Poop Problem

There are so many things I want to write about lately.  So many things that are more important than what I'm about to tell you.  27 days of work left. More to come this summer.

But I can't get this story (albeit, very trivial story) out of my mind.  So I thought I'd share.

We have a 'poop problem' at one elementary school I work at.  Some child is spreading poop on the walls in the bathroom and throughout the school.  The teachers can't figure out who it is.  Every day, poop appears on the walls and every day, the kid gets away with it.  The teachers tried a buddy system for the bathrooms, but whoever the poop bandit's buddy is apparently approves of this ridiculousness.
Now they are implementing a bathroom signout sheet for every classroom.  The kids are supposed to sign out the time they go to the bathroom and report if there is poop on the walls when they got there so they don't get blamed for it.  I have no idea if there is actually a sign-out, if the kids can tell time well enough to write down the time, or if they are reporting what they see.  The teachers are really trying though!  The poor janitor - comes in my room every day to clean right after school, and he is very discouraged and sick of it.  He works really hard and finds the situation very frustrating.  Understandable. He is not paid to clean up the kids' poop from the walls.  He has WAY more important things to be doing to keep this building running.

I suggested to the principal that we up the 'threat.'  Here's the thing - the smart, naughty kids have figured out that the teachers at school can't really do anything when they're naughty.  They might lose a recess here and there or call their parents, but we can't actually punish them.  So, if mom and dad don't care, then there is really nothing to be lost by acting up at school.  Going on about this is really a different issue, so I'll get back to the poop problem.

Like I said, I suggested we up the 'threat.'  Tell the kids they better report what they see because we will find the kid who is doing it and when we do, they will spend every single recess of every single day next year cleaning the bathrooms.  To me, that is logical.  You spend a year putting poop on the walls of the bathroom, then you spend another year cleaning the bathrooms.  With the threat, explain that if you don't report it and we end up thinking it was you (even though it wasn't), then that's too bad, you will be the one cleaning the bathrooms.

My principal said she can't do that because a parent would have a fit.  Now, she is a VERY good principal.  I love working for her.

but, WHAT!?!?!??!?!?!?!  the parent of a child who spread poop all over the building (there was once some outside my door on the floor, which is not anywhere near a bathroom...) would have a problem with that child cleaning the bathrooms for a year??

I understand where she's coming from, but I giggled and said - well then perhaps that parent should send their child to a school where it is acceptable to put poop all over the building.

Ay ay ay.  Some little 10 or 12 year old brat who has no respect for others or authority is outsmarting a bunch of adults, and to me, it is very logical that the adults in charge do whatever they can to figure out who it is and teach this child how to respect authority at age 10 or 11 or 12 before he (boys' bathroom) starts doing things a lot more serious that have a lot bigger consequences than some poop here and there.  Granted, teachers can only do so much to instill such lessons in kids that aren't their own.  But we might as well try as hard as we can, because that kid could go on to do a lot more damage.  Hopefully he'll learn sooner or later, preferably sooner.

New blog.

I'm starting over.
New season, new writing, (slightly) new purpose, new blog.

Good bye "The Cooks" blog and hello "Tune My Heart."

But in case you care to read every detail of our lives for the last few years, I've imported all the old posts.  All in one spot here on "Tune My Heart."  Phew. I know you're glad.

By the way, please "follow" if you read so I can see who you are.  If you just type the web address in every time or "bookmark" my page I can't tell whose reading :) It'd be fun to interact with you more! 

An urge to write.

Lately, I've felt an urge to write. I can't shake it. I imagine all the disjointed thoughts stumbling around in my mind coming together like a symphony, only to get distracted 5 minutes later by facebook, or twitter, or instagram, or pinterest, or Downton, or or or.  I had this other blog where I wrote faithfully for a few years before I was 8 months pregnant & teaching full time at 2 schools & decided blogging had to hit the back burner.  The thing about the other blog was I occasionally wrote about meaningful things but more often, I ignored the deep, pressing thoughts and meditations from my heart.  I chose materialism over substance and funny nothings over hard somethings, and eventually, shockingly, I got bored.  Bored of writing nothing about nothing.  But, like I said, I have this urge to write that won't go away.  So nagging is it that I learned how to customize this fancy schmancy new and improved look using HTML (without the help of my computer-science-whiz husband). Seriously. What-the-what?!?!? 

And so here we are.  You (anybody???) and me.  Or maybe just me.  Recording my thoughts, musings, prayers, meditations, highs, lows, and everything in between.  The plan is that I will look back on this in 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years, (when nothing is going as planned) and I'll click on that archive and see the truth that defines my life, a beautiful "history" of God's goodness, one page (or rather, post) after another: His mercies were new every morning. His faithfulness was great. His grace was sufficient. His life in me was abundant. And is. And the 2014 me and the 2018 me will look at the 2013 God who was faithful each day and who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

So, here we go. 

i entered a giveaway and you can too

hello again.
I'm going to start writing more meaningful things than this, but my first 'comeback' post is me posting about a giveaway I entered for an ipad cover on the blog "Chronicles of a Babywise Mom."
If you're a mom, you may or may not have heard of Babywise.  This website is VERY VERY pro babywise.  We are using some of the babywise philosophies with Adelyn, but it is definitely a personal preference thing.  Totally not an issue of 'right' and 'wrong' (which some people make it out to be).  Whether or not it's your method, a free ipad case is a free ipad case :)

You can enter here.

wanna chat more later!? okay. i'll be back!  (obviously that was said in the 'terminator' voice, in case you didn't catch that.)

English Toffee

A yummy, EASY holiday treat :) 

English Toffee

From: mom

Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb butter (yum!)

2 C. sugar

1 T white corn syrup (Karo brand)

¾ C. sliced almonds

6-12 oz (one bag or a little less) of semisweet chocolate chips

*candy thermome

Instructions

Spread almonds evenly onto the bottom of a nonstick, ungreased jelly roll pan.  Toast in the oven 350 for 5-10 minutes (watching carefully to avoid burning.)

Take the pan out of the oven and put on heating pads nearby so that it’s ready to have the toffee poured into it when it’s finished.

Using a heavy 3-4 qt. saucepan, cook the above ingredients over medium-high heat.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  Use a candy thermometer to watch the temp.  Cook until the mixture reaches 310 (hard crack).  You can remove at 308 to avoid burning!

Pour toffee mixture carefully onto pan.  Spread out evenly.  Sprinkle chocolate chips and as they melt, spread over toffee mixture evenly.**  Cool toffee in the refrigerator (I place the pan on hot pads in the fridge).  Once cooled, break into pieces.  Can store in fridge for several days.

**I’ve seen people add sprinkles to the top while the chocolate is still melty.  Yummy & pretty

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bonbons

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bon Bons

From: mom

Time: 30 minutes prep (ish??)

Ingredients

2 C. sifted powdered sugar (you sift first, then measure)

1 C. graham cracker crumbs

¾ C. chopped pecans

½ C. flaked coconut

½ C. butter

½ C. peanut butter

½ C. semisweet chocolate chips

3 T shortening

Instructions

·      In a large bowl combine powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, pecans & coconut.

·      In a small saucepan, melt the butter and peanut butter (medium heat – slowly; stir once it gets liquidy). 

·      Once completely melted, pour peanut butter/ butter mixture over the coconut mixture.  Blend until the mixture is moistened.

·      Shape into 1” balls (being careful not to make them too big)

·      In another small saucepan over LOW heat, melt chocolate pieces with shortening. 

·      Dip the peanut butter balls individually into the chocolate/shortening mixture to coat.

·      Place balls on waxed paper after dipping.

·      Refrigerate before eating J

·      Store tightly covered, between layers of waxed paper in the fridge.  Do not freeze.  (They keep a long time in the fridge.)

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Blogging has fallen to the wayside, but we're having friends over for dinner this week and I'm whipping up this easy side dish, recipe courtesy of my mother (aka: chef extraordinaire).  Just thought I'd share in case you need an easy, tasty, cheap side dish :)

Herb Roasted Potatoes
from: mom
time: 10 minutes prep; 40 minutes in oven

Ingredients

¼ c. olive oil

1 ½ T. fresh lemon juice (I use lemon juice from a bottle sometimes... shh! don't tell! :))

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried marjoram

½ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 ½ lbs small potatoes cut in half – or small bite sized pieces (washed)

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a LARGE bowl.  Stir to blend well.  Add potatoes to seasoning in large bowl, toss to coat well.  Transfer to large rimmed baking sheet; spread into a single layer.  Bake until brown and tender, about 40 minutes.  They turn out best if you turn them halfway through cooking.  

I'm serving them with marniated pork tenderloin (which takes about 10 minutes MAX to prepare, although you marinade and cook for a while).  Yum!

Enjoy :)