And She Lived Happily Ever After...

Well, well, well....where to begin?

I completed the school year (both university AND working at the public school). Going back to work full-time while in grad school was more than a bit challenging. There were many times when I was stretched to the limits of my sanity, but I made it just as many others have done before me.

We are settled in our new Texas home and most of our boxes are actually unpacked. It's so lovely to spend evenings on the back porch with the hubby while the kids play. What a change from summers past when I spent every waking moment on the computer researching or working on assignments. These days, I rarely crack open the laptop!

The best part is that I now have two degrees framed and hanging above my desk!! I remember when I first started considering returning to college. Back then, I thought that spending two years to finishing my bachelor's degree was a monstrous time commitment. I couldn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. I thought it was an impossible task, especially since I had a family to maintain. Little did I know that I'd also start working on a master's degree--something that I had never seriously considered--a few weeks after I wrapped up my undergrad studies.

All in all, I devoted three and a half years to finishing my higher education as a "university mama." When I look back on those years, I look back with wonder ("How did I manage to do it?") and fondness for all the people I've met along the way and experiences I've gained. I've also learned a lot about myself along the way. Turns out, I'm capable of much more than I thought!

So, if you are a Mama who feels a strong desire to get back into higher education and finish those unfulfilled goals, I encourage you to get started right away. Just fill out a college application and see where it takes you! It's a journey you'll never regret!

Wow. Just Wow.

Yes, I have been stressed many times throughout my past few years in college, but I'm not sure I've ever reached the level I am at right now:

*The husband just accepted a job in Texas. He will be moving in 3 weeks; the girls and I will finish out the school year here and commute on weekends. Enter a trillion tiny (and not so tiny) things to add to my to-do list.

*My professor is coming to observe this week.

*Evident ally, our graduate portfolio presentations begin next week. I wasn't aware of this! Good news...I was one of the first to discover the online sign-up sheet, so I chose the latest presentation date possible. Now I have an entire month to finish. Whew!

*My large collaborative project with the first grade must be finished up tomorrow. Not only do I have to prepare their books for a contest entry, but I also promised them that I would make and laminate copies to add to our library circulation. That means, I have to scan, print, paste and laminate 20 books. All this is falling two days before my professor comes to observe!

*Did I mention we are moving? Packing? Picking out paint colors for our new home?????

Please...send chocolate ASAP!!

Real World Application

You know how kids always whine about, "When will I ever use this in the real world?" Well, here's a couple of snapshots of my schooling in action!


Here I am teaching first graders about the elements of a story. I wore my best apron and created a "story stew" in my big pot. We also read "The Story of Ferdinand" and picked out the elements of that story.

Then, we got started brainstorming ideas for the stories they would write on their own. I must say, kids seem to have a tough time with creativity these days. I'd like to blame part of it on television and part of it on a shift in our education system away from creative teaching methods and instead focus on how to make our kids good test-takers. Still, the kids came up with some good ideas! It's always interesting to peek inside their little brains and see what's going on in there. :)

Actually applying my studies has been the best part so far. Sure, I love learning--being in a classroom, discussing theories, etc.--but I also love to be in an environment where I can help others and witness progress. I had to pre-test and post-test these kids for my practicum project, and I'm excited to report that they all showed gains on their post-tests. One kid even made 400% gain on his post-test! Now, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

52 days and counting....

Let's just skip over the part where I give all my excuses for not blogging lately, shall we? ;)

52 days until I have my master's degree! I just counted them and, while it actually sounds like a rather large number, I can totally see the light at the end of my tunnel. In fact, I feel like I'm aboard a freight train traveling at startling speeds through that tunnel because there's so much to do!

I feel rather liberated from homework since my winter intersession class finally wrapped up in early February. It was rather time consuming work (writing curriculum plans and creating a lot of lessons), but I was able to "kill two birds with one stone" and use some of those lessons for my practicum hours. Speaking of which, practicum has kept me pretty busy. I started a pretty intense collaboration project with our 5th grade Social Studies class, but due to many uncontrollable events (snow days, state testing days, etc.) we still haven't finished it. I was feeling like the project should be on the Fail Blog so I decided to start up another one! So now, I am helping first graders write and illustrate stories for a young author's contest while trying to get the 5th grade project done. I think one of the main lessons I have learned in my practicum hours is "it will always take longer than you think" and/or, "there are never enough hours in a day." Of course, what mom doesn't already know the latter?

In addition to my collaboration projects, my regular job (library aide), and my homework (from my "Techniques of Research" class--ugh.), I also have been trying to put together my portfolio. Right now I am thanking the heavens that one of the teachers during summer school had us set up the "skeleton" of our online portfolio using Google sites. Now, all I have to do is plus in the artifacts and reflections. I'm sure I have some "spiffing up" to do, but the biggest chunk of work is already out of the way, and for that I am very thankful.

So....we're all caught up for now. I promise to do better...especially since there's only 52 days and counting before I leave the title of "University Mama" behind!

Little Blessings

Usually, January is a slow, cold month: we're just getting back into the routine of school, winter has slowed down the hustle and bustle of life...but this month has been an extraordinarily stressful time for me. First, I took a winter intercession class right after Christmas. It required me traveling to campus (4 hours away) and staying in a hotel for a few nights. That was actually not so bad: I got to visit with friends that I made during summer school, talk to my professor "in the flesh," clear up some questions, etc. However, we did not get many assignments done while we were there. "No biggie," I thought, "I have a month to get them done." In the meantime, I started back to school (both university and work), I found out that the lesson I was co-teaching was starting early (which meant that I literally had to lock myself in the school library one weekend and work my tail off trying to get a WebQuest written and designed), my daughter's basketball team was playing numerous games, we had a plethora of activities (school, church, personal) that we were involved in, so on and so forth. Not surprisingly, the month flew by much quicker than usual.

I am stressed. I am cranky because I am stressed. I am eating junk because I am stressed. I am not getting enough exercise because there don't seem to be enough hours in a day...and that makes me stressed.

All of my assignments are due at the beginning of next week. I also have my teacher certification test for library-media this weekend. Our college has 100% pass rate (no pressure). STRESS!!!!

What could possibly give this girl a break? A gracious God.

Snow! We have snow!! Snow = snow days = no work = being holed up indoors with nothing pressing to do other than finish homework assignments!!!

All day yesterday, I lounged around in pajamas working on homework for probably ten hours. I wish I could say I got more accomplished, but at least I feel like I'm making progress! I haven't begun studying for my big test nor have I completed two major projects that are due Monday, but I have big plans for today.

I'm just so grateful for little blessings like snow days. What a difference they can make!!

So Much Can Happen in a Year

As we were ringing in the new year, I couldn't help but think back on the dawn of 2009. It's amazing what can happen in a year. When 2009 began, I had just happily completed my bachelors degree and had decided to work on freelance writing from home. Since then, I began working on a masters degree (rather unexpectedly), went to summer school away from my family for three weeks, met some incredible new university friends, accepted a full-time job, and closed my business of five years. None of these things I ever expected to happen when we were counting down from 2008 to 2009 on New Year's Eve which makes me wonder: what will 2010 hold?

21 Years to Finish a Degree???

One woman did it! She started back in her 30s as a single mom and talks about the difficulties of juggling work/family/school and doing homework alongside her daughter. 21 years later, she has two degrees. I call that patience and determination. I'm grateful that my education is only taking three years! Whew!!!

Click HERE to read the article.

Semester Recap!

Goodness! Have I been a terrible blogger or WHAT? I wonder if there's anyone left to read my random musings? It just goes to show you how difficult this semester has been. I truly have felt at my wit's end at some points and completely overwhelmed with all of my responsibilities. Some days I would break into tears, and other days I would feel completely triumphant knowing that I was handling so much.



In the end, I survived. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," right? I don't know that I feel particularly "strong," but I do feel relieved that the semester is over and that I came away with A's and a wealth of information (seriously--my brain runneth over).



Honestly, the absolute BEST thing that I did to improve my studies was to begin working at the school library as an assistant. It's so true that experience is the best teacher. It's been invaluable to be able to put theory into practice. I felt like I've had a true advantage over some of my fellow students who haven't yet had the chance to work in the day-to-day or continually learn from an experienced library media specialist as I do each week.



However, I will admit that working full-time has severely impacted my life. The job itself is not particularly stressful, but having less time to work on assignments, plan dinner, do housework, chauffeur children or just hang out with my husband has been stressful. There were many days that I just had to ignore the growing piles of dirty clothes and work on a collection development policy instead. I noticed that I had my hair trimmed less frequently (no time to make it to the salon), I rarely leave town during the week, and our healthy eating habits have started fading away. I did try to keep some things a priority. I didn't skip bedtime stories with the girls, I tried to keep a semi-regular exercise schedule and I tried to quit working on assignments in time to watch favorite television shows with the husband before bedtime.

So, the semester from Hades is over. Thankfully, I don't expect the spring semester to be quite so rough since I won't be taking as many hours and the workload shouldn't be quite so intense. Right now, I'm just trying to soak up some homework-free days and enjoy the holidays with my family before I get back to books...and blogging (I swear!). :)

Somwhere Between "Losing My Mind" and "Only Slightly Crazy"

Where in the world have I been? Well, those of you who are truly University Mamas and Papas wouldn't be asking that question because you know that my current location is somewhere between "Losing My Mind" and "Only Slightly Crazy." October and the first of November have been, in my experience, the hardest part of the school year (or any part of year, for that matter). On the personal end of things, our family begins to juggle basketball schedules, 4H competitions, holidays, special events at church and in the community, etc. It's like there is a mad dash to cram in a bunch of stuff while the weather is still partially nice and the Thanksgiving/Christmas rush hasn't started. On the school end of things, it always seems like the biggest projects and papers are due during October/November. Add all these things together, and you have a recipe for extreme stress overload.

I kid you not: there were many nights last month that I sat at my computer on the verge of tears and/or a heart attack. Okay...maybe not a heart attack, but perhaps a chest pain or two. You know the feeling where you could hyperventilate if you were the hyperventilating-type? You don't? Oh. Well, that's kind of what it felt like.

In summation, October was miserably stressful.

I quite literally survived by sending myself e-mails and setting alarms on my phone to remind me of things. Everything from orthodontist appointments to "thaw chicken" showed up in my phone and/or inbox.

Thank goodness for technology...and for a family who has stuck with me and chipped in throughout this crazy roller coaster ride. The best news is...the semester's almost done!!!


(P.S. If only I had one of those combo washer/dryers that begins drying a load after it's done with the wash cycle. That, my friends, is what I call harnessing the power of technology for REAL!)

This Is How My Brain Works Lately

i've got to finish my bibliography tongiht. i wonder if i have cited everything correctly. i really should double-check my guide. i need to email myself a reminder. i wonder what we should have for dinner? do we have any chicken in the freezer? do we have any milk? i really wish i had a big glass of chocolate milk right now. or milk chocolate! i have got to get my eating back under control. we were eating so much healthier when i wasn't working full time. wonder how i can keep my vegetables fresher longer. do they sell something for that? where am i going to find winter boots for the kids. what size do they wear now? i should just measure their feet. i need to keep a tape measure in my purse. or put their sizes into my phone. i wish i had a better phone. should i get a blackberry or an iphone or that new samsung thingy. has consumer reports reviewed them yet? i'd really like an iphone but i hear they're getting bad service. man, my back hurts. is it my shoes or plain ol' stress? i sure could use a massage. or a vacation. i'm really tired of whining about being tired and stressed. i wonder if next semester will be better. i hope so. because i'm tired. and stressed. wonder if there are any hershey bars left in the girls' halloween bags...?

The Homework Excuse

Do you ever find yourself using your student status to get out of obligations or events? I admit--I do it a lot. I'm not being dishonest when I say, "I really need to spend the weekend doing homework/studying," because there's ALWAYS something that I could be working on. However, in theory, it's entirely possible for me to set aside one evening and get all my work done so that I could enjoy a much-needed day off to sleep in, reorganize closets or just hang out with my family. While people may understand (and, indeed, pity) my full schedule, they don't seem as willing to accept a response of "I can't do [fill-in-the-blank] because I just need a day where I don't have anything scheduled." They may say, "Oh, I understand," but their eyes say, "You just don't want to do it." That's why I use the homework excuse like a crutch.

As I write, it is lunchtime on Saturday and I am still in my pajamas. I haven't accomplished much other than eating the great breakfast my hubby prepared and washing one load of clothes. I tried to go back to bed and get a little extra sleep; that didn't work, but I read a chapter of a non-assigned novel instead. Oh--and I made a trip to the grocery. I can think of a long list of things I NEED or COULD be doing, but I don't mind admitting that I need some laid-back days like this to keep my nerves in check.

I'm already beginning to wonder....what will life be like without the homework excuse to fall back on? I've been able to pass out the homework excuse for almost three years now. I think I'm going to miss it. I guess I'm going to have to learn the art of saying "no"--gasp!

Tiny Victories

It occurred to me that I spend too much time on this blog complaining. I tend to use it as a outlet for my frustration and exhaustion because I know many of you out there in blog land are nodding your heads and saying, "Amen, sister! I know exactly how you feel!" Yes, there are a lot of obstacles juggling a family, a full-time job and a (nearly) full-time class load. Yes, it can be overwhelming. Yes, it sometimes feels like full-time failure because so many things get left undone. It's easy for me to feel defeated at the end of the day because it never seems like my "to do" list gets any smaller. But despite what I sometimes feel, I still manage to accomplish some things.

For example, today I:

*mowed the lawn while my hubby was away on business
*had a "heart-to-heart" with The Eldest and dealt out some parental discipline (I feel like she's learned a lesson and it won't happen again)
*helped a teacher find some educational research to help validate a very important program at our school
*washed one load of laundry (hey, it's something)
*helped The Youngest get her pig-sty room cleaned up
*unloaded the dishwasher and started a new load
*cooked dinner (though sadly, it was lacking in any veggies...but it still counts!)
*read "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" for 15 minutes (my "pleasure reading" for the day)
*read my daily Bible Study
*exercised for 20 minutes (not including mowing the lawn)
*helped the kids with their homework
*read a bedtime story to The Youngest

Victory!!! Tiny victories, but victories nonetheless. From now on, I'm going to try to keep it all in perspective.

Three Day Weekends: We Should Have More of Them!

Labor Day always used to feel like a wasted holiday. It always falls a week or two after school starts (or only a few days after school starts, for some), and it made me wish we could save it for February or some other bleak month when there are no holidays. However, this year I must say I am very grateful for the 3-day weekend, and it couldn't have come at a better time. My coursework has been very heavy lately (hence no blogging, if you've noticed). Last Thursday night, I devoted the evening to finishing up some school projects so that I could enjoy my weekend without cracking a book.

The weird thing is, I have this compulsion to check the discussion boards for my classes constantly now that we are entirely online. It's as if I'm afraid I'm going to miss something. That being said, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to stay away from my laptop...but I did! I made it all the way to Sunday morning (when I just popped in to make sure my group member had posted our project on the discussion board). Progress! I got back on this evening, but only because I felt that I had done sufficient relaxing. I visited my sister and my best friend in Texas, went shopping, took the kids to the water park, played tennis with the hubby, read a book (for pleasure!), and [insert dramatic pause here]...I slept in this morning. Heaven!

I'm trying not to think about the upcoming weeks which look to be VERY busy both at work and at school. Why ruin a moment?

I just know one thing: three day weekends are wonderful, and we should have more of them!

Playing Catch-Up

Weekends are for rest and relaxation, right? Then why am I spending it playing "catch-up?" I'm catching up on homework, catching up on laundry, catching up on quality time with the kids...and I'm STILL not caught up! Maybe I should just accept the fact that I never will be. Motherhood seems to be one of those occupations where there is no "I'm finished!" moment followed by permission to kick up your heels and relax.

Still, I am feeling a bit better now that I started a day without being woken up by an alarm clock. It also feels good that I've somewhat gotten a handle on my homework. I am concerned about a couple of things (one being a group project--only two other people have communicated with me about it, we haven't started anything and it's due next week). I keep thinking that if I can just get through a couple of weeks, I'll begin to get back into the rhythm and flow of things....or at least figure out the homework schedule.

On the upside, I'm SO glad I took my professor's advice and dropped a class before the semester began. First of all, I'd never be able to handle 12 hours of classes and a full-time job (especially since the class was a research class).

Another piece of good news is that the Education class I am taking for my teacher certification does not have assignment due dates; the only rule is that assignments must be completed in corresponding order. Then again, maybe this is bad news. I'd really hate for December to roll around when I'm being blasted with the Christmas holiday rush and suddenly realize that I've put off all of those assignments while trying to stay afloat in my graduate classes!

At any rate, I don't feel guilty hanging out with my kiddos, watching iCarly and painting our toenails tonight. At least I've caught up enough to do that!

My Brain Feels Like Scrambled Eggs.

Let's see if I can make a cohesive sentence or two....

Have you ever felt like your brain is just a glob of scrambled eggs? Have you ever really tried to concentrate on something but felt like you were wading through a fog? Have you ever read one passage over and over in circles...and gotten nowhere?

This is how I've felt for the past few days. Actually, my days have been starting off fairly well. I'm not even complaining about the wee hours of the morning that I must get out of bed. But somewhere after 2 p.m., my thoughts become a little less defined. I think it's partly a drop in blood sugar, partly my body's realization that I need a nap and partly the thought of going home to tackle homework and grad school classes.

Since classes began last week, I have met my fair share of confusion and frustration. While I am truly thankful for web-based classes, they are the most frustrating thing in the world if you have a professor who is not on top of his/her game. You have to be VERY structured and VERY prepared if you are going to teach a web class. That, sadly, is not always the case. So, I have been dealing with the typical start-of-the-semester chaos AND trying to figure out, "Exactly what do you want me to do?" The latter has been made extremely difficult in some cases (in one class, we were given last year's syllabus...with last year's assignment deadline dates on them!). To make matters worse, some of my best study buddies that I meet at summer school have been moved into other class sections. (We are crying, "Conspiracy!"--lol!). I'm so thankful that I am not a first year student in this grad program or I would be lost. Sadly, I kind of know how things operate, so I just roll my eyes and keep on trudging through.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking of instituting a daily toast regimen to complement my scrambled egg brains. :)

The Week in Review

Exciting. Apprehensive. Overwhelming. Invigorating. Structured. Challenging. Exhausting. Fulfilling. Enjoyable. These are just a few words that describe my back-to-work experience this week.

A few people may wonder how a simple position as a library assistant could possibly be invigorating or fulfilling. I can hear it now, "Don't you just shelve and check-out books?" Um...no. There's actually much more to the job than that, but most people think that's all a bonafide librarian does anyway. However, because I am working on my master's degree in the field, I am privy to much more than a typical library assistant would be. I'm so excited to be working under a wonderful librarian who is basically treating the opportunity as a mentorship. We look at budgets and Accelerated Reader testing. We discuss policy and brainstorm on how the library could be rearranged. We are much more of a "team" than a typical librarian/assistant would be.

I have been pretty well exhausted this week, though. First of all, I'm not used to being on my feet all day. This is one aspect of the job that I didn't expect: I rarely get to sit because we are constantly busy and on-the-go all day. That adds to the tired I'm already feeling from trying to get back into a school sleep schedule rather than a "wake up when you want to" summertime schedule. I admit that I'm not doing very well on getting to bed early enough, but I have forced myself out early enough to get a tiny bit of exercise in (this week I need to work on doubling my exercise time).

My freezer meals have been a tremendous help so far. I'm already worried about running out of "goodies" because I either don't have time and/or energy to get to the grocery store after school.

I am a bit anxious about my grad school classes beginning this week. I'm taking nine hours this semester (glad I dropped one class earlier this summer; I could have never handled 12 hours and a new job!). I'm not exactly excited about coming home and getting started on homework when I have plenty of chores to take care of, dinner to cook and when I need to be supervising my children's homework/chores. I'm wondering where I will find the energy? Where will I find the time? The evenings are so short as it is...and we haven't even begun extracurriculars like soccer and piano lessons for the girls, yet. Still, I keep reminding myself that others are in the same boat. They lived and survived; so will I.

Too Tired to Blog

I have plenty to talk about since I started my new job & the kids have started back to school, but I'm too tired to type. Instead, I'll just share the most recent reason for smiling: my first publish in a "glossy" magazine. You can check it out on my photography blog HERE.

HI Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go...

Today's the day! I'm starting my new job as Library Assistant at our local school (K-12th grades). Wish me luck!

Preparing for a New School Year: Meal Planning

Recently, I mentioned that I was trying to make meal-planning a bit simpler. Well, apparently there's nothing like getting a full-time job to put your organizational efforts into hyper-drive! Here's what I've been doing to get prepared for the new school year:

Purse-Sized Meal Planning Grocery/Recipe Cards
Inspired after reading Nannygoat's 30 day meal plan, I downloaded some trendy & stylish recipe cards (here) and filled them out the most commonly eaten meals in our home. On the cards, I also included suggestions for vegetables and side dishes which are often a difficult decision in themselves. Since I made the JPG recipe cards and filled them out using Adobe Photoshop, I decided to send them to my local photolab for printing. I am slipping them into a small 4x6 photo album and will carry them in my purse. Now, when I'm out shopping, I can make sure I don't forget to buy that one pesky ingredient that I always seem to forget!

Once a Month Cooking (or OMAC)
I've heard a lot about Once a Month Cooking over the years. I've always meant to give it a try, but lacked the motivation and/or a free day to devote to cooking. However, the combination of the husband being out of town on Friday-Saturday and my desire to get things together before my first day on the job Monday gave me an opportunity to try it this weekend. The basic premise is that you buy groceries in bulk, spend a day cooking said groceries, package for freezing and enjoy your bounty of prepared meals out of the freezer for days to come. Many people actually try to make enough meals for an entire month, but I decided just to cook as much as I could and call it "good."

The most important part of this OMAC thing is the menu planning/grocery list stage. I spent many hours on the internet looking up recipes and tips for freezing. I found most of my recipes at recipezaar.com where you can search "OMAC" or "make ahead" and find loads of recipes. Some people plan their meals based on which meats are on sale, but I simply chose things my family would actually eat. Then, I made out a huge grocery list and divided it by the sections in our grocery store (fresh, cold, frozen, canned) to help find things quickly and easily. I was dreading the trip to the store. In my mind, I imagined that it would take hours on end to find everything. However, since I went at the end of a long day of back-to-school shopping and I was ready to get home, I simply stuck to my list and got out rather quickly. I was also dreading the final tally on the check-out receipt, but it was actually just bit over what a typical excursion to the grocery costs. (Another reason why people like OMAC: it prevents waste and saves money in the end.)

Saturday was cooking day, and--I'll be honest--it was a long one. I started cooking at 8 a.m. and finished at 4 p.m. I'm sure I could have been a bit better with my cooking organization and saved time, but my "method" was to look around and ask, "What needs to be cooked next?" I also had two little kitchen elves who were a great help (and it felt good to be teaching them some cooking skills). I had to overcome my desire to constantly clean up and, instead, waited until the end of the day to clean up just once (though I did wash some dishes along the way). I used all my resources including my trusty crock pot and my bread maker. Here's what I ended up with at the end of the day (links provided to the recipes I used):

*Meat for tacos/spaghetti
*1 Chicken & Rice Casserole
*10 Breakfast Burritos (will do more after we see how they taste post-freezer)
*Shredded chicken (to use in casseroles or soups)
*6 Calzones (using this bread maker dough recipe)
*Pulled Pork for sandwiches (frozen in individual servings for lunches)
*Chicken Relleno (a new recipe, but quite tasty)
*6 Hamburger Steaks
*2 packages of homemade chicken broth (left from cooking chicken)
*10 slices of breakfast sausage (ready to be microwaved for a quick meal)
*Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (thanks to my parent's overflowing garden--we made muffins instead of loaves)
*Fried Rice with Chicken (actually, I have the rice ready but I need to finish this meal today)
*2 packages of brown rice to be used as a side

I also froze pork chops and a roast beef that can be thawed and thrown into the crock pot. And, while I was at it, I decided to try my hand at Sticky Roast Chicken which I prepared and will be cooking for lunch today.

Yes, it was a long day, but I feel a little more under control and relieved knowing that, if all else fails, there is something in the freezer to eat!

Big Changes Ahead

First, I had to make the transition from "Mama" to "University Mama." Then, I had to get used to commuting three times a week rather than twice a week. Then, I had to figure out how handle summertime and summer school. After that, I had to get into "life-after-college" mode when I finished my undergraduate studies, and quickly transitioned into accepting "life-in-graduate-school." Then, there were the three weeks where I had to remember how to live in a dorm and eat in a college cafeteria. Yep, I'd say I've had to make plenty of changes and adjustments over the past three years....but none as big as this one.

After 11 years of being primarily a SAHM (stay at home mom), I'm going back to work full-time!

I was excited to learn that I'd been hired as a library aid at our school. This is excellent on-the-job training for me (not to mention that I'm now getting paid for practicum hours I needed to fulfill anyway). A great resume booster and I'll be working with a top-notch librarian. For someone in my position who is studying to be a librarian, you really couldn't ask for more.

While my photography business has kept me busy, I've never had a steady work routine. I've always had the freedom to schedule doctor's appointments or hair cuts during the day. I've never had to fight the crowds at the grocery store when the hungry masses are just getting off work. I've always been able to leave town for anything from funerals to visits to old friends without major scheduling issues, even while a student at the university. I realize that those days are over to some extent, and that I will have to make significant changes in the way I do things.

I guess a part of me is a little sad to see the SAHM part of my life pass by. It was good while it lasted, but my girls aren't so little anymore. Our plan was for me to stay home until our youngest went to kindergarten. I did, and now it's time for the next step in life. To be honest, I do perform better when I'm adhering to a fixed, regular schedule.

Then, there's the part of me who is nervous about juggling graduate studies with a full-time job. I've always felt sorry for my classmates, most of whom are full-time teachers trying to get homework done while finishing their lesson plans, too. Still, I should be grateful that as an aid, I will not have such a significant work-load. I don't even have to be at school on teacher in-service days or anything.

There are so many questions and ideas and plans rolling around in my head these days, I can hardly sleep. Monday--my first day on the job--will be here soon. I feel like there's so much to do to get ready!