Category Archives: jobs

Spring Break – 2012

Sunday, March 25, 2012, @ 7:52 amadventure, Family, jobs, pets, teaching, Weatherchildren, eating, Family, fishing, Grayling, great days, making the days count, pets, teaching, water sports, weatherClay

I‘ll be brief, I promise. It is Spring Break. I have big plans and small ones, too.

The plan was to leave immediately after school Friday, but I nixed it on Thursday because I was exhausted and did not want to drive 360 miles Friday trying to stay awake nor settle back seat disputes. So, we settled on leaving Saturday morning and even then I was sleepy the last hour or two. The drive was pleasant and it was amazing to drive through budding trees and the emerging green grass. We even stopped at our friend’s house for a brief visit. I visited with the parents and the kids had fun with each other. It was a nice visit and broke the drive into two parts – But, we made it and we’re here at the cottage. Continue reading Spring Break – 2012 →

What a difference a year makes

Wednesday, February 1, 2012, @ 11:21 pmFamily, jobs, Reading, teaching, Weathereducation, Family, football, high school football, making the days count, pets, reading, scouting, seventh grade, weather, winter 2012, writingClay

snow_corridor — a year ago I had to rescue Ivy – today the deck is bare! Might as well be spring!

A year ago, I was climbing into bed dreaming of sleeping late, really late – past seven, eight, maybe even nine in the morning – which is unheard of for a middle school teacher. Except, we had been pummeled by 20+ inches of snow beginning Tuesday night and school had been cancelled for not one, but two days! Fast-forward to this year and we have had hardly any snow, yesterday it was in the upper 50s, and except for a few patches in shady areas, there is no snow on the ground. Continue reading What a difference a year makes →

Giving Thanks – Happy Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 24, 2011, @ 9:44 amcountry, Family, jobs, Life in General, pets, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, eating, Family, great days, hard work, making the days count, Paris, pets, reading, scouting, teaching, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 2011, writingClay

I went back in time yesterday morning to last year, the year before, and all the way back to Thanksgivings past. I went way back. I have been blogging at Making the Days Count since late May 2010 and have a few readers who follow along, so I feel I can go back to last year’s post without much of a problem for readers feeling like, ‘hey, I have been here before!’ Continue reading Giving Thanks – Happy Thanksgiving →

It is raining and Falling Action

Tuesday, November 8, 2011, @ 3:00 amFamily, jobs, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, Coleen McGregor, Dulles Jr. High Class of 1976, education, Family, hard work, making the days count, reading, seventh grade, weather, writingClay

I made it through Monday, though barely. The weather was dreary today and it made it even worse. I read that at our latitude we lose 3 ½ minutes of daylight each day, that sucks! There is just no delicate way to put it. In addition to being narrative writing season in my classroom, it is a busy time in the school and at home. I got home from school and helped Olivia with her math homework and then we were off to a book fair at her elementary school, that wasn’t. We ended up at the town library instead. She was ‘on fire’ to pick up a good book to read and I wasn’t about to stand in her way. Continue reading It is raining and Falling Action →

Falling Back

Sunday, November 6, 2011, @ 7:24 amFamily, jobs, Life in General, pets, teachingBethany Hamilton, children, eating, fall in the Midwest, fall leaves, Family, hard work, pets, reading, Soul Surfer, teaching, weatherClay

pancakes to start the day, what better way?

It was wonderful to stay up to 10PM with the kids and put them to bed knowing that it was really 9PM or would be in a few hours. Daylight Savings Time is the bomb! At least for a day. I looked at today’s details the sun rose at 6:30 AM and will set at 4:41 PM, even this early in the morning that is 10 hours and 11 minutes, how can that be? Regardless, that is the daylight we have, so we must make it count, worthwhile. Continue reading Falling Back →

Sunday morning, again

Sunday, October 30, 2011, @ 11:34 amadventure, Family, jobs, Life in General, pets, Reading, Writingchildren, education, fall in the Midwest, fall leaves, Family, hard work, high school football, politics, reading, seventh grade, teaching, writingClay

It is Sunday morning and somehow, Saturday passed me by. Saturday morning, I got up late, about quarter to eight. The rest of the house slept and it was quiet, peaceful, it was wonderful. Everyone needed rest, I included, but I was awake, so I got up. Friday night we had been out at a – you guessed it – high school football game Friday night and had been the last off the field as William and Olivia helped the grounds crew pick up the yard markers, end zone cones, and put them away for another week and perhaps the season. The Tigers had made the state playoffs but have had a difficult season dropping three games this year. They won Friday night, but next week play the number one seed in the bracket – in their stadium, so it will be interesting.

This morning, the phone rang and woke Beth and me up. She went back to sleep, or tried to and I came downstairs, let Ivy out and made coffee. We let the kids sleep; Continue reading Sunday morning, again →

Saturday morning

Saturday, September 17, 2011, @ 5:46 amcountry, Family, jobs, Life in General, pets, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Writingchildren, education, Family, hard work, patriotism, pets, reading, seventh grade, teaching, writingClay

It seems the last two posts have been Sundays, so I decided to start a new day with the blog. But, to tell you the truth it has been very busy since school resumed in late August and I have been struggling to keep all of the plates spinning, or balls in the air, or even my nose above the water. You get the idea. It’s not just for me but the entire family, including Ivy. Well, maybe not Ivy, but the rest of us.

Last week, as all of us were painfully aware, was the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I can remember precisely where I was and what I was doing that morning. I know all of us who remember that awful day have those memories seared into the fabric of our being, the makeup of who we are and how we look at life. Last Saturday morning, I watched Olivia play softball and was incredibly distracted by the air traffic overhead. Continue reading Saturday morning →

Monday morning

Monday, July 11, 2011, @ 6:57 amFamily, jobs, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, Family, fishing, Grayling, reading, seventh grade, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

bald_eagle — A bald eagle finishes his meal – a fish – in front of the sandbox

We’ve been up at the cottage over a week, though it seems like yesterday that William and I arrived and picked up Olivia from the airport a day later. I have done a few things but for the most part, I have been wrapped up in caring for my kids, taking care of their needs, ensuring they’re safe, separating them when they need to be apart, making sure they’re fed, and getting them to bed at a reasonable time. I have been lax about the eight in the morning bugle call, because I do savor the quiet moments in the morning sipping coffee and looking out on the lake. Continue reading Monday morning →

Queen of the Bluegill

Sunday, July 10, 2011, @ 9:02 amadventure, Family, food, jobs, Reading, Writingchildren, eating, Family, fishing, Grayling, reading, Summer Vacation, teaching, water sports, writingClay

gluten-free cherry cobbler - campfire style!

Short of sounding like a crank, it has been busy! Even being at the lake can be tiring and regular household chores can quickly fall by the wayside piling up until such a point where I have to stop and catch up. Today is that day. It is a perfect day to catch up, or at least make a valiant attempt. It was windy and cloudy this morning as I watched clouds forming in South Bay come across the lake and sprinkle the lawn. Rain is in the forecast off and on all day and it is just the right weather for a day of catching up. Continue reading Queen of the Bluegill →

Tuesday and chili

Tuesday, June 28, 2011, @ 10:58 pmadventure, Family, jobs, Reading, Scouting, teachingchildren, eating, fishing, hard work, reading, scouting, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

I stayed up late last night and crawled in to bed, much too late. It was cool and in the fifties and windy; I could hear the wind whipping through the trees and the sound soothed me as I tried to get warm snuggling inside my sleeping bag. I attempted to read before I fell asleep, but I couldn’t. I was just too tired. That’s what it is like here. I am just like the scouts – working hard at having fun, but it doesn’t seem like work at all and it is very tiring. Continue reading Tuesday and chili →