The courses: (aka I'm taking a moment to vent, and they've actually pushed me to the point where I've been meditating!)
There's a prof, about whom I've cried about on Facebook, and in an email to my understanding family-because sometimes, it's good to hear someone else say, on your behalf--"that sucks!" Every time I'm in need of a straight answer, I get an answer to someone else's different question-which is crazy-making for me because I'm in a com-mun-i-ca-tion program. So each question needs two to three redirects. Talk about time and energy waste! Anyway, with continual effort I focus on 6 weeks down the road, when this is in the past. I have nagging worries about my grade--because just to prove it to myself, I plan to graduate the program with grades a'blazin'.
But I'm not compulsive. Getting back to grades now...(hahaa)... the other course has this guy in it who asks me questions to which the answers follow in the next sentence. It took me 45 minutes to address his first response to me last week-and I proceeded carefully, so as not to be insulting. This week, we're submitting pieces about research at work, and he asks me-what is the name of the company I'm referring to...after discussing the ethics of confidentiality last week--so I carefully worded my response so that it was the most polite version of "none of your business nosey-had I wanted to share that, I would have!" so that came out more like, "because I don't work for the company, I don't feel that I own the information, nor do I have permission to share the identity, but, the issues remain the same, regardless..." So, last week, I was invited by the prof to engage more fully in the discussions (difficult, given that when I don't have anything nice to say, I generally say nothing!)...this week, I've engaged with everyone else-even the nosey dude. Time spent-Tuesday will tell if it's worth it--if I don't get full credit, then I'm scaling back! Again, though, not compulsive about the grade....
The regular, and what I consider appropriate stress this week was deciding what research project to pursue--so I designed that, and although it was more time than I'd hoped, it was well spent, because I thought through a lot of different options and think I've arrived at an interesting question. I'll have to lean on the material, and the teaching experience to make it happen, so I'm looking foward to it. That's good stress, I think...
Parent-teacher interviews were great, hearing how the kids are settling into their third school environment for this grade--what a time we've "given" them! They're all doing really well, and it was really nice to meet their teachers. So that was school. And, they have restarted their music education with super teachers, and we practiced all week. They've made huge strides and have had good attitudes about it. Turns out that if they're practicing for a facetime performance there's a little more drive...
Then there was social...when your kids grow quickly, a formal invitation means a shopping trip, because the 10 months ago suit doesn't fit anymore. 'Needs' a New Suit. Then:
Does your dress shirt still fit?
I think so.
Do your dress shoes still fit?
I think so. I don't know...
Well, I guess we can come back if they don't...[which we did].
Does your TIE still fit?
Funny Mom...actually, I really like that red tie. [fine...a young man with two ties isn't really crazy]Do you like these shoes?
Yeah. If my old ones don't fit, these are good.
Ok.
[To suit shop salesman] Is there enough fabric in the jacket sleeve to let it down to the proper length?
Ahh....Si.
SO different from shopping with a girl, though, I'll have to say, about ten times as expensive! The little girl is happy if there's a swirly skirt for a few bucks...
Now that our stored goods are being stored at our expense, it suddenly makes sense to direct those many hundreds of dollars toward a cabin, which we've been wanting for years, but delaying for just as long. This explains securing a mortgage at a distance-which isn't without its glitches. All the 'proof' forms are different or non-existent...so there's an additional step of proving the forms are worthwhile, even though they're originating from a different country. So if it all works out, we'll be using our things again...and we'll have a few more roots for holiday memories. The kids are are challenging themselves to recall what they have in storage, that they might see again soon--that's a fun exercise. It usually starts with "Ooooo" or "OH!!! I have the ____".
There was a play time here too, which, when the kids are a little older, mostly means having food that everyone likes. Due to that, I have a recipe to share. As usual, it's not so much a cup of this, or three teaspoons of that...more of an idea base to jump from...
Chicken nuggets for the gluten-free:) These turned out so well, I was happily crunching away, knowing that they were preservative-free, and the only fat was from the boneless, skinless chicken--so...not really any. That left nutritional room for dip! They were spicy, so that dip was just a little bit of sour cream...
Ziploc bag, about 2 cups of Crispix cereal, rolling pin crushed to almost, but not quite crumbs...then the spices:
Paprika, pepper, salt, garlic, (you could add whatever you like).
Shake.
Cut the chicken breast into evenly sized "nuggets".
Put in a couple at a time-shake, and make sure that the coating is all plastered on there well, place on a foil lined tray, making sure each little piece has its own space...
Bake in a preheated 170 oven for about 30 minutes, depending on the size.
Then, because I had leftover spice and cereal, I used it on chunks of potato. And, because the oven was on anyway, and I have three racks, I roasted fairly large chunks of carrot as well. It was enjoyed, and spicy, so the sour cream was almost necessary...if you or your kids are feeling more like pubgrub...you could go blue cheese and add some celery into the dinner for crunch.
That's been the week...oh, and I made a lasagne, and it was hilarious because the kids loved it so much, and I hadn't made it in years, because the family always seemed indifferent...but when their Dad ordered it in a restaurant, suddenly, everyone was interested again!
Cheers and chao!
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