ahhhh....

I have found little pieces of heaven this weekend. 

You know how sometimes it takes being sick, to slow down.  That's been me.  Work has been chock-full in both an exhilerating, but also stressful (mostly) kind of way.  Lately, I have felt like a reading robot - so much of my existence is working on teaching kids how to read, and improving my practice on teaching kids how to read.  I am reading Gretchen Rubin's Happier at Home, and there is a couple of lines in the book I relate to: 'I always have the feeling that I should be working. I always feel pressed for time, as if someone were shoving a pistol in my back and muttering, 'Move, move, move!' Doesn't that sound  awful? But I have uttered almost that exact quoute to Ed. (Except instead of the pistol, I feel like someone is throwing rocks at me, or kicking me.)  Again, sad, right? 

But back to the bits of Heaven....we have a Monday off, so it is a three day weekend.  Friday night, Miss P and Ed watched a Halloween movie on ABC Family or Disney, and I finally finished 'Where we Belong,' by Emily Griffin, just in time to take it back to the library.  Then, yesterday was a semi-lounging kind of day, with some work built into it (on my classroom and reading practices of course). Paige is such a doll, she came along with me and helped without complaint.  Afterward we treated ourselves to Halloween/S.F. Giants themed pedicures. P loved it! She is a pamering kind of girl.  By last night the fatigue of my brewing cold set in. 

Today, I took advantage of my semi-sick state, and Ed's double header date (Redskins 1:00, Giants 5:00), to take the morning off. Sort of.  Was up with the dog at 7:00, but then back on the couch, reading and sleeping intermittently until 10:30.  So often I want to read, but it keeps getting put off.  Ed did the church routine and errands with Miss Paige, while I read, read, read, walked Coopy, and just had quiet time.  I have not thought about work at all!

Besides reading Happier at Home, I'm also reading Raising Happiness by Christine Carter, and had the pleasure of hearing her speak with some girlfriends last Wednesday.  I'm loving the concepts of mindfulness, gratitude, and using them to focus on happiness in the midst of the busy everday.  I'll share more thoughts and ideas on this soon.  A blog that I love Enjoying the Small Things, also embodies this idea. Kind of like Life is What You Make it, right?