Snowballing

Last spring, our bishop asked Craig how to go about finding a room at the nearby high school where their seminary class could meet.  Craig told him who to contact and then privately asked me if we should offer our basement if that didn't work out.  We hemmed and hawed for a bit, but finally decided to do it.  Our basement has a private entrance, so it's really not a big deal: the teacher and students (there are only three of them) park in our driveway and I know they're down there, but I don't really see them at all.  And the teacher, Sister Demek, is very nice about vacuuming any mess they've left and stuff like that.  I try to keep the little kids quiet when they're meeting, but the big kids have already left for school (since the elementary school starts before the high school here). 

As my kids like to say, Easy Peasy.

But, of course, nothing is ever really that easy.  Because right as we got that all planned, the bishop also asked if I'd be willing to be a substitute teacher for the class.  Sister Demek, it turns out, is also a temple worker, but since the temple is more than two hours away, she manages this by going every other week and working for two days.  So they needed a sub for four days each month.  That didn't seem too hard, so I said I'd be willing.  They asked a friend of mine who lives close by to also be a substitute, with the understanding that we would take turns teaching and watching each other's children.  It seemed like a good system.

And then, when they officially extended the calling to me, they casually mentioned, "Oh, yeah, it will be just four days a month.  And also January and February, when Sister Demek will be out of town."  And I was like, "Oh, okay-- wait, wha...?"  I assumed they meant for a couple weeks of both January and February, but no, they actually meant ALL of January AND February.  And the first week of March, too.

And then my co-sub announced that she'd be gone for six weeks over the Christmas holiday (this has since been shortened to just five weeks, thank goodness).

And now Sister Demek had a death in her family, and will be gone for a week and a half for the funeral. 

And I'm sort of wondering what I've gotten myself into.


Don't get me wrong-- I actually enjoy teaching.  This morning was my 3rd time doing it, and I got to teach Luke 2, which makes me happier than just about anything else in the world.  So that was great.  And the students are really good kids who are happy to participate, so that makes everything easier.  But trying to prepare a lesson with children around is nearly impossible, so lesson prep has been relegated to being a night-time activity.  And I have to admit-- the time when all my kids are in bed and I can truly relax is fairly precious to me.  So that's a bit of a sacrifice.

And watching my co-sub's kids isn't hard-- her 4-year-old plays fine with Colton and her baby is super cute (even though Camille is afraid of her).  But...  well, there's a reason I've never babysat to earn extra cash, and it's because I don't really like watching other people's kids!  I'd rather just do what I do with only my own children with me.  And having to spoon feed someone else's toddler (who is the slowest eater I've ever seen-- if she were my baby, she'd probably starve to death because I'd just give up) is a bit of a drag, honestly (especially since I'm finally NOT having to spoon-feed Camille any more!).  And now I feel like I'm just being a whiny grump.

So, yeah, it's fine.  I'm fine.  Everything is fine.

It's hard having this many feelings!

But it's not easy, either.  I should have known that it wouldn't be as easy as simply offering up our basement.