Sunday, January 27, 2008

Slacker

I feel like such a slug lately! I think the yucky weather has gotten to me, and the fact that I've been feeling bad due to bronchitis probably doesn't help. I have gotten really bad at returning e-mails, making phone calls, and acknowledging birthdays. I probably need to get some exercise, but I don't know when I'd find the time. We don't get home until after 5:00 during the week, and if we don't have Cub Scouts or somewhere else to go, we have to do Zach's homework, have dinner, and get everything ready for the next day. I certainly am not getting up earlier in the morning to exercise; I am lucky if I get six hours of sleep on school nights!

We've been trying to do a better job with both kids' bedtime, so that Darren and I can have some free time in the evening to spend a few minutes picking up, then relaxing before bed. Zach isn't that difficult at night; he does request that someone snuggle in bed with him, and that is Darren's job. We have been trying to train Zoe to sleep in her own room, but getting her to sleep at night is not fun. She usually has a bottle and passes out around 10:30, and has been getting up around 1:30 to eat. I put her in our bed after that bottle, and she will sleep until 6:30. If we don't have anywhere to go in the morning, she will go back to sleep after that until 10 or 10:30. Unfortunately that doesn't work so well on days I have to work!

Mardi Gras is coming up in Louisiana, and it still feels so strange to not be there. We took Zachary to some parades in Lafayette last year, and can't decide if we want to go next weekend or not. The thought of driving four hours after working all day on Friday does not sound appealing, nor does packing up all of the supplies for a baby. We'll see what happens, but I think we will just stay put next weekend. We are really enjoying not having any obligations on the weekend right now, and have been getting a lot done around the house. Who knows, maybe we'll finally start a home improvement project? We have three bathrooms that need work, doorknobs and light fixtures that need replacing, and floors to tile. What fun.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my career lately, and what direction I want to go in. If you have been reading this blog for a while, I apologize in advance if I repeat myself. I just don't think that teaching is it for me; I am not satisfied, and still think that a career that will make me happy and look forward to work is out there. I could probably afford to quit working altogether in a few years, but that would mean not taking vacations or eating out as often as I want. I enjoy being at home with the kids, but I think I would eventually go stir crazy. I will probably teach for at least one more year, and hopefully complete my childbirth education course during that time. I found a two-day class in San Antonio in May, and am looking forward to that. I really want to work with mothers and babies, but definitely not in a daycare or similar setting. I am thinking about going to nursing school in a couple of years, and even possibly becoming a certified nurse midwife. Right now, I crave new knowledge, and having something to study or research. I need to start looking into programs; surely there is something in the Houston area. I do want to wait until Zoe is a little older, though.

That's about it for now. I have lunches to make, laundry to finish, and a shower to take. Anything I can do to make our mornings run more smoothly right now is fine with me!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Feeling Awful

I hate being sick! I started feeling bad Wednesday afternoon, and was fully sick by Friday afternoon. My parents are in for the weekend, and we had a girls' night Friday to see 27 Dresses. I loved the movie, and didn't want it to end. I temporarily felt okay to leave the house for the movie, but needed to get home and to bed afterward.

Yesterday morning I saw the doctor and found out that I have bronchitis. Zachary's Cub Scout pack had their Pinewood Derby, but I only managed to stay for a little while. Zach ended up taking first place among the Tigers, and first place overall. Meanwhile, I stayed at home and shivered under the covers for four hours. When I finally summoned the energy to get out of bed, I had fever of 103.2. Needless to say, we didn't do anything last night. Dad and Darren grilled, and I took up space on the couch.

We have Zoe's baptism today, and are going to be very bad Catholics. No one here feels like getting dressed, and we'd go to the church in our pajamas if we could. We are skipping Mass, and just showing up for the baptism afterward. I am coughing like crazy, and it hurts to talk. We are having people over the house afterward for cake and punch. I will probably end up in bed for the afternoon. Some hostess I will be! I didn't even clean, and don't care, which is very unusual for me.

Tomorrow is a holiday for the kids and me. Mom and Dad are leaving today, and Darren has to work tomorrow. I sure hope my Z-pack kicks in by then so I can take care of Zoe. If not, it will be a long day of lying on the couch and moaning!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Future Rock Stars

I could blog about how hard it is to go back to work full-time and keep up with the house. I could also mention how little sleep I seem to be getting now, especially since I think Zoe is getting sick. She is coughing and sounds congested. Also, I don't think anyone wants to read about the dog and his crusty ears, which I suspect are ear mites, the cat's flea issues, and our ongoing battle to tame the clutter in the house. Later I'll write about Zoe's upcoming baptism this weekend, Zachary's Cub Scout accomplishments, and definitely about our neighbors and their drug issues. I will also post about my very cool new bike that I got for Christmas and the family bike rides we have been taking on the weekends instead of cleaning up.

For now, I want to discuss my new-found love for video games, especially Rock Band. We have resisted getting a video game system, because we know how much time we'll spend playing, and also how annoying it will be for Zach to constantly want to play and need help doing that. We currently have a Leapster that Zach loves, is completely portable, and he can play alone. Somewhere in the mess, we also have an Atari Flashback, an actual Atari 7200 that still works, and an original Nintendo. We never progressed in the world of video games, and that has been fine until now.

When the Wii came out, I thought it was really cool and wanted to try one. My friend bought one, we borrowed it for a while, but didn't miss it when she took it back. She eventually sold it because she never played. Lately, we have been exposed to SingStar, Guitar Hero, and most recently, Rock Band. We went for a bike ride Saturday afternoon, stopped at some friends' house to say hi, and ended up staying and playing for six hours. That was so much fun, and I love playing the drums! Yesterday, we went over to my sister-in-law's house and played both Guitar Hero on the XBox 360 and Sports on the Wii. We found out that Rock Band is coming out for the Wii next month, and there is also a version of Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii (something I've always secretly wanted). I finally get a paycheck again in February, and if we can actually find a Wii at retail price, I think we'll buy one. Maybe that will be the key to me finally getting in shape. Weirder things have happened.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Happy 2008!

Wow, the week since Christmas has flown by so quickly! I had a great time in Lafayette with my parents and sister, and hated to leave them on Friday. Natalie and I got in some good shopping, and took care of her baby registries. That was a lot of fun, but strange to be doing it with my little sister.

I sent home a lot of our presents with Darren on Tuesday. Even still, it took two hours of packing Thursday night and over an hour to load my car on Friday. The drive was pretty uneventful; we stopped at the Texas state line for Zach to run around, and he had to feed Zoe outside of Beaumont. Once we arrived home, it took me almost two hours to unload the car. I didn't want to just dump everything in the house; the housekeepers had come Friday morning, plus I didn't want to have to deal with a mess before our New Year's Eve party.

We spent the weekend cleaning out the garage and yard, and trying to get ready for the party. Yesterday, I didn't feel a whole lot of pressure until the early evening, but we pulled it off. Everyone had a great time, and we had tons of food and drink. Our guests enjoyed karaoke courtesy of my friend Haley, and we toasted at midnight with champagne and lots of confetti. The last guest stayed until 2:45, and by then, I had cleaned up most of the mess. As soon as I check out the pictures that other people took on my camera, I'll post some shots of the festivities. If you are reading this and took pictures, please send them to me.

Zoe gave us a great gift of sleeping until 10:00 today. It was greatly appreciated, since we didn't go to bed until after 3:00. We've cooked breakfast/lunch and watched a movie so far today. I guess I need to clean up the final things from last night and hit the grocery store. Going back to work tomorrow is going to be a drag, but I can't make it not happen. I may as well accept that.

I don't do the resolution thing, because I would be terrible at keeping one, and would beat myself up about it. I do have a few goals for the coming year, though. I want to eat better and exercise more, with the intended effect being weight loss. Since I only gained nine pounds with my pregnancy, and lost 21 after, I haven't been good at all about watching what I eat. Also, I have the nice effect of my gallbladder surgery that most food goes right through me. I do need to lay off the Christmas candy and baked goods, but they seem to be one of the few things that my body can tolerate. Figures.

Other things that I would like to accomplish this year would be to cook more, catch up on my scrap booking, organize more of the house so I am less stressed, and find a career that I love. I know that teaching isn't it, as I have probably written here a million times already. I really do want to pursue a career in childbirth education, but can't figure out how to become employed doing it. If I want to work for the hospital, I will more than likely have to go to nursing school and become Lamaze certified. I think my best bet right now is to start my own business and network through local Ob's, but I have no idea if my doctor is willing or able to help me, and don't want to ruin our relationship by overstepping my boundaries. I have until September to come up with a plan. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have an unhappy baby who is refusing to nap yet again, and I am still in my jammies. I guess I should go and address both of those issues.