Returning to the Classroom

Starting next week, I will once again be a 5th grade teacher. It has been four years since the last time I was in charge of a classroom and I am feeling just a little overwhelmed. The past few days I have been at the required new teacher workshops which has only increased my anxiety. Between preparing for the school year, prepping for Becca’s 2nd birthday party and finishing up an editing project, I haven’t had much time to blog.

However, I do have a intro-to-school activity for the preschool/kindergarten set so I will see if I can get that posted tomorrow. I also have a few other posts in mind so hopefully, I will be able to get to them.

In the meantime, I will be laminating posters, baking lasagnas and blowing up balloons!

Mary Kate

Happy Six Month Birthday!

John Patrick is six months old today. I can’t believe it’s already been six months since he was born! On the other hand, I can’t even remember what my life was like without him. When I try to remember, it seems like a lifetime ago.

Here are my favorite things he’s doing now:

• He had his first taste of banana baby food tonight – he’s quite an eater.
• He attacks my face and tries to suck on my chin.
• He stands up in his exersaucer and plays with toys.
• He plays with his hands and reaches for everything.
• He yells when he’s mad – I mean really YELLS. Sometimes it seems as though he’s cussing us out.
• He plays in the bath.
• He smiles and looks for us when he hears our voices.
• He looks at books as if he’s reading them whenever I read aloud to him.
• He watches Sesame Street.

Who knew six months ago that the little 5 pound preemie would be doing such cool things in only six months. Well, at least I think they’re cool. 🙂

Happy Six Month Birthday Mi Amore.

Jen

And I thought I looked good…

Last night I had plans to go see a movie with my best friend. Because I don’t get out much (surprise, surprise), I thought I’d get a little “dolled” up and at least make an effort to not smell like spit up.

I should preface this story by saying that I was definitely NOT one of those people who had a baby and immediately lost 40 lbs, walking out of the hospital in skinny jeans. I was swollen for weeks after giving birth and I’m still a good 20 lbs heavier than I was before I got pregnant. And to put things in perspective – John Patrick is about to turn 5 months. So all of these things have gotten me a little down and somewhat self-conscious. And I’ve been struggling with being a Mommy but also being a woman and wanting to put myself back together a little bit.

Back to the story…..

So last night I took a shower. I put on my pre-pregnancy jeans. (Ok, I couldn’t breathe, but they were buttoned at least!) I straightened my hair, actually put makeup on and wore a cute new top with an empire waist to hide the fact that my stomach is still a big mess. I was starting to feel better. And yes, I’ll say it. I was looking good (so I thought). I listened to my IPOD all the way to the theater and “Seal” got me into the going out on the town mood. I was feeling like I was back. In my head, I was telling myself, “Ok, I’m not a size 8 but I look pretty good for a Mom and I’m getting back to my old self slowly.” I met up with my friend, saw a great documentary and then we decided to go for a couple of drinks afterward.

As we left the theater it happened. The mother of all insults. The big one. The big Kahuna. The usher at the theater said……………….

“Goodnight, and Congratulations!” At which point I saw the look of horror on my friend’s face as she asked “for what?” This is the point where he pointed at me and said “because she’s PREGNANT“.

So self-esteem shot…….

Someone pass the donuts.

Jen

Random Things About Me

I was honored to be tagged by Jersey Girl89 of My Dirty Little Secret for this meme because I think she is pretty cool.

(By the way, the pictures in this post are from Omar and my current project -random info #3.)

The rules:

a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

 

 

I am not sure how fascinating my responses are but here are six bits of random information about me:

1. This is my third attempt at writing this post. I spent 20-30 minutes yesterday morning writing this and I have a clear memory of clicking “publish” when I completed the post but can’t seem to find the completed version anywhere. I guess it disappeared into the ether.  Last night, I rewrote the post but I clicked “refresh” at an inopportune moment and ended up reverting back to an earlier draft.  ARGH!!!! So here I am again- one last time!
2. At some point in my life, I have lived in a suburban, rural or urban area. I lived in Passaic County until I was about 13 and currently live in a suburban area (I have 4+ malls to choose from within a 10 mile radius of my house). In Middle School, my family moved to a town in Maine with a population of <2,500 (It had two traffic lights, one that blinked on Sundays and I had to drive 45 miles to the nearest mall.) I then attended College in Westchester County and lived in Stuyvesant Town and East Harlem (I didn’t need a mall because I could get anything my heart desired in a 10 block radius of my house).
3. Omar and I are in the process of putting together a swing set for Becca. We are at the point in the project when I can not envision it ever being completed. I am also worried that it might be too big for our small yard and I am not 100% sure that our relationship will survive this particular project.
4. I was a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and have the Clown College certificate to prove it.
5. I also walked in the St. Patrick’s Day parade a few times with my dad. I am sure if I looked though a few boxes I could unearth one of the sashes that I wore.  I guess I have a thing about parades.
6. I have a strange irrational fear of being accosted by a Mud Monster thanks to watching this movie with a babysitter when I was 10.  I remember watching in shock and horror as the Mud Monster jumped from around the corner and his hand continued to move after it was severed (The severed hand is the left picture in the the bottom row.  Somehow it doesn’t look quite as scary here).  For years after watching this movie, I hesitated before walking around any corner and hated turning off the light at night.

 

Choosing who to tag is tough. I enjoy memes but I am not sure that everyone does. I decided to tag a few of the blogs who I enjoy reading. So even if they don’t complete the meme, they are definitely worth checking out:

Amy of Adventures in Being

Jen of Amazing Trips

Danielle of New Mommy Rant

K8Spade of Rockin the Suburbs

Michele S of Three + One = Four Times the Fun

WWA at Woman With a Hatchet

 

 

 

I am excited to see the amazing and interesting random information that they share!

 

Mary Kate

 

My Beautiful Mommy – New Reading

A new children’s book has just been released intended to explain plastic surgery to young ones.

When I first saw this, I thought “surely this is a joke“. But nope. Our society has truly become so backwards in our values that not only are we damaging ourselves, but ensuring that our dysfunction is passed down to the next generation. What’s next? “My Anorexic Mommy”?

Jen

Back to Work

I really thought the first 6 weeks having John Patrick home were hard. But nothing prepared me for going back to work. It has been so much harder than I imagined it would be. Simple sayings such as “not enough hours in the day” have a whole new meaning to me now.

Here are the top ten things I’ve learned in the last week and a half being back at work:

1.) My boss doesn’t believe in “adjustment” periods.

2.) People who get a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night are super annoying in the morning.

3.) I’m jealous of my son’s daycare teacher.

4.) It’s possible to fall asleep while pumping.

5.) Stress causes my milk supply to decrease.

6.) John Patrick now needs 6 ounces per feeding.

7.) Our laundry bill each month could feed a small country in Africa.

8.) Being broke isn’t so painful if you don’t have time to shop for anything.

9.) Time goes by ten times faster on the weekends.

10.) Exhaustion makes me write silly posts.

Jen

Meme Monday (on a Tuesday)

Daniel tagged me to do this.

Find out more about Meme Monday by going to Livin’ With Me.

5 Things I want my kids to know

1. How to laugh at themselves.
2. How to see some good in all people.
3. That their parents will always love and support them.
4. How to drive (hey – I live in NYC, it’s possible they wouldn’t know)
5. How to be a good friend.

5 Things I want to tell my children when they grow up

1. Being a parent is the hardest and most rewarding job.
2. Reality is that you will work more than you are at home – do something you love.
3. A good marriage is the most beautiful thing – but takes hard work.
4. It’s ok to make mistakes in life but not ok to avoid fixing them.
5. Get out and get a job – LOL

5 Things I want to tell my child before I die

1. We love you more than you can comprehend until you have your own child.
2. You have the best dad.
3. I’m sure I made lots of mistakes along the way – I’m sorry.
4. It is a pleasure being your mom.
5. Don’t wait for happiness – make your own.

5 Things I want my kid to know before he dies.

1. Unconditional love
2. Butterflies of a first love
3. Self-worth
4. Compassion for others
5. Humility

I now tag “Four Times the Fun“.

Jen

Fun Fabulous February!

February is historically a tough time of the year for me. For one thing, I have had a number of traumatic events occur during this month. I also think it is a rough time of year because the excitement of Christmas and the New Year have long faded and spring still feels eons away. The light fades quickly and the chill of the air makes it difficult to get outside.

I used to begin dreading the month of February somewhere around January 16th. I would rehash each traumatic event that had occurred over the years and spend time commiserating over each one. I recently realized that doing this was really depressing and just resulted in me spending the month anxiously looking over my shoulder and wondering what tragic event was going to befall me next. I also noticed that I had taken to manufacturing tragic events so that I could justify my dread of February (I slipped on the ice as I was walking to my car. I always slip on the ice in February. That would never occur in July or August or even September.) When I realized how obsessed I had become with the horror of all that is February*, I forced myself to stop keeping a mental list of all the wrongs that have occurred in this month and try to keep an open mind.

In the spirit of keeping a positive attitude, I am going to make a real effort to connect with others this month and I would like to suggest that anyone reading this to do the same.

Here’s to a fun, fabulous February!

Cheers!

Mary Kate

A Time of Thanks

Taking time to give thanks

Happily surrounded by friends and family
Apple Pie that didn’t happen

Napping in the car

Kissing everyone hello
Shaking with laughter
Giggling as she chases the dog
I burned the pie crust twice
Valuing all that I have in my life
I realized I didn’t need to eat it all
Nourished by love

Getting home without much traffic

My Daughter was Swallowed by her Stroller!!

You read it write– my daughter was swallowed by her stroller! Fortunately she is okay but she definitely gave me a scare!

It started out as a pretty typical morning- in fact, it was a better than average day. I was getting Becca ready to go to the park with her abuelita (grandma). While we were waiting for her abuelita, we hung out on the stoop for a little while, we took a walk out to check out the grass in our backyard and I was just really enjoying spending time with my daughter. I remember being fascinated by her fascination of all of the typical summer sounds (birds chirping, a distant lawn mover, a passing car).

 

Then Becca’s abuelita asked me to show her how to open the stroller so I did. I then strapped Becca in and her abuelita ran into the house to get something. I pulled the stroller towards me using the snack tray and all of a sudden, it just snapped closed!!!
It felt like one of those Discovery shows where an alligator surfaces to snatch its prey!

 

One second, I am looking at my baby giving me a gummy grin and the next second, I am looking at the back of the folded-up stroller. I quickly unfolded the stroller, as she was screaming, and managed to get her unbuckled. I was relieved to see that she seemed to be okay. She does have a bruise above her left eye but she didn’t have any blood and didn’t have any other signs of trauma.

Once I assessed that she seemed okay, I then ‘re-enacted’ the situation to see what exactly happened. From what I could see, her head didn’t hit the driveway (thank god!!!). Instead, it looked as if she was probably hit by the snack tray and that the actual bulkiness of the stroller kept her away from the driveway (thank god!!!).

I called the DR and they seemed pretty unconcerned— she hadn’t lost consciousness, she cried right away, she then calmed down but seemed her normal self. They just advised me to watch her for the next 48-72 hours.

I also called the company to report the incident just in case it is some sort of defect. It is a Combi- Spoleto LX stroller— I have been very satisfied with the stroller until now! In fact, I was planning on giving it a positive product review. I think I will put that review on hold.

I think the scariest part about the whole incident (especially since she seems fine) is how quickly my life switched from enjoying a summer day with my little girl to assessing her for signs of trauma.

I am so thankful that she is okay…

M. Kate