When I'm Not With Kids...

The weather has been ideal and the kids have been great lately. We've had many park play dates and adventures on our own this week. I've taken plenty of pictures. It's just a matter of sitting down, uploading, editing photos, and writing about our activities.

Here's what I've been up to lately, aside from raising kids:

Cooking: Every year I struggle to come up with something to do during the Lenten season. In years past, I've given things up and tried to add new habits to my daily routine. This year I decided to utilize something I already enjoy doing every day. I've tried to cook and deliver a meal to at least one family each week this Lent. It's been fulfilling but time consuming. On Tuesday I was at church at 4:30 a.m. cooking breakfast for the overnight homeless guests.

Zumba: I regularly attend Zumba classes 2-3 times a week at the YMCA. It's by far my favorite form of exercise. A few weeks ago my instructor asked me if I would be interested in performing as part of the Hornets (local NBA team) half time show. There are 200 people from across the Carolinas that are performing. I said yes before I really knew what I was involved. I'm now attending local rehearsals and buying white leggings, as part of the all white dress code.

Job Search: I'm making progress with the job search. I finally tracked down all of my former administrators (both principals retired) and created an updated reference list. I attended one interview(ish) meeting at a charter school and have yet to decide if I want to pursue that option. I compiled a teaching portfolio with tabs and artifacts that demonstrate leadership, respecting students, knowing the content, facilitating learning, and reflecting on my teaching practices. I've emailed my resume and cover letter to a few principals, though no positions have been posted yet for next school year. There's not much else I can do until openings become available.

Easter Egg Hunt: Somehow I have become the sole member of the Christian Education committee. I am single-handedly planning a community wide event. I searched catalogs and websites, ordered 1,000 toy fillers for eggs, and created bilingual flyers and bulletin inserts. I'm still working on publicity, having the youth group stuff hundreds of eggs, and gather materials for crafts. It's a lot of planning.

Those are the things that have consumed most of my time over the past week. They have been busy, meaningful, fun, and sometimes stressful experiences. Now enough about me, I promise the next post will include photos of cute kids!