A conversation with my mom lead to her saying that if BT made X amount of money I could quit my job and be a stay at home mom. At that moment I realized I don't want to do that. Shocking, I know. It's not that I like being apart from my kids. It's just that Bub is at school all day anyway. And Button, well, as much as I dislike daycare I know that in a couple years she will be going to school too. So yes, it would be nice to stay home with her in the meantime, but at around 3 I will want her to start some kind of preschool and then hopefully at 4 she can get into public school preschool at her brother's school. And then I would want to go back to work. I don't love my current job 100% but I am comfortable here and I am finally in a good place with my staff and my work. I worked so hard for so long to get us where we are now too. I feel like I've found my niche in the academic library setting like I belong here. So if I left for say, what a year and half, I don't know that I could come back to this university. Maybe if there is a job opening but it wouldn't be the same.
I've said before that my ideal situation would be a work-at-home type of job but Button would still probably go to a Mother's Day Out or something because I would still have to work and, frankly, I believe in children getting out of the house and into social situations pretty early on. I think it is good for them. Or I'd even take a part-time job but what kind of part time job would make me happy? I'm a librarian. I like being a librarian and finding a part-time librarian is fairly nonexistent in our area. I would like to be able to get Bub every day from school and spend more time at home with Button and with him. But I don't think I'd want to do it all the time. I admire moms who stay at home and love it. Maybe you just get use to never having a break from your kid. Maybe other people's children aren't as needy as mine. Maybe they are just better, more patient mothers. I don't know. But I honestly don't think I would like it. Maybe that makes me a bad mom. If so, then so be it. I try to do my best for my kids but also for myself.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Sew easy: T-shirt dress
Let me preface this by saying that the most I've ever sewn is to hem pants and I just learned how to sew on a machine about a month ago. I got a craft sewing machine for Christmas last year but I just learned to use it. So what I'm saying is I made a dress for Button this weekend and I'm pretty darn proud of it. Button has two t-shirt dresses from a local flea market that I love but I thought Hey I could make that and so I decided to try.
It was relatively inexpensive and pretty easy. I actually used my mom's full size sewing machine and she gave me direction but I did it myself. I got the material at a fabric store and it was on sale plus I had a 20% off coupon. I got the shirt from a consignment store for $2.50 so overall the dress cost about $6.00. The shirt was a turtleneck but I ended cutting off the neck since I took a chance getting long sleeves in the first place. It is rarely cold enough in South Louisiana to wear long sleeves in October. But you can never tell. I followed this tutorial and this one too. I didn't add a sash but rather added ribbon like a belt and then added a bow to the ribbon like the other t-shirt dresses she has. I cut out the turtleneck and so it looks a little more like a boatneck but I'm pretty happy with it. I have the stuff to make her a Christmas dress and now I can't wait to make that one. I think I've caught sewing fever.
It was relatively inexpensive and pretty easy. I actually used my mom's full size sewing machine and she gave me direction but I did it myself. I got the material at a fabric store and it was on sale plus I had a 20% off coupon. I got the shirt from a consignment store for $2.50 so overall the dress cost about $6.00. The shirt was a turtleneck but I ended cutting off the neck since I took a chance getting long sleeves in the first place. It is rarely cold enough in South Louisiana to wear long sleeves in October. But you can never tell. I followed this tutorial and this one too. I didn't add a sash but rather added ribbon like a belt and then added a bow to the ribbon like the other t-shirt dresses she has. I cut out the turtleneck and so it looks a little more like a boatneck but I'm pretty happy with it. I have the stuff to make her a Christmas dress and now I can't wait to make that one. I think I've caught sewing fever.
Friday, October 11, 2013
On why pictures are important to me
I wrote yesterday about taking professional pictures of my children for their birthdays but I don't think I really explained why it is important to me. There are 2 pictures of me as a baby. Only one as a newborn and a squishy, disgruntled newborn at that. And then one when I'm a bit older, maybe 3 months with my sister. And that is it. I don't think my mom had time for pictures even though there are a ton of my older sister from birth on. And to be fair, taking pictures 35 years ago was not nearly as easy as it is now. But still, there are almost no pictures of me. From about maybe a year on, there's a bit more. I'm assuming the stress of dealing with a 2 year old and a new baby is a contributing factor to the lack of baby pictures of me. There's nothing to be done about it now obviously but I'm missing something with these lack of pictures. After all, we have albums full of my husband as a baby so it's easy to compare him to our kids' baby pictures and say Oh s/he has your (fill in the blank). It's not easy to do that with me.
So I was determined that my second child was going to have many, many pictures of herself and I take way too many pictures of my kids altogether. I need this for them and for me. Who doesn't like to look back at baby pictures of themselves and think about how small they use to be or an event that happened? We have so many pictures of both them and I don't want her to have less than him. After all, she is not less important or less pretty or less anything just because she is second. Of course, the digital age helps. It's so easy just to snap a quick photo with your phone or go outside and take a few pictures of them playing outside. Bub is harder to photograph now that he's at that silly grin age. But one day I'll be happy to look at those pictures of that silly grin. And he will too. And she will have that for herself as well.
So I was determined that my second child was going to have many, many pictures of herself and I take way too many pictures of my kids altogether. I need this for them and for me. Who doesn't like to look back at baby pictures of themselves and think about how small they use to be or an event that happened? We have so many pictures of both them and I don't want her to have less than him. After all, she is not less important or less pretty or less anything just because she is second. Of course, the digital age helps. It's so easy just to snap a quick photo with your phone or go outside and take a few pictures of them playing outside. Bub is harder to photograph now that he's at that silly grin age. But one day I'll be happy to look at those pictures of that silly grin. And he will too. And she will have that for herself as well.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Leave it to the professionals
My cousin, Kia, and I were discussing photographers the other day. Specifically she wanted to hire a photographer to take pictures of her and her 8 month old son with her (half) sister and her newborn. The problem is that my cousin's dad's family doesn't seem to believe in professional pictures. For the aforementioned sister's wedding, a neighbor with a nice camera was going to take the pictures (that wedding didn't happen). And so when Kia mentioned to her sister about taking pictures her sister agreed but then wanted the entire family which wasn't the point of the whole thing. And then it became well so-and-so has a nice camera. He can just take them. But what I think people often fail to understand is that it is not all about the camera. It's knowing how to use the camera. It's knowing how to edit the pictures later. I have a pretty decent camera and it doesn't compare to someone who knows what they are doing all around.
I didn't take newborn pictures of Bub. That wasn't popular like it is now. BT actually took a few of Button out in the garden and they turned out nice. I like to take pictures of my kids and I'm slowly learning good photography skills and tricks. And that's fine for just snapshots. But I try to take them to a professional for birthday pictures. I'm not sure why this became important to me but I like having really good, really awesome pictures to commemorate their birthdays.
The photographer we used for Bub's first 4 birthdays was amazing but he was really expensive and it got to the point where I couldn't afford the pictures anymore. I actually skipped his 5th year picture because I was pregnant and didn't have the energy for it. I know, bad mommy. And then I stumbled on the boutique photographers. You know the kind that basically only do outdoor photography. They aren't too much cheaper but they often run specials. I found one girl and used her for family pictures/Bub's 6 year pictures last year. She did a great job and so I used her again for Button's 1st year/cake smash pictures. She, unfortunately, is focusing mostly on senior pictures so we are trying out another lady who was running a fall mini-session special. And once again I'm combining Bub's pictures with family pictures. Somehow I don't think he cares. One day I'll devote these sessions just to him but for now we can update the family pictures every year and it isn't too expensive. I like the packages that include the digital images. That way I can keep them and print them however I choose. I notice last year she did a Spring/Easter mini-session package and now I'm considering doing that for Button's 2nd year pictures. I'm trying to be frugal and keep up with the tradition I started and don't want to give up on. It's just important to me to have quality pictures of them for later.
I didn't take newborn pictures of Bub. That wasn't popular like it is now. BT actually took a few of Button out in the garden and they turned out nice. I like to take pictures of my kids and I'm slowly learning good photography skills and tricks. And that's fine for just snapshots. But I try to take them to a professional for birthday pictures. I'm not sure why this became important to me but I like having really good, really awesome pictures to commemorate their birthdays.
The photographer we used for Bub's first 4 birthdays was amazing but he was really expensive and it got to the point where I couldn't afford the pictures anymore. I actually skipped his 5th year picture because I was pregnant and didn't have the energy for it. I know, bad mommy. And then I stumbled on the boutique photographers. You know the kind that basically only do outdoor photography. They aren't too much cheaper but they often run specials. I found one girl and used her for family pictures/Bub's 6 year pictures last year. She did a great job and so I used her again for Button's 1st year/cake smash pictures. She, unfortunately, is focusing mostly on senior pictures so we are trying out another lady who was running a fall mini-session special. And once again I'm combining Bub's pictures with family pictures. Somehow I don't think he cares. One day I'll devote these sessions just to him but for now we can update the family pictures every year and it isn't too expensive. I like the packages that include the digital images. That way I can keep them and print them however I choose. I notice last year she did a Spring/Easter mini-session package and now I'm considering doing that for Button's 2nd year pictures. I'm trying to be frugal and keep up with the tradition I started and don't want to give up on. It's just important to me to have quality pictures of them for later.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Sick Day
It's been a little pitiful around my house lately. Luckily not with the kids but unfortunately with BT and myself. He took off a few days of work for a little mini vacation from Friday to Monday. But sadly he got sick on Friday and was out of it all that day and was still blah on Saturday. Cue to me Tuesday. I woke up and had a few stomach issues but went on to work anyway. On the drive over I could feel the nausea and I knew that I had whatever he had. I tried to tough it out but once I threw up I knew it was over. So I left for the day. Button was very happy to see me home but she was less enthusiastic when I went to take a nap (she was avoiding her own). I slept about 2 1/2 hours which was nice and when I woke up she was asleep on the couch. My mom came for her right when BT left for work so I had a few more hours alone. It was nice. My mom picked up Bub after school and bought them back home. It wasn't a good night after that. I fixed them food even though it made me queasy and we barely made it through homework and bedtime was a mess. I wish I was a better sick person because I feel like I was a terrible mom last night. I did what I could but I wasn't happy about it. I wonder how other moms deal with being sick and having to take care of their kids too. Am I the only one who does it grudgingly?
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