I am so overwhelmed at the moment, with work and life. So this post is really overdue.

I could have just skipped it. But I don’t want you guys to forget about me 🫠😉

Let’s start with May highlights.

🥳 My birthday at the beginning of the month- my puzzle party!

🥳 A jury duty that I was excused from very early so I had the rest of the day to myself. I had a colleague in the same room with me and he was sent to a four day trial

🤩 Mother’s Day celebration at R’s school

👌 a weekend alone in the house #bliss

👍 One on one meeting with our new principal: she started in January and has been holding 1 on 1 meetings with teachers. I had a LOT to say about the school and improvements that are needed.

🦄 Dr Sims’ workouts – she is a nutritionist / exercise coach from New Zealand that designs workouts for perimenopausal women. Heavy and short.

May lowlights

🦥 Stalled teacher union negotiations; as of now we do not have a contract for new year. Frustrating. All of us are frozen on our old salary step- no raises. At least, not until we get a new contract.

😵‍💫 A huge feeling of overwhelm. I feel like it happens every year around this time. It’s a combination of factors: prepping final exams, doing the verbal part of final exams, dealing with open enrollment for medical, dental, flex account for kids’ after care; summative processes, staff evaluations, ALL the things!… All the necessary processes but it’s a lot.

✈️ On a personal side, I reworked our Italy trip, the Dolomites section, almost entirely. That took some decision muscle flexing but I’m happy with how it is now. At first, we were staying on the Eastern side of the Dolomites for two nights and then the western side for three nights. After I thought it over, it seemed as a very fragmented way to see the mountains. So I cancelled both airbnbs. A new plan is that we will be staying right ON the Alpe di Suisi plateau (an alpine meadow). A bit more expensive lodging BUT the mountains are waiting for me when I open the front door. A much deeper, slower experience. Lastly, I cancelled our rental car. Reason being, once you get into the mountains, that car becomes a dead weight- driving is rather restricted in Alpe di Suisi. Instead, you are expected to hike and take cable cars since it’s a highly protected area.

⛺️ A camping trip that had to be rescheduled due to rain

🙄 Some unbloggable drama at work within our department and other departments/content areas

🪆 Russia situation and the continuous mental weight of guilt for being so far away from my parents who are in their 80s.

June

We are already into June big time but so far the feeling of overwhelm is still here. And will likely continue until the end of my school year- June 17th.

June has already brought some sweet parenting moments for me and my husband: L’s piano recital; R’s jiu jitsu tournament.

Other June goals…

Our anniversary!

The above mentioned camping trip

Father’s Day

Graduation

Will leave it here friends. If I disappear for a while it means I am finishing up the school year and will write more soon!