Yes, Spelling Counts.

Adventures in Adulthood, Parenthood, and Education

[phyllisdietrichsonswig]

Gillian Flynn's husband reading the Gone Girl manuscript

[languageboutique]

[dykevillanelle]

kids baking championship is extremely, very relatable

[inthemiddleofclass]

#eduparents talk to me about your experiences with sleep training! Looking into it for Baby #2!

[inthemiddleofclass]

Going Home Again

You can always go home again, but it won’t always be the same as it was the last time you were there. When I was growing up, I remember going to the pool a lot. Summers were spent floating around, jumping off the diving board, and ordering milkshakes from the snack stand. If you were really hungry, you could order full meals to be delivered from the grill (you just had to make sure you…

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[sheikah]

Bonus:

[coffee-teach-wine]

Love her. She deserves it. Also probably going to die next week. 😭😭

[maevegreen]

I do especially love this scene.

[inthemiddleofclass]

This scene gave me all the happy feelings. I'm going to miss her. 😔

[lydia-warden]

Me getting prepared for 08x03:

[eljayetc]

[growthliveshere]

Reminders to self.

[inthemiddleofclass]

I had to learn this when I became a stay at home mom. It was a hard lesson to learn in my post-partum haze.

[inthemiddleofclass]

You don't HAVE to do your homework.

Yesterday, I transcended disappointment and moved onto acceptance. You didn’t do your homework? Ok. You didn’t study? That’s okay, too. I’m not mad. I’m not angry or upset. You made a choice. You can drive a car and get a job. You can choose whether or not to do your homework. If you do your work, you will get the grade you earn and deserve. If you don’t do your work, you will get the grade you earn and deserve.

[notyourpasiva]

i remember being like this on my first-first year. at some point i went “whatever, man, you wanna fail this course? then fail it, not my problem.” and my stress levels went down like a full 5%.

[inthemiddleofclass]

This is my seventh year and I usually hit this point in April, so I’m right on schedule.

[archivedsharingofwords]

I’m no longer hounding kids about catching up. If they’ve been failing to this point, it’s not going to turn around in a month.

[sharing-of-words]

Welcome to 4th quarter

[asteralpine]

This isn’t giving up on kids, is it? I want to adopt this mindset after so many months of hounding kids to turn stuff in but then I feel guilty like I’m giving up on them.

Anyone got some reassurance?

[inthemiddleofclass]

I don't feel like it is giving up. I feel like it's more of an acceptance that I can't force kids to do something. I will always help and encourage every child I can, but at some point I realized that not every kid wants my help. Some kids, the more you push them, the only direction you're pushing is away.

[inthemiddleofclass]

The Making of a Mother

The Making of a Mother

Let me start off by saying that we are the lucky ones. I understand the blessings we have been given and recognize that so many still suffer; suffering that often remains hidden.  But infertility affects one in eight couples, and we are one of those eight. (Infertility 101: Fast Facts).

As a part of National Infertility Awareness Week, I feel compelled to share a glimpse into our story in the…

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[inthemiddleofclass]

Toddlers Aren't For the Faint of Heart

Toddlers Aren’t For the Faint of Heart

Earlier this week Sawyer decided to be a rock-climber and climb up a rock hill to the big kid’s slide at the park. He tried to climb a ladder to get to a twirly slide. He has never seen a dog he doesn’t want to be friends with and there is no limit to what he won’t try to climb. He has zero fearful bones in his body.

To be honest, I was not fully prepared for this transition into toddler-hood.…

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[inthemiddleofclass]

One of Those Weeks

Some weeks I am Super Mom. Meals are planned and prepped in advance. Laundry is folded and put away soon after being done. The kitchen table is cleared off and there aren’t any dishes in the sink.

This week is not one of those weeks.

Laundry is still sitting in the dryer. My planner is empty. Sawyer has had frozen chicken nuggets for lunch twice this week. The table is covered in stuff and there…

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[inthemiddleofclass]

Don't Get Too Comfortable

Don’t Get Too Comfortable

If I have learned anything as a new parent over the last twenty one months, it is to not get too comfortable.

Have a good routine going? Throw in a stomach bug and some new teeth and it is SHOT.

Have a good rotation of toddlers meals planned and prepped? Surprise, now they don’t like chicken.

Just as soon as I get comfortable (okay, maybe overly confident) it all changes and I’m reminded of all…

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[inthemiddleofclass]

Goodbye, Clutter! I love Thanksgiving. I love Christmas. But there's something that comes with a New Year that makes everything feel fresh.

[inthemiddleofclass]

Food is my Love Language

As we near the end of the 2018 holiday season I’ve been reflecting a lot on what some of my favorite holiday memories are and I realize that most of them involve food in one way or another.

So when I say that food is my love language, I’m not trying to be silly. To me, cooking is an act of love. You take food when somebody is sick, you make special food for holidays, you have special meals for…

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[inthemiddleofclass]

Goal Getter

I met a major goal today. I ran a 5k in under forty minutes, without stopping or walking. It was 30° and there is snow on the ground, but I did it.

If you remember, I wrote a post earlier this year about the phrase: Don’t Stop Until You’re Proud. It’s a phrase I’ve come back to numerous times over the last few months.

I’m a planner, but to be honest, I’ve never been a big goal setter, at least…

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[inthemiddleofclass]

Ch-Ch-Changes

If you know me, you know I’m not a big fan of change. I’ll never win an award for “most spontaneous”. I’m a planner. An organizer. An analyzer. I once made a list of lists that needed making. But I’ve discovered something over the last few months.

Change isn’t always bad.

There were some changes in my life I needed to make. First and foremost was my health. I love food. But I was loving it too…

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