Haley Peterson

When someone says the word “toddler,” a few things might come to mind. Hysterical tantrums, constant messes no matter how many times you play “The Clean Up Song,” and small humans literally running around in circles. However, if you are a parent to a toddler, used to have a toddler, or have spent some time with a toddler, you know that they are very special people and that there is more to being a toddler than complete and utter chaos. While having two toddlers, a three-year-old boy and two-year-old girl, as well as a baby in the house does pose its challenges, the more time I spend with them, the more I realize one thing. Toddlers know how to live! In today’s society of constant activity and the never-ending list of things to do, I think we could all learn a few lessons from the toddler’s playbook.

Anyone who was in high school between the years 2000 and 2010 probably remembers the popularity, and seemingly forbidden nature of Chuck Palanuik's books. After finding out that Fight Club, one of my favorite movies as a teenager, was actually based on a book, I had to find out more. For me, and I would assume many other 16 year old girls, anarchy plus Brad Pitt’s abs, plus multiple personalities equaled my mind blown. If I had known that Panic at the Disco had written a song about the events of the Palaniuk’s book Invisible Monsters my mind would have exploded all over my bedroom walls.

Personally, I wouldn't call myself a yogi, but more of a person who has done many, many yoga classes over the past twelve years or so. While most of my yoga experiences have been at my local gym, I have participated in a few classes in different locations that I have really enjoyed. Doing yoga outdoors has been a very cool experience for me. I think being in nature helps me feel more connected to the practice of yoga. I am able to be more mindful during the class, and I feel more relaxed when it is over compared to when I have done yoga at the gym. Recently, I took a yoga class at the meadow at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park just outside of the Vegas Valley. I had a great experience I'd like to share, as well as provide some information to those who would like to give it a try.

Luckily for me, giving birth for the first time had turned out to be a much more enjoyable and less harrowing experience that I had anticipated. The fact that I had such a pleasant experience the first time definitely contributed to the fact that I ended up pregnant with baby number two when my son was only three months old. Everyone thought my husband and I were nuts for having a second kid so soon, and I can’t say we planned for her to come so soon. However, I knew I wanted my kids to be close in age and it had taken a while to conceive our first baby, so I felt more excited than overwhelmed at the thought of having another baby so soon.

As discussed in "Help! I'm a Substitute Teacher with No Lesson Plans! Part 1," walking into a classroom and being expected to teach a group of students when you were not provided lesson plans or the proper supplies to carry the plans left to you can be a stressful situation. Below are some tried and true activities I have used that fill time and keep students engaged. The hardest part about being left to teach a class with no lesson plans is finding enough activities to keep the students from acting poorly. Even though some of these activities are not necessarily the most intellectually stimulating, they are educational and will keep most students busy depending on their age.

The first time I found out I was pregnant, the most apparent feeling for me was surprise. I’m not sure why I was so surprised to see a positive result on my at home pregnancy test since my husband and I had been trying, or as I always said “not preventing,” for about a year. Nonetheless, I felt surprised, scared of the inevitable labor and delivery, and also excited about this new phase in my life.