A Day Off!

Today I didn't have to work--our school system was off for Martin Luther King Day. I also have tomorrow off as a "storm day." The school board sets aside days in the spring that become days off for students AND teachers (as a teacher, I now know how rare that is!) if they didn't have to take any days off for hurricanes in the fall. Thankfully, the hurricanes didn't cause any days off in Gainesville. So, I'm having a FIVE, yes FIVE, day weekend!

Today I slept in some. I still got up to make Matt's lunch while he finished getting dressed. But before that, I got to roll back over when the alarm went off (and I rolled back over that for the first time ever I didn't wake up when he got up to shower--apparently he kissed my arm and got out of bed, but I didn't budge). After seeing him off, I relaxed on the couch to a Tivo'd episode of The Cosby Show. Then I set to work on some school work. All last week I saved grading so I'd have something to do during our extended evening hours (if you worked extended evening hours, you could have the Friday inservice off). Well, I had several parents schedule conferences during evening hours and I totally revamped the classroom rules and consequences, requiring me to create some things on the computer, i.e. I never got to my grading last week. So, I had a week's worth of grading in my teacher bag! Yikes! I spent a great deal of today grading and entering grades in the gradebook. I have a few who seem to think they don't need to respond when I ask if everyone is finished. And in addition to not letting me know they need more time, they don't turn in what they DO have finished. So I also typed up a list of the whole class and noted next to their names what assignments I'm missing (it's not the whole class by any means, but there's a handful of repeat offenders). They will be making up those assignments in the very near future. ;) And from now on, inc0mplete work will be finished during recess. I HATE to take recess, but I think if it happens once or twice it will light a fire underneath them--they LOVE recess.

I also did part II of my housecleaning. I vacuumed the upstairs and downstairs (I dusted yesterday during part I) and I wiped and swished the bathrooms. Matt came home and the first thing he said was, "It smells so clean." When he came back downstairs from changing out of work clothes, he commented on how "wonderful" everything looks. He is always so careful to be complimentary and look for good things to say--it is such a blessing. :) Being new construction, our townhouse has a few 6 legged friends now and then, and I read that the particular kind we keep encountering love to hide behind the floorboards and they can sometimes be sucked up with the vacuum wand attachment. So, I did that too. Now I need to change the vacuum bag, because it would be gross if they're sitting in my vacuum bag. Yuck. I also made us a "down home" meal of cornflake chicken, stuffing, green beans, and yeast rolls. Matt picked up some ice cream on the way home, so we had milkshakes for dessert. It had been awhile, but they were yummy!

Tomorrow my plan is to PLAY!! That's why I worked hard today. I want to go to Michael's to find a corkboard so we can start a family friends picture board like my mom has. I also have some Christmas thank yous and a wedding thank you to write. I tried to get all my lesson planning done today, but I have 2 extra math blocks to plan for, then I'll be done! Hmm, and I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, but I enjoy that. Going during the week, it's not as busy as on the weekends. And I get excited to see how much I come in under budget. :) Okay, so I'm a grocery shopping geek. :)

We hope your week is off to a great start! We are still a little amazed by this Florida winter weather. By mid afternoon, you're often fine in a t-shirt--weird. Tomorrow I will hopefully also update on the Bible study and church we visited, as well as... dun dun dun... post our meeting/engagement story! :) Until then...

Love and blessings,
Becca