by Rachel | Guitars & Granola Bars
The honest truth: running a private practice and working with clients is not easy when you’re pregnant. Music therapist Noel Anderson knows this all too well, having done so while pregnant with TWINS.
I was so excited to talk to Noel about her experiences, especially since she is the first podcast guest who has twins. This episode is packed with great insight and helpful advice — I learned a LOT during our interview!
Noel talks about working in private practice, the challenges of being pregnant with twins, and the importance of giving yourself grace when it comes to both motherhood and career in Episode 24 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Noel, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, which is software for music teachers and therapists that helps manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.
Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!
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by Rachel | Family Life
I find it more than a little amusing that we’re weaning one child from the pacifier while simultaneously trying to teach the other child to take one. And it’s going better than expected…for one child, at least.
Mia isn’t a fan quite yet, but if she’s anything like her big brother, she’ll develop a deep love for the “paci” over time. Parker didn’t take one consistently until he was about 10 weeks old, but from there on out, they were pretty inseparable.
I was never a huge fan of letting Parker have his paci during the day, but we were pretty lax on that up until the time he hit 18 months. At that point, we stopped taking it with us when we went places, and he started to learn to put it (well, usually them — he liked to sleep with multiple pacifiers) on top of his dresser on his way out of his room in the morning and after his nap.
That helped with his transition to daycare, where he spends 3 whole days per week with no paci. He did great with that, and had no problem taking naps there without one. So I knew there was hope once the time came to get rid of it altogether.
Once he hit 2 years old last month, I was ready to ditch the paci. Zach was a lot more apprehensive than me, but game to give it a try. So one morning after Parker woke up, we told him that Dada was taking his pacis to work so that another baby could borrow them. We said he would bring them back that night, but that he wouldn’t have it for his nap.
Parker ate the story up, and we continued talking about it throughout the morning until he was able to tell me where his pacis were when I asked. We talked about it one more time as we walked upstairs for his nap, and then — for the first time EVER — he did not so much as ask for his paci before he went to sleep. Then he slept for an hour and a half with no issues.
We continued the conversation about where his pacis went during the day all week, and then at the end of the week, it was time to bite the bullet. We told Parker that the “baby at Dada’s work” was going to borrow it overnight, since Parker was a big boy and didn’t need a paci anymore. There was no crying, no meltdown…nothing. He went to bed and slept through the night as usual.
I’m not sure how we got this lucky, because Zach and I were both convinced that the big wean was going to be a miserable process. I’m crossing my fingers that we don’t have any setbacks, especially when he naps or spends the night at his grandparents’ house. But for now, I’m proud of my big boy and pretty ecstatic that we made it over this hurdle painlessly.
Next up, potty training. Maybe that will be just as easy…one can dream, right?! ;)
by Rachel | Business Ownership
I’m experiencing a bit of deja vu as I write this, because I wrote a post by the same name almost exactly one year ago. Last summer, I joined forces with my business partner, Katey Kamerad, to form an LLC and move from my home studio into Capital City Music. There we had 3 dedicated studio rooms and the use of a large room for our groups and classes.
And it was a great stepping stone. But as the year went on, we realized we were outgrowing the space — especially once we hired a new instructor, music therapist, and accepted a music therapy intern. So the search began for a new location which needed to meet several specific needs:
- our own accessible entrance
- plentiful parking
- waiting area
- 3-5 small studio rooms
- large group room
- meeting room
After exploring several possibilities, we finally came across the perfect building. It’s in a great location, has all of the above, and BONUS — there are windows in every room! I knew the minute we walked through the door that it was meant to be.
The left side of the building (all 2,300 square feet of it) is ours. I’m picking up the keys this morning, and then the real fun begins. The entire space will be repainted and recarpeted, so it will feel brand-new by the time we open our doors to students and clients at the end of August. I could not be more excited!
But I should also admit that it’s a little scary to take a leap like this. With an increase in space comes an increase in costs, not to mention responsibilities related to both the new building and our growing team.
The days of running my business as a sole proprieter with almost no overhead were much easier, but I ran out of opportunities for growth (as there are only so many hours in the day). Katey and I got to that same point this past year, and luckily we share the same vision for our business. So as challenging as this next year may be, we are up for it.
I distinctly remember driving past a building like this several years ago, thinking how amazing it would be to call a place like that home to my business someday. It seemed so out of reach at that point, but “someday” is here. The coming months will be busy, overwhelming, and extremely exciting…I can’t wait to share this new leg of the journey with you!
