Building Knowledge Is My Business

The original intent of this blog was to track my journey of renovating, starting a business, and beginning a family.  I have posted several times about the first and third, but barely touched on what type of business I am doing.  When J and I moved here from the sunshine state I was teaching 4th grade and had decided that my passion was definitely with the younger age group, namely preschool and kindergarten.  I discovered that due to a series of local budget cuts preschool was getting the proverbial boot to cover the state wide switch to all day kindergarten.  This essentially left me with two options: complete my master's degree so my out of state license would be transferable or use my business savvy and years of experience to start my own preschool.  While I still intend to complete my Master's degree I could not do so in the 6 months between us deciding to move and actually packing up and trekking north across the Mason Dixie line so beginning a business it was!


The house when we purchased it.

The only reason I can think of as to why we decided to renovate is because we're insane, but in the meantime I needed to generate some income and build a reputation so that when the doors of my pre-k studio open I will have an established foundation.  This is the part that makes me really crazy!  Not only did we make the choice to stay with my parents during this renovation process, but I also work with my mom.  She's had an in-home daycare since I was 8 years old and working with her allowed me a rent free space and the luxury of working under somebody else's license while I learned the ropes.

The walk out basement my mom uses for her daycare.

 

It hasn't always been easy because we are essentially running two different businesses under one roof, but the payoff has exceeded my expectations.  There have been difficult moments like 90 degree days with only a window AC unit, a flooded basement, and the addition of a Taj Mahal size dog crate in an already tight space thanks to our Million Dollar Puggle. In the end though I was able to build up a solid client base and because I originally started out with three kids my mom's kids provided them with valuable social interaction during our daily free play.

Our first school year has been over since last month and I am thankful for my lax schedule this summer as we move toward the final push to complete our house.  With my experience in a Core Knowledge School I did not think twice about ordering and adhering to their curriculum and with a plethora of ideas on Pinterest it was a blast planning my thematic units each week.  I am looking forward to expanding my business and becoming a contributor in the community but when I look back I know I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this first year and the kids that I was lucky enough to have as my students!

My first three Preschool kids!  So excited two will be here in the fall, but sad to lose one to Kindergarten.

ACL is an Acronym for Accounts Crested (their) Limit

The Million Dollar Puggle strikes again!  It has been one week today since Milo was put under to have his torn ACL repaired and half of his meniscus removed.  Seven days of carrying him outside to do his business then lending a supporting hand on his hind quarters so he doesn't topple over while assuming the squatting position.  One hundred sixty eight hours of removing and replacing his cone of shame every time he eats, drinks, or nature calls.  Eight hundred twenty five milligrams of pain medication dispensed, four shot of morphine, and two follow up visits to the vet.  Total hours of sleep?  Milo = 120; Me = 30

As I type this at 11am I consider spiking my coffee just to get through the day.  I fail to understand why Milo gets a script but I don't.  I am exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, sleep deprivation, incomplete though processing, and infrequent but sometime extreme bitchiness! Today I found myself getting upset when I saw another dog at the vet having it's sutures removed for the same operation as Milo, meanwhile my little guy looks like he's knocking on heaven's door.

With all the costs we have incurred with this pup in addition to our ongoing money pit of a house, J and I sat down and had the heartbreaking discussion of our snuggle puggle's possible end of life plan.  Our amazing veterinarian and longtime family friend interceded and offered his services gratis so we would only need to cover the expenses of the equipment and materials used.  I could have cried I was so relieved and in exchange for his generosity J and I offered to help prepare the clinic for their upcoming 25 year anniversary party.  He graciously accepted and we spent 10 hours of our weekend stripping, waxing, and polishing floors.

This would be the perfect happy ending except Milo is notorious for his mischief and took advantage of my complete exhaustion late last night.  After a wonderful time catching up with some out of town family and treating ourselves to a gourmet meal we drove home refreshed and renewed.  Milo was apparently not so relaxed and insisted on ramming his plastic cone against the bars of his crate for 20 minutes straight.  My sympathy prevailed over logic and I removed his cone to give him a brief reprieve and within seconds he was sawing logs and dreaming of frolicking in the waves of his beloved dog beach.  At some point I dozed off on the couch and woke to the sound of licking which I instinctively knew was not a good sign.

During my brief cat nap Milo had managed to pull his wrap down past his sutures and the cotton was strewn haphazardly across his bed as if he had just gutted one of his favorite toys.  I immediately woke J and we assessed the damage.  While the area appeared to be irritated from the friction of the licking, it seemed to still be intact so I used what I had on hand and frog taped the wrap back together knowing in less than 8 hours he would be at the vet for his recheck.

What I just discovered is that in 8 hours canine saliva can wreak havoc on a wound and cause inflammation and infection.  So now through his morphine haze Milo sits next to me in his crate gazing at me as I massage my temples and pray for and end that doesn't include a wheel or another swipe of plastic because my accounts and sanity have crested their limit!

Pathways to Parenthood

Parenting is a tricky business of trial and error.  While numerous books, websites, and other publications exist claiming to have all the answers there is simply no boilerplate that works in every instance.  The same is true for becoming a parent or parental figure.  Two people may conceive and have a child together, there is conception through artificial insemination or surrogacy, children gained through marriage, guardianship, adoption, and fostering.  These pathways to parenthood are vastly different yet they all lead to the same triumphs and tribulations of being the responsible party for children 0 to 18 years old.

Since some of these routes are considered non traditional, it can get tricky for family and friends to know how to properly welcome children into their new home.  Babies are thrown showers, but what about toddlers?  Do older kids and teenagers of divorced or deceased parents want to be adopted or just accepted?  Are traditional titles doled out when a family takes on the guardianship of their teenage son or daughters baby or are they mom or dad instead of grandpa and grandma?  How does and open adoption impact a family dynamic? So many questions and opinions, yet each situation has unique circumstances and requires a customized approach.

My own family has recently pondered the appropriate response to welcoming the addition of a foster child.  While the child is a baby, at this point there is no guarantee of permanent placement unless the option for adoption becomes a possibility.  This brought about the question of a baby shower.  This is technically the first baby and is being cared for and loved as if he were their own, yet the long term care is yet to be determined.  Trying to remain in neutral territory and show my support for the new parents without creating false hope I put my thinking cap on. 

I recalled a volunteer group I was a part of painting customized suitcases for foster children so they always had something of their own to take with them no matter where they were placed.  Through this program it was heart wrenching to learn that many children that are shuffled through the foster care system leave favorite toys and teddy bears behind and show up to their new placements with only their clothes in a garbage sack.  This sparked an idea that my family could show our support by presenting the baby with his own suitcase full of treasures that would belong to him no matter what the future holds.  I sent out a Facebook invitation for what became known as a "Suitcase Shower."

Suitcase Shower

This is my suitcase shower,

There's no date to attend.

You ask me why a suitcase,

And I ask you where I'll live?

My birth mom may get better and come get me one day,

Or love me enough to let me go and forever here I'll stay.

But just like any child, there are certain things I love,

Like books and fuzzy blankets and a teddy bear to snuggle up.

So if you find it in your heart to grant this small request,

Please put a token of love in my suitcase

So no matter where I go I'll know I am blessed.

~ Paige Caligiuri

 

 

 

Family and friends responded generously and reached out to place a small token of love in this child's suitcase which was presented yesterday.  The foster parents appreciated the gesture of support that validated their role as parents in this child's life and accepted him into our family no matter what the outcome.  Today as families everywhere celebrate Father's Day I hope that we remember to celebrate all father figures no matter how that role came to be and we recall with fond memories the time we have shared past and present with the male role models in our own lives!

Milo The Million Dollar Puggle

The overused adage, "when it rains, it pours," turns out to be a very true statement.  This week marks the beginning of summer for me which means reduced hours thus, a further reduced income.  Any entrepreneur knows that it takes time to build a business, but the stress of business slowing down for summer is not easy.  I had anticipated my Kindergarten Readiness program growing quickly after a wonderful first year with positive customer feedback and new community connections now that we've been here a full year.  Unfortunately my in home studio is under construction with the rest of the house, so my hands are tied until we have a certificate of occupancy which adds pressure to an already stressful project.  So just to ensure I don't sleep a wink this summer, our million dollar puggle strikes again!

Meet Milo, the world's most expensive puggle!  J and I fell in love with him at first site 7 1/2 years ago and even got him for a reduced price despite the popularity of this "designer pedigree" because he was the runt of the litter, had kennel cough, and was recovering from hernia surgery at only 8 weeks old.  The first night we brought him home he had us wrapped around his sweet corn chip scented paws!  Refusing to sleep in his crate he quickly took over our bed where he still enjoys burrowing under the covers right between us every night.

The first day he was left alone in our tiny 500 square foot apartment, I blocked him into the kitchen assuming that he couldn't get into any shenanigans since there was nothing he could get into.  I severely underestimated his cunning!  I came home to paw prints on every surface of that galley kitchen and a small puppy happily covered in his own poop!

That should have sent up a red flag of things to come because he only got more creative from there.  Over the years he has jumped from the window of a moving vehicle, swallowed a razor blade which required a major stomach operation, eaten an entire pan of dark chocolate brownies including some of the glass from the shattered pan, almost drowned in a pool despite knowing how to swim, torn his ACL requiring another major surgery, eaten a tub of Crisco during a move and having a near death experience with pancreatitis, and now we have discovered that not only has he torn his other ACL likely requiring another surgery, he also has thyroid disease which requires daily supplements in addition the anti-inflammatory and joint supplements he's already on.  With all of his ailments I feel like he would qualify for medicinal marijuana!  Perhaps they make it in pill form for dogs?

 

Many people have questioned our sanity as we fork over more money for our beloved snuggle puggle, but those people don't have to answer to this sweet face!  When he's not costing us our future retirement he loves spending time at the dog beach where he is content to smell the salty air and meander around the sand for hours.  He loves to snuggle whether it's with his brother Gizmo, J, or me.  He makes noises like The Godfather, brings guests a present when they come through the door (normally toys, but there have been a few occasions where he'll dig socks or underwear out of the laundry basket!), and he uses his paws to communicate by pushing on your arm when he wants attention.  When I had ankle surgery a few years ago he didn't leave my side and when J had Lasik and slept in the guest room for two nights Milo slept outside the door. These are only a few insignificant examples of why our Million Dollar Puggle lives to tell another tale! 

I know we're not the only dog lover's out there! What extremes have you gone to keep your pup happy and healthy?

 

Follow Your Heart... Your Intuition

I am a big fan of Jewel and one of my favorite dates was attending one of her concerts.  I was staying at J's apartment for the summer for an internship and he lived across the street from Oakland University.  That summer we enjoyed walking around campus and listening to live music featured at their outdoor venue.  On a whim we walked over there one night and bought tickets at will call to see Jewel.  That night I should have paid closer attention to the lyrics of her song, Intuition:

Follow your heart

Your intuition

 It will lead you in the right direction

 Let go of your mind

Your intuition

Is easy to find

Just follow your heart, baby

 

 

This song puts so simply what is quite possibly one of the most difficult things to do in life.  Following our intuition seems, well, counter intuitive to what our mind tells us. 

Last night I had the pleasure of going to a local high school senior awards ceremony where my husband was asked to present a young woman with the same scholarship that he received 15 years ago. He did a wonderful presentation and this bright and enthusiastic senior was the 3rd in her family to receive the Evan's Scholarship which gives golf caddies a full tuition and housing scholarship to some of the Midwest's top universities.The school superintendent opened with a story of J.K. Rowling's 2008 Harvard Graduation Commencement Speech.  For those who have not read or watched it I implore you to do so! 

Click to View Her Incredible Speech!

 

In a very abridged version Ms. Rowling did not follow her heart and was led in a very wrong direction.  Her desire to write was superseded by the external push of her parents, spouse, and society to succeed in a more practical field.  It wasn't until her life literally fell apart that she gave herself permission to follow her passion and her inner voice.

 

This reminded me on a much smaller and less dramatic scale of my own journey.  I was an English Major who dreamed of writing.  Since I was 7 years old and I was sent to a reading specialist to "catch up" with my peers, I have been reading anything I can get my hands on.  From Highlights magazine to cereal boxes, then on to Mary Higgins Clark (which my parents did not approve of at 10 years old so I snuck the paperbacks at my grandma's house!),classics, and other fiction.  I still enjoy nothing more than reading and this love eventually pushed me in a direction to write.  While I have never fancied myself a novelist, I love to write short articles and dreamed of working as a journalist or writing for a magazine.

 

It was at 19 years old that I experienced the unfortunate combination of a professor who deemed himself  a writing god and a boyfriend who enjoyed cutting down others that I began to experience the evil presence of self doubt.  It's amazing how easily we let go of our dreams when others criticize us. Writing for a living began to seem unrealistic and I found myself making a minimal effort in school no longer having an end goal in mind. Upon graduating a couple years later I dabbled in retail and management before deciding that maybe I could share my love of reading and writing by teaching others.

 

 

This eventually led me to more college classes which I found myself excelling in.  My passion had suddenly been rekindled.  Now older and wiser, I worked tirelessly to glean as much as I could from my professors, mentors, fellow teachers, and peers.  For the first time in my life I was excelling in school and maintaining a 4.0 GPA at the Master's level.  Despite all of this growth though, it took one vice principle's recommendation that I would be better suited to teach 4th or 5th grade given my personality and enthusiasm for reading, to deter me from pursuing a pre-k or kindergarten position.

After co-teaching kindergarten for a year, I once again set off in the wrong direction and accepted a position to teach 4th grade at a high risk school.  In the blink of an eye I went from loving what I did to hating nothing more than the sound of my alarm clock each morning signalling another day I would have to walk through the door of my classroom.  The entire year I felt like a drone regurgitating lessons from the book I was mandated to "teach" from, handing out two scan tron style tests per week, and filling out endless reports of my student's test scores.  There were no book studies, I had to cut out the 5 minutes a day I spent reading to the kids per the principles request for more writing practice, and the only joy I found was in planning reading centers where I was able to use my creativity for 30 minutes out of the school day. 

Mix this in with an ever changing writing plan created by a paid consultant that was often emailed to me 10 minutes before my writing block, or a few times even dropped off to me 15 minutes after I had begun my lesson (and which was completely different than what had been previously decided upon!) and it was a recipe for heartbreak.  Many of my students hated school, the entire year I only had 3 parent conferences show up (all of which were due to behavior problems), there was 15 minutes alotted for lunch which was often mandated as "silent lunch", several students missed upwards of 20 days of school, recess was not allowed past 1st grade, and the ages in my fourth grade classroom ranged from 9 years old to 13!

While that year was a valuable learning and growing experience, I only endured it because I had once again ignored my natural inclination to work with younger kids.  For some reason I followed the advice of someone who barely knew me and had made a snap decision of my abilities based on the fact that I had been an English and not Elementary Ed major.

So here I am today, once again loving my life as I write these words and am able to express myself through blogging.  Additionally after much soul searching and several long conversations with J, I have struck out on my own to begin an in-home pre-k program which is working wonderfully!  My student's parents are thrilled, my students are thriving, and I am gearing up for the move to our new house this summer where I will have my very own 350 square foot studio space for passing on my love of reading, writing, and learning to young minds who spoil me daily with hugs, pictures, and words of endearment. 

Since this is a new venture I make drastically less income than I did managing or teaching in a public school, but my business is growing and I am unbelievably happy.  Now the only thing my alarm clock signals is another fulfilling day of watching my kids learn letter sounds, recognize shapes, colors, and numbers, garden at the rice table, dig for dinosaur bones, and sing their Macarena Months loud and off key for all the world to hear!  So thank you Jewel, J.K. Rowling, and many others who have inspired me, thank you J, family, and friends who have supported me, and thank you to my heart for leading me in the right direction once I was able to turn off my mind and follow my intuition.