It's May 16th. It does not escape my attention that I haven't blogged in over two weeks. I adore blogging. I feel more connected, less stressed, and somewhat (I might as well admit it, since my loyal readers have already guessed) powerful when I write these humble little entries.
So why two weeks?
Let's see: my car broke (once at home and once on the side of the road), my borrowed replacement car had a blowout, my lawnmower crapped out, my husband worked until after dark every single weekday for the past two weeks, I had catch-up to do from the week and a half off when Loki went to the hospital, I suffered my own ER trip/minor illness, work was crazy busy, and Ander is potty training (last on the list, but perhaps most time consuming). Oh, and Mother's Day sucked.
I could keep going, but gawh!
I want thing to go smoothly. I want to make a grocery list today, complete with recipes for two new foods and a standard food. (My current craving is pasta, so I'm thinking a tomato and pasta salad as one new food and some sort of creamy pasta and chicken dish as my other. I'd make roast beef as my standard food, since I'm daydreaming and there's no real effort involved in daydreams.)
I want to print coupons to go with said list, so I spend less.
I want the list typed up and saved in my pda, so I don't have to retype it next week.
I want the chores started today, but I only want to spend a brief time doing chores before I go forth and enjoy the Saturday.
I want everything in my house to stay where it is supposed to be.
I want poopy, in the potty. (A girl can dream.)
I want Loki to wean himself, starting a month ago, one bottle at a time. I want him done just in time to have exactly enough frozen milk to give him until the day he turns one year old, but early enough to never have to nurse him on a hot day in July.
I want to take my quizzes everyday and never forget. (Krumply knows what I'm talking about.)
Sigh.
I want to sigh less than a cranky, 70-year-old woman.
I want to workout and eat healthy and drink water and dress nice but comfy...
Etcetera.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Mom's Night Out
Before I had kids, I thought I'd never want a night away from them, unless it was with just my husband.
Well, I still want a night with just my husband.
But a night with other moms is an experience you can't pay for. And when the moms have kids of similiar ages and are two of your favorite friends, it recharges you like nothing else.
Honestly, the food at the Japanese place we went to was just okay. But the company was wonderful. I desperately needed a break and now I feel recharged. I missed my kids - just enough to really appreciate them. :)
Etcetera.
Well, I still want a night with just my husband.
But a night with other moms is an experience you can't pay for. And when the moms have kids of similiar ages and are two of your favorite friends, it recharges you like nothing else.
Honestly, the food at the Japanese place we went to was just okay. But the company was wonderful. I desperately needed a break and now I feel recharged. I missed my kids - just enough to really appreciate them. :)
Etcetera.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Feels Like Law School
I'm sitting in a coffee shop, with a legal pad doubling as a mouse pad. I've got a hot medium roast with two creams and five Splendas. My glasses are on, but since I only need them for distances, they are propped atop my forehead, holding my hair out of my eyes. I have a stack of work beside me and the plan is to get through it all.
It's almost dead week at most colleges, so people all around me are working. One 25ish lady has little forms spread out around her. I overheard enough of a conversation to assume she is almost done student-teaching and is finishing a project related to that. Another lady, closer to thirty, is writing a paper. It looks, well, PAINFUL. Glad I'm not her. The other person is just straight up studying for a test. Reading notes, highlighting, and writing mneumonics down every now and then.
Other people in the coffee shop include a 30-40ish male reading the paper, wearing jeans and a t-shirt bought in Tahiti. He doesn't look rich, so I wonder how he finds time to sit around and read the paper.
A businessman is one the phone, sipping coffee, talking to his office, and clearly waiting to meet with someone.
Other people pop in every three or four minutes, grab coffee, and run back to the nearby offices.
I feel like it was when I used to study in law school, except that Ander and Loki are at my mom's, I can't skip lunch because I'm a nursing mom (though I'll settle for a bagel with cream cheese and honey), and I have to leave on time to pick up the kids.
I wonder if these other people have kids. And, if so, what are their kids up to right now.
Etcetera.
It's almost dead week at most colleges, so people all around me are working. One 25ish lady has little forms spread out around her. I overheard enough of a conversation to assume she is almost done student-teaching and is finishing a project related to that. Another lady, closer to thirty, is writing a paper. It looks, well, PAINFUL. Glad I'm not her. The other person is just straight up studying for a test. Reading notes, highlighting, and writing mneumonics down every now and then.
Other people in the coffee shop include a 30-40ish male reading the paper, wearing jeans and a t-shirt bought in Tahiti. He doesn't look rich, so I wonder how he finds time to sit around and read the paper.
A businessman is one the phone, sipping coffee, talking to his office, and clearly waiting to meet with someone.
Other people pop in every three or four minutes, grab coffee, and run back to the nearby offices.
I feel like it was when I used to study in law school, except that Ander and Loki are at my mom's, I can't skip lunch because I'm a nursing mom (though I'll settle for a bagel with cream cheese and honey), and I have to leave on time to pick up the kids.
I wonder if these other people have kids. And, if so, what are their kids up to right now.
Etcetera.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I Can Only Do So Much
I have a ton of work to do, after taking a whole week and a day(and now yesterday afternoon)off to take care of Loki. But I feel like I have the flu. I don't have fever, so no swine flu here, but my poor baby if he felt this way last week. Alan's working crazy and unpredictable overtime, meaning I am stuck trying to get the basics done.
I never, or rarely, hear anyone else complaining about being this far behind. Hello? Aren't the rest of you overwhelmed, too?
More coffee.
Etcetera.
I never, or rarely, hear anyone else complaining about being this far behind. Hello? Aren't the rest of you overwhelmed, too?
More coffee.
Etcetera.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Interesting Breastfeeding/Family Leave Discussion
While sitting home with Loki a couple of days ago, I happened to turn on the public broadcasting network. There was a fascinating discussion of breastfeeding and it's affect on income. Apparently, a study recently came out that said, over a woman's lifetime, she makes less if she breastfeeds. As a working and nursing mom, I'm not shocked.
Sure, maybe in the end I'll spend less on medical bills (doesn't feel like it this week, though, with our doctor and hospital visits :/) and less sick time off. But, right now, breastfeeding cuts into my pay, probably more than formula would cost. I took longer off of work to nurse Loki. I go in later, take a longer lunch, and leave earlier, all to nurse my baby.
I'm okay with all of that. My choice to breastfeed was not based on money, but what was best for my family. I do think some moms HAVE to work and end up using formula because of it, but I could afford a little bit of a flexible schedule, at lower pay, to breastfeed, so that wasn't a real factor for my family. (I'm not okay with my infections, overproduction, lack of breaks, lack of sleep...but that's a different story. :)-)
Back to the discussion, though. There were liberal women there discussing how paid family leave would be fair, so moms could breastfeed. They pointed out that giving mandatory breaks for pumping and supplying private areas would go a long way to helping moms breastfeed. I agree.
And then the more conservative women spoke up. And they talked about how a family works together to pay the bills. Sometimes, that means mom takes a year off and a cut in pay (over time) to nurse each baby. I agree.
I found myself wanting paid leaves for moms. (As a small business owner, this would be tough for me to provide. But if all small business owners had to do it, prices would go up to cover it, and it's something I could budget for.) But I also find myself thinking that families do need to rearrange things, not necessarily to breastfeed, but to give the baby extra attention in the first year. Maybe part of that is breastfeeding. Maybe it's not. But babies take a lot of work in year one and families need to be available for it.
I rarely agree with a conservative viewpoint. And, clearly, I was MORE in agreement with the liberal speakers. But I understood the conservative viewpoint, too, which was sort of disconcerting for me.
Etcetera.
Sure, maybe in the end I'll spend less on medical bills (doesn't feel like it this week, though, with our doctor and hospital visits :/) and less sick time off. But, right now, breastfeeding cuts into my pay, probably more than formula would cost. I took longer off of work to nurse Loki. I go in later, take a longer lunch, and leave earlier, all to nurse my baby.
I'm okay with all of that. My choice to breastfeed was not based on money, but what was best for my family. I do think some moms HAVE to work and end up using formula because of it, but I could afford a little bit of a flexible schedule, at lower pay, to breastfeed, so that wasn't a real factor for my family. (I'm not okay with my infections, overproduction, lack of breaks, lack of sleep...but that's a different story. :)-)
Back to the discussion, though. There were liberal women there discussing how paid family leave would be fair, so moms could breastfeed. They pointed out that giving mandatory breaks for pumping and supplying private areas would go a long way to helping moms breastfeed. I agree.
And then the more conservative women spoke up. And they talked about how a family works together to pay the bills. Sometimes, that means mom takes a year off and a cut in pay (over time) to nurse each baby. I agree.
I found myself wanting paid leaves for moms. (As a small business owner, this would be tough for me to provide. But if all small business owners had to do it, prices would go up to cover it, and it's something I could budget for.) But I also find myself thinking that families do need to rearrange things, not necessarily to breastfeed, but to give the baby extra attention in the first year. Maybe part of that is breastfeeding. Maybe it's not. But babies take a lot of work in year one and families need to be available for it.
I rarely agree with a conservative viewpoint. And, clearly, I was MORE in agreement with the liberal speakers. But I understood the conservative viewpoint, too, which was sort of disconcerting for me.
Etcetera.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Chore Chart
The chore chart we made for Ander is working great. It has 8 or 9 things on it each day. They are sort of divided into morning (brush teeth, brush hair, get dressed without a fight), daytime/afternoon (help with household chore on Sat & Sun, clean room on Sun, Wed, & Fri, pick up toys left in the living room on days when he doesn't clean room), goals (potty dry all day and poopy in the potty), and nighttime (brush teeth and floss). Although someday it will have consequences attached to it, right now it's just a motivational tool. He loves putting checks when he does the stuff on the chart. If we are out of the house, obviously he won't get all the checks. But so far, he is doing great getting some every single day, like brushing his teeth. On an average day, he gets 5 or 6 checks.
I'd like to incorporate a bigger reward. We are thinking about giving him "book bucks" for each check. Right now, I'm thinking he gets a nickel credit for each check mark. At 5 check marks a day, that's about a quarter a day or a dollar and a half a week. In three weeks, he could pick out an inexpensive book (and, more importantly, make a trip to the bookstore to play with the trains ). More often, and we won't have time to take him to the bookstore. Plus, it wouldn't be as big a treat. But I'm nervous that it's not often enough. He gets excited by the checks, though, and I figure he will probably be excited by the "book bucks," so the trip is just extra, right? Also, I don't want to pay him for chores (because they are just expected), so this way, he gets books instead. Once he gets an allowance, it will be tied to chores, as in if you don't do them, you don't go anywhere and don't get your allowance until they are done, but not a dollar per chore or anything like that. So, in a way, I suspect I might be setting a bad precedent. That said, i really am trying to motivate him and I think books are a great reward and something we like to get once a month or so anyway.
I probably ought to do a chore chart for me and Alan. That would motivate him! But what happens if we don't get our chores done?
Etcetera.
I'd like to incorporate a bigger reward. We are thinking about giving him "book bucks" for each check. Right now, I'm thinking he gets a nickel credit for each check mark. At 5 check marks a day, that's about a quarter a day or a dollar and a half a week. In three weeks, he could pick out an inexpensive book (and, more importantly, make a trip to the bookstore to play with the trains ). More often, and we won't have time to take him to the bookstore. Plus, it wouldn't be as big a treat. But I'm nervous that it's not often enough. He gets excited by the checks, though, and I figure he will probably be excited by the "book bucks," so the trip is just extra, right? Also, I don't want to pay him for chores (because they are just expected), so this way, he gets books instead. Once he gets an allowance, it will be tied to chores, as in if you don't do them, you don't go anywhere and don't get your allowance until they are done, but not a dollar per chore or anything like that. So, in a way, I suspect I might be setting a bad precedent. That said, i really am trying to motivate him and I think books are a great reward and something we like to get once a month or so anyway.
I probably ought to do a chore chart for me and Alan. That would motivate him! But what happens if we don't get our chores done?
Etcetera.