How many social networks should you engage with (or how many can you handle?)

Ha, just read this by Ryan Little and it really struck a chord...

In a post on Quora, a user wrote, "I have noticed in myself … that becoming continuously and actively involved in a new social network often leads soon to the cessation of involvement in another one." A user in the thread replied, "It's difficult for any single person to maintain relationships in more than three communities at a time, [but] I'd say that a very social, highly engaged person can manage up to nine with success."

I believe the man is talking to me...currently I have a personal Facebook page for friends and family. You know, where folks you went to junior and high school get back in touch with one another and then you realize that you have nothing in common with them (of course I'm speaking hypothetically and not personally). I also have a business Facebook page for my teacher peeps and fans. Then, I belong to about ten different FB groups, but I only participate in one on a regular basis.

I also have a Google+, which I really like. It combines the best of Facebook and Twitter. Think of Google+ as your local coffee shop where you get to hangout with people who have the same interests as you. I belong to three communities there, but I'm only active on two.

Then, I have two Twitter accounts. One is for my personal tweets and one is for my business tweets. Sometimes I get the two confused, but hey, nobody is reading them anyway.

I have a Tumblr account, but I'm not really sure what I got it for. It seems a bit "artsy" for me~I guess I need to research it a bit more and find my niche over there.

I also write three blogs~one for poetry, one for my personal ramblings (this one), and one for my biz. I seem really busy, don't I?

I like it that someone (a user) has decided that nine is the magic number. I'm not there yet. What other good sites are there? I think I might have a Linkedn account also....

Stay busy my friends,

Melissa Reese Etheridge

Getting older is not an option

At what point in our lives do we begin to realize that our parents are old? My dad had a stroke yesterday, and the kids and I rode down to the hospital to visit him. Actually, it was my son who insisted that I take him down to the hospital so that he could go back to their house to help feed the animals. He's a great kid that way.

While we were sitting in the hospital room, I looked at my dad lying there in the hospital bed and wondering where the years went. I'm now in my 50's, which sounds old, but really isn't. At what point in our lives did we finally grow up?

I belong to several Facebook groups that revolve around some aspect of our youth. You know the types of groups where folks have some common bond from their youth that brings them back together in adulthood.

We love to post old photos of us in our glory days while more recent photos are more easily not posted. We revel in shared memories and shared stories. Life really does look different on this side of 50.

Many of my old high school friends are now grandparents. Wow, I really don't feel that old.

At work, I'm in the top 10 oldest people. When did that happen? I remember the very day I was hired and given the keys to my classroom and a box of chalk. My daughter heads off to college soon. I got an invitation to join the AARP. Time marches on.

Does your body start to give out on you? In what way? Will I even notice? I do have heartburn more often which I remember being an "adult" problem. Sometimes my left knee hurts~not much, just when I'm heading up steps.

I feel like there should be some font of knowledge that goes along with getting older. Some people expect you to be wiser. I'm not sure that I'm wiser, just more experienced. Remember that Jimi Hendrix song? Are you experienced?

I've noticed that I get really hot more oftern lately. Hmmmm...

Enjoy your day!

Melissa Reese Etheridge

Photo of my dad taken about 5 yeafrs ago. He's playing Scrabble.

New Web page, store, birthdays, and graduation

Well dear Readers,

Another great week is coming to an end. And when I say great, what I really mean is fantastic. The last school day was on Wednesday. The only downside is that my dad had a stroke on Monday, but the good news is that he's recovering quite nicely. He's at home and piddling around the house.

Today is my son's 15th birthday. I would say that we're celebrating his birthday with us, but he's at the farm in Fayetteville helping my dad since he had his stroke earlier this week. He's a great kid that way.

My oldest registered for college yesterday. Wow! She's getting older, but I'm not. She's happy with her choices and I'm happy she's chosen to live at home.

Also, I just found a great teacher webpage:

For upper elementary

I'm also excited that I've opened a new shop on Teachers Notebook. I'll get the link to you as soon as I get some products in there.

Here's to the weekend!

Melissa Reese Etheridge

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is not about pulled pork, strawberries, or homemade ice cream although all of those do make for a good time. Many confuse Memorial Day with Veterans' s Day, but the two are very different holidays with different origins.

The word "memorial" has the same Greek root as "memory" and "remember." Memorial Day  is for remembering those military men and women who died in battle. The holiday dates from the American Civil War and is also called "Decoration Day" in the American South.

I grew up celebrating Decoration Day by going to the cemetery and replacing the flowers on the graves with new ones. This time was also spent mowing the lawn and doing general maintenance.

This time was always filled with laughter and good food as it also served as a family reunion of sorts.

Nowadays, my family spends the holiday weekend doing much needed outside chores and having the obligatory cook out. We're extremely grateful for all the blessings that we have. We don't pretend to be extremely patriotic--we're not the flag-waving kind, but we do acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice that was made so that we would have the opportunity to enjoy this holiday.

Melissa Reese Etheridge

End of the Year Checklist

As I was walking with my fourth period outside after lunch, I got a whiff of honeysuckle. That unmistakable sweet scent that signals another school year is coming to an end. The end of school is bittersweet. For my oldest child prodigy, it means the end of high school. For my youngest, it means the end of his first year in high school. For me, it means one more year closer to retirement.

This summer will harken a few changes for this above average family. This is the first year that we've not gone to the beach for our summer vacation. This is the first year that I've actually had a true career goal for my break. This is the first year that my kids will fly, or that any of us have been to Ireland.

This summer my son gets his driver's permit, and my daughter begins college. My daughter will look for a part-time job this summer. This just might be our last family hoorah.  

The end of the year is definitely bittersweet. Bitter because it signals an end to those things that hold comfort for us. But the end of the school year is sweet like those honeysuckles because they represent a new season of change.

Melissa Reese Etheridge

Graduated Cylinders (or taking responsibility)

This Sunday my female prodigy will graduate from high school. I'm not the kind of mom who gets all dewy-eyed and starts wishing for the babies that used to wreck havoc around the house. I'm very pragmatic and know that teenagers are the best things going. It is easy for me to say that as both my teens are great people. That's important because that is really what having and raising kids is all about~adding good tax paying citizens to the population. I feel like I'm well on my way to meeting that goal.

As a teacher, I can honestly say that many parents have not held up their end of the bargain. Many parents have abdicated their job of parenting to their children's teachers. While teachers for the most part make great parents, society should not expect teachers to raise the children single handedly.

Yes, it does take a village, but everyone in the village has to do their part. Parents need to make sure that their children get enough sleep. Take the phone away parents. Did you know that your smart, handsome son could hardly keep his head up in class because he was up until the wee hours playing video games?

Most parents mean well; they want what is best for their children, but they don't want to make their kids work for it. No homework. Extended turn in dates. Nothing controversial. No average grades even though the work is average.

I realize that most parents are working parents. You're tired. You want school to be school and home is home. I get it. Your kid doesn't. They are not living up to their potential. They're not holding up their end of the bargain either.

There are no ready solutions to this problem. I wish I had that magic wand or potion that could fix the pervasive problem of apathetic children and absent parents that teachers deal with most of the time.

I'm proud of both my kids-- I worked really hard to turn them into the great people they are today. There are times when I'm not sure that I did the right thing. I made many mistakes. I don't even have any great advice for young parents.

Yes, my daughter graduates from high school tomorrow and I'll be in the stands cheering her on, but I'll also be cheering myself on.

Melissa Reese Etheridge

One More Monday....

Yesterday was Mother's Day and it was nice in a weird way. The Hubs and Male Prodigy went off turkey hunting and the Female Prodigy slept most of the day, so all-in-all it was a great day for me. I got to work on my Plan of Assistance, lesson plans, and worked a little on one of my products for TpT. The weekends for me are working on my "spare job", which is good for me. I actually enjoy it. Just like I enjoy writing this blog on a Monday night. Although, I can hear the Male Teen Prodigy clogging around in the kitchen--fridge opens and half the food is gone.

The problem is that being a teacher is full-time and so is being a mom, so it's difficult to put in a few extra hours of "extra" work. Now, if everyone would stop needing to eat or wanting to wear clean clothes, it would be much nicer. Unfortunately that's not the way it goes.

I'm in no way in the same category as that woman in the photo...she's a real "working mom." It reminds me of a story that my Paw Paw Reese told me about the first time that he saw my Maw Maw. He was standing on one side of the river and she was plowing a field on the other with a baby strapped to her back. He knew then that she was the woman for him. 

That might make a better Valentine's Day story than Mother's Day.

Enjoy your last few weeks of school teacher friends!

Melissa Reese Etheridge