It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well, after getting 10 1/2 days off because of snow, I'm finally going back to work.  And even though it's been ten days since it snowed, there is STILL snow on the ground.  Not very much, but enough to tell that we had snow at some point or another.  I have never known snow to last this long...well, being that we only got about 6 inches of it.  Anyone would have thought we got about 2 or 3 feet of snow the way this past week has been.  Even driving home yesterday, I still encountered some slush on the roads.  Not enough to be dangerous or cause any sliding, but still visible on the roads.

This week, we are supposed to see clear, sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s.  I am not going to complain about that, because being that it's the last week before Christmas break, we are going to need our recess time each day to calm some "crazy" that will be going on.  For some reason, kids have a hard time focusing the week before Christmas break.  It's gonna be worse being that we've had over a week off beforehand.  Friday, the cold weather is supposed to come back.  Right in time for school to break up.  There's even a small chance that we might get a white Christmas this year.  I just hope that it doesn't interfere with our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traveling.  

But, today really is going to be a wonderful day.

My mom will be going home from the hospital.  The doctor thinks she's doing well enough to be at home, and I have to admit she is doing really well.  My mom is a little worried about going home, because she's still in a lot of pain but she also knows that it's going to be a while before the pain goes away completely.  She's just going to have to take it really slowly, and make sure she gets plenty of rest once she gets out of the hospital.

I took the kids up there to see her yesterday, and she was able to get up for a shower and even walked around the unit with us for a little while.  She told me that she had finally gotten around to catching up on my blog the night before.  She didn't elaborate more than that, but I could tell that she was touched by some of the things I had said.  Plus, my brother informed me that my mom had gotten a little choked up as she read what I had to say.  I felt good knowing that I hadn't upset her by revealing too much, and that my words were able to let her know how I've been feeling.  

It upsets me that it's taken something as drastic as my mom going through life threatening surgery for her and I to repair and rebuild our relationship, but I'm also happy about it too.  Up until this all happened, I never really told my mom I loved her.  The only time I actually said the words to her was on New Year's Eve.  The same can be said for kissing and hugging her.  Every year, on New Year's Eve, we welcome the new year by a kiss, a hug, and telling each other that we love them.  Since going in to the hospital, almost every time I've spoken to her on the phone I've told her I loved her.  Every time I've left the hospital, I've kissed and hugged her goodbye.  

Again, it's sad to know that it took all of this for me to feel comfortable kissing my own mother and telling her that I love her, but I'm also glad that we have gotten that close again.  I feel like I have taken my relationship with my mom to a whole deeper level, and even though the woman has been my best friend for years and years, I feel closer to her now than I ever have.

It is no secret that for the past few months, the last year in fact, my mom and I have been drifting apart.  We went from talking to each other every single day on the phone and seeing each other almost every weekend to a few phone calls each week and seeing each other every other weekend to a phone call maybe once a week and seeing each other maybe once a month.  Time got away from us  most of the time, but in all honesty I just kinda got tired of talking about the same old stuff each time I called, or being surrounded with so many people when I went over there.  

When push comes to shove, I can admit that I resented my mom not because she became a foster mother, but because she took in SO MANY kids.  Having two kids of her own, two of her grandchildren that she has custody of, and then four foster kids was and is WAY too much in my opinion.  I still feel that way, in fact more now than ever.  But, with everything that's happened, I was able to get over that resentment and realized that no matter how many kids lived in that house, none of them would ever take my place as her daughter.  The one she can turn to.  The one there for her whenever she needs me.  

I still wish that she would lighten her load at home, but will stand by her with whatever she decides.   

Moving on, I also received more good news yesterday.  Before taking the trip up to see my mom yesterday, I received an email from Jelly's teacher.

This morning, her school is having it's monthly award assembly.  Jelly has been selected as December's Terrific Tiger.  That's the same thing as Student of the the Month.  I was thrilled to read the email.  I've been hoping that she'd get the award at some point, and I even said that to my mom not even a few days ago.  It's kinda funny that not even two days since I said something about it, it actually happened.  

Thankfully, I was able to find someone to cover my classroom this morning so that I can go.  It means a lot for me to be there.  Jelly has absolutely no idea.  They don't tell the kids that are getting the award until the actual ceremony.  Parents are contacted, and it's all kept very hush hush.  She'll get on the school bus this morning like normal, and then I'll show up a while later to watch her receive her award.  

Tomorrow I'll share all the details and pictures, and try and come up with a Christmas song that somehow relates to it. HA!

I have to say that as much as I absolutely LOVED the extra time off we had this past week, I am very ready to get back to work.  It's finally time.  I was able to use the time off to relax, get my mom through her surgery without having to take time off, spend plenty of time with her, spend time with the kids, and finish up all of my Christmas shopping.  A lot of that wouldn't have happened had I been at work last week.  

I would have had to take off Wednesday for Mom's surgery.  I would have had to drive to the hospital each evening after work to see her.  I would have had to fight mass crowds to get my Christmas shopping done this past weekend, while finding time to go and see my mom.  Luckily, I didn't have to do any of that.  It was a perfect time to have the snow days, and now that everything has been taken care of I can get back to work and finish up the last week of 2013 with my kiddos.  

I have to admit, though, I'm really hoping that this week flies by.  Now that my Christmas shopping is all done, and I don't have to worry about anything else, I'm ready for Christmas to actually get here.  Of course, I still have to get all the wrapping done.  I think that I'm going to start doing a little each night after the kids have gone to bed.  If I break it up over the week, I won't get so tired of it, and I think I'll actually get it done faster than if I wait and try and do it all at once.

Alright, I think I'm ready to get this wonderful day started.  

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!!