Step-Family Sanity

My husband gets to see his children every other weekend and on alternating holidays. They live about an hour's drive away from us and he does his best to also make it to football games, dance recitals, and award ceremonies whenever work and schedules allow. Like any devoted parent, he misses his children to the point of heartache an grieves deeply when he hasn't been able to see them between the two-week-period visits. Seeing this, I've done my best to plan and prepare every needful thing for their visits so everyone can have an enjoyable time together. Not everything always comes off perfectly, though; and, that's to be expected in life in general--not just when dealing with step-families. But for some reason, every little thing that doesn't go according to plan seems to turn into an even bigger issue than it needs to be and we all can become fed up with the whole thing.

Historically, there doesn't seem to be a lot of help out there with regard to step-parenting; but, volumes of resources are emerging in our wonderfully convenient digital age. I bought a book a few years ago about being a step-mother and how to be successful as one, but I felt like it was too much of a cookie-cutter self-help book that was written on a 3rd grade reading level without solid data or realistic examples to back it up.  So, I went to YouTube. There are some great videos on YouTube to help with marriage and step-parenting that have helped me to understand more fully my role as a step-mom. Ron Deal seems to be the largest mover and shaker in the step-family field today. He has some great videos, seminars and conferences that focus on the success of step-families.  His website is  http://thesmartstepfamily.com/index.php  which also has products likes books and DVDs for sale on the site.

Resume Updated

Tina Bishop Crawford

Email: tjcrawford2008@gmail.com

Christina.crawford@washk12.org

Goal: To provide the best possible education for students in Language Arts that will prepare them for College entrance tests, College, and the Work Force through engaging and enthusiastic units of instruction and assessment.

           

Education:

           

            2013- Present – Completing Reading Endorsement Program.

            2011-Present – eNotes.com Educator           

2009-2012 – Master of Education from Southern Utah University.

           

2008-2009 – Received ESL Endorsement.

2005-2006- Graduate Educator’s Licensure Program – Master Credits obtained at Southern Utah University.

           

1994-1999 – BA Degree in English and Political Science from SUU.

           

1990-1994 – Graduate of Cedar High School.

Work History:

            2008-Present -  Pine View Middle School – ESL Coordinator (2 years)      

            2011-Present – eNotes. Educator and Editor

2007-2008  - Pine View High School – English 10^th & 11^th Grade.

2006-2007 – SUCCESS Academy – Honors English 9^th & 10^th .

           

2003-2005 – Self-employed dance teacher in Elko, Nevada

           

2004-2005 – Dance Team Coach for Spring Creek High School, Nevada.

1998-2002 – Legal Secretary for Willard R. Bishop, P.C. and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services.

             

Languages:

Slovene and some Spanish.    

Jackie Kennedy

Jackie Kennedy told her new sister-in-law
"Don't worry. Every man cheats."
We must simply keep our chins high
and remember our place.

But Walt Disney taught that if a woman 
is pure, and chaste, and obedient,
her reward would be a handsome prince
and a castle. But that's where the story ends.

My mother taught me, "If he ever hits you,
You leave him immediately. She never
said I could leave if the punches were with
words, so I stayed to honor my vow.

My grandmother taught me that loose
women wore bikinis and that the worst
thing she could think of was to what lengths a woman
had to do in order to wear it without showing
any hair. That was the most deplorable to her!

Other women friends share that having a secret 
credit card account is the best thing they've ever
done. They have to keep up with the mail to
support their deception, but hey! It saves the marriage.

My sister's grandmother-in-law told me that 
women must sacrifice everything to keep the 
marriage in tact for the sake of the children. I
didn't have the heart to ask, "But he doesn't
want to stay, so now what?"

I teach my son to forgive because that is 
the only way to free oneself from bondage,
yet my own home is a prison of fear that 
I create from the shadows of my painful
past--coupled with the injustice of a
husband's deafened ear to equality
and his walled-up heart preserved only
for his little princess.

My son says, "I don't ever want to be
a jerk dad or a jerk husband."

Last Day to Live, Revised

When the blood clot
rose to my lung,
the doctor said,
"Go to the ER now!"
I asked,
"Can't I just go in Monday?"

After being admitted
into the hospital to
thin my blood,
three weeks of
self-administered shots
to the stomach
followed. I
decided I'd rather
die
than keep doing that!

Death, an option?
Score!
I'd gladly go today,
but first,
let me write a few
thank you emails.

I would thank the
Jennifers for all of the laughs,
and loving me through the
drama of teenage-dom!

Thank you to Karen, TC and Patrice
for listening when I'm sure
you didn't want to.

Thanks to all of the dancers,
big, tall, small, and cute,
who brightened each dance
practice with music and
rhythm.

Hvala Lepa, ljudmi
v Sloveniji, za Bridget,
Allison, and Zorica, za
ljubezen, ki ste mi jo delili.

Thank you to Kim
for watching my son
through the divorce years,
and thank you to my parents
for teaching and nurturing me
in the ways of the Lord.

Thank you to my husband,
who saved me from the living
Demon who afflicted me for so long,
and then brought light into my heart
which had been darkened.

And to my son, who bore every
burden with me in the names
of loyalty and love without
failing.

My Wish

I wish
my husband
would wrap me
in his arms
And kiss away
my fears that
are locked up 
in my tears;
But he just says,
"I can't
help you
with that."

Last Day to Live?

What would you do if you knew today was your last?

I probably wouldn't do anything 
different. If it were a Monday, 
I'd go to work and act like nothing 
was going to change. 
I hate good-byes. 
I hate finality. 

I wouldn't want to make things 
worse by scaring anyone, or 
acting like anything were any different.   
You live the way you die, I think. 

I don't believe in death-bed repentance
Or death-bed forgiveness.   
Things are the way they are
because I either created it 
Or procrastinated it and 
I should own it 
no matter if this is my first day 
Or my last. I don't want people 
to remember my last moment 
because I want my whole life 
to speak for itself 
and a person can't do that 
in one day, unless of course 
we only had one day to live. . . .

Rolling the Dice

Sometimes the happiest people 
also suffer the greatest depression.  
It is through the agonizing pain 
that they appreciate the blissful good.  
It is from this that appreciation is gained 
and lifts them higher when
breaking out of the darkness within. 

Peace can seem like boredom 
to these people.  It's only after a couple of 
decades of this 
revolving see-saw ride 
that balance 
and peace sound more thrilling.  

But what about those 
who always experience peace 
and never exuberant joy 
or devastating despondency?  
Do they really live?  

Who breathes in more life?
the bungee jumper 
or the couch potato? 
Who understand the human core better:
the preacher or the sinner? 

Is success measured by numbers 
in the bank or the number 
of children one bears?  

"It's all sixes," he would say.  
"Life hands you the dice 
and you roll 'em, baby!"
But what if some let others 
roll their dice for them?

"And some also steal others' dice 
and roll without permission," I say.

He says, "I guess it's the "why" we roll 
or don't roll that defines us."