A Year In Review : The Life of This Single Mom By Choice

As the year draws to a close, it’s a time for reflection and review of this mama’s single mom by choice life and career.

I normally don’t share too many details of my personal life but it seems fitting to now share both my personal and business highlights of 2021, so you can get an insight into life as a single mom by choice. 

And what a year it’s been. While we did return to some normalcy–Aiden went back to school in Mexico, and we got to have more contact with other humans, we had to wear masks and gather mostly outside. (Thank you Mexican climate for allowing us to be outside year-round).

I also found out that Aiden had sleep disturbed breathing and was a mouth breather–things I’d never known about before. We embarked on what felt like a full-time job unto itself to diagnose, formulate treatment plans that included a palatal expander and a tonsillectomy as well as a full gut health work up and several pills per day. 

And, most recently I discovered, after months of suspicion, that Aiden is dyslexic, and it’s possibly quite severe. So, another rabbit hole of research and treatment has opened itself up. I’m pulling Aiden out of his Waldorf school in Mexico to get him out a situation where he’s being bullied for not yet knowing how to read, and to tailor his education to his needs with private tutors and lots of creative classes where he can shine. We are lucky to live in a community with lots of other homeschooled kids that are available to team up with for classes or playdates. 

Now, the question remains is he better off in a private school in the US that is specifically for kids with dyslexia or in Mexico with a custom made curriculum with private tutors and classes. But because applications for US schools are due now, I’m applying now, visiting a few schools next week, and hoping I’m ready to make a decision by March. There’s never a dull moment as a mom–that’s for sure. And it’s sometimes hard to blend both of our needs. But for me, his education is my highest priority–even above my needs.

Earlier in the year, I was experiencing some pretty intense burn out and was desperate to leave Mexico. But after reconnecting to my self-care non-negotiables – good sleep, good food, regular connection with friends, more work-life balance and exercise, we’ve resettled into our life in Mexico,  and remain completely confused about which path we want to take. In Mexico, I can afford to pay for so much help and nourishment, but I will always prioritize Aiden’s education and I can’t figure out what’s best for him, yet!

Other highlights worth mentioning:

• We lost our second dog in less than a year, and adopted a new cutie-pie, Rufus. He’s only 10 pounds so we hope to be able to travel with him on most of our upcoming adventures. 

 

• We embarked upon visiting various US cities in an attempt to find the place we’d land if we did return from Mexico. Our visits included Reno, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Boise Idaho and Asheville and Durham North Carolina. If anyone is contemplating a move, I’m happy to chat about my explorations. As of now, Asheville is the front-runner, especially since it has a top-notch dyslexia specific school that I can actually afford. 

 

• We spent several weeks both this summer and now for the winter holidays with my dad. He’s 85 and adjusting to life without my mom to whom he was married over 50 years. It’s hard to see him aging and I can relate to all you out there who feel sandwiched between caring for your child and your parents. 

 

• My greatest act of self-care was hiring a parenting coach Vanessa Callaghan. I did a 6 month private intensive, and am now in her year-long immersion. It’s such a relief to have a thought partner and mentor for all aspects of parenting. I can’t stress enough how much I believe all of us need someone like Vanessa. Stay tuned for my announcements about her free trainings. And you can check out my interviews of her inside The Community as well. 

 

On the business front:

• I finally launched The Motherhood Reimagined Community, an online space for connection and education. It’s been years in the making, years of me chickening out but I finally did it. If you are looking for an intimate space to connect with others, this is the place. I offer monthly guest experts, all my course materials, and monthly all member meetups to answer questions and allow you guys to have meaningful connection with each other. The price will go up from $9.97 (my launch promotion) to $14.97 on Feb 1st.  So if you are curious, come check it out now! You get free access to Seattle Sperm Bank if you’re a member too!

 

• I enrolled in a 3-month group coaching certification. It’s been so much fun to learn how to bring my coaching skills to my support groups in a more impactful way. If you’re in any of my support groups, watch out–we are going to change it up a bit this year to make sure you can really put the insight and action items generated by each meeting into practice. 

 

• I was featured on a few awesome podcasts–The Life Unscripted with Kristy Katzman, Finance Your Dream with Debra Jacobs and Define the Narrative with Ann Argo. 

 

•  I hosted many support groups including a 3-month Thinkers Intensive and further subdivided my Triers groups into groups for women who’ve been trying for a long time and a group for women who are just setting out on the journey. There’s space in all of my groups right now, and a new Early Triers group launches January 17th.  Sign up by Dec. 31st for extra bonuses. 

 

• I teamed up with Betsy Freeman, fellow SMC and certified Nurse Midwife to bring a Pregnancy Support Group to life. Our first members are just giving birth now! It doubles as a childbirth education class and general support. If you are pregnant, you should seriously check it out. 

I’m sure there’s more but those are the highlights. 

It’s been a pleasure getting to serve you. Even though being a solopreneur can be challenging, I love every minute of showing up to be with you guys. I hope to get to know you more in the coming year. If you are interested in exploring how I might be able to help you, reach out! I’m happy to chat. 

What did you accomplish this year? What were the highlights and low lights? Write me and let me know!