Excited and Inspired

That's what I am right now! I love it and it makes me not able to sleep - not that I ever go to sleep before midnight. I attended a meeting tonight that was essentially establishing the frame work for a new parenting forum that will be run by four super amazing teachers/mentors. It's going to be on Thursday nights (whoo hoo - a night out!) and it will be a specific topic each week.

Here's the mission of the new group:

The mission of the Long Beach Parenting Forum is to create a supportive and educational community for parents to discuss and share the joys and trials of parenting, based on weekly topics and guided by parent educators.

It may sound silly to be so excited about it but I really am. I was lucky enough to attend a parenting class on a regular basis with Benjamin before I was pregnant with Annabelle. It was a weekly parent & child class. The first part of the class was observation then group discussion and it always ended with outdoor and sometimes water play. It was great! I found it so helpful - it helped me to see (find) the daily joy in parenting. Each week I would leave renewed and excited to try out a new parenting techniques or just get back on track to becoming the parent I wanted to be. That's actually (sort of ) the title to the book we used. It's a great book and I highly recommend it.

This class Benjamin and I took was taught by one of the ladies that will be facilitating these Thursday parenting forum. She is really great and it was wonderful to see her tonight. I hadn't seen her since I left her class right after Thanksgiving 2008 (when I got pregnant with Annabelle). It was great to reconnect. It's also nice to be part of a community of mother's who care so much about one another that I didn't have to explain where I had been or why I had sort of dropped out of society for a while. She knew a lot about Annabelle and the journey we have been on this past year. She's excited to meet her and is happy that I will be attending the parenting forum.

Another of the facilitators was Jack's former preschool teachers at LBCC. I absolutely adore her and am super excited to be able to see and learn from her on a regular basis. She is a good friend, great listener and mentor.

It was a good night tonight. I love really being a mother. I am so blessed to be a stay at home mom and although some days can be really challenging I wouldn't trade them for anything. I am so thankful that I get to wake up each day with my beautiful babies and snuggle them. I am so thankful that I get to play with them each day - all day! I am so thankful that they love me the way that they do. I am so thankful for each of my children and their uniqueness!

For me, I know this parenting forum will help me in many ways, one being to slow down and focus on my parenting style - what it is and what I want it to be. It will help remind me that my Jack & Ben are typical, happy, "wild" little boys. It will help me to parent each of them individually based on their individual personalities and needs. It will bring me back to that community of mom's who I share the same parenting values with.

Well, I am still excited and inspired but it's almost 12:30 am now and my "typical, happy & wild" little boys will be up early looking to play with their mommy so I better get to bed.

I wish you all a wonderful day with your children tomorrow. I was reminded of the Glad game (from Pollyanna) from an online friend this week - we played it today and it was fun! If you read this post (and have an extra moment) I'd love to hear from you - What are you glad about today? What do you love about being a mother?