The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news, post a recap for the week before, showcase books and things we have received, etc.

We had a nice quiet Christmas.  I woke my son up a little after midnight to open presents.  I know that sounds cruel, but it’s just the two of us and it works for us.  My son made out like a bandit.  Apparently when I made my list of gift ideas for my Educational Department, they got everything I listed.  This led to him getting a huge stack of comics and books.  We joined some family friends for dinner and movie later on that day.  We went and saw the new Star Wars movie.  It was okay.  I’ve always been more of a Star Trek fan, but I liked it well enough.  It was really long though.  Afterwards we went to our favorite buffet and I got to enjoy sushi and hibachi.  I know a lot of people look down on going out to eat for Christmas, but it’s just my son and I and we didn’t have anywhere else to go.  My friends have an in-home daycare, so Christmas is one of the few opportunities they have to actually go out to eat with their family.

The rest of the week has gone by well enough.  I was able to pick up a few groups to work, which isn’t a lot, but it’s enough to pay one bill this upcoming month.  One of our groups was a pajama party for some of our early childhood kids and it was a blast.  I got to sport my new panda pajamas that I received from my aunt and we had a blast decorating cookies and making crafts. Our other groups were a movie group, in which we got to watch The Wizard of Oz, and an arts and crafts group.  I really enjoy doing groups and since I have more free time this next semester, I hope I get to work more of them.

I’m still fighting off my sinus infection.  I have one really good day and then it’s followed by 2-3 days of feeling as if I can barely move, stay awake, or focus.  Fortunately, it allowed me the opportunity to catch up on some reading.  I got so far ahead that I’m actually struggling to write reviews for books I’ve already finished.  On Friday, one of my better days, my son and I managed to hit up a Zumba class, go out for lunch, shop for new books and games, and then meet up with my personal trainer.  Perhaps I overdid it, because I found myself struggling to get out of bed yesterday.  Hopefully, I will get over this darn infection soon enough.

Schools reopen on Tuesday, so hopefully that means I will have some substitute positions to fill.  I am starting my part-time position at one of the schools on Thursday.  I still haven’t heard back about the position I interviewed for.  I’m going to assume I didn’t get the position and will begin looking for a more stable, reliable job during the next week.  While I do okay with subbing, I hate bouncing around from building to building.  I like consistency and I wish I could find a position in a single school without having to be a core sub.  Worst case scenario, I’ll apply at pizza delivery places.  Then I could work on my graduate project during the day and work part-time in the evening.  We’ll see.  I just despise feeling so lost after my student teaching.  I think it’s cruel to force people to pay to work a full time job and not give them at least a stipend for it.  If they ever wonder why most people from the lower pay scales don’t opt to become teachers, it’s because it is a financial burden. Anywho, I have always made it work and I don’t mind working hard to keep a roof over my head.

I’ve already begun to think about my reading goals for next year and I realize that my next semester might prove to be my most difficult.  So my goal is 52 books.  That’s one book a week and I know things like my Walking Dead comics or rereads will easily help me meet that goal, even if I have to skip a few weeks of reading.  My goal in general is to try to relax as much as I can this semester.  I’ve worked hard and I think that if I figure things out work-wise, I should be able to finally find a nice work-school-home balance.  This is something my son and I desperately need and I hope I can finally figure it out.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to seeing what the new year brings you!

All book covers are linked to my personal review of the book or it’s Goodreads or Amazon page.

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What Are You Reading Wednesday #59: Ghost of a Chance

To Be Read Thursdays #42: Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries

Review: The Haunted Heist by Angie Fox

I’m a bit behind on reviews, so here’s the ones that will be coming out soon:

Here’s my (general) upcoming TBR list in no particular order:

I haven’t been borrowing books from the library lately.  Too often the books would just sit on the shelves for a long time and I’d never get around to them.  Hopefully I’ll be able to get back into the habit after I get more into the routine of things.

I promised I would take it slow as I come back to reading and reviewing.  I’m worried that I will become overloaded and last year, I just suddenly stopped.  I will be using this break to catch up on old Netgalley ARCs that I never got to.  I am also not accepting new Author requested reviews until I get through these books.  It wouldn’t be right for me to accept new requests when I still haven’t finished my reviews of other books that I requested to read and review.

It’s been a good week off from school and work.  My son was fortunate enough to procure a ton of new reads for Christmas.  Some from me, some from others.  One thing he did receive was a gift card to Books-A-Million.  I actually found myself eager as we went to the store yesterday.  Walking through the aisles as he looked through all of the books, reminded me of my childhood… Read more here

• It’s Negan! by Robert Kirkman
• Coco: A Story About Music, Shoes, and Family by Diana Lopez