On to summer!

I'm sitting with my morning coffee, sun on my shoulders from the window, with the sound of Sesame Street in the background. I'm thoroughly enjoying the moment. It's the first morning since school started in January that I don't have a single stressful deadline looming overhead, and my only goal for the day is to be "Mom". Being a student-mother is incredibly stressful. Keeping your mind in a "learning mode" is stressful as it is, without the worries of parenthood compounding that process. The last few weeks were incredibly demanding of my time, and it left the kids feeling lonely. At their preschool, we write "love notes" back and forth often. The most recent one broke my heart! Here is the note I got from Will:

As much as I wish I could stay home with my kids until they were five with no other responsibilities except to make them feel safe, secure and loved, I don't have that option anymore. However, I sit here triumphant because I met all my goals and completed the semester with excellent grades and most of the semester was able to give the kiddos the attention they required, stay home and care for them when they were sick, and use my new skills to teach them all the letters and their sounds. The two hour (total) daily commute, long, snowy winter and flu season are behind us.

This weekend I'll be taking the kids to our local theme park, and I can't wait to give them the best of my time! We asked the family to contribute to season passes for the summer, and we can go every day if we want for a couple hours to tire the littles out a bit. It's only a few minutes away from my doorstep, so we don't even have to worry about the cost of food in the park. What wonderful memories we will be able to make!

In January, I had no idea I'd be able to make it here. Now that I've completed this crucial step in my education and in my life after divorce, I'm so grateful that I took the leap!

What have you accomplished lately on your list of short or long-term goals? What accomplishment are you most proud of?