Do you remember “Highlights” magazine?

And those awesome Hidden Pictures?! That was always the first page I flipped to as a kid. Even still today, when I see those children’s magazines sitting in a waiting room, I’ll pick it up over an “Entertainment Weekly.”

Well today, I DID get to be a kid again. Not in a waiting room though. In an effort to take daily measures towards my goals this year, I had decided to volunteer with my friend who regularly tutors at a local library every Wednesday. This is my third time going, and normally it’s the usual math homework help or reading, but boy was I in for a surprise! It had originally started off with a rather bright 7-year old who was doing math problems that weren’t even for homework. Instead, he was doing problems out of a workbook his mom bought from Barnes & Noble for practice (kudos for being a proactive parent!). 24 successful problems later, my friend decides that we switch tutees as he miserably fails to help his little one with her Hidden Pictures extra credit homework. I had seen it from the corner of my eye and was jealous he got to help her and not vice versa. But when he asked to switch with me, I got all giddy and wide-eyed at the thought of diving deep into this challenging hidden pictures hunt she had. I mean come on, don’t tell me you haven’t gotten excited over something that dorky before. (On a different note, how come I never got Hidden Pictures assignments as extra credit?!!!) Either way, it was a win-win situation since a) I was having a blast helping my tutee, b) she was super adorable and very well-behaved with just enough sass to bear with, unlike my last experience tutoring there!

Although we found all items but one in both her puzzles (it was way more challenging than anticipated since they didn’t provide the pictures of what we were looking for), it was certainly a positive experience especially after bonding with the two kids. They remembered my name, asked how to spell it, and even said it back quite often. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing them again soon. My tutee even said she’ll bring her Hidden Pictures assignment again next week for us to find that stubborn hidden slipper!

Just in case you have absolutely no idea what I’m referring to, or if you’re like me and love these puzzles, try your hand at this one I found from the HighlightsTeachers.com site (I left out the images of the items to look for on here, or else that’d be way too easy. If you really need the crutch, see previous link):

Can you find the coffeepot, roller skate, candle, arrow, shoe, mouse, pennant, sailboat, ice-cream cone, strawberry, spoon, nail, hairbrush, key, toy, duck, dragonfly, and hammer?

End of Summer

Talk is in the air of the end of summer being here, but I haven’t really noticed.  Guess it’s because this summer is different from the past 17 years of my life.  School is not starting in three weeks.  I don’t have to pack up all my belongings and move from the city I co-opped in to move back home.  And the weather has continued to stay sunny and warm!

I was reminded that summer really was officially over this morning as I waited in traffic just to leave my apartment complex.  I saw mobs of mothers and fathers, some still dressed in PJs, walking hand-in-hand with their kids towards the elementary school across the street.  Some were even accompanied by dogs.  Good-bye hugs and kisses were given.  It was of course, the first day of school.  For some, it was the first ever, clearly indicated by the proud father running with his handheld video camera.

Since I was pretty much stationary for what seemed like an eternity, I put my car in park and started to reminisce about my first days of school as a kid.  I could just smell it in the air.  The crisp cool fall weather, new clothes for the first day, brand new supplies.  I would get both excited and nervous hearing the rumble of my school bus, just because I knew in a matter of minutes, I’d have to make that walk down the bus aisle trying to find a seat, maybe with a familiar face or maybe alone by the window.  There’d be the usual chatter of things everyone did that summer and the showing off of new gear, generally in the back of the bus, where all the “cool” older kids sat.  Some would engage in gossip talk, none of which really ever interested me.  I was far too busy thinking about what my teacher would be like and seeing my friends again.

None of these kids had that bus experience though since they all walked.  I stared at the young girl commanding traffic with her stop sign.  You could tell she took her job quite seriously, and I suppose one like that would get picked for that type of role.  Back in my day — yes, the aged woman that I am — we called them safety patrols.  We got to wear cool orangey red belts that went across our shoulder and around the waist.  I’m pretty sure I felt like I was kinda a big deal, ’specially since I wore the captain’s badge on mine and bossed the younger kids around.  oOoOoOo.  It’s funny to look back and think, “Gee, I really wasn’t that important.”  I mean telling kids to walk instead of run?  This little girl here commanding traffic doesn’t even get a badge or a belt for the matter, and she’s got children’s lives in her hands!

Anyway, I snapped out of my little day dream as it was now my turn to turn out of the complex.  The crowd dispersed as I distanced myself from the school.  Memories faded and it was back to the normal commute.  Although I was irked with how much longer it took me to drive the whopping 2.3 miles to work, it did make me smile for a moment.  When you’re so caught up doing your own thing, it’s sometimes nice to be interrupted that other life is happening around you.