There are a couple of things I've been working on for the last few years...POSSIBLY to avoid getting licensed for my MSW??? I don't even know if I could pass that test now. Pretty sure I couldn't. All the more reason to develop myself elsewhere in case I have to help support the family at some point.
Thing 1: Doula Certification. I started looking into this during graduate school just out of pure interest after I saw an episode of "A Baby Story" on TLC where there was this really helpful person called a "Doula" on there. I found out it was a real "thing" and I googled until I found DONA: Doulas Of North America. This is an international organization which trains Doulas. I started the process back then. That pretty much included reading a bunch of books. I was extra interested once I became pregnant myself. I had a doula for my first birth and it was a great experience; she was instrumental in my achievement of the unmedicated hospital birth that I wanted. After that birth, though, I was unable to continue my own doula journey due to my move to Mississippi. Doula trainings were even further from there than they were from Arkansas. Now that I'm in Texas, there are all kinds going all the time. It was easy to find one nearby. Justin had to take a day off of work and keep the kids all day in a hotel room by himself for 3 days straight, but, thanks to the Nintendo, he was able to handle it fine. That was the longest I had ever been away from my kids, I think. It was good for us all, though, even though I would not want to do that very often. Anyway, the workshop is finished! Now, all I have left is a little paperwork that won't take much time and a write-up of three births. Of course, it will be awhile before I attend 3 births as the primary doula, but I am definitely one large step closer to finishing this little project of mine. It was fun. We watched all kinds of birth videos, learned massage techniques and positions and generally just had a good time talking about birth. When you get a group of birth junkies together and talk about birth, good times are had by all. I have to say, I felt like I was really in the right place. I have never enjoyed a group of 12 women that much. Each and every one was just so awesome, individual, nice, and genuine. I can't say enough about the quality of women there. It made me really excited about the career genre in general and where it's going.
Thing 2: This has been in the works for about two years, but I have finally finished the requirements to become an API (Attachment Parenting International) Leader. This is much like a La Leche League Leader, except the subject matter of support groups encompasses all aspects of parenting rather than just breastfeeding. I have really been forced to think about my parenting approach and why I do the things I do in the process. It has been really good. I am excited about where this endeavor will take me. I'm not sure why I'm doing it; it just feels right. We'll see what it turns in to.
That's really about it for now! Just homeschooling and enjoying life with my babies! Sorry for the lack of pictures and/or really stimulating blog topics! My blogs are becoming increasingly boring, the older I get!
