Motherhood and Poop Culture

    Do you ever wonder how they do it?  I sure do.   Dirty diapers, trips to the grocery store, cooking dinner, drinks with the girls... celebrities make motherhood look so easy.  Little man is 7 weeks away from his second birthday and he is out of control.  I am sure this is all normal I have seen it in other peoples kids, but I am realizing how delusional I am as a first time mother.  I used to believe that my kids would never do that, today my son was that kid.  You know the kid that people walk by and mummer under their breath that she needs to learn how to control her kid.   While my son is screaming at the top of his lungs resisting being buckled in to the shopping buggy after the second trip to the restroom for his second wardrobe change.  Throwing anything within his reach off the shelves and out of the buggy.   I am happy to report I did survive the Sunday trip to the market. 

     I don't know if it is just exhaustion, stress, and fatigue.  I am realizing how hard it is raising a kid while the village is under construction.  I really wish my parents lived closer now, it would be nice to let the little one go visit Nanalita for a while so I can get the house cleaned up or get some grocery shopping done without the aid of ear plugs.  I  feel like I should just stand in a closet to get a few minutes to put myself back together.  I hope I can survive my little mans temper tantrums, toy throwing, and a multitude of daredevil stunts.  I try to keep the in mind that boys will be boys.  In the mean time I will stick with prayers, patience, and penny pinching. 

 

The Save Money Challenge

I am in no way a saver I consider my self more of an uneconomical superstar. My solution to saving up to buy something out of my price range was to pick up an extra job or two. In my younger years any job opportunity that came my way I took. I watered and cleaned plants at a hotels and offices, I was a babysitter, a house sitter, I worked at a sandwich shop, I designed website graphics, I cleaned houses, I worked at a factory. I did what I had to do to get what I wanted. I didn't have very good financial role models growing up. I got my first credit card when I was in high school of course with out my parents knowledge. I maxed it out in no time. It did take me a while to really understand the the evils of credit cards as well to learn about a rubber checkbook. But I am now all grown up and responsible. No credit cards, and rarely use my checkbook.

I have tried my hand at couponing to save a few bucks. It was fun I may have been saving money but it got a little challenging to lug the "notebook" along with the diaper bag, the purse, and the toddler to the store. Often times, to find that some other couponer beat me to it and cleared the shelf. I know we waste a lot of food so I think I might start there. In most places in Europe they don't have the luxuries of the room for a large refrigerator. I am going to try to buy only what I am planning to cook. The grocery store is just down the street from my house. I am going to make an effort to keep track of my spending. I find it funny that there are all those recipes for dinners for 25 dollars however none of the ingredients are at my local shopping market. We will see about that.

My goal this year is to not over spend. To live in less than my means. I want to save. To take a trip, to have a lavish wedding. I have accomplished living within my means but in order to do the things I want, I need to learn to live less with in my means.

The First Fib of the Year.

Today is my mothers birthday, which I may have almost forgot in my teacher calendar mentality. (Confession#1)Yes, I suffer from selective amnesia during school break, I maybe just be trying to make myself feel better but I like to think all teachers disregard counting days and keeping time, when they are on Holiday. It's the one thing we hold on to dearly no numbers no responsibilities no time keeping no cleaning up after the OPKs. Just peace and quiet. (Confession#2) since I have had my little on my life has had a major deficiency of silence. So maybe I have just basked in a whole lot of peace over the past two weeks. Don't get me wrong i love my little on but to have a little one lurking out side of the bathroom door yelling at the top of his lungs "Where are you?" while you are trying to get your business done can feel a bit intimidating.

So sorry, (Confession#3) ADD kicks in and my mind wonders. My mothers birthday and the fib. I may have called her a day early not realizing the day, with the intention to wished her a happy birthday. (Confession#4) I get off track often when talking to my mother. The conversation proceeds and ends with no celebratory "Happy Birthday."

January 6th my moms birthday. Granted, I am not a my best today, being slightly under the weather my have something to do with it. Or it could just be that it is one of those lazy Sundays where you catch up on all the things you put off on Saturday. (Confession#5) I may have only washed the bathroom rugs and put laundry off for another day. Knowing my son is at the age of repeating what you say I may have called my mom just moments ago at 9:45pm hoping it was not one of the nights they are practicing senior sleep time. (Confession#6) I coheres my son to say "Happy Birthday" using the say it and he repeat it method. My mom overwhelmed with happiness I blurted out with no self control the fib. The little white lie. I told her "WE HAVE BEEN PRACTICING ALL DAY". (Confession#7) My lovely little family spent all day in bed watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And one trip to Sears to catch a good deal on a set of larger than life Soup Pots. A big thank you to GF#1 who posted her excitement about the biggest looser being on tonight did it click in my mind. (Confession#8) I let my one year old son stay up past nine.

Please Pass The Box of Tissues and NyQuil

I am pleased to announce I made it through 88% of my winter break with out getting sick. Unfortunately the 22% that I didn't make it through is these last two days. Serves me right, what good teacher would get sick during the school year. (And if my math is wrong do beat me up about it I am an Art teacher not a math teacher.) The funny thing about me being sick to day is not that I look like I am related to Rudolph Reindeer but I was so worried about not getting enough steps in for the day to be competitive with my +Fitbit buddy. The Mad Scientist that I work with convinced me to get a Fitbit. They are a little on the pricey side so it took a bit of saving to get me one. But now that I have one I am obsessed with it. It tells me how many times I go up the stairs, and how many steps I took and calories I burned. In other words its a fancy pedometer. I am so looking forward to going back to school and walking during my lunch Tim a putting the smack down on The Mad Scientist.

My GF#3 back in Ol San Antonio, lost 50+ pounds using the Nike band thing in one school year. I figured if she could do it so can I. LoL I have to laugh at my self I don't sound like a sick person even though I have mad a total of one trip up stairs to check on the little man while the big man went to get me some NyQuil and 376 steps from the bed to the kitchen, to the bathroom and back to bed. All I have to say is that I am the luckiest girl in the world to have such a wonderful man in my life to care for me when I am sick.

Making Motherhood Look Easy

I know all of us mothers have days like this, you know the days when the world is off its axis, the kids have been possessed by crazy chickens and the neighbor stops by in the middle of it all to confiscate you mother of the year trophy. It was my turn for that day. My husband has been on the night shift, and has taken to sleeping days, which means the rest of us have to tippy toe ever so silently around the house. Now that i am in to my second week of christmas vacation i am getting a little stir crazy. Due to circumstances beyond my control my little guy has decided that yesterday was the day to practice his talking at decibels no large urban city would consider appropriate.

I try to every thing i can to keep the natives quiet so the big man can sleep. I like him to have his sleep so he will be the congenial man I enjoy on his days off. So i decided to take a much needed trip to the grocery store. I had to grapple with the little man to get a fresh diaper and some pants socks and, shoes on. Now time to load up the MoMobile, get the earth friendly shopping bags in the car (check), get the little man strapped in to his executive chair make sure I have a bra on grab my purse and keys. I don't know if its just me... But it seems to be more of a challenge to get my self presentable for a public appearance on my days off than the days i have to work. The ladies in the Moms Club always seems so cool and put together when we meet up. Those days we get together I envy them and think how great it would be to have five kids and be a stay at home mom, I would have time to look posh and fit. I would have time to get a workout in. Those ladies must think I am a nut case. I have one kid and seem to constantly look disheveled every time we meet. I am hoping with practice one day I will make motherhood look easy.

The Characters in My Story: A Reference Page

I know I do not yet have followers, but one day I will.  Here is my +commitment to you. If you ask I shall respond. If you comment I will take it to consideration.   All are welcome to an +opinion since you are taking the time to consider mine.  For all of that I am  greatful.

To introduce you to my life so you know where I am coming from.  I like to consider myself a modern but modest, contemporary but independent an +educator, a +student to all i am a thinker a doer a skilled +artist who has many interest.  I guess that is what makes me such a great educator I am +overweight by more than I would like to mention.  I am not talking like 5 to ten pounds overweight its almost a three digit number.  I am a real person with real life issues. I am not rich but I am not poor, at least not yet. I live paycheck to paycheck.  I am an art teacher at a public school. A second generation American.  So in other words I have assimilated.  I am of  Spanish decent a daughter a sister a mother an aunt A Role Model.

To introduce you to the people in my story I will give you a bit of a description but to minimize the humiliation I will change their names to protect the innocent.  Lets start with my son he is my only child.  We will refer to him as little man.  He is a strong tall little guy who is just learning how to talk. He is at the stage of repeating everything we say.  Little man takes after his dad, my fiancé,  the love of my life.  We will refer to him as big man.   A little about my future husband he is from Nigeria. I met him four years ago.  We met off of one of those +dating websites.  Surprising we instantly were attracted to one another.  We quickly got engaged, but have run in to many financial complications to getting married.   (I will go in to that some time when I start blogging about planning my wedding. Hopefully my experience will help young couples on a budget who are trying to get married.)

Then there is my best girlfriends from back home in San Antonio.  We will refer to them as Las Three Amigas for my non +Spanglish speaking community that means the thee girlfriends.  GF#1 is my better than best who is getting +married in October (a little bride war drama between us), I am to be her maid of honor at her +wedding.  GF#2 is a labor an delivery nurse and as most would put it keeps it real. GF#3 was a big girl like me, but has recently lost a considerable amount of weight.  Then I have my Teacher friends here that I work with let's call them Ms. English, older set in her ways very old school manorisms, and not afraid to let us younger folk know how it should be.  Then we have the mad scientist and the super violinist. The mad scientist is my partner in crime she helps me keep it interesting at +school.

I will think of this post as a reference post for all to get acquainted with the characters in my story.  I welcome you all to ask questions, comment and post your thoughts. I will consider you my new +friends. An it will be a pleasure getting to know you.

Hello,

Chamomile is a flower that has been used for ages as medicinal teas and drugs. My grandmother used to crush and boil chamomile when I was little and give it to me to get over all the little bumps and bruises of life.  In my eyes as a young child it would solve everything.  I have chosen to begging blogging to share my lifes knowledge, experience, and inspirations in hopes to inspire and educate. Happy Blogging.