Our life pretty much looks completely different than it did last year at this time. Last year, we lived in our old house, I was staying at home, and Alex was a health coach. This year, Alex is selling software for a different company, Luca goes to daycare, and I'm teaching 3rd grade. Again. After I gave most of my stuff away and was all, "Peace out, I'm never coming back!" Life has a way of making you rethink the "nevers." Here are a few main highlights of the past year:
1. We love our new house! I have had moments where I get nostalgic and I wonder if it was the right decision. I mostly miss the front porch and my super deep ceramic bathtub. When I second guess our move, you know what I always come back to? Not the fact that this house has more bathrooms, is almost twice as big (with nearly the same mortgage), nor the fact that it has a garage. The hands-down best thing about this house is that it DOESN'T HAVE ROACHES. So when I feel sad, I remember this monumentally amazing feature, and I know it was the right decision. Also, our old house didn't have any place to go during tornadoes (every room had a window), so that's another pro for our new place!
2. Teaching and being a parent has been hard. I'm not whining, I'm just acknowledging. The hardest part for me is that before I had Luca, I could just come home and sit in silence, for at least 30 minutes before I had to do anything, cook anything, talk to anyone, or even think. It took me a few months to realize that was a big difference, and that I need to find a way to get that "recharge" time. Well, let's just say that I know I need it, I just haven't figured out how to get it yet.
One way that I've made the transition a little easier for myself is that I made a commitment at the beginning of the school year to never bring anything home, and so far I've stuck to it! My students haven't suffered, I just use my time more efficiently at school. I occasionally stay late or go in early, but I love that my home and my work are completely separate. I've never been one of those "stay up all night working on extra projects" kind of teachers, but even without that, it's easy to bring home grading and planning. Best decision ever for my family!
3. We're kind of at a crossroads for what I should do next year. Can't someone just create a part-time job with benefits that will pay me the same amount as I currently make as a teacher? Send me the info when you find it :) Since I've stayed at home and worked full-time as a teacher, I've figured out a few things. I know that I enjoy working. Here are my full-time pros and cons:
Pros - I'm kinder to my husband (I have less time to think, which for me means less time to create situations in my mind that may or may not exist for me to worry and/or be mad about). Money is not an answer to anyone's happiness, but it does help me not to be stressed, which again makes me nicer. When I'm working, we have extra money to take care of projects, plan for a vacation, pay a baby-sitter for more dates, get my haircut more than once a year, and have little "extras."
Cons: I'm really tired a lot. I don't get to see friends as often, because I'm usually exhausted by the end of the day, and weekends are primarily spent with us as a family, since we don't see each other much during the week. I miss Luca. I am fine with other people watching him, I just wish it was like 6 hours, instead of 9 or 10. It makes me super sad. He's a shy kid, so I think that daycare has been really good for him in a lot of ways, I just wish it was part time. God knows what the future holds, so although I am tempted to be anxious every second since I like to know what's going to happen, I will remind myself (yet again) to trust and to wait.
4. Another big life change for me was being diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis about a year ago. It has been such a struggle for me, as the main symptoms I deal with on a daily basis are brain fog (super bad, exchanging words for other words, not being able to remember names, unable to concentrate, forgetting where I put things) and very stubborn weight from my pregnancy. I am super happy to say that I am down 20 pounds from last year at this time, when I decided it had to be possible to lose weight even with a thyroid that wasn't working properly. It is possible, but let me tell you that it has been S L O W weight loss. I have always been accustomed to trying Weight Watchers or some exercise program and seeing results almost instantly. That hasn't happened here, and it's been tough for me. I've learned a few things over the last year.
I have learned that I should probably be eating gluten-free since most people with Hashimoto's also have a gluten sensitivity. I have learned that I can lose weight at home without a gym. Half the weight came off in the first few months from working out at the YMCA (zumba and swimming were my favorites!), but the other half came off through kettlebell and kickboxing workouts in my living room with Fitness Blender and by being very strict about counting calories. I have been kind of slacking lately, and I need to get back to what I was doing before - no matter what I ate, I had to burn enough calories to make it under the limit I set for myself. For example, if I'm at my calorie limit, and I go over by 200 more because I'm super hungry, that's fine, but I just need to make sure to burn 200 calories by the end of the day. It worked for me, and I just want to encourage anyone else out there dealing with stubborn weight that it is possible (I'm also reminding myself, since I'm only halfway to my pre-pregnancy weight, and I still have a little way to go). I will add that I lost the 20 lbs without cutting out my almost daily dose of either Dr. Pepper or Sweet Tea (I know that's not a good choice, just being real with how I did it). If I drank it, I added it to My Fitness Pal, and I'd have to pay for it later when I worked out.
That's my life update for now! I have two more weeks left, so maybe I'll even be able to write a few more blogs while Luca "naps." And by naps, I mean has a "quiet rest time." And by "quiet rest time," I mean "talking to himself loudly while he waits for me to come get him." It's better than screaming though, so I'll take it!
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