Running out of Time

This has been one of the least relaxing summers of my life. And yes, I know I am very fortunate to have a job that gives me the summers off, and I could have been working the entire summer, but I am still allowed to feel as if my summer wasn't relaxing. Between graduate school, bathroom renovations, and simply the fact that it was the first summer of being a home owner, time just slipped away from me and now I am looking at a mere two weeks until I have students back in my classroom, papers to grade, and days without naps.

The current graduate school course I am taking is by far the most intensive course I have taken thus far in my program. The assignments are much more time consuming and there are far more of them than in any of the other courses. This is extremely frustrating because I am spending so much time working on my own school work, that I have been seriously neglecting the HUGE list of things I need to get done for actual school (which starts in two weeks remember).

My most recent frustration is the fact that this course has had two MAJOR projects. It feels like I just finished the first one and the second one is already due. Matters are more complicated because now I am having to go into school for training days before the year starts and so my time is becoming even more limited. Additionally, Eric and I are trying very hard to get the bathroom renovation completed (or nearly completed) before the school year starts because we have more time now. I know in a lot of ways my procrastination does not help matters, but I am still feeling frustrated and unable to find any motivation to get work done.

In good news, I did manage to get all of my syllabi written and sent to the copy center. So, at the very least I will have a syllabus to pass out when school starts. I have a training tomorrow at school and I am planning on going in just a bit early and planning out my bulletin board so I know what supplies I need to purchase. My plan is to go into school Friday this week for a few hours before my parents come into town and get that bulletin board completely set up. I will try and remember to take pictures and post them here for you to see.

I need to take Pippin out for his afternoon walk and then seriously buckle down and get some of this project done. I will be in trainings the next two days so I want to get a sizable chunk done today so I have less to stress about the rest of the week. Plus this weekend is shot because my parents will be in town so I really need to try and have everything done by Friday afternoon. Wish me luck!

Until next time,
C

Getting Back on Track

Overall, I was quite successful in accomplishing the items on my to-do list from my last post. I am writing this as a break from graduate school course work. I have found that taking a ten minute break when I feel I need it, often helps me be more successful than trying to push through the feeling and continuously work on the task. The only thing I did not get finished from my list was mowing the lawn. I was able to get it half way done, but then a large hail storm rolled through and with the ground being so wet, I was unable to get the second half mowed. Since then it has rained (down poured) every six to eight hours. I need to find time today to finish mowing, otherwise it will be too long and the portions I just mowed will need mowed again. Today the weather has been quite sunny and so hopefully the ground will dry out enough that I can try and finish mowing this afternoon (provided I finish my school work).

Getting my to-do list accomplished helped me to feel more like myself. It also helped that I baked a new recipe the other day, Lemon Shortbread Cookies. I struggled tremendously with getting the dough stiff enough to roll out, and I ended up baking the cookies in one large sheet and then cutting them at the end, but they taste yummy and that is was matters. I love to bake and be in my kitchen, and with Eric's new job and new work schedule, I have been thrown off and not spending as much time baking and cooking as I need to.

Next week, in addition to continuing with my course work, I NEED to start preparing for the school year. The first student day is three weeks from Monday, and although three weeks seems like a lot of time, I know it is going to fly by. Especially with all of the activities we have planned over the next three weeks, not to mention the summer training days I will be attending at school.

I know it will be hard for me to focus on school work next week though because my maid of honor is coming into town for a few days to see our house and visit/catch up. Hopefully she will be getting engaged soon and so this may be the last time I see her before that happens! We are both getting ready to go through some big life changes and it is always great to catch up. We are both high school math teachers, so we always have plenty to talk about!

The day she is slated to arrive I will be spending the morning visiting with my mentor from my first year of teaching. She has become one of my dearest friends and I do not do a good enough job keeping in touch as I need to. My heart will be full next week, so hopefully that will provide me with the necessary motivation to get myself in gear and start getting ready for this school year. I know a lot will be happening this school year and so I need to find my motivation early and hang on to it for dear life. I have set some professional goals for myself, but I might talk about them in a later post.

For now, it's back to school work. I forgot how time consuming being a student can be.

Until next time,
~C

Out of Sorts

I haven't been feeling myself lately. Usually the summertime is when I am able to get back to my passions. I am less stressed and feeling better than during the throws of the school year. Maybe it is the fact that I am working on course work for my Master's degree, or all of the construction Eric and I have been working on in the house, but this summer does not feel as rejuvenating as past summers have felt.

I often have this overwhelming heaviness that seems to be weighing me down and I can't seem to shake it. Eric is extremely stressed with work. He started a new position in February and is getting ready to open a new clinic for his new company and, in typical Eric fashion, is extremely stressed and constantly worrying about how everything will play out. In addition to worry about our bathroom remodel project, which has taken a turn for the worse over the past week.

Long story short, we tiled the floor, but may have to end up ripping it all out and hiring someone else to come in and re-lay the tile. Needless to say, we have already pour a significant amount of money into this project, and having to buy new tile and pay someone to come in and re-tile something we already tiled was not necessarily in the budget (nor the timeline).

I had actually been feeling more normal about a week ago. I made the decision to get back into meal planning, which I had seriously gotten away from. Trying new recipes in the kitchen was always something that provided me a stress release, and I truly enjoy the process. Just when I was starting to feel back to my normal self, the issue with the floor arose, and that has set me back.

I also feel like I am quickly running out of time. Today is the first of August, which means I got back to work this month, and the students will be back in my classroom in less than thirty days. I have been putting off lesson planning all summer (my graduate work has been keeping me plenty busy), but now that it is crunch time, I have so many activities planned, in addition to my graduate course work that I am beginning to panic about getting everything done in time.

I needed to get these thoughts and feelings out, in hopes that it will help me be more productive with my to-do list for today:

TO-DO: August 1st

• Module 2 & 3 Activity Logs
• Clean mortar off tile in bathroom
• Mow lawn
• Feed & Water outdoor plants
• Cut and bundle fallen branches

This list may not seem very long, it's only five items and I am home all day. However, my graduate work this week is very intensive, and after I finish Module 2 & 3, I still have Module 4 AND a 4-5 page paper to write. My negative attitude is not helping, but I am having a very difficult time shaking the weight off my heart. 

Perhaps I will take Pippin outside to play with him for a bit to try and lift my spirits. Regardless, I need to get my nose back to the grindstone. Before I go, I want to leave you with the recipe I made for dinner last night. It was delicious and a definite Pinterest win!

The recipe is for an Italian Sausage and Rice Casserole from Well Plated. I used Italian seasoned chicken sausage I had in the freezer, but I am sure any Italian seasoned sausage would work well. One of the other things I have been trying to do is use up the food we have in the house, rather than always buying all new ingredients. The meal also received Eric's vote of approval, which is rare, so it must be good!

Until next time,

~C

I Create ... the next step

The second day of Yoga Camp is the mantra of "I Create". I create a lot of things each day. I create worksheets, lessons, meals, laughter, etc. But this is obviously not the purpose of the "I Create" mantra.

The place that I took the mantra during my yoga practice was to create the vision for my future. Over the last five (plus) years, I have often struggled with knowing whether or not I had chosen the correct profession. The more time I spend in education, the more I know that it is the right profession, but I am still not sure if classroom teacher is where I am going to end up.

As I was working through the "I Create" practice, I decided to meditate on what I want to create for my future, and my families future. Through this meditation I was able to focus on what I really hope to be able to accomplish in education moving forward. I was also able to create a plan to reach some of these future goals.

And so comes the next step. I have applied and been accepted to a master degree program. This is absolutely terrifying for me. It has been six years since I was a college student, and it has been four years since I have taken a graduate level course. And now, I am diving in head first to two years of courses, papers, assignments and discussion posts. It's not that bad you may say, but I also know that I am getting ready to enter into what are panning out to be the two craziest years of my life. A new house. Starting a family. Life is not going to be slowing down, and now I'm adding another item to the list.

At times, the idea of accomplishing all of these goals I have set is overwhelming, but I have decided to create a space in my mind where I will be able to find peace and motivation to reach my goals. I know that in the end I will be better off and my family will be better off in the long run.

So I challenge you, if you are reading this, to create a plan to accomplish the goals that you want to accomplish. There is no wish to big, no idea to crazy, nothing to hold you back except for yourself. So create in whatever way to create means to you.

Until our next adventure,
C

30 (ish) Day Journey - I Accept

2016 is winding down, but the excitement in my life seems to be ramping up. 2017 is looking to be quite an eventful year and often when I think about everything that is coming our way, it can be overwhelming. Here are a few of the highlights of what's to come.

Buying a House

Eric and I are currently working with a realtor and looking at potential houses. We have been seriously looking for the past two months and I can feel that we are reaching a point where we will be making a decision soon.

Graduate School

Now is the time. That is what I have convinced myself. I have applied to a masters program to begin in January. With my new school district having a better reimbursement program, it is now feasible for me to earn my masters degree without going into debt, and then enjoy a healthy pay increase.

Moving (AGAIN)

Along with buying a house (very exciting) comes the fact that we have to move again (very unexciting). If you know anything about our journey, you know that Eric and I have moved SEVERAL times over the past five years, and we have just about had it. We are hoping that our next move is a permanent and long lasting one.

Starting a Family (?)

Although not in the immediate future, 2017 is the year that we would like to start a family. Due to our jobs there are ideal times to begin this journey, and fortunately we will be able to settle in a bit before we being this next major journey. 

With all of these exciting life events getting ready to take place sometimes it is too much to handle. Last year, I began subscribing to Yoga with Adriene on Youtube and followed along for about the first 12 days of her 30 days of yoga camp series. I had really enjoyed the videos and in even just the 12 short days I felt stronger, more flexible, and generally more at peace. These are all things that have seriously been lacking over the past two months and so I have decided to begin again. No need to wait until the new year, it's better to just start now, and build the habit while I have the motivation to do so.

The first video in the yoga camp series comes with the mantra "I Accept". I thought it was very bold of Adriene to begin with such a challenging mantra, but I suppose it will set the tone for the rest of camp. Accepting my place in life has always been something that I have struggled with and while focusing on that mantra during the video yesterday I was able to make peace with some struggles I have been going through. Namely, other people getting what I want before me. 

I know I'm 28, and I know I should be more mature, but it has on occasion been soul crushing when I log into Facebook and I see a pregnancy announcement, or a picture of my friends in front of their newly purchased homes. Eric and I have lived in limbo for the last five years and over that time is has been devastating to see others taking steps in their lives that I so badly wanted to be taking. This internal struggle has been something that I have really had to work on, and although I have improved, there is always room for improvement.

Now, please understand that I am extremely happy for my friends who are taking these next steps, but I just would love to be able to be walking along side them as they continue their journeys, rather than feeling like I am watching from the sidelines.

The mantra of "I Accept" is one that is very powerful for me, because it gives me permission to be happy with my stage of life. I am well known for saying to my friends "It will happen the way it is supposed to happen". But as always, this advice is easier to give than receive. 

I am excited about my 30 days of yoga journey, and I hope to grow physically and mentally, as well as stay grounded as the excitement in my life begins to pick up.

If you are interested in coming along on the journey with me, I encourage you to comment, or visit Adriene's channel. I may not do 30 days in a row, but I hope to move through all 30 days before the end of 2016 and begin the new year with a new perspective (and hopefully a new house!).

Until our next adventure,

~C

Laundry Routine

Thanks to my seventh grade FCS (Family and Consumer Sciences a.k.a. Home Economics) teacher (Mrs. Basstress) I have been doing my own laundry since the fateful assignment where we had to have our parents teach us how.

While I lived at home, and in the dorms at Penn State, laundry day was ALWAYS on Sunday. It made sense because we had the most time on those days. You were always back from traveling, and it gave you a fresh start to the week.

This habit of doing laundry on Sunday's stayed with me for a few years after college. In the first apartment my husband and I lived in, we did not have laundry machines in our apartment unit. They were in the building, but you had to carry the loads downstairs, pay by the load, and remember to go and rescue your clothes before someone came and snatched them. Because we were living in a complex that was primarily college students, I found that Sunday mornings were the best time to do laundry because no one else was awake yet.

After we moved when my husband graduated graduate school, we finally had our very own washer and dryer IN the apartment. I was over the moon (what an adult thing to be excited about). And the habit of laundry Sunday's remained. It actually stayed intact for a full five years after college, until I decided to change my habit this past summer.

We have moved (again) back to Pennsylvania and with the move my husband acquired a new work schedule that has him working late two nights per week. I decided that rather than "waste" the time that he was at work, I would try and be productive. And thus began a new laundry habit. When I would do laundry on Sundays I would do ALL the laundry on Sundays. This took HOURS because between my husband and I we typically had four loads of clothing, plus towels and/or sheets depending on the week.

When I first began my multi-day laundry system I would wash all of the clothes that were dirty on the days that I did laundry. It seemed easiest to just combine our piles together and wash them all at the same time. This worked for a while, until I started back to work in the fall, and then I had to start remembering which outfits I had worn as to not duplicate them within the same week (because unfortunately this is something that teenagers would notice).

I was beginning to become frustrated with this system, but with the low quality washer/dryer that we currently have, it was too much to do all of the laundry on one of Eric's long days. And thus resulted my current system, which for the past two months has been working quite nicely.

The first late night Eric works in the week I do my laundry. I produce two loads of clothing (we have a very small washer and a crappy dryer so they can't be huge loads) each week. Total these two loads take about four hours from start to finish. Eric produces a similar amount of clothing each week and so on his second late night, I do his laundry, again taking about four hours.

Not to worry, Sundays are still reserved for washing towels and sheets as needed, but by moving my laundry day(s) into the week, I have more time on the weekend to do things that I enjoy.

What is your families laundry schedule like? Have you ever tried something that failed miserably?

Until our next adventure (House Hunting!!)

~C

What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?

It's the final week of the school year! Can I get an AMEN from all my fellow teachers?! The end of this school year is especially exciting for me as this summer is bringing another move and I will thankfully be reunited with Eric after three months of living apart. It has been a long three months and I am looking forward to it being over.

In the course of the past three months I have started watching a few different vlogers on YouTube to pass some of my down time. One of my favorites is Ellie + Jared and although I watch their daily vlogs as they are posted, I also have been watching some of their past vlogs randomly as they pop up in the "suggested feed". I watched their first daily vlog and Jared asked the question "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" For Ellie and Jared this meant starting daily vlogs for a week and then taking it from there. Now they have been vlogging every day for two years.

Jared's question really struck a nerve with me as I have been feeling somewhat adrift recently with all of the changes in my life, and looking toward the future. I am a teacher, and most days I like being a teacher. However, in the back of my mind I struggle with determining if this is what I actually am meant to be doing. I have a lot of passions in my life: cooking, baking, photography. I would love to drop everything and follow these passions, but the logical side of my brain is just too strong and I can't bring myself to do this. In an attempt to meet Jared's challenge of doing what I would do if I wasn't afraid, I am going to start small this summer and try to work on this blog regularly. I haven't quite decided what "regularly" looks like yet: daily, MWF, etc, but I am looking forward to this adventure.

I hope you will follow me on this journey. I plan to blog about a wide variety of topics: cooking, baking, crafting, moving, life, adventure, etc. I hope that it will be interesting and a little informational, but I know it will be a good representation of who I am as a person.

Today is day one of my self-challenge of doing something that I am afraid of, and I am nervous and excited.

Until our next adventure,
C