Mel's Box of Chocolates

Since it's been over a year since I last blogged you can imagine that some adventures have been missed. I'm not sure that I'll be able to write posts to fill in all the gaps so going with some bullets because who doesn't love a bulleted list. So here's just some of the memories that were made since last April as in April of 2015... Dylan conquered his first year in high school! Zoe conquered her last year in elementary school! Both kids maintained high honor roll for the whole year. I finished my first year teaching accelerated students in a brand new program. I completed more college classes and earned my certificate so I could teach gifted and talented students. The whole family visited Tulum, Mexico (our first trip to Mexico) in April 2016. Maybe this will make it's own post sometime soon! Dylan swam on the high school swim team and was invited to swim in the team relay at state champs where he realized he was a little fish in a BIG pond, but that sw...

So last week I told you how my broken zipper motivated change . This week I'm checking for week two weigh in. It's been a decent week. As far as My Fitness Pal...I'm liking it alot!  Tracked my food every.single.day. using the app for the most part so I could track right after eating.  I do find that tracking my food makes me much more conscious of things I put in my mouth.  I think about it before popping it in and later regretting it.  Found myself making much better choices this week including eating lots of fruits and veggies.  The exercising? I'm thrilled to say that I'm still going strong.  Just finished 30 Day Shred Day 10 today! I was really worried about going back to work on Wednesday because I had decided that I would exercise before school. I am NOT a morning person so this was a big concern.  However, I really wanted to try to get it done and out of the way so I didn't have to worry about it at night when I felt so tired.  I ...

One of the reasons I originally started blogging was to have a journal or scrapbook of sorts to record the memories.  I haven't quite had the words to describe everything that has been going on this week so thought I would jot them down more as a journal entry.    Tuesday, August 23 I'm busy preparing back to school goodies in the dining room.  Zoe and I are stuffing party bags to create "teacher survival kits" that I'll pass out the next day at our first inservice and Dave is sitting on the couch next to us.  Dylan comes in from the den and says, "What was that? The whole house just shook? What happened?"  We looked at him funny and asked what in the world he was talking about.  None of us in our great room felt a thing. I was even standing up! We basically told him that he was crazy and sent him back in to finish his computer game.  A few seconds later Dave talks to his dad who immediately asks him if he had felt the earthquake. Excuse ...

We were just going to get some pool chemicals and grab an ice cream cone, but instead I had the kiddos with me, but everybody was fine.Thankfully. My Tahoe kept everybody safe. While the gas prices have been taking a toll I have to say that in this instance I'm glad I drive a big car.  I, or I should say Dave, was even able to drive the truck home.  He doesn't think there is any major damage, just body damage.  Anyways, it drove...even though it wasn't very pretty. So it's been a rough week as I balanced the bank account and moved around some bill paying to find the cash for the $500 deductible.  Props to Allstate though because they have been fabulous as they got an estimator out right away so we could get the estimate to the body shop.  Then Hertrich's came to the rescue and my car is in the shop as I type.  I'm crossing my fingers that I may be lucky enough to get the truck back next week.  Haven't heard yet.  But I'm  not giving ...

Aaahhh, Saturday!  What a week and boy oh boy am I glad that it is over. This week was quite crazy with two days of DCAS Reading {our state testing program in Delaware}, a field trip, my district teacher of the year presentation {nope, didn't win}, a 31party, two days of gymnastics practice, and gymnastics pictures. No wonder I'm just waking up from a two hour nap! The good news is that most of students did well on their state test.  One day I'm just going to put it all out there about what I feel about this test, but I just don't have it in me right now.  I was so proud of how well my students stuck with it though.  This week we tackle two days of DCAS math and I'm hoping they show their smarts again! After two days of testing the kiddos were ready for a field trip and we all had fun learning about Civil War times on Pea Patch Island .  I must confess that history is not my thing, nor is wars for that matter, but I enjoyed the trip this year.  It wa...

Lately, I've heard a lot of talk about how it is believed that some people are using social media to create this perfect {and delusional} world they are living in.  There have been references made on twitter to those who are "impostors".  These are the people who talk about their perfect life with their perfect spouse and their perfect children living in the perfect house.  Ring any bells?? While I could probably name a couple people who may fit the above description for the most part the bloggers and/or social media mavens that I engage with the most, keep it real.  As I thought about it more though, I started to think.  Surely I'm not one of these people. Am I? I feel that what I write is the real me.  I put it out there as it is.  Sure there are things that tick me off, make me sad, or frustrate the heck out of me that I don't share here {although some I most definitely do}, but mostly because that isn't how I am in real life.  I'm a pretty p...

After the sun went down we headed down to the docks to try our luck fishing. Well daddy and the kids tried their luck at fishing while I played with my camera.  I got a few pix I liked.   Unfortunately their fishing luck wasn't as good!

The week is flying by as we are packing in as much fun as we can down here in sunny Florida.  Every day has been full of sun with a wonderful ocean breeze to keep things pretty nice.   There has been a lot of fishing happening...  Doesn't everybody fish in a tiara and pj's? Dyl's snook Dave's Snook Dyl waiting for another bite We enjoyed a family  bike ride down Tropical Trail where there are gorgeous houses on one side and river on the other with palm trees lining the road.  Zoe got to take a ride on her cousins paddleboard and she absolutely loved it.  They went up and down the river while daddy kayaked beside them.  Dave tried his luck on the paddleboard, but he didn't fair too well.  He ended up just a little bit wet!! Yesterday the day was spent at Sebastian Inlet where there is an awesome tide pool perfect for waders like us.  We set up camp at a picnic table right under a shady palm and enjoyed the afternoon...

Zoe has become quite the reader in the past few months.  Being a teacher to older students, I'm in awe of those who teach the littlest people.  I don't know how they do it!  I'm very blessed that both of my kids are proving to be quite the little scholars.  Some would say it's because they are a teacher's kid and while I'd love to take the credit, I have to give credit where credit is due and that is totally to my kiddos teachers.  Watching my children learn to read is one of my most treasured moments so far and hats off to the teachers who gave them the gift of reading! Back to the title of this post. My point to that little sideshow is that Zoe has been practicing her new reading skills by reading the billboards as we are driving here, there, and everywhere.  The other day she was busy reading them all when she became frustrated because she couldn't figure out a word. "Mom" she asked. "What is the word m1y?"   I thought I misheard ...

I've been in quite the funk as winter just won't bid us goodbye and spring break seems like it's never gonna get here.  Motivation to do anything after work is null and void.  For about a month, I swear I was coming home from work, eating dinner, and crawling straight into bed. Then one of my coworkers started walking/running and was asking me about my running.  She knew that once upon a time I was running and even participating in 5Ks.  Little did she know that my sneakers haven't seen my feet in a.very.long.time.  After talking with her a few days, she inspired me to get out and start walking/running again.  Then we started talking about a local 5K that was coming up to support Delaware Autism.  Somewhere along the line I lost my mind I decided it would be motivating to sign up for the race, which happened to be the same 5K that I ran as my first race ever a couple years ago. Yesterday was race day. I set everything out the night before so I wou...

As I lay here in bed listening to the thunder boom, watching the lightening flash, and listening to the rain pour down, I think it's the perfect setting for how I'm feeling lately...like I'm drowning! It seems like things keep raining down on me and I'm just trying to tread water in hopes of staying on the surface. Honestly, there isn't anything too serious happening and thankfully everybody is in good health, well unless you count my tooth that is getting a root canal tomorrow {which I'm trying not to think about that cause you know how I feel about the darn dentist}, it's just things...stuff...meetings...responsibilities.  Yuck. I know sooner or later though it will stop raining. The water will begin recede. I will be able to stop treading. But until then, if you happen to have any extra energy or maybe even a good pair of flippers, send it my way, please!

I consider myself a relatively confident person. I tackle my fears head on, plowing through them in order to put them behind me. But, there is one thing that makes me crumble every time. The DENTIST. Ugh. A few weeks,{okay months, but who's counting} I noticed when I was chewing gum it kept getting stuck on one tooth. Weird.  Then I decided that it felt funny on my tongue, sharp-like.  Somehow I think I had chipped my tooth without ever realizing it.  Anyways, I figured oh well and moved on, avoiding the gum.  Then about a month later I had a horrible toothache.  I now have great respect for those little babes who are teething.  Toothaches are horrific!  I loaded up on ibuprofen and after a couple days it went away.  Sure I considered going to the dentist, but I was just avoiding it with all my heart way to busy to get there. Skip forward a month, or two, or three, and my tooth still feels funny and lately I've had a really weird taste...

While mommy is more than happy to sit indoors during the winter, daddy likes to get out and move.  So on a sunny Sunday he decided to dig out the roller blades and take the kids out for some exercise.  While I declined putting on my own blades, I did at least zip up the coat and head out to snap some pictures. Daddy is an amazing roller blader and Zoe loves when he zips up to her and then picks her up, in case you can't tell by that look on her face. She was focusing really hard on getting her feet to glide, something mommy still has trouble with!  But, daddy was right there coaching her on. While Dylan declares himself "more of an indoor person" he even looked like he was mildly enjoying himself. Trying to keep oneself up and moving on roller blades requires quite a bit of effort and after awhile the kiddos decided it was time for a break. So they crashed right where they were...   I love that Dave is the kind of daddy that gets us up and moving {or at...

The promise of snow was in the forecast.  It's been there at least a couple days of the last many weeks so it was nothing new.  Throughout the last few forecasts though, that is far as it has gone.  Just a promise!  I would get so excited, go to bed with my pj's inside out and backwards {it's a teachers secret, but obviously not working this year}, and wake up to...NOTHING!  Then I'd end up being in a bad mood because my dream of a snow day or at least a delay would have been ruined.  So when I heard the forecast of snow last night, I wasn't impressed.  No excitement, no special bedtime routines, no prayers for snow before bedtime. So imagine my delight when I got "the call" at 5:15 this morning saying that school was CLOSED!  Oh yeah.  The best part is that today was Dave's day off too so we got an impromptu family day. I started the morning running to the bank and grocery store, then came home to set up an eye doctor appointment for Dy...

A few weeks ago Dyl excitedly came into my classroom after school to tell me that he won the preliminary round of the spelling bee so he would be representing his class at our school's spelling bee. Well today was the big day. Our school's Spelling Bee. The day started off with an hour delay which left to question if it would be held today or not considering it was supposed to have been first thing in the morning.  We got the word it was still on so I made a quick trip into Dyl's classroom to give him those mommy reminders and wish him good luck.  He was pretty nervous! Through all of our conversations about the bee the one thing he always said was he just didn't want to get out in the first round.  He never said he hoped to win or make it to the top three, he just didn't want to get out in the first round.  So he and daddy studied {although I will admit that it wasn't until a few days before the big day} and we reviewed some tricky words, then it was g...

While, judging by my twitter and Facebook stream, almost everybody in the country was glued to their television {either for the game or the commercials} or stuffing themselves with snacks and drinks, I was not. Hubby did make some yummy homemade pizzas and chocolate chip cookies for dinner, but other than that no dips, chips, chili, or beer for us.  While I really did have every intention to at least watch the best part of the game, the commercials, it didn't happen. So while my Superbowl dreams went up in smoke, kinda like...wait who lost???, I am happy to report that I have one clean house!  I spent a good 10 hours dusting, sweeping, mopping, washing, waxing, folding, and boy do I feel it.  One would think I just had a workout with Jillian, I'm so sore. But, the payoff is so worth it. You gotta love a clean house! So now it just better stay that way...at least for 24 hours! How did you spend your Superbowl Sunday?

Growing up my parents house always looked perfect {or at least that's how I remember it.}  Everything had it's place, it was clutter free, and every Friday was cleaning day where we didn't just pick up, but actually dusted, vacummed, or mopped.  Yes, EVERY Friday!  I was in charge of the living room and dining room and my bedroom. Speaking of my bedroom, I swear it was always neat and tidy.  My mom may be able to remind me otherwise, but I'm pretty confident that she would agree with me that I kept it looking pretty good.   Now jumping into the future, if you would visit my classroom you would find it very neat and organized. Everything has a place, there are labeled containers, notebooks, shelves, cabinets...my desk is clean {it drives some of my fellow teachers crazy}, and even my pens and Sharpies are organized in the spinner on the corner of my desk.  I like things neat. I like things tidy. I thrive on organization. So what's the problem?...

Last Christmas my mother-in-law and sis-in-law taught me how to knit.  They patiently worked with me and my clumsy fingers to teach me the garter stitch, then the purl stitch, then how to cast on, how to cast off, and even how to fix a few mistakes.  I was shocked that I could really knit!! For a couple months, I knitted away.  I had a little shopping bag with my project and wherever I went, the bag went. I signed up on Ravelry. I bought a pair of my own wooden circular needles. I bought my first skeins of yarn ever. For a few months, I was hoooked. Then my love of knitting fizzled. Looking back I don't know what happened really, but eventually my two bags of unfinished scarves was stuck in the corner of my bedroom behind a chair. Then came this Christmas break. With the frigid temp, the Christmas snow, and the roaring fireplace, I began to have an itch to knit.  I got out the bags and prepared to google some knitting videos to remind me how to knit....

I have a confession to make. I didn't know if I made a resolution last year or not! I had to go back in the box of my chocolates to see if I created one and if I did to see what the heck my resolution was for 2010.   After a bit of digging I eventually found it .  I think it was a pretty decent resolution actually. I've sat here reflecting on whether or not I would consider my resolution a success.  Did I relax?  While I definitely let some things go last year and chose to live in the moment, I still found myself often getting into a tizzy about things that were pretty much completely out of my control. I will say that last summer I rocked being unplugged and spending time with the family.  I was determined to really get out there and enjoy life rather than living to just blog about it!  Our summer was full of beach adventures, geocaching, crabbing, fishing, bike riding, and just having fun.  It was awesome. Then in some ways I thin...

Lately, Zoe has been vehement that she is going to live with me for the rest of her life.  According to her, she isn't going to ever have a boyfriend {my dad told me I should record her saying that for blackmail later}, she doesn't want kids, and her latest is that she doesn't want to go to college either because she won't need a job since she is going to live me with forever. She talks about this often. The other day we were out for a girls day with my mom and aunt and she told them her plan of living with me forever.  She said, "I'm going to live with  mommy until I die." So I asked her, "What if I die first?" Her response.  "Then I will go in the ground with you." Bring on the tears!! I think I gave her the biggest hug ever after that one and proceeded to quickly change the subject. SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter