Antsy

I'm an anxious person by nature.  My mind is always racing with plans and schedules and ideas.

But I've been extra anxious lately.

This time of year makes me anxious. It's when I have to decide if I'm ready to go back to my "real" full time job as a school librarian. I really miss working in the school environment. As a school librarian, I was always busy. I had to run the whole library myself which meant I did everything from ordering books, teaching classes, checking books in and out, shelving books, running book fairs, giving book talks, helping teachers with lesson plans, and on and on.

In public library land where I work now part time, I don't have nearly as much to do. Half of the time I'm working at the reference desk which is very boring. I thought I would be bombarded with difficult scholarly questions, but instead patrons ask how to print, if they can use the phone, borrow a Kleenex, will I go out with them on a date, how do they get into their email, where the bathroom is, or can they have more time on the Internet because they promise they've got an important project to finish (of course it never fails that I look up later and see them playing on Farm Town.)

We deal with homeless people, angry people, drunk people and lots of weirdos (but that's a whole other Blog I guess....) So needless to say, I'm antsy to get back to my nice little secure school library world.

But.

Working part time allows me to be home with Scarlett a lot. My job pays good. Scarlett has never had to go to day care because of it. I enjoy the people I work with. So I've decided to deal with the public at least one more year. It's just not about me right now. Hooray.

I'm also anxious about Scarlett starting an early preschool class in the fall at church. I had to enroll her now to guarantee her a spot so I've got it on the brain. She's going to go 2 days a week from 9-2. It's not a full blown day care facility, just a Mother's Day Out and Preschool, so I'll have to pack her little lunch and get her a nap mat. My niece already attends and love it; she has learned so much. I know Scarlett will really benefit since she's talking so good and learning so quickly and doing fabulous with potty training. She loves to learn and play and sing, and she has so much curiosity and energy that I know this will be good for her. But I also know at first she'll be upset when I leave her since she's not used to that. I just worry it will be too overwhelming for her. I just worry in general. At least we've got some time....

I'm also anxious in a good way for our upcoming move! We've found a house to rent which is getting us out of this THIRD FLOOR apartment. You might remember when we sold our house almost two years ago. Again, we did it for Scarlett, but seriously, enough is enough. Did I mention we live on the third floor? We'll start moving in a few weeks, and I cannot wait. I can't wait for Scarlett to have a backyard and for me and Chris to have a garage and just more room in general. Scarlett can actually push her wagon and ride in her cars on the street instead of around inside. Our new neighborhood has several parks, a pool, and a splash-ground so this summer will be so much fun. Oh, I'm so excited and relieved. Thank you Lord!

And while Scarlett is doing so good with potty training and rarely has accidents while we're at home, I doubt she'll be so willing to adjust to me taking away her paci. My goal was to take it away right before she turned two, but I chickened out. She knows she can't have it during the day, but she sure wants it a night. And she's very volatile at night so I'm afraid to take it away. My firm goal is to take it away some time soon like tomorrow before we move. I know there's lots of tricks and tips, but none of that fluffy stuff will work on her. She's going to be down right pissed off, and I seriously fear her wrath. 

I'm also thinking about changing this Blog some. A lot of people make their blogs private which I've considered, but I really don't want to do. I'm pretty sure only friends and family would want to read this, but you just never know. So instead, I might just change the title again and take off our last name especially since Chris is in school administration now. A crazy parent found our address and knocked on our door the other day so if they can find that, they can probably find this. So you've been fairly warned that things might be changing up again soon!

And now I've gotten all that off my chest, and I feel much better!
today

Way to Go Daddy-O

Recently I congratulated Chris on finishing his Master's Degree, and I shared about his promotion to a position that took him out of the classroom for half a day in order to serve as his school's behavior specialist. Well, that has all changed! After a series of nerve racking interviews and some mid-year changes, Chris was promoted again and is now the principal intern at his school. His district requires every principal to complete at least one year of interning before moving on to an assistant principal position. He now works full time as an administrator on his campus along with two other principals. This new position required him to leave the classroom completely just this week. It was a fast and furious transition for him, full of highs and lows and a fair amount of bitter-sweet stress, but we are so excited about this new career path and are thankful he was chosen for the position.

I have to say, I am a little sad, because as a principal, Chris will probably never coach again if we stay in Texas. And I know he's my husband, but I have to say he was a really good coach. He connected with his players, made it fun, and provided encouragement and motivation to his teams. His players looked up to him, and he was a positive role model for all the young men he coached. But then again, all of those characteristics will also be what makes him a great principal too. The Lord has blessed our family so much, and I thank HIM for all that he does for us.

Master of the House

...quick to catch yer eye, never wants a passerby to pass him by..."

You know that song too? Well, probably not; unless you're like me and can be found jammin out to Les Mis tunes every now and then.

But that's beside the point.

I'm just thinking of that song because I used to be the Master of the House around here. Well, not biblically of course, I wouldn't dare! I mean educationally.

For a few years now I have found great pride in being the most highly educated member of our household. Getting a Master's Degree as you may know is no easy feat, so I found no shame in reminding Chris quite often that I had one upped him in the degree department.

Then he went back to school. Grrr...

In all seriousness, this post is really about him. I am so proud of him for recently completing his Master's Degree in Education with an emphasis in Administration. Trust me, he had a hard time of it. Working on his classes at night while taking care of Scarlett too since I work nights was really tough on him. He had many many late late nights. But he stuck with it and never even made a B! Which is more than I can say about my transcripts. WAY TO GO DADDY!


Now Chris is fully certified to become a school principal. He's already working toward that goal this year. He was promoted to behavioral specialist at the middle school where he works. He teaches two classes this year and helps out with administrative duties the remainder of the day.

Here he is with Scarlett in his new office!


Chris,
I am so PROUD of you! It makes me so happy to see you succeed. I am very excited to see what God has in store for you and our family. Thank you for working so hard on your degree.
XOXO

"Everybody raise a glass to the master of the house! "

I'm a Stay at Home Mom! Well sort of.....

I've always planned to stay home with my children. I know that's not everyone's plan, but it has always been mine. When I was pregnant with Scarlett, I started to panic a little. Chris is a teacher, and he loves his job, but let's face it, teachers don't get paid nearly enough! So I started brainstorming what I could do in order to be at home with her during the day and still make ends meet.

I thought about watching other teachers' children in my home, but the legalities of that seemed a little daunting. Then I tried to find things that would allow me to work from home but never came across anything promising. I even considered selling something like Arbonne, but I'm just not a salesman. Then I thought about using my MLS degree and working part time at a public library. My plan was to work nights and weekends so that I would be home with her during the day, and Chris would take over in the evenings when I went to work. I went ahead and resigned from my full time position as a school librarian at the end of this school year hoping that something would come up.

God was listening to our prayers because about a month ago a part time librarian position became available at a nearby public library, and I applied for it. Well, I got the job!! It is great for us because I will be working part time nights and every other weekend which is what I was hoping for. Now our sweet baby gets to stay at home and will either be with me or Chris (or Auntie Mandy occasionally). We are so blessed that this worked out. Yesterday was my first day. Even though I'll only be away for four hours on most evenings (5-9), it was a little difficult for me emotionally. But she's with her daddy so I really can't ask for a better situation. Here's a pic of my sweet Scarlett and me as I'm about to leave for work!