Monday = Snotday

As I sit at home on a Monday... with one baby in her crib, sick,covered in snot, and another baby sitting on the couch watching her beloved "Shrek"... I feel so happy for my girls.
Ali is turning out to be the sweetest little thing.  She is so thankful and kind and, I think, wise beyond her years.  She responds when I simply speak to her if she is being naughty (which I must remember because I do admit to yelling out of frustration way more than I should).   She tells me constantly: "thank you for making my life happy, Momma".  I mean, seriously- that is the nicest thing ANYONE in my life has ever said to me.  I make her life happy!  I make her feel glad and she loves ME!  That means so much to my soul.
Avery is just as fabulous.  At 10 months, her personality is starting to come through.. and I think we've got a little spitfire angel on our hands! She is quite opinionated and sassy.. but also very sweet and such a momma's girl (yes!).
And while I feel a bit guilty because I hate to miss work... I really am loving these precious moments with my girls.  I was reading this post over at a great blog called "The Little Brown House" today and it totally hit me in my heart.
Some days, I do get bored taking care of my girls and the monotony that comes with having a toddler and a baby.  Some days, I wish for my solidarity and freedom to be myself again. Some days, I find myself wishing for nap time or bedtime or wanting to go to work to have that ME time (ok- work isn't really ME time.. since I pretty much am a mom to 150 14-16 yr olds but you get it).
But other days, I find myself almost having a panic attack when I think about people saying "enjoy every moment, because you blink and they're grown"... and I don't want to blink and have my girls be grown! I want this time to go slow. I want to cherish every moment that I have with my girls and be thankful for it and love it.  I love them so much. They bring so much to my life and make me feel love..and loved.. beyond anything I could ever explain (if you're a mom you know what I'm talking about).  I just hope that I can drink in every.single.day. Every moment. Every memory. And not forget the little things- good and bad- about raising these girls. 
They are such a blessing to me. They warm up my heart and I just want to squeeze them until they are a part of me.  I hope they know that- even when I'm not the nicest mom- I hope they feel the depth of my love.

Sweet Blog!

I bought a super cute ring for super cheap from Pursenickety about 3 weeks ago for a friend's birthday... the ring is adorable and now everybody wants one (according to my friend).  So I wanted to share the blog with you, plus she's currently holding a giveaway!  Checkity check it!  They've got purses, necklaces, and other cute stuff!

Blessings

I am participating in a (much needed) "Blessings" blogpost project from Marla over at Blue Skies Photography. "Each week, we will post a list of our blessings, along with at least one picture. I want Wednesday to become a day where we reflect on our lives and realize we truly are blessed even when things are rough."

So here is my list of blessings for today.

1. My job.  Although I am disheartened at the current state of education in Idaho, I still thank God that I have a job that provides me an income, as well as health insurance.  Besides all the politics that come with education, I do love my students and my workplace, and the people I work with, very much

2. My sweet baby girls. They are so happy and healthy and smart, and they make my heart happy every moment that I think of them.

3.  My hubs. We have a stable marriage, and we are in love. And for that, I am immeasurably grateful.

4. And this week especially, I am so blessed with my Daddy.  He recently retired from his law practice after 34 years. We are celebrating his life's work on Friday.  He's the best.

A heavy heart

Today, in Idaho, the state in which my husband and I both teach and plan (or planned?) to raise our family... some legislation was passed similiar to what is happening in Wisconsin.  Our legislation passed a bill taht will essentially take all teachers' job security away It will take away due process, tenure, as well as our right to negotiate salary and working environment.  Here is a sickingly true spoof I copied from a teacher/blogger in the southern half of my state:

If all of these bills pass then I think that I will have captured the essence of the future outcomes in the following Teacher Recruitment Ad.







IDAHO TEACHERS NEEDED–COME TO BEAUTIFUL IDAHO WHERE CORPORATE AMERICA RATES …FIRST–TEACHERS WILL ENJOY THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES






BEGINNING SALARY OF $30,000/YEAR WITH NO ANTICIPATED INCREASES FOR SIX YEARS. YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MAY QUALIFY FOR FOOD STAMPS, MEDICADE, AND FREE OR REDUCEd SCHOOL LUNCHES.


ENJOY THE CHALLENGE OF NEEDING TO WORK AT ONE OR TWO MORE JOBS IN ORDER TO SUPPORT YOUR FAMILY.


EXPERIENCE THE CHALLENGE OF LARGE SIZE CLASSES WITH FIVE OR SIX SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS IN THE MIX.


N RURAL DISTRICTS YOUR CONTRACT MIGHT BE TERMINATED IN EARLY OCTOBER IF DISTRICT FUNDING IS CUT.


IN CASE OF DISPUTES ARISING FROM YOUR ASSIGNMENT YOU HAVE NO DUE PROCESS PROTECTION.


UNDER PAY FOR PERFORMANCE YOU ARE HELD ONE HUDRED PERCENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR IMPROVING STUDENT PERFORMANCE. I


IN YOUR SPARE TIME YOU CAN LISTEN TO INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES BY OUR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.


CONTRIBUTE TO HELPING MOVING IDAHO INTO A THIRD WORLD EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE IDAHO SPI–BUT SEND A SELF ADDRESSED AND STAMPED ENVELOPE.

My heart hurts. I do not know at this point what the future holds for my family.  I am uncertain of what moves I or KK need to take in order to ensure we can pay all our bills and keep our family afloat. Please pray for all of us. Pray that I continue to put my faith in God's plan for my life.