That Excites Me Just Fine!

Teaching was my thing. For 10+ years I was a teacher, and I was good at it. I was good at it because I loved what I was doing. I had a passion for it. I also worked more hours than was expected or necessary. It was a job I couldn't leave in the classroom. It - including a stack of papers to grade - came home with me each and every day and on the weekends. I thought about lesson plans and behavior problems and how to reach that one kid and ... in a lot of ways, it consumed me.

Now, being a mom is my thing. I am so, so fortunate to be able to stay-at-home with my two girls. Honestly, I don't think I am capable of teaching and being a mom to little ones. It's just more than I can handle. I would feel pulled in two directions, and there would certainly not be enough hours in the day. I tried having a foot in both worlds. I taught part-time after NHV turned a year old. I only worked two days a week, and I had the ideal daycare situation. But I wasn't happy. Work still followed me home. And I wasn't the awesome teacher that I knew I could be. My heart just wasn't in it.

Being a mom suits me. We go to the library and playdates and run errands. I even occasionally manage some meal planning and a few household chores. I adore watching the girls grow and learn and change right before my eyes. The thought of missing a moment doesn't sit well with me.  However, there are days when complacency settles in ... and I just get by.

On those days, I have this sneaking suspicion that something was missing. I needed to feel passionately about something. I needed an outlet for my energies and my writing. I added a second blog with plans for a third, and that helped some. I was still looking for a challenge. And that's when Macaroni Kid came into my life ... well, actually, I was first introduced about a year ago, but I wasn't ready then.

I've been a Publishing Mom for 4 weeks.  Working with my best friend.  Writing for a national brand / website.  Building a community resource for moms like us and their families.  Four weeks ago, we planted a seed and now we are watching it grow.  Our fourth Broomfield Macaroni Kid newsletter publishes today.   I am so proud of what we are doing.  This is the something I was looking for.  I feel energized - despite acute lack of sleep ;)  I feel purposeful - like a piece of a bigger picture.  I feel like I can have a little bit of "it all."  I am still a stay-at-home mom, first and foremost, but I am also a Publishing Mom, and that is a title that suits  excites me just fine!

Inspiration for this post: My good friend from college is here visiting for the next few days.  After the kiddos were in bed, I started talking to her about Macaroni Kid and it just hit me ... I am loving it!  I want other moms to know that this opportunity exists.  That it is manageable - even with little kids.  You can work during naptimes and a few nights a week and produce a quality newsletter / website.  You can network with other moms.  You can make connections in your community.  You can reap the benefits of promoting events and businesses.  Anyway, I tired to fall asleep - at a decent hour tonight - but these thoughts kept swirling around and banging up against my brain ... and this is where I go when that happens.