Blogging

I recently watched the movie Julie/Julia for the umpteenth time, and thought "I should blog more."  Then today I wasted time looking at what other math teachers around the country blog about, and again I thought "I should blog more."  I already spend a lot of time thinking about math, and teaching, and my students, and the teachers at my school, and education, and the changes occurring in the district, and politics about education, and the common core, and ....

So why don't I blog more?  Well, the easy excuse is that I'm too busy doing all the above plus being a mom, and wife, and primary teacher, and piano teacher, and choir pianist, and....  And then I want to sew Halloween costumes, and finish painting the living room, and clean the refrigerator, and organize the craft room, and finish scrap-booking, and...

But in the end, those are just excuses--good ones--but excuses no the less.  I recently listened to a podcast on time management (while trying to multi-task...go figure), and the speaker mentioned that he always reserved the last 5-15 minutes of his work day to reflect on the day and organize things for the next day.  That way he could go home and say "this is what I did today" rather than "I was busy all day, but I don't know that I accomplished anything."  I already do something similar at work, but what if I used blogging to help decompress what I do at home?  I often wonder what I do once I get home from work.  I mean, I cook dinner, play with the kids, try to pick up the house, and spend time with my husband.  But one day often melts into another and I can't really say what made this day unique, special, or fulfilling.

I like this.  Even writing the couple of paragraphs that I have makes me realize how much I miss LiveJournal and how lacking Facebook is.  (Though it is cool that 1 BILLION people now have a Facebook account.  My husband has two.)  I miss being able to just write and think and vent and ramble.  Lots of rambling going on--and not very grammatically correct.  Oh well.  I guess this is what people once used journals and diaries for.  But I've never been good at that.  Writing in pen/pencil is too slow and I think always felt permanent.  Where as I can edit my typing quickly and delete what I don't link.  (This, of course, is ignoring the fact that nothing published online is ever private again.)

So, rather than just rambling, although rambling is fun, HERE'S my action plan.

*A*C*T*I*O*N* *P*L*A*N*  (The stars make it look cooler, right?)
After the kids have gone to bed, and Nate is working on school work, I will decompress on Blogger each night.  My goal is to accomplish this for ONE WEEK!  After a week, I'll reevaluate and decide if it's worth the effort.  I'll probably need some reinforcement, so comments, texts, phone calls, or even live interaction would all be appreciated.

Here we go!

Edited to Add:  After spending 30 minutes writing this post, I accidentally deleted it.  The action plan was almost already stumped before it began.  Luckily, brilliant people have posted strategies on recovering post.  Thank you much, random internet genius!

Bad Week

So in the last seven days, three of my "mommy" fears have actually occured.

1.  Saturday, Kaylie choked in the car while I was driving.  Not a whole lot I could do until I was able to pull over.  Scary for both of us, but we're okay.
2. Sunday, Kaylie was trying to get a shirt out of her dresser.  Unfortunately, two other drawers were already opened and the dressed tipped over.  Again, scary for both of us.  She had a small nose bleed, but we're both okay.
3. Today, while on the way to doctor to check out Kaylie's long-standing cough, she threw up in the car...over everything.  I was, again, driving and could do nothing until I pulled over.  And, of course, I had taken out her extra set of clothes from the diaper bag yesterday.  Luckily I had an extra sweater on, so she could wear something into the doctors office.

No one said that being a mom would have scary moments in it.

Simplifying - Week One

First week progress.
 -Exercised once on purpose, walked extra
 -House kind-of clean by Saturday
 -Dinner cooked every night but two :)  (Healthy choices made at one of two resturants)
 -School work kept up on!  :)
-In Nate & Jen's scrapbook, we've now been married for 3 whole days

Progress made - yay!  Lots to go.

Jen's New Year's Goals

It's that time again.  I think that I'd like to maintain most of my goals from the past couple of years and only add on a couple.

• Simplify my waistline.  Reach my target weight by June.
• Simplify my Saturdays.  Pick up one room each day.
• Simplify my husband's waistline.  (Cook dinner each night, so he doesn't have to buy lunch the following day.)
• Simplify my school work.  Grade one period per day.

And the new one.

• Simplify my memory.  Scrapbook each Sunday afternoon.  Complete Kaylie's First Year Book, create Carter's First Year Book, update 2nd-5th year book, start Nate & Jen's Years 1-5 book.

Christmas 2011

I promised my sister that I would post pictures. I'll even do it this year! Amazing! So, here are a couple of highlights from the last couple of days.

Playing with cousins (Shelly Holt holding baby Ava Barrios.  Jen holding Carter.)

Christmas Eve Tradition of Playing Christmas chimes.  (This was Kaylie's first time.  She LOVED it!)

Playing with Uncle Connor before we leave to go home.

Getting ready for the Christmas Joy to begin.

Before

After

Kaylie with her new Pretty Pink Princess Tower. (As soon as it was set up, she moved all of her new toys and clothes inside. Good purchase, Nate!)

Carter with his new high-chair tray rattle. (He thinks it's much yummy to play with this way.)

Kaylie and Carter in their new Christmas clothes at Nana & Papa Call's home.

I Blog therefore I Am!

I Blog therefore I Am.

It seems an appropriate title for the first blog post I have ever written. Something new in my life and something with unexplored possibilities. I have wondered before about starting my own blog and using this medium to segue into other writing adventures. Maybe this will lead in that direction, maybe it won't. I suppose that the big question posed to me by the blank white screen in front of me must be addressed first. "What will you write about?"

I will write about the things that are important to me. The moon is shining through my window tonight, and it draws my mind outside where i am thinking of my garden and the seeds I have planted there. Yes it is high summer, but the planting time for all harvests is upon us. I am waiting anxiously for my chickpeas to sprout. I planted them at night under the light of the quarter moon. (waxing or waning I don't know) It seemed exciting to be out at night with my hands in the soil and smelling the fresh summer air. My neighbors might think that I'm nuts, but sometimes it is the only time I can get to the garden! I planted a whole row of beets, which I know that my wife will hate and refuse to eat or cook. I have Arugula seeds in the ground because I discovered that plant this spring and I think that it looks so different from anything I have grown in the past. There are new beginnings all around. My son is a month old now and is really beginning to express his own personality. I wonder about going back to school this fall and I think about the things that fall will bring. Fresh corn from my garden,which I have promised to share with my ex-coworkers. More tilling and mulching. I think maybe I will try and build some cold frames or miniature green houses to let me garden longer into the winter.

I guess this blog is about planting seeds and starting something new. There is potential in the air, which as I have often heard is about as useful as altitude that is above you. I better start climbing.

Mystery Solved

Ever since Kaylie got her "big girl" toddler bed, Nate and I have frequently found her laying in front of her door when we'd check on her before going to bed.  What could she be doing there?  At the time she was not tall enough to open the door, but she never called out to us or knocked on the door wanted to be let out.

This week, Nate solved the mystery.  Once again, he opened the door before coming to bed and found her blocking the door.  Only this time he noticed the pile of books near her.  Kaylie has been reading books by the light that comes under her door.  We definitely know who's daughter she is.