Today ends the first month of 2009.
Well, duh.
But, Im pointing this out because I though I should do a little review of my goals for this year, just to keep myself accountable. So, just a brief update as to where I am with everything:
1. Write a million words
My total so far this month is a lousy 10 342. I had high hopes to accomplish more but blah, blah, blah...it didnt get done. To stay on target I need to write 85 000/month.
2. Cut my credit card debt in half
I havent touched this one at all
3. Find a boyfriend
Im hopeful that this will happen at some point this year, but certainly not this month. I've met a couple more guys but no one Im interested in pursuing.
4. Find a Job
Im making progress with this one. I have a few contacts lined up and it is certainly a possibility over the next few months. I had originally decided to stay home until June though, so we'll see how it goes.
5. Start my second degree
I think I've actually decided to hold off on this. The application would have to be completed by next week and Im just not feeling it right now. Maybe next year?
6. Get back to enjoying being a mom
I've had a really good month with this one. I know I've had my moments but as a whole, I am much happier and calmer with the kids and we are doing a lot more things together. It's been nice.
7. Loose the weight
Im on track, I think. More on that here.
8. Join the Y
Nope.
9. Start another blog
Done, with another one on the way...
10. See a dentist
Again, the answer is no
11. Be more social
I would have to say that I havent made any progress here either. This is getting sad...
12. Eat better
Yay, this one is true!
13. Get organised
I've been using my Ultimate Mom's Calendar that I recieved awhile back as a PIF and that has really helped. Everything is in one place and I can see my schedule a lot better than I used to. I've also organised my desk and started to go through all of the old boxes of kid clothes.
I dont think I've done too bad so far. There are areas that will need more work in the coming months, but Im moderately happy with my progress.
How about you? How have your resolutions/goals/hopes been going so far this year?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
He likes it!!
Thank you so much to the people that commented on this post. I have tried a few of your suggestions and Josiah is finally eating real food! Im still breastfeeding him before each meal so when he does eat, its not for hunger but to get him used to tastes and textures.
I tried the little mesh feeder thing (recommended by St) with apples and as long as Josiah remembers that he has it in his hand, he goes mad. Applesauce is something that I didn't try with him yet so I don't know if he just liked the taste or the ability to feed himself. Either way, it worked and he is now sucking on chunks of apple a couple times each day.
And before I say what else he is eating, let me just say that I know he is a little young for it. I also know that he shouldn't be having the flavored varieties. But the little guy just loves 'sharing' mommy's vanilla yogurt! He was watching me snack on some and so I gave him a little taste. Next thing I knew, he was crying because I wasn't shovelling it in fast enough! Crazy.
Today at lunch I thought I would try one of his jars of strained foods, considering how well he has been doing with other things lately. I've tried him on banana before, but it was a different brand and it seemed a bit more chunky. It was also regular baby food and the one I tried today was organic. I have no idea if the brand made any difference, but again he was smacking his little lips! I started out with only about two teaspoons and had to put more into his bowl before I stopped. Im sure he would have kept eating but I needed to attend to the other kids, so I gave him one of his biscuits instead.
So far, that's as far as I've gotten this week: apple chunks in his mesh feeder,vanilla yogurt, strained bananas and baby biscuits. What a change from last week. Yay!
I tried the little mesh feeder thing (recommended by St) with apples and as long as Josiah remembers that he has it in his hand, he goes mad. Applesauce is something that I didn't try with him yet so I don't know if he just liked the taste or the ability to feed himself. Either way, it worked and he is now sucking on chunks of apple a couple times each day.
And before I say what else he is eating, let me just say that I know he is a little young for it. I also know that he shouldn't be having the flavored varieties. But the little guy just loves 'sharing' mommy's vanilla yogurt! He was watching me snack on some and so I gave him a little taste. Next thing I knew, he was crying because I wasn't shovelling it in fast enough! Crazy.
Today at lunch I thought I would try one of his jars of strained foods, considering how well he has been doing with other things lately. I've tried him on banana before, but it was a different brand and it seemed a bit more chunky. It was also regular baby food and the one I tried today was organic. I have no idea if the brand made any difference, but again he was smacking his little lips! I started out with only about two teaspoons and had to put more into his bowl before I stopped. Im sure he would have kept eating but I needed to attend to the other kids, so I gave him one of his biscuits instead.
So far, that's as far as I've gotten this week: apple chunks in his mesh feeder,vanilla yogurt, strained bananas and baby biscuits. What a change from last week. Yay!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Old/New
Today my car finally bit the dust. It is dead and will not be coming back. I am fine with this.
What I am not fine with is the fact that my car decided to break our relationship while on the way to a work meeting. I haven't met with my co-workers in months and today I ended up being 25 minutes late for an hour long meeting. What a way to show that I am committed! Involved! Ready for more responsibility!
The next few weeks without a car will be challenging but for the most part I feel like my mental health is a lot more stable now than it was over the summer. Back then I couldn't handle much change and I was always feeling overwhelmed. Now I seem to take each new issue with ease and although I may struggle a bit, Im doing really good.
Im also really feeling like Im ready to get back into working. I have been slowly working through the testing and layers for the government job that I mentioned months ago, but I have no idea when or if that will pan out. Instead Im looking at my options right now and feeling out what my next move will be.
The only thing I know is that I wont be jumping head first into something tomorrow. Im rebuilding my life and I need to be careful that I have a strong foundation.
So good riddance car! You didn't fit very well into my new life anyway.
What I am not fine with is the fact that my car decided to break our relationship while on the way to a work meeting. I haven't met with my co-workers in months and today I ended up being 25 minutes late for an hour long meeting. What a way to show that I am committed! Involved! Ready for more responsibility!
The next few weeks without a car will be challenging but for the most part I feel like my mental health is a lot more stable now than it was over the summer. Back then I couldn't handle much change and I was always feeling overwhelmed. Now I seem to take each new issue with ease and although I may struggle a bit, Im doing really good.
Im also really feeling like Im ready to get back into working. I have been slowly working through the testing and layers for the government job that I mentioned months ago, but I have no idea when or if that will pan out. Instead Im looking at my options right now and feeling out what my next move will be.
The only thing I know is that I wont be jumping head first into something tomorrow. Im rebuilding my life and I need to be careful that I have a strong foundation.
So good riddance car! You didn't fit very well into my new life anyway.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
17 years, 5 months and 15 days
So my last post was written Wednesday and I just basically said that I was hopeful that I had finally stumbled upon something that was going to help us all sleep a little more. Well, fast forward to that night. You know, the one where Josiah kept me awake until 5:30am with his constant SCREAMING. OMG I have been a walking zombie since. Just getting through the days was a challenge.
Last night (Saturday) Josiah was still quite fussy but the older kids are with their dad this weekend so we were able to stay in bed until noon. Thankfully, Im finally feeling like myself again. The only downside is that the kids come back in a little over 2 hours and I have a huge list of things that I wanted to get done this weekend. Sigh, so much for a relaxing weekend to recharge.
I guess I can always do that in another eighteen years, right?
Last night (Saturday) Josiah was still quite fussy but the older kids are with their dad this weekend so we were able to stay in bed until noon. Thankfully, Im finally feeling like myself again. The only downside is that the kids come back in a little over 2 hours and I have a huge list of things that I wanted to get done this weekend. Sigh, so much for a relaxing weekend to recharge.
I guess I can always do that in another eighteen years, right?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A nap sounds good right about now
Im feeling a little scatter-brained today so this will be a short post.
Awhile back I decided to stop letting Josiah sleep in his swing and tried to move him to his crib preferably and my bed occasionally. As it turned out though, Josiah wanted nothing to do with his crib at night time and instead wanted constant access to the milk bar. I've been a walking zombie trying to share a bed with a kid who wakes to eat at least a dozen times in the night. I wouldn't really wake up much when he would cry because he was in the bed with me and all I really needed to do was re latch him. The constant interruptions to my sleep though were horrible. And so it went every night until a few days ago.
Fast forward to about a week ago when Josiah started to really chomp down on me after a few minutes of a feeding. He doesn't have any teeth yet but they are coming and he likes to chew. So in the middle of the night sometime I had had enough and so I got up and put Josiah into his crib with a soother. I fully expected him to pull it out and cry at me to put him back into my bed, but he didn't. There wasn't even a peep from him for a couple of hours.
Being the dense, sleep-deprived person that I am, I didn't even notice that this might be a time to try to get him to sleep on his own. He has been getting easier and easier to put down for naps in his crib, but still I didn't even think about any of it.
Last night though it finally hit me. If I feed him and lay him back in his crib with his soother, he goes to sleep without much fuss. Granted, he still wakes up way too often for my taste, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. Last night he was awake twice between 11 and 8 and both times I put him back in his crib after his feeding. Easy peasy.
Except! I am so much more tired now. I think having to keep myself awake for those ten-ish minutes and then getting out of bed to put him back into his crib is having a bigger tole on me then the constant waking. Im hoping that this is only temporary, but we'll see.
In other news, Josiah had his 6 month boosters yesterday. He was a champ and only cried with the second needle. I gave him some Tempra when we got home, but I don't think he even needed it. He has slept a lot since then, but he has been sleeping a lot anyway for the last couple of weeks so I don't know if that's related. He did really well.
He is 16lbs now, which I thought to be quite small. His length is in the 65th percentile but his weight is only in the 25th. The nurse and I agreed that it probably has something to do with his refusal to eat ANY solid foods and his constant moving. When he sits in his highchair, he does this thing where he pulls himself close to the tray and then throws himself back. Its like rocking, but with much more force. The kid is crazy, I tell ya.
I've tried everything I can to get him to eat but he just has no interest in it. He used to eat rice cereal but he out right refuses to eat it now. I think the trouble started when I had to force his antibiotic on him for his ear infections. He hated the taste of it and hasn't let anything but breast milk (oh and crackers with sugar and everything else a 6 month old shouldn't be eating) enter his system since.
So far, I've tried peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, peaches and bananas. The bananas were both the jarred variety and bits of a fresh one. This morning I let him kind of suck on my banana which he did enjoy, but then he chomped down and bit off a big chuck that needed to be removed from his mouth. When I mushed some up for him though, he didn't want it. All I can do is keep trying, but its getting a little worrisome.
So much for my quick post! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the feeling of change that seems to be present in both America and all over the world this week.
Awhile back I decided to stop letting Josiah sleep in his swing and tried to move him to his crib preferably and my bed occasionally. As it turned out though, Josiah wanted nothing to do with his crib at night time and instead wanted constant access to the milk bar. I've been a walking zombie trying to share a bed with a kid who wakes to eat at least a dozen times in the night. I wouldn't really wake up much when he would cry because he was in the bed with me and all I really needed to do was re latch him. The constant interruptions to my sleep though were horrible. And so it went every night until a few days ago.
Fast forward to about a week ago when Josiah started to really chomp down on me after a few minutes of a feeding. He doesn't have any teeth yet but they are coming and he likes to chew. So in the middle of the night sometime I had had enough and so I got up and put Josiah into his crib with a soother. I fully expected him to pull it out and cry at me to put him back into my bed, but he didn't. There wasn't even a peep from him for a couple of hours.
Being the dense, sleep-deprived person that I am, I didn't even notice that this might be a time to try to get him to sleep on his own. He has been getting easier and easier to put down for naps in his crib, but still I didn't even think about any of it.
Last night though it finally hit me. If I feed him and lay him back in his crib with his soother, he goes to sleep without much fuss. Granted, he still wakes up way too often for my taste, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. Last night he was awake twice between 11 and 8 and both times I put him back in his crib after his feeding. Easy peasy.
Except! I am so much more tired now. I think having to keep myself awake for those ten-ish minutes and then getting out of bed to put him back into his crib is having a bigger tole on me then the constant waking. Im hoping that this is only temporary, but we'll see.
In other news, Josiah had his 6 month boosters yesterday. He was a champ and only cried with the second needle. I gave him some Tempra when we got home, but I don't think he even needed it. He has slept a lot since then, but he has been sleeping a lot anyway for the last couple of weeks so I don't know if that's related. He did really well.
He is 16lbs now, which I thought to be quite small. His length is in the 65th percentile but his weight is only in the 25th. The nurse and I agreed that it probably has something to do with his refusal to eat ANY solid foods and his constant moving. When he sits in his highchair, he does this thing where he pulls himself close to the tray and then throws himself back. Its like rocking, but with much more force. The kid is crazy, I tell ya.
I've tried everything I can to get him to eat but he just has no interest in it. He used to eat rice cereal but he out right refuses to eat it now. I think the trouble started when I had to force his antibiotic on him for his ear infections. He hated the taste of it and hasn't let anything but breast milk (oh and crackers with sugar and everything else a 6 month old shouldn't be eating) enter his system since.
So far, I've tried peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, peaches and bananas. The bananas were both the jarred variety and bits of a fresh one. This morning I let him kind of suck on my banana which he did enjoy, but then he chomped down and bit off a big chuck that needed to be removed from his mouth. When I mushed some up for him though, he didn't want it. All I can do is keep trying, but its getting a little worrisome.
So much for my quick post! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the feeling of change that seems to be present in both America and all over the world this week.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Breastfeeding, a Shout-out and Babysitters
Do you guys read Indigo Girl? If you don't, then you totally should. I think I've been reading her for over five years now (OMG) and I never get tired of her posts. Whats amazing about her is that she almost always responds through email to my comments. I rarely even respond in comment form to my comments so that is major impressive to me.
Her most recent post is about bfing and weaning which could not have come at a better time for me because of my thoughts about totally being DONE with bfing myself. Her post though made me think about it and maybe I can just stick it out a little longer. Im at a stage now where the feedings are supposed to decrease and the solids should increase (although Josiah has not gotten THAT memo yet). If I can get Josiah to not wake up 3+ times each night to feed then I think I can keep my sanity and see this thing through. And as Linda pointed out in her response email, formula is expensive and I hate the idea of spending money on it.
On to other topics though, I am in the process of hiring a babysitter. I've always used family members in the past but they have all come to points in their lives where they are no longer available. My problem though is that this is seriously hard. Most of the people that have responded to my ad are only available in the evenings (which I do need) but my biggest issue is for day time. This week I need someone to watch one or more kids on Monday afternoon for two hours and on Tuesday afternoon for three. I cant guarantee any hours at this point because it is totally a casual thing, but that is causing issues in just finding someone.
Then there are the considerations for how much experience/references I need from them. I've had very young people respond to my ad but I don't think I would feel comfortable leaving them alone with 4 kids, especially one of them being only 6 months old. Then there are the people that respond with messages that barely make sense. Do you really think Im going to trust you with my kids if you cant even put a sentence together?
Oh! And how much should I pay? Im trying to keep a flat rate that wont change whether there is one child or all four but I have no idea at all what that should be. Minimum wage around here is something like $8.50 I think? So using that as a guideline, what would you pay?
Her most recent post is about bfing and weaning which could not have come at a better time for me because of my thoughts about totally being DONE with bfing myself. Her post though made me think about it and maybe I can just stick it out a little longer. Im at a stage now where the feedings are supposed to decrease and the solids should increase (although Josiah has not gotten THAT memo yet). If I can get Josiah to not wake up 3+ times each night to feed then I think I can keep my sanity and see this thing through. And as Linda pointed out in her response email, formula is expensive and I hate the idea of spending money on it.
On to other topics though, I am in the process of hiring a babysitter. I've always used family members in the past but they have all come to points in their lives where they are no longer available. My problem though is that this is seriously hard. Most of the people that have responded to my ad are only available in the evenings (which I do need) but my biggest issue is for day time. This week I need someone to watch one or more kids on Monday afternoon for two hours and on Tuesday afternoon for three. I cant guarantee any hours at this point because it is totally a casual thing, but that is causing issues in just finding someone.
Then there are the considerations for how much experience/references I need from them. I've had very young people respond to my ad but I don't think I would feel comfortable leaving them alone with 4 kids, especially one of them being only 6 months old. Then there are the people that respond with messages that barely make sense. Do you really think Im going to trust you with my kids if you cant even put a sentence together?
Oh! And how much should I pay? Im trying to keep a flat rate that wont change whether there is one child or all four but I have no idea at all what that should be. Minimum wage around here is something like $8.50 I think? So using that as a guideline, what would you pay?
Friday, January 16, 2009
[Inset creative and witty title here]
I sent of the plain white box PIF over a month ago and yet it has still not arrived. I assumed it would take some time because of Christmas, but I would never have thought it would take this long. I sent off another PIF after that one and it arrived what, over a week ago? Jeez.
I shouldn't really be surprised though. I mean I sent three Christmas cards to people in the US and all three of them were late arriving because the envelopes were ALL ripped open. Coincidence? I really doubt it. The mail system is something we should be able to trust and yet that's a big fat NO. I ordered something from an etsy shop back in August that never showed up and was never returned to the sender. Thankfully she sent me out something else and it did arrive for Christmas, but it sucks because she was then out the money for the second item. I also put in an order in November from a different etsy shop and it too has not arrived. I don't know why but more often than not, if a package or whatever has to cross the border something goes wrong. Maybe I should just stick with strictly Canadian shipping :(
On another note, thank you to everyone who put your two cents in about the flu shot issue as well as the birthday party issue. I've never had the flu shot myself and Michael is the first of my kids to get it too. Im always hearing all this hype about it and it seemed like more people got it. Personally, I tend to shy away from these types of things but thought that maybe I would give it a try this year. I have decided to withdraw Josiah from the study though because I think he is probably just too young.
Chris's birthday party will either be at the arcade or we'll do the swamp theme. He would prefer the swamp but Im not sure I want to put out more money AND have to deal with the clean up. The other option is that I pay double (more like $350) and have the swamp party at the fluvarium which is a building where they have diverted a river so that you can go underground and look right into the river through these large windows. It would certainly suit the theme and I wouldn't have to deal with the clean up but it is probably too expensive. The Ex might help cover the cost of the party but even then, Im not sure I want to put out so much. I think it is a great idea and certainly something I will consider for a later year when Im sure more kids will show up.
As for his gift, Im still completely unsure. I like to plan this far in advance because it takes some serious re-working of the budget and I prefer to take a little from each month rather than the whole thing in one month. The only idea that I've had so far is a themed tv/dvd set for his bedroom. I don't really like the idea of tv in their rooms but with the growing family, maybe a second tv wouldn't hurt. Other than that I haven't come up with a single thing but I guess I still have a bit of time to decide.
Anyway, thanks again for your input.
I shouldn't really be surprised though. I mean I sent three Christmas cards to people in the US and all three of them were late arriving because the envelopes were ALL ripped open. Coincidence? I really doubt it. The mail system is something we should be able to trust and yet that's a big fat NO. I ordered something from an etsy shop back in August that never showed up and was never returned to the sender. Thankfully she sent me out something else and it did arrive for Christmas, but it sucks because she was then out the money for the second item. I also put in an order in November from a different etsy shop and it too has not arrived. I don't know why but more often than not, if a package or whatever has to cross the border something goes wrong. Maybe I should just stick with strictly Canadian shipping :(
On another note, thank you to everyone who put your two cents in about the flu shot issue as well as the birthday party issue. I've never had the flu shot myself and Michael is the first of my kids to get it too. Im always hearing all this hype about it and it seemed like more people got it. Personally, I tend to shy away from these types of things but thought that maybe I would give it a try this year. I have decided to withdraw Josiah from the study though because I think he is probably just too young.
Chris's birthday party will either be at the arcade or we'll do the swamp theme. He would prefer the swamp but Im not sure I want to put out more money AND have to deal with the clean up. The other option is that I pay double (more like $350) and have the swamp party at the fluvarium which is a building where they have diverted a river so that you can go underground and look right into the river through these large windows. It would certainly suit the theme and I wouldn't have to deal with the clean up but it is probably too expensive. The Ex might help cover the cost of the party but even then, Im not sure I want to put out so much. I think it is a great idea and certainly something I will consider for a later year when Im sure more kids will show up.
As for his gift, Im still completely unsure. I like to plan this far in advance because it takes some serious re-working of the budget and I prefer to take a little from each month rather than the whole thing in one month. The only idea that I've had so far is a themed tv/dvd set for his bedroom. I don't really like the idea of tv in their rooms but with the growing family, maybe a second tv wouldn't hurt. Other than that I haven't come up with a single thing but I guess I still have a bit of time to decide.
Anyway, thanks again for your input.
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