Positive Thinking Thursday {SOL 3.09.17}

Thursdays are the day that I share some of my favorite inspirational quotes that I found from the past week. Hope you find something here that speaks to you!

Try it!

My Life as a Five Paragraph Essay {SOL 3.08.17}

I enjoy listening to podcasts on my way to school. My ride is about 30 minutes, just long enough to do some serious listening.

On my way to school on Tuesday, I pulled up a podcast from Christy Wright's Business Boutique called "Recognize Your Gifts."

Christy is a podcaster and blogger who helps women start up businesses. If you read my post from Saturday, you may remember that I am leaving the classroom in June to start my own consulting and PD business, Teach Write. I love Christy's podcasts for the practical and inspirational advice she offers each week.

On the podcast I listened to on Tuesday, Christy had a guest, Annie Downs, who in talking about her gifts, said she had a revelation one day when she recognized that her life was like a five paragraph essay. {Format = thesis, detail, detail, detail, conclusion.}

Annie went on to explain that for many years, she was a teacher and thought that teaching was her thesis statement. Her identity was wrapped up in being a teacher and everything she did supported that identity. It was who she was.

But then one day, Annie felt like she needed something more. She still enjoyed teaching but wanted to teach in different ways. She recognized that being a classroom teacher was not her thesis statement, but rather one of her detail paragraphs. Being a classroom teacher was not who she was, it was what she did.

I heard this and pressed the pause button on my phone.

This is exactly the way I feel.

I love teaching. I think being a teacher is both a blessing and a calling. I absolutely love my students and watching them grow. For many years, that was all I wanted.

But for the past few years, I have felt this aching to do more. To do something different. To teach in a new way.

I know I have more detail paragraphs coming. Looking back, I have had a few already. {I'll probably exceed the three paragraph limit. Don't tell the English Comp people.}

I'm not quite sure how they all fit together to form my thesis statement, but I'm thinking really hard about that.

In the meantime, hearing about this five paragraph essay life theory has made me feel a little bit better about my decision to leave the classroom. I don't feel like I'm abandoning ship on my life plan, just changing it a bit.

The Morning Battle {SOL 3.07.17}

I don't like working out, but I love how I feel when a workout is over.

(Kind of like writing sometimes: I don't always like writing, but I do love having written.)

Exercise and I aren't exactly the best of friends. It's one of those relationships that I know is good for me, but sometimes it pains me (literally) to be in it.

I woke up Monday morning, feeling that creeping sense of guilt that I should get up and go down to the elliptical to work out.

I wish it was that easy.

Here's the conversation I had with myself about that:


Time to get out of bed if I want to have time to work out.

I really don't want to work out today. I'd rather read Slice of Life posts. That would be more fun.

But I didn't work out yesterday.

I think my back still hurts from Saturday. I don't want to overstrain myself. Besides, aren't we supposed to take a day off between workouts for recovery?

But I bought those cute new Reeboks on Friday. I could wear those.

{Thinking, thinking.....}

OK, maybe I'll just get up and put my workout clothes on. That would at least count for something.

Yay! I did it! I'm dressed. Hey, these workout pants feel a bit loose. And these Reeboks are really cute!

OK, maybe I'll just go downstairs. If I don't feel like it, I can always come back upstairs and read.

{Congratulating myself as I am walking downstairs......}

There we go. Put those ear buds in. I think that Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull song should get me going.

Let me just pull up Pinterest on my iPad while I do this.

Well., that song went by fast. What's next? Taylor Swift telling me to "Shake It Off." I wonder if she knows the trouble I'm having today.

Pin that recipe.

Pin that quote.

Pin that writing idea.

Check email.

{Twenty minutes and six songs later.....}

Oh my gosh, time's up! I did it!

Man, it feels good to have gotten through this. What was my problem anyway? 

I know, right?! I should do this again tomorrow.

Now, let's not go getting carried away.



{I can write this conversation from memory because it is the one I have with myself every morning.}

Pretend Parenting {SOL 3.06.17}

My daughter is taking a Parenting & Families class at school.

This past weekend, she got to bring home the computerized baby to practice her parenting skills. Along with the baby came a diaper bag, special sensor diapers, a bottle, carseat, three changes of clothes, two rattles and two pair of socks. (I kid you not.)

When the baby cries, which it does according to some pre-programmed code, my daughter has to touch the special sensor bracelet her teacher strapped to her wrist to the sensor on the baby's belly. She then has to figure out if the baby wants it's bottle, diaper changed, or just to be rocked.

"Being a parent is exhausting," she announced Sunday morning. "I didn't sleep at all last night. The baby cried practically every hour. And when it wasn't crying, it was breathing really heavy. I thought I was sharing a room with Darth Vader."

Yep, sounds about right.

This morning, my daughter will take the baby back to her teacher who will it into the computer to receive a print out of how well my daughter attended to the baby. It will tell her if any feedings or diaper changes were missed, if the baby was shaken too roughly and if its neck was supported well enough.

This Parenting class is serious business.

But then again, so is parenting.

Sunday Dinner {SOL 3.05.17}

Next fall, both of my children will be students at the same university.

My son is a freshman there already and was a tad bit not excited that his little sister had decided to join him there. After all, he has already made a home away from home for himself and having his sister become a part of that wasn't in his plan.

But my daughter is very sensitive to this. She reassured him that it was a big campus and they probably wouldn't see each other.

"Except for Sunday dinners," she told him. "We have a standing date on Sunday nights to get together for dinner. It's what we do in this family."

Then I saw my son posted this on Facebook:

Yes, Sunday dinners have been a family staple forever, but I guess I didn't realize what they meant to my kids.

This surprised me, but it also made me this momma's heart happy that they will carry a piece of family tradition with them.

Being Brave: Time to Fly! {CTW/SOL 3.04.17}

I have made a life-altering, maybe completely crazy decision.

I consulted many trusted friends for guidance and input. I prayed (a lot!). I hemmed and hawed...Could I do it? Could we afford it?  Am I losing my mind? Am I brave enough? Do I know enough?

But here's the truth:

We don't know what the future will bring.

Life does not give us any guarantees.

The comfort zone is a nice place to visit, but we shouldn't live there all our lives.

We can't win if we don't take chances.

Finally, I decided it was time to have faith (my OLW), kiss my comfort zone goodbye, and take flight, trusting that I WILL land on solid ground.

So.....

At the end of this school year, I am leaving the classroom to start my own local educational consulting business focused on writing instruction!

I don't know what all of this means yet. I am still working out the details.

I do know that I want to help other teachers grow in confidence, skill, and in resources focused on teaching writing.  But there may be more. I am trusting that I will be led where I need to be. All good things will be revealed in time, right?

For now, I will focus on being brave, having faith, and trusting that even better things are on their way.

For this, I celebrate.

Nice to Meet You! {SOL 3.03.17}

The SOLSC is an opportunity to meet so many new friends. I'd thought I'd take a moment and introduce myself and share a few things about me. Since there are 29 days left to this challenge, I will share 29 things. (Thank you to Lisa Keeler for the post idea!)

1. I am currently a 5th grade teacher, although that will change next year as I begin a new adventure that I will write more about on Saturday. 
2. I am a Teacher Consultant with the UW-Milwaukee Writing Project. I love to help other teachers teach writing.
3. I am also currently a student working on the Writing for Children program with the Institute of Children's Literature. It is my dream to publish a book some day.
4. I have two kids -- a college freshman and high school senior.  They are my proudest accomplishment.
   
5. I have been married to my husband for 22 years. We met while working a summer job together at Six Flags.
   
6. I have two dogs -- an old Springer Spaniel named Toby and a younger Puggle named Rosie.
   
7. I am always reading too many books at once. I try to finish one before beginning another, but can't stop myself.
8. I am addicted to buying washi tape.
9. My bullet journal is my lifesaver! (It also is a place to display my many washi tapes.)
10.  I am a positive thinker and love to share inspirational quotes on Thursdays with #positivethinkingthursday.
    
11. I am an adjunct professor and teach classroom management to new teachers.
12. I love to garden and last year grew so many cantaloupes I harvested 16 in one day alone!
13. I nap every day.
14. I wake up at 4:30 every morning. (Hence, #13 above.)
15. My favorite pens are Papermate Ink Joy Gel 0.7. I can thank my friend Michelle Haseltine for bringing these wonderful writing tools into my life. 
16. My favorite snack is almonds.
17. I love the color turquoise.
18. I am speaking at three conferences this summer about our schoolwide writing project called The Cartonera Project. I hope to expand this project into other schools around the country.
    
19. I collect notebooks for journaling, but probably have more than I will ever use.
20. The All-Write Conference in Indiana is by far my most favorite conference to attend. The speakers there are great and it's where I meet up with many of my blogging friends in real life. 
21. I live in Wisconsin.
22. This is my 4th year participating in the Slice of Life March Challenge.
23. My favorite place to write is on my front porch.
    
24. I love to bird watch. I was so excited when I spied the first robins and red-winged blackbirds of the spring earlier this week!
25. Breakfast is my favorite meal.
26. My favorite read aloud novel is Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. 
27. Jeff Goins is my favorite professional writing blogger.
28. My first blog was called Mrs. Laffin's Laughings.
29. I have taught for 9 years at the same school.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you this month too!