February 6, 2010

Dana Who?

I’ve been sitting at my laptop for several minutes, contemplating what I will write on here on this blog.  I’m drawing a blank.  Again.  I haven’t been here much these last few weeks.  I am not even sure anyone still reads the blog, considering that I haven’t written in a month.  Dana who?

I could give you a list of excuses as to why I’m not here, but you already know the answer.

Two weeks before Owen was born, I stopped working for BlogHer as a headline editor.  My contract ended and the financial difficulty that has followed has been miserable.  We’ve made drastic changes to our lifestyle, and have become very frugal.  The last thing I wanted to do on maternity leave was hunt for another job when I was nursing and bonding with Owen.

Just after Owen was 3 months, I began my job search only to discover there are no jobs.  The few positions available in the job market here in Wisconsin are being filled quickly.  So many applicants applying for the same jobs.  It’s depressing.

I’m grateful that my husband is still employed, although his company is making cuts, too.  Sixty people were let go in the last month due to this crappy economy.  It makes us both very nervous.  No one is safe from a lay-off.

I’ve been through two interviews this last month.  I was offered a position with one company and completed paperwork, only to find out later that their corporate office decided to down-size.  Several new hires were let go.  I never got to start the job.  The other position was filled by someone with more experience in the field.

Because of this insanity in the job market, I’ve decided to go back to school.  It’s time to finish my degree while I’m not working.  I’ve finished the application process and applied for financing (student loan) and now I wait for acceptance into the program.  I’ve got one year left and it’s now or never.

Dawson is still loving 4K.  He can’t wait to go to school each morning.  He tells me how much he loves his friends and his teacher, and his favorite part of the day is story time.  Last month his class took a field trip to the local library.  Dawson was so excited to check out a book under his very own library card.  We spend a lot of time at the library now that he can use his own card.

Owen is growing leaps and bounds.  He’s barely 4 months old but he weighs 20 pounds.  He’s my mini-linebacker.  Lately he’s been refusing to nurse on one side and is very fussy, mostly in the evening.  I thought he had an ear infection, but his pediatrician thinks he’s just got a preference and he’ll grow out of it.  I hope it happens soon.  Fussy baby makes me a little crazy.

Last month my grandmother’s house burned down.  She passed away in 2005, but my aunt and uncle still lived there as they run the farm.  It was caused by a chimney fire and it ruined the 100-year-old house.  My uncle is staying with his another uncle who lives down the road, and my aunt is staying with my parents.  I’m so thankful they made it out of the house alive.  They lost everything.  It’s devastating.

2010 has not started off on the right foot.

December 26, 2009

End of the Year Blahs

For several days I have suffered blogger’s block.  I want to write, but nothing seems fit to blog.  I’m so busy being wife, mother and household manager that I rarely have time to sit down and tap the keys.

Owen is ten weeks old today and he has grown so much in the last few weeks.  He still eats often.  I call him “the linebacker” because he is rock solid.  He’s almost 13 pounds!  I think we’ve hit the 3-month growth spurt because he’s back to eating every 2 hours or less.  I miss those few short weeks when he’d go three hours between feedings.

Dawson is 5 1/4 years old and has acquired somewhat of an attitude these last few days.  When I ask him to do something he gives me these looks that could kill, and he says things I would expect from a teenager instead of a sweet pre-kindergartner.  Lately, asking him to get dressed in the morning or put on his pajamas at night warrants a snotty remark.  When I ask him why he is acting this way he storms off to his room and slams the door.  I’m hoping it’s just a phase.  Doug thinks he does this for attention because he’s no longer the one and only child.  I’m sure he’s right.

We had a wonderful Christmas.  We spent Christmas Eve with Doug’s parents and siblings and their spouses, and his aunt and uncle were present, too.  Dawson and Owen made out like bandits with all the new toys they received.  I may have to down size to make room for the new additions.

Christmas Day we traveled a few miles to my parents’ house.  My brothers and sister gave Dawson more toys!  We should never need to buy any toys for at least a year.  My brother Nathan’s girlfriend (future sister-in-law, I hope!) made a beautiful afghan for me.  It’s so gorgeous.  I’m going to take a picture of it to post at Flickr.  I love it so much!

Tomorrow is Owen’s baptism.  We need to get up early to get everyone ready and out the door on time.  I’ve been so busy trying to get things done, and I’m so tired these days, I’m afraid I’m forgetting something.  I’m sure everything will be just fine.  I really need to learn to worry less.

In other boring news, I’m really considering taking the rest of the year off from blogging.  I just don’t feel like forcing myself to write.  I know this blog needs an overhaul, a little refreshing perhaps.  If I’m going to be completely honest, I’m also feeling the need for more privacy in my life.  I almost prefer to shut TDF down and blog anonymously.

Maybe I’m just tired.

Maybe I need to take a break until I have something interesting to say.

December 4, 2009

Seriously? 300 Visitors?

Good grief, kids.  I have to thank Lilith, self-proclaimed asshole, for linking to yesterday’s blog post about me bribing my child at a stoplight to help his baby brother by putting a nuk back in his mouth.  Buckle up folks, yesterday’s entry received 300 visitors.

Three of them were total bitches, but that’s just part of the job I suppose.

Who knew that my not so great (but desperate) decision to break a seat belt law for half a minute could drum up such outrage.  Meanwhile, millions of babies are being aborted, children are starving in third world countries, Obama is sending more troops to the war zone and bankrupting the nation with his proposed health care bill, but Lilith could care less. Instead she links to little ol’ me!  How sweet.

I’d link to the blog I mention, but I’m just not that into it.

October 5, 2009

More Nesting and Another ER Visit (This Time Not For Me)

Remember when I told you I was nesting?  Yeah, that was just a trial run, because the real nesting began Saturday, the second I got home from the hospital.  It’s like a fire has been lit under my bum.

It started with this intense desire to start organizing the bedroom that Dawson and his baby brother will share for awhile.  Doug took the doors off the closet and I went through every single item in that space.  The urge to purge hit me like a ton of bricks.

Three large boxes of stuff were sealed up and are now ready for donation to the Easter Seals.  I got rid of toys no one has played with in years.  Clothes that Dawson cannot wear and the baby wouldn’t be able to wear for years were packed for others to use.  Anything that had not been worn or used in a year or more was tossed into the boxes as well.  I realized that Dawson had a lot of clothes when he was born, more than the new baby could ever wear.  Gone it is.

It took a few hours to figure out the correct floor plan for the room.  The furniture was arranged with efficiency in mind.  I delegated while Doug moved things around several times.  It’s very functional now.  I should have taken before and after photos.

Next, we took a trip to Target and bought one of these awesome toy organizers:

All of the most played-with toys were sorted into these 12 magic bins.  Because I had sorted through everything first, we ended up with two smaller bins being empty.

After the kids’ room was complete I crashed into bed and slept like a rock.  It was a long, rough day.

Sunday morning we went to church and after we got home Doug made a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and toast.  It was delicious.  I decided to tackle our closet after that, and 5 more boxes of clothes, shoes, purses and other miscellaneous items were donated.

I finally got rid of all those clothes that had sentimental value or emotional feelings attached them.  I haven’t worn them in more than five years.  Someone else can use them.  It was tough to let go of some of those things, but I noticed that an uncluttered house has also cleared my psyche.

Doug did all the grunt work and heavy lifting, and I’m so grateful for his help.  After tackling closets we cleaned out the pantry together, as well as the linen and coat closets, too.  My house is almost perfect.

Shortly after we finished our work, my mother-in-law called to say that my father-in-law was having health issues.  He has been feeling disoriented, experiencing hallucinations and memory loss, as well as sleeping a lot and not wanting to get out of bed.  I’m not sure what the medical condition is, but it reminds me of dementia.  My grandfather suffered from the disease.  I also wonder if my FIL was experiencing a mini-stroke.

We went to Doug’s parents’ house to help get my FIL to the hospital, but later decided an ambulance was a better choice.  Doug’s dad was taken to the ER and later admitted to the hospital for observation.  We got home a few hours later.  Doug’s brother and uncle stayed to help my MIL.  Doug wanted to stay longer, but he had to work very early this morning, and his mom said not to miss work until they know exactly what my FIL’s condition is.  We’re praying that he recovers from whatever it is that is ailing him.

After we got home last night, we all crashed into bed.  Another long day under our belts.

I’m hoping today is uneventful, and that no one else is admitted to the ER.  They say bad things happen in threes.  Here’s hoping that’s just an old wives tale, or a myth.

Later this afternoon I’m taking Dawson to see a free matinee showing of Transformers 2.  The theater is offering this show for customer appreciation week, and my little guy cannot wait for the DVD to come out on October 20th.  It’s our last mommy/son “date” before little Baby O arrives.  I plan to treasure every second of it.