School, Work, Repeat

The following week I started my three-day training at Target and then was put on the schedule five days a week. My availability was from 6:00 pm to close, so I could substitute teach during the day. For the rest of October, I was headed to St. Paul Conservatory, Achieve Language Academy, or Hope Community Academy. I was struggling with not knowing if I would be teaching, where, and for what grade. It quickly became just wondering where and for what grade because I was getting substitute jobs every day.

I also experienced two other schools the last week of October. One was called New Spirit and it was only five minutes from our place. It was a middle school. It was alright. The other school was Hmong Academy which is right off of Snelling Avenue close to the Minnesota State Fair grounds and two minutes from our place. I had to go through a metal detector there. That gave me a funny feeling! It made me realize I definitely wasn’t in Newburg anymore! I did have a nice first-day experience at that school!

I was getting home from school anywhere between 3:30 and 5:00, depending on the school I was at. I would come home and usually find Lawyerboy in the guest room/office studying. I would usually make him an afternoon cappuccino. Then, I would watch “Live with Regis and Kelly”. After that, I would make us supper. Now, I was short on time since I needed to change into “red and khaki” and leave for Target around 5:40 to make it there before I started work at 6:00. So, I didn’t get to always make Lawyerboy a drink and we were eating at 5:00 or shortly after. Before, we would eat between 6:00 and 7:00. The time we had together was quick. We weren’t used to that. Lawyerboy’s and my life were school, work, repeat. He went to school to learn and came home to work on his school work. I went to a school to teach and then to Target to work.

There was allows a little highlight while at school and Target. At school, I would write a letter to the teacher  I was subbing for about the students and my day during prep hour and finish it at the end of the day before I left. But, during my 30 minute lunch, I would eat my turkey sandwich, crackers, and fruit while I read the current book I was reading. It was a great pick me up! I love to read and always carry a book in my purse! Both my parents enjoy reading. I remember my mom saying once that she rarely read to us as kids and that now a days that would be considered “bad parenting”. She did something equally as good in my eyes. My siblings and I saw her read. While she was waiting for the cookies or supper to come out of the oven, she’d stand in front of the oven and read. She almost always carried a book with her. My dad was a farmer and when she was hauling grain during harvest time, she would read in the truck while we sat with her and waited for him to fill the grain truck. We would sometimes bring books, too! We always saw my dad read, too. He usually only had time for the newspaper when we were younger. He read it daily though. At Target, when I worked five-hour shifts, I had a 15 minute break. I would bring my book and read in the corner. That time always went so fast!

I am not one to read and eat. When I eat, I like to really enjoy every bite of my food, so it gets all my attention! Once in a while though, it is nice to have a little snack for after reading. My favorite quick snack and the best treat to have at a party in my opinion, is Puppy Chow! I don’t make it very often because I can eat it all in no time flat! I ate so much at a party one time, that the next morning when I went to run, I sweated like I had never sweated before. I think the powdered sugar was seeping out of my skin!

Puppy Chow is easy. There are lots of different ways to make it out there. Many people use one of the many options of Chex cereal available. I like the flavor of Crispix cereal best for Puppy Chow. Here is how I do it:

Puppy Chow

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes – Makes: A large bowl for many, unless I am there!

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup milk chocolate chips

8 cups Crispix

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Measure out 8 cups of Crispix cereal and set aside. Put the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a large glass bowl. Microwave for 66 seconds. Stir them together with a spatula. Dump in half of the cereal and gently stir to coat the cereal. Then add the rest of the cereal and stir until all pieces are coated. Then add the powdered sugar. I start with 1 1/2 cups so it doesn’t get everywhere! Then I add the last cup of powdered sugar and mix gently. I transfer it into a Tupperware bowl and cover it with a lid. The key is to put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. It is addictive. Enjoy!