Thursday, August 10, 2023

This is definitely not a teacher blog, but teaching is such a big part of my life that it gets talked about quite frequently here. So, yesterday was our first day of school.

photo of me as a beginning teacher

How is it that it is my 30th year? I am only 51! I guess there are advantages to starting your big girl job so young. I was 22 when I started and will turn 52 in November. I am starting to have lots of people shocked that I haven’t retired and asking me when I will retire. I really don’t know! I swear!

I don’t love the first day for the reason that I do too much talking. I love to get the first day out of the way so we can start my real teaching style which is that they do a lot of talking.

So much has changed since my first year – the 1994-1995 school year. We didn’t even have the internet yet in my school. I think it was two or three years later when our business department was like, “Hey ya’ll – look at this here thing called internet”. Some of my besties were in the business department at my first school and they loved showing us this new “tool”!

Also, the kids had “smoking passes”. If their parents signed a form, they could whip out a pass and go smoke between classes. I also remember the students telling me they could tell which teachers smoked by how they held their chalk – bahaha! I was never a smoker, by the way.

Here is a new trend I am noticing and I do not like it. So, we had 8 rotations with different information led by the admin team, counselors, and a few support staff like the “goal clarity” coach (I use quotes because what does that even mean?), the building assessment coordinator (yup, we have a position just for all the testing we are mandated to do), and a few other people. In all 8 of the sessions we were told to just text these people if we needed things because email would not be checked or would get lost. Say what? In one of the sessions, we were asked to put our personal cell phone number on a sheet. Last year I had non-emergency texts while I was teaching sent by one of these people. I do not want to give out my personal cell to anyone else. I just don’t. Sorry. I have also had a principal call me at 8:30 p.m. on my cell about a non-emergency thing. He is no longer at my school, but come on!

As my long-time readers know, I have worked really hard to have a work/life balance. Maybe this makes me that old, curmudgeonly teacher!

Promises/Goals for Myself:

-People before paper. If a student or fellow teacher comes in, they are more important than the task I was working on.

-Take care of my feet – comfy shoes!

-Leave work at work. I would rather come in early or stay late and keep my work/homelife separate.

-Do not check emails after hours unless I am expecting something or have something I need to look for specifically. Do not watch the principal’s memo on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. Why? The information will still be there Monday morning.

-Walk and read after school (try to wait on tv until after my evening shower) and do not plan too much during the week. This will be even more important as I will get home an hour or more later. My new end time is 3:20 where it used to be 2:20 and I no longer have last period as my planning. Last year I was able to wrap things up and be ready to go very close to that time!

-Make plans with friends – but maybe only a couple times a month if it’s during the week or think outside the box like a weekend morning.

-Work smarter – Use grocery pickup and order things instead of wasting precious time and energy running around.

-Guard my exposure to negative content, news, people, etc.

You can also check out my Self-Care Syllabus here and I recommend that everyone have one – parents and teachers alike!

I hope that all of you have a wonderful school year – teachers, parents, wives, husbands, grandparents. I pray that our schools are safe places to foster the love of learning. I hope that all kids feel loved and special.

So, I wrote this before our news last Thursday morning – our school district cancelled for four days (so far) to get the bus situation fixed. Teachers had to work two of those days which is actually good so that we don’t have too many added to the end of the school year – we hope.

Amy

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Monday, August 14, 2023

Well, if you read my Friday Favorites you know what transpired last week. We had our first day of school on Wednesday and then school was cancelled for Thursday and Friday due to our bussing situation. Hey, you might have seen my district on the national news? It’s just so, so sad. I was stunned when I heard the news on Thursday morning and then I woke up Friday morning just incredibly sad.

I am linking up with Sarah and Holly to share my weekend…

Thursday Erica invited me to her pool and we had a lovely time from around 1:00 until about 4:00 when we got the text message that we were supposed to report to work on Friday after all – for just a teacher work day. Previously they had said no teachers were to report for either day. Just kidding!

The face of a woman in a toxic relationship with her employer:

Relationship status: “It’s complicated”

As a little more back story, my school was one of the schools “taking one for the team” by changing school start and end times to fix the bussing issues from last year and years past.

So, no one will ever call me spontaneous, but I in fact was on Friday…

After work, I joined in a road trip that my bestie was on. She got her daughter Morgan Wallen concert tickets in Columbus, OH for her birthday. Heather was only dropping her daughter and friend off and didn’t have a ticket, so I joined, and we met my sister who lives there. Columbus is cool! High Street was hopping. Of course, I had been many times, but it had been a long time since I had “gone out” rather than staying at my sister’s house.

First, we stopped at the hotel and the girls put on their concert ‘fits – so cute!

Then, my sister had made us a reservation and we had the best outdoor table…

The food and the conversation were great!

After dinner, we went back to my sister’s house where Ezra was waiting:

We chatted a bit more and then Heather picked up the girls and went back to the hotel and I stayed with Kate.

The next morning Kate took me to the hotel and we were on the road by 10 because the girls had an event to attend back at home. That was why I was able to go, too, because I already had plans to leave my house by 5:00 for dinner and the Eddie B Teachers Only comedy show with Erica, my teaching partner in crime.

We ate at 8 Up which is the rooftop resaurant at the downtown Hilton…

We split everything and got a bibb and bleu salad,

chicken sliders,

and potato puffs.

Rooftop photo opp:

It was really funny on the weekend after the bussing situation to have what appeared to be mostly my district’s teachers at this event.

He had added to his routine as I’m sure you can imagine and roasted some of our district’s leadership.

This was at The Brown Theatre and after we went in The Brown Hotel:

We found our French teacher there!

I woke up Sunday morning and realized I cannot do this much in a weekend! I had a slow morning until Tom realized we needed a new kitchen faucet and then I stucky by his side and helped me replace it.

After we plumbed, we went out on the boat and had the most relaxing time.

My mani matched my cup!

We went home and I made dinner, took a shower, and we did Sunday night things even though…

I got a message Saturday that we would not have school Monday and Tuesday would be another teacher day. The goal is to try to have students come on Wednesday – exactly a week after our ill-fated first day of school.

What about you? What did you do?

Amy

Friday, August 11, 2023

Happy Friday – it has been such a weird week – you will have to wait til the end to find out what happened! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika!

First, off, Sunday was the culminating performance of Jack’s opera training. They did Tales of Hoffman – 3 hours in French – please don’t ask me to explain what happened.

I did understand dinner – Mexican food!

Mason wanted to try ham croquettes – I had these in Spain:

Monday was a long teacher work day but the alumni association bought us lunch:

Monday night I wore my new Wit and Wisdom pants – like buttah – you need them. Tom and I finally went to eat at the Italian restaurant where Mason has been working.

It’s pretty incredible inside and I think it’s been a good experience.

Tuesday was another work day:

And, Wednesday we started school with the kids!

After school, the PTA had a big spread for us and it was really nice to socialize with the other teachers and see how their days went.

Look at this cute pencil cookie!

I was so, so tired. It was a combo of not sleeping great (never do on the night before the first day) and just how intense it is. I went outside and read my book and felt much better.

Ernie looked exactly how I felt!

Luckily, I slept great the next night and woke up ready to go Thursday morning. I was drinking my coffee, reading my blogs, when my phone lit up with a message….

School was cancelled for the day and the next day, you guys. Say what? Remember how my school’s schedule was changed? They had changed many schools to aid in the bussing problem. Well, it was apparently a colossal failure with little kids not arriving home until after dark. The word on the street is that the last child to get home arrived at 11:00 p.m. It was worse than the prior bussing situation. I was shocked.

So, yesterday I had an errand and pool day and Friday I was going to do a few other things when I got a second message that teachers were to report to their schools. At the time of writing this (Thursday evening at 7:00), I still don’t know what is going on. There is a rumor that we are supposed to prepare to teach virtually next week.

I am sad, heartbroken, disappointed, confused, all the things. I hate this for our kids.

This post went in a different direction than I had planned…

Amy

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

This post took me a long time because I decided to look at all my seasons and because I kept finding more things I love. I guess that is a good problem to have. It could have definitely been longer, but I had to stop it somewhere.

Also, it makes me think that all of my clothes should be favorites if I am giving them closet real estate. Hmmmm….

I also thought it would be interesting at the end to tally up color, retailer, and length of time owned. I decided not to do anything too new because I want to show items that have stood the test of time – at least one season.

How I started this post – the clothes that came out of the dryer! Isn’t that the truth? The clothes we love the most get worn and washed the most usually?

But, first some clothing memes:

Why are we so weird about packing? I want to get where I can create the perfect capsule!

I know some people have luck at Costco, but when I buy things for myself there I end up donating them. I think I have one exception – my Sport short black rain boots. I have worn the heck out of them.

I wear these black tanks year round and I wear them to bed and under things. My first ones were Target and now my favorites are Amazon Essentials.

The Aerie Sunday short:

My J.Crew Factory biker shorts I got for $10:

My Aerie bathing suit from three seasons ago:

My Aerie black suit from last year:

This dress from Target maybe 10 years ago: It’s the perfect dress to throw over a suit for the boat and looks nice enough to go into a restaurant. It’s the brand Mossimo so that tells you how old it is.

This Old Navy consignment store blouse (new with tags) that is gauzy. I have worn this a lot!

My Target Universal Thread cut offs: I think I have had these for 3 years and have heard many bloggers sing their praises since then.

My Spanx faux leather leggings. They really are amazing. I have had mine for 5-6 years and I got them in short length and paid full price. No regrets.

My Chico’s faux leather black and brown pants from last year. I was shocked by how much I wore them and really shocked that I seemed to reach for the brown more than the black. They feel like butter. I paid full price and bought both at the same time and thought to myself, “what am I doing?” but I needed them in short and knew that the in store selection wouldn’t be good if I waited. It turned out to be a great move.

Here I am in two favorites – the Spanx leggings and a top coming up:

This hot pink sweater that I got from an online boutique – I am not even sure the boutique exists anymore. I have had it for 3 years and it is super soft. I always get compliments when I wear this.

This top I picked up on a whim in TJ Maxx. It is in the photo above with the Spanx leggings. The sleeves are sheer and the middle is like a thin sweater. I love the scalloped detail at the neck and I think a higher neck can be more flattering on a large chest. I can’t believe how much I reached for this top last winter.

This top I have had for maybe 7 years? It is also from TJ Maxx and has cute button detail on the sleeves. It is a great length on me and a great material. It’s starting to look a little worn.

I just fell in love with this Loft sweater. I love this color in the winter and it is super soft.

This purchase from last year shocked me. I bought this black silk button up from Chico’s and wore it so much. I felt great in it and I wore it so much. I was patient and tried at least two different sizes to get the right fit. Sometimes I am impatient and say it’s “good enough”.

This bright blue (the color is bad in the photo) sweater from Loft last year. The shoulders have a slight puffy effect and I thought this looked great with black pants and black jeans. It’s also UK blue so it was perfect for watching games in the winter.

This Loft horse sweater from two years ago, I think. It feels great and I was happy every time I got to wear it:

This Amazon star sweater: It is lightweight and great for school or going out.

Surprises:

I consider myself to be more of a summer person so it surprises me that I have more winter clothing favorites!

I also consider myself more of a colorful person, so the number of black items also surprised me.

Another surprise is that I mostly named solids rather than patterns. I have a lot of patterns in my closet, but maybe it’s too many. Am I reaching for the solids more at this stage in my life?

I featured 19 pieces. I know I forgot some items that I would consider favorites!

Color:

Black – 9 out of 19

Retailer:

Chico’s – 3

Aerie – 3

Loft – 3

Target – 2

TJ Maxx – 2

J.Crew Factory – 1

Amazon – 1 – this needs to be a lesson! I really shouldn’t rely much on Amazon!

Consignment – 1 – this surprised me with the amount of stuff I have from consignment stores. Is there a lesson here?

More than 2 years old: 6

Less than 2 years old: 13

I plan to consider what I learned when shopping this fall. I really like the direction Chico’s has gone in recently. I find their stuff to be high quality. Chico’s is still a bit bipolar – you have the “quirky art teacher who is of a certain age” and you have the “modern hip woman” sides of it.

What does it say about me that Aerie and Chico’s tied? I am a 50 something trying to be a teen? Ha!

Let me know what you think of my “research”!

Amy

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

If I have counted correctly, I have done 6 posts about what I buy at Costco! So, here comes number 7! The products change and our tastes change, so no two of the posts are exactly alike.

I try not to look at the clothing for me because it seems tempting and the prices are good, but I end up not being satisfied with my purchases. Exception: the Sporto short black rainboots that I bought a few years ago. Those have been great! We bought all the boys’ winter coats from Costco and quite a few clothing items over the years. Tom is too picky to buy his clothes from Costco – ha!

The purpose of this particular Costco run was stocking up for school and having easy stuff in the freezer to pull out.

I love this already cooked chicken. It is the best grilled chicken strip I have found. It isn’t slimy.

I really like these noodles and they are zero WW points. I put Japanese barbecue sauce or a tomato sauce on them when I want a noodle.

On the left starting in the back, I bought a pack of frozen chicken breasts, a pack of Chick Fil A dupe chicken patties that are great in the air fryer -you can make a sandwich or cut up and put on top of a salad, individually frozen fish, Amylu Apple and gouda sausage (3 WW points each), and below…

orange chicken.

I bought chips and Cheez-its because my kids eat so many and then we really like to have a bag of frozen green beans on hand that I roast in the air fryer or oven.

This is sold in Costco, but I already had it at home. I highly recommend this for an easy dinner. You can do rice, a protein, and whatever vegetables you have, and top it with this.

New product to me and I love it – avocado salsa – you can really taste the tomatillos. I have been eating this with chips, topping tacos, and putting it on burrito bowls.

Not pictured: egg whites – they are really good here. They come in cartons and there are maybe 8 cartons in a box and they last for a long time. I also got Chomps beef sticks to be a snack for me that is high in protein (3 WW points a stick).

I also got Ernie’s dog food. He gets one scoop of Kirkland dog food two times a day along with his boiled chicken, green beans, and carrots. Sometimes he gets a scoop of pure pumpkin or a bit of egg. He lives well!

I didn’t get these this trip, but we also get: trash bags, paper towels, toilet paper, and the spinach salad that they make in store. It is really good and would be great for company.

Amy

Monday, August 7. 2023

Ok, let’s link up with Holly and Sarah to hear about the weekend and then at the end, let’s link up with Tanya to see what I bought on Amazon during the month of July.

I set up my room on Wednesday so I could have Thursday and Friday pretty wide open. I did have an early morning vet appointment for Ernie on Friday, but nothing else.

I took myself shopping on Thursday to one of my favorite shopping centers:

I wanted to see a former student who works at Francesca’s and look for some more teacher shoes.

I bought two pairs of Eurosoft brand:

At Francesca’s this coin purse made me laugh:

And, I got some earrings:

I also used my coupons to get more of this:

New fave scent!

My bestie Heather gave me this gift for school:

I ordered Reeboks!

Ernie at the vet:

He just had his vaccinations. The vet was happy with his weight and how he is doing.

Ernie in the back of my car after the vet:

Mason and I both realized we love crumpets! We had one after the vet. Mason helped me out with Ernie at the vet again.

Vet and errand ‘fit:

Beth told us about this cool vase on her blog. I ordered it and filled it with inexpensive flowers from Kroger!

Peep some fun plants for my classroom in the back:

Tom has been feeling under the weather this week and came home Friday and I had some apps for for him. He wanted Totino’s frozen pizza and I ordered Domino’s for the rest of us.

I watched/fell asleep during Happiness for Beginners on Netflix – I will go back and try it again!

Saturday morning iced protein coffee and reading on the porch:

I did some “back to school” shopping.

I got some day old bread at Jimmy John’s. It’s 49 cents but they never let me pay. I cut it and put it in the freezer but made sandwiches for my people for Saturday lunch.

Ernie got a bath!

We picked up mail and packages for a friend who is out of town and her cat was so friendly.

So, I finished this and it was so good!

Then, I started this:

Frothy coffee!

The rest of Sunday was lazy until we went to Jack’s opera The Tales of Hoffman and I will tell you more on Friday! I do plan to post at least 4 times this week, but bear with me on responding to comments as I am a full time employee as you are reading this. Today and tomorrow are teacher days and we start with the kids on Wednesday.

And, now for some Amazon talk…

First off, I needed new hair bands. I really like these, but they could be a little stretchier to fit better on my wrist and to not make my pony so tight.

Next up, I am on my second bottle of this pillow spray. The bottle lasts a long time. I still think my Goli Ashwagandha is the MVP, but I like this, too. I have accidentally sprayed Tom in the eye and it made me giggle.

I needed new chargers again because – two words – college.kids. What the heck do they do to them? I keep the same charger for a long, long time.

Ernie loves his treats!

I needed new Pyrex lids!

I do like these eye shadow pencils but one broke right away – they are kind of soft or else I have super hard eye lids.

And, you all have seen my Barbie t-shirt. I am pleased with the quality of the fabric for $13!

I am obsessed with Pavoi jewelry and these are my new faves for everyday wear! Love them!

I got me some witch hazel and I am loving it!

I heard this is the best smelling sunscreen and it came with a car freshener in the same scent. Not the best. The best is Coppertone. The car freshener was so strong I decided to hide it in my console until it fades a bit.

I don’t know if Flamingo is the best razor, but I am loving it!

What have you purchased lately?

Amy

Friday, August 4, 2023

Well, this is a Friday I just wasn’t ready for, but I am going to remain positive and focus on the things I am excited about. I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some random favorites from the week – there is a little bit for everyone, I think!

First up, is this book. After I finally got into it (it’s a me problem!), I really enjoyed it. Maybe Every Summer After is a little better, but it’s a close race for me.

I started this just yesterday and say what you will about “COHO”, but she sucks you in!

I got a text from my cousin and blog reader this week that said she had made the Crescent roll, fig jam, ham, and cheese thing and her family loved it and dubbed it the “figgy piggy sammich”. You could literally put any combo inside. This might be a weekend idea for you or maybe something to save as the weather turns cooler this fall? Or, it can be a quick back to school meal. We all need to make a list because things are going to get hectic. I handle my stress with lists!

I tried Sweet Magnolias when it first came out but never got past the cheesiness! But, I was desperate and the new season came out so I decided to give it another go. I am really into it now! I am at the beginning of season 2.

It looks like you can watch it in Polish if you prefer – ha!

I am a big fan of organic farmer Jeremy. I can assure you that I would have gone to the farmer’s markets this summer even more had Jeremy had a booth at mine. My farmers are either Amish (which I love – don’t get me wrong) or 85 years old. Oh well. We can’t get everything we want in life.

Farmer Jeremy:

The fruit and veg related innuendos between Jeremy and Dana Sue are laugh out loud funny/cheesy.

I decided to look for a popcorn spray that I can get at Kroger because my beloved Winona is not available there. I think I might like this guy better! I guess his name is “Kernel/Colonel Seasons” – Bahahaha! Anyone tried it? I pop my own popcorn from raw kernels and use this and a bit of salt.

Jennifer mentioned a brand of jeans at Dillards called Westbound that are pull on with no hardware. I took a chance and ordered a pair that were on sale for $29 knowing that I could simply walk into my Dillard’s to return them if they didn’t work.

Here is me just trying them on:

They are meant to be cropped but are more ankle length on me at 5’4. They have tiny front pockets that really work and normal back pockets. I really think I like this style for fall!

Then, I had an errand at the mall later in the day and saw these in Anthropologie and thought they were quite similar:

And, I wore them out for a happy hour:

Excited to add a new pair of jeans!

I had an errand to Costco this week to restock the freezer for easy things to help me out next week and went in the liquor section and picked this out and I love it! I will be buying more. I like a screw top because I only have a glass and I have wanted to try more Sauvignon Blancs.

I took Jen’s advice and made:

the one pot ham and cheese tortellini for dinner one night with peas.

It was delicious! I had a pack of pancetta from Trader Joe’s that I used for the ham and it was really good. This is an easy back to school dinner, too!

Now I will jump from food to razors – random, like I said!

I have not been happy with my razor choice for quite some time. I ordered a flamingo razor off of Amazon and I really like it! Have you tried flamingo?

The weather this week…I had to put on a sweatshirt to sit outside in the mornings! Love that!

Ernie liked it, too.

I debated getting a gel mani as a back to school treat, but I think I’ve decided just to keep doing my own. My nails are so healthy now and I hate to ruin that. I feel like my nails get ruined in the removal process of both gel and dip.

I had a fun book to pick up at the library this week! I have 4 books waiting on me now!

Remember my friend Beth and her new blog project all about hosting? Check it out here. She wanted to pick my brain about blogging and we met at Martini’s for happy hour this week.

I had a strawberrybubbletini:

and a Jolly Rancher:

We were able to sit outside and it felt amazing!

We shared some baked goat cheese in marinara:

I had to go to Dollar Tree for school stuff and they have gift cards now!

I worked on my room with Mason and it was really fun and he was so helpful!

I thanked him with Mediterranean!

Yesterday was my favorite type of morning – I read in the rain with a candle!

Thank you to reader Molly who suggested I adjust the straps on my gold Birks – duh! It worked like a charm and now they fit so much better!

I made Jennifer’s quiche! Yum!

And, I want to leave by asking you to pray for a blogger that has no idea who I am, but whom I really admire. Susan was just diagnosed with breast cancer and her long time partner who she calls Mr. Mickey was just diagnosed with bladder cancer. Susan is such a role model and inspiration to so many and here is proof; as I am writing this there are 571 comments on her post. I have been reading her blog for many years and this is the weird thing about the blog world. I cried when I read her post. You feel like you know these people maybe even better than the people in your “real life”.

Make it a great weekend because tomorrow isn’t promised and live your best life as Susan always does! What were your favorites this week?

Amy

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Today I am linking up with Kellyann and Jill, but I am not showing you any outfits. Let’s talk shoes for this part of the year and especially for me as a teacher. So, these are the main shoes I plan to start the school year with so maybe from August – October-ish.

I am so happy that sneakers are in style! I love the sneakers with dress look and really, are there any better shoes for teachers and nurses? I observed the many nurses I saw at the beginning of June when my mom was in the hospital and there are very few Danskos now. Most of the nurses I saw had on running shoes. Hokas were popular, but I also saw a lot of On Clouds.

Here is my collection for the start of the school year:

Left to right:

I wore out my other Shu Shop sneakers so this is my first pair that have the pink star. I have lots of stuff with pink in it, so this well work well. I love not

In the middle are my white-on-white New Balances that I bought brand new at my consignment store for $30 a few years ago. These are hands down the most comfortable. The arch and the heel height are just super comfortable.

On the right are the Madewell leather sneakers that I bought right before the pandemic hit in 2020. They still look brand new and are still sold by Madewell.

I have also purchased one more pair of sneakers that I will tell you about soon if they work!

The middle ones probably look the most casual. I am actually more comfortable wearing sneakers with a dress or a skirt than with a pair of pants. I think that can look frumpy, but I need to get over that.

Many teachers wear Birkenstocks. I have the gold pair on the left and the black patent on the right. The black are so comfortable that I was even able to walk to school in them last year. Maybe the gold just aren’t as worn in. I do think Birks get more comfortable over time. I also wonder if the style of the black are just best for my foot.

I debated the following shoes for probably 3 seasons and I finally bought them and I think they are going to be so comfy. They are the Crocs Brooklyn and they really don’t look like Crocs to me. In fact, you really can’t tell they are rubber in less you are super close. I got mi$43.

When I was in Shoe Carnival, I saw some interesting shoes and Kristin had recommended this brand for teacher shoes. The brand is Vintage 7 Eight and I think it’s only sold there. I love a metallic shoe and think it is so versatile.

These were on clearance in my size for $20. I got to the register and they rang up as $15. The cashier told me I had a $10 coupon. I got these babies for $5, y’all!

So, both of the new pairs I got have a mix of black and tan or metallic so I think they can be worn when I need a black shoe or a tan shoe.

I usually start the school year with a couple of changes of shoes in case I need them. I keep a couple of pairs of flip flops handy!

I’m sorry, Kellyann, I have still not tried Vionics. I know that I need to, but I am waiting to see their fall shoes come out. I am super picky about my shoes and I have always been shoe obsessed. I would have picked style over comfort any day for many, many years.

I’ve often thought to add a Mr. Rogers style song and changing of my shoes to start each class. Like, I stand at my door in stilettos to greet the kids and then shut my door and walk to the front of the room and let out a “It’s a beautiful day in my class-room, it’s a beautiful day in my class-room, let’s change my shoes, let’s change my shoes…”

Thoughts?

Do you have any recs for me? I may not take them! Just kidding!

Amy

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

I am linking up with Jennifer today for Currently!

Loving…

Honestly, I am just loving/savoring these quiet unhurried mornings I have left before I get on the school train. I am loving being at home and available to my kids when they want to talk, watch a show, ask me to make a food for them.

Looking forward to…

I am looking forward to our German visitors, but I am also worried that I will be too tired from school to enjoy having company. I hope that I am able to get into a good routine by then.

I am also looking forward to celebrating my twins’ birthday next month. How is it possible that they will turn 21?

Starting…

Meal Prep – I have enjoyed having the summer off from prepping so hard core, but I am ready to start back. I plan to make 12 Amy McMuffins this week to put in the freezer. I use English muffins, Canadian bacon, egg, and either a half slice of Velveeta or a slice of Sargento very thin cheese.

Erica and I are doing lunches together again and I will try to have the same thing for dinner and make extra for our lunches.

Thinking…

About school – I am trying to stay in summer mode, but those back-to-school emails have started rolling in!

Wearing…

I’m going to be wearing my lounge clothes a bit longer – my favorite hot pink and blue shorts from Aerie! Then, it will be time to get dressed again. My plan is to cycle through all my dresses, skirts, and palazzo pants without repeating. I plan to wear tennis shoes and comfy sandals like Birkenstocks because those hard cement floors are brutal on the old feet and legs and they take some getting used to.

What are you up to currently?

Amy

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Should I continue doing this? I don’t know! I can’t believe this is my 7th month of recording all of my discretionary spending.

July 1 – Saturday – $20 movie tickets for No Hard Feelings, $8 popcorn, $227 Costco (mostly Tom’s protein shakes)

July 2 -$55 Captain’s Quarters lunch – tried to go by boat but it stormed so went by car, $14 Paul’s Fruit Market (just a couple of things for burgers)

July 3 -$113 Kroger, $29 Captain’s Quarters lunch with friends we had to reschedule with so we did get to boat there

July 4 -$35 pizza delivery (so tired from river all day) We spent day on the river with my sister and her hub and brought all of our own food

July 5 – $5 coffee in Madison, $85 Kroger a “few” things we needed to make dinner

July 6 – +$27 Sassy Fox consignment sales, $0 library, $0 J.Crew blouse with part of my earnings

July 7 – $11 coffee shop with M, $22 Trader Joe’s wine, $95 Trader Joe’s food

July 8 – $10 car wash, $40 Ulta, $14 Bath and Body, $7 Total Wine, $17 Barnes and Noble, $54 Alchemy, $10 Gelato Gilberto

July 9 – $133 Kroger, $22 Taco Bell

July 10 – $5 coffee shop with former student – wanted to buy hers as well, but she had already paid!

July 11 – $20 Mexican supermarket (Summer List item), $59 blouse that I could not live without from Tunie’s local boutique, $13 tickets to see Barbie on sneak preview night!

July 12 – $17 Liquor Barn – Tom’s beer cheese, one bottle of Apothic rose wine

July 13 – $10 breakfast with Beth at Biscuit Belly(supposed to go to pool but weather – ugh), $17 Lotsa Pasta, $22 Rainbow Blossom (cocktail mix and stevia drops), $22 Napa with Elizabeth (last minute happy hour invite on her way home from work) , $147 Kroger pick up

July 14 – Trader Joe’s $40, $40

July 15 – $0 anniversary dinner (gift card), $20 tip

July 16 – $90 Kroger run

July 17 – $22 CFA dinner for T and A – salads and a bag of ice for $1.59 – J and M had leftover alfredo because they were home later than we were

July 18 – $16 pool entrance fee (up from $10 last year), $60 Kroger for a French dinner Mason wanted to cook with me

July 19 – $25 Cafe Classico with Victoria, $50 Nordstrom Wit and Wisdom pants

Clothing – J.Crew blouse new with tags from consignment Sassy Fox ($13 but paid with money earned and still received +$27 in more earnings)

July 20 -$156 Kroger pick up, $30 in store at Kroger, $13 movie concessions for Tom – not me!, $13 movie ticket for Barbie for Tom (I already ordered mine)

July 21 – $44 Mexican, $125 Costco (Tom’s protein shakes)

July 22 – $28 food truck food at outdoor concert

July 23 – $126 Kroger pick up

July 24 – Omni Day – You don’t even want to know! Ha! I think all said and done it was $120 for the resort pass, valet parking, lunch, and a couple of cocktails

July 25 – $60 Fresh Market – went in for the 2.99 chicken and came out with more

July 26 – $25 Lunch with Erica at the Goose

July 27- $20 coffee shop, $12 canes,

July 28 – $211 Kroger pick up – couldn’t make it until August, $51 dinner out – met Tom at The Goose on his way home from work. It used to be Goose Creek Diner and now it is more upscale and closer to our house. It makes a great meeting spot for us. We arrived at 5:30 and had no trouble getting a table on a Friday night.

July 29 – $50 met Tom for dinner at The Goose

July 30 – $0 boat lunch with a couple Tom has been trying to treat – he rarely does the inviting so this is big for him and they ended up picking up the tab because they were quicker than Tom!, $70 dinner out before Jack’s opera program

July 31 – $0 Spend Day – packed a picnic for the boat

$0 Spend Days – 1 – I have realized this is very hard to do in the summer. I am able to do it quite a bit when I am working!

Groceries – $1203 – if you read my Share 4 Somethings, I learned that a moderate family grocery budget in 2023 is $1300 so I feel better.

Meals out including happy hours – $516

Clothing – $193 – I started getting ready for back to school and addressed some needs like black pants and basics and teacher friendly shoes so I am ok with this amount. I did less shopping for recreation this summer, for sure. I am subtracting what I made from my consignment store and not counting the Shein purchases.

Clothing Summary –

J.Crew blouse new with tags from consignment Sassy Fox ($13 but paid with money earned and still received +$27 in more earnings)

$59 Tunie’s hot pink animal blouse

$44 Shein order:

two fun earrings in a rattan type material

crochet headband

orange blouse

pink red floral blouse

lighter pink patterned blouse

My sister Molly has recommended Shein and had really good luck. I have only worn one shirt and one pair of earrings and the headband. I don’t love the fabric.

$13 Barbie t shirt – of course one must have one to see the movie, right?

$50 Wit and Wisdom pants

$50 tanks and tees re-stock at Old Navy to wear under things

$5 Vintage 7 Eight shoes

$43 Crocs Brooklyn sandals

Thoughts:

I am really proud of myself for reducing the huge grocery spending I did in June. I am also happy with less food waste. I feel like going to the store more frequently might help me in the future. Maybe I should take a twice a week approach because I lose a handle on what food we have that needs to get eaten. I don’t know – that could also cause me to spend more.

The meals out/happy hour/take out is ok with me because that is for four people and I enjoyed those opportunities. There was very little fast food or take out and mostly meals eaten in places with people I care about.

I may take a break in August, but it might be interesting to see the difference when I am busier. Part of me thinks – heck – I might as well do the whole year now!

Amy