Final Free Friday

Technically, my first day back to work is August 11th.  That's the first day I'm required to go back to work...the first day of my 2014-2015 contract.  However, anyone that knows a teacher also knows that the hours written on a teaching contract are very different to the hours actually worked.  Which means even though I'm not required to go back to work for another full week, that's not going to happen.

Today is officially the last day of my summer break.

It's a bittersweet occasion.

Half of me is devastated that my days of going to bed whenever I want, getting up whenever I want, not getting dressed until 3PM, not caring what I look like, and spending hours of doing absolutely nothing are over.

Half of me is ecstatic that the new school year is starting up and I can get back to my normal, strict routine, and my no more being lazy self can get back to being productive. 

I have a love-hate relationship with this time of year.  I've gotten to the point where I'm tired of sitting around the house doing nothing, and I'm ready to start work.  I'm bored, my mind is flying with ideas I want to put in to my classroom, and I'm getting antsy just thinking about how much I have to do and how little time I have to get it all done.  I also hate that the summer seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye, and even though I'm tired of sitting around the house doing nothing, I hate the fact that I haven't found more stuff to keep me occupied so that I'm not so bored and ready to go back to work.

I guarantee that I'll spend the first month of work thinking about all the things I could have done with all my free time, and didn't do.

I can't help but think back to May when I was so excited for the summer to get started.  How I had plans to do so many things: Theme parks, water parks, swimming in the pool with the kids, pool parties, family get-togethers.  And, now, I look at my pool and wonder what the heck happened?  

In the five weeks I've been off work, we spent 4 days in Branson, went to Silver Dollar City twice, went to the water park once, and I've been swimming with the kids in the pool less than 5 times.  

Thirty five days off, and I've done about 10 days worth of activities.

So, for about 25 days, we've done nothing?  That's crazy.  And horrible.  What a waste of free time!

It hasn't helped that we've had such mild temperatures.  If I remember right, we've only had one week that was really hot.  The other days have been nice, and there have been several days that were on the verge of cold.  But, still, it pains me to see that I've let so much time slip by doing nothing.  

It hasn't helped that I've spent this past week being sick.  I'm still not 100%.  I'm much better than I was 2 days ago, but I have a feeling this cough is going to linger for a while.  

This weekend, I need to take the kids shopping for school supplies and school clothes.  We also have a back to school get-together planned at my principal's house.  Then, Monday, it's back to my classroom so that I can start getting ready.  

I think I'm going to get ready here in a little while and get out of the house for a while.  We have a birthday party we're going to, tomorrow before my principal's thing, so I need to go and get a present and I want to go to the teacher store and pick up a few things.  

I hate this ho-hum feeling I've had the past couple of days.  Being sick, being bored, and just not having much energy has really put me in a funk.  I hate feeling like this, and I need to do something to bring me out of it.  All I want to do is sleep, and then I get mad that I spent so much time sleeping.  So, in order to avoid that, I need to be away from the house.  

Maybe I can talk the kids in to going with me.  They need to get out for a while, too.  

Oh well....my final free Friday is here.  Might as well make the most of it.