Thankful Thursday

If I had to choose the word to best describe how I've felt for the past four weeks, it would absolutely be overwhelmed. During these four weeks I've been teaching two classes on campus plus supervising fifteen student teachers who are located in 9 different buildings in 5 different school districts. Altogether I'm considered to be teaching five courses (15 credits) this semester as 5 student teachers equals one three credit course. Add to that the fact that from December 27 to the present we have seen very little of Paul. He didn't travel with us to Maryland for Christmas and then he was gone two other weeks on business trips to Baltimore and Las Vegas, and when he has been in PA he has been working long hours. Last week he slept at his parent's house three nights instead of coming home. Usually we see him more on the weekends, but this past weekend we barely saw him at all because he didn't get home until 7:30pm on Saturday and 8:00pm on Sunday (he leaves for work before the rest of us get up in the morning). Today is the eleventh consecutive day he's worked at the plant.

Take today for instance, Oliver's alarm clock accidently went off at 5:55 and woke us up. Oliver came in bed with me. We were eating breakfast around 7:15 and then jumped right into schoolwork as we were trying to get as much of it done as possible before 10:45. We ate an early lunch, and then I dropped the kids off at the babysitter's house before heading to do an observation of a student teacher. Then I was on campus teaching. The kids ate dinner at the babysitter's house. She took them to Ian's basketball practice, and I met them there. I was very hungry when I got home as it was two hours later than I usually eat dinner. I made myself some dinner and helped Nadia make a batch of cookies. I constantly feel like I am rushing to get things done as quickly as possible, and I still never feel like I'm caught up. Trying to juggle the housework (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.) plus homeschooling three kids plus a FT job is just way too much. Some things will have to change between before the next semester. When one is feeling overwhelmed, it's a good time to stop and count one's blessings....

1. Although it's too much with everything I have on my plate, I do love my job. I GREATLY prefer the math methods course I am teaching this semester over the ones I taught last semester. I *think* I might be able to teach two sections of this again in the fall, and it would be awesome to teach the same course again.

2. Fourteen of my student teachers are off to a good start. One unfortunately is not, but I'm thankful that the vast majority of them are doing well because it's emotionally draining when someone isn't doing well, and it means I need to give her (and her cooperating teacher) a LOT more time than I am giving each of the other student teachers.

3. The gymnastics center gave us a credit for most of what we paid for Oliver's gymnastics session in light of his missing one class due to illness and four due to his skull fracture.

4. Shutterfly sent the coupon code I was really hoping they'd send again as the last two times they sent it I didn't have the photo book ready in time to make use of it. I am ready to use it this time! I worked on the photo book a couple of weeks ago so that I would be ready the next time. I haven't made a photo book since September, which is longer than I usually go. Making a photo book reminded me once again that I've been taking far fewer pictures than I usually do, but I'm thankful I still had more than enough to make a nice photo book.

5. Yesterday the Children's Museum in Bloomsburg told me we had been selected to receive four free tickets to see Mr. Popper's Penguins at Bucknell. I had planned on buying tickets, but then I thought there was a chance we might be able to get free ones through the museum, and we did! This saved us about $50! I have been very delinquent in taking the kids on field trips the last two months, but I plan to take them to two shows next week. Hopefully that will actually happen as quite a few of our planned events have been cancelled (due to illness, snow, or injury) the past four weeks.

6. I'm thankful for the volunteers and staff who help make a hospitalization less traumatic for a child. The kids enjoyed meeting two therapy dogs last Thursday night - a mastiff and a golden retriever named Georgie. Oliver enjoyed playing games, painting, etc. with the Child Life intern.

7. I'm thankful we were only in the hospital one night. I really missed my hairbrush, toothbrush, and pajamas. I don't usually sleep wearing a skirt and nylons.

8. Our babysitter really loves our kids. She shared the devotional during the half-time during Ian's basketball game last Saturday. Oliver's accident was also very traumatic for her. When she was talking about holding him in her arms on the drive to the ER, she talked about the qualities she admires in him, which again showed how well she knows him.

9. I absolutely love the canvas she had the kids make for me. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift. It's beyond a doubt the best gift I have ever been given for Valentine's Day in my whole life. If you can't tell already, I love it! It means so much because it contains the handprints, signatures, and ages of my three precious children. I plan to keep it on my wall for many years to come!

10. The kids and I enjoyed the community group meeting on Sunday night. Pastor Ken shared a devotional and then we ate some yummy food. We left before they started playing games because it was Oliver's bedtime.

11. On Tuesday I woke the kids up at 6:20am so we could be out the door by 6:35. All three of the kids objected. Last semester I was doing that twice a week. I'm thankful it was the first time this semester I had to do that. Hopefully it won't happen very often.

P.S. I have pictures I could include, but I still haven't edited all the photos I took last Saturday during Nadia's basketball game. Sorry for the lack of photos in this post!