Lots of things are happening around here. To start, these adorable mug rugs (featuring Laurie Wisbrun’s Perfectly Perched) are now available in my Etsy shop.

In writing news, I’m also a new contributor with Felicity Huffman’s mommy site What The Flicka?! My first piece went up a few days ago, it’s very exciting stuff.

And then my last announcement is kind of a big one.

I decided to apply for a two-day a week elementary school library position at one of the small shore towns in the area. I interviewed this past Wednesday, and I got the job! I’ve accepted the position, so I will be going back to teaching, part-time, in September.

I really didn’t know if I would ever consider going back to teaching, but I miss working with kids. A lot. I’ve got this Masters that I worked so hard on, and it’s just been getting dusty for a year. Occasionally I check in on library job boards to see what’s out there, in all kinds of libraries, and I saw this posting.

It’s a very, very small school and library, but I’ve got a lot of ideas. And part-time is perfect; I will still be writing, sewing, and being hands-on mommy to the toddler.

I think it’ll be a really positive move, and it will help jumpstart my brain to be a better writer and maker. That sounds strange, that a job which takes two whole days of the week might actually help my creativity in other work. But my brain needs some exercise. I love the work-at-home lifestyle, but the motivation for the work itself has gotten harder the longer I’m away from more structured jobs. You may have noticed that I don’t blog as much as I did when working full-time. I don’t do anything as much as I did when I was working. I miss my outfits, I miss being a professional, I miss leaving the house. This job will be a real challenge: small budget, small student population, and a lot of updating, marketing, and PR needed. I’m already thinking about how to tszuj it up and get those kids reading. Being creative as a teacher spurs me on to creativity everywhere else.

And the past few days? I’ve dusted off my sewing machine for the first time in weeks, and I’ve been writing. I haven’t even started the teaching job yet, but thinking about how to approach it is already limbering up my brain for everything else.

This is really, really great stuff. I’ve been happy dancing for days.