Never been so happy to see a year end

 

Wow. We freaking made it! Well, almost. Personally, I am not setting foot outside my house until 2020 is officially over. I feel like it might have a few more punches to throw and I'd like to avoid them! 

I haven't posted in a year, but I figured it was a year to document, at least at a glance!

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before?  Lived through a Global pandemic.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make resolutions

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not unless you count people I follow on YouTube.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My stepfather-in-law Richard, our dog Gracie, and my coworker Kerry. This year sucked.

5. What countries did you visit? I've only left my county a handful of times this year, I definitely didn't leave the country.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you didn’t have in 2020? Less anxiety about everything, even marginally less.

7. What dates from 2020 will be etched upon your memory, and why? Early March, when the world shut down.

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? Just keeping it together, working from home, helping supervise the kids virtual learning, and not being a total shrew to my family.

9. What was your biggest failure? I refuse to pick a failure this year. It was rough enough.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  It wasn't a great year for my health. I had a detatched retina in June that required surgery. I have recently been dealing with a random rapid heartbeat. So far, everything checks out ok, but it's an ongoing concern for me. But I didn't catch Covid!

11. What was the best thing you bought? Clothes that fit!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I have lost 60 lbs since September 2019 and kept it off. I am very proud of that and I definitely feel better physically and mentally because of it.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? People who refuse to wear masks!

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, though we saved a lot on gas this year!

15. What did you get really excited about? Painting my nails! I think I've only had naked nails a couple of weeks this entire year!

16. What song will always remind you of 2020? Anything from Frozen 2, which Spotify tells me I have listened to more than anything else

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer  or poorer? I am proud to say I'm thinner and richer. I'd have to say sadder though, it's been a hard year. 

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Reading and writing again. I want to write, but inspiration is lacking.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing out

20. How did you spend Christmas? We had a quiet but lovely day at home. Comfy clothes, games, and watching the kids enjoy the day. We missed having my sisters and almost brother in law over, but otherwise it was a normal Christmas. Santa came through with a PS5, so my boys (all 3) were happy!

21. Did you fall in love in 2020? More and more every day with my husband and kids

22. What was your favorite TV show? Star Trek Discovery

 23. What was the best book you read? I finally read Jenny Larson's books and they were hilarious.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?  Classical and instrumental music. Its great background while I'm working.

25. What did you want and get? For my family to stay safe and healthy

26. What did you want and not get? To spend time with friends and family. 

27. What was your favorite film of 2020? I don't know if I saw anything new, actually.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 38. I worked and had chocolate cake, same as last year.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? No pandemic, obviously.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2020? Lol I don't know if I'll ever be able to wear real pants for an entire day again. I wear regular work type tops with yoga/lounge pants or leggings during the work day with comfy shoes or slippers. I spent most of the year in clothes that were too big for me and have just started buying new things that fit. Online shopping is hard when you don't know your size!

31. What kept you sane? Adam and the boys, YouTube, Netflix, music

32. What political issue stirred you the most? We did not re-elect Trump, thank goodness!!!!

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt and my little Gabriel and all the friends and family I haven't seen in person this year.

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020. I am mostly a homebody.

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Keep holding on, you're gonna make it through, you'll make it through.

Best hopes for 2021 to anyone who stumbles onto this post on this mostly dead blog!

New Year, (almost) Same Post

I can't quite let go of this streak, even though I haven't written since last January!

1. What did you do in 2019 that you’d never done before?  Hmm...I learned to do string art.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make resolutions

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A few Facebook friends

4. Did anyone close to you die? Grandma Long, Adam's Aunt Sandy, and just last night, My Aunt Sandy, plus our cat Tippy. 

5. What countries did you visit? Another year stateside for me

6. What would you like to have in 2020 that you didn’t have in 2019? More financial stability 

7. What dates from 2019 will be etched upon your memory, and why? Hmm nothing jumps out at me.

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? I've still feeling good about my work

9. What was your biggest failure? I read and wrote less this year than I have in a long time.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  Not me, though I helped my mom when she broke her shoulder. 

11. What was the best thing you bought? My fitbit versa 2

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My kiddos accomplishments 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Ugh, Donald Trump. (Some more)

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills 

15. What did you get really excited about? Finding what works for me to start getting healthier

16. What song will always remind you of 2019? Shallow Lady Gaga

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer  or poorer? Things are looking up for all three of these!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Reading and writing

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing out

20. How did you spend Christmas? We had a quiet but lovely day at home. Comfy clothes, games, and watching the kids enjoy the day

21. Did you fall in love in 2019? More and more every day with my husband and kids

22. What was your favorite TV show? The good place

 23. What was the best book you read? I did a lot of rereading when I read this year

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?  Lol the Frozen 2 soundtrack

25. What did you want and get? First family photos in 6 years

26. What did you want and not get? We didn't go away for our anniversary like I had hoped.

27. What was your favorite film of 2019? Frozen 2 (sorry)

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 37. I worked and had chocolate cake lol

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Less stress and anxiety in general

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2019? I kept up my haircut. I kept it mostly comfy this year however I could

31. What kept you sane? Adam and the boys, family and friends, audiobooks, music and YouTube 

32. What political issue stirred you the most? Donald Trump is still president

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt and my little Gabriel.

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2019. Some years are going to be nothing spectacular, and that's ok.

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 

Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us
We're far from the shallow now

Another New Year

I haven't posted in ages! But old habits die hard so I thought I'd check in with my New Years post.

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?  Hmm...I took on more of a managerial role at work, acting as direct supervisor for someone.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make resolutions really 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A few Facebook friends

4. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit? Another year stateside for me

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you didn’t have in 2018? I would like to gain some financial stability 

7. What dates from 2018 will be etched upon your memory, and why? AJ's first day of school

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? I've made some great strides at work and feel very accomplished in that arena

9. What was your biggest failure?  Weight/healthwise.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  Nothing major this year yay!

11. What was the best thing you bought? Our newish car, its fancy!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Work stuffs (no wonder I don't blog more, I'm so boring!)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Ugh, Donald Trump. (Some more)

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills 

15. What did you get really excited about? Adam and I are thinking of taking a little trip for our 15th anniversary this year

16. What song will always remind you of 2018? The entire soundtrack of the Greatest Showman (still obsessed)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer  I think I've stayed steady in all areas this year, for better or worse 

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? excercising and writing

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing out

20. How did you spend Christmas? We had a quiet but lovely day at home. Comfy clothes, games, and watching the kids enjoy the day

21. Did you fall in love in 2018? More and more every day with my husband and kids

22. What was your favorite TV show? I binge watched The Good Place and loved it

 23. What was the best book you read? Turtles all the way down by John Green

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? The Greatest Showman lol

25. What did you want and get? New car

26. What did you want and not get? I didnt manage to get family photos done

27. What was your favorite film of 2018? The Greatest Showman (broken record)

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 36. I worked and had chocolate cake lol

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Less stress and anxiety in general

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2018 ? I still love leggings. I got a cute dress and chunky sandals last summer I really loved. Oh, and this year I finally ended up with a haircut I love

31. What kept you sane? Adam and the boys, family and friends, books, music and YouTube 

32. What political issue stirred you the most? Donald Trump is still president

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt and my little Gabriel.

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018. Some years are going to be nothing spectacular, and that's ok.

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me

Updates and THE BOOK!!!

Life has been SOOOO busy! The book is coming out TOMORROW!  I can't believe it, it's so surreal!  The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Black Rose Writing NOW! We'll be going live on Facebook tomorrow at 8:00 pm EST to do a reading, talk about the book, answer questions, and do a giveaway of an autographed copy of the book!

Take cover! The book is here!

Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/positivevoice02/

Our book blog: https://www.wordpress.com/positivevoicewrites

The book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Edge-My-World-Kelly-Backus/dp/1612969046/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499814715&sr=8-1&keywords=on+the+edge+of+my+world

 So exciting! 

Live has been very busy! Time is short, so I'll stick to some photos for now!

AJ wasn't a big fan of the noise of fireworks, so he wore my headphones

On the one year anniversary of my miscarriage, I went to the cemetery and left a little rock with his name on it. <3

The boys have discovered sprinklers and water balloons. They're in love!

Big Changes

Wow it's been like two months since I've posted. In my defense, my life has been CRAZY! In the last two months:

• We moved! It actually happened! We sold our house and bought a new one and everyone made it to the new place in one piece!  Moving is terrible! I can't find my stuff! I have a ton of unpacking and projects to do! My new neighborhood is great, though. The house is great too, although we've already had a few hiccups. On to the next bullet!
• We had a ton of rain and then water leaked into my mom's room in the basement. BOO! Our friend/contractor came over last weekend and he and Adam graded the ground on that side of the house--apparently it was somewhat sloped down toward the house, which isn't good. We've had a good 5 dry days but more rain in expected tomorrow so fingers crossed that it's fixed the problem!
• We had to have some electrical work that was supposed to be done after inspection repaired, which was super annoying. Then we had our friend/contractor fix it some more. We'd asked that all the ungrounded 3 prong plugs in the basement be grounded, but the replaced them with 2 prong grounded plugs, which these days are pretty useless! Since we needed to plug in computers and the like, our friend changed them out.
• Did I mention our neighbors are so nice? The realtor that sold the house lives across the street with her husband (who I recently found out is the dad of a guy I went to high school with). Two doors down from them is a guy around my age that works at Tyler's school. He brought over coupons for Macy's the first weekend. We also met the neighbors on both sides of us. There is an elderly lady to one side and a middle aged couple on the other. We are particularly fond of Mary (who is deaf and I'm fascinated by sign language)  and her husband Kevin. Kevin found out that our mower had died (literally the week before we moved) and I looked out my back window one evening and Kevin was mowing our grass. SO NICE!
• Where did I leave off with the book? I think I mentioned we were seeking out professional editing. Our publisher recommended a couple of people and we ended up working with a guy named Rob. His price was fair and he was very willing to edit without making huge plot changing suggestions. He cleaned up our technical writing a lot (God bless him, I hate that part) and made some great suggestions that we were able to incorporate with only minor edits and additions, but that I really feel make a big difference. And he's just all around a really nice guy and he really seemed to like the book and admire our writing. He was particularly impressed by our synergy writing together.
• Once we incorporated Rob's edits, we sent the book back to our publisher. About a week ago, we got the edits and their smart-edit report back. This publisher offers this report on all books they publish--basically, it's a list of possible grammatical errors, commonly misused words, works that are possibly overused, and other such things that their computer program can recognize. They are very clear that you can chose to make no changes based on the report. I thought it was pretty helpful and made a good deal of very minor tweaks, most of them on the repetitive word issue. The manuscript went back to the publisher late Sunday night and now we are OFFICIALLY in the production queue! A publishing date should be coming very soon, along with their proposal for our cover art!  So exciting!
• I got a promotion at work! I've done the same job for 11 years (at least in title, although the job has changed a lot over the years) and I've been searching for a new opportunity with my company for a long time. It's been difficult. We are a large corporation, but my office is relatively small and opportunities are very limited. About a year ago, my boss helped me make a big push to take on leading the group of people that do the same job as I did. The girl that coordinated the group ended up going on maternity leave (she was the one who was due around the same time I would have been with Gabe), so I performed a lot of her duties while she was out. When she returned, she didn't really go back to doing that portion of her job. They posted the job as a hybrid-type role--someone who would have regular shipping and invoicing duties (that's what I do (did)) and also act as coordinator and lead the team--train new associates, update work instructions, liaison with other departments, develop new process, etc. I am very happy that I got the opportunity and I had a lot of support. It's a lot of work, but I'm glad to be more challenged again.
• Unfortunately on the work front, I'm really juggling things at work now, covering for a coworker that is out on medical leave and preparing to cover for an invoicer that is leaving as of next week. Remember when I did the Canadian invoicing and then went to Ontario to train their new hire. Well, she's leaving. So now I'll be doing that again.
• Aside from that, there has been birthdays, field trips, and not nearly enough sleep!

Oh, one last thing! Kelly and I created a separate website for author/book stuff. If you'd like to follow us there, just visit positivevoicewrites.wordpress.com . All of our social media is linked there as well.

What a year I'm having!  The book, the job, and the house have been things I've wanted for a long time and they are all going to become a reality in the course of a few months! It's awesome and overwhelming!

Belated Eight

Bad Mommy!  I missed doing Tyler's birthday post!  In my defense, it has been BANANAS lately. Work is busy, we've got the house listed and we're house shopping, etc etc, etc. Anyway, I missed it. My baby boy turned 8 on January 28th and I have to mark the occasion.

Toothless cutie!

This year, Tyler's birthday was on a Saturday, so we ate lunch with him at school on Friday. I also brought M&M cookies for his class. Saturday, we had a nice lunch with my dad. Angie and her b/f Jon also came. We had O'Charley's, Tyler's favorite. We went home and I planned to make cupcakes.  I turned on the oven to pre heat it while I mixed the batter.  When I went to put them in, the oven was still stone-cold. 

Of course.

Long story short, something in the oven had stopped working. We were able to fix it after a couple of days, so no big deal in the end, but we had to make due with store bought cupcakes.

Gifts and his Gaga's favorite potato soup finished the day!  Almost.  After he went to bed, he actually started throwing up! :( Poor guy. He actually had a stomach bug (or something) twice in two weeks!

So who is Tyler at 8 years old?

He's a smart cookie. He is a solid A student at school, maybe one B in handwriting (he got that curse from me).  He was slipping on his reading tests a little, so we started working harder on reading comprehension and now he's right back to his high scores.

He still loves all things electronics. We used to limit "screentime" with him, but we've slowly let that go. It's just what he likes. He's no couch potato and he does play games and read some too, but he's just not into toys too much.

He does love a collection. Yo Kai Medals, Pokemon cards, and stuff animals are just a few of the things he's collecting right now.  We just got him a new bed to help fit all his animals! He insists on toting a bunch downstairs every day, so we got him a little grocery bag (TMNT of course) to carry them in.

Still a picky eater! That really hasn't changed much. I'm still hoping that he'll expand his food likes someday.

He weighs 52 lbs and is 4 ft tall. He's smaller than average, but right on track for him.

He tells a great story, he's so darn cute! Especially right now, because he's missing a couple teeth (see evidence of this cuteness in the pics).

I love him to bits, that sweet, sensitive, smart little man!

Checking out his bday loot

Heartbreaker!

What's next?

I should be 18 weeks pregnant right now...we should have just found out, or be getting ready to find out, that we are expecting a baby boy.

I try not to think of that too much. I actually do have to stop and think of how far along I would be.

I've had my first few run ins with people who didn't know about the miscarriage. One was at the grocery store. We know a lot of the people who work there and one of them asked me when I was due. Surprisingly I didn't cry. I didn't really give myself time to. Then at work I offhandedly mention the work I'd missed at the end of June and she made a comment that told me she didn't know. So I had to explain. A few weeks ago a coworker came to me and said he was sorry, that he'd heard about the loss.  I did cry that time. But I also thanked him. It means a lot to me when people acknowledge it.  Of course it makes me sad, but sometimes I'm more sad that people don't bring it up. I know it's awkward, and I know people don't want to upset me. So I just remind myself of that.

My sweet coworker even drove by the cemetery where the memorial will be held. She lives nearby and she found the little area and sent me a picture. I was really touched by that. I think we should get the invitations next month, since it'll be in October.

I still want to name the baby, but mom and Adam haven't really seemed concerned about that. I don't really want to do it alone. I feel like at this point it's "too late" even. But I'd hate to have to write "Baby Boy last name" on the list for the memorial and I really would like a name to refer to. But would it mean something at this point? Or just be arbitrary? I don't know. If we conceive again I have got to come up with names or at least a nickname for the baby.

So that brings me to the future. We will be trying again. My hcg level was down to 3 last weekend and I had my first period just 4 weeks after the D&C. I also had a positive OPK last week, so I know I ovulated. My OB wanted me to wait until I had a normal period to ttc. I'm assuming my next one will be normal (the last one was maybe a little heavier and slightly longer). I'm not sure if we'll try then or not. Sometimes I am excited to try, yearning for it. And sometimes I'm overwhelmed and scared and anxious. For now I'm taking it a day at a time.

So what else has been going on? Tyler went back to school, big second grader!  He immediately caught those pesky germs (sinusitis, apparently). AJ is going pee on the potty just about every time, although he rarely says he needs to go, he just happens to be holding it until we take him. He's going to have some dental work done soon and I'm dreading it. My poor kiddos seem to have weak teeth!

We're still working our butts off on the house. We are sooooo close to done!  Just two more indoor projects and a few outdoors, if the rain will ever hold off! I'm spending time every evening scrubbing things, ugh. 

That's it for now...Here are a few pics of the First Day of 2nd Grade and a few bonus shots of the State Fair visit on a super rainy day.

Tyler is holding up 2 fingers and AJ is trying to copy him LOL

Mommy with the Boys!

With Daddy and Little Brother

Farmer Tyler

AJ didn't mind the rain--at first!

Deputy Tyler

11 Weeks

So I thought I would put one of these little pregnancy surveys up.  I don't know if I'll do it every week, but I didn't do an official one with the boys, so I thought it might be fun.

How far along? 11 weeks. Baby is the size of a lime!
Total weight gain/loss:  As of the beginning of last week, I was down about 12 lbs. I haven't weighted myself since.

Maternity clothes? I've been wearing all maternity pants, although I've been folding down the band this time, something I did not do with Tyler or AJ. My nausea and gas seem to be much more in my upper tummy, so the band is often uncomfortable.
Stretch marks? No new ones
Symptoms: Nausea (though I am taking some medicine and it's much better), fatigue, sore breasts (still!), vivid dreams (seriously! All. Night. Long), gas (I've never burped so much in my life), food aversions.
Sleep: I love sleep. I often fall asleep on the couch around 8:30 and sometimes I'll just go on to bed by 9:00 or 9:30 if I'm still awake then. If I feel sick, I go to bed earlier. I often rest or catnap on the drive home from work and if I'm at home I sometime doze off when AJ is napping in the afternoon.
Best moment this week: Seeing baby on ultrasound, always a relief
Have you told family and friends: Yes, pretty much everyone knows. We told family and close friends by about 9 weeks and we announced on facebook after our first official appointment last week. People are still finding out at work as word travels, but all official announcements have been made.

Movement: Too early
Food cravings: I don't really have cravings.  Maybe pickles? I'll just list a few things I'm tolerating. I'm snacking on a lot of cheese and crackers and sweet pickles. That sounds weird, but it's something we always have lying out on Thanksgiving, so it's a natural combo to me. I'm not very into food right now, so I'm leaning on a few things that taste good. Apples (I have to peel them though, which is weird for me), bagel thins with cream cheese, cheese wraps (tortilla smeared with cream cheese, then topped with cheddar cheese sliced and lettuce. Most people would also put ham or turkey on it, but I never do, even when not pregnant. Oh and I eat it dipped in BBQ sauce.  You'd think it was a pregnancy thing, but it's really not), and those little popsicles in the plastic sleeves.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Eggs.  Most meat. I'm managing on a little bacon, lots of cheese, and peanut butter for protein.  I went off meat with Tyler and shied away from it with AJ too. I can't drink soda or coffee and even hot tea isn't very appetizing. Basically I'm drinking water, occasionally iced tea or strawberry lemonade.
Have you started to show yet: I don't think so. I'm pudgy already, so I could pass for pregnant, but I don't think it's the real deal yet.
Gender prediction: We are hoping for a baby girl way too much to be subjective

 Labor Signs: No and it had better stay that way

Wedding rings on or off? On. I took them off with Tyler, but not with AJ
Happy or Moody most of the time: Up and down. This week I've been a little stressed.
Milestones: Another week down!

Other notes: At my ultrasound on Tuesday my SCH had grown to 7 cm, which stressed me out. The ultrasound tech talked to the doctor to be sure they didn't want to change my restrictions, and they just ended up saying I should make even more of an effort to take it easy this week.  I'm trying.  That's difficult.  Baby still looks great, but was at an odd angle so the pics weren't great. Another ultrasound Tuesday morning and then the next week I have my first trimester screening.

My bloodtests all came back fine, although my white cell count was a little low--I assured her the number was higher than it usually is. I have AB positive blood, as a point of interest. I knew before, but always forgot. They made me stop in for a weight check on Tuesday too, since I'd lost weight. Their numbers showed a 2 lb gain since last week (I was sure to eat and drink well Tuesday and I hadn't used the bathroom yet, so it was probably a little less than that, but it satisfied them).

Well, that was cool for a minute

I'm so bad at keeping up here lately!  Must do better!


A few weeks ago, we got an offer on the book. It was a good offer, and for a few hours we were really excited.  But then I did some more research and found some accusations about the company.  There was an author claiming he hadn't been paid royalties due to him, and he was backed up by a former owner.

I didn't want to believe it, and it was very 'he said, she said', so I decided to contact some of the other authors that have been signed by this publisher.  One said she had no complaints, but oddly she hasn't received any royalties in awhile.  She said it was possible she hadn't had any sales, but she wasn't sure.  Another said she didn't have any problems with the publisher, and she was aware of the other author, but the publisher claimed it was just a mistaken address and it had been corrected. She did say that after the ownership changed, her sales dropped dramatically. She had other works published by a different company, and she admitted she got a lot more support from them.

A friend of ours (also a published author) also helped us research and found that one 1 author currently signed with the company had any books on Amazon. She said that was very odd and not encouraging.

All in all, we decided it wasn't a good risk, so we declined the offer.  I hope it was the right decision.  I hope it's not the only offer we get.  I've started sending the book out to agents as well, hoping we might do better with representation.  Many publishers will not accept manuscripts unless you have an agent.

So we'll see, onward on this journey!

A few bullets!

• I turned 34! 
• We are working like crazy on the house and are slowly getting close to ready to list! Aside from cleaning/decluttering, we are completely done with 3 rooms and nearly done with 3 more.  Carpets will be installed in the upstairs hall and downstairs family room at the end of the month, so then the hall and family room will be done too.  The kitchen just needs lighting and just touches in AJ's room and the downstairs bath.  Mom's room needs painted and floor repairs and we have lots more to do outside.  But we're making real progress
• Tyler is getting ready to lose his first tooth!
• Mother's day was great--chocolate covered strawberries, a new coffee mug, a necklace, balloons, and lots of hugs, what more could a mom want?
• Tyler and I went to the Mother/Son Luau Dance at school on Friday.  He's so stinking cute.

 

Don't we make a cute couple?

Cutest date ever!

He (and Gaga) even got me a corsage!

Rejection is a dish...

...best not served at all. We've gotten two rejections from publishers. It wasn't unexpected, the editors had some positive things to say, but still, it isn't fun. I still have high hopes. We should hear back from 2 more publishers before the end of the month, one in particular that I'm anxious to hear from. So we'll see.

In other news, I might finally have a lead on a new position at work. I don't have specifics yet, but hopefully something will be solidified soon.

The kids are doing well. AJ has to have some dental work done in a few weeks, and it's extensive enough that it has to be done under general anesthesia. After the horrible experience Tyler had two years ago, I'm pretty anxious about it. I know that it was a fluke that his throat got scratched up during the procedure, which caused his pain, but I'm still nervous. And it's two days before my birthday, so I really hope he doesn't have a hard time.

Tyler enjoyed spring break and is back at school. He is doing really well, all A's. He's become a big help around the house and he's so sweet with AJ. AJ is trying to do everything Tyler does. He jabbers all day long and says the funniest things!

We are still working like mad on the house. This weekend we are sanding and refinishing our kitchen cabinets. I'm really starting to feel like we are in the home stretch. We still have to paint my mom's room and we are having the carpet in the family room and upstairs hall replaced (the one and only project that we are not doing ourselves, though we will remove the carpet ourselves to save a little bit), but the rest of our projects are fairly small.  Right now, we should be done with everything by early June, so my goal is to list the house no later than July 1st. I really think we can do it, barring anything unexpected.  

So that's it for now! We've created a Facebook page and Twitter account for our book, feel free to check it out, we're slowly putting more information out there and hopefully some big things will be announced there soon!

https://www.facebook.com/positivevoice02/

https://twitter.com/PositiveVoice02

And now, I leave you with a random photo of AJ with raspberries on his fingers.  Because, why not?

 

Blogiversary

Nine years...I've been writing on this blog (on and off) for nine years.  Yesterday was my official blogiversary, but I was sick and didn't even touch a computer all day.  It's crazy to think of all the things that have happened since I started this blog. I'm glad I have this blog to look back on and remember!

We're keeping busy these days!  Like I mentioned in the last post, my friend and I submitted our novel to several publishers. We've gotten some correspondence back, but no official acceptance or rejection yet. We should start hearing back in a few more weeks. I realized after I wrote the last post that we had sent the first submission on February 29th, Leap Day. Rather fitting to take such a metaphorical leap on that day.

We're also back to working on the house every spare minute. We finally got all the (horrible, stubborn, God-foresaken) wallpaper off the walls, skim coated them and painted, so all that's left is to sand the cabinets and seal them and change out the hardware and then the kitchen will be done!  We're taking next week off of work and if the weather cooperates we're hoping to work on the outside of the house. Slowly ticking things off the list!

Tyler's doing great, another report card with all A's. He had a playdate with two of his friends a few weeks ago and we went to the school carnival last Friday. AJ's got a cold right now so he's been cranky--honestly he's been a touch cranky lately anyway.  I think 3 is a tougher age than 2 for him!  He's had a few accidental successes in potty training, but we haven't had too much luck. Ah well, we'll keep trying!

So that's a tiny update and a post to mark 9 years of writing here.  I know I don't have a lot of readers, but I'm thankful to anyone who takes the time to look over my ramblings!  I still read, but can't comment much from my phone and everything is blocked at work now :(

But I'm still here, still following along, still wishing you all the best!

All that and a bunch of stuff

I'm such a terrible blogger.  I have things I want to say and then don't have time to sit down and write them.  I was even late putting up Tyler's birthday post!  Mom fail.

So what have I been busy with?  So much!  January was actually a pretty crummy, stressful month. I don't want to dwell on it, but here were a few lowpoints from December and January.

• We finally had to replace the sewer line in our front yard.  We had been avoiding it for awhile, limping it along with a good rotor-rooter once a year or so.  Basically what had happened was tree roots had broken into the pipe leading from the house to the main line.  The line backed up twice in a week, so we knew the problem had escalated.  Sure enough, the pipe was actually beginning to break/collapse.  So we faced the music and had it done.  $4000 (financed) dollars later and we were left with a very muddy yard that looks like a giant gopher had dug across it and a house with plumbing we could actually use without worrying. Yay.
• Mom was sick sick sick for like 6 weeks in a row.  We all had colds, then she and I both got a horrible cough that was REALLY terrible for her.  After that came ANOTHER cold and THEN a severe ear infection with a ruptured ear drum.  That last part entailed Adam and I taking the combined total of an entire work week off because she was so sick, there was no way should could watch the kids.  After that, we came up with a back up plan for these sort of situations, since obviously we need to be at work whenever possible.  Adam's dad is retired now, so he may be able to serve as a back up, so that combined with Adam and I driving separately and me going in to work very early so I could leave in time to pick up Tyler from school will work in the future.  His dad watched both of the kids on MLK day, which they all enjoyed, and after that, mom was beginning to bounce back.  Her ear is still healing and her hearing is coming back slowly, but it's progress.  I have another cough, so I am hoping she doesn't catch it or anything else!
• I've had some disappointments at work lately.  I've been trying to figure out the next steps in my career for awhile now.  It's challenging, because the path I originally thought I would take hasn't worked out.  They changed the preferred qualifications to include a preferred degree in a technical or engineering field. Obviously, I don't have that.  It's not like that particular job was my DREAM job, but it was just about the only one I thought I'd be able to transition into (that would be a promotion, not a lateral move). I've applied for that job a total of 4 times now and not gotten the position.  I'm at peace with it now, but it was tough and frustrating at the time.  I also applied for another position, and I'm told I was definitely a top candidate, but I more or less took my name out of the running, because the amount of business travel required was up to 50%.  It was a great opportunity, but with the kids still being so young, it just wasn't possible for me.  It was my hope that by applying and interviewing for it, it might open doors down the road, so we'll see.  My boss is being great about the whole thing too.  He's contacting a lot of people on my behalf, so hopefully something will come of it.  
• My sister had moved out, but unfortunately she lost her new job, so she moved back with us for awhile. She's got a good job now, so hopefully it's just a small setback
• We're still working on the house, but with Christmas and illnesses, we're a little behind (again, some more).  The goal is looking more like early May to list.  Fingers crossed!!
• Our dryer also broke, but thankfully it was just a belt and Adam was able to fix it fairly easily.  What did we do before YouTube how-to videos?

So, on to more pleasant things!  Another thing that has been taking up a lot of my time and attention, is a project a friend and I have been working on. I can't remember if I mentioned it or not?  I have mentioned that I've had aspirations to write a book.  I talked about writing one about infertility, and I still might someday.  I also wrote a novel myself, but never felt like it was something I could develop into a real project.  But awhile back, my friend Kelly came to me and asked me to work with her on a writing project.  Our writing styles seem to compliment each other. We are both very creative, and we have different strengths and weaknesses in our writing.  I edited what she had written and then we worked together to develop the and complete the story.  I don't want to say too much yet, I have no idea how this stuff works, but it's geared toward Young Adults, but fairly mature young adults.  There is a love story involved, even a bit of a love triangle, but it also deals with heavy issues like teen suicide, self-harm, and depression.  We've completed the manuscript, so now we're hoping for some feedback and we are preparing the necessary items to start sending it out to publishers.  I'm not assuming anything, we may get a slew of rejections, but it feels good to be trying and who knows where it will lead!

Okay, enough for one night!  I hope someone is still reading out there!  I'm still reading blogs, but since I can't comment like I used to (my phone is terrible for commenting), I know it doesn't seem like I'm reading!  But I'm still here!  Take care, all!

Stupendous Seven!!!

MOM FAIL!  I wrote this post last Wednesday, the day before Tyler's birthday, with the intention of adding the pictures Thursday after the kids were in bed.  Yeah. That didn't happen. I totally forgot and then I kept remembering when it was not convenient to finish it!  Such is life!  So here it is, a few days late!

My baby is SEVEN years old!  I really don't know how that is possible.  I can't remember my life without him!  He is just the most incredible gift, the smartest, sweetest, most amazing little guy in the world and I can't believe he is my son!  Like last year, I'm going to go down to the school for lunch (with McDonalds) and we'll have Steak N Shake for dinner, with chocolate sprinkled cupcakes for dessert!  Things have been terribly crazy lately(have I published my update post yet?), so instead of planning a big family party, I decided to take Tyler and a couple of his friends to Monkey Joes (a bouncy/inflatable place) for a play date, so I am working on arranging that soon!

Here are some things about Tyler at 7!

• He's doing really great in school!  He loves his "special" classes, especially PE.  He seems to do pretty equally well at math and reading so far.  He reads extremely well and seems to comprehend what he's reading well.  He is doing well at spelling too.  He has quite a few friends, although his best friends aren't in his class this year.  
• I've fought it for awhile, but I'm coming to grips that he's a gamer.  We tried to limit screentime for years, but now we are sort of shifting gears and focusing more on making sure that a good amount of screentime is educational.  He just loves video games, just like his daddy.  We closely monitor the subject matter, of course.  It's fun now because he can play games that have words and storylines, because he can read them himself.  I've had to accept that games are what he really likes, he's not very into playing with toys! Recently, he's also gotten into Skylanders, a video game that uses small figurines.
• He still shocks me with his vocabulary. I keep thinking he'll stop surprising me, after all, six and seven year olds can be pretty well spoken, but when he uses words like "apparently", it still makes me smile.
• He's still my super sensitive sweetheart!  I would have never thought I'd have a child MORE sensitive than I am, but he seems to be!  We struggle sometimes with him getting upset about silly things, or getting upset because he ASSUMES something upsetting will be happening. I'm trying to work with him to keep calm and ask first, then if the result is upsetting, crying is justified.  I can't blame him, I certainly know tears can't always be controlled, but I hate when he gets upset needlessly.  He's also a worrier!  I'm always telling him to let me do the worrying!
• He's still on the smaller size for his age.  He went to the doctor back in October, I think?  At that time, he was 3 feet, 9.75 inches and 46 lbs.  I'm guessing he may have gained another inch or two and probably a little weight, but not major growth spurt, I don't think. Finding pants that fit in the waist and are the right length can be a challenge!  He is mostly in boys extra small clothing, although they are a little bit big.  He also wears size 10 boys shoes, only one size larger than AJ! He hasn't lost any of his teeth yet, either!
• He's still a picky eater. I've tried and tried, and we've made some progress on getting him to TRY new foods, but we haven't had a ton of success with him actually LIKING the new foods. He's also not terribly consistent.  He loves McDonald's chicken nuggets and the chicken from a frozen meal we get for him, but he won't touch any other kind of chicken. He loves cheese. He still doesn't really eat any other meats, aside from a little bit of bacon.  He likes strawberries and bananas and green beans and corn on the cob. He likes Steak N Shakes vegetable soup and O'Charley's Chicken Noodle soup.  He will try just about any kind of pizza, and most of them he will eat a decent amount.  He also loves when Mom makes homemade potato soup or rice and Chinese food.  He has an incurable sweet tooth! He also shares his daddy's love for loaded cheese fries!
• He is a great big brother!  AJ likes to see what he's up to and Tyler loves to make him laugh!
• He likes music. He'll hear a song on the radio or in a store and recognize it. I guess they listen at school sometimes.  Compared to AJ, who tells me "No gank (thank) you!" when I sing, I'm happy!
• He is giggly, lively, always moving, and he LOVES to talk!  Even when he is playing a game, he's wiggling and talking to himself about it!

I love him more than I could ever have imagined loving anyone! I am so grateful to be his mommy!

One last birthday note:  Tyler's sweet friend made him a birthday card that totally cracked me up! 

Quite the impressive Turtle!

If you can't read it, it says "No cake, eat your candles.  It's a joke."  LOL!