Doesn't seem like it! I've been a stay-at-home mom now for two weeks, and things seem just as busy as before!
I'm not all that surprised by it. Heck, I'm pretty sure I could keep just as busy without the baby!
I got a commission to make some autism awareness bracelets. I'm having Calindy work with me to make some puzzle-piece and ribbon charms. :) I also am making one with my bead loom. I don't think I'll want to make a bunch of these because they're so time consuming, but it's kinda fun to figure out the pattern.
Well, Amber's awake again.... later!
Later: So, I was kinda wondering how other stay-at-home moms get anything done... and I'm discovering that a big part of it is that other kids nap for more than 30 minutes at a time... we may have to work on that... She's back down for the time being & I'm getting my lunch & wondering if there's anything I can get done before she wakes up again....
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Updates
Here's my friend in all her jewelry and accessories, ready to get married!
...and getting married!
Paul, Amber & I at the wedding;
First dance!
Bracelet
Earrings
Necklace!
Amber with the completed bow that goes with that one dress I made & posted before;
Amber with an entirely different sort of bow, standing in for her aunt Lizzie's birthday/welcome to college gift;
In other news... one of our cats is getting sick again. This has been a recurring problem for waay too long now. :/ We don't know what to do.
My mom & sister (afore mentioned aunt Lizzie) are coming up today and are going to watch Amber while I go to work.
...and getting married!
Paul, Amber & I at the wedding;
First dance!
Bracelet
Earrings
Necklace!
Amber with the completed bow that goes with that one dress I made & posted before;
Amber with an entirely different sort of bow, standing in for her aunt Lizzie's birthday/welcome to college gift;
In other news... one of our cats is getting sick again. This has been a recurring problem for waay too long now. :/ We don't know what to do.
My mom & sister (afore mentioned aunt Lizzie) are coming up today and are going to watch Amber while I go to work.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Quit Your Day Job
I don't know how many e-mails from Etsy have had something about this, but I don't want to quit my day job. I like it. I'm worried that if I'm a stay-at-home mom I'll be like I was when on maternity leave & stay in PJs all day and still not get much of anything done.
Unfortunately, the choice isn't entirely mine. There are so many circumstantial issues affecting it. I am afraid it's come to that... I'm going to have to quit. I can't afford the daycare with my current pay-rate and hours and I'm looking at getting my hours cut if I stay. I keep thinking I've found another child care solution and then it falls through.
I've started to come to terms with it though, now that I've said it out loud to a few people. I figured out why it bothers me so much to be a stay-at-home mom. I totally respect those who are, but I just never envisioned myself as one. At least not without a master's degree or higher to help guarantee future employment.
I'm not really earning much after paying childcare & everything, so we won't really be hurting without the income, but it's nice to get out of the house and away from Amber for a while. Love her dearly, but, as is intrinsically the case with babies, she's demanding!
On the other hand though, I find the thought of quitting somewhat relieving. I won't have to worry about finding affordable childcare. I won't have to worry about the aspects of work that can be stressful. I'll have more time to get things done at home. Work on my much-neglected Etsy shop more... Won't have to worry about missing any of Amber's milestones. It'll be much easier to schedule dr.'s appointments and such.
Unfortunately, the choice isn't entirely mine. There are so many circumstantial issues affecting it. I am afraid it's come to that... I'm going to have to quit. I can't afford the daycare with my current pay-rate and hours and I'm looking at getting my hours cut if I stay. I keep thinking I've found another child care solution and then it falls through.
I've started to come to terms with it though, now that I've said it out loud to a few people. I figured out why it bothers me so much to be a stay-at-home mom. I totally respect those who are, but I just never envisioned myself as one. At least not without a master's degree or higher to help guarantee future employment.
I'm not really earning much after paying childcare & everything, so we won't really be hurting without the income, but it's nice to get out of the house and away from Amber for a while. Love her dearly, but, as is intrinsically the case with babies, she's demanding!
On the other hand though, I find the thought of quitting somewhat relieving. I won't have to worry about finding affordable childcare. I won't have to worry about the aspects of work that can be stressful. I'll have more time to get things done at home. Work on my much-neglected Etsy shop more... Won't have to worry about missing any of Amber's milestones. It'll be much easier to schedule dr.'s appointments and such.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Update
On the craft front: Commission from my mother-in-law to make her a necklace for next 4th of July... (here's the work-in-progress)
... a necklace based off of a pendant my friend Calindy gave me (here's her Etsy shop; http://www.spritzy.etsy.com) that has these colors and a kinda damask pattern in a tear-drop shape:
...
then I'm also working on jewelry and a hairpiece for my friend Sonja's wedding. Here's the flower that's the centerpiece of the hair thingy:
To go with her wedding gown:
Oh & the necklace style she likes that I'm using as inspiration (but it'll be purples, cream, crystal & silver)
and I made a diaper cover and headband/bow for a dress I made Amber out of one of my skirts (I didn't get the bow done before the pictures) and we had a friend do family portraits for us. These first two are pics I took at home and then a few she took with my camera...
And some of the pics she took with her camera & edited already:
Which brings me to news on the family front... I don't think I shared about our new childcare arrangement. We weren't breaking even with the daycare, so we asked around & ended up working something out with one of my co-workers. She has two kids & one on the way and Amber's loved being at their house! I wish we could keep this up, but she's going to continue working on her master's degree this fall and the baby's due in October, so we're going to need to find something new. Another promising lead seems to have fallen through, so we're pretty much back to square one and I'm getting more and more tempted to just give up & stay at home! I love my job, and there's promising developments, but the emotional roller coaster of trying to find affordable childcare is just about too much. :/
Anyway, in more fun news, my co-worker was sick last Friday (well, that part's not fun) and Amber got to stay with the neighbors while I went to work. When Paul got off work & went to get Amber, their three-year-old son asked "Can we keep her forever?" Awww! They also have a son who's exactly 40 weeks older than Amber and the neighbors on the other side have a son a couple months older than him, so ... we're in trouble! lol!
Our freezer & fridge crapped out the other day, so we got a new one yesterday. Our plan to get Kindles as an anniversary gift to ourselves and a reward for getting the guest room is not going to happen. Between that and the tax audit that's costing us another $1,800, we just can't justify the expense. Maybe for Christmas. :/ ... but yay new fridge! It's black! :D
... a necklace based off of a pendant my friend Calindy gave me (here's her Etsy shop; http://www.spritzy.etsy.com) that has these colors and a kinda damask pattern in a tear-drop shape:
...
then I'm also working on jewelry and a hairpiece for my friend Sonja's wedding. Here's the flower that's the centerpiece of the hair thingy:
To go with her wedding gown:
Oh & the necklace style she likes that I'm using as inspiration (but it'll be purples, cream, crystal & silver)
and I made a diaper cover and headband/bow for a dress I made Amber out of one of my skirts (I didn't get the bow done before the pictures) and we had a friend do family portraits for us. These first two are pics I took at home and then a few she took with my camera...
And some of the pics she took with her camera & edited already:
Which brings me to news on the family front... I don't think I shared about our new childcare arrangement. We weren't breaking even with the daycare, so we asked around & ended up working something out with one of my co-workers. She has two kids & one on the way and Amber's loved being at their house! I wish we could keep this up, but she's going to continue working on her master's degree this fall and the baby's due in October, so we're going to need to find something new. Another promising lead seems to have fallen through, so we're pretty much back to square one and I'm getting more and more tempted to just give up & stay at home! I love my job, and there's promising developments, but the emotional roller coaster of trying to find affordable childcare is just about too much. :/
Anyway, in more fun news, my co-worker was sick last Friday (well, that part's not fun) and Amber got to stay with the neighbors while I went to work. When Paul got off work & went to get Amber, their three-year-old son asked "Can we keep her forever?" Awww! They also have a son who's exactly 40 weeks older than Amber and the neighbors on the other side have a son a couple months older than him, so ... we're in trouble! lol!
Our freezer & fridge crapped out the other day, so we got a new one yesterday. Our plan to get Kindles as an anniversary gift to ourselves and a reward for getting the guest room is not going to happen. Between that and the tax audit that's costing us another $1,800, we just can't justify the expense. Maybe for Christmas. :/ ... but yay new fridge! It's black! :D
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Recent tTmes
First, a note from Amber;
bj jbbub uhh , mkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk t jdgtfr v v vfk,,m ,,,j
So, a lot's been going on. Most notably, the recent deaths, birth and anniversaries.
My emotions haven't caught up with me. I've cried, but with my dry eyes, most of my tears didn't even spill over. The part that bothers me most about losing my great aunt & grandma is what my grandpa's going through. He lost his older sister & wife within a week of each other, and with his own increasing dementia, he keeps forgetting. At Grandma's funeral he kept saying "I just had all this dumped on me today, didn't I?"
What do i say to that? No, you just forgot. I just kinda nodded. He did just have it all dumped on him, again, and again, and again. I wonder what's going to happen in the days & weeks to come. If you know my mom, she could use a friendly phone call or note.
Amber's been a joy though. She loves meeting new people and kept spirits up at the funerals. It was hard for me to feel sad for any amount of time with her around. :P
Another joy was Andrea having baby Haley even though she also lost her grandma in the last week. We finally got to meet her when she was one week old.
Paul & I celebrated our 3rd anniversary of our wedding. It was a nice, quiet day. We just took it easy most of the day. Went to Cracker Barrel for dinner and went for a walk in the evening. Walked to our friends' place & visited for a while before walking back.
I've made some new jewelry! Have a couple commissions and a couple other new pieces. I have ideas for a bunch more that I'm anxious to make. I've been reorganizing my beads, but I need to pick it all up from the living room, along with a bunch of other stuff, so that Paul can vacuum and we can get this place more cleaned up. Gotta get going on the babyproofing too, as Amber is scooting now & will be crawling in no time! We're in trouble!
New piece that I'll probably put up for sale
Zipper pull that will be for sale, might make some matching pieces, I have more of those fruit charms. :)
One of my commission pieces
Amber in one of her new dresses!
bj jbbub uhh , mkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk t jdgtfr v v vfk,,m ,,,j
So, a lot's been going on. Most notably, the recent deaths, birth and anniversaries.
My emotions haven't caught up with me. I've cried, but with my dry eyes, most of my tears didn't even spill over. The part that bothers me most about losing my great aunt & grandma is what my grandpa's going through. He lost his older sister & wife within a week of each other, and with his own increasing dementia, he keeps forgetting. At Grandma's funeral he kept saying "I just had all this dumped on me today, didn't I?"
What do i say to that? No, you just forgot. I just kinda nodded. He did just have it all dumped on him, again, and again, and again. I wonder what's going to happen in the days & weeks to come. If you know my mom, she could use a friendly phone call or note.
Amber's been a joy though. She loves meeting new people and kept spirits up at the funerals. It was hard for me to feel sad for any amount of time with her around. :P
Another joy was Andrea having baby Haley even though she also lost her grandma in the last week. We finally got to meet her when she was one week old.
Paul & I celebrated our 3rd anniversary of our wedding. It was a nice, quiet day. We just took it easy most of the day. Went to Cracker Barrel for dinner and went for a walk in the evening. Walked to our friends' place & visited for a while before walking back.
I've made some new jewelry! Have a couple commissions and a couple other new pieces. I have ideas for a bunch more that I'm anxious to make. I've been reorganizing my beads, but I need to pick it all up from the living room, along with a bunch of other stuff, so that Paul can vacuum and we can get this place more cleaned up. Gotta get going on the babyproofing too, as Amber is scooting now & will be crawling in no time! We're in trouble!
New piece that I'll probably put up for sale
Zipper pull that will be for sale, might make some matching pieces, I have more of those fruit charms. :)
One of my commission pieces
Amber in one of her new dresses!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Too much to do & too little time!!
Stuck at home w/a sick kid. Trying to make the most of it & get some housework done...
A to-do list for myself;
laundry (Amber's, mine, towels & bedding, etc)
Complete closet project in our bedroom
get Amber's clothes & stuff put away
Pick up living & dining rooms
Prep recycling
burn picture CDs for family
Start work on guest bedroom...
That should keep me busy for at least a week!
A to-do list for myself;
laundry (Amber's, mine, towels & bedding, etc)
Complete closet project in our bedroom
get Amber's clothes & stuff put away
Pick up living & dining rooms
Prep recycling
burn picture CDs for family
Start work on guest bedroom...
That should keep me busy for at least a week!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Summer Swaperoo!
I got a box! Layla has to check out the box... It came from Lyndsey in Utah! :)
As I start to pull out the goodies, both cats have to check things out...
Leela thinks there are some interesting smells in there. I loved that the whole box smelled of cranberry-mandarin candles & mango lotion! :)
Leela thought the box was perfect for sitting in...
Amber tries on her sunglasses... Perfect! This was my favorite part b/c we NEEDED some for her!
Now Layla decides to sit in the box! As you can see, it took me a while to get to the bottom of things!
This cute plaque matched Amber's decor perfectly! How'd she know??
A picnic for two!
Not these two!! :P
So, all in all I got the daughter plaque, the red, white & blue hanging plaque, three wooden blocks that spell USA on one side & SUN on the other, two placemats, four cups & four plates, 16 candles, two magnetic pads of paper for planning, baby sunglasses & a sample lotion! :D
Extra bonus; I'd been looking all over the house for a box the right size to ship my package for JoDell & none were quite right, but this box was just about perfect! So I re-used it! :) I sent it at the last minute :/ but I spent the extra dollar for priority mail, so it should get there in a couple days. :)
In other news, Amber's had a nasty cough, so we went to the dr., but she said it's ok, it's just a cold & that we could use grown-up Vick's on her since all the baby Vick's has lavender in it... which I'm allergic to.
I randomly got sick this morning and then had no other symptoms all day... so, unlikely as it is, I'm going to take a pregnancy test in the morning & another the next morning, just to be sure...
Work is kinda different with no classes going on, but I have plenty to do to prepare for the fall.
I've made a few necklaces lately, hopefully I'll get a chance to post some pics later.
Memorial Day weekend had roleplaying on Friday for Paul, a little birthday celebration for our Egyptian exchange student on Saturday and my baby sister's HS graduation on Sunday! That was a day & a half. My mother-in-law stayed the night & we went out for lunch. Otherwise we spent Monday organizing our closet/setting things aside for our garage sale and relaxing. :)
As I start to pull out the goodies, both cats have to check things out...
Leela thinks there are some interesting smells in there. I loved that the whole box smelled of cranberry-mandarin candles & mango lotion! :)
Leela thought the box was perfect for sitting in...
Amber tries on her sunglasses... Perfect! This was my favorite part b/c we NEEDED some for her!
Now Layla decides to sit in the box! As you can see, it took me a while to get to the bottom of things!
This cute plaque matched Amber's decor perfectly! How'd she know??
A picnic for two!
Not these two!! :P
So, all in all I got the daughter plaque, the red, white & blue hanging plaque, three wooden blocks that spell USA on one side & SUN on the other, two placemats, four cups & four plates, 16 candles, two magnetic pads of paper for planning, baby sunglasses & a sample lotion! :D
Extra bonus; I'd been looking all over the house for a box the right size to ship my package for JoDell & none were quite right, but this box was just about perfect! So I re-used it! :) I sent it at the last minute :/ but I spent the extra dollar for priority mail, so it should get there in a couple days. :)
In other news, Amber's had a nasty cough, so we went to the dr., but she said it's ok, it's just a cold & that we could use grown-up Vick's on her since all the baby Vick's has lavender in it... which I'm allergic to.
I randomly got sick this morning and then had no other symptoms all day... so, unlikely as it is, I'm going to take a pregnancy test in the morning & another the next morning, just to be sure...
Work is kinda different with no classes going on, but I have plenty to do to prepare for the fall.
I've made a few necklaces lately, hopefully I'll get a chance to post some pics later.
Memorial Day weekend had roleplaying on Friday for Paul, a little birthday celebration for our Egyptian exchange student on Saturday and my baby sister's HS graduation on Sunday! That was a day & a half. My mother-in-law stayed the night & we went out for lunch. Otherwise we spent Monday organizing our closet/setting things aside for our garage sale and relaxing. :)
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