Ahh! My favorite part of the year! Sure some people LOVE the holidays; the rush and exhilaration of parties and shopping. It certainly makes that time of the year so, so very joyous, but for me, nothing beats getting a classroom ready for a new school year!
There’s something about preparing a classroom for the new school year that gives me a charge! Perhaps it’s the hope of a new beginning filled with the excitement of meeting new students, or the challenge of helping students learn and enjoy the process. Whichever it is- "IT" invigorates my creative juices and allows me to bring out all that magic to share it with my new group of kiddos. I know that I sound a bit "exagerada" and "dramática" to the average person, but I am being honest when I say that the "Back to School" season is my favorite part of the year!
So as I watched my friends post all over IG and FB their dreadful complaints about the end of their summer, I was thinking of the fun I’d have setting up a classroom and how this year I wouldn’t; this year it would be different. I have traded off that joy for a greater purpose, and I will not be part of this year’s B2S frenzy. Let me clarify- I’m in NO way saddened by this, but instead, nostalgic for those feelings that I’ve experienced as a teacher. So then, what’s different this year? Why am I missing this BTS? Well, if you’ve been an IG or FB follower you know that I’ve decided to be my grandson’s full-time caregiver. Instead of prepping a class, I’m prepping for another round of a "Grandma Sabbatical" with my precious Augie, my fourth and newest grand baby!
I’ve often heard people say that being a grandmother is better than being a mom, and I cannot disagree. It is God’s way of rewarding us for all the tough work and the years we put into the raising of our children. It’s like your heart explodes and opens God’s Graces of Divine Love. This is why He made us to His likeness and image. We are given a glimpse of our Creator’s heart! Yes, being an abuela is better! It’s a do-over with the added bonus of an enormous layer of whipped cream and two hundred cherries on top! However being able to be a full time granny/caregiver? That’s just at another level! It’s like having the Kitchen Sink from Sloan’s Ice Cream Shop! There’s something to be said about getting to kiss and snuggle every single day with a grand baby! To hold your child’s- child! To feed them and dress them and play with them! The opportunity to watch every little milestone is magical! To relive and experience the moments that sadly, are hardly noticed when we are parenting is what makes this #grandmasabbatical2 such an uber-rific moment for me!
I certainly remember the guilty feelings of being so busy and not always being present in my daily tasks as a young mother. It was hard! Really hard! Being a mom, a housekeeper, a nurse, a cook, a chauffeur, a wife, a daughter, a volunteer (add your own Etc.) made me feel guilty all the time. No matter how many To Do Lists I’d accomplish, or how many playgroups I joined, or how many delicious meals I prepared, I always fell short. I never did enough. Yet looking back now, I realize how I missed so many of beautiful moments simply because I was in the thick of it!
So as I said already, being a Grandma is definitely getting a "do-over!" Not only do I get to enjoy all the little things, but I get to be part of the village that helps Augie grow! I get to leave the beds undone- drop the vacuum, pile the laundry, all the while I watch Agustin grow! I already have a Pinterest Board titled, "Augienator" which sounds like some form of prehistoric dinosaur (according to his parents, he already loves dinos) filled with many ideas to do with him as we begin our journey.
Another exciting change for me is the opportunity to also add some self-care to my new schedule. My daughters are both members of a FB Mommy Group and they encouraged me to join a Baby Boot Camp that seems very popular with some of the moms. They felt it was good for me to get a little workout each day. This has been heaven sent! I am having so much fun! Meeting these mommies and working out while also playing with Augie! Jackpot! Rebecca Garay, the Franchise Owner, has been so inclusive of me in spite of me being an "Abuela!" She, and all the mommies are kind and very welcoming of this old girl! !Muchas-muchas gracias!
The beginning of this school year has gotten off memorably and marvelously! I’ll be seeing all my grandkids more than just once a week, and I’ll be available to help my other daughter with our twinsies, Remi and Addi (grandkids #2 & 3). I won’t miss any of Mila’s (grandkid #1) school functions and I’ll be able to do pick ups after school too. I will surely miss the classroom, my colleagues, and especially the students, but I’ll be gaining so much more that will over fill any of the voids. I’ve recently started a new book by Bob Goff, titled, Love Does that has affirmed my Sabbatical clearly.
Most of our decisions are driven by love or fear; who we toss our keys to will determine where we end up.
-Bob Goff
As difficult as this decision was to make, the decision has already given me new hope and enthusiasm for a fantabulous new school year!
