I became a public school teacher 6 years ago. It has been a hard 6 years. To tell you the truth, I think I’m a decent teacher. I build real, trusting relationships with my students, work tirelessly to differentiated my lessons and have produced great test scores. But am I happy teaching? No. I am expected to take students that are mostly below grade level and get them to grade level in 8 months. It’s exhausting. Being the shoulder to cry on for a student whose parents are getting a divorce is exhausting. Telling students over and over the importance of respecting one another is exhausting. Planning lessons that are…
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Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Well, the time has come. I’ve decided to start weaning my little guy from breastfeeding. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, I actually do. I’m just so done with pumping. I’m done with hauling my pump everywhere, always wearing a pumping bra, and feeling like a cow being milked 4 times a day. Since starting work again this week, the time has come. While pumping at home isn’t the worst thing in the world, pumping at work is. It’s terrible. I’m constantly worried that someone will unlock my room while I’m pumping (it’s happened before and yes, I had a sign on my locked door). I’m also tired…
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Sleep Training
Sleep Training I never knew how difficult sleep training would be until I had kids. Before Owen and Collin, I thought I knew what tired felt like. I look back at pre-kids Leslie and think, “Seriously? You thought you were tired? Really? Really?” Ian and I were fortunate enough with Owen because he was relatively easy to sleep train. Around 5 months, he started to sleep through the night pretty consistently. Before Collin, Ian and I joked how our second kid would probably be the worst sleeper. Well, those jokes came back to bite us in the ass. From day 1, Collin has been a cuddler. Yes, a cuddly baby…
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Anxiety
Anxiety I have anxiety. I first noticed it after having Owen. I would worry about the usual stuff such as health, safety, work, etc. but with a little extra knot in my stomach. Then, after having Collin my anxiety got worse. I tell myself to chill and remind myself that I’m being overly worrisome. But more often then not I turn into a big ball of nerves. I don’t want to be “that” mom who is overly protective and turn my kids into worry worts. I understand the importance of letting my kids explore and take risks. But it’s hard. Really hard. I worry that if I have ever have…
