A Day of Silence

Taken from 

Currently: December

Currently
Listening	To the sound of the ticking clock and the heat running (*sigh* there will be a high electric bill in our future)
Loving	My Christmas Decorations
Thinking	About how I need to be in bed, but couldn’t sleep without updating this, because I completely forgot to do one for November
Wanting	A lot of unattainable things, like a restful time for my cousin A, and the pain of losing Uncle C & my Grandma within 2 weeks to go away
Needing	To curl up in bed with D and get some rest, I’ll be in the car for a total of 5+ hours tomorrow
Favorite Things	1.     My giant Christmas Tree! 2.     My icicle lights the hubby hung for me 3.     How my road has become increasingly more and more festive as it nears Christmas

What are you doing Currently?

Meal Mistake Merrymaking

Guys, I have a really terribly pathetic story, that I can't help but share.  My desire to share it probably stems from the fact that it's been a really stressful two weeks, and I need to laugh.  Laugh tonight I did.

I came home from work and thought I had a fantastic plan for supper tonight.

Plan:

1. Filet Mignon
2. Green Beans
3. Baked Potatoes

Isn't that delicious?  And, it's Friday.  We ALWAYS go out on Fridays (and Saturdays, and a lot of Sundays).   In the spirit of trying to save money because I make one quarter significantly less of what I made this time last year, I wanted to have a special dinner, then put up our Christmas tree.

So we multi-tasked.  Big Mistake.  While D was cooking the steaks, I was working on a homemade Christmas present (which is only about 1/2 complete, and needs to be done pronto), and decided to bake the potatoes in the microwave, wrapped in plastic wrap.

Now, usually, my microwaved potatoes come in this plastic-package already, but again, we are trying to save money.  Instead of buying those on my last grocery stop, I bought a 5 pound bag of potatoes.  Our basement is colder than the North Pole well suited for keeping veggies cool, so I thought this was a great solution.

Also, I realize that Filet Mignon isn't anywhere close to cheap, but this summer we ordered a ton of meats at a really cheap price.  They come individually packaged and frozen, so we just get them out when we need them.

We also multi-tasked by beginning to assemble our Christmas tree while we waited for the steaks to cook.  Another Big Mistake.

Result:
1. Tiny, overcooked steaks, which needed Worcestershire Sauce poured over them to be edible.
2. Perfectly fine green beans
3. Rubber potatoes, which I could ball up with my fingers.
4. Meal Addition when I saw the steaks were too dry: leftover biscuits left over from a supper last week.

The BEST part of the meal: the week old, microwaved biscuits.

Lesson:
1. Don't multi-task while cooking.  The cooking suffers.
2. Those steaks need to be marinated, and watched carefully.  Also, D needs 2 steaks of this type.
3. Regular potatoes, when cooked in the microwave, don't take as long as I thought.

OH WELL: at least it was entertaining.

Do you have any entertaining dinner flubs?

Grief Stinks

I have been a little overwhelmed lately, dealing with not one but two funerals since Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, I am no stranger to frequent funerals, and graciously have been taught how to cope.

For instance, I know the legalities of formulating a will, and the steps taken to prepare a house for a tremendous amount of food brought by caring hands. At my Uncle's funeral, we were led in singing "How Great Thou Art." My husband had never heard it. I knew it by heart. And the Psalm about being led through the valley of the shadow of death? Yeah. I know that by heart too. My husband has been to 4 funerals ever (including the 2 I'm recovering from); there was a time in my life that I went to 4 in a month. My family is amazing, and we have always been able to pull together to get through.

So I know too much about grief, and thought I needed to express something.

I thought I would share a few quotes that have gotten me through the sadness.

From Pinterest: "Strength does not come from doing what you can, it comes from doing what you thought you cannot." Believe me, when you are grieving, you CAN continue to complete all of your every day tasks, you just may not remember how you did, and you may have to ask for help sometimes.

From a former student: Psalm 34:18 says "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

And again from Pinterest, but also biblical: Psalm 61:2 "when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."

Now, I realize that there are 2 Bible verses here, and many who know me know I haven't been to church in years, but they comfort me. My grandma would be proud to know that the words there do make you feel better.

If you are grieving, my heart is with you. And so are my listening ears. Just send me a message.

30 Days of Thankfulness

Happy December Friends!

As I sit here, spending some time procrastinating about graduate school due dates and waiting for the time that I head off to work today, I want to compile some of the things I was thankful with this past month.

For those who aren't on Facebook, or simply try to ignore it, as I wish I did more of, I'll explain where my posts originated.  Over the month of November, I and several (probably thousands) others posted a daily message of what we were thankful for.  

November wasn't the easiest of months in my family, but it wasn't the hardest one I've ever been through.  So here's what I was thankful for, in order:

1. Today, I am thankful for having heat, electricity, and work hours during Hurricane Sandy. So many others are not so lucky.

2. I am thankful for having a job which enables me to teach, coach, and attend grad school while still being able to see family and get the housework done!

3. Today I am thankful for our dog, Axe. He may be hairy, and he may drool all over everything. He may have eaten my muffin wrapper this morning, but one of the best feelings in the world is that wet nose pushing your hand on top of his head.

The drool bucket himself

4. Today I am thankful to be able to spend part of my day with my mom and dad. They rerouted their plans to drive to the beach today just to meet me for lunch!

5. Today, I am thankful for the ability to do physical labor. I was able to work in my flower garden and help my husband in the garage. There are so many people who would be unable to do either.

6. Today I am thankful to live in a country where each and every one of us has the opportunity to influence our government.

7. Today I am thankful for insurance, which allowed me to go to the dentist today.

8. Today I am thankful for a job that keeps me mobile. On the first warmer sunny day in a while, it's nice to spend time outside, even if it is just driving across Salem a few times.

9. Today I am thankful for SC [a girl I coached with for 3 years]. She is a smart, kind, wise beyond her years young woman. I miss her dearly, and volleyball season won't be the same without her. However, I am very proud of her for following her dreams, even as they took her to that OTHER school in Virginia. Knowing her has been a true blessing in my life. Btw: thought especially of her today as I put on my makeup and noticed how awesome my skin looks. Thanks for convincing me to buy Bare Minerals! Love you!

10. Today, I am thankful for good nights with great friends!

11. Today, I am thankful for all the veterans, near and far, past and present, who have fought for our freedoms. This definitely includes some of my favorite vets: SLB, DB, & JS!

12. Today I am thankful for my wonderful friend L. Her life is anything but easy, as she juggles a full time job, the demands of a husband, a kindergartener and a preschooler, numerous doctors appointments for her sweet baby who battles against the odds daily, soccer, dance, cheerleading, a new business adventure, and finished her Masters Degree. On tip of it all, she manages to make her friends and family a priority in her crazy life. She is a shining example of dedication, love, and Southern Belle! And did I mention, she kicked butt at her first 5K a few weeks ago? Happy Birthday L! I hope if I have kids I can be half as motivated as you are! I love you! (SN: go check out her blog here!)

13. Today I am thankful for a full day of work, even if it included 3 hours of math.

14. Today I am thankful for a husband who doesn't get mad often. I fixed a quick supper today, of which one of the main ingredients he hates. OOPS. So he ate around it, and then ate nachos.

15. Today I am thankful for fleece pants and long sleeves. I was walking around the house in my wool coat and D finally asked if I was cold. That was the push I needed to get comfy. Am I totally warm? No. Am I in my wool coat? Also no.

16. Today I am thankful for random talks with strangers. They make me smile.

17. Today I am thankful for my ability to continue my education. It's difficult; it's challenging; and, particularly this semester, painfully tedious. Regardless, I know that education opens doors, and this Master's Degree will open doors for me!

18. Today, I am thankful for my baby cousin. From infancy, her life flipped upside down and threw her into my home part time. Over the next 2 decades we fought, laughed, cried, played hard, and had what she calls torture imposed on her (many of those latter events I do not recall btw). Through it all, she pushed and pushed. She has grown into a wonderful woman, who I am proud to call my sister. A woman who has the heart to work with a kid who needs a special sort of love, and the strength to stomach a really tough future career. You continuously amaze me Bean, and I love you so much! Be careful going home.

19. Today, I am thankful for the Internet, which allowed me to fix my Wii on my own rather than buy a new power cable. Tomorrow, I'll blog about how I did it! (Oops...never did this..I'll work on that this week.)

20. Today I am thankful for the checks that just came in. Seems silly, but they say [both of our full names]. It makes me happy!

21. Today I am thankful for runny nosed kisses and the giggles that come with playing chase with the 3 most awesome kids on the planet.

22. Today, I am thankful for my kind of thanksgiving. Tons of people all talking at the same time, enjoying being together. One round at my great aunt's that has maybe 40 people, then round 2 with the immediate Fam.

23. Today, I am thankful for ibuprofen and acetaminophen, which you can alternate so that you feel better longer when your whole family shares their germs.

24. Today I am thankful for a peaceful day at home; well somewhat peaceful. It started at 645 when my nephew decided I needed to be awake. It also included a trip to see the new movie Lincoln. So not quite peaceful and not quite at home, but still great. Now if I could just kick this cold!

25. Today I am thankful for the surprise my husband had for me. He put an outlet on the porch so I can hang Christmas lights!

26. Today, I am thankful for having my Uncle C in my life. He came home when I was 6 months old and helped my mom take care of their ailing parents. For the next 2 decades, he lived next door (at least part of each year), and was there for me in a variety of ways. I know today has been hard, but he's been fighting so hard for so long. Rest easy Scooter, I know you're better off, even if it hurts us so much.

27. Today I am thankful for Christmas decorations that help distract me and make my house pretty!

28. Today, I am thankful for memories.

29. Today, as we laid to rest my uncle, I have struggled to find my thankfulness. I think I found it. I am thankful to spend a day "meeting" some of the people who have known me since I was a baby, and to hear stories of a man I loved. I am also thankful for the wonderful weather we had today, raining sunshine down on our time of mourning.

30. Today, on the last of 30 days of thankfulness, I am thankful for my family. I was able to enjoy the day with my mom, sister in law, and my youngest nephew and my niece. It was an exhausting trip, but those kids are hilarious. I miss my husband, but am also thankful that he was able to come down yesterday for the funeral and spend some time with us. Tomorrow it's back to [where we live] and getting back into the swing of normal life.

So that's it: 30 Days of Thankfulness.  Which leads me to ask: what are you thankful for?

Next up: that blog on fixing the wii and my Currently: December!

Election Day Musings

Today, as I am spending time on the couch, watching CNN's election coverage (and Comedy Central while the Daily Show and Colbert shows were on), I can't help but think about the great honor bestowed on us all today.

I was able to get up and drive to my polling place today, wait in a line of al of 3 people, and cast my vote for the President, US Senate, US Congress, and VA Constitutional Amendments (and buy brownies from the bake sale happening at the church I vote at).

Just 100 years ago, I would have been in eligible to vote. Women fought hard for my right to do so, and I, and all women, are indebted to those who stood up for what they believed in. These women were scorned, imprisoned, and in many cases turned out by their families.

I also am thinking about the dedication some people must have in order to vote. My supervisor, who lives in an urban neighborhood nearby, spent 3.5 hours today waiting in line to cast her ballot, at 10:30 AM. Luckily, the school she votes at was able to set up their lines in a manner that allowed her it stand inside the whole time. I am sure many people are having to stand outside in the cold and wind to get in the building to vote. This shows such great pride in the privilege we have in voting, and it is very moving to me.

The final thing that weighs heavily on my mind is the fact that so many nations deny this experience to their citizens, or, if they have democracies, create such frustratingly corrupt systems that no one citizen's vote actually matters. I just hope that, regardless of tonight's election results, the president-elect helps keep our country the land of the free, the home of the brave, and a nation that cares about humanity.

On a less serious note: I am also thinking about how tomorrow's Facebook post on thankfulness may likely reflect being thankful that the political ads are over.

I leave you now, with only 1 hour and 40 minutes left until closing of the first polling places, with these questions:

Did you vote? Did it take you a few minutes or hours? What are you looking forward to in the next 4 years?

Teaching

Recently, I read a comment on Facebook, which really struck a nerve with me. It stated something along the lines of never hearing about a teacher doing his or her job.

Now, I will be the first to say that teachers, including myself, make mistakes. We are human, and some are better at our jobs than others. However, it seems ludicrous to me that there are parents out there who think teachers don't do their jobs.

I thought I would elaborate here on what, in my experience, are the responsibilities of a teacher.

1. Teach. We must engage upwards of 25 students at a time with material they may or may not have any interest in. In doing so, we must relate to each student's unique prior knowledge, adjusting for the advanced student, the learning disabled student, the physically challenged student, and the ADD/ADHD student. We must do this without obviously treating any student differently. To do this, we spend hours after school planning, organizing, and reconfiguring activities to best fit our students, while ignoring our own families.

2. Communicate. In any given day, a teacher must communicate with students, colleagues, parents, administration, and, often, the public. This communication varies according to level, but includes written, oral, and electronic communication, and definitely doesn't end with the 3:30 bell. (Think I'm wrong? Has anyone ever gotten an email from a teacher outside of school hours? Have you ever spoken to a current or former teacher in the grocery store? I rest my case.)

3. Parent. This may be the most difficult concept for a child's parents, but it is a crucial part of the school environment. A parent provides love and support for their child unconditionally right? Guess what, in the hours your child is at school, his or her teachers are also providing unconditional love and support. If they didn't love your kid, they wouldn't be teaching. The pay and hours are terrible, the rewards of seeing someone we care about excel are why we do it.

4. Nurse. I realize that the school has nurses who do this, but I cannot tell you the number of times I have served as a nurse. From, "Do you have a bandaid?" to "Do you think this is infected?" and "I just threw up a lot, should I go home?" So yes, we are nurses. And the answers? Yes. Ew, gross, yes. And Dear God, please go call your mom. And I teach teenagers. I can not imagine what kinds of nurse things elementary teachers deal with.

5. Confidant. Again, this is another thing that worries parents. It happens all the time. Students spend so much time with their teachers, that teachers can tell at a glance if something is wrong. Students also have so much trust in their teachers, (as they should) that when asked, "Are you okay?" They spill. We then have to determine what is appropriate as a response, and if necessary, who to turn to next with the students' problem. I guess that's why we have to take psychology classes in order to get a license.

6. Disciplinarian. Teachers at all levels have to enforce rules. Every student at some point must be disciplined. Teachers must do so regardless of the support of the parent. Many parents are extremely supportive of the rules. Unfortunately, some parents blatantly allow their children to break rules. For instance, at the high school level, students are generally not allowed to use their phones. It varies by school, but as a general rule, phones are supposed to be silent and away at al times. I cannot begin to tell you the number of times I heard a student discussing something their parent had told them via text during the day. To be more specific, I emailed a mom around 10:30 about a question I had. Her daughter came to me 2 hours later with the answer. Clearly that parent blatantly disregarded a rule, which makes it extremely difficult for the school to enforce.

7. Learn. As a teacher, you must constantly learn. We learn names of students, which we are expected to retain for years. (Case in point, earlier this week I was stopped by a former student in the grocery store. I taught her 4 years ago, and she remembered me, therefore I am expected to remember her.) We learn about the students' character and family. We learn new curriculum, only to have it or our assignment changed, sometimes mid year. We learn new technologies and are expected to implement them immediately, despite the plans we spent hours on just last week. We take undergraduate and graduate level classes to maintain our certifications. (Which, thanks to budget cuts, we spend half a month's salary per course on.) We are perpetual students.

Now, these are not all the responsibilities of a teacher, but they are a large portion. Next time you feel frustrated by your child's teacher, think about this list, and remember that their line of communication is always open. Try talking, try offering how you can help, most definitely, try to encourage your child to learn!

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read in English, thank the US Military.