The Twelve Days of Christmas Vacation

At some point, I realized that I had twelve days of vacation (that was including weekends) and I had been posting my activities as my Facebook status.

I always have high hopes for breaks: books to read, closets to clean, shopping to do, folks to visit. But my husband reminds me to relax, no need to plan. (How we are both Capricorns is beyond me?!) Doesn't he know that the need to feel productive outweighs the need to relax?

So during my twelve days of Christmas vacation, here's what I accomplished, (and much of it was relaxing, dear):

• Gingerbread houses - both edible and non-edible - with my daughter.
• Lunch with a friend. It was so nice to catch up with folks we hadn't seen in awhile and to enjoy yummy southwestern food.
• Last minute stocking stuffer shopping - The Dollar Store rocks!
• Laundry! So I did have to catch up on the dirty clothes that were piling up.
• Traveling to his side of the family which involved lunch at the cafeteria (a favorite spot for Grandma Sarah) and watching the delight on our daughter's face as she opened her Barbie Dream House (thank you, Nana and Gaga)
• Visiting with my family at our home, so they could see all that Santa brought
• Celebrating our birthdays (mine and hubby's)
• Attending Christmas eve services, reminding me of my childhood church
• Enjoying girls' night out at a favorite restaurant, Gravy - yummy!
• Organizing my clothes closet
• Playing board games with the neighbors to ring in the new year
• Eating black eyed peas with ham for good luck

Overall, a wonderful twelve days!

Answering Your Texts: Minding Your Manners

Recently I've been struggling with the idea that an answered text is just like a non-returned phone call.  If I text you a question, then I expect a response. Is that too much to ask?

I certainly don't expect it right away, but within twenty fours I hope you have returned my communication, be that by text, voice, email, whatever.

A few weeks ago I texted three friends about getting together.  No answer.  After two days, I decided to Facebook message them and added this note:  Since I didn't hear from you via text, I'll assume that you are either 1) way too busy to respond, 2) just plain unresponsive, or 3) ignoring me.

While it mind sound as if my feelings were hurt, they really weren't.  I'm much more concerned with manners than feelings at this point, and it's just plain good manners to return your communications, isn't it?

100 Books in 2013

A new year means a new pile of books to read.  For the past few years, I've attempted to read 100 books in a year. That's only two books a week, a very attainable goal for a woman who used to be a voracious reader. 

So many things seem to be time suckers for me now, but I'm still committed to attempting to read 100 books in a year!  Last year I managed to record 31 books that I read.  I'm sure that I read a few others that just didn't make it to the blog or on the Goodreads list.

So happy new year and happy reading!  Send recommendations!

Tweeting for Jesus

A few Sundays ago my daughter and I were running a little late for early church.  We slipped in the door and scooted up the back steps, deciding to make less of an interruption for the approximately thirty folks in the main pews by choosing to sit in the balcony that morning.  It's nice to be the only person in the balcony at church when you have a restless six year old with you.  It's also pretty neat to have that  bird's eye view of the sanctuary and all that's happening during the service.

I cannot remember whether it was during the opening prayer or maybe during the news and announcements, but I spotted a man in the middle of the left side of the church who was scrolling through an app on his phone.  Now I don't know this man's situation at all:  maybe he's a doctor or some other profession where he's on call and needs to check his messages.

Or maybe he heard something that he needed to record or something that triggered a thought that he needed to write down to remember.  I often write down verses or parts of the sermon that speak to me, usually scribbling them on the church bulletin or in my itty bitty notepad that lives in the recesses of my purse.  Whatever he was doing with his phone got me to thinking about technology at church.

Is it appropriate to tweet during the sermon?  Is it okay to make a note on an electronic device during the Lord's Prayer?  Is it alright to pass along words of wisdom and great lines from a sermon on Facebook during that sacred hour?  Is it okay to use our technology during church?

Where Does the Time Go?!

A weekday in the life of me:

5:30AM
Rise and shine, shower and dress, prepare for the day

6:00AM

Coax the little one out of bed, make sure she dresses, ply her with apple juice, a granola bar and a cheese stick.

6:30AM

Out the door, on the way to her school and then my work

7:25AM-3:30PM
Work! I could give you the details of my day as a middle school educator, but then you, too, would be utterly and completely exhausted.

4:00PM
Gas up the car, hit the bank, pick up groceries (thank you for online grocery shopping!)

5:00PM
Pickup the kid from the bus stop, head home, start laundry, read and play with child, cook supper

6:15PM
Eat supper, clean kitchen, run bath for kid

6:45PM
Check Facebook, email, play letters in Words with Friends games

7:00PM
Help kid with homework (yes, kindergartners have homework!), read with kid, say prayers and sing

7:45PM
Watch the last 15 minutes of Big Bang Theory rerun, pack lunches for the next day, finish cleaning kitchen, fold laundry, call mom, think about all the great blog ideas that I have

9:00PM
Watch Glee! or Law and Order SVU or read one of the twenty books that are stacked next to the bed

10:00PM
Get ready for bed, check on child, speak to husband, kiss him goodnight

It's 10:30 p.m., and I'm wondering where my day went. How can I manage to make it through a 24 hour period and feel like there is so much more to do, need to do, want to do?

Why One Good Teacher Quit Teaching or Is Money Really the Issue

No, dear readers. I have not resigned from my teaching position. But one good teacher in Florida decided to quit teaching at the end of the 2011-12 school year. You can read and watch about Linda DeRegnaucourt and her decision to end her 13 year teaching career on the CNN website.
DeRagnaucourt says she's quitting teaching because of the low pay and the way teachers are treated:

...I came to the realization that the money I make isn't enough. It isn't enough to live alone. As educators we make what we make, nothing more, nothing less. In industry, if I'm valuable, the company can keep me by making the package they offer me more attractive. In education, the principal's hands are tied.

There has been a lot of debate lately over merit pay and pay for performance, ways to increase salaries for those that "perform", mostly based on test scores. There are some valid points on both sides of the debate.

But ultimately for me, it comes down to whether teachers are making a livable income, especially single teachers.

I had a conversation with a colleague, a teacher in her early thirties, who is delaying seeking medical treatment for her health issues due to the cost: it was two weeks until pay day and she did not have the money for the co-pay. Yet, this same teacher spent a weekend at an amusement park a few weeks earlier. I'll bet the co-pay and the admission to the park are equal amounts of money.

I'm not saying folks should deprive themselves, but even DeRegnaucourt talks about putting herself on a budget. If one's basic living expense aren't being met, then we have a problem. But the next question has to be, are we living beyond our means?

And DeRegnaucourt says she'll make $20,000 more a year moving from the teaching profession into the nursing field. She'll also be working two more months, right? How come no one every mentions that we are not comparing apples to apples? Even I can do that math:

If the average teacher in XYZ state makes $40,000 per year as a teacher and the average nurse in XYZ state makes $60,000 per year , then the teacher makes $4000 per month and the nurse makes $5000 per month. While that's still $1000 a month more, the nurse also gets paid 12 times a year instead of 10 times! Ultimately that's only a $10,000 yearly salary difference when you compare apples to apples and not to oranges.

I'm wondering if the move from education to nursing has been worth it for her.  Hoping to find a follow-up story.

100 Books in 2012: Junie B., First Grader

Book 31: Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff) by Barbara Park

Over the past week, I have read this book aloud to my daughter, a chapter or two each night, and we have laughed our way through Junie B.'s ridiculous shenanigans, mispronunciations, and just all around silliness as her class comes up with their Thankful List:  not what the teacher expected, but an honest first grader attempt at truly being thankful for stuff.

At her school's book fair, we chose this book to purchase and donate to her school library.  Once it was processed and cataloged, she got to be the first student to check it out.  That was certainly a thrill for her! And she enjoyed my reading it with her each night.  On to the next one!