Friday, June 28, 2013

Five Minute Friday ~ In Between

In Between

GO
I couldn't believe the prompt for this week... I am SO IN BETWEEN!
In between JOBS.
In between $$ obligations.
In between a healthy husband and the man who came through back surgery, yesterday.
In between being mom to a SENIOR in high school and the little boy who loved to be at home.

I don't like being here.  It pinches, and stifles, and makes me cry in the drive-thru at McDonald's.
It makes me miss my kindergarten students and their beautiful parents who continue to send wishes of well-being and encouragement.

But.  I am going to stand in the middle of this place, this in between, and look up...look around
...look inside.
You know, the stuff in the middle of the Oreo cookie is what most of us choose first.

The space may grow on me.
Without a doubt, it's going to change me.
STOP
Join up HERE!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

I Need A Reason To Sing

My phone rang at 8:31 this morning and I let it go to voice mail.
Seeing my principal's name on caller ID,
I thought, "I can't hear this.  Not yet."

Exactly four hours later, I listened to the message and discovered
our school is officially closed.
I am a teacher without a class.

I need a reason to sing.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Five Minute Friday: Rhythm

Rhythm
Go:
There is a musical component to the movement of the stars, a rhythm to the universe.  I can't exactly find the source for why I know this, at the moment, but I've read it...somewhere.  I've always thought there was a musicality to the science of mathematics, a series of rules that plays out a melody.  I believe that numbers "sing"; I've never been surprised that math appeals to me.  It is, in its own way, a song.

2 +2 = 4 and 10 x 10 = 100 and God knew all the days of my life before there were yet one of them. I'm counting on that.
from Nasa
Stop
(Yes. That's what came through my fingers in five minutes.  
Not much....but it's enough.)
Read more Five Minute Friday posts HERE!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Follow Me On Bloglovin'! and Toolkit Labels FREEBIE!

Google Reader has been awesome
and I am very sorry to see it go!
I'm working on transferring my Google Reader feed to
Bloglovin, hoping to stay current with all of you!
  If you transfer your Reader, you will notice that you are now
following your current blogs on Bloglovin'--
Need tips? Check out Melissa's post at
Common Core and So Much More.

I finally made a teacher toolkit,
after tracking them down at Lowe's.
Do you have a teacher toolkit/toolbox?
I've made a free set of labels!
There are three color sets, 
with blank labels for personalization.
Grab them HERE!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Five Minute Friday: Listen

LISTEN
seansimsillustration
Go
"Listen" is my OneWord365 for 2013.  How am I doing so far?  I think I've gotten better at stopping the flow of words from my own mouth.  At the same time, I'm learning that there is quite a bit of silence when I'm not talking.  And it is driving me crazy.

I like to listen to music, to hear the words of a book come alive inside my soul, to soak in the giggles of my kindergartners.  But in this time of summer, I'm alone more than usual.  My own children are teens or tweens, not an age group known for sticking close to mommy.  And in this silence, I sense that God is trying to show me something.  I keep listening for his voice.  But now, as I'm typing this, I think he wants me to see what I've been listening for.  The eyes of my soul need a workout.

What will I find?  Like a treasure seeker, I want to know.  Like most of society, I want to know now.  Like the seed in the ground, I'll have to wait.  And listen.
Stop



So, here’s the skinny: every Friday for over a year hundreds of people have joined a kind of writing flash mob over here.
- See more at: Lisa Jo Baker's Five Minute Friday Post!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Behind The Scenes: A Picture Of Procrastination

The Photo:

The Story:
This is what happens when EVERYTHING must vacate a classroom!
My school is moving to a new location.  Things that would normally stay in the closets over the summer had to be packed into my car (5 trips, filled to the brim) and brought home... 
The pictures seem to say that I am not what you would call organized, but I beg to differ!
(I'll admit that, at the end of packing week, I did get tired and just tossed stuff into any available box.)
See the boxes in the far left corner, the ones with the blue lids?  Each one corresponds to a specific month or theme.  I keep literature, pictures, props, and printables in these boxes.  As the year progressed, I did a fairly good job of restocking these boxes.

But now I must sort a space filled with teaching guides, files, colorful containers, puppets, puzzles, games, art curriculum, and an enormous number of children's books/emergent readers.  

The Moment Of Truth:
I could say that I'm still decompressing from the school year, that I need a few more hours of reality TV.  But the truth is, it hurts to touch my teaching stuff.  I want to use it again.  I'm afraid that "sorting it" will turn into "packing it away"...for awhile.

I've done this procrastination thing before.  You can't see the stash of containers under the table to the left, in the photo.  They are filled with unfinished scrapbooks (the first two children have complete and beautiful books; the third and fourth have boxes).  I could say that the speed of life kept me from keeping the memories up to date as I went back to teaching and the children began their school careers.  But the truth is, I used my blog to catch the moments--not a bad plan, btw--and it hurt to revisit the baby days.  Am I a sentimental mess?! Well, yes.  

I have a hard time saying goodbye...to a time, a job, a relationship, a place.  As a child, I experienced the death of a parent.  As a parent, I lost a child.  When my children were babies, I saved everything.  I took tons of photographs.  I tried to catch the wind.  But the wind cannot be contained.  As children grow and develop into their own selves, they become less and less an extension of the parents.  I knew this, even as I rocked them in the night watches.  I've been crying through the lullabies since before they were born.

Now, before you say, "Hmm. Chrissy sounds a bit depressed.", let me assure you that those baby days were filled with laughter and great joy!  My children are happy and our family is thriving.  
I'm admitting to my procrastination.  
I'm admitting that I use it as a way to circumvent heartache.  
Once again, for what feels like the 999,999th time, I need to trust God with my heart.  I need to just "cowboy up and get 'er done'!  May I use this space to hold myself accountable?  I'll be back next week with an updated photo of the spare room1  :-) 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 
Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 
You're invited to join in - we'll write up our posts & link up on Tuesdays! Read more here!

Monday, June 3, 2013

June Currently! and Art Journaling

Farley has created a monthly mini-journal for anyone
who wishes to participate!
I've saved mine over the last year and they will soon
find a home in my Art Journal.
(Good links for beginning an art journal: DaisyYellow
Melissa's Pinterest boardArt Journaling As A Creative Process)
A HUGE THANKS to everyone who left a comment on PostYear Blues!
Your empathy and kindness is much appreciated.
I'm trying to breathe through this summer of change.
In all honesty, I need a beach.  
The ocean always renews my spirit,
helps me to see the bigger picture.
But a beach trip is not on the agenda.
Maybe a screen saver would work.... :-)