You may have noticed it's been quiet here the last couple months. Life's been a bit of a whirlwind (trip to Mexico, back to work, two kiddo birthdays and Christmas), affording very little time for writing.
But more importantly, I've made a decision - it's time for "Manager to Mom" to retire from parenting and review/giveaway blogging.
While this hobby has certainly been enjoyable and fulfilling, it has also entailed a ton of time and effort, which the universe has been telling me recently to claim back and reallocate to family (first and foremost), friends, my day job and other interests and passions I have been discovering.
To all my readers - a heartfelt thank you for coming along on this journey with me. I appreciate all your visits, your contribution to many great discussions and your words of encouragement. And to my sponsors, I am grateful to have had the chance to discover so many wonderful companies and products which are truly improving people's lives and making a positive impact on our planet.
May you all be happy, be healthy and live with ease.
xxoo
Kristy
Showing posts with label life update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life update. Show all posts
Monday, January 6, 2014
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Another Life Update - Sniffles & (Lack of) Schedules
Ever since S started daycare (back in November), settling into a consistent & organized daily schedule has admittedly been a challenge. More often than not, Chris and I both sleep in until S wakes up (7:30-8:00), I sleepily nurse her and then one of us hauls butt out of bed to get her changed, fed and packed up for the day while the other either showers or lollygags in the sack for a bit longer. So needless to say, our time with her in the morning hasn't been of the highest quality, and we're often still feeling tired and crusty by the time we get her to daycare and start work at 9:00ish. Then the whole day just kinda feels out-of-whack. (Side note: we both work from home, for the same software company. WFH can be both a blessing and a curse, as I'm sure it can be seen!)
To be fair, our family's been battling various sickies since I returned to work. S gets exposed to a lot of germs at daycare (no surprise here, and surely a Good Thing in the long run as she's building up her immune system), so she has been snotted up pretty much constantly for 2 months. Chris and I aren't sure whether or not we should be concerned with this. On the one hand, when it had "only" been 2 weeks, we took her to our family doctor who put her on antibiotics claiming it's not normal for a baby to be sick for this long without getting better on his/her own. (The antibiotics didn't do anything. :( ) On the other, many people have told us that their little ones went through the exact same thing when they started daycare. One person even said their babe was stuffed up for an ENTIRE YEAR. So...yeah. We decided to book an appointment with her pediatrician which will hopefully lead to some balanced answers/advice on this topic.
In somewhat related news, S is overdue for her MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot based on the standard vaccination schedule, however I've recently read Dr. Sears' Vaccine Book which, for various reasons, led me to the conclusion that I'm more comfortable giving her this shot when she's between 1.5 and 2 years old. *nods*
You might have seen my FB update that I had strep throat over New Year's. Huddled on the couch feeling miserable wasn't the most ideal way to ring in 2012, but dems da breaks. Thankfully the antibiotics DID kick in here and the oh-so-pleasant sensation of swallowing razor blades faded after several days. Plus, Chris and S managed to dodge this bullet entirely which was a huge relief! I had very little contact with S for the first couple days which may have prompted a pretty significant bodily change - got my period back on Jan 2nd! So we could, theoretically, get on trying for S #2 - but not just yet. ;)
One crappy thing about my strep-cident was that it caused me to lose several pounds, which Isn't Good since I am still struggling to reclaim some of the weight I had lost following S' birth. Related to this (and likely Aunt Flo's recent visit as well) I'm pretty sure I've become iron-deficient once again. This problem has insidiously crept in several times now over the last few years. Same pattern: I'll slowly start feeling tired (despite adequate sleep), weak, foggy-headed and generally crappy which will prompt me to wonder what the heck is going on and start entertaining thoughts that I've developed some sort of deadly disease. And then I'll smack myself on the forehead and go duh, of course. A few tins of smoked oysters + several ferrous gluconate tablets later and I'm almost always feeling back to my usual productive, energetic self. So here's hoping that's all that's going on here as we have a lot of stuff on the go!
Which brings me to my next post - my ideal daily schedule. I was planning to write this up tonight but ended up doing this here life ramble instead, and I want to ensure I get in a good 8-9 hours of sleep tonight. So hopefully I'll get to this puppy tomorrow.
Because I don't want to just use my blog as an outlet to b!tch and complain about feeling crappy. That's not my bag, baby. But I do need more energy to write about all the AWESOMENESS that deserves to be bloggified. More great reviews/giveaways coming up. Tasty recipes. A green living series. Tips on hosting giveaways. Lots more. Just....neeed....energy.....!!! (And Time!)
To be fair, our family's been battling various sickies since I returned to work. S gets exposed to a lot of germs at daycare (no surprise here, and surely a Good Thing in the long run as she's building up her immune system), so she has been snotted up pretty much constantly for 2 months. Chris and I aren't sure whether or not we should be concerned with this. On the one hand, when it had "only" been 2 weeks, we took her to our family doctor who put her on antibiotics claiming it's not normal for a baby to be sick for this long without getting better on his/her own. (The antibiotics didn't do anything. :( ) On the other, many people have told us that their little ones went through the exact same thing when they started daycare. One person even said their babe was stuffed up for an ENTIRE YEAR. So...yeah. We decided to book an appointment with her pediatrician which will hopefully lead to some balanced answers/advice on this topic.
In somewhat related news, S is overdue for her MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot based on the standard vaccination schedule, however I've recently read Dr. Sears' Vaccine Book which, for various reasons, led me to the conclusion that I'm more comfortable giving her this shot when she's between 1.5 and 2 years old. *nods*
You might have seen my FB update that I had strep throat over New Year's. Huddled on the couch feeling miserable wasn't the most ideal way to ring in 2012, but dems da breaks. Thankfully the antibiotics DID kick in here and the oh-so-pleasant sensation of swallowing razor blades faded after several days. Plus, Chris and S managed to dodge this bullet entirely which was a huge relief! I had very little contact with S for the first couple days which may have prompted a pretty significant bodily change - got my period back on Jan 2nd! So we could, theoretically, get on trying for S #2 - but not just yet. ;)
One crappy thing about my strep-cident was that it caused me to lose several pounds, which Isn't Good since I am still struggling to reclaim some of the weight I had lost following S' birth. Related to this (and likely Aunt Flo's recent visit as well) I'm pretty sure I've become iron-deficient once again. This problem has insidiously crept in several times now over the last few years. Same pattern: I'll slowly start feeling tired (despite adequate sleep), weak, foggy-headed and generally crappy which will prompt me to wonder what the heck is going on and start entertaining thoughts that I've developed some sort of deadly disease. And then I'll smack myself on the forehead and go duh, of course. A few tins of smoked oysters + several ferrous gluconate tablets later and I'm almost always feeling back to my usual productive, energetic self. So here's hoping that's all that's going on here as we have a lot of stuff on the go!
Which brings me to my next post - my ideal daily schedule. I was planning to write this up tonight but ended up doing this here life ramble instead, and I want to ensure I get in a good 8-9 hours of sleep tonight. So hopefully I'll get to this puppy tomorrow.
Because I don't want to just use my blog as an outlet to b!tch and complain about feeling crappy. That's not my bag, baby. But I do need more energy to write about all the AWESOMENESS that deserves to be bloggified. More great reviews/giveaways coming up. Tasty recipes. A green living series. Tips on hosting giveaways. Lots more. Just....neeed....energy.....!!! (And Time!)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Life update...
My last 8 posts have all been review/giveaway-related, so I thought it was time to fill everyone in on what we've been up to in the "real world". :)
First of all - work. I've been back for just over three weeks in a new position as a business analyst / product owner. This is quite the change from my prior position as a project manager / team leader, but just as interesting & challenging (in different ways). I'm glad I got the opportunity to mix things up.
My return to work has, of course, introduced many other changes into our lives as well. First huuuuge one? Child care for S. Obviously. This tends to be the change that gets mamas & papas the most anxious, however it ended up being the least of our concerns. Our provider is super-energetic, kind and fun, and S has a BLAST over there! Missing all that additional time with her makes us a bit sad at times, but overall it creates a nice balance for all of us.
Speaking of balance, now that I'm back at work, hubby has really been kicking it up a notch around the house! Tonight, for example, he picked up S from daycare, fed her (copious amounts of cheese), cooked us a delicious dinner, cleaned and folded the diaper laundry. He TOTALLY earned himself a subsequent Skyrim marathon. =D So even though many chores which I'd previously been able to tackle during the day now pile up for the evening, we tag team 'em so I still manage to find some appreciated "me" time later at night.
Free weekends, however, are nearly impossible to come by these days! For the last several weeks, each one has been chock-full of birthday parties, holiday festivities, curling games and family visits (which can no longer happen as readily on weekdays). This should shed light on why vacuuming hasn't been a recent focal point. ;)
Another thing I haven't gotten around to since my return to work is proper menu planning. It's definitely harder now, and popping in a PC 5-cheese frozen lasagna can become quite the seductive option. I'm trying to get back on the horse this week with plans to make three, count'em, THREE meals *almost* from scratch! OK two meals, since Chris made tonight's dinner. :) In any case, homemade goodness will be plentiful this week, dern it! One good practice we've stuck to, however, is ordering our Pfennings organic produce baskets. S eats a LOT of fruit & veggies, and we try to get in there too before she polishes off the whole batch. :)
As for Christmas shopping, for once I'm actually ahead of the game! I have about 80% of our gifts either purchased or, at the very least, decided on. I give huuge creds here to my review/giveaway blogging, contest entering and deal newsletters (Baby Steals, Mother of a Deal, etc.) as I've discovered so many great brands and products this way. No more last-minute rushing around, desperately hoping for some gift-spiration!
One and one more item of note - our single vehicle situation was no longer cutting it so we bought a new car! A 2011 Toyota Corolla SE. Yup, we're a very practical family. :)
As for bloggy g00dness, I have a few more reviews/giveaways to tackle before the holidays, and I'm going to see about lining up some more starting in the new year when life should slow down a little. (Knock on wood!) S's 1 year update post is coming soon too, and I have lots more ideas percolating for other posts - just a matter of finding the time!
So what have you all been up to recently? Anything new & exciting? Drop a comment and share! :)
First of all - work. I've been back for just over three weeks in a new position as a business analyst / product owner. This is quite the change from my prior position as a project manager / team leader, but just as interesting & challenging (in different ways). I'm glad I got the opportunity to mix things up.
My return to work has, of course, introduced many other changes into our lives as well. First huuuuge one? Child care for S. Obviously. This tends to be the change that gets mamas & papas the most anxious, however it ended up being the least of our concerns. Our provider is super-energetic, kind and fun, and S has a BLAST over there! Missing all that additional time with her makes us a bit sad at times, but overall it creates a nice balance for all of us.
Speaking of balance, now that I'm back at work, hubby has really been kicking it up a notch around the house! Tonight, for example, he picked up S from daycare, fed her (copious amounts of cheese), cooked us a delicious dinner, cleaned and folded the diaper laundry. He TOTALLY earned himself a subsequent Skyrim marathon. =D So even though many chores which I'd previously been able to tackle during the day now pile up for the evening, we tag team 'em so I still manage to find some appreciated "me" time later at night.
Free weekends, however, are nearly impossible to come by these days! For the last several weeks, each one has been chock-full of birthday parties, holiday festivities, curling games and family visits (which can no longer happen as readily on weekdays). This should shed light on why vacuuming hasn't been a recent focal point. ;)
Another thing I haven't gotten around to since my return to work is proper menu planning. It's definitely harder now, and popping in a PC 5-cheese frozen lasagna can become quite the seductive option. I'm trying to get back on the horse this week with plans to make three, count'em, THREE meals *almost* from scratch! OK two meals, since Chris made tonight's dinner. :) In any case, homemade goodness will be plentiful this week, dern it! One good practice we've stuck to, however, is ordering our Pfennings organic produce baskets. S eats a LOT of fruit & veggies, and we try to get in there too before she polishes off the whole batch. :)
As for Christmas shopping, for once I'm actually ahead of the game! I have about 80% of our gifts either purchased or, at the very least, decided on. I give huuge creds here to my review/giveaway blogging, contest entering and deal newsletters (Baby Steals, Mother of a Deal, etc.) as I've discovered so many great brands and products this way. No more last-minute rushing around, desperately hoping for some gift-spiration!
One and one more item of note - our single vehicle situation was no longer cutting it so we bought a new car! A 2011 Toyota Corolla SE. Yup, we're a very practical family. :)
As for bloggy g00dness, I have a few more reviews/giveaways to tackle before the holidays, and I'm going to see about lining up some more starting in the new year when life should slow down a little. (Knock on wood!) S's 1 year update post is coming soon too, and I have lots more ideas percolating for other posts - just a matter of finding the time!
So what have you all been up to recently? Anything new & exciting? Drop a comment and share! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)