{taking a moment.}

As a teacher and mother of a li'l one and soon to be second...the events that occured this past Friday in Connecticut shocked, angered and quite honestly, frightened me. This morning's drive to work was one of apprehension and sadness - not sure how many students at my elementary school would be aware of the events and much less, able to fully comprehend/process it.

I only found out via text message from my grandmother (a fellow teacher) as I was driving home from school on Friday afternoon.  I am thankful I had not checked the news during the school day as I'm sure it would have affected my focus and my ability to focus/teach the rest of the school day.  As someone who remembers the Columbine shootings during my freshman year of high school and the subsequent school shootings to date, it is still heartbreaking when such events occur.  There are never any words that can fully describe the horror of a school shooting nor are there any answers that can be given at this time.

I would like to take a moment for all the victims (young and old), their families, friends and members of the Newtown school community and lift them up in prayer.  To all my fellow teachers and their families - I am thinking of all of us today and praying we never experience what occured firsthand, but that we are also prepared in the event that it too, could happen to any of us.

To anyone reading this - I hope you and your families are safe today and that you take a moment - to listen a little longer, smile even bigger, hug a little harder and longer and cherish every moment you have with one another. And while time will pass and we will move along in our lives, we never forget.

{let me entertain you!}

I realize that anyone who is reading this is only provided a brief synopsis of who I am and what I do...so allow me to more formally introduce myself.

"What I Do"
I'm a teacher of students who are deaf/hard of hearing. I am also licensed to teach art. I'm currently in my fifth year of teaching and third teaching position. I was an itinerant teacher (in MinneSNOWta), followed by an art teacher in a deaf residential program and am currently teaching any/all subjects in a mainstreamed deaf program within a public elementary school. Each job has brought its own challenges and accomplishments and I can't quite say which role I prefer the most just yet. I'm eager to go back to school and work towards a PhD in either behavioral psychology, some combination of art/deaf education or general curriculum/administration.

"My Other Job Life"
I am also a full-time working mom, which is an oxymoron in of itself, since all mothers work full-time, regardless if they are receiving a paycheck for it or not. At present, I'm the blessed mother of a little boy, Zachary, who will be turning two in January. Additionally, our second child, another son to be named Jeremiah is due at the end of January {but I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to make his grand debut much sooner!}. The other in my "OUR" is my wonderful husband, the Mister...Dennis. While no one person is perfect, HE is perfect for me. Truly my other half and the man I could not imagine my crazy, hectic life without.

"Me, Myself and I"
Beyond my job and my role as a wife and mother, I am what my grandfather calls "artsy-fartsy" - a term he once believed offensive and now I have grown to love. When I'm not working and the kids are otherwise occupied aka asleep, I enjoy reading, drawing/crafting, watching any/all variety of cooking competitions and as my blog title hints - squirrels. They are my absolute favorite animal - tiny, ninjas of the forest and completely giggle-inducing. And more than just an animal - they are the perfect adjective for much of the craziness in life...just plain squirrely goodness.

{round two.}

Do you believe in second chances? I know I do. See any diary/journal I've started and not quite finished over my twenty-something years...and once again, I find myself attempting to blog once more. My previous attempts to blog solely about teaching lasted over a couple months and quickly got away from me from a multitude of minute reasons all falling under the overall conflict of....LIFE. And so, I've not posted anything "scholastic" since the end of May.  Not proud of myself...and missing the collaboration and connections provided via blogging - I'm giving it another go.

With New Year's around the corner, making (and keeping) resolutions has been on my mind. My first goal - to find balance. Between working full-time, being a mom, wife and maintaining some semblance of sanity, finding the right balance is crucial. This blog, and all its squirrely goodness is a part of that plan. So...without further ado, here we go!