Free Comic Book Day!

Sharing their love of comic books and draft beer (root beer for Korra). 

Day 3 or 300?

It's only been 3 days of school so far but it feels like it's been 300. Every day is getting smoother but it's still so exhausting. 

The best news of the week? Today we did our weekly COVID test of all staff and a good number of students and we had ZERO positive results!

Unanticipated

I knew I would be tired. I expected and planned for the kids to struggle with focusing, sitting in desks, changing classes, not being able to eat and go to the bathroom whenever they wanted. What I wasn't prepared for was how things that happened in other parts of the building would impact me. When I'm teaching from home, it didn't really matter if other teachers were out, but in the building I get interrupted over add over. People come by to pick up papers, make announcements, or ask me questions. It really threw me off, especially when added to all the other challenges of the day. Hopefully things will go more smoothly tomorrow. Or at the very least, I'll be more mentally prepared for the mild chaos. 

First Day of 4th Grade

Getting ready for next week

The first week of school is always exhausting (and after more than a year of being virtual, I think it might be doubly so), I've done some meal prep this weekend. I baked a batch of zucchini oatmeal blueberry muffins for breakfast and made a big bowl of Mediterranean quinoa salad for lunches plus I've made a lasagna and a quiche for dinners.  Oh, and I made a pan of peanut butter chocolate bars to share with my coworkers. 

All that cooking and baking was actually a nice stress reliever. 

School Mascot

One of my former students welcomed our new kindergartners in the brand new school Mascot outfit, but first, he posed for a picture with Korra. 

Fidgets

I sewed up these fidgets for my students tonight. They don't look like much, but each tube has a marble sewn inside which makes it very satisfying to push the marble around inside the fabric. Hopefully the kids will like them and it'll help them stay focused this year. 

Never have I ever

Today was orientation day for our middle school students. In language arts, we played Never Have I Ever. The best line of the day: "Never have I ever farted in class and blamed it on someone else." Nearly all the other kids got up and I nearly peed myself laughing. Taking this as a sign that it's going to be a great year. 

Hello, Stress

I knew it would come and thankfully it's not terrible but I was/am definitely feeling stressed and overwhelmed today. Tomorrow morning is an optional orientation and I don't really feel ready. Tomorrow isn't long enough to get everything done I need for Monday. 

I'm trying to do things that will help me keep things in perspective and lower my stress level. 30 minutes of floating in the pool. Reading a book in the hammock. Deep breaths. A little yoga. It's going to be ok. 

Ice cream for lunch

Korra has had to sit in my classroom from 7:15 until 4:00 every day this week so for a treat today, we went out for ice cream. The weather was lovely and it was so nice to be out of the building for an hour. 

No kids allowed

Got an email at 5:00 today "reminding" is teachers that the employees of children are not allowed in the building during planning and that alternative childcare should be arranged.  First I've heard of it AND extra shocking since the principal has been taking Korra's temperature each morning this week when we arrive. 

In the past, I would have freaked out, but today, I just replied "I am unable to make childcare arrangements on such short notice. Should I request PTO for the rest of the week?"

I got an immediate response from the principal that I can continue to bring Korra (and an apology that this wasn't communicated earlier). That feels like a win to me. 

The Sweats

Calling parents always makes my armpits so sweaty, even when the calls are pleasant. 

I made 14 phone calls to the parents of my homeroom students this afternoon. I'm teaching a couple of younger siblings to kids I've taught previously and the parents all seemed super happy to have me. 

But still, my pits were soaked. 

Flexibility

One of the ice breakers we did today was about what we learned during the pandemic. I learned to be more flexible (more being key here). I'm starting this school year fully expecting to be remote for a few stretches. I plan to leave school every day with the knowledge that I might not come back the next day if we get a phone call that night that Korra or I have been exposed and need to quarantine. Changing plans is still hard for me, but mentally preparing myself that flexibility will be necessary will help me be much happier. 

Pre-planning Day 1

Korra's best friend's mom also works at Kindezi so they were happy to have the day to play together while we had meetings. The day was long, some of the meetings were boring, but I don't feel overwhelmed at all, which is a a big deal for me. My room is ready (except for that I need 2 more desks and the desks are backordered until September) and I have a rough idea of what I'm going to teach for the first two weeks. Feeling pretty good. 

Time to get up

Getting myself up at 6:15, no big deal.

Getting Korra up at 6:45 after 18 months of sleeping in until 7:30 or later... We're about to see. 

Afternoons at the Pool

The temperatures have been in the high 90s every day this week so we've been enjoying the pool even more than usual. Korra is an absolute fish and would stay all day if we let her. 

Pizza Night

We tried a new pizza place tonight. The Detroit style pizza at Triple Js is nearly as good as Nina and Rafi's, but way less expensive and easier/faster ordering and pick up. We'll definitely be eating there again. 

While I was cooking dinner Korra said to me...

Sometimes I feel like my life's a play but no one has rehearsed their lines.

Backpack

I added some buttons and embroidery to my backpack. 

51 minutes

Today I spent a total of 51 minutes on hold with 3 different doctor's offices and STILL didn't manage to get an appointment. Ugh. 

Korra's Gag Reflex

Korra has a sensitive gag reflex. Things that cause her to gag: 

-putting dishes in the dishwasher

-coffee breath

-gross foods on TV

-the smell when she first gets in the car

-watching someone (me) eat a banana

Homemade Ravioli

Korra got a kid's cookbook from the library. She was insistent that we try the recipe for ravioli so we bought all the ingredients and tried it today. It took over 2 hours, made a huge mess, and I ended up doing most of it by myself because it was too frustrating, difficult, and tedious for Korra. It was delicious, but way too much work. 

Bulletin Board

This morning I went to the school to start getting my room ready. I put border on my bulletin boards and printed out an "All About Me" craft for the first day of school (that I'll put on the bulletin board). Here's my example:

Lunch with Nate

Korra and I picked up udon and sushi and went to have lunch with Nate today. It was neat to see where he works (and to see him at work for a bit). 

Carrot Apple Zucchini Bread

https://www.momontimeout.com/carrot-apple-zucchini-bread-recipe/#recipe

I made this bread today and it's fantastic. I subbed the sugar for honey (half) and a cup of flour with oats. I also added flax meal and wheat germ just to make it a little healthier. It makes 2 loaves and boy am I glad. The second one is going in the freezer. Perfect after school snack or breakfast!