I am a lists kind of girl. I love me some lists. I like to write them and check off the things I have accomplished. It’s so satisfying!

Today was a knock stuff off the list kind of day. I updated all my grades and crushed 20 of 26 essays! For those of you that aren’t teachers, that’s a lot. My hand hurts…but in a good way, because I graded the heck out of those essay’s.

I love to write (obviously) and in the classes I teach one of the most important skills I teach is how to write effectively, so while grading is tedious, it is also fun, because I can see their improvements, compliment them on their gains and also give them ways to improve…all of that is very fulfilling.

The kids and I are completing our advent calendar today (a little late I know). We’ve been discussing it each day this week on the way to school and kindness and gratitude are the keys. I’m excited to carry some of this stuff out throughout the next few weeks and to put it all together tonight after the kids go to bed.

I also got to start my day with Archbishop Naumann at mass at St. James. This man is very busy and there are a lot of demands of his time so I really appreciated him spending his morning with us. What a gift mass is to us. I will openly admit to taking that for granted sometimes, but I so enjoyed being in the chapel today with my colleagues and friends and listening to him speak. His homily was largely about his gratitude for teachers, even more so this year than ever before. It was nice to hear someone like him express that so publicly. I know my peers felt that gratitude and that they all needed to hear it!

When we got home we crushed 5th grade homework and headed to the barn. When I got down there the kids were already shooting and Fiona was playing volleyball. Then I got to play! I’m so grateful for my ability to be active with my kids. Getting to play sports with them is one of my favorite things and it helps melt away stress or worry. Also, we can jam out to tunes and I sure do love music. So three of my favorite things in one place, our kids, sports and music…that’s a win win.

After dinner Cooper was asking me about getting stronger. His questions were adorable. I told him I could help him and he was interested. So we did a mini “get strong” workout in my room. When we finished he said he wanted to try to do a yoga workout with me, so we got my laptop, pulled up Beachbody and got to work. He was surprisingly more flexible than I thought he would be. Now, he’s hooked. He told me he wants to do it everyday. I assured him we could do it together regularly but likely not everyday. GOD bless him. I love how innocent little kids are and how unafraid they are to try new things. I wish more adults (including myself) were more like that!

Overall today was a beautiful reminder to me that I needed to continue to express my gratitude for others publicly, in writing and directly as often as possible. In the past few months, which have been hard for so many, I have tried to do that to people I saw struggling or close friends. I’ve dropped little gifts off on their porch or brought a coffee cup full of candy to their classroom. While these are small things, I know they have brought a smile to my friends and peers faces and that filled me up. I always wish I could do more and Archbishop’s homily and my experiences today reminded me that I can and should do more.

So I’m making a new list tonight…ways I can show my gratitude to those around me…that list should be long. I look forward to checking stuff off of it! If you have any good ideas, send them my way! I’m always open to new suggestions! I also want the kids to join me in this endeavor! So it should be interesting.

#dorseyshenanigans

#celebr8awesome