2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year – there is no other way to describe it. Our routines were turned upside down, schools closed, businesses went out of business, cities burned in protest, and above all, the pandemic raged across the planet. I …
“Do you think a 5-year old would like this toy? Or maybe this one instead?” I was chaperoning a trip to Target with dozens of teenagers. Homerooms had spent weeks raising money and now the kids were spending the money on Christmas gifts for needy …
In my favorite Christmas movie of all time, Clark Griswold wants nothing more than an “old-fashioned family Christmas.” Though he and his wife try their best to make the perfect holiday, it quickly goes off the rails and shenanigans ensue. Now that I have kids, …
We all know that 2020 is a year for the history books. One of the groups that have seen the biggest change in how they work is teachers. Like overnight. We owe our teachers big this holiday. Luckily, I have some awesome gifts for remote …
I have seen way too many posts in the last few months from teachers that they are near the breaking point. The workload, concerns about their own health due to COVID, and difficulties balancing work and home are exhausting our teachers. And while teachers may …
We’ve all had a bad teacher. And I’m sure you remember that instructor very clearly. His or her appearance, attitude, mannerisms, and teaching methods are all stamped in your memory. Ugh. For me, it was my high school German teacher. She just wasn’t good at …
One year, my mom was late to school supply shopping and all the “cool” lunch bags were gone. My school year was ruined and I would clearly not make any new friends with a lame lunch bag. (You can read my tween drama in that, …
You have to leave the house in . . . 10 minutes. Oh jeez. As you swallow breakfast whole, you realize that you need to bring something for lunch. Um, maybe a sandwich. Where is the mustard? Are there chips in the pantry? Are those …
If you’re like me, you’re constantly watching your news feed for information on your school’s plan for the 2020-21 school year. Possibly all remote, maybe hybrid, perhaps in-person full-time? But that seems to change by the hour. (In the 2 days that I wrote this …
Even though I live in Colorado, I am not the most outdoorsy of people. Most of my summers growing up were spent in my air-conditioned house, reading. Each year, I managed to work my way through the library’s summer reading list. I’m no longer a teen …