Peace in the most unlikely place

I wrote this back in 2016 and finally published the blog post today.

It's now been almost 3 years since my sister left this Earth. I've been back to Niagara Falls and still saw the peace the falls can bring.

Enjoy most post that I wrote back in 2016.

Peace is described as freedom from disturbance or calm and tranquility.  

Last March, I found peace in the most unlikely place.  

My boys and I had the same spring break which rarely happens.  Their spring break is the week after Easter.  Mine is usually the last week of March.

So we decided to travel to Niagara Falls, Canada.  We spent a few days there before heading to Toronto, Canada for a day.

My family and I stood looking at Horseshoe Falls when a rainbow formed.  In the midst of all the turmoil of the Falls, a beautiful rainbow peeked through the mist.  That moment gave me such PEACE.

During the past two months, my life has been in turmoil because of the loss of my sister.  

I went from having a sibling to being an only child.  

I went from having my mom living 40 minutes to an hour away from me to having her live with me and then eventually live only 3 minutes away.

I've began to become regretful from not telling Tanya how I felt about her and how much she meant in our life.

I lost the peace in my life.  It was turmoil like the water spilling over Horseshoe Falls.  The turmoil was powerful and scary.  My powerful water was the tears falling from my eyes on a daily basis.  

Where was I going to feel the peace I so needed in my life?  Who was I going to turn to when all I felt was loneliness?  

God is the answer.  I needed to turn to him on a daily basis so that I could find that peace I so desired.  I still need to turn to him because even though I feel peace at times, there is still a hole in my life.  

Just like God sent Noah a rainbow as a promise that he was no longer going to destroy the Earth, God has sent me a sign that Tanya was okay through a rainbow in the sky.  He has also sent me a monarch butterfly which is a symbol of new life.  Those give me peace through this difficult time. 

What gives you peace in the midst of turmoil in your life?

Thank you for reading about my crazy life,

Traci

Our nation is Foggy right Now

On Election Day and the morning after, it was super cloudy that it should have been foggy.  The beautiful sunrise that I can see from my classroom window was not there.  

In my heart, I felt the same fogginess.  I was neither pro Trump nor pro Hillary.  I am still uncertain who should have been President.  When I was voted, I felt sick to my stomach and tears in my eyes.  I have felt for months that no matter how the Election went down, there was going to be protesting from the other side.  

I was and still am scared for our country.  There is such a divide between people right now. 

Family of mine are declaring themselves they are not going to believe in God since our "God" allowed Trump to become President elect.  

People are getting ready to move to other countries because of who was elected President.  

As a teacher in a school that is composed mostly of African American students, I heard racism come out from their mouths towards me because I'm white.  As a couple of students walked by my room, they loudly said "White people voted for Trump."  Do you know how much it hurt me?

I've taught in that district for 17 years.  I have been a champion for my students.  I don't see color.  I see individual students with wonderful qualities.  

Another student of mine ran up to me and told me that they were going to be deported to Africa.  These are 10 and 11 year olds who are worried about these things.  So scary.

We as a nation need to come together as a people.  We need to realize that even though we may look different, have different beliefs, and different sexual preferences, we all human.  We all have dreams and fears.  We are more similar to each other then we realize.

Travel - Talk to people from other areas - That's one of my favorite things to do when we go on road trips.  

I'm Christian.  I'm white.  I'm a woman.   I'm in a heterosexual relationship.  I'm proud to say that.

I won't say who I voted for.  I would have felt the same sinking feeling no matter how I voted.

We need to bring sunshine to the fogginess our nation is seeing at this moment.  Come together as a people rather than working against each other.

Thanks for reading my thoughts,

Traci

We didn't Know

As I looked at this week's prompts for writer's workshop, one caught my eye.  The prompt was to share a photo with a back story.  There isn't much of a back story.  It was just a simple visit with my grandma.  It shows how much family means to me.  

What do animals and zoos have to do with multiplication?

I venture on Pinterest off and on when I am looking for a recipe or an idea for work.  However most of the time I just Google whatever I'm looking for because I sometimes will get better results.

The other day I was looking for ideas of how to teach long multiplication to my students with disabilities (SWD).  I came across an acronym for teaching 2 or 3 digit multiplication times 2 digit that I loved.

During our education career, we've been taught so many acronyms or mnemonic devices to help us remember different topics.  Do you remember learning that Roy G. Biv for the colors of the rainbow in order?  Or do you remember My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas in order to remember the names of the planets in the correct order?  My most favorite one is the one for the steps for a long division problem - Dirty Monkey Smell Bad.  I've been using that one for almost 30 years.  Now a days, they use Does McDonalds Sell Burgers but I can't get Dirty Monkey Smell Bad out of my head.

In order to remember the steps of long multiplication problems, the acronym or mnemonic device is Many Zoos, Many Animals.  

Many = Multiply the first factor by the number in the ones place in the second factor.

Zoos = Bring down the Zero.

Many = Multiply the first factor by the number in the tens place in the second factor.

Animals = Add those two products together.

On many if not all of my SWD's Individualized Educational Plans, they have an accommodation of math reference sheets.  So I created a math reference sheet so they can refer to it when they are multiplying longer multiplication problems.



I also created an anchor chart for the multiplication acronym or mnemonic devices.  The anchor chart is color coded for each step of the standard algorithm.  

My students seem to love it because it reminds them of the steps for long multiplication.

This is one idea I got off of Pinterest that I love.  

Thank you for reading about my crazy life,

Traci

Mistake

Mistake - An error in judgement

The word mistake can be such a harsh word.  When you tell people they made a mistake, they can become defensive.  

However the word mistake can also bring about a change in a person.  They learn from that mistake and become a better person.

I've made so many mistakes in my life.  Some of which I learned from and some that I regret.  

One mistake I made is not telling my sister how much I truly loved her and wanted her in my life.  I never told her how much her life mattered to everyone.  I never told her that she really needed to lose weight and go to the doctor.  This is a mistake that I will live with for the rest of my life.  

It's been almost two months since she died suddenly.

One moment she was her and then the next she was gone.  

Even though I can tell her in prayers that I miss her.  

Even though I can write her dear Tanya letter, I can never truly tell her those things I need to say.  

I can never give her a hug.  

My boys cannot tell their aunt they love her.

That is one mistake I will regret forever.

How can I change that mistake into something positive in my life?

I can tell people that I love them.  I can tell people how much I appreciate them in my life.

Another way I changed from that mistake is starting to write more.  It's a way for me to write out how I am feeling.

What is one way you have learned from a mistake?  What is one mistake that you regret in your life?

Welcome to Ramblings of my Crazy Life!

Thank you for reading about my crazy life,

Traci

Summer Reading 2016

One of my goals for the summer besides chauffeuring my sons around is to read as many books as I can.

I'm currently participating in a Culinary Cozy Mystery Bingo and starting next week I'm going to be participating in a Travel Cozy Mystery Bingo.  I'm also doing a June mini challenge with themes about June.

Finally I'm going to be participating in my local library's adult reading program.

I've created a document listing my books that I'm currently reading or are on my To Be Read book list.  Here is the link to the document.

Here are some resources with different cozy mysteries:

• The Cozy Mystery List Blog
• Cozy Mysteries Unlimited

I'm also on Goodreads and will be updating my progress on there.  You can follow me on there also.

Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's the holidays. Claire is busy with her commuting relationship with Quinn and Cookie Swaps on Friday nights when she discovers her bakery assistant dead.

This was an enjoyable read. Some parts it seemed dragged but that could be I wanted to know more about the victim and the motive behind the killing of the bakery assistant.





View all my reviews

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Charles Oakes has been poisoned. It is up to Sarah Brant and Frank Malloy to determine who poisoned Charles. The Oakes family has a lots of secrets dating back to the Civil War.

The setting of the story is the 1890's in New York City. There are many rules that polite society must follow. Charles Oakes' father was a northern that served in the Civil War. He married Jenny, a southern, after her plantation was burned down. So why after 30 years was their child poisoned?

The discussion of how Negroes were treated was upsetting. There was still resentment in society even 30 years after the Civil War. This story was set 60 years prior to the Civil Rights movement so Jim Crow laws were still legal.

The ending was the best part of the book.

I highly recommend this book.



View all my reviews

Thank you for reading about my crazy life,

Traci

Goodbye to the 2015-2016 school year

As I'm getting ready to say good-bye to my 16th group of students, there is some sadness.  This group may have driven me crazy at times.  They may have made me laugh.  They may have made me cry.  Most of all they have made me proud.  

I'll always remember:

• Christopher Columbus (inside joke with one of my girls)
• It's my birthday! (EVERY single day for two to three months straight from one of my boys)
• Dabbing
• Hitting the Quan
• Burfing (Lying)
• Watch Me
• Stephen Curry
• Using vocabulary words (One of my students will remember me using vocabulary words in my conversations with them.)
• Starbase

I'll remember the special note from one of my parents thanking me for making his fifth grade year a great year.

I'll remember the giant hug one of my students gave me.  If I was to say who I made the most impact on, he was not on my list.  He asked me if I was going to ever see him again.  He wanted me to go onto 6th grade with him.  At 2:50 on May 25th, I said goodbye to him.  He gave me the biggest bear hug as he told me that he loved me.  Thank you D.W. for leaving me with that memory!

I want all of them to know they are all special individuals.  (I've been working on self confidence all year.)

I love all of you!  This is my wish for you.

We've made it!  Thank you for making my 16th year of teaching memorable.

Thank you for reading about my crazy life,

Traci