No on the snow, yes on everything else... or, life as usual

Didn't sleep for shit, of course, obsessing about the weather. Looking out the window at the ice in the yard every time I woke up. (about every two hours or so, I think...) Woke up for good a little after four. Brought the computer into the bedroom so I could at least stay warm while looking at weather reports.

And had to go in at the regular time.

Things are getting pretty busy in the mornings at work. More kids. A lot more. It's a regular program, with crafts and games and music and art and Legos and friends and noise. :)

I have a little guy with sticky fingers, so I'm constantly monitoring him so that my program doesn't walk away with him, one pocketful at a time.

I'm diplomatic.

"Did you forget about the magnets in your pocket, Jeffrey*?"

"Oh. Um. Yeah. Yeah, I forgot."

And a couple minutes later, "Jeffrey, don't forget that there's a lego guy in your pocket when you go to class. Here's the box they go in."

He IS a small one, and my guess is that he just really wants stuff and thinks he can get away with it. So I'm vigilant. I'm hoping to be so observant that he knows I am constantly watching and will eventually give up. It helps that some of the bigger kids are reminding him, too.

My afternoons are also getting busier. More kids enrolling this week, I think. That's a good thing in a lot of ways, but the mix of kids is also a problem at times. With every addition, the group dynamics change. From a sociological standpoint, I suppose it's interesting... Kid A, B and C against D, E and F, then the next day Kid A, F and B against C, D, and E.

Some of them are starting to gang up against one or two at a time, and I'm monitoring quite a bit of drama.

There is a great deal of discussion between me and little groups of kids, sometimes more than others. I really dislike meanness, and try hard to keep it from taking over. Talking to kids about the meanness without being mean myself, and keeping the angry tone out of my voice and off my face requires a bit of effort, but how can I teach them it's not nice to be mean if I am mean about it?

I will not make a child apologize, as it's insincere at best and really a waste of everyone's time. My goal is to make them think about their behavior and how it makes another person feel when they're mean and have them feel like saying they're sorry because they ARE, not because someone in authority makes them say empty words.

Anyway, I'm expecting a regular day Wednesday. No sleeping in for me.

The going to bed super early and getting extra sleep thing didn't work out for me last week, I had some, um, girly issues to deal with and sleep patterns were horrendously fuckered up.

This week I haven't even tried, just submitted to the inevitable and decided to nap between shifts. Whatever.

So off to tangle for 15 minutes, then off to a hot shower and into the preheated bed.