Easter

I got really excited about the girls Easter baskets this year.

I spent all this time thinking we wouldn't do much for Easter.  I then changed my mind, which I do frequently.  

Emmalyn's goodies: aqua circa hoodie, Chicco rainbow sphere rattle, Minnie Mouse bib,  Goodnight Moon with bunny rattle,  I Love You, Hunny Bunny, Duck and Goose Here Comes the Easter Bummy, and Duck and Goose Goose Needs a Hug.

Hadley's goodies: circo grey striped shirt,  Dora Superstar ribbon, 2 bracelets, munchkin wonder waterway bath toys, Melissa and Doug Switch and Spin Magnetic Gear Box, and a broom and dust pan.  That girl really likes to clean.  She does not get it from her momma. 

Hope you guys have a wonderful Sunday!

You can't make this stuff up...

It's probably the single-handedly most awesome thing about my job.

I definitely had a patient tell me that his wife was and awesome bookkeeper, cook, maid and sex toy. He said she was hard worker even though he wore her out.

Friends in Low Places

Fact: in grad school, a group of my friends went to a bar, took shots, sang above mentioned song karaoke, and my BFF ripped the butt out of her $200 jeans.   I then proceeded to give her a big ole kiss.  We also laid in bed together and used electrolarynxes for communication.  The next morning we got up and got to see TEP Valves in action.  I wanted to die. 

As we get older, I find it more and more difficult to make friends.  Crazy right?  I'm not talking about making Facebook friends, but more about friends you call when your kids/husband is driving you insane. 

People get busy!  Work, households, husbands, and kids all come before friends.     I think that's one of the reasons that I started blogging.  I needed a sounding board.

I signed up to participate in this month's carabox match up in an effort to make friends even if they're not a hop, skip, and a jump from my house.   I sent a box to Lauren over at SLP Sooner or Later Y'all, this girl is my blogging soulmate. 1st off, she has an awesome name. Secondly, she is an SLP. She's OCD like me and super friendly!

I got paired up with Lauren over at Our Hiding Place to receive a box.  Lauren is also super cool. She's got a fun blog, and is all kinds of health conscious. She's also pregnant with her first baby.

You guys should check these ladies out ASAP and check out wifessionals for more info about carabox and other fun things with Kaitlyn!! 

DD Day

That was today.

Drastically Dreaded Back to Work Day

I didn't want too.

But I did and it wasn't *that* bad.  

I've been blessed with amazing co-workers at both my jobs.  I was welcomed back to the therapy department with open arms and a full schedule.   

I love to work and I love my job.  I love being able to help people and getting to know my patients.  While I was gone, some of our patients died and some got really sick.  On the plus side, some got better and went home.

I learned quickly with this maternity leave that I was not designed to be a stay at home mom.  I know there are people that wish they could stay at home, but have to work.  

I don't have the desire to stay at home.

I LOVE  my children with all of my heart and soul.  I honestly believe that I am a better parent because I don't spend all my time with them, and I have a life outside of them.

This realization has really come with two children.  At the end of my first maternity leave, I wasn't ready to back to work.  I wanted to stay home.  I loved snuggling with my child and making crazy dinners off Pinterest.  

This time I know that I don't want to stay home permanently, but I'm not sure WHEN you decide it's time to go back.  If I wait until I feel ready, will I ever be ready to leave her?   I have days that I could drop my kids off and not think twice about it, but then there are days where I don't want to let them go.

This is what makes this day bittersweet.    I love working and it will be good to be back but I also love my children and want to spend time with them.

The ideal solution would probably be to work part-time, but this is difficult for 2 reasons.  The first being childcare.  Here in a rural area, there is no such thing as part-time daycare.  That means that I have to pay for full-time whether my kids are there or not.  The second is health insurance.  My husband does have health insurance so it's not like my coverage is our only option, but his health insurance is expensive.  Very expensive and I would have to work more than 2 days a week to cover the cost difference.

Here I sit, blessed with this amazing, accommodating full-time job, but still torn about spending more time with my family.  

The arrangement we have now is definitely the best arrangement for us, so I'm going to take it one day at a time and be thankful for what I have.

There's a contest....or 2....

And I feel the need to tell you all about it.

Lisette over at Northern Belle Diaries and a ton of her sponsors (my phone just changed that to spinsters! Hah) are giving away a ton of ad space to help grow your blog! Check it out here.

Also, I've been reading some of her older blog posts. She is hilarious!

And then I read that Rachel over at Postcards from Rachel and her sponsors are giving away a Clarisonic Mia, so yes, check it out!!

Yes, this is a shameless plug to get more contest entries.

It's Friday, y'all.

{St. Patrick's Day} I'm not sure if y'all know this, but St. Patrick's day is my FAVORITE day of the year.  It's also the day I turned....twenty-something.  Early last week, my mother and I had a 15 minute arguement about how twenty something I am.  I was off by a year.  Boo!  But because it's my favorite day of the year, of course my girls had to dress the part.

{a little pampering} This week I took a little time to work on myself. My awesome sister-in-law took a new job and at her new job they have a stand-up spray tanning booth.  Considering I've been pasty white and terrified of sun my whole life, this thing is awesome.

{pizza} I LOVE CARBS, but the hubs and I have quit eating carbs at dinner.  It's made us both feel so much better in the mornings!  One thing that we really miss is pizza, so last night I made cauliflower pizza crust.  It was pretty good.  It's getting added to our rotation.

{snuggles} I found out Tuesday that this was going to be my last week of maternity leave so I've been trying to enjoy all the time I can with my girl....Even at 4:00 A.M.

{purging} Even though we're planning on having another baby (in 4-5 years), we really don't have the space to store clothing, so I've been hanging it up to get ready for my first venture into consignment sales.  Also, I've got tons of scrubs.  I've been wearing scrubs on and off since 2006 for work/clinicals.  My weight has changed, I've had 2 pregnancies, and now I work in a job where I can only wear a certain color, so I've been posting scrubs on ebay!

 

Find + Follow Friday