Right Here at Home

Have you SEEN outside today? Gorgeous. I’m in love with this weather. If this is winter, I’ll take it.

Anyway, I wanted to write today about the realization I had this past week. In my search of kind things to blog about, I remembered all of the small things my husband has done for me lately. He will probably be mortified that I’m blogging about him, but he deserves a moment -however brief & embarrassing- in the spotlight.

He’ll love this more, too, because he continues to ensure me that keeping a blog is totally dorky (I know, hurtful) and that it is unlikely many people actually read it (gasp).

So, in this very public and highly read (hehehe) media, I would like to commend him for his unselfish kindness… at home with me, with his family, and in his daily routine at school. Living with me is not always an easy task. I’m terribly loud and very clumsy. I struggle to be a good listener. I love sleeping late, playing on my computer (or phone or iPad or other technology format), sewing until late hours of the night, hogging the remote, and filling up the DVR with Chelsea Handler. 

You get the picture- I’m slightly self-centered.

But, through it all, he is forever patient and kind. We are not typically “Valentine’s-ish” people, but I was surprised this year with a rose. For two weekends in a row, he has sneaked out of bed in the morning, taken care of our fur-babies, and let me sleep until after 10:00. Two of those days, when I finally crawled out of bed after 12+ hours of sleep, he had a biscuit waiting for me. He has sat through numerous new sit-coms that I know are not his favorite. And he continues to support me through my serious budgeting flaws (I’d love to say they’re minor math mistakes, but that’s simply not true).  

I’ve always known my husband’s a great guy, and he continues to make me proud everyday in his hard work, family support, and *youthful* sense of humor. I can only hope his kindness and level-headedness will somehow rub off on me.

My search for kindness in the world this week was quite simple and fairly short. My husband. Right here at home all along. 

Keeping Calm

I really started this year out with a bang on my blog, or at least I thought so. The past few weeks have been unbelievably hectic, especially considering Jamie isn’t even coaching this year. I thought we might have some down time, but I was mistaken. I realized that no matter how much we “give up”, we will always find a way to fill that extra time.

But, the point this week isn’t to vent about my busy life. I actually have a big celebration/actualization to discuss.

I was quite shocked a few months ago when my principal asked me if I would host a student teacher. It was one of those “Who, me? Are you sure you mean me? The girl with only a few years under my belt… still figuring this out myself…Right here… ME?” I gladly accepted, but still question my qualifications, if you will.

Best. Decision. EVER.

I have had the past four weeks to get to know an amazing young lady who happens to be extremely gifted in the classroom. She is so excited to come to school everyday… and it shows in her teaching. Her enthusiasm and fresh hope has encouraged me to take a better look at how I approach my students everyday.

Rather than focusing so much on every little detail, I’ve been more goal-oriented. Rather than repeating myself (5,000 times everyday- at least) to the point of frustration, I’ve been challenged to find another way to achieve our objectives. Rather than losing my patience, I’ve been more focused on keeping calm.

Little things may, and they most likely will, come up everyday. But when we get creative, we can still find a way to achieve our goal.

 Keep calm, stay focused on the goal. My mantra for now.