School!

Hello All,

Today is the first day of school for my 2nd and 5th graders. Yipee. One of them is super excited and the other "ready to learn", I think they both are super ready to have a routine. We all are.

I've had a nice break. Sick last Thursday, Friday thru Monday scheduled off. We didn't have one last hurrah! before school with the usual end of summer festivities. It was very nice.

So I'm writing to inform that I have finally made some decisions in the direction of my life. Who knew? 37 and still trying to figure it out. Which of course, has some splainin to do. -- I'm not happy with my job. Really, I know a ton of people aren't, and I should be glad I have one....I am glad. I am thankful for all the flexibility I have and that I am able to be open enough with my boss to tell her I am exhausted, tired and fed up and she still requires my services. For summer I cut back 10 hours to 30/week. It wasn't as nice as you would think. Well, the time off was, however, being on the ball about which days who was watching whose kids was more painful and then all the hemming and hawing about well, Di's not here today blah, blah blah from work.

So officially I have decided that working 30 hours/week and being home when the kids get on and off the bus is important to me. Also decided that being a full-time working mother is a backwards way to look at what I am trying to do here. I am a mom (don't forget wife) who works. Different. Eye-opening and awesome.

OK Goal 1: Be the best wife and mother: including making my family life (which of course includes cooking and cleaning but I'm not quite ready to say that yet) a priority. Remembering: Not a working mom but a mom who works. 

Goal 2: Finish my Masters degree. But not the MBA I was going for, it has been a hard decision but one that is completely thought out. (Have you met me?) I'll go for Psychology, not Counseling but Psychology, what's the difference? Well, terminology for one. Counseling requires all kinds of licenses which require renewals and continuing education. And, not to mention, I don't want to be a counselor. (There's that.) Psychology on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to gain those licenses should you want to, but it also allows for a wide range of behavioral education. One I have always been interested in is Forensic Psychology. Why I didn't just stick to it -- hmm, the story just keeps getting longer and longer. But why I'm coming back to it -- indirectly you could say, is because it has always been there. Also, I know it is a long road and would rather spend my time being interested in these studies than the MBA which the few classes I have already taken has helped me job wise. Anyway, this is what I've got for today.

Goal 3: Keep my CEAP credential and continue to participate in EAPA. This has been a wavering thing for the last 3-5 years. Why? Who knows, indecisiveness is paralyzing.  My boss and mentor has pushed this on me since the last person she pushed quit and left her high and dry. Of course I was getting something out of it. Continuous education,  a basis of thinking that explains some of my values, a group of peers etc. And of course, the leadership skills I needed work on, particularly public speaking and decisions.

Goal 4: CISM training. Critical Incident Stress Management (or D for Debriefing). Time to take my future into my own hands. While my boss is willing to brainstorm with me on how to get there and different management consultations/presentations I can do to get there, I've finally stopped sitting on the sidelines and will push myself to make this happen. There are some very brilliant people in this field and I've made in-roads with some already. Can't wait to get started.

Hope some clarity comes to you as well. Real-life Solution: Make your future happen.