God's Plan for Me to Return to the Classroom

I have a good story for you today.  One of God's faithfulness to my family.  It's full of surprising twists and turns and has turned out better than I could have hoped.

Let's rewind back to the Spring of 2024.  Kevin and I were started to talk about what it would look like for me to return to teaching.  I had every intention of going back to work when Leo went to kindergarten in the Fall of 2025.  We'd both go back to school together.  Great plan.  Right?  I had him signed up for PreK 3 days a week at our church, plans of attending Bible studies, story times and playdates with friends. It sounded like a great year to me, but God had a better plan.

Kevin thought it would be a good idea to get the ball rolling - work on my resume, update my teaching license, etc. ASAP so that I could start seeing what kinds of jobs were available and what kinds of schools were hiring.  He also wanted to make sure that I landed at a really great school and didn't just have to take any job that I could find when I went looking.  I reluctantly agreed because my original plan sounded pretty good to me.  Haha.  I applied to a public school position and was notified pretty promptly that the position was filled.  No problem.  I kept doing some behind the scenes work to get the ball rolling.

We saw a variety of job positings at a variety of public and private schools, but not many that piqued my interest enough to apply.  

Kevin spotted a job opening at Evansville Christian School.  The school had been on our radar for some time for a variety of reasons.  The job description was vague so I wasn't even sure I wanted to apply.  At the last second I got the lengthly application pulled together.  This involved a lot - meeting with my pastor, contacting some of my favorite women coworkers from Utah, women from organizations I volunteered with to quickly write me letters of recommendation and making sure I was ready for an interview if one was offered.  It's a great school and I didn't know if I even had a chance at getting an interview.  

Remember that post about seeing 8 rainbows in one day?  This was about the exact same time that I was needing a sign from God that this timing was right for our family.  He sent me 8 rainbows in one day to confirm that I was heading in the right direction with applying for this job.  Wow!  

The principal quickly reached out to say there actually wasn't a teaching position open in April of 2024.  They loved my application and wondered if I'd be interested in a full time assistant position.  The job wasn't a good fit for me so I asked them to keep in touch if anything did come up.  Door closed.

Mid May I got a phone call asking if I would consider interviewing for a kindergarten teacher position?  I listed 1st-5th on my application, but said that I would love to interview for the job.

I figured it would be good practice to interview since I hadn't interviewed for a job in almost 20 years.  But I was skeptial about kindergarten.  That was never a grade I had imagined teaching.  I loved 2nd/3rd grade and figured I'd try to go back to that.  I knew that despite being licensed to teach K-8 that my heart was with the younger kids.  Kindergarten was always a favorite grade for my big kids so maybe God was nudging me to the perfect grade to make my teaching comeback.

The in person interview was set on Olive's birthday.  I was told to come with questions so I did resesarch ahead of time.  I came with a list of questions which they seemed to appreciate.  The interview went so well.  I knew all the right answers and really felt like God gave me confidence to tell them that I was now even more qualified to be a great teacher because I spent 9 years in the classroom and 11 years as a full time mom.  Now I understood what it was like to be the parent doing homework at home with the kids, wanting clear and open communication with taechers, I know how to better relate to kids after having my own kids and I was confident that I would be a better teacher for all of that combined experience.  They seemed to love my answers.  I felt like I aced the interview and then they said they had a weeks worth of interviews to do (yikes!) and would keep me posted.  I felt less confident after hearing that because I knew I had a lot of catching up to do after being away from teaching for a while. I  figured anyone with a current license, kindergarten background or more early ed experience would get it.

A week or more of no news.  I didn't stress.  I just prayed that God would open doors for us when it was time for me to return to the classroom.

The principal reached out to schedule a phone meeting.  Of course as a mom of 3 kids home for the Summer, I had the meeting in my quiet van.  I assumed it was to tell me the position had been filled or that I could reapply down the road.  BUT she had a few questions for me and we had a really good conversation.  She told me that they were impressed with me, that I had all the intangibles of a really great teacher, they saw qualities in me that you can't teach people, they loved my experience and my desire to build community in the classroom and with parents. They also said that they got so many letters of recommendation for me.  ALL of the friends I've made along the way from teaching to community work came through to write me the nicest letters.  Then she told me to watch my email for a formal job offer later that day!!

I was shocked.  God was giving me the green light.  All of my experiences and connections along the way as a stay at home mom helped prepare me for this job.  Every hurdle I encountered was met with a quick solution - PreK for Leo, details for the older kids, schedules, routines, etc.  We were excited.  And could hardly believe our ears.

We prayed about it.  I panicked about things.  Made a million lists.  I asked lots more questions.  I got my licensing ducks in a row.  And I accepted the position about a week later.  We waited a bit to tell the kids and a bit longer to tell family and friends.  Kevin rearranged Summer travel plans so that I could attend new teacher trainings and our Summer was busier than every trying to make plans for me to return to the classroom.  The kids ate too much Chick-Fil-A and we traveled more than we would have if we had known I was going back to work.  But we did it!  We had a wonderful Summer together.

I signed my contract on Kevin's birthday to make the job official.

I felt nervous and excited to return to a job that I loved.  I knew loud and clear that this was God's plan for our family so that gave me confidence when I felt uncertain.  My kindergarten team is wonderful and God has put many people around me to help make this a smooth transition.  Some teaching things came back to me right away and I've had to learn lots of new things about teaching a new grade.  It's been an adventure of highs and lows and I'm thankful for the opportunity for my family.  My kids have new school options going forward and that feels so good.

A little photo timeline of my journey to return to teaching:

Interview with my pastor went great.

Late night prepping for my interview.

In person interview at the school.

God sent some rainbow encouragement to us on our Summer vacation.

My first day back to work.  Teacher training day.  I felt very official!

Hours of work in my classroom and work in general brought me to the first day of school!

God really did take care of all the details - a wonderful, welcoming K team, an experienced assistant, a new opportunity to experience private education and much more!  This all came together about a year before I expected it to and I am trusting that God's plan is better than my plan today and always.

Free Toy Egg Carton

Moms of littles, I have a tip for you!

Save your egg cartons for some free entertainment.

Let me explain.

My 4 year old loves playing with egg cartons.  We have found so many fun uses for them.

1. Smash in the egg cartons

2. Fill each egg slot with a tiny toy (cars here)

3. Go outside and pick a clover flower or dandelion for each spot.

4. Collect ladybugs for each spot.

5. Pick a clover for each spot or a cherry tomato for each spot.

6. Fill an empty egg carton with a bite size lunch for your toddler.

7. Put paint in each spot and let your toddler paint.

8. Put a little snack in each spot for a fun snack tray.

Leo plays with them all the time and loves filling each spot.

Let me know if your toddler has fun with an egg carton!

August Coffee Chat

I hope you had a nice weekend.  Ours was a good mix of busy, productive and restful.  I'm ready for the week and am really excited for the upcoming long weekend.

Grab your favorite coffee and let's chat!

1. Some mornings Fletcher wakes up before me and surprises me by being my barista.  He's figured out the perfect mix of iced coffee + mocha creamer.  He'll mix the liquids and then proudly tell me to just add ice when I wake up.  He's the sweetest, most thoughtful guy.  He also wakes up extra early on school days to make sure he gets to be up with me as long as possible before I head to work.

2. We're trying to figure out a new grocery shopping routine since I'm back to work.  I tried doing grocery pick up after work and that was terrible.  I wasn't in the mood to wait for groceries, it took forever and then I had to unload and put away groceries at dinner time.  The past week or so we have been doing Saturday morning grocery pick up or Sams shopping.  That's been much better.  The kids LOVE to stroll through Sams and eat samples while picking out food for the week.  We're going through tons of food with all the lunches, snacks and dinners we're making so it seems like grocery shopping every Saturday might just be our new thing.

3. I have loved shopping for teacher clothes again!  It's been my favorite to find cute things to wear that work for a day in the classroom of sitting, standing, recess duty, at my desk, on the floor and everywhere in between.  Stay turned for some fun outfit posts coming up.  I leave before 7am so I'm still working on figuring out the best time to grab outfit pictures.

4. We went to a dinner party on Saturday night and the menu was Greek food.  I was not excited about it and I ended up loving the meal so much.  I promptly came home and pinned lots of Greek recipes.  Do you cook Greek food very often??  It was so healthy and fresh!  I hope my kids enjoy the Greek bowls I'm dreaming of making for dinner.

5. This life long night owl is struggling with the 5:30am alarms I have to set on work days.  I am working on earlier bedtimes, but there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day.  I am also trying to delegate at work and at home to make sure I'm taking care of myself.

6. Are you excited about football season??  Notre Dame's first game is this weekend and we are so excited.  My kids can't wait for the first chili of the season, have big hopes of football appetizers on Saturdays and I'm ready for cooler Fall weather.

7. We got a new patio door installed recently after years of fighting with our builder about it.  We're hoping and praying our pretty new door doesn't leak like our last one did.  New build tip - document everything and every issue.  Take pictures.  Write down dates.  And fight, fight, fight if something isn't right.  Whew.  We're tired of talking about our door and I'm so thankful that Kevin stayed on top of that repair project.  I'm also thankful that my dad could supervise the door install because it's hard to take care of every single thing when both parents are working.  

8. I have a challenge for you - write a thank you note/text/email to someone this week!  I have received some sweet emails from parents since school started and they have made my days.  It feels so good to hear what my students are loving about school and what parents appreciate about our classroom.  It's free to say a big thank you to your favorite teacher, a friend or family memeber who has done something sweet for you lately.

Thanks for listening!  Let's chat in the comments.

Friday Favorites

 Happy Friday, Friends!  I hope you've had as good week.  We are finding our groove over here and yet still taking life one day at a time. 

Did you catch my blog posts this week?

End of an Era - you know it's a good one when your hubby tells you it tugged at his heart strings!

Pink Glasses

Adjusting to PreK

The best parts of our week were:

1. Mr. Mittens joined our family this week!  He's 3 months old and is settling in nicely to our crazy crew.  More details about him to come.

2. The big kids picked out Jordan backpacks this year and Leo had to have a matching one.  They're such cute backpacks.  Everyone found their own color that they loved.  I love all the pockets and I'm hoping they last for a long time.

3. Dig N Roll.  We squeezed in one last trip to Dig N Roll before school started.  The boys would spend all day in the car wash station.

4. Chick-Fil-A macaroni and cheese is AMAZING.  Have you had it??  It tastes like homemade.  Perfectly creamy and so cheesey.  It's my favorite side dish ever.

5. My parents got to stop by my classroom when it was under construction.  It feels good to have it all put together now.  Classroom tour to come.

6. Toffee Truffles.  The Sams samples got us.  I've been going to Sams on the weekends with the kids and it's the highlight of their weekend.  They love trying all the new things.  We got to sample these and they were amazing.  They are great for lunch boxes and treats for my desk. 

7. Leo is really into building towers.  He loves to build them, get compliments on them and then knock them down.

8. Teacher shoes.  I've been collecting comfy and cute teacher shoes.  It feels good to find shoes that are comfy to wear for 8+ hours of standing on hard floors.  These pink Adidas shoes are my favorite!

9. Kevin's Mom (AKA Nanny) took the kids on a little mall date right before school started.  We grabbed lunch at Chick-Fil-A, the kids each got to pick out one new clothing item for school and then we stopped in Build A Bear.  What a treat!

10. Kevin's dad retired recently and Kevin took the kids to his retirement luncheon.  He was a cardiologist for almost 40 years and his patients love him.  It'll be fun to see if any of the kids grow up wanting to be doctors like their grandpa or their dad.

11. I couldn't resist these Queso On the Border chips when I was doing grocery pick up.  They're a tiny bit spicy (my favorite kind of spicy) and have such a good flavor.  I'd buy them again!  They were a fun twist on a regular tortilla chip.

12. Third grade is going so wellf or Fletcher.  He's got a really great teacher who has already sent home the nicest notes about Fletch.  

13. Leo with his giant backpack is one of my favorite things.  He insisted on a big kid backpack and it's adorable.

Have the best weekend!  See you back here next week.

Linking up with Momfessionals

Adjusting to PreK

Have you ever started something new and needed a little bit of encouragement?

Leo's on week 3 of going to full time PreK.  I signed him up to go to part time PreK 3 days a week this Fall at our church and ease into a school routine.  That's what Olive and Fletcher did so it seemed right for Leo.  I felt nervous about him having to suddenly go from being home all week having to go to school all week.  That is a huge change for all of us.  God had other plans for both of us this year and he's been so good to give me encouragement along the way.

Leo was playing with these fun letters and was excited to tell me what it said.  

It says "PreK is going to be so fun!"

It obviously doesn't say that, but I was so thankful for this encouraging message.

We have already noticed a big change in number of the things that Leo can do and wants to do by himself.  He asked for help with these puzzles and then decided he could try them by himself.  He did so well with them and was so proud of himself.  He's looking for ways to take care of himself at home after doing it all day at school.

His teacher sends me the nicest notes tell me all the ways that Leo is growing and learning.  He's singing new songs, learning the months of the year, playing with new toys, learning to ride a tricycle and making friends.  It's so precious and so encouraging.  I was nervous about this big transition and am happy to report that Leo is thriving.

I pack his favorite snacks and lunches.  We drop him off as late as possible.  Pick him up as early as possible.  And we both communicate often with his teacher to make sure that Leo is thriving.

Change is hard, but it's doable one day at a time.

Pink Glasses

 Here's my firendly reminder - make the appointments that you have been putting off!

This Summer I visited my family doctor, dermatologist, eye doctor and have a dentist appointment coming up.  None of them were especially fun, but I'm glad I made my health a priority.  We have established care for all the kids and have some appointments coming up.

My eye exam was a pain to establish care at a new place.  I didn't like the first doctor I saw, but loved the second for my follow up contact exam.  I had to speak up for myself to make sure that I saw my favorite doctor from there on out.  I had to ask my first doctor to transfer my file to my second doctor because I thought he was a better fit for me.  It was a super awkward conversation, but I'm so glad I stood up for myself.

I am so excited to have new glasses.

Aren't they pretty!?  I have a big head so finding comfy glasses is tricky.

And apparently, I have always been a pink glasses girl.  First grade Whitney and 42 year old Whitney feel the same about cute accessories.  

Make those appointment, friends!

End of an Era

It is the end of an era.

After 11 years, my title has changed.

I'm no longer a stay at home mom.  Family CEO.  Manager of everything.

I didn't really plan to be a stay at home mom for so long, but God knew that was best for our family.  

2004-2013: I loved teaching 2nd and 3rd grade in Utah.  My school was amazing.  The friends I made have become lifelong friends.  I still keep in contact with my students today.  It was my dream job.  I had opportunities to lead committees, teach teachers, get my masters degree, build community and I couldn't have come up with a better way to begin my teaching career. 

Olive was born in Salt Lake City in 2013.  And then life got BUSY.  It was overwhelming to even think of getting licensed to teach in new states and find child care when we knew no one.  We moved every year for a while - Arkanas in 2014, Mississippi in 2015, Indiana 2016 and Fletcher joined our family.  Kevin was busy working towards tenure at Indiana State and I was busy running things at home.  Leo joined our family in 2020.  Life was wild that year.  2021 brought a surprise move to a new city in Indiana, and a more challenging and exciting dream job for Kevin.

The kids and I were together almost 24/7 for 11 years.  They were my grocery shopping buddies, first friends in any new city we moved to and side kicks through everything we did for years.  We did a quick grocery run the other day and I felt so nostalgic.  The kids have been my constant side kicks for years and we're all growing up and changing this year.  I'm just so thankful to have had the gift of time with our kids.

Through all the moves and changes, it was such a blessing to be the constant for our family.  

Mom was always home and would always take care of things.  Kevin was working so hard and so was I.  We made a great team.  He didn't have to worry about day to day things at home as much and could focus on his career.  Sick days, appointments, surprises in our schedule weren't as stressful because I was home.  I could be involved in our communities, build friendships and help our kids to thrive and learn at community classes for kids.  It was the best.  

I loved being a teacher and I loved being a full time mom.

I'm so excited to start this new journey as Kindergarten Teacher Mom.

God made it very clear that this was the perfect job for me to make my return to teaching.  It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows over here, but we're figuring things out.  One day at a time.  My new school gives my family new opportunities.  Learning to teach a new grade will be a good challenge for me.  I'm already making great friends and connections.  Kevin and I are doing expert levels of scheduling, communicating and planning to pull this off.  We're coordinating events/dates/schedules for four different schools, three kids and two jobs.  We are thankful to have family help to fill in the gaps, good babysitter options as needed and big kids taking on new responsibilities.  Team work makes the dream work as Morgan Wallen says.

All that to say:

I'm cheering for all moms!  No matter your extra titles.

If you ever have the chance to stay home with your kids, do it!  It's such good work.  You may have to make some changes to make it work, but it will be such rewarding years.  Some days feel long or lonely, but challenge yourself to get out and about an enjoy being home with your little ones.  The years go by so fast.

Also hear me say this, if you ever get the chance to return to a job you love, pray about it and be excited for the jobs that come your way.  I'm excited to be teaching again.  Even if so many things are new and different than when I left teaching in 2013.  I've got a lot to learn.

I'm cheering for you!  I have heard from so many moms who are in transition with their careers and mom life.  You can do it.  One day at a time!

I'm thankful to be a teacher and a mom and learn how to balance both.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  I hae a couple weeks of school under my belt and we are starting to feel more confident in all of our new routines.  Each day is different and we are busy, but it seems like everyone is happily finding their groove.

The best parts of our week were:

1. Finding treats on my desk!

2. Leo earned some fun prizes for a great start to PreK.

3. Our crepe myrtle is in full bloom!

4. Olive has been wnated to try press on nails.  We grabbed this set at Target and LOVED how they turned out.  I got so many compliments on them.  They have lasted almost a week with just a few touch ups.

5. Packing lunches!  I'm packing 20 lunches a week and 20 snacks a week.  That means I've got to hit up all the grocery stores on the weekend to get ready for the week.  We try to do grocery pick up + Sams.

6. Some of my little kindergarten buddies pick me bouquets at recess.

7. 6th grade, 3rd grade and PreK are off to a great start!

8. Mama Bunny and I meet at the garden every night.  I take out the compost, harvest any veggies that are ready and she finds things to munch on.  Our okra is really doing well.  So are the tiny tomatoes, jalapenos, sweet peppers and a few zucchini.

9. My MIL has been bringing us dinners to make the evenings a little easier after long workdays.  How sweet is that?!  This was a favorite meal.

10. It's almost the weekend!!  We can't wait to stay home, hang out together and not set any alarms.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Preteen Parenting: Feed Them

Do you want to know the easiest way to get kids to gather at your house??

Feed them!

Olive wanted to have one last Summer sleep over so we planned it last minute and she made an easy menu of take out pizza, blizzards & breakfast.  

Kevin got the pizzas for us.

I got the stuff to make homemade blizzards.

And then we had our traditional sleepover breakfast.  Pancakes & eggs.

The girls were thrilled!

Simple pancakes - plain or chocolate chip.  Same with the eggs - plain or with cheese.  I kept breakfast simple because everyone had to leave at 8am so I could get off to my teacher training days.

They loved ordering their blizzard toppings.  I kept it simple with 2 topping options and almost everyone picked Oreo.

Pizza, blizzards and panakes were a big hit!  And it was so much cheaper to get the ingredients to make these meals and snacks at home vs going to Dairy Queen or Dennys with a big group.  Feed the friends and you'll be a favorite mom!

Sunshine Baskets

This Summer I had the best time putting together Sunshine Baskets!

Isn't that a fun name?  My Aunt Vera shared it with me and it's just like it sounds - a basket or box filled with things that will be a bright spot in someone's day.

I love to grab berry boxes or small Amazon boxes to turn into sunshine baskets.

I like to include a meal, all the sides, a dessert, paper products and a magazine.

Homemade chicken salad

fruits

veggies

pasta salad

crackers/chips/salty snacks

loaf of bread

lemonade

cookies/treats

plates/silverware/utensils

& a note

I make sure everything is disposable, let the person know your delivery is coming and help them with several meals to make their life a little sunnier!

Do you know someone that would benefit from a sunshine basket?

Back to School 2024

The whole family is headed back to school this year!  Olive and Fletcher started back last Monday.  Leo and I went back on Wednesday and Kevin heads back soon.

6th grade Olive loves recess time where she can meet up with her friends from other classes.

3rd grade Fltcher says his teacher is probably his nicest teacher ever.

I'm so proud of these two.  They are navigating so many new things really well this year.  I'm thankful they are in the same school for one more year.

Kindergarten teacher mom.  I learned a lot this week.  The pacing of K is so different than 3rd grade.  I have better ideas and plans for week two.  I'm learning tons of new technology and hopefully soon enough I'll hit my kindergarten stride.

PreK Leo.  Day 1 was a struggle, but things turned around for him on day 2.  He's got a wonderful teacher and all of us cheering him on.  He is already learning lots in PreK.  He told me his teacher talks all day, he works so hard, he's making friends but has no clue what their name are and loves showing us the right way to line up.  

I underestimated the amount of scheduling and planning that it takes to have two full time working parents and five people to plan around.  I'm making more lists than ever before.  Kevin's helping out with all the things.  Last week went as smooth as possible because of all his help.  We're coordinating pick ups and drop offs.  My mom helped us last week.  My MIL dropped off dinner for us and Door Dash made dinner easy on us.  We're doing it.  One day at a time and a lot of praying and planning.

I look forward to commuting to and from school with this guy.  We were stopped at a stoplight :)  

My classroom is the happiest room.  I'm thankful to have an experienced assistant.  Thankful for the pretty bouquet of flowers Kevin delivered on Day 2 and thankful for the opporutnities that have come our way this year.

My kindergarten team has been wonderful!  They are so helpful and welcoming.  Love them!

Back to school week had plenty of high highs and low lows.  Tears and smiles.  Now it's in the books an we all have our first full week of school.  Whew!  We're learning a lot together this year and working as a family team to keep things running smoothly.  If you think of my family, will you pray that it's a wonderful year for all of us?!  We are all doing lots of new things!