Sad, bored, excited, and nervous

Yes, I am in Teacher Mom mode. I guess I am ready to go back to school. I am doing a little bit of school work each day. My room is set up and I thought I was going to have my high school room to myself, but found out that the teacher I shared with last year will be back in my room again. I say "my room" because I have 5 out of the 7 classes in our room. She is only in there for 2 classes. I will call her...Betsy. She has been there 2 years longer than me and is a part time teacher. Last year, for my first year, I was in our room and she claimed the head desk and mine was stuck over, half way out the door. Yuck. I was told my admin I could have the head desk, but then she secretly, with tears in her eyes if she could have it. How could I say no, here I am low man on the totem pole and not wanting to cause trouble, so whatever. It was a pain, because her desk was at the front and next to the computer table. We have to take attendance on the computer, so we do use it.
So, when I found out that Betsy wasn't going to be in my room and for 3 whole days thought I had my room to myself, I went in and switched the desks around and hung up all my posters and got "my" room ready. Then, I get an email saying that they switched her classes back into my room. I sent an email admitting that I already switched the desks and she was okay with that.

I hate stupid things like this. I just want to teach, just teach, not deal with stupid, petty teacher things, deal with emails from admin, professional days, parent requests and email, and ugh, just all that extra stuff. I just want to teach!

But, anyways, I think it is time for me to get back to teaching. I am ready. We have done all of our summer stuff. The weather is changing. I am excited to meet my new students and see some of my old students. I had some juniors last year, so they will be big seniors this year and I am so excited for them.

Oh yeah, another reason to get back to teaching...I'm broke. I need a paycheck again.

But, first, a wedding over the weekend, so a crazy family filled weekend getaway and then, voila, change my hats from stay at home mom, back to my alter ego - working mom.

Bittersweet School Time

I am a mother of four boys. I am also a high school teacher. This will be the start of my second year teaching. I was a stay at home mom for 13 years. Best job in the world. I loved it, but alas, I need to work to cloth, feed, and soon send kids off to college. I do love teaching too. It is a ton of work, but I like working with teenagers and I love doing math.

Day 1 of this summer and ahhh, I remembered my old life. No schedules, free time, freedom, and spending time with the kids. I love going to the pool, the beach, and day trips. I also watch my niece and nephew during the summer. So, I have 6 kids during the summer. It is our own mini camp and I love doing it. But.....it is coming to an end.

I am done watching my niece and nephew. They start school tomorrow, so we have a week to ourselves. Well, not really. It is filled with the start of sports and getting ready for back to school.

The school clothes have been bought - both for kids and Teacher Mom. The shoes have been bought (again, for Teacher Mom too). The supplies have been bought. The school calendar has come and I colored coded all the events according to child. The old artwork has been removed from kitchen doors to make room for new, fresh artwork. I keep files for each kid. They have been cleaned out. The kids are ready.

I went into my classroom today. I don't have as much as an elementary teacher to get ready, but I do have a lot to do. I cleaned out my long closet it and organized all my geometry math tools and art supplies. I love that geometry is so hands-on, so I have a lot of material for it. I hung all my fun new, inspiring posters around the room. I filled my desk up with supplies.

Tomorrow I will go in and figure out my brand spanking new Dell computer, yeah! Better than our old dinosaurs we had last year. I need to bring the textbooks to the classrooms for the kiddos.

I have been working at home on things like class lists, policy lists, schedules, pretests, my name sign, and first day activities.

I need to fill in my lesson plan books and my class record books. Ahhh, then there is those silly things called lesson plans. Need to work on them.

Only one math teacher was in today, but it was nice to catch up with her. I really like all the math teachers I work with. They are great friends, so it will be good to see all of them.

So, it is bittersweet. I so love the summer, but the weather is getting cooler and telling me it is a change of season. Time to get ready to go back to work again. Get back to a scheduled existence - school and sports schedules. One boy is doing soccer, 2 are doing football, and one is doing cross country, add to that four CCD schedules, and boy, we will be busy.

I am excited that we don't start until after Labor Day this year. That is exciting. So, we will have one more last hurrah this weekend. My cousin is getting married in Vermont, so we rented a house with all my brothers and sisters and will go to the wedding. Then, back to business!

To health and husbands

I am so lucky (knock on wood) that my family is healthy and that I have a great husband whose job does not take up too much of his time. He is home my 5:00 each night and doesn't have to travel.

This being said I visited a friend's new house. It is huge and has every detail and extra imaginable. It is a beautiful house, but I will take my home, health, and husband over it in an instant.

But, I just can't fathom how someone who is the same age as me can afford such luxury. It is beyond my little pea brain. I am a teacher and struggling to make it through the summer on my few dollars left and actually look forward to working again and bringing some money in. My husband and I both work full time and will never make what this friend's husband does.

I love my husband, my healthy family, and my little home! I am blessed!

I hate football!

Ugh. I am exhausted. Two of the four boys are playing Pop Warner football and I hate it. Mr K and Croc. Mr K is in the C division, Croc is only 45 pounds, the bare minimum for the E division. Practices started on August 1st for four nights a week, for 2 hours each night! That is a ton. Luckily my husband is home to take them, so it isn't so bad to not have the two boys for that time, B ...U....T....it is a big pain when they dont' want to go and it is "me" who has to get them ready.
Croc had a scrimmage tonight, had to get ready a little bit earlier. "I hate my coach. I don't want to go." Oy. Me: "You're going, get dressed." Got dressed, one out the door.
Mr. K on the other hand was a little more difficult. He started with the crying last night. He doesn't want to play anymore. It is too hard, blah, blah, blah. I figured he was tired because he had just come home from practice and had done a sleepover the night before (bad idea), plus we were away on vacation for a week, so he was a bit behind.
Woke up this morning, I don't wanna go, it's too hard, it's too hard. 4:45, it's too hard, I'm not getting dressed! So, we had a screaming match until he finally got dressed.
So, my husband is at Croc's scrimmage. I have a pocketbook party to go to, so fil (father in law) had to take him. Unfortunately, fil is a softy, so hopefully they didn't just go get ice cream some place.
I am exhausted from this fight. Haven't had one of those in a long time and it feels crappy.

Becoming Team Manager

I was thinking about my blog as I was out for my daily walk this morning. It is summer and I walk 3 miles each morning with my 2 dogs at 6:30 am each day. One is for exercise and the other reason is for sort of physical therapy. I had acl knee reconstruction surgery in April, so trying to keep moving. Anyways, I was going over the blog in my head.

I was realizing that I am starting a new chapter in my life. It really started last September, but let me explain. I am moving from baby making and babies and me as the ultimate boss to the teenage years and me becoming the team manager.

Update of the team ages -
The C-man is 14
Mr. K is 11
Croc is 7 and Charlie Brown is 5.

So, you can see that my oldest baby will be entering high school - gasp! And, my youngest baby will be entering kindergarten - wow! How did this happen? I can remember all four of them just like it is yesterday, sitting in diapers in their high chairs, orange from spaghettios and calling them orange Elmo.

From my own age of 19 - 33 I was making babies, pregnant, nursing, diapering, putting babes down for naps, watching them toddle around, trying to get pregnant again, attending playgroups, and chauffering off to preschool. I was THE boss. The babies liked to think I was on their schedule, but it was really me that did their schedules and all that jazz.

Now the table has turned. I started teaching last year after being a SAHM for 13 years. I realized that I was having less control over my family. They were doing things different from me. Like my preschooler. I didn't get to bring him to school and meet the moms and his little friends. But, it is okay. Everyone is just spreading their wings and I get to watch with pride and the little men (well, tall men) coming out of their experiences. I am blessed that my father in law is the one that watches my kids. He comes and helps them with breakfast and makes sure they are dressed and catch the bus, then he gets them off the bus. It is a great arrangement.

With the kids getting older, I have gone from THE boss to the Manager. It is okay. I was ready for a change. The kids were ready for a change. They each have their own interests, friends, and schedules. I am again lucky in that I am not a total taxi. We live close to town and the schools and the ball fields, so they can ride their bikes if they have to. Plus, with the grandparents in town, they are very helpful too. Add to that, that now the C-man is old enough to stay home and babysit, I only have to bring the kid that needs to go, not pile them all into the car.

So, as a lot of my friends are in the early stages of the baby years and some deciding whether or not to have another baby, I am entering the TEEN years! I will be in this stage for the next 13 years. It will be interesting. I am sure it will be trying at times. But, all the boys have a good foundation and a good family support system, so I think their wings will help them fly safely.

Enjoy the heat! Today would be a great day to soar high!