It's parent teacher conference night, which you can imagine is always an onslaught of excitement, wonder and glee. The night usually goes something like this. Sit for ten minutes. Talk to a parent for one minute. Sit for ten minutes. Talk to a parent for one minute. Sit for ten minutes. Are you following this very complicated pattern?
Really parent teacher conferences aren't horrible. We stay two nights an extra four hours each and then we get Friday off. It does make for really long days. But the gym is air conditioned and it is admittedly much easier to sit at a table and talk to a few random parents than it is to teach four 85 minute class periods in a row, so I don't complain. Also they give us dinner and snacks. Also because I'm part time I only have to be here one night instead of two. Part time is basically a basket full of perks and dreams and white gummy bears.
I like to play a game where I look at the parents flooding into our gym and then I look at their child and then I try to figure out exactly how and when that parent found out that they were expecting said child. Was the baby a surprise? A much awaited piece of good news? Were they alone when they found out the happy (or not so happy) news? In a gas station bathroom? On a vacation in Europe? How did they come to know that for the next couple of decades (and really forever) their lives would be dramatically different? Did they ever think during that moment of "oh my gosh I'm pregnant!" that sixteen and a half years later they would be wandering aimlessly around a high school gym, tracking down teachers, trying to figure out why this said-pregnancy-now-turned-high-schooler has a 66% in Art? DID THEY EVER THINK OF THAT?
Speaking of finding out you're pregnant...
I'm not pregnant. And for a long time I really wanted to be. But June has turned full blown toddler on us. She daily empties out the cupboards, throws her food from the high chair, and squeals like a pteradactyl when I have the audacity to try to close the fridge door while she is busy getting her little hands on a jar of mayonaise. She's gotten quite unreasonable. So I think I can wait a little while for baby #2. I hear that all kids only go through one difficult stage and then they're perfect angels for the rest of their lives so I'm just going to wait until June comes out of this stage.
Other things you might want to know but probably don't need to know but maybe you are in a state or place where my life minutia is somewhat interesting to you... (?) I don't pretend to understand the way the world works. But just in case. Here you go.
+ After reading Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin, I cleaned out my closet. (Book discussion on this is on October 8.) And it felt so gooooooood. Like all my extra clothes and shoes were this physical burden on me and now that they are gone I don't have to feel it. And every time I saw that shirt hanging in the closet that I don't like anymore I felt guilty for not wearing it. But now I gave it away to a thrift store (in theory. In reality it's in my car trunk but IT WILL BE at the thrift store) and it just feels right, you know. Like I have no more weird shirt guilt.
***Next steps: cleaning out pantry, coat closet, and fridge.
+ Greg and I are so grateful for how supportive you have all been of our little jewelry venture. I have been blown away at the blog readers who have left sweet notes on orders. This is such an amazing community, and I am honored to be a part of it. We are hoping to get to a place where the jewelry provides us a kind of self employment that fulfills all of our wildest dreams... Could little dainty necklaces be capable of all that?
+ Speaking of jewelry, we unrolled our little gold ball and gold square necklaces earlier today. They are 14 karat gold filled and stunning little pieces perfect for the holiday season coming up. And any time we show a new piece, we like to start with a bang so use code BLING20 for 20% off your gold ball or gold square necklace. The code will be good for a week.
+ I'm still at parent teacher conferences. My conferences with students usually go one of two ways: #1: Parent + student come. Student has an A. I tell parent their student is a very hard worker. Parent + student leave happy. #2: Parent + student come. Student has an F. Parent is mad at student. Student tries to explain himself. I watch in discomfort. I tell parent and student everything that student needs to do to no longer have an F. Parent + student leave unhappy. I don't know why, but I rarely see my B,C, and D students.
+ This weekend Greg and I are headed to a High School Shakespeare festival with his theater rugrats. Nothing is better than watching 16 year olds pretend to be Lady Macbeth. And I say that in earnest.
+ Today I am feeling really really grateful for the strong and understanding people in my life. I draw a lot of strength from my mom because nothing ever stops her. I am also really grateful for my boss this week who has been kind and understanding in a way that I have really needed. It is a really great thing to be surrounded by good people. I try to draw from their strength so that later I can have the strength to give to others. Like some kind of awesome strength parasite cycle.
+ Tomorrow I have to miss teaching my classes and instead go to an all day training. I'm not happy about it, especially since I haven't taught my sixth period AP class for the past three class periods due to counseling presentation, graduation assembly, college day, in that order. Sometimes there is not enough teaching going on in teaching.
+ Forty more minutes of parent teacher conference. I can do this!
Really parent teacher conferences aren't horrible. We stay two nights an extra four hours each and then we get Friday off. It does make for really long days. But the gym is air conditioned and it is admittedly much easier to sit at a table and talk to a few random parents than it is to teach four 85 minute class periods in a row, so I don't complain. Also they give us dinner and snacks. Also because I'm part time I only have to be here one night instead of two. Part time is basically a basket full of perks and dreams and white gummy bears.
I like to play a game where I look at the parents flooding into our gym and then I look at their child and then I try to figure out exactly how and when that parent found out that they were expecting said child. Was the baby a surprise? A much awaited piece of good news? Were they alone when they found out the happy (or not so happy) news? In a gas station bathroom? On a vacation in Europe? How did they come to know that for the next couple of decades (and really forever) their lives would be dramatically different? Did they ever think during that moment of "oh my gosh I'm pregnant!" that sixteen and a half years later they would be wandering aimlessly around a high school gym, tracking down teachers, trying to figure out why this said-pregnancy-now-turned-high-schooler has a 66% in Art? DID THEY EVER THINK OF THAT?
Speaking of finding out you're pregnant...
I'm not pregnant. And for a long time I really wanted to be. But June has turned full blown toddler on us. She daily empties out the cupboards, throws her food from the high chair, and squeals like a pteradactyl when I have the audacity to try to close the fridge door while she is busy getting her little hands on a jar of mayonaise. She's gotten quite unreasonable. So I think I can wait a little while for baby #2. I hear that all kids only go through one difficult stage and then they're perfect angels for the rest of their lives so I'm just going to wait until June comes out of this stage.
Other things you might want to know but probably don't need to know but maybe you are in a state or place where my life minutia is somewhat interesting to you... (?) I don't pretend to understand the way the world works. But just in case. Here you go.
+ After reading Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin, I cleaned out my closet. (Book discussion on this is on October 8.) And it felt so gooooooood. Like all my extra clothes and shoes were this physical burden on me and now that they are gone I don't have to feel it. And every time I saw that shirt hanging in the closet that I don't like anymore I felt guilty for not wearing it. But now I gave it away to a thrift store (in theory. In reality it's in my car trunk but IT WILL BE at the thrift store) and it just feels right, you know. Like I have no more weird shirt guilt.
***Next steps: cleaning out pantry, coat closet, and fridge.
+ Greg and I are so grateful for how supportive you have all been of our little jewelry venture. I have been blown away at the blog readers who have left sweet notes on orders. This is such an amazing community, and I am honored to be a part of it. We are hoping to get to a place where the jewelry provides us a kind of self employment that fulfills all of our wildest dreams... Could little dainty necklaces be capable of all that?
+ Speaking of jewelry, we unrolled our little gold ball and gold square necklaces earlier today. They are 14 karat gold filled and stunning little pieces perfect for the holiday season coming up. And any time we show a new piece, we like to start with a bang so use code BLING20 for 20% off your gold ball or gold square necklace. The code will be good for a week.
+ I'm still at parent teacher conferences. My conferences with students usually go one of two ways: #1: Parent + student come. Student has an A. I tell parent their student is a very hard worker. Parent + student leave happy. #2: Parent + student come. Student has an F. Parent is mad at student. Student tries to explain himself. I watch in discomfort. I tell parent and student everything that student needs to do to no longer have an F. Parent + student leave unhappy. I don't know why, but I rarely see my B,C, and D students.
+ This weekend Greg and I are headed to a High School Shakespeare festival with his theater rugrats. Nothing is better than watching 16 year olds pretend to be Lady Macbeth. And I say that in earnest.
+ Today I am feeling really really grateful for the strong and understanding people in my life. I draw a lot of strength from my mom because nothing ever stops her. I am also really grateful for my boss this week who has been kind and understanding in a way that I have really needed. It is a really great thing to be surrounded by good people. I try to draw from their strength so that later I can have the strength to give to others. Like some kind of awesome strength parasite cycle.
+ Tomorrow I have to miss teaching my classes and instead go to an all day training. I'm not happy about it, especially since I haven't taught my sixth period AP class for the past three class periods due to counseling presentation, graduation assembly, college day, in that order. Sometimes there is not enough teaching going on in teaching.
+ Forty more minutes of parent teacher conference. I can do this!
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