idontbelieveingrammar

The 19 year old version of myself didn’t make too many good decisions and was a pretty big mess. Yes, I had great friends and was involved with some pretty great organizations and loved Jesus…but it was no secret that I often skipped class, drank too much, signed up for credit cards I shouldn’t have, drove too fast and chased after all the wrong boys. I’m 32. And I still do some of those things. But the last one I can scratch off the list. Because, surprisingly it is something my 19 year old self managed to get right. Thirteen Octobers ago, this shaggy haired guy with a goatee asked me to go to a soccer game with me. I had just broken up with a great guy, pretty much for being great, and the last thing I wanted was a new boyfriend. But he was cute. And so I said yes anyways. And he has been stuck with me ever since. He was some magic combination between the good guys that I wanted to like and the bad ones that I always ended up falling for. He liked good movies, live music, so...

Lately I haven’t felt very productive in most areas of my life. I have been going to all kinds of work trainings and I always leave a little conflicted. Like I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. That maybe I should quit and really try to write or serve in some bigger ways. That maybe I should teach at a rougher school down the road. Loving bigger and harder. Or that maybe I should be just doing my current job better. Because really, I kind of like where I am at. But maybe start actually getting papers graded on time and getting lesson plans turned in for a change.  That I should be the ones teaching the workshops, rather than sitting in them, and using that Masters degree of mine. I keep waiting to do something with my life, And the writing is always at a stalemate. I still have no idea what I want to do with it. And so I just keep doing the same things. And the same things are good things. And my kids are little, and probably the most ...

This morning my kids walked out the door as Jango Fett and a butterfly. I'm not really sure who Jango Fett but it has something to do with Star Wars and requires a light saber. And well, Tess isn't too thrilled with the butterfly. So here is to costumes and my annual Halloween repost from when he was 3 and spiderman: Owen just scooted out the door for the day dressed as spiderman. His school is having a halloween party......but I am not sure he was supposed to show up ALL day in costume. I also considered the fact that they are serving lasagna for lunch, and the outfit is a one-piecer making "potty time" a nightmare. I thought maybe just taking his costume to put on at party time would be a better idea. However, I could not convince my child of this.Before leaving he asked me a question that has stuck with me ( well maybe because he asked it about a dozen times in a span of 5 minutes). "Who are you going to be today mommy?" First I tried responding wi...

Last weekend I made a quick run to the lake to visit my family. I dreaded the drive. It’s close to four hours, which isn’t too bad. But it had been a long week. I hadn’t slept great. And it was just me and my 2 year old. My 2 year old that screamed a good portion of the way there. But not long after exiting 45, the last stretch, a long windy road that takes me up the back side of the lake, I started crossing bridges. And the second I hit the water something in me began to settle. My husband comes from mountain people. And I do love the mountains. But I come from the water. My annual family vacation growing up was always the beach. I was wading in and out of waves, boogie boarding and collecting seashells and throwing back oysters on the half shell long before kindergarten. Somewhere around middle school my parents bought a sailboat. And dragged me down to the bay almost every weekend. I was at the age where I wanted to spend my weekends on the phone or meeting...

Home Run  and Claw and Antlers For your enjoyment Owen Guest Blogging

The ipod connector in my car isn't working, so I have had to drag some old cds out of the attic. I haven't bought cds in ages so my playlist is a little dated. just like the photos. The pics could have been better if: a) I spend more than 2 minutes on my lunch break picking them out b) I actually scanned them in rather than just taking pictures of pictures on my phone. Sorry...I'll try to make up for it in commentary! ok, guessing about sophomore/junior year of college at a soccer banquet. My hair cut is the same. His not so much. And I think that might be the last time I saw him wear a tie. Freshman year. Bad purple hair. I have on a lamb name tag. And my hot pink lipstick and bad jumper aren't doing me any favors. Just glad someone else had on a bad plaid dress too. You could possibly sell advertising space on my forehead. 9th or 10th grade of high school school photo. That shirt was silk, Esprit and I loved it. AND HORRIBLE. But my hair has never looked better. ...

My school has been sending me to some inquiry training. The “i” word has been thrown around since my education classes in college. It is one of those things that is really good as a concept but kind of hard to pull off in the classroom well. For lots of reasons. But the big one number is because teachers are reluctant to let go of the control. To let the kids loose with a concept and see where they end up. Let them discover, own it and share out all on their own. Without intervening. Then push them a little bit further and clear up any misconceptions that they are holding onto before they slip out your door. This is supposed to be the most meaningful way for a kid to learn. For them to discover rather than memorize. One of the other problems with inquiry and science is that kids have stopped learning how to ask questions. My son bombards me with whys all day long. Why are owls nocturnal? (which comes out a lot more like “not-turtles”) Why do I have to take a shower? Why ...