Writing from a list

In our once a week writing workshops, one of the things we've been working on is ways to generate ideas about what to write. One of the techniques that everyone has enjoyed has been writing from a list. The idea being that a list is created about something, and then later, the student looks back and chooses one of those items to write more about.

Here are my two lists for today.

Things I do not Like

1. Waking up to the words, "Mommy, there is poop on the floor."
2. Driving 2 1/2 hours round trip for a ten minute orthodontist appointment.
3. Seeing a dear, older friend so significantly slowing down.
4. Doing seven loads of laundry in one day, and still having at least five more to do in order to catch up.
5. Children who put clean clothes down the laundry chute because they didn't put them away in the first place and couldn't tell which was which. (Though it should have been evident by the fact they were still folded.)
6. Mice in the house.
7. Cats who play with mice instead of just doing away with them.
8. When the dirty dishes don't all fit in the dishwasher.
9. Running out of books on hand to read.
10. Mares who can't get along.

Things I do Like

1. Children who will help clean up dog's messes.
2. Having homemade granola to eat in the morning.
3. A first floor laundry room as opposed to spending every waking minute in the basement.
4. Receiving an email telling me that the new Louise Penny book is waiting for me at the library.
5. Clean sheets, even if it means more laundry.
6. H. wanting to check out books on a topic she is interested in.
7. Having a child say, "Just let me finish this page," when asked to do something.
8. When a co-worker sends a huge box of molasses cookies home with J.
9. Leftover pecan pie.
10. Figuring out how we can divide the large dry lot into two to protect Java from Bristol being mean to her.