Together Teacher: Flexy Friend

Good evening, folks!

This week, I’ve been dragging myself SLOWLY into work each morning. Not because I’m not THRILLED to be there, but because it looks like THIS outside when I get out of my car.

How could you not want to stare at that for a few extra minutes each morning?

Yesterday, I started my morning off with a new favorite: Almond Joy Oatmeal. Ever since that pancake at Bills this weekend, I’ve been craving the almond + coconut + chocolate combo non-stop.

I bought some desiccated coconut from the Full Circle box this week and I’ve already thought of a million recipes I want to create (hint: They all include a combination of chocolate, coconut, and almonds).

My work days this week have been exceptionally productive. I can’t tell whether it was because three of my kids were absent on Monday so I was able to squeeze in some paperwork time OR whether I had a really relaxing weekend so I felt rejuvenated and ready to tackle my list of To-Dos. Whatever it was, I’m grateful. Because the feeling of productivity is pretty fabulous.

Wednesday:

Yesterday, our school staff went to dinner at Buca di Beppo in Blossom Hill. Our CEO is meeting with all the school sites to reflect on the 2013-2014  school year and discuss the “glows” and “grows” of our school year. I’ve talked about this once before, but it’s really a rare and wonderful thing to have your voice heard when it comes to developing schools. I feel really lucky that we are given opportunities like this.

(I DON’T, however, feel lucky that I ate this plate of food last night. My stomach still hurts. I also totally failed on the “no eating out this week” rule. )

The dinner was scheduled from 5:30-7PM, but we ended up staying at the restaurant until 9PM talking about our kiddos and all the events that occurred that day. People always ask teachers why they always want to talk about their jobs. 1) We love it. 2) We aren’t given opportunities to interact and connect with our colleagues during the school day. So all the funny stories and heartfelt moments are shared during after-school hours. #sorrynotsorry

Today:

Today was another productive day, mainly because I knew I’d be leaving for the day at 2PM. We had an “opt-in” professional development session at another school site and it sounded like something I would really appreciate.

They gave us some advice and suggested action steps that would hopefully help us build better habits. But they also gave us these amazing templates (from the book) that I can guarantee will be my “catch all.” I’ve started to compile all my post-it notes, To-Do lists, lists on my phone, e-mails I’ve sent to myself, and other random tidbits I’ve found in an effort to streamline them and figure out how to best tackle ALL THE THINGS!

I think, in addition to having something with me all the time to help “catch all my thoughts,” it’s also helpful because the template forces you to assign a hard deadline to a task.

It’s basically going to be my life for the next 3-4 weeks. Though I’ve never used it before, I imagine it will be pretty helpful. We shall see….

Right next to the school site I was at, there was a little marketplace on the corner. I was starving and decided to snoop around for a mini snack. Half an hour later, I left with a bag full of groceries. Ahhhhh – it’s just SO TEMPTING.

They had ALL the Red Mill products. Do you know how rare that is? Most of the grocery stores I frequent only have a handful of products.

And then, naturally, I had to buy a bag of chips. They were made with quinoa and chia seeds for crying out loud.

They also had a deal going for avocados (3 for $1). And you know I NEVER like to ignore an avocado deal.

And, since I’m on that hardcore coconut kick, I bought some other goodies that looked really appealing:

The Dang coconut chips are, quite possibly, the most dangerous thing to ever enter my life. And, after prodding around a bit on the ol’ Interweb, I see that you can buy them online. Someone. Stop. Me.

Now I’m hanging out with my “Flexy Friend,” my beer friend, and my online friend. I’m tempted to write “Drink Beer” on my To-Do list so that I can cross it off.

Bam. Just did it.

GOOD NIGHT! 🙂

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Let’s Chat! 🙂

• Have you heard of this fabulous Flexy Friend? If not, what’s your method of organization?
  
• Favorite recipe that includes coconut? (Bonus if you can send me one that also includes chocolate and almonds!)