Ch-ch-changes!

Ahoy mateys!  Exciting changes ahead!

Starting in just a few short weeks, I’m making a career change to…stay-at-home mama!  I am SO thrilled to start this new chapter in my life.  I’ve been excited for many things in my life, but this may take the cake. 

I have mixed feelings about leaving my wonderful students and amazing school.  I absolutely LOVE my job and truly feel like I’m making a difference for my students…not to mention they make me laugh a lot.  However, I’m a perfectionist and feel like it’s hard for me to give 100% to everything (which irritates me).  Who do I really want to give 100% to?  My family!  My principal asked if I was interested in part-time work but what she quickly said afterward was, “I know you Michelle and I know that a part-time job for you would quickly turn into a full-time job,” and boy is she right.  It’s hard for me to not do things jumping totally in with both feet, if you don’t mind a metaphor.  Anywho, I was nervous to give her my notice because I respect and enjoy her so much but she seems so genuinely excited for me and even said, “At home is where you need to be. It’s the most important job.” 

WOOOOOOO!!  I can’t wait for the end of May.  Mama + Effy = happy times

Spring break was a small taste of what life as a stay-at-home mom might be like.  In fact, I documented one of my days hanging out with Effy over spring break and it’s being shared in the Day in the Life series on The Domestic Wannabe’s blog.  Check out a day in my life with Effy!

11 things

Roaming around the blogosphere is a simple challenge reminiscent of the surveys I used to get in my Hotmail inbox circa 1999 – B.F. (before Facebook).  The Domestic Wannabe, Ashley, tagged me in this game far too long ago and I’m just now filling it out.  Slacker much?

Here are the rules:
1.  Post the rules.
2.  Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3.  Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4.  Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5.  Go to their blog/twitter/facebook and tell them that you've tagged them.

11 Random Things About Me

1.  I’ve never cleaned the windows in my house.  I’ve lived here for 4 ½ years.  Don’t judge.

2. Ranch dressing makes everything taste better.  I use it on probably 75% of my meals.

3. Church camp is absolutely one of my most favorite places in the world.  In late elementary and middle school, I went here and then in high school, here.  I’ve gone back a couple of times to be a counselor at White Memorial and it was absolutely wonderful.  Some day, I’m sure I’ll do it again.

4. I sit cross-legged anywhere I can.  I strategically wear shoes to restaurants that come off and on easily so I can sit cross-legged in booths.  The only place I never sit that way is while driving, don’t you worry.

5. My husband and I follow the superstition of making a wish on a fallen eyelash.  We’ve made countless wishes.  Now when Effy loses an eyelash, one of us makes a wish for her.  So far, I believe all of mine have come true.  We take this superstition very seriously.

6. I have a piano and a guitar, both of which I cannot play very well.  Hopes and dreams people. Hopes…and…dreams.  Oh, I have 2 flutes.  I can play them both, but not at the same time.  New goal.

7. I wanted to be many things growing up including a meteorologist, a cast member in Up with People, and a puppeteer.  I was in a puppet group at church (the Puppeteens…yes, I proudly get credit for the name) and we actually participated in puppet competitions.  Holla!

8. I’m obsessed with my parents…like…want to hang out with them all the time obsessed.  They are definitely some of my best friends and I feel so lucky to be close to them both.

9. When I was in middle school, I broke both of my wrists at the same time.  I had a red cast and a blue cast, neither of which could get wet, so my mom had to bathe me with ziplock bags on my arm.  She also wiped my butt and picked my wedges.  This helps explain #8.

10. One of my favorite things about being a mom is picking Effy up.  I love to pick her up from her crib, from her swing, from the changing table, out of her car seat…everywhere.  I just love picking her up.

11. I don’t wear make-up, not because it wouldn’t help, but because I’m lazy and don’t really know how. I think if you grew up with a mom who primped, you probably started to do it as well.  My mom and I both battle our curly hair, which takes up far too much time to worry about make-up.

Questions from Ashley

1.  When and why did you start blogging? According to my blogger site, I started Cubbies & Nooks in June of 2008.  Really I had no purpose having a  blog…I didn’t (and still don’t) update it frequently enough.  I got more serious about it when I got knocked up last year.

2.  What does your perfect Saturday look like? This dream Saturday would be in the fall because it’s obviously the best season. I would sleep in and wake up to a happy baby ready to play.  Scott, Effy, & I would go out to brunch where I could eat whatever I wanted and it would all be calorie free.  My parents would come up in the early afternoon and we’d go shopping and go for a walk, perhaps play in the park.  We’d take a sleeping baby and the five of us would go have dinner somewhere like Avenues Bistro or M&S Grill.

3.  What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? A sandwich from Mr. Goodcents – specifically the cheese mix on wheat with cheddar and provolone.  Lettuce, pepper, oil, extra vinegar, extra mayo.  Diet soda.

4.  If you won the lottery, what would you do first (besides paying off any debts)? Take our family on a trip to Europe.

5.  What is your biggest pet peeve? Hmm…I guess I don’t like it when people say, “I could care less.”  The phrase is “I couldn’t care less.”  Beyonce’s lack of knowledge to this fact almost made me not like Single Ladies…but then I couldn’t stop dancing to it, so I just ignored that lyric.

6.  What is your favorite childhood memory?  Oh my gosh.  SO many.  I had such a great childhood.  One memory that really sticks out is from high school.  I can’t remember why, but I was very upset.  Though it was about 10 o’clock at night, my Dad did his best to fix the problem by saying, “Have you ever wondered if pumpkins sank or floated?”  We then smeared black make up under our eyes and went down to the Shunganunga Creek (no…seriously…that’s its name), and threw a pumpkin off the foot bridge.  It floated.  Again, I don’t remember what my problem was or why I was so upset, but Dad knew how to fix it.

7.  What is your dream job? Stay at home mama!

8.  What is your guilty pleasure? Donuts.  Cream filled…not the fluffy cream, but the pudding cream.  Bonjour!

9.  What do you hope your life looks like 5 years from now? More babies, more traveling, more organized, better cook.

10.  If you got to go on a weekend getaway with 3 other bloggers, who would you invite? Beth Anne from Heir to Blair (I have a total crush on her), Naomi from Rockstar Diaries, and Jen from IHeart Organizing.

11.  Post your favorite photo you've taken from the last month. 

Sweet hands...oh, I just love her.

Here are 11 new questions and I’m hoping the following people will play along and answer ‘em.  If you don’t, I’m totes not offended. Molly, Allison, Kim, Lilli, Jen, Kelli – love you all!

1. If you could only eat one type of cereal for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why?

2. What is your favorite room in your house/apartment and why?

3. Quick!  Your home is on fire!  What 3 things do you grab?

4. What is some of the best advice you’ve ever received?

5. Who do you think would play you in a movie?

6. What is the last book you read and would you recommend it to a friend?

7. What is something you wish you were really good at?

8. If you could receive a $500 gift card to any clothing store, where would you choose?

9. What is a non-profit you are passionate about and what is their cause?

10. If you don’t mind, please share an embarrassing moment in your life…only because I love you and those stories are awesome.

11. Share one of your proudest moments.

Baby Check: 5 Months

Baby Check: 5 Months

So, Effy turned 5 months almost 2 weeks ago (oops)…so I’m going to rewind back two weeks in my mind for this update.  That’ll be hard considering she’s changed so much within these most recent two weeks – she’s finally enrolled in an ACT prep class, she perfected a soufflé recipe, and she got her braces off!  But I need to slow down and back up to 2 weeks ago when she was 5 months old and just a little baby…

This post will probably be shorter than normal.

I’m on spring break and want to play with my baby. Ya dig?

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As far as Effy’s social calendar goes, the month of February was less eventful for her because it was my craziest month at work, as I anticipated it would be.  February did, however, bring the following things for Ms. Effy…

End of basketball season: I love coaching the dance team at school, but I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t relieved the busy season is over.  No more evening games away from the baby and no more after school practices!  Effy spends most of her days at my mama’s house…mom drives an hour to my work and meets me there in the morning, drives an hour to her house and hangs out with Effy all day and sends Scott and I lots of pictures and videos.  When I get out of work at 3pm, I go to my car and parked next to me is my mama with that sweet baby in the backseat, ready to go back to our house!  My mom is AWESOME.  I don’t know what else to say.  Effy and I are so lucky. Here’s a picture from my mom’s house.  Effy is starting to grab at lots of things and apparently when Mom was getting her ready to eat, Effy took the liberty of grabbing the Tupperware with all the bottle pieces in it. What a helper!

Musical practice: Effy came to a handful of musical practices at school.  My dear friend Sarah is the theater teacher and musical director at school and I helped choreograph the last two years (which is how my love affair with Sarah began).  Anywho, Effy spent lots of time in utero around the marching band with dance team stuff goin’ on, so I think to hear our band director on the drum set at musical practice, she felt at home.  My favorite practice was the one where I held Effy as she sat on the front of the stage and watched the students practice up close.  She squealed/screamed a few times.  I think she liked it.  The musical performances were right around Effy’s 5 month birthday, which means our present to her was the end of those after-school practices as well.  You’re welcome, baby girl.

Single parent: I spent a week in February as a single parent…kind of.  Scott was out of town for work for a week, so baby girl and I slept at my parents a couple of nights and my sweet mama had a slumber party at our house too!  Scott kept saying that he hoped Effy would remember him while he was gone.  My oh my, she was one happy lady when daddy walked in to get her out of the crib after he returned.  Normally she’s very smiley in the mornings when you come into her nursery, but for the first time I can remember, she laughed as soon as she saw Scott walk into her room. She was SO happy.  

Lady parts appointment: In November, I went in for my post-partum appointment with my OB-GYN, and she seemed genuinely disappointed that I didn’t bring Effy with me.  I guess I assumed it was a bad idea to bring a baby, but she acted surprised/sad that I hadn’t brought her (which is just one of 3892 reasons I love my doctor).  She knew that I was going to be due for my annual lady parts appointment in a couple of months, so she called the receptionist and told her to schedule me on a Saturday so it would be easier for me to come in and bring the baby with me.  She is too sweet!  Anywho, Effy did in fact come with me to my appointment and slept the whole time.  Phew!  Can you imagine trying to entertain a baby while somebody is all up in your business?  And by business…I mean vagina.

Oh, and I was talking to my doctor and told her how I kiss Effy on the mouth all the time, which I never thought I would do.  She said she was the exact same way until one time her 18 month old opened his mouth and they French kissed.  I love my doctor.  If you live in the KC area and need a recommendation, check out Dr. Nguyen at KC Women’s Clinic.  Love her!

Ted Talk: A few months ago, our dear friends Ted & Corinne moved home from Chicago.  They brought with them a new social tradition called Ted Talks.  Basically, you pick a topic on which you are well-educated and passionate and present on it (PowerPoint, posterboard, etc.) to your friends.  In February, Scott, Effy, & I hosted and the topic was breastfeeding.  It went so well!  Seriously, the men asked more questions than the ladies and people seemed genuinely interested.  It was so wonderful.  Oh, also, I made a custom bullet in the shape of a boob to put in our PowerPoint.  It’s subtle because I’m a classy lady.  Here’s one of our slides:

Effy sat through the presentation as well!  

She tried to present but she got stage fright and pooped her pants.

Though Effy’s social calendar slowed down this month, she was very busy on her own.  She spent her time doing many fun things such as….

Eating her toes

Snuggling with Daddy

Sucking her thumb

Going on walks (AH-mazing weather, ‘round these parts)

Playing in her jumper

We love you baby girl…and SO soon you’re going to be half a year old!  We’re so proud of you and you fulfill our lives even more than we knew was possible.