lol - district can't figure out when to and or not to call a snow/late start day.
First late start it cleared up by the time kids arrived. So alright. Next late start it was gone before kids would have normally arrived. Today we've already got 2-3 inches with no sign of it stopping and no late start or snow day.
It's fine. We just have a few more absent than we've had since January.
We can teach like normal with 2/3 attendance every day, right?
@Too-Old-For-This One of the other fosters is doing that too. She got ringworm babies last summer and is still in quarantine for a few more months and can't foster.
I feel you. Due to ice we had a late start day (kids arrived 1.5 hours later than normal) which just threw the day into utter chaos. (Plus 1/4 of the kids aren't here between Covid and not having transportation for the late start...) So I'm just... doing professional development and staying close to my phone if they need to pull me somewhere.
I think you meant to tag me!
I honestly was worried about it (but wanted to get her out of her previous job and she's high anxiety and might not have made the jump without the cushion of me being able to say I'd put in a good word for her) but it has been FANTASTIC. We may differ on the little things, but we agree on the big ones. (Kids first, it's important to let kids fail safely for them to learn, etc). It's a lot of fun to have someone I 100% trust to be able to go "wtf was this shit" to. (I do trust my other coworkers, but we're teachers!) Also it's fun to be all "omg remember this random thing that literally only makes sense because we have a similar point of reference" to babble to.
I don't think I could do it with all my siblings, but so far so good with this one!
My little sister got a job at my school this year. WE LOOK NOTHING ALIKE BEYOND BEING SHORT.
She has nice rounded body and I'm all sharp edges.
She has RED HAIR and mine is a muddy blond.
She wears BRIGHT EXCITING colors and I wear nice muted autumn colors.
ALSO I AM EIGHT YEARS OLDER THAN HER. I have so many gray hairs I can't cover them with hair dye any more!
AND YET
Kindergartener today, "Are you and Mrs. <> twins?"
NO WE ARE NOT I AM OLDER.
(this is amused anger.)
I'm really lucky! A lot of the fosters are on break right now (kitten seasons is over, their own cats are ill, vacations, have a foster cat that hates others and so they can't take another, or had ringworm babies recently and are still quarantined) so we got them despite also getting the last two that needed a foster!
Sooooo...
I'll just leave this here.
***=NSFW content***
The stinker who is up on the pipes is going to be TROUBLE come adoption time. He is a love bug. I touches him and he MELTED into a pile of purring goo with his belly exposed for more ruffles.
I can't get over how much the black ones look like our pot babies! The biggest difference is that these guys/gals have some more gray splotches on their belly/sides and not just on their ruffs. The gray is also much lighter Steel vs storm gray.
I didn't believe my shelter director when she said that January is the best month for adult cats to get adopted. (Fewer kittens born/avaliable with the holiday adoptions, people feeling like some mature companionship, etc.) But damn if she wasn't right. We have had sooooo many adults adopted the last two weeks. A couple were kitties that have been at the shelter for years - long enough to be a total institution. Despite there still being 60+ cats at the shelter it feels EMPTY without them. I made the food on Saturday and ended up making easily 7-8 cans too much.
I'm soooo happy for all of them being able to go to their forever home.
We actually had to tell people we just didn't have a kitty that matched what they were looking for. Most of the cats we have left are a) bonded pairs, b) recovering ferals who just aren't safe to adopt out, as shown by the scratches on the back of my legs where Tuffy got mad I turned my back on him, c) sanctuary cats who are too sick to be adopted out.
One of the adoption counselors is now eyeing the local shelters and their Texas connections and wondering if it is time for another rescue trip since we have the space. (TWO FULL ROOMS EMPTY!!)
Had my mid-year evaluation and my evaluator said that it seems like my position was made for me. I laughed but didn't say,
"That is because you guys didn't write a job description. It was, "we have covid dollars for learning recovery so we can hire someone." Everything beyond that I wrote for myself. Everything I do (beyond coverage) is what I have decided needs done. Having autonomy is a HUGE part of job satisfaction. A majority of what I do I enjoy and even the things I don't like I can do the way I feel best does them.
So yeah. My job is literally tailor made by me and for me.
.... also I want to be utterly invaluable so that somehow they find ways to keep my position when the grant ends at the end of next year. I don't know how I could ever go back to the classroom full time.
I'm going dark because I'm realizing I'm taking a lot of what is being said.
Please be kind.
No one in any school out there is out to hurt the children. No one.
I'm sorry this is scary for you.
My heart hurts for your kid's school though. Having kids go back and forth adds an insane amount of stress. It was that which led me personally to have a mental health crisis that led to the police knocking on my door to do a wellness check.
I know it seems like it doesn't make sense to you why it isn't allowed. You care about your kid and that is exactly what you should be. I am in no way saying what you are doing is wrong.
It is just so. Freaking. Hard. to teach or be in education right now.
I wound suggest you look into an online school rather than see if a regular one can accommodate it. 
Last year nearly broke me as a teacher trying to do kids in front of me and online too. I would not wish that living hell on anyone. The only reason I'm still in education is because I was shifted to a support position and not a classroom one. I couldn't do it. If I was asked to then I would quit.
No. No. No. No.
Lol we have 2-3 kids per class out with covid and 3 staff members out (2 just came back from quarantine).
At this point it isn't 'if' we get covid. It is 'when'.
Even with that eventuality I wouldn't teach online again. Never again.
We took our holiday guest back today because an adult intro-suite opened up. Starla is an absolute sweetie who will be the BEST cat for someone. She is scared of the other cats in the shelter but hopefully will adjust.
She changed SO MUCH since being in foster care. She had one baby and fought like HELL at first to protect him. We were afraid she was feral from how fierce she was.
Now she is just a total love bug. I had to be in bed last night because of pain and she was ALL over me. Rubbing against my face, flopping for belly rubs... just 
They didn't let us stay fosterless for long! Another person surrendered this sweetie today. She is about five months old but not super socialized. HE KEPT HER IN A CAGE AND NEVER GAVE HER A NAME!!!
This is her right out of her cage:
And after hearing our Calypso's voice through the door:
Clearly Calypso told her this was a safe and good place to be!!
Husband put a super expensive gaming chair on his 'wish list' that we send out to families when they ask what he wants. There was never an expectation that someone would buy it for him, but it sat there as a reminder that SOME DAY he wanted to buy it.
My parents bought it for him and it has changed his life. Less knee pain, less back pain. I wish we hadn't waited!
This is my Calypso every morning. Today I woke up before she decided to get up and I got to kiss her sleepy head awake in adorable revenge.
Okay I KNOW I should get up when kitty starts pawing at my blankets and face in the morning.
So the big cut in my lip is honestly my fault.
I wish she would do this at 6 and not 5 though. X.x
We're losing our guest teacher to another building with greater needs, and a lot of people are sending out the 'we will miss you!' emails...
I just can't guys. I won't SAY THIS ALOUD anywhere she can hear it, but seriously, she did some real damage to at least one of our classes she long-term subbed in at the start of that year. THREE students had to be removed to keep the peace. Not one of those three have had issues with the new teacher.
She also always carried this aura of sour vibes around her. Just lots of negativity.
So I can't say I'll miss her. I just... won't say anything.
I use a chrome extension called DuckClient.
@krmbm mentioned another one that ran in a webbrowser too but god help me if I remember it myself...
In my household my husband does 90% of the cooking. Not because I CAN'T cook, but because of several reasons.
On the nights I do cook (like today, when there are fucking wildfire evaccuations in DECEMBER and husband must cover them...) I'm reminded of one of the major reasons why I was happy to give up the chore. Mostly because I cannot have the kitchen dirty before I cook, nor leave it dirty after I cook. So on top of the actual prep, here's an easy 20-30 minutes before and after cooking.
DOES ANY ONE ELSE DO THIS?!
