Teaching, like the actual instruction: This is excellent. I'm cooking with gas.  Well-prepared, confident, and cruising. I flat-out love this part of my job, the in-the-classroom, with-the-students, meat-and-potatoes of it. Do I sound braggy? I don't even care. Feeling like you sometimes know what you're doing is the best.

Dietary Choices: Hit-and-miss. The end-of-the-night mini corndogs were a miss. The peanut butter energy balls I made yesterday were a hit. You see what I mean about the hit-and-miss quality of my dietary choices?

Reading: Slow going, but I can feel it the rhythm coming back. Can I lesson plan fast, so I can get back to Before the Fall by Noah Hawley? That's my fondest wish. But to be honest, the lesson planning takes as long as it ever did. Which is all day long. Can I take the dog for an extra walk, so I can near-the-end of Just Kids by Patti Smith on Audible? All I can do is wait and hope.

Book Writing: I'm scheduled to get back into it this coming week. I'm hopeful. I need to see those characters and reconnect with my teacher. Have I said publicly that the goal is to finish the draft by the end of next summer? That's the goal. Let's do this.

Classroom: Is a giant pit. I'll be in there all weekend getting things situated and ready to go in time for the sixth grade breakfast on Monday.  That's okay because I'll be alone and uninterrupted, and I'll just get it cranked out. Sometimes that's what has to happen. And so sometimes that's how I do it.  

Curriculum: I'm psyched about it, both for the sixth graders and the sevies. And my second day's lesson plan for the big kids comes straight from the great Lee Heffernan. Gonna be solid.

Psoriasis: Controlled. Knock on wood right this second.  I'll be bathing in Dead Sea Salts while you continue knocking. I appear to have a stye in my eye, but my psoriasis is controlled.

Diet and Exercise: Very poor. 7 Minute Workout and dog walks and that's it.  But, as I keep reminding myself, it's the busiest two weeks of the year, and we just have to keep doing what we can. First things first is get through the annual sixth grade camping trip a week from tonight. Last year I was so tired I almost crapped out right on the field in front of the students.  This year, I'm going to be more chipper. #goals

Overall Rating: Let's go with 3.5 stars.  I've been more on top of it, but I've also been less experienced, confident, and skilled. I'm pretty good at this job.  Let's all remember that.

I know.  It wasn't that long ago that I was counting down to summer. But, now August is beginning and I'm going back to work in 12 days.  It's okay because I like work pretty well.  Let's evaluate the summer thus far:

Professional Writing: I'm giving myself 3.5 of 5 stars.  First, I took my online novel-writing class and learned about gathering and structuring.  I have a path forward.  After multiplying the length of the project by 2.5 times in 8 weeks, the moment has come to put the book on the shelf until the end of September when I'm into the school routine and I begin part two of my online novel-writing class.  My goal is to finish a complete draft of the book by the end of next summer.  I'm pretty sure I can do it.  We'll see.  Second, I blogged some.  Turns out summer isn't great for the newsletter, but that's okay.  It'll be back on a Weekly(ish) schedule soon enough. Third, I have a freelancing gig that actually pays money.  So, turns out I'm pretty much actually professional. Let's bump that up to 4.5 of 5 stars, shall we?

Full-Time Mothering: Yep, I've been doing it.  Yesterday in a moment of exasperation while behind the wheel of the miniature van, I blurted out, "Geez! It's just Mom's Taxi and Food Supply Service right here!"  "Where? Mac asked, scouring the road.  "Here," I said, "It's me.  Right here."  "Where?" he asked again. So, it's nice to know my efforts are appreciated. 5 of 5 stars.  I'm the only mother they've got.

Marginally-Effective Dog Training: I feel like the report is embedded in the section heading.  Teddy has had marginal success at my mediocre hand. 3 of 5 stars for solid effort.

Status Report, Jan 2015: A report on the other novel project; not the current one.

Status Report, December 2015: Psoriasis and #TwinTuesday