Closing Time

For a while now I've been avoiding the inevitable. I have had a guilty cloud looming over my head regarding my blog. I come back to this space resolved to write, to post, to interact. Then I fail miserably. I forget to post for a few days. Then weeks pass. Then I remember and I feel my cheeks flaming with the warmth of embarrassment. You see, I have moved on to other ventures but haven't really left this one behind yet.

I have to say, with regret, it is closing time here. I don't know if I will re-open this spot in the future, or if it will remain closed permanently. I began my blog during a time when I needed a creative outlet in my life. Now I'm firing on all cylinders professionally and personally. By the time I sit down to write I am so tired I can't even think let alone put words to paper. I feel terrible about closing this down, but I don't want (the meager few) readers I have to continue to stop by and check in only to find I'm not posting still.

To bring everyone up to speed so you know I've not fallen off the face of the planet before I button the place up...life is awesome right now. The boy is in first grade and finally growing those front teeth he lost last year back in. Work is amazing. We have a strong team of counselors, have good plans for the year to come, and are doing good things for students. The three of us spent some awesome time in California this past summer. From San Francisco to Los Angeles and all that lies in between. We explored wine country, slept on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, walked San Francisco's neighborhoods, watched baseball games in AT&T and Dodger stadiums, drove the pacific highway, took in Disneyland, stayed in style in an Art Deco Hollywood hotel, and ate our way all through the state. It was a family trip for the ages. Somewhere along the way we forgot what day it was, what time it was, and thought about never coming back. Now that school is back in session here in the middle, the heat is starting to recede south and cooler air seep into our world, we are pulling sweaters out of storage and remembering the feeling of shoes with socks.

Honestly, life has gotten so hectic I have known for some time I'd have to give up blogging. I just couldn't keep up. I'll miss this more than I can say. Hopefully I'll come back here in the future. Until then, I bid you farewell from the middle.

I'm Baaaaaack!

So, I was having a little case of writer's block and decided to step away from blogging for a while. Because everything I was writing was boring me as I wrote it. And if I was bored with my words, I can't imagine what reader would even want to look at them.  So I stepped away. 

I also was feeling overwhelmed.  Professionally things were crazy for me.  Somehow I knew I needed to put more focus on the actual job I have, and less on this space I fill with my musings.  I needed to get a handle on my health-physical and mental.  And when we humans have those times where everything and everyone is pulling at us, we have to reevaluate how we spend our energy and reallocate.  That is exactly what I did.  I began to pour my energies into my family, my work as a school counselor, my health and home.  Things have begun to right themselves.  The most hectic time of year for our family is running much more smoothly than it has in past springs.  I am excited to move into a new position at work next fall.  My husband and I have changed our diets and our new and healthier eating plan has been in place for about 5 weeks now, with much success.  I feel as though my normal positive outlook on the world has returned, filling me with more energy and drive to tackle things I've been setting aside.

I have also had tons of new ideas to write about lately.  So, I made the decision this week to fire the blog back up.  I hope my readers (all 2 of you) are still out there.  I was noticing a wee bit of spam, so there will be a few changes in the commenting area.  But other than that, be ready for my particular brand of wit, humor, and general tomfoolery!

Blocked

If you hadn't noticed, I have not been posting much in the past few months.

(Insert laugh track here)

It isn't for lack of trying. I sit down at a screen and start typing several times each week. Then I get halfway though a post and read it over and am all ugh about it. (Pretty sure that Ms. Styslinger is going to come back and green ink that sentence for me) I can't seem to write anything I am even interested in reading myself, let alone publishing. And I refuse to post anything that I think is garbage.

Where does that leave me, and my happy little blog? Well, I am going to take my massive case of guilt and writers block and vacation from writing for a bit. Not sure how long. I don't want to walk away from MMM forever. I love this space so much. No matter how tiny it is. It is my dusty corner of the interwebs. I hope by taking the pressure off, I will feel better and the cobwebs will clear. I promise I will return. Hopefully sooner rather than later. For now, I am still happily tweeting away. You can always find me there!

The Terrible Twos

This blog is officially entering the toddler stage.  Terrible Twos.

Today is my second blog-a-versary.  Holy cow.

Let me frame this for you.

I am the queen of starting things with enthusiasm, digging in, then floundering and eventually putting them aside.  I can't begin to tell you how many "hobbies" I've struck up in the course of my lifetime that are now collecting dust on a shelf somewhere.  Or worse, have ended up in a trash bin.  I'm just not good at the follow through.  But this space-while I'm not always a consistent blogger,  (not the absence of posts between May and July)  I continue to come back here.  I find that writing is sometimes an act of brain purging for me.  Sometimes it is an act of community building.  Sometimes it is an act of comedy.


What I find is that just when I feel I have nothing left to say, nothing left to write a wellspring opens up and I'm right back here with my fingers to keyboard and cursor blinking back at me.  I am very proud of this body of work I've created.  Last blog-a-versary I wrote of all the women bloggers who inspire me along this path.  This blog-a-versary I think I'll make a promise to my readers-that I will be back to write this post again on my 3rd blog-a-versary.  I love this space.  It is my little corner of the interwebs to rant, rave, praise, sing and shout.  You can keep coming back because I will keep on writing.

Here's to another year of the written word!

Cheers!

Don't Feed the Troll

Or poke the bear.

Or so I've heard...

Okay, so maybe I'm not exactly a troll.  Or a bear.  More like a hermit.  They're kind of the same, right?

Since I left work for summer vacation I have done exactly nothing with anyone other than my family.

Nada.

Zilch.

Zero.

Not that we haven't done things together.  Or that I'm hiding in a cave in our basement.  Quite the contrary.  We have been to multiple baseball games (Toledo Mud Hens, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians-love our AL Central League around here!).  We have gone on vacation to Georgia's Tybee Island for one week, enduring the rains of Tropical Storm Debby and eventually the 100+ temperatures that followed.  I am still knocking sand out of my morning walking shoes two weeks later.  We have several family gatherings in the works for the remaining summer months, a few more baseball games, and are considering a couple more family outings.

See, I'm not a total hermit.

Yet I haven't left the house unless we all have.  I am happiest sitting right here at home.  Ticking items off my to-do list like cleaning out closets and organizing the pantry is my job.  I've always vacillated between a social butterfly and hermit, and the swing this time has been dramatic.  I've even stepped away from blogging and much of social media.  (many apologies!)

Why must I feel apologetic for this though?  Clearly my batteries are needing recharging.  My person/self/energy is sapped.  This past school year was pretty hard on me emotionally.  I've been in a funk.  I am spending the summer trying to right the ship, so to speak.  When I say don't feed the troll (or poke the bear) I mean I need the time to recover my energies before jumping back into blogging, running around, social media, and more.  I will say that I have no intentions on giving up this space to write and share.  I just need to get myself together first and then will return.  I love blogging too much to completely walk away.  So when I am ready to jump back on the wagon, I will be back at full force.  And hopefully any of my readers that stick around, will be here to read again.

About Me

I was asked yesterday the dreaded "tell me about yourself" question.  By a group of people who pretty much know me.  I knew it was coming.  I had thought about what I would say-I mean I have gone to professional conferences with them, shared dinners out, countless meetings, lunch breaks, phone conversations and more.  Yet this was the formal sit-down.  I could answer any number of questions on their page but this one.  I mean, these women (and man) know just about everything about me.  They know I'm an uber-geeky band kid.  I'm terrified of thunderstorms.  I garden (and leave jars of jam or pickles in their breakroom).  I have a stepdaughter, son and husband.  I am from the opposite side of our heart-shaped state.  How can you be stumped by a question about yourself? Seriously! Then it dawned on me.  No one knows I blog. 

"I am a writer. I have a blog"

Eyes lit up.  Questions flew.  I sat up a bit straighter.  Never before, outside of the blogging world and a small circle of friends who also read/write blogs, have I talked out loud about my little blog.  It felt so good.  I am very proud of what I do here.  I write for me.  I started writing here because I wanted to celebrate life in Ohio, life in the middle.  Then I kept writing because I wanted to share my family, good food, funny stories, and life with those who stopped by.  I write because I don't have to.  I write because I am part of a community of amazing women.  I write because it slows me down.  I write because I love to.

Answering that question "tell us about yourself" isn't ever easy-whether the group knows all about you, or hasn't ever met you.  Telling the world about yourself is like standing on a shifting dune.  We are ever changing and cannot possibly be boiled down to a few short words or sentences.  But at least I can say I am proud of the answer I gave yesterday.  I did leave out one thing though.

I hate broccoli.  But I'll save that for the next time.

Happy Blog-a-versary To Me!

Today is the 365th day I've been blogging. One year. This little ole blog is one whole year old. I have to admit that when I started writing last summer, I had hopes I would be typing this post, but there was also this little voice that said I wouldn't make it. I've gone through periods where I get ferocious writer's block and can't seem to concoct a post out of thin air. Then I have more posts flowing in my brain than I can write. This blog is where I turned to when I held Challenge Day with my students and was so moved by them. It is where I came the day we lost a student in a tragic accident. It's where I posted my resolutions, and have asked to be held to em (last check, I'm still all about badassery!). I've shared some of my favorite recipes, restaurants, and trips. I vent and laugh about my crazy son and his adventures. When a dear friend of ours was diagnosed with cancer, I began the Sideline Reports. And most recently, I've talked about meditation, vacation, and sabbaticals.


It's been a crazy year. I am proud of this body of work. But what I'm most proud of is the women I've gotten to know through the blogasphere. Blogs like Sally McGraw's Already Pretty, Karen Walrond's Chookooloonks, Elissa Stern's Dress with Courage, Kyran Pittman's Planting Dandelions, Rita Arens' Surrender Dorothy, Maile Wilson's Daily Relish, and Blondie's Tales from Clark Street. I could go on and on, as my blogroll is giagundous. However, I am trying to be succinct! These are the blogs I have come to rely on each and every day. The ones which make me laugh, cry, feel more human, feel empowered, feel like I'm part of an awesome community, feel connected. I love them.


What defines a blog's success? I have often wondered that over the past 365 days. I don't think it is in ad revenue. Not in number of followers. Nor in number of comments each day. No, To quote Elissa Stern (read the entire post here) "Blogging success is about the loyalty of your readers, whether they continue to come back, and if they establish a relationship with you through regular, thoughtful comments." I have a few regular readers who either comment here, on my Facebook page, or via email. I love them for it. But I also believe what makes a blog a success is when the blogger can look back over her/his body of work and feel proud of each and every word written. I can say that. So, here's to another 365 days of successful blogging. From my little corner of the world here in the middle to yours!

Much better this day

I know, if you check back regularly, I left you hanging. I am sorry for that...it has been crazy-busy here this week! But I am doing much better. Last post I was in the throes of wretched anxiety. Today, I sit here, coffee mug in hand, iTunes playing my favorite playlist of the moment, feeling cool as a cucumber. Or at least, as cool as one can feel when trying to organize a household to leave for vacation. That is what this week has been about-preparing to leave our nest and get away. Over the weekend I would have gladly left early, purchased needed clothing and food upon arrival, and spent extra time at our mountain retreat. Today I'm extremely glad we did not, feeling so blessed for the husband and son I have and the family who are in my life.

So yes, I am doing better today. I'm working on adding some daily meditation to my routine. I'm starting to eat better. My little family is going to be doing some walking each day next week to jump-start our fitness plans. And, I'm going to disconnect. Take a sabbatical of sorts. I plan to stay off twitter/facebook/google+ as much as possible. I am taking paper and pen to write, draft, and come up with ideas. But as much as I can, I will digitally disconnect. When I return, I plan to tell you all about the magical mountains, the delectable restaurants, the fun side trips and more. But until then I have suitcases to pack, cookies to bake, a car to load, tomatoes to tie up, groceries to buy, and more. See you soon!

Blocked.

Okay.  Time to eat my slice of humble pie.  This girl is suffering from a serious case of writer's block.  Not even a case, I'd say a chronic, wretched, awful course of it.  Every time I sit down at the screen my cursor mocks me.  It's flashing motion is almost like hazard lights on a car, warning me that my thoughts are dumb and I shouldn't even lay fingers to keyboard.


Clearly I need help.


So what do I do to combat this writer's block you ask?  Why the mature thing, of course.  Avoid all social media.  Stop reading and commenting on my favorite blogs (who have regular posts, unlike blocked me).  Proceed to climb into my self-imposed cave.  Effective, no?


Well, I am going to emerge from the cave and push through this block until I am better.  Shitty posts and all.  But it is summer, so I'm bound to be filled to the brim with awesome material.  From the mundane (watered parched plants today...they gasped their appreciation, audibly) to the spectacular (I fully intend to blog-live or on a one week delay-our trip to the mountains of North Carolina).  I may no longer have the handy-dandy use of my iPhone camera, may she rest in peace. So I'll have to pull out the DSLR and really do some serious work.  But I will and can.  


Who's in with me?  Well, if you are, comment, then bribe your friends to join the ride and have them comment too!  If you're extra-special awesome commenters this summer I may be able to start rolling out my planned giveaways for you too!  (plotting and planning are in full swing here!)


Must sign off before I break my exclamation key.  Stat. Outtie 5000.

So then there is that...

Wow.  That is all I can say.  I have kind of fallen off the blogging/twitter/facebook/media merry-go-round for a few weeks.  Nothing too big, just feeling like life was getting away from me a bit and I needed to get back to the basics.  The basics being a night out with my husband, a clean house, an organized work space, laundry that is clean and put away, some gardening done, and time to rest my eyes a bit.  Oh, and to disconnect the iPhone from my hand.  Needless to say, it felt good.  Really good.  Like one big long sigh.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Then I start to reconnect with the world.  Well hello massively huge news cycle.  Hello brand new professional obligations.  Hello May when I am up to my eyeballs at work with senior credit deficiencies and award ceremonies.  Hello single parenting nights when my spouse (who also works in education) is at school functions nearly every night until June.  Life just got a bit on the other side of the line called exciting! 

I try not to get political on here, and try to stay away from the major news of the day.  I figure y'all have your favorite news websites and news bloggers for that.  (well, at least I do!).  However, in the last 7 days I have not been able to walk away from the following things on my TV:

Massive Southern Tornado Outbreak
The Royal Wedding
Osama Bin Laden

So, wow.  I'm just glad I'm not employed by the news media right now.  I follow a great many of them on twitter, and it exhausts me just reading their schedule...first headed down south, then to England, then back to NYC in the middle of the night on their day off!  Yeesh.  While the wedding was big news, it was what I called "fluff" news.  A day for girls like me to look at pretty princess dresses, tiaras, princes, carriages, and remember when we were all little girls and dreamed about fairy tales.  It was sweet and lovely.  A distraction in the midst of other pressing matters.  As a weather watcher (literally-The Weather Channel is in my list of favorites) I am riveted by the tornado outbreak coverage.  It is simply devistating. At the end of today's post, I'll give you some links to places you can go to help out.  Plus, one of my favorite bloggers, The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond is doing the coolest blog giveaway ever.  Go and check it out. 

Then last night, as I was doing the last of the laundry, and watching Sunday night HBO with the hubs, we got push alerts about a presidential address coming at 10:30.  Unusual on a weeknight, let alone a Sunday.  With family who serves our country, former students overseas, and having lived through 9/11 as a first-year teacher, I went from calmly folding laundry to nervously stacking folded t-shirts and pacing.  As we watched the news of the night unfold I felt my mind catapulted back 10 years to the day I was giving my first exam as a teacher.  Everyone says they remember exactly what they were doing, where they were on 9/11.  We each have our own stories.  That was the day I pulled my remaining foot out of my childhood and planted it firmly into adulthood.  Twenty-five high school seniors were staring at me, wide-eyed, worry etched in their faces, wanting answers I didn't have.  I wanted to run home.  The world changed in the blink of an eye, and all I could do was clutch the rim of a chalk tray behind my back and pray for the wisdom to fumble forward into the day.  Now I stand here, 10 years older (wiser?), having experienced the thrill of getting married, becoming a stepparent, finishing graduate school, becoming a parent, building a home, new jobs, and creating a life as a family.  I stand here feeling the weight of adult worries on me, but thankful that I have a nest built to come home to.  Today I will take the time to breathe deeply.  To take in with my eyes all the beauty that surrounds my home.  To be thankful for all the wonderful things in my life.  I hope you will do the same. 

As promised, for those of you who want to help storm victims, here are links to some great organizations:

 ISOH/IMPACT-They're a local charity that does amazing work worldwide!  Check out their "bucket brigade" it is so cool!!
The American Red Cross
The Salvation Army

Over and out.

Stuck

Have you ever been in a place where you feel completely, totally, and utterly in over your head?  The kind where the light at the end of the tunnel is so far around the corner you can't even see it?  Well, I'm there.  In oh so many ways.  I made a promise to myself when I started writing this blog that I would always be honest, and that's what you're getting today...a serious dose of honesty from this girl.

Normally, I'm a pretty optimistic person.  A glass half-full girl.  But a few times each year I find myself getting so far into my own head I can't seem to find my way out.  I think we all have that, but when you're there, you do feel so alone.  It can be scary.  The thing that drives me crazy, is that I don't see this coming.  There I was, trucking right along, writing up a storm, getting things done at work like a champ, keeping up with life at home, staying organized in a way that wasn't even like me, and then BAM! Life seemed to fall apart around my ears.  I have lost my writing mojo (sorry).  I'm watching my readership stats fall like a stone.  I can't motivate myself to keep the house clean.  I have projects at work coming out of my ears, and cannot for the life of me, keep up.  I had a grand fitness plan for April that I didn't touch because I was so damn exhausted.  Now I sit here, staring at these words, hoping that by writing them out, some form of catharsis will come and I'll feel better. 

I know that isn't entirely true.  I know that I am really just putting off the stack of paperwork to my right and my left.  I know that I have a meeting in two hours.  I know that afterwords I have to come back here and collect the information for another meeting tomorrow morning.  Suddenly planting season is on me and I haven't done a thing in my garden either. 

See...I'm doing it again.  Piling up all of my failures, or perceived failures, to show the girl in the mirror how awful she is.  So, I'm going to make a promise to me (and to you)...to stop with the finger pointing today.  I'm going to dig in, and get this work done.  I'm going to pretend I'm not so damn tired and just do what I need to do.  And, I'm going to forgive myself and be a little kinder to the human that I am.  That's it.  If I am not perfect, so be it.  Hopefully this tactic will work, and by the end of my school year I'll feel a bit better about life. 

Fingers crossed!

little dreams for a sunday

As a school counselor, I'm always preaching to my students "set goals" "follow your path" and talking, talking, talking about careers.  It is endless work.  Especially with junior high school students making the big bad leap to high school.  They look at me like I am nuts when I ask them to pick a career and start working towards it.  My usual reaction to this face is to tell them to relax, because I still don't know what I want to do with my life.  They laugh, relax, and we go back to work.


The thing is, I'm not kidding.


I think often about how I would love to make my own fantastic way into the world.  I would like to blaze my trail into the world through my words, photography, and connections to everyone through social media.  I love it, sitting here and writing to whomever is reading.  If I had more time, I would sit down every day with a cup of coffee, turn up my music and write away for hours while I find lovely tidbits for y'all to read. But my real job keeps getting in the way of such fun.  


After I had Jack, I found the world of bloggers through mom blogging.  That first summer home with an infant, I spent my days feeding, rocking, and reading (or watching if you are counting momversation.com) lots and lots of mom blogs.  As he is growing, I've branched out.  I read food blogs.  Gardening blogs.  Fashion blogs.  There are so many fabulous, smart, fun people out there writing that I cannot get enough of it.  I have my daily roll I go through, and each weekend I play catch-up.  Then I find another one to add to my list.  


This weekend, I was reading Sally McGraw's list of lovely links and stumbled across a new blog via this post about the merits of dreaming small.  Sarah's piece about being the best little fish you can be, really struck a chord with me.  Here I am, running around like a chicken with my head cut off...working a full-time job, being a wife, mom, friend, sister, daughter.  Then I try to do things like gardening, quilting, blogging, baking, canning, and more on top of it.  Somewhere I decided I wanted this blog (that I love and adore) to be big.  And I mean BIG.  But it doesn't have to be.  It can just be a good little blog that it's readers love to read, I love to write, and is good.  


So, I promise you, darling readers, that I will always write my best.  I will only write when I have time to.  I won't write when I should be playing with my son, or doing laundry.  (okay, I'm totally lying about the laundry part)  I will shower anyone who comes here with love, and pass along good tidbits about things I adore about home, family, the Midwest, and more.  


Even if I stay the tiniest little fish in the whole of Lake Erie.

Sick Day

Oh to be home with a sick boy when you are perfectly aware that you are drowning at work, the voicemail light in your office is blinking angrily at you, your inbox is flooding your living room and getting ready to take over your kitchen too, and you left your paperwork in your office.


Did I mention the weather forecast is for 12 + inches of snow, high winds, and possibly heavy ice?


Can I get a mulligan?


So here I sit.  At my computer all morning.  Sifting through emails from parents (who are wondering why they haven't heard from their child's school counselor in oh, like, four days...I was in classes all last week!!), trying to fix applications for our career center without access to a printer at home, coordinate a school survey with the knowledge that this massive snowstorm may be hitting us, calling the doctor's office and pharmacy, and administering medicine to a sick little boy.  He's sitting on my lap.  Heating me through. It's like wearing an electric blanket that weighs about 40 pounds.


In the spirit of my sedentary day, I thought I'd give y'all some fun reading for the day.  You know, since my Mac is my lifeline for now, and may very well be for a while.  (unless we lose power, Internet connection, and cell phone use...then I just might die)


My favorite HBO show, Big Love is back for its final season, and last night's episode was a heart-wrenching twist on the family Christmas.  New York Magazine's The Vulture has a great recap of this sad, touching, and dramatic account of this family.  I can't help but root for the Hendricksons...they're hopelessly flawed like all of us.  Even though I hope I'm not that flawed!


Sitting with a sick child overtaking your lapspace, the best way to get your reading in can be on your smart phone (an IPhone in my case).  So as I was reading HuffPost today, I found this fantastic article about Mommy Bloggers by Kari Henley:  Mommy Bloggers Are Going to Rule the World.  It was a fascinating read, and spot-on.  I can't help but agree with her, as I adore all of my daily reads from the blogosphere.  I have two main bookmark categories on my computer and IPhone-news/weather and blogs.  They're my lifeline.


Speaking of blogs, a badass woman I have known since high school has started her own.  Check out Wise Woman Fertility for information on alternative medicine, and women's health issues.  It is a wonderful blog for anyone who is interested in thoughts/ideas beyond the medicine they give you at Rite Aid...which I know many of us are.


Now, I know many of us ladies are married to men who are hot.  (raises hand)  In my case, mine is not just good looking but also warm.  We finally invested in a vehicle that has dual thermostat controls so I can keep my toes toasty warm while he gets cool air blowing on his warm cheeks.  In search for an answer of a problem he keeps telling me is in my head, I may have found one...because Amanda Schaffer wonders why women feel colder than men too.


Finally, in honor of the snowstorm approaching us, I thought I'd leave y'all with a little video of the great Blizzard of '78.  It could always be worse...remember that.





We could have to drive those cars...

A day in which we serve. Or rest? Which is it for you?

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day here in the US.  For many of us, it is a day free from work and a day at home.  As a school employee, it is the end of a three-day weekend, just before the start of second semester.  The kids are home, as are their teachers, and I have to wonder to what purpose.  


Over the past several days I saw a few posts on my twitter feed grumbling about schools in the South using today to "make-up" one of their snow days.  These posters saw it as a sign of disrespect for the day.  Their opinion was that the day would be better spent out of school and in some form of service.  I understand where they are coming from, I do.  I think it is very important for our students to learn the value of service to their community.  After all, I was the teacher who put together the volunteerism project as a choice for the junior/senior project where I used to work.  I am one of the advisers for our Be the Change Team, and our fall project was to donate to our local food pantry for the Thanksgiving Dinner.  


However, I also have been reading my Facebook news feed the past several days.  I have seen many of my friends posting their plans for today, and while there are some who have postings honoring the late Mr. King, there are also many who have taken advantage of a three-day weekend and are off on trips, using today to get family medical appointments done, shopping, or simply resting at home.  I suspect that many, if not most of, the teenagers I work with are doing this today rather than utilizing today to be in service of their community.  


I'm not trying to be preachy, but I really do think that today would be better served if we weren't off school.  We are in session for the following holidays:


Patriot's Day
Constitution Day
Columbus Day
Election Day
Veteran's Day
Pearl Harbor Day
Inauguration Day


Now, I realize that these aren't all "holidays" in the typical sense of the word.  But, on those days our students are typically doing things to honor the day.  For Veteran's Day, the VFW brings in speakers for our students.  On Election Day the older students in our government class go to volunteer at the polling places, the younger students hold mock elections.  On Inauguration Day (when this applies) we stop the day to watch the ceremonies.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  Sometimes, being in school can be just as good as taking the day "off" and being home to sleep in and not being aware.  


I guess what I am saying is, why would it be bad for our students to be in school today where we could do a school-wide service day?  If a parent wanted their student to participate in a community event related to MLK day, I believe that would be excused like any other event.  Yet, sometimes we do get things right.  Sometimes schools, the teachers who work in them, and the students who are in them get things right.  I wish I could have spent today at work with my Be the Change Team, finding ways to serve our community.  It would be more in the spirit of Dr. King than what many of us are doing today. Don't you think?


"Everybody can be great.  Because anybody can serve.  You don't have to have a college degree to serve.  You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love. "


Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The great awesomeness of social networking

So I went away for a conference related to my professional life, and while I was gone, several things happened entirely unrelated to my professional life.  Where to begin...I guess I'll just tell this in the order of how it went.

First, the conference itself was awesome.  I'm a school counselor, and anytime you put hundreds of professional school and mental health counselors in one space to network, workshop, and problem solve awesome things happen.  I always go back to work after this conference ready to take on the world.  I feel that way now; as though I'm George from "It's a Wonderful Life" and I've lassoed the moon.

Now on to the world of social networking and its own awesomeness.  About one week before the conference I found out about an event that would be going on while I was in Columbus.  It was a tasting party for Jeni's Ice Cream's newest flavor and Middle West Spirit's OYO vodka.  There was to be a band, some awesome food cart vendors, and more.  Whenever I see these fun events happening in Columbus posted to twitter or facebook I'm bummed, because I don't live there and can't go.  But this was to be my first night in town for the conference.  And my most favorite ice cream!  So I went.  And it was amazing!  There were tons of super-cool people there, the band (called The Salty Caramels) was rockin a funky/folk vibe, the food and beverage samples were out of this world and overall it was perfect.  The new flavors of Jeni's ice cream were so delicious.  The next morning I called the grocer in Toledo who stocks it to make sure they will be carrying them all (they will).  Because they ran out of pizza slices, I walked myself over to get my own Clever Crow Pizza at Circus Bar.  If you are ever in Columbus, Ohio you must get yourself some of this pizza-you won't regret it!  By the time I was back at my hotel I had a full belly and a happy soul.

The next day, I checked my blog feeds and found out that I WON A CONTEST! The wonderful designer who gives me all the pretty for my blog, Megan, had a contest on her blog Shabby Blog.  I may not have won the grand prize, but I did win some beautiful frames for our walls and am so excited about it!  The basic premise of the contest was to help her friend Forrest in his quest to win a Pepsi Refresh Project prize...for each attempt you made to vote (or encourage more votes) you could enter.  I never anticipated winning, but had fun voting and encouraging others to vote as well!

To top off the week in Columbus, I returned to Middle West Spirits to purchase some of their very fine OYO Vodka for home (as it is not yet available outside the Columbus area) and got to spend a lovely time with Brady from MSW.  He gave me a tour of the distillery, we chatted about their process, and I got to know one more producer even better. This is what I love best about buying local-having a face and voice to the products in my home.  During our chat I asked him (being a girl living in NW Ohio and surrounded by wheat fields) where they get their winter wheat.  To my delight he informed me it comes straight from my very area!  The vodka I am enjoying is distilled from wheat grown on soil I drive past every day.  How much better can that get?  So raise a glass to locavory at its best, social networking spreading the word about it, and people making it work each day!  Cheers!

What is your halloween costume?

I adore the ladies of Momversation so very much.  They make laugh, cry, think, giggle, and generally feel so much better about all the things related to motherhood.  I try to keep up with each episode (they're only a few minutes long) that they post every few days, because they're just that good.  This one I almost skipped, because, well, I have issues with Halloween costumes.  But then I watched.  Oh holy heck.  Alice Bradley, if you ever read my blog (and I'm certain you don't...) I am positive we are sisters of another mother.  Before you read the rest of this post, you must watch this Momversation episode.  


When I was headed into the throes of junior high school, my mother (in her infinite wisdom) decided I was far too old to be dressing up for Halloween.  I was relegated to sitting in the living room with the candy bowl.  Costumeless.  During high school, on Halloween, when all of my friends would wear costumes to school and have parties, I was not permitted to dress up.  It was not something teenagers were supposed to do.  By the time I arrived on my college campus, the die had been cast.  There was no way this prim and proper girl would hit the town on Halloween night decked out in a costume of any sort, let alone one that resembled a hussy nurse, slutty nun, or any other variation of skimpy career wear.  I preferred to hide out in my dorm room/apartment on Halloween so as to avoid the costumed crowds and the questions about why I wasn't dressed up.  


Now I'm all grown up, and invited to go out trick-or-treating with my son and his friends.  I am somewhat surprised with what the parents are wearing.  Witch hats, yes...slutty mommy wear, hmmmmmmm.  But, it is Halloween, so if you want to let your freak flag fly....you go right ahead.  Just don't be offended when my three-year old son can't take his eyes off of your barely-there fire-girl wear.  (because he totally knows that you cannot safely fight a fire in that)

All the good the interwebs can do...

This past June, an EF4 tornado hit just 1.5 miles south of our home.  It was terrifying for our family as we huddled in our basement, but we were so incredibly lucky to be safe and whole.  The only problems we had after it hit was minor power outages and someones insulation in our backyard we discovered the next afternoon.  Other than that, we survived.  However, the school district to our south, Lake Township's Police/Fire/EMS headquarters, part of an airfield, and hundreds of homes were devastated.  Lives were lost.  It was mind-blowing to see how much damage could happen in such a short period of time.  But, in just as short a period of time, there were groups forming on facebook, twitter, and local message boards to organize help for the community, school and families affected by this disaster.  Over the course of the summer a campaign was created to help the school win one of the Kohl's Cares awards for $500,000 dollars.  Little Lake HS was awarded the prize, and came in first place!  It was so touching to watch them creep up in the standings each day.  There was an effort for the volleyball team to win a grant as well, through another company, to help them replace their lost equipment.  This was won as well.

Through this experience, I have voted, posted, encouraged, and been amazed at what the internet can help communities accomplish towards the good.  So much is said about negative impacts of the internet, but little is said about the positive.  This is one area where we can all say it has positively impacted many lives.  Well, here is another opportunity...

I'm sure many of you have heard about the Pepsi Refresh project through their TV advertisements.  One of the blogs I follow posted this special project on her site, and I took a moment to read about it.  It is so touching.  I posted a link on the right side of my page for anyone who wants to go check it out and vote (please go vote...it only takes a second!).  Basically, it is a young man who has a brother with cerebral palsy.  He states that his brother has always had to sit and watch him play, but this grant would allow them to put in a "liberty swing" so he too could take part in the fun at the playground, along with many other handicapped children and adults.  Who can't get behind that?  So please go and vote.  It will make you feel good about life today, and show the world that this whole interweb thing does good for people too! 

My summer mornings

May I just take a moment to enjoy my last morning with the sunshine pouring in the front windows while I'm sitting  at the computer reading over my favorite news feeds and blogs doing something I've come to adore in the past several years...drinking really rich lovely coffee?  Starting tomorrow the routine will shift a bit where I will be nursing it out of a travel mug in my car as I listen to NPR on my way into the office.  There won't be the option of a second cup when I arrive.  (this is because I have a very specific method to my coffee madness, which would require far too much effort at work)  My favorite mug is at home.  It is one that is a thick handmade pottery, and has a wide enough handle I can slip my entire hand through.  Oh, I love my summer mornings for this reason.  I can take in the moments between when I am up and ready and my son comes barreling out into the world with a warm cup of sweet and divine goodness in my hand.  Come fall, the weekends will be similar, but they have their own traditions...College Gameday, breakfast at Star Diner with my boys, our "cave days" where we stay in our pj's until bedtime and change into another pair...but summer...oh summer.  You have been lovely.  Today is my last, and I'll miss you so.

Going Public...

So I've played around with this for a day or so, putting together the page, coming up with ideas for design, trying to navigate the world of webpage layout/designs, etc.  Now I'm close enough to where I feel ready to let the world know I'm here!  (not that I'm confident enough to think many people will follow along, but at least I'm sticking my neck out, right?)  Well, here goes nothing...I have made my page some form of pretty, and put together what I think is something that has some semblance of a format.  I stopped arguing in my head with HTML code, and am trying to roll with it.  I have things I'd like to add down the road...foodstuffs many friends ask me for, gardening items I don't know what else to do with, rants about parenting, special moments about parenting, photography, links to pages and posts that both inspire and irritate me.  Hopefully I continue to grow and get better at this....and some of you grow with me.

Here we go...

Getting going...

I love blogs...I love reading blogs.  I read so many mom blogs out there that make me laugh, cry, scowl, and generally feel more sane and less like a crazy person.  That being said, I never wanted to be a "mom blogger."  So I'm not.  I'm a midwestern girl.  I have been born and raised in Ohio.  I live within visual distance of a cornfield, adjecent of a beanfield, and work where a county fair and football rules.  I have an amazing veggie garden.  I am learning to quilt, slowly but surely.  My family belongs to a CSA.  This time of year we are eating corn until it comes out of our ears, peaches until the syurp drips down our elbows, and beef year round.  Yes, I'm a mom...but I'm so many different things too...so can't I be a midwestern modern momma blogger?!

The reason I thought to start this was planted in my brain last night at dinner with a very dear friend (who is trying to teach me to quilt).  She has raised her children, and I am raising our son.  Often, I find myself writing out these emails to her just to make sure my thoughts and feelings about parenting aren't totally crazy.  She tells me that she laughs out loud because she feels my pain and remembers being in the same place.  Well, if I can microblog via email to her, I might as well do it to the wide world, right?!

Tonight there isn't much on my mind, other than trying to format this stinking page.  I'm not liking how it is going.  I'll figure it out soon enough, I'm sure.  I have to have it pretty.  You'll learn that about me soon enough.  Until later...