Life Lately

It's been two weeks since my last post. I would normally say that you could be keeping up with me on social, but my posting there has been just as sporadic. Life hasn't been kicking my butt these days, but social media and blogging haven't exactly been on my priority list since school started back.

For one thing, it's been 100+ degrees every day for the last two weeks, which makes getting dressed a not-much-fun activity, especially since I have to dress professionally. Added to that are the struggles of my school's air conditioning. It just cannot keep up, especially in the halls which may not even have air! So, yes, I've been getting dressed every day, but there's not much thought behind it other than, "what can I wear that I won't melt in?" Then there's my hair. The hotter it gets, the bigger it gets, and not in a good way. All that to say, most days I don't want to take a picture of what I look(ed) like.

Life hasn't really been kicking my butt, but I have been busier than usual. We've started working with this new curriculum, which means I'm once again teaching something for the first time. There's a learning curve and a ton of planning, especially in determining which parts of it all to grade. I'm also making decisions on where to split things up, what parts can be dropped completely, what lessons need to be added in, etc. etc. etc. I'm also trying to make notes for next year on the things that didn't work and what I want to do differently.

My teacher certification program is well underway and taking up a lot of my free time. I'm trying to work ahead as much as possible so that if something comes up, I won't be as likely to fall behind. The assignments are intense and time consuming to say the least. And I still don't know if I passed my content tests yet.

So, you see, my brain space is pretty well occupied at the moment, leaving very little room for creativity outside of my classroom. Once we get through this first unit, I'll be able to breathe a sigh of relief, at least for a little while, and hopefully get back into the swing of everything else. As it stands, I have no blog ideas at the moment. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your weekend and that this last week of August is a good one.

Back-to-School Outfits for Teachers

The first two weeks of school are officially under my belt. It's been a good two weeks other than the issue with the air conditioning on my hall not working properly. We've been under heat advisories pretty much every day, and my hall, which is essentially the main corridor of the entire building, has been sitting at a cool near-80 degrees for the past two weeks. Technically the a/c in my room is working, but technically isn't really cutting it. I feel like I've been stuck in a never-ending hot flash, y'all. Meanwhile, my kids, who aren't in a constant state of movement once they get in my classroom, are complaining about being able to feel the barely-there cold air coming out of my wall unit.

Anyway, all that to say that my outfit choices for the first two weeks are absolutely a reflection of the whole a/c situation. There are only eight days shown here because I missed a day to take my content certification test, and I just forgot to take a picture one day for whatever reason.

Sizing info: I'm 5'2" and weigh about 135 lbs. I typically wear size 6 or s/m in most clothes and size 7 in shoes.

Cami / Vest (similar) / Skirt / Sandals

Is this a repeat outfit from last month? Yes, yes it is! I wore this exact outfit to one of my summer classes and then again for the first day of school.

Dress (Wantable) / Shirt (similar) / Shoes

This is one of my most repeated outfits. I really do just love it that much. The dress is one of my favorites by itself, but the top is not school appropriate (spaghetti straps and a tad too low), so I always wear something over it for school. I almost always wear my Adidas sneakers with it when I teach. I can't explain why I like the combo so much, but I do.

T-shirt / Jeans / Shoes (similar)

I feel like I've shared this outfit before, too. I know, for sure, that I've worn it to school before. None of my students got the band reference, though, sadly.

Sweater / Skirt / Shoes (similar)

Does that say sweater? Yes. And, yes, I regretted wearing it by the time I got to second period. It's cute, though, and usually a good choice for warm days. I don't recommend it for triple-digit feels-like temperatures, especially if your a/c is struggling.

That said, this might be my favorite outfit from this roundup. I love this skirt. It's tiered, which is difficult to tell in this picture. The length is my favorite for me. It's not lined and it doesn't have pockets, but it's not see-through and the waist is elastic.

T-shirt (similar) / Shirt (similar) / Pants (similar) / Sandals

This was my attempt to recreate an outfit from a few years ago. It's essentially the same but I swapped out a denim jacket for a short-sleeved chambray button-up. My sandals are also different, but the pair I wore then wore out and had to be replaced.

I won't lie. I like this outfit in the picture, but in real life I felt almost sloppy wearing it. I think because everything was so loose and that's just not my usual style. I was comfortable, though.

Shirt / Jeans (similar) / Shoes (similar)

Another outfit repeat from my summer class? Yep! This was probably the hottest day of the last two weeks for me...and I was working through a migraine. It was not a pleasant day, but I survived.

T-shirt / Skirt / Sandals

I'm pretty sure I wore this at the end of last school year when we were doing Maui and Moana. The only difference this time would be my shoes, which you can't really see because the skirt is so long. They're these really cute straw wedges. Unfortunately, they might not work for teaching. About halfway through the day, my feet were dying, and I had a huge blister on the bottom of one of my big toes.  They weren't uncomfortable, per se. I just did a lot of moving around the classroom this day for whatever reason, and these were not the shoes for that. Consider yourself warned.

Shirt / Skirt / Shoes

This was my first official Friday, since I missed the first one to take a test. We get to wear jeans on Fridays so I used the opportunity to break out my new denim skirt. It's just above knee-length and has functioning buttons all the way down. The pockets on the front are decent sized. There are no back pockets, which I didn't realize until I got it. It's not stiff denim but it's also not as stretchy as I hoped it would be. I'm wearing an 8 but probably would have been comfortable going up to a 10 for a bit more room.

My blouse is old but still available. It comes in a bunch more colors/patterns. It's a classic shape. I will say that the sleeves/shoulders may be tighter than you want. I'm wearing a medium and they're on the small side.

These slip-on sneakers might be my best purchase this summer. I have been wearing them all the time with all kinds of outfits. This exact pair is starting to sell out so if you like them, better hurry.

What I Read July 2023

July wasn't a big reading month for me, mostly because I was so busy! Two weeks were spent in all-day classes and one was pre-planning for school. I'm not sad about what I did read, though. Few the titles may be, but they're all worthy of your consideration.

You won't see them on here, but I did start the month by rereading a favorite series. I like to do that from time to time, almost like a palate cleanser when I've read something really good and need to reset my brain. A majority of the month was devoted to one series, but there were a few DNF's thrown in there, too. I also started a book but put it aside and haven't picked it back up yet.

Anyway, let's dive in!

The Last Bathing Beauty

Author: Amy Sue Nathan

This was my One Woman Book Club pick for July. I originally picked it for July because I thought it would be a good beach or pool-side read. It's set on the shores of Lake Michigan in summer so that definitely fits, but the themes were heavier than I was anticipating.

Betty "Boop" Stern was raised by her grandparents who owned a Jewish destination resort in the 1950s. The main story is set during the summer of Betty's senior year in which she has a summer romance with a half-Jewish college student named Abe. She's also determined to be crowned Miss South Haven before she heads off to college where she hopes to become a fashion magazine editor. Everything comes crashing down around her on the day of the pageant, causing Betty to embrace a future she does not want. She vows to leave that summer in the dark, but when her granddaughter shows up on her doorstep in a delicate situation, Betty knows it's time to unveil the truth of that summer.

Raven's Cry series

Author: Charlie Nottingham

Rain is a witch without a coven barely making ends meet by performing seances and the occasional locator spell for the supernatural authorities. When a vampire offers her the chance to save her home with a huge job, Rain agrees to cleanse his partner's mansion of malevolent ghosts. That job is the gateway to Rain's destiny, a destiny that's been building for centuries. She, along with her best friend and the two men employing her, are inextricably tied together. With the help of a spirit known only as "the woman in black," they must defeat an ancient demon who's been stealing souls to survive, including the soul of Rain's brother.

This series had so many twists and turns. The way all of the characters were connected was masterful. I don't know how the author kept it all straight! The final book, while resolving the problem I mentioned above, introduces an even bigger conflict the group must solve. That book hasn't been published yet.

Crash & Burn (Lost Boys book 3)

Author: Emilia Finn

Emilia Finn does it again! This book features Axel and Hannah, two characters that we met in the last book of this series. Axel is the youngest firefighter on his crew. Hannah is the assistant at Axel's sister's bakery. They've had a thing for each other for years, but Axe refuses to act on it, claiming that Hannah's too young and inexperienced. In reality, he doesn't want her to be in a state of constant worry over his dangerous job. After back-to-back incidents that result in a crew member's death, Axel essentially runs away. He spends half a year battling wildfires while Hannah tries to move on, attracting the attention of a sneaky stalker who ensures none of her dates stick around for a second one.

Traitor Witch (The Deadwood book 1)

Author: Marie Mistry

I've been looking for a good pirate story for awhile, and this definitely delivers! I'm technically finishing up the final book of this series right now, and all the events have kind of blurred into one big story. It's been an amazing story, and I'm going to be sad when it ends.

Nilsa is an assassin sworn to serve the Moon Goddess. When the high priestess of not on her coven but also the local Sun Goddess's coven are killed, Nilsa is the prime suspect. To save her life, she seeks refuge on board the Deadwood, a notorious pirate ship that also serves as the home of the mates she's not supposed to have.

Weekly Wisdom + First Week of School Recap

The first week of school is in the books! For me, at least, it was a good one. Quite different from last year, though I can't pinpoint exactly why it feels that way. It could be as simple as it's not my first year anymore and I'm more comfortable. In fact, I'm sure that plays a big role, but ultimately I think it's an oversimplification, especially when you take into consideration some of the changes being implemented this year (and I'm not talking about curriculum!).

So just a quick recap of how the week went:

-Alexis didn't want me to walk her in on the first day. She's in third grade now so this day was coming. She ended up being disappointed about her decision, though, when all her friends had their parents with them.

-I assigned a quick personal narrative essay for my students to gauge their individual abilities and was pleasantly surprised when all three classes took it seriously! Some of them even wrote more than I asked for!

-On day three, one of my new students told me I was her favorite teacher and called me cool.

-Day four, at least ten of my former students stopped to give me hugs, including my toughest student from last year!

Week one for me was only four days. I had to take Friday off so I could take part one of the content test for my certification. I took the second part on Saturday. I won't have my results until the end of the month, but I feel pretty good about it.

Now, I've got to get caught up on the laundry I've been ignoring and get all this homework for my non-traditional teacher certification course done - by the end of the week! I'm going to get to it.

Y'all enjoy what's left of your weekend and have a wonderful week!