I don’t write about politics because much of it I simply don’t understand, and am not articulate enough to present my views in a smart way. But I need to say that that meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy was embarrassing to watch.
This post is a highlight reel. But, looking back at February, I see that there were some not-so-good-things: political situation, anxiety, hot flashes, fatigue, busyness, stressful jaw clenching, neck problems, parenting anger. All of that is part of life and, it’s going away any time soon. My dad fell. Nothing is broken but his face is all bruised up. He is 80, they had a “celebration” at work. In Russian terms, lots of alcohol was involved.
- T’s 44th birthday. A giant heart for my partner in life.
- Started physical therapy for my hormonal headaches and “teacher neck” (apparently, it’s a thing among educators)
- The kids continued with their activities: gymnastics every Saturday, jiu jitsu every Tuesday or Thursday, piano lessons). Nobody got sick, no lessons were missed. Oh, and, let’s not forget my little Plushenko over here (he is far from being Plushenko, but in my mind…). For reference, Evgeny Plushenko is one of the greatest Russian male skaters in history.
- Saw sister friends once. Met one of my sister friends’ significant other.
- Had a snow day from school!
- Saw a Broadway Show
- Celebrated Valentine’s Day (cards and chocolates all around). What can I say, we love it!
- Submitted my SGOs. For those of you not in education field, it’s a procedure to prove that you, as a teacher, doing your job, and is part of your summative evaluation at the end of the year. To me, it’s ridiculous, but you have to gather the data and show students’ growth. *By the way, they are going away next year – thanks to NJEA (our teachers’ union).
- NECTFL in NYC – amazing, incredible world language educators sharing their best practices. And, of course always great to be in NYC.
- Parent-teacher conferences for both kids. L attended for L, and T attended for R.
- Yoga continued – two to three times a week. Sadly, many of you know that my studio is closing in March.
- Registered L for her favorite summer camp in July, at the reservation. She’ll be there for two weeks before we go [back] to France.
A photo from February:
March
March is a long month: 31 days. BUT: in New Jersey, the weather is warmer, the sun is shining, and it’s St. Patrick’s day! I am Russian but I LOVE St. Patrick’s day. So… Upcoming things in March…
- Three theater performances! Kodo (alone), and Irish dance (with L or R, not sure yet), and Dear Evan Hansen (with T).
- Daylight savings. Uffff, we have state testing the Monday after, and we will all be fried but, at least, it will be light out in the morning.
- International Women’s Day – March 8th. I always get flowers for the babushkas (baba Tanya+baba Lyuba) in our lives, and my kids’ teachers.
- T is away for one week, so, solo parenting.
- St. Patrick’s day. Green ice cream and corned beef and cabbage. Soda bread.
- Read Across America for L- a week where you get to dress up with what you want – animal print day, mismatched clothes day, etc. Always fun.
- Yoga studio’s last day is March 16th. After the closing, I will either a. have to sign up for something else, or b. use a Peloton app.
- Kindergarten registration for R! My baby boy is going to kindergarten in September.
In a nutshell, how was your February? And, what are you looking forward to in March?
Mom of Children 