Making Fudge

Today we went over to Stein's parents to make fudge for Christmas. This used to be a tradition with my brother-n-law Marty's family and us, but we got away from it the past couple years. Jake, our nephew, requested that we reinstate the tradition this year. And so we did.

I forgot to bring my camera (I still forget that I have one, so I forget to bring it with me when we go anywhere). I wish I would've, because it was quite the scene to see Stein, his brother Marty and our three nephews working together to get the fudge made. We really noticed today how tall the boys are getting. Even though we see them pretty often, for some reason we noticed a change today. Jake is now about 6'3" and he's 13. He towers over Stein, and is now taller than his dad.

Each of the boys took his stirring responsibilities seriously. Stein also took his uncle responsibilities seriously and coached the boys during the process. "STIR!" This was the word of encouragement that he barked while the boys stood at the stove.

They ended up making 4 batches - 2 chocolate, one peanut butter, and one chocolate/peanut butter. They all turned out great. We managed to get away without taking any fudge home. We already have a ton of holiday junk food around, and didn't need to add the sugary fudge to the mix. We had a couple pieces before we left, and that was enough. I'm still experiencing the sugar high that started about 2 hours ago, and I think a nap is in order this afternoon. Maybe I'll have visions of sugarplums, or sugary fudge, dancing in my head.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I subbed yesterday.

When I got there in the morning, I was in a great mood. I knew the drill, I knew what to do. And most of all, I knew the kids. I got into the room and Linda was already there. It was good to see her, and it was good to touch base with what she wanted me to cover that day. We chatted for a while and she was on her way to her meeting. I did some last minute things that needed to get done, and Matt came in to say hi and chat. "It's good to have you here," he said. "It's good to be back," I said cheerfully. How nice.

The kids greeted me with hugs instead of the usual handshake that is the routine in the morning. Even kids from Matt's class stopped in the hall to give me hugs.

The morning started just like any other morning did when I was student teaching. Keeping the same 3 boys on task, getting kids to finish their planners and their breakfasts (most of the kids qualify for free or reduced lunch). Another teacher came in to do some work with a group of kids, so I had everyone else do some work in their workbooks. We had our morning meeting when I told the kids that I was excited to see them and excited for the day. Everything was going swimmingly.

Until the math lesson.

The math lesson was not as structured as other math lessons given, and I know these kids when this happens. They lose it. They go crazy. And predictably, they did. The lesson dealt with measuring things around the room with a meter stick (yard stick). Suddenly, sticks were being twirled, sticks were being used as swords, and sticks were leading impromptu parades. I had to use my teacher voice more than once during this time. The girls with attitudes used this time to chat and gossip in a corner. When I would go near them, they would suddenly be measuring. Anything. "Let's measure your face," one of them said.

Oh, and they tested me. Like I had never been in their classroom before. Asking me for things that I knew they couldn't have, telling me procedures that I know didn't happen. Each time I said no, the face I got in return was like I had just given them the worst punishment of all.

The afternoon was okay. I had Matt's class for science so that was a nice break. We took a break and went to recess outside. I think this did more harm than good. The kids felt that because they were being loud outside, they could just continue being loud outside. In the computer lab.

Luckily computers was the last thing on the agenda before going home. They came back into the classroom, and got ready to go home. As I said goodbye to each one of them, I got the customary high-five on the way out.

Kids will be kids. And that's what keeps me coming back for more.

100 Posts and Chicken Pot Pie

Whenever I log on to do a post, it tells me how many posts I have done. The last post was 99, so this post is 100. Happy 100 posts, or whatever you say! I honestly didn't know how this whole blogging thing would work with me, but I have to say, so far so good. It's been nice to have a place to tell you what's happening in our world, and also to read about other friends' worlds.

Tonight we had Stein's parents over for dinner and we made a chicken pot pie. I made it for Stein before and thought it would be a good thing to make tonight. Talk about comfort food. Here's the recipe if you want to make it too. (Oh, and don't worry about the the prep time, we cut this down by just using store-bought pie crust. I can hardly tell a difference.)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_5251,00.html

We couldn't think of what to have with it, since pot pies really have a whole meal in them - starch, meat, vegetables. So, we decided on a salad. I went with the comfort food theme and saw this recipe for Roquefort, bacon and dried cherries salad. It was delicious! Again, we did some shortcuts: we used bagged lettuce and also just used blue cheese instead of Roquefort.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/105970

Tomorrow I will be subbing for Linda. I'm excited to see all the kids again, and I hope they are excited to see me too. I have so much of a different feeling going in tomorrow than I had during student teaching. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I'll only be there one day. I wonder if they're going to be a little crazy with the start of vacation only 2 days away? Yeah, I bet they will be.

Only one day. I can do it.

Happiness

"Happiness is a warm puppy." - Lucy VanPelt

My senior year in college, my roommates and I followed a series of articles written by Bob Greene. (Bob Greene was a prominent Chicago Tribune journalist who ran into some "bad luck" and is no longer working for them.)

Anyway, the articles revolved around happiness and what made him happy. He believed that there were countless things that made him happy, and chose to make a list of all of them in each article in the series. As I recall, the series lasted for about a week. It became kind of an obsession with us, as we decided who would buy the paper each day and then racing home to read the article. (It was winter and we were in Milwaukee. Not much was going on.)

We taped these articles to our pantry door, as a reminder of all things happy. Then we started a list of our own. This list grew and grew as we noticed all the things around us that made us happy. I remember one in particular that still makes me smile. "The day after a trip to the grocery store," was I'm sure written by Karen, who loved the grocery store and even dreamed of having her wedding there someday.

So, in honor of that list, and in an effort to document happy things in a time where rushing around, honking horns and grunting "happy holidays" has become the norm, I give you the beginning of my happy list (feel free to add more in the comments section):

Things that make me happy:
-Stein (aw, shucks, couldn't resist. gush gush.)
-A cup of chai tea, Trader Joe's cookies, and an episode of the Gilmore Girls.
-Friday nights.
-Time spent with family.
-Sunday afternoons with nothing to do but nap on the couch.
-Pancakes.
-The summer wind (the song and the actual thing)
-Freshly baked cookies with a cold glass of milk.
-Time spent with old friends.
-Laughing so hard that you can barely catch your breath.
-Going to see a play, or better yet, a musical.
-Magazines.
-Coming in from the cold and having hot chocolate to warm your chilly fingers and cheeks.
-Reading for pleasure.
-Receiving an email from an old friend.
-Traveling.

I will add to this list from time to time, so don't worry. There are definitely a lot more things that make me happy. I just don't want to bore you with a long list right now...

Snow!

As I said in my previous blog or if you've watched the news in the last day, you know we got a snowstorm last night and today. Here is a picture that Stein shot this morning when he was out shoveling:Luckily we could just walk to the store today when we needed some groceries. We bought stuff to make chili. Stein made it this afternoon, and it tasted so good. What a perfect day for it.

And there's a snow day tomorrow for all the school districts around here. Normally that would be a good thing, especially while I was student teaching, but since I'm subbing now, it's not such a good thing! I was looking forward to subbing tomorrow. It looks like the only day I'll be subbing this week is Wednesday. Darn.

My Sister

In my high school's chapel, there's a painting on one wall that I remember well. In the picture, St. Benedict and St. Scholastica (the saint my high school was named after) sit across from each other at a table. In back of the table, a window shows that there is a storm raging outside. As the story goes, St. Scholastica and St. Benedict were twins. But they only got to see each other once a year, as they each had duties at the monastery (St. Benedict) or convent (St. Scholastica). One night, when they were involved in a great conversation, St. Scholastica didn't want her brother to leave. So she bent her head and said a prayer for a storm to keep her brother there for another night. It worked, and they got to talk longer. I think about this picture when I'm with my siblings. I wish that I could somehow lengthen the time we're together.

I went to visit my sister Mickey last week. One of the main reasons I went was to see her second-grade classroom and observe her teach. But like all other times we're together, we spent most of the time talking and catching up. We usually talk several times a week on the phone, but it's so much better when we're in person. From the time I got there, to the time I left 2 days later, there was rarely a pause in our talking.

Our relationship has grown over the years from that of sisters to that of friends. And now that we're both in the same profession, we've added teacher talk to our conversations. There's a lot of give and take in our relationships. Because we're similar in many ways, but still different in others, we can give and take advice and see things from different perspectives. We rely on each other to vent, mull things over, or offer some humor to lighten a situation.

Even though we get to see each other more than once a year, I still value our time together. That's why I thought of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica as I left her house to come home. I would have loved to have more time to continue talking. Unfortunately, we both had things we needed to get done and I had to go home. And wouldn't you know, a snowstorm appeared a day later. Maybe next time.

Roughing It

Our furnace is out. Well, actually Stein thinks the pilot light is faulty, but nonetheless, we don't have heat. Right now I am sitting with the laptop in front of the fireplace. Thank goodness Stein just bought a bunch of wood a few weeks ago. We're set if we need to have a fire all day (or until the heater guy comes). And to be honest, I don't mind. A fire in the fireplace just says to me, "Relax, what's the hurry?" It also says, "Slow down."

What appropriate words for the week I've had so far. I've been able to finally truly slow down. I was talking to Mickey the other day and said that I'm almost overwhelmed by the time I have. It seems like an overabundance, a gift, a luxury. Stein and I have also been joking about "how much I have to do now". I'm truly done. No more due dates, no more projects. It's a weird feeling, that's for sure. This week has made me think about time, and how it means different things at different times. I'll explain without being too philosophical, of course. (I usually save all philosophy for Rick the philosopher.)

If you've seen the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, you know the story. And you probably know the quote: "We live and we die by time. And we must not commit the sin of losing our track on time." He works for FedEx, of course he lives and dies by time. The irony comes when he is stuck on a deserted island with nothing but time (and Wilson).

Although I haven't been as connected to time as a FedEx worker, at times during the past three months I have definitely run against and out of time. We all know that school is run by schedules. Not only the schedules of the students, but also the schedules of the teachers. While the kids are at gym, music, etc., teachers scurry around the building, make copies, or meet for a brief chat with the principal or colleagues. Time tends to fly during these times. So many times I would think, great, I have this hour to do this and that, only to be stopped short when someone wanted to talk to me, or Linda needed something done. The plan would be out the window. Along with the time.

When I worked at Einstein's, my perspective of time dealt mainly with flight times and store hours. I also was under the constraints of traffic and weather all revolving around getting to or from airports. So much of that was out of my control. Yet, I did feel like I had a lot of time when I was on the road. I didn't have a boss sitting next to me or down the hall, so it didn't matter if I did my work at midnight or 3 p.m., as long as the work got done by the deadline. And because I worked out of my house, I could use my time during the day to run errands when the stores were less busy. Then I could return and work at night. I never felt like I was up against time. I felt like I was working with it, maximizing it.

The jobs I had before and after Einsteins were ruled by time. The one before was especially frustrating. The HR manager had an office at the front of the building, so she could watch out the window and clock us coming and leaving. Talk about Big Brother! And then at the job I had after Einsteins, I had to fill out a time sheet every week, and every minute counted. I once had a doctor's appointment, and my boss wanted to know how I was going to make up the time! Those two jobs really showed me how time can be suffocating.

And now? Today? Well, the clock is something that I look at to see when a show is on TV, or when a store is open, or if it's time to eat lunch, or how long my chicken has been in the crock pot. Right now time is truly a luxury. I'm savoring every minute of it.