Starting a new teaching blog! Hope to blog more regularly since it will be required.... :)

Making a "photostory"

Using a piece of original writing (Where I'm From Poem or teaching metaphors)

10-12 images

non-copyrighted music (soundtrack is required)

record your writing in your own voice

no longer than 4 minutes

on final page, credit your photos (if not your own) and music.

more to come...

not such a frequent blogger...

Sorry for not being more proactive on the blogosphere, we have been plenty busy around here. The larsonfour is busily preparing for our Great American Roadtrip which will include Forks Old Fashioned 4th of July, the Redwood forest, the California coast, a few days at Disneyland, a jaunt over to Phoenix and a foray into Yuma! Can wait for the open road!!

Vacation pics and adventure tales to come soon....

Crock Pot Cookin': Chinese Pork Tenderloin with Garlic-Sauced Noodles

Now, the recipe called this Chinese, but Joe and I agreed that with the fresh carrots, peanuts, and cilantro it had a Thai flair.... Also, it was easy, beautiful, delicious, made my house smell great and the kids loved it. Now if you know Avery, you know that means something! :)

Crock-Pot Chinese Pork Tenderloin with Garlic-Sauced Noodles

2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 tsp fresh shredded ginger

then...

1/4 soy sauce
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 16oz. pkg of Chinese egg noodles cooked
1 cup fresh shredded carrot
3/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

for garnish:

1/3 crushed dry-roasted peanuts
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1) Place tenderloins in electric slow cooker. Combine hoisin sauce and next 5 ingredients; stir well. Then drizzle over the tenderloins and cook on high, covered, in the slow-cooker for 1 hour.

2) Reduce to low-heat and cook for 4 more hours.

3) Remove pork from slow cooker, then reserve the cooking juices in a bowl. Let pork stand 10 minutes.

4) Wipe out crock pot with a paper towel. Shred pork with two forks. Combine shredded pork and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking juices and toss well. Cover to keep warm and set aside. Return remaining cooking juices to the slow cooker and add the 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar and the sesame oil. Cover with lid and cook on high for 10 minutes. Add your hot noodles, carrots, green onions, and cilantro leaves to slow cooker; toss to coat. Cover let stand for 3-5 minutes.

5) Serve pork over noodle mixture; sprinkle with chopped cilantro and peanuts. Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings (serving size: 1 and 1/4 cup noodle mixture, 2/3 cup pork, 2 tsps peanuts, and 2 tsps cilantro. Calories per serving: 398, Fat 9g, Fiber 8g--8 WW points and worth every one!)

FINALS!

Agh! Its finals weeks. Here is a post for all my college homies.


Magic 8 ball says:
Will I survive? Yes.
Will I survive with sanity? Outlook not so good.

Top ten on how to survive finals:
1. sing, dance and generally rock out in car to sufficiently hip music (I recommend JayZ, Black Eyed Peas, or Shakira....Holla!)
2. when stress hits, just remember: CTFO! (if you don't know what this means, ask someone under 40)
3. red wine at night, ladies delight
4. coffee, Zipfizz or other highly caffinated beverage as a study aid (especially if you are like me and get to go to school and study after being mommy and working all day)
5. procrastinate until the last minute, the adrenaline will usually help get your wheels turning
6. facebook, Blogspot, YouTube, Ebay, or MSNBC can help you with number 5
7. read number 3 and 4, drink, rinse, repeat
8. subway sandwiches!
9. complain, complain, complain it helps release pressure otherwise your head might just explode into a thousand little pieces

and number 10...

10. give it all you've got because you are almost done and you rock!! i.e. Daily affirmations: "you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!"

Why work?

If only we could all do the things that bring us joy for our profession...

I am most bored with my job lately. Microsoft is no longer hiring armies of code monkeys and it leaves me with too much time on my hands and not enough green in my pocket.
I am a girl that likes to move. I don't stop. I am like a fish, if I stop I might drown. So, being slow with work and out of school for summer break is making me me craaazy. It has my brain working OT thinking of how I wish I could just jump into the classroom and wishing I could just start school again!
I should be smart enough to just kick back and enjoy these weeks before fall quarter starts but I am just left thinking about the money I am not making and wishing I could afford to hit the books full time, get er' done and get into the school system! I can't wait.

Recent news: Took the West-B, think I did okay. Math was a cinch. Writing, easy peasy lemon squeezy, Reading comprehension was ambiguous and mysterious. It was truly surprising to me since I am usually great with the English.

More news:
Emma is turning into quite the athlete! She made Joe and I so proud on Saturday that we just about burst. She was ahead of the pack on the soccer field, dominating the ball and fast as lightning. Go Emma! Avery is also playing soccer. She is getting the hang of it, still picking daisies when given the opportunity, but at least she is enjoying it. School has gotten off to a great start for both girls. They have lovely teachers that make everyday a great day. Avery comes home singing new songs every week filling my house and my heart with joy. I love Fernwood!
They are both growing up so fast! It is exciting, fun and sad all at once.

Pet Peeve: The girls' school pictures have different background options, sounds good you say? Well, blah grey is free but if you want blue, or brown or the American flag (I'm all over that one...) or whatever it is $3 extra! What? You are going to charge me $3 to pull down the screen? Seriously?

That's it, that's me for tonight. Peace.

No water

It's funny how we don't really appreciate what we have until its gone. Our PRV is going out and the pipes throughout the house vibrate and make sounds like the Edmonds-Kingston ferry docking in my crawl space. I have a guy coming out today to fix it up, but we are trying to minimize damage to the other pipage by not turning on the water. Another couple dollars hundred sunk into this house....trying not to dwell on that part.
It is only now that my body decides that it is super super thirsty! I want to drink a gallon of tap water. What's that about? I have bottled water in my garage but it is so-so. I miss the chlorine/fluoride flavor of my city water! I want a shower RIGHT NOW! I want to run my washer that is full of clothes and ready to go, I want to run my dishwasher that is full of dinner dishes and ready to go, I want to water my dry, dry lawn. I NEED water!

Happy Birthday Sweet Emma

Emma is 9. I can hardly believe it. Joe and I about cried when I said "You know, 9 is halfway to 18, she is halfway to moving out." It seems like yesterday that I was staying up nights rocking, loving, changing, nursing and doing it all over again night after night, feeling so sleep deprived wondering if I would ever sleep again. Now my sweet Emma is doing homework, soccer, gymnastics, and buzzing around the neighborhood on rollerblades!

Hug your kids, slow down take a deep breath and hug your kids. The little moments are what matter. When you are feeling stressed about tying shoes, making lunches, jetting around to sports games and birthday parties, remember that these moments are fleeting. Before you know it they are halfway to moving out! When you think are too busy to say yes to a child asking you to play with them or read to them, think again.

Love your kids, love your moments, love your life.