Bucket List

So I have a few things on my bucket list that I’d like to accomplish in the next year… a trip to Europe and to complete the Danskin Triathalon.

Well, if you don’t know me or haven’t seen me….I am fat. Yep, I am! I know it and I’m tired of it, but as a first year teacher I’m exhausted at the end of the day. I’m not a morning person either, so it makes it hard to workout or feel like working out. I’m also lazy! At the beginning of blogging I was saying that I wanted to be a yes woman…but I’m not.

I’m telling you all this, because I need to do something about it. We are going to Europe this coming summer for two weeks and we are planning on taking trains and walking a lot. I need to get in shape to be able to do this comfortably and not feel like I’m dying everyday. So what do I do to get going, because I’m still not super motivated.

This is where bucket list item two comes in...the Danskin Women’s Triathalon. I have dreamed of doing this since I heard about it over ten years ago. It is a ½ mile swim, a 12 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run…and I know I can do the swim, but the rest would be a challenge. I’m nervous about making a fool out of myself but I want to make a change.

This is my plan, I’m going to get my butt walking. If I start walking then hopefully I’ll lose weight and then I can also add in some running to my walking (hopefully). There is an 8 week training schedule for the rest of it and so I can focus on that in the spring. I am going to hold myself accountable using this blog…so keep checking back and feel free to give me a bad time. Also, if you are interested in joining me in this venture…let me know!

What I've learned in First Grade...so far!

~ For some families saying "F**king" is okay. :#

~ They cry a lot and for no reason!

~ Chairs are for leaning in....leaning in chairs causes them to fall over and children to fall on the floor.

~ It's funny to talk about bloody noses....bloody noses are not really funny...they are bloody and first graders get freaked out by lot's of blood!

~ The kids need a nap and so does the teacher by the end of the day!

Not sure about this blogging thing.....

I love the idea of having a blog! I struggle with sitting down to blog and trying to say something witty and interesting that would be worth you all reading. I apologize for any lapses in time...but that's how I roll!

Summer Fun in Pictures!

This is the one thing that I get to do during the summer....get my hair done. My other half's mom is a hairdresser so I get to go and pick out a color or style and then she makes it happen. For the summer I went a bit blonde with some highlights. We always have to go see her at the beginning of the summer and end of the summer to get our fresh new haircuts for school. We will see what color I get this next time!

I'm sure most of you who have kids will understand this, traveling in the car with animals or kids. It is imperative to be flexible and have space for each of them. Well, this last trip to Idaho we were taking along the niece who is way taller than me, our two dogs, all our stuff for a week in Idaho and camping. Therefore, our Jeep was packed!

We had a 9 hour drive and the teenager with the dogs got a break part way through....so my short legs moved to the back. What a different view! It was funny to see how the dogs tried to find their own space and one of Murphy's favorite places was on my lap....well the both wanted to be on my lap even if it was just their head. On the way home Murphy

discovered that she could climb into the back and sleep on top of all our bags. So cute if I do say so myself.

Camping in Wallace!

So while in Idaho we went camping in Wallace, Idaho. It was a very different experience for us, we had the dogs with us

and we spent most of our days out riding on the 4 wheeler. We went with our family and some new friends, and had a blast. I do have to say that I'm not looking forward to spending that much time on the back of a 4 wheeler for along time....my back was very angry with me for that!

This was a house project that has been on our list since we moved in, but we just couldn't decide what we wanted to do. We ripped out the carpet and then had to try and get all the stuff underneath removed. Then the other half put down this awesome laminate that looks like tile. I love it! The "downstairs" actually feels like a room in our house now and it looks like it has a style rather than the first place we come in and drop our stuff.

What now? Well, school starts in a few weeks so we will be off to Idaho to get our hair done and to celebrate a big birthday! I'll add some pictures of our other camping trip later.

Thanks for coming back and I'll try and post more often....I'll try:)

Pictures!

Midway through our Dunes ride...notice the hands on the seatbelt straps!
At the start of the ride!
Some bank for Huxley!

Summer Vacation Begins!

So we began our summer by picking up our favorite teenager from the airport and heading to the Portland Zoo. I think this is the first time in fifteen years that I have gone to the zoo and actually looked at all the exhibits and visited all the animals. I also have to say the one thing that bugs me about zoos is that sometimes you can't see the animals, didn't I pay to see animals. Well, it started out poorly but we quickly found the animals and got to see a lot of them. I wish we had timed it a little bit later in the summer because they are opening a red ape area and the babies look really cute!

Next up was the paint your own pottery! Normally we go to Brush Fire in Eugene, but this time we decided to go to Potter's Quarter (it's next to Coldstone). I think we will go back to Brush Fire next time but I'm happy with what we made and how it came out. I made a bank for my nephew, it is a puppy and I painted it to match his bedroom. It turned out super cute and I have already added some pennies to it....now just to give it to him.

The most fun we had was going to the Oregon Dunes in Florence. We decided to give the dune buggies a try...but we don't know how to drive them ourselves. We booked a trip with Sandland Adventures and waited for our time. We had no idea what to expect, but we dressed warm. Our trusty driver Roger got us all strapped in and off we went! It was AWESOME! It was like a rollercoaster on sand and it was amazing! We got a little tour but we got a lot of adrenaline! I highly recommend it and I can't wait to go back and try out the hour long tour....it goes out on the beach!

We've had lot's of fun these last two weeks and we are heading out here soon to take the niece home and go camping in Idaho.

The End of the Year

Sorry it has been awhile, it was the end of the school year and that means crazy busy. I had a very interesting school year, my first time to have the same kids all day, all year and it was an experience. There are no perfect kids and I don't expect that but I am amazed at how troubled some kids can be and how crazy their lives can be but they are so loving and fun. The last month I had a chance to reflect on my year and here are some things that I realized.....if you focus on the negatives that is all you will see and if you can take some time to have fun with kids it will be worth it in the end. I think this is important for students and even for your own kids. When you are always dealing with the negatives of the behavior then you get so caught up in the negatives. You also focus on those kids with the naughty behavior and those "good" kids get overlooked or they blend into the background.

I was tired of rewarding the "naughty" kids for making the right choices that my other students always make, so I worked hard to reward those good kiddos too! One thing that I found I really enjoyed was taking time out of my day to eat lunch with a small group of them. I really, really enjoyed that time! I got to know more about them and they got to know me. We also had a chance to go on a couple of trips the last week of school, we went to the park for the afternoon and we went swimming one afternoon. The kids had so much fun and the normal rules of school were out the window....so I didn't feel like I had to micro-manage behavior.

So, my rules for next year are take time to have fun and appreciate my kids for their positives and celebrate those positives.

On a side note, I handed out awards to my kids on the last day and they complained about their awards! Who does that?! I do have to say the fun/silly award was appreciated and so I think I will go with fun and silly next year....we'll see if first grade likes silly. I have a feeling the will.

Yes Woman!

I want to do everything! Now that I have made up my mind to be a better partner and to get moving....I am and I want to do it all. Well, not all....but I'm willing to try. I had a seriously full weekend, I mowed the front yard, I power washed the back patio and the patio furniture, helped with laundry, cleaned the house, and lot's more. When I was asked....I said Yes! Instead of being crabby and irritated that I have to help, I am just helping. It feels so good to not be resentful, and to let go of that feeling, because there is absolutely no reason to be resentful. In fact, I think my other half should be resentful of me and my lack of effort.

Now for the getting moving goal....I am so excited about giving a half marathon a try. There is one happening here on the Sunday of Labor Day so I have the whole summer to get myself walking and then I will be able to do it. The other thing that I really want to do is the Danskin Mini Triathalon in Seattle. It is in August, so I don't think I will be able to do it this summer but that is definetly on my Bucket List. I am looking for anybody to join me on these pursuits. One of the coolest things about my weekend is that my partner bought me a bike! I bought a cruiser years ago, but for riding up hills I needed a real bike that could shift. So, we went and looked at some bikes and I got one! I got a chance to go for a ride yesterday and it felt great!

Here is my question for everyone....how do you share these insights? Well, the one thing I can say is that it is okay to have flaws, but you need to accept them, take responsibility for them and then do something about them. I keep telling my students, you did it....own up to it, apologize, learn from it, and move on.

Getting Moving....

So I have been thinking about my life, my body and what I need to do to feel good. I haven't really felt great for the last few years....it probably begins with stress, then I have issues with wheat and dairy, back pains, and all that leads me to being tired and rather lazy. I freely admit that I don't want to do stuff and when I get home at the end of the day I change into my comfies and sit and catch up on TV. I have that abiltiy because I don't have children....but I'm at the point that I want to change.

Here is the change I want to make and I'm hoping that this will help me to chronicle the change.

• I want to get moving and I decided I need a goal to do that....so the women's half marathon at the end of the summer is one goal. I have also always wanted to do a mini-triathalon and that is in August, so we will see if I can make it to that but if not this year....I want to do it next year.
• I want to really focus on eliminating wheat from my diet....I love donuts and bread so maybe I will allow myself one cheat day.
• I have been seeing a physical therapist for the last couple months and I need to set aside some time to work on myself and make my back stronger. My back pain is also due to stress so I'm hoping that many of the changes I'm making will help with my stress.
• My last goal is try to make dinners at home more than ordering takeout.

Those are my spring resolutions or my summer goals, and I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Thanks for listening and feel free to share ideas or goals with me...I would love to hear all about your struggles too!

What Not to Wear?!?

Have you ever watched "What Not To Wear?" I love that show and I soooo want to be on it!

I totally volunteer myself for that show....not because I dress horribly, maybe I like comfortable clothes but they aren't horrible, but because I would love for someone to look at my flat feet and find me shoes. I would love to wear those pointy heels, but I can't. I have Hobbit feet and no arch, sooooo pointy heels don't work! I am also short, round and have a flat butt...however I actually have a waist so pants are a pain. Is it just me? I am amazed at how people can dress so nicely and wear such cute shoes. I wear Dansko clogs....pretty much all the time. Capris and crops make me look like I'm waiting for a flood. Okay, I think my next goal is to start saving money to pay for a personal tailor and a personal shopper. Yep, that is my goal or you are totally welcome to submit my name and tape secret footage of my comfortable wardrobe and send it into "What Not to Wear."

Happy Mother's Day to Me....

These are my kids or fur babies. Murphy is in the pink shirt and Olivia is in the green shirt. Aren't my girls adorable?!

Second guessing....

I keep thinking my life should be a certain way.....but it's not. I second guess myself all the time, do I want kids or not, do I want to live my life here or move somewhere else, do I want to keep teaching or am I meant to do something else. I keep thinking about all the things I can do in my life but I second guess myself and think that I can't do it. I find it funny that we teach our kids that they can do anything but we get stuck in our own role in life. So I think what I'm planning on doing is taking a chance....trying those things that I've always thought I couldn't do.

My first goal is to try and be a better partner in my relationship and help more. I tend to be lazy and afraid to try things that I won't be good at and anything that is hard work is usually out of the question. So, I want to help with our garden and yard work....I want to help to compost and reduce our waste. I want to say yes when I really feel like saying no. So....we will see how it goes, but I want to be stronger.

Wise Owl....More Like Wise A**

I love owls for some reason....and so that is why it's called Wise Owl....but I'm more like a wise a**. I have been told that I should do a blog, I have to have tons of stories to tell afterall I am a teacher. So, here is my blog! Not sure what I'm going to say...but I say a lot normally and now people can read it if they want to or switch to another blog.

I feel like I should have a mission here...like Julie and Julia, but I think my mission right now is to share my life. You will get the good, the bad and the ugly....and maybe some crazy kid stories and dog stories while we are at it.

So....here is my blog and here is my life. Welcome!