High Maintenance Mom

I have never blogged before but after reading some mommy blogs recently thought I would give it a try. So this is the first East Coast Mom Blog! I hope you enjoy them and can benefit from my mistakes, triumphs and turmoils. I will try to write daily but will not post each entry on the front page. Click on the Blogs subject line to read the entries as I write them....

The transition to kindergarten has been a little more exhausting than I expected. Before school started I was focused on surviving B's meltdowns / regressive behavior and I didn't spend enough time thinking about how the rest of our lives would change, such as becoming a morning person so we don't have to sign in at the principal's office. It's funny because I thought I had prepared myself, but I really hadn't...

I have worked since I turned 14 and got my food handler's permit from the local health department. Now, with my 32nd birthday looming on the horizon, I am counting down the days of my last three weeks of gainful employment.

Being a 'career' mom has never been easy. Since my first son was born 7 and a half years ago, every day has been a blur of shoes and socks and drool and rushing. We rush out the door in the morning. We rush home in the evening. I rush dinner through the kitchen. I rush my kids through bath, homework, etc, just to squeeze a few minutes of rushed me time before collapsing exhausted into bed, only to realize I forgot to do the laundry. Rush rush rush rush...

It's hot here in Northern California and I have to be a little more creative with our food choices since our doctor wants the kids to gain some weight. More on that another time as I've spent quality time in Whole Foods buying the highest fat food I can find only to have my husband and I eat it. "Don't like that", says N. "It's a cheese puff, everyone likes cheese puffs, try one", I say wondering what I'm doing. This evening we had toast with cream cheese, frozen bananas, and a fruit smoothie. I've also put most of their lunches in the freezer so they will stay cool until lunchtime (at school)...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which seems like a good time to remind everyone to do a self-exam...

After B was born I realized there were many new things I could not control. The change in my life was both amazing, I had a son, and frustrating, my son didn't always do what I wanted him to do. Six months after B's birth, as I was learning to deal with the constant change in my life, my father became ill. I focused on organizing and it helped. Having B learn to feed himself also helped. However, when my father died three days before the birth of our second son, I knew I needed more than periodic organizing to help me face the challenges. I came up with a simple plan that has worked for me...

I wanted to carry a bag that didn't scream diaper bag and also try to reduce the huge number of items I was dragging around. Here's a basic bag that will handle most issues...

We've had an exciting few weeks. We lost our oven, microwave, and disposal within 3 days of each other over the holidays and have dealt with a 15 day stomach flu (Little Grab), ear infections (both boys), a new tooth (Little Grab) and a sinus infection (me). Today ends this round of antibiotics for the three of us and The Pocket Physicist is now starting to feel sick.

B has been telling lots of stories. The other night The Pocket Physicist said goodnight and told B that he needed to make a list of things he needed to get done the next day. Later that night we found that B had made his own list using several markers on his pillow. When asked he told us his list said, "Dear Mole, Meet us tomorrow at the maple tree, fox, skunk, and racoon." I think it's from a story they were reading at school.