First Month

The first month of kindergarten is ovah!! Kiddo did great. No complaints. Got the morning routine down, breakfast, uniform and all! Its been a roller coaster transition for everyone. What have I learned??? Kindergarten means WORK. And for a stay-at-home mom/dad, its the beginning of going back to work.

I haven't been this busy since 2002. I was living in NYC, working in publicity for an A-List Celebrity PR Firm. I was constantly under pressure from magazine deadlines, photo shoots, and needy celebrities, not to mention their daily desperate seeking "get me in US Weekly tactics" all the while still being responsible for my day to day work and trying to please the publicists for whom I worked with. A typical workday started at 9am and went well into the late evening since we had clients on the West Coast and usually an event after hours. A 12 hour workday with no breaks in between was the norm. Fast forward a few years, 2 beautiful girls later, we were FINALLY on an afternoon preschool schedule!! This meant late morning wake up calls (9am) and leisurly hanging out until we were ready to go. It was definitely a year to catch up on sleep!

Kindergarten unfortunately puts us right back on the early morning schedule. Add to that school responsibilities and trying to train for a marathon, its non-stop literally from 7am-5:00pm. Oh, and don't forget my work at the preschool. The combination of working on a big school event and starting a new school campaign, its been non-stop driving here and there to meet with this person and that person, pickups, more meetings, etc. I envisioned kindergarten to give me 3 hours to run wild in the wind! So WRONG! I was warned though. All of my friends who have been there, done that said Kindergarten would be a busy year. They were RIGHT!

Those long runs I have dreamt about for so long have been replaced with meetings--or at least for this month. For the first time in a loooong time, I have had to shower early, put on makeup, wear nice clothes, and oh....wash my hair (you all know I HATE doing this!!) just so I can meet with "important" people, which for me, can be a bit overwhelming. After spending the past few years around people under 3 feet tall who hardly spoke a word to being in a room with people over 5 feet tall and actually having to have an adult conversation has let's say......left me feel quite petite (I'm just 5ft)and flustered.

It's a BIG change going from "circle time" to a morning meeting with an Executive. Sounds so serious, right? Well, it is. I have to remain... what's that word...focused? Yes, focused, something that really hasn't crossed my mind in a very long time outside of online banking. Staying focused means planning ahead,(yes, I bought a planner) creating documents (eloquently written letters)and spreadsheets (why is Excel so damn difficult??), budgets (when have I ever had one) and school goals (TBD). Yip, that's me. It's like I'm this other person! This is what kindergarten has done to me. It's made me go back to work except without a paycheck! It's been 20 hour work weeks, totally volunteer, completely unpaid, zero, zilch, nada. Yet, its been the best work I have ever performed!!

Chairing my first BIG event has been a wonderful learning experience for me. It has forced me to open up, be professional, make new contacts, converse with people outside my comfort zone, and bring me back to "work mode." It has given me a sense of purpose in day to day life. It's not that being a full time mother hasn't given me purpose. It's just that "work" demands respect that a "homemaker" lacks. When you say, I have a meeting, or a conference call, it sounds important. Going to the park doesnt-even though it may be critical. Sad to say, but it brings something new to the dinner table rather than being asked how the park was. I love the fact that I have a legitimate reason for not answering the phone other than I didn't hear it! I love saying, "Sorry, but I was in a meeting" or "I have to call you back." It's invigorating in its own sick way. While dad goes to work to $upport the family, mom continues to run the household and has a part-time and very rewarding side job! Who would have thought?

I have also started a new campaign at the school, the first of its kind!! It is a year long campaign that I have committed to for the 2009-1010 school year. It is my "new baby." While this "new baby" doesn't require pumping or burping, it does ask for some pampering, a lot of attention, and drive. And like a real baby, it requires me to be committed 100%. This has also meant that sometimes, my "real" kids don't come first. This campaign has also filled a void that I have had since both my kids started school yet gives me a way that I can still be connected with them and through them but not necessarily with them.

Perhaps its the new Kindergarten Parent in me that wants to jump in, roll up her sleeves and get involved. I can't imagine every parent, every year being this busy. So far, Kindergarten has brought on a lot of mixed emotions for me. I truly want to be involved but I'm afraid that I will be in my daughter's way and her independence. I want to show her that I am a parent who is involved, but am I invading her space? It doesn't matter. I am a parent who loves her child, who want to help her thrive and I will do whatever it takes to help her succeed. And if this means missing a tempo run and seeing her at recess, then so be it.

And might I add-I LOVE being BUSY!