madmommy

Been Busy

Still running ragged, but in a good way.  School is starting to settle into a routine, the munchkin is happy with daycare, and I'm a little better about getting out of bed and out the door on time each morning.   Granted, I might be eating a bagel sandwich in the car, and putting on makeup at school, but at least the munchkin and I are clean, dressed, and somewhat awake by the time we head out the door.

The poor little guy, he is so full of energy when I pick him up each afternoon, wanting to tell me all about his day (in munchkin-speak; we're still working on building his vocabulary).  When we get home he is bouncing off the walls and all mommy wants to do is collapse on the couch, lol!  When daddy is home, no problem and I can get to work on supper.  But hubby is having to do a lot of overnight trips to the extreme corners of our state checking on his people lately, so supper is more likely to be a can of Spaghettio's for mommy and bananas, cheese, and milk for the munchkin.

Needless to say, there has been no crafting going on.  I'm looking forward to the long weekend and some possible craft/sewing time.  We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm going to steal an idea from simplesparrow and open myself to questions from the  audience.   Pretty much anything goes, from family life to crafting to my former military career, lol!

Then I get to pick a name at random for a treat (which is a good way to get my crafting rear in gear!). I'll draw Friday, the 31st of August, to end the month on a high note.

C'mon, don't be shy!

Google Booksearch

Run, don't walk, over to Material Mama's site and checkout the video about Google Booksearch.  Then try the Booksearch site yourself!  Amazing!  Enter a book title, subject, author, etc.  You'll receive what looks like a standard response to a Google search.  That's where the similarities end.  At this point, you can find a book you like, find out where to purchase it (or even where to download it/view it for free!).  Or find it in a local library.

Example...I typed in the book "The Art of Embroidery".  Clicked the link to find a library with a copy.  Brought up a huge list of libraries with copies of the book and how far from my home they were!  Then allowed me into my local library online system, where I was able to check availability and put a copy on hold!

This is an amazing tool that I'm sure I'll be using quite often!  Thanks Meg!

Exhausted

Oh...my...goodness.

Who would guess I could get this tired?  But I'm not complaining.  I love getting out of the house, I love my new job.  And I love the huge smile I get when I pick up the munchkin every afternoon.

But I'm beat.

And a little sad.  The last few days, the munchkin cried some when I dropped him off at daycare, but I knew in a few minutes he'd be happily playing.  Today, he turned around, said "Bye mommy" and promptly sat down for his breakfast.  Not a tear shed.  Should I be happy or sad?  Now I know how my mom felt when she dropped me off for my first day of preschool and I happily trotted indoors without a look back.  I guess my son gets his adventurous side from me (hubby is much more the cautious type).

This weekend, relaxation,reading the newest Martha Stewart Living mag, and having fun with the munchkin.  Have a good weekend!

The Sound of Love

Just sitting here, reading blogs, and listening to my hubby read endless books to the munchkin.  That is the sound of love.

From SAHM to WM

Today was it.  The big day.  Mommy went back to work, and munchkin started daycare.

I really expected it to be much more melodramatic.  In honesty, for the first time in two years hubby and I woke up at the same time to get ready for the day.  I let the munchkin sleep a little longer while I leisurely fed the cat, dog, and then myself.  He woke up quite well for a child who normally sleeps until 8:30 am (I got him up at 6:45 to get him to daycare by 7 am).  All smiles, drank his chocolate pedisure drink with a smile.  Got to daycare and he headed straight for the toys and never looked back.  Wow.

Later, when I picked him up, I did find out that occasionally he would look around saying, "Mommy? Mommmmmyyyyyy?"  But didn't fuss.  And I guess when he figured I wasn't there, he went back to playing.  The biggest problem I thought she'd have with him was naptime.  He's used to a late nap, in his crib.  But the provider no sooner laid down the mats at 1pm than he laid down on his, looked at the other kids falling asleep, and promptly did the same!  I was in shock.  I think he'll do well...he's such a schedule boy.

And where, might you ask, am I working?  I'm going back to a job I had before the munchkin was born; paraeducator for special ed kids.  This time I'll be working in a high school environment.  I'm a little nervous, as it's been two years, and back then I worked with younger kids, but I enjoy the job.  We had our orientation today and I must say I feel very psyched to go "back to school".  It's also a job I can continue with when the munchkin gets into school, and he'll never notice I'm not home, because our hours will be the same.  A big advantage in working school hours.

Here's a great recipe I got from a friend we stayed with this weekend.  (If you don't like spicy food, omit the cajun seasoning and substitue 1/4 tsp. salt instead).

Cajun Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained but reserve the juice
1 medium clove garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp creole seasoning (or more to taste)

1. combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth (add the reserved liquid if the mixture seems too thick, but only a very little at a time...you can also just add more olive oil, or even tahini if you can find it).

2. enjoy with crackers or pita bread!

Very low carbs, high protein, low cal.  And good for you.  This is going to be a favorite for my school lunch packing.

Shoe Love

Oh, Old Navy, you are so good to me!

Love these shoes (ignore the white legs, lol!).

Embroidery Love

The mail-lady just dropped this off for me today...

Soulemama had talked of this book several times, but I couldn't purchase it from Superbuzzy, where she originally found it.  And I now have to admit, I have no idea how to use YesAsia or Amazon Japan to find these books, even knowing the ISBN (which, for this book, is 4-8347-2421-2).  It seems the further I get into the site, the less english there is.  Can someone please get me a dummies guide for this?

Thankfully, I found a copy at this ebay seller.  She is so sweet and the package took only a week to arrive.

My newest obsession (as my hubby would put it) is purchasing a bento box.  I'd really like to find a nice one for starting back to work, and with my new dietary changes, I think having smaller portions of a variety of foods will help.  Last night I stumbled upon this cute daily video blog, called Bento TV.   The host has over 100 episodes, each only a few minutes long.  Some are recipes, others are purely informative.  And I'm loving Biggie's blog, which features "speed bento" tips (she has a preschool child and also prepares lunch for herself and her husband).

Hope your week is going well!

Yum...Sushi!

Recipe can be found here.

The Verdict Is In

Well, went back to the doctor today to discuss my test results, and discovered I have insulin resistance.  This is basically a pre-cursor to type 2 diabetes, and is hereditary.  In a way I'm both relieved and concerned.  Nothing stops you in your tracks quite like a diagnosis involving life-long lifestyle changes, to include medication.  But then again, at least my tired, cranky self has hope.  Apparently my body has been working up to this for quite some time.  My blood sugar has been on a roller coaster, never remaining stable, explaining the sudden need for naps and my mood swings, not to mention my ever-increasing weight despite trying to eat well and exercise.  The medication will take several months to reach full effectiveness, but I'm glad to be able to look to a better future.

In other news, I've been meaning to post a photo of my new pleated beauty handbag from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing (love that book!).  The fabric is  blue-striped ticking and fabric from Superbuzzy.  I just had to purchase the fabric because the design looks like the people from Ed Emberely's Make-A-World (anyone else learn to draw from his books?).

This purse has been wonderful to use.  I like to carry a book with me (you never know when you'll be stuck waiting somewhere), along with my palm pilot, cell phone, makeup, and of course, several small toy cars and usually goldfish snacks for the munchkin.  The pattern calls for one large pocket sewn on the inside, but I stitched it to make a place for my cell phone.

Thanks to this crafty lady for enticing me to try this pattern!

Day Three of the Palm Experiment

Ok. Wow.  This palm pilot thing has been a real eye-opener for me, and apparently, a marriage saver as well.

Just today I was scanning the upcoming events on the calendar portion, and noticed a week of "over-nights" for hubby that I didn't remember programming.  When he arrived home, I queried him, thinking I was losing my mind.  The good news; the information was correct.  The bad news; I'm definitely having memory issues; I couldn't remember typing in the information.  Hubby was fairly happy, as this means I will stop being angry at him for supposedly not filling me in on his schedule.

So, I guess as long as I remember how to use it, the palm is here to stay.