Monday, March 7, 2011

I am...

I've been noticing that all I blog about these days is my life as a mommy...& let's be honest, I AM a mom..what else do I have to blog about? A lot, actually, because, you see, I am more than just a mommy...I've seen this on a few other blogs & like the idea..so let's go!! Here is what I am, BESIDES a wonderful mama ;):

I AM A RUNNER!
I love being active! I have always played sports, & run & jumped & skipped :) Running is hugely therapeutic for me..it helps me get my stress out & keep me balanced. I ran through my entire pregnancy & started back up shortly after having Aiden & I highly recommend staying active during pregnancy..as long as it is safe..you will be doing yourself a HUGE favor!

I AM A CHOCOHOLOLIC
To balance out my running, I eat chocolate. LOTS of it! Don't let me fool you with my fruit..I love my chocolate, & will happily consume an entire bowl of chocolate frosting straight off my finger!

I AM AN AVID READER
Man, I love to read! Give me the choice between books or the tv & I'll pick the book every time. I grew up being read to by my mother, & spent summers riding my bike to the library to load up on Nancy Drew, Boxcar Kids, Anne of Green Gables...everything!! There is no better escape than a book! Barnes & Noble is my favorite store & luckily (or maybe not, for my paycheck..) there's one 5 minutes from me.

I AM A NURSE
I honestly so not remember when I decided I wanted to be a nurse, but I have been in the medical field for 10 years now! I truly enjoy taking care of people & easing their discomfort & teaching them. I'm currently an oncology & bone marrow transplant RN, & while it is one of the most challenging positions I've ever held, it is incredibly, incredibly rewarding.

I AM A WIFE
Before I was a mommy, I fell in love. With an amazing man who opens my car door, cooks me breakfast, anticipates my needs before I even know them..I fell in love & fall even further every day.

I am so many things..& the beauty of having so many different aspects to my personality is that they all join together to make me one pretty decent human being!

What do you define yourself as?

Friday, February 18, 2011

Drumroll, please!!

I renewed my driver's license.

That expired last June.

Yup, I've been driving around illegally for about 9 months. I just couldn't stand the thought of facing the DMV with my son in tow. I could barely stand the thought before I had a baby. Just imagining the lines, the paperwork, the stinky crazy people (there's ALWAYS a stinky, crazy person when I've gone in the past, and they always find me!) was almost enough to make start taking public transportation. Almost.

So I called the DMV to make an appointment. I'd heard you could do that and thought that it was a fabulous idea..no? Well apparently appointments can only be made online. Not over the phone. But the website was down and the lady on the phone said I'd have to come in to the DMV to make an appointment...okaaaaay...she did remind me that in order to renew my license I'd need to bring with me two pieces of mail proving my current address, and identification in the form of social security card, birth certificate and/or passport. Oh, and my first born child..or an arm or leg.

Of that list, the firstborn child was looking like the easiest option, and here's why: I didn't legally change my name until two weeks before Aiden was born. I don't know why, I just didn't. So, my social security card has my married name, but every other piece of identification has my maiden name. No two papers matched up, AND I realized, while looking for all this stuff (no, it was not all in a secure place, like it should've been..) my birth certificate is missing...AGAIN. I had to apply for a new one when I got my passport..I'm thinking maybe they didn't send it back to me with my passport...hmmm...looks like I'll be standing in line for that, too. (btw, it is INCREDIBLY easy to apply for a birth certificate in Utah..which makes me wonder why it's so freakin hard to get a driver's license...?)

So. I brought my Social Security Card to prove I'm me, my marriage license to prove that the last name on my SS card is actually correct, and my passport (which I'll now have to change to match my new driver's license) as my second form of ID. Oh, and two Dr's bills, with my current address. Yeesh.

I put all of the above paperwork in a large envelope, for safe keeping, loaded Aiden and I into the car, and set off for Hell, er, the DMV.

Got to the DMV (w/o screaming, might I add...a major coup!) The DMV I selected is brand new & nice & shiny (even has drive through renewal for vehicle registration..nice!) It is also at the point of the mountain where it is nice and WINDY!

Right.

So, got there, grabbed all my crap out of the front seat & went to get Aiden out of the back...and a gust of wind hits me...

Envelope blown away! Contents scattered across the parking lot! My entire identity is disappearing right before my eyes!

I'm sure quite a few strangers got a major laugh at my expense that day, as they watched me frantically scurrying across the parking lot trying to stomp on my SS card, marriage certificate, etc. before they were lost to the hands of Mother Nature (I was more worried about who would find them, and what they would do with them..)

Luckily, a kinda guy took pity on me & helped me chase down everything. Luckily, I had not gotten Aiden out of the car yet..'cause I can just see how awesome that would've been!

After I had retrieved all my papers, I sat in the front seat of the Jeep, regaining my sanity & considering not even going in to face the DMV demon after my ordeal. Then Aiden began to scream & I figured 'eh, I've come this far, might as well finish the job!'

So I marched in to the DMV, filled out my paperwork to apply for a license...aaaaand...was out in 20 minutes!

It was a breeze! (Pun intended!)

Monday, January 31, 2011

When I was a young girl...

OK. So that wasn't actually that long ago..but I AM starting to feel old! I'm finding grey hairs (which might have had something to do with why I got highlights & bangs..to up my 'cool' factor!) & my eyes are looking tired all. the. time. (might have something to do with working night shifts & a baby..)

ANYWHO.

Right.

So.

When I was younger, and out & about having fun & dating..I never gave much thought to the fact that all these boys I liked to flirt with were some woman's son. Then I had Aiden & now EVERYONE is SOMEONE's baby. It's true. It really is. But, I'm really only particularly concerned with MY little baby boy. See, I remember how I was when I was dating...and I swear if some girl is mean to my little boy...!!!!!

OK, I know that I can't be that crazy mom. I just can't go out & egg a girl's car if she breaks my son's heart. But I'll sure want to! And I'll have a hard time not actually doing it! But I won't.

However, I did have this genius epiphany the other night about what I CAN do when it comes to Aiden dating. See, during highschool, there were multiple occasions where, instead of going out to a pricey restaraunt for a date/dance, my friends & I (with a lot of assistance from our mother's) would make a nice dinner at home. It was great! Yummy food, cute decorations, waaaay cheaper! I always was so greatful to my mom for helping me out with this. She really was (and still is) the greatest mommy ever! So, I want to be that great mommy, too. And come Aiden's first dance I'll offer to make dinner. And you know what I'm going to make? The exact same dinner I made for Jeff and I the other night:

Garlic sauteed chicken cutlets with broccoli & blue cheese sauce!

Sounds delicious, right?

It is!

Know what else it is?

Super Stinky!!

Yup! Bad breath will reign SUPREME! There will be NO kissing!

In fact, they won't even want to hold hands...

Case in point: after eating this meal Jeff informed me that it was quite tasty. But that I would not be coming within a few feet of him for the rest of the night. And he was right :)

Mommy wins!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Guess What I want for Christmas....

So you all know that I'm obsessed with sleep, right? Riiiiight? Well, if you didn't, you do now. I am truly obsessed..I can't stop thinking about sleep..example: I read an add in a magazine for some super energizing beverage & I'm like 'that sounds great. You know what sounds even greater? SLEEPING. Then I wouldn't need the caffienated beverage! Then, on the next page of the magazine I see some super skinny model in some super cute dress & I'm like 'oh, she's cute..I like that dress, I bet I'd look cute in it, too..but you know what would make me look REALLY cute? Sleep.' Yeah..'cause I've never looked so tired & blotchy & OLD in my life! Not when I was dating my husband & up till 5am with him, then at work at 6:30am till 3pm, all while going to school. I looked freakin' uh-mazing then. Now, I just look like someone smeared my mascara under my eyes..permanently. Ugh.

OK, so, the point of this post is to tell you a funny sleep story. Aiden & I took a little trip to the mall yesterday. We shopped. We strolled. Then we got a sandwich. And while we're sitting in the food court enjoying our turkey-&-provolone-on-wheat-with-apple-slices I notice that Aiden is eyeballing the carousel a few yards away. He keeps twisting in his highchair to looooooook at it (have I mentioned he is INCREDIBLY mobile these days? And that I haven't babyproofed anything in my house...it's AWESOME!) So I decide he'd probably like a ride on the carousel. We pay our ride-the-carousel-fee & select a nice looking pony. I buckle Aiden on, he grabs the bar & put my hand on his back..we start spinning...he's loving it..then about 6 mins in to the ride he just suddenly slumps to the side & slides right off the horse into my arms! Yeah, I kinda freaked out! My mind is racing through possibilities...did he choke? Did he faint? Do I have a fainting goat for a son? THEN, I realize that nothing that dramatic has occured...oh, no! My son has simply been spun to sleep. While sitting upright.

If that doesn't tell me he's tired, I don't know what will.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Blog Strike

Don't take this personally, guys, but I'm going to quit reading your blogs if you have a baby! Why, you ask? For your own safety! Because if I have to read one more post about how your baby 'falls asleep completely on their own without a peep' I WILL hunt you down & kill you. Got it? I'm happy for you..& I like you..but reading that makes me hate you.

Now.

This is the part where you all jump in with your sleep strategies & 'training'. I WANT to hear your advice. UNLESS. UNLESS. It involves crying it out!! Because I won't do that. Call me crazy/silly/softy etc. You may be right. But I won't. We tried that for a while..and this is how it went:

Aiden screaming. Aiden Screaming. Aiden SCREAMING. Meghan bawling. Hysterically. Go in to check on him & 'reassure' him. Aiden SCREAMS & grabs frantically at any part of my body he can get his tiny hands on. Go out. Cry in hall. AIDEN SCREAMING. Go in to check....PUKE everywhere!!! More times than once. The only variation was when it was BLOOD everywhere, 'cause he bit his tongue. He doesn't wear out. He doesn't calm down. He does. NOT. sleep. And while it may work for some people..to me it feels torturous (to me & him) & I feel like I'm breaking my child. Because after all the crying..it takes HOURS to calm him down to a whimper. And then he won't eat.

So. I love you guys. And I would like to hear your sleep advice. But I'm warning you..if you mention crying it out..I WILL be annoyed :)

Peace!

*UPDATE*: I just want to make abundantly clear that I don't think you're a terrible parent if you do/have use(d) the CIO method of sleep training. I'm not judging anyone here..there is no one size fits all & you do what works for you & your kiddo..that's what's important.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Smokin' Hot, Baby!

So, I got all ambitious the other night...fired up the grill! Crazy, right? Why would I do such a thing?

No. Seriously. WHY would I do that?

The grill is my husband's domain. Somewhere around our second year of marriage I got him this AWESOME, double sided Char Grill. One side for charcoal. The other side for gas. The man loves to grill old-school most of the time, & I felt he deserved to do so in style, while also having the option of flipping a switch for the convenience of gas grilling. Man, I'm an awesome wife!

Back to the story...

Grills get hot. It's their nature. I mean, they ARE supposed to COOK things..which entails heat. And they're designed to get hot without, um, self destructing. Or so I thought.

So, yeah, I'm all ambitious..I decide to grill some chicken for dinner. On the gas side, of course. I ain't messin' with charcoal, man..that stuff freaks me out (seriously, it does. Wussy, right?)! I flip on the burners, I push the light button, the grill springs to life! Awesome! I turned the burners down to medium heat, throw the chicken on, & go inside to work on a salad (well rounded nutrition folks!) I go check on the chicken about 10 minutes later..all is good in the hood!

Jeff calls to let me know he's on his way home..I'm choppin up some veggies..I'm in my cookin' groove. I hear Jeff pull up & think 'Yay! Back up is here!!' (for Aiden..cause entertaining a 5 month old all day can get wearing, some days). Well he came slamming through the garage door & yells 'Meghan! Are you alright?!' And of course, I'm all 'Yup, great! Why do you ask? Oh, hey, you're gonna be so proud of me..I'm using the grill to GRILL CHICKEN!' And he's like, 'Well, it looks like the house is on fire out there..come see..' So we walk outside..& sure enough! Black smoke is billowing out of the garage! The smoke is so thick you can't really see anything in there..it was nuts!

We're still not sure what I did. Jeff managed to get the grill turned off. Apparently the thermometer inside the grill was reading around 1000 degrees!! Man, I've got mad skillz! Poor Jeff is shopping for a new lid for his grill. 'Cause it melted. Yeah..MELTED!!

In other news, I have impressive talent in the 'backing up my car' department. I was running early to work the other night & figured I deserved a treat..so I pulled into McD's drive through to get one of those quite yummy frappes (not gonna lie..they ain't too shabby.) And I'm perusing the menu as the drive through guy says 'I can take your order whenever you're ready'. Well, I wasn't seeing my frappes...THEN I noticed I was in a KFC drive through! Cool! So I backed out of the drive through..90 degree turn & all! Woo hoo!

And I think I've made a big enough fool out of myself for one post!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Hmmmm...

My brain's felt too helter-skelter & slugish lately to sit down & write an actual, coherent post on this here blog o' mine! In fact, I'm struggling right now to string words together in an INTERESTING fashion (I hate it when my writing doesn't have any 'spark'!) So..here's a list of 'I Wonders' that have been streaming through my brain as of late:

I WONDER:

-If I'll ever get a full nights sleep ever. Again. My mother informs me that no, I will not..& I believe her! 'Cause once Aiden's 'sleeping through the night' (what idiot coined that phrase? I want to beat them!) He'll get teeth. Then nightmares. Then he'll be a teenager before I know it & I'll be waiting up for him! On a tangent..in highschool I never understood why my parents felt the need to do that..now I get it.

-Will my house ever NOT be covered in piles? Piles of laundry. Piles of paper. Piles of dishes. Piles of chew toys (baby's & dogs) & blocks. The answer, yet again, is NO. I'm not that motivated most of the time! I will accept the fact the my bathrooms, kitchen & floors are sparkling clean, & that's better than nothing!

-Will my skin ever be clear again? Before I even knew I was prego I started breaking out. And it's been downhill from there. I use ProActive. I use prescription meds (have since I was 16, honestly). All I can say is THANK GOODNESS FOR BARE MINERALS! That stuff saves my vanity :)

And now, on a more positive note, 'cause those 'I Wonders' seem a bit negative..

I WONDER:

-How I got so lucky as to have my husband! He is so amazing. I know everyone's husband is (usually...), but I think mine is better than yours :) Just sayin! He cleans our house, he grocery shops, he supports our little family, he does Tri's & builds fences & decks..& fixes my car & installs gas lines...PHEW! In all seriousness, I love having a man who is so motivated & a 'jack of all trades' as my husband. He puts me to shame. Did I mention he is the most incredible father?

-Can my baby boy get any cuter? Can I fall any more in love with him? I suspect the answer on both counts is YES! I look at him & I just melt..his gummy grins & flapping, grabby little hands...WOW!! This is so corny, please forgive me, because I used to absolutely hate it when mom's said this before I had my baby..but you just can't know how pure love can be, & what an incredible experience it is, until you're a mom!

-Will all of you in the Salt Lake area sign up for This Race with me? It's not long, it's not hard..you can walk it, if you want! It promotes healthy habits & positive body image in girls & women..which is a 'cause' near & dear to me. It's women only..no stinky boys...:) You know you want to!

Have a great day, y'all!