The End is in Sight...!

I logged into my blog account today for the first time since going back to school and was quite surprised to see that people are actually following what I have to say and reading it (Harry says thank you for the sympathetic comments about his pox, but he's feeling much better now and highlighting every potential hazard in our house at every given opportunity!). It kind of made me feel a bit guilty about not writing anything for ages!

I've had a manic few weeks and it doesn't look to be ending any time soon! I went back to work at the worst time of year for any teacher as it's GCSE coursework deadline time. When I left to go on maternity leave I'd had a nightmare trying to get it all in before I left and I now have the same trouble on my return as my students hadn't been given any deadlines in my absence and anyone with teenagers will I'm sure back me up when I say that trying to get them to work under pressure is not something that comes naturally to most!

Although I work part time (3 days a week) the only thing that's different to when I was part time is the fact that I get paid less! I still run my own department and am still responsible for everything I was responsible for before, except I have to get it done in 3 days rather than 5, so I've been working from about 7:30 in the morning til gone 10 at night some days. 

I know some people will read this and either think I'm exaggerating or stupid. Why not just leave it? Surely what doesn't get done will wait? The trouble is, if I leave it, it's not going to be me that suffers, but the students, many of whom want to do music post 16, and even those that don't surely deserve to be given the chance to achieve the best they can don't they? It's not their fault that while I was on maternity leave they weren't given deadlines to work to etc.

So I've been working nonstop at work, and whenever I can on my days off, though I'm trying my best to make sure I still give my own children the attention and play time that they deserve. It doesn't help that one set of folders for the students are pink, and another purple - my daughter's two favourite colours. She's already customised one student's coursework (sorry Jade!) but thankfully only on the folder!

So on top of that, we had the pox saga, and Harry's birthday party to prepare for, and it's Evie's birthday on Sunday! She's having a fancy dress party so we have costumes, food, drink, activities, party bags, birthday cakes etc. to organise alongside coursework collecting and marking. Just not sure when I'm going to find the time as it's birthday season!

I'm sure lots of parents meet up with other new parents when their babies are born and I'm no different. I gatecrashed a fab group who met at antenatal classes who I met shortly after Evie was born. We're all really close and have even been on holidays together, but (since siblings have arrived) there are 12 children and 8 of them have birthdays in April and May! I am working on Friday (coursework marking deadline day!), then we have a kids party, followed by a dinner party, another birthday party on the beach on Saturday, which leaves me Sunday morning to get everything ready for her 11am party! She then has another party to get to for 3pm! So I'm really looking forward to the bonus day off for the Bank Holiday when hopefully at some point I might get to sit down for a large drink of something intoxicating!