A couple of weeks ago I talked about taking a step backwards sometimes, and how that is a good thing, not necessarily a bad thing. Well, we have taken another step back in time that seems to be working out very well. This time, Daniel has gone back to running his own business.
In November of 2012, Daniel partnered up with a friend of his, and the two started running their businesses together. It was working well for them, so they decided to merge the two professions and do business together under one business name. This was made official in January, 2013. The business did okay, though not great, for the year the two worked together. Daniel was in charge of landscape maintenance and his partner was supposed to be bringing in work on the building maintenance side of the business.
Well, to make a long story short, the partnership started to slide when Daniel noticed that the landscape was being neglected for the building maintenance side of the business, yet the building maintenance wasn't bringing in enough money for both families to survive. A disagreement between the two partners in how to run the business ultimately led to the partnership being dissolved at the beginning of this month.
Daniel immediately picked up where he had left off in November, 2012. Fortunately he had maintained a percentage of customers from when he was on his own. It's enough to keep our head above water until business picks up again. He applied to register the business under the old name- Yard Maintenance Solutions, and he sat down and came up with a business plan to get back to where he was before entering into the partnership.
I am so proud of the progress he has made in a couple short weeks! Daniel has already picked up one or two maintenance customers, and he has done two clean-ups on properties from where we have hung flyers. He has another clean-up scheduled for this week. As a family, we have been hanging flyers every Saturday morning, and Daniel has been out drumming up business on days he doesn't have other work.
Stepping back has given us a new hope for the future. I am already seeing a difference in the way money is coming in and how we are able to budget. I think this year is going to be great. Daniel will tell you he doesn't regret the partnership one bit, and I can see why. He really has learned a lot of valuable lessons. I'm just glad that by stepping back we are able to move forward. It's strange how that works.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Dressing Up
I am definitely pretty easy to please. On Friday, we got to wear jeans with our school polo shirts to school. In an effort to boost morale, our school has designated the last Friday of every month as jeans day. I have to admit, those jeans days sure are something to look forward to. It seemed like all of the teachers had an extra bounce in their step throughout the day.
Our district policy actually states that polo shirts are against every-day dress code for teachers as well. Apparently polo shirts are not dressy enough. On Friday, as I was leaving a meeting with our principal, I mentioned that it would be really nice to be able to wear our school polo shirts on a regular basis since we had to pay to get a shirt. I was quick to mention that I didn't want her to extend the number of days we could wear jeans, but to take advantage of our shirts that we purchased.
Oh.... sometimes it is SO worth it to stick your neck out and take a chance! My principal actually said she saw no reason why I couldn't wear a school polo EVERY day if I wanted to, as long as the bottom of my outfit was still appropriate. WHOOOO HOOOO! That will make dressing so much easier, and honestly a school polo can be worn with khaki pants, slacks, skirts, or capri pants and still look pretty good.
So, without spending an extra dime, I have just added another comfortable shirt to my wardrobe. Right now I only have one polo shirt, and it is red. School colors are red, white, and blue, and polo shirts are made in all three colors. I won't get the white, as I just don't care for white tops. Now I just have to decide if I am going to order a polo shirt in blue or just ride out the rest of this school year and buy a shirt to start next year. We only have nine weeks to go!
Our district policy actually states that polo shirts are against every-day dress code for teachers as well. Apparently polo shirts are not dressy enough. On Friday, as I was leaving a meeting with our principal, I mentioned that it would be really nice to be able to wear our school polo shirts on a regular basis since we had to pay to get a shirt. I was quick to mention that I didn't want her to extend the number of days we could wear jeans, but to take advantage of our shirts that we purchased.
Oh.... sometimes it is SO worth it to stick your neck out and take a chance! My principal actually said she saw no reason why I couldn't wear a school polo EVERY day if I wanted to, as long as the bottom of my outfit was still appropriate. WHOOOO HOOOO! That will make dressing so much easier, and honestly a school polo can be worn with khaki pants, slacks, skirts, or capri pants and still look pretty good.
So, without spending an extra dime, I have just added another comfortable shirt to my wardrobe. Right now I only have one polo shirt, and it is red. School colors are red, white, and blue, and polo shirts are made in all three colors. I won't get the white, as I just don't care for white tops. Now I just have to decide if I am going to order a polo shirt in blue or just ride out the rest of this school year and buy a shirt to start next year. We only have nine weeks to go!
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
A Month, For Real?
Where does time go? Ug, life always gets so hectic right before a school break. This was a biggie, too. On top of getting report cards ready, gearing up to start Curriculum Committee commitments, and making decisions about the girls, I was also deciding what I want to do for next year. Yes, it is ALREADY contract-signing season. HOW are we 3/4 through the school year already? I am officially heading into the end of my third year of teaching. So, what has been going on this past month? The real question should be what HASN'T been happening.
So, let's start with the girls and school. Both girls were BEGGING to return to their old schools, and for many reasons that I won't get into now, it wasn't working to have them in school with me. So, we made a decision to have the girls return to their neighborhood schools. It may not be the ideal situation, but it is the one that works for us. And, the only thing I can say is that they will have an opportunity to build character in a different way than if they were at my school. Sometimes what looks like the perfect solution turns out to not be as beautiful as it seemed, and we just need to be honest enough to take a step backward.
On to commitments I've made for the rest of this school year and for next. I signed a contract to come back to my school district for next year, and I have a verbal agreement from my principal that I will be coming right back to my classroom, teaching 6th grade. I am thrilled with that decision, after finding out some very interesting information and having a heart-to-heart talk with my principal. I honestly wasn't sure I wanted to return to my campus, partly because the hour-long drive each way is starting to get to me. But, I see potential for doing some great things next school year where I am. Load me up with audio books!
Next year will be my fourth year teaching 6th grade. I have reached a milestone in some circles. I am no longer considered a new teacher. My own style is really starting to come out, and for many this is the year they decide whether they are going to stay in the teaching profession or not. I can definitely see how this third year is a marking point. The negative parts of teaching start to wear on someone, as the total excitement of being a new teacher is starting to wear off. After shaking off some bad attitude vibes earlier this year, I have renewed my passion for teaching. I will definitely make it to the next milestone- year five. Statistics say that 1/3 of all teachers leave the profession at the end of that year. Eeekk! I sure hope I didn't spend the money I did in student loans for only five years of service.
I am once again on the curriculum committee for my district. I have actually spent the entire spring break working, but that's because I wanted to be ahead and hopefully leave myself some time at the end of the project to relax and not stress about getting done on time. Typical me, in other words. Don't worry; I've also taken some time to relax and spend time with family and friends. I've had some GREAT meals at my mom and dad's house, and a couple of WONDERFUL evenings with Dan and Mira. I've gotten to spend time with the girls, just sitting around watching TV, and I even got to spend some time alone with Daniel on a couple days. All-in-all, spring break has been perfect. I am definitely charged up to get back into the classroom and finish this year strong.
Well, this has been my last month in a nutshell. I will really try not to be away for so long next time.
So, let's start with the girls and school. Both girls were BEGGING to return to their old schools, and for many reasons that I won't get into now, it wasn't working to have them in school with me. So, we made a decision to have the girls return to their neighborhood schools. It may not be the ideal situation, but it is the one that works for us. And, the only thing I can say is that they will have an opportunity to build character in a different way than if they were at my school. Sometimes what looks like the perfect solution turns out to not be as beautiful as it seemed, and we just need to be honest enough to take a step backward.
On to commitments I've made for the rest of this school year and for next. I signed a contract to come back to my school district for next year, and I have a verbal agreement from my principal that I will be coming right back to my classroom, teaching 6th grade. I am thrilled with that decision, after finding out some very interesting information and having a heart-to-heart talk with my principal. I honestly wasn't sure I wanted to return to my campus, partly because the hour-long drive each way is starting to get to me. But, I see potential for doing some great things next school year where I am. Load me up with audio books!
Next year will be my fourth year teaching 6th grade. I have reached a milestone in some circles. I am no longer considered a new teacher. My own style is really starting to come out, and for many this is the year they decide whether they are going to stay in the teaching profession or not. I can definitely see how this third year is a marking point. The negative parts of teaching start to wear on someone, as the total excitement of being a new teacher is starting to wear off. After shaking off some bad attitude vibes earlier this year, I have renewed my passion for teaching. I will definitely make it to the next milestone- year five. Statistics say that 1/3 of all teachers leave the profession at the end of that year. Eeekk! I sure hope I didn't spend the money I did in student loans for only five years of service.
I am once again on the curriculum committee for my district. I have actually spent the entire spring break working, but that's because I wanted to be ahead and hopefully leave myself some time at the end of the project to relax and not stress about getting done on time. Typical me, in other words. Don't worry; I've also taken some time to relax and spend time with family and friends. I've had some GREAT meals at my mom and dad's house, and a couple of WONDERFUL evenings with Dan and Mira. I've gotten to spend time with the girls, just sitting around watching TV, and I even got to spend some time alone with Daniel on a couple days. All-in-all, spring break has been perfect. I am definitely charged up to get back into the classroom and finish this year strong.
Well, this has been my last month in a nutshell. I will really try not to be away for so long next time.
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