Snowed in--Friday

Friday

1. Run to Dunkin Donuts as the snow starts because you might be able to get out for a day or 2--ironically, my hubby didn't even get coffee despite being the sole coffee drinker in the  house. Also, wanted to get the kids out of the house to kill some time since we knew we'd be housebound for a bit. (If only we knew how long we might have stayed out longer!).

2. Run to KMart to get batteries just in case of a power outage. Realize that buying batteries means that power will most likely not go out. While at KMart, also realize that you should get some milk there, because when it snows in New England, everyone buys some (we already had eggs and bread at home)--you might have a French Toast emergency during the storm.

3. Drive home.

4. Realize once you get home that you are missing some ingredients to make nachos and chili (dinner for last night and tonight). Send hubby back out into snow to get that.

5. Make homemade mac and cheese for lunch. Bake cupcakes to decorate later with the kids.

 

6. Call neighbor to bring kids over to play because kids are already irritating you--chit chat with her while 5 kids under the age of 6 run amok throughout the house.

7. Put kids down for a nap. Try to get cleaning and work done.

8. Get annoyed at kids because they won't nap, meaning you won't get your work stuff and cleaning done.

9. Do lots of laundry in case power goes out.

10. Do 8 million math pages with oldest child because she asked. Play trucks with youngest child because he is all about stuff with wheels.

11. Send children outside with husband to play in the snow while he shovels.

12. Make nachos for dinner. Decorate cupcakes and eat for dessert. Marvel at the fact that your children are old enough to not trash the entire kitchen when doing this activity. Decide that we must make cupcakes more often.

13. Bedtime for kids=drinks for us.

14. Study while hubby cleans snow again.

15. Listen to wind whip snow and ice into your window.

16. Look at the driveway your hubby cleared 2 hours ago, and say "HOLY COW!!" because there are already 6-8 inches covering everything again.

17. Go to sleep wondering what everything will look like in the am.

Restless....

With me, satisfaction is always very fleeting with our work. I always get a little restless with it. 
Geddy Lee 


Musicians are notoriously restless. We are always looking for the next gig, the next piece. I find that in my teaching I feel this way as well. I've been working on my National Board Certification, and I think one of the many reasons that I decided to do this is because I wanted to do something big that didn't entail getting my PhD or administration certification. 

There are moments in my job where I think "Goodness, I'm not sure if I can do this job forever," but at the same time, there is a comfort and ease with knowing my curriculum inside and out and being able to just add and enhance it year after year. 

But then I get that restless feeling again........ 







 

My insane organization

This post is inspired by From Meredith to Mommy's post on trying to tackle organization. Thanks for making me think, Meredith!


Colleagues and friends who know me well will tell you that I am organized. Not freaky organized like the guy in "Sleeping With the Enemy" where every can must face the same way, more like as far as time management and getting things done.

Work example-- I pick my fall repertoire in the spring, and purchase all of my music in June. I have kids stuff the folders the last week of school so that they are ready to go, and I don't spend the week before school in my classroom. This year, I had some extra time, so I copied all of my general music packets for the year in the spring. Yes, I'm that ridiculous.

Social example--I already picked the date for my son's birthday party in April and set up the FB invite. March is a crazy month for me (musical at school, among other things), so I wanted to deal with it while it was in my head.

Home example--I have always picked out clothes the night before. This habit was given to me by my mom when I was a kid. Well, now I have extended that. I pick out clothes for me and the kids the MORNING before. After I get the kids on the bus/to pre-school, I pick out their clothes for the next day. It gives me one less thing to deal with when I come home and fly solo while Scott is at work. I have also been known to make Lori's lunch for the next day as soon as she heads to the bus stop. It makes our mornings so much easier when everything is picked out and we don't have to race around--which we seem to do anyway.

You can think it--"this girl is insane."

But then, when I get home from work, and Scott has to dash out the door and I am dealing with the kiddos, it is nice to be able to hang out with them, read, help with homework and get dinner done without those chores looming over my head. I also like that when they go to bed, I can take time for my stuff--school work, boards stuff, and maybe I spend some time on FB and watching TV, too. :)

But I still think I'm a little crazy. Can't imagine what I'd be like if my house was super organized, too! 

Who needs that many jackets??

I walked into my garage the other day and noticed that my husband had 5 different jackets hanging by his ski rack. Now, this would be fine if those were the only 5 jackets he owned. But then I put something in the coat closet-- he has 6 jackets in there. We also have a cedar closet in our basement where we store off-season stuff. At least 4 in there. Then there is his other closet in the basement, for all of his ski/camp gear. I didn't count, but there are probably 3-4 more (at least) in there.

Who needs this many jackets?? A hoarder. My husband is a clothes and gear hoarder. I have a feeling that when we are old and gray, our kids will have to sneak into our house and take a few items of clothing at a time out of the house so he doesn't notice.

Maybe that will be my new plan when he is skiing on Sundays.

Bedtime Routine

From the time our kids were newborns, we always had our routine. Bathtime, books, song, and then bed. Once Lori had hair long enough to comb (which was probably before 9 months!!), then that evolved into a short show so she would stay still. Showtime has remained. It gives them some time to unwind, and we snuggle, and some times that is when I check email, put clothes away, etc.

I love how these 2 little people also have developed their own individual routine. Since I'm home during the week by myself with them, I put them to bed the most. And on the weekend, Hunter still wants me to put him to bed. Lori is a daddy's girl, so she will ask him. She wants us to pick her up to put her in bed, even at 5 1/2. Lori must have her closet door closed when she goes to sleep, we pray, and then I must sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Then we chat for a few minutes--this is usually when I get crazy questions to answer because she becomes philosophical at this time of night. And the door to her room stays cracked open.

Hunter could care less about his closet being open or closed. He must climb in bed himself (when he was an infant, that child would VAULT into his crib because he was ready to sleep). Then I need to sing "Shine on Me." Then, even though he is tucked in already, he needs to stand up to give me hugs and kisses, "knocks" me over on my back, and says "let's sleep like this, Mommy." This lasts about 30 seconds, until he giggles and says, "I can't sleep like this!" Then we lay back down and do prayers. His door must be shut completely.

I know that some moms absolutely dread bedtime, but it is one my favorite times of day--I love having that quiet minute with my babies to snuggle and say I love you. My kids have always been great sleepers, so I never face that time with dread. Plus, once they are down I know I have some quiet until Scott gets home!

I'm so boring I'm writing about my steam pan!

 

I was washing dishes tonight and contemplating how awesome my steam pan is, especially with how much use it gets. I think that 5 out of 7 nights I use it to steam veggies or boil pasta. It is small and not really fancy, but it does the job.

Why do I use this so much? I try and make sure that we some kind of veggie with dinner. Since I'm lazy, usually that means opening up a bag of frozen veggies, dump some in the pan, and let them cook while I'm getting the rest of dinner ready. I know that they also make those Steamfresh bags, but I can get a bigger bag of veggies much cheaper and just use my pan. Plus, I never like the way my veggies taste in those bags. My hubby takes steaming one step further. He'll add olive oil, lemon juice, or seasonings to the water at the bottom of the steam pan, and the veggies taste even better. 

Are there any other ways that you like to serve veggies that are as easy as this? Remember, I'm lazy when it comes to cooking, so if it has too many steps, I'm done.

Opportunity

I was talking with a friend this summer about my frustration with a committee that I was on, particularly the lack of leadership. I mentioned that when I was done with the National Board process that I might consider applying for the position.

This position came open in the fall, and I didn't apply--I had just started working on my National Boards, I had a student teacher, and I felt like it would be way too much for me to tackle.

Well, the position came open again, and my friend and 2 others immediately emailed me about it and told me to apply. I kicked it around and thought about it, and decided to apply.

I hope that I didn't make a mistake in throwing my hat in the ring. While I've had leadership opportunities in the past, I've never held a leadership position for such a large group. I'm a little concerned about hitting roadblocks--I have some pretty specific ideas about what I would like to do and how I can get there, but I'm worried that I will be prevented from doing these things.

I'm also worried about coordinating performances with people I don't know, in a venue I've never been to, in a conference I've never participated in. I'm the queen of "I have to see it, then I can do it." I'm really apprehensive about taking charge of that part--I want to be successful, and I feel like I'll be flying blind the first time around.

I am excited about the possibility in using my talents to serve an amazing national organization--I hope that if I am selected, I can live up to my expectations and theirs.