I've recently had a few discussions with various women in my life regarding my life, home & work balance. Women are often amazed at how I am able to "get away" for a coffee, glass of wine, run, shop etc.... I have to admit that at times I do let that bastard "guilt" get the better of me, but most of the time I am thrilled with the balance in my life. We also happen to have a tremendous amount of support from both families and they are for the most part located close by.
This all starts back to my childhood when I can remember spending many weekends with my grandmother and aunt who lived together at the time. They provided a 180 degree environmental switch for me and gave my parents time to decompress and just enjoy life. I valued the time I had with them and looked forward to spending time with them! We shopped at "expensive" stores, watched lots of "Golden Girls" episodes, read books, cooked and generally laughed a lot!
Later on in life, I began to connect with my father's family and would spend the day talking politics, sociology (I didn't realize this at the time), psychology, finance and history. Some of the richest conversations I have ever had come from my "beekeepers".
Jump forward to when James & I first started dating.. One of the first things we discussed as a serious couple was politics and when and IF we wanted children. Fortunately we were on the same page with both. One of the other things that I wanted was to have conversations that involved how we would raise our children and the expectations of each of us. We agreed that child rearing in ALL aspects belongs to both parents on an equal basis.
As I've entered my second year of parenthood, I've come to realize that my philosophy of needing to commit to MY needs as well as those of my children and husband is somewhat rare for varying reasons. I do consider myself a feminist and have always been perplexed by traditional female and male roles within families and try to sway from them. For instance, it's just as important for me to be able to fix a dryer as it is James be able to nurture my girls, albeit I don't have much background in fixing dryers. I become frustrated for my friends with children who never seem to be able to get a break. I realize that some people don't have many outlets or supports but I have a sneaking suspicion that for some people that ugly word "guilt" is the suspect.
Please don't get me wrong, I realize many mom's that I have come across choose to prioritize their lives in different ways.. I respect that and I'm happy for those who get to live their dreams!
Listen up moms of children and animals: You are all outstanding women with the ability to build an empire... I ask you not to forget about yourselves because you deserve the best in life! I admire all of you and can say that I am a better person for knowing each and every one of you.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Always a story
We just experienced round two of ear and eye tests for Adele within two days. Doctors appointments are becoming a way of life around here...
Fortunately, Adele has no issues with her eyes at this point.. We can check this off the list.
As for her ears, it goes something like this....Her ear canals have grown substantially since July and the ENT was able to get a good look inside. Adele does have fluid in both ears and is still presenting with a hearing loss. She removed some wax from her left ear as well. The plan is to get "tiny titan" tubes placed in her ears ASAP. Since she will already be under anesthesia, they will do another ABR hearing test immediately after the surgery to see if she still has a hearing loss. The ABR test definitively shows whether or not she still has the conductive loss after the fluid has been removed. If she does not have any hearing loss, Walla! If she still has a conductive loss, we'll take her in for a CT scan to determine if the bones in her middle ear are developed properly. Also, if she still has a hearing loss, she will be fitted with hearing aides. I'm happy that we have a plan and that something as easy as draining fluid out of her ears and inserting tubes will allow my child to hear and develop speech & language without those barriers!
We first met our ENT back in July when Adele failed her hearing test. She was the first doctor to suggest that Adele's hearing loss may be related to a syndrome. Though I was very happy she told us this, James and I were a little unimpressed with her general bedside manner. She appeared quite clinical and not very empathetic. Since July, she gave birth to a second daughter. During this visit, she told me that her two-month old daughter was born with some physical issues that may be related to a syndrome... Essentially she is in the throws of what we were going through 3 months ago.... I was extremely impressed with her new and improved bedside manner. She even went as far as to ask if she thought she was to harsh when breaking the news about Adele possibly having a syndrome! I told her that I didn't think she was too harsh, however I did mention that now she will be able to connect on an emotional level with her patients since she has been through the unknown! She thanked me for my honesty and wanted to know what I thought of Adele's geneticist. Warm and fuzzies for her now along with the staff that we are getting to know quite well!
It's Friday! Looking forward to a fun day visiting with my nieces tomorrow and a little R & R on Sunday (along with lesson planning and grading).
Fortunately, Adele has no issues with her eyes at this point.. We can check this off the list.
As for her ears, it goes something like this....Her ear canals have grown substantially since July and the ENT was able to get a good look inside. Adele does have fluid in both ears and is still presenting with a hearing loss. She removed some wax from her left ear as well. The plan is to get "tiny titan" tubes placed in her ears ASAP. Since she will already be under anesthesia, they will do another ABR hearing test immediately after the surgery to see if she still has a hearing loss. The ABR test definitively shows whether or not she still has the conductive loss after the fluid has been removed. If she does not have any hearing loss, Walla! If she still has a conductive loss, we'll take her in for a CT scan to determine if the bones in her middle ear are developed properly. Also, if she still has a hearing loss, she will be fitted with hearing aides. I'm happy that we have a plan and that something as easy as draining fluid out of her ears and inserting tubes will allow my child to hear and develop speech & language without those barriers!
We first met our ENT back in July when Adele failed her hearing test. She was the first doctor to suggest that Adele's hearing loss may be related to a syndrome. Though I was very happy she told us this, James and I were a little unimpressed with her general bedside manner. She appeared quite clinical and not very empathetic. Since July, she gave birth to a second daughter. During this visit, she told me that her two-month old daughter was born with some physical issues that may be related to a syndrome... Essentially she is in the throws of what we were going through 3 months ago.... I was extremely impressed with her new and improved bedside manner. She even went as far as to ask if she thought she was to harsh when breaking the news about Adele possibly having a syndrome! I told her that I didn't think she was too harsh, however I did mention that now she will be able to connect on an emotional level with her patients since she has been through the unknown! She thanked me for my honesty and wanted to know what I thought of Adele's geneticist. Warm and fuzzies for her now along with the staff that we are getting to know quite well!
It's Friday! Looking forward to a fun day visiting with my nieces tomorrow and a little R & R on Sunday (along with lesson planning and grading).
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Traditions
I am not much of commercial Christmas kind of person. I don't enjoy having to buy gifts for a million people and go into bankruptcy to do so.... I also don't feel that people should buy me gifts for Christmas. There are about a million other ways to celebrate family and friends, that's not one of my favorites.
So I got to thinking about why I even bother to decorate my house, a tree and attend parties related to Christmas; tradition. What I remember and value the most as a child is spending quality time with people I love. I can remember baking cookies with my mom and grandmas, going with my dad to choose the best Christmas Tree and going Christmas Carolling with my friends in Jr. High and High School.
That being said, my goal with Jade and Adele is to create traditions of our own not only for Christmas but other Holidays as well. I am looking forward to baking those cookies with the girls and when they get older, I would like us to volunteer as a family at a local soup kitchen. My hope is that when they get older, they remember and try to create traditions of there own.
So I got to thinking about why I even bother to decorate my house, a tree and attend parties related to Christmas; tradition. What I remember and value the most as a child is spending quality time with people I love. I can remember baking cookies with my mom and grandmas, going with my dad to choose the best Christmas Tree and going Christmas Carolling with my friends in Jr. High and High School.
That being said, my goal with Jade and Adele is to create traditions of our own not only for Christmas but other Holidays as well. I am looking forward to baking those cookies with the girls and when they get older, I would like us to volunteer as a family at a local soup kitchen. My hope is that when they get older, they remember and try to create traditions of there own.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Happy
This has been a week of many little things/events that have boosted my happy meter! Love when good choices pay off!
First slice of happy relates to my weight loss. I could not believe the scale Friday morning when it read that I lost 5 pounds this week!! I have been sticking to a 1200 calorie diet and tracking everything I eat and drink through myfitness pal which has become my best friend these days. I'm reminded that I can do this and know that it will take sometime but I'll get there.
Another slice of happy comes from our newest family members; two sets of African Dwarf Frogs! One set resides with us at home and the other set is in my classroom at school. Jade loves feeding our pair at home but we have yet to name them. After creating a poll on my Haiku page at school, our two little darlings were named Georgia and Otis. I love the positive reactions Georgia and Otis bring to my classroom and that I have something to focus on when I'm at my desk and need to decompress.
Last slice of happy comes with a weekend full of activities with family and friends from all parts of our world. It's energizing to be around those that love you and just what we needed!
First slice of happy relates to my weight loss. I could not believe the scale Friday morning when it read that I lost 5 pounds this week!! I have been sticking to a 1200 calorie diet and tracking everything I eat and drink through myfitness pal which has become my best friend these days. I'm reminded that I can do this and know that it will take sometime but I'll get there.
Another slice of happy comes from our newest family members; two sets of African Dwarf Frogs! One set resides with us at home and the other set is in my classroom at school. Jade loves feeding our pair at home but we have yet to name them. After creating a poll on my Haiku page at school, our two little darlings were named Georgia and Otis. I love the positive reactions Georgia and Otis bring to my classroom and that I have something to focus on when I'm at my desk and need to decompress.
Last slice of happy comes with a weekend full of activities with family and friends from all parts of our world. It's energizing to be around those that love you and just what we needed!
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