Los Porchs

It's no secret that I've been loving the SAHM life since December but my student loans & credit card debt demand that I make a return to my role as a working mama. That's not to say I won't be able to return to this gig later in life (no, I am not pregnant). This is a disclaimer I feel I have to include in all posts that in any way suggest I may be expecting.   Thank goodness for daylight savings! It'll still be light out when we get home from school most nights! And we'll still have time for walks when we get home! I think I'm going to miss our morning walks the most. Charlie and I have enjoyed going to school together every day since she was 6 weeks old. Sure, she's been on the bench for a few months,  but I'm sure she's more than ready to get back into the game. It's me.  Guys, I'm just so anxious. Always. I worry the days will be too long,  that she'll be hungry, that she won't be as loved up on at sch...

Being unemployed has given me time to enjoy my daughter in a way most working parents don't often encounter.  It has felt like an extension of maternity leave but rather than a crying infant whom I barely know, I have this energetic toddler who clings to my leg and now freely leans in to give me sloppy kisses (or melts her entire being on the floor when offering a tantrum).  This time has been frustrating, exhausting, and yet totally amazing. I've been interviewing for jobs and enjoying the chance to reflect deeply on what I'd like to do next.  I wasn't sure where my train was headed next and I even considered going back into the classroom as an infant teacher as the "easy" solution.  Nothing about being an infant teacher is easy.  And I'm not sure I could work in an environment where I don't have the authority to be an agent of change. I like being a leader.  I love working with teachers to help them grow as professionals.  There's nothing I l...

I have always wanted to make my own flannel board; I find it offensive just how expensive they are from early education supply chains and refuse to buy one for Charlotte.  One of the perks of being a CDA Professional Development Specialist is going into centers and seeing the innovative ways other early childhood folks are doing the DIY thing.  I saw something during a visit yesterday that caught my attention and stuck in my brain. So much so that I found myself in Michael's today picking up the supplies and pulling' out the glue gun tonight to put together! I had the standard coupon for 40% off a regular-priced item and found felt that was pre-cut to be 36x36.  I grabbed this frame that was 16x20 (and a few other items for Ms. Charlotte) and found my way to the checkout!   It was super easy, you guys!  I cut the felt to be the same size as the cardboard back and then hot glued it to the back and then tucked it back into the frame and slapped some...

I found a roll of contact paper in my "teacher stash" downstairs and remembered having my kiddos put tissue paper onto the paper. I looked around and couldn't find any tissue paper that wasn't red and green (no offense, red and green, but I wanted something brighter).  I brought the contact paper upstairs and left it on the table for about a week. I quickly noticed and appreciated the 3 pieces of tissue paper the kind ladies at Victoria's Secret put into my bag to wrap my new investments.  I also spied a piece of white paper with golden dots and whipped out my scissors to cut those bad boys up. I taped a piece of that contact paper onto the fridge with the sticky side out (obviously) so that we could experiment with putting the tissue paper onto it. finding the perfect spot! She's got that crazy look in her eye. I sincerely don't know how it's possible that I didn't expect her to do what she did next.  In my 8 years of professional ...

Folks, I had been planning this great post about the fact that I covered the spread this morning and really got my poop in a group -- took Charlotte out for a *brisk* morning walk before the snow and wind arrived, shared a pancake breakfast with her and did puzzles before laying her down for morning nap and then putting together what promises to be a good CrockPot meal.  While sipping coffee. But then I started to think about those other mornings. Because there are two very important things not mentioned above: 1. That's just a morning, anything can happen between now and when Daddy gets home that may result in me pacing the kitchen, anxiously watching for Ryan's truck. 2. They are not all that peaceful. Some mornings just plain suck.  Some mornings, I struggle with the fact that I am not going to work and it's only highlighted by Charlotte pointing at Ryan's chair at the table and asking with her hands up "Daddy?" to which I reply, "Daddy went t...