I am thrilled and excited about my days!! I have found a way to 'up my game' and be a better childcare provider. I've discovered a way to make me live my days in the moment and take note of the good stuff.
I'm around kids for almost 11 hours, 5 days a week. That's a huge chunk of my life. And kids are ... draining. They have endless energy, enthusiasm, curiosity and a zest for living. They also run, yell, argue, tattle, fight and push the rules. There are meals and snacks to make; diapers and 'bathrooming' to be tended; schedules to meet (the various drop off and pick ups of the kids; plus 3 in preschool that come and go at various times in the day); rules to enforce ... I tend to focus on just getting through the day most of the time.
I run a pretty tight ship around here and the kids I babysit are really very good. But if you start focusing on the negative, soon that is all you begin to see.
I've been trying to put "The Secret's" philosophy to work in my personal life, why wasn't I concentrating on the majority of the hours of my week. The hours I spend with 'my kids'?
I had a brainwave to start up a private blog for my daycare families this week. I have tried to write up a quarterly newsletter for my parents and during my hectic spring of finishing up The Book Project and Mom's birthday, the spring newsletter got put aside. I hadn't done one in December either but I make an annual yearbook for the kids at Christmas and I put all my energy into that instead.
So I finally remembered 'it was time' to make up a newsletter this past week. I went into my new 'Microsoft Word' program and found a newsletter template and started to work. This template had places for my name, address, phone number, email address and .... a website.
It was at that exact moment that I thought I should start a private daycare blog for my daycare families. I didn't hesitate but a moment. The next thing I knew, I had a new blog set up and a link to the blog, to put in my newsletter.
I felt it was an inspired idea the moment that I did it. And each of the parents that have checked it out are so pleased with it. And when you get positive feedback on something, it is easy to put your heart and soul into it.
And that ... is what I have spent the last 3 days devoting my 'heart' to. This blog is so good for me. I needed to find a way to enjoy the moments and innocence of the kids that fill my days. Instead of focusing on the behaviours, manners and habits that I wanted the kids to follow, I have started listening to their conversations, taking pictures and videos ... and I've started behaving better myself. Because I know that I will be reporting the day back to my parents in my new blog.
It has made me accountable. It has stirred up the creative juices as I try to think of ways to 'talk about our day'. I am living in the moment and actually enjoying the kids! I spliced together a video of our day yesterday to put on the blog. I have watched the end result over and over and over. I am amazed at my little daycare family. They are adorable! In my day to day rut of getting through my days, I have missed that very obvious fact. My friend that stepped in to babysit for me a few times told me this, but I was too busy to really hear her. She is so right.
There have been other times in my life where I needed to find a way to make a job more challenging, less boring or easier to tolerate. I have pushed myself to take classes to keep me challenged and found other creative ways to push myself to my limits. It is always the creative outlet that provides the best results. Once my creative juices start flowing, I feel a glow from within.
Once again, I have followed my instinct. That first 'intuitive thought' that feels so right. I have fought that intuition on many occasions. One can overthink absolutely anything. In following through on my ideas, I have created a joy within me that no one can take away. This past year has been one of following my heart and not stopping to think about something.
Yes. I am totally pumped. The energy inside of me this morning is beating with every heartbeat. I am excited about my life and how I am living it!
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