Things I've Learned About Myself Whilst on Strike for 8 Days

This week I have had to come to terms with several aspects of my personality that I find cringe-worthy. I blame the strike for pushing me to my limits and showing me what I am (and am not) made of.

Without further delay, here is my list of:

Things I've Learned About Myself 

Whilst on Strike for 8 Days

1. Should I ever desire to go on the Discovery Channel show, Naked and Afraid, I would be that person who freaks out on day 3 and has to be emotionally "carried" by the other, more mentally astute person the remainder of the time. I admit that on approximately day 6 of our strike I had a mini mental breakdown. Something in my brain snapped and I just freaked. I got very, very, very sad and couldn't stop crying.

"But the kids still get 180 days of school," my teacher friend said.

"You're doing this for the right reasons," my husband said.

"Go work at another district," my almost 12 year old said.

"Pasco needs you," The internet stranger I only know via Facebook, said.


Nothing anyone said helped, I just felt sad. And eventually my brain liked the sad feeling, and then it wouldn't go away. I'm currently being "carried" by my husband, who understands that I hate everyone, but I hate him the least; my bff, who knows how to commiserate and cheer me up with memes; my school family, who know the value of laughter; and 25 kids, most of whom I've never met, who I long to share my day with.

2. The worse I feel, the better I look. It's true. I've gotten many a compliment after a good two week bout of the stomach flu or strep throat.

"Hey, Mari, you look really great!"
"Thanks! I haven't eaten in 5 days!"

"You look fantastic! What's your secret?"
"Thanks! Just going through a messy divorce and running 7 miles a day so I don't kill anyone."





At first I felt ok about the strike, like maybe it would be over in the first week. In fact the day before school was supposed to start I still sort of thought there was a chance the two sides would make a deal. (Yes, I am naive.) But then the worse things got, the worse I felt. The second week brought with it body aches, headaches and nausea. I couldn't eat and I started running again (channeling the not killing people thing). Now I'm off sugar and have been taking my vitamins. Why does it take a life crisis to focus my efforts on healthy living? And should I hope that the strike is over soon, or hope that it goes another two weeks because I think I could probably drop a pant size in that time. #Priorities


3. I can be on time for things. An actual work meeting? Put me down for five minutes after. But if we have to be somewhere to picket or walk around the neighborhood you bet I'll be rolling up 5, or even 10 minutes early. I have no explanation for this.

4. "Serenity Now, Insanity Later" is a real thing. So, there is an episode of Seinfeld where George Constanza, in an effort to handle life in a more calm way adopts the phrase "Serenity Now." He tries to calm himself as he goes head to head with his nemesis and rival, Lloyd Braun. Throughout the episode he learns that holding things in and faking that he is calm actually makes it worse until he blows up. A better way of handling life is if you feel like crying, cry. If you want to rant find someone who will listen and not slap you. If you want to write a blog and get all the thoughts out of your brain, then do that. But, whatever you do, don't hold it all in.



5. Much like Baby, Mari also dislikes being put in a corner. I don't respond well to bullies. I wish I could say I punch them in the face and then move on with life. Nope. I am nice to bullies. I try to figure out why they are such jerks and if I can help them in anyway. I look for any possible sign that they are better than the behavior I am witnessing.

But... PSD is using tactics like filing injunctions, accusing teachers of abusing kids by not babysitting them, asking for fines to be collected from the union and individuals in union leadership, and today, the final straw, scheduling a special board meeting with the purpose of suspending compensation and district paid benefits because we won't go back to work without a contract. A contract they have had all summer to work on. A contract they have not been willing to negotiate about. A contract that would hold them accountable for the things they are currently not providing Pasco students. I am no longer looking for evidence that they are not as bad as they seem to be. I am now ready to continue to stand with my union colleagues and say: BRING IT ON. I am not an unruly student you can sit in the corner and force to obey (my parents can attest to that!). The more you push and intimidate me, PSD, the harder I will work to be my very best at the end of summer dance party (Ok, that's where the analogy sort of falls apart... but you feel me, right?)




Will the strike last another few days? A week? Two more weeks? I have no idea. I can only hope that we are all back in our classrooms soon, after having a fun time with our friends in summer camp and learning how to believe in ourselves enough to dance (See! That analogy did work after all!!) :)

Pasco... I Wish I Knew How to Quit You... Top 10 Reasons I'm Staying

I woke up at 5:30am this morning with knots in my stomach. Reality hits me in the face every day as I get up and put my red shirt on and report to my picketing station while crossing my fingers that today is the day we will reach agreement and I will get to be back in my classroom soon. I am surrounded by turmoil all day and then I get home and my kids are wondering why I'm gone so much and why I'm on social media talking to people all the time. They don't fully understand the significance of the stand we are taking, or why I would want to educate people in our community about why we are doing what we are doing.

But with all the stress Pasco teachers are under and all the truth that has come out about our district, people have to wonder, why do we stay? Why not go to Kennewick  or Richland? I know principals in both districts and have the qualifications needed. Why not go? Are we all just gluttons for punishment? Does Pasco just attract "bad" teachers that can't get hired anywhere else?


In the spirit of David Letterman, here are my

Top 10 Reasons I Can't Quit Pasco

10. Pasco has THE BEST authentic Mexican food. Have you been to La Fama or El Sazon? Try it. It's life changing.

9. Dust Devils play at the TRAC in Pasco. Russell Wilson was a Dust Devil. I love the Sea Hawks, therefore I love Pasco.

8. The traffic on Road 68 still pales in comparison to 5 o'clock G Way traffic.

7. It's easy to get to the airport.

6. I like football and I like winning. #Riverhawks #WeAreChiawana

5. I like money. We bought a house with a little over 2000 square feet and I know the same house would sell in Richland for at least 20k more. My parents raised me on a budget and I love a good deal. No way could I pay more than something is worth just for the name brand or label, unless I believed it was truly a better item, which I don't. We have five kids who all go to Pasco schools and three of them will be at the school I'm teaching at this year. Plus also when you do unpermitted work on your house it is harder to sell so we aren't going anywhere.

4. Pasco has some things to brag about... Did you know some of our schools have better test scores than some Richland schools? Did you know we actually have higher graduation rates in Pasco? Did you know Pasco has four STEM elementary schools and they are the only ones in Tri Cities? Did you know many Pasco graduates leave school speaking two languages fluently? We are doing more right than wrong.

3. These are my people. I was raised by a field worker and factory worker. My parents went to school as adults to become a land lord and preschool teacher. They worked hard, and continue to do so everyday of their lives. I got free lunch when I was in school but the rest of what we had my parents worked their butts off for. That is ingrained in me. I'm a teacher, my husband works in IT, we are middle class. My kids wear hand me downs. They didn't all get new shoes for school this year. Pasco is filled with people like me. People who work hard and are proud of what they have.

2. Diversity. There is no better place to be a half Mexican with half Mexican kids married to a borderline albino man and his blonde-haired, blue-eyed kids. There are so many Hispanic people with Caucasian last names and Caucasian people with Hispanic last names. Diversity is applauded here. Plus if you need a pinata, party supplies, or a reasonably priced formal gown, downtown Pasco has you covered.

1. The most important reason... We, as educators, have a responsibility to the parents. Now that the truth is known and we have parents' attention we owe them to see this thing through. We have all heard the complaints and whispering. We know our district is labeled and seen as "failing." We are standing in agreement and saying "Yes, there is work to be done," With integrity, we now owe it to the parents to fix what we are pointing out as broken. I cannot "quit Pasco" knowing I have made this commitment to the parents and community that I call home.

An Open Letter of Apology to Teachers, Plus Also the Real Reason You Shouldn’t Strike… Maybe

Based on the events that did, and did not, transpire at my house this summer, I feel I need to apologize to all the teachers who are eagerly preparing for their students in just 1 short week.

I want you to know I tried to pick up the baton you passed to me in June. With excitement I hung up schedules, I made “learning tubs” for each of my children, I assigned them “work time” each day, I spent a bajillion dollars on books I thought they would like. I set my house and schedule up to support my kids being home and was confident that they would learn a thing or two on my watch. My struggling reader? We were going to fix that and get her to grade level. I organized binders of lessons. I devised a reward system that exchanged productive minutes for tv minutes and Carpenter Cash that could be traded for real cash. And just like you, I wanted to educate the whole child so I signed them up for swim lessons and football camps and took them to the free school lunches and had friends over to play. All of this was an effort to simulate what you did with them during the school year, and what they love about school.

But as I look around my house now, at the very end of this summer race, I feel I need to do some groveling. I’ll admit, my kids did very little reading this summer. I tried to make them, but they have a major emotional aversion to doing anything I want them to do. Plus also I just ran out of energy. I realized half way through the summer that I needed some support staff: cooks, custodians, paraeducators, and maybe even some admin to help me stay on track. And without those fine people to help I had to lower the bar of what I could accomplish with my charges. The schedule I implemented began and ended sometime in June, maybe even within 24 hours. We managed to complete 3 tutoring lessons with my struggling reader and we left off on long vowels (phonics aren’t “in” right now anyway, right?). I started handing out Carpenter Cash for simple tasks, such as flushing after using the bathroom. Yes, I even paid my kids for acting normal while I took them out into public and on errands. We took the advice of T Pain, and “got low”.

And now, as the days inch closer to the first day of school I am filled with fear about the impending teacher strike. I’ve spent ten weeks with my children and I can tell you, we need you. They need you. I need you. Right now the world doesn’t make sense. The kids have lost interest in the above ground pool we bought. What was fun in the beginning of the summer has now been added to the chore list as I make them go outside and swim for 30 minutes a day “or else.” We’re trying to watch some educational tv but it’s sandwiched between episodes of Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa, which are probably undoing any real learning that might have inadvertently happened this summer.

It’s not only my kids’ brain deterioration that I am worried about with this strike, though. Selfishly I need you to not strike for my sake. I’ve held it together all summer but I’m not sure I can give you a few more days. In the past ten weeks I’ve already dealt with: kids sitting on furniture in wet swim suits after repeatedly being told not to, the piles of dishes in the kitchen from all the “cooking” they did while I slept in until 7, the three tables my son has covered in engineering challenges of his own design that usually result in leaving the glue gun plugged in and me burning myself as I clean up after him, the countless items on Christmas wish lists they’ve now filled my Amazon cart with (Side note: No wonder stores start stocking shelves for Christmas so early, they are bored!) and I have PTSD over how many times my 11 year old has said “just watch this Vine, it’s so funny!” wasting minutes of my life I’ll never get back.

Please take my children, dear teachers. They are ready. I am ready. They may not be any smarter than they were when you gave them to me in June, but they are taller. Is that ok? Because that’s all I accomplished. And even though my own children don’t want to do school with me, I know 25 students who will be walking through my door next month will want to. I need my routine back. I need my classroom where life makes sense. I need to be with people who appreciate my schedules and “learning tubs.”

Please consider my plea,

Maribel Carpenter Smith

Frazzled mom who is against the strike for her own selfish reasons
6^th grade teacher who understands we need to take a stand for our kids J

Keeping Secrets From My Husband... and other good habits I've learned the second time around.

When I got divorced it was a chance to start over in every area of my life. People often look at divorced women and notice how in shape they get and think it's because the woman wants to attract a new man. For me, that was not the case! I simply lost my appetite and couldn't eat. Then, in an effort to calm my nerves, running became a form of crack that I was beyond addicted to. I remember getting up everyday and not feeling a thing. I was numb. The physical beating I would put myself through at the gym at least made me feel something as opposed to the apathy I was being buried under in my daily life. If you've never felt a runner's high, I encourage you to try distance running! 7 miles on a treadmill is healthier than crack (so I'm told) and it's free! While I don't run 7 miles anymore, I do walk and jog every chance I get because I love the endorphins. Starting over physically meant getting healthy. I wanted to start, and keep good habits.

I met Eric when I wasn't all the way through the healing process from my divorce. I'm still not through it, I suppose. But grief is like that, it comes in waves and becomes a part of who you are. When we started seeing each other I was newly divorced and Eric was five years post divorce, but neither of us had "dated" anyone after our ex's. It is safe to say neither of us knew what to do, but we both talked a lot about what we weren't going to do. Throughout our relationship we both laid down some non-negotiable rules/deal breakers/habits that I think have helped us form the strong friendship and relationship that we have now. I've read a lot of books and articles online and some of the things we came up with are things other divorced people talk about. So we must be on to something....

1. Be yourself... Otherwise known as the world doesn't need another Eric or Mari.

We agreed, from day 1, that we weren't put on this earth, or in each others' lives to change each other. That took a lot of potential arguments off the table. We both had things we knew we needed to work on that weren't the best parts of us. We trusted each other to work on those things and that each of us had to own our own crap. It's not Eric's job to make me happy (cause I'm kind of grouchy moody.). It's not my job to get Eric to stop yelling at umpires (really... That's the only flaw I can think of to insert here). We had to accept ALL of each other or none, with no expectation for change. I already knew from being married for 15 years that people don't really change. In fact, the older I get, the more stubborn and sure of myself I become. It's best to accept each other today, because tomorrow I'll be that much older and more set in my ways. The funny thing is, as we gave each other permission to be ourselves we also found ourselves wanting to please each other in small ways. For instance, I try to stop the task I'm doing when Eric comes home for lunch so I can be fully present with him, even though my OCD doesn't always like that. And, Eric doesn't yell at other drivers when I'm in the car, though I'm certain he does when I'm not with him. But when one of us slips and our real selves are staring at each other... we have nothing but love for each other. The same Eric that would yell at an ump would also defend what he thinks is right in more important matters. And not being able to stop a task might be annoying when I won't stop vacuuming when someone wants my attention, but it sure paid off when I was getting my degree. There is a good side to every trait!

2. Keep secrets.. Otherwise known as shut the bathroom door.
Some things in marriage should be sacred. You should have privacy and manners around each other. I don't need to know about Eric's bowel habits. He doesn't need to see me pluck the hairs on my chin. Those aren't attractive things to witness. Somehow in our culture of 'having no shame' people have lost a sense of privacy. If you want your spouse to look at you with longing, give them something to long for.

3. Be recreational companions... Otherwise known as do fun things together.
It's easy to get caught up in the "have to's" of life and forget to have fun. Eric is not a worrier. He really, truly lives each day like it could be his last. I, on the other hand, tend to plan and over-think and put things and people off because I'm doing some important task (like writing a blog post). When we got married, we had to learn to balance being grown ups and hands-on parents to 5 needy kids while still having fun with each other. For a while I didn't think it was possible and I actually told Eric he shouldn't have married me because wives aren't "fun." Girlfriends and mistresses are fun, right? But wives do the hard jobs and are grouchy. He was right, we figured out how to do the hard things in life and still have time and energy for fun by setting a priority to have fun no matter how stressful life is. 

4. Be there for each other... Otherwise known as take turns.
Everyone has bad days, or even just bad moments. When your spouse has one, it's your time to shine. I hate when Eric has a bad day or something goes wrong for him, but I love being there for him and showing up for him. And something that was hard for me to learn was that it's ok to ask for what you need. In fact, Eric loves it when I ask, that way he knows exactly what to do to make me happy (even though I tell him constantly that it isn't his job!). When your spouse has a crappy day, that is not your time to join in and commiserate. Your spouse needs you to be there for them emotionally.

5. Be affectionate.... Otherwise known as you have a bed, use it.
I shall try to say this in as few words as possible so as to not embarrass myself, my husband, or anyone reading it.... Don't hold out on each other. What would happen if you did it every day? Baring some illness or extreme fatigue or being in different locations what keeps you from enjoying being with each other every night? This life is hard. When you find things that are fun to do together, you should do them. Often.

I don't have a magic formula. All I know is that both Eric and I fudged up the first time and we don't want that again. When I hear about people who are married a long time... 5, 10, 30, 50 years... I want to know what they have found that works. Were they lucky? Did they have good habits? Sometimes, especially in our case, it takes failing to figure out how to do it right.

No One is Perfect... Including my husband and here's why

So my last post was about my hubby and why I am so enamored with him <3 But in the interest of full disclosure I'm now going to tell you the top 5 reasons why my husband isn't perfect, but I love him anyway....

1. He might be a hoarder.
I'm not 100% sure on this one. What I know is that he doesn't throw things away. I haven't figured out if it's laziness or hoarding, regardless, the outcome is the same: our house has stuff in it that should be in the garbage can.

2. He yells at umpires.
I have actually said to my husband "We arrived here in one car and just so you know, if you get thrown out of the game I'm not leaving until it's over, so you'll need to find a ride."
Yeah, he's *that* guy. During church league softball I have to remind him that it's CHURCH LEAGUE and no one appreciates his negativity.

3. He has a slight case of road rage.
On one of our first dates he started yelling at another driver. I nicely told him that evening that I hated when he did that and that I found it highly unattractive. He stopped doing it with me in the car, but I know when he drives alone he's making an Olympic sport of mocking other drivers.

4. He's not patriotic.
I'm a teacher. I taught US History when I taught 5th grade and Veteran's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I'm an idealist who wants to believe in the good side of people. My hubby is the opposite. He hates the government. We used to argue about this topic. But then I realized that it has zero effect on our daily lives so it really doesn't matter that we disagree about political issues so now we just don't talk about it. It's working out pretty well ;-)

5. When things get stressful he chills.
I on the other hand flip out, make lists and create A, B and C plans while he watches whatever sport is on TV at the moment. Which leads me to....

6. He is a sports addict.
I know I said I would write 5 things but I thought of one more... he is obsessed with sports. Like ESPN radio obsessed. People listen to other things besides music on the radio??

That's it. Those are the flaws my husband has that could drive me nuts if I let them. Instead I realize he truly is the yin to my yang and we help each other be totally functioning adults while raising 5 kids with flaws of their own.

Retirement Planning... and other things to do on date night!

One of the ONLY good things about divorce is that you get to have some kid free time while your kids are being parented by the other person in their lives that should care enough about them to do a good job. The cool thing about that is where I normally worry when I leave them places (mostly I worry about how the person taking care of them is holding up, not actually about my kids) when they are with their dad I know they are going to be fine and actually need to spend time with him.

So what do my hubby and I do on our two weekends a month kid-free? Most of the time we attend our kids sporting events or activities on those weekends so it ends up being about one weekend a month that we get to have date nights or even date weekends. When the stars align and we have some time off we like to go out of town because as I mentioned in a previous post, when I am home I find work to do. For example, since we got married we have turned a dining room into a bedroom, added a bathtub in the downstairs bath, painted the entire downstairs, painted our bedroom, painted two kids' rooms, added a basketball hoop, trampoline, and pool to the backyard, built a shed, and done other stuff I can't think of right now. This weekend we plan on building a bunny lean-to and then later this month we are going to replace flooring in our bathroom and laundry room to finish our remodel. My hubby knows that if we stay home I will think of things that need done.

We enjoy our little weekend getaways when they do happen. And one of our favorite things to do on those weekends, other than talk about our kids and make plans for how to stay sane, is to plan our retirement. Some day our kids will all grow up and have their own families. It's hard to imagine when you are holding them in your arms or cleaning up dirty diapers or feeding them in the middle of the night, but these little people will have their own lives. We aren't crummy parents who are counting down the days until the kids move out (ahem... 2026)... :) We tell our kids to stay home and go to college locally and we will pay their room and board. We aren't rushing them. But, they will leave someday, it will happen. They don't belong to us. Watching them become independent little people is exciting for us. We love seeing them do their own thing, develop their own interests and explore life. And so naturally the conversations we have turn towards planning what we will do when the kids leave our nest.

Have you thought about it? I mean *really* thought about it? We all hear those stories of couples who stay married until their kids all grow up and move out and then they divorce. If the thought of being alone with your spouse when all the kids leave scares you, that is not a good sign. I know because I felt that way in my first marriage. I can remember sitting in counseling and the therapist saying "You do know your kids will leave the house someday?" and I instantly started crying. Bad sign, ladies, bad sign.

Honestly, there was nothing I could do to stay married the first time. This is not a post advocating or bashing divorce. This is just me telling you what happened. I got married at 18. Not the best age to be picking the person you will be married to for the rest of your life, but I've seen it work for some people so I won't blame being young. Besides all the normal issues that sometimes come with marriage we had a huge one in ours and it's not something people like to talk about: cheating. And so after 15 years and 3 kids I got tired of it and said no more. I felt ashamed and sad and like a failure but I went to counseling and Divorce Care and the more time goes by, the better I feel about it. I can look at my kids honestly and know I did right by them. If one of my kids was in the situation I was in I would tell them to do the exact same thing I did. Absolutely no regrets.

When I was married the first time and I would hear people talk about their spouses in a positive way I figured they were lying. I thought people all had the issues we had and just lied about it. Then I met my second husband (that sounds so classy, doesn't it :p) and the more time we spend together and the longer we are married the more excited I get about growing old and ugly with  him. I am genuinely excited to help him with things and do life with him. He makes me laugh and gives 100% to our family. We are the same in a lot of ways and both give and expect little in return. That's one reason I knew we made a good match; we are both the type of people that can get taken advantage of so I figured if we married each other we would be 'safe' from vultures that we normally attract. LOL

BUT... and this is a huge BUT... we have a blended family. We have kids with hurts who lash out at us. We have grief on all sides that taints even our best days. It's hard to be happy and sad all at the same time, but our kids are becoming masters of that. It is not a life I wish on anyone, but we make the best of it. We made a decision and it has taken a lot of work from both of us, to be positive and focus on the good in our lives and not let the bad or negative tear us apart. And what is developing is truly beautiful.

Last weekend we stayed in a teepee (that looked way cooler in the picutres), at an RV park (showers had slow drains, enough said), next to smelly Soap Lake (people should question what exactly is happening with the water that would create that smell) while we planned our retirement. We talked about what we are going to do 'someday' and what kind of life we want to have when we are grandma and grandpa. And it was great. My husband is my best friend. He is the coolest person to hang out with. He understands my need for order and doesn't react when I freak out because we forgot hot dogs. He makes me laugh, mostly at myself and is my favorite person in the world. Maybe we have it easy because we are technically newlyweds? Try being newlyweds with two ex's and kids with loyalty issues. We don't have it easy. We just love each other and work hard.

My husband noticed the other day that I don't talk about him much in my blog. I laughed. I guess I don't want to brag. I mostly write about things that make me crazy and that annoy me. He really, truly does neither of those things. When we do argue I stop after about two sentences because he looks at me with those sincere eyes and I can't be a jerk to him! It's not fair actually :-/ It's hard to be mad at the world when someone is wanting to hug you.

So this post is for my hubby... I won't write about him much because reading it is like the equivalent of watching Donnie Loves Jenny and gagging over all the PDA.

Love you Air Bear, and I can't wait to build our tiny house overlooking some body of water and drive our RV back and forth from where ever we live to see the kids and grand kids and help them do life :)

Lost Goggles... and other things that make me go ape

When I was a kid I lost EVERYTHING. Whatever I touched, I ended up setting down somewhere and forgetting about until I needed it again, at which point I would get frantic and search and cry until I found it. The running joke from my older sister every time I lost something was "When you get married someday, you'll lose your husband!" (That did actually happen with my first marriage... But that's another blog post....)

As an adult I take painstaking efforts to NOT lose things anymore. I am keenly aware of where I set things because I have to be. If I let myself be the real me I would revert back to losing everything. So instead I try *really hard* to pay attention to where things are. And because I put so much effort into being responsible and not losing my sh*t, it drives me absolutely ape when my kids claim to lose something they just had two seconds ago.

This summer, goggles have almost ended me. I cannot tell you how many times my kids have claimed to lose their goggles. One child even refused to get into the pool because "swimming is no fun unless you can see everything!!" Which also drove me ape. I go so bonkers when things are lost that I have been known to go out and buy the lost item so that it is in my possession again, all the while knowing that it will likely be found that very same day. My logical, good parenting brain leaves my body entirely and I become a crazy OCD version of myself that will not rest until the lost item is found. We may or may not have 10 pairs of goggles right now.

Besides the goggles dilemma of summer 2k15, there are a lot of other things making me go ape as well. Why just today I got up, took my kids to swim team, came home, paid bills, made some phone calls, signed up a kid for fair and then turned around to make lunch just as one kid wanted a t shirt that was too big to be made into a tank top (which was my fault for not getting the right size), another kid was itching for a play date and inquiring as to *when* I would be making that happen, and a third child was making plans to breed a bunny she was already told wasn't going to happen until fall but she wanted to go ahead and get started because she's bored. Everyone wants something all the time and they want me to make it happen. The pressure mounts and I feel overwhelmed. Then in walks my husband to have lunch with us which makes me feel like a failure. He should be walking into me being "super mom", not me being "I just can't help one more person today so make a sandwich" mom (otherwise known as World's Ok-est Mom). We got through the afternoon and I did make my husband a nice lunch and I might have even smiled once or twice, but it was a rough day.

Later, I sent my husband a text that said:

 "Taking (child) to drama class... I might not come back... why am I not better at this mom thing?"

He of course told me I was fine and laughed it off. But as I drove to Kohl's after dropping said child off and stalling  rushing to return home, I thought about why things drive me so nuts.

Someone once said to me "You're a great teacher. Why can't you just 'teach' your kids all day? Wouldn't that be more fun/Make you hate being home less?" To which I answered "I can't talk with a puppet all day." I was teaching preschool at the time which is more like acting, so I thought well, I guess I just can't act all day. I can't be engaging all day. I can't make everything a game. I can't be as awesome with my own kids as I am with my students. I mean I can, for moments, but I can't do it ALL DAY.

But today as I thought about all the things that make me crazy during the day when I am home it finally hit me. I love teaching ALL kids. I love being around kids and watching them learn. My family can even vouch for me, that I love working. I love my own kids and doing activities with them. I love watching them learn to do things. So what's the big difference between school and home???

Answer: lunch ladies and custodians and secretaries and paraeducators!

I need support staff! At school, all I do is teach. That's my focus. I focus on the kids and what we are doing. The rest of the stuff, the office stuff, the food stuff, even the helping kids who aren't up to speed stuff, is handled by OTHER PEOPLE.

But at home I am all of those things rolled up into one giant person in a straight jacket. It is crazy-making! How am I supposed to be everything to everyone all the time??? And stay sane? Because things like goggles matter, people! All of the little things matter.

There is no funny and inspiring way to end this post. The only reason I even wrote it is for solidarity. If you are at home this summer going ape over things like missing goggles just know that you are not alone! It takes a huge staff of people to run a school that tends to your children on a daily basis and right now if you are even making an attempt at being a Worlds' Ok-est Mom then you might feel like you are in over your head. The solution for me today is to go have fun with my kids. Forget the custodian, secretary, lunch lady, and even teacher for a few minutes and just go have fun. Go put on a pair of goggles and jump in the pool.... before anyone asks you for anything that is :-)

Tacos every week. .. and other menu tricks that will make MOM happy

A friend asked me for my World's Ok-est Mom menu plan.

I'm in bed sick so this is as best as I remember ...

This is dinner menu. Lunch is things like hot dogs and chicken nuggets and mac and cheese and toast loaded with peanut butter and apple sauce, and even cereal.

I shall preface this by saying what I tell my kids, "sorry people,  mom has a day job."

My method here was to just brainstorm what these people eat without complaining. We have a blended family so there are nights the kids aren't home. But overall I don't hear many complaints. And tacos every week was a request. Ask your kids. There are probably foods they would eat every week. Thursays are my hubby's pay day so I run errands.

At this point my menu is pretty solid. The only meal some people don't like is the stir fry. If they don't like it they can eat a pb&j. The older kids never opt for the sandwhich so don't be afraid your kids will start a bad habit. We are a family of 7 so if someone opts out of dinner that's more for the rest of us!

Monday
Chicken stir fry with yakisoba noodles you find in the produce section of winco or fred meyer and a bag of stir fry veggies from produce section too. I marinate the chicken in teriyaki from Costco.

Tuesday
 Tacos- I make the meat and heat up canned beans (true confessions here, people), then set out soft tortillas and store bought hard  shells (sometimes I fry them myself) and lettuce, cheese, and olives. I serve corn or asparagus but don't keep track of who eats it.

Wednesday
Kids gone

Thursday
Pizza- little cesars

Friday
Lasagna- the frozen kind

Saturday
Beef enchiladas- simple recipe, make hamburger or chicken ahead of time and then scoop into corn tortillas with canned enchilada sauce and cheese and roll up and arrange in a single layer in pan and then cover with more sauce and cheese. Serve a veggie side

Sunday
Breakfast for dinner- pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage


Monday
Chicken tortellini- the frozen noodles,  boil with fresh broccoi, then add cooked chicken and alfredo sauce

Tuesday
Tacos

Wednesday
Kids gone

Thursday
Pizza little cesars

Friday
Spaghetti

Saturday
Kids gone

Sunday
Kids gone


Monday
Sloppy joes and tater tots and veggie

Tuesday
 Tacos

Wednesday
Kids gone

Thursday
Pizza little cesars

Friday
Bear creek chicken soup or broccoli cheddar soup with rolls or corn bread

Saturday
Chili enchiladas- literally canned chilli and cheese in corn tortillas with cheese and more chili on top.  Kids love it and so does my hubs

Sunday
Grilled cheese with green apples and bacon
This is my husband's speciality

Still staying home sick so I outdid myself and created this...

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Tortellini	Tacos	Kids Gone	Pizza	Spaghetti	Kids Gone	Kids Gone

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Chili Enchiladas	Tacos	Kids Gone	Pizza	Bear Creek Soup	French Dip	Grilled Cheese

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Sloppy Joes	Tacos	Kids Gone	Pizza	Spaghetti	Kids Gone	Kids Gone

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Chicken Stir Fry	Tacos	Kids Gone	Pizza	Lasagna	Enchiladas Or tater tot taco casserole	Breakfast for Dinner