The Working Graduate Student Care-taking Piano-Playing Organic-Gardening Mom

I have a lot of titles these days.  First, I'm a mom.  A relatively new title in the scheme of things as baby is only ten months old.  This means that my evenings are filled with play time, walking practice, crawling, nursing (and so much of it), feeding, bathing, bedtime stories, laughing, crying and eventually bedtime.  I love my little one like nothing else in the world, but the sweet release that comes with bedtime is akin to what I imagine people on drugs must feel like after the first hit.  Its not her fault, I want to play and interact and bond and nurse, but while she's the most central part of my life, there is a lot of life competing for that number one spot.  This job coincides with my other job of being a wife.  I'm a great wife.  I remember important things, say nice stuff, indulge in thoughtful gestures and gifts and remember to speak my mind but do so in a way that won't permanently damage our relationship later when I'm not mad anymore.

Secondly, and second in the life-competing competition, is that I am a teacher.  My days are filled with hard work, singing, love, discipline, grading, testing - sorry, assessing, and occasionally teaching.  My grades come home with me (although admittedly less than they use to thanks to babykins), my lesson plans haunt me when I try to sleep and I spend a lot of time wondering if I actually taught anyone anything today.  Its a taxing job and it comes with a lot of negatives, but while I hate some of the tedious paperwork parts of my job, I LOVE the part where I'm teaching real students.  Kids who live in big houses and have loving parents, kids who don't.  I love them.  I care if they learn, I care if they succeed and I miss them when they go.  Like bedtime, there is something about the end of the school year that just calls for a sigh of relief.  People who say teachers are lazy have never spent 10 months raising teaching 30 (or in my case 650) other people's children with the constant threat of being fired hanging over their head and then gone on to do it for another 30-50 years.  

Third, and related to teaching, is graduate student.  I'm in an odd situation in which I am simultaneously attending teacher induction programs and also racing to get 24 credits completed by the end of the school year.  See, in Pennsylvania teachers fresh out of college have six long years of active service to get their requirements for their Level II (or permanent) teaching certificate.  I had one year, then 6 months of long term subbing, followed by a few months of day to day subbing, followed by more long term subbing until December of 2012 when I was finally officially hired.  Being a sub does not count against your 6 years.  Being a long term sub apparently does.  I found that out with two years to go and only 3 credits under my belt (and no teacher induction certificate, another requirement).  For those of you still reading, that meant 21 credits in slightly under 2 years.  And then I decided it was time for a baby.  I like a challenge.  I will finish the last two classes online simultaneously on June 22nd of this year, 12 days after the last day of school but two months before the paper work needs to be processed (here's hoping PDE gets to it by then... I wish I was kidding here!) and 10 days after the baby turns a year old.

I also keep our house relatively clean (the definition of which has changed dramatically around here), keep the 3 cats and 10 chickens (6 of whom are babies who were living in our office until two weeks ago) alive and relatively happy.

I've also taken on piano lessons.

And an organic garden.

Also, I'm a bridesmaid in the wedding of one of my dearest friends in three weeks.

Until now I didn't really think I had taken on that much, but all of a sudden I understand why I am so exhausted (yes, the baby sleeps now).

And Jenn, if you read this, I am totally stealing this photo from you because it is from one of my favorite episodes and is to date the only episode that has ever made me tear up (although everything does that now.  Which is totally unfair because I thought that was supposed to stop.).

Homer covers the original message, "Don't forget, you're here forever." It hangs in his office as a reminder of what's actually important in life..