SAHMMY PROS:
not dressing up in the morning
not putting on makeup
not talking to weird work people
getting all the chores done before everyone gets home
running all the errands without interruption
kids come home from school early
SAHMMY CONS:
not dressing up in the morning
not putting on makeup
not talking to ANYONE really
getting all the chores done by yourself
running all the errands by yourself
the kids are always home!
I have been trying out this SAHMMY business now for about 4 months, and I can say my stress level has significantly decreased, but the loneliness factor is definitely kicking in. I am an introvert, and I just don't make friends. We've made a couple here and there as a family, but not much else.
There is an opportunity to do some work, and I think I'm going to do it.
SAHMTWRY (Stay at Home Mommy That Works Remotely) Pros:
not dressing up in the morning
not putting on makeup
talking to work people
errand and chores be damned
kids still come home early but get to hang out with friends for a couple of hours in aftercare (they have been begging and mommy is boring anyway)
We shall see...
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Slice & Dice (Might BE TMI For Some)
One of the other benefits to being a SAHMmy right now is I have ample time to schedule the appointments and errands I have ignored for the last few years. A goal of mine this year was to get in shape and perhaps trim down in that process, but I did not anticipate my skin being a part of that "weight loss program", as a former co-worker of mine called it.
What was supposed to be a simple mole shave at the doctor's office has become quite an ordeal. Prior to taking my LOA, I went in to have a mole shaved (this was back in April). No big deal; it was annoying and would catch on things, so why not? Well, as week later the pathology came back as "abnormal" so the marathon of appointments began. Just to be clear, "abnormal" did not mean cancerous, but now I do have to be more careful about other moles or "lesions" in the future ( I prefer beauty mark, but no one says that anymore). Since the "lesion" was "abnormal", I had to go to a dermatologist to get the rest of the lesion removed. No big deal - so I waited until August to get that appointment scheduled in order to not interfere with kid quality time.
Three months later I finally have my appointment, and the dermatologist recommends going to a plastic surgeon since the lesion is on my neck. "Okay, fine. Another appointment, but can we do my spot check today?" Apparently that was not possible, so I had to schedule another appointment for that. In the meantime, the office scheduled with the plastic surgeon, and well, I should have known better.
I talked to the plastic surgeon and scheduled the procedure. The next day I had my spot check appointment; why she could not do this during the previous appointment, I will never know (but I have my suspicions). Sure enough, she decided my jaw beauty mark was a lesion, and it had to be removed. The plastic surgeon should do that one as well. Added bonus! She removed 4 other suspicious spots on my left foot and right index finger of all places, so that has been fun to walk on. I went back to plastics to have him look at that one and finally had the procedure to remove both of those yesterday. I should know results in a week or so for my face, but the others are fine.
Two points to this story - if you can combine appointments, do it. I have wasted hours of waiting and back and forth because I didn't ask the right questions at each of the appointments. The plastics guy even said, oh yeah, I don't like that lesion (the one on my jaw) let's remove it. Really? I really could have just gone to him after my initial doctor's appointment. I guess this is how the system makes money. The other point would be, wear sunscreen! Wear it everywhere - especially on places you wouldn't expect. If you wear flip flops like I do (all the time - even when it's raining or winter), put that sunscreen on. The toe lesion has to be the most annoying and hardest to heal spot for a removal - it's still trying to heal after two weeks.
What was supposed to be a simple mole shave at the doctor's office has become quite an ordeal. Prior to taking my LOA, I went in to have a mole shaved (this was back in April). No big deal; it was annoying and would catch on things, so why not? Well, as week later the pathology came back as "abnormal" so the marathon of appointments began. Just to be clear, "abnormal" did not mean cancerous, but now I do have to be more careful about other moles or "lesions" in the future ( I prefer beauty mark, but no one says that anymore). Since the "lesion" was "abnormal", I had to go to a dermatologist to get the rest of the lesion removed. No big deal - so I waited until August to get that appointment scheduled in order to not interfere with kid quality time.
Three months later I finally have my appointment, and the dermatologist recommends going to a plastic surgeon since the lesion is on my neck. "Okay, fine. Another appointment, but can we do my spot check today?" Apparently that was not possible, so I had to schedule another appointment for that. In the meantime, the office scheduled with the plastic surgeon, and well, I should have known better.
I talked to the plastic surgeon and scheduled the procedure. The next day I had my spot check appointment; why she could not do this during the previous appointment, I will never know (but I have my suspicions). Sure enough, she decided my jaw beauty mark was a lesion, and it had to be removed. The plastic surgeon should do that one as well. Added bonus! She removed 4 other suspicious spots on my left foot and right index finger of all places, so that has been fun to walk on. I went back to plastics to have him look at that one and finally had the procedure to remove both of those yesterday. I should know results in a week or so for my face, but the others are fine.
Two points to this story - if you can combine appointments, do it. I have wasted hours of waiting and back and forth because I didn't ask the right questions at each of the appointments. The plastics guy even said, oh yeah, I don't like that lesion (the one on my jaw) let's remove it. Really? I really could have just gone to him after my initial doctor's appointment. I guess this is how the system makes money. The other point would be, wear sunscreen! Wear it everywhere - especially on places you wouldn't expect. If you wear flip flops like I do (all the time - even when it's raining or winter), put that sunscreen on. The toe lesion has to be the most annoying and hardest to heal spot for a removal - it's still trying to heal after two weeks.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Small & Mighty
I really had to try very hard to drag myself to the gym today. It was pretty much the last thing I wanted to do today. I triumphed though... I really really wanted a PSL today, but I did have to earn it.
So I'm doing my thing... working out or whatever, and I notice a woman working out. I had seen her before. She's probably no more than 5'2", longish strawberry blonde hair with a pretty mean tan going on that almost hides her freckles. She's working out on the weight machines and really in the zone. Oh and she's about 9 months pregnant - and she still does the row machine. I could not help but peek over every now and then, because, seriously, how does the row machine work, logistically, in that scenario? She finished up and was getting ready to go, and I was impressed. Not because a prego was working out and all that, but because she was working out regularly. I was no where in that zone when I was pregnant. Working out was the last thing on my mind! I'm finally getting there, but it's taken 5 years. She obviously has a system, and a pretty good one at that.
I notice she goes into the childcare area. I thought to myself she must have a couple of kids that she brings along. Then they start coming out and I count: " one, two, three, four ... SEVEN?" There are seven of them and one on the way! ( I think seven - I might have lost count). Some of them are school aged. So now for the assumptions and the subsequent awe I have for this woman. She has seven children, she will have one more in the next month or so, she homeschools, and she works out. I'm counting on my fingers how many hours that must take in order to try to figure out when she sleeps. I've decided she must not sleep, except she looks fabulous and glowy and tan and young. No bags no wrinkles, nothing (so I was more than peeking over every now and then).
I am sure she has her drag her bed out of days, but man, you can't tell me managing all of that isn't amazing and a life skill that could translate into the business world. I doubt she would ever want to do that, however, these are the things that women deal with when they stay at home. Staying at home for some period of time does not mean we don't do anything or lose skills (despite what V may think - I do not just stay home and lay in bed all day until bus stop time). Women need to figure out how to market that experience when they return to the work force, should they choose to return. I have seen my fair share of temper tantrums in the work environment, and I can say I have used some of the same tactics with co-workers as I have used for children. Just saying.
So I'm doing my thing... working out or whatever, and I notice a woman working out. I had seen her before. She's probably no more than 5'2", longish strawberry blonde hair with a pretty mean tan going on that almost hides her freckles. She's working out on the weight machines and really in the zone. Oh and she's about 9 months pregnant - and she still does the row machine. I could not help but peek over every now and then, because, seriously, how does the row machine work, logistically, in that scenario? She finished up and was getting ready to go, and I was impressed. Not because a prego was working out and all that, but because she was working out regularly. I was no where in that zone when I was pregnant. Working out was the last thing on my mind! I'm finally getting there, but it's taken 5 years. She obviously has a system, and a pretty good one at that.
I notice she goes into the childcare area. I thought to myself she must have a couple of kids that she brings along. Then they start coming out and I count: " one, two, three, four ... SEVEN?" There are seven of them and one on the way! ( I think seven - I might have lost count). Some of them are school aged. So now for the assumptions and the subsequent awe I have for this woman. She has seven children, she will have one more in the next month or so, she homeschools, and she works out. I'm counting on my fingers how many hours that must take in order to try to figure out when she sleeps. I've decided she must not sleep, except she looks fabulous and glowy and tan and young. No bags no wrinkles, nothing (so I was more than peeking over every now and then).
I am sure she has her drag her bed out of days, but man, you can't tell me managing all of that isn't amazing and a life skill that could translate into the business world. I doubt she would ever want to do that, however, these are the things that women deal with when they stay at home. Staying at home for some period of time does not mean we don't do anything or lose skills (despite what V may think - I do not just stay home and lay in bed all day until bus stop time). Women need to figure out how to market that experience when they return to the work force, should they choose to return. I have seen my fair share of temper tantrums in the work environment, and I can say I have used some of the same tactics with co-workers as I have used for children. Just saying.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
We Will Never Be Royals
Being the good SAHMmy I am attempting to become, I volunteered at the girls' school to help with one of the annual fundraisers. First and last time. I should have stuck to my give them money philosophy.
I showed up at the high school's track as that is where the walk-a-thon is supposed to be. Now where to park, I could not tell you as the emailed "information" was hazy, at best. Something about walking up a hill - okay fine. I parked at the elementary school cafeteria and gimped up the hill as my foot was still ravaged from the mole massacre from Tuesday. No matter, I thought, I sent an email so I'm sure they assigned me to a different job so I will make the trek up the hill. As I reached the top of the hill and the race track, I see a sea of royal blue shirts. "Aha! They must know what's going on!" After standing around for about 5 minutes, some of the other volunteers do say hi, but whoever was in charge was clearly not in charge of welcoming the volunteers. "Allright, I'll muster up the courage to approach. Why not?" Just at that moment, a royal, opens up the volunteer book and starts having volunteers sign in, and walks off. No "Hello, thanks for coming." No "here's what you're doing." One royal that I knew from last year (who also discarded my Valentine's decorations that I am not bitter about), barely acknowledged me and them and walked over to another royal to chit chat about, well, nothing important. As I am signing in and printing my name on my volunteer tag, I notice no one else is doing so except the other new SAHMmy in town. Hmmmm... yet they are all talking to each other. Hmmmm.
Finally, a really nice royal figures out we are volunteers and have no idea what the plan is and starts explaining it. Mind you, no name exchanges or whatever. Explains and walks off, not checking if we were the right ones. Okay fine. I will get this done, but I'm going to need help if I'm hauling stuff up and down the hill. I looked at some of the other volunteers. "Darn it - I did not put on makeup, was I supposed to for this activity? I thought it was going to be exercise." "Hmmm... flip flops... were you ACTUALLY planning on volunteering at the WALK-a-thon?" No matter, I plead with another mother non-royal wearing sneakers to help me get the popsicles up and down the hill since the other volunteer (who later shows up in flip flops) is late.
We made the trek into the school and back, but it was obvious no real planning went into any of the logistics of this event. As 8 of us (the 2 haulers chip in) unloaded and cut open the popsicles, the royals milled, around laughing and dancing and socializing with each other. They ignore the onslaught of 3rd graders devouring and stealing extra popsicles as the volunteers succumb to the droves of little hands grasping at the sugary treats. It then dawned on me. There were PLENTY of royal blue shirts to volunteer and do this work, but none of them wanted to help with the less desirable job gave the crap job to the ones that were not in those shirts. Instead, they were the "cheerleaders" for the kiddos, yet, I watched my JD walking all by herself on a lonely stretch of the track with not a single royal cheering her on to the finish line. I abandoned my station for a bit to cheer her on to the rest of the crowd, even though I was "breaking the rules." The royals clustered together around the DJ and parked it there for most of the shift.
As we finished up the shift, the only other royal that was actually helping or directing the volunteers thanked us for our help.
So maybe I am a bit sensitive about the subject, but as a new SAHMmy in a new town, I would hope or expect the PTA or veteran SAHMmies include newer SAHMmies into the fold. If you want the money and the help, that would be the wisest thing to do. As an introvert, this experience was completely uncomfortable and will not happen again. PTA cliques are not for me; I'll donate my money instead of time. If schools want to know why some parents are disconnected with the schools or PTAs eventually fail, this is why. Yes, these are completely voluntary organizations, but perhaps a school staff mentor for the organization would help. It's intimidating for newbies or introverts who want to help the school participate if there is no way to do that.
I showed up at the high school's track as that is where the walk-a-thon is supposed to be. Now where to park, I could not tell you as the emailed "information" was hazy, at best. Something about walking up a hill - okay fine. I parked at the elementary school cafeteria and gimped up the hill as my foot was still ravaged from the mole massacre from Tuesday. No matter, I thought, I sent an email so I'm sure they assigned me to a different job so I will make the trek up the hill. As I reached the top of the hill and the race track, I see a sea of royal blue shirts. "Aha! They must know what's going on!" After standing around for about 5 minutes, some of the other volunteers do say hi, but whoever was in charge was clearly not in charge of welcoming the volunteers. "Allright, I'll muster up the courage to approach. Why not?" Just at that moment, a royal, opens up the volunteer book and starts having volunteers sign in, and walks off. No "Hello, thanks for coming." No "here's what you're doing." One royal that I knew from last year (who also discarded my Valentine's decorations that I am not bitter about), barely acknowledged me and them and walked over to another royal to chit chat about, well, nothing important. As I am signing in and printing my name on my volunteer tag, I notice no one else is doing so except the other new SAHMmy in town. Hmmmm... yet they are all talking to each other. Hmmmm.
Finally, a really nice royal figures out we are volunteers and have no idea what the plan is and starts explaining it. Mind you, no name exchanges or whatever. Explains and walks off, not checking if we were the right ones. Okay fine. I will get this done, but I'm going to need help if I'm hauling stuff up and down the hill. I looked at some of the other volunteers. "Darn it - I did not put on makeup, was I supposed to for this activity? I thought it was going to be exercise." "Hmmm... flip flops... were you ACTUALLY planning on volunteering at the WALK-a-thon?" No matter, I plead with another mother non-royal wearing sneakers to help me get the popsicles up and down the hill since the other volunteer (who later shows up in flip flops) is late.
We made the trek into the school and back, but it was obvious no real planning went into any of the logistics of this event. As 8 of us (the 2 haulers chip in) unloaded and cut open the popsicles, the royals milled, around laughing and dancing and socializing with each other. They ignore the onslaught of 3rd graders devouring and stealing extra popsicles as the volunteers succumb to the droves of little hands grasping at the sugary treats. It then dawned on me. There were PLENTY of royal blue shirts to volunteer and do this work, but none of them wanted to help with the less desirable job gave the crap job to the ones that were not in those shirts. Instead, they were the "cheerleaders" for the kiddos, yet, I watched my JD walking all by herself on a lonely stretch of the track with not a single royal cheering her on to the finish line. I abandoned my station for a bit to cheer her on to the rest of the crowd, even though I was "breaking the rules." The royals clustered together around the DJ and parked it there for most of the shift.
As we finished up the shift, the only other royal that was actually helping or directing the volunteers thanked us for our help.
So maybe I am a bit sensitive about the subject, but as a new SAHMmy in a new town, I would hope or expect the PTA or veteran SAHMmies include newer SAHMmies into the fold. If you want the money and the help, that would be the wisest thing to do. As an introvert, this experience was completely uncomfortable and will not happen again. PTA cliques are not for me; I'll donate my money instead of time. If schools want to know why some parents are disconnected with the schools or PTAs eventually fail, this is why. Yes, these are completely voluntary organizations, but perhaps a school staff mentor for the organization would help. It's intimidating for newbies or introverts who want to help the school participate if there is no way to do that.
Monday, September 14, 2015
And we're juicing...
We have decided to start a juice cleanse for the next couple of days. All I have had to "eat" today is a fruit smoothie and 3 16 oz juices. I'm tired and I'm cranky, so clearly I am detoxing something. We have our Hawaii trip coming up in a month so we thought what better way to get beach and travel ready than to "purge" our diet a bit.
Well I'm not even through the first day and this kind of sucks. On top of it, I baked pumpkin muffins (great timing O-dawg). Sure the just is good, but it's expensive and has a grass taste that is difficult to ignore sometimes. So, to motivate us, we are going to watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead again. For those of you who have not seen it, the documentary follows an Australian businessman on his quest to cleanse and purge his body of the damage he has done to it with his lifestyle. He decides to do this by going on an all juice diet for 60ish days. He loses a ton of weight and reverses the health issues that plagued him for so long. It's any interesting story, and there were others that tried the juice diet, and it helped many lose weight and eliminate things like migraines, diabetes, skin diseases, and some auto immune issues. We don't really have any of that going on, but our bodies send clear signs when they are not at their peak performance, and that is pretty much where we are at the moment.
So bottoms up I say!
Friday, September 11, 2015
Black Bean Bleh...
So I less than famously touted my made from scratch and leftovers black bean brownies. The taste was spectacular, and the girls loved every bite of them. Well, I decide to go all out vegan style - something I will never do again. The second batch of organic, vegan, no sugar brownies was DISGUSTING.
I might have lost my baking mojo... I have had no desire to bake for fear of screwing it up again.
I have to try again.
So today I plan to try again and make yummy bean brownies, but with sugar. LOTS OF SUGAR.
I might have lost my baking mojo... I have had no desire to bake for fear of screwing it up again.
I have to try again.
So today I plan to try again and make yummy bean brownies, but with sugar. LOTS OF SUGAR.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Life Goals or Just Some Goals: How to Feel Accomplished While SAHMing It Up
I admit, I have not really felt like blogging or interacting with people much this last week. I wasn't feeling very well, and I had a brownie disaster (that's for another blog post). I don't know about you other SAHMies but the daily grind gets to you.
I have been officially home for about two months now. I have many goals, both short and long term, but, for now, the short term goals are the only ones that seem to be completed. Don't get me wrong - purging and cleaning and organizing are fulfilling in their own right, but the house is still a mess, and I am slowly losing that career edge. For example, this blog was my simple solution to keeping up with engaging with other people, expressing myself, and keeping to me long term plans. Unfortunately, I don't have to answer to anyone, so my motivation is not spurred by a deadline. I enrolled in some event management classes, but have been slacking in completing those as well.
In order to stick to my goals, I think the best way may be to write them down an publish them. This is why I chose to share the blog earlier than I wanted. I haven't written anything substantial in years, so I am sure everything is a bit rusty (no - technical contracts do not count as real writing). With that said, here are they are:
Goals:
Short Term:
finish the event management classes
catalog and complete the clothing purges
donate the clothing
sell extra kitchen and household items
take one group fitness class a week
Long Term:
Get started on the pierogi recipes
read a book a week (might be ambitious)
blog every other day
put together the girls' photo books
We will start with this for now.
I have been officially home for about two months now. I have many goals, both short and long term, but, for now, the short term goals are the only ones that seem to be completed. Don't get me wrong - purging and cleaning and organizing are fulfilling in their own right, but the house is still a mess, and I am slowly losing that career edge. For example, this blog was my simple solution to keeping up with engaging with other people, expressing myself, and keeping to me long term plans. Unfortunately, I don't have to answer to anyone, so my motivation is not spurred by a deadline. I enrolled in some event management classes, but have been slacking in completing those as well.
In order to stick to my goals, I think the best way may be to write them down an publish them. This is why I chose to share the blog earlier than I wanted. I haven't written anything substantial in years, so I am sure everything is a bit rusty (no - technical contracts do not count as real writing). With that said, here are they are:
Goals:
Short Term:
finish the event management classes
catalog and complete the clothing purges
donate the clothing
sell extra kitchen and household items
take one group fitness class a week
Long Term:
Get started on the pierogi recipes
read a book a week (might be ambitious)
blog every other day
put together the girls' photo books
We will start with this for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)