Where has Jenny Been?

Hi -- I wanted to write a quick post to let you know, "no, I have not fallen off the ends of the Earth!" I am working on some VERY exciting stuff and also adjusting to my life as many changes happen all at once. If you want to hear what I have been up to and what's coming up... read on. If not, be assured I will be back next week with a Group Project announcement I am VERY excited about. These last 2 weeks have been life-changing and more good stuff is coming. I am humbled, grateful and excited beyond belief about what has and will be going on. So what IS going on you may ask.... I would like to share a few things but some will just have to remain under wraps a little while longer!

School Begins

Christina (my youngest child) just began kindergarten this week which has brought me the full range of mommy emotions. I have missed her and tried not to worry if she would "be okay" as well as greatly anticipated my "free/work time" increasing by 400%. Christina proved again just how strong she is as she is adjusting wonderfully and says school is "GREAT".

The Kindergarten day ends on the playground and I got to school a bit early to pick her up so I could see her there. She didn't see me so I watched her play with other children for 5 minutes. Then it was time for the teacher to "ring the bell" to gather the children to walk back to the classroom and get ready for dismissal. It being the first day on the playground I'd say 1/2 the children got in line. I was very happy to see Christina get into the line when she heard the bell. She then began looking around and did not understand why the other kids were not following what the teacher requested. She cupped her hands to her mouth and began yelling "the teacher said come over here", "it's time to stop playing", "didn't you hear the bell?". I chuckled and was just grateful she wasn't yelling something more aggressive -- with an almost 9 year old brother sometimes the words coming out of her mouth aren't quite those of a 5 year old....;-) I have felt relief that even though her 2 closest friends in the school are in the other class she is finding comfort and happiness with kindergarten and the many changes it is bringing.

Then there's my son, Alex who is in 4th grade.... I am currently picking my daughter up from school but my son is opting to take the bus home for the extra time with his friends. I am enjoying our more grown up conversations and am very proud of the little man my son is turning into. He's introspective, kind and funny. He is asserting his independence more and since he has a good head on his shoulders I am finding it easier and easier to "let go" and am thoroughly enjoying watching his growth.

Even though my children have only been in school a day and a half I feel that having my "me" time has me 100% focused on them when they are home. It has me more relaxed and I am excited beyond belief about what the future will bring.

Home

For my regular readers -- you will know my husband (Ray) has been working away from us during the week for the last 6 months. I am happy to announce he will be back home SOON. We are very happy and grateful for the consulting position he had that allowed him to learn the latest SAP software updates and for him to network. Taking that position has enabled him to secure SAP programming work -- working remotely from his office in town. Whoo Hoo! He will also be expanding his already growing Tae Kwon Do school as well as working on his newly created software.

Having 7 hours a day to myself is amazing and I know it will be a while before I come up with a "schedule" for myself. I still am searching for an exercise class and am figuring a lot of other things I want to concentrate on.... I live in a beautiful town but honestly haven't been "getting to town" much to just walk around and talk with people. Yesterday I took a nice long walk downtown, talked to store owners and familiar faces and really enjoyed where I live. It is a college town so it has a lot of "cool stores" and young and vibrant energy. When you are "downtown" you look up and see mountains all around you. It is truly beautiful and talking with people without rushing or being interrupted by my children who "want to go go go" brought me much joy!

Work

I am currently working on a Group Project that I plan on announcing next week. It is something I am very excited about and I came up with the idea in an "intuitive" moment the day after taking a class with Slade from Shift Your Spirits. More on this in a few days....

I am joining Toastmasters which begins Monday. Last year I overcame my "fear" of being on video. While I believe that will help me get over any lingering fears of speaking publicly -- I need to make sure. I see public speaking in my future and want to ensure I am ready when the right opportunity presents itself. I also look forward to networking with others in my community. I have heard wonderful things about Toastmasters for years as my father was involved while I was growing up so look forward to it greatly.

Jennymannion.com is being worked on mostly in my head and on paper for now. I want to make sure I have a clear vision of it before I start creating pages. It is coming along and I am hoping to have it up within a month and hopefully running very smoothly and "complete" by the end of October. My husband has graciously offered to help me learn WordPress and help with the development of the site. Ray has now designed a few sites with it so that will help things move a bit faster than if I was learning it on my own.

My invention is in the final stages of having the second prototype made. Once the legalese is taken care of I hope to release the information publicly on not only WHAT it is but my vision for it. This is something I have been working on for over four years and I am excited to have more time to move forward with it. I will say it is "green" and I am trying my hardest to keep all production locally and in the US.

Coaching is something I love and I am looking to build my coaching practice. As a future post will show this can go in a few different directions and after next week I will have a clearer picture of the path I am taking.

Blogging -- I will continue to write for both my blogs. This one and my Non Violent Computer Game Recommendations for Kids. How often? Are they all going to be marathon posts like my last few? I am aiming for a minimum of once a week for my computer blog and 2 times a week here. Since I will be posting a bit more frequently it is my hopes the posts might be a little shorter -- but then again look at this one -- it was SUPPOSED to be a few paragraphs!

Networking -- I have met so many incredible people over the last year and made some strong friendships. I look forward to continuing this and welcome contact, questions and conversations.

I look forward to the changes ahead and am extremely grateful for all the opportunities presenting themselves and the wonderful people I have met and continue to meet. As always I am available to my readers by emailing me at jennymannion@yahoo.com.