Category Archives: Random Thoughts

>"live" blogging my morning routine

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>This started as an effort to chronicle my day, but real life took over. Here’s as far as I got.

5:30, alarm goes off
5:35, feed rabbit, shower
5:55, showered and dressed, finish setting up breakfast
6:05, back exercises in den
6:15, wonder why Amigo isn’t downstairs yet
6:17, Amigo comes downstairs.
6:20, breakfast, brush teeth
6:25, clear table
6:30, shoes on, coat on, go outside
6:35, wave goodbye to Amigo as he gets on his school bus
6: 38, pick up bags and get in minivan
6:45, return Amigo’s books on tape to the public library
6:50, Jo to Go for 16 oz. hazelnut, no cream or sugar (the usual)
6:57 arrive at school
7:00- 7:15, deal with emails
7:15-7:40, stand at copier and make copies (Is this really a good use of my time?)
7:35, touch base with principal regarding student behavior concern, basically talk at her while she hurriedly took off her coat and ran off down the hall for a meeting
7:45, back at desk, trying to release pettiness of yesterday and focus on today
7:55, in library finding videos for social studies. Checkout computer isn’t on yet, specialist and aide not in yet, left stack for checkout
8:05, reheated remainder of coffee
8:15, posted daily schedule
8:21, welcomed kids into building!

And at this point, I was too busy to list events for blogging the rest of the day. But it was a good kind of busy, the kind of busy that means being involved in teaching and learning and feeling like the day was moving along well. I even managed to get my gradebook nearly up to date.
Teaching is one of those fields where the work is never done. I can feel content when I’ve accomplished most of what is on my to-do list and still managed to teach all day. Today, I think I did that.
And now, the weekend. After this week? TGIF!!

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>I’ve got daisies….in green pastures….

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>I’ve been humming “I’ve Got Rhythm” ever since Amigo and I went to his high school’s production of Crazy for You. Now I have even more reason — reasons, really — to sing my own songs and blow my own horn!

Glennia of The Silent I has given me the Nice Blogger award and compounded it with a Rockin’ Blogger award, too! When I stopped over to visit her yesterday, she had a post up about rockin’ liberals. Oh, she’s my kind of blogger! Thanks, Glennia, I think we share some political leanings as well as enjoying each other’s family-related posts.
Update: Nicole from Not Just a Working Mom and Silicon Valley Moms also offered me a Nice Matters Award! I feel like I’m swimming in pink, and I should be blushing!

MammaCheryl, another Wisconsin blogger, posts on Red Pens and Diapers. She thought I should participate in a great meme from BlogHer. It’s short and simple and doesn’t require any html, so I thought I’d go right ahead!

1.) State the name of your blog, your online name, and link to your “about me” page.
Hello, BlogHer fans and others. My blogging name is Daisy, my blog is Compost Happens. I also post poetry at A Mother’s Garden of Verses and contribute to Mid-Century Modern Moms. My profile/ about me page is here.

2.) Say you want to be profiled on BlogHer as a family blogger and link back to (this post).
Okay, this is easy. Nordette, come on over, I’d like to be profiled as a family blogger! Really. I’ll sit down at the computer and talk to you, now that it’s too cold to garden. 🙂

3.) Tell how long you’ve been blogging.
I’ve been blogging since June 2006. It started as cheap therapy, and became an enjoyable outlet and connection to a whole new world with a whole new network of people.

4.) Pass this meme on to three other bloggers that you think should be profiled/interviewed.
The hard part of this one is limiting my choices to three! I read and enjoy so many.

I’d like to read in-depth interviews with Farmgirl Susan; Boogiemum; and for a Dad, how about Joe from Club 166? His son had the cutest Halloween costume ever.

Celebrate! I expect to register my 15,000th hit any day now. I hope some of you will take off your coats and stay a while. I have tomatoes ripening on the windowsill, and the coffeepot’s always on.

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>Hey, that’s my line!

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>I got up this morning at 5:30 (grudgingly), fed Buttercup the rabbit, took my shower, dressed, did my back exercises, and then on my way back to the kitchen noticed (ominous music) drops of blood on the floor.I checked to make sure I wasn’t bleeding (I was sleepy enough that I felt I couldn’t assume anything), wiped up the spots, checked the bunny (looked fine), and went back into the bathroom. I noticed a bloody napkin or Kleenex in the wastebasket.
Hmmm…did I mention that Husband got home after 3 AM from his weekend train show?Meanwhile, Amigo got up (late), ate, brushed his teeth, put on shoes, and waddled out to the bus stop just in time.
I got in the minivan (still with modular HO scale layout in the back), and headed for my blood test appt. Yes, I was doing all of this after fasting overnight. Hungry, wanted coffee. On my way to the test clinic, I got stopped by a train — at the slowest intersection in town. After the train, the other light turned green first, so I had to wait again. Bleh. Somehow, I made it to the middle school for my appoinment by 6:50. The nurse couldn’t hear my blood pressure, so she presumed it must not be too high. I’ll just have to guess at the numbers.

Got to school, text-messaged Husband RU OK? Checked my mail, got coffee, found the credit union’s free calendar for 2008 in my box. Its theme? Never a Dull Moment. Hey, where’s the camera? They know me too, too well.

Update: husband is tired, but fine. He wasn’t bleeding. Now we’re wondering — what was in those red spots on the floor? Ketchup? Fruit juice? Tropicana fruit punch flavored soda? Modeling paint? The drops were still partly liquid when I found them, just drying around the edges. It’s a mystery. Never a dull moment, indeed.

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>Notes to self in case of pandemic or bioterrorism

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>I did it again. I signed up for more training with our public health department. The latest session, about two hours, was at a local high school to learn the ropes at an actual flu shot clinic.

After I signed in, the folks in charge assigned me and one other volunteer to another registration table. Our job was to hand out cookies and bottles of water to the volunteers as they arrived –with no opportunities to wash up first.
Note to self: bring hand sanitizer or antibacterial wet wipes next time.

As the majority of the volunteers were dispersed to their stations, complete with water bottle and cookie snack, we were relocated to the communications trainer. This trainer was a local police officer who was in charge of two things: training volunteers in using the radios and finding a channel that would actually work in all the clinic stations throughout the high school building. They had already tested two channels unsuccessfully; our group was to try the third. He taught us the basics, helped us find the assigned channel, and then showed us how to wear the police-style radios and shoulder microphones.
Note to self: if assigned to communications, wear a belt. A strong one. These radios are heavy!

After communications training, our group joined another batch of workers at the exit station putting together bags of information and supplies. As people exited the shot clinic, they picked up these bags to take home. The supervisor told us she hoped to make up at least a thousand such bags. I don’t know how many they made before my group arrived, but I know the seven of us packed up several hundred. Typical of teachers and school staff (as were all the volunteers tonight), we streamlined the process to make it more efficient. If we had to spend time on our feet, we were going to be productive, darn it.
Note to self: wear comfortable shoes — very comfortable shoes.

We then returned to the registration table, this time to check people out and collect their “uniform” vests and name tags. These blue vinyl mesh vests were so ugly (how ugly were they?) that more than half the people handed them in with a sarcastic, “Oh, I don’t get to keep it?”
Note to self: don’t worry about wardrobe. The vests will make anything look bad. And in a crisis situation, no one will care.

The time went quickly. The explanations made sense. Trainers explained not only how-to, but also why. I liked knowing the rationale behind the structure and the plan. The trivia fiend in me enjoyed hearing that emergency planners looked to Disney theme parks to figure out ways to move large numbers of people efficiently.

Of course, I hope this kind of emergency, pandemic or biological attack, never happens. but like first aid and CPR, it’s a type of necessary skill that no one wants to use. I’d say, “Bring it on!” but I really don’t want to see a health emergency, flu or otherwise, reach these proportions.
Note to self: get flu shot. Soon.

Update: Yesterday, I got my annual flu shot (ouch). The people at the registration desk were crabby and hated the long lines; the nurses were wonderful and thrilled that so many people came.
Note to self: it’s good when a lot of people want a flu shot. Stay friendly and courteous.

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>Outstanding Cranberry Muffins

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>Ah, a perfect fall day. Leaves raked to the curb, a chill in the air, Packer football on the television, and the clocks set back for an extra hour of sleep. This calls for a fire in the fireplace and home baked goodies.

I pulled a bag of cranberries out of the freezer to make these. Buy the fresh cranberries between now and Thanksgiving and freeze them; they’re a little hard to come by out of season.

1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2/3 cup orange juice
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the cranberries and walnuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until chopped. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange peel. Set aside.
In small saucepan, combine the butter and oil and heat until the butter melts. Stir in sugar. (Note: sugar will not dissolve.)
In a large bowl, stir together the eggs and orange juice. Stir in the sugar-butter-oil mixture, then add the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.
Fill the muffin cups until almost full. Bake for 18 — 20 minutes or until muffins and golden brown. Test for doneness with a toothpick.

Serve warm with a mug of steaming coffee next to a roaring fire in the fireplace. Okay, the coffee is optional, and they’ll still taste good without a fireplace by your side. But really, these are not just for Thanksgiving Day breakfast!

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>The license plate game: it’s not what you think.

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>Ah, road trips. It’s amazing how much you can glean from a few license plates. It’s not the child’s ABC game or List the States game, either.

I got on the road early this morning, drove through Jo to Go (she knew my order again — must be going there too often), and hit the highway for my training workshop in Mad City. As I moved from the main highway to the smaller, two-lane road, I noticed I was not alone. What the heck were all these cars doing on this not-so-major byway at 6:30 on a Saturday morning?
The answer: the car ahead of me had a UW-Madison license plate. Ah-ha! Badger game kicks off at 11:00 a.m. This line of traffic is headed for Camp Randall. Parking is limited, and of course, they needed to allow time for tailgate parties.
I arrived at my destination. On the way into the parking lot, I noticed several personalized plates. HARP 1. TUBA 1. ISING 4U. DRUM LDY. MUSCPWR. And these, a little more challenging to decipher: BZASAB* and ROA ROE*. If I hadn’t known I was going to the School Music Association building, the cars around it would have clued me in.
It was a great workshop, both informative and validating. When we were in discussions and I heard an expert make the same comment that was in my head, I felt reassured that I really, really do know what I’m doing. When I learned statistics that show how many students participated in the types of festivals that I judged last year, I knew my work was and continued to be important. For example: 250,000 students nationwide play football. 219,000 students participated in music festivals in my state: that’s statewide, not national. And the best part? None of these student musicians sat on the bench. Every one was an active participant.
So if I moaned a little when my alarm went off early, if I doubted my wisdom in spending the day on the road, now I know it was worthwhile.
And that’s OKBYME.

The two more challenging plates? BZASAB = Busy as a bee ROA ROE = Row, row, as in Row, row, row your Boat, Gently down the stream…

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>If you can read this, well, you can read between the lines.

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>I could tell it had been a long, busy week at school. All the signs were there.

On Friday:
I pulled into the Jo to Go drive-thru at 6:45 a.m. and the barista knew what I wanted (16 oz. hazelnut, black, keep the change).
I pulled into the school parking lot and realized I’d gotten my coffee, but forgotten my ID (smart card for building entry) and room key.
I reached for my coffee and realized that my ID was sitting on the dashboard of the car from the night before.
More teachers were in jeans and casual, comfortable clothing than I’ve ever seen in this building. Even the principal was in a (stylish) workout suit.

Can you tell it was parent-teacher conference week? Busy, productive, and exhausting. I’m ready for a nap.
And I still have one more night of conferences to go.
Thank goodness for the long weekend coming up.

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>I am not making this up.

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>Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Common sense, like common courtesy, isn’t always common. Some folks seem to need basic safety sense written out for them in the form of basic warnings. “Do not use this hairdryer in the bathtub or shower.” “Professional driver; do not attempt.” And there’s the classic line, “I am a professional. Do not try this at home.” The organization Sick of Lawsuits has asked Parent Blogging Network to collect some of the most ridiculous warning labels in existence.

Last spring my daughter spent a long, cold night waiting for a good place in line at the grand opening of the local Love Sac store. She got (are you ready for this?) an 87% discount. She was kind enough to get a few things for the family with her discount, so we picked up the classic square PillowSac and its Rocker. This is the warning tag on The Rocker.

Warning:
Improper use of this product may result in injury or death.
Do not jump on The Rocker projecting oneself through open space that is inherently dangerous and may cause injury or death.
Do not allow your children to play unattended on The Rocker — better yet,
do not allow your children to play unattended at all.
Do not put any part of your body, including your entire body, underneath
The Rocker, especially when The Rocker is rocking. May result in injury or
death.
Do not eat The Rocker or anything included with The Rocker, including, but
not limited to, nuts, b0lts, tags, cardboard, packaging, plastic bags, plastic
pieces, styrofoam, unpopped popcorn kernels, etc. Attempting to eat these
things may result in injury, death, or at the very least, discomfort while
passing these items through your digestive system from entry to exit.
Do not stand on The Rocker as this may result in injury or death.
Keep The Rocker away from heaters, burning cigarettes, or any open flame. May result in injury, death, or destruction.

(Hmmm. It doesn’t say anything about rabbits….)

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>Smells like — School Spirit?

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>Where will you find Pajama Day, Duct Tape Day, Prince/Princess Day, Crazy Outfit Day, and Spirit Day all in one week? Add a bonfire with an effigy of the upcoming football opponent, a big game complete with marching band show, and a Saturday night dance, and you guessed it.
Amigo’s school is in the middle of Homecoming Week. He really enjoys the festivities. He skipped dressing up for pajama day, but today he’s decked out in one of his dad’s t-shirts proclaiming “I can fix anything: Where’s the duct tape?” He’ll borrow another t-shirt for Crazy Outfit Day on Thursday. It says “Stop Animal Testing!” and has a picture of the sweetest looking rabbit sitting in a desk taking a standardized test. For Prince/Princess Day, he’s getting creative. He’s going to wear a Milwaukee Brewers shirt. (Prince Fielder, first baseman, home run king, okay?)
The school plays theme music during passing time between classes. Yesterday they played “Bananas in pajamas.” Tomorrow I predict Disney Princess tunes. Today? Well, I don’t know, what would you play for Duct Tape Day? Something that would stick with you, no doubt. (snicker)
Happy Homecoming to all. Amigo sure loves it.

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>Compost is Something Good, or I’m the Honored Guest!

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>Lorna from Something Good and The Freelance Parent asked me to write a guest post on compost. It’s up here.

To see more day-to-day compost adventures, you can look to these earlier posts.

When neighbors’ fences attack
Compost can be beautiful!
Husband’s role in the process (besides eating the produce)
Oh, the compost, it happens.

Meanwhile, I’m going to make a cup of coffee. I know where the grounds will go.

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