Saturday, April 30, 2011

My 16th Week in Droid Pics

We had a very busy week!  It went by way too fast, and I couldn't believe how many pics I had on my phone.  Don't worry; I won't add them all  :)

Some Easter phone pics:

JD loved dying eggs.

I made a carrot cake bunny & piped on some cream cheese frosting  :)

O watching his crazy drumming brother.

O was 6 months old on Easter!
Counting his eggs

Sophie was a big hit!
Running around with Daddy.

O didn't mind that Daddy was napping.

Thank goodness the church we went to in PA had a baby/toddler room.  The service was much more enjoyable for everyone!
Monday

JD kept a wishlist as we walked through Ikea.

I want to put this kitchen on my wishlist!

This is my son putting broccoli in his mouth when there is perfectly good mac & cheese on his plate.  Weirdo!
 Tuesday
O started solids!
And he loved it!  We had to make more & couldn't shovel it in fast enough for him. nom nom nom

It wasn't as nice as it was supposed to be, but we went to the beach anyway!

Wednesday
The boys had new pictures taken.

JD was too busy admiring himself to eat the pancakes I bought to keep him busy during O's shoot.
Matching car naps!

Daddy caught us reading  :)

Playing peek-a-boo at My Gym
 Thursday

I had a ton of cleaning/laundry to do, so I let the boys destroy the playroom.

They were playing together  :)

JD was 99% successful eating tomato soup at dinner.
Friday

O was up early with me to watch The Wedding.

We played with bubbles in the yard.  (We have 4 different kinds of grass & clover going on. haha)

I think Hubby enjoyed the bubble maker more than JD did!

We had dinner with friends, and JD made himself at home by trying on their shoes.
 Saturday

Busy day of cleaning & errands, so definitely needed a strawberry shake pick-me-up :)

Did you take phone pics this week?  I'd love to see them.  Visit Amy to get the code!


Thursday, April 28, 2011

Friday Favorite: Jersey Babys

My hubby is a social butterfly (and I mean that in a masculine way, of course), and he meets a lot of interesting people in his job as a basketball trainer.  A couple weeks ago, he came home with a CD given to him by the parent of a client, and I was so excited!  


See, I was raised on the oldies.  My dad always had on music by Chubby Checker, Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, The Righteous Brothers, and of course, The Four Seasons.  When Jersey Boys opened on Broadway, I bought my parents tickets for their anniversary.  They loooooooved it. 



The Jersey Babys CD is adorable.  The songs are like a whimsical cross between soothing lullabies and happy carousel tunes.  They seamlessly run into each other and every couple minutes you hear the familiar melody of classics like "Walk Like a Man", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)".  We listened to it on our drive to PA for Easter, and JD asked for MORE when it was over  :)

Danielle Gaudio-Lalehzar is the daughter of Bob Gaudio, an original member of The Four Seasons (and therefor a Jersey Baby herself), and she is the brains behind the project.  There is a great quote from her dad in the CD jacket: "Sometimes you just have to listen to your kids!"

You can see more info on the Jersey Babys website and the music is available on Amazon (both the CD and individual MP3s).  I can't wait to share this with my dad!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Self-Evaluation & New Plan

I've been writing and rewriting this post in my head for the past week, and I finally think I've got it figured out. From the time I decided to stay home with JD, I've looked at it as my "job", and there are times when I remind Hubby that I "work" all day too. So why after almost 2 years do I so often feel like I'm struggling? Why do I have a hard time taking pride in what I've done at the end of the day?


When I was teaching, I would have to submit a self-evaluation each spring. I learned that what worked for me as a teacher was being over prepared and organized. I got up extra early every morning to make sure I had a little time to eat breakfast and read the newspaper. I was one of the first people in the building and would enjoy the quiet time to set up my classroom and prepare my lessons. When my students walked in I was calm, cheery, and ready to accomplish set goals. In my evaluations, I would often relate how I approached teaching to my past as a dancer. I felt most comfortable when everything was "choreographed" and "rehearsed", and feeling prepared gave me the freedom to "improvise" and get creative while still staying on task.



I've realized that what I'm doing now is the complete opposite. It is the equivalent of arriving to work empty handed just as the bell rings.  In essence I am rolling out of bed and going straight to "work".  It is not working for me.


I wake up exhausted when O wakes up, entertain him in our bed until JD wakes up, then stress about my messy kitchen while feeding JD and myself (and O started cereal this morning). While we do have a few regular activities that shape our week, there is rarely a "plan". Throughout the day, I constantly feel overwhelmed by the things that I'm not doing. My house is a mess...I haven't had time to shower...JD hasn't been read to...There is nothing in the house for dinner...I haven't put a single picture in a book since O was born... 


I fill spare moments checking twitter or throwing in a load of laundry, but it never feels like enough.  I stay up way too late with P90X, catching up with emails & blog stuff, cleaning, and watching TV, so I'm constantly tired. I finally make myself go to bed, but lie awake thinking about what I haven't done.   


I have all these fun ideas and the desire to be a great housewife and stay-at-home-mom, but I just can't seem to catch up enough to make it happen. I feel like I am going through my life right now half-a$$ing it and just surviving. In other words, things need to change.(Please don't get me wrong- I know I am doing a great job with my boys- they are happy & healthy, and we are incredibly blessed. I just want to feel the same satisfaction and pride in this role as I did in my old one. I don't mean to sound like a whiner.)





I wish there was an area of my home that is as organized & neat as my desk was.


In looking at an old teaching evaluation, I'm realizing that I can relate much of it to what I'm doing here, and I can easily see the areas that I want to improve.  I know I would not be happy with my answers to a lot of the questions, so I have decided that starting tomorrow, I'm going to approach staying home with my boys in the same way I did my teaching career.


My new plan:

  • Go to bed as close to 9pm as possible, not matter what is on TV or how neglected my blog/reader/twitter are.
  • Wake up at 5am (8 hours of sleep seems like heaven right now!) so that I have quiet time for myself in the morning to eat, straighten up, and get ready for "work".
  • Set a goal for each day and plan activities around that goal.
  • Give JD activities that he can safely do independently so I can spend more one-on-one time with O.
  • Spend the boys' nap time doing things for me- whether it's reading, writing, a shower or watching something from the DVR.  
  • On days that Hubby is home while they are awake, let him take the lead with the boys a little more so that I can accomplish more around the house.
I understand that my house will not be perfectly clean, meals won't be perfectly planned, and every day is not going to go perfectly according to plan.  This isn't about achieving perfection.  It's about satisfaction and feeling like I'm doing something to improve myself and help us enjoy my time at home even more.

I'll keep you posted on how it's working out.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

My 15th Week in Droid Pics

I've been bad about posting on the blog this week, but I promise I have fun things coming up soon!  I was good at taking pics though!  Here is our week:


Sunday
JD is coaching O for American Idol Season 26

Everybody is excited to see my parents.

JD had his first Cold Stone treat  :)

Monday
O had fun at his 5 mo. well visit.

Kisses from Ava

Tuesday
It stopped raining long enough to do some planting.

checking out the view

Wednesday
I've wanted to plant lilac bushes under our bedroom windows since we moved in.  Finally done.  Now it will be years before we can actually enjoy it.

Thursday
Road trip to PA

Friday
early Easter gifts from Grandma & Grandpa

He's blogging.

I love that little face!

And who doesn't love a good butt-up-in-the-air-nap?

Hubby celebrating a win. Don't worry; my teammate and I won the next one  :)

Saturday
mmmmmm new toys taste good

JD bonding with his cousin, Ollie.









Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...