Are you "letting" your students blog or "making" them blog?

Well I guess it's time to practice what I preach! This thing called a job has gotten in the way of my blogging lately. We are in the 12th week of school and today was the best yet. I introduced blogging to my students and they each had the opportunity to create a blog. Some of my students have been asked to blog in class before, however most of them have never been given so much choice. Students were allowed to select their own focus for their blog based on his or her personal interests. I have kids blogging on everything from gaming to fashion to food. I made two promises to my kids today: 1. I will never grade your blog. 2. I will never tell you what to write about. Students felt liberated to be free from assignments and grades. The authenticity of creating a real audience through blogging comes from the lack of guidelines. For the first time all year, and I hate to admit this, every single student was engaged hanging on to my every word. They participated, asked questions, and showed genuine interest. This is a teacher'a dream! I saw the excitement on their faces as they felt empowered to write and I felt a sense of great satisfaction. Why can't everyday be like this? Their engagement came from their buy in. With all the freedom to choose they took ownership in their work. One student actually asked me if I could wrap it up so they could just get started. . . Absolutely! 

Lessons this teacher learned today. . . 

1. Choice is crucial for engagement 

2. Students need opportunities to work without the fear of grades - they will push themselves and take risks when it's not impacting their GPA.

I will leave you with this thought. . . 

Are you "letting" your students write or "making" them write. I want my students to say with enthusiasm, "Mrs.Brown lets us write on our own blogs! That's so cool!" My best work comes when I'm working on a project I want to work on, not a project I'm forced to do. Our students feel the same way. What changes can you make to your lessons so students will feel lucky to be able to complete the assignment? 

Happy teaching! Perfecting my craft one class at a time. 

Any Tired Moms Out There?

Motherhood is exhausting! I'm talking I can't even form a complete sentence exhausting. The difference though, between mommy tired and regular tired, is the ability to fake it. Having a child does something to a woman that enables her to push through the most extreme tired. I am still amazed by this gift from God! I can be so tired I seriously think If I get up I may fall over, however suddenly I look to my right at the pile of laundry needing folded and I'm transformed into Supermom. For the brief (very brief)  time I visited a personal trainer, he would always say, "Mind over matter! Your body can do ten more laps than your mind tells you you can." This is motherhood - always doing 10 more laps than you think your body can. Peeling yourself from the couch when you remember the dishes in the sink. Sneaking out of bed as you think about the permission slip you forgot to sign. Waking up 1 hour before everyone else, even though you stayed up 2 hours later, just so you can pack lunches and leave sweet notes. It's the extra laps. I had no concept of this prior to motherhood. I had observed it in my own mother for years, but I didn't truly understand. Mommy energy is being able to wake up at 7:00 AM after only 4 hours of sleep with a teething toddler so you can run all your errands and then move your classroom to your new school. Then heading home, bathing the kids, making dinner, and picking up the house. And once you've completed these things thinking you could probably manage a few more.

My mom said to me the other day, "Wow! You've gotten a lot done. Where did you find the time?" I looked at her and replied, "Oh, I never sleep." So to all the other mothers out there. . . I feel you.  When you are still up at midnight, I probably am too! Eventually it gets better. . . Right?  It has to!  Heres to the extra laps. . . 

One of those days. . .

Warning: I was feeling a little long winded tonight. . . I apologize in advance. Word of advice. . . Just scroll to the last few paragraphs. . . I saved the best for last! :)

I recently had one of those days. . . You know the kind. . . Where you should probably stay home because your frustration has reached such a level, you nearly feel the need to yell at the man who is exiting the entrance at SAMs Club! Yes, exiting the entrance!

My day was a series of unfortunate events. It started when I headed to my new school with H in tow and my 30 minute drive took 70 minutes due to an accident. I was worried 30 minutes would be pushing it, but 70 was a disaster. . . Our wait, in the parking lot of cars stopped on the highway, involved me clapping and waving to Radio Disney in an attempt to distract my impatient toddler. I'm sure the trucker behind me thought I was high or something!

I transferred schools this year so I was on my new campus moving a few things and trying to arrange the furniture. I already told you I had my "helper" with me so you know it was a grueling process. Plus, it was like a thousand degrees outside and the AC in my classroom was smarter than me so we were working in the heat. Did I mention my room was upstairs on the far side of the building? After making 2 trips to the car and back. . . my makeup was melted, even my hat could no longer contain my hair and my clothes were glued to my body. I was praying no one would see me! I decided I had taken all I could stand so we headed out. At least the drive home was quick and the best part. . . H had fallen asleep. All I needed to do was get her inside and in bed.  Unfortunately, I arrived home to a mess from the dog inside and the 2 wild ones outside howling like coyotes. As you can imagine, the ruckus woke my sleeping baby.  I now had poop to clean up, barking dogs, and a screaming toddler. I decided to give up on the nap and brought H to play so I could clean.

I got everything settled and decided to make a few phone calls. The first was to try and get my badge changed to my new school. . . I was  informed, in a less than pleasant tone, that it would not be done until late August. Well that sure didn't go the way I had hoped. I decided to call the bank next to ask about a service charge I had noticed on my checking account. I called the local branch so I could speak with a live and local voice. . . This also didn't go as planned either. The personal banker told me she couldn't help me because she had no way to authenticate my identity over the phone. .  . However, she could give me the 1-800 number and they could assist me. . . So, you're telling me you are my personal banker working at the branch in my own town and you can not "authenticate" my identity, but. . . if call to speak to someone miles away in a different country they can? Well that makes perfect sense! I kept my cool by hanging up quickly before my thoughts turned into words. No sooner had I pressed end, the phone rang. It was my doctor, calling to cancel the appointment I had made 3 months ago because something had come up. . . Of course it had!

I was so done with the day I took to social media to gripe, something I try to never do! I angrily typed something about today not being my day. . .within 10 minutes, I deleted it. Everybody's got problems, who am I to complain on Facebook? I follow a rule whenever I post anything to social media. I always ask myself, why am I posting this? To complain? To brag? To make someone else feel bad? Unless my reason for posting is to simply share, then I don't hit the "post" button.

My mom arrived to my home and took on baby duty so I could head to the library to tutor a student. On the way there, a police officer followed me for at least 3 miles and I was certain he was going to pull me over and issue me a citation. . . I didn't think I was breaking any laws. . . But it seemed like the appropriate next event in my series of unfortunate events. At tutoring, I worked with my sweet girls and told them this hour was going to be the best part of my day. . . Judging by their expressions, I'm certain they thought I was crazy! After tutoring I headed to SAMs for the essentials. . . dog food, toilet paper, and wine. As I left, I had to stop at the snack bar for my obligatory coke Icee. Of course, I waited while the only person working made 3 pizzas before handing me a cup for my drink. . . Yep! Seems about right. While I was annoyed, something came out of nowhere and made me say with a smile, "Thanks! I appreciate your help."

On the way home from the store, I was reliving the events of my day, when it hit me. . . This was Pastor Robert's fault. . . I hope he doesn't read my blog - unlikely. He had given a message on Sunday about producing good fruit and essentially staying true to your beliefs during the struggles. As we left church on Sunday, I had told my parents I felt convicted during the message. . . Looking back, I think in that moment. . . God chuckled at me as he said, "let me show you convicted." Today was my "struggle" or rather "opportunity" to live out my faith. Yes, it was just a bad day. It wasn't the end of the world. My family was safe and healthy and everything would be just fine again tomorrow. . . But these are the days we were made for. We can all handle the good days. It's how we handle the days filled with little hiccups that really matter.  What were my reactions like to the moments of frustration? Did I show grace and love when it was needed?  How did I represent what I believe during the "struggle?"

I learned two things today. . . 1. I will NEVER again leave church claiming to feel convicted.  2. While my day didn't go as planned, there were still so many blessings. I may have been caught in traffic, but at least I wasn't the one in the accident. I might not be able to move into my classroom as quickly as I hoped, but I will get to spend extra time with my little one. I wasn't really feeling appreciation for my slow service, but I seemed to lift the spirits of the woman I spoke to.

I'm thankful days are short and we get to start over fresh each morning. Tomorrow. . . good day or bad day. . . Will be a blessing.

Who do you value?

I am busy! There is no other way to describe it. When someone asks how things are, my response is always, "Busy!" I go at full speed from the moment my feet touch the floor until my head hits the pillow. I often joke with my friends that I can do more in just 5 minutes than most can do in 5 hours. I'm known for fitting 30 hours of life into 24 hour days. My refusal to allow anything to be just mediocre means I will never have "enough" time. I often find myself looking into the life of my girlfriends wondering how they have it all, do it all, and look fabulous. I long for perfection! I am as Type A as they come. I can't walk past something without straightening it. I get excited when things are color coded. The container store is like therapy. Seriously! 

As I try to juggle it all, I'm sometimes left feeling unappreciated and unnoticed. Sure, I knew when I signed up that this whole being a mom gig could be a thankless job at times, but surely MY daughter would be thrilled when she saw I had arranged her dolls. Or my students would notice I had stayed late organizing their journals in nice neat rows so they would be easy to locate. It's not about the praise, but rather the acknowledgment of my efforts. Despite all this, today I was validated by a respected colleague. Her words were simple, however powerful. "You are valued." With those 3 words, my years worth of work was validated. I shouldn't need the affirmation to give value to my work, but let's be real. . . I do! We all do. I've yet to meet a person who didn't like to hear a "good job" every once in a while. 

I know each of us have people in our life we could not survive without. My mom is my go to person. She can help me with anything at anytime. My dad is my Mr Fix It and my wise counsel. My best friend is my gossip buddy, my crafty expert, and my confidant. I would be incapable of being me without them.  They are the ones who talk me off the ledge when one of my crazy paranoid ideas has left me a nervous wreck. They humor my silly antics. When my worry wart mom side kicks in, they help reassure me. They embrace my passion.  They support my need for  justice. I value the time and effort they so graciously give to me, expecting nothing in return. I don't praise them enough and it would be impossible to thank them enough. I value them just for being present in my crazy chaotic world! 

Who do you value? Who is it that makes it possible for you to do life everyday? Do they know?  "You are valued" went a long way with me and I know it will do wonders for others too! 

Confessions of a Recovering Hoarder

 

I am a keeper. I am a collector of many things. I like to think of myself as somewhat of a historian, preserving items for a future generation. My mom sees things a little differently. . . She thinks I am a full blown hoarder. I do however have my dad on my side. I think I may have inherited this trait from him. For as long as I can remember, my mom has strategically forced my father and I to sort through our things. I can even remember one year she decided to get rid of one thing everyday. Ahh!! That News Years resolution nearly caused me a breakdown! We have spent decades, father and daughter, trying to save our precious collections from the minimalist. My plan has always been to hide my treasures before she could find them. My dad would let her kick them to the curb and then sneak out at dark to retrieve them from the trash and relocate them to his stash in the garage. You can only imagine the entertainment this has provided the neighbors over the years. 

While my saving may seem ridiculous to some, to me it has a purpose. I can look at an item and instantly tell you who gave it to me and for what occasion. I see my treasures as keepsakes, mementos. If you ever give me something, it would be safe to bet I will have it for years to come.

Once I became a teacher that only took my hoarding to a whole new level.  Teachers are notorious for saving things.  You may look at an empty coffee can and see trash, however when I look at the can I see the perfect container to hold my new pencils.  If saving trash isn't bad enough, I now find myself purchasing junk to save.  I must place part of the blame on Target for this one.  That dollar section is going to be the death of me!  "It's only a dollar," I think as I load 2 more sets of flashcards, for a subject I don't even teach, into the buggy.  I am convinced all of these things will come in handy one day.  As a teacher, I also feel obligated to save every picture a student has drawn for me and each tiny trinket I was presented as a token of appreciation. This has left me with tubs upon tubs loaded to the max.

In my early years of hoarding, I was still living at home so all of my junk was stored safely at my parents.  Then once I left home, I rented a storage space to ensure I had adequate room for my belongings.  Everything was going well until the minimalist started downsizing.  Suddenly and without warning. . . every single time I visited my childhood home, I was sent away with loads of junk I had saved over the years.  You know the saying, "out of sight, out of mind." This phrase had taken truth in my life and to be honest. . . I had forgotten about my mementos.  The more I dreaded visits to my mom's. . . the more I realized. . . I have a problem!  I am officially a hoarder!  

My Confessions as a Hoarder:

1. I have every single movie stub and ticket from any event I attended
2. On vacations, I pick up every brochure I can find and save it. . .
3. Do you remember. . . back before texting. . . those notes we would write and fold in cool shapes. . . Yep - saved those too!
4. Pressed flowers from my high school homecoming date are still placed neatly inside a hardback book
5. T-Shirts from elementary, middle school, high school, college. . . you get the picture!
6. Cards I have received for all occasions.
I could go on and on, but I will spare you! 

Once all of these items ended up back in my actual possession, I realized it might be time to start letting some things go.  In truth. . . most of it was trash!  I finally sorted through the majority of it.  Some things went to trash, others to charity, and a few things I found creative ways to save as keepsakes.  Check back soon for details on my suggestions for organizing the chaos of your keepsakes. 

 

Lessons from the Lobby

Ah the sense of humor God must have. . . My sweet, sweet, angel of a child decided to test my patience at church this morning. . . Yes, I said church. I stopped praying for patience a long time ago, but apparently God is not finished with me yet. She had already pushed the limit in the sanctuary and we were now headed to the room designated for nursing mothers. As I opened the door of my "safe haven" at church, I was met with an awkward stare. Yes, I belong in here. . . Yes, she is STILL nursing. . . And no, you really don't want to ask me about it!    

I knew 3 minutes in. . . this would NOT be my safe haven today. My little one wanted to weave in and out of the rockers while the sweet mothers tried to put their babies to sleep. When H waved to one of the mothers and shouted "hi!" I could tell her sweet smile and exploring personality were not welcome here this morning. I tried to wrangle her. . . Fail. She had picked this morning to fully assert herself. 

She was throwing a fit with the passion of a fighter. . . She was going to win. . . Her trophy would be my shame. The other mothers looked on as they rocked their sweetly sleeping babies.  I could hear their "shhhh" growing louder as they attempted to drown out the wails of an angry toddler.  I'm sure they were thinking, "my child will never be allowed to act that way." Ha! I can say this with confidence and a laugh because that was me a few months back. Mommas of new babies I got news for you. . . Your day is coming. Your sweet angel WILL act a fool in public. . . As I felt their judging gaze burn through my back, I did what any mother in my situation would do. . . I abandoned ship. I scooped up my screaming child and ran for the door. Making a comment about teething as we left. . . I needed the other mothers to know there was a reason she was acting this way.. . That sure beat them thinking I was just an awful mother. 

We found our place, hidden in the far corner of the lobby, where she preceded to run around for the remainder of the service with no regard for my authority.  Veteran mommas you will understand. . . This was one of those times I wasn't touching her unless she was about to run out the door or electrocute herself. At this point, the best way to avoid further embarrassment was to leave her alone! This was not the time or place for a lesson. How do you really reason with a 1 year old anyways?!?! 

Through the speakers above I heard bits and pieces of the message. . . The pastor said, "God is omnipresent because he doesn't want to miss a minute of our game." Well that's funny I thought! I bet he is enjoying watching my "game" this morning. I also was happy to know he saw the "game" those other mothers brought this morning as they made my angel and I feel unwelcome. . . I know, I know. . . I shouldn't think that way. . . But I couldn't help it. I am human! 

While what I heard streaming from the pulpit sounded powerful, MY lesson at church this morning didn't happen in the sanctuary. . . MY lesson happened in the lobby. How many people have I sent to the lobby? How many times had my judgement sent someone running? My lesson wasn't about patience. . . It was about the love and acceptance of Jesus. I know I've said it before, but it can't be said enough. . . Mommas, give each other grace! We can be terrible to each other. The thing that makes no sense is we are all in this together. . . We KNOW what it's like. . . I mean we REALLY know!  The greatest irony is. . . the same mother who had the screaming toddler one week, is suddenly the epitome of June Cleaver when her little one is having a good week and it's my turn to wrestle a one year old. Why do we do this?  I must confess, I'm as guilty as anyone. I've given the eye to an exhausted and exasperated momma. What does that actually accomplish though? 

Let's make a deal. . . Next time I see your kid screaming in church, I got your back. . . I will affirm you and help you in anyway I can. I'm coming off my high horse and showing you the grace you deserve. . . Then next week, I can assure you my daughter will make sure you are able to return the favor. Most days we are all just trying to survive this crazy thing called motherhood, the least we can do for each other is give one another a break! 

7 Tips for a Successful Garage Sale

Let's face it. . . We all have junk. Most of us have tons of junk! As a recovering hoarder, I have plenty of items that need rehoming. After a while, my OCD side overtakes the hoarder and I spend an entire day frantically clearing out every last nook and cranny. When this day comes it means one thing. .  . Time for a sale!
 

I love to wheel and deal. And I really love to make money! Garage sales are the perfect avenue for me to easily de-clutter my house and make a few bucks.  I've had 3 garage sales in the last 2 months and I've made around $700. This is easy cash! Since I've had 3 great sales this year, I  think of myself as an expert garage seller. . . My friends think of me as a garage sale addict and are currently seeking group help for me.  Anyways, if you follow my 7 tips below, you too can have a successful garage sale!

1. Pick a great location

You need to have your garage sale in a place with high traffic. The more people who drive by. . . The more shoppers you will have. I'm not suggesting you move your garage, but you should consider asking someone if you can have your sale at their house.  You will be surprised how willing your friends and family might be to let you borrow their drive way for a couple of hours.  Heck, they will probably throw a few items of their own out there. I live off the beaten path so I always have my sales at my mom's house.

2. Advertise

Make sure you have a large, eye catching sign posted the day before and the day of the sale. If your traffic slows down, make a run to check your sign. I also recommend advertising on local Facebook buy/sell/trade pages. This has brought me tons of shoppers!

3. Don't waste time pricing 

You don't want to go too crazy labeling your items and pricing each piece. You allow yourself more flexibility with pricing if nothing is labeled.  If someone comes up early in the day, with excitement in their eyes over my old paper towel holder, then I want to be able to ask top dollar. . . On the flipside, when I'm about to close up shop, I'm going to practically give away anything someone picks up.  There are a few exceptions to this rule.  Some items will be easier to group and label.  For example, I usually have a set price for clothes and I post a general sign near where they are hanging.

4. Organize and display the junk 

I love sales at department stores, but I hate when I have to dig through the stuff. Garage sales are the same way. Why would someone want to buy something you have carelessly thrown out on a table like trash? You want what you're selling to look appealing.  Always, always, always hang the clothes!  Did I say hang the clothes? Always hang the clothes!

5. Give toys away
The way to a man's heart may be through his belly, but everyone knows the way to a mom is through her kids.  If you can make the kids happy, then mom is more likely to stay and shop.  I gather a few small toys I don't mind giving away and when I see shoppers with kids I always give a toy to the child. 

6. Wear a waitress apron

I know it sounds silly, but I can't run a garage sale without my apron. I know several people who recommend a fanny pack, but seriously?!?! That is just not happening. I would rather look like a waitress from a diner than Richard Simmons. I keep all the cash there, my cell phone, a marker, and tape.

7. Have a Flash Sale 

When you've had all the fun you can stand and you are ready to pack it up, make your final markdowns. Most of us box what's left and take it to the local donation station or to the curb for trash pick up. If you were willing to give it away for free, why not make a couple bucks? At the end of the day I have a $1 sale. . . Anything left is only a $1. . . I truly mean anything! At my last sale I sold a chair for a $1. The way I see it is; making $1 is better than nothing. I send my husband out and he puts up a new sign "Garage Sale - EVERYTHING ONLY $1." Last time, I seriously had people running to my driveway within minutes of my husband marking the sign. 

Alright people, go make some sales! What are you going to do with all that hard earned cash? My garage sale is funding our summer fun. We can go to the pool or out for sno cones guilt free all summer!