I’ll enjoy reading and participating while my summer holiday allows the time to do so.
While I’m glad to be pursuing the goal of earning my degree and teaching certificate, I have to admit that my home has suffered for it. When you walk into my house, you notice right away that it looks as though the mom has been in school full time for a year… which she has. I am blissfully enjoying my three week hiatus between semesters, with no big plans. My only goal, very undefined and flexible, is to improve the condition of my house during my “holiday.”
Thus far, the steps have been very minor. Perhaps no one would notice the improvements but me… There are a few less bags of recycling in the basement to attend to, but still a pretty significant collection of cans to crush and boxes to fold before the next batch is carted off to the recycling center. A few odds and ends have been picked up and put away. The dishes have been clean and the counter has been clear just a little bit more often than usual.
Today, finally, I made an improvement that someone might notice besides me. I cleaned the first floor bathroom from top to bottom… washed walls and floors, wood-polished the oak shelves my hubby built for me before we moved here, and scrubbed the tub, sink, toilet, and mirror. Sure, the walls still need a new coat of paint. Yeah, new towels would be nice, since the old ones are fraying at the edge. And definitely, I’d love a basket of pampering bath products on the wide edge of the tub… but my six year old son would have it all spilled and wasted the first time he was alone in the bathroom.
So, I pulled an old blue and white shower curtain from the linen closet to replace the one we’ve been using, and added a vase of flowers and a lotion dispenser and soap dish that have been in the laundry room (meaning, no one ever sees them but me!) I replaced the artwork on one wall with a soft summery scene (though I may change it again in autumn.) For a make-over that required no financial outlay, just elbow grease and flower-picking, I’m pleased… and I’ve already had rave reviews from my six year old who hollered to his ten year old brother that “Mom made the bathroom better!”
16 comments:
And here I was thinking that only I and the other childbearing women around the world today were frantically cleaning their homes, :-) Your bathroom looks great; I love the new shower curtain . . . guess how I spent my morning, lol.
BTW, I love your new banner. Looks great, :-)
Jessica,
Apparently I "nest" when I have the time, and sort of just get by the rest of the year. lol!
I just bet you were cleaning all morning. I think it is important to do before your new baby arrives... because you are not going to have the time after his birth! :)
Thank you for the banner "props." I really like how it turned out.
I am proud of you. I have the same picture. Love it!!!!
I love your improvements! I did the same thing you are doing - went to school year round to get my teaching certificate. It's a hard road. Even though I loved the intellectual stimulation, I had a hard time getting the house stuff done, too. I wanted to give the kids just as much attention and I couldn't stand not doing my best in school. Sometimes I look back and can't believe I made it. But, this is my sixth year of teaching. I did make it! Enjoy your break, Aisling.
Ernestine, How nice to see you here, and how fun that you have that same picture. See... kindred spirits! :)
Pom Pom, I love your comment here. Your approach to school and being the Mom at the same time sounds just like me. I want to do my best and give my all to my family and my school work. *sigh* You are inspirational since you made it through and have been teaching for six years. :)
What a lovely improvement in your bath.
The room I feel is the funnest and easiest to make a statment in.
Well done.
TTFN~~ Claudia ♥ ♥
Claudia, Thank you for coming by. I agree with you! I would like to apply the concept of a quick easy make-over to some other areas (our foyer, my kitchen which has a painted backsplash. I'm afraid I'll run out of "holiday" before I run out of ideas! :)
Hi Aisling!
Thank you for the link to Nan's blog. I am going to search my library online this morning and hopefully pick up The Keeper of the Bees when I go this morning. It sounds delightful and even though I have a stack of books to read for school, I'll enjoy it now.
Pom Pom,
I hope you find it. It's a pretty quick read, so you can still get to the rest of your stack. *grin* I think you'll love it. :)
I'm sure you are enjoying your free time while it last. To rush around and try to bring every element of the household up to perfection would take away the joy of not doing. Not doing is a very important step in a well balanced life. At least that is what I tell myself as I pass by a stack of stuff on my way to sit and read.
Being retired is like being Scarlett O'Hara. There is always tomorrow.
It is amazing how a little moving around will spruce up a place. It looks GREAT! I went to school 2 years ago and I feel your pain. I felt good going and bettering my education but hated to watch the house suffer. Good thing is... it will be there when you are ready for it, hehe. Good job for going!
Looks great! You could have been describing my home during the school year... I finally did organize my papers in the office and have been working on a top to bottom kitchen clean... those white cabinets sounded like a good idea when we were building, but they show everything.
I've decided to take a semester (or maybe 2) off of my coursework since I've got a crazy fall coming up. I teach environmental science, forensic science, botany (2 different levels) for a total of 5 classes, plus two kids are doing independent studies with me and I'll have a student teacher... I can't imagine going to class one night a week, too!
Meanwhile, my mom is starting her doctorate this fall. I'd like to go for it too, maybe when my (yet to be born) kids are grown :)
Good luck in your new semester!!! How long do you have left? When do you student teach?
Mom, You are right. The first few days of my break I barely did anything. Fulling immersed myself in the joy of "not doing." Now it feels good to "accomplish" something. But, I pulled out a stack of books to read, so I predict some long, lazy hours of novel reading in the next couple of weeks! :)
Mandie, True: It'll all still be here when I'm done, but oh-my-goodness would it be a mess if I waited until I was all the way finished to deep clean! *grin* Thanks for letting me know you've been in this place in your life before too! :)
Abbie, You do have a full roster this fall! Lots of different classes to plan for, which I know you will do with passion and creativity. I'm always amazed when I hear the things you do with your students. You are one of those special "above and beyond" sort of teachers!
I have 1 and a 1/2 years more of classes, then a semester of being a teacher's assistant (a spring semester) before student teaching for a semester in the fall. It is arranged strangely, I think, because how many schools will be hiring for a spring semester? But, I figure I will use that spring semester to sub and to take some specialized trainings that the local schools like their incoming teachers to already have completed.
Thanks for the friendly note! It was fun to get home from running errands with my boys and have several friendly notes to read!
I agree, that is a tough schedule. Subbing is a great way to develop an understanding of your style and rules you'd like to implement. There are also a lot of long-term sub positions for maternity leaves and such, so I'm sure you'll find something.
As you may know, my mom went back to school full time when I was in high school, and I know it must have been tough for a mom to play all those roles! I feel very fortunate to have been able to complete college right out of high school, and then complete my first masters pretty soon thereafter. It's this second one that I'm dragging my feet on... As I'm sure you'll find out, teachers never really do stop going to school!
And you really have to love it, because we certainly don't do it for the money :)
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