What's Up September

Happy Thursday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. ...except it's actually Thursday. Oh well. Let's just go with it.

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

So let's get started...

What am I eating?

My mom and I visited a local pizza place the other day - Semmes House of Pizza. The ingredients were fresh and it was so good! And the pizza was huge so we had leftovers to bring home, as well, which is always a nice thing :)

What am I reminiscing about?

This picture popped up in my Facebook memories the other day. It was Rainy Season in Dakar and as usual, parts of the campus would flood regularly. But that didn't stop our creative students who came up with this clever solution to traverse the ankle deep (or higher) water to buy treats/lunch from the Cantina (snack shop) during lunchtime.

 What am I loving?

I loved this picture of the sky yesterday morning. I don't love the idea of leaving for work before the sun is up each morning. But I do love the pretty views of the sky. I must say, that part is, indeed, a nice perk.

What have I been up to?

On Tuesday nights, I'm taking an ASL class. It's a lot of info for my tired brain to take in. But at the same time, I'm really enjoying it.

What am I dreading?

Nothing blog worthy :)

What am I working on?

Work pretty much consumes my life and my brain at the moment.

 What am I excited about?

Thanksgiving is in 2 months. Does that count?

What am I watching?

The US losing its mind... Sometimes I miss living in a foreign country and being kind of removed from seeing the craziness happening in my own country. Yes, I'd stay informed. But at the same time, I could sometimes live in blissful ignorance. And that, I miss.

What am I reading?

I've been reading through the book of Lamentations this week. 

What am I listening to?

I haven't been listening to much music lately. I am going to a concert next month. It's one of the Candlelight Concerts that are being advertised all over social media. I'm looking forward to it.

What am I wearing?

I got this bracelet as a gift a few weeks ago. Such a sweet surprise!

 What am I doing this weekend?

Same as every other weekend... On Saturday, I'll go in and work from 9ish-3. Then, I'll go home and pick up my mom and go grocery shopping for the week ahead. And on Sunday, I'll go to church and then come home and do meal/snack prep for the week ahead. And if I can squeeze in a nap or some "for fun" reading at some point over the weekend, I always do that too :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

Nothing exciting happening that I know of :)

Favorite recent Amazon find?

I've purposefully stayed off of Amazon lately, in an effort to curb my spending and save up for Christmas fun :)

What's new this month?

Nothing much is new. I did have to find a doctor. I needed to get established with a primary doctor here in Mobile. That, of course, took longer than I thought it would. Most doctors weren't accepting new patients for the next few months. But thankfully, I found one - a good one too. Anywho - I now have a primary doctor and I got some routine lab work and stuff done while there too. Being a grown up isn't always fun. Just saying ;)

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Hello Monday

      Happy Tuesday

Today I'm joining Holly and Sarah, and a few other bloggers, for today's Hello Monday link-up, where we say Hello to Monday with a look at what's going on in our lives at the moment. However, I'm a day late. No big surprise there :) 

Anywho - On with the post...

 So what's on my mind?

A lot. But 'tis the norm with me, I suppose.

Things like...

Senegal - There are so many parts I miss. Lately, I've been so homesick for Senegal. And let me clarify... I do still know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I'm where I'm meant to be. And I also know that even though I do definitely miss certain parts of Senegal, I also don't want to go back. ...which perhaps sounds harsher than I mean it. But I think that's part of God's confirmation that I am, as I said earlier, here which is where I'm meant to be. 

Lesson Planning/Prep - It's kicking my tail this year.  I knew it'd be hard. But I also didn't think I'd be doing as much as I am either, so there's that too... At any rate, it's hard y'all. It takes so very much time. I'm a Self-Contained Special Education Teacher. I teach 13 students and that means, I'm responsible for them but also for 11 more in another class. So I plan for all 24. These kids are in Kindergarten - 5th grade. Some are doing regular grades/classwork, some are receiving modified grades (so the same subject but working at a lower level), and some are working on Alabama's Alternate Standards.  I have a 40 minute planning period each day (if things go according to schedule which they rarely do). So I have no choice but to spend time planning/prepping either before/after school and on the weekends, as well. Anywho - It's a lot. And even though I love it and I love my students, it's still a lot.

Visual Schedules - Figuring out a system for my friends to have a Visual Schedule has been a bit tricky. Normally, you'd print it off and have it either stuck on their desk or in their binder/folder OR on the wall. However, I have a couple friends whose life mission is to peel any stickers or posted things off of desks/walls. So, since I'm going broke in paying for laminating film in my classroom and velcro dots and hot glue, I went for an electronic version. And y'all... I think I've finally found what will work. Yay!

Canva - I've used Canva a bit in the past, but just for invitations or flyers or something. Nothing big... But now - I use it a LOT! It's such a helpful tool in education. I'm able to easily make slideshows, interactive activities for my students, visual schedules (like I mentioned above), handouts/flyers, worksheets, and more. Seriously, I love it!

ASL - I signed up to take an 8-week ASL (American Sign Language) course. Tonight will be our 4th class. I knew a little before starting. And thankfully, more and more is coming back and I'm learning lots of new signs/phrases too. I'm enjoying myself and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn more about this beautiful language and about Deaf Culture, as well.

Lemon/Ginseng Tea - I used to drink this tea in Dakar and I loved it. So when I saw it the other day at Aldi, I grabbed a box. Call it nostalgia - I don't know. I just know it made me smile. And I've definitely been enjoying having a cup here or there in the evenings (or in a travel mug to take to work every now and then.

 

Working by the Water - I miss it. When I was in Dakar, I'd periodically go to a restaurant overlooking the water on Saturdays and do lesson planning/prep. It was like a 15ish min drive and it was so nice. There's just something so peaceful/relaxing about looking out at the water, hearing waves crash, etc. Anywho - I haven't been able to find somewhere close enough to do that here. And I miss it. Anyone local know of somewhere? If so, please let me know :)

Happy Tuesday - If you're reading this post and made it this far, thanks for reading and Happy Tuesday!

And that’s about it for my scattered brain today. 

What about you?

 What’s on your mind today?