My plate is full...

As I even write this one short post, I'm already hyperventilating about the other things on my to-do list that are being neglected in the name of procrastinating blogging.  I find blogging to be much like trying to write in my journal or scrapbook the ton of photos of my family...ummm...it ain't working out.

I recently posted a facebook status about letting this blog go and received some very good advice to keep it.  So, I guess I'll listen.  However, this busy Umi seems to have gotten busier since I first posted.  I've come to the conclusion that this blog is a hit or miss kind of thing for now.  For those who are even slightly interested in hearing about my busy life, here's the breakdown:

Monday-Fridays: Teacher by day with 26 third graders currently being prepped for the PSSA (state testing)...can you sense my joy?
Tuesdays & Wednesdays: Graduate student two nights a week from 5-8pm...I catch public transportation home so I arrive home around 9ish.
Thursdays: Forced myself to do a little for me in the new year and I now Zumba on Thursday nights for an hour...yaaaaaaaay...my gut kanga-pouch is still here so I need to do a little more, but for now that's all I can spare.
Fridays: Prep for Saturday dance after work...
Saturdays:  I'm officially the director of my beloved dance program with an enrollment of 75+ dancers ranging from ages 2-16 years old and a staff of 5 amazingly talented women...we are celebrating 5 years of dance this year....wooo-hoooo!!!!!
Sundays & Mondays is prep day for my work week and grad classes...

Oh and did I mention that my husband and I just bought a house and are trying to move by the end of the month....

....and somewhere in there I have to try to spend time with my super amazing 2 year old and my adoring husband....

DID I MENTION THAT MY PLATE WAS FULL?

I've come the conclusion that there will be no real play time until my semester is over in April...I'm looking forward to blooming with the flowers in spring....
Until then, I'll post when I can or when the inspiration hits me....

On a positive note: My plate could be empty, right? Right!

This is Zuri's Umi...follow my chronicles!!!

Time is not on my side...

60 seconds in a minute

60 minutes in an hour

24 hours in a day

7 days in a week

4 weeks in a month

12 months in a year

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

None of it is on my side...

This juggling act is so real!  Anyone  woman who works fulls time, has children, runs an outside venture, goes to school, is a wife, and wants a social life totally understands my pain about the time factor.  Where does it go?  There are some days when I really feel like it speeds up just to best me!

You see, just when I thought I had a break, I was wrong!  Let me backtrack for a bit...Amid the tutus and ticket sells of my 4th year program recital, I felt relief on its way.  As soon as the curtain closed, TIME would finally be on my side.  We would play nice until September when the craziness of my balancing act would see its way back into my life.  Boy oh boy was I wrong!!!!

The curtain closed and I was staring at a pile of work and other commitments.  Here's my summer work to do list:
Mon-Wed teach summer performing arts camp 9-3
Write script for camp performance and create 3 separate dance pieces
Thurs meetings with curriculum team at work

Write 3rd and 4th grade pacing schedule for upcoming school year (Note: 24 weeks are due every week)
Meet with Dance staff and plan for upcoming dance season (5th year anniversary) @ least twice
Meet with 5th year anniversary parents group @ least 3-4x's
Revise dance proposal for upcoming year
Write curriculum for launch of new additions to dance program
Advertise for dance program
Plan sister's bridal shower and bachelorette party
Start the process of purchasing a home

Ummmm....spend time with family and friends....uhhhhh....yeah....

Every time I think of the things I have to complete, I begin to have a minor anxiety attack..

WOO-SAH, WOO-SAH, WOO-SAH!

Breathe, Umi, Breathe!

I can and I will!

Sometimes you have to take time to just write a blog, eat a snack, kiss your beautiful husband and daughter, roll up your sleeves and do what you gotta do! 


Dear Time,
You may not be on my side this summer, but I got you next summer!!!!

This is Zuri's Umi...follow my chronicles!!!

ALL BOXED IN!

So it's been a very busy 1st week back for this teacher-mother-wife-student-dance director...wow! I had a couple of blog topics but decided to write on one that has gotten a couple of laughs from my friends. Ummm...I haven't decided if they are laughing at me or with me, but I'm hoping it's the latter...HA!
I kept contemplating how in the world I was going to achieve my many goals. If ever there was a time in my life when I have felt like my plate was full, it is NOW!  I jumped into panic mode for a second, and then came up with a simple solution to try to manage it all.

A DREADED SCHEDULE!

It's not so much that a schedule is a negative thing. After all, my students and I follow one everyday like clockwork.  It's just that the schedule has made it to my personal life.  As a creative person, I have always resisted the "S" word for fear that I would feel "boxed in"...just like the little boxes I created with my handy dandy Word Document.  However, I decided to see the positive in this and kicked my schedule into action on Monday,

FYI: I tried to post my schedule but the table is all over the page and looks crazy...sorry!
 
(Note: This schedule will probably be revised several times before I find that just right formula.  Also, my summer classes that begin in May are 4 days a week instead of two....yeah...another revision.) 

Ummm...it's pretty detailed and has some areas of wiggle room, but not much.  Honestly, my 1st week was rough. We had car trouble and that threw a monkey wrench of sorts through the beginning of the week.  I then made my lovely friend, Nikki, promise to take me along with her when she went to the nail salon for pedicure night on Thursday. ( I'll blog about that later.)

Lesson plans were completed today instead of Wednesday so I'll be rushing into the building on Monday morning to make my copies.  I'm really trying to break this habit, because it is really cramping my style.
I'm learning about myself as I try to play "superwoman" from now until June. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself when something isn't completed. First off, schedules are there as a template.  It is great if you can do it all, but there is always another path to accomplishing a task.  Though, I don't want to always choose the frantic rushing path, I do want to be conscious that some things won't get done in the little box of times that I have allotted for myself.

The major issue is that I have a very beautiful almost 15 month old who does not understand schedule in the terms that I have set for myself.  Yes, she has become accustomed to some routines, but teething, breastfeeding, and illness can definitely lead to Umi stepping out of the box for a minute.

As with all things, I find the beauty and humor in my little boxes.  They look so perfect and neat with everything in place and nothing out of line.  So, I've decided to use my pretty little boxes as a guide, because life is definitely not a straight path.  There are winding roads and rough terrains that this Umi wants to explore and ultimately conquer. I'm taking my little boxes on a tour of duty for 6 months to achieve a goal. But honey,  I can't wait to release my pretty little squares when the days grow long and hot and squares can no longer compete with the roundness of my sun (light)!

This is Zuri's Umi...follow my chronicles!