Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Now, don’t get too scared by my blog post title. I’m not going to go too deep; rather, I’m going to share some things that have greatly improved my mental health over the last few months. And, don’t think I have this “mental health” thing down. I most certainly do not. I don’t always do the things that I know would make me mentally healthy.

-I have limited my news intake. Now, I’m not saying that I bury my head in the sand. I read the news rather than watch it or talk to my husband for updates. He takes in so much news and I have told him that I think it is deeply affecting him. Yes, it’s good to be aware, but you also need to protect yourself and know yourself and what you are sensitive about. Tom seems like a stoic person on the outside, but he is sensitive on the inside.

-I have been trying to walk Ernie with Tom before dinner, instead of continuing to prepare dinner like I did in the past. This gives me an extra few steps and I think Tom really likes debriefing his day with me like this. I have found that getting outside one more time is really good for me. I try to have dinner plated and then we just warm it up. Bonus points for me if I already have the dinner pots and pans washed, too.

-I have really stopped checking work email at home. I just check it one last time at work before leaving after school and then I wait until I arrive the next morning. I used to check work email on my phone before getting out of bed. Why? Nothing is urgent in my line of work.

-My principal sends a video of him talking about the week ahead with a power point at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. This video is anywhere from 8-15 minutes long. He even says “Happy Sunday!” like he expects us to watch it right then. I now watch it on Monday morning. I just change it to “Happy Monday” in my head and all is good. I have heard from many colleagues that they don’t watch it at all. I’m too much of a rule follower to go that far, plus I do want to be informed! Many of my colleagues say they just wish he would put the video content in an email form because watching a video seems “extra”.

-Making lists – sometimes just getting something out of my brain and on paper really helps.

-Getting outside! I think we all know how good this is. I even had the chance last week to sit in a chair in the grass by the river and take my shoes off and touch the ground with my bare feet. This is supposed to be really good for you. It can’t hurt, unless you put your foot on a nail or dog doo doo.

-Exercising! Yes, it really does help. Tom is so cranky when he doesn’t exercise. He goes to the gym 6-7 days a week on top of lots of walking with Ernie and bike riding when it gets warmer. He also paddleboards on the river. I will never be on that level, but I love starting my day with a workout now and it really does positively affect my mood all day.

-I am outsourcing or not doing some things that stress me out. I love strolling through a grocery store leisurely to see what new products are out and to get inspiration for meals, but right now I don’t have that kind of time. I use my Kroger app to order the following week’s groceries on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings these days and then do my pick up immediately after school on Wednesday or Thursday. I feel like I have given myself the gift of time back on the weekends. It feels great to be fully stocked! If I forget something, running in to get a couple of items seems easy.

-I make it a point to either see or talk on the phone and to hear a voice of at least one friend a week.

-I treat myself with love and kindness. I give myself the good smells that I enjoy, the fabrics that feel good, the hot drinks I enjoy, the rest I need, etc. You must treat yourself well.

-I do less. Erica had maybe 5 errands to run after school one day. I made the comment that she was doing more in one day than I do in a week. Sometimes you just can’t do less, but by being organized and planning ahead you can often “bundle” your errands or make do with things you already have. I think this is especially important right now with high gas prices. I go to the library and Trader Joe’s at the same time because they are close, for example.

-I try to laugh everyday. I’m lucky that my job provides lots of laughs. I can also be assured of laughter when I listen to my favorite podcast Watch What Crappens. The hosts recap and make fun of shows on Bravo.

-I stopped wearing a mask to school! I have noticed in the almost 3 weeks without the mask mandate that more and more kids are feeling comfortable and taking theirs off. I don’t know of any kids who are currently positive and quarantining. We still provide weekly testing for those involved in sports and activities and those that just want to be tested. I still have maybe 1/4 to 1/3 wearing masks in each class.

Quick Story:

I played a silly game on Friday in my Spanish 3 classes. They have never played this game before, but my AP class has played it and loves it.

I divide the class into teams of 4-5 students and each team has a “runner”. I shout out an object in Spanish and the teams have to figure out what that object is and see who on their team has it and the first team to “run” the item to my front table gets a point. I shout things like “paraguas” which means umbrella or “un examen con una nota de U” which means a test with a grade of a U (which means failing).

You also need to know that our students can have lockers, but no one uses them anymore. They carry their worldly posessions in backpacks to 7 classes each day. When I was in high school, we went to our lockers between each class, and only took a notebook and a book to class. Things have changed since the 80s!

There were so many genuine smiles during this game. They laughed and laughed at the crazy things people carry around in their backpacks. I don’t think I caught anyone looking at their phone during the game. It really warmed my heart. I am still thinking about seeing all of those smiling faces. Man, it was good for soul and my mental health!

How are you doing right now with your mental health?

What do you do to stay mentally healthy?

Amy

Monday, March 28, 2022

It’s time to link up with Sarah and Holly!

Friday night the college kids came home for dinner and we got Shiraz Mediterranean and watch some tv together!

Saturday morning I got out the Trader Joe’s bagels I keep in the freezer. We just can’t use them fast enough so the freezer is a life saver.

I did some blog catch up and had my new fave cake batter delight. Walmart.com is sending me more because this flavor is hard to find in stores.

I made a trip to the library and got to see the spring display in person!

I did a new Essie Day Drift Away mani.

And, it was super cold all weekend, but it warmed up enough Saturday afternoon for me to read a new library cookbook.

Saturday night J and M had to go tear down the set of the play and Tom was all too happy to stay home. I had plans to go to a French restaurant with my two college besties.

Yum!

I think I have given up on this…

in favor of this… it is like Below Deck from Bravo in book form!

Sunday was meal prep – still on the breakfast burrito kick!

I use these from The Dollar Tree:

And, I made my mid-morning hard boiled eggs:

I enjoyed a chocolate iced coffee. I love my frother! Look at that!

I went to the gym and to The Dollar Tree for some school stuff. The college kids had come back after the tearing down the set Saturday night so they hung out with us some more and left at 4:00 and Tom and I went to see the movie Lost City with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. It was cute.

And that’s was it!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, March 25, 2022

I love you, Friday! It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites.

One big favorite is signs of spring!

I stole this photo from their social media, but look what my library has done now:

So pretty! Remember the green display for St. Patrick’s Day?

Look at my tree blooming!

We finally got our Thin Mints! I let myself have several one time and hopefully I’m done! Tom is still enjoying them.

Another favorite was more spaghetti squash! This time I did a lasagna thing with it! Yum!

Look at baby Ernie that turned up on Facebook!

I made a really yummy teriyaki chicken dish!

I also did meal prep smarter this week. I took the squash for our lunch the next day and I took the teriyaki for our lunch the next day.

We had a fun ceremony for Spanish Honor Society this week!

I made the sherbet punch with rainbow sherbet and ginger-ale.

New favorite flavor:

OMG – so delicious! Anyone tried it?

Another new favorite flavor:

I think LaCroix might be my favorite brand? What is your favorite sparkling water?

I did a Kroger pick up! Love my Wednesday or Thursday pick ups. It is so nice to be fully stocked going into the weekend and I think they have more in stock, too.

And, that’s about it. I feel like all I did was work, eat, and sleep! I made it to the gym three mornings and I walked after school once.

What was your favorite this week?

Amy

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

This is a re-post from last March! I am going to try this with my healthy noodles or spaghetti squash. I didn’t have a fresh blog idea so I thought I would bring back a recipe in case anyone is struggling right now. I may not see you back here until Friday for Favorites; I’m on the struggle bus before Spring Break!

O.k., here is a recipe that Tom really, really liked! I have now made it three times and I am really bad about following recipes so each time I have done it slightly differently! Also, I didn’t really know what to call it! I am no food blogger, so I hope I can explain this well. I know we don’t like back stories with our recipes, but indulge me for just a moment!

I saw a recipe and I thought it said Balsamic Chicken, but it actually said Bruschetta Chicken. So, I basically added the balsamic glaze to the bruschetta chicken recipe. I also decided to employ the Tik Tok pasta method and I added angel hair. So, this is really Tik Tok Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken! Whoa!

You need:

chicken (I like the tenders)

grape tomatoes

red onion

basil (if you want; mine went bad so I left it out this time)

garlic

salt

pepper

angel hair (optional – you could do zucchini noodles or just have the chicken)

olive oil

balsamic glaze

mozzarella (I like fresh and I forgot to picture it)

Trigger warning! Raw chicken!

Preheat oven to 400 and assemble your tomatoes, red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil. Don’t get mad at me, but just throw in the amounts you want. You really can’t mess it up.

That will go in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Now you will use my “moist method” for chicken on the stove top. Trigger warning! Raw chicken!

Season chicken with s, p, and garlic powder if desired. Use medium high heat and put seasoned side down and then season other side. Cook first side until you see white edges.

Flip to other side and cook for about 3 more minutes. Now cover the pan and keep on heat for another 2 minutes or so. Remove from heat but leave lid on. This magically helps to keep chicken moist.

Now drizzle balsamic glaze.

Here’s where my photos kinda dropped off. Your tomato mixture should be done. Take out and smush the tomatoes and mix all around. Put a piece of fresh mozzarella on top of each chicken piece and put in oven for a couple of minutes.

Serve!

Now, this really opens up lots of possibilities. You could totally leave the balsamic out and add this chicken to the true Tik Tok pasta recipe. You could also leave the pasta out and just add the chicken.

I find myself wondering why I haven’t been doing this to tomatoes all of my life. I really like the flavor!

Also, in the summer I love to do a grape tomato and a tiny mozzarella ball on a toothpick and then drizzle balsamic. The flavors are amazing.

Let me know if you try it!

Amy

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Let’s get those pigs ready! Let’s take inventory!

I feel like I’m getting to see old friends when I change shoe seasons.

Here is what I like to do:

I first ask myself these questions…

1. Am I excited to see this shoe?
2. Would I still buy this shoe today?
3. Does this shoe still fit my foot, my lifestyle, my clothing style?

I was able to answer YES to the Birkenstock/Faux Birk/Crockenstock collection below:

From left to right…

I wore these gold Birks so much last summer. They are pricey, but I find that they last for multiple seasons. I have already worn them over the weekend, too.

The black patent Birkenstocks were a Mother’s Day gift like 6 years ago. Remember that cost per wear philosophy? Yup.

The black plastic were worn a ton and they came from Target. Still love them. They are a bit lower than I prefer in the heel and the arch, though.

The white plastic were from Amazon and I prefer their heel and arch height.

The Tory Burch were $70 ish at a consignment shop like 8 years ago. I have worn them a lot when I wanted a bit of an elevated look withouth the heel height.

I love the MIA clog sandals. Would you believe I bought these like three years ago? Now, you see this style everywhere! I love these for going out to dinner. They work with jeans and dresses.

The black are Soda brand from Amazon and I have had them for maybe 4 years. I’m not sure if they are still in style, but I always struggle with black sandals for summer.

I love the women sandal. Those were from last year and I wore them out a lot.

And, finally..the Marc Fisher lace up gold. I was “influenced” by a blogger and I loved them so much. I am excited to wear them!

And, as far as new spring and summer sandals for 2022..

Introducing the Sorel blush sandals from a consignment store for $17. I think they retail for about $120.

And, I wanted to try the clear trend. I think these from Target are gonna be good. I love the woven heel. I first saw these on Instagram because of Lindsay.

I still have them attached, so this photo was awkward. Also, I have a bit of hammertime going on in the foot department, but I plan to get a professional pedicure soon.

One should never make others look at their feet, so for this I apologize. I did it for you; I wanted you to be able to see the sandal.

Some people talk about a “starter” piece to see if they fully embrace/like a trend. So, Target is a good place to try trends, even though I have a rule to not buy Target shoes if I can help it. I have failed from time to time. The siren song is just too strong.

I am not sure what holes are in my spring and summer shoe wardrobe yet.

I do have some in my donate/sell pile. I just know that I shouldn’t keep something that wasn’t able to be answered affirmatively in my questions above.

What about you? Have you been sandal shopping? Any trends you want to try? Any favorite summer shoe brands? I guess you can tell I love Birkenstock, but I also love Reef. They make the best flip flops in my opinion.

Amy

Monday, March 21, 2022

I still have 9 more school days to go until Spring Break! Limping along! I am happy to link up with Holly and Sarah today for Hello Monday!

Let’s go back to Thursday…I put Jen’s corned beef brisket in the crockpot with veggies, but I wanted to do something fun and the weather was gorgeous!

So, green beer and first time of the year 2022 at Captain’s Quarters on the river!

with Erica, my co-worker, meal prep partner, and friend who is always game for a happy hour.

This is new freedom for me to be able to go out after school on a whim- just a couple of years ago and I was still running around with after school activities and mom duties, you know!

We both agreed that just sitting by the water helped to relieve some stress.

Then, I was home by 5:30 to have dinner!

Friday lunch was buffalo turkey meatballs – yum! This was Erica’s turn:

I got a fun photo after school of my seniors who were in the musical…

They were eating at McAlister’s before call time.

It was time for the first live theatre event at my school since 2019!

But first, dinner at Mojito! Elizabeth had a sick dog and couldn’t end up joining Erica and I, sadly.

I ordered salad with grilled chicken:

and we split some potatoes:

and Erica got a mushroom flatbread:

I got to sit next to a former student at the play!

and current students were in front of us:

Our Snoopy!

Snoopy and Snoopy’s beau:

I got home around 9:30 and then watched some tv and fell asleep on the couch. As I was heading to bed, the tornado sirens started going off! I had no idea that the weather had turned.

In addition to the sirens, our phones went off, and our Alexas went off. They kept extending the warnings and I am not kidding when I say the sirens went off for almost an hour from 11:00 p.m.- midnight. Our college kids had been hanging out together and the dorms had them huddle in the laundry room. They were texting me and a bit shaken, I think.

I just can’t sleep in that much anymore, so I was tired all day Saturday.

Saturday morning coffee – much needed:

I did some cleaning, organizing, and a bit of cooking. I ran to Trader Joe’s and did the gym.

Then, Tom and I left to try to get brunch or lunch and we tried 3 places and it wasn’t meant to be! We tried two that had a 40 minute wait and the third was no wait, but we couldn’t get waited on and had to leave in time to see a tiny college play that both kids were in. They had small roles, but since we are close we wanted to see it. There were like 20 people in the audience and it was like a horror videogame theme. I am glad I had a Built bar in my purse.

Group of friends:

So, we left and I finally got my lunch at 5:00!

I had an Angry Orchard:

Tom wanted nachos and I had some, too:

I had a salad and

grilled chicken tenders with buffalo sauce:

Yum!

I was so tired when we got home but I decided to try Life & Beth – the new Amy Schumer show. Um, not good, unless I was just too tired to focus…

I got in bed early and then got up Sunday around 7:00 and did a bit of reading and coffee drinking…

and then some meal prep:

I really enjoy this morning weekend time and had an iced foamy protein coffee, too.

I am trying to either wear all of my spring stuff or put it in the donate/sell pile. I steamed some stuff for the week. I’m obsessed with steaming!

Then, on the first official day of spring…I got out my lemon decor!

It was beautiful out and I got some needed Vitamin D. But, I also had a quick Target return and ironically enough, I had to buy my Vitamin D gummies – ha!

The college kids were coming home for the day! They came for lunch and dinner and then went back. I made them some snacks and a…

copycat McD’s honey mustard snack wrap:

and homemade mac and cheese with the giant noodles from Trader Joe’s. I used my cousin April’s recipe!

And, they were happy to have their mom’s cooking! We hung out and watched a couple of shows and chatted. They are already starting to wrap up the second semester – believe it or not. I think classes end in about a month and then they have a study break and then finals. It has gone by so quickly.

How was your weekend? As usual, we need another day, right?

Amy

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and happy birthday to my sister Kate!

It’s time to link up with Jill and Kellyann for Fashion Files.

Let’s go back to last week…

This is the day the mask came off! I think you can tell how happy I am. I am wearing my Walmart Scoop blazer (I have it in black, too, and I have worn each of them 3-4 times already!) I wish you could feel the material. It’s divine. I don’t use that word lightly. I wore my light jeans and my new bow mule flats – more information to come on those…

Don’t you love my photo backgrounds? Some bloggers find cool painted buildings or architectural details, but I have lockers.

The next day I wore my old JCPenney Liz Claiborne (name dropping!) chambray popover that finally fits correctly and my Hue jeggings with the bow mule flats.

Here is a better view:

I picked these up a few weeks ago at DSW.

Saturday for the pre-parade party and parade I wore a new green Target cardigan and my new green beer earrings and shamrock headband. Beth is in the middle and Erica is on the right. Erica doesn’t get excited about holidays at all, does she?

I love this dress! I bought it at Target back in the fall and it has pockets. So, yes, it has a bit of that Target Little House on the Prairie vibe, but I am ok with that. My gold clogs are a lewk, right? I cannot tell you how many students that I don’t even know tell me that they love them. And, it’s mostly boys! Street cred, maybe? I wonder if they talk about me and say, “you know – that middle aged teacher lady with those gold clogs?”

I just want to tell you again how perfect these gold hoops are. They would make an excellent gift. They look way more expensive than $12 and they are lightweight! Love!

I ordered this blouse from an online boutique called Shop.Set.Apart because I fell in love at first sight. It’s a light pink background. I love palm leaves. I’m not sure about the jeans or the clogs with it, but oh well. I found the boutique because the owner lost weight on WW and sometimes gives recipes/meal ideas. I enjoy these little boutiques because I feel like they have different things than what you see in the stores. Do you have any favorite online boutiques. Sizing can be tricky sometimes, though.

Do you have a favorite outfit from above? This is the craziest time to get dressed. One of the above outfits was for 30 degrees and one was for 70 degrees!

Thanks for visiting me,

Amy

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Are you a fan of spaghetti squash? I am a pretty new fan. Here is the easiest way I have found to cook it and once you do the possibilities are endless, really!

Microwave your uncut spaghetti squash for about 3 minutes for a smallish one and maybe 4 or 5 for a bigger one. Allow to cool for a bit and then slice down the middle. It is very hard to cut without the microwave step.

Then, the microwave also has made the cleaning out process easier. With a spoon, dig out all of the seeds.

Pour a bit of olive oil and add salt and pepper to each half and then put cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Cook for about 30 minutes at 375.

When you take it out, you should be able to easily create “spaghetti” with a fork.

Follow Allie.Carte.Dishes on Instagram! She said to add a wedge of laughing cow to create an alfredo taste.

It is amazing! I then added some cajun spice, cooked chicken, and broccoli. I can’t wait to make this dish again.

I have also had a burrito bowl this week:

I have really been taking the time to marinate my chicken lately. You can just throw spices and olive oil in a bag or you can use a packet of taco seasoning or this:

I really like this mojito lime packet.

Erica made us a grilled chicken spinach strawberry salad with feta. She just brought olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress it. Yum!

Let me know if you try the spaghetti squash!

Amy

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

How was your Spring Forward Monday? Were you as tired as I was?

Here is our family’s favorite salad:

I make a dressing from about 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup honey, and about 1/4 cup of either yellow or dijon mustard or a combo of both. I add some cajun spice, some pepper, some garlic powder, and a bit of water to thin it out. That’s it!

I think this calls for good old iceberg lettuce!

Then, I add cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, bacon, hard boiled egg (why is hard boiled egg so good in salads?), and I like the Texas Toast croutons if you can find them.

I leave off a few things for myself and sometimes add a bit of sliced avocado. This salad also is wonderful with grilled chicken or frozen breaded chicken heated in the oven or airfryer.

I am really craving salads right now! Are you a big salad person?

Would your family go for this salad? By the way, the dressing is great for dipping pretzels or just plain chicken, too!

Amy

Friday, March 11, 2022

It is time to link up here for Friday Favorites!

My first favorite it that it is FRIDAY! And, we are supposed to get some snow overnight – Say what?

My second favorite is that it is Daylight Savings Time change weekend! Are you ready to “spring forward”? I am!

Another really big favorite..

we were allowed to remove the mask yesterday! It just kinda came about all of a sudden in my district. It may seem silly or that it is such a small thing, but it feels huge to me. I had not taught in person without a mask since March 13, 2020. That is two calendar years and a really long time.

It was so fun seeing full faces! I had some fun with a senior:

Hello, old friends:

Now I can wear bigger earrings and lipstick to work. Now I can breathe!

I changed up my home mani this week:

I forgot to show/tell you, but I bought two bundles of the $1.99 daffodils at Trader Joe’s last weekend and I added them to these cool vases I found for 70% off at Meijer. I got a wild hair and added green food coloring to the water.

New favorite flavor of sparkling water…

La Croix passionfruit!

My sister did a cute gel polish and sent me this pic:

I think I will do alternating green and white for St. Patrick’s Day?

I did something crazy to keep myself motivated and kinda as a reward for my health journey…

Sun Tany City spray tan:

Awkward photo of my legs:

And, even more shocking…I went to the gym at 5:00 a.m. everyday this week. I knew it was time to add this and it has been really nice, but I’m a little sore. I am not exactly sure what my routine will be but this week I did legs one day, upper body the next, cardio only the next, then back to legs, then upper body. I am still walking after school, too.

This week I did Sunday at 7:00 a.m., and then Monday-Thursday. I think I will do Monday-Thursday and take Friday morning off. I’m not sure yet. I felt it important to do it everyday this week to start the habit off well. I think an every other day plan would have made it easier to just not do it.

Peep Tom in the white shirt:

He goes at 5:00, too. It’s a no frills gym really close to our house.

And, lastly, I want to say that I tried my cheap silk pillowcase from Amazon again and it’s made a huge difference in how my hair looks in the morning. It keeps it really smooth. I hope it’s keeping my face smooth, too. Honestly, I prefer a “cooler” feeling pillow, but I can sacrifice because of the benefits I’m seeing with my hair.

What were your favorites this week? I hope you had many!

Happy Weekend,

Amy