If you send a preschool teacher to buy a gallon of milk…
She will stop by the paint store on the way and ask the paint guy if it is okay to take a few color swatches. And if he says “Yes,” she will ask if it is okay to take two of each color…
Which will remind her of those really cool spoons that are now on sale…
Which makes her hungry for a milkshake but when she stops to pick one up, she notices this plain brown drink holder and asks for one of those instead…
And then she heads to the grocery store where she discovers wonderful colors of Kool-Aid she might use to make play dough…
Then she rushes to the register to check out and when the young man asks if she wants paper or plastic – she starts to visualize painting activities, puppets, vests – and asks for paper….
So she hurries home to add her new treasures to the growing collection of other things she might just use someday like…
Laundry lids and tissue roles…
Plastic lids…
And egg holders…
And now she realizes that it is time to start dinner but there is no room on her dining room table…
So she starts to straighten it all up…
When her husband comes in the room and asks her if she bought the gallon of milk….
She says, “I will be right back!” and heads to the store for a gallon of milk!
And on the way…..
Available on Amazon
Hahaha! That is very cute….and so very true!! 🙂
Hahahaha This is so true! I can’t even begin counting how many times I got distracted from buying what I originally intended to buy due to the many colorful or “useful” things I see! There were even times when I ended up spending all the money I had with me!
These are characteristics of a true teacher who loves his/her job!
This is totally ME, as I type I look at my dinning room table….we ate dinner there tonight and shared our space with books, a laminator, construction paper, felt makers, scholastic book orders, cds, tie dye kit, stickers, pipe cleaners…I think you get the picture!! (My husband is a Saint) Distraction is a you know what being a preschool teacher!! LOVE it!!
I love this, Deborah. I can remember trying to talk carpet stores into giving me samples for free so I’d have some rugs for the kindergartners to sit on. Good post!
I have been cleaning an organizing my school all week. I had to throw away a bunch of those odds and ends due to lack of space. It was hard to decide what to save and what had to go.
Ha! I read this post out loud to my husband who sat there, listening and nodding! I think he actually might have been reassured to know that I am not the only nutcase out there! 😉
I love it!! I love it!! I love it!! :0)
Hehehehe – glad I’m not the only one Deborah!
This is the best ever!!! A day in my life, how did you know????? You need to market this as a book. I would buy it!
So fun to see we all have so much in common!
I just showed this to my husband. He just gave me that “look”, you know the you forgot the milk again look. I explained to him that I am not nearly as freakish as he suspected and that I belong to a colony. He said, “No, you belong to a cult”. Apples, oranges…………….. It sure is fun!!!
ROFLOL it is almost as if we are related.
A colony…brilliant. And yes, there is nothing better, is there? It is nice to be able to share with other like-minded people.
Hahahaha!
This is so true…why buy when you can upcycle and recycle! Love it!
Hmmm. Sounds like someone has been following me.
Love it, Deborah!
Love it! Sounds like me at a fabric store.
I’m the mom of a preschooler. I just delivered a giant stack of posterboard to her school. A man was just getting ready to toss it in the recycle bin when I was dropping off some boxes. Score for us (I kept a dozen or so pieces for us) and score for her school.
Your my kind of mom!! You can come to my preschool any time:)
LOL LOVE IT! Sounds like something I’d do.
Now I know why my husband always volunteers to pick up the milk! 🙂
Indeed! A preschool teacher lives in a Numeroff story!
Gotta love Laura Numeroff!! One of my favorites as you can see here:)
Dear Deborah,
What can I say but you are amazing to have created this perfect rendition of my life. LOL
Thanks so much.
Hugs, Deb “Tdeb/TeacherDeb”
What a cute post and a lovely tribute to preschool teachers! 🙂
Reminds me of my first grade teacher who I adored!!
Jeanine
thank you for this great laugh!!! it’s the mounting “recyclables” that start filling every corner of my house that really had me laughing!! toilet tubes seem to be spilling out from everywhere so i have to make a concious effort to bring them to the school. oh, and don’t forget the used gift wrap tissue paper!! my preschoolers LOOOVE to make lanterns! http://kleas.typepad.com/kleas/2009/10/lantern-walk.html
LOL! The list just goes on and on…
Hahaha brilliant!! thanks deborah 🙂
After 40 years, retiring from this REALLY WONDERFUL FUN LIFE brings another challenge! How do you sort, re-use, and rid your home of the collections of beautiful lids, sticks, shed snake skins, paint, kool-aid, puppets and bags of collage stuff and other surprises that some might call junk. Oh yes, I can give it all away to another pre-school teacher —- but what if I might need it tomorrow – that one beautifully covered box or a little bit of black paint for the neighbor child to use. My husband still loves his experience of marriage to a pre-school teacher —– going fishing and coming home with a carload of rocks. It can be difficult to give up this really good life. There is so much to miss about being in the THICK of “it.”
Smiles,
Nita
Hi Anita,
Last year I gave away probably 100 of my preschool children and teacher books to a local inner city preschool. I also donated boxes of teaching supplies. I had been storing these items and realized they would be better off being put to good use. I did keep my favorite books and supplies because there are just some things I can’t part with:) There are days when I wish I would have kept all that stuff – I actually feel a little sad.. It is hard to let go of things that you treasure because they are part of who you are and what you have invested your life in for so long. I would suggest that you keep the books and materials you treasure the most and share the things you can let go of with someone or a school that you think will really value and use the resources to bless the lives of young children:). Smiles in return – Deborah
Over 20 years ago, I began working in a preschool until “something better” came along in my field of Medical Assistant. I continued for the next 20 years When my family moved across country after my husband passed away, my brother came over to help us pack . He was eager to through away my collection of supplies. I really had to explain to him why I needed to save it. That collection is still in my basement.
LOL – I would never let someone throw my preschool stuff away!!
I loved this post! We like “If you give a mouse a cookie” and your take on it is cute.
Way too cute! Nice to meet you and happy back to school blog tour week!
Very cute post, I love school supplies. Those spoons are very adorable!
I photos really illustrate your story perfectly!
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for being part of the Back-to-School Blog Tour! I wish I were as creative as you! My daughter loves do do art projects but I’m always running out of ideas. I will have to take some inspiration from your post and start saving lids and other recycled wares, who knows what we can come up!
Have a great week, Holly
LOVE LOVE LOVE that I stopped by from the BTSBlogTour because:
1. I’m a former teacher
2. I love the Give a Mouse a Cookie series
3. We seem like we’d get along great!
🙂
LOL! I love your enthusiasm!! Great to meet you!
I love this story! 🙂 I’m pretty sure MOST if not ALL preschool teachers who love their jobs were able to relate to this! I’m sure I did!
Stopping over from the Back to School Blog Tour. I love your blog post! I have a teaching background too. Hope you will check out my blog and let me know if you have any other ideas for teacher gifts. 🙂
I must be living under a rock because somehow I missed this one, too! This is soooooooo me! (And 9 out 10 times, I forget the milk!!!!)
lol…you are just TOO much…have you been spying on me? What’d my husband say? I just absolutely adored this post, can’t wait to share it! Thanks for making me really laugh out loud!
This post is ALL ABOUT ME!!! :o) and now it has rub onto my niece. She will find neat things for herself and me when she is out and about. And she is only 10 years old.
Hahaha!