Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Week 1

It's week 1 and I'm still going strong. It kind of makes me sound like I'm on a diet or something. I've survived my first week after moving. So after being down with the crud and napping all the time, I have finally bounced back. This weekend we shopped for a new mattress. It is weird to lay on the beds in the middle of the store. I learned that you have to lay there for about 10-15 minutes to have a good "idea" about the mattress. Shopping for a mattress when it's just you is pretty easy, but when you have to consider both of you and your styles... that makes it a little more tricky. Thankfully we managed to agree on a bed and get out of the store feeling great about our purchase. Day 2 and sleeping like a champ! I think we take for granted how important it is to have a decent mattress and how much better you feel when you sleep soundly at night.

This weekend we went to Crystal beach to visit some family. We left early Sunday afternoon for what should have been about an hour commute.... Not on this weekend... It was longer than the three hour tour. Once we arrived at our destination, we visited with family. Enjoyed some jalapeno poppers and cheeseburgers. I made a new Weight Watcher's dessert. It is a wonderful summertime recipe. It is Raspberry Walnut bars.They were super good, traveled well, and didn't make us feel guilty for eating them. I'll post it on Keeling's Kitchen soon. 

Yesterday we got to relax. Actually relax and "do nothing". It was a lazy day. Well not really lazy, but it sounds good right? I monogrammed backpacks and beach towels for the kids. They are coming next week and we are taking them to the beach. I hope they LOVE their bags. We filled them with all kinds of goodies. I think as long as we remembered the fruit chews, we are a pretty jam up aunt and uncle. It's the small things in life. 

Today I went to Seabrook and got to see my new classroom. I met some of the 7th grade ELA teachers. I was given many books to read and some professional development things to look in to. I was guided on how to find my email! Can I say how dumb I felt? I'm a techie person, but sure didn't know how to navigate the new interface. I have to learn a new webpage management software as they don't use Blackboard in this district. Hopefully it will be an easy transition. The students definitely seemed ready to get out for summer. I'm looking forward to this new challenge. It's a bit overwhelming, but it'll be great. I signed up for my last 2 test today. I take one in June and one in July. Please keep me in your prayers. I hate testing about as much as the next person, but I'm on a deadline and would LOVE to have these tests done and not hanging over my head all year. 

Anyway all in all it's been a pretty good week. It's HOT here! I mean HOOOOOOOTTTTTTT! I lived in Lake Charles, but this is much hotter. lol! I'm looking forward to a shopping visit with family this week and mini vacation with the kids next week. Things have started picking up the pace as each day of summer rolls on by. 


Friday, May 27, 2016

Welcome to Texas


Welcome to Texas! This sign held a new meaning for me this round as I passed the state line from Louisiana into Texas. I'm pleased to say we got internet yesterday and I feel as though I've entered the land of the living again. I've been waiting to blog so I could sort through all my thoughts and feelings and today I found myself wanting to avoid it. Sometimes it is easier to not have to deal with the real deep stuff going on right? However I promised my husband that I would work on making time to journal the transition I'm experiencing in order to see the growth that took place over the course of this upcoming year. 

I'm so glad to have had our stuff moved here and put away before I got home for good. That was a blessing. It's nice to be able to come in and just relax. I moved the last of the boxes to storage as well as cleaned out my school stuff from the car. It was nice to get things squared away. I think I needed to feel like I made the apartment "home". I've been told it's like nesting, but I like to have things put away and the woman's touch on the place. I don't think my husband minds. I'm sure it's a tad amusing. 

Ok so how's Texas so far? Well.... I started off by visiting the local urgent care. I can honestly say they were super nice. I'm trying to get rid of this stupid sinus cough. The steroid shot has been keeping me restless at night. I hope that today is the day I get to crash and sleep like a champion. I hate not being able to sleep at night. 



I got my teacher planner this week. School supplies make me happy! Anyway, I found the school calendar for next year and wrote in the few holidays we get off. Boy Texas sure does it much different than Louisiana. We aren't off for many vacation days during the school year. I am excited to meet with some of the staff next week at my new school. I think it will give me some normalcy to feel like I'm getting my feet wet and figuring out what the next year will hold. 

I realized that I lost all my teacher resources from my Blackboard site. So I set up a symbaloo account and started retracing my technology resources. It's actually a pretty neat pinboard for websites and such. After reaching out to my fellow colleagues, I was able to begin adding to my technology resources. It's so different planning for a non ipad type classroom. My students will have a tablet, but I'm moving more to Web 2.0 tools. Thankfully I've had training on all types of technology tools, so I can integrate technology easier into my future classroom. 


While refreshing some of my technology tools, I had to change my school for Class Dojo. I've been a mentor for a couple of years and I was concerned about losing my status with moving schools. I put in a simple email and viola! Class Dojo Mentor status is restored. It's the little things in life that helps contribute to the normalcy of adjusting to change. 


I spent the better part of my morning organizing my embroidery files. I did that for several hours until my eyes were ready to shut down. I have 2 folders FULL of  designs left to categorize. I will be super glad that I did this right? After a peanut butter and homemade plum jelly (don't knock it until you try it!) sandwich, I settled down for a much needed nap. My mind was so glad to have a break to unwind. My husband asks what do I do when I first get out of school.... my answer.... nothing.... literally nothing. There is something so draining about winding down the school year. I haven't been as productive as I wanted to be, but most of the house was already put together for me. I caught up on laundry. All my married friends with kids.... I get it now! Laundry is the one chore that is NEVER complete. There is always one more load to do or another one building. It's almost like waiting for a resolution, but instead it's in a constant state of rising action in the plot line of chore life. 

Today was a soggy day. It was PERFECT stay home and rest/nap weather. Honestly I'm thankful for a stocked freezer and pantry where I could plan a meal without having to leave the house. Maybe today was the first real lazy day I've had. Just winding down in time to rest for the weekend. Lol! That's real life right? 

I'm really excited about sewing this summer. I am collecting patterns from the 2016 Row by Row Experience. If you sew, check out the link - http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/. I plan to make stops by local quilt shops when we do a little light travel this summer. I think this will be a great resource and learning tool. I'm eager to check out the two quilt shops near me: Painted Pony and Pinwheels and Posies. I hope to take some classes and gain some more skills. I know that I have a sewing class with Grandmother to teach me how to make a bed skirt for my bed. I'm pretty stoked about that as I need a split bed skirt and they are hard to find. Why not learn to make my own right? 

Well it's time I get off of here. I have to start getting dinner put together and in the oven so my husband has a hot meal to come home to. It really makes me feel good taking care of him again.... it's good to be home with my husband and taking care of our home.