A Little Hello

Baby Toes and Blanket

Last week, our family of three became a family of four. We couldn’t be any happier or more tired. At least I don’t think! This post doesn’t have any crunched numbers or completed spreadsheets. Those numbers will come later. But what I can say on the financial front is it’s amazing how much another life-changing … [Read more…]

5 Things My Husband’s FFCRA Leave Taught Us

Parachute Touches Down End of Leave of Absence FFCRA

While we are no stranger to choosing time over money, starting the school year with my husband on a leave of absence was a hard choice. Now that his leave is winding down, I wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at his leave and what we’ve learned. The Start of a Leave of Absence As … [Read more…]

Figuring Out What It Means to Finish 2020 Strong

Raucous holiday gatherings that I hopefully came in under budget for and could heartily enjoy. Moments of pause to reflect on goals I met and goals I didn’t. Way too much hot cocoa.  And yet somehow, this year is shaping up to be very different. Given the bleak start to fall we are having in … [Read more…]

How I’m Putting On My Own Parachute

Last week, I wrote about why it is so critical for teachers to take off their capes and put on parachutes. Unfortunately, I wrote from firsthand experience on the plane. More specifically, it’s been the most turbulent ride of my career. The debate about how to start the school year amid the pandemic is raging … [Read more…]

Teacher Talk: It’s Time Swap Your Cape for a Parachute

Teachers, Swap Your Cape for A Parachute

“My teacher is a superhero.” “I teach. What’s your superpower?” “Teachers are just superheroes in disguise.” If you’ve spent any amount of time in the classroom, there’s a good chance you’ve heard one of these sayings. You might have even been gifted one on a coffee mug. Teaching is a noble profession. Maybe the noblest. … [Read more…]

4 Things I Learned When I Tried to Track Down All My Accounts

4 Lessons from Creating an Account Master Spreadsheet

I have a lot of credit cards. That’s actually not a surprise. After all, I opened them. Truthfully, I have far fewer credit cards than I used to. I pretty much opened a credit card at any store that asked back in my 200-plus-pair-of-shoes heyday. I never got into any consumer debt with them, but … [Read more…]