A Day in the Life of Amy

What should I post about?  Nothing exciting is going on in my little world.  I still get up at 5:00 in the morning to go to the gym.  I come home and get the kids and myself off to school.  I go to school and spend 4 hours trying to get my students to not only learn things, but to remember the things that I taught them JUST YESTERDAY!:p  I really do love teaching.  It's just in my nature to complain about things, but it is difficult to stay possitive when Core testing is coming up and the kids act like they have never seen a multiplication problem before, simply because I threw a decimal into the problem.  Sometimes I think that I have been really creative about how I taught something, or I've done what I thought was a really good lesson plan, only to find out later when I grade the assignment that most of them didn't have a clue about what was going on.  I get frustrated.  I just have to keep reminding myself that I was probably like that as a kid too and that I turned out alright, and that kids will probably not remember what I taught them but how I made them feel.  That is why this year I have made a special effort to really try not to be mean to any of my students. ( I must say right here that I'm not really mean, but some of them can really get on my nerves and I don't always treat them nicely.) Anyway, this year I really do love all of my students.  They all have their qualities and even though some of them still drive me crazy, I truly am trying to treat them all lovingly, so it's hard to see them struggle and know that part of it is my fault. I'm just out of ideas and out of time.
After school I usually come home, eat my lunch and take a nap.  Yes I take a nap pretty much everyday.  My friends at work will tell me that they need to start going to the gym  in the morning too, but they have such a hard time getting up in the morning.  All I can say is that if I was working full-time, I wouldn't be able to go to the gym either.  I am usually able to come home and take a nap.  Thank goodness.
After the kids get home I usually fill the next hour or two doing basically nothing.  Sometimes I will work on lesson plans, sometimes I will do the laundry or even mop the floor once in awhile, but usually I just play on the computer or waste time doing other things of nonsense. I think I would start something productive, but I would just be getting started when I would need to stop to make dinner.  This is just an excuse though, I am feeling quite guilty right now.  It took me a week to gear up to go grocery shopping, and that was done as a "date night" with Dale. (He's a good sport!)
Dinner is one of those things that if I had the choice between a maid and a cook, I would deffinately choose the cook.  I really don't like stopping everything I'm doing (productive or not) just to make dinner.  If I know what I'm cooking and I've prepared myself ahead of time, it isn't that bad, but how often does that happen?  Usually about 4:30 or 5:00 I am trying to decide what I feel like making.  It takes me awhile and by the time I get started it is getting late and I have to make something quickly. This means hot dogs, Higley stew, or spaghetti.  I guess I should make out menus, but usually what happens is I won't feel like what ever is on the menu for the evening, and the kids turn their noses up at everything I really like to eat.  I just keep thinking "It's okay, they will come around sooner or later.  They are going to really get sick of toast for dinner soon."  I just wish it was sooner than later.  I must say that Jordan is finally starting to try things and realizing that some things are really good.  This just in time for Marie to start hating everything.  I miss having Jessica around to help us eat the actual meal.
After dinner, depending on the night, we have Family Home Evening, Mutual, or piano lessons.  I like doing all of these things, but I also love having a few nights where I do nothing. (Kind of like my afternoons I guess. I really should try harder during the day.)  At night when there is nothing to do, Dale and the kids will do it with me and I do enjoy the company. Whose kidding who, Dale is always busy.  He couldn't waste time if his life depended on it, but every once in awhile Dale will watch a video with us and eat popcorn.
Okay so this all sounds like I am feeling sorry for myself, or maybe a little hard on myself. I guess I am kind of evaluating my life right now and there are some things I could do better in, but I really don't feel sorry for myself.  I have a great family who loves me.  I love being a mom.  I love my job. I even like being able to get up in the morning to go to the gym.  I truly am blessed.  I just needed a little time to vent, and I guess it was something to blog about.  Thanks for listening.