Really tired

 We are finishing up testing. I'm simultaneously cleaning my classroom and still teaching. I'm planning for next year and the next five minutes.  Since we aren't doing our regular curriculum, there's time to fill in between the big things.

For someone who loves routine, it's a lot.

I am already missing my students.  I have loved having them in my class.  Yesterday was the fifth grade wax museum.  I made sure to visit my former students and two of them hugged me.  

I love my students forever.

Miriam and I have traded spots and I'm on the leadership team next year.  I had my first meeting yesterday.  It was quiet and short.

Matt said, "I think we're all really tired."

He's not wrong.

I slept enthusiastically and long last night and I'm feeling ready to conquer another day.  I may even have the time and energy to go through the drawers in my cabinet and get rid of stuff I don't use.

Challenge accepted

 When we lived in Washington, I moved furniture constantly.  (I think I needed sunshine and blamed the furniture placement.) 

My boys (and their friends) would tell me it wouldn't work and why don't you just leave it where it is?  I would say, "Grab a corner of that couch.  We're moving it."

Multiple times I have found furniture on the side of the road or a giveaway from someone and Adam asks me things like, "But where are you going to put it?" and "I don't think that will work."

And I have said watch me.

Yesterday Matt and Riley were in my classroom picking up our old reading curriculum to make room for our new reading curriculum.  

My class was at computers so I chatted with them.  The topic of my new kiva came up and Matt said, "Where are you going to put it?"

Riley said, "Your classroom is going to go from clean and organized to a mess."

Like I told my family, I am fueled by doubt when it comes to furniture.  

When they were leaving, Matt said, "By the way, Thelma.  Your math scores* are looking really good."

I said, "Wait until you see my math scores after I have that kiva in here."

*Before I'm too self congratulatory, it is in no way all the math scores.  It's like thinking a candidate is winning by a landslide in a state where the metropolitan areas haven't been counted yet.

Weekend

Sunday night I wearily told Adam, "I need a weekend."

We had a good time though.

First, we survived Thelma and Adam's moment of high anxiety with the resurfacing of our road.  I parked at the church after school and Adam and I went from there.  I realized that in our haste we didn't bring some of the food I was planning, but we also got on the road earlier than expected because of our haste.

So that was good.

Geri just beat us to our house and it was nice to have her there.  We showed her around and there were no mice, which is always a bonus!

She helped us get set up, vacuuming and making beds.  It's always a process!  After that, we enjoyed the evening visiting with her.

Saturday was mainly the bridal shower.  I went outside and cut apple blossom branches and daffodils (the tulips were mostly spent).  Then I went borrowing to the neighbors and got some flowers from my dad.  Adam went to town with us and I kept telling him that he didn't have to and I don't know what I was thinking, because I could not have done it without him.

Olivia was on a chair, Desi was rushing to the kitchen, Adam was on a ladder, I was directing traffic.  (I can't remember the name of the lady in the hat--she is in the Wells Ward.)

The party was in the primary room so we had bonus Doctrine and Covenants decor!

Carolina made a delicious and beautiful cake.

my vases had dripped on the table....

Marianne was the amazing ringmaster.  She's not the older sister we deserve, but I'm so glad she's the older sister we have!  Also, she's cute.

Speaking of cute, here's the happy couple (and all these bridal shower pictures are thanks to Geri).

And also, sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters....

After the shower we visited with my parents for a little while, then went home and Adam and Mark worked outside and Geri and Emma and I played cards.

We went out and helped a little, loading branches onto a little trailer that Adam hauled away with the lawn mower pulling it.  I think he is realizing all of his agrarian dreams.

We had dinner and went over to my parents' again to visit with everyone.

Sunday was a nice Mother's Day.  My children gifted me with books and Adam gifted me with tickets to The Ruth.  I felt loved.  

Carolina spoke in church as a farewell before her mission and did a wonderful job.  I was happy to have Adam on one side of me and my cousin Hannah on the other side of me during sacrament meeting.  

At one point, Hannah leaned over to me and asked, "Why did we even wear make-up?!?"

We were both just crying. Not only were we lifted by Carolina's talk, but then she and Hyrum and Lili and Marcos sang.  So good.

We took a few pictures before we changed out of church clothes.

I took the first one:

Then Mark took a selfie:

Then Mark used the timer:

We went over to Marianne's for a delicious lunch and I enjoyed visiting.  My mom gifted us with nice trays and dishtowels and when we were drawing for the gifts (my mom is always fair!), I said, "Wait, are some of the gifts better than others?"

Hannah started laughing.  She said, "Of course this is how you're acting when your mother is trying to do something nice for you.  It never ends!"

True.  Motherhood is not for the faint of heart!

Adam got out one of his kites and Geri took some pictures of kids flying.  (I'm grateful that other people remember to take pictures and are then generous with them.)

Liliana, Carolina, Maisie (Hannah's daughter), Emma and Mark

Geri had planned to come to Utah and stay with us, but unfortunately one of her brothers passed away over the weekend and she headed for home from Starr Valley.

Adam's uncle Ed was such a good man.  He's part of the reason our Mark has the middle name Edward.  It's a good Neilan family name.  I love how close Geri is with her siblings.  I remember when Linn passed away and her brothers came to her house and just sat around the table with her in solidarity.  To me it was a strong message of quiet love and support that I will always remember.

I married into a great family.

***

Yesterday I was super tired.  We had our field trip to the aquarium and I survived it and everyone came back the same number of children we left with.  

School is winding down!  I still have so much to do (grades are due Friday!), but one way or another, it will all get finished because school will end.

Grateful Friday

 I freaked out last night and I'm grateful that Mark talked me down and then Adam talked me down some more.  

I need them in my life.

School is a lot.  Everything is a lot.  Everything is too much.

I had activity days waiting for me in my driveway when I came hurtling home from school and then I found out that they are resurfacing the roads in our neighborhood so we aren't going to be able to drive on them today or Monday.  No...big deal....

We are going to Nevada after school today, but we can't drive on our road....

Mark stepped in with problem solving when I had nothing.  Mark parked his car out of the neighborhood and he's going to ride his bike to it later when he is going to his friend's wedding.  Adam is taking EVERYTHING including the cooler to work with him, then he will come back and meet me and I'm leaving Joan somewhere.

It's pretty terrible timing, but I think we'll make it work.

I have other things to be grateful for besides Mark to talk me down.

I'm grateful Adam is home from another trip.

I'm grateful for the friendly "Good Morning Miz Davis!" tiny children call to me in the hall every morning at school.  It is especially delightful when they aren't my students, but they're my people.  I love that they are in my life and I am in theirs.

I'm grateful for the random urgent questions I am asked.  During recess yesterday a boy zoomed up to me and said, "The moon is bigger than Earth, right?"

I said "No, Earth is bigger."

He said, "OK," and zoomed away.

I am grateful for how pleasant recess and traffic duty are in May.

We had a Wicked themed teacher appreciation week.  Yesterday the third grade was called in to meet the wizard.  Everyone had to stand before the wizard and get a small gift and some compliments.

I was told that I was as spunky as my red shoes.  I do love my red shoes and I am glad they got a mention.

I asked my team if "spunky" was code for cranky about the construction.  They said they didn't think it was code for anything

I don't know.

Alissa said, "What did they say about me?  I think I blacked out because I don't like that much attention."

I told her they said she was a joy to watch teach and it was clear she loved her students and they loved her.

She said, "Well that's nice."

I am grateful to have a team.  If for no other reason we can reassure each other and listen to and then relay compliments for each other.

I am grateful for my sweet, sweet students.  They are sweeter than I deserve because construction noise makes me grumpy.

One of my students made me a collection of paper flowers.

Another used a 3D printer in art and made me this:

A very quiet and sweet boy solemnly asked me if it was teacher appreciation week.

I said yes.

He said, "OK then."

He pulled this out of his backpack and handed it to me.  A brown paper bag made into an envelope using electrical tape.

I felt like crying when I saw the contents.

They are better than I deserve.

Speaking of better than I deserve, this Mother's Day weekend I'm grateful for my mother and Adam's mother and my friends and sisters who are all stellar examples of motherhood to me.

I'm grateful that I get to be a mother.  It is a blessing in my life.

I'm grateful that we're going to Nevada this weekend and we'll get to see both mothers on Mother's Day and spend lots of good family time.

Fair warning

 Yesterday there was really loud construction again.  I thought the demolition was done!  But, they had to knock out a bunch of brick to widen the entry to make it ADA compliant.

It was awful.

At lunch there was a lull in the sound.  I was walking down the hall and saw the main construction guy.  I asked him if they were done with the bulk of the noise.  He said, "Huh?" and moved his headphones so I asked him again.

He said, "It's still going to be loud."

He couldn't say he didn't warn me.

Miriam and I hid out in the extra 5th grade classroom, then the third grade practiced for the dance festival until recess.

After recess it was finally quiet.

But after school, Matt told us that they didn't make the opening wide enough.

***

My students were doing an assessment, expanding simple sentences.

One of them just recopied the simple sentences.

Yes, because that was what I meant.

Several of them had a grouchy teacher (me) return their papers because they didn't capitalize the sentences.  How many times do I need to tell them?!?

(Very, very many.)

One student was turning in her paper and she is the sweetest hard-working dyslexic little girl who can't spell a bit.  She gave me a rueful look and said, "Just so you know, some of these words are not spelled correctly."

I appreciated the heads up, since I never would have realized on my own they were misspelled....

*** 

I went on a walk with Kim and before I left I told Mark that when I got home to remind me to switch the laundry and then we were going to drop off some things for my ministering sisters and then we were going to MOD for dinner.

He said, "You're honestly asking me to remind you of something?"

Fair point, ADHD kid.

***

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, MOD had buy one get one free pizza.  I told Mark that the woman in front of us in line was a teacher.  "I guarantee it," I said.  "That lady over there is too.  And her."

I watched one of them get out her email to check on the teacher BOGO.  "See," I told Mark.

Another suspected teacher hugged another one and then introduced her to her son as, "My first practicum student."

Teachers.

Another one joined her husband and I thought she looked like a teacher.  She set her Alpine School District ID on the table.

Yep.

When I was ordering my pizza, the girl working there asked, "So is this for the Teacher Appreciation Week BOGO?"

I guess I obviously look like a teacher too?

Then I realized I was wearing my Bonneville Elementary shirt.

Impulse buy

 A few years ago, Miriam bought a kiva for her classroom from a teacher who was retiring.

She had it a year or two and I was jealous of it.

Then she put it for sale on Facebook marketplace because it was too bulky in her classroom.  Michelle, the school counselor, bought it.

Yesterday my class was in the counselor room, having a lesson, and I saw an email that Michelle was selling the kiva.

I bought it. (This picture is in the counselor room.  I dearly wish I had a disco ball!)

A bit bigger than a pack of gum impulse buy at say a gas station.

I may regret it.  It is big and will take up a lot of precious real estate.

On the other hand, it will be great for class discussions as well as all of the storage underneath it.

Also, Michelle is my next door neighbor so it won't be hard to move! (I showed Mark this picture last night so he would know what was in his future.)

Balancing

 It's all so much!

I have a lot to do at school and a lot to do at home.  

At home we have a few busy weeks/weekends coming up, plus an extra person in our household.  There's stuff to do.

At school there is the end of year stuff: the grades, the testing, the awards, the dance festival, getting my classroom sorted, new class lists, a new literacy curriculum to unpack and make room for.  There is stuff to get rid of and storage to improve.  There's stuff to do.

I decided this week, I will focus more at home (leave school ASAP so I can work at home) and next week I'll focus more at school (stay at school until I'm done) and then with faith, trust and pixie dust it will hopefully all work out!

Olivia called me last night while I was banging things around in the kitchen trying to put stuff away.  I told her what I was stressed about and she said, "That's hard."

She told me what she was stressed about and I said, "Don't worry!  Everything is going to be fine."

I hope it helped her as much as it helped me.