What the church could learn from Trader Joes

I'm a frequent flyer at Trader Joes.  It's on my way home from the gym, and makes me happy every time I'm there.  The creative packaging, fresh produce, beautiful market flowers, friendly crew, free samples, great coffee.  I could go on and on.   It's an errand I always love, and I always leave with a happy heart.  It sounds weird for a grocery store.  

It got me thinking.  

Why isn't the church more like Trader Joes?

Both the "c" and the "C."

I'm disgruntled with both these days.

At Trader Joes...

Everyone is welcome.

Smiles and friendly faces are everywhere.

Coffee is terrific.

You can try a sample, and like it or not...and that's ok.

Gorgeous flowers and bits of nature are in abundance.

Creativity, art, and humor is abounding.

Clever marketing.

"Fearless" Flyers introduce new products with ingenuity and amusement.

Help is in every aisle.

Colors of the rainbow at every glimpse.

Offers to assist on every visit.

Recipes and advice is exchanged freely.

No judgement.

Happy sounds.

Positive, flowing energy.

...and the list goes on......

-Julie

Floating

Some days one just has to go with the flow...
2 a.m. Wake to dog sick on tinfoil
2:15 a.m.  Back to bed after cleanup and time in jammies outside
4:45 a.m.  Turn off alarm.  No way I'm getting up for pilates.
6:15 a.m.  Wake up
6:20 a.m.  Time with Linnea.
6:45 a.m.  Drive Linnea to jazz band
7:05 a.m.  Return, time with Carl and his buddy hanging in the kitchen.
7:20 a.m.  Boys take off for High School
7:35 a.m.  Hop in shower.  Mark wakes girls up.  Get ready.
8:05 a.m.  Mark to train.
8:20 a.m.  Report to 1/2 day sub duty...ELL (Spanish), I have Latin & Swedish background
8:55 a.m.  Sub duty- reassigned to full day of subbing as "Floater"
Spend fifty minutes in each of the following..."floating" from room to room, reading plans as I teach
1.  Help with special needs kindergarten and first graders.
2.  First grade...Calendar and reading
3.  Second grade...ELL...Math
4.  Third grade...happens to be Sofi's classroom. She turns the color of her sweatshirt upon my arrival...bright pink.  Happens to be the job I applied for 5 days before schools started.  It wasn't as awkward as I imagined it might be...
12:40 p.m.  Lunch...race home, take dogs out, make lunch, deal with Halloween party planning...
1:05  p.m.  Head back to school
1.  Fifth grade....Math...Science
2.  Fourth grade...more Math...
3.  Third grade...back to Sofi's class....
3:30 p.m.  Home with Sofi & Linnea, snack, check in, madly clean art room
4:30 p.m.  Tutor in now "clean" art room...just don't open closet
5:00 p.m.  Iz and Carl back from activities
5:05 p.m.  Iz and I take Sofi to soccer, get gas, hang out in mini van with dogs...forgot leashes, fielding calls from Linnea who is making tomato soup from scratch...
6:00 p.m.  Leave soccer and head home, not train as planned, Mark is late...again.
6:10 p.m.  Finish dinner prep, feed kids
6:50 p..m.  Carl & Linnea head to youth group and confirmation...have a ride
7:08 p.m.  Head to train to pick up Mark
7:25 p.m   Reheat dinner, feed Mark, make my dinner (vegan)...eat, spend time with girls
8:10  p.m.  Pick up Linnea and friend from confirmation
8:30 p.m.  Help girls get ready for bed, read.
8:55 p.m.  Head back to church to pick up Carl and two friends.
9:15 p.m.  Time with Carl doing Latin while I clean kitchen with a glass of wine
9:45 p.m.  Send Carl to bed and do this crazy timeline of my day.
10:00 p.m.  Mark heads to bed.
10:03 p.m.  I contemplate all that I would and should do before another day...

Sad thing?
Thursdays are a worse time schedule than Wednesdays.
Yippee!
It's All Good....
-Julie

Quotable Quotes

Izzy has been into my decorating magazines these days.

She tucks "Flea Market Style" and "Pottery Barn" catalogs into her tote bags.

They go along to soccer games.

In the car to pick up Dad.

Off on quick errands.

Yesterday she wanted to bring one to school.

I told her she could.

She said "It would be much more amusing to read it at recess than listen to the screaming and the drama surrounding me."

Oh she cracks me up.

She's trying to train the dogs after school.
With six people giving directions to them, their behavior isn't the best.

Cody (on the right) never listens.

And often Madison doesn't either.

But she tries.
Izzy and I crafting.

 Making pumpkin anything.

These were pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

No eggs.

No dairy.

No gluten.

No real chocolate.

Amazingly good.

Off to deal with the morning drama.

Two girls getting dressed...

Apparently one has been wearing the others jeans.

Oy.

-Julie

My New Cell Phone

Made by Izzy

While I was out at a meeting...

My altoids case turned cell phone

Inside, "Wishes To Mom, Love Izzy"

Six little flowers with beads glued on.
She's quite good with a glue gun.
She asked me this morning if I'd made my wishes yet.
Love this kid.
-Julie

Patio Update

If you stopped by in early June,
You would have seen a pile of sand and a pile of bricks.
Here's a shot of it today from the iphone.
I pulled a few muscles and may have broken two fingers,
But phase one has been done for a few months now.
The "outdoor kitchen" constructed by Mark is almost done.
I'm contemplating pulling out a brick tomorrow in the second level.
And then the fun would begin again...
-Julie

My Little Pumpkin

"Hey Mom, don't I look like a little pumpkin?"

"Yes Sofi, you do!"

3rd grade, age 8

Love that her favorite color is still "construction cone orange."

That's even what she calls it.  :)

She's looking more and more like her big sis.

Linnea's about the same age in the pic behind Sofi's head.

She still plays teacher every day.

She still has to sleep with bun bun, boo boo and blue bear.

She still loves to cuddle.

She'll always be my little pumpkin.

-Julie

Remix- the Clothing Version

At 16,  I wanted a degree in fashion merchandising.

I took a class my Senior year of high school.

I'd sketch clothes.

Create outfits.

Make huge messes in my bedroom.

Purchase more clothes.

I loved it.

I became a teacher instead.

Why?

It was safer.

The school I went to didn't have the degree.

I loved kids.

I loved reading.

I wanted to major in Children's Literature, but it wasn't an option.

So I got a teaching degree.

The profession has changed- a lot.

My mentor used to say the pendulum swings...

and it's swung very far from where it was 19 years ago.

As much as I love teaching, I sometimes think it would be fun to go into fashion.

The teaching market is tough.

I interviewed this Summer.

180 applicants.

Ridiculous.

A local district had 1400 applicants for a kindergarten job.

Crazy.

 My outfits are a little "out there" at times.
I don't care.
They make me happy.
I like to shop.
And I'm very good at thrifting.

I'm often asked where I shop.
My response usually surprises people.
My closet?
It's my little haven away from the chaos of four kids.
I mix and match to my hearts content.
With four kids, I don't shop too often.

If you're local,
"Community Thrift" on Indian Trail is one of my favorite places.
I've been known to spend five hours there at a time.
Just digging.
If you stay long enough, it's a new inventory!

A newer option is "Plato's Closet."
It's a little pricier than a thrift store, but the digging has been done for you.

My favorite store?
Hands down, "Anthropologie."
I can dig in the sales room and find decent prices...
but shopping there is usually a huge splurge.

Instead I go back to my closet, and remix.
Case in point:  Hollister gray knit ruffle tank dress with polka dot skirted bottom.
I wear it with a ribbed tank from Menards.
Yep, the hardware store sells clothes.
Add my Target mustard cardigan and black leggings.
End with my Born boots.
I wear them almost every day Sept.- April
I can change this outfit and wear it with jean capris, or a shrug, or a white jean jacket.

In a future life, I'd love to style people's clothes...
be the "What not to wear" lady.
Or the window designer for a local store.
I did that once.
I was 16.
I designed the lingerie store windows.
For reals.
If they let me do it at 16, I think it's time to give it a try at 41.
-Julie

Dumb Things I Do

in effort to be frugal...

#9,997

Go in for an eyebrow wax.

And leave with no hair on my face.

Yep.

After my run with my friend, I decided I'd "treat" myself to a wax.

It's been awhile.

My eyebrows are unruly.

The feel of the wax and the pull of the gauze feels pretty relaxing to me.

Really, it does.

I remember Oprah saying it was the cheapest face lift available.

I guess I have her to thank for my stupidity?

To save $, I thought I'd give a local place a try that was cheaper...$6 cheaper.

I'd heard they do a good job, but speak little English.

No problem.

I walked in the room.

Another person was lying in there taking a nap.

That should have been my first clue.

She waxed my brows.

Not as fancy and soothing as the salon down the street.

But hey, I was saving some $, right?

Then she touched above my lip.

"This too?"

"No."

"You need it."

Oh boy.  

Next thing I know I have wax cooking in lines across my face.

There seemed to be no rhyme or reason.

Rip.

Wince.

Rip.

Tears.

Rip.

Gasp.

It was no longer relaxing.

It was no longer $6 cheaper.

She told me to go look in the mirror.

Nice, hairless, red, blotchy face.

Fantastic.

"Red go down in few hours."

I'm still waiting.

Thank goodness it's sunny and windy outside.

I'll just tell people I've been enjoying the breeze.

But hey, my brows look better!

-julie

Happy Almost Gotcha Day Izzy!

Here's Izzy on "Gotcha Day"- Sept. 20, 2004

-8 months old-

And last night, our "Gotcha Day" celebration, 

3 days early...thank you crazy schedules.

Just as special to our family as a birthday.

Sofia (8), Izzy (8), Linnea (13), Carl (15)

My 4 babies the moment they met at O'Hare airport, 8 years ago.

Linnea & I had arranged the matching outfits before hand.  :)

Sofi (9 1/2 months old), Izzy (8 1/2 months old), Linnea (5), Carl (7)

And the moment we met our little girl at the Civil Affairs Office in Chongqing, China.

Some things in life you will never forget.

                                                                               -Julie

I'm Back- For Good, I Promise

Yikes, it's been a few months...

AGAIN.

I contemplated quitting the blogging thing.

For about 999 reasons.

I chose to stick with it.

For good.

Why? 

It came down to three big reasons.

I've missed this little corner on the internet.

I've missed the friends I've made around the world through it.

I've missed using my voice in this way.

I've been busy "staying home" again- such an oxymoron.

It seems I'm seldom home and spend a lot of time in the minivan.

Time to figure out how to blog in my "mobile office."

I'm not working right now, but in the world of subbing, that can change in a moment.

I'm at peace with being home again.

It's taken awhile to get there.

The monotony, the quiet, the cleaning, the chauffeuring, lots of volunteering, home repair stuff.  

It's all good...just very different from last year.

Kids are happier having me home, esp. child #2.

Izzy surprised me by making dark chocolate covered strawberries for my birthday.

The big 4-1.

Yikes.

I took a "personal day"for myself.

Mark had the car downtown, so I hoofed it around Batavia.

Hit a garage sale, then Target.

I bought myself a pumpkin spice soy latte.

 some pumpkin scented candles...

 some "Fallish" napkins for wine and entertaining...

 My new favorite beauty tool...not sure if it works, but it sure feels good under my puffy allergy eyes! :)

 -and the big exciting purchase...cleaning supplies for the big Fall deep clean.

Exciting stuff.

Went for a run, worked in the garden, worked on an art piece, and enjoyed the day.

Time to find my "voice" again on here.

Be patient with me.

-Julie

Which Format Do You Use?

Navigating blogger these days is like learning Greek.
Clearly I haven't been blogging much.
Clearly I have much to learn.
Clearly I need to decide if I switch to wordpress or something else.
Those of you who have been blogging through the changes...
Do you have a preference?
Any advice?
I'm thinking I need to start over.
All over.
Thanks for any help!
-Julie

Whee!

I seem to be swinging in and out of Blogland.

I'm alive.

I've been filling my days at home again.

The gym, volunteering, cleaning, organizing, gardening.

Finally got some calls for subbing and excited about that.

The days go so quickly, and the 3-10 p.m. shift is like another job.

Seems like "the boy" stays awake longer these days.

As a result I'm staying awake longer to unwind a bit.

Painting has become part of my days and late nights again.

Forgot how much I missed it.

It's easy to lose oneself in a canvas for a bit.

I painted this one last week.

I have a 24 x 30 inch canvas busting off of the easel right now.

It's of a tree that's been yarn bombed.

I found the image online and Linnea asked me to paint it.

If you have no idea what yarn bombing is, google it and you'll smile.

-Julie

The Red Baron Has Landed!

They are here!

Intrigued?

I fell in love with these last Spring,

I knew I'd never pay Restoration Hardware's prices for them.

I didn't think they'd ever be a reality.

Enter overstock.com.

Hurry.

They disappear often.

I loved the contrast of vintage leather and metal,

The curves,

The sleek lines,

The uniqueness,

The red baron feel,

and how they reminded me of my mom.

Let me explain.

My parents were the prior owners of 545.

Mom loved her "bucket" chairs.

She had two in the corner of this room.

I think she replaced them at least once.

I could always find her there with a book,

and ready for conversation.

With the canoe there, "bucket" style chairs weren't an option.

These don't swivel, but the lines remind me of mom's chairs.

I know they aren't for everybody.

But I love them.

The kids do too.

They remind you of sitting in a pilot seat.

Sofi was thrilled to have a box on this rainy day.

See her little arms drawing?

Truth be told, the big boy was inside the other...

-Julie

Come On In

The lighting is so hard to capture.

I've been playing with the dreaded manual focus.

It's kind of fun!

Everything in the room has significance.

The two rocking chairs are from my dad.

The larger one was a wedding gift.

The smaller one was my childhood rocker.

I bought the decoys when we first moved to town.

Money was tight and I found an incredible garage sale.

The canoe was made by my dad in High School.

The lamp above was his cousin's.

The little lantern by the window is from a dear friend.

If you turn to the left this is what you see.

The pictures were hanging outside on the back of the garage.

The frames are old windows found curbside.

Then I brought them down to the basement.

I love how they fill the wall.

I'm thinking they need to move a little closer together.

Thoughts?

The chest was in my brother's closet when we bought this home from my parent's.

It's big, clunky, distressed, and I love it.

Inside the chest is our extra blankets.

I pulled the lanterns out of the trash.

They were outdoor fixtures.

The metal bin on the bricks was our family toy chest when I was little.

We kicked the couch to the curb.

I don't miss it.

Coming tomorrow are two chairs to join this one.

This chair was a killer deal at a local store.

I overheard one of the customers say, "that's the ugliest chair I've ever seen."

Moments later I was paying for it. :)

I love it.

It reminds me of my grandpa's wool shirts.

It's down filled and super comfy.

The light was a Target find a few years back.

The stump was from our friend's tree nursery.

Here's the nook to the left when you enter the room.

This is where the eyesore of a desk was.

Eyesore no more...just clean lines.

This piece was in the dining room.

It's filled with easy access entertaining supplies.

Glasses, trays, appetizer plates, candles, napkins.

Everything needed for a quick party.

It was from my mother in law's best friend's estate.

She lived much of her adult life in Africa.

We think the piece is from there.

The wood is interesting, and the back is actually metal.

Mark made an adjustment of the legs to make it fit.

On top are forsythia from our flowering bush outside.

The inner vase is filled with water.

The outer vase is filled with wine corks.

Swing back to the left and you'll find the next area we're figuring out.

This piece was from an antique store in Michigan.

We bought it soon after we were married.

It holds our wine and some candle holders.

It's an old school desk attached to a Singer base.

Love it.

It was in the dining room too.

We're still playing with options for above it.

This is a magazine cover from 1960 that we had enlarged.

Mark's grandpa is on the front cover.

It was found after his grandma passed away last year.

This copy is too big...we're still looking for a frame.

Here's that space.

Note you are now back at the entry to the room.

I'm looking for a 36 inch clock to put in that peak.

I have some artwork to hang on the left side as well.

So there you have it.

More pics to come once the art is hanging and chairs have arrived.

One last look.

The weasel on the canoe is the only thing in the room I'm not fond of.

I need to photograph the dining room too.

Despite moving two pieces in here it's not empty. :)

I'm loving the changes.

Today's task?

Tackle the kitchen cabinet.

With four busy kids it's a constant issue.

This is my last day at home before their break.

Time to fill more bags for Goodwill.

-Julie

Room Remodel

I overcame my technical challenges, without my children or my husband.

WooHOO!

Here's a few in progress shots of the living room.

Many things were no longer working in here...

The oak trim around the room

The white ceiling

The Henry David Thoreau quote poorly sharpies over the windows

(yes I used a sharpie on a whim....I know)

The beams...no longer easily cleanable, and the ceiling to beam line was a mess.

The painter suggested painting them.

His thought?

He could get a clean line that way.

They'd be cleanable again.

I frantically called Mark.

I thought he said to go head and have them painted.

He didn't.

Bad connection on the train.

Whoops!

They can always be painted again, but I admit to crying quite a bit.

They had been stained before and were quite dark.

Here's the uncovered canoe.

This was the canoe my dad made in High School.

He and his buddies used to take regular canoe trips together...

in High School.

How cool is that?

Yes, he did give us permission to saw it in half and make a window seat.

One of my treasures I will never part with.

This wall posed a few challenges.

Note the paint color.

We removed a bookshelf 10 years ago...and never painted it to match the walls.

Whoops.

The chalkboard was covering it up.

We had long discussions about this corner.

See the table?

Mark built it about 16 years ago.

It's sagging.

It was constantly covered in Carl's schoolwork or Sofi's teaching stuff.

It was a constant eyesore in the corner.

For me anyway.

It's in the garage now waiting for Mark to part with it.

I'm not good at rearranging furniture.

I don't do it often.

This project really challenged me.

I flip flopped quite a few pieces, and discarded quite a bit.

Here's a sneak peek into the room.

I don't know that the colors are captured completely here.

I grabbed one of the Benjamin Moore Historical Color palettes.

The lightest color is on the living room walls and the beams.

The mid tone is on the living room ceiling.

The darkest color is on the library walls.

In person I think the library looks darker.

I'll try to capture that.

Yes the books are in rainbow order.

Love them that way.

The little ceramic vase in the corner was made by Linnea in sixth grade.

The piano keyboard was a curbside find.

Mark said he'd never take it off the wall.

Thankfully he did for the paint job.

I love the flow of colors.

They color looks different all day long.

I need to find smaller speakers.

I'm still looking for a clock.

Found one, but it was 15 inches too big.

Oy.

More pics next time.

Off to dig in the yard and organize the kitchen cabinets.

-Julie

Random Thoughts

Please excuse my technical difficulties.

This is not the picture I intended to post.
Kindergartener's response to Lane Smith's book Grandpa Green.

If you haven't seen it, go give it a read at your nearby bookstore.

Mine left....my nearby bookstore that is.

I miss Borders every day.

This book will leave a little lump in your throat and cause you to think.

I probably got more out of it than my kinders,

but they had fun with the project.

I asked them to make a picture of an important life event using only green and texture.

Wow.

Pretty talented little guy don't you think?

Many of the others had a sea of green.

His reminds me of Adam and Eve.

Too cute.

I dowloaded 197 pics onto my desktop.

I don't like blogging on my desktop.

I have iPhoto on this little laptop.

I forget how to get them onto here too.

I'll ask Carl for help in a few hours.

I'm still wrestling with what to do when I grow up.

I wish I was subbing.

I'm "on call" constantly...but only was called when I was sick.

My brain is on creative overload.

1 million ideas, constantly.

It's a gene I was given.

I will never be bored in life.

I will never have enough hours in the day to do all my little brain dreams up.

I dream of projects, connections, events to host, and all kinds of things in between.

I'm making a dent in the disorganized chaos of six people.

Uff Da.

That's a Swedish expression.

I'm trying to find ways to support my family through their days.

Mark is now on our pastoral search committee.

I don't talk about religion or politics on here typically.

It's going to be a long process.

There will be lots of meetings.

There will be lots of time that he is away from the family.

There will be lots of stress.

I know because I was part of the last one.

I see the church having changed so much.

The big C and the little c.

It will be a long year or so.

I think the church has so much to wrestle with...the big C and the little c.

On that happy note,

I'm off to use my brain and wrestle with the technological challenges of this computer.

I want to share pictures of our work in progress home.

Snoopy is coming on Friday.

Huh?

Remember the red baron?

Coming soon to our living room.

That should be enough of a tease to bring you back.

-Julie

Lazy Lazy Julie

Needs to upload pics.

There are loads of pics on my camera and phone.

They are upstairs.

I am downstairs.

I'm really that lazy today.

Kind of.

I'm sitting in the corner of the playroom typing waiting for Izzy to fall asleep.

This is day 5 of her missing school.

Poor thing had the flu and pneumonia.

She wants me close.

I want her to fall asleep.

I'm bored and have plenty to say, so I'm sitting here in the corner blogging.

Having her home sick has helped with missing school.

It's given me a purpose.

My little brain is still rolling with art ideas.

I guess I'll be making them with Izzy instead of the 400 kids I was teaching.

Sofi and Linnea don't like making stuff.

Carl's beyond making stuff with me.

So Izzy and I will be happily creating when she gets better.

I dropped Sofi off at school this morning and the tears were flowing.

Mine, not hers.

After she left the car.

I really loved what I was doing.

The reading.

Then the art.

What an absolute blast I had.

The interaction with kids.

Planning of lessons.

Seeing the racks fill with their artwork each day.

Hard to have it all come to a screeching halt with the end of the second leave I was filling.

I'm hoping to do some day to day subbing once Izzy is better.

In the meantime there is loads to do here.

Laundry.

Cleaning.

More cleaning.

Painting.

Now that the living room is painted (woo hoo!) everything else looks a little dingy.

She's finally asleep.

The purr of the vaporizer and the clicking of my keyboard did the trick.

Off to clean.

-Julie

Changing Things Up

This is what our living room looked like last week.

Now it's empty.

Drywall repair is done.

Looks like we never even had skylights.

Painter comes tomorrow.

WooHOO!

The library and living room our both getting much needed facelifts.

In the meantime my head is spinning.

The possibilities are endless when I see empty rooms.

I've mentally rearranged all of the furniture we own.

I've measured spaces.

I've dreamed on Pinterest...aka land of the lost.

I could lose myself there in happy land for hours.

Most of my dreams have been vetoed by Mark or the kids.

I looked at the pic above, and instantly thought a library on the far wall with a moving ladder would be fantastic.

Vetoed..

We have a library.

Not if we moved a wall and opened the kitchen.

I've mentally Mark's most despised piece of furniture (the chalkboard), into the dining room.

I've mentally moved the library bench into the kitchen and added a table from the basement.

I've mentally moved our buffet into the living room.

I've mentally moved about 10 pieces of furniture curbside.

I can dream right?

It's exhilarating and exhausting.

I have a big headache from the dust and the dreams.

My wheels never stop spinning when I see possibilities.

I'll post pics of the progress this week.

For structural reasons we won't be adding wood to the ceiling.

I'm nervous and excited about the paint color choices.

Once again I chose them and then opened the Pottery Barn catalog.

There they were.

Sigh.

-Julie

p.s. My adorable nephew Toren was born last Saturday. So cute and too far away! :(

Waiting

Just sitting here waiting for the little guy in the pic to call me.

He's going to be a daddy for the first time.

He's my baby brother.

I'm going to be an aunt...for the sixth time.

I can't wait.

I'm giddy.

Totally stinks to be two time zones away.

I don't think I'll sleep tonight!

-Julie

Chips, Dip & a Mexico Trip

Today's random photo,

an attempt to win a radio contest trip....

I had 7 minutes from hearing the contest announcement to post to the radio show.

I was en route from dropping Mark off at the train.

I didn't win, but Izzy & I had a good time making the "beach scene" together at 7:45 a.m.

The goal?

Post a pic of your bikini somewhere.

The winner was wearing her over her clothes while on the Metra train.

I guess I couldn't top that.

My days are crazy, and I'm sure yours are too.

Adding humor keeps me sane.

Today I proofread a student's dreams & wishes for her artwork.

"I want testes. I want a man."

She meant tests and a mansion.

I had to ask for clarification.

Whoops.

So hard to keep a straight face sometimes.

I have about fourteen days left in the art room.

Every day is a blur of paper, paint, spills, glue, pastels and fun.

I'm going to miss it.

A lot.

I love the planning, the prep, and interacting with the kids.

Today I taught my fifth graders how to enlarge their drawings,

brought the fourth graders to the computer lab for Sketch Up,

taught the third graders how to turn numbers into art,

helped the second graders finish their puppet shows & Chinese dragons,

made "sandwiches" with the first graders after reading The Sandwich Swap,

and taught another third grade class how to make Notans with scissors and paper.

Then I had my reading intervention group.

Between the second and the first grade I ran to Hobby Lobby over lunch for more supplies.

Crazy, busy, busy day.

Home making meat loaf, baked potatoes, and playing with shrinky sinks with my girls.

Homework help, spelling practice, reading time.

I'm loving it all.

Linnea asked me tonight what I've learned from my teaching experiences this year.

I've learned I've missed teaching, a ton.

I've learned I didn't need to be scared to try it again.

I've learned I love having a schedule during the day.

I've learned I want to find a position in the Fall.

We'll see what the next six months bring.

The last six have been an incredible wild ride, and I'm so glad I've taken it.

-Julie