Week in the Life: Sunday

Ali Edwards invited people to participate in a photo project Week In The Life. I am glad I experimented with photographing and recorded my ordinary life.

I like when the counters are clean and light pours in.

Some counters will never be completely empty.

We had a rather unusual Sunday. Usually we stay at home on Sunday. This Sunday Tarmo, Mimm and I got dressed up and went to see "The Phantom of the Opera."

My family breathed in relief when they heard that the project was over. No more fear of getting caught on pictures and no more worry about the sanity of mom taking pictures of odd things around the home.

My sis sent me a link to "Beginners guide to taking pictures." Maybe by next year I actually know what I am doing before I click on the camera buttons.

Week in the Life: Saturday

Saturday - slow and warm, staying at home, letting the time flow, smiling, chatting, playing - an enjoyable day. I usually include some work and writing to the day. I try to update my classroom blog and Celebrate posts in the morning, letting the rest of the day focus on the family. I didn't take many pictures.  Let it be the few then.

 I love when we can pull the curtains away and let the light pour in.

Mimm was willing to pose to me. Hurray! She returned from a friend's birthday with a phoenix painted on her face.

My sister wondered whether I would include in my post that we spent 45 minutes on a phone. I reverted to my bedroom, spoke to my sister and then called my friend and read on I-Pad and wrote in my journal.

 I experimented with taking a self-portrait. Looks like the camera is the main character.

With a nine-year-old in a family you can bet on some crazy ideas.

What fun it was for Mimm to go through the maze. What fun it was to watch.

Mimm practiced two songs for an upcoming musical.


I wish I had pictures of the family playing board games and having lunch together, and two oldest girls baking at night. This is what our Saturdays are often about.

Thoughts:

• some memories will be best stored in the heart not in pictures
• not captured on the pics are the conversations and feelings that fill the space around and inside us
• the story we tell matters the most to us not to anyone else

Week in the Life: Friday

Morning:

The second grade teacher really scared me when I went to say good morning.

During the school day:
We had lots of dancing on Friday.

I appreciate that our Music teacher works collaboratively with me during the dance unit of inquiry. It is funny to see how the same kids, who say that they don't like the unit nor dance, enthusiastically and energetically participate in activities.

In the afternoon we had a hip-hop lesson.

My appreciation for photographers who take pics of moving people (dancers, sportsmen, children) sky rocketed. I find it almost impossible to do.


After school:
The PTA had organized a fall costume party. It started 1,5 hours after the school ended. I was tired but decided to stay because so many of my students were attending.

 The hallways were super well decorated.

It was hard to take any photos in the darkness of the gym. It was cool to see that besides the dressed up children several parents had put on a costume.

I tried to capture the moon.

On my way home:

I had to stop at the railroad crossing. I don't like driving. Driving in the dark is the worst. In the city there are still lights but on the road outside the city the darkness is scary. Sometimes it makes me feel as if I was the only one left on Earth.

At home:
I got home a little past seven o'clock. I was the first one home. Mimm was at her friend's place, Kesrtin had decided to stay in town, and Tarmo had gone to pick up Marianne who had missed her train.

 I was excited when my family arrived. They were not thrilled that I had my camera in hand again.
We had an easy dinner. Nobody had any energy to cook. Tarmo had bought pizza.

We finished the day in the living room. I fell asleep on the sofa.

Thoughts:

• Taking pictures is difficult. It isn't just about seeing what you want to take picture of. You need the skills and light so the picture would look similar to what you saw.
• My family doesn't like when I take pictures of them. How do I capture what matters to me most if they escape the pics? 
• This kind of project is very personal. Because you take many pictures and include several moments of your day it is not as selective and thought through as Slice of Life or Celebrate
• Photos play the key in this project. I have to accept and include the imperfect pictures to tell the story.
• I really wish I had done this project ten years ago and five years ago. 

Week in the Life: Thursday

The fourth day - yeee, I am still up to the challenge.

Morning:

How come the habit of brushing teeth is so much easier than so many other habits? My oldest doesn't live with us anymore but we still keep her toothbrush for the weekends and holidays when she comes to visit. Not being completely awake made it very hard to get a focused pic of the toothbrushes. Who on earth takes pics of toothbrushes?

 Taking pictures of myself putting on mascara was a funny experiment. Since I used a camera with my right hand I put the mascara in my left and then realized that I am not able to apply mascara with my left. Had to switch hands. I use very little make-up. Sometimes I even forget to put lipgloss on.

I really wanted a picture of my one-egg-pan. My sis gave it as a gift to me and I love using it when I cook just for myself.

A sandwich and a cup of tea. Kersitn slept in. She zoomed through her morning routine and gobbled up cereal really fast.

Taking a picture of my hair clip was another funny experiment. I had no idea at which angle to hold the camera so I took many pictures hoping that at least some will turn out ok. I feel more teacherish with my hair up. Besides I don't need to brush it during a day. It feels liberating to take it off when I get home after the school.

A morning kiss to Mimm is part of my morning routine. In the past she used to wake up and hug me. Now she just mumbles, turns to another side and sleeps on. Using flash in the morning almost woke her up.

At school:

 We spent a lot of time being mathematicians yesterday. We started with discussing different strategies for 9+ facts. The students used ten frames and linker cubes to explain their thinking. My favorite part is when they try to make sense of what others said. Their favorite part is when they get to practice facts on  I-Pad or a computer.

It was my duty day outside. I am outside during the lunch break every Thursday. Yesterday the weather was fine and I enjoyed the fresh air. The light allowed me to take pictures that I like - the sky, the leaf and more sky.

 We are currently learning about story writing in class. My middle daughter made the lovely colorful charts some years ago. These always get some "wow"s. My charts are much simpler.

 We end the day in class with sitting in a circle and reflecting about the day. To avoid hand waving and "Me-me-me" yelling I use little pebbles that the students decorated. We end the day with a chant, three claps on our knees "1,2,3 yay," three claps with hands "We had a good day" and lift our hands over our heads "Hurray!"


The students went home, the teachers had a meeting.

After school:

My sister arrived for a zumba lesson. Since I was downloading pictures from my camera, I grabbed for my phone.

When my camera was ready, my sis took pictures of me. Her hands were shaking because she had just hurried to school almost running.

When my sis saw my camera gain, she said I can take a picture but only if it shows what she rally thinks about my picture taking before a zumba lesson. Read her mind.

This is my zumba teacher. Ms. Maki is a fourth grade teacher in our school She lived her past few years in Mexico and Panama. She offered zumba as an after school activity. Not very many people signed up but she decided to dance anyway, even when only two people come to a lesson. Dancing is good for the soul and the body.

I have taken only four zumba lessons (the ones Maki has given this year.) Fortunately my ballroom latin lessons help me to follow the steps. I don't have neough stamina though and get out of breath easily. Maki is like a little energy ball, bouncing and smiling all the time. She has tried to beg some smiles from us. To make her happy we at least try to pose and smile when a song finishes. Maki grabbed for my camera. We politely declined (strongly refused) when she offered to take pictures in the end of the lesson. My sis and I were both red and sweaty.

At home:

Since Tarmo got home a bit earlier than I did, it was his turn (again) to make dinner. On most days I cook but somehow during this week it seems like my hubby is in the kitchen a lot. The quickest dish we could think of was pasta with minced meat. I helped with the salad. It still left me time to do my Week in the Life post.

While we cooked, Mimm sat and drew. I wrote earlier of a left over sofa in the kitchen. We have another one in the living room (three sofas altogether) that has taken a place of a chair.

We had pine apple for dessert and even before I had my camera out the rest of the family asked whether I would take pictures again. Of course I did. We eat pine-apple very seldom.

We do not celebrate Halloween in Estonia but children have seen so much about it on TV and it is slowly creeping in. Yesterday Mimm made a scull mask (with the help of her bigger sister) and demonstrated her costume. Apparently their school allows the students to dress up for Halloween. The idea of Mimm going in her skeleton PJ-s seems odd but who wants so to argue with a 9-year-old, especially if this is the easiest solution possible.

Mimm jumped to the picture I wanted to take of Kerstin who was still working on her programming project. Quite often Kerstin is in her room, so it was lovely to have her in the living room even when she didn't speak much with us. She didn't want me to take a picture but agreed that she could survive one.

I don't watch much TV. Yesterday there was a show where famous Estonian singers sing interpretations of each others' songs. It was fun to watch. When I took my camera out, I was questioned why I take so many pictures and of odd things. Explaining that "I want to" was not accepted very well because we do not allow that answer from our children.

Yesterday Mimm got to bed before me.

I like when I shut down my computer and all icons disappear I see the most beautiful nature picture I have ever taken. (Years ago. On a perfect morning.) Taking a pic of mu computer screen added a frost effect. Here is the original.