Busy busy busy

I'm exhausted.

Seriously. I mean, yeah, I get that there are a lot of people out there who have lives that are much more stressful than mine, with many more challenges than me (mainly because I taught many of their children) but still. I'm freaking TIRED.

This week has been ridiculous. Three days in a row I didn't get in the door until after 8 p.m., after leaving the house at 6:30 a.m. One of those days was a 12 hour day at work. After weeks like this I really like to have a lazy weekend in which I have the option to not get dressed or leave the house all weekend. However, today I had my mom's purse party, my friend's baby shower, and the husband's grandma's birthday dinner. Lots of fun and not at all mentally stimulating, right? I actually passed out on my in-laws' couch after dinner tonight and slept through my kids breakdancing right in front of me.

Anyway, life has been crazy. Maya graduated puppy class this week and we signed up for intermediate class in April. She's doing great - I haven't been as consistent as I'd like with her training but she's catching on pretty well. Intermediate class works mostly on distractions, which is her biggest challenge, so hopefully that will help. I'm determined that this dog will be our best dog ever, and dammit, I'm going to put in the work to get her that way.

The kids are amazing. Lex decided he wants to grow his hair out to look like Justin Bieber, so there's that. I decided not to fight it. The more you fight your kids on these things the more they'll fight back to get what they want. Pick your battles, I say. I also told him I'd take him to the Bieber movie. Secretly, there's a little part of me that wants to see it (if only to figure out what kind of crack this kid is selling to the 12 year old girls). I think Lex just wants to learn more hip-hop moves.

He also got his report card a few weeks back and blew me away. The grading system is standards-based now, with 1-2-3-4 grades, 4 being above grade level. He went from mostly 2s in second quarter to all 3s this quarter, with six 4s in some basic concepts (knowing letters, recognizing his name, colors, etc.). He had a major maturity growth spurt in the last few months and he is just such an amazing little man. I'm so proud of him and the person he's becoming - he's so kind, helpful, caring and lovable. And responsible too - he reminds me of things that I'm constantly forgetting. Such a good kid.

The Baby Girl is hitting a growth spurt - she basically skipped size 4t clothes and I now have to buy 5t if I want anything to last the month. She's not even 3 yet. She's totally proportional but has always been at the 75th percentile, so she'll probably be at least my height if not taller. We're getting ready to sign her up for tae kwon do soon, and I'll probably have her take dance classes at the YMCA since she ADORES dancing (she wants to be just like her idol, big brother). I want her to explore other dance classes besides ballet though - too many body image issues come up with ballet.

As for her personality, her teacher told me the other day that she has a very "sweet spirit." She had been telling me about how one of the other kids had thrown a small tantrum but that Baby Girl never did that - she was always so well behaved, sweet and helpful. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful kids who care so much for each other (and other people in general). Lately I've been pretty down about my parents' divorce and she came up to me the other day, out of the blue, and asked, "Are you feeling all right, Mommy?" Then she gave me a hug and said, "You feeling better now." I definitely was. :-)

I fall in love with teaching more every day now. I adore my kids this year, they're all such smartasses and they make me laugh constantly. I'm learning new things - both in the curriculum I'm teaching and the classes I'm taking through the district professional development. I have an incredible teaching partner who is so full of resources that she's probably saved me about 5,000 hours of work in my first year here. It was truly the best decision of my life to leave my previous building, especially after the stories I'm hearing from my friends who still work there. It's wonderful to love what I do again.

That's pretty much it at this point. Life is busy but I get to spend it doing things I love with people I love (like my bestie, when we go for a walk at the waterfront tomorrow morning!). I'm trying not to dwell on my parents' struggles and focus on all the good in my life right now. Because there is a lot of it.