24 Comments

Jan, that is so creative and fun! My cousin taught middle schoolers. When she taight them sbout the Sistine Chapel she had them all get on the floor and paint paper attached to the bottom of their desks to feel what it must hsve been like for Leonardo Da Vinci. Teachers like you and her are what makes school fun for kids.

I used to draw and color a lot. I wanted to design clothes. My career turned out to design ads for every kind of company imaginable. I loved swimming and learned to love travel and adventure when my family, (Mom, Dad, 2 sisters & 2 uncles) drove from California to South Carolina & Washington, DC.

These kids were blessed to have you in their classroom. You made a positive difference in their lives. You are making one on our lives too.

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Thanks, Debbie ~ What a cool idea your cousin had about the Sistine Chapel! When I was there I was amazed -- I still can't believe a human could do that. I bet you would still have fun designing clothes for fun. Hope you are having a great trip! xoxo

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I love it! It's practically what I do every day at school. My students are the pandemic kids, it's the first year they go to face-to-face classes, so they think the teacher is just another kid they can play with.

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Best part of being a teacher -- getting to be a kid again! xoxo

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You always leave us smiling. Men have had a handle on this line of thinking for so long. They named it The Peter Pan Syndrome in our honor.

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Hi Roy ~ yes, I was going to use the Peter Pan reference, but couldn't find just the right place for it in this blog. Glad I made you smile. xoxo

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I loved to collect insects and put them in a shadow box that my dad made. The librarian never understood why I wanted to check out books relating to insects but I had quite a nice collection identified.

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Oh how fun, Diane! Your scientific mind at work as a kid -- made you a good nurse. xoxo

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I realize I’m quite late replying but this is awesome! I love the playfulness of how you release your inner child. Obviously I get to do that often during the day being a play therapist. But on my own I release it by dancing and sometimes I just find myself turning on music and dancing in my kitchen! Rolling all the windows down and screaming songs those are usually how I release and have fun!

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Tricia ~ I love hearing from you anytime! And I love knowing you work with children. I kinda feel connected to you. (Hugs) xoxo

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Same Jan! 😀

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Love ,love this so much!! I always look forward to reading your blog, so much fun Jan ! 💜😊😎

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Thanks, Irene! I really appreciate your support. xoxo

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As always, you Express a thoughtful, uplift for us readers of your blog and it’s definitely:

To. The. Point.

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Thanks for your feedback, Vicki! I worry sometimes that people will think I' m just promoting myself because I use personal anecdotes to make my point about aging -- so I'm making the thesis bold in each entry. So glad you get it! Thanks again for your support! xoxo

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This was a delightful article and brought a big smile. I liked to read, listen to the radio, and visit the neighbors - it was a long time ago. No TV, no video games, no smart phones. A very different life.

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Thanks, Janice! As a child, I loved to sit on the front porch swing with my great aunts & uncles. We played a lot of Canasta in the parlor when it got dark. Like you, that was a long time ago. xoxo PS I'm learning a lot from your blog.

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There is a kid in all of us, no matter how old we are. We can pretend to be anything we want to be. Wonderful feeling . Thanks for sharing

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Thanks, Susie! What have you done to be a kid lately? I bet it was fun!

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Play with my g-children . Such a joy. I have said we should have g-children first then children . But I don't guess that would work. Have a great child like day.

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Thank-you for my morning smile! You are the best kind of teacher....so creative and imaginative. By the book made fun! Your former students are still remembering things Mrs. Stoneburner taught them....I’m certain of that!! One of the best compliments a teacher ever receives.

When we were younger, we would use milk cartons filled with crushed ice to make crushed ice candles and give to family and friends at Christmas time. In the spring we would pick bouquets of Queen Anne’s Lace and put food coloring in their vases to dye them different colors. Very warming memories.

One of my favorite quotes is from George Bernard Shaw ~ “ We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

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When I was a kid my brother and I with my sisters would go to this ditch by our house and play for hours. We would play hid and seek and Army. We would climb trees and play ball in the street with a dead end. As I got older I loved to draw and do art I was pretty good. I miss it. It was fun and relaxing.

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We are having a fabulous trip with friends. I enjoy putting ensembles together now. I love interior design now. Have many books on the subject. Have fun being awesome today!

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Sep 22, 2022
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I'm a golfer. I love thinking of you wading in the creek looking for golf balls, Susan! Somehow there's a fascination for water for a lot of us -- even as grown ups. xoxo

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