Monday, February 1, 2021

Hello Monday and Hello February! I am linking up today with Tanya, Heather, and others here!

Bye, January! Wow – that was fast and slow at the same time, just like 2020, really. This weekend I was in the moment and took hardly any photos. The highlights were Jack coming home Friday night and getting Five Guys take out, Mason coming home Saturday, watching Gilmore Girls, and just spending some down time with all of us in the house. I am having some really good conversations with them and I am seeing so much growth.

When we got our big snow of the year (so far) on Wednesday, it struck me as really sad because it was the first time to not get to enjoy it with my boys. As a teacher, I loved being on the same schedule with them and snow was always so exciting. I would go in and announce delays or snow days to them in the mornings and it was so fun! I still enjoyed it with Tom and Ernie that evening, but you know what I mean!

As you can tell, I am still in a period of empty nester adjustment and I will take any bit of weekend time. I think it is helping them this winter to come home more than last semester, too. I am not putting any pressure on them to do so; they can come as little or as much as they want. I have heard different advice on letting college kids come home or not and I am going with my mom instinct here and what feels right; we are in a pandemic and things are hard. They are always welcome. They are both diligent mask-wearers and their college has a weekly update with testing continuing this semester. They come home to spend time with each other, too, which is hard to do during the week with their busy schedules.

I do like parts of winter, but it just seems harder than the other three seasons, you know? In the last couple of years, I have learned about hygge and it really resonated with me. Last year, through my Swedish friend, I learned about fika. And, this weekend I learned about friluftsliv. Don’t worry too much about pronouncing them; simply live them!

Here is a glossary below and my thoughts:

hygge – a quality of coziness and comfort that engenders a feeling of contentment (Denmark)

I know I’m not the only one who latched onto this. We are all about the cozy pants, sweatshirts, fuzzy blankets, fires and candles. If nothing else, we have learned that our homes are our refuge. No one will ever think their home is perfect, but after almost a year spent mostly at home, we have probably never felt so appreciative. Ok, 2020 – lesson learned!

Some of this comes naturally with age. I think as I have aged I have felt more confident to know what I need and to say what I need to feel content. I no longer feel the need to buy something because everyone else is buying it. If a fabric is scratchy, I’m out. I know myself better and that in and of itself is a feeling of hygge, maybe. Also, I don’t think we are all the same. If you like something, get it. If you don’t like something, don’t get it.

fika – making time for friends and colleagues that involves a cup of coffee, tea, and maybe a treat (Sweden)

I love this. In the American school system there is little time for socializing with colleagues. Even our meetings with our co-teachers are micromanaged and dictated, and usually involve some sort of tedious paperwork to prove that we produced something. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bit more time to organically hear about what someone else is doing in the classroom and of our own accord, learn from them and collaborate? Teachers’ lounges got a bad rap for being a den of negativity but I think back to my first school where I learned a lot in the lounge and had time to go there! Ha! And, at my current school, teachers used to go there to eat lunch but now it is really empty. Anyone want to analyze what has happened in education in the last 10 years through the lens of the teachers’ lounge. Hmmmmm.

And, I would say I am pretty good about this with friends in my after work hours. Having someone over for just a coffee or a drink is a very low level entertaining goal. Pre-2020 I felt like people were too busy and stressed to do much socializing at home. The pandemic really made simple entertaining possible. Heck, sometimes we would even tell someone to bring their own chair. It doesn’t get easier than that. Even an hour with a friend over a drink fills me up. I am trying to do this once a week. Tomorrow I am excited to go to a friend’s house for a drink and a fire.

friluftsliv – free air life (Norway)

I love this and this is the hardest thing about being a teacher under normal circumstances. I enter the building at 7:00 a.m. and leave between 3:00 and 4:00 without even a scrap of outdoor time most days. I am lucky to have windows which I keep open as much as I can. Hands down, the best thing about teaching from home has been my outdoor time. I have had my coffee on the patio, my lunch on the patio, taken walks at lunch, my afternoon snack on the patio, my evening cocktail on the patio, and it has really filled my soul. I started filling my bird feeders and watching nature more. I found out there is a rooster in my neighborhood – not good!

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel on a day you get fresh air? I think it’s super important to get it in the winter, too, but it is definitely more of a challenge.

I feel like Denmark, Sweden, and Norway might know a thing or two about cold weather!

Another thing I think helps me in the winter are hot drinks. Of course I have my morning coffee, but in the afternoon it is nice to have a warm beverage, too.

Irish Coffee: (also perfect with St. Patrick’s Day coming up!)

1 shot Bailey’s Irish Cream or another brand (this Trader Joe’s is good!)

Mix with a cup of regular or decaf coffee

Add whipped cream if you want to be fancy!

Mocha Joe:

One half to one packet of hot chocolate mix. Did you know they have dark chocolate? OMG!

Put the mix in the bottom of coffee cup, brew as normal, stir, and add a marshmallow or whipped cream if desired. You can also add some milk or creamer.

Bourbon hot chocolate:

Start with one half shot glass of bourbon and mix with the packet of hot chocolate in the bottom of the mug. (One full shot is really strong; ask me how I know.) Then, fill mug to top with hot water.

I find that keeping some whip cream at home makes it feel kind of special. I really don’t miss my coffee shop coffees when I have this on hand.

I always have big and small marshmallows on hand, too.

How was your weekend? It sounds like lots of you got more snow!

Any thoughts on hygge, fika, or friluftsliv? Any thought on hot drinks?

Amy

Friday, January 29. 2021

This has been a busy week on the blog! It started with Hello Monday, a hair post Tuesday, What I Wore and What’s Up Wednesday, and Thursday Monthly Musings about Valentine’s Day yesterday. I almost called today’s post off, but here I am! Ha!

I am linking up with Andrea, etc. right here!

Here are my favorites from the week – they involve a lot of simple things like a few new purchases and food!

I am trying to eat better but still enjoy a few treats here and there.

So, in that vein, I made the famous two ingredient bagels that involve self-rising flours, Greek non-fat yogurt, a bit of egg wash, and the everything but the bagel seasoning.

I re-created my weekend bagel purchase but without the bacon.

Then, I got to see two former students (while both of us wore masks, of course!) – one has started a graphic tee/sweatshirt business and I custom ordered this giant red metallic heart on a pink sweatshirt. She is now a teacher at another local high school and we talked for a good hour when I picked up my sweatshirt from her house.

Then, another former student is selling plants! I bought this pothos plant for $10 and she delivered. She also took my Amazon pothos to try to rehabilitate it for me! Lol! It was down to one leaf. Does Amazon take returns on plants?

On Tuesday, I had a zero point WW marinara in the crockpot all day long – for 8 hours. The recipe was given to me by my blog friend Kim.

On Wednesday, we got the most beautiful snow! It started around 3:00 and I just looked out the window and enjoyed it.

Then, around 5:00 I took Ernie out and he acted like a crazy boy. He absolutely loves snow! It was a white out and it was so cool.

I used the marinara to make Skinny Biz pizza dough. It is basically the same as the bagels but with an addition of yeast and water. This recipe was also given to me by Kim. Tom had leftover pizza from his lunch at work the other day.

I used Essie flowerista to do a pinkish purple manicure.

I like to keep it really positive around here, but this spoke to me. Just let us teach. I am so tired of having to do more work to justify someone’s position in education that does not directly affect a child’s learning.

Look at the Pantone colors of the year! This is literally my shower curtain. I got the idea from my sister years ago to put yellow and grey together. I am probably doing my Master bath in Agreeable Grey by Sherwin Williams and now this has me wondering if I should do yellow accents/decor with it?

I miss real school. This made me laugh. I have had so many kids through the years that just get up to sharpen their pencil when they are bored or want to walk by someone. I guess the days of that are gone with Covid. I do have a nice electric sharpener now! Will we even use pencils anymore?

And, that’s all I’ve got today. This chica is tired. What were your favorites this week? I would love to know!

Thanks so much for stopping by my little space of the internet!

Amy

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Happy Hump Day! Today I am linking up with The Style Six here and What’s Up Wednesday here. Aren’t I just a linking fool?

What I’m wearing:

I am continuing with black leggings and one of my sweaters each day for virtual teaching from home. I got a new one last week and wore it Thursday. It is so soft and I wouldn’t really call it a sweater. It is more like a fuzzy top. This was a purchase from one of the Facebook shopping groups I am a part of; I am helping a small business!

Ignore the paint splatter on the mirror I like to use.

Friday I did comfortable in my men’s Target Goodfellow pullover with a headband. Did you see my hair post yesterday?

I decided to do like the youngsters and I wore socks with Birkenstocks. My feet were cozy!

I have a couple of favorite little boutiques around town. I like that the clothes are better quality as I am really trying to get away from Old Navy, Amazon, and other “fast fashion”. This top was on sale for $20 and it would have been wrong not to buy it. It is so soft and lightweight; it looks like a sweatshirt but it is more of a top.

And, I am still debating this. I love it- the design, the sleeves, everything! The price is holding me back but it shouldn’t. Stay tuned….

If you are a loyal, long time reader (thank you!), you know I fell down a red sandal rabbit hole this summer. I bought Saltwaters and Dr. Scholl’s. They were so fun. Now, I find myself pining for red clogs! Am I crazy?

the MIA Sofia. I have these in tan and love the heel height, the comfort, the shade of red.

And, I keep looking at these Danskos, too, but I feel they are more matronly. Thoughts on red clogs?

I did something really crazy. I am 98% sure I am going to keep these Vionic white booties from Amazon. I was not into the white booties that seemed more of a 70s vibe, but I started seeing the ones with more of a Western vibe. They are super white. But, I have been thinking of all the things I can wear them with now and into the spring. I am super picky about heel height and wearability. These look like the leather will stretch a bit and that they will be really comfortable. I have never owned Vionic! Anyway, stay tuned on this front, as well…

For Monday’s virtual classes, I wore the new pink camo and it was perfect!

For Tuesday I did my second day hair in a bobby pin twist and wore my favorite Amazon sweater of the year.

What I’m working on:

I cannot help myself; I am looking at spring fashion trends and thinking about spring clothing! I guess you could tell!

Also, I am working on my 30 bags in 30 days project and I am supposed to be done by January 31st! I did my under sink and cleaning products last weekend.

What I’m reminiscing about:

I miss my college kids. I am reminiscing about their younger years. But, at the same time I am so grateful they didn’t have to do virtual learning. I feel for all the mamas of young kids.

What I’m up to:

Just trying to be a good virtual teacher…

What I’m excited about:

I am always excited for the weekend! And, I am feeling more positive about spring getting here eventually. I always say I can’t wait to make it through January, but February is the month we get more of our winter weather here in Kentucky, in my opinion. I guess it’s just a mental thing.

What I’m watching:

Below Deck, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (truly horrible!), Dallas (love it!), and Orange County (might be over), The Bachelor (love Matt!), and a Gilmore Girls with my sons when we can.

What I’m reading:

I am enjoying this but I just don’t read much right now. I guess I am a fair weather reader – like fair weather, on a patio, with a cocktail!

What I’m doing:

I am enjoying my Valentine’s decor. I am going to try to plan a special dinner for Tom and I am working on gifts for the boys. I love to celebrate small holidays.

What I’m loving:

I am loving being able to work from home and stay relatively safe. I know not everyone can do that. I have surprised myself! I never thought I would like this. I think one thing that helps me is leaving the house most days at 3:00-4:00 to do a grocery, library, coffee pick up. It seems like there is always a small errand I can run in the afternoon.

What I’m looking forward to:

Honestly, summer. I want to put this whole school year behind us. I know next year is possibly going to be bad, too. There are so many unknowns and that makes it so hard.

Well, that was a lot!

What’s up with you?

What have you been wearing?

Amy

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Do you all like hair posts? I do! I have always loved working with hair. I wouldn’t say I’m that good at it but it was always fun. I am the oldest of three girls and we had hair stuff out the wazoo.

I have very fine hair but a lot of it. My hair styles the best if I wash at night, sleep on it, spritz a bit of water and brush it out, then style.

My favorite way to style my hair is to curl it. I have very stick straight hair naturally, but my hair does hold curl. Another advantage to washing at night is that I do not use many heat tools on my hair.

You can’t tell but I clip up each side with those old jaw clips.

I curl the bottom and I leave it alone with the exception of spraying a bit of hairspray.

I use a very old one inch barrel traditional curling iron. If it ain’t broke, don’t order a new one off of Amazon.

Then, I release the upper hair and curl.

Spray a bit more hairspray but leave it alone – this is my best tip to getting your curls to last. Now, go get dressed. Then, return to your mirror and use a pick or just your fingers to style it the way you want. This really only takes me about 7 minutes.

Recently, I have been itching to try out some new hair styles.

I did a headband one day.

I have a collection of headbands; none are from this season.

Headbands work best on me on second day hair. I think my hair needs to be a little flatter. So, I can curl my hair when it is fresh, then the next day, do this.

I still pick or comb it out and do a bit of water spritzing, then I add a couple of bottom curls.

And, another of my headbands. Place it back a bit and style some hair in front.

I picked up some 97 cents bobby pins and some $2.99 clip barrettes.

I do not know what I would do without my spray bottle. I keep it in the bathroom for hair and then in the summer I use it on the boat or at the beach. In fact, I am kinda famous for having a spray bottle now. My SIL Jessica taught me this trick for hot boat rides many years ago.

These hairstyles also work better on second day hair.

Take a very small piece of hair and twist then bobby pin in the desired place, groove side down. Did you know that the grooves are supposed to be down?

Example here:

Cute hair goals:

Covet on the Go from Instagram:

Pinterest Inspo:

What is your hair routine? Any favorite hairstyles? Any products you can’t live without?

Amy

Monday, January 25, 2021

It is not just any Monday; it is the last one of January. Wow! I am happy to link up with Heather, Tanya, and many more right here.

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty o.k. On Friday, I saw the social media post made by Red Hog (Beth and I had gone to happy hour there Thursday and saw them taking this photo. They have tableside smores or a take home smores kit with homemade graham crackers!

I cannot wait to try this when I go back!

Friday I worked and then I have started doing my house cleaning on Friday after work. We had leftovers for dinner and I was beat.

Saturday morning I did my breakfast meal prep for the week.

I will share this recipe soon. I have had a couple of people ask.

Also, during the pandemic I started cooking for Ernie. He gets boiled chicken and canned green beans and carrots mixed in with his kibble. He is a spoiled boy.

Then, I went to a small winter farm market.

I bought cheese and that is all. The cheese guy said this is his favorite because it is buttery and complex. I like buttery and complex.

There is a new show that is apparently based on our very own cat cafe here in Louisville. Basically you pay money to play with cats and then you can get a drink. That is kind of what I did at my cousin Julie’s house growing up; she also had goats.

I think he was their PR guy. I am not even a cat person but look at that face! I want to book a cat session and luckily I have some cat lady friends. That sounded weird. I have some female friends who love cats.

Then, I went into Urban Outfitters to see what the young people are into. I found a couple of sales and bought some gloves, socks, pimple patches, and a coffee cup warmer.

And, finally, I visited a bagel place. They have a super efficient Covid system. You text your order with your name and make of car, they bring it out to you with a card reader, and you are done.

Later in the afternoon, I went to one of my favorite boutiques and found a good bargain that I will show you Wednesday.

And, I got a much needed car wash.

Then, I wanted to scope out spring trends at the mall. Beth had told me she saw lots of yellow. I was very underwhelmed. Maybe the spring stuff is not quite out in full force yet.

I love the yellow and white combo.

I love the patchwork jeans.

After all of my stops, I decided to make a margarita. I added a half a shot of o.j.

And, for dinner we had Thai take out.

We love chicken pad thai and Tom

loves these corn cakes.

We watched t.v. and I was in bed around 9:00. I was tired.

Sunday morning I did some reading of this with my coffee. It is cute. It is well written and a cute story line so far. I have not been reading much at all lately!

I spent about an hour in my closet.

This week I am going to rotate through my sweaters and

my fun cozy leggings. These are seriously the coziest leggings to get your through the winter. The top ones are Valentine’s themed. They are the old LulaRoe. I am not that into them anymore but they are great for what I need right now.

Then, next week I am going to wear my pink and red for February.

I was lazy and didn’t feel like making my second cup of coffee so I got some at a coffee shop. So pretty!

And, then I did school work, watched t.v. – got sucked into a Sex and the City marathon on E! for a bit, and started prepping for dinner. I am really trying to cut down on food waste and make whatever is going to go bad first! Last night was burrito bowls because I had needed to make them for awhile.

So, that is it for me!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, January 22, 2021

How was your week? Four day weeks always seem longer to me and I was confused about what day it was all week long! Were you confused, too? I am linking up today for Friday Favorites right here!

So, Monday was a day off as we observed MLK Day. I tackled some areas of my 30 Bags Challenge (I am cleaning out 30 areas in my house – supposed to do one per day in January, but I am moving slowly).

I tackled this drawer. I take the rolls out of the boxes and I take the baggies out of the boxes, too. I sent all of the takeout plastic cutlery back to college with the boys. I try not to get them from the restaurants but sometimes they give them to you anyway.

Before: I had already removed all of the plastic wrap, parchment, foil, and wax paper so it did look way worse. Even though I am moving slowly, it is always a favorite to get more organized and to be able to find things!

Another favorite was walking in the evening with all of this light! It is staying light out until about 6:00 now! I am trying to have dinner ready so I can walk with Tom and Ernie. It feels good to get outside again before it gets dark.

I mixed up a loaf of no-knead bread one morning before classes and let it rise two hours and then baked it to go with dinner. A favorite is being able to do this while working from home!

So, I have gone back to regular coffee and this is really good!

Not a favorite: Update on this sweatshirt that I mentioned Wednesday: It is a very thin material, not a cozy sweatshirt material IMO, the neckline comes up too high for my liking, and it runs about two sizes small. It went back. I am sad because the design is so cute. You may feel differently; if those things don’t bother you, it might work for you!

Who is watching The Bachelor? Matt seems like the most genuine of all time. I am too old for this show but I can’t look away.

Did you read my spring trends post yesterday here? I mentioned wanting a yellow purse for spring! Yellow is a big trend and I love yellow. I have yellow Hunter boots. Easter egg colors are also a trend. Look at this darling Madewell tote at Nordstrom Rack!

And, here is the yellow designer dupe for a Goyard I mentioned yesterday. Which do you like better?

Abby mentioned blueberry biscuits this week here and I guess I have been living under a rock (not going into the grocery much). I did go in this week and I am going to try the chocolate!

I also bought this creamer because I was so impressed with their pumpkin spice in the fall. This is good and I am picky about my creamer.

And, the highlight of my week was a sunny 50 degree afternoon on a patio! I met Beth who did my style post here and it was so nice.

I got a blackberry bourbon cocktail and Beth got an old fashioned.

The restaurant is called Red Hog, thus the hog head. Beth is looking stylish as ever. Look at her jacket!

We ordered fried cauliflower and

fries with curry mayo.

What were your favorites this week? Any fun weekend plans? Oh yeah, we are in a pandemic! Are you starting to know people who have gotten the vaccine? My mom got her first dose this week!

Leave me a favorite and thanks for reading!

Amy

Thursday, January 21, 2021

No, it is not too early to talk spring trends! If you are like me, you are trying to be happy wearing your winter clothes – with the occasional purchase of something to help you make it through until spring!

I started doing “research” to see what is on the radar for spring. Did I ever tell you that I tracked every single clothing purchase I made for several years? It was enlightening! At the end of the year I would see what I wore that most, look for patterns in my “bad” purchases, and learn from my mistakes. In doing so, I found that I bought the most in March and September for the change of seasons into spring and fall. I became a much better shopper when I looked at my yearly clothing purchases.

I cannot guarantee this will be my last spring fashion post!

Now, before I ever buy anything for the next season, I look at what I have. It is funny how you can quickly forget what is in your closet.

Here are the trends I saw and my thoughts:

Suit jackets – oversized shoulders – nope, not for me. I do not need to oversize my shoulders. I would like a knit suit jacket, maybe? I think I could go for something with some stretch. Let me know if you see anything like this.

Black Face Masks – nope. And, isn’t it sad that this is considered a spring trend? I have invested way more money in masks than I care to admit. I have my favorites and they are my Pomchies brand. I love these so much. I am curious about the Kitsch brand, though. I wish someone out there had a Pomchie and a Kitsch. Why do those both sound like diseases? Lol!

Head Scarfs – I love this idea. I do not have many small silk scarves but I am trying to do some different hair styles and I could try this one. I did steal a white bandana from my son. It is very new and stiff and has not been washed yet.

Easter Egg Pastels – Yes! I love color!

Yellow Handbags– Yes! Color, again! I actually have one in mind. This is a designer dupe. I need to find the source but I think it was $41. I don’t know why the photo is bad, but you get the idea.

Pops of Blue – Cornflower Blue and Lighter Blue Colors – Yes!

Tapestry Coats – nope! I appreciate them on other people but I am not really interested in this.

White Knee High Boots – I can see a shorter bootie or a cowboy vibe in white.

Yellow with Camel – I think I would like this! I have this old sweater. I love yellow.

Handbags with Fringe – I love fringe and I have these black and camel crossbody purses that I was thinking were out of style. Too much?

Florals – Head to Toe Flowers Included – I like a floral but I am not sure about head to toe. I hope these florals are still in style.

Holes in Odd Places to show some skin – Didn’t we do this? The cold shoulder tops of a few years ago? How odd of a place are we talking? A shirt with a hole that just shows your elbow? Is that odd enough? What about a hole that shows your right bottom rib?

Feathers – Yes! Give me all the feathers! Well, I like a feather print and some feather accesories. I guess it would depend.

White – Love white! Get you a Clorox pen, though.

Wide Leg Pants – Do my Matilda Janes count? I think you have to be careful about your footwear with a wide leg! I like this, though. The wide leg jeans look so cute on lots of people!

Sheer Layers – No, thank you! I guess I would have to see this but it scares me.

What is on my wish list:

red clogs – I know, I know. I had a red sandal obsession this summer.

yellow shoes – not sure what type yet or if I need these!

rain clogs – Hunters!

more Savanna Jane tops

Birkenstocks – not sure what type/color

the yellow purse from above or something similar

something cornflower blue

What trends are you trying?

Amy

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

If you participated in my wardrobe challenge last week from January 11-15, thank you! I am linking up today with The Style Six here.

Monday was blouse and long necklace day and this is what I wore. The blouse is a great material with cute sleeves with buttons and a little flounce. It came from TJ Maxx a few years ago. The necklace is my first Rayne from Kendra Scott.

Tuesday was jeans day. I put on these Wit and Wisdom from Nordstrom this summer. I wore my new teddy bear vest and was so cozy I even mentioned it to my classes that day. I am sure they think I’m weird.

The next day was scarf day but I wanted to be a teddy bear again for my patio lunch with Elizabeth. This is the tunic it came with. It is really long and has pockets which I think add bulk under the vest that also has pockets. I like the black better, I think.

I added the super soft scarf that Mason got me for Christmas to follow my own rules and because it matched my Target Universal Thread boots exactly. Also, the patio heaters were out of propane so we were cold.

Thursday was t-shirt and cardigan day but I wanted to add a scarf for my patio coffee dates.

My reader and friend Kim looked so cute for t-shirt and cardigan day! She has recently become a Vuori jogger convert. She is wearing a Cheers t-shirt (J.Crew Factory) with a Walmart cardigan (old) and Allbirds sneakers.

And, Friday I broke my rule. I didn’t feel like wearing plaid because my sized down Amazon sweater had arrived the day before! I think you need to size down one and my color is apricot which is more of a cream.

I enjoyed wearing it so much for school that day that I also wore it for dinner at my friend’s house that night.

I don’t even wear sweaters or sweatshirts to teach in normally, you all. My building gets so over-heated in the winter. But, now, that is all I want to wear to teach in. I just want to put on a simple one layer outfit.

Thus, I ordered this! I will let you know what I think. I want it to fit really big!

I also found out a former student is making cute grapic tees and sweatshirts and I have ordered a pink sweatshirt with a giant metallic red heart.

And, one more thing. I have several pairs of booties that are hard to get on. These include my short yellow Hunters, my Sanita clog booties, and my new Target Universal Threads are a bit hard. I bought me a shoe horn. It works like magic and has me wearing those boots again!

I guess the moral of that story is to ask yourself why you aren’t wearing something in your closet and it might just need a quick fix.

What have you been wearing lately?

Are you tired of winter clothes yet?

Amy

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Why do we like these posts so much? Are we a bunch of voyeurs? I think so, yes! It is surprisingly hard to remember to take photos about every hour and I failed at a few points during the day.

I chose to do a Monday and it was Monday, January 11 if anyone wants to know.

This post may be as exciting as watching paint dry. I am warning you!

Some of my readers requested this during my survey; some also requested some teacher stuff. So, this post will give you a bit of both.

In case you are new around here, I am a high school Spanish teacher and I teach levels 3 and AP (5). I am a new empty nester with twin boys who are living on campus about 30 minutes away from home.

I do not set an alarm anymore. My bladder wakes me up. Thanks, bladder. I sometimes go lay down again but I like to be up by 6:00.

6:00 – make coffee with my new contraption. The boiling of the water and waiting a bit for it to come off the boil, then slowly pouring into the filter takes a bit but I like it. I feel better about no K cup waste. I have figured out my amounts – 12 oz. water in my Starbucks mug and 3 T. of coffee grounds.

Then, I sit in everyone’s favorite chair – including Ernie. I sometimes have to tell him to go find Daddy, which always gets him out of the chair. I enjoy my lights and sometimes light a candle. I still love my slippers!

6:30

I go make another cup of coffee. I talk to Tom who goes to the gym at 5:00, walks Ernie, and then one of us feeds the beast. During the pandemic we started giving him a cup of his Costco grain free dog food (he has always have a sensitive tummy) and a cup of my boiled chicken, canned green beans and canned carrots that I started making for him. He loves it and is so happy to eat his food now. Before he would sometimes not eat any or all of his food and his schedule would be off.

Tom goes and takes a shower and listens to really loud talk radio. No, it doesn’t bother me at all.

Meanwhile as I am finishing my quiet time and blog reading, my alarm goes off to remind me of my wardrobe challenge for the week. Today is blouse and long necklace day.

7:10

I go get ready. I showered the night before so I have a pretty quick 20 minute routine. I sometimes jump in the shower again with my shower cap and I wash my face, brush my teeth, do minimal makeup, and style my hair. Tip: leave your curls alone for a bit and they will hold better.

I prepare my plate to take down to my “office” in the basement.

I talked about this is my Friday Favorites but I love having my meals prepped even when I am at home. I have mentioned this before, but my district gives us the option of working from home or in the building. I feel like our days for this are numbered so I am continuing to enjoy this.

7:30

Tom leaves

Before I go downstairs, I like to set the house by opening blinds, picking up Ernie’s toys, giving my plant some light.

Then, I go in my closet and reluctantly take off my Target Stars Above robe.

This day was the blouse and long necklace. I wore leggings and my New Balance on the bottom half. My blouse is TJ Maxx and my necklace is Kendra Scott.

Now, I go finger comb or use my pick to style and spray with my hairspray.

Start a load. I like to do my clothes on Mondays lately.

Start checking emails and eating my breakfast.

I have to do my attendance in 2 places – a school spreadsheet, a district telecommuting form, and I also have to do a health screening online, then I have to take attendance for the 3 classes I don’t see on Mondays. Their attendance is based on work turned in so it can be kind of a burden to figure out.

Then, I make sure my Google Slides are ready for my 3 live classes. I add in funny memes and I practice going through them and make sure I have other tabs open that I will need. I have to have Google Docs open for vocabulary and the commands note taking sheet.

Monday and Thursday I have planning from 8:30-9:30 and I teach from 10-11, 12;30-1:30, and 2:00-3:00.

I check assignments on Google Classroom and then transfer them to our grading platform called Infinite Campus. I answer emails. I schedule new assignments to post.

I had to watch a boy band from Spain and make sure I had all of the lyrics. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it.

Filling in the lyrics:

The kids had to do the same for homework.

I am naturally a morning person and I get stuff done from 7:30-9:00. I really don’t want to stop and get up to do anything else. But, after lunch, I start fading and I am not nearly as productive.

9:00

Ready to fill my water cup for the second time. I get up and stretch every hour at least and fun upstairs to do tasks so I don’t get too stiff. I also put the washer clothes into the dryer.

I prepped my cd. I have a cd that I recorded in my friend’s basement studio. Most of the songs/chants are originals that I made up to teach different verb tenses or grammatical things. I had it loaded on my old laptop but just haven’t done it on my new one yet.

I also had to prep a listening activity on a flashdrive.

I go into my Google Classroom and make sure everything is ready. Look at all the tabs. Being a virtual teacher is kind of like being a DJ, but way less cool.

I open up my Google Meets 10 minutes early so kids can start joining and we can start on time. I taught from 10-10:40 and then I hung out on Google Meet for 20 more minutes to do one on one help.

11:00

Lunch break! I went up to fold clothes.

I let my Amazon leopard air dry.

My lunch was some macaroni noodles and tomato sauce.

I took Ernie out but we didn’t go on a full walk.

I taught two more classes 12:30-1:30 and 2:00-3:00 and then I sat down for a bit and played on my phone and watched some shows.

5:30

Tom gets home and Ernie is sooo happy to see his best friend. Tom and Ernie do a quick walk.

6:00

Ernie eats his dinner.

The human dinner was leftover chicken from Saturday night on a salad and a tiny baked potato.

After dinner I got a cool friend request and message on Facebook. The little girl who lived in our house before us found me on Facebook. We had last visited her family in their new house maybe 19 years ago! Backstory: Tom used to live next door as a renter and when this house came on the market he knew he loved the neighborhood and watned to buy. The little girl loved Tom. She drew a picture for us of us getting married. I can imagine that it was so exciting for an 8 year old girl!

I did not remember that I put it in a frame. I have the picture in our wedding scrapbook. This memory stuck with the little girl for 20 years. I guess the lesson from this is to never underestimate the power you have. And, to let someone know that they made you feel special is priceless, too. It made my whole day!

We watched some t.v.

7:00

I took my shower. I scared myself in the mirror. If you aren’t taking night showers I need you to tell me why.

Then, I went down and watched some trash t.v. of my own until it was time for bed.

9:30

I brushed my teeth and got in bed.

That is a pretty typical day for me right now. Some days I will go out and do a library or a grocery pick up around 3:00. Some days I meet a friend around 3:00. I kind of like Mondays being my stay at home day.

Have you ever documented a day? It is kind of interesting. I have heard of people doing a time audit. I think that sounds interesting, too.

Thanks for reading!

Amy