Things I’m Thankful For

November 24, 2013November 24, 2013Leave a comment

Since it’s Thanksgiving week, I thought it might be a worthwhile endeavor to reflect a bit on the things I’m thankful for this year. A lot of people are doing the “30-days of thanks” thing, which I have done in the past, and it reminded me that I need to stop more often and consider my blessings.

So here they are, in no particular order.

My overall health. I know I’ve been reeeeeally bad about working out and eating right lately, but I just had a physical on Friday, and turns out I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been, maybe more so. So I must be doing something right. I know it’s weird to worry about health when you’re only in your 30s, but since I made the decision to cultivate a healthier lifestyle a couple years ago, it really gives me validation for that decision when I see how healthy I am.
My job. And not just having one, which in this economy is still a pretty big deal. No, it’s really the job itself. Being a teacher is often a thankless job, and I often don’t see the fruits of my labor. But I love it, and I’m lucky to work in a district and a school with such awesome people and a culture of family. Speaking of….
My coworkers. I’m speaking of the awesome people I worked with for the past 7 years (actually, 9) at the elementary school where I taught kindergarten and second grade, because they supported me as a professional and as an individual. They’re my family as well as my friends. And I’m also speaking of the amazing teachers I’ve been blessed to work with since the start of this school year. They’ve made my move to sixth grade and the middle school far easier than I ever expected. We laugh a dozen times a day, support each other, and they’ve filled the past three months with so much awesomesauce, I can’t even explain.
My students. They are awesome. They are the reason I haul myself out of my nice warm bed while it’s still dark. They are truly, above and beyond everything else, what has made my transition to teaching sixth grade not only worthwhile, but possible. They’re friendly and polite to each other, they work harder than many adults I know, they make me laugh, they make me proud, and I can’t wait to see what amazing things they do from here out. I will say it right here for everybody in the world to read. I HAVE THE BEST SIXTH GRADE CLASS ON THE PLANET!
My family. Without my family, I would be so lost. They’ve seen me at my best, my worst, and my weirdest, and I’ve never had a day in my life when I didn’t feel their love and support in everything I’ve done.
My best friends. I don’t have a huge group of friends, but we are tight. We’re the sort of friends who can go weeks, sometimes months, without seeing each other, and as soon as we get together, it’s like we’re picking up right where we left off. And the awesome thing is that, as adults, we’re often more like family than friends.
The CNY Romance Writers. Such an amazing group of authors, and I can’t believe I went so long without knowing they were there! I’ve learned so much from these people over the last year, and I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for us.
Last, and never least, my husband. I truly did marry my best friend. Without his support and encouragement, I would have given up on so many things over the past few years. From family stuff to writing stuff, he’s my biggest cheerleader, my coach, my confidante, my partner in crime, and when I really need him to be, the world’s biggest teddy bear.

So there you go.

I’m also very thankful for pie. It’s a wonderful thing.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

My November Goal

November 1, 2013Leave a comment

Once again, I’ve opted out of participating in NaNoWriMo. Not that I won’t be chipping away at a writing goal this month. It just won’t be the creation of a 50k manuscript in 30 days. I’m hoping to finish the historical romance by Thanksgiving. I have about 15k to go.

I’m going to set a fitness goal for myself. I was doing pretty good with working out this summer, but once school started I got out of my routine. Initially I thought the new, earlier school schedule would be particularly conducive to staying on the work-out-wagon, because I would be home an hour earlier (thus working out an hour earlier, which would allow me to cook dinner an hour earlier, which in turn would allow me another whole hour before bed, even given the need to go to bed an hour earlier, with which to snuggle with the hubs or write or watch The Big Bang Theory or my new favorite show ever, Sleepy Hollow). But alas, thanks to a slew of things, Common Core ELA and math modules notwithstanding, I have yet to find that balance in my schedule.

But we’ve rounded the corner of Halloween, and now I’m faced with holiday eating time. Thanksgiving is a month away. Christmas isn’t far behind. There will be pies and cookies and other yummy things, and I admit that I have been naughty in the nutrition department.

My hope is that I’ll really be in a workable routine by the end of December, if not sooner, because it is starting to come together. In the meantime, I decided I’m going to use November to do Raw Rebecca’s 30 Day Plank and Squat Challenge. I’m already pretty good at squats since the workout programs I’ve been doing for the past three years utilize them heavily in the strength training videos. Planks I’m not so good at. But the point of the challenge is that you start small and build up. I also figure these are exercises I can do in relatively short amounts of time. As far as cardio – well, I’d like to be able to get TurboFire playing again, or start another round of Les Mills Combat. But in the meantime, I’m on my feet pretty much nonstop from 7:45 to 1:45, and that’s not counting and average of three trips up and down the halls to the main office and faculty room. (Seriously, the main office on the complete opposite end of the building from my classroom. It’s a haul to get my mail.)

So that’s my November goal. What’s yours?

Interesting NaNoWriMo Project Hosted by Grammarly

October 26, 2013August 4, 2017Leave a comment

The start of National Novel Writing Month is officially less than one week away. Once more, I will not be participating, officially, in NaNoWriMo, but I do plan to use November to reassess my writing goals for the year and determine one project to focus on through the month.


Many writers lead busy lives, and while it sounds pretty dang awesome to be able to say you wrote a 50k novel in a month, often life gets in the way, and the fledgling manuscript sputters out around 35000 words.
This year,Grammarly is hosting an interesting take on NaNoWriMo by organizing a collaborative novel writing project. Everything from plot to protagonist is determined by group consensus, and published NaNoWriMo author Gayle Brandeis will be writing the opening and closing sentences. Everything in between will come from participants.

Sound cool to you? Check out the Grammarly blog for more info.

Angel Lullabies

October 15, 2013Leave a comment

A year ago, I broke my silence about a very difficult event in my life, an event I still struggle to incorporate into my day to day being. I am one of the “one in four” women who have suffered a miscarriage. In fact, I have suffered two miscarriages, the second of which occurred this past March about a week after finding out about my pregnancy. If everything had gone as it should, I would be about six weeks away from welcoming my second baby into the world while wrangling an 18 month old. But unfortunately, things did not go as they should.

It has been incredibly difficult. Recurrent miscarriage is a medical condition and is considered a form of infertility. After a battery of tests and infertility treatments, there’s no concrete reasons that point to why it’s so hard for me to conceive and why I cannot hold a pregnancy if I do conceive. In the meantime, I struggle to put on a smile when friends share the happy news about their own babies-on-the-way. My joy for them is always a little dimmed by the knowledge that I will never hold my own babies. At least not in this world.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, and there are dozens of resources out there for parents who have experienced miscarriage or infant loss, as well as family and friends of those individuals who wish to provide support. (Unfortunately, the excellent site I shared last year, I Am The Face, seems to have been hacked and is no longer accessible.) There are also many ways you can remember and recognize your baby, including today’s “Wave of Light”, wherein you light a candle at 7pm in your local time zone and let it remain lit for an hour.

I encourage anyone who has experienced a loss to find information, find support, and be open about your grief. We do not need to grieve alone, and we shouldn’t be forced to grieve in silence.

After I lost my first baby in August 2011, I wrote the following poem as a way to help me cope. After losing my second baby in March of this year, I revised the poem to reflect the two angels waiting for me in Heaven. I know not everyone has the same religious beliefs or faith that I have, but I hope this may give comfort to others as it has given me.

~*~*~

Angel Lullabies

Blessed Mary, take my babies,
hold them if they cry,
and kiss them as they fall asleep
to angel lullabies.

String the stars above the cradles
where you lay them down at night
so I can find my angel babies
among that Heavenly light.

Mary, tell my babies dear
how much I miss them so.
I know your love will be as mine,
the only love they’ll know.

Tell my babies all about me,
and about their father too,
so when we come to Heaven’s gates
they’ll know to lead us through.

Sweet Mary, tell my angels
I’ll think of them each day;
No matter who comes into my life,
my love for them won’t fade away.

Teach my babies to spread their wings
and bravely soar the skies,
and please tuck them in at night
with angel lullabies.

I’m not sure what the original source of the image is, what it’s title is or who the artist is. And I’ve been searching. If anyone knows, please let me know so I can give proper attribution!