1. Humidity is so weird to me. Yesterday it was 80 degrees, but the RealFeel was 97 degrees, thanks to our good friend humidity. Why doesn't it do that in the winter? Why can't it be 30 degrees with a RealFeel of 47? Instead we get 10 degrees with RealFeel of -10, thanks to our other good friend wind.
2. We moved a couple of weeks ago. We now live in Fishers, which is a really nice area but it's farther from work which I don't love. It's also smaller and I don't have my own space like I did at the old house (in the basement with my own bathroom), but we're adjusting fine and it's actually been fun to be up here with the kids when they're getting ready for bed. They come visit me in my room a lot more often. Here's my new room:
3. A while back we watched a lot of episodes of a show called DC Cupcake, which follows a cupcake shop called Georgetown Cupcake in Washington, D.C. It's ironic because when I visited D.C. this summer, my friend Rachel pointed the shop out to me and I had no idea what she was talking about. Then when I got home, my nieces and nephews were watching the show. It's strangely addicting and it not-so-strangely makes me want cupcakes all the time, which is a dangerous side effect. It prompted this cupcake run with the kids:
And these take-out runs. (Can you beLIEVE that icing? Nuts. I think I ate about half of it.)
Come to think of it, I have to meet someone downtown tomorrow for a snack, and I'm thinking it should be a cupcake.
4. I started a new job and I really like it. WHAT? Now, don't get carried away - I don't necessarily look forward to going to work, but I definitely don't dread it which is a big deal for me. I don't like jobs in general, so I'm feeling good about this one. I have great hours - 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM - that I can actually stick to. If I'm working on something when it's time to go, I just leave it on my desk and finish it the next day. That's my favorite part. I feel like I have a life outside of my job. My title is Parent Involvement Educator, and the job basically entails doing whatever I can to support our families and connect with the community. I organize donations (uniforms, school supplies, etc.) and distribute them, I go on home visits (for attendance issues or just relationship building), I meet with and plan events with community organizations, I manage partners who want to come volunteer or present in the school, I create the monthly newsletter, I distribute a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day, I coordinate a partnership that gives extra food to kids who are hungry, and lots of other things. It's a lot of administrative work, but I still get to work with the kids and parents on a personal level, which I enjoy. I have a lunch duty every day with the first and second graders and it's actually fun, because it's only 30 minutes. :) I enjoy my co-workers, and I love being able to help out when needed. I have tons of flexibility and a lot of autonomy which I love. I was telling my principal the other day that one of the things I love most about my job is that I can drop whatever I'm doing to help someone and it doesn't derail my day. As a teacher, I had so much to do all the time that I would resent the times I'd have to do anything other than what I had planned to do. But with this job, I'm available to help out as needed. For example, on Friday a few teachers were moving their classrooms because they got reassigned to different grades and my principal called and asked if I'd go help them for a while. So I was able to help someone without fretting about what I wasn't getting done of my own work. It's just a generally happier job. I'm not dealing with behavior issues; I'm just the nice lady who gives you clothes or a new backpack if you need it. It's the best.
Here are a few pictures of my room: the "parent center." When I started, I had so much stuff to go through - mostly donated clothing and supplies. It took me a solid week to get everything organized, but it finally came together!
Before (and this isn't even all of it):
After:
5. My brother's baby, Adelina, hates me. Every time I hold her, she cries, even if she was perfectly content before. The other day I was at their house and even my brother Jacob had her calm then she started fussing once I got her. Isaac says she has an altimeter built in and if you're under 6 feet tall, she gets mad. Apparently, she cries when Tessa holds her, too.
Snug as a bug for my mom (after I'd been bouncing, rocking, swinging, and walking for an hour to get her to calm down) and cool as a cucumber for Jacob.
The only time she doesn't cry when I hold her is if she's asleep or if she's eating, and neither of those lasts very long.
6. Tessa's kids started at their new schools - Jonah in 7th grade, Emerson in 5th, and the twins in Kindergarten.
7. I read non-stop. I got addicted to the The Mortal Instruments series (like read a whole book in a day rather than pack for an impending move...), and I'm now waiting not-so-patiently for the last book which is apparently in high demand at the library (sidenote: how amazing are libraries? I can read whatever I want FOR FREE! This is an incredible and wonderful idea.) I also read Divergent and am waiting on the next one of that series, too. It's crazy awesome to have time to read while still working.
8. I'm currently addicted to Hot Box breadsticks and cheese. Some co-workers got them at work like a week ago and I've had them twice since. So good.
9. I got a laptop for work, which is a huge blessing because since my personal laptop was stolen a few months ago, it's made it hard for me to keep up with some things like blogging (that's my excuse), but now I have one that I didn't have to pay for! Yippee!
10. I'm already craving another vacation. I have a problem. I think I need to be on vacation every other week. I need that to be my job.
