Back to work for me :)

It's a big year for us; a transitional year with a long story.  I'll try to keep it short...Ben and I have talked for years about starting the ball rolling on my next career when the boys got to high school, in hopes that when Colin graduates, I'll already have something in the works and not be completely aimless.  I haven't known/still don't know exactly what my next career will be, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to get the ball rolling.  I spent the summer researching, working on my resume and praying.  I knocked on several doors that I thought were for sure the answer, but all doors closed.  Then, a fellow Chaplain wife, shared with me that the school she works at, was looking for an 'Educational Assistant'.  It seemed like it could be a good fit for me; part-time, Christian curriculum and working with kiddos one-on-one.  So I applied to Tri-City Christian school and after a 3 hour interview with the Early Childhood Education director, I was hired.  The funny part is, we talked for hours about challenges she was seeing in kids and how I could help address them, but I was never really given a job description.  I'm learning that this is common in new jobs.

Here are the teachers I am working with:

Everyone is lovely and been so great to work with.  The school sent us to a conference in Orange county and we pulled up to the most beautiful church.  Somehow I got I paid to spend the evening here.

I am primarily helping Mrs. Schillinger's class and I spent a few weeks helping her set up her classroom.  She was in need of a white board and I was able to donate the one Ben made for me years ago.  It makes me so happy to see it go to good use.

I'm learning a lot about being back in the workforce and adjusting to having 2 jobs.  I am loving working with kiddos and being able to help teachers, but I am still thankful every single moment that I homeschool my own kids.

And my amazing kids (and Ben too) are the reason that I can do this.  They have jumped in with helping cook dinners, run errands and clean up the house, while also starting school and going to jobs.

Alison made us dinner one night from her new Trader Joe's cookbook.

One teacher asked me, "So your boys are okay being home by themselves?" and I said, "Of course!" because they really are!  The don't fight or get into trouble and are able to take care of themselves.  They get their work done without me nagging them and obey quickly when I need to remind them to do something.  However, it did make me laugh that after she asked that, they decided to spend their afternoon building "go-carts".  They may not start a fire in the house, but they might break an arm playing this game.