News at Home – Feeling Energized!
What a week y’all! As you know, I’m on summer “break” but I’m not one of those people who does a good job relaxing and doing nothing. It’s just not in me. So I decided my non-school related project for the summer would be really clearing out and organizing our apartment. And boy did we need it.
Here’s the thing – I never read Marie Condon, because frankly, I knew I didn’t need to. I have NO PROBLEM getting rid of things. If I’m not using it, I want it out and gone! Problem is, my mom… she likes to hold on to everything. Just because she isn’t using it now – or in the past 3 years – doesn’t mean she won’t desperately need it tomorrow. *sigh* So I’ve systematically cleaned out kitchen, bedroom, and book closet. I have a busy week ahead of me, but I plan to get in the bathroom, living room and coat/misc junk (yep, that’s part of the problem!) closet this week.
All that leaves is my mom’s room, which I know I can’t touch, regardless of how much I want to. But that’s okay, because that means that I’ll still have a couple weeks before I go back to work to finish up some school projects while binge watching tv (printing, laminating, cutting for the most part).
I’ve also started bullet journaling! Here’s the thing, I just learned about it, but I’ve Kinda been doing it for years already. Just minus the structure that makes it WAY more efficient. I’ve always carried around a notebook where I keep lists and notes. So when I discovered bullet journals I started immediately and I’m seriously addicted. I’ll probably do a post about it sometime. It’s a nice outlet for my creativity too.
Then on Wednesday, I made a kind of off-hand remark to my mom (a remark I’d made many times) about her taking some classes at the community college. Y’all she wanted to go to school when she was younger, but it just wasn’t allowed. She got her GED and that was it. And she’s felt that she’s just too old to do it now every time I’ve brought it up in the past. Well, I make this comment and next thing I know I’m helping her fill out her FAFSA and apply to the local community college! Then Thursday she left at like 9am to fix her residency info (they marked her as out of state until she showed proof of residency) and to take the placement exam. Well around 6:30 I was very concerned about her, and actually left to go find her because her phone was going straight to voicemail and she’d been gone all day. Just as I was about to get on the highway my phone got an alert that the card I’ve given her had been used to buy Wendy’s. So she was okay! And I get home to find out she was gone all day because she also met with a counselor, got setup for orientation AND picked out courses! WHAT?! Needless to say I’m excited for her and very proud of her for making this leap for something I know she’s wanted for a lifetime.
Thursday was mostly good, but I got hit with some startling news. One of my fellow Kinder teacher’s texted to let us know she was resigning and won’t be back in the fall. I was like, well crap, but we’ll find someone no problem before the start of the school year. And then, around 9pm I got an email that my Assistant Principal was also resigning! Y’all that is a huge blow. It was a fear I’d had since my Principal had to leave back in November for health reasons – new administration often changes up a lot of things. But I thought surely by now we were in the clear. I’m very nervous about what this will mean for our school next year. I don’t know what to think of our Principal yet – she just started in March and hasn’t really showed her cards yet – and now I don’t know who the AP will be. The AP is probably the MOST important position for a school – they set the tone for discipline and such. So yeah, very anxious. Cross your fingers for me.
Spent Friday with my brother just hanging out and letting all the stress stay away!
Blog News – Also feeling energized!
I haven’t felt this good about blogging in a long time. I feel excited and I’m blogging every day. And, I don’t know about Michelle, but I’ve never felt like I was in the position to get as far ahead as I feel like we are right now. I’m already 2 weeks ahead and I think I’ll be done with August (except Sunday posts) by the end of next week. Why didn’t we do this earlier? I thought I’d miss my blog more, but since Michelle let’s me do whatever, as if it were my blog, I don’t really. Instead, I just have more excuses to talk to her and do stuff with her. So yay!
#FitReaders Update
As energized as I’ve been feeling, this has not been a strong point lately. I just have so many other goals for the summer, it’s falling by the wayside. To be fair, though, I’m not eating badly. When I’m super busy like I’ve been, I forget to eat! And even though I haven’t been working out per say, organizing is a workout. I’ve been sore several days lately because of organizing activities. I’ll get back into a routine as the school year gets closer to starting I’m sure.
Last Week on the Blog
- [17 Jul] Rhythm and Bluegrass by Molly Harper ★★★½
- [19 Jul] #bingewatchersclub Christmas Movies happened
- [20 Jul] Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen ★★★★
- [21 Jul] No Limits by Lori Foster ★★★½
- [22 Jul] Sunday Post with Berls | Feeling energized!
- [23 Jul] A little overwhelmed but excited! ~ WIR & SP
Coming Next Week From Me
Saturday
Sunday Post with Berls
Monday
Blood Cross by Faith Hunter #audioreview
Wednesday
I’m starting a new feature — it’s basically a spin off of my Fun Questions from my old blog, but with a fresh start, name and logo here at Because Reading! Look for the first Bubbly Berls Babbles today!
Thursday
Holiday in Death by JD Robb #audioreview
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 picked up The Woman in Cabin 10 in a last ditch effort to have read SOMETHING for my book club meeting on Tuesday. Well, I started it Monday evening and by book club I was 50% in. I’ve had it on my list for a long time and I don’t know why I took so long to read it!!
Reading Now…
I’m still working on:
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (audio re-read)
- Teaching with Love and Logic (for work)
- Glass Sword (loving! borrowed and really want to return tomorrow…)
- F*ck Club (haven’t picked up in a few days but ready to get back to soon!)
I think the mere fact I have so many books going at the moment (I normally only have 2) just means they’re all slow going. I don’t dislike any of them – I’m really enjoying all of them honestly!
Up Next…
Since I have so many in progress I don’t plan to pick anything else up at the moment. When I finish the current HP, I’ll go to the next one as I really want to finish listening before school starts.
I know I’m super late to post, but Yay for having you back! Tag Teaming is awesome! *mind wanders into gutter territory* Um, what? Oh, yeah! I’m looking forward to seeing your posts again! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the school year. *crosses fingers*
LMAO! I swear only you could take it there. That’s why we love you π Yes, keep them firmly crossed, it’s so good to be back and not feeling overwhelmed, hope I can sustain that in the school year!
That’s fantastic about your mom! How exciting for her! Have you given your mother the Japanese Tidiness book (can’t remember exact title off the top of my head)? My husband is like you in the throwing away stuff but I struggle with it because I might need something someday! That book ended up being pretty helpful with setting my priorities. That’s too bad about the AP but hopefully you’ll like the new one even better! Have a great week!
I’m really excited for her too, thanks π LOL no, I haven’t given her Marie Condin’s book mainly because she is VERY stubborn. She doesn’t want to accept that I could possibly be right, so she won’t read something that could force her to admit it. haha I love her, but I know what battles have a chance π I’m glad it was helpful for you though, maybe someday she’ll be ready for it! Fingers crossed you’re right about the AP! Have a great week π
I hope you get the most fabulous AP in the universe! Sending good energies. I am re-reading Sorcerer’s Stone via audio book right now. I hope you are having a wonderful week. π
Isn’t it wonderful to listen to HP? every time I read the series, whatever the version, I’m amazed by how much Iove it. Thank you, fingers crossed that’s exactly what I get π
I also wanted to offer my congratulations to your mother! She’s fabulous. π
Thanks! I’m really excited for her π
Way to go on clearing out the house, Berls! And congrats to your mom for signing up for community college! What a great thing for her to do π
We have a new principal next year, too, and she’s only starting as school re-opens. A lot of my colleagues are a bit nervous about it, but I am going to stay positive.
Have a wonderful week and happy reading, my dear friend. {{{hugs}}}
Thanks! It feels really good to get so much done on the house – like by time school starts we’ll be fresh and ready for it. I’m super excited for my mom to start classes, I think she’ll enjoy it so much and I know she’ll do well π
New principals everywhere! I’m trying to stay positive as well, but I won’t lie – I’m a bit nervous.
Happy reading!! {{BIG HUGS}}
Super congrats to your mother. That’s such a huge step. My husband didn’t get a chance to go to college after high school because of his family but he just completed his 4 year degree in May in his early 50’s so it can be done. I was never more proud of him. I’ve been dabbling wit bullet journaling and it isn’t going great but hopefully I’ll figure out a system I like before 2018 starts π Glad to hear you’re enjoying The Woman in Cabin 10. I wish I had the energy to clean my house as thorough as you are!
I’m going to have to share that with my mom – she’s 59 – and I know she has fears, particularly about being “too old”. I’ve told her about people on my classes older than her, but I think hearing a very specific story might encourage her π
Have you checked out Boho Berry for bullet journaling? She’s got lots of great ideas and spreads that I find myself modifying. I will be sharing some of my stuff in the next month or so I think.
LOL! I think every time I finish an area, it energizes me a bit more to hit the next section.
Have a great week π
Honestly, I have squandered last summer and this summer. I am apparently very good at doing absolutely nothing. Good for you getting stuff done and sent along to a new home! I always told myself that I wouldn’t be a hoarder like both of my parents and my maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather, but the simple truth is that I am. I blame my mom (seriously – she keeps every single newspaper – the house is just a tinderbox waiting to happen!). Whenever I have thrown things away, she always goes on rants about how wasteful I am (like when I moved out of my little bungalow house in November). My goal this summer was to go through things I had brought to The Man’s house and throw things away, give away, put away, or store away as needed. I have one more box to go to Goodwill and two little boxes of stuff I’m not sure what to do with right now (framed pictures, albums) and my IKEA bag of paintings and artwork. There’s not a lot of wall space left, so I’ve just left it. But my grand plan to go through all of my stuff in my parent’s storage unit, their house, and my old car …. none of that has happened. *sigh* I’m going to have to deal with it next summer. Just go for an entire week and get it over with.
I started bullet journaling in January. I am also an addict! (I have spent WAY too much money on this project.) I’m doing a series of posts under the category “Bullet Journal” on my blog if you want to check them out. That is SO freaking awesome about your mom! My mom is over the 50 hump and gave up a full ride scholarship to marry my dad (which she now greatly regrets – for some reason you couldn’t have both or wait to get married? I don’t know) but since I went to college she has said for years she wants to go back to school but never has. I know she is very scared – I have just gotten her to get over her outright terror of computers to pay her bills online, but she is still very scared and doesn’t know how to use it for anything else. It is amazing that your mom took care of all those things in one day! Keep us updated on her progress – maybe I can use that to help my mom, too.
I totally get that feeling of anxiety and unknown. Our principal announced in January she was retiring, and in March a local Community Impact published an article that our Superintendent was hired by a neighboring district and was their “lone ranger” – that phrase KEPT being used in about 10 different emails (from him, district info officer, other news outlets) and seemed very odd to me. It was very hard for me to read my P, despite being with her for 4 years. I still didn’t know where I stood with her – and I found a lot of others felt the same. School campuses are very political. Associate with a scapegoat and you’re ostracized. At least that’s been my experience. The AP does set the tone of discipline for the campus. We’re also still up in the air on the new AP, and I know we are having two new people on our grade level team. For the most part, sixth grade seems to be the red-headed stepsister on my campus. I hope things become clear and you have an awesome admin team, or at second best that leave you to your own devices.
I am trying to get ahead on my blog as well. You know what it’s like once school starts! I need to sit down this week and review what I have and what I don’t have finished up. I can do everything but my Sunday Posts and WWW Wednesday posts. I hope this week turns out better in reading for you and me!
If you’ve gotten lots of rest I sure wouldn’t call it squandered! Part of summer break is just rejuvenation, after all. It’s funny, my mom has always been a hoarder and rather than passing that down to me, it became one more imputus to not be one. But I think the thing that brought me to this mindset most was moving over and over and OVER AGAIN for about 9 years – basically the years it took to get my AA, BAs and MA. When you have to move lots you learn not to be attached to things because moving them is a pain. Lol! I’ll cheer you on next year when you tackle it π
I will definitely check out your posts! It’s very addictive, especially when you’ve already been a chronic list maker and tracker, like me.
I will keep y’all up to date on my mom’s progress – I know she’s a bit scared, I think that’s what’s kept her from doing it the 100 other times I mentioned it. But I guess the time is finally right for her to go for it. I think she’ll do great.
LOL “lone ranger”? Very strange. The principal I came to this school for was amazing and I think the general atmosphere at the school reflects her – very warm and welcoming. I have no idea about my new principal and then now AP! They haven’t hired anyone yet, as far as I know. Yeah, the politics are insane – I try to fly outside that, but it’s next to impossible of you are also staying as involved as they want you to. Good luck with all your change as well! Fingers crossed for us both π have a great week!
OH my gosh I know exactly how stressful personnel changes at a school can be! I know my principal will probably retire in the next couple years and I am already worried about it! Hang in there! Hopefully everything will be great. And you guys should have no problem finding a new teacher. It seems like there are 100 teachers for every 1 open position (well, its not that bad now, but when I first got my teaching license 10 years ago, I literally was up against hundreds of other candidates for 1 open spot in a school).
I’m so excited for your mom!! That is totally awesome! I hope she loves it!
Yeah I’m less concerned about the teaching position, more concerned about the AP. Principals and AP set so much of the mood for the school and APs handle behavior! Fingers crossed we get a good one.
I’m so excited for my mom, I think she’ll love it and excel. I think it will be more than she dreamed π
I’m so glad you’re feeling energized—both about blogging and in your life. I have nothing but admiration for you for clearing, cleaning, and reorganizing. (I’m trying to do that, too, but it’s SLOOOOW.) And that is awesome news about your mom. Good for her!
I hope things work out at school. You’re right that the AP is pretty important in setting the tone.
Oh, and I’m looking forward to your bullet journal post(s). I do it, too, but I’m not very creative with it yet.
I think once you really get going it feels so good , you don’t want to stop. At least that’s me. But I’m very much a Monica from Friends kind of gal. I get giddy looking at my organized spaces π
I’m so excited for my mom and will totally keep y’all updated on her progress. I think she’s going to love it.
Keeping fingers firmly crossed on the AP front! We had such a good AP that I’m nervous :/
Oh cool! We’ll have to swap pics at some point. Do you watch/read BohoBerry? I love her stuff. I’m not super creative either, though I do love to play with handwriting.
Have a great week π
That is great about your mom, I am so glad she has decided to take that leap. It’s hard to do that I am sure when you get her age, heck it was hard for me to decide to go back to school even if it is only one class a semester. I hope things go well with your new administration at school and you get an awesome AP! I am so glad you have gotten your blogging mojo back I missed you!!! π
Have a great week!
Stormi
Thanks, it’s good to be back π I agree – it has to be tough to make a leap like that when you get up in age. I think she’s going to love it though. Fingers crossed about my school – the AP will make or break things I’m afraid.
Have a great week π
That’s great your mom is going to school and wow, she did a lot by herself lol. I’ve been wanting to clean out our closet for months, can you send me some of your motivation because I keep making excuses not to do it lol. I hope everything works out at school. Have a great week!!
Lol I can sure try…. Here it comes!! *whoosh * did it make it? I think organizing is kind of like working out – it takes an extra push to get started but then it feels so good you don’t want to stop!
I know, I’m so proud of my mom and hoping she loves school as much I expect she will. Have a great week π
That is so wonderful – your Mom getting into some classes and fulfilling a long held wish to do so. And kudos to you for just gently reminding her every time. It paid off. Nice to know you have had a bit of relaxing time, even it its tidying everything up at home. You could go into business! Audio is the perfect way to reread a series, I like doing that myself.
I’m very excited for her. I think she is experiencing a little trepidation, but I think that’s to be expected.
Ha! I LOVE organizing, but people may not like my method. You can’t prove you use it? It’s getting out of the house and not taking up space anymore! Lol!
I’m having so much fun rereading Harry Potter! Audio is the perfect way π
Have a great week Kathryn!
I’m so thrilled for you! Kudos to your Mom, too. You just never know what triggers action…the right moment, something that was said or seen before you made your comment. Whatever the case, I think it’s awesome.
I’m so excited for her. I think of all the times of brought up school, this time I least expected her to go for it. Maybe that was the trick, lowered expectations? Whatever the trick, I’m so glad π
I also don’t do too well with doing nothing. It sounds nice you took the time to clean out your apartment. I heard about bullet journalling a few times, that’s interesting you already did it, just didn’t know it was a thing. I would be interested to read your post about the topic :).
That’s awesome your mom is going to tale classes now. It’s so sad when people didn’t have the chance to study, so that’s exciting she has that chance now :).
I hope the new AP for your school is a nice person. That does sound like a big change to have to people resigning suddenly.
I a glad to hear you don’t miss your blog and are so excited about blogging. It really sounds like this is working out great! I am looking forward to your new feature, I like the name you picked for it. have a great week!
I’m loving my apartment! Did the bathroom yesterday evening and going to tackle the living room this week. And then it will be Bliss π
I will definitely be posting about bullet journaling, it’s addicting!
I think it’s the biggest loss for her that she didn’t get to go to school before, she’s so smart and an excellent student. I think she’ll so great.
Keeping fingers crossed about school and all the changes… For now, I’m trying not to worry about it. Have a great week π
So happy for your mom! That is great! π Now you can come to my house and organize lol I start that project in September but might do a few things if I can when we are home.
I am glad you are feeling energized, I am still trying to get my Sh*t together and it’s helping, next month should be crazy and we will have a LOT of posts, it makes me very excited. Hope to work on some posts today, you are ahead and I am still a week ahead but once I have time to sit I should be fine π Yay US! LOL
Have a great week! Happy Reading! ox
I think she’s nervous / anxious. But I’m certain it will be good for her.
LOL I love organizing, it makes me feel amazing. Summer is really my only chance though.
I know I look at the calendar and I’m like wow! Look at us! And i love that it requires so much less work from me to get to that point.
Hugs!
How wonderful for your mom. That’s a huge step. And you weren’t kidding about feeling energized. You go girl! LOL
LOL yeah I’m on a roll π I’m so excited for my mom, I think it’s going to be great for her!
Sounds like a lot of good stuff from the last little spell. Good luck to your mama! Hope things turn out okay on the work front. Goodness. ‘
Thanks Anna! Yeah keeping fingers firmly crossed on the work front π
I was so tickled to read about your mom – that’s so huge of her to go outside her comfort zone and do it all up!!! I’m so excited for her!!!!!!!!! I think she’ll LOVE learning!!!
And YAY for being energized for blogging!! Maybe you could sprinkle some of that energy up my way?!?!?! π
Hope the administration and teacher positions get settled quickly, before school starts!!! The start of school is hard enough without added stress – hang in there!
Isn’t it awesome? I’m so incredibly proud of her π I think she’s going to love it and I think it will do wonders for her , she’s the sort of person that will THRIVE at school.
Haha well, I’m happy to try and share it π Of course, for me it took shutting down my own blog to get the excitement back. That may not be what you’re looking for π
Yes, thank you!! – fingers crossed that filled quickly and WELL! I’d almost rather no VP than one that doesn’t support teachers like I had two years ago.
Have a great week Kristin π
That’s awesome about your mom, so happy that she’s getting to do something she’s always wanted. Sorry to hear about the AP shake-up though- I hope it all works out. Changes like that can be so stressful.
Have a great week Berls!
Thanks Greg! Yeah, I’ve got my fingers firmly crossed that we get someone great. I’m really excited for my mom, I think she will really love school π