Preschool Decision Making

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Preschool Decision Making

I'm back and it's more preschool talk. You may have thought I talked it all out in my earlier post, but no. When you get to know me, you'll find I talk a lot. In fact, after a first few dates with me, apparently my husband (boyfriend back then), told his friend he wasn't so sure about this Heather gal, "she talks a lot." Luckily, his friend responded with wisdom, and told Josh that he also talked a lot. 

I wanted to let you know we made a decision on preschools. Hallelujah, a decision. No more going in circles with indecision and uncertainty. Isn't there such relief in decisions sometimes? 

Some of my friends have asked me why and how we made our decision. First, let me share our decision. We decided to enroll at First Presbyterian Preschool (FPP). Frankly, all the schools I looked at in person were great. I don't think you can really go too wrong with preschool. But here are some of the considerations we put into our decision:

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Let's not panic, it's just Preschool

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Let's not panic, it's just Preschool

Here's a truth: I'm a worrier. As a response to my worries, I go online to research. Practically 97% of the time I go online, I end up getting even more worried. Or, I come up with even more things to worry about. It's a terrible cycle. 

Even though it causes me to worry, I am thankful to have the Internet as a mom. I have so many questions every day. I don't know how my mom and did it without the Internet! Not only that, but who knew that part of being a mom would require you to also take on a research job? I shouldn't call myself a stay-at-home mom, I should call myself Child Raising Researcher (CRR). I hereby declare this a new thing. 

When I first had Caleb, the fact that I literally had NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING was terrifying. However, I press on and tackle each new thing as it comes. I still worry about missing something or not even being aware of something I should be doing. For instance, I didn't know that you had to basically teach your kid how to sleep. Yes, really, to sleep. I thought it was a totally instinctive thing. Sure, sure, they can sleep...but sleep through the night...yea. And, yes, I read an entire book about sleep. 

Anyway, let's get to the point. The latest worry (and research mania) for me has been about preschool.

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Let's Do This Thing

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Let's Do This Thing

Life is a crazy thing, don't you think? It never ceases to surprise me. The biggest life changer for me was having our son, Caleb. It's been the hardest, yet most rewarding and precious thing life has brought me so far (and probably ever).

The minute Caleb was born, everything changed. If you've had a child, you know what I'm talking about. You're thrust into a new way of living. I no longer worked at a corporation spending my days at a desk. Going to the grocery store because you forgot an item is no longer quick and easy (scratch that, going at all isn't easy). Going on a date night takes weeks of planning. Let alone mention that you don't a clue how to raise a human being. It's crazy. It's great. It's scary. It's everything.

As a first time, and new(ish) mom, I find I sometimes miss using a part of my brain that isn't just about how to raise my little human. I miss having co-workers and getting creative (ehh, I don't miss upset clients, though). That's how I landed here with Raising Tacoma. I thought it would be great to start a little online community where I can share all that goes into raising a child in Tacoma. You'll get to read about places my son and I go, things we eat (or don't eat, heehee), activities, or just my jibber jabber about crazy life things. Also, I hope to give encouragement and let you know you're not alone (as in, "yup, that happens to us, too"). 

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