Teri Parris Ford's Blog

The Pile Up

It was finally Friday. I've been spoiled most of the week having my husband home in the morning. I have hot coffee waiting for me when I wake up. It makes the mornings kind of wonderful with him around. We get a little chit chat before I get ready to go. It started pouring rain this morning so I did not get a walk in for Balt, nor did I walk to school. Luckily both Jessi and Moni were ready to go early so I was happy. The day was crazy busy. I had planned to give blood today, but every hour was filled up in my schedule. Monika had to work the whole day for the blood drive because of her role in student government. Her dad came to give blood so that he could visit with her, which was really nice. I popped in a couple of times but the pile up of doners meant long waits, so there was just no way I could manage it with my schedule.

Newspaper kids are working on the final issue. The middle picture above is of all the JMM swimmers swimming in college for the paper. After school I did a photo shoot for the boys tennis team and then ran around picking kids up and dropping them off until I finally had time to run over to see Erika at her work and order a salad. Tonight is the Latino dance at school and the girls are excited to go- it's the funnest dance of the school year. I'm home alone tonight, enjoying a Greek salad and a movie (Moonrise Kingdom, 2012).

Conference Champs

Today was another busy day that seemed to go on non-stop until I fell into bed at 11pm. I did get a bit of time to have a nice dinner with my husband which was the high light of the night. We both went to Monika's soccer game and although we were very dissappointed not to see her play, it was a very exciting game that ended in a tie. So in the end, the girls finish regular conference play as champions. Now they prepare for tournament play with the hope of making it to state. Jessi had her very last track meet today and she broke a 3 minute 800 which was her goal, so she came home happy. Tomorrow, she says is a loaded day of celebrations. I'm just happy it's finally Friday, again.

Well Rounded

After another pretty normal Wednesday, I ran home to get Balt, run a few errands, go to the dog park and came home to find everyone had eaten on their own, so I made myself a quesadilla with lots of onions and sat to catch my breath. Monika had soccer practice after school and ran in to change and then back out again for a team dinner before her band concert. Her dad and I went in a little late to miss some of the freshman band. The program was all really well done, even the freshman. Monika played percussion on buckets with the other percussionist, the electric bass and then the xylophone for the last song. I was very impressed with her performance and struck with multi-faceted she is. There are not a lot of kids that can do all that she does-- music, sports, student government, service, art and academics. Once I asked her if she learned to be busy from me, she informed me that we were just both jugglers. It was nature, not nurture. Erika loved playing the bass in orchestra throughout high school, and while Monika wanted to follow in her sister's footsteps, she has really enjoyed the switch to percussion. As my husband and I walked out to the car after the concert, we both felt extremely blessed. Today was Erika's last day of school at UW. Next year I'll have two seniors and a freshman-- all three amazing talents and very well rounded.

Awards and Punishment

I've been walking to work in the morning in order to get in early. It makes for quite an enjoyable morning. No yelling at anyone to hurry up. No blaming anyone for being late. This morning I had to get in early for the photo show award ceremony. Students came early too to find out who won Honorable Mentions, Best in Show, Best Digital, Best Color or Best Black&White. It was a very nice ceremony, I thought. The morning was dampened by some pretty annoying news though.  

Joe and I found out this morning that someone downtown had sent someone into our photolab to shut off all the breakers so that our students could not use the computers. They were nice enough to leave the teacher station running but some students were upset to find they were not allowed to work today. There was an improper extension cord that had not been replaced. Apparently downtown had sent 3 warnings to a principal but none to any teachers. Joe took care of informing the principal of our predicament. We took our students to the gallery for 1/2 of the period and then let them use the rest of the time as a "study hall".  By 3rd hour, the sun was blazing and the temps were reaching the 80's. Most kids in the afternoon chose to sun themselves in the heat. I found it crazy that the downtown folks would think that somehow making sure students were unable to do their work would be a viable punishment towards our administration for not changing cords? I am unclear for how long my photo students will be locked out of using the computers. As long as the weather is nice, I am not sure that many will complain, well, untill assignment are due. I was already asked if this would mean our current assignment would be extended. 

After school I ran a few errands, gave Balt a bath, got dinner for Jessi and I (Monika had a soccer game in Beloit) and then the two of us started working on Navy paperwork. Jessi has already made a few friends on the Navy swim team. She was informed that a bunch of medical stuff is due tomorrow. We scrambled to find the proper paperwork and get it ready for mailing. She'll need to go to the doctor tomorrow for a TB test and to get records copied. I'm sending her by herself. I'm thinking it is about time she start doing this kind of stuff on her own. She has exactly 6 weeks left of being a normal kid.

Passing the Torch

Today was a crazy, shortened schedule Monday. My student teacher had 2 different presentations so I was unable to run off during prep time to do much since we had to go over them. We celebrated Melissa's birthday which was yesterday. Both Joe and Geof sat in on interviews so our team PCT was abbreviated. I stayed late working on photo show certificates and student government paperwork. I ran home finally to get Balt for a walk but stopped by the bank first. I spent dinner time working on condo acounting before running off to our school's National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. Last year Jessi missed it due to a track meet. Both Jessi and Monika made it this year. Jessi with her fellow seniors passed on the torch to the juniors to take over. It was a nice ceremony and I enjoyed chatting with a few parents and trying to get a couple of photos after. Looking at the week ahead, there's something going on every night! Only 30 days until the last day of finals, 18 days of classes.

My Happy Mother's Day

Balt and I got up at 6am. I went out for coffee for my husband and I. I could not resist grabbing the girls "Mother's Day donuts" to help celebrate me! By 7am, we were out walking the dog. It was a chilly morning but sunny. The girls all slept in 'til nearly noon so I had the morning to myself. I sorted socks, doing laundry, sipping coffee and watched CBS Sunday Morning. It was a very nice morning. At noon I went to a hot yoga class. When I got home flowers and several gifts were waiting for me on the kitchen table (see photo at bottom), but all I wanted for Mother's Day was a photo of the girls together. Erika had a final exam today and Monika had made plans to go to a friends soccer game, so it was difficult to coordinate but at 4:30pm everyone was able to gather at a restaurant for dinner together. I had hoped to see a movie after but Erika needed to study for finals this week and Monika has AP exams, so Jessi and I went out for "foyo" (that's cool lingo for frozen yogurt).

During yoga the instructor offered everyone a happy mother's day. She told us we were all mothers really-- care takers of someone. I thought about how true that was. There have times when each of my daughters have, and even my husband has "mothered" me at different times in my life. A girl friend told me once that motherhood was the purpose of being a woman and I recoiled at the thought of it, of course because I was not a mother at the time. Now that I am, I completely understand what she was saying but as I hear my daughters share their reluctance to have children, I am assured they will find fulfilment and purpose in life knowing there is so much more to life than giving birth. I am looking at my life seeing that my time of being a mother of young ones has come to an end. I know I will never cease being a mom, as I still look to my mother for assistance, but my children don't need me anymore. I enjoy being a "mother" to Balt and to my cats, hoping they will always need me, BUT if all of my purpose had been wrapped up in mothering, than life would be coming to an end next year. In many ways, I feel quite the contrary. 

I see how my relationship with Erika has transitioned. It is my job to make sure she doesn't need me anymore. To continue to treat her like a child only does her a disservice. I suppose that is part of being a good mother of adult children-- by not mothering them any longer. Like a mother bird who throws their little ones out of the nest in order to fly, I also know it does not mean abandonment either. It is finding that perfect balance that I sometimes struggle with. I always knew my parents were there for me, if ever we were ever so down on our luck we had no where to go, but I also knew they wanted to see my fly and took great pride in my path. It is as if I am at the airport and I am watching Erika on the runway and I've done everything I could to make sure she is equipped. All I can do is watch and occasionally answer her questions when she radios in every so often. She is always welcome to return but her life is not meant to stay parked.  I've mixed my metaphors but I'm allowed to do that on Mother's Day. I think I'm allowed to do whatever I want!

Cool Weekend

I woke up early with Balt, went and got coffee and spent some time with my husband enjoying the early morning. Around 8am I set out for Brookfield. Monika had a 10am game. It started out nice but by half time the wind and rain whipped up and it was very uncomfortable. The girls won 1-0 and we were on the road back home by noon. Monika and I went out to lunch and did a bit of outlet shopping at the Johnson Creek Mall and then came home. I did a Costco run for fruit and dinner. My husband and I sat with our computers, enjoyed a fire and a quiet evening home. I have photo show and student government certificates to make.

Is it really Friday?

Yesterday was Jessi's half birthday and she made sure to celebrate. A student in my class asked if that was something we did in our family and I had to admit we celebrate whatever we want to in our family. I wondered if Jessi knew she might not be able to celebrate her 19th birthday next November and so decided to celebrate as much as she could now.

The day was full-- more meetings and a presentation. Everyday seems so full with a list of things that need to be done. I suppose it gets like this every May. Joe and I were laughing about who was covering who's class. I am not the only one who's crazy busy.

I spent a little time working on Monika's campaign poster. We communicated via facebook and text. She gave me the final okay to copy it so it will be ready to hang on Monday. She's at a soccer tournament this weekend. They won their game tonight and she texted that she played a good amount. My husband came home this evening and took Jessi and I out to dinner. We came home built a fire and watched Impossible (2012). 

Rainy Thursday

The day started early and comfortable for a nice walk with Balt. It started to sprinkle as soon as we got back. Monika had an early meeting, so I got to work early. I like getting to work early. Yesterday I walked and I think I may do that more often as the weather continues to warm up. The day was filled with meetings; an IEP, a committee meeting, face-to-face discussion about a situation, a mini staff meeting to go over signage, another face-to-face discussion about another situation, etc. Teaching is A LOT about relationships and meetings, about meeting needs and solving problems. There are times when things all fall into place, everyone communicates what they need to and I feel good about the resolutions, but it's not always like that. Today seemed like a good communication day.

After school I took Balt to a big field to wonder a bit while I stayed in the car and watched from a far. I don't do this often, but when it's pouring rain, it's an option. I picked up Jessi and grabbed dinner for the both of us. I took a short nap and made my way to La Follette again (I was just there yesterday). There had been an accident so I got stuck in a big traffic jam and missed 1/2 the game. I got there to find Monika playing in the 2nd half. I got out my camera and zoom lens only to find I had forgotten the battery. Oh well. I snapped a couple of images with my phone. I wasn't terribly upset, I wasn't sure how I was going to take pictures holding an umbrella and a hot coffee. The girls won 3-1. I got Monika dinner on the way home. She discussed the crazy weekend ahead of her. AP test tomorrow and a soccer tournament over the weekend, AP test on Monday to study for and a band concert on Tuesday to practice for. She's turned in her paperwork to run for senior class president and I've offered to make posters for her. She did NOT like the one I made below! I'm working on a more professional one with her VP.

Teacher Appreciation Week

Yesterday was National Teacher Appreciation Day and I celebrated with a free burrito for dinner. Today parents put on a huge breakfast spread for all teachers at Memorial and my student TA got me a starbucks cup. Once I started teaching high school, teacher gifts became pretty rare. Perhaps academic teachers get a few more. I mostly get gifts for writing college recommendations now. So today's suprise appreciation gift was very special. A good friend of mine reminded me that teaching is an overworked, under-acknowledged occupation. It's certainly NOT about being appreciated often.

I made sure to pass up all the baked goods at the breakfast and only get a bit of eggs and fruit. It kept me full all day. The best gift of all was the wonderful weather--79 degrees by 2pm. I had another day of chipping away at all the things that need to be done. After school I had a couple of meetings and then took Balt for his walk. I made it across town in time to see Jessi run her last race at the city JV meet. She's getting more and more fit and even though she isn't winning any races she's getting ready for the Navy-- which is the goal. 

A Facebook Find

Imagine finding out on facebook that your child has just graduated from college. That was my facebook find for today! Erika's status this afternoon was, "Lololol I graduated from MATC today!" along with the picture above of her tassel (I added her FB profile pic next to it-- she's pretty darn gorgeous).  I had to comment, "Did you go thru the ceremony??" after several notes of congratulations. She replied promptly, "Nope. I'll walk for UW, you can get your pics then :P" which made me feel better. I always find if amusing that my family often communicates on facebook. There have been times when I'm downstairs chatting with a kid upstairs on facebook comments, rather than just talking. It's a modern family thing, I think.

Today was beautiful. It was a nice day with not a lot to report. I feel like every day I chip away at a little something that needs to be done. There is a lot to do, but I'm not feeling overwhelmed at all-- I'm back to the "normal" too much to do. After school Josh and I went to Chipotle to get free burritos in honor of Teacher appreciation week! I purchased 2 burritos for my daughters and got 2 free burritos for Josh and I! Josh was very happy. I picked up Balt from daycare and gave him a free bath. I love that I can use their facility for free when he's there all day. I then made it to a hot yoga class for the first time in two weeks. It is always hard to get back in after even a short absence. I came home and enjoyed my burrito after a shower. I must say, it was a very nice day.

Catching my breath

PCT/Backyard Mondays go by quickly. I ran out during my 3rd hour prep to pick up the softball posters I made for the team and lights that got forgotten at the prom. During my 5th hour prep I did paperwork and promoted the senior send off survey. As of this morning only 27 kids out of 507 seniors had filled it out. Obviously, we have to get more kids' info. I just checked responses and we are up to 50, so we are making some gains.

Afterschool, I ran a few errands and had time to take Balt to a different dog park. It was a glorious day. I picked up Jessi and grabbed dinner from noodles. I had planned to go to a yoga class but fell asleep doing some paperwork. I woke up 2 hours later, 15 minutes after the last class had started. I had decided not to go to Janesville tonight to watch Monika play so that I could have a bit of time to catch my breath and make a yoga class, which I haven't had any time for in the past two weeks. I guess I needed sleep more. Monika came home and reported that she had played most of the game and the team won 7-1. I was sorry I missed out, but it was nice to rest. 

Uploading with my feet up.

I went to bed past 1:30am and at 6:30, Balt was ready to get up and go. We got up around 7am and I started uploaded Prom photos. I went back and put more photos on yesterday's blog post. Balt and I went for a walk around 9am and then I came home and made pancakes for Monika. Jessi left for the WISCA All State banquet with a bunch of her swim team mates in Hartford with the car so I was stuck home, which was fine. She came home with 4 awards 7 hours later. I cleaned the garage and got laundry started and kept uploading photos. Monika worked on it while I worked in the garage. The day was amazing-- 73 degrees and sunny. It looks like we are in for more of the same for most of the week. While it's wonderful to have the prom over and done, there's still so much to do this month, but it was wonderful to have today to relax. Not having a car made it even nicer-- I couldn't even go grocery shopping. It was nice to sit with my feet up while I was paying bills and uploading photos. If you'd like to see all the pics from last night,  they'll be finished uploading sometime tonight at jmmprom2013.imgur.com.

Prom, Prom, Prom

That's all there was time for today. I took Balt into work with me this morning and we walked around the school looking for an open door. When we found one, the two of us ran as fast as we could in the halls to the art department. Then I let him wonder the art park while I gathered supplies for prom prep. I dropped Balt off and picked Monika up and we were at the Alliant Energy Center setting up by 9am. We left at 2pm. The rest of the afternoon we ran a few errands and then got ready. I had my friend, Jen come to do the girls' make up. Jessi's friend, Lauren, did their hair. They both looked amazing. It was a spectacular night. Monika and her friends did a fantastic job with decorations. My only complaint was that my feet hurt. Everything else was perfect.

I did find it interesting that several students thanked me and stressed how much they appreciated me. Earlier I had a parent write a note of appreciation on my FB wall and a teacher friend commented that she appreciated me. Every time I heard someone tell me that they appreciated me, I could not help but think that they had read my blog on Thursday. As I walked out the door with a full cart of stuff to load into my car, a principal yelled out, "good job!" That's about as good as it gets from principals and since he didn't use the word "appreciate" I knew he hadn't read my blog.

(Photos-- Jessi's girl group took pictures at the capitol before dinner, Monika was with a group of 11 couples and they took photos at Centennial Gardens, photo above-- teacher chaparones at prom)

Get Ready!

Today was a high energy, hectic day. The weather was cold and rainy and kids were excited and energetic. I did my best to be as productive as possible without feeling stressed. There is so much to do. After school I loaded the car with photo equipment and unloaded it into my garage. I ran a few errands and took Balt to the dog park. I picked Jessi and then went shopping. I picked up flowers and a frozen pizza for dinner. After Monika cleaned up from her practice the two of us went to the mall to finish up Prom shopping. She finally found a pair of shoes. We got home late but I still had a lot to do. I washed dishes and then started working on corsages and boutonnieres. Corsages are a lot harder than boutonnieres and a lot more time consuming, but they are all in the fridge. Tomorrow will be exhausting, but should be filled with picture taking, but no time to post anything until Sunday.

It's Cold Again

Today was another crazy busy day. I started the morning dropping Balt off at daycare and going into take pictures of the senior scholarship breakfast. My student teacher had a demo and observation during 2nd, after a quick review I ran to set up to sell Prom tickets during my lunch and 4th hour. It was the last day to purchase tickets and I expected a crowd. We sold well over 200 during lunch today and have a total of over 525 going on Saturday. After school Monika had me running errands, I picked up Balt, got Jessi dinner and then I went to Monika's soccer game. It was exciting to finally see her on the field playing soccer. The girls won 5-1 and have become the number one team in the conference.

Today was one of those days when I'm on the go all day and wonder why. When a friend asked me this evening, "what's after Prom?" I answered, "the leadership retreat," I knew he was implying that I'm always working on something and it really didn't matter what. There are days I love it all and feel like everything is wonderful, but then there are days that I feel unappreciated and burned out. I try so hard to please, but no one really cares-- or it doesn't feel like they do. I know the reality is that the reason I'm doing a lot of what I'm doing is for my girls. The question is, once they are gone will I be up to it all. I'm pretty sure the answer will be no. I have another year yet. When I mentioned giving up student government to Monika, she pleaded, "just one more year, mom."  With only 5 weeks left of school and few days of finals, I know summer will bring a nice bit of rejuvenation.  

Quality & Quantity of Life

This has got to be my most stressful week in the school year and I'm happy to report, I'm doing okay. The week leading up to Prom is stressful mostly because of the pressure of "it better be good" from the student body. This year is especially stressful because not only am I the adviser but I am the parent of the president in charge-- I am feeling the squeeze of double duty. Throw on top of Prom adviser duty, newspaper adviser duty which just so happen to come together on the same week. I really only have to work on the paper one week a month & yes, it's this week. I posted it this morning and sent it to print missing a few items that I just didn't want to deal with. One item was the editors note that my daughter, the editor-in-chief was supposed to write but she's deep into senioritis. There's only so much I can do as an adviser to get a kid to write something and there's nothing I can do as a mother...

After a busy day of prom ticket sales and newspaper posting, I chatted with my student teacher who is being observed tomorrow. Luckily she is taking over my morning classes which, quite frankly, allows me the time to get more done. BUT on the other hand takes more time during my prep hours to make sure lessons are being planned and projects are prepped. I'm not sure I'm breaking even, but I don't have time to analyze. After school I met with the Student Government Advisers to plan a leadership retreat at the end of May. While a 3rd adviser duty might seem like too much, it ends up being more social than "duty" and although it's work, it's also fun, so I can't complain. 

I got the girls dinner and then took Balt for a walk. While I walked, I had time to think and breathe. As busy as I am, I have time to walk the dog. I suppose that is the true measure of my life. Even if it's only 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening, it's got to be done and when it's 81 out, it means it's a wonderful part of my day. After Monika's soccer practice, we went Prom shopping. She needs shoes, but she's too picky to get anything, so after several stores, she still doesn't have shoes. We ran around looking for a gathering place for her group to take photos. The barn above was one of the places we visited. We also visited a friend's home as a possible place and it was fun to pop in and say hello to friends.

I've decided that I won't have time for dinner on Saturday night in order to make sure I am free for the girls and I don't want to miss out on photo opportunities. I haven't had time for lunch all week and have been living off of protein shakes and dried fruit. I'm trying to cut down so dressing up on Saturday won't be as painful. It's always a terrible time trying to figure out what I'm going to wear and realizing nothing fits the way I want it to. Every year it gets worse. It seems no matter how much I give up, it's never enough to lose any substantial amount of weight. 

A Taste of Summer

We had a high of 86 by 4pm. The day was just GRAND!! It was a wonderful day for a track meet and a soccer game. Both were away, so I made it to Jessi's meet. She ran the mile and didn't quite make the time she hoped but still ran well. I left the meet after her run and picked up Balt from daycare, then went home to do cleaning. I finished up a couple of projects, did dishes, rested a bit and then went back to the track meet to pick up Jessi. Monika came home shortly after from her soccer game in Sun Prairie. The windows are all open and it's gloriously warm for 10pm (75 degrees)... but it's downhill from here. We're heading back into the 40's by Friday (boowho). 

Very Nice

Today was one of those crazy fast Backyard/PCT Mondays. We sold about 20 tickets during lunch today with the hopes of selling at least 500, it's a slow start for a quick day, but kids forget and people procrastinate. My student teacher is taking over my first two hours of the day allowing me a bit of time in my morning to get paperwork done. I presented a new project in my photo class and spent the afternoon prepping and cleaning. Jessi borrowed my keys to go home during 6th and then Monika took them after school. Instead of running around looking for them, I just walked home.

The weather was absolutely grand. Balt and I went for a walk and then I came home and started washing dishes. My dishwasher broke last week-- flooded the basement. I'm not really sure what is wrong and don't want to test it. I think it may be a pipe busted. It had been leeking for weeks, so when I came home to find water all over the basement last week, it didn't take too long to figure out it had come from the dishwasher (the clothes hanging up in the basement immediately below the machine were all wet). Once the girls got home, we all got soup from Panera and I started working on the May issue of the paper. It was a nice start to a long, busy week. I'm off to bed early. 

A Time Warp

It was a perfect Sunday. My husband & I started the day with coffee and some news. We ventured out for a walk with Balt, who was very pokey. I made breakfast for everyone. We are all loving the mild weather this weekend. It finally feels like spring.

We did a bit of shopping today. Jessi and I went to Kohl's to get a few items for Prom. I tried on a dress and when I looked in the mirror, I did not see me. I saw my aunt Bertha quite vividly. I had to touch my face to feel that the older woman in the mirror was actually me. I realized that I look just like my aunt did when I was in my early 20's-- she was around my age then. The salt in my hair is quickly gaining ground and my skin is looking thin and saggy. Perhaps it was the lighting in the dressing room or just the dress. I left slightly freaked out. Later while laying out in the sunshine, Jessi told me I looked just like Erika. Boy, did that make me feel better. 

I finally got to a yoga class this weekend. I am aware that I need to do more with my body- practice more yoga, swim, ride my bike, etc. Walking the dog just isn't enough to make a difference. I imagine once the girls are done with high school, other than work, that's all I will have to do with my day!? Well, that and write, read, cook, paint, draw and do all the other things I keep telling myself I need more time for.