Happy New Year! It is officially 2017 and I’m looking forward to all that this year will bring – including the continuation of this new and exciting project…the Capturing Parenthood blog!
About midway through 2016 I started feeling a little bit lost…lost in the sense that I didn’t really know who I was anymore, after becoming a mother. At the time my daughter was born, I was working a full-time job as an operations coordinator for a design firm, and I had every intention of continuing to work after my maternity leave had expired…and I did for another year, but something inside me changed when my daughter entered my life. I had always seen myself working (I had been working at least one job ever since I was 16-years-old) and even though I knew I wanted to have kids, I always thought that I would go stir-crazy if I were a stay-at-home-mom.
When my daughter arrived, my feelings about motherhood hit me like a freight train. This beautiful little nugget had immediately become THE most important person in my life – my #1. I knew then that success for me was no longer career-driven…success was being a good mom and doing what was best for my daughter and my family. I also found it increasingly difficult to be away from my baby and I always found myself yearning for more time with her. So…walking away from my work-life (something I thought I would never do), became the easiest decision that I’ve ever made.
I relished in the extra time that I got to spend with my daughter. I enjoyed seeking out fun activities, events, crafts, etc. that we could do together. I appreciated the time I had to find new recipes to make for my little one and my husband. And I still do…but I realized that something was missing. Being a mom and a wife is a huge responsibility and one that I do not take lightly, but I needed more purpose…I needed something for me. In becoming a mom…I lost sight of myself (I think this is a fairly common occurrence, and it is certainly very easy to do). But I’ve found that in order to be the best that we can be, we still need to nurture ourselves. I knew that I needed to do something.
For awhile I thought about taking a part-time job…but every time I searched, nothing seemed to be a good fit – nothing excited me. I started looking into work-from-home opportunities…most of which turned out to be tedious, busy-work tasks that were fairly mindless and not very challenging – not a good fit for me. So one day, I sat down with my notepad and just started writing down things that I enjoyed doing…that eventually evolved into a list of things that I could do that would bring a sense of personal fulfillment and purpose back into my life.
Each and every time I glanced at my list…one thing always stood out…start a parenting blog! The idea was invigorating and exciting! I could return to something that had always made me happy…writing and photography…and I could incorporate those with my overwhelming love for my daughter. And I could share my journey with anyone who was interested in reading about it.
Granted, I had a few reservations…the biggest being, why would I start a parenting blog when there were already so many parenting blogs circulating? But I came to realize (as I happily spent hours on end creating my blog) that first and foremost, this was for me! And secondly, all of our journeys as parents are different and we each have different stories to tell. I for one love being able to read different points of view from parents all around the world, who have also graciously chosen to share their lives, families, and experiences. In starting this blog, I feel a great sense of community. I learn new things, find new ideas, broaden my horizons, laugh a lot, cry a little…the list goes on.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I finally feel like I’ve found my calling…my place. And so…I would like to officially welcome you to the Capturing Parenthood blog! I hope you will join me as I share my journey on this crazy adventure we call parenthood.
If the stars continue to align, I will be sharing new posts with you every Tuesday and Thursday (at 9 am mountain-time, to be exact), with the occasional bonus post appearing every now and then! Feel free to subscribe so that you never miss out on a single post!
If you’re interested…you can learn a lot more about me, by heading over to the About page:Β http://capturingparenthood.com/about/.
In closing, I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year! I’m looking forward to sharing my parenting journey with you as it unfolds into 2017!
