My gut was right.
It is not the time of life for me to get a job.
Tuesday, Oct. 18, my friend and principal of our elementary school called. The woman who was the long term maternity sub in 4th grade wasn't coming back. She needed someone the next day and for three and a half weeks after that. Seeing as how I had turned her down to take the maternity leave in the first place, she asked me just to take Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She'd have someone else do Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I agreed. I can do anything for three and a half weeks.
And then things kept happening.
The afternoon after my first day of work, Cuckoo hit his head and got one nasty concussion. Memory loss and vomiting made things quite scary.
A week and a half later, exactly 3 hours after he was cleared for normal activity, he was dancing on one of the big boys' beds and fell off. He managed to slice his leg on the bed frame. Neither Bryan nor I were home, big kids rose to the occasion, and Cuckoo ended up with 21 stitches in his shin. He gets those out on Thursday.
Parties and appointments and 6 driving classes and Giant's soccer practices starting and Phoenix's volleyball practices starting and Turken's football team winning game after game in the playoffs and Buttercup's speech team competition (that I judged! (not her speech. Other participants.)) and illness my body was fighting with the little bit of energy I had left about did me in.
And then...
Tragedy.
The son of my former boss at the preschool where all of my kids attended and I taught passed away unexpectedly.
She didn't want us all to go to the funeral. She wanted us to keep the school open.
So on Tuesday and Thursday I was teaching preschool.
It's been a rough few weeks.
This one won't be any better.
But I wanted you to know that I didn't just disappear by choice.
Life got real around here.
I'll be done teaching 4th grade later this week.
I'm actually torn.
It has been wonderful being in an elementary classroom again.
I have enjoyed every minute.
I would love to stay.
Alas, now is not the time.
These last few weeks have proven what I already knew.
It just isn't the time.
My priority must be my family.
I can't be a great teacher and a great mom at the same time.
I want to be the greatest mom I can be.
I can be a great teacher another time.
Or not.
We'll see where life takes us.
One thing that has been beaten into me is the truth that we never, ever know what the next day, the next hour, the next minute will bring.
Have a lovely day!
