Starting my own daycare

I finally decided to go ahead and start the process of getting my own daycare started. It's been a dream for a few years now and Michael and I have been talking about it a lot over the past few months. It will be in the basement of our house and I hope to eventually move to my own building. I already have kids lined up and it's something I know I can be proud of. I know I'm a good teacher and I know I can make a difference in the lives of the kids I keep. That's all that matters at the end of the day. Updates soon!

The need to be creative and productive

I've been wanting a new creative outlet again so badly. I've been coming up with new ideas for a children's book series based loosely on one of the kids I keep. Children are great for inspiration! I also looked into a publishing site that helps you get started and it's free until you make a sale and then you have to pay 20%. Pretty good overall.

In other news in my life, we got our federal tax check the other day and hopefully will be starting on the house soon. I feel like that's something I've been saying for years now. I don't want to get my hopes up, but it's hard not to. I feel like it will really happen this time though. Michael has been buying the last bit we need to get it finished. I'm so looking forward to moving in and starting our life there. No more carpet like in the apartment!!

Off topic, but how crazy beautiful has the weather been lately?! I've been wearing shorts and dresses and spending almost the entire day outside. The calendar says February, but I think we skipped ahead a few months. lol

Abuse sells records, but not originality. Hollywood take note.

I just read an article about Rihanna's new video, S&M, being banned in 11 countries and how she's sending mixed messages to girls about abuse. I'm not sure how I feel about this. The video, while racy, doesn't need to be banned. I think it might be better suited for late night rotation, but it's not graphic enough to be totally banned in so many countries. The author of the article said that she feels Rihanna is sending mixed messages to girls about staying in abusive relationships. I don't think that's really the case with the video, or with most of the stuff Rihanna puts out. I think she just tries too hard to push the envelope. I don't think it always suits her either. People can expect things like that from Lady Gaga, but Rihanna? Not so much for me. It's even harder to sell when she started her career as a sweet island girl and then became a product of Kanye West and his 'gothic vision' for her wardrobe. It just makes her look like an abused and misguided girl trying to find an 'edgy' way to show she's tough. What actually bugs me the most about the whole thing is that the S&M video is a blantant ripoff of some David LaChapelle photos. Is anyone in Hollywood original anymore? Is there truly an artist out there to admire and that can actually claim their own work as their own? I read all the time about artists being in trouble for plagiarism. Will.i.am shatters my heart everytime I hear the Peas ripped off another song. Lady Gaga is supposed to be the queen of weird, unique. Does anyone remember when she first came out? She was pretty normal overall. I miss the artists that didn't have to use 'corporate weird' to sell music.

Goals for the new year

Aside from (hopefully) getting our house finished with our tax money, I'm hoping to finally start taking some photography courses from the New York Institute of Photography. I enjoy it so much and I feel like it's a good outlet for me. I felt inspiration, creativity, and a sense of purpose when I was doing regular shoots. It would be such an accomplishment for me to have something published eventually. I want to start offering to do Photoshop edits for family and friends for practice. I think part of our basement could be converted into a mini studio. So, getting back full swing into my photography hobby is goal one.

Goal two is to possibly try to start writing for children again. I realized the other day how much I miss writing and that's as good an outlet for me as photography.

Goal three depends on the mini studio in the house. If I can't do it for photography, then Michael and I discussed the other day the possibility of turning our basement into a daycare.

We have a lot going on for us this year. I feel positive though. The main thing is getting the house finished. Seven years is a long time to wait on a house and I think we deserve it after all the patience we've had over the years.

Teens moms- the new black?

First, I hate jumping on the teen mother bandwagon with an opinion on the matter. Doesn't everyone do that now?  I just find it shocking that it's fashionable to be a teen mother. It's a trend, a fad. It's apparently designed to make money for cable television. I was out over the weekend and was surprised to have my own personal encounters with young girls admiring my son and declaring to their unfortunate boyfriends that they just couldn't wait to have a baby. I remember wanting kids my whole life, but I was reasonable enough to know that I needed to wait. Teen girls now throw all reason and common sense to the wind and only see the world in pink and blue. One girl was telling me she was just excited to buy baby clothes. Well, yeah. That's fun, but is she excited to have to buy diapers and all the other costly expenses that come with a baby? Is she prepared to have childcare lined up for when she has to either go back to school or back to work? Is she prepared to possibly lose her friends or at least weekends out with them? Is she prepared for the rumors that will follow her? I think it's sad that girls are so willing to give up their teen years so easily. Motherhood is wonderful. It's beyond amazing and the most rewarding experience of my life. It's true unconditional love and a gummy grin in the mornings. But it's also sleepless nights, uncontrollable crying, unexpected expenses, and above all- a lifetime commitment to that child. Is is fair to deny the child your full love and attention when you only wanted to treat him or her as a cute accessory?  Since teen pregnancy went to MTV and TLC, it's like the small designer dog trend that went through Hollywood a few years ago. It's sad and it's unfair to the children, and in a certain sense, to the poor misguided girls that think it will fill the void of whatever is missing from their lives. I'm not saying Hollywood is glorifying teen pregnancy, but it is being used to make profits and that's sick.