July: Reflection & Rejuvenation

So my first month of summer is officially finished. I have to confess that it doesn’t exactly feel like summer. It feels more like keep-working-full-time-but-work-at-home-instead-of-at-school. I’m suspecting that my goals for June have something to do with it:

1. Work on creating an e-course about purposeful conception: Um, yeah, this has been a lot of work. I always underestimate how long something is going to take me! Perhaps that’s why I commit to so many projects? At first it was super-exciting work because I was doing the graphic design and the technical stuff. It was very new and challenging. Then I started writing the content for the course, which is fun stuff too, but I already do a lot of writing, as I try to maintain two other blogs. I’ve also been trying to write extra blog posts for both of my blogs, so I can schedule them to run while I’m on vacation. Needless to say, it’s been a lot of work.
2. Update the look and functionality of my blogs (have you noticed the banner doesn’t match the URL? Oops!): I’ve done a little bit of this, but not as much as I would have liked to (see goal #1 for my excuse!).
3. Completely immerse myself in a yoga retreat with my best friend: Yes! This was so much fun. Aaahhhh. I relax just thinking about it.
4. Prepare my workshop for the KIPP School Summit in August: I’m almost done! It feels so good to get things done in advance. I mean, I’m going to have to spend hours working on it anyway, so why not spend hours in June, so I don’t have to worry about it and get all stressed in July or August?
5. Start my charter school application: I changed this project at the last minute because I got asked to work as a consultant for a Montessori charter school that is trying to get started in another state. Although I have been doing a solid job of turning away additional requests for my time, I actually said yes to this one because it’s so aligned with what I want to do. I can learn from their experience!
6. Host a picnic/silent film event for friends: Yes. I hosted two potluck/silent films this month!
7. Invite someone over for a dinner party: Check! We made flatbread pizzas. Delicious.
8. Run and do yoga regularly: I’ve been running regularly, but for some reason, I keep resisting the yoga. I’m not sure why. I just need to do it.
9. Work diligently on the Taking Flight e-course: Check!
10. Study Spanish for 20 minutes every weekday: Um, no. I have not been doing this one. Argh.
11. Make a travel pillow for our impending vacation to California and Canada: My craft date with Katie got rescheduled from June to July, so this isn’t done yet.
12. Take a photography class to learn how to use my new DSLR camera: Check!

My intentions for July:

1. Enjoy an amazing two-week road trip with Matt. Oh, I can’t wait! We’re flying to L.A. and then driving up the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington into the wild of British Columbia, Canada. I want to read books and see amazing places and immerse myself in nature and play games with Matt and hike and hang out near water and chat and listen to TED talks in the car and bask in the sun. (I should also bring along my Spanish CDs…)
2. Attend professional development outside of Austin.
3. Try to fill up registration for my e-course. I’m limiting the first class to the first 100 participants.
4. Facilitate grade-level collaboration among my Montessori colleagues as we prepare for the new year.
5. Continue nourishing my body with good food and exercising my body.

I’d like to throw in some stuff about organizing our house, but I don’t want to over-commit myself. This is enough for July!