When life gives you lemons...

It's summer, yay! I needed this summer...bad! This past semester after having a baby has been less than pleasing. It was hard. Not hard because I was trying to balance being back at work and being a new mom. Nope, it was because I was thrown a curveball (maybe even a change-up, haha) fifteen minutes after I returned to work. Without going into specifics, it was like being gone and returning to your house and everything in the house had changed while you were gone. It. was. weird. And every day after that until the summer came, I was uncomfortable, confused, and frustrated. Yes, life gave me lemons - really sour lemons.

As they say when something happens to you, I went through the stages of anger. Didn't see this all coming, especially after I enjoyed a wonderful six months on my sabbatical. I took a couple technology classes, decided I would present at a local EdTech conference, grow my PLN, and remember why I became a teacher in the first place. Truly, the refreshed feeling and "reset" feeling on my sabbatical is something I wish for anyone - even if you get thrown for a loop the minute you return. I certainly went through everything someone goes through when angry...denial: like is this REALLY happening fifteen minutes after I returned....anger: like WTH...bargaining: maybe I shouldn't be angry, maybe I'm misunderstanding...depression: I felt miserable and sad and, the worst thing, I couldn't trust anyone...acceptance: it is what it is.

To be honest, I'm still going through it all. For a while, all I saw was a blur and a cloud of anger. Thank you, Summer, for giving me some time to reflect and have the greatest friends and family who've supported me and celebrated my skills, even when I started to feel inadequate and uncertain. Next year will be different, but there's something greater in store for me and I can't wait. I guess it's true, when life gives you lemons, you HAVE to make lemonade (or make the most of a crappy situation.)

(What's really funny is as I've gone through this semester a few things got me through everything: my son, my husband, my family, supportive friends....and making some damn good lemonade. Haha, which is what my blog post is about...literally. Here's my recipe, enjoy!)

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 gallon cold water
2 cups fresh lemon juice

Make a simple syrup by adding the sugar and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Add a gallon of cold water and the lemon juice to a large glass pitcher. Add the simple syrup and the lemon slices. Stir well.

I use a pitcher for most of the lemonade and use my mason jars for smaller amounts of lemonade. Chill in the fridge and enjoy until it's gone - which will be quick!