When a teacher gets sick...

It's not a good thing. For the past 2 days, I have looked like this. You know you feel bad when people come up and go "you feeling okay?" Actually no, I feel like crap. Thanks for asking. I've been going in between feeling like my head is in a vice and being a balloon (like it's just floating above my head). My throat is on fire and my eyes hurt. The worst part is I don't have a fever so I can't in my head justify calling in a sub. So I've been at school. And it's been rough.

When you're a lawyer and you're sick, you can cancel meetings. You can sit in the darkness and people will realize you're sick and leave you alone. 5 year olds don't leave you alone. And every single thing they do that is even a little annoying when you're feeling 150%, is magnified times a million when you feel like doo-doo. I'm embarrassed to say that I lost it today with my kids (well, for me I lost it. Another teacher may not have even noticed, but I did). I was short with them. I know I was not as nice as I usually am. And I know the kids did not have as much fun.

The thing is, looking back over the day, it wasn't horrible. Sure, some kids were running around in the bathroom and some were talking in the hall. But overall, they were actually pretty good. It's me that was not so good. I wasn't feeling well but I don't need to take it out on the kids. This is a personal goal of mine. There are going to be days that I don't feel well, things are not going right, etc. But that is not the kids fault. I owe it to these sweet children to put aside how I'm feeling and focus on them. Because I love my job. Even when I feel like crap.

Arrington Vineyards

Saturday evening, a bunch of friends went out to Arrington Vineyards (owned by Kix Brooks, from Brooks and Dunn) to celebrate my friend Kelly's birthday. It was awesome!

the view- pretty spectacular!

We had a great time at the wine tasting and the just enjoyed sitting outside, listening to the music and hanging out. I brought along some brie and crackers (yum!) and a friend of Kelly's brought the birthday cake. It was a very fun civilized birthday party!

the awesome birthday girl

Kelly and I did the Music City 1/2 Marathon together with Team in Training. She is amazing! A year ago she was going through her first chemo treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and now a year later she is double fisting wine celebrating her 25th birthday! I am so glad I have gotten to know her over the past year. She has become a great friend and it was a great night out to celebrate her life. Love you Kelly!!

Shakespeare in the Park

Friday night my dad joined me for Shakespeare in the Park. The weather was FABULOUS (low 70's) and we had a great picnic dinner and enjoyed the play. It was "Love's Labor Lost", which I wasn't too familiar with. The play was alright, but the best part was just being outside enjoying the atmosphere. It's a pretty cool thing that the Nashville Shakespeare Festival puts on every year. Next year's production is "Romeo and Juliette"...already looking forward to that one! This year's show runs through Sept. 12, check it out!

My Saturday Morning

I woke up this morning at 8:00am. Not too bad considering I usually wake up at 5:45, but I wish I could have slept a little later. Once I wake up, I am up. There is no going back to sleep. There is no dozing. I am either awake or asleep. So once I woke up this morning I was like "okay, now what?" I wasn't working out with my trainer until 11, so I had plenty of time for this:

Blueberry Pancakes!

I haven't had pancakes in forever, and let me tell you they were fabulous! Used the multi-grain pancake mix from Trader Joe's. Added some cinnamon (because who doesn't love cinnamon?) and fresh blueberries. It was a great morning to sit on the couch, eat my pancakes and catch up on my DVR. Gotta love Saturday mornings!!

What to do with all the sorority t-shirts?

I graduated college 3 1/2 years ago. I have since carried around approximately 30 t-shirts from my apartment, to my parent's house, to my new house. I never wear them. What should I do with them?

Then I found http://www.campusquilt.com/. It's so easy! You place the order and they send you a kit to package all your t-shirts and in 3-4 weeks you have an awesome quilt made from your old t-shirts. I don't have any before pictures, but hopefully in a few weeks you can see the finished product!

What would you make a quilt out of? They can add picture squares (too cool) and make quilts out of baby clothes. It's a pretty cool idea, check it out!

The nicest thing...

Today, someone stopped me in the hallway at school and said, "Clare, you're doing a great job this year. People are noticing and talking about it. It's not even like you're a second year teacher, more like a fifth or sixth."

Seriously?? How sweet!! It totally made my day, and made everything that I am doing worthwhile. And it totally helps because I was feeling like today was not the greatest, but apparently that's not what other people see. It totally confirmed my career and made me remember why I love what I do.

Hopefully someone has told you something similar lately. If not, take a minute to think about WHY you do what you do. It puts everything into perspective!

Rock Star Parking

When I was in college, my friend Tara informed me about "rock star parking." It is where you get THE spot in the parking lot. You know, the one that is the closest to the door? The thing about it is, you can't lurk around and wait for the spot. It has to be waiting for you, like a rock star.

Today I went (on an impulse, actually didn't buy anything but came very close) to HomeGoods, the home version of TJ Max. And there it was...my rock star parking place. You should know that on a Sunday afternoon in Brentwood, TN, a rock star parking place does not exist. Driving through the parking lot was a zoo. Apparently everyone decided today was a good day to go to HomeGoods. But as I drove up, someone was just finishing pulling out (I didn't have to wait, therefore not breaking the "can't wait for the spot" rule).

I know it's a little thing, but it's the little things that make my day :) Anyone else know what I'm talking about? Any good "rock star parking" stories out there?

notice how close I am!! I was literally steps away from the door

National Women's Self-Appreciation Day

apparently this holiday doesn't actually exist. But my friend Tara thinks it should be. The idea is for women to take a minute and appreciate themselves, rather than dwell on what they would like to change. I love the idea! Too often we think about what or how we could do things different, what should be changed about us, that we don't realize how AWESOME we are (guys are ok too I guess).

So here it is, 5 things I love about myself:

1. my eyes- I know that's vain, but I really do love my green eyes :)
2. I am super directionally oriented- I can look at a map and pretty much instantly figure it out (translates to subways, I'm great at subways)
3. patience- I never thought I was patient until I started teaching Kindergarten!
4. I am a really good cook- I don't use recipes (unless I'm baking) and I love to experiment in the kitchen.
5. I am very organized- always have been, I rarely lose things

Can you believe it was hard to come up with 5? I'm sure there are other things that I'm good at/things I like about myself, but to actually sit down and think about it and then write it down, it became very hard.

What do you love about yourself?

My love of Target

If you know me at all, you know that I love Target. LOVE LOVE LOVE! I have a Match.com profile (there, I said it. My name is Clare and I'm an online dater.) and in my profile I profess my love of Target. If you're going to get to know me, you have to know that I love Target. Today I had to go over there because I bought some lightbulbs a few weeks ago and they were all broken. So I took them back thinking, "I'm sure I have other things I need to buy."

Because you know, it is impossible to go to Target and spend less than $20. Usually I have 3 things on my list and come out $100 poorer. Until today...

This is my shopping cart. It has 1 item in it. Before I checked out I realized that I also needed lotion, so I ended up with 2 things. Pathetic. I was almost embarrassed to check out. But then I was proud of myself for not spending more than I needed to and for not buying useless things. I definitely thought about it, but I held strong. This was almost as bad as the time I went to Costco and only got 4 things (for Costco, that's pretty bad). Despite the fact that I only got 2 things, I did manage to was 30+ minutes in Target, so the trip wasn't a complete disaster :) Anyone else share a love of Target??

2nd year teaching

So far I've only had 1 half day of school this year. But it already is SO different from last year it's hard to remember where I was a year ago.

A year ago, I had just moved into my new house and was starting a new job. It was a new school, a new school district and I was scared to death! I had never worked with this population of students before and I had no clue what I was doing. The first day was a blur, it happened so fast and I just remember being exhausted at the end. Day by day it got a little easier, but each day was definitely a challenge. I loved it, but it was the hardest thing I have ever done.

This year I can already tell is going to be totally different. For starters, all of my kids (for the most part) showed up on the first day. We had a fun time together, but I definitely let them know that I'm in charge and that I'm not going to take any goofiness/silliness/bad behavior. My kids sat on the rug and LISTENED TO A STORY!! That is huge! Last year the kids couldn't sit still long enough for a story until maybe November.

I'm not sure what brings the shift in the kids this year. Maybe they're just better behaved, more adapted to school already than last year? Maybe I'm just more confident and have a better handle on things? Maybe I'm not so stressed this year and the kids can sense that? Whatever it is, I think I'm in for a good year. Good thing to, because I'm not sure I could take another year like last year. I'm excited to go back on Monday and can't wait to see what else this year brings!

My new classroom!

This school year my school is in a new building. Same school, different building (and different school name for that matter!). It's a little crazy and construction is coming down to the wire. The new/renovated building is GORGEOUS and I'm so excited to be in a nice new classroom with mostly new stuff.

view of my classroom (this was already after I had done a ton of work)

Another "before" view

and after! carpet/circle/calendar area

reading area

student desks/tables (set up for 15 students)

computer center

guided reading area (door goes to bathroom)

It's not finished yet, but mostly there! What do you think? Putting everything up is making it real and making me excited to start this school year. Kids come on Thursday, bring it on!!

Fruit Crumble

This summer, I have discovered my love of fruit. I've been eating strawberries, blueberries and raspberries like they're going out of style. The other day I bought a pear for the first time, intending to eat it on a salad. Except that I forgot about it so it was a little too ripe and my spinach had already gone bad. Then I remembered I had some raspberries in the fridge and thought, hey! this would make a good fruit crumble. All of a sudden, I had dessert :)

I don't really follow recipes, but here's what I did:

cut up pear into small pieces, put in a small dish with some raspberries

mixed about 1T each of flour, oatmeal and sugar with some butter, spread on top

bake at 350 for 30 min? I didn't time it, just until it looked done

DELICIOUS!! and you could easily substitute whatever fruit you had on hand. Enjoy!

Home Renovations

So last year I bought my townhouse. My parents are great and helped me with the down payment (thanks Mom and Dad!) but I've been on my own for everything else. Immediately when I moved in every sound, smell, etc. made me convinced the place was going to burn down.

But a year later it's still going! No major disasters (knock on wood), and I still love it. When I moved in, I moved knowing that my first big project would be to upgrade the floors. The downstairs carpet was in pretty bad shape, even with a thorough steam-clean they were not very pretty. So when I got my tax housing credit check (thank you Mr. Obama!), I knew exactly what to do.

After talking to the floor guy, I found out that I had enough money to upgrade my appliances too. Score! The old ones weren't horrible, but it was nice to go ahead and upgrade. I bought an all new stainless steel refrigerator, stove, range hood and dishwasher. The Sears guy swore to me that they would all fit. Then I got this:

If it looks like the fridge is in the middle of the room, it's because it is. It was WAY too big. So annoying.

Check out the awesome ponytail/mullet on the installer guy. I had to take a picture. Thankfully my phone doesn't make a sound when it takes pictures :)

Kitchen Before

Kitchen after!

I am so happy with the result. It's like I have a brand new house. I'll post more before/after pictures of the rest of the rooms another night. I have friends coming over for drinks so I need to get ready!!

My latest food creation

I love broccoli. Like, seriously, love. I could eat it every day. I have been known to eat an entire meal that is just broccoli (plus the required addition of a sprinkling of parmesan cheese). Maybe it's because as a child, my mom's go-to meal was "brocki noo noo"- pasta with a little cream and parm, with a side of steamed broccoli.

I've always eaten broccoli steamed. Just chop it up, put in in the pot with a steamer basket, and a few minutes later, ta dah! delicious nutritious broccoli. Until a few days ago...

Then I discovered roasted broccoli. It's a whole new world of broccoli goodness. Cut up broccoli as before, spread on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Roast at 375 for 10 minutes? I don't really know how long, just until it is done. Try it, it's delicious!!

Hawaii!

In June I was able to go visit my fabulous friend Caitlin McDermott and spend 5+ days with her in Maui! Caitlin and I went to grad school together at Vanderbilt. After graduation I stayed in Nashville to teach , she moved to Maui to teach. I'd say she got the better end of the stick.

It was a fabulous trip! We went snorkeling, hiking (briefly, until it started raining), and spent many hours laying out baking in the hot Maui sun. The best part was me freaking out seeing a sea turtle while snorkeling. In Hawaii the reefs are right there. As in, go to the beach, walk in the water and BAM! coral reef. Totally cool. Anyways I saw a turtle and was freaking out yelling, turtle! turtle! Only with the snorkel in my mouth I'm sure it sounded more like murkel! murkel!

I'm so glad I got to visit Caitlin. She had a challenging class last year as well, and it was good for both of us to have some down time after a crazy school year. I can't wait until next year when I get to visit her in Seattle (for her wedding!!)

We woke up at 4am (I actually can't remember what time, it was so early!) to see the sunrise over Haleakala, the dormant volcano on Maui. By far one of the coolest things I have ever done! After the sun came up we immediately went back home and back to bed for another 4 hours :)

My friend Caitlin, the Chinese dragon/lion

a pic of me in Iao Valley

Thanks for a great trip Caitlin! Can't wait to come visit again!!

School construction

If you know me, you know that I teach Kindergarten. You probably also know that I teach in the 'hood, and that although my kids are crazy, ridiculous, insane, adorable little monsters, that I love them.

Last year I was at a brand new elementary school in our district. Since we were a new school, we were in an old building while they completed renovations on our actual school building. However, here we are 8 days away from school starting, and ta-dah! the building isn't finished. Shocking. Because when you think "brand new elementary school a week away from school starting", the image in your head matches the one above. No? It doesn't? Hmm...

This morning I finally got the news that I can start moving into my new classroom! I'm super excited to finally unpack all 47 boxes I packed last year, slap some new border up on the bulletin boards and get ready for the kiddos that will come to my door next week.

Welcome!

Okay, here I am. I have been told by many people that I should start a blog. I wanted to start blogging last year, as I started my first year teaching. However, with the craziness that ensued during my first year teaching, let's just say that starting a blog was the last thing on my mind! I went to work every day praying "please don't let my kids throw a table today".Okay, here I am. I have been told by many people that I should start a blog. I wanted to start blogging last year, as I started my first year teaching. However, with the craziness that ensued during my first year teaching, let's just say that starting a blog was the last thing on my mind! I went to work every day praying "please don't let my kids throw a table today".Okay, here I am. I have been told by many people that I should start a blog. I wanted to start blogging last year, as I started my first year teaching. However, with the craziness that ensued during my first year teaching, let's just say that starting a blog was the last thing on my mind! I went to work every day praying "please don't let my kids throw a table today".

Now that I'm a wise, experienced 2nd year teacher (lol), I think, "sure! I've got the time to start a blog!" This blog isn't just about school, although I suppose there will be many posts about teaching and crazy 5 year olds. This is about every aspect of my life: teaching, owning a home, cooking, hanging out with friends and yes, the perils of dating. Hopefully you will find it entertaining! Welcome to my world, come on in!Now that I'm a wise, experienced 2nd year teacher (lol), I think, "sure! I've got the time to start a blog!" This blog isn't just about school, although I suppose there will be many posts about teaching and crazy 5 year olds. This is about every aspect of my life: teaching, owning a home, cooking, hanging out with friends and yes, the perils of dating. Hopefully you will find it entertaining! Welcome to my world, come on in!