Sleep Please Come Back

I'm starting this day with a significant lack of sleep and I don't know what happened. For the past two months I have been working with her during bedtime for the process to go quicker and smoother. I knew that I was eventually going to return to the work force and at the time I didn't know what shift I would be gone. I wanted to remove all the "mommy have to haves" before I started working.

We got to the point that she was no longer nursing, sleeping in her toddler bed without a fuss, sleeping over 8-9 hour stretches and no extra interventions needed besides a kiss good night. Now, I start work next week and everything has changed. She's waking up multiple times during the night, throwing a fit for the boob and not falling back asleep. I don't think there are any signs for her to "know" I'm going back to work. Our daily scheduled hasn't changed. I wish I knew what to do to fix this. It's hard enough staying home without enough sleep. I can't function at work like this.

Signed - Sleep Deprived

Spending

Do you know how you can tell you're spending habits have changed? I realized that today. These days when I go through a store I find myself hesitant to buy something if I know it's cheaper at another store or if I have a coupon at home. I've also gotten mad at myself if I leave my coupons at home and I miss a great opportunity.

I'm no where near the level of the ladies you see on TV. To be honest I wouldn't want to be. I do feel that I've learned enough to know when I should or shouldn't buy something. I've also learned not to send my hubby to the store unless it's something that I would rarely get a deal on or if I'm desperate.

Do you have a family budget? Do you coupon? How long did it take to get over the learning curve? I found help at The Coupon Project, where did you go?

Reminiscing

As my time as a stay at home mother comes to an end I've been reminiscing. Today, I've been thinking about what I did so I didn't get "stir crazy". I found that even a short trip to the store was enough for my daughter and I.

During the car ride, the time walking to and from the car as well as walking the aisles I would point out objects and ask/tell her what shape or color they were. We would wave hi/bye to people we came across. My silly girl even applied that to the trees, animals and the objects too! My favorite was when she kept saying hello to the bread at the grocery store.

What do you do to maintain your sanity as a stay at home mom? Do you have any tips, favorite memories you would like to share?

Toddlerdom

What do you always hear about toddlers? I'm sure "terrible twos" and tantrums rate at the top of the list. Sure, that is definitely a part of raising a toddler. My toddler is two, she has tantrums and sometimes she can be terrible.

Why isn't all the great things at the tip of everyone's tongues? I'd rather celebrate how amazing my toddler is. At least that's what helps me deal with the stress when my toddler is a little "terror".

It absolutely amazes me how quickly she learns. She's able to say words, phrases and even sentences that I never realized she was able to do. She's walking, running, climbing, and jumping. She able to successfully tell me what she wants, most of the time. Even in a week I'm able to see amazing differences in my little baby.

Toddlers are a handful. Toddlers can make you pull out your hair and count all the extra grey ones. Toddler moms, let tomorrow be the day we celebrate how amazing our little terrors are.

Here I Come

I start work next week. Woah, that one sentence gave my nerves a little jiggle. I made the decision to be a stay a home mother to my daughter in June of 2010 when she wasn't doing well in day care.

It's been an AMAZING experience to be home to witness her first attempts at crawling, walking, climbing, running, talking, etc. I will never regret staying home to see first hand all my first born's firsts. Haha

The past few month I've missed the the nursing career I built and decided to return to the work force. Since I started my job search I've been in a rush to be mentally prepared I've reviewed my nursing text book and some CEU's to get myself up to speed. It still give my nerves a little jiggle. Here I come world, are you ready for me?

Miniatures

I mentioned in my last post some of the balls I've been juggling COMPLETELY solo. Those were just the major highlights. I didn't mention the smaller ones like weaning, potty training, transitioning into the toddler bed and the millions of other things I do for my toddler.

I'm blogging right now on my phone as I sit next to my toddler sitting on the potty. I'm here for emotional support, I guess. You see my daughter had a lengthy problem with constipation which we finally solved with the new pediatrician. So now, she still gets a little nervous when she feels the urge to push.

I commend all the mothers out there. Motherhood isn't a job that has sick days, vacation or even a pause button. I'd love that last one! We struggle every moment to raise healthy, smart, and adjusted miniature members of society. Okay, pat your backs, you're doing an awesome job!

New Adventures

The first month of 2012 isn't even over yet and our family already has a number of new adventures waiting for us.  I've been neglecting blog land for a lot of real life juggling.  We've been house hunting and found one that we absolutely love.  So now we're jumping through the fire hoops, dotting all the "i's" and crossing all the "t's" in a race to be ready for closing.

I've been job hunting.  That's right after a year and a half of spending one and one time with my little girl as a stay at home mother I'm ready to rejoin the work force.  I've been pleasantly surprised how easy the process has been to receive endorsement here as well as the overwhelming response to my applications. The first two interviews I had were my top two choices and I received offers from both.  I accepted my first choice which is a job that makes me excited at the prospect to grow in my career.  It also comes with day shift so that made the next piece easy to find.

I found an affordable day care at a fraction of the cost I would spend outside of the military and I am extremely impressed with the facility.  It's not just a day care but they treat it as a school with a curriculum.  Izzy also seemed very interested in the classroom and the instructors when we went for the tour and the orientation.

The last ball was formulating a family budget, learning how to save through couponing and tailoring my spending for the best use of my money.  My favorite site is the The Coupon Project for all the local, realistic "how to" advice.  I've learned a lot and I still feel like i have a lot to learn to make changes.

How has your 2012 been treating you so far?  Any big projects you're working on?