My Top Ten...

I have been so very fortunate to spend this current school year at home. I have a fourth grade son and a kindergarten daughter, so it's been fun to be a stay at home mom for the FIRST TIME EVER. With both of my kiddos, I was back at school within eight weeks of their births, sleep deprived and all... those days are a blur and I have no idea what those poor students of mine could have learned, but I tried my best! With that being said, I am very grateful for this year. My daughter is in kindergarten only part-time, so I like to consider myself a part-time SAHM :)

However, as I begin to think about entering the classroom again, I'm filled with excitement and also trepidation. When I began staying at home, it felt so weird... not to have to be anywhere, no papers to grade, yada yada yada. But now, THAT world seems so far from what I'm used to! So I present to you... my TOP TEN of what I'll miss most when I'm back in the classroom next year...

#10: Lunch dates with the husband (and sometimes with the daughter)... what a luxury to be able to have a random lunch at Chili's in the middle of the week!
#9: Doctor and dentist scheduling... it has been mind boggling to call up to schedule an appointment... receptionist: "any day or time preference?"... me: (stunned) "no... whatever you have will work for me..."
#8: Grocery shopping in the middle of the day... I started doing this with my daughter on the days she was home, but quickly switched to grocery shopping BY MYSELF instead. Wandering the aisles... going at my own pace... not having to look at the toys...
#7: TPT time... I just counted- partly out of curiosity and partly because I am nitpicky about details- and I have had the time to create and upload SEVENTY products since my last day in the classroom. 7. 0. That's half my store!
#6: Gym time... I've become reacquainted with exercise, ladies and gentlemen! I used to exercise in spurts. You know how it is... packing up your teacher bag on Sunday night and deciding to throw in those gym clothes, too. I would have a good week or two of solid exercise and then nothing because school would kick in overtime and instead of running to the gym after school, I'd be running home to grade papers and finish that bottle of wine! But this year, I've had the wonderful experience of morning exercise classes. I love me some BodyCombat and also some running on the treadmill. I've enjoyed a LOT of morning walks, too. It's been wonderful to get to know the sound of my own thoughts in my head again!
#5: Volunteering... I was afraid I would get rusty, so I volunteer 1-2 times in my daughter's kinder classroom and it's been so much fun! But I'm not crazy... I still can't bring myself to sign up as a field trip chaperone.
#4: Sleep... no, I don't sleep in. I still have lunches to pack and children to get out the door. But I do certainly get MORE sleep than I ever did when I was a teacher. And the best part? If I can't sleep at night, I can always curl up for a nice afternoon nap!
#3: Sick kids... I'm fortunate that my children have always had fairly good immune systems. But still, they've had their share of bugs this year and I've been so grateful to not have to worry about having to write SUB PLANS!
#2: Couch time... okay, confession time. I am a TV addict. But with teaching, it's hard to fit in my shows! The last few years I taught we didn't even have cable because no one had time to ever watch anything. Let's just say... we have cable now... and Netflix... and a full DVR... We also have a wonderfully comfy sectional couch that my cat and I "live on" during most of the day (those quotations are because those words actually came out of my daughter's mouth). I don't just watch TV though. I've also managed to read more than 70 books since last summer. If you haven't caught on yet, I like to make lists :)
And #1: DUH. Bathroom breaks. I'm the most hydrated I've been in my life and why? Because the dang bathroom is available, less than ten feet from the couch that I "live on."

This list is not to make you sad. I recognize not everyone out there can afford to take a year off. Ten years ago it wouldn't have been a financial possibility for my family. But, if you have ever considered it, I urge you to try it, just for a year. I had anxiety about the idea, afraid it wouldn't be the right fit. But it's been wonderful to get to know myself again. And to my husband's delight, I've decided to not seek early retirement... yet.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello, world! I am so excited to be writing my very first blog post!!

Let's get to know each other, shall we? I have been a teacher for 15 years... but it's almost been a year since I've been a teacher! At the end of the 2015-16 school year, my family and I up and moved 900 miles away. To ease the pain of this transition, I took the year off to help everyone settle in. It's been amazing, but I've started the job hunt for next school year and I have to honestly say I'm very excited at the idea of little ones calling me "Miss" again all day long! There will definitely be things I miss, but that's for another post!

I began my store on Teachers Pay Teachers in October 2015. That month I made 90 cents. That's right. No dollar sign needed, folks. But I worked hard to grow my store and not only do I now make more than a dollar each month, I hopefully help a lot of YOU out in the classroom! I love creating and posting products and I've enjoyed having some extra time to do those things this school year.

Blogging is something that has been on my "to do" list for a long time (and to say that I can actually cross something off on that list is a major accomplishment for me- ha!). In the coming months I hope to document my job hunt, re-entry into the classroom and activities with my new group of students! Thanks for joining me on this journey :)