First of all, I just want to clarify something. After rereading my last entry, I was concerned that I might have come off as condoning corporal punishment of children, which I don�t at all. My mom still periodically expresses guilt for spanking me as a child � something I don�t even remember. But the fact that she is still apologizing for it thirty+ years later has certainly made an impression. I was merely trying to say that I think I can understand the level of frustration that might lead someone to hit a child if they couldn�t think of something else to do, and that is a very scary place to be even if you know that you can and will walk away without going down that road.

Okay, I feel better having got that off my chest. And also, I think we�ve found a nanny for the summer. She�s the cousin of one of the moms in AJ�s playgroup who is home from college for the summer working part-time for her mom and looking for some extra work. We had a very disorganized phone interview � I�ve had such mixed feelings about this whole arrangement that I hadn�t really figured out schedules and money and all that important stuff before I started calling people. But I am hopeful that this will mean a little more time to work. And maybe a little more maternal perspective. I could use some today.

Finally, thanks to all of you who chimed in on favorite children�s books. I plan to summarize sometime in the near future, but today I need to work on my philosophy of teaching statement � a rather daunting task at the moment.

[Second entry today. Click back for more anxiety.]

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