Networking

I have been told by a number of people that I need to network. The group I've finally chosen is called Linkedin.

If you're a stay-at-home mom, you can use the site to reconnect with long-lost friends or to stay in touch with former colleagues. You might even be able to find a job you can do from home.

For those of you trying to get back out into the workforce (or maybe you're already out there), this site is amazing. I didn't really realize its exponential quality until I was looking through the job postings the other day. I have a number of connections in my network who then have other connections who then have other connections, etc. A friend of one of my connections has 400 other connections! That's a lot of people. Anyway, as I was looking through the job postings, Linkedin would show me the number of connections I had at the company in question. Suddenly I'm connected! I know people who know everyone.

There are also special interest groups you can join at Linkedin. Are you a teacher? A writer? Do you have an interest in Japan or horses? There's a group for you. In fact, there are so many possibilities that it's difficult to decide which groups to join.

Make sure to give Linkedin a try. I would highly recommend it.

Returning to the Work Force

Well, my terrific new preschool is now officially defunct. I had to finally face facts when September came around and I still didn't have any students. Since I closed the daycare in preparation for my new endeavor, I am now jobless.

So I am in transition. Returning to work after years of home-schooling is at once daunting and exhilarating. My youngest daughter is now begging to go to preschool and other than the soaring prices of childcare, there is not really any reason why I shouldn't work during the day. The only big question is what I can do that pays enough to afford the childcare? I'm working on it.

In any case, while I am cooling my heels at home, awaiting the enormous influx of calls, I have decided to get back to writing. The luxury of free time should not be wasted!

The Middle of the Night

I love being up in the middle of the night. The house is very quiet and I can write or ponder the events of the day. I peek in to check on the children every once in a while and watch their angelic faces in repose. It is the best time of the day for me.

Of course, staying up until the wee hours does have its drawbacks. I am sometimes very tired the next day, and a little irritable until I've had my morning coffe. The benefits make it worthwhile, though. This is my own, personal "me" time.

Since I've had children, I don't get away from the house much, not by myself anyway. I don't have girls' night out or go on dates with my husband very often. I don't have hobbies that I do alone (other than going to the gym). I'm not a big shopper. I do enjoy having quiet time alone, though, and this is how I get it.

Having time alone allows me to center myself. It lets me unwind and put everything into perspective. When I was younger I would go to the beach and sit on the cliffs overlooking the ocean or go hiking by myself. These things are now family activities, which is fine, but I feel distressed somehow if I don't get a little bit of time to myself each week.

Being a mom is all about compromise. It's about giving of ourselves and being available for our children. But we need to remember ourselves too. We need to remind ourselves that to be the best moms we can be, we have to find that little bit of "me" time.

Selective Senses

Isn't it funny that we can hear a newborn's whimper from 20 yards, but can completely block out the fracas caused by three or four 5-year-olds running through the house?

My eldest daughter's friend's mother brought my daughter home from a play date today. As we sat chatting for a minute on the sofa, our daughters and three preschoolers commenced running up and down the hallway, shouting enthusiastically. "I don't know how you do it," she said. "This would drive me completely crazy."

It does drive me a little crazy sometimes, but more often than not, I find myself just tuning it out. It's fairly easy to distinguish between a cry of pain or hurt feelings and a shout of joy and my ears are sometimes as deaf to the whoops as they are alert for the dismay.

This same sensory selectiveness occurs with vision and smells. A new mother can smell a dirty diaper across a crowded room, but might completely ignore the smell of wet dog after a summer rain. Blood is always an attention getter, but we might not even notice the disarray in the playroom. Well, maybe we notice it.

Perhaps our selective senses help to preserve us as we make our way through the terrible 2's, which I personally think should be called the terrible 3-5's. Are your senses selective? Do you find yourself just tuning out the ordinary chaos and focusing your radar on the unusual?

New Preschool

I have been teaching for most of my adult life and have finally found a way to incorporate my language skills, teaching experience and interests into a very worthwhile endeavor. In September, my new bi-lingual preschool will be opening. With Japanese classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and English classes on Tuesday and Thursday, the children who attend will be taught a well-rounded, fun curriculum by native teachers.

I am a little late getting the word out, as I had to wait for approval on our location, but have high hopes for good initial enrollment numbers. Also, since I have been so busy planning this program, I haven't had much time to keep my blog updated. I will try not to be away so long in the future.

If you would like to see more information about the new preschool, located in Portland, Oregon, be sure to check out the website at http://www.nikonikojuku.com/

Still Trying to Lose That Post-Baby Fat!

Well, my youngest just turned 4 and although I like to blame her for my figure, I think the statute of limitations has run out. If I'm not back in shape after 4 years, I'm going to have to take responsibility for it, right?

I finally joined 24-hour fitness and have started going at night, after I've tucked the girls in. I'm getting stronger and firmer, but I'll have to do something about my diet as well.

I've started using a website called The Daily Plate which allows you to track what you eat and the exercise you do. The basic service is free and I find it very motivational to have all of the numbers there in black and white. Input each food you put into your mouth and the program will put in the number of calories, fat, sodium, etc. Add your daily activities, such as stretching, vacuuming or playing golf, and it will subtract how many calories you used. You can input how many pounds you want to lose each week and the program will tell you how many calories you can eat. The more exercise you do, the more calories you are allowed. It even has a place to track how many glasses of water you've had for the day.

I'm hoping I can stick with it this time and lose this weight. If you want to join me, let me know. I'll post how I'm doing every once in a while, along with possible mom-related pitfalls.

Imaginative Play at the Park

It has been raining almost every day, but today we had a dry afternoon so I decided to take the children to the school yard across the street. I took 4 children, ages ranging from 4 to 7. We started out on the play structure, but when the after-school crowd showed up, we relocated to the grassy field.

What a ball we had! First we did log rolls. We laid flat on the ground with our arms above our heads and rolled and rolled and rolled. Then we moved on to crab walking and racing.

Our final activity lasted about an hour and attracted a number of the after-school children. There was dry grass, cut the previous day, lying about in clumps. One of the children decided to make a small nest. All of the children gathered straw and then picked some mushrooms for eggs.

I suggested that maybe we needed a bird and when two more children approached, one volunteered for the position. We then needed a much bigger nest which required a lot more straw-gathering. At one point we had 8 children participating, but the after-school leader came to fetch our new friends after a while.

We talked about how much work it must be for birds to build their nests, since they can only carry a small amount of material at a time. By the time we finished, we had a giant nest and all four children curled up in it and pretended to nap. They even created straw pillows.

It never ceases to amaze me what simple activities can spark imagination and create hours of lively fun.