Well, it's been 24 hours since I have been off Facebook. I am not going to deny the urge to do a quick stalk, but for the last 24 hours I have resisted temptation. I have to say that I feel pretty good about it. Don't get me wrong, I do miss it but I am proud of myself for sticking with it for 24 hours. I have already lost 5 pounds. Not exactly but I will and when I do I will be sure to post it. So what have I been up to for the last 24 hours. Well I....
slept
showered
fed my boys breakfast
loved on my dogs (Yes, I do love my dogs!)
reviewed converting customary measurements with my fourth graders
attended a meeting
chatted with friends, rather than stalking them on Facebook
ate dinner with my boys
loved on my dogs again because I do seriously love them
sent text messages to my husband (Can't tell you what they contained)
bathed my boys
relaxed on the couch
Did I mention that it has been 24 hours?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Social Networking, Not So Much...
I have been doing some serious thinking about taking a break from Facebook. This social networking thing isn't working out the way I had hoped it would. This afternoon I arrived at an appointment a few minutes early. When I sat down to wait for my service my body responded the way that it normally does when I have a free minute-I reached for my phone. I quickly realized that I left my phone in the car. Great, I thought to myself. What am I going to do for the next 10 minutes if I can't check Facebook? And then it hit me. When did I become so pathetically infatuated with Facebook? Before I signed on to Facebook, what in the world did I do with myself? Well for starters I was thinner. I wasn't sitting all night long playing bejeweled blitz and browsing through everyone else's photos. I was walking the dogs, cleaning the house (I still do this so this one doesn't really count), reading, shopping (not so sure I am going to be able to resume that activity)....
Don't get me wrong I love Facebook. Where else can you be completely nosy without anyone finding out that your being nosy?You know you love stalking too. I love being a wall post away from my family that I don't see on a regular basis and catching up with old friends has been great too. But when I weigh the benefits of Facebook I am not convinced that it always has my best interest in mind. I am sensitive, something that I never really thought I was. But my feelings get hurt really easily and to be honest I have read posts that haven't settled well with me (I am sure I am guilty of doing the same thing). And then I perseverate on that post and read it over and over until I am annoyed beyond belief. Then I get John involved and complain to him which just keeps this silly cycle going. And don't even get me started on the friend request dilemma. Questions like, should I request this person as a friend? Will they accept? If they don't accept, does that mean they don't like me? Ugh, as if making friends isn't hard enough, the people that are supposed to be your friends ignore you. Pretty pathetic! I am sure this doesn't even cross some people's minds or that it just rolls right off their back. Unfortunately it sticks with me like a new pair of Spanx.
So I think that for right now the best thing for me is break this cycle by staying off Facebook for awhile. I am not sure how long this will last or quite honestly if I have the willpower to do it. But I am willing to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes. Here goes!
Don't get me wrong I love Facebook. Where else can you be completely nosy without anyone finding out that your being nosy?You know you love stalking too. I love being a wall post away from my family that I don't see on a regular basis and catching up with old friends has been great too. But when I weigh the benefits of Facebook I am not convinced that it always has my best interest in mind. I am sensitive, something that I never really thought I was. But my feelings get hurt really easily and to be honest I have read posts that haven't settled well with me (I am sure I am guilty of doing the same thing). And then I perseverate on that post and read it over and over until I am annoyed beyond belief. Then I get John involved and complain to him which just keeps this silly cycle going. And don't even get me started on the friend request dilemma. Questions like, should I request this person as a friend? Will they accept? If they don't accept, does that mean they don't like me? Ugh, as if making friends isn't hard enough, the people that are supposed to be your friends ignore you. Pretty pathetic! I am sure this doesn't even cross some people's minds or that it just rolls right off their back. Unfortunately it sticks with me like a new pair of Spanx.
So I think that for right now the best thing for me is break this cycle by staying off Facebook for awhile. I am not sure how long this will last or quite honestly if I have the willpower to do it. But I am willing to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes. Here goes!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Death by Chocolate
Lately I have been struggling with the fact that we have two dogs. Who am I kidding when I say lately? I guess the lately is, I have been struggling with this fact for 2 1/2 years, ever since I had Noah. I decided to title this entry, Death by Chocolate. When I googled that phrase some wickedly yummy recipes popped up with pictures of chocolate. So you may be wondering what that has to do with Finn. When I think of Finn I am reminded by the familiar phrase, what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. But sometimes I really wonder if this dark chocolate lab is going to get the best of me, so I feel the title Death by Chocolate is completely appropriate. (As I am typing this he is standing at the back door ringing the door bell to go outside).
He drools... a lot! It's the kind of drool that can also be referred to as shoelaces. Yeah, he has shoelaces hanging off the sides of his mouth. When he shakes his head the drool goes everywhere; on the couch, on your pant leg, the baby! You never know exactly where it's going to end up.
He licks...everything and everyone. He licks my hands. He licks my toes. He licks the baby...everywhere. I think the thing that really annoys me is when he licks Toby's ears. As if it isn't difficult enough keeping her ears free of ear infections. Licking them doesn't help.
He barks...incessantly. You would think that a dog like him would love to run and play outside, but that's not the case. When I let him outside he barks and barks over and over standing at the back door wagging his tail waiting to come back in. Why? To torture me of course!
He paces...around the coffee table. We call it his evening laps. He usually does about thirty to forty of them in the evening usually with a stuffed animal crammed in his mouth, panting and pacing.
I found myself googling pictures of dogs today. I am not sure why. I typed in labrador retrievers and up popped the most adorable pictures of labs; chocolate labs, black labs and yellow labs. They were all so cute. I was quickly reminded why I fell in love with Finn in the first place. And regardless of how annoyed I get with him or how many times I scold him he still loves me.
I am not one for resolutions; however I am having a change of heart. I have decided to try and fall in love with Finn all over again. I am going to try and enjoy his wet kisses, try to laugh when he barrels down the hallway knocking everyone and everything over in his path and try to talk to him the way I once did. Besides I have always been a sucker for chocolate.
He drools... a lot! It's the kind of drool that can also be referred to as shoelaces. Yeah, he has shoelaces hanging off the sides of his mouth. When he shakes his head the drool goes everywhere; on the couch, on your pant leg, the baby! You never know exactly where it's going to end up.
He licks...everything and everyone. He licks my hands. He licks my toes. He licks the baby...everywhere. I think the thing that really annoys me is when he licks Toby's ears. As if it isn't difficult enough keeping her ears free of ear infections. Licking them doesn't help.
He barks...incessantly. You would think that a dog like him would love to run and play outside, but that's not the case. When I let him outside he barks and barks over and over standing at the back door wagging his tail waiting to come back in. Why? To torture me of course!
He paces...around the coffee table. We call it his evening laps. He usually does about thirty to forty of them in the evening usually with a stuffed animal crammed in his mouth, panting and pacing.
I found myself googling pictures of dogs today. I am not sure why. I typed in labrador retrievers and up popped the most adorable pictures of labs; chocolate labs, black labs and yellow labs. They were all so cute. I was quickly reminded why I fell in love with Finn in the first place. And regardless of how annoyed I get with him or how many times I scold him he still loves me.
I am not one for resolutions; however I am having a change of heart. I have decided to try and fall in love with Finn all over again. I am going to try and enjoy his wet kisses, try to laugh when he barrels down the hallway knocking everyone and everything over in his path and try to talk to him the way I once did. Besides I have always been a sucker for chocolate.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
It Ain't Easy...
It ain't easy... being a mom. There are days (like today) when I am cleaning the house and taking care of laundry wondering if I am ever going to get ahead. I have this week off and last week I couldn't wait for this week to come. Each day I added a chore to the mental list that I created weeks ago. Work on the basement, organize our closet, catch up on the laundry were some of the tasks that I wanted to check off my list. However, things aren't going as planned. I don't know why that surprises me though. With two kids, a husband and two dogs there really isn't much time left in the day to get everything checked off my list or even two things checked off my list. By the time everyone is fed and the house is somewhat put back together there doesn't seem to be much time for the extra stuff. And that drives me crazy.
So I have come to the conclusion that motherhood is quite possibly the hardest thing I will ever do. I love my boys and wouldn't want it any other way. But there are times when I wish I could clean an empty house, fold laundry in a quiet room and vacuum without running into our dog.
It ain't easy...
So I have come to the conclusion that motherhood is quite possibly the hardest thing I will ever do. I love my boys and wouldn't want it any other way. But there are times when I wish I could clean an empty house, fold laundry in a quiet room and vacuum without running into our dog.
It ain't easy...
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Six months Later...
Six months ago John, Noah and I welcomed this little guy into our family.
Eli Benjamin has been a huge blessing in our family. Everyone warned me that having two kids so close in age was going to be really difficult. And I will admit that some days it is. Between juggling the house, my job and my boys it can get really hectic, but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.
Noah is learning that Eli is here to stay and is starting to enjoy his little brother. Eli loves to watch Noah and laugh at him when he does silly things. There are the occasional moments when Noah pulls Eli's hair, but there are times too when he is so sweet with him. The other day while I was packing the boys up to go to school I looked over at Eli's car seat and spotted his bear. Noah loves to bring his bear to school and he thought Eli would like to bring his bear too so he placed it in his car seat. I love little moments like that.
Eli has made lots of progress since joining us on April 21st.
Eli's Timeline:
-at six weeks he gave me a smile
-started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks
-at eight weeks smiling became a routine thing
-four months he rolled over
-at four months I introduced applesauce and he loved it
-at sixth months he is trying so hard to get up on his knees.
-he loves to laugh and he smiles all of the time
-so far he loves peas and bananas
-he weighs 19 pounds!
We are really enjoying our family of four.
Eli Benjamin has been a huge blessing in our family. Everyone warned me that having two kids so close in age was going to be really difficult. And I will admit that some days it is. Between juggling the house, my job and my boys it can get really hectic, but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.
Noah is learning that Eli is here to stay and is starting to enjoy his little brother. Eli loves to watch Noah and laugh at him when he does silly things. There are the occasional moments when Noah pulls Eli's hair, but there are times too when he is so sweet with him. The other day while I was packing the boys up to go to school I looked over at Eli's car seat and spotted his bear. Noah loves to bring his bear to school and he thought Eli would like to bring his bear too so he placed it in his car seat. I love little moments like that.
Eli has made lots of progress since joining us on April 21st.
Eli's Timeline:
-at six weeks he gave me a smile
-started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks
-at eight weeks smiling became a routine thing
-four months he rolled over
-at four months I introduced applesauce and he loved it
-at sixth months he is trying so hard to get up on his knees.
-he loves to laugh and he smiles all of the time
-so far he loves peas and bananas
-he weighs 19 pounds!
We are really enjoying our family of four.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Hollywood?
Today the Hickoks felt a little like Hollywood superstars. We had our very first family photo shoot this morning. Move over Brad and Angie. Our family pics would totally give the Pitts a run for their money. We met our photographer, Dan Cooper, at Yaddo Gardens and he spent 2 hours treating us like Hollywood's finest. Eli was really the superstar today and we decided to tag along and jump in the pictures with him. He was such a sweet baby and looked absolutely adorable in his little outfit.
I know I am biased when I say this, but I think Eli is absolutely precious. He just melts my heart. Everyone warned me that because Noah was a great baby that I would never get another one like him. I simply have to disagree because Eli has been such a blessing in our household. He is a sweet baby.
The photo shoot was a lot of fun and felt completely natural and right. I could totally get addicted to it. And did I mention that our photographer was amazing? Dan is creative and he was super patient with Noah. The setting was perfect. Yaddo Gardens is beautiful! I can't wait to see the pictures even if they don't make the latest issue of People or Us Weekly. I can honestly say that the Hickoks are ready for the paparazzi to come knocking on our door. Roll out the red carpet.
I know I am biased when I say this, but I think Eli is absolutely precious. He just melts my heart. Everyone warned me that because Noah was a great baby that I would never get another one like him. I simply have to disagree because Eli has been such a blessing in our household. He is a sweet baby.
The photo shoot was a lot of fun and felt completely natural and right. I could totally get addicted to it. And did I mention that our photographer was amazing? Dan is creative and he was super patient with Noah. The setting was perfect. Yaddo Gardens is beautiful! I can't wait to see the pictures even if they don't make the latest issue of People or Us Weekly. I can honestly say that the Hickoks are ready for the paparazzi to come knocking on our door. Roll out the red carpet.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Is It Really August?
It's August already! Where has the summer gone? I say that with complete astonishment as I do sadness. In just a few weeks I will be unlocking the door to my classroom and welcoming 23 students to fourth grade. It seems like yesterday was April 20th and I was pampering myself with a manicure and pedicure excited to meet Eli. That's when my summer vacation began.
Part of me is a little frustrated that I didn't conquer my list of "maternity leave do's." The basement isn't organized, there are a few cupboards that I didn't get to, and I have yet to lose those stubborn pounds that have become my unwanted frenemy. I guess there is a bright side to the unfinished list. I have enjoyed my time with Noah and Eli. We have attended play dates, lunch dates, shopped until we dropped and spent lots of time outdoors. Time does go by so fast though. And I am left to wonder if I will be able to be a successful mom as well as a teacher when September rolls in. Can I handle working all day and then come home and keep up with the house chores? I know it can be done, but I guess the bigger question is, do I want to do it? I am torn. Part of me looks forward to the daily interaction with adults and the highs of being with students; challenging them, laughing with them and setting goals with them. And part of me dreads the first morning when I have to hand Eli over to his daycare teacher. Noah looks forward to playing with children his own age and I really feel that the structure the daycare provides is wonderful for him.
So as we make our way into August I have a bundle of emotions that I am dealing with as I prepare to go back to work. I have enjoyed playing with my boys and spending time with John. Lunch dates, play dates and shopping sprees will have to be put on hold until next summer or at least until our first school vacation.
Part of me is a little frustrated that I didn't conquer my list of "maternity leave do's." The basement isn't organized, there are a few cupboards that I didn't get to, and I have yet to lose those stubborn pounds that have become my unwanted frenemy. I guess there is a bright side to the unfinished list. I have enjoyed my time with Noah and Eli. We have attended play dates, lunch dates, shopped until we dropped and spent lots of time outdoors. Time does go by so fast though. And I am left to wonder if I will be able to be a successful mom as well as a teacher when September rolls in. Can I handle working all day and then come home and keep up with the house chores? I know it can be done, but I guess the bigger question is, do I want to do it? I am torn. Part of me looks forward to the daily interaction with adults and the highs of being with students; challenging them, laughing with them and setting goals with them. And part of me dreads the first morning when I have to hand Eli over to his daycare teacher. Noah looks forward to playing with children his own age and I really feel that the structure the daycare provides is wonderful for him.
So as we make our way into August I have a bundle of emotions that I am dealing with as I prepare to go back to work. I have enjoyed playing with my boys and spending time with John. Lunch dates, play dates and shopping sprees will have to be put on hold until next summer or at least until our first school vacation.
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