Lately, I have been thinking about everything that I do. My days are full from sun-up(actually before) to sun down & beyond.
Some days I feel like I haven’t gotten anything done- yet, the baby, cat and myself are alive, fed, and usually happy : ). Call that a win? Yes.
I prep for everything.
Meal Plan
I meal plan. We buy meat, grains and dairy in large quantities when they go on sale and freeze the majority. Throughout the week I make 2-3 large dinners(use leftovers for lunches) and several smaller meals in-between. I am not a cook. But I am gosh-darn trying. I made the majority of all of Dirk’s baby food and we only buy the pouches now for trips in the car. Now that we plan ahead of time I no longer throw away any food that goes bad. Which accounts to savings for us. Planning ahead of time, means looking at all of the ads, checking my coupons, and writing out detailed lists of what to get at the local grocery store, Target and Costo. Time well spent.
Family Exercise
Being outside is incredibly important to me. We get fresh air, see new sights and most importantly can frolic and play in the grass to our little heart’s desires. Dirk loves being outside. So much so, that we go for our first walk to the park at 9AM, our second around Noon and the last trip is right around 5PM to meet Gabe and play on the Big Toy. The walking part of our trip takes approximately 30 minutes round-trip which is filled with Dirk and I pointing at things-as I name what they are- and waving at puppies, planes and helicopters. Rough life I tell you : ). Pushing a thirty-pound kid in a 18 pound stroller is a good workout. How good? Well, I am back at my college weight! More importantly I feel fit, strong and healthy. Weight is really a number- one that I do not obsess with or worry about. But when all of my pre-pregnancy pants got to be two inches too big? That’s when I grabbed the scale and did a little(BIG) happy dance. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within 4 months of having Dirk- BUT and that is a large BUT- my body did not look like I was, or feel like I was(hello soft tummy and thighs touching). Now that I am back to my college weight- five pound difference- I feel like I look as healthy as I feel. Win in the Mom department.
Height: 5’7”
Pre-pregnancy Weight: 138
Pregnancy Weight: 184 – remember 20 pounds of that(not joking) came in the last two weeks- dang pre-eclampsia.
College Weight: 133
Current Weight: 132-134
Political Forecasting
Every other night(9PM or later) I spend about thirty minutes going through the nitty-gritty of world politics. I give my two cents. And get paid. Being that I used to teach Civics and Politics this feels like I still have some sort of connection with the world. I miss teaching- but not enough to miss out on all of the precious moments in my baby’s first years. Money can’t buy memories. BUT- I miss dressing up in Camo- making my classroom into a Bomb Shelter and scaring the crap out of my 8th graders. Rapping the Bill of Rights- yep, that was me. Plus playing Bingo, Jeopardy(Sean Connery voice? Yes.), running an actual Presidential election each year, Mock Trials- with parents and older siblings as the jury(Unbiased, nah, but they got to have an audience) oh, yes-I wore a gown, had a gavel and a wig(Too much? Never!)… and playing videos like the one below and rocking out in class. No- I was not their ‘friend’- but dang it I was going to do my best to make history fun, exciting and challenging. I may or may not have had to have one too many parent conferences about the length of my projects and papers. BUT- they were all connected to the real-world and dealt with issues they would need to know about in the future so I never got in trouble. And my kids did the best in High School History and English classes compared to the kids that transferred in from other schools two years in a row. BOOM. Proud Teacher right there. So here is the video that Gabe and I still rock out to in the car- lucky we found each other- otherwise- who else could you proudly sing to about the Declaration of Independence- AND not get judged. I rest my case.
Cleaning Service
No, we do not have one. Yes, some of my friends do. But I have a system. There are various chores that I do on certain days, some that need to be done once a month/year and all of them get checked off when they are completed. Feels nice to ‘check’ something off of the never-ending to-do list. Plus, I no longer feel overwhelmed with the amount of work it takes to run a house from top to bottom.
Jill of All Trades
I have sanded, painted, cleaned, moved, decorated, diy crafts, installed the garbage disposal, fixed toilets(yuck), supplemented our income by babysitting, received products from baby retailers to preview, won large boxes(4 and counting) of food for our baby, managed a major construction project that was Mold Disaster 2011, preparing for the next major unplanned construction project of Mold 2012, Craigslisted pieces, Ebay(ed) pieces, Sold our old and outdated Political Science books to the Used Bookstore, prepped for a large fail of a garage sale, attended the zoo a record 37 times in the last 8 months, restored the grout, planned and executed Dirk’s 1st birthday party… AND- most importantly- we are all healthy, happy and still have a home over our heads.
I am a mom.
Not just a mom.
But first and foremost- I am one, lucky mom.
