Books

I'm about to be child-free for two weeks, which both daunts and thrills me. I can do whatever the fuck I want, but there's still a gaping hole where they kids should be. I'm happy to share them with their grandparents, but two weeks feels long. Last year they kept them three weeks and I nearly lost my mind. This year feels more manageable at two weeks. I actually won't be home when they get home, I'll be on a quickie visit with my sister. But I'll be home the next evening, so it's not so bad.

So I have these lofty goals of organizing my office and the kids' rooms, and all of this and I'm just a bit overwhelmed by it. Guess I need to do things one step at a time and try not to get too overstimulated.

I have various doctor and therapy appointments during the week to give me some structure, which is good. A gal needs something to hang her hat on.

I just uncovered a book given to me by my best friend, "The Idle Parent", at least I think she gave it to me. I have no memory of buying it. I am going to give it a look-see. I could stand to back off a bit from the hovering mode I sometimes get into.

I know she gave me "Free Range Parenting", which is probably along the same lines as "The Idle Parent." So maybe I bought this one as a follow up. 

I have more books than I can possibly read and it's time to start figuring out what goes and what stays. It is so hard for me to give away a book. i find my identity tied to so many of them, that giving a book away is like giving up on my dreams. If I get rid of some of my early childhood books, does that mean I won't work in early childhood? I'm still in early childhood education now, only with more of an arts emphasis. The nuts and bolts books for a full time preschool teacher are the ones I'm grappling with. To keep, sell or give away? I just don't know. It's an incredibly privileged position to be in, I realize that. So I am not complaining. Just musing.

What books are the most meaningful? What books do I feel most essential to me as a teaching artist, which is my identity at the moment?

I don't know. Guess I'll just have to go book by book, bit by bit. See what happens.