Back to School

It's that time of year that {almost} every teacher dreads. School supply commercials begin to pop up between your favorite shows on tv, emails from your boss start to fill your inbox, and the once hot and lazy summer days turn into dreaded, busy days. That's right. It's almost time to head back to school.

I hate to be a negative Nancy, but I sure do love summer and the time away from working it gives me. By the time May rolls around, I am ready to ditch the children and be home relaxing with my Corgi. What exactly will I miss about summer vacation? Here are just a few...

1. The time I get to spend with Brian. Once the school year begins, our schedules are so busy that we will hardly see each other during the week. We savor our time together and remind each other it's about the quality of the time we spend together, not how much time we get together.

2. Toby. My pup and I spend so much time together in the summer. Toby and I can't be separated. He even whines outside my bedroom door in the mornings when I don't want to wake up early just so he can snuggle with me.

3. Speaking of sleeping. I will most definitely miss sleeping in. This girl loves her sleep.

4. Sonic happy hour. I love a raspberry or cherry limeade in the afternoon on those hot, hot days. Incredibly refreshing.


5. Books. There isn't much time for leisurely reading during the school year. 

6. A clean house. Easy to keep up when you have a lot of free time!

7. The 7pm service at church. Brian and I have loved being able to go to the late service at church. During the school year, however, it isn't going to be practical for us. That goes for staying up late in general. Back to bed times and earlier services for us!

 You're probably thinking, "ok, Little Miss Teacher, I don't get summers off, so don't complain." Yes, I am lucky to have my summers free. It is a perk to the job. I chose to be a teacher. You chose to be something else. I will always offer to swap places during the school year.  I have yet to have a taker. I wonder why...

Now that I am switching my brain back to "Teacher Mode" I've started to prepare for the school year. I've decided my mantra this year is to BE POSITIVE! It is so easy to turn things in the negative direction and focus solely on what isn't working for you. It's funny because it isn't, and shouldn't be, about me. My focus needs to be the students I teach and making sure they are successful. So what do I like about going back to school?

1. School supplies. I, like many teachers, get geeked out walking through the school supply section. Planners, folders, new pens, etc. It gets me excited just to think about it! 

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2. The faces of my students on the first day of school. I particularly enjoy watching 6th graders walk into the building for the first time. I get a front row seat as I am right at the entrance every morning. Their faces range from terrified or oblivious all the way to extreme excitement as they imagine what lies ahead in middle school.

3. Setting up my classroom. I don't have a typical classroom. I teach in a small theater, which sometimes makes things complicated. Kids don't see it as a normal classroom; this is sometimes a good thing, and at other times not so great. However, preparing it for them is always exciting. 

an old picture from the beginning of my first year when I first walked into my room.

4. Knowing I have 2 years under my belt. The first year was hard. I mean, if the opportunity presented itself to do something else, I might have jumped ship. My second year was better. I improved, having learned A TON my first year. Now, I feel so much more confident and ready for my third  year. I hope this continues to grow.

5. My hubby has a job! I love that Brian is getting to do exactly what he prepared himself to do--teach theatre! Even better, he is teaching in my district. No more wonky breaks where we aren't together. Aaaand I am helping him plan curriculum, shows, etc. Even though I'm not teaching high school theatre (someday I will!), I feel like I do have a hand in helping him create his department. 

Photo courtesy of Megan Hodges/Jentry Taylor

6. Being busy. Yes, I just said earlier how much I love the slow pace of summer, but I also enjoy being busy.  Often, when I have nothing to do, I can get a bit bored. A change in pace is nice sometimes.

7. My coworkers. Boy, do I have some great coworkers. The teachers in my building are fabulous and extremely supportive of each other. I really enjoy being around them and have learned so much from them.  That's one thing I sure do love about my building.  Shout-out to Eastgate! Woot!

Photo courtesy of T. Waller

So let the countdown begin:

23 days until the first day of school.

Harry Potter Kidnapped My Husband

Before you get too concerned, do not fear. My husband is still here. So you can put away your iPhone and drop your call to 9-1-1. Brian has been a trooper lately. Three weeks ago, he began reading the Harry Potter series, and as of today, is he halfway through the 6th book.

Sidenote: It seems like Brian does a lot of reading around here. Just so you know, I am currently reading The Hobbit. My only problem is, I end up falling asleep everytime I read it.  Oops...

Why is he so diligent about reading these books? Well, next week Brian teaches a weeklong class called Summer Term at Hogwarts as part of his job as a teaching artist at The Coterie Theatre here in Kansas City.  When he accepted to teach the class, he had not read any of the books. Realizing that he should probably become an expert on the books, he decided it might be a good idea to actually read them.

Those of you who are Potter fans are ready to sign up now. Hold the trigger. The class is for 3rd-5th graders. As a Harry Potter fan myself, I too am jealous of all of the things these kiddos get to do.  The other day as I was helping Brian plan activities for the class, I realized what big nerds we are. And it's awesome! Ok, so here are just a few of the things we came up with for the kids to do:

• Make wands. Duh, what would this class be if they didn't get to do it?
• Play Quidditch
• Create their own potions. 
• Get sorted into houses AND come up with their own crest, motto, etc. 
• Create their own magical creature.
• Act out scenes from the books.

I am so jealous of these little pip-squeaks. They are some of the luckiest kids I will soon know.

One of the best parts for me is I actually get to see some of this stuff in action. Part of my summer involves taking pictures of some classes for The Coterie's website and educational/promotional pamphlets. I can't decide if I want to pretend to be from The Daily Prophet or not when I go to his class to snap some pictures.  (And you just realized how much of a dork I am...) If these kiddos are not excited about the activities they get to do, I might have to Stupefy them all. (for those of you who aren't Harry Potter fans...explained here).

A shot from a class I visited this week.

After watching the third movie last night with Brian, I admit that there is something about the movies that just cannot compare to the books. Our own imaginations are way better than any movie can conjure. Or maybe it was the fact that I had a "fact checker" sitting next to me saying, "Nuh-uh, that's not how it is in the book..." and then proceeds to tell me what actually happens in the story. I know, now you really want to watch a movie with my husband.

Still, one thing this whole reading frenzy has made both Brian and I realize is that the ability to read is a true gift. In fact, I've heard Brian utter, "[Reading Harry Potter] makes me remember how much fun reading is." Imagine being illiterate. You would not be able to read a road sign, a recipe,  and even Facebook. You could not read this {amazing} blog. So many things would be missing from your life. And the truth is, there are so many people (children and adults) who cannot read.  As a teacher, I see this more often than you would like to think. Bottom Line: If you're a parent, read to your kids. If you can read, pick up a book, and gosh darnit, make time to read! If you can give time to organizations that help equip adults and children with the ability to read, do it.

Brian used to be a skeptic, refusing to read Harry Potter because of its popularity. Now, he loves the books and wonders why he didn't read them before. So here's the deal...if you haven't read Harry Potter, you should. Now, get to your local library and pick up a book! If you don't know where your library is located, go here to find out.

I leave you now with a most inspiring song, and most appropriate song, for this post from my childhood...

Foodie Adventures

Happy 4th of July! Today is always a really fun day and special one for Brian and I. This is the day that 3 years ago Brian proposed to me. It was a really beautiful day, and one that I will never forget.

Planning meals can sometimes be a trouble for us. We find that it's pretty easy to get stuck in a routine of eating the same meals week after week. Eventually, Brian and I started to bore of our dinner routine. We needed a change. Not only that, but a cheap one. We aren't able to travel anywhere exciting this summer, and we both are definitely missing that. Therefore, for a few meals, we decided to "travel" to different countries. We decided to set a few rules for these meals to make them more fun.

1. Food must be as close as we can get to an actual meal in that particular country.

2. It had to be cheap.

3. Throughout preparation and dining, music from the country must be played.

We had so much fun with these meals. It was like our dinners turned into mini date nights at home. Some of our meals were über creative; others as simple as popping something in the oven. So, here we have for you our adventures with food!

Destination #1: France

Meal: Crepes with Raspberry Coulis (pronounced cool-e)

This is a pretty common meal around our house. Brian used to work at a crepe shop, so he knows all of the tricks when it comes to crepe making. The raspberry coulis on these crepes takes the cake, though. Since the crepe originated in France, the crepe was an ideal dish for our evening.

Destination #2: England
Meal: Fish & Chips

What an easy meal! This was probably one of the most simple meals we cooked. When it comes to simple, cheap, and filling, this meal has it all. 

With this meal, we decided to add another rule: accents. We tried to speak in a British accent the whole evening--harder than you might think. We tried to imagine how stupid we would seem to an actual Brit if they were sitting in our kitchen at the time. It didn't matter-we were having fun.

How can you have an English evening without indulging in some of the most well-known British pop culture? Sorry all of you Dr. Who fans, I'm not talking about the tardis. To top of the evening, we jammed out to music from the Brits, including, but not limited to, The Beatles and Spice Girls. Brian is reading all 7 of the Harry Potter books right now in preparation for a class he is teaching with The Coterie Theatre, so we had to toss that in as well. Finally, to top off the evening, we watched the 2nd Harry Potter Movie. Now that Brian is knee deep in the books (currently reading the 4th one), we have put a pause on our Harry Potter movie watching until he is finished. I can't even talk about the books out of fear that I will expose something he does not want to know yet.

Destination #3: Germany

Meal: Schnitzel with Spaetzle

Our German night was a big deal in our house. Brian lived in Germany for a while growing up because his father was stationed there with the US Army. It had to be perfect. I stepped out of the way for this meal and let Brian do the cooking. It was delicious, and probably one of the best meals Brian has made.  Spaetzle with Schnitzel is a classic German meal. Usually you will see lemon with the Schnitzel, but we were too eager to eat that we forgot it. Oops. Our wine for the meal is a sweet Riesling from the banks of the Mosel River in Germany. Our Blüfeld Riesling was a great paring for the meal.

Destination #4: Italy

Meal: Lasagna

Sorry, no pictures here. All we did for this one was pop a Stouffer's lasagna in the oven. We were pretty lazy that night. I think we ate dinner around 10pm. Oops....

Destination #5: Mexico

Meal: Chimichangas with Rice & Beans

I love chimichangas. This is definitely a delicious and easy meal. I found the recipe for the chimichangas on Pinterest. Click here for a link to the recipe. What I like about these chimichangas is that they aren't fried, but baked instead. It makes them seem a little bit healthier. The taste is light and the cooking is easy.


This was a really fun couple of weeks and a great way to mix things up a bit. Brian and I truly enjoyed coming up with creative meals and making an evening out of it. Some of these meals we have started to incorporate into our regular meal schedule. Someday (far, far in the future I hope!), this kind of tradition will be one we look forward to sharing with our kids (but seriously, not for a while).

If you have suggestions for cheap, easy, meals to continue our tour around the world, feel free to share in a comment!

Whirlwind Weekend

This past weekend was a whirlwind! We made a trip to Indiana with Brian's parents to see Brian's brother, Andrew, in a play. After riding in the car for a grand total of 18 hours over 3 days, I am so glad to finally be home. Here's a nice recap of our weekend!

We left Friday right after Brian arrived home from work. Not just any old day, but Brian's last day of teaching summer school, AND his last day working with elementary students! Now we get to focus on his upcoming job in the fall. We are both really excited!

Back to traveling...

We left home and went to Rolla, Missouri, to meet up with Brian's parents. Shortly after arriving, we jumped into their car and began our trek toward Indiana. Along the way we had a bit of a mishap. Our pilot accidentally hit a piece (rather, chunk) of rubber tire on the highway. However, she managed to handle the situation with a calm hand and we continued on our way. Unfortunately, the car didn't fare so well...

We are all thankful no one was hurt and the car was still drivable. 

Nothing could stop us, not even a little bump in the road. So we carried on to Illinois, stayed the night, and woke up early to drive on to Bloomfield, Indiana, where we met up with the rest of Brian's family.

Shortly after arriving, we checked in at our sweet, historic bed and breakfast- The Buffaloe Inn (yes, Buffalo-e) in Worthington, Indiana.

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The Buffaloe Inn was built in 1872 and restored just a few years ago to look much like the original Griffin home. This home is adorable! I was ready to move in. 

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Don't you just want to come down those steps in an evening gown? Love!

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This beautifully restored home was such a sweet place to stay. Brian and I enjoyed spending time relaxing on the front porch and hanging out in our room (the "foofoo" room as owner, Bert, called it) watching cable tv, a luxury we do not have at home. We also enjoyed free ice cream and antique shopping to pass the time. 

I highly recommend this B&B. The owners were great, and we all had a lovely stay. Check out their Facebook Page for more pictures and details! 

Then came the reason we were in this quaint, little place: Andrew's play! We attend not one, but two, performances of Boeing Boeing at the Shawnee Theatre. It was a hilarious play. There was not one dull moment in the performance. The actors filled the stage with their energy and didn't miss a moment to make us laugh. 

Our trip home was much less exciting than the trip to Indiana (thankfully). I was grateful to arrive home safely today. Brian and I really enjoyed spending time with his family, but, boy, is there no place like home. 

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