Heather M. – Board President

I know what the disease is and I know what the prescription is.

It’s Overwhelmeditis and the cure is total shut down.

Okay sounds great so when is that going to happen?

Tonight. After I do a little catch up work, everything is going off: no computer, no cell phone, no tv, no radio, just silence, or at the very least, the sound of the wind in the trees out the window. Then I sit. Not in a comfy chair, not laying on my bed, but on my meditation cushion. I sit and I shut down.

It’s going to be a challenge to focus tonight so I think I’ll use a lit candle. I’m only going to look at the flame and release everything else. No worrying about what I need to do to get ready for tomorrow, remembering this permission slip or that check that needs to be mailed, only focusing on the candle flame. I may do it for an hour, I may only do it for five minutes, but I guarantee you, when I’m done, I won’t be grumpy anymore. More importantly, I’ll have had time just for me.

(Want to learn more about meditation? I can teach you what I’ve learned from my teachers and I have some great books you can borrow.)

Summer is approaching and for many of us will be just as busy as the school year. But maybe we can take a few moments to sit down and reflect. Reflect on what has passed these past nine months. What has changed in your life? What has improved? What new things is your child doing now? What things did they learn this year at Millbrae Nursery School? What did YOU learn this year at Millbrae Nursery School?

Even though it’s not the beginning of the calendar year, I like to take the end of the school year to set some goals out of that reflection time. What do I want this summer for myself and my family? What are my business goals? My personal goals? My goals to enrich the lives of my family?

Now is the time to set these goals and make plans, while we are winding down one phase of our lives and beginning a new one. I wish you all a wonderful, full, enriching summer. For those families moving on, best wishes to you in your future endeavors, and to those remaining,

I look forward to seeing you next school year!

Sincerely, Heather

Now on to more uplifting thoughts. Can you believe it is already March? Our children have grown SO much since the beginning of the school year, physically, emotionally, and definitely academically.  It’s so exciting to watch this evolution in the children.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my workdays is listening to the children when they talk to me. I hear  wonderful, imaginative stories, songs, and dreams and get to answer really interesting questions. I particularly love when I have to say, “You know, I don’t know the answer to that. Let me find out and I’ll tell you next time I see you.”

I admit there are times when my heart just isn’t in it and I’m not feeling present during my workday. Personal issues cloud my mind and distract me from what my real job is at that moment. Thankfully the kiddos seem to sense this and have a knack of engaging ME through talk, questions and a request for play. I owe them a lot for helping me remember to stay present, stay in the moment and appreciate those three hours for what they are, a fleeting chapter in our lives together in which I benefit as much as they do by our time together.

Wishing all of you a Happy Spring and some very rewarding workdays ahead.

Heather Marano


Like many folks I make a New Year’s resolution, or many, each year. It’s always something like drop a few pounds, get in shape, be a better mom, read more books etc.

This year I decided that all of that would take care of itself if I just did one thing, put my marriage first. When we have children, many of us put our kids first over our partners. This is a natural thing to do and both partners usually do it. But the problem is that our relationship with our partner suffers. We see each other when we turn out the light at night, when we’re too tired to do more than say goodnight. We see each other when we tag-team the kids, switching off duties so that each of us can get something done. We have a date night once in a blue moon and then spend the whole time talking about the kids.

I love my children fiercely but I love my husband just as much, and it’s time we put ourselves first. When our marriage is happy and we are really communicating, when we’re on the same page about where everything is going in our lives, even if we don’t agree, we are MUCH better parents and our children benefit as much as we do. It’s sad to miss someone you sleep in the same bed with every night. I want to get to know my husband again. I want to go on dates with him with the same enthusiasm we had before we married. I want to have long conversations about something other than the kids, our financial situation and work. It’s all possible. It’s up to me to make it happen and my husband is ready to do his share as well.

This will be a better year because we are going to be better to and for each other. Everything else will work itself out.

So Happy New Year and best wishes to you in pursuing your resolutions.

So we engage in a variety of traditions in our home. We bake of course: holiday cookies are a favorite and then there’s also my mother’s Cherry Nut Bread which I make every year, and mulled cider and hot chocolate for sipping next to the fire.

We also take advantage of the early sunsets and take the kids for pre-bedtime stroller walks. They get to bundle up in pajamas and warm blankets and we get a little exercise pushing them up and down the hills in Millbrae enjoying the holiday decorations and lighting.

We decorate our own home in stages, first the indoor decorations, then the outdoor lights, and then the tree.  We spread this out over the course of a few weeks so that the kids get to really enjoy the process, and so that our tree doesn’t turn brown before Christmas morning!

We go to a tree farm in Half Moon Bay and cut down our own tree every year. It’s always drizzling and chilly and foggy, all of which makes the hot cider they serve all the more delicious.

We get new holiday books from the library, trying to cover as many cultures as possible so the kids understand that there are more holiday/celebrations this time of year than Christmas. We watch DVD’s of Rudolph and Frosty and of course A Charlie Brown Christmas.

We have these family traditions which we all look forward to and which we remember year after year. They make this time of year a rich one, regardless of how many (or few) presents there are under the tree. I hope you enjoy your own family traditions this year, maybe you can even create some new ones.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Heather Marano