Father's Weekend

This weekend we are celebrating all things dad around here...as are many of you, I'm assuming.  For our family, that means strawberry shortcake for one (it's the husband's favorite spring/summertime dessert) and a cookout with the family for another.  We lucked out with our CSA and are getting our chicken share for pick-up tomorrow morning.  Add in a stop at the berry farm, a bag of charcoal, homemade marshmallows for smores, and family and you have the perfect gathering for the dads in our life! On Sunday we will take a short road trip to Lakeside, Ohio to visit with my dad and family at a spot that has so many memories for us.  Enjoy some shuffleboard, mini golf, swimming, ice cream, and Lake Erie fun.  So, how do you celebrate the wonderful fathers (and father-figures) in your life?  Here's wishing all of you out there who get up each morning and parent your little men and ladies a wonderful Fathers Day Weekend!

My two Tigers.  Happy Father's Day!

"Working" out

Let me just start this post today by saying one thing.


WAAAAHHHHHHH!


There.  It's out there.  I hate working out.  It has the word "working" in it.  I hate sweating.  I hate getting all winded.  I hate sore muscles.  I hate exertion.  The whole thing is just meh to me.  I know there are those of you out there who are poised, fingertips to keyboards, ready to strike at the girl who is whining about working out.  You're ready to extol to me the many virtues of a work-out.  You're ready to tell me how much better I'll feel after I'm finished.  How I'll get those endorphins.  How much healthier I'll be.  Blah, blah, blah.  I get it.  


The thing is...I have been there.  I have, at various points in my life, gone to the Rec Center when in college, been a part-time runner, been an avid walker, joined a gym and hired a personal trainer, utilized my elliptical trainer months at a time.  Each stint working out and I have had, I do feel better when not actually "working out."  I like being strong.  I like having energy.  I just loathe what I have to do to be there.  I want someone to invent a pill, a drink, or something that gives me all the benefits without the massive time commitment.  Can't someone get on that?  I mean, my day starts when my alarm goes off at 5am.  That is o'dark hundred for those of you who aren't aware.  And this non-morning person doesn't drag her butt out of bed for 30 minutes of snooze button hitting bliss.  I have to be out the door by 6:40.  When I get home from work I'm usually on my own with the boy until my husband arrives much later.  And let's just say, Jack isn't too forgiving of me trying to use my yoga DVD or the 30 day shred when he wants to watch Nick Jr and spend time with mom.  That pushes this to 8:30.  People, by then my eyelids are held open by toothpicks and my body is screaming for a hot bath and bed.  I just don't know how other people do it.  Get up at 4am?  Um, no.  Work out at 10:00pm?  Not happening.  


Luckily for me, summer is coming.  Because I read chookooloonks yesterday and she was all about the schedule.  Which I'm all about.  So in a few weeks, I'm posting my schedule here.  My summer vacation schedule.  It will include the following items:
Midwestern Modern Momma
Social Media Work
Fitness
Cooking
Gardening
Jack & Play


The rest will be left to the imagination...it is vacation, after all!  


Done with the rant...thanks for staying with me this long.  If you're still here, and have ideas on awesome workout videos, send them my way.  I'm open to suggestions!

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.

On Becoming a Morning Person

I'm wouldn't classify myself a morning person. I'm more of a "hit the snooze button 10 times-don't talk to me until I get my first coffee-would rather be in my warm comfy bed" person. However, I love mornings.


I know, I'm kind of a weirdo. (side-note: does anyone say "weirdo" anymore?)


Once I'm up, out of bed, dressed, and have my mug of coffee in hand, I love everything about mornings. I love watching the sunrise as I drive across the countryside to work. I love my summer mornings at home on the screen porch. I love easing into the day reading through my favorite blogs, news sites, an watching a few videos. I turn on the radio and get my brain ready for work.


This article, by Pilar Gerasimo I found (in bed this morning reading on my iPhone as I was trying not to get up) made me think that maybe it isn't that I'm not a morning person. Maybe I'm just going about it all the wrong way. I do know that I'm not a waking-up person. But if I had a morning routine like Pilar's, I may not even have a problem dragging my butt out of bed. So I'm going to think on this. I'm going to see what I can come up with that I'll do each morning-summers included-that will motivate me to not hit the snooze button, but get up, move and have a soft entry into my day.


Who knows, maybe I will become a morning person after all?

Joyful Friday

I was spending a little time this morning on BlogHer's Own Your Beauty page looking around at some of the fantastic posts, gathering a little inspiration for a rainy Friday morning, when I stumbled across this great clip from Karen Walrond & Alice Bradley. 




(as a side note, if you haven't already been to BlogHer's Own Your Beauty page, go now. It is a great place to browse, read, take the pledge, and more...I'm not kidding.  Go.) 

Anyhow, it is raining here.  After days of sunshine, the rain has returned for the weekend.  The news hasn't been great for people in my profession.  Gas prices are up.  It isn't spring yet.  People are getting a little past grumpy.  I try to be optimistic, to find joy in my days.  But sometimes it gets difficult, like this time of year when it seems the spring will never come and good news is hard to come by. 

As Alice says in this video, humor is a great coping skill, defense mechanism, and way to have fun.  Sometimes we all need to lighten up.  I know nothing makes me feel better after a bad day at work than to come home and laugh my socks off with my family.  So tonight, this weekend, or sometime soon, take a few minutes to watch something silly (Tosh.0 is a favorite of ours), run around like a nut with your kids, read some silly things online (like Finslippy-Alice Bradley's blog), or something else fun.  Just get out of your own head.  It will do you a world of good.  Happy joyful Friday everyone! 

Some good reading for back to work...

I know, it isn't Monday, but it sure feels like Monday 'round these parts.  When I find the person who poured the sand in my eyes last night while I dreamed, I'm putting the hurt on them.  There is not enough k-cups for my Keurig to wake this girl up today.  Jeez.

In lieu of being productive, here are a few good reads for your Tuesday (Monday).  That is, if you aren't inclined to be productive today.  I will do my utmost to fight the productivity bug, but work just won't seem to go away.  It's pesky that way.

The always lovely Sally McGraw has a great piece today about aging gracefully that I just adore.  We should all take the time to 1. Read it.  2.  Embrace her message and 3.  Think about how we each want to age and what it means to us.  I really do wish sometimes I could go back to that stunning 15 year-old me and rattle her until her teeth come loose because she spent more time self-loathing than appreciating how beautiful she was then.  I'm glad I finally got it.

This past weekend I whipped up a few yummy eats for my family.  I had to contribute something, as my husband G was painting his little heart out on our basement project.  If you love a hearty stew on a cold winter day, check out this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  It is for beef stew with beer, and was absolutely delicious and easy to make.  I'll be posting our dessert later...I have some fun pictures for you of that!

You have to love a good love story, and Gabby Gifford's story with her husband is one for the ages.  This tale of love, done as an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC will bring tears to your eyes.  Read it with a box of tissues.  They are adorable beyond words.  A couple to root for.

And finally, who doesn't love it when you get to see the stars all glammed up, liquored up, and out at an awards show like the Golden Globes?  (raises hand)  If you're in that camp, check out The Sixteen Best Reaction Shots from the NY Mag's Vulture.  Funny, tragic, and wonderful all at once.

That's all I've got for this gray and dreary morning...have a lovely Tuesday (Monday) and see y'all later!

14 Happy Things

Reading my blogs this morning (it's my version of reading the papers) I read chookooloonks list #12 of 8 happy things.  In honor of her awesome way to start the day, I decided to do my own...and to make it 14 because today is the 14th of January.  We are practically halfway through the first month of this year!

1. Waking up each morning next to the best husband I could have asked for.  Seriously, he is the greatest.

2. Keeping solid on my resolution (now going on its 3rd year) to live in the now. Enjoying sipping coffee on a snowy morning.

3. Jack's laughter. Nuff said.

4. The beautiful basement G has built for us. Drywall done, on to paint!

5. My office at school-it has these large, beautiful windows that look out into our little town.  Today it is snowing big, fat flakes of snow.  Bliss.

6.  Lunch with work friends.

7.  Finding a new evening purse on Etsy. My stepdaughter's wedding is in one month, and I now have the most fabulous black silk bag for it.  Who doesn't love some pretty?

8.  Seed catalogues.

9.  Hipstamatic updates with new free film/flash combos. I could go on for hours about this app on my iPhone and how happy it makes me, but I won't.  But to get a free flash and film this morning? Hooray!!

10.  Grapefruit sorbet from Jeni's Ice Cream's.  I ate my entire pint the other day, and died a little.  It's over for the season, so I may have to move on to Corn Syrup Custard with Whiskey and Pecans to fill the void.

11.  My husband's version of the Up North cocktail from our favorite Detroit restaurant.  It is deadly.

12.  Scarves.  I love wearing them in their many soft and lovely forms this time of year.

13.  My favorite coffee mug that I can fit my entire hand into. 

14.  The photograph in front of me of Currituck Sound from this past summer.  Even when my toes are freezing from the Ohio winter, this makes me feel warm and toasty.

Thud-Thud Thunk

This whole blogosphere thing amazes me.  I keep finding more and more women out there who I admire, adore, and feel are just like sisters to me.  This past week I've been reading the amazing romantical story of Ree Drummond and her Marlboro Man (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels) with a fluttering heart and flushed cheeks.  Hello momma is that not the most delicious serial blog romance written?  For more fun, I started paging through her archives of beautiful family photography and stories when I stumbled across her post titled I Love a Man in a Pink Shirt.  It is a little slice of adorableness.  But it also made me think of a moment frozen in my own romantical past...


My dearest G had his own pink shirt.  If I close my eyes right this very moment, I can remember him, standing in my classroom, talking to me, hands on hip, wearing that pink shirt.  Or sitting across from me in the cafeteria sharing jokes and stories during lunch duty.  Or as he asked me out on our very first date.  I remember every possible image of that moment, from the way he leaned back in his chair, the way he looked me directly in my eyes, the way the lights played off his hair, and yes, that pink shirt.  I remember feeling my heart not go pitter-patter, but more along the lines of thud-thud thunk as I began the tumbling completely head-over-heels for this man. His pink shirt wasn't exactly the singular reason I fell completely, totally, madly in love with G...no, it was just a part of it.  There was something about that red hair of his, those arms, the way he thinks and challenges me to be better all the time.  The way he is such a wonderful father.  Oh, I could go on and on, but the pink shirt was a part of it.  Ree, you are right, it does take the right sort of man to wear a pink shirt.  And I adore mine in his so very much.

Comforts

So I spent my morning yesterday photographing the beauty of a January frost in the sun, editing the photographs while drinking coffee, listening to music and my preschooler play with his toys,  then putting together a post to share the beauty with anyone who cares to follow me along this journey in life.  Jack and I planned a menu for that most hard-working man in our life that we adore, and set out for the grocery store.  My husband had put in a very long six-day work week, so I wanted to fill him up with comfort foods-gourmet macaroni and cheese and a delicious chocolate pudding tart.  As Jack and I set out for the grocery store my iPhone pinged as a message from my CNN app pushed through regarding a shooting in Arizona.  At first I dismissed it and moved on with our drive.  Then another message-a shooting in Arizona had killed (later we learned different) a Congresswoman from AZ.  Grasping his hand, Jack and I ran through the bitter cold into the store and began our mission to get comfort food.  Only now as my phone continued to push horrific message after message, the comfort food would be more than a happy end to a long work week for my husband.  It would turn into a satisfying warm hug of a meal that might remind me that my little family unit was still intact.  We are safe, whole and here.


Arriving at home, I set out to cook, but was lulled by the coverage of the shootings.  What amazed me though was the immediate solace I took in my twitter feed.  Really?  Twitter?  Where the news media was sensational, social media was sane and calm.  Where reporters were using exclamations and caps lock, social media was quoting the likes of MLK and Gandhi.  Suddenly people from all across the world joined hands and tried to make sense out of the senseless.  I thought back to 9/11/01 when we didn't have this resource and many of us sat alone that night wishing there was someone to hold our hand, look into our eyes and tell us we were okay.  Yesterday afternoon, social media gave many of us concerned citizens the sounding board we needed.


Eventually I stood up from my ottoman and began to cook what would be a sinfully delicious dinner for my family.  The stirring, chopping, tasting, plating of food was calming and brought me back to a place that felt right.  The noise of the commentators on TV was drowned out by my stand mixer, food processor, and various other kitchen appliances.  Once my husband and I sat down to consume a rich plate of macaroni and cheese (made with dry white wine, Parmesan cheese, and sharp cheddar) and a bittersweet chocolate pudding tart I felt like my old self again.  Of course, a surprise visit from a dear work friend helped too.


Is it important to worry, pray, and be mindful of all that happened on Saturday?  I believe so, without a doubt in my mind.  But it is also good to remember these words from Martin Luther King, Jr.: 

"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.  Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.  Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."

~  Martin Luther King, Jr.

Blogger and photographer, Karen Walrond, posted this yesterday in response to all the madness.  Part of the miracle of social media I believe.


Here is a link to Williamsburg's Blue Talon Bistro's recipes.  We fell in love with this restaurant a few winters ago, and their macaroni and cheese is out of this world.  Worth the effort/steps if you are looking for the ultimate in comfort foods.  Divine in every sense of the word.

Family Traditions

I was perusing NPR today and stumbled upon a story that brought me whooshing back to my grandma's living room, sitting on the floor legs crossed, with my face stuffed full of perogies.  The memory was that of a warm spring/summer weekend afternoon where we had just come back to her place from the neighborhood Ukrainian Church with our booty-several large zip-lock baggies filled with homemade perogies, a few packages of butter, some onions, two tubs of Breakstone's sour cream, and the possibility of filling up on the ultimate comfort food.  This memory is cemented in my mind-the smells of the butter and onions, the taste of the pasta with its potato & cheese fillings, the feel of the warm breeze wafting in from her front screen door off the street.  We had to have made the drive to the church at least once a month, for probably the first 10-12 years of my life (before the church stopped selling the perogies)...but when I think back to eating them with her, it is that specific moment, at about the age of 6, that I remember the most clearly. 

It is that same memory that propelled me to learn how to make those very same perogies after she died eight years ago.  As we cleaned out her house, I found several cookbooks that she rarely used (her idea of cooking consisted of buying a pie at the local grocery store and warming it up).  One was a treasury of Ukrainian recipes from women at that very church we used to go to for perogies.  When Thanksgiving drew near, I set out to make my very first batch of perogies.  Let's just say that it took me forever.  As I was hand rolling out the dough, mashing the potatoes, cursing my aching feet, worrying over them staying together as they boiled I remembered her tales of making them as a young woman in her mother's kitchen.  I felt connected to my family's past in a way I never did before.  With each passing holiday, I have perfected the art of assembly-line perogi production, and I believe have gotten better at the art of making them in general.  The pasta dough has gotten softer and more supple.  The fillings are tastier.  Now whenever I bite into my own homemade perogies I can close my eyes and feel that warm breeze from grandma's front door.  I can her the click of her high heels, her singing as she hand-washes dishes in her sink.  Yes, I make them because we all love perogies so much, but I also make them because they take me back to a moment frozen in time when I felt completely and utterly stuffed full of food, love, and happiness.

Image courtesy NPR

Raising a Man

Today I read two beautifully written pieces about raising children and boys in this world.  All the time I look into my son's pool-blue eyes and wonder what kind of man he will become.  Will he be as kind-hearted as his dad?  Will he have his uncle's senses of humor?  Will he have my love of the outdoors? Will he have compassion, kindness, hope, happiness? One of the things I so love about mothering is watching all of his many layers develop and open through time.  I can now see how he will be a big-hearted soul...he is so loving as a three-year old boy, and has an innate sense of how to comfort those who are sad.  I think that (and his giggles) is my favorite quality about him at this age. 

But I also worry.  How do I arm this man-child for life in the big, bad world?  How do I provide him with the skills needed to be a good partner, parent, citizen?  There is a plethora of information available for parenting girls.  How to arm them with "girl-power."  Don't misunderstand me-I love that.  I love that I see girl-power in my students all the time.  But I still want to raise a man who can be a wonderful human, and I don't know if there has been much thought given to this.  The article I read on The Daily Beast today confirmed my worries.  I think so many parents are in the same predicament that we are-and there just are not resources dedicated to helping out boys.  I know...they've dominated the world for years.  I'm not looking to raise a neanderthal here.  But a happy medium.  The kind of man I can look at and burst with pride because of his sheer goodness.  It isn't easy. 

On Girl's Gone Child  today Rebecca Woolf wrote about arming our kids so that they feel ready to take on the world.  I think she nailed it. So I will continue to nurture my son's big heart; but I will also work towards giving him the knowledge that he is a beautiful, wonderful human that we all cannot possibly imagine our lives without.  And when I tell him that he's loved, he remembers all the kisses, hugs, and words we've shared through the years and feels it.

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! 

shopping you can do from home

After my post this morning, I decided to do a little online shopping.  After all, our son can throw a tantrum at home and not disturb the general public, right?  (well, as long as the windows are closed)  I can browse the aisles of online vendors to my heart's content, leaving items in shopping carts as I make peanut butter sandwiches, fetch juice boxes, switch the TV from Monsters Inc to Nick Jr, and come back to find my items haven't been moved back to the racks.  


What is even better is that I can window shop, browse, peruse all of these shops online and never buy feeling as though I've actually shopped, and yet not spent a penny.  Then today I discovered something even better.  Etsy's treasury.  In their words it is, "Etsy's ever-changing, member curated shopping gallery."  Brilliant.  Genius.  I can now create a collection, be a "curator" of this collection, show off my wares to the world, and still have not spent a penny.  What is even more amazing to me is that the genius marketers at Etsy have come up with a tool for people, such as myself, who could literally spend an entire Sunday gleefully clicking their time away on the site, so we can now funnel the clicking into creating these treasuries.  We are basically finding items we love and adore (but aren't purchasing), collecting them together as "curators", and then publishing them to our friends/families via facebook and twitter and our blogs.  What shopping brain trust did they hire at Etsy?  Elle Woods?  Do you want to know what I did for the past 3.5 hours?  Yep.  You guessed it.  I created my very own treasury.  You can go and check it out right here.  I put together a great little collection of Midwestern sellers of clothing, home decor, art, and other fun things.  If I had a bottomless bank account, I wouldn't have published this, because it would all be mine!  But instead, I'm sending it out to you.  So enjoy shoppers...and tell me what you find too!

Ruched Scarf

Teacup Nest

Autumn Lighting

The Middle

Does anyone else out there watch The Middle (in a whisper...the middle)?


Best. Show. Ever.


I love it for so many reasons.  The writing is hysterical.  The characters have depth, but remain funny enough to cry laughing at.  The story lines are so typically from "the middle" (aka: the Midwest) but totally relateable to anyone.  You can get away with missing an episode, or watching them out of sequence. (but, why would you want to?)  But the best part for me is whoever is in charge of the set dressing.  Seriously, did they invade the houses in our neighborhood?  The houses of my childhood?  I mean the knitted afghans, the old chair in front of the stuffed closet, the avocado green fridge, the overflowing clothes baskets that are from 1980, the linoleum floor, even the front door on their ranch house.  All of it screams "normal, middle class, Midwestern family"!!!  I adore this show.  I adore the kids with their quirks.  Axel who seems to only wear boxers in the house and mop up the milk he spills on his chest with a slice of bread.  Sue who loooooves being on the cross country team so much she wears that darn sweatshirt every day, even when it is 90 degrees.  Brick who whispers choice words into his shoulder.  (shoulder)  The family is adorably flawed, like all of ours.  The Middle is my favorite show on ABC's Wednesday comedy night.  If you haven't checked it out already, you must.  It is worth every awesome second. (second)

An ode...

I read a great blog post on NPR's deceptive cadence this morning, titled "What's The First Piece of Classical Music You Fell In Love With?" and was disappointed when I saw that the comments were closed.  It was such a perfect blog to read today, because on my way in to work I was thinking about how some music defines us, some music crystallizes a moment in time for us, and some music simply moves us to feel.  I know that not everyone is a lover of classical music, but I am.  There are days when I get into my car after work and flip on my NPR station and get lost on the chords, the pull of the strings, the deep mellow sound of the cello, the soaring horns.  I've loved classical music almost as long as I can remember.  I have favorite eras, favorite composers, even favorite pieces to play (if I could remember where my flute ended up when we moved).  When I started thinking about all the different pieces of music that have defined my life, that have entered into my soul, it wasn't long before I was able to narrow it down to the first two that I recall playing over and over on my first stereo in my bedroom.  The Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 and Debussy's Claire de Lune.  Both pieces of music were part of my early memories of classical love.  One inspired me to pick up the flute and go further in my career (but eventually I did put it back down, regretfully so at this age).  One gave me a deep love for all things cello.  I used to listen to both, rapture at the harmonies, the dissonances, the soaring melodies, the beautiful resolution at the end.  To this day, both can bring tears to my eyes.  I walked down the aisle at our wedding to Claire de Lune, as no other piece of music could better escort me to my future husband.  There was a time in my life where I was certain I would have a career in the music world...as a teacher, orchestra member, professor, or some other performer.  Those days have come and gone.  But my deep love (and appreciation for the many who have a talent that I do not possess) for classical music remains.  Maybe one day I'll dig that flute back out of the darkened corners of our basement (or attic...wherever it landed), dust off some baroque sheet music, and find myself some musically inclined friends.  Either that or invest in a cello...

A girl can dream...

The taste of home

I'll be quick this morning because I'm about to dash out the door for breakfast with the family...

This weekend we made a trek back to my hometown to visit, watch football, see my baby sister's apartment, and generally hang out.  It was a nice break from the routine we normally have and a chance to revisit some of the tastes of my childhood.  Last night for dinner I picked up sausage pizza and jo-jo's from Italo's.  This is the food that grandma always brought whenever she babysat us.  From the moment I set the boxes in the backseat of the car, the scent made me feel six all over again.  It was heavenly.  I can't quite explain what makes those sausage pizzas so delicious...could be that they literally dust the entire thing with sausage, could be the sausage itself, could be the sauce.  Don't know.  They're just the best thing ever.  And the jo-jo's.  I haven't had one in probably 15 years.  I can't quite explain them to you except to say that they're about 1/4 of a potato, breaded, fried, and delicious.  Here's a wikipedia article that sort of does them justice.  You can only get them in Akron, so I have to come home to find them.  To top off the evening we grabbed frozen custard from Stricklands (I know...it wasn't Pav's...but I don't play favorites people...and if Jeni's came to Akron, all bets are OFF!).  All in all, it was perfection.  

Now, off to Kent to visit with the sister.  And to eat some more.  It's been a delicious weekend...

p.s.  Swenson's is still the best

It starts with one...

I know I've kind of disappeared for a few days, but it has been a long week.  You see, this week we put on Challenge Day at our school.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with what it is, click here to check it out.  I can't really explain what it is fully...you have to experience it to understand this post to its fullest.  So if you're feeling a bit left out, I do apologize in advance; it is entirely unintentional.  


This past winter, in February to be exact, my co-worker and I began to plan this week's Challenge Day.  We applied for grants to fund the event.  Because it is so expensive ($3,200 per day, plus travel expenses from CA) we needed quite a bit of support.  The first wonderful event to roll our way was when our school district's endowment foundation saw fit to fund nearly the entire amount of Challenge Day (they gave us well over the amount we wrote the grant for).  I still have the award letter in my binder.  Reading it last winter gave me chills, tears, and excitement all at once.  I was floored by their generosity.  At that point we knew we could actually pull it off, and bring the Challenge Day program to our school, so the two of us got to work on coordinating the event.


During a spring staff inservice, we showed a video that details what the day and the organization is all about.  There weren't many dry eyes in the room.  Several staff members were eager to do whatever it took to help us organize the event in the fall (even though there wasn't much at that point!).  We started to go into classrooms and talk to the current 7th grade students so they knew it would be coming when they started 8th grade.  Over the summer we crafted press releases for the local paper and our school's summer newsletters and mailers.  We even received a few adult volunteer requests via email during our vacations.  The good feelings kept rolling along.


Of course, once school began the push was on.  All 117 students had to have permission forms turned in.  They all had to have documented lunch plans.  We had to arrange for 35 adult facilitators to be there for the day.  There were little things too...tissue boxes, markers, pens, name tags, agendas for each grade level (even the non-participating ones), making sure the bells were turned off...then worrying about fog delays!  By the week of Challenge Day the two of us were big, fat, giant balls of worry and stress.  


Wednesday night found the two of us at school late, sweating it out in the gym as we unstacked 153 (yes, I counted) chairs, made a giant circle with another inside, set out the tables per the diagram, found trash cans and placed them around the room, made sure the windows were blocked, the registration tables were ready in the hallway, even the signs for lunch were posted.  By the time I arrived home sometime after 8:00, my son was crying, my poor husband wasn't feeling well, my head was splitting open, and I didn't know where I would dig to find the energy for the next day.  


The alarm came through at 4:15 Challenge Day morning and by 4:30 I was up and going.  I had to be at the school an hour earlier than I typically rushed into the building.  I remember thinking that the moment of calm I had as I walked into a completely empty building at 6:25 was probably my last.  By the time we met our poor, lost (literally...our school is in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by road closures), Challenge Day leaders, ushered in the adult facilitators, dealt with herding the 6-7th grade students to class, and registered the 8th grade students I had somehow found the energy I doubted existed the night before.  I was totally pumped, and ready to show these unsuspecting students how to rock their world.  


I won't give you a complete summary of the day here.  It wouldn't be fair to the confidences that were shared in the room.  What I will share is that I danced my bootie off, cried my eyes out, hugged until my arms were like jello, and felt like I could fly by the end of the day.  I witnessed students doing things so powerful and simple that they brought me to my feet and tears at the same time.  We may have had adults there to "facilitate" the day, but those students showed us what they are capable of.  If the world can look like what I saw in that gym on Thursday, this is where I want to be.  I am infinitely more proud to be a part of the work family I come from, infinitely more proud of the students I shared the day with and forever bound to that group of people who shared the day with me.  


Challenge Day is a little like childbirth in a way...you work so hard to get to that point, keep thinking it can't possibly be worth all that effort, then it happens, it is beautiful and amazing.  Now we are all left excited to try to fund next year's efforts.  We are gearing up to start our Be The Change Team (that starts NEXT WEEK!!)  I can't wait to post to y'all all the amazing and wonderful things my kids will do, for themselves, each other, their school, their community, and the world.  But I want them to remember always...it only takes one person to be the change...

Farewell Summertime

Is there a better way to say goodbye to the summer of 2010 than to peruse this gallery from The Daily Beast?  It is filled with iconic stills from our nation's history, and some not so well knowns...but images that scream summertime.  Take one last look before turning back, then gear up for sweater weather and put on a pot of chili! Before you know it, the cool winds of autumn will be whistling around the eaves and we'll all be raking up what has (in my father-in-law's words) blown in from Indiana.