Table for Six helps Singles

March 19th, 2012 Jessica

Some of my single friends seem to be relieved that they’ve passed the life of diapers and tantrums, and I’m happy that they’re happy. Other friends however speak wistfully about their desire to find a partner and establish their own home.

I’ve tried my hand at matchmaking with little success but recently, my friend in Mountain View told me about an interesting dating program in the area that’s become quite popular among singles of all ages.

The program is called Table for Six and it’s quite a simple, yet clever, concept. Table for Six sets up six members who meet at a local eatery for a relaxing dinner engagement. The participants chat together and scope each other out. If two members are attracted to each other, they arrange their own subsequent dating. If none of the participants click, they receive a new dinner date assignment where they then meet a whole new group.

My friend is a successful businesswoman who is very careful about everything that she does. She investigated the program by reading Table for Six reviews & complaints and was impressed. She told me that the part of the program that most impressed her was the fact that the staff carefully screens each member. The staff uses members’ profiles to establish dinners so that the participants match in age, interests and background. Julie told me that she had been enjoying her dinner dates simply as a venue where she could meet interesting people and have great conversations. Meeting her present boyfriend was just icing on the cake.

Schools Advancing Through TAP

March 15th, 2012 Jessica

As the mother of young children, I worry about their education. Some of my friends teach in the local school system and describe the overwork and under-appreciation that wears teachers down. With that in mind, I was really pleased to hear about a new educational initiative that seems to be making inroads in our nation’s schools.

The program is called the “System for Teacher andStudent Advancement” (“TAP”). The program engages educators on all levels of the ladder, from policy makers to school administrators to classroom teachers. They collaborate to find strategies to improve our schools. TAP recognizes that our nation’s future is rooted in the ability to successfully educate our next generation. TAP has committed money and resources to making positive changes in classrooms and schools throughout America.

TAP operates under the supervision of education reformer Lowell Milken and the NationalInstitute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) which is a nationally recognized teacher support organization. TAP employs innovative strategies to draw talented teachers to the field, strengthen their skills and retain them in the teaching profession.

TAP is based on quality research which has identified key reasons that prevent some teachers from experiencing success in the classroom. It has also examine the reasons that many successful teachers leave the profession. The TAP methodology addresses these issues by implementing peer mentoring among teachers and opening up challenging and attractive options for career advancements within the educational system.

Schools which have adopted TAP have readjusted their daily schedules to allow teacher planning sessions and teacher-to-teacher assistance. TAP schools also provide compensation to teachers whose pupils demonstrate academic improvement as measured by an empirical evaluation tool, the Teaching Skills, Knowledge and Responsibility Standards. Finally, TAP schools reward teachers with salary increases when they take on additional responsibilities within the school.

Some of my friends with older children are already involved in trying to bring TAP to my community’s school system.

Oh, the irony.

March 9th, 2012 Jessica

One my favorite things to tell Gazelle is that I hate him a little more every day.  When I saw the above design on a t-shirt, I could not help but get a good laugh.  I thought about purchasing this t-shirt, along with a handful of other funny tshirts that I have found that are symbolic of my feelings towards so many causes, events and people.  But honestly, this one just hit the nail on the head about my relationship with Gazelle.

feeling a little overwhelmed.

March 7th, 2012 Jessica

Pretty much sums up how I'm feeling lately.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve felt this overwhelming sense of sadness, frustrations and helplessness.

After being off work for nearly two months, unable to collect unemployment I am feeling financial pressure.  I  am struggling.  I want to curl up into a hole and wave my white flag.  I feel as though I am never going to find myself out of debt and I am just drowning further and further into it.  Every single time I make progress forward, something puts me several steps back.  I have made financial mistakes in the past, things I wish I could take back.  Many of my debts are manageable payment wise, it’s the student loan payment that is kicking my butt and currently past due.  As I typed that, I could feel the lump in the back of my throat and tears in my eyes.  I’ve never been deliberately past due on anything, but I have no choice when it comes to my student loans.  If I want to keep clothes on my children’s backs, food in their bellies and gas in my vehicle to get me to and from work, it’s something that I have to do.

Finances are not the only thing completely stressing me out, although it is a huge weight on my shoulders.  Starting next week, the kids will essentially begin living with my parents.  I applied for the full-time position at work and depending on the outcome of that, my children will be with my parents more than they will be home and it’s killing me.  I will see them approximately two-three hours each day and how parents can go without seeing their children is beyond me.  Every time that I am away from them, I feel like dying.  They are my world.  Without them, I would not be fighting so hard to find my way to the top.  I would not have a reason to get up in the morning and keep myself going.  And I feel like such a failure as a mom because I do not work a full-time job on a shift that allows us to be under one roof every night.  That I do not make enough money to cover all of my bills and be able to take them to places as simple as the museum, mini vacations or even the zoo.  I know those are not important in the grand scheme of things, but it kills me every time my children ask about going to those places, I have to tell them no.  They are not the only children not able to enjoy these luxuries, but it still saddens me that I’ve put us into this mess.

It’s just a miserable feeling.  And believe me when I say this is not a pity party, but rather a way for me to just get it out there.  I feel as though I cannot talk to anyone personally.  I am just feeling as though the walls are closing in around me, making it hard to breathe.  I would go visit with a counselor to discuss all of this, but that takes money and I need every penny I can.

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About Me

I'm Jessica, a twenty something single mother of two children. Currently working as a certified nursing assistant and Executive Assistant to the Pajama Mommy Community, with dreams of becoming a nurse and/or going into business for myself. Most of my enjoyment comes from spending time with my family and friends, cooking, baking, blogging, crafting, photography, decorating, gardening & scrapbooking.

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