Your mom

I suck at New Year's Resolutions. But if you read this post, then you already knew that.


I will say that although I'm still kind of sucking with money, I'm living within my means. And I'm totally knocking my book goal out of the park. I have read 15 books out of my goal of 24 for the year putting me 25% ahead of schedule. Which means I'll probably be taking up more substantial books for awhile. On to Guns, Germs and Steel!


As far as blogging twice a month, well, to be honest not much has been going on until recently and even that is only moderately blog worthy. So instead I'll leave you with this little window into the life of teaching English to children:



When I first started teaching kids again this year, I was a little freaked out. Being around kids again after spending a year with (presumably) mature adults was going to be difficult, especially since I went to the total opposite end of the spectrum and most of my students are ages 3-6. 


Often my students faces light up when I walk in the room to gather them up for class. They run over scream, "Jimmie!" and hug me or try to pile on. I have to admit, this is exactly why I wanted to teach kids again. I missed the overflow of affection kids are capable of.


They also often call me, "Mama." It's playful, but it still freaks me out. I ain't nobody's mama. Not yet at least. One day. In theory at least.


So today, I'm teaching my students how to ask someone when their birthday is and how to answer. 


"When is your birthday?" Then I pointed at myself, "In May."


Immediately everyone is like... Wait, it's May now. When!?!? So then it came out that my birthday was just last week (Clutch: My third birthday away from home, whoa.) 


At the end of the lesson, once we had exhaustively drilled the months of the year, the kids' Czech teacher came up and wanted to ask me a question. 


Michaela: "How old are you?
Me: (smiling and kind of laughing) "I'm 26 now."
Michaela: "Oh, you're so young."
Melissa (one of the 8-year-old students): (in Czech) "How old is she?
Michaela:: (in Czech): "26"
Melissa: (in Czech) "So is my mom!"


And that's when it hit me, I really am old enough to be these kids' mom. 


Ježíš!