Laundry

You might be wondering why I would be posting about something as mundane as laundry.  Well, here's my "laundry list" of why laundry is my positive thing...

1. If you have laundry to do, you have lots clothes to wear.  Some people don't have a lot of clothes.
2.  We just have to turn on the washer and we have clean water to wash our clothes.  Some people don't have clean water to launder their clothes, or they must walk to a river or stream to clean their clothes.
3.  We just have to throw them in the dryer, press the button and our clothes are dry.  We don't have to hang them outside to freeze-dry and then iron all of our clothes so that we can wear them.  Think Laura Ingalls and "Little House on the Prairie" here...
4.  Nothing smells better than baby clothes coming out of the laundry.  I don't have babies anymore and I miss this.

As you might imagine, Saturdays are my laundry days and I usually dread this chore.  Today I challenged myself to look at my laundry with a different set of eyes and really appreciate what I had.

Today I wish you a new look at your dreaded chore...and the ability to appreciate it.

Show Choir

For those of you that know me, you might be thinking, "Wow, it took her a long time to post about show choir." Well, here it is…my post about show choir.

I am THAT show choir mom…I totally love it; I can't get enough of it.  I have sat in gymnasiums and auditoriums from 8:00 am to midnight, dropped off a kid or two or three at 6:45 am for rehearsal, picked up my kid at 3:00 am from a competition…all for the love of show choir.  I have hemmed pants, sewn straps, adjusted 'magic' (breast cups), bling-ed, sequined and rhinestoned dresses…all for the love of show choir.

When I was in school some odd 30 years ago, it was called swing choir.  I can still sing and dance some of the moves to "Celebration", "I've Got the Music in Me" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"…just ask me, I'll show you!

I'm going through some withdrawal this year, as my kids do not participate in show choir anymore; one due to graduation and the other due to other passions that she's pursuing.  So I try and get my 'fix' when I can.

So imagine starting a Friday out with a show choir performance!  We are blessed to have amazing kids in show choir where I teach…and not to mention amazing directors all over this district.  And it totally set the tone for my day…and some awesome songs are playing through my head!

So here's a shout out to EnFuego, Spark and High Octane and directors Brent Peterson, Jenn Ghelf and Caroline Byrd for the rousing start to my Friday!

Today I wish you bling and jazz hands for a most magical, musical day!

Clean and Organized

Clean is not the same as organized.

Organized is finding what you need when you need it.
Clean is absence of dirt and grime.

Sometimes I can tell immediately what I need to blog about because it just slaps me in the face.  Today was one of those days.  Now if I think back over the last week, there were signs that organization was the positive theme surrounding me.

Organization takes time - and which not a lot of us have, but wish we did.  So when we get something organized - a desk, a closet, a cupboard - a wonderful sense of relief comes over you and that is paired with a feeling of renewal.

Such as the case this week - as I was reintroduced to the tickler file, by not one...but TWO teachers and both were very excited to tell me about it.  I used one back in the days when I worked corporate, but I got away from it when I started teaching.  It's relatively simple to set up - a file for each day of the month in some type of larger file.  When you get a paper, thought or idea that needs to be dealt with later in the month - you file it for that day and you don't look at it again until that day.  This eliminates piles, clutter and sticky notes on your desk and allows you to think of other things because you don't have to consistently remind yourself not to forget.  Cool, huh?

So now imagine a storage closet shared by eight teachers...that is somewhat organized, but in the last five years has not been cleaned out and old items tossed and current ones reorganized!  It just hadn't been a priority because of the time factor.  But when you have a student teacher, you have to be accessible, but not in the immediate room...so now you have time to clean and organize!  So, props and shout out today to Ms. Sarah Borzo (and study hall helpers) to work on our storage room - which happens to be right next door to Ms. Borzo's classroom.  Thank you, Sarah!!

Today I wish you time for some organization followed by a sense of renewal and relief!

Sometimes support is all you need...

I know this blog is about finding the positive in my day, so what may start out sounding negative, really does have a positive spin to it…so hang with me here.

In my Communications class, we are in our technology communication unit and we have the SROs (Student Resource Officers) come in to talk with the students about being safe online - whether it's internet, social media or cell phones - and the consequences of our non-safe or non-appropriate choices on these devices.  They cover cyberbullying and predator safety plus the legal and social consequences of our actions online. They do an awesome job and I just wanted to use my blog to give them props and a shout out!

Thank you Officer Mackenzie Sposeto and Officer Rod Schettler from the Waukee Police Department!!

I had this part of my post all planned out for today.  But then...

Another random instance happened this morning in my Leadership class.  A student got sick in the middle of my class - all over the floor.  You need to know that I do not handle this well - in fact, I consider myself a sympathy puker.

So when this happened, I grabbed the phone, called the front office and in a matter of minutes the nurse and custodian were in my room - helping the student and cleaning it up.  The other kids were amazing - stayed focused and worked and I stayed calm…on the exterior!

So, I need to give props and a shout out to our secretary, Connie Wood; our nurse, Mary Ellen Bratkiewicz; and our custodian, Jim Sandmire - thank you!!

The support you receive from the people around you is amazing and necessary - whether it's planned or unplanned.  Some of our greatest blessings are those that we let help us and support us in our time of need.  Are you letting people support and help you?

Today I wish you the support you need to get through your day.

Tulips

February is a tough month for me usually.  Even though time-wise, it's the shortest month, it just seems to drag.  Cabin fever, lack of sun, lots of snow, cold and dreary weather.  I don't mind winter, but by the time February rolls around, I'm just kinda done with it.

However, this year, February has been different though and I can't believe it's already the 24th and there is just four more days left in the month!  The difference this year is, I think, two things:

1.  I was very busy!
2.  My school building.

We had fourteen days of "love" at the beginning of the month.  Secret Cupids brought surprises each day up until Valentine's day.  The 6th graders performed their play on the 12th and did an amazing job!  We had a great Iowa Assessment testing week.  We had a stellar turnout for parent-teacher conferences and had some awesome conversations.

Another beauty of February is that March is just around the corner, and with March comes the promise of Spring and warm weather!  Today as I walked through the main office of our building, I was greeted with these beautiful tulips:

Even with the impending snow event this week (and now I'm hearing this weekend too), this little bit of spring was the positive in my day today…and I wanted to share it with you!

Today I wish you a bit of Spring!

Daisy

Many of you know that we got a dog last year.  Ok, we got a puppy last year...since she was 8 weeks when we brought her home.  She is a full-blood tri-colored basset hound and we named her Daisy. 

I had never had a dog growing up. I had friends who had dogs and I can say that I tolerated them.  I don't ever recall begging to get a dog growing up - it was just kind of an unwritten rule that it would never happen, so I didn't ask.  (My mom may recall otherwise...)

So you may be asking why at 48 years of age (and my husband at 50) would decide after all these years to get a dog?  Well, I'm not really sure - but I would venture to say that our kids talked us into it.  Then, when I was researching what type of dog might be best suited to our family, then the "dog fever" settled in and I was hooked.

I have never once regretted getting a dog.  In fact, I wonder to this day why we waited so long to get a dog?  Even the days of potty training and accidents and chewing - getting Daisy was one of the best things we've done as a family.

Today when I got home from school, there she was...all excited - giving me kisses and love.  It's just the best feeling in the world - the unconditional love from a dog.

Today I wish you unconditional love and lots of dog kisses!

Friends

Today I met some former work friends for lunch (I refuse to say "old friends" because we are not old!).  I hadn't seen them for about 10 months and after a 4 hour lunch of catching up, laughing, crying and solving all the world's problems, I just realized how incredibly blessed I am to have these women as my friends.

In November, 1994, I started working for Principal Financial Group. I started a friendship with four other women in my department - two of which have moved away, but the three of us have stayed in the area and we have occasionally gotten together over these last twenty years.  Even though we'd like to meet more often, the blessing lies in the fact that when we do get together, it doesn't seem like time has passed at all - we just pick up where we left off.

I think back over the last twenty years and it amazes me how we were in our twenties, now in our forties, and how much we have been through together.  We've seen each other through marriages, divorces, babies and raising kids, moving, losing jobs, losing parents, health issues, hairstyles and we only worked together in the same department for 18 months. 

Today I wish you a long-lasting friendship and if this brings a memory or two of a long-gone friendship...maybe it's time for a reconnection?

Comfort Food

I think it's interesting how each family has their own comfort foods.  You know, the foods that you go back home for or the foods that remind you of grandma's house.  For me personally, I think of my grandma's dumpling soup or lefse - both things I miss greatly since my grandma passed away almost 15 years ago!

But today, I'm writing about my in-laws and their comfort foods...and one in particular.  When I married into that family over 25 years ago, I was introduced to my husband's comfort foods - SOS (stuff on a shingle...wink, wink), hamburger and beans, and chili and doughgads. And back then, I know I felt about these foods much the same as my husband felt about dumpling soup and lefse.  And it wasn't positive! But over the years, I have learned to eat all of these things...and have fallen in love with doughgads.

Ah...the doughgads - deep fat fried homemade bread.  We had a family gathering this afternoon - and mom-in-law made the doughgads.  She whips up a very large Tupperware bowl of bread dough (seriously like a 3-gallon bowl) and proceeds to cut slices of dough, stretch them to the right size and drop them in hot oil.  One of my brothers-in-law stands over the pan turning them until they are a golden brown.  They are taken out to drain on a large platter covered in a stack of paper towels.  You can put anything on them: peanut butter, jelly, sugar and cinnamon, just butter or just plain.  Of course they are not 'good' for you - certainly carb and fat loaded, but so so SO tasty!

Today I wish you your own version of comfort food.

Coffee, Co-Workers, Conferences and…Tea?

Statement #1:  I am a die-hard coffee drinker.  Serious.  

Statement #2:  I also have amazing co-workers.  Serious.

Now that I have made these two statements…let me explain.

This is conference week for our school.  Elective teachers sit in our small gym (we have two in our school).  Our building is quite large and sometimes classes can get spread out, so having us in one spot makes it much easier for our parents to see multiple electives at once.

Because of the time of the year and its temperature, our small gym gets very cold.  Sitting in a cold gym for eight hours (like today) doesn't seem like much fun especially when you don't have a lot of parent traffic to your table.  Sometimes we have to make our own (appropriate) fun.

Our industrial tech teacher, Mr. Tow, is an avid tea drinker and has many varieties and tea cups for all of us elective teachers.  See Statement #2.  He has a tea cart that he pushes around the gym to serve us tea.  See Statement #1.  On these cold conference days, even I can appreciate a very warm cup of tea (my choice of today happens to have a hint of lemon and mint).  Such a small, joyous thing!

Today I wish you a warm beverage and warm people who care about your warmth!

Doing the right thing for Dad

For those that do not know, I teach a 6th grade class called Leadership Development.  I prefer to think of it as character development or life skills class.

In our responsibility unit, one of the many things we do is look at how we manage time and use a planner.  I have the students identify their "Big Rocks" in their life.  This is based off a story about a professor that uses rocks, gravel, sand and water in a jar to illustrate the importance of things in our life and how we prioritize.  If you haven't heard of this, check it out here:  http://sechangersoi.be/EN/5EN-Tales/StonesPebblesSand.htm

So, I'm grading jars of rocks today and I come across this one that brings me to tears.  A student honoring her father (who died when she was very young) with her big rock - doing the right thing for Dad.

One of the best things about being a teacher is when my students teach me.

Today remember to do the right thing…for whomever you choose to honor in your life.

Snow

Yesterday it snowed.  It was one of the prettiest snows I have ever remembered witnessing…the snowflakes literally wafted down to earth and I felt like I was in a snow globe.

To stop and watch the snow is one of the most peaceful things I know to do - even when it's a blizzard out.  Yesterday's snow was not a blizzard, but when your world is chaotic around you - as mine can be in 6th grade - to just pause and watch the wonder that surrounds you, it reminds you that the world is a much bigger place and how insignificant the troubles of today seem.

Today I wish you peace in your snow globe.