Where the Heck is Dulce Domum?

Oh, gentle reader I am a bad, bad, blogger. But if you're still out there do forgive my recent disappearance from the blogosphere, and I will explain myself later, but first you must let me get Advent out of my system. I do love a bit of Advent and beautiful period of waiting and reflection before Christ arrives. I also like all of the planning and preparation we make during the season, and I like the connectedness I feel to other people throughout the world who plan and prepare at this time, and all those people in the past for whom Advent was a special time before the feast of Christmas.

Gosh, I could go on, but I just don't have the time. However, here are a few good Advent links for those of us who wish to differentiate between the commercial "run up to Christmas" and the spiritual "Advent" (arrival) of Jesus Christ.

The C of E's Advent page
The Arch Bishop of Canterbury's Advent Reflections
St Nicholas - the Advent Saint

And, for the practical amongst us.
Mincemeat, cake and Christmas pudding recipes - all by the most beloved and sainted Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.
How to make an Advent wreath - I've found that it is much easier, and you get better results, if you use florist's oasis, rather that a wreath ring. Also, this year I couldn't find the purple and pink candles, so I opted for the non-denom red and whites. Heck, what can I say? I'm both catholic and reformed!
How to make those nifty parcel bows out of old magazines! Oh, this is how I'd ideally like to spend my Advent - praying, reflecting, and making parcel bows. However, I must...

...go out to work to earn a crust. Yes, the world of paid work beckons with its twisted calloused fingers. The DH has been made redundant (a horrible phrase which places the responsibility of job loss on the victim rather than the irresponsible and greed-ridden economic system we've been subjected to over the past thirty years). And, of course, the West Midlands has been hit harder than any other area of the UK by the recession, simply because most of our employment was in both manufacturing and IT. So the amount of forty-something project managers out of work in my area is massive. The DH will have to retrain and meanwhile I will have to hold the fort. I am holding the fort thusly:

• by doing supply work - not teaching but secondary SEN TA supply. So far in mainstream, but I hope to get some special school experience soon. Note to non-teacher readers. I am a Secondary English teacher by profession, and doing Secondary supply is for tough nuts only - I am not a tough nut and have therefore opted for TA work.
• Applying for more permanent teaching jobs. One in a local school (Ofsted "outstanding") , but it's where my eldest goes to school and I am deeply unsure about the dynamics of me being chronically over-worked (and I will be, it's the nature of teaching a core subject) in the school she rather loves. I'm worried that it will sully her feelings about her school-life. The second job is in an inner city school, with challenging students, but it's part-time one-to-one tuition and may be a bit less like jumping in at the deep end...it's good money too. But we'll see, and I'll try to keep you posted.

Am I happy about my new-found change in status? To be honest with you, I have very mixed feelings. I rather like the TA work, being supply I can pick and choose and TA stuff is always quite fun and I love special needs work. Also, I'm out of school in time to pick up my kids. It's working really well, because the DH is still working...but when he finishes work I will be the main breadwinner and will have to go back to full-time teaching. It's this thought gives me the heebie-jeebies. The thought of having a proper, bonefide career, rather than a nice little part-time job, makes me feel a bit queasy, I'm not an ambitious person and I'm not a good juggler. Tough times are ahead, and I'll need all the strength I can get, so any prayers you can throw my way will be very much appreciated.

So this is my news. I hope to continue blogging on matters domestic, because despite all of all the changes going on right now, I'm still Dulce Domum.