I have been working hard to ensure that I am more engaged with my family.  Now that I have left my old job and have had a few weeks of “downtime,” I have tried to be as present as possible.  I have all but absent on Twitter (barely reading my timelines once a day) and haven’t really seen much of Facebook or any of the blogs I usually read.

I certainly haven’t been here writing in my own space.  Part of that has to do with how overwhelmed I am preparing for the my first high school teaching stint in 7 years.  I have a lot of catching up to do and a lot of prepping for my classes to take care of.

But also, I have to admit that what I need from an online community/presence has changed.  And I am not exactly sure how it has changed and what I need.  I really am looking for my online world to become more of a Professional Learning Network and less about the randomness that is my life.  There is a power to Twitter that can be so valuable to me as a teacher and professional.  I’m looking to using it much more for that purpose than for anything else.

This blog will become much more about my life as a professional and teacher than as a mother.  Not to say that there isn’t going to be some sort of balance among the pieces of myself, but as I sit to write now, Education is often the first topic that comes to mind.

I have also taken this time to re-engage with my kids, my husband and my dissertation work.  These moments are so precious and fleeting that I can’t allow myself to watch them from the periphery.  I have to be more involved.  That is part of the reason that I sought a new job.

I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks of just being with them and being part of what is happening in their lives and not just the person who makes sure they clean their rooms and brush their teeth.

As I re-engage, I am hoping it inspires me more to write and create.  I hope it allows me to take more “me” time.

My life has been out of balance and I am looking to bring more balance back.   Because when there is balance, everything is better.

And I can enjoy moments like these.