A Month of Joy July 7-31, 2025
It’s been a month since I shared some joys! I can’t believe I let time get away from me, but that is summer as a teacher. My days blend from one to another and all routine and goals are pushed back or forgotten.
Alas, summer is almost over-I return next Monday and am really looking forward to year 13! (14 including being a para) I hope to continue sharing joys after the school year begins because looking for those bright spots in the everyday has been really good for me.
Alright, without further ado, here are some joys from the past month. It might be a long post as it is covering a month, so I hope you still enjoy it.
Please share your joys! And make sure to subscribe to continue receiving my joys and a reminder to look for the bright spot in your day.
Crochet Joy
There was so much crocheting done these past few weeks!
My daughter and I went on a loaf cat-making spree to see how many we could make from a skein of yarn.
My daughter found jumbo yarn and decided she needed a jumbo loaf cat. 7 skeins, a new hook, and a huge bag of stuffing later we have King Gumbo!
I made my own peanut jelly cat with faux fur yarn. It was tough!
Started a new style of crochet called Corner to Corner and am working on a blanket. It’s harder than I thought-a lot of color changes, but by the end I got the hang of it. I may need to redo this square but we shall see. I am making 12 squares to put together as a blanket that will feature twelve homes. One for each month. If you want the pattern let me know!
Our cats were always helping us crochet.
My daughter made her own bird pattern-meet Jellybean.
I finished my hexagon cardigan and WORE IT to a work thing! The sleeve did unravel a bit but I am so stinking proud of myself.
More Joys with my Daughter
Being a mom and a teacher has some awesome perks. I put a lot of work in during the school year, so taking a summer “off” and just getting myself back together while also making memories is not something I feel guilty about. My daughter was very attached to me this summer and who knows how long that will last (teen life is creeping up) and so I took advantage! We baked. We gardened. We found a mental health app called Finch and are taking better care of ourselves. She even painted my nails for the first time ever (she is so not a nail girl, but felt bad at seeing my poor attempts).
Family Joys
We met my mom and niece and had a beautiful girls day painting pottery and catching butterflies! 🦋 My daughter’s talent never ceases to amaze me.
Teaching Joys
I didn’t completely take the summer off! I was chosen to participate in an externship and was able to visit area businesses to see what I could share with my students and other teachers about what the future really looks like. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I got a few! I visited a huge underground and saw a room of cheese. I toured a 3M Manufacturing plant and visited with workers at all levels and saw their process from start to finish. I visited with photographers, journalists, and graphic designers at a magazine company. AND the best part was connecting with so many people. I reunited with a couple teachers I used to work, deepened a relationship with a coworker, and met many new people. I also met a teacher who went to the same school as me and remembered me from when she was in elementary! I was 7 years older! (Small school) The connections with the companies was also huge because they all said they would love to talk to my students! I teach business, yearbook, and basic computer skills-all of which I saw a benefit to having visit my students in.
Other Joys
Some random joyous moments:
Book mail from Sourcebooks -all YA and angry girls and just what I want to read right now.
A cute water feature at the butterfly garden.
The cocoons at the butterfly garden.
Let out your weird-great reminder graphic!
Watching my daughter and her cat become inseparable this summer. Back to school will not be easy…
Reading outside. (When I wasn’t melting)
Yoga outside-and a dragonfly friend who joined me.
Micropets through the Finch app. They are a great reward for meeting my goals and keeping habits going!
If you read this far, THANK YOU.
Don’t forget to look for the joy in all you do, even the most mundane.
I would love it if you shared my post with others!