I hope you all got spoiled and fawned over on our big day.
I am thinking we could really use a mothers week next year, who's with me?
The kid and I spent the morning spoiling my mama, how cute are they?
I also got everything on my wish list. :) A new fleece (Hi I am an Oregonian, can you tell?) and some beautiful art created my the kid and the hubby (photos to follow). Who could ask for more.
Hope you all are enjoying your day!
XO Em
It might just be me, but I have noticed lately that whenever I have the kids with me I get really, really bad customer service. What is up with that?
I can see why a waiter would want to run screaming from a family with two young children - that I get, but in a retail/sales environment I really just don't understand it.
Why in the world would I schlep my two young children along, fight for parking, and bribe them to behave nicely if I wasn't intent on spending money in your store? And in both instances these have been specialty stores where it's not really common to just stroll around browsing - most of the customers are there to purchase specific specialty items. And most of the time when I go into either of these stores I am asked multiple times if I can be helped. Yet, when I was there with my kids I couldn't get the attention of a single sales person. And to make the situation even more annoying, people arriving after me were helped promptly. Damn, now that I think about it - did I shower that day? Hmmmm.... (kidding!)
Maybe customer service, in general, is a thing of the past. I don't know, but I went back to the same place days later without my children people were right there trying to get my business. I was helped right away and purchased what I needed with no hassle, no waiting.
Has this happened to anyone else? Have you noticed a difference in how you are treated with or without your kids in tow?
~Mama A
Poor guy, we swore that we'd never be those people who let their lives get so busy that their dog slides to the bottom of the totem pole. This is the first time I think I've ever shared him here, so you can see how well that went.
~Mama A.
And a lot more expensive.
After a year of working opposite shifts the husband and I are going to be on the same schedule. Back when I had bubby and had to go back to work earlier than I would have liked to (when he was only 8 weeks old) my husband quit his job to spend the summer home with the kids. It was wonderful, but we were really strapped.
Once Bubby was at an age where we felt a little more comfertable leaving him with someone else my husband went back to work. We decided working opposite shifts made sense for us at the time because the kids would still be spending the majority of the time with one of us, and we'd only have to put them in care for 3 hours a day, which was much easier on the finances than full time care for two kids.
We lucked out and found a fabulous mama to take care of the kidlets in the afternoons for the couple of hours our work schedules overlapped. It was exhausting on us both. I'd work all day and fly solo with the two of them in the evenings and Dad would do the same in the mornings and then work until late at night. Combined with kids that prefer not to sleep, or rather sleep with us, we were both running on empty most of the time.
Random kid pic, because I cant help myself. But you knew this.
But as of this week we got news that Dad is going to move to days, meaning we get to see each other more and actually spend our evenings together, making life so much easier on all of us. It also means that we will send Boo to preschool for two days a week which we've been wanting to do for a long time now.
We are so very excited, but also a little scared at the thought of putting both of them in full time care again. It's a tough call to make - deciding between never seeing each other but having the kids at home for the majority of the time and having them in care full time but being together as a family in the evenings.
This weekend we were all sitting down together to eat dinner and Boo looks up at us and exclaims "Look! We're eating just like a family!" And then I knew we had made the right decision.
Random again, but I couldn't post one and not the other. Now that wouldn't be fair, would it?
The new schedule hasn't started just yet, but it will soon. I'm so glad to get my husband back, even if it means a tighter budget.
~Mama A.
We have been so lazy busy these last few weeks and I have had no energy time to post. I feel like I've been neglecting my wee little corner of the web and am really hoping to get back into the swing of things here. For now though, you get an update. Wait, isn't that like all I ever do here?
So - big things are going on at our house. Yesterday Mr. Man took his first steps. He's done one step here and there but yesterday it was 3-4 steps between surfaces over and over again. It's the cutest. I'm still trying to capture it, but all I get right now are blurry shots.
I finished his 365 project. Like I said with the last one, it doesn't sounds like much work but it really is. I'm glad to be done but am also so glad that I took on the projects. I really think the 365 got me back into enjoying photography and learning about my new camera. It's really helped me practice and get better. I'm taking a small break and will be starting over with a new 365, though not focusing on the kids this time. I'm sure they'll be in there, just not each and every day.
Boo turned 3 a few weeks ago and I'm a horrible mom and didn't come and write her a Happy Birthday post like I usually like to do. It was a special day, and a series of parties which she enjoyed. We had our family party, the early with grandma and grandpa party and then her big pirate themed party (of course!) she had so much fun and talked about it for days. "Um, mama, how bout you sing me happy birthday again!"
It seems that from the second she turned three she's doing all sorts of new and amazing things and is just seeming so much older in general. Just yesterday she drew her first picture that was actually recognizable. What? Of course I took a picture of it.
Her dad is on the left - complete with ears (see those lines up there next to his head?) dots for knees, shoes, and a squiggly line shirt. Her and Bubby are sort of melting together in the middle and I'm on the right. She made a point of saying "biiiiig head for mama" (WTH?) and that's a banana at the top.
I was completely blown away. Just two days ago when we were drawing last it was all scribbles and circles. This just came out of nowhere. Crazy.
She's still just the most amazing big sister ever and does anything and everything to help her little brother, even offering to get him up from his nap (hoisting him out of his crib - I think not!) feeding him, and has decided to take it upon herself to help him learn to speak. She'll point out anything and everything to him and repeat the word over and over again. She's working on letter and sound recognition herself - last night I overheard this:
Bubby: uh dat (word for everything - what's that maybe?)
Boo: Dog. Dog, Bubby. Dog. Ssssss sssss ssss Dog.
Later
Bubby: uh dat
Boo: that's the TeeBee pppp pppp pppp TV. Kkkk kkkk kkkk Dad. bbbb bbbb bbbb Couch.
Of course, she was wrong every single time, but cute nontheless.
Ok, this is longer than I ever expected it to be so I'm wrapping up. In short: we're crazy busy as usual and I'm going to try and post more. Shut up, I mean it this time.
~Mama A
xo Mama Em
6:00 AM, Birthday morning. Rocker hair or bedhead? You decide.
Why, yes, we have lost our minds. Why do you ask?
~Mama A
you got off your ass and asked out an obnoxious yet cute red head. You offered to take her out on the town even though she was 19 and neither of you had a car. Wineing and dining, became tri-met and long conversations on your front porch.
9 years ago today you made me fall in love with you, like there was any other option.
9 years ago today you started a thing that resulted in the cutest little obnoxious red head ever, and I love you more today than I ever have
Happy 1rst date anniversary baby.
XOXO Em
I took this picture for a photo group I belong to. Each week we have a theme and this week's theme is Rituals. I didn't think we really had any then I saw this on the fridge and, well, it loosly fits.
My husband and I work opposite shifts and sometimes only see each other in passing - when I'm on my way to bed (or already asleep) or getting ready for work in the morning while he's dealing with the kids.
He always leaves me little messages on this board. He and Boo have this little phrase where they say "The Eagle Soars on Friday." I think it's their secret spy language. Anyway, whenever we asks her what day of the week is (regardless of the day) she'll yell "It's Friday! Eagle Day! The Eagle Soars on Friday!" We're still working on the fact that there are actually other days in the week, but right now it's ok since we all seem to focus our energy on Friday, because that means weekend time, time we can be together as a family.
Also, my husband is known for counting down to Friday starting on Monday. I seem to think starting Monday only makes your week feel that much longer and that you shouldn't start counting down until Wednesday, but there is no convincing him otherwise. Some Monday mornings I have barely opened my eyes and he'll look at me and say "only four more days."
This picture is for my husband, who gave me shit last night for not crediting one of my 365 pics to him - which he took, but I totally hooked up in photoshop. I apparently don't blog about him enough either, so I promised him a flickr pic and blog post. This will cover both promises. Much love, baby.
So, what is your ritual? We can't be the only ones out there with silly little quirks. Or maybe we are.
~Mama A
Mama, I take yo picture
Smile, Mama
Say cheeeeze
Mama, wook at me, I take yow picture
Wook Bubby, smile for camwa
Stop moving mama, I take yow picture
Hold still!!
and that was only the first five minutes.
~Mama A.
