A little Pinterest crazy!

Okay, it's no surprise that I've recently become slightly obsessed with Pinterest.  I hesitated for so long to even join for this very reason.  I suppose the upside to this is that once I pin something, I'm pretty much committed to doing it in some fashion.  I don't have a TON of pins or boards, but the ones I do have I am very likely to complete.  Most of my pins revolve around my kids (like most of my life), my classroom or creative DIY gifts.  I'd rather give someone a thoughtful gift that I (or my girls) helped to create than a more expensive, less inspired gift.  At least with Pinterest when I see/pin something, I'm thinking, "Oh!  That would be perfect for _________."  Otherwise I'm walking around Target or Kohl's forcing myself to find something to fit the gift bill.  Just not personal.  Just not my current style.

The reality is, I think I'm addicted to Pinterest because it gives me a sense of completion.  Of something.  My life is so hectic and chaotic, and there really aren't enough hours in the day to do anything, but I somehow find the time to complete these little mini projects.  When I step back and look at what I've done, whether craft, food, or organization, I think, "Okay, you can do this..."  It's a sense of accomplishment and pride that is not as easy to put my finger on in my every day life.  Yes, being a mother is rewarding and I am very proud of my girls and the life that we lead.  But these are intangible. And although this is wonderful, and I fully believe it is the intangibles that make life worth living, every once in a while I need a tangible accomplishment to hang my hat on.  Thus, my Pinterest addiction.

This week I am off for Christmas break.  I have sent my daughters to school.  I do NOT feel guilty about this.  Okay, maybe a little, but I'm feeling better about it.  The reality is my girls LOVE going to school.  They enjoy their friends and their teachers.  They thrive on structure and nap better at school than they do at home.  This also translates into sleeping better at night.  And there is no downside to actually being productive for a few days.  Tomorrow we are all taking a day off and going to the aquarium!  But we've worked hard for this break.  Jason is currently installing a closet organization system to our walk-in closet.  This will be SO helpful!  I'm very much looking forward to this being completed.  While Jason has been painting, sawing, and drilling, I've been working on my own projects.

This one was SUPER easy!  We already had the canvases, but we were never really happy with their placement or the phrases that were underneath them.  When I saw this on Pinterest I thought it was phenomenal!  This took me about 45 minutes, including the time it took to cut the words out using my Cricut machine (but I know you can buy them on Etsy; I looked in order to save myself the time/energy!)  The clocks are set to the important times for the events.  Bella's clock is set to 11:25, Sophia's is at 2:01 (let it be known this is AM!), and our wedding was at 4:30.  So easy, so personal, and it completes the look that we've been striving for.

Now, on to the big guns!

I bought these crates after the Back to School craziness.  I paid $1 each for them.  I actually have two more in my classroom that I may be bringing home to make addition stools.  I had plywood cut at Home Depot (which was cut incorrectly and my fabulous husband recut them correctly!)  I chose two coordinating fabrics for the stool coverings and the desk "skirt".  Then I used some Christmas snow (on clearance at Joann's for $1.72!) instead of traditional batting, placed it on top of the plywood, wrapped the fabric around it and stapled it with a staple gun!  I also stapled a small loop of ribbon scraps to help lift the seat off of the crate when cleaning up. Ta-da!  All in all, I think it cost me about $8 to make both stools.  If I had been a bit smarter, or better prepared, I would have used the particle board from the desk to make the stools and saved even more...live and learn!  These store a ton!  One crate currently holds building blocks and the other a marble tower kit!  These are great toys but are very cumbersome to store.  I like to keep things organized and out of sight...which leads me to the next task!

We have transitioned Sophia out of the crib/toddler bed and into a twin sized bed.  What to do with that crib?  Make it an art desk!  My children have a million art supplies!  Which is absolutely fine with me because they love to color, write, glue, cut, you name it.  But we are always struggling with storage, clean up, and organization.  I think I've finally figured it out.  

I took the crib and raised the mattress spring to the highest level (where you place your newborn).  I had particle board cut (no rough edges = no splinters!) and a sturdier/glossy finished MDF board cut to fit inside.  This was a bit of a challenge.  I had it cut to the crib mattress specifications.  But I didn't factor in the brackets, which cut off about 2 inches!  Home Depot cut it to my dimensions, but again I needed Jason to bail me out!  He did it in about 4 minutes and all was right with the world.  

I placed the thicker particle board on the mattress spring, stapled the coordinating fabric on top (long enough to almost hit the floor.  It was about a yard and a half, folded over to it was "finished" on the bottom.  I only attached it to the front), then placed the thin MDF on top.  There you have it.  A desk!  I put an under bed storage container under the crib to hold all papers, coloring books, stickers, etc..  I also put a small box under there that holds "help needed" crafts; think glitter, Elmers glue (glue sticks are within reach), beads, wire, etc.)  I did this because it's an easy rule to follow: "If it's in this box, you need Mommy or Daddy's help."  Period.  End of Story.  There's also a stack of new art "projects" that haven't been opened.  

 I purchased a few containers at Target (with lids!) to store markers, pipe cleaners, pom poms, and popsicle sticks, colored pencils and twisty crayons, and stamps and ink pads.  We already have regular crayons in an old wipe box.   I attached a dry erase/magnet board on one end of the crib and our AquaDoodle on the other!  These are great "toys" but they take up a lot of space.

I will be adding a few hooks and magnets to display items like sequins, googly eyes, and other small knick knacks.  And eventually I'd like to put some plexi glass on top of the MDF with art work on display underneath.  I will still need a few more containers, but all in all, I'd call this a successful Pinterest venture.  It didn't take very long either (most of my time was spent being "lost" in the stores!)  I'm really very pleased with this.  It was such a great idea and I NEVER would have thought of this without the help of Pinterest.  When Bella came home and saw it she was so excited!  She said to me, "Mommy, this is really, really good."  That's all the recognition I need!

I am a teacher...

I am a teacher.

I go to school, not work, every day.  I work harder, and smarter, than my students.  I strive to instill things like knowledge, independence, confidence, appreciation, kindness, and accomplishment in the minds of those whose brains are not fully developed, therefore they cannot fully appreciate these things. But still I try.  I give up evenings and weekends to plan, execute, and communicate better.  I sometimes neglect my family.  I almost always neglect myself.  I wait to respond to negative parent e-mails and I re-read positive ones countless times!  I look forward to summer and the break that it brings from the chaos, but then I crave the interaction with my students.  I miss them (but don't tell them that; I have a reputation to keep).  I am a protector, a counselor, a parent, a friend, and an enemy.  I am the person who assigns homework over Thanksgiving Break and threatens students with it over Christmas Break.  I wonder about my former students; did they ever "grow up", are they happy, have they finally found peace and happiness with themselves?  I see faces before names and I refuse to formulate lesson plans based on test data.  I am just one of many teachers who strive to continually get better, who resists the urge to become complacent, who is never satisfied with my personal success.  I am just one of many teachers who feels a responsibility for my students beyond their academic success.

One week ago, the unspeakable happened in a school.  A place where children go, and feel safe.  A place where parents send their children and don't question whether they will return to them in the afternoon.  It is a place where thousands of people go to help impact the lives of the next generation.  And there is no place I'd rather spend 8 hours a day.  It would be easy to say, in the wake of such tragedy, that with two small children at home I should look for a "safer" career.  But I refuse to let myself, my family, and especially my daughters, be changed for the worse because of this tragedy.  I do not want my daughters to feel fear for a situation we could never fully anticipate or protect them from.  I want them to feel hope for the change that will come from such an unnecessary tragedy.  I want them to look into my eyes and believe me when I tell them, "I will do everything I can to keep you safe".  I want to be the one, years from now, to explain to them how things "used to be" before we, as a country, started taking better care of our citizens, all of them.  I want them to understand that we cannot control everything, but that they can find security in making sound decisions.  I don't want them to check the house with a pen, a knife, or a phone in their hands.  I want them to trust those around them.  Unreasonable fear is not an option.

I cannot even begin to hypothesize about how I would react in the face of such horrifying circumstances.  The reality is, I do not know how I would react.  But I am honored to find myself in the career company of so many who have died with such conviction, preserving opportunity, life, and hope.

'Tis the Season

It's so easy for this time of year to get crazy.  Between holiday parties, buying presents, wrapping presents, making new recipes, birthday parties, and trying to maintain some sense of sanity, I'm exhausted.  I'm not sure if it was a conscious decision or one that has just fallen into place on it's own, but we are keeping Christmas low key.  We do not have any visitors scheduled to visit over Christmas (although we have three very special visitors coming the next week...I'm very excited) and at first this was depressing.  But it's not really.

Someone once told me, "Your family is your family, no matter where you live."  And this is very accurate.  I love my family.  I miss them dearly.  But, you know what?  They are still my family even if I don't see them on Christmas.  Instead of spending Christmas Eve at my mom's house our family is planning on delivering snacks and "fuel" to members of Jason's team.  I will likely spend it enjoying dinner with my husband and my daughters, quietly and excitedly talking about Santa. I'm sure we will discuss whether Jack (our elf) is going to tell Santa that Bella and Sophia were good listeners.  And maybe we'll visit our neighbors for dessert.  Maybe we'll hide the pickle ornament with them.  We'll read books about Sugar Plums and watch the Nutcracker.  And on Christmas Day, maybe we'll decide to wear pajamas all day and have ice cream sundaes for breakfast.  I'd like to open presents with my family via Skype. And watch our nieces open their presents across the miles.  We will establish new traditions.  Not better or worse traditions, just different ones.  We'll expand our circle of family to include those friends who have touched our lives and we will count our blessings.  There are many of them.  

This year, between the craziness I vow to enjoy the extra time with my husband and daughters.  I don't want to rush around.  I want to sit at home and watch movies together.  I want to cook easy dinners and play board games.  I want to show Bella how to put a ponytail in her Barbie's hair (think styling head Barbie) and I want to teach Sophia new words until her vocabulary is filled with words I suddenly wish she didn't know.  I want to laugh at them and with them.  I want to marvel at the bond my daughters have with each other.  I want to hold my husbands hand across a dimly lit dinner table.  I want to drink bottles of wine.  I want to ring in the new year around my coffee table, enjoying laughter and unhealthy snacks.  And I want to remember that this is not a time to be sad for what I no longer have in traditions, but a time to rejoice and be thankful for the many wonderful traditions this Taliaferro Quartet has created.