Derailed?

My normal hyper scheduled life has been derailed.  For the past month or more, unforeseen events and circumstances have preventing me from my happy little box of routine and balance  predictability.  At first, I thought it was a bump.  Then a string of bad luck.  Naturally, when things continued, I assumed I was cursed.  Next, I was left angry.  Now, I am curious.  Is this the way I should have been living all along?  Is this a nudge from divinity, an "ahem" from the universe?  Was I never organized and sensible but freakishly neurotic and stubborn?

This morning, started off better then planned.  The puppy was tired out from an active evening, Jack was happy and helped with breakfast, and Liam slept in.  Then Liam woke up...with diarrhea.  I was already dressed for the gym, ready to drop the older two off at school and Liam at the gym daycare.  This is the second time in 2 weeks that Liam has had random episodes of digestive distress.  No lack of energy or need to snuggle.  Just one, unpleasant symptom.  I briefly thought about bringing him anyway, he didn't "seem" sick.  But, no, I did the right thing and kept him away from other children.  Little did I know how right it was.  Instead of being indoors lifting weights and listening to overplayed pop music, I was here, on the waterfront.

Dixie came too

He looks okay..but I'm pretty sure you can't fake diarrhea

 Cali came to chase a few shadows

...and I looked REALLY good, too bad Liam ruined the shot

Had I gone to the gym, I wouldn't have had a long, energizing walk on Commencement Bay.  I wouldn't have seen the Salmon swim right up to the rocky shore (I have never seen that here - there were even a few that had been cornered by a lab and a golden retriever!).  I wouldn't have been able to stay close to home and enjoy my community.  I wouldn't have been able to spend time with my son or my dogs. I would have been too tired to go home and go for a bike ride with Liam on the tag-a-long. It all made me think up a very big question:  

When I look back at this time in my life, how do I want to remember it?  

Mornings spent at the gym or morning like this?  Have I scheduled out all of the good, simple moments in life?  Scheduled out all room for spontaneity?  Maybe I can have both.  Maybe I can't,  Like I said, it's a big question.

Do you ever second guess the way you spend your time?  Or, do you feel you should spend your time differently?

My Not To Do List

To follow up to yesterday's feelings of high stress and anxiety, I did what I said that I would do.  I took a good look at all of the things that I had floating around my head (and calendar) filed mentally under "to do".  Not surprisingly, most of them were not vital.  My mantra for the week.  "Not doesn't mean no ever".  I did keep some essentials:  feed children, clean up puppy messes, deliver children to school, brush teeth etc.  But, I gave many a down grade.  Here is what I have moved from "to do" to "not to do" in the next week.

1.  Make bread, granola or snacks from scratch
2.  Mop
3.  Weed the garden (though I did assign this another able body)
4.  Take the kids swimming
5.  Take Liam to toddler yoga
6.  Make Halloween plans with my children (no elaborate costume schemes, no crafting)
7.  Make any classes at the gym ( I seriously can't handle another scheduled event)
8.  Commit to any sort of volunteering (even if for a later date)
9.  Swap out Fall/Winter clothing for Spring/Summer
10. Add on what is already planned for Amelia's Birthday
11.  No elaborate meals (30 minutes or less to prepare)

Ahhh....that feels much better.


I had originally planned my "don't do's" for 2 weeks.  But, an unrealistic "don't do" is no better then an unrealistic "do".  Not mopping the floors before my daughters party would cause me more stress then the 30 minutes it takes to do it.  Also, I love my gym classes, I don't want to punish myself should I be available to make it next week stress free.


Later today, I will move on to my lightened "to do".  Since I have bored you enough with one list, I will refrain from indulging in a second.  I will tell you that my new "to do" will leave me more time to enjoy my family and sweet rare moments of solitude (I have two, 2 hrs. Tues. morning and 1 hr. Wed. afternoon).  An hour with a magazine, walking on the waterfront, writing, or singing sound much better then fighting with my sewing machine or sorting through my closets is what I need "to do" this week.

What can you put on your "Do Not Do" list?

Heavy

Sometimes things just feel heavy.  As fall rolls on into birthdays, car pools, homework, housework, appointments, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and more it can feel as if there is never a moment to come up to breath.  Some weeks feel more hectic then others, some months downright claustrophobic.


I have been caught up in a whirlwind of bad luck in the time management department.  I can blame the teacher's strike, sickness, or unexpected responsibilities that have been tossed my way.  But, all in all this is just the way life behaves.  Pulling my hair out in frustration won't help.


Today, instead of adding tasks into my calendar as I normally would, I am taking a different approach.  I am calmly walking through my house and my calendar and taking notes.  What don't I need to do.  There are  many things that I can let go of.  It doesn't have to be forever, just for now.  My family will survive if I meals are simple and easily prepared.  My children don't need to go swimming this week.  I don't have to make it to the gym to get in a good workout.  I don't have to have a "good workout", a quick run, a yoga class or long walk with my dogs or family will be okay for a couple of weeks.  The garden can wait to be weeded another week.  There are a lot of things that can take a back seat and lift this weight.

What can you let go of in your life when things get heavy?

Umm and Ouch!

With 5 soccer games in 2 days, the weekend flew by.  Or, maybe it blew by.  Yes, that is more accurate.  In fact on Sunday afternoon it blew right into my head.  It was in the form of our pop up shelter that uprooted directly into my forehead. While I ran bleeding to the bathroom, Amelia scored her only goal of the game.  Now I am left with a headache and suppressed knowledge that I should go get stitches (liquid band-aid don't fail me now).  If I ignore it it will go away, right?


The rest of the day was great!  I tried out a something borrowed, something new kind of recipe.  My family has come to expect weekend breakfasts to be a little more elaborate then those during the week.  Unfortunately, that usually means sweet bread, scones, potatoes or other less then fabulous food choices.  Coffee cake made with wheat flour may be more nutritionally sound, but it is still rolling in fat and sugar.  So, I dug into our edible centerpiece and tried this:

Apple and Pear Crepes

Filling:

2 Apples and 1 Pear cut into one inch pieces

1/4 C water

2t agave (or honey to taste)

1t cinnamon 

1t nutmeg

1T fresh lemon juice

1/4 C dried cranberries

1/4 C roasted walnuts

Toss fruit in lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and agave.  In a sauce pan bring fruit mixture and water to a boil over medium heat and reduce to a simmer.  Cook until fruit softens.  Stir in Cranberries and walnuts.

For the crepes, I used a wheat recipe from here:  greenlitebites.com/2008/06/18/simple-low-fat-whole-grain-crpe/.  I substituted skim milk for rice milk to add a little sweetness.

How did it go over?  Yums and clean plates!  A healthy replacement for pancakes (which is good because, although I'm out numbered, I don't really like pancakes)

Do you make special breakfast on weekend mornings?  What is your families favorite breakfast?  

Welcome Fall

Here we are, September 23.  Welcome Fall!!!

It is fitting that the children of Tacoma return to their classroom today.  The air has changed, the leaves are flirting with color and the apples are crisp.  The shortening days and cloudy skies only add to the seasonal wonder.  A time to turn in and focus on all things internal, be it our homes or ourselves.  Fall has arrived.

With the children at home yesterday, we got ready to bring in the new season.  Thanks to Tacoma boys, our edible center piece has dressed our dining room.

We hung our Autumn wreath 

I am thrilled to be able to change up our menu to add comfort soups, freshly baked bread and tea.  Lots and lots of tea.  I am not quite ready to swap out my summer clothes.  In part, because I am feeling lazy and uninspired.  In part, because if I do we are destined to get a freak spell of 80 degree weather.  I can't believe that I will happily take a pass on the warmer weather.  Right now the hot tea and book snuggle sessions sound much more appealing.  As long as it's not trucks...or Thomas the Train....or Go Dog GO again.   Hmm..sounds like another trip to the library is in store for the week.

Simple Fall Nature Paint

Embracing another day at home, the kids and embarked on a simple fall art project.  Fall doesn’t actually start until Friday, but we stuck with fall colors and incorporated dead leaves.  Tada!  Fall themed art.  The best part about our afternoon creative session was that it required very little work on my part.  To add to the feeling of slothfulness, the kids completed the project while still in pajamas.  It was twelve o’clock. 

Here is what we did:

1.  Mixed tempera to create 3 autumn(ish) tones.

2.  Each child picked out at least 5 natural object from the yard to use   instead of paint brushes.

Jack picked branches, a blackberry, leaves and petals

 3.  Set them free to create.

Liam paints with a rose

Some of the final works:

The artwork dried outside in the sun.  I bundled paint splattered newspapers and “brushes” and walked them directly over to the trash.  The kids marched directly to the laundry room to throw their clothes in the washing machine.   Conveniently, I have had not put any laundry away since Sunday, so they washed up and got dressed.  Other then an uncomfortable moment of vulgar nakedness by child #2, it was a success!

Hooray for simple moments at home!

Do you have a favorite fall kids craft?  Please Share.

lemons to lemonade?

Yesterday morning my frustration about the teacher's strike finally set in.  I still support the teachers.  I still want a fair resolution that has the students best interests at heart.  I realize that this takes time.  But, living day to day not knowing how to plan our lives is getting stressful.  While I have the "luxury"(if you couldn't tell my quotes are dressed in angry sarcasm) of being home with my children during the day, I still reserve the right to be annoyed.  I wish that the powers that be would just cancel school for the month and be done with it.  Then, families could plan accordingly.  We could get community support for kids in need.  Parent could plan for childcare.

Needless to say, yesterday was a rough one.  I was awoken at dark thirty (again) by children who were still tired and had no right to be awake.  To make matters worse, they also woke up the puppy.  Guess who had to play with our frisky teether at 6AM?  Me!  Jack was too tired and Liam to weepy, moany and crabby.  The makings for a great day.  Oh, how I would have loved to have dropped all three of my children off for school today!  Unfortunately, only Liam's class had open doors.  After a few temper tantrums (both parent and child), I tired to make the best of the day.  Afterall, it was BEAUTIFUL. 

 So much for the rainy NW fall days I have been writing about.

After dropping Liam off at preschool, Jack, Amelia and I hit Tacoma boys to pick up some fall mums for the yard.  We also found some super yummy apples and pairs and pretty squash that made for a perfect edible center piece.  A little time in the garden plus a trip to Cafe Dei for a vegan treat and a game of Yahtzee turned things around.

Color makes me happy

The Circus

In efforts to train Dixie how to walk on lead, we all headed down to the UPS campus for a picnic lunch and to burn off some energy.  Since Dixie would NOT walk on lead, I had to carry her most of the way.  While I don't mind having an excuse to hold my cuddly puppy, it was a little hectic.  The kids were all on bikes and we had Cali in the mix too.

boys on bikes

Dixie got lots of love from the campus girls

All in all it was an okay day.  Today I will try to manage to get some work done for my studio and fit in a fall craft with the kids.  Thank goodness for great baby sitters and soccer coaches.  I just may find a moment of quiet this afternoon.

How are you spending your days during our unscheduled break from school?

Looking Back on the Summer Garden

I spent much of yesterday afternoon outside surveying and cleaning the garden.  While there is still a lot growing and blooming, it is clear that it is time to wrap things up for the summer and move on into the fall.

This year was a success for my family in the garden.  John built Jack and Amelia each a garden box.  They had free reign on what to grow and a budget to help get them started.  Jack focused on flowers and Amelia on Vegetables.  At 8 and 6, they were at a great age to take ownership of their own gardens.  They chose flowers and vegetables that they would enjoy caring for and harvesting.  They took great care to weed and monitor progress.  I was amazed by how observant they were.

Here is what they grew

Jack's Flower Garden

Amelia's box in full bloom

Jack harvested many tomatoes and Amelia beans, peas, potatoes and carrots.  They learned that you can’t predict your successes.  Amelia’s peppers and cucumbers didn’t produce.    Some times things surprised them and grew beyond their wildest dreams.  Jacks hollyhocks and petunias ran wild!  Amelia had enormous nasturtiums and tons of potatoes.

Once again, I have been totally inspired by my children.  As we clean up for fall, I think we will try some fall plantings.  That will be a first for our garden.

Enjoying  a home grown potato

What were your biggest garden successes and failures of the summer?

Fall is beautiful!

An Annual Fall Leaf jump at the UPS Campus

With such a mild (aka horribly rainy and cold) summer, no one here in western Washington seems to be all that excited about the onset of Fall.  It is easy to meet the change of season with dread.  We all put on our rain boots and brace ourselves for 8 months of cloudy skies and rain.  While I think that we are all entitled to feel as if our share of vitamin D was stolen from us, it need not overshadow the beauty that Fall brings.  There are many things that I stop doing in the summer.  The warm weather calls us outside to abandon some of our favorite year round activities.  Coming back home to them with fresh eyes and appreciation feels beautiful.

Here are some of the things that I love returning to in the Fall.

The new crispness in the air          

Washington apples  

Friday swim nights

Returning to the studio to teach Kindermusik

Saturday soccer games

New Fall fashions

Lazy Sundays snuggling at home

Afternoon tea           

Reading by the fire

Fall nature walks searching for beautiful leaves and chesnuts

Spending more time with friends as we get back into routines   

Weekends spent in Tacoma

Baking Fresh Bread

Fall Mums

Hot Apple Cider after school

Escaping the drizzle to sip perfectly crafted coffee on 6^th Ave.

Night walks with flashlights

There are many more, but I won’t bore you.

What are your favorite things to return to in the Fall?

Closet Make Over #1

It just occurred to me that I never posted my before and after shots of our family organization center.  Formerly a built in used for teacups and stemware, now my little closet is transformed into a information hub.

 Before...

After...

It still needs some work and sprucing.  I'd like to paint or paper the back wall.  But, that requires cash which is unavailable at the moment.  This project was done by re-purposing.  The only thing that I did purchase were the little clipboards.  I found them at ARTCO for a $1.99 a piece.  They will make it easy to change out  a simple decoration to reflect the season.

Remember the Apple Stamping?

I stole the bins on the middle shelves from our art center.  They had been used to house projects that the kids were “still working” on.  They were working on just about everything but my system.  I got sick of cleaning them out.  So, they are being reused for weekly school papers and ongoing school projects.

The lower shelf serves as our charging station.  With an old outlet strip in the closet, I can recharge phones, ipods, DSI’s and cameras behind closed doors.  It is great having all of the chargers in one place and my countertops free or cords and electronics.  

Not wanting to affix anything to the lovely wood, I am using tape to hang my meal calendar, soccer schedules, Sunday school calendar, shopping lists and art gifts from my children.  If you have a better solution for hanging, please tell me!

How do I look?

So Far my system is working well.  Of course, the kids haven’t had school all week due to the Tacoma teacher’s strike.  Still, I am happy with the turn out.

Do you have a system for organizing all of the paper that comes into your house?

So tired

Yes, it s still all about the puppy at my house.  Not just the playing with the puppy and snuggling with the puppy but the not so fun stuff too.  While I am soooooooo grateful that Miss Dixie is basically house trained, I am sooooooo not excited about the whole night waking situation.  Yes, I fully knew that this comes with having a puppy.  It doesn’t make me like it anymore.  In fact, I am feeling a little PTSD as it is bringing me back to my postpartum days.

Before I go on, I must say that I realize that getting up with a puppy at night doesn’t compare with getting up with a newborn baby.  Yet, that doesn’t make the sleep deprivation any more tolerable.  I am the first to admit that I need a freakishly large amount of uninterrupted sleep to feel human.  Moreover, just waking up twice a night is seriously disrupting my personality.  It is bringing me back to the not so happy postpartum days.  I had really hoped that would be a place I would never visit again. 

Having watched friends and family have babies over the years, I am very sensitive and sympathetic to the struggles that come from lack of sleep.  “Struggles” doesn’t really describe it at all.   Hormones play a major role too.  But, I find that the lack of sleep and subsequent exhaustion is really what sends many of us into postpartum craziness.  To me, it seems as if it affects most of us in one of the following ways: 

• Weeping , sobbing, falling to pieces
• Hermiting and complete lack of basic self care (no shower, spit on clothing etc.)
• Flat out “the world is ending” depression
• Overcompensating for lack of energy by doing more, resulting in a drastically shortened fuse.

It may come of no surprise that I fall into the fourth category (with some #1,2 and 3 tendencies).   I set high standard for myself and then feel angry when I can’t live up to them.  I focus on tasks rather then my children.  I become super defensive.  I could go on and on.

The blessing of me going through this hiccup of exhaustion is that I can look at it with a clearer head .  That is something that I was never able to do when I had all of those post baby hormones surging and draining.  I see how vital sleep is.  Like water, food, air, you need it for survival.  Yet, we often tend to try to power through without thinking of the impact it has on our bodies and minds.  I would never see myself as weak because I stopped vacuuming for a drink water upon becoming severely dehydrated.  What makes our need for adequate sleep any different? 

Whether we have been sleep deprived for work, children, travel, stress or worry, it takes the same toll.  As I shared, I am an angry, delusional tired. 

What kind of tired are you?

First Fall Classes at Minuet Studio

The Doors are Open!

 Last week we opened the studio doors for our Kindermusik Fall session.  I was amazed to see the changes that 3 ½ months had brought.  There were walking babies, pregnant mamas, preschoolers that have doubled in size,  and preschoolers who have doubled their vocabulary.  Some children had mellowed, while some came back with an extra bounce in their step (or jump, or run or tackle).  All of these changes went along very nicely with our studio focus for the week.

If you were in one of my classes, you may remembering me rambling on about the different areas of growth that our activities help to accelerate.  I made a point of mentioning that most children with or without Kindermusik will move on to acquire these skills.  For example, my daughter Amelia had her first Kindermusik class at age 4 1/2.  Was she already able to keep a steady beat?  Imitate sounds?  Dance with joy?   Yes.  Did she have a good sense of balance, special awareness, and her place in a group?  Yes.   Did she need Kindermusik to learn those skills?  No.  Most likely, musical instruction at this young age will not teach skills that will not be learned otherwise.  But, that doesn’t mean that it is not important.

It will, however, make learning age appropriate skills easier and less stressful.  By using song, movement and sound awareness, children are able to accelerate the rate of learning of skills.  This is important not because we should push our children to be at the top of their preschool class.  Instead, it is important because it can relieve a great amount of frustration. 

We all know well that infants, toddlers and preschoolers are easily frustrated.   They are still learning how their bodies work.  Simple movements and concepts that have long been second nature for us can be very challenging for a child .  Having your child participate in activities like Kindermusik helps them to develop in a fun, safe. and loving way.  In addition, music itself reduced stress.  Practicing skills like rocking, snapping, jumping, skipping and communicating to music is a perfect fit. 

If your child is past the Kindermusik age, group musical instruction has many of the same benefits.  In case you haven’t seen the signs in the studio or in our literature, here are the areas of development that Kindermusik focuses on:

Musical Ability

Literacy

Movement

Social Interaction

Communication

Cognitive Development

As I was reminded this week, our children grow and develop at lightening speed.  As parents we do our best to support them.  I whole heartedly feel that Kindermusik classes can be a tremendous aid and resource as you both grow and learn together.  If you know of someone with a young child who would enjoy a Kindermusik class visit www.kindermusik .com for local class listings.  If you are in Tacoma, find me here:  www.minuetstudio.com.

Crazy things my dogs have done

There is no denying that I have doggie fever.  Sorry, to say that will be reflected in my posts for a while.  Having a new dog is a lot more like having a new baby then most parents care to admit.  Don’t get me wrong, it is very different too.  It is 100x easier.  That said, it has similar challenges and brings up some of the same nostalgia.     The last few days have made me think a lot about all of the crazy dog adventures that I have had in the past 12 years.  Here are some of the highlights.

Areeba Beauty Vizsla

• Somehow opened the refrigerator in search for a stick of butter.  Dined with said butter in comfort on the couch. 
• In the course of one week ate all of my leather sandals.  But, devoured the right feet only leaving the left feet untouched. 
• Desperate to free herself from the kennel unwound a chain link fence with nothing but her teeth.
• Desperate to reunite with her pal Cali chewed through Cali’s plastic crate to free her
• Opened kitchen cupboard to retrieve bag of flour.  Without spilling any flour on the way, brought the bag to the living room to feast.
• Frantically jumped into a stream to save me after I had clumsily fallen in.
• Won a face off with a Great Dane (who later marked my leg for revenge)
• Lived to 18!

“Crazy” Cali

• Had a false pregnancy the week we moved to Seattle. 
• Smelling that she was approaching the dog park, jumped out of the window of a moving car while wearing a leash. 
• Has spent many a sunny morning staring at the wall waiting for a bird to fly by and cast a shadow.
• Long after being house trained, Cali wet the bed.  It was my sister’s bed.  She was in it too.Earned a battle scar from a scrap with a abandoned Alaskan dog we nicknamed “hobo”.

Thankfully, upon writing this, I am reminded of all of the ways that my dogs are different from my children.   The bed wetting scenario did occur with a child.  Only it was me, Amelia, and my sister-in-law's guest bed.  I'm just glad the jumping from a moving car scene hasn't repeated itself with a child...yet.

What is the craziest thing your pet has done?

Presenting Miss Dixie

Saturday was a big day!  Jack and Amelia had their first games of the soccer season and we brought home our new puppy.    

I present to you Miss Dixie Cotter

Our entire weekend revolved around our new friend.  We are completely absorbed with Dixie and all of her adorableness.   

Can you blame us?

We picked our puppy up from Rochester, WA in the morning and got to know her a little better during the soccer games that afternoon.  Amelia LOVED carrying her around during Jack’s game and recieving tons of attention.

She slept a lot

She got lots of Liam love

…and got passed around to the point of delirium.

Dixie was matched with our family based on a series of tests that rate the puppies on their traits and temperaments.    So far, she is a perfect fit.  She is on the mellow end of the vizsla spectrum, and is well on her way to being house trained.  True to her breed she does not do well alone.  Crate training is going to require a lot of patience and maybe some earplugs.

I do need some help.  Maybe from you?  Although we are naming our new dog Dixie, we need a different name for her official registry.  The litter all needs to be registered with spy names.  Never having watched a spy movie (that I haven’t fallen asleep during), I am totally lost.  Even google is of little help.  Do you have a great spy name for our little Dixie?

Dixie spying on Cali (who was chasing shadows)

What is your favorite spy name?

Minuet Studio Opens for Fall

That day of rest I took on Monday seems like ages ago.  Why?  Because I have been busily preparing for my fall Kindermusik classes that begin today.  To be exact, they start in 2 hours and 31 minutes.  I am so excited to see all of my families and share new music with them.  This session is especially significant for me.  I began teaching four years ago.  The Kindermusik curricula loops on a 2 year schedule.  That way, a child will never repeat a unit.  Having taken a year off after Liam was born, (a sort of delayed maternity break) I have never taught this fall's sessions since my very first semester.  This week, I am filled with nostalgia as I return to these familiar songs and activities.

There are some families that have been with me since my little studio opened 4 years ago.  Some have moved on to elementary school or other preschool activities.  Some have just moved (boohoo!). I have the fondest memories of the very first classes that I spent with those mothers and children.  I have been privileged to watch the growth of children and mothers.  Knowing that music has been a part of their lives from the start makes me smile.  Today I am sending love out to all of those early students and their families, where ever this finds them today.

Here's to a great fall semester!

Labor Day for Mothers

In the spirit of Labor Day, I attempted to do as little work as possible yesterday.  Unfortunately, the only way to slack for a day is to double up my work on Sunday or Tuesday.  Since we were out at the cabin for the weekend, postponing work wasn’t an option.  Instead, we did our normal close up cleaning and packing on Sunday night.  That little bit of invested time made for a fantastically lazy Monday morning.  Leaving me wondering, “why don’t I have a rest day every week?”.  I do realize that this is what Sundays are supposed to be for.  But, does anyone still use Sunday as a day of rest?  Maybe someone should.  Maybe that someone should be me.

I have never really paid much attention to Labor Day in the past.  It has always been more of a bitter sweet end of summer weekend than a day of significance.  Yesterday, as I tried to give myself a break from my daily work, I began to think about my career.  As many full time mothers, I always consider myself unemployed.  In fact, when I am required to fill out a form with a space for occupation, I usually write “N/A”.  I now realize how horribly belittling that is. 

The truth is, my jobs and career path have changed often.  Sometimes by the job I actually do, and sometimes just in my head.  While I stopped receiving a paycheck long ago, I never stopped working.  The tricky thing about this career change is the stigma that it comes with.  It is a risky cross over.  Like abandoning accounting to raise lamas for 10 years, once you have made the switch, it is hard to be welcomed back.  You have been self branded and boxed.

I won’t go on and on with the usual clichés about motherhood.  Yes, it is often a thankless job.  Yes, it is the toughest job you’ll ever have.  Yes, you can add up all of the various  “jobs” that a woman typically preforms in a year and come up with the gigantic salary that she is entitled.   All of those points are valid.  But, I find it upsetting that I, and many other women in my position feel the need to be validated. 

I am more than a mother and I am more then a homemaker, a wife and a domestic coordinator.  While this position leaves me open to the freedom to explore many of my passions and hobbies, it does not allow for me to take another full time career (without some serious outsourcing).  My work does not fit into the parameters of a traditional career path.  Like clergy, an artist, or a social worker, you cannot work for money or even a tangible reward.  It is a job of service.  The rewards are sometimes numerous and powerful.  Sometimes they are subtle and easily overlooked.  Many won’t be seen for years, and years to come.  It is, however, a career.

Do you take Sunday as a day of rest from responsibilities?  Do you See your job as mother or homemaker as a career?

Special days deserves a little bit of fancy.

So, in all of the excitement, I completely forgot to take my annual “before” shots of the first day of school.  I toyed with the idea of trying to pass off the after school shots as befores.  But, then you would wonder why I didn’t have Amelia brush her hair on her first day.  Or, for some of you clever readers, why the sun was so high at 8:30 AM.

Moving on.  How was the first day at for the Cotter Kids?  Great!  All of the uncertainty and fear seemed to fly away once we rounded the school corner.  Excited to be with friends and reunite with old classmates, they were charged for the day.

The glow of six hours with out pesky little brothers

"Another year and I still don't have all of my front teeth"

Jack keeping his hands to himself

I don’t know who was more excited to talk about their days me, or the students.  We shared some chocolate chip cookies (to which a snuck in some oat bran and oat flour), and milk.   The milk on this special day was, of course, served in fancy tea cups.

.....Liam was there too

How did your first day of school go?