23 Days and Counting!

With SBAC behind me, I am starting to breathe a little.  The early evenings are cool and light enough to get lots of yard work done, and with all my injuries and illnesses this winter, there is plenty to do.  My mind is starting to churn and yearn for summer.  At 23 days and counting, getting up in the morning has become a struggle between myself and the alarm clock.  And before you start in on the hating, I started school the last week in July!  This week, I had to laugh at myself as I was blindly grabbing clothes out of the dryer - my wardrobe is at 23 days and counting too!

1st Quarter

Don't we all pay close attention to what we are wearing that first quarter?  We want to make an impression on the students, parents, and our colleagues.  I always have my wardrobe planned out down to the earrings on Sunday afternoon.  Everything is hanging in outfit groups in my closet.  My shoes are buffed and clean.  My toes are painted.  I actually wear mascara and other real make-up just so I won't be mistaken for a student (Don't laugh! It happened a lot my first 10 years teaching.  Granted, it hasn't really happened in the last 16 years, but it could!).  I blow dry and straighten my giant head of hair to glossy perfection.  My daily packed lunches make everyone else feel bad about what they are eating.  And even though my report time isn't until 7:05 a.m., I am in the classroom by 6:30 a.m.!

2nd Quarter

By 2nd quarter, I am starting to slip a little.  Oh, I am making an effort.  I mean, I am actually wearing grown up outfits still with real lady shoes.  Everything is still matching, but I am only preparing two-three days in advance.  I have given up on mascara because the Santa Ana winds are blowing, and I have shaved off a little prep time by giving up the flat iron.  During conferences, I start sneaking in a cookie and hitting the Diet Coke again.  Now, I start aiming for 6:40 a.m. and still feel smug about it.

3rd Quarter

By 3rd quarter, I have given up on much more than the flat iron.  I stop wearing bracelets, because they really bug me and I just take them off before the end of 2nd period.  Powder foundation is faster, and I really need a miracle to keep my skin from drying out totally.  I slip into wearing jeans and light cotton sweaters, because in Southern California you don't really get to wear wool, but I fool myself into believing it is okay because of "the weather."  The same earrings will keep finding their way back into my ears for several days in row.  My hair is now being blown dry while I brush my teeth, and smoothed down with fancy smoothing stuff as I race out the door.  I am down to protein bars and apples if the kids are looking, and cookies when they are not.  Plus, I am lucky if I remember to drink one bottle of water.  Diet Coke is a liquid, right?  I start hitting the parking lot around 6:50 a.m., darn that traffic!

4th Quarter

All pretense is gone!  I have met all of the parents, either at conferences or by chasing down their car in the parking lot.  My wardrobe is being planned as I dig through the dryer in the morning with a towel wrapped around me.  I don't accessorize, I make decisions based only on comfort.  My old lady feet are happy in my Birkenstocks.  With the exception of tinted lip balm that I found in my purse on the way to school, my makeup is non-existent.  My hair?  Washed, coconut oil worked through it, and open the sunroof!  Lunch?  What lunch?  I mainstream Diet Coke.  I tell the kids that it is the "same can" and hide the empty cans like the addict I have become.  Chocolate is medication and necessary to my continued survival.  And since I don't have to be there until 7:05 a.m., I figure as long I beat the principal there, all is good - and I am not above passing him as I get off the freeway!

23 days and counting!

p.s. If you haven't already discovered Polyvore, you really need to!  Virtual window shopping, fantasy wardrobes for your fantasy perfect body!  Go check it out and follow me @ Polyvore!  My username is Susimi!