Chalkboard

Sunday, August 21, 2011

EMPLOYED

So I got offered a job...
the ONLY ONE that I applied for...
the one that I waited an answer for for two months...

Its just a "test proctor" for College of Southern Idaho.
So a testing center person who checks people in to do their test.
Sooo nothing special....

I felt pretty proud that I got the job though...

so I went to training on Wed.
Looks pretty manageable.
No hard labor or long time standing up.
And its not minimum wage.
So we are GOOD!

Then Maverick and I sat down that night to work out our schedules.
We did the math, made a daily schedule and day care expences for Hyrum and came to the conclusions that we would only have a $60 profit.
NOT WORTH IT!

Sooo, I quit on Thurs morning...

Anyway, the whole point of this post is to share what I realized during this whole process.

Maverick voiced out during our discussion that it is very important for him to not have Hyrum (or any of our future kids) to be bounced around all over the place or in day care for long periods of time.


Which I totally agree on, BUT staying at home ALL DAY EVERYDAY can get pretty old.


Maybe I would feel a lot better about staying at home if I can drive,
or if I was better at keeping the house clean,
or if we had more money,
or if I had friends.


But the past few weeks I was feeling really down about myself.
like there was something missing...


I felt like I really really needed a job because we are NEEDING the extra income to not only pay for everyday necessities but also to prepare for the new baby.


I also felt like I needed a job so that I can have a break from Hyrum. My 'lack of adult interaction' has led me to become easily frustrated and its rubbing on to Hyrum. I felt like it would do both of us good if I left him in someone else care for 3-4 hours a day. 
Its not that long after all...


I grew up with my mum ALWAYS having a job.
So I NEVER imagined myself being a stay-at-home mom.
Actually, i've always known that I will have a career despite my wants to have lots of kids.
And MAYBE I will...


BUT, I realized that right now
the BEST THING for our family
is for me to be with my son 24/7.


So with that, im still unemployed.
And have been since December 2010.
I havent been unemployed for this long since I was 15 years old!


But im ok with it because now I choose to see it from a different perspective.


Because, I am in fact, EMPLOYED.


My job is to teach, to nurture, to discipline a child of God.


And come to think of it,
THAT IS A PRETTY IMPORTANT JOB.
If not the most important!


Yes! I scream at him, and get angry, and send him to timeout
and sometimes I just want NEED timeout myself.


BUT, in all reality,
He makes me laugh, and love life, and 
BE HAPPY
more than he makes me cringe.


So here's to declaring that
I AM A MOTHER.


I dont get financial security, medical benefits, and company meetings.
INSTEAD,
I get wet kisses, soft cuddles, "abb oo" (love you), and "tee tum" (thank you).


Much more 'Eternally Beneficial', if I say so myself.


 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Oh, Baby! Go, Baby

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

OH, BABY!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

But with banner flip-flapping
once more you'll ride high!
You'll be ready for anything
under the sky!
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
Congratulations!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So ... get on your way!
- Oh, Baby! Go, Baby!
by Dr. Seuss
Hyrum with his little sisters' first picture.
Expecting baby number two in January. AND its a GIRL!!! 
I am T-E-R-R-I-F-I-E-D! But super excited!  


*ultra-sound pics are both babies. Hyrum the first one and baby the second one.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Bargain Hunting

My dad is a garage sale JUNKIE.

And I LOVED waking up bright and early Saturday morning to go with him.

So naturally, I still enjoy going out and looking at other peoples junk to find treasures.

Too bad the other half HATES it...

Anyways the past couple of weeks I've found some great deals...n i thought I'd brag about it for just a second.

8 books for $1 at the local library annual book sale
Elmo and Lightning McQueen for 25c each at a yard sale.
Brand new $16 bought from the thrift store for $2. 
Brand new $5 snow pants for Hyrum at a children store sidewalk sale.

25c at a yard sale 

I wanna learn to crochet so this 10c yarn from a yard sale was perfect to practice on
Cars wall decals for 25c at a yard sale
Brand new diaper genie for $5 at a yard sale. Normally $40.
On a really tight family budget, yard sales (or any type of sales) is the way to go.

I enjoy it! and I get such a thrill coming home with cheap treasures...

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

18 Months

A little behind on this post.

My little Hyrum turned 18 months in July and I just wanted to do a little update.

He is 33.5" tall and 29.8 lbs heavy.
The little boy isnt quite so little anymore.

He is quite a character.


Always moving!

Never a dull moment as he is always up to something (but its not always a good thing).
Under the fort with daddy
I am truly blessed (though exhausted) to be witnessing the developments of this child. Each day is a different day and everyday is an adventure.

He is talking a lot more now and can usually express his wants and needs, which is great!

The doctor said that at this age 12-15 words is where they normally are at. So I sat down and listed the words that he uses frequently and I know he understands and he has over 80 words. He even has a few sentences like 'daddy at work', 'no more juice/snack/milk/etc', 'oh no broke'. Some of my favorite words are clock (cwock), helicopter (ahahter), milk (mack), remote (meemot), thank you (teetam), rubbish/bubbles (babish), donut (totak), and of coarse, MOMMY!
 
He learned to sign milk, please, thank you, food, open, and water but barely uses them now since he's been saying it instead. He is very smart and can mimic things really well. He knows the actions to wheels on the bus, twinkle twinkle little star, popcorn popping, monkeys on the bed, itsy bitsy spider, pat-a-cake, and little piggies. He is very good at making animal noises too.
He RUNS EVERYWHERE! Walking doesnt exists in his book.

He HATES clothes! Since its summer right now and usually very very hot, he runs around in his diaper at home. But of coarse to look civilized, we put clothes on him when we go out and he DESPISES it! We have to hold him down to put clothes on then he spend a few minutes afterwards crying about it and trying to pull it off.

He loves Barney, Elmo, Blues Clues and Lightning McQueen. We only let him watch about an hour of TV per day. Just when im cooking or cleaning and I need him to stay put.

Bedtime is STILL a problem! He wakes up 2-4 times a night crying bloody murder and stops quickly as soon as I enter the room and hold his feet. He's worst now with sleeping than when he was a newborn. But he still takes a 2-3hr nap a day which is heavenly for me.

He is truly a BOY. Loves conquering the playground up to the very top which sometimes makes me nervous. He loves trains, cars, trucks, but his absolute favourite are planes and helicopters. We would YouTube planes taking off and helicopters and the likes, which will occupy him for a while. Any stick that he picks up is a sword and he likes to throw things (balls, rocks, grass, toys) which is sometimes not good as well.

He likes to throw away his diapers after being changed and take dishes back to the sink. He "helps" out with sweeping, wiping the table, vacuuming, moping the floor and tidying up his room. But he is also VERY stubborn and enjoys doing naughty things like pull DVDs out of the cabinet, pull on cords, mess up mommys cds and flushing the toilet.

He eats like a champ (most of the time) and shows off his Asianess because his favorite things to eat are rice and noodles (besides noses).
Playing with cousins Elizabeth and Naiella
He has a beautiful smile and a contagious laugh. I love it when his eyes disappears when he laughs or smiles.

And lastly, hes a little bit LOT weird...

Maverick and I laugh and do the 'hes your child' glare whenever he shows off his weird side (which is pretty often).

For example, he runs at full speed then runs into the fridge/door/couch on purpose. Pretends to give you kiss but gives a lick instead. Climbs on the couch and slides off to the floor head first. Does a happy feet dance and have the funniest facials while doing it. Blows raspberries on peoples tummies even if they are standing up. Spreads his leg far apart as to go on a splits then says 'ow wo wo wo'.  He also HAS to say goodnight to the vacuum every night after saying family prayers.

But, despite being a BIG ball of ENERGY, he is also a very sweet very cuddly little boy that we just cant imagine life without. Everyday we are grateful to have him in our lives. His presence makes our life more exciting and meaningful.

Watching a child grow from a helpless little fragile newborn to an indestructible hyperactive toddler is truly a miracle. It is not always easy, but it is DEFINITELY worth it!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Water Fun Tuesday

So the weather has been at least 90 degrees during the day right now.

So it gets pretty warm inside the house since we only have one fan.

So Hyrum and I need other activities to help us get through our warm sunny days.

So sometimes we go to Mavericks work to hang out coz they have A/C.

But most of the time, its too hot to walk on over there.

So Hyrum LOVES water.

So I thought I would do some free easy outdoor entertainment.

So I put on his swim shorts and slapped on some sunscreen.

So I gathered some random things around and off we went outside.

So here is our water fun that we did today.








So we had a lot of fun.

So its safe to say that we are going to do it again.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Sleep Solution...ANYONE???

Alright blogger world...

I NEED HELP!!!

The boy is NOT sleeping and we have have ENOUGH!

We have been in our house for about 2 months now and I have NEVER spent the night on my bed.

We are pretty consistent with our bedtime routine. 
Dinner, bathtime, stories with milk, brush teeth, prayers then night night.

Most of the time he goes down without a problem and by 7:30-8:00 (as long as I am in the room with him).

Then I leave and he is good for a while (3-4 hours)

Then he wakes up and wont go back to sleep unless I go back in the room. 
I dont have to do anything though, I just sit there. 

If I have enough energy I go back to our room.
This usually happens twice then I am too tired so I end up sleeping in his room for the rest of the night.

SOOOOO...

Any ideas how we can change this? 

Crying it out DOES NOT work! 

We tried it when he was 4 months, 6 months and right when we moved in. This boy has STAMINA!!! He would cry for 30mins stop and fall asleep for about 5mins then repeat the process. 

We are honestly not believers of the crying it out method...At least not for Hyrum. He could and would cry for 3 hours (or more) straight. And we dont want that.

My theory is that he has major separation anxiety.

He was sleeping in the same room as us up until 2 months ago.
When he was an infant, I would put him in our bed and nurse him back to sleep.
When he got a bit older, I would just put him straight back to our bed whenever he would wake up.
The 4 months that we were in NZ he was on the same bed as me every night.

It just seemed easier that way.

So how do I break it?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Moving On

We FINALLY have internet! Its amazing how much we rely on technology nowadays.

Although it was a nice break, we were both itching to get connected again.

Sooo I have somewhat caught up with life.

Key word - SOMEWHAT

But as life goes on now matter how behind you are, here is what we have been up to.

After my one week stint of being deathly sick with major vertigo and loss of hearing on my left ear, Maverick and I went on a house hunting frenzy.

It took us two weeks to find out humble abode.

A little two bedroom apartment just slightly bigger than TVA but $200 cheaper.

I think that it is perfect for what we need right now.  Hyrum has his own bedroom (which he is still getting used to) and the washer, dryer, fridge and stove comes with.

The day we signed the lease they gave us our keys and we had our first dinner there. We moved in the next day.
10 mins walk from Mavs work, 3 mins to the church, 10 mins walk to our doctor, 5 mins to the city center, 15 mins to the grocery store and 10 mins to the hospital.  Walking distance things are pretty important to me since driving isnt any use to me.  We are also pretty close to the library, the dollar store, post office, city hall, our bank, number of parks and about 10 mins drive to WalMart, DI, and fast food places.

So we were pretty stoked when we found it, and signed the least right away. Then moved the next day. hehe.

Right now, we are still pretty much a mess. We are still missing a couple of dressers, a Hyrum bed (he is on a futon on the floor at the moment), and just more organization. But, im ok with it.

As for other news, Maverick works for Impact Athletic as a personal trainer. Burley (where we are currently living) is a pretty small town so I was shocked when I first saw the size of the gym that he works at. 

The best thing about it (at least for me) is that we get FREE gym memberships! 


Which means free access to an indoor pool, cardio room, weights room, basketball courts, racquetball courts, volleyball courts, sauna/steam room, walking/running track, spinning studio, and massage therapy.  They also have a few group fitness classes but I am only interested in zumba and aqua zumba. Best part is, they also have CHILD CARE services! Well we have only dropped Hyrum off once and it didnt go very good since he saw Maverick out on one of the windows. So no perks with that one just yet but we'll keep trying and one of these days we'll be able to take advantage of it.

So yah, dats about it...

This has been a rambling post. I think its been too long since I last posted so ive forgotten how to blog. 

Maybe i'll try harder next time...