Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

It's like Barack Obama has instituted Change for Lauren.

And, so, the changes I have encountered....

Change #1: Mom returns to work. Ok, no biggie, I've been doing this teaching thing for nearly a decade now. I have gone back to the classroom after many a leisurely summer. No prob, right? WRONG! Oh yeah, after 4 years of teaching the same grade in the same classroom with basically the same schedule, everything changes. (Do you see a theme yet?) I am now teaching not just one new grade, but two. Yes! Two new grades: a 3rd and 4th grade combo class. I am teaching these 2 new grades in a new classroom. I am teaching the 2 new grades in a new classroom with a new schedule in which I now only have 2 planning periods a week that are each 5 minutes shorter than my previous year's planning periods. So, what we have now is a mom that is working more than ever before. I swear, last year, in my 4th year of teaching 2nd grade, I was doing it with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back. I practically had laminated lesson plans. I am now arriving at school on some days before 7am and usually leaving close to 5pm. I am also going to school on the weekends to do lesson plans and get ready for the coming week. That is something I have done less than a hand full of times in my 9 years in the classroom. And they say teachers work 8am to 3pm.

Change #2: New tile floors. Ah, the most welcome change of all! But it still comes at a price, literally and figuratively. I am beyond thrilled to be rid of the cheap carpet that has plagued my family room for 4 years. The carpet was brand new when we moved in. And since those first steps on it, it has never been the same. It was, I am sure, the absolute cheapest (in price and quality) carpet that could be purchased. We now walk on wonderfully unsoiled tile floors that hold no allergens, dust, or other unforeseen elements regardless of the amount of vaccumming that gets done. But, as I said, it came at a price. First, everything had to be moved out of the room. Then, as the work was being done (it took 3 1/2 days), our family room was really unusable. And being that my family room is 1/3 of my tiny house, that is a lot of unusable space. Not easy with a toddler. Next, we move some stuff back, that is, until the worker returns the following week to seal the tile. So, we move furniture back out, than all back in when sealing is complete. Whew! In the end, worth it all!

Changes #3 through 5: My son. It is September now, and that means David's birthday is around the corner. I can hardly believe he will be 2! David changes everyday. He is getting to be such a big boy learning new words and new things all the time. After his birthday he will start preschool. I can only imagine all the things he will learning then! The biggest change, though, will not be his new age or new school, it will be his new name. On September 28th, David's 2nd birthday, he will be adopted by Andrew and me as David Anderson Gross. We will be officially and legally a family!

Now if only I could get a little more change in my pocket or change in the temperatures outside.