Joys for the week ending January 17th

 Wow! We are more than half way through January!  That seems crazy! The first semester is almost done, and I've learned a lot about remote and hybrid learning. I will be making some changes to next semester for sure. 

Mark started his treatment this week. I'm so proud of him. This diet he is on is hard.... really hard. It also wreaks havoc on his body which they said is normal and that is a good sign that he will be able to sail through the last part of this and be done! He has his big dose on Wednesday. Then we have to stay distant from him a little. We can be in the same room, just not sitting next to him for hours on end. I can't sleep with him for a week. He's so strong even in his hard moments like he had this week. 

I received my first Covid vaccine, so did Nate. My parents have also received theirs, so everyone that is consistently around Mark is on their way to being fully vaccinated which makes me feel good because we are not sure when he will be able to be vaccinated.  

Moving forward one step at a time.

Joys in a nutshell for this week

1. Mark- he is strong and resilient

2.  The doctors at Roswell and all of Mark's other doctors who are helping him. 

Purging first then onto the Joys

 Warning! I literally need to write down my feelings and get them all out before I can list my joys. If you need to.... skip to the bottom where my joys are (they are in the bold)!

This was a HARD week. I hit a wall. I'm super frustrated over quite a bit. Most I cannot control, so I need to get rid of it. Second warning.... skip if you only want to see the Joys!

I am frustrated with teaching in this pandemic. I know I'm not the only one at all... but I was doing well. We all have bad teaching days, but the kids are really restless and well... being Middle Schoolers! Except... many of them are now just moody and angry because their parents are telling them things like... Don't worry about your exploratory classes... they don't count anyway. I knew that this perception has been out there my whole career, but THAT HURT!!! This is my passion and my love and what if I said that about your passion and love?  I know you are frustrated.... but hurting others is not the way to make you feel better, and now you are teaching your kid that. Knock it Off! You are the adult. All classes are important. 

Unfortunately this is happening with some of my colleagues as well. I knew that perception was always out there too, but most kept quiet about it until now. They don't always verbalize it(sometimes they do though), but their actions speak way louder than words. I feel like I'm not being heard at all some days.  

I know this will end, but this week it was hard. I wasn't even in school for most of the week because my sciatic nerve decided it was time to flare up(probably from my frustration) and I couldn't do very much. Again frustrated. I just decided it was time to take care of me. I'm super fortunate to have my dear friend and colleague Donna teaching with me, because I couldn't do this without her. 

My hip is back in, and I'm just sore, and doing all the things I should to prevent it from going out again. 

The events at the Capitol this week were sad and crazy. All I have to say is that I'm glad Facebook has a snooze feature. People I know from liberals to conservatives have truly shocked me. No matter how frustrated and upset we are... being Nasty or mean or accusatory, or insulting to another human should not be your first choice to make you feel better. 

Okay... now I am feeling better so on to my Joys for the week.

Yes amongst all of that I had Joys.

Mark is doing well on his no iodine diet. It is hard and he misses dairy the most, but I'm so proud of him for being so strong.  

We have had sunshine in the last two days... that makes a HUGE difference in how we feel. Bring on the vitamin D!

And lastly.... I have a job, a home, food on my table, and companionship.... I am truly blessed.

#Findyourjoy

Joy and Blessings Jar online

 I'm moving my Joy and Blessings jar online. Last year I wrote them on a slip every Sunday evening but now I'm going to do them here. I had someone ask me how I remembered every week. I simply picked another thing we have to do weekly and did it then. Every week, we have to fill Mark's pill case. It's quite extensive just because he has to take things at certain times and in certain orders. So after that task was done, I would do the slip. So, here I am, pill case is done, and I'm ready to do my first online Joy and Blessing Jar.

My joy this last week: A wonderful quiet week that was purposeful. We rang in the new year with a nice dinner at home. We made it through 2020 and looking forward to 2021.

This week.... back to school, and Mark has started his diet for Iodine radiation therapy. This diet is no joke. It's hard. No iodine anything. No salt. No dairy. No seafood. I did a lot of research, and shopped very purposefully this week. We will make it through this, then after this treatment..... our new puppy will come to live with us, and Mark can get his thyroid medication regulated so he's feeling better. 

Have a great week and #Findyourjoy

Purpose

 I spent an hour or so journaling about 2020 and setting some intentions for 2021. Basically, what came out of my time was that 2020 was a year of further learning for me. I almost feel that what has transpired in mine and Mark's life since the end of 2015 truly prepared us for 2020. Yes, things were scary, things were uncertain, but that is the road we have walked prior to this year. We learned to walk in Joy. So, we were prepared to find joy in this last year too. As I wrote about the things that have happened, there have been way more good things than bad for us. 2020 wasn't without struggles, but constantly looking for and finding joy has put the good things in the forefront of my mind.  2021 will start with treatment for Mark. He has to start his no iodine diet the 2nd(so we both will, as that is what you do for those you love). He goes off his thyroid med for the month as well(that part worries me more as I'm not sure how his body will react), but.... once he is done, he sees the endocrinologist and they will start working on the right dosage of medication .... and our new puppy Remington will be ready to live with us! 

2020 brought the seizure that found Mark's thyroid issue, which turned into surgery, which had complications along the way all while going to multiple doctors and hospitals during Covid. It was scary and unnerving but necessary to get where we are today. Forced to eat differently for a solid month which might just set us up for success since it takes a month for a habit to form. 

My biggest take-away from 2020 and the word I kept coming back to.... PURPOSE! 

While working from home from March through August, I noticed that everything I did began to have purpose. I planned lessons with purpose, I grocery shopped with purpose because I didn't want to make multiple trips to the store, I spent a lot of purposeful time reading, sipping coffee on my deck, doing yoga on my deck, sitting around the campfire, talking to my neighbors, re-imagining Halloween, buying purposeful Christmas gifts, making sure I budgeted purposefully so I could help out local businesses. I feel really good about all of that, and that gives me JOY!

So, my 2021 will be lived with purpose. I will find purpose in the things I choose to do, because that is what gives me joy. 

Watch for a weekly blog as I go on this journey. I'm simply moving my Joy Jar to online. 

Happy New Year and #Findyourjoy

Weirdest extended weekend of 2020

 In a year of uncertainty, this weekend sure took the prize.

Thursday night, we received the phone call about remote instruction. I taught from home on Friday. Many students didn't log in at all to my team. I felt bad. I thought I had prepared them on what to do. It's not me, or my subject, I know that, it's just disheartening in a teaching year that is already disheartening. 

So, while I had a Kim pity party, there were some other monumental things that happened to snap me out of it. 

See, in the grand scheme of things, some 8th graders not logging on to my team was nothing.

55 students and 10 adults have to quarantine. Some of their siblings(which I have) are as well. What a crazy time for them.

Then Sunday we heard of the passing of a current district employee. This has further saddened the entire district and the High School in particular. 

Monday, a music friend of mine(from another district) had a tragedy happen to her. Her husband was severely injured a work. He was taken to ECMC and had surgery to reconstruct his face. 

I had to look hard for joys, but I found them. 

I did meet (socially distanced of course), with some dear friends I hadn't seen in a long time. We all have relatives that have medical issues making them more fragile. It was awesome to meet and talk, and just catch up. 

My friend's husband, is out of surgery, not in a lot of pain, and looks like no injury to the eye. He will have several surgeries to repair other areas, but will make it. 

The family of our Pioneer employee who passed is hurting so bad. So I pray for them. She is gone way too soon, but I know she is in Heaven looking down on all of us. Caring for us, as she did here on earth. 

So, stop, take a look for those joys, and hold on to them like crazy. 

Stop take the time to look at the beautiful Fall colors.

Stop, take the time to listen to the sound of the wind or the birds, or yourself just breathing in and out. 

Stop, take the time to feel the cool air or the sunshine on your face.

Above all, Stop and.......

#Findyourjoy

here we go

 Last night at 8pm, the phone call came. We were moving to full remote for at least tomorrow. 

here is what my mind said

1. Oh man....we knew this could happen, but so soon?

2. I wonder if I've been exposed, I see half the school

3. What period of time, and distance does it take to be exposed?

4. I can do this tomorrow, I'm prepared.

That last statement made it so I could go to sleep last night.

I had prepared for this. I went into the school year knowing this could happen and tried to get me and my students ready in case this happened.

I only see my hybrid students one time per week so I hoped the message was loud and clear what to do and how to do it if this happened. Fingers crossed.

A bit of this does depend on the parents. I provide the instruction and they have to get their student up and make sure they log on to do the work.

I have the instruction on there. I have been working since 7:20am making sure the student who would have seen me in class received instruction. 

I have 8th grade 1st period. I can see when they log in to my team. None of them had logged in at 11am.

This kind of curve ball that has been thrown will only work if we work as a team. I did my job, now I need the parents and students to do their job.  I know it's not easy, but it's not easy for any of us. We need to work together.

No, I didn't sleep in, I had coffee, breakfast, and was at my computer at the time I would have been arriving at school. I took 30 minutes for lunch, and was back at it. 

I will be at my computer until 2:30 when I would log off and leave school. 

However, I will be back on this weekend. Looking for last minute assignments or questions from students who I know had to watch their younger siblings today, or had spotty wi-fi and needed to have their parent drive them to a hotspot to download or upload work. 

I'm hoping we are back on Tuesday, but if not, I'm ready. I've been ready, I will be ready. 

I am  teacher. 

Be kind, show grace, and stay safe.

#Findyourjoy

Balancing Act

 Friday was a ROUGH DAY! The weeks are going quickly at school, but that's a problem. I feel a little.....no a lot behind. Getting assignments up is going well, it's getting the assignments back, grading them, helping kids with problems online, and finally getting them in the grade book. 

It feels like I'm doing three jobs. I'm lucky currently, I have a REALLY good student teacher and she is killing it. I only have her a couple of more weeks and then I'm going to take back things and it'll be more.

That coupled with Mark and his needs and I felt exhausted and totally overwhelmed.  I'm trying to balance this so I don't do school work all weekend. I'd like to be able to not do any schoolwork over the weekend, but it's impossible. Right now at least. 

I also have students contacting me over the weekend. I know they "should" be doing their work during the week when they are home, but there are so many extenuating circumstances for them too. 

Balancing is hard. 

So.... today I rest. Sunday is for rest. 

I'm no good to anyone, if I don't.

So.... I've had coffee, read, sat outside in the sunshine, made lasagna, paid some bills, and going to watch the football game. Everything else can wait. 

I feel a little guilty, but I know I'll be better for it going into the work week.

So, be kind to each other, show some grace. 

#Findyourjoy