School's in Session

Just in case you’re wondering how school is going, Big Bro brought home a 3-day spelling homework exercise with vague instructions that I later figured out I’d completely misinterpreted. In the same week, I aced my first two marketing quizzes for grad school. So, that’s where I am in my life. Passing grad classes while failing kindergarten.

When I embarked on this master’s degree adventure, I didn’t quite calculate the step I’d be taking into my ever-changing role of mom, as my son started school at the same time. Kindergarten has changed. There are assignments and folders and notebooks to remember. A big part of being a parent is also being a teacher, but for some reason I didn’t picture myself sitting at the kitchen table supervising my son writing words that rhyme with “cat” quite so soon. All I remembered about my kindergarten experience was coloring and recess.

A lot of people compare weeknights to the “second shift” for parents who work full time. When I registered for online classes, I didn’t think of it as a third shift, but as soon as they started I realized what I’d done. I work, come home and we eat dinner, play for a bit or do bath time, make sure homework is done and stories are read and songs are sung. Then, I turn on my laptop and study. The next morning I pack snacks and water bottles, Drew takes the kids to school and we do it all over again.

Before we knew it, fall break had arrived. A cross-country trip packed with fun filled activities, lots of family and friends, and a wedding in Sedona may sound like a pretty busy “break,” but I wouldn’t have it any other way. At this point, busy is kind of my specialty.