Happy New (school) Year!

Hello, New World! I come to you with Day 1 of the 2014-2015 school year under my belt, and with a fresh and positive outlook!!

Last year was a tough year- it was essentially the third grade level I'd taught in three years, and you know me- creature of habit! I felt down, angry, and almost burnt out at times. Not a happy Sciato! So, not to say that there won't be challenges this year, because there always will be, but I've decided to change my perspective. It's the one thing I can always control! ;)

So. I just want to take a quick minute to share my New School Year Resolutions with you, and you need to hold me accountable. :)

1. Stay focused, organized, and prepared. Heffe has taught me this one! We lose so much time and energy while focused on things that don't matter- I'm going to try to think hard and analyze the situation or task at hand before I act, so that I'm maximizing my productivity and ultimately, my sanity. Being "prepared" can and will sometimes just mean to be prepared to be flexible, and to embrace the chaos. :)

2. Take brain breaks! We need them just as much as our students!!! My hurdle- taking 30 minutes to leave work in the classroom, and eat my lunch in peace. 

3. Realize MY time is valuable, too. This is going to be the HARDEST for me. It means saying no, or asking to schedule time to discuss fillintheblank instead of me having to stop what I'm doing to discuss it, or simply asking for help. My time (aka, my personal, outside of school time that I would normally take up to recover from said interruptions, as completely necessary as those interruptions usually are..time is never on the side of a teacher..) MY time is valuable, too. 

4. Let it gooooooo.... Yes, I'm taking a lesson from Frozen. I'm going to try to take more things in stride, I'm going to try to not get frustrated by things I can't control, and if all else fails, I'll piss off my hallway-mates and actually sing, "Let it go!" :)

5. I'm going to be happy. There. I said it. I became a teacher for so many reasons... And not one of them has to do with workplace social politics or standardized tests. One of the top reasons I became a teacher is because I love being around children. They are so completely naive to most of the nonesense that is going on around them. They say the FUNNIEST things- even when they are tying to be serious. They make me laugh, cry, and FEEL. They make me remember what kind of person I want to be, and at the end of the day, I really do still think I can make an impact on their lives, even for just one minute of one hour of one day.

Hold me accountable, New World. It's all downhill from here. :)

Until next time, 

This is me, bein me. 

Cheers. :)

WHO AM I???

New World, I come to you in a glass case of emotion. 

Heffe and I have been enjoying MARRIED LIFE for the past 27 days. (Wedding post will happen, be patient people ;)) We enjoyed a fabulous and extravagant honeymoon together, and are now trying to settle back into real life. 

Real. Life. What is that? 

The life of a teacher comes with certain perks that I am ALL about. #1 is and will always be summer break. I spent the better half of summer wedding planning and organizing final details of our big day... after about 10am when I finally finished my 3rd cup of coffee and decided I should be a productive citizen. This is the first summer since I can remember (literally... maybe since I was 15) that I haven't worked or tutored and I decided to soak up every freaking minute. Starting your day at the crack of 8:30 with a balanced, unrushed breakfast, and coffee in an actual coffee mug (not a travel mug and not in tow on the way to an 8:20 meeting) can really sway one's perspective. I was rested, uber productive, and before I knew it, I had multi-tasked my way into wedding planning mayhem/bliss. 

Now that The Big Day is over, and I am getting my classroom ready, and I am tutoring, and I am not watching Sex and The City/Kardashians/The Hills mega marathons every day... ugh. I have really felt like I'm too old for this. Especially since the past 4 weeks have been a junk food/drinking/no exercise BINGE and my body is NOT bouncing back the way it used to. Double Ugh.

The worst part about this time of year for a teacher is also the best part. I LOVE catching up with all my coworkers I haven't seen in the past 2 months. I LOVE hearing what they and their families did over summer. But. Unfortunately, the nature of the beast is that we have a very limited amount of time to get our acts together, and oftentimes the conversation is rushed or limited. But, there has been a PLETHORA of  questions about the Wedding, and "it was a good day" juuuust doesn't do it justice.

The most frequent questions have to be, "How does it feel to be married?" or "How are you today, MRS. K?" 

I've been waiting to marry Heffe for far too than long I'd like to admit, and nothing in the world feels better than signing my name, MY name... with his last name. 

However.

Usually, if I'm asked, "How are you today, MRS. K?", all I can muster is a cheesy smile, blushed cheeks, and a "GREAT!!!!", which is followed closely by, "How does it feel to be called that?" or "How does it feel to be someone's wife?" LOADED questions for an already emotionally charged Sciato. I usually respond with social appropriateness, however, and repeat my cheesy, blushed, "GREAT!"

In reality, I'm thinking to myself, "I am SO glad Heffe and I waited until we did to get married." 

For us traditional gals, there is a LOT of changes we have to go through before we can sit back, sip our wine, and soak up wedded bliss. I've had my fair share of whimsical giggles and ear-to-ear, scrunchy nose smiles... in fact, I can't even control when they happen. But, you know me, New World, and I'm probably making this too big of a deal, but those changes we have to go through ARE a big deal to me. I'm not even close to being finished, but I've already spent hours changing my social security card, my drivers license, my bank and credit card accounts, my school files, my professional everything, and still have countless other things to change. I even created a new email account, but cannot bring myself to use it yet. That + new school year + post-wedding blues + thiscrazybigbirthdayeveryoneseemstokeepbringingtomyattention... Sciato is feeling slightly overwhelmed. (What's new.)

So yes. I'm so glad Heffe and I waited until we did to get married. As my dad always tells me (and I mean always, he knows how often I need to hear it!), change is the only constant in life. Heffe and I have been through the emotional and physical rollercoaster that was our early 20s. We've learned how to survive both independently and co-dependently. We know ourselves pretty well, and are learning more about each other every day. When it really comes down to it, I think we've got a pretty solid foundation for our life together. We may not know all the secrets to making a lifelong marriage work, and of course we'll have rough patches, but underneath it all, I know we share the same views and values and beliefs, and know that we both see the same things as important parts of our life that we have now and that we want to have in the future. Together. I've been wanting to get married since I was 5. But there are a few tricks 29-year-old Sciato brings to the table. My greatest trick was getting Heffe to fall in love with me, and then to tell me he wants to be with me forever, and THEN to ask me (on his own and unprompted!) to be his wife. 

SO. 

WHO AM I???

I am still the same old Sciato. Always will be. 

I'll just call me ksciato. Yes. I just pronounced that kuh-sciato. :) 

Until next time, New World.

This is me.

Bein ME.

Cheers. :)