Ready to Learn Mom

“What do you want to do with your life?” I just finished my courses and the question stared me in the face. After so many years of school, I finally felt free to discover the answer to this question.

Figuring out what you want to do is a strange thing. You’d like to know what you want to do while you are in school, because then you’d feel like your education had a purpose. This may be true for people who decide their career first and then choose what they will study. During my time at SFU, I decided that my university education was not going to decide my career. My education was strictly for my benefit, to learn about my world and to learn to make changes to society. My university background in Communication would be very important to me, no matter which field I chose to work in.

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I have kept a journal of my experiences with my children. Sam and I had a difficult time staying on task with his NACD program today and I went back to reread an entry that helps me to keep things in perspective for days such as these.

The Walk

Today was a beautiful spring day, but someone forgot to tell Sam that news. He woke up in his usual fashion, happy and more than willing to give a morning hug and kiss with an enthusiastic, “Goooood Morrrrning, Mommy”. He even drank his juice (which for Sam consists of vitamins, coconut milk kefir and distilled water) which was requested beautifully with a “Mommy, I want juice please”….but that is where the happiness ended. He didn’t want to get dressed which resulted in a full blown sobbing jag along with throwing his clothes across the room. When he finally got dressed his pants were on backwards and after some subtle prompting and complaining they finally got turned around. He didn’t want to start up his daily NACD program…his vocabulary seemed to only consist of a single word “NNNOOOOO”. I tried to give him choices which he was more than happy to scatter across the table. I tried to reason with him which just made the ever present “NO” even louder. I tried to move our program elements outside for more intensity, Sam instead ran off happily waving “Bye Bye”. I tried to turn his running into a learning game, he quickly figured it out and promptly told me to “Go Away”. I brought out his book and began reading it to myself hoping to lure him in…he simply ignored me. I began to pray…because I know when the morning begins this way I quickly lose my intensity and the negative aspects of raising a child with special needs hit me smack in the face. I asked him what was wrong…as if I expected him to simply tell me what was bothering him. I continued to spiral to that place that no special needs parent likes to go.

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Many couples find their relationships stuck in a rut after they’ve been together for a while. Here are some ways to rekindle the fires of love:

• Remember: Fragrant roses, moonlit walks, and candlelight dinners are all wonderful ways to avoid addressing the real problems in your marriage
• Communication is key to any relationship. Put down those binoculars, march right over there, and introduce yourself
• Try buying your husband that watch he’s always wanted, and then throwing it in the ocean to show that your love is more important than material things

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Why do you want to work from home? Do you know for sure?

I have been seeing and reading a lot of information about why a woman would want to work from home, and it has really made me sit down and take notes about the real reasons I have a home-based business.

Before going from a job outside of the home, to working from home, it is very important that you have some clear goals in mind, as well as your motivation behind those goals. Without knowing where you are and where you would like to go, you may fall into some of the stereotypical routines that befall (and fail) many home-based working moms.

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Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, created a stir at the SHRM conference in New Orleans this year by stating: “There’s no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.”

Organizations worry about being perceived as offering a good balance between work and personal time.

Many career sites and recruiters stress the ways the organization addresses this through flexible work policies, family-friendly HR polices, child care, and so on. And, for many job seekers, finding a company that offers this magic blend is the Holy Grail.

While Jack was addressing women specifically and speaking about their opportunities for promotion and growth within traditional corporate America, he was reinforcing this assumption. He was heavily criticized for talking to women in this way, even though it is an accurate reflection of the thinking in most of traditional corporate America.

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Explore Core Values and Life Purpose to Ignite Passions in Life

When a person knows what makes his/her heart sing and they honor and express their core values, that person lives life on purpose and with passion.

Waking each morning with a joyful heart, excited to begin the day, energized by each activity, is how life is meant to be lived. With so many external expectations, demands and pressures, it’s easy for a person to lose sight of their life purpose and what they truly value. Discovering one’s passion involves exploring core values and deep desires tucked away in the back of the heart.

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Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.  

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

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An article on family relationships, offering ideas for keeping your family close, from the time they are children until they become adults.

With the widespread success and use of the home computer, people are simply a mouse click away. The innovation of email and digital photographs has made it possible for families to stay in touch; however, is this really enough? While technology has enabled us to talk to people all over the world, in some ways it is hampering us from intimate contact, especially with our families.

Keeping your family close must start when you children are very young. If you instill in them at an early age the importance of family, chances are your message will stick when they become adults.

An important way to ensure family closeness is by creating special family traditions. While we all know every eats turkey on Thanksgiving, add something special to the day. Perhaps set aside this day for the entire family to play games. Try playing something as simple as Bingo, where everyone will get a prize – and here’s the real treat – make the prizes “coupons”. For instance, “This coupon good for one free movie with mom” or “This coupon good for one indoor picnic.” Thanksgiving is traditionally a day for football, so organize a friendly family game of your own. You will be surprised how your children will come to treasure these special family times.

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It’s harder than ever to keep up with both your job and your life away from it. Here’s how to start. 
 
Among the many things the average professional deals with daily: getting ahead at work; helping the kids with their homework; driving the school carpool; spending quality time with their significant other; caring for elderly parents; dealing with chores in the home; trying to get in just a few minutes to catch up with friends.

Life can feel like a constant battle between our professional and personal lives, especially now, with the economic distress making our lives more challenging than ever in so many ways. Before you beat yourself up about not being able to get everything done, consider these tips for achieving a better balance between your work and the rest of your life this year.

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