jgalvinwhite

Thursday Thoughts – Goals & Words

Posted on January 23, 2025January 22, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

I like sharing Enneagram posts, and @the.freckled.home on Instagram had some goal setting and words for the new year posts based on Enneagram types.

It’s hard to believe that we only have one week of January left. So, I’m taking a look at these before this first month of the year is in the rear view mirror!

I’m not a big goal setter for January, but I did have one goal which was to get back to working out. I figure if I have one thing to focus on, I’m more likely to be successful!

In the new year, I’ve completed 17 workouts in 22 days. I have done a really good job of getting workouts in most days which was a main goal, and I’ve enjoyed doing a variety of things: walking, elliptical, Pilates, and weights.

I’m a 5w6 in the Enneagram world, so these posts were fun to look at.

2025 Goal Setting:

Goal Ideas for 5’s:

Set reading goals: Yes! I’ve set a goal of reading 40 books this year. While I’ve fell short of that goal the past two years, maybe this will be the year I accomplish that goal again.
Monthly home minimalizing: Well, you’re talking to the girl who still has her skinny Christmas tree up in her bedroom! I just love the glow at night! I am going to take it down today. That being said, there’s nothing like putting away the clutter of Christmas. I do love having all my regular decor out.
Daily screen free time: I’m sure I’m on my phone the average amount of time, but I also do read my Kindle…that’s a different kind of screen time. One thing I’ve done in January, is do a word search every day. One of my stocking stuffers was a daily calendar with word searches. I love a word search!
Hike more: No ma’am.
Create a new nightly routine: My nightly routine does vary more than my morning one. That being said, I’m pretty consistent with showering, skincare, reading, and going to bed at a decent time. Of course, some nights I stay up later, or I will watch a show instead of read a book.

Goal Ideas for 6’s:

Try new quick workouts: Well, it looks like I’m off to a great start! I’ve been to a few Reformer Pilates classes lately, and I really have been enjoying them.
Make it through a whole planner: The only paper planner I use is my lesson plan book, and I always make it through that.
Create a morning routine: I think my morning routine is pretty good. As a matter of fact, I’ve done a really good job being on time to school this year. Not that I’ve been really late in the past, but I was always pushing it to be there on time. This year, I’ve started getting up ten minutes earlier, and I’ve also set an alarm on my phone for 6:45, so I quit sipping my coffee and get up and moving to get ready for school. Now, I leave around 7:30 instead of 7:45.
Connect with online friends: That’s what I do with you all, my blog fam!
Create a water goal: I’ve been pretty good at being consistent at drinking water for quite some time. I’ve had this tumbler for a year and a half, and I don’t leave home without it. I drink at least two tumblers of water a day. It comes in so many colors and patterns. Y’all, look how cute this heart one is!

2025 Words of the Year:

Thanks to our NYE progressive dinner tradition, I start the year with a few words in mind:

Ennegram 5 words for the new year:

Of the words for 5, better, growth, and balanced popped out to me. I’m always trying to do better while growing and finding balance in my life.

Enneagram 6 words for the new year:

For the words for 6, content caught my attention. I do feel very content with my life. We’re in a great phase of life with the kids, they’ve adjusted to high school, and Trav and I both enjoy our work. I want to continue to create, which for me, is writing blog posts. I’m a very driven person, but sometimes I don’t feel that way. I guess we all go through “funks” sometimes. I will say that I’ve really enjoyed having a few classes this year, and I’m very driven when planning lessons for them and adjusting to our new curriculum.

As always, the Enneagram topic is always interesting to me…and I love seeing how it applies to a variety of topics like goals and words of the year!

I hope everyone has a great 2025!

This and That

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Posted on January 22, 2025January 21, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Well, we made it to school one day this week, and today we’re home due to the cold temps. I’m optimistic we’ll be back to school to finish out the week, but it’s been hard getting into a routine!

It’s my first Hodgepode of 2025 and I’m linking up with Joyce to share my answers to her fun prompts.

1. What’s a winter memory you treasure (can be from any winter in your lifetime?)

I have a January birthday, so of course there’s always a chance of snow. I can’t remember which elementary age birthday it was, but the plan for my party was to go to Show Biz Pizza. Well, we got a ton of snow, so we changed the party to a sledding party. The house I grew up in until 7th grade sat on top of a big hill, so it was perfect for sledding.

I hope my kids always remember the fun they have had sledding with friends on snow days and the snowman pancakes that I make for the first snow day of the year.

2. Tell us about the last time or recent time you were caught up in red tape.

What does this mean? Well, actually I Googled it, and I get it, but I don’t know that I have dealt with any red tape recently. We did complete my health insurance for the kids and me, and while it doesn’t really change year to year, the amount of flex spending we choose does. For example, we always took out more when the kids had braces. Anyway, I guess when Travis submitted it, he didn’t change the amount. We applied to take out less, but they denied our request.

I hate dealing with things like mortgages, health insurance, etc., so I appreciate that Travis takes care of that! I hate to even book a hotel room on my own!…like what if there was a better rate that I missed?!?!

3. Do you eat/like fish? Do you cook fish at home? What’s your favorite fish dish? Ever been ice fishing?

I do like fish, but I’d say the fish I eat the most is sushi.

Hadley’s favorite fish is salmon, and it’s about the only fish I cook at home. We actually don’t eat it as much as we used to. What I like about the salmon at Kroger is that the butcher will put it in aluminium foil packing and add in spices and herbs. I always get butter and parsley or rosemary in the package. Then, it’s easy to cook and throw away.

Growing up, my aunt made a delicious clam pasta that I loved. My mom got the recipe and would make it occasionally. I might have the recipe in my recipe box, but I don’t think I’ve ever made it. I haven’t had it in years.

I’ve definitely never been ice fishing, but I feel like I live in Alaska with these freezing temps we’ve been having!

4. Did you watch any of the US President’s Inauguration coverage on Monday, Jan. 20? On a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in politics in general? Do you follow local politics?

Since we were home from school on Monday, the TV was on most of the day, so I heard bits and pieces of the commentary. I saw the clip of Carrie Underwood singing America the Beautiful, and I thought she did an amazing job. I did like seeing what people wore and who was there. I thought the First Lady looked stunning in her black and white dress during the dance with President Trump. I only saw clips of these moments thanks to the news and Twitter.

On a scale of 1-10, I’m probably a four when it comes to politics. I’ve just shamed my family, I’m sure! I will be hearing from my dad and my brother. haha

I follow local politics like what’s going on in Lexington and in Kentucky. I actually taught at the same school as our Lt. Governor for a few years, and I trust her and the governor and appreciate their focus on education.

5. What’s the coziest thing you own and what makes it so?

Right now, I’ve been loving this fuzzy fleece vest. I got it a few weeks ago, and have worn it a few times already, including yesterday to school. It was on sale when I bought it, but it’s very cozy and easy to wear with leggings, jeans, or pants.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

On Sunday, I hadn’t placed my Kroger order yet, so I went to Aldi and then to Kroger for a few things. On a whim, I decided to make an easy dinner of Hamburger Helper…which I haven’t had in probably a decade…and my kids turned their nose up to it! Here I was trying to go easy on myself, but apparently I’ve spoiled them with my fabulous meals through the years.

At Aldi, I was pleasantly surprised with my haul. It had been quite some time since I’d been there, and I spent about $50 picking up a few odds and ends.

A couple of faves…

I usually get my little plants at Trader Joe’s, but I bought this little guy for my classroom.

These iced mini oatmeal cookies are the absolute best! I actually keep them on a shelf in the basement, so I’m forced to pace myself with these things! I threw one in my lunch bag yesterday, and it was the perfect afternoon treat.

Do you have any Aldi faves?

School

Teacher Talk Tuesday – School Snow Days

Posted on January 21, 2025January 20, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

‘Tis the season for winter weather! In the past few weeks, we’ve had a little bit of everything – ice, sleet, snow, and frigid temps. Today and tomorrow are to be the coldest days of winter so far.

All of the snow days got me thinking about snow days through the years!

When I was a kid I don’t really remember having tons of snow days, and I also don’t remember how we were notified. My mom was a teacher, so I’m sure she would find out and let us know. I assume those snow days were reported on the news and would run across the bottom of the screen….I do remember that in high school.

My first year teaching, there was a school phone tree, and I did get a few phone calls for snow days, and then I’d call the next number on the list!

When I moved to Kentucky, my first year here was the 2004-2005 school year, and we didn’t have a snow day until late February or early March. I remember asking Travis if it snowed here! haha

For most of my earlier years in Kentucky, we’d get an automated phone call and probably an email. For twelve years, I taught in a more rural county, and we would miss more days than the city schools like Lexington where we live. I do remember waking up some mornings and checking the local news to see if we had school or not.

We would also rarely have those days forgiven and would have to make them up. In 2014, we had probably fifteen snow days. To alleviate some of the time we’d have to make up, we added twenty minutes to the school day after spring break. The students made up a couple of days at the end, but the teachers were in school until mid-June! No ma’am! I remember being so annoyed…making up our time for two weeks after the students got out.

The following year, my district applied for NTI (non-traditional instruction) days. This was kind of a new idea although there were even more rural/mountain towns who had been using NTI. For NTI, we gave out packets with ten days worth of work. At this time, students didn’t have Chromebooks. So, students knew to complete the assignment(s) on the days we had off. Once we returned to school, students had three days to complete and turn in the assignment for their attendance to be counted for those NTI days. Honestly, it worked fairly well, and even like what I do now, I incorporated grammar, short reading comprehension passages, etc. So, it was work we would have done in class anyway, but I saved it for NTI. On those NTI days, we were expected to work from home, and we’d fill out a time sheet with what we worked on.

It’s crazy to think out “antiquated” this process seems compared to what we do now although there are still some similarities.

In my county, NTI days started after Covid. We truly never thought we’d ever be 1:1 with technology with the number of students we have in our district and the various demographics that we have of our student populations. During Covid, our county was out for almost a year, so we all became very acclimated with Zoom and online assignments.

Not only do these kids not have to wait for the school name to scroll on the bottom of the TV screen (although it still does when we don’t have school), they can also find out via social media, sometimes quicker than I know!

As parents, we get a text message and an email…sometimes, we receive a phone call. I hate the phone calls at 5 am! As teachers, we get an email and a text.

For NTI now, we post assignments to Canvas, and have two hours where we are expected to be on Zoom in case a student has a question or needs help with their work. The district assigned the time frames and elementary have earlier Zoom hours, middle school is around lunch and high school have the later afternoon shift.

I take attendance based on who has completed the assignment by the end of the day. If a student turns in the assignment the following day, I will change their attendance from absent to present. Once we get back to school, students have three days to turn in the assignment just like how we did at my former district.

I assign work similarly to how I did when students had packets, but now I use IXL to assign grammar and Newsela to assign reading passages. I will also assign videos that have to do with what we’re learning and have students complete a 3-2-1 (which varies)assignment. For example, they will submit three facts from the videos, two questions they have and make one connection.

Last week, when we finally went back to school on Thursday, I did start class as if it was the first day of the semester. We went over classroom expectations, but then I gave them a work day on the three NTI assignments. I found that about 90% of my students completed their first NTI assignment the day it was assigned, but then that dwindled to about 50% of students completing the third NTI assignment. Since we hadn’t had in person school in almost a month, I figured we could all ease into the semester.

That being said, I did tell my classes now that we’ve discussed NTI expectations, if we’re out one day, then I’m not giving them a work day when we return. If we’re out an extended amount of time, that’s different.

I also told my students if we’re out this week, we have to wrap up To Kill a Mockingbird, so I’ll upload the PDF of the chapters we need to read and give them an assignment.

I feel like what we make up year to year is different. I do think my district goes five days more than we need to, so students don’t always have to make up every day. We have a day in March that’s always marked as a day to use if needed. Before NTI, we also would add days to the end of the school year, but I hope that’s not the case this year.

If the governor declares a state of emergency, which he did after our recent snow/ice storm, we can apply for up to ten days to forgive.

That being said, of course, teachers have to make up their work days. Often times, we’re able to “flex” our time if it’s just a few days. We fill out the flex form with any work/meetings that we do outside of our contract hours. My former district didn’t do that, but I appreciate that my district does have that as an option for at least a few days.

Once winter is over, the school board makes these decisions for students and for teachers.

Unpopular opinion — but I love a snow day…but I also love to get back into a routine…which has proven hard to do lately! There hasn’t been a school year in my teaching career that we haven’t had a least one snow day.

Stay warm!

Friday Favorites, Me

Friday Favorites {#241}

Posted on January 17, 2025January 16, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, this was a different kind of week for us…three NTI days and then two days back to school. Yesterday, was a good day, but I’m tired! It kind of felt like the actual first day of school.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

This week was basically about my birthday. If you know me, then you know that’s really “on brand” for me….as I always look forward to my birthday. haha

But, really –with all the snow days and the kids just in the practice phase of their sports right now, we didn’t have a ton going on. It was a good week though.

A few days before my birthday, we went to Jeff Ruby’s for a family dinner.

Jeff Ruby’s went all out for my birthday…just look at the menu! haha

We’ve been to this restaurant a few times, and I usually get sushi whereas Trav and the kids usually order steak. The sushi was delish.

Then, it was time for dessert. Jeff Ruby’s doing the most…

I didn’t want any attention, and out walks our server with my dessert on fire! At least no one sang to me!

We also ordered cheese cake and a gooey butter cake as well to share around the table. For special occasions, the server takes your picture, prints it out and gives it to you as a keepsake.

This one is a keeper:

On my actual birthday, we had a snow day. In 23 years as a teacher, I’ve never had a snow day on my birthday. That morning, I went to Pilates class and then picked up my free Starbucks. I got an email for a free Jimmy John’s birthday sandwich, so since we were home for the snow day, that’s what we had for lunch.

(BTW: I’m sure both of these freebies have a time frame in which to cash in…I just had the time to do so on Tuesday)

After dinner, Trav and the kids gave me flowers and a card…and bubble letters on the card, of course.

Then, it was cake time! Bundt cake for my birthday! It was delish.

Wednesday morning, I picked up another Starbucks (I’m loving the cold brew with peppermint foam) and had a slice of cake for a late breakfast. This is one of my traditions (if we have cake leftover. haha)

Yesterday, was back to school. I packed my lunch in my new containers that I got as a Christmas gift. These were my suggestion to Trav’s mom as she needed some ideas, but now that I’m using them…the lid only seems to snap on/stay secure on one side…which is a bummer. I will give them another try, but I might have to find a different brand on Amazon.

My lunch was perfect…and I was able to take one of my favorite things…a “snack plate” lunch to take to school.

I still love sharing what I’m reading on my Instagram account. When I started making the book trackers last year, I only had a couple for January and February, so I made a couple new ones to add to my Instagram highlight.

If you use any of them, feel free to tag me!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Only occasional swearing? j/k!

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week…

Share our Lives

Let’s Look

Currently

Well, we were back to school for two days, and now we have a three day weekend. It’s hard to get in a groove lately, but I will take the extra day of rest!

Thanks for reading,

Currently

Currently…

Posted on January 16, 2025January 15, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

High, ho…it’s back to school I go…finally! After 26 days, we’re headed back in the building to start second semester!

I’m sure this morning will be rough, but it’s always good when we get back in a routine.

I like sharing “Currently” posts…when I feel like I have enough to share, so that’s what I’m doing today.

I saw this “Currently” graphic on Pinterest and thought it would be a fun way to share a few things going on.

Watching: I just finished the second season of The Diplomat, and I loved it. I was bummed this season was only six episodes. Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell are fantastic. Looks like there will be a third season.
Eating: Snack plates! One thing I always love about winter and summer breaks is having more time for lunch…and making snack plates. I just like having a little bit of everything…and not having to pack a lunch ahead of time!
Been Reading: I finished Lilac Girls and finished listening to Joanna Gaines’ book. Now, I’m reading The Match. It’s a lighter read for sure, but I’m liking it.
Listening: Since I’ve been walking or doing the elliptical a bit more, I’ve been back to listening to podcasts. I stumbled upon Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk off Camera and have listened to a few episodes. I’ve also watched Live with Kelly and Mark quite a bit when home lately, and I like their morning banter.
Doing: Reformer Pilates! A friend has her own student that’s fairly new, and I haven’t really had the time (based on her class times) to go. I took advantage of the snow days, and went to three of her classes in the past week. It’s been nice to try something new.
Loving: The snow days…There’s nothing better than not setting an alarm! That being said, when we didn’t go back to school on Monday, I started to feel a bit anxious. I just hated waiting on the day to day announcements of what are plans were for school the next day.
Seeing: Sunshine and snow! Homer refuses to go down the back steps if he even thinks they are icy. So, that meant I had to bundle up to take him around the block the past few days. Even with the cold temps, it was still so pretty outside with the blue skies.
Buying: I took advantage of Kendra Scott’s 50% off for your birthday and bought this cross necklace. Hadley and I popped in to a couple of shops yesterday before her volleyball practice. She had a Lulu gift card, but didn’t find what she was looking for just yet.
Needing: To make lists –for home and for school. In January and February, I want to purge and need to make a list in order to be productive. At school, since we didn’t have the teacher work day, I feel a bit behind in the back to school/beginning of semester things we usually do. I did go into school a few mornings these past two weeks just to get my room organized, write on the board, log in to technology, etc. Today, I won’t feel so off kilter since I’ve accomplished a few of those smaller back to school tasks.
Playing: I mentioned that last week a group of us played Play Nine, and it was so much fun. We’d played on fall break, so it was fun to get together and play again. I want to get the game to play at home.
Working on: Grading NTI assignments and updating attendance. For our non-traditional days, students have three days to complete assignments after we return to school in case they were unable to complete them while we were out of school. Some students might not have had power or their computer, but truthfully, some students just know that they have a few extra days to do the work too. So, I’ve had to take attendance at the end of each NTI day based on completed work. If a student has a 0 but then turns their work in within the time frame, I go back and update attendance. Anyway, it’s just kind of tedious to keep up with and keep up to date.
Feeling: Excited for the Chiefs’ game this weekend. Will there be a “three-peat” this year? The first step is the divisional round. I hope I didn’t just jinx them by putting this out into the universe!

Even after all these years, I still get a little nervous on the first day of school and the first day back from an extended break. And, as I’ve shared, this one went on longer than our regular two week winter break thanks to the snow, ice, and cold temps! I know we’ll all settle in once that bell rings.

See you back here tomorrow,

Let's look

Let’s Look – January 2025

Posted on January 15, 2025January 14, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Y’all aren’t going to believe this…My district still hasn’t gone back to school after our winter weather last week. They sent buses out yesterday afternoon to test the routes and quite a few buses got stuck and had to be towed! We still have many neighborhood streets snow and ice packed. I took Homer for a walk yesterday, and slipped on my road. Ouch! We have not had students in our schools since December 20th!

Yesterday was my birthday. I’ve never had a snow day on my birthday…so I decided to embrace it!

Today’s the first Let’s Look of 2025, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika!

The first topic of the year is…let’s look at…low level goals for 2025.

I’m glad the topic is about low level goals. Who needs the stress of big goals?!

After the hustle and bustle of December, I like to take some time in January to reflect on the previous year and just get my life back on track in January.

I saw somewhere on Instagram this week that January is for rest and February is more for resetting and moving forward with goals. I like that mentality.

A few things I have in mind:

1.

The irony of taking a workout break after years of pretty consistently moving my body is that I found the balance in eating as well. I had a good December where I enjoyed treats and a few drinks, but nothing was over the top. I still packed my school lunch and cooked most meals at home.

In January, to ease back into working out, I told myself that I wanted to do some kind of workout for 20 minutes most days…a good goal of 25/31 days.

What I like about how I’ve started the year is that I’ve done a little bit of everything…and usually for more like thirty minutes than twenty. I’ve walked, gone to the gym and done the elliptical, completed workouts at home with the Bodi program and most recently I’ve gone to a couple of reformer Pilates classes.

Rather than feel like I have to a finish a program or do a walking challenge, I’ve just done what I want to do that day. There have been a couple of days I’ve done nothing…that’s ok too. Also, since the winter weather has stuck around, I’ve had more time at home to reach my movement goal. Anyway, I’ve also told myself to take advantage of having the time to do these workouts as I’m sure life will get busier soon.

2.

My goal the past couple of years has been to read 40 books. The past two years, I’ve been a few books shy of 40. Again, I’ve had a bit more time on my hands, so I’ve made a point to read for longer periods of time when I can. I’ve finished one pretty long book, and have about twenty minutes left of an audiobook. So, I’ve already had a good January of reading, and I started a new book on Monday.

3.

For the past year, I’ve made time to follow Bible study plans, and I want to continue that this year. I’m on a 14 month streak, so why stop now? I often read after school and not so much in the morning. I would like to start my day that way, but it’s just not what works in my schedule right now.

4.

I’m trying to be more present for my family. I feel like I do a good job of putting my phone down if they are hanging out in the living room. I will try to say “yes” more often. Just yesterday, Hadley wanted to go to Kroger to pick out some lunch meals…assuming we are going back to school at some point this week! I didn’t really have the time, but I carved out thirty minutes to take her to the grocery store and pick up some odds and ends. I will also stay up and watch a football or basketball game when I can with Hayden…even if we don’t talk! haha…He at least knows I’m interested in sports, and we have that in common.

5.

I would like to carve out more time for Travis. These kids keep us busy, and he is often very busy with work. Where I can usually not think about school after 4:00, he’s truly answering phone calls at 9:00 PM or going to the farm early to take videos of the baby horses being born to send to clients. We’re both different kinds of busy. I think “date night” is kind of cheesy because, for us, we can watch a show together and that works for us. I still feel like we need to be intentional with grabbing a cup of coffee together or going to see a movie. We’ll be married twenty years this June. Time flies!

So, those are some “low key” goals for 2025. We’ll see how the year goes!

Not Just a Mom

Share Our Lives – January 2025

Posted on January 13, 2025January 12, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

Well, our three week break (two planned, one thanks to Mother Nature!) apparently continues. Due to many neighborhood roads not being plowed and other conditions, school has been called off again. This time, we are having an NTI day which means students will have assignments online.

It’s already the second Monday of the month, so I’m co-hosting the first Share Our Lives link up of 2025 with some of my favorite bloggers.

We’re starting the year off fresh talking about..saving time on chores.

Well, let me tell you ….it’s not asking your teens to help! haha

Cleaning and picking up are ongoing chores in our house. I have to admit that Trav is the cleaner, and I’m the tidier. Cleaning has never been my skill set, but the one chore, if I had to do it, would be dusting. I don’t mind doing that.

We are blessed to have a wonderful house cleaner who comes twice a month, so honestly, we don’t do a lot of cleaning in between. We do have Homer hair to keep up with, and Trav loves to use the Swiffer for that.

I always go to bed with a tidy house. I’ve always done that, but that especially became a priority when the kids were little. They had lots of toys in our living room and of course would get them out as soon as they got up. I still always put the toys in the corner, in baskets, etc. just to have a fresh start to the morning.

I typically do laundry only on the weekend, and we don’t do many loads. Travis takes care of himself. Hayden usually has the most clothes to wash due to his running. I tend to not have as much, and I usually toss my things in with Hadley’s dirty clothes. When the clothes are finished, I take them out of the basket and lay them flat/in piles on the kids’ beds and they put them away. I’ve been doing the kids’ laundry separately for years…even when they didn’t have as much. I still have to to lay the clothes out for them to put away, but I don’t have to sort them between family members.

I make sure the bathrooms have cleaning supplies to “clean as we go” for daily needs. I’d like the think the kids would wipe our their bathroom sink if there’s too much toothpaste if I leave a tub of Clorox wipes under their sink!

On Sundays, we “reset.” I let the kids have clothes on their floor, for example, but on Sunday, their rooms get picked up. Papers get thrown away, desks get tidied up, Chromebooks get charged for school and so on.

In the summer, a big chore is mowing the lawn. For years, we had a service mow, but for the past couple of summers, Trav and Hayden have split the duties. I’m in charge of watering the flowers in the spring and summer. Hadley helps with that as well.

I usually unload the dishwasher just out of convenience. I’m often in the kitchen getting ready to cook dinner and will unload our dishwasher. Of course, Trav does that too and the kids help occasionally.

Not chores, but we shared cleaning hacks in a Not Just a Mom post in 2023.

I’d love to have any ideas you have for saving time on chores.

Next month, our topic is tips for falling asleep. I have quite the formula for sleep…but I will save those thoughts for next month.

Have a great Monday.

Friday Favorites, Seasonal

Friday Favorites {#240}

Posted on January 10, 2025January 9, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday.

Well, this time last week, I was prepping to go back to school…but as of today, I’ve had a three week winter break. In all my years teaching, I’ve never had a three week winter break!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

Well, we didn’t do much this week, so I don’t have a ton to share. Most of my favorites are snow day (week) related!

I finally put up my Christmas decorations, and I switched out my “Merry Christmas” garden flag out for my “Let it Snow” flag which is the one I put out in January and for most of February.

I guess it’s a good luck charm…look at our snow (and ice!)…

Sunday, we got about six inches of snow followed by some ice. On Monday, it snowed even more and my teacher work day was canceled.

Tuesday was to be the kids’ first day back to school, but since it was a snow day, I made our traditional snowman pancakes! Trav’s farm didn’t have power, so he was home too to enjoy this breakfast too.

On Sunday and Monday, the kids bundled up and went sledding with friends. They had lots of fun.

I got this mug out of my cabinet for my morning coffee. Our neighborhood looked like a winter wonderland.

Last weekend, I went to Trader Joe’s for a few things, and they had their wreaths out, so I picked one up. Usually, I get their fresh garland for the front porch at Christmas, but we never decorated outside this year. This wreath is pretty, and it looks pretty with the snow.

I spy Homer…

Ice, ice baby! While I was outside taking a couple icicle pics, I heard a snap and I looked up to see a huge section of our neighbor’s tree fall with a thud in a neighbor’s yard. The top 1/3rd of the tree was leaning on the electrical line. Thankfully, we didn’t lose power.

One thing I love about being home in the summer and on other breaks is just making “snack plates” for lunch.

Sprite “chill” is so good, and I love the rosemary almonds from Trader Joe’s. I’d saved a recipe I saw on Instagram for a cream cheese dip. I made it on Sunday and snacked on it all week. It’s just cream cheese, chopped up pickle, dried beef (I never know what this is — I just always buy the little beef lunch meat packets), salt and pepper. Mix it all together…and we’ve been on a Wheat Thins kick around here.

After taking quite the workout break the past couple of months, I’m making it a goal to work out as much as possible in January. I went to the gym one day with Hayden and then with Hadley another day. It was a pretty walk to and from the car.

I was really dragging my feet putting up the Christmas decorations…I guess because I wanted a week of enjoying them after we got home from KC…and it’s an effort getting the tubs up and down from the attic. Then, as the days went on, I realized I had time to put it off. haha!

Anyway, I took everything down one day, and then put out my regular decor the next.

Trav had his brother take the kids’ pics last year, and I just never put this one out. I found a spot for it, and my Gma gave me this candle stick that my great great grandfather made. I like the juxtaposition of old and new.

Last night, a few of us moms got together to chat and we played Play Nine for a few hours. The general consensus was that we all needed out of the house (and have a break from our families?! #maybe)

Favorite Mom Meme:

There’s never been a meme more “Hadley” than this one:

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

2014 – the first year of the froggy hats. #myfave

Share Our Lives:

We have our first Share Our Lives link up of 2025!

This month’s topic is…saving time on chores.

If you have a blog, we’d love to have you join us.

Weekly Recap:

I had a great week of blogging…

Prime Purchases

New Year, Same me

Throwback Thursday: Snow Days

Well, more snow is on the way today! Will we go to school on Monday? Only time will tell.

Stay warm,

Kids, Seasonal

Throwback Thursday: Snow Day Edition

Posted on January 9, 2025January 27, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, another day, another snow day. With the frigid temps and still snow packed roads, we have another snow day today. My district has called off for tomorrow as well. In all my years teaching, I don’t think I’ve ever had a three week winter break!

I love a snow day…not so much five straight…but I guess we take what we can get.

Snow days with the kids through the years have been fun. It’s nice not waking up early and then just easing into the day. Today, I’m going to take a look back on snow days through the years.

First things first, I always put out my “Let it Snow!” garden flag after Christmas. I put mine out on Saturday, and Sunday is when we got our first round of snow. Maybe it’s a lucky charm?!

Obviously, in the various stages of the kids’ lives snow days have looked different. When they were little, they wouldn’t necessarily sleep in. We’d hang out at home, watch shows, play inside and kind of just have a chill day. Sometimes, we’d go outside for a few minutes.

As the kids have gotten older, they sleep in, go sledding with friends, and lounge around. I will say, at this point in our extra week of break, the kids have gone to the gym a few times (me too!) to get out of the house and have some sort of routine.

Snowman Pancakes:

No matter if the kids were five or fifteen, the first snow day of the season calls for snowman pancakes. Last year, our first day off was due to below zero temps, and I still made the pancakes. While we usually have at least two to three snow days a year, you just never know.

I’m not sure where I saw this idea, and I’m not even sure when I started making the snowman pancakes, but for sure once the kids started kindergarten.

Just last week, when I went to the grocery store to stock up on whatever we needed, I almost forgot to buy bacon and M&M’s as they aren’t always on my grocery list. I usually make sure I have my snowman pancake ingredients in early January.

Bundled Up:

There are stages of parenthood that I’m sad when we move on…the kids needing my help getting ready to go out in the snow or even going out in the cold with them…those stages I don’t miss!! Of course, they still need my help finding gloves…and maybe even a car ride to a sledding hill, but at least I don’t have to stand in the cold and snow with them. We’re like “call us when you need picked up!”

Here are a few bundled up in the snow pics…

January 2012 was the first time they were out in the snow. Hayden with his paci – OMG. I do remember we weren’t out there but a minute…they weren’t fans of the snow.

These pics are from 2014, and they are the last ones in our old neighborhood. We lived by a park, and we’d gone to walk around a bit and burn of some energy.

The froggy hats — I can’t!

2015 was the first winter in our new house. We had a huge tree in our front yard…and the only time it looked pretty was in the winter. haha

The froggy hats stuck around for a few years…

Looking older in 2016…and still loving the snow.

Trav’s brother took this pic of Hadley as she was trying to fog up his car window. It’s one of my fave pics.

2016 was a harsh winter, and we were off school for quite some time (maybe like we have been this year?)…and the kids were going stir crazy. Me too!

A snow day in 2017…

Snow day 2018…which was…

…my most expensive snow day…after the pic above, the kids got braces that afternoon.

Straight teeth on a snow day in 2019!

2020…

Sledding and Fun with Friends:

The first time the kids went sledding was the winter of our last year in our old house. I can’t remember where we got this red metal saucer, but we had it for years. The kids had lots of fun.

I love this sweet pic.

In 2016, the kids had lots of fun sledding with their cousins.

Sledding with friends in 2017.

More sledding fun in 2018.

This 2021 pre-sledding pic is always a fave. The colorful sleds in the white snow. This was the age where the kids were definitely more independent and going off to have fun with their friends.

We got tons of snow in 2022 which made for great sledding weather.

As the kids of gotten older, of course I have taken less pics. Hadley went sledding with some friends last year. Hayden, I’m sure did too.

Snow much fun:

Through the years, the kids made a few snowmen…

…and made a few snow angels.

Snow Ice Cream:

We don’t make snow cream every year, but when we do, it’s always delish. Last year, Hayden and friends made some.

It turned out pretty good.

Making snow cream is a fun memory from my childhood. We haven’t made any this week, but maybe this weekend when we get some fresh snow.

Homer:

Part Husky Homer loves the snow. I can tell he’s getting older (and more mature?!) as he doesn’t hang out outside as long as he used to. He will go burn off some energy in the backyard which is funny to watch.

The kids with Homer in 2021…

…and 2022.

He’s a handsome boy!

NTI:

Since Covid, we’ve had NTI days as an option. NTI stands for “non-traditional instruction” and the kids have online assignments.

This week, we haven’t used any NTI days since so many were without power Tuesday/Wednesday. Also, elementary school teachers weren’t instructed to send Chromebooks home before break, so that level of students wouldn’t have access to online instruction.

Like I said in yesteday’s post, I’m not sure what the plan will be for making the days up. We might not have to make them all up. Who knows?!

This week, the kids have slept in and hung out at home. They went sledding a couple of days, and I made them the snowman pancakes on Tuesday.

Whether the kids are big or small, as the snow days have continued, we head out to lunch to get out of the house. Sometimes, we’ll go see a movie, or I will force them to play a game with me!

It’s not often that Travis is home with us on a snow day. It takes pretty bad weather for him to not go into the office. That being said, his farm didn’t have power Monday/Tuesday, so he was home. He went back to work yesterday but is home again today due to no power at the farm again. He can work from home pretty easily. Let’s just say that he doesn’t know how to be lazy on a snow day…tries to kill our vibe. 😂

Today, is actually a teacher work day for us to make up for Monday. I’ve been getting up around 8:30-9 this past week, so I need to set an alarm for the 9:00 Zoom faculty meeting! Then, we have a work day. We can work from home or go to school. My plan is to work on my To Kill a Mockingbird lesson plans to pick up where we left off once we do return to school.

I hope everyone is staying warm. Also, I’ve been thinking about the wildfires in California. My heart goes out to those who have lost their home and for the brave first responders battling those fires. Two of Trav’s clients lost their home completely. I can’t even imagine going through that.

See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

New Year, Same Me.

Posted on January 8, 2025January 7, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello from snowy Kentucky!

Well, I feel with the start of the year, I usually “reintroduce” myself via a blog post whether it’s a link up topic or just a post I plan on writing.

Anyway, every year, I seem to have a few more readers which I appreciate so much. If you’ve read ten posts or one hundred, there still might be some gaps in what you know about me, and I always feel like I should re-explain the blog title for new readers.

My Share Our Lives post from last year is a quick way to get to know me with a few other posts linked as well.

So…here are a few things about me:

Missouri to Kentucky:

I was born and raised in a suburb of Kansas City and then attended the University of Missouri in Columbia for college. So, I’m a loyal Chiefs and Royals fan. In my senior year of college, I met Trav, who was working in the same athletic office as me. Working in college athletics was Trav’s real job while I was just working part time to earn money before and during student teaching.

Anyway, he eventually decided that he wanted to get in the horse business. He’s from Louisville, but went to school at UK, so he settled back in Lexington and started his work in the horse business. I moved to Lexington a year later. We got engaged right before I left KC, and then I found a teaching job just outside of Lexington.

So, my blog title is mesh of the “Show Me” state Missouri where I’m from and the “sweet tea” reference of the south.

Family:

We’re in the stage of life where life is centered around the kids and their activities. We’re typically shuttling them to and from whatever sport they need to go to. It’s nice when we are all home. Teenagers –they like their rooms –haha…sometimes, we’re all home and in our separate areas, but it’s nice to spend time together when we can.

Travis:

It’s hard to believe but Trav and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary this summer. Where has the time gone?

I joke that he’s stayed the same, and I’m the one who’s changed a bit throughout our years together. He’s just the steady, hard-working, likable guy that I met 23 years ago. I know I have good qualities too (haha)—but I was just younger when we started dating and I’ve certainly changed a bit from my 20’s to 30’s to now mid (wow!) 40’s.

I never would have imagined that I would have moved away from Missouri, but that “risk” has paid off. We have a blessed life.

4. Reading:

I’d say my #1 hobby (besides watching my kids’ activities and this blog) is reading. I love to read, and will take my Kindle anywhere. For years, I would usually read one actual book and then have one book on my Kindle, but in the past year, my Kindle has become my go to. On vacations this past year, I’ve only taken my Kindle to read.

Anyway, I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t read at least a few pages. There’s nothing better than starting and/or finishing a great book.

5. Teaching:

This year is my 23rd year in high school education. I taught for a year outside of Columbia Missouri, and then I taught a year at a school in KC when I decided to move back home. Then, I moved to Kentucky and taught for 12 years at a more rural school outside of Lexington. This is my 9th year at my current school, and I assume it’s where I will finish my career.

When I moved to my current school, my kids were in 1st grade. I remember thinking that this will be the school they’d go to one day, and this year we’re there together. Seeing them and their friends at school has been surprisingly meaningful for me. I do have some of their friends in my advanced class which was more of an adjustment for me than the students. haha

After this year, I have seven to ten years left just depending on my retirement. I have two Missouri years and then I was .7 for three years when the kids were little to spend more time with them. So, I get paid for my 23 years experience, but to get full retirement, I may have to stick it out closer to the ten years than the seven years, if that makes sense. It’s still quite a ways off, but wow!…it is crazy to at least even have retirement on my radar.

So, that’s a bit about me. I hope I didn’t bore you! haha

We’re off again today thanks to the snow/ice we got Sunday/Monday. My street is a bus stop street, and it’s still snow covered, so who knows if we will go tomorrow or Friday. So far, we’ve had “traditional” snow days as it’s at the start of the semester, and I’m afraid many elementary teachers hadn’t seen Chromebooks home yet. Also, we still have quite a few areas without power.

I have no clue what this means for us in regards to making these days up. We’ve relied on NTI (non-traditional instruction) the past five years without many traditional snow days. Anyway, there’s nothing I can do about the weather, and we have more snow on the way this weekend! I do love a snow day, but I also feel ready to get back to school. I like to space the snow days out if possible. But, I’ll enjoy the time off while I have it.

Thanks for reading,