First week of school DOWN!

I've got a 4th grader, a freshman, a sophomore, and two seniors. One at Old Mill Elementary, two at Stansbury High School, and two at Utah Valley University.

And Erik is on hiatus from school for another 18 months as he gains an education in other ways.

It was a miserable first week. Actually the first day was the worst and it got better as the week progressed.

*School should NEVER start on a Monday.
*Back to School night should never be on the first day of school.
*Short day is much better half way through the week instead of at the end of the week.

These three factors made for a very, Very, VERY long week. And I've decided I don't care for the first two weeks of school. There is no routine or schedule as you are constantly teaching and reteaching and reinforcing procedures and behavior.

But enough of that. We finished our summer off with a short trip to Bryce, one of my favorite National Parks.

Nate had other things, so it was just Alex, Ash, me, and Tyler.

The scenery is just stunning. We live in such a beautiful and diverse state.

Ash started tennis and had a few matches the week before school began.

Nate had a birthday and celebrated by playing tennis all day at a tournament. It was the only thing he wanted.

Alex and his cousin Ian set up a lemonade stand where they made some money thanks to our very kind neighborhood.

Nate ran his first cross country meet of the season as a varsity runner. He wasn't too happy about his performance, but when you're getting over being sick, I think he didn't do too badly.

We made it to the Horsley Orthodontics summer swim party (taking some friends with us)

and to the USU Aggie Alumni night drive in movie/barbecue.

Such a cute photo of those two!!

The capstone of our summer was a trip to Logan to see family. Unfortunately, our quick game night resulted in us being stuck on the freeway coming home. 

Willard was kind enough to entertain us with a firework show.


Another week of school and then a three-day weekend.

My life lately

I finished!

President Nelson issued a challenge to the women last fall to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year and in your study to look of Christ in the Book of Mormon.

I knew this would be a bit of challenge for me because of the busyness of a new job and school and family life. And I found the way for me to accomplish this was to listen to it on my way to and from school.

Well, the end of the year came and went but I still plugged along. I may have been a month late but I conquered.

Every time I read that book, I discover new things and new insights. What I love about a quick read from start to finish is you get a better view of the story as a whole. The thesis statement of the Book of Mormon could be summed up in 1 Nephi 1:20

But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

Nephi is going to show up what this book can do for us in delivering us from our trials and heartaches and pains through Jesus Christ the Lord.

And the concluding statement that sums up this wonderful book is found in Moroni 10:32

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

This is the final invitation to come and see what Christ can do for you.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I'm back in school mode taking three classes. I remember my last quarter at Utah State. It was the spring of 1998 and I was so ready to be done with school. I made a list of all the assignments I had left to complete and dutifully checked them off one by one. That feeling of being able to fit the rest of my schooling onto one page was so liberating. I'm experiencing those same thoughts as I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can fit all my assignments onto one page and THAT is such a great feeling. I love to learn but would rather do it at my pace and on my own timetable.

One class I'm required to take is a social justice class on diversity, and one of our assignments was to write a bio poem about ourselves. Introspection can be such a difficult thing to do. To sit and be still (1 Thess. 4:11) and really think about ourselves is not a comfortable task. As this blog title implies, I am not a human being but a human doer. Often at my book club I sit quietly while my friends talk about this show and that show and what should they watch next. When it comes to TV and movies I am really out of the loop. About the only thing I indulge in is a Utah Jazz game and a movie once in awhile. I've been trying yoga to help limber me up and that has been harder than I anticipated. Not the moves themselves but how slowly I'm supposed to move and how to really concentrate on my breathing. For a human doer, this has been a challenge. I hope that in all my doingness, that it's not about trivial things, but instead doing as Jesus did, going "about doing good" (Acts 10:38)

Melissa

Organized, diligent, confident

Daughter of God, Wife to Tyler, Mother to Kiersten, Erik, Nate, Ash, and Alex

Who loves traveling, gardening, and crunchy California rolls

Who's felt joy, uncertainty, and nervousness in the last couple of years

And who fears tight spaces, unemployment, and drowning

Who has accomplished 7 half marathons (with another scheduled for September), completed a college degree, and has been a consistent blogger for over 10 years

And hopes to one day visit New York City and Rome and continue schooling to get her reading endorsement

She resides among the salt of the earth in Lake Point, Utah

Leary

I found this exercise to be intriguing and had my second graders do something similar along with a self-portrait of themselves. So far this has been my favorite thing to hang in our hall.

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times

Today is Sunday, January 6 and I have never had my tree up this late EVER.

Annual Christmas letters are a thing of the past, but if I were doing one this year, the title of this post really does sum it up. It was the best of times and it was definitely one of the worst of times. I don't think I've ever been so excited to have a year behind me. I'm sure I've felt like this in other years but like childbirth, I have probably forgotten those seemingly hard years.

The Best of Times
*Kiersten got engaged and married. Erik was able to come to her sealing.
*Erik finally turned in mission papers, got his call to Orlando Florida, and left in September.
*High school graduation for Erik.
*He and Kiersten received their endowments. That was a glorious day to have two of my kids in the temple with me.
*A sister got sealed in the temple to her husband.
*A brother surprised us all in the sealing room of the temple. None of us knew he was coming.
*Alex got baptized by his older brother Nate and confirmed by his even older brother Erik. And somehow I didn't even manage a post about it. That tells you what kind of year it was. Our ward had just switch to a new bishopric and the new bishop was unaware that we had a baptism. To pass the time while we waited for him to come, we took photos.

*My parents left on another mission.
*Missionary calls home on Christmas Day at the same time!!
*A missionary stand up of Erik to help us fill the void.

He watched Pride and Prejudice with Ash and really loved it.

He also made an appearance during the final countdown for New Years.

*Our last big hurrah with the whole fam was a day at Lagoon.

The Worst of Times
*Schoolwork and homework and assignments and projects and reflections and lesson plans. I LOVE to learn but I like it to be on my schedule. Being thrust into school was a hard adjustment.
*I also don't like interviews. They stress me out.
*Wedding planning is another worst for me. I simply did not have the time to put into like I needed to. I made sure I got the essentials taken care of.f
*The death of Grandma Leary. She was such a fixture in our home for many years and will be greatly missed.

*Watching Erik walk away from us at the MTC was incredibly hard.
*Lice for Ash after coming home from Beehive Camp. THAT was a miserable experience.
*Decluttering a classroom took me weeks. But I can honestly say it has made this year so much better knowing things have been thrown away, given away, and I don't have to deal with it.

*Inheriting a garage full of teaching stuff from a retired teacher. There was so much that I simply threw away or gave away.

Both
*I would probably classify starting a teaching career as both the best and worst. It has been such a fun, good experience, but I don't like taking most of my weekends to lesson plan and prepare the next week. It makes the week go more smoothly but I really miss having my own time.

This past year also brought a myriad of changes in regards to church stuff. I've been on this out-of-control speeding train that careens at times toward a steep precipice. But then I'm snatched calmly back to continue on this journey that hopefully will be slowly coming to an end.

2019?? What have you got in store for me this year.

Two courses down!

Just submitted my final paper for my classroom management class. Just 19 pages  long. And I submitted my big unit plan consisting of six lessons a few days ago. I've got a few days reprieve until I start my next classes. These next six won't be as long. A month here. A few months there. Several that are a week long. My science class got moved so instead of 4 weeks of class in June, I only have three. Hallelujah!

Of the two courses I just completed, the classroom management was hands down a favorite. I really enjoyed looking at different management styles and thinking through behaviors. I also spent the day really picking apart a classroom economy system I've been thinking about for over a year.

I met with my professor over Google Hangouts and she just about scared me off from doing it. She was afraid it was too complex for a first year teacher. After our discussion, I just about pulled it out of my plan. But then I decided that I've invested so much time and thought into it and I still had a great desire to do it. I appreciated her candor and decided to keep it in my overall plan with the idea that I might not implement it right away. As a first year teacher who is also finishing school, it might be a bit much.

But oh what fun! I talked through it with Nate and Ash for an hour today and they both helped me iron out a lot of details which is something I've known I had to do.

Monday I start an online reading course and in two weeks, I begin one about special needs in the classroom. That one should be interesting given the classroom I'm currently working in.

A day in the life of me

Okay yesterday might have been a little abnormal, but it might become the new normal.

5:30am -- Alarm goes

5:40am -- Finally get out of bed and go put laundry from washer into the dryer and a new load in the washer. We may have been forced to get a new washer last year but I have to admit this one is a time saver just in the fact that it has a delay feature. Monday night I put a load in and have it finish washing just in time for me to get up and put it in the dryer.

6:45am -- Get ready for the day and fold a batch of laundry while we listen to our scriptures on this particular morning. (Most mornings we sit outside Erik's bedroom and read them to him.)

7:00am -- Breakfast and clean up kitchen.

7:20am -- We are all out the door to work and school.

2:45pm -- Off work and stopped at the store for a great deal on chicken.

3:00pm -- Home and folded a batch of laundry and put another load in before making Chicken Enchiladas for dinner.

4:00pm -- Two piano lessons because Monday was a holiday.

5:00pm -- Finish up dinner while kids fold a batch of laundry. In goes another batch. Can you tell Tuesdays are my laundry day? Ate dinner and cleaned up the kitchen.

6:00pm -- Bottle some chicken and put it in the pressure cooker. I always forget that it takes time to build pressure and cool down.

7:00pm -- While chicken is bottling, I do piano lessons for Ash and Alex.

7:30pm -- Fold another batch of clothes.

8:00pm -- Chicken is almost done. While I wait for it, I do some homework but decide I'm too tired to try writing anything sensible. That will have to wait until tomorrow. Tyler also folded the towels. I helped Alex with some spelling.

8:30pm -- Took the chicken out and loved hearing the pops. Such a relief when it works.

9:00pm -- Watched a few videos I needed to for school.

10:00pm -- Read my scriptures and fell into bed exhausted.

I will report that today hasn't been like yesterday. I actually came home and did some piano lessons but got right to work writing while I was fresh and my mind was not mush.

My new juggling act

It's official. My title now says wife, mom, taxi driver, piano teacher, cook, laundress, paraeduactor, maid, bill payer, and now student.

I'm on my way to getting my teaching license and completing a masters degree.

I won't lie. I'm a bit nervous.

Not about the schooling. I love to learn and read and research.

Just about juggling it all, being able to keep up. Twenty years ago was a piece of cake (not that I thought so then).

My plan was to go back after a few more kids left our cozy little nest. But God seems to have other plans.

After our job loss a year ago, I  knew this was what I needed to do, to take advantage of all the education afforded me. It's taken awhile to get to this point . . . passing my Praxis exam, getting a job that would qualify me for getting a license, applying to Weber and jumping through all their paperwork hoops, paying some fees . . . and then waiting. Waiting can be so hard.

After learning that classes were most likely going to be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, I was deeply troubled that I wouldn't be able to support my boys in their after-school endeavors like basketball and tennis. Only a week ago I learned that my classes would be Wednesday and Thursday instead, allowing me to go to most of the boys tennis matches. I also learned that their basketball games were being held Saturday mornings instead of the traditional Thursday nights.

Can I just say what a tender mercy? Heavenly Father knew my great desires and he orchestrated a way to make things happen.

And then just tonight after my first class, the professor let us know that these two classes would be more online. We will only be meeting four times in person over the next twelve weeks and doing most of our exchanges over Canvas.

I'm beginning to think this might be manageable.

New school beginnings

Back to high school for two. One starts junior high. The youngest is in a new elementary with the same teacher he had in kindergarten.

And the one in green is a college freshman at UVU.

Can you imagine fitting everything you own in a car? I guess I did once. Her dad and I dropped her off a week ago after first hitting the dentist to fix a cavity or two.

While en route to Orem she got an email reminding her of orientation at 3pm, something she should have known about but didn't. We got there with enough time to drop her stuff, rush her to Walmart to pick up some perishables, and dash back to her meeting. That gave Tyler and I just enough time to speed back to Salt Lake City to catch Nate's cross country race. There was literally no time for extended goodbyes or tears.

The morose feelings came several days later as our family moped around the house in search of one less person in our home.

Not really. We love that she is enjoying one of the most memorable times of life. At least it was for me. That said the first week away from home is probably one of the hardest . . . thinking about what your family is doing, eating, all why you are not there.

And Tyler and I? Well, it's official. I started a new job as a para educator with the severe special needs students at the CLC building. It's been an interesting week but quite rewarding. I should also be starting school the middle of October to obtain my teaching license.

Tyler is still surviving the circus he calls a job. Every day he arrives home with new stories to tell.

These are the days of . . . 
* Lake Point Days race. Alex ran the 1 mile while the others completed the 5k.

*Mulch Man . . . whatever in the heck that is. The kids will play for hours out on the playground.

*New drivers. AHHHHHHHH!!!! That's all I have to say about that :)

First day of school

This year school began on a Monday much to the dismay of my children. But come what may and love it.

Years ago I remember a woman from my Stansbury ward detailing the cost of having 3 kids in high school at the same time. I made a mental note and realized that many years down the road I would be in the same boat.

And here I am with a senior, junior, and freshman. Ah, this was Kiersten's LAST first day of school picture. I see many more LAST things to come this year.

The idea of a free education is so foreign to me right now. If it's not the school needing money than its the kids fundraising at my door for all their various clubs. It only cost me $850 to get my three into school. It could have been much worse if Drivers Ed were part of the equation.

As my neighbor and I were walking the other day, we discussed the public school system in our country and both are of the consensus that organized sports should have no place in education other than a PE class. But we both know that will never fly. Too much emphasis on trophies and not enough on education.

Ash is 6th grade. Swim big fishy. And Alex is 1st grade. Swim faster than the big fishy. Somehow I never imagined this day would come where all my kids would be in school for the entire day. I'm loving the quiet mornings.

And this morning I finished a book titiled Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman. Make sure you get that P in there because another of my most favorite authors is Emily Freeman whose writing style and genre is very similar although I doubt they even know the other exists.

You want a little taste of what I've been reading this week. Well, here ya go:

It’s easy to fight for a cause when the stake are high – freedom, rights, life or death. It’s way harder to fight for moments, to fight to see meaning on a Tuesday afternoon around the homework table. Because at the end of it you don’t have anything to show for it beyond a kid who has finished math worksheet and let’s be honest, who cares much about that? Yet if the world gives it such attention, maybe we need to crane our necks away from the cities of the world and force our attention to the benches in our own front yards. I don’t mean we have to create meaning and elevate each moment to the level of The Most Important Thing Ever. The truth is, the moments may be boring. In the scope of life, they may not have much impact on the course of things or the decisions we make. But learning to live well in ordinary time isn’t a call to elevate moments; it’s a call to draw close to Christ.

Kind of goes along with our school theme for this post. Another little phrase I'm gonna borrow from her and add to this blog is "These are the days . . . ". I've been ending my blog with Good Things going on in our live at the moment, a kind of gratitude list. Well, I imagine this could very well incorporate that and many more things, more of the ordinary, day-to-day stuff that I tend to forget about.

What's going on in my yard

Well, about the only thing really blooming right now are these volunteer sunflowers. I'm knowledgeable enough to know in the spring what they are and not pull them. You can't get anything much better than this that requires absolutely no water and no maintenance.

These are the days of . . . 

*little boys who are so excited for school and who tell their mom how important it is to go to "back to school" night even though she was not planning on going (she went . . . for him). ALEX

*a daughter who is so diligent and committed to her cross country team that she gets up early to run, runs during her Running for Life class, runs after school for practice, and cools down at night with a 2 mile run. Okay maybe she is just crazy. KIERSTEN

*having a child (ASHLYN) remind you of the tradition you started many years ago of giving each child a candy gram for the morning of the first day of school and you realize it's Sunday night and school starts in t minus 8 hours. Yep, this mom came through albeit it was more at t PLUS 8 hours.

Last 1st day

Tuesday was my last first day of kindergarten. Oh my how we have been looking forward to this day.

Truthfully, I would say at least a year anticipating this day.

It has been hard having a tail end. All the others had someone to keep them company, but not Alex. I'm just as excited for him as he is. He has Mrs. Burge.

Kiersten's first day 2004: Magna (Pleasant Green Elementary; Mrs. Elliott)

Erik's first day 2005: Stansbury Park (Stansbury Elementary; Mrs. Jensen)

Nate's first day 2007: Stansbury Park (Stansbury Elementary; Mrs. Craig) -- I'm not sure why we sent him to school in that shirt. It's kind of got some attitude for the first day of school.

Ashlyn's first day 2010: Stansbury Park (Stansbury Elementary; Miss Womack) -- We moved to Lake Point half way through, necessitating the need to start riding the bus.

And here they all are side by side for comparison. Eleven years has gone by in the blink of an eye.