"Mom Blog"-Worthy

I did something mom-blog-worthy today.  But before we get to that, who are these moms who blog anyway?  Where do they find the time?  And don't tell me they're stay-at-home moms, because as a part-time stay-at home mom, I can attest that they don't have it easier than working moms.

How am I a part-time stay-at-home-mom, you ask?  I'm a teacher.  So I get 3 months off with my kids a year.  And whether I am at home all the time or working full time, both scenarios have their challenges.  I always hate hearing working moms knock down stay-at-home moms and vice versa.  Where's the sisterly love? However, it's my experience that when people say negative things about others, they're usually miserable.  And as rewarding as motherhood is, it's stressful, and we can say some tmean things!

So what did I do that is mom-blog-worthy?  I was shopping at Target, and found these file holders in their cheap bins.  I impulsively bought a few, as I'm always looking for ways to organize my home.  Today, I realized these will be perfect to hold my to-go lids.  And I thought, this is something out of a mom blog!

Parenting Styles, and Labels, and Critics...oh my!

At nine-months pregnant, my main hobby has become perusing the internet.  One of my favorite activities is reading articles shared by my internet peers.  With my second child on the way, parenting articles tend to pique my interest.  But lately, they've been annoying me.

Recently, I came across an article about authoritarian-style parenting and how it's wrong.  I do not relate to this style of parenting for various reasons.  I encourage my son to ask questions, I let him choose his outfits, and I don't spank him,  But, well, my son is a little crazy.  He runs around like a Tasmanian devil every night and jumps on my back when I least expect it.  I'm sure he could use a little more discipline in his life.  At least that's what someone who sees them self as an authoritarian parent might suggest.  I didn't get very much out of reading the article.  Am I doing a "good job" because I don't fit this parenting style being criticized on the internet?

Then I came across an article about how letting a baby cry it out can be psychologically damaging.  I never let my son cry it out, so again, according to this article, I must be doing a "good job," right? But honestly, I never let my son cry it out because I simply didn't have the heart to.  I never really thought about it in any certain terms, it's just that letting him cry it out isn't really a part of my personality.  One thing I will say though, at three-years old, he doesn't fall asleep too well on his own.

Which brings up the next fun parenting topic: co-sleeping.  Yes, my son sleeps in my bed most nights.  People tend to feel strongly about this.  I have felt judged by parenting peers for letting my son share my bed.  But truth be told, he doesn't share my bed because I have strong opinions about how by sharing my bed will build a trusting relationship, he shares my bed simply out of convenience.  I work long days.  When I get home, after dinner, we tend snuggle up to a book or video (yes, I let my child watch TV, and I'm sure there's a label for that as well) and end up falling asleep together.  And the truth is, I just don't really think about it.

And that goes for a lot of these trendy parenting topics.  I don't have time to think about what type of parent I am.  I'm busy.  I work.  I want to enjoy time with my family without analyzing every decision I make as a parent and worry about whether or not I'm parenting right.

Here's the deal, my son is bathed regularly, fed, loved, socialized, and his interests are nurtured.  My job as his parent is to help him navigate his way through life in a way that works for him, but to teach him  how to do it in a way that works for me.  So, maybe sometimes I am doing a "good job," according to various internet articles.  Maybe other times I could be doing better, according to other various internet articles.

The only critics that really matter are my son and my husband.  We're the ones in this particular family and we know what works best for us.

How to give yourself a pedicure while 9 months pregnant with a 3 year old in the room

Step 1:  Fill a large pitcher with warm water from the faucet.

Step 2:  Pour the warm water in your at-home pedicure spa/foot bath and turn it on

Step 3:  Sit down and put  your feet in.  Enjoy this only for a moment.

Step 4:  Your 3 year old notices what you're doing.  Stop enjoying the moment.

Step 5:  Watch your three-year-old pull his nasty upholstered Thomas chair you purposefully keep hidden in the closet because it's so grossly stained but you can't throw it away because he love it.  Watch him drag the chair to where you're giving your foot bath.

Step 6:  Momentarily share your foot bath with your 3-year-old.

Step 7: Take a picture because it's funny.  Don't post the picture because your feet and ankles look puffy and gross.

Step 8.  Eventually given in and give your three-year-old the entire foot bath.

Step 9: Take another picture because it's funny.  Don't post it because 1) the chair is so nasty and 2) he's in his underpants.

Step 10: Get the foot bath back from three-year-old, but the water is cold.  Turn it off.  Listen to him complain that he wasn't done.

Step 11:  Rub coconut oil on your swollen dry feet.

Step 12:  Cringe as the dog appears out of nowhere to lick the coconut oil off your feet.

Step 13:  Pull your mani-pedi bin from your closet.

Step 14:  Watch your three-year-old grab a handful of cotton balls and run out of the room.  Decide to ignore it.

Step 15:  Look for the nail file.  Give up after a few minutes and settle for toenail clippers.

Step 16:  Come to two realizations:  1) how am I going to reach my toenails and 2) this will be a really funny blog post.

Step 17:  Start blogging to avoid the issue of reaching your feet.

Step 18:  Decide to try to reach your toenails because there's nothing more to blog about.

...

Step 19:  Clip your toenails slightly shorter than you wanted but feel proud of the feat.

Step 20:  Maneuver over your watermelon-sized baby bump and semi-successfully paint 9 out of 10 toenails rather quickly while your cat decides it's time to snuggle.

Step 21: Stop to take a breath and find a way to get that 10th toenail.  Decide that the only way you can feasibly reach it is by using your non-dominant hand.  Success.

Step 22:  Admire your work.  Note that you definitely got a lot of polish on your actual toes, but feel successful anyway,

Step 23:  Allow toes to dry.  Decide on whether to let your three-year-old paint a coat of glitter polish over your toenails.  You probably will.

Screw the Health Kick

Today is parent-teacher conference day at school (my work, not my son's school).  That means I don't have to be at work until around 10:00 a.m. (compared to my usual 7:00).  I've been trying to get back on a health kick recently, so I decided to work out.  The term "health kick" really pisses me off.  What is a kick but a temporary movement?  I wanted to get on a health kick to lose 10 pounds?  And what happens after the 10 pounds are lost?  Is it back to pizza nights and a constant supply of Oreos in the cupboards?  I don't want another health kick.  I want a healthy lifestyle.

It's important to define what is healthy.  It holds a different meaning to different people.  For me, it's a combination of activity and clean eating.  Both are a challenge for me.  I love writing, researching, and watching television.  I have an enormous sweet tooth.  These are all a part of my general disposition.  It's not easy to combat.  But it's not impossible.

I've been really pissed off at the FDA lately.  As I scrolled through their food additives page I was disgusted by the positive spin they put on their 3000 additives included in the database.  Screw them for their carcinogens.  Screw the sodium benzoate I discovered in my store bought hummus.  Screw the plethora of foods that market themselves as healthy when it's all a crock of...I guess I shouldn't swear on a parenting blog (I don't count "piss" as a swear word).

Screw my health kick.  Screw my ten pound goal.  I'm not in it to lose 10 pounds.  I'm in it to raise my son to love honestly natural and safe foods.  I'm in it to fight temptations that are just plain bad for me.  I want to live long dammit (I also don't consider that a swear word).  Screw the health kick.  I want the healthy lifestyle.

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year everybody!  This is my last day of vacation, as I go back to the grind tomorrow.  But I like change and a regimented schedule will do both my son and me good.  I'm not good at following a schedule during my breaks and it can be both relaxing and chaotic.  As I start a new trimester in this new year, I have created some goals, not so much a New Year's Resolution, though it is admittedly comparable.  So, here they are:

1.  Create a fitness routine and stick to it:  I'm thinking of 10 minutes of strength training in the morning and a walk or jog in the evening.  We got a new puppy, so the walking will definitely happen!

2.  Do the 52 Week Money Challenge:  Put a specified amount in a jar once a week, and have nearly $1,400 by the end of December!  I plan to use the money as "fun money" for the family.  I'll probably redo my son's room, give my husband a chunk to do whatever, and revamp my wardrobe with my share.

3.  Build My Savings Account:  It's getting somewhere, finally!

4.  Travel to Florida in August:  We haven't had a family vacation ever, so it's time.  We have good friends down there and my son will be old enough to enjoy it!

5.  Help my son establish bed time independence:  we have unwillingly become co-sleepers with our toddler and plan to claim the bed back!

6.  Grow at work:  I hope to be ready for my next promotion by the end of 2014!

7.  Make responsible eating choices:  Really, I just need to say no to the goodies offered at work!

8.  Pay more attention to my husband:  Parenting usually takes precedence over the relationship.  I want to remember the relationship more.

What are your goals for 2014?

I'm Busy

I love this time of the year.  Not necessarily because of the holiday season, which I overall have mixed feelings about, but because the high school at which I teach is on a trimester schedule, which gives me almost the entire month of December off!  Vacations from work are great!  I think everybody should get them.  They give us the opportunity to relax, spend time with loved ones, but also cross items off of our personal agenda.  I particularly enjoy my December vacation because it gives me time to reflect on the past year.  So what has been going on the past year?  Since I haven't posted since the beginning of this year, I'll fill you in.

So, in my last blog, I mentioned some changes I have been working on with my family, as well as my intention to turn this into a research blog.  Although I had been doing the research on nutrition and color analysis, I have not been blogging about it.  I have a toddler and a full time job.  I'm busy.

Since my last post, I am completely back to my pre-pregnancy weight!   One of the things I love about December (and the other two breaks I get per year) is that I have what seems to be an infinite amount of time to meal plan.  I make my best eating decisions during these months.  Overall, I have made wishy-washy eating decisions, but I am more informed about what I'm putting into my body.  Next year, I hope to reserve Sundays for meal planning so that I can be more consistent about what goes into my body as well as my family's.

I have donated all my big clothes, as well as colors that don't look good on me.  I am not happy with my current wardrobe though.  I haven't had the time and money to spend on buying clothes and accessories that I enjoy wearing, however I do notice a difference in my color choices.  Even though I do not necessarily like my clothes, I do get more compliments than ever.  I do attribute that to the color analysis theory.  Through my wardrobe makeover (or is it a make under, considering I didn't really get new stuff, I just threw away a lot), I have developed an interest in home organization all around.

My newest obsession is purging and organization.  I hate the clutter my family and I have lived in, and I was the main culprit.  My great grandmother was a hoarder, and although I wouldn't necessarily categorize myself as such, I have exhibited tendencies throughout my life.  Do you remember my post, My Life is a Mess?  It was my first blog post.  I have come a long way since then, and it has required a lot of research.  Seriously, I read the blog A Bowl Full of Lemons in its entirety as well as two books by Donna Smallin called Cleaning: Plain and Simple and Organizing:  Plain and Simple.  It really helped me break some of my old habits.  Although my house isn't spotless--it never will be, it has come a long way.

I was inspired to create another blog called {The Intrinsic Value of} Downsizing.    However, I didn't actually add content.  I just set it up.  My intent with that blog, like this one, was to record my progress on a goal that was important to me.  Although I have been meeting these goals, I've been doing an awful job of actually recording its progress.  Again, I'm busy.

Overall, I have been doing well at being busy, however I have neglected one of my original passions:  writing.  I barely wrote this past year.  I always have ideas for essays, novels, songs, and plays, but never do I lift the pen (or laptop, after all, it is 2013!).  Maybe that should be my next area focus.  Let's see when my next post will be!

Long Time, No Blog

It's funny what happens when your baby becomes a toddler.  Life goes by way too quickly.  You don't have time to stop for a breath.  You certainly forget about the research blog you ambitiously took on.  Well, maybe not you.  But this certainly happened to me.  So here's what's going on with life as a working mother.

Although I haven't blogged my progress, my husband and I have made some very healthy lifestyle changes.  He works out 3-5 days a week.  I must admit, I probably work out about 1 day a week.  Does stair climbing with a toddler count?  If so, I'm good!  I have, however, completely made over our diets.  We're not on a diet.  We just do our best to make more nutritional choices to make every calorie count.  Yes, we still have cookies in the house and make dumb choices almost daily, but with those dumb choices come great choices and we have noticed a difference.

From these small changes, I now fit into many of my pre-pregnancy clothes.  Although it was tempting to burn all the over-sized garments I've worn over the past year and a half, I'm in the process of organizing my closet and donating old clothes.

As I have come face to face with my old wardrobe, I realized that even though I fit in some of the clothes, in many ways I've outgrown them.   Now, I have too many clothes, many of which I don't wear.  Historically, I have always been frivolous with fashion.  I loved making bold choices, was never shy about showing skin, and couldn't resist a good deal--even if it looked horrible on me.

Now that I'm a prestigious working mother {intended whimsical tone}, frivolous fashion choices seem a thing of the past.  I began researching what looks good on me.  Though my research, I've discovered the color theory.  The color theory matches women's most prominent features (hair, eye, and skin) to clothing and make up colors that work for and against them.  I'm still new to this area of research, but am in love with it.

That's what reminded me that I have a blog.  I am coming across so many good fashion blogs that help explain the color theory, I thought why not store my research in a blog?  And I saw this blog, which was left unattended many months ago.

So I decided to post.