Thursday, January 20, 2011

1 is the loneliest number...

Disclaimer: This post is very Woe is Me...

Whenever I'm feeling a little more down than usual I use my "go-to" technique of Counting my blessings. At times I get a little upset & feel lonely when I sit on the thought of my husband working 2nd shift & how there really is no end in sight. It's quite difficult at times to do everything by myself in the afternoon & through the night & It would just be great to have an extra set of hands or a back up tag team person home for me.  The thing I worry about most are my migraines, when I get one I am virtually useless, I can't think, see straight, or function normally so I will usually head on over to my mother in law's house.

My blessings are so over the top that I really feel bad complaining at all, but I just wish this 1 part of my life could be fixed.  I am thankful that hubby wakes up early enough in the morning to share most of our day with us until he goes to work so I don't really have that much to be down about. He mostly works 6(sometimes 7) days a week so we usually make the most of our Sunday's & actually go out & spend time as a family, we grocery shop on Thursday mornings as a family & I really treasure our time together.

I have some seriously fabulous friends & family, however they all live between 5-7 hours away so the phone or web are my methods of keeping in contact with them. I visit about every 3 months & my parents come to visit sometime in between so that all helps some, but I just feel alone at times. We're hoping to move back North after Spring, but it will be a difficult time as we have an amazing home that I love, hubby has a great paying job, & his mom & sister live here. We more than likely will be starting over due to increased house prices & a decrease in hubby's pay, but we're completely ready just to be where we want.

Making new friends that live closer to me has definitely been a thought on my mind lately but I just can't seem to get out there.  I am a part of a few mommy groups, but haven't been to any play dates because of my fear of fitting in & germs. On Sunday I spoke with my dad on the phone & he suggested getting involved in a church & my only fear there would be leaving baby bird with adults that I've never met & he reassured me that these people would be "Godly" & I should feel safe.  I've really been thinking about this & I'm pretty set on going ahead with it, I could fellowship on Sunday & Wednesday nights & meet some pretty awesome people in the process. I'm not exactly sure what will happen with hubby as he doesn't really "do church" & that is our only day together, but I've got to make some kind of change for myself.

To other Stay At Home Moms:
How do you go about meeting friends & keeping your sanity in your day to day life of raising your children?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My week: Diets + Mom Advice!

I have had such a great week so far & I'm quite happy, baby bird on the other hand; not so much. He has been a total cranky pants, minimal napping, fuss box; but I will not be complaining about him since he's been sleeping through the night for just over a month!

Last week a fellow momma blogger wrote a post about how "off" her day would be if she was awoken by her little one & I was overzealous to read this as I feel the same way. I've never been one to wake up happily to an alarm clock, the buzzing is startling & just so darn demanding so why would I like waking up to my baby bird who sometimes wakes up "squealing at the top of his lungs". In this New Year I am going to make a conscious effort to wake myself up at 6:30 or 7am(7 is cutting it close as he wakes up right at 7 sometimes). I've heard countless times how other mothers have that morning time to prepare for the day, have alone time, & just hang loose with no expectations so I'm thinking I should try it.

Project weight loss took a back seat last week due to fussy pants because I'm definitely a stress eater & couldn't get on the ball while already falling off it. I have decided to go the Weight Watchers way though & already have a good buddy & swell support team! My buddy lives oh...about 5.5 hours away, but hopefully we can pull this thing out together. I'm looking to lose around 30 pounds when all is said & done, but my small goal is 10 (during my 1st trimester of pregnancy I lost about 20lbs & that is 10 lbs less than now). I read on another blogger's weight loss success that she tried to blog daily as a motivator & it worked for her so I'm thinking of making a separate weight  loss blog as not to bore everyone with everyday weight posts.

My last thought for my blog today is Mom Advice: no matter who you are, if you're a mom then you have advice & should share it! Since my short time of joining blogger I have acquired some pretty neat advice from fellow mom's & also from Mom blog sites, I actually think that's one of my main reasons for joining & connecting with all of you wonderful mommas! For the good part of baby bird 1st year I was a self proclaimed *Google Queen*, I googled everything small & confusing about motherhood, hoping that someone before me had been through it & had an easy fix. There were tons of times that this strategy helped me through, I obviously only used it for small normal situations(think: non medication, non life changing topics), but sometimes it saved my life. Most recently with baby bird was his lack of ability to sleep through the night for his 1st year, eventually we tried the Cry It Out method after his 1st birthday & after 2 days of waking for 5 minutes, he slept through the night from 8:30pm-7am! I am so thankful for momma help & think it's so great that there are forums & groups that are there to help a new mom through her journey, because that 1st year was a scary time I tell ya!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Follow me! I have no clue where I'm going...

So this afternoon I logged into my blogger account as usual & was presently surprised, I have 80 followers! I remember working hard & being so excited to hit 20 followers, this is so special to me & I'm really trying to take the time to visit every one's blog & leave a little love, hopefully I'll be better next week!

The weekend is finally here! Wow! I'm way too excited for another continuation of my daily schedule of hubby having to work. :( Oh well, pity party over, I've had a freaking blast today, this morning baby bird & I started our day with a little momma bird itunes throwback (circa 2000-2003, think: Outkast, Kelly Clarkson...), he was smiling & shaking his groove thing & I was doing the same! We had a wonderful lunch of pigs in a blanket with pops & baby bird actually enjoyed hot dogs & juice, which is huge since he's never done so hot when it comes to solid food! Woot Woot! As for the rest of my day I've been in complete veg mode on the couch catching up on all of my reality TV garb from the week while baby bird naps, for the longest time this week! I'm still holding out hope that pops will be home early from work but we'll see, I won't hold my breath!

How is your weekend going? Any special plans or rituals that you perform weekend-ly??

Friday, January 14, 2011

Weekly Update!

I haven't had too much time to blog yet, I've been working on a fussy baby bird this week & otherwise haven't had too much to share with the world on here. We got another winter storm Sunday night through Tuesday giving us 5 inches of snow with a nice layer of ice on top. Hubby was able to leave work early(7:00p) Monday since the road conditions were less than stellar, but had to work normal the rest of the week; now since so many people missed worked Monday & Tuesday they are having him work Saturday & possibly Sunday! :( Enough woe is me!

My latest thoughts have consisted of whether or not to return to work, right now my husband works very hard for me to be able to stay home with baby bird & it has been this way since baby bird was born.  I've tried so hard to explain how & why I feel the pull to return to work & I really can only base it on a bad day or personal spending.  I have always worked since I turned 16 & have always been able to buy the things I like whether it's been scrubs, purses, or shoes & now I haven't been able to do that, someone else has to treat me to be able to have those things. It's an incredibly humbling feeling of having to completely rely on someone else & I've never been quite sure if I liked it.  The other part of this is not to say that I don't enjoy every moment that I have with baby bird, but every woman needs & deserves a break from baby. I rarely have the chance to get away as my family lives in Virginia & I only have my mother in law to care for baby bird as hubby works so much & 2nd shift. When I have these thoughts I have to remember how blessed I am to be able to spend this time with baby bird & how thankful I am that hubby wants to work so that I can witness all of baby bird's growth & development. I just wonder how everyone else deals with these thoughts & feelings because I'm really completely torn as whether to return to work or not...

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Old habits die hard, Or do they?

Lately I've noticed a "hobby" of mine increasingly getting worse! I am the worst cover/back-up singer when it comes to driving along in my car alone. I tend to turn the music up a little louder, mix in a little hand choreography, & go for (dare I say it?) the high notes; yep the mother load(think Mariah Carey or Celine Dion!). Sometimes I believe my mind puts me in that person's place as an artist or even at a concert!  I used to feel so much shame while belting it out that I would pay attention to where the cars are around me & stop singing as they came into view! So you ask: "how could it get worse?", well, I still sing, but now if a car is near me I continue to sing, but try to mask it as I'm talking on a blue tooth or something! I know I'm not alone in this & it actually gives me a giggle when I think about it, but something must be done!

Okay on to the more serious part of this post & I'm completely aware of most people reflecting on this because of the time of year; Diet! There are so many options now, that it really is hard to decide which diet to choose. I've decided to list my options & weigh them out, while considering the time it takes to see results, easiest to maintain, & the best overall in the long run; here are my options:
Weight Watchers: Old faithful, I know it is because I've lost 30lbs this way before, I was a bit younger but it wasn't so hard after the 1st week of seeing a 4lb result just from habit change.  I already have the materials, but feel like I would benefit from the support of a meeting, the funds just aren't there for a $40/month weight in & chat. This is the diet that gives me the most flexibility, but this isn't always good in the sense if you give me 1 chocolate I'm going to eat 35!
South beach/Atkins: these may work for some people, but not for me; I do not have a love for "meat" & really could do without a diet with so much of it involved
Nutrisystem/Jenny Craig: Completely out of the question, if I don't want to spend the $40/month then $300 is way out of range
Raw foods/All veg: This is my clear choice as it's the easiest to go with, & obviously will yield pretty fast results which I need to stick with it. I worry about the after, but in my head I imagine that once I get started my insane sugar cravings will decline.  Who knows, we'll see since this is the diet I've chosen to start a week from today for 10 days just to see if it's even possible!


thanks for reading!
tbirdie

Thursday, January 6, 2011

What a difference a day makes.

Such a true statement, I've been so very busy with baby bird that I didn't have time to blog as I wanted to last night! This post is about the changes we've been enduring here on the home front & my serious addiction to reality television!

As far as changes, after baby bird's 1 year appt we were instructed to wean him from Similac Sensitive formula to Whole Milk.  Yesterday I made a special trip to purchase our first half gallon of organic whole milk for baby bird, well that is kinda where the trouble started.  He had his first half and half bottle for lunch & went down for nap, well he woke up around 3pm & boy was he fussy, clingy, irritable, & antsy in the pantsy! He was just fussy until about 6, which is when he began to scream wide open, so I put him in his tub(which he absolutely adores!) & this didn't even cheer him up, he just stood up, screamed, & reached out for me.  Needless to say we were in & out of the tub quickly last night, he fell asleep, & slept all night(a very much welcomed new trait!)

This morning when he woke up he was the happiest little boy, talking, jumping, dancing & I thought he was healed overnight. Well, turns out it's not that easy; I fed him breakfast & not 2 minutes later he upchoked all of it on himself, I felt so bad for him. I called his Dr & she returned my call telling me that we should buy Lactaid & switch him over gradually, so I'll try that tomorrow & hopefully all will go well!

I tried something totally new this morning, since baby bird has been sleeping through the night (8:30p-7:00a) for the first time since his birth, I also have been getting an awesome amount of welcomed uninterrupted sleep! I woke up around 6:30 this morning & decided to get up & get going with my *networking* as my friend & I call it; just getting my name out in bloggy blog world! I felt amazing today, I got so much more accomplished & even: wait for it:: Worked Out!!! It was just a cardio dance express video, but it's so much better than sitting on my fanny watching reality tv, which brings me to my next topic: Realty Television

In all of it's glory, it can be: cheesy, raunchy, tasteless, hilarious, intruding, but absolutely amazing at the same time.  Big bird(hubby) & I disagree on this topic, but I'm just not going to change! I love it, all types: cooking, lifestyle, home improvement; you name it, I'm probably watching it! I have a few friends who mildly share my love for a few shows: big brother, toddlers & tiaras, extreme couponing, real housewives, teen mom...the list goes on & on....

well that's been my past few days, hope everyone else is having an amazing week!

-tbirdie :)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

gifts, appointments, & a resolution; just a normal Tuesday! :)

I've been wanting to blog about what's been on my mind lately, but haven't found a clever way to explain so I'm just going for it.  Presents, gifts,treats, surprises....

It has to be obvious why this topic is on the top layer of my brain lately; Christmas.  This holiday isn't stressful because of families or traveling, to me it's stressful because of the search for the perfect present & need to please others.  I wish I could afford to gift each of my friends at Christmas with amazing & extravagant jewels but I just can't.  I am a stay at home mom so the presents that I can gift come from saving money throughout the year or from the hubby's bank account so it's no small task to pick up something special for my friends. I adore my family & friends so of course I want to show them how much I appreciate them & feel for them, so it's a hard place to be in when you can't fully express it by surprising them with something they'll love. I think my solution to this for next year is to try to gift throughout the year for birthday's & send cards, it seems more personal & will hopefully take the pressure off but I'll keep you updated.

I have been insanely busy with baby bird's birthday, Christmas, family, snow storms, company, New Years, & Dr's appointments. I'm still struggling to figure out which path my blog will go in, but I'm trying tons of new things & trying to get settled so hopefully soon I will figure out what my blog will be about. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, follow, & comment; I am insanely grateful & you guys make me feel great!

Baby bird had his 1 year well-child visit today & his stats were 21lbs 5oz & 29 1/2 in long, I couldn't be any more proud of him, I felt such tremendous love & pride while sharing moments with family & friends this holiday.

My last thought is more of an announcement & acknowledgement that I've been doing something wrong, I chose to monitor my phone conversations about a month ago & I was spending 2-3 hours on the phone throughout the day. I was so upset with the time & attention this was stealing from baby bird that I've decided to cut down on my socialization. This means telling my mom I've got to go more, not calling friends as much, & even missing a call or 2 just to give that extra time to baby bird, because I want him to feel my love & attention that I so adore giving to him.  I will be blogging either at nap time or bed time only, which I've been doing, so not too much of a change here. So that's the end of my rant for today, don't feel bad to my friends if we don't talk as much because I do care & just think of how happy you'll be when you receive your birthday card or present on "your" special day! :)

tBirdie

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Lovely day

I enjoyed the most lovely day today, Sunday January 2, 2011! As I may or may not have mentioned before I have friends visiting for the New Year from Alabama & Virginia and we have had the most amazing time! For New Years we got all gussied up & had a lovely dinner at Red Rocks, it was great to share their company. That night we played adult games & watched my neighbor's fireworks from my doorstep.  Yesterday my friends from Virginia left early in the morning, but I still had an amazing day with my buddy from Alabama. There is definitely something to be said of friendship when you haven't seen a friend in over a year & the fun just seems to pick up right where you left off. It has been so nice shopping, having pedicures, & watching movies in our pj's on my sofa. All of my company will be gone tomorrow & we will be alone again, I always feel a little down after the holidays knowing that there is no definite scheduled gathering for a while. 

I'm so thankful to have amazing friends that I can count on, whether it be through an e-mail, text, phone call, or message.  Life is so good right now that I plan on rethinking this every time I feel down.

For now I leave you with a little picture from my little one's birthday riding along in his favorite birthday gift from his daddy! Enjoy! :)

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Tenacity

I hope to move through 2011 with great tenacity with my resolutions. I definitely made a few resolutions, some smaller than others, but all equally important in my plan to make it through the year & triumph in my life.

Eating more wisely- I would love to be more conscious with the food decisions I make throughout the day, I want to have the strength to go for a healthy snack instead of a less healthy choice
Getting active- Although I am pretty active with my little one, I want to be intentionally active & work on my trouble areas
Taking time- In 2010 I really devoted all of my time to my husband & baby, in the New Year I want to focus on me a bit more & I think that if I can work on me then I will be able to help everyone else more
Expressing my feelings- A friend of mine lost a close loved one recently & it made me realize that I need to let go of grudges & share with others how I really feel about them

With all of that said, I hope everybody has a wonderful New Year, fresh start, & is tenacious with their New Year resolutions!

PS- I would love it if everyone could take a moment & go over to check out my friend Sunnygurl's blog , she is an amazing friend, who has just begun her blog journey like me. Her blog is something funky, fresh, & fantastic!