Lunch lady

11 years ago I graduated from college with a business degree.  I never would have imagined that in my early 30's I'd be working in an elementary school lunch room scraping trays....but I am, and so far I LOVE IT!!

A couple years after becoming a stay-at-home mom, people started asking me if I would ever go back to work some day.  My answer was always, "Only if it's a school job, because I want to have the same days off as my kids."  Well, with my oldest starting all day kindergarten this year and our son going to daycare 4 days a week, it seemed like a good time to start thinking about getting into the work world at some level. The first place I started looking was the school website. I saw openings for substitute associates and substitute food service. The food service director happened to have a child on Rylee's soccer team, so we got to talking about the sub job and I decided to apply for it. I figured subbing would be a great job because I can choose when I want to work.  I got hired on for that one, and also for the associate sub job.  Between the two, I figured I'd work a couple days a week -- perfect.

Then a few weeks later, the food service director called and asked if I was interested in a regular part-time job at the elementary school.  The hours would be 10:45-1:15. Hmmm.... That's a nice short shift and I would know when I'm going to be working (vs not knowing if I would be needed as a sub the next day or not). I wasn't sure how I felt about it being right in the middle of the day though and I would have to send Wyatt to daycare a 5th day.  James and I discussed it, and I talked to a friend who works at the school -- she thought I would probably enjoy the food service job.  I decided to take it.  4 days in, I'm glad I made that choice!

Being a "lunch lady" could easily be a thankless job.  One of the reasons I decided to take this job was to get to see all of the elementary kiddos every day.  I wasn't exactly sure what it might be like to see them all every day, but I was hopeful that it would bring a smile to my face, just like seeing all of Rylee's preschool classmates did each day last year. Let me tell you, these kids have not disappointed me!!

In fact, I almost teared up on the first day as they started coming through the lunch line saying, "yes please" and "no thank you". These were 1st and 2nd graders, using better manners than most adults!  I kept thinking, "I sure hope Rylee isn't the one kid who forgets her manners when she comes through this line."

I was already emotional on the first day, between sending my first child on the bus to go to kindergarten and starting my first job in 3.5 years. But the kind things I heard from the kids' mouths forced me to hold back tears.

"Thank you for lunch!"
"It was good, thank you!"
"This was really good food!"
"Thank you for lunch!"
"Have a good day!"

These were many of the comments I received from the kids.  I was just shocked!!  Here I thought I was teaching Rylee good manners, but I know she would never say any of these things to the lunch lady wearing a hair net and scraping her tray.  Nearly all of the kids looked me in the eye and said something to me....even if it was just, "I didn't like the peas!"  :)

One girl said to me, "Before you tell me 'thank you', I want to thank YOU!"  :)

Several kids noticed I was new this year and they commented.

"Are you the new lunch lady?"
"You're new, aren't you?"

One little boy and girl came up to me and he asked if I was a new lunch lady.  When I said, "Yes. My name is Emily," the girl hit him in the arm and said, "I told you!!"  That made me chuckle.

The second day a couple of kids said to me, "You came back, huh?!"  They must have been making bets that I wouldn't.....

By far my favorite comment so far came from a 3rd or 4th grade girl on the second day.  She stood in front of me, looked me in the eye, smiled and said, "You're VERY pretty!"  :) :) :)  Okay sister, I'll bring you a cookie tomorrow ;)

Scraping trays and washing tables isn't the most glamorous job in the world, but being in an elementary school, surrounded by young kids who haven't been too tainted by the world yet, is very rewarding. I have a job to do while I'm there, but the lessons I leave with have nothing to do with the tasks I performed.

I've been putting my mindfulness training into practice while I'm there and I come to appreciate so many little things every day.  From watching kindergartners learn how to dump the food from their tray without dropping the tray into the garbage can, to listening to the words the teachers use to talk to the students, to watching the principal wear a hair net and happily spoon food onto the kids' trays....every day I feel more and more blessed to work in that environment.

Seeing Rylee every day in school mode is probably the best benefit of this job for me. So many parents don't get to witness their child in this way. I love that I get to watch her walk in a line, interact with classmates and school staff and follow rules that weren't made by me. Plus, I get to see what she is or isn't eating....she "loves" that ;)  "Seriously, just try the tator tots!!!"

Her friends all enjoy seeing me too. I hear "Hi Rylee's mom!!!" many times.  They're all just so adorable!!

Flourless Pancakes

Have you seen the two ingredient pancake recipe floating around Pinterest??  I bet I saw it at least a dozen times and I finally decided to try it out.  Two ingredient pancakes just can't be that good....right?!?!  When I had some very ripe bananas that needed used up, I tested that thought out for myself.  The result:  A-MA-ZING!! They weren't like a regular cakey pancake, but I liked them better than the original.

Here is the recipe I worked from.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-2-ingredient-banana-pancakes-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-218658

She gives several ways to add extras to the pancake batter.  I chose to add vanilla, honey and baking powder....making it more of a five ingredient pancake....however, I use very little of those three additional items. We have had these pancakes three times now and have loved them each time!!

We also found it nice to pair the pancakes with our "usual" side of mixed fruit.  Someone recently asked me what we are doing to eat more healthy, but in an inexpensive way.  Each week we buy fruit that is on sale (at least three different fruits) and cut it all up when we get home and throw it into a large container. This fruit salad becomes our side for every meal until it is gone (usually 4-5 days). We have even pureed some of the fruit salad to use as a topping for a meal (turkey burgers, pancakes, salad dressing, etc).

One time when our fruit salad was all berries, I put oats on top and had that for breakfast.  I don't like oatmeal, but mixing oats in with my fruit was a good way to get the benefits of the oats.

What's your story?

I recently finished reading "A Thousand Miles in a Million Years" by Donald Miller. This book was loaned to me by a friend after I made a comment about feeling discontent.  I really enjoyed reading this and found myself asking a lot of questions and being surprised by my answers.

The author compares his life to writing a story.  He states that we all want our lives to be a story that is enjoyable to read.  No one wants to "write" a boring story. But, he asks, what are we doing to ensure our story isn't boring??  Are we taking the risks necessary to accomplish the things we really want in life?? Additionally, are we writing our own story, or the story that we think others want us to write?  Good questions to ponder....

My husband and I were having a conversation similar to this several months ago.  As I have never been able to answer questions like "What do I want in life?" or "What are my goals?", I decided to ask a different question to help me find the same results. The question is, "what type of person do I admire?" No matter how well you know me, I think my answer will surprise you.....

The type of person I admire.....might sometimes be referred to as a "HIPPIE"  (you weren't going to guess that were you?!?!?!?)

This person
* Lives a very simple, yet enjoyable life.
* Doesn't care what anyone thinks of them
* Never judges others or themselves
* Is nearly always positive and smiling
* Doesn't care about money or status
* Is always kind to others
* Eats real food (vs 90% of the items found in a grocery store claiming to be food)
* Does most of their shopping at garage sales and second hand stores
* Rides their bicycle as their main mode of transportation
* Is carefree and loving life!  Free Spirit!!

I see this type of person regularly in Ames.  Sometimes at the natural foods grocery store, sometimes at the library, the second hand store, main street, yoga class, etc. I always feel drawn to these people and want to sit down and hear their stories.

Another place I went to recently where I felt very comfortable with the company I was in, was the local rodeo. There were lots of "rednecks" there, as well as many regular small town folks just out for the entertainment on a beautiful summer night. I loved that I didn't see anything that would suggest a status symbol or hear people talking about their corporate jobs, etc. It was just a good down home, small town feel.

I've never been one to admire others' education or careers.  I don't particularly care where a person went to school (or if they went at all), nor that they are climbing a corporate ladder. I'm much more enamored by a person's personality and attitude. The man or woman who displays selflessness and is always positive....that's the person I want to sit next to at dinner....that's the person who's life story I want to hear.

So, as I've started taking notes on the type of people I admire, I'm finding myself being more mindful every day of small things I can do to be more like those people. Unfortunately, I have some characteristics completely opposite of those people and will likely never be just like them (which is good as I am my own person)....but small steps are better than nothing.  Small steps help tell part of my story.

I'm still not sure what sort of story I'm telling, but I'm being mindful of the fact that I am indeed "writing" one and making choices daily to determine the next paragraph of the chapter I'm on. A couple nights ago, after putting the kids to bed, I was planning to read.  However, as I passed by the window and saw the sun setting, I told myself, "you can read anytime, but sunsets only happen briefly".....I decided to go outside to watch the sun go down. I didn't regret that decision at all.

What is your story?  Do you feel good about the path it is taking, or is a plot twist needed?