Why am I a WAHM?

**please excuse typographical and grammical errors:I am typing from an iPhone while snuggling with my sleeping boy*** Over the past ten months, I have been trying to find ways to cut costs and earn money without returning to full-time teaching. Since May, I have been working hard to build my portfolio using my digital camera. For the last month I have been staying up late and pounding the pavement (literally and figuratively) to spread the word about my new family sign language classes. I can only work after the babytoes is asleep and with the need to keep my house maintained as well there are days that I find myself begging him to go to sleep so that I can work. I get short-tempered with him when his schedule doesn't fit my desires because I "have to get some work done."
Today we took our first trip to the library since his birth. We played, read books and enjoyed the company of our friends who joined us. I took the time to read a book with my godson who just started kindergarten.
After the library, we went home and our friends came over for dinner. While dinner was inthe oven (thanks to my wonderful bff:)), I read another book with my godson. Oh the joy and pleasure in his little face as we shared the story of "Alpha Oops the Day Z Went First.". After they left I joined my 8 month old on the floor and we had a crawl race through the house.
Today I feel good: I love my family and I don't feel the need to "get some work done.". As a matter of fact, babytoes is sleeping in my arms as I type this from the phone and that's okay with me. I'm not frustrated that he cried when I tried to put him in bed. In all the chaos of starting a business and running a home,I had lost sight of why I decided to be a WAHM in the first place. What good is having Mom at home if she is always waiting for you to go to bed? I didn't leave the classroom just so we don't have to pay for daycare; I left so that I could stay home and enjoy my son, teaching him everyday the things other children learn in school and letting him know that his Mommie loves him.
Thanks DJ for reminding Dart why she stays home with CJ; I owe you--will you let me pay you by reading with you?

things you see at Cracker Barrel

PHOTO WALK: Weekly Photography Challenge

PHOTO WALK: Weekly Photography Challenge

I'm not officially signing up but my sister and I will be doing our own photo walk on this day. I'll share the flickr link when the photos are up there!

You should join us.

Diapers in the Sunshine state

This morning it was wash day for bumcovers. I rinsed, washed, double rinsed and headed outside to hang them in the bright sun. Inside I took care of some other chores. About 4 hous later, just when my bumcovers should have been dry, I heard something that wonder like water running into the ice maker but continuing. I peeped out the window to see amnice Summer shower--on my dry diapers! Like a flash this Mama ran outside to save the wash. Dripping wet, I threw the once dry diapers (one wipe was still dry! Success!) into the dryer. By now the baby was in tears from the commotion and I picked him up to play. After playing for abou ten minutes, I remembers the blinds were still open on the sliding door. When I closed them. Took note of the beautiful sunny day...."welcome to Florida!"

Fresh from the garden

So this week is a down week, disappointing after a few up ones.  The highlight of the week has been using the herbs and vegetables I grew in my container garden.  When I started my garden, I had great hopes that it would save me quite a bit of money on produce.  That was a pipe dream.  So far it has produced: 2 very small tomatoes, 1 medium bell pepper, 2 strawberries, some green onions, lots of oregano & rosemary, a little parsley and cilantro and the beginnings of one zucchini.  Some money saver!  I spend about $40 in supplies and have gotten about $5 in harvest.  Despite the failure of my garden to pay for itself, I was thrilled to run out and clip some cilantro and onions for our taco salad.  There is just something special about walking outside, picking the produce and rinsing it in a bucket of water on the way to the kitchen.  My mom says "it's a self-worth thing," perhaps.  Maybe I am reaping more than just savings at the grocer from this container garden.  I can't wait for C2 to do more than pick/eat my onion tops when I take him out there!  I have wonderful visions of his face lighting up as he realizes that the seeds he planted have grown into tiny little plants and then his excitement when he gets to eat something from his very own plant...but right now I get to enjoy his mischievous smile as he coyly grabs a fistful of green onions and shoves them into his toothless mouth. 

Personalized Block Photos

I have an idea to sell these personalized in prints for framing and on bags and stuff like that.  Right now I need to see if there is a market.  What would you pay for these?  What other objects can I put in the shots?  I was thinking toy cars for the boys or plastic frogs/lizards.

Sometimes you feel like a nut!

Have you ever gone through old snapshots and found some treasures? This was one of those days at my house!

Teeth, spiders and mold!

This morning, with teething baby nestled snuggly in the laundry basket, I ventured outside to hang up a load of baby clothes on my newly installed clothesline. As I hung up my little one's clothes I noticed a spider web.  I inspected it and then began to investigate.  What did I find? About 10 spider webs holding approximately 7 tiny black widow spiders!  After a bit of research, I discovered that the best way to eliminate them was to whack them with a rolled up newspaper.  I also discovered that the white stuff I found yesterday on my squash meant I would have to cut of some of the leaves.  Once things settled down and it was time for my hubby to get up for work, I decided it was high-time to get out there and take my my porch garden!  I left my boy in the care of his father, gather my newspaper and clippers and set off on my leaf-trimming, spider-whacking adventure!  I searched out the spiders and whomped them without a cringe.  If you have ever seen me kill a spider or bug you know it NEVER involves squashing...more likely an aerosol can, so this was a huge accomplishment for me.  Next it was on to conquer the moldy squash leaves.  In less than 15 minutes I had conquered two garden foes! Maybe this is going to turn out to be a good day after all!  Now to conquer those teeth...

Who says nursing covers are only for covering nursing babies?

Today I took my wonderful little boy my niece and her boyfriend to March for Babies for the March of Dimes.  We had a nice walk downtown and then went to lunch.  At the restaraunt, I donned my nursing cover and C2 had a quick snack while I sipped tea and waited for my lunch.  After a few minutes I heard and felt some rumbling down in the bum cover but decided that since it had only been on him for 10 minutes, he could wait until after I ate to be changed. He played happily with a cucumber slice as he sat in my lap while I ate my lunch. I noticed his legs were cool and put his pants on him. After a few minutes, he got a little fussy and I remembered the bum and went to the car to retrieve a second diaper/wipe set.  Decided to just change him out there.  I kept trying to figure out how he got the poo in his toes; I concluded that his daddy must have let him get his foot in the morning dipe and I missed it when I changed him.  I packed everything up and turned for the restaraunt.  Just then the nursing cover moved to the side as I looked down.  Behold a beautiful 3 inch circular swatch in a shade of brown/yellow/green in the center of my khaki lap!  I pulled the cover back over my lap, decided my grocery shopping would have to wait until later in the afternoon and went back inside to ask why my lunch buddies hadn't shared with me the knowledge of the glop.  Turns out the cover had been covering more than my son's lunch the whole time...it was covering the remnant of breakfast!
Oh the joys!

Hands of Time

Hands can tell a wonderful story. The hands of a newborn baby are soft, delicate, innocent, unadulterated by the sands of time. A few years pass and those tiny fingers grow to be chunky little fingers covered with marker ink and dirt. Time marches of and the hands continue to grow; now perhaps adorned with a wedding band and fewer delicate curves. As the clock continues to tick, the lines become more defined, the hands even less delicate but if you look closely more beautiful. More beautiful how? Each of the lines in those scarred, weathered hands poignantly pipes in during the telling of a life-story. All too often people look on the eldest folks in our community and see only ugliness, failing to see the many years of experience, work and love that are contained in the weathered hands of the person. As you go about your daily tasks this week, take a moment to look at your hands and see what story they tell. When you notice an older individual while you are out, look closely at his hands and if you have a moment ask him to tell you a little of the story behind those beautiful lines.

Quick I need pics!

Got a call today from a family member who wanted to do a maternity shoot..."I'm 4 cm. We need to do the pictures!" Yikes! She agreed to load up her kiddos, I loaded up mine and we were off to do a photoshoot with 2 hours notice! Got a few REALLY great shots of the kiddos and some cute belly shots. Check out my Facebook for more of them! Bump pics  Kid Pics

Mommie toes????

I figure that a good place to start this blog is to introduce myself to the virtual world...right? Here goes: I am a new Mommie of a wonderful little boy (babytoes) and wife to a super husband. I have a degree in Deaf education and taught ESE in high school for a little over a year before my babytoes was born. Now that he is here, I am staying home with him; I do a little ASL interpreting and some photography on the side and a lot of cooking and sewing for my family. Well, I say a lot but it revolves around how the boy feels since he wants to be held most of the time.
Anyway, I was reading posts on a Yahoo group that I am a part of and realized that I am far from alone in my desire to leave the workplace and take care of my BabyToes. I love the fact that I can cook most days, have time to spend with the baby and friends. I am willing to make sacrifices to be able to spend my days as "C2's Mommie." It is amazing how my passions in life changed when I became pregnant.