As a mom of young children, I often attempted to teach my Littles the difference between the words want and need. Having four young ones, I needed them to know that they wouldn’t be getting EVERYTHING they wanted – plus, let’s be honest, spoiled kids turn into entitled adults – and that’s never pretty. We would discuss whether they wanted the new doll or needed it. Did they need the new shoes (that EVERYONE else already had) or did they really want them. It’s something that we all understand – not one of us out there has gotten every single thing we have ever asked for. Shout out to the box of 64 Crayola crayons with the built in sharpener that I wanted so badly, only to take home the Roseart crayons from Kmart. Being able to discern whether or not some thing, some one, or some situation was essential is crucial . And yes, I said someone. It’s easy to think you need to be friends with a certain group, when actually,  it’s just the desire to be accepted that you are feeling. I’m glad that we discussed this concept when my children were young. I know this knowledge will help them maneuver through their teens and early adult years.

Fast forward a dozen years, and I have found the word essential creep back into my world. I am a preschool teacher 2 days a week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I help teach the cutest 3 year olds how to navigate their world – and it makes me smile SO BIG. I love my job. I earned a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education so that this could be my profession. After using all of my knowledge in the area of child development while raising my own four children for twenty years, this fall, I re- entered the preschool realm. I have told my assistant and family members on several occasions that I felt like I needed to wear an apron in the classroom so that I could have everything I used most frequently “on my person”. WELL – one of my daughters took my hints and ran with them – surprising me at Christmas. She bought this apron for me and even had it personalized in green with an adorable font – JOY to the world, indeed! I’m sure you can probably imagine my gasp when I unwrapped this baby!Now, I have to admit, that there are still, times that I feel like a waitress in a small town diner … “Age appropriate curriculum- ORDER UP!”. But it gets the job done, and I’m forever grateful. I don’t carry the same things around every day, because – LIFE. Each morning I look over my lesson plans and toss my daily essentials in the pockets. I took a picture recently of the goodies in my pockets. I will list them below, along with the reason why I feel the need to toss it in a pocket. Yes. I went all out. You’re welcome. 😉

1.Carmax for my lips – I’m addicted – that’s all I can say.

2. Hand sanitizer- 3 year olds sneeze AT YOU – not near you. On occasion, I truly wish I could shower in between my morning and afternoon classes. But, I can’t, so this little guy is my second choice.

3. Glue stick – giving these littles Elmer’s glue is the stuff nightmares are made of – so instead we use glue sticks. They glue like it’s their job – because it is, so having an extra one handy is a grand idea.

4. Tissues – see #2

5. My lanyard – this is my school ID and room key. I have locked myself out of my room enough to know that wearing this is important . Yet, when it’s around my neck, and I lean in to help the children, I hit them square in the face. So this is a lovely compromise.

6. My wireless doorbell – you guys! This is absolute magic! When it’s time for a transition or I need the group’s attention, I ring the doorbell by clicking the button.  They all freeze and look for me – THE POWER! I would highly recommend it to other teachers (under $20 on Amazon). Although, there have been times when I lean into it and it accidentally goes off (FALSE ALARM, children, as you were!) And my assistant told me about a time when I was using the ladies room and it accidentally went off – the kids all stood there in silence waiting for directions – she just laughed. Working out the kinks – but it’s all good!

7. A black flair pen – there are so many times during the day that I need to sign something or write someone’s name for them, etc… plus, I just love pens. ❤️✍🏻🎉

So there you have it! A tiny glimpse in a day of my life – and the essentials that help create the magic. I certainly hope that you found this even a tad bit interesting. Please share with me what you believe YOUR daily essentials are!

Have a great week end – Apron-wearing KJ