The dog

Son: Why is the dog locked outside on the porch?
Husband looks at daughter
Daughter:(with a guilty look on her face) I love you Dad.


Yep, you guessed it. She locked the dog outside.

FUTURE MILF: Weekly Weigh-in #3

Pounds lost: 3
Total pounds lost: 6
Diet: eating well
Exercise: pretty much none

So how did I do it? My new dose of Synthroid kicked in and my metabolism seems to be working again. Yay!

Moms get homework too

It must seem a strange concept to a child...parents getting homework. Not to my children. They probably don't remember things being any other way. I've been back at school since Son was 8 and Daughter was 1. Not long after Hubby joined me.
Our children are used to hearing "Not now, Mommy's studying." or "I'll play with you after I write this paper." Not that they always listened. There have been times where one of us has left for class early just to have some quiet to study. There are also times where we need to lock ourselves in our master bedroom to get some reading done.
And then there's the been the guilt. The wondering whether or not my children should ever have to be put off for playing with because of a deadline I have to meet for class. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it.
Especially now. I am "taking a break" from writing one of two papers I need to turn an incomplete into a letter grade. The reason that I'm in this situation in the first place is my health. It's been a rough battle this semester as I found myself too tired to study or sometimes even go to class. Mind you, I don't feel any better as I'm typing this than I did months ago. But I'm still juggling school, house, marriage and motherhood. Will the juggling act ever end? And will it be worth it when I cross the finish line?

Future MILF: Weekly Weigh in #2

I am a little posting this since my weigh-in was on Friday....
Pounds lost: Actually gained a pound
Total pounds lost: 3
Diet: Just eating better
Exercise: Walking

FUTURE MILF: Weekly Weigh-in #1

Pounds lost: 4
Diet: just eating sensibly
Exercise: honestly none, I've been too tired.

What a week!

This week is really a test for my strength as a woman. Next week I am taking finals. Well, I'm only taking one in class since my other two professors were understanding about my being sick (I'll get to that later). This also means that it is time to get all those papers finished and all that reading done. Easier said than done when you are home all day with a very energetic 4 yr old.

My son's birthday is tomorrow. He's turning 12. He is having a few friends over and then we are going to see Spiderman 3. Sunday we are having a party for him at home with family and friends. The unfortunate part to this plan is that my house is a serious mess. Not just a room or two, but the whole thing.

I am also sick. I haven't been feeling right for a long time, so I went last Friday for an ultrasound of my neck. While there doesn't seem to be any thyroid tissue, there is something fishy going on with my lymph nodes. I don't even have the energy to worry about it this week.

I did get my brand spankin' new scale yesterday. Naturally we had to weigh everyone in the house. The cats weren't as excited as we were about the whole thing.

I also put some pink streaks back in my hair. Yay for not conforming!

Future MILF

I'm not avoiding the Future MILF Friday weigh-in. I bought a scale and it hasn't come yet. So as soon as it does, I'm going to be keeping track of my progress.

Life's too short not to be sexy

Now that I know I can start trying for another baby, it's time to put more focus on the weight loss part of getting healthy. Yes, the weight is coming off. Yes, I could work harder on the exercise part of the plan to speed it up. I have a bridesmaid's dress to look foxy in for my sister's wedding and a body that needs to be in shape for pregnancy. So I joined the Future MILF club on Mom-O-Matic
I am hoping that accountability will make me get my bubble butt in gear.

Hot diggedy dog!

Me: Why is the refrigerator door open?
Daughter: So you can get me a hot diggedy dog.
Me: Hmm
Daughter: Hot diggedy dog means the red things, not the orange thing you put on top of it.

So I made her hot dog with the required mustard and ketchup face on the plate. Then she critiqued the face I made. I guess your artwork really sucks when even a 4 year old finds something wrong with it.

Go Forth and Procreate!

I had an appointment with my Endocrinologist yesterday to check on how well I'm kicking cancer's butt. Looks like I'm still winning! She also gave us the green light to start trying to conceive. I'm very excited to know that another baby could be in the cards pretty soon.

Sadly, having thyroid cancer came with a 100 pound bonus. Before I can really feel that my body is ready to carry a baby, I need to lose some weight.

So I'm trying to eat better and work harder on getting enough exercise and sleep each day.

Fancy livin', here we come!

I rarely use the cloth dinner napkins in my house. One of the reasons why I don't is that my daughter would probably just use them as a blanket for her baby doll rather than a napkin. My son would likely toss them in the garbage when he's done with dinner. I just can't see my 11 & 4 year old children appreciating a nice table setting for dinner.

There are nights though when my hubby and I wait until after the kids are in bed to have dinner. When you have children, quiet dinners alone are to be cherished. It's then that I put candles on the table, sometimes placemats and (drumroll please) cloth napkins. But I don't fold them into birds of paradise, I just stuff them into a napkin ring. Some night when I'm not so tired that I might fall asleep in my soup, I might just try out these instructionsfor fancy napkin folding.

Proud to be a domestic goddess

I am taking an Anthropology class about women in different cultures. I love this class. I love the professor and the topic. My classmates actually seem pretty cool too. Today we talked about women in America. About women in college, women in the workplace, etc. 2 different women in my class voiced their feelings about how they couldn't understand why anyone would want to be a stay at home mom. One of them shared this after I said I was a stay at home mom...ouch.

Obviously we all have different opinions which is totally fine. I love being a mom. I love being a wife. I might mock the 1950's stereotype of a housewife. I am so not a 1950's housewife. My husband doesn't come in at 6 to me offering him up a martini and his slippers. I do not clean my house in high heels and spend all day baking. I don't even cook 90% of the time. I have my own opinions and my own choices to make.

I really resent the idea that women who are stay at home moms have a dumb life. We don't. We are a rare things these days and we choose to be stay at home moms because that's what best for our families and it's what we want. It's not the best thing for everyone and it's not everyone's dream job. But it is mine. I love my children more than anything. My life does revolve around them and that's how I want it to be. I want to be home for them on days off of school. I want to be able to go to the teacher conferences, special events at school and doctor's appointments. My mother was a stay at home mom until I was in junior high. I know it was a tough job for her, but she was fantastic at it. I hope to be as a good of a mom as she is. That's my career goal.

So right now I'm kind of feeling like I don't belong at NIU. I'm feeling like screw school. I already have a great job. I'm a mom.

The things we say

There are many things about parenthood that surprise me. Most of all are the things I wind up saying. Things I never thought I'd say. Such as:
1. Don't bite the dog.
2. Don't put your sister in the dog's crate.
3. You can't wear your princess dress to the park.