Friday Five February 6, 2015

Five things happening this week…

1) Reading:  I finished reading Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty.  It was good, but not my absolute favorite by her.  She still remains my current favorite author.  Love her writing style, and all the surprises that just keep coming in each book.

 

2) Watching:  We of course watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, though I did not care who won the game.  My favorite part was the half-time show with Katy Perry…not that I am a huge fan, but because Avery thoroughly enjoyed it.  She was mesmerized by the visuals and the poppy, upbeat music.  Anything juvenile such as this, is so much more fun when you get to watch a child enjoying it!

 

3) Shopping:  I have been looking for a new phone case for a while now, but either can’t find one that I like, or when I do it costs more than I want to spend.  Or, as is the case here, I finally found one from the Rifle Paper Co. I was ready to buy, and it’s currently sold out.  So…I’m on the lookout for another one again.

 

4) Cooking: I made a Meatza Pizza for dinner a few nights ago that I found here.  It might have been good, except that I followed the recipe exactly, which turned out not to be a good thing.  I included the optional 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, which turned out to be way too much!  It ruined the meat “crust” because it was too hot.  I also felt the “crust” was too thick.  If I were to make this again I would spread the crust out in a much bigger pan than the recipe called for.  From here on, I will probably stick to the real thing or make a cauliflower crust as we have before, which tastes much better.

 

5) Loving: Avery and her cuteness.  She spilled her milk last weekend, said, “Sorry Mommy,” then walked over and got a towel from the drawer and cleaned up her mess.  Now, if only she would do this for every mess she makes!  :)

 

A Little Q & A February 4, 2015

I thought it was time to update my bio page…so the below Q & A’s will soon be up on my About Me page.

 

     Favorite actors?

• Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Kristen Wiig
• Leonardo Dicaprio, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell

Favorite films?

• Gone with the Wind
• The Hangover
• A Lot Like Love
• Bridesmaids

Must see TV?

• Grey’s Anatomy
• The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Orange County
• Nashville
• How to Get Away with Murder

Favorite food?

• Pizza
• Shrimp
• Brownies

Favorite thing to cook?

• Desserts — especially brownies
• Primal dinners that actually end up tasting good

Guilty pleasures?

• Watching several of the TV shows I listed above
• Taking naps
• Online shopping
• Instagram/Pinterest/Goodreads app

Favorite song at the moment?

• Style by Taylor Swift
• Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars (Avery loves to dance to this!)

Favorite bands/musicians?

• Taylor Swift
• Bruno Mars
• Maroon5
• Zac Brown Band

Hobbies/interests?

• Running, Walking, and Lifting Weights
• Reading
• Playing Tennis
• Gardening
• Paleo/Primal Cooking
• Celebrity Gossip

Favorite places in the world?

• My house, snuggled up with either Adam or Avery…or both.  :)
• Florida…especially the Key’s

Favorite books/authors?

• Liane Moriarity
• Gone with the Wind
• Where’d You Go Bernadette?
• The Help
• Gone Girl
• The Last Letter to Your Lover
• Harry Potter series

     Favorite places to shop?

• Amazon
• Banana Republic
• Gap

Favorite restaurants in Springfield, MO or anywhere else you visit often?

• Springfield only — Maria’s
• Chains — Old Chicago, Zio’s

Favorite magazines?

• Glamour
• Redbook
• Fitness

Favorite cosmetics brands?

• Bare Minerals
• Maybelline
• Urban Decay

Favorite cocktail/drink?

• Coffee
• Shiner Bock
• Vanilla Vodka and Diet Soda

Do you prefer to stay in or go out?

• I prefer staying in.  Avery makes it pretty tough to go out, but even then I’m very much a homebody.

Do you speak another language?

• Not really.  I know some German, but not enough to say I “speak” it.

If you could go anywhere in the world you haven’t been, where would it be and why? 

• I would love to visit Hawaii.  I love the beach, warm weather, and tropical locations.

What is a fashion don’t in your mind?

• Wearing sheer leggings as if they are pants.  While some might enjoy it, I personally do not want to see your thong, butt, or lady bits through your so-called pants…if others can clearly so those things, then they are probably not pants!
• I also think clothes should fit your body.  Ill-fitting, super tight clothes can make some of the skinniest women still look chubby, and unflattering.  If it’s too tight, don’t wear it!

Mac or pc?

• PC, although if I didn’t require one for work, I would love a Mac.

Favorite websites to visit?

• Pinterest
• Amazon
• Goodreads

Things That Are “Saving” My Life Right Now February 1, 2015

After a recommendation from my BFF, I have started reading the blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy.  She writes a lot about books, which are my favorite posts, but recently she inspired me to type up a list of things that are making this winter that much more bearable…to be posted on Groundhog’s Day, the halfway point of winter.  To explain and encourage her readers to do the same, she writes,

“I’m marking the things—big and small—that are making my life so peculiarly precious during this season. The things that are saving my life, even if it sounds silly to say so. “

So, without further explanation, here is my list of things that are “saving” me from the winter blues:

 

1. Boots, boots, boots — I would not mind dressing up for work in the winter if I could just wear jeans every day with a nice sweater or top…but that is frowned up.  I also do not like wearing heels to teach in, but I think they look the best with dress pants, so basically this amounts to me not really enjoying dressing up for work.  :p  My solution to this problem has been to wear boots  every chance I get.  I wear them with various colors of leggings or with skinny jeans in a variety of non-blue colors.  i.e.  I have a new khaki pair from American Eagle that are super cute with brown boots.  The only problem that this creates, is that I am always dreaming of another pair that I “need” to buy.  (Boots from Piperlime.com, Journey’s, and JustFab.com.)

 

2. Coffee — Coffee is the new water…at least for me it seems to be.  Not only do I love it, but I feel that it is a necessity.  Three cups minimum.  Every now and then I even drink a cup after I get home from work too, as I feel I need a little caffeine boost, but do not want to drink a soda.  (After reading several articles lately about how terrible pop is for you, I’ve been trying to cut it out almost completely.) This particular day I had Starbucks, that pretty much only happens about once month.  Most days I stick to using my precious Keurig.

 

3. Dreaming of Florida — My husband and I had gone on a vacation every single year we were together, usually to various parts of Florida…and then we had Avery.  Ha.  Two years later, we are finally going back, this time with our baby.  We have a condo booked for Orlando the first week of June.  Adam and I are constantly talking about and planning different aspects of the trip.  It’s making the end of the school year that much more exciting and giving me a reason to daydream about summer.  (Trip to the Key’s in 2011.)

Florida

 

 

 

4. Books — Books are my constant go-to for entertainment.  When I am reading something really good I get excited for the opportunity to sneak in even five minutes.  Plus, when there is no beautiful weather outside calling my name…cuddling up with a good book and a blanket sounds pretty darn good.

Books

 

 

 

5. Not Being Sick, one day at a time — Winter has not been kind to me thus far.  I have already been sick twice since November, and as I type this have almost completely lost my voice…not sure yet if it’s going to turn into something more.  There are constantly sick students all around me, as well as sick students around my husband, plus all of the toddlers running around Avery’s daycare with her.  Therefore, truly every day that I wake up and feel “not sick” is a blessing, as is when Avery and Adam both seem well too.

Last 5 Randomly Strange Things I Learned or Heard Teaching Teenagers January 20, 2015

When I wrote my first post with this title, I had intended to continue writing these every month or so.  Two years later, here is finally another one.  This is certainly not because I haven’t heard crazy things in the last two years, but because I simply get too busy and forget to write them all down.

 

1) A conversation between two of my freshmen students:

“If two white people have a baby in China, the baby will be Chinese!”

“Right, they will be Chinese citizens.”

“No, no, I’m saying they will look Chinese!”

“You’re crazy, no they won’t.”

“Yes, I swear!”

“Okay, well what if two black people have a baby in Mexico…will their baby look Mexican?”

“Of course not!  That would be crazy.”

(I know as a teacher I’m not supposed to laugh at my students, but on this occasion I went the other direction and I couldn’t stop laughing!)

 

2) I got asked last week by a student (who again, was totally serious) if my hair was permed.  I told him that was a funny  joke.  For those that know me, or who have seen pictures, you are fully aware of exactly how straight my hair is…whether I attempt to make it straight or not!

 

3) One class seems to have an obsession with old I am.  After telling them at least three times that I am 30 years old, I started responding instead that I am 55 when they ask me…which still seems to be at least once a week, as I tire of their repetitive question.  After several weeks of being super sarcastic and stating that I was 55, one student, out of the blue came up to me on her way out of the room and said, “Wow, I just can’t get over how good you look for being 55.”  Sheesh!

 

4) If your variables cancel out when solving an equation, then you have either infinite solutions or no solutions based on what’s left.  This student knew exactly what they were doing…however, they didn’t exactly abbreviate their answer appropriately.

 

5) My last one of the day I figure I probably can’t use in my Trig classes anymore.  What a bummer!

~I also refuse to play Trivia Crack, because that’s all I hear about from my students lately.  For those not around teenagers all day, I hear this is a great app to check out!  ;)

 

 

Christmas 2014 January 5, 2015

Though it was extremely busy, I was still recovering from a nasty chest infection, and we felt like we spent a lot of time driving…we had a wonderful Christmas this year!  It was our second Christmas as a family of three, and probably my favorite one to-date, because of how much fun Avery was (now 20 months old). She enjoyed opening presents and seeing what was inside, though she still needed and wanted my help with that a bit.  I suppose by next year she will be all on her own!  She also had a blast passing out gifts at my parents house, that might have been even more fun to her than actually opening them.  :)  Here are some of my favorite pics of this Christmas season.

 

    

This was our first time taking Avery to Silver Dollar City during Christmas time.  She liked seeing Rudolph in the parade and thoroughly enjoyed walking the loop of the park, just like she did this summer.  We picked a really cold night to go, but that didn’t make a bit of difference to her!

 

       

This was our first Christmas celebration at Granny and Granddad’s.  Avery loves to play with “DeeDad.”

 

    

Our first true Christmas morning at our own house.  It was perfect.  Love, love, love.

 

 

    

Christmas day at my grandparents.

 

Four generations!  I adored getting to see Avery on my Nannie’s lap.  So very special.

 

    

Finally, our weekend celebration in Macon.  This girl also found out how much she LOVES stairs now that she can make it up and down them with no help.  She played all weekend on Grandma and Grandpa’s stairs.

 

What a great break we had!

 

Favorite Books of 2014 January 4, 2015

I read 34 books this year, totaling over 11,000 pages.  That is by far the most pages I have ever read in a year.  I contribute this to finally finishing my masters and the ease with which I can sneak in a few pages on a book here or there on my Kindle or Kindle app on my phone.  I also got into reading a lot on the treadmill at the gym.

 

Writing the below list was rather difficult, as I felt I read a lot of good books this year, but not very many that jump out at me as being amazing.

 

The best 8 Books I Read in 2014:  (though not necessarily released in ’14)

1. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (as mentioned in my previous book post)

2. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

4. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

5. The Alloway Files by E.J. Roller (written by one of my oldest and dearest friends)

6. Daily Wisdom for Women: 2014 Devotional by Barbour Publishing (my favorite of the three daily devotionals I read)

7. The Theory of Opposites by Allison Winn Scotch

8. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

 

*Finally, a quick screenshot of the covers of each book I read.

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

   

Books to Read in 2015 January 2, 2015

This is my third year writing down my list of books to read for the new year.  Again though, I made a pretty short list, because my book club tends to dictate about half of what I read, as does the cost of other books I can catch on sale or happen to get from the library.  It’s still fun to have at least a few planned out though.

 

1) Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan — I just started reading this one yesterday.  I have had it on my list the last two years, so I’m finally reading it now.  About 20 pages in and I’m already very interested.  Can’t wait to see where it goes.  

2/3) Three Wishes & The Hypnotists Love Story by Liane Moriarty — This past year I fell in love with Moriarty’s work, reading four out of her six books.  Big Little Lies was one of my favorite books of the year.  To be able to call myself a true fan, I most definitely plan to read the rest of her books.  If you haven’t read a book by her yet, I highly recommend starting one now!

     

4) Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter — This one is making it on my list for the second year in a row.  Sheesh!  My BFF gave me this in the hospital when I had Avery and I still haven’t gotten around to reading it.  Hopefully this will be the year.

5) Yes Please by Amy Poehler — I loved Tina Fey’s book (this one is supposedly similar in nature) and I think Amy Poehler is hilarious.  I have also heard from several friends that it is really good, so I’m anxious to read this one too.

And honestly, that’s it.  I don’t have too many books this year that I feel I absolutely have to read….but I always have tons of books that I want to read!  So, here is a visual of some of the books I am interested to read, some are even on my Kindle already….but they  may or may not happen.

                              

❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤

How did I do with my list from last year?  I copied my “Books to Read in 2014” post from January below.  I read 4 out of 5 of the books on my main list, and read 1 more off of my secondary list.

Books to Read in 2014:

 

1) The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith, aka J. K. Rowling — Read in March 2014.

2) The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty —  Read in Februray 2014.

3) & 4) Deadlocked & Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris — Read both in May 2014.

5) Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter —

And finally, here is a visual of other books I am interested to read…but no way am I going to put on my list, because they may or may not happen in 2014.

  

  Read in March 2014.

    

   

Holiday Happiness Coming Right Up November 18, 2014

With Thanksgiving only a little over a week away, Christmas commercials everywhere, and Amazon’s Pre-Black Friday deals happening already, it’s virtually impossible not to have the holidays on my brain! It seems crazy to believe that Avery’s second Thanksgiving and Christmas are fast approaching. And with that comes all the driving and visiting family that is so very exhausting. I love all of our family, I love spending quality time with them, and I want them to get to experience what Avery is like right now…but I just wish there were a way to make it easier. I want to please everyone, while also doing what it best for my own little family. I also want to have some of our own traditions that Avery can look forward to each year. Adam and I want to see if we can make that happen this year.

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And with that, I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas this year! Especially because I think Avery is going to LOVE it. Whether or not she can leave ornaments within her reach alone…that is still to be determined. Below are some gorgeous ideas that are really getting me in the decorating mood.

An all white-themed tree. Found on theyellowcapecod.com

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We got one of these for Christmas last year, so I can’t wait to get him out. Found on blossombunkhouse.com

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I’m not usually one to be big into baking…but these really make me want to make some to take to work.

Found on bakedperfection.com

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A gradient Christmas tree. I definitely want to do this some day, when we have room for more than one tree.

Found on ebay.com

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This I hope to do over Thanksgiving break as I decorate the house.

Found on iheartnaptime.net

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And lastly…bundling and snuggling. Two of my favorites with my sweet girl!

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My dearest husband, you can make that trip up to the attic any day now.

And to everyone else, wish me luck with all of this decorating I plan to do while I have my toddler running around everywhere getting into EVERYTHING. It will certainly be a challenge. :)

Oh Parent-Teacher Conferences… October 28, 2014

I type this as I am in the midst of the final night of parent-teacher conferences for the school year.  Being my 8th year teaching, I find that I am not nearly as nervous as I once was, but still find several of the encounters a bit unsettling.  Here’s why:

 

1) While I have many more conferences than a lot of my fellow teachers, it is quite disturbing that out of the 150 some students I have, just under 20 parents care enough to meet with me.  Granted, I could eliminate around three-quarters of that 150 whose teenagers have good grades and are doing just fine in my class.  On the flip side of this however, I have at least 20 students who are failing and another 10 or so that are barely passing.  Not ONE of those parents has contacted me or set up a conference.  Of those 20 parents who did show, two had C’s, and the rest have A’s.  So for the most part, I didn’t actually meet with any parents that I actually needed to.

 

How can one care so little for their child, that they don’t even bother to find out why they are failing?  Or what they can do to fix it?  Even if you hated school yourself, it is your child’s ticket for getting farther in life…whether that means going on to college or simply being able to get a good, career-type job.

 

2)   On the other end of the spectrum, I have parents coming in truly disturbed by their child’s grade in trigonometry because they only have a B+.  And even one or two last year, that had a 98% and were not happy with that.  They act as if their child is a horrible student and beg me to tell them what they can do to help them improve.  Because of their “poor grades,” several of those students will now have outside tutoring to attempt to get their grades up.  Unless it is the student themselves who wants desperately to have that A, then I just feel bad for them.  Their parents seem to put so much pressure on them to essentially be perfect.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I was one of those crazy, school-obsessed students myself, who thought life would be over if I ever got an A-…BUT that was coming from within myself.  Not because my parents wanted me to have an A, but because I wanted an A.  There was definitely never pressure from my parents to be perfect.  I can’t even imagine trying my very best, and then having my parents telling me that my best was just not good enough.  Why would a parent chose to make their child feel so poorly about themselves?

 

3)  I seem to be reflecting and thinking deeper about all of these conversations and interactions, or lack-there-of with various types of parents, as I now directly transfer it to how I imagine Avery might be.  And, then on to how I will be as a parent in a similar scenario in the future.  I like to think that Adam and I will be somewhere in the middle of the above mentioned extremes, but I also know that is easier said than done.  It would be extremely difficult to sit back and just let her get a B, when she makes it very known to us that she is not actually giving 110%, as my Dad used to say.  But at that the same time, if she is happy and succeeding and still learning, then perhaps that is good enough?

 

Only time will tell on this one.  For now, I will just soak up every moment of watching Avery continue to learn and discover the world around her.  Life as her Momma is the best job there is.

 

Favorite Parent Quote of the Night (of one of my freshmen girls):  “D. says you you have such cute clothes, are so pretty, and are by far her favorite teacher.”  (This student has never particularly liked math, or thought that she was good at it.  And now she has an A, and actually seems to enjoy Algebra 1.)  I love it!

Flash Forward Six Months October 10, 2014

….and then six months passed without me writing a single blog post.  Whoops.  Let me touch on the highlights…right after I set the October theme with this picture:

 

• Avery hit the one-year mark, and is now only 20 days away from being a year-and-a-half old.  Every day I look at her and am amazed at how much she has grown and continues to change.
• After several ridiculously minor technicalities, I finally met all of the requirements for my master’s thesis by the end of the summer, and officially graduated.  I now happily have my Masters in Secondary Education with an Emphasis in Mathematics.
• Adam has taken on a crazy amount of responsibilities this school year, particularly here at the beginning while coaching football.  I’m so proud of him and thankful that he is willing to work so hard for our family.  Avery and I enjoy every little bit of free time we can get with him, because he has very little!
• My school year is off to a very different start than his.  I only have two preps, both of which I’ve taught before…needless to say, it’s easy!  My number 1 focus right now is pretty much just Avery.  It is wonderful!
• We had such a great summer, although it was a busy one.   We  went to a Springfield Cardinals game, Dogwood Canyon south of Branson, the zoo, multiple trips to Silver Dollar City, went pontooning on Table Rock, and had trips to Macon and Bolivar to see the grandparents.  Avery and I also went on a LOT of walks, went to multiple playgrounds, and had several trips to the city pool-which she LOVED. I also ran quite a bit in June and July…130 miles to be exact.

 

 

AVERY is amazing.

-She is talking like crazy.  She has over 40-50 words that she says all the time.  Every day it seems she is saying something new that I had no idea that she even knew.

-She is obviously walking by now, not only that but practically running at times, and climbing on everything.

-She is a sweetheart, and loves to be snuggled and kissed on.  She gives great hugs, and sometimes kisses too if you are lucky.

-After being at daycare all day, she doesn’t let me out of her sight from the moment we get home.  She follows me everywhere, and wants me to hold her as much as my arms can allow.  ;)

-In my eyes, she is of course impossibly cute.  So adorable still that I really could just watch her all day long and never bore of it.

-She loves to play and loves to get into everything.  She is interested in absolutely everything.  She loves books, and loves to bring them to me to read to her.  She loves music, and enjoys dancing and clapping her hands to anything with a beat.

-She is not the best eater, but she is improving.  Her favorites though, are cheese and crackers.  Oh, and chocolate too.  (Though she rarely gets any.)  Can you believe it Nannie?

-She has stolen my heart forever.  I thank God every single day for blessing me with such a precious daughter.  <3