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Post Tax Season Breather

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April 15th came and went and I couldn't be more pleased with myself. It was my first REAL tax season as a tax accountant. I learned a great deal of information and can honestly say I understand taxes much better than last year and can really hold my own. It was such a rewarding experience for me. Tax season however proved to be very draining and even more so for my family. During those three months, I had to put in some long hours. On most days I would arrive past 8pm and worked every single Saturday for a full work day. While I was learning and really appreciating what I did, my family felt my absence. It was very tough on me. Every morning my daughter would tell me how much she missed me and how she did not want me to leave for work. She would call me out and tell me I didn't spend any time with her. She was right and I felt terrible about it. Yet selfishly I didn't know what I could do. The last thing I wanted to do after a 12-14hr day was play blocks with a toddl...

The Working Mom

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For most mothers, having to return to work after having your child comes out of necessity and financial strain. Unfortunately the same circumstances forced me to go back into the work force this past February. I was lucky enough to find a position in my field of study. Praise the Lord that he allowed me the opportunity to work as a staff accountant. Being an accountant has been my "dream" position if you will. I've been trying to get a position in accounting since I began my degree in 2009. I completed my master's degree in December and I found my current position in February. It was exciting news for us because unemployment had already run out and we were struggling on just my husband's salary. It was bittersweet. At the same moment I received the call, I looked at my daughter. She looked up at me as she played with her toys on our living room floor. My eyes watered up immediately. This was it. I had to leave her. At that point, I had been at home with her f...

The "Big Bed"

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I put Chloe to bed last night a little before 10pm for the night. She went down with no problems. I told her a quick bed time story, sang twinkle twinkle little star, said "I Love you" and closed the door behind me. My husband and I stayed up late so we can do whatever we didn't get to do while she was awake and spend some time together talking and watching TV. Around 2am, we were getting ready to get to bed when we heard Chloe wake up with a cry. We turned off everything and went in to the room to soothe her and get ourselves to sleep as well. Upon entry into the room, a little someone was sitting up in her bed, wide eyed and bushy tailed. "Oh no," I thought to myself. I was tired and really didn't want to have to stay up any longer to get her sleepy again. I picked her up to soothe her. She had awoken from a nightmare. She said she dreamt with monsters and wanted to sleep in the "big bed". I put her between my husband and I. Selfishly I gues...

Makes me wanna...SCREAM

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I think I'm a very patient, loving and understanding person but there are some days where all the wrong buttons are pushed and I feel like I'm going to lose it and scream. Today was one of those days. The culprit? A certain three foot tall diva that calls herself Co-ee. Last night we brought in the New Year at church. We celebrated with our fellow brothers and sisters and ate some finger foods. We arrived in our house at about 1:30am and we all went to bed around 2. I thought for sure Chloe would sleep in since she went to bed so late, but she didn't. Chloe woke up around 9 and I couldn't be more grouchy. I was able to get her to sleep another hour with me in the bed between my husband and I but that was it. She was up and ready to play. Luckily my husband saw how tired I was and took the baby to the living room to watch cartoons. I thank God for him because I just needed a little more time to sleep if I was going to function properly. The afternoon went along jus...

My little drama queen

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I don't think I've met a toddler with more sass and personality then my own daughter. She is the queen of dramatics and overacting. I might have to find a toddler acting class because I'm sure she can be a star. Why do I say this? Well miss thing has learned to roll her eyes but not only that she has also learned to faint on command. Now...I'm not an actress and don't have too much time for dramatic behavior so I have NO IDEA how this child learned these things. I watch the same shows she does...they don't faint! Yesterday she was in her father's arms. They were playing together. One thing leads to another, she doesn't like something he said to her...then she "fainted" in his arms. Literally let herself go limp, closed her eyes and opened her mouth a little. My husband shook her a little and she didn't move. We asked what was wrong and she didn't answer. We called out her name and she said "I can't hear you." (Still w...

How am I supposed to breathe with no air?

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Having a toddler is one of the most difficult jobs I've undertaken to date. It is very time and energy consuming. Today was one of those days where I felt completely drained and overtaken by a three-foot tall terrorist. Today Chloe was extra needy, extra clingy, extra whiney and extra getting on my last nerve. Today she barely took a nap so I didn't get much time to myself in the afternoon. All I was able to do was eat some lunch. I tried to entertain her by taking her to the park and try to get out some extra energy, but I think it was counterproductive because she apparently became overly tired when we got home. From 5:45pm to about 9:30pm, she was all whines and cries, for no apparent reason at all. Well, I do know why. She was tired and didn't know how to relax and wind down. She barely napped and just couldn't find a way to keep calm. I tried to give her dinner first so she could be well fed and then I would eat when her father got home. She ate a small amo...

The NOT so Fit Mom

I restarted my diet yesterday with my husband. We follow a "modified" Atkins if you will. We don't follow the steps to the tee but we try to stick to low-carbing. It has been the most effective diet for the both of us. I can honestly say I don't feel hungry when I'm low-carbing. I initially went on the diet about a year ago. I wanted to take off all the pregnancy weight I gained. When I went in to give birth to Chloe, I weighed in at 215lbs! I had never been that big in my life! I gained 50lbs with the pregnancy. After I gave birth to Chloe, I lost 30lbs in about two weeks. I struggled with the last 20lbs but to be honest I wasn't doing anything about it. I ended up GAINING another 10lbs in Chloe's first year. I was so close to 200lbs again and I wasn't pregnant anymore! I put a stop to that immediately. I started low-carbing and by the grace of God, I lost 30lbs. I was able to reach my pre-pregnancy weight! I've been maintaining that weight consis...