Past Turkey

Although there was lots of food and lots to be thankful for it just didn't feel like Thanksgiving this year.

Bret worked all day and I cooked all day. The kids and I made a trip into the hospital to have lunch with Bret and he got home about 7:30 and we enjoyed a fantastic dinner (made by yours truly). After dinner was had and dishes were done we were all feeling pretty wiped out and went to be early. Nothing too exciting.

It was just a quiet day and evening and it felt no different than any other day when Bret was working and I was home with the kids. Maybe because Bret and I are used to large family gatherings it felt very very strange. I have learned that if Bret works this holiday again I will definitely be putting more effort into inviting other people over for dinner. I learned that if I'm going to spend all that time cooking and there are is more than enough it is better to have people to share it all with.

Black Friday was pretty uneventful for me this year. I got everything I wanted and the only thing really different this year was how long it took me to recover that day. Let's just say that I was very thankful for the kids being content watching videos for most of the day as mommy laid on the couch and doze in and out. The good news is that I am well on way towards being done with my Christmas shopping.

Thankful

In between the homesickness that is bound to come with spending the holidays away from family and the mixed feelings about turning a year older today is the voice that reminds me I have so much to be thankful for this year.

My husband and kids are amazing. They make me laugh everyday and are my greatest treasures. Emily told me yesterday that she was really sorry but she couldn't come to my birthday today because she had her Thanksgiving feast at school. The relief on her face when I told her that I was working made it hard not to laugh out loud. She then reassured me that we would have my birthday after school.

I am almost 35 weeks pregnant and I have no complaints. It has (knock on wood) been the easiest and smoothest pregnancy so far. My weight gain (9 lbs), blood pressure, and blood sugar have all been perfect. I have had NO swelling and I feel great. I am amazed everyday at how quickly the pregnancy has gone so far and how soon the baby will be here.

My job. I liked my job before but with the new opportunity to work part time from home it is like an answered prayer. While it will be rocky at first I am confident that we will all be very happy with the new arrangement.

All of us have managed to stay healthy so far this year and for that I am very grateful.

We have enough. By no means are we rolling in dough but we have enough. We have enough to provide well for our children and I am grateful everyday for that.

I hope you all have the best holiday and I am thankful for all of you too!

Not english majors

Last night was our second evening of resident candidate dinner. It was a smaller group and they all seemed very nice. No one stood out as a definite no (aka someone who doesn't speak the entire night).

Today Bret was one of the people actually interviewing candidates so he wanted some help going through the personal statements, CV's, and working on interview questions.

I clearly remember how much time Bret and I spent working on his application and personal statement. We wrote and rewrote. We listed every activity, award, and community service participation we could think of. We spent hours pouring over everything to make sure that it was as close to perfect as we could get it with the belief that every little detail would be scrutinized.

As a financial aid counselor I would say that I have read hundreds of scholarship essays and admission essays. Like the personal statements that the candidates wrote there are a few that always stick out the most.

#1. Spelling & grammar errors-Even the worst writer can prevent these mistakes. How hard is it to have someone else read it and look over it? I can't tell you how many scholarship applications I read where the student forgot to change what school they were applying to and had the wrong name written.

#2. Introduction- Starting with...My name is... is not an introduction. Some of the best essays I have ever read stood out mostly because of how good their intro was. A story, a quote, something to grab the readers attention.

#3. Flow- It is really hard to read an essay that jumps from one topic to something completely unrelated without some sort of transition.

#4. Answer the question- If the topic of the essay is why you want to go to a certain school, or what you hope to accomplish, or what your greatest achievement is then make sure you tell us what the answer is. For resident personal statements the questions to answer are usually why that specialty, why that program, and why you are a good candidate.

#5. Personal Tragedy used correctly- I have read LOTS of essays that mention some sort of personal tragedy. This may be the death of a loved one, a disability or obstacle overcame, or many other tragic events. IF you decide to mention this tragedy be sure to make it fit in your essay. While it may be terribly sad if it doesn't somehow help you answer the question then it feels out of place. Not to say that mentioned how the loss or overcoming the challenge has some how helped you is bad...it just needs to fit and feel in place not awkward.

Like I said I'm no expert in writing. I can tell you a good essay from a bad one and it is amazing how many times I see the same mistakes over and over again. It's like a musician listening to an off key song....it hurts to read sometimes.

It's Official

Today I technically resigned. I handed over my letter of resignation and it was no surprise to my boss, her boss, HR, or even the president. This is because for the last few months we have been working on a proposal that I submitted. One that would allow me to work part time from home. While at first I was very nervous about even submitting the idea I now have realized how great of an opportunity this was for my department and division.

By moving me into a part time from home position (aka no health benefits and a slight pay cut) my VP can now add a new full time position that he had been begging for for years. It's a win win situation. I have never really needed the health benefits that my college offers but was forced to take them b/c Bret's job has a policy that if you are offered benefits at your employer you are not eligible for theirs. It actually will save us money because with the addition of a new baby we would have been paying for family benefits and my benefits separately. Now we will just pay family at Bret's work.

The other great part of this proposal is that I get to work part time from home. That means the kids will be home with me and we won't have to pay for daycare. Even though I am taking a small pay cut I will actually be making more money since we won't have daycare expenses.

The reason I had to submit my resignation is because they want it to take effect immediately upon my return from maternity leave. By resigning my current position (giving the duration of my maternity leave as notice) they can fill my position and not have to hire temporary help while I am out. Again...win!

I have to be honest I am still pretty overwhelmed. Everything has happened really fast and part of me is stressed about everything working out too perfectly. Not to mention the adjustment to having three kids at home and trying to work too. Bret and I have spent a lot of time talking about plans on how to get a schedule and routine going, where to go for help (ie hiring a babysitter a few days a week), etc. March through May should be an adjustment but the thought of being able to take my kids to the pool this summer, and to and from school in the fall is enough to keep me motivated to make this work.

I believe I am more nervous about this transition than I am about the baby coming. At least with the baby I know what to expect. The good news about this whole thing is that I have some options. With the extra money we are saving I can look at things like summer camps for the kids and part time help at home. Daycare is so expensive that even programs or a babysitter a few times a week is still cheaper by a long ways.

We have always had faith that everything would work out in God's plan. What is actually going to happen has worked out better than we could have ever imagined so far. We have faith that it will continue to work out fantastic albeit it won't be easy at first. Talk about something to be thankful for.

What's for dinner?

Since my oldest child is only 5 I thought it would be a while before someone besides my husband would start asking me daily "what's for dinner". I was wrong.

This week like everyone else I have a ton of cooking for the big holiday looming over my head which makes the next few days dinner seem like even more work. At our house the staples for nights when time and energy are lacking are goulash, breakfast for dinner, PB & J w/baked mac n'cheese, or stromboli.

Last night we had stromboli as it is by far Bret and the kids' favorite last minute dinner. I got this recipe from a neighbor a few years ago and I thought I would share the wealth. Sorry for the lack of pictures to go with but this is not a cooking blog :)

Ingredients:

1 loaf of frozen bread dough (I use Rhodes)
*various sliced lunch meat and cheese
pizza sauce for dipping

*We usually use ham, pastromi, and pepperoni and whatever other type of lunch meat we might have on hand. For cheese our favorites are provlone and monzerella.

Defrost the bread dough according to directions on the package. If it is a week day I usually put it in a sprayed bread pan covered with suran wrap the night before in the fridge. When I get home I preheat the oven and put the dough on top of the stove to let it warm up and rise a little before working with it since I am gone to work all day. Spread dough out on a sprayed cookie sheet. Layer your meat and cheese. Pull sides together and pinch to close. Bake according to bread directions with the seam down. Slice and dip in pizza sauce or ranch. Serve with a salad (bag salad is used at our house). Whala...diner is done in 30 minutes (including prep and cooking time)!

So it begins

There are many, my husband included, that believes it is a forbidden act to do anything Christamsish until after Thanksgiving. That said I quietly respect his wishes and put the tree up on the Friday after Thanksgiving and keep all decorations in their storage bins waiting to come out.

The one exception to this rule is music. I LOVE Christmas music..all of it. Since I listen to music most often when Bret is not around (ie at work and in my car) I can start it when I please. I remember one year I was driving to work the week before Thanksgiving and I almost yelled out loud I was so happy to hear that they had begun their Christmas music all the time early that year.

So today during lunch I was watching Grey's Anatomy and during parts of it they played some Christmas music. Well, that was all it took for me. I have created my Pandora station to play Christmas music starting this afternoon and it will probably play until I leave to have a baby (yes that would be after Christmas even).

For me the music is more than the season it celebrates. It is the memories that stirs with each song. I remember family holidays, fun times with my children, memories from when I was a child. For example everytime I hear Blue Christmas by Elvis I remember Bret. When we were first dating we were in the hot tub at my parents' house and it was snowing outside. For some crazy reason Bret and I started singing Christmas songs together. I remember that when he sang Blue Christmas I loved how much he got into the Elvis thing.

When I hear Oh Holy Night I think of my grandmother. No matter how many times she heard that song over the course of her life she always cried. I always cry too. These days seeing me cry is not an unusual occurrence. I cried during Glee the other night and it wasn't even that sad. The hormones see to be getting increasingly worse.

So if one you happens to walk by my office and see me listening to Christmas music with a tissue dabbing my swollen eyes...please just keep walking..I'm fine.

Adriana

When Bret and I got married I never thought twice about taking his name. Partly cause I'm old fashioned that way and partly b/c his name and mine both started with H and it sounded awful hyphenated. As the years have gone by I have slowly started to realize I took on something else...a new role. His wife. To a lot of people I am simply known as "Bret's wife" or "Dr. Heskett's wife" or even "Mrs. Heskett".

Now that Emily and Palmer are getting older I am finding more and more often that I am identified and recognized by the fact that I am their mom. Children, parents, and even teachers identify me as "Emily's mom" or "Palmer's mom". Complete strangers come up to me because their child is in one of my kid's class at school or they had soccer with Emily or took swim lessons with Palmer.

These roles that I play are part of who I am. I identify myself as a wife and mom. The secretaries and nurses know me as the person who gets things done in Bret's life. The people at the kids' school know me as an active member of the PTA and the kids' classrooms.

It's not just people outside of our family but my family itself. Bret sees me as his wife and the mother of his children. To my kids I am mommy. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't change this for the world. I love being a mom and I love being Bret's life partner. I am a better person because of them and who they have made me become.

But.

Somewhere deep inside is still Adriana. Not the wife or mom but Adriana. The woman who cries at movies, loves to read, gets wrapped up into TV shows, can spend an entire day baking or shopping, who could eat a hamburger and french fries everyday and not get tired of it, loves to write, who is overly sensitive and dramatic, who has a perfect driving record, loves to travel, who used to go to the bars with girlfriends at least once a week in college, who won a tequila shot contest (22 shots), who went to Beastie Boy concerts, and is passionate about living life.

Some of these things have changed and some have not but either way they too are a part of who I am. This person that is separate from her husband and children often times gets forgotten. There is one day where I refuse to let this happen. My birthday.

Next week I turn 29. 29. YIKES!! I don't think 29 is old. It does, however, make me realize I'm getting older. I remember hearing people say that their kids keep them young. In way I would agree. Bret and I got married young and started our family young. At 29 I am expecting our third child. My oldest will graduate from high school when I am 45...not to bad.

So this year for my birthday Bret is taking me to a fun restaurant down by Philly with a few friends. The restaurant, The Melting Pot, is a fondue restaurant which I love (and Bret is not that crazy about). We are getting a babysitter and going to enjoy the evening with adults. A tiny part of me feels bad about spending my birthday away from my kids or at a place that Bret isn't crazy about and then I remind myself that "hello, it's my birthday".

Birthdays are the one day that you can celebrate yourself. Who you are, what you have accomplished, and what you want to accomplish. For most mom's it the one day out of their (besides Mother's day) where you can put a little more focus on yourself than the rest of your family. I am very blessed to have a husband and children who understand and celebrate that with me.

Good Luck

This week began the marathon of resident dinners. This year Bret's program are interviewing 70 candidates on 7 days for 4 spots. The night before each interview day the residents invite the candidates out for a casual dinner. We take the kids, we answer questions about the program, the attendings, the area, etc, and we get an opportunity to know them as well.

It's funny but even though I'm not a candidate I know a lot about the programs. I also worked in HR at the hospital so I know a lot about the hospital benefits, how the education expense fund works, vacation/holiday time, the apartments that the hospital owns, etc, etc. Probably most importantly is that I can remember more about the candidates than Bret can. Even just talking about the ones we talked to and liked helps him put a face to a name to a personality. As we are entering the second half of his third year I have to admit that I am thrilled to be getting much closer to the end then these poor soon to be interns. They will survive and it is sort of a rite of passage.

At the end of the night when they are thanking all of us I always think to myself "good luck" cause in a lot of ways it is luck that helps to match these candidates to the right program and vice a versa.

Daily Sheets

At the kids' daycare the younger kids get something called daily sheets. Essentially it's the teacher's way of communicating to the parents information about the child's day. It tells you what activities were done, when the child was changed or went on the potty chair (and if there were any accidents), when they took their nap, what was eaten and how much, etc. Teachers also can use this sheet to say things like "Palmer had a really good day" or "Palmer seemed to cough a lot all day".

Last night when I picked up the kids I was a little surprised by the note left by Palmer's teacher. It read: "Palmer had a really hard time listening today. This is very unusual for him. I am concerned. Do you have any ideas why? Maybe the baby coming so soon is starting to effect him. We should talk about this."

The teachers work shifted hours so they are not always around for pick up and drop off. I was glad she was not there cause I was literally at a loss and didn't know what to say. I guess to start with it really surprised me because this was the first time I had ANYTHING indicated that Palmer was anything but his usual cheerful and sweet self. I looked back at all of his daily sheets from last week and there was nothing but positive notes saying how well he had been doing. I guess I feel like it was a little premature to assume that something was wrong just cause the kid had a bad day. Maybe he didn't sleep well after the long weekend or maybe he was coming down with something. I can understand concern after a pattern of unusual behavior after a few days at least but one day?

I am also at a loss about the whole baby thing. Palmer is not yet three and seems to be completely unaware that a baby is coming. Even when we were pregnant with Palmer Emily never really understood or cared about what was going on until after the baby was born. Palmer has a sister already and is used to sharing everything (from toys to his parents) already. I don't think its an issue and definitely not something I'm concerned about.

So today is our prescheduled parent teacher meeting. My goal is to bite my tongue. It is not new news at our house that I am not a big fan of Palmer's teacher. Luckily we have managed to fly under the radar as far as confrontation with her goes cause Palmer has never gotten in "trouble". On the other hand several other parents have told me stories that I guarantee you if it was my kid we would be in the director's office pronto.

At the end of the day I feel pretty confident that I know my kid. I know when something is going on and one bad Monday is not indicative of a problem. I just hope to get through the meeting without it getting tense. LOL who knew the drama that comes with daycare.

Let It Snow!

Everytime I glance at the date on the calendar I gasp. It just doesn't feel possible that it is the middle of November. Thanksgiving is just a mere few weeks away. Christmas and baby will be here so soon. I was thinking about this yesterday as I was playing outside with the kids and it hit me. I think part of the reason I am still in denial about what time of year it is was because the kids and I were running around outside with no coats on. It was about 70 degrees out yesterday and just gorgeous. This is not November weather! Even for our part of PA 70 degrees is pretty rare in the middle of November. For Kansas though, it's even more unheard of.

Bret's parents said that yesterday it was snowing. All over facebook the status' of friends and family from back home is that snow is everywhere. It's not just the snow but the wind, and the freezing cold temperatures. It is by all measurements winter back home. Here it is still hanging on to fall for just a few more weeks.

Don't get me wrong..I'm not complaining. I enjoy the mild PA weather all year long. I don't miss the hats, gloves, scarves, ice, snow, sleet, and temperatures so cold that you will literally freeze if you stay outside for more than a run to the car amount of time. However, I think subconsciously I'm having a hard time accepting that the holidays are upon us and that the baby will be here in a mere 7 weeks (at most hopefully) because it doesn't "feel" like that time of year yet.

Fighting

To get married in the Catholic church Bret and I were required to go through premarital courses. This included a weekend retreat, 3 one hour sessions with a certified marital counselor/therapist, a course on natural family planning, and a class on marriage the sacrament with the priest. Sounds like a lot huh? I guess realizing the divorce rate being what it is the Catholic church felt it imperative to spend some time working to prepare us for marriage.

Honestly we didn't mind it. Kind of like taking child birthing classes before you have your first baby it was just considered part of the process. Looking back I also have to admit that we learned a lot and have used a lot of what we learned in the years since.

Out of all of the different parts of what we did the sessions with the marital counselor probably stuck with us the most. We talked about money, having children, being parents, our own families and parents, and most importantly for us we talked about how to fight. We had never really thought about fighting before this session. We fought. Everyone fights. Our parents fought, we fought with our parents, roommates, siblings, it was destined that if you spend the rest of your life with someone you were bound to fight.

The counselor even surprised us to say that fighting was healthy as long as you fought fair. Rules to fighting with your spouse? Huh.

The first thing that the counselor did was hand each of us a printed list of the most typical types of responses when met with confrontation. We were then asked to check off the things that our partner did when fighting. Here is what we pretty much narrowed it down to Bret- immediate defense/walls and sarcasm. When you approach Bret about anything he tends to become very defensive...immediately. He puts up this wall and gears himself for attack. He allows no room to talk about things...it's game on immediately. Bret also tends to use sarcasm a lot. When I talk to him about something he makes me feel like I'm being overly dramatic and am exaggerating everything. I feel blown off without him even realizing it.

Adriana- Prerecords conversations and arguments and goes for the jugular. When something is bothering me I spend a lot of time thinking about how to best approach Bret. I think "I'm going to say this, and he will respond by saying this, and the result will be this". The problem is that when the conversation doesn't go that way it derails me. Bret feels like he can't win or say the right thing no matter what he says. I also tend to go for the jugular. From a very early age I got picked on a lot. Not one for physical fights I used words as my weapons. Which means that without realizing (OK sometimes I realize it) I try and find the one thing that I can say that will hurt the person I am fighting with most.

It's amazing how just realizing what it is that you tend to do during your fights and what your partner does helps. Most of the time Bret and I fight fair. We don't fight very often and when we do it's a big blow out that we both get past almost immediately. I love that about us. I know that when we fight that's all it is...it's just a fight. We lick our wounds, apologize, and figure out what is really beneath the fighting.

There has been a lot of stress in our home lately. Bret is on a tough rotation, I'm 33 weeks pregnant, and we are getting ready to make some major changes in our lives (which makes having a new baby seem like no big deal in comparison). Last night we fought, we talked, and we made up. Both of us woke up a little lighter on the stress level this morning which makes for a great weekend.

Zhu what?

Every year there is "the" toy of the year. You know the one that stores can't keep on the shelves. The toy that parents all over stand in line (on days other than Black Friday) for new shipments with the hope that they will score "the toy that their child must have or will die". When I was a child the toy I remember most was the Cabbage Patch doll. Everyone wanted one and they were impossible to find.

A few years ago it was the Tickle me Elmo doll. Even the Wii was impossible to find one year. So this year the toy that everyone is talking about is called the Zhu Zhu pet. WTH? I apparently missed the boat on this one this year cause several moms that I know landed their child's Zhu Zhu pet a few months ago before word really got out how hot of an item they were going to be. These pets are toy hamsters that can move. They can run in an exercise ball or through mazes. The best part is that they don't stink, need to be fed, and of course their cages never need changing. To be honest they really do look pretty neat and the price isn't too bad either ($8.99 for the hamster and $15-$40 for the accessories like the fun house).

Except that now no store has them in stock. Not online or in the stores. People are going nuts over the whole thing and of course they are now showing up on ebay for $40 a hamster and up to $200 for the fun house. Crazy. Needless to say we have been gearing Emily away from the hamster for this Christmas.

We have talked that maybe after Christmas she could use some of her money she has been saving and go pick out one herself. We have even talked about waiting until her birthday when it is much warmer. That's not to say I'm not still trying. I know a guy who knows a guy...lol. Actually the best sources are people who actually work at Walmart, Target, etc. I have put a few feelers out and if we get one great...if not Emily is not expecting one. Instead we have focused her wish list on other things that she has been wanting for a while now (and things that are in our price range and that she is very likely to get). Bret gives me a hard time for getting her excitement up over things I'm pretty sure she is going to get but I figure why not while I still can. Eventually I will have no influence or say in what she asks for (of course I will always have say in what she gets). So if you know where I can get a Zhu Zhu pet let me know but realize that I'm not going to pay any more than the retail price.

Every now and then I get a glimpse of why some people dread Christmas shopping but then I shrug it off and smile.

Feast for Four and half

It goes without saying that holidays are the hardest part of living so far from home and family. We have been pretty lucky so far in that we have either had family in town or made it home for most of the major holidays or at least shortly after. Not so this year.

Bret is scheduled to work Thanksgiving and none of our family could make it out this year. Although I'm a little disheartened I am determined to still have a wonderful holiday with just Bret and the kids. The cooking doesn't intimidate me. I love to cook and there is something comforting in making the recipes that our families all make too. I will be scaling back what all is made just a little (even I have a few limits at 35 weeks pregnant..lol).

It feels weird though trying to pair down what will be made. Bret and the kids love sweet potatoes and I don't. At least since I will be doing all of the cooking I can choose to add something that I want. We will have one pie (pumpkin...we voted), homemade rolls, turkey, stuffing, and various vegetables and sides.

Food aside it will still be strange to spend the day at home with the kids by myself. We plan to make a trip into the hospital early in the day to spend some time with Bret. The kids will still do their Thanksgiving Day craft (last year we made turkey headbands and the year before turkey place cards). We will still eat until we can't breath and have leftovers for days. We will call and wish family members a blessed day. Most importantly we will thank the Lord for all of the many blessings in our lives.

Veteran's Day

Bret and I consider ourselves to be patriotic people. Although neither of us are military people many members of our family are. Several of our uncles are Vietnam vets (some came home some didn't), cousins are Iraq veterans, and some of our older great uncles were WWII and Korean war veterans. Many of our friends are military and we see first hand the sacrifices they and their families make during their stays overseas.

We believe that our country is safer because men and women serve in our armed forces. Regardless of your political stance on the wars themselves our feelings towards the men and women who serve should not waiver. So today I say thank you to our veterans, that you will never be forgotten, and that those who have died have not done so in vain. Our country owes you a great debt.

Fillers

One of our family traditions when it comes to Christmas gifts is the small everyday type things that are wrapped. Bret's family considers these things "stocking" gifts and my in family it's just one more thing to open.

Believe it or not but these are my favorite things to buy. Purchasing these gifts always fell to my mom and MIL and I too now purchase these for my family. I also usually pick up a few of these things for mom and MIL since they usually had to buy a few themselves. If I see something that I really want that falls into this category I will pick up a few for myself to wrap or write a few ideas down for Bret. It's really fun to see what he comes up with himself though. It's almost like these little everyday things sometimes takes more thought than any of the other gifts.

For the kids these things usually consist of a new fun toothbrush or paste, bubble bath, candy, fun socks or underwear, a pair of earrings or new hair ties for Emily, gloves or hat for Palmer. They are inexpensive (usually found on Black Friday), practical, and fun. For the adults (Bret, I, or parents) they are things like socks, hand warmers for hunting, chocolate, small things for the kitchen (like a fun pot scrubber), good tea or hot cocoa, and other favorite things (Bret's mom loves a certain cereal that is hard to find). It's not about the number of gifts but it is really fun to have a few extra small things to open and get.

My mom works at a large department store and is infamous at getting amazing discounts. Last year she got my sister and I 800 thread count pillow cases. They were in some interesting colors but they were wonderful (and she got them for less than a dollar after her discount). Who doesn't need a few extra pillow cases every now and then especially when you have guests (we don't have a guest bedroom so there is no matching set of sheets to worry about). She also got us some random table cloths that are always nice to have. Of course she works in the men's department so she always has dress socks, ties, undershirts, etc that she picks up through out the year when she sees them marked down.

I will be the first to tell you that while gifts are not the point of the holidays they are still fun and I love it. Even the little things.

Time Flyin'

Is anyone else starting to feel like the holiday season is quickly approaching? Almost too quickly? I was looking at the calendar this morning and about died when I realized that's it's the 9th of November...already. Thanksgiving will be here in only a few short weeks (and my birthday), then Christmas, and then baby. Whew!

I haven't decided how I feel about it yet but the holidays will be pretty low key for us this year. Bret is working Thanksgiving Day and we have no family coming into town. Although I still plan on having a fun brunch for us at the hospital and a late dinner there are no plans for the marathon cooking for 15 people this year. Instead we will minimize our dinner (as much as you really can with a Thanksgiving feast) and take it pretty easy. Cause you know...I have to save some energy for my Friday shopping.

My sister is coming to town for a few days before Christmas and I can't wait. I think for once I am actually more excited to see her than my kids are. We have great plans for holiday baking while she is in town. There is a part of me that feels terribly homesick. Not just for us to be home but for us to be around family. That is what our holidays have always centered around and it feels very strange to be missing that piece this year. We won't see my parents until the middle of January so unlike the previous years when we weren't home for the holidays it won't even be close. On the other hand family can be exhausting. No matter how good of a guest you have they are still guests and knowing that it will just be us for Thanksgiving and Christmas takes a little of the pressure off. I am thankful that my kids are at an age where they enjoy the holidays so much that we enjoy it too.

Besides the baby coming around the first of the year there are a lot of changes coming our way. I feel like we are experiencing the calm before the storm and although I know we are doing everything we can/should to prepare for it all. It's the things you can't prepare for that have me worried.

Sweet Baby

So one of the few things that I knew that I was going to need for this baby was a new diaper bag. Realizing that I wasn't getting a whole lot of new things I decided to splurge just a little. After checking out some of the pricey boutiques and of course the newest Vera Bradley selection I decided that I wanted something more unique. So of course I hit etsy.

Here I met Jenna from Sweet Baby Creations. I liked her bundles that included the diaper bag, matching burp clothes, a diaper clutch, and nursing cover (with drawstring bag). I also wanted a changing pad and wasn't in love with any of the fabrics that she had listed. So much to my delight we began the process of picking out fabrics. One of her listings included a brown corduroy bag with bright prints inside. I loved the brown. I was amazed at how much fabric there is out there and at first it was a little over whelming. Jenna was patient and sent me a lot of ideas to choose from when I found two prints that I just loved.

Last night my package arrived and it felt like Christmas. I LOVE it and am amazed that it was hand made. Even Bret liked it which was a relief cause you know he would carry it if it was to "feminine" or anything. I was too tired last night to get pictures of it but will be sure to post some over the weekend. Not only do I love my one of a kind diaper bag and accessories but I love that I was supporting a mom and her own business too. Check out Jenna's shop and be sure to tell her that I sent you.

Hand me downs

Emily was the first grandchild on both sides of our family. Bret's extended family on his dad's side also has very few small children and lots of aunts and uncles that love to spoil small children. I have mentioned before that my mom works in a department store. Add on top of that three baby showers and you have a recipe for LOTS of baby clothes.

When we first moved from KS to PA I sold a lot of her baby clothes. Palmer had just been born and Bret was adamant that we were not going to haul four large tubs of clothes with us to PA. Although I was a hormonal mess his promise that by the time we had another baby girl we would want to purchase new clothes anyways. So I sorted out my favorite outfits and sold most everything else. My favorite outfits only took up about two tubs instead of four.

Shortly after we moved to PA we met new friends that had a baby girl. Thinking about all of the clothes that were just sitting in storage I asked if they wanted any hand me downs and they eagerly accepted. I loved the fact that Emily's clothes would be used and not just sitting. It eased the guilt of lugging it all with us and the fact that she had so much. What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed seeing Em's clothes on this other child. I had forgotten some of my favorite outfits and seeing them again was a reminder of lots of memories. I still give hand me downs to people and everytime I see a new outfit on them it makes me smile. It has been over five years since I have seen some of these clothes and it reminds me of when Emily was a baby. The best part is that little baby girls are pretty easy on clothes. Albeit there will be new stains here and there but overall they are all still in pretty good shape.

As we prepare for our third child I wonder if those baby girl clothes will be used again in our house. Although we don't know what the sex of our baby is both Bret and I think it is probably a baby boy. My solace is that even if it is a baby boy at least other baby girls are getting to be dressed up in the fancy dresses, hats, shoes, etc that Emily once wore. A new baby boy will still have hand me downs from Palmer but nothing in comparison to what Emily had. The bright side is that I can always go out and buy a few new things for a baby boy and not feel like we already have so much.

Trade ya!

I was talking to my sister on my way home from work and I asked her what she was doing. To my surprise she told me that she was grocery shopping for a friend. What? Is your friend sick or something? Her reply was no she wasn't sick she just hated grocery shopping. My sister on the other hand loves to grocery shop. While at first I thought "wow, you need more to do in life" it got me thinking.

There are definitely household chores that I loath. On the other hand there are some chores that I don't mind at all...in fact you could say that I tend to enjoy. What if I were part of a close group of friends and we traded the chores we didn't like for ones that we did.

So here is the list of chores that I don't like to do: laundry, ironing, cleaning the bath tub, cleaning out the fridge, and sweeping/scrubbing the kitchen floor.

On the other hand here are the chores that I really enjoy: cooking, surface cleaning (vacuuming, dusting, picking up clutter), gift shopping, anything for the kids' school activities (party treats, costumes, etc).

My mom is an ideal candidate for this swapping idea. She loves to do laundry and lives to iron. When she comes to stay with Bret and I she actually pulls clean clothes out of the closet to iron them (you know like Bret's dress shirts or slacks that I hang directly out of the dryer and Emily's dresses that have never been pressed...ever). She is also a very impressive folder. She can fold sheets so perfect you think they came right out of a package. Last time she stayed with us she completely refolded and organized my entire linen closet. When you look at it now you can tell exactly what has been used since she left and what hasn't by how it's folded. On the other hand my mom is not much for cooking or anything crafty. Growing up we had the same handful of meals rotated (meatloaf, spaghetti, pork chops w/ potatoes, etc). She loathes cooking and she hates baking even more. It's just not her thing. She loves coming to stay with me cause she loves my cooking. Just think of the possibilities!!

So in this ideal world of mine what chores would you love to give up and what would you be happy to do for something else in return?

Lists

In our family it is hit or miss as to whether or not people tell you what they want for their birthday or Christmas. My husband is the worst in that he can never think of anything that he wants. Luckily after 10 years I'm pretty good at giving people ideas and hiding a couple for my self. I usually ask but also try and keep a mental list going of things that I notice they might be able to use or would want.

Living so far from our family has made this incredibly more challenging. We don't go to my mom's house for dinner anymore and my sister and I only get to shop/browse together once a year at best. These little moments to take mental note of things they might really want are so rare now. I know that it's the same for them. They don't see Emily and Palmer all the time so they don't know how obsessed with dinosaurs and cars Palmer is. Or what the latest Emily phase is either. So the need to communicate these things have become pretty important. That's not to say that surprises aren't possible. I can walk in to any store and still pick out something that I'm pretty sure my sister would just love. I'm also sure that my MIL could pick up a toy for Palmer or shirt for Emily that both would just adore.

So I'm just curious if other people actually ask for what they want for their birthday's and Christmas, do you just leave subtle hints, or do you just leave them to their own bidding? Is it still fun to get a present you asked for?

Mary Poppins & The Firefighter

We survived Halloween. I should say...I survived Halloween and the kids loved it. Friday was busy with school parties and parades. Saturday we had a few people over and took the kids trick or treating. The weather held out only for a short period but with our two small children it was more than fine.

When I condensed all of their candy (from parties, trick or treating, etc) we had a gallon freezer bag so full it wouldn't close. The thing that struck me the most this year was how much each of my kids loved their costumes. This was Palmer's first year of really understanding that he was a "fireman" and he loved every minute of it. He was more concerned about holding on to his fire extinguisher water gun than his bucket of candy. Emily loved being Mary Poppins. Always one for compliments she got more than her fair shared and asked by strangers for pictures and where we got her accessories. Special kudos to her grandmother (MIL) for helping find the most important carpet bag and hat. They really made the costume.