That’s right, I have two full sized bookcases in the house AND our headboard is made of two bookcases put together. All my favorite books live in the shelf above my bed. I love them so much that I can’t bear to be parted from them. *nerd*

Oh, also my Hello Kitty book-ends are adorable. I’ve had those since I was 12.

Looooong day tomorrow, and the construction guys are putting up the shade structure outside over our playground so the kids won’t be able to play there until it’s done. Which sucks because I have 7 with me tomorrow and at the rate they’ve been going this week, I can already foresee the surplus energy that won’t have any outlet. Usually I can get them to expend all of it while playing outside. I could take them to the front yard, but it’s not fenced in and it’s facing the street so I’m in a state of constant terror just waiting for one of them to decide to run off and get smashed to small pieces before my eyes. NOT COOL. There’s also the added problem that there isn’t much of anything to DO out in the front yard… there’s a small grassy area but no bikes for them to ride and no playground equipment to go climbing all over. I may just end up making a go of keeping them as busy as possible indoors instead of trying the front yard and stressing myself out. It’s already going to be a long, long day.

Anyway, I’m pretty much ready for bed now… I have to get up at 5am, woe is me/woe is my life/et al etc. I don’t feel particularly sleepy because I only worked until noon today, otherwise I’d be pretty exhausted. I’m hoping half an hour of reading will help me wind down a bit and fall asleep. I’m staying afloat by reminding myself that I just need to get through my 12-hour shift tomorrow and then one more regular 8-hour shift on Thursday before I’m free for another three day weekend. Of course… next week I have to work long days on MWF so maybe I shouldn’t be in such a hurry to get through this week… hahaha.

I can’t even begin to process that next week is the third week of May. I have to start putting lesson plans together for the month of June…. ALREADY. I feel like May only just got started, haha. I only have to plan out three weeks’ worth because the school is closed for one week in June while my boss is at Yosemite with her family. I think we’ll do a “Vacation” theme or something like that.

Okay… going to find my Nook somewhere under the covers where I left it earlier and do some reading before I try to get some sleep. I wish I could nap when the kids do — HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE. If there’s anyone who needs a nap, it’s me. LOL. I like how children hate to take naps but then realize in adulthood just how much they took them for granted. I tell my kiddos that all the time. They always give me the crazy eye and go back to their coloring. (“Whatever, lady. Naps are for losers.”)

You know, every day I’m glad David got me a Nook for Christmas. I just love that thing. I would wear it around my neck if a lanyard could be attached. LOL. It’s convenient being able to get books so quickly, and what I really like is borrowing library books in digital format to read on my Nook instead. Not that I’ve sworn off buying or reading actual physical copies of books, because those will never lose their magic for me, but I love being able to read even gigantic 1000+ page books on my e-reader without lugging a gigantic tome around here and there. Oh, also it’s perfect for indulging my reading-in-bed habit because I can flip pages with my thumb. Did I mention how awesome it is to not need bookmarks?? Since I have severe ADD when it comes to reading books — often reading roughly 4-5 at a time on average — this is a godsend. I can stop whenever I want and switch to a different book, without having to find a bookmark somewhere in the house. It’s just one of my favorite gadgets ever.

Anyway, I’m completely exhausted. I worked an 11 hour day, and the kids were little bundles of boundless energy from the minute they got dropped off. I employed various strategies in order to tire them out in time for naps, which worked because all six of them were out cold within minutes of laying down. However, napping served to recharge their batteries and by the time it was 3:00 I had 6 preschoolers zinging off the walls. We basically ended the day covered in paint; one of them decided to hug his art project before the paint was dry and got paint splatter all over his shirt, while another somehow mystically ended up with paint in his hair. Don’t ask how, because I have no idea. *laughs hysterically before collapsing*

When I got home, it was almost 6:00 and I sat on the couch totally slipping into a catatonic state for a full fifteen minutes. Then I made the mistake of crawling into bed on the pretense that I was going to read a book, only to fall asleep. Surprise, surprise. This happens ever single time and yet I still do it. LOL. I woke up at practically 8pm without having walked the dog or even eaten dinner yet, which meant I had a lot of hustling to do. I’m pretty sure that impromptu nap just made me even MORE tired.

Tomorrow my boss has decided to cover me for a half day, which will be nice since I do have to get up at 5am again on Wednesday for another long shift. Also, my kitchen is an unholy mess and I need to clean it. It’s just one of those unfortunate facts of life.

Okay, going to print out some stuff for school tomorrow and then it’s lights out for me. I would very much like to know where on earth those kids were getting all that energy from because I’d like to supplement my own. Hahaha

This will have to be written quickly because I, of course, have been in deep denial that the weekend is over and still haven’t quite admitted to myself that it’s already bedtime. If there’s anything worse than the inevitable arrival of Monday morning, it’s the prospect of having to wake up at 5am on Monday morning. Super yuck.

Anyway, four straight days of work and then the weekend returns again. I think I got everything ready for tomorrow as far as school goes, although I’m sure I’ll realize that I missed something tomorrow right when I’m walking out the door. I spent a big part of the day writing, which always makes the time run by almost before I can even realize it. I start typing at noon and suddenly when I look up it’s already 5pm. It’s just kind of an all-consuming task for me. (Also I am fairly liberal with taking breaks… hahaha) This morning though, before falling into the Great Novel-Writing Abyss, I went for my traditional Sunday visit to Target and came away with some good deals. I’m particularly happy to have found some nice, light sandals for summer to go with my dresses; they were on sale for $12. Oh, and some pajamas, because you can never have too many pairs of pajama pants. Especially not when they’re soft and cuddly and only cost $7. Seriously, one strange day I decided I was going to do some major closet excavation (keeping the closet organized has never been my forte) and came away with one small pile of “going somewhere” clothes, another small pile of “dressy office clothes” and a huge, honking pile of “lying around at home doing absolutely jack shit” clothes. Which would include, naturally, somewhere around 10 pairs of lounge/pajama pants. Guys, this is definitely my definitive wardrobe staple. LOL.

Given my obvious love for pajamas and pajama-like articles of clothing, you would think that I’d be thrilled with my work uniform. My boss wants us to wear “comfortable clothes” such as sweat pants, scrub bottoms, and t-shirts. She explained that she didn’t think it was right for teachers to have to dress up for school when we might find ourselves up to our elbows in washable paint and Elmer’s glue. I understand this, but even before I worked in HR where the first impression and your clothing can make a world of a difference, I was always raised to separate my clothing choices according to purpose. There are designated clothes I wear at home, clothes I wear out shopping or running errands, and clothes that I wear to work. I guess it helps me define and separate these different areas of my life. So it has never bothered me to dress up in slacks and a nice blouse for teaching school — I’m a firm believer in the contribution made by professional dress to professional demeanor. I was dressed up, and I was the teacher. A professional. So now I go to work and, while I’m very comfortable, I also don’t feel very professional T-T I realize this is probably all mental and makes no sense, but I’m still wishing she’d be okay with me wearing something nicer than sweats and a t-shirt. It seriously makes me feel diminutive. Now that everyone is looking at me funny (Who wouldn’t want to wear sweats and a t-shirt to work?!), I’m going to bed. Har har har.

5am, here I come T-T