
We found a table with one girl sitting at it alone. We asked if we could join her. She said something to the effect of sure, if you really want to. We assured her that we did and by the end of lunch on the first day of 7th grade, four other people had asked us if they could join us and our lunch table was one of the more full ones. I specifically remember that the main thing I looked forward to during the first semester of 7th grade was lunch. I made some really good friends that year. Anytime that someone new came in, or was sitting alone, there was a space for them in our lunch group.
You all have to be there, and really you're all in the same boat. No one should have to endure it alone. Don't let anybody sit alone at a lunch table, because you wouldn't want to. Also, it would break your heart to know that your children or nieces and nephews were sitting alone during lunch.
#12 Don't let anyone sit alone at a lunch table
Before my first day of school, every year, my mom would say: "Shanna, you make friends very easily, but some people don't. If you see someone sitting alone at lunch, ask them to join you. Or go and sit with them."
In elementary school, this was never really an issue, because we sat at long picnic like tables that folded in the middle. Boys at one and girls at another. No one really had the opportunity to be left out, so I never really understood.
However, on the first day of middle school, I got it. I thanked God that I had some of my friends from the 6th grade there when it came time for lunch. I walked into the cafeteria and I was completely overwhelmed. I had two of my friends with me, and we were trying to decide where to sit. Should we try to sit with the cheerleaders, even though we didn't make the squad? Should we sit with the "nerds" who were reading books and not talking to one another? Should we sit with the eccentric "theater kids" who were dressed in black and asking one another for a location?
Finally my mother's words popped into my head. I made the decision. I said, "today seems like a good day to make new friends."
We found a table with one girl sitting at it alone. We asked if we could join her. She said something to the effect of sure, if you really want to. We assured her that we did and by the end of lunch on the first day of 7th grade, four other people had asked us if they could join us and our lunch table was one of the more full ones. I specifically remember that the main thing I looked forward to during the first semester of 7th grade was lunch. I made some really good friends that year. Anytime that someone new came in, or was sitting alone, there was a space for them in our lunch group.
You all have to be there, and really you're all in the same boat. No one should have to endure it alone. Don't let anybody sit alone at a lunch table, because you wouldn't want to. Also, it would break your heart to know that your children or nieces and nephews were sitting alone during lunch.
Friday, August 27, 2010
On Traditions
As a grown up, I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through expereince. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned from living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. They might not work for everybody and you may not agree with all of them, but each one is a rule that I either live by or wish I did.
#11 Take traditions seriously
I grew up in the south and down there, for the most part, it is a completely different way of thinking. My grandparents grew up on farms in northeast Mississippi. No food went to waste, they quitled to keep warm, clothes were passed from one sibling to the next and then mended until they could no longer be worn. Then they were turned into quilts. Flour came in giant cotton sacks, and when the flour was gone, the sacks were turned into quilts.
I know that this way of life has long since gone to the wayside. However, some things should stay the same. Listen when the older people in your life tell their stories. Write them down if you can. Trends come and go, but it will never again be the way it was when our grandparents, and even our parents were young.
If your family has traditions that have been going on for years, do your best to keep them. Or, create new ones. My family is large and extended, but before it was so large, it was long ago decided that everyone would buy a present for everyone at Christmas. One year, my cousins all got together and tried to change this. The "grown ups" all pitched such a fit that it was never even discussed again. Now everyone gets a present, but they might be very small.
If your family has a watergun fight every Memorial Day, or drinks hot chocolate while driving around looking at Christmas lights, or volunteers as a group to a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving, these are special memories that were created just for you. Cherish them. If you don't pass them on, no one else will.
This can also include hobbies such as quilting, knitting, hunting, and cooking. Take traditions and the skills and knowledge of your elders and keep them, hold on to them, and pass them down for future generations.
#11 Take traditions seriously
I grew up in the south and down there, for the most part, it is a completely different way of thinking. My grandparents grew up on farms in northeast Mississippi. No food went to waste, they quitled to keep warm, clothes were passed from one sibling to the next and then mended until they could no longer be worn. Then they were turned into quilts. Flour came in giant cotton sacks, and when the flour was gone, the sacks were turned into quilts.
I know that this way of life has long since gone to the wayside. However, some things should stay the same. Listen when the older people in your life tell their stories. Write them down if you can. Trends come and go, but it will never again be the way it was when our grandparents, and even our parents were young.
If your family has traditions that have been going on for years, do your best to keep them. Or, create new ones. My family is large and extended, but before it was so large, it was long ago decided that everyone would buy a present for everyone at Christmas. One year, my cousins all got together and tried to change this. The "grown ups" all pitched such a fit that it was never even discussed again. Now everyone gets a present, but they might be very small.
If your family has a watergun fight every Memorial Day, or drinks hot chocolate while driving around looking at Christmas lights, or volunteers as a group to a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving, these are special memories that were created just for you. Cherish them. If you don't pass them on, no one else will.
This can also include hobbies such as quilting, knitting, hunting, and cooking. Take traditions and the skills and knowledge of your elders and keep them, hold on to them, and pass them down for future generations.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Always charge your cell phone...
As a grown up, I realize that in the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through experience. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all of the nieces and nephews in the world, or really for anyone who will listen. You may not agree with all of them and they may not work for everybody, but each is a rule that I either live by or wish I did.
# 10 Always, always, charge your cell phone...
It's 2010. Practically everyone has a cell phone, and land lines are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Even my parents have cell phones, though they are for the most part, unused and never turned on. 5 year olds know how to download apps for their parents IPhones. Even some of the homeless people I see begging on the streets have some form of cell phone.
If you have one, it should always be charged. I am certain that most everyone in the world keeps their charger plugged into the same spot at all times, so it is really lazy of you to not just grab the chord and plug it in.
What if you are locked out at 3am and your phone is dead? You would either have to throw rocks at someone's window or sit on the stoop until someone came outside. What if you witnessed someone being attacked and couldn't even call the police because your cell phone is dead? What if you walk past a fire and you can't call the fire department?
I know that most of these things are highly unlikely, however, you never know. Anything is possible, and it is always a good idea to be prepared. I'm not saying you have to carry around a Mary Poppins bag with a remedy for everything in it. I am simply asking you to charge your cell phones.
# 10 Always, always, charge your cell phone...
It's 2010. Practically everyone has a cell phone, and land lines are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Even my parents have cell phones, though they are for the most part, unused and never turned on. 5 year olds know how to download apps for their parents IPhones. Even some of the homeless people I see begging on the streets have some form of cell phone.
If you have one, it should always be charged. I am certain that most everyone in the world keeps their charger plugged into the same spot at all times, so it is really lazy of you to not just grab the chord and plug it in.
What if you are locked out at 3am and your phone is dead? You would either have to throw rocks at someone's window or sit on the stoop until someone came outside. What if you witnessed someone being attacked and couldn't even call the police because your cell phone is dead? What if you walk past a fire and you can't call the fire department?
I know that most of these things are highly unlikely, however, you never know. Anything is possible, and it is always a good idea to be prepared. I'm not saying you have to carry around a Mary Poppins bag with a remedy for everything in it. I am simply asking you to charge your cell phones.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Kindergarten is not a scary place...
As a grown up, I realize that in the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through experience. many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know, you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are many things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all of the nieces and nephews in the world, or really for anyone who will listen. They may not work for everybody and you may not agree with all of them, but each one is a rule that I either try to live by or wish I did.
# 9 Kindergarten is not a scary place
I found out today that my precious niece is having quite the hard time adjusting to this whole kindergarten thing. She has nervous stomach anyway, and this kindergarten thing is really getting to her. She works herself into a frenzy and just gets so nervous and emotional about it that some days, she just can't physically do it. Go to kindergarten, I mean.
I understand that there are so many things that can be scary to a five year old, in new place, who has to wear a plaid jumper everyday. She is terrified of fire drills, which I get. The thought of fire is horrific. However, as a grown up, I realize that with every good fire drill, occasionally you get some really hot fireman.
Maybe she is scared of messing up or doing something wrong. Perhaps she is afraid to color outside of the lines. As a grown up, I realize that coloring outside the lines isn't always a bad thing.
She could also very well be afraid of the upcoming musical in which she has to play a sheep. It was the kindergarten Christmas pageant, when I wore the tinsel icicle costume that my mom slaved over. I hated this costume until I walked on stage and the entire audience "oohed" and "ahhed". From that moment on, I had the acting bug, and it never went away. Thank you kindergarten for causing me to move to NYC.
Maybe she is afraid that she won't make any friends, but one little boy in her class told the teacher that he prayed for her and hoped she would be his girlfriend. Maybe she is afraid she WILL make friends.
I don't remember being scared of kindergarten. My mom stayed home with me and we had crafts, and storytime, and naptime, and snacks. I'm fairly certain that I went into it thinking it would just be my daily activities, but with more people and in a different setting.
To this day, I don't still speak to a single person that I went to kindergarten with. However, I do remember that I learned to tie my shoe, count to 100, read on a second grade level, make butter in a jar, and I found the passion that I have taken with me everywhere I go. That is passion is what motivates me to get up in the mornings, and scour the audition notices.
Kindergarten isn't scary, it is a wonderful place for learning, and having adventures, and growing. If you can survive it, you are well on your way to at least being a well rounded first grader.
Recommended reading: The Night Before Kindergarten Reading Railroad Series
The Night Before Kindergarten (Reading Railroad Books Series)
# 9 Kindergarten is not a scary place
I found out today that my precious niece is having quite the hard time adjusting to this whole kindergarten thing. She has nervous stomach anyway, and this kindergarten thing is really getting to her. She works herself into a frenzy and just gets so nervous and emotional about it that some days, she just can't physically do it. Go to kindergarten, I mean.
I understand that there are so many things that can be scary to a five year old, in new place, who has to wear a plaid jumper everyday. She is terrified of fire drills, which I get. The thought of fire is horrific. However, as a grown up, I realize that with every good fire drill, occasionally you get some really hot fireman.
Maybe she is scared of messing up or doing something wrong. Perhaps she is afraid to color outside of the lines. As a grown up, I realize that coloring outside the lines isn't always a bad thing.
She could also very well be afraid of the upcoming musical in which she has to play a sheep. It was the kindergarten Christmas pageant, when I wore the tinsel icicle costume that my mom slaved over. I hated this costume until I walked on stage and the entire audience "oohed" and "ahhed". From that moment on, I had the acting bug, and it never went away. Thank you kindergarten for causing me to move to NYC.
Maybe she is afraid that she won't make any friends, but one little boy in her class told the teacher that he prayed for her and hoped she would be his girlfriend. Maybe she is afraid she WILL make friends.
I don't remember being scared of kindergarten. My mom stayed home with me and we had crafts, and storytime, and naptime, and snacks. I'm fairly certain that I went into it thinking it would just be my daily activities, but with more people and in a different setting.
To this day, I don't still speak to a single person that I went to kindergarten with. However, I do remember that I learned to tie my shoe, count to 100, read on a second grade level, make butter in a jar, and I found the passion that I have taken with me everywhere I go. That is passion is what motivates me to get up in the mornings, and scour the audition notices.
Kindergarten isn't scary, it is a wonderful place for learning, and having adventures, and growing. If you can survive it, you are well on your way to at least being a well rounded first grader.
Recommended reading: The Night Before Kindergarten Reading Railroad Series
The Night Before Kindergarten (Reading Railroad Books Series)
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