I have a GREAT news! My new blog is up and running! Please visit me at Crazy about Kid Lit. I will be posting mostly book-related posts (with a few baby pictures and daily stuff sprinkled about). Not all book posts will be about kid lit (since I do read adult books too!) but the majority of them will be focused on middle grade and picture books that the kids in my class enjoy. I think you would enjoy them too - I will try to mention books that I believe adults would enjoy as well (such as Wonder by RJ Palacio).
I hope you enjoy!
PS: I have not decided what I will do with ALPITC. I will probably continue to update sporadically.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Big blog news!
I have been blogging here at ALPITC since 2008, but the last few years have been extremely slow. I knew I did not want to give up on blogging. I knew how wonderful it could be, but I also realized I had outgrown this corner of the web. In the past 8 years SO MUCH has changed in my life. I switched careers, got married, had a baby, moved countless times and bought a house.
During all of this, I was always a reader. Books never changed. Wherever I went, I carried a book. I always updated my Goodreads account, often way before I would update Facebook or Instagram (however, FB and IG have snuck into my daily life more and more in recent years and I'm horribly addicted). However, my point is, I'm passionate about books, reading and all things literacy. As a fourth grade teacher one of my ultimate goals is to ignite a love reading in my students. Most teachers are readers (not all, but they should be) and have the same goals as I do for "their kids."
This love of reading has naturally led me to the possibility of a book blog. I thought about it, thought about it and thought about it some more ... and now, well, I'm sick of thinking about doing something and ready to just do it!
Hopefully before school starts in late August, I will be launching a blog devoted solely to books and book reviews (ok, and maybe a few baby updates!). My focus will be on "kid lit" and mostly the genre of "middle grade." I find the term "middle grade" a little misleading, but MG typically means upper elementary but not lower elementary or YA. I do plan to review some picture books and YA every so often and probably some adult fiction, too.
I cannot wait to let you all know when it is ready!
During all of this, I was always a reader. Books never changed. Wherever I went, I carried a book. I always updated my Goodreads account, often way before I would update Facebook or Instagram (however, FB and IG have snuck into my daily life more and more in recent years and I'm horribly addicted). However, my point is, I'm passionate about books, reading and all things literacy. As a fourth grade teacher one of my ultimate goals is to ignite a love reading in my students. Most teachers are readers (not all, but they should be) and have the same goals as I do for "their kids."
This love of reading has naturally led me to the possibility of a book blog. I thought about it, thought about it and thought about it some more ... and now, well, I'm sick of thinking about doing something and ready to just do it!
Hopefully before school starts in late August, I will be launching a blog devoted solely to books and book reviews (ok, and maybe a few baby updates!). My focus will be on "kid lit" and mostly the genre of "middle grade." I find the term "middle grade" a little misleading, but MG typically means upper elementary but not lower elementary or YA. I do plan to review some picture books and YA every so often and probably some adult fiction, too.
I cannot wait to let you all know when it is ready!
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Happy 6 months, Elise!
Dear Elise,How are you already six months old?! Time has flown by and your dad and I have enjoyed every minute!
You are such a "good" baby and so easy going. We have slid you right into our lives without hardly skipping beat, it is almost like you have always been with us!
In the past month you have learned and changed so much! You are currently almost 15 lbs, which is still pretty small, but you are solid. Your weight is in the 23rd percentile. When people ask how old you are, they are consistently surprised because you're still a tiny peanut and you are really strong. You have been standing (with assistance) for months now and this month you began sitting up unassisted! You still need someone behind you or your boppy pillow in case you fall backward. Last week at the library's story time you flopped backward and hit your head. You were NOT a happy camper about that! Mom felt super bad about that.
Speaking of story time, you LOVE going every week. We go every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Des Moines library. If any other local library had baby story times we would be all over that and go everyday, but the DSM library is the only one that accommodates babies! You love seeing your friends and "playing" with the other babies. You LOVE people and are already a very social person. Mom cannot wait to see if you end up with Daddy's infectious people-person personality!
You are a wearing a mix of 3 month and 6 month clothing. The 6 month clothing is a little big and mom tries to shrink them in the dryer before you wear them. The weather right now is really hot and humid, so having some baggy clothing is probably not a bad thing. We try to get out everyday, whether that is for story time, lunch out with mommy's friends or grocery shopping. Either way, you are eagerly along for the ride and do not usually fuss. You are a great napper in the car and have taken many naps in your car seat while to and from various places. This summer together has been amazing!
You love to "talk" and you babble away sometimes. Mom wonders what you are talking about! This month you will try solids for the first time and we are hoping to skip purees. I know you are going to make the call though, and we will see what works for you. You do not have any teeth yet and it does not appear as if any are beginning to poke through, so that might make eating solids that aren't pureed a little difficult, but we will figure it out!
Later this month we are going on a camping trip and mom is really excited about that! I hope you have fun! We are bringing your pack n' play but, Mom hopes you just sleep with us. ;)
Other things you love: your jumperoo, your play mat, anything you can chew on, Zeke and Libby (any dogs and cats, really), you are obbbsesssssed with the turtle that is usually living in mom's classroom, but is home for the summer. You also like any toy that is crinkly. Most recently you have really loved your Sophie giraffe and we try to make sure we always have that nearby.
We cannot wait to see what changes are in store for the next 6 months!!!
We love you so much!
Love, Mom and Dad
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Daily thoughts to share
I am not doing a very good job at blogging, huh? My average is once a week so far. this summer So, here I am. For the week. ;)
Last week I mentioned how I wanted to cut down on mindless scrolling through Facebook/Snapchat/Instagram/Twitter/Goodreads (seriously, I am an addict). I wish I could say I did a good job at cutting down, but I did not. I was pretty much the same. One thing I did decide to do though was turn each moment where I wanted to post something on Facebook (with the exception of photos of Elise) I would make a note of the thought in my phone and save it for a blog post. How fun is that?! I love sharing on Facebook and other social media sites and you could probably classify me as an "oversharer." I kind of hate that I am that way. I have friends that NEVER post online but I know they are there, lurking, everyday. Sometimes I wish I could be more that way. I'm not sure why I enjoy sharing so much. I'm not an attention hog in person at all. I suppose I like to share my thoughts and start conversation online. However, in person I am a terrible conversationalist! I think it is because I need more time to gather my thoughts and form thoughtful sentences and contributions to the conversation.
Anyway, here are the notes that I took - notes that I considered putting online and then stopped myself in an effort to stop oversharing. I'll just overshare here! I mean, that's what my personal blog is for, right?!
Do you overshare, lurk online or fall somewhere in between? Do you wish you were different, like I do?
Last week I mentioned how I wanted to cut down on mindless scrolling through Facebook/Snapchat/Instagram/Twitter/Goodreads (seriously, I am an addict). I wish I could say I did a good job at cutting down, but I did not. I was pretty much the same. One thing I did decide to do though was turn each moment where I wanted to post something on Facebook (with the exception of photos of Elise) I would make a note of the thought in my phone and save it for a blog post. How fun is that?! I love sharing on Facebook and other social media sites and you could probably classify me as an "oversharer." I kind of hate that I am that way. I have friends that NEVER post online but I know they are there, lurking, everyday. Sometimes I wish I could be more that way. I'm not sure why I enjoy sharing so much. I'm not an attention hog in person at all. I suppose I like to share my thoughts and start conversation online. However, in person I am a terrible conversationalist! I think it is because I need more time to gather my thoughts and form thoughtful sentences and contributions to the conversation.
Anyway, here are the notes that I took - notes that I considered putting online and then stopped myself in an effort to stop oversharing. I'll just overshare here! I mean, that's what my personal blog is for, right?!
- That moment when you finish a book and you immediately look up the author on Facebook to see if they are coming to a bookstore near you and to also message them gushing about their book. Yes, that is me.
- I hate when people use my name in the middle of a sentence. Example: "Yes, Amber, I saw that yesterday on the news." I am sure it is not meant to sound condescending, but it does to me.
- Cold brew? I don't get it. Is there really a difference? I'm clearly not a coffee aficionado.
- Parent alone is EXHAUSTING. Today (Tuesday) at Rhyme Time I mentioned to a friend that I was exhausted and didn't understand why. Her daughter is about 7 months older than mine and she mentioned that it is really hard to parent alone. It just slowly wears you out! So true. Thank God my husband gets home Saturday.
- I resisted a cookie, a free cookie, at a local business this week. Small win!
- June isn't even over yet and I'm already getting depressed at how quickly summer is spinning by. Slow. Down. Please.
Do you overshare, lurk online or fall somewhere in between? Do you wish you were different, like I do?
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Week 1 summer report
Hello! More than a week of summer is already over, and is it bad that I already feel like it is going way too fast?! I am trying hard to savor every minute. In my last post I said I wanted to focus on reading, exercising and time with Elise. If I had to grade myself on how I've been doing, here is how it would end up (I am a teacher, after all!)
Time with Elise: A+
Last week we went to our first Rhyme Time at one of my favorite branches of the Des Moines Public Library, we went mall walking and took a long walk on Monday with some shorter walks every other day. The weather is already steaming up quite a bit so I'm planning on putting on Elise's swimsuit on her for the first time and taking her to a splash pad so she can get acclimated with the water. I would like to take her to the pool sometime too but I do not want to do that by myself. I'm sure her dad would want to see this first, so we will probably wait for a weekend to do that! I am LOVING my time with her and feel so fortunate that I get a little glimpse into the life of a SAHM in the summers.
Reading: C-
I've been trying to pick up a book during the small bits of time I come upon (or the large bits of time!) but I always find myself distracted by laundry, dishes, tv or mindlessly scrolling on my phone. The mindlessly scrolling on my phone is the main time sucker and has been a habit I've been trying to break for years now. I think one of these days I am going to do an experiment. Every time I want to pick up my phone throughout the day and I do not have a real purpose (calling or texting someone, looking up valid information), I will instead pick up a book and read. Then I will compare how much I read that day to the day before. I am sure I will be sick over how much reading I could get done if I broke the habit of mindless scrolling!
Exercise: C
I've been dressing the part and talking the talk, but not really walking the walk yet. It's taking a little time to get back into the swing of things, but I'm making baby steps. I've been walking most days, but it has been so hot! I feel terrible strapping Elise into her stroller (which is still the carseat!) when it is 90+ degrees outside. I am sure I'm more uncomfortable than she is, but I still feel bad when I see her cheeks redden from heat and she gets that sticky, sweaty feeling on her skin. This weekend I think she will go to the gym's daycare for the first time while I go to Zumba, which is a huge stepping stone for us. I hope she likes it.
There you have it, my summer report card so far. This week we have a few fun things planned. Lunch with some teacher friends, a meeting with our daycare lady and some crafts for Father's Day! I'll try to check back in later this week. :)
Time with Elise: A+
Last week we went to our first Rhyme Time at one of my favorite branches of the Des Moines Public Library, we went mall walking and took a long walk on Monday with some shorter walks every other day. The weather is already steaming up quite a bit so I'm planning on putting on Elise's swimsuit on her for the first time and taking her to a splash pad so she can get acclimated with the water. I would like to take her to the pool sometime too but I do not want to do that by myself. I'm sure her dad would want to see this first, so we will probably wait for a weekend to do that! I am LOVING my time with her and feel so fortunate that I get a little glimpse into the life of a SAHM in the summers.
 |
| Elise with her good friend O at the library's rhyme time! O is a little over a year old and Elise is 5 months. |
I've been trying to pick up a book during the small bits of time I come upon (or the large bits of time!) but I always find myself distracted by laundry, dishes, tv or mindlessly scrolling on my phone. The mindlessly scrolling on my phone is the main time sucker and has been a habit I've been trying to break for years now. I think one of these days I am going to do an experiment. Every time I want to pick up my phone throughout the day and I do not have a real purpose (calling or texting someone, looking up valid information), I will instead pick up a book and read. Then I will compare how much I read that day to the day before. I am sure I will be sick over how much reading I could get done if I broke the habit of mindless scrolling!
Exercise: C
I've been dressing the part and talking the talk, but not really walking the walk yet. It's taking a little time to get back into the swing of things, but I'm making baby steps. I've been walking most days, but it has been so hot! I feel terrible strapping Elise into her stroller (which is still the carseat!) when it is 90+ degrees outside. I am sure I'm more uncomfortable than she is, but I still feel bad when I see her cheeks redden from heat and she gets that sticky, sweaty feeling on her skin. This weekend I think she will go to the gym's daycare for the first time while I go to Zumba, which is a huge stepping stone for us. I hope she likes it.
 |
| I messed with this picture SO MUCH but still I could not get the picture to insert right side up. |
There you have it, my summer report card so far. This week we have a few fun things planned. Lunch with some teacher friends, a meeting with our daycare lady and some crafts for Father's Day! I'll try to check back in later this week. :)
Monday, June 6, 2016
ALPITC's big summer return!
Hello, hello!
Today is the first reaaallll day of my summer vacation and I am trying to start it off "right" by doing ALLTHETHINGS - which include blogging. :)
I am still so unsure of where this blog is going and I still feel as if I have outgrown it, but until I think of a new blog name, this is where I will stay. One thing I do know though is, I want a focus on babies, books and a little teaching stuff (mainly book-related. Ha!)
In the mean time, this post is ... mostly book-related. As I have contemplated what I want to do with my short 11 weeks off there here are a just few things that pop into my head immediately.
I've been slogging my way through Kate DiCamillo's (author of Because of Winn-Dixie) newest middle grade novel, Raymie Nightingale. I am about halfway through and I am loving the main character, Raymie. She is thoughtful and funny, but I'm still waiting for the plot to pick up. I fear my students would put this down too soon (they are only fourth grade) but older students would have the reading stamina and patience to make it to the plot's climax.
The second book I'm reading is the ultimate beach read. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews. The only thing missing from my experience is the beach! I might have to sit outside in the hammock and read this one with a fruity drink nearby. ;)
The Weekenders is about Riley Griggs, housewife in the idyllic setting of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Her beach house is being foreclosed and her husband has disappeared. She tries to put everything together and even more secrets emerge among her friends and family. So far, the book is reminding me of Elin Hilderbrand's The Silver Girl, which I loved!
Well, that is all I have today! Elise and I are going to head out for a walk and after that we have some grocery shopping to do (I am so excited to get it done on a slow Monday rather than a bustling Saturday or Sunday!)
What are your plans for the summer and what are you reading right now? Does your reading tastes change to more "beach" reads in the summer like mine?
Today is the first reaaallll day of my summer vacation and I am trying to start it off "right" by doing ALLTHETHINGS - which include blogging. :)
I am still so unsure of where this blog is going and I still feel as if I have outgrown it, but until I think of a new blog name, this is where I will stay. One thing I do know though is, I want a focus on babies, books and a little teaching stuff (mainly book-related. Ha!)
In the mean time, this post is ... mostly book-related. As I have contemplated what I want to do with my short 11 weeks off there here are a just few things that pop into my head immediately.
- Reading. All. The. Books. Baby books, kids chapter books, middle grade books, adult guilty-pleasure books. I just want to get my reading mojo back.
- Time with Elise. Obviously she is my first priority and spending time with her during the summer is one of the main reasons I went into education. I knew I would be a mom someday and I predicted teaching would be a great "mom job." I was mostly right, but damn, the school years can be rough.
- Exercise. Just like my reading mojo, my exercise mojo is about gone. (How many times can I say "mojo" in one post?!) We have big plans to go on daily walks and I am making my big return to Zumba. I'm ready to wear my pre-baby clothes ASAP.
I've been slogging my way through Kate DiCamillo's (author of Because of Winn-Dixie) newest middle grade novel, Raymie Nightingale. I am about halfway through and I am loving the main character, Raymie. She is thoughtful and funny, but I'm still waiting for the plot to pick up. I fear my students would put this down too soon (they are only fourth grade) but older students would have the reading stamina and patience to make it to the plot's climax.
The second book I'm reading is the ultimate beach read. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews. The only thing missing from my experience is the beach! I might have to sit outside in the hammock and read this one with a fruity drink nearby. ;)The Weekenders is about Riley Griggs, housewife in the idyllic setting of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Her beach house is being foreclosed and her husband has disappeared. She tries to put everything together and even more secrets emerge among her friends and family. So far, the book is reminding me of Elin Hilderbrand's The Silver Girl, which I loved!
Well, that is all I have today! Elise and I are going to head out for a walk and after that we have some grocery shopping to do (I am so excited to get it done on a slow Monday rather than a bustling Saturday or Sunday!)
What are your plans for the summer and what are you reading right now? Does your reading tastes change to more "beach" reads in the summer like mine?
Monday, February 29, 2016
Coffee Date
I love when my blogger friends post Coffee Date posts. You know, the ones where they write what we would talk about if we could go out for coffee together, so that is what you get from me today. :)
If we were having coffee today ... I would probably tell you that I have been drinking an insane amount of coffee since having Elise. Well, I guess calling it an insane amount is a bit dramatic, but my coffee consumption has definitely increased, which makes sense, since my sleep pattern is sleep 2-3 hours, wake up for 30 minutes to an hour and repeat. Coffee is needed. I have also began a very bad habit of grabbing a "fancy" coffee while out and about with Elise, which I am sure will disappear once I go back to work. I firmly believe spending money on coffee at a coffee shop is a splurge and not an everyday necessity.
If we were having coffee today ... I would probably mention that a week from today I will be back at work and my maternity leave will be over. I pray that we all have a smooth transition. We are very lucky and Elise will be able to stay at home and family will be watching her until I am home for the summer, but it is still hard. The only silver lining to going back to work, is that means we are that much closer to summer. When I get out for summer break she will be just a few days shy of 5 months old, and I know she will be at a very fun stage!
If we were having coffee today ... We would probably talk about how the Oscars. Did you watch? I watched while grading papers and playing monopoly with my husband (he kicked my butt). Oh, and yeah, I'm working on keeping up with grading while I'm out. Sad, right? Sad, but in the long run, it will pay off later. Anyway, the Oscars. I'm so glad that Leo won! His speech was spot on. Loved it.
If we were having coffee today ... While on the subject of tv, I would probably mention a few shows I'm obsessed with. While on leave, I have been binge watching Scandal and am on the current season. I've been binging so much, that I will probably be caught up to the most current episode this week! Do you watch? We also started watching Fuller House - with the rest of the US, I'm sure! It felt like everyone was binge watching Fuller House on Friday night!
If we were having coffee today ... We might talk about working out. Last week I had my 6 week post partum follow-up appointment and was cleared for exercise. That means I have to get back out there. I would love to start going to Zumba again on the week nights, but it just doesn't work well with my schedule. I will probably start running again and then maybe go to Zumba Saturday mornings. I've got to do something though, because the number on the scale is not a friendly number.
If we were having coffee, what would you chat about? What's going on in your life?
If we were having coffee today ... I would probably tell you that I have been drinking an insane amount of coffee since having Elise. Well, I guess calling it an insane amount is a bit dramatic, but my coffee consumption has definitely increased, which makes sense, since my sleep pattern is sleep 2-3 hours, wake up for 30 minutes to an hour and repeat. Coffee is needed. I have also began a very bad habit of grabbing a "fancy" coffee while out and about with Elise, which I am sure will disappear once I go back to work. I firmly believe spending money on coffee at a coffee shop is a splurge and not an everyday necessity.
If we were having coffee today ... I would probably mention that a week from today I will be back at work and my maternity leave will be over. I pray that we all have a smooth transition. We are very lucky and Elise will be able to stay at home and family will be watching her until I am home for the summer, but it is still hard. The only silver lining to going back to work, is that means we are that much closer to summer. When I get out for summer break she will be just a few days shy of 5 months old, and I know she will be at a very fun stage!
If we were having coffee today ... We would probably talk about how the Oscars. Did you watch? I watched while grading papers and playing monopoly with my husband (he kicked my butt). Oh, and yeah, I'm working on keeping up with grading while I'm out. Sad, right? Sad, but in the long run, it will pay off later. Anyway, the Oscars. I'm so glad that Leo won! His speech was spot on. Loved it.
If we were having coffee today ... While on the subject of tv, I would probably mention a few shows I'm obsessed with. While on leave, I have been binge watching Scandal and am on the current season. I've been binging so much, that I will probably be caught up to the most current episode this week! Do you watch? We also started watching Fuller House - with the rest of the US, I'm sure! It felt like everyone was binge watching Fuller House on Friday night!
If we were having coffee today ... We might talk about working out. Last week I had my 6 week post partum follow-up appointment and was cleared for exercise. That means I have to get back out there. I would love to start going to Zumba again on the week nights, but it just doesn't work well with my schedule. I will probably start running again and then maybe go to Zumba Saturday mornings. I've got to do something though, because the number on the scale is not a friendly number.
If we were having coffee, what would you chat about? What's going on in your life?
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Thank you! [a followup from yesterday's breastfeeding post]
Yesterday's post about my breastfeeding journey was a pretty personal post and I got so many messages from people who still read my blog either as a comment, email or Instagram post. Thank you very much for your encouragement and support!
This post has been floating around mommy groups (yes, I succumbed to them... they are sometimes a trainwreck) and it is exactly why I want to continue nursing. Basically, the photo shows two bags of pumped milk. One bag is "normal" everyday white-colored breastmilk. The other bag is a darker yellowish-colored breastmilk that more resembles nutrient-packed colostrum, which is what a mother's body will do when a baby's body has somehow signaled (some say through saliva) that they need antibodies to fight something off.
A tall glass of a nutrient-packed drink that is unique to YOU? Yes, please. Everyday, please. How amazing are our bodies? It just leaves me shaking my head and amazed at how phenomenal that is. It leaves me with a sick feeling in my gut thinking about not being able to provide this to Elise. So, this is why we are going to keep going. Even if she's only getting an ounce of breastmilk from me, it's an ounce of what she needs.
This post has been floating around mommy groups (yes, I succumbed to them... they are sometimes a trainwreck) and it is exactly why I want to continue nursing. Basically, the photo shows two bags of pumped milk. One bag is "normal" everyday white-colored breastmilk. The other bag is a darker yellowish-colored breastmilk that more resembles nutrient-packed colostrum, which is what a mother's body will do when a baby's body has somehow signaled (some say through saliva) that they need antibodies to fight something off.
A tall glass of a nutrient-packed drink that is unique to YOU? Yes, please. Everyday, please. How amazing are our bodies? It just leaves me shaking my head and amazed at how phenomenal that is. It leaves me with a sick feeling in my gut thinking about not being able to provide this to Elise. So, this is why we are going to keep going. Even if she's only getting an ounce of breastmilk from me, it's an ounce of what she needs.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Our breastfeeding journey
I knew breastfeeding was not easy, but what I didn't know was just how difficult it would be. Something so natural should be easy, right? Wrong. Luckily, I have never felt alone and I know that I am not the only one struggling. Many women in my circle of friends, old and young, have struggled like I have.
Elise and I had many obstacles in our way and if or when we decide to have another little one, I will be doing things much differently. I have discovered that breastfeeding is sensitive, or really, our bodies are just smart. A woman's body produces what baby needs and if you're supplementing with formula, well... that's going to hinder your supply. Let me back up and explain first.
Breastfeeding was something I really really wanted to do. We are still breastfeeding, but I am on the verge of giving it up, which is where this post is coming from.
Elise was born at 5lb 4oz and she quickly lost weight, as most babies do. The weight lost is water weight and it is normal for an infant to lose up to 10% of his or her body weight after birth. Thankfully, Elise never lost that much and when she left the hospital she was 4 lb 10.5oz. We struggled to breastfeed from the get go. Not due to Elise though. She latched like a champ and tried hard. I just wasn't producing enough right away. After our nursing sessions, I would pump and I would only get 1-2 ml of colostrum. I was feeling defeated before I even left the hospital and considering she was eating (or trying to eat) every two hours, I was feeling defeated a lot.
At one middle of the night feeding, the nurse suggested supplementing with formula. Looking back, suggesting that in the middle of the night was a little low considering I was not thinking too clearly. However, I know the nurse was just doing her job and we needed Elise to gain weight. Supplementing came with a lot of tears and worry. I did not want Elise to have formula at all. We wanted to be an exclusively breast fed family. Elise has been on high calorie formula for premature babies ever since.
Five weeks and four days later, Elise is still drinking formula after every nursing session. We have tried weaning off the formula, but I know I do not produce enough breastmilk for even one feeding. When you have an infant that needs to gain weight, weaning off formula is a little scary. After all, fed is best. I want my daughter to get all the nutrients she needs and if she is getting some breastmilk and mostly formula, that is okay.
It has taken me a long time to be okay with that though. We have seen lactation consultants, done weighted feedings and, of course, tried weaning. I have taken fenugreek and blessed thistle supplements, eaten my weight in oatmeal, drank what seemed like gallons of water, ate lactation cookies ... if there was a trick to producing more milk, I tried it. Nothing seemed to work.
So, what was the problem? After all, "only a small percentage of women have trouble with supply." I call bullshit on that supposed statistic (that came from the La Leche League, by the way) because I have several friends that have also struggled with supply issues. I do have a few suspicions about why I struggled though. First off, I did not get to hold Elise for at least an hour after her birth. When we came home, I did not relax. I felt surprisingly okay, and I did not let myself just sit around and relax with my newborn. I let myself stress a lot about breastfeeding. And, lastly, we had to supplement with formula. All of those factors mixed together, made it very hard for us to exclusively breastfeed, let alone, get a little bit of breastmilk.
I am still producing a little bit though and we are still nursing. I always said I would do this throughout my maternity leave because right now I have the time to devote to it. Elise eats every two hours and when we nurse, her feeding sessions are anywhere from 15 minutes (rare) to an hour (more common) so this leaves me with an hour in between each session to get anything done. She is beginning to go three hours in between feeding sessions during the day, so that makes it nice to be able to go out and grocery shop or make a Target run.
What I am struggling with most right now is the end of my leave, which might mean the end of our breastfeeding relationship. Do I take time out of my work day to pump when I am only pumping an ounce of milk? It's a lot of work for a little payoff. Do I just try and nurse when I'm home until my supply dries up? This would mean that I am going to go at least nine hours without pumping or nursing.
I have two and a half weeks to figure it out and make a decision.
Elise and I had many obstacles in our way and if or when we decide to have another little one, I will be doing things much differently. I have discovered that breastfeeding is sensitive, or really, our bodies are just smart. A woman's body produces what baby needs and if you're supplementing with formula, well... that's going to hinder your supply. Let me back up and explain first.
Breastfeeding was something I really really wanted to do. We are still breastfeeding, but I am on the verge of giving it up, which is where this post is coming from.
Elise was born at 5lb 4oz and she quickly lost weight, as most babies do. The weight lost is water weight and it is normal for an infant to lose up to 10% of his or her body weight after birth. Thankfully, Elise never lost that much and when she left the hospital she was 4 lb 10.5oz. We struggled to breastfeed from the get go. Not due to Elise though. She latched like a champ and tried hard. I just wasn't producing enough right away. After our nursing sessions, I would pump and I would only get 1-2 ml of colostrum. I was feeling defeated before I even left the hospital and considering she was eating (or trying to eat) every two hours, I was feeling defeated a lot.
At one middle of the night feeding, the nurse suggested supplementing with formula. Looking back, suggesting that in the middle of the night was a little low considering I was not thinking too clearly. However, I know the nurse was just doing her job and we needed Elise to gain weight. Supplementing came with a lot of tears and worry. I did not want Elise to have formula at all. We wanted to be an exclusively breast fed family. Elise has been on high calorie formula for premature babies ever since.
Five weeks and four days later, Elise is still drinking formula after every nursing session. We have tried weaning off the formula, but I know I do not produce enough breastmilk for even one feeding. When you have an infant that needs to gain weight, weaning off formula is a little scary. After all, fed is best. I want my daughter to get all the nutrients she needs and if she is getting some breastmilk and mostly formula, that is okay.
It has taken me a long time to be okay with that though. We have seen lactation consultants, done weighted feedings and, of course, tried weaning. I have taken fenugreek and blessed thistle supplements, eaten my weight in oatmeal, drank what seemed like gallons of water, ate lactation cookies ... if there was a trick to producing more milk, I tried it. Nothing seemed to work.
So, what was the problem? After all, "only a small percentage of women have trouble with supply." I call bullshit on that supposed statistic (that came from the La Leche League, by the way) because I have several friends that have also struggled with supply issues. I do have a few suspicions about why I struggled though. First off, I did not get to hold Elise for at least an hour after her birth. When we came home, I did not relax. I felt surprisingly okay, and I did not let myself just sit around and relax with my newborn. I let myself stress a lot about breastfeeding. And, lastly, we had to supplement with formula. All of those factors mixed together, made it very hard for us to exclusively breastfeed, let alone, get a little bit of breastmilk.
I am still producing a little bit though and we are still nursing. I always said I would do this throughout my maternity leave because right now I have the time to devote to it. Elise eats every two hours and when we nurse, her feeding sessions are anywhere from 15 minutes (rare) to an hour (more common) so this leaves me with an hour in between each session to get anything done. She is beginning to go three hours in between feeding sessions during the day, so that makes it nice to be able to go out and grocery shop or make a Target run.
What I am struggling with most right now is the end of my leave, which might mean the end of our breastfeeding relationship. Do I take time out of my work day to pump when I am only pumping an ounce of milk? It's a lot of work for a little payoff. Do I just try and nurse when I'm home until my supply dries up? This would mean that I am going to go at least nine hours without pumping or nursing.
I have two and a half weeks to figure it out and make a decision.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Elise's Birth Story Part 1
First comes love.
Then comes marriage.
Then comes .... BABY, in a baby carriage!
Yep, it's been awhile, blog. However, the people reading this blog pretty much know me IRL now and those that do not "know" me "IRL" probably sort of feel like they do because of Facebook and Instagram. Social media is so fun, no!?
"Blogging Elise's birth story" has been on my "Maternity To-Do List" since we got home and since today is her one month birthday (omg. How?) I thought it was a perfect day to sit down and pound it out. Speaking of which, I really miss blogging. Or, more specifically, I miss writing in the form of a pseudo journal that documents my life. Now that I am in charge of another life I feel an even stronger pull towards this space. I do not want to forget anything, so maybe you will be seeing more ofme us here.
Ok. Birth story time. Settle in. Because, I did. At the hospital. For 6 days.
It was week 36 of my pregnancy and I was officially visiting the doctor's office once a week. Usually my appointments were at 4:15pm but this week I couldn't get an afternoon appointment so I was in there at 7:30am on Tuesday morning. I was stressing because I had an 8:15am meeting at work and I was refusing to miss it (ugh, perspective. Now I see it).
At this appointment my ankles were HUGE and UNRECOGNIZABLE and it was the first time the nurse/doctor stressed over a high blood pressure reading. The doctor said the past few weeks it had been creeping up. I figured I would be told to drink more water, sit down more to rest (haha, I'm a teacher) and watch my BP.
I was wrong.
The doctor came back in and said she wanted to see me again on Thursday and if my BP was still high we would be delivering this week. I'm pretty sure I just stared at her in complete shock. I was convinced that I would go way past 40 weeks. It was January 5th and I did not think Baby would make her debut until February. So, I made my appointment for later that week (which I was stressing about because ... work! How? My schedule was impossible) and I texted my husband. His response was unlike his usually cool, calm, Mr.-I-Never-Freak-Out demeanor. He texted back "for real??" and that's when I began to cry. He calmed me down though and I quickly switched gears into work mode.
I made it into work and through that meeting without tearing up, until our instructional coach (who is close to my age and has two children) noticed something was up with me because I was on the verge of tears. Which did come. Two minutes before kids started walking into my room. Fun times!
Moving on.
The next day (Wednesday, for those of you keeping up) I made it through the day, but the swelling was out of control. The school nurse (who is a former NICU nurse and is ahhhhmazing) checked my blood pressure and promptly sent me to the hospital because it was high. I want to say it was 170 something over 100 something. High. Not good. We went into the hospital and sat in triage for awhile with me on my left side. My BP went down to normal levels, baby was doing fine, and we were sent home.
I went to work the next day (Thursday) a little unsure if I should be there and with a feeling of doom. The best possible doom though? It was a feeling that I might not be back the next day and I need to get everything finalized for my sub(s). Turns out, I was right. I wasn't coming back for awhile!
We ended up checking into the hospital that evening. We were having a baby! I had had since Tuesday to mentally prepare for delivering early and I felt ready! Sort of. Thursday the doctor checked my BP and basically said to go home, pack your bags and head into the hospital.
Ok, then! We went home, I showered, double checked my bags, ate some lunch and we went into the hospital a family of two.
I was honestly so prepared to go over 40 weeks, I did not considering being induced at all. Therefore I did not do much research on it and now that it's all said and done, I wish I had. More on that later. Probably for another post.
Thursday evening when I finally got into a room (the maternity floor was paaaaacked and we were in triage for almost 6 hours) they decided to give me Cervadil to get things going. The Cervadil did its job overnight, but I did not start dilating or having strong enough contractions for me to feel them. I will not go into detail about the Cervadil, but I hated it.
Now it is Friday and I am supposedly in labor. Sort of. I wasn't feeling a darn thing! The contractions were too small and I was not dilated at all. Late Friday evening they decided to give me something else that would basically do the same thing as Cervadil. I can't remember what it was called, Cytotec maybe? Well, it worked. At 5:15am on Saturday, my water broke. I had called the nurse begging to get out of bed to go to the bathroom because the urge to pee hurt so bad. When I stood up I "peed my pants" and when I called the nurse back to tell her I "peed my pants" she laughed and said no, that my water probably broke. She was right. Weirdest feeling ever!
From that point is when I felt officially "in labor" and my contractions began to get stronger and much more painful. I had sent Bill home to get some sleep at home so he wasn't there when things started to get worse, but I felt like I could handle it. I was sure that I was dilated pretty high and I was dying to know, but I hated it when they checked. When they did finally check I was in shock when she said I was dilated to 2cm.
TWO? What? No. Check again. Wait, don't check. It's super uncomfortable.
When I was dilated to a little over 3cm I asked for the epidural, I think this was about 10am. I'm not completely sure though. I wanted to wait it out a little longer, but I just couldn't. My contractions were about every 5 minutes and were 30 seconds long. My coping mechanism was to count, which is interesting because I do the same thing when running and I always compared pregnancy and labor to long-distance running. Makes sense that I would cope the same way! I would tell myself during contractions (and running) that anyone can do anything for 30 seconds (when running it's one minute, 30 seconds, whatever I'm doing whether it be sprints, pacing, etc.).
The anesthesiologist got there a lot faster than I expected (that or I have lost track of time, which is very likely!) and this is the first moment I felt really, really scared. I was so worried I would accidentally see the needle so I basically did not take my eyes off of Bill. Him and the nurses were so wonderful. I feel so lucky to have had such a wonderful support team! They ended up having to administer the epidural twice because the first time I didn't feel any different. It wasn't in right. Luckily, the pain of the contractions was so much worse than administering the epidural, I didn't care. I just wanted it in right. The hardest part about the epidural was staying still. Once it was in and in the right way, I felt amazing. I couldn't feel a thing. Being checked for how far along I was and anything else they had to do was a breeze from this point on.
Around this time the contractions got stronger and I could feel them still, but they weren't near as painful. This was great, but what wasn't so great was Baby's heart rate. Every time I contracted her heart rate would go really low and stay low for awhile. A few times her heart rate would go down into the 50s and everyone worried. Several times our room would fill with nurses and at one time they put me on my stomach (rear in the air, now thaaat was uncomfortable) and hooked up to oxygen. Nothing really helped. Her heart rate would still drop when I contracted. They took me off the Pitocin to give baby a break and my labor stalled. Her heart rate got better, but I wasn't contracting or progressing in labor now.
This point was a roller coaster. They had mentioned the possibility of a c-section, but we hadn't discussed it since Friday, which felt like ages ago even though it was only the day before. My head was mentally prepared for pushing, I was not mentally prepared for surgery.
They decided to put me back on the Pitocin and I went right back into contractions. Baby went right back to struggling through the contractions. We talked to her, read to her, rubbed my belly where I knew she was and all of these things seemed to help, but she was still struggling.
At 3pm, the doctor finally said she didn't like the dips in her heart rate and how the rate would stay low. They were worried she couldn't handle my pushing. This scared me. If she couldn't handle contractions how was she going to handle the trauma of being pushed out of the birth canal?! At this point, I would do whatever was best for her.
The doctor said a c-section was probably the best option. Bill and I just looked at each other and immediately agreed. Fine. A c-section it is. I remember looking at the clock at this time and thinking, "I'm going to have a baby by 4pm."
A baby by 4pm, we did! Elise Frances Kuehler was born at 3:31 via a c-section. The surgery went well and by 4pm we were actually back in our room ... with a baby. How crazy is that?!
In part 2 I will recap my thoughts on the c-section and let you know how we have been doing the first 4 weeks at home!
Then comes marriage.
Then comes .... BABY, in a baby carriage!
Yep, it's been awhile, blog. However, the people reading this blog pretty much know me IRL now and those that do not "know" me "IRL" probably sort of feel like they do because of Facebook and Instagram. Social media is so fun, no!?
"Blogging Elise's birth story" has been on my "Maternity To-Do List" since we got home and since today is her one month birthday (omg. How?) I thought it was a perfect day to sit down and pound it out. Speaking of which, I really miss blogging. Or, more specifically, I miss writing in the form of a pseudo journal that documents my life. Now that I am in charge of another life I feel an even stronger pull towards this space. I do not want to forget anything, so maybe you will be seeing more of
Ok. Birth story time. Settle in. Because, I did. At the hospital. For 6 days.
It was week 36 of my pregnancy and I was officially visiting the doctor's office once a week. Usually my appointments were at 4:15pm but this week I couldn't get an afternoon appointment so I was in there at 7:30am on Tuesday morning. I was stressing because I had an 8:15am meeting at work and I was refusing to miss it (ugh, perspective. Now I see it).
At this appointment my ankles were HUGE and UNRECOGNIZABLE and it was the first time the nurse/doctor stressed over a high blood pressure reading. The doctor said the past few weeks it had been creeping up. I figured I would be told to drink more water, sit down more to rest (haha, I'm a teacher) and watch my BP.
I was wrong.
The doctor came back in and said she wanted to see me again on Thursday and if my BP was still high we would be delivering this week. I'm pretty sure I just stared at her in complete shock. I was convinced that I would go way past 40 weeks. It was January 5th and I did not think Baby would make her debut until February. So, I made my appointment for later that week (which I was stressing about because ... work! How? My schedule was impossible) and I texted my husband. His response was unlike his usually cool, calm, Mr.-I-Never-Freak-Out demeanor. He texted back "for real??" and that's when I began to cry. He calmed me down though and I quickly switched gears into work mode.
I made it into work and through that meeting without tearing up, until our instructional coach (who is close to my age and has two children) noticed something was up with me because I was on the verge of tears. Which did come. Two minutes before kids started walking into my room. Fun times!
Moving on.
The next day (Wednesday, for those of you keeping up) I made it through the day, but the swelling was out of control. The school nurse (who is a former NICU nurse and is ahhhhmazing) checked my blood pressure and promptly sent me to the hospital because it was high. I want to say it was 170 something over 100 something. High. Not good. We went into the hospital and sat in triage for awhile with me on my left side. My BP went down to normal levels, baby was doing fine, and we were sent home.
I went to work the next day (Thursday) a little unsure if I should be there and with a feeling of doom. The best possible doom though? It was a feeling that I might not be back the next day and I need to get everything finalized for my sub(s). Turns out, I was right. I wasn't coming back for awhile!
We ended up checking into the hospital that evening. We were having a baby! I had had since Tuesday to mentally prepare for delivering early and I felt ready! Sort of. Thursday the doctor checked my BP and basically said to go home, pack your bags and head into the hospital.
Ok, then! We went home, I showered, double checked my bags, ate some lunch and we went into the hospital a family of two.
I was honestly so prepared to go over 40 weeks, I did not considering being induced at all. Therefore I did not do much research on it and now that it's all said and done, I wish I had. More on that later. Probably for another post.
Thursday evening when I finally got into a room (the maternity floor was paaaaacked and we were in triage for almost 6 hours) they decided to give me Cervadil to get things going. The Cervadil did its job overnight, but I did not start dilating or having strong enough contractions for me to feel them. I will not go into detail about the Cervadil, but I hated it.
Now it is Friday and I am supposedly in labor. Sort of. I wasn't feeling a darn thing! The contractions were too small and I was not dilated at all. Late Friday evening they decided to give me something else that would basically do the same thing as Cervadil. I can't remember what it was called, Cytotec maybe? Well, it worked. At 5:15am on Saturday, my water broke. I had called the nurse begging to get out of bed to go to the bathroom because the urge to pee hurt so bad. When I stood up I "peed my pants" and when I called the nurse back to tell her I "peed my pants" she laughed and said no, that my water probably broke. She was right. Weirdest feeling ever!
From that point is when I felt officially "in labor" and my contractions began to get stronger and much more painful. I had sent Bill home to get some sleep at home so he wasn't there when things started to get worse, but I felt like I could handle it. I was sure that I was dilated pretty high and I was dying to know, but I hated it when they checked. When they did finally check I was in shock when she said I was dilated to 2cm.
TWO? What? No. Check again. Wait, don't check. It's super uncomfortable.
When I was dilated to a little over 3cm I asked for the epidural, I think this was about 10am. I'm not completely sure though. I wanted to wait it out a little longer, but I just couldn't. My contractions were about every 5 minutes and were 30 seconds long. My coping mechanism was to count, which is interesting because I do the same thing when running and I always compared pregnancy and labor to long-distance running. Makes sense that I would cope the same way! I would tell myself during contractions (and running) that anyone can do anything for 30 seconds (when running it's one minute, 30 seconds, whatever I'm doing whether it be sprints, pacing, etc.).
The anesthesiologist got there a lot faster than I expected (that or I have lost track of time, which is very likely!) and this is the first moment I felt really, really scared. I was so worried I would accidentally see the needle so I basically did not take my eyes off of Bill. Him and the nurses were so wonderful. I feel so lucky to have had such a wonderful support team! They ended up having to administer the epidural twice because the first time I didn't feel any different. It wasn't in right. Luckily, the pain of the contractions was so much worse than administering the epidural, I didn't care. I just wanted it in right. The hardest part about the epidural was staying still. Once it was in and in the right way, I felt amazing. I couldn't feel a thing. Being checked for how far along I was and anything else they had to do was a breeze from this point on.
Around this time the contractions got stronger and I could feel them still, but they weren't near as painful. This was great, but what wasn't so great was Baby's heart rate. Every time I contracted her heart rate would go really low and stay low for awhile. A few times her heart rate would go down into the 50s and everyone worried. Several times our room would fill with nurses and at one time they put me on my stomach (rear in the air, now thaaat was uncomfortable) and hooked up to oxygen. Nothing really helped. Her heart rate would still drop when I contracted. They took me off the Pitocin to give baby a break and my labor stalled. Her heart rate got better, but I wasn't contracting or progressing in labor now.
This point was a roller coaster. They had mentioned the possibility of a c-section, but we hadn't discussed it since Friday, which felt like ages ago even though it was only the day before. My head was mentally prepared for pushing, I was not mentally prepared for surgery.
They decided to put me back on the Pitocin and I went right back into contractions. Baby went right back to struggling through the contractions. We talked to her, read to her, rubbed my belly where I knew she was and all of these things seemed to help, but she was still struggling.
At 3pm, the doctor finally said she didn't like the dips in her heart rate and how the rate would stay low. They were worried she couldn't handle my pushing. This scared me. If she couldn't handle contractions how was she going to handle the trauma of being pushed out of the birth canal?! At this point, I would do whatever was best for her.
The doctor said a c-section was probably the best option. Bill and I just looked at each other and immediately agreed. Fine. A c-section it is. I remember looking at the clock at this time and thinking, "I'm going to have a baby by 4pm."
A baby by 4pm, we did! Elise Frances Kuehler was born at 3:31 via a c-section. The surgery went well and by 4pm we were actually back in our room ... with a baby. How crazy is that?!
In part 2 I will recap my thoughts on the c-section and let you know how we have been doing the first 4 weeks at home!
Saturday, March 28, 2015
The New Side Gig
I couldn't stay away from business long.
Almost exactly four years ago is how long it has been since I quit my job as the head of one of the most successful retail locations (with my old company) in the Midwest. It's been almost exactly SIX years since my job before that was dissolved due to a liquidation I am STILL in mourning over that one).
What I loved about both jobs was the sales plans and the challenge of working towards a goal. I loved motivating a team, making sales plans, earning trips, recognition and other incentives. It was fun! I very rarely did not make my monthly sales plans and was well known to hit my sales regularly. I had a plan, I worked the plan and somehow always made it happen.
Probably because I was having fun.
I love teaching now. I know without a doubt that I made the right decision in my career. Despite my post last week about not wanting to go back to work after spring break, I do love going in to school everyday. I love seeing my "kids". I love building relationships with parents. I love teaching and learning - because I learn so much everyday. In fact, I don't even call it work - I call it "school"! Haha!
However, something has been missing. I did not realize it was missing until recently when I signed up to be a Stylist with Stella & Dot.
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| Top necklace: the Sanibel. Bottom necklace: Devon layering necklace |
Talked it over with Bill a lot.
With every conversation, he encouraged me to do it. I still hemmed and hawed over it though. How can I possibly squeeze one more thing on my plate? I have summers off, so I can do this in the summer, but what if I don't do well? What if nobody comes to my trunk shows? What if people start avoiding me because, "here comes Amber and all she's gonna do is talk about jewelry?!"
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| Pave arrow cuff and Interlock Cross bracelet |
I hit my initial goal within a couple weeks and I was having fun. Lots of fun!
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| From left: Renegade bracelet, Enlighten bracelet and the Inspiration bangle |
Besides something "missing" from my career right now that was sales driven, my why for signing up was also driven by some hefty long-term goals that Bill and I want to achieve in the next 5-10 years. Goals like pay off our home and build a "dream" home in the country right outside of Des Moines. We've always known that to do something like that, we would need to supplement our income somehow.
I truly believe that Stella & Dot is the answer to those tough questions we have been praying about.
So, that's my new side gig! I am loving it and cannot believe I've only been doing it a couple months. In a very good way, it feels like I have been doing it much longer!
If you could do any side gig, what would it be?
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| Top: Somervell in white and gold. Bottom: Engraveable charm with my wedding date engraved on it and Elephant charm. |
If you are interested in learning more about Stella & Dot, I would love to touch base with you. Email me at amberkuehler@gmail.com with stylist questions, questions about how to hold a live or online trunk show, or about updating your jewelry collection. I would love to help!!
Monday, March 23, 2015
What NOT to tell 9-10 year olds...
Well, you all were right. Getting back into the swing of things was nice and I always realize how much I missed my kids once we are all back!
However I learned the hard way that you do not EVER tell fourth graders that you can't hear.
Explanation ...
My kids asked if I was feeling better because I was really sick the week before Spring Break. I told them about my two trips to the doctor's office and how it turned into a double ear infection by the second trip to the doctor and that it felt like I was under water. It is really hard to hear sometimes!! They definitely took it upon themselves to talk a tad more ... oops!
During math they were playing math games and I was walking around making sure everyone was playing correctly and I was about 10 feet away from a group of three playing and one of the kids goes, "Here comes Mrs. Kuehler!" in slightly above a whisper. I giggled a little to myself and when I got to them, said, "Ya know ... my hearing is not THAT bad, now why weren't you three playing the game?!"
Oh, kids. Gotta love 'em!
Have you ever told kids something and then thought to yourself, "well, that was dumb!"
However I learned the hard way that you do not EVER tell fourth graders that you can't hear.
Explanation ...
My kids asked if I was feeling better because I was really sick the week before Spring Break. I told them about my two trips to the doctor's office and how it turned into a double ear infection by the second trip to the doctor and that it felt like I was under water. It is really hard to hear sometimes!! They definitely took it upon themselves to talk a tad more ... oops!
During math they were playing math games and I was walking around making sure everyone was playing correctly and I was about 10 feet away from a group of three playing and one of the kids goes, "Here comes Mrs. Kuehler!" in slightly above a whisper. I giggled a little to myself and when I got to them, said, "Ya know ... my hearing is not THAT bad, now why weren't you three playing the game?!"
Oh, kids. Gotta love 'em!
Have you ever told kids something and then thought to yourself, "well, that was dumb!"
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Sunday, bloody, Sunday.
It's the Sunday before going back to work after a week long vacation. You feel depressed. You try to pump yourself up for structure again. Then you tell yourself not to think about it. Just enjoy the rest of the time off you have. Enjoy the evening with your husband/family.
You've had this before, am I right?
I have it bad. The Sunday Night Blues. Except it's The-Sunday-Night-After-Vacation-Blues, which is worse.
I so enjoy my free time. Especially lately now that I have another business venture to focus some time on.
Then again, I love what I do. I love teaching. I love my kids. So, why do I dread going back to work so much? I know once I get there I will feel happy to be back. Happy to see my kids.
Ugh. Oh, Sundays. You're not my favorite day of the week.
Do you get the Sunday Night Blues?
You've had this before, am I right?
I have it bad. The Sunday Night Blues. Except it's The-Sunday-Night-After-Vacation-Blues, which is worse.
I so enjoy my free time. Especially lately now that I have another business venture to focus some time on.
Then again, I love what I do. I love teaching. I love my kids. So, why do I dread going back to work so much? I know once I get there I will feel happy to be back. Happy to see my kids.
Ugh. Oh, Sundays. You're not my favorite day of the week.
Do you get the Sunday Night Blues?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Looking Forward
Happy Friday!
Well, it's not so happy for me. I'm being a baby, but it's the last day of spring break. Yes, of course I have the weekend, but still ... this week went by SO FAST! Time off always does, right?
It's been awhile since I've been in this space updating you all (I'm pretty sure all my readers are IRL friends now... if not, come out of the woodwork!). Since it has been awhile, I figured I would do a looking forward post as a way of updating you on the goings on in my life!
This weekend ... tonight we are celebrating a dear friends birthday with a girls night out! We are getting mani/pedis together and then heading out for dinner. I am excited to see all the girls! As we get older, it gets harder and harder ... Also this weekend, I have TWO trunk shows scheduled for Sunday! What's a trunk show, you ask? Well, in January I signed up to be a Stella & Dot Stylist due to this amazing promotion and I am so shocked by how much fun I am having with it! It is completely my own business and I can do as little or as much with it as I want, which is PERFECT for me. Anyway, this is all for another post! I will explain everything! :)
This week ... I am taking a class for work (where we get graduate credit for FREE. Love my district!) that I am really excited for. That's about it ... pretty slow week ahead!
This month ... This month is about over! I enjoyed March though. We got a taste of some spring weather and I am very excited for more in April!
Next month ... April is going to be busy! We've got quite a bit going on ... We are going to a Murder Mystery Dinner in a small town about two hours away with a couple friend of ours that I am really excited about! We are heading to Minneapolis for a weekend to visit friends. Also that weekend Jodi Picoult is doing a lecture about the research that goes into her books, I am really looking forward to that, however I am worried that since I have seen her so many times she will be repeating everything I have already heard. Since the ticket cost $40 I am really hoping that is not the case ... Also that weekend I am attending a furniture refinishing party called Women, Wine and Wood Workshop. I need to find a piece of furniture to refinish, but I am really looking forward to learning this new skill!
This summer .... There is already a lot going on this summer! July is packed with Ragbrai, a trip to Vegas for Stella & Dot, and some curriculum training in Ames. I am so excited for this summer because I'm not planning a wedding and I will have a true summer off and to myself. Possibly my last summer "alone"?? Who knows...
What are you looking forward to these days??
Well, it's not so happy for me. I'm being a baby, but it's the last day of spring break. Yes, of course I have the weekend, but still ... this week went by SO FAST! Time off always does, right?
It's been awhile since I've been in this space updating you all (I'm pretty sure all my readers are IRL friends now... if not, come out of the woodwork!). Since it has been awhile, I figured I would do a looking forward post as a way of updating you on the goings on in my life!
This weekend ... tonight we are celebrating a dear friends birthday with a girls night out! We are getting mani/pedis together and then heading out for dinner. I am excited to see all the girls! As we get older, it gets harder and harder ... Also this weekend, I have TWO trunk shows scheduled for Sunday! What's a trunk show, you ask? Well, in January I signed up to be a Stella & Dot Stylist due to this amazing promotion and I am so shocked by how much fun I am having with it! It is completely my own business and I can do as little or as much with it as I want, which is PERFECT for me. Anyway, this is all for another post! I will explain everything! :)
This week ... I am taking a class for work (where we get graduate credit for FREE. Love my district!) that I am really excited for. That's about it ... pretty slow week ahead!
This month ... This month is about over! I enjoyed March though. We got a taste of some spring weather and I am very excited for more in April!
Next month ... April is going to be busy! We've got quite a bit going on ... We are going to a Murder Mystery Dinner in a small town about two hours away with a couple friend of ours that I am really excited about! We are heading to Minneapolis for a weekend to visit friends. Also that weekend Jodi Picoult is doing a lecture about the research that goes into her books, I am really looking forward to that, however I am worried that since I have seen her so many times she will be repeating everything I have already heard. Since the ticket cost $40 I am really hoping that is not the case ... Also that weekend I am attending a furniture refinishing party called Women, Wine and Wood Workshop. I need to find a piece of furniture to refinish, but I am really looking forward to learning this new skill!
This summer .... There is already a lot going on this summer! July is packed with Ragbrai, a trip to Vegas for Stella & Dot, and some curriculum training in Ames. I am so excited for this summer because I'm not planning a wedding and I will have a true summer off and to myself. Possibly my last summer "alone"?? Who knows...
What are you looking forward to these days??
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
2015 and some landmark to-dos
I have really gone back and forth about making resolutions for myself in 2015, but after some thought, I realized that I really like setting goals for myself. It is cliche to set these big goals for New Year's, but it just makes sense! I wouldn't be me without having a few things in mind that I would like to accomplish in the next year.
Below you will find my goals, concisely bolded for those that may not enjoy my rambling prose (is rambling prose an oxymoron? Ha.) Rambling is therapeutic for me. Don't judge.
Exercise consistently throughout the year. Consistently being the key word. For the past two years, I worked out very consistently 3-4 times per week from January to approximately October, then, after October, it all fell apart. In 2013, I was in my first year of teaching and from August to October, I was always training for something (Capital Pursuit 10 miler and then a half marathon in October). After the training was over, I let the stress of teaching take over. November is a stressful month in my building and then December brings about its own unique challenges personally and professionally. I think everyone is just trying to get to winter break in one piece. I found that 2014 was no different. I worked out consistently until October and then, I just stopped. Last year I had a wedding dress to fit into and I knew I would be looked at by 200+ people, so that really motivated me to get in shape. In 2015, we hope to get pregnant, and honestly, for me personally, that might be more of a reason to drop some extra pounds and get into shape. I am terrified of putting on weight from being pregnant, and I know that if I am not in shape when I get pregnant, not only will it be hard to exercise throughout pregnancy, but it will be hard to lose the extra weight.
So, um, that naturally leads to another goal of 2015. Get pregnant. I am hesitant to talk too much about this goal of ours because my heart aches for those that struggle with infertility. I am not assuming this will be easy for us, and I realize that this goal is not controllable. Obviously, we do what we can to control it, but at the end of the day, there is a plan that I am not privy to knowing. I trust that plan. What I will do, all I can do, is take care of my body and be kind to myself.
My next goal is a financial goal. I have really, very willingly, given the financial reins to Bill in the terms of managing our finances, but we both agree that we need to be a team. We need to hold each other accountable to our spending and we need to continue building up our savings. Money stress is the worst kind of stress for me. It takes over my thoughts and turns me into a different person. I can feel my chest tightening up just writing about the stress over money. I hate it. When we have money saved for emergencies, I feel much better. I would love to take Bill Ramsey's course Financial Peace University this year so we can work on becoming better at taking care of our marriage and avoiding fights over money.
In the second year of teaching we are required to complete a portfolio. It is due before spring break and is a list of 10 standards, with several sub-standards underneath that. Each standard requires an artifact that demonstrates how you have met that standard. Overall it is about 43 artifacts, with captions. My goal was to finish my portfolio by the new year, but that is clearly not happening. My new goal is to complete my professional portfolio by the end of January. I. Can. Do. This.
In 2014 I read a measly 35 books. Much different from the 57 books in 2011 and 71 books in 2012, however, 2014 was BUSY. We planned a wedding where we did everything ourselves (except the cake. I thought about making a cake, but then realized, I don't bake well). We bought a house and combined two lives (and stuff. Lost of stuff). We were busy. I was busy. Reading for pleasure was a luxury that my scattered brain had a hard time focusing on. In 2015, I want to protect my reading time and will aim to read an average of one book week and read 52 books for the year.
That's it.
What is one big thing you would like to cross off your to-do list in 2015?
Below you will find my goals, concisely bolded for those that may not enjoy my rambling prose (is rambling prose an oxymoron? Ha.) Rambling is therapeutic for me. Don't judge.
Exercise consistently throughout the year. Consistently being the key word. For the past two years, I worked out very consistently 3-4 times per week from January to approximately October, then, after October, it all fell apart. In 2013, I was in my first year of teaching and from August to October, I was always training for something (Capital Pursuit 10 miler and then a half marathon in October). After the training was over, I let the stress of teaching take over. November is a stressful month in my building and then December brings about its own unique challenges personally and professionally. I think everyone is just trying to get to winter break in one piece. I found that 2014 was no different. I worked out consistently until October and then, I just stopped. Last year I had a wedding dress to fit into and I knew I would be looked at by 200+ people, so that really motivated me to get in shape. In 2015, we hope to get pregnant, and honestly, for me personally, that might be more of a reason to drop some extra pounds and get into shape. I am terrified of putting on weight from being pregnant, and I know that if I am not in shape when I get pregnant, not only will it be hard to exercise throughout pregnancy, but it will be hard to lose the extra weight.
So, um, that naturally leads to another goal of 2015. Get pregnant. I am hesitant to talk too much about this goal of ours because my heart aches for those that struggle with infertility. I am not assuming this will be easy for us, and I realize that this goal is not controllable. Obviously, we do what we can to control it, but at the end of the day, there is a plan that I am not privy to knowing. I trust that plan. What I will do, all I can do, is take care of my body and be kind to myself.
My next goal is a financial goal. I have really, very willingly, given the financial reins to Bill in the terms of managing our finances, but we both agree that we need to be a team. We need to hold each other accountable to our spending and we need to continue building up our savings. Money stress is the worst kind of stress for me. It takes over my thoughts and turns me into a different person. I can feel my chest tightening up just writing about the stress over money. I hate it. When we have money saved for emergencies, I feel much better. I would love to take Bill Ramsey's course Financial Peace University this year so we can work on becoming better at taking care of our marriage and avoiding fights over money.
In the second year of teaching we are required to complete a portfolio. It is due before spring break and is a list of 10 standards, with several sub-standards underneath that. Each standard requires an artifact that demonstrates how you have met that standard. Overall it is about 43 artifacts, with captions. My goal was to finish my portfolio by the new year, but that is clearly not happening. My new goal is to complete my professional portfolio by the end of January. I. Can. Do. This.
In 2014 I read a measly 35 books. Much different from the 57 books in 2011 and 71 books in 2012, however, 2014 was BUSY. We planned a wedding where we did everything ourselves (except the cake. I thought about making a cake, but then realized, I don't bake well). We bought a house and combined two lives (and stuff. Lost of stuff). We were busy. I was busy. Reading for pleasure was a luxury that my scattered brain had a hard time focusing on. In 2015, I want to protect my reading time and will aim to read an average of one book week and read 52 books for the year.
That's it.
What is one big thing you would like to cross off your to-do list in 2015?
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Miles, Looks, Music, Movies & Books - November
I have not done a MLMMB post (inspired by Lisa) since September. Not because I did not want to, but rather because I forgot. The past few months whizzed by and I cannot believe I have one trimester of my second year of teaching done. I have learned so much and made so many changes to the way I go about my job, but that is a post for another day!
Also, did you notice? I added a new category. Movies!
Miles
Zero miles. Yep. Zilch. However, if I had kept track of the number of miles I have done of Zumba, I am positive it would be high! During the month of November I took at least 3-4 classes each week, and with Zumba burning 500-700 calories per class, it is just as good of a workout as running is. I do miss running though and plan to begin again soon.
Looks
For the month of November I had a goal for myself to repurpose some of my summer clothes and turn them into winter looks. I only made two outfits, but I got so many compliments on both of them! For some reason, I can only find one photo... I must have accidentally deleted the other!
Also this month I won a free pair of Zumba compression capris and I have been wearing the heck out of them!
I will definitely continue this challenge of Summer-to-Winter outfits into December.
Music
Nothing really new here ... I'm still loving Taylor Swift's Shake It Off (I admit it) and really wish that her new album was on Spotify. I just can't see myself buying an actual cd... Other than that, I'm gravitating towards more upbeat tunes that I can dance to.
Movies
We did not see any movies in the theater, but we did watch The Giver at home and we both enjoyed it! There were many differences from the book version, but I think they did a decent job. However, I still strongly encourage everyone to read the FIRST.
Books
November was a little crazy between state testing, report cards and parent/teacher conferences so my reading was a little on the slow side. I finished four books, which honestly, is very good.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (it was okay, but was easy to put down)
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (awesome! Hard to put down)
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin (just okay. Easy to put down)
Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella (ehhhh. Very easy to put down)
How was your November? Stay tuned for a recap on my November goals!
Also, did you notice? I added a new category. Movies!
Miles
Zero miles. Yep. Zilch. However, if I had kept track of the number of miles I have done of Zumba, I am positive it would be high! During the month of November I took at least 3-4 classes each week, and with Zumba burning 500-700 calories per class, it is just as good of a workout as running is. I do miss running though and plan to begin again soon.
Looks
For the month of November I had a goal for myself to repurpose some of my summer clothes and turn them into winter looks. I only made two outfits, but I got so many compliments on both of them! For some reason, I can only find one photo... I must have accidentally deleted the other!
Also this month I won a free pair of Zumba compression capris and I have been wearing the heck out of them!
I will definitely continue this challenge of Summer-to-Winter outfits into December.
Music
Nothing really new here ... I'm still loving Taylor Swift's Shake It Off (I admit it) and really wish that her new album was on Spotify. I just can't see myself buying an actual cd... Other than that, I'm gravitating towards more upbeat tunes that I can dance to.
Movies
We did not see any movies in the theater, but we did watch The Giver at home and we both enjoyed it! There were many differences from the book version, but I think they did a decent job. However, I still strongly encourage everyone to read the FIRST.
Books
November was a little crazy between state testing, report cards and parent/teacher conferences so my reading was a little on the slow side. I finished four books, which honestly, is very good.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (it was okay, but was easy to put down)
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (awesome! Hard to put down)
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin (just okay. Easy to put down)
Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella (ehhhh. Very easy to put down)
How was your November? Stay tuned for a recap on my November goals!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Thankful
A loving and supporting husband.
A loving and supporting family and new family.
Health and fitness.
A desire for health and fitness.
Close friends.
Knowledge and opportunities.
Twenty-eight healthy, happy children in my classroom five days a week.
A warm bed.
Two furry friends that love us more than life.
A love to read.
Libraries.
Brick and mortar bookstores.
A wedding we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Not being in debt due to a wedding.
A sturdy and warm home that we own.
Blogging and the people that come with it.
The Internet.
Transportation options.
Clean water.
A career and position I love.
A city that I love.
There is always so much to be thankful for. Of course I try hard to be thankful all year, but it is nice to create a list in this moment of what I am truly grateful for.
What tops your list this year?
A loving and supporting family and new family.
Health and fitness.
A desire for health and fitness.
Close friends.
Knowledge and opportunities.
Twenty-eight healthy, happy children in my classroom five days a week.
A warm bed.
Two furry friends that love us more than life.
A love to read.
Libraries.
Brick and mortar bookstores.
A wedding we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Not being in debt due to a wedding.
A sturdy and warm home that we own.
Blogging and the people that come with it.
The Internet.
Transportation options.
Clean water.
A career and position I love.
A city that I love.
There is always so much to be thankful for. Of course I try hard to be thankful all year, but it is nice to create a list in this moment of what I am truly grateful for.
What tops your list this year?
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Love/Hate
Love that I am off work for five days.
Hate that these five days are going to fly by.
Love that I have today off.
Hate that to get this day off, I had to exhaust myself last week with several double-digit hour work days to prepare and conduct parent/teacher conferences.
Love that I got my new Plum Paper planner in the mail yesterday.
Hate that I have to wait until January to use it.
Love how pretty the snow is during this time of year and am grateful to live somewhere with four distinct seasons.
Hate the ice and slippery conditions that almost 100% of the time come with the pretty snow.
Love that Christmas is coming up and I am beginning to think about gifts for loved ones.
Hate that such a special and significant religious holiday has been taken over by consumerism.
Love that I have so much reading material to dive into over the next several days.
Hate that my attention span is about the size of a gnat these days.
Love that I discovered through a mutual friend (and not on a social networking site) that a dear friend of mine is expecting. Yay, babies!
Hate that so much tends to be communicated through social networking these days. Phone conversations are so refreshing when they do happen.
Love that I got all my Christmas cards from Walgreens for less than $30.
Hate that I now have to address them and send them out (along with all of our wedding thank you notes).
Love that my husband is so frugal.
Hate that my husband is so frugal.
Love that there are so many plates of yummy food everywhere this time of year.
Hate that that yummy food loves to settle in on my waistline (and bum and thighs ...)
What are your loves and hates today?
Hate that these five days are going to fly by.
Love that I have today off.
Hate that to get this day off, I had to exhaust myself last week with several double-digit hour work days to prepare and conduct parent/teacher conferences.
Love that I got my new Plum Paper planner in the mail yesterday.
Hate that I have to wait until January to use it.
Love how pretty the snow is during this time of year and am grateful to live somewhere with four distinct seasons.
Hate the ice and slippery conditions that almost 100% of the time come with the pretty snow.
Love that Christmas is coming up and I am beginning to think about gifts for loved ones.
Hate that such a special and significant religious holiday has been taken over by consumerism.
Love that I have so much reading material to dive into over the next several days.
Hate that my attention span is about the size of a gnat these days.
Love that I discovered through a mutual friend (and not on a social networking site) that a dear friend of mine is expecting. Yay, babies!
Hate that so much tends to be communicated through social networking these days. Phone conversations are so refreshing when they do happen.
Love that I got all my Christmas cards from Walgreens for less than $30.
Hate that I now have to address them and send them out (along with all of our wedding thank you notes).
Love that my husband is so frugal.
Hate that my husband is so frugal.
Love that there are so many plates of yummy food everywhere this time of year.
Hate that that yummy food loves to settle in on my waistline (and bum and thighs ...)
What are your loves and hates today?
Friday, November 21, 2014
Book Club Friday
It has been awhile since I linked up with Heather and participated in Book Club Friday! No better time either, because I just finished a book for my book club last weekend and I ADORED it.
In just a little over 24 hours, I devoured The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. This book was such a charming, sweet novel and it is one that I am definitely sad is over.The main character, AJ Fikry is a bookstore owner and recent widow. He lives on the fictional Alice Island off the east coast (I believe) and lives and breathes Island Books. He is the worst kind of book snob though ... so much so, that his snobbishness really turned me off at first. However, his quirks become lovable and it did not take long for me to wish I had an AJ in my own community and a bookstore just like Island Books.
Some of my favorite parts of this book were the book references. Everything from The Book Thief to Mark Twain to my absolute favorite book, American Wife was mentioned and I just loved that! It's always a thrill to read a book about books that mentions books you have already read, no? Maybe it's just me ...
If you're looking for something quick and easy to read, but still with a good level of substance, do not pass up this charming novel. I promise you will not regret it!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Wedding Wednesday
I have the best friends in the world that created the sweetest scrapbook for me documenting our wedding day!
This lovely tradition of scrapbooking started in my group of friends over 10 years ago for birthdays. We were all in undergrad and probably poor, so we began putting together scrapbooks for birthday presents! We do not do it for every birthday, but we do tend to put them together for special occasions. Such as weddings (totally just typed weedings).
Take a look at what they came up with for me! I love it!
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| Sorry for the glare! |
This was my first "Wedding Wednesday" post. I'm not sure if I will post more, but we'll see!
Do you like to scrapbook? I'm not a huge fan of it, but I do really enjoyed the finished product!
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