The Author

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I am a high school English teacher, and mother of two charming little ones of my own. I teach in a high poverty urban charter school, while I live in a typical American suburb that has frequently been rated one of the safest cities in the country. It is a paradox I struggle with constantly, but it is my life.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Relaxing Weekend

This was a relatively relaxing weekend, which is probably a good thing, since it is going to be the last one for quite some time. Life is about to get really busy.

A friend text me today and asked if I would like to get together for a pedi sometime soon to catch up. My instant reaction was, "Oooo, yes! I miss this friend, and I am always down for a pedi." So I clicked on my calendar to try to figure out when I could tell her would be a good time (Google Calendar runs my life). As I clicked through the days I realize... there isn't a good time! In order to go for a pedicure, I must be free (duh), Marc (or someone) must be free to stay with the kids, and it must be before 7pm (most nail places close early). This made for a no go. The earliest date I could give her is two weeks away! How is that for depressing?  

Studies have shown that a person's social circle is instrumental in his/her happiness, and a person's happiness is instrumental in his/her productivity. This is why, despite being crazy with work and school right now, I am trying to make it a priority to still spend time with my friends; however, with my busy schedule, this is not as easy as I would like it to be, so I have been trying to get social time wherever I can squeeze it in. Instead of working through lunch, I try to spend some time chatting with Leslee (which sometimes turns into work two, but that's okay). When we had a prolonged dinner break on Thursday night, I convinced (okay, she didn't take much convincing) Kaitlin that we should make a beeline for Acapulco's happy hour. These little things might not sound like much, but they make a difference in my overall stress level. I am trying to remind myself that I will fit these things in and that time for pedicures is just around the corner. 
Anyhow... so I ended up having a pretty relaxing weekend. I didn't have rehearsal Friday afternoon, so I started off my weekend laying out by the pool at my parents' house. Afterwards, we all went to dinner at El Patio. Their margaritas and enchiladas are pretty much the best way to begin any weekend. 
Vinny's allergies were bothering him all week with this super sunny weather (he even came home from school early on Wednesday), so I decided it was a good weekend to skip the track meet, especially since Marc was busy with church and Tiana does not do well with prolonged time outside on hot days. She gets a heat rash, even when she is completely shaded. So, we stopped by the food truck "festival" at the park (which one could hardly call a food truck festival -- there were only 4 trucks) for a little while and had lunch with my dad at the Haunt Dawgz truck, followed by cupcakes from Sweet Arleen's. It was sort of odd having two kids old enough to want to play. This is the first time I have attended an event like this where Tiana has run to the jumpers wanting to play. 

In the afternoon, I tended to my new garden while Tiana napped. I am growing tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, basil, green beans, lettuce, chives, peppers, and a lemon tree. I do not have a green thumb at all, and I have rarely had much success with my gardening efforts (despite my father's annual success), but I am really giving it the old "college try" this year. I created a gopher-proofed garden bed and set reminders in my calendar so my phone will remind me to water it. 

Last night, Marc and I went out to dinner and to the movies to see Chimpanzee. Chimps are totally my favorite animal, and I initially thought Vinny might want to see it with me, but he turned me down flat, so Marc planned a date night for us. It was a really cute movie. I don't want to spoil the end for any of you, but I will just say that people could learn a lot from monkeys. 

Today I sort of ran around like a chicken with my head cut off. Rushed off to church this morning, lunch with the in laws, grocery shopping (big trip to last a few weeks), study time, and then bingo night at church. When I arrived at bingo, Vinny came running over to me dressed in a knight's hood and vest and riddler's cape, holding the paper shield he made in Sunday school today and the foam sword he bought in the dollar bin at Target. He was quite the sight. I had decided that he could come to bingo since he is just learning his numbers. It was good for him too. At the beginning of the night, he kept asking me to help him, but by the end, he really had a good handle of it by himself and knew all the numbers. He won one of the games and chose a marshmallow gun (joy). Marc came home with a football-shaped Budweiser barbecue for tailgating and a solar lighted bronze duck. Um... yeah. Our church is so wonderfully odd. Just like us. 

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