Staying Positive

Needless to say, it was a tough first week back at work. First, I was on a bad sleep schedule not nice for waking up at 5:30am. Second, the holidays have passed me by. From October to December 31st, I really enjoy myself--baking, the seasons of change, the holiday celebrations and traditions, etc. Finally, my kids don't do well with a break in the schedule.

The first week back made my classroom felt like a war zone. The security guards agreed with me on Wednesday.

However, I am feeling more positive than I have in quite some time. Since it's the new year, I know it won't be too long before some changes happen that will make my life less stressful. As I continue to pray for these things, I try to focus on how to make each day the best it can be...and I try to focus on not being negative. I am more toward that "glass half empty" than "glass half full"...

I can't wait to see what the new year will bring!

So far, the new year has brought fun with our family and next weekend one of my very best friends is coming to visit us for the weekend...what a great way to start January! November and December were so stressful it is just even more wonderful to have a less stressful month.

Despite the drama this week, I managed to not be injured by any of it and somehow, I have managed to not become ill despite my husband and 7 of 9 students being sick. Now THAT is a true miracle!

Over the break I finally managed to catch up with scrapbooking--I made 4 whole books (and 3 trips to Joann's) during the break! Talk about being productive! My next project will be for the house--I bought wooden picture frames to paint in a "ROYGBIV" formation--I am thinking about doing that at some point this month, but we shall see.

I am so thankful for God granting these great positive things to me this January. It is so easy to fall back into the same patterns. I am reading through the Bible again (I love apps on cell phones!) and reading about Abram-->Abraham...thinking...yes, we love repeating patterns. It's bad enough I like things arranged in a certain way!

Thankful for the newness of the new year!

2012

A new year.

365 days.

12 months.

4 seasons. (Kind of)

A new chapter.

It's been a wonderful holiday break and I am sad to see it go...but if Christmas and New Year's has passed...at least we're moving on toward the summer break!

Woo hoo! It's been a fast 2011, and now we're getting ready for a busy, enjoyable 2012!

Praying for snow, more family times, and lots of excitement.

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Christmas Break

These days, it seems like I only have time for writing when I have a holiday...the last time I wrote was during my Thanksgiving break from work!

Here I am, finally enjoying my Christmas break. It's already the 2nd weekday of the 2-week experience, and I am already dreading January 3rd.

It seems that time up until the break DRAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGS like a parent up at 3am on Christmas morning....but once the break arrives, time passes by as fast as you can say, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!"

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate my job, but I do hate the stress that it causes. Working 12+ hours a day, 5 days a week, gets to be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining after months on end. While I understand and appreciate perseverance as a good character trait, I also appreciate the idea of rest. However, it seems that others need me when I want to be resting. Even in my "absence" of leaving campus, I get calls from the principal. In the two days I took off after a full year, I had emails galore and a few disasters to fix. Bummer.

REST.

This is a foreign word to me. Even when I am exhausted and already extremely busy, it is very difficult for me to say "no" when someone needs my help or asks me to do something. I know my natural instincts: HELP EVERYONE, FORGET YOUR NEEDS.

But somewhere in there, I miss the fine line between "just the right amount of help" and "over-concern."

I just can't say no.

I love helping people. Ever since I was a young child, I have had interest in "helping" professions. Never did I once choose a profession to "be my own" that didn't involve some sort of crazy, super-human exertion: doctor, lawyer, SPED teacher...Peace Corps, missionary.

Here I am many years later....over-worked, tired, burned out.

And I've only been at this for 4.5 years!!

Supposedly, things get better with age....I am praying that over time, this temporary career becomes less burdensome. I love to help and support my students, but I know that I need to take care of myself, too.

In the meantime, I am finally celebrating the season: gingerbread houses, Christmas trees, an upcoming Christmas Eve service...all things that I look forward to about Christmas.

I can be very thankful to have made it to this Christmas and be blessed with being able to see without things appearing to be in "doubles...." very thankful indeed. I can also be very thankful that I have managed to survive my job to this point despite lots of drama and some very tough, challenging students.

But the thing I can be most thankful for is this: that where my strength gives out, God's strength does not. When my patience gives out, God's patience does not. When my will to keep going gives out, God's does not.

....and when all my enemies are stacked against me, God is there. I know He is. He is the reason I've made it thus far and the reason that I will keep going and do so (to the best of my ability) with integrity.

I am VERY VERY thankful for God.

Christmas

We were decorating for the holidays and I brought....

An advent calendar
Basket
Cookies
Doughnut
Eggnog
Fir tree
Gingerbread house
Hohoho
Icicles
Jack and the beanstalk
Kit-kats shaped like Santa
Lemongrass smoothie
Milk
Noel
Oreos dipped in white chocolate
Peppermint pattie
Queens tea
Reindeer
Snowflakes
Truffles
Underside of a Christmas tree
Velcro
White Christmas
Xylophone
Yuletide cheer
Zeal for Christmas.

Apparently, we really enjoy playing this game on the road. We have a tree on top of our car and we are almost home to decorate!!!

Skiing toward the holidays...

Well, it's been a hot minute since I blogged! Oops!

Here is our car game:

I'm on a ski trip to Whistler and I brought...
Andes mints
Base
Coats
Deodorant
Eyeballs
Furs
Gourds
Hats
Ice scraper
Jug of water
Kit-Kats
Lemons
Marshmallow fluff
Nanook
Opossum
Poles
Quail
Ring
Stuttering Stanley
Turkey
Upset stomach
Vacuum
Watercress sandwich
Xenophobic person
Yoyoma
Zebra

We made it all the way to the end!!

Over the river and through the woods, to whistler we go!