Hello!

I’m HERE.

Surprise.

Typically, in the past, when I’ve gone silent on the blog, it’s because I was in a funk. And I was exhausted and stressed and anxious and tired and making unhealthy decisions and too embarrassed to own up to it.

That is not the case this time. I’ve just been busy. Living my life. #sorrynotsorry

In an effort to save time (because I’m a Grandma who needs to sleep) AND in an effort to spare you from reading ALL THE THINGS about my life, here is a list of 5 things that have brought me SO MUCH JOY over the past couple of weeks:

• My job. It is exhausting. I am Pooped at the end of the day. With a capital P. But it is exhausting in a productive way. When things don’t work for our kids, our school leaders and school staff find ways to make things work. Even if it means throwing things out and starting over. We spend countless hours analyzing data to develop instructional groups. We actually have an RTI model that flags kiddos that need interventions. And on those afternoons after dismissal, when I’m feeling ridiculously tired and delirious, I look around at the staff and realize everybody feels the exact same way. Because EVERYBODY gives a shit about these kids. And EVERYBODY busts their butt every day to ensure that we are closing the achievement gap. One kiddo at a time.

  

Oh…and it definitely helps build our culture and community when we have fun incentives built into our schedule – like water fights at the end of the week! 😉

• My roommate. I feel ridiculously lucky that we both needed roomies at the same time and our paths somehow crossed thanks to social media. She is the best, best, best. And I’m not just saying that because she kills the bees for me.
  

  

• The love of my life.

  

And he keeps getting more adorable with every passing day.

• The meditation class I joined through my community center. I have already seen incredible benefits and it’s only been three weeks. I’m a lot calmer, more mindful, and just happier overall. I can go into a ton of detail about this course, but I’ll save that for later. 🙂

  

• Bootcamp. I signed up again! I needed something to force me to leave work at a decent hour. I may have regretted that decision a couple times last week when I could barely stand, let alone walk. My hips were sore for several days and I was approached by MANY students asking me (1) if I had to go to the bathroom or 2) if they should call Ms. Natalia because they were afraid I got hurt. Apparently it’s been a while since I’ve worked out those muscles. But I am loving the routine and the accountability of it all.
  

  Thanks Bhabhi for the funny E-Card! 🙂

   

With that, I am off to bed.

I leave you with this incredible video. Can you tell I’m slightly obsessed?

Good night! 🙂