So Grateful for Pinterest!

I am grateful for many, many things in this world. Social media is always a sticky subject. So much social media highlights things that each of us are great at doing (which is WONDERFUL) but leaves me feeling like a failure when I am not at least making strong efforts in ALL of those areas! So I try to stay away from venues like Facebook where I can scroll for hours and realize how far away from "winning" I really am and stick to social media that leaves me feeling a little more empowered. Enter PINTEREST.

On our way to a competition! I cannot tell you how happy she is to wear lipstick (GASP!) OUTSIDE! I look like a hot mess

because I just spent approximately one hour trying to figure out how to apply that lipstick (and get that hair in place) while discouraging my 4 year old from helping. Who has time to do the adult's hair and make-up? NOT ME!

Many people hate Pinterest. And I get that. I do! You can look at all the great stuff and think, "I NEED to be making wreathes out of my children's cherished onesies - why didn't I do that?" But what I love is that I can just hop onto the magnifying glass and only see entries about what I WANT to pursue (mostly). It serves as great inspiration (sometimes). :) And when I have a Pinterest "fail", it gives me lots of opportunity to laugh and laugh and laugh.

Recently, I am grateful for the girl hairstyle search on Pinterest. My eldest is a dancer. She needs to wear her up at least 3 (and often more) days a week. I needed ideas because she was starting to give me THAT LOOK. The look that says, "I am not going to complain about wearing this simple bun because I don't want you to feel badly, but I REALLY wish my hair could be a little more." I am not imagining this look, I promise. And when you can tell what she is thinking, and appreciate that she is kind enough not to put it out there for you to hear, it combines to form a powerful motivation. Again, enter Pinterest!

Long story short, today I did an upside down French braid into a bun! It didn't look exactly like the picture (not even close) but I felt great about making some steps in the right direction. And she LOVED it! :) Hooray, Pinterest!!! And bobby pins! And foam bun makers! :)

The Fresh Start of Summer! Sugar Free and Likely Losing My Mind

Wow - it has been so long! As a teacher, summer OFTEN allows me a spare minute or so (even though teachers do NOT get the summer off, as many think - it is a forced, unpaid furlough through which I often work to try to keep pace with the 10 months I DO get paid that I nevertheless love) and I found myself here, writing to myself! :)

Today marks the beginning of summer (mostly) for me because my current school term ended. I have a short break (with several things to wrap up, but still a break!) for the next couple of weeks before summer classes being. As a teacher, I have never NOT been on a school schedule (since my fifth year of life, anyway). Each summer marks a new beginning - a chance to reflect and redirect. I find that instead of NEW YEAR'S resolutions, I make SUMMER resolutions. And my first was to return to the discipline of daily writing. I am at the computer for my current iteration of teaching each and every day, so sitting at the computer over the summer was, at first, not appealing. (How much MORE sedentary can I get in a day!) But a change in policy at my current work led me back to the computer for the summer and so, why not? :) I will just have to do a few million jumping jacks to prevent DVT each day!

My three and one I claim as my own but who actually goes home with other parents. I think they heard about my summer plans here. :)

My second summer resolution was to go device-free as a family, with a few rare exceptions built in for birthdays or sick days and occasional video-making madness as part of an art project, etc. My expectation is that there will be much screaming and protests from a certain 4-year-old who is addicted to MLP videos on Kid's YouTube and from a certain 6-year-old who thinks Minecraft is the only reasonable afternoon activity if it is at ALL hot or at ALL cold outside. Bless.

Maybe they are plotting to save the devices from isolation?

My third summer resolution was to eliminate all added sugar. I am late to this bandwagon, but I have been doing some research (and by that I mean reading what other people researched and watching YouTube videos that seem less crazy and binge-watching documentaries on Netflix!) and have become convinced, at least temporarily, of the potential health benefits for my family. For the summer, I am limiting sugar to "natural" sugars in non-GMO foods or sparing amounts of natural sugar sources such as honey and maple syrup (no more than 12 grams a day of the sugar sources). In the fall, we will evaluate the results, and my current state of sanity. It is all about cost-benefit here!

I have heard the initial period of sugar-free will be brutal, and I believe it! My children have a love for sugar that cannot be denied, and so do I. How then will we prepare for the transition? Great question! I have no idea. I had some idea of a sugar-free pep rally, but then thought perhaps a sneak attack would be better. Perhaps a contest? Or maybe bribery? Some combination? I think it will be a lot like convincing my children that sleeping through the night is wonderful - a lot of initial complaints, some crying from all involved parties, and eventual mixed results. Fun, right?

I will update, update, update! I even bookmarked this on my favorites bar so I wouldn't forget!