Miss Most About StayAtHomeMommying (SAHM)

Some would say I fall into the 'type A' personality category. I would agree with that....

Generally speaking, N brings to the table more of the easy-going/laid-back vibe. You wouldn't know that if you saw his tedious pre/post-work routine. Meticulous.

I miss not having anything 'to do'. M & I used to wake up whenever. Sometimes she would sit up first and smack me to consciousness. Other times I arose and tasked away only to become bored and return to her bedside, rustling so 'the noise' woke her -- subtly. Now I get up to a blaring alarm, leave hurriedly, wait impatiently at red lights (being one of a handful of drivers on the road at 5:45am), and run around a kitchen for 8+ hours. Literally run. Mostly b/c I forgot something in the oven that is 4x2 car lengths away and around the corner from my prep area.

M & I don't putz around much anymore. We don't run errands together (for lack of efficiency). Everything/task I consider now involves some kind of 'and on the way' or 'while you're [N] home' coordination. Much less impromptu. Definitely more of a throwback to N's first two years of med school when I was piggybacking WSonoma with my law gig and then RCarlton pizazz. NOT the way things played out while I stayed at home with the M.

Good and bad, but today I miss the more romantic lifestyle of picking M up whenever I chose and going out for a balloon.

Have Been Up To

Posting on a blog is tough to do when you have a 'real' job! Mothering took its toll on me, but trying to do that while working is borderline impossible without major help. Thank goodness my parents have a truly soft spot for M as they are full-time caretakers of the tyke at this point. I did find a 'mother's day out' program for M to attend come September, so that will take the load off of nai nai and yeh yeh, not to mention give M an outlet for her sociable and outgoing personality.

Speaking of...

Work:

3 weeks in. Things are going as well as they can.

Home:

N and I have split chores and things have tidied up since he keeps up with his regularly. My mom helps a bit with dishes. Not that many since most of our meals are consumed at work. The grocery budget 'should' tighten a bit as we only need to shop for M. Hopefully that will free up resources for other fun things like a gymnastics program for M.

Church:

Need to attend more regularly. Well, we do okay with big church, but not as much with Bible study. N committed to going this week even though I can't (working) and we will do big church on Sat.

N:

Almost done with his ER stink... wow, I meant to type "stint". ER = nocturnal, so when he's done with this leg, he'll be able to spend nights at home and hopefully get back to a more natural sleep cycle.

M:

Growing! Had her first fever, though, lasting for 3 days. Not gaining weight as fast as she is height, but our efforts are not completely fruitless. Relief.

Food:

Love CFilA. Used M as an excuse and had it twice today. Also Sonic's happy hour. 1/2 sweet tea.

Leisure:

Gym attendance has fallen off almost completely. Will try to go 2x this week. That would be 2x more than last. Am reading more, though, so that's a plus! Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale going on now -> money pit. Easy Spirit has these cute shoes on sale. I got them in black/black and as pictured.

Read in the News

The proverbial 'they' found Paul!

Two sources cited:

If you lean right, click here.

If you lean left, click here.

The other 'they' all say the same thing about his remains. N and I thoroughly enjoyed our travels in/about Rome and I definitely would love to go back sometime with or without kids. We did Rome towards the end of our Italy tour, and I don't think I had enough mental stamina left to really focus. It's hard to believe Paul's remain were there this whole time just hanging out and waiting for someone to come across them.

Happy Feasting of Sts. Paul & Peter! The NSB family-ette will enjoy our regular Pizza Night thanks to PJohn's take-out deal on large, single topping pies. I always pick up a (free) Sunday HChronicle too...for the coupons.

p.s. my shorts are back to $15, but the ONavy site's running a 25% off promo for cardholders through Thursday.

Overpaid For

Really, did I pay too much for these shorts?

I snagged them for $15 and now they are a cool $8 at least online. Oh well! If you're looking for something fun that goes between navy and black, I recommend these.

Have For Breakfast

My favorite breakfast/brunch thing (that is doable at home) consists of a whole wheat or everything bagel, full fat cream cheese, red onion, cherry tomatoes, capers and smoked salmon of the sockeye variety. I LOVE this meal and could eat it everyday. I've had it 3 days in a row now, once for lunch.

We don't have a toaster as we purged our previous one amidst moving. I don't mind the absence since our counter space seems more limited these days. I pop my 1/2 bagel onto a sheet pan and into the oven and broil it. I actually like this method a lot as the top of the bagel gets crunchy/toasty while the remainder of it stays nice and fluffy. The bagel doesn't risk drying out, however broiling can go quickly -- I had to scrape off some burnt bits today as I tried to ready Mad's breakfast and mine simultaneously.

Anyhow, I've never done a calorie count on this meal, but figure that it keeps me pretty full and after I've had it, there's nothing that I want to munch on b/c the deliciousness of the bagel ensemble cannot be matched. I also ate this all the while during M's incubation period to ensure she would one day love it too. Yum.

Ran out of sockeye and N had the last of my bagels, so I must gather today so as to secure ingredients in time for tomorrow's bagel episode. Per friend M's suggestion, will try the iced chai at the mecca. A toast to her and B for the baby BOY news!

Deem Newsworthy

Okay. MJ passed and it's sad. But that's how things go, no? My discussion w/N about it went something like this:

A: i mean, he had to die somehow. and really, don't you think celebrities get caught up in a dramatic lifestyle and they are more apt to pass 'tragically'?

N: he was the king of pop. the KING of pop. all time highest sellers: Elvis, the Beetles, and MJ.

A: okay. i guess i didn't really grow up w/ his stuff.

N: how about this one, do you remember ___? (music playing)

A: no.

N: that's what we performed at my elementary graduation. (waving arms)

A: oh.

N: how about this one, do you remember ___? (music playing)

A: uhm, no.

(repeat quizzing and negative response 3x)

I am a little miffed that ALL the news channels feel the need to run marathons about his life/death. And the 911 call, which didn't seem special.

A: i mean, it's not like he's princess di.

N: (no comment or response)

The real tragedy is if Farrah's family/relatives thought they were going to get a lot of press about her passing -- that they have been overshadowed.

N: that's a pretty bad way to go. i mean, make something up. just call it cancer. you don't need to be specific about the kind, especially since it was that. (sort of guffaws)

The real news is that I tried spinning for the first time yesterday after a weight-lifting class. My bum hurts like it's bruised. Speaking of bruises and general discomfort, N injured his arm while playing bball. Can't lift M. Can't really hold anything either. Perfect! I think it's a hairline fracture. He doesn't know what to think after googling his symptoms. He went to a dr. and didn't get an x-ray. Really, now, who's the MD here?

And I checked out Gap's in-store jeans promo:

Please note, I just purchased a replacement pair the other day (4 days ago) with a coupon, but definitely spent more than $20. Of course, I had my bargain-alert on and asked about a possible price adjustment. Nope, not on the style I picked as it is excluded from the sale. Oh, and the two pairs I chose for N were excluded too. Since N likes ONavy jeans and I'm still shedding weight, this sale is definitely passable. (If you think you might need jeans after the promo, you can always stock up now and return or exchange later. There's a 30 day refund policy, but after that it's store credit. You can exchange sizes within the same style/color anytime as long as they're still available.)

Allegedly, Gap's redoing their entire jeans line. Sounds enticing. Who wouldn't love to downgrade from designer prices so long as the product is similar?

Am Getting For Free!

Another freebie magazine offer, this time for 2 years! Parents. May not be of interest to most of my friends, but it works for me.

Again, no credit card info solicited so I signed up and we'll see what happens.

Get it here.