Happy Monday, friends. Can you believe January is over? This has been the craziest month. Between not having internet for a week and missing a full day of school due to bad weather, my lesson plans have been a hot mess. Then add in that I've got to take a day off this week to take care of life things and all the state testing coming up, and I am struggling just a bit with pacing and making sure we cover all the important things.

Enough about that. It'll all work out, and if the news business taught me anything it's how to 'fly by the seat of my pants.' It's why I plan so far in advance. That way when we get these monkey wrenches, I'm not completely lost.

We've had a lot of gray days this month, which I guess is fitting for this time of year, but it sure does impact my mood. I'm not ready for the heat of a southern summer, but I could use a little sunshine in my life. It would also be great if Mother Nature would pick a temperature range and stay there for awhile, giving my poor sinuses a break.

I've been dealing with a pulled or strained muscle in my neck for a couple weeks now. It happened while I was taking our dog on a walk. He unexpectedly broke into a sprint and jerked me along with him. Unfortunately, it's on my right side, which is my dominant side, so it's been slow in healing since it's the side I use for literally everything. It is, thankfully, feeling much better, and I'm not cringing with every move, but I'll be grateful when it's completely back to normal.

Other than the week with no school internet, I think I've found a better school-home balance. I'm lucky to work in a school that only schedules meetings when needed, so I get a full planning/prep period most days of the week. Plus, Alexis does a STEM enrichment program after school a couple days a week, so I have that extra time to get stuff done without bringing it home. That's not to say I don't ever bring work home with me; I truly prefer to put in grades on my personal desktop computer (bigger monitor, nicer keyboard), but in terms of actual grading, I rarely bring stuff home. I do still do the bulk of my planning (scheduling) at home, though, because it's easier for me to concentrate in my quiet home office where the biggest distraction is my cat. I do not do my actual prep work (creating lessons,  resources, etc.) at home often, however.

Speaking of home, I finally got my shoe storage! Two free-standing closets with shelving have taken my shoe situation from aggravating to easy as pie. It's so nice to simply open a door and pull out what I want rather than dig through a storage bin.

I think that's pretty much it. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!