Sunshine after the rain....

I know we needed the rain, but I for one am a little tired of all this cold, dreary rain we've been having. While good for my flowers, tomatoes, and corn that have been planted recently, I desperately long for the warmth of sunshine and the bright blue skies that so often accompany spring, or at least in my mind should accompany spring. Perhaps the weather hasn't realized that we are now in the month of MAY, and is stuck back in the old "April showers brings May flowers" time period...I say mother nature needs a gentle reminder that we are now in May and it's time for flowers, warmth, and sunshine. Grocery shopping, errand running, and all the other stuff that I normally do on weekend's is definitely no fun in this perpetual state of wetness, so I have decided that rainy days are better spent lounging on the couch watching movies or otherwise being unproductive. Of course there are plenty of things for me to do in the house, but somehow today watching cartoons and Disney movies with the kids was far more appealing than laundry or housework, so that's exactly what I did.(I am a little embarrassed to say that I might watch cartoons and Disney movies even if I didn't have kids...am sure there are those of you out there who would likely do the same), but I have to say I am a firm believer in the fact that at times it's okay to let the inner child out to play....when the situation, time, and location calls for it.

Such was the case this past Friday night when I took my son to play at the high school where I work. Yes, I combined work and play in the same sentence, and it is one of the perks of my job as a high school teacher....we had a senior carnival at school on Friday, and of course the inflatables etc...were rented for 24 hours, so we had a faculty night at the stadium with the kids. Since Caroline went to a sleepover with some of her little friends, I decided Brody and I would go and play because he LOVES bouncy things and playing in general. I also knew him seeing all those inflatables on the football field knowing that there was no time limit or cost and that he could jump and play his little heart out would make him the happiest little guy on the planet.....(I can honestly say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree there)....and boy did we have fun jumping and playing.....to watch him enjoying himself warmed my heart, brought a smile to my face, and will be a moment I'll cherish for years to come.
In preparation for the new week ahead of me, I took a little time to reflect a little on this past week where things were a little crazy at times (see my earlier post on flexibility). While doing so, I see the sun starting to peek through the clouds a bit and a break from all the rain...and as I am watching this, the thought occurs to me that even though there are long periods of rain that sometimes bring us down, require extra flexibility, and/or make things a little messy, there are equal moments of sunshine to  balance everything out and bring us back around......this makes me smile and for that I am thankful.

Incidentally, I have posted some pictures below of Brody and me from Friday night.....such good times!

5 lessons I've learned this week on Flexibility

So this has been a week of flexibility lessons for me.....and no, not the kind that you would get at the gym or elsewhere for those who might be thinking crazy thoughts right now....no, rather the kind that teach us to "go with the flow". After a nice weekend, I should have known the week would throw me some curves to kind of keep the balance...you know that balance between things going great and things going not so great, so as to keep things grounded and even. Without going into too much boring detail, this week has included two trips to the doctors with my kids, a way too early in the morning conversation with my kids when I didn't have to wake up so early, 1 trip to the ER because Brody swallowed a penny, forgetting to put shoes on Caroline and realizing it only after I dropped her off at school, leaving my classroom keys and school work at home (the same morning I forgot to put shoes on Caroline....), a computer glitch with some standardized testing, (which for anyone who reads this that's in the school business knows how big a deal that can be), and a few other trivial things that really are no big deal in the grand scheme of things, but were still enough to knock me off balance a little so to speak. While reflecting today upon this past week and the events of the week, I took some time to list what I shall call "flexibility lessons" courtesy of the curves thrown to me this week....I thought I'd share in case anyone who might be reading this needs a little pep talk and reminder on the importance of being able to "go with the flow" and be flexible....who doesn't need these reminders on occasion, right?

1. Flexibility lesson one....take time to listen even if it's not really what you want to do.

2. Flexibility lesson two....you can't control everything, and sometimes you shouldn't try

3. Flexibility lesson three......always be prepared for the unexpected and adapt accordingly

4. Flexibility lesson four....always consider that your day might not go as planned and you may need to hit restart....but it will get better

5. Flexibility lesson five....if at first you don't succeed....keep on trying. Eventually, it will work out

 I once heard somewhere that we grow as people when we are stretched and flexibility does go hand in hand with stretching- the more you are stretched, the more flexible you become...In life, there are many curves that come our way. The key to managing those curves is to recognize them when you see them coming and learn to be flexible with your approach based on the direction of the curve....kind of like I suspect a batter in baseball might approach a curve ball thrown at him. (It is that time of year, so I couldn't resist the baseball analogy-though not sure how accurate it is....it's just what I think)...just a little food for thought for those of you who might be struggling with some of those curves.

T-Minus 3 hours and counting

So, in approximately 3 hours or so we will be released from school and off for spring break. Needless to say, the natives are restless.....very restless, and I would have to also say the vast majority of the teachers are pretty ready for this break as well. To be honest though, it scares me a bit as to how quickly the time goes by. It seems like only yesterday that the school year began, and here we are 6 weeks from another graduation and the end of yet another school year. It's just crazy to me that we are already here at the end when it seems like we just began....but as I sit here and think, I draw the conclusion that life is really just a series of beginnings and endings....I am reminded of the song "Closing Time" by the band Semisonic...there's a line in the song that says "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" and boy does that really ring true. It got me thinking on beginnings and endings and how they really are interrelated. The end of the school year brings the beginning of summer...the end of summer brings the beginning of the school year etc....and so it goes. Sometimes I get so caught up in the cycle of beginning to end that I miss the stuff in between....for example, my kids can now read and write words, add and subtract, and they can even tell time on a regular, analog clock. It's quite impressive if I do say so myself. Somehow, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter etc...have all come and gone, and I feel as if I have somehow missed them all, yet I have the memories of those events....but was I really there or was I just going through the motions because they were just a series of events....beginnings and endings like the day to day tasks. I am really pondering this perspective, as I reflect upon this past year and have come to the conclusion that I am likely not alone. In this face-paced world we live in, it's easy to just get into a routine and go through the motions, but is that really living? Is that quality of life? I don't think so.....my resolve during this week off, is to somehow find a way to regain my focus and channel all of my energies into making sure I am in the present, living all moments good and bad to the best of my ability, and to make sure the people that I love and care about know how much I love and care about them. Life is short, and you never know how much time is left....for any of us. So I would encourage you all to make peace with your past, live in the present, and prepare for your future (just in case you make it there)....then sit back and enjoy the ride!

Ahh, the age of Realism

Again, a non-children post....but one I thought I'd share anyway....so in my American Lit class we are beginning a new unit on Realism..quite the opposite of Romanticism, which we just finished, and quite frankly somewhat of a downer...who needs a reminder of what's going on in the real world when one can lazily daydream and idealize the perfect world, right? I have come to the conclusion that I am somewhere in between the two....I always have grandiose ideas in my head, but then I also have the reality somewhere in the back of my mind. If I can ever figure out how to get the two to work together without causing too much trouble, I will be in business. At any rate, I came across some Mark Twain quotes that I thought were worth sharing and spending some time pondering.... lately I've been doing a lot of pondering and retreating....I think it's a coping mechanism.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."


"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

 "The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop."

"A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation."  

Just some food for thought today....there were so many, I could have made a quite lengthly list. However, I will spare all of the non-quote readers the pain. If you'd like to read more of them, check out the website www.brainyquote.com which is where I came across these. Have a great Tuesday!

Monday, Monday

So it's Monday......yes Monday....probably my least favorite day of the week although I am forcing myself to learn to embrace Monday as a chance to start the week over and improve upon things from the previous week that maybe didn't go so well. Actually, this is something I try to do daily, as daily I mess up and have to constantly reflect and improve. However, that's a topic for another day- today, I wanted to keep it light-hearted and remind myself that laughter is the best medicine and cure-all for a multitude of things when the events and stresses of life perhaps have you a little bogged down. I came across the following list this morning while brousing the internet doing some research for one of my classes I teach. It made me smile, so I thought it worthwhile to share....it's nothing incredibly intellectual, (remember it is Monday) but maybe will brighten your day for a bit. Happy Monday!!

20 Funny Monday Morning One-liners To Cheer You Up


1.I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

2.A day without sunshine is like..., night.

3.On the other hand, you have different fingers.

4.I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.

5.42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

6.99% of Lawyers give the rest a bad name.

7.Remember, half the people you know are below average.

8.He who laughs last thinks slowest.

9.Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

10.I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.

11.Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

12.A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

13.Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

14.Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.

15.Always try to be modest, and be proud of it!

16.OK,..... so what's the speed of dark?

17.How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

18.If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

19.What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

20.Monday is a dreadful way to spend 1/7 of your life.

Update Part 2

I realize that my update yesterday was more about me and less about the kids, which really is what this blog is supposed to be all about. I think I shall create a separate blog to discuss my own perspectives on things so that this can remain focused on the kids.....of course it would likely take several blogs to cover my perspective on things, but I will keep it to just one. Stay tuned for that....I'll update the details of that blog once I get around to creating it.

As far as the kids are concerned, lots has been happening. Probably the most notable is the fact that one of the twins has lost their first tooth. Which twin you ask? None other than my first born and only son, Brody. This happened back in the middle of January....he was complaining of having tooth pain. Upon further investigation, we discovered that he in fact had a loose tooth. Now, those of you who know me, know that I don't handle those types of things well for many, many reasons. Mainly 1- because it's just gross and 2- it means that my baby boy is really no longer my baby boy, and serves as a reminder on how fast time really flies and how quickly life passes you by. To top off the loss of the first tooth, when we went to the dentist for a check-up, the dentist informed me that Brody had all of his 6-year molars. That's GREAT you might say.....well actually not really becuase HE'S ONLY 5!!!!! To make me feel better, the dentist told me he had the mouth of a 7 or 8 year old and would likely be shaving by age 10 or 11.....good grief, I don't know how I am going to handle that, and have to say that did not make me feel any better.

They are both learning so much and are doing so well in school. Both had high achievement scores on their testing, and are doing well with Spanish, Math, Reading, and Writing....I have to say, I am one proud mama and am going to have to work very hard not to be an obnoxious one.

Both have begun to read the easy readers, and now bedtime consists of me reading a story to them and then they read one to me. Although, last night as I was reading to Caroline, she had the suggestion of me reading the "hard words" and she could read all of the sight words...

We are in the home stretch of our experience in Pre-K, and are on the quest for where to send the twins to Kindergarten, which I guess will be decided once we figure out where we're going to land-SEE previous post.

Time for another update

So, 4 months ago I updated my blog with the latest and greatest happenings in the Jenkins' household and was thinking to myself today that I have not updated in a while. So....while I had some downtime- which does not occur often- I thought I would update. Not that there will be anyone to read, but for some reason it makes me feel better to write sometimes....

The last time I wrote, we had just had the flood of 2012.....since then, we managed, with much difficulty and challenge, to get the repairs completed and everything restored and back in working condition. It was not easy to have no use of the kitchen for over a month, no furniture downstairs, and everything in general disarray, but I kept thinking to myself someone always has it worse. On the positive side of things, not only were the floors repaired, but we were able to replace all of the carpet downstairs with beautiful, South American Elm hardwoods, and the upstairs bathrooms with brand new tile. We had all of our trim repainted, the ceilings replaced, and a host of other household improvements we would have otherwise not been able to do had it not been for the flood. So as I was pondering this in one of my more pensive moods, I came to the conclusion that eventhough in our lives we often experience a "flood" of sorts with all the curve balls life throws at us, when all is said and done and you come through it, often times you gained more than you lost and can look back at the inconveniences and mishaps with appreciation for the blessings in disguise.

I have been trying to focus on this thought since we are once again going through some turmoil with our job situations....like everyone else is, right? I know I should be thankful that I even have a job and am doing something I love (this is a point I have to remind myself of daily because truly I am blessed to have both) but sometimes it is unnerving to know that I am really unable to settle things down because I never know where we will have to move next. This may seem like a trivial point, and to most I am sure it is....I don't know how military families survive, but for some reason this time it really has me ruffled. Perhaps it's the fact that we just moved here a little less than 2 years ago, or that this is the third school I have been at in 7 years, or that the twins are getting ready to start Kindergarten next year and I have no idea where they are going to go, or possibly that I have no idea what's going to happen next....whatever the reason, it has me stressing. Which, for those who know me, doesn't happen that often. I am usually pretty easy going, and can adapt in a positive way to most situations. Maybe it's my age, or the fact that I had certain ideas in my head as to how this would all work, or perhaps it's the fact that in general, I am a planner who likes to have everything laid out in advance so I know what to expect....I don't handle the unexpected too well. Whatever the reason, I am just ruffled by the unknown.....

As I was contemplating the heart of the matter, I came to the conclusion that trust is not something that comes naturally to me....I don't know why, but it doesn't. It is generally very difficult for me to rely on other people or the unknown when it comes to me, my life, and what goes on....I didn't have a particularly traumatic childhood, rather a very happy one for the most part. We didn't move around a lot although, we did move when I was in 8th grade, so it begs the question...why is this so difficult for me? Why do I struggle with not being able to control the situation? After much pondering,  I concluded often times, trials are allowed to happen or things are placed in our paths that are difficult to deal with and/or handle so that we will learn and grow. Life is not easy, but after every storm, there is a rainbow to serve as a reminder that the storm is over and this too shall pass.