Thoughts on December 22nd.

Whew....it's been a crazy weekend of last minute shopping. I'm glad my father decided to go a little bit earlier than Christmas Eve as I really don't think I could handle those crowds. It was wall-to-wall people in almost every store. The weather was also against us with its spurts of downpours and fog. North Carolina weather is nothing if not unpredictable.

Christmas at my house will be a little less than normal with Serena's impending surgery. We still aren't sure of the total cost of that, but the estimate is pretty pricey. Helping her feel better will be worth it no matter how much it ends up costing at this point. I hate this feeling of helplessness so much. So this year, dad and I are cutting back on our usual Khol's Christmas. We got my mother a DaVinci charm bracelet at Hallmark instead of the very pricey sterling silver ones. She loves charm bracelets and has made a few comments about these bracelets in the past. I have my fingers crossed that she will like my bead choices. My favorite is the little cat face.

I thought I would join up with this month's Love it and List It Linky. I'm excited that it's back to a non-app topic since I currently live in a low-tech world. (Not sure when, if ever, the SLPs in my district will get I-Pads or the like....)

1. Reading Grumpy Badger's Christmas with my language and social skills groups. This book is an incredible find. It is one of those versatile and timeless books that everyone needs in their speech room. (We also read Mooseltoe, The Night before Christmas, Who'll Pull Santa's Sleigh, and the Christmas Crocodile this year. The EC teachers read How Santa got his Job and recommended it to me.) I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful books are to school-based therapy. You can target a variety of goals with them and find/make fun crafts to coordinate.
2. Making mosaic Christmas trees with all of my groups. I think I need to give them the challenge to beat me more often.

3. Sending home practice packets with my students at the beginning of this month. It's time consuming to make sure my students are going home with materials that are appropriate for them; however, I like knowing that I am sending them home with a little something to do to prevent too much loss over the break. I wish I was good enough to make a whole year's worth of practice calendars. It's just one area that I do struggle with in terms of writer's block. I can envision the calendars but I lose all of my ideas when I sit down to make them.

Is it sad to say that I am already thinking of something to do when we get back? If so, I am guilty of being a workaholic. I love this New Year's freebie from Speech Snacks and this New Year Traditions from Around the World. They will do nicely for the three day week in January before I start up my snow theme.