Sunday, March 17, 2024

Car Hospice, My Person, And Spring Thankfuls

The car my daughter has been driving for the past nine years or so was a hand-me-down from my parents. It was a 2004 Toyota Avalon, and I drove it for a several years, then my son drove it in high school, followed by my daughter driving it in high school, college, and now, law school. We had high hopes it would survive until she graduated, passed the Bar, and officially began her Big Girl job at a law firm, but the little car had different ideas. It was tired. It had seen things. It had over 200,000 miles on it. It had to have a new (to it) engine after it began belching blue smoke while my daughter was still in high school. Its ailments increased over the past few years, then a few weeks ago, it became incontinent, losing its oil God knows where, and it was determined by a mechanic to be fatal. It was time to let it go.

Fortunately, my daughter made bank at her summer internship and had some money stashed away, so after MUCH research, making of spreadsheets, and test driving, she got her very first car. This event marks the beginning of my Ten Things of Thankful.

My husband drove up to Kansas City to go with her to the dealership while she signed all the paperwork. He complained a little about it, but I told him MY daddy drove two hours each way to sit with ME in the car dealership when I bought MY first car; it's a dad thing.

My baby and her new ride



While he was in Kansas City, I spent the weekend in Branson at my dad's, because my Person and her daughter were in town. It sure did my heart good to spend time with them. 

Terri and Mackenzie


With my Person


The Hanes outlet is closing, and we made a KILLING buying new bras. Girl thing.

We may have hit SEVERAL outlet stores, actually....

We ate at all of Terri's and Mackenzie's favorite places and got frozen custard twice. TWICE.

And saw The Haygoods show FOR FREE.

The Haygoods show


We had a good dose of Spring this week. The daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips have popped out of the ground and bloomed. The red bud trees are also in bloom, the grass is greening up, and there are buds on all the trees. Winter really may be out of here when it's supposed to be!

There were a LOT of leftover bananas in the kitchen at school that were beyond eating straight up, so I took them home to make banana bread. I planned to make four loaves: two to take to school and share with everyone there and two to take to my dad. I could make enough batter for two loaves at a time in my Kitchen Aid mixer. I had the batter mixed and ready for the addition of the mashed bananas, but as I began the mashing process in a separate bowl with the back of a fork, the bowl flipped off the counter and landed upside down on the kitchen floor, dumping six VERY RIPE bananas all over the floor. I said MANY bad words, cleaned up the mess, and CAREFULLY mashed six more bananas, added them to the batter, and I STILL had enough old bananas to make two more banana breads. See? I DID have a lot of bananas! And the banana bread was appreciated by all who partook.

Saturday was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny, and my husband and I ventured out to Silver Dollar City theme park for our first visit of the 2024 season. We listened to the Homestead Pickers as per usual and took a lap around the entire park and I thought to myself, "God's in His Heaven. All's right with the world."

And it was. And it is. 



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Sunday, March 3, 2024

I'm Conscious It Was A Great Week!

I just had THE most amazing week! I attended a Conscious Discipline Advanced Institute training on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It was a small group of about 45 educators, and we spent the week delving deeply into our own journeys with Conscious Discipline, as well as improving our skills at using it with children. Conscious Discipline is an adult-first approach to social-emotional learning that was developed by Dr Becky Bailey. The week certainly made for a terrific list of thankfuls!

First and foremost, I am thankful to Nikki, my preschool director, for introducing me to CD and for sending me to trainings, especially this one. They were long days, but they were filled to bursting with learning and growing!

Nikki, my co-worker Alyssa, and I flew to St. Simons last Saturday. I'm thankful for my husband for being our Uber driver to the airport at the crack of dawn (truly, it was BEFORE the crack of dawn) AND for picking us up a week later at what turned out to be way to close to the next day's crack of dawn than i would have liked, but more on that later.

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed for the trip!


Our flight from Springfield to Dallas wasn't bad; a little turbulence as we approached DFW, but not awful (btw I hadn't flown since 2010). Then as we were lining up to board for our flight to Jacksonville, Florida, it was announced that we were changing planes, as there was a HOLE in the plane we were to take, and the pilot was not satisfied with the repair that had been made. We then had to rush from A concourse to C concourse (if you've ever been to DFW, you will understand the effort this requires), and board THAT plane. And the turbulence we had on arrival? They were a dress rehearsal for the turbulence ON STEROIDS that we had for the first 20 minutes after take-off. I was pretty convinced the plane was going to explode or drop from the sky (or both), but it didn't and we made it to Jacksonville in one piece.

We stayed at a magical place called Epworth by the Sea, a Methodist retreat center on the Brunswick River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean on land that once was a cotton plantation. The grounds are breathtakingly gorgeous, with massive trees draped with Spanish moss and a view of the water. And you don't have to be part of a private event to stay there! It is open to the public, and the rooms are lovely. The rates are also considerably lower than they are elsewhere on the island. 

View from my balcony

We arrived a day early, so we could spend a little time exploring the island before we got down to business. We had yummy fresh shrimp Saturday night at a place called Iguanas (and yes, I, too, would have expected it to be Mexican food with that name). On Sunday, we went back down to the village and toured the lighthouse and its museum. The original lighthouse was built in 1810 and was destroyed in 1861 to prevent Federal troops from using its beacon during the Civil War. It was rebuilt in 1872 and includes a caretaker's home and is still sending out a beacon that can be seen 23 miles out into the sea. We climbed up the 129 steps (made for a time when people had much smaller feet) and bravely stood at the top without falling off.

The lighthouse at St. Simons Island


The view from the top

Night view from near the pier

While we were on top of the lighthouse, we talked to a woman who recommended a restaurant for lunch. We not only took her up on the place, but also on her recommendation for the pecan-crusted chicken tenders. If you're ever on St. Simons Island, drop into Barbara Jean's for a meal. You can thank me some time between when the basket of hot rolls, jalapeno cornbread, and pumpkin bread appears on your table and when you find that each chicken strip is the size of an entire chicken breast and you have four of them on your plate.


Hungry enough?


My almost-cousin Debbie and her husband Mike live on the island, and I got to visit them! Debbie's dad once introduced MY dad as "my wife's sister's husband's sister's husband". I'll let you work that out on your own, but suffice it to say that while we aren't related by blood, we do share the same cousins, and since ohana means family, well, I consider us family. I spent Sunday evening at their beautiful home that incidentally was on a small lagoon THAT HAD AN ALLIGATOR IN IT. Mike claims alligators are more scared of us than we are of them (yeah, right) and dive into the water when they see a person, but I'm not buying that 100%. And no, I didn't SEE an alligator (it was dark), but the VERY NEXT MORNING, a neighbor saw one sunning himself and sent Debbie a picture of it.

We did not dress alike on purpose.

Gator young'un

The training started early Monday morning. At CD events, the table you choose to sit at becomes your table, and the others at the table become your event family, and we sure ended up with a terrific one. Bonus was that our "table helper" was Master Instructor Vicky Hepler, who had been the presenter when we attended the week-long CD Institute last summer. What luck!

This school year, I have been lucky enough to have a Conscious Discipline coach come into my classroom a couple times and work with me, and I was even luckier that my coach, Amy Speidel, was the presenter at this CD training. Amy and I found we had a lot in common when we first met, and it was delightful to get the opportunity to learn even more from her! On Thursday evening, Amy announced that we were going to have a little surprise, and instead of a LITTLE surprise, it was a GIGANTIC SURPRISE of the very best kind: Dr. Becky Bailey came up from Orlando to meet us and to present to us on Friday morning. Swoon!

With Alyssa, Nikki, Dr. Bailey, and Amy

All too soon, our training was completed and our week had come to an end, but lucky us, we stayed one more day AFTER the training ended and continued with exploration, this time, visiting beaches. St. Simons Island is not known for its beaches, but we found a little strip near the lighthouse and walked along it. We got to see dolphins swimming just off shore, as well as see an ENORMOUS cargo ship carrying around 1,000 cars inside it to points unknown. Saturday morning, after checking out of Epworth, we drove to Jekyll Island to visit Driftwood Beach, which has a post-apocalyptic feel to it, then spent some time at Oceanview Beach (more dolphins seen). We then drove to Amelia Island for a quick stop at the beach there (which was the only one with an abundance of shells) before returning the rental car and beginning our journey home.

Driftwood Beach



So, the journey home was not without defugalty, but we made it home IN SPITE OF THE LAST PLANE BEING HELD TOGETHER WITH SCOTCH TAPE. And the plane change. And the connecting city change. And the fact that the new flight (back to DFW) was two hours later than the one to Charlotte had been scheduled for, but we dodged a bullet there, because on THAT flight, it was announced that there would not be bathrooms available and they'd better go before they boarded the plane. And the LAAAAATE arrival in Springfield of 12:30 am and not getting home until 2:00 am. 



Jacksonville airport

Am I exhausted? Yes.

But am I ready for the week? Also yes, because I have new tools to use with my class and a bag full of seashells for them!


Sunday, February 11, 2024

A Winning Week!

This week was much better than last week on the school front, largely thanks to Conscious Discipline. That's a pretty okay way to start out a list of thankfuls, right? Here's why it was better:

1. I employed the breathing techniques I teach my children on myself when my class was not making safe choices. They aren't going to be calm if I'm not, so calm I was. Most of these behaviors were happening during circle activities, so I just sat and breathed deeply until, one by one, they joined me. What you focus on, you get more of. When I focused on what I wanted them to STOP doing, we had chaos; when I focused on what I wanted them to START doing, we got calm. 

2. I didn't hyperventilate from all that deep breathing I did. 

3. We held a Spirit Week in preparation for the Chiefs going to the Super Bowl. We dressed like Mahomes, Taylor, and Travis. We did football drills (how I wish I could post the video I took of my class doing my version of drills!). We did cheers.

4. Probably my very favorite thing to do with my kids is to sit on the floor with them and sing right before breakfast. They crowd around me, and we sing our favorites, such as "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window," "Down By The Station," "I Have A Little Turtle," and, oddly enough, the theme from "The Mickey Mouse Club," which I introduced them to and they fell in love with. This time of playfulness and touch helps create a bond between all of us.

5. I get so many hugs in a day. Some are stealth hugs from a passing child. Some come from behind me and I have to wait until they finish to see who it was. Some are wrapped around my leg so I can't walk. Some nearly knock me off my feet. Nearly all of them include "I love you, Dillon!"

6. It was warm enough to play outside!

7. I am changing my approach to tattling by teaching the kids to use their "Big Voices" when they sense injustice. Example: 

    Child 1: Child 2 pushed me!
    Me: Did you like it?
    Child 1: No!
    Me: Tell Child 2 "I don't like it when you push me! Next time, walk around me."
    Child 1 to Child 2: I don't like it when you push me! Next time, walk around me!
    Child 2 (maybe not always meaning it, but it's a start): Okay! I'm sorry.

This week, I have heard two different children use their Big Voices WITHOUT HELP FROM ME! Progress!

8. We learned how to paint with watercolors, and we now have beautiful Valentine art to show for it.





On non-school related thankfuls, we are in Kansas City this weekend, as we had tickets to see comedian Nate Bargatze Saturday night, so I got to attend church live and in-person this morning, AND I got to meet our new associate pastor Rev. Stephen on his first Sunday at our church. My heart is happy.



Oh, and HOW 'BOUT THOSE CHIEFS?! Two Super Bowl wins in a row! 



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Sunday, February 4, 2024

Even When It's Hard

It's been a rough week. I've shed a lot of tears. something I don't do very often, and I've wished I could crawl in that hole with the groundhog and stay there until I'm sure of fair weather and sunshine and a lighter heart.

Such are the times when it's vitally important to remember there are still thankfuls out there. Here are mine:

Unseasonably warm weather perfect for much-needed playground time for littles (and the bigs who teach them).

Ice cream. Large bowls of ice cream.

A plethora of valentines made for me in the art center.

A new battery for an old but very reliable car.

Finding a brand new jar of moisturizer tucked away in a drawer, just when I needed a refill.

No. 7 brand of skin care.

A phone call from my Person saying she's coming to see me in March.

Learning to use Canva (thanks, Ashley and Abby) and using it to make a Chiefs-themed Spirit Week flyer for school.



An incredibly supportive husband.

My daughter celebrating her 25th birthday today. She is beautiful and smart and accomplished. In a few short months, she will have her Juris Doctor degree, then will sit for the Bar, followed by taking a position as a Public Finance attorney at a large firm that has already seen what a force she is after her summer internship there. Happy birthday, baby girl! You amaze me every day.



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Sunday, January 28, 2024

January Has A Happy Ending And Other Thankfuls

When last we met, I was lamenting how January was NEVER going to end. It still hasn't, but we are down to THREE MORE DAYS, and I think maybe I'll make it, although it's been hit or miss how I felt on any day. And this leads me to Ten Things of Thankful:

We had freezing rain on Sunday night and Monday morning, so school was canceled for Monday. This marks the fourth four day week of the new year OUT OF FOUR WEEKS. There's a thankful for you!

I'm taking my dad to a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, so you know what that means? ANOTHER FOUR DAY WORK WEEK FOR MEEEEEE!!!

There has been rain, mixed precipitation, drizzle, fog, freezing fog, freezing rain, snow, sleet, sub-zero temperatures and wind chills, dangerously gusty winds, and little to NO SUNSHINE for those four weeks. That's the payback for getting days off, I suppose. But the sun came out this afternoon, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it was a beautiful sight!

I'm still working on the 1000 piece Frida Kahlo puzzle that I began two weeks ago. I have maybe half of it done and am hoping I still have all the pieces to finish it, as I found out Nora likes to smack the table with her foot and watch pieces fall to the floor. I anticipate needing maybe two-three more snow days to find all the pieces and get it done.

I didn't spend my ENTIRE snow day this week watching documentaries and working on a jigsaw puzzle; I learned how to make homemade soft pretzels! It's really not very hard and TOTALLY worth it.







Ta daaaa! AND with homemade cheese sauce.

Walmart had 100% cotton flannel sheet sets on sale for $16.00, and you better believe I bought a set!

I'm thankful for Wordle. 

I have the best job! Yes, it can be exhausting and frustrating, but I get more hugs and I love yous than you can imagine. We laugh. We sing. We dance. We play. We work. We keep each other safe. We are a family, and my heart swells with love just thinking about them.

Portrait of me. Note my curly hair and the green striped
sweater that I was wearing that day.


Let's hear it for the Kansas City Chieeeeeeeeeeeefs!!! AFC Champions and going to the Super Bowl! 



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Sunday, January 21, 2024

How 'Bout Those Chiefs and Did I Break My Foot?

January is halfway over, February is a short month, and spring begins in March, right? There's a thankful to kick off this week's Ten Things of Thankful list! Moving on....

We had a three day work week! School was already scheduled to be closed on Monday in remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr., then the snow we received on Monday afternoon closed school for Tuesday.

Payback for having bonus days off is the kids are completely SQUIRRELY with the combination of snowfall outside and being cooped up inside due to frigid temperatures. Worth it.

My leaky, 100 year old home has handled these arctic temps remarkably well! Both furnaces have continued to work and the pipes did not freeze.

My husband was out of town all week for work, so double thanks that nothing happened to the house while he wasn't here. I hate having to adult by myself.

My friend Nikki's birthday was Tuesday, and the roads were clear enough that we made it out of the house and out to lunch.

My daughter found out she received two more CALI Excellence for the Future awards for fall semester, bringing her to three for the semester and four over-all. These two were for Estate Planning for Charitable Giving and in State & Local Government Law. She is awesome!

On Thursday, my friend Ceason's husband brought his new motorcycle by school and took me for my second motorcycle ride of my life (the first was when I was 7 and was done very slowly on our street by our neighbor's cool Uncle Bud). I had a hella time getting my leg hiked over the bike (note to self: do something about this), but I didn't fall off! Winning!


I visited my dad this weekend. Due to the snowy weather LAST weekend, I wasn't able to go see him, so I stocked him up on orange juice, bread, lunch meat, eggs, ice cream bars, Pepsi and toilet paper. You know, the essentials. We also went out to lunch on Saturday. It was my dad's first visit to a restaurant since May, and he was craving a good, greasy hamburger!

Danna's BBQ in Branson and the burger was
delicious and not in the least bit greasy but he
was still happy in spite of the look on his face.

As I opened the back door of the Sequoia to unload the groceries, there was a crash and a 24 pack of Pepsi fell out of the back of the vehicle and onto my right foot before landing on the frozen driveway. This was followed by the SECOND 24 pack that did the same exact thing. Both boxes exploded on impact, there were cans lying in the snow, frozen Pepsi drizzled everywhere, and my foot hurt. It took me some time to gather up 48 cans and two soggy cardboard boxes, but when I finally got all the Pepsi mess AND all the groceries into the house, it turned out that only one can had opened (thanks in large part to my FOOT for taking the brunt of the crash). I opened one of the cans today for my dad and the Pepsi didn't spew out, so much relief that my dad won't have to open each one outside.

Wondering if my foot was broken.


Looks like a little bomb went off inside.


BONUS THANKFUL. The Chiefs won their playoff game against Buffalo. Next, they play Baltimore, and the winner goes to the Super Bowl. GO CHIEFSSSSSS!!!

Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce's brother, after KillaTrav's first of two touchdowns.
I assume my brother would do the same for me....

So many thankfuls, so little time. 

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Sunday, January 14, 2024

I Did My Best

 Well, this will be fun! My laptop just said no and I’m left with writing my TToT on my phone or not at all. Here goes nothing:

1. We had a Snow Day on Tuesday. I had already made it to work before it was called, so I threw some salt on the sidewalks and went back home. 

2. It was cold and nasty all week, so we couldn’t go outside, but we managed to burn energy and stay entertained without the classroom imploding. 

3. Diet Dr Pepper has been on sale at Walmart for weeks. I know (inside source) it will be going up next month, but until then. . . .

4. Winter jammies are on sale just when they are most needed!

5. I am thankful for Rotel Cheese Dip (simply called “hot dip” in our family). It is family tradition to eat it during Chiefs games, and while I don’t do so EVERY game, I did this weekend and it was just what I needed. 

6. It’s not been the best season for my KC Chiefs, but they got the W at Saturday’s game, in spite of temps hovering around zero degrees with wind chill in the negative numbers. 

7. I’m almost finished with the David Sedaris book I’ve been reading through the Libby app. Feeling pretty accomplished. 

8. Can’t say enough good things about my heated mattress pad. Ahhhhh!

9. I’m thankful for streaming services. I watched movies all afternoon while working on a jigsaw puzzle. 

10. I’m thankful for a warm home. It’s 100 years old and there are certainly leaks around doors and windows and other curious places, but it’s still warm and cozy on a day when it didn’t get above zero degrees AND snowed. 

Made it! The type is so small on my phone that I can’t proofread, so fingers crossed!