Coffee Date 9.1.17: Pokemon, Preschool, Podcasts, Pacifiers, Pants, and More

You guys, I just continue to amaze myself with my over-achieverness… I set the bar *low* for blogging this school year… and I went even LOWER. (Insert one of those monkeys covering his eyes emojis here please.)

As it turns out all the Back-to-School / new routines / etc. etc. that I talked about in my last Coffee Date post actually leaves little time for blogging. (Who would’ve guessed?!?) Anyway, I’ve got some updates, and I’m here today (a week and a day late, but who’s counting), so we’ll call it a win. 😉

Shall we?

Let’s pretend we’re just two friends meeting at Starbucks to catch up… There’s the TINIEST hint of fall in the air today (and I’m super tired), so I’d probably order a regular ole Pikes Place with lots of cream and sugar and curl up in one of the comfy chairs. I’d also, for sure, be wearing stretchy pants and a hoodie; and, to be honest, I’d have my Kindle with me to do some reading after our date… SUCH a dream… Anyway, HERE ARE THE THINGS I’D PROBABLY CHAT ABOUT:

Overall, our adjustment to the new school year has been really smooth and positive. Sam absolutely loves school. He’s just wrapping up his second week and still bouncing out of bed (dark and early) every morning and smiling when I meet him at the bus in the afternoon. I am so grateful!!!

< P.S. Yesterday, I took Sam to Target and he bought himself a binder, page protectors, and his first ever set of Pokemon Cards. He’s planning to get together with his neighborhood buddies after school today for a big trade. #andsoitbegins Any other Pokemon Moms out there?!?! Anything I need to know? >

As for me, I’ve always had a hunch, but now I’m even more sure — I’m definitely more of a “school mom” than a “baby mom.” All the papers that come home to be signed, the “homework,” the lunches to be packed: I LOVE that stuff (#askmehowIfeelinMay). Even the busyness of our mornings seems to be working WELL for us. I’ve been getting up early enough to get myself ready before I wake the kids, hanging out (and, by that, I mean getting them dressed and starting breakfast) with them for a short time before I leave, and getting to work on time. (Victory!) I realize this is all still very new (we are probably in the honeymoon stage as they say), and I’m definitely not running a well-oiled machine yet; but, for now, Sam and I both thriving. Haha! (For those interested, my school year is off to a great start too! I’ve got great kids, a MUCH better schedule this year, and a renewed energy for all the things! I hope to share more about all that on an upcoming Tuesday, so stay tuned!)

Nora, too, is doing well and adjusting to “school”. To be honest though, it’s been a harder transition than I was expecting. She’s making lots of friends and is still really happy when I pick up every day, but… Out of the blue last week she started crying at drop offs. I’ve heard from LOTS of other mommas that this is very normal, but it is also *heartbreaking.* It’s getting a little better everyday, but still… Ugh.

Also – and, again, I should have seen this coming – she’s had ALL THE GERMS already. For some time now I’ve thought she is “healthier” than Sam was as a little kid; but, I’m realizing now that that’s probably only been because she wasn’t exposed to much. 🙁 She missed two days of school this week because of a fever (which definitely didn’t help with the above drop off issues), and we learned that one big difference between day-care and a nanny is that there’s no such thing as a “minor sickness” – thank goodness for Grandma!

Speaking of childcare, one of my favorite time-management writers/researchers, Laura Vanderkam (I actually linked to her in my last Coffee Date post and didn’t even know this was coming) and a friend recently launched a new podcast for working moms, and I am LOVING it!!! It’s called Best of Both Worlds (great, right?) and the description is pretty near perfect: Love your career? Love your family? Best of Both Worlds is the show for you! Hosts Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It and a mom of four, and Sarah Hart-Unger, a practicing physician and mom of two (soon to be three!) discuss work/life balance, career development, parenting, time management, productivity, and making time for fun. Tune in each week for strategies to help you thrive in all spheres of life.  Basically, my only complaint is that they didn’t ask me to co-host! 😉

Seriously though, fan-girling aside, they’ve released four episodes so far – covering why they decided to have more than two kids, how they make the most of their evenings at home, how they find time for themselves, and – the most recent – all about childcare… I realized while I was listening to it that with Nora’s most recent transition we have now tried just about every “type” of childcare there is — in-home day-care (when Sam was a baby), nanny, part-time preschool, now full-time daycare, and (as long as you count summers) even full-time staying at home with mom. Based on my experience, I I wouldn’t say any one type is better than other, but each definitely has it’s own pros and cons and things to think about. Finding childcare that works for you/your family is super personal and, really, changes all the time based on a number of factors. Laura and Sara (I feel like we’re on a first-name basis) did a great job addressing SO many different sides to this story and brought up lots of great points. I totally recommend the episode and would love to hear your thoughts when you’re done!

ALSO…

– Confession: I cut a tiny hole in Nora’s Wubannub pacifier (which, if you’ve been here for a while, you know I LOVE) in hopes that it would help speed up the process of her naturally giving it up on her own. (This worked like a charm with Sam.) It did NOT. Sleep has been pretty terrible ever since and so, like a really strong mom, I marched myself to Target yesterday and bought another.  Feel free to tell me all the reasons why this is terrible for her; but, know that a.) she slept last night, b.) sleep is really good for all of us, and c.) I ultimately decided that the biggest reason I had for wanting to get rid of the pacifier was just the stigma or the fact that other moms might judge me for letting her have it at 2.5 and, well, that just isn’t a good enough reason for me… What do you think?

– I think I’m ready to get myself some high-waisted jeans. I know there are all sorts of “amazing” ones on the market, but I’m leaning towards the High-Rise Rockstar Skinny Jeans or the High-Rise Rockstar Built-in-Sculpt Skinny Jeans from Old Navy for now. They are on sale this weekend (only $17.50 or $25 for the ones with magical powers), so it’s probably going to happen. (Quick: Has anyone tried the built-in-sculpt jeans from ON? Are they worth the extra $7.50?!?!) Some may call these “mom-jeans” but I call them “don’t be mistaken for pregnant when you’re not-jeans” and I’m just fine with them. Thoughts?

In case you were wondering, they will look exactly like that on me. 😉

– I’ve had less time for it since school started back up (obviously), but I’m currently reading The Hate U Give, and it’s great. So important, especially right now. I also just downloaded American Fire on Audible after hearing lots of talk about it recently to start this weekend while I organize bins of kids clothes in our basement. (Try not to be jealous of the wild life I live.) Jeff and I are also, finally, catching up on This Is Us on Hulu in preparation for the Season 2 premiere at the end of the month. I literally sob every episode, but I can’t stop it. What are you watching or reading?

– Thanks for the great dinner/recipe recommendations on my last Coffee Date post! (I’m definitely going to check out eMeals!) This week, Cup of Jo posted “9 Quick Family Dinners” that sound delicious, and I just saw that the Sorta Awesome Podcast released an episode this morning titled: “Our Favorite Meals!” with Meg and Kelly. I can’t wait to listen!

Last but (definitely) not least…

Source

Finally, on a more serious note (I really hope this won’t continue to be a trend at the end of these, otherwise light, posts), my heart is broken for Houston and the surrounding areas this week. If you are reading this and happen to live there, know that you are not forgotten. You are in my prayers, and you will be for the months to come as you heal, recover, and rebuild… Here are a few links related to the floods in Texas and ways you can get involved/ support the relief efforts:

• “The Weight of Privilege” from Kristen Welch
• From a teacher blogger in Houston: “ON Harvey and Helping”
• Fancy Ashley lives in the Houston area also, and she compiled a great list of ways to help.
• Emily Ley created two beautiful prints you can download with a $20.00 donation that goes directly to the Texas Diaper Bank. So far, they’ve already raised well-over $10,000. (Link is not affiliate.)
• Melanie Shankle partnered with Milk & Honey tees to design a God Bless Texas tee with 100% of proceeds going to Harvey relief. They sold out in less than two hours but will be releasing more soon. In the meantime, she shared a bunch of other great products and organizations that are raising funds for Texas on her blog today.

Love you all!

E

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