Live in the Moment

This week, my GYN called me to tell me that my  vitamin D was so low, they called in a prescription of Vitamin D for me to take two times a week.  Really???  So, there was a legit reason why I was so tired?  It wasn't in my head?

It's summer (well start of still), and isn't all this vitamin D supposed to be just going through my pores with sun exposure?  And, I always forget my sunscreen, so I should be topped out with Vitamin D.  I am so thankful for that blood test, because when your body doesn't have enough Vitamin D, one of the things that happens to your body is that you are easily tired and fatigued.  So, I'm thinking getting this extra Vitamin D will help me with my Balancing Project.  And thank God I'll be taking this into the Winter when there's NO sun...

Last week, I had my first full week of teaching.  It was a LONG week.  I am lucky LUCKY LUCKY to have such a great group of kindergarteners, and I have no real major behavior problems like I have had in the past.  One little girl likes to challenge me.  One little boy needs motivating, and two girls like to chat and seem clueless when I am near to them, making eye contact with my "mean" look- they seem to both look at me, keeping their conversation going, even though I have stopped my teaching to wait for them.  So, it was a week of lots of modeling, lots of patience, and lots of TESTING.  I am so sick of SLO's, Dibels, I-Ready...I feel like this year is the worst.  I mean, come on, my 4 and 5 year olds are taking a bubble test already!  It's bad.  So work was a little stressful in that I just need to do what I have to do, because this is how teachers are being evaluated, and my students need to take these tests, so it shows that they have grown (these tests are the baseline).  I can't wait to start Daily 5 and do centers, and the fun stuff.  Right now, it's procedures and tests.  I came home on Thursday, exhausted, and went to bed at 8:00.  I woke up the next day, refreshed and so happy my sniffles and stuffy nose seemed to have gone away overnight.

Meanwhile, back at the home front, things seemed to go smoothly.  My son started soccer last week, so while watching his game, I chatted with an old friend, who I never see anymore.  And guess what we talked about???  Balancing motherhood and working!  My friend Sue owns her own business, and while she loves her business, she was telling me how she love to make pottery and even has her own studio in her basement.  I love that she has this passion, and told her how lucky she was to find something that she loves doing.  She is busy with 2 kids too, and when we do see one another, it's like no time has gone by, but we blame our busy lives for the reason we  haven't seen one another.  While talking to her, she said something so simple, yet true.  "You just need to live in the moment."  How many times do we actually live in the moment?  It seems like I'm always thinking of what I have to do in the future as I am living in the present.  Or living in the past.  But she is so right. Hearing these words  changed my views on how I perceive balance to even be...  Balance is living in the moment.  When your daughter wants to sit and read a book with you- you do it, and don't worry about folding laundry.  When your daughter wants to bake cupcakes- do it, instead of going on-line.  Live in the moment.  Being balanced, you have to live in the moment.  I  learned that from my friend Sue this week.

As my family was walking in our village to get lunch, we decided to go antiquing afterwards.  We live in such a nice, quaint village, and sometimes I think we take it for granted.  It was a nice Fall day, and the kids weren't all that happy to be on this outing.  They wanted the lunch, but not the window shopping after.  So my son says to us, "When are we going home?"  "What are we doing after we go into this shop?"  "Now are we going home?"  Finally, I said to him, "Live in the moment.  Look around you and just enjoy your family and this walk we are going on."  I don't know if my son understood what I was saying to him, but as I said this to him, I was starting to understand it all.  I think we don't have balance because we are always rushing, rushing rushing.  Live in the moment.  That's part of the balance too.