Matthew is 5!

Matthew is 5. He actually turned 5 about 2 weeks ago. In honor of Matthew's 5th birthday. Here are 5 things I love about him. 1) His smile. Matthew has a smile that lights up the room and anyone else that is near him. 2) His imagination. Matthew has a great imagination. I watched him take a stick and a bottle. He put them to gether and they quickly became a sunshade and then a telescope. Just one example of his creative mind. 3) His excitement. Nothing is ever boring for Matthew. He can find excitement in anything. And if there isn't any excitement, he will make some. 4) His love of language. Matthew's teacher has taught him a little American Sign Language. He is also beginning to learn Spanish and loves it. I plan to enroll him in a dual immersion program next year where he will speak Spanish and English in school. 5) His kind spirit. Matthew has really learned to love helping other people. He loves to work with adults and help them as well as helping younger children. Matthew is a great kid and I am proud of him. He will be starting kindergarten in just a few months and I will no longer have a preschooler in my home. While I will miss being able to pick him up from school for a surprise lunch or ice cream, I will enjoy watching him learn as he begins his school career. Happy birthday Matthew! I hope you enjoy being 5.

End Of A Very Difficult Semester

I am very pleased to say that the Spring school semester is over and we all survived. Not only that but I ended the semester with all As. I'm very happy especially since I thought I would not pass at least one of my classes at one point in the semester. This semester was very difficult. My case load was very demanding and I am still trying to figure out how I will ever get caught up again. I had a class that started at 5 pm which meant I had to leave work early to get there which created more pressure on me. The class didn't end until 9 and it is a 2 hour drive home so my kids spent the night at my parents' house every weekend. Then in the middle of all of that I also suffered a miscarriage earlier in the semester. Yet, despite all of that I passed and now am only three months away from having my MSW. I proved once again that I can do anything if I put my mind to it and call on my family and friends to help me. I am still trying to figure out how I will work my internship this summer but I am off to a good start. I will probably only work at my internship 2 evenings a week and one morning a week. I have to get the morning cleared by my boss at work but I think she will be okay with it as long as I make up the hours I am away or use my vacation time. I could never have finished my degree without the help and support of my friends, family and supervisor. It really has been a challenge but I have almost made it. The hardest part is over and I just need to keep working for a few more months.

Graduation

Today was graduation day. I actually won't graduate until the end of August but the ceremony was today. Jacob and Matthew watched the entire ceremony and met me at the end with roses. I was so proud of them. Part of attending college, especially graduate school, is knowing that there will be sacrifices. My children made the biggest sacrifices. Matthew was just 2 years old when I began the program and Jacob turned 4 shortly after the school year began. They have missed having me around every evening and spending all of my time away from work with them. It's been tough. The first year I only got to spend about 3 days a month where I wasn't either working at my job or my internship. The second year was better although I was often doing homework. This past semester I have been spending 4 nights a week at either my internship or class although I have every weekend home with the kids. So was all of this sacrifice (time away from my kids, school work and student loans) worth it? I can say that answer is definitely yes. I am now in a career that I enjoy musch more than my last one. I get to spend every weekend and holidays at home with my children. I can easily take off work when I need a few hours to attend a school function or take my children to an appointment. I changed carees just over a year ago. Not only did I got to a job I enjoy much better but I also have a lot tension between work and my children. There are often conflicts between my children's activities and needs and my employment. My last employer addressed those conflicts quickly and without thought. Always go to work first. Work is always the number one priority unless the union contract said otherwise. My current employer also answers questions about those conflicts quickly. The supervisors tell us to never let work interfere with our family time and obligations. Children grow up quickly and the work will be there after the children's events. What a change in philosophy and one that I will never take for granted. So what did my degree and college sacrifices get me? A job I love. More time with my children. An employer who understands and believes that children have to come first and the work second. A lot of debt that I just hope will be payed off before I die. Its all worth it. I'm happier now and once school is finished I will have a lot more time with my children. I don't have to work weekends or holidays and I will soon have evenings off again.