Long time, no write

Woo Hoo!

For those of you who read ViP on a daily basis (or at least did, when I was making daily posts), firstly, thank you for your support! Secondly, my apologies for the weeks worth of disappointment you must have been feeling.  As it is prone to do, life happened.  For those of you with natural sympathetic natures, worry not.  Nothing untoward has befallen myself or the J family.  We actually were gearing up for a very happy occasion:  Baby J's first birthday! (Post all about it to come in the near future!)  Also, about the time I quit blogging, my Keurig was "broken."  Turned out it wasn't actually broken, but for some reason it was not brewing, and I left it be for several weeks assuming it was, in fact, broken.  Low and behold, on a whim, I decided to give it a try again, and BOOM!  Coffee returneth to my world!  Of course, now we're out of coffee... but a trip to the store will but that aright also!

As I longue in my chair, working on rejoining the blogging world, I would like to extend a personal thank you to B from Modern Day Juggler for telling me (often) how much she missed my blog.  This one is for you!

In a few weeks I will be coming up on the 4 month-iversary of becoming a "Domestic Diva" (that label provided to me by a good friend and former co-worker).  So I thought as my return post I would do another status update on my life, my self-inflicted rules, and my sanity!

As with any job or lifestyle, there are definite ups and downs to the homemaking world.  People often ask me if it's everything I imagined it would be or if it's harder than I thought it would be.  The answer to both is yes... and no...

My life and duties as a stay home parent and homemaker are pretty much what I anticipated they would be, but that doesn't necessarily make it easy.  I had anticipated certain challenges to accompany the lifestyle, but expecting something is not the same thing as experiencing it.  Don't get me wrong!  I love my life, I love being here for my husband and son (let's be honest, they'd be lost without me!), but the day to day can get just as wearing as the office 9 to 5 grind.  

As I have mentioned before, I don't get to clock out at the end of the day, I don't get lunch breaks or weekends off.  My best fantasy right now is simply sleeping in on a Saturday!  I desperately envy Mr. J's ability to sleep through almost anything.  There are days I miss the challenge of a tricky project at the office or the companionship of co-workers.

Yes, the sacrifices they are many, but if I take a brief moment and remember what I would be missing instead if I was at work:  Baby learning to crawl, lunches with both my men folk, stroller walks...  The sacrifices are worth the time we gain as a family.

So how are the Guidelines working out?  As with all guidelines, they have hits and misses.  While our daily schedule is more or less the same every day, the weekly cleaning schedule has become much more organic and on an "as needed" basis (i.e. I clean my kitchen floors 3-4 times a day (Baby J is a self-feeder!) while our bedroom gets a tiding once every other week or more).

I have remained fastidious in my goal to be showered and dressed daily.  I find I feel all kinds of yucky if I don't get my cleanliness on, even on previously sacred Saturdays!  

As for the house cleaning... Our house is lived in.  Sometimes there are dishes in the  sink or piles of laundry on the floor, but, for the most part, it remains presentable.  One part of my original point in that particular guideline is undeniably true however:  Any day I decide to let something slide, I feel less and less inclined to do it the next day or the day after, etc.  So!  Keeping up with the little things does make a difference in the long run!

The TV does stay off most of the day, everyday, though I have begun making an exception for about a half hour or so of Sesame Street (on Netflix!) after supper time for the little guy while he chills with his bottle (though soon it will be strictly sippy cup) and I clean up the supper disaster he has left on my floor.  Once in a great, great while I'll put on some kiddy movie if he's not feeling well or is especially tired that day and we'll just snuggle on the couch, but in both circumstances, the tube keeps his attention for only about five minutes at a time.

Saturdays are definitely the best day to do nothing with the whole family.  Though we often have events or even errands that need to be done that day, we do our best to make them as relaxed as possible.

I cherish my alone time with Mr. J.  Every night after Baby goes to bed, I clean up his toys, have some mommy decompress time and sometimes even get in a quick nap before the mister makes it back from work.  Then he snacks on something while we chat, have a drink if the mood moves us, and play a card game or something equally sociable and relaxing.  (Currently we're on a Canasta kick!)  I can not stress enough how much this helps us stay strong as a couple.  We're not doing anything fancy or strenuous, we're just simply taking the time to relax with one another, share our days, and reaffirm that we really do like one another!

Being active and getting out of the house and about the world are two of the things I struggle most with.  Having a crawler who gets into eeeeeverything can limit some of the places or things that are appropriate to do.  That in conjunction with the fact that we are a one car family (which Mr. J takes to work morning and evening) makes it a bit difficult to go and do all the things I dreamed of doing.  Some day soon, we'll figure something out as a more permanent fix, but until then I make do with walks with the stroller around our yard, etc. for some outside activity that's enjoyable for us both!

I will be the first to admit I'm not as good as I should be about taking that necessary "me time," but I have been organizing monthly "Mommies' Night Outs" and Mr. J does his part while he's home in the afternoon, even if it's just a ten minute break to go out to the garden and pick lettuce!

Through all the ins and outs, adjustments and sacrifices, and the joys (oh the joys!) of taking on this new lifestyle, I think that I have discovered more about myself than I had ever expected to.  Some things that I already knew (like I like to craft or I am very patient) have been amplified in my awareness, while other things (like actually enjoying alone time(I've always been a huge people-person!)) have sprung up unexpectedly!

Overall (and just writing this post has really helped me clarify this in my own mind) I love my life.  I am happy with my new challenges and the satisfaction I find in making our world a little brighter in the J household!

Traveling with a Tike

As promised in my much belated vacation notice, I am going to share a few of the ups and downs experienced during Baby J and I's road trip to visit family in what everyone from the tri-state area refers to as simply "the cities"  (Minneapolis/St. Paul = The Twin Cities).

Firstly, this post is brought you roughly 12 hours later than the original intended deadline thanks to an incredibly long day of attempting to re-right my house after a weekend away.  More on that coming up...

So!  First road trip!  (Just Baby, Dubby, and I, Mr. J has to work on Sunday evenings, making it difficult for him to get away for a weekend trip.)  I tried to plan everything carefully to make sure it would go as smoothly as possible.  Some things worked, others not so much.

Tidy entire house before leaving, hoping to have a clean, relaxing place to return to.

This was an amazing idea in theory.  There is nothing more exhausting than returning from a long weekend away, especially one including a lot of driving, to find your house a disaster that you can't relax in.  In practice, this would have been much more successful if the entire family was going on the vacation.  Mr. J did his best to clean up after himself, but dishes and laundry (my nemesi!) needed to be done, of course, and all the counters needed to be cleaned off and wiped down and the floors all needed to be swept and mopped.  (I don't know if it's just my husband, or if all men are oblivious to the existence of crumbs?)

Neatly pack everything I could think of.

This one sounds like I over prepared, but, really, it worked out pretty well.  Changes of clothes and jammies for two nights and two days for both of us, a handful of toys (nothing that I would cry about if it got lost), plenty of diapers, wipes and formula, two bottles that could be easily cleaned and alternated, wet and dry dog food (Dubby has some allergies and it's better to make sure we have the right stuff on hand, even though there was another dog where we were going), all our necessary toiletry items, Baby's highchair (strap to the chair model), and the pack-n-play.  I even managed to get everything into my average sized suitcase and the diaper bag!

Arrange driving times around Baby's sleep schedule.

I did this thinking it would help him get as close to regular naps in as possible.  According to "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" (my pediatrician brother says this is the book for sleep everything), sleep in the car is not as high a quality sleep as stationary sleep (in the crib, etc.), but I knew for a fact that he would not be able to stay awake once we started going, regardless of whether or not it was nap time.  So, my plan was to leave right at the beginning of his usual afternoon nap time, hoping he would sleep roughly his normal two hours, which would be 2/3 of the total drive time.

It was a bit hit and miss.  Both on the way there and the way home, Baby did sleep almost immediately once we were underway.  Both ways he made it about an hour and half, so only half the drive.  I had placed a few toys within arms reach and he played with those for a bit longer.  Then boredom set in and he began getting cranky.  Taking this a queue, we made a pit stop and he got some time out of the car and some fresh pants.  This helped for a little while, but he was still sick of the car and wanted to be done.  Queue second stop to whip up a bottle and feed him, even though we were within a half hour or so of our destination.  This still wasn't the ticket to happiness for Baby, but it got us through to the end! Both times, once we arrived and got out of the car (for good this time), he perked back up!

Attempt to keep roughly on a normal sleep schedule to keep a happy baby!

Again, a hit and miss effort.  The drive-time naps went so-so and he managed to take his morning naps on time and roughly for the normal duration the two days we were there.  Beyond that, however, there really is no hope for a sleep schedule on vacation!  Bed times were an hour (or two!) later than usual and the afternoon nap was painfully short or non-existent all together.

Night time was the worst.  I'm not sure if the issue was being in the pack-n-play in a strange place rather than his crib at home, the fact that Dubby and I were in the room with him (he is used to being in his own room, alone), or a combination of the two, but staying asleep was a struggle and he frequently needed comforting/to be fed/etc.

Thankfully!  Baby J is a sweet, happy little guy and he managed to maintain his usual demeanor, despite the yucky lack of sleep on his part.  Me?  I had coffee, the excitement of seeing loved ones, and super mom skills at functioning like a human being regardless of the level of sleep deprivation. 

Have FUN!

This one was a hands down success.  The little bumps in the road didn't deter from getting to spend time with beloved family that we rarely see.  Many met Baby J for the first time and everyone agreed that he was the cutest baby!  I'm naturally inclined to agree!  We talked, we brunched, we shopped and otherwise enjoyed ourselves.

For the future?  The only major change I may give a try is going immediately after a nap rather than before.  Perhaps then the happy, awake time would eat up the beginning of the trip and the tired cranky part would result in a nap for the end?  Another perk will be as Baby gets a bit older, he can be trusted with his own car snacks and drinks, cutting out some pit stop time...then again, it will also increase his ability to vocalize things like "Are we there yet?" and "But Mommy, I have to potty now!" 

Joys of Parenthood

Last night, I spent over an hour trying to get my son to sleep.  He's getting at least one new tooth in, causing all kinds of angst and discomfort on his part, which in turn causes it on my part.  After I finally got him down and walked out of the nursery, I was muttering to myself about teething being just another one of the "joys of parenthood" (sarcasm abounds).

Then I started the nightly routine of picking up his toys and the blanket we use for a play mat on the living room floor and started smiling.  Everything about parenthood, even the hard, annoying, frustrating bits, is a joy.  It's a joy simply because I get to be a parent.

I'm the girl who always wanted to be a mom.  It was simply part of who I was and deep down I was always just a little afraid that I wouldn't have children.  Despite that, I was still terrified when I found out I was pregnant.  I mean, holy crap!  This was happening!  I can only imagine what people who hadn't dreamt of being a parent for ages went through.

Now that the initial shock has worn off, I am learning to appreciate all that parenting encompasses.  Teething tantrums, self-feeding messes, and the epic diaper blowouts all come with their own (completely strange) innate joy.  Every screaming fit I endure and mess I clean up is a reminder that I have a healthy, happy (and very vocal) child.

To all my fellow new parents, I know how hard it can be to smile during the worst of it (like when your child constantly pulls your hair out of your scalp because they don't understand the words "owie" or "no" yet), but what other parents have been saying long before us is true, "It's all worth it."

So laugh at every poopy diaper you change and every midnight feeding, you are enjoying the joys of parenthood!

Operation: Mommies' Night Out - Success!

I had mentioned last week that I was planning a "Mommies' Night Out" with some fellow mom friends on Saturday night.  I over planned for Mr. J to be home alone with Baby and Dubby.  Food was pre-chopped and put in a container in the fridge, supper for the Mr. was also ready to go and waiting, the dog food was set on the counter so as not to forget, jammies laid out on the changing table, the whole nine yards!

I put Baby J down for his afternoon nap and went about getting myself ready, including *gasp* make-up.  Nothing fancy, but a dash fancier than I have been doing for my "around the house" look.  I even tried on three different tops before I was satisfied that I looked "nice, but not trying too hard."  (Can you tell it's been awhile since I went out?)

I had planned on leaving at about 3 p.m. to meet up with an old co-worker at for a Hobby Lobby adventure.  Baby J woke up from his afternoon nap early and so I got him up and had about a 20 minute good bye session with him and Mr. J.  By the time I finally got myself into the car and on the way, it was a bit later than I had originally anticipated, but the roads were clear for a change and so I made good time regardless.

Shortly after our planned 4 p.m. meet up, I arrived at Hobby Lobby (actually beat her there) and began the usual meandering around.  My friend arrived and we continued to putz (that's a local colloquialism for just walk around aimlessly, by the way), picking up a few desired items, some of which will be highlighted in future DIY posts!, until roughly 5:30.  Since the plan was to meet up with the ladies at six at a local downtown mexican restaurant, I figured, better get to!

I hadn't previously invited the friend I was shopping with to our night out, but seeing as though she is pregnant with a June Boy of her own, I dropped the invite while we were checking out.  She was happy to be included and so the four became five.

So far, all of this sounds a bit like boring background, so sorry for that, but the real delight is the meal I shared with these four awesome mommies!  With mexican food and margaritas (or in my case a daquiri, tequila and I do not get along, and a slushy for the expecting mom) as a backdrop, we sat, we ate, we talked and talked and talked.

Topics come from all over the place!  We talked about our kids, of course, the funny and frustrating things they accomplished on a day to day basis, our husbands, who do many of the same things the children do, our work and home lives, our in-laws (more on that topic in tomorrow's post!), and just about anything else we could think of.

One incredibly interesting thing I have noticed about interactions between two or more moms.  One topic that nearly infallibly comes up at least once, is our pregnancy, labor and delivery stories!  Why we feel the need to share them over and over, I have no idea!  But, especially with an expectant mother in our midst, we all broke them out, one by one.  I'd say this is something that is likely to fade with time, but two of the moms have older children (10 and 8 years, respectively) as well as a younger one and they still talk about their firsts!

In my "Shift in the Friend Dynamic" post I had talked about how much I had been feeling alienated from my non-parent friends and that I was increasingly drawn to friends that were.  Mommies' Night Out was a great way to feel like part of a social group again and our status as parents drew us closer together rather than being something awkward between us.  It was exactly what I (and I think the rest of them) needed!

One of my closest friends and I even went to a movie after dinner and I only broke down and called home to check on my boys once (in the car on the way to the theater)!  

All in all, the night was a complete success and I am henceforth mandating a once-a-month repeat!  For those of you who missed this time, clear out a Saturday in May and we'll make like Tim Gunn and "make it work!"

Shift in the Friend Dynamic

Obviously, it's no surprise that your social life changes when you become a parent.  Mostly to "Social life?  What's a social life?," but I'm talking about more than that.  Even if you rarely get to "go out" or do adult activities with people anymore, it's still pretty likely that you talk to others.  Your spouse, parents, in-laws (if they're the good kind! ;) ), and your friends.  Please keep in mind that none of these labels are exclusive, i.e. your spouse, your parents, even your in-laws, can be your friends too!

Since the birth of my son, I have been noticing a definite change in who those people I talk to are.  Conversations and activities with friends that I was inseparable from before becoming a parent have slowly faded into rare occurrences, while others that I rarely saw or spoke to have become my daily text and chat companions.  The dividing factor?  Parenthood.

Suddenly, it seemed as though my non-parent friends were calling or texting less and less.  They were doing things and making plans and I wasn't involved.  We were still friends, there was no falling out or anything, we just simply no longer interacted on a daily basis, which then became a weekly basis, a monthly basis, and so on.  

Sometimes, this made me incredibly sad.  I felt like a favorite toy who had been placed on a shelf to make time for all the exciting new toys:  Not unloved, but quietly set aside for some indeterminate time in the future.  I hadn't changed, had I?  I was still the same person who's company they had enjoyed only a few months before.  I couldn't understand why I was suddenly so unimportant to them?  Then I really began to think about it.

I have friends who had children several years before I did.  After they became parents, it seemed like I rarely saw or heard from them.  I was in college and meeting new people at the time and thought nothing of it.  I assumed that they were busy with being parents now, that they really didn't have the time to reach out and if I called to ask them to do something, they wouldn't be able to go anyway, right?  They had a kid.  That kid would have had to come with us, and that wasn't fair to the child or the parent, or my friend would have to try and find a babysitter and I assumed they wouldn't want to deal with that hassle.  The parent friends I did make plans with frequently had reliable family sitters, so if we made plans, their children were safely out of sight and out of mind while we went about our social interactions.

I had been ignorant of how my (at least partially faulty) logic was causing me to ostracize my friends, simply because they were now parents.  I had not been doing it consciously, and I certainly had not done any of it maliciously, but it had been happening all the while anyway. 

And now, oh how the tables have turned!  I am, for the first time, fully aware of how I may have made my other friends feel at the time, but, to be fair, some of my un-parent logic wasn't completely wrong.  I  am busier and more distracted with my home life than I had ever been before.  I do need to bring my child along for shopping trips and dinner dates or find a sitter if we're doing something outside of the "family friendly" zone, and both those scenarios can be a hassle.  What I didn't know then, was that sometimes it's a hassle I want to deal with, and even when I don't, it would still be nice to be asked.

Once I stopped being gloomy about being put on the back burner with my non-parent friends, I realized that I had been maybe doing a bit of the same to them.  I assumed they didn't want to deal with the new complications of my parenthood or listen to me talk on and on for hours about my baby and our new life, which, having been there, is at least partially correct.

So, what to do? What to do?  I still needed friends.  I still (really) needed to talk to people about what was going on in my life and with my family, but who would I turn to now that my closest friends were on the other side of the parental divide?

Lightbulb! Talk to friends who are also parents! (Duh moment.)  While I had been reaching out to those friends who I'd previously "had on the shelf" already, I suddenly realized I was preferring to talk to other parents (mostly other mommies, but daddies are accepted too).  It wasn't weird to talk about the color of my baby's poop that day, because another mom would have a similar story to share and we could laugh about it and swap advice.  We could set up play dates for our little ones and get some adult interaction in for ourselves at the same time, all without the feeling of guilt that accompanies having to bring your child along for adult time or having to leave them with a sitter.

This Saturday I have arranged a "Mommies' Night Out" with as many of my mommy friends as were able.  We will go and have dinner and even some drinks, maybe even catch a movie!  (Super, super excited about this!  Mr. J will have Baby so I can have a night off and we won't have to worry about a sitter! Bonus!)  Even though I fully intend to not talk about Baby J all night, these ladies will understand when I do mention him and they'll respond in kind with comments about their own little guys and girls.

Maybe I haven't changed, I mean, my personality came through the parenting vortex pretty intact, but my peer group certainly has changed.  I just watched "Wreck-It Ralph" the other day (What? I like the kiddie movies, they're funny without being gross!) and I keep hearing an altered version of the "Bad-Guy's Creed" or whatever it is in my head. "I'm a mommy and that's okay!"  

Any other moms (or dads for that matter) who are feeling bummed out like I was about "losing" their child-free friends, reconnect with other parents, or, if you don't know any, seek out some!  There are always other parents at the parks, doctors' offices, etc. that you frequent with your own little.  Build a mommy support group (or join an existing one, like MOPS)!  Just because you're a parent now, doesn't mean you have to be only a parent now, you get to have friends too! 

Gooooooood Mooorrniiiiiiinnngg ViiiiiiiP!

I feel like I'm going to jinx it, but, so far, today is AWESOME!! I accomplished almost all of my grocery shopping yesterday (I had to cut it just a tad short in order to be home in time for Mr. J to head back to work, but will finish up the last few items today).  After shopping, getting Baby J to sleep, and putting all the groceries away, I still managed to get all the dishes *cough* from the entire weekend *cough* done, the kitchen tidied, Mr. J's work clothes washed and dried, and made supper! (Freakin' Super Mom, right here!!)

Just had to include this ad.  A reminder that "gay"

didn't become synonymous with "homosexual" 

until fairly recently!

Is there any better feeling than waking up to a tidy, well stocked house?  Only waking to a tidy, well stocked house after a full night of uninterrupted sleep!!

Around here, with the unique work schedule Mr. J has, a "full night" is still just under six hours, but it's the uninterrupted part that has me so jazzed!  For those who are my nearest and dearest, you have heard frequently (and loudly) that Baby J does not sleep through the night and hasn't since he was born.  So, when you add in the better half of pregnancy that I was getting up in the night for random pregnancy discomforts or the oh-so-frequent bathroom trips, I haven't had this sort of blissful rest in over a year.  My great hope is simply that this is the beginning of a beautiful trend and not just a fluke!

(For those of you without children yet who are reading this and having night terrors just thinking about how horrible it would be, don't.  While it is considered "normal" for a nine month old to wake during the night to be fed, it is really not very common.  Most babies move to sleeping a full 10 to 12 hours a night much, much earlier.  I'm just lucky I guess, ha ha!)

B from Modern Day Juggler had posted this on Facebook this morning and I literally laughed out loud ('cause, you know, when you usually SAY "lol," you just kind of chuckled mentally and moved on) and had to include it.  Sooooo muuuuuch truuuueeeee!

I'm so tickled about Baby sleeping all the way through the night that I have been chipper all morning (and I am not a morning person)!  I woke to the sound of my son talking to himself and flopping around in his crib, as usual, accompanied by actual sunlight peeking through the curtains of our bedroom.  I glanced at the clock and saw the magic numbers: 7:05

Best. Day. Ever!  I even made breakfast for Mr. J before he headed off to see the ladies (and by ladies, I mean cows).  FYI, home-made Egg McMuffins, way better than the McDonald's kind!  And easy!

I cheated.  This is a picture of the McDonald's kind.

We devoured ours before I thought of snapping a pic!

Home-made Breakfast Muffin!

• 1 English Muffin, toasted
• 1 Egg, "waved"
• Choice of Meat
• Choice of Cheese
• Butter (optional)

For those of you who have never "waved" an egg, do it, it's fun!  Find a microwave safe dish of an appropriate size.  I happen to have a little snack container that is just about exactly the diameter of an english muffin.  Crack open an egg of your choice, whisk it a bit to make sure the yolk is broken, and stick it in the microwave.  Make sure you do this!  If you don't "KABOOM!" k?  Also, it's best if your container has sides roughly twice as tall as the level of the egg before you cook it.  It expands!  Depending on your microwave, 45 seconds to one minute should do the trick.  For our breakfasts this morning, I added some diced ham we had in the freezer (left overs from Easter) that I had pre-warmed into the uncooked egg.  Kind of like a ham omelette in a cup!

While the egg (and ham) nuked away, I stuck an english muffin in the toaster and pulled out a slice of cheese (American for the hubs and cheddar for me, because I'm a snob and don't like American cheese... >_>).  The first egg made a very disconcerting "popping" noise right at the end (see what happens when you don't break up the yolk good enough?) but it survived the explosion, intact.  FYI, I didn't butter the muffins out of the toaster.  With the cheese and the ham and all that, I didn't feel like they needed it.  Do as you will with your own!

Go all sandwich on the english muffin, cheese, and now waved ham and egg, then eat!  Fast, easy, and portable!  Plus, you can use whatever meat and cheese (or lack there of) combo you want = Awesome.

2 Week Status Update

Well!  Today marks the official two week mark of Vacuuming in Pearls and my new life as a home maker (homemaker? home-maker? Anybody know the standard way to spell it?), and I thought it would be prudent to do a sort of status update on how things are going and how well I'm doing with my self-imposed guidelines.

(P.S. This post was previously scheduled to go up at the normal 10 a.m., but Baby J has had a bit of a sleeping issue lately, growth spurts or teething most likely, and I was preoccupied.  I'm sure you'll all forgive me!)

Everyone keeps asking me "What's it like to be a stay home mom now?" and I am not really sure how to respond.  It sounds weird, but it doesn't feel different to me.  I don't feel like I'm all the sudden in this whole new world and I had to make this huge adjustment or anything.  Logically, I know that I actually did, but somehow it feels like I've simply been doing this forever.  Not "forever" in the whiney, I'm sick of this way, but in the comfort of longevity kind of way.  I like to think this must mean that I am on the right path, that I have finally found something fulfilling to do with my days.

Understand that I do not, in any way, mean that other parents are not fulfilled if they do not choose to be stay-homers!  I simply did not have the kind of passion for my line of work when I was working for the corporate world that breeds fulfillment in your career.  Many, many others do have work and home lives that complete them just as they are!

That all being said, I'm sure everyone is mainly curious to see how I'm fairing with following my "Guidelines to a Stay-Homer's Sanity."  The answer is, never perfect, but, generally, pretty good!  I am glad to report that I have had no symptoms of the "Domestic Dumps" I outlined in my post yesterday.  My schedule, posted the day before, has been incredibly helpful!

I will fully admit I don't follow it to the letter, day in and day out, but I do adhere to it's basic structure and it has been helping to slowly but surely tame the chaos that was my house.  Dishes and laundry especially remain my old foes.  No matter how hard you work at getting rid of them, they just keep coming right back!  The good news is, by making sure I do the unloading/reloading consistently, my counters have been blissfully dish-free.  Laundry is seeing success also, though to a lesser degree.  My defense will be that we have some serious projects to do in there to make it a clean, efficient place!  (All the cool DIY-ness will be shared once it starts happening!)

I feel like I've been doing a pretty bang up job sticking to my other guidelines as well.  This past Saturday, Mr. J and I dropped Baby off with Grandma and went to do a few quick shopping errands.  Since he was taken care of, we took the opportunity to have a bit of a mini-date. *gasp!*  Thai food and my husband all to myself = success in my books!  

This is what our street should look like by now, but no.

I only feel like I'm lagging a bit in two areas.  The first and most significant is keeping myself active.  It's Minnesota and it hasn't gotten the memo that it's SPRING, so there's still several feet of snow hanging around, which nixes the opportunity to get out with the stroller and go for the jogs I've been dreaming of and I've only fit my "quick workout" in the morning schedule in about a third of the time. 

The second is the TV blackouts until after Baby J goes to bed for the evening.  Before anyone jumps up and says "A HA! I told you so!," it's not me turning it on.  Mr. J likes to have a bit of tube time when he comes home between milkings and since our "playroom" is also the living room, the TV is a bit unavoidable.

Goals for the next few weeks:  

• Get that work out in!  Even if it's just 15 minutes, it's something right?
• Add a few more things to the cleaning schedule as the daily tasks become easier to complete quickly (like making the bed daily as opposed to once in awhile, etc.)
• Make some play dates/mommy dates!  While we've been out and about lately, it's always great to connect with other mommy friends!