What do I want

Every holiday, every year, it's the same question. "Honey, what do you want?"  And every holiday, every year, I answer the same way, "I don't know." lol I don't do it to be stubborn, I do it because I usually don't think about it.  I don't count down the days until a holiday comes because I'm expecting some big present that I've been dying for.  I look forward to the holidays sure but mainly because they excite my kids so much.  Mother's Day is this weekend and they are so excited because they made me things at school.  They could have bought me cheap perfume or something from the dollar store, I would be happy, I'm not picky.  I can't wait to see what they made at school! 

Learning more

I love being done with school and having graduated with my degree.  I love not having to go to class everyday and take exams.  While it's hard being away from my family, I do love what I do.  I especially love when we have students who intern for us.  While part of my job is to teach them they in turn teach me new things too.  LOVE that!  Our last student just finished his rotation and he was awesome!  I know he's going to go far and do well.  I still remember his last presentation, very informative.  It was pretty funny too because he was trying to figure out how to hook his computer up to the tv which had one of those tv wall mounts that was hard to work around and it took awhile to figure it out.  But he did it and the presentation went well.  Tomorrow, we have another student starting and I can't wait to meet and work with her!  It's going to be great.

Jobs and homes

That's been my to do list, jobs and homes.  Jobs first, homes second. :)  It's been AWESOME that my husband just graduated from school because now we're onto that next adventure in our life, looking for a job.  There are so many jobs we can apply to and hopefully we find one that's just the right fit.  Right now it seems exciting to be job searching but that may not last if we have to look for a long time.  So hopefully, we don't have to look forever!  After we find a job, who knows where, we can start looking for a home.  We may be looking for homes in Oregon, or Montana, or we may look at louisville homes and that market.  Right now, just the thought of being able to buy a home is pretty exciting!  I'm really looking forward to this next part of our lives. :D

More weather

Warmer weather but I still freeze at the slightest breeze.  What sense does that make?  You'd think being pregnant the extra fat and insulation would keep me warmer.  But it hasn't.  Which may prove to be a good thing though.  I've heard that being pregnant during the summer months can be brutal.  You're dying of heat and can never get cool enough.  Maybe when the temperature turns even warmer and I still feel on the cool side, I'll remember making this post and laugh because it will be so nice not to have to go change clothes to accommodate the weather.  While it would be nice not to always have to put on a jacket, I think when the summer heat hits, I won't mind near as much. It's always easier to warm up than it is to cool down.  Who knows, maybe our summer will be a lot like our winter.  Winter had little snow and was more warm so maybe summer won't be as hot and more cool. 

Soon I hope!

Know what I want?  A 4 wheeler.  Actually, two.  We'd need that many for our family.  We've thought about buying other things, like a jet-ski, or a camping trailer, or a motorcycle.  But then we got to thinking.  The jet-skis you would have to drive to water which isn't exactly nearby.  The camping trailer we don't have a spot to store it right now.  The motorcycle, we'd need cold/rainy weather gear and possibly motorcycle seat covers.  We decided that when the time comes and we can afford them, we'd buy 4 wheelers.  We camp more often than we get out on the water and we'd have more fun on a 4 wheeler than sitting in a trailer.  So it seemed logical to go that route.  I can't wait until we can get some because I know they will be so much fun!

Been fun looking

I've really enjoyed utilizing the website Pinterest.  I have friends who say they're addicted to it and cautioned me before I joined.  But I find that I'm not addicted but when I get a minute, I enjoy looking at it.  There are many ideas on there and it's fun to see what catches my friend's eyes and if they catch mine too.  I think my favorite part is when I'm looking at website and find something I like, instead of filling my bookmarks, I can "pin it" with a picture and caption.  Much more convenient than bookmarking items.  I especially love finding ideas for our home.  So many cute ideas!  Things for all the rooms and things for outside too.  I haven't seen any Polywood Adirondack chairs for outside but I have seen some really neat outdoor fire pit ideas.  One day when we buy a home, it will be so fun to decorate it!!

What did I do

I think I may have failed my test.  I recently took that terrible glucose test that's required during pregnancy.  Actually, it's not too horrible.  I prefer the red fruit punch drink compared to the orange.  But I don't like getting my blood drawn and of course that's inevitable after you drink the juice.  I've never not passed the test before but I think I did this time.  My downfall was a doughnut.  Not even just one, but two.  I ate two doughnuts 5 hours prior to my test.  The odds are against me I think.  I hope I get lucky but I doubt it will happen.  I've been craving sweets really bad this pregnancy and by the time I'm done, I may need to look into slimvox to lose weight.  I'm getting pretty big at this point and if I keep eating doughnuts I'll be HUGE!  Stupid yummy tasting doughnuts.  Curse you!!

Take care of it

When you have children you go through the motions. You get excited finding out you're pregnant. Then you're excited to know what you're having. Then you prepare to add a new little addition to your family. Then that little bundle of joy makes an appearance and your heart doubles in size. After that you get caught up in all those little cute things your baby does. Usually through all of this one of the last things you think about is your pelvic floor. What you say? Who thinks about their pelvic floor? Well, physical therapists do and that's me. :D But I admit, I've only thought about the pelvic floor in relation to my patients, not to myself. But it's pretty important to take care of those muscles during and after pregnancy. During pregnancy to help combat/prevent pain issues and after so things don't stay loose and cause problems later. In my case, I didn't do anything before and I'm paying for it now. My ligaments have become so lax that when I got out of the car a few weeks ago, I strained my pelvic floor. I had to be off my feet for a few weeks because it was so bad. Crazy how one wrong twist could cause so much aggravation. It is getting better which is great. I like being able to do things and not sit around all day. Plus, I've been able to go back to work, light duty, but back nonetheless. So to any woman out there reading my blog and is pregnant or has children already, take care of yourself so you don't end up hurting yourself like I did. It's worth your time, trust me. :)

Best part!

I would bet that most kids agree that when they go to a hotel, the best part is getting to play in the pool. Hey, that's my favorite part too! (Although the cable TV is a bonus lol!) When ever we stay at a hotel, we always get one with a pool and the pool had better be working too. Our last trip we called the hotel a few days ahead of time just to make sure it wasn't down for maintenance or anything. Playing in the water is a lot of fun and the kids love the hot tub too. I couldn't get in the hot tub but the pool water felt nice! They seem to take good care of their pool and hot tub, where we were at. I bet they don't even need spa covers and pool covers because they get so much use out of them. For my family, I'm grateful to have pools at hotels. It adds something extra special to a vacation!

A new uniform?

Before I took my new job, I head they had uniforms. No, not chef uniforms, but uniforms for therapy. Uniforms, ugh. They weren't horrible, white polos with the company name on it and then you had black slacks. So really, not that bad. But the problem I had was that they gave you only two shirts and two pants. For a five day work week, you'd have to wash whites and dark each, twice, every week. Yuck! So right before I took the job and found out they did away with the uniforms, I was stoked!! Now it's just business casual dress and that is perfect. But last week at one of our work meetings, the boss had out a magazine with ideas for shirts. Ugh, uniforms were coming back? That's what I worried about but thankfully that wasn't the case! He wanted us all to have one work shirt that we could wear occasionally one day a week as a team. THAT'S more like it! I can do that and I even got to help pick the shirt. Nice.

Laid up

Since I got hurt, I have to stay off my feet as much as possible for at least a week. That doesn't sound too bad initially. Kicking back, watching movies with the kids, playing games from the couch, reading some books, not having to go to work. Not too shabby right? Well, the fact that I have extra time at home, my mind is on overdrive thinking of all the things I COULD do. I could organize some shelves I've been meaning to get to. The desk needs an overhaul. Actually, I could probably do that one while sitting down the whole time. The fridge needs cleaned. I'd love to go on a walk with the kids. Maybe go to the library or to a park. Going on a bike ride would be fun. Yeah, when you think about having extra time, it usually involves getting up and doing things. So while I may have a week to be home and do nothing, this time, I really have to do nothing. Unless it's from the couch or bed. Could be worse though. I'm not on bedrest, just have to take it easy. I know women who go on strict bedrest and can only get up to go to the bathroom. I may not be active but I'm grateful I can still move around a little at least. Then hopefully, by next week I can get back into the swing of things!

One more thing

The big topic of discussion at our house lately has been jobs and where. Mainly, a job for my husband, where ever that might be. We've talked a little about where we'd like to end up and where we'd NOT like to end up. I hope that doesn't close doors for us, ones that we should possibly consider. It's hard though, trying to find the right fit within "our scope." But it's fun to think about having a job and settling down in general. Being at that point in our lives it's exciting, a new step, a new adventure. It's funny too because we've begun to think about how we'd do things differently if we had our own place. My husband would love a big yard with nice patio furniture. Something nice like those commercial patio umbrellas and sets. Enough to entertain people if we wanted or had family come over. That's a small thing, a piece of the picture. One thing at a time, I know we'll get there. Right now, we're content where we're at.

Getting them fixed

We have been so blessed to two cars that work well. Every year we use part of our tax return to keep up with their maintenance. That's probably why they have lasted so long and do so well. This year in particular, we've had more than usual maintenance required for both vehicles. That comes with age I guess. Before our vacation we got one vehicle completely down which was really comforting. The other we should have done this week. We haven't needed to replace any universal joint replacements but mainly fluids flushed and some small parts replaced. Between two cars those amounts add up but thankfully we've had the money to fix them. Too bad the money doesn't stay around long lol! At least the cars will right? :D

Let the rain come!

Drive a few hours and the weather can be so different! I hear from friends on Facebook, only a few hours away, and it's like night and day when it comes to our weather. Theirs, snow storm. Mine, sunny spring day. What?? A few days ago on our trip, we had a rainy day and it literally rained all day long, non stop. We come home and today it started to rain but off and on and nothing that drenched us. Of course rain here is usually like that, sporadic and off and on intensity. So when we left and had the non stop downpour, it was different. But I love rain in general so it didn't bother me. It smells so good after it rains! I can't ever get enough of it. It makes life greener and cleaner. When the rain stops the birds sing more sweetly and the air smells open and fresh. As a bonus too, the other day we saw not one, but TWO rainbows next to each other! I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one rainbow, let alone two. They were breathtaking. What a way to ring in the new week!

New place!

I've been talking a lot about our vacation which is a little much I know but I can't help it, it was so much fun! I love seeing new places, seeing new attractions, and meeting new people. Although we didn't talk to a lot of people for longer than a few minutes, we did see a variety of cultures. I love that you can go not very far to see such diversity! Diversity is what makes our planet great. :) At our hotel I met another mom and go figure, she lives in the same town as me and was even friends with a girl I know. That was pretty neat! I was surprised to meet someone else from my town but pretty fun. Come to find out she wasn't a She wasn't a raleigh cpa but a CNA and she knew people from where I worked. Small world! We had a nice chat while our kids played together. Who knows, maybe we'll run into each other in town next time!

Neat place!

I've always been fascinated by anything science related and my husband is the same way. So it's not too surprising that our children love to learn about science too. On our recent vacation we went to a science center which was a blast! We've been before but they had a bunch of new exhibits and more hands on activities. It was great! One thing we did this time that I don't think we did on our last trip was use this machine to weld pieces of metal together. No welding cable needed, just metal and heat. The girls really thought it was cool that the machine could heat up so quickly and get hot so fast within just seconds. They each got to take away little pieces of metal that were welded together. Pretty neat! The whole center is fantastic and I love how hands on it is. We'll definitely go again!

Ouchies

We went on vacation recently and had a wonderful trip! We did have a few hiccups though, but what trip doesn't right? First, my husband was sick before we left. He's had a terrible cough for a few days prior and it didn't let up until two days before our vacation was over. At least it let up a little though! Second, we were sitting in a parking lot about to have lunch when a truck pulled in in front of us and actually bumped into our car. Not enough to damage his or ours but enough that it moved us. It was sad too because it was an older gentleman and I don't think he even realized he hit us. Third, we were doing some shopping and my youngest started to run around and fell face first onto the concrete floor. Poor thing! It was awful, so much blood came out of the crack in her lip. She bawled and bawled and I wasn't far behind her. Broke my heart! She's doing better though thankfully. Last, I hurt myself stepping out of the car. Yeah, stepping out of the car and I tweaked my pelvis. I've been in a lot of pain since and after a dr visit today, was told I have to stay off my feet for a week. Who knew you could cause so much pain by stepping out of the car?? I was put on painkillers to help and I hope they do because I can barely walk. So, other than all that, we did have a good trip. I'll talk more about it in another post!

Ideas for him

My husband's birthday is coming up and I still haven't figured out what to get him. He'll actually be gone on his birthday so we're going to celebrate when he is home. I'd like to find something specific that he likes but nothing has stood out. I want personalized birthday gifts for him so he knows that I put a lot of thought into them. I have a few ideas but nothing that shouts "Wow! He would love that!" That's what I'm looking for this year. That was his reaction to his last big Christmas present and I loved it. Hopefully here soon I can find some things that will really surprise him because that's my favorite part of birthdays!!

Medical fields

I love talking to young students about what I do for a living. Being in the medical field is not only challenging but also very rewarding. I never get bored. I'm always learning new things every day and because I have to take required classes every year, I'm always up to date on changes in my field. My hours are flexible. The pay is really good. Plus, my job will always be there. That's quite a few plus's in my column! Of course I don't know everything about the medical field, there are so many different aspects. I can't tell you much about medications like apidextra because I'm not a pharmacist. I do know a few of them and their side effects because they affect my patients but that's about it. That's what so great about the medical field, so much diversity! It's not for everyone true, but I love it. :)

Smart idea

That's how I feel about self checkouts, they are the best invention! When you only have a few items to check out quickly, who wants to wait in line behind someone who has a huge cart full of items to buy? Not me. If I'm the one with the cart full and there's someone behind me in line with only a few items, I'll let them go first. That's why self checkouts are awesome! Most people use them pretty quickly so you're in and out in minutes. Genius! Sometimes I can't get the barcode scanners to register the barcode on my items or something won't ring up right, but for the most part, they're pretty easy. I like easy and quick. Especially when I'm in a hurry. So thank you to who ever came up with self checkouts, as a busy mom I have really appreciated it and it makes my life easier!

Getting things done

It's always nice to whittle down your to do list but sometimes it feels like you ALWAYS have a to do list. When one goes away, another one starts. I guess that's just life though right? Especially when you're a parent, there's always something to be done. When I have days off from work I feel like I'm just as busy and it's not really a day off. Well, that's not entirely true. My day today was packed but I managed to take an interrupted nap. So that was helpful at least. :) But all day I was going, going, going. I had a bunch of phone calls to make and take. I did four loads of laundry. I went through all the kids toys and got rid of a bunch. I started to organize one of our counters that has been really messy the past few weeks. I gathered together some items for DI. I did dinner and had the kids do their homework early so they could go play with a friends. I balanced our checking account. I took a shower. We went to swim lessons and then I helped a friend work on a project for church. By 9pm, I was wiped and ended up eating two candy bars. Yep, two. They were divine and just what I needed after today. I got a lot of things done which is good. More to do tomorrow but at least I don't have today's AND tomorrow's to do lists at the same time. That makes me feel productive. :)

Places to visit

I love hearing where people go on vacation. There are so many places I've never been and a lot more my kids haven't been yet. Every year we try to plan at least one vacation and see as many things as we can. It's a lot of fun for the whole family. I was talking to a girl I know and her family is going on a vacation to San Francisco. She is so excited and I can't blame her. Although, her family is driving there and that's the only part she's not excited about. With a full van, I wouldn't be either. It's going to take them almost a full day to get there and being squished between siblings is the worst. Hopefully the small quarters doesn't make anyone sick and hopefully none of them end up needing a san francisco blood test of any kind. That would for sure make their trip more miserable. Vacations are better spent healthy and happy! I hope when we go on vacation that none of us get sick either. I'll cross my fingers for that!

Vacation time

We decided to take a mini vacation with the kids before the baby comes this summer. We're all so excited to go that it makes it hard to want to do anything else. The kids keep counting down even though it's not around the corner. Can't blame them, I've been secretly counting down too. ;) It will be great to get away for a little while, get out of the city, and enjoy being together. No work or school will be great! Especially the no work part lol. I've needed a break even though I've only been there three weeks. I can't wait to take the kids swimming and being pregnant that will feel good to me too. The kids are in swim lessons and doing well so they can't wait to show off their skills. I wonder if where we're going they have raypak pool heaters? Hmm, maybe. Even if they don't, we're still going to have a blast. SO SO SO EXCITED! I wish we could go tomorrow. :D

Still adjusting to the new job

I've been at my new job for 3 weeks now and I think it's getting better. I'm still learning a lot and get used to where everything is but I'm much more comfortable with patients. Well, with most of them. I have one patient who's so grumpy no matter what I try to do to help him. One day, he got so mad at me and that he was yelling and I thought he was going to hit me. That was not a good day. Actually, between him and some other things that happened that day, that was the worst day I've had my whole career. It was the first time I actually didn't enjoy what I did. The next day was better though and my positive attitude came back. :) My job isn't awful but it's very different from what I was doing. It's not my favorite setting but it will be ok. Good management, good coworkers, good patients, good pay. Can't complain too much. I think they even have malpractice insurance for their employees. I think anyway. I should probably look into that.

Tired is putting it mildly

I'm not tired, I'm exhausted. I worked yesterday, which in and of itself makes me really tired. Then I came home and cleaned the house. Then we were busy all night long until about midnight. By the time we got to bed, I was so tired I was almost shaking. Needless to say I died when my head hit the pillow. Totally crashed, until I had to get up and go to the bathroom. :P Darn small bladder. After that it was a little harder to go back to sleep and then the worst thing happened. I got a HUGE cramp in my calf. This is the second time this type of cramp has happened. It's horribly painful, ALMOST worse than labor. My muscle cramped for a full 5 minutes and it's intense pain. Since it's my gastrocnemius that tightens up my foot goes into full plantar flexion and no matter what I do, I can't move it. So I have massage it hard and fast through many tears. I woke my husband up and when my arm got too tired he tried to take over with massage. Then, as soon as it starts to relax a little, a different part tightens up again. Five minutes feels like forever when you're in that much pain and there's nothing you can do but try to massage it out and cry. I think I'll start stretching more through out the day and before I got to bed. I can't keep having these types of cramps, they are awful. I wouldn't wish them on anybody!