Meet my new best friends!

I accidentally rejoined the workforce today! I’ve been a substitute teacher at a local school district this year, but with absolutely no warning I was offered a long-term position today. Basically that means even though I don’t have a teaching degree, I’ll be a real teacher until they can hire someone to take over. I have one day to fix up my room a little (some of the other teachers actually decorated it for me –lifesavers!), write lesson plans for at least the rest of the week,  drive to Phoenix to actually pick up my sub certificate, and basically learn completely different systems for teaching math and English than I’ve ever used before. It’s pretty overwhelming, but I think I can do it!

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about working so much again. It feels super weird to think about leaving the boys with a sitter, and the idea of leaving them for that long makes me really sad. I also feel bad that we won’t be able to do a lot of the activities I had planned for weekday mornings — story time at the library, swimming, play dates, and just generalized snuggle time. On the other hand it’s not a permanent position, it’s just until they find a real teacher. I think having to work that often for a little while might help me appreciate being able to stay home with the kids more, and help reset my stress levels. I love them with all my heart, but they’re like a constant tornado that’s super hard to keep up with. A friend of mine suggested that having to be away during the day for a while might make me appreciate my little tornadoes in a different way, and help me be more relaxed. I hope she’s right!

With the exception of a renewed addiction to energy drinks and once a week popcorn at the movie theater, my diet has actually been pretty good this week. The pre-portioned freezer meals have been a huge help on busy days, and I really appreciate how everything is packaged separately so I can choose different flavor pairings and not get bored. It’s also probably the cheapest prep we’ve ever tried, which is nice because we’re trying to pinch pennies a bit right now. Having the hubby open a martial arts school will be absolutely amazing, but I’d prefer to eat frozen veggies instead of a salad every day if it saves us some money until the business is established.

Now that the loft is organized, I wanted my desk to be the next project. The fewer piles of papers and books left around the less trouble the boys can get into, which obviously makes my life easier. I even found a place for all of our library books/movies so none of them are misplaced, and the back corner of my desk has been reserved for my sewing machine. I haven’t done a ton in terms of making my own clothes yet (I’ve just been repairing what we already have to extend their lifespan) but I really want to start making that a priority. I feel like having it out like that will help remind me to make time for sewing. I think it would look better without the box, but I prefer to keep intricate controls and needles well hidden until the kids are older.

It’s a little hard to tell because I have everything set out to work on my lesson plans, but there are no piles of anything, anywhere! Everything has a place, and the whole desk is clear for me to spread out any projects. 🙂 That may not sound like a big deal, but it’s huge for me.

I’ve made a little progress on the laundry, but sadly it’s still not caught up. I’ll be up at 5 working on it right after my workout though, because with me starting a full-time job this week I really need to make sure the house is super organized for everything to keep running smoothly.

This week’s projects/goals — catch up the laundry, workout 4-5 times, finish lesson plans for the next 2 weeks, review every teaching tool/website I have access to, and keep the kitchen clean and organized. I have a tendency to fall behind on laundry and dishes when I get busy and to skip workouts, so I’ll need to stay motivated and not procrastinate! 🙂

Are any of you teachers? Any (free) online resources you’d recommend for a long-term sub?

What projects are you trying to finish before summer ends/school starts?

Linking up with Meghan, Faith, and Naomi.