My oldest son turned seven yesterday and I have been a stay at home mom since right before he was born. My youngest is five and will be entering full-day kindergarten in the fall. It has been many years of playgroups, story-hours, preschool chatter, etc. Here comes the “now what?” moment. Knowing this time was coming and not being great at sitting around the house, I began thinking about what direction I wanted to go in a while back. It was a time to look at my different skill sets and passions. Ironically, I have wound up where I wanted to be after graduating from college. I am able to dance and teach pilates.
It was definitely a process to reach this point. First and foremost, I had to get back in shape after having two babies. I went back to taking yoga and pilates regularly. A few moms from preschool and playgroup were looking for toddler tap, so I reached out to a studio that didn’t offer tap and began teaching friends’ kids. Eventually, I began subbing for the director and I created a class for adults. None of these ventures were particularly successful; but they kept me moving in the right direction. I went on to earn my pilates certification and began teaching pilates immediately.
After getting my certification, I knew I needed to build a reputation and teach as often as possible. In just a few short months, I am finding that many opportunities are coming at times that are not convenient for the family. My initial reaction is always to say yes, and I am training myself to say no when the time is right. I went from having nothing other than the family to many projects going on at once. What is the correct balance?
Honestly, I am much more efficient when I have a tight schedule. The house tends to be cleaner and the fridge is stocked on days that I have a lot to do and on days when I am not heavily scheduled I can seriously spend the day surfing the internet, catching up on my DVR, etc. Now comes the challenge of balancing efficiency and not burning out. Like many people, I am still working to find this balance. Remembering to take care of myself so that I can take care of my family. Finding personal fulfillment so that I am a happier and more relaxed mom. It is definitely a work in progress, but I am thankful to have the opportunity to pursue a career that I love and spend quality time with my husband and boys.
