The Blog is Back...

I really wanted to title this, "The Blog is Back" followed by an alliterative expletive because I have a very twisted and dark sense of humor, but I decided to keep it a little more PC for my first day back at the blog drawing board.  So, instead of calling my blog by the aforementioned title, I told you a quick story about what I wanted to call it; therefore, you can now imagine that this post is titled as such, but I still come off as looking slightly more classy... maybe?  If you are reading this thinking, "What the heck is she talking about?" welcome to a small sampling of the ramblings that constantly go on inside my brain while I pretend to be a normal, functioning member of society outside of it.

Eh, being classy is overrated...

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So, has it really been just under a year and a half since my last blog post?  Don't you hate rhetorical questions with obvious answers?

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What can I say?  Life happens/happened.  This is a sentiment peppered throughout various posts on my pitiful excuse for a blog, but in all seriousness... in this year and some odd months... life got CRAZY!

The last time I blogged, I was giving up Facebook for Lent... in 2013.  I mentioned all of these grand plans of being a blogging fiend during my weeks of Facebook withdrawal, and to be perfectly cliche, as many of "the best laid schemes of mice and men" often do, this pie in the sky dream went straight down the toilet.

In my defense, I was just about 5 months pregnant when I wrote my last entry, and as if the pressures of impending parenthood aren't daunting enough, I was told not long after this post that I would be switching teaching assignments AGAIN.  So, picture this:  a very pregnant lady told she has to move classrooms and teaching assignments for the third time in five years of teaching (which means somehow moving boxes while 9 months pregnant and somehow mapping out a whole new curriculum during her first few months of motherhood), all of this happening right around the time of the stress-filled insanity that is standardized testing season, and all while she is trying desperately to finish up classes to meet her Level II teaching requirements so that she does not get suspended or lose said teaching job.  Well, that pregnant lady was me, so I don't have to imagine.  In addition to all of this, I had just very recently, before that post, quit my weekend job of wrapping silverware for a local restaurant because, not only was I too pregnant to lift heavy trays of silverware, but my position had become redundant; if it weren't for those two reasons, I would probably still be teaching full-time and wrapping on the weekends.

No, not THAT kind of rapping on the weekends...

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Needless to say, I was a very, very busy and very, very pregnant lady, and so, when push came to shove and I had to let some things slide, of course, writing was the first thing to go because it was my "leisure" activity.  However, when writing goes, so does my sanity.  It's a vicious cycle really.

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Then, of course, motherhood happened.  For me, parenthood has been the most amazingly crazy joyride ever.  Parenting is not for everyone, but for me, it really put life into perspective.  I learned to put off things that were not absolutely essential in order to make room for those that were.  I learned to prioritize my time (still working on that, but getting better daily).  I learned how much I really can accomplish in a day, not even because I want to, but just because I HAVE to.  I learned just how much love I was capable of feeling and to what lengths I was truly willing to go to in order to care for those I love the most.  I learned sacrifice.  I learned true selflessness.  Being a mother (or a father) is a FULL-TIME JOB!  So, being a working mother (or father) is essentially like having TWO FULL-TIME JOBS!  It is not for the faint of heart!

However, I think everyone reaches a time in their parenting experience when they realize that it is okay to make time for yourself.  It is okay to find a baby sitter while you and your spouse go on a date night.  Doing such does not make someone a bad parent.  But it is also okay to put off grading those papers for one more night and hold your baby instead because, after all, he will not be this small forever.  It is also okay to tell someone, "No, I cannot make it to this event," or "No, I do not have time to volunteer for this," because, let's face it:  no one can do it all.  Those that pretend they can are only fooling themselves, and it won't be long before they, too, become burnt out and realize it's okay to ask for help, it's okay to say no, it's okay to not be perfect.  I feel like parenting has really taught me about balance, or I guess, it would be more accurate to say it is TEACHING me about balance.

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Well, now, with one year of parenting and one year of 7th grade English under my belt, and with my Level II teaching certification being officially completed and approved, and my ESL certification very close to being finished (it will be done by the end of summer), I finally feel like I can come up for air again.  I really have a feeling like 2014-2015 is going to be the year where things finally start to settle in their places (at least I can hope, right).

So, with all of that being said, here's to hoping that somewhere, somehow, and sometimes in this crazy, rat race that is life I can find some time to write again.  It's not even a matter of "if" I can find the time; I WILL find the time.  I HAVE to find the time.  Writing is one of the few things I do for me, and if we want to be the best version of ourselves for the most important people in our lives then we must realize that part of that is making sure that we take care of ourselves in the process.  I WILL find time to write, and who knows... maybe you will even find some time to read... ;)

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So... ladies and gentlemen... the blog is back... ;)