Teri Parris Ford's Blog

October and Autumn in the House

After a month of being focused totally on school and getting well, I started feeling like I needed to get something accomplished. The busyness of Homecoming did not really affect me but I did need to stay in town to supervise the dance, so I spent my Saturday painting a wall and ceiling in the dining room. Monika wants to re-do the floors as well but that will have to wait. The new color is crisped white and I know changing the dark colors to bright white will be better for when it is time to sell. 

The weather has been perfect since Fall began on my birthday. The perfect walking weather. I went for a Sunday drive today out to see Winker and we went for an afternoon hike with her kids. She order pizza and it made for a perfect Sunday.

 

57 and no big deal

I turned 57 on Friday. It was great day spent with students, lunch with Erika, a quick Costco trip for cake and lots of treats at the end of the day. My colleagues helped me eat cake after school. I came home to an empty house, built a fire and watched some tv. Jim got home super early Saturday and we spent the day together enjoying the Fall weather with coffee, a long walk and lunch out. It's been a fabulous weekend!

I certainly don't feel 57. I recall my mom explaining how she never felt as old as she was, I think it gets harder the older I get to deal with how my body is starting to fail me. I am afraid of falling because I fall more often. I go slow and hang on for balance to keep myself from falling. I think I'm being obnoxious sometimes, but I saw my fall many times and she was obnoxiously careful so I realize, you can't be careful enough. I see subs at school in their 70's still going strong and I certainly hope I can make past my parents (who died way too young in their mid 70's). I'm shooting for 90's, so I still have a lot of life in me to live!

Weekend Project

I went up to Rochester for the weekend to help Jim with the house. He was gone the whole month of August and then got back just before school started and did not have time to work on the yard. I was eager to visit after spending the first two weekends of September at home recuperating and relaxing. While Jim worked on the lawns (weeding and mowing) I tackled the mailbox area. Last fall I planted daffodils which did not bloom. Instead the area was overgrown with weeds and some plant with thick roots that would not pull. Jim had decided he wanted brick. I still wanted daffodils but since I cannot keep the area up, I gave in to the red bricks. I was unable to get it all straight since the roots were too thick. I will need to re-do it all next summer with a saw. We'd like to replace the mailbox in the future as well. Anyway, it looks way better but boy, was I exhausted afterward!

Jim took me out for a very nice dinner and I must say the yard looked so nice. It was a fun Saturday working on the house together. I suppose the whole idea of working on the house together is still kind of new and still feels fun. We ended the evening on the patio watching the stars. On Sunday we went out to breakfast. We buy one meal, he gets an omelette and I get all the sides. It's perfect. We spent a little more time on the yard; I applied weeder and watered, while he finished up a few problem areas. It was a great weekend together in Minnesota.

I finally got COVID

I'll be honest, I got too cocky. I really thought after over 2 years, I was immune. I stopped wearing masks and fearlessly entering crowded spaces. Well, I have no idea at what point I got it but I started getting a sore throat a couple of days ago which I thought was from talking more and I had a deep tissue massage on Wednesday so when I felt body achs on Thursday, I assumed it was from my massage. But by Friday after school, the onset of head congestion, cough and fever was overwelming. I took an at home test and it was positive. The worst part for me is the sore throat-- so painful, especially with the cough.

My schedule this semester is great. The best part of my day is sharing a class with Erika during 4th hour.  I love my classes. I hate that I will miss much of next week due to having COVID but my impression from the first day is that my classes a very easy going. Of course I only had one day with my kids. I will spend my Labor Day weekend, coughing and prepping sub instruction. I had planned to travel to Rochester for the weekend but will stay home and rest instead.

The only other thing to report is that Monika finally got her car back from the shop with a new catalytic converter. She has a road trip planned. Jessi got a return date for home (mid October)- finally. We are all excited to visit her for Thanksgiving.

 

34 years ago today...

Jim drove down today to take me out to dinner to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary. It had been a busy week for both of us, so it was really nice to connect. Erika and Monika joined us for a rented movie from Amazon-- Nope, which was really fun. We spent some time looking at our calendars for the rest of the year to schedule weekends to connect, trying to connect at least once a month. 

On Wednesday, I went back to work, but not in our building due to construction. It was great to connect with our art team and socialize. I got to organize my first dept meeting as dept head which went well. After all the meetings, I went home and continued to work on fine tuning issues upstairs. I finished the hallway trim and problem solved some electrical issues (all but one, that I still can't get). Not being able to get into the building really kept me from getting too much work done. It will mean a pretty busy week next week. 

 

Summer Vacation's Week #10

The week kicked off with a couple of days in MN with Erika and Monika. With Jim gone all month, I went up to check on the house and mow the lawn. We celebrated Erika finishing grad school for the summer and enjoyed a nice break from the work in the condo. The weather was quite mild, which made our time so nice. 

The floors finallys got finished upstairs. Of course there is still a lot details to attend to like trim and baseboards but the hardest part is over and I'm thrilled to finally be completely carpet free in the condo. Eventually we will need to pull the carpet out of the MN house but that won't happen until after I retire most likely. My plans for next week got sidelined as we still won't have access to the school building. It actually gives me a bit more time at home so not a bad thing at all. Although this was my last full week of summer, I still have a few days off before we kick off the school year on Wednesday at the Allient Energy Center. 

Summer Vacation Week #9

Finally! Progress was made upstairs and a push to take my very last week of summer to finish all the flooring upstairs. I really dilly dallied through the first 2 weeks of August especially on the flooring. Once Monika jumped in to help, we got it done. I have to admit, she did all the really hard work of pounding in the floors. I did all the cutting in the garage and would bring up the pieces to her. We got the room done (see photos below) and I was eager to keep going but we definitely needed a break. We have trim and detail work to do in the middle room and I have to empty out and pull out carpets from my bedroom before moving on. We picked out a very thick, water resistant laminate that was not easy to work with. Hindsight, I really wish we had picked out a flexible vinyl, but oh well. I want a seemless look for whole upstairs and that was why really held things back-- trying to get around the corners of the doorways since the planks were so darned stiff and not easy to work with, but we figured out a way to get done. I finished painting the hallway by buying a long ladder to reach the high ceiling. 

I managed to get in a coffee date with Melissa and Joe this past week which made it a fun week. I am getting excited for school to start. I contacted Josh to make a schedule which we have not had on display for a few years. I also started working on our budget and some department goals. Looking at my schedule for the next year-- I can see it is going to be a good school year. Note: Jim is still up north doing army things, Erika is finishing up her grad classes this weekend, Jessi is still in Finland and Monika is working at REI part time, looking for a full time job and at home helping me with flooring.

Summer Vacation Week #8

August kicked off this week with Jim out on the field with the Army (photo of tent), Monika celebrating the end of her program (photo of her at Charlie concert), Jessi's ship is in Finland (photo with group) and Erika done teaching elementry summer school but still working on her UW coursework. I decided to take the week to fast since I offered my truck to Monika to leave for the week on a mini vacation she kicked off with Charlie XCX concert in Indianapolis. My 5-7 day fast was shortened to only 3 days because I felt so sick. Rather than spend a whole week getting nothing done, I decided to change it up after 3 days of misery. I kept my diet light but with enough to allow to get a bit of exercise in (a walk or yoga) and some housework in. I still lost 3 lbs. While the goal was not to loose weight-- I had read an annual fast could keep cancer and other diseases away-- I'm still trying to get rid of my winter weight and am almost there.

A week without a car means not having a lot of choices on what to do but I've found a bunch of things around the condo. I've cleaned out the junk drawer, cleaned a big corner out in the basement, stained the stairs, started painting the hallway, continue to work on the school newspaper website, met with Melissa for coffee, gave Balt a "bath" out on the front lawn, changed and washed bedding, and made both french onion soup and potato soup, not to mention watching a coupld of movies and a couple of seasons of a tv show. I've got 2 weeks left and I'm starting to get eager to start working on school prep but I'm trying to hold off and keep working on home projects.

Summer Vacation Week #7

Well, July is just about over. I spent my week chipping away at painting our extra bedroom with goal to create a comfortable office space for Jim when he visits, or Monika if she ends up getting a job that offers her the flexibility to work from home. I have to be honest, I did not work more than a few hours a day, so work was slow going. I went to the pool and spent a lot of time just relaxing or hanging out with the girls. I had coffee with a retired teacher friend one morning. Next week I start floors and have my first meeting with students. Summer school is over, so I will start prepping for my fall classess but just a bit. I certainly don't want to work to hard all at once so starting early working a bit at a time. 

Summer Vacation Week #6

I started the week in Rochester and moved back to Madison midweek. Jim had a bunch of army meetings and tasks that I decided I would leave him to do on his own while I went back to Madison to work on remodeling an upper room and get back to the pool and yoga. The first thing on my agenda was seeing the new Thor movie with Monika. We went to a matinee on a Thursday when educators and students get a discount. I am still working on summer school supports and chipping away on updating the student newspaper website. I start meeting with students in August and will start working on prepping for the new semester BUT I am trying not to do too much school work!

 

Summer Vacation Week #4

The week started in Madison celebrating July 4th on Monday but on Tuesday morning I left for Rochester. The first thing I did was start looking for an outdoor swimming pool. There are not nearly as many in Rochester as there are in Madison, but I found one that was part of an athletic club with tennis courts, an indoor track and a yoga studio. I paid for Jim and I to have guest access for two weeks. It's a bit of a splurg but I have to admit being able to continue my daily swim is very wonderful and keeps me feeling like at least I'm getting something active done everyday!

On Thursday, Jim took me to St. Paul, where the MN capitol is and we visited a couple of museums, including the Historical Society. We plan to go again next week so Jim can do some research. I am hoping to do my own research as well, on my grandma Parris who was born in St. Paul. 

As I approach the middle of summer, I am feeling not so productive -- watching way too much tv and enjoying tons of leisure time in the sunshine. Spending time in Rochester always gives me a hint of life as a retired person. The feeling of knowing I have a million things I can do, but nothing I have to do is difficult and easy. Difficult to figure out where to start but so easy to just put my feet up and enjoy myself. Life in Rochester is very comfortable, but quiet. I ordered some walking sticks so I could get a bit more aggressive about walking. Jim and I worked on some financial paperwork for retirement planning, we cleaned our patio in order to paint the deck this weekend. I brought a few keyboards from the condo basement for Jim to set up here. I've watched a much of MCU movies in preparation for the new Thor movie-- so summer vacation-like!

It's July; Summer Vacation Week #3

Jim drove down yesterday from MN after spending the last few weeks in NJ doing army work and having a few days at home to catch up. We are spending the holiday weekend in Madison so we can spend time with the girls. Last night Monika took Jim to a concert (Disturbed) at Summerfest for his father's day gift. They had a blast. While I know I would have enjoyed the concert tons, I had my turn already.

I have not been too productive this week, but I did start a painting using a new "pourable" paint media that I have not tried before. It is pretty trendy. I am wanting to learn how to do beach and water type paintings. I tried a small resin pour over last summer and then a larger one over winter break but found it so messy and quite expenive. This time I used a waterbased media called floetral. I gathered sand and rocks from the beach by Jessi's house in Ocean View and hope to give this painting to her. We are having an art show in September that I will show it at first, as well as a few others I hope to create before the end of the summer.

Summer Vacation Week #2

I spent my 2nd week of summer vacation in Norfolk enjoying quite a bit of leisure. I was hired to help as a consultant for summer school, so I did spend quite a bit of time this week working on an art class curriculum. I really did not do a lot of work at Jessi's house and felt very much like I was staying at a vacation home. I was so well taken care of by Jessi's housemate and husband, it felt like quite the luxurious week away!

I spent my Sunday driving home with pleasant weather and no traffic. I realized that next time I drive out east or west that doing so on weekends will make a big difference on timing. Weekday traffic in big cities really bog down a drive. I spent a whopping $602 in gasoline! That is more than double what I spent the last time I drove out. I could have flown first class for that much but could not have taken Balt with me. I am reluctant to buy another gas guzzler if gas prices stay this high. Hopefully electric SUVs happen in the future!

Flag Day?

Today is not only Flag Day, it's my mom's 75's birthday. I listened to a bunch of John Denver songs while driving through West Virginia #almostheaven and cried-- omg, she LOVED John Denver!! I'm spending my first week of Summer at Jessi's house helping out (while she's serving our country in the Baltic Sea). It's exactly how she would want me to celebrate her birthday... cleaning up my daughter's yard (posted on Facebook).

Yearbook Distribution Time

Due to a labor shortage at the company, our books were delayed several days, but they got to us in time for our planned distribution day on Thursday and it was a grand success! This book may be my most successful-- meaning has the least mistakes. When I asked my principal about what he thought of the book, he said, yeah it's great but he's waiting for the crying mom to call him with whatever complaint is coming. Nice. Obviously, like me, the stress of the crying mom complaint taints whatever is great about the  yearbook. 

Other than the yearbook, I worked to make sure the senior issue of the student newspaper got finished and to print in time for graduation. It's all kind of stressful but I admit not as stressful as years past. I actually made it to the pool this week a couple of times to get a swim in. I've been able to juggle my classes and grading but I've lost several envelopes while I'm running around. When I lose something, I know I'm juggling too much. Luckily I haven't forgotten anything too important. Losing and forgetting stuff happens more often as I age, especially when I'm maxed out. I've been good at managing down time for myself. Running out to Minnesota to visit Jim for the weekend helps. I enjoy the drive, and being at home there is a lot like being on vacation for me. I'm also planning to visit Cody in Virginia as soon as school gets out while Jim is on an army trip on the east coast. 

Memorial Day Weekend

Jim came down for the holiday weekend, which is really nice for me since Monika is working a lot this weekend (REI has a big sale) and Erika was going out of town to visit with Kelly's family. I made to the pool to get my swim in. At school, the pool is now empty for it's annual cleaning, so I can no longer swim at lunch during the week. The timing was almost perfect-- I only missed a day of swimming and am back at it at the Shorewood pool! Jim and I had a very nice dinner out Saturday night and on Sunday went to a coffee shop in the morning with Monika. We grilled out for dinner -- hamburgers (vegan meat for me and Monika, regular beef for Jim). On Monday it is supposed to get very hot and humid which will make the pool all the more refreshing! I bought a lot of guess passes this year for Monika and Erika, hoping they will come along more often. 

As the school year winds down, I am very aware how very tired everyone is-- kids and teachers alike. I feel restless and somewhat uneasy-- like I need to be doing something but I don't know what it is. It's an odd feeling and I have it all the time. Well, there are only 5 school days left and the building will be closed over the summer for construction, so whatever I have to do at school will be done soon.

Mid May Getaway

I am up in Rochester for the weekend with Jim. He had an event he wanted me to accompany him to yesterday and then we went out to eat together which is getting more and more expensive these days. Just the drive up really takes a bit out of my wallet because of high gas prices, but it is what it is. The weather cooled down to the 50's but still kind of nice just not as warm as I'd like for sitting out on the patio. Jim fixed up our back patio with flowers and adirondack chairs but the upstairs patio is so much warmer with sunshine. In the future we hope to add a spa (and maybe a sauna) to the back patio but that will have to wait until after I sell the condo. Still we get eager for that future time. Balt loves sitting out front of my place in Madison to watch the traffic view we have. Here in Rochester, he sits in the backyard and watches the passer byers on the state trail pass, which are plentiful enough. 

I have 3 weeks left of school but only 9 days with kids and feeling like I have a ton of work to do. Once Summer hits, I have no definite plans with lots of options but still a feeling total uncertainty-- the pool? yoga? visit Virginia? stay in Rochester? finish remodeling the condo? finish painting the new house? So yes, lots of options, plenty of work but no deadlines.

The Countdown to Summer started.

We had very hot weather this past week. It has felt very summer-like but I have felt like there is so much to do at work, that I haven't been feeling like summer is that close. Jim's summer starts next week. I've got about 18 work days still, only 14 with kids! I have a student teacher who will not be able to take things over, so my plan of having time to clean up the studio may or may not happen. Tomorrow I meet with senior editors to choose future editors who will make big changes next year. In Yearbook we start working on the senior edition of the newspaper, which always marks an end to the school year as well as run yearbook distribution. May is always such a whirlwind of activity. 

I had hoped with the heat would bring a better mood, and I guess it did and yet there's still some sadness hanging around. I miss my mom, and think about wanting to call her too often. I am trying not to worry about Jessi over in Europe doing work in the Baltic Sea (I sent her a big box of treats yesterday). I do enjoy having Erika at work with me and seeing her in the hall often as well as having Monika at home with me cooking, knowing both situations will come to an end in time. I think I have decided to push off retirement for several years now and that uncertainty has been a source of confusion for me. The economic downturn offers a bit more incentive to continue working (my retirement fund has lost tens of thousands this year). Becoming the art department head has me feeling some weight, as we are in this crazy transition time in education. And since I mentioned weight, I am constantly thinking about my actual weight, realizing more and more that the older I get, the less I can eat. By the time I'm 80, I'll be down to a small bowl of oatmeal a day-- haha. 

Here's a photo from the girls soccer game with two of my students who chose me as the teacher to be appreciated. It was wonderful to feel appreciated.

Hello to May!

The average temperature for May in Wisconsin is supposed to be about 70 degrees. We will barely get into the 60's this week. It's been so cold this spring with few warm days, it has soured my mood. I finally made it to a hot yoga class this past week and it helped warm my bones and stretch my muscles. I need to do this more often but the pandemic kept me away and has kept me wary of going too often. Last week I finished the yearbook, had kids finish the May issue of the school newspaper, finished up the school planner for next year and helped my student teacher finish her first big project in my art class. It was a busy week but the end of the school is near and the light of summer is getting brighter. I just wish it would make things warmer!!

Monika just returned from a trip to Minneapolis where she went to several concerts and visited with friends but she came home with symptoms so COVID may have finally reached us. Jim is in town for the weekend, which is nice for me but I'm hoping he isn't exposed to COVID. The news says that 2/3rd of Americans have had it, so I'm impressed we've managed to keep it at bay for so long, but I'm pretty sure I'm next. My office mate, Patty, just had it last week. I'm still wearing clothe masks and need to step up my game. 

Note: last Sunday I went to my first drag show to see my former middle school art student, Spencer, who goes by his mother's name for shows; The Other Jeannie Retelle, which is pretty funny. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the two of us had a moment during his performance. He stopped to hug me during his dance song and I said I love you in his ear and he turned and told me he love me. It was this really emotional experience for me. He then gave me a shout out afterwards telling the audience I was his art teacher. He was a special student for me, a favorite. It is interesting how some students touch you while they are in your class but a few continue to touch you.

Finally Some Warmth!

This spring has been not quite miserable but certainly not pleasant. I've been out of sorts at times with life not quite back to normal from the pandemic, feeling very in between places. We finally got a warm Saturday yesterday (over 80) and it was glorious. I drove over to Erika's after continuing my work on the garage to help her finish a project Monika started her on (redoing her entry closet). We had to pop over to Home Depot to pick up some screws for a shelf and looked around at the plants. It reminded me of being at Jessi's as I had gone to her Home Depot almost every other day when I was there last year. I got a lot of cleaning done at home, ran some errands with Monika and ended the evening watching the new Batman movie on HBO. Today is not quite as warm (only 60) but still sunny and pleasant. With better weather, I am hoping for better moods. 

 

No Holiday

I have put off cleaning out my garage for almost a month because of the cold. I finally decided to use the weekend to get it started with a space heater. It meant not being able to open the garage door, but I piled up stuff to donate or toss by the door. I did not get the whole space done but I got a great start.

It seems a little weird that it is Easter weekend. I no longer have any reason to celebrate, no days off work, no place to go, nothing special to cook. Jim and I used to create ornate baskets for the girls with lots of candy and gifts but not this year. I suppose the girls got big tax refunds for Easter (not me). With temps in the 30's, it's hard to get excited for spring. The snow in the forecast again. Ugh!

Plodding thru April

I started up with trying to take a photo each day again this year but I often forget especially on really busy days. I have stopped almost all social media posts as I rarely have any interest in engaging there. There's a lot going on in the world, at work, and even at home sometimes, but I feel like I'm just plodding thru life right now. I'm thinking it's just the end of winter blues once it warms up, life will lighten up. Today is Jim's birthday but he's busy with army duties this week. His new role as a major up in Minneapolis has him running around a whole lot more than ever, not quite as much as when he's been active duty though. He'll retire from the army at 60 and I am hoping that will be a good time for me to retire as well and move up to live with him full time.

10 years ago I had planned to retire right at 55 in order to spend time with my parents, especially my dad who I had hoped to go traveling with. After his death, I decided to hold off until I turned 57, which would have been this year. Then as the year approached, I knew retiring this year was premature so I did not pursue it but I've been grappling with the emotions of when to set aside what I've come to find is a lot people's dream job.  I can hear my mom telling me just to take it one year at a time. Sounds good.

Unproductive

Well vacation is over and I did very little. The weather made it hard to clean out the garage and it was my only goal. I'm hoping to get to it next weekend instead. We had several snow sessions, all light with melting almost immediately but snow all the same. What I did get done: a nice visit with Jim over the long weekend (Sat -Tues morning) but nothing accomplished at the new house, scanning of all family negatives from 1995 on Wednesday (see sample here with a look of how I feel today) and Jim's band concert negative (which I only scanned a quarter since there were so many), started working out again, watched all of Bridgerton season 2 and Pieces of Her on Netflix as well several episodes of other shows I'm watching (Picard, Severance, Moon Knight), a couple of movies and lots of news. I also worked on quite a bit of animation curriculum, some school newspaper and yearbook stuff, meeting a couple of students at school on Thursday and Saturday.

Here's a list of all the things I could have done but didn't attempt: cleaning out the garage, cleaning out the basement, staining the stairs in the condo, refinishing the floors in the extra bedroom or my master bedroom (we did Monika's room and almost finished the hall with the hope of using the same flooring for the rest of the upstairs), and/or painting the basement in the new house at Jim's. I've never made so much money before but I'm feeling strapped for cash and so reluctant to do anything that cost funds thus flooring and paint are out. In all honesty, I'm feeling blue, fat, and a bit lost. At least I started working out again and had several sweaty sessions in my basement with weights that I'm hoping will help pull me back to a place where I am more comfortable in my clothes. January and February were way too sedentary. I know that by the time spring arrives, the winter blues are typically weighing down heavily. In the past I've combated those blues with tanning sessions, travel, lots of hot yoga and or art making. This year I did little of any of that other occasional trips to MN to see Jim and short trip to see Jessi. Now that spring break is over, I'm looking at the month of April with nothing to look forward to other than warmer weather. I'm hoping just the sunshine will turn things around.

 

It's Spring Break

AND IT'S TOO COLD!! My first day of Spring Break and I woke up to snow. Yuck! We are in for cold weather all week and it's even colder in Minnesota. After a hot yoga class this morning I drove up to spend the weekend with Jim. I'll get back to Wisconsin on Tuesday to do some spring cleaning in Madison. I'd love to travel somewhere warm over my vacation but I have no one to visit for free and it's too expensive to travel just for heat. Jim and I discussed going to El Paso for a short visit but decided to save our funds instead. Once I'm back to school next Monday, I'll be on countdown mode for summer (74 days total, 53 school days). I paid for my summer pool membership this week and I'm eager to use it!

Mental Health Day

I've been working on a charcoal example at work during my art experiences classes. It's coming together so nicely, I think I will frame it! It's been a while since I've made art and I realize I really need to do it more! ]I need to figure out how to get more productive while working. I've been on this "when I retire" mode, putting off a lot of things I want to do but I encouraged by Josh recently to start my book before I retire as well as continue to draw and paint. I mostly just do examples, I'd like to just do me.

I started my mental health day off with a hot yoga class that was so hot it was amazing. It had been a lot time I left the studio drenched in sweat. I also started a new medication to weight loss. I'd been on a diabetes medication that helped me lose weight last year. I started this year with blood work that had my AIC numbers back to normal so I got off of it but immediately started gaining my weight back-- so frustrating. I think the bottom line was about hunger. I think that has been my issue all of my life, I get hungry and don't know when I'm full then eat too much. I wish I had the discipline to do it without medication but I don't. I was very happy that my doctor was very accomodating, giving me a few options to try. My pharmacist suggested I start it on a weekend just to make sure I did not suffer from some of the possible side effects. Instead I had a very successful day, feeling quite hopeful about getting back to that pre-Covid weight and then trying to lose more. 

Note: Jessi is gone officially for a while. I got to talk to her on the phone to discuss her phone plan so she will have access to it in Europe. I'm hoping the time is not stressful. The war in Ukraine is very stressful.

Getting Back

After our quick trip out east, I came home and weighed myself. I've gained some weight-- almost 10 pounds since the holidays. It is time to get back on track, back to the mat, back outside. It's still freezzing outside BUT Spring is in the air! This coming week weather-- 50's almost every day. I need to add walking to my afternoons. This weekend I went back to the hot yoga studio after 3 months off, but then I made vegan banana bread and watched a lot of tv. It's all about balance and moderation.

I got back to work last Thursday thinking I only had one week before spring break but then realized this weekend I actually have 2 weeks. Ouch. I have a student teacher coming in a week, so help is on it's way with my overloaded schedule. While not really overwhelmed, work is tiring so it is hard not to put my feet up when I'm home especially when its cold. I'm hoping with warmth, getting out side will get easier.

Birthday Weekend!

Monika doesn't have a birthday this year, so she's celebrating all weekend as well as Monday and Tuesday! I've taught my children well. Between school and work, she stays busy watching lots of shows, reading, baking bread, cooking vegan food, and playing with cats. It is hard to believe she's turning 26 sometime after Monday. She is a pretty good housemate really. Luckily we are interested in a lot of similar things to watch, so we have something on our agenda almost every day and get excited about new shows and new episodes. While she sometimes worries about ending up alone as she ages, I don't see it. She's too interesting. Erika joined us today for a Mexican vegan lunch and pedicures. Tomorrow we are going to the Nitty Gritty (a favorite celebration place) and then we leave next weekend for a quick visit to Jessi's for an extended weekend with Jim. That is also part of her birthday gift.

Jessi leaves for the Baltics March 10 to be a part of an American presence. I am hoping she won't be gone more than a year. What is happening in Ukraine right now is crazy but I'm all for doing something. Although no one wants war except Putin and some Russians (not all, I know). 

Overloaded

It's been 2 weeks since checking in on my blog and I had a student ask me about it yesterday! Oops. Without having my mom around to complain if I miss a post, I often procrastinate. My mom would call me if I missed a day, concerned about why. This semester I have an overload-- 6 classes instead of 5, so I'm feeling busier. I started swimming again at lunch twice a week to keep myself active. I actually posted my Professional Practice Goal as swimming 500 yards in 15 minutes twice a week. I know it's not really "professional" but it's about self care and staying healthy as a teacher during this difficult time. I'm overloaded, the pandemic is dragging on and I'm dealing with record numbers of students who are disengaged in my class. It's exhausting. BUT overall my classes are going well. Animation is the most time consuming class, not yearbook interestingly. The only discipline issues I seem to deal with is kids are are not engaged in class -- they stare at their phone, on Tik Tok or watching Netflix. They aren't disruptive. Kids are so rarely disruptive anymore, at least not in my classes. I have kids failing in all of my classes except Yearbook. They fail mostly because they rarely come to class and when they do, they don't work. I make rounds, after giving instruction to the class, asking kids who aren't working what they need. Students so rarely ask questions and seldom ask for help. If I sit back and work on other things, kids will sit back and just fail. There are a few kids who can't take the confrontation. They rarely push back, they just leave. There is a culture change and it scares me a bit. There are a lot of students who are avoiding life. What happens to those kids after high school? I try not worry about all that. I know I'm on my last few couple of years teaching. It makes for a nice balance in the scheme of things. 

Happy February!

I always think the worst of winter is over by the time we get to February, but of course, I'm usually wrong. This winter has been cold without a lot of snow. I try to plan a trip in February to get somewhere warm but haven't been able to manage it since the pandemic started. Luckily February is a short month. 

I've been working a lot on my animation curriculum during my free time. I'm staying late after work more often and spent most of the weekend putting together a flipbook and show kids how to video them in a presentation. I started an Animation club last week and am hoping to work with students to create a collaborative cartoon we can show off at Joe's film fest. Busy-- I have felt very busy with work. 

On the home front, Monika has been working a lot as well, between REI and her online school. Erika started 2 classes at UW for her masters program and is busy also. Jim seems to be very busy as well between his army duties and his classes at UMR. Jessi is out at sea and sent word she'll be leaving for the Baltics next month-- Jim and I will go see her before she goes. So I guess there's a lot going on. Balt had dental surgery that set me back a grand and I needed new tires, so I'm feeling tapped out as well!  

Celebrate 1/2 Way

I'll take anything I can get for an excuse to celebrate. Friday was the last day of the first semester so I took Erika out to lunch. Tomorrow begins 2nd semester. I've enjoyed a really nice schedule and tomorrow that changes to an overload-- 4 different classes, 6 hours. I'm teaching classes I have had at least once before, so nothing new, which is the most stressful, but I've only taught Animation once before, so I'm a little nervous. I always change a few things here and there in my classes and decided to use a bit slower approach, especially since so many kids will be out. I have yet to get sick this past year, and while there's a bit of fear there, I've been pretty careful this past month. I even quit going to hot yoga, but I'm still doing yoga in my basement. It's just not very hot. I think the pandemic is stressing me out more than the overload. I'm so eager for the weather to get better so we can open doors and be outside more-- it just feels safer!