life has been absolutely busy- what's new?
today, i find myself sitting in my living room with no more chores and a sleeping baby. i thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up the blog with all the feelings of gratitude i've been feeling lately. teaching school has made me infinitely more grateful for all things in my life.
- grateful for my stubbornly straight hair. when i want to be at school between 6 and 6:30 every morning, i don't bother with blow-drying or curling my hair. it's either wet and picked through, or wrapped in a bun concealing the kinks/rats/oil.
- also grateful that college taught me how to "get ready" in 15 minutes or less. i practice the less-is-more makeup routine nowadays and that's fine because it means i can sleep just a little longer.
- grateful for my "morning" preference. i'm an early to bed girl, and so is zenna. i've tried repeatedly to put her down at 9 without falling asleep too, but most of the time i fail. so we go to sleep early together, then waking up early is easier.
- speaking of zenna, i'm grateful for her. she is such a good, happy baby. she isn't picky when it comes to almost anything. we weaned her from nursing easily, and she switches bottle-types all the time. even formula changes doesn't seem to upset her. she is an easy, go-with-the-flow type girl and i love that. i'm grateful that when i have to go grocery shopping in the afternoon after a day of teaching when i'm tired, she is completely content to sit in a shopping cart and soak up new experiences.
- i'm grateful for her daddy who gets to stay at home with her all day. since we can afford it now while i work and make a paycheck, he has cut his hours a little bit so that he can focus on zenna and his own online homework. i'm grateful for the sweet relationship they have with each other, and my love for him has only grown every day watching him with that sassy daughter.
- i'm grateful for this job and the half-salary i earn (which feels like a fortune for us) as well as the health benefits. having a way to provide health insurance for zenna couldn't have come at a better time!
- i'm grateful that last year our car broke down. well, at the time it seemed like a huge trial, it led to us picking up a cheap family jeep for a second vehicle. now we have two vehicles that work (most of the time) and make our lives easier now.
- i'm grateful that i have a love for planning. honestly, that might be what makes my days 75% less stressful than my other new teacher friends. creating a lesson plan incorporating all the elements that i feel are important is fun work for me. i love the design. i love the creation. i love editing documents until they are perfect. then, i love selling it online and getting $200 (so far) because other people like what I do too.
- i'm grateful that last year my grandpa hated his memory-foam mattress because he felt stuck in it, so he gave it to us. honestly, my bed is the best ever.
- i'm grateful for every second i get with my family and in-laws. drake's work schedule is usually mostly on weekends now so we don't get to Idaho as often as we used to. that makes every minute valuable and precious. we find ourselves more and more grateful every day for the examples set forth by both of our parents for us to work hard, prioritize what really matters, and keep the focus on family. zenna has some pretty amazing aunties and uncles too. she is so blessed!
- i'm grateful to be teaching fourth graders. they are so much fun. they are just old enough to really start diving in, and just young enough to retain some kind of innocence and sweetness. i love my kids. they are the best.
- i'm grateful that my husband talked me into getting cable (who needs it with netflix and hulu?) AND i love that he watches my shows with me. he probably wouldn't ever admit it, but i think he secretly enjoys dancing with the stars and the voice as much as i do :)
- have i mentioned how grateful i am of him in general? my husband is a perfect fit for me, guys. i love that i get him forever.
- i am grateful that we moved to another apartment. we almost didn't because moving is such a hassle and we only went 10 minutes down the road, but it has been the greatest thing being able to commute home for lunch sometimes. the apartment itself is such a huge upgrade too. i am grateful to have a dishwasher, washer and dryer, and central air and heat. it has been such a nice place to settle into for the next year.
- i'm grateful for the awesome support system BYU has built into my first year of teaching. i have some great help from previous teachers, my in-school facilitator, and mentors that observe and offer amazing advice. they help me build confidence in what i'm doing and make my life easier on so many levels.
- finally, i'm grateful for the parents of my kids. we just finished parent teacher conferences, and while it made my work day very loooonnnng, i loved seeing the parents interact with their kids and offer me so much support. almost everyone expressed gratitude for me and my teaching because their child enjoys coming to school and talks about what they've been learning in an energetic way. that honestly made my night. i felt so grateful for my blessings and so happy with my decision to be a teacher.
lets be honest, that rare quiet afternoon only lasted for about five minutes and i've been working on catching up the rest for three weeks! bottom line: we are grateful!
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