Breakfast Club

2 of my coworkers were already working at the kitchen counter when I came in this morning. I grabbed my laptop and joined.  Now there are 8 of us all working in the kitchen together, chatting and drinking coffee, and it's a lovely way to start the day.  

Accept the things I cannot change

In every job I've had (minus high school babysitting and being a cashier at Ace Hardware), I see inefficiencies, inconsistencies, or injustices and I get passionate about fixing them.  This is probably the #1 cause of stress and frustration for me at work because most places don't like their flaws being pointed out and are resistant to change.  I'm having a moment where I want to push for changes, but I know it will be frustrating (and could very well result in a poor annual review in addition to not making any change).  I'm trying to remember that this is not my company, that it's just a job, and that I can still be good at it without bucking the status quo.  I need to master the mindset of accepting the things I cannot change if I'm ever going back into the public school system.  This is good practice.

A Case of the Mondays

I had a rough morning.  It felt like just one thing after another went wrong or was more complicated than it needed to be. Hopefully the rest of the day will be less stressful/annoying.

Playdates and Dinners with Friends

Both yesterday and today Korra had a play date with a friend in the afternoon (Finley, then Emmaline) and then our family had dinner with friends (the Sniders, then Evan). 

Hilarious Book

I read this book over the weekend and it was hilarious. 

CrossStitch Protege

Last weekend Korra asked me to teach her to cross-stitch. In typical Korra fashion, she *almost* finished the project but then required relentless prodding to finish. 

2 Teeth Extracted

Korra was so nervous about getting her teeth pulled today. They gave her nitrous oxide to help calm her down and let her watch whatever she wanted on YouTube. 

She needed two rounds of novocaine injections which she really hated and then the first tooth took a lot of pulling to get out.  I wish I'd eaten beforehand because seeing her go through it made me queasy (apparently my body still thinks she's part of me) and it broke my heart to see her cry. Thankfully, the second tooth was easier.  The promise of ice cream and unrestricted iPad time helped her recover quickly. 

Wet Cat Toys

Alex carries around his favorite toys (tiny stuffed animals) and then puts them in his water bowl. 

Korra's FanFic

Korra just shared with me the 68 page Word doc that is her Warrior Cats fan-fiction that she wrote with her new best friend.  It's 14 pt font and has some illustrations, but that's still a heck of a hefty book for an 11 year old to write.  Trying to find this girl some writing camps to attend this summer.

163

More counting I did this morning: Korra has sold 163 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. 

78

I counted Nate's t-shirts as I was putting some away in his drawer this morning.  He owns (at least) 78.  He could wear a different one every day for over two and a half months.  That's not even counting all of his brightly patterned button down shirts.

First Semester Awards

Korra got two awards today- one for having straight As for the whole first semester of 6th grade and the other from her Spanish teacher for excellence in that class.  That part was great.

The not-so-great part was when it ended, it was less than 15 minutes until dismissal but the principal said they didn't want us to take our kids yet.  We texted Korra that we'd wait outside, but she was told by her teacher that parents would just come get them.  The confusion caused Korra to get very upset  (read: overreact) and cry in front of lots of her classmates and teachers that her parents left her.  It was stressful and frustrating and embarrassing. 

Lunch with Dani

I met up with Danille for lunch today at a favorite Mediterranean restaurant.  The falafel, tabouli, and baba ganoush were AMAZING and it was good to catch up since we haven't seen each other since before Christmas. She made me exceptionally thankful we are not homeowners while telling me about the THREE racoons that were just caught in their attic.  

Severance?

Teaching jobs don't ever offer severance.  It was a concept I only ever thought about for high-paying corporate jobs and usually when you were being downsized.  Apparently that's not the case.  Between my job and Nate's, I've seen instances of several people who were fired because they were terrible at their jobs get HUGE severance packages.  I don't understand.  I will never be bad enough at my job to get a lump sum at the time of being fired.  

27 degrees

Korra braved the cold with this morning's play date!

Splatter Paint Party

Korra went to a birthday party this afternoon at a splatter painting studio. 

Miss Popularity

Korra has a birthday party this afternoon/evening. Tomorrow she has a playdate in the morning (or whatever we're calling it now that she's in middle school) and Girl Scouts in the afternoon. This morning I had TWO more moms text me that their daughters want to hang out with Korra. This kid's social life is busy!  What are Nate and I supposed to do?

7 am Dentist Appointment

The dentist called yesterday to tell me that our 8am cleaning appointment needed to be moved to 7am. Considering Korra is not a morning person, I was dreading this morning but she handled it like a champ. The promise of chick-fil-a breakfast after the appointment definitely helped. No cavities for either of us though I did gag repeatedly during the x-rays.  They are going to pull 2 baby teeth on Korra next Friday because the adult teeth underneath are coming in sideways and causing her other adult teeth to hurt. She's really nervous but I'm just relieved it doesn't have to be oral surgery. Also relieved that next week's appointment isn't until 11:30. 

Baby Shower

Today we're having a baby shower at work.  I ordered the food and decorations and have really enjoyed setting it all up today. (Elephant themed!)  Definitely one of my favorite parts of my job.  

College Newsletter

My alma maters' newsletter/magazine came today. I always enjoy reading about former classmates and professors. The issue that came today made me especially proud and nostalgic. My favorite principal I ever worked for was honored for her volunteer work and three of my former students were recognized for their professional accomplishments. It's hard to believe it, but my first group of students are 32 years old this year. 

No-Snow Day

No bad weather at all. The rain and the cold didn't overlap in the slightest. Korra is living her best life on this extra day off school- listening to an audiobook in a bubble bath for the last hour.

“Inclement Weather Day”

Just got the news that there is no school tomorrow (4 day weekend!)  

It's supposed to rain from 4-7am and then drop in temperature to 29 degrees and stay under freezing all day, so I guess the concern is icy roads.

I think I'll work from home, just to be safe. 

Hanging out with friends

On Saturday I had breakfast with my teacher friend from LaGrange. 

Yesterday afternoon we met up with some friends from our neighborhood at a brewery. We see them almost every day at the pool in the summer so it was nice to catch up in the winter. 

This afternoon we met my new friend and her family (2 kids- one in Korra's Girl Scout troop- and husband) at our favorite neighborhood restaurant. We stayed for 4 hours talking while the girls played board games and the Nintendo 64. 

Remodel Done

We finished Korra's room!

Another picture because she’s so pretty

8 inches!

Korra asked me to cut her hair last night. 

3.5 Hours of Painting

Korra and I painted her room this afternoon. She was a fantastic painting partner, taking instructions, using both the brush and the roller, keeping things neat, and never complaining. I forgot just how exhausting painting is. It looks good and I'll take pictures after it's dry and we've put everything back the way it should be. 

Angsty Warrior Cat Songs

Korra loves this person on the internet who makes drawings and songs about her favorite book series. (Apparently so do other people because she's internet-famous at least among this niche fandom). Korra has introduced this artist to a couple of her friends, but one in particular has loved it as much as she does. That friend came over yesterday and when I drove her home, Korra and her friend sang every word of those angst-filled songs based on a book series about cats who fight in clans. They sang loudly and with lots of emotion and even though I don't like the music, I did love that my kid has found a good friend. 

Paint!

Today I went to Ace Hardware to buy a gallon of paint for Korra's room.  I've been putting it off but between getting new floors soon and a surprisingly free Saturday, I think it's time.  The sales guy talked my ear off even after I told him I used to work at an Ace and I know exactly what paint and supplies I need.  

I forgot how expensive paint is!  Hopefully the process of painting her room tomorrow is easier than I'm expecting.

More Rain

It's rainy and cold again today.  I just want to bake cookies and read all day long.

Bathroom Etiquette- AGAIN

 Our office neighbor talked to me AGAIN today in the bathroom.  This time about Girl Scout cookies while I was POOPING and this time she didn't even start talking to me until after I was in the stall.  How do I nicely ask her to not talk to me while the stall is closed?

What Will I Do?

 I was glancing at the blogs I follow, none of which have been updated in 3, 5, 10 years, and wondered if how many people are actually actively still using Blogger? Surely this platform won't last forever and then what will I do?  I have thousands of memories on here.  Also, how will I document my life if it's gone?

Cables

 Today I sorted through two banker's boxes worth of cables.  I identified DisplayPort, VGA, DVI, HDMI, USB A through C plus mini and micro, lightning, and C5, NEMA, and barrel cables.  I untangled them, wrapped them all with twist ties, grouped them in labeled gallon ziplock bags, and then organized them in a filing cabinet.  It was an extremely satisfying way to spend 2 hours.

Lunch with New Friend

Today I had a lunch date with my new friend (who is also named Katie).  Every time I get to talk with her, I like her even more and we find more things we have in common.  It's really hard to make friends as an adult and so I'm extra thankful for this new friendship.

Rainy

Thunder woke me up several times last night. It's still raining and is supposed to keep raining until mid-afternoon.  I don't want to get out of bed. 

Spaghetti

Nate made the most delicious spaghetti for dinner tonight. 

He used a recipe based on the show The Bear. 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/rossyoder/spaghetti-recipe-the-bear-hulu-fx 

New Friend

Korra and I had a double friend date today with a mother and daughter we met through Girl Scouts. I haven't been this excited about making a new friend in a long time. We just click and she's so nice and fun and we have so much in common. Best of all, she feels the same way!  It absolutely made my day to hear her say she's really excited about our new friendship. 

Mac and Cheese Ruined

Last night I was almost done making a creamy cheesy sauce for homemade macaroni and cheese when I found a package of almost-gone shredded cheddar cheese in the fridge and thought, I'll toss this in too. Right after I dumped it in the smell hit me. The cheese was bad. And it ruined my sauce. Ugh. We ate the noodles with butter. It was sad. 

Tiny Cross Stitch

I've been making tiny cross stitch pendants. 

Ticonderoga Club

Korra is at a sleepover tonight, so Nate andi decided to go out on a date. We'd had drinks at the Ticonderoga Club in Krog Street Market before but we decided to try the food tonight. It was delicious, though the menu and the portions were small. I think I generally prefer hole-in-the-wall, casual restaurants over fancier fare and if I'm in Krog Market, there are so many less expensive, equally delicious options. 

Toe-ing the line

Alex isn't allowed in the kitchen, so this is how he lays. 

My kid is cute

Fargo

If you're not watching this new season of Fargo, you should. It's really good. 

Strange Package

We got an Amazon delivery addressed to a former employee (gone for at least 3 weeks). I opened it. 

That face/head is the size of Korra's. The pink kit is full of fake eyelashes. 

???

Cookie Season!

 Korra's got her cookie website up and running and made her flyer.  I printed out a few today and we'll put them up in the neighborhood this afternoon.  Her troop wants to raise money towards a Disney trip!  Send me an email if you want to buy some cookies.

Back To It

 Nate and I got back into the regular swing of work yesterday and Korra went back to school today.  It's been a little bit of a rough transition, but even as I type that, I think about how much easier it was to come back to this job compared to going back to teaching after Christmas break.  Sometimes I think I'm ready to go back to teaching, but moments like this... I might need another year.  

Home Cleaning

Came home today to a complete mess thanks to Alex. We had the foresight to move the Christmas tree into Korra's room and close that off, but he still managed to pull down/knock over other Christmas decorations AND found a canister of oatmeal that was on top of the kitchen cabinets, drag it down, tear it open, and leave oats all over the dining room. 

Ugh. We spent quite a bit of time cleaning up and then just went ahead and packed up all the Christmas decorations and the tree. Sad but easier than trying to fight with a naughty cat.