Friday…Woo Hoo! Back to school mode has officially been activated. Early alarm clocks, real clothes, functioning brain by 8:00am, the works- and while it’s not been easy, it sure has been nice seeing my work family again. It’s funny how easily we teachers slip in and out of teacher mode. I was totally relaxed this summer and didn’t feel stressed or tense and could operate at a slower pace. Now that we’re back on campus, I feel the tension between my shoulder blades, my brain is constantly firing off, I’m even a little bit stressed already. It’s a strange transition we teachers go through and one that no one else can fully understand. Also, the pic above is the only one I’ve taken this week. It’s been busy.
Our school had Open House this week, and that’s when it starts to feel real. I got to meet some of my students, hug some former ones, and even in those few short moments that we got to meet these families, I already have a sense of who will be spending the next nine months with me. Here’s to a great year!
You know, I wanted to be able to share with you all the back to school clothes I got, but I haven’t really been shopping. I didn’t want to spend extra money on clothes because we’d just been working on a master bathroom refresh. Lucky for my bank account, I kind of forgot to go back to school shopping. I also deleted most of the shopping apps from my phone, and let me tell you, that works! I do have my eyes on some footwear trends for fall and will likely have to add those to my wardrobe soon. This summer I found a fabulous wool blazer at the Goodwill and can’t wait to wear it. I think second hand shopping is something I need to explore more. Are you a second hand shopper? I find it so satisfying and love that it’s sustainable and way cheaper. You do have to like the thrill of the hunt, but you can find some real hidden gems. If you’re interested in shopping this way, I suggest giving Ashley from @secondhandsavvy_ a follow on Instagram. Or if you are more interested in second hand things for home decor, you must follow @clairescurations. She’s a Greenville girl living in DC, but she does wonderful Instagram sales and she ships. She also has an Etsy page if you can’t catch the live sales.
I may not be shopping, but I did find us all a very tasty and very simple back-to-school meal. Crock pot chicken legs, y’all. They will please both children and adults and could not be easier to make. I followed her recipe exactly and watched the quick video in her post (very helpful). Find the recipe here.
Keeping me entertained these days is the podcast called The Popcast. I’ve always heard of it but never listened. What have I been doing with my life?! Knox and Jamie are hysterical. They literally talk about pop culture and not much of that is very important, but they do it in a way that makes me laugh so much. I am listening to back episodes just because I want to spend more time with them. If you’ve never listened, I highly recommend.
Other than Paul and I celebrating our twelfth anniversary, there’s not a whole lot going on in this Norman household. Don’t get me wrong, twelve is something to celebrate! We’re proud of us and praying for many more. We celebrated by trying out those crock pot chicken legs and getting ice cream from the Shell station. I got my favorite, rocky road, and Paul got butter crunch-so good. Small town life right there. We get to properly celebrate tonight at a restaurant, and I’m pretty excited. We’re going back to Ravello with my brother and sister-in-law. She has a birthday tomorrow so we’re doing a double celebration.
I sure hope y’all have had a good week. Re-entry into the workplace hasn’t been easy, and I know next week will be even harder, but I’m happy for a routine and hope I have all the good things to share after it’s over.
