Life Lately

It's Friday night.

10 on the dot.

Abigail is upstairs sleeping.

I'm sitting at the dining room typing. Half asleep.

Scott and Anna are here at the table with me. Working hard on geometry. She's a freshman in honors/college course. It's really hard. As in homework on Friday night, Saturday, Sunday. Allll weekend. I'll sneak her off to the pumpkin patch though, don't worry.

This week was a doozy. And wonderful. And overwhelming. And exciting. All rolled into one.

I am up at 4:30 am. After I get home from teaching 4th grade I am only mama. (they call me mama, always have) Dinner, some evening they have activities, desserts, showers... Then after Abigail is tucked in at 8 (on the dot) I start.

Just like now. At 8:01 I'm at the dining room table. With Anna. And Scott. And honors geometry.

Except that now instead of blogging every evening I'm planning for the next day, answering teacher emails, creating centers, planning.

I love it. I love teaching. I love everything about it.

So I work from 8-11 each night. And then I fall into bed.

And get up and do it all over again.

There are so many many things that are wonderful about our new schedule. I love that when I'm home after school and the evening I'm just with Abigail. No school work.  I love that my late (while I'm working on planning) evenings are with Anna while she does her homework.

I adore my day in the classroom. I have the sweetest class ever! And I've been stretched in more ways that I could imagine. My brain explodes with ideas. Sometimes there is not enough time to make them happen as soon as I want to. But man oh man when I get the chance to make a new cute center, or bulletin board, or game I'm oozing joy. I've learned that I have to be patient with myself. I can't do it all in the first year. Baby steps.

I still bake. I still take a ton of pictures. I love how they slow down the moment. Reminding me that there are still wonderful little things are still happening in our family. I just don't have the time to do as much as I used to. And I'm okay with that.

Our little family (and extended family) have pitched together in ways that I could not imagine. We've grown so much these past two months. And I can feel God's fingerprints all over it.

Life is good. And full.

I still notice the beautiful sunrises. And run for my camera.



And rolling out my homemade dough feels oh so good.



Baking pumpkin chocolate chip muffins make my heart happy.



And watching me mound up the apples for a pie is glorious.



She eats the topping that doesn't make it on to the top.



And us gathered around the kitchen table talking and laughing is medicine for my soul.



Yes life lately is more than I could have imagined.  It doesn't mean that it's easy.  Mothering and teaching together is really really hard but it is just where I'm supposed to be. 

Off to sleep with pumpkin patch afternoon dreams in my head.