Sunday, March 3, 2013

The phone goes click click

January and February have come and gone. I'm ready for Spring. Real ready. Super ready. Ready, ready.  I want to go for walks and bike rides after work and then finish it off with a stop at the ice cream parlor. I want to make a softball team with friends and join a league (minimally competitive of course). I want to wear a sweatshirt and shoots hoops outside at the nearby park. I want to have my mom visit and sit on my back porch with her. 

Until then, here are some goodies I captured on my phone over the past two months. 

1. Notes I got from two 1st grade boys. Cuties. 
2. 100th Day of School celebration crafts. The wall behind my desk. Junie B. Jones fascination.
3. Trip to Park City, Utah with friends for the Sundance Film Festival.
4. My perty little bike that I am dying to ride regularly. Took her for a spin around Lake Harriet yesterday and she rode like a beauty.
5. A card, a view from my room, a note of encouragement.
6. Family room, gift from brother for Valentine's Day, text messaging with the bro... keeping one another sane. 






Thursday, February 28, 2013

Children of the Mountains

{image via}

1) A song
2) A hope for summer 
3) I wouldn't object to wearing that
4) Not too shabby Minneapolis 

Monday, February 25, 2013

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Coming from the same root


Image via

I read this and found it very intriguing and calming.  A simple, fresh outlook.  Good to keep in mind. 

Source: Luminita D. Saviuc from Purpose Fairy


"Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:"
1. Give up your need to always be right
"There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?"
2. Give up your need for control
"Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel."
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu
3. Give up on blame
"Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life."
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk
"Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that."
“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle
5. Give up your limiting beliefs
"about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!"
“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle
6. Give up complaining
"Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking."
7. Give up the luxury of criticism
"Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all."
8. Give up your need to impress others
"Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly."
9. Give up your resistance to change
"Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it."
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” 
Joseph Campbell
10. Give up labels
"Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open." “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer
11. Give up on your fears
"Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place."
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”
 Franklin D. Roosevelt
12. Give up your excuses
"Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real."
13. Give up the past
"I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now."
14. Give up attachment
"This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words."
15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations
"Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path."

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Eleven

"The world we have made through the eyes of those who will inherit it."


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Pinnacle





















Pictures via Vandell Cobb

Sometimes it feels like it all goes back to those moments sitting in front of the TV with my brothers in the early 90s. We had a bowl of popcorn.  We had Sega propped up on the VCR. Mom and dad were nearby on the couch. There was an outside world, but right then it was just about the five of us. We peered into Chicago through the TV screen and we saw MJ sky bound. Meanwhile, we were grounded on our family room floor with those who mattered to us most.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

It'll be lost

That painting is still crooked. Intentions to fix it 428 days in a row and counting.
I've grown so accustomed to things.  But, some day I will miss them. 
And I'll long for it all to be just as it was. 



























1. Lake Harriet walk at dusk.
2. A familiar sight. Three little bears.
3. Art from a 5th grader with an impeccable eye.


What? A girl can't listen to Bon Iver on a quiet February night?

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

A Wonderful Man

Uncle Jim, you are a wonderful man.  You will be missed.  Your devout love for Diet 7Up will be missed.  Your quiet kindness will be missed.  Your laugh will be missed. 

It brings great peace to know you are with Aunt Sharon in heaven.  Rest well. 


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Oh just shoosh

Yes, I saw this in the trailer for Safe Haven.  Yes, I plan on seeing it on a date.  And, yes, that date will in fact be with my roommate Mallory. And, yes, we will buy Raisinets and popcorn.  The end.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Beneath that veil of clouded blue

 {image via}
KEVIN: Why don't you go over and ask her to dance?
PAUL: Is she looking over here?
KEVIN: No, she's not looking over here.
PAUL: Good. (Frowns.)
KEVIN: She's coming over here.
CARLA: Hi, Paul.
PAUL: Hi, Carla.
KEVIN: Carla?
(Shot of the three of them. Kevin joins their hands together.)
KEVIN: I think Paul over here has a little something to ask you.
CARLA: OK!


(Shot of Paul smiling as Carla pulls him onto the dance floor. Kevin smiles in the background.)
(Shot of Carla and Paul as she starts to dance. Paul kinda stands there, snapping his fingers.)
(Close shot of Kevin frowning at them off-screen, as he gets more punch.)

It was as sorrowful a spectacle as I had ever seen on the evening news.  But then an amazing thing began to happen. Paul actually began to enjoy himself.  By my third cup of punch, he was having the time of his life and I began to realize what a miserable time I was having.


I've been watching The Wonder Years lately (about once a week).  It provides a nice break from a life of lesson planning, grad schooling, data tracking, grading, printing, stapling, IEPing, evaluating and teacher collaborating. Sometimes it is nice to just tune out the responsibilities and take some time to just... relax.  Past weekends I've wrestled with intentions of getting at least some work done on Saturday and then facing the reality that I am actually not going to get anything done.  So, this Saturday, I had class from 8-1 and I decided to just contently laze around the rest of the day. I didn't allow myself to feel guilty about it because I knew I would shortly be back to the grind less than 24 hours later.  The Wonder Years has me reflecting on my own schooling growing up, and the teaching I'm currently immersed in.  I can get so caught up in the academic piece of teaching, that I forget to consider student relationships.  Are their actions provoked by a longing to impress so-and-so? Does so-and-so actually have legit reasons for not wanting to be so-and-so's partner? In elementary school we want to church once a week at the end of the day. We walked in two lines - boys and girls.  We then filed into the pews boy, girl, boy, girl.  Everyone counted their position in line to try to strategically place themselves next to someone they wanted to sit next to.  I wonder if any of my students do silly things like this too?

Anyway...

Here I sit in a coffee shop (go ahead and laugh, Matt) and I take a few minutes to write and listen to music before I begin the checklist of Sunday have-to's.  Right now I'm feeling grateful.  I'm grateful for a lot, but I don't always name it.  Last year I came across a quote that read, "Start each day with a grateful heart." It helped catalyze my day with positive energy. Instead of focusing on the things I wasn't looking forward to, I started listing things I was grateful for.  With that being said, I still struggle to get my behind out of bed. Once a late sleeper, always a late sleeper. 

Although the list could go on and on, here is a short list of things I am grateful for...
1) My family - Mom, Dad, Matt, and Kevin
2) All my wonderful aunts, uncles and cousins
3) My dog Lenny - a boss since day one
4) My friends, both those far away and nearby. Whether it be current laughter or memories of laughter, your support and love will always mean the world to me.
5) Coffee
6) Funny books -- "Letters From A Nut" by Ted L. Nancy
7) Eggs benedict
8) My students, my students, my students - both current and past

*The list is not really in a specific order.  Although I do love eggs benedict, my kids definitely rank higher in importance.

A song for you... It has nothing to do with my life right now, but Otis Redding will always be a classic. 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Kindergartners speaking their minds

{Image via}

Life in the elementary wing...

During my prep a kindergartner knocked on my door and craned his neck into my room...

DJ: Did somebody order coffee and hot wiiiiiiings?
Me: Why yes I did.
DJ walks in and puts a plastic mug, plate and chicken drumstick on my desk. He waits for me to pretend consume all the items and pretend give him money. Once I have finished....


DJ: Please dine with us again.
Me: May I ask where I just dined?
DJ: DJ's Doughnut Shop.

There are plenty of perks of having an office across from the Kindergarten room.

Before winter break I played in a staff/student basketball game. In response to seeing that game, a kindergartner said, "Ms. B, you are AWESOME at baseball. Even better than my grandpa!" By "baseball" he meant "basketball." And by "awesome" he was referring to my 3 missed free throws and the 4 lay-up points I managed to score when no one was guarding me. But, ya know, it's all tomato, tomahto, to a kindergartner. Nothing quite like the innocent naivety of a 5 year old to make you feel like a NBA all star.


In unrelated news...
Missing: Summer days at home on my hammock
Listening to: "I Know You" by Bright Eyes
Craving: Double baked potato
Wishing: I could make a documentary on my students. Honestly, their lives and what they say on a daily basis is film worthy!
Happy: That this bike is on its way tomorrow! 
Reading: "Teaching Essentials: Expecting the Most and Getting the Best From Every Learner," for class and "The Red Tent" for book club
Need: Strategies to help get my butt out of bed in the morning
Thinking about: Upcoming trip to the Sundance Film Festival !!!