email to the future you

I read an article in a print magazine (I know. Crazy, right?!) not too long ago (and of course, I can't remember which one it was) about writing a letter to a future you.  The author of the article apparently had a college professor that gave the class this assignment and then he agreed to mail everyone their letters ten years down the road.  She got the letter out of the blue one day and printed it in the magazine for all to read. 

I thought it was such an interesting concept since it was a pretty entertaining letter and I have put some serious thought into doing this for my middle school students.  The only problem is that these are 10 - 13 year old kids that I teach so I'm not really sure that they would be mature enough to take the assignment seriously and I really don't want to waste almost two hundred $0.42 stamps.  I'm still giving it some thought.

Meanwhile I googled it to see if there was any similar type of online service and sure enough I found Email Future.  Through this website you can send yourself emails in the future.  Free and fitting.  I believe I'll try it with my classes sometime soon since it's the beginning of a new year.

I had the chance to sit in a high school assembly this week and it was refreshing.  When a student walked on stage to present her piano recital piece, the entire auditorium was silent.  When another group came up to play their band medley the entire auditorium was respectful.  When another group of students prepared to play their harps, you could have heard a cell phone vibrating in someone's pocket ten rows back.  Each performance got the attention it deserved and the appropriate amount of applause.  It was such a refreshing change from a middle school assembly or for that matter, any assembly at my last school.

My point is that there's a pretty big gap between the maturity of a high school student and a middle school student.  What could we learn from simply taking the time to consider how/where we want to be in the future?  What could we teach ourselves now when we think about what we want to become?  What could we learn from imagining how our lives might be different at some point?  What would we change NOW if we thought about how things will be THEN?  

[Edited to add: I've since found this on Pinterest http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Letters-to-the-Future which is definitely of some value. I'll probably use her parent letter. Thanks TpT and Laura Candler!]

then and now: jules

January 2007

January 2009

January 2011

January 2013

then and now: josh

January 2010

January 2011

January 5, 2013

the story of Joshua

I pledged to read the four gospels in the Bible again this year and I signed up through RSS feed on BibleGateway.com to get it delivered by chapter in my Google Reader.  This seems to be working well for me since it only takes about three minutes a day to read one chpater. 

Since then I've seen lots of verses pinned on Pinterest which have made me curious to read the book of Joshua straight through.  It's 24 chapters so I should be able to read it all by the end of this month.  From what I can remember, his story is a good reminder to keep moving forward no matter how nervous you become.

Today I read the first chapter.  God told Joshua in Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

I don't think I was ever strong and courageous as a kid.  I'm working on that as an adult.  My prayer this year is that I can help teach my children to be strong and courageous.  I guess I first need to work on gaining some courage myself and I'm hoping God will show me how.  It's so hard to allow Him to put you outside of your comfort zone though!

Anyway, God is with us wherever we go.  All the way through 2013.  All the way through eternity.  What else is He going to teach me through Joshua?

crochetting + unrelated hot dog tales

Julianna is learning to crochet.  She started a dishcloth at the beginning of December and took to it for a little while but eventually I think the frustration set in and she's since put it aside and not picked it up again.  I was actually surprised at how well she could do on her own, but maybe she needs to be a bit older before she will really want to spend the time on it.

She also got some cross stitch stuff for Christmas which I thought she would enjoy but so far has not been interested.  I remember loving to cross stitch as a child.  I'm sure picking out yarn colors and cross stich patterns will be something fun to do with her in the future.

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On an unrelated note, you know how my Joshy is a picky eater?  Well something that he eats without fail is a corn dog.  If given the option he would always choose a corn dog over a hot dog but then he would pick the breading off and just eat the hot dog.  Weird. I know.

Then somewhere along the way he decided he didn't want any of the breading anymore.  For the last couple of months we sort of had a ritual going that after long runs on Saturdays we'd go by Cookout and order a couple of trays to share with the kids.  Who can beat a $10 meal for four, right?

At Cookout they sell both corn dogs and hot dogs and with the trays you can get a corn dog on the side but not a hot dog as a side item.  One day I asked if they could give me the hot dog plain (no bun just the dog) but they wouldn't do it.  Apparently the corn dogs are less expensive than the weenies by themselves.

I really don't understand.  Either the kid who wants the corn dog and not the breading or the fast food joint that will give me a corn dog but not a plain weenie.

And why is it that he'll eat a corn dog with no breading but not a plain hot dog? 

Did you have strange food quirks as a kid?  I remember for the longest time I never wanted my food to touch other foods on my plate.

up to

watching: Jonathan and I finished all available seasons of How I Met Your Mother.  Then we started watching Breaking Bad.  I tried towatch The League with him one night over Christmas break but I couldn't get on board with all that filth.  I'm also very excited about Downton Abbey starting back this weekend.  I'd love other series recommendations so please comment if you watch something you enjoy.





reading: Finished Shutter Island. Working on the next Blog Her Book Club selection (post to come next week) and probably rereading Matched and Crossed next.

playing: kitty kitty Lego - The kids are having so much fun with the kitten Santa brought.  Josh absolutely adores him and while Jules loves him too, she's also a bit more timid about hurting him and Josh doesn't give a darn about that.  Obviously.

listening: Taylor Swift Red.  I was actually kind of excited when Julianna received the Tangled soundtrack for Christmas because I wanted to listen to it, but then she decided to take it back to Wal-Mart and exchange it for a new fish tank. 

eating: This week we have lasagna, spinach and bacon quiche, and turkey subs on the menu.  Now I'm trying to plan menus for the rest of the month.  Since school started I've really gotten better at planning my dinners for the week.  It helped me do groceries, prep lunches, etc on the weekend.  I'm going to attempt monthly planning for a while and see how that goes.  Do any of you have any feedback on that?

drinking: How funny are these cups?  Long nosehairs aside, I think they look amazing!

anticipating: ice skating with Jules

loving: Fitnessista's 12 days of Christmas workout  I missed the twelve scheduled days but I'm going to start it late.  It's all good, right?

enjoying: These free products from Mary Kay, especially having new mascara that doesn't sting my eyes.  The new lip gloss is pretty amazing too - not sticky and nice long-lasting color.

goals, version twenty thirteen

This year I will:

• read 40 books
• get more involved at church
• run at least one half marathon and complete at least one triathlon
• take my kids to Disney World
• (re)read New Testament gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
• spend more time taking care of my physical living space
• sell a bunch of my crafting junk
• lose 15 more pounds and maintain that loss as well as the thirty I've already lost
• plan a couple of trips to states I've never visited (not necessarily go, but at least plan)