The Future

When I quit my job to be a stay at home mom when Camden was born, we always knew that I would go back to work eventually. We never really decided exactly when. Initially, I thought maybe I'd go back to work after he was a year old. Thankfully, we were fortunate enough that I was able to stay home longer than that. Then along came another baby bump and Macey made her debut and going back to work got pushed back again. Matt and I never discussed it very much, beyond making the occasional, "When you go back to work..." comments.

Then there's school. As we all know, I've been taking classes here and there, off and on, for a decade. (For the record, there was a much bigger off than on period during that time frame.) But, I was still only taking a class or two at a time, with the reasoning that I wasn't planning on going back to work for a few more years anyway, so why rush it? It's unusual for a planner like me not to have a really defined plan, but it worked for us for the past several years just to have me stay at home with the knowledge that I'd eventually rejoin the work force.

As the kids get older and kindergarten (for Camden) and preschool (for Macey) are approaching, having a plan has been brought to the forefront of my mind. Gone are the days of idly taking classes here and there. I mentioned a while back that I met with the head of my department at school and laid out a real plan for graduation. I now have a time frame, which feels like a bizarre concoction of sadness and excitement, with a lot of bittersweet mixed in.

Here's the deal: I will start student teaching in the fall of 2016. That's a little over two years from now. That gives me two more years to take classes slowly, so that I don't overwhelm myself and miss out on these last precious years as a stay at home mom. In 2016, Camden will be in first grade (just typing that is unreal) and Macey will be in her second year of preschool. That seems like a fair time to begin the transition.

Student teaching will last a full year. The first semester will be mostly observations and the second semester will be full fledged teaching (without a salary, of course). There are still details to work out, like who will care for Macey after preschool (I'm really hoping to avoid any kind of daycare and am hoping that my mom and sister can split the time). But, I know it'll all come together.

And then, (drumroll)...I will re-enter the workforce as a teacher in 2017 (assuming I can find a job- ha!).

I know, I know- that's still 3 years away. And I'm grateful for that. I'm cherishing these last few years at home. But it's still nice to have a less vague idea of what the future holds for my little family.