Seen anything good lately??

This weather has us all cooped up, but it does help with one thing.  It does help us get caught up on our movie watching.  Lately we've been working our way through Netflix, Redbox and the IGA.  The IGA does this amazing deal where you rent three movies for $7.99 and you can keep them for 2 days!  Of course, in our home, that means we forget to take them back after the second day and our amazing deal sometimes ends up not so awesome.  But we have watched a lot of movies.

Oh and Wehrenberg.  God bless Wehrenberg.  It is like my own personal sanctuary.  Love that place.  Nothing like a tub of popcorn, large pop and a box of milk duds to help you pass a winters day with a good movie.  We've spread our movie watching out, been to a movie at the Jem, been to Viking Theater in Decorah, but there is not greater joy than settling into my middle seat at Wehrenberg.

So what have we seen?  Well, I managed to make it through Nutjob with 3 nine year olds last Friday. It was cute as kids movies go. Not amazing or laugh out loud funny (like Frozen was), but the kids thought it was pretty good as an adult I could stand it.  It might not help that I think of squirrels as rats with fuzzy tails.  But I don't think the rodent prejudice is it, because I really liked Ratatouille.  I can tell you the little boy behind me didn't like it.  Cried and asked to leave through the whole thing.  That might have been why I didn't enjoy Nutjob as much as some of the others.

Saw Anchor Man 2.  It was eh, okay.  There were a few really hilarious parts, but I'm not one who likes slapstick type humor so, eh?  Ryan loved it.  And I have to admit I did laugh a little.  It might have helped if I had seen Anchor Man (the first) so that I could have understood some of the humor that went over my head. 

Saw an amazing movie in the theater, but if you missed it in the theater, you still need to check it out. Saving Mr Banks has one of my all time favorite actors in it, Tom Hanks.  Wow, he is just so amazing.  Think back over the roles he has played and you will see why I enjoyed this movie.  There was drama, and there was LOTS of humor.  I know that many people might think it was a kids movie because the background of the story is Mary Poppins, but I would not recommend for younger children.  My Libby would probably enjoy it, my Sophie wouldn't.  

Speaking of Tom Hanks movies, Ryan is a big fan of true story films.  (It's why he drug me The Conjuring.  Scariest movie of my life so far and one I "watched" the second half of by burying my head in his shoulder.)  So he brought home Captain Phillips.  It is an AWESOME movie.  Highly recommend.  

Also watched The Great Gatsby this past weekend.  It was pretty good.  A little slow getting started.  It has been soooo long since I read the book that I really couldn't remember the plot at all.  So I was a little confused, but once it got rolling it was pretty good.  And the ending was worth the wait.  Definitely a colorful and drama filled movie to check out on a snowy winter day.

So what good movies have you seen lately?  I have a list of ones to see.  Lone Survivor, Labor Day, Winters Tale, Monuments Men... the list goes on and on!!

My Wish...

My Wish

I would hope and pray that every parent could relate to this song.  Sadly we all know that some parents don't have the same goals, hopes and dreams for their children.  But most of us, and I know all of you can relate to the lyrics of this song.  It's not a new song, it has been around for a while.  But sometimes you can hear a song, know a song, sing along to a song and never really LISTEN to a song.  This song hit me today and after really listening and even looking up the lyrics, I'm not ashamed to say that I did choke back a few tears.
Being a parent is never easy.  I told some of my friends this week that I wish there was a manual that said, "if your kid does this, you do this" or better yet, a button you could just push and *poof* it would fix everything.  But there isn't.  And parenting is one part getting it right and two parts getting it wrong sometimes. But it is definitely three parts picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and trying again.  And hopefully you all come through on the other end unscathed.
Sometimes being a parent really sucks.  There is nothing worse than having to enforce a consequence, having to take away something that your child loves and enjoys, something that makes them smile and makes you proud of them.  But being a parent is a huge responsibility.  There is no greater task in the world than raising a child who is responsible yet relaxed, ambitious yet kind, motivated but not pressured, generous but not naive, caring yet cautious and respectful yet willing to stand up for what is right.  And sometimes that means being the bad guy.  Being the one who has to say no.   Being the one that has to say, you can't have that or do that.  And that is what sucks.  Because truly, we all have the same wish for our kids.
Thank you Rascal Flatts for "My Wish".  The following is my wish for my girls.

"My Wish"

  I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,

And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,

All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,

And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish

I hope you know somebody loves you

May all your dreams stay big

A look at selfies

Have you seen this going around on Facebook?  Have you skipped over it because it was a video and you were too busy?  Did you ignore my post telling you to watch this and remember you are beautiful?  Well knock it off.  Yep, I'm being bossy and I mean it.  Any woman who uses social media or a cell phone should watch this video.  And you know what, even those who don't could learn a thing or two about themselves and their self image.

http://unlooker.com/selfie/

I absolutely hate selfies.  I have kind of an issue with them.  Partly because we all know that person who is obsessed with their own image and can't stop sharing it on their timeline, Instagram, you name it.  I can guarantee you there will always be more pictures of my animals and kids than there will ever be of myself on my facebook.  And I can almost positively assure you that my profile picture will never be just a shot of me.

To be honest, I hate pictures of myself period.  And as I am usually running the camera, I try to make sure I'm not in them.  And if I am in them, I delete them when I get them off the camera.  I'm diabolical that way.

A few years ago I made a scrapbook about my mom for my girls.  And I tried to find pictures of her, but could hardly find any.  Realizing how difficult it was made me see that for my girls and grandkids sake I should have some pictures of myself at least.  And after watching the video I learned a lot about selfies, self awareness and self concept.  And I think it is worth a few minutes of anyone's time to share with their daughter.

Remember - you're beautiful!!

What's a day going by without a little drama???

It would be bliss, that's what it would be! But I swear, its like women secrete a hormone that requires us to turn the smallest thing into drama.  No matter how much we say we don't.  So to make me smile and get my mind off the never ending drama I did a google search.  You know what happens when I get to googling.  I find funnies!  This is totally like a super power I want.  Can you just imagine the pure awesomeness? The whining, crying, tears, if I can't win I don't wanna play starts and "Activate Drama Shield" and it all just bounces off.

HAHA!  This one got me giggling.  For two reasons.  One - it's totally adorable and two - I'm not going to lie, I first saw this one and was thinking to myself, "What's an alpaca have to do with drama?"  It took me WAY too long to realize that it was a drama LLAMA.  

You know, I'm pretty convinced too.

Oh my.  Sing it sister.  Admit it girls, we've all been there.  And looked back on it and were like, "wow - I blew that out of proportion." 

Lastly... Anyone under the age of 18 needs to cover their eyes and scroll past the next one.  It is NOT appropriate for you youngsters, but so funny I just couldn't help but share.  

I hope you all can activate your drama shields and have a drama free day tomorrow!  And while you're at it - have a smile on me!

I will punch the next person

who sings "the cold never bothered me anyway..." from the Frozen soundtrack.  I love the song the much as the next person, but it's a little inappropriate on a day when the morning wind chill hovered around -40 for hours and did not improve when the sun came out. If this cold doesn't bother you, move to Antartica, they are looking for scientific researchers there.  Or at least people to feed the dogs. I'd say Alaska, but it actually has been WARMER in Alaska than our area lately.

That winter sun.  What a weak and wimpy thing she is.  She shines as brightly, blinding off the snow,  but she does nothing!  Nothing I say!!  *shakes fist angrily at pathetic sun*

My southern friends don't get to experience the joy of frozen pipes.  That moment when you turn on the water and nothing happens.  And if you're really lucky they burst and destroy walls, floors, etc... before the fun is over.  We've been spared that excitement at least.

How many of you are wasting gallons of gas running your vehicles?  Running them to warm up, running them while you go inside to shop (only in rural Minnesota, right)?  It's a common thing to hear, "will you start mine too?" as people are leaving the building for the day.  Remote start never sounded so appealing as during a polar vortex.  And let's face it, with the weather we are having, we are all just thankful that they are starting.  Period.

Frozen waterers, frozen gas vents (shutting off the furnace), frozen house plants (literally - too close to a window), frozen Frozen FROZEN!!

There is nothing like going to the gym to work out and stepping out feeling like every bead of sweat just froze instantly to your body.  Because, it probably did, and then having the breath literally sucked out of you when the wind hits you and you fully appreciate what -40 feels like.  Makes a person want to stay home and just put on some "winter weight" instead.

But we Minnesota's are tough right?  We'll complain to each other about the cold until it's time to complain about the rain, road construction, mosquitoes or heat.  And then it will be time to complain about the cold again.

I don't know about you guys - but I feel a little like this guy...

The scariest day of the year...

So it's looming ever closer.  That most hated day of the year.  Everywhere you go you're reminded of it and there is truly no escaping it.

Nope, not tax day.
Nope, not the yearly dental visit.

The day they try to hide the horror of behind cute bears, boxes of chocolates (how can chocolate ever be scary - I know), piles of flowers and sappy sentiments.  Yeah.  You're catching on now aren't you?  Valentine's Day.  Aka the hardest shopping day of the year.

I haven't had a whole lot of special/happy Valentine's Days in my lifetime so I made a request of the boyfriend, let's just agree not to do anything for Valentine's Day, okay?  I just don't need that kind of stress in my life right now.

What am I stressing about you ask?  Oh let's see, first of all the ghosts of Valentine's past with expectations and disappointments, despair and desperation comes to mind.  Then you have the age old question, do you go incredibly sappy and sweet only to have it be awkward and uncomfortable or go with the old cliche box of chocolates/stuffed bear?  And really, let's be honest - what man wants chocolates or a bear?  So then what do you get them?  Can't fall back on the '90's mixed tape and card routine.  Nothing like a good action movie to say "I love you".   Come on guys - what do you want for Valentine's?

And girls aren't any easier.   Oh we claim we are.  Jewelry.  Jewelry is safe right.  I mean any woman will admit that they can be having a blah day, putting on their make up, doing their hair, and eh... Add a special pair of earrings and a necklace and cue Maria singing "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story.  But let's be honest.  We're picky about our jewelry.  I mean, yes, I wear the silver fish with colorful crystals on it that Sophie gave me.  But it doesn't exactly make me feel like red carpet material.  Personally I'm not a gold fan.  Much prefer silver.  And I don't like big and clunky, I like dainty, small, but sparkly.  Love a little bling.  My sister likes flowery.  And other women could use their necklaces to take out invading bandits.  It's a crapshoot.

So chocolate is safe you say?  But we're picky about that too.  I mean really, why do they put some of those flavors in a box of chocolates?  Does any really like the nasty fruit cream ones?  Or the slimy chocolate center?  After the caramels are all gone, what's left?

So no chocolate - roses/flowers have got to be safe.  Except, while I think they are pretty, I'm kind of picky about flowers too.  And I don't think I'm the only one.  Ask any woman her favorite flower and I guarantee you'll hear everything from sunflower to rose, carnation to chrysanthemum, with daisies, orchids, violets and forget me nots thrown in there.  And then there is the practical side - they will die and they cost so much!  Now a fresh picked bouquet from a meadow, garden or special spot, is an incredibly romantic idea for Valentine's Day.  But in Minnesota, the only thing fresh picked would be an icicle bouquet.

No jewelry, chocolate or flowers?  Now what?  I'm guessing most adults would pass on the stuffed animal so that eliminates that idea.  So we are back to square one and my suggestion to just agree not to cave into public pressure and Hallmark on this made up holiday sounds better and better.

Now before you all start feeling sorry for Ryan and think, "God she is impossible to buy for!",  let's make a pact instead.  Let's agree to make every day about saying "I love you" and  "You are special to me".  Let's not wait for that one day a year to try to make up for being ambivalent and lackadaisical towards our loved ones.  Let's agree to surprise them with random cards, notes and heartfelt messages, whether it be via text or a simple call to say, "I was thinking of you when this song came on."  Do we really need a special holiday to remind us how much our loved ones make us feel special and happy?  Do we need a special day for us to remind them?  Let's make every day Valentine's Day and making sure that in 2014, our loved ones know how me we love them all year long.  That's right.  Get off your butt, grab that phone and text someone that you love them.  Guarantee they will be smiling when they get it.  (Unless you're a stalker and then back away from the cell phone and get help.)

Watch this video!

Please take a moment to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_pGiUeVFEU

I stumbled across this video today after looking for a pick me up from a particularly frustrating day at work.  My job is frustrating from time to time, and there are days (few though they may be) where I want to just throw in the towel and give it all up.  But today it wasn't my day that was frustrating me, it wasn't my students or my coworkers that I felt frustration with, it was empathy for a colleague.

You see, this person faces the wrath of senior high students daily and around this time of year, that wrath can begin to wear on a person.  No one is more self righteous, self centered and self important than 16 - 18 year olds.  I mean, really, look back on your high school days and tell me you didn't believe you were right, almost everyone else was wrong, and nobody, I mean nobody, understood how hard it was to be you.  And then you go out in the world and realize, oops - boy did I have that wrong.

It's easy to look back with that perfect hindsight and realize that our teachers were just trying to educate us; prepare us to not only be good students, but good citizens and people at the same time.  Some of us took those lessons to heart and others, well others had to learn the hard way.  I know I can't thank my teachers enough for having faith in me and believing in me.  I was lucky enough to have strong family support, but for some young people, those teachers are the only people who truly care about them.

Have you ever sat around with old high school friends and talked about teachers?  Or maybe with your own children, told stories about the teachers you had?  Good and bad, I'm sure - we all have both types of stories.  My sixth grade teacher was a carbon copy of the headmistress on Matilda.  Youtube that one if you want a scary story.  But I also had amazing stories.  Stories of people that inspired me, celebrated with me, taught me tough lessons and were there for me when I didn't have anyone else to listen.

As teachers we hear all the complaints, must be nice to get paid for your summer's off (we don't - but try to convince Joe Public of that).  Must be nice to have holidays and weekends off.  (Many of us work second jobs or work on school work over holidays and weekend - but okay)  Teachers don't care, teachers don't work hard, or even that teachers don't matter.  I tell you what teachers do - they grow thick skins or they don't last long.  After 16 years of teaching I've given up fighting that fight - you're not going to change people's minds.  But when they start in, I ask them - you mean you never had even ONE teacher who made a difference in your life?  Wow, that's really sad.  Somehow I feel like you missed an important lesson along the way.

I know I could be better at it, but I try to do it as often as possible, thank a teacher today.  With the ease of communication tools we have today, there isn't any reason to take 5 minutes out of your day to text, email, facebook message or even fill out a card and pop it in the mail.  It may seem like a small thing to you, but I can tell you how very important it is to every teacher out there to hear from you!  You are the reason we teach and we love to hear from you!