I've Been Busy

Well, it's been a long time and my poor blog has been sadly neglected. I miss writing more, but lately just haven't had the time. My job has been keeping me going, sometimes even on the weekends and when I'm not busy with teaching or lesson planning, I'm with my family.
My girls are doing great. My oldest is going to be thirteen this month, which is almost impossible for me to believe. I can still remember the first time that the doctor put her in my arms. She was so tiny, pink and perfect. Now she rolls her eyes at me and gives me teenage attitude, but she is still my reason for being - she and her sister. My daughters and I have a good and fairly open relationship and that makes me happy. I know that the teenage years are going to be a challenge but I am heartened by the fact that my mother survived them with me, and if that's the case, then anything is truly possible. Thanks Mom.
My husband and I have been doing better too. We just celebrated our wedding anniversary. It was wonderful, he really outdid himself. The best gift he gave me? TIME. We were able to spend the whole weekend together, talk about anything and everything and just really reconnect. We definitely needed that. The gorgeous, long stem red roses were also a nice touch. Two weeks later they are still blooming. :)
My job is great. It started out a little rough, because I was predominantly doing teacher support. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to help teachers in any way that I can, but what I really want to do is work with students. Finally, finally, finally - I have 13 students that I work with of various grade levels. I love them all and each are unique. I love working in a title one school where the students have many challenges that they face, both in and out of school. I feel like I am doing some good, and I just love being with them. Being in a school like mine, has opened my eyes to so many things and really forced me to evaulate and reconsider many of my own preconceived thoughts and opinions. Any time I hear a politician talk about "those children" in "those schools", they will forever be talking about my kids, because I do view each one of my students a "mine". I worry about them, think about how they are learning and what I can be doing better all the time. I think that constantly re-evaluating and challenging ourselves is a big part of having a happy and successful life and I am grateful for this opportunity, no matter how long it lasts.
I just wanted you all to know that I was thinking about you and catch you up to date. I hope you all are doing well, enjoying some warm spring weather and spending time with the ones you love. After all, that is what life is all about.