News at Home – Cleaning Rampage!
So you know how I mentioned last week that I was on a real cleaning kick? Well I went to town this week! I finished off decluttering and organizing all the shared spaces and then I was like, “okay it’s decluttered and it was never dirty, but is it sparkling?” LOL! I scrubbed and scoured, bought a shampooer and shampooed the carpets. Cleaned the blinds and baseboards. Ya’ll I went to town! And now it’s sparkling π I have no idea what’s gotten into me, but man does the apartment feel great! I’m also a little sore lol!
Besides cleaning, I had to work 2 days this week. I was “voluntold” as the new web master for our school’s website and I had to go to a training. After blogging for four years, this is going to be a piece of cake. However, I have to worry about a lot more things – which I realize I should be mindful of blogging too, actually – like accessibility. Monday was training for new web masters and then Tuesday was actually more of a work day – they updated everyone on new laws and requirements from the district and then we spent like 5 hours in a lab just working on the site. My time went to repairing the site – like 50 some broken links, none of the images had alt-text (major no-no for accessibility), and updating school supply lists. Which was fine really, as I didn’t have much new information to add to the site yet. I have a feeling this will be a pain really close to the start of school… What’s also frustrating is that we HAVE to do everything in an editor. Y’all I taught myself how to work in HTML 4 years ago and now, I’m way more comfortable working that way than in an editor. When something doesn’t look right on the finished page, it’s easier to spot why when you’re looking at the HTML. So that will take some getting used to. Also, their pages are not responsive (aka, they look a mess on mobile devices!). How, in this day and age, can you have an unresponsive sight? I actually think it’s sort of responsive, because bits look good. But man, the text wrapping is wonky and so is alignment. *sigh* letting it go!
Oh and a wee-bit of good-ish news. So they named a replacement for the kinder teacher that left- a 3rd grade teacher that had requested a move to a lower grade at the end of May was given the spot. I really like her, so far, and she’s already been really engaged with the team and planning. But then we got a message that HR says we don’t have the numbers for 4 GenEd Kinder classes, so her spot has to go away. Personally, I think it’s way too early for them to be making that call. The area we service, parents don’t know to bring their kids in already and register them – we get most our students the week before school. So now she’s in limbo. And you know it’s all about money and keeping class sizes as close to the max as possible to save money on staff. GRR! That’s so not what’s right for the kids π That’s just one more consequence of politicians and businessmen running our school system. *sigh*
We also had a get together to say goodbye to all the people leaving my school – more people than I realized! But none because they hate the school – all because of promotions, family obligations moving them, school endeavors, and the like. Such a shift from my 1st school! Anyway I got to talk to my AP that is leaving and she made it very clear that she wasn’t leaving by choice, but because the district required it (see note above about wrong people running schools… grr!). They felt that since she had been interim principal for 4 months last year and she didn’t get the principal job (Which she NEVER expected to get, since she’s only been an AP for a couple years) that it would be too awkward for her to stay on. Our principal was there and made several comments about how hard it was going to be to replace our AP with someone as good. So frustrating! I hope we get someone good! My AP mentioned they have a kinder opening at her knew school and they needed a really solid lead… and she told me that our principal would probably kill her for saying it, but the job was mine if I wanted it. I thought about it for a second – I LOVE my AP. But I feel really good about my team and school, so I’m staying put. Plus, that could result in some burnt bridges, right? Oh and I so DO NOT want to be lead!
So yeah… busy week!
Blog News
Blog is doing really well! I’m almost done writing posts for August! I’m so relieved to be getting ahead, so that when school starts I can hopefully keep some momentum going! And I’m finding time to visit and comment, feels great to be reconnecting with everyone π
#FitReaders Update
A much better week, though my food choices still were not the strongest. I started doing My Miracle Morning – I’m going to do a Bubbly Berls Babbles about it sometime – but if you google it you can find out all about it and the book. It’s a method for creating a morning routine and I’m loving it. I mean I’ve always had a morning routine, but this has very explicit pieces – 1 of which is exercise, daily. So days that I wasn’t feeling a full on workout, I did stretching exercises and I feel like that helped get my mind in the right place. And it also includes meditation, something I’ve always sucked at but am really enjoying working on. Maybe someday I’ll figure out how to stop this non-stop mind of mine!
Next week I’m going to make a real effort to make better eating choices to go with my return to daily exercise from this week!
Last Week on the Blog
- [24 Jul] Blood Cross by Faith Hunter ★★★★
- [25 Jul] Michelle’s Currently I’m….#9
- [26 Jul] Babbling about getting rid of ARCs!
- [27 Jul] Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb ★★★★½
- [28 Jul] Friday 5 #Bookish Recommendations ~ #MG Summer Reading
- [29 Jul] The Lost Legacy (The Supernormal Sleuthing Service #1) by Gwenda Bond, Christopher Rowe, Glenn Thomas ★★
- [29 Jul] Sunday Post with Berls | Cleaning Rampage!
- [30 Jul] Feeling bloggy, working on the visits and vacation soon ~ WIR & SP
Coming Next Week From Me
Saturday
Sunday Post with Berls | Cleaning Rampage!
Monday
November 9 by Colleen Hoover #audioreview
Saturday
My TBR List August Voting!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!
I just finished…
I finished The Glass Sword and, though I didn’t love it as much as Red Queen it was still good and ended with quite a twist. Really hoping to get into the next one soon!
On audio I finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. *sigh* I had forgotten so many details that don’t come through in the movies and that’s been my chief way of experiencing HP the last few years. I get teary eyed more times than I remembered! To me, this is the book where things start getting REAL. Not that I don’t love the others, I really do.
Reading Now…
I’m still reading F*ck Club, which I hadn’t spent much time on due to The Glass Sword. I’m starting to make major headway now. It’s a deeper book than I originally anticipated.
In the mornings, I’m reading Teaching with Love and Logic. I’m reading only a few pages at a time, so it’s a slow go, but I really LOVE the principals it has for managing student behavior and creating relationships. I’m excited to extend what I’m already doing in my classroom with what I learn from this book.
And I’m on to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for my audio read. Love! Bracing myself for what’s coming though…
Up Next…
Not too sure, honestly….
I really need to do a deep clean into my house. Right now, I can barely keep up with vacuuming (so much dog hair everywhere). I hope all you school stuff works out. I’m sure you will be great running the website. {{hugs}} π Have a great week.
I’ve so been there Melanie! That’s probably why this deep clean feels SO good. Thanks, fingers crossed for a good year! {Hugs}
Oh my gosh, save us all from the ‘higher ups’ that make educational decisions! They want to trim the fat everywhere except in administration! how many people do they need at the ‘district level’ Ugh! Hopefully everything will work out and you guys will get that additional teacher!
I always feel better if I exercise in the morning. But sometimes its just so hard to make myself exercise in the morning!
Hope you have a great August!
OMG yes! Education has become way too top heavy! Fingers crossed we get the teacher.
I agree morning workouts are the best, but yeah sometimes getting moving in the morning is tough!
Have a great week! Happy August π
So the cleaning kick continues! Wanna come to my house? LOL You’ve also reminded that me that I *really* need to schedule carpet cleaning. It’s been too long.
Sounds like a lot of staff changes at school. π It’s good that none are because they want to get the heck outta there but still… some of just seems wrong and unfair.
I hope your week is off to a great start, Berls!
Lol I seem to have a lot of sudden invitations to people’s houses! Gah the carpet cleaning was way over due for us… 2 years maybe? And we have pets. So yeah, that was probably the best cleaning I’ve done.
I know, I’m nervous about all the changes, but grateful they aren’t a result of unhappiness at least. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out well this year!
I need to get my butt moving on doing more posts for next month. I have a few I hope to get to this week before I leave.
You can come over anytime to clean my house. I have to do that in September, I have such stress looking at Julia’s room and the living room but I am revamping the entire house hopefully before Christmas. After vacation when I clear my head I want to think of a plan for the house, Julia’s area is top on the list, her room is a disaster and she’s fine with it.
Lol Julia and Philip have lots in common it seems. I get so anxious when things are a mess – and they had been at my house for quite some time. Not dirty but messy. So it feels great, good luck getting yours done once the kids are back to school. I’d help if you lived closer! Another reason to move closer to me π
Wow, your cleaning tales are inspiring. Wish I had the much gumption π Sounds like the school year will be fun but may also be chaotic. I hope your classes don’t end up overcrowded since they cut the one class. That would be hard.
That’s my biggest concern. Sounds like the principal has asked the teacher to be on stand by to move back to Kinder as originally planned, since no one believes those numbers will hold true. Thankfully the teacher is cool with it, so fingers crossed HR realizes how wrong they are fast enough!
LOL I’m telling you, I think I’m sick or something. I can’t seem to stop the cleaning. It’s 9am and I’ve already dusted the whole house and vacuumed. But gah, it feels good to sit here blogging in my sparkling clean home. We’ll see if it lasts once school starts!
Have a great week Barb π
The cleaning sounds like quite the cleaning spree! I’m waiting till school starts here (next week) and then I’m going to tackle some major cleaning. It’s starting to drive me crazy. That’s a good sign that people are leaving for the right reasons. Hopefully this will be a school you can really be happy working. It always amazes me how teachers move around grade wise. We found out the teacher my son has last week and I’m really excited but even more excited that another teacher I really wanted him to have moved up to 3rd grade so he’s still got a chance of getting her! Good luck with the webmaster stuff. I wish someone would fix all the broken links on the school system’s website here. It drives me crazy!
Yeah, I’ve been trying to get it all done before school starts, as that’s when my life gets crazy. I don’t get the moving around grade levels… I would honestly cry if they moved me. But maybe after several years you need a different challenge. That’s great about your son – hopefully he lucks out in 3rd π
I had no idea we has so many broken links, it was quite the shock. I think the problem is, it’s a “volunteer” position at most schools. It really needs to be part of someone’s job description – but with what money, right? *sigh *
Anyway have a great week!
You want to come and declutter my house. π π I hope things go great for you in the coming school year! I am also glad that blogging is going good and that you are getting a bit ahead…yay!
Have a great week!
Stormi
Lol honestly, I’m getting such a rush out of it, I’d probably come and help if you lived closer. I’m dying to get at my mom’s room! Thanks, fingers crossed it’ll be a good year. I’m trying really hard to be super positive. π
Bwahahahaha… did you get into your mother’s room yet????!!!! π
That is sooooo frustrating when you work for a civic body and their infrastructure is behind the times (not responsive) and it is not flexible (you can’t work in html like we can – go back and forth easily) to adapt to people. It was a huge pet peeve of mine when I was working at the County Library system. Government sucks getting anything done. I’m sorry you got “Volun-told” – great word, btw!!!!
Writing posts for August… phhhhhtt… I hate you π xoxoxoxo Have a great week!!!
Gah no π I keep closing her door! I can’t bear to look at it, while I’m in my clean zen lol!
You’re telling me! I spent all day working on the site – struggling to fix wonky code without SEEING the code only to go home and have my husband pull it up on his phone and be like, “it looks awful!” I was so shocked, having been operating all day on the assumption it was a responsive site. Because why wouldn’t you have a responsive site in this day and age?! The government is always so behind.
LOL! Well I have like 10-15, since I’m sharing with Michelle π so much better! Have a great week!!
SO I have a question – what does alt text have to do with accessibility and why is it important for my blog? I never knew anything of this. I suppose I should look for a web class to take, but I just don’t feel motivated.
Overall it sounds like a productive week, although a bit of frustration. I look forward to hearing about your incoming class. When does school start?
Oh so alt text is the description of the image. So a book cover for example should have in the alt text “cover of book title”. This has to do with accessibility because those with vision impairment use audio readers to read the web. The audio readers can’t see the picture either, though, right? But if you’ve done the alt text it can tell them what the picture is. I think I may do a Bubbly Berls Babbles on accessibility – I’m starting to realize (partly from work) that people don’t know as much about it as I assumed. It’s actually very simple, but you do have to make conscious decisions – it doesn’t happen automatically.
A very productive week! I feel. So great sitting in my apartment right now π School starts the 28th, but I go back the 16th… Not much time left and I feel like I still have so much to do!
Whew sounds like you really went on a cleaning rampage. My house probably could use a cleaning rampage as well, but I kinda dislike cleaning, unless that cleaning urge hit me (which hasn’t happened in a while, lol). I prefer to stick to the cooking and laundry.
Good luck with the website job, it does sound like a good fit as you already know a lot because of blogging.
That’s good news the new teacher seems to be nice :). And that’s nice you’re getting ahead with posts scheduled :). I already got some posts for the next months scheduled and it always makes me feel happy to be ahead a bit :). I hope you’ll have a great week!
Lol I’m not sure exactly what has come over me, though I’ve always enjoyed things being clean. The act of cleaning I can do without, except I really like things clean. I do HATE cleaning the bathroom. Oh and I’m not a fan of laundry lol.
Isn’t getting ahead the best? I hope I can keep it up! Have a great week Lola!
Aw sorry to hear about the problems with the new position- hopefully that resolves and the new teacher gets to teach! And how nice that you were offered that lead position- even though you want to stay, you’re obviously well regarded if the departing AP wants you! Very nice! Sorry about losing the great AP too…
Anyway hope you have a great week Berls!
I hope so too – especially since cutting 1 spot means we’ll be at capacity all year for sure. It is flattering for sure, even if I don’t want that kind of responsibility any time soon. But I guess it’s an open door if things don’t work out well here for some reason. Thank Greg! You too π