Listing

It's 10pm, and I'm just now sitting down to write.  Between the Parents Association meeting at the high school and then Abby needing to use my homework to make a video about interrobangs, I am starting late.

I'm at a loss for ideas tonight, so I'm making a list of things that are making me happy right now.
Here goes:

• The March Book Madness the third grade is doing right now.  We're using the picture book bracket from Tony Keefer and Scott Jones, and the kids are so excited.  It's ridiculously fun.
• My kids.  They are growing into such interesting people.  We have the best, most random conversations around the dinner table.  They're hilarious to boot.
• My guy.  He's always there for me... no matter what I need.  
• Kirbee (my dog).  I love it when he crawls up behind my head and serves as the perfect neck roll.  He's so warm; it's like a living hot water bottle.
• Hard boiled eggs.  Eggs now count as a zero point food for Weight Watchers.  They are my new go-to after school snack.  Much better than a handfull of Thin Mints (which despite the name do not make you thin).
• My heated throw.  Dan got this for me for Christmas, and I must say it is super nice on these cold evenings to curl up and relax under this blanket.
• My new car.  Back in September we traded in the family minivan for a Honda CR-V.  I love having a smaller vehicle.
• Laughter. I'm lucky to work with people who enjoy talking and laughing together at lunch.  That 40 minutes in the middle of my work day perks me up no matter what's going on.
• Yoga pants.  For real.  As soon as I get home from school I change into yoga pants and a tee.  I'm far more comfy, and hey... this way I don't have to change before I work out at 5:15AM!
• This Is Us.  Well... this show makes me cry almost every week, but it draws me in and keeps me captivated.
• This list.  It's hard to stay focused on the positive when so much of the news is horrible.  By focusing on the good things, I can take care of myself... always important!

So... what's making you happy right now?

Yoga Tuesday

For the past year or so, I've been working on health - eating better, moving more.  Most of the time, my main form of exercise has been walking, either on the treadmill or outside when the weather is good.

Lately, though, I've been wanting to do something more, something that will increase my strength and improve my flexibility.  I decided to go back to yoga.  Keep in mind, I haven't practiced in about six or seven years, so my memory of poses is sketchy at best.  But I did remember how calm and centered I felt after each session.  So I found a beginner class at the Y.

And then I didn't go.

I put off going to that Tuesday evening beginner yoga class for weeks and weeks.  It was always something - the weather, parent/teacher conferences, something good on TV.  Finally, I decided I'd ask Molly if she'd like to take a class with me.  And she said yes!

Tonight was our first yoga class.  Given that she is 16 and a dancer, she is far more flexible than I am.  But she stayed there next to me, giving me reassuring smiles and encouraging me to keep going. 

I'm going to be seven kinds of sore tomorrow, but I must say.... I'm looking forward to next Tuesday's class.

A Little Love on Your Plate

I was raised in a family that believes feeding the people you love is the way to show your love.  As a result, I cook the same way.  I cook for my family pretty much every night.  I bake for their birthdays and the holidays.  I believe if I don't have leftovers, then someone left my table hungry, and that simply will not do.

For the past year or so, I have been making a concerted effort to eat healthier foods.  I eat A LOT of fruits and veg. Chicken.  Fish. Beans. Lentils.

I have pretty much given up bread.

Over the past year of my healthy eating journey, I have also been posting pictures of my healthy (and sometimes my not-so-healthy splurge meals) on Instagram.  I'm not sure why I started doing this.  Maybe it's another way to share my love of cooking and my new-found appreciation for pretty, healthy food with others.  Maybe it's for the likes.  Who knows?

Want so see what I've been cooking?  Take a peek!

 

Dinner tonight: Chicken Tostada Salad

Huevos!

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Corn with Avocado Salad

Let me know when you want to come over for dinner.  I promise... you won't go away hungry.

A Low-Key Saturday Night

Last night, Dan's parents came over to spend some time with us.  We haven't really been able to spend much time together since Christmas, so I was thrilled when they said they were available.  Marty and Nancy are awesome people.  They accepted me into their family whole-heartedly when Dan and I started dating when we were both attending Bradley University.  Later, she told me that she knew I was the one he would marry as soon as she met me. :-)

I always enjoy the time we get to spend together.  We talk about interesting things,  we enjoy good food and drink, and they love being with the kids.  Last night was no different.

Normally when they come over, I cook a meal.  With the College Colloquium taking up most of my day yesterday, I knew I just didn't have it in me to cook a whole meal.  Instead, I baked a cake for dessert and we went out for dinner to a little sushi place that has quickly become our favorite.  There was much laughter around the table as Molly and Abby told tales about school and friends; they are entertaining children.

When we came back to the house, Molly decided her grandma needed to learn to use Instagram.  I left to grab something from another room, and when I came back, I found this:

How many Renches fit on my sofa?  Even the dog is there!

At first glance, it may seem like this should not be happening while the grandparents are visiting.  But what you can't see is that Molly is teaching her grandma all about Instagram - getting her set up with an account, finding people to follow, and showing her how to post pictures.  Her dad is letting us know when people accept Nan's follow requests.  Abby and her grandfather are looking at memes and things.  While it looks like each person is engrossed in his or her own device is in fact the opposite.

I loved sitting off to the side in my red chair, watching and listening as my girls laughed with their grandparents.  We're so lucky they live close enough that we can just decide to get together on a random Saturday night.

 These are the nights in which memories are made.

So Not Ready

Today my husband attended our high school's College Colloquium, a workshop for juniors and their parents.  Our oldest daughter is just beginning her college search, and honestly, I am just not ready.  Sitting in the workshop sessions today just reinforced how unready I feel for this whole process.

It's not so much that I'm not ready for her to strike out on her own (I'm not, but still).  There's more to it.  There is just so much about the college application process that I just don't know... I don't even know where to start.

And my girl feels the same.  She doesn't really have a dream school in mind like many 16 year old kids.  She doesn't really even know what she wants as a career.  We're going into this process a bit blind, but with open minds. 

I know I have to trust the process.  We're lucky she attends a high school with top-notch counselors.  We're lucky I have friends whose older children have gone through this process. 

We'll go to visit schools. We'll read books.  We'll help her find the right fit.

And then, we'll watch her fly.

The Blank Page

Committing to writing daily for 31 days sounds like a really great idea in the month or two before I start.  I can easily think of things I might write about, imagine the stories I might tell, look forward to the insights I'll discover.

Then March rolls around and I stare at this:

An empty page, waiting for my words to fill it.  Waiting for the thoughts and feelings to escape my brain through clicks on my keyboard.  Far too often, I see this image and my brain freezes.  It's almost as if the ideas escape through my ears, lost in the ether, never to be found again.

As a teacher of writing, this is an important reminder.  Writing is hard work.  On-demand writing can be even harder, especially in a test-taking situation where you don't have control over the topic.  In this space, at least I have choices.  I can write about whatever strikes my fancy, and I can write for as long (or as little) as I want.  And no one will be grading my performance.

It's good for teachers to put themselves in their students' shoes, to remember what it feels like to undertake a task that feels overwhelming at first, to struggle with an idea or a blank page.  When we do this, we can examine our own processes for rising to the challenge.  We can hold on to that feeling of frustration or struggle and perhaps approach our students who are feeling those same emotions with a bit more compassion or empathy than we might have before.

This once-blank page is filling up, and as I write the ideas begin to flow more quickly.  Maybe, just maybe, if I opened another page, I could also write tomorrow's post as well.

If It's March, I Must Be Writing

It's March 1st, which means I'm writing daily in this space.  Every February, I wonder if I'm up to the challenge of completing the Slice of Life challenge.  Most Februaries, I decide to jump in.  Only once in the eight years that I've been doing this have I met the challenge of writing and posting every day.  Usually, life gets in the way... I forget to write or I can't think of anything to write about or I wonder if anyone reads this anyway.

This year, I'm committing again.  I'm setting my intention to open my writers' eyes and consider the world around me.  When I do this, I see the world in a different way.  I notice small things that I seem to pass by the rest of the year.  I'm hoping the writing habit I'll form will stick.

So if you're willing, join me on this journey.  I can promise I'll write about school, my family, my dog, the college search, and cooking.  Hopefully, I'll surprise myself and find some new topics to write about along the way.