It will be my first full year teaching while being a mother, let alone a mother of two.
It will be my first full year teaching middle school.
It will be my first full year teaching in the state of Illinois (very different than Florida)!
It will be my first full year juggling and maintaining a home with a spouse who travels.
This is something I've grown accustomed to, but when you live in a household where the parents share the parenting "duties", it really is taxing when he's not here. I have to cook, clean, bathe, read, wake in the night, etc., etc., etc.. I know that there are plenty of single parents who do this every single day (and I don't know how they do it, honestly), but when this isn't part of your day to day routine, it's sometimes a challenge to shift gears.
It is no secret that I am incredibly unorganized! I have the best of intentions, and the best organizational tools, really, but I can't keep track of my electric bill half of the time. This year I am choosing to be more organized. I am choosing to live a healthier life, for my children and husband, as well as for myself. I am choosing to spend the best quality of time with my family as possible. It isn't about doing everything these days, it's about doing the things that matter most. And what matters most to me is my family. I'm making lists, and sticking to them. It's remarkable how much I can get done if I stick to a list. Today alone I (in no particular order)
- tried to get a pedicure (closed on Mondays)
- washed, cut, and prepped fruits and vegetables for the next few weeks (I have found that if I take the time to do this dinner prep is so much easier and I don't throw away a ton of food)
- took Sophia to a doctor's appointment (where she screamed the entire appointment, so loudly, that the doctor only put his hand around the door to give me the note for her school, asking them to allow diet modifications)
- made two batches of granola
- exchanged/returned clothes at two different stores
- took my children with me to Home Depot and Carter's (if this was the only thing I did today, that in itself would have been an accomplishment)
- went to another store to buy Lactose free milk for Sophia (I was on the hunt for the cheapest, and I found it: WalMart $2.83/half gallon)
- cleaned out both of the girls' humidifiers (super easy method on Pinterest)
- responded to two friends about "baby questions" (Mothers, don't ever give unsolicited advice...don't ever give advice, period. But you can always answer a friend's question with "This is what worked for me...") (Note to self: always try to heed your own advice...)
- bought myself two new bras (this is a much overdue accomplishment, you have NO IDEA!)
- looked up materials for my Mastery Outcome Assessments
- made trail mix
- planned out dinners for the week
- looked up a recipe for making my own Lactose Free yogurt in the crock pot (this was prompted by a remarkably inspiring mother I know) Crock Pot Yogurt HERE
- had both girls in bed, one asleep, by 8:00
Although I find that I am chronically tired, I find that at the end of the day, I sit down with dinner, a glass of wine or a beer, and say, "I did it." It's hard. Yeah, it's still hard. And some days I don't feel like I'm measuring up or doing enough. But on a day like today (on most days, really), when the only thing I didn't cross of my list was "mail ______ to ________", it's a good day. I don't beat myself up over the one (or three or ten) things that didn't get done. Tomorrow is another day. It's my last day to get myself organized and ready for the new year. But if it doesn't all get finished tomorrow, that'll be okay, too. My house is still standing. My children are laughing. And I have a wonderful husband who loves me, and who I happen to absolutely adore. Life is good. Crazy, hectic, and blissfully good.
So tomorrow's list starts...
- put away all my clothes
- lay out my clothes for the rest of the week
- set up the girls' clothes for next season/size
- prep dinner for Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday
- get a pedicure!!!!
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