The Working Mama Blues

I love my job as a high school counselor. And I am so, so lucky to have it. If you're a fellow working mom reading this post, nothing I am going to say will be new to you. But I am going to say it anyway, for the sake of commiserating, fellowship, and (just a hint) of self-pity.

Being a working mom is hard, can we all agree on that? Throw in cold and flu season and it can feel like you're scaling a rock wall with no hand holds and no end in sight. We canNOT escape the sickies this year, and I am dreading the fact that it's only going to get worse as Sweets transitions into preschool next year. Allow me to provide you some examples.

Sick scenario #1: Our sitter texts me in the middle of the day that Sweets is not himself, and running a fever of 102. She assures me that he's ok until I get home (and I totally trust her judgement, as the mama of 4 fabulous kiddos herself). When I arrive to pick him up, the only thing he will mumble is "can you pick me up?" and subsequently lays like a wet rag on my shoulder. He has a miserable night that includes very little sleep for all of us, and in the morning, his fever has risen a degree. He is glassy-eyed and lethargic with no appetite. So, I call in to work and settle in to snuggle my little boy. Two hours and a few glasses of diluted juice later, he has perked up and his fever is dropping. He bounces back to about 75%, and has the energy to play.
Outcome: Guilt over missing work.

Sick scenario #2: Sweets wakes up from his nap at our sitter's house dry-heaving, with a fever. Upon arriving to pick him up, he is crying inconsolably "I want Mommy, I want Mommy," and is generally a hot mess (literally, fever and all). I spend the evening trying to convince him to suck on ice chips and munch on oyster crackers. Surprisingly, he sleeps through the night and mows down a bowl of Cheerios and a cereal bar in the morning. So I pack him off to the sitter's house for a day of laying-low while Mama goes to work. Unable to resist texting to check on him, I learn that he has tanked and is having a rough day. In fact, he is still in the process of getting over this illness.
Outcome: Guilt over going to work.

Sick scenario #3: I pause at work this afternoon to realize I have a headache, which wouldn't be that unusual except for the accompanying chills and body aches. By the time I get home I am shivering violently and standing upright is a challenge. My sweet boy brings me cups of juice and sticks his thermometer in my ear until Hubs gets home to take over. Currently I am huddled up with a blanket in our 80-degree-woodstove-heated living room, so chilled and achy, and slugging water and juice like it's my job in the hopes of flushing these evil germies out of my system before tomorrow morning.
Possible outcome A: I drag myself to work tomorrow because I have so much to do and have already missed a bunch of days due to Sweetie Pea being sick. Result: Guilt over exposing my colleagues to my germs.
Possible outcome B: I camp out on my couch tomorrow, sleeping and watching Grey's Anatomy reruns, in a throwback to pre-baby sick days. Result: Guilt over not dragging myself to work.

Do you see how every outcome involves guilt? Somebody please solve this problem for all of working-mom-kind.

Infatuated

There's this thing I do. I get totally hooked on a subject and I can't stop reading about it. The first time I remember this happening was in grade school when we learned about the Titanic. That one lasted a good long while (and truthfully, it's still kind of hanging around ;). The last known literary obsession on record occurred shortly after graduating from my master's program, when I devoured anything and everything about the Tudors of England for a good two years. Since I had a child, I haven't had much time for anything to catch my interest to that degree (besides raising said child of course).

Enter the Kennedys.

I stumbled upon this latest infatuation completely by accident. Hubs and I were cruising Netflix, desperately seeking something decent to watch, and we happened to find this miniseries from 2011. Intrigued, we watched the first episode and were promptly hooked. Am I the only one who didn't know how fascinating this family is? Seriously, you can't write fiction this interesting! So naturally, I followed  the miniseries up in quick succession with this:

Riveting. (Thanks Dad, for sharing!)

and shortly, this:

Can't wait to crack it open, though I guess I should use "crack" loosely, since it's an ebook.

And then a little light reading to get me through the winter doldrums:

Combine those with this:

....ahhh, the best thing about winter!  

Holiday Hiatus

Whew! I fell right off the face of the bloggy planet for awhile there. We just got so busy getting ready for the holidays, and then my computer was on the fritz and I was lacking in inspiration blah blah blah. So I thought I'd do a post to bring you up to speed on what we've been up to since the middle of November. Here goes!

First, our pets become BFFs. So random. They previously had a love-hate relationship wherein the dog loved to chase the cat, and the cat hated it. But then Sweets learned to pick up the cat and he must have figured it would behoove him to have an ally against those sticky little fingers because he buddied up to that dog so fast I think even the dog was confused. You can kind of see it on the dog's face here. It's like he's thinking "You're sitting with me. Why are you sitting with me? Is this a trick?"

Then Auntie L and Uncle K visited for Thanksgiving - yay! We love it when they're here :)

Uncle K is amazingly talented and took some killer photos for our Christmas cards this year.

It makes me so happy to have such beautiful photos that we're all in, since either Hubs or myself is usually taking the picture.

We put up our tree December 1st - I'm all for waiting until after Thanksgiving, but I couldn't hold out much longer - I LOVE decorating for Christmas!

Sweets "helped." He thought every ornament on that tree was a new toy for him to play with. That little baby carriage he's clutching is actually my Baby's First Christmas ornament from 1981!

My mom and I took Sweets to see Santa for the first time this year. It went pretty well, all things considered. We didn't have to brave the mall, thank goodness, or I wouldn't have bothered. My mom works for an optometrist's office and a nearby referring office hosts a yearly kids Christmas party, complete with Santa. Initially, Sweets wanted nothing to do with him, until Santa waved a candy cane in his direction, and then he was like "Candy cane? Why didn't you say so? Sure, I'll come talk to you!" Is it just me, or is it unsettling how easy it is to lure little kids with candy? I'll have to have a chat with my son about that at some point ;)

Then there was nothing left to do but wait for the big day! I was SO excited about Christmas this year because Sweetie Pea is old enough to understand a lot of it. We had lots of conversations about Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus, and Santa, and naughty and nice, and coal. This photo was taken on Christmas Eve, at our gathering with Hubs' family. Poor little guy, he was so tired and overwhelmed by the time that mountain of presents was put in front of him!

Then came Christmas morning at our house. It was magical :) Sweets got a train table and a million Thomas trains and we had a very hard time convincing him to leave them in order to go to the Christmas Day festivities with my family.

We ended up having a beautiful, white Christmas. Though Sweets was NOT into the snow last year, this year he can't get enough! This was taken the first time we suited him all up in his snow gear. I suspect Hubs will have himself a little snowmobiling partner in the future!

We couldn't convince him to come inside, even when his cheeks turned red and his little fingers were freezing!

Bonus: playing outside in all that fresh air and snow = a GREAT night's sleep for everyone! You know how I feel about that ;)

Last weekend Sweets and I went sledding at GaGa and PaPa's house. He went down that little hill all by himself, such a big boy!

So that's all for now, but (I know, I know, I say this all the time) hopefully I'll get back on a regular posting schedule now that the holidays are behind us. Life just gets so busy and I refuse to beat myself up over not blogging when that happens. Part of the problem is that Sweets is just so much fun right now I can't tear myself away long enough to blog about it!

I love Joe!

Nope, I'm not talking about this Joe:

Or this Joe (though I do love him, props to you if you can name him ;-):

The Joe I am referring to is this one:

Source: traderjoes.com

There is nothing, as far as I am concerned, not to love about Trader Joe. I was first introduced to him by my besties down in Northern Virginia/DC. And while it was love at first shop, our relationship was short-lived because we didn't have one locally. 

Until last month.

If you've never been to a Trader Joe's, allow me to tell you that it is marvelous. Awesome products. Healthy, organic products. Affordable products. As a mom who strives to feed her family nutrious food with a minimum of artificial gunk, I truly appreciate the TJ philosophy, which you can read about here. Here's a handful of the products we love, that make their way into my cart each time I shop there:

This is seriously the yummiest applesauce I've ever had. It tastes really fresh, and the flavor of the wild berries stands out. Sweets loves it and I love feeding it to him because there's no artificial dyes or ingredients. At just $1.99 for a package of four cups, it's also a great value!

Hubs and I really like green beans. Sweets not so much, but we're working on it. These frozen "haricot vert," which is just a fancy-pants French name for green beans, are sweet, tender and incredibly fresh tasting. They are the perfect side to any meal, and a large bag, out of which we can usually get 4 meals, is only $1.99. 

It's winter here in our little corner of the planet, and that means that fresh berries are outrageously expensive :(  But for only $2.69 this one pound blend of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries are a great substitute in smoothies and oatmeal.

 This is TJ's Whole Wheat Tuscan Pane bread. It has a delicious, chewy, sourdough-y flavor and it makes great garlic bread. I slice it up and keep it in the freezer for a pasta or soup side. At $2.49, a loaf lasts us a couple of weeks (obviously we don't eat it every day).

These cereal bars are also only $1.99, and they come in several flavors. Such a quick snack on the go for Sweets (and me, admittedly. A great grab and go breakfast!).

Here it is, our favorite TJ product! The Pound Plus of 72% dark chocolate. Heaven in a wrapper for only $4.99. That's cheap!

Have you ever read the ingredient list on a box of Ritz Bits? They're full of junk. These have a minimal list of organic ingredients and they taste delicious. They're probably Sweets' favorite snack right now, and the price is (again) right, at $2.49 a box.

The whole wheat mini pitas are perfect for mixing it up at lunchtime. They make great little pita pizzas, or stuffed with humus, cream cheese, or peanut butter and bananas, they are wonderfully toddler-friendly. Price? Again, only $1.99!

Behind the chocolate, this is my second-favorite product. They carry several fruit butters, and so far we've only tried the pumpkin variety, but it is "stick your finger in the jar and lick it off" good. We all love it. It is delicious on whole wheat waffles or pancakes, makes a great wrap paired with cream cheese, and the label claims you can use it as an ice cream topping or add sour cream and milk to make pumpkin soup. The deal-sealer is again the cost, coming in at only $2.29.

My mom introduced me to the roasted red pepper and tomato soup, and oh my is it tasty! I've tried these soups in a carton from other stores and I've always been disappointed in the artificial, processed flavor. Not the case here. This soup has a bright, bold flavor that makes a great addition to a lunchtime sandwich. There's probably four servings in this carton, which makes its $2.79 price tag all the more appealing!

So that's what we're eating and loving lately. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, I hope you'll run, don't walk, to grab some good food and great bargains!

Score!

Old Navy Toddler Puffer Jacket: $39.99

Sale Price: $20.00

- 25% off coupon = $15.00

- $15 in Old Navy rewards = $0

Oh goodness, I love a deal :)

*It did not escape Sweets' attention that the colors of this jacket resemble "a John Deere tractor!"

I Voted Today

Don't be mad, but I wasn't going to vote today. Honestly, I felt like it was more responsible not to, given that I know I haven't paid enough attention to the opinions, policies, and proposals of the candidates. I felt like I'd be going in with no idea what I was voting for. This is the first year I've really felt that way. I can remember back in college, when voting was a thrilling new privilege, sitting around in the common room debating politics with my floormates. I had all the time in the world to pay attention to the issues and make a conscious choice. Four years ago, pre-Sweetie Pea, I felt like I had paid plenty of attention, but I just could not make a decision. That was the year that I ran in to my polling place 30 minutes before it closed, and still wasn't totally decided until I was in the voting booth. This time around, I will freely admit that I haven't paid enough attention, and it's irresponsible of me. Then my curiosity got the better of me, and on my lunch break, I checked out cnn.com to see what was up. There was a wonderful article called "On Election Day, Marvel at Democracy" and after reading it, I knew I couldn't not take advantage of my hard-won right to choose the leader of my country. All amped up on American Pride, I spent the next 30 minutes giving myself a quick crash course on the presidential candidates and their main philosophies. Was it the best way to inform myself? Probably not. But when I picked up that pen and bubbled in my choice this afternoon, I knew it was the right thing to do. I voted based on what I felt in my heart, and I left feeling so grateful to be an American, and resolved to pay more attention next time.

But, no, I don't discuss who I voted for :)

Farmer's Market Haul

For a good week now, the weather has been nothing but cold, gray and rainy. Blech. But, it's been great for making scrumptious autumn recipes! And where better to stock up on fall produce than the farmer's market? I love shopping there so much - you get fresh, seasonal produce for a steal. My grocery bill is so much lower when I get a chance to hit up the farmer's market. Yesterday my mom and I braved the freezing morning temps to stock up on fall fruits and veggies. I went with $20 cash and came home with all of this, plus $5 left over!

(L to R) Brussel Sprouts, $3. Red and white baby potatoes, $1 a bag. A cuke for my lunches at work, .50. Sweet potatoes, 3 for $1. 

5 Butternut squashes, $1 each. Huge head of broccoli, $2. Spaghetti squash, $1.

My mom got a big head of this alien-ish looking veggie called Romanesco, and gave us a chunk. I'm excited to roast it up later this week!

I spent a large portion of this afternoon in my kitchen, cooking away. I made broccoli cheddar soup with that fresh broccoli for tomorrow's dinner. YUM. I also roasted the brussel sprouts as tonight's veggie side dish and they were outstanding! I had no idea! They will definitely be making a reapperance on our dinner table. The red baby potatoes became garlic smashed potatoes, and 4 of the butternut squashes got put away for Thanksgiving. I also made an apple crisp - the perfect fall dessert. Sweets was content to play while I worked, frequently calling me into the living room to see his tractor crash ;) Then he suited up in his cold weather gear to get an actual tractor ride with Hubs and came in later with freezing cold hands and a cherry-red nose, but happy as could be!

Here's hoping I get to see an hour that begins with 6 tomorrow...being that Saturday my day began at 4:30 am, and today at 5:45....not acceptable, my darling child. Let's work on that.