In the spirit of my New Years Resolution (being a good role model to my children) I have recently started thinking a lot about what it means to be healthy, exactly. The only thing I know for certain is that I most certainly am NOT healthy. However - in my pursuit of various weightloss plans over the years, I've completely lost all grip on the reality of what it actually means to be healthy.
For starters - I know organic fruits, vegetables and meats are ideal. But this whole organic thing makes me suspicous. Just because something is marked as organic, does that mean it really is? How do I know some innovative farmer isn't just stamping his regular ol' produce with little "organic" stickers? And how far do I need to carry this whole organic thing? Organic sheets... pillows... paint... carpet?
Of course, besides the obvious fruits, vegetables and meat, what other healthy super foods should I be bringing into the house? I've read posts now over at Becoming Mom and Girl Gone Child about this crazy grain called Quinoa (Keen-wa). Supposedly all chock full of fiber and even good for making baby cereal. It is only by chance that I learned of this miracle grain. What else am I missing out on?
And then what about supplements? I'm so lost. Right now the husband and I are both taking Fish Oil, Calcium, Magnesium and a general Multi Vitamin. Am I missing out on anything else essential in the supplement world? Or am I over doing it, and taking too many things?
Lastly, we have the final piece of the puzzle - exercise. I actually know a little bit about this, but then of course there is always conflicting information in this realm. Like running - I would love to just put on my sneakers and run... but isn't that bad for my knees?
*sigh*
Anyway - you are going to be hearing a lot more from me on this whole weight loss and healthy living thing. I'm striving to improve my life in this area, and trying to learn as much as possible about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Freeze Time...
Come along on a random Tuesday night in Kerith's brain:
1. Agh! Mikey is 3 Months Old! He continues to amaze me with this transformation from squishy little infant to snuggley baby. He is starting to enjoy his jumperoo, and can push himself up on his arms when I put him on his tummy. We just love him to pieces...
2. I'm eating a salad for dinner. Lettuce, Grilled Chicken, Pico De Gallo and Light Balsemic Dressing. Blegh. I am so OVER this stupid PSMF crap. Nothing like restricting yourself to lean protein and certain vegetables to give you an appreciation of those lucky health freaks that just eat oatmeal instead of egg mcmuffins because they enjoy it. I'm not quite ready to give up. I lost 7 pounds in the first week, and if I can have a repeat of that performance this week, that will put me at my pre-pregnancy weight.
3. Even if I somehow manage to lose all the weight I want to eating this way, I realize that eventually I will be done losing weight and that is where I ALWAYS falter. Pausing or stopping a diet leads to certain disaster for me. I eventually go back to my ridiculous ways, and I would rather not go there this time around. The fine art of maintenance has always eluded me. I don't have a plan yet, but I'm working on one.
4. I really want to exercise, but I can't seem to find the time to drag myself out of the house. More than anything I want to run. I want to use my whole body... to exert myself. I'm not sure I would be able to exert myself all the way to the end of my block, but I think I might try. Tomorrow. Maybe.
5. My head hurts.
6. I need a vacation.
7. I'm taking the week of 4/6 - 4/10 off. Good Friday, indeed!
8. I can't believe John and Kate aren't getting divorced. I so thought they were getting divorced. I still think they will eventually - I'm not sure how anyone could stand Kate.
9. Ignore the video, but I'm totally digging "Nowhere Fast" by Incubus at the moment.
10. Time to give the baby a bath :)
1. Agh! Mikey is 3 Months Old! He continues to amaze me with this transformation from squishy little infant to snuggley baby. He is starting to enjoy his jumperoo, and can push himself up on his arms when I put him on his tummy. We just love him to pieces...
2. I'm eating a salad for dinner. Lettuce, Grilled Chicken, Pico De Gallo and Light Balsemic Dressing. Blegh. I am so OVER this stupid PSMF crap. Nothing like restricting yourself to lean protein and certain vegetables to give you an appreciation of those lucky health freaks that just eat oatmeal instead of egg mcmuffins because they enjoy it. I'm not quite ready to give up. I lost 7 pounds in the first week, and if I can have a repeat of that performance this week, that will put me at my pre-pregnancy weight.
3. Even if I somehow manage to lose all the weight I want to eating this way, I realize that eventually I will be done losing weight and that is where I ALWAYS falter. Pausing or stopping a diet leads to certain disaster for me. I eventually go back to my ridiculous ways, and I would rather not go there this time around. The fine art of maintenance has always eluded me. I don't have a plan yet, but I'm working on one.
4. I really want to exercise, but I can't seem to find the time to drag myself out of the house. More than anything I want to run. I want to use my whole body... to exert myself. I'm not sure I would be able to exert myself all the way to the end of my block, but I think I might try. Tomorrow. Maybe.
5. My head hurts.
6. I need a vacation.
7. I'm taking the week of 4/6 - 4/10 off. Good Friday, indeed!
8. I can't believe John and Kate aren't getting divorced. I so thought they were getting divorced. I still think they will eventually - I'm not sure how anyone could stand Kate.
9. Ignore the video, but I'm totally digging "Nowhere Fast" by Incubus at the moment.
10. Time to give the baby a bath :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Kinda, Sorta, Maybe...
1 Month ago today, my maternity leave ended. My emotions continue to run high on the subject, as I am torn between wanting to do nothing but spend all day with my son and the enormous guilt I feel when I'm in the office enjoying interacting with the adult world.
Right now there is $14k and a refinanced "Obamortgage", and being able to turn in my lease in November standing between me and being a stay at home mom. $14k in measly credit card debt. What on earth did we ever spend that money on, anyway? Why didn't I know about Dave Ramsey when I was coming out of high school? After spending our tax return on paying off credit card debt, there are no large chunks of cash in our future that will make this any easier. Cuz' I have to pay off the credit card debt BEFORE my lease is up in Nov in order to walk away from the lease (because I can't quit my job until the debt is paid off, and I need a car to get to work... see).
Anyway, it is all very frustrating.
And on the flip side, Husband and I are managing to pay all our bills, AND take on all my student loans that just came due AND pay $600 a month in daycare, and we are really ok.
Friends and neighbors are living in fear of losing their job, husband and I are pretty comfy right now, and I'm like "Yeah, lets pay off this debt so we can live on one income and know what it is really like to suffer, that sounds ideal." Oh, and then I want to rub salt in what would be our newly strained budget by having like 8 million more children.
Wooooo!
I must be sleep deprived to dream of this life, right? :)
Right now there is $14k and a refinanced "Obamortgage", and being able to turn in my lease in November standing between me and being a stay at home mom. $14k in measly credit card debt. What on earth did we ever spend that money on, anyway? Why didn't I know about Dave Ramsey when I was coming out of high school? After spending our tax return on paying off credit card debt, there are no large chunks of cash in our future that will make this any easier. Cuz' I have to pay off the credit card debt BEFORE my lease is up in Nov in order to walk away from the lease (because I can't quit my job until the debt is paid off, and I need a car to get to work... see).
Anyway, it is all very frustrating.
And on the flip side, Husband and I are managing to pay all our bills, AND take on all my student loans that just came due AND pay $600 a month in daycare, and we are really ok.
Friends and neighbors are living in fear of losing their job, husband and I are pretty comfy right now, and I'm like "Yeah, lets pay off this debt so we can live on one income and know what it is really like to suffer, that sounds ideal." Oh, and then I want to rub salt in what would be our newly strained budget by having like 8 million more children.
Wooooo!
I must be sleep deprived to dream of this life, right? :)
Friday, March 20, 2009
X-Baby
What is your baby's super mutant power?
My child has the ability to catch a seemingly harmless cold, convert it into the plague and pass it on to his parents.
For a whole week now, the three of us have been suffering from runny noses, coughing, sinus pressure, and Mikey even has an ear infection. (Note: he LOVES amoxicillin, but can't seem to keep it down for some reason).
Mikey *seems* to be on the verge of recover, but mom and dad are still dead on our feet. I finally stocked up on an arsenal of dayquil, nyquil, tylenol sinus/congestion/pain, and cough drops.
I was deathly ill no less than 4 weeks ago, so to be this sick again is rather irritating.
On a happier note, please please please listen to this song that I found through my girl Lula:
The song is called "Falling" by The Civil Wars. I don't think they are anybody - no record label or anything, but they sure are terrific!
And in case you were looking for another song to listen to, I highly recommend "Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2YnDlEMXiU
Embedding is disabled, so there is the link :)
My child has the ability to catch a seemingly harmless cold, convert it into the plague and pass it on to his parents.
For a whole week now, the three of us have been suffering from runny noses, coughing, sinus pressure, and Mikey even has an ear infection. (Note: he LOVES amoxicillin, but can't seem to keep it down for some reason).
Mikey *seems* to be on the verge of recover, but mom and dad are still dead on our feet. I finally stocked up on an arsenal of dayquil, nyquil, tylenol sinus/congestion/pain, and cough drops.
I was deathly ill no less than 4 weeks ago, so to be this sick again is rather irritating.
On a happier note, please please please listen to this song that I found through my girl Lula:
The song is called "Falling" by The Civil Wars. I don't think they are anybody - no record label or anything, but they sure are terrific!
And in case you were looking for another song to listen to, I highly recommend "Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2YnDlEMXiU
Embedding is disabled, so there is the link :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Getting Ready For Summer...
I LOVE this time of year. I know it is still thawing out in most parts of the country, but here in AZ it is already nice and toasty. The high on Wednesday is going to be 88! Last summer was just ludicrous. I was supah dupah preggers, and have never felt so gosh darn hot in my whole life. Come to think of it, I felt much the same way in December, ha ha ha (seriously, we had the AC cranked in December!). Anyway, I'm feeling much better about AZ weather in general, and am REALLY looking forward to the upcoming waves of heat.
Getting ready for the Summer in AZ is no simple task (not for me, anyway). There is a set of rituals I engage in annually in order to properly embrace the long days of sunshine, tank tops and board shorts. First, I have to make my summer time playlist. Check! Yep, I'm done, already! On the list this year is Incubus, Sevendust, Sublime, 311, Fred Green, Jimmies Chicken Shack and the Deftones. 369 songs in all... just in case I plan on sitting by the pool for 23.45 hours one day and don't want to hear the same song twice. I am actually contemplating making another Summer Playlist with Island, Bossa Nova and Samba music (because I'll take any excuse to listen to Astrud Gilberto).
The next item on the agenda is getting a body worthy of nakedness. Now, I don't really run around naked in AZ during the summer, but in order to bare the heat, you essentially run around in sleeveless or strapless shirts and shorts or capris. Back at ASU, the ladies actually did run around in Bikini's on campus, lol. But, I'm no longer at ASU so I can't really do that (plus, my marks of motherhood aren't really pretty, so no 2 pieces for me until I've had massive vitamin E therapy). Last summer I was pregnant and not really caring what my body looked like, but the prior summer I had a lot of success on PSMF. That stands for Protein Sparing Modified Fast. The basics of the diet are : Plenty of Lean Protein and Plenty of non Starchy Vegetables. Throw in some exercise and you lose a crap ton of weight in a short amount of time. It is a science based crash diet, really. Last year I didn't get a chance to move to maintenance because I got knocked up. But - before that happened, I was looking pretty good! (See Below)
This time around, The Right Husband will be joining in on the fun. He gained some sympathy pregnancy weight, and he is going to take it off by doing PSMF with me. Even though AZ gets super hot, super early, most in the State are super chickens when it comes to actually getting in the water for the first time. The brave stick their toes in around June, while the Husband and I will likely be waiting until July. We should both be bathing suit worthy by July of this year.
Of course - the only reason we even care about getting in a Bathing Suit is because of our dearest darling little Mikey. I can't wait to stick him in a sweet little pair of baby board shorts and take him swimming for the first time!
It won't truly be Summer until our first 3 digit day. The day it hits 100 degrees here (it shouldn't be too long... perhaps sometime in April?) I'll roll my windows down and crank up the stereo to listen to "Doin Time" by Sublime.
I love this time of year!
Getting ready for the Summer in AZ is no simple task (not for me, anyway). There is a set of rituals I engage in annually in order to properly embrace the long days of sunshine, tank tops and board shorts. First, I have to make my summer time playlist. Check! Yep, I'm done, already! On the list this year is Incubus, Sevendust, Sublime, 311, Fred Green, Jimmies Chicken Shack and the Deftones. 369 songs in all... just in case I plan on sitting by the pool for 23.45 hours one day and don't want to hear the same song twice. I am actually contemplating making another Summer Playlist with Island, Bossa Nova and Samba music (because I'll take any excuse to listen to Astrud Gilberto).
The next item on the agenda is getting a body worthy of nakedness. Now, I don't really run around naked in AZ during the summer, but in order to bare the heat, you essentially run around in sleeveless or strapless shirts and shorts or capris. Back at ASU, the ladies actually did run around in Bikini's on campus, lol. But, I'm no longer at ASU so I can't really do that (plus, my marks of motherhood aren't really pretty, so no 2 pieces for me until I've had massive vitamin E therapy). Last summer I was pregnant and not really caring what my body looked like, but the prior summer I had a lot of success on PSMF. That stands for Protein Sparing Modified Fast. The basics of the diet are : Plenty of Lean Protein and Plenty of non Starchy Vegetables. Throw in some exercise and you lose a crap ton of weight in a short amount of time. It is a science based crash diet, really. Last year I didn't get a chance to move to maintenance because I got knocked up. But - before that happened, I was looking pretty good! (See Below)
This time around, The Right Husband will be joining in on the fun. He gained some sympathy pregnancy weight, and he is going to take it off by doing PSMF with me. Even though AZ gets super hot, super early, most in the State are super chickens when it comes to actually getting in the water for the first time. The brave stick their toes in around June, while the Husband and I will likely be waiting until July. We should both be bathing suit worthy by July of this year.
Of course - the only reason we even care about getting in a Bathing Suit is because of our dearest darling little Mikey. I can't wait to stick him in a sweet little pair of baby board shorts and take him swimming for the first time!
It won't truly be Summer until our first 3 digit day. The day it hits 100 degrees here (it shouldn't be too long... perhaps sometime in April?) I'll roll my windows down and crank up the stereo to listen to "Doin Time" by Sublime.
I love this time of year!
Before I'm Dead...
I've been listening to a lot of the Kidneythieves lately. I wonder why they never made another album after 2003?
So, I turn 26 tomorrow. Not exactly a milestone birthday, but for some reason it has me a little bummed. I've never been so NOT excited about a birthday in my life. My friend at work is convinced that I'm developing a late case of the baby blues, but I just think I'm tired and struggling with working out this whole working mother thing. I know there are super moms out there who can do it all with a smile on their face, but I'm feeling frazzled and just plain tuckered out.
A big problem for me is letting my husband help. I just do everything. I'm perfectly capable of rolling over and pushing the husband out of bed to do the rare middle of the night feeding, but I just do it. I could ask for a lot more help, and he would happily give it, but I sort of have this idea that it is easier to just do everything myself rather than take the time to split up the responsibilities.
*Also* I secretly cherish staring at my sweet boys face when he is eating, or just needing snuggles, so I'm creating my own struggles with my selfishness.
Anyway, each year on my birthday I usually start a slew of projects based in self improvement (most do this at New Years... I wait for my birthday for some reason).
At the top of my list is getting back into shape. Preferably not the shape of a circle. Husband and I will both be doing a program called PSMF (protein sparing modified fast) which I will write more about in a later post.
Also near the top of my list is my continuing effort to get organized and be a good mom and wife, which I will also write more about in another post.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
So, I turn 26 tomorrow. Not exactly a milestone birthday, but for some reason it has me a little bummed. I've never been so NOT excited about a birthday in my life. My friend at work is convinced that I'm developing a late case of the baby blues, but I just think I'm tired and struggling with working out this whole working mother thing. I know there are super moms out there who can do it all with a smile on their face, but I'm feeling frazzled and just plain tuckered out.
A big problem for me is letting my husband help. I just do everything. I'm perfectly capable of rolling over and pushing the husband out of bed to do the rare middle of the night feeding, but I just do it. I could ask for a lot more help, and he would happily give it, but I sort of have this idea that it is easier to just do everything myself rather than take the time to split up the responsibilities.
*Also* I secretly cherish staring at my sweet boys face when he is eating, or just needing snuggles, so I'm creating my own struggles with my selfishness.
Anyway, each year on my birthday I usually start a slew of projects based in self improvement (most do this at New Years... I wait for my birthday for some reason).
At the top of my list is getting back into shape. Preferably not the shape of a circle. Husband and I will both be doing a program called PSMF (protein sparing modified fast) which I will write more about in a later post.
Also near the top of my list is my continuing effort to get organized and be a good mom and wife, which I will also write more about in another post.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Before I'm Dead...
I've been listening to a lot of the Kidneythieves lately. I wonder why they never made another album after 2003?
So, I turn 26 tomorrow. Not exactly a milestone birthday, but for some reason it has me a little bummed. I've never been so NOT excited about a birthday in my life. My friend at work is convinced that I'm developing a late case of the baby blues, but I just think I'm tired and struggling with working out this whole working mother thing. I know there are super moms out there who can do it all with a smile on their face, but I'm feeling frazzled and just plain tuckered out.
A big problem for me is letting my husband help. I just do everything. I'm perfectly capable of rolling over and pushing the husband out of bed to do the rare middle of the night feeding, but I just do it. I could ask for a lot more help, and he would happily give it, but I sort of have this idea that it is easier to just do everything myself rather than take the time to split up the responsibilities.
*Also* I secretly cherish staring at my sweet boys face when he is eating, or just needing snuggles, so I'm creating my own struggles with my selfishness.
Anyway, each year on my birthday I usually start a slew of projects based in self improvement (most do this at New Years... I wait for my birthday for some reason).
At the top of my list is getting back into shape. Preferably not the shape of a circle. I'd like to get back to here:
So, I turn 26 tomorrow. Not exactly a milestone birthday, but for some reason it has me a little bummed. I've never been so NOT excited about a birthday in my life. My friend at work is convinced that I'm developing a late case of the baby blues, but I just think I'm tired and struggling with working out this whole working mother thing. I know there are super moms out there who can do it all with a smile on their face, but I'm feeling frazzled and just plain tuckered out.
A big problem for me is letting my husband help. I just do everything. I'm perfectly capable of rolling over and pushing the husband out of bed to do the rare middle of the night feeding, but I just do it. I could ask for a lot more help, and he would happily give it, but I sort of have this idea that it is easier to just do everything myself rather than take the time to split up the responsibilities.
*Also* I secretly cherish staring at my sweet boys face when he is eating, or just needing snuggles, so I'm creating my own struggles with my selfishness.
Anyway, each year on my birthday I usually start a slew of projects based in self improvement (most do this at New Years... I wait for my birthday for some reason).
At the top of my list is getting back into shape. Preferably not the shape of a circle. I'd like to get back to here:
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Luckiest...
I just had the most amazing night with my guys. Mikey and I played together all afternoon and evening, and after his nap Mr. Right and I gave him a bath, and then it was off to bed. After a long crazy day at work, it was awesome to unwind with my boys!
For your viewing pleasure, MPG at 10 Weeks:
For your viewing pleasure, MPG at 10 Weeks:
Drill here... later???
I recall that during the elections, Newt Gingrich was leading the call to action to get Americans pumped up about drilling for energy (oil or natural gas or WHATEVER) here on our soil. As prices at the pump plummeted, it appears we lost our enthusiasm to stop relying on other countries to provide our energy. I know that Newt is still out there trying to be a cheerleader, but everyone else has simply lost their momentum. I'm a bit worried about this as the price of oil seems to be creeping up again. With this current recession and the Obama administration seemlingly making things worse, I'm really worried about what a steep increase in gas prices will do to families that are already hurting.
And speaking of hurting families, the Mortgage Modification has been rolled out. We are supposed to contact our lenders to get the ball rolling, but I'm afraid that we are likely ineligible. You see, our mortgage is within 1/4 of our combined take home pay. I know that we could have been approved for more at the time, but the Husband and I thought "Hey, why not just buy a home we can afford..." At the same time, our mortgage is one of those crazy 80/20 whatchahoozits. It would be great to be able to refi into one 30 year fixed loan, but we aren't really looking for a payment reduction or anything, lol. Of course - if one of us gets laid off, that totally changes the story. Since you can only use this program once, and it lasts through 2012, perhaps we should wait this out a bit longer to see what the job front holds for us.
Finally, Day Lights Savings has arrived! Hooray! Even though AZ is not affected at all, I'm always happy that my customers are 1 hour ahead of me. It makes me feel not so bad about working from 7 to 3:30 (I'm now working 8 to 4:30 in my customers time zone). For whatever reason, my phone has been in the nasty habit of ringing at 2:29 each afternoon. Don't these people know that I have a precious baby to go scoop up and take home?
And speaking of hurting families, the Mortgage Modification has been rolled out. We are supposed to contact our lenders to get the ball rolling, but I'm afraid that we are likely ineligible. You see, our mortgage is within 1/4 of our combined take home pay. I know that we could have been approved for more at the time, but the Husband and I thought "Hey, why not just buy a home we can afford..." At the same time, our mortgage is one of those crazy 80/20 whatchahoozits. It would be great to be able to refi into one 30 year fixed loan, but we aren't really looking for a payment reduction or anything, lol. Of course - if one of us gets laid off, that totally changes the story. Since you can only use this program once, and it lasts through 2012, perhaps we should wait this out a bit longer to see what the job front holds for us.
Finally, Day Lights Savings has arrived! Hooray! Even though AZ is not affected at all, I'm always happy that my customers are 1 hour ahead of me. It makes me feel not so bad about working from 7 to 3:30 (I'm now working 8 to 4:30 in my customers time zone). For whatever reason, my phone has been in the nasty habit of ringing at 2:29 each afternoon. Don't these people know that I have a precious baby to go scoop up and take home?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Time...
Yesterday, Mr. Right and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Although we have been married for 3 years, we have been together for much longer (it will actually be 8 years in October). I wasn't worried about it until this morning, but I am definitely feeling now that we (or at least I am) are becoming "lazy" about our relationship. Actually, I'm going to go ahead and say to a greater extent this is my problem. The husband makes sweet gestures quite often --- is always surprising me with energy drinks and my favorite candy, lol. I on the other hand am quick to put him second these days to the needs of our son or myself. Now - I know he would never complain in a billion years, especially if I'm tending to the baby, but I know that it is super important to make sure he feels loved and needed and included in our family. I need to work on this. Which brings me to the point of this post.
Time...
Where does it go? I am starting to resent my schedule quite a bit. Every morning I wake up at 5am and try to squeeze as much time as possible in with Mikey, all while getting ready for work. I have to run out the door by 6am to fight through traffic and get to the office by 7. Then it is work work work, work work, and running out the door at 3:30 to pick Mikey up from daycare. We typically get home shortly before 5pm.
After that, time really starts to fly. It seems like the evenings are the shortest part of the day, and I don't have time to get 1/10th of the things that need to be done accomplished. I suppose part of the problem is that I want to spend my whole evening playing with the baby, but there are other things that need to get done, like laundry, cleaning, dinner and of course it feels like having Mikey's diaper bag stocked takes a lot of time, too. To be perfectly honest, I get pissed about having to keep anything in that diaper bag. He has to leave the house way too often for my taste now. Everyday that I leave, so does he.
This doesn't even take into consideration any of our poor neglected animals. Poor puppies. Guinness is constantly dropping his most prized toy at our feet, begging us to play, and we rarely take the time to play with him.
I know there has got to be a better way to balance our days and nights, and make sure we are making enough time for all the important things in our life, but I'm definitely struggling to make that happen right now. Is this just a skill that is learned over time, or am I doomed to suffer a life full of half completed "to do" lists?
In the mean time, I'm going to try and start running errands on my lunch. Today I'm off to pick up enough dog food to last us until the weekend when we can stock up at Costco.
Anyone have any hot tips on getting your to do list (or at least the necessities) done everyday?
Time...
Where does it go? I am starting to resent my schedule quite a bit. Every morning I wake up at 5am and try to squeeze as much time as possible in with Mikey, all while getting ready for work. I have to run out the door by 6am to fight through traffic and get to the office by 7. Then it is work work work, work work, and running out the door at 3:30 to pick Mikey up from daycare. We typically get home shortly before 5pm.
After that, time really starts to fly. It seems like the evenings are the shortest part of the day, and I don't have time to get 1/10th of the things that need to be done accomplished. I suppose part of the problem is that I want to spend my whole evening playing with the baby, but there are other things that need to get done, like laundry, cleaning, dinner and of course it feels like having Mikey's diaper bag stocked takes a lot of time, too. To be perfectly honest, I get pissed about having to keep anything in that diaper bag. He has to leave the house way too often for my taste now. Everyday that I leave, so does he.
This doesn't even take into consideration any of our poor neglected animals. Poor puppies. Guinness is constantly dropping his most prized toy at our feet, begging us to play, and we rarely take the time to play with him.
I know there has got to be a better way to balance our days and nights, and make sure we are making enough time for all the important things in our life, but I'm definitely struggling to make that happen right now. Is this just a skill that is learned over time, or am I doomed to suffer a life full of half completed "to do" lists?
In the mean time, I'm going to try and start running errands on my lunch. Today I'm off to pick up enough dog food to last us until the weekend when we can stock up at Costco.
Anyone have any hot tips on getting your to do list (or at least the necessities) done everyday?
Monday, March 2, 2009
One Hot Mess...
Poor Mikey - he has had a rough 48 hours. It all started on Sunday when Mommy decided to clip his fingernails and clipped his finger instead. Blood. Everywhere. Who would have thought a little slice on a fingertip would result in such massive loss of blood? After lots of kisses and cuddles, all was well in the world. Later that night Husband and I were giving him a bath, and afterwards I noticed that his skin was looking pretty dry. I busted out my new Aveeno Baby Lotion (for sensitive skin) and slathered him in it. The next morning I woke him up to find him covered in a skin rash! Yeek! Poor little guy. He didn't seem to mind it too much, but I still felt guilty.
Then, this afternoon, I took Mikey to his 2 Month Well Baby checkup. Poor little guy - he enjoyed being weighed and measured, and he loves the pediatrician. As soon as she left though, the nurse snuck in with 5 vaccinations and filled my poor baby full of holes! He SCREAMED! He Cried! Tears! Oh, but I cried more, lol. It was actually pretty upsetting because I realized he was staring right at my face, and of course I'm blubbering away --- I'm sure that didn't make it any better! After a few bandaids and some snuggles, we were on our way home, but Mikey was in sniffle melt down mode the whole way home (not that I blame him).
Once we got home, we curled up in the recliner together and napped the afternoon away. We both woke up to eat (and feed the daddy) at 7, and then it was more napping. Mikey was up again at 9:30 for the bedtime routine, and now he is sound asleep.
*sigh*
I don't know how many more of these well baby visits I can survive!
Anyway, at 2 months old (9 weeks, really), Mikey is weighing in at 14.5 pounds and is measuring 25 inches long. He is in the 95th percentile for weight and height, and the 75th percentile for head circumference. He's going to be a bruiser, I tell ya!
Then, this afternoon, I took Mikey to his 2 Month Well Baby checkup. Poor little guy - he enjoyed being weighed and measured, and he loves the pediatrician. As soon as she left though, the nurse snuck in with 5 vaccinations and filled my poor baby full of holes! He SCREAMED! He Cried! Tears! Oh, but I cried more, lol. It was actually pretty upsetting because I realized he was staring right at my face, and of course I'm blubbering away --- I'm sure that didn't make it any better! After a few bandaids and some snuggles, we were on our way home, but Mikey was in sniffle melt down mode the whole way home (not that I blame him).
Once we got home, we curled up in the recliner together and napped the afternoon away. We both woke up to eat (and feed the daddy) at 7, and then it was more napping. Mikey was up again at 9:30 for the bedtime routine, and now he is sound asleep.
*sigh*
I don't know how many more of these well baby visits I can survive!
Anyway, at 2 months old (9 weeks, really), Mikey is weighing in at 14.5 pounds and is measuring 25 inches long. He is in the 95th percentile for weight and height, and the 75th percentile for head circumference. He's going to be a bruiser, I tell ya!
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| From Mikey 9 Weeks |
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| From Rice Cereal 3.02.09 |
Sunday, March 1, 2009
And You Say, Stay...
This last week has been killer. When Mr. Right and I discuss our children, their futures, and how we want to raise them, the idea of homeschooling them has always been an idea we toyed with. When I was pregnant, I knew for sure that this was something that I was going to want to do, and I realized that the only way for this to happen would be for me to be a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom).
Living on one income in this day an age is daunting, or at least it seems that way. Josh and I are used to living a certain way, and that way relies heavily on both of us working. Before I got pregnant, it seemed doubtful that I would ever be able to make the sacrifices required to live on just one salary. I had resigned myself to being a working mother and that was all there was to it.
In more recent times, and with the economy taking a major tumble, the distinct possibility of losing BOTH of our incomes had become a major reality for us. A big layoff was done at my office while I was on maternity leave. Those 10 weeks of time spent at home with my child and taking care of the home were both blissful and frightening. I was immensely enjoying that time with my baby, and being able to take care of my husband and our home, but at the same time I was stressed out that I might possibly be laid off.
A week after returning to work, I realize now that being laid off would have been a blessing in disguise. It would have forced us to make the plunge and make the sacrifices we needed for us to live on one income. We would have used my severance "lump" payout to pay off all our credit card debt, and we would have been on a budget in a major way. With the Husband's company car and great insurance, we would have been able to make it along just fine (at this point the Husband has a LOT more job security then I do, even though we work for the same division of the same company).
However, I was not laid off. As those who were affected by layoffs left the office for the last time on Friday, I felt a mixture of jealousy and sadness. I would miss my friends, and the office sure is going to seem a lot lonelier. But - I couldn't help but think "Why not me?" Seems pretty backwards, I realize.
Another woman in my office is struggling with the same dilemma (she has a 6 month old at home). We both would have been able to see the silver lining in being laid off in the latest round, however, both of us managed to keep our jobs. Why not just quit? Well - if we are laid off, the severance makes a big difference, plus the company pays for health care for a year and provides tuition reimbursement for another 2 years. I get the feeling that the axe will be coming down on all of us soon. The industry I'm working in is hurting in a major way, all the way from the MFG's to the Finance companies. With Obama's stimulus (spending) bill, and him planning on raising taxes on the upper 2% plus placing greater restrictions on Wall Street, I don't see the economy improving any time in the next year or so. Then again, who knows? I certainly don't. And I would hate to remain complacent and not make the sacrifices required to change our situation.
With that in mind, Mr. Right and I have to decided to do everything in our power to get ourselves in a financial position where I can stay home and raise our children. It all started with our tax return. Instead of running out and buying the couch and big screen we were eyeballing, we did something completely unprecedented. Yep. We put $1000.00 in the bank for an emergency fund, and then we paid off our two smallest credit card balances. And now we go into crazy mode to start our debt snowball started and get the rest of this debt paid off.
Rush Limbaugh made an amazing speech at the CPAC convention last week. He spoke of American's being able to do anything when the obstacles of the government were taken out of their path. He spoke of all American's being able to realize their dreams, and not because the Government gave them a handout, but because they worked hard for it. It got me to thinking about what my dreams are, and I realized that I need to do everything within my power to obtain them!
So - everyone send warm fuzzy thoughts my way and pray for my company to decide they need one less employee (and make sure that employee is me) or for large sums of money to land in my lap allowing us to speed up this debt payoff process.
I need to be at home. He needs me.
Living on one income in this day an age is daunting, or at least it seems that way. Josh and I are used to living a certain way, and that way relies heavily on both of us working. Before I got pregnant, it seemed doubtful that I would ever be able to make the sacrifices required to live on just one salary. I had resigned myself to being a working mother and that was all there was to it.
In more recent times, and with the economy taking a major tumble, the distinct possibility of losing BOTH of our incomes had become a major reality for us. A big layoff was done at my office while I was on maternity leave. Those 10 weeks of time spent at home with my child and taking care of the home were both blissful and frightening. I was immensely enjoying that time with my baby, and being able to take care of my husband and our home, but at the same time I was stressed out that I might possibly be laid off.
A week after returning to work, I realize now that being laid off would have been a blessing in disguise. It would have forced us to make the plunge and make the sacrifices we needed for us to live on one income. We would have used my severance "lump" payout to pay off all our credit card debt, and we would have been on a budget in a major way. With the Husband's company car and great insurance, we would have been able to make it along just fine (at this point the Husband has a LOT more job security then I do, even though we work for the same division of the same company).
However, I was not laid off. As those who were affected by layoffs left the office for the last time on Friday, I felt a mixture of jealousy and sadness. I would miss my friends, and the office sure is going to seem a lot lonelier. But - I couldn't help but think "Why not me?" Seems pretty backwards, I realize.
Another woman in my office is struggling with the same dilemma (she has a 6 month old at home). We both would have been able to see the silver lining in being laid off in the latest round, however, both of us managed to keep our jobs. Why not just quit? Well - if we are laid off, the severance makes a big difference, plus the company pays for health care for a year and provides tuition reimbursement for another 2 years. I get the feeling that the axe will be coming down on all of us soon. The industry I'm working in is hurting in a major way, all the way from the MFG's to the Finance companies. With Obama's stimulus (spending) bill, and him planning on raising taxes on the upper 2% plus placing greater restrictions on Wall Street, I don't see the economy improving any time in the next year or so. Then again, who knows? I certainly don't. And I would hate to remain complacent and not make the sacrifices required to change our situation.
With that in mind, Mr. Right and I have to decided to do everything in our power to get ourselves in a financial position where I can stay home and raise our children. It all started with our tax return. Instead of running out and buying the couch and big screen we were eyeballing, we did something completely unprecedented. Yep. We put $1000.00 in the bank for an emergency fund, and then we paid off our two smallest credit card balances. And now we go into crazy mode to start our debt snowball started and get the rest of this debt paid off.
Rush Limbaugh made an amazing speech at the CPAC convention last week. He spoke of American's being able to do anything when the obstacles of the government were taken out of their path. He spoke of all American's being able to realize their dreams, and not because the Government gave them a handout, but because they worked hard for it. It got me to thinking about what my dreams are, and I realized that I need to do everything within my power to obtain them!
So - everyone send warm fuzzy thoughts my way and pray for my company to decide they need one less employee (and make sure that employee is me) or for large sums of money to land in my lap allowing us to speed up this debt payoff process.
I need to be at home. He needs me.
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| From Mikey 2.26.09 |
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