Michelle's Blog

My very first post was about writing being a superpower! And here we are 31 days later all better writers because of Slice of Life. My son and I both agreed that we are sad it has come to an end, but we also agreed that we would continue to write together. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of this l and watching others use their superpowers! Now the challenge is ahead of us, to keep on writing! 

I’m super excited to prepare for Easter tomorrow. The kids can’t wait for the Easter bunny to come on Sunday. A bonus- the weather is going to be beautiful. We even have a fun filled Easter egg hunt planned.  

I am thrilled to have an extra long weekend! Although we had several recent snow days, I’m excited to spend time with family. I always say if every weekend can be three days we’d always return back to work happy. I’m especially looking forward to the Easter egg hunts and cooking some of my favorite Easter recipes! And of course some spring weather.

Science goes wrong! That’s the story of the first experiment that my son and his friend tried for the Science Fair. We attempted to cause combustion using alcohol in a bottle and lighting it on fire. No luck! YouTube makes it look so easy...so when all else fails make slime!!! We really think we finally found the most perfect recipe for slime!!!

Can you believe that I spent close to 5 hours cleaning the playroom? My kids need to remember the rule- When you take something out, put it away.  Instead they take out one thing after another.  I can think of a million other things I could have done the last two nights. New rule begins tonight.

Starlight. Starbright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.

Even after the blunder of having to turn around for my bag on our way to Vermont it ended up being an amazing weekend with the family. We enjoyed time with great friends and all that Vermont has to offer. They literally have two to three feet of snow. It’s incredible. My daughters went tubing and had a blast and my son enjoyed two beautiful days of snowboarding on the slopes. We spent our last night enjoying food from many different restaurants in Vermont at an event called Taste of Vermont. We sampled so many amazing things including scallops with maple bacon drizzled with a maple oil, maple pork and beans, maple cheese spread and many other delicious treats. I’m so glad we were able to get away for a few days!!

I have always heard the saying that sleep is overrated, BUT when you are the one that just can’t sleep there is nothing worse. I think tonight is one of those night and I’m not sure if it is because I am over tired or perhaps because of the altitude here in Vermont. What I do know is that I will be paying for it tomorrow for sure. I’m wishing for some zzzzzz’s.

We were on our way to Vermont, an hour into the ride, when suddenly I turned around and looked at the bags piled to the ceiling only to realize I forgot my bag-my husband’s bag too. Sigh! If you could imagine the tears of my children and the anger of my husband when they realized I added an hour and twenty minutes onto our commute. We literally had to turn around and drive all the way home. We sort of laughed it off when we pulled back into our driveway. I could’ve cried. But we are almost there now and I so need this vacation. Note to self: always check every room before leaving every room. 

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to meeee! Happy Birthday to me! So grateful to have my health and my beautiful family at 38! Let the festivities begin.

Have you ever wondered who names the winter storms? The latest is TOBEY. Recently we’ve been cleaning up from the vicious wrath of QUINN. The amount of wind damage and the incredible thunder snow were quite the site during that storm. I’ve lost track of all the names. I thought I remembered hearing ELSA. I’m not sure what damage she left behind. I’m always curious ABOUT who gives the storm a name! I will never forget SANDY or IRENE or even GLORIA as a child. Is there a name you’ll never forget?

SNOW!!!!

I’m super excited to be leading the Science Fair for the second year in a row. Science month has been such a success. As I watched our students enjoy the amazing planeterium and the workshops on force and motion, density and so much more, I can see how excited the students are. Hands on and getting messy activities have led to such engagement, all the while each and everyone of the students is learning something more about science.

March Madness has begun! Do you join in on the fun? Swoosh! Slam dunk, oh my! Watch as they shoot and fly. Oregon, Duke, Syracuse, Michigan State Waiting to find out their fate. Foul, push pass, and score! So much fun on the floor.  Fill out that bracket and wait and see, Who will earn the victory!

I´m super, duper excited!! I just booked a flight down south for my family. I love last minute vacations, especially after the unexpected late winter we´ve been having. I can´t wait to surprise my family in the morning. I´m looking forward to the beautiful weather and a break from the day to day hecticness. This will be a time to kick my feet up and enjoy the beach and pool. I look forward to reading a favorite book or two and having time to breathe, slow down, enjoy life and my family!

When you think of a leprechaun, what image do you get in your head?  For whatever reason, I think of a little mischievous fellow. Greedily searching for a pot of gold, the leprechaun tries to outsmart anyone in his path.  Saint Patrick's Day hasn't always been one of my favorite holidays, although my three children look forward to it each year. Well...they are Irish! Every year the leprechaun leaves his mark in our house. He has left our toilet water green, golden chocolate coins behind and he has even left gold glitter around the house. Do you have a leprechaun that visits your house each year?

According to dictionary.com, choice is ¨the right, power, or opportunity to choose.¨ In life, we all like to have choice. I know I like choice for what to have for dinner or when I had to pick out my car I wanted to choose between my two favorite models. I even like choice when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. Itś no different when we are choosing a book to read. We´d all prefer to choose what we want to read, right? I like most genres, but really do not enjoy science fiction or fantasy (although I do love Harry Potter). Choice is what motivates us. If we are always told to do something and never given the choice it doesn´t give us excitement or buy-in. Just  food for thought.   

I am always amazed at the power of student voice. I first realized how very powerful my own students were several years ago when I had them write letters as part of a persuasive unit we were in. Students were passionate about different topics ranging from food laws, environmental issues, protecting wildlife, changing school rules, etc. Many of my students received letters back. The look on each of their faces was priceless. It was then I realized never underestimate the power of our students’ voices!

Snow, oh snow! Oh no, no snow! Season please be spring Please bring SUN, WARMTH, and FLOWERS! Snow, oh snow! Oh no, no snow! Easter is approaching, Can you believe it? It's as if it doesn't fit! Not with this snow, Oh no!

Setting the clocks ahead an hour makes such a difference during this dreadful winter. I've always wondered who invented the idea of falling back and springing ahead. It changes so much. During the spring, when winter is still hanging on it allows us to feel the sunshine for an extra hour and when we are preparing for the cold we gain an hour of sleep as we fall back. What I love most is that when we spring ahead it makes the day seem so much longer. I'm more motivated to exercise or do something outside with the kids. This lasts until we have to fall back again!

Today my kids and I enjoyed outside time. We went to one of our favorite hiking spots. The crisp, fresh air was good for all of us and much needed after being cooped up inside the last week.  There were lots of others with the same idea. Bikers, walkers, runners, scooters, and dogs seemed to be scattered about the park. Some incredible sites included the massive evergreen trees uprooted and toppled over right into the lake. I’m imagining it looked like dominoes the night of the storm based on what we saw today. The waterfalls were an amazing spectacle and if you listened closely you could even hear the frogs croaking in the nearby distance. I think they are a bit confused!! It is still winter!!

The sun shined bright this morning and the sky was crystal clear. If you sat very still, you could feel the warmth of the sun. With any quick movement you can feel winter still hanging on. This was a great day to begin the cleanup after the storm. Today I considered myself lucky. I drove down the street early this morning to find all of my neighbors outside helping each other cut the tree limbs that were scattered all over our lawns and road. One neighbor had his chainsaw out and as he cut the next neighbor took the branches and placed them in his pickup truck. This went on for hours. One of my neighbors cut down two trees in my yard that were severely damaged from the storm. Today I was proud to be part of this neighborhood. I will never forget these simple acts of kindness.

The sound of snowboarders and skiers surrounded the lodge as the fire burned bright. It was a gorgeous day to be enjoying the bright sunshine after the horrific weather we had experienced. The beautiful mountain was adorned with evergreens and the snow was super fresh.   I spent the day writing a paper as my son and his friends enjoyed some boarding. The simplicity of nature can be breathtaking. I chose to sit near a window that overlooked the base of the mountain. One by one the skiers ventured down the hill sometimes looking as if they were going too fast to stop. Every once in a while you'd catch a novice skier or boarder holding tightly on to a parent. The older crowd would come in and out of the lodge begging their parents for money to buy a snack or to just hang out and enjoy some laughs. I was completely engrossed in my paper when my son came flying into the lodge yelling that two of his friends were stuck on one of the mountains. I immediately started to panic and...

I´ve always been amazed that my children are so interested in watching others on youtube. What they watch ranges from sports takeouts to demonstrations of what comes in the LOL blind bags or the nom num blind bag, or gamers that teacher you the ins and outs of how to master a video game. What Iḿ always amazed at is the videos that share everyday hacks. In fact, today we needed small bags to put away my daughter´s aquabeads. Wouldn´t you know! All of that youtube watching came in handy. She ran downstairs and showed me how to take a bigger baggy and make it into something smaller using a scissor and an iron. It´s incredible what you can find on youtube!

As conditions continue to worsen and the lights flicker, I am keeping this short and sweet. Another snow day, one day less for summer. The storm didn´t begin here until 4:00. With the start of the storm we experienced thunder snow! The kids and I thought it was absolutely amazing. It ended up being a GREAT day though. The kids had an unexpected visit from their cousins and played the entire day. They did crafts and played games, made a fort and ventured in the snow.

Wait, whatś that you say? March. In like a lion, out like a lamb. Another snow day! No way. Spring was here just last week, daffodils taking their first little peek. Say it ain´t so, wind blowing and falling snow. Snowsuits, sledding, hot cocoa galore, the kids live for this and ask for more, more, more! Summer vacation continues to shrink, oh why is March everything, but the kitchen sink!

Mangia! As I lifted my fork into my mouth the cheese dangled down into my dish. Eggplant parmigiana was quite a delight for this Sunday's feast. Italian food is one of a kind and it is my all-time favorite. I grew up eating the pure deliciousness my mother and my grandmother crafted up in their little Italian kitchens. Any one of their secret recipes that I can get my hands on, I snag and add them into my recipe box. Some of my all time favorites include pasta e piselli (pasta and peas), lasagna, or a good old dish of spaghetti and meatballs. For dessert, a refreshing bowl of gelato might do or even just a relaxing warm cup of cappuccino with a cannoli. Seasonal favorites are always welcome too. Antipasto served on Christmas Day with fresh mozzarella, pickled eggplant, and cappicola. Around Easter time, I have mastered making Gram's famous recipe-pizzagaina. I can taste it right now! Whatever your fancy might be...at Gram's house we always say these words before takin...

I am always amazed by certain gadgets. Tonight I was staring at my vacuum. Anyone who knows me well, knows that my vacuum spends most of its time out. I've even considered naming my vacuum, that's how much time I spend with it. I love and appreciate it that particular gadget more than any other in the house. Who invented that? The next most important gadget in my house is my washing machine. The only difference  with this gadget is I absolutely loathe it. I can often be found spending countless hours hanging out by my washer's side mumbling under my breath as a fold endless shirts and pants, underwear and socks. Perhaps it's the ten loads of laundry I do weekly. I spend more time by my washer than you can even imagine. Who invented that? It's Sunday. Should I go vacuum or go do a load of laundry? Your guess.  Nope...I'm going to bed!

Today on the way to basketball, Drew asked a really good question. Whose job is more important? Mine or my husbands. I am a language arts coach and my husband is an electrical maintenance technician(short for, works on the power lines to help restore electricity). This took some thinking on my part.  Most jobs serve a purpose. Right? A teacher is a necessity. Helping students is an EXTREMELY important job...a thankless job. However, during storms an electrical technician is essential. It's important to have power. We take it for granted. We need people like my husband to go up on the wires during storms to restore power.  Before arriving to the game Drew exclaimed, "Mom, both jobs are equal because they serve two purposes." And I agree!

Have you ever heard of the word pluviophile? I discovered it today! It’s a noun. I am an occasional pluviophile… The sound of trees whistling and rain whipping against the house woke me up out of a deep sleep. The blinds flew up. My kids and I glanced out the window to see our trampoline catapulted across our yard and plopped onto the neighbor’s yard. There is something about rainy days like today that I love.    Rainy days are lazy days. It should be mandatory that we stay in bed on these days and rest and watch television-perhaps our all-time favorite movie or a series that we want to catch up on.   Rainy days are nostalgic. On these days, I can’t help of reminisce about being a child and carefree. My sister and I would run around and jump in puddles and count the number of raindrops stuck to our bedroom window. Rainy days are for reading. If only I were home, I would have finished the three books on my nightstand. Rainy days aren’t for everyone. I am an occa...

I am inspired by people who write every day. I follow bloggers that are motivating, controversial, informational, and helpful. They post each and every day and I read their posts each and every day. I am curious as to what keeps them motivated to write. As famous novelist and poet C.S. Lewis once said, “ "You can make anything by writing."  And that’s just it. Writing is a super power that some of us don’t even realize we have. The act of putting our ideas into something that can fascinate others, help others, upset others is an  amazing  superpower. That’s what each of my favorite bloggers have discovered, there superpower. Each writer uses their superpower for a slightly different purpose though. When I want inspiration on decorating my house, I turn to  Lauren McBride: The Blog . When I want to be moved on how change is possible, I look to George Couros’s blog  The Principal of Change . When I want ideas for Writer’s Workshop, I turn to  Two Writing T...