TMI

This morning I got a text from my childcare provider explaining that she has the stomache flu and that she won't be able to watch my little guy today. She also explained what symptoms she was having and then ended with "TMI, I know." I thought that this was interesting, because I just realized that there is no such thing anymore. Once you have a kiddo you want to know ALL the info. It is almost imparative that you know everything that could be heading your way. Once your dinner conversation (with friends, mind you) consists of how many BMs your child is having a day and whether or not they are "normal", there is no going back! TMI doesn't exist to mommies.
Not only do we want to know all the facts, but we are no longer the squeamish, delicate young ladies we once were. Now we are tough, willing participants in conversations that once would have made us roll our eyes in disgust and made our stomaches lurch at the thought. Poop, vomit, rashes, snot, drool, etc. all topics that I actually enjoy discussing now. Weird! I guess I am over the TMI phase of my life. : )
                                          

I'll take one time machine please!

The longer I am a mommy, the more I wish we could have lived in the past. I know that the 50's wasn't all "I Love Lucy" and "Leave it to Beaver", but there are things about that time period that really make me wish I lived then. I would love to live in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. Where everyone watches out for you and your family, and you really get to know your neighbors. I know that these things are possible in this day and age too, but it seems like our goals and expectations are so different. As I have discussed before, we got rid of internet and cable (I have internet at work, so I'm not completely cut-off), but sometimes I think I would like to do even more.
Joe and I have been tossing around the idea of getting rid of our cell phones and just go back to a home phone. The idea that people can't get a hold of me twenty four hours a day, seems almost magical! Now I know that cell phones have their good points too (safety, convience) hense why this hasn't been done yet, but there are also so many up sides! I'm not someone who goes crazy about every little thing that they say will give you cancer or make you sick, but the research about cell phones and the possible side effects of using them are pretty compelling to me. Also, I think about the money we would save. Home phones are extremely cheap and cells are not.
We have also discussed down-sizing to one car. Since Joe's car is already paid off, this really wouldn't help with a car payment, but the money we would save on car insurance and gas would be great. This idea is less plausible since I can't give up my car since I transport Liam to and from daycare each day and Joe would have a hard time without a car since he works at 5:30 am and not many busses run that early. But I still think that it could be do-able.
Going back to a much simpler time seems so inviting! We spend far too much time and money on things that don't matter in the least. People went without three cars a household and cell phones for a very long time, and I'm sure that we could go without as well. Now if I could just convince my pesky husband!

Hard times? Whatever!

I have been working part-time for about two months now and will be receiving my second "small" paycheck next week. So guess what?! In the past month we had to have a tree trimmed (when I say trimmed I mean hacked to pieces), an electrician out, and now someone hit my car! Last week Liam and I went to Joe's work to have lunch with him. We parked in the parking garage across the street and were gone about an hour and a half. When we went to leave, there it was……a series of scratches from the tire to the end of the car along the bumper. It looked terrible! We looked everywhere and no note, so when I was leaving I told the attendant and they said that no one talked to them. What a jerk! I can't believe that someone would hit a stranger's car and just leave! Well, I guess I can, there are people who do a lot owrse. But still, Jerk!
Joe took the car to a body shop that very day and they buffed-out a lot of the damage, but the bumper still looks horrible. They also told us that because the area that was damaged is part of a piece that circles the whole car, they would charge over $700 dollars to fix it. We really can't afford to pay that much and I don't really care whether or not we have a scratched car, but we are still making payments on it and the scratches definitely bring the value of the car down. Luckily our insurance will kick in as an un-insured driver and the deductable is only $300. But what else can possibly go wrong! I feel like my part-time situation is being sabotaged! We haven't had to do anything to the house since we moved in (except a new washer and dryer), until the last month.
Whatever! I'm home with my baby boy and everything else will work itself out! Right??

What's important?! Oh, how to decide!

I'm a couple of months in to working part-time and I absolutely LOVE everything about it! I'm the best teacher I can be (when at school), I'm the best mom and wife I can be (when at home), and I'm not absolutely exhausted like I was last year. I know that this is what is best for my son, my students, and for me. But, is it what's best for our family in the long run? Since going to part-time the pay checks are looking pretty small. Shouldn't be a surprise, huh? Well it wasn't, and we are doing great with our budget. But lately I have been thinking about all of the other things that I, Joe, and (some day) our kids will want to do. I know that everyone wants things and that there is always something that would be better, but I can't decide if one or two of those "wants" are worth going back to work full-time next year. The scary thing is that next year my school district will most likely make me choose to come back full-time or give up half of my position and become part-time permanently. Both of these options scare me! I do not want to go back to full-time, and now that I know what it's like to have less stress and more energy and time with my little guy, I don't know if I even could go back. But cutting back my hours permanently is stressful too, because then my options for full-time in the future are gone until budgets get better.
Choices...choices........

A Saturday Morning Funny

So we have been trying to go without cable and internet at home for about a month now. Everything is going very well and I'm suprised at how easy this has been (for the most part). We will see how things go once school is out and I can't check my e-mail daily. Anyway, Sunday morning Joe was "relaxing" on the couch and Liam was napping. I was so bored, so I tried out the Saturday morning tv line-up. Needless to say, there were not a whole lot of choices! I decided on an info-mercial (for no particular reason). It took me about ten minutes to realize that they were trying to sell me hair products that give you volume and shine. Oh man! I spent a small chunk of my Saturday watching someone try to sell a product that a bald person, like myself, would NEVER need. The worst part about it was that they almost had me sold. It did make the model's hair look nice and it made me forget that I would have no use for it. Man, they were good! I know that this is soooo random, but hey, I thought it was funny!

The Grass May Be Greener

Joe and I have been talking a lot about making some major changes in our lives. Although we have a wonderful life, great family and friends, and enjoy our jobs, we feel as though there may be something that is missing. For this reason, much of our "adult time" has been filled with discussions about how to fix that, and what we could possibly do differently. The biggest change that we have considered making is where we live. For about a year now we have talked about relocating, and as this year has progressed the conversation has become more serious. We love Oregon and it will always be our home, but there is always this nagging question of whether or not we would be happier somewhere else.
We have in no way, decided on anything yet, but the conversation has been persistant. The older I get, the more this area seems to not fit my plans and hopes for the future. I know that there will be issues anywhere that we live, but what I truely want is not happening here. I want to live in a tiny town with land and neighbors that you actually talk to. I want my son to go to a school where everyone watches out for him and knows us too. I would love to spend more time outdoors (and so would Liam), but having 9-10 months a year be cold, rainy weather doesn't make that easy.
I have always wanted to venture out of this area to see what life would be like somewhere new. Now Joe and I feel rushed to figure this out. We both agree that we want to be sure and settled by the time Liam goes to school. We don't want to move him around or make him start over in a new school, so we have four years to wiggle with. Luckly, my profession is everywhere. Even though there may not be very many jobs for teachers right now, there will be at some point and I can always sub until there is. Joe's work is a bit harder. Because he is a trader and there are not a lot of investment firms in small towns, finding a job will be far more difficult for him.
As I said, we have not decided on anything yet, and still have a lot to think about and/or do before this would ever be a possibility, but I would love the opportunity to spread my wings and try something new. Having a fresh start and getting a blank slate is extremely appealling right now, and picking up and moving is about as fresh and blank as you can get!
The idea of it being a short term move is what is intriguing us at this point. If we could some how, have the option to try out someplace new for just a couple of years, that would be ideal. But so far, nothing has dropped into our laps, so we will just have to wait and see what the future has in store for us! Hopefully, warmer weather, friendly people, history, and culture.

Learning from the Young Ones

Why do I work with kids? Why do I have massive amounts of patients for young people when I can barely stand to be around most adults? Well, for two reasons: one- I was born to be a teacher and we tend to like being around small humans, two- because kids say what adults want to and then move on. They are the most honest and forthcoming people and I appreciate that more than anything else that they do. I have alopecia totalis, this means that for a great deal of my life, I have been completely bald. You would think that this would cause some stress/uncomfortable situations with the population that I work with. But on the contrary, they are the most amazing group of "co-workers" that I could ask for.  Kids truely do not care what you look like, just whether or not you give them the respect and support that they deserve. If you do this, your appearance will mean nothing.
I didn't exactly know this when I began teaching, but it was a welcome suprise! Most of my first day jitters included being nervous about how they would react. I have always been around kids and had just thought that those particular children were beyond their years and special, when they ignored my lack of hair and acted like I was a normal human being. Now they were special, but I have come to understand that the young mind is amazing and that kids are far more advanced than adults in the concept of caring about people for who they are and not what they look like. I learned my first year, to just explain my situation fully, not in "kid" language. They appreciate being talked to like adults and respond accordingly.
Although there were months on end where my students acted as though I was the most normal personal in the world and like they had forgotten that my bald head isn't the norm, they were also so comfortable with the situation that they would throw in a joke here and there. "Wow, Mrs. Brooks, you must save a lot of money on hair products!" or "Do you want to borrow my hat, it's cold outside." became fairly common comments. Wouldn't it be nice if adults would follow their lead? Kids have never made me feel uncomfortable about being bald and different. If they care enough about it, they will just ask, whereas adults will stare and whisper, thinking that they are being disgreet. Your not! I notice you! Stop!!! Take a tip from the 5 year old with you, and just ask! It still blows me away how easy it is to be me when kids are around! I have worked so hard to be comfortable with me, hair or not, and it has seemed to rub off on my kiddos. They too love me for me, and that is amazing!