Just Telling Our Story

Yep, I've made the right decision

I think every working mother (and stay-at-home mom, for that matter) at some point in her children's early years wonders if she's made the right decision in whether to work (and put my kids in day care) or stay at home. I know the thought has crossed my mind, even though I know in my heart I would be a terrible stay-at-home mom, and I love what I do professionally. I would like to be able to say that I have never second-guessed my decision to make my career a priority, right alongside my role as a mother. I love them both.

But of course there are days when I'm stressed with working, and the kids come home from day care filthy and grumpy, and the thought seeps through my mind: Is day care really good for my kids?

As part of an assignment for Mooresville Magazine, I just finished an enjoyable interview with three women from Children's Park Child Care Center in Mooresville. They reaffirmed my decision. Yes, I whole-heartedly believe that day care is good for our kids (assuming the day care we choose is a good one!).

This day care seems to have it all figured out. Their preschool, all-day private kindergarten and summer programs are remarkable. Their kids go on frequent field trips, learn Spanish in kindergarten, learn how to type in kindergarten, are reading by the end of the first semester of kindergarten, have incredible opportunities for art projects by a talented and very artistic teacher, learn about music through local talents, have gymnastics and dance classes right at the center, get to enjoy visits from firefighters and police officers and dentists, and at least 100 other activities, it seems.

We have had generally positive experiences at the day cares we have chosen, too. (Although if I were close to Mooresville, I'd be tempted to switch, just because these women were so incredibly pleasant!) They keep the kids active, take time to teach them so they're not just playing all day, and really have a structure that our kids respond well to.

As much as I would like to think I would, I know that if I had my children at home with me every day, I would not be doing all of these things with my own children, despite my best intentions. I know stay-at-home moms that are excellent about taking trips to the Children's Museum, getting their kids outside to play and doing other fun things with them. I also know that they are fortunate to be able to spend so much quality time with their kids, and for that, of course, I am a wee bit envious. But for me, I know that I would be terrible at home every day. It's just me. Plus, I like to work. I need to work, for my own personal sense of satisfaction. But if I this is the case for our family, I am reassured that putting them in day care is not a terrible thing. In fact, I think it's a very good thing.

There are a lot of other reasons I think day care is good for kids, but I am not going to take your time to go into them here. I just wanted to share my sense of calm and reassurance after talking with Pat, Bonnie and Judy today. Thank you, ladies, for your time and your love of children. The parents in Mooresville are very lucky to have you!

(By the way, if you want to read my article about Children's Park Child Care Center, check out the spring issue of Mooresville Magazine. I believe it will be in homes and on Mooresville newsstands March 1.)

Just wanted to share

Here's a page I've made about my little sis' new baby boy. Isn't he cute?

I don't know if Margo and Tyler will be cautious about sharing first and last names of their little one online, so I'm taking the cautious route, and I removed his last name. I know I'm cautious about it with my own kids. That's why I don't write out their full first names on this blog. You never know what kind of crazy people are out there Googling you or stumbling upon your site. (Since my last name is easy to find on my business Web site, I choose to keep their first names private on the blog.) So there you have it. You might have been wondering why I refer to them as G and E. Now you know!

Anyway, just sharing. It's been a while since I made a digital scrapbook page, so this was a fun distraction from work tonight. I needed a mental break!

All design elements: Dani Magstad, SweetShoppeDesigns.com

I'm an aunt!

I'm an aunt! Technically, I've been an aunt since my wedding day more than eight years ago (and I love those boys), but today, I became a "real" aunt...by blood, that is! My younger sister, Margo, and her hubbie, Tyler, had their first baby today. It's the first baby born to either of my sisters. And he is absolutely perfect!

I got the call a little after 6 a.m. this morning. Contractions were two minutes apart, and he seemed to be coming FAST. I rushed to the hospital -- waiting to pass two accidents on 36 on the way -- afraid I was going to miss the birth, but things soon slowed down.

She pushed for two hours, but Baby Gage wasn't positioned right (sideways, maybe) and his heartbeat dropped dramatically, so the nurses and doc began hurriedly planning an emergency C-section to happen right in her room. Then labor stalled a bit. Gage's heartbeat got back to normal, and they had to wait for an operating room to become free. So, about two to three hours (I believe) of patiently waiting for a room followed. Finally, they began preparing for the C-section around 10 a.m., and he was born at 10:17!

He is truly a perfect little baby. Good color, cutest little face and not too much crying...lucky parents!

He had lots of visitors today, and Margo was a trooper, staying awake (even though she was up at 1 a.m. this morning) at least until I left around 3 p.m. That's quite an accomplishment, given the way her night and morning went!

G & E loved meeting him and can't wait to go back tomorrow. E was fascinated with him getting a bath, and G just couldn't get enough of touching his soft skin. He kept saying he wanted to "pet" the baby, though, so we're working on his vocabulary! You can tell we have a few animals in the house!

Congratulations, Margo and Tyler. We're very excited for you! Welcome to the wonderful (although sometimes exhausting) world of mother- and fatherhood. It's the best hard work of your life. You'll never regret it. You'll wonder what you ever did before having kids! I'm just so, so happy for you!

(As it happens, I'm celebrating two birthdays today. One's the first birthday of my business, but that's so not interesting compared to this exciting day for our family! Happy birthday, Gage!)

I made it! One year and counting...

It's amazing how quickly time flies. I've been aware of that most keenly since my two children have been born, but I am consistently shocked at the reality of it.

It's hard to believe, but today marks the one-year anniversary of my last day as communications director at Christ Church Cathedral. Tomorrow is Corie Communications' birthday.

What a wild ride! Looking back on my first year, I am both shocked at my nerve to do such a thing as quit a full-time job to launch a very risky business - knowing very well we had bills to pay! - and also proud of myself for somehow finding the courage. I made it through the first six months of questioning whether this was a good idea (and paying myself less during that time than what I made in a two-week paycheck at the Cathedral) and a final six months that went in the completely opposite direction.

I am very thankful for all of my clients, who believe in me, put their trust in me to represent them in a positive and professional manner...and especially for those who pay me! (Because, unfortunately, I have completed three projects for which I was either never paid or only partially paid.)

I am also very thankful to my husband, mom, dad, stepmom, sisters, in-laws and other members of my family for believing that I could make this work and encouraging me to follow my dream.

Thank you to everyone involved in my first year. You have helped make a remarkable difference in my career and my family life. I look forward to many more years to come. Thank you.