That Which Does Not Kill Us ...

I was asked to pick up two classes that another faculty member cannot teach because she is going on medical leave. I saw dollar signs in my head, so I said yes.

My teaching schedule was already not ideal. Do-able, tolerable, but not ideal. The upside - they were able to meet my request that my classes all start around the same time each day - the downside is that time is 8:00 am. Meaning the wee one has to get to daycare about the time they open the doors. Her "primary caregiver" does not arrive that early, so each morning I hand her off to someone different as I run out the door to try to find a place to park and make sure I am prepared for class.

It was supposed to all be okay. I had lunch free all days, so I could go nurse her at lunchtime. Until I thought it does more damage than good since she has trouble with the separation. I'd be done around 3:00 or so and could go pick her up then.

When we were having sleeping issues a couple of weeks ago (when she was getting sick and I was trying to teach her to sleep in her room) I realized ... I only spend 4 hours a day with her. FOUR hours a day. Unless you count the time we co-sleep, 4 hours a day. One hour in the morning, and that includes the commute to daycare with her strapped in the carseat. Three hours in the afternoon. Yes, still counting the strapped-in-carseat time.

Then I said yes to a request to save the day at work. The classes I am picking up are 1:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. Unless they heed my request to adjust some aspects of the lab schedule, in which case I'll be done at 5. Today was the first try at this. We had about 45 minutes together in the morning, and about an hour before she fell asleep tonight. Woo hoo.

I am now teaching 25 contact hours a week. (That's alot, when 12 of them are labs.) I walked into a room full of students today who definitely did not feel they had been adequately served by the college, and I had to field the questions and concerns of a large group of angry, anxious people. Can I tell you how much fun that was?

I can do anything for 8 weeks. And I'm making some extra money that will be helpful. The wee one had a decent day at daycare and then her Nana came to get her. I told my guilt-ridden self on the way to work this morning that it takes a village, and I've selected the best village I can for her, so I have to trust that she will be guided and cared for and educated even in my absence.

But damn, am I exhausted. I have alot of work ahead of me to try to straighten out this class for these students. And I'm helping the person that took over one of my classes by doing some prep work for her. I hope I was right to say yes.

Sorry for the complaining. I think I'm going to go crawl into bed and snuggle a wee one. Make up for lost time :) Want an adorable photo??

(Technical difficulties - have to wait for the QT pie!)

I can't get the one from my cell phone that I wanted. So here's two others until I can.





I couldn't tell from the thumbnail if that first one was cute or not, so I thought maybe between the two of them you'd have a cute one to see. And pretty much they both are not her best work. I should invest in her therapy now, no?