What's Up October

It's the last Wednesday of October I'm linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for this month's What's Up Wednesday post.

 

Every month we answer the same few questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating this?

I haven't had a hamburger in a while. This is a traditional Senegalese burger with fries served right inside the burger. Typically it has a fried egg on it too, which is good. But I passed on that part this time. Y'all, this is the best burger I've had in a while!



What am I reminiscing about?

My brother and sister-in-law have been married 8 years this month. It seems like just yesterday. My brother and sister-in-law were totally meant for each other. They make such an awesome couple. They really do!

What am I loving?

Oh my word, y'all... Do you want to see an answer to prayer? Look at that up there. It's an A/C. ...something I totally haven't been able to afford here, but thanks to the awesomeness of God, this heavenly coolness is now a permanent fixture in my bedroom. It's still Hot Season here in Dakar, so when you walk outside, you feel like you've stepped into a sauna. So yes, I am definitely loving the blessing of having an A/C at home!

What have I been up to?

Parent Teacher Conferences all week. And I am once again reminded of just how truly awesome it is to work with such good, easy to work with, parents. What a blessing!

What am I dreading?

I love spending Thanksgiving with my AGWM family here. They're awesome. They are. But I'm dreading being away from my family for Thanksgiving next month. Holidays are some of the times I miss my family the most.

What am I working on?

Each Monday, I introduce the week's spelling words to the class. We review them, clear up any misunderstandings. And then once everyone's started on our introductory assignment, I pull one of my friends back to my desk, so we can translate her list into Korean. This helps her understand the words so she can then go do the assignment, like everyone else, in English. If the roles were reversed, I know I'd be so confused! But her? She does it like a champ. This girl amazes me!

What am I excited about?

I'm super excited about a surprise I'm ordering for my 5th graders for a fun "rockstar" themed Christmas gift. I can't wait to see their faces when they open them :)

What am I watching?

I got hooked on Drop Dead Diva recently. It has had a couple fast forward worthy episodes, but other than that, it's been really good.

What am I reading?

I have been reading One Plane Ticket from Normal. What a great book! It's both entertaining and informative. I'll be blogging about it soon. 

What am listening to?

My kids are practicing for their Christmas program. So now all they hum or sing ALL throughout the day are songs from it. So I'm sure I'll have every single song memorized, myself, but the time December rolls around. I know their Music teacher will be happy to hear how often they're practicing :) 

What am I wearing?

Y'all... My clothes are all fitting looser/better. And that's awesome and great! It looks like I'll be hitting up a few thrift stores (saving money) when I get back to the States in December to get some more work clothes that don't fall off of me (I'm talking to you favorite pair of pants).

What am I doing this weekend?

Our school has Harvest Fest on Friday evening. So I'll come out and eat dinner to help support our Senior class fundraising. Then on Saturday, I'll spend some time working in my classroom and maybe even sneak a nap in, too. I'm living the life man :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

Women's Retreat is next month. Yay for a weekend away at a hotel with AC and a pool and delicious food and fun people and learning more about God and His Word and so on and so forth... And Thanksgiving will bring days off from school and a delicious meal with my AGWM family. ...all of which is pretty nice :)

What else is new?

My 5th graders are currently knee-deep in multiplication studies. I'm trying to find more fun activities for them to do to learn this semi-complicated mathematic skill. The majority of them know their facts. But it's when we move into multi-digit multiplication that they seem to struggle. So if any of my teacher friends (or non-teacher friends too) are reading this and have an idea for a teaching strategy or an activity I could use to help with this, please share. 

And then each month, there is a special question for the month.

This month's question is...

What is your favorite Halloween memory/picture/tradition?

Honestly, Halloween's not my thing. Growing up, we'd go to the Harvest Festival thing at church if they had one. Sure, it's cute to see the kids in their costumes. But that's it. I realize that Halloween isn't always all evil, but it's just not my thing. Halloween candy, though? Yes, please :)