Saturday, November 15, 2014

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to. ~Author Unknown

I need to have this quote tattooed on my hand. Ok, that might be going to an extreme.  At the very least, I need to write this quote down in a couple of particular places as a reminder.  I keep finding myself in situations where I feel like I need to argue my stance, prove my point, convince others to change their mind.  The majority of the time, I end up walking away frustrated, worried, angry and irritated.  Usually I end up carrying those feelings (that continue to compound) long after the conversation is done.

It is such a tricky thing when I find myself in a situation like this.  Others I know, believe the same thing I do but can state their opinion and move on.  Others I know believe the same thing I do but just don't even engage.  I don't do either of those and I need to.

I am not good at letting go of things.  You would think the amount of times I have watched or heard the soundtrack to Frozen I would have "Let It Go" running through my subconscious but I don't.  I am not sure how it get better at that. When I don't engage, I often feel guilty later.  Like my silence was an acceptance of a differing view.

Lately, it seems I find myself in these situations in the education word, not only as a teacher but now as a parent.  I kind of always thought I would be a pain in the ass to my daughter's teacher and turns out I know myself pretty well and I was right.  I try to mitigate my pain in the ass-ness with baked goods, gift cards for coffee and volunteering but I am sure that only goes so far.  

Here is the latest example. Taelin is super excited to become a reader.  She loves reading books together, has started wanting to "read" books in bed after I read to her at night and one of her favorite apps is the Reading Rainbow app.  She has about 7 notebooks strewn around the house with pictures and labels and is constantly asking how to spell words.  She loves making up stories in the car when we are driving and wants Joe and I to tell her stories of when we were kids. She is super excited and really ready.

Enter sight word flashcards.  I can't even put into succinct words how much I abhorrently disagree with giving 5 year olds 10 unknown words at a time without any kind of context for meaning on flashcards with the charge of practicing every night so you can get tested every day so you can get a sticker on a chart when you know them all so you can get 10 more unknown words without any kind of context for meaning on flashcards.  I could go on and on but I won't.  It quite literally turns me into a crazy person.

Taelin was motivated for a bit because it was new but quickly became discouraged when she couldn't memorize them. So now we don't do them.  The teacher discussed with me that she was concerned because Taelin was only on packet one and most kids were on packet two or three.  I told her I didn't feel like isolated flashcards fit her learning style (I left out my overall opinion) and that we weren't going to do them like that. I told her we would work more writing at home and I would have the words with us so if a sight word came up, she should include it in her writing. She wasn't super happy with me.  I have been on the other side of the table of that discussion, I know how not happy she was with me.  She expressed her concern that she just wants Taelin to be able to become a reader and not knowing sight words is going to get in her way.  I have to fight the small panic I feel when I hear that...until I remember what she can do.

I went on the Mickey Mouse Ferris Wheel of Death!
 (done at school)

I went to Lucy birthday party.  She opened her music box!
(done at school)

                                   
I went on Grizzly River Run! I love love that ride so much!
(done at home)

We might need to work on varying her beginnings but I know she is going to be just fine.  

I feel lucky that I can make that decision for my daughter and I should "attend" those arguments.  It is my job as her mother to advocate for her.  And I will every time...and then will follow it up with loaf of banana bread for her teacher.

But what about as a teacher?  I have often found myself more of a questioner than a bandwagon jumper on-er. Usually I can resolve whatever issue I am concerned about and will eventually find myself on the bandwagon. But I am finding myself more often unable to resolve my concerns.  I find myself "attending" arguments that I shouldn't.  It does no good other than to irritate those around me (oh and they do) and leaves me frustrated, worried, angry and irritated.  Those kind of arguments are the ones I need to stop attending.  

Which brings me back to the tattoo...or maybe just a few sticky notes in a few key places and maybe some banana bread for myself.




Thursday, November 6, 2014

Potato Soup

I am a huge fan of potato soup. Like a major fan. But I am picky about my potato soup.  Like major picky.  The "problem" with potato soup is that it isn't exactly healthy.  Most of the recipes have like 4 cups of whole milk or some other insane thing.  But the other day I was browsing on Pinterest and I clicked on yet another recipe of potato soup that I could scoff at for one reason or another when I found this.  I decided that it was time to try my hand at what is arguable my favorite soup.  I changed it a bit because of the spices I had on hand, but was pretty true to the recipe.

OH. MY. WORD.  It was so amazing.  Joe doesn't love eating soup for dinner, or any other time really, but he ate two bowls.  It was just perfect and will be made again.

Ingredients

4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of potatoes, cut like you would for mashed potatoes (I used Yukon gold with the skins still on)
1/4 cup of minced onions
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, cut into cubes
crumbled bacon
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Mix broth, potatoes, onions and spices and boil until potatoes are fork tender.
2. Smash some of the potatoes for thickening
3. Reduce heat and at cream cheese.
4. Stir soup until cream cheese melts.
5. Serve and top with bacon and cheddar cheese if wanted.

This is almost a one pot meal, except for the bacon that goes on top (which is pretty much necessary) needs to be made.  Delicious!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Gratitude is the best attitude. ~Author Unknown

I have decided that in order to get myself back in the habit of blogging and to refocus myself a little bit from some of the more negative things rolling around in my head, that this month every day I am going to post 3 things for which I am grateful.

Nov. 1
1. Afternoon naps
2. Scarves
3. Leftover Halloween candy

Nov. 2
1. Watching Taelin play with her cousin
2. Finding a new show to marathon watch (The Good Wife  It is SO good!)
3. A husband who is always will to drive

Nov.3
1. Being able to volunteer in Taelin's classroom
2. An afternoon of doing puzzles and reading books with Taelin
3. Pizza for dinner

Nov. 4
1. New shoes
2. Orange spice tea
3. Seeing Taelin's excitement for her upcoming dance recital

Nov. 5
1. A house full of laughter
2. Spontaneous dance parties
3. Salted Caramel Cupcake Scentsy

So I am caught up through today and my goal is to post everyday for the rest of the month!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Barley Chicken Casserole...a one pot wonder!

The rain has started in Oregon and we have had some pretty incredible storms so far.  On one of those days last week, I was in need of some comfort food.  My brain immediately thought of the baked chicken and rice recipe that I love and I started digging through the cupboard to see if I had everything I would need.  I didn't but I did have a half a bag of barley.  I only have one recipe that calls for barley and I decided at that moment that perhaps I needed two.  Off to Pinterest I went!

My search paid off.  I found a recipe here and made a few tweaks to make it a one pot meal (because why not if you can) and oh my gosh...AMAZING!  It was exactly what I needed.  It was super creamy and delicious.  Joe didn't even get a chance at the leftovers. 

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup of barley
  • 1 can of cream of chicken soup (yeah, I know, horrible processed cream of chicken soup...but I know it made this dish.  I keep one in the cupboard for rainy-day-I-need-some-comfort-food occasions.)
  • 2 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sage
  • 6 chicken tenderloins
Directions

1. Melt butter and saute the celery and onion until translucent. (Make sure you pick a pot that is big enough to add the other ingredients, has a lid and is oven safe.)
2. Add minced garlic and barley and cook for two more minutes.
3. Add the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, thyme and sage and stir well.
4. Lay the chicken tenderloins on top of the mixture, cover pot and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  (I did pull it out at 1 hour to check it and I mixed it a bit and then threw in a couple of handfuls of sliced mushrooms on one side since Joe loves them..and well, I don't.)

Looking at this picture makes me want to make this again...very soon!!!


Time is making fools of us again. ~J.K. Rowling

Can it really be almost two months since I have written a blog post?  And even more since I have really "written" a post versus posting pictures.  I know the answer is yes because I can feel that I haven't been writing.  So much has happened and is happening and is going to happen that stealing a moment or two in order to sit down and write hasn't happened.

I am tired.  In some ways it is a very good tired.  Taelin is loving school for the most part and my schedule change has allowed me to be able to volunteer in her class once a week.  A week ago we arrived back home after spending 8 amazing days together in Disneyland.  I never get tired of spending time with Joe and Taelin...especially in Disneyland.  Halloween was a smashing success and there are many holiday traditions that I am looking forward to in the next 8 weeks.

But I am tired in some not so great ways too.  Work has been exhausting.  I absolutely love my work with my teachers but that is not where the majority of my time is being spent this year.  There have been more evenings full of work, late into the night.  My frustration with a system that is getting further and further away from what I believe learning and teaching is about grows by the week.  All of that is exhausting.

I remember writing before how this was going to be a year of change and I was right.  We are already making decisions about what school will look like for Taelin next year.  Those decisions are going to have a trickle down effect that will be welcome (I think) but will result in a some hard conversations and decisions in my career.  Change can be easier when is just a surface level change...dance on Monday instead of Thursday.  But when the change looks to your identity, who you see yourself as, it becomes a whole lot more scary.

So, I need to come here more.  Hopefully there are still a few of you around, willing to read my ramblings.  If there are, I promise I will be here later this week.