Sick yet again

How many times can we get sick this fall/winter? A LOT is the answer. I now have another awful cold. This one is dominated by fatigue and sore throat, with some lovely sinus/nasal congestion thrown in for good measure.

I guess having 2 kids age 2 and under means more bugs coming our way. This should not surprise me, but I have to say that it does seem like we've gotten more than our fair share these past 3 months or so, having 3 colds and 2 stomach flus.

I need to rest.

wow...

Scary. I found another great "before" picture. I can't believe I was this big! What a great reminder of why I want to stay on track and keep it off.

hee hee hee!

Calvin thought it would be fun to sit in Michelle's Bumbo chair. The fact that he was only wearing his diaper and the bead necklace made this even more amusing :). Someday this will be a great blackmail picture; meanwhile, it's just SO cute!

we'll give it a shot

I'm going to give work a try for 2 months on the new schedule and see how it goes. Since I really like my job, it's worth a shot. We'll see if the extra day at home creates enough margin. I think it could, but I'm not sure if it will, so I will just try it and see. Thanks for your input :).

indecision stinks

So, my last post about tough decisions? Throw it in the trash can. Not all of it, because I still believe every word I wrote. The problem is this - the boss values me so much that he has made an offer wherein I work 2 days instead of 2.5 for a little bit more money. Hmmmm. Couple that with a wonderful week at work where I realize just how much I really do love what I do (not just the identity that it gives me, which I love too - that is a problem, but it's a separate problem), and it makes it VERY hard to know what is right.

I think the extra half a day could be very significant. I mean, by the time I leave my house (12:45 pm) on Thursday, drive to the day care, then drive to work, work, pick up kids, and come home, it's 5 1/2 hours, easy. I'm usually not home until 6:15 pm. If I had all of that time at home, would that be the extra margin that I need? I'm not sure. It might be. The only way to find out is to try it. What do I have to lose by trying it for a little while? It might not work, but if it did...

So I'm thinking of trying it. Comments welcome.

tough decisions

It was a tough decision to go back to work, and I thought it was the right one. However, after 3 months, I have decided it was the wrong one. I feel like I'm missing out on things. I miss my kids. I need more MARGIN in my life. I am going to miss my work, but not as much as I was missing my kids.

One thing that really helped me decide was the sermon Jonathan gave on Sunday. He got me thinking about identity. I tend to find my identity in my work, and I love to be able to say "I'm a molecular biologist". I mean, how cool is that? "I'm a stay-at-home-mommy to 2 active children" just doesn't have the same ring. However, when the rubber meets the road, that just really doesn't matter. I get too hung up on what others think. Though it's been much better with increased age and wisdom (?), I still find myself doing it sometimes. I also enjoy doing something outside the home that I am good at and get positive feedback from. Work did have its tangible rewards that way. But y'know what? I am not giving up work forever, and it will still be there when I want to go back to it. Meanwhile, I get to enjoy the wonderful rewards of watching Michelle grow and take her first steps and watching Calvin expand his vocabulary and thought processes every day.

Last week was important to deciding as well. Having the week off w/the kids & my family was great, even if I was sick. I realized that even though I enjoy my work, I need the space and the margin that being at home more creates.

So, I'm working through January 30th, and that will be it for a while. That's the plan anyway.