kids and Chicago

Kids can ride the Metra for freeeeee! So it's $20 roundtrip feom my town to Chicago for a weekend of fun. No tolls, gas stations, and paying insane parking fees. Get some outdoor walking in, sight seeing and pay a little for a little fun. Voila. Instant great weekend getaway! 

music and kids

Listening to music is easy when your kid is small. You pop in some cutesy CD you got and sing along. Fast forward 5 years later when the music is on your last nerve and your kid actually understands the lyrics on the radio. You have to get a bit more selective. We use google play and they have a whole section to choose from on moods. We chose family time for our game night and I must say, they kept the hits coming! Ultimate family party was the best, but I didn't listen to them all. Trying to keep them young while they're young isn't always easy but picking safe music is :)

Christmas 2019

My favorite part of Christmas is the magic of waking up to a fresh snow and twinkling lights surrounded by my kids and husband. It's the love of those moments that get me through. This year did not disappoint. 3 Christmases, plus our family Christmas morning together. No drama, safe weather, and smiles. Everyone got along, peace reigned throughout. There were tears, however... 

We went to Christmas eve mass, which is usually one of the most magical and fulfilling nights of the year. The second it started, my daughter began to cry. She was not hurt or sick, she was overwhelmed with emotions. She was crying for Jesus. She was crying for the sentiment in the moment. She was crying for all that the moment represented. It was beautiful. I held her and whispered to her and reminded her that this is the greatest gift we can never forget. And for that one hour, she sat on my lap, played with my hair, and held my hand like she used to when she was younger. All the stress of gift buying, wrapping, baking, coordinating, just drifted away. She needed me in the simplest form and I was able to help. There was no wrapped gift involved, no treats, no bribery or something special. It was just her and I locked in a beautiful moment and it was the best present I could have ever asked for. My wish for all is that the greatest gift they received this year was peace. 

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... or NOT!

Or NOT. My favorite time of year should  include the cold, flaky white stuff. What's happening, Illinois?! Where is it?! We had the coldest Halloween on record, tons of snow up north for Thanksgiving, and a green Christmas? BOO. I guarantee the snow will come in 2 weeks when we have returned to school, bus routes and driving. Again, BOO. Where's my snow?!

the elf on the shelf

Oh, that elf on a shelf. Even at 8 years old, my daughter still believes the elf still holds the power. My kid accidentally bumped the shelf he was sitting on, the elf fell, and she LOST it. There were tears. There was drama. Then there was a letter. I apologized profusely to Santa so he would know the magic was not disturbed. Guys. If you haven't yet, GET AN ELF. You won't regret it. The behavior is magical, the manners are never ending, the smiles are abundant. 

 

Happiness equals fur

We have a dog. This means we have fur. Everywhere. In places you wouldn't even imagine. Seriously. He is a big, goofy, 75-ish pound lap dog who thinks he is part human. Charlie knows when you're sick, knows when to back off, keeps the floors clean and provides hours of giggles with the children. I love this dog, but I have a love hate relationship with the hair. It is constant. I could buy stock in Swiffer, dusting polish, mop n glow, you name it. Tonight I couldn't find Charlie boy and I had a moment of panic. He was curled up on my daughter's feet listening to her play piano. What a good boy! She was so excited for her audience that she just kept playing and playing. If you do not have a dog, you probably have more free time than me. But if you do have a dog, your heart is full 24/7 with slobbery kisses and doggy love. That makes all the cleaning and brushing worth it. I heard dog owners get a front row pass to heaven, so who knows? Dogs could be good for your souls, too!

the easiest way to start a fight...

Midwest folks know baked goods and Christmas treats. We can sniff them out like blood hounds. When Grandma Ohio sends her care packages from Ohio, everyone lines up for their share. One year my Grandma sent ME all those luscious buckeye balls and divinity balls to distribute to my siblings. Bwahahaha. What a mistake. An argument ensued on Facebook and I diligently divvied everything up fairly because I am a good person... nope. That can't be right. I just didn't want to suffer the wrath of what could happen if everyone didn't get their tasty treats. There will be

no package this year, so I will show my little baker how to make grandma's treats and the torch will get passed on. This is a monumental moment in the family. The keeper of the family recipe is a cherished position and I am excited to share it with my daughter. Maybe if everyone is lucky, I will share one or 2 :)

the best weekend EVER

Our small town has a lighted Christmas parade every year. For as long as I can remember, people have bundled up to stand outside lookong at the lit up trucks, floats and fun. How can you not get excited, nostalgic, and feel like a kid again when everyone is happy, smiling, and waiting for Santa to appear from the top of a fire truck? Small town happiness with a touch of nostalgia is where it's at!

on the road again...

Thanksgiving road trip time! This time we travel far up north to Birchwood, WI for a family Thanksgiving celebration. Bring on the turkey and carbs! My mini-me and I plotted things to do on the lengthy road trip and came up with good stuff. Madlibs, crocheting, addressing Christmas cards, and naps. Sounds good to me. And when we get restless we take in that gorgeous view. Man, we love the midwest!

Making plans with ourselves!

One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is a Netflix and chill binger. There's nothing better than matching footie pajamas, hot chocolate, and a string of good to not-so-good girly movies. Snuggling under a huge blanket with a fire roaring sounds like a good time. What else would a good mama do? I am sad that fall has come and gone so quickly, but I say bring on the chill because I need some snuggle time with my baby girl!

plastic happiness

When your kids are kids, it only takes a little creativity and (sometimes a lot of) patience to keep them entertained. Enter plastic beads. Did you know you can melt them in the oven inside of metal cookie cutters? Just make sure to line the pan with foil first. 10 minutes at 450 degrees and poke a hole in the top as soon as they come out of the oven so you can hang them. Cheap and easy.

Since it doesn't take long to dump beads in a cookie cutter and melt,

you may want to kick it totally old school and buy the pony beads with the plastic trays. We spent all night arranging pony beads in designs and then covering in wax paper and ironing until they melt. It's a classic cold weather,  easy activity. We looked up designs online and that made it more challenging (insert: impossible). 

My kitchen now smells like a plastic factory but the smell will wear out overnight with the help of a plug in air freshener. We had a steady rotation of cookie cutter sun catchers and pony bead magnets or keychains. 

The next craft will be learning how to sew scrunchies. My daughter has been begging. I can pull out my old leg warmers and a crop top for the occasion! Just kidding. Even my 8 year old would roll her eyes at that. The fact that 80's style crafts and accessories are back is pretty amazing and my little divalicious crafter is loving all of it. Who cares about midwest weather when every night can be craft night?!

Baby, it's cold outside

My kid told me all she wanted to do tonight was read and snuggle up. Um, yep. It's cold and rainy, she doesn't feel good, and that sounds great! She has discovered graphic novels, audiobooks, and all new genres. Sigh. I am raising a reader! I love it! Notice our new stuffed animal is close by to hear the story. I swear my kid is an old lady at heart stuck in the body of an adorable 8 year old...

I love Reese

I love to feel inspired. I love to feel empowered. I am proud to be a woman and I try to help my daughter feel it everyday. I am working on making her world a happy, safe place where she feels free to be whoever and whatever she pleases.

Some days I hesitate to go to work, but I know I am showing my daughter how to be a strong leader and financial contributor to her family. She needs to know budgeting, struggle, time management, etc. I want her to learn that from watching me go to work everyday and still make IT work.

I am aware that she hears me mock myself and make negative comments about my weight or my appearance on a bad day and I work to try to be positive for her sake. I try to remind myself that she doesn't need me to be thin, pretty, or perfect. She wants me to be me.

I recently stumbled upon this show on Netflix. Granted, I bounced around on episodes, but the message was clear. Reese Witherspoon contacted and interviewed women strong in their fields who empowered other women and inspired her. Each episode had the, "Ohhh, Aaah" factor. 

I loved it. I felt strong. I felt confident. I felt inspired. THIS is what I want for my daughter. I tried to get her to watch an episode, but she's only 8 so she just wasn't feeling it quite yet! To anyone with a daughter, watch an episode. You will love it!

Brrr...

According to the weather report, it was colder in my hometown the week of Halloween than it was in ALASKA! Yep, Alaska. Brrr. What is this crap? It snowed on Halloween. A week later, we have a winter weather advisory with possible black ice. This means no bus for us. Tomorrow I will be carpool mom. Not only do I not want my kid standing at a dark, cold bus stop but I don't want to be out there, either! I miss summer. Or fall. Or general warmth... It's a Wednesday night and we have the fireplace roaring. It's cozy in here. Maybe I can hibernate for the winter???

All that Halloween

We went to Main St trick-or-treat in our lovely little town last week and it came complete with a fire truck, trunk or treat, and a party at our favorite bar and grill. We even got ice cream on the final day of the season at the local ice cream house. My daughter is teetering between loving stuff and being too old for it. She went as an 80's girl complete with fanny pack, side pony, and leg warmers. She immediately got asked if she was JoJo. Mind you, we don't have cable and when she does watch Netflix, it is cooking shows or mermaid shows. She got all salty that people didn't immediately get the costume. I fear my little lady is growing up and I do NOT like it. The following is a list of why I fear this may be the last year of all this Halloween cuteness at my house...

1. We bought a pumpkin because she loved it, but she doesn't want to carve it. She wanted to paint it instead. NOW, she likes it plain just like it is. We are going to let her throw it off the deck and destroy it this weekend. She is much more excited about that!

2. We watched Hocus Pocus, but we won't watch anything else because, "those shows are too little for me now." (Can you hear the sound of my heart right now?!)

3. We can go trick or treating, but she really wants to go with a friend. And only half the time. She wants to come home, bundle up, and pass out candy the second hour (which is fine by me because they're predicting SNOW).

4. She went to a Halloween themed birthday party but didn't feel like dressing up because she wasn't in the mood. Then all the other kids dressed up and she felt a little guilty. But then she got over it!

5. She wants no part in Charlie Brown, Halloween music, or anything else related to Halloween that doesn't involve candy or mildly dressing up.

Look at this cute little 80's diva! You can't even see her fanny pack, but it's there. Oh, yes. It is there!

the finger pain

It all started innocently enough. I ripped off a hangnail that had been bothering me for a while. Within 4 days it became extremely infected. Who knew how important a ring finger was? I swear I bump this thing a thousand times a day and shooting pain ripples through my body and my eyes tear up. Over a ring finger? This is one of the most ridiculous amounts of pain I've experienced and I gave childbirth epidural free and I have been in more than one car accident. This is ridiculous. I continue to soak with Epsom salts all day and use neosporin at night and after a week and a half it looks worse but seems better... We are even to the point where my daughter is afraid to hold my hand for fear she will send me into a pain spasm. People, do yourselves a favor and think before you rip! After 39 years of ripping hangnails out

, they finally got me! Don't be a victim! ;) And this is the "after" picture. I couldn't even stomach a "before" picture.

windmills

Driving through the midwest isn't always the most exciting, but there are some amazing views. I have been staring at these windmills my whole life and they're still one of my favorite things about driving through Indiana. They're also helping keep that little person in the back seat occupied as we listen to Wonder on audiobook and stare out the window.

Road trip day!

We are driving to Indiana for a wedding. Just a quick overnight and we are looking forward to it! That means one bag per person with overnight clothes, wedding clothes, swimwear, toiletries, and clean clothes for tomorrow. Plus a bag for the dog. Plus a bag for drinks and snacks. I packed a week in advance, double checked everything and felt confident it was taken care of. We have been in the car for 42 minutes and my daughter already did her homework and put in an audiobook. She is now pouting because I didn't pack actually reading books, just coloring books, activity books, and audiobooks. What was I thinking!?! Oh, boy... 

At least the clouds are pretty. This could be a long drive....

Tent camping in October

We used to have this awesome pull behind camper that had heat, air, a TV, a shower, you name it. Then, after three years, it started to break down and we decided to sell it and take a year off. There was only ONE camping trip left that we had booked way back in April and since it was only one town over, we decided to tent camp it. Well... anyone who knows the midwest knows our weather is highly unpredictable. We had high 60's and low 70's ALL WEEK. Until Friday, day 1 of our camping extravaganza. It was rainy, cold, and windy until about 2:30pm. We left for camping at 4pm. We arrived to find our campsite was flooded in parts. Fortunately, we packed the extra big tarp which went down before the tent did. An extra bonus was that our friends were coming to camp with us in their even bigger, even more amazing camper that had heat! So, we set our 2 room tent up complete with a cot, a queen sized air mattress, a cooler, a bin of supplies, and a dog. Then we lit a bonfire that lasted most of the 48 hours. If you haven't camped while trick or treating, you are missing out. Sugar River Forest Preserve has an excellent camping area and their regulars do Halloween right! People were making haunted houses and had scary, interactive stuff to see and do. The whole campground is one big loop, so the kids were able to ride and walk around with a walkie talkie while the adults enjoyed the fire. There were games, a magician, a costume contest, a campsite decorating contest, hot chocolate each morning, and lots of night time fun for the adults. I cannot believe I have lived down the road from Shirland most of my life and was unaware of the coolness that is the Sugar River campground Halloween extravaganza. It got down to 35 degrees each night, but the small space heater we put in the tent, plus the queen sized comforters kept us comfortable. We will most definitely be going back for the festivities, regardless of whether we are in a tent or not!
                          The girls enjoying some old fashioned potato sack racing.

         It was GORGEOUS weather until the sun went down, then it was bonfire time!

         We managed to get a child sized hike in and let Charlie boy run off his energy.

How can you steal THAT?!

My friend's brother was a marine. He passed away awhile back and they had a memorial cross put at the site of his crash. And now that cross is gone. Gone. No trace of it. This is now all over the news. My daughter wasn't sure why I was upset so I had to explain that it isn't nice to steal from anyone, let alone someone in heaven. Let alone, a veteran. Guys. What kind of a world do we live in? This is what I am entrusting to my daughter when she's grown? Oh, boy. We need to go back to the basics. Please and thank you, keep your hands to yourself, do unto others as you would do unto yourself kind of stuff... I am hoping my friend's family gets their cross back. I am hoping for peace and happiness in this world. I am guessing I will be waiting awhile, but it all starts at home. We can lead by example and all that. Here's to good news, a good world and a good day!

This is how we do... gifts

You know how you spend a TON of money on that one gift that just turns out to be a novelty item your kids discard shortly after? I felt the same way when we bought our Xbox Kinect. It was great at first. My stepson loved the graphics and all the cool features. Then the weather got warm and it became a glorified DVD player.

Now that my smallest is bigger, she LOVES this thing! Not only do I work out from home a lot (Biggest Loser, Zumba, and Dance Central are my favorites), we can use it for so much more. On snow days when we can't really go anywhere we have bowling marathons. We dance when we are bored. We play Twister the really cool, really fun way if friends come over.

Depending on your kids, you can get lots of different games. The ninja game was NOT a big hit, but Disney is. My daughter can walk around Disney, get autographs, play games with individual characters and so much more. Since she is like me and definitely likes to move, we use the Kinect a LOT when it is too hot, too cold, too rainy.

I doubt that we will invest in many more games now that my stepson has gone off to college. My daughter seems pleased with the games that we actually have. I am sure some day, they will come up with something new to draw her attention in. For now, we really like to do Xbox adventures. Our favorite feature is the snapshots of you in live action. You can save them to your account to laugh at yourselves in all that free time that's lying around...

Featured here is my daughter attempting to smack my bottom during an intense game of Xbox adventures. We were trying to plug the holes in a ship and I am pretty sure we laughed more than played, but for 20 minutes, we were together. Laughing. Creating memories. Having a grand ol' time.

Fall temps

Fall is here. Officially. This means it is cold in the mornings to the point where your nose drips and pleasant in the afternoons. You can almost smell the leaves, pumpkin spice and apple sangrias... We officially traded out our summer clothes for fall/winter ones. In the midwest, once you switch your clothes and pumpkin spice appears on every menu, it's fall ya'll!!! Now excuse me while I go pumpkin picking and catch up on my scary movie watching ;)

Fall has finally arrived!

This is the moment we have all been waiting for! It has rained for almost 2 weeks here, which is unheard of in the midwest fall weather movement. So it goes from 80 degrees and rainy in late September to brrrr, fall cold! I will take it! Now we impatiently wait for the wood to dry up from all the rains and it is bonfire all night, every night. Bonfires with hot chocolate and the sound of the local football game coming in from across the field.... Ahhh. I love fall!!!!

Nailed it!

When your kid loves cooking shows, you jump on board. I don't mind most of them. We actually enjoy watching them together. So she decided that this year I should make my own birthday cake because we saw a really cool cake on Nail'd It and she thought we could do it. Things I learned....
1. Marshmallow fondant is surprisingly cheap and easy to make.
2. I am a motivated learner, but not a cake decorator.
3. I don't mind saying NO to my kid, but when it involves fun stuff like baking I say yes more.
4. I have the ability to laugh at myself.
The following is a picture of their cake verses ours. Feel free to also have a laugh. It is shockingly not too bad. I can already hear the judges saying how dry it is, how we needed thicker layers of buttercream between the layers, and how the fondant wasn't rolled properly. HOWEVER, it is ours. We did it. We enjoyed it. And, yes, we will do it again. Probably for her birthday and after we have had more practice...

Mama

The word that warms my heart. And turns my head to every single child that says it within a mile of my ears. I swear I get whiplash turning around when I hear it JUST in the the off chance it is my kid and I just didn't hear her the first time. Mama's, you get me?

Homecoming time

It's homecoming time in my little town. That means a parade with candy and a big game! We are excited to carry on this tradition since this is the school my husband and I went to years and years (and years) ago. My stepson just graduated from there and my daughter will go there soon enough. We are rocking our purple and gold love today for a big W!

Happiness equals fur

We have a dog. This means we have fur. Everywhere! In places you wouldn't even imagine. I find it on my desk at work sometimes. It is crazy. I can't find my keys sometimes, but we never run out of time to find dog hair! Charlie is a 75-ish pound black English Lab. He thinks he is a human, but we won't tell him the truth. He is empathetic, loving, playful, and does a great job of keeping the food off the floor. He is great with kids as long as he doesn't get too excited because he has been known to bowl a kid or two over. On a whole, he is a lovable addition to our family. The only downside is that we have hair. Everywhere! I should just buy stock in Swiffer, Mop n Glo, Dyson, and any other product I use to keep my home looking and smelling decent. Notice I didn't say good. When the windows are closed, it straight smells like a dog runs my house when you first walk in. Once you get a few steps in, though, it is a nice smelling home again. Tonight I couldn't find good ol' Charlie boy and I had a moment of panic. I found him sitting on my daughter's feet while she practiced piano. He was just enjoying the good tunes, so he was not in the mood to come to the sound of his name. My daughter was so excited to have an audience that she played everything she knows and then some. Then they danced together. Then they snuggled together. Then it was the cutest thing ever and I decided that I should just give up cleaning up after sir sheds a lot and let him be the cutest snuggler ever. I heard dog owners get into heaven faster and for my sake, I hope that is true. It makes all the brushing, sweeping, vaccuuming and hollering even more worth it. I mean, check out this lovable face. Who could deny any of that?!

It's almost fall, ya'll!!!

It's almost fall in the midwest. This means apple cider donuts, football, cool nights, and everything in between. Except... It is 80 degrees and muggy. In mid September. In northern Illinois. What?!!? This is going to be one of those situations where you get all excited to start making apple crisp, apple pie, apple cake, apple cider, and applesauce from the comfort of your own baggy sweater but you have the air on and you are wearing Daisy Dukes under your favorite football jersey because it is SO STINKING HOT. Seriously?! All this means now is that winter is going to be hard, fast, and brutal. I will give away the indian summer for a reasonable fall. I baked apple cake last week with all the ceiling fans on blast, so at least my house smelled like fall goodness. Fingers crossed for good weather all year long, not just in moments like this where we don't really need it.

On 9/11 we never forget

My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who knows about 9/11, who helped, who suffered, who lost, who mourned, who donated, who prayed, or who was there. This day makes me sad on so many levels. I am a patriot through and through and this act of terrorism shakes me to the core thinking that our American soil, safety and liberties were changed forever on that day. Stay strong, America. Be thankful, be gracious, be kind, be willing, be charitable, be loving. Just be the best you that you can be. WE the people need to stand up, unite and stay strong for future generations. Keep telling the story. Let it be known that we overcame and still stand strong. Excuse me while I go have a good cry out in memories of those that we lost, those hurt helping out, those families who have one less table setting to put out. Hug your babies, thank your friends and family, just never forget. 

Oh, the tears

Tonight I took my daughter to her gymnastics class. She was very frustrated and came out several times with a look on her face. I asked her what was wrong and she just got upset. She said she is mad that she can't do the skills that her teacher is asking her to do. I told her to take a deep breath and keep trying. After class, she came out and started to cry. She told me that she doesn't like not being able to do stuff well. I reminded her that she is only 8! The other girls in her class are 10 years old and up. She is always the smallest, so she must expect to be a little bit behind the taller and bigger girls. We have been going to Gymnastics Academy for about 6 years and we LOVE IT. The coaches are great, the family that runs it is great, and the communication is great. Even her teacher told her not to be so hard on herself and to take a deep breath, keep trying, and just have fun. It is so disheartening to watch my baby girl cry, but I am proud of the fact that she is trying and truly cares about her craft. Gymnastics is the only sport she has ever been in long term and she loves it. I had to remind myself that she can cry about anything she is passionate about and to be supportive in that. We had good hugs and reminders that as long as you always try, then it is okay. Tonight I am so thankful for the coaching staff at Gymnastics Academy for taking care of my daughter and treating her so well over the years. We are truly grateful for their skill and hard work!Gymnastics Academy North

Sunday is lazy day

We were in a parade this morning and my daughter had a blast waving paparazzi style to everyone. Afterwards we ended up at home with no plans and we were actually OKAY with it. We constantly move, go, plan, do and as fun as our lives are, this is sometimes exhausting! My daughter was able to call a friend and walk over to her house which meant laying around and watching football for the adults! Today's life lesson: embrace cancelled plans, don't feel like you constantly need to be in motion, and get a house 2 doors down from your daughter's best friend :)

Fall Fest

Midwest in the fall means Fall Fest! We participated in the kiddie costume parade this morning, which is an all time favorite. I mean, I was doing this when I was 8 which is a long, long time ago... Needless to say, our homemade sheep costume won and my little one was ecstatic to win free rides for the day. Who doesn't like winning? Who doesn't like free? I thought for sure she wouldn't win because her little cotton balls kept falling off. But for the cost of three bags of cotton balls, I got to spend mama and me time crafting her costume and then doing the parade with her. At the end of the day, she is happy which makes me happy. Together time is really all that counts to me! Their costume and mine!

Football season has arrived

Just like some folks eat 4th meal, we midwestern folks have our 5th season of football. It comes during what other people call the fall season :) It's Thursday night and the Bears are playing the Packers to open the season! Um. Yes please! I then realized that my 8 year old doesn't actually like football... She LOVED cheerleading, but those pesky football games got in the way. So I am sitting home right now watching the game in the living room surrounded by craft projects while my husband is out with friends watching the game with football loving adults. No worries. The dog and I are cheering. This is mom life, folks, and either way I am diggin it. GO BEARS!

Irony

My baby girl is sick. She slept in late, napped early and laid around in between with a ton of construction paper, markers and washi tape. Oh, the little things that can make a kid happy. Since I had the day off I decided to check out Netflix. If you haven't watched Working Moms yet, you must! So, the irony of me being a working mom and taking the day off with my sick kid then watching a show called Working Moms... you get it :) The first 5 minutes are filled with nudity and F bombs. Be advised if you don't like that kind of humor. Me, on the otherhand, I was dying of laughter. It was hilarious! Huge props to Netflix for getting working moms who nurse their babies correctly. Those were dark days, folks! Rough. Watch the show. You will thank me! And fingers crossed my baby girl feels better by tomorrow.

back to school colds...

First, I got my back to school cold. I get it every year and I should know better. How long have I been teaching? I'm not new here! I walked around for 2 days carrying a half gallon of orange juice and taking the good stuff every 4 hours like clockwork. Now my daughter has caught the back to school cold. She has asthma so the slightest cough and sniffle are enough to freak anyone out because that can turn into pneumonia in a flash. She roughed it through school today, but tonight she got really wheezy and we called it. I just put in for a sub and made a to do list so that I can be productive on my day off. Is it just me or do other moms feel the need to get stuff done on a sick day to make it justified????? I will spend the day watching girly movies with the sick princess and struggling to get all the girl scout badges on correctly. Grading papers, running the Swiffer and an in house work out are on the back burner. We will wait and see how snuggly my sick girl will feel. Stay strong and stay safe out there, mamas! Start buying vats of orange juice and Robitussin because I heard it's going to be a rough winter. Grrr....

Labor Day fun

Happy Labor Day, folks! Enjoy the day off of work and with your family and friends. I get asked a lot why I work when I am a mom. Um... Because I DO! If I don't teach, someone else might, but I love teaching. I love the connections being built and the experiences I have. I love being able to have a whole different life outside of my home, my kids, my husband that makes me unique. I love showing my daughter that women can excel at anything with some effort and planning involved. I am embracing this Labor Day because I am a working mom who is in a union. I am enjoying this break. I am embracing my family time and I hope that all of you do, too!

First days of school

Day one has come and gone for my daughter's first day of 3rd grade. She is in a new school with a brand new teacher. She has a brand new backpack and big girl shoes. We took extra care picking out the outfit and doing her hair. Despite all that, all she could say about her first day of school is that she didn't learn anything! Most kids would be jumping from the rafters. My kid expects homework and full lessons on day one. You have to give her credit for that go-get-em positive thinking. We will see what happens when she enters middle school!