Ingrid McDonald Wilson

OK, since I started this "assignment," I'll go first!  So, I am a "stay-at-home" mom, with 4 really busy kids. My oldest is David (8), followed by Mylie (6), then Jack (3), and Grant (~2).  Yes, we have our hands full, and yes, we are done...I hope.  To recap for those of you who might just be joining in, I did teach after graduation, but only for 3ish years.  Out of college, I got a job as a first grade teacher in an inner city school, and by day 3 I told my dad that he was going to have to get out the checkbook, because I could not do this thing and was going to have to go back to school.  Thankfully, he told me no, and I stuck it out.  Not only was it completely challenging as I figured out the whole teacher thing, but also a difficult dose of real world reality.  Those kids dealt with more in their short lives that I ever could have imagined outside of the movies.  It was difficult, but very rewarding and humbling, too.  During that first year, I was also planning a wedding and building a house, so I was totally insane.  The second year was much easier, and I was then only planning for a babe in addition!  Once my first bundle of joy arrived, I couldn't bring myself to leave him and go back to work, so I stayed home with him for 15 months and reveled in motherhood.  When I did return to teaching, I wanted to take David with me, so I took a Pre-K teaching position in a daycare setting and enjoyed having him just a few steps away.  I did that for about a year, but then gave birth to bundle of joy #2, and that was the end of my (paying) teaching career.  Mylie is our special little sweetie, as she has Down syndrome. She has prompted me to adopt many more titles outside of mom and teacher, like advocate, Physical therapist, Occupational therapist, Speech therapist, ENT, Ophthalmologist, etc.   Of course, I didn't have any formal schooling for these titles, but more of an immersive type of training.  Mylie is a story in and of herself, but I will get on with the rest of my "brief" summary (HA!).  So, after Mylie, came Jack and 18 months later, Grant.  Our brood is complete, and I am completely crazy.  I now have 2 kids in school full time, one in preschool, and one home full-time.  Just to push myself even further, I have just taken on another "volunteer" position as the director of the Sunday school preschool program at our church.  I am loving it.  I am revamping 4 classrooms, playing with fun curriculum, and clearing away the mommy-brain cobwebs.  I have total freedom to work mostly from home, bring my kids with me to "work," and proceed at my own pace.  We're toying with the idea of starting a "real" preschool, but then I will demand a paycheck!  So, you can imagine that I don't have a whole lot of down time, but occasionally I will make steal some sleeping hours to scrapbook pics of the kids or blog about them as my form of creative therapy.  You can see our old blog here and our newer, though rarely updated, website here... just in case you'd like to get a more in depth look into my "life."  :) I can't wait to hear from you guys and I'm hoping all is wonderful for all of you!