Today is the last day of school in my School District for the year. Usually school year's end is a bitter sweet experience for me, but this year it's not so bitter. My students were difficult, my schedule grueling, my job thankless, my administrators critical, and the stress unrelenting.
We're getting a new principal next year. He seems pretty chilled out. It will be interesting to see how the job changes with a new captain at the wheel.
In the mean time, I'm going to spend most of June running as far away from this place as I can get on our limited summer-fun budget. I'll be in Cali for 2 weeks helping my mom do some work on her house, and then I'll be back for about 4 days before leaving again to go to Cancun for a week. Originally we were going to go on a Baltic Cruise this summer with my sister Emily and her husband, but it just felt like bad timing on our part so we decided to keep things more local. I realized the other day how snobby that sounds to say that going to Cancun is our stay-cation. But traveling to Mexico all the time I guess is one of the major perks of being married to someone from that country. And I'm mostly just glad that we're staying at an actual hotel instead of sleeping on some relative's couch and watching Novelas for a week which is our usual Mexican-Vacation-Itinerary. Nuestra Belleza Latina is over now (Nastassja is such a heffer- Gredmarie should have won!), so the only thing to watch these days anyway is Teresa. This week Teresa got married to Arturo even though she slept with Mariano the night before the wedding and professed her undying love to him, and Mariano crashed her wedding and punched Arturo in the face. We're pretty sure in the next episodes it will be revealed that Teresa is pregnant with Mariano's child, but she'll keep it a secret from Arturo because she just wants him for his money.
Yup. We're a glamorous bunch.
I'm also pretty excited about seeing Xcaret and some bad-@** Mayan ruins. The Maya are, after all, my favorite Pre-Columbian Indigenous Culture.
So good-bye school and hello 11 weeks of sleeping in, laying out, and pretending I'm a pampered stay-at-home wife.
June, I love you, baby!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Help me Pick!
With Brendan moving out this past week, I have decided to suck it up and try to turn my now empty downstairs bedroom into a craft room.
I'm enlisting your help. I have a general sense of what I'd like the room to feel like and how I'd like it to function, but I have no mental image of how I'm going to go about setting it up.
First thing I need to decide is a color scheme. Which of the following should I go with?
#1 Green and Gold
#2 Gold and Greige (Greyish Beige)
#3 Black and Yellow
#4 Blue and Red
I should probably mention that I'm not going to be repainting the walls, which are a medium taupe color with creamy white trim. I have some furniture for the room already- 2 chairs from my grandmother's estate which I plan on recovering in material to match, but not painting. They are a honey-colored wood. The room has a similar-toned thick wood blind that I'm planning on leaving up, but possibly supplementing with some cafe curtains. I have a small hutch which I purchased for $10 off of craigslist which will be painted to match whatever color scheme I end up with.
I should also mention that this room is by far the darkest, coldest room in the house, so I've gone out of my way to select color schemes that will help warm up the space and make it more inviting. It also has a direct view of some of the prettiest parts of my garden, so I'd like to keep that in mind as well.
So please leave me a comment and tell me what you think!
I'm enlisting your help. I have a general sense of what I'd like the room to feel like and how I'd like it to function, but I have no mental image of how I'm going to go about setting it up.
First thing I need to decide is a color scheme. Which of the following should I go with?
#1 Green and Gold
#2 Gold and Greige (Greyish Beige)
#3 Black and Yellow
#4 Blue and Red
I should probably mention that I'm not going to be repainting the walls, which are a medium taupe color with creamy white trim. I have some furniture for the room already- 2 chairs from my grandmother's estate which I plan on recovering in material to match, but not painting. They are a honey-colored wood. The room has a similar-toned thick wood blind that I'm planning on leaving up, but possibly supplementing with some cafe curtains. I have a small hutch which I purchased for $10 off of craigslist which will be painted to match whatever color scheme I end up with.
I should also mention that this room is by far the darkest, coldest room in the house, so I've gone out of my way to select color schemes that will help warm up the space and make it more inviting. It also has a direct view of some of the prettiest parts of my garden, so I'd like to keep that in mind as well.
So please leave me a comment and tell me what you think!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Confession: Sometimes I lie to my kid
This weekend, we were at a stale mate. Andrei was getting antsy from being cooped up all day, and his attempts at entertaining himself with Disney movies were doing more harm than good. He's not a sit still and pay attention to a movie kind of kid, and he usually only turns to tv as a last resort after he's already cranky and bored to the point of no return.
In trying to figure out what to do with this cranky, bored, somewhat belligerent child, his father and I realized that the weather was so nice that we ought take advantage of it. There was a cool breeze, the sun was shining, and the river was running high. It takes about an hour and a half just to ride down the mountain by our house, which Luis and I decided was just what the family needed.
I was really sneaky about it, though. I didn't want to just barge in to the boy's room turn off the tv and tell him that we were going. That never works well. Power of suggestion and reverse psychology don't really work either. If he's bored enough to attempt watching a movie during the middle of the day, he's usually already gotten himself in trouble pestering the dogs and neighbors several times, and cranky enough that he'll argue with anything I say out of principal.
Instead, I went into the garage and threw the electrical breaker that powers our 2 upstairs bedrooms.
It worked like a charm. He immediately came out complaining that the power was off and asking me what was going on. I know it's bad to be dishonest with your kids, but I just told him that his tv, dvd player, fan, and clock could possibly have overloaded the circuits and that there wasn't anything I could do about it for at least an hour until the circuits cooled down. He accepted that answer and for lack of anything else to do, somewhat reluctantly agreed to join us on a bike ride.
So we packed up our bikes into the back of my truck and drove 15 miles up Provo Canyon. Up in Glen Canyon Park we unloaded our bikes and rode the trail back down the mountain, through town, and ended up at our house. That's one of the perks of living a few blocks from the river trail- we can get pretty much anywhere we want to in town avoiding main roads.
It was sublime.
We spent the afternoon viewing things like this, and stopping to play at the multiple parks that dot the length of the trail.
We excitedly talked and joked about the gorgeous scenery, the beautiful weather, and the thrill of zipping down the mountain on our bikes.
When we returned home, I secretly restored power to his room, but somehow he decided that he'd prefer to eat lunch then play outside instead.
Non, je ne regrette rien
In trying to figure out what to do with this cranky, bored, somewhat belligerent child, his father and I realized that the weather was so nice that we ought take advantage of it. There was a cool breeze, the sun was shining, and the river was running high. It takes about an hour and a half just to ride down the mountain by our house, which Luis and I decided was just what the family needed.
I was really sneaky about it, though. I didn't want to just barge in to the boy's room turn off the tv and tell him that we were going. That never works well. Power of suggestion and reverse psychology don't really work either. If he's bored enough to attempt watching a movie during the middle of the day, he's usually already gotten himself in trouble pestering the dogs and neighbors several times, and cranky enough that he'll argue with anything I say out of principal.
Instead, I went into the garage and threw the electrical breaker that powers our 2 upstairs bedrooms.
It worked like a charm. He immediately came out complaining that the power was off and asking me what was going on. I know it's bad to be dishonest with your kids, but I just told him that his tv, dvd player, fan, and clock could possibly have overloaded the circuits and that there wasn't anything I could do about it for at least an hour until the circuits cooled down. He accepted that answer and for lack of anything else to do, somewhat reluctantly agreed to join us on a bike ride.
So we packed up our bikes into the back of my truck and drove 15 miles up Provo Canyon. Up in Glen Canyon Park we unloaded our bikes and rode the trail back down the mountain, through town, and ended up at our house. That's one of the perks of living a few blocks from the river trail- we can get pretty much anywhere we want to in town avoiding main roads.
It was sublime.
We spent the afternoon viewing things like this, and stopping to play at the multiple parks that dot the length of the trail.
When we returned home, I secretly restored power to his room, but somehow he decided that he'd prefer to eat lunch then play outside instead.
Non, je ne regrette rien
Monday, May 16, 2011
Blue Belt
*pictures pending*
So I have to brag a little.
This Saturday Luis had to work, so I got the distinct honor and privilege of taking Andrei to Layton (about 90 minutes north of our little town) for his blue belt test. Andre began taking Hap Ki Do (a Korean martial art) about 18 months ago. His mom signed him up for it because he showed a strong interest in the sport and it was pretty much the only thing he can do during weekdays without having a weekend obligation. The only weekend events at this time are his belt tests every 4-6 months.
Soccer, basketball, football, and baseball all have weekday practices and weekend games, making it pretty much impossible to coordinate his schedule between his two parental groups at this time. Martial Arts seemed like an obvious choice.
According to Andrei's teacher, he's a natural. He has tremendous speed and agility, and the ability to deeply focus during practice time. During his test, he always was the first student to respond to the instructor's directions. He's flying through the belts, and progressively improving. He passed this test with flying colors, despite having a giant infected hole in his leg caused by some mystery accident earlier in the week.
I'm very impressed that he's sticking with Hap Ki Do, and that he hasn't lost interest. He received his Yellow Belt about a year ago, and his Green Belt in the fall. If he continues to work hard and improve at the rate he's been working he'll get his Red Belt some time around October or November, a Red/Black belt next Spring, and he'll be a Black Belt by the time he's starts 5th grade. After that, he could possibly move on to more specific martial arts studies, such as weaponry training or some other genre of martial art like Tai Kwon Do, Karate, or Kung Fu.
I can take no credit in this aside from having him practice with me on rare occasions and attending his belt tests. The bulk of the credit goes to his mom for funding the class (it's a pricey sport to play) and Andrei for being so naturally awesome. But if you've met him you know that already.
Way to go, little buddy!
So I have to brag a little.
This Saturday Luis had to work, so I got the distinct honor and privilege of taking Andrei to Layton (about 90 minutes north of our little town) for his blue belt test. Andre began taking Hap Ki Do (a Korean martial art) about 18 months ago. His mom signed him up for it because he showed a strong interest in the sport and it was pretty much the only thing he can do during weekdays without having a weekend obligation. The only weekend events at this time are his belt tests every 4-6 months.
Soccer, basketball, football, and baseball all have weekday practices and weekend games, making it pretty much impossible to coordinate his schedule between his two parental groups at this time. Martial Arts seemed like an obvious choice.
According to Andrei's teacher, he's a natural. He has tremendous speed and agility, and the ability to deeply focus during practice time. During his test, he always was the first student to respond to the instructor's directions. He's flying through the belts, and progressively improving. He passed this test with flying colors, despite having a giant infected hole in his leg caused by some mystery accident earlier in the week.
I'm very impressed that he's sticking with Hap Ki Do, and that he hasn't lost interest. He received his Yellow Belt about a year ago, and his Green Belt in the fall. If he continues to work hard and improve at the rate he's been working he'll get his Red Belt some time around October or November, a Red/Black belt next Spring, and he'll be a Black Belt by the time he's starts 5th grade. After that, he could possibly move on to more specific martial arts studies, such as weaponry training or some other genre of martial art like Tai Kwon Do, Karate, or Kung Fu.
I can take no credit in this aside from having him practice with me on rare occasions and attending his belt tests. The bulk of the credit goes to his mom for funding the class (it's a pricey sport to play) and Andrei for being so naturally awesome. But if you've met him you know that already.
Way to go, little buddy!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Empty Nesters?
3.5 years ago we were living in a small 2 bed, 1 bath 800 square foot love nest in the heart of downtown Provo We were happily and anxiously awaiting the pending purchase of our "mansion" on the West side of town (when you're living in 800 sq. feet, 2200 sq. feet feels like a mansion). A good friend from my old job unexpectedly called for the first time in a year asking to crash at our place for a month or so while she got re-established in Provo. She'd been living the past year in Arizona and had no house, job, or transportation lined up. She offered to pay us a fair amount for our trouble and said she didn't mind that we'd have Andrei intruding on her personal space on weekends, since the only place for her to stay was in his room. She promised that she would be staying with us for no more than 4-6 weeks.
We took the bait, setting off a chain of events that ended this weekend.
Beginning with Carrie, we have had a long-term house guest living with us for the past three and a half years. When she left, we moved into our "new" house. We were there less than a month when my MIL came to visit and ended up staying with us for ten weeks. I put up with normal Mother-in-Law/Daughter-in-law drama, but by the time she left I was so very tired of tiptoeing around schedules, finicky palates, and abrasive personal habits. This was also the time period during which I was thrown into the deep end, working full time and being Andrei's full-time "mom" while Jerly filmed a tv show overseas. I was under so much stress at work, exhausted, and essentially I just needed some "me" time.
When MIL left I swore to myself "never again."
Never say never.
Less than 6 weeks later, Luis's sister called us up asking to spend the weekend in our house. She was 5 months pregnant and had just gotten into a wicked-bad fight with her husband and just wanted to "cool down." She moved out last August. It was a 2.5 year-long weekend.
Shortly before Ana moved out, my youngest brother also joined our rag-tag team of misfits, having finished high school and needing a safe place to stay while he figured out a long-term plan. He's been with us since July.
This weekend, brother moved out to begin attending the University of Utah. As I was driving him up to school I realized that I was dropping him off and coming home to an entirely empty house. Nobody. Not even the possibility of anybody, aside from my own husband and child. And then it struck me how odd it must be to actually have *that* seem weird.
In 3.5 years (with the exception of a few minor breaks), I haven't walked around in my underwear in my own house. I haven't had junk food for dinner because I didn't feel like cooking anything. I haven't had a personal conversation with my husband outside of our bedroom or automobile. Heck. I haven't even made love to him without covering up the air vent that connects our room to the guest room with a pile of pillows.
It's exhausting living with other people. As much as I love them all, it's like living under a microscope. Privacy is non-existent. You have to watch everything you say and do because someone is always watching.
So needless to say we won't be advertising a room for rent any time soon.
I'd feel guilty about feeling so giddy about my new-found freedom except that Ana is now thriving with a good paying job and a nice apartment, and Brendan has recently advertised that living in college dorms is the most fun he's ever had in his life. Thank heavens we could be there when they needed help. And doubly so that they don't need our help any more. I wish them all the very best, from the very bottom of my heart.
Now, I think I'm going to eat ice cream out of a carton while wearing nothing but a towel.
We took the bait, setting off a chain of events that ended this weekend.
Beginning with Carrie, we have had a long-term house guest living with us for the past three and a half years. When she left, we moved into our "new" house. We were there less than a month when my MIL came to visit and ended up staying with us for ten weeks. I put up with normal Mother-in-Law/Daughter-in-law drama, but by the time she left I was so very tired of tiptoeing around schedules, finicky palates, and abrasive personal habits. This was also the time period during which I was thrown into the deep end, working full time and being Andrei's full-time "mom" while Jerly filmed a tv show overseas. I was under so much stress at work, exhausted, and essentially I just needed some "me" time.
When MIL left I swore to myself "never again."
Never say never.
Less than 6 weeks later, Luis's sister called us up asking to spend the weekend in our house. She was 5 months pregnant and had just gotten into a wicked-bad fight with her husband and just wanted to "cool down." She moved out last August. It was a 2.5 year-long weekend.
Shortly before Ana moved out, my youngest brother also joined our rag-tag team of misfits, having finished high school and needing a safe place to stay while he figured out a long-term plan. He's been with us since July.
This weekend, brother moved out to begin attending the University of Utah. As I was driving him up to school I realized that I was dropping him off and coming home to an entirely empty house. Nobody. Not even the possibility of anybody, aside from my own husband and child. And then it struck me how odd it must be to actually have *that* seem weird.
In 3.5 years (with the exception of a few minor breaks), I haven't walked around in my underwear in my own house. I haven't had junk food for dinner because I didn't feel like cooking anything. I haven't had a personal conversation with my husband outside of our bedroom or automobile. Heck. I haven't even made love to him without covering up the air vent that connects our room to the guest room with a pile of pillows.
It's exhausting living with other people. As much as I love them all, it's like living under a microscope. Privacy is non-existent. You have to watch everything you say and do because someone is always watching.
So needless to say we won't be advertising a room for rent any time soon.
I'd feel guilty about feeling so giddy about my new-found freedom except that Ana is now thriving with a good paying job and a nice apartment, and Brendan has recently advertised that living in college dorms is the most fun he's ever had in his life. Thank heavens we could be there when they needed help. And doubly so that they don't need our help any more. I wish them all the very best, from the very bottom of my heart.
Now, I think I'm going to eat ice cream out of a carton while wearing nothing but a towel.
Friday, May 6, 2011
The One Where I Join a Bluegrass Band.
Yes. I joined a bluegrass band.
I will be fiddling and singing.
My first performance with the group is in a week.
I'm WAY excited.
I will be fiddling and singing.
My first performance with the group is in a week.
I'm WAY excited.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
for everyone who was a teenager in the 90's
Okay. So this post is part confession and part pure, concentrated awesomeness.
First the confession: I still watch music videos. I can't help it. I have been glued to MTV, VH1, and their spinoffs since I was old enough to understand the concept of basic cable. I'm medium obsessed with pop culture. It's the best way to stay tuned in to what pop culture is. No. I do not watch Jersey Shore or Teen Mom or whatever. I catch bits and pieces in between occasionally, but mostly I'm in it for the music videos.
This morning as I was eating my shredded wheat and perusing the music channels, I came across the new Beastie Boys video. I was intrigued. I've been a closet Beastie Boys fan since middle school. "Fight for Your Right" was like the soundtrack of my entire generation. Fo'sho. This new video delivers a classic Beastie Boys sound and has probably well over a dozen AWESOME cameos, including Will Ferrell as a cow-bell-playing chauffer. It's not for everyone. If you didn't like the Beastie Boys in the 90's, you won't like them now. Proceed no further.
If, however, you used to get your jam on to the Boys at school dances like I did, this may be the coolest thing ever. There's Ted Danson and a Delorean. Fairly warned be ye says I.
First the confession: I still watch music videos. I can't help it. I have been glued to MTV, VH1, and their spinoffs since I was old enough to understand the concept of basic cable. I'm medium obsessed with pop culture. It's the best way to stay tuned in to what pop culture is. No. I do not watch Jersey Shore or Teen Mom or whatever. I catch bits and pieces in between occasionally, but mostly I'm in it for the music videos.
This morning as I was eating my shredded wheat and perusing the music channels, I came across the new Beastie Boys video. I was intrigued. I've been a closet Beastie Boys fan since middle school. "Fight for Your Right" was like the soundtrack of my entire generation. Fo'sho. This new video delivers a classic Beastie Boys sound and has probably well over a dozen AWESOME cameos, including Will Ferrell as a cow-bell-playing chauffer. It's not for everyone. If you didn't like the Beastie Boys in the 90's, you won't like them now. Proceed no further.
If, however, you used to get your jam on to the Boys at school dances like I did, this may be the coolest thing ever. There's Ted Danson and a Delorean. Fairly warned be ye says I.
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