When I woke up on Tuesday I felt awful, and considering Tuesday is my longest day at work, I was very concerned about how I was going to make it through the day. I asked my sisters and one friend to pray for me, and their prayers were answered as I had a good day. It also helped that it was a very beautiful day outside. I have only four more weeks until the semester is over. Specifically that translates to six more days of teaching on campus. I'll visit a student teacher each of those six days plus two days during final exam week, which means just eight more total days of work (not counting all the days I do work at home emailing students, grading, writing letters of recommendation, etc.). I'm hoping to finish grading on May 8. As for homeschooling, Ian's last day of spelling was today, and Nadia should finish math on April 16. Almost every subject should be wrapped up by May 3. I always *think* I'm going to have sooo much "free" time in the summer, but I know from past experience that won't truly be the case. However, I'm hoping to have more time for two things starting on May 9: photography (learning more about how to improve my photography skills plus also just taking more pictures) and exercise. I haven't exercised for over a month, and right now I can't bring myself to get on the elliptical. During this time of emotional "numbness" from the grief/shock of losing Maurice, there has been little that has brought me any pleasure. Two things that have are physical affection (hugs, a child brushing my hair, etc.) and being outside in the fresh air on a beautiful, sunny day. The grass is finally turning green! It's been a bit cool out the last couple of days, but soon we will have warm weather on a more consistent basis. I want to find a way to get exercise outside the house. It's good for me physically and emotionally. I have other goals for the summer - tackling some projects around the house, putting more time into cooking, teaching Nadia some sign language, etc. but for now I am reminding myself that soon I should have more time to get some exercise outside and develop my skills as a photographer.
Paul took the kids on a field trip yesterday to Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. Two of Nadia and Ian's classes were together as they were both in the 9-12 year old age bracket (life of a Civil War soldier and Cornerball and other games). During one session they were in different classes as I signed Nadia up for a Victorian tea party and Ian up for a folk music class. Oliver's classes were for ages 6-8, and I signed him up for folk music, goats, and recess games. Usually we pack lunches for field trips, but they had provided an option to order lunches through Subway so I ordered four Subway lunches as a treat. Nadia and Ian chose to wear their costumes, but I had Nadia also bring a pair of sneakers as I didn't think she'd want to play cornerball in her dress shoes. I would have enjoyed being on this field trip with the kids, but the upside is that Paul was able to join them since I was at work. Since he hasn't fully mastered my DSLR camera, I suggested he just take some pictures with his cell phone. Ian's favorite part was the folk music, Nadia's was the tea party (she was demonstrating proper manners at dinner last night including not sitting down until after we had prayed), and Oliver liked the goats and games the best. He told me all about the tug of war game between the children and parents.
Last Wednesday I had come to the conclusion I wanted to stay home with the kids next year. I asked Paul for his input on Sunday night, and he felt I should at least complete the interview so as not to make a rash decision, and he hoped I would at least keep working PT at the minimum. I emailed the chair of the search committee on Monday night, but thus far I haven't heard back from her. At that point there were three interview dates left. At this point there are two dates left (next two Wednesdays). If they offer me a job, I think I'll ask to be 50% and only teach the two math classes. My main motivation for doing this is it means the kids will see more off Paul than they will if I go back to staying at home. Also, it will make it much easier for us over the next few years to afford to pay for things like replacing our roof, Ian's braces, replacing the van, etc. I got an invitation today to attend a retirement party for another faculty member in our department. It seems they are going to need to hire more adjuncts next year. Last summer two members of our department retired and a third went on leave for a full year. I am assuming the one who has been on leave for the last year will also retire, which means there will have been four retirements in two years in our department.
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| Standing by the Bucknell Bison in connection with swimming lessons on Monday night |
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