There I was, letting my mind wander toward the end of an early dinner. The No-Nap Fairy visited this afternoon, and someone was at the end of his cheerful disposition for the day. But dinner is typically a cure-all, so while the boys sat there chatting to no one in particular, my brain turned to other things.
I wondered whether I should write more about teachers and their unions, which would indeed get me going long past my ten-minute time limit. Perhaps I should counter yesterday’s complaints about Task Lists with all the reasons why I AM excited to be back in the classroom, long weekends notwithstanding.
That brought me to the happy topic of how much more balanced life feels now most days. I love being the one that gets to kiss and hug the boys and walk out the door as a professional. I smile as I greet 23 students each morning. I have a bit of a skip in my step when I exit the building at 12:30 and pick up my boys at their own amazing schools. I read them a book and send them off to their rooms for Quiet Time, which is supposed to include a nap for the little dude. I change from teacher clothes into mom clothes and set out a snack for when they get up.
This afternoon the boys biked (or tricycled) up to the park. We laid on the grass and just looked up at the blue sky through the trees.
They gathered sticks and climbed trees and did all those unstructured pastimes children are supposed to do, which are all fun and games until someone almost gets a poke in the eye, at which point we tricycle home.
So I was pondering all of that, wondering if I managed to snap a decent picture with my phone at the park, thinking of how nice it would be to post something balanced for a change…
…when suddenly my reverie was interrupted by a spoonful of stir fry dumped in my lap.
Ah, back to reality: so much less glamorous than the rosy picture I just painted, but probably more entertaining.
hahaha! Thanks for the peek, I’ve been wondering how things were going.
I think that I rather enjoyed BOTH versions—especially the “poke in the eye” comment. (what a visual–no pun intended)
One time, when they were small, I got thrown up on right after lunchtime. They’d had SpaghettiOs.
And even though that experience was vile, I still miss every single second of those days when they were small and we watched the clouds drift by, just my three lovely little girls and their mama.
Now that they’re halfway to grown, thankfully, I don’t get thrown up anymore and life is still sweet, but those days held an extra special bit of tenderness in them.
Enjoy your boys.
Even with the stir fry sounds good to me! Way to go mama! Congrats on having such a positive and balanced day!:)
Looking at the picture is very calming. It’s nice to see you back here writing too.