This is my original blog. I haven’t updated for years. I keep it as a reminder of the journey.
Please see Broke Teacher for education and Poser Homestead for chickens, recipes, and dead zucchini.
Mr. “No” Meets Santa’s Elf: Epic Rap Battle, Move Aside
"I won't take no for an answer." We hear that a lot. Unless you have a five-year old. You take a lot of "no" for an answer. It doesn't really matter what I ask him to do--the answer is no. Can you put on your coat? "No!" Please come here. "No!" Would you vote to...
The Reason for Low Test Scores is Teacher Clothes
If you have followed my writings, you know that I struggle with fashion. I hate it, as a matter of fact, though with proper guidance I clean up well. But I think I’m in a better place now than I was in September when I prayed for Carson Kressley to come and take me...
Why I Can Never Be Martha Stewart–But Am Compelled to Try
It's Christmastime and I have to decorate the house. I always look to Martha Stewart at times like these for the guidance I need to get through the day. I decided to add some holiday material to my Learnist board about Martha Stewart. It will get me in the mood...
Congratulations. You’re the Proud Owner of a (Pre)Teen. Don’t fear!
You're looking at the candles on the cake and getting scared. You know it's coming, and you've tried to avoid it. You want to keep that cute little person small--there are so many advantages to having a cute, little person, but it's inevitable. It's happening, it's...
Attention Non-Christian Friends: You’re Getting a Card, Too!
I never make it through my Christmas card list. Every year I try, every year I fail. If I start too early, I feel like a department store putting Santa out before Halloween. The news in the cards becomes outdated. Then I don't want to send them. If I start too...
Life Hacks: How to Survive without Any Common Sense Whatsoever
I have no common sense. If Thomas Paine gave me an autographed copy of his opus, I'd still lack common sense. Some would say this makes me creative. People like me would say this, for example. Others would say this makes me a disaster of epic proportion waiting to...
Avert Disaster: Organize for the Holidays!
Thanksgiving snuck up on me. It was a busy year--buying and selling a house, doing the staging, showing, and construction leading up to the sale/purchase, moving, dealing with the "finer points of education reform," writing, creating, blogging, supporting my husband...
Black-listing Friday: Getting Back to What Matters
Christmas appeared early this year in our local stores--about three weeks before the Fourth of July, I think. It's not that I don't love the site of a freshly-decorated fake tree with a pine-smelling air freshener trying to convince me it's real--I do, don't get me...
I will never be as cool as my siblings because I am “just a teacher”
I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who stops by. When I started this blog, I figured, "What's the worst that can possibly happen? I'll write something, and nobody will read it." I'll probably have five loyal readers--four of them will be related to me....
How to Scare Students on Parent Teacher Night
Last night was parent teacher night. I love parent teacher night, but I don't really love the format--basically, a million parents line up for ten seconds of my time. I feel somewhat like a cross between really, really rude, and a rock star. We put out appointment...
How I Chickened out of Reality TV…
Few people know this, but after finishing a grueling four years at a quality institution of higher learning--majoring in waitressing, I mean, Russian--I applied for, and got through several cuts in the selection process for MTV's Real World. It was the second season,...
College or a Ferrari? The Student’s Dilemma
My car died again. This time, I had a baby along with me. I'd had enough. "You sure you were shifting right?" asked the mechanic. I hate getting the girl treatment with car people. Yes, I can drive a stick. Time to buy a new car. My friend loved his Ferrari, I...