One of the things I'm trying to do to prepare for going back to work is creating some freezer meals. With working funky hours, too often, we eat crap and it's crap late at night. But many days I work until at least 7pm, so by the time I get home it's about time to get Colin ready for bed. After reading books, brushing teeth, changing into a pull-up and jammies, saying prayers and singing songs, it's typically close to 8:30pm. The last thing I feel like doing is BEGIN making a dinner only to eat it after 9pm and then have to clean up afterwards. It's easier to order a pizza, send Mike to a drive-through, or make something super easy (tortilla pizzas, burgers on the grill, mac'n' cheese and quesadillas are often our go-to). It's not great on our waist lines or a wallet especially when most days I don't have lunch at work either.
So I'm hoping that I can create some freezer meals in ziplocks (since I don't have room for pans in my freezer) that I can just pull out in the morning. There's a good chance that we won't be eating much earlier since Colin's bedtime hasn't really changed but at least our meal will be more healthy and we will hopefully be avoiding the dreaded, but oh so tasty, drive through.
I made two dinners, some muffins, and a breakfast last week. My goal to make at least two more this week, which I should probably get to it since it's already Friday afternoon. We will see how many more I can make after that since I'm running out of space in my freezer. I'll post recipes either later today or another day.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Oh September how I have been dreading you this year. You see September is when I have to go back to work. September means my maternity leave is coming to an end.
September means my days won't revolve around this sweet chubby face.
I will be heading back to work where I can't have conversations with people while sitting on the floor in my pjs.
I'll be heading back to a place where I will not hear "Mommy I love you" a million times a day from a sometimes frustrating but incredibly sweet and loving boy.
My most frustrating part of the day won't be trying to feed both boys at the same time and problems won't be solved as easily as Colin "needing!!!" a snack part way through our morning walks and thankfully finding a granola bar at the bottom of the diaper bag.
I won't be playing in the backyard, reading a million children books on the couch, or making lego creations. I won't be kissing away owies, putting on bandaids, or singing yet another naptime song. Instead of using time-outs as discipline, I'll have to go back to corporate America ways.
But even though September is officially here, I still have a a little more time left; a little time left before I have to re-learn how to juggle a full-time job while trying to keep a clean house, groceries in the house, and clean clothes to wear. Before I have to remember what it's like needing to get everyone fed, dressed and out the door by a certain time everyday. Before the stress and unhappiness of work slips back into my life. But I have still have some time left and I plan on using that time to love on my babies and now wish that September 12 doesn't come. In my PJs, of course :)
I know I said last week that I promised to have a post up soon. Apparently I lied. Life has been busy.
Saturday: I worked, got home and headed straight to our last Christmas Party. We got home from that party and the guys went to bed since Mike worked 3rd shift that night.
Sunday: Mike slept while Colin and I went to church. We spend the afternoon at my parents so Mike could get some rest. We met up with some friends to take the kids sledding and then dinner. Headed back to my parents to pick up our stuff and put Colin to bed late and we almost immediately joined him.
Monday: Colin woke up at the crack of dawn and since Mike worked at 7am, we were all up for the day around 6am. I ended up working (was my day off) until 8:30pm due to a very important meeting with a potentially very large account. Mike had Step 1 of a root canal at 2:30pm.
Tuesday: Brought work, school and another snow storm. After work, I met up with an old friend for dinner.
Wednesday: Finally a day off. I only left the house to get Merridith from school and bring her to get her fixed car.
Thursday: I had what I had hoped to be the final step of my crown to find out that it "isn't perfect" and I need to come back. Ugggg!
Friday: Here I am at work. Mike is working tonight - 3rd shift again. Blah!
Saturday-Wednesday: We will be working each day as we lead up to our vacation. We have church Saturday night. Mike and I both each have another dentist appointment for the next steps in our root canal/crowns. We have Pre-School orientation on Wednesday and something else that I can't remember.
Thursday: Mike works and then we take off for a much needed vacation; our last big vacation as a family of 3. That fact makes me incredibly happy and sad all at the same time.
So a post with pictures is going to have to wait a little bit longer. It's coming though, I promise.
Saturday: I worked, got home and headed straight to our last Christmas Party. We got home from that party and the guys went to bed since Mike worked 3rd shift that night.
Sunday: Mike slept while Colin and I went to church. We spend the afternoon at my parents so Mike could get some rest. We met up with some friends to take the kids sledding and then dinner. Headed back to my parents to pick up our stuff and put Colin to bed late and we almost immediately joined him.
Monday: Colin woke up at the crack of dawn and since Mike worked at 7am, we were all up for the day around 6am. I ended up working (was my day off) until 8:30pm due to a very important meeting with a potentially very large account. Mike had Step 1 of a root canal at 2:30pm.
Tuesday: Brought work, school and another snow storm. After work, I met up with an old friend for dinner.
Wednesday: Finally a day off. I only left the house to get Merridith from school and bring her to get her fixed car.
Thursday: I had what I had hoped to be the final step of my crown to find out that it "isn't perfect" and I need to come back. Ugggg!
Friday: Here I am at work. Mike is working tonight - 3rd shift again. Blah!
Saturday-Wednesday: We will be working each day as we lead up to our vacation. We have church Saturday night. Mike and I both each have another dentist appointment for the next steps in our root canal/crowns. We have Pre-School orientation on Wednesday and something else that I can't remember.
Thursday: Mike works and then we take off for a much needed vacation; our last big vacation as a family of 3. That fact makes me incredibly happy and sad all at the same time.
So a post with pictures is going to have to wait a little bit longer. It's coming though, I promise.
I haven't forgot you blog. I was a little nervous about having two blogs that one would get neglected and it appears this one is .. a little. I've been trying really hard to capture a picture each day and I'm proud that I've kept it up so far. We'll see where I'm at in March or July or November :) I do hope I can keep up with it though. I think it's something that will be incredibly special years from now.
Works been busy for both Mike and I, especially Mike. He's still putting in alot of loooong hours each day but instead of complaining we are both just blessed that in this terrible economy we both have jobs. There are potentially big changes down the road with his job and while I'm not at a point where I can share that information, we ask for your prayers that the right decisions are made.
Colin is still wonderful talkative crazy Colin. I can hardly believe he's going to be 2 next week. On one hand, I can't believe he's already going to be 2! On the other hand, I can't believe he's only going to be 2! More on that in his 24 Month Birthday post.
He's good though. He's still obsessed with Curious George on PBS. He can not get enough of it. We have several on the DVR and although he watches the same ones over and over, he still absolutely adores it. With the exception of the occasional Sesame Street, it's the only show he watches on TV.
He still takes 1 nap a day, around 12:30/1pm that lasts anywhere from 2-3 1/2 hours unless he's at daycare then it's significantly less. He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8pm and sleeps until 7-8am. Depending on the brand, he typically wears 2T shirts and 18 month pants. He has both of our genes with short legs :) He goes to the Dr on Feb 5 but I'm guessing he's about 3 feet now and probably 31-32 lbs.
He's delightfully sweet and silly. He's amazingly smart and talkative. The perfect blend of both Mike and myself but still uniquely just Colin.
Works been busy for both Mike and I, especially Mike. He's still putting in alot of loooong hours each day but instead of complaining we are both just blessed that in this terrible economy we both have jobs. There are potentially big changes down the road with his job and while I'm not at a point where I can share that information, we ask for your prayers that the right decisions are made.
Colin is still wonderful talkative crazy Colin. I can hardly believe he's going to be 2 next week. On one hand, I can't believe he's already going to be 2! On the other hand, I can't believe he's only going to be 2! More on that in his 24 Month Birthday post.
He's good though. He's still obsessed with Curious George on PBS. He can not get enough of it. We have several on the DVR and although he watches the same ones over and over, he still absolutely adores it. With the exception of the occasional Sesame Street, it's the only show he watches on TV.
He still takes 1 nap a day, around 12:30/1pm that lasts anywhere from 2-3 1/2 hours unless he's at daycare then it's significantly less. He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8pm and sleeps until 7-8am. Depending on the brand, he typically wears 2T shirts and 18 month pants. He has both of our genes with short legs :) He goes to the Dr on Feb 5 but I'm guessing he's about 3 feet now and probably 31-32 lbs.
He's delightfully sweet and silly. He's amazingly smart and talkative. The perfect blend of both Mike and myself but still uniquely just Colin.
Mike had to go out of town this week to a lovely small town by the Iowa border. He left this morning and comes home sometime late Friday. To say we are less than thrilled is a gross understatement. There have been alot of tears shed, offers of help given, and text messages sent. The truth is we are spoiled. People do this everyday. People raise children and work full-time. People are separated from their spouses. We just aren't one of those people. So while I can't do anything to bring us closer together, I can atleast take pictures. Here was our short night together babe. We miss you and can't wait until you get home. We are counting down the minutes.
Take One (I asked say hi to Daddy and he was looking around b/c he didn't see you)
Take Two - Colin asking if we have to do this again
Giving Monkey our nightly hugs
Heading upstairs to get ready for bed
"What?!?! You gave them to me?"
Trying to put his socks back on
Bedtime bottle
It's been awhile since I've posted. It isn't for lack of anything to write but rather lack of TIME to write.
The blog has a new Christmas theme. While, I haven't been able to fix the formatting to get my links, labels, etc across the side, I think it's quite cute and festive. I just hope I remember to take it down after the holidays :)
Thanksgiving was nice. My mom and I found a 24 Hour CVS and were standing in checkout line at midnight Thanksgiving night. It was crazy in there. Too many other crazies like us ready to cash in on the deals. I'm pretty stoked about my loot. Although, I lost one of my lip glosses and I paid full price (*GASP*) for a handful of items, I'm extremely proud of my trip and must take a moment to brag about it
It isn't a great picture (I took it at 1am) so let me explain what I got: 1 Aussie Shampoo, 1 Aussie Condition, I Johnson and Johnson Soft Lotion, 2 Bic Soleil Razors with 2 extra cartridges per pack, TP, King Size Hersey Bar, 3 G2 Drinks, 4 Twizzlers, 2 Crest Pro Health Toothpaste, 2 Cologate Advance Total Toothpaste, 1 Sally Hansen Nail Polish, 1 L'Oreal Lip Gloss, and 1 Garnier Face Wash Wipes. All for .25!! Yes, that is right. All for ONE QUARTER. Plus I think I got over $60 of Extra Care Bucks to spend in the future. I'd call it a very successful trip.I had to work for a few hours on Thanksgiving and then we all headed to my parents for Thanksgiving dinner. My grandma came over for a few hours and it was nice to spend the afternoon with her allowing her to spend time with Colin. Colin enjoyed eating turkey for the first time and I enjoyed since I spent most of the time feeding him that I didn't over eat for the first time in years :)
A few other things not necessarily in order:
- Mike and I had an overnight date a couple Saturdays ago. We had great adult conversation and then spent the night at the JW Marriott here in town and drank some good wine. It was a nice relaxing evening. We met up with my parents and Colin at church. Colin was on Leah's lap and the look of excitement when he saw us was priceless.
- Colin got his 8th tooth and had his first hair cut.
- I have been experiencing some pain in my left hand and the pain has been getting increasing worse instead of better to the point where I am having problems lifting, grabbing, gripping, etc. I ended up going to the Dr the other day. It's a problem with the tendons. She gave me a Rx to try and if it doesn't seem to be improving within the next month, I may need to try physical therapy. Yuck. I'm not sure how feasible it is to not use one hand with Colin but we'll see what happens.
- Mike's wonderful boss quit and his last day was Wednesday. We are sad to see him go as he was a great boss to Mike. This means tons of extra responsibility for Mike as well as a lot of uncertainty. We, of course, are hoping Mike is able to be promoted to the GM position but mostly we are hoping for a quicker process than last year when Mike flew solo for 4 months.
I'm sure there is more but I can't think back that far :) Cute videos coming up ...
Mike is working 2nd shift tonight (the joys of having to be creative with babysitters) and Colin is sleeping, so I thought I'd take a few minutes and do a little updating. Since going back to work, I seem to have very little down time for the computer.
Thank you to everyone for their encouraging words, prayers and for checking up on me last week. It was a difficult week with alot of tears but I kept trying to remind myself that he was having fun at Grandma's house. We are slowly all trying to get use to a new routine and some days are better and easier than others.
Friday night, Mike and I had our second date. We dropped Colin off at my parents where he had fun playing with Grandma, Uncle Tim and "Aunt" Leah and where Grandma had fun giving Colin his bath. Mike and I had fun going to the Whitecaps to watch Curtis Granderson play who just happens to be my fave Tiger. It was the perfect spring day (upper 60s and sunny), we had fantastic seats, and great company meeting up with Chris and Lindsey. I'll post some pictures on my list website sometime soon.
Please keep Mike and I in your thoughts and prayers. We are struggling with a decision and we are in need of clarity. Whatever decision we make will not be ideal but we need to try to find the one that best fits our new family.
I'll try to update more often and promise to respond to everyone's emails soon ...
Thank you to everyone for their encouraging words, prayers and for checking up on me last week. It was a difficult week with alot of tears but I kept trying to remind myself that he was having fun at Grandma's house. We are slowly all trying to get use to a new routine and some days are better and easier than others.
Friday night, Mike and I had our second date. We dropped Colin off at my parents where he had fun playing with Grandma, Uncle Tim and "Aunt" Leah and where Grandma had fun giving Colin his bath. Mike and I had fun going to the Whitecaps to watch Curtis Granderson play who just happens to be my fave Tiger. It was the perfect spring day (upper 60s and sunny), we had fantastic seats, and great company meeting up with Chris and Lindsey. I'll post some pictures on my list website sometime soon.
Please keep Mike and I in your thoughts and prayers. We are struggling with a decision and we are in need of clarity. Whatever decision we make will not be ideal but we need to try to find the one that best fits our new family.
I'll try to update more often and promise to respond to everyone's emails soon ...
that I've been dreading since before baby Colin was even born. Today is when my maternity leave is officially over and I have to go back to work. I always knew it would be hard to go back to work but I never could have imagine how it would break my heart the way it has. My heart aches. My eyes sting from how many tears I've shed. My stomach is in knots. I just feel drained and empty. I know he will be ok which I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. I want him to want his momma lol Honestly though, I know he will be ok. I know he is in good hands. I know financially it makes sense for me to go back to work. I know it's good for me to have some adult interaction. I also know I was lucky to have 10 great weeks at home with Colin. I know all of this but it isn't making today any easier on me. I just need to be sad for a little while.
Why does time hate me?
This whole week work has been D-R-A-G-G-I-N-G!! The days seem to never ever end.
The fact that it is only 5.52pm baffles me as I think about the other 1 hour and 8 minutes I must somehow get through.
Thank goodness I have tomorrow off.
This whole week work has been D-R-A-G-G-I-N-G!! The days seem to never ever end.
The fact that it is only 5.52pm baffles me as I think about the other 1 hour and 8 minutes I must somehow get through.
Thank goodness I have tomorrow off.
First the negatives because those are bugging me the most:
- Why did I have to come back from vacation?
- Why are certain employees totally incapable of thinking for themselves and must seek direction and answers from me on every move they make? If I weren't here to ask, I'm sure you would be perfectly capable of answering your own ridiculous question.
- Why isn't it 3pm yet?!?!?!
Now onto the positives:
- I had a fabulously ripe juicy nectarine for lunch.
- I'm about to get a free $15 after work thanks to a CVS error and Janna's great attention to detail :)
- It looks like it might rain this afternoon which will work perfectly for a nap.
My newest quote/motto: "It's exhausting being fabulous."
I will not fall into the trap that so many have before me of talking smack about my work. You never know when a blog will fall into the wrong hands and quite frankly, although I may not always love my job, I do need it.
I will say this: if you notice the time of this entry (and many more to come in the next 10 days), you may understand why I'm saying this. I've never in my life wanted a Monday - Friday 9a-5pm job more in my life. I'm sick of being the victim for other employee's poor life style choices and terrible work ethic.
Maybe part of me is jealous because I've been a salaried manager for the past 7 years. I've never had the ability to play hookie, take an extra day off just because, to work a partial day to go to an appointment, to leave at the end of the day and not have to think about work until I step back into it the next day. I've had to be a responsible adult; an adult who works with no overtime. I work in an industry that doesn't close their doors. Not for holidays, not for weekends, not for bad (or nice) weather, not because we are short staffed. So I work every other holiday, every other weekend, on 80 degree sunny days, in blizzards, and 50+ hour weeks.
So before I vent more about work, I'll just say that I'm tired. It's 4.30am and I'm tired and want to go to bed. I have 2.5 more hours before I can go home to sleep to come back and work 7p-7a tomorrow. Yippee!
Vent over.
I will say this: if you notice the time of this entry (and many more to come in the next 10 days), you may understand why I'm saying this. I've never in my life wanted a Monday - Friday 9a-5pm job more in my life. I'm sick of being the victim for other employee's poor life style choices and terrible work ethic.
Maybe part of me is jealous because I've been a salaried manager for the past 7 years. I've never had the ability to play hookie, take an extra day off just because, to work a partial day to go to an appointment, to leave at the end of the day and not have to think about work until I step back into it the next day. I've had to be a responsible adult; an adult who works with no overtime. I work in an industry that doesn't close their doors. Not for holidays, not for weekends, not for bad (or nice) weather, not because we are short staffed. So I work every other holiday, every other weekend, on 80 degree sunny days, in blizzards, and 50+ hour weeks.
So before I vent more about work, I'll just say that I'm tired. It's 4.30am and I'm tired and want to go to bed. I have 2.5 more hours before I can go home to sleep to come back and work 7p-7a tomorrow. Yippee!
Vent over.
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