3) Before her and Bhaiya were married, Bhabhi used to be a teacher. She loved her students and loved all things education-related. Nothing much has changed since then. I have been witness to the way she has raised Veer over the past 4 years. I’ve seen her teach him his letters and his numbers. I’ve watched as he has developed such strong number sense because of the way she lets him PLAY. He moves water from one container to another and that helps him understand volume. He takes apart structures, only to put them back together again. Bhabhi knows that allowing kids to experiment is just as much of a learning experience as direct reading or math instruction. She was a teacher. And she still IS a teacher. (And I am one of her many students).

This morning, when I woke up, it took me a few extra seconds to register that it was Friday.

My mind and my body feel so tired tired tired.

But my heart feels SO HAPPY that it’s basically the weekend.

We just have to power through one more day and then head straight to the bars. (<—-and by bars, I mean bed).

But before I disappear into full weekend mode over here, let’s rewind with a few fun facts from the week.

1) In honor of the UniCamp gala coming up, people have been posting #ThrowbackThursday #TBT #FlashbackFriday #WhenIWasSkinnier pictures all over FB. I haven’t jumped on the train quite yet. Mainly because every time I sit down to write a post about UniCamp, I’m at a loss for words. But, ironically, this picture showed up on my Timehop this week. UniCamp takes over Vegas. I miss the days when the hardest decision of my life was whether I wanted to add one shot of Everclear to my Fat Tuesday or two. Or three. (Always three).

2) Bhabhi and Bhaiya sent the whole family this puzzle to solve. Three babies. 9 pictures. Name that baby. None of us were able to figure all 9 of them out. #Triplets #ButNotReally

3) This human makes my heart feel happy. Especially when he shares his garlic noodles with me.

4) One of the kiddos accidentally got kicked in the face and I took her to the office to get an ice pack. The entire time, she kept shouting out, “I just look like a silly pirate. I’m a SILLY pirate.” (<—why is nobody calling us up to ask and film these kiddos and teachers for a reality TV show?! This is some good shit people).

5) Most people know that I LOVE Amazon Prime. Throw the whole Weight Watchers thing into the mix and I’m officially obsessed. I’ve been ordering snacks online almost daily. The Connect feature on the WW app gives me all sorts of great ideas on low-point things I can snack on when I feel munchy. My belly is happy. My bank account – not so much.

 6) I got an Audible account last year when I was ordering a book-on-tape for one of my kiddos. Like everything else in my life, I forgot to close my membership so I’ve got plenty of credits built up in my account. I need suggestions on audiobooks to order!

Now, I’ve got a Starbucks reward that expires today, so if you don’t mind, I’m off to use it.

Happy Friday.

Happy happy.

Questions of the Day:

• What audiobook do you recommend?
  
• What do you use your Starbucks rewards on?
  
• What are you doing this weekend?

Well, we made it through Monday.

Barely.

I always embrace myself for the worst on Mondays. That way, I’m already prepared for anything that is thrown at me (literally and figuratively).

I survived Monday. Barely.

I had a whole list of things that frustrated me yesterday. (Surprise, surprise. NONE of the frustrations including the children. Isn’t that always the case?) But now, as I’m sitting down to write this post, feeling grateful for a new day with a new attitude, I will highlight the good parts of my day. The parts of my day that forced my eyes open this morning, forced me to get ready, forced me to keep trekking through the school year.

• The Babies
  Any time an adult frustrates me or I feel as though I’ve been drowning in paperwork (which has been quite a lot lately), I pause what I’m doing and just embrace the little ones. They remind me that all the problems are little problems. They also remind me why I stick it out – even when every part of me wants to call it quits.

• The Families
  Yesterday, I had an IEP meeting after school. While I typically dread the paperwork and preparation that goes along with each meeting, I love sitting down together with teachers, school leaders, and families to discuss each child. I love talking about how much they’ve grown each year. And I love walking away from the meeting knowing that the parents understand the IEP process a little better each time. It’s a lot of information thrown at them – especially when their child first qualifies for Special Ed – so when I feel as though they’ve gotten a grasp on their child’s plan, services, and goals, I feel a little happier on my insides.

• Post-Work Hiking
  Jen and I decided to skip our yoga class – since our favorite instructor wasn’t going to be the one teaching it – in favor of hiking Villa Montalvo. We didn’t do much (mainly because my body just couldn’t), but we hiked until the sun went down. There’s something about being under the trees that makes my heart feel happy and my brain more clear.

  

Now, since I’m up and awake hours before I thought I would be, I should probably take advantage of that and go to the gym.

It’ll start this day off on the right note.

Have a good one!

Questions of the Day:

• What helped you survive Monday?

• What time did your alarm go off this morning? 

Back at it again with the work week.

(Said in the Damn Daniel accent. Yes, I just watched it. Late to the cool kid club…yet again).

We spent this past weekend in Pismo Beach celebrating Christina’s birthday! Even though the weather was cloudy and drizzly and we ended up spending most of the weekend indoors, we still had such a great time with such fun company. Complete with pink drink, board games, and Harry Potter.

The house we stayed in was just seconds from the beach so whenever we sat down at the dining room table, we could hear the waves roll in. So. Peaceful.

This weekend definitely revolved around food and drinks. I’m extremely happy to have indulged in garlic fries. I’m also extremely happy to get back on track from now until weigh-in.

On Saturday afternoon, while everyone sat down to watch the game, I curled up in the reading nook with Harry Potter (#5, for those who are interested) and a glass of wine.

Dinner = salads, grilled chicken, broccoli.

We finished the night off with board games. Until I passed out. I was the first one to fall asleep. Per usual.

Sunday morning, we all packed up and drove to Red Dirt Coffee House where we fueled up with caffeine and taught Rajiv how to Instagram.

Molly and Zack had driven up from SoCal the night before and, since I had fallen asleep before they got there, I wanted to hang out with them a little longer before heading home!

They’re the cutest. I wish they lived here.

For the short time we hung out, I completely forgot it was Sunday.

But, reality started to sink in in on the drive home. So we decided to skip the Sunday grocery routine and went out to dinner to prolong the weekend festivities.

Now I’m frantically chopping up veggies for a nice, healthy salad for lunch!

Taking this week one day at a time.

Starting with today.

Happy Monday!

Questions of the Day:

• What did you do this weekend?
   
• What’s one thing you’re looking forward to this week? 

Happiest of mornings to all!

Boy do I love Fridays. After today, there’s only one more week until Spring Break and I CANNOT WAIT. I’m not sure what my plans for this weekend are, but I am very ready for some quality time on the couch. And in my bed.

I just have to get through today.

Let’s start the day off with some fun facts, shall we?

1) My friend, Katie, suggested I download the Mood Meter app. It goes along with RULER, the social-emotional curriculum we use with our kiddos. But it’s perfect for everyone.

You plot yourself on a quadrant depending on where you feel your overall pleasantness is (the X-axis) and where you feel your energy level is (the Y-axis). From there, it gives you a few adjectives to describe your overall state. What’s cooler is that once you’ve recorded how you feel, they give you a list of ways you could shift quadrants if you feel it’s necessary (quotes, strategies, past data). It’s GREAT.

2) The Scholastic Book Fair has been going on at school this week. And though it makes the parent room a little crowded (which leads in and out of the staff lounge and our office), it’s been so fun to watch the kids – and adults – get so excited about ALL THE BOOKS!

3) I didn’t wear green yesterday. And nobody pinched me. Do kids these days even celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

4) Every time I feel frustrated at work, I walk out to Kinder recess. They make life a whole lot happier.

5) You know what else makes me a whole lot happier? The fact that this kid is coming to help out all day today. Have I mentioned how much I love when he visits?

6) Yesterday was weigh-in at WW. I lost 3 pounds! And I didn’t feel deprived all week long. This is good news, friends…

7) Before I went to bed last night, I put a new oil all over my arms and neck. Douglas Fir. I still smell like a Christmas tree. (I’m not complaining).

Anyway, I should go do the whole brush/caffeine/lie-on-the-couch-for-5-minutes-scrolling-through-social-media routine.

Have a fantastic Friday!

Questions of the Day:

• Plot yourself on the graph. Which quadrant are you in?
  
• What was your favorite book series growing up?

A week of counting points (and staying under!) and I don’t feel deprived of anything. Check back in with me after weigh-in today but, for now, I’m feeling pretty motivated.

Yesterday, after work, I went to Starbucks to get some stuff done and I was feeling pretty ravenous. And all of this collectively only had 1 point.

First time in a while I used my real name at Starbucks. And they messed it up. I’m sticking with Sarah.

I also love my 2-point lunch, which frees me up to snack on other things throughout the day.  Because I’m a grazer. I just can’t help it.

Cauliflower fried rice (veggies + egg whites + soy sauce + Sriracha).

Also, the chicken chopped salad at Subway is only 4 points. 5 if you want to add cheese.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m still “indulging” in other, higher-point selections. (This soup is 12 points. CRAZY.)

But, it’s been fun trying to weigh my options and balance out my day to make sure I stay within limits.

It’s like a game.

And I’m gonna win.

Questions of the Day:

• What’s your Starbucks name?
  
• What do you indulge in during the week?