Hi Folks! Happy Saturd… I mean… Sunday! I know, I know. Another week without my promised freebie post. I need to get better at this, or maybe I need to just stop making promises.
Today I’m going to take a page from my lovely friend, Miss DeCarbo, and engage in a little real talk.
If you’ve been following me at all, you probably know that I had a beautiful baby girl in April and was on maternity leave through the end of the school year. That meant that I was home with my baby from April until September when we begin school. It was SUCH a blessing, and I am so thankful for all of my time with my sweet baby girl.
This past week was our first week officially back. I had gone previously to set up my room, but brought my cutie with me.
Can I just tell you, even though I know I got WAY more time than most moms get, it still didn’t feel like enough. Leaving my daughter ALL day when she had never been away from me for more than an hour was more than tough. It was almost unbearable. I love teaching, but it has been a tough week back. I love my new class, I love being back in first (although I forgot what a difference there is between first and second!), but all day long, I feel a little tugging on my heart. Constantly in the back of my mind, I’m thinking about if my baby is okay, if she’s eating, if she’s napping, if she’s crying and I’m not there for her.
It. Is. Tough.
I never realized how tough it is to be a mom and a teacher. I am entrusted with the responsibly of educating other people’s babies all day long, and I am honored to do so, but it is so tough to be surrounded by other people’s kids when yours is somewhere else. I know it will get easier (or maybe not), but I have a new appreciation for moms with kids.
I know so many mommies who have had to miss their own child’s back to school night, first day of kindergarten, etc etc because of their own school responsibilities. My heart breaks for them. I know that that’s life, but there’s something uniquely difficult about missing a milestone in your child’s life while contributing to other children’s milestones. I am honored to do it, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
From the second I pick my daughter up from the sitter until the second I put her to bed, all I want to do is hold her and play with her so I don’t miss any more than I have to. It might mean that I’m up late each night and extra early each morning to get my school work done, but it’s worth it to spend every second I can with her right now.
So, that’s why there’s no freebie post this week. I haven’t been able to motivate myself to do much besides snuggle my sweetheart when she’s awake. And in fact, I hear her waking up from her nap, so it’s time for me to run and steal smiles and snuggles.
I’m going to stop making promises I can’t keep. I do have freebies to share with you, a classroom to reveal, and back to school ideas and freebies I’ve used as well. And I will in the coming weeks… at some point. But they’ll have to wait until the baby is sleeping and my schoolwork is done.
