A Week in My Life--WEDNESDAY

I definitely felt yesterday's late night talking catch up with me today! It was hard to get up at 6:20 after getting to bed at midnight. But subbing isn't difficult most of the time, and I can't argue with getting paid for it.

Here's a glimpse at the room I was in today. This is my usual Wednesday position (the teacher has a medical disability and can't teach a full week, so I'm the sub that comes in mid-week to break up her days). Do you notice how small the room is?

That's because there are only four kids in this class. Yes, four. It's "special ed," which for this group means that they are really low compared to grade-level standards, but they're basic, normal teenagers in all other ways. They like to talk about their lives, gossip about relationships, avoid as much work as possible, and talk too much when there's a sub. Just because there's only four doesn't mean it's any easier! But since I'm used to them (I've been with them since October), they can't really get away with anything, and the day goes smoothly most of the time. Except for the temperature...

I dressed in layers because I saw some clouds and some blue sky when I checked outside. In Southern California, this usually means it'll be chilly in the morning, but after the sun really breaks through later in the day, it'll be too warm for a sweater. Boy was I wrong! It was cold, dark and windy today, with occasional rain.

Add to that the fact that this classroom's thermostat is set at

66 degrees. For the HEATER. I'm sorry, but 66 is not warm enough. Not at all! It's been like that all year, and the whole thing is locked so I can't change it. I hate that room!

One bright spot in my school day: I had lunch with a good teacher friend who works at that school. I snuck off campus to pick up food from Subway and we enjoyed a good chat.

Another good thing about subbing is that I get to read a lot during class. Often the kids are just assigned busy work, worksheets etc, so I'm really just a figurehead, a well-paid babysitter. Reading while they're working is usually no problem. Sometimes I take magazines. Today it was our current book club selection:

We're meeting on Saturday and I still have over 100 pages left to go, so I was glad for the reading time. By the way, I'm liking the book. It's non-fiction, which is a change of pace for me, and I'm learning a lot.

I saw more pink trees today... *sigh*

Back at home after picking up Bekah, we had a few minutes with Malcom before he went to work. It was probably 30 minutes together. He played with Bekah for a bit and we talked about mindless things, then he was out the door. I don't love this "ships in the night" thing. :( Actually, it's ships in the day; we do share the same bed for some of the night, and I know this schedule is so much better for him, but it still kinda sucks.

BUT, do you know what he did with his time today?! He did two loads of laundry and cleaned the filthy master bathroom WITHOUT BEING ASKED!! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy! Like, irrationally happy! That bathroom was driving me crazy and he took care of it! To a pregnant lady who can't even finish the dishes, this is huge. HUGE! I'm a lucky woman! (Yes, there are eight exclamation points in that one little paragraph, so what?! That just shows you how happy I am!) (Ten.)

Bekah tried to play outside for a bit. She loves to put doggy on the rails in front of our door, put her legs between the poles and pretend they're swinging. But the cold got to her pretty quickly and we came inside.

The exhaustion and nausea I had kept at bay all day (by staying busy) caught up with me then and I fell asleep on the couch while Bekah watched a show. She asked me to wake up once or twice, but it was that kind of tired where you CANNOT make yourself open your eyes. I allowed myself the rest for a bit, but eventually got up and made dinner. I was craving tater tots and grilled cheese, something warm on a chilly day, but when it was all made, I had to force it down. Bleh.

So, then we did the usual playtime, bathtime, bedtime stuff, and Bekah was down by 8:00. I watched some TV and now I'm online. It's been a pretty blah day. I hated my hair and have felt really fat today. The weather didn't help my mood either. Maybe I'll go stare at those sparkling fixtures in the bathroom again just to cheer up!

... just a second...

Yeah, now I feel a little better! I think I'll get another snack, finish the bills, and get back to my book. Can't really complain about the luxuries of having enough money to pay bills, and reading a good book on a cold night!