Until accidentally stumbling upon my first post, I had completely forgotten that I had even tried to start a blog at all.  Some blogger I am!

Fast Forward to January 4, 2013

Frazzled Stay-at-home Mom of Five/Home Schooling Mom of Three

Just days or scant weeks after I wrote the above post, I discovered that I was, "surprise, surprise," pregnant with my fifth child.  As if I wasn't busy enough already!  Some months later another darling girl was born and she is now nearly seven months old.  My how time flies (or, as in the case of this blog, whizzes by at Mach 3).

My initial reaction, upon learning that I was pregnant, was one of shock and disbelief and went something like this, "How can I be pregnant?  This can't be happening.  This is the absolute worst thing that could happen to me right now!"  I was enjoying my job as a teacher and the inevitable conclusion of becoming pregnant was that, at some point in the not too distant future, I would have to give it up.

As the following weeks passed, I began to warm to the idea of having another baby (as my boy has always been a holy terror, I prayed earnestly for a girl).  I now believe that my new little bundle is one of the best things that ever happened to me including my husband and my four other children and have been saying (er shouting, okay whispering excitedly, from my little mountaintop, okay slight gradation), for quite some time now, that she is "The Best Baby Ever!"

She was born knowing that mommy wouldn't have much time to spend caring for her (considering the high needs of my other children).  The hospital staff didn't want me to let her, but she slept five hours per night from Day 1 and, besides the usual crying for being hungry, dirty, tired, or in pain..., she nearly never cries.  She has only recently added anger to the list, but those outbursts are short-lived and few and far between.

I have been a stay-at-home mom for nearly a year as I opted to go on stress-leave at the end of January because my teaching load combined with my work load combined with being pregnant just became too much.  I was like a dam bursting at the seams and threatening to explode into a kajillion pieces at any moment.

Shortly after going on stress-leave, I tackled a big move from the city to the country.  My newest venture now is Home Schooling my three oldest girls.  This was a crazy undertaking from the start and I have learned that my children are more respectful to a teacher who is not their parent than the one who is.  My girls are enrolled in an online school and are in class with their teacher once per week.  The rest of the time, I am responsible to administer their assignments.

So, long story short, I am now a stay-at-home mom of five darling? children and home schooling mom of three (not so) darling students.  Although I no longer work out of the home anymore, I still feel busier than I did before.