Hello World

• I started to wonder if blogging was going out of style because some of my friends who've been on the blogroll for 4+ years are slowing down in their posting frequency. Then again, I am too. Perhaps it's just easier to read and not write? I'm assuming time is the real issue
• Chris is speaking in 2-word sentences now which is a wonderful break in his language development. I never thought he was behind but I did suspect that his limited vocabulary was part of his aggressiveness. I still see a mild correlation but not to the extent I wish it was (aka- he's speaking more but not hitting significantly less).
• I've tried several new recipes lately because I feel like our home menu is getting kind of stale. I need to find one this week. Any suggestions? KEY: NO WEIRD INGREDIENTS.
• My favorite teaching session is coming up on Thursday.
• I bought a new purse. It's twice the size of any purse I've ever owned but I concede that larger is the style. I literally have like 10 total things in it (2 lipsticks, 2 pens, keys, sunglasses, phone, money, credit cards)- none of which are big so the purse doesn't have that much form (as you can see in the corner) - there's not enough junk to hold it up! ha!

Dressing Up

No one in my office has probably noticed or cares, but I haven't repeated an outfit once in my 6 weeks of employment. I've worn the same dress slacks several times, but never the same top with it.

Especially with the change of seasons coming up I'm excited about seeing how long I can go....

I'm a dork.

Ignore my previous post - clearly I do need a life! ha!

Hobbies

Several years ago, before we had kids, Jim was involved in a lot of things - bowling, softball, martial arts, avidly reading, and getting his first certification. He was really busy but that was okay.

He was, however, critical of me for not having any hobbies.

My life felt pretty full at the time so while I listened I didn't take it as "oh, he thinks I have no interests and am boring". Anyway, I'm self-confident enough to not care even if he did. ;)

Honestly, then my hobbies included two core things: reading and socializing. It was pretty widely known that to get on our calendar was a weeks in advance request and I loved the variety of activities and friends we saw on a regular basis.

Post kids, this has changed pretty drastically. Somehow I'm busier than ever:

• Full time job
• Adjunct teaching gig
• Mom
• Writing a book
• Bowling league
• Avid reader
• Have DVR so I watch 5X (literally) more TV than I did four years ago)

Life still feels full but not uncomfortably so. What's changed is the socializing part. We still see friends but the kids take up time that we'd otherwise be spending eating out with another couple on a Friday night. Our afternoons are spent at the park or coloring instead of meeting a girl friend out at the outlet mall.

Jim and I still spend a considerable amount of time on our own activities (he's still in softball, we bowl together, and he's getting another certification) but we balance that with kid time.

I've been told that as the kids get older the parents of their friends will become some of our closest friends just because our "family time" easily overlaps with their family time (ie at soccer games, swim meets, etc.). I can see that. Adding more friends to our mix sounds daunting though - I don't see our current friends enough (as compared to several years ago!).

parenting ramblings

Sometimes I worry I'm a bad mother. The kids are in daycare and now with my new job they're there an extra 45 minutes beyond what they were before. Also, i can't come see them at lunch several days a week like i did before.

The lunch thing is probably not a big deal. Not one other parent in the entire school ever did this and Chris always took it terribly when i'd leave to go back from work. Nicole just resumed lunch, bossing her friends around, or playing like she was doing before i got there.

My boss said something to me the other day like "my kids always harass me 'oh we were always the last picked up from school, we're emotionally tormented' and I reply, 'yeah, that's why you're on honor roll and your brother got an amazing scholarship to college'." that makes me feel better.

My parenting magazine's answer to 'are daycare kids behind because they're missing 1-on-1 time with a full-time parent'? was a pretty definitive 'no'. they consoled the road warrior mother by saying that if she was happy, successful, and positive about her job the lesson she's teaching her kids is a valuable one not to be missed - hard work is rewarding and worth doing.

are they getting that lesson at 1 and 3?

don't get me wrong, i'm not quitting my job. I don't think i could handle full-time parenting. Nicole is happy, healthy, and very well-adjusted. If Chris were less moody, violent, and clingy i probably wouldn't have any hesitations in the world about my parenting skills. Honestly, i don't think Chris's issues have much to do with my working status. I think he's just in his terrible twos since age 15 months. hoping this is all it is....