One Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Stay Open to New Experiences

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In the movie Love Jones , the male lead says, "romance is about the possibility of the thing." I agree with that. However, I think that the concept is more universal. life--truly living--is about the possibility of the thing. For a while, I was sleep walking through life, doing what was required without truly embracing it. Recent events have caused me to re-evaluate that and to embrace life and all of its limitless possibilities.   And romance, is about love. Over the past year I have become committed to falling back in love with my life. New relationships have made that love affair possible. And, I don't take them for granted. Creating space for new relationships and making new friends as a single, working mom, and creating space is not easy. But it is necessary. For that reason, I have committed to making new friendships, keeping the old productive ones, and enjoying them all--in the midst of working, parenting, and adulting . I have learned that I have not experien...
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The End of School As We Know it, COVID19 Lessons

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Family enjoying picnic

So, the school year is finally over and I am ecstatic! The above photo is of our celebration. Balancing work, school, and the stressors of day-to-day life combined with the additional stress of being Black in America during this time has been quite a lot. (Click here to read about our experience.) 

Still, I cannot help but be proud of my older kids. Considering everything, they are the rock stars. They are the ones who did their work and focused. And, yes, the focus required prodding and there were sometime tears.  Still, they kept at it every day. They dealt with mommy school and they thrived.

Boy graduating Kindergarten

Our daughter completed fourth grade. We began her virtual school five weeks before her school had anything. We did math, language arts and science. We read a novel, did equations, and experiments. We supplemented with YouTube and online classes we could find. In a word, we made it work. She even discovered new talents, which she mentioned in an online interview that was also aired on KDKA. (To see it, click here.) 

Our son completed Montesorri Kindergarten during quarantine, as you can see in the above photo. (I have know idea why he took a knee, but I was proud.) He rallied, with a little help. :-) He was less than enthused about being without his structure, teacher, and friends. We tried to mimic his classroom as much as possible though. We bought Montessori equipment, gave him choices, and had circle time. I know that I am not the teacher that his gifted teacher is. I shouted when I should have smiled. I used bribery and other inappropriate motivational tactics because I was working while teaching. 

If you didn't know. that is a nearly impossible task.   

We went through this like so many other families. However, I am still proud of my brood. We averted failure and tragedy. We learned and loved. We took each day as it came. And like Gloria Gainor would say, "We survived!!! Hey! Hey!" As I mentioned previously, the baby seems to love this new set up.  (To read about the baby living his best life, click here.) While I know that the day of reckoning will come, we shall enjoy this time while we have it.

Here's to summer!


Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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