Quiet.

I'm still in a weird place right now.
Before school started, I was in a weird place because I had extra time to get things done and wasn't as stressed out as normal. I was not stressed out going into the school year.

Now, I'm in a totally different place. A peaceful, non-stressed place that is not used to being shared with things like 'fourth graders' and 'school years'.

I started a new math program this year, and though I was initially unsure, I knew after the first day that I'd made the right decision and should have been doing this all along. It's a little more work, with still a few kinks to work out, but it's nothing I can't handle, and there's great satisfaction in knowing I'm doing what's best for my students.

I've been working on better boundaries for myself, like keeping work at work and home at home, and that too has been very rewarding. I've been going to bed earlier than ever (9:15-9:30), and getting up earlier than ever. I've been getting 8 full hours of sleep every night. (Though I am cheating and using melatonin to help me get to sleep- whoa the dreams that brings!)

I am in uncharted territory yet again.
There are no family dramas right now... we're all getting along.
There is no real school drama (save the occasional 9.1.1. call)... we're all getting along, and actually really enjoying each other.
I'm sitting for one of my favorite families this weekend. Oh how I love this little family.
I'm reading a good book, and my apartment-and life- is very quiet and peaceful.

I'm just trying to soak it all in.

And a little quote for you, heard in my classroom today:
"Dude. Are you just trying to make Miss O mad?"