Living as a mom

Archive for the ‘work’ Category

Photo by Kevin Krejci

I have to apologize for neglecting to write a post recently. I have been fortunate enough to land a consulting job. I am working with teachers providing some training in teaching reading in the content areas. I LOVE this work, so it has been a pleasure to be this busy!

I am enjoying using my brain in a different way right now. Having children is rewarding. It involves problem solving, creativity, patience, knowledge of child development, negotiating skills, etc! That being said, there are times when caring for your children can be mundane. The children are exciting and watching them grow is completely fascinating to me, but the everyday stuff can be excruciatingly boring. Taking your two year old to the potty and waiting for that magic moment loses its excitement after a while. I’m sure that you understand what I mean! So working has been a break from the mundane and good for me.

As much as I have enjoyed this opportunity to work, and although it feels great to change my routine a little, I still feel like I couldn’t go back to work full time, especially not back to teaching. (I know the demands of the job, and I have to do the job “right”. I won’t settle for less.) I shared this sentiment with a friend and colleague who is still in the work force and does not have children yet. She tried her best to convince me that I could work full time by giving me ways to make it possible. I know that I could search for a less demanding teaching job. The fact of the matter is that I don’t want to.

I would rather devote my time to raising my children to be amazing people who love God and have a heart for service.

It is difficult to convey to my unchurched friends who aren’t parents the responsibility I feel as a mother. These children are precious, and they have been entrusted to me by my God. I feel, as all parents do, responsible to raise them well and pass on my values for “right” living. As a Christian mother, though, I feel an even heavier burden of responsibility to do this God’s way. I am feeling called by God to be with my children as much as possible in order to teach them well. To me that means that I home educate my children, at least for the next school year, and stay home with them. I am their first teacher, and I am their greatest advocate. No one else knows my children as well as I do except for my God who knows them even better than I.

Yes, opportunities will arise for me to work, but my work right now is to care for and educate my children while I serve the moms and other women in God’s kingdom.

Great news!

Photo by ninahale

I am really excited that I have been offered a consulting job! It will bring in a little much needed income and an opportunity to use my brain. The only catch is that the first workshop I am leading is next week, and the second one is the last day we are scheduled to be away on vacation. Hmm… This poses a few problems for this mom.

Living as a mom is complicated!

I will spend this week planning the first workshop, cleaning up after the Christmas craziness, and trying to get the kids back on track with their schedule. Agh! This week will be insane.

And I am going to love it!

The craziness and busyness that comes with family life and the opportunity to think creatively is invigorating. It makes me feel like I CAN have it all even though I know that something has to give. You know what I mean. No one can have the perfect life because there is always a cost. For me and my family I’m sure that the cost will be my sleep.

This week should be interesting in so many ways…

I am still new to the balancing act of being a work at home mom. I have gotten better at managing my time now that I know how long it takes to finish various things. Currently I am working on being more efficient and savvy about the business end of things. I have been an avid user of Twitter to promote my business since this past summer. I like it for both professional and social reasons. If you don’t “tweet” and you are promoting a business, then you have to check Twitter out!

One of the great things about Twitter is networking with people. I follow people from all over the world who have diverse backgrounds. I would never meet these people otherwise. From this amazing social network that is growing rapidly, I have found a freelance writing job. When I needed some parenting advice, someone I follow was able to help me out. When I tweet that I have a new post, the traffic on my blogs increases faster than it would otherwise. I also have found interesting information on the web from different people’s updates. It is truly amazing!

One of features of Twitter is joining a moderated discussion. The host establishes a date and time for a network of people to share information about a particular topic. I have joined the Christian Women Tweet Up, Girls’ Night Out, and Journchat for writers. I also follow @ResourcefulMom who hosts website warming parties where you can win prizes! I am new to these discussions, so I’m still figuring out how to follow the conversation in the best way. Tonight I tried http://www.tweetgrid.com. The grid compiles all of the tweets of people involved in the conversation. The updates still moved faster than I was prepared to read! I will get the hang of it, though.

I am still contemplating how I will be able to maximize my Twitter time so that I can promote my business, Homeschooling Coach. I am considering hosting a moderated discussion, but I haven’t worked out all of the details yet. Be on the look out for a Twitter discussion with @HomeschoolCoach!