So I am in the midst of feeling like my life is ready for some change. We have a whole lot of activities and events coming up, so I'm not sure right now is when I can make much happen for myself in terms of change. For now I'm really just hoping to get back on track with my diet and exercise habits. That will be a good start.
But I feel like I'm ready for a bigger change. Maybe I'm looking for a career opportunity. Maybe I just need to feel like I'm gearing up for a career opportunity. I do think I really need to find something that rewards and challenges me, that is mine alone, and doesn't involve the kids. I'm just not sure what that might be right now.
Maybe I could become a math teacher? Maybe I could become an editor? Maybe I could go back to working at a rec center? Maybe I could work at a preschool? Maybe I could look for a staff position at a local school? Maybe I could become a school counselor? Maybe I could find some outlet involving writing? Maybe I could work in my love of cooking, yoga, or pets? Options are endless, and often overwhelming.
In the past when I've been faced with these sorts of overwhelming choices, I'm not sure I've made the best choices for myself. Thus adding extra pressure to my situation now. I feel like I'm at a bit of a crossroads to the next phase of my life and I've got no idea which direction to go or how on earth to get there. Add in the requirements that I have for a career - supreme flexibility due to the kids, accommodating our crazy schedule, and understanding that I have been out of the workforce for almost 10 years. Umm, yeah. Good luck with that.
I am feeling more and more like the time is coming for me to pick a path and make some changes. I just don't quite see the path ahead very clearly yet. I'm hoping it will become clearer soon, as it is weighing heavily on me lately. Increasing the blog posts has helped, so hopefully I will continue to use this as a release. I hope you don't mind. :-)
4.03.2013
3.18.2013
Spring?
Well, it's Monday morning. The first day of Spring, my very favorite season. Sort of surprising, given how the pollen reeks major havoc on my body, but I just can't help but love the season anyway. Sun, green, watching all the flowers start to poke their unsuspecting little leaves out, new sports seasons, and looking forward to the relaxing pace of summer. But lo and behold, today, the first day of Spring, we have a bit of snow! Huh? Yup. Not much. Enough to be pretty, coat the cars and require the ice scraper come out one last time (yes, of course, I pushed it to the very back depths of the closet just last week...grrr). It seems like a bit of a last teaser of snow. Thanks Winter, as if you didn't spend the entire season teasing us with snow. Again.
Granted, three years ago we got totally clobbered with snow. Over. And over. And over. It was a monstrous snow season. We kept telling the kids that they may never see that much snow again in this area. It was crazy. And then each winter since then, we've gotten a mere pittance of the white stuff. And this year has been no different. When we finally got a forecast a few weeks ago for a major incoming storm, you could feel the anticipation in the air. Finally! We were going to have a good 12" of snow! Yippee! And no dice. The temperatures stayed just a bit too warm, so what we got was a big sloshy, wet, mess. Not much fun. For anyone.
I'm hopeful that today's snow will be the end for this snow season. I'm ready to move forward. Start Spring already! John's soccer team played in a pre-season tournament this weekend and his baseball team has their first team meeting tonight. We leave for our annual spring break trip to the Outer Banks in just a few days. It would be nice if Mother Nature could follow along with all of these other signs of spring. And I know it will eventually. Just not on my timeline. That would just be too convenient.
So for today, I'm going to enjoy the beauty of the bushes and grass covered in this (hopefully) last dusting of snow. I'm going to be thankful that the roads are fine and schools weren't even delayed. We can go about our day as normal and appreciate the sights along our way.
As long as it starts to act like Spring sometime soon!
Granted, three years ago we got totally clobbered with snow. Over. And over. And over. It was a monstrous snow season. We kept telling the kids that they may never see that much snow again in this area. It was crazy. And then each winter since then, we've gotten a mere pittance of the white stuff. And this year has been no different. When we finally got a forecast a few weeks ago for a major incoming storm, you could feel the anticipation in the air. Finally! We were going to have a good 12" of snow! Yippee! And no dice. The temperatures stayed just a bit too warm, so what we got was a big sloshy, wet, mess. Not much fun. For anyone.
I'm hopeful that today's snow will be the end for this snow season. I'm ready to move forward. Start Spring already! John's soccer team played in a pre-season tournament this weekend and his baseball team has their first team meeting tonight. We leave for our annual spring break trip to the Outer Banks in just a few days. It would be nice if Mother Nature could follow along with all of these other signs of spring. And I know it will eventually. Just not on my timeline. That would just be too convenient.
So for today, I'm going to enjoy the beauty of the bushes and grass covered in this (hopefully) last dusting of snow. I'm going to be thankful that the roads are fine and schools weren't even delayed. We can go about our day as normal and appreciate the sights along our way.
As long as it starts to act like Spring sometime soon!
3.08.2013
Ah ha!
Some days I feel like I'm just slogging through my hectic day, checking things off the to do list, running errands, and generally completing the necessary tasks that must be done to keep our life rolling along smoothly (or as smoothly as humanly possible anyway). Actually, maybe that is most days. If I'm lucky, I get in a conversation with a friend, which always makes the day a bit better. Keeps me grounded. And often reminds me why doing all those things each day is important.
Today, I spoke for just a few minutes to a dear friend that I have known for 20 years and don't talk to nearly enough these days. We are both stay-at-home moms, which we thought would be great - we'll see each other all the time! Right? Nope. We live only about 20 minutes apart, but life is just too crazy. My kids are a bit older than hers, so we're just both slogging through our different routines most of the time.
Anyway, today I got to have a brief chat with her. And it made my heart feel good to reach out and talk to her, even if it was only for about 10 minutes. I miss talking to her more frequently, but it makes me smile every time. We were talking, as we mostly do, about the kids and some of the cute/fun/challenging things going on in their lives these days.
After we got off the phone, I smiled and had an Ah Ha! moment. Because her children are a bit younger than mine, she has frequently had a variety of parenting questions for me, as much of what she may be struggling with I have already been through and we all know how much we value the advice of our mom friends when it comes to getting over tough hurdles. And I am always happy to discuss/advise/encourage/support/listen/and much, much more. Anything I can do to help! Always!
But today somewhere in my brain went "Oh goodness, this situation is so unlike anything we experienced as parents. It is so truly amazing how different each child is. And how important it is to recognize that as each child is different, our parenting style with each child must change as well!"
It is easy when you have more than one child to feel like the approach or strategy that worked for the oldest should clearly work for the subsequent one(s), right? Nope. More often than not, it won't work. Sometimes it only takes a minor modification. If you're lucky. Other times it really takes an entirely different approach. I know this is OFTEN true for my two children. And I OFTEN forget it. And then I get frustrated when it doesn't work and things disintegrate into chaos.
But it isn't always easy to have different approaches for the different children in a family either! One of the frequent complaints from any child (frequently it's my oldest) is "that's not FAIR!" Well, years ago I read in a parenting article the best response to this comment that I've heard and thus use regularly - "FAIR is not always EQUAL."
In an ideal world it would be, but that is definitely not the world I live in and not the world of child rearing as I know it. But sometimes the different approaches work together and we can all live with the un-equalness of it if the result is positive. I think my girlfriend does a better job with her girls of maintaining the flexibility to parent this way than I do. Her daughters are VERY different in many ways and she is an amazing mother to both of their personalities. Maybe it's her teacher background - she can manage a classroom full of different student personalities, and know how best to engage them to be the best students they can be.
Whatever the reason, her flexibility and acceptance of her daughters' differences really struck a chord with me today. I hope she can inspire me to be the best parent I can be for each of my own children as they learn and grow in their own funny, quirky, artistic, creative, crazy ways.
Parenting is such a journey! Not always a smooth one (in fact, almost never), but a wonderful journey nonetheless.
Today, I spoke for just a few minutes to a dear friend that I have known for 20 years and don't talk to nearly enough these days. We are both stay-at-home moms, which we thought would be great - we'll see each other all the time! Right? Nope. We live only about 20 minutes apart, but life is just too crazy. My kids are a bit older than hers, so we're just both slogging through our different routines most of the time.
Anyway, today I got to have a brief chat with her. And it made my heart feel good to reach out and talk to her, even if it was only for about 10 minutes. I miss talking to her more frequently, but it makes me smile every time. We were talking, as we mostly do, about the kids and some of the cute/fun/challenging things going on in their lives these days.
After we got off the phone, I smiled and had an Ah Ha! moment. Because her children are a bit younger than mine, she has frequently had a variety of parenting questions for me, as much of what she may be struggling with I have already been through and we all know how much we value the advice of our mom friends when it comes to getting over tough hurdles. And I am always happy to discuss/advise/encourage/support/listen/and much, much more. Anything I can do to help! Always!
But today somewhere in my brain went "Oh goodness, this situation is so unlike anything we experienced as parents. It is so truly amazing how different each child is. And how important it is to recognize that as each child is different, our parenting style with each child must change as well!"
It is easy when you have more than one child to feel like the approach or strategy that worked for the oldest should clearly work for the subsequent one(s), right? Nope. More often than not, it won't work. Sometimes it only takes a minor modification. If you're lucky. Other times it really takes an entirely different approach. I know this is OFTEN true for my two children. And I OFTEN forget it. And then I get frustrated when it doesn't work and things disintegrate into chaos.
But it isn't always easy to have different approaches for the different children in a family either! One of the frequent complaints from any child (frequently it's my oldest) is "that's not FAIR!" Well, years ago I read in a parenting article the best response to this comment that I've heard and thus use regularly - "FAIR is not always EQUAL."
In an ideal world it would be, but that is definitely not the world I live in and not the world of child rearing as I know it. But sometimes the different approaches work together and we can all live with the un-equalness of it if the result is positive. I think my girlfriend does a better job with her girls of maintaining the flexibility to parent this way than I do. Her daughters are VERY different in many ways and she is an amazing mother to both of their personalities. Maybe it's her teacher background - she can manage a classroom full of different student personalities, and know how best to engage them to be the best students they can be.
Whatever the reason, her flexibility and acceptance of her daughters' differences really struck a chord with me today. I hope she can inspire me to be the best parent I can be for each of my own children as they learn and grow in their own funny, quirky, artistic, creative, crazy ways.
Parenting is such a journey! Not always a smooth one (in fact, almost never), but a wonderful journey nonetheless.
2.08.2013
Hoping to Be Inspired
So, yes, I do realize that it's been months, AGAIN, since my last post. But it truly doesn't mean that I don't intend to post. In fact, usually several times a week I do think about a possible item to post or even tell myself that I really need to get back to posting more often. It just means I'm busy. Or lazy. Or both. Or when I'm not busy being busy, I'm allowing myself a bit of lazy time. Which I guess is good too.
Today my sister-in-law announced that she is starting a blog. She's a professor of computer science at Georgia Tech and mother of two girls, so she puts my level of "busy" to shame. She posted today about why she wanted to start her blog and the type of information she hopes to share. I was inspired by her start today and thought, why I should get a post of my own going today as well. No time like the present.
So, I guess first I should update you (by the way, is anyone even still out there reading this thing??) on where life has taken us. John is in 3rd grade, doing famously, playing travel soccer, basketball and baseball, participating in a Lego team, playing violin and recorder at school and enjoying life as only an extremely goofy 9-year old boy can. Kara is in kindergarten and finally is enjoying it (she had a bit of a bumpy start to the year) and making some new friends, which is wonderful. She does gymnastics and is blooming into a very sweet, funny, and beautiful young girl. Matt is about to change jobs and take on a new challenge, which is a great step for him to take professionally.
And me? Well, I'm here trying to keep everyone on track. Keep all the juggling balls that our family keeps throwing into the air, well, up in the air. It's a very tough thing to do. I wasn't quite sure what this year would be like for me, with both kids finally in school full-day. Would I be lonely? Bored? Anxious? Look for a job? Feel guilty for not already being back at work? I certainly didn't expect to be as busy as I have found myself. Turns out that with our evenings busy running here and there to various activities, my days are really spent getting everything done so that after school we can go, go, go. There is still a little bit of loneliness, guilt, and anxiety that comes with staying at home even after the kids go to school. But for now, I am trying to enjoy this time. Take some time to work on some of the projects around the house that I've been putting off for almost 9 years...or so I say (not too many of those projects have happened yet, but it's a nice thought!).
I'm also trying to figure out what MY next step in life will be. Personally and professionally. I have some time now to be thoughtful about what I would like to be doing with my time and how to make that happen. Who knows where this road will take me. So far, I haven't been able to make much headway in thinking about the future. Maybe this blog will help me focus those thoughts. Maybe I'll find my inspiration here.
For now, for the first step, I'm going to pledge to post more often. Let's see if I can manage to get another post done in the next week. Baby steps. I don't know where I'm heading, but I hope I can share some of it with you.
Today my sister-in-law announced that she is starting a blog. She's a professor of computer science at Georgia Tech and mother of two girls, so she puts my level of "busy" to shame. She posted today about why she wanted to start her blog and the type of information she hopes to share. I was inspired by her start today and thought, why I should get a post of my own going today as well. No time like the present.
So, I guess first I should update you (by the way, is anyone even still out there reading this thing??) on where life has taken us. John is in 3rd grade, doing famously, playing travel soccer, basketball and baseball, participating in a Lego team, playing violin and recorder at school and enjoying life as only an extremely goofy 9-year old boy can. Kara is in kindergarten and finally is enjoying it (she had a bit of a bumpy start to the year) and making some new friends, which is wonderful. She does gymnastics and is blooming into a very sweet, funny, and beautiful young girl. Matt is about to change jobs and take on a new challenge, which is a great step for him to take professionally.
And me? Well, I'm here trying to keep everyone on track. Keep all the juggling balls that our family keeps throwing into the air, well, up in the air. It's a very tough thing to do. I wasn't quite sure what this year would be like for me, with both kids finally in school full-day. Would I be lonely? Bored? Anxious? Look for a job? Feel guilty for not already being back at work? I certainly didn't expect to be as busy as I have found myself. Turns out that with our evenings busy running here and there to various activities, my days are really spent getting everything done so that after school we can go, go, go. There is still a little bit of loneliness, guilt, and anxiety that comes with staying at home even after the kids go to school. But for now, I am trying to enjoy this time. Take some time to work on some of the projects around the house that I've been putting off for almost 9 years...or so I say (not too many of those projects have happened yet, but it's a nice thought!).
I'm also trying to figure out what MY next step in life will be. Personally and professionally. I have some time now to be thoughtful about what I would like to be doing with my time and how to make that happen. Who knows where this road will take me. So far, I haven't been able to make much headway in thinking about the future. Maybe this blog will help me focus those thoughts. Maybe I'll find my inspiration here.
For now, for the first step, I'm going to pledge to post more often. Let's see if I can manage to get another post done in the next week. Baby steps. I don't know where I'm heading, but I hope I can share some of it with you.
5.25.2012
Chapters
Today is Kara's last day of preschool at Hunters Woods Preschool. John started there five years ago, when he was 3 1/2 and Kara was just shy of her first birthday. Seems like a lifetime ago now. We've all grown, learned, changed, developed, cried, smiled, laughed and cheered since then. The kids and us as parents as well. And while I can't say I loved EVERY minute of it, I can say that I loved most of it and that I wouldn't change it at all. It's all gone into making us who we are today and gearing us all up for the crazy, wonderful road ahead.
Kara has been at this preschool for three years and has had the fortune to have her playgroup (which also began the same fall that John started at HWPS) with her in class for the last two years, in addition to several other close friends in the class. Of course that did lead to some drama, some interesting moments, and some frustration, but in the end it was a special experience for her. She has formed bonds with friends, has outgrown much of her shyness, has done things I never would have expected. She is an amazing girl, and is so ready for the next chapter in her life.
We've had the joy of having amazing classroom teachers, the preschool is led by a founding member and also fabulous woman, and we have made so many close family friends during our time at HWPS. It has been so much more than a preschool for us. It's been our support, our comfort, our guide, and our joy. This five year journey has been challenging, of course, but we have survived it. No, survived isn't quite right...thrived, excelled, climbed, and most importantly succeeded in becoming "kindergarten ready" (whatever the heck that term is supposed to mean) and also in becoming better parents and a stronger family in the process.
I keep finding myself saying "thank you" to the teachers, to the kids and to the families of the preschool. But those words don't feel like enough to show the depths of which I feel thankful. This chapter may be closing, but it will never be forgotten. Its impact will be the foundation with which we go forward into the next chapter. I have loved this chapter and I know I will also love the next chapter, but today, here, now...I'm cherishing the last few moments this chapter has for us.
Thank you Hunters Woods Preschool......
5.27.2011
Whoosh!
So today is the last morning of preschool for Kara for this year. Did you hear that whooshing sound? For me, that's the sound of this school year blowing by me in record speed and leaving me feeling a bit windblown and battered. It's been a year of lots of ups and downs and many, many bumps. I must admit that I'm glad to have it over (at least for Kara and soon enough for John too) and am ready for the adventures this summer will bring for us.
Let's do a quick review of the last year: kitchen renovation, summer vacation and lots of time at the pool, 1st grade for John and year 2 of preschool for Kara, fall soccer and finally losing a tooth for John, MAJOR flood in the basement and kitchen leading to all kinds of hurdles and problems and stress for us all, allergy/reflux issues for John and just allergy issues for me and Kara, the unexpected passing of my dear Aunt Martha just a few months after she had retired, Matt's appendicitis surgery and recovery, another flood in the basement (much less dramatic this time, but still water in the basement - not fun), a great spring break trip to Nags Head, NC, me becoming president of the preschool board for next year, and many plans ahead for a fun and adventure filled summer.
This summer will bring: a third trip to Lancaster, PA to go to Dutch Wonderland (a kids' theme park that is fabulous), more wonderful veggies from our CSA, finishing up John's baseball season, finishing up repairs on the basement, yet another renovation project (this time the kids' full bathroom, which needs to be fully gutted and replaced - what fun...), a road trip to Maine to attend a celebratory party in honor of my Aunt, closely followed by a road trip south to Topsail Island, NC for our annual beach week, then football, tennis, sports and arts camps for John, and lots of time at our neighborhood pool with friends, before the school year begins and John will go into 2nd grade (how on earth did that happen so soon??) and Kara will start her final year at our preschool (oh my baby!).
Are you tired yet? I am....I know for sure by the end of this summer I will feel pretty windblown and battered too, but I am looking forward to having less unexpected bumps along the way, less stress, and way more fun.
It's been a tough year for us and for our family for sure. But it has also brought me a new respect for my support network. I have been forced to ask for help more times in the last year than ever before. And for those of you that know me, that does NOT come easily for me. I am always willing to help out my friends and family, but I have a very hard time asking for help myself. But everyone I have asked has been very willing and very supportive and wonderful to us. We have gotten through this year in large part due to the love and energy of those around us. It hasn't been pretty and it hasn't been easy, but I am hoping we have survived, learned a few lessons, and will find the road ahead just a little smoother than the road behind us.
Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed for that. I certainly won't hold my breath for it though. ;-)
Let's do a quick review of the last year: kitchen renovation, summer vacation and lots of time at the pool, 1st grade for John and year 2 of preschool for Kara, fall soccer and finally losing a tooth for John, MAJOR flood in the basement and kitchen leading to all kinds of hurdles and problems and stress for us all, allergy/reflux issues for John and just allergy issues for me and Kara, the unexpected passing of my dear Aunt Martha just a few months after she had retired, Matt's appendicitis surgery and recovery, another flood in the basement (much less dramatic this time, but still water in the basement - not fun), a great spring break trip to Nags Head, NC, me becoming president of the preschool board for next year, and many plans ahead for a fun and adventure filled summer.
This summer will bring: a third trip to Lancaster, PA to go to Dutch Wonderland (a kids' theme park that is fabulous), more wonderful veggies from our CSA, finishing up John's baseball season, finishing up repairs on the basement, yet another renovation project (this time the kids' full bathroom, which needs to be fully gutted and replaced - what fun...), a road trip to Maine to attend a celebratory party in honor of my Aunt, closely followed by a road trip south to Topsail Island, NC for our annual beach week, then football, tennis, sports and arts camps for John, and lots of time at our neighborhood pool with friends, before the school year begins and John will go into 2nd grade (how on earth did that happen so soon??) and Kara will start her final year at our preschool (oh my baby!).
Are you tired yet? I am....I know for sure by the end of this summer I will feel pretty windblown and battered too, but I am looking forward to having less unexpected bumps along the way, less stress, and way more fun.
It's been a tough year for us and for our family for sure. But it has also brought me a new respect for my support network. I have been forced to ask for help more times in the last year than ever before. And for those of you that know me, that does NOT come easily for me. I am always willing to help out my friends and family, but I have a very hard time asking for help myself. But everyone I have asked has been very willing and very supportive and wonderful to us. We have gotten through this year in large part due to the love and energy of those around us. It hasn't been pretty and it hasn't been easy, but I am hoping we have survived, learned a few lessons, and will find the road ahead just a little smoother than the road behind us.
Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed for that. I certainly won't hold my breath for it though. ;-)
3.08.2011
An Update
So yet again, time seems to pass too quickly for me to take the few moments to sit down and type out a post about one of the many many things that I think each day would make a great blog post. To my defense, life has been very very busy and exhausting lately. I'm continually hopeful it will slow down, but as usual, the pace only seems to gradually be picking up. I've got no idea how parents with four or five or more older kids keep up with all that must be on their schedules. I'm having trouble keeping up with two and one is still in preschool!
One of my recent, and on-going, adventures involves the preschool we attend. This year I am serving as the admissions officer and have been spending a lot of time on the phone and at the school answering questions, giving tours, and basically being a full-time cheerleader for the preschool. Which I love doing. It's been a lot of fun to meet new families and convince them as to why the school would be a great fit for them. We had our open house last week, which is when we open up registration to new families for next year. I had been hoping that my role would slow down after that night, but no such luck! Now we get to follow up with everyone who has applied and start the paperwork process required to get all the kids enrolled for next year. Oh, what fun! It is truly fun and I have enjoyed it, but it has taken up more time than I had expected.
The kids have also been busy bees. Swimming, gymnastics, playdates, and various princess parties have overtaken Kara's quite busy social calendar, in addition to her 3 mornings of preschool each week. John is keeping busy with schoolwork, sports activities, ice skating, losing teeth, and dressing up as Thing 1 for Dr. Seuss's birthday last week. He's reading like crazy and has recently started getting an allowance. We'll see if the money goes towards a sports item or a new book. He's also continuing to challenge himself with new math skills. They're both growing like weeds and already are looking forward to all kinds of adventures this summer.
With the warmer weather we've started getting out and about. Seeing neighbors emerging after the super-cold winter we've had is nothing short of wonderful. All the kids have grown, lost teeth, gotten a new baby sibling, or had other adventures they're dying to share with each other. It's a fun time of year and we're so ready to embrace it.
Speaking of which, I think it's time for me to get to the bus stop! Hopefully I'll post again soon...but if I don't, you can probably find me at the playground instead. ;-)
One of my recent, and on-going, adventures involves the preschool we attend. This year I am serving as the admissions officer and have been spending a lot of time on the phone and at the school answering questions, giving tours, and basically being a full-time cheerleader for the preschool. Which I love doing. It's been a lot of fun to meet new families and convince them as to why the school would be a great fit for them. We had our open house last week, which is when we open up registration to new families for next year. I had been hoping that my role would slow down after that night, but no such luck! Now we get to follow up with everyone who has applied and start the paperwork process required to get all the kids enrolled for next year. Oh, what fun! It is truly fun and I have enjoyed it, but it has taken up more time than I had expected.
The kids have also been busy bees. Swimming, gymnastics, playdates, and various princess parties have overtaken Kara's quite busy social calendar, in addition to her 3 mornings of preschool each week. John is keeping busy with schoolwork, sports activities, ice skating, losing teeth, and dressing up as Thing 1 for Dr. Seuss's birthday last week. He's reading like crazy and has recently started getting an allowance. We'll see if the money goes towards a sports item or a new book. He's also continuing to challenge himself with new math skills. They're both growing like weeds and already are looking forward to all kinds of adventures this summer.
With the warmer weather we've started getting out and about. Seeing neighbors emerging after the super-cold winter we've had is nothing short of wonderful. All the kids have grown, lost teeth, gotten a new baby sibling, or had other adventures they're dying to share with each other. It's a fun time of year and we're so ready to embrace it.
Speaking of which, I think it's time for me to get to the bus stop! Hopefully I'll post again soon...but if I don't, you can probably find me at the playground instead. ;-)
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