It's every working mom's worst fear - missing a major milestone while you're at work. Could anything make you feel more guilty than having someone report to you that little Johnny took his first step while you were busily meeting with Bob from Accounting? Nope.
With Little A being over 2, I didn't think there were really any more milestones I could miss. But I did. Little A has been seemingly "holding it" while she's in school. Each day there are three dry diapers circled on her daily report sheet. As soon as we get home, she promptly lets loose. It cracks us up, and I figured she'd stop (or rather go) when she got more comfortable at school. Her teacher and I were discussing this and she mentioned that maybe she would try Little A on the potty since she can obviously control that stuff. She didn't bring it up again, and today when I picked her up, the teacher said "Well, another dry day, but no big deal since she went on the potty last time that happened!" Screeeeecchhh. Hold up, what? She went on the potty? When? How? And why didn't I know about this?
"Are you sure you're talking about Little A?" I asked. "Yup," she answered. I turned to Little A and asked her if it was true. She calmly nodded like, yeah, no big deal mom, I can go on the potty, I just choose NOT to when you're around." And that was that.
Not sure where to go from here, since she continues to answer my questions about potty training with "Not yet," "I wear diapers," and my personal favorite "I'll go in the potty on Sunday." So I guess I won't push her to duplicate that little feat, although I am quite curious to see it for myself. I guess as milestones go, I'm okay with missing this one. But I'll be sure to take some pictures next time it happens and pretend its the very first time. Don't worry, I won't share.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
It was a good day
Today was a good day.
No one woke up puking.
I didn't forget my coffee. I sipped it in the car while listening to my favorite radio show.
I did some good stuff at work. I got a "thank you" and a "perfect" and a "you should be proud."
I picked up the girls and neither one ran the other way. Little A looked especially cute eating an ice pop around a table with her tiny two year old friends.
I came home to flowers and a vacuumed living room. I appreciated them both.
I had a playdate with my cousin. The kids had fun.
We had spaghetti for dinner. No one complained or made retching noises.
The kids went to bed at 7:15. I didn't have to be the one dealing with the missed nap that got them there.
I have the remote, my laptop and some Hershey's kisses on tap.
It was a good day.
No one woke up puking.
I didn't forget my coffee. I sipped it in the car while listening to my favorite radio show.
I did some good stuff at work. I got a "thank you" and a "perfect" and a "you should be proud."
I picked up the girls and neither one ran the other way. Little A looked especially cute eating an ice pop around a table with her tiny two year old friends.
I came home to flowers and a vacuumed living room. I appreciated them both.
I had a playdate with my cousin. The kids had fun.
We had spaghetti for dinner. No one complained or made retching noises.
The kids went to bed at 7:15. I didn't have to be the one dealing with the missed nap that got them there.
I have the remote, my laptop and some Hershey's kisses on tap.
It was a good day.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
This is why I don't cook
This post would be a lot more convincing (and disgusting) if I had taken a snapshot of tonight's dinner. You'll have to use your imagination because I just can't bear to go back to it.
I hate cooking. All that effort and time and you end up (well, I do) with something that never tastes or looks as good as you were hoping. I go through phases of trying to cook and learn to like it. It just never works. This week I picked out two recipes to make with the idea that each would serve for two night's dinners. I chose a low-fat lasagna and a chicken pot pie recipe. First up the lasagna. It subbed cottage cheese for ricotta and I accidentally bought the no-boil lasagna noodles. Let's just say the crunchy noodles and tasteless cottage cheese left a lot to be desired. The kids wouldn't touch it and ate cereal one night and an orange the next. Sigh.
Tonight, I tried the chicken pot pie. We walked in the door a little after 4 p.m. I turned on the tv for the girls and got my netbook out for the recipe. First of all, it called for cream cheese. Plus a half cup of chicken broth. The reviews said it was dry, so I dumped in the whole can of chicken broth. Which was 2 cups. Let's just say it was not dry. It also called for using baking mix for the topping/crust. Now, I had no clue what "baking mix" was and I accidentally grabbed biscuit mix. This is my problem. I never can seem to follow a recipe to a "t" - I either get the wrong ingredient, forget something or omit it on purpose as if I would know better than someone who actually writes recipes for a living.
So needless to say, the chicken pot pie was basically soup with bits of not-quite-melted cream cheese (oh yeah, because I bought the "light" cream cheese) and then topped with not-quite cooked through blobs of biscuit. It was as good as it sounds. The girls ate lettuce and cucumbers with ranch dressing for dinner. Sigh.
And by the time I'd done the prep/cooking/"eating"/cleanup, it was two hours later and our night was about over. And I hadn't even gotten to sit down. Can you blame me for hating cooking? I am not sure where to go from here. Can't afford a personal chef, don't want to rely on unhealthy takeout, but I'm seriously tired of my kitchen and making efforts for something that turns out disgusting. I think next week I will keep it basic and steer away from the casserole dishes. I'll stick with my tried and true meals like spaghetti with jarred sauce and already prepared meatballs. Or fish sticks and microwave mashed potatoes.
I know, you're jealous aren't you? Aren't my girls lucky? They'll never be fat.
I hate cooking. All that effort and time and you end up (well, I do) with something that never tastes or looks as good as you were hoping. I go through phases of trying to cook and learn to like it. It just never works. This week I picked out two recipes to make with the idea that each would serve for two night's dinners. I chose a low-fat lasagna and a chicken pot pie recipe. First up the lasagna. It subbed cottage cheese for ricotta and I accidentally bought the no-boil lasagna noodles. Let's just say the crunchy noodles and tasteless cottage cheese left a lot to be desired. The kids wouldn't touch it and ate cereal one night and an orange the next. Sigh.
Tonight, I tried the chicken pot pie. We walked in the door a little after 4 p.m. I turned on the tv for the girls and got my netbook out for the recipe. First of all, it called for cream cheese. Plus a half cup of chicken broth. The reviews said it was dry, so I dumped in the whole can of chicken broth. Which was 2 cups. Let's just say it was not dry. It also called for using baking mix for the topping/crust. Now, I had no clue what "baking mix" was and I accidentally grabbed biscuit mix. This is my problem. I never can seem to follow a recipe to a "t" - I either get the wrong ingredient, forget something or omit it on purpose as if I would know better than someone who actually writes recipes for a living.
So needless to say, the chicken pot pie was basically soup with bits of not-quite-melted cream cheese (oh yeah, because I bought the "light" cream cheese) and then topped with not-quite cooked through blobs of biscuit. It was as good as it sounds. The girls ate lettuce and cucumbers with ranch dressing for dinner. Sigh.
And by the time I'd done the prep/cooking/"eating"/cleanup, it was two hours later and our night was about over. And I hadn't even gotten to sit down. Can you blame me for hating cooking? I am not sure where to go from here. Can't afford a personal chef, don't want to rely on unhealthy takeout, but I'm seriously tired of my kitchen and making efforts for something that turns out disgusting. I think next week I will keep it basic and steer away from the casserole dishes. I'll stick with my tried and true meals like spaghetti with jarred sauce and already prepared meatballs. Or fish sticks and microwave mashed potatoes.
I know, you're jealous aren't you? Aren't my girls lucky? They'll never be fat.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Plague 3 plus some good stuff
So now that Little A is finally on the mend, of course it was time for Big A to get sick. As if on cue, shouts rang out this morning just before 5 a.m. Big A had puked and wanted to tell me about it. I brought her into our room with a trashcan. Luckily we had childcare lined up to give Little A one more day off school to recover, so an additional patient was added to the list. Big A bounced back quickly and I'm sure it was just a cold combined with drinking milk before bed and laying flat on her back to sleep. A couple pillows tonight should do the trick and both girls SHOULD go to school tomorrow...fingers crossed.
Now on to the good stuff. Today was a good day.
Now on to the good stuff. Today was a good day.
- I dressed up for an event at work and felt quite pretty in a skirt, tights and heels. Its been a long time since I've dressed like a girly girl.
- The event went well and my boss and I grabbed lunch after - I tried fish tacos for the first time and really liked them. We had a nice time chatting and getting to know each other better.
- My workplace has a library - right in the building. There are few things I love more than books so this is thrilling to me. I ducked in after work today and spent a few leisurely minutes choosing some new reading material. Since my visits to the library normally involve the kids, I never get to browse for books of my own. The best I can do is grab a book from the shelf at the front which usually means I'm reading either something religious or a large print book. But now...all the books I want right at my disposal. Love it.
- I was home by 3:15 and settled in with the kids. Talked on the phone with my sister and felt like things were finally getting normal. And, dinner is already prepared and ready for the oven thanks to the fact that I made it last night but no one felt like eating it.
Feeling more positive that this may actually work out well!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The 10 plagues?
I hope not.
Its been a rocky start back to the working world. The first week we had both of our cars in the shop and had to juggle sharing a car and transitioning the girls to daycare. The second week, Little A came down with something...and that something has been hanging around for 9 days now. We think we are finally one the mend now, but its been a stressful process. Its the sickest either of my girls has ever been - and the longest. We've been juggling child care since she hasn't been able to attend school since last Tuesday. I had to call out on my 7th day of employment, which was not the way I wanted to start my new job. Luckily, they were very understanding and that gives me hope for the future, since this will surely not be the last time the girls pick up a bug.
I'm really hoping that we can have a regular week sometime soon. In the meantime, I am just so glad Little A is starting to perk up, since it was awful to see her so lethargic and miserable.
We did manage to steal away with Big A yesterday for our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Sixers game. We had a blast and it was fun to watch Big A get into the Sixers spirit. She even announced that she wanted more Sixers game when it was over!
In the meantime, Little A had a first last night. She figured out she could get out of her toddler bed and come into our room on her own. It scared the CRAP out of me when I woke up to see her in our bedroom in the middle of the night. Tonight I put her to bed and closed the door and went to put Big A to bed. I immediately heard little footsteps as she climbed out of bed and hightailed it to our bedroom door. I am going to have to sleep with one eye open tonight in case she pays another visit. I did bribe her with the promise of a toy if she stayed in bed all night, so here's hoping.
And here's to the end of the plagues.
Its been a rocky start back to the working world. The first week we had both of our cars in the shop and had to juggle sharing a car and transitioning the girls to daycare. The second week, Little A came down with something...and that something has been hanging around for 9 days now. We think we are finally one the mend now, but its been a stressful process. Its the sickest either of my girls has ever been - and the longest. We've been juggling child care since she hasn't been able to attend school since last Tuesday. I had to call out on my 7th day of employment, which was not the way I wanted to start my new job. Luckily, they were very understanding and that gives me hope for the future, since this will surely not be the last time the girls pick up a bug.
I'm really hoping that we can have a regular week sometime soon. In the meantime, I am just so glad Little A is starting to perk up, since it was awful to see her so lethargic and miserable.
We did manage to steal away with Big A yesterday for our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Sixers game. We had a blast and it was fun to watch Big A get into the Sixers spirit. She even announced that she wanted more Sixers game when it was over!
In the meantime, Little A had a first last night. She figured out she could get out of her toddler bed and come into our room on her own. It scared the CRAP out of me when I woke up to see her in our bedroom in the middle of the night. Tonight I put her to bed and closed the door and went to put Big A to bed. I immediately heard little footsteps as she climbed out of bed and hightailed it to our bedroom door. I am going to have to sleep with one eye open tonight in case she pays another visit. I did bribe her with the promise of a toy if she stayed in bed all night, so here's hoping.
And here's to the end of the plagues.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Keeping it real
I started a post about some sweet moments I experienced tonight watching Big A at her swim lesson. How cute it was to see her as the smallest again instead of the biggest against Little A. How proud she was and how she smiled at me while paddling and squirted water from a plastic duck at a little boy next to her.
I really did enjoy it and for 30 minutes tonight, I lost myself in the hazy heat of the indoor pool and the muffled shouts of the kids and the playful splashes that took me far away from a mundane Monday night. The smell of the baby shampoo in Big A's hair and her childlike delight in watching the sights and sounds of the locker room.
Unfortunately, my little reverie was interrupted by the washer overflowing which basically just capped off a long day and just about pushed me over the edge. I'm finding it a little challenging to be back among the frazzled working parents. I like my job so far and I'm glad I have it, don't get me wrong. But I'd forgotten the sheer exhaustion that comes from fitting life into a time clock again. For anyone that has kids, I'm sure its nothing new that kids don't fit to a time clock. No matter how well you plan, you can never account for the million little things that can set that plan adrift. Do you include in a morning schedule "tantrum about who gets dressed first" or "emergency over the butter melting into the toast and not believing that there is really butter on it"? Nope, you just have to roll with it and try to leave enough time for it.
So last night when Little A woke up crying at midnight and told me I "forgot her," I rolled with it and brought her into my bed for snuggles. And when I forgot to eat my own breakfast in the rush of getting the kids ready this morning, I made do with a pack of yogurt-covered raisins I found stashed in my purse. When J was running late and would have had to rush out the door without dinner to take Big A to swim lessons as planned, I volunteered to do it, and I'm glad I did. But when we had finally gotten both kids bathed, brushed, and tucked into bed, and I had finally settled on the couch with my laptop to do some work instead of watching the Bachelor like I really wanted, but at least I was sitting down....well, the last thing I could bear at that moment was the washer overflowing. The worst part is, that I'm sure its something I did since I suck at laundry.
Luckily, J told me to relax, do my work and he would take care of the laundry debacle. So here I sit. Taking a moment to breathe before diving into some work. Then probably staying up too late fast-forwarding my way through a bad reality show, losing myself in the fantasy of being styled and romanced and flown on helicopters and taken to deserted islands for a date. All that said, I'll take the smell of baby shampoo mixed with chlorine, the peaceful sounds of the baby monitor (for now) and a chance to do it all again tomorrow.
I really did enjoy it and for 30 minutes tonight, I lost myself in the hazy heat of the indoor pool and the muffled shouts of the kids and the playful splashes that took me far away from a mundane Monday night. The smell of the baby shampoo in Big A's hair and her childlike delight in watching the sights and sounds of the locker room.
Unfortunately, my little reverie was interrupted by the washer overflowing which basically just capped off a long day and just about pushed me over the edge. I'm finding it a little challenging to be back among the frazzled working parents. I like my job so far and I'm glad I have it, don't get me wrong. But I'd forgotten the sheer exhaustion that comes from fitting life into a time clock again. For anyone that has kids, I'm sure its nothing new that kids don't fit to a time clock. No matter how well you plan, you can never account for the million little things that can set that plan adrift. Do you include in a morning schedule "tantrum about who gets dressed first" or "emergency over the butter melting into the toast and not believing that there is really butter on it"? Nope, you just have to roll with it and try to leave enough time for it.
So last night when Little A woke up crying at midnight and told me I "forgot her," I rolled with it and brought her into my bed for snuggles. And when I forgot to eat my own breakfast in the rush of getting the kids ready this morning, I made do with a pack of yogurt-covered raisins I found stashed in my purse. When J was running late and would have had to rush out the door without dinner to take Big A to swim lessons as planned, I volunteered to do it, and I'm glad I did. But when we had finally gotten both kids bathed, brushed, and tucked into bed, and I had finally settled on the couch with my laptop to do some work instead of watching the Bachelor like I really wanted, but at least I was sitting down....well, the last thing I could bear at that moment was the washer overflowing. The worst part is, that I'm sure its something I did since I suck at laundry.
Luckily, J told me to relax, do my work and he would take care of the laundry debacle. So here I sit. Taking a moment to breathe before diving into some work. Then probably staying up too late fast-forwarding my way through a bad reality show, losing myself in the fantasy of being styled and romanced and flown on helicopters and taken to deserted islands for a date. All that said, I'll take the smell of baby shampoo mixed with chlorine, the peaceful sounds of the baby monitor (for now) and a chance to do it all again tomorrow.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
TGIF
As a stay at home mom, TGIF lost its meaning somewhat. I didn't look especially forward to Friday's as a random Tuesday was just as likely to be a fun day. Now though? Welcome back Friday!
The key, I'm finding, is to stay organized. One of my favorite parts of a new year is a new PLANNER. I am a giant nerd about school supplies and love nothing more than a fresh new paper planner. My new one has several rows across each week, so I've used these to plan out my schedule, the kids' schedules, the kids' lunches, our family dinners, as well as keep track of my freelance work. And did I mention that Big A started swim lessons this week too? Maybe I am crazy...
Its been a long week. Mostly good, but a lot of adjustment on all of our parts. I started my new job on Tuesday. So far, so good. Trying to make a good first impression and not seem too crazy can be draining though. I'm not sure how I'm doing on that effort as each day my new boss has said "you're funny"several times in a surprised type of voice . I also noticed today that I was drinking my coffee out of a mug bearing the name of an anti-depressant (thanks to a drug rep family member). I'm thinking that might not have been the best mug to choose when trying to make a good impression...
I always said that the busier I am, the more productive, and while that is true, I am certainly testing out that theory to the max right now. Not only did I start a new job, but I'm also juggling a freelance job and am about to start another one. I also decided to host a playdate this week, just to assure myself that I'd still have time for my friends. All in all, its been a lot to handle.
The key, I'm finding, is to stay organized. One of my favorite parts of a new year is a new PLANNER. I am a giant nerd about school supplies and love nothing more than a fresh new paper planner. My new one has several rows across each week, so I've used these to plan out my schedule, the kids' schedules, the kids' lunches, our family dinners, as well as keep track of my freelance work. And did I mention that Big A started swim lessons this week too? Maybe I am crazy...
The best part of this week has been seeing how well the girls are doing. J and I were talking over dinner about how proud we were of Little A when she piped in with, "I'm well adjusted"! It took a few minutes to decipher what she was saying because we couldn't believe she was saying it. She's taken right to school, with not one single tear. She is napping there, and her daily sheet has had "happy" checked in her mood column every day. I couldn't ask for more. Big A is enjoying the extra time too. In fact, she hasn't wanted to leave the last few days when I picked her up. I'm happy she's having fun, but its a little embarrassing when your kid is not interested in going home with you. I'm hoping Social Services doesn't knock on my door to find out why she'd rather hang out at school than at home.
Big A also got her "progress report" this week and is doing really well. Her teacher noted that she started the year off shy, but has really opened up and made new friends. The only area she needs improvement on is her self-confidence, which surprised me a little, but I guess I could see how her shyness could be interpreted as a lack of confidence. At least I know at home she is plenty confident!
Today I worked till 2:30, then headed to my freelance job till 5, picked up the girls and came home to make homemade pizzas with their help. Dinner was immediately followed by playtime upstairs, pjs, and bedtime and I realized I hadn't sat on my beloved spot on the couch all day. What a 180 from just a week ago!
All in all, I think we're all going to thrive in our new roles, but it will take a little bit of adjustment, mostly on my part. I'm seeing some earlier bedtimes in my very near future. TGIF, ya'll!
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