Teri Parris Ford's Blog

May the Force with you!

Happy Halloween. Yes, I was Princess Leia. While I got plenty of compliments, I was suprized to find students who didn't recognize me. Someone asked if I was a preist, an angel, or a princess? The movie came out in the 70's, and even though it's a cult favorite and a part of popular American culture, it defenately ages me. I think teachers were more impressed then students. Oh well. I had fun! The girls had some fun too. Jessi did not dress up at school she had all her fun yesterday, but decided to borrow my costume and gather some candy this evening. Monika wore a soccer costume all day and had too much homework to have fun this evening. 

Last Chance

After dropping Monika off for her soccer game, Balt and I went up to Indian Lake at 8am. I wanted to get back in time to watch the second half of Monika's game but I had too much fun with Balt and we missed out on taking soccer pictures. It was my last chance until Spring. Instead, I let Balt enjoy his last chance to go swimming. I teased him for a while until he finally got in. I know he had fun.

I finished up my costume and went to Toys R Us to look for a gun. Boy, have times changed. Pretty much the only guns available are made by Nerf and they cost over $20. It wasn't worth purchasing, then having to paint and know I was braking school rules anyway. Oh, well, I will be without a weapon tomorrow (the final hint). My mom guessed that I was going to be the Bride of Frankenstien and I realized I could probably used the same gown, only do my hair differently for next year. Thanks mom!

Jessi spent the day with swim team folks. Monika went driving with her dad and I did a bit of cooking and cleaning. I watched Glee with Erika by the fire for a while this afternoon and then went to yoga. I put my mat next to a woman who is 26 in medical school. I had been her art teacher in middle school. It kind of made me feel old. 

Conference Swim and more

This morning I got up with my husband who ran a half marathon today. I got Monika to her soccer tournament, took Balt for a walk, picked up my veggies and then helped Jessi get ready for her conference swim meet. After everyone was gone, I decided to clean and cook instead of doing yoga. I'm not sure it was the right thing to do but if I don't clean, no one else does and I'm not sure I can enjoy sitting in my own house looking at a mess.

Jessi had a great swim. She came in 6th for her 50, 4th in the 100, 1st for her 200 relay and almost 1st for her 400 relay. There was a DQ that wasn't Jessi's fault and didn't matter for team points. They came in 3rd and seemed okay. Monika did well playing soccer (win and tie) and my spouse survived his run (the survivors get medals). All was well with the universe this evening.

Development Day 2

In an effort to spread good will for all in the school, our department made pancakes for the staff this morning. Pancakes for 200 meant getting to school at 7am. Balt was not that excited to get his walk in the dark this morning, but I squeezed in a quick one for him. I grabbed a coffee and joined my department in the cafeteria to make breakfast. We accomplished our goal.

The morning was spent trying to make sure we got all the things we needed to get done done so that we could have the afternoon free. I scheduled to have newspaper club at 1:30pm which worked out nicely. We went out to Indian food for lunch,where I ate too much. The afternoon was productive and the November issue of the student paper is nearly ready. I feel the students have become more effeciant. 

It was nice to get home, but it was late, almost 5pm. I took Balt for a walk but it started raining so we ran back to the car quick. I am pretty sure he enjoyed seeing me run. I picked up Jess from swimming and got her dinner. I ran a few errands and then enjoyed the evening home with a fire chatting with the girls (all three were home). I am ready for the weekend-- it's going to be a busy one.

Development Day 1

Today I was up at 5:30am just like on a regular Thrusday because Jessi had swim team practice even though there was no school today for students. Teachers have two inservice days now instead of the freedom to go to conventions, like years past. We lost that freedom during our last contract negotiation. Now teachers have to get special permission to go to the convention (ie- prove they are going) and the rest of us go to school and talk instead of sitting around in our pj's grading. It wasn't a waste of time, really. I very much enjoyed the company and the conversations were interesting at times. I took a few random photos of Melissa who didn't seem to mind at all.Tomorrow we are making pancakes!

We got out a bit early and I was hoping to get to a yoga class but instead I took Monika to soccer practice. She was invited to play in a tournament this weekend so she thought it wise to show up to the team's practice. I took Balt to the nearby dog park. It started to rain just as I got there, but then cleared up and showed off a rainbow. Monika had a party to go to after. I came home, built a fire for Jessi to sit and relax by after her evening practice and decided to work on my halloween costume. My first draft was not quite what I had hoped (I looked like a shiny white whale in it), but after turning it inside and out and re-sewing it to make it a little more slimming, I am happy with the result. I need to work on the finishing hemming and the belt (hint #3) before I'm ready to wear it on Monday. I can't wait!

Making media move

We have a great group of students working on videos at school. It's a new art form that has taken hold and I believe will continue to grow in our department. Monika is in the very first art class this year completely devoted to creating nothing but video. One student is creating a series of school sport videos. He started with boys soccer, then made a football one and has begun on the girls swimming video. I think they are marvelous and am very excited for these all to be done. Each one gets better. I do my best to help, sometimes I feel like I'm just being a cheer leader, but I truly feel excited about the stuff these guys are making.

Today during 3rd hour, I ran out to get Monika and I sandwiches because I had meetings all during lunch. As I left the school I notice a very distict smell of pot smoke. It was pretty strong, like someone had filled a room with the stuff very recently. For some reason I made a comment about the smell on my facebook page. Within an hour of making the comment, I had 20 some-odd likes and few comments, mostly all from alumni, including a cute "lol" from Erika. By the time school got out I had nearly 45 likes. I forgot all about it after school as the day got busy with meetings, walking Balt, getting dinner, and going to yoga. I called an old friend and chatted for an hour or so before finally getting to the computer to write my blog and check email. By 10:30pm I had over 50 likes (clearly the buzz was over), but was asked to take the post down by another teacher. I've never made a comment that got that much attention so quickly before and I'm a little baffled as to why, but maybe I shouldn't be. It's estimated that about 40% of our students smoke pot, I've heard numbers as high as 65%, but nothing lower that 30%. I like the 40% number, but think it maybe closer to 65% one. Of my 1400 friends on FB, most are alumni, some current students. So if only 40% of them smoked pot, that's about 500+... so 1/10th of them saw my post and it resonated somehow, enough to like it. Interesting.

Pull 'em up

I took this picture during my class of my student (a very nice boy) who was up by my desk. I couldn't help but pull out the camera and snap... This is no rare event in my classroom, I complain daily about seeing full rumps in underpants with jeans tucked below. How these boys run around like this is beyond my comprehension. I know for a while (early 2000's) girls were wearing ultra low pants with thongs called a "whale tail" but luckily for teachers, this trends came and went quickly. The sagging pants for boys seems to be hanging on like jeans to hips... almost miraculously. I realize that Justin Bieber is just making it worse. After watching his movie last week, I was saddened by his bad example-- he's a sagger too. The school is trying to combat it with belting boys with cheap twine, but it doesn't seem to help. Not until popularity passes. Will it be like the mini-skirt that never really goes away? Boy, I hope not. As much as I think JB is a hottie, I'm not interest in seeing his undies. I certainly don't mind a man's pants riding below his waist on his hips, but without the boxers showing, please... But I hate to think what it might to go to. So, better a boys underwear then his butt crack showing. Would the "plummer's sag" be better? No way!

Today was a nice Tuesday. I finally had time to swim during my lunch. While every class was busy, I felt like I had time to breathe. Monika had a her first meeting for her Europe trip. I can tell she's super excited to go. If I can get 4 more kids to sign up, then I can go too as a supervisor. Jessi went to to the school forest camping after swim practice, so it was just Monika and I for dinner. I took Balt for a walk while she did homework. She had an orchestra concert, so we didn't have alot of leasure time. We hurried home after because she still has a lot of homework. I did dishes and cleaned a bit and am very ready for bed!
 

 

Average School Day

BUT not a normal Monday. It's the first time we've had a full Monday-- no backyard, no PCT. I heard kids complaining about how the long day seemed. I thought it was kind of nice having a regular day. Here's my "average" day:

• 4am- Balt wakes me up early eager to get out
• 5am- Balt seems to have eaten something upsetting his stomach, he needs to get to the lawn fast
• 6am- The coffee is brewing, Balt's been out 4 times already with the runs
• 7am- I wake up the girls before leaving on my walk with Balt. Swim team practice was cancelled, everyone is home for once (not normal)
• 8am- I'm in the car honking to get the girls out the door, Balt is in his crate, my husband is doing his laundry and Erika's still in bed
• 9am- 1st hour clean up in photo1, I didn't grade over the weekend... not sure when I'll get to it.
• 10am- 2nd hour clean up in photo1, more kids are working in this class. I'm finishing up 4th hour posters on the computer.
• 11am- 3rd hour prep time was spent running around-- the office and the computer lab mostly.
• 12 noon- I had lunch with Melissa and Lisa (nice), 4th hour work time. I'm organizing who's doing what for project 3, trying to get the last 6 kids to finish project 2 while I have a couple of kids starting project 4.
• 1pm- 5th hour prep allows me a little time to run home and make sure Balt's okay, he's eager to use the lawn. 
• 2pm- 6th hour metals 1; about half of my class is finishing up project 2 while the other half has started project 3.
• 3pm- 7th hour is by far my most energetic group, but not as chatty as 4th hour. I'm not sure why everyone likes to walk around, but it usually means I can't sit either.
• 4pm- I've cleaned up the metals studio and am talking to Melissa and Joe about technology, late for my tech committee meeting.
• 5pm- I pick up Monika from the B-wing entry. She stayed after to work while I was at my meeting. She's upset because of all the work she still needs to do and she's hungry. 
• 6pm- I need to finish up walking Balt so that I can run to Sam's Club to get a pizza and milk for dinner
• 7pm- I get home to 3 very upset daughters. Hunger has everyone yelling, "why did YOU take so long!?"
• 8pm- I make it to a 7:45 Yin Yoga class that is just what I needed-- long stretching and pulling in a heated room.
• 9pm- I get home, start cleaning and organizing stuff. Jessi needs my help finding something, Monika needs me to burn a disc for her.
• 10pm- Balt and I make our way upstairs to bed. I turn on my laptop and throw a stack of papers on the bed to sort- 1/2 will get tossed out and the other 1/2 will get put in a folder to deal with later. I hope to finish sorting and blogging by 11pm. I'll be asleep within 5 minutes of turning off the lights, Balt's already snoring.

True Colors

Jessi had a teacher who played Cyndi Lauper's True Colors in class all the time, now she hates the song, says it's like nails on a chalkboard. Funny how associations work. I still like the song and as I walked Balt at Indian Lake with family, the Fall colors were amazing and I thought of that song. 

I've been thinking my blog has been a bit boring lately. I'm feeling a little stymied  Everyday I think about things I could write and then at the end of the day a lot of those ideas evade me. As I approach 1700 posts, it gets harder to be insightful especially as I have to be so very careful about who I write about. My family is more and more reluctant to have me mention them (my husband now forbids me to show his likeness). Luckily the dynamic of who I am is not so locked up with my family although I am still doing a lot for my younger two, but I only have a couple of years left of that. Yet, lately all I seem to write about is about how I walk my dog and cart my kids around. Perhaps, those are the highlights of my day?

There's so much I'd like to do everyday that doesn't get done and the older I get, the harder time I seem to have getting all that I have to do done. I've heard from retired friends that it doesn't necessarily get easier after work is out of the picture. Having just finished the series The Tudors on Netflix, I still have Henry's lament of time being the only thing he could not recover. I have a full understanding that all have the same amount of time, both the rich and poor, BUT the young seem to have so much more then the old! My perception of time is so changed in the last 10 years. Am I truly that much more busier with my time? Maybe. 

Clean the Garage Day

Today was a most beautiful day. It was the kind of day, you don't really expect. At least I didn't. I had to get some pictures together for Jessi this morning after taking her to swimming at 7am. Balt was eager to go, but it was after 8am by the time we got out to our field a couple of blocks away. There was no time for lakes or dog parks today. By the time it was 9am, the warmth of the sun was taking over and mittens were off. Balt was in heaven.

Jessi had swim team stuff to do all day and Monika volunteers to coach soccer for little kids on Saturday mornings; she then went to a friend's ski-jumping practice in order to do some video shooting for her class. I was home alone all afternoon. I got the garage cleaned, had a half cord of wood delivered, and started sewing my halloween costume. I feel more prepared for winter now. My costume's not quite done yet. I have hems and a few tweeks. The costume is supposed to have a turtle neck collar but I couldnt' find a pattern with that look, so I'm not sure what to do. By mid-night, I decided it needed to wait until later to figure it out (hint #2).

After my 3pm yoga class, I made dinner for Jessi and I. Jessi went to bed early so I watched the last two episodes of the Tudors. I was inclined to watch Lady Jane (1986) after that. It had been quite a while and continued the Tudor saga seemlessly. The first time I watched Lady Jane was on a date with Ed DeLong in Westwood. After the movie was over I was giddy (loved it) and my date leaned over and asked, "please don't tell anyone we saw this movie together." I never went on a date with him again, although we are still facebook friends :). After watching it tonight, I was left with that same giddy feeling. Definately the kind of movie you want to watch with someone you're in love with.

Puppies, Sisters & toilet paper

One of my students got a puppy for her birthday, so of course I let her bring it to school. Not to would make me hypocritical. While it was somewhat distracting, it made for a fun class. It was a very cute puppy.

As soon at 4pm hit, I started running around and I'm still going (after midnight as I type). Between Jessi, Monika and Balt I was driving around, picking up, dropping off and making purchases. While Jessi is not swimming in a meet tomorrow, her swim team "sister" is and for some reason (tradition) Jessi has to go all out. I'd like to kick who ever invented sister gifts for the swim team. I got pictures and candy for all the JV girls. Jessi decided "she'd" make a fleece-tied blanket but not only did I have to go buy the stuff, I actually ended up having to make it-- she didn't have time. I sewed some letters on it and then sat and watched Jane Eyre (2011) while tying it together. I think Jessi is out t.p.-ing houses. The funny thing is that I think Monika is out doing that too. Erika came home early and went to bed-- and that's quite different for a Friday night. 

Some of the things girls hate about guys:

In Drawing yesterday, Josh found two pages of numbered reasons why girls hate boys. He passed the list on to me and I'm posting a few of my favorite reasons...
1) They lie
3) They cheat
11) They're boring to text
14) They don't listen or pay attention
21) They ask you for money
26) They're too protective
32) They play too much
37) They forget what they told you
51) They think they're strong
53) They don't know how to talk to girls
59) They don't understand
64) They smell bad
73) They're self-centered

As entertaining as this list was to read, I thought it quite refreshing to see in pencil on the back of the second page, "Things I hate about girls-- 1.they make retarded lists. 2.they think their fat." It made me wish I had had a son.

Running

I wish I could run on empty, but I can't. I seem to always find time eat, no matter how much running around I do. I had a newspaper club meeting this morning at 7:30am. I have been bringing donuts to these meetings and even with one sugar donuts left at the end, I didn't even have to smell it. Not that I didn't want it, I just refused to let it tempt me. My "no sugar for a month" diet has been cheated on, but in general, I'm doing fairly well. I've learned to snack on salty foods instead. 

My classes are great, but the energetic ones keep me on my toes. That's not bad. I had an appointment today to have Balt assessed for daycare and he passed. I signed him up for 2x a month-- at $22 a day, I thought it would be a nice treat for him in the winter months especially. After school, I had to take Monika shopping and make some purchases for Jessi before taking Balt out on his walk but it did happen. It was a beautiful evening, but very brisk-- below 50. 

2 steps forward...

and 1 step back? 

I went to a Bikram hot yoga class for the first time this month this evening. Bikram is quite a different beast from power yoga or other Vinyasa flow yoga. I'm not sure what it is that makes it so intense. Only going once a month makes it very hard to feel much progress. My right foot has begun to hurt again, mostly in the heal. So my balance suffers greatly. It seems as soon as I feel like I am moving forward, I get set back a bit again.

The day was busy at school. There too, I start feeling like everything is awesome and then I get moments of feeling like I am drowning. There is so much to do at times, but I have learned to just tread water when I need to. I am very excited about the posters my Media class have produced. Of course only about half of them are done with the other half trickling in. Once finished, I need to get them printed and displayed. It is my hope that once on display, this class will get some positive exposure. It's a class with a lot of energy. If that energy can be used to bring positives messages to the student body, than I will feel I have had great success. 

Represent

It was Jessi's last dual meet and it was parent night. Because it was against an easily beaten team, Jessi was swimming events she rarely swims. Because I didn't want to miss the time when parents were called up to get flowers from the swimmers and take pictures, I actually got to the meet fairly early and stayed nearly the whole time. This year's pic isn't as great as last years, but it's kind of fun to look at them after three years (I'll save the blog post of all of them together for next year).

The day started early. I made breakfast sandwiches for the swim team this morning. Jessi was happy with my presentation of food. All the moms take turns bringing in food twice a week for the team and while I don't feel the need to necessarily be better then them all, I don't want to embarrass Jessi with something gross. Between the serving of breakfast and the meet this evening, it made for a super long day. I did manage to get in a walk for Balt after school, before the meet. He was super eager to get out and wasn't too thrilled to go back into his crate. I wanted to get a late yoga class in but opted to go to bed early tonight instead. I'll be happier in the morning.

Autumn Monday

Today was a beautiful, brisk Autumn Monday. I didn't leave enough time this morning to take Balt for a good walk this morning so I made sure to get a nice one in this afternoon. He had a power house walk yesterday, so I didn't feel too bad about the quick walk up and down our block before school. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage these morning walks in sub-zero weather, but I won't worry about it yet. I wanted to change things up and get into the woods today, but with two after school meetings, I knew it would be difficult to get outside of Madison before dark. Plus, I had a ton to do. Owen woods is not only a beautiful park, but very close to our house-- so I made my way there as soon as I had dropped off a salad where the swim team was having their potluck, around 5:30pm. Balt and I enjoy a wonderful walk on a path paved with fallen leaves at dusk. By 6:30pm it was getting too dark to take pictures. I dropped Balt off and then went to Sam's Club to buy food for the swim team breakfast tomorrow morning. It's my turn to make it, so I'll be up early cooking.

I fell in love with Justin Bieber sorting socks

So this morning at 6am, Balt was eager to get up and I just figured I might as well get up and start working on the laundry. I got it all done but it took me all day. After watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), I was fully prepared for Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011). Let's be honest both movies were made for teen-aged girls and well, inside, there's a big part of me that is still a silly teen-aged girl. I won't lie, I teared up a bit during the JB movie. He's adorable and his story is kind of amazing. I'm ready to go out and buy a JB t-shirt and wear it with pride. I had already been following him on Instagram and now I'm following him on Twitter. Several of years ago my brother took us to the Jillian's at the Universal CityWalk, so when JB's Baby video came out, the girls were quite excited to say they had been there. I have to admit I like all of his songs, especially U Smile.

So by noon, the socks were finally sorted and the laundry nearly all done. My husband took Balt out to the woods  with his friend who had a dog. It was kind of nice to have the day off of "walk duty", but I kind of missed it too. Monika had another soccer game. I dropped her off and her dad picked her up so that I could make it to a yoga class. It was a wonderfully relaxing day.

Living in the present

 After driving all the way to Indian Hills dog park with my spouse, we found it closed for a race-- super dissappointing for Balt especially. BUT we ran over to the Middleton park. Although it is inferior, we got a good walk in. It was quite brisk this morning but warmed as the day went on. Today was a busy day for the Ford family, but not too busy for an afternoon yoga class. Jessi had a big swim invite that I decided not to attend. I knew it would be exciting, but it would take the whole day away and Monika had a soccer game. Monika ended up getting a ride with her friend to the game and her dad went to watch, so that gave me even more time to cook and do laundry. While I enjoyed my yoga class, I missed out on taking pictures of either Jess or Moni, but it made for a very relaxing day...

During yoga we are asked to come to the mat and practice in the present. All thoughts of the day, the week the season, the future and the past are let go. I think only of what it is my body is doing and sometimes what it needs, like to stop and breathe or drink. Today was a tough class but a very present hour. Below, Melissa shared an animation about how we think of time and I thought it extremely interesting. I thought I'd share it too. I came to better understand how it is I think of time after watching it.

 

Moving On

The school year is well on the way. My classes are settling in nicely. There's a lot of energy in them-- positive energy. I was told by a couple of seniors today that my class was more difficult than their physics class. I had a very hard time believing that, but I never took physics. Maybe it would have been easy for me!?

Autumn has finally come to Wisconsin in full force and I'm enjoying to slow down as the weather cools. My husband mentions moving up to Minnesota to me weekly and as much as I hate the idea of living north, I am getting used to living in 4 seasons. The change of pace with the change of seasons makes for a more interesting life. 

Tonight both our football and swim teams had matches against Middleton. Both had a lot riding on the meet ups, neither prevailed. While JMM didn't beat Middleton, Jessi did get a PR on her 200 and did pretty darn good on her 100-3rd place but only less than 1/2 a second away from first. She was please with her new coach which is actually the old coach seemed pleased with the results of the meet as a whole. Middleton is most likely the second fastest team in the state, so a very close meet, although a loss means possibly being third in the state. There is still a lot of hope to hang on to dispite the big changes this week. Jess came home in good spirits and that was all that really mattered to me.

Sunshine behind me...

The morning started with showers, so I went back to bed after getting Jessi up. Poor Balt leaned on my legs in bed pouting. It was nice to get a bit extra sleep but I made sure to take him for a long walk after school, luckily the sun was out and the air was comfortable.

It was a nice Thursday. We met as a department for lunch and I was reminded at how much I enjoy my collegues. I want to laugh at work, and they sure do help with that. I chatted away with my practicum student about this and that. I talk too much sometimes.

Monika went to the tennis state game to watch 1 doubles play and Jessi went to a team potluck, so I was home alone. I was very tempted to go to yoga, but I stayed home to clean the floors-- vacuuming and mopping. Jessi is fighting a cold, as well as recovering from an emotional week. Monika is relieved to be done with tennis but still excited that a couple of team-mates are going on to state. We'll all be in bed early tonight!

Good Day

We had rain in the forcast for the day, but I got in not one but two walks with Balt today AND a yoga class. It was a very good day. This morning at 5am, I normally let Balt out to pee while I do the same inside. He pulled his leash off the hook and brought in to me instead of going out. It was absolutely adorable. He loves his walks! I hurried up to get ready so that we could get out before the rain got bad. I left when it was still dark and watched the sunrise as we walked. It was pretty dramatic with all the clouds. On the way home I caught a rainbow, then by the time I got home it started raining harder. We got lucky again after school. I left as soon as I could to catch a yoga class and then took Balt out for late walk. While it did sprinkle the whole time, as soon as we got inside, it started pouring. 

The school day was perfect, aside from a noisy 7th hour, every class was wonderful. It was one of those easy days where everything is just on auto. This evening was the first book club of the new school year. I heard from many that this year seemed more stressful. I love this group of women-- we have so much in common. The book chosen didn't get read by many but I'm excited for the next one. Yoga, two walks and time for socializing! There haven't been enough days like today.

The Announcement

Today was a pretty normal Tuesday until 4th hour when one of the swimmers in my class told me that Jessi's swim coach had resigned. I was quite surprised and knew Jessi would be upset. It was all the gossip for the rest of the day. Memorial is kind of small town like that. 

I've been telling Jess to trust this coach since August. The season has been so hard on so many levels- a new coach, new philosophy, harder workouts, harder classes in school to juggle. While some girls openly celebrated that this coach is now gone, Jessi openly wept. She had complained about the hard work, like all of the girls, but had started seeing the pay off just in time. She had earnestly trusted this woman was doing the best for her. Luckily for Jessi and the program, the athletic director used to be the swim coach and could take over. It was going to be time to trust someone else. In the end, last years coach volunteered to come back and finish up the last month. While Jessi was ecstatic to have a familiar person back, knowing that transition will be close to seamless, she's still saddened by the loss. I'm hoping it will work out in the end.

I didn't get to yoga as I hoped. I went to pick up Jessi from a JV swim meet she was cheering at and she couldn't leave until the end which didn't end until way later then we had hoped. I sat around chatting with students and parents, playing games on Jessi's phone. It wasn't a terrible way to end the day, but I would have rather been doing yoga.

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood

Mondays move fast. There's backyard and PCT packed into the school day, shortened periods and more to do. It was a great day. I got an order placed and some paperwork finished to get the art department 3 smartboards. After school I took Monika shoe shopping and to get a haircut. I need one too, but I'm waiting until after halloween because long hair for my costume (hint #1). I had to go to the grocery store to get milk and a few other things on the list for lunches mostly. I came home made grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and went to yoga. I ran to get gas and buy a gift after my class. I came home, cleaned up and am ready for sweet sleep, wishing I hadn't surfed the web for the last hour.

Lovin' this warm Autumn streak!

So far October in Madison has been wonderful--no rain, lots of sun and warmth! This weekend was an 80's dream. Balt enjoyed an early run through the dog park. We took our time, enjoying the walk in the park in the sunshine.  As soon as I got home, I had to rush Monika to get ready for her soccer game out in Belleville. I took Balt along for company. I didn't have much time after the game to get ready for my 3:30 yoga class. There was no way I was going to miss it. 

During our cool down, the instructor read from an article in the NY Times about yoga. While yoga can lower ones metabolism (thus making you fat), it also lowers ones fight-or-flight hormones and improves circulation and inner flexibility. Now I know why I haven't lost as much weight as I had hoped doing so much yoga, but also know I am calmer, much calmer. 

Having a husband home for the weekend is nice but it doesn't help me with housework. The laundry is still not done, but we had a wonderful spaghetti dinner. The girls were all home and it was rare dinner with all five of us. I wanted to take a picture, but no one would allow it. The girls all have tons of homework. Everyone is tired even after the weekend. We are talking about vacation already. 
 

Halloween Candy Time

Last night I went to Costco to get supplies to make quiches for Jessi's swimteam breakfast. Every year the juniors host a big breakfast at the beginning of October, so I made quiche for 30 girls. While at Costco, I grabbed a big bag of halloween candy since it was on sale and I knew the family would like some-- especially the girls for their lunches. I have given up sugar for the month and thought I could withstand the temptation and I did... last night. So a big bag of chocolate candy filled with everyone's favorite and which one do you think was the hardest one not to eat?

After a wonderful day of going to the dog park, cleaning my car, yoga and making tacos for dinner with whole family, I was cleaning up and the dish with the candy only had one chocolate calling my name... can you guess which one? And while I would love to eat all of them, Snickers is the least tempting-- mostly because of the famous "watermelon and snicker diet" I did in 9th grade. My husband goes nuts of over peanut M&M's, but not me. Love the Kitkat and Crunch and I must say Reese's is a favorite but not the one that will make me break my no sugar diet. Of course, it's the Almond Joy. All that coconut and big almond covered in chocolate. Had they included dark chocolate, I would have had two.

After dinner Monika and I went to the fabric store to buy fabric for my halloween costume. I got an idea for this year since halloween is on a school day. As I was getting my fabric cut out the lady next to me had the same color fabric and was ordering almost as much as I was. I over heard her tell the person cutting her fabric what she was going to be and it's the SAME thing as me! I couldn't believe it. I almost changed my mind, but Monika assure me I would not bump into this woman at work, so not to worry about it. Okay, now I have to cut out a pattern and actually sew it together... I got three full weeks still. I can't wait! While I'm in the halloween costume spirit, I thought I share my favorite snl halloween costume bit by Adam Sandler. Enjoy!

Love Friday!

It was a beautiful autumn day in Madison. The kind of day one would love to take off work and go for a bicycle ride-- while others may have, I couldn't. I had some catching up to do from my 2 days off earlier this week and I'm feeling a like I might be there. The day went fast, especially with student government meeting during the lunch hour. I ran out to get sandwiches for me and the girls who both attend my meeting. It was my turn to do an inclusionary activity and did a staring contest that was supposed to be done in silence with the exception of being able to say three words, "I love you."  After that we talked about cyberbullying, and had the student watch a couple of youtube videos that were pretty depressing, but it's stuff we got to talk about with high school kids.

After school Jessi had a swim meet. I ran home to walk Balt then went back to the meet with my husband. It was the first time I was able to get to one of meets and watch the whole thing. She's swimming well. Afterward we picked up Monika and went out to dinner as a family. It was super fun. I ran to Costco after to get ingrediants to make quiche in the morning for a swim team breakfast. I'm so looking forward to this weekend. I really want to get some extra sleep and am hoping to enjoy some marvelous weather!

Thursday Nite Lights

When you get to work at 7:30am and then don't get home until 10pm, it's super hard to stay awake to get any work done, especially posting a blog. My practicum teacher was observed today during 4th and I lost out on prep time due to an IEP meeting. The day zoomed by but the parent newsletter got done and November Sword & Shield got planned. 

I did get away for a quick walk with Balt and Monika, then dinner. The only way I would get Monika dinner was if she came with me to walk Balt. She was reluctant but then enjoyed running around with him. It was fun to watch the two of them play.

Tonight instead of working the ticketbooth, I was out in the stands supervising students. This was an interesting switch up for me. I have been selling tickets now at football games for 7 years. It's weird that it has been that long now. So tonight when I showed up and found both booths filled with staff, I wondered if I had finally been fired. I know that box of money is never is right--luckily its over as much as it is short. I wondered around looking for the athletic director socializing and enjoying the Indian summer heat for October. The night air was perfect. My assignment was switched up due to some miscommunication, having nothing to do with my math skills. I stood in the stands people watching mostly, occassionally watching a winning football game. It was fun for about an hour or two and then I was eager to get off my feet and rest. The girls stayed home to get homework done and unwind. The week had been quite full.

I have noticed that my brain is built in such a way that the pathway between my conscious brain and unconscious is very short. It very easy for me to slip away into sleep. I often loose consciousness in yoga, slipping into a deep sleep quickly but luckily finding my way out relatively quickly. I know this path is slipperier when I am tire. I can find myself fighting to stay awake but unable to. Evenings are particular slippery, especially after getting up at 5am. I long for the weekend when I have time to sleep and the lights aren't so bright during the day. 

The retreat is over

The day was absolutely beautiful and full of time for thought and discussion about the issues in public education in Madison. I feel strongly about public schools. I have been a student at both private and public schools. I have sent my children to primarily publics schools (can't count pre-K) because I feel that is where my girls can gain the best skills to equip them for real life. We stayed in Madison because the PUBLIC schools were strong. I am willing to spend my time and energy making sure they stay strong for my grand children. We had the morning with our superintendent, asking questions about school funding, school choice, community, equity, assessments, and relationships. We then took time with that information to reflect and decide how to procede. I came up with a grand idea in my reflection time, that I will begin to pursue. Another big project that will keep me too busy.

I drove straight to school after the conference to touch base with a student who was working on the parent newsletter. Monika was still with her tennis team and Jessi was at swim practice. After spending time connecting with Mel and Joe, I left to get a very clean Balt. He was very excited to see me and seemed older. It was fun to get a "report" on his time at the resort with photos. I felt very proud when they told me they really liked him and wanted to see him again and then realized I had just spent a bunch of money there, so of course they want Balt back!

I am up late tonight finishing up the newsletter, feeling like I am eager to get back to normal. Maybe I should say the "new normal!" That was a term the state senator used yesterday to describe the state education is in... basically doing more with less.  

A beautiful place to think about education

I spent the day with professionals discussing public school education. We heard from a legislative fiscal bureau director first. Discussing the state budget is not fun, but it can be interesting, especially when you see how numbers can't lie. They say a lot about Wisconsin. After lunch we had a panel that included a state senator, an asst. state superintendent, a school board lobbiest and our union president. So many different personalities with oppossing point of views discussing education at the same table. We broke out into small groups to get into deep conversations and then went for a walk in the country on an amazingly beautiful day in groups of two. I was paired up with an East High tech ed teacher who teaches video. It was cosmic. I am taken back by depth of the discussion. Tomorrow we bring our thoughts to our school superintendent.

Taking this time away is kind of awesome, but it comes at some cost. I have Balt at a pet hotel so I don't have to worry about him. I missed Monika playing tennis at her sectionals game. I'm missing my kids at home tonight. I actually missed teaching today-- even my 4th hour class (I think especially my 4th hour class). I was supposed to finish the parent newsletter and I feel bad about putting it off while I'm here. It's going to be nice to go to bed early tonight and not have to wake up at 5:30 to get Jess to swim team or walk Balt. While it feel good about being in such a scholarly surrounding, discussing important issues, but I'll be so happy to pick up Balt and have dinner with my kids tomorrow night.

PCT Monday

I started my day at the dog park with Balt, enjoying wonderful Autumn weather. We are in for a grand week. The day flew by. PCT Mondays do that. I had to leave early to get Balt to the vet for a fecal exam and a Bordetella vaccine so that he could go to the pet hotel tomorrow. There was something weird in his poop, but I didn't investigate too much. There's always weird stuff in his poop, he eats everything. It ended up being a panty liner. The vet told me to start saving now for the surgery he's inevitably going to need to get the crazy thing he eats out. She said she has done the surgery many times, most recently on an 8lb yorkie who ate a whole package of pony tail rubber bands. The hundred or so bands got all tangled up in his gut so that he stopped eating and pooping. Luckily Balt can pass most everything he chomps on, but one of these days he will bite off something bigger than his intestines, then I'm in for a thousand dollar surgery. I'm not looking forward to it and hoping I can get him to cut out the non-food snacks. 

After the vet we went to the hotel to get paperwork done and check it out just to make sure it was acceptable. I think he's going to have fun. I know I am-- I'm going to a conference Tuesday and Wednesday. I purchased a take-n-bake pizza for the girls and started working on my sub notes and the parent newsletter that is due tomorrow. I'm having a student work on it tomorrow while I am gone, hoping that he can finish it up. We'll see.