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!