The Saturday 7

1. While we were in Florida, we played the license plate game every time we went to a different beach or store or even the library. I couldn't believe how many different states we found. By the end of the week, we had 41 states and 2 Canadian provinces! The only ones we didn't see were Hawaii, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We even spotted one from Alaska! That's a long drive! The kids loved it and it kept them entertained anytime we were in the car!

2. My last observation from Florida is that I couldn't believe the ostentatious displays of wealth. I kept thinking those beach houses must cost an unfathomable amount of money. It's hard not to be jealous sometimes - to look at all these rich old boomers and play the "poor Millenial" card. We'll probably never be able to afford to retire in some extravagant Florida beach house. But then I thought of our Compassion Child who lives in a tiny village in Burkina Faso, Africa. The fact that we were able to fly in a plane and spend a week cavorting to different beaches on the Florida coast probably screams unfathomable wealth to her. Even with our monthly funds that meet her physical needs and give her an education, she'll probably never leave her village. It's all about perspective, and it would do me well to spend more time marveling at my blessings than bemoaning what I'll never have.

3. One step toward that Florida retirement home was my move to nearly full-time work this week. 😂😂 I went from working 6.5 hours a week to working a solid 26 hours. Whew! Can I just say again how much I respect working moms? I can't imagine working 40 hours and still taking care of my house and family. Those freezer meals are the only reason we ate this week. Haha. Part of it is just that I'm overweight and out of shape. My feet and back held up surprisingly well, but I was surprised by the intense neck/shoulder pain. Apparently I hunch over the computer and/or bookshelves? I don't even work on the computer that much. I can't figure out why my neck hurt so bad. But it was consistently sore every single afternoon, even when I really focused on my posture and tried not to hunch. 🤷

4. Other than that (and being exhausted, because I'm not used to getting so little sleep), I loved my week in the library. Since I usually only work Mondays, I only see the 3rd and 4th graders who have library that day. I loved getting to interact with some of the other classes. The pre-k and kindergarteners were my favorite. They actually think the books and songs I do with them are fun. They haven't reached the "too cool for this" stage yet like most of my 3rd grade boys have. And I just love the funny things they tell me. The reason I'm working so many hours is because I'm subbing for the main librarian, Mrs. Miller, after she had knee replacement surgery. Despite my many assertions that she just had her knee fixed, the pre-k kids are certain that she got her leg chopped off. They're going to be so surprised when she comes back in a few weeks with two working legs! 😂

5. I discovered a new obsession this week: Quordle. It's like Wordle . . . but better, because instead of solving one puzzle, you solve four simultaneously. You get nine tries instead of six, because it's obviously more difficult, but there's a "practice" option that lets you solve puzzle after puzzle. None of this "one a day" nonsense. I'm pretty sure I dream in 5 letter words now because I play it so often. I even got Lena hooked on it!

6. I signed up for my final semester of classes this week! I just have to take one math class (that is supposedly easier than the first one I tried), one education class, and my last library-related class. The hardest part of working in the library is dealing with behavior issues and classroom management, so I was actually excited to take an education class. Unfortunately, none of the behavior classes are available in the spring so I have to take Child Development.