high hopes

      Whoo, I wasn't expecting to have my summer break be a blog break as well, but I will try to get a post up or two once the start-of-school-year madness subsides.
       In the meantime, here's a picture of my new hairdo! Longer hair has been my security blanket for a while, but I am thoroughly enjoying this haircut. My workplace is very warm, and having my hair this short forces me to wear it down vs. having it up in a ponytail all the time. Also loving how easy it is to wash and that I don't really have to do anything in the morning. I'm still trying to adjust my sleep schedule to make waking up at 5 a.m. a little less arduous, so a low-maintenance hairstyle means a little more time to eat breakfast and prepare for the day.

      While it's only the first week of school, I have a feeling this is going to be a very different year. First off, this group's energy seems very different from last year's bunch.  I loved last year's kids, but their energy was frenetic at times. This group seems a little more laid-back. I am also trying out the Responsive Classroom approach, which means I have been explicitly teaching social skills, building community, and teaching classroom routines/procedures in a different way. I admit that I'll miss all the free time I had during the summer, but it's exciting to be in a classroom again.
   What's making you happy lately? 

the skinny on my new haircut

     I've endured many a bad haircut in the past, mostly at the hands of people stymied by my extremely thick, not-straight hair. While it always looked OK straight out of the salon, disappointment set in once I washed and dried it and it was a flyaway mess.
   And then I found my current hairstylist, by chance -- I called the salon at random and asked for someone good with thick hair. That haircut was life-changing. Even people who don't really notice my hair -- like my uncles -- kept commenting on how great it looked. At that time I had just recovered from stress-induced hair loss, and it was wonderfully affirming to have it look great and healthy again.

    The Mr. devoutly believes that I should leave hair and makeup decisions to the experts, so when I asked him how much I should cut off, he stressed that I should let the stylist decide. I kept much of the length, but she added layers and gave me what she calls "skinny" hair.
    I feel awesome! My mom even said the cut reminds her of my cousin, K -- high praise in our family because K has been, literally, stylish and put-together since the age of 3. :)
   More photos of my hair to come -- I decided to shoot an outfit ahead of time since it was an awesome-hair day. :)