Another school year begins

We have had the inservice, the open house, put away the supplies, fired up the coffee pot and prepared our rooms..... so we have no choice but to acknowledge that another school year is underway.

As always, it is a bittersweet event.  The summer is gone, the travels have been completed.  The photos are for the most part edited and the memories  have begun to fade a little.  The seniors have gone on to other things, the new freshmen are worried and there are new students who are going to try to find a place to fit in and be.

A few new teachers, who are also trying to figure out how they are going to fit into our crazy world, have begun their tenure at CHS.  As well as a new superintendent and high school receptionist, there will be new babies coming for some staff and retirements for others at the end of the year.

Myself, I have none of these milestones on the horizon- just the brand new schedule, the brand new students, even bigger classes in the elementary school and at least a little more time down there to prepare for them.  Not a lot but slightly more.  I will desperately miss a few of my missing kids, and am so eternally grateful for some who go over and above for me.  

It will be different in the winter when I no longer am an active team member of the musical.  I will give guidance if necessary, but I just can't do it again.  It makes me so sad in some ways and is a giant relief in others.  There are lots of other things to keep me occupied.

This year though, I have decided to embrace the changing instead of fighting it- I have a big evaluation year coming for my teaching that will hopefully be my last eval.  Those are no fun, people.  I want to stay a step ahead of all that paper work instead of playing catchup all the time.  That sort of data keeping sucks my soul dry; it is not me, it makes me panic and shuts me down.  I may be rolling my eyes and clenching my jaw, but with a little preparation and meditation I will get through it.  Along with the help of a couple of my friends. 

So here comes fall- BRING IT ON. Winter is next, come on- I'm ready.  The insanity of spring in the schools- I've done it before and I will do it again, and it won't kill me.  I have too much to do when it becomes summer again.

 Summer is for photography and kayaking and travels and joy.  And it will be here before I know it.

Back to it

New beginnings- a new year to come.  A friend of mine said she felt like this is way more like "New Year" than Jan. 1 and I definitely agree.  In January nothing changes, really, but today, everything does.  

We all teach, but there are new kids, new classes, new dynamics.  If you are like me, there are new lessons and ideas,  new co-workers in some cases.  As a rule this is good, unless, like me this morning you roll over, look at the time, get up and literally as you SIT UP you remember something you did NOT do yesterday.  sigh.  So I will be leaving for work slightly early.  I should have time to make up this presentation, as I don't have to have it until this afternoon.  It would have helped to look at my to do list, but I relied on my "memory".  Oy.

Anyway, I met some interesting and enthusiastic new 9th graders yesterday.... lets just say that there are some kids that are going to fit nicely into my art department.  Cute- it is all just so cute.  I also got several enthusiastic hugs in the hall - which I totally love as well.

So, I don't want to spend too much time here this morning, as I have to get myself up and going and get ready and the MA always wants to take my picture by the door like we did for the kids when they were growing up.  He's such a maniac sometimes. Lol.

I am really tired this morning, we had open house last night until 7:30- in retrospect, perhaps having a day in between may have been a good idea- which is what we used to do.  The calendar really should be determined by the people who live it.....  and I will leave that idea laying there by itself.

So, my next cup of coffee is calling, and I have my clothes ready for me, and it is going to be a beautiful day.  New beginnings.

And from where I am standing, it is the start of a joyful new year!

December ...... Where did you go?

Lola finally looking wintery

I know where December went- I spent a lot of it sleeping.  And coughing.  Good grief.  I have this amazingly uncanny way of knowing when I am going to pick up a virus these days....  Right at the end of Thanksgiving when certainly little adorable Granddaughters shoved their dirty little fingers in my mouth- I knew it: sick.  In mid-December, when I watched a child cough right towards me from 10 feet away, and saw a vision of those little germs incased in a lime green cloud of disgust- you got it.  I was right.  That one was a lot worse.  That one had me in bed by 8 some nights, destroyed my vocal abilities for 5 days, still has me coughing now 3 weeks later.  I only recently began walking outside, and my hardening back, chest and arm muscles are needing a tuneup again.  sigh.

Oh well.  I am encouraged by the fact that I am pretty sure I will not be affected by the bug that the MA has right now.  He stayed home from work yesterday for the first time in probably 15 years.  I was a bit surprised, he must have fielded all the calls from desperate tax payers that he was going to.  And no one called the house, so this is all good.  And don't worry people, he's fine.

Requisite blurry selfie from Christmas Eve

We had a pretty nice Christmas, it was stretched out over a few days, which is just fine with me.  The oldest Mad-son and his lovely Sarah could not come this year as the next little sweet baby is going to be born in mid January!!  YAY! AND it is much easier for the middle Mad-son and his lovely Sarah and family to be in their own house what with naps and stuff, so we went there for Christmas day!  I actually don't have a ton of photos from any of my Christmas celebrations, preferring to ooh and ah and smooch with the grand kiddos....  So Christmas Eve was spent with the elusive Mike, opening his gifts and having a nice supper and generally relaxing.

RUTHIE!!

Christmas was a hoot, as we arrived, much food in tow, at the Oswalds and immediately embraced the children.  Ruthie is SO cute, and is starting to coo and smile and interact.  Greggy likes everyone to see what toys are his favorites and in general holds wordless conversations with us.  When those words begin, that child will be filling us in on lots of things- he has amazing powers of communication and memory.  Goodness.  And then there are the dogs- Ruger, who insists on lots of attention because she is after all a lab, and Toby- who is a special snowflake, loves me and needs to try to sneak in when Ruger isn't looking.  Toby who loves me, yet gets all excited and spends a lot of time pretending to bite my hand when I pet him....  he's such a goof.

GREGGIE!

A little impromptu Christmas music!  :D

Anyway, the Mad-Accountant and I got a TV from the children for Christmas.  The thing about us is that if something is working, we are really fine with it.  We still had a MASSIVE TV (in square footage, not in screen square inches) from probably 8 years ago and it really had been chugging along quite fine.  But of course, it had been discussed in the past (by certain off-spring) that we should get a flat screen.  blah blah blah.  Anyway, apparently over Thanksgiving it was decided that a new TV was the way to go for us, so it was being planned.  A week later, when I got home from the Madrigal dinner said massive behemoth of a tv had blacked out.  Which is when my lovely self started doing some TV research..... well sort of.  I had help from a certain very smart tech savvy friend who was giving me TV advice.  Anyway, the next day I tried turning the TV on, fortunately, and it worked -otherwise I was TOTALLY heading to Minocqua or possibly Rhinelander to pick up a new set.  Of course I discuss things like this with all of my electronics experts (the boys seem to have picked up this expertise somewhere) and I am sure they were all having a minor heart failure over it.  Because they know that once I finally decide to be brave and do crap like that I do.  And besides, who'd ever think a TV would be under the proverbial Christmas tree.  Long story short(er), I discussed Tvs again right before Christmas day as I was going to be going online the day after Christmas!  AND THEN I got a text with a super deal at Sam's club---  so...... JON!!!  Will you go pickup that TV and I will get it when I come down?  The child lied to his mama....  Lol

Anyway, now I have to get a DISH upgrade which apparently will involve a new satellite; we've had the same receiver since we got the system (no judging, I told you, if it works, why mess with it??)  Sigh.  Oh well, it needs to happen.

Greggie had a blast!  

Did I mention that I will finally use that part of my Amazon Prime??  This should be fun.

Meanwhile, we have this MASSIVE  OLD TV in our front room, and it really needs to either go to a good home (doubtful) or get recycled.  And with the MA being under the weather, well, I am really hoping that he makes an astounding recovery so it can get the heck out of my house tomorrow.

At the Rotary Gardens

So, the Sunday after Christmas I drove myself down to Janesville, gifts in tow, and hung out with another Oswald family for a few days.  We went and saw the Rotary Gardens Holiday Light Show, which was AMAZING, had a little Mexican food and just generally had a  nice evening!  In spite of a ice/sleet/snow storm on Monday, I made it home Tuesday.  Which is when the festivities continued with the Mad-English teacher coming to visit, an amusing supper at the Mad-Science teacher's house, a trip to Bayfield on Wednesday, a wintery hike on Thursday..... whew!!!  I spent yesterday afternoon sort of putting my house together again.  Today or tomorrow will be Christmas removal.

SELFIE SPOT!

This is an amazing event!

Ella in her dressup clothes from Gramma

I also have at least one and probably 2 more blog posts to write.  They have been building up.  I am so far behind in lots of things.  SO MANY parts of my house need straightening up again after a couple months of crazy.  And btw, speaking of that, I am so ready for a little sunshine.  We have had a month of virtually no sun.  It has come out once or twice, but I was sick that day- or in one case, I was in Janesville for the sunny day up here.  sigh.  I am ready, man.  If that sun is out today I am OUT the door, camera in hand.

Good morning with Ella

Anyway, since this is my first post of the New Year, I would like to take a moment to wish you all a spectacular New Year- 2016??  Wow.  Enjoy your year, embrace your life, live for now....  you are all awesome the way you are!  That whole new year, new you stuff is such bull shit.  You people are spectacular, you don't need fixing, you don't need to change.  You can trust yourself, you know what is best for you.  You sure as hell don't need Oprah insinuating that you are not good enough.  You all ARE good enough and in fact you are perfect.  So, eat what you enjoy, move how you like, wear what you want and don't let the MEDIA dictate your life.  They portray an illusion and you are real.  Mute their asses!

WOO HOO

I hope that you have a lovely Jan. 1!  Find your joy and keep spreading it around all year.  Avoid those joy stealers and share  your smiles.  You never know when someone is going to need it.

And off into the New Year we go

I sit down on my couch to write a blog post and it is 4:29.  Yes, in the a.m.  Man, am I tired.  So WHY am I writing at 4:29  4:30 (cuppa coffee #2 happened)??  Well, sleep was not real good last night.  A certain person who shares the room with me MAY have been snoring........AND there was an extra blanket on the bed, which ended up causing all sorts of odd issues....... and my shoulders I realize are aching from my workout yesterday.  I should have moved to my alternative bed, but it was TOOO cold again last night AND I kept thinking that I would sleep well.  Not so much.

Jacpot enjoying his breakfast

So now that you know all sorts of unnecessary things about my sleep or lack thereof last night,  how has your new year been?  I had a glorious Christmas vaca.  Got a lot of snow shoeing in, which rocked!  Had Christmas with 2/3 of the kiddos and a belated Christmas will be coming hopefully VERY SOON.  Checked out a new gym, which no actual insult intended to the owners, I call it the ghetto gym.  It is actually a weight room at a local motel, and it has actually a lot of equipment there. It will do, let's put it that way.  My shoulders are pretty achy today, so I did well, and I have a feeling other parts will be aching later.

In case you didn't get the memo, we also have had 2 extra days off from school this week for some delightful cold Northern WI weather.  -30 - -40 degree windchills will do that to ya.  I have to smile (I've grown incredibly tolerant these days) at the people who in their infinite wisdom question the decisions of school districts around the state who cancelled classes..  Seriously??  I heard of one radio announcer who actually said if he had to come to work, why can't they just have school??  Well, how about that you aren't 5 and you don't have to ride a school bus for 45 minutes in the middle of no where??  I guess I am not so tolerant, lol.  These people would be the first to sue a school district if their little kid got frost bite standing at the bus stop waiting for a broken down school bus. Ah yes.

Anyway, that first day off was epic for me.  I had a list about a mile long to accomplish and I DID!  I was so pleased with myself!  :)  The second day, yesterday, I was more at a loss.  I knew that if I wanted to sit and read all day - I could, but I felt way more restless.  I ended up getting a few things accomplished, and I did sit and read for a while.  But not as much as I wanted to.  Oh well.  It was REALLY cold and windy yesterday. I think the high was -7.  About 7 last night I established myself in a nest of blanket and pretty much stayed there for the rest of the evening.  TODAY, I see on the news, we have a double blessing of a wind chill advisory (merely -20 windchills) AND a winter weather advisory (2-4 inches of snow with that wind).  Yay for us!!  I did manage yesterday, to step outside in the morning to get a couple really nice photos using the gorgeous morning sunlight.

Giant hand holding her share of snow

Meanwhile, I have no idea what day it is......  I intellectually know that it is Thursday, but my inner time keeper is feeling a bit lost.  But we will get through the day, I am again thrown into one of my busiest days of the week with 6 classes, pretty much back to back to the end of the day.  Fortunately, my elementary kiddos are all painting, which takes a lot of the prep stress off of me.

So I will head off into my day in a while here, armed with the knowledge that no matter how goofy the kids are from their extra day off and being cooped up in the house/school that this will be a 3 day week!  It is Friday already tomorrow.  Wow!  And the MA is starting into his January routine and comes home later and later- but still will take weekend afternoons off for a while yet.  Hopefully the temp recovers enough over the weekend for some serious snowshoeing to take place.  And he can go back and burn stuff and do other cabin things for a few more weekends.

So have a happy day, whatever day it is and be a joy giver in this New Year!  We all need a few more joygivers in life.

Off to a good start

I'm not feeling an over all theme surfacing here, today, but I have a series of observations that have been boinking around in my brain.  yes, boinking, shut up.

(I began this yesterday, when it was actually Wednesday, and felt like Sunday)

• First of all, being a Gramma is the most freaking awesome thing and FaceTime makes life worth living.  Lol, well having FaceTime so one can visit with ones baby grandgirl does.  I am channeling Sunday and feeling like they will be calling soon, but alas it is NOT Sunday.  
• I began the new year with no less than 3 challenges.  A crunches challenge, a plank challenge and a push-up challenge.  OH yeah, also I am going to start working on a pull-ups challenge.  As in I am challenging myself to be able to do at least 2 unassisted pull-ups by the end of the year.  Honey, it drives me insane that I can't do one or two.  I mean, it seems I should have enough strength.  Blah.
• This winter is being quite assertive.  Isn't that a nice way to put it?  Assertive.  Actually this winter is being a PITA.  We've had close to a couple feet of snow, and the cold has been with us- a LOT.  Now I hear next Monday and Tuesday mornings we could have wind chill warnings with BRUTAL temperatures.  sigh. Positive note: I've been able to snow shoe!  Of course not when the wind-chills are -40, but still!
• Other than a preChristmas cookie fest, I am feeling quite zen about my eating.  This is NOT something that I have ever in my life been able to say.  I am in the process of getting myself out of diet mentality and into thinking about the many other things in my life other than what I can and can't eat yet today.  It is a terrifying and freeing process.  More to come on this subject.  It is a deeply different idea than we are used to hearing about both here and in the media.  Once again, this huge, alarmist, diet industry is driven my the media and it is eye opening when you are aware of it and are trying to combat it.
• Unbelievably, there is only 3 weeks left in the 1st semester.  This is astonishing to me!  I have a lot to do in the next 3 weeks AND that means that I will have to also prepare for new classes soon.  Wow.  
• I am such a procrastinator sometimes, it drives me crazy.  Lol, I get anxiety thinking about the above statement and knowing how much I have to do.  :)  Yet, I will be working on it, you guessed it, at the last minute.
• I am really excited about all the room that I am creating upstairs right now.  While the job is not done yet, I am over half way through it all, and it is REALLY nice to have it organized.  Out to the library, transfer station and thrift shop has gone many boxes and bags and there will be more to come.  It is amazing how much stuff you can acquire over the years....  And I didn't even save all that much.  
• I took down all my Christmas stuff yesterday.  I have 3 boxes of Christmas stuff I either don't use, don't want or don't have room for anymore.  The children better speak up or the whole lot is going to the above mentioned locations!  :)  I will keep the best of it (that I ran out of room for) and the rest is going to have to relocate.  It is hard to decide what to do with things you still like, but because of my remodeling, I have so much less surface to put things on.  AND it was amazing to slide the boxes easily into their designated location in a very neat and organized closet!! #ftw!!

Anyway, enough of my ramblings.  It seems that I had more things that I was going to say when I began this, but those things must not be too important.  I have not so much resolutions as goals this year.  One is the whole pull-up thing.  I want to work on that.  I am also going to really concentrate in a focused way towards a personal weightlifting goal- last year I felt very unfocused and I know now what I want to do.  I also want to continue doing bodyweight exercises and keep my knees running smoothly by constantly working on squats and doing yoga stretches.  I want to travel someplace new this summer, but I also realize that I have to take a class for my teaching license renewal....  Hopefully one won't get in the way of the other. And of course there is that procrastination issue....

Mostly, I want to continue being NOT stressed out by things I can't control.  I don't NEED to spend my life obsessed with things in the environment or the government or things I hear in the media that I have no ability to change directly.  My anxiety level gets too high. If you think I am a weakling or wuss because of it, so be it.  What I will be is -  happier than you!  :) After living for 50 some years, you learn which battles to fight, which worries to allow and what things and people should be important (and unimportant) in life. I have addressed this already in many ways, and every so often I find another thing that I have to think about and deal with. There are so many good people in my life, I will always put the effort into being a great friend to them. The people who try to bring me down or belittle me, well they are just going to quietly fall to the side of the road that I am traveling on.  Of course I know that life cannot be one big love and hug fest, but it is possible to avoid a lot of unnecessary stressors. Chances are that if you are reading this, you are one of the ones worth the effort.  Because you ALL bring me so much joy.

Off to Thursday/Monday and a short week of school!

What?? How can it be the end of the year??

I know it is the end of 2013, but it really doesn't seem like it should be.  It is astonishing to think that the school year is only 3 weeks from being half over.  Without trying to be too over sentimental, let's take a quick peek...

Happy New Years
Eve!

Unlike what a lot of people here and there scattered across the country and the blog-iverse say, 2013 hasn't been a bad year at all for me.  It is nice to be able to say that.

The best thing about the year was the arrival of my little grand girl Ella and the next best thing about the year is the fact that we found out next year will give us another grandchild.  THAT is the most awesome thing - the joy this brings is indescribable.

Other highlights:

Well I HAVE to say that the ongoing renovations of my house are a JOYFUL part of my year.  The total gut and rebuild of my living room was spectacular and finished with a painting orgy over the weekend of the school play which is where the Mad Art Teacher found out she teaches her children well and that she is indeed dispensable with a less than spectacular bout of the flu on dress rehearsal day.  The Thursday of the play weekend was my day down and out and then Friday night, Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to painting....  and of course the actual play performances.

Following on the heels of that, later in August came the application of new siding on my new garden shed and also my house.  I can't tell you how amazing it is to see that beautiful grey contrasting against the snow right now.

Related to all of this, that I haven't actually blogged about is the total disarray parts of my house was in because of those two events.  This was distressing to me, but I never really had the time, energy or ambition to do much about it until Christmas break here.  Let's just say the upstairs is many boxes lighter than it had been and that there is more to come.  I'm making excellent inroads into reorganizing closets that NEED it- badly.  And when the upstairs is done, the downstairs will fall into line.  And hopefully there will not have to be anymore "chocolate pie incidents".

I did a bit of traveling here and there during this year, the best of the best was a weekend I spent in Janesville, then Chicago and then Janesville again.  I met a person who was an online friend but has turned into a true best buddy and confidant and I can not wait until I can meet up with again next summer.

Being the person I am, a lot of things that I think of as 2013 big items are not things I discussed on this blog.  Either too busy, or it was too personal, or it involved someone who wouldn't want to be discussed.  (this doesn't happen too often, but once in a while I leave a bit of my life unexplored.)  I have things I am working on, and at this point aren't really shareable, and I may have travel plans coming this spring.  We shall see how that comes out.

So what do I want to think of when I might choose to remember 2013?  Well Ella's birth is the prime thing, along with a really long winter and weird northern Wisconsin weather.  A healthy weight, a better attitude about life and eating and exercise.  Not expecting perfection, but not giving up or giving in.  Finding joy.  Giving myself a break, but pushing myself along.  Accepting that I don't have to do it all, but doing the things I choose to well.  Really well.

And I'm looking forward to 2014 and the adventures to come.

And always looking forward to joy- both in the giving and receiving.

What to do, what to do

I am in a state of suspension today.  I am here at my son's getting ready to start the day and the New Year is almost upon me.  I have always had that "lose weight" resolution looming, even though I have never been a big resolution person.  I didn't want to set myself up to fail.  So THIS year is different. It is not typical of other years and I am sort of feeling the lack of a clear goal right now!

I have changed so many things in the last year.  I have changed my eating - my food choices are so different than a year ago, and SOOO changed from 2 years ago.  I have things I choose to eat and things that I never plan to eat again, or at least not for an extended period of time.  I have proven to myself that I can indeed resist foods that I have no power to deny, unless I never taste them again.  Hard to start, but once you change your mindset- it really is pretty simple.  NOT easy, but simple!!!

I know what I have to do in the food department, sort of, but am very much floundering over other parts of my life.  Last year I had both my boundary waters trip and the Dirty Girl run to do and that was an amazing pair of physical challenges to do.  My sore knee affected both things, but it turned into a massive learning experience and gave me satisfaction in ways that weren't anticipated!  Life is full of things like that- you go into something thinking one thing and then things surprise the heck out of you.  You can plan all you want- to feel a certain way, to "never " do a particular thing, to be able to accomplish a goal in a specific way- and then things and people will affect you, touch you, appear to you in unusual formats or with unexpected results.

So what am I going to do?  What is going to surpise me?  What physical thing can I be planning to do, but may turn around into something a little different?  I am not sure, but I need to at least thing of which direction to go in.  It is something I am struggling with right now and I need to at least begin to walk some way!  Or maybe run, or possibly canoe, or kayak???  swim???  Idk. 

But I am anxious to find out.  And I need a start.

I will definitely find some joy along the way!

End of summer musings and a picture post

Today starts school again, and while it is sad to have summer finished, I feel very unfocused in the summer.  I like that part of me, I enjoy being able to do what I want, when I want and it really suits me.  I have been accused of flitting from thing to thing, of whiling away my time,  of exercising all day, of NAPPING (which I did exactly like 3 times this summer), of daydreaming my time away!  Welcome to the land of Debi!  That is me - in a nutshell! But that side of me needs the focused and driven side of me for counterpoint, so here we go.

Glory in the sky

A hint of fall

I think that summer offers me time to think and be.  I need the time off from the stresses of school to be able to become creative again.  By the end of school all creativity is gone, we ALL are in survival mode.  It is hard to be an artistic person when you are overwhelmed by all the things that happen at the end of May, nothing bad about any of it.  It is what it is!  But creativity and artistic is a huge part of what I am, and that part needs to be refueled and refreshed.  My neurons are firing on overtime right now, thinking of things for me to do with my HS kids, with my littles, and some things I want to do for myself.  

Summer endings

Morning glow

A shadow of my former self?  A shadow of my present self!

Butternut Creek on Trout Rd

Shadows

So I am up early and will be into school early today- because beginnings are exciting, new is thrilling for me..... I thrive on positive change and survive through the negative sort.  It will be interesting to see what kind of year this is, I am hoping for positive!   After all, finding joy is a driving force inside of me.