Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

I would like to think I am Supermom. But if I had a hero name based on life and skills, it would probably be more like Frazzle Mom!

Less this . . .

More this . ..

Granted, our falls are always busy - ArtGuy has his annual conference, which takes him away for a week (not to mention the countless hours of work beforehand, nights and weekends in addition to days). The kids are always busy. The past 4 years, Lego League is chugging ahead in the fall.

However, this fall has been far more busy than usual. I am not a person who takes pride in my busy-ness. I do not feel more accomplished the busier I am. In fact, I fall apart without some quiet time every day. I lose myself when I have no time for contemplation and reflection.

So, this fall has truly been a challenge. I took on a new job, as a preschool music teacher. It is only two mornings a week, but that is just official work hours. There is a lot of time spent planning lessons, learning music, burning CDs, making props, creating lesson plans, prepping. Way more time than I anticipated.

I do love it, though. The kids are adorable. I love sharing my love of music with them. True story - for the past two weeks, I was sharing the William Tell Overture with them. One week we did Part 3 - Ranz de Vaches and one week we did the classic Finale. I told them all about parts 1 and 2 (Dawn and the Storm). Most classes requested to hear parts of all four movements. Last week we listened to snippets of 1-3 (and all of 4). Most classes requested to go back and hear part 2, the Storm, again. They loved it! I love seeing them get excited about music.

I also received a nice affirmation. Our preschool was observed by assessors for accreditation, and they had some very nice things to say about how I was doing.

Yet, in spite of all those good things, I spend every day flying around, trying to make it to the next task. Lego League, preschool music, cantoring. choir, homeschool coop, kids' classes, and our own homeschool - it has been a very, very challenging fall.

I am trying very hard to not lose myself in it all. It has been a good lesson for me - appreciating each moment, not worrying about what is coming (much), giving myself a break.

Even now, I am baking oatmeal banana breakfast cups (the Young Adult got a huge box of overripe bananas from a food shelter who needed to get rid of them), prepping for our Lego meeting, doing laundry, taking quick breaks to dust and put junk that has accumulated all over the house away, supervise the 13-year-old shaving his mustache off, and starting school!


L'haim!