#not enough bin and the song sounds like an anime theme on first listen and it's a fucking nightmare to color

[seochangbingifs]

RANDOM CHANGBIN GIFS 17/∞: Social Path ft. LiSa Music Video

[amyscascadingtabs]

i’ll walk through hell with you

"When does it become something?"

Jake furrows his eyebrows. "What do you mean?”

"Because everyone always says the same thing. One month is nothing. Three months is nothing.”  Amy twirls the negative test between her fingers. “Four months is nothing, either. So when does it become something?"

Everyone knows how to get pregnant - it's simple, general knowledge. You go off your birth control, track your ovulation, time it properly and there you are.

They don't tell you what to do when it's not that simple.

read here on ao3

chapter 1 - you’re all i never knew i needed

Amy has a proposal for Jake, an agreement is made, and a new project begins.

october

“More book.” Leah’s barely keeping her eyes open, her eyelids falling before she blinks herself awake yet another time. “Read more book?”

“We’ve read three books already,” Amy reminds the  almost-two-year-old bookworm snuggling into her side. “I think it’s time to sleep.”

“More book,” Leah insists another time. A yawn follows immediately after her request, and it’s hard for Amy to keep from laughing. 

“Tomorrow, baby,” she promises instead, tucking her daughter’s wild hair between her ears and kissing her forehead. “We’ll read more books tomorrow.”

“Mor-row.”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

“More books mor-row,” comes with another yawn. “Night?”

“Yeah, it's time to say goodnight. I love you,” she whispers, hugging the child tight. “Dream sweet dreams and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She almost expects a reply, but there isn’t one, because Leah’s already drifting to sleep. Once she’s given in to the exhaustion, she’s passed out in a matter of seconds. Their daughter's unswerving competitive streak shines through even at bedtime; the same series of events have been occurring for several months now. Leah will insist she's not tired even as she starts yawning repeatedly, demand they read book after book and fall asleep in under a minute once she finally gives in to her inevitable need to rest sometimes. 

Amy carefully moves the child’s arms off her own chest to free herself from the warm embrace, steps out of the toddler bed and tucks her daughter in an extra time. 

She stays for a while after Leah’s fallen asleep. She always stays a few minutes at her daughter’s bedside, trying to prolong the utter beauty and calm of the moment as long as possible. Leah’s getting so big now, enough so to fit into a toddler bed and sleep in her own room, and even though it’s come on gradually, the toddler’s raised level of independence brings on a lot of emotions for Amy. It feels like yesterday this kid was a helpless infant stuck to her like a band-aid near twenty-four seven and now she's a child, a child with personality and interests who waves through the window when she's dropped off at daycare in the morning and falls asleep in her own room like she never did anything else. It makes Amy entirely convinced time is moving too fast.

The all too quick progress of time is one of the reasons she cherishes these peaceful moments so much. When Leah's asleep, all innocent and relaxed and clutching onto the blanket with one fist, it seems like the passing of time stops for a moment; like there's nothing else but the perfect sight of her sleeping. She looks both so big and so small like this, Amy thinks. It's painfully clear she's no longer the tiny baby she used to be, but she never looks younger, more angelic, than she does when she's asleep. It makes Amy’s heart swell with love as the toddler reaches out for the stuffed lion animal she refuses to go to bed without, smiling in her sleep.

 “You're the best thing in my life,” she whispers to her daughter before she leaves the room. “I love you so much.”

She tells her the same thing every night, meaning it as much every time.

However, despite how much she means those words, Amy’s willing to admit Leah isn’t exactly the master of tidiness yet. The living room and kitchen looks like a medium-sized volcano erupted there when really, all that went down was Amy trying to feed a stubborn toddler dinner and attempting to do some work from home while Doc McStuffins on the iPad kept said toddler entertained. Now she has to spend a good ten minutes putting dishes in the dishwasher and toys in the toy bin while she waits for her husband to come home. 

Neither of them work as many late shifts anymore, but they still usually have to suffer through it at least once a week. Amy loathed these nights on her own before having a baby and found herself getting bored of it way too soon, but she values them now; they’re the longest stretch of proper alone time she gets in her current everyday life. Sometimes she uses this time to do extra work on her computer, but she's all caught up tonight, so she settles for pouring herself a glass of wine and curling up on the sofa with a crossword puzzle she’ll actually have time to solve. 

It’s just her luck, then, that when she truly has the time to delve deep and challenge her brain, she stumbles upon the easiest clue she’s seen in a long time. 

Seven letters across, someone with the same mother and father as you, ending in a g. She snorts at the basic level of the puzzle and fills in SIBLING without missing a beat before moving on to the next clue.

It's just a word, an answer for a too-simple hint in a crossword whose level is frankly beneath her, but once she writes it down she can't stop thinking.

It’s a meaningless reminder with zero connection to her personal life. It doesn’t mean anything, she reminds herself, but it reawakens an already budding thought nonetheless. 

Leah’s the perfect age to have a sibling. She must be, because whenever Amy is dropping the girl off at daycare, she swears every other mom there is either pregnant or bringing a newborn with them. Two years is the age gap between the majority of her own siblings. Two years is what she and Jake talked about in their early discussions, agreeing on a goal of two kids which got dropped and was never brought up again after their first child successfully upended their lives in the best way. She supposes they never talked about settling for one child, either - they’d simply felt complete for the moment.

Half a glass of wine makes her significantly tipsier now than before she had a baby, so maybe it’s the alcohol. Maybe it’s the fact that she recently turned thirty-nine, and she may be a Santiago, but even her mom had her last baby at forty. Maybe it’s the fact that she recently sorted through their storage space and found the boxes of Leah’s old baby clothes they saved, holding up the miniature onesies and tearing up in disbelief she ever had a baby tiny enough to fit in those items. Maybe it’s solely a random thought, brought on by a comically simple clue in a crossword puzzle. Whatever it is, it’s enough to make her put down the pen and crossword on the couch table and go get the photo albums she created for her pregnancy and Leah’s first year.

She’s halfway through the first album and all the way through her glass of wine by the time she hears the door unlock.

“Hey, wife.” Even after four years of marriage, Jake’s smile is wide and dorky when he says it, like he still can’t believe they’re married and he gets to come home to her  at the end of the day. “Is Lee asleep?”

“Yeah, she fell asleep an hour ago,” she replies, feeling her heart melt seeing how despondent he looks at the news, pouting his lips while he hangs up his jacket and messenger bag. “But go in and tell her goodnight anyway? I know she missed you.”

“I missed her. And you, too.” He makes a detour for the couch, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips before heading for their daughter’s bedroom. “I’ll be right back.”

She flips through the last pages of the first album while she waits for him. It feels like ages ago the pictures in it were taken and surreal to think she’d ever been that pregnant, although she remembers it vividly at the same time. The longing, the curiosity, and the never-ending wait for it all to be over so she could finally meet the person hiding inside her; it feels like yesterday, and yet it's perplexing to think there ever was a time before she knew her daughter. 

She misses it. Not living without Leah, not for a second, not even when they’re both exhausted and the toddler is crying and Amy never wants to hear the theme song to Doc McStuffins ever again in her life, but the excitement of waiting for an entirely new little person to arrive and change their lives forever - she misses that feeling enough to long for a chance at experiencing it again. She wants another unbelievably tiny person to hold and snuggle and watch grow, another beautiful combination of herself and the man she loves most who she gets to see turning into their own unique individual, and she’s thought about it for quite some time but is certain now; she wants another child. 

“What are you looking at?” Jake sinks down in the armchair next to her, leaning his head over her shoulder. “Aww, those pictures. Wow. A long time ago.”

“Yeah.” She smiles, turning the page to the first spread of Leah's precious newborn pictures. Even after two years, it's hard for her to look at them without tearing up at the sight of her firstborn so tiny and new and perfect from the very first moment, and she has to use the sleeve of her hoodie to dry her eyes. “Two years, huh?”

“It’s insane.”

“It is,” Amy admits, tearing her gaze away from a photograph of an hours-old Leah asleep on her chest to look up at Jake. “I wanted to talk to you about a thing.”

“A thing,” he repeats teasingly, an amused grin on his lips. “Sounds specific.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’ve just been thinking about something.”

“I’m listening.” He stands up, sitting down at the other edge of the couch instead when she moves her legs aside, and she takes a deep breath to gather her confidence.

Finding the right words seem impossible at first. They feel momentous, and she's unsure whether it’s something he’s thought about or not. Amy silently chides herself for not asking - she needs to start learning from her mistakes. Jake’s watching her with an air of expectancy, leaning one arm on the back of the couch and resting his head on his bicep.

“So I know we’re a great little family as we are, right now,” she treads carefully.

“The best.”

“Yeah, the best.” She reaches out her free hand, taking his in hers as they share a smile. “But I’ve been thinking about it for a little while, in the back of my head, and I… I think it could be a good time.”

He crinkles his forehead. “Good time for what?”

Amy rambles the following words way too quickly. “What would you say about maybe adding another member to it?”

There’s a beat of silence as what she’s said begins to sink in for him. Her heart is racing, not in an unbearable way but one that makes her short of breath nonetheless, and she’s watching every minute movement of her husband’s face as he runs a hand through his hair, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I hope so.”

His grin grows wider, and there’s a split second where she thinks he’s going to tear up before he speaks. “Oh my god, you changed your mind about getting a cat?!”

She’s literally taken aback, pulling her hand out of his and leaning backward on the couch. Scrunching her nose and shaking her head, she tries and fails to make sense of the obvious miscommunication.

“Babe, what are you even talking about?”

“What are you talking about?” He looks about as confused as she feels, twisting his face like he’s somewhere between deep frustration and outright laughter. 

“When did we ever talk about getting a cat?”

“Last week, after I went over to Craig’s house with Leah?”

“Craig with the hat or Craig with the creepy identical twins?”

“Craig the single dad with the twins, and they’re not creepy, they’re just very identical and I’m not saying I hope Leah stays friends with them until they’re older and I can influence them to dress up like the twins from The Shining for Halloween, but I wouldn’t mind it, you know. Anyway, they have the most amazing cat,” he says, making heart-eyes at the mention. “She’s called Luna and she’s so fluffy and her breed is allergy-friendly and Leah totally adored her, so I asked you when we were going to sleep if you thought we should get a cat sometime, and you said not until Leah’s older. So - did you change your mind?”

“Jake, was that the same day I went to Shaw’s with Rosa?”

“Might have been - ohh,” he realizes, nodding slowly. “Your alcohol tolerance sucks. You don’t remember.”

“I really don’t, no. Either way,” she shrugs, “that’s not what I was saying.”

“So what were you saying?”

“I thought I was making it obvious with the album and all, but I guess not.” She reaches for his hand again. “What I was trying to say, is that I want to start trying for another baby. If you want to.”

If he looked confused before, he’s completely bewildered now, mouth gaping and brows raised.

“Wait, Ames. You want a baby?”

“Yeah! Why's that such a shock?”

“I don't know,” he laughs, “because you explicitly told me we were never having another baby? Multiple times?”

“I did? When?”

“Every single day for the first and last two months of your pregnancy? While you were in labor? After?”

“Well, obviously I didn't want another baby then,” she explains, rolling her eyes again. “But I want one now.”

“Cool. It's just, you also gave me highly specific instructions about how if you ever insisted on having another kid, I would remind you of exactly how awful pregnancy and childbirth was until you changed your mind.”

“Really?”

“I know because I wrote it down,” says Jake, reaching for the phone in his pocket. “It's somewhere in my notes, what you asked me to write…”

“That's okay, you don't have to read it to me -”

“Here it is! If Amy ever says she wants another baby, remind her of how awful labor was and how it felt like she was going to pass out from the pain before the epidural and also how much it burned to push a - uh,” he blushes, “ you know roughly what it says. “If that doesn't work and she still insists she would do it again, remind her of how much it sucked to feel perpetually nauseous for the first three months of pregnancy, or be the size of an above-average walrus and constantly in pain for the last two.” Jake puts down the phone in his lap, doing a sharp inhale for dramatic effect. “If she still says she could do it, please do everything in your power to convince her otherwise. There’s more, but - I think you get the gist.”

“...I asked you to write this down?”

“Yes. Yes, you very much did.”

She’s trying not to laugh, but the thought of her being so obdurate about not wanting another baby she penned an entire defense speech against herself and made Jake keep it is wildly entertaining, and before she knows it, she’s giggling uncontrollably at the entire concept. It only takes seconds before Jake’s laughing too, and she moves closer to him, squeezing him tight in a hug. 

“You’re adorable for saving that, you know?”

“Well, you were very intense about it.” He leans back just enough to press a quick, delicate, kiss to her lips. “But to be fair, you did hate a lot of things about pregnancy and childbirth.”

“Huge fan of the result, though.”

“Mm,” he nods, giving her a dreamy smile that partly makes her want to cry happy tears and partly makes her want to jump him then and there. She supposes her busted alcohol tolerance isn’t helping much. “That I have to agree with.”

“And, I mean, I did do it. Even if it sucked, I’ve survived it once, you know?”

“You aced it.”

“So I’m pretty sure I could do it again. And I know I apparently told you two years ago to convince me otherwise,” she says, meeting his gaze with purpose. “But I do want it.” 

“Okay.”

“So how do you feel about it?”

“How do… I feel?” Lines are forming between his eyebrows, his head tilting while he looks like he’s diverting all his brain-power to this one question.

“Yeah. Do you want another baby?”

“Oh. Wow.” Jake runs both of his hands through his hair. “I don’t know. I guess I just always assumed you definitely didn’t want another one and left it at that? Didn’t exactly feel like my thing to decide.”

“I love how considerate you are,” she tells him softly. “But you must have thought about it, right?”

“Well… yeah. I guess for me, I started thinking about another one from the point Leah started sleeping through the night. Maybe a month after. Whenever I started to feel human again,” he chuckles, and the corners of her mouth quirk up. “I didn’t say anything because I figured it’s not what you wanted. But if you changed your mind, then...”

“So you’re in?”

“I’m in,” he says without a trace of doubt in his voice, and she kisses him hard.

They’re so close, Amy’s practically straddling him, and perhaps she didn’t mean trying for a baby as in right-this-second here-and-now, but he’s smiling against her lips and their daughter’s deep asleep by now and there’s alcohol in her blood and he’s just made her so indisputably happy, she’s everything but bothered by his lips trailing down her jawline, her neck, her shoulders.

“Just to check,” he mumbles, his breath warm against the skin over her now exposed collarbones as she’s running her hands along the back muscles he always claims he doesn’t have. “This isn’t some kind of elaborate scheme to get in my pants more often, then?”

“Please, like I’d ever need a scheme.”

~

november

They start properly planning the next day.

Amy’s heart is beating hard with excitement as she throws away the package of mini-pills in the morning, and she’s almost jittery when she stops at CVS after her work shift to buy ovulation test strips and fertility supplements. She never got to do this the first time around, when she simply went off her birth control intending to letting her body adjust and found herself pregnant after a couple of months of next to no active trying. She’d be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying the structure part of it now. Tracking, planning, color-coding. Hoping.

What speaks against her getting pregnant all too easily is her age, every website reminds her. Words like geriatric pregnancy and low ovarian reserves and even increased risk of stillbirth are thrown at her from every angle, causing her to bite her nails with stress while she's researching on her laptop at night. Jake catches her one evening, deeply submerged in a thread about success rates of IVF while she's twirling her hair to the beginning of a stress braid, and after prying the computer away from her hands, he dutifully reminds her that she's a Santiago. Getting pregnant is no match for her. It worked out in no time for them before, and sure, they’re a few years older now, but they’ll be just fine, he repeats to her while massaging her tense shoulders until she relaxes in his arms. Surely he’s right, she figures. Santiago genes are strong, she’s been pregnant before, her body knows what to do. She’ll be fine. They’ll be fine.

It still doesn’t make the disappointment she feels when she gets her period any less palpable. It’s ironic, because she managed to convince herself she wasn’t hoping for it so well she started believing it, but it feels like a failure and an insult all at once when she digs out the yellow tampon box from the bathroom cupboard. Her eyes are drawn to the packet of spare pregnancy tests she keeps there, and there's a sharp pang in her chest at the realization that they won't be necessary right now. She bites her lip and pushes them further back in the storage space. Maybe next month, she tells herself, splashing cold water on her face and taking three deep breaths before exiting the bathroom.

She’s feeling gloomy and disgusting - most likely an unlucky combination of the disappointment and PMS - and the only thing she wants to do is go lie down in bed for the remainder of the evening with a heating pad and Jake massaging her. Before kids, it’s what she could and would have done. Now she has an overly energetic toddler to consider, and said toddler turns two tomorrow, so Amy already knows putting her to bed tonight will be a lengthy and arduous process. Technically, Jake is in charge of it, but judging from the laughter and upbeat Taylor Swift songs coming from the kitchen, it's not going too well. 

What she sees upon exiting the bathroom only confirms her suspicions. Paper Rings is playing from their Bluetooth speaker, and although Leah's out of her bath and dressed in her best Harry Potter pajamas, she seems as far from sleep as ever. Jake has her on his hip, spinning and dancing around and eliciting the best noises in the world for every questionable note he sets - the sound of their daughter's laughter. 

Amy knows she should be upset, because according to their tried-and-true nighttime routine Leah should have been in bed twenty minutes ago, but it's such a pure sight that she can't bring herself to protest. Jake's so into it, exaggerating every facial expression and movement to the song for his daughter's enjoyment, and Leah's positively beaming as she looks up at him. It's such a testament to their whole relationship, Amy thinks. Jake would walk to the ends of the earth for his daughter's happiness, and Leah would do her best to run after on her little legs, all the while shouting at him to wait for her. She adores him and he would do anything for her, and it's a dream come true for Amy to get to see their relationship grow each day. 

“Ames! Wanna join?” Jake’s out of breath after the singing and dancing, but still grinning as he extends her the offer.

“I'm good,” she laughs, feeling very much not in the mood to bust out her non-existing dancing abilities. “Care to explain why there's a dance party going on in here instead of nighttime stories?”

“Taylor Swift is one of our time’s greatest songwriters, and therefore her music could virtually be seen as stories?” He tries, and she shakes her head. “Fine. A certain someone didn't want to go to bed yet, so we're getting rid of all that excess energy.”

“I wonder why that could be, it's not like it's anyone's birthday tomorrow or anything.”

Leah's face lights up at the sound of her new favorite word. “My birthday!”

“Yeah, your birthday,” Jake confirms with a kiss to his daughter's head. “Do you remember how big you're going to be?”

“Two!” She exclaims, glowing with pride. “Two years!”

“That's right,” says Amy, walking up to Jake and Leah so she can join them in a hug. Though she still has her doubts about the efficiency rate of dance parties as part of a nighttime routine, it seems to have worked for tonight - Leah’s eyes are shiny with exhaustion, her cheeks are getting rosy, and she almost sinks into Amy’s arms when they hug. “You’re going to be two. You just have to go rest for a little bit first, and when you wake up it’ll be your birthday. How does that sound?”

Leah yawns. “Not ti-red.”

Jake laughs, and Amy can’t help but smile either as the toddler watches him with confusion.

“Okay then, Lee the tiny bumblebee,” he offers, booping her nose. “How about we say goodnight to mama anyway, and then we go be awake but in your bed for a while?” Leah nods, and Amy’s given another sweet hug that makes every single worry disappear momentarily before they leave.

Her anxiety returns as quickly as it vanished. Once her husband and daughter are out of sight, she’s reminded their incredible little family will categorically not be growing by one in nine months, and maybe she wasn’t expecting it to happen in an instant, but subconsciously, it seems like she was. She’s never been good at accepting her failures, and perhaps not getting pregnant in the first month of actively trying isn’t a failure by definition, but it feels like one to Amy.

There’s no time to wallow in it, though. The following day might be a Monday and both her and Jake are working, but they are celebrating their daughter’s second birthday with a pancake breakfast even if they have to spend the night preparing for it. Amy figures she could always get started on the pancake batter while she waits for her husband.

She’s mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ones when Jake sneaks up on her. His arms snake around her waist, his chin leaning on her shoulder, and she giggles instinctively when he starts pressing feather-light kisses to the side of her neck, tickling her.

“Is Lee sleeping?” She asks, and he nods.

“Out like a light after half a story. Then I had to make my way out without waking her up somehow, which was pretty tough considering she was holding onto my arm with a death grip. Took me like ten minutes, but I did it. Also, are you making pancake batter?”

“I am.” He dips the edge of his finger in it before she can protest, but then he screws up his face and shakes his head.

“Oh, Ames, there’s like, twice as much salt in this as it should be. Didn’t you follow the recipe?”

“I know how to make pancakes, I don’t need a recipe.”

“Yes, you do. Honey, I love you a lot, but you are not a natural at cooking. I’ll make another batch,” he says, taking the bowl away from her and beginning to rinse it out in the kitchen sink. 

“Fine,” she mumbles, feeling a sense of defeat wash over her, and he must sense her unenthusiasm because he gives her a curious look, his eyes narrowing with concern.

“Is something wrong, babe?”

“No. Yes. No... I don’t know.” She sits up on the counter while Jake gets out the ingredients she just put away and pulls up a recipe on his phone. “I, uh, got my period.”

“Oh,” he says, in such a caring and affectionate tone it melts her heart again. “Do you need anything? Painkillers? Hugs? A massage?”

“No, I feel pretty okay - thank you, though. It’s just - that means I’m not pregnant.”

“Well, duh - ooohhh,” he realizes. “I see.”

Amy frowns. “Did you forget we were trying for a baby?”

“Not in any way, shape or form. But I thought it was obvious it could take a few months? You were repeating it to me over and over while you made that color-coded schedule.”

“I was,” she admits. “And I know. I was just... hoping. A little. I’m impatient, okay?”

Jake stops mixing the dry ingredients, pointing the spoon at her and consequently almost shooting a cloud of flour and vanilla powder her way. “Maybe you should do patience-training like Leah.”

“I’d like to state in front of the jury that I rarely lay down on the floor and cry when I don't get to have dessert for dinner.”

“Touché,” he says with a grin. “Anyway, I'm sorry.”

“...Are you apologizing for not getting me pregnant?”

“What - no!” Jake grimaces. “Wait, should I? I meant I’m sorry you’re sad. I get it. But a month is nothing, Ames. We’ll try again, it’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She’s waving her legs from the counter absentmindedly, feeling the most intense waves of frustration beginning to lift as he takes a break mixing the wet ingredients to wrap his arms around her waist again, reaching for a kiss. 

“Of course I am. Now, do you want to help me make these pancakes for our soon-to-be two-year-old?”

The disappointment lingers like a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, but as she puts batter in the pan and Jake fries pancakes while they chat about how crazy it is that their daughter is somehow turning two years old and they'll have to remind Charles he can't buy everything Leah’s ever pointed to in a store for her birthday, it's easier to manage. 

She'll be fine, she repeats to herself. They'll be fine. Maybe next month, she'll be pregnant. 

“Two years ago this time we were watching Mamma Mia!,” Jake reminisces as he flips another pancake. They're slightly uneven in size, but at least they're not burnt, so Amy supposes they're already better than what she could have accomplished. “And you were having contractions while trying to convince me you weren't having contractions.”

“I didn’t think I was!”

“Sure you didn’t,” he teases, and she rolls her eyes. “Craziest day of my life, that's for sure.”

“So worth it, though,” Amy whispers, and Jake smiles, squeezing her shoulder with his free hand. “We did well.”

“And we will another time.” He must read her mind somehow, she thinks, bringing up what she was already thinking. “It’ll work out soon, Ames. You’re a Santiago.”

“Yeah.” She takes a deep breath, partly to calm the stubborn wave of disappointment and partly because she’s starting to feel the familiar dull pain in her stomach by now. Jake puts the last pancake on the plate of them before turning the heat off, and then, as if he’s sensing her anxiety and discomfort, wraps her in a warm hug. The remaining heat from the stove almost makes it feel a little clammy, but he nuzzles his nose against her forehead and it’s soothing, a cherished moment of utter intimacy and safety. 

“It’ll be fine, babe. Do you think we should get at least a couple hours of sleep before our birthday kid wakes up so early it should be classified as inhumane?”

“We should,” she agrees, trying not to groan when she shifts slightly and her cramps intensify. “I’ll clean up in here, and then I’ll take you up on that massage offer.”

Jake presses a kiss to the top of her head. “One heating pad and one back massage coming right up.”

Amy falls asleep in his arms that night, and it doesn’t erase the gnawing feeling making a home in her stomach, but it mitigates it.

Surely Jake is right about this, she figures. She’ll get pregnant in another month or two.

It won’t be a problem.

~

[80srockher]

Yuri on Ice Rewatch and Live-Commentary, Episode 1: Easy as Pirozhki!! The Grand Prix Final of Tears

*There are spoilers throughout.  I also make assumptions that anyone reading has already seen the episode or has a grasp of the content.*

Source: http://yurionicescreencaps.tumblr.com

The opening scene is so pretty.  Really sets a tone.  I went in knowing nothing about the anime first go-around, so I found Yuri and Victor’s grow/glow-ups montages interesting.  

This theme song is… not my favorite.  Maybe it’s the French horns?  That and too much synth.  I usually skip over it but want to give it a chance this go-around.

Heh, Victor and his gold blades to match his gold medal.  And his European af haircut.  Can’t remember the last time I saw an American past the age of 12 with bangs. No mistaking him for anything other than Eastern European.

Also, the poster on the left is for Victor, I believe.  Can he pull his leg that high in the air?  Was that featured and I forgot?  I’ll be on the lookout for it.

Also, looks like Jean JACK made it to Sochi and placed third here too, lolz.

Yes, please listen to your coach, Yuri.  Don’t poke the wound.  Stay off the internets.  ESPECIALLY the figure skating internets.  What little I remember from when I used to follow the sport is that it’s dramatic, to put it nicely.

I keep getting distracted by the utter Euro-ness of the Europeans in this show. The cut of Coach Celestino’s suit is so Italian I weep. He’s too smooth.

Yuri’s name tag has his name in Cyrillic as well?  Cute.

My first impression of Yuri was that he looks about 18 and that impression hasn’t changed.  Perhaps it’s the glasses, but he def looks youthful. I’m also someone who’s been accused of looking a decade+ younger than I actually am, so I can sympathize.

Speaking of sympathy – Yuri caved to pressure, binged ate before the competition while mourning his dog, then bombed his first trip to the Grand Prix final.  All in front of his idol.  Damnity damn damn.  Sorry, kid.

Is Cao Bin ever introduced on the show?  Something else I forgot, maybe?

Now, when I first saw this poor child crying in the bathroom, that’s when I knew the series was going to be much different from the light-hearted anime about figure skating I expected.  It got real deep real quick.

Yuri Plisetsky “The Russian Punk”.  Is this something the in-universe media refers to him as?  Because I only recall (JPN) Yuri saying it and only this once.

This screencap is during the scene where the journalist Marooka (sp?) is hassling Yuri about his future plans and instead of answering, Yuri can only stare at someone else’s puppy that reminds him of his dead Vicchan.

This baby is crying. Cry.ing.  This has been a tough day for poor Yuri, overall.

And he talks down to himself so much.  It’s all his fault he caved to pressure. He was an idiot to think he could meet his idol on the same playing field.   He’s come so far and still thinks so little of his accomplishments.

So, I understand this “one year later” is not really accurate, lol.  It’s just the new  year following the previous season.  I was confused initially about a number of soon-to-happen events before Yuri’s mental alter ego cleared it up.

So, per Minako’s voice actress, Yuri really is pronounced YOO-RI.  Cute.

Four Continents is… not a Grand Prix competition?  My figure skating knowledge is all rust now.

LOL, Minako does. Not. Play. And she wears a pinky ring.  My God, that death grip on poor Yuri.

It’s snowing outside the train station when Yuri and Minako leave.  So, it’s not unusual to snow in this region in March, but it’s highly unusual a month or so later. Man, hard to believe Yuri sat around for almost an entire month before the infamous video became viral.  More on that, later.

So, based on everyone’s interactions with Yuri so far, the only person who cares that he didn’t make it to the World Championships is him.  And he should care since he’s worked basically his entire life towards that goal.  But, he doesn’t appear to have let anyone down but himself, though he doesn’t act that way.

So, the fact that the family hot springs is named “Yu-topia”… did that influence Yuri’s name at all, I wonder?

Ha!  I wish I could have recorded the Japanese actor’s voice when he says this line.  He makes Yuri sound so done with it all, lol.  It’s the best.

Ok, so a number of very interesting and entertaining things happen in succession that I don’t feel like screencapping.  No hug between the littlest Katsuki and the senior Katsukis, even though he hasn’t been home in 5 years.  Fascinating. No doubt cultural (I’m guessing) but fascinating.  

Yuri’s mom basically calls Minako a drunk.  To her face. LOL.  But I imagine no one can get mad at this sweet lady.

Minako calls Yuri out on his weight gain in front of God and everybody.  Though, I think it’s more of a matter of his clothes no longer fitting due to said weight gain.  

But, his parents don’t care. Eat more pork cutlet bowls, Yuri! Welcome home!

Vicchan’s shrine is where they also store the unused treadmill.  Want to bet the only person to use it was Yuri?

Then older sis Mari-neechan appears with frosted tips.  I can appreciate a character that doesn’t beat around the bush (a trait she inherited from her mother, I imagine).  Welcome home, Yuri, but don’t sit on your ass.  Start thinking about your next move.    

Actually *loads headcanon* I suspect Mari doesn’t want Yuri to give up on skating.  The longer he stays at home, the more quitting becomes a possibility.

So, the Katsuki family hot springs resort (Inn?  Restaurant?) is the last one standing in town.  Very OT, but I wonder if the hot springs are still an attraction at all and are perhaps, government-owned?  Protected, used by tourists for a fee, perhaps?  I think about things like that.

Having never visited a hot spring, and based on the setting around Minako while she watches the World Championships on TV, it appears to be a place for people to come, soak, and lounge and grab a bite to eat if the mood strikes.  So, the Katsukis wait on people basically all day long.  Gotta be exhausting work.

Yuuuuuko!  The Madonna of Ice Castle Hasetsu!  Yuri’s crush on her is hella cute.

A slight segue to Yuri’s perceived attraction to Yuko and what it could imply about his sexual identity.  Per his labeling of Yuko as a “Madonna,” I figure Yuri considers Yuko untouchable, perhaps even “too good” for him.  Yuko, just like Victor, is “ideal”.  For someone as self-conscious as Yuri, comparing any romantic prospects against his two ideals was probably a convenient excuse not to get *too* close to anyone, male or female.  That being said, he didn’t pursue Yuko.  Alcohol loosened enough of Yuri’s inhibitions to eventually openly flirt with Victor, but this is still an important distinction, IMO.  He pursued one of his ideals (in more ways than one, even going so far as to leave home to in hopes of becoming Victor’s equal) and left the other one behind.

Yuri idealizes/d Yuko, and comes to love Victor.  He’s gay.  Bi, at the least.  

I don’t feel confident in applying any other labels, because I’m a straight.  Yuri could fall under any number of categories as long it they include, IMO, same-sex attraction.

In actuality, Yuko is “introduced” to the audience as Yuri’s straight love interest, but that doesn’t last long.  Cute and clever, show creators.  Cute. And . Clever.

Then we find out, via flashback, a) how adorable they all were when they were little kids and b) Yuko wanted to see Yuri compete against Victor.  Yuko has been a profound influence on Yuri.

So, Victor.  This guy is in a class by himself.  The animators obviously invested a lot of time in his movements.  You can see why he leads the field even at 27.

Also, the creators had the nerve, the audacity, the unmitigated gall to compose an original opera aria for a cartoon.  That was my next indicator that this was more than a cutesy figure skating anime.  

The song really is beautiful, too.  Probably my favorite in the soundtrack.

Who’s the last IRL skater to win 5 consecutive World Championships?  Michelle Kwan, maybe?  Who is Kwan’s male equivalent?  Back then, probably Alexei Yagudin?  May research. May not. 

Anyway, Victor is the Michelle Kwan of YOI-verse lol.

Hmm.  Here come the three brats.  Good God.  Poor Yuko and Takeshi lol.

So sweet to see Yuri’s childhood bully is his biggest fan now.

Sooo, Yuko’s triplets secretly record Yuri’s private performance, post it online (sometime before April 10, when Victor shows up), and things progress rather quickly from there...

Or do they?  It appeared to me that Yuri caught up with Yuko at the rink the same day he returned home.  Did he skate Victor’s routine for her that day, as well, or did it happen later?  Perhaps the triplets waited a few weeks to post the video, or else it took a few weeks to go viral.  Did Yuri turn off his phone for *weeks* to avoid the world?

Maybe he got home on March 30 and then the whole month of April just went to hell for him?  The possibilities...

LOL, I’m so SO mad the title of the video is “Katsuki Yuri TRIED to Skate Victor’s FS Program”. Those brats.

This might be the most unattractive Victor’s ever looked.  Severe close-ups aren’t flattering on anyone.  Welp, down the rabbit hole now.  

So, in the next scene it snows in April which doesn’t stop anyone from stripping naked to bathe in a hot spring, apparently.  Or it just doesn’t stop Victor.

#moneyshot

I like this ending theme much better.  It’s a head-bopper.  The Instagram reel kills me.  

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read through this stream of consciousness!  No idea how long it may take me to get through the rest.  I tip my hat to those who regularly and passionately participate in fandom.  It’s a lot of work!

[theseventhhex]

Triathalon Interview

Triathalon

Photo by Michael Younker

Triathalon undoubtedly create distinct environments of their own, but there’s always been something untouchable about it, like being allowed to wander through a world that wasn’t built for you. Where water replaces air, where the space between things holds a physical form that can be twisted and manipulated. In real terms, that spellbinding aura comes from the juxtaposition that runs throughout their work, the band’s effortlessly tender pop constructions, that drift between Childish Gambino-esque subtleties and Homeshake’s phenomenal eye for detail, always closely followed by a shadow, ever present but never quite strong enough to truly envelop the brightness. Brand new album ‘Online’ is the band’s first full-length work since moving from Savannah to New York, and it’s a relocation that seems to have a marked impact on this new chapter; the sticky, claustrophobic nature of the city’s beating heart always audible and existent, even in the record’s quietest moments... We talk to band member Hunter Jayne about his guitar work, Nickelodeon and future incentives…

TSH: What sort of conversations was the band having in the lead up to your latest record ‘Online’?

Hunter: Well, we definitely were leaning towards going for more r&b vibes and this is a direction that we’ve been headed in since the release of our EP over the last few years. All in all, the making of this record consisted of each band member sending ideas back and forth until things started to stick. What I found to be most interesting was that we had a bunch of great friends featured on this record. I like the fact there are a lot hands involved on the album’s final sound.

TSH: How would you summarise the themes that came into play with this release?

Hunter: The songs took on new life as the album progressed. Adam writes most of the lyrics and I know that lyrically for this record he was thinking a lot about how people interact in the modern and contemporary world. The internet being this thing that affects people for the better or worse was something that was on his mind. Adam comes from a really personal place when he writes songs, he’s very self-reflective.

TSH: From a compositional standpoint, you had a more pleasing outlook this time around...

Hunter: Yeah, I played the bass guitar, bass and most of the keyboards, which really allowed me to show variety. I haven’t been too excited about playing guitar like I was for this record. For the first time in a long time I felt rejuvenated. I really like the minimalism and simplicity for the guitar work on this album. It was important to not overdo do it with the guitar.

TSH: What are the origins of the song ‘Couch’?

Hunter: We actually started playing that song two summers ago on tour. Adam brought in the spine of it and it kind of just wrote itself. The whole process felt very automatic.

TSH: Whereas ‘Day One’ entails a more personal tone...

Hunter: I think that song is emotionally very powerful and it means a lot to me. It’s about the struggle of everyday life and the tough parts of being in a band. Knowing that we tour and don’t make a lot of money, as well as how it can be hard to keep up with personal relationships in your personal life. Sometimes we put so much time and energy into this band and others cannot understand why we’re so committed, which can be difficult.

TSH: Is performing live the most rewarding part for you guys?

Hunter: Oh yeah, that’s why we do it. Being in New York we all work night life jobs in bars and clubs, which involve a lot of long hours. However, to be able to play a show or go on tour feels so good.

TSH: How do you stay occupied on tour?

Hunter: Well, we listen to quite a few podcasts. I’m really enjoying Dan Carlin’s history podcast. Also, we listen to music that we like and don’t like. Sometimes we’ll find a CD in a dollar bin and even if we don’t like it, we’ll play it, just to analyse it. Beyond that we just fuck with each other a lot; touring can feel long so humour is good.

TSH: There are also a few hip-hop artists that you’re very fond of?

Hunter: Yeah, we all really like Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar. Both those guys are just so incredible at what they do.

TSH: Judging by the band’s Instagram, you guys really like the classic Nickelodeon animations too...

Hunter: Ha, yeah! I’m certainly a fan of the Nickelodeon classic era and those pictures on our Insta are just like a nostalgia thing really. They definitely don’t make cartoons not like that anymore. I guess people our age look back warmly and fondly when it comes to cartoons like Doug and Rugrats. Maybe it’s just that images from those shows embody something that represents our generation I guess.

TSH: What’s relaxation time like for yourself outside of music?

Hunter: Well, recently I’ve been moving into a new room and getting my recording equipment set up and I’m excited to record new ideas for the band. I often opt to sit down and make music without any real incentives, that’s my idea of fun. Other than that I like to walk and spent time with my girlfriend.

TSH: What are the key incentives that matter for Triathalon looking ahead?

Hunter: For us, we’re such a tight group of people and we’ve been through a lot together. At the core of it we’re a few people that have a very transparent understanding of each other and what we want. It’s a real pleasure to make music with someone you have a long term relationship with because you feel like you’re moving forward artistically and you never feel like you’re starting over. We’re always on to the next thing, and this remains our big incentive and motivator. We’ll simply continue to explore as individuals with different tastes.

Triathlon - “Couch”

[thecultoftill]

In 2007 there was a book written by Tom Reynolds called ‘Touch Me,I’m Sick’ -The 52 Creepiest Love Songs You’ve Ever Heard.’ Rammstein’s Heirate Mich was one of those featured.

I’m always excited to see any reference to Rammstein in a book, so I thought that I’d post this section of the book. I’ll put it beneath a cut as it’s a little long.

Marry Me (Heirate Mich) Released 1995

Achtung!! Ich mag flaumige Häschenkaninchen!!!

Is it me or does everything sound intimidating in German? I just said that I like fluffy bunny rabbits. How many of you thought I was planning to invade Belgium?

I ponder this because I'm watching a streaming video of Till Lindemann, the charismatic vocalist of the theatrical German band Rammstein as he stalks a Berlin concert stage bellowing 'Heirate Mich!!' The rest of the band echo with 'Hei! Hei! Hei!' The teeming crowd chants along while the music pounds like a collapsing factory. It's very menacing and Visigoth-like. Viewer comments posted under the video window nervously ask the same thing: what is he saying?

Heirate Mich. Marry Me.

While you're revelling in the irony, note that there's a slight catch. The girl receiving Lindemann's proposal is a decomposing corpse he's just dug up out of the ground. He's come to 'was noch übrig ist', take what's left of you. Ich bin ein Necrophile.

I admit that Rammstein is new to me even though the band has been around since 1993. In the US, the only German music you'll ever hear is either Mozart or the Scorpions. The latter don't even sing in German. (Rock You Like ein grosser Wind?) When I have dabbled in so-called kraut rock, it mostly sounded like Tangerine Dream with a lot of Moog/Oberheim whacking and programmed drums. Germany practically invented trance music, starting back in the early seventies with works like Autobahn, a 20-minute electronica song by Kraftwerk that was released as a four-minute single. Translated, the lyrics are, 'we are driving on the Autobahn, we are driving on the Autobahn, we are driving on the Autobahn'. I think it's about driving on the Autobahn.

But now my narrow world has been widened. Rammstein ('ramming stone') is an industrial metal band made up of six German musicians who made the radical choice of actually singing in German (most German rock groups try to sing in English). This didn't compromise its international appeal and the band enjoys a substantial following, especially in Europe and Asia - in countries where nobody understands a thing they say. Their cornea-melting live shows include exploding microphones, custard-spewing dildos (don't ask) and enough flamethrowers to burn down the Alps. To say their music is dark is like saying the airline industry has a few flaws. Rammstein's songs explore grim industrial themes, ie death, war, tyranny, hearing someone sing about the Autobahn, etc., so it's no surprise to find a necrophilia song in their anthology; I would have been surprised not to. I'm not a fan of most industrial groups because I find their nihilism boring (yeah, yeah, life is futile, I get it) and I was expecting the same reaction listening to Rammstein's grotesque Heirate Mich. Instead I came away strangely compelled and a budding fan.

Over an eerie drone, vocalist Lindemann begins by singing in third person as a way to set up the song's premise. 'You see him sneaking', he growls, describing a mysterious figure that haunts a church cemetery at night. We learn it is a man, alone and in mourning for over a year, sleeping 'every night hear her stone'. Lindemann's voice, by the way, can only be described as subterranean. He makes Brad Roberts from Crash Test Dummies sound like a castrati.

The drone ends and the band crash into a pummelling beat that continues for a full minute. In the video, Lindemann stays kneeling on the stage, staring expressionless as he changes personalities. When he resumes singing, it's in the first-person as he adopts the persona of the grieving grave sleeper. He notes how the 'bells are asleep' and that 'a red cock' sits on a fence (it's a rooster so grow up already). These are familiar sights to him as he clearly does this every night.

While the band pounds away, Lindemann begins digging, digging, yet another part of his nightly ritual. He is unearthing his love's coffin so he can see what remains 'von dem Gesicht das mir gelacht', of that face that once smiled at me. The minor tonic chord crashing suddenly shifts to the dominant while Lindemann roars of his loneliness, 'an animal among beasts', because her death let her escape him a second time. You can actually hear the chorus approaching and can't wait to hear what it is.

'HEIRATE MICH!!' The crowd of 30,000 strong chants along, bobbing like Saxon pogo sticks. It's loud, frenzied and in German, so if you stumbled into the middle of it without previous knowledge, you'd think, oh great, here we go again. But no, it's a marriage proposal to an emaciated corpse and it sends chills down your vertebrae.

The band drops the volume to sub-temblor level as Lindemann pries open the coffin. As the moon glows above him, he 'deinen kalten Mund geküßt', kisses her cold lips. Now the ewww factor comes into play as he lifts the body out of the coffin. Her skin tears like paper while her limbs fall off her torso. The blast before the chorus returns as Lindemann the lonely animal works the crowd into the chant.

'HEIRATE MICH!!' (Hei! Hei! Hei! Hei!)

There's not much remaining of her so Lindemann seduces what's left. The night is sweltering and 'wir sind nackt', we are naked. Suddenly, the dawn breaks and the rooster crows, forcing an end to his grisly reunion. A frustrated Lindemann decapitates the bird before fleeing. The chanting chorus returns one last time. 'Heirate Mich!!' The song ends suddenly with a last 'Hei!' reverberating in the air.

Wow, I said to myself, this is one of the most disgusting songs I've ever experienced. Why did I love it so much? Is it the obvious tenderness behind the necrophile's actions? The virtuosity of the musicians? Lindemann's sub-human basso profundo and the fact that he has more stage presence kneeling in silence than a dozen Chris Martins writhing in front of a piano? Why do I admire these Teutonic sickos and think they're one of the most innovative music acts I've heard in years? I don't even like industrial music that much, all that tedious distortion and weekend anarchist ennui. Rammstein doesn't need my support. They can sell out a stadium in Sydney to a mass of Australians who couldn't conjugate a German verb to save their Vegemite. So then what was it?

It was the language.

Let me say, I don't speak German. My familiarity with German culture is limited to reading the subtitles of Fassbinder films featuring alienated Berliners who mumble gobbledy-gook. What a chuckle buffet those are. When I retrieved both the German and translated English lyrics to Heirate Mich off the Web, I lined them up side-by-side to keep track for fear I'd stumble out of the song and on to the Autobahn (one more time, 'we're driving on the Autobahn, we're driving on the Autobahn'). So while I struggled to keep up, the guttural percussive quality of the German lyrics fascinated me. It completely fits Rammstein's music, almost like another instrument, especially when it comes pouring out of Lindemann's throat (what a scary figure that guy is).

As for reading the English translation, something unique occurs. Normally when you translate song lyrics, the phrases feel awkward and nothing rhymes any more. On the other hand, Heirate Mich in English becomes a haunting free verse tale of loneliness, obsession and the darkest creepiest form of eternal love. As much as I tried to resist the song, Heirate Mich blew me away. I loved it.

The Germans have always been geniuses at being twisted. It varies in quality, of course. For every Bertolt Brecht and Threepenny Opera, there was a fanatiker screaming at rallies while ordering his minions to invade countries without an invitation. Again, I think it's their aggressive language. If the Germans had switched to speaking French back in the 1930s, they would've just insulted the rest of Europe, not blitzkrieged.

[charlesking830-blog]

Tips and tricks for preschool teachers

Pre-kindergarten classrooms are bright, welcoming, warm, and never dull! Whether you’re welcoming your first batch of 4-year-olds or are a seasoned veteran, here are 50 ideas, tricks, and tips for pre-K teachers from the WeAreTeachers Helpline and around the web to make your classroom shine.

1. Choose an appealing theme. We love this “Super”-themed classroom from one of our Facebook community members.

2. Stay crystal-clear with parent communication. This is most likely a parent’s first experience with school, so be clear with your expectations.

Include information about the “schedule of the day, snacks, discipline, how to get in touch, and what to do if they get scared, have a tantrum, or are hurt” in your newsletter.

3. Use mascots.

Give your classroom some additional energy with creative mascots at each center. “I teach pre-K and my classroom theme is superheroes. Each center has a ‘mascot’ and the Hulk and She-Hulk are the mascots for the dramatic play center because they change and are dramatic.”

4. Use a master copy binder.

Instead of filing the worksheets and papers you use every year (or copy and recopy for kids who need extra practice), file them in a master copy binder. It takes up less space and keeps your most-used worksheets close at hand.

multiplication learning toys

5. Make time for morning meeting.

It’s a great way to reinforce calendar and core skills and build community. Watch how this pre-K teacher leads morning meeting in her classroom.

6. Try Conscious Discipline.

“I am a huge fan of Conscious Discipline by Dr. Becky Bailey. It helps teach children social and emotional skills they will use the rest of their life.”

7. Teach a story-time transition.

“Hands go up, hands go down”—when teaching pre-K, help students stop and transition to story time (or substitute other rug activities for story time to use this chant throughout the day). Find the poster at Teachers Pay Teachers.

8. Teach pre-K students pencil grip.

Reteaching fine motor skills is hard! Teach pre-K students proper pencil grip from the get-go and future teachers will thank you. (Here’s information about what proper pencil grip looks like from OT Mom.)

9. It’s never too early for writing.

Pre-k students aren’t too young to start writing. We love this Valentine’s Day idea that has students write basic sentences.

counting toys for 3 year olds  

10. Make calendar time active.

Pre-kindergartners need to move (a lot). So one of our biggest tips for pre-K is to let them wiggle! Incorporate movement into your daily routine, like calendar time. Michelle M. recommends having students jump for each day of the month they count, or have gestures to show the weather (rain movements if it’s raining).

11.Consider laminating your books.

Books in a pre-K classroom are loved … well loved. Here are two tips for pre-K teachers to keep your books from falling apart (or at least slow it down).

12. Use the two-minute rule.

Plan lessons that match your students’ attention spans. “Remember, you’ve got two minutes, then move. Pre-K students can’t be expected to sit and listen for long.”

13. Start journals.

Start your pre-K students on a journaling routine with blank books that you make by stapling white paper together. Set time each day for students to write and draw in their journals. (Get more tips for pre-K on Teach Preschool.)

14. Teach concepts multiple ways.

Pre-kindergartners are figuring out how they learn, and they like to experiment with new ways of doing things. So plan for a few ways for kids to experience each concept such as having students find shapes in a salt box or making shape pictures using tangrams. (Find 20 ways to teach shapes at Gift of Curiosity.)

15. Have a clear, predictable schedule.

Your day, and year, will go smoothly if your pre-K students know what to expect. Check out this schedule from Fun-a-Day that includes “sign in” and lots of center time.

16. Plan fine motor practice.

Pre-kindergarteners will need to hit the ground running in kindergarten, and that includes using scissors. Use these free grass and snake cutting sheets for practice.

17. Don’t shy away from science.

Students start learning science basics from the first day of school, check out this geography lesson for one way to teach pre-K kids about land, water, and air.

18. Find free books online.

Printing (and laminating) free books is one way to build your library or send books home with your students for their home library. Online alphabet books teach letters and reinforce concepts of print knowledge. Two places to find a bunch of free alphabet books: DLTK Teach mini-books and First School books to print and color.

19. Use Mr. Potato Head to teach the five senses.

It’s funny and memorable—Mr. Potato Head is a great way to emphasize the five senses. (Find more tips for pre-K at Northwestern Kiddies.)

20. Make templates.

For each activity you create, make a cardboard template (use an old cereal box for the cardboard) so you have a sturdy model for the next time around. (From Northwestern Kiddies.)

21. Sing letter sounds.

Switch out the first letter of silly songs, like this example from The Wheels on the Bus, to reinforce letter sounds and help students hear how words change when you change the first letter.

22. Build collections of books on one topic.

Even though they’re pre-readers, pre-K kids like to look at books on the same topic, like this selection of books about bugs. Organize your books by genre or topic to teach pre-K kids how to learn from book collections.

23. Stock the sensory table.

Sensory tables are about more than just play, they engage kids in thinking about their senses and how they interact with the world. Bubbles, goop, water, ice, and sand are all experiences that can enhance your classroom sensory table. (Get more tips fore pre-K at PreKinders.)

24. Teach the alligator method for using scissors.

Holding and using scissors are one of those key ready-for-kindergarten skills that the kinder teachers in your building will thank you for later. Try teaching pre-K students the thumbs up alligator method.

25. Plan for pretend play.

Pretend play develops language, creativity, and social skills while helping kids figure out their world. Check out this pretend play veterinary office and this produce stand—two great ideas for the pretend play corner.

26. Use books to teach social skills.

From apologizing to managing feelings to building friendships, social skills are an important part of teaching pre-K. Start social skills lessons with books that kids can read again on their own later.

Dinosaur Activities For Preschoolers Science

27. Get versatile.

We love this sorting idea, and when you’re done sorting shapes, you can use the container to sort letters, colors, fruits, and anything else that fits!

28. Buy reading buddies.

Pre-kindergartners are learning how to read, and that includes “reading” to their favorite toys. Encourage kids to read aloud and practice what they know about reading with a stash of reading buddies (stuffed animals, dolls, and other toys) in the book corner.

29. Consider an emotion buddy.

Use this trick for one student or your entire class: “Have a stuffed animal, Anger Bear, that can be a student’s best friend to talk to when she gets mad. They can cry to it, talk to it, and let it all out.” –Sarah F.

30. Read names.

One big accomplishment for pre-kinders is recognizing their names. Here are ways to teach students their names, including Play-Doh and sensory bin ideas.

31. It’s one of those tips for pre-K we can’t say enough, MOVE!

Whether they’re spraying letters with a water bottle, doing letter hopscotch, or doing a letter relay, it’s important to integrate movement when teaching, and practicing letters. Here are more ideas, like gluing letters to the circles on a Twister mat and having kids read the letters as they play.

32. Make Common Core math fun.

If you’re looking for pre-kindergarten examples of how to teach Common Core math, look no further than Engage NY. Their pre-K math site has videos, modules, and lessons.

33. Build an abacus.

When your students are learning to count and add, turn a giant cardboard box into a life-sized abacus for kids to work on. (Get more tips for pre-K on The Imagination Tree.)

34. Use clothespins.

Clothespins strengthen kids’ pincher grasp, which helps them hold pencils and scissors. They also strengthen academic skills, like this activity that has students placing a clothespin at the appropriate number on each card. (Get more tips for pre-K on 1 Plus 1 Plus 1 Equals 1.)

35. Try different themes from A to Z.

The best way to plan pre-kindergarten lessons may be by theme. Everything Preschool has a list of themes that’s alphabetized, including airplanes, carrots, and mittens.

[lovemylifewithtwins-blog]

This week’s Preschool Theme is Recycling.

  Color – Purple

Days of the week: Move the days of the week

Song – little song from Reading the Alphabet

Weather Bear: Dress the weather bear for today’s weather.

  Monday

Read Aloud: Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel

Letter E Book from Reading the Alphabet

For this activity we are going to do a picture walk to introduce this book. Then we will circle the sight word every time we see the book. As we circle our new sight word, we will say the word.

Sight Word Poke Page from Reading the Alphabet

This week’s sight word is the word ‘little’.

For this activity we are going to take a toothpick and poke holes all around the sight word. Once we are done we will place the paper up to a window to let the light come through the paper.

I Spy with E Picture Cards from Reading the Alphabet

This we are going to make into a game. First we will spread all of the cards on the floor. Then we will play “I Spy” with the syllable sounds clapping as you say the words.

Wednesday

Read Aloud: Where Does the Garbage Go? By Paul Showers 

Letter E Book from Reading the Alphabet

This is the second day that we use this book. So today we are going to look through the pictures again. As we look through the pictures we will identify the initial sounds of the words. When we finish our initial sounds, I will read to them the first pages and then allow them to finish the story for me.

Pocket Chart Book from Reading the Alphabet

For this activity we will need a pocket chart. I am going to place the sentences in the pocket chart and read the text aloud. I am going to use a pointer to point to the words as I read them. After each sentence, my children can add the picture that goes with it. When we complete all of the sentence strips, they will each take turns reading the sentences.

Rhyming Mat from Reading the Alphabet

For this activity we will take the rhyming mat picture and the small pictures. We will look at each picture and name them. The ones that rhyme with the top picture will be glued to the mat.

Friday

Read Aloud: Why Should I Recycle? By Jen Green

Letter E Book from Reading the Alphabet

We are going to start our day by re-reading this book together. Then I will sit with each child on their own and listen to them read the books.

Pocket Chart Book from Reading the Alphabet

This is the second day that we have used the pocket chart book. Today we will start with me reading the sentences to them. Again, they will add the pictures to the sentence strips. Then they will take turns reading the story to me.

Syllable Count and Clip from Reading the Alphabet

This activity is going to be a game for us. We are going to lay down each card one by one. I will start by clapping out each syllable. For example “tur-tle” is two claps. I will repeat each word with claps one time. The second time I will have them clap with me as we say the word together. Then I will ask them how many claps was that? Once they tell me how many claps, we will take the clothespin and clip it onto the number.

Once we go through all of the cards, I am going to give them to the girls and let them try it by themselves.

Sight Word Wall

Today we will add our sight word to the word wall.

*Here are a few other Read Alouds for you to choose from.

Stuff! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Steven Kroll

Don’t Throw That Away by Lara Bergen

The Adventures of A Plastic Bottle by Alison Inches

  Monday

Today we are using our Learn the alphabet workbook and Manuscript Writing for the letter E. The girls are writing the letter E and identifying letters in it on page 8 in the Learning the alphabet workbook. In our Manuscript Writing page we are completing the letter E on page 6.

*I have them work in the workbooks during this time because it allows me time to transition and take care of their brother.

Wednesday

Today we are practicing writing the letter E on their handwriting paper.

Writing story:

This week we are writing about how they can take care of the earth. You may need to help them write their list. Remind them to draw pictures to go with their list.

*Remember to encourage them to write the words first.

Friday

Today the girls will be doing the Print Awareness from Reading the Alphabet. For this activity they will need to trace the picture and letter. Then they will help me cut out the sentences and mix up the words. They then will help me reassemble the sentences so that they read correctly. We will glue them onto a piece of paper.

  Monday

Center 1: Trace the Letter E from Reading the Alphabet

Center 2: Lacing Cards from Reading the Alphabet

Center 3: Letter Picture Cards from Reading the Alphabet

For this activity, the girls will sort the beginning sounds with letters and pictures. Then they will place the cards into the pocket chart with the letter book pocket chart versions.

Center 4: 20 Grid from Reading the Alphabet

For this math activity, they will roll a die, then count the number rolled. Place that number of small objects on the board, starting at the top left and continuing until the board is full.

Wednesday

Center 1: Letter E Coloring Page from Reading the Alphabet

Today they will color the pictures that start with this letter.

Center 2: Sight word Maze from Reading the Alphabet

Center 3: Initial Picture Sort from Reading the Alphabet

Place the letter cards at the top of your pocket chart. Shuffle the initial picture cards. Go through each picture naming the object like this “/b/ /b/ balloon. Child needs to identify the beginning sounds

Center 4: Numbers 1 – 10 Dot Page from Reading the Alphabet

This activity needs to start with shuffling the number cards. The child picks a card and turns it over, identifying what the number is. Then they find that same number on their dot page and cover it up with an object. Continue until all the numbers have been identified.

Friday

Center 1: Sight word search

Today we are going to find all of this week’s sight word, see, in a word search and circle it with our favorite marker.

Center 2: Tracer Page

For this page, we are going to trace the sight word on this page.

Center 3: Sight word wall

Read the sight words on the wall using the pointer. I have included other words that they recognize such as our family members names and pets names.

Center 4: Pattern Cards

For this activity we are going to use the picture cards to create picture patterns. These picture cards match our letter this week. Your child can cut the pictures out with you or you can do it ahead of time to save time (which is what I did).

  Monday

Today we are going to introduce measurement. We are going start with length this week. We will be measuring how tall things are today. We are measuring with blocks using the charts from Moms Have Questions Too.

For an independent activity they are going to measure items around the room.

Wednesday

Today we are going to continue measuring length. Today we will spend our time measuring each other to see how tall we are.

For independent activity, they are going to measure new things in the room.

Friday

Today we are going to continue measuring with length. Today we are going to measure the big furniture in the room.

For independent activity, they are going to measure their stuffed animals.

  This week we are going to do the Easter Egg Float adapted from Little Bins For Little Hands.

  Materials:

mini bells

pompoms

marbles

10 eggs (5 different colors)

  Directions:

Label each color a different number using numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.

You will fill each egg with that number of each item. This will allow you to compare what happens with each number.

Put the first egg in and talk about what they saw.

Then ask them what they think will happen with each of the other eggs.

Document in the science folder.

  This week we will be independent play. Let them play whatever they would like.

  This week’s theme is Recycling. For this week’s activity we will be setting up a recycling station at our house. To do this activity we are going to use bins from Amazon.

We are going to set these bins up in the garage and discuss how we can recycle. Each bin is a different color so they can tell which items go in which bin. Then we will go through the house finding things that need to be recycled, and add it to the correct bin. After we have collected our recycling and sorted it into the bins, we are going to take it to our local recycling location. In our home town there are recycling bins at all of the schools and at the grocery stores. This is a fun process for your children to see.

For an extension, you can find your local recycling center and take a tour of the location. Your children can learn a lot about recycling and where all their recycled items go.

  This week we will be creating Name Art Adapted from Splish Splash Splatter Art.

  Materials:

Black construction paper

white crayon

glue

colorful construction paper cut into squares

  Directions:

Cut construction paper into squares before you start this art project. You need enough squares to cover their names.

Then write their name on a piece of black paper using the white crayon.

Write their name really large to cover most of the paper.

Then let them glue the squares on top of the white line for their name.

  I hope that you enjoy this lesson plan for Recycling!

Come back next week to see our lesson on the theme Nature.

Preschool Lesson: Recycling This week’s Preschool Theme is Recycling.   Color – Purple Days of the week: Move the days of the week…