Great Deals at Hip 2 Save

Working from home has been great for snagging shopping deals! I love the Today Show and especially the segment Steals and Deals! Via that segment and a co-worker I have since found www.hip2save.com which posts multiple deals through out the day, including:

Free $13 item w/$10 purchase from Bath and Body Works

2 photo calendars, 100 holiday postcards & 140 address labels $10.07 shipped

Hallmark $5 off $10 purchase

and much, much more! From one friend to another...ENJOY the deals!

Spring Please Hurry

Hello! I know that I have been neglecting the blog since returning to work...I'm still trying to find a groove/motivation to get it all done without much success. I will get there, I will get there. Here are a few updates:

Well, we are all still sick! It seems like every time we think we are getting over this chest cold, two days later we wind up with a cough again! Both MJ and Abby have been on antibiotics with no luck so it seems that we just have to wait for May and the warm weather to get here.

Abby has had a better two day at daycare after a rough two weeks. A double ear infection, cold, crazy hives and teething will do that to a one year old! When I picked her up today the new girl raved about how great she was today. I pursued to tell her that this is more our "normal" Abby over the supercranky Abby that has been around for a few weeks. I'm not too sure she believed me...

We had Abby's 18 month check up last week and her stats read like this: 10% for weight (17 lbs 11 oz), 25% for height (29") and 50% for head (18.4"). She truly is a Peanut--but has come a long way from the little 7 lbs, 20 inch newborn that came into this world a year and a half ago! I think she might be hitting a growth spurt, that or she is making up for the lack of appetite these last few weeks. When I put her on the scale this evening and she is up to 19 lbs 2 oz! On the right track...

In more Abby news, she is cutting her 5th tooth! This time it is the top-front-left tooth. I'm so nervous about this one because I know that these will change her looks forever and I'm just so used to my little Abby just the way she is.

MJ is enjoying his student teaching. I can't believe that he has less than five weeks to go and then he will certified!!! Wow, the last two years have gone by so fast and have been filled with change. All of it great though, just perfect!

As for me, work is...um...well....hummm. I guess the jury is still out. On one hand it is nice to get out of the house but on the other I'm struggling with the everyday tasks (cooking, cleaning, working out (oh wait, I've always struggled with that one) feeling like I get enough time in with Abby (and MJ), I'm sure you know the rest of the list). I just keep telling myself that I will adjust to my new normal in time.

Today finally arrived. I always knew it would but I can't say that I was really ready. Today was Abby's first full day of daycare and my first day back to work in eleven months. But I am happy to report that neither one of us had a complete meltdown, neither one of us through a temper tantrum on the floor, neither one of us had to be sent home ;)

I dropped her off at 7:10 and managed to hold it together until I turned to walk out the door. Miss Kelly said to have a good day and--BOOM--the tears welled up and that pesky frog appeared in my throat. I choked out a rough "bye" as I ran out the door. I refused to let them drop from my eyes, I refused to let my sorrow, guilt, selfishness win. I thought to myself "Abby will have a great time and I will live".

I am oh-so-thankful that my I was able to carpool down to Detroit for training because that hour drive by myself would have killed me! Once we got to work, I only allowed myself to call and check in one time for many reasons: 1) I would drive myself crazy waiting for the next break so I could call again, 2) what was I going to do if she wasn't doing well, 3) I had to have faith in those who I had left her with, 4) deep down I knew that my social little butterfly would love playing with her new friends. So, I managed to make it through 7 hours of training without obsessing or crying.

And I was right! When I went in at 5:20 Miss Melissa said that Abby had a GREAT first day--better than most first days! Not only did she enjoy playing with the others, she ate well and even took an hour and ten minute nap (with minimal crying and a little back rubbing (or at least that is what they told me!))!!! As we were leaving Miss Melissa asked me how old Abby is. I told her 17 months and she was rather amazed. At first I thought it was because she is so small or because she has so few teeth, but she told me that her vocabulary is amazing. I laughed and said that I know that I am going to be in trouble when she gets to be a teenager!

All in all we had a good day. I can't say that I am "so happy" to be back to work or that I really missed this and wished I would have done it sooner but I can say that I know that this is what is best for our family and that we have made the right decisions--and that feels good!

This Time Next Week

I have to say that I am one of the lucky ones...God has blessed me with so many great things in life that trying to list them all right now would be foolish. One of my many blessings is the time God has given me to spend with my family this past year. As you know, just about this time last year I made the transition from working outside of the home to being a stay-at-home mommy and I have loved (almost) every moment of it!

Needless to say, the past 11 months have flown by and my baby has turned into a toddler and my list of To Dos is a little bit shorter. There is a part of me that wishes I could stay home until all my babies went off to college but that is just not feasible for us. Although I knew last February that this was not a permeate deal, I can't believe that the time has come for me to go back to work!!

This time next week I will once again be working for Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan managing volunteers. I'm not too sure how I feel about this...part of me is ready to work outside the home (selfishly looking forward to more adult interaction) and the other, larger, part of me is crying at the thought of leaving Abby. It is so hard to think that Abby will spend more waking hours in a day with someone other than us...that I won't be there to kiss her bumps and bruises when she falls or play blocks and dolls all day long. But in the end I am excited for her to make new friends and reap the benefits of daycare.

I am sure that my social butterfly will absolutely LOVE daycare and get so much out of it! Anytime we go next door to help for the day Abby plays and plays without looking for me or when we go to the mall she is off and running saying "hi!" to all the kids. It is comforting to know that she is ready for the transition (other than our nap issue and Mommy's control issue when it comes to food...) although I realize it just might be a rough week or two (or three and in the end it will probably be worse for me than Abby, or at least I hope that is the case). I just have to remind myself that this is a good thing for all of us.

So, I just keep reminding myself that I am so lucky to have been given this gift of time in order to keep from completely lose it this week!!

Family Time

The count down to full time mommyhood has begun! I only have 4 more days of work to go! The bad new is that I have to go into the office every day in order to get it all done. But the good news is that Abby gets to spend some time with family this week. Daddy was with Abby today, Aunt Wendy is watching her tomorrow and Gramps is spending the day with Abby on Thursday. I'm sure Abby is going to have so much fun with them that she won't even notice that I'm gone all week. All I can say is it is going to be a long week for mommy and that I can't wait to be able to spend more time with her!

Struggles

Going back to work after having Abby is the second hardest thing I have ever had to do.

The last three months have been nothing short of a vicious rollercoaster ride of emotions as I tried to adjust to my new normal. I have been heartbroken to leave Abby, scared to miss any part of Abby's life, excited to have tasks to focus on at work, disappointed because I have not had a chance to make a few things for special occasions, angry with the condition of my house, frustrated with my lack of patients, disgusted with my lack of working out, happy to work with my volunteers again, stressed over my to do list, exhausted from the lack of sleep because I'm staying up till midnight or so trying to get it all done. The transition from wife and employee to wife and mother, and then to wife, mother AND employee has truly been a struggle.

The problem is that I am a bit of a perfectionist and control freak, neither of which get you very far when trying to balance being a mother , wife, housekeeper, employee and all around sane person with a sense of self. My way of thinking is that if I'm going t do something, by God, I'm going to do i t well (if not excellent). But, this is not working for me. Everyone keeps telling me that something will have to give and that it is ok if the house is a mess, laundry isn't done, etc. I have tried to change my way of thinking and letting go of "the little stuff" but I haven't had much success. The high expectations I have for myself--as a wife, mother, employee and the high hopes of keeping SOME personal identity--have left me nothing but disappointed. This is no way to live, nor is it a good example for me to be setting for my impressionable daughter.

After much thinking and deliberation, I have decided that the best thing for me and my family is for me to leave my job and focus on us. With that, I am happy to report that this past Tuesday I gave my three week notice and starting February 23, 2010 I will be a full-time stay at home mom!! I have big plans for my time at home and I can't wait to fill you in on them as the time comes!

Momma Needs a New Job

So, this week is what I call my "Week From Hell". It happens the second week of the month, from August to May. No, it has nothing to do with the reproductive system--that would be too much information!!!

This is the week that I have my night meetings for work. They start at 6 p.m. and run for 3 hours on average. Then I get to drive home-read 10 to 30 more minutes. I start the week in Oxford, then Wednesday I'm in Brandon, and Thursday I attend the meeting in Clarkston. Luckily, this year I had Lake Orion switch their meeting from the 2nd Tuesday to the 1st Tuesday of the month, so that helps break it up a bit. I hated this part of my job last year--and this year I loath, despise, and detest this part of my job. I hate that fact that 3 nights this week I will have to miss my evening with Abby. It is so sad to not be able to spend the end of the day with with her, cuddling in the rocker after a good feeding while singing our lullaby's. I just have to remind myself that it is only 4 nights of 30 each month...that is until I have to do a training or a committee meeting.....

Thankfully, I get a break in June and July. Working is for the birds--hope I win the Millionaire Raffle in January.

Work Update

Working S-U-C-K-S!!!! That is all I have to say about that for now.

Not So Joyful

Ladies and Gentlemen (are there any reading this???), I am sad to report that the end is here :(

Today was the last day of my maternity leave and "stay-at-home" mommy-hood. Needless to say, I have cried on and off for the last three weeks--more so the last two days. I am so very sad to return to work because I hate to leave Abby for 8+ hours a day. However, I am happy to report that we are very fortunate to be able to have a parent with Abby 6 days a week: Michael is home with Abby on Tuesday and Thursday, I am working from home on Wednesday and Friday which leaves us needing a sitter on Monday. Luckily, our good friend Marisa has offered to watch Abby on Mondays!!! Knowing this, and the realization that I will be with Abby more than I will be away from her, should make the return to the working world a little easier to adjust to.

Wish me Luck, lots of it!!

Goal Achieved

Well ladies and gentleman it is 7:45 am on August 6th and I have already sent out a work e-mail. Guess what the means....

I now qualify for FMLA leave instead of Medical Leave!!!!!!! So excited and relieved!

OK Peanut, you can come out whenever you are ready. Can't wait to officially meet you--I love you already! -Mom