Good morning friends. It’s been a week, am I right? I get the feeling many had some rough days. We did. Working on trying to make the weekends special and will do that as best we can. So, staying excited about Friday! Joe is stoked about the NFL draft. Felt nice to have some sort of sports talk again and to hear him talk sports on the phone. Been a long time! Will chat with some friends/family over the weekend too.

And for the other happy things.

The kids took a nap!

For a hot minute the kitchen is clean!

My freshman year of high school, my good friend Justin’s group did “All the Small Things” for their lip sync video for drama class. Just felt like this little gem.

The pork fiesta continued! This time with cabbage slaw. Mmmm

Bobbing his little head at dinner. 🙂

Workout complete. Lessons are complete for the week! Now to do some meetings and some odds and ends like grades. Will do some photography work this weekend. Maybe try to get my basement in order for my virtual conference next weekend so I don’t have to sit in a huge mess…maybe…

Have a good one y’all!

 

Sometimes fine, sometimes terrible, sometimes fantastic. It is what it is. 🙂 Today it is sort of just fine. Slept better but still pretty tired. Could have slept for more but had to get up and going. Lessons to get ready for.

Yesterday was not a bad day, but it was long and full of many tasks. I did get to bust away for a walk in the middle of the day thank goodness. And here you see how John Michael says “mom” so many times in a row. We mostly laugh because he says our names this many times that it’s comical. This video is not an isolated occurrence– he talks from the minute he wakes up until he finally crashes at night. “Mom” and “Dad” start and end every sentence. I love how he goes from the garages, to not going home, to something someone drew on the pavement, to this bird. No breath barely. 🙂 Funny kid.

John Michael took these photos of me and Remi. What a good guy. I’m normally the photographer so it was cool that he captured the moment.

So much done on the school front yesterday. We did have time to do a little music lesson (we started it anyway and will go back in today) by my good friend Amy! She did a great Earth Day music lesson. So we have some activities we will do this afternoon. We will also do the curbside pickup at the music store so we can deal with instrument repairs/returns.

Have a good day!

Top of the morning to you! Had to dig deep today. Really didn’t want to leave the bed this morning. But the exercises are complete, I am showered and ready for the morning meetings. Sipping coffee…thank goodness. We have a problem with the coffee in our house. Don’t worry about it, I’ll never stop.

Other things making me happy? A foot stool under my desk- soo helping my back when I’m on the meetings and computer work. Bone broth. JM’s huge tower! A car intersection I found on the kitchen counter this morning. JM’s cuteness laying down after his bath. I guess I already mentioned the coffee and the exercising. Pork fiesta continued with tacos. The garden my mom got us is making progress. The mint was only supposed to take 6-10 days but it took longer. I thought it was a dud but then finally this morning I see the little green leaves coming up!

It was sweet watching Joe with John Michael last night. He was singing on Joe’s lap to a nursery rhyme show after we ate dinner at the table.

Poor Remi. She got banished by John Michael.

The band lessons continued.

Some other things I am instituting are to not consume any sort of media whatsoever first thing in the morning or before I go to bed. I don’t keep my phone in my bedroom anymore. I don’t look at Facebook first thing until I have blogged and journaled my thoughts. And I really limited that. I like the positive aspects of Facebook- seeing my family, friends, and school community doing such wonderful things. Because I love seeing that I do read/watch that stuff a bit each day. I like to share the fun things John Michael does and we cook. And the comical things are great! But I try to skip watching people argue where they don’t effectively discuss things. Limiting the time on there helps me feel a lot better overall. I feel like the stress level came down a bit. We watch news updates occasionally when I feel it’s important- we keep up when necessary. I tend to read more than watch to get the information.

Today I don’t have lessons with the kids but I have office hours, some meetings, documents and grading to do. So I best be going. Cheers to you!

 

Morning! Yep, I typed that title intentionally. Tired again today. I had a friend in college who played football that had a coach that used to say that it wasn’t the sleep you got the night before, it’s “the night before the night before” that affects how you feel today. I’d say I probably agree. Fact is, I don’t think I really slept very good the last two nights. Hope tonight is better.

I also am hoping to get the bulk of my job done in the morning so that I can be more present with John Michael this afternoon and get the evening routine kicked off sooner. Got the instructional video done for this week. Today I have to do some planning for the next learning target which is due in tomorrow. So fingers crossed I can get all the lessons with kids done, correspondence done, and that lesson planning done by then. JM can be needy so it’s all a gamble. 🙂

I made the BEST pulled pork tostadas last night. I decided to see if Mama Lupe’s shells would do well toasted in the oven. Tostadas are kinda fun because you can sort of pick them up like a pizza.

Mama Lupe’s Tortillas

The good news is that they do! They have significantly less carbs than traditional tortillas, so if you are trying to cut back there, they are an amazing option. I put my oven at 450 degrees with a little oil on each side. Toasted them for 5 minutes and then flipped for another 5.

The pork took a long time low and slow in the oven. It took more into the night than I had planned on but I was patient and let it go. I knew it wasn’t done yet. Glad I waited. It turned out tender and perfect. I didn’t get a pretty picture of the whole roast because I didn’t sear it as I should have. But I put my thinking cap on and after I strained some of the fat out of the juices, I warmed the juices up. Put a little oil in the pan and then crisped up the pork. Not long to loose it’s tender juiciness (just a few minutes) but just enough to give it a little crisp. I added in some extra spices like cumin, cayenne, paprika, salt, and a drizzle more of the juices with lime. Topped the tostadas with lettuce, cheese, salsa, and cilantro. I’ll be dreaming about those. Since I made the roast, we will be doing pork tacos and bowls or nachos for 3 more days. Excited about that!

John Michael did some painting yesterday and helped me put together my instructional video. He even took the photos of me so I could demonstrate things to my kids. 🙂 Then he had to try out the trumpet…buzzing his lips!

And again with the dancing… What I love about his dancing right now is that he does not give a darn what anyone thinks and it’s an honest expression of himself. I love watching it.

In other news the house is trashed. Good times. I love that lamp shade turned over in the one picture. So funny. Also Remi just chilling in these all nonchalant.

This kid needs a bath and some energy burning this afternoon so off I go. Hope we get to the things we need to this afternoon. Time to teach some lessons!

Good morning on this Friday. Yesterday was a hard day for the education world in Wisconsin, making schools officially closed for the year. We knew it would likely happen, as it has happened in many states. We support and understand. But, understanding doesn’t mean it comes lightly. It is rough for educators, students, their parents. Many missed milestones for seniors, eighth graders, kids going into middle school or a new school. No concerts, musicals, sporting events, dances, ceremonies, and other special events that happen this time of year. No closure that we normally have between teachers with our unique group of students. And like I said last night, we will come out of this stronger than ever on the other side of this. For now, it’s okay to be sad.

There are bigger pains in this world everyone knows. I’ve said that a lot on this blog in the past few weeks. We are infinitely lucky for our blessings. It’s still a loss no matter what, and we will have to process that as we forge ahead. It is okay to process the grief. I know this much: I work with the best team in the world and have the best colleagues in our surrounding districts. My students are the greatest. I have an incredible support network and family. They are astonishing, all of them. We will get through it.

I’m looking for lessons always, the meaning. If we choose to work for it, we can come out on the other side of this more empathetic. Firm in our priorities that matter. More genuine and present. Grateful to the extreme. Not taking for granted our family, extended family, and friends. Relishing joy. Countless other things. So that got me thinking- pain is a part of growth. That’s obviously not a new thought. It’s just a reminder now. You can’t be a better version of yourself if you don’t have pain. It really blows to go through pain, but pain is what makes the highs of life so wonderful. It will be hard to get through this season and try to connect with students when I cannot see their faces in real life. Hard for many other reasons. But I will persevere. It matters. I have to work hard and do all I can. We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to it.

So, I cooked a nice dinner. (Also happened to have a pretty breakfast!) Had some wine. Helped get us set for another 2 weeks of food (thanks for getting it Joe), wiped everything down (with wipes I made myself!!!) and cleaned it all up. John got his new tiles to add on to the ones his Nana Lynn and Papa D gave him which was exciting.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Oh- in case you wanna see how I made the wipes! John had some baby wipes that we didn’t need that I just happened to have. 1 1/2 cups of 70% proof rubbing alcohol, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and essential oil. Also happened to have the container from John’s baby days. I give credit to Jill Nystul on her blog: https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/make-your-own-swipes-sanitizing-wipes/ 

I got up this morning. I did the routine that I promised myself I would do. AND my muscles are coming back! I know that sounds dumb to be excited about that, but it was hard work. And pain. Paid off. Feels good and feels strong.

John running around. Love his joy.

My plants are growing. A reminder that we press on.

 

 

 

Thursday! Here’s Mr. Fix-it. Papa D, check that out!

Day 26 of the exercise routine! 🙂 Got me some vitamins too and some bone broth is on the way. Excited about those things. Lost a few inches and pounds I think. Remi is all cute in the bed. Tostadas were amazing last night. Don’t cry over cut onions haha. That was a strong one.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Meetings with the kids and staff yesterday- that was really nice to see and hear them. 🙂 Uplifting.

John and I found some Thomas the Train stuff online and printed out some coloring pages for him. He was fascinated that we could pick out the PDFs online and then watch them print.

He also made this bridge out of pillows. He calls it a bridge. 🙂 Dad got a new back massager for his birthday this weekend and he apparently had to try that out last night too.

Got some work to do- hope you have a great day!

Especially during this time, I am lucky to have my job as a teacher and as a mother. I’m thankful that we have jobs, that we are not ill, that I can be creative, and that I can be a leader for my students and son that count on me. There are so many that don’t have jobs, are essential workers, have someone they know affected by the virus or have lost someone, or have tons of kids at home while they juggle work. I’m not even naming them all- I know there are so many affected by this in so many countless ways. So I am starting my day out by thanking them and thinking of them. I am here to show up as best I can for my family and my kids (students) because that’s my job. They are counting on me and I am so incredibly grateful for that opportunity. I share the positivity to honor them!

John was pretending today to be a delivery worker. And I overheard him say, “now, you have to wipe that off because it has germs on it.” It’s cute, funny, and serious all at the same time. A reminder to me that he’s always watching.

I stayed up way too late reading. I’m in the middle of a George Washington documentary which has been fascinating. And some romance novel which is probably dumb but makes me happy. Made the morning routine harder but did it anyway with my exercises.

OH. Today is the day the Titanic sank 108 years ago. Here’s some facts for you.

The musicians played for two hours and five minutes as the ship sank. 

It was 882 feet long. 

She had two sister ships: The Olympic and the Britannic. Britannic later became a hospital ship and was sank during World War I. Olympic was the one built first and only one to not sink. She was scrapped in 1935. 

3 million rivets were used (a mixture of iron and steel).

20 horses carried the main anchor. 

01 – the yard number given to the Titanic when her keel was laid down (‘Harland and Wolff Yard No. 401’).

1514 out of 2224 people died in the sinking of the Titanic. Not enough lifeboats for all on board and not all completely filled. 

5 watertight bulkheads were breeched. The bulkheads only went to E deck. Not all the way up which is why it started to go down by the bow. 

Thomas Andrews, the ship’s architect was on board and went down with the ship. He was 39 years old. (Handsome and brave fellow)

In other news, I made some good foods last night (pork tenderloin and potatoes), took a very cold walk (looks to be a repeat today), and had got some meaningful work done for school. Look at that epic track! Good job on your trains JM. Gas is 97 cents! Wow.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It is one of my best friend’s birthdays today. Happy birthday Katie!!! 🙂 Hope you have a great day. Miss you.

Have a great Wednesday! Keep warm.

Good morning! I don’t have many photos or much to say today because yesterday I spent a lot of time working on some stuff for my students. That took most of the day. But here’s some cute photos of John “stretching” with me after my exercises this morning!

Aww. Today hope to finish up the lesson schedule and check in with the kids. I am also planning to spend some quality time with this kid. 🙂

From the morning quote jar, “Take every chance you get in life because some things only happen once.”

Can’t trust that day. 🙂 Trying to stay focused and productive. Quite cold and windy. I stayed to the routine but it was difficult this morning. In positive news, we had a wonderful Easter/Birthday weekend. More than anything, I am thankful we are still healthy and were able to celebrate as best we could.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last night’s stroganoff was most excellent and we will have left-overs today! John got a haul from the Easter Bunny and Joe got to watch his birthday request of Star Wars. Aunt Jody- John’s heart turned out pretty good!

Today I am reviewing my habits and seeing what I can do to tweak them. Bit of thinking. Have to record a video for my students (the first part is done, just need to finish the second). A bit more correspondence and odds and ends to do.

In case you didn’t get to check out my sweet video, here ya go. Admittedly you can see my rabbit in this video (in Harvey, only Jimmy Stewart sees the rabbit), but only I can see him dance! I highly recommend that movie by the way if you like old movies. In fact, I think I will watch it again this quarantine. It’s perfect.

Well, I need to get back to work. Hope you have a good week!

Happy 37th, Joe! Here’s some photos of our celebrations so far. Beef stroganoff tonight!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

And it’s Easter! We watched church first. Excellent service if you want to check it out!

Pilgrim Lutheran Easter Service

Yesterday we did some Easter photos outside since the weather was a bit better. This morning the Easter Bunny came! After church we had some mimosas and cinnamon rolls! Fancy breakfast. John Michael got a real glass (no champagne for him) and got to use a cloth napkin. Big day!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Joe got a sweet back massager! John likes it.

Check out this video below. Good jams.

My brother is so talented.