Back in the Saddle

It's official..... I'm done with the "Summer Katy" gig and now I'm entering the juggling act of working mom life.  After 12 years of teaching under my belt, you'd think I'd have this whole transition thing down.  But, my job is is always changing and evolving.  Last year I had to tackle Google Docs and an online web-based classroom platform.  Just when I was getting used to that, they switched platforms-- which means  upload everything to a different "place", learning the new ins and outs, and just feeling lost and overwhelmed again.  The inservice days are no fun.  I have to say good-bye to the gingers-- the smiles, the snuggles, whines, fighting, impromptu kisses and "I love you's" and sit through lots of meetings while fretting about making sure I know what the heck I'm doing upon the student's arrival.  It is great to see my colleagues again and talk about how we can all educate tomorrows leaders in the best way possible.  And we actually had a great convocation speaker, Armando Vilaseca.  He is the Secretary of Education in Vermont and he was very inspirational.

The good news about inservice week is that I don't have to take much work home with me, so I can still suck the marrow out of summer by going to parades and sneaking out to mountain bike.

You might wonder why the big guy is wearing a 4th of July t-shirt...... Richmond has to postpone their parade in July, so they rescheduled it for the end of August.

A highlight of the days leading up to school starting was a visit from the Jones Family.  The kids hadn't seen Mark in over a year.  He wasn't sure if they would remember or recognize him.  When they pulled into the driveway, Cally ran out to give Mark a hug and Hazen was right behind her.  Cally definitely remembers Mark and talks about him all the time.  Hazen was clearly following her cues, but he melted into his arms like they'd always been buds.  It was a sight to be seen...... but I didn't have a camera available to take pictures :o(

The kids were thrilled to play "Chubby Bunny" with cousin Chris again.

And Cally loved hanging with her Cousin Catherine and the girls (Caitlin and Rachel)

 

When life gets all hectic and I feel frazzled, I just have to remind myself that I really do love my job.  I love the dynamic nature of it.  I have to be able to go with the flow, change with the times, but be sure to have fun doing it.  When it becomes too much of a chore, boring, or not fun..... that's when I'll make a change.

I saw this on my friend Claire's refrigerator.  It is a good mantra: