Top three

Here is a list of things that can add additional stress to a teacher's life:
- starting at a new school
- starting a new grade
- decorating/supplying a classroom
- meet the teacher night
- learning a new curriculum
- organizing materials for learning
- attending professional development
- preparing for a sub
- IEP meetings
- end of quarter assessments
- report cards
- field trip
- parent teacher conferences

I have done all of this in the last three weeks (minus conferences, that's this week). So I'm going to start being nicer to myself and stop questioning why I'm so stressed and sometimes feel like I'm on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. I'm not a full-blown panic attack type of person, and I'm not really digging this feeling, so I'm hoping it goes away soon. Please and thank you.

I had a really great weekend, we had no real plans and took advantage of it. I cleaned my whole house today, got a lot of stuff done for my classroom, and spent quality time with the kids. And of course Jamie. He's always in the background somewhere, just waiting for me to tell him what to do for me next- I"m so lucky! This weekend he went rogue and spent a lot of time organizing various drawers throughout the house. The end table drawers, the master bath drawers... drawers that one would never even imagine would need organizing! I think he found his secret talent, he could start a show for HGTV. Let's call it 'What's in Yo Drawers?'. Look for it in the summer of 2016. Meanwhile I will be putting locks on all of my drawers at home...

So Jamie had his drawer-cleaning, but I had not one but THREE thrilling things that happened to me over the weekend that I just have to share. We'll start at the top:

#1- I cleaned my purse out before we went to Colorado and just dumped all the shit that I didn't need for the trip in a bowl. I finally got around to going through the bowl yesterday (I've been a little busy the last three weeks) and there was a QT gift card. I thought it was one that had like 83 cents on it, so I didn't think much of it. I went to QT yesterday for a mid-afternoon cappucino (medium, fat-free french vanilla with just a touch of a button's worth of the regular FV on top), and I handed the gift card to the cashier with my wallet in the other hand and asked him to tell me how much I owed him because it only had like four cents on it (I tend to exaggerate things in QT. It's the only place I'm truly comfortable and the one place I know I am never judged.) But then BAM, this sweet angel of QT heaven told me that I had plenty of money on the card, in fact I had 30 AMERICAN DOLLARS on it. THIRTY. DOLLARS. I basically went from QT poverty to the 1%, because who really gets more than $30 on a QT gift card, what can you really buy there that costs more than $30? I guess gas, but what kind of idiot would actually use their gift card for a tank of gas when they could spread the joy out over thirty visits on 79 cent fountain sodas? And I have no idea where this $30 gift card came from, but it was truly the highlight of a pretty great weekend to begin with. $30 dollars to QT... the possibilities are endless!

#2- I went to the O'Fallon Brewery Tap Room place/restaurant/bar with my neighbor and friend (she is my neighbor but also my friend, so I'm not sure which descriptor I should use), and it was pretty amazing. They have SEVEN pumpkin beers on tap, including pumpkin, peach pumpkin, vanilla pumpkin, IMPERIAL pumpkin which is very, very, very pumpkiny and good, and some other ones I can't remember due to the quantity of pumpkin-flavored beer I consumed.  I also tried strawberry beer which was good too. And I didn't even get the Wheach on tap which is my usual favorite because there were so many other delicious-sounding options. (Sidebar- Harry just came out of his room to tell me he had a bad dream which is bullshit because he most definitely has not even fallen asleep yet, and he had to pass by Jamie who is sleeping on his floor to come tell me this. He walked over his dad who is in his room, asleep, on the floor, to come lie to me about a bad dream. I am either doing something very wrong or very right as a parent.) So if you are in the Maryland Heights area, or even if you're not, you should definitely check it out and invite me because it is kind of hard to find and I will guide your way and there's a lot more beer to try and the pumpkin-beer clock is a tickin'!

#3- Finally, I don't know if I ever made a formal announcement but we got some new appliances, a new fridge, washer and dryer, and they have changed my life for the better. That is not a lie or an exaggeration, I am a happier person since acquiring these new, wonderful things. The fridge is so big. Like so big. When I think there won't be room for all the groceries I bought?- I am wrong, there is room. There's a crushed ice maker and the cheese drawer is perfectly placed, it plays you a song if you leave the doors open to long... it's my new best friend. Or at least it was my new best friend until today when I washed and dried FOUR PILLOWS PLUS BEDDING in my new washer and dryer. I fully realize this is disgusting and I should not admit this but I never washed our pillows with our old washer and dryer. And I don't mean never like the skinny athletic person who says 'I NEVER go to the gym,' when they actually go all the time, or like me when I say 'I NEVER hide candy in my purse and eat in the car when I'm alone,' when there is candy in my purse right ow and I had a cookies and cream bar in the Walgreens parking lot today, I mean I NEVER washed our pillows. It is disgusting, you should all shun me, but it was just such a giant pain in the ass, it would take forever to dry, the washing machine would get all effed up from spinning the soaking wet pillows, it just wasn't worth it. The very few times I have washed pillows in the 12 years since I've been an adult living out of my parents home, I've done them one at a time. So being able to do all four from our bed, wash and dry, plus some sheets in one load is life-changing. Maybe this horrible rash that itches constantly and oozes smelly discharge that's behind my hair that I've had for 12 years will finally clear up. I'm kidding of course. Of course...