Lately it seems like everyone is asking me if my son is going to go to preschool in September 2011. Applications are due soon and the process of guaranteeing your spot is a serious one.
This has brought up a lot of issues for me. Do I go back to work and put both kids in preschool all day, every day? Do I put them in school until 3:30 pm and get a nanny to watch them until 6:30 pm every day? Do I try and find a part time job that will give me more flexibility?
OR
Do I just embrace what I am doing and keep my son home with me for at least another year? Just because his older sister was so obviously ready for preschool at that age, it doesn't really mean he will be.
I have been a Stay-at-Home Mom for 4 years this month and I've never really had a long term plan. I've been hoping the right answer would just come to me. It hasn't.
And I don't like that I am feeling pressure to make a decision. I had my hair cut today (it had been a loooong time), and my hair stylist asked who was pressuring me. Good question. Maybe I'm the one putting all this pressure on myself.
Anyway, I don't usually read my husband's Wall Street Journal, but today there was an interesting set of articles on the state of Motherhood. Check out Mother Madness by Erica Jong for an interesting perspective. And then check out the author's daughter's perspective, Growing Up With Ma Jong.
Common sense would lead me to conclude that I really just need to do what I feel is right for my family and I. Only problem is, I don't know what is right!
To be continued....
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Late, Late, Late
I'll admit it. We are late for school every morning.
Something happened when we moved to our new house. I'm not sure what has changed in our schedule, but all of a sudden getting out the door in a timely manner is impossible. As organized as I think I am the night before, something always comes up to throw us off.
I hate to be late. And I am pretty hard core about keeping everything moving tickidy boom from the time I get out of bed. I may be staying in bed a bit longer these days as it's colder and darker. And I may be letting the babe sleep in a bit more because she has been coughing for weeks and weeks and I want her to get all the rest she can. But really, it's starting to get to me. Apparently I'm not the only one.
Parents from my daughter's school receive frequent emails from the administrators keeping us all up to date on classes, activities, bake sales, and the like. On Friday we got a reminder about daylight savings time and timeliness. It went something like this:
Just a reminder, please drop off your child at or before the 9:15 a.m. start time. If you drop them off after 9:15, one of the staff will take your child to the classroom. We are still in the 3-month acclamation time frame and we want to insure the least disruptions to the school day as possible. We also do not want there to be crowding by your child’s classroom for safety reasons.
My husband asked if I had read the email and proceeded to ask if it was directed at me specifically. And yes, I admit that I have been a fairly consistent offender. And yes, I am trying to change. But no, I am not the only one in this boat. And no, the email was not specifically directed at me (I can easily list off a number of other Mom offenders).
Somehow I'm going to figure this one out. The fact that we moved 5 minutes further away should not make us 20 minutes later. There are 15 minutes I have to account for and the fact that I have a bigger house isn't a good enough excuse.
If you have any awesome morning routine secrets you'd like to share, feel free to do so!!
Something happened when we moved to our new house. I'm not sure what has changed in our schedule, but all of a sudden getting out the door in a timely manner is impossible. As organized as I think I am the night before, something always comes up to throw us off.
I hate to be late. And I am pretty hard core about keeping everything moving tickidy boom from the time I get out of bed. I may be staying in bed a bit longer these days as it's colder and darker. And I may be letting the babe sleep in a bit more because she has been coughing for weeks and weeks and I want her to get all the rest she can. But really, it's starting to get to me. Apparently I'm not the only one.
Parents from my daughter's school receive frequent emails from the administrators keeping us all up to date on classes, activities, bake sales, and the like. On Friday we got a reminder about daylight savings time and timeliness. It went something like this:
Just a reminder, please drop off your child at or before the 9:15 a.m. start time. If you drop them off after 9:15, one of the staff will take your child to the classroom. We are still in the 3-month acclamation time frame and we want to insure the least disruptions to the school day as possible. We also do not want there to be crowding by your child’s classroom for safety reasons.
My husband asked if I had read the email and proceeded to ask if it was directed at me specifically. And yes, I admit that I have been a fairly consistent offender. And yes, I am trying to change. But no, I am not the only one in this boat. And no, the email was not specifically directed at me (I can easily list off a number of other Mom offenders).
Somehow I'm going to figure this one out. The fact that we moved 5 minutes further away should not make us 20 minutes later. There are 15 minutes I have to account for and the fact that I have a bigger house isn't a good enough excuse.
If you have any awesome morning routine secrets you'd like to share, feel free to do so!!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Putting It Together, Part Deux
I did not push him to say this, he chose these words to be his first 3 words put together all on his own. Although I will admit his sister was going through a phase where she kept wanting us to play the game.
The little guy and I have been reading Silly Little Goose! (by Nancy Tafuri) at night, and although it is not about the game of "duck, duck, goose," it does have a goose and some ducks. He now points at it and says "duck, duck, GOOSE."
Regardless, I am one proud Mama. I never thought those words could sound so sweet.
So, here's to duck, duck, goose.
That Time of Year
I have been a little sick for about 11 days. It started out strong (fever, exhaustion) and calmed down pretty quickly. Some days I have felt I am on the upswing and some days I have felt I am on the down slide. Today was a down slide day.
I am washing my hands frequently, drinking fluids, not getting enough rest, and drinking wine.
I also have a sick daughter. She has had a cold and cough for longer than I have been under the weather. The problem is that she is unaware of how to prevent spreading her germs everywhere. She picks her nose, wipes runny snot onto her shirt sleeve, coughs onto everyone (although I know she's trying to remember to cover her mouth with her arm) and she has no problem touching everything and anything with her germy hands. It is overwhelming to try and correct every germ spreading behavior every time I look at her, because it feels like it's constant. There's only so much I can nag.
She, like me, has had some upswing days and some down slide nights. Last night was a down slide and had us all up for about an hour and a half due to the babe's hacking cough and inability to calm down long enough to fall back asleep.
I called the pediatrician today and was told I could:
-NOT give her cough medicine
-give her homeopathic soothing honey type substance (not available at a standard drug store)
-give her decaffeinated tea with honey (yes, I did remind them that she is 3 and not yet a tea drinker)
-keep a humidifier running in her room (while the dehumidifier runs simultaneously in the basement)
-use saline drops to loosen the mucus (squirting this up her nose caused her to almost throw up)
If we see a fever, notice any trouble with her eyes, notice ear pain, or anything funky, we are to call immediately. If the cough doesn't get better by next week, we are to call for an appointment. At this point it seems like every kid in her class sounds the same, and they are all just spreading their germs back and forth to each other. I suppose this is the age where this kind of thing is pretty standard.
Anyway, if you have any tips on how the babe and I can return to our former glory, please feel free to share.
I am washing my hands frequently, drinking fluids, not getting enough rest, and drinking wine.
I also have a sick daughter. She has had a cold and cough for longer than I have been under the weather. The problem is that she is unaware of how to prevent spreading her germs everywhere. She picks her nose, wipes runny snot onto her shirt sleeve, coughs onto everyone (although I know she's trying to remember to cover her mouth with her arm) and she has no problem touching everything and anything with her germy hands. It is overwhelming to try and correct every germ spreading behavior every time I look at her, because it feels like it's constant. There's only so much I can nag.
She, like me, has had some upswing days and some down slide nights. Last night was a down slide and had us all up for about an hour and a half due to the babe's hacking cough and inability to calm down long enough to fall back asleep.
I called the pediatrician today and was told I could:
-NOT give her cough medicine
-give her homeopathic soothing honey type substance (not available at a standard drug store)
-give her decaffeinated tea with honey (yes, I did remind them that she is 3 and not yet a tea drinker)
-keep a humidifier running in her room (while the dehumidifier runs simultaneously in the basement)
-use saline drops to loosen the mucus (squirting this up her nose caused her to almost throw up)
If we see a fever, notice any trouble with her eyes, notice ear pain, or anything funky, we are to call immediately. If the cough doesn't get better by next week, we are to call for an appointment. At this point it seems like every kid in her class sounds the same, and they are all just spreading their germs back and forth to each other. I suppose this is the age where this kind of thing is pretty standard.
Anyway, if you have any tips on how the babe and I can return to our former glory, please feel free to share.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Congratulations!
A few words of congratulations to some good friends:
K & B had a beautiful baby boy on September 2nd, putting the labour back into labour day weekend! Good work guys!
K & S had a sweet little girl on October 16th (I was hoping she'd arrive on my b-day which was the 20th, but no luck). I can't wait to meet her (and her older brother!). Why is the West Coast so far away?
And my friend Kimberly Palmer, writer and mother extraordinaire, just released Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing and Giving Back. You should definitely check it out! You can also check out her blog, Alpha Consumer, at US News and World Report.
K & B had a beautiful baby boy on September 2nd, putting the labour back into labour day weekend! Good work guys!
K & S had a sweet little girl on October 16th (I was hoping she'd arrive on my b-day which was the 20th, but no luck). I can't wait to meet her (and her older brother!). Why is the West Coast so far away?
And my friend Kimberly Palmer, writer and mother extraordinaire, just released Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing and Giving Back. You should definitely check it out! You can also check out her blog, Alpha Consumer, at US News and World Report.
It's Been One Month (and a day)
Looks like I just took a break. Yikes. The more days that went by, the harder it was to log in and write.
I have been too afraid to look at my site meter stats, but the last time I looked it was pretty bleak. Who could blame you? I wouldn't bother checking in with 24-7 Mommy either!
But here I am. In my new house. Setting up our old routine. And trying to keep things moving tickidy boom. It has been a crazy few months but I finally feel like we are getting to where I wanted: the "new normal."
The babe and the little guy have adjusted quite well to our new home. We have a few more night wake ups than we were used to, but I figure it will pass. I am thrilled to walk in the door and am still in shock that it's our home. I feel blessed.
I wanted to share a little story, since I'm here and all. For the past 5 days I have been tearing apart the house in search of the Winnie the Pooh costume my daughter has worn for Halloween the past 2 years. I desperately wanted the little guy to wear the same one as it's just so freakin' cute! I was also looking for the baby cow costume both kids wore as wee youngsters to lend to a friend. I knew these items were located somewhere, in some box or other, and was pretty determined to find them.
I apparently didn't give myself enough credit, because this morning, when I was about to break down and head to Target for Halloween stuff, I dug into a bin of "too big/new clothes for the future" and low and behold, guess what was in there? A bag with 3 Halloween costumes and a Halloween themed orange size 4 shirt for the babe to wear to her class party on Friday. Looking at the price tag, I apparently bought it last year after Halloween for the bargain price of $2! I had also bought a race car driver costume for the little guy to use a few years down the road. I appear to have shockingly been organized enough to put all of this stuff together in a "safe" place so I could find it easily.
Now I realize that all those messy boxes I looked through were just trying to teach me a lesson. And that lesson is that I need to continue on with my dream of having everything organized and in its place. As a stay at home Mom, I am committed to making this dream a reality. I dream big, don't I?
I have been too afraid to look at my site meter stats, but the last time I looked it was pretty bleak. Who could blame you? I wouldn't bother checking in with 24-7 Mommy either!
But here I am. In my new house. Setting up our old routine. And trying to keep things moving tickidy boom. It has been a crazy few months but I finally feel like we are getting to where I wanted: the "new normal."
The babe and the little guy have adjusted quite well to our new home. We have a few more night wake ups than we were used to, but I figure it will pass. I am thrilled to walk in the door and am still in shock that it's our home. I feel blessed.
I wanted to share a little story, since I'm here and all. For the past 5 days I have been tearing apart the house in search of the Winnie the Pooh costume my daughter has worn for Halloween the past 2 years. I desperately wanted the little guy to wear the same one as it's just so freakin' cute! I was also looking for the baby cow costume both kids wore as wee youngsters to lend to a friend. I knew these items were located somewhere, in some box or other, and was pretty determined to find them.
I apparently didn't give myself enough credit, because this morning, when I was about to break down and head to Target for Halloween stuff, I dug into a bin of "too big/new clothes for the future" and low and behold, guess what was in there? A bag with 3 Halloween costumes and a Halloween themed orange size 4 shirt for the babe to wear to her class party on Friday. Looking at the price tag, I apparently bought it last year after Halloween for the bargain price of $2! I had also bought a race car driver costume for the little guy to use a few years down the road. I appear to have shockingly been organized enough to put all of this stuff together in a "safe" place so I could find it easily.
Now I realize that all those messy boxes I looked through were just trying to teach me a lesson. And that lesson is that I need to continue on with my dream of having everything organized and in its place. As a stay at home Mom, I am committed to making this dream a reality. I dream big, don't I?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Putting It Together
I just wanted to share a break through. Tonight, as I was lifting him out of the bathtub, my adorable son said "Bye, duck." He had been playing with his yellow duck during bath time and I suppose he just wanted to say a proper good bye. Very polite, indeed. AND, the first time, to our knowledge, that our son has put together 2 words in a logical (any) fashion. Moving forward....in more ways than one.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Apologies, Apologies, Apologies and an Update
I feel SO GUILTY! I just got my Site Meter stats and saw that you're all still checking in. And what have you been seeing here lately? NOTHING! And I'm sorry...so, so, sorry.
I think about what I'd like to write every day, but just haven't found/made the time to get it written. Perhaps I should be tweeting (joking).
There's a lot of stuff going down over here. We are moving in 5 days and I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed by it all. For instance, today I had a complete meltdown because I waited for the phone/internet/TV guy for 4 hours and then spent an hour on my cell phone trying to sort out what was going on. And I was in an empty house. With my 21 month old son. That was not my idea of fun. So I got back to my rental (and realized I had forgotten the lap top at the new house) and just started balling. That pretty much says where I'm at.
But I'm OK now....in fact, I forced myself to get over it quickly because I had another appointment to cancel for tomorrow, so I stopped crying and made my next call. And you know what I did next? I put the little guy to bed, made some lunch and watched TV all by myself. There was no computer to distract me with tasks, and I have a lot of catch up watching to do (Weeds), so I did. It was a necessary distraction from my current life.
We all know moving sucks. But I think we manage to hide it away in our minds and gloss over it when we think back on it (kinda like what they say about child birth....although I will NEVER forget that). Moving with 2 kids is a whole new world of pain. It is hard. The kids are always around and they don't care if you need to focus on packing, cleaning, dealing with contractors, or making a zillion phone calls to people who don't really care about you. And life doesn't stop. There's still laundry, 3 meals a day, pick up, drop off, bills to pay and errands to run. It ain't like the old days, that's for sure.
So, back to the kids. I think they've spent enough time at the new house that they aren't going to completely freak out when we officially move in. I actually think the babe understands that our days in our rental are almost over.
The babe is doing well and is so happy to be back in school. Sadly we just had a very scary experience; she was attacked by a swarm of wasps as we were leaving the playground on Monday (she lifted up the wrong rock). It was one of the most disturbing things I've ever been through and I am so grateful we didn't end up in the ER. I was putting the little guy in his car seat and had placed her on her side of the car temporarily. I walked around to load her in and found her swarmed by a LOT of wasps. I grabbed her and ran across the street trying to get away (I've never had to deal with anything like this before and wasn't exactly sure what to do). They were everywhere....in her hair, up her shirt, on her legs. It was overwhelming and terrifying.
I didn't know if she was going to go into anaphylactic shock as she had about 20 bites on her little body. After the spectacle on the sidewalk (I ended up pulling her shirt off to swat the wasps off her body), I ran back to the car with her where I proceeded to hold her in my arms in the driver’s seat. I called my husband and he searched the internet for information on wasp bites while I tried to calm her and give her a healthy dose of Benadryl. The screams I heard while the wasps were attacking her are something I won't soon forget. I ended up taking her home and watching her closely. I've now learnt that it may be the next exposure which we have to be concerned about. I hope that day never comes.
The little guy is flourishing despite all the chaos surrounding him. Today he walked up to me holding a book (Where's Spot), saying "boo, boo (which means book). I like that he's asking me to read to him.
And last week he learnt how to say "bubbles." Really, that made me day. Bubbles. It sounds so sweet coming from his little mouth.
I'll try and do a better job. I miss you and my writing. It feels like I've been ignoring an old friend, and I don't want that. I want to be 24-7 Mommy....in Maryland. Thanks for reading...
I think about what I'd like to write every day, but just haven't found/made the time to get it written. Perhaps I should be tweeting (joking).
There's a lot of stuff going down over here. We are moving in 5 days and I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed by it all. For instance, today I had a complete meltdown because I waited for the phone/internet/TV guy for 4 hours and then spent an hour on my cell phone trying to sort out what was going on. And I was in an empty house. With my 21 month old son. That was not my idea of fun. So I got back to my rental (and realized I had forgotten the lap top at the new house) and just started balling. That pretty much says where I'm at.
But I'm OK now....in fact, I forced myself to get over it quickly because I had another appointment to cancel for tomorrow, so I stopped crying and made my next call. And you know what I did next? I put the little guy to bed, made some lunch and watched TV all by myself. There was no computer to distract me with tasks, and I have a lot of catch up watching to do (Weeds), so I did. It was a necessary distraction from my current life.
We all know moving sucks. But I think we manage to hide it away in our minds and gloss over it when we think back on it (kinda like what they say about child birth....although I will NEVER forget that). Moving with 2 kids is a whole new world of pain. It is hard. The kids are always around and they don't care if you need to focus on packing, cleaning, dealing with contractors, or making a zillion phone calls to people who don't really care about you. And life doesn't stop. There's still laundry, 3 meals a day, pick up, drop off, bills to pay and errands to run. It ain't like the old days, that's for sure.
So, back to the kids. I think they've spent enough time at the new house that they aren't going to completely freak out when we officially move in. I actually think the babe understands that our days in our rental are almost over.
The babe is doing well and is so happy to be back in school. Sadly we just had a very scary experience; she was attacked by a swarm of wasps as we were leaving the playground on Monday (she lifted up the wrong rock). It was one of the most disturbing things I've ever been through and I am so grateful we didn't end up in the ER. I was putting the little guy in his car seat and had placed her on her side of the car temporarily. I walked around to load her in and found her swarmed by a LOT of wasps. I grabbed her and ran across the street trying to get away (I've never had to deal with anything like this before and wasn't exactly sure what to do). They were everywhere....in her hair, up her shirt, on her legs. It was overwhelming and terrifying.
I didn't know if she was going to go into anaphylactic shock as she had about 20 bites on her little body. After the spectacle on the sidewalk (I ended up pulling her shirt off to swat the wasps off her body), I ran back to the car with her where I proceeded to hold her in my arms in the driver’s seat. I called my husband and he searched the internet for information on wasp bites while I tried to calm her and give her a healthy dose of Benadryl. The screams I heard while the wasps were attacking her are something I won't soon forget. I ended up taking her home and watching her closely. I've now learnt that it may be the next exposure which we have to be concerned about. I hope that day never comes.
The little guy is flourishing despite all the chaos surrounding him. Today he walked up to me holding a book (Where's Spot), saying "boo, boo (which means book). I like that he's asking me to read to him.
And last week he learnt how to say "bubbles." Really, that made me day. Bubbles. It sounds so sweet coming from his little mouth.
I'll try and do a better job. I miss you and my writing. It feels like I've been ignoring an old friend, and I don't want that. I want to be 24-7 Mommy....in Maryland. Thanks for reading...
Monday, September 13, 2010
Getting Paid
Hello friends. It's been a while.
As usual, I have a lot to say and no time to write it. I am the Queen of distraction these days. And I must admit, I've been going on short walks around my neighborhood at night before bed instead of sitting in front of the computer. I feel like the walking has been helping more than the writing can right now. The big move is 2 weeks from tomorrow and I'm slowly getting closer to being ready. And I can honestly say I am ready to be ready!
Anyway, something happened today that I needed to share.
We were driving to school this morning and the babe was talking about school versus work. I always tell her how lucky she is to be going to school to learn and play with her friends. This morning she said she'd rather be going to work because at work they pay you and then you can buy things. I wasn't sure whether to be horrified or impressed. I suppose I'm both. She's not even 4 and she's already worked out the basics of our consumption oriented society. I keep telling her she should enjoy going to school and being young because things get a lot harder when you get older.
I think it may be true what they say, youth is wasted on the young!
As usual, I have a lot to say and no time to write it. I am the Queen of distraction these days. And I must admit, I've been going on short walks around my neighborhood at night before bed instead of sitting in front of the computer. I feel like the walking has been helping more than the writing can right now. The big move is 2 weeks from tomorrow and I'm slowly getting closer to being ready. And I can honestly say I am ready to be ready!
Anyway, something happened today that I needed to share.
We were driving to school this morning and the babe was talking about school versus work. I always tell her how lucky she is to be going to school to learn and play with her friends. This morning she said she'd rather be going to work because at work they pay you and then you can buy things. I wasn't sure whether to be horrified or impressed. I suppose I'm both. She's not even 4 and she's already worked out the basics of our consumption oriented society. I keep telling her she should enjoy going to school and being young because things get a lot harder when you get older.
I think it may be true what they say, youth is wasted on the young!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Hair Elastics
I'm not sure what it is, but the little guy loves hair elastics (and we have hair elastics all over our house). He has a thing for putting them over his wrist and pushing them up as far as they can go. As he's normally in a T-Shirt, I only realize he has a band on his upper arm when I get him ready for bath or I'm lifting him and his shirt sleeve goes up. He doesn't appear to be able to get it to the point where he is cutting off his circulation, which is good. But it is a little strange, no?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)