2018? WHat Happened to 2017?

Busy times. February 2017 brought the birth of my son Bryson Dewey Elrick. Since then it's been a whirlwind of being a new mom and getting a new job. We made it through the first semester with lots of help from people who love us.  Christmas happened. The packages were wrapped, I baked 12 dozen cookies, hosted a neighborhood cookie swap, decorated the tree, watched lots of old Christmas movies, I was even responsible for cooking dinner on Christmas Day but no, we didn't send Christmas cards. Sorry friends. Now, I'm applying for jobs (this one was temporary). I'm re-visiting my research interests, preparing for festivals and conferences, grading mock EdTPA exams and preparing syllabi for next semester. Oh, and my son at 10 mos old eats a full human meal every 2-3 hours. It takes him 30-60 mins to eat. Do the math. I have never done so much cooking. It's a different kind of GSD... 

I was told once that someone interested in hiring me asked a reference if I '...had a lot of energy..." I'm assuming that's because they knew I was a new mother and they wanted to know if I was up for the challenge of a full-time teaching job AND being a new mom at the same time. I would suggest that I have been able to fulfill all of my obligations as a professional and then some. It has nothing to do with energy and everything to do with time.  

Let's be honest...no matter who you are or what you are doing or what role in life you are playing, you probably feel as though you don't have enough time. Same here. I realized it's much more about recognizing what time you have (which is the same # of minute, hours, days as everyone else) organizing it in such a way that you are able to get done what you need to get done and take care of the people you need to take care of... especially yourself. If you can do that, you are winning. So the next time you wonder if a new mom 'has the energy' to do the job you do, the answer is hell yes. (#Halyes) We might take pause and prioritize various aspects of our lives and careers differently than you, but we will get the job done and you will love the work we do.