Recharging

It's been a tough week. I haven't had a week like this in a very long time. I was relieved that the weekend had arrived so that I could take a step back from my kid-life and recharge my own batteries.

By writing these blog entries and starting the daycare blog for my families, I have focused on the positive and it has created a new person within me. The standards I have set for myself are higher, I am focusing on the positive and it has created something within me that I expect to live up to. Every day.

When my personal life collided with my daycare life last week and I didn't look hard enough for the positives within my day, it was a recipe for disaster. Even now, as I recollect the week I am seeing the frustrations.

The positive side to all of the negatives, are my parents. I have one particularly intuitive mom that immediately sensed the difference in me. And it was compassion that I felt from her - not frustration that I didn't do my job as well as I could have that particular day. And as much as my schedule was upside down and backwards last week, in every case (except one), my parents kept me informed of the changes going on. They just couldn't know that I was also getting this from 3 other families and that the changes kept changing. But the parents did their job. They let me know what was happening.

Last year at this time, I was working through some pretty big upheavals in my personal life and I was not coping with my daytime 'career' with the kids in a positive fashion at all. I may have had an off week, but I'm doing far better than I have done before.

I've set the bar for myself a little higher. In a world surrounded by kids, where I am (for the most part) my own boss, I need to keep the desire to do my best at the top of my list. My blogs have served that purpose very well. My intent is to focus on the positive in every aspect of my life. And for the most part I am succeeding.

I am fortunate enough to have the weekend to take a step away and rethink my strategy for next week. I have read the blog of a 'daycare mom' that is available 24/7 and takes only a few days off in the entire year. My hat's off to her!! I really need time to recharge my batteries so that I can carry on. For that I am so grateful.