Top 5: Summer Edition

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I'm going to do with this blog over the summer. For the next six weeks, I'm going to be incredibly busy with wedding plans and visiting my family. I don't want to shut the site down, but I might not have enough time to update this every day. So here's what I've decided: I'm going to try to keep writing every day, but the articles will probably be shorter. I would rather have frequent, short updates than sporadic, long articles. That way I can still keep up with everything that's going on in the world and stay connected with all of you, but I can get everything done that needs to get done!

So, that being said...it's summer!!! I love summer so much! These are my five favorite things about summer:

Yum!!!

1. Huge Salads. I love salads! The other day I suggested to my fiancé (a non-salad person) that we have salads for dinner. He was confused and kind of upset that I wanted to have a side item as our main dish. But then we made great salads: lettuce, hard boiled eggs, ham, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and a little Italian dressing. And guess what? He loved the salad! :-) 

2. Swimming. My absolute favorite kind of exercise is swimming! Sure, it's fun to go to the pool and hang out, but I love swimming laps! It is so calming and it's great for your body: no impact on your joints! For those of us with the worst joints on the planet, it's a life-saver. 

So many parks!!!

3. Parks. The other day I was wandering around the internet trying to find something fun to do in our area. I came across a Cincinnati Parks app! There are a billion parks around here that I've never been to! I love going to the park and walking or reading or picnicking! Parks are the best during the summer!

4. Fun clothes. Unpacking the summer clothes is one of my favorite things! Wearing fun colors and great dresses is so great! I am, however, incredibly picky about my clothes and I guess this year is not really my year when it comes to buying new clothes. There are teeny tiny inseams on the shorts, awful neon colors, and boxy baggy shirts and dresses. But I was thinking about it yesterday while I was shopping and I think wearing clothes that you think are "fun" and make you feel good is the most important thing. Having fun in the summer is only possible when you feel your best! So wear what you think is "fun" and ignore the haters!

My fiancé and me!

5. Summer romance. My fiancé is a teacher, so during the year it's always go-go-go. I love getting to spend time with him in the summer! Getting to spend quality time with each other is something incredibly important for everyone's relationship. Get that old-school summer romance by taking an evening stroll around the neighborhood and holding your sweetie's hand or watching the stars come out together! 

Happy Summer, everyone! :-)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Rerun: 5 Ways to Raise Your Self-Esteem--FAST!

Every now and again it's easy to feel sad, which can lead to being overly critical, which can lead to poor self-esteem. Here are five sure-fire ways to get you back to loving yourself in no time!

1. Write down 10 things you love about yourself. Start with 5 physical traits (e.g. hair, eyes, voice, etc) and then write 5 personality traits (e.g. passionate, loving, caring, etc), so you can identify the difference.

2. What's a chore you've been dreading (e.g. cleaning out the fridge, moving the couch to vacuum under it, etc)? Give yourself a finite amount of time in which to get it done and then finish it! It'll be off your mind and you'll be surprised at how much better you feel!

3. Do something that makes you feel good. Again, so you can identify how you think about yourself, start with the physical self: paint your nails, use a great body wash, or try a new shade of lipstick! Then do something that makes your mind feel good: do a brain teaser, meditate, or solve a self-problem you've been working on lately.

4. Identify something you are ridiculously good at and enjoy doing (e.g. painting, singing, writing, etc) and make at least 15 minutes a day for yourself to work on that passion. Having time to do your hobby every day will allow you to relax and clear your mind.

5. Do something nice for someone else. Anything from giving a compliment to sharing food to giving a gift will do the trick here! When you do something that is not egocentric, you will get a sense of fulfillment that will help you feel better about yourself.

Make today great!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Are Ads Fueling Bad Parenting?

I watch TV on a daily basis. I am also very sensitive to what I perceive to be "right" and "wrong" when it comes to family values. Lately I've noticed that a few ads have had the adverse effect on me than what the advertisers were going for. While I've noticed what they are for and remember them, they leave a bad taste in my mouth.

For example, a couple of commercials have implied that poor parenting is acceptable. In the following Nutella ad, the mother doesn't enforce anything she says: "Breakfast is ready!" No kids come. She says that she's putting Nutella on their toast and then they come. The mother says, "Put your plates in the sink, grab your backpacks" and the kids run off without cleaning up their plates, like she had asked. In response to this, she just smiles and waves it off. If I had ignored my mother like that when I was a kid, I would have been in so much trouble! I feel like this commercial is saying "it's okay" if your kids don't listen to you and you need to bribe them with a supposedly healthy treat to get them to follow directions. I think this mother needs to get a spine and set some expectations in the household.



This PediaSure commercial blew my mind. The little girl is trying to "poof" her healthy food away. The mom says that since she gives her daughter a PediaSure snack, she "doesn't have to worry so much" during dinner. Worry about what? Her daughter not eating her healthy food? Why not just tell your daughter that she is required to eat her food? I remember when I was five years old I sat at the table for an hour because I was refusing to eat my homemade tomato soup. My parents wouldn't let me leave the table until I finished. An hour later, it became clear to me that I was going to lose this battle if I kept it up, so I finished my (now cold) soup. What happened to parents enforcing rules?


In this Allstate ad, the dad says he's going to spend the money he saves by using Allstate instead of another insurance company to get noise canceling headphones after the kids start fighting and screaming in the background. While I think it was supposed to be a joke, the parents look resigned and the agent looks like she could not agree more. This commercial makes me feel like "it's okay" to just ignore your kids and let them fight it out. While, sure, all parents have felt this way at some point, wouldn't it be better for the media to be promoting good parenting?



So these are only three commercials, but I've had a TV for less than a year and before these three ads, I'd never seen anything like this. If anything, ads made it seem like everyone in them loved being in a family. But these three ads caught my eye because I'm not used to seeing parents refuse to do their jobs and parent their kids.

What are these ads teaching parents? That if you're busy and give your kid a semi-healthy snack it's okay to put on headphones and ignore them? That you're not the only parent who's overwhelmed and doesn't want to enforce rules in your house?

And what are these ads teaching kids? Granted, kiddos don't really watch ads, but they absorb everything. Everything! Are kids learning that it's okay to refuse to eat veggies because mommy can buy a shake that you will get for a snack? That it's fine for you to fight as long as your parents don't care enough to help you and your sibling learn to compromise? That it's totally okay to ignore a direct order from your mom because she'll just laugh and wave it off?

Parenting is something I take very seriously--and I'm not even a parent yet! It is hardwired in my brain to think in every situation, "How would I explain this to my kid?" or "Would I feel like it's appropriate for my child to take part in this or watch this or have this become part of their habits?" Sure, I don't have kids yet, but I have two extraordinary parents who took their jobs as parents extremely seriously. And I feel like these ads are not conducive to promoting a culture of good parenting.

What do you think?

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

London Terror Attack: Showing the Corpse on TV?!

I generally do not post more than once a day, but I saw something on the news today that offended me and I wanted to see what you all think of it. In London today there was an extremely violent murder of a British soldier. CNN decided that it would be appropriate to show a video of the murderer talking to the camera about why he killed this guy--with the dead soldier in the background!!!

First, I understand that the news doesn't get rated under the television content rating system, but if this were a movie, it would be PG-13. There is a bloody-handed murderer confessing to the murder to the camera while holding a knife and a meat cleaver. If you just have the news on in your house and your kids come home from school and see that, is that okay? I am a very sensitive person and was incredibly horrified to see that they were showing a dead soldier on camera over and over again.

Next, what if that British soldier was your brother or husband or son? I really think it would be even more traumatic than already having that person in your family murdered. If that were my relative, I would absolutely not want his dead body being shown all over international television. It's so insensitive!

So, what do you think?

Things You Shouldn't Say

This morning I woke up in an incredibly snarky mood. I was watching the news and had strong opinions about literally everything I was seeing: anchors' clothing choices, headline stories, commercials...everything. So I thought I would share. Some of you will think some of it is inappropriate, but hey, we all have days like this, and I'd rather put it out there than just let it simmer in my head all day.

1. Department of Justice. People are upset that the Obama administration has cracked down on "whistle-blowers." They're upset that his administration is not as "transparent" as he promised it would be. This morning on "Morning Joe" they killed about 7 minutes of air time discussing it. Why are they and we even pretending to "know" anything that's going on? There is no administration that can be "transparent." Obama said that to get elected and I don't think even he knew the extent to which he cannot be transparent. If you actually believed that he was going to share every possible terror threat with the country, you're insane.

In our age of endless instant information, of course there will be more whistle-blowers dealt with because there are more of them. I would rather have the administration keep certain things to themselves so that I'm not paranoid that our country is going to get blown up today than have to be given a daily briefing on which terrorist group wants to kill us all today.

People on both sides of the aisle are very upset about this, but come on. If the administration told us all everything that was going on for even a day, the same people who are currently upset would lose their minds about the administration over-sharing and making the citizens of our country freak out.

2. Tornado Victims Without Insurance. Yesterday I heard that a lot of the people who lived in the Oklahoma communities that got blown apart by the tornados didn't have insurance because they couldn't afford it. Of course we are all going to donate money and supplies to help them get their homes back even though they don't have insurance.

But the some of the same people who would have a cow if Obama didn't expedite federal help to these people who "chose" to not have insurance because they couldn't afford it are the same people who backed Hobby Lobby's fight against Obamacare so that their female employees don't get federally funded birth control. These are the same people who think that each person should be held accountable for their own health: "Why should we help them? They had the opportunity to be responsible and get a good job and purchase health insurance and they chose not to. Why are they my responsibility?" How are the tornado victims who don't have insurance any different? Why are you willing to help them, but not a 15-year-old girl who is a product of her environment, has not had the opportunity to be educated, and has no insurance?

3. TV Anchors Wearing Fluorescent Colors. This has been a long time coming. I actually have started making daily notes on anchors' outfits because there are the same mistakes being made over and over again. Today, I'm only going to focus on color: just because fluorescent is trendy doesn't mean it translates well on TV. And shouldn't our anchors be trendy on the upscale level, not the teenybopper level? Sixth graders are wearing neon. Professional adults are not.

Bright red, pink, orange, yellow, and lime green have got to get out of your wardrobe! 90% of the time, it washes you out because your complexion and the makeup you're wearing (well, not wearing) can't handle the intensity of the color you're wearing. Also, take 3 seconds and look at your background. If you wouldn't put hot pink in front of a bright red in your house, don't put it together on something that's in my house (the TV). It's very simple.

I really feel like my local news station is better at this than a lot of the national stations which shocks me, because the national stations have extensive stylists who are supposedly keeping our anchors looking good on TV. I would like to point out that I am not calling any particular station or stations out. Even my favorite anchors have had this neon transgression! But since I've started taking daily notes, I've been going to channels I don't normally go to and it's a recurring problem. Especially on the channels I don't watch! ;-)

So. The article on horrible commercials will be for tomorrow. It's written, but I don't want to overdo it! Venting just made me feel a tad better and I feel like I'm ready take on all of your comments that I'm sure you'll not hesitate to share! ;-)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Oklahoma Tornado Aftermath

I was napping yesterday afternoon when I was awakened by a notification from CNN that said that parts of Oklahoma City were flattened by a tornado. I turned on the news and was shocked to see the photos from the destruction!

This morning, I don't have a whole lot to say about this because what can I say? If a photo says 1000 words, then here 39,000 "words" for you. I didn't put the photos right in this in case people didn't want to see them, but the slideshow included on this post is really fascinating to see.

This morning keep each other safe. Be kind to one another. Please donate $10 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. Hug your kids and loved ones a little longer than normal tonight. Pray for Oklahoma.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Hits and Misses at the Billboard Music Awards

This morning I stumbled bleary-eyed and yawning out into the living room, where my fiancé was watching the news. The very first thing I saw was Jennifer Lopez in a very high-cut red swimsuit coming toward the audience crotch first. I was blown away! I found her Billboard Music Awards (BBMA) performance online and watched it. I was horrified. It included malfunctioning boots, a stripper pole, and her hands on her *ahem*...area. For the record, she looks amazing for a 43 year old, but I don't need her to prove it by showing all parts of herself. Here's her performance. Would you want your daughters watching this?


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JLo Verdict
Costume: MISS.
Performance: MISS.

I decided to go through the BBMA performances and see what the other female performers did. Note: Yep, I'm only focusing on the ladies, because I don't have much to say about men's costumes--I really hate most of them, but at least they cover what needs to be covered.

I'm not a massive Taylor Swift fan, but I was a huge fan of her outfit and performance last night! I watched her performance this morning and the reason I loved it so much is that she looks like she is having fun and she's wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers! Sure, the shirts are short, but at least what she was wearing on the bottom had an inseam! Even when she tries to do a "sexy move" or something in her dancing, she looks awkward and it's endearing, because she is only "22."


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Taylor Swift Verdict
Costume: HIT!!!
Performance: HIT!!!

I've never seen Selena Gomez perform in my entire life until this video. I was very confused and actually looked up whether she had Indian ancestors because of the theme of this song. She has some Hispanic ancestors and a little bit of Italian in her, so why did she use an Indian theme? She wasn't actually even very good at the so-called "belly dance." But, she didn't show her belly! I loved her outfit, but thought the song was a little too racy and the theme was in bad taste.


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Selena Gomez Verdict
Costume: HIT!!!
Performance: MISS.

Nicki Minaj (who, like Selena, I've never seen perform--is her toosh real??) wore a very tight and shredded black outfit that didn't leave much to the imagination. At one point she gave Lil' Wayne a lap dance/twerk (I don't know how to use the word "twerk" correctly!). It was really disturbing how she was touching her...area...like JLo did, too. I mean, it was bad enough when Michael Jackson did it, and there are a bunch of guy artists who wander around grabbing themselves, but ladies?? Come on! It's really gross!


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Nicki Minaj Verdict
Costume: MISS.
Performance: MISS.

So. What do you think? Since it's a show should the costumes be "whatever goes" or since there are a lot of young people (especially girls) who watch the show, should the costumes be held to a certain standard? This year at the Oscars there was a dress code. I think there should also be a dress code for performers. It's the "Billboard Music Awards," not the "Billboard Who-Has-the-Craziest-Costume-While-They-Lip-Sync Awards." Slutty costumes do not enhance the music; but great costumes enhance a performance. If pop stars want to have massively sexy music videos, fine. People go look for those and watch them. But at a "family friendly" awards show? I don't think it's the place for super-sexy costumes. You can have a great costume without it being whorish. Taylor Swift looked amazing, and she was covered up!

Sophia Grace and Rosie

Last week on Ellen Degeneres's show, Ellen announced that she would send the adorable Sophia Grace and Rosie to cover the red carpet and then watch the show. They're preteens by a LONG shot, being 10 and 7 years old, respectively. Is it okay to show little kids stripper moves and costumes that are considered to be just part of our music culture? Our kids idolize the celebrities they see on TV. What are we doing to their little tiny minds by showing them this? Where does parental responsibility end and TV responsibility begin?

BBMA Performances Overall Verdict:
Costumes: MISS.
Performances: MISS.
PG Rating: MISS.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

The Next Big Thing in Social Media

Social media is huge! I've been on it for 8 years now. But are any of you starting to get a little overwhelmed by the number of social apps that you "have" to use every day? Are any of you annoyed by the stupid retweets of people you don't know by people you've only "met" online? Are any of you budding bloggers shocked by some of the comments you get in the blogosphere?

I am! I hate that "making it" in the online world means wading through trolls, tweets, and timelines. Maybe it sounds silly or like I'm complaining, but think about it: the next big thing is not going to be another social media site or app. We already have enough apps on which to check-in, like things, and share every little thing that crosses our mind. And there are already apps to combine all your social media sites, so it won't be something like that.

The next big thing is going to be multimedia, but it's going to be chic and clean. I know Myspace just revamped to try be like this, but there is too much on there and it's not original. It's still so social network-y and they kept the name which ties it back to our high school days. The next big thing has to be completely new, not a stripped-down version of something everyone already has.

The next big thing is going to be for the modern "renaissance man/woman": someone who doesn't want to just blog or just sew or just go get a career job. But it can't be for the people who just don't want to go do the typical career thing; it's got to be for the creative people who can do more than one thing very well and doesn't want to be pigeon-holed into a job that they do well in, but abandons their other talents. I mean, sure it's good to be a specialist and be fantastic at what you do, but what about people who are generalists but can specialize in anything when they need to? Those people, the ones who don't want to settle on one job and won't settle for less than perfection, are the ones the next big thing is for.

I don't completely know what it is yet, but the next big thing is coming. And it's going to be big. And it might be me. Or it might be you!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Headlines: Scandal, Murder, and Lies

I feel like every day there's a new headline that is stomach-turning. I have been semi-AWOL from political commentary lately because I've been working on getting my wedding put together. I don't like commenting on political stories without doing a decent amount of background research. However, it feels like we still don't actually have a lot of information about anything that's been happening, so I thought I'd do a quick rundown of the big stories before they become obsolete. I have strong feelings about all of them and want to share my opinion whether I have enough research or not.

Benghazi. Here is what I have been able to put together:
1) The people in Benghazi asked for more protection. The State Department said no. The first attack in Benghazi happened in the evening.
2) After hearing of the first attack, one of our people in Tripoli asked his commanding officer if they could send some of the military to Benghazi to help. The commanding officer said no. The second attack happened. Four Americans were left dead.
3) The talking points for the Sunday shows were changed 12 times.
My take on it:
1) If Ambassador Stevens asked for more security, there was probably a reason for it. We should probably know what that is. IF the State Department looked into the threat that Stevens was concerned about and decided it wasn't a threat, the State Department made a mistake. Plain and simple. Yes, it cost four Americans their lives, but it's the State Department's job to make decisions about placing security around the world and, unfortunately, no one can always make the right decision. However, if the State Department just ignored his request for more security without investigating, that's a much bigger problem.
2) If there was an attack going on in a country that was over 5 hours away by military plane and I didn't know who was behind it, there is no way in hell I would take some of the military away from the base in Tripoli. What if Tripoli was next? What if they were using Benghazi as a distraction to get military away from Tripoli to attack Tripoli? Unless there was military to spare, my military would stay exactly where it was and protect what it was assigned to protect. Yes, there is a loss in the four people in Benghazi, but it's not a loss of an entire military base. Tripoli was never under attack. I'm just saying, at the time, people didn't know if it could have been next.
3) Are you kidding me?! How are we supposed to trust our government if they don't tell us the truth? I'm not completely naive--I know the government has kept secrets from the American people from the dawn of time, but I don't see how this lie that was changed 12 times helped us have confidence in our government. I just don't. I would have wanted to know if it was Al-Quaeda up front. How did this make anything better?!

IRS targeting conservative groups. I'm not even going to explain this one further; I think the headline says enough.
Here's my take on it:
Seriously?! I don't know who the IRS thinks it is, but since when is it legal to target conservative groups?  This is wrong and if it had been liberal groups or gun owner groups or women's groups or anti-abortion groups or humanitarian groups or any group, I would be just as upset! A lot of liberals are saying, "Oh maybe they should be targeted." If you're one of those liberals, please stop talking. Just stop. I don't care what group it is; we all have the same rights and we all deserve to be respected. The IRS needs to get it's poop in a group and fix this. And it seems like there are a few people in the IRS who need to be fired.

DOJ spying on AP. Apparently the Department of Justice thought it was appropriate to secretly subpoena a bunch of phone records used by AP reporters and editors. One of the phones targeted was the phone in the House press room.
My take on it:
Excuse me? Seriously. Who does this?! The AP is (I think) the largest press organization in the world and everyone gets their info from this organization. The problem with this situation, beyond the obvious illegality of it, is that the AP reporters are amazing at getting sources to talk. Now, if I were an anonymous source who knew lots of juicy things and found out that the Department of Justice could now know who I am, I would quit talking. There goes a great source. Come on, DOJ, pull it together.

Gosnell. (I wasn't planning on talking about this, but one of my readers asked what I thought about it, so I decided to include it.) I'm not going to hit on the details of this case, because they make me sick to my stomach. This is the case about the doctor who was performing late-term abortions on women in an unclean clinic with unclean tools and actually killed some babies who were born alive as well as a mother on whom he performed an abortion. He was convicted of 3 counts of first-degree murders and one count of manslaughter. He could have faced the death penalty, but waived his right to appeal his conviction and so will serve life in prison.
My take on it:
The first time I remember hearing about a death penalty case was Timothy McVeigh back in 1998 and I remember wondering why they were killing him because it didn't make sense to me. I have been incredibly against the death penalty for as long as I can remember. This Gosnell case is the first time in my entire life I have thought that someone deserves the death penalty. Gosnell was a trained medical professional. While everyone understands that killing people is bad, medical professionals sign an oath to not kill people. This guy used his job to perform illegal abortions and then kill babies--and he got paid for it. It makes me sick.

My take on all of this:
Three of the four above stories involve Washington. I am incredibly upset about all of this! I take my trust in my government very seriously. And right now I do not trust my government. When are we going to get answers? They're there--we know that because some have been leaked. But how much is the government changing the "facts" before they release them to us? How are we supposed to trust whatever they release as being the "facts?!"

And what about Obama's involvement? The right is putting all of this on him: "the IRS targeted conservative groups--Obama must have told them to." "Obama probably changed the Benghazi talking points." "The DOJ just spied on the AP--Obama doesn't respect people's privacy." I think everyone jumps on Obama because he is the President. He's in charge. But everything that happens in Washington doesn't cross his desk.

I'm not saying Obama had nothing to do with any of this. I am really disappointed in him. He hasn't been as forthcoming about everything as I had hoped he would be. While some or none of this might be his "fault," I don't think he's done a great job of doing damage control. If he isn't involved, he needs to make it very clear to the country. If he is involved, he needs to make it very clear to the country.

To the right: Remember when the left was doing to Bush exactly what you're doing right now to Obama? You were pissed. Back off until there are more answers. Then, if we find out that Obama's been involved in a cover-up, go nuts. If he's not involved, though, stick to the facts and quit harassing him.

To the left: Stop blindly supporting someone you don't personally know just because you both wear blue. Like I said to the right, wait until we have more answers, but then if the answers aren't what you wanted them to be, don't make excuses or say that everything is biased.

To both parties: Don't call yourself "progressive" or "open-minded." It's adorable, but ignorant. If you bash the other party just because they believe something different than you do, you're obviously extremely close-minded because you don't see the other side as even having a point that could be valid. Both parties do it and both parties look asinine because of it.

And, finally, to our elected officials: The fastest way to become fallible is believing in your own infallibility. Own up to what's going on. If you've screwed up, sucks for you because you might get fired. Chances are, if you're honest, people will be more likely to forgive you. If you haven't screwed up, congratulations; you're still in the denial phase. Everyone is fallible. Just be honest.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Online Blog Success! ... FINALLY!

I graduated with my bachelor's degree a year ago. I haven't been working because of my fibromyalgia pain. Our plan was for me to take this year to "get healthy" and then get a teaching job for the 2013-2014 school year. Well, that hasn't happened. I've had countless doctor appointments, multiple medicine trials, and all sorts of tests done, and we're still no closer to a solution to managing my pain.

I started this blog and its corresponding Twitter handle back in late August. I started my website and Facebook page in October. In January I started my FibroTips4Chicks blog and I started my Etsy site in February. And made no money from any of it until yesterday! I had my first and second Etsy sales in a matter of hours and my site views rose significantly. 

I've known that building a brand can take years, and I'm still not where I want to be by any means, but between my blogs, website, and Etsy site, I've had almost 27,000 views since August! That means I've averaged over 110 views a day, which is (from what I've read) a pretty decent traffic flow for a first-time blogger!

In terms of making money with my blogs, site, and Etsy shop, I'm right around $150, which I am thrilled about! The reason I started all the online stuff was so I could have an income from online endeavors by the time I wanted to stay at home with my kids (in a few years). But the fact that I'm getting to start making money from it now makes me feel incredibly grateful!

Thank you so much to all of you for helping me get to this point! I can't tell you how much it means to me to have my dream start coming true!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Thanks, Mom!

Mother's Day is a great way to remember the person who may have had the most influence in our lives. My mom is phenomenal. She stayed at home with my sister and me when we were little and did everything with us, from taking us to the library in our red wagon to letting us help her cook! She read to us, danced with us, and sang with us.

Mom home-schooled us for a couple of years in elementary school and was an amazing teacher! She encouraged us to explore anything we were interested in and made everything an hands-on experience. In science, she had us go outside and find rocks from different classifications, we put snowflakes on slides and looked at them through microscopes, and pressed different leaves and flowers for collections. I read anything I could get my hands on, did as much math as I wanted, and became a voracious speller, all thanks to my mom.

I haven't always been the easiest child in our family to deal with, but my parents have always been there for me. I think in our current fad of not-parenting, looking back, I can really appreciate the way my parents did show me tough love when I needed it. Nothing crazy, but I have a good sense of what's right and wrong and a lot of that comes from my parents.

My mom is the reason I want to be a stay-at-home mom when I have kids. I can see what a great mom she was (is!) and that inspires me to want to be a great mom, too! She made her kids a priority instead of having a "successful" career and ended up with two pretty great kids (I'm biased!). I think that is the most noble thing anyone can do and I can't wait to give what she gave me to my kids.

Thanks, Mom!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

100 Outdoor Spring Activities for Everyone!

Spring is here!!! For us bloggers, sometimes its easy to get stuck behind our computers and not venture out into the beautiful weather. Here is a list of my favorite 100 things to do in the spring--some of them are so easy that if you're really wanting to stay inside, you just have to walk out on your balcony and you can complete them!

1. Walk around the block--without headphones in your ears.
2. Listen to birds.
3. Smell flowers.
4. Stop and really feel the wind around you.
5. Stay up late and watch the stars.
6. Fly kites.
7. Start a garden (or window box).
8. Go hiking.
9. Ride bikes.
10. Look for the first butterfly.
11. Have a picnic.
12. Play tennis.
13. Quit work early and go outside.
14. Go to the playground and swing.
15. Grill out with friends.
16. Get up before the sun and watch the sunrise from a mountain top.
17. Go barefoot in the grass.
18. Smell the fresh air.
19. Get too hot outside for the first time.
20. Go to the pool.
21. Look for four-leaf clovers.
22. Go to a baseball game.
23. Walk outside at night.
    
24. Make a bird feeder and put it on your porch.
25. Go wading in a creek.
26. Look for the first firefly.
27. Go fossil hunting.
28. Walk to your favorite coffeeshop in the morning.
29. Stake out a bird's nest (at a safe distance with binoculars) and watch.
30. Drink lemonade on the patio.
31. Do yoga outside.
32. Dance in the rain.
33. When the flower petals start falling, run through them.
34. Open all the windows.
35. Collect small items from outside and make a nature mosaic.
36. Play a pick-up game of football.
37. Eat salads outside on the porch.
38. Go to an orchard.
39. Play frisbee.
40. Join a kickball league.
41. Find pictures in the clouds.
42. Play in the sandbox.
43. Put a drop of pond water on a microscope slide and try to identify everything you see.
44. Drive with the windows down and the music up.
45. Play beach volleyball.
46. Hang your laundry outside on the clothesline to get that outside smell.
47. Sleep in the treehouse.
    
48. Sit on a hill and watch a sunset.
49. Blow bubbles.
50. Go to a state park.
51. Play hopscotch in the driveway.
52. Climb trees.
53. Make a compost pit and learn how food breaks down.
54. Go running in the rain.
55. Write poetry in the park.
56. Play "Pooh Sticks."
57. Go to the farmer's market.
58. Collect leaves and press them for your leaf collection.
59. Finally learn the names of the birds you hear every day.
60. Watch butterflies "puddle" at the edge of a mud puddle after a rainstorm.
61. See a rainbow.
62. Do a springtime photo shoot.
63. Play with water balloons (and pick up all the pieces afterward).
64. Make smores over a campfire.
65. Hold hands with someone while you're walking outside.
66. Go to the zoo.
67. Run through the sprinkler.
    
68. Sit under a tree and read.
69. Go fishing.
70. Find a butterfly on a flower and watch it use its proboscis. 
71. Make your own slip-n-slide.
72. Wear new flip-flops outside.
73. Make rock pets out of rocks you find on a walk.
74. Feed geese at a public pond.
75. Write with sidewalk chalk.
76. Go sailing.
77. Play music outside on the porch.
78. Hug a tree.
79. Create a tiny "world" out of things you find in nature.
80. Find the moon each night and keep a moon journal.
81. Eat outside at your favorite restaurant.
82. Watch bees in the garden.
83. Make a birdhouse (don't decorate it--not always safe for the birds).
84. Wash your car the old fashioned way--with a hose and sponge!
85. Save the worms stranded on the sidewalk after a rainstorm.
86. Squish your toes in mud.
87. Make an outdoor scavenger hunt for someone else.
    
88. Play with hula hoops.
89. Make clover crowns--and wear them!
90. Play catch.
91. Make leaf prints with paint.
92. Ride a scooter.
93. Go for a horse drawn carriage ride with your sweetie in the evening.
94. Walk across a bridge.
95. Make mud pies and decorate them.
96. Eat ice cream while walking outside in the sun.
97. Wear bright new hats out in the sun.
98. Go to a botanical garden.
99. Play capture the flag.
100. Go canoeing.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

App Addiction: Game Edition

I've talked before about app addiction when it comes to social media apps (Twitter, Facebook, etc) and email but I want to focus on games. I have been fascinated lately with the addictive properties of app games.

I've never really been a big "gaming" person. I had a six month stint of playing XBOX360 games while I was dating a guy who had an XBOX360. I've never owned a gaming system.

But then I got an iPhone.

At first I just used it to be on social media, check email, and call people. Then I got apps for "good" reasons: sleep and food tracking apps, IMDB and recipe apps (so I don't have to pull out my computer all the time!), weather apps (because if I don't like the forecast on one, I can go to the other?!), and the keyring app (so I don't have to carry all those plastic things on my keychain...they're still on it). Then, finally, I heard so much about games that I had to get some of them (just to keep up with what everyone was talking about!).

This is a list of games with which I have had serious addiction problems, albeit some just for a few days. They are classified with these colors: Red = Numbers, Green = Words, Blue = Strategy, Black = Other.

My games folder on my phone.

Tap Tap Revenge
Sudoku
Bejeweled
Bubble Shooter
Angry Birds
Words With Friends
Boggle
Farkle
Word to Word
Hearts
Dot Line
Whirly Word
Flow Free
Chain of Thought
Word Jewels
Domino
Word Wall
Drop7
Number Fill
Number Cruncher
7 Little Words
Eighty-Eight
Take It Easy
Daily Crossword
Dots

The breakdown: 10 word games, 7 number games, 6 strategy games, 1 speed game, and 1 card game. For the record, I only have the last six still on my phone and haven't played "Eighty-Eight" or "Take It Easy" in a few weeks (I just have such great high scores that I can't delete them!). I had to go back through my App Store history to find all the names of the other apps.

But why are they so addicting? This is something I've been thinking about for a while and here is why I think I am prone to obsessing over these particular games:

Word Games - I love the satisfaction I get from completing a crossword or other word game, beating someone in Words with Friends, or even beating my own scores in some word games. I think word games tap into our perception of "smart": "smart people" do crosswords, "I'm playing smart Person X in Words with Friends and I beat them, ergo I am smart" etc. I'm not saying that's a good reason to play word games, but I think it definitely plays a part in it.

Number Games - I have loved numbers my entire life! I just like number games. Why are they addicting? I think I have a propensity to be obsessed with number games because I'm extremely competitive and I love numbers. The way the games are built tap straight into my brain's "pleasure center" because of the built-in reward system: you get this many numbers, you get this much more time.

Strategy Games - Again, these games have great reward systems built into them: more time when you do a certain thing, more points if you do a certain thing, bonus levels if you get a certain amount of points on the previous levels. And that idea of reward is something our brains latch onto very quickly.

I wanted to test just how quickly my brain would latch onto a game I'd never played. I came across the new strategy game called "Dots." It took me less than two times through the game (120 seconds) to become hooked. It literally took me longer to find and download the game than become addicted to it. I kept picking up my phone and playing at odd times during the day: while I was waiting for the microwave to finish, while I was curling my hair (bad idea), during every commercial break, while I was walking from the living room to the kitchen, and then this morning before I even got out of bed! I'm not too concerned about my well-being in the long term. I usually go through a period of a day or two of being extremely addicted and then I get bored with it and end up deleting the app (Drop7 lasted the longest: two weeks and I played way too much.).

So, if you know you have an addictive personality and a lack of self-discipline, I think the above list is probably a do-not-download-these-apps list! They're fun, but unless you can put them down, are they worth it?

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Look (And Feel!) Great for Your June Wedding!

Jett makes sure he drinks enough water.

I'm getting married in June! Here are 10 ways I'm making sure I look and feel my best by next month!

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. As the wedding date comes closer, the pre-wedding jitters are going to start setting in. Water keeps every system in your body working at its best! It will also keep your skin clear if anxiety makes you break out. 

2. Sleep. Sounds easy, right? Well, not really. We are so busy getting ready for the wedding and, if you're like me, you're going to want to make sure that everything is perfect. That doesn't make for very good sleep. But, if you make sure you get between 7 and 8 hours of good sleep every night, you will feel better and, by extension, look better. Do not sacrifice your sleep!

Jett and Dorian definitely get enough sleep.

Dorian loves yoga to keep his tone!

3. Tone. I'm in decent shape; not perfect, but alright. But even if you're small, you can still look not quite "good," if that makes sense. If you want to look good (at any weight), tone. Don't just quit eating and think that will take care of it--that's the worst thing you can do! Lift light weights, do lunges, dance, walk, swim, do yoga; all of this will help tone your body. Let's face it: we're a month away from June--not a lot of (healthy) body changes can be made right now. But anyone at any weight can tone up a little bit! Toning helps your body look better and any exercise helps your emotional state--gotta love those endorphins!

4. Eat healthy foods. I would just like to start out with a disclaimer: I am not a dietician. That being said, it is common knowledge that the more processed your foods are, the less good for you they are. Get fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain breads and pastas, and cut back on the processed sugars. My biggest weakness is chocolate chips (they're so small--how could they hurt me?! haha). I am doing my best to cut way back on eating those. The more unnatural chemicals you keep out of your brain, the better your brain will function, and the better you will feel! 

Also: check your portion size. I realized that yesterday I accidentally ate two servings of quinoa instead of one just because I didn't read the package. Don't eat more than you need to--eating too much makes you feel sluggish and tired.

5. De-stress. Easy for me to say, right? If you're stressed, your wedding photos are going to have worry lines all over them! Well, not really! But the little baggies under your eyes and your skin not looking as good as it could will definitely be real.

Dorian and Jett both like watching TV to de-stress.

6. Tan. With a bottle. Do not go outside and try to cook yourself to get the right "bronzed" or "sun-kissed" look. You're just going to fry your skin (and your hair) and 90% of the time, you won't get it even anyway. And it's Skin Cancer Awareness Month and if you're outside getting cancer for your wedding, you're defeating the purpose. 

If you're going to tan, invest in a good spray tan. Yes, they're on the pricier end of things, but it's worth it. However. Do it at least 24 hours before your wedding (but not more than 48 hours). You do not want orange on your beautiful white dress. That would be devastating. 

Along with this, if you go to the pool before your wedding, wear sunscreen. The last thing you want is tan lines in the wrong place on your wedding day.

Jett thinks he knows what's appropriate
when it comes to hair products.

7. Do a hair trim/color the week before. This example is brought to you by the movie "Bride Wars." We all remember when Anne Hathaway's character switched the dye for Kate Hudson's character and Kate ended up with blue hair. The only reason that was not a complete disaster is that it was a week before the wedding. If you dye or cut your hair the day before or the day of your wedding while you're having your hair done, you might be in for a very unhappy day. 

8. Get the hairstyle appropriate for your wedding style. Now this sounds kind of stupid, but think about it: if you have a 4pm wedding, should you have a formal up-do? If you have a beach wedding should you have a hairstyle that cannot deal with wind? If you have a 7pm wedding should you have beach waves in your hair? If you're planning on doing photos outside in the summer sun, should you have your hair down so that it makes you sweat and get greasy? 

The correct answer to all of those is "no." If you want your hair up, make sure it's appropriate. I have a 4pm ceremony with photos outside beforehand. A beautiful formal up-do is inappropriate and out of the question. Yes, it's pretty. No, it doesn't fit. A low chignon or loose bun with some loose curls is appropriate. For the beach, if you have long hair, sure, it's the perfect time to have those gorgeous beach waves. But, can you handle your hair blowing around? A half-up style is probably the best for you, or if you want it up, a messy bun is perfect. 

This is the area that, having looked at a lot of wedding photos lately, I feel has the most disconnect and leaves the most to be desired, even if it's a beautiful style.

9. Best shoes = wedges. Some ladies go for the glitz and glam when it comes to shoes. If you can stay vertical on those things for 8 hours (and walk down the aisle without tipping over), go for it. But I've seen a ton of brides with beautiful shoes who kick them off halfway through the evening. Knowing what I pay for shoes, I don't feel like that's a good investment. However, going with cute ballet flats or flip flops gives you zero height. 

As a 5'3" bride, I would like height, but I can't stay in stilettos all day. Also, heels are incredibly impractical for photos outside if you're in grass. Nobody wants their heel sticking in the ground and getting dirty. 

Solution: wedges. I found the cutest strappy pair of 4" wedges for $30 that a) give me height without killing my feet because of the platform under my toes, b) I can walk and dance in them so I won't have to take them off, c) I can wear them in grass, and d) I can wear them again with shorts, jeans, or a dress. 

If you're not a wedge fan because of the way they look and you don't feel like we need to be bringing back the 70s, make sure your dress is long. Since my hem is long, no one is really going to be seeing my shoes anyway. Getting this extra length, especially if you're short or a little on the "plush" side of things, is really important if you're concerned about your image. It slims you down and gives you those extra few inches that those of us who aren't supermodels crave. ;-)

10. Have fun! Leading up to your wedding day, make sure you're having fun! If you're happy on your wedding day, it shows. If you're worried about how everything will turn out and making sure that everyone else has a good time, you're going to be miserable, which also shows. The way to know whether or not your wedding day was successful is this: If, at the end of the day, you're married to the person you were supposed to be married to, your day was a success! So have fun!

Dorian has (too much) fun!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

9 Ways to Make Your Mess Your Message

Robin Roberts, anchor of Good Morning America, is one of my personal heroes. She underwent a bone marrow transplant last Fall and has stayed incredibly emotionally strong through it all! My favorite saying she has is "make your mess your message." As I've been going through this year of learning how to come to grips with fibromyalgia and not being able to use my teaching degree, I've been trying to think of ways to make my mess my message. I'm driven and I want to help even if I'm not able to teach, so I've given it a lot of thought. Here are 9 ways to make your mess your message that stretch across a few areas, so hopefully everyone can find at least a couple points that help them.

1. Educate people about your "mess." One of the biggest problems I've come across with fibromyalgia is that it's still very misunderstood. Robin ran across the same problem; she had to educate people about MDS and bone marrow transplants. Helping people learn about whatever you're going through is very important.

2. Start a blog. Even if writing isn't your "thing," blogging is a great way to talk about what you're through and help other get answers. It's also incredibly cathartic--sometimes you just need a place to get something off your chest.

3. Hop on social media. Sure, it takes a while to get a lot of "followers," but once you get going, you've got a lot of people who will potentially see your message about your mess and be able to relate to it.

4. Make sure you're okay. Making your mess your message is great, but if you're not in the right emotional place to talk about it all the time and help other people with their problems, it won't go very well for anyone. Do whatever you need to do to make sure that you can stay strong. Robin not only had her family and friends to help her get through her transplant, but she had all the GMA viewers rooting for her. Now, we don't all have millions of people thinking about us every day, but if we pull together we can at least have a couple hundred strangers rooting for us. :-)

5. Volunteer. I love helping other people! If you are going through something, go find other people who are struggling with the same thing and help them out. It helps them and makes you feel better, too!

6. Create a clothing line. If you're a designer, don't you do your best work when you're inspired and emotionally connected to your ideas? So how great would it be to make a clothing line that had everything to do with your "mess" and then donate some of the proceeds to a charity that has something to do with your situation?!

7. Write a book. Will it get published? Possibly. But even if it doesn't, make it an eBook and just give it to people to help them. And you'll get your message out.

8. Start a charity. Maybe there isn't a charity in your area for your cause. So start one!

9. Be fearless. Here's another Robin quote that I've had as my computer background since February: "You can be fearful or fearless...I chose the latter." Anyone who has a mess that's worth making their message can easily become afraid of all the "what ifs." But being fearful takes a lot of energy and it doesn't let you think big or think forward. So leave the fear behind and choose to be fearless. There will be days that are hard, but if you're fearless, hard days are just little bumps in the road instead of huge hurdles.

I hope this post helps some people choose to make their mess their message. Stay strong and be fearless!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi 

Gunmen Shoot Blanks at Teachers

I came across this story this morning on Twitter. During a meeting at a school in Oregon, two masked gunmen entered the room and started firing blanks at the teachers. The teachers had no warning. No students were in the building during the time. The drill was supposed to see how the teachers would react if a real gunman showed up. According to the principal after this drill, the teachers "failed." Only two teachers would have survived if it had been a real shooting.

I see four problems with this situation (not even mentioning the other two situations mentioned in the article during which students were present).

1. It breaks the trust that teachers have with the administration. As a teacher, after having gone through something like this that my administration has orchestrated as a "drill," how am I supposed to trust my administration ever again? The next time "Code Red" or whatever the code is came over the speaker, even if I was teaching and we followed protocol and got the kids to where they were supposed to be, there would be some part of my brain that would absolutely not take it seriously because I might think that it's just the administration again. I feel like that's detrimental: I wouldn't be trying as hard to keep my kids safe if a gunman came to my room because, while I would be scared, some part of me would think it was "just a drill."

2. It wastes money. Schools have zero money right now. I don't know how much it costs to get two guys (or gals) to dress up as gunman and get guns and shoot blanks for a while, but that is an unnecessary cost. When I was in school we had drills in which the code word was said over the loudspeaker. We would do what we were supposed to do and then after a few minutes, we got the all-clear. That cost no money.

3. It could potentially harm someone. I understand that some experts say that you don't really know how you'll respond to a high stress situation until you're in it. But this seems a tiny bit overdone. If I was a teacher at that school, I would quit. I don't do stress well and I would have easily gone into shock if I had been there. I would have nightmares for weeks. Does the school cover the cost of therapy for their teachers after it puts them through something like that? Does the school cover the cost of an injury that a teacher could sustain if they're trying to get away during the drill (e.g. broken wrist, broken ankle, etc.)? If a school really has the best interest of the teachers at heart, it probably shouldn't put its teachers in potentially harmful situations.

4. If we live in fear, terrorists win. To me this drill seems insanely fear-driven. If I was a teacher at that school (and didn't quit after this) I would be scared all the time. The repeated mantra after the September 11th and the Boston bombings was, "We will not live in fear, or the terrorists will win." But having masked men "shooting" up a staff meeting generates fear! Any time I was in my classroom after that and I heard a quick footstep in the hall, I would tell my kids to get down. Any time someone moved too quickly in my peripheral vision, I would jump. Any time anything weird happened, I would freak out. And the terrorists would win, because we would be living in fear.

We can do better than this. If a principal wants to see how their staff reacts during a crisis, do drills. Change the drills up. Do them during class changes. Do them during lunch. Do them during different classes. But bringing gunmen, even fake gunmen, into a school is not acceptable.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

16-Year-Old Arrested for Science Mistake

Photo: WTSP-TV

This story was brought to my attention late yesterday afternoon by a few people, as a possible topic for today's article. To summarize, Kiera Wilmot, a 16-year-old girl at a high school in Florida mixed some chemicals in a water bottle "to see what happened," according to this source. It exploded with "some smoke." It hurt no one, it damaged nothing. The principal says that she has never been in trouble and is a good student. She was expelled, arrested, and charged with two felonies: "possession and discharge of a weapon on school property."

Are you kidding me?! This could have been anyone. It could have been me! I did stupid stuff in the name of "science" all the time while I was growing up. Even if it wasn't an experiment for a class, if she did something during class that piqued her interest and then wanted to take it further, it's still an experiment. This is a great example of kids being curious and getting in big trouble for it, for no reason. I think sure, she should have been reprimanded, maybe even given a detention, but expelled? Come on.

This is the statement the school district made, following the incident:

"Anytime a student makes a bad choice it is disappointing to us. Unfortunately, the incident that occurred at Bartow High School yesterday was a serious breach of conduct. In order to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment, we simply must uphold our code of conduct rules. We urge our parents to join us in conveying the message that there are consequences to actions. We will not compromise the safety and security of our students and staff."

It was a "serious breach of conduct"? Really? If they really want to have a "learning environment" and still show that there are "consequences to actions," why didn't they give her a detention and then hold an assembly for everyone who saw it and teach them the chemistry behind why the water bottle blew up?

This might not be the most appropriate thing to say in light of recent events, but don't you think if a smart student wanted to make something blow up, she could have done a better job? A little bit of smoke and no damage? That's not an intentional bomb. There was no compromise of "the safety and security" of everyone at the school.

This story makes me sick, both as an educator and as a future parent. If this happened to a kid in one of my classes, I would be a little bit freaked. I would want to know why she did it, but after her explanation along with her well-known background (model student, not a trouble-maker), I would not be upset. If one of my own kids did this because they were curious and then got expelled for it, I would lose my mind. I am lucky I never did anything this explosive during school, but if I had, I don't think I would have deserved expulsion.

If you want to let the Polk County Public School District know how you feel about Kiera's situation, here is the appropriate contact information.

If you want to sign the petition to get charges against Kiera dropped, click here. I did!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

A Fourth Grader's View on Teaching

My sister (Emily) and me around the time
this was written.

I found a journal I'd written in my fourth grade class. The way I talked to my teacher about what I thought about the way she taught was both hysterically funny and horrifying for me to read! I think the entries from 11/5/98 and 1/13/99 should have probably been sent to every subsequent teacher for the rest of my educational career to see exactly what they were getting for a student.

The italics under each entry are what my teacher wrote back to me in the journal. Every "typo" you see is just a misspelling on my part back then. I have changed the names of teachers to protect their identities.

10/6/98

The best part of my day is math. I like it because I get to study algebra. I like algebra because it gives me a challenge. I don’t quite understand it but I like learning. Thank you for giving me a challenge. good

10/9/98

I had a grand day when I finished the sixth grade curriculum in spelling. I was the only one in the third grade to do it. I just felt so free. It felt good to be done! I couldn’t wait till the next year to do more spelling. good.

[Note from me today: This previous entry is how I used to be passive-aggressive. I loved spelling and in third grade I was allowed to go ahead and made it all the way through six grade spelling. And then I had to repeat fourth grade spelling in this class because she "didn't do" accelerated stuff in her class. So this was me saying, "I've already done this and I liked how my other teacher did it better."]

11/5/98

I would like Mrs. Jennings to know about “difficult first”. What it is, is that the teacher picks out maybe oh lets say about 6 or 7 problems out of a 20 problem assignment. If the student gets 0 or 1 problem wrong, than they do not have to do the rest of the assignment. If they get more than 1 wrong, they must do the whole thing. I want you to know this because I know most of the stuff you teach. Mrs. King does “difficult first” and I would like you do start it too. I[t] would give me time to get a book written, but also it wouldn’t give you so much to correct. As soon as we get into a routine I’m starting this, and bonus work.

11/24/98

I was thankful when Dad helped me with geography. I was (and still am) greatful because I want to at least make it to the geography bee. I would like to get to the test. I want to get to state. Maybe I will get to national. I doubt it. If I were a betting person, I would bet that you will make it to national.

[Note from me today: I ended up winning the school bee, taking the test, and making it to state. I got 12th at state because I got out on a question about rice being an important crop in Ukraine. Yep, I still remember it. I said, "corn."]

1/13

I would like to skip Reading. Why I want to is because it is so easy. I am wondering if I can test out of it and do things like book reports instead of worksheets. Book reports are much more challenging for me. I am more excelled in Reading than most kids.

[Note from me today: This was after I got in trouble for reading ahead in class one time while our teacher was reading out loud to us. I hated reading out loud! The book was "The Trumpet of the Swan." I'd just done a book report on a different book and loved it.]

1/27

Do we have a day when we could have a poetry reading? That could be really awesome. Everybody could bring a dollar and we go to the Blue Star Café. We could each buy a hot chocolate. You should have each kid write a couple of poems to read aloud while we are there. This would be fun. Only I’d want a latté! (Fifth grade does this)

[Note from me today: This was not my idea. My dad was a fifth and sixth grade teacher in the same school and as an alternative to going to the Miss Montana speech, he would take his classes to the coffee shop for a poetry reading. The other teachers in the school didn't really like him much--he broke the mold and didn't like playing the game. He did things above and beyond the call of duty of a teacher and the other teachers were threatened by him. My fourth grade teacher made me go to the speech instead of letting me go with my dad. Again, this is fourth grade level passive-aggression telling her that I think she's not doing enough.]

Looking back, I can see why all my teachers didn't really like having me in class all the time. In all honesty, though, my opinions haven't changed one bit. The fact that in November my teacher was saying "when we get into a routine we'll get to this" shocks me. We'd already been in school for three months! When do you "get into a routine" as a teacher? I think the first week or so is what we learned in college. I still think that kids should be able to test out of something if they already know it, and they should never be punished for deciding they want to accelerate themselves. 

Reading back through this journal made me grateful that I had the family I have. I always had support at home when it came to me being excited or upset about what we were (or were not) doing in school. However, I don't think I ever developed the filter I needed to have a good relationship with teachers I didn't respect. I never had a problem telling them when they were wrong, that I already knew what they were teaching, or how I thought they could teach it better. 

So, teachers, don't make your kids do stuff they don't need to do just because you don't want to work harder. Yes, it will be more work for you, but if you're in the profession for the right reason, you won't care if you have to work nights and weekends to make sure that all your students succeed to the best of their abilities!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi