The Job Hunt Continues

So our getaway last weekend looks like it was really our last hurrah for awhile. It appears that the need for me to find a job has increased. We are doing well with me as a SAHM due to my husband's second job. It is a weird type of position that is purely work from home and commission based. But the commission has a cap on it (you get paid x per so many y's you service but once you get to so many y's we cut you off until next year). He figured out that he will hit the cap in August, therefore September will be our last check from that job this year.

I am trying to find ways to generate income from home myself but to no real avail. I don't want to commit too much time to anything because I do want to return to the workforce, the market is just so slow right now I haven't been able to find anything. I will take that back, I haven't been able to find anything that will allow me to make more than the cost of childcare.

I had made peace (to a degree) with my role as a SAHM but the pressure has returned. I have an interview scheduled for next week. I will keep my fingers crossed but it is hard to think positive after going on so many interviews. I am ready to be done interviewing! It has been over a year since I was laid off. YIKES.

Getaway Weekend

As I told everyone earlier, this past weekend my husband and I had a getaway weekend (really I am not gloating---much). We had a great time without the kids. Hubby did a great job in planning the trip. See, we have worked out our roles in our marriage. I take care of the finances and he does all of the planning, especially for vacations.

As a kid, vacations for me consisted of going to one set of grandparents or the other. No real destination trips except for one summer when my grandparents took me to Florida to see Mickey. My husband on the other hand went to a new destination every summer (most evolving around baseball games). So we are now working on expanding my catalogue of vacation spots. I had never been to Kansas before so we went to Kansas City (we stayed Kansas not Missouri).

We experienced the BBQ enjoyed the quiet of no kids and even went to the casino. That wasn't as much fun as it sounded but it is something we wouldn't be able to do with kids so it had some appeal at the time. We saw KNOWING (see previous post). The best excursion of the weekend was the WWI Museum. We are both history buffs so it was something we enjoyed and it sparked some really good conversation. We both had family in that war so we inspected every picture of German soldiers (that is where our ancestors were at the time) to see if we could see a family resemblance--no luck. The guide said it should take 90 minutes to get through the museum, it took us over 2 hours. It was a good weekend. The kids were glad to see us when we got back. They had fun with Grandma and Papa--went to the zoo, had a picnic and basically got their way 100% of the time.

Now that its Wednesday, the house is almost back in order and the kids are almost deprogrammed from the weekend. Hey we have almost recovered.

Knowing--Another Movie Review

This past weekend I had the rare pleasure of seeing a movie that was above a PG rating. For this momentous occasion I let my darling husband take his pick. We are both huge fans of the National Treasure series and Nicholas Cage so he opted for Knowing. If only we had known before we saw it....

For those of you who have not seen the previews, this is a movie very similar to National Treasure as Nicholas Cages character is a scientist working at MIT. He gets a page of what appears to be random numbers. With his ever cunning intellect he figures that the numbers are dates of tragic events leading up to... (I won't spoil it).

I will let you know that we were very disappointed with the movie. The first 2/3rds of it was great (think National Treasure and the Sixth Sense all rolled into one) but it seemed as the studio just didn't know how to end it. My husband was so disappointed that he has told me he owes me a chick flick at the theater. In the end we enjoyed our evening out but the movie wasn't worth the $30 price tag for 2 at the movie theater.

Now what movie should I tell my husband he gets to take me to next....

FREE WEEKEND!!!

I am free this weekend!

My in-laws are flying into town tonight and the hubby and I are taking off for a few days. No Kids! We haven't done this in awhile and it feels more than over due. It could be my daily dose of kids has increased in the last year (last time we left for the weekend was April 08).

So I bid all of you farewell. I will be returning on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Warm Weather Ramblings

I can not say how much I enjoy warm weather. I have been successful in cutting down my girl's TV time this week because I can send them outside. Additionally, with our mostly fenced in backyard, they can be out there without me as long as I have the sliding door open. I have been so much more productive this week because of it. YEAH!!!

The other great thing about the weather warming up is that I am getting to meet my neighbors. We moved into our home this past October and while we had some warm days at the end of fall everyone for the most part had their routines and I met very few people. In the past week I have met nearly all of our neighbors and have been caught up on the local gossip (turns out the couple next door are the town busybodies so I will always be in the know whether I like it or not). So not only have I cut down on TV and met people, I am starting to finally feel like Nebraska is home. Thank goodness since this is where we plan to live for the next 20+ years.

Getting fit--Wii Fit

So on Friday my husband comes home from work with a Wii Fit. This wasn't surprising as he had been talking about it for awhile but I didn't think he would pull the trigger. But he found one and now we are the proud owners of one of the most sought after "toys" in the country.

We have had it for a few days and I must admit I like it. I am not sure how much we will use it but there is no excuse now. If I continue to out score the family the use will go down as we are way to competitive as a family. I was not ready for the harsh reality when I stepped on the first time. I am not a large woman but I am not small. I have been called "solid" my entire life. The new toy didn't mince words, I am "over-weight" and awfully close to being "obese". These are not words I would have used to describe myself and I am not getting wrapped up in this but YIKES!!!

Too Much TV

The TV is always on at my house. I don't typically sit and watch TV but I do enjoy the background noise and when it is off I just seem to be out of sync. Because of my addiction, my children now have a healthy one as well. Now I don't keep children's television on all day (lord help me). They get about 1-2 hours of that in the morning while we are eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. Once TWO goes down for her morning nap, the channel gets switched to news or other adult programming (not that kind--get your mind out of the gutter). Unfortunately, they still get sucked into my background noise. I know it needs to get turned off but I can't seem to bring myself to break this habit. Is there a 12 step program I can join? How about a motivational DVD? Seriously, I am depending on the warmer weather to help me with this, but until it gets warm consistently I am on my own.

Any suggestions from other TV addicted parents?

Keeping House

Domestic Goddess I am not.

Its not in my nature and not in my training (that is a topic for a different post).

Now I manage to keep the "public" areas of the house mostly presentable--toys of course are the constant enemy. However it is natural that the chores you hate most tend to stay at the bottom of the list. What is my most detested task...mopping. Now I sweep the floors several times a day and I vacuum several times a week but mopping only happens when it is absolutely necessary.

So this weekend when my wonderful husband mopped the floors for me without being asked I wanted to weep with joy. It was better than Christmas!

Please tell me I am not alone in failing in this area!

Hannah Montana--The Movie

Well Disney has done it again. This past weekend, Hannah Montana-The Movie was the top earner at the box office. I helped contribute to Disney's latest conquest and I must say I wasn't disappointed. When you go into this movie as an adult you keep your expectations low--Hey we aren't the intended audience--but I found it to be surprisingly entertaining.

The plot was what you would expect. You know, trying to find the balance in "the best of both worlds" but it has its humor (I even caught my husband laughing out-loud), the music was great, and of course a strong moral underlying message--be yourself. Both of my girls (yes even at 20 months) loved it. They were singing and bopping along to the music in their seats.

Disney rarely strikes out in the theatres and with Hannah it lives up to its impressive reputation. My opinion as a mom, not a bad way to spend a gloomy weekend and I won't be opposed to buying it when it comes out on DVD.

The Terrible Twos have Arrived

Well the terrible two's are officially here. I have suspected as much over the past few weeks but now there is no denying it. TWO has always had a mischievous gleam in her eyes. This weekend while we were cleaning she went suspiciously quiet for a period of time. As moms we all know this quiet of getting into trouble so my husband went to investigate.

Our darling daughter was sweetly sitting on the bathroom floor with a roll of toilet paper spread out around her.--Now I thank the sweet Lord that she hasn't found the joys of putting things in the toilet or worse still, flushing but something had to be done to stop this behavior from continuing.--So my husband very sternly scolded her. He didn't yell at her, only firmly told her that what she did was wrong that that she will not do it again. You would think he yelled and disowned her. At first she tried to put it back (I had to bite my lip not to laugh at this attempt) and then she cried, and cried, and howled and turned into a full fledged temper tantrum with her throwing herself on the floor, throwing toys and hitting me when I tried to help her calm down. She was of course shown promptly to her room, but I know that this is only the beginning of this type of behavior.

Thank God, he made two year-olds cute and cuddly too or I don't know how many would survive this stage.

Awesome Giveaway over at Tangerine Kitty!

Hey everyone! Check out the awesome giveaway over at Tangerine Kitty. Not only are the giveaway stuff super cute, but her store has awesome purses. I have already printed pictures and left them around the house for Mother's Day gift ideas. I only hope my hubby catches on.

She is growing up

Ok, I am not one of those Moms who gets all emotional when milestones are hit. My husband normally gives me a hard time because I am heartless about these things. My feelings are that the more emotional I get the more traumatic the event will be for my kids.

So today when I took ONE to Kindergarten Roundup I wasn't quite prepared for the slew of emotions that hit. Worse still, my husband went with as well so I had to keep up my brave face or risk loosing my reputation or worse yet get picked on for the next several years because I dared shed a tear.

I didn't cry, I wanted to, but I didn't. What am I going to be like when I take her to school for real? She can be shy and self conscious enough without me adding to it.

PS--I restrained myself from taking pictures (this is just practice, I will take pictures this fall) though others did making me feel guilty for not doing so.

2009 Goals

I know I am so far behind on this, but better late than never--right?

1. Strengthen the family's faith and the girl's knowledge of God. (regular bible stories with the girls and regular/active church attendance as a family)
2. Eat more meals at home. (Try to keep eating out to 2 nights a week or less)
3. Reinstitute reading with the girls. (10-20 minutes a day 4+days a week)
4. Teach ONE to tie her shoes before going to Kindegarden in the fall
5. Find a full-time position in Human Resources
6. Get our basement finished off (number 5 to be accomplished first).

Now that I have these out there I will hopefully be more dilligent in following up on them. It is my plan to re-evaluate on a quarterly if not monthly basis.

Here's to accountablity!

Personality Differences

As I watch my girls grow it is natural for me to compare them to each other. The differences in their personalities is truly astonishing. They already at these early ages are polar opposites of each other. It makes me really ponder the Psych 101 question of "nature vs. nurture". Where ONE is passive, TWO is confrontational. ONE is a picky eater while TWO will eat anything that doesn't bite her back (and even that is up for debate). ONE thrives on interaction and people around her while TWO loves being alone and will happily sit in her crib for hours playing quietly by herself.

Now I am an oldest child. I have siblings 4, 5, and 9 years younger then me. While we have our differences none of us are opposites. All but one of us avoids conflict at all costs and none of us were picky eaters growing up (could be that we would have starved if we tried). So this startling difference at 20 months and 5 years seems startling. The funny thing about it , is that my husband and I see our personalities mirrored in the girls. ONE is clearly my mini-me, a self-conscience people pleaser thru and thru. TWO is my husband with her mischievous smile and devil may care attitude (I will have my hands full with her).

As I watch them grow I try not to project these personalities or expectations on them. Who knows, these traits may turn a complete 180 degrees by the time they reach adulthood. This is just something I find myself marveling at on a regular basis.

Do you see this in your children as well or am I just witnessing the developmental differences of their ages?

Dog?

We are a pet less family. Not because we don't like animals, just that our lives have never been conducive to having pets before. Well now that we are settled in a place we plan on being for awhile (we have moved 6 times in the last 7 years) and we own our home and it has a mostly fenced in backyard the question on whether or not to get a dog has come up several times.

My under 2 year-old is completely enamoured by dogs and "dog" was one of her first 4 words. The 5 year-old is still scared of dogs but she needs to get over it. My husband wants one. I am the hold out. I know it is the classic excuse but I just know that I will be the one in the end taking care of it. Additionally I don't see how it could be fair to the dog? When I go back to work (and that will happen) there are days in the winter when we feasibly leave the house around 7am and do not get back until after 9pm due to the running we have to do. I can't see this working.

So I am the bad guy at this point. Do any of you wise readers have any input on the situation? Do you have dogs/pets? How does it work?

Where is Spring?

Alright, this weather is killing me!

I love the sun, but it is missing its favorite companion--warm weather. These temps need to go up. We have been cooped up in this house with the TV sucking the life out of us for too long.
When will we get to the 50's? Sun and 30 is just cruel and unusual punishment.

The guy at the McDonald's drive thru said it best last night "we had warmer weather back in January". So true.

Shopping for a Hobby

I have been told by more than one source that one of the best ways to keep your sanity and identity as a SAHP is to develop a non-kid related hobby. Well time for me to find one! I have tried several things in the past but there hasn't been anything I stick to. I like to bake, but I don't like having all of the sweets in the house. I have also tried scrapbooking but while I enjoy it, I don't seem to come back to it unless my Mom is in town.



I love to read other blogs (I have mentioned my love for personal finance in the past) and I like reading in general. However I tend to get sucked in to whatever I am reading and other tasks seem to suffer. So while it is good, I often see it as a waste of time because nothing tangible comes from it.



Writing and blogging are my latest attempts. Creative writing was an outlet for me as a child but it wasn't encouraged so I stopped. I kept journals for years but it was more the stuff of teen angst. I am going to try to set aside time daily (nap time) to write something. Hopefully it is something I stick to.



Any ideas for future attempts at a hobby?



PS--gardening is out as my husband has already claimed the yard as his domain:)