3.30.2005

Why do they call Spring Break a vacation...

when all you do is work? We went to the Grand Canyon last week and had a great time. The canyon was breathtaking, and we didn't have to drive around because we went on one of the tours. They picked us up at our hotel in Flagstaff, drove us around to all the great spots, provided lunch, and dropped us off back at the hotel. The only thing we had to pay for was souveniers, which we got a lot of. We also walked around old Flagstaff, and went to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert, both gorgeous also!

But it seems that I came back from vacation even more tired than before I left! Poor Aislin was in shock because she didn't get to sleep in her crib. Justin and I had her between us and for 3 hours she kept standing up and flopping herself down on the pillow. Not much sleep for any of us for 3 nights let me tell you! I had nightmares about Alyssa falling into the canyon because she's so jumpy. She jumped down the stairs at one of the lookouts. Good thing I wasn't at that particular lookout at the time or I would have dropped down dead of a heart attack!

Then of course there's laundry to do and a cat to console when you get home. I swear every time I go away for a few days, Shadow tries to punish me. Sometimes she pees on my bed or leaves a bunch of hairballs. Most times she just ignores me for several days, just so I know who the queen of this family is.

I've been doing more updating my blog than actually writing in it the last few days. It was a little blah to me, so I wanted to put a little entertainment value with it. I like it! Plus I've been stitching constantly, much to the chagrin of my students who turned in papers before spring break. I'll get to them, I promise! Since I don't stitch at all during the day until the girls go to bed, I stay up pretty late to stitch. I like the quiet after a long day. But I'm really tired.

I actually look forward to dying sometimes...maybe I can actually get some sleep then!

3.18.2005

Old age or just plain lazy?

I just realized that it's been almost four months since I've posted anything. Not that there wasn't anything fascinating happening in my life by any means. I just wasn't feeling very creative for a while. I did finish my sister's wedding sampler, and got a model stitching job with Stoney Creek. But I've just been feeling withdrawn and well...lazy.

I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to have a child in my 30's. I had Alyssa when I was 23. I had Aislin when I was 33. Big difference. I'll be 35 in a couple of weeks but I feel much older. Where on earth did I get the energy when I was 23? I had tons of it then. Sleep? Who needed it? Now I feel like an old, tired lady who could sleep for 3 weeks. Not that I don't work just as hard to be a mom to Aislin. I'm a great mom! It just seems much harder to keep up with her than I did with Alyssa.

Which brings me to what I have been thinking about for a few months...I think I am going to go back to school to get an alternative teaching license. I do have an MA in literature and have been teaching college freshman composition for 7 years. But since I live in such a small town, full-time teaching positions are at a minimum. A couple classes a semester doesn't cut it anymore. I don't get any benefits, and the pay is very low. 1200 dollars per class per semester does nothing more than depress me, because I have to use credit cards a lot and after bills are paid there's very little, if any, money left over. But if I go get a license, I will have full-time employment with benefits, and still be able to teach a night class if I feel like it. I will only have to take 6 classes and do a semester of student teaching here in the high school and will get an alternative license to teach public school. Then I just have to teach for 3 years under the supervison of a mentor and will be granted a "regular" license with all the perks. I'd rather do that then take a bunch of education classes.

I haven't discussed it with DH yet. He's been pretty busy at work and just comes home and falls asleep. Poor baby.