About me
So this is my blog. The goals of this blog are continually evolving, but mostly it is a way for me to catalogue all the work that I have been doing on our new house. We bought this house, a total fixer upper, with no budget to update it. But I knew that we would still be able to transform it. I have never had a lot of money, and probably never will. I don't value money, therefore I don't have a lot of it. I do value creativity and ingenuity, so I am banking on that to get us through this remodel. I want to be able to look back and see all the work that went into it, because I think it will be awesome.
I have always been crafty. I constantly have projects going and am trying new things that I see on Pinterest. Oh how I love me some Pinterest. Anyway, I also want to catalogue all of the crazy projects that I attempt. I am also hoping to inspire others to get their craft on. The end result does not always have to be Pinterestable (yep, I made that word up. Its okay though, I am an English teacher). Sometimes it is just about the process, and the gumption to actually try something new with no practice or skills.
I am also desperately trying to get in the habit of writing more. I get so overwhelmed with work, that I don't want to write when I am home. I want to do creative things, thus all the crafting. But I know that it is important to write. I know that it can be a creative outlet too. So I started this blog. I don't know if it is helping me to write, but it is getting me back in the practice. My goal this next school year, is to write a blog post every 2 weeks. Wish me luck. The long term goal is to write a book. I teach English and read a lot of juvenile fiction. So someday I want to write the next big blockbuster, then I can retire happily and craft to my heart's content.
So who am I?
I am an almost 40 teacher and mother of two. I don't totally feel that way on the inside though. I still feel like I am a twenty something floating around this crazy world trying to figure herself out. I think being a teacher has helped me to stay in tough with my youthful side. It has allowed me to continue to grow and evolve as a person. This isn't always easy, believe me, but it is important.
Unlike my twenty something self, I don't go out much, or socialize often. I am too tired and too poor. My job entails that I socialize constantly, so sometimes when I am at home, I just want to be with the little family I created. My husband and I bicker like crazy, anyone who has spent time with us can you tell you that. But we really do enjoy each other. We tell each other dumb stories and joke about our days. We just had our 10 year wedding anniversary. I feel like this has been a real accomplishment. I can readily admit there were times when I wanted to walk away. The stress of a failed business, two young children, and lack of financial independence has taken its toll. We have laerned that to make our marriage work, we need to put in work. This means that we actually fight more. I know this sounds strange, but resentment can be an insidious beast that eats away at a relationship. We try to actively deal with the things that bother us, so we can move forward together. We spend more time together as a family, and less time out with friends. We hang out, much like we did when we were dating. Except now, we have two children to contend with. I don't if this is the answer for every marriage, but it got us through the rough patch, and now we are ready to find our individuality again, knowing that our marriage is solid, and our children are happy and well cared for.
Juniper and Sullivan are a handful, as most children are. They have large personalities and even bigger hearts. Whenever I feel crappy about myself, which is more often than I would like, I look at them and know I am doing something right. They are not always well behaved, what kids are, but they are compassionate loving children. Both of my kids have hearing loss, which adds to the stress of being a parent. We don't always know what we are doing, and often feel like we are screwing them up. But I know that most parents feel this way at one point or another. So I try not to stress. I try to take it in stride and do the best that I can. I make a lot of mistakes, but I'm pretty sure that is just parenting. The hearing loss defiantly adds a wrinkle to the already daunting task of trying to parent while working full time. But I am lucky enough to have amazing women in my life who struggle with much larger issues, and they keep going and model the strength that women and mothers have. I can do this. My kids will struggle, I will struggle, but we will persevere. We already have.
I am a teacher in an interdisciplinary project-based school. I have been teaching for over 10 years now, and have always taught in alternative or nontraditional schools. I love my job, and finally feel that after all these years, I know what I am doing. This is the place in my life where I am the most confidant. Like parenting, it is not easy and I make a lot of mistakes. But I get so much wonderful and positive feedback from my students, that I feel like a winner most days. I love me students fiercely. I have, and will, fight for them, all of them, even the ones that swear and yell at me. I believe wholeheartedly that education is the answer to most of the issues we have in our country. So I fight for all kids. Sometimes this looks like I am being mean, or pushing too hard. I don't want to be the teacher that you like because their class was easy. I want to be the teacher that you remember when you are in college because they pushed you to try harder and be better. I always tell my students that I am not nice, I am caring, empathetic and supportive, but not nice. I am tough on my students because I know that is what they need to be successful. But I also try to be a shoulder for them to lean on, especially during rough times, which for adolescents is almost everyday.
I am evolving. I know that who I am today, is not the person that I will be in 5 years, because I am not the same person I was 5 years ago. There is something weirdly comforting about that. I see people in my life who are stuck. Stuck in bad patterns, stuck in bad relationships, stuck in their own ego-driven worlds that they don't really see what is going on around them. They refuse to change and are often left behind or are frustrated. I know I am not perfect, far from it, but I am trying to become a better person everyday. Teaching has made me really self-reflective. I can see my faults, and actively try to work on them. I also see that I don't have to have the answers right now, hopefully I have a long life ahead of me to still figure things out.
So read my blog, or just scroll through the pictures. Try out a craft, or just think about it. Get inspired. Inspire others. As my students say, "Do you"
Until next time.
Nora
I have always been crafty. I constantly have projects going and am trying new things that I see on Pinterest. Oh how I love me some Pinterest. Anyway, I also want to catalogue all of the crazy projects that I attempt. I am also hoping to inspire others to get their craft on. The end result does not always have to be Pinterestable (yep, I made that word up. Its okay though, I am an English teacher). Sometimes it is just about the process, and the gumption to actually try something new with no practice or skills.
I am also desperately trying to get in the habit of writing more. I get so overwhelmed with work, that I don't want to write when I am home. I want to do creative things, thus all the crafting. But I know that it is important to write. I know that it can be a creative outlet too. So I started this blog. I don't know if it is helping me to write, but it is getting me back in the practice. My goal this next school year, is to write a blog post every 2 weeks. Wish me luck. The long term goal is to write a book. I teach English and read a lot of juvenile fiction. So someday I want to write the next big blockbuster, then I can retire happily and craft to my heart's content.
So who am I?
I am an almost 40 teacher and mother of two. I don't totally feel that way on the inside though. I still feel like I am a twenty something floating around this crazy world trying to figure herself out. I think being a teacher has helped me to stay in tough with my youthful side. It has allowed me to continue to grow and evolve as a person. This isn't always easy, believe me, but it is important.
Unlike my twenty something self, I don't go out much, or socialize often. I am too tired and too poor. My job entails that I socialize constantly, so sometimes when I am at home, I just want to be with the little family I created. My husband and I bicker like crazy, anyone who has spent time with us can you tell you that. But we really do enjoy each other. We tell each other dumb stories and joke about our days. We just had our 10 year wedding anniversary. I feel like this has been a real accomplishment. I can readily admit there were times when I wanted to walk away. The stress of a failed business, two young children, and lack of financial independence has taken its toll. We have laerned that to make our marriage work, we need to put in work. This means that we actually fight more. I know this sounds strange, but resentment can be an insidious beast that eats away at a relationship. We try to actively deal with the things that bother us, so we can move forward together. We spend more time together as a family, and less time out with friends. We hang out, much like we did when we were dating. Except now, we have two children to contend with. I don't if this is the answer for every marriage, but it got us through the rough patch, and now we are ready to find our individuality again, knowing that our marriage is solid, and our children are happy and well cared for.
Juniper and Sullivan are a handful, as most children are. They have large personalities and even bigger hearts. Whenever I feel crappy about myself, which is more often than I would like, I look at them and know I am doing something right. They are not always well behaved, what kids are, but they are compassionate loving children. Both of my kids have hearing loss, which adds to the stress of being a parent. We don't always know what we are doing, and often feel like we are screwing them up. But I know that most parents feel this way at one point or another. So I try not to stress. I try to take it in stride and do the best that I can. I make a lot of mistakes, but I'm pretty sure that is just parenting. The hearing loss defiantly adds a wrinkle to the already daunting task of trying to parent while working full time. But I am lucky enough to have amazing women in my life who struggle with much larger issues, and they keep going and model the strength that women and mothers have. I can do this. My kids will struggle, I will struggle, but we will persevere. We already have.
I am a teacher in an interdisciplinary project-based school. I have been teaching for over 10 years now, and have always taught in alternative or nontraditional schools. I love my job, and finally feel that after all these years, I know what I am doing. This is the place in my life where I am the most confidant. Like parenting, it is not easy and I make a lot of mistakes. But I get so much wonderful and positive feedback from my students, that I feel like a winner most days. I love me students fiercely. I have, and will, fight for them, all of them, even the ones that swear and yell at me. I believe wholeheartedly that education is the answer to most of the issues we have in our country. So I fight for all kids. Sometimes this looks like I am being mean, or pushing too hard. I don't want to be the teacher that you like because their class was easy. I want to be the teacher that you remember when you are in college because they pushed you to try harder and be better. I always tell my students that I am not nice, I am caring, empathetic and supportive, but not nice. I am tough on my students because I know that is what they need to be successful. But I also try to be a shoulder for them to lean on, especially during rough times, which for adolescents is almost everyday.
I am evolving. I know that who I am today, is not the person that I will be in 5 years, because I am not the same person I was 5 years ago. There is something weirdly comforting about that. I see people in my life who are stuck. Stuck in bad patterns, stuck in bad relationships, stuck in their own ego-driven worlds that they don't really see what is going on around them. They refuse to change and are often left behind or are frustrated. I know I am not perfect, far from it, but I am trying to become a better person everyday. Teaching has made me really self-reflective. I can see my faults, and actively try to work on them. I also see that I don't have to have the answers right now, hopefully I have a long life ahead of me to still figure things out.
So read my blog, or just scroll through the pictures. Try out a craft, or just think about it. Get inspired. Inspire others. As my students say, "Do you"
Until next time.
Nora
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