School

With school starting this month, my life has gone from lazy summer days to every spare minute being cram-packed with activity.

This year, the craziness of back-to-school was amplified by several factors. First of all, my baby started first grade. Am I a bad mom for not crying and wishing she were my little girl some more? Part of me is a little wistful, but mostly, I have to admit that I'm loving this stage of my life. My oldest child is baby-sitting age and actually able to cook some basic meals, and all four of my kids are in school full-time, and old enough to mostly take care of their own needs. No more potty-training in this house! No more diapers or forcing baby food down unwilling mouths!! And no more endless days of trying to keep bored preschoolers occupied while their older siblings are in school.

So, you'd think my life would be less crazy right now than ever, wouldn't you? But if you thought that, you'd be very, very wrong. Because I decided to go back to school myself this fall and pursue a degree. That's right - while my kids are at school and the house is nice and peaceful, I'm not even there because I'm going to school full-time.

I'm so, so excited about it, though! I love school - always have. I'm learning so many interesting things and engaging in so many interesting conversations with so many interesting people.

So, the degree I've decided to pursue shouldn't come as a big shock - I'm going to get my degree in English with a creative writing emphasis, and I'm going to minor in editing. I've found over the years that I love the critiquing and editing and revising parts of writing even more than the writing itself, and I think editing is just the thing that I would love to do if I have to go out and get a job someday to support my family.