Aaaaaahhhh....

Why does a little picking up make a world of difference? I can see the floor in the boys' & girls' rooms, and in the living room. It is a wonderful thing. The kitchen & bathroom floors are another matter, but I won't focus on that right now. I'm basking in my accomplishments, small as they may be.

The past several weeks have been busy. Well...that's an understatement, but I'm trying to be positive here. There have been wonderful moments...and some tears too. In many ways I love where I'm at...working...teaching. I have fallen in love with these kids, with their unique needs, and funny quirks. I love teaching them & seeing the excitement when they learn something new. It is very fulfilling. Today I told a little boy, "You are so creative." His quick response was, "Like God?" ;)

In other ways, this journey has not been what I expected. There have been "promises" broken and expectations unmet, but it has been a learning process despite the disappointments. I was not prepared for the toll it would take on our family. I knew it would be an adjustment, but nothing prepared me for this. Some nights I feel like...I'm not just out of gas; I'm pushing a semi-truck up a hill...a very big hill. And I wonder where I will find the strength for tomorrow.

Tomorrow always comes, and thank goodness it is a new day! I have been blessed with a new friend - a fellow teacher who has taken me "under her wing", answered countless questions, and provided needed encouragement and wisdom. And I'm thankful for "old" ones too, though they aren't old by any means. :) We went camping with friends this past weekend, and despite being a lot of work & having little sleep, my soul was filled to the brim...and overflowing.

In just another day, I will turn the calendar over & see a beginning and an end...an end to this journey of teaching nine Kindergarteners. I know it will go by fast, despite the crazy days, and I want to make the most of it...not just at work, but at home too. I also know it will be hard to say "good bye". Maybe not at first, but I'll miss it...eventually. :) And I'm praying about the "What next?" and trusting God to show me.

A link

Today I'm just going to link you to my cousin's blog. I love what she wrote. Though our circumstances may be very different, we can all relate to feeling overwhelmed & needing to refocus on what is important, and on who God is.

Thanks, Beth, for always sharing from your heart.

The funnies

This year, the 3rd-6th graders have been receiving the paper at school. Grace is cute about making sure Phil gets her paper, "'Cause I know how you like to read the paper, Daddy." I love getting the paper for two reasons. Sudoku and the comics. The comics make me laugh, and (as oddly as it may sound) Sudoku is a stress-reliever. As it's been a while since I wrote about life in general, I thought I'd be corny, or cheesy, or whatever :) and compose a family newspaper, complete with the comics. Enjoy!

School Year Is Underway

School seems to be our life these days. We leave around 7:15am & get home around 5pm most nights, so it is a long day for everyone. The kids are enjoying school (for the most part) and love their teachers. As parents, it's exciting to watch our children excel because of their desire to please their teachers. Abbie memorized 1 Cor. 13 after her teacher challenged the class. Grace has read above her reading goal (which isn't due until October & is a huge deal for my girl who "doesn't like" reading!). Noah is working hard on his reading & we're amazed that he can read stories already. Daniel loves his teacher & everything about Preschool. And he doesn't mind being the only boy in the afternoon with six girls! Phil has been a big help on the mornings I can't "rally the troops" & even though the dishwasher doesn't get loaded the "right" way (Right, Mom? :) I'm not rearranging it, I promise!), I'm thankful he is doing his part to help out.

Mysterious Stomach Pains Are Slowing Subsiding

Abbie has been suffering from stomach and intestinal cramping for the past 3 weeks. She claims it has nothing to do with Math. :) It got bad enough that we took her to the ER to be sure she didn't have appendicitis. After blood work and other tests, the results were negative. A visit to the Doctor's office last week & more tests confirmed that she didn't have an intestinal parasite. She is slowly getting back to her old self & her pain & cramping are decreasing each day, for which we are very thankful.

Motorcycle Moves On Down the Road

After several garage sales, unsuccessful sales attempts, & a final farewell ride up & down the road, Phil loaded up his motorcycle at the crack of dawn Saturday morning. He & Jim drove down to Clorita to an auction & he finally sold his high school pride & joy. Abbie is glad she has one less obstical in the backyard to mow around.

Funnies

One night Daniel asked, "Are we having library tomorrow?" I told him I didn't know. To which he replied, "But Mom...teachers know everything!!"

Daniel asked Phil, "Dad what is bear day?" "Bear day?" Phil scrambles for an explanation, "Um, is bear day on Friday?" "No! Bear day means a green crayon." Understanding. "Oh! You mean verde?" "No, Dad. Bear day."

We were trying to get information out of Noah about his reading group - procedure, what they read, who is in the group, etc. No matter what we asked, he kept giving the same answer, demonstrating how he reads. Soon we were cracking up at his repetitive reply - "Some kids read like this - (loudly) B - A -T ...BAT! And I read like this (quietly) b-a-t...(yelling) BAT!!"

After listening to talk radio all day about health care reform, Phil is more convinced that we need to care for our own bodies. He was cutting apples for supper & in an effort to drive his point home, said, "What is it they say? An apple a day..." "...gives you soft poopies." Nothing like a 4 year old to turn things upside down. :)

Life in the fast lane

I hate to admit it, but I like to be in the driver's seat. Especially when we're running late for church & Phil is driving 5 miles under the speed limit & taking the longest route to church. I find myself physically pushing my right foot down on my imaginary gas pedal. A few times I thought it would be nice to have one of those cars they use for driver's ed - the kind that gives the driver the illusion of being in control. When we were first married, we bought a little Honda with manual transmission. I loved that car. Something about changing gears & being in a smaller car, made me feel like I was going really fast. I like to go fast. I don't like to putter along slowly. It feels like a waste of time. I want to get there. Get things going. Get to the point.

The point. The point is, these days, I'm longing for the scenic route. I think the Amish have something here. It's hard to hurry much when you're driving a buggy around. You have to plan ahead & be prepared to take it slow. As much as I love things about my life right now, I'm not really loving life in the fast lane. I want to be able to slow down a little and smell those roses. It's hard to find time to enjoy the moment when you're rushing from one thing to the next. I feel like a honeybee during the peak of honey-making season. They go, go, go for 3 weeks and then they die. Work themselves to death. I really don't want to be a honeybee.

Well, I can't end this post here. That would be too depressing. And I'm not depressed. Overwhelmed. Over tired. Over extended. Yes. But not depressed.

I keep reminding myself that God led me to this place - to the fast lane. So I'm depending on him to carry me through. And even though it's stinkin' hard, I am thankful for all that he is teaching me. In the meantime, I'm trying to plan ahead so I have moments of "taking it slow" - talking with my daughter, reading to my son, playing with my kids, laughing with my husband, cherishing my friendships, resting in my Lord...

First day

Well...sort of. My "official" first day of teaching was on Friday, but that was only half a day & it was mostly "fun", so I'm not sure that it counts. :) Today was our first full day, and to say that I'm tired would be an understatement. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I just got the kids in bed & now it's "okay, what do I HAVE to do before I go to sleep?". Not what do I want to do, or what needs to be done, but was has to be done in order to make it through tomorrow. That makes it sound like I'm barely surviving, which isn't true.

I felt like today went really well. I'm learning how to adjust, that I need more comfortable shoes, that Kindergartners need a lot of movement, that I can let go of some things, and that despite the work, I'm going to love this job.

I was a little nervous about rest time. I decided that instead of showing a movie (which honestly, would have been a wonderful break!), I would read a Thomas Burgess book. They are older books, and I needed to modify some of the wording, but I was amazed at how it captured the kids' attention. We read the first 3 chapters of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. They seemed to enjoy it & I was glad I had some beanie babies for visuals. I ran into one Mom just as I was leaving & she told me her son said his favorite part of the day was "story time". That the skunk story was so funny & he wanted to hear what happens tomorrow. That made my day.

I'm also learning that it pays to be organized. I'm okay at doing things impromptu, but not great. I need a plan. I'm anal that way. Now I just need to learn how to be flexible when what I've planned doesn't turn out exactly as I expected...

All right. Enough about school. If I'm going to survive my second day...I'd better get to bed, and soon!!

Catching up

I have wanted to post some recent pictures from our last trip, but I left my camera in Kentucky. It arrived in the mail this week, carefully padded with ghost shaped Halloween marshmallows. I laughed when I opened the box. Thank goodness for God's Pantry, free products, & a creative sister-in-law! :)

We were all running different directions during our week in KY. Philip was busy installing windows, I had fun helping in the kitchen, Abbie was a camper, and this posse roamed the camp.
They sure are a cute bunch, aren't they? :) Thanks to Ryan & Kris for supervising them at mealtime. They were very brave & gracious to put up with a table full of loud & rowdy kids 3 times a day!

I had fun getting to know Kris. It was one of those "I know we've never met, but I feel like I know you" kind of instant-friendships. I have no idea when we'll see each other again. Maybe at camp. Sometimes in bloggerville. For sure in heaven. But it was definitely fun to hang out & talk with someone I could relate to.We enjoy traveling as a family, and this trip we expanded our "family" to include Abbie's best friend, Jordyn. It was her first time away from home and her first time at camp. Her mom was very brave to send her off with us for the week, but we had fun with her along & hope she did too. At least she doesn't cringe as much when I hug her now. :)

It was a fun week away from the everyday. Now that I'm back in the thick of "reality" I wish I could go back. Maybe next year...

Why am I still up?

Too much Diet Pepsi. Too much thinking. Too much to do.

It's almost midnight & Phil is gigging for frogs with his buddy Jim. Basically it's a way to explain the need grown men have to get in touch with their inner "boy" and have a blast chasing frogs & getting muddy! If I had my camera I would take a picture of the gig he constructed. It's quite the weapon. And I would have loved to take a picture of my boys sharpening their own "gigs" (sticks). Noah stood in the driveway with no shirt on, and informed me he was gonna gig the van. It was a "Lord of the Flies" moment. If only I had my camera...but I left it in Kentucky, and that's a story for another day. I am glad my husband is having fun, but he'd better not bring any frog legs home. I've put up with a deer head for the past several months. I draw the line @ frog legs. A woman can only take so much.

Goodnight. I'm going to bed. I better not have nightmares.