Macarons, an unmade bed, and fresh flowers. It's all about the little things.

Here are some little things from my week that brought big amounts of joy to my life.

Macarons. I (gasp) had actually never tried macarons until less than a week ago. I really don't know how I waited so long. First of all, they are beautiful. The colors, the perfectly formed circular cookies, the crispy outside with the soft center... oh, they are heaven. Brian surprised me with not one, not two, but four macarons from Financier Patisserie after my first week of school. I loved the coffee and chocolate flavors. And the pistachio, too. I just loved them.

Fresh flowers. There is really nothing better. I will never tire of walking into my apartment and finding fresh flowers sitting on my counter with a note from Brian. It actually makes me exclaim ooohhhh! in that girly tone each and every time. I am a sucker for a romantic gesture.

Love letter post-its. The best part about love letter post-its is that I can stick them inside cupboards, closets, and dressers long after they were written, and smile every day when I see them. This one will be stuck next to my jewelry boxes for weeks to come.

An unmade bed. I try to make my bed every morning in hopes that it will jump start my day. But, on Saturday I purposefully left a pile of blankets and sheets in a heap near the foot of my bed with every intention of taking a long nap that afternoon. And boy did I nap. Sunshine poured through my windows as I slept the afternoon hours away. And I didn't even feel bad. It was so needed and so worth it.

Watching the sun rise. This is my view every morning as I wait on the subway platform. I love that the trains are above ground in Astoria. Not a bad way to start my commute.

Happy feet. I mean, how could they not be happy in these shoes?

And happy kids. My school community lives and breathes our six core values- honor yourself and others, work together, work hard, help each other, try new things, and be reflective. It is amazing to see a group of children come together and use a common language around these values when talking to one another, solving problems, and learning together.

This week, my second graders discussed what it meant to honor yourself and others. They sat in a circle, knee to knee criss cross applesauce around my blue rug, and explained that honoring yourself means that you are proud of yourself and that you keep yourself safe. You are kind, you listen, and you help the people around you. After reading a book illustrating exactly those characteristics, they went off and thought about a quality they loved about themselves. At the end of the day, they had time to share all of the qualities they love. And they were so wonderful. Listening to my kids say things like, I am good at talking to people when I am sad or mad, I am proud of my curly hair and brown skin, or I am a good friend reaffirm that I have the best job on earth. Because I get to spend my days with the most amazing little beings. They amaze me every. single. day.

New shoes. Can someone please tell me why it took me 26 years to own a pair of Converse All-Stars? Loving the purplish-burgundy color of my first pair.

There you have it, another list of some little things that I love. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

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