T minus 628 and counting

There are 628 days until my first born graduates from high school and 993 days before my youngest follows suit.   While these numbers seem large in theory, I have been told that they will pass in the blink of an eye.  And that blink is what scares me.

When I found out I was pregnant with the first born I made a decision with my (now ex) husband that I'd figure out a way to stay home and be the primary caregiver for our children.  Financially it wasn't really a viable option so I looked at my skill sets and decided I had a couple of options.  I could start a day care and stay home with my kids and other people's kids, I could write a book that became a best seller about how to graduate from college in less than 3 years, or I could start a piano studio.   And, while I love my children, I don't particularly enjoy other people's, so option A was out.   The book avenue was researched and it was determined that it would take several years to compile the data I'd need for a book of that scope, I'd need to find an agent, and I'd need to actually start writing, so Option B was scratched.  Option C was the quickest, cheapest, business I could start that drew upon something I was interested in and actually allowed me to bring in enough money to offset my job and still be available for my kids.

Option C was great, but it wasn't enough for this Type A over-achiever. Working from 3-6:30, Monday through Thursday was great but sleepless nights, coupled with what I now know to be some pretty serious PPD, caused me to feel unfulfilled with my 30+ piano students.   It also caused me to read this Forbes magazine article out loud to my newborn (he now wants to get his MBA...)

The article set off a spark.  How can companies provide work/life balance solutions for their families and, more importantly, how can working parents (moms in particular at that time) figure out how to pace their careers so they can feel more fulfilled and not necessarily have to start their own business like I did.  Being that this was the height of the DotCom boom, I decided like all 20 somethings in 1999 that I needed to become the next CEO of an internet solution.  And Getamom.com was born.  (Short aside, the company is still in business, as a way for me to get paid for real estate services and consulting engagements, but it's not being marketed because Get A Mom is a horrible name for a company.)  Here's a link to what the internet says about me in association with that endeavor.  For several years I juggled the getamom.com / piano / elementary school children lifestyle and blogged about it here. 

Between that journey and now, I've gone on to help another start-up consulting firm get off the ground, produced a feature film, divorced, dropped out of law school, remarried, and become a successful real estate agent, and the kids are now a sophomore and a junior.  For a 39 year old, I've had several careers, all of them enjoyable, but I still feel like if someone asked me "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I'd say "I don't know and furthermore, I need my kids to grow up so I have the mental energy to figure it out."  And, based on the other moms I've talked to, I'm not alone.   I love helping people buy and sell houses and come up with the best real estate solutions.  I love helping other agents learn how to work in this business.  My new company that I work with is fantastic in that regard, but I know there's more.  Is it sticking solely with sales? Is it branching into coaching?  Is it writing more?  Is it going back to school?  

So, much like when I set out into the single-mom dating abyss, I'm going to blog through these next 628-993 days and try and figure it out, all while juggling it with helping people buy and sell houses in Denver.  And, if you know someone that's gone on to reinvent herself (or himself) after being the primary care giver for 18 years, feel free to make an introduction.  I'd love to hear their story.