Remember when you were a kid and you dreamed about summer vacation? You couldn't wait to hang out, relax and have zero responsibility. Those were the days when you could stay in your jammies until noon, go to the pool every day, play outside, go to the mall, spend a week at the beach. Those were the days.
Well. . . I may not be a kid anymore but I am in the middle of my summer vacation and I feel just like a kid again. Thursday evening I finished my first summer course (online. . . love online courses) and my month long summer break began. I have never truly appreciated a break like this before. Last summer was my first time not working or in school but having just moved across country and taking care of a newborn I didn't really get to enjoy the season. I went back to school last August and didn't get a single break from school because I am taking winter/summer school in order to graduate when I want.
I am making sure to take full advantage of my summer vacay! Danny and I have been to the pool every day since I turned in my final assignment for the last course I was in. We have gone to the mall, gone on runs every day. We are having a great time. I feel incredibly blessed to have this time to spend with just my son, I don't have to take him to the sitter, I'm not stressed about writing papers or doing extra readings, I'm not up all night taking care of any of those things. Once my son is in bed for the night my husband and I actually get to spend some quality time together.
Just stopping to smell the roses :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
I am NOT pregnant
. . . Nor am I trying to be, but this is a great site for anyone who WANTS to be pregnant.
http://www.firstresponse.com/index.asp
Not only does first response have tons of info on all of their products, but they have a ton of resources for family planning, ovulation calculating and tons of Q&A's.
The site is great if you want to get pregnant, and even has some good information in the family planning section if you DON'T want to get pregnant. The ovulation tracker is great for anyone who is doing natural family planning, it is so easy to use.
Happy baby making
*Or not :)
http://www.firstresponse.com/index.asp
Not only does first response have tons of info on all of their products, but they have a ton of resources for family planning, ovulation calculating and tons of Q&A's.
The site is great if you want to get pregnant, and even has some good information in the family planning section if you DON'T want to get pregnant. The ovulation tracker is great for anyone who is doing natural family planning, it is so easy to use.
Happy baby making
*Or not :)
Recovering
I am still recovering from my very busy weekend.
Thursday I had a million things to do, one of them being helping my brother-in-law take all the centerpieces for his wedding reception to the caterer. Wedding planning is so stressful and someone is always screwing something. . . I am so glad I never have to do it again. Friday was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner which my little ring bearer was a little angel for. Saturday morning I had to get my hair done, take my son to his My Gym class, get myself ready for the wedding, get my ring bearer ready for the wedding, make sure my hubby/groomsman ready for the wedding. It was a long morning. The wedding was beautiful and I am thrilled to have a new sister-in-law, Haley and her beautiful daughter Alexis as my niece. Danny did not last very long after the ceremony, my sister had to pick him up before the reception because he was so hot and cranky (outdoor wedding, 90 degree weather).
The next day I had been tasked with getting my sister-in-law out of the house so my brother could get things ready for her surprise birthday part. I had some much needed girl time with my wonderful sister-in-law, but once we got back to her house and the party began Danny turned into a little terror and we had to go home.
To start my week I had a cranky boy all day Monday. . . he does not like being so busy! As soon as he got to sleep I had to work on an exam for my summer course at UMD.
I am exhausted!
Thursday I had a million things to do, one of them being helping my brother-in-law take all the centerpieces for his wedding reception to the caterer. Wedding planning is so stressful and someone is always screwing something. . . I am so glad I never have to do it again. Friday was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner which my little ring bearer was a little angel for. Saturday morning I had to get my hair done, take my son to his My Gym class, get myself ready for the wedding, get my ring bearer ready for the wedding, make sure my hubby/groomsman ready for the wedding. It was a long morning. The wedding was beautiful and I am thrilled to have a new sister-in-law, Haley and her beautiful daughter Alexis as my niece. Danny did not last very long after the ceremony, my sister had to pick him up before the reception because he was so hot and cranky (outdoor wedding, 90 degree weather).
The next day I had been tasked with getting my sister-in-law out of the house so my brother could get things ready for her surprise birthday part. I had some much needed girl time with my wonderful sister-in-law, but once we got back to her house and the party began Danny turned into a little terror and we had to go home.
To start my week I had a cranky boy all day Monday. . . he does not like being so busy! As soon as he got to sleep I had to work on an exam for my summer course at UMD.
I am exhausted!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
In-Laws
While shopping at one of my favorite stores this week (Target) I overheard two girls having a conversation about their in-laws. The conversation sounded like it had the usual complaints about in-laws that everyone has heard but one thing struck me as odd when I heard one of the ladies say "I hate in-laws." Well. . . If you have in-laws then you are an in-law right????
Here are my thoughts:
Having in-laws and being an in-law is not always an easy. Before getting all bent out of shape about your in-law situation think about it. It isn't easy for anyone to be thrown into another family, or for a family to have some stranger thrown into their family unit. Just because their son or daughter loves you doesn't always mean it is easy for that family to love you-this goes both ways.
I have four sisters-in-law and three brothers-in-law on top of the parents and grandparents-in-law. I always try to keep certain things in mind whenever conflict or hurt feelings arise. One of the most important things is to be fair and consistent. For instance, if I am upset with something my husbands sister does I stop and think if I would be upset if my brothers wife did the same thing. Before getting upset with anyone I try to really think about what is going on and decide whether I am really upset about what happened, or if I am upset about who did it. That is key. If you've ever had conflict with any family member you know that you can get stuck in a feeling of always being ready to be angry. You might justify this as just being prepared and anticipate the bad stuff, but you are probably just making your life harder. My advice (and I know I don't always take it) is to take each family gathering, occasion, fight, issue or whatever as a separate event. If you have a problem, talk about it, resolve it and move on. And remember, you are in it for life with these people, so make the most of it!
On the other hand. . . You can't let people break down your family boundaries, but that is a whole other post :)
Here are my thoughts:
Having in-laws and being an in-law is not always an easy. Before getting all bent out of shape about your in-law situation think about it. It isn't easy for anyone to be thrown into another family, or for a family to have some stranger thrown into their family unit. Just because their son or daughter loves you doesn't always mean it is easy for that family to love you-this goes both ways.
I have four sisters-in-law and three brothers-in-law on top of the parents and grandparents-in-law. I always try to keep certain things in mind whenever conflict or hurt feelings arise. One of the most important things is to be fair and consistent. For instance, if I am upset with something my husbands sister does I stop and think if I would be upset if my brothers wife did the same thing. Before getting upset with anyone I try to really think about what is going on and decide whether I am really upset about what happened, or if I am upset about who did it. That is key. If you've ever had conflict with any family member you know that you can get stuck in a feeling of always being ready to be angry. You might justify this as just being prepared and anticipate the bad stuff, but you are probably just making your life harder. My advice (and I know I don't always take it) is to take each family gathering, occasion, fight, issue or whatever as a separate event. If you have a problem, talk about it, resolve it and move on. And remember, you are in it for life with these people, so make the most of it!
On the other hand. . . You can't let people break down your family boundaries, but that is a whole other post :)
Questions. . .
As a woman, even more so as a mother I find myself always asking myself a lot of questions. All day, everyday I am wondering something. I go through the day thinking thoughts like this:
(While feeding my son lunch) Why must he always throw his plate on the floor?
(While cleaning off my deck) Why do I always kill flowers?
(During naptime) Why can I never get everything done?
(While trying to clean up after my husband for the zillionth time) Why did I marry an asshole?
Once the day has calmed down and I don't feel so overwhelmed I start to find the answers to my questions.
Because he is still a BABY.
Because you water too much.
Because you spend too much time on facebook.
You didn't, he isn't perfect but neither are you.
I know that there will always be questions and there will always be answers. I may not always get the answers that I want, but they will always be there. As a wife and a mother I have very high expectations of myself. Multiply that with my type a student personality that is never satisfied with my work leads me to feel overwhelmed a lot. I am a work in progress. Sometimes it is hard to work on a project that you know will never be finished. Each of us are just like that, lifelong projects that need constant work and improvement. Right now I am trying to work on NOT becoming overwhelmed as often as I have been. I need to take my life one day at a time, even one hour at a time on some days.
Someone said to me several weeks ago (although obvious and could have gone unsaid) the person said "nobody is perfect." Well duh. I don't want to be perfect in reality, I just want to take care of all of my responsibilities, including husband, child, student, family and friends and do it well.
Sometimes it just helps to take a step back, look at yourself and think about what you can do to make yourself better.
(While feeding my son lunch) Why must he always throw his plate on the floor?
(While cleaning off my deck) Why do I always kill flowers?
(During naptime) Why can I never get everything done?
(While trying to clean up after my husband for the zillionth time) Why did I marry an asshole?
Once the day has calmed down and I don't feel so overwhelmed I start to find the answers to my questions.
Because he is still a BABY.
Because you water too much.
Because you spend too much time on facebook.
You didn't, he isn't perfect but neither are you.
I know that there will always be questions and there will always be answers. I may not always get the answers that I want, but they will always be there. As a wife and a mother I have very high expectations of myself. Multiply that with my type a student personality that is never satisfied with my work leads me to feel overwhelmed a lot. I am a work in progress. Sometimes it is hard to work on a project that you know will never be finished. Each of us are just like that, lifelong projects that need constant work and improvement. Right now I am trying to work on NOT becoming overwhelmed as often as I have been. I need to take my life one day at a time, even one hour at a time on some days.
Someone said to me several weeks ago (although obvious and could have gone unsaid) the person said "nobody is perfect." Well duh. I don't want to be perfect in reality, I just want to take care of all of my responsibilities, including husband, child, student, family and friends and do it well.
Sometimes it just helps to take a step back, look at yourself and think about what you can do to make yourself better.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
THANK BOB!!
Okay. So after all of my stroller drama. . . I am on my fourth jogging stroller, I have finally found the PERFECT jogging stroller for my needs. After two Chicco strollers and one Schwinn (what was I thinking?) I took the plunge and bought the Bob Revolution SE stroller. I couldn't be happier. This stroller is so easy to maneuver, it is light and it looks so cool! The break doesn't fall down when I run and it really absorbs impact which I am sure my little one appreciates.
The best part about this stroller is that I am running again. I feel so good and am so happy knowing that my body is getting back into shape. I am exhausted, but I've been exhausted for about a year and a half so I am used to it.
Happy Jogging!!
Just in case you want to know where to get a BOB. . . http://www.bobgear.com/revolutionSE
The best part about this stroller is that I am running again. I feel so good and am so happy knowing that my body is getting back into shape. I am exhausted, but I've been exhausted for about a year and a half so I am used to it.
Happy Jogging!!
Just in case you want to know where to get a BOB. . . http://www.bobgear.com/revolutionSE
Hi. . . Remember me?
May 13th?? Seriously. . . Where have I been? I must have taken advantage of not having to be attached to my computer every night with my short break from school. I have had a busy couple of weeks and an even busier month of June ahead. I have already attended two graduations and three family cookouts in the last two weeks. Coming up I have a bachelorette party, a wedding and another bachelorette party all in consecutive weekends. Also, an exam for one of the THREE summer courses I am taking each weekend of the previously mentioned events. EEEEK.I can't promise that my little boy will stick to his schedule and go to bed on time during this busy time, but I can promise he'll be fed and dressed. So much for being a perfect mother right?
On a happy note I have my first tan in two years! I was too busy breastfeeding and taking care of my newborn all last summer that I didn't spend anytime in the sun. I feel like a new woman with a little color on my body. . . It really is the little things.
On a happy note I have my first tan in two years! I was too busy breastfeeding and taking care of my newborn all last summer that I didn't spend anytime in the sun. I feel like a new woman with a little color on my body. . . It really is the little things.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)