I am biting my ceuticals. Not because I'm nervous or worried but because that's what I do. I have gotten a lot of flack (is that how to spell flack?) throughout my life. When I was in 4th grade my teacher wrote a note on the top of my spelling test, next to my A+ "maybe your snacks help :)."
Sure it was weird for him to point it out but it was a "lightbulb" moment for me. People notice. I must look ravenous when I'm actually in the zone. Biting, chewing, twisting my hands to get the best possible position for optimal skin removal, chewing some more. I should be in a side show. I am more aware of it now when I am in public. Mostly.
Last weekend someone asked me if I was hungry! I have to say he was an excellent host and showed the utmost concern for my wellbeing. I laughed. It was pretty funny.
My hands became very dry from all of the unpacking I was doing a few weeks ago. Of course, I had to promptly remove (and when I say "remove" what I really mean is devour) anything that might snag and cause me harm. It snowballed from there. I am currently nursing (but still nibbling a little) some significant damage.
I informed him of this dilemma but he did not appear to be convinced. Oh well. What am I going to? Go around explaining my idiosyncrasies to anyone who will listen? I don't have time for that. I have a lot of them. I always think about how ridiculous it must look in order for someone to comment on it. Then I have to crack up.
I know there are others like me. I once worked with a girl (if you know Tracy Tlumpka tell her I've been trying to find her on Facebook with no success!) who also chewed her fingers into bloody stubs. We actually bonded over this common pastime of ours.
My son bites his nails, which I also do somewhat. I mostly quit but it seems like I always have one nail that I reserve for tense moments. Nail biting, for me, is something I do when I am watching a really intense movie or maybe preparing for a job interview.
Not so with finger chewing. That is constant regardless of my mood. The only thing that stops me is dirty hands... I wash my hands a lot. Hmmm, that's probably why my skin is usually dry, which causes the irresistible little burrs to break away and taunt me. It's a swirling vortex of skin and teeth and torture and satisfaction.
Anyway, that's what I'm up to at the moment. How 'bout you?
Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Busy, busy
Sorry it's been so long. We've been pretty busy. Things are slowing down and we are getting settled into our new home. WE LOVE IT! The kids are so happy! Liam has told me more than once "Me wuv my new house momma." Pictures coming soon!
It is actually slightly bigger than our old house but there are fewer rooms so I have had to make some things work. We used to have a breakfast nook (I called it our cafe) and a dining room. Now we have an "eat-in kitchen." Our cafe table is now in the basement for playing games and doing kids projects. We no longer have a four seasons room so I have to sell my beloved vintage couch :(.
There are other things too, that we just don't need or have a place for. You know what that means...GARAGE SALE! Ugh, I am just so worn out. I thought about selling the big stuff on Craigslist and giving the toys and other small things away but Craigslist is a lot of work too...We can hardly walk through the garage so something has to happen. We shall see.
I am working on getting my etsy shop items ready to list and organizing my new etsy room so that I can take some pictures. I am hoping to have my shop open by the middle of the month. I can't wait!
Liam is getting really creative and has a fantastic imagination. I love to watch him pretend with his toys. He also seems to really enjoy Amelia lately. He always wants her to come play with him and since he's pretty good about sharing, she seems to like playing with him too. They also fight. Liam gets mad and makes her cry and then she gets mad and runs away. Then he begs her to come back and play. It's exhausting.
Amelia is saying a few new things. She been saying momma and dada, but now she says hi, bye and all-done. She can point to different features on her face, her belly button, feet, etc. She also points out different animals in books.
We've had some tough moments in the last couple of months but things are getting back to normal and the kids are doing really well. Luke and I are feeling more relaxed and we are meeting some great people.
Lovin' Iowa!
It is actually slightly bigger than our old house but there are fewer rooms so I have had to make some things work. We used to have a breakfast nook (I called it our cafe) and a dining room. Now we have an "eat-in kitchen." Our cafe table is now in the basement for playing games and doing kids projects. We no longer have a four seasons room so I have to sell my beloved vintage couch :(.
There are other things too, that we just don't need or have a place for. You know what that means...GARAGE SALE! Ugh, I am just so worn out. I thought about selling the big stuff on Craigslist and giving the toys and other small things away but Craigslist is a lot of work too...We can hardly walk through the garage so something has to happen. We shall see.
I am working on getting my etsy shop items ready to list and organizing my new etsy room so that I can take some pictures. I am hoping to have my shop open by the middle of the month. I can't wait!
Liam is getting really creative and has a fantastic imagination. I love to watch him pretend with his toys. He also seems to really enjoy Amelia lately. He always wants her to come play with him and since he's pretty good about sharing, she seems to like playing with him too. They also fight. Liam gets mad and makes her cry and then she gets mad and runs away. Then he begs her to come back and play. It's exhausting.
Amelia is saying a few new things. She been saying momma and dada, but now she says hi, bye and all-done. She can point to different features on her face, her belly button, feet, etc. She also points out different animals in books.
We've had some tough moments in the last couple of months but things are getting back to normal and the kids are doing really well. Luke and I are feeling more relaxed and we are meeting some great people.
Lovin' Iowa!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
"Vacation Mode"
So I just put my Etsy shop on "Vacation Mode" and I feel a little defeated. Like, I can't do it all and here is the proof. It's not like I was really in it anymore anyway. We have been so busy and with Luke being in Iowa, I never had time to take pictures and list new items. I have an abundance of items that need to be listed but it all needs to be packed away and put into storage so we can stage our house.
Our realtor came last Saturday and informed us that the market is not pretty (not that we didn't know that) and that for our style of house in particular (a rambler with an addition) interest will be limited. Ugh. We have a laundry list of things to do to prepare our house to show. This includes "declutter"ing our house. Her words.
So all of my Etsy inventory, that has overtaken our guest room and my workroom in the basement, needs to disappear. I am sad but I also feel like I will be able to come back with new energy. I think moving to Iowa will rejuvenate me in a way that will be very good for my shop.
I am excited about this move and anticipate something...big. I don't know what and I don't want to set myself up for disappointment but I have this gut feeling that this is where I am supposed to be. Maybe it's just that I am letting go of whatever it was that was holding me back before and now I'm really going to go for it.
Since opening my Etsy shop I have a glimmer of confidence and motivation that I have never had before. I feel like this is something that I could be good at. If I really apply myself I might even be successful! Really good things are around the corner for me and for my family.
So my shop is on "Vacation mode" even though this is no vacation for me. I'm just going to take things one day at a time. I am taking deep breathes, and trying to keep Luke calm as well. We are hoping to put our house on the market by November 1st or at the latest mid November because Luke has to report to work on January 5th.
Putting Etsy on the back burner will be good for me in the long run. I can't wait to open up the boxes when we settle in to our new home and see all my babies again!
Our realtor came last Saturday and informed us that the market is not pretty (not that we didn't know that) and that for our style of house in particular (a rambler with an addition) interest will be limited. Ugh. We have a laundry list of things to do to prepare our house to show. This includes "declutter"ing our house. Her words.
So all of my Etsy inventory, that has overtaken our guest room and my workroom in the basement, needs to disappear. I am sad but I also feel like I will be able to come back with new energy. I think moving to Iowa will rejuvenate me in a way that will be very good for my shop.
I am excited about this move and anticipate something...big. I don't know what and I don't want to set myself up for disappointment but I have this gut feeling that this is where I am supposed to be. Maybe it's just that I am letting go of whatever it was that was holding me back before and now I'm really going to go for it.
Since opening my Etsy shop I have a glimmer of confidence and motivation that I have never had before. I feel like this is something that I could be good at. If I really apply myself I might even be successful! Really good things are around the corner for me and for my family.
So my shop is on "Vacation mode" even though this is no vacation for me. I'm just going to take things one day at a time. I am taking deep breathes, and trying to keep Luke calm as well. We are hoping to put our house on the market by November 1st or at the latest mid November because Luke has to report to work on January 5th.
Putting Etsy on the back burner will be good for me in the long run. I can't wait to open up the boxes when we settle in to our new home and see all my babies again!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Around the corner
I can't believe it. Lately I have extra time in the evenings because I finally have both the kids on a decent sleep schedule. It is hard work but man is it worth it in the end!
You may have noticed some new tunes on my blog. Last week the weather was so mellow and the evenings were actually chilly. So I got the itch. I felt the urge to go to Caribou to get a Hot Apple Blast or a Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks. I love the change of seasons especially Summer to Fall.
School is in. Spiral notebooks, three ring binders, textbooks, "bouquets of pencils," the squeak of new sneakers on shiny floors and chalk on blackboards-they all whisper "Psst, fall is coming."
Apple picking will be starting. Our grapes are almost ripe. I want to put on a cozy sweater and some worn in jeans and hold my coffee cup with both hands just under my nose so the steam fogs up my glasses. I know it will be some time yet before that happens but when it does I will not be disappointed. I will not be sad that Summer is gone and now Winter is coming.
Autumn is coming! I know too many pessimists who only see the Winter that looms burly and dark behind Autumn's backside. I think because it is the time of year when everything is put to bed. Earth's bedtime, I guess. The days get shorter and it seems like it is always dark. So, to some, it feels like the end. It is the wrapping up of a year. But it's not all death and goodbyes. It is just goodnight. "See you in the morning."
Let us not forget cider, pumpkins, knitted scarves with denim jackets, JEANS, football, fallen leaves, backpacks, sneakers, Halloween, Thanksgiving, long walks crunching leaves and the list goes on and on. I know we will miss lemonade, strawberries, swimsuits, shorts, baseball, thunderstorms, picnic baskets, flipflops, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and long walks in the sand, but they will be back again. Next year. We are only saying "see ya later" not "good bye."
I wish you could be here with me. This is my favorite time of year and we have so much going on. I am overflowing with anticipation. My fingers are always moving. You are welcome to come and have a cup of coffee with me in my cafe here at home. We can talk about Fall. We can talk about babies, whatever. We can just look out the window and wait for our friend Autumn to knock on the front door. Sigh. Doesn't that sound nice?
You may have noticed some new tunes on my blog. Last week the weather was so mellow and the evenings were actually chilly. So I got the itch. I felt the urge to go to Caribou to get a Hot Apple Blast or a Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks. I love the change of seasons especially Summer to Fall.
School is in. Spiral notebooks, three ring binders, textbooks, "bouquets of pencils," the squeak of new sneakers on shiny floors and chalk on blackboards-they all whisper "Psst, fall is coming."
Apple picking will be starting. Our grapes are almost ripe. I want to put on a cozy sweater and some worn in jeans and hold my coffee cup with both hands just under my nose so the steam fogs up my glasses. I know it will be some time yet before that happens but when it does I will not be disappointed. I will not be sad that Summer is gone and now Winter is coming.
Autumn is coming! I know too many pessimists who only see the Winter that looms burly and dark behind Autumn's backside. I think because it is the time of year when everything is put to bed. Earth's bedtime, I guess. The days get shorter and it seems like it is always dark. So, to some, it feels like the end. It is the wrapping up of a year. But it's not all death and goodbyes. It is just goodnight. "See you in the morning."
Let us not forget cider, pumpkins, knitted scarves with denim jackets, JEANS, football, fallen leaves, backpacks, sneakers, Halloween, Thanksgiving, long walks crunching leaves and the list goes on and on. I know we will miss lemonade, strawberries, swimsuits, shorts, baseball, thunderstorms, picnic baskets, flipflops, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and long walks in the sand, but they will be back again. Next year. We are only saying "see ya later" not "good bye."
I wish you could be here with me. This is my favorite time of year and we have so much going on. I am overflowing with anticipation. My fingers are always moving. You are welcome to come and have a cup of coffee with me in my cafe here at home. We can talk about Fall. We can talk about babies, whatever. We can just look out the window and wait for our friend Autumn to knock on the front door. Sigh. Doesn't that sound nice?
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Today
Things are getting more and more interesting every day. Luke got the job in Iowa so we will definitely be moving there and we are very excited! I am ready for something new and challenging. I need a change of scenery.
We are hoping that all goes well with the sale of our house and purchasing a new one. I'm not going to lie - I'm a little nervous. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to get our house ready to be put on the market. Things we have been putting off since we moved in.
We do plan on having a moving sale, maybe in two weeks. We'll see if I can get everything priced by then! I just sold a bunch of stuff this last Spring at my sisters garage sale so I feel like my joints are oiled up and ready to go.
I am also considering having an area of the moving sale for some of my etsy inventory. I have a lot of stuff that has never been listed due to a lack of time. I don't know. People come to moving sales for a good deal $.50 here and $.25 there, maybe a dollar or two. They don't expect to pay etsy prices for vintage but I don't want to give it all away for free!
Luke's job pays for movers to come and pack our stuff and haul it to our destination, but they only pay for so many pounds. We won't know how many pounds of stuff we have until after the fact so...we don't want to pay to move my shop items if we don't have to.
On another note, Liam is potty trained! It didn't take long. I tried my hardest to stay consistent and gave him big hugs and kisses every time he used the potty (I also bribed him with anything I could to get him to try when he didn't think he needed to go). He spent a couple of days with no undies or diapers until he got the hang of going all the way to the bathroom whenever he had to go. Then I put him in undies with the rubber undies over them. After he got the hang of having to pull down his undies every time, I got rid of the rubber undies except for car rides and bedtime. Now he doesn't need the rubber undies at all and only has an accident every couple of days. We are so proud of him!
Amelia is crawling and pulling herself up on furniture, window sills, the dishwasher (while closed), toys and anything else she can. She is taking steps while hanging on and can stand for 3 seconds without falling. She is getting so close to standing and walking! I can't believe how big she's getting. She turns a year old in October already!
We are hoping that all goes well with the sale of our house and purchasing a new one. I'm not going to lie - I'm a little nervous. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to get our house ready to be put on the market. Things we have been putting off since we moved in.
We do plan on having a moving sale, maybe in two weeks. We'll see if I can get everything priced by then! I just sold a bunch of stuff this last Spring at my sisters garage sale so I feel like my joints are oiled up and ready to go.
I am also considering having an area of the moving sale for some of my etsy inventory. I have a lot of stuff that has never been listed due to a lack of time. I don't know. People come to moving sales for a good deal $.50 here and $.25 there, maybe a dollar or two. They don't expect to pay etsy prices for vintage but I don't want to give it all away for free!
Luke's job pays for movers to come and pack our stuff and haul it to our destination, but they only pay for so many pounds. We won't know how many pounds of stuff we have until after the fact so...we don't want to pay to move my shop items if we don't have to.
On another note, Liam is potty trained! It didn't take long. I tried my hardest to stay consistent and gave him big hugs and kisses every time he used the potty (I also bribed him with anything I could to get him to try when he didn't think he needed to go). He spent a couple of days with no undies or diapers until he got the hang of going all the way to the bathroom whenever he had to go. Then I put him in undies with the rubber undies over them. After he got the hang of having to pull down his undies every time, I got rid of the rubber undies except for car rides and bedtime. Now he doesn't need the rubber undies at all and only has an accident every couple of days. We are so proud of him!
Amelia is crawling and pulling herself up on furniture, window sills, the dishwasher (while closed), toys and anything else she can. She is taking steps while hanging on and can stand for 3 seconds without falling. She is getting so close to standing and walking! I can't believe how big she's getting. She turns a year old in October already!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Who I am now
I am a 29 year old stay at home mom. I married my husband, Luke almost 3 years ago in a small ceremony in Akumal, Mexico. We welcomed our son, Liam in November 2007. He is a happy, rambunctious little monkey and I love him to pieces.
After 8 weeks of staying home with my then colicky bundle of tears, I returned to work as a receptionist at a plastic surgeon's office. It was 100% the right decision for us at that time and even though it was hard I knew I was doing the right thing. There were good days and bad days. There were times I wanted to pull him out of daycare because I felt he was picking up bad habits and not getting enough attention, but we made it over those humps. After his first birthday I decided I wanted to try for another baby and convinced my husband that having them close together was the best way to raise children.
What did I know?! My parents had 5 kids in 7 years and we were very close growing up and are very close now. I guess I didn't really consider how hard it would be with a little boy going through his terrible twos and an infant. It is the HARDEST thing I have ever experienced. Since I was 27 when we had Liam I felt like we better hurry up and get the show on the road so we wouldn't be the "old parents". Now I realize that's not at all how it will be. Since my mom had her 5th child by the time she was 27, I always felt like I was behind.
Amelia was born in October of 2009 and she has been a breeze compared to Liam as an infant! She is happy and thriving and loves her big brother. Liam mostly ignores her but always gives her her soothie when she spits it out and gives her kisses before bed. He has never shown any jealousy towards her and rarely wants to be on my lap when she is. He isn't much for sitting on laps. He isn't much for sitting, period. He stands while watching Sesame Street. He is always on the go and understands that when I am nursing Amelia he can take off and get into mischief.
I decided not to go back to work while I was still pregnant. I felt like I missed out on a lot of Liam's babyhood and he was getting to a point where he needed more one on one attention so it was the obvious choice for me. I am blessed with the ability to choose whether or not to go back to work and I figured I would regret it if I didn't at least try it.
This winter was hard. I felt like I lost myself. I spent day in and day out cooped up in the house. Amelia was too small to be out in the cold so Liam could play and to be honest, I didn't have the energy to bundle Liam up and pull him through the foot and a half of snow in our backyard. It took a while to get Amelia on a regular sleep schedule so I was with her from the time we got up in the morning (usually Liam would wake us up around 7am) until we both went to bed (around 11pm).
I realized in January that I had 3 choices. Either get a job, go back to school, or find a way to make time for myself. I chose option 3. Luke is very supportive of me cutting out time for myself and even got me a gift certificate to a spa in town just so I could get out of the house. I started going to bed early to read while he took care of Amelia. I joined a group of women that gets together once a month to discuss issues affecting women today. Most recently, I started an Etsy shop selling vintage dishes, clothes etc. and Luke has been very helpful and supportive.
My Etsy shop is a way for me to do what I love while still being home with the kids. I always wanted to open an actual shop with a door but Luke's job requires us to move every seven years so I don't know how I would ever have a real store. Etsy is the next best thing. My shop is called RR 1 Box 80 and if you have ever lived at a rr box you know to say "rural route" and not "rr". It was my address growing up and it is where I became me.
Since I have been searching for myself after being set aside for a while that name seemed appropriate. I am on an exciting journey discovering who I am now.
After 8 weeks of staying home with my then colicky bundle of tears, I returned to work as a receptionist at a plastic surgeon's office. It was 100% the right decision for us at that time and even though it was hard I knew I was doing the right thing. There were good days and bad days. There were times I wanted to pull him out of daycare because I felt he was picking up bad habits and not getting enough attention, but we made it over those humps. After his first birthday I decided I wanted to try for another baby and convinced my husband that having them close together was the best way to raise children.
What did I know?! My parents had 5 kids in 7 years and we were very close growing up and are very close now. I guess I didn't really consider how hard it would be with a little boy going through his terrible twos and an infant. It is the HARDEST thing I have ever experienced. Since I was 27 when we had Liam I felt like we better hurry up and get the show on the road so we wouldn't be the "old parents". Now I realize that's not at all how it will be. Since my mom had her 5th child by the time she was 27, I always felt like I was behind.
Amelia was born in October of 2009 and she has been a breeze compared to Liam as an infant! She is happy and thriving and loves her big brother. Liam mostly ignores her but always gives her her soothie when she spits it out and gives her kisses before bed. He has never shown any jealousy towards her and rarely wants to be on my lap when she is. He isn't much for sitting on laps. He isn't much for sitting, period. He stands while watching Sesame Street. He is always on the go and understands that when I am nursing Amelia he can take off and get into mischief.
I decided not to go back to work while I was still pregnant. I felt like I missed out on a lot of Liam's babyhood and he was getting to a point where he needed more one on one attention so it was the obvious choice for me. I am blessed with the ability to choose whether or not to go back to work and I figured I would regret it if I didn't at least try it.
This winter was hard. I felt like I lost myself. I spent day in and day out cooped up in the house. Amelia was too small to be out in the cold so Liam could play and to be honest, I didn't have the energy to bundle Liam up and pull him through the foot and a half of snow in our backyard. It took a while to get Amelia on a regular sleep schedule so I was with her from the time we got up in the morning (usually Liam would wake us up around 7am) until we both went to bed (around 11pm).
I realized in January that I had 3 choices. Either get a job, go back to school, or find a way to make time for myself. I chose option 3. Luke is very supportive of me cutting out time for myself and even got me a gift certificate to a spa in town just so I could get out of the house. I started going to bed early to read while he took care of Amelia. I joined a group of women that gets together once a month to discuss issues affecting women today. Most recently, I started an Etsy shop selling vintage dishes, clothes etc. and Luke has been very helpful and supportive.
My Etsy shop is a way for me to do what I love while still being home with the kids. I always wanted to open an actual shop with a door but Luke's job requires us to move every seven years so I don't know how I would ever have a real store. Etsy is the next best thing. My shop is called RR 1 Box 80 and if you have ever lived at a rr box you know to say "rural route" and not "rr". It was my address growing up and it is where I became me.
Since I have been searching for myself after being set aside for a while that name seemed appropriate. I am on an exciting journey discovering who I am now.
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