I hope everyone's been doing well! Hopefully, you haven't felt exhausted like I have, especially at the beginning of the week. It seemed to be energy related because Corliss expressed how she'd been feeling it, too, and how she would wake up from a nap and want to go back to sleep. Not only that, but hyperactive Tsuki had been sleeping a lot more, and Corliss's nieces and nephews had been going to sleep early, which they never do. Maybe it was related to this week's new moon. If you'd like to learn more about the recent new moon in Aries, I included some videos down below:
I almost fell back asleep Monday morning because I was so cozy (and probably because I wasn't used to getting up at 5 am). From what I could remember I was walking around neighborhoods in my dream. As I walked down a street, I stumbled across one of my former art education classmates, Sarah. It didn't seem like she recognized me, but we chatted for a bit outside of her new home. I think we made plans to hang out later. I did more walking. The specifics got hazy. There was also another part of my dream involving characters from The Proud Family, although this part of my dream was super fuzzy when I woke up, leaving me with no clear details about it. I woke up peaceful, though, so whatever happened was drama-free.
I woke up extra cozy, warm, and sleepy on Tuesday morning; I almost fell back asleep--the exhaustion was real. From what I could remember from my dream I was at a store (seemed to be Target) with some of my family. At one point I think I was in the book/movie aisles. I kept finding change on the floor, and it was adding up super quickly. Every time I turned around, I was finding more and more money. Usually it was pennies or nickels, but I found quite a few quarters, too. I even found some dollar and half dollar coins. There was also a super rare coin made out of silver that I found; I think it dated to like 1945, but it was extra special because it was supposed to be this dollar coin that Chuck E. Cheese made; since there were so few in existence, I knew that it would be worth quite a lot. My mom told me that it would probably be worth like $11 for the silver, but I knew it should be more since it was basically a one-of-a-kind coin. I ended up finding these store credit/coupon slips, too. I even found some clearance super-find gifts. That's all I could remember upon waking up.
It wasn't particularly easy getting out of bed Wednesday morning; I was so cozy and comfortable that I almost fell back asleep. From what I could remember my dream was all over the place. There was a part of the dream where I was at school (seemed to be high school). I was in a class, and it seemed like one of my classmates didn't want to be there. Something was going on to the point where I could/was supposed to come in during another class period (maybe to help someone out?). I think there was some kind of special event taking place, but the details were fuzzy. There was another part of the dream where I was at the park with April and Iris .It seemed like we were getting ready to camp there for the night because we were setting up a tent. I think we hung out in the tent for a while; when we exited the tent, it was night, and there was some kind of cosmic light show streaking across the sky like a meteor shower. It was pretty epic. More definitely happened, but that's all I could remember upon waking up.
I woke up on Thursday morning extra comfy and cozy, and I almost fell back asleep; it wasn't easy getting up. My dream recall was rather hazy. What I could remember involved hanging out with Corliss, April, and Iris. We might have been traveling. I think there was some kind of challenge/puzzle/quest involved. We were at some house at one point (kind of seemed like my grandpa's), and someone came looking for us. They seemed like they wanted to give us a job. Corliss was looking for a pair of shoes (pretty sure they were high heels). I think we were going to go out on an adventure. I think April's mom showed up at one point, too. That's all I could remember when I woke up.
My alarm didn't go off on Friday morning, so I woke up 40 minutes late, cutting it a bit close to being late for before care. My dream recall was completely hazy, which caused me to have no idea about what transpired in my dream state. When I woke up on Saturday morning, my dream recall was fuzzy again, but I did remember bits and pieces. There was something about meeting a new family for babysitting and undergoing something akin to the interviewing process. The parents mentioned getting into deep discussions with the kid about music, i.e. if you were listening to something in the car while driving him, explaining why you listen to it and the music's deeper meaning. There was also something else about my brother having a brown dog and him getting ready to fight some other dog that was giving his dog grief. Not really sure. I knew a lot more happened, but that's all I could remember upon waking up.
I woke up pretty cozy this morning. From what I could recall from my dream, there was something about being on a trip. My sister was testing out this bright blue car and might have had something she had to do for school. There was another part where I was helping out at this artsy shop. I seemed to be a new hire. It seemed to be a creative studio where kids/people could create art and embark in creative endeavors. The place was pretty packed, and there might have been a field trip group there. I remember talking to one of the tables of kids when a manager/boss told me to go help a customer. It turned out to be the music teacher from the preschool I used to work at; she came in wanting to buy a few balloons for her new baby. As I tried to figure out how to work the balloons/helium tank, she ended up changing her mind. When I brought the balloons over to her, she told me someone else convinced her to get something else. I wasn't really sure whet to do with the balloons and decided to try giving them to a kid. A coworker told me to take something from a kid because apparently they had snuck into a back closet. The kid had taken out a bunch of stuff to play dress up with, and later my boss told me that the back closet was to store things to make our lives easier (i.e. items that ended up causing more chaos/hassle than they were worth). They didn't seem to lock said closet, though. That's all I could remember upon waking up this morning.
While the kiddos in before care weren't excited to wake up early for school, they were excited to be back. The sisters showed off their brand new shoes they got over break; the older sister had these gorgeous tie dye shoes while the younger sister had this vibrant, hot pink shoes. My art buddy had fun creating stories, too. She came up to me, telling me all about her break and how she went to the new, local cat café and the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate factory. She told me that the factory was named "Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate" because the founder had three kids; she joked that all the kids were named Chocolate and decided that there had to be nicknames to distinguish them all after I pointed out how confusing it would be if all three were named "Chocolate." She decided one would go by the name "Chocolate" and another would go by "Marshmallow." When she struggled coming up with a third name, I rattled off the first thing that came to mind jokingly: Armadillo. She burst out laughing, insisting that it couldn't be Armadillo. I pointed out that they would never get confused and mistake Armadillo for the others, but she decided that the last would be "Graham Cracker" so they could make s'mores (lol). She then told me that there was a factory that made nothing but armadillos before deciding that they were all zombie armadillos that would take over the world. She informed me that she was a chicken, the only chicken in the entire universe that is known as Mega Ultra Chicken. I was apparently, a cat, but according to her cats turn into witches, thus, I was a witch. She wanted me to transform others into animals but then declared that she was the real witch all along and that I was now the Mega Ultra Chicken. She grabbed my hand and guided me to her "witch's cave," informing me that I had to stay so the bats could suck on my blood. I didn't particular feel like being feasted upon, so I left; this irritated her, so she turned me into dust, informing me that I was a magic dust that would turn everyone into zombies/zombie armadillos. Eventually, she decided I could be a chicken again before turning herself into a chicken-eating tiger and proceeded to pretend eat me. It was a lively first day back.
The sisters were raving about the doughnuts they had for breakfast on Tuesday, although the younger sister had been irritated that Dunkin gave her a strawberry frosting with sprinkles doughnut instead of the glaze she asked for; luckily for her, her older sister was willing to trade with her, so everyone was happy. The older sister proceeded to instruct everyone in the ways of karate and held a "class." It was pretty interesting to watch, and she was quite serious about it. As more kids showed up, they started doing other things, and the younger sister paired up with one of her friends, concocting a scheme to get rich. They decided they would go to the swings and soar up so high they would hit an airplane. The air plane would then take them to an island--apparently, California is now an island because that's the "island" they decided they were going to. They planned on going to Hollywood after California (they didn't realize that Hollywood happens to be in California). Recognizing they would need money, they decided that they would create their own, insisting I draw 100 and 200 dollar bills for them, which they would cut out. Realizing that shops probably wouldn't accept their "money," they devised a plot to distract a staff member so they could switch out their money with real money at the cash register. Once they have the real money, they decided they would then go on a shopping spree, getting new shoes, clothes, and bags, before hitting up a chocolate store. One of the other girls overheard their scheming, rummaged around in her backpack, and pulled out some raffle tickets; handing the tickets over, she remarked, "Here, have these tickets; this way you can save money on plane tickets!" The girls were overjoyed and ended up snatching a large handful of tickets so they could "board" the plane. They grabbed a container and started packing for their trip, eager to go out onto the playground. My art buddy was worried, insisting we should call the girls' parents so they wouldn't get away with stealing and leaving school for another state. Once we were out on the playground, the girls made a mad dash for the swing set, and my art buddy insisted on keeping close watch on them to ensure they didn't commit any crimes or break rules. Once she realized that they actually couldn't fly off the swings onto a plane, she relaxed and started reading me the new book she got for her birthday about a sparkly unicorn and a yeti. Kids definitely keep things interesting.
The kids in before care started a new project this week; they want to make a new Pokémon book featuring the different energy types in the card game. It was obvious they had lots of fun with it, and they got so excited as they added new entries to the book. They were so excited to complete the book, adding a cover and thank-you/dedication page. They even went so far as to create a sign about how they made their book. They also were practically begging me to be their art teacher this week; when I pointed out that their school already had an art teacher, they shrugged it off and insisted that I knew so much more than their art teacher. In their minds I was infinitely better, so I should just be their art teacher. One of the girls was telling me how she thinks differently and how it takes her awhile to do certain math problems because her brain is wired differently. The kids ended up creating a girlfriend out of blue poster board for my coworker; they said she was a princess and then decided to kidnap her and hold her hostage. One of the girls decided that she was Bowser and had a handful of kids act as her minions; they chained the princess up to a chair with a jump rope and threatened to toss her into shark-infested waters. Considering they later tossed her into a puddle, I imagine that was their version of shark-infested waters and having her swim with the fishes. There's never a dull moment with these kids.
The boys were miffed at all the rain this week, the older brother especially (he sometimes acts like the rain comes specifically to spite him). They enjoyed discussing Disney, theme parks, movies, and anime. They were eager for an update on YashaHime's story, wondering if there will be a season 3. I informed them that season 3 hasn't been confirmed, so it might have been the final episode of the anime. They were hoping for some more comedy, like the original InuYasha, laughing about the former series' funny moments. Somehow we got to talking about ice cream, and they mentioned some of their favorite things to get from ice cream trucks (I wouldn't know anything about it, as I was never allowed to partake in ice cream trucks as a kid, and they rarely come by my home anymore). They loved this Spiderman ice cream bar and commented on how there was also Spongebob and Sonic bars; they realized that all of the ice cream bar characters started with 'S' and speculated on what other characters might show up, like Shrek and Shippo.
Tsuki was adorable, as per usual, and getting into her nutty antics. She got rather miffed this week because remodelers came to work on one of the bathrooms; since she gets into everything and is an escape artist, we had to confine her to one room (she hates being restricted to one room and being alone). I'd stay in with her while I was home, but she still didn't enjoy it all that much, especially when they were making lots of noise. She ended up perching herself up on the desk, feeling safer being up high. Tsuki enjoyed snuggling up when the cold front blew in; the cold felt intense, especially with all the rain. She tried to climb me, tried hunting for bugs, and rolled around with her toys, wrestling them. Tsuki also enjoyed playing with a reusable bag. She's such a nutty kitty.
Artwork for the week included more Perler star constellations. I also ended up making a card for my aunt's baby shower and started decorating the tiles in my parents' kitchen since they will be remodeling it soon.
I did some more writing, reading, and anime watching this week. I wrote a new story, California Heist, based off a plan a pair of girls in before care concocted to escape to California and get a bunch of money. These kiddos definitely keep my mornings interesting. They were so determined to use the swings to secure their freedom; they kept insisting we go outside all week, even in the rain, so they could use them to reach planes. Feel free to read it and share your thoughts! I'm also open to suggestions and recommendations for future stories! I have other pieces in the works, so stay tuned for more stories Fanfic for the week included: My Baby Girl, I Can't, I Can Make You Smile, Sesshomaru: A Feudal Fluffytale, Dog Ears, Babysitters Nightmare!, and My Funny Valentine. I watched Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles this week. It was pretty interesting; it delved into spirit arts, reincarnation, magic, etc. I'm eager to see how they continue the story is season 2. I had thought that Haruto's/Rio's spirit was the incarnation of his childhood friend, but with how season 1 concluded, I'm not so sure any more. I also watched Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It. The premise is quite intriguing, and I adore the characters--they're so quirky and unique. They approach things quite differently than I would, but I love the show. I'm eager to see how they continue the story. I also watched some of The Proud Family this week; Corliss says that the sequel series is pretty good, so I wanted a bit of a refresher before I checked out the new episodes.
I hope everyone has a wonderful April; it feels like this month is going to be big. Please, be gentle with yourself, allowing yourself time to rest, relax, and savor life. Each of us has something incredible to offer the world, so allow yourself to shine. Follow your passion, listen to your heart, and embrace your joy. I can't wait to see all the gifts everyone has to offer; the future shall be bright. Even if shadows arise, it's in the dark that we shine the brightest. You don't need to give in to fear; breathe, relax, and allow the storm to pass. No matter what conflicts arise, they will be resolved. I wish you the best; stay blessed with love and light, everyone~
Food for thought from Ralph Smart on Infinite Waters:
Food for thought for the week: