How my Mother-In-Law helped brand my blog!

About 10 years ago, my then-soon-to-be-mother-in-law bought me a Mr. Potato Head as a joke. And it sat on our baker's rack in our Kitchen for the longest time. 
I really liked it!
So she bought me another... and another... and another. Soon I had over 20 Mr. Potato Heads in varying sizes, holiday garb, boys, girls, etc. And then I became a School Counselor. And I use these things ALL the time! Kindergarten through 6th LOVE to take them apart, put them together, make them Picasso, upside down, all arms, etc. 
And all of a sudden, after reading the SCCHATs, looking at ALL the fantastic School Counselor blogs, and looking at my own blog, I realized I had nothing that made my blog me. Nothing that branded it or made people realize what I am all about. 
So this week I really focused on what I do, what I utilize, and what I believe it.
And it's Mr. Potato Heads!
My entire "Intro Lesson" this year focused around Mr. Potato Heads. They're in both office, on shelves, in baskets, etc. 
I realized they're all different, with different features and different problems and all can go different ways. JUST LIKE OUR STUDENTS! 
If you don't have some, I encourage you to get a couple and try them out. Your kiddos with LOVE them. Even our Youth Pastor at our church has a TON of them in his office.
So, I hope you enjoy the new look :)

-JW

Sharing the happiness

In Greek mythology, Atlas and his brother sided with the Titans and waged war against the Olympian gods. When the Titans were defeated, many were locked away... But Atlas was forced to stand on the edge of the Earth and hold the sky up to keep the two from touching. Imagine that- being forced to stand and bear the weight of all the Heavens above the Earth. 

Yea, definitely needed to censor that!

Well, as School Counselors, sometimes we are charged with carrying the weight of the Heavens on our shoulders. Every day we have staff, students, parents, and administrators come to us to confide in us. They come to tell us their sadness, their grief, their anger, and their mourning. They lay upon us their frustration, their anxiety, their embarrassment. They expect us to fix the broken, heal the sick, revive the lost. We counsel the individuals, meet with the groups, read to the classrooms, call the parents, and collaborate with staff and administration. And every day these individuals come to us, lay their burden down, and then leave with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. We have given them a fresh start to go and conquer the world!!!...

But where does that leave us?

When the door closes and we're left with that weight, where does it go? Some days we can take the weight and file it away and go on. Some days might be particularly hard. And on those days, what do we do?

Well, we keep calm and counsel on! 

"Where there is no counsel, people fail. 

But in the multitude of counselors, there is safety" 

-Proverbs 11:14

That is why we have each other! To share the successes and the hope we have every day. Because tomorrow is a new day. A new day of GOOD things. And sometimes (like today) we have to focus on the good things to help get through the bad. So to start, I am going to share some silver linings to my cloudy day.

1) I was contacted by Bouncy Bands out of North Carolina- they upcycle used bicycle tire tubes and create the bands that can go across the front of desks for students to help them focus on work while their feet are bouncin' along. They saw my blog via Susan's Entirely Elementary blogroll (thanks Susan) and wanted to send me two sample kits to try out and write a review for. I was SO excited! 

2) I have had nine Indiana Universities respond to my emails for donations for College Go! Week and have sent a plethora of pens, posters, pennants, stickers, lanyards, tee shirts, bags, etc. to give out! I LOVE College Go! Week (and will be posting about that next week :)

3) Our Literacy Coach had her first monthly "Chips and Chat" (an opportunity for staff members to come together in a relaxed atmosphere, munch, and discuss some positives/ ideas with one another). She has also asked me to help facilitate the events and share some tech/ data tips and tricks with the teachers. 

4) My blog is getting a face lift  Some of you might be thinking "really? you've only been blogging for two months". Wel, I have decided the black and gray is NOT ME! It was good when I first found it but I need some color. SO, when you check back next week prepare to be wow'd! 

5) There will also be a new addition to the blog on the sidebar where YOU can share your happiness! I am looking for a widget that will post general comments. What I want you to do, is when you stop by my blog, type in some happiness. Maybe it's something that went right for you or something you're excited about or some positive words of encouragement. Whatever is on your heart! It will be a stream on the side of my blog so when you come by, you can instantly read some good news and share some of your own! It'll be a virtual "Take a Penny, Leave a Penny".

So be on the lookout for some happiness. Because sometimes all you have is that bit of silver lining. Just remember, all clouds pass and the sun shining behind it is BEAUTIFUL!

-JW