Where Shalt Thou Work?!

A couple of years ago I would never really imagined I'd be wondering what type of career I wanted in the near future!  I never really saw myself as a stay-at-home mom.  I had a career I loved and felt passionate about.  I always thought working part-time once I had children sounded pretty ideal, but there aren't many good teaching jobs that are part-time, so it never really seemed like much of an option.  When I was pregnant with MJ, I planned on taking 12 weeks of maternity leave, then having a nice summer off with him, and then returning to teaching that next fall.  I'd toured day cares, even decided on one, and thought I was set.  Then, Iowa fell in our laps out of nowhere!  I had no clue what I would do as far as working.  I dreaded the idea of beginning in a new district, new school, in a new state, where I knew no one, with a new baby and no knowledge of local day cares.

My position I received pretty quickly at Loras College seemed too good to be true!  They were looking for someone with their Master's in Literacy to work part-time at the college.  It was a position that would allow me to work part-time still in my field and build connections with the school districts.  It was a grant-funded positions that was only for 2 years, but that seemed perfect at the time.  It was just long enough for me to get settled and get comfortable and most likely be ready to return to teaching and working full time at the end of those two years.  The pay was great, for part-time work, it's just a short walk from my house, and the hours were completely flexible.  Hard to complain about that!  It hasn't been the perfect job.  What job is? Working in an office with no windows has been a huge change from being on my feet most of the day in a classroom full of lively children.  I've certainly had my moments of boredom or not feeling used to my potential, but for the most part, the job was an answered prayer.  Even though it wasn't the perfect job necessarily, it was perfect for me at this time. It came along at the PERFECT time in my life!  Also, during this time I interviewed for and gained employment at Ashford University (also in Iowa, but about an hour away) and begin working for them online as a Teaching Assistant.  Another pretty good job that was ideal timing.  It's been a chance for me to earn extra money, utilize my writing skills, and work from HOME completely on my own schedule.  Not bad! 

Well, not only are those 2 years of my contracted position quickly coming to an end before long, but I've also been longing to be at home a bit more than I ever imagined!  I currently have Mondays and Fridays off, and I have really enjoyed those days at home.  I like being able to stay on top of cleaning, laundry, etc. as well as have some time to do special things with MJ like story time or a trip to the park, and even some things for myself like working on projects and crafts around the house.  Definitely not something I imagined being so important to me, but it's weird how motherhood changes a girl! 

Soooo, I thought everything was starting to fall into place like perfect.  Ashford University was looking to hire professors to teach online ( a step up from my current position with them).  Although they prefer a PhD, only a Master's was required, so I decided to apply!  After a month long interview process, I got the job.  I actually begin teaching my first class the end of this month.  It's all online and on my own time, but definitely requires a bit more time commitment than my current position with them.  My plan was to begin this new position with Ashford while finishing out my time at Loras through the summer and then beginning next school year, I'd just work from home for Ashford.  Sounded like a pretty good plan, but I still was having some doubts.  I thrive on "me time" and like having adult time and am worried that being home all the time, I will be even more secluded, less likely to meet and make friends in the area, and might get a little stir crazy.  Not to mention the few professional connections I've made in the area will kind of fizzle out leaving me a bit high and dry should I attempt to get a teaching job in the area in the coming years.  On the up side though, I felt like with adding a second, and possibly third child, into our family in the near future, this was perfect timing.  I could have a lot of flexibility with my work but still continue to earn some income while also being able to dedicate even more time to family. 

And then I saw a job ad.  Darn, curious, intrigued me just had to apply.  It was for a position at a university in Illinois for a Reading Instructor and Field Experiences Supervisor (teaching reading courses and supervising student teachers).  Sounded right up my alley!  Had a phone interview, they checked my references, and then contacted me to set up a face to face interview.  It was intimidating.  They had my whole day mapped out including teaching a class, an interview with the department, a tour of the campus, and interview with administration.  It was serious!  And all the time my gut was screaming "no!"  It was over an hour drive from home and was going to entail working on campus everyday.  HUGE lifestyle change!  I decided not to take on the next part of the interview process because I knew in my heart that it just wasn't a job I was willing to take on in the end.  BUT that very same week I saw another job ad.  Seriously, I must stop looking at job postings!!!!  This time it was for a local university, just less than 5 minutes from my house.  They were advertising for a tenure track education faculty member.  Tenure-track is huge in the academia world.  It means job security, higher rank, and better pay!  It also requires a PhD.  I didn't really have all the qualifications, but definitely had some, so I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring!  I found out that as long as I was willing to work towards my PhD, they'd consider me. I was contacted for a phone interview.  I thought it went okay, but not great.  Within 30 minutes they called me back to schedule a face to face interview.  This time I knew I wanted to go for it!  To get this job would be a big deal!  Teaching at a university in my town with a tenure track is about as good as it could get.

 BUT my gut is still in knots.  Even though I love the idea of the job, I'm just not sure I love it right now.  It's what I want a little bit down the road.  It caught my eye for a reason though, so I am going forward with it and seeing what happens.  So tomorrow I go and teach a college class to a group of 20 students as well as the whole education department which will be sitting in along with two members of administration.  Then, I have a face to face interview with the education department.  Intimidating?  Yes!  Nervous?  You bet!  But, I am realllllly trying to stay calm and peaceful about this and just leave it in the Lord's hands.  I am hoping that if it's meant for be for me to work from home over the next couple years, then I just don't get the job offer and it makes my decision easy.  I promise to swear off the help-wanted ads if that's the case!!!  It's not like I'll be without a job.  I can teach for Ashford and be happy with that while enjoying some more time with my little guy!  And if I do get a job offer?  Then, I'm going to really have to think about it.  I'd like to think that it means that it's meant to be.  If the schedule were right, I could see being happy with it.  It would bring about a bid of sadness too, but might be good for all of us in the long run as well.

I know this has been one big ramble and truly just a vent session for me and what I've mostly been keeping bottled up over the last couple months. I wanted to document what's going on and the pros and cons of it all so that I can one day look back on this.   Before my career was really all about me and what made me happy, and now my family comes first in my eyes.  It's really been taking its toll on me just worrying about it all, and I think I'm going to really be happy to  have a decision in the next couple weeks and then a plan!!  I'm a planner and I like to know what's around the corner next. 

Wish me luck, and perhaps say a little prayer, that it works out just as it is supposed to be!! 

Weekend Visitors

This past weekend, one of my best friends, Mindy, and her fiance Derek came to visit us!  It was such a treat to have them.  They live in St. Louis and eventhough it's not too terribly far, it makes for quite a drive for just a regular weekend.  Mindy met Derek just about a year ago and they are getting married this coming fall.  I'm so glad she has found the love of her life because she certainly deserves a loving and committed relationship!  We'd been able to meet Derek and hang out a couple times, but it was really nice having him here staying with us so we could really feel like he could get to know him better.

It's amazing to think that Mindy and I met when I was even smaller than MJ!  Our moms are still best friends to this day and I imagine that Mindy and I will be the exact same way!  Our mothers always tell us how when we were babies my mom played the piano at Cross Keys Baptist Church and Mindy's mom, Jackie played the organ.  They would get together to practice and put Mindy and I in our little baby swings.  We were born only 4 weeks apart and have remained close for years!  We've certainly gone through various phases of our lives where we've been closer and more connected than others, but we've always remained consistently there for one another when needed.  Mindy lived overseas for quite a few years shortly after I married, but she moved back to the US over a year ago and we've really reconnected and grown closer again!  Mindy has always been great about coming to visit us wherever we lived.  She visited us in Key West, Lakeland, and now Dubuque twice! 

We had a great little weekend visit.  Saturday was a really pretty day so we took MJ to the park to play. 

Afterwards we came home and took a nice long nap!  MJ's not the only one who needed a little rest after playing hard.  :)  That night we had a babysitter and headed out for some adult time.  Mat and I don't have any couples here to hang out with, so it was quite a treat for us to get out on a double date.  We headed downtown to the riverfront for dinner at Star Brewery and followed it up with a little bowling and trip to "The Bank" to hear a little live music and grab a drink. 

It was a great weekend we are so thankful for many wonderful friends, including Mindy and Derek!

Two Year Stats

MJ had his 2 year well-baby exam on Friday, April 1st.  Lucky for him (and for us), he did  not have to receive a single shot at this appointment!   He was even actually pretty cooperative and a happy guy for most of the appointment, which is a wonderful change.  :)  MJ weighed in at exactly 25 pounds.  This puts him in the 15th percentile for weight.  He'd only gained about a 1/2 lb. in the last six months, so we are keeping him on whole milk for now so he can continue to get extra calories in his milk.  It's most likely just due to him being a bit of a picky eater along with being an active little toddler, but we're just going to keep an eye on it and try to plump him up just a tad.  His head circumfrence was 48.5, in the 40th percentile and height at 34.25 also in the 40th percentile.  He seems to be nice and healthy and doing great! 

Most all of the standard benchmark questions asked about MJ were things that he is exhibiting on a daily basis.  Our only slight concern right now is with his speech development.  While he seems to understand just about anything and everything we ask him to do, he has trouble communicating words verbally with us.  He uses some sign language still but does a lot of "uhhh uhh" and pointing leaving us unsure what he's trying to say and him becoming frustrated.  We think most likely he's just a bit of a late talker.  He says many singular words (hat, cup, car, water, most body parts, mama, dada, bubba, etc.) but does not do simple two word phrases yet, which is apparently one of the milestones for a 2-year old.  Our pediatrician has recommended we schedule an evaluation with Keystone, the loacl public early intervention specialists (who also evaluated MJ shortly after we moved here).  She reminded us that we still have this "black box" as far his brain development, due to his birth, that we are dealing with so we never know for sure.  Neither of us honestly think it's anything too major though, but we'll gladly get it checked out and see if we can learn some more tips and tools to help him develop his verbal skills. 

MJ continues to be the light of our life.  At two years old he is full of joy, love, and emotions.  He likes things his way, but is pretty good about listening to us and obeying.  Of course time outs occur sometimes too.  He knows the corner he has to go to and stand in for two minutes when he's done wrong. He loves, loves, loves playing with his cars.  I never imagined a 2 year old would be so into matchbox cars, but they are by far his favorite thing to play with.  We have to make more of an effort now to be sure we read books, play with puzzles, and things like that still which he used to incorporate every day all on his own.  We can't wait to be able to get out and about more as the weather warms up.  We've had a few trips to the park already and are hoping to add a swing set to our backyard this summer.  We also bought MJ a water table for his birthday and look forward to watching him play in that this spring and summer.  Seeing the world through his eyes is such a great joy.  We are blessed to be his parents!

Two Times Two

A couple weekends ago we were able to celebrate MJ's 2nd birthday one more time.  I'm finally getting around to sharing a few pictures!  We decided to stay in town and keep MJ's birthday party local this year.  We opened it up to the grandparents and great grandparents along with his two uncles.  We knew most people wouldn't be able to make a special trip, but we were okay with it either way.  His 1st birthday party in STL was definitely fun and very special, but we were looking forward to keeping it a bit more low key this year and I think MJ enjoyed it just as much, if not more. 

GiGi, PopPop, and Uncle Jeff came to Dubuque to celebrate!  Unfortunately, poor GiGi ended up being quite sick and had to spend most of the time in bed.  We all felt so sorry for her and knew that she was really disappointed too.  Luckily though, we still managed to have fun and shower MJ with lots of love!

We took MJ to the park for some playtime on a beautiful day.  After a long winter, we were thankful for a little outdoor sunny time!

Even Uncle Jeff enjoyed the playtime, too!  :)

While MJ was napping after his playtime at the park, I was busy preparing all things Elmo and putting together some of his decorations, goodies, and presents.  When MJ awoke, he came down to a living room full of balloons and PopPop began to show him some of the goodies that were awaiting him.

Of course, what does a new 2 year old want to do first but start with presents?! 

 First, he began by checking out all his Elmo goodies... an Elmo ball, Elmo socks, Elmo coloring book, Elmo bracelets (yes, he loves bracelets), Elmo See 'n Say, etc. etc. 

 Next, he got his first pair of Croc's from Uncle Jeff.  They were adorned with his FAVORITE thing...cars!!!

 He's been wearing these shoes ever since!  He wore them to school and it just made his day when his teacher noticed them first thing when he walked in. 

 Uncle Jeff scored brownie points with those shoes!

 Time to dig in to another present from GiGi and PopPop....A new Cardinals outfit and then...

 a new backpack!!!

 Pausing for a quick read from his new book with Dada!

 Giving PopPop some cuddles and showing off his goodies!

How cute is this?  MJ likes to put on his new backpack and walk around!  Where did my baby go?

Of course, no birthday party would be complete without good food, so next we had a little Mexican fiesta with homemade quesadillas, rice, Mexican salad, chips and salsa and guacamole.  Our picky little eater is usually pretty happy when it comes to quesadillas, so it was a safe bet.  He didn't eat much though because I think he have had his eye on those birthday cupcakes.

Quite a difference this year as we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  Last year he looked a bit fearful and wasn't sure what was going on.  This year it was all smiles and lots of applause for himself!

 And then out of nowhere, he decided to dive face first into his cupcake!  Well, I guess that's one way to eat it...

Happy 2nd birthday, sweet boy!  We are so blessed by your life and proud to be a part of your life! 

Think PINK!

The Suan G. Komen Foundation is the national philanthropy for my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha.  In college I spent a lot of time learning about and raising money for the foundation.  I met a lot of women who were touched by it in various ways and of course heard many heartbreaking stories of battles with breast cancer.  You'd like to always think that it wouldn't happen to your own mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, etc. but the statistics are not good.  With the exception of one cousin though, I really didn't know anyone who had battled breast cancer.  Unfortunately that all changed recently. 

My mom went for her routine yearly mammogram after the beginning of the year.  Shortly after she received a phone call that the results were abnormal and she'd need to come in for further testing.  To make a long story short, in the end she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  That's the bad news, because of course no one wants to hear the C word, much less for a second time (she faced vocal chord cancer in the 90's).  The good news is that was caught early (thank goodness she has yearly mammograms) and is at stage 1.  She will be having a lumpectomy on April 5th followed by radiation. 

While I feel so optimistic about her overall results and I know it could be so much worse, I just hate that she has to go through this.  She has certainly had her fair share of illnesses!  Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated during this scary time!

Muffin Tin Monday

I don't remember exactly when it happened, but somewhere around 18 mos. MJ became one picky eater.  If it looks anything like a vegetable you can forget it!!  He doesn't seem to want to eat meat either except for chicken.  I used to get him to eat such healthy foods and vowed to never resort to chicken nuggets and french fries.  Famous last words, perhaps!  Luckily, he loves dips and also likes plates that are compartmentalized.  He regularly asks for dip, and it seems to be a good way to get him to eat more foods.  I've learned that almost anything can be a dip...besides the obvious ones like ketchup and ranch, we use yogurt, hummus, salsa, guacamole, and soups pretty often.  I keep thinking this phase will pass, but so far no luck.  What's a mom to do but resort to the Internet?  :)  Seriously, what did we do before google??  I wish I could take credit for this cute and clever idea, but I was glad to steal it!

http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/2009/06/muffin-tin-monday-faq.html

Check out this site if you're interested to see how to make your own Muffin Tin Monday!

I found a couple fun, colorful muffin tins that were just the right size and only a dollar each (gotta love the dollar section at Target).  I thought it might be just enough compartments and perfect for lots of dips, and sure enough MJ seemed to love it!  I know I could obviously use it on any day of the week, but Mondays are our days home together, so it has worked out perfectly to have Muffin Tin Mondays and so far we are 2 for 2! 

Just wanted to share this idea for any other mama's that might benefit!

This was my first attempt at Muffin Tin Monday.  It included blueberries, yogurt, pasta (with veggies snuck in), trail mix, baked chicken, and ranch. 

He immediately dug in!  Although that little stinker did manage to pull out the mushrooms from his pasta.  Apparently those are way too vegetable-like for him!

A good and happy eater equals a happy mommy!

MJ Turns TWO!

Our sweet little one is officially two years old now.  I snuck into his room, scooped him out of bed, and rocked him as he was actually turning two at 12:03AM on March 9th!  He didn't wake at all, and oh how I treasured those quiet peaceful moments.  Two years ago I would have given anything to hold him and comfort him, but that experience and perspective makes us appreciate each milestone even more! 

MJ's 2nd birthday was pretty low-key, but still quite special.  We had so much going on that day between work, carpet being installed, my mom having some very important medical tests (more to come on that later), and my brother having a job interview, that we just really enjoyed some quiet family time together in the evening. It was definitely special and most importantly, MJ had a blast! 

Mathew Alan Keyes Jr.- Two Years Old!

I snapped this picture right before heading off to "school" on his birthday.  They have been transitioning him to the 2 year old room, and he's making the change like a champ! 

After morning time at school, Daddy picked him up and brought him home for naptime.  Apparently during nap time, he received the memo that he was official two year old and could now embark on all the mischief possible!  When I went in to get him up from his nap he had taken off both socks, his pants, unsnapped his onesie, taken off a poopy diaper and thrown it on the floor!!  Although he's taken off his pants a few times before, we'd never seen him do any of the others much less all at once!! 

After that mess was cleaned up, it was on to some birthday FUN!  We started with presents...

a quick snack (this would have been the perfect picture had I realized there was a cheerio stuck to his chin)...

a little chat on Skype with GiGi-notice him waving "hello"...

and then a couple pictures with Mama and Dada!

I don't think we could be any prouder of this little guy!  And, I just adore this profile shot of my little man as he exhibits pure joy and happiness on his 2nd birthday!

Then, it was off to Jumpin' Janes for some playtime!  When we'd visited before MJ mostly hung back and just played in the toddler room full of play kitchens, small plastic slides, and little toys.  This time, he zipped right past it and headed for the big kid area.  It really was strange how he suddenly, as if on cue, seemed like a big independent toddler!  He amazed me at how hard he played and all the slides and bounce houses he attempted.  I never would have guessed that he was ready for those things, but it was great to see him running around with a big smile on his face just going down slide after slide.  We ordered pizza while we were there and couldn't even get him to stop long enough to take more than a couple bites.  He played hard for nearly two hours!


Climbing up the ladder for the slide...

No fear in him anymore!

And, so proud of himself!

Last but not least, we headed to Cold Stone Creamery!  What birthday would be complete without a little "Birthday Cake Remix"?! 

Needless to say, he came home and crashed!  It was such a great night spent together.  I can't wait to see what 2 has in store for him!