Way Back Whensday :)

Reading Goal

So, as a teacher my students have nightly homework and one thing they are required to do every single night is read for 20-30 minutes.  I've decided I'm going to take up that assignment as well.  I'm going to carve out 20-30 minutes per night for some quality reading for fun.  Not reading a school book, not reading a blog, not working on grad school - reading for fun.  We'll see how this goes!

Over my spring break, I did a really great job of this!  And I noticed I was much more calm and nice to be around {lets just pretend this is solely because of the reading and forget about the fact that I wasn't working that week...}  In any event, in the past month I've read this little gem:

And this:



I loved every single second of both of them!  I couldn't put them down!  Heart of the Matter I started reading at the beginning of February on a weekend trip, and I finished it before I got home.  I LOVED IT.  Love the One You're With I read over Spring Break.  I really enjoy Emily Giffin as an author.  Her plot lines are great and she has a way of pulling her reader in with her words - I just felt like I was living in both of these books.  Highly recommended. 

My friend Jenny has quite the list of books she's read this year, which many of those are on my wish list as well!  What are you reading and loving?

So What Sunday

So what if:

• It's 9:00 and I'm ready for bed
• I am 2 months from graduating from my masters program and have "senior-itis" badly {senior-itis = disease in which you don't feel like doing ANY of the things assigned to you.}
• This week is conferences and I'm not really looking forward to the long hours
• My 2011 goals are not exactly getting checked off - maybe summer will help that out?
• I am SICK & TIRED of the weather right now - seriously, it's spring - I'm tired of wearing my winter coat.
• For the first time in my life, my REAL nails are actually acceptable for sight.  {I've had acrylic nails for most of my adult life and recently ripped them all off and have been nursing them back to health}
• I cannot think of one more thing to write tonight.

Good night :)

Can I Get a Makeover?!

Welp, the blog has received a little attention tonight and it's lookin' a little jazzed up.  Not sure I'm in love quite yet, but it's definitely different.  I'll keep working on it and see what else I can re-arrange!

And now, for a little extra fun - just a few pictures I have yet to add to this blog...in no order and for no reason...

 Sam & Maicey did Kat's hair one night - I think it's beautiful.

Sam in a rare calm moment...I love this kid!

This is from Kaitlyn's birthday party.  The resident expert bracelet maker, Allie was on hand to help these girls out!!  {thank goodness for Allie...because I was about to freak out on them!}

2 of my most favorite people in the world.  This might be my favorite picture of them ever.

And last, but certainly not least...This, my friends is possibly the best picture I have ever captured.  I think it is absolutely hilarious, no?

Happy Weekend, Friends!  :)

Praying for Japan

The devastation in Japan is completely unimaginable to me.  Each time it comes on the news, I sit and watch with complete horror - I simply cannot begin to imagine the grief.  I said to my husband the other day, "where would you even begin?".  So, with an aching heart, I have been silently praying for the people of Japan to feel God's love being poured out on them and to feel his hand guiding their relief efforts.

Tomorrow I will be participating in a day of silence {which will not be uncommon lately for this blog because I'm horrible at updating...!} - but it's the thought that counts!  :)

Please click the link above to learn more about what we can do to help.

much love <3

Finally an Organizational Update...

Ok, so I finally found my memory card reader and took all the pictures off my camera - which means I can give the updates I've been needing to give.

Remember all the tasks I said I would post pictures of??  Here we go...

Do you remember this nightmare of a desk?  I said I was going to clean out the drawer...

TADA!!  :)

And here's one of my bookshelves at work.  It's behind my desk and had become a catch-all...so I just decided to clean it off, pitch some stuff, and pretty up my binders...

Before:

After:

There we go.  LOVE.IT!

In other news, I've found many many pictures to upload to this blog - so keep checking back for more fun!  Especially since I'll be on spring break as of tomorrow at 3:45!



My daily calendar

I have a calendar at work filled with inspirational quotes to live by.  It is one of my favorite parts of the morning when I get to flip it and see what today's message will be. 

Today's is absolutely perfect for this season of my life.  It says:

"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

-Theodore Roosevelt

Work worth doing is something I've thought a lot about lately.  What does that really mean?  How do you define your worth or the worth of your work?  I think that largely depends on the line of work you're in.  I don't know many people who say "my job is worthless", nor can I think of many jobs which I would consider worthless. 

But because I'm a teacher, I'm going to talk about the worth of my job today.  I really believe with my entire soul that my job is far and away the greatest job on Earth.  It doesn't come without struggle or frustration, but at the end of the day - teachers are the epitome of working for the greater good in my opinion.  Can you name one teacher who has entered the profession for any other reason than because they enjoy kids and want to make a difference?  I've thought a lot about it, and I can't think of one. 

Are there "bad" teachers?  Sure, just the same as there are "bad" actors, "bad" musicians, "bad" cooks, "bad" doctors, "bad" police officers, and "bad" news reporters.  Every profession has their less than great members, so why is it that we as a country are so overly critical of bad teachers?  I find it hilarious when people argue about the importance of people's jobs. {because it really doesn't matter}  "Police are the most important jobs in our community", "No, it's the firemen and women", "no it's the teachers" - Well, ladies and gentleman (all 3 of you reading...) - I guess I would argue that the importance of a profession could be measured by how critical people are when it's not being done well.  I rarely see a person complaining about a police officer who is not doing their job, or a garbage collector who leaves the can tipped over in the street or with some garbage left in it, or the journalist who doesn't cover the entire story, or a doctor who misses a diagnosis or is less than friendly to his/her patient - but when there is a bad teacher, look out - everyone has something to say.  I personally, take that as a compliment because I go to work everyday and do the very best job I can do.  When people are critical of teachers though, it's difficult not to be defensive of my fellow colleagues.

Does this job have benefits?  Sure, but it (like any job) also has it's bumps.  Summers off are nice - except that usually I'm working another job to pay the bills or in my classroom getting ready for the next school year.  Our salary is nice - except by the standards of our country it pales in comparison to other professions.  Working 8-4 as a contract day is great - but to be honest, I can't tell you the last day those were really the hours I actually worked, usually coming early, staying late, and taking home work. Working with kids all day is awesome - except that I spend more than 1/2 my day doing things that 50 years ago were done at home {teaching middle names, phone numbers, manners, appropriate responses, anger management, etc} Our benefit and pension package are great - and what are people attacking right now - the only free and clear, no questions asked tangible benefit of teaching.

But here is the bottom line, every single day teachers in this country put all the political crap aside and go back to work in hopes of making a difference.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson says:

"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

And so today, I will go to work and work hard at my work that is unquestionably worth doing. 

Have a happy day, Friends :)

So What Sunday

This week I'm saying SO WHAT to these things...

so what if:

• I suck at blogging and my blog goals are pretty much un-touched in 2011
• I am counting down the minutes until spring.  Mother Nature has sent me over the edge with this winter crap.
• despite my goal to not worry so much, I pretty much worry about everything all.the.time
• I haven't deep cleaned my house in 3 months
• I'm driving my husband insane with my baby crazy attitude
• I decided this week that even in the 21st century, I cannot handle having my calendar on the computer/my phone.  I went back to my beloved paper planner.  More on that later...
• I'm months behind in my scrapbooking again, despite being completely caught up at the end of summer.  ((sigh))
• I am coveting an iPhone now that Verizon has just come out with one - and my phone is only 5 months old.
• I'm wishing my life away (school to be out, spring/summer to be here, vacation to be here, a baby to be here, the weekend to be here, blah, blah, blah)

What are you saying SO WHAT to this weekend??

Teachers...

...are obviously bankrupting our country.  What a hot topic debate!  Honestly, I think it's really difficult to not be biased in this situation because I'm a teacher.  I would be willing to argue that teaching is among the most difficult professions out there, but I do it because I love it.  Here comes the part I don't get: since when in our country is a teacher's salary or benefit package considered too high?  Seriously, we pay people 6 figures to PLAY.A.GAME.  I wouldn't even make that salary in 2 years. 

A colleague of mine posted on this topic today too - quite entertaining if I do say so myself.  Hop on over and check it out. 

Now, Obviously I understand the difference between the public and the private sector - but really, America?! Let's get our priorities in order and our acts together, sooner than later please.