january book club + a story from the salon

there are several cover designs for this book, in case you're looking to read it.

Yet another great read this month!  I reallllllly enjoyed reading this one.  It kept me on the edge of my seat and I would find myself cracking open my iPad during my planning periods to jet through just a couple more chapters (bad teacher!).  There was some confusion in the beginning in getting to know the characters of the three stories that intertwine throughout the book, but nothing a person of at least average intelligence couldn't manage...

Some of us weren't as thrilled with the book as I was, but I'd give it a wholehearted:  9!

Since we had several a couple book club members drop out due to either a.) moving away   b.) lack of motivation   c.) negligence or  d.) lethargy, we welcomed two new members this month.  Unfortunately for them, a few of us are Type A and the new girls realized very quickly that in order to speak they must interupt someone else.  And we're totally cool with that.

So the book.  It was awesome. 

Our discussions got pretty deep:

1.)  How well can you really know someone?  Is is possible to know someone completely?
+This one had all of us baring our souls about our own husbands and friends.  Some of us tell them everything, some of us don't.

2.)  If you found a letter that read "For my wife - only to be read in the event of my death," what would you do?
+Most answered that envelope would be ripped open immediately, mainly because they thought it would be something sweet he had written and they needed a good "Awwwwww" moment.  I answered that I would never open it.  In fact, I'm not even sure I'd tell him I found it.

3.)  Would you remain married to your spouse if you found out they had murdered someone (unintentionally) when they were a teenager?
+ I answered yes, only if there were children involved.  So in my personal situation, absolutely.  A few of us who don't have children were like I'd be dodging the hell out of my house ASAP.

*Side note to my husband:  Jeff, if you've murdered someone, don't tell me.  Please.

4)  Have you ever thought about how daily decisions that you make can affect hundreds of other people?
+In the book, each character's decisions has an affect on someone else's life.  Sometimes it was a matter of life and death.

I've never thought about my own decisions but I can think of one way right off the bat.  Last week I was running late to school (driving too fast on semi-icy roads) and rear-ended (barely freaking tapped) an Explorer.  That man had to call his insurance company later in the morning and on and on and on.  My decision to try on nine outfits (that were all too tight) made me late, made me speed, and ultimately made me hit his vehicle.  Boo!

++

Something we didn't talk about (but something I meant to bring up) was the fact that this book took place in Australia so we got to hear all their cute lingo, like calling your mom "Mum" and calling college "Uni."

Moving on.

I got my hair cut yesterday.  Do you ever go to the salon looking for a change, thinking you've made a change, and when you get home you look in the mirror only to find that you look exacty the same?

The stylist put some "swoopy bangs" in but they didn't make much of a difference.  What did make a difference was the Rich Repair shampoo & conditioner by Goldwell.  I've always loved Goldwell but this was amazing.  Obviously I bought some.

Anyways, as I was leaving there was a woman across from me in one of the styling chairs.  The look on her face was the saddest I have ever seen - I'll never forget her somber expression for the rest of my life.  She had her hand on her cheek and her eyes were full of tears, none streaming down.  When my eyes rested higher onto her hair, the stylist was shaving her head.

On my drive home my thoughts kept returning to that woman and her face.  What was she thinking? 

How is this happening to me? 

Why is this happening to me?

The very physical thing that makes me a woman is leaving me.

Now when I look in the mirror I see a bald head.

I no longer feel feminine.

Maybe those wouldn't be her thoughts, but they'd sure be mine.  And there we all were, girls everywhere with beautiful, long, curly, shiny hair just bouncing around her without giving thanks for it.  Taking it completely for granted.

If you have beautiful hair, give thanks for it.

connor @ 3 months

unofficially weighing 16 lbs.

6-12 month clothes

size 4 diapers

 

you love:  MOMMY.

 

you hate:  NOTHING.


~~

 

Seriously kiddo, you are the best. 

I don't even know where to start.

We've really bonded this month, buddy.  You stare at me with that "mommy trance" and I just can't get enough of you.  When you cry or fuss or just aren't happy, all I have to do is put you in my arms and everything is A-okay in your eyes.  Even though it's selfish, I feel so grateful that I'm able to calm your nerves and be such a comforting and happy place for you.

Your smile.  Your laugh.  Your little language.  It all makes me weak in the knees. 

You cracked up for the first time when your brother and I sang B-I-N-G-O to you and bounced you on our knees.  It was the sweetest sound in the world.

You found that you can reach for toys on your bouncer and touch them - it has really kept you in serious mode, concentrating on hitting that little raccoon.  You also found your legs and toes - it's easier for you to lift your right leg so that's always the one that pops up.  You just squeeze and squeeze!  When you lay on your back you can roll over to your side and you love it because it's easier for you to shove all your fingers in your mouth at one time.  That fist is your favorite.

Speaking of your mouth, wow are you drooling a lot.  You also like to blow bubbles and let them sit there on your lips.

The Facts:

You are an amazing sleeper and I thank God every day.  You go down around 7:30 or 8 and sleep until 5:30 or 6.  You're up just once (!!!), somewhere between 2 and 4 am. 

We're still nursing.  Yes, yes we are!  Every three hours on the button!  You're also really good with the bottle - when you're at the babysitter you take four ounces of breastmilk like a champ.

xoxo and Happy Three Months.




what we do on saturdays

 

 We clean the bathroom.

 We vaporize.  My house has been so dry that we've been running this sucker not just at night, but all day every day.

 We strip the sheets.

 We dream of going outside and settle for cracking a window and breathing the air.  Is it just me or is my swingset being blown away by this storm?

 We nap.

 We make messes.  Think rain puddles on my kitchen floor.

 We cook.  This is Paula Deen's taco soup - I leave out all the spicy stuff (those toddlers) and add an extra cup of water or else it's much too thick.  It's consistently good and even better warmed up.

 We Daddy plows snow and we watch.  It's our Saturday entertainment.  I'm just going to say it - I'VE HAD IT WITH THE SNOW.  My boss told us there is a church sign in the midwest that reads "Whoever is praying for all of this snow, please stop."

We take selfies using Timercam.

 

++

 

Oh those Saturdays.

 

 

 

 

 



back to work + my insane morning routine

Here we go!  Back to work!

After three deep freeze snow days last week, school is finally back in session.  It was very hard leaving the boys at the babysitter's but I knew they were in good hands.  There was no crying or pouting from this Mama - I was ready to get things moving back at school.

Last week Jeff and I did a "trial run."  I went in to grade my exams so it was the perfect opportunity to test our new world of two-kids-and-trying-to-get-out-the-door.  That trial run was nuts, and I didn't even get myself showered and ready!  I knew then that I'd have to wake up before everyone else (5 AM) to ensure that I can have myself pulled together - it's very important to me that I look dressed and styled.  No wet buns and flip flops from this teacher.

The real deal came last Thursday and everything worked out pretty well.  It's amazing how easy it used to be having Patrick ready and out the door before we had a baby.  Now I'm factoring in feeding, changing and holding an infant.  It's quite the juggling act.  The key to my three successful mornings has been packing everything the previous evening:  the diaper bag (fresh clothes, fresh blankets, fresh bottles) as well as my school bag (clean pumping supplies) and lunch bag.  My lunch bag goal is to make something on Sunday that I can eat the entire week.  Last week I chose to chop up everything for a salad (romaine, grape tomatoes, banana peppers) and I made a pot of white chicken chili.  This way I can have my lunches at school on Monday and not have to re-pack each night.

Here is my plan of attack each morning:

1.  Get myself up and ready - hair & makeup.
2.  Get Patrick dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed, face washed.  He also likes a banana and a cup of milk while he watches Wow Wow Wubbzy on the computer.
3.  Nurse Connor, change his diaper and get him dressed for the day.
4.  Attempt to spend 15 beautiful minutes of quality time with Jeff and the babes.
5.  Start cars.  (By the way, my dad got me a remote start for Christmas - how amazing is that?!)
6.  Grab all the bags, give hugs and kisses and we're out the door.  I am lucky enough to have a husband that takes both kids to the babysitter which allows me to focus on my day of teaching and get to the school a little early.
7.  We did it.  Pure awesome-ness.


P.S. - my outfit inspiration

things i don't do

This post was done by Cassie on A Little Lovely blog and I felt the need to chime in.

I don't do really high heels.  I'm already 5'7" and my hubby is just about 5'10."  It just doesn't work for us.

I don't do puke.  When I was a kid I was terrified of throwing up, so much so that I developed a little bit of OCD from it.  Like, I would have to have all the suds off the shower walls before exiting or else I would throw up.  Or I had to flip on all three light switches at exactly the same time or else I would throw up.  Or I had to pray "Please don't let me throw up" the same amount of times I said "Thank you."  It sounded like this.  "Please don't let me throw up, please don't let me throw up, please don't let me throw up, Thank you, thank you, thank you."  CRAZY PAST STEF.  Now that I'm an adult, it's much better but if I have a kid puke in my classroom, we literally all evacuate for the remainder of the day until the room has been sanitized through and through.  That sanitizing is all done by our nurse who is now used to my phobia.

I don't tell secrets.  If you tell me something in confidence, you don't have to worry.  I am like a human vault - I have no desire to run out and tell people anything.

I don't do seafood.  I wish I liked it, I really do.  I've tried just about everything, but nothing strikes a cord.  Actually I once gagged a little after trying a cocktail shrimp.

I dont do foreign cars.  My dad has raised me to be a Ford-lover.  Nothing else would be acceptable.

I don't do leftovers after one day.  Gross.  Just gross.  Unless I'm starving and the meal was amazing there's no way it will be eaten by me.  At the same time though, I don't like wasting it.  That's where Jeff comes in.

I don't do late nights.  Even back in my college days, I seldom stayed out late, especially during the week.  Unless it was country night at the bar or my fellow teaching classmates were having a bar crawl, I was snuggled in bed by 10 pm.  My early morning classes were planned purposefully and I liked it that way.

I don't do shots.  Alright, there was this time in college when we did a shot at every bar we went to, and that was like seven.  (Oh, that's not a lot?)  I was so sickly hungover the next day (through my roomates vacuuming and cooking smells) that I vowed to never take a shot again.  I haven't.

I don't do sympathy.  Meet the female version of Dr. Phil.  If someone is behaving like an idiot, I tell them they're behaving like an idiot.  Like women who let guys swear in front of their kids.  Or guys who stick around after their girlfriend, the Flirt of the Town, fooled around on them.  GET A GRIP.

I don't do football.  Totally un-American, I know.  Maybe if I understood the actual game I'd be more interested in watching it.  I just ride along for the wings, the beer and the cute hoodies.  I just cheer when everyone else does.  First down, what what!  No for real, what is a first down?

I don't do organic.  My dad is a non-organic farmer and has taught me a lot about what organic really means and why it's a big line of BS.  We have to feed the world, people.  Organic ain't gonna do it.

I don't do Black Friday.  The whole presents-at-Christmas thing just bugs me.  Why are we buying gifts for eachother but in the end we've both just spent a lot of money on things we could've bought for ourselves?  I get it:  gift-giving is fun and heartwarming for a lot of people.  But to wait in line for an enormous TV that's like $100 cheaper than yesterday?  I freaking hate Best Buy anyways.  Isn't that what Black Friday is about?  Best Buy and their stupid electronics and employees who suck at their job?  Oh yeah, and Kohl's.  Kohl's is the worst store ever put into existence.

I don't do crafts.  First of all, I suck at them.  Second of all, I don't have the patience.  Third of all, that shiz is expensive.  I got into scrapbooking back in like 2001 and I easily spent my entire summer's paychecks on ridiculous stickers and letters.  All I managed to have in the end was a really awkward ensemble of pictures from my trip to Paris (where I looked like your average pimpled 16-year-old without a tan) and pictures of me and my first boyfriend at Homecoming (where I had the curls-stacked-on-my-head updo.  You know what I'm talking about).  Scrapbooking is worthless.  So are crafts.

2014

This picture defines everything I want to accomplish in the new year, and that's carefree timelessness. 

I always seem to have a list on my mind - an endless list that I just cannot accomplish with two children and a husband that need taken care of.  This year I want to ditch that list, even if it's only for an hour.  I want to just be.  Not taking pictures.  Not worrying about the dishes.  Not thinking about lesson plans.  Just being present with my family.

One evening last week after Jeff got home we were all in the family room.  I had Connor on the couch laying on his back.  We were talking to each other and smiling at each other.  Jeff and Patrick were on the ground doing their Dad-Son wrestle/play time.  We all had smiles on our faces and it was the most perfect 15 minutes.  When I came to a realization of what was happening, I felt such peace.  I thought, so this is what carefree timelessness feels like.

So that's what I want more of.  No weight loss goals.  No financial savings goals.  Just being carefree with the ones I love.

 

the toys that won this christmas

Patrick was so excited that Santa brought him a rad train table this year.  Other than what was in his stocking, it's all we got for him and it was plenty.  This thing has kept him occupied for hours!  He's still a little young to realize that he's breaking apart the track that took the elves 3 hours to put together but we just keep fixing it and move on! 

Some others that have been a total hit:

1// Melissa & Doug puzzles. 
We bought the set that came in the wire rack for storing (which is used more as a semi garage than a storage rack but hey, it works).  Patrick loves the alphabet one especially.  He'll say T for Yarn or C for Duck.  He knows where they all go but he has a lot of learning to go as far as knowing what each letter is.

2// Long Haulers. 
These were presents from my sister - he got two of them.  Twin semis.  Hooray.  They've been so fun to pretend with though.  We pretend to get flat tires and go to the construction site, etc.  You can find them at the ever-amazing and ever-redneck Rural King.

3// Imaginarium Mountain Rock Train Table.
Great quality.  Great fun.  Great price.  Downside:  it takes up a ton of space in the family room.

4// Fisher Price Drill Action Tool Set.
If you like to play with your kids, you'll like this more than your kids.  The drill actually works - it will screw in and screw out the screws.  There's probably better terms but I know nothing of construction.  This is a must-have for any toddler!

5// Big Picture Floor Pad.
Patrick has really been into coloring lately and this one is really fun for floor coloring.  The pictures go in alphabetical order, and each item on the page begins with that letter.  So there is a picture of an Elephant flipping Eggs next to an Eggplant.  Get it? 

Another amazing winner that Jeff put together after I compiled this list is the Little Tikes Tough Jobs Workshop.  Once again, just as fun for the adults as it is for the kids - I could play with this thing all day long.

Toddlers are so much fun to play with and it makes toy-buying a blast.  If you know of some amazing toys out there that my kid has to have, please, do share!