A Lifetime of Love

I think Thomas’ graduation was such a special event that it deserves it’s own post with pictures. Enjoy! Before we left for the ceremony Dr. Gallman, one of his favorite teachers John Mugabe, a bright young man who is going to do great things in this world! Gabby and Tatyana- 2 girls from Youth Group who also attended school with Thomas. Both of these girls are beautiful souls and great friends to Thomas.  The Calls- good family friends who are always so supportive of us! His name on the big screen! Receiving his diploma A family from the school purchased fireworks for after the ceremony. It was amazing and such a thoughtful surprise for everyone. It was so touching as these Seniors truly had a memorable graduation ceremony. 

Mother’s Day began SDW9. I woke up to Titus standing next to my bed with a Christmas-themed gift bag full of stuff. He begged me to get up and as I did, I could hear the other kids upstairs with TJ. When they saw Titus downstairs and me following up behind him, they started scolding him for waking me because they weren’t “ready” for me to come up. When I walked upstairs I immediately noticed signs covering quite a bit of wall and furniture space, as well as the counters and doors. They were all uniquely different expressions of basically “Happy Mother’s Day.” Some were written as acrostics, some drawings, and some distinctly bore the words “Happy Mother’s Day.” I had to chuckle because my kids really know me- a lot of the signs made mention of my love of teaching and reading.           My older boys redid a flower bed for me. It had been ripped up years ago to get rid of the scraggly bushes that were trying to grow, but we had never replanted anything in ...

*Sigh* This week has been mentally challenging. I was officially laid off from my teaching position and began the steps to file for unemployment. That was heartbreaking, and it has nothing to do with money. When I was still being paid, it gave me hope that we might return to school before the end of the school year. However, the moment I received the news, my bubble was burst. On Wednesday afternoon, the governor announced that no one would be returning back to school before the end of the year. That was expected, but again, knowing what my children are feeling makes it difficult to accept. I have been thinking about this a lot, and it seems to me like we are going through the stages of grief (all over again). I definitely had denial (no, school won't be canceled), anger (why can't we just stay until Spring Break), bargaining (we can at least go back for a day to see friends and say our goodbyes), depression (been in this stage far too long), and now acceptance. I get...

SDW4 was so nice! It was Spring Break week for my kids so we were all able to take a break from school and the stress that goes with it. The kids enjoyed beautiful weather and lots of time outdoors. I did, too. I took several walks around the neighborhood or sat outside in the sunshine. It was glorious! This week we also went on a picnic at a local park. We were isolated and enjoyed watching the ants working around us. The fresh air and change of scenery did wonders for grumpy moods. As a family, we ended Spring Break by roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the camp fire. The girls attempted to camp outside on the trampoline, but it was too cold at night. They were all back in their beds by 3am. ;) TJ did take the kids fishing a couple of times. They LOVED it, especially the boys! Our dishwasher has been opening mid-cycle so TJ ordered a new latch. I am hoping it will be an easy fix and it won’t need to be replaced. We just had to replace our dryer last...

Week 3 has been better in many ways. School was easier to complete, I was able to "talk" to friends while maintaining social distancing rules, and I got myself on a more "normal" schedule for our morning routine. Schooling with Ruthie, my 1st grader, went a lot better since I assigned my older 4 girls specific times to play with/entertain my little boys.  We tended to finish her school work by noon each day. Ruthie was also able to Zoom with her Spanish/math teacher one-on-one a couple of times throughout the week. Seeing her teacher and receiving individualized instruction was so good for her emotionally and academically. Ruthie was also able to Zoom with her class and both teachers for a little bit one morning. This is really the first time she has seen her friends and had an opportunity to talk to them. I think it was the highlight of the week for both of us! Ruthie talking with her class A couple of mornings this week I met a friend in a parki...

This week was somewhat better than last in certain aspects, but it also brought its fair share of difficulties. TJ wasn’t feeling well most of this week so that meant I was a single parent for 90% of the week. Let that sink in- 9 kids for 90% of the day, 24/7.   There were a few times where I was able to get some time to myself, for which I am thankful, but I am ready for this entire situation to be done and over.   Trying to balance schoolwork, housework, cooking, sibling squabbles, and children is challenging and often overwhelming for me.   I cried daily in the shower, sometimes in the middle of day, and even before bed depending on the day I had. I realize I am sounding very negative so let me add there were a few bright spots in my week.   The first was on Tuesday when I got to see most of the students in my class.   Let me share the backstory (since there really isn’t much else to do these days): prior to all the school closures, my class was wri...

I haven’t posted in a couple weeks, and I always process my thoughts/feelings better through writing, so this blog post is going to be somewhat lengthy. Stop reading whenever you are tired or bored, lol! A week ago last Thursday my sister, who is the District Nurse for a district in OH, called me and told me her district was closing beginning Monday by order of the governor. I was a little surprised, but I understood. Fast forward to last Sunday afternoon. The governor of SC ordered all schools here to close, effective Monday, also. I was not surprised as between Thursday evening when my sister called to Sunday afternoon, several states had shut down schools. While I wasn’t surprised, I also wasn’t prepared for what that meant. Schools closing have effectively turned my world upside down. And not just my world, but everyone’s. I am going to chronicle each week as we employ “social distancing” from our friends, classmates, and even family members. Week 1: 3/16-3/22/20 ...

It has been almost 3 years since my youngest was born, and about that same time, my life drastically changed. My older children at the time were 14, 12, 10, 8, and 7. My oldest was finally old enough and responsible enough to babysit. Now, to be clear, I didn't leave all of the children with him, but it was nice to be able to run errands and not have to take EVERYONE. That little fact was seriously life-changing. Additionally, my older children had acquired more responsibility at home in terms of life skills: they did (still do!) their own laundry, keep up with their rooms, can prepare full meals, and a host of other skills 100% independently. It took so long to get to that point, though, and the time between me being 100% responsible to them being fully responsible was the hard part. Like seriously, if you read back through my previous posts, you will see the struggles I openly shared as a mom and wife. Life ain't easy! And that brings us to now. 2020. My oldest i...