Autumn in the Valley

The boys at the corn maze...

One of the hardest things for me about starting school has been letting go of the domestic stuff, and the extra time spent at home just being a mom. It is difficult to balance the work load and the kids. It is so important for me to just have lots of time BEING with my kids. I have been incredibly lucky to have it for as long as I have. Since I began school, Ez and I just don't have a lot of that time together anymore. Three days a week, he gets home from preschool/daycare just in time for me to hug him and hop on my bike to class. It has made our nighttime snuggles all the more important. And I know it has been hard for him too. He had a bit of a cold last Friday and I eagerly called his teachers to say he wouldn't be coming in. I snuggled him up with blankets and we had soup for lunch but really he was mostly running around and having fun. He did say to me that he didn't want to go to school anymore and he didn't want me to go anywhere ever again. Sheesh. And yet, I know that I need to do this school thing, for myself and for my kids. I think there is something wonderful about raising your kids in an environment where books and learning and education are so valued. Although you don't need a university or a degree to do that. There are moments when I wish we lived in a farmhouse surrounded by land and family and friends and we all just stayed home with our kids and gave each other breaks when we needed them and learned/taught together.

Because of all this I have decided to keep him home on Fridays, for awhile at least. For him and for me. I am going to have our babysitter come for a couple hours while Matt and I have a "date" at a cafe to get some work done. Then I will have the rest of the day with my brown-eyed, dimpled darling, before he goes to college, which sometimes feels like tomorrow...

That said, I am loving my program. I am so inspired and motivated by my professors, who are all brilliant. I think Special education attracts a certain kind of person and I am so happy to be amongst them. And even my Legislation/Policy class is getting less scary and more accessible.

It is officially Autumn here in the Pioneer Valley. I am eagerly awaiting our first trip to an apple orchard, our first cider, cider doughnuts and apple pies.

P.S

Bright Star , the film about Keats and his love Fanny, looks like it will be a beautiful, romantic film. The trailer provides a few glimpses at Fanny's wardrobe, her dresses alone warrant a viewing.

Trailer viewing is the kind of treat one needs after reading pages of legislation!