Month: January 2018

Unconventional Travel Advice or What Should I Bring on This Trip?

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Are you headed out of town soon for a long trip or even just a long weekend? Well, I have created a list of things that you MUST take on your next adventure! My list is rather unconventional, but I am positive that you know to bring your toiletries and extra underwear. I won’t insult your intelligence by reciting a list of what you always take. No…my list is so much better. Read on and see!

  1. Take a sense of humor.  You all know good and well that every family vacation in some way resembles the Chevy Chase Vacation movies.  You get lost. You deal with other horrible drivers. You get delayed from your well-planned itinerary with extra bathroom stops, flat tires, engine trouble, your wife wanting to stop at a “cute shop,” or a slow server during your lunch stop. If you are flying, there are even more delightful things to delay your trip or frustrate you!  Let’s face it, the number of things that can go wrong on a trip is ENDLESS! But, if you have a sense of humor, your trip will be much more enjoyable.  If you encounter that rude drive, put some distance between yourselves and calm down. If traffic is moving slowly in general, there is no way you can actually go faster than the crowd, so put on some music, belt out your favorite songs and enjoy the scenery, your family, and your music. Getting angry when things go wrong upsets everyone involved and accomplishes nothing. Two years ago, I took a trip with some colleagues of mine and on the long drive home we got a flat tire and had no tools with which to change it. While we waited forever for AAA to send a tow truck, we pulled out our ukuleles and had a uke jam well off the side of the road. Time flew by and we were happy!

2. Take an adventurous spirit. Since you are going somewhere new, make it a point to be willing to do, see, learn and eat something new. You should not try to play it “safe” during your entire trip. I love to use the example of food. My family has a rule that when we are on vacation, we never eat at a chain restaurant. (Well, when we pull off the interstate for a quick lunch, sometimes there isn’t a choice, but once at our destination, the rule is in play!)  We have eaten in some really ugly local places that have AMAZING food! Be adventurous with what you eat! While you are out and about on your trip try an activity that you can’t or haven’t experienced at home. For example, hit up a new theme park, visit a museum, attend a performance happening in the town you are in, hike the trails to see the waterfalls/mountains/etc., or take the jeep tour/segway tour/carriage tour. Do something that you would not normally do! Use your imagination and find something new!

3. Take a nap.  I know this sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. How many times have you come home from a trip and you are so exhausted that you wished you had two days off to rest before returning to work?  I know I heard you say, “EVERY time!” Your vacation will not be ruined if you take a an hour nap. In fact, a short nap will give you the energy to go explore even more. Sleep drives the “grumpies” out of you and your family so that you can avoid snapping at one another because you are tired. Trust me. Do as I say. Take a short nap!

4. Take a break from social media. Gasp! I said it. I said to stay off social media. I have seen people on social media posting millions of pictures while on vacation. Oh, guess what? I’ve been one of those people. But, here’s what I found out. When my nose is in the phone, I miss so much of what’s around me at this awesome location. Here’s what to do instead. Take all the pictures and selfies that you want, then put your phone back in your pocket. If you must post often, do it after your family is in bed for the night. Post every other night. Here’s an idea….post when you get back home.  Live in the moment with your family and have FUN being fully attentive to your family and location! Enough said.

5. Take a journal.  You knew that as much as I like lists, that I’d have to include a notebook for lists in some way!!! Go ahead and buy a Composition Notebook for less than a dollar and take it on your trip. Use a Sharpie to write the location and date of the trip on the front cover. Every day, at dinner or bedtime, encourage each member of the family to list what they most liked doing, seeing, or eating during that day. Younger children can draw a picture. Older (possibly uncooperative teens) can make a list, draw, or even just write one word to show what they liked. This activity will help bring your family together, wind down for the evening, and create a great way to remember your trip. You may even pull the notebook out several years later when you return to that location and decide to visit that quaint little restaurant that someone wrote about!

 

Well, I believe all this sparkling wisdom will help you enjoy your trip more! Give it a try and enjoy that next vacation!

Listfully yours,

Vicki

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What Did You Say? Five Quotes I Love

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By now you may have noticed that I LOVE lists. Today I’m going to share my five favorite quotes. I have journals full of memorable and inspiring quotes for all occasions and it was very hard to choose only five, but there are the five I’ve chosen to share with you today.

  1. Decide right now if this situation is going to make you BETTER or BITTER and then live like it.   I first heard those words from a good friend of mine when I found out that my husband had cheated on me and left. Of course, no one intends to set out to become a bitter old person, so I chose to become better. This was not an easy choice to stick with every day. There were many ups and downs and many days were just like hell on earth, but whenever I was totally overwhelmed, I remind myself that I was not going to let this ruin me and I chose “better”…..joy, peace, happiness, forgiveness, and determination.

2. Fear not for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold onto you with my righteous right hand. –God, Isaiah 41:10 CSB.  I am not ashamed to admit that I am a Christ-follower so the Bible is a great source of encouragement, motivation, challenge, and correction for me.  I have experienced so many situations in which God has truly protected me and intervened on my behalf. In the previously mentioned divorce, when I was too discouraged, too hopeless, and too weak to press on, I experienced the strength of God to continue on and felt His presence holding me up while I plodded ahead with life.

3. If it ain’t good, God ain’t done. –Perry Noble, Pastor of NewSpring Church.  I heard Pastor Perry say this many, many, many times in his sermons and fell in love with the southern, country-folk way of saying it!  This is another quote that actually based on the Bible. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”   This isn’t a promise that things will turn out the way YOU want them, it’s a promise that when the situation is resolved you will have peace and joy and be better and stronger for it!  In the case of my divorce, God didn’t miraculously make my ex-husband come back to me with a huge apology and act like the perfect Christian man again. What God did do was to give me strength, provide for me in many ways, encourage me, help me to grow closer to Him to become a much stronger Christian, and give me a peace that I never could have attained on my own. On top of that, several years later God blessed me with a second chance at marriage.

4. Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you. –Saint Ignatius Loyola.  Prayer is NOT a crutch, a magic potion, or an easy way to get things done. Prayer is letting your needs be made known to God. When I began looking for my first teaching job, I sure did pray and ask God to provide me a job. I did not, however, sit on my sofa waiting for the phone to ring with an offer. I filled out applications. I went to interviews. I scoured the newspapers (yes…this was “back in the day” before websites compiled a list of jobs for you) and even made dozens of phone calls.  In short, I believed God would provide me with a job, but I worked hard at finding it!

5. If you have a choice between being right and being kind, choose kind. –Dr. Wayne M. Dyer (made popular in the book entitled Wonder.)  I love this one, but this one can be a little difficult at times. My ex-husband’s mother was one of the most hateful women that I ever met. I won’t go into detail, but it was obvious that she did not choose joy, kindness or gratitude. She chose to be bitter, mean and entitled. On numerous occasions I could hear her through the phone, talking to her son and saying terrible things about me sprinkled through with profanities. I wanted to yell at her, tell her she was an awful human and punch her in the face, but instead, I chose kindness. I kept my mouth shut, prayed a lot, and now have no regrets. Treat people kindly, even when they aren’t practicing kindness. They will never expect it. 

So, friends, those are five of my favorite quotes. I hope you will find some encouragement in this list! Grab a pen and notebook and start recording your own favorites or share them in the comments below!

Listfully yours,

Vicki

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4 Tips for New Teachers

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This year is my 30th year of teaching elementary music. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It’s been a fun, exciting, rewarding, exhausting, comical, stressful, fulfilling career.  As I come to the last semester of teaching, I’ve been reflecting on some things I wish I knew as a young teacher. So, in Raisley Rundown style, I’ve created a list for you!

  1. Buy GOOD shoes. As a young person, I bought all the cute flats and sandals in all the latest styles. I have experienced foot, ankle, knee and hip problems as a result. Here’s the truth, teachers. You are going to spend the next 30 years on your feet on the hardest type of flooring ever created.  You need shoes with arch supports and ones that stabilize your feet and ankles, at least for working hours! PAY the extra money for shoes that are good for your feet.

2. Take the sick days.  The first few years you will want to be very wise with your sick and personal days. Take off when you are really sick, but try to end the first 3-5 years with days some of your days saved up. You’ll need days for when babies come and emergencies. However, DON’T CRAWL INTO WORK SICK. If you find yourself feeling extra frustrated and hating going to work, TAKE A SICK DAY!  Call or email your principal and say, “I’m afraid I have to use a sick day today.” No explanation. Just speak and hang up.  At the end of your career, no one thanks you for perfect attendance. In fact, in my district, they will pay teachers $20.00 per accumulated sick day up to 90 days.  That’s almost a slap in the face to your worth. If I had to start all over again, I’d take the days off to take care of my mental health.

3.  Find one trustworthy work friend.  Trust me when I say that not every teacher you work with will be trustworthy with your thoughts and feelings. Yes, grown-ups will run to the principal and tell on you if you complain/ vent to them or question school policies, administrative directives, etc.  I learned the hard way my first year of teaching when I told my MENTOR that I was overwhelmed. She ran to my principal and told her that I hated the job and wanted to quit.  DON’T TRUST JUST ANYONE.  Be cautious and observant during the first months of school. Pray for wisdom in selecting your friends and ask God to lead you to the right people. You definitely will need people that you can share all your frustrations with who will not share with others.

4. Do something for yourself every day. Teachers are the busiest people alive. You will be subjected to more paperwork than one could ever imagine. There will be meetings, conferences, staff development sessions, committees, after-school events, and did I say meetings????  Take a minimum of ten minutes a day to do something you love, just for yourself.  Here’s my list of ideas to get you started:

  • Read a chapter or two of a book that has nothing to do with teaching.
  • Keep a devotional book or inspirational book on your desk to read after school to refresh.
  • Take a nap.
  • Exercise.
  • Play a game on your phone or favorite device.
  • Focus on your hobby. Plan a craft for the weekend. Shop for materials one day after school. Then give yourself the time to create.
  • Go out to dinner on a weeknight with a friend.
  • Buy yourself breakfast or coffee before school each Friday.
  • Watch an episode of your favorite show.
  • Call your mom or another friend on the way to work each Monday for a few minutes of joy.

As I have reflected on these past 30 years, I found it strange that all of the things I wished I had known when I started had nothing to do with the art of teaching, but had everything to do with taking care of your own self.  Perfecting your craft is very important. I’m not denying that, however, taking care of yourself is the most important factor in being successful in the long run. I wish you all many years of successful teaching!

Listfully yours,

Vicki

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The Rundown!

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The rundown.  What is that?  Well, according to the Google online dictionary, a rundown is “an analysis or summary of something by a knowledgeable person.”  That’s where I come in! I am your knowledgeable person! Before anyone thinks that I have a very big head, let me just say that I am not saying that I am knowledgeable in everything…I’m just saying that I’m knowledgeable in the things in which I am knowledgeable.  In other words, I’m not going to claim to be an expert if I have no clue what I’m talking about.

Now, I plan on sharing all this knowledge in the form of lists with explanations.  Lists are my favorite kind of writing.  Some of my favorite lists include:

  • To-do lists (which I sometimes find myself adding things that I’ve done that weren’t on the list just for the pleasure of crossing them out.)
  • Shopping Lists…because I forget key items if I don’t list
  • Wish Lists (do you want access to my Amazon wishlist so you can gift me with something nice?)
  • Goals…something I’m working on for the new year
  • Favorite Bible verses and quotes

So here is my first piece of advice.  Start your own lists!  Here’s what you’ll need: (Yay! another list!)

  • Notebooks/Journals.  I’m a journal junkie. I have journals that I created with my own photos at Shutterfly.  I have journals that I got as gifts. Some of my favorites are from bookstores.  You can always get any notebook from your local Target, but find a cute one!
  • Pens and Pencils.  Have I also told you that I’m addicted to pens?!  Get some that are fun to write with and have a sporty color. You can even use colored pencils and highlighters if that’s what you like!
  • Time.  Lists take no time at all so keep your journal close by…maybe even in your purse, backpack or briefcase.  Some of my best shopping and to do lists are created at long traffic lights.  Always be prepared.

So, now that you know that I will be imparting all kinds of knowledge in creative list form, be sure to come back and visit often!

Listfully Yours,

Vicki