Challenge Completed!

I have been following Two Writing Teachers for awhile now and thought it would be a good experience to participate in Slice of Life Tuesdays, but I just hadn't yet.  When I read about the month-long challenge, I thought it would be a good time to jump in and give it a try.  Writing is one of those things I have enjoyed since I was a child, but sometimes it goes by the wayside.  The great thing about writing, though, is that you can pick back up any time.  It is always somethings you can work on, work towards and improve.  And here I am, 31 days later, reflecting on this journey.  Some days I wrote with gusto; I knew exactly what I wanted to write about and the words came easily.  Some days I had no idea what to write. I found following formats from other writers like I Believe and Today's Recap helped tremendously. Some days finding time to write was difficult.  Many nights I was posting pretty close to the end of the 24 hour period.  But I did it.  I completed the challenge!

It meant a lot to me to reconnect with a part of myself (writing) that many times gets neglected.  I used to teach Language Arts and Reading to middle school students, so I had many more opportunities to write and share my writing with my students.  Now, I am working with students on reading and math interventions and I do not have the same opportunities to teach, model and share creative writing.  It felt good to try different formats, be creative and practice my craft.

Being a part of a writing community was a new experience for me. I was inspired by reading what others wrote.  I gleaned ideas from my fellow Slicers, I gained perspective from their experiences and I enjoyed reading their stories.  It felt like checking in with friends.

As I wrap up this challenge, I am hopeful I will continue Slicing on Tuesdays.  I am anxious to share this challenge with my colleagues and I really want to introduce the Classroom Slice of Life Challenge to students. It is very inspiring to see the long list of (31!!) writing pieces I have completed this month, and I think that can be very motivating to students.  Writing will continue to be a part of my life.

And so for now, I sign off...until next Tuesday.  :-)

Spring Break To-Do List

1. Work out every day.
2. Clean out the closets.
3. Do an inventory of my kids' clothes and what they need for Spring and Summer.
4. Catch up on laundry and all that other household stuff after a weekend away.
5. Watch last week's episode of Bones.
6. Read at a time other than right before bed.
7. Finish a book.  Even if it is a short one. :-)
8. Have dinner with a friend.
9. Play outside with my kids.
10. Take my kids to Open Gym, which we never get to do during the school year.  They love playing on the equipment and there are bouncy houses!
11. Do an art project with my kids.
12. Decorate Easter eggs.
13. Make cookies with Jack.  He loves making cookie dough!
14. Listen to Mason read his new books.
15. Follow Amelia as she toddles around and see the world from her view.
16. NOT have to rush to get anywhere in the morning. ALL WEEK!!
17. Go to bed early.
18. Feel rejuvenated and rested.
19. Enjoy the time with my family, with myself, and appreciate that I have this time.
20. Go back to work next Monday with a smile on my face ready to give it my all. :-)

Today I Will

Today I will enjoy every last sip of that delightful coffee.
Today I will finish my Slice first thing in the morning, rather than at the end of the day.
Today I will explore a new city with my family.
Today I will learn something new.
Today I will feel the warm sunshine on my face and breathe in the fresh air.
Today I will hold my husband's hand while we walk.
Today I will enjoy the excitement and curiosity of my children as we explore this new city.
Today I will laugh.
Today I will eat at a new restaurant.
Today I will enjoy a ladies night out.
Today I will embrace Spring Break.
Today I will go to bed satisfied with a one-of-a-kind, full-of-new-experiences, go-to-bed-with-a-smile-on-my-face day.

The Kids Table

I love that my children have cousins around their age.  When I was a kid, all of my cousins were much older than me and when they started having kids, their kids were much younger than me.  At family functions, the kids at the kids table consisted of my brother and me.  Who wants to sit by her brother? I saw him all the time! It was so boring.  I LONGED for cousins around my age.

Tonight we went out to dinner with my husband's brother and his family.  We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for those of you curious about such things (I LOVE knowing where people go to eat!). The kids got to sit at their OWN table, right across from us. They had so much fun together and while they did come over to swipe boneless wings and chips, they were totally fine at the kids table.  They were giggling and having fun together with VERY few reminders from us about behavior.  The adults were able to carry on a conversation without too many interruptions.  It was great! 

My kids have seven cousins and they are all ten and under. They will grow up together, build memories together and I bet that the kids table will be WAY more fun than the kids table from my childhood. :-) 

A Tribute

We drove to

The Mississippi River

Just to see if it was still there

Barefoot feet and pajamas

A front porch

A swing

My head on her shoulder

Talking, laughing

One of my most favorite places

One of my most favorite people

An all day process

To prepare the sauce

Not measuring

Taste it to test it

The house smells amazing all day

They are with me

In my memories

In my heart

Always

Road Trips

Here I am, traveling down the highway with my favorite road trip partner and our three wonderful little travelers.  We aren't quite halfway through our seven hour trip.  They are happily chattering and giggling away in the backseat and my husband has just put on some Willie Nelson. I am not one of those people who dreads a road trip. There is something comforting about the expanse of the road, good music on the radio and sitting shotgun while my husband drives.  We chat, we sing along to songs we like, I read, he drives; it's a great system. The kids handle seven hours like champs.  The last time we made this trip, no one asked for the iPad for the first six hours! Well, except for me. :-) 

As I look over at my handsome husband, I am reminded of the many, many, MANY road trips he and I have taken together. 

I remember our trip to Nashville with friends--our FIRST major road trip together. 

I remember driving his truck out to Virginia Beach to help his brother move.  On the way home he told me how impressed he was that I didn't need to stop very often.  I am pretty sure the lack of required bathroom stops is one of the reasons he married me. 

I remember driving out to South Dakota for a friend's wedding in a 1984 Chevy van. There were six of us. In the Badlands, the van stopped idling.  We didn't shut off the ignition until we got home sixteen hours later.  I thought I might die that weekend. 

I remember driving out to Washington D.C. the week after I had been home sick for 3 days and every time I coughed it sounded like a small woodland creature was being tortured.  He was still recovering from breaking his tailbone a month or so before that.  What were we thinking?!?!

I remember the first time we took our first born to visit family seven hours away. As first time parents we FILLED the back of our SUV.  We don't even take that much stuff now with THREE children.  

I remember driving 23 hours straight in our mini-van with three children and his parents behind us, caravan-style, for his brother's wedding in North Carolina.  The. Longest. Trip. Ever. 

We don't flinch at a road trip. Unless it is 23 hours.  That makes me flinch a little. We pack the car and we load up the kids and we go.  I love that he does that.  It's one of the many, many, MANY reasons I married him. :-) 

All the Married Ladies

Today after school, we celebrated a colleague's upcoming nuptials with a wedding shower.  We all wrote quotes about love and advice about marriage. Included were things like, "Every love story is beautiful but ours is my favorite," and advice about not going to bed mad--things like that.  As I was browsing Pinterest for ideas during lunch, I came across "Rules for a Happy Marriage." The list included things like, "Never both be angry at the same time," and "Never yell unless the house is on fire." Both of which, I really like.  I'm not saying I follow them all the time, but I like them--something to work towards. This little visit to Pinterest got me thinking.  Yes, most of that advice is great advice and I agree with the vast majority of it. With that being said, there are some things that your husband will do that WILL. DRIVE. YOU. CRAZY. And you will drive him a little crazy, too.  For examples, see Weird Things All Couples Fight About. I laughed so loud I cried.  Because I have had most of those fights with my husband. Good advice would be to gear up for that. :-) In the long run, these things don't really matter...but seriously, does it really take any longer to just open the dishwasher and stick the plate inside? BLAHHHHH!!! When you first get married, you just put the dish in the dishwasher, no big deal.  Then, you still put it away but you are slightly annoyed. Pretty soon you are 95% sure he leaves the plate there on purpose just to drive you crazy.  You start leaving the plate there and it turns into that suitcase on the stairs like on that old episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. True story.

Maybe we should start showing You Tube clips at showers.