I've just realized I've pretty much ripped off someone else's blog name. Not just someone else, but one of the successful Mommy bloggers. Crap. I thought I was brilliant when I checked out "24-7Mommy" as a potential name. It's nice and simple and said what I was feeling. Upon recent further investigation, I've realized there is a "24hours7daysaweek" out there in blogger land.
This woman's site was nominated for "Hottest Mommy Blogger" by Blogger's Choice Awards. Now it looks like I've grabbed a similar name to try and direct traffic to my blog. Or does it?
So, to anyone who may be reading this, feel free to let me know your thoughts on my predicament. Should I change my site name? Or should I just stay put with this one?
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Bumbo
For those of you who are familiar with the Bumbo chair, you may appreciate this link. It has stay-at-home day written all over it:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=392011
The follow up is at:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=602153&fr=yvmtf
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=392011
The follow up is at:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=602153&fr=yvmtf
Injuries
I never thought I'd have so many injuries from having a baby (beyond all the birthing stuff-that's another story altogether). I am always covered in weird marks and bruises. I was at my husband's office summer party last Sunday and someone commented on the bruises on my shins. Slightly embarrassing, right? But I have a good reason. I was multi-tasking and walked into the dishwasher door which I had left open to promote the drying process. I told my husband's colleague's wife that I had walked into the dishwasher door, as if this is something that happens every day. She replied that I must be pretty tired. Ya think? She doesn't have children.
I've always had sensitive skin, so the bruising thing is no big surprise. My daughter has gotten pretty good at hitting, pinching and kicking me. Of course she doesn't mean it (so my husband keeps reminding me). I had one eye ball kicked today, and the other poked. I'm also getting pretty used to being kicked in the wind pipe. I've learnt that pinching can leave pretty funny little bruises. So can having a baby bounce on your lap when you're in your bathing suit with no protection from little toes.
In my previous life of sitting in front of a computer at the office all day, I never experienced the infamous carpal tunnel syndrome. Guess what I have now diagnosed myself with? I am carrying around an almost 15 pound baby all day. This is apparently much tougher on my wimpy wrists than typing. I now have one of those fancy $20.00 wrist brace thingies which I wear in the house. It gets taken off and put back on a million times a day because babies like to pull Velcro things and to spit food. I also need to wash my hands a lot.
My back is another story. I finally went and had my Mother's Day massage last Saturday. I paid a man in a spa almost $100 to massage my aching back for an hour. It was awesome. But the pain returned the next day (which was the office party). Not only was the pain back, but my shoulder muscle felt slightly bruised. Having only had 4 massages in my life, I'm not sure if that's normal? All I know is I'd happily accept an hour long massage on a daily basis. I really need to start doing yoga again. I'm going to break soon if something doesn't change.
I've always had sensitive skin, so the bruising thing is no big surprise. My daughter has gotten pretty good at hitting, pinching and kicking me. Of course she doesn't mean it (so my husband keeps reminding me). I had one eye ball kicked today, and the other poked. I'm also getting pretty used to being kicked in the wind pipe. I've learnt that pinching can leave pretty funny little bruises. So can having a baby bounce on your lap when you're in your bathing suit with no protection from little toes.
In my previous life of sitting in front of a computer at the office all day, I never experienced the infamous carpal tunnel syndrome. Guess what I have now diagnosed myself with? I am carrying around an almost 15 pound baby all day. This is apparently much tougher on my wimpy wrists than typing. I now have one of those fancy $20.00 wrist brace thingies which I wear in the house. It gets taken off and put back on a million times a day because babies like to pull Velcro things and to spit food. I also need to wash my hands a lot.
My back is another story. I finally went and had my Mother's Day massage last Saturday. I paid a man in a spa almost $100 to massage my aching back for an hour. It was awesome. But the pain returned the next day (which was the office party). Not only was the pain back, but my shoulder muscle felt slightly bruised. Having only had 4 massages in my life, I'm not sure if that's normal? All I know is I'd happily accept an hour long massage on a daily basis. I really need to start doing yoga again. I'm going to break soon if something doesn't change.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Entertainment
I can't believe I did it again. My daughter has been on a very bad sleep cycle for the past 5 nights. She'll last 2 or 3 hours before waking and expecting food/comfort. That has made me a very very tired Mommy. That said, I got stuck on the couch watching the second episode of "Age of Love" last night. It's a reality dating show where one bachelor (Mark something or other-a tennis player from Australia) dates two groups of women. One group is in their forties and one group in their twenties. Mark has to ultimately pick one women from the "older" group or the "younger" group. Who will he pick? All the women are fighting over this one thirty-year-old guy. Pathetic, right?
I should be disgusted by the premise, and should be refusing to watch such nonsense from 9 to 10pm. But I was kinda hooked after last week. Last night at about ten to nine I declared to my husband that I should just read a book and go to bed. He said I deserved entertainment. I guess I'm just unimpressed with myself because my mind must really be turning to mashed potatoes if this is what I now find "entertaining". What I really needed was sleep, and again I paid the price in lost zzzs. I am, however, looking forward to next Monday at 9pm. I am seriously cheering for the women in their forties.
On another front, I have been listening to a lot of radio. For the first 5 months of my daughter's life I was all about the classical music station. Then I got bored and started scanning for a more entertaining option. I landed on one station which seemed to have some potential. It took me almost half an hour to realize I was listening to Christian rock (mind you I was entertaining a 5 1/2 month old at the same time). I was really beginning to question the quality of today's music when I clued in. I was also wondering how out of the loop I was. I'm happy to report I've now found a cool new station which is playing a very nice variety of groovy tunes. They even reported live from Bonnaroo (a music festival in Manchester, TN I was actually hip enough to attend 4 years ago). The problem with radio is listening to the ads. If only I hadn't packed away most of our CDs to make room for all the baby crap that has taken over our living room!
Anyway, it's about a billion degrees outside so we're off to our other form of entertainment-the pool.
I should be disgusted by the premise, and should be refusing to watch such nonsense from 9 to 10pm. But I was kinda hooked after last week. Last night at about ten to nine I declared to my husband that I should just read a book and go to bed. He said I deserved entertainment. I guess I'm just unimpressed with myself because my mind must really be turning to mashed potatoes if this is what I now find "entertaining". What I really needed was sleep, and again I paid the price in lost zzzs. I am, however, looking forward to next Monday at 9pm. I am seriously cheering for the women in their forties.
On another front, I have been listening to a lot of radio. For the first 5 months of my daughter's life I was all about the classical music station. Then I got bored and started scanning for a more entertaining option. I landed on one station which seemed to have some potential. It took me almost half an hour to realize I was listening to Christian rock (mind you I was entertaining a 5 1/2 month old at the same time). I was really beginning to question the quality of today's music when I clued in. I was also wondering how out of the loop I was. I'm happy to report I've now found a cool new station which is playing a very nice variety of groovy tunes. They even reported live from Bonnaroo (a music festival in Manchester, TN I was actually hip enough to attend 4 years ago). The problem with radio is listening to the ads. If only I hadn't packed away most of our CDs to make room for all the baby crap that has taken over our living room!
Anyway, it's about a billion degrees outside so we're off to our other form of entertainment-the pool.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Time
I'm wondering how all the Mommy bloggers out there have time to write? I was so excited to start my blog, and had a billion wonderful ideas about what I could write about. I'm now wondering when all these ideas will make it into written format?
When I have a free second, the last thing on my "to do" list is write. Not that it's not important, but compared to the other items on the list (brushing teeth, combing hair and putting back in pony tail, going pee, eating something other than a granola bar, doing laundry and trying to get poo stains out my daughter's clothes, etc., etc.), it just can't compete. I never know how long she will nap for. It could be 5 minutes, it could be 2 hours. This makes sitting down and actually writing difficult to execute. Perhaps I should try harder? When I do get a free second, sometimes it's nice to do nothing as well!
I also have to share that I FINALLY finished a book. I was sick with a cold last week, which really sucked, but it did give me the chance to read a lot in bed when my daughter slept. It's the first book I've read in 6 months (sad but true). Up until now, I've only read magazines and newspapers (barely). I have trouble keeping up with Time magazine, let alone all the parenting information that seems to make its way into our home. The book, "Wiped! Life With a Pint-Sized Dictator" by Rebecca Eckler is, of course, about baby stuff. I really enjoyed its frankness and related to a lot of what she went through (at least up until 6 months as that's as far as I've gotten). I was rather jealous of her 2 months in Maui post-partum and full time nanny. I wonder how I would have felt if I'd had that kind of support?
Right now I need to run and make dinner. But I had to vent about not having time to write. I honestly do spend a lot of time thinking about what I actually want to write about.
When I have a free second, the last thing on my "to do" list is write. Not that it's not important, but compared to the other items on the list (brushing teeth, combing hair and putting back in pony tail, going pee, eating something other than a granola bar, doing laundry and trying to get poo stains out my daughter's clothes, etc., etc.), it just can't compete. I never know how long she will nap for. It could be 5 minutes, it could be 2 hours. This makes sitting down and actually writing difficult to execute. Perhaps I should try harder? When I do get a free second, sometimes it's nice to do nothing as well!
I also have to share that I FINALLY finished a book. I was sick with a cold last week, which really sucked, but it did give me the chance to read a lot in bed when my daughter slept. It's the first book I've read in 6 months (sad but true). Up until now, I've only read magazines and newspapers (barely). I have trouble keeping up with Time magazine, let alone all the parenting information that seems to make its way into our home. The book, "Wiped! Life With a Pint-Sized Dictator" by Rebecca Eckler is, of course, about baby stuff. I really enjoyed its frankness and related to a lot of what she went through (at least up until 6 months as that's as far as I've gotten). I was rather jealous of her 2 months in Maui post-partum and full time nanny. I wonder how I would have felt if I'd had that kind of support?
Right now I need to run and make dinner. But I had to vent about not having time to write. I honestly do spend a lot of time thinking about what I actually want to write about.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Baby Touching Update
I have to admit that I paid $1.50 for one hot house tomato the other day. I was at the grocery store when the creepy produce guy appeared and started to make the move towards my daughter. I've had some experience trying to avoid this guy in the past as I learnt the hard way that he likes to touch babies.
I was looking at Roma tomatoes, but creepy guy was getting close so I avoided eye contact and kept moving to a point where he was blocked by another employee unloading produce. That is how I ended up with the fancy shmancy hot house tomato. $1.50 seemed a small price to pay to avoid letting him get too close.
But looking back I'm wondering if I should have followed my own advice a little more and stood up for us and told him I'd prefer if he not touch my baby. Maybe I'm a big wimp.
At least the tomato was really good.
I was looking at Roma tomatoes, but creepy guy was getting close so I avoided eye contact and kept moving to a point where he was blocked by another employee unloading produce. That is how I ended up with the fancy shmancy hot house tomato. $1.50 seemed a small price to pay to avoid letting him get too close.
But looking back I'm wondering if I should have followed my own advice a little more and stood up for us and told him I'd prefer if he not touch my baby. Maybe I'm a big wimp.
At least the tomato was really good.
My First 6 Months as a Dependent Homemaker
I watch them walk by our house every morning. They’re off to their real jobs and I’m home in my pajamas. This is where my real job is now. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, but doesn’t seem to hold the clout it deserves in today’s world. My daughter turns 6 months old today and I’m just so proud and relieved that we’ve made it this far.
The official leave from my “real” job is about to end. I was the first new parent at my office to ever take advantage of the 16 unpaid weeks granted by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). That combined with my vacation and paid leave gave me a nice chunk of time. But that time is up as of today. I was due back at the office tomorrow morning. But I decided I’m not going back.
As I’m Canadian, I’ve had to switch my visa from a worker to a dependent. I’ve held various jobs in the US over the past 7 years and have always had my own visa and income. I am now on my husband’s visa and I wonder when it will start to feel normal. It doesn’t help that we’re in the process of getting life insurance and my job title on all the paperwork is “homemaker” with an annual income of 0 dollars. I now get a monthly “pay check” from my husband with “Mommy Duty” written in the memo section (we’re not organized enough to do our banking at the same place).
All that said, I know I’m not ready to have someone else take care of my daughter. But at the same time, I still want to have the respect I had when I was working (from who, I’m not sure). I want to know that I can take this time off to be with her and not be punished for it when I decide it’s time to go back to the office. Sadly, that doesn’t appear to be something I can expect. My old boss has told me to be careful about how long I take off as it could affect my future prospects.
It’s so sad that the new skills I’m developing will not be appreciated in the traditional work place. I have to be on call 24-7 as a new Mom. I never know what the day has in store and I always have to be ready for some emergency or other. The stress and exhaustion I have felt in the past 6 months doesn’t compare to any of the toughest work challenges I’ve faced in my career (maybe my jobs weren’t tough enough?).
Some days I really miss sitting in peace at my desk with a coffee and my email. Now I’m lucky if I can be on the computer for 5 minutes before my daughter loudly indicates her displeasure and jealousy. Other days I miss having a reason to get dressed in the morning. Pajamas or jeans/sweats, sneakers/flip flops and a T-shirt have become my new uniform. And my own pay check is something I’m sure I will continue to miss until I have one again.
It’s been 6 months. I don’t know what the future holds in store for me or my family. What I do know is that I’ve made the right decision for us now, and that’s all that really matters. On the challenging days I remind myself that jobs come and go but this time in my daughter’s life will never happen again and I’m extremely lucky to be here to experience it with her.
The official leave from my “real” job is about to end. I was the first new parent at my office to ever take advantage of the 16 unpaid weeks granted by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). That combined with my vacation and paid leave gave me a nice chunk of time. But that time is up as of today. I was due back at the office tomorrow morning. But I decided I’m not going back.
As I’m Canadian, I’ve had to switch my visa from a worker to a dependent. I’ve held various jobs in the US over the past 7 years and have always had my own visa and income. I am now on my husband’s visa and I wonder when it will start to feel normal. It doesn’t help that we’re in the process of getting life insurance and my job title on all the paperwork is “homemaker” with an annual income of 0 dollars. I now get a monthly “pay check” from my husband with “Mommy Duty” written in the memo section (we’re not organized enough to do our banking at the same place).
All that said, I know I’m not ready to have someone else take care of my daughter. But at the same time, I still want to have the respect I had when I was working (from who, I’m not sure). I want to know that I can take this time off to be with her and not be punished for it when I decide it’s time to go back to the office. Sadly, that doesn’t appear to be something I can expect. My old boss has told me to be careful about how long I take off as it could affect my future prospects.
It’s so sad that the new skills I’m developing will not be appreciated in the traditional work place. I have to be on call 24-7 as a new Mom. I never know what the day has in store and I always have to be ready for some emergency or other. The stress and exhaustion I have felt in the past 6 months doesn’t compare to any of the toughest work challenges I’ve faced in my career (maybe my jobs weren’t tough enough?).
Some days I really miss sitting in peace at my desk with a coffee and my email. Now I’m lucky if I can be on the computer for 5 minutes before my daughter loudly indicates her displeasure and jealousy. Other days I miss having a reason to get dressed in the morning. Pajamas or jeans/sweats, sneakers/flip flops and a T-shirt have become my new uniform. And my own pay check is something I’m sure I will continue to miss until I have one again.
It’s been 6 months. I don’t know what the future holds in store for me or my family. What I do know is that I’ve made the right decision for us now, and that’s all that really matters. On the challenging days I remind myself that jobs come and go but this time in my daughter’s life will never happen again and I’m extremely lucky to be here to experience it with her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)