Mom's First Week Back

I was really happy to be back at school this week.  My kids were also happy to have me back at school.  Each day I left them long lists of things to do, but in addition to jobs, I made sure that a bunch of them were fun.  For example, play a board game with your sibling, play outside, watch a musical and sing and dance along.  Unsurprisingly they had almost 100% completion of their lists.  (Our definitions of "clean room" do still differ, but for the most part when I came home, the house looked good.)

I am in a much better place than last year.  I don't have the "split or no split" problem hanging over my head.  I also have a great new teaching partner.  We are alike in lots of ways, but she has way more experience, so I'm learning a lot from her.  I am going to teach all the English Language Arts and Social Studies and she is going to teach the Science and Math.  It is a win win!  Kids will get to experience having 2 teachers (to prep them for middle school) and we each have 1/2 the prep.  There will be lots of coordinating because an elementary school schedule is so wonky.  But I am excited to make this happen.

In the evenings at home, we worked on building the furniture I went on a spree for last weekend.  It was a 3 paycheck month.  And you know when you start fixing up some things in your house, you notice just how shabby other things are getting?

Here is the red bench that I noted in March needed replacing.  It had gotten really bad.  (I think kids were flaking off the pleather every chance they got maybe?)  I finally got on the internet (after my store combing hadn't produced a new one).  Target clearance for the win!  

I have been searching for new barstools for a few years.  I finally abandoned the idea of trying to find sturdier ones like we had (swivel with a low back), and went for no back, no swivel.  Good colors though.  They brighten up the space. I can't find a before picture (sadly that hard drive meltdown continues to haunt me, and of course I quickly hauled them out before taking a picture this week.)  But trust me they were bad. The best part about these is that Derek encouraged Ben & Libby to try putting them together.  Ben got really into it.  It is, after all, a lot like putting together a lego set.  When I got home to help Ben (after meet the teacher & the BBQ) he said, "Watch and learn Mom."  I loved helping him.  

I also put together a new filing cabinet and a printer stand (minus the drawer that had two K and no L, so I couldn't finish.)  The missing part should come on Tuesday.  The desk to go with the set came yesterday.  It is tomorrow morning's project.

I am excited for a new office set up.  I have been looking for a new desk for 6 years (to replace the one we got for free when we got married 16 years ago.)  I guess that post will be for next week.  But I'm going to take some before pics now!