Not Again!

 

Seems someone else decided to have a growth spurt!

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You Know You’re a Mother When…

This was originally posted on February 3rd.  In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought I’d share it again.

 

 

I’ve been a mom now for 6 1/2 years.  I do not claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination.  That being said, I’ve made a list of some insights that let me know that I am actually a mom…

You know you’re a mom when:

1.  You have uttered the sentence, “Please do not wipe your booger next to your dinner plate.”

2.  You’ve spent 2 1/2 hours in urgent care only to be told that something is a virus and you should really go home and put your kid to bed.

3.  You open your purse and find a wet wipe, a half eaten candy cane, a hot wheels car, a used tissue, a crayon, and a dirty sock, but you can’t find a pen to save your life.

4.  You have put off grocery shopping in order to avoid an aisle 5 meltdown.

5.  You know the location of every public restroom in town, as well as which ones are the “good ones”.  You are also aware of which restrooms have automatic toilet flushers, and you avoid them like the plague because your kid is petrified of them.

6.  You have washed your kids clothes at someone else’s house because of an “accident”.

7.  You have wondered why on earth they wouldn’t just make all kids shoes with velcro.

8.  You turn your head whenever someone utters the word “mom”.

9.  You know all the restaurants that have “kids eat free” nights.

10.  You have spent 15 minutes or more in a public restroom waiting for someone to poop.

11.  You can quote Spongebob, Hannah Montana, and Kung Fu Panda.

12.  You have ordered a “Crabby Patty” in a restaurant because your kid will eat a “Crabby Patty”, but won’t touch a cheeseburger.

13.  You feel the tiniest bit of pride when your 6 year old corrects their friend’s grammar.  You feel a little bit more pride, when she corrects her friend’s mom’s grammar.  You feel like you will burst with pride when she corrects the grammar of a perfect stranger.

14.  You have smelled another human’s butt, fully anticipating there to be a horrible odor coming from it.  (For those who are not mom’s, this is a good way to see if a diaper needs changing!)

15.  You consider your annual Pap Smear “me time”.

16.  You can, quite literally, change a diaper in your sleep.

17.  You know just how far a container of baby powder will go when yielded by a 3 year old, and how hard it is to vacuum.

18.  You have picked your kid’s lollipop (or binky) up off the street, rinsed it off with orange juice, and handed it back to your kid, all the while telling strangers not to look.

19.  You consider cold cereal to be a perfectly acceptable dinner on nights when Daddy’s not home.

20.  You’ve gone to the store at 2 am for Orajel. Or whiskey.

21.  You’ve chased your kid through a store while wearing an unbuttoned shirt because they escaped from the fitting room.

22.  You’ve left the house looking like hell, meanwhile your kids are dressed to the nines…..because it’s picture day!

23.  You’ve been asked to leave a church service.

24.  Your child says a cuss word, and you know that it’s all your fault.  And you kinda think it’s funny but would  never admit it.

25.  You open your silverware drawer and realize that you have more silly straws than spoons.  And then you consider whether or not it would be wise to allow your kids to eat Jello with a silly straw.

Please add any others you can think of!

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Dreams and Goals of being Brian

I have to wonder, as a nearly 32 year old father of 2 and, hopefully amazing, husband, why it is that I hold so tightly to a life-long dream.  Not really life-long if I am being honest, which I am (as noted by the previous admission).  Rather, since about 7th grade.  I was a mixed up kid.  Man, I would do all sorts of stupid things just to see if it seemed to fit.  Nothing worked.  I felt like I had no idea who I was or where I fit exactly.  In 7th grade I entered theater class.  That changed my life.  I realized who I was.  It fit, and felt right. 

So, why today do I write about this strange topic?  Well, for the last couple of years I have sought after this lofty goal with fervor like never before.  I feel energized some days to get out snag an audition and get working.  But, then nothing happens.  Stagnation.  I know it’s hard.  I know that it is a long shot even to get an acting job.  That’s part of what drives me honestly. 

I do not have a goal of being famous; noticed everywhere I go.  I don’t have ambitions of being rich beyond recognition.  I am being honest here.  I have no such aspirations.  If someone approached me today and said they would get me acting work for exactly the amount of money I make right now, I would take it.  When you know who you are and what you are suppose to do it doesn’t matter how much you make. 

I don’t write often, I don’t know why but I don’t.  But, today I felt like sharing a bit about myself.  I am an actor, and I know I will have work soon.  I just hate the lack of knowledge on how to get there, but I know I will.  It’s who I am.  I often get very determined, I get fueled and energized.  I feel like I am almost there, on the right track and then, something happens.  A sick child, financial frustration or some other such major issue.  These aren’t excuses to stop, but I certainly have to focus my energy elsewhere. 

I guess this post is sort of a promise to myself that I will not quit.  I will not stop until I am there.  I will reach my goal.  I will make good on a promise a confused 13 year old depressed boy made to his future self.  When he figured out who he was and what he was suppose to do, he would quit.  He wouldn’t let adulthood and life changes and frustrations stop that intense determination.  So there it is.  You, all 2 of you, are reading the post of a future actor.  Maybe just commercials, maybe not even that.  But, a paid actor am I. 

I told past students to follow their dreams.  To find out who they were and go there and do it.  I told my children that dreams are not to be forgotten.  And, I will lead by example. 

As a side note, I really like beetles, and Veggie Tales. 

B

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Aw Man!

The Boy is so sick.  Brian and I were both up all night last night with him, and I’ve already been on the phone trying to get him into the doctor…the first available appt isn’t until 3:10 pm.  So, it seems I won’t be getting much done today.  Sigh.

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A Misnomer

Well, I’ll cut right to the chase.  I lost my job today.  It’s a long drawn out story and I really don’t want to talk about it, but suffice it to say that the name “Two Working Parents” is no longer accurate.

I don’t think it’s really hit home yet.  In all honesty, I am a bit relieved.  I’ve known it was coming for a while now, and I’m glad that I what’s done is done and I can move on.  I did take some time today to cry, but once I did, I felt a lot better about the whole thing.  There are parts of my day that were painful (telling the kids being the most painful), and parts that were surprising (getting an unexpected, yet supportive call from a coworker).  Tomorrow,  I will either wake up with a terrible sense of dread or an amazing feeling of freedom.  I’m leaning toward freedom.  Freedom to make some changes in my life that I’ve wanted to make for a long time.

Some of you may be wondering what happened to One Job Hunting Mom.  I’ve put that blog on hold for the time being so that I can sort some things out and decide what I want it to be…or if I want it to be.  I will not go into details about why I have made this decision, but please know that even if  I choose to delete it, I will continue to post updates on my search on this site.

Also, while I am going to continue to pursue full time employment, I am also going to be starting my own business, which is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  I am meeting with the Small Business Development Center on Monday, and once I get some ducks in a row, I will give you all the 411.

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy some time with the kids, get my house clean (because, WOW, what happened?), and generally try to see the positive side of this situation.  I appreciate any kind words (and job leads!) you might have for  me, so leave some comments!

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Hubby’s Working Late And I…

Should Be:

• Doing Laundry
• Picking up around the house
• Exercising
• Working on my business plan and website
• Looking for a new job

Could Be:

• Giving myself a facial and pedicure
• Watching my stash of HGTV shows on Hulu
• Eating ice cream
• Sleeping

Am:

• Procrastinating

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We Kinda Sound Like Pirates

I took The Boy for a speech evaluation yesterday.  He has always had trouble with his r’s, his sh’s, and he also mumbles and talks really fast.  I took him to see the speech therapist for his eval yesterday on the advice of my doctor.

The speech therapist was wonderful.  She listened to him talk and had him do a few exercises.  She showed him what to do with his tongue when making an r sound, and he picked it right up.  She was pretty amazed with how quickly he caught on.

By the end of the 30 minutes or so that we were there, he showed us that he understood how to say his “trouble sounds”, and the speech therapist said that, at this point, he did not qualify for ongoing speech services because the sounds he has trouble with are somewhat normal for his age.  She did give us some exercises for him to work on at home as well.

So, for the past 2 days, he’s been walking around saying, “Rrrrrrr, Rrrrrr, Rrrrrr.”  I’m waiting for him to come out of his room with a pirate hat and an eye patch….

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Growth Spurt

These used to be so long she'd trip over them

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Everything Chicken

In case you forgot, I hate to cook, and sometimes I post recipes that require little to no effort.  Also, I don’t really measure stuff…I eyeball it.

I don’t know where I learned this recipe, but it’s great if you are in the mood for something different.  It is also good when all you have in the house is chicken, but you don’t really want chicken. I haven’t made it in a long time, so I don’t know yet if the kids will touch it, but I’ll post an update when I find out tonight!

This recipe is good when you have a little of this and a little of that. It would be great for using up produce before it goes bad, or the bottom of a bag of frozen veggies. Personally, I just throw in a can of whatever I have. Here is what it looks like tonight.

Necessary Ingredients

1 lb of chicken (tonight, I’m using boneless skinless breasts, but you could use drumsticks, thighs, or even a whole chicken, cut up)

1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes

1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Optional Ingredients

Tonight, I’ll use:

1 can of green beans

1 can of corn

Possibly a can of garbonzo beans…haven’t decided yet.

A clove or two of garlic

You can literally put in whatever veggies you want…broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts…knock yourself out.

Directions

In a large skillet, Heat olive oil and garlic.  When hot, add chicken, and cook thoroughly.  Once the chicken is fully cooked, add in tomatoes and all optional veggies.  Cover, and cook over low to medium heat until everything is heated through.  If you are using fresh or frozen veggies, it might take a little longer.  I usually simmer it for about 20 minutes or so.

Serve over rice or noodles if desired.

Update:  Both kids took one look at this meal and said, “I don’t like that”.  Then they both proceded to eat every last bite AND ask for seconds!

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Another New Blog?

That’s right! I started another blog to talk about my current job search. Go have a look and tell me what you think of One Job Hunting Mom.

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