The Davolts

At no other time of the year do I think about "tradition" more than during the holidays, from Thanksgiving through Christmas. I do like the sense of timelessness that traditions afford, reminding us of past Christmases and the people or places we cherish most. As much as I love the traditions of years past and years to come, I think it's healthy to miss or change traditions every now and then. My own childhood was filled with traditions for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as was Jeff's, but I also recall the experiences when traditions were put on hold or changed, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes for reasons beyond our control. I suppose it's the same for all of us as we grow, move, lose, and gain. Not that I go out of my way to disrupt any plans for my family now, but rather, to remind us that life doesn't always go the way it has before and we can enjoy the time together no matter what. Having our own family caused Jeff and I to decide on what would be...

I made a goal not too long ago to write something about once a month or so.  As November winds to an end, I have been feeling pressure to put something down.  Trying to steer clear of a simple Thanksgiving post, I've noticed something else that has stuck me as we head into the Christmas season.  The joy, excitement and wonder that children bring to just about everything.   Photo courtesy of Erin's Instagram page We hosted Thanksgiving this year and in order to make room for everyone, and have everyone at least in the same room for dinner we did some serious rearranging of furniture.  We moved a couch basically into our kitchen and used our front room, our library, as we call it, to add a couple tables so everyone could eat more or less in the same room.   While this chore was not at all remarkable, the reaction to it by Nathan and Andrew has stuck with me.  We had moved all the furniture prior to the boys coming home from school....

Andrew celebrated his sixth birthday in October and instead of a party, we honored a long requested desire to go to Chuck E. Cheese. As much as people grimace about the chaos that can exist there, we found Sunday afternoon lunch to be a convenient and not so chaotic time to go. Andrew and Nathan both enjoyed playing the games and walked out with a small clutch of goodies. The pizza wasn't terrible either. Most importantly, Andrew was satisfied with the outing as a birthday celebration. So, let me tell you about Andrew, age six:  This kid is bursting with personality and energy. Andrew always has a smile on his face, never missing a beat to cheese for a camera. He seems to hardly sit still, tumbling on the couch, climbing on the counter, or running the length of the house. He has a huge heart and sees the best in everyone, assuming all share his interests (most endeavors include a "come on Mom!"). With mom and dad he loves smashing hugs and running hugs and bear...

On the last day of my 40 year on this earth, I've decided to sit down and write again.  Doing more writing has been on my mind for quite a while lately.  After all, I am a writing teacher.  I've made goals to read more,  and exercise more with varying degrees of success, but haven't ever really focused on writing.  It just seems harder.  I mean, I'm a writing teacher, I should be able to write, right?  Yes, but there are so many obstacles.  I pick apart my students' writing all the time, and thus my writing should be perfect.  I preach to them to follow the writing process (which sometimes is just too time consuming).  And I am hyper aware of any mistakes I may make when publishing my writing to the world, and there is just the time and energy it takes.  I tell my students all the time to get over it, "brave before perfect," and all that, so it's about time I take my own advice.   So here goes.... So here we are ...

Can you believe Nathan is 8 years old already?!? Once, when Jeff and I were planning on starting a family, we heard other teachers say spring time was ideal for having a baby since maternity leave could roll into summer break and have a long time off with the baby. What we didn't consider was how busy the spring time is after that first year, between teaching (plus state testing) and spring activities for the boys, like swim lessons and t-ball, and us four just trying to enjoy the improving weather (like yard work or hiking). Now, Nathan's birthday always approaches at a time when our life verges on chaotic and every year I feel the pressure to plan something that matches the Pinterest version of kids' parties. This year, several weeks out I asked Nathan if he would like a Lego themed party after finding some fairly simple projects with cute effect for a party. Nathan loves Legos so naturally, I thought this would be the perfect theme. His response? Well, Mom...I ...

A few months ago, as students filed into my second period class, one of the freshman in my Pre-AP Literature class asked me if I was good at writing essays. I told him it has been awhile since my writing has been judged, but I thought I was good at essays. To be honest, for a brief moment I felt flustered by the student's question. Not because he asked, but because his question hit right to the heart of something I've been reflecting on for several months now. This is my eleventh year as an English teacher. I teach reading and writing to 150+ students every year. I model reading and writing skills in class. The advanced 9th and 10th grade courses I've had recently let me share my love of reading classic literature near daily. We all commit to reading books outside the classroom, and I love the days we spend in collective discussion about characters, settings, stories, and themes. This year, I became the advisor of the Creative Writing Club and I am  teaching a section of ...