Stepping out of the comfort zone
So, one of the things that I promised myself I wouldn't do after becoming a mom was to be "boring". As in, never go anywhere or do anything, or decline invitations to do things because of the baby. There are plenty of things I can still do and Lily can tag along, or I arrange for a babysitter if the venue isn't appropriate for her (wedding, adult-only party, girls' night out, etc.). I'm not saying that I just throw her schedule out the window - not at all (ESPECIALLY when it comes to sleep!), but I do make the time to do things with my friends and date my husband. Yes, I'm Lily's mom and she's a part of who I am today, but she does not define who I am or determine my identity. I'm so much more than a mom.
So, I signed up for a 5K with my friend, Jill. Neither of us have ever participated in a bona fide road race before. It's November 10th, and we'll be training until then, but I don't have any lofty or unrealistic expectations of "winning". If I'm dead last, I am okay with that. My goal for this first 5K is to cross the finish line. :) I don't run withSpeedy Gonz Ethan.... I just slow him down, and he's not exactly fun to run with because his speed frustrates me and I just end up getting winded and doubled over by the side of the road after trying to keep up. Running is not one of our shared activities at all, and we're okay with that.
I also signed up for Challenge Nation: Atlanta with the Minnies... that's later on this month and is sort of like The Amazing Race, but done in downtown Atlanta. There was a big Groupon, and Emily jokingly suggested that we sign up for it. After discussion with Emily and Aneli via text messaging to gauge how serious they were....I responded and said we should participate... I really think that if there's a chance you will regret NOT doing something, you should go for it! So we're signed up, and we're thinking of a good team name.... it will be so fun! Who cares if we "win" or not? It will be a fun way to spend an afternoon together, and some good memory making in the works.
As of today, I am now officially running the Atlanta office of a national nanny agency. The Atlanta office has been open already for five years, so the agency is very well known in Atlanta. The current office manager is leaving to pursue other interests. My friend and business partner, Lindsay, is running it with me. We completed our training, and it's such a great company to work with. Lindsay will handle the phone work, and I'll handle the email and paperwork front. I'm glad to be doing something (a) that is in my area of expertise and (b) that will continue to challenge my brain. I've mentioned before that I don't have to work... but I really like working, as long as it doesn't take me away from being a mom. I can do a lot of the work associated with the agency when Lily is sleeping. :) It also requires a lot of networking with moms and businesses to get our faces attached to the business name, so I'll be stepping out of my comfort zone a bit since I'm not naturally super outgoing with strangers. I will say it's definitely easier to talk to total strangers with Lily on my hip...she's usually an icebreaker since people can't get over how happy and cute she is. People always inevitably ask what I do, so now I can smile, inform them that I'm a placement provider and give them my card in case they or anyone they know is in need of our services. Voila!
And now: a question for blog readers....What have you done lately to stretch yourself?
So, I signed up for a 5K with my friend, Jill. Neither of us have ever participated in a bona fide road race before. It's November 10th, and we'll be training until then, but I don't have any lofty or unrealistic expectations of "winning". If I'm dead last, I am okay with that. My goal for this first 5K is to cross the finish line. :) I don't run with
I also signed up for Challenge Nation: Atlanta with the Minnies... that's later on this month and is sort of like The Amazing Race, but done in downtown Atlanta. There was a big Groupon, and Emily jokingly suggested that we sign up for it. After discussion with Emily and Aneli via text messaging to gauge how serious they were....I responded and said we should participate... I really think that if there's a chance you will regret NOT doing something, you should go for it! So we're signed up, and we're thinking of a good team name.... it will be so fun! Who cares if we "win" or not? It will be a fun way to spend an afternoon together, and some good memory making in the works.
As of today, I am now officially running the Atlanta office of a national nanny agency. The Atlanta office has been open already for five years, so the agency is very well known in Atlanta. The current office manager is leaving to pursue other interests. My friend and business partner, Lindsay, is running it with me. We completed our training, and it's such a great company to work with. Lindsay will handle the phone work, and I'll handle the email and paperwork front. I'm glad to be doing something (a) that is in my area of expertise and (b) that will continue to challenge my brain. I've mentioned before that I don't have to work... but I really like working, as long as it doesn't take me away from being a mom. I can do a lot of the work associated with the agency when Lily is sleeping. :) It also requires a lot of networking with moms and businesses to get our faces attached to the business name, so I'll be stepping out of my comfort zone a bit since I'm not naturally super outgoing with strangers. I will say it's definitely easier to talk to total strangers with Lily on my hip...she's usually an icebreaker since people can't get over how happy and cute she is. People always inevitably ask what I do, so now I can smile, inform them that I'm a placement provider and give them my card in case they or anyone they know is in need of our services. Voila!
And now: a question for blog readers....What have you done lately to stretch yourself?
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