Because I Had Children

I've been reading more lately (self care) and I wanted to share my reads with you (I'm also leaving reviews on some sites for the authors too).  The Bookseller of Daschau by Shari J. Ryan I loved this book. She was able to weave two stories into one and I'm always captivated by a writer's ability to do that. Germany, 1940 - Matilda and Hans are young and discover they are in love, unfortunately, all Jewish people are being taken from their homes. In an attempt to protect Hans, she hides him in her closet until the safety of their own family makes Matilda's parents choose their own safety and Hans is taken away. Sadly, that's not the end of Matilda's suffering. In America, 2018, Grace has found out she has inherited a bookstore in Dachau, Germany but has no idea who has given it to her. She drops everything and travels to Germany and the story unravels. Ryan did a great job of keeping me on the edge of my seat at every chapter. I loved the hope and love that ...

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find out what it means to me." - Aretha Franklin "You don't have to find out, I'll tell you what respect means to me." -Stacy Johnson There's a part of me that longs for the days when my parents had me call anyone older than me by Mr or Mrs., Aunt or Uncle (even if they were a distant cousin), Coach, Bishop, Your Honor, etc.  When I address my students, I expect them to refer to me as Mrs. Johnson or Mrs. J. I even mention it to them when they call me on the phone, "Hello, this is Mrs. Johnson" or when I sign my email, it's "Mrs. J" I deserve that. I'm still boggled when a student will get on a google meet and say, "Hello Stacy!" My brain is like, "You are 15 years old!" I've earned this title of respect. I called all adults older than me at church with the title of Sister or Brother in front of their last name. That's just what we did. When Iwas an adult, I remember playing on a Tue...

I went to an all-staff meeting last week. The professional development was the importance of building relationships. It's my favorite part of my job, getting to meet students on their level and helping them succeed from that point on. It's one of the reasons I became a teacher.  We were asked to create an "elevator introduction" for when we meet people. It should include our name, our position and what we want from the person we are talking to. The owner of the company said this, "My name is Jim Lee and I have the best job in the world."  Hopefully, it causes the person to ask what his job is and from there, he can tell them about this amazing company he started to help people from different walks of life, all backgrounds and even a variety of countries to get their high school diploma.  I love my job and one of the reasons is, that from the moment I started, I have felt valued at work.  After a wonderful PD and news about ways our company continues to grow ...

Recently, my sister mentioned that her boys don't understand why reading is so important. She asked me how to explain to her boys, the importance of reading. Immediately, my mind came up with a million reasons and I needed to write them all down and then my other sister responded with even more great reasons and now I have so many reasons to share but not enough time.  And, since they hate reading, I can't make this very long. So, this is for you Jake! FIVE reasons why reading is important in no particular order. 1. Reading is a way to learn about new people, places and things.  My favorite quote about reading comes from George R.R. Martin. It was hanging in my class from the first day I became a teacher, he said,  “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” I loved this article from The Curious Reader about how reading allows us to have all the feelings that our characters have even if we haven't experienced them oursel...

 There are lots of reasons I wasn't able to continue teaching at my high school and it had very little to do with any one person or the school itself. It was about me getting my life back.  When I started working, I had 5 kids still left at home. I know that I was supposed to take that job for a reason. I know I was supposed to be there for the time I was but...I'm not that same person that I was.  In the five years I was working at the high school, four of my kids got married and I had four grandbabies join our family. My priorities changed. I also didn't realize the amount of time I would spend at home with my own children would be spent grading, lesson planning, tutoring, worrying, crying and praying over all of them. I loved them all but the pressure of all that became too much to manage.  The pandemic made everything seem excruciatingly more difficult, especially when it came to the worrying and praying. I quickly became overwhelmed and I decided I couldn't be a...

I wish I could change the circumstances of this post, but I have felt like I needed to share my experiences lately. Anxiety and depression are serious and can even be fatal so they definitely need to be taken seriously. But, there are things you can do to prevent it and even work through it.  As a coach and a parent, I can tell you that exercise is one of the best ways to clear your mind. Walking is all I can manage lately but I love the way I feel when I'm done. I walk with Ben and the dogs but I have also loved listening to music, listening to podcasts, scriptures or conference talks when I walk alone. I mostly love listening to the sounds of the morning like birds, sprinklers, cars leaving for work and even the cement factory busy starting their day. I've noticed that the days I don't walk, I'm far less productive on the days I don't get some good exercise in.  Breathing is another strategy I use. When I feel myself get overwhelmed, I take a few deep breaths and ...

My friend Stephanie at  www.stephaniesaysso.blogspot.com  is my favorite poet:) She describes a new poem each day during the month of April so we can all celebrate National Poetry Month together. Being a mother, a teacher and a coach leaves me very little time to write so I look forward to this month when I can whip out a poem or two in a few minutes in my "free time." Here are a few I've written in the last month. Pensee Food Poem Sushi Kinda Slimy Chopsticks make it authentic comfort food to end my long day. Easy dinner, not cheap. Grammar Poem Students Intent and hard working, typing on their keyboards feverishly like their lives depended on it. If only they really understood that it does. Synonym Poem TIRED Fatigued, empty, faint, drained, spent I wonder when I will again begin feeling content? Credo Poem I believe in the importance of working hard, the courage it takes to pick yourself up, the skill it takes to move forward, the honesty i...

There seems to be a decline in the amount of volunteerism these days. I understand there are lots of double income families and by the time you both get home from work and take care of your house and family, the last thing you want to do is volunteer. I get it. I really do. I've come up with three reasons why you need to get out and serve more. 1 - IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STEP OUTSIDE YOURSELF and think about others for a while. Serving someone else in need helps us find perspective regarding our own struggles. This last year I was the coach of a cheer squad made up completely of special needs girls. They were eager to learn and we always had so much fun. But after my hour of coaching was done, I thought about those parents who went home every day and worried and prayed and sometimes struggled with caring for their precious daughters the other 166 hours in the week. 2 - FRIENDSHIPS. I have made some of the best friends through my years of serving through children's sports. ...

I just want to start off by saying that homeschooling and charter schools are not an option for me.  Call me crazy, but I'm not organized enough or disciplined enough to home school and I'm tool selfish to drive my kids to another school when there is one in my very own neighborhood and a bus to get my older kids to theirs.  It doesn't mean I'm anti either of them.  I just am happy where I'm at and have no reason to change.  My problem comes from people thinking that I am ignorant about where I send my own kids as if I haven't researched my options.  It is a topic that comes up on occasion and when it does, I feel like I have to defend myself for my choice.  I'm just going to highlight a few things that have been brought to my attention recently: Safety Several years ago, I asked the head of security at the "other" high school in our area (he is a friend of mine) if he thought there was more problems at my school than at his.  His answer?  ...

This last weekend, I attended the 20th Annual ANWA Writer's Conference.  It was held in the fabulous Hilton hotel in Mesa, AZ. (The last time I went there was for my junior prom, remember that Trevor?)  I was able to share a room with 3 wonderful new friends which made the cost minimal so I splurged and stayed the night. Some of the members of the Queen Creek Creators There were classes on critiquing, editing, publishing, characterization, magazine writing, freelance writing, pitching and query letters and so much more.  I can't even begin to tell you how fabulous it was.  We mingled with agents and publishers, we ate some delicious food and worked on honing our writing talents. I am ever so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful group of women who are as crazy about writing as I am.  I was in awe of meeting some of my favorite authors in person and getting to know them as friends.  What I came away from the conference was the confidence to move f...

I don't know if you have noticed my widget just to the left of this post, but it is for my ANWA writer's Conference coming next week.  I am so stoked.  I'm even staying at the hotel with my ANWA sisters so I can be there to enjoy every single minute of it. Do you like to write?  Do you wish you were a better writer?  Do you have something to say and don't know where to start? I'm not even talking about necessarily having your work published, but that would be a bonus, wouldn't it?  I  joined ANWA when there wasn't even a group in my area.  I got the newsletter every month and wished I lived closer to other women who enjoyed writing.  When I moved to Mesa, I was blessed to be a part of a fabulous group of women who met monthly and encouraged and supported each other in their writing. I've made fabulous friends and learned tons about writing in general.  All I wanted to ever do was work on family history stories and get them written down....

There has been a lot of discussion lately in my life from different sources, about feminism.  While doing some research for my literature class earlier this semester, I had to do some reading on this type of literature critique.  Then, on a friend's Facebook, I saw a post about a more contemporary view on feminism.  It really got me thinking about my views on feminism. I just have to say, thank heavens for the women who forged the way for me to live the kind of life I lead.  I'm college educated, I am employed (even if it is just a few hours a quarter), I can drive, vote, and do lots of things women in my stage of life could not do many years ago.  But, I am still "just" a housewife (don't get me started on that term), what I mean is, that I do most of the cleaning, cooking and taking care of the children, and I do it by choice. I don't have a job that requires me to be outside of my home earning a living, I have found ways to make some money here and ther...

Woo Hoo!! Yeah for me!!  I did it!  I finally graduated from college.  I am proud and embarrassed at the same time to say that it took me 23 years and 6 months from the time I started back at Rick's College in the fall of 1989 to get me a Batchelors degree from ASU with a degree in English Literature.  It literally took a village to get me to this point; schools, teachers, friends, Facebook and especially my immediate and extended family. I attended several schools; Rick's College, MCC, Rio Salado, a school in Albuquerque, but I can't for the life of me think of the name but it is now called Central NM Community College, AZ Dept of Real Estate school and then ASU.  Yes, that is a lot; I don't recommend it. I went to school off and on for several years, between having kids #s 1,2,3,4, and 7 & 8.and jobs and helping Ben finish his degree, it was hit or miss what years I went.  I was pregnant a lot in college. I had tons of people help me with bab...

I’m back, and I did it.  I wrote a whole novel of 50,111 words in 30 days, 28 to be exact because I finished two days early.  I don’t want to give out too many details but this story has been in my head for months now and I needed to get it down on paper (or in the computer, depending on how you look at it).  It is a story of a woman who struggles with post partum depression and her incredible journey to recovery.  It was an amazing experience as I wrote late at night, early in the morning, sometimes instead of eating or cleaning and certainly a lot of writing instead of doing homework.  (Did I mention I have senior-it is really bad?)  Well, I’m glad I had NaNoWriMo to help me over the November blues.  As I sit here today with one final done and one more tomorrow, I find myself wandering around the house wondering what to do next.  That is my next topic, my imminent graduation.  It is right around the corner on the 15th.  I am proud to ...

There are about 5 weeks left in this semester and I have tons to study for as I near the finish line.  I'm a glutton for punishment too, because I've chosen to participate in the NaNoWriMo!  Don't know what that is?  That's ok, I'm fairly new to it myself.  It stands for National November Writing Month and the goal is to write a novel in 30 days.  Think I can do it?  Of course I can.  Will it be a best-seller?  Doubtful.  But, I can cross one more thing off my bucket list.  My goal is to produce 2000 words per day towards the novel.  I've only got a few more hours of daylight so I better get busy.  I guess my point is that I'm checking out for most of the month and will be back in December.  I may post some updates here and there to let you know how it is going.  I might even ask for your help.  See you in 30 days!! Check it out!   http://www.nanowrimo.org

I want to keep this short because I really, really, really want you to click on the link I'll put at the bottom of this.  This topic has been on my mind lately but I couldn't put into words what I wanted to say.  The post on this blog says it perfectly. My thoughts on this subject started when one of my kids came home from school a few years ago and was complaining about his teacher and his behavior toward the entire class.  The teacher said something along the lines of, "I don't get paid enough to babysit you."  My child was so upset at how angry the teacher was because he really did like him.  Since I believe in changing myself first before asking someone else to change, we discussed ways he could try and be a better student, be a leader in the class when they started getting out of hand, verbally thanking the teacher for things more often, etc. but nothing seemed to be making a difference over the next few days. Later that week, I stopped by the school just...

It has been a rough 3 weeks as I try to recuperate from my bout of pneumonia.  I'm still not done healing and I can't seem to kick this nagging cough.  You would think 12 days of antibiotics would heal me pretty effectively, but I was told to give it a good 6 weeks to be back to "normal."  Hmmm, who has time for this?   Anyway, in the meantime, I have been trying to rest and that means I have slept a lot.  So, no recent blog posts.  I hope to rectify that starting today, and that is the importance of continuing your education or becoming a life-learner. You don't have to go sign up for classes at the local college, but if you have a desire to get a degree and it is a good time for you to pursue that then by all means DO IT!!  I'm in my last semester at ASU and I have senior-itis really bad.  So bad that I may have lost my desire to wear those special tassels with my gown at graduation that says I had a super great GPA.  Yes, it is down ...

Writing for me has always been fun.  I write when I'm happy, I write when I'm sad, I write when funny things happen or when I don't want to forget something.  With the popularity of blogging, I kinda trailed off with my personal journal although I still write down personal things there and while working on my Personal Progress, I write a lot of spiritual insights there.  But, writing for me has always been therapeutic. It may have started when I was young and my mother would leave notes for me on my bed or dresser and I would find them after coming home from school or work.  Sometimes they were just the kind of notes that would pick me up and lift my spirits, sometimes they were reminders that I needed to do a better job of pulling my weight around the house.  I love notes.  I keep every note that someone writes me and put it in my safe place or hang it near my desk so I can read them often.  Having said that, I don't keep cards that just say what Ha...