You Know You're a Mommy When...

You Know You're a Mommy When...
You are willing to put your need for sanitation, and your issues with claustrophobia aside to take your one-year-old down the McDonald's slide! (Oh the things you see in the McDonald's slides!)

Mommy Lesson of the Day

Mommy Lesson of the Day:
Don't let your baby wear white socks when he's in his crawling stage (or else have EXTREMELY clean floors and carpet). I just had to throw out a ton of white socks because they are now beige!

Festivities for Buhba's 1st Birthday

Buhba had his first birthday last week and I have to say that the festivities were a success! I'm so glad that it all worked out, and everyone had fun. However in hindsight, the realistic side of me asks, "really, other than pictures (and video), will Buhba actually remember this day at all?" Well, the answer is obviously "no." However, when Buhba is naughty I will remind him that his mommy stressed herself out over his first birthday party, but would do it all again for her little guy because she would do anything for him. This includes spending way too much time on making a cake, decorations, and food for a party of nine people who came to celebrate with us.

The Decor!
We (and by we I mean, my husband with me bossing him around) decorated the house with a sports theme (if you know my husband, you'd know that this was the only option), complete with signs that said "concessions" in the kitchen, "rest rooms", and "Heath Stadium" on our front door. I also used a picture of Buhba when he was a week old as the center-piece on the table, with Nerf footballs, baseballs, soccer, and basketballs surrounding it. I was pretty happy with how it looked.

The Food!
To top off our sports-themed night, we served appetizers that you'd have at a sports bar: chicken nuggets, wings, mozzerella sticks, fries, pigs-in-a-blanket, and raspberry lemonade. I got a yummy chicken nuggets recipe off of Betty Crocker's website (it's also where I got the idea for my cupcakes!)
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/favorite-chicken-nuggets/ddaea4d6-b3f2-414d-8daa-1d6f410ebe31

The Cake!
As for the cake, I used a football-shaped tin (that I got in February last year, just for this event!), and baked a devil's food cake in it. After that, I sliced the cake horizontally down the middle and filled it with a mixture of caramel, marshmallow fluff, butter, and crushed oreos. Then, I frosted it to make it look like a football. I also made white cupcakes and mixed in chocolate chips into the batter (which was a huge hit!), and frosted the cupcakes to look like soccer, basketball, and baseballs (well, that's what they were supposed to look like anyway!) I covered a piece of cardboard (off of a Huggies' box) with tin foil, then spread white frosting across it. I then put coconut (which was dyed green with food coloring) down over the white frosting to look like grass. I put the cake and cupcakes on top.

Please note, that I am really not normally domestic at all!!! I guess that it's true that mommies will do anything for their kids! The whole time I was doing this, my husband kept saying, "Who are you???! This isn't normal!"

Yes, Buhba's birthday was a success, and now I know why birthday's only come once a year!

Balancing Working from Home and Being a Mom

I write articles about job searching, etc. for Hound.com, and today I wrote this article about moms working from home.

How to Balance Working from Home and Being a Mom

Brooke Heath

When I first realized that I would have the opportunity to do the majority of my work from home while raising my one-year old, I thought, “perfect!” Little did I know that while working from home can save in baby-sitter fees, it’s not always the picture-perfect scenario that I envisioned. Trying to chase around a toddler while doing work (thank goodness for laptops!) can be difficult to say the least, but at the same time, very rewarding and worthwhile. Through trial and error, I have learned the following tips on how to find a balance between my career at home, and raising my child.

Set New Priorities

Before my son came into my life, I had no problem keeping my house very clean, and completing my work. However, once he came, I realized that my time (and sanity) didn’t allow for everything to be my version of “perfect” anymore – something had to give. Sadly, there are days when my husband comes home from work and the dishes are piled up, and the baby’s toys are scattered through out the house. However, I find satisfaction knowing that I attended to my two main priorities for that day: keeping my child happy and healthy, and completing my work duties. I had to set new priorities, and unfortunately, while other things are still important, keeping my house clean, have dinner on the table, and laundry always caught up, they are no longer at the top of my priority list.

Get Organized

In the last year, my new best friend has become the notepad on my nightstand. Each night, I make a list of the things that I need to accomplish the following day, and make a schedule of when I will do them. Of course, as any mom will tell you, with kids you have to expect the unexpected, and no schedule is foolproof. So, allow for some wiggle room in your schedule. However, even if something comes up, I have an overview of what I need to do for the day, from start to finish, which helps in my productivity for the day.

Keep Multi-tasking to a Minimum

I know this sounds crazy to any mom, because we depend on multi-tasking. But when you’re trying to work from home, multi-tasking can actually cut into your work time, and/or even distract and hinder you from getting your work done. It can actually be more productive to set aside dedicated work time, rather than attempt to do work all day, all the while chasing after kids, doing laundry, and all of the other tasks that moms do. For example, I like to dedicate several hours just to work. I put on my blinders to cleaning, and everything else that can wait. Also, during this time, I set my child up with toys, and let him have some time dedicated to self-play (of course checking on him regularly!). I find that so much more gets accomplished this way.

Take Advantage of Naptime!

Naptime is a magical term to any mom, but this part of the day can be especially helpful to moms working from home. Work to have naptime be a set time each day, and use this time to accomplish work tasks that can’t be done with the kids awake. For example, follow up on phone calls (which is soooo difficult with kids screaming in the background), have a web conference, etc. It can be so tempting to join the kids for a nap of your own, but utilize this precious time to accomplish important tasks!

Enlist Help of Others

There are some days when my workload is so huge that I need to enlist the help of others. Sometimes, I’ll take my baby to my husband’s office and drop him off, call my neighbor, or ask my mother-in-law to come over, so that I can get work done without chasing around my little guy, and repeating the words, “please don’t touch that,” or “we don’t eat dog food!” every minute. If you don’t have friends or family close by to help on especially overwhelming workdays, consider hiring a sitter or nanny to be on-call just to help in those dire times.

Don’t Procrastinate!

A huge problem with working from home can be a lack of self-motivation, and procrastination. Not because it’s intentionally done, but because there are so many other things that can get in the way and distract us! Referring back to your schedule, focus on what absolutely needs to get done that day, and don’t let other less important things distract you. (The laundry will still be there when you’re done.)

Allow for “Mom Time”

When you’re a mom, there’s almost no time for yourself. Add to that having work responsibilities that are pressing you for time, and you can say good-bye to any “mom time.” However, it’s important for your sanity, for your career, and your family, that you do take a few minutes out of the day for yourself. For me, this time is my “Diet-Coke-run time.” I grab my baby, load up the car, and drive down the road to grab a drink. It doesn’t (and shouldn’t) take too much time out of your busy day, but allowing yourself your own “mom time” will help to rejuvenate you, and allow you to go back to whatever you’re doing with a new sense of motivation, and focus (especially when you’re having “one of those” days).

Those Days…

There are “those days” when I’m feeding a baby with one hand, and typing with the other (like now) and I think, “those moms who work outside of the house, and can be productive for hours at a time and get work done are so lucky.” But then I watch my little guy (who just started walking) toddle across the room to give me a hug, and I realize how blessed I am; I get to share in the milestones of my son’s life, while at the same time work at a job that I really enjoy

A Wean-away, A Wean-away!

There's been a lot of weaning going on at our house lately! :) On January 12, I had a work conference that I had to attend that was three hours away, and eight hours long (and not kid-friendly, of course!). So, with this deadline in mind, the second week of December, I started cutting out Buhba's second nursing of the day (around noon-ish). This went pretty smoothly. My milk supply seemed to adapt pretty easily, and because Buhba's eating pretty much "normal" food now, he was fine with it too. I did this for a week. Then, the next week, I took out his third nursing of the day (around 5pm). Again, nothing too difficult about it. I did this for about two weeks, because honestly, I was a little sad that it wasn't more of a challenge, and that Bubha could do without me so well! So, up until the new year, I only did morning and night feedings. But, feeling the pressure of the deadline, after the new year, I cut out the morning feedings too. Again, Bubha was fine with this change, but my "feeders" on the other hand had a difficult time adjusting. For a week, I avoided hugging people, or sleeping on my chest. (Now you know why I gave you an awkward high five, if you were one of those people attempting to hug me... ha ha) It was just too painful! But, I made it in time for my deadline, and even though mentally it was hard for me to be away from my little man for so long, we both did fine.

While we're on the topic of weaning, I decided that we may as well get rid of the "bink" at this point too. We never let Buhba have a bink very often anyway, except for when he'd take naps, go to bed at night, on the occasional car ride, and when we were in public and needed him to be quite (ie, church, etc.). With this said, I didn't think taking it away would be difficult. But then it hit: Christmas visits gave us more than just toys, it also gave us huge colds. How dumb was I to try to wean my poor kid from his bink while he was miserable? But, because I was so determined to wean him from his bink and the boobs, I still tried. But, after a few days of a sad, miserable baby, I gave in and gave the bink back. He would NOT let it out of his sight for about two weeks! This may be because of the lack of nursing, or because he was so sick, or both. Or maybe he knew what was up a head, and he wanted to get his bink good-byes in. Anyway, once he was better, I took it away, and neither of us ever looked back! Good bye, old friend!

Back to the nursing: Bubha had his first birthday last week (I'll post more on that later). And I know that the "norm" says to stop nursing at this point, I can't quite bring myself to wean either of us from the late-night nursing session. I never thought that I'd like nursing, but I like the time that it gives us to bond, and I like that he is still dependent on me for something - with all of the new milestones he's hit lately, I feel like he doesn't need me anymore (not true, but that's how I feel!). And the other reason, though very vain, is that I really like that nursing helps me lose weight (I'm not nine pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight!). So, for these various, and possibly ridiculous reasons, I want to keep nursing for a little longer. Is is so bad if I keep going until he's like five? I wonder if his kindergarten teachers would mind me interrupting class because it will time for Bubha's nursing... hmmm. (I'm totally joking...)

Hubby and I are going on a cruise in March (Buhba-free), so for all of you who think I'm totally wacko, I will be completely done nursing by then. So, I'll keep you all posted on how I deal with that... :)

Pre-Pregnancy Musings...

I know that I sound silly repeating myself over and over again, but seriously, WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE? I almost have a one-year-old! And while I won't lie and say that it's been the easiest year of my life, I will say that it's been one that I've been very blessed! I know that I've mentioned that it was difficult getting Bubha here during my pregnancy, but it also took us about 17 months to get pregnant. I look at my little guy, and I truly consider him an answer to prayers, and I think that I had to endure the struggles to get pregnant, and then to stay pregnant, so that I would have a FULL appreciation for this special little spirit that has blessed our home. 

I just wanted to post about some of my frustrations with getting pregnant, mostly because while I fortunately didn't have to get to drastic in our measures, I have had quite a few people ask me how I finally got pregnant after well over a year of trying. In January of 2007, I took my last birth control pill, and decided that I would get an IUD. I knew that this was not something that doctors usually gave women who had never had kids, but I had a few friends that got them anyway, and swore by them. So, I went to the doctor to ask for it, and scheduled an appointment, but I never felt good about it. To make a long story short(er), my husband and I decided that we would end birth control, and just put it all in the Lord's hands. 

I was totally naive to the fact that it could take several months to get prego. I just thought that I'd go off the pill and by the next month I'd be prego! :) By April, I was getting antsy, and so I went to the doctor to see what she could do to increase my chances. She put me on Metformin, which is a pill for diabetics, but has a side-effect of increased ovulation. I tried that for a few months, but nothing happened. 

My husband will confirm that my antsy-ness with conceiving kicked into HIGH gear at that point. I was constantly "google-ing" tips on how to conceive, and by the end of June, it was starting to consume me. In July, I got a call from my mom, who informed me that my family just found out that several members had a genetic disorder called, Fragile X Syndrome. http://www.fragilex.org/html/home.shtml (Go to this link to learn more). The short version is that my sister has the "full mutation" of this disorder, and it has caused developmental delays for her, almost considered autistic. We also found out that my mom, my cousin, and my uncle were all confirmed carriers of this. If you are a carrier, there is a possibility of infertility. When my mom called me I thought for sure that this is why I couldn't get pregnant. (I also had several of the other symptoms of a carrier, such as fibromyalgia.) I cried and mourned for days. I didn't know what I'd do if I couldn't get pregnant. I went and got tested and after a month found out that I was NOT a carrier. I was glad to rule this out. (I'll write more later on FXS.)

For the next several months, I had regular blood tests to test my hormone levels and everything else under the sun. I even had an ultra sound to make sure that I didn't have any cysts or anything that would cause problems. In September, I asked the doctor what the next step was, and she prescribed me Clomid. I had mixed feelings about it because I had heard negative things about it. But, I was getting so consumed by trying to get pregnant, that I started taking it. (Let me just say here that while this works for some people, it didn't help me get pregnant, or help my husband want to make a baby with me. In fact, when your husband sleeps on the couch each night because his wife had turned into a crazy, constantly crying, lunatic, it actually makes it harder to conceive - when you're not in the same room. :) 

But, to my husband's horror, I stuck out the Clomid for several more months. By the year mark since we had started trying, I was going crazy. I had so many emotional break downs. The smallest things would set me off. (And can I also just say: People, don't go around asking child-less couples if they don't have kids because they just don't like them...SERIOuSLY!) 

Every month I think that I bought enough tests to keep the pregnancy test companies a float all on my own! I would take several tests, and close my eyes, almost like that would make an extra line appear, because I wanted it so badly.  I would also like to add here that the process of making a baby was becoming more like a chore. And while I know that my husband and I have a very good relationship, between the Clomid craziness, and instructing him on when we would be trying, we started to struggle a little. 

In February, I had the dye test procedure done, and my tubes were just fine. I was almost hoping for a reason, but was glad that nothing major was wrong. I went for a second opinion and that doctor said that I was doing everything possible right now. (Again, I wanted to hear something else.)

We live in a small town, and to take the next steps of insemination, or IVF, would take a commitment of driving 1 to 2 hours each way for appointments, not to mention the costs involved. I begged my husband for us to go to specialists, but he talked me into waiting, mostly because of money. Wanting a baby so badly, I pitch the idea of adoption to him, but he said we should hold off a little longer.

My main job is for a school district, so I have summers off. To appease my husband, and to give myself a time frame, we made a deal that I wouldn't be so consumed with trying. That I'd get off the Clomid, that I wouldn't "schedule" times to try anymore, that I'd throw all of my conceiving tips out, that I'd get rid of my ovulation calendar, and that we'd just have a normal relationship, and see how things went. If by the summer when school was out, I wasn't pregnant, then we could look into going up North to a specialist (when I'd have more time). While this was VERY difficult for me, I up held my end of the bargain.  So, at the end of February, I took myself off of the Clomid. I stopped worrying about when we tried, and just worked on having a healthy marriage with my husband. 

I did need something new to fill my once-baby-obsessed mind though, so I decided to start training for a triathlon. While I was training, I re-injured my hip that I had hurt in high school track, so I decided to go to the chiropractor. I told him that I was training for the tri, and he asked if I had kids. I told him no, but I would like to. He told me about a women that came in because she couldn't get pregnant, and after a few treatments, she was pregnant. I tried not to get my hopes up, but kept this in the back of my mind as I went to three more sessions with him. 

School was getting out, and for Memorial Day we went to visit my parents. During that time, the emotions of wanting to get pregnant took over, and it's all I could think about. I was so emotional, tired, and I felt my fibro myalgia starting to kick in while we were visiting my parents. They live in the South, and the humidity was horrible! My fingers, toes, and boobs swelled up, but I just blamed it on the humidity! :) Finally, the morning after we got home, I woke up a little nauseated, so broke my promise, and used the last pregnancy test that I had. I figured I may as well use them up, and just throw the box away. All of a sudden, I noticed that there were two lines... and to make an already very long story short, I was indeed prego!!! 

I don't know what factor finally helped us to conceive. But, I think that the biggest part was that I stopped stressing about it, and just let it happen. I had thought that I knew exactly when I was ovulating, but since high school, my cycle has always been off, so maybe we were completely missing our fertility window. Maybe the chiropractor helped too. Or maybe Heavenly Father just had a plan of his own. Anyway, that's my pre-pregnancy story - complete with a happy ending! :)

You Know You're a Mommy When...

You know you're a mommy when people ask you what kind of candle you have burning in your house, and you tell them that it's the new scent, "Puking Kid".  (This scent also comes in perfume, so that you're body and clothing can match your house.) 

You also know you're a mommy when the term "all night-er" no longer refers to fun, crazy, all-night escapades with your friends, but is now used to describe a night filled with scrubbing carpet, stripping bedding, doing laundry, and attempting to rock a sick baby back to sleep. (Can you tell that it's been a long, flu-filled week at our house?)