What Would You Do – Again?

I have no idea what happened to the last post.  I had posted from my phone, but then my phone ate the post.  Or, so I thought.  Then it password protected it.  With what password?  I don’t have the foggiest clue.  So, I’m going to repost it.  Here goes.

 

Even though I’m not BFing Charlie anymore, I still try to visit her at lunch. Hey, I like hanging out with her more than I like a relaxing lunch. What’s it to you? Yesterday, something weird happened while I was there. Here’s what happened:

The owner’s children came in (they are older, like 9, 11, and 13, but they like to visit the babies) and they were looking nicely tanned as they had just returned from their summer vacation down the shore. Normally, they have a medium white skin tone. One of the teachers looked at the one son and said, “Wow are you dark! You look like our black baby J* over there. ”

When it happened, my mouth dropped open in astonishment. I wasn’t sure what to say, or even if I should say anything.

Now, I should tell you that our particular infant room isn’t very diverse: eight Caucasians, one Asian, one Indian, and one baby that is half African-American and half Caucasian (J,mentioned above).

The teacher that made the remark** said it very casually, like it was just another thing to say. So, I don’t think she was trying to be mean or anything. And it’s not as if they treat any of the babies differently. They are super caring, sweet, and loving to them all.

But, the remark still kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It just seemed wrong. Should I have said something to the teacher or to the director? Even though the remark seemed innocuous, it’s not the kind of remark that I want Charlie to hear when she gets old enough to understand what was said. I certainly wouldn’t want her to repeat it.

So, I guess my question is, what would you have done if you were in my shoes?

* Not the baby’s actual initial.

** The teacher is older, probably late 60’s- early 70’s and white.

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Trying to Juggle Life as a Working Mom

It’s not easy!  I know, I know.  Nobody ever said it was going to be, but I never dreamed that it would be this difficult.  I think a lot of the problems that I’m having with getting everything settled down and in order is that I definitely have some OCD tendencies that I have to deal with.  And man, do they make things rough.  I have a problem where everything that I do, including cleaning, has to end in perfection.  If I can’t see through the problem to that area of perfection, I feel overwhelmed and usually don’t even make the effort to try, preferring to deal with the familiar, although dysfunctional, status quo.

However, because I am really starting to get to the point where I am almost ready to throw almost everything in my house away and I really can’t afford to start over from scratch, I have set about trying to make some semblance of the unorganized disaster that we call our home.

I’m starting with baby steps. 

Seriously.

Charlie recently switched over to formula (more about this in another post), which means that I need to pack bottles for her every day at daycare.  So this weekend, I started arranging one of my kitchen cabinets to be readily stocked with bottles of the correct amount of powdered formula AND bottles that are readily stocked with the correct amount of water.  Without any type of hesitation, you can now open the cabinet, grab a bottle of formula and a bottle of water, combine the two, pour them into one of the bottles that she uses (which are different from the ones we’re using for storage), and voila, a bottle that is ready to go for Charlie.  And, if you want to pack at night for the next morning, it’s easy enough to throw four bottles of formula and four bottles of water into the daycare bag. 

Our Kitchen Cabinet

It’s been a life changing experience.

I told you that I was taking baby steps.

A Fun Story in Pictures

I’ve had the idea to do this post for a while, so I hope it goes well.  It’s all about my new job.

I started my new job back in

I work for

 

This is my ultimate boss

No, seriously, he really is (and he’s John’s boss too!).

I work for a department that deals with this

and this

and this

and this

Can you believe there’s a branch of this here

We’re not really known for our

(Real ones that is!  There’s plenty of these around)

Since my degree from

 is in 

 and

I was a good 

 for this position.

The main focus of my 

 in other words, what I get paid from your

to work on is the

of

  to make it do this

 

Why do we want it to

It becomes a tool to let us know when the

has too many

growing on it and can make us

if we

even if we

 it correctly. 

Don’t

 the

that I make won’t ever actually touch your consumable

 

I also work on

that lives on

and

that lives in

 and

 

that lives on

I really

my job so far, especially because it can be

stimulating.

The only thing I don’t like about my

is that it keeps me away from

That was fun!  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it.  If you have any questions about what I actually do, just contact me.  I’m more than willing to explain it in some detail.

34 By 35

I really hate New Year’s resolutions. I never take them seriously and never follow through. Instead, I’ve always been the type to say I want to do this before I turn (blank age). So in honor of the 17th anniversary of my 17th birthday (and kudos to anybody who knows from whom I obtained that quote), here are 34 things I want to accomplish before I turn 35.

And in no particular order:
1. Read 35 books (I’m going to start off with an easy one).
2. Stop biting my nails (now we’re into much harder territory).
3. Lose 10 pounds before Disney.
4. Lose 50 pounds in a year.
5. Run a 5K.
6. Get our home completely organized, including the black hole from hell known as the basement.
7. Start eating healthier (more like Charlie’s diet. Heavy on the fruits and veggies).
8. Get our finances in order to maximize what can be accomplished with them.
9. Get my etsy store opened. Yes, there’s already an account, but there’s not enough inventory to actually open.
10. Propagate my beautiful African violets.
11. Make éclairs from scratch.
12. Turn my postdoctoral position into a permanent one.
13. Actually see my friends V and M again, and to meet V’s son, A. I feel like I’ve fallen off the face of the Earth with these two.
14. Blog more frequently. At least three times a week.
15. Start my novel. I’m not saying to finish it, but to at least start it. Something I’ve wanted to do since high school. Did anybody know that for a while I actually considered journalism and /or English as a major since I really like to write? Kind of happy that I didn’t go that route.
16. Go rappelling.
17. Go to DC for a weekend. I miss it.
18. Make family Christmas stockings for John, Charlie, and myself.
19. Buy a Belgian waffle iron.
20. Figure out how to post videos with sound on my blog. I’m thinking this may involve YouTube.
21. Stop dressing quite so frumpily (Is that a word? If not, it should be).
22. Knit a sweater for myself or John. Charlie doesn’t count. I’ve already knitted ones for her, and they are little and quick.
23. Go to the Philadelphia zoo.
24. Go to the Pittsburgh zoo.
25. Get down to the Jersey Shore (and not AC).
26. Build a pantry in the basement.
27. Start seriously thinking about the timing of a second.
28. Take a tour of CBP.
29. Finish photobooks of our wedding, our honeymoon, Charlie’s Baptism, Charlie’s first year, and my parents’ anniversary party.
30. Get out to see my family at least twice.
31. Go to see the orchestra. I haven’t been in a long time and John’s never been.
32. Try Ethiopian food. I’ve heard it’s very tasty.
33. Have a massive yard sale (see #6 above regarding the basement).
34. Get into a routine for keeping the house clean and in order. The charts have been made, now we just have to implement them.

And Finally One To Grow On…

35. Have a great year with no regrets!