
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
I am off today for primary election day. It does make for a weird week because we go Monday, stay home Tuesday, and then Wednesday through Friday. We still have AP testing going on this week because we were out on May 5th and that exam had to be on the makeup day and we are doing state testing for sophomores and juniors. Too much testing, right?
I thought I would do a casual coffee talk post today just catching you up on all aspects behind the scenes here at the casa.
College Kids:
So, the college kids have been home for a little over a week now. They kind of gradually moved out of their respective dorm rooms and went back to campus when they had an in person final and turned in a few papers from home. I tried not to micromanage anything. Tom and I did not step foot on campus to help them move out. Boy, do things change after freshman year. We gladly would have helped, but they insisted they were fine.
The IKEA blue bags – some are still going strong, but some had to be tossed after 3 years. I love them so much. They really are the best.
Their college stuff is mostly still in bags in their bedrooms – ugh. Some of their stuff is in their basement hang out room. They have desks in there, a tv, gaming systems, a futon, and a bathroom. I am going to try to push them to really unpack and let me donate some things as soon as I get done with school, if not sooner.
Mason has been directing outdoor practices and performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at our nature center and has been gone most nights at dinner time. That job just ended and now he needs to find his real summer job.
Jack starts his summer job this week at a music store. I am happy he had a little bit of down time. He also had to sing at some college graduation events, so that kept him a little busy, but still gave him a break after finals.
It’s really nice that they are home with Ernie during the day. I have been rushing home from school since the end of January and this takes a little off of my plate.
There is a bit of a transition period getting used to having 4 in the house and also not overstepping with your kids who have been managing themselves. Also, I have forgotten how to shop for and cook for four people! We have only gotten to eat dinner together a handful of times so far because of the play practice, but I am hoping we get to do it more.
Anyway, I love having them here. I feel like I get more hugs and words of appreciation now and it’s very sweet. They were always like that until the teen years and now I feel like it’s back again.
School
I have 7 more days with my seniors and 11 more days with my underclassmen. I have had a really great school year. I am sad because you never get the same dynamic again in your 6 classes. I have laughed more than I deserve this year because of them.
I also really worked on my work/life balance and it made a world of difference. I didn’t check email after hours or on weekends with a few exceptions. I didn’t watch the 9 a.m. Sunday Memo from my principal until Monday morning. Guess what – I didn’t miss anything and there were no emergencies. I continued to meal prep and it was a saving grace. I also challenged myself with learning lots of new technology and getting on Tik Tok.
There were definitely things I wish I had done better but that’s the beauty of teaching – I get a do over next year.
Shopping
I haven’t been clothes or shoe shopping much for myself and I continue to track my spending as I have in January, February, March, and April. I am trying to be content with what I have. Summer clothes and shoes are my absolute favorite, though, and when I have more time I shop more. I’m ok with that as the timing usually works out that things start going on sale just as I get out of school!
Well, my coffee has gotten cold and I have run out of talk.
What would you tell me if we were sitting down for a cup of coffee?
Amy









































































































