Why I Love (Christmas) Vacation, Especially This Year
1. I haven't thought about school one bit. Really, Thursday was the first time. I spent a couple of hours in my classroom. I didn't accomplish enough. I am behind where I wanted to be and am a little concerned. And guess what? Teachers are always a little behind and a little concerned. I bet I'll survive. And my students will still learn. So I'm blogging, not prepping. (Okay, so I spent another hour or two working today. It's not enough, but it's okay. And blogging is way better than okay.)
2. I've been a homemaker. Okay, so there are things about that word that used to really bug me. I used to say "I am a MOTHER, not a homemaker!" It's true: After a couple years of playing house, I didn't really want to be a homemaker. I'm not crafty. I don't believe in doing chores for my family; instead, I taught my kids to do chores. I've done a lot of delegating. I take no pride in having everything squeaky-clean all the time; I gave up those tendencies along the way because I wanted to live, not be a slave to my house. I do like to cook and bake, but I grow tired of that because feeding a family is an endless job. (Although, realistically, I should be grateful. We have an abundance of food in our home. And I should thank God for that.) And then there's laundry. Is there really any mother who loves laundry? In spite of these things, I've liked being a homemaker these last weeks. I've cooked--a lot-- and I spent 2 full days baking, and I've tried to clean and organize. It's been nice to have time for those things. (At the same time, it's a little disconcerting to realize how much I could still do. That's okay; I'm trying to focus on the positive. So, yes, I've been home, and I've loved it.)
3. It's been cold and wintry. I'm not a huge fan of frigid temps, but Christmas break is a great time for snow. The past week has reminded me of home, and I'm okay with the snow (For now. I don't want it in March or April.) And, though we've been inside a lot, we've also gone sledding (and been told by the police not to drive our 4-wheeler in town), blasted off rockets, worked on cars, and done a lot of shoveling. Oh, yah, my kids have earned money shoveling. The snow's been a blessing.
(This is after snowfall #1, not #2. Now there's much more.)
4. We weren't broke this year. Okay, it's been a long time since we've really been broke. But there have been a few years where I've felt like the kids have enjoyed their gifts & received stuff they really wanted. This was one of those years. And we made a trip at Thanksgiving. Again, we are blessed.
5. Jared was home a lot. Which means that I have seen a lot of him. Which is a good thing. We even took this picture of us.
6. I found opportunities to do service. Before going to work full-time, I told myself that when that day came, I would prioritize and save room for the Church. I knew that the Gospel should be a priority, and I saw friends who went to work and became way too busy. That said, while in YW I struggled to get to mid-week activities. I sometimes had meetings on Wednesdays (induction meetings , ALT P (licensure) meetings--all stuff I have to do to get my license). I felt a little bad about the way I was doing my calling. And then I went a few months without a "real" calling (I do teach temple prep occasionally, and I am a visiting teacher, but I wanted to be busier in the Church.) We had the opportunity to watch kids for two days. I felt good about that.
2. I've been a homemaker. Okay, so there are things about that word that used to really bug me. I used to say "I am a MOTHER, not a homemaker!" It's true: After a couple years of playing house, I didn't really want to be a homemaker. I'm not crafty. I don't believe in doing chores for my family; instead, I taught my kids to do chores. I've done a lot of delegating. I take no pride in having everything squeaky-clean all the time; I gave up those tendencies along the way because I wanted to live, not be a slave to my house. I do like to cook and bake, but I grow tired of that because feeding a family is an endless job. (Although, realistically, I should be grateful. We have an abundance of food in our home. And I should thank God for that.) And then there's laundry. Is there really any mother who loves laundry? In spite of these things, I've liked being a homemaker these last weeks. I've cooked--a lot-- and I spent 2 full days baking, and I've tried to clean and organize. It's been nice to have time for those things. (At the same time, it's a little disconcerting to realize how much I could still do. That's okay; I'm trying to focus on the positive. So, yes, I've been home, and I've loved it.)
3. It's been cold and wintry. I'm not a huge fan of frigid temps, but Christmas break is a great time for snow. The past week has reminded me of home, and I'm okay with the snow (For now. I don't want it in March or April.) And, though we've been inside a lot, we've also gone sledding (and been told by the police not to drive our 4-wheeler in town), blasted off rockets, worked on cars, and done a lot of shoveling. Oh, yah, my kids have earned money shoveling. The snow's been a blessing.
(This is after snowfall #1, not #2. Now there's much more.)
4. We weren't broke this year. Okay, it's been a long time since we've really been broke. But there have been a few years where I've felt like the kids have enjoyed their gifts & received stuff they really wanted. This was one of those years. And we made a trip at Thanksgiving. Again, we are blessed.
5. Jared was home a lot. Which means that I have seen a lot of him. Which is a good thing. We even took this picture of us.
6. I found opportunities to do service. Before going to work full-time, I told myself that when that day came, I would prioritize and save room for the Church. I knew that the Gospel should be a priority, and I saw friends who went to work and became way too busy. That said, while in YW I struggled to get to mid-week activities. I sometimes had meetings on Wednesdays (induction meetings , ALT P (licensure) meetings--all stuff I have to do to get my license). I felt a little bad about the way I was doing my calling. And then I went a few months without a "real" calling (I do teach temple prep occasionally, and I am a visiting teacher, but I wanted to be busier in the Church.) We had the opportunity to watch kids for two days. I felt good about that.
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