Let the year begin

Well we made it! Meet your teacher, Parker's first days at the sitter and the first two days of school are in the bag! Unfortunately added to the list of "firsts" is P's first big virus. That made every event so much harder. 

But...

We

Made

It.

I have 47 super sweet kiddos. 26 in my homeroom and 20ish in my afternoon class. I am excited to begin our first REAL week. The fun and games and "get to know you" stuff are great, but the meat of school really begins the first full week. I can't wait to dive in to teaching and developing the reading & writing skills of my 4th graders. 

Life is...tough. But I'm going to focus on the positive if it kills me. I think that's the key this year. There's always something to frown about...but I would guess that means there's always GOT to be something to smile about too. 

And...well...if I can't find that little positive thing- I'm going to try really hard just to keep my mouth closed. 

Happy Saturday 😎

UGH

So Parker baby is going to the sitter tomorrow. Granted it's only for half a day and it's at the home of a lady where two of my friends send their little girls. It has nothing to do with not trusting the sitter. I'm sure she's wonderful. It's the idea that I have to leave my baby. Leave. Like...walk away and trust that she will be just as sweet and innocent and full of belief that the world is a nice place that lives only to adore her after being with someone who's not me all day. 

Sweet Lord I'm going to be a hot mess. 

I know she's going to be fine. I know she's a good girl. I know she loves people. I just have this overwhelming desire to protect her. That's normal, right?

Maybe...by some chance Mikey will hit the lottery between now and Tuesday and I can be a stay at home mom. Maybe my school district will decide that it IS a good idea to bring your baby to the classroom when you teach. Maybe pigs will finally get their we'll deserved wings. 

There's always hope, right?

Say a prayer for my little family. Keep my precious girl in your thoughts as she goes out on her first big girl mission. And by all means, take an extra nerve pill for this Mama who is trusting and praying the hands that hold her sweet baby tomorrow will be full of love. 

Slowly

*I typed this last night but somehow forgot to post it...

The slow fade of Summer is speeding up. Tomorrow P & I will embrace unpacking a hellacious amount of stuff in a brand spankin' new classroom. When I say "we'll" be unpacking I mean; I'll be wading through boxes questioning my late-in-the-school-year packing process while she'll be plowing through the middle of EVERYTHING with the walker that somehow survived my childhood and was passed on to her by my grandparents. As freaking crazy as its going to be, I'm glad she'll be there. I'm not trading even one of my free days with her if I have the choice. ❤

My "peace-out Facebook" decision is going well. There's really no reason to carry my beloved phone around. I actually find myself wishing I had my camera instead of the phone now. While Parker baby still loves "I-stuff", I don't have to feel like I've ignored her 10x while I checked to see what someone else's kid is doing. I can watch that girl grow and change and just soak her the heck up. Guess what else. When I'm having a conversation (especially with my husband) I have the ability to make eye contact again. I'm not "listening" while I randomly post something to Facebook or check a status. What I'm learning is: the most important things...the things worth paying attention to- are happening right in front of me. And what's even more of a lesson is: the "thing" that's happening in front of me...is just as important even when I don't share it with the whole world. 

Mikey and I laid on the floor with Parks tonight while she played. Talk about a happy baby. We tickled and played with her some, but mostly we were just there. She loved it. We didn't have to DO anything. We were blessed with a hundred smiles and laughs; and we made the perfect prop for practicing her pulling up/standing skills. 

Dude, life is good. When I make that statement it's even after I've rolled my eyes or cursed under my breath as I've become exasperated throughout the day. Still, when the bell rings and the curtain comes down, life is good. Mike, P and I have a beautiful home, family & friends who love us and huge hopes and dreams for the future. I'm overwhelmingly thankful.

I urge you to give it a try. Put down that phone. Lay in the floor and play with your kid. Go for a jog (or 50 if you are doing the 50 Day challenge) with your husband. Look someone in the eye and have a convo without an electronic device nearby. You just might hear yourself uttering the statement, "Life is good" as you wrap up an ordinary Monday. 

Unplugged

A crazy thought keeps entering my mind. It's unheard of. It's bizarre really. I think it's time to...dare I say it? Put down my phone and unplug. There so rarely is a time you look at someone and don't see an electronic device. I am the world's worst. The hubs and I have our phones glowing so often even Parker baby is interested (interested is an understatement...that girl is obsessed with getting ahold of her Mama or Daddy's phone). I love my phone...but sites like Facebook have become a bit of an obsession. I check it too too often. 

The way I see it, I waited quite a while for this little family I have. This little girl and the sweet hubs I've been blessed with are worth my undivided attention. Plus, there are things I'm missing out on (like reading and blogging/writing) that I'd like to get into again. 

So on this eve of Parker baby's 7month birthday, I'm writing to tell the Facebook world, "See ya later." I'll definitely be back once school is underway and I've started learning how to better balance life (although I think that may ALWAYS be a work in progress). You can follow me on Instagram (runthrulife) though (I use it to edit pics of P) or on twitter (amc_runnergirl), I haven't got in to that enough to allow it to rule my world yet...plus I think I want to use it in my classroom. 

Before I go I must reflect and share a bit of what month six with this precious girl has held:

First--Crawling (although it resembles more of a crazy inch worm wiggle...she's all over the place) 

Sitting herself up to play

A sweet little razor sharp tooth (who knew such a tiny little thing would be so cute!?)

Two words (or as she says them PHRASES): "Mamamamama" and "Dadada" 

A black eye. 

And get this- at the end of the month; pulling up to EVERYTHING (which hopefully explains the black eye).

After that list, I bet this "get off Facebook for a bit" decision doesn't surprise anyone. Sweet little Parker baby requires ENERGY. 

Peace out Facebook. See ya soon. Follow the blog, friends. Or jeez...just call/text me. If I don't answer give me a bit...I've got a baby to chase down and kiss!