I'm not someone who needs to read about what's going on in the world to appreciate my life. I don't need to hear about infertility to appreciate being pregnant or having a wonderful child, I don't need to hear about lousy husbands or women losing husbands to think mine is a rock star (and to tell him as much), and I don't need to hear about struggling families to be grateful for the roof over my head and food in my mouth. That said, there are some things in life that I hear or read about that open my eyes to things that maybe we (as a collective) take for granted.
Any parent knows that being faced with losing our children is the absolute worst thing we can ever imagine. The thought of being shot, stabbed, or flattened by a steamroller doesn't compare with the thought of anything bad happening to my child. In fact, my OCD revolved squarely on that exact thing. I spent months trying to anticipate any possible (and honestly, not really possible) scenario in which something *could* happen to her, and how my consistent "rituals" could help ward them off (washing bottles/hands/bowls a certain number of times, putting on jewelry in a certain order, etc). I was fortunate enough I had no basis for any such worry, but when I read about families facing a crisis, I'm genuinely astounded and inspired by their strength.
Just recently, Mike and Laura Canahuati received the devastating news that their 5 month old daughter, Avery, was diagnosed with a form of Spinal Muscular Atrophy that her doctors say will likely end her short life before the age of 2. This amazing couple, instead of hanging their heads with hopelessness, started a bucket list for their daughter, and blog about it from her perspective to help raise awareness about her disorder. I've only gotten through a couple of posts this morning, but it's so hard not to be amazed and inspired by this family (feel free to read yourself at: http://averycan.blogspot.com/ ). I know I keep using the words "inspired"- but really, I can't think of any better word to use to describe how I view these parents, as an inspiration. Their strength, courage and undeniable resilience in the face of something so awful is nothing short of miraculous (and truth be known, I'm really not sure it's something I'd ever be able to do if I were in their position, God willing I never know).
They've turned the most negative thing that can possibly happen in life into a beautiful positive; not only ensuring that their daughter gets to experience a host of amazing firsts, but to spread awareness about a little known disorder (I don't know about you, but I'd never heard of it before reading about Avery). I figured if I could help reach just a few more people who maybe hadn't heard about their story, that's a few more people aware of SMA and of Avery's journey. So please read, and learn about Avery and her family, and I hope you'll be as inspired by these amazing people as I am. Again, their website is: http://averycan.blogspot.com/.
(Note: I do not know these people, personally. Their story has been making headlines in recent days in national news and parent/blog websites such as LilSugar, Huffington Post, CNN, etc).
It's a living thing...
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Whoah, BABY!
A month or so ago, I posted some of my pregnancy raves (mostly stores and a few products). Since then I've added a couple more to my repertoire, and decided to throw in a few things that aren't necessarily pregnancy related, but great nonetheless.
Old Navy maternity: I really need to give a second shout out to Old Navy maternity. I've had a miserable time finding clothes I like that aren't super expensive. Not to mention, most maternity clothes are sold online, and unfortunately, you end up losing the shipping costs if you need to return them. Even if it's "free shipping" to you, when you return either you pay out of pocket or they send you a label and deduct shipping costs from your refund. ON is amazing that they afford free returns by mail (they send the shipping label and all!). Since they're reasonably priced, I don't feel so bad getting a funky piece that I can't use all the time; I don't know about you but when I'm spending $80-$100 on maternity pants, I want to be able to wear them often!
Special K- Red Berries: I don't really know why I feel a need to share, but I'm madly in love with Special K- red berries. There are days when it's unbelievably hard to eat healthy in the face of pregnancy cravings and a constantly rumbling tummy. When I start my day with a healthy bowl of cereal (and usually some pineapple or banana right after) I try to eat healthier through the day; and if I don't, I know the wee one has gotten a bit of vitamins and good nutrition from breakfast. I've always liked cereal, but I've really never loved one, and certainly never ate a bowl thinking "Wow, this is REALLY good!" However, every bowl I've had I really enjoy, and look forward to every morning.
Hallmark.com: This one isn't really related to pregnancy, but I've used it quite a few times since we had the nug and I don't know why anyone wouldn't use it! You can send Christmas cards, birth announcements, birthday invitations, thank you cards, almost anything you can think of without ever printing a label or sticking a stamp: Hallmark does ALL of the work for you! All you do is create an address book, and when you make your card online, you select your recipients and Hallmark sends them (they will charge the cost of stamps, but they often run promotions where they will wave that and send them for free). Even if you prefer to receive them yourself to preview before sending, Hallmark will address and stamp your envelopes free of charge before shipping them to you! As for quality, it IS Hallmark and they've yet to disappoint us.
Last but not least:
Toodledo: I downloaded this app for my iPhone about 2 months ago. We all know what a list maker I am, but how terrible I am at actually following the lists. Toodledo not only helps me manage the things I have to get done, but sets reminders to my phone (which, lets face it, most of us have on us 24/7). You can also sync it to their website to use on your computer/iPad. With so much going on around here between now and August, I've really started to feel a bit overwhelmed (toss in some pregnancy brain forgetfulness and it's a hot mess). Having this app is helping me keep my ducks in a row!
That's all the raves I've got for now. The nug was sick the first half of the week -i.e. she spent two days on the couch with (on top of) me watching Mickey mouse and munching on crackers. Now that she's feeling better and off to school for a couple of hours, I've got a TON to get done because the hubs and I are off to AC tomorrow (woohooooo!). I hope everyone is having a great week so far!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Countdown to Demo Day!
It's Monday again, folks; and while I'm already suffering my usual husband hangover, we can add in a rough night's sleep and a possibly sick toddler to the manic Monday blues. In spite of those things, and the buckets of rain outside, I'm in pretty chipper mood because it's going to be a "short" week (the hubs will be off Thursday and Friday). We have plans to go away Thursday night to Atlantic City for a night of gambling, yummy food, a comedy show and hopefully some shopping. I might even go wild and have a coke or two with dinner (I'm cuh-razzzy, I know)! Then Friday is something we've been talking about for a year...DEMO DAY!!!
I mentioned some time last week (and in posts last year) that the hubs and I have been sloooooowly remodeling the house. We bought it back in 2007 (about 6 months before the market crashed- great timing!). We were lucky enough to pay below market value (which was high because everything was then), because the owner was K's Grandmother. I really didn't want to buy the house, I knew it needed a lot of work and honestly, we are not handy people ::a very big understatement::. The hubs convinced me that we'd have it two years tops- since we paid less than market we could fix it up, throw some paint on it and sell it at a profit. Of course, having never been homeowners, we couldn't have possibly known just how handy we weren't, how much work really goes into a house, and of course, that the market would be crashing almost any minute.
Once the market crashed, we both went into reluctant homeowner depression. Okay, so I made that term up- but it's the best way to describe the overwhelming amount of people our age in the same position. People who bought their first time homes in a good market, only planning enough space for themselves and maybe one baby (one/two bedroom condos and town homes) with the thought that once they needed to expand, they could sell and buy something else just as easily. None of us expected to feel "trapped" in our first time homes. SO here we are, in year 5, and only last year accepted the fact that we would be here much longer than we expected, and decided to finally make the place our own.
In that time, we've done a lot of cosmetic updates and re-did our kitchen. However, something that's been irking us since we moved in was our master bathroom- it's completely outdated with multiple shower issues. Unfortunately, when you can only do one "big thing" at a time, it takes a while to get to everything. Then we got a little incentive when the shower started leaking into our newly re-done kitchen; we were (thankfully) forced into pushing the project to the top of the pile. After a year of talking about it, lamenting about it, and pushing it off, demo day is Friday! This is the first project where we've hired professionals to come do the work, so I don't know what to expect, but obviously I'm pathetically excited.
We are very lucky that although we felt trapped here for a bit (can't really say I feel that way anymore), we actually bought a house big enough for our growing family. It's kind of funny how things work out like that...it's no longer the fixer upper we bought from Grandma, but the house we perfected our painting skills in, where we figured out our decorating tastes and grew out of our "college decor." It's the house where we got our first dog, and had to fix many of our first dog disasters (as in she ate through the sheet rock of our walls and chewed up all the moldings in the kitchen...). It's the house we made our first nursery in, and brought our daughter home from the hospital to. With every memory we make and every personal touch we add, it transforms from being our first house to being our first home. When I think of it that way, it's really hard to fathom that I ever regretted buying it.
So with all that excitement going on this week, you can see why a little less sleep and some rain aren't keeping me down. I'll be back later this week with some raves (some pregnancy some just raves) and an update on our demo process. I hope everyone had a great weekend!
I mentioned some time last week (and in posts last year) that the hubs and I have been sloooooowly remodeling the house. We bought it back in 2007 (about 6 months before the market crashed- great timing!). We were lucky enough to pay below market value (which was high because everything was then), because the owner was K's Grandmother. I really didn't want to buy the house, I knew it needed a lot of work and honestly, we are not handy people ::a very big understatement::. The hubs convinced me that we'd have it two years tops- since we paid less than market we could fix it up, throw some paint on it and sell it at a profit. Of course, having never been homeowners, we couldn't have possibly known just how handy we weren't, how much work really goes into a house, and of course, that the market would be crashing almost any minute.
Once the market crashed, we both went into reluctant homeowner depression. Okay, so I made that term up- but it's the best way to describe the overwhelming amount of people our age in the same position. People who bought their first time homes in a good market, only planning enough space for themselves and maybe one baby (one/two bedroom condos and town homes) with the thought that once they needed to expand, they could sell and buy something else just as easily. None of us expected to feel "trapped" in our first time homes. SO here we are, in year 5, and only last year accepted the fact that we would be here much longer than we expected, and decided to finally make the place our own.
In that time, we've done a lot of cosmetic updates and re-did our kitchen. However, something that's been irking us since we moved in was our master bathroom- it's completely outdated with multiple shower issues. Unfortunately, when you can only do one "big thing" at a time, it takes a while to get to everything. Then we got a little incentive when the shower started leaking into our newly re-done kitchen; we were (thankfully) forced into pushing the project to the top of the pile. After a year of talking about it, lamenting about it, and pushing it off, demo day is Friday! This is the first project where we've hired professionals to come do the work, so I don't know what to expect, but obviously I'm pathetically excited.
We are very lucky that although we felt trapped here for a bit (can't really say I feel that way anymore), we actually bought a house big enough for our growing family. It's kind of funny how things work out like that...it's no longer the fixer upper we bought from Grandma, but the house we perfected our painting skills in, where we figured out our decorating tastes and grew out of our "college decor." It's the house where we got our first dog, and had to fix many of our first dog disasters (as in she ate through the sheet rock of our walls and chewed up all the moldings in the kitchen...). It's the house we made our first nursery in, and brought our daughter home from the hospital to. With every memory we make and every personal touch we add, it transforms from being our first house to being our first home. When I think of it that way, it's really hard to fathom that I ever regretted buying it.
So with all that excitement going on this week, you can see why a little less sleep and some rain aren't keeping me down. I'll be back later this week with some raves (some pregnancy some just raves) and an update on our demo process. I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The great SAHM debate
I've spoken a lot on my blog(s) about my life as a stay at home mom: the good, the bad, the gross and the adorable. With so many statements and opinions about it by politicians and their teams lately, it's no surprise that the media has once again taken up the cause of the great SAHM debate; and should be no surprise that I would add my two cents (for whatever they're worth).
I'll be honest, I don't know if it was sheer naivete or just that I had no friends with kids when I was pregnant with Cam, but I had no clue that such a debate existed. I knew it wasn't something a lot of people (especially where I worked) did. My boss was sad, she felt I had more potential at my job and didn't want to see me go; of course I appreciated that (no one wants to think their boss is HAPPY to see them go), but we were resolute in our decision and it's worked out wonderfully so far. However, over time, it seemed a lot of people had strong opinions on the topic. Not that I ever once asked for them, but people were happy to tell me how bored they'd be, or how they viewed it as wasted education and job experience, or that somehow not contributing financially to my family meant I wasn't contributing at all.
Now, of course, I can debate all of these (and quickly): nope, not bored! I'm clearly no less educated because I'm home; if and when I do rejoin the workforce, my brain will not have atrophied to where I can't complete a sentence or work a computer. My contribution to my family is of high value (well, to my family anyway, I don't know what others consider valuable): my child is happy, well cared for, extremely verbal, social and probably the silliest little monkey I've ever met. Our house is taken care of, and dinner is made for the hubs when he gets in most nights so he can take the nug for a walk to the park or just sit down and play with her when he gets in. Errands are run, laundry/ironing are finished, and since we don't have to get up early to get to work or daycare, we can have a flexible schedule that allows for a later bedtime (and wake up time) so the hubs gets to spend time with his little girl every night. My husband is extremely appreciative of having all of those things taken care of so he can enjoy his limited time home with us.
Enter the editorial writer screaming in caps lock, "BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE!" First off- thank you Captain Obvious. No one is oblivious to what is going on in this country. No one except that 1% is spared from sweating out rounds of layoffs and worrying about having money put away in case such a thing would happen. I am well aware that there are many women out there who would love the option of being home with their kids, and that nowadays it's considered a luxury to be able to do this. I know this, I appreciate this, but I'm damn tired of defending it. I shouldn't have to preface every statement about being a sahm with "I know not everyone can do this, and I'm so lucky, but..." Sahms are allowed to have tough times, rough days, and moments where they aren't happy in their situation: we are just as human as working moms.
I also think the idea that ALL working moms are working because they have to is an unfair assumption. I know plenty of working moms who are working because they love what they do. Being a sahm isn't for everyone, and I think the notion that everyone who can be a stay at home mom should be one is ludicrous (along with the odd assumption that everyone who can be one is one). That said, I make no assumptions about working moms- I don't assume they (or I) work harder, that they (or I) are more happy, or that our kids feel any less/more loved or well adjusted for either of our decisions. I think the basic premise for good parenting is making the best choices for your kids and your family (cliche, for sure, but true).
There's a lot of misinformation out there that drives me up a wall. For some reason, I see the same stupidity spouted from news outlets to blogger editorials; that all sahm's think that kids who go to daycare aren't being raised by their parents (I don't know anyone who thinks this), that kids of sahms are socially awkward and behind academically (anyone who's met my gabby child knows this is a big fat false), and the latest and most annoying: that we're all just like Ann Romney. I read an article on the Huffington Post last week stating that being a stay at home in 2012 is a reserved luxury of the elite. Luxury? Sure- Elite? Not so much. Although this country might think otherwise, there are some people left in the dwindling middle class- not everyone is of the poor/rich extreme, despite what politicians tell you. If the author of that article would like to challenge me on that, she's welcome to come to my luxurious (20 year old) town home (that we've spent 5 years renovating on our own because the previous owner was my husband's chain smoking Grandmother: tar stained walls and permanently smelly rugs- yay!). If she'd like to tour my town I can take her for a super smooth ride in my base model Mazda 6; before we go she can help me clip coupons to go grocery shopping and plot out my errands so I don't waste too much gas. If she wants to see how I dress my child in exotic garb she can check out her awesome 80's style jogging shorts (side note- I'm seriously in love with them), courtesy of Walmart. Are we hurting? No, we're okay- we're comfortable, but the Romneys' we are not.
At the end of the day, I find it amazing how many women attack other women on their decisions to work outside of the home (or not to, really). Last I heard, feminism had more to do with women having any choices they wanted than hating on women who choose to be stay at home moms. I don't lack personal ambition because of my choice, it doesn't mean I can't (or don't want to) do anything else, or that I don't value my own worth.
So there you have it, folks. My two cents. I hope that most people don't buy into the hype out there, or if you did, maybe I shed a little light on things. Here's hoping everyone is having a good week!
I'll be honest, I don't know if it was sheer naivete or just that I had no friends with kids when I was pregnant with Cam, but I had no clue that such a debate existed. I knew it wasn't something a lot of people (especially where I worked) did. My boss was sad, she felt I had more potential at my job and didn't want to see me go; of course I appreciated that (no one wants to think their boss is HAPPY to see them go), but we were resolute in our decision and it's worked out wonderfully so far. However, over time, it seemed a lot of people had strong opinions on the topic. Not that I ever once asked for them, but people were happy to tell me how bored they'd be, or how they viewed it as wasted education and job experience, or that somehow not contributing financially to my family meant I wasn't contributing at all.
Now, of course, I can debate all of these (and quickly): nope, not bored! I'm clearly no less educated because I'm home; if and when I do rejoin the workforce, my brain will not have atrophied to where I can't complete a sentence or work a computer. My contribution to my family is of high value (well, to my family anyway, I don't know what others consider valuable): my child is happy, well cared for, extremely verbal, social and probably the silliest little monkey I've ever met. Our house is taken care of, and dinner is made for the hubs when he gets in most nights so he can take the nug for a walk to the park or just sit down and play with her when he gets in. Errands are run, laundry/ironing are finished, and since we don't have to get up early to get to work or daycare, we can have a flexible schedule that allows for a later bedtime (and wake up time) so the hubs gets to spend time with his little girl every night. My husband is extremely appreciative of having all of those things taken care of so he can enjoy his limited time home with us.
Enter the editorial writer screaming in caps lock, "BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE!" First off- thank you Captain Obvious. No one is oblivious to what is going on in this country. No one except that 1% is spared from sweating out rounds of layoffs and worrying about having money put away in case such a thing would happen. I am well aware that there are many women out there who would love the option of being home with their kids, and that nowadays it's considered a luxury to be able to do this. I know this, I appreciate this, but I'm damn tired of defending it. I shouldn't have to preface every statement about being a sahm with "I know not everyone can do this, and I'm so lucky, but..." Sahms are allowed to have tough times, rough days, and moments where they aren't happy in their situation: we are just as human as working moms.
I also think the idea that ALL working moms are working because they have to is an unfair assumption. I know plenty of working moms who are working because they love what they do. Being a sahm isn't for everyone, and I think the notion that everyone who can be a stay at home mom should be one is ludicrous (along with the odd assumption that everyone who can be one is one). That said, I make no assumptions about working moms- I don't assume they (or I) work harder, that they (or I) are more happy, or that our kids feel any less/more loved or well adjusted for either of our decisions. I think the basic premise for good parenting is making the best choices for your kids and your family (cliche, for sure, but true).
There's a lot of misinformation out there that drives me up a wall. For some reason, I see the same stupidity spouted from news outlets to blogger editorials; that all sahm's think that kids who go to daycare aren't being raised by their parents (I don't know anyone who thinks this), that kids of sahms are socially awkward and behind academically (anyone who's met my gabby child knows this is a big fat false), and the latest and most annoying: that we're all just like Ann Romney. I read an article on the Huffington Post last week stating that being a stay at home in 2012 is a reserved luxury of the elite. Luxury? Sure- Elite? Not so much. Although this country might think otherwise, there are some people left in the dwindling middle class- not everyone is of the poor/rich extreme, despite what politicians tell you. If the author of that article would like to challenge me on that, she's welcome to come to my luxurious (20 year old) town home (that we've spent 5 years renovating on our own because the previous owner was my husband's chain smoking Grandmother: tar stained walls and permanently smelly rugs- yay!). If she'd like to tour my town I can take her for a super smooth ride in my base model Mazda 6; before we go she can help me clip coupons to go grocery shopping and plot out my errands so I don't waste too much gas. If she wants to see how I dress my child in exotic garb she can check out her awesome 80's style jogging shorts (side note- I'm seriously in love with them), courtesy of Walmart. Are we hurting? No, we're okay- we're comfortable, but the Romneys' we are not.
At the end of the day, I find it amazing how many women attack other women on their decisions to work outside of the home (or not to, really). Last I heard, feminism had more to do with women having any choices they wanted than hating on women who choose to be stay at home moms. I don't lack personal ambition because of my choice, it doesn't mean I can't (or don't want to) do anything else, or that I don't value my own worth.
So there you have it, folks. My two cents. I hope that most people don't buy into the hype out there, or if you did, maybe I shed a little light on things. Here's hoping everyone is having a good week!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Back to the "grind"
If I thought I was going to have any trouble keeping busy on our Spring Break week last week, I was sorely mistaken. Here it is, Tuesday of the FOLLOWING week, and my memory of the last 8 days is a blur. We did a lot of fun things with friends and family, and had an absolutely wonderful time "off." Yesterday, we were back to the "usual,"- cleaning, laundry, errands, school and afternoon activities to get us tired (I say us because as much as it's really to get the nug tired, I exhaust myself as collateral damage). We didn't get a whole lot of anything important done last week, which is okay, since I think we really both needed the break from our routine.
I'm a bit bummed I didn't get to log on at all last week to write, because there is really a lot I wanted to talk about. I thought about recapping all in one post, but instead decided I'd go with my usual, natural flow and if they happen to come up, great, if not, I guess I just didn't seize the carp (5 points to whoever knows what movie that's from).
Obviously, last week in the middle of all our fun, my to-do list and potty training went out the window. I've been thinking a lot about potty training for a while; like I previously mentioned, she's happy to sit on the potty, and will go on it occasionally, but she doesn't seem to have any push to tell me before she has to go. On the advice of those a little more experienced than myself, I decided to wait until the weather is consistently a bit warmer so that we can have her playing outside and be able to "go commando" so we aren't trapped indoors. However, there are some other reasons I decided to wait...
A long time ago (probably a year or more), I mentioned that I liked to keep some of my parenting decisions private because there's always someone out there looking to critique you (or add fuel to the "Mommy wars"). You're doing something too long, you're not doing something else enough, and so on. Just recently, I realized that I was completely willing to share the details of being the child of an addict, but felt afraid of sharing the fact that my daughter has bed shared with us for nearly 2.5 years (silly!). However, since there's a lot going on where that's concerned, I decided to bare it all and deal with the "side eyes" and upturned eyebrows. So here goes: Not ONLY did my little girl bed share until the last few weeks, but she nursed at sleep times until last week. Yup. 2 years, 4 months. I have no intentions of explaining myself- my child is happy, healthy and well, and that's the only justification anyone needs. Breastfeeding doesn't work for everyone, but it was a great experience for me and the nug, and part of me is very sad to see that chapter of our lives close. I do intend to nurse the little man (knock wood), but he'll be a different baby and I know not everything happens the same with each child (maybe he won't latch, maybe he'll hate it, who knows?). Now that you know that, you can see why it might be a bit too much for us to take the nug's diapers away so soon.
The other night, after she was soundly asleep (sans boobie), I started tearing up. I asked the hubs if he thought if we were rushing her to grow up because another baby was coming. I knew there was really no basis for my waterworks- most 2 year olds are well off the boobie and sleeping in their own rooms- but the tearyness persisted. Many people have commented on how "mature" she is for her age or how she acts like a child much older than 2, and I started to wonder if that was a good thing. There are kids her age that are just starting to put a few words together and yet we expect her to say please, thank you and excuse me (and she does, without prompting by us most times). I know, it sounds great, but she's only 2-- I couldn't help but wonder if I'm alienating her from her 2 year old counterparts by expecting things from her that maybe she shouldn't be doing yet. I'm still really unresolved about it; on the one hand, she's only catching up to other kids in terms of sleeping without my help or my snuggles, but on the other I don't know if she can relate to other kids her age. Of course, Mommy guilt is playing a role in this pondering, but I just can't help it-- knock wood/God willing, the little man will be here in about 3 months, and I think this is only the start of my worry for the one and only original nug-a-bug.
Which brings me to panic attack #2- THREE MONTHS??? That sounds like a lot, but lets be real, 3 months ago we were already into January of 2012. Does that seem as insane to you as it does to me?? It feels like I found out I was pregnant and suddenly woke up and was 25 weeks along. I'm not sure if it's because it's a second pregnancy or if because the timing was different (with C I was pregnant all in one year and this guy spent most of first trimester in 2011); whatever the reason, I'm grateful. I don't mind being pregnant: it can be uncomfortable (and I know it's only going to get more uncomfortable), but for the most part, it's been an enjoyable time- and I love feeling him jabbing around in there. It's my inevitable worry that gets me wishing the time away- if I get too much time on my hands, I start reading into every twinge (or lack thereof). So with time rolling along, I'm getting to enjoy the kicks and jabs AND the lack of extra time to worry excessively. Although, I am panicking at the moment, thankfully it's not about his health; we were on a roll getting ready for a bit- we moved C into her big girl room and started doing some bits of shopping (mostly onesies and such), but all in all, his room is untouched, we haven't even begun to look at double strollers/additional car seats, and at some point I need to dig through the garage and multiple storage closets to see if we can piece together the bottles, newborn toys, and all things baby. I know, 3 months really does sound like plenty of time to do all that, but with so much pre-scheduled fun-ness coming up, and the last month really being a waste (at least it was the last time), I'm looking at about 4 weekends of help from the hubs before it's "time." Hopefully, we manage our time well so we aren't scrambling come mid-July.
Speaking of fun-ness, the nug and I are off to "Mammy's" house today with side trip to Smithville for shopping, carousel/train rides and (of course) a yummy nosh. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful stretch of weather!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Spring Break Time!
It's Monday again! Usually I do my weekly kick-off and challenge of the week on Sundays, but as yesterday was Easter Sunday (and we didn't stop moving all day), I hope you'll give me a free pass. My Good Friday led right into a GREAT weekend, which always leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth come Monday morning. I know, that sounds strange, but three days of QT with the hubby and family fun goodness has me missing my better half come the work week (a husband hangover if you will).
Our evening alone in the city was so much fun; Southern Hospitality did NOT disappoint (nor did my first taste of southern fried pickles- holy crap were they yummy!), and Bruce? He's a music God for a reason, my friends. Three hours of non-stop music, dancing, and pure music heavenliness. I've been a Bruce Springsteen fan my whole life (I AM from NJ after all- which isn't a Bruce mandate but it does greatly increase the odds of being a lifelong lover), and the hubs and I attend at least one concert in every single tour- he's yet to put on a sub par show. With beer chugging, crowd surfing, stage sliding and oozing pure energy at 62 years old, I have a feeling we'll be enjoying these shows for years to come.
After a much needed solid night sleep (I haven't stayed up until 1 am since before I was pregnant and it definitely took it's toll), the hubs and I grabbed some breakfast and set out to get the nug her big Easter surprise- a play house (courtesy of the Easter Bunny, of course). The afternoon was so nice (weather wise) we decided to venture down to the boardwalk for some rides, games and one of our beloved strolls down the planks. The boardwalk is someplace I'll never get sick of...sometimes when I'm there I get some strangely (happily) morbid thoughts. As in, if there's an afterlife, the boardwalk is where I'll be. I've described a thousand times why I love it so much; it just never gets old to me! Once all that was said and done, it was later than we thought so we rushed through dinner to get the nug to bed and set the scene (aka the house, the basket and the hidden eggs) for the morning.
Easter itself was a wonderful, family whirlwind! Yummy food, good company and for the nug, it may as well have been Christmas! Presents, candy, more presents, more candy, MORE presents and, yup, MORE candy! She sugar-crashed hard last night at bedtime, passing out in record time.
This week is Spring break- no school or activities, which at first I thought was going to be an awesome break from the routine...except it's not even 9 am on Monday morning and I'm wondering what the hell we're going to do to fill the time all week. A year ago being home for a week wasn't such a big issue, at 16 months the nug was fine chillin' out and playing with her toys with the occasional outing...but these days? If she's not on the go, none of us are happy (she's an independent kid but when she's bored, she's getting into major shenanigans). I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stays (at least mostly) nice so we can make a few trips to the playground, and of course we'll hit up a few story times, too. I just didn't realize how much I really relied on those scheduled activities to schedule my whole days. For instance: school at 12:30? Okay, Mickey/breakfast 8-830, shower/dress, food shop, nap 1-1.5 hours, dress, snack in the car on the way, school 1230-230, errands (drop off dry cleaning, drop mail, etc), spend 1 hour in basement to do laundry, make dinner and hubs will be home!
Although I'm kind of nervous about all the free time, I've decided to work this to my advantage. I've been wanting to do a few things that are hard to do with such a busy schedule- work out and start on the potty training. Since she loves/d gym daycare (semi-past tense since I haven't been in some time), I figure one of her "activities" can really be MY activity. I've been itching to get back there, and with some time to fill there's not really a better chance to kick start it! As far as the potty training goes, I'm just not sure she's ready. She tells me all the time when she's already gone (in fact yesterday she screamed, quite a few times, in her best confident yell that she had gone poopies...we were so proud, hehe), and frequently asks for changes; but mostly sees the potty as a funny thing to play with. She does occasionally go and we do the big hoop-lah about it, but she just doesn't seem to have the desire yet to really take the plunge. This week I'm going to start the rewards for going on the potty (and putting her on it often), in the hopes she sees it as another big girl milestone she wants to accomplish.
Now that we've filled a whole 20 minutes, I'm off to figure out how we'll spend the rest of the day. Happy Monday! (and Spring break!)
Our evening alone in the city was so much fun; Southern Hospitality did NOT disappoint (nor did my first taste of southern fried pickles- holy crap were they yummy!), and Bruce? He's a music God for a reason, my friends. Three hours of non-stop music, dancing, and pure music heavenliness. I've been a Bruce Springsteen fan my whole life (I AM from NJ after all- which isn't a Bruce mandate but it does greatly increase the odds of being a lifelong lover), and the hubs and I attend at least one concert in every single tour- he's yet to put on a sub par show. With beer chugging, crowd surfing, stage sliding and oozing pure energy at 62 years old, I have a feeling we'll be enjoying these shows for years to come.
After a much needed solid night sleep (I haven't stayed up until 1 am since before I was pregnant and it definitely took it's toll), the hubs and I grabbed some breakfast and set out to get the nug her big Easter surprise- a play house (courtesy of the Easter Bunny, of course). The afternoon was so nice (weather wise) we decided to venture down to the boardwalk for some rides, games and one of our beloved strolls down the planks. The boardwalk is someplace I'll never get sick of...sometimes when I'm there I get some strangely (happily) morbid thoughts. As in, if there's an afterlife, the boardwalk is where I'll be. I've described a thousand times why I love it so much; it just never gets old to me! Once all that was said and done, it was later than we thought so we rushed through dinner to get the nug to bed and set the scene (aka the house, the basket and the hidden eggs) for the morning.
Easter itself was a wonderful, family whirlwind! Yummy food, good company and for the nug, it may as well have been Christmas! Presents, candy, more presents, more candy, MORE presents and, yup, MORE candy! She sugar-crashed hard last night at bedtime, passing out in record time.
This week is Spring break- no school or activities, which at first I thought was going to be an awesome break from the routine...except it's not even 9 am on Monday morning and I'm wondering what the hell we're going to do to fill the time all week. A year ago being home for a week wasn't such a big issue, at 16 months the nug was fine chillin' out and playing with her toys with the occasional outing...but these days? If she's not on the go, none of us are happy (she's an independent kid but when she's bored, she's getting into major shenanigans). I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stays (at least mostly) nice so we can make a few trips to the playground, and of course we'll hit up a few story times, too. I just didn't realize how much I really relied on those scheduled activities to schedule my whole days. For instance: school at 12:30? Okay, Mickey/breakfast 8-830, shower/dress, food shop, nap 1-1.5 hours, dress, snack in the car on the way, school 1230-230, errands (drop off dry cleaning, drop mail, etc), spend 1 hour in basement to do laundry, make dinner and hubs will be home!
Although I'm kind of nervous about all the free time, I've decided to work this to my advantage. I've been wanting to do a few things that are hard to do with such a busy schedule- work out and start on the potty training. Since she loves/d gym daycare (semi-past tense since I haven't been in some time), I figure one of her "activities" can really be MY activity. I've been itching to get back there, and with some time to fill there's not really a better chance to kick start it! As far as the potty training goes, I'm just not sure she's ready. She tells me all the time when she's already gone (in fact yesterday she screamed, quite a few times, in her best confident yell that she had gone poopies...we were so proud, hehe), and frequently asks for changes; but mostly sees the potty as a funny thing to play with. She does occasionally go and we do the big hoop-lah about it, but she just doesn't seem to have the desire yet to really take the plunge. This week I'm going to start the rewards for going on the potty (and putting her on it often), in the hopes she sees it as another big girl milestone she wants to accomplish.
Now that we've filled a whole 20 minutes, I'm off to figure out how we'll spend the rest of the day. Happy Monday! (and Spring break!)
Friday, April 6, 2012
GOOD Friday :)
It's been a jam packed week in the C house! The fact that it's Friday already has me a bit confused (and underprepared since we have a busy weekend ahead, too!). I'm proud to announce I stuck to my To Do list challenge; my house is clean, my laundry is (mostly) done, my child has been happily exhausted from play dates and playground trips every day, and I most definitely feel like I had a really good, productive week.
It's truly amazing to me how such a seemingly small shift in my day can improve my attitude SO drastically. Even the hubs mentioned yesterday how I seemed more positive. While I wasn't super successful at working formal exercise into my week (besides a couple of walks at the park), I really didn't stop moving anyway so I know my body definitely got some working out. As for the food, it was definitely a better week, but still not where I want to be. Being super hungry all.the.time and fighting constant cravings definitely has me feeling a little overwhelmed where food is concerned. My attempted solution will be to start carrying around some crackers or granola bars (we'll see if that does anything to remedy my sudden pit stops). Of course, with food-eating holiday weeks it's always tough- chocolate bunnies, almond/coconut macaroons, cakes, pies, and all that comes with 'em- but since Sunday marks the end of that (for me), next week *should* be easier.
At the current moment, I'm home alone. Yes...totally, alone. I have my feet up, some form of non-child programming on TV (in fact I find myself channel surfing just because I CAN dammit!), and I'm typing away without looking up every 20 seconds to make sure the nug isn't getting herself into any trouble. No, no- she's on a much anticipated Daddy/Daughter breakfast date (complete with park excursion to tucker her out for nap time). As much as I love being with my girl all the time, it's nice to be able to just sit every now and again (::takes big relaxing breath and changes channel...again::).
So this week, with the Spring arriving and all those fabu 80's movies on tv (seriously, I love Teen Witch, but ABC Family is killing the excitement by putting it on every week), I got into one of my quiet, self reflective stints. Am I where I thought I'd be? I have no clue- days of reflection and I have no answer. To be honest I don't think I thought that far ahead when I was a kid. Sure I had dreams of being a movie star or a dancer or a famous something or other- but in reality? Nope- no clue where I'd end up. Even in college I didn't plan for a specific career path- I did then what I do now, I live day by day. This REALLY bothered me at first...for reasons I can't really pinpoint I've never quite felt like "everyone else". I did what other people did because that is what I thought I was supposed to do- I graduated high school, went to college, got the jobs- but never really felt like I fit a specific mold. I even remember coming home crying to my mom that I didn't feel like I fit in (probably in middle school or so)...I sure tried, though. However, after college I started to feel like I was lost, wandering aimlessly in a sea of people who knew exactly where they wanted to go. I even married a person like that- as long as I've known him, K has been the guy who knows what he wants to do and does it. For a VERY long time I felt bad about myself because I felt I lacked direction; like there was something wrong with me that there wasn't any ONE thing I wanted to do with my life.
Now that I'm a little older (and still never settled on any one thing), I don't really feel that it's necessary to be someone who always knows where they're going. Not that I never think about the future, but I'm not one of those people who thinks about life 30 years from now. After some thought I realized it's very possibly a side effect of growing up with an addict. High school, college and the couple of years following were about survival for me- every day was manageable if I could just make it to the end of it. It sounds bad (for sure), but once my family and I emerged from all that, I think surviving every day morphed into living every day. Of course, in some ways you need to plan (savings accounts, college accounts and IRA's, Oh My!), but where my life is concerned I am finally (really) okay with the fact that I will never be someone that knows what's coming next. I'm never going to be the woman with a 5 year plan, or the mom who decides what high school my children are going to when they're still in diapers, or even the mom who plans to be all theses things (stricter, more lenient, more involved, less involved, etc) with her kids. The truth is I just don't know...and that since I've embraced living day by day I've never been happier. Something's gotta be working,right?
As for THIS day (which is Good Friday and the kick-off to Passover), I'll be living it by getting a much needed mani and having a fun night out with the hubs- BBQ dinner and seeing THE BOSS tonight! Here's wishing a Chag Sameach to my Jewish Friends and Family and a Holy Good Friday to my Christian friends and Family!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
New week, new challenge!
Now that it's been a few days, I have to say, getting used to using my opposite hand has been a royal pain in the ass. I'm absolutely aware it could be worse; I'm not in a ton of pain and I'm relatively good at adapting when needed. However, little things are annoying me that I hadn't quite anticipated...like the fact that I can't seem to open anything myself (doors, jars, bottles, packages)- I manage to eventually get things open, but the process takes much longer and at times creates more pain. It also takes longer to get showered and dressed, and as for make up? It look a few pokes in the eye before I got the mascara with my left hand thing to work (haven't attempted liner yet...I can't figure out how to hold it!). Getting the nug dressed has been interesting (as have her meal times and diaper changes), and getting her in and out of her car seat is probably one of the tougher parts; but all in all, we're doing okay.
Yesterday was a super crabby day...I hate asking for help so when I have to do it a lot, I tend to get snippy. I'm hoping that the swelling goes down sooner than later so that I can slip my ugly thumb into a smaller splint. As for my challenge of the week? I'm going to try a do-over of my To-Do list challenge, but adding eating well and exercise into the mix.
Prior to getting pregnant I was on a great diet and exercise routine. I didn't deprive myself of things I really wanted; I ate what I craved in moderation and worked out 5-6 days a week. I had planned to continue on that path once expecting, but early on we had some issues that changed that. On the advice of my doctor, I discontinued my exercise routine. Once I was clear into the second trimester, he did say I could start (albeit slowly) to become active again. With that I resumed my usual "around the house" activities of cleaning (vacuuming, tidying, etc) and shuffling the full laundry baskets up and down two flights of stairs. Now that I'm a little over halfway there, I'm starting to feel the weight of not exercising (no pun intended, however the pun would be true...). I miss feeling strong and energetic and in peak shape (I was in the best shape of my life as of yet), not to mention the fabulous mental boost I got from consistent exercise and eating to fuel my body.
Of course, the diet part is just me falling off the wagon. At the onset of things I craved anything full of fat and salty (cheeseburgers, french fries, pizza, etc). I'd never experienced such strong food urges before and being a reformed emotional eater totally relapsed into the poor eating habits of my younger days. Now that it's been like this a few months, I'm fully ready to get back on track and make sure I don't gain too much weight (and of course, make sure little man gets the best nutrition I can give him). Thankfully my sinful ways haven't had me gain TOO much weight (the doctor says I'm on target, which is reassuring), but I could see it spiraling out of control if I don't take the reigns.
I do think this is going to be a pretty big challenge (bum finger and all), but since I really think exercise contributed to my "easy" labor and delivery the first time, I'd love to get back into the habit ASAP. Of course no labor is truly "easy"- but having had a 6 hour/3 push labor the first time, I'll do whatever is in my power to help that happen again. Not to mention the energy boost I could definitely use these days (I don't think I've ever craved sleep so much in my life at the end of these long days).
Here's hoping for a week of non-crabby, to-do listing, exercising goodness!! Happy April!
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