A while ago, I put it out there that I was looking for a turquoise or purple Jeep Wrangler. Perhaps the reason I didn’t get any leads was because THIS beautiful color had not been released yet!!! Bold pink Jeep Wrangler??? Yes, please!!

It’s International Women’s Day.

It started over a century ago in 1911.

I’m super late to the party, having a different mindset for most of my life.

But now, I’m here for it.

I’ve heard some people toss around the word empathy and talk about how important it is because they read about it in an article. And it becomes clear they really do not know what empathy is.

Here is a clear and beautiful definition.

I love listening to conversations between kids as they wonder and work through things together. This huge wall map was recently hung in my school. And it has been fascinating to watch children and adults huddle around it looking for things, noticing things, curious.

Inspired by recent headlines, a local community social media group conversation, and the reports from the American Library Association (ALA) about book challenges being on the rise since September, I’ve decided to start a little project.

It’s time for me to take full responsibility. Over the past few years, I have taken passwords very seriously. Remember that commercial where the world is coming to an end, and everyone in the room looks to a general to save them and all he has to do is share his private password? And he very timidly spells it aloud - “I hate my job 1?” Yeah. That one. Since I saw that ad, I switched from using old standard passwords to making passwords that are fitting for a situation, ones that I could say aloud. Yearofjoy. Ilovethisplace. You get the idea. They have meaning and are intentional.

When it’s kindness week at school and you want cute themed dresses, but the world only makes cute themed t-shirts, you make your own outfits!

Where is everyone??? Oh, right! It’s a SNOW DAY!!!

#snowday2022

I spent some last week writing a letter. Not the warm and celebratory kind that many write during this season. It was a hard letter that came bubbling out. Written to someone I once knew over two decades ago. Written to someone who held a position of authority, of power. Written to someone I looked up to.

It’s almost that time of year - the time some parents and teachers get excited about at first and then regret later because of the amount of work involved.  You guessed it.  It’s Elf-On-A-Shelf season.

Shout out to all of the school psychologists, school counselors, and administrators who are the first to respond to student crisis calls.

Yes, I know it’s a school night. Yes, I know it’s October 19th. Yes, I know there are a million other things I “should” be doing right now.

But when it’s 64 degrees in October and you can stand alone on a beach with your body between the sun lowering and the moon rising and breathe deeply and listen to the waves crashing, you do it.

Let the happy tears commence! There were many years of advocating for and trying to figure out how to bring the children in my school a new inclusive playground to encourage play and creativity and fun.

A not-so-gentle reminder after seeing a few things online recently.

If you are an educator who uses any kind of system for classroom management that involves tickets, marbles, desk pets, stickers, stoplights, charts, certificates, food, prizes, tallies, student of the month, etc., PLEASE take the time to read this. And, I would love to have a conversation about how I shifted my own practice and why. Maybe I will write about that soon.

Jon and I are just starting to feel like our heads are coming up a little above the water’s stormy surface after a really difficult 2+ year parenting season. One that felt like it was thrown at us and we didn’t have a say. One filled with heartache and fear and not-always-knowing-what-to-do.

To all my educator friends,

I can’t stop thinking about you. The day is here! The day when everyone and everything is all brand new. So many feelings wrapped together as one.

This past month has been filled with all sorts of emotion, but mostly grief. This one is pretty new for me. I felt grief when my grandmother passed, but I have bottled up everything else for many, many years. And it seems like it’s all coming right now.

Today I learned how to pressure wash. I’m self-taught. It’s one of my new favorite things because it’s so satisfying. Dirty, then clean. Here are a few pro-tips I learned the hard way that I wanted to pass along to you.

I got my very first COVID test because something very important happened today at 12:01 am. You guys!! The US Canada border is OPEN and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT!!!