Unchartered Territory

When looking for Google Images of "Unchartered Territory," I ran across this picture, and it made me think. I thought the next stage in my life was simply unchartered. Alas, I realize it is also uncharted!

And you know I love a chart. And lists. So this entry will contain all the above. Hold on to your seats, babies! It might get crazy.

School in Kansas starts on August 15 (which seems remarkably early to me). But of course no teacher I've ever met waltzes into her classroom on Day 1. "Good morning, my students! Let us purge our ignorance and embrace the pearls of wisdom I am about to bestow on you! Now, now... let's not all raise our hands at once and scrabble through our books to get started too roughly. All in good time, my little dears." Yeah, it doesn't usually look like that.

There are "So You're New to the District, so Please Show Up For Three Days of Indoctrination" days later this week. Next week there are "Professional Development Days" for most of the week, and the following week there are "Professional Development Days, Teacher Work Days, Ninth Grade Orientation, and Convocation." I'm not sure yet what convocation is, but I'm sure I'll be apprised of the situation before the actual Convocation begins.

Now, this is all assuming my paperwork from Kansas comes through... soon(ish).

Everything above (excepting the convocation), I've done already- numerous times, in different states, and in different grades, and in different schools. I'm sure it will be fine.

What I have NOT done is do all the above with two kids. Not one, two. So here's a moment of panic- however will I get it all done! (Have I mentioned high school starts roughly TWO HOURS earlier than my last middle school did? Yes, panic).

Here, I will attempt to carve out what a typical workday will look like for me. For optimum efficiency. Time is my most precious resource, meaning there is never enough of it, and I have to savor every minute in order to make life as wonderful as possible.

Buckle up. Here we go:

(Assuming clothes are ironed and milky is rationed, labeled, and dated the night before):

5:00 Rouse myself from a delicious slumber. (Not sure what Bob will be doing during this time. This is the first time I'll have to report to work before him). We'll assume he is saintly and will agree to help with the girls and play barista in the mornings before he has to go to PT. BUT, we mustn't get too used to that help, since he's frequently away for work.

Right, so get up, pump milky, and get ready. *First cup of coffee of the day*

6:00 Rouse the girls. Change diapers, get dressed, hair, teeth, breakfast, milky.

6:30 Out the door and to CYS.

6:45 Leave CYS and drive to Leavenworth High School

7:00 Unpack in my classroom, grade a few papers, run copies, prepare for the day. Pump one more time? Unsure how this pumping business is going to go at school just yet.

9:30 Prep Period. Two words: Milk, Coffee. Not mixed together. Sabine would not appreciate her delicious milky mixed with Mamma's Life Source and Nectar of the Gods: Java.

11:45 Lunch with colleagues. Hopefully there will be the witty banter and repartee I'm so accustomed to from KMS. I frequently could not finish my lunch, because I was so busy yucking it up with my friends. Besides, laughter can fuel your body much longer than a yoghurt, right? Maybe not.

2:45 School adjourns for the day. Pump milk (again!). Grade a few papers.

3:15 Leave for a run from my school. I think this will be a great way to discover little parks and find out where my kiddos live and make their lives outside of school. Hopefully I won't land my cute little running short clad self in the hood, but if I do- I'm sure I'll have a hundred students who will be willing to escort me right back to the 'burbs.

4:30 Either pick up food from the commissary or pick up girls from school. This could be an and/or situation, actually.

4:45 Home, play with girls, throw load of laundry in washer.

5:15 Make Dinner. -You know, something healthy and delicious! 


6:00 Dinner with the fam.

6:30 Clean kitchen

6:45 Play with the girls.

7:00 Baths, jammies, teeth, books.

7:30 Night, night, girls.

7:32 Get more water for Margot. Because apparently she gets SUPER thirsty at night.

7:40 Shower and throw laundry in the dryer.

8:00 Pick up toys in living and dining rooms.

8:00 Hang out with Bob, watch Jeopardy (which Kansas City now airs. Hooray!) Score papers? Review reading for tomorrow? Iron clothes for tomorrow. Prepare bottles.

9:00 In bed, reading. Possibly write query letters.

10:30 Nurse Sabine one more time.

11:00 Lights Out.

This looks like a very full day. Which is good. But not overly full. There is time to prepare, teach, play, and re-group. These are components each day must have for balance.

The weekends will need to have lots of family time, the occasional "me time" for a mani/pedi, time to plan and type up lesson plans (apparently something this school requires. Typed general weekly lesson plans), and menu planning. Not to mention laundry.

So there you have it: Now life is "Charted" and soon it will be "Chartered." I'm off to get that aforementioned Manicure before life gets SUPER hectic. Cheer!

*If you'd like to make a graph of your own, click HERE*