Slice of Life - March 17, 2015

Breakfast for dinner!

I love making my girls breakfast for dinner because: they eat it without complaint, and I can whip it up fairly quickly.  They'd eat pancakes or French toast any day of the week for any meal.  Tonight, it was eggs, sausage, and yogurt.

They act like I'm the kitchen goddess when they get eggs - don't tell them how easy it is for me to scramble an egg!  It's one of their favorite meals, causing compliments and praise to flow freely from their lips.  They act like it took me all day to make their special dinner.

Ha - isn't it ironic that the meals I actually do spend hours preparing they take one look at and wrinkle their noses at?

Breakfast for dinner reminds me of my dad.  Any time my mom was gone, leaving my dad in charge, he would make breakfast for dinner.  He made a great breakfast.  Maybe that's because it was about all he cooked.  My sister and I HATED eating breakfast for dinner.  Honestly, I can't even remember why.  I just remember wishing he'd ordered us pizza instead.

The tables have turned.  My dad cooks dinner quite often these days.  Unfortunately, we aren't able to reap the benefits all that often since he lives 1,000 miles away from us...but I do think it is funny that he's the one cooking more elaborate meals, and I'm the one serving my own kids breakfast for dinner. That's right - serving not eating - I still don't like breakfast for dinner.

Slice of Life - March 11, 2015

The dishwasher is fixed!  The dishwasher is fixed!!

I'm so glad.  Woohoo!

The second part we ordered arrived in today's mail.  When I walked into the house this afternoon, the dishwasher was halfway apart again, and my husband was already installing the new control board assembly/power assembly.

He wasn't sure it would work.  He wasn't sure it would work - but took a chance based on some things he'd read online.

Thank goodness it worked!

Ahhh - that means no more washing dishes by hand.

Obviously, this was a highlight of my day.  As was stopping by the local book store before heading home to pick up my copy of The Alex Crow and running into a few students.

Time to write lessons for next week!

Slice of Life - March 10, 2015

Today was a good day.  A really good day actually.

I finally feel like we've turned our backs on winter and are headed for spring.  I'm not silly enough to say it won't snow again -- I know better.  I grew up in Vermont, where it snowed through May.  In fact, my college refused to hold our May graduation service outside since it snowed one time.

The snow has been shining, and the weather has gotten warmer!  I'm thrilled.  I'm not alone.  Finally, people in the neighborhood are emerging from their snow bound homes and braving the spring breeze for some fresh air.  Everyone is bundling the kids up, getting the strollers out, and heading outside.

The girls even broke out the sidewalk chalk today.  Good plan since you can't really play in the yard yet!  Oh, and puddle jumping.  Yep, that's right - Madeline's shoes were soaked.

Winston, our dog, is also pleased with the warmer weather.  That means it's nice enough to stroll the sidewalks and venture out a little father into the yard that has started to melt.  He has more territory to explore and couldn't be happier.  That means keeping the towel by any door he ventures out, so we are readily prepared to dry off his little paws and soaking wet tummy when he returns.

Ahhh - what a relief to finally have a reason to believe that spring is truly on its way.

What marks spring for me?  Easter, new shoes, hair cuts, and flowers.  My mom ALWAYS bought us new shoes every spring.  I didn't make my way to a shoe store today with the girls, but I did take them for hair cuts - they both desperately needed a trim.  Ella's hair has been wild.  I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that she doesn't brush the layer underneath.  Madeline finally has enough hair to actually trim and shape into somewhat of a style.

It was quite refreshing to see their little faces with fresh cuts!

I spent most of my day conferring with my students about their short story ideas!  I can't believe how much they have grown as readers, writers, and learners.  It's been really exciting watching them become more articulate with their ideas and words.  It was so impressive listening to the amazing ideas that they had come up with for their stories.  I can't wait to read the finished products!

Slice of Life - Sunday, March 8

It's Sunday.

Today, I...

• made a tasty egg and sausage breakfast for the family.
• changed the time on a bunch of clocks.
• caught up on school work and graded papers.
• wrote lessons for this week's phase of the short story unit.
• started a new book.
• went through a giant bag full of mail and paid bills.
• cleaned a pile of stuff off the kitchen counter.
• talked to my mom on the phone.
• finished all the laundry.
• hung out with my family.
• smuggled my dog.

It's been a long and busy day.  The time change will hit hard tomorrow morning.  I am not looking forward to that.  I am, however, thrilled that I will be starting the week off on the right foot with things ready to go.

I know from previous experiences, it will be a tough week for the girls, and my students, as they adjust to the time change.

The sun was out today and the temperature was in the mid 40s.  It was absolutely beautiful as the snow melted, puddles gathered on the back patio, and little birds could be chirping in the backyard.  Today was the first day that I actually felt like spring is on its way.  

Let's hope we've seen the last of the snow and cold.

Commuting: Slice of Life for March 3, 2015

I've got lots of ideas kicking around for today's slice -- selecting just one has been a challenge.  I guess some days are like that.  You can readily harvest ideas from your day if it has been marked by something, other times days seem to just drag on without the slightest ounce of material.

Commuting.  I love my house especially the fact that it is a little farther out.  I can still see the stars at night.  It's not a hidden secret that I'd love to be even further out - more rural - more remote.  I want horses, a farm, and some land.  Blame my upbringing. When I moved to Illinois in 2001, I hated it.  I couldn't understand why there were so many people and so many lanes and so much traffic.  Soon after moving here, my husband and I purchased a townhouse and then a single-family home - both located in Lake county.  That means we are located in the middle of Chicago and Milwaukee.

I also love my job.  I've been teaching 7th grade language arts for the last 12 years.  Unfortunately, my job is not near my house.  That means I have a dreaded commute.  Okay, some days aren't so bad.  There are times when I enjoy the down time and having a few extra minutes in the car to keep in touch with all of my loved ones back on the east coast.  Mix winter weather with a commute and you've got a nightmare.

It took me one-hour and forty minutes to drive 30 miles in to work today.  It was terrible.  As soon as I left my subdivision and realized the roads were terrible, I seriously considered turning around and going back home.  I stuck with it and made it to work AND...I'm glad I did because today was a good day!  In fact, today was a really good day.

Slice of Life - Monday, March 2

Modern Day Conveniences

Okay, we can all agree that modern day conveniences are absolutely great when they work and horrible when they don't.

Our dishwasher - which is only a few years old - has decided to misbehave.  It fills with water, empties water, and dries as it should.  However, it refuses to spin the arm and shoot water around to wash any dishes.

After doing a great deal of online research and investigating, we thought we had identified the problem.  Parts were ordered and arrived fairly quickly.  Unfortunately, after being taken apart and reassembled with new pieces...that stinker still refuses to wash dishes.  

Any time we take on a project like this, I can't help but wonder: Why is it that things look so much worse before they get better?

Why is it when we have to organize materials or fix something, we end up taking everything apart, making it look worse than it had?  We just stare at our disasters in awe wondering if we should have gotten into the mess in the first place.  Sometimes I ask myself why I started in the first place or when a little fairy might come along and rescue me and finish the task when I look away.

Eventually the mess turns into organized chaos and a sense of accomplishment replaces the doubt.  I love that feeling.  I love sharing my passion for organizing with my students and getting them to lay out everything and slowly put things where they belong.  There's a sense of relief and pride that they experience.  They walk away a little lighter and leave behind a recycling bin that's a little heavier.  

If only the dishwasher would get that message and realize that the little bit of chaos we've created should leave it feeling fresher than ever and ready to get the job done.  My dry hands and sore back sure would appreciate that because I'm tired of washing dishes by hand.  Let's hope this modern day convenience gets back to work ASAP.

Slice of Life - Sunday, March 1

Oh the joys of having children!

Each new day brings a new laugh, a new insight, and a new challenge in the world of raising children.  I feel like our spectrum runs a fairly broad range as our oldest daughter will turn 9 in May and our youngest just turned 3.

Hands down -- there is never a dull moment.

Earlier today, my husband was in the kitchen trying not to get into an argument with our oldest daughter about brushing her hair and teeth before heading off to religious education.  This has become a recent battle.  She's a "girly" girl, loves fashion and such, but getting her to routinely brush the hair behind her head or make her mouth presentable for the public is not something we see eye to eye on.

As I was bustling around preparing breakfast, I stopped dead in my tracks when the following words left his mouth:  "These aren't my rules.  They are Hygiene's rules.  If you don't like them, talk to her."

I burst out laughing.  There are times when I love his approach.  Here's me thinking we should try the morning checklist again.  Not this guy - he takes it to a new level and never ceases to crack me up.

Surprisingly, his strategy worked.  She turned around, walked away, and brushed her teeth.  It's times like this that I am glad we have each other.  I can't imagine getting through any more of these parenting ups and downs without him by my side.  Even if his strategies don't yield successful results, at the very least, they keep me laughing.