Nia Attacks
Snow Nate
Daddy is Armed!
Snow Nia and Momma
Hot Chocolate after Snow
Hot Chocolate after Snow
Tag Archives: Family
When Mom’s Away …
17 Feb- The day care won’t know where Nate is when Andrew goes to pick him up.
- The dog will poop in the bathroom.
- Nate will tell me all about the dog pooping in the bathroom.
- Nia will tell me her thoughts about the dog pooping in the bathroom.
- Nate will stress that he did not poop in his pants.
- The dog will poop in the kitchen.
- The dog will throw up.
And that was all within 12 hours or so. Poor Andrew. Poor Joey. I hope he feels better soon.
Tooth Watch
12 FebFor the past few months, Nia has been experiencing loose-tooth envy. The way she tells it, every one of her friends either has a loose tooth or proudly sports a holey smile. She would ask us why she didn’t have one yet. When will she? Can I push on them and make them loose? She would also routinely think she finally had one and ask us to check to see if she was right. We would touch the suspected tooth and respond with disappointing news. Nope. Not yet.
That all changed last week. She finally felt her first real wobble! She was so excited as I picked her up from after-school. She came running down the hall holding the prized pearly white between her two tiny fingers, “I have a loost toof mommy!”
Now, she’s constantly asking us about it and preparing for the big day –
“When it will be ready to fall out?”
“What can I do to help make it fall out?”
“Can we pull it yet?”
“Why will that hurt?”
“It hurts now.”
“Will it bleed?”
“After it falls out I will have 19 teeth.”
“If I don’t brush my teeth will it fall out faster?”
“I can’t eat that because my tooth might get lost in it and then the tooth fairy won’t come.”
Which leads to the big payoff –
“The tooth fairy is going to bring me two dollars.”
We have no idea where she got that dollar amount. To me, you can’t put a price on something so precious. Our baby girl is growing up so quickly.
Now on to worrying about how the tooth fairy will make the “exchange” without waking up the princess. Sometimes I’m in awe about how our parents pulled it all off.
My Knight in Starched Khakis
21 OctShe is just a little more than five miles away from her sister’s house when the beyond-bald tires on her beat up, old mini-van decide they couldn’t carry her family anymore. The tires, like her, are worn out. Sharing the load of moving from Michigan to Georgia – they both have been pushed to their limits.
“Now this? Now this is going to happen?” she thinks as she looks for a safe place to pull over. The tire blew out a few seconds ago but she tries to keep pressing on – like she’s been doing since they first started struggling.
Her four young children are both frightened and interested in what’s happening. Two started to cry. The other two ask non-stop questions. She feels the same way – plus – helpless. She doesn’t know how to change a tire – she can’t afford a tow truck – isn’t a member of AAA.
Then, she hears a voice, offering to help.
Within minutes, he has her van up on the jack and the tire off but he can’t get the spare out of the trunk. He thinks about giving her his but it doesn’t fit. Instead, he calls AAA and explains the situation.
The children would have to wait almost an hour. When he offers to drive her and the children to her sister’s house so they don’t have to be the situation any longer, she was a little nervous to accept but he didn’t give her any reason to doubt his kindness, plus, he had two child car seats in the back – he must be ok.
She’s so overcome with gratitude and emotion that she can’t believe that she told him, “Of course you’re married! All the good ones are taken!”
***************************************************************************************************************************************
He thinks he’s just stuck behind yet another driver going way below the speed limit on the two lane road to his work. He feels bad when he sees the old mini-van cautiously pull over to the side.
He knows he has to be at work, but something in him compels him to make sure people are ok.
Little does he know, this is going to be so much more than a tire change. When he sees the four children, he immediately thinks of his own wife and kids and – what if. What if they were stranded on the side of a busy road with no one to call for help? He has to do what he can to get them out of this situation.
He doesn’t think it’s going to be hard to do. He just has to change a tire -something he’s done more times than he can remember. But this time is a little different. The van’s emergency brake doesn’t work and (for mechanical reasons the writer doesn’t grasp) the mom has to stay in the van with her foot on the brake. He finally gets the van on the jack but then he can’t free the spare from its compartment.
Knowing he can’t leave them like that, he calls AAA for a tow truck. They tell him he will have to be there when the driver arrives in order for her to get the tow without a charge. He knows it will take about an hour for the tow truck driver to show up so he offers to drive the family where they are headed. He worries about how the four children will safely fit in his small backseat but rationalizes it would be more dangerous for them to be where they are now.
In the end, the family safely reaches their destination and the Knight in Starched (and now slightly dirty) Khakis makes it to work. He knows the family still has to figure out how they will pay for the van’s repairs, but he hopes that he helped take a little of the burden off their shoulders – at least for one morning.
Nia: The Headliner
7 OctWe just taught Nia the joke that goes, “Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7, 8, 9!”
She then came up with, “Why did 9 cross the road? To run away from 7!”
She even acted it out like she was running across the road.
Such a great memory.
Running on E
30 SepRunning on Exhausted
It’s not the bad kind of exhausted where you walk around and feel exhausted. It’s more the kind where as soon as you sit down, you’re ready for sleep. I don’t even allow myself to get comfortable until at least 8:30 pm because I know I’ll be asleep in about 30 minutes. The big complaint I have with this early-to-bed routine is that I’m usually not in bed when my eyes close. I end up in a deep sleep on the love seat with Andrew snoring away on the other couch. I love how even when we don’t sleep together, we still sleep together.
Running on Excitement
I still really like my job. It’s been almost a month and I can honestly say I am having a great time doing my work. I enjoy being there, my coworkers and boss are super nice and fun and I am excited about what the future holds. So far, I’ve been working on the main website, www.choa.org, by helping the other content editor maintain it.
Most of my excitement surrounds my main job – the wellness website. This site does not exist yet. I was hired to help create, implement and maintain it – with the goal of making it a success. The site is planned to be launched by January/February of next year but we’re still in meeting mode. Enter my excitement.
I’m giddy about getting started but also nervous because I’ve never created a reputable website! It’s just so hard to grasp how all of it is going to come together. We’re working with three different companies and I can’t even wrap my brain around how they all will mesh together on one site. I have confidence that I can do this, but I would just feel more comfortable if I had a little more of an idea of what to expect.
Running on Empty
Yeah, this is where I put the gas subject in here. I’m not mad. I’m not disgusted. I’m curious. I want to know how much gas the drivers who are fighting in lines, sucking the pumps dry, have in their tanks when they pull up. I want a reporter to be there waiting to document where the gas gauge is pointing or how much gas went into their tank. Do they really need it or are they just freaking out at 3/4 of a tank thus taking it from those who really do need it because they are on empty or close to it? I also want to know what it’s like to be a gas station worker/owner right now. Even the tanker truck drivers probably have crazy stories to share. I’ve heard from the panicked pumpers who’ve been stalking the stations and I’m starting to feel less and less sympathy for my fellow gas guzzler.
A positive I see in all of this is that a lot of companies are letting employees work from home to help conserve. As a matter of fact, my work from home day is set for Friday. If I could walk to work I would. God knows I need the exercise. Since I can’t, I will do my best to not freak out and swerve toward the first sign I see with numbers on it. (Although I’m tempted to drive circles around the others who did screaming “Got gas?!” over and over again. Of course, not with the kids in the car. Besides, that would waste gas! Sha!)
Running on Enamors
As much as I like work, the best part of my day is picking up my little loves. Nate gets a huge smile and screams, “My mommy’s here! My mommy’s here!” He will even tell people as we walk by them, “My mommy’s here Miss Kristi!” Nia always has a drawing for me or a note of some sort. She’s been trying to spell words all by herself by sounding them out. The other day she even wrote a letter to a friend she met.
Some other high/lowlights are:
- Nia really didn’t like the Beef and Broccoli I made for dinner a few days ago. I thought she liked it. She had been eating it and was almost finished, then she said “I’m going to throw up Mommy.” And what do you know? Just like that. Blah. Right on her Ariel plate. I felt HORRIBLE. I told her I was sorry that she got sick and she told me, “People are just different Mommy. Not everyone likes the same things.” She taught me a valuable lesson that day. I now let them sample any different food before I sit down to eat dinner and tell them, “Try one bite and if you really don’t like it I will make you something else.” Sure, Super Nanny might say I’m spoiling them or whatever, but I’d rather make their stomachs happy than sad.
- Nia and Nate had picture day at their schools and Nate’s are hysterically adorable. I can’t wait to show you! For Nia’s, Andrew fixed her hair and I let out a squeal of happiness when I picked her up that day. Two perfectly parted ponytails. He does such a great job! (He even tried practicing braids!)
- Yesterday, Nate actually ran to the potty, opened the lid and started pulling down his pants! We were praising him so much for his big boy act that Joey was going nutso downstairs.
As for Joey – he has to have surgery on his leg because he pulled a ligament. The vet says it just happens when a dog is over a certain weight and age. Poor buddy. He’s been limping around and confined to downstairs. His surgery isn’t until October 7. I just hate to see him this way. He wants to run and play but can’t. We hope the surgery will have him back to his crazy self in no time. (Please!)
What I’ve Learned So Far
10 SepWednesday marks my first full week back on the job and so far I’ve noticed a few things:
- No matter how early I wake up, I still can’t leave on time.
- Radio personalities and their opinions/statements/conversations annoy the hell out of me.
- I really, really like coffee.
- I’m so lucky to have Andrew as my “baby daddy.” Because I have to leave before the kids wake up, he takes care of everything each morning. Not only does he get himself ready, but then he wakes them up, makes their breakfasts, gets them ready, makes Nia’s lunch, fixes Nia’s hair in the cutest (and tightest) little pony tail, scoots her out the door while loading Nate in his car seat, watches her board the bus, takes Nate to school and then has to deal with Nate being kind of sad to see him go. He also makes it all seem like no big deal. He’s my favorite.
- I must find a shoes that don’t murder my feet (but still look cute).
- Nate has already learned so much, including using the potty more and more.
- I am loving to use my brain again, both socially and creatively.
- I am quickly running out of outfits.
- I still need my mommy. After 15 minutes, I still couldn’t safety pin my low cut shirt without having the pin slightly visible.
- I have to invest in stronger deodorant until I learn to be less nervous. It’s not that I schtank or anything, it’s that I have a giant problem with giant pit marks. Not fun to try and hide all day long.
- Antibacterial cleaning wipes are your friend. (My computer really needs a wipe down.)
- Eating out is lots of fun and tasty but I miss being able to save that money and calories!
- It doesn’t matter what time I leave from home or work, I’m still going to hit multiple rows of bumper to bumper traffic on Interstate 85.
- Now that I am falling asleep earlier and earlier, I need to become more picky in our television show selection.
- Andrew has shown me yet another way he’s a keeper. He irons all my work clothes! (I feel so spoiled!)
- I’m having a blast!
Things Not to Say to a Mom Who’s Going back to Work
30 AugThe following comments all come with a hint of snootiness from Stay-At-Home Moms I’ve come to know around town. They make it pretty clear that I’m no longer in their “club.”
“Oh, you’re putting the kids in child care?”
“I guess you just have to do what you have to do.”
“That drive is awful. I hated it and my kids were always so exhausted when I picked them up from day care.”
“You’re thinking about that day care? I’ve heard some unsettling things about that day care.” (FYI – We didn’t pick that day care.)
“My daughter didn’t like that After-School program.”
“You are going to hate it when it rains. The drive is even worse when it rains.”
“You’re going to leave for work that early?”
“You’re going to get killed on gas prices.”
“Well, if you say it’s worth it.”
“You have to drive how far every day?”
“Wow. That’s going to be a really long day for your kids.”
“I’m sure you are going to miss all that quality time you get to spend with Nate.”
As if I didn’t feel bad/guilty/unsure enough about going back to work. Thanks for pointing out the obvious and for the support. It would be different if they said what they said because they were genuinely concerned. They aren’t. They say it as they look down their nose at me. I try to tell myself that they would do the same thing if they were in our position and given this opportunity. Of course, I’m sure they would disagree.
Are You Zhazha? 
Say what?