You have to give everything up to be a mom.

My Chinese class has been a really wonderful part of my fall semester. I started out by taking it for my job. Then I quit my job, and I kept taking it (because I already paid for it) because I needed something challenging, regular, for me.

This isn't the first time I've taken a class at the university Bryan taught at. At Ursinus, I took a digital media course and learned photoshop and flash. It was fun and I learned a lot.

My Chinese class has dwindled from with students to three. Me, Bradley's nanny from the baby days and a guy.

We are learning occupations in class, and yesterday our teacher shared the Chinese word for stay at home mom. She pointed at me and said Alyssa is a stay at home mom. I agreed, but I responded in Chinese that I was other things: a writer, a runner, and a Chinese student. The teacher laughed.

But the guy student said that really I was a stay at home mom. That's what you do. You have to give everything up to be a mom, a good mom. and that's important, I mean you're raising your kids.

Ouch.

I'm not sure what to say except that it didn't feel good and I dont agree and I just feel like I'm doing my best and it's all going pretty well. But I didn't say anything. I just said, I can still have dreams! A kid can't keep me from dreaming. (Gosh, now that I typed it, it sounds so adolescent. Embarrassing.)

Whatever. I'm a lot of things. I'm Alyssa. I'm a mom. I'm a student. I'm a runner. I'm a writer. I'm a comedian. I'm also currently Chair of the Moving Committee. So there's that.

And my kid is adorable. Pictures as proof.