Sense of Self

Notice the radio silence on the blog these last few weeks? That’s because I made a huge, major, ginormous, life decision. 

I quit my job, 

my 9-5. I am no longer a “square,” as my best friend and entrepreneur extraordinaire once called me. My last day is this Friday and I am nervous as all get out. I am going to be staying home with my two children and working on my Mother-in-Law’s antique business with her. But that isn’t all I will be doing. I will be working on the concept of “me.” 

Truth

 Since becoming a mother, I have lost the identity of being Emily. It isn’t something to be disappointed in, but absolutely not something to be ignored either. Truth be told, I really like me. 

• I like that I am a cheerleader for my friends. 
• I like that I have a creative urge that needs to be nurtured regularly. 
• I like that I hold grudges, but encourage forgiveness to my friends. 
• I like that I feel spiritual when I am nourishing my body properly. 
• I like that my friends are confident in my wine selections and will come to me for recommendations. 

Ultimately, I want to be ME again. I don’t want to be my business title. I don’t want to be “mom,” “wife,” “friend,” or “daughter.” I want to be EMILY again. 

As author Danielle Laporte puts it, “Love yourself like you life depends on it. Because it does.”

I intend to. 

Coffee Consciousness

Let’s be honest, coffee is an accessory. I remember the first time that realization hit me. I had just moved to Scottsdale, AZ and was headed to an affluent outdoor mall with my sister. We had to stop for coffee first to walk around with. We did this every time we went to this mall. Initially it was Starbucks, but it changed as soon as the local coffee shop, Press Coffee, opened across the street. Truthfully, I felt even cooler walking around with a Small Biz logo on my little cardboard cup.

But now, I am taking a fresh look at this portable beverage fad. I am working very diligently to stop participating. My reasoning?

Ayurveda

Sitting and enjoying a meal or beverage not only creates conscious eating, which helps to prevent over consumption, it also strengthens your agni, or digestive fire. By staying in the coffee shop, and using a ceramic mug, you can focus on your coffee, be mindful of the warmth and flavor, enjoy conversation with your friend, and engage in your local community.

Reducing Waste

To-go cups are the ultimate convenience. They have a lid so they don’t spill easily and they come with a nice cardboard sleeve so you don’t burn your hand. Some even come with a nice little stopper so you won’t spill it when you cruise over that speed bump. Yes, yes, so convenient. But, at what cost? Cutting down trees, more unsustainable fuels used for the plastic cap, and the unreal amount of waste we are producing.

At a conference I attended recently, catering offered both cup types. I used the ceramic cup every day, and was happy to see many others do the same. I am also an animated talker and still never spilled a drop. Woot! While I did use a disposable cup for water, it was made of corn and compostable, so that gave me a little relief, but it was still waste.

I also think it makes you look pretty hip hanging out at a coffee shop with a REAL mug. I mean, who does that? Only the regulars, right? Ultimately, I think it would do us all a little bit of good to slow down and enjoy the coffee.

Do you try to reduce waste in your everyday life? How so? Or have you not thought about it? What changes can you make?

30 Minute Meals: Sauteed Kale & Quinoa

As you may know, I am working hard to reduce the amount of animal products and processed foods my family consumes. I just bought a veggie spiralizer on Amazon to make sweet potato and zucchini noodles! It should be on my front stoop today! As part of the meat and carb reduction, I was roasting up all the veggies in my house last week, and I thought to myself, why stop now?! I'll cook everything in my fridge! A little spur of the moment? Maybe. A lot of flavor? Definitely!

Kale and quinoa may be the two trendiest ingredients on Pinterest right now, but for good reason. They are a powerhouse combo! Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods out there full of calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, antioxidants, fiber out the wazoo... I mean the WORKS! For a vegetable that was once just a garnish for salad bar, it's a staple it in my family's dinner rotation.

Quinoa is one of my favorite foods EVER! It's so diverse and yummy. I make breakfasts with it, I make burritos with it, soup.... Sweet or savory, you name it, I put quinoa in it - the options are endless! These delicious little pebbles are full of iron, b-vitamins, magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin e and has all the essential amino acids to make a complete protein. Quinoa is naturally gluten free if that's something you're concerned about. Did I mention toddler friendly too? (Although messy, very messy).

Organic Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion
4+ cloves of garlic
4 tbls olive oil (or coconut oil if you want the trendy trifecta!)
6 cups of ribbed curly kale torn into bite sized pieces
1 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or sprinkle on some "nooch" if you're vegan)
A few shakes of red pepper flakes - dependent on your heat preference

Instructions:

I chopped my onion, minced some garlic, and got that cooking in some olive oil. Once that was fragrant, and the onions were translucent (about 5 minutes), I threw in about 6 cups of curly kale with 2 tablespoons of water and covered until the kale had wilted and was tender (12 minutes or so), stirring on the reg.

While that was going, in a separate pot, I cooked up a half cup of the perfect protein, quinoa. To do that, get your stock boiling, dump in your quinoa, cover. Cook on LOW for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Once the kale was tenderoni, I tossed in the red pepper flakes, some Parmesan cheese, the cooked quinoa, and tossed it all together!

Perfect.

I took the leftovers for lunch the next day and it warmed up VERY nicely. What do you take for lunch? Do you have any leftover go-tos?

Small Town Teacher Makes a Huge Impact

Elementary school has changed dramatically since my days at Sawtooth Elementary, way back in the 90's. We had one morning recess, an extended lunch recess, and an afternoon recess. It never felt like enough free time, but it is substantially more than most children get currently. More and more I read about schools eliminating recesses all together and solely focusing on the test scores, pressuring teachers to keep their students noses in books all day. But is this really effective? Are we going in the right direction?

To serve as a reflection on the school year that is nearly complete, and to create a plan for a better school year for 2017 - 2018, my childhood friend and a hero of a fourth grade teacher, Miranda Brammer offers some amazing ideas with proven results.

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My name is Miranda Brammer, I am a 4th grade teacher in Gooding, ID. We are very lucky to live in this small community of nearly four thousand people. The school system here is amazing and I have never met harder working people. I am finishing my second year teaching 4th grade and I want to tell you what I have learned.  

The First Year

My first year of teaching, I had no clue what I was doing, and maybe I still don’t, but I know the direction I need head. In my first year, the kiddos in my class got restless; they were lethargic, and not engaged in anything I was doing. My scores were low in state testing, and I knew I had to revamp everything I was doing. 

We have a 4-day school week here; meaning we go to school Monday through Thursday, then have Friday through Sunday off. This is important since we are a huge farming community, and days get pretty long with parents working 12 to 14 hours a day, we had to make time for family time. This also means that our days are looonnngggg. We start school at 7:30am and end at 4:10pm. As 4th graders, my students have a 30-minute lunch recess and 20 minute afternoon recess and the rest of the day they are shuffled around to specialized classes, in desks, doing their work. This is NOT enough exercise and WAY too much thinking to handle as a 9 year old. 

As a teacher, there is not much I can do about giving them more free time. However, I realized this year I could make their assignments not seem like work and customize things in my classroom that will help them create endorphins, increase their metabolism, and boost their energy. 

A New Classroom Is Born

Completely self-funded and principal approved, every kid in my class got a yoga ball chair at his or her desk. Yes, it took a lot to get used to watching 27 bouncing heads as I was trying to explain Idaho History, but well worth the extra energy burn. This reduced the amount of times the kids got out of their seat and bothered other classmates drastically. 

I tried to make everything bright and fun! I did research on the paint colors I was using, and how each color could affect mood and behavior. Turns out the color orange can make you hungry and blues make you happier and increase brain activity.

Importance of Physical Activity & Mindfulness 

We took time outs for 60-second “Brain Breaks” (I.e. Jumping jacks, dance parties, jump rope.) we also tried meditating, yoga, and timed breathing. After yoga, I gave my students time to write and reflect silently about how they felt their day was going in a journal that only I was allowed to read. I found Fluency and Fitness (math or reading with fitness breaks in between) on Teacherspayteachers.com,  to be so much fun! Some days we didn’t get to do anything extra physically or mentally, but at least they had their bouncing yoga balls, all the time. 

Another great mind exercise was the 10-minute “Hard Work” times, where at the beginning of writing or math assignments, my students had to be silent and start or think about what they were going to do for their assignment before anyone could speak or ask questions. This was followed by 5 minute reflections at the end where they got to think silently and then partner share about they liked and disliked about the assignment or activity.

Nutrition & Learning 

At our school, we have an amazing program that all students get FREE breakfast, lunch and snack at the end of the day, as long as we meet healthy requirements, and the food is nutritious for their little bodies. Not only does my school district care about healthy nutrition but also to make sure each child is getting at least two meals a day. If you meet income requirements, we will send food home for your family on the weekends. I have had a student tell me that learning was hard for them because they didn’t get to eat at home. I would say our district is pretty great for not letting this be the reason kids aren’t doing their best in school. 

No Homework Policy

One more little thing I do in my classroom to help boost energy and keep kids moving, is not overloading their minds with homework. A 9 year old has to live by his or her parent’s schedule. They might have parents that work late and aren’t home to help them if needed, or their parents might have errands and chores that the kiddos have to tag along for. I am a firm believer in students doing their work at school and playing and spending time with their families outside of school.

So whether is be taking time out for a 6 minute basketball game, or a 60 second dance party, get your students or kids out of their chairs and up and moving. It has proven successful this year for my class as my class's scores met or exceeded the Idaho state average this year! 

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I have watched Miranda's teaching journey on Instagram and couldn't be more excited for what she is doing in her classroom. As a mother of two young children, I can only hope my boys will have a teacher like Miranda who will challenge the system creatively to make a better learning environment and experience for them. May she light the way to change!