Jackson turns 4

My nephew has his 4th birthday party this weekend.  I cannot believe he is 4 already!!!

Playing with Kitty

One of her favorite things to do!

Jason turns 36

Happy birthday, Jason!

Cross stitch

It feels like I've gotten a lot finished...

 

 until I see how much more I still need to go:

 Will I get it finished before school starts?  Who knows! 

Bike riding

Flowers from my gardens

I need to adjust some flowers in my gardens, since it seems one or two colors always bloom at the same time. I need more color!

Painting

Summer!

Today the kids and I began our summer vacation! This is the earliest in the year I can remember the kids getting out of school. We are out so early because snow days were built into the school calendar, and we never had to use them (since we had essentially no winter this year). It feels so strange to hand in my keys and make plans to NOT work for 2 months. When I was making plans to go back to school, I thought having the same schedule as my kids and having a 2 month break in the summer was the best thing about being a teacher. Don't get me wrong, I still think it is pretty fabulous, but now I realize how essential this 2 month break is. Maybe my year was harder than the average school year, but even so, I could see teachers around me (veteran teachers) become overwhelmed at all they were asked to do. This 2 months to refresh and reset our minds will make us better teachers next year. I couldn't imagine losing this summer break. What must year round school be like?? Anyway, I was more than ready to put this year behind me. It was hard. Much harder than I thought it would be. I am proud of myself in a lot of ways for how I did. I made mistakes, but I learned so much. Lessons I learned this year will make me better in the future. But I also feel bad that I will not miss most of my students. I will think fondly of them, and will be interested in learning how they are doing in life if I see them in the halls of the middle school or in Walmart, but I will not wish them to be in my class again. It was time for them to move on, and I wish them well in their lives. So, we have big plans for the summer! This will be the first summer break in a while that I actually have a paycheck to use on recreation. In my head I have a schedule of things the kids and I will do to keep ourselves busy, but as always, a lot of it will be just being around the house, getting things done that I dream of doing when I'm really busy during the school year and working outside to make things prettier. But it will be relaxing and refreshing, which I desperately need.

A 2-working parent-home. Yep. That's us!

I am developing a new respect for my friends and family who have always worked and raised their families. It is hard. I'm finding out that it is difficult to split my time between my family and my work. I am bound to do less well on one or the other, but that is the life a working mom, it seems. That sounds a little depressing to write it out here, but it feels like the truth right now. I am not able to spend as much time on my kids as I once did, and I don't have the energy or patience to mediate or teach my own kids like I once did. I'm hoping that over time things will balance more, but at the same time I'm realizing that balance won't come until I focus on that. So, although I hesitate to make resolutions, I did this year. One of my "resolutions" was to spend less time on work things and more time with my family. I only allow myself to work late 1 (sometimes 2) days each week, and I cannot bring work home with me unless there is some "emergency" where something just has to be done, and there is no way I can juggle time to get it finished in time. I also still do my regular Sunday lesson planning, since I have not figured out where the time for that will come during regular work hours. At some point, I hope to get that done at school too, so I won't have to bring that home either. Teaching is what I am meant to do; these last 6 months have confirmed that for me. I went back to school for my degree because I really felt God wanted me to work with children and show them that there are people in the world who will love them. Although it took a long time, that purpose has not changed. I am really working on my brain to remember what is important: My family. God's will for me. Then all the other stuff. I guess things have been overwhelming for a little too long, and I am nearing desperation to be free of the burdens. It's time for me to find a new way. So that's what I'm working on: the new way to live my life!

Kindle Fire

Today I got a new tech. toy! I have been thinking about getting one for a while and finally decided to go ahead and do it after Christmas. So far (after about an hour playing with it) I am really happy with it! I can do Internet stuff as well as using it as an Ereader. I'm pretty excited to have a few minutes before bedtime to wind down. Since I began working, trips to the library have all but stopped,so having access to reading material will be good. We'll see how this works, but I think it will be pretty great!

Trimming the tree

We followed tradition and put the tree up Saturday. I pushed for white lights this year, and with a 3 to 1 vote, we got the white lights! Kathryn was disappointed, but once she saw the finished tree, she did agree it looks very nice. Now the Christmas fun can begin! 11 1/2 days until the kids and I are out of school. It can't come fast enough.

Fink Thanksgiving

The kids building a fort out of leaves. They were entertained for hours! We had to stop them at dark to clean up (by flashlight).

 

My class

New fan

Yay Jason!!!

Kathryn's Bedroom renovation

Kathryn's Birthday weekend

Poor Kitty

Kitty disappeared for about 2 days, and when he came back, it looked like something had gotten his head in its mouth. His injuries have healed, but it's scary now when he doesn't come right away when we call. We have come to really like having him around, so I hope he keeps himself safe!

My birthday - 34!!!

1st Day of School 2011

Me, the 5th Grade Teacher!

By God's grace, I have been offered a teaching position at a school in the town in which I live.  This is the same school I was in for my student teaching, and the only school I interviewed with.  After my interview, I was called and told they were going with someone with more experience for this position.  I was extremely disappointed.  Then, to my incredible surprise, I was called a week later and offered the same position I had been rejected for the previous week. I have no idea what happened; I don't really care.  I am just so thankful that I was their 2nd (or 3rd or 4th, who knows) choice.  I don't think that's too bad considering all of the people who applied and interviewed for this job.  I have been blessed!

I have been doing some online shopping, seeing what things I need, and ordering some of it (what I can afford right now).  Today, I finally went to see my classroom and speak with my principal for a few minutes.  I got all of my teaching manuals and now have a better idea of what I need to do to get ready.  I will not be teaching whole group math, but will be teaching language arts.  My classroom is a blank slate at this point.  It has not been cleaned yet from the end of last school year, but I assume that will be done sometime soon.  If not, I am not too good to get in there and clean!    This classroom is where I taught science during my student teaching.  It has its own air conditioner, meaning I can control the temperature to some extent, and it has one whole wall of windows, and an exterior door, so I would be able to get into my classroom at any time of the day without having to use the front door.  Storage may be a problem, but I asked the maintenance man if there were any bookcases available, and he said he would check for me.  If not, I guess that's one more thing I will need to buy.  I am just so happy, I will buy whatever I need to to make it  mine.

Now the class has tables, but I asked the maintenance man for desks and chairs instead, so they should be there soon as well.  He said he was waiting to see what I wanted before he did anything in my class, so now that he knows, he will start working in there.  SO exciting. Now it's time to use my imagination to decide what will go where.  Lots to be done!

It's good to get back to what I love...

It's also weird to be unemployed and not working toward a goal (i.e. graduation). In the 4+ years I was in college, I had forgotten what I used to do in my free time, since my free time disappeared little by little. I am slowly remembering. I have begun gardening a bit, clearing the yards of weeds, and also coming in contact with poison plants (ivy, oak, sumac - who knows?!) more often than I would like. I have had poison something 3 times since May, requiring prednisone treatment twice. I have read several books, and I completed one fairly complicated cross stitch pattern. Not to mention the time I have gotten to spend with my children!

As much as I have enjoyed all of these things, I am ready for a new goal. I am waiting to hear from an interview I had last week, either for a 3rd grade or 5th grade teaching position. Outside of those possibilities, I'm not sure what other options I have, and I fear it may come to taking a job outside of teaching in order to pay the bills. I hope it doesn't come to that. Statistically, it's less likely I'll go back to teaching if that happens, so I'm hesitant to let my mind go there at this point. I am praying for the 5th grade position, but now I am mostly practicing patience!

Here are some of the lovely things growing in my yard, and my little garden spot where I am attempting to grow green beans and tomatoes (my first time with veggies).