Just say "no."

I just hate it that every time I go to check out at a store the first thing that the cashier does is ask for my phone number. Like a robot, I have always given it out in the past. No more! I don't care if they do send me exciting deals or rewards, if they don't divulge the requirements for those rewards beforehand I do not see any reason to give them my phone number. It is a waste of time and an invasion of privacy. I started this refusal when I went to the maternity store about 5 or 6 months ago to get some breastfeeding supplies for my baby who just happened to be with me and screaming her head off because she was ready to go and eat. They were actually asking for my address and I really didnt have time to remember which one they had on file (since I had recently moved) and spell it out for them, etc. I just wanted to buy my stuff and leave. And after much hassle, I did just that. Ever since then I refuse to give out my phone number or address. When they say "Can I have your phone number?" I just say a flat "no." They normally just say, "okay" (after a weird moment of shock on their behalf). Surely I am not the only one who doesnt give it. Does everyone just give it up like that, like I USED TO do? If you are reading this (actually I doubt anyone reads my blog, its just a place for me to vent and practice my writing skills) I dare you to just say "no."

"Tankini's" and skinny mirrors

So, as you probably guessed by my title, I went clothes shopping today. I did not, however, try on a tankini. No matter where I went, though, these things were present. In case you dont know what Im talking about, it's the new (well, a couple years now maybe) bathing suit. It consists of a top, which is usually midriff to t-shirt length, and a bottom, which can be bikini cut, boyshorts, skirts, etc. This way, you are free to "mix and match." And I can see the appeal of it - if you want to cover your hips you can do it and still be free to chose a low cut top or a more modest top without changing your bottoms, for example. My gripe, however, is that this is ALL THERE IS! Really, there are like five one-peice choices for every 50 mix and matches. And those choices are limited to designs featuring huge bright flowers or solids, many times with skirts (the type that my grandma used to wear). Why do these swimsuit manufacturers assume that everybody is just going to jump on board to this trend? I, for one, am not a fan. And it's not just because I just had a baby (that excuse for clothes not fitting right is allowed by the way for a whole year post-partum - I read it in a magazine). It is that some people, including myself right now, just should not appear in public with their belly buttons showing! Am I alone?
Now, on to a seperate matter. Skinny mirrors! Actually, skinny mirrors may not be the issue. In fact, I am going to assume, and tell myself that there are no such thing as skinny mirrors. There are in reality - fat mirrors. Like the one in my bedroom. I try my clothes on in the store and they look so great in the very true to life, calabrated to an exact science, mirrors. It just so happens that American Eagle has the most precise mirrors. That is where I buy the best looking jeans. The problem is that when I get them home and try them on in front of my bedroom mirror they dont look so hot. I just havent been able to determine why. In the past, I just resigned to the belief that the mirrors in the stores are specially designed to make you look skinnier. But my beliefs have changed. After several minutes in front of various mirrors today I have determined that there is no such thing as skinny mirrors, at least in the stores where I shop. Instead, my bedroom mirror is terribly distorted. Time for a new mirror! Or maybe no mirror - that'll shave about 50 minutes off of my morning routine.

Bonus!

So, after 5 years of arduous labor I received a nice sized bonus at work. Actually, my job was awful when I lived in Waukegan IL. At first it was nice, but then our office got a new boss who just seemed to have it out for me. I realize now, looking back, that I probably said and did some of the wrong things, but I still dont believe that I deserved some of the treatment that I got there, given the quality and quantity of work that I did and the amount of myself that I seem to have lost. The stress of that office really aged me. Of course, having kids aged me too. Anyway, when my husband started his residency I got to transfer to a different office which I just love! And I feel much more appreciated here. It helps that I have grown and learned a lot about when to say (or not say) what to whom.
So, my husband tells me that since I earned this bonus I need to spend it on me. It hasnt taken too much convincing. Sure, it is tempting to apply it towards a debt or buy a special gift for a special person or two, but...there are some things I have wanted.
My husband took me to the camera store this evening and I spent the first part of my bonus on a new flash for my DSLR. I am soooo happy with my selection so far. He also convinced me to buy a professional backpack for my camera. Everything fits so nicely in it.
What's even cooler is I still have over half of my bonus to spend. I still dont know what I'll spend it on though, but Im sure I'll find something. I just hope that something doesnt find me first.

My veranda

When I think of a veranda, this is what I think of.

This is the veranda, or balcony, of the house that we lived in in Bolivia. When it wasn't too hot outside I would lay out in my hammock and think about how blessed I was to be in that country, in that place, with my man. There was usually a breeze. It was so quiet in the neighborhood. The only downside was that the house was on a round-about and there were several taxi drivers that would park in front of the house on the other side. They could see us really well from where they parked. I would look down at them and see them staring up at me. They probably made up stories about me and my husband - we were an oddity there.
I miss those months.
When I was looking for this picture I found some of myself at 20. I was so thin, long hair, no makeup. That's when I looked up to, so to speak, and wanted to be one of those sort of hippie "world travelers." That is, the kind that would sometimes sport professional cameras and backpacks with 2 sets of clothes in them. Well, I dont think those backpacks will fit my two children.

Wonderful Wednesdays

I had always imagined that when I had children I would be able to stay at home with them. I wanted to see all of their firsts, to potty train them, to bake cookies for them, etc. Life has its surprises though, and my son came along 3 years ago while my husband was still in medical school. Since my husband was a full-time student and I had a good job, I had to work full-time despite my desire to stay home with the baby. It's always hard to leave your baby to go to work...especially when you have to leave the baby with an unrelated sitter. Fortunately, we have been blessed with great sitters, almost too great at times. Our first two sitters became very attached to our son. The bad part was when he would call out their names instead of "mama" when he was hurt or needed something. Or when I would go to pick him up after work and the sitter would tell me something new he did...or worse yet, when I would tell the sitter about something new he did at home the night before and she would say,"oh, he's been doing that for a long time."
Despite our desire to wait until circumstances changed and I could stay at home, my husband and I decided to go ahead and have our second child 3 years later because we didn't want the kids to be too far apart in age. Although I still have to work now, our situation is a little better in that my husband is now a resident and has some income of his own. Because of this, I am able to take Wednesdays off to be at home with the kids!
And here's the point of this post: I LOVE Wednesdays!! Hump day went from being the worst day of the week to the best. I can stay home with the kids and do crafts, watch movies, bake, clean (which ends up being the majority of the day sometimes), take the kids to the park (as in this picture),
go to the store - although my 3-year-old has put a damper on that lately with his mini-tantrums, or just relax at home with them. I feel like a better mom now. And the thing that makes the deal even sweeter is that I still have my own life, that is, a life apart from momdom, at work. Work has become so much nicer than before. Although I enjoy my Wednesdays thoroughly, it is great to go back to work the next morning. With this setup, I feel like I have overcome the ongoing SAHM vs. WM battle - but that's a topic to be discussed in length at a later date.