Ramblings

Phew, what a short week and glad it is over... almost! Around this time last week, I was handed an application to apply for Teacher of the Year! What a surprise.....! It is very rewarding to have been handed that application. I mean, didn't I say when I started teaching that my goal was to get teacher of the year? I am going into it feeling blessed that I am in the company of other great teachers and am using it as more of a learning experience and to get my portfolio together. I mean, come on, I haven't even been teaching 3 years yet. So, the application...... ahhhh. I think it is one thing when you know you have a paper due and you have had time to ponder the topic for several weeks. I plan things, and do things way before they ever have to be done. As of last week, I was feeling good, relaxed, caught up, and just enjoying the ride and then walks in the application. Phew! I have officially worn my brain out. My brain is not used to all this philosophical and pedagogical thinking. I spend 9 hours of my day with 2nd graders for goodness sake, and the rest with a infant. I have been a stress bomb for the past few days. The principal asks me everyday if I have finished. Did I mention that the application has ten sections, each asking for two pages... and I have had it five days? The midnight oil did get burned several times this week, that is after the baby was fed, cleaned and asleep, bottles and bag ready for daycare, laundry running, dishes washed, dinner cooked, oh... and actual preparation to teach was done. Pulling all nighters is great if you are a college student, but when you have a 9 month old that sometimes likes to get up at 4 just to play and give you kisses, midnight starts to feel a little late... Anyways, I have finally finished my twenty page paper, I mean, application, no paper. They are synonymous really. The application was just a paper with ten sections. If I had not gone to grad school, I would still be on section one... absolutely no way it would have gotten done. So, yes, I turned it in today. Exhale.

So, as I turned that baby in today with my "professional" portraits that Akisha took against her dining room wall while I was holding my too small professional clothes closed because I still look like I am pregnant, due to my lack of free time/poor time management. It is officially not a concern anymore. All I could think of doing when I got home was to lay on the couch with my feet up and just maybe fall asleep a little early. So here I am on the couch and this is what I see.

Yep, those are my feet and I am not ashamed. Those feet are hard workers. Without them, 18 little kiddos would be lost with no direction in life and one little 9 month old ( hmmm almost 10 month old) wouldn't be getting chased around the house, and one lucky husband wouldn't have clean underwear.) These feet really support a lot of things. So, I was looking at my feet and thought (1) how horrible they look and (2) how they are a prefect example of me. Yes maam, I officially have enough polish on my feet to really only cover one toe fully. Just like the polish, I am tired but still just putting along. And can you believe that I have had "paint toenails" on my to do list for three weeks now. So ladies and gentlemen, tonight is the night... maybe! Tonight, my toenails are getting painted, maybe. Because doesn't a mama deserve a little me time. Now don't jump to any conclusions. There might not be polish remover in the house, so the little piggies may be getting just a little second coat over what is already there.

With all this application craziness this week, I am now caught in an internal struggle. I just can't decide what to do with myself next year. How wonderful it is that I have the opportunity to stay home with the little guy. Dr. would rather him be home than at daycare. But, I also feel like surely I can stick it out one more year. I mean I have already made it three. The little guy is getting easier and easier to work with and with me working, we will see our savings grow just that much more when Dr. starts moonlighting. I really like Chuck going to daycare. ( Did I mention he is starting to eat daycare food now? Such a big boy!) Also, all of my friends will be graduating and moving in June so its not like I will have too much to do. So, at Christmas, I was 80% sure I was going to stay home and now I am 80% sure I am going to duke it out one more year. Oh, I guess I have about 6 more weeks before I sign my life away for one more year.

So anyways, here is your Chuck fix of the day. This is what he looks like when I pick him up from daycare. Just a little sleepy from playing and talking to his buddies but still the cutest little guy you've ever seen. As I mentioned above, he ate mashed potatoes and gravy yesterday and today he had lasagna from the daycare! His teacher said once he starts walking he will be going to the next room. There is a 14 month and a 15 month old in the baby room still because they won't eat big boy food. Go Chuck!

TGIF!