It's Five Minute Friday when I link up with The Gypsy Mama.  Each week we are given a one word prompt.  We get to write on that word for a total of five minutes.  Our word for this week is: SMALL.
GO

They are small but they are a big deal.  That's for sure!

They've entwined themselves into my heart.  They greet me each morning with huge smiles and hugs.  I find myself looking forward to going to work each day at our school.  The three and four year old children keep me on my toes and laughing.

Yesterday these small people had me laughing.  Hilton kept repeating "ay yi yi yi".  I looked at her and asked where she learned that.  She shot a quick look at me and exclaimed "from you Miss Debbie".  I realized that I had become a little bit exasperated at one point.  And I will admit I may have muttered "ay yi yi yi" under my breath.  But did I say it out loud?  Obviously!  Be careful what you say as the little ones learn and imitate.

I love their imaginations as I observe them during free play.

• Sid dressed up in a leather vest and held a microphone to sing.  
• Hilton pulled a cheer leader outfit over her head and on top of her uniform. She told me her mom signed her up for cheer and she wanted to see what it felt like.
• Melika made soup and toast for me in our play kitchen.
• Mackenzie dressed up in a fancy dancy dazzle outfit with feathers.
• Nila wore a bride outfit with a veil.  I noticed Sid walk beside her in his vest.

They are small but ...they are a big deal!

STOP

Blessings and love,

Pinterest

It's Weigh-In Wednesday and I was determined to post today.  I got a bit off track for about five days and I didn't exercise.  For me, it's got to be a daily appointment.  I'm trying to get back to making it a habit.

I don't want to get out of bed and ask myself if I'm in the mood to get on that treadmill.  I have a confession to make.

If I indulged my emotions, I'd never do it!  

I decided that for me to live a healthy lifestyle daily exercise is an integral part of that life. It's just something I do to get and stay healthy.

There are mornings when I have to cut it short.  I like to work out for 45 minutes.  But there are days when I barely get in 30.  That's OK.  It's the consistency that's important for me right now to get back in the habit.

So here's my routine:

• I walk on the treadmill for 30-45 minutes.
• I continue to use free weights every other day.
• I stretch on a mat to become more flexible.
• I do a series of sit ups and a few Pilate moves.
• I'm working on trying to remember to drink lots of water.

I'm not an all or nothing person.  If I mess up, I simply recognize there will be those days.

For example, yesterday was the first day in our classroom of 3 year old preschoolers.  One of the teachers (thanks Dorothy) placed a cute little cupcake on each of our desks.  Now I've been avoiding sweets (which I love) because I realize the extra calories from the sugar aren't worth it.  But by the end of the day, guess what?  I ate my cupcake!

Tomorrow is another day.  

I've been making great salads and meals that are lower in calories.  I bring my lunch to work every day. I appreciate many of the recipes shared in our private Facebook accountability group.  By the way, accountability is a good word.  It keeps me on track. And writing a Weigh-In Wednesday helps too.  :)

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I'm looking forward to the day when I can easily fit into my good clothes.  I've a huge box of clothes that I love but are a bit tight.  I can get the slacks on but can't get the zipper up comfortably.  So, I continue to work on losing those extra pounds I accumulated over the last few years.

I have to remember that my goal is a healthy lifestyle. I don't want what I eat to become such a huge focus in my life.  And exercising helps me with endurance so I can keep up with those little children I work with each day in our school.

What about you?  How are you doing?  Are you sticking with healthy eating and exercise?  Do you realize it's a healthy way of life and not a DIET?  Are you being reasonable about it?  Or are you one of those all or nothing people?

I'm linking up with Kim on her new blog Just for Clicks for Weigh-In Wednesday.

Blessings and love,

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Back to school.  Our preschoolers don't start until Tuesday but the upper grades begin on Monday.  As a child growing up in New York, we always began school after Labor Day.  But not in Arizona.  All I can say is ...thank goodness for air conditioning!

We held a Meet and Greet last week at school.  Many of the parents brought their three year olds in to meet Mrs. Rosetti and Miss Debbie.  It was fun to see their little faces.  Some were a bit shy but others quickly began playing with the toys in our room.

I loved it when some of our former students peeked their heads in to say hello.

When I stepped outside our door to go home, I was greeting by a child jumping into my arms with her feet wrapped around my waist.  Nila had been in my class during summer camp and was so excited to see a familiar face.  She was new at our school.

Tuesday will be interesting as the newbies spend the day at school making new friends and learning new things.  We've encouraged the parents to drop their child at the gate where friendly teachers will guide them to their classes.  It's always hard that first day.

I'm anticipating a good school year.  Heidi and I work so well together.  We'll have lots of new children to teach and to love.

And of course, I'll continue to count my every day blessings.

#893 Seeing the sweet faces of many former students
#894 Getting to meet many of our new students
#895 The excitement of seeing teachers after summer vacations
#896 Happy that I got to teach summer camp this year
#897 Grateful for a Barnes & Noble gift card for books
#898 Receiving a copy of Jeff Goins latest book "The In-Between"
#899 Lunch with my good friend Helen (finally)
#900 Many spiritual insights studying the book of Romans
#901 Spring cleaning our condo this past week (in the summer)

I'm linking up with Ann of A Holy Experience for Multitudes on Mondays.



Blessings and love,