Thursday and Friday: The Chicken or the Egg

One frustrating thing for me as a teacher is that I have Auditory Processing Disorder.  APD can cause problems because if there is any background noise, I essentially can't hear it.  I mean, I hear it, but it's like being in a loud restaurant where you can't hear over the crowd, or, really more accurately, being at a rock concert.  Only this can happen to me if I'm in a classroom with talking children.  It means if there is any sort of conversation going on amongst my students, even if they are not being excessively loud, I cannot hear a question asked by a student even if that student is directly in front of me.  I'm pretty good at lip reading anymore, but I'm still very often unable to figure out what the student is saying.

My students probably think I'm mean and "old school" because I don't like a lot of talking in my classroom.  Really, it's due to this darn problem of mine.  I've always questioned whether or not to tell my students about it, but I worry they will somehow use it against me.  I don't really know how they would or that they really would do it in an evil way, but students, like all children (or people in general) will find loopholes in anything.

This is something that has made me think about my own personality.  I always thought I was an introvert, but knowing now about my APD, I have been wondering if I am really an extrovert who thinks I'm an introvert because being around people means straining to process what I'm hearing, which is in turn very exhausting, which is why I need time alone to recharge (a trait most consider the hallmark of being an introvert).  So it's really which came first (like the chicken or the egg): Am I naturally an introvert, or am I an extrovert forced to connect myself with introversion because it is so exhausting having to process conversations in groups?

This, people, is what I ponder.

Thursday

Dress (turned skirt): JcPenney
Sweater: F21
Necklace: Premier Jewelry
Wedges: Anne Klein

 Friday

Peplum Top: Ann Taylor
Striped Top: Old Navy
Jeans: Kohl's
Necklace: Dustee's
Belt: Target
Matching Wedges: Payless
Sperrys: Dillard's

I call Friday's pictures "Expectations Vs. Reality"  The pic on the left is what I really wanted to wear to school.  The height of the wedges though, just would not have been good for my tired teacher feet at the end of the week.  Sperry's won out instead, even though I didn't like them with my outfit as well.  I can say my feet enjoyed them very much, though!

It's Friday, I'm in Love

We got Friday off for a four-day Easter weekend break.  It is awesome.  Why didn't I decide to become independently wealthy so I could stay home more often?  Honestly, being home is probably so good because of the warm(ish) weather and sunshine.

We took a long walk with the dogs today, so no pics for Saturday.  Sweatpants and a tee do not an outfit make…or at least not an outfit anyone wants to see.

Thursday

Top: H&M
Pants: Cato Fashion
Necklace: Premier Jewelry
Shoes: Anne Klein

 Friday (a rainy morning)

Top: Gap
Cardigan: Gap
Pants: Kohl's
Necklace: Premier Jewelry
Boots: Hunter

Week of Parent/Teacher Conferences

I have fallen behind on this blog.  Life has taken precedent at the moment!  Two weeks ago, the school had a short week because of parent/teacher conferences.  On top of that, I was planning a trip to Phoenix to interview for some teaching positions and also to look for a house.  More updates about that in a later post!

Here are the outfits I remembered to capture on my phone (featured in backwards order):

Thursday 3/19 (P/T Conference Day 2)

Dress: Calvin Klein (JcPenney)
Blazer: Target
Wedges: Anne Klein

 Wednesday 3/18

Sweater: Cato Fashions
Dark Skinnies: Kohl's
Flats: Target
Necklace: Premier Jewelry

 Tuesday 3/17 (P/T Conferences Day 1 AND St. Patty's Day)

Top: Express
Pants: Cato Fashion
Blazer: Target
Wedges: Anne Klein

 Monday 3/16

Top: Dillard's
Cardigan: Gap
Skirt: Walmart
Necklace: Premier Jewelry
Flats: Hush Puppies

Modified Project333 and a Saturday Outfit

My love for weekends makes me question whether I should petition my husband to be a stay-at-home wife and puppy-mommy.  Just another passing thought from this crispy-around-the-edges teacher.

As I mentioned in my last post, I've stopped the 30x30 to jump right into the scarier Project333.  Why is it scarier, you may ask.  Well, because it's a permanent closet change, not just a temporary one.  I modified it to fit my current comfortability level, but the idea and spirit of the 333 is there.  I cut down massively on my available wardrobe.  I now have 50 clothing items to choose from for 3 months.  I won't really know how difficult this whole idea is until probably the end of May since I decided to start this whole process in February, aka the end of winter.

For anyone interested in doing Project333, here's my process:

1) I weeded through my closet and got rid of anything I either never wore, hated, or was busted/stained/etc.
2) With the massive collection of clothes that was left after that first purge, I made piles by the seasons (Winter, Fall, Summer, Spring).
3) I culled through each pile and picked out my *favorites* and then looked through the rest for basics I would need.
4) I had to sacrifice a few things to ensure I didn't go over 50 items (my personal choice--333 suggests 33 items).
5) My other personal choice was not to count shoes and accessories or undershirts/tank tops.  I never wear tank tops on their own (always under something else) and I have so many shoes and necklaces that I wasn't quite ready in my brain to give them up yet.
6) I packed away each season's capsule except winter.  The winter set is what I will wear until the beginning of March, when I pull out the spring set and put away the winter set.  My plan is to get rid of anything in my winter set that I didn't wear or hated and take stock of things I will need to add for next year.

Whew!

Here's today's outfit.  It's super plain and yawn, but it's Saturday and i just want to be comfortable.  Keepin' it real, ya'll.

Black T-Shirt: gifted, but I think it is from New York & Co
Aquamarine/turquoise tank: found at Goodwill
Dark wash jeggings (look like black pants!): Kohl's
"Turquoise" necklace: gift from my mom
Black Flats: Hushpuppies
I am wearing a hairband on my wrist since I was about to pull my hair up.

A plain outfit for a simple day sitting around the house.  I may venture out to the grocery store for food for the week.  A teacher's weekend is "rest": time to do the "rest" of the stuff you couldn't get done during the week because you were so busy!