Part-Time Working Mom

I am linking up again with Kelly's Korner to talk about my gig as a part-time working mom.  I have only really been a stay at home mom for about three months (other than maternity leave), but I know that working part-time is the best schedule for me right now.

Technically, we could pay our bills and I wouldn't have to work.  But it wouldn't be fun.  Living in Southern California is expensive and there wouldn't be much left over for savings, vacations, or emergencies.  I like having the extra income to be able to pay for the "fun" stuff-Logan's dance classes, a trip to Kauai next October (yes, we are going!!!), Disneyland passes, etc.  It's also nice to put some money into savings with the hope that we might be able to buy a slightly larger house in a few years.

I am also lucky enough to have my mom living 15 minutes away, and she is my "nanny."  This makes it really easy for me to work whenever I need to during the week.  Some weeks I work one day a week, other weeks I work three or four.  I do pay my mom, so it's not a free arrangement-I think this works best for us.  She makes some extra income in retirement, and I know that someone who loves my kids as much as me is taking care of them! 

And as much as I like to complain about practicing law, I have a pretty good gig going on.  I do a lot of freelance work through my freelance network, Montage Legal Group.  The money is good and I mostly work from my home office.  I am self-employed and get the whole home office tax deduction, so I like that.  I can see my kids off and on throughout the day while I am working, and I have still been able to nurse Holland eight months, even though I have been back working since she was about a month old.  I also find that I kind of need a little separation from my kids.  I am a better mom (though busier) when I work 10-20 hours a week.  I feel very blessed to have such a good work arrangement. 

It's not easy trying to practice law part-time AND raise two kids AND take care of a home.  I try to do a lot of the stuff that stay at home moms do-laundry, clean up around the house, cook dinner, etc.  However, Steve is a really big help and always does his share.  He unloads the dishwasher every morning, has been doing most of the grocery shopping lately, and always gets the girls ready for bed every night.  I also work a lot from home at night, when the kids are sleeping, which can be exhausting.  However, I am the type of person who thrives on being busy, so working part-time is the perfect solution for me and our family!

The Girls

My poor girls have both been sick off and on for the last few weeks.  Holland even got croup last weekend and I had to take her to the ER on Saturday night for decadron (a steroid) to help her breathing.  January through March always seem to be the worst months for germs!

I think Holland is also about to have her first tooth pop up, so that is just adding to the misery.  The poor, sad munchkin.

And a little wild, sisterly love before bedtime.

Pinterest is Dangerous

Saw this necklace on Pinterest and decided it was for me.

Good thing it was only $29!

My brother, Garrett

This is definitely going to result in my brother freaking out, but it's worth it.  I'm linking up my blog to a singles match-up on another blog in hopes that we might make a love match for Garrett!!!  :)  It's about time he found a wife!

Anyway, this is my brother, Garrett.

He just turned 29 on February 1 and will graduate from Wartburg Lutheran Seminary this May.  He currently lives in Iowa, but will be returning to Orange County, California after graduation and we hope he will find an associate pastor job at a Lutheran church somewhere in California. 

Hmm, what can I tell you about Garrett?  Obviously, he is a religious guy, but not annoyingly religious.  You have to be cool with being a pastor's wife.  :)  He is super smart, has always gotten great grades, and might aspire to be a professor some day.  He also has a funny sense of humor and can be a total goof.  But you have to know him to get the goofy side. 

He's a health nut-eats very, very healthy and loves to workout.  You will not find any mayonnaise in his refrigerator!  Sometimes I wish I had as much healthy eating discipline as he does, but then again, I do love eating birthday cake a little too much for that.  Anyway, you should probably take joy in eating things like salmon, almonds, and roasted brussel sprouts.  Not a requirement, but helpful!  He does enjoy a beer or wine with dinner, so it's not all healthy all the time.  ;)  Garrett also likes outdoor activities, like running and beach volleyball.

Some things I can tell you about Garrett-he's into reading, he's pretty good at fixing cars (or at least changing oil), he likes traveling (and spent a summer session during college in Europe), he graduated undergrad from Pepperdine in Malibu, CA, and he loves animals.  I have already tried to pawn off one of our annoying dogs on him after he finds a job, and he just might take her!

Garrett is also great with kids.  He loves his three little nieces, and will play with them and entertain them.  I think he will make a great dad one day.  He just needs to find the right girl!  If you are interested, please post a little bit about yourself and your email in the comments, so he can contact you.

And here are a few more pics:

   (on the left)

(on the left in sunny California at a family get-together)

My husband thinks he looks a little bit like Tom Brady, ladies, so come on, who's interested???!??????

Sorry, Garrett, I know you are going to die when you see this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing to say

It's that time of the year and we are all sick, sick, sick. Hopefully we will all be feeling a little perkier very soon . . .

A mishmash of stuff

We've had a lot going on here.  First, Holland turned seven months old on January 11!!!

At her check-up last week, she was 27.5 inches and 17.75 pounds-81st percentile for height and 61st percentile for weight.  When Logan was adjusted for being a preemie, she was almost identical in terms of percentiles!  Holland can sit up unsupported for short periods of time, and roll both ways, but doesn't care to do either.  I call her my lazy baby.  She much prefers to be held and cuddled, or to just play on the ground (on her back-she HATES tummy time).  She loves toys and is into her exersaucer lately, which allows me a few minutes to cook dinner or feed the dogs.  She is also loving baby food-all fruits and veggies, and has now moved on to the mixed cereals and dinners.  The meat ones taste a little bland and like dog food to me (don't ask how I know what dog food tastes like), but Holland loves it all.  She is still nursing seven times a day, but is pretty much sleeping through the night-from 7 pm to 5 or 6 am, eats, and is back down until 6:45/7 am.  She takes 2-3 naps a day, but is still a catnapper.  I am not destined to have nap-loving kids.  At least she sleeps a lot at night!  She is also a very happy and smiley baby.  Logan was such a sober baby, so it's fun to have a baby who actually smiles and laughs!

Logan is still loving preschool.  Her school had daddy day on Saturday morning, which consisted of 75-minutes of preschool with daddy (or grandpa, uncle, etc.).  It was an underwater/ocean theme, and the preschool put together a lot of cute things for the kids to do with their dads.  Logan had so much fun!

I've been spending time updating our family room a little bit.  Last fall, we thought about selling our house.  However, we are so underwater on it that it doesn't make any sense financially to pay to get out of this house because it would be a ridiculous amount of money to do it.  We then thought about renting out our house and buying a new one in the same area, but that won't work because the mortgage companies require you to qualify for both mortgages for the first two years of renting out your first house, and since I'm self-employed, that's not possible for us. It's not worth it for me to go back to a firm full-time (or even part-time) just to get a slightly bigger house, so it looks like we are going to be in this house at least a few more years.  It is so frustrating, though, because we could buy a bigger house in our same area and have a smaller mortgage payment than what we have now.  Oh, well, I need to stop dwelling on it.  Hence, I have decided to do a little updating of our family room to make more room for playing and toys.  It was way too claustrophobic with our huge tv cabinet and the Romper Room toys.  Even with a majority of the toys in the playroom, toys were still taking over our family room because our tv cabinet took up too much space.  So, we got rid of the tv cabinet, bought a smaller one for the corner of the family room, and got a sectional.  Now we have a lot more open space for the toys and the kids to play.  The room is still in transition because I am looking for a bigger rug and the ottoman is getting a fun, new slipcover.  However, here is what it looks like right now.

 

You can see that our current rug is a little too small now for the couch.  I love the print on it, but unfortunately, it does not come in a bigger size.  I am actually being frugal and going to check out one this week that I found on Craig's List.  I don't like to spend a ton of money on family room rugs because they always get dirty from the dogs and/or the kids.

And for the big excitement tomorrow, I am finally getting my permanent crowns.  Thank goodness these horrible temporaries are coming off!

Baby Boy Shower

My friend, Christine, had a beautiful shower today for her first baby, due in just four short weeks.  I had a great time hanging out my Christine and our two other good friends, Shannon and Vicky.  We met while wedding planning (we were all married at the same place-Rancho Las Lomas), and we've been good friends ever since.  I don't know what I would do without them!!!