Anyway, I am officially a stay-at-home mom now! My replacement has been hired, and he spent the day with me in the classroom yesterday, so that I could fill him in on everything and "pass the torch," so to speak. The whole day was completely surreal. For one, it was pouring rain, which never happens here. So things were odd to begin with. Then, the kids were kind of wild. They are a really good class, so I think it was a combination of the rain plus the whole losing-one-teacher-and-getting-another thing. Still, so many of them brought me little presents and cards, which they kept sneaking onto my desk throughout the day. I really did feel loved by those little boogers, and I won't lie-- I got a little misty-eyed on more than one occasion. The craziest part was right before the bell rang at the end of the day. They had already packed up, and were waiting for me to dismiss them by table group. I started to say a little something-- you know, my final farewell. Before I knew it, they had all rushed the front of the classroom and were crushing me (literally) in this giant group hug. ha! The new teacher helped me pry them all off, and then I hugged everyone goodbye in a more orderly fashion. Still, it was really sweet. Even if it made my ribs hurt.
But yes. I am no longer a teacher (well, in the professional respect... I don't think one ever STOPS being a teacher). It feels really strange to think of myself that way, after working so hard to get hired into this amazing school district where job openings are so rare, and then being at the same school for seven and a half years. I have been a teacher for ten and a half years, which is almost a third of my entire lifetime! It's just so strange to think that, come Monday morning, school will continue as usual, and I won't be there! I think it's going to take a while to really sink in.
At the same time, I am so, so, SO excited for what the future holds. Being a stay-at-home mom is something I have gotten a taste of every summer, and I LOVE having the time to be "teacher" to my own babies and watch them grow. We are going to have such an amazing adventure together in the Frozen North, haha! I look forward to meeting other moms when Nikos starts preschool, setting up playdates, and volunteering at school. Not to mention hopefully spending more time on my fledgling photography business, so that I can really get it going once both kids are in elementary school.
Anyway, I think it is going to be an adjustment, and I have no delusions about staying at home being "easy." Running the household and raising the kids will become my new job. And cleaning that sucker will take a good chunk of time, too, because it's huuuuge! So I know I have my work cut out for me, and am excited. But still, it is weird. I can't think of a better word than that, haha!
At any rate, it's time for bed. I have been packing all day, and need to do the same again tomorrow. Gus took the kids up to his parents' house this evening, since his dad's birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday, Nick!). I've been taking advantage of the kids being gone to get their rooms all packed... which has, in turn, made me very sad. I am going to miss this house, and all the memories we made here. sigh...
On a happier note, here are some pics of me and my babies from dinner tonight (we went to McD's... super healthy, I know. There's going to be a lot of that this week, I'm afraid!):
P.S. I meant to talk about my two "moments of weirdness." One was yesterday when school ended. I finally managed to pack my stuff up and was all set to leave (to go to the Happy Hour in my honor)... but the new teacher showed no signs of leaving. It totally hit me that this was HIS classroom now, and he wanted to stay to really look through things, get his bearings, etc. SO WEIRD! Then, this morning, I realized I was out of ink in my printer. I need to print out some more labels for the moving boxes. I thought, "Oh, I can just do that in my classroom..." Um, no. I can't! I don't even have the keys to get into the school anymore. I repeat: WEIRD!
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