Back to Work!

I love my job! Really! While Isabelle napped or played, I worked over Break on everything from lesson plans to seating charts, and I am eager to get back and launch my ideas. There is more to my excitement than simply enjoying what I do, however. I enjoy being a working Mom.

I stayed at home for one year after Isabelle was born, and I relished the opportunity to know my first-born baby and to watch her grow. As she became a toddler, though, I noticed that she was happiest when I was able to strike a balance between Mommy-and-Me time and Izzie-and-Other Children time. I searched high and low for opportunities for Isabelle to interact with other kids via parks, play groups, activities. After her 18-month birthday, I realized that I was feeling stressed, bored, and isolated. I had to go back to work, and Isabelle needed out-of-the-home stimulation for at least a portion of the day. My (our) decision happened to coincide with financial pressures that required me to earn an income. God provided me with a job, Isabelle with a pre-school that she enjoys and looks forward to, and our family with the extra income that we needed to maintain our lifestyle. Whether staying-at-home or working full-time, I am still Izzie's Mom, first and foremost.

Whether you raise your children for a living, or you work outside of your home and contribute to your family's bottom line, I wish you the things that I cherish most about being both a Teacher and a Mom - creativity, meaning, and passion for what you do.

Here's to the first Monday of 2010!

MWM Turns 30