Family

Here, have a warm fuzzy

Merriam-Webster defines warm fuzzies as, “feelings of happiness, contentment, or sentimentality.” Honestly, it’s a phrase I use an obnoxious amount… at least according to my children. I gave out warm fuzzies to students in the classroom frequently when I caught a student going out of their way to be kind, help a friend, help and adult, etc. The warm fuzzies were simply pom poms with eyes. Sometimes they didn’t even have eyes.

Monday, October 11, 2021 | 3 minutes Read

Grades Don’t Give Me Warm Fuzzies

Grades don’t matter…there, I said it. As a teacher, I am not supposed to tell you this, but it’s true…OK, I will concede that grades are a necessary evil, but I promise you they don’t matter as much as you think they do. Grades, as I said, are a necessary evil. They are a requirement to not only judge a student’s progress, but to help administration and tie wearing number crunchers see how students- and teachers- are performing in the classroom.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 9 minutes Read

It's Okay to Hover

I’m a hoverer. I flit about like a nervous hummingbird. When I am sitting seemingly still, my mind is still jumping back and forth between all the little ducklings in my brood. Am I allowing the diva enough opportunities to grow and nurture her free spirit and fashion aspirations, while still planting reasonable expectations in her head for the future? How can I help my little Aspie deal with society and their lack of respect for anything that doesn’t fit the norm?

Saturday, July 15, 2017 | 9 minutes Read

When Okay Isn't Okay

How are you? We ask the question all the time, but I hate it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as guilty as anyone of asking it. I ask it endlessly to my own family…even when I know something is decidedly not okay. The answer we all give is, “I’m fine,” or “I’m okay.” Why do we all ask the same question, give the same answer and move on. I think that this does a great injustice to all people who are not actually okay.

Thursday, August 13, 2015 | 5 minutes Read

You Are Our Glue

“You are our glue.” The words resonated with me unlike any words had before. Glue?! I have to be glue? No pressure, I’m just the substance whose sole purpose is to make things that would normally not go together stick together for all of eternity. Of course, it was a compliment. My family was acknowledging that without me things would simply not be as cohesive. The words were never intended to weigh heavily on my mind.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 | 4 minutes Read

Siblings

Siblings, as I see it, are both the biggest curse and largest blessing that one person can every hope to have. Seriously. I mean, think about it. For a first born: there you are minding your own business, soaking in all the love, affection, and attention your parents can possibly dole out and then, BAM! Suddenly, there is a small, loud, often stinky creature that sucks all the energy and attention out of good ole mom and dad.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 | 4 minutes Read

Love Essay

Ah, love. The four letter word that evokes that special combination of fear and excitement in nearly all human beings. Love has been immortalized through the use of cute sayings, guilt, and longing…but what is this “love?” When do we first really feel its splendor and hellacious grip. Can we really define love, or can its meaning be as varied as the greeting card isle during February? I was sure I was in love as a high school.

Saturday, January 14, 2012 | 5 minutes Read

Ah Christmas

Ah Christmas, that magical time of year when everyone puts aside their differences and coexist in perfect harmony. Decorations are lovingly placed in just the right spot…food taste better, smiles are brighter, and the serenity of the whole scene rivals that of the nativity crèche itself. That is unless, of course, you live in the real world. In that case, your home is cluttered with gifts, the tree doesn’t quite fit, one light is always burned out, your cookies are smoldering in the oven, and you’ve asked yourself at least six times if the children really need to be out of the school a full two weeks.

Monday, January 2, 2012 | 8 minutes Read

Meeting Matthew

I don’t believe in growing up, at least not entirely. However, there are moments in each person’s life, when it becomes necessary to be an adult. For some, those moments come entirely too soon…for others much too late. For me, adulthood slapped me in the face one afternoon in May of 2004. For the first time in my life I truly understood what it meant to experience life altering fear, true love, and endless hope.

Monday, July 18, 2011 | 6 minutes Read