First, I want to make one thing clear: my Christmas shopping was done by Halloween. My Christmas cards were ready to mail by Thanksgiving. And my apartment was decorated in a classy manner (if a little sparse) by December 1st. I understood the Christmas assignment and I was on top of things.
However, it has still been an incredibly busy past 30 days for several reasons.
1. We had family in town for Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving was also my birthday. That takes prep and time.
2. My family and I are leaving for Egypt tomorrow (fingers crossed that everything goes well and we can actually get on the plane). Traveling takes preparation, and that preparation doubles when you factor in traveling during the time of COVID. We thankfully all tested negative, but there's also health surveys and waivers. Plus the usual cleaning, packing, and finding a temporary home for the Coco kitty. I really just want to see the mummies.
3. I'm switching schools, and school districts, in January. I will wait until I actually start my new job to go into details, but I am cautiously optimistic about the move. I have needed a change for a while now. That being said, any teacher can tell you that moving classrooms can be a nightmare. We just accumulate so much stuff for our classrooms. I mean, we all know teachers routinely spend their own money on classroom supplies, but you never realize just how much until you have to haul it to your car.
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| Look at the empty classroom! No decorations, not supplies, just desks and data charts. |
So, I did not quite meet my physical activity and healthy eating goals for the past 30 days. That will be a renewed goal in January after returning from traveling.
I did, however, read two books: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon and Persuasion by Jane Austen. I really enjoyed both, especially since I didn't have to buy either. I downloaded Persuasion from Project Gutenburg (https://www.gutenberg.org/) and found The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time in the the free library box in my parents' neighborhood. Yay for free knowledge!
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| So good! |
I also made it to my two activities. I saw The Lion King at the Orpheum with some teacher friends (so good!) and went to the Enchanted Forest with my dad. My mom's office sponsored one of the Christmas trees at the Enchanted Forest (it's a fundraiser for Le Bonheur Children's' Hospital), and I think they went a little overboard.
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| I just can't wait to be king! |
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| The Enchanted Forest |
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| In front of the overboard disco Christmas tree experience |
Anyway, I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday season! See you in 2022!
