"Poof"

About a month ago, we headed east to visit my folks.  While we were there, Tyler tried some whipped cream (or "poof" as my parents call it) from Jason's strawberry shortcake.

1) He loved it (who wouldn't?).
2) Someone very astutely noticed that the remnants on his lips looked like buck teeth.
3) I quickly grabbed my camera to capture the moment.

"Daddy, I want some"

"Ooh, what is this deliciousness?"

"Me likey"

"More, please!"

"Hey, Mom!  I like poof!"

You ready for it?  Really ready?

Buck teeth!!!!!!

(Somewhat) Wordless Wednesday

Faithful readers, please stick with me.  It's the end of the school year, and Her Self just hasn't found time to blog.  I do, however, have lots of stories/pictures to share when I do get the chance!  Til then, here's some smiles from my happy guys:

Roller Coaster

Friday was a rough day.  The room was thick with apathy and their faces aglow with their contraband phones.  My face turned blue running out of oxygen lecturing them.

...I explain that 11 students (of the 29 in the class) are currently failing.
...I explain that if they end up with a 69.4 for the semester, they will not pass (no curves or "bumping").
...I explain that every single student who is failing owes me at least three missing assignments.
...I explain that they need to be doing their work.

Then, my face turns crimson.  Crimson with fury.  Why aren't they listening?  They don't even look up.  If a teacher had told me ANY of the things above when I was a student, I'd be rushing forward to ask him or her if I was missing anything.  Mind you, I was a good student and I still would have been quaking in my boots (ok, Skechers).

I emailed Jason and said, "I don't like the person they make me become."

That was Friday.




Then, Monday came.

I've been emailing back and forth with a mom about her son's missing work.  Over the weekend, she rifled through his backpack and found the completed (but not turned in) assignment and scanned it to me.  She also found something else -- a Teacher Appreciation card her son had made for me but had evidently decided against giving to me.  She decided that I should see it, and scanned it as well.  I'll keep the details to myself, but it was one of the best cards I've ever received.  I don't know if it was the student's sincere words or the frustrations of the previous school day, but I teared up reading it!



Sometimes I think about leaving the teaching profession (yes, the profession I profess to love so much) because it is frustrating, demeaning, difficult, did I mention frustrating?  But then something like this happens (and from such an unlikely candidate) and my heart warms all over again.  Oh teaching, you are such a roller coaster of emotions.

Tyler Update

I've been so busy blogging about what it's like to be a mom that I haven't updated what my little boy is up to these days.  I also have some pictures from over a month ago that I haven't shared, so I'll try to break up all the typing with some cute-boy pics.  So let's catch you up...

Tyler is standing up.  He's always liked being held in a standing position.  Now, he's able to easily pull himself up on any object (including Mama and Daddy -- I call us his jungle gyms!).  The funny part is that he uses all of his body to stand -- his legs, his arms, his mouth...  Yep, my kiddo clamps onto whatever object he's trying to climb up (especially the ottoman) and uses his mouth as support.  It's hilarious, until we're at someone else's house.  They're going to have little mouth imprints on their furniture.  The other problem is, he's gotten cocky.  He likes to pull himself up on objects that can't support his weight (like empty clothes baskets).  He also thinks that he can stand on his own (newsflash: he can't).  He likes to let go (to grab a toy, to give you fives, to be reckless...).  A little while back, he took a nasty fall, falling flat out on the hardwoods (which he's also not supposed to be near).  He's fine, and definitely did not learn his lesson.

He's a rebel.  We don't have a lot of rules for Tyler right now.  The few that we do have, he constantly defies.
1. Stay on the "soft floor" (the living room rug).  If you're more than two feet away from him, he will make a beeline for the hardwoods before you can blink.
2. Don't pull up on the green chair (which has felt on the legs, so it can slide out from underneath him) and don't touch the entertainment center.  Both of these wouldn't have to be rules if he would follow #1.
3. Don't pull on Mr. Whale (a faucet cover meant to prevent him from bonking his head on the hard metal).  Again, the whale isn't secure, so if he pulls on it, he could fall.
4.  Mama and Daddy's remotes and phones are off limits.

A day out in the yard after I said "Don't eat the leaves:"

"Cool, what's this crinkly thing?"

"Let me investigate"

Investigate = eat

"Ew, this is gross!"

Me: "Tyler, don't eat the leaves." (again...)

"Oh cool, another leaf!"

The thing is, he knows he's disobeying (oh, so many lessons about the sinful nature of man and how we rebel against God's regulations that are meant for our safety....).  We see him doing it.  We say "no no."  He turns around and (I kid you not) says, "Huh?" in a really high-pitched way and gives you "innocent eyes."  He KNOOOOOWS he's doing wrong and he's trying to pull the "I'm a baby, I don't know what you're saying" card.  Nice try, buddy.  As for the remotes and phones, I swear that kid has a remote homing device on him.  He can find them no matter where we put them.  If we leave him for a few seconds, one moment he's contentedly playing with his toys, the next he's across the rug getting the remotes!  He likes to push the buttons and cause all kinds of havoc.  I'm waiting for the day he hits SAP and we have to watch Spanish tv for the next few months...

Tyler and Mr. Whale -- yep, he knows exactly what he's doing...

Teeth, hands, etc.  Tyler can now crawl.  He's been mobile for a while now, but he's doing the traditional hands-and-knees crawling now, and he's really good at it!  He's crazy speedy and will speed up even more if he's headed for a no-no object and sees you coming (like I said, he knows what he's doing).  He also has gotten has his two bottom incisors.  Toothy grins!  Love them!  He gives fives like a champ.  He has just recently started clapping.  Sometimes it looks more like a double-arm flail that accidentally ends up in a clap.  Other times, you can tell he's doing it on purpose because he looks at you to see if you're watching.  In the past few days, he's also started doing the wave where he opens and closes his hand.  Is there a name for that kind of wave?  He's also "talking" a lot more.  Jason says they occasionally have conversations coming home in the afternoons.  Jason tries to get him to say "Da da da."  Tyler responds with "Buh buh buh!  Hmuh ooo *scream/squeal*."

He's starting to understand his world.  When he comes home from school in the afternoon, I excitedly greet him.  His response is priceless -- a huge toothy smile, a squeal of joy, and lunging out of Jason's arms for me to get him.  Love that boy!  He has two favorite books, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  If you start reading either to him (or even if you just start reciting the words from the books), he smiles and be-bops (or "dances") with excitement.

His favorite toy right now is a small stuffed giraffe that plays the lullabye song.  As long as we've had them, we've called him "Gordy."  Recently we've been playing "Where's Gordy?" with Tyler where we "hide" Gordy somewhere in his bedroom and ask him to find him.  He looks around, looks around, sees him, smiles, and quickly crawls over to get him.  Works 90% of the time.  The other day, he got frustrated, picked up another toy and gave us a "Can this work instead?" look.  But otherwise, it astounds us just how good he is at this game.

Other words he definitely knows -- bathtime, bottle, foodies, school, "change your peepis" (diaper change), Mama/Daddy (maybe?  he's hit or miss on those even though he of course knows WHO we are).  Sunday night, he wasn't sleepy at bedime.  I brough him back downstairs to play.  He played a little while, crawled into our arms and put his head down.  That was his way of saying, "Ok, I'm ready for bed now."  Awesome!


This kid is growing up!!!!

I'm a Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there (and special shoutout to my mom -- hey, mom!).  As I reflect on my first Mother's Day (because I don't count last year as a preggo), I came to realize, I'm a mom.  I know, a little slow on the uptake, huh?

~I can recite the words to The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by heart.  "A told B and B told C, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.'  'Whee,' said D to EFG, 'I'll beat you to the top of the coconut tree.'"

~I wipe drooly chins with my fingers if no cloth is available and I pick boogers out of Tyler's nose when they're blocking his nostrils.

~I care about how many times another human being has pooped today.

~I cried (like, whoa cried) when I read this story about a daycare worker who died while saving a toddler in her care during a tornado a few weeks ago.  I immediately thought about how I would feel if Tyler had been that child.

~I also cry every time I hear Kevin Durant's MVP acceptance speech.

~I refer to things like "Mr. Elephant" or "night-nights" even when Tyler is not around.




Yep, it's official.  Bring on the mom jeans folks, because I am a mom through and through.

Sorry, Mr. Cadbury

A story from a while back...

Ka-fwump fwump!

[phone rings]

Jason: Hello?
Me [upset]: I just ran over a bunny!
Jason: Don't do that.
Me: I couldn't help it!  He just ran out in front of me, and I couldn't swerve or stop in time.  And just before Easter, too.  Oh no!  What if I killed the Easter Bunny?
Jason:  Then you may have helped solve America's diabetes epidemic.


Love that guy!  His cool, calm nature is the perfect balance with my very emotional demeanor.  Plus, gotta love his dry wit.  Not bad for 6:00 in the morning!

Chronicles of a Working Mom -- Part 8, Chronicles of a Working Dad

Y'all, this Working Mom would be totally lost without another important member of the family -- Working Dad.  Let me take a moment and thank all single parents out there.  Thank you.  I have no idea how you do it.  I BARELY do it, and there's two of us tackling this parenthood thing!  Y'all rock.

To best describe how blessed I am to have Jason helping me raise Tyler, let me describe our typical day.

Time of Day	What is Megan Doing?	What is Jason Doing?	What is Tyler Doing?
4:00-5:00am	waking up, getting ready for work	(4:30) waking up, getting ready for work	sleeping (please, Lord, let him be sleeping!)
5:00-6:00am	getting ready, making M&T's food for the day	getting ready, starting to work from home	sleeping?
6:00-7:00am	working	working from home	sleeping?
7:00-8:00am	working	working from home, waking up Tyler, feeding him and getting him ready for school	waking up, playing, eating, getting dressed
8:00-9:00am	working	taking Tyler to school	going to school
9:00am-3:00pm	work	work	school
3:00-4:00pm	finishing up work, going to after-school meeting or running errands	finishing up work, picking up Tyler	school
4:00-5:00pm	home, moment of "me time", playing with Tyler when he gets home	driving home, moment of "me time" while Megan plays with Tyler	playing with Mama and Daddy!
5:00-6:00pm	playing	playing or doing things around the house (like yardwork)	playing with Mama and Daddy!
6:00-7:00pm	making dinner, eating dinner, feeding Tyler	occupying fussy Tyler while Megan makes dinner, eating dinner	getting cranky, eating dinner
7:00-8:00pm	bathtime and "night nights"	bathtime and "night nights"	bathtime and "night nights"
8:00-9:00pm	tv-watching, falling asleep on couch	tv-watching even after Meg falls asleep	sleeping!
9:00-10:00pm	couch-sleeping	tv or couch-sleeping	sleeping!
10:00pm-4:00am	sleeping, getting up to soothe cranky baby	sleeping	sleeping, still occasionally waking up

4 words: My. Husband. Is. Amazing.

When we were looking at daycares, one of the biggest issues was that SAS's daycare didn't open until 9:00.  When I became a teacher, Jason kept nearly the same schedule (going in and leaving earlier than the typical 9-to-5er).  He wasn't too keen on going into work during rush hour, but SAS was too good to pass up.

The problem was the afternoon.  If Jason worked 9-5, picked up Tyler and was in rush hour, Tyler would basically get home in time to eat, have bath time, and then go to bed.  Jason was worried that I wouldn't be able to handle seeing my son this little during the day (he was right!!!!).

So what was his solution?  He now wakes up around 4:30 every morning and begins his day by working at home for a few hours before heading to SAS.  That way, he still gets to leave around 3:45, and I get more time with both my guys in the afternoons.  When Tyler sleeps til 7:30am, this plan works like a charm.  Mornings my early riser just can't help but greet the morning?  Well, it gets a little more difficult, but Jason makes due.

one such morning back in November

Normally, Jason gets Tyler up in the morning.  He plays with him, makes him a bottle, dresses him in clothes I lay out the night before, and gets him to school on time (for those who are wondering, yes, we do call daycare "school."  I don't know what originally made us do it, but now Tyler really likes "school," so we're hoping when he really starts to go to school it will seem like a positive thing to him).





In the afternoons, Tyler and I play while Jason works on things around the house or just decompresses after a day of work.  Then, Jason takes over Tyler duty at about Tyler's worst time of day.  My mom calls it the arsenic hour.  I abandon him for forever (ok, I go in the kitchen), he's hungry (but it isn't quite meal time), he's sleepy (but it's too late for a nap and too early for bedtime), and Jason swoops in and entertains and distracts him.

I love watching them play together.   He runs Tyler around the house on top of Jason's head.  He builds block towers and gets Tyler to knock them down.  He vrooms an airplane around Tyler's head until Tyler grabs it like King Kong.  I just don't think to do any of those things!  He really does get two different playtimes with his two different parents.  Jason is just so creative and energetic with him!


After dinner, it's Tyler's FAVORITE time of day -- bath time.  He and Jason have this whole routine where Jason asks Tyler what time it is (to which Tyler begins grinning and squealing and trying to jump out of our arms).  When Jason answers his own question by exclaiming "It's bath time!" Tyler can barely contain himself!

I know there will be bathtimes where only one or the other of us does it, but it's really helpful right now to double-team it.  It's also a nice family time where there are no other distractions.  After bath time, he plays a little in his room and then Jason kisses him goodnight and gets some goodnight fives.



I couldn't do this without Jason.  If he wasn't in the picture or if he was a distant dad, I don't think I could work and take care of Tyler.

For more "aww" moments between Jason and Tyler (especially for those of you new to the blog), you may want to read these old posts:
Wordless Wednesday
Daddy's Boy
Daddy Time
Mornings
Life



Thanks to those of you who made it through the end of this series.  It's been really fun writing, but I'm ready to get back to posting tons of pictures of Tyler and catching up on what we've been up to recently.

Chronicles of a Working Mom -- Part 7, What does the Word Say?

I mentioned before that one of things that spurred this series was reading Proverbs 31:10-31 (please read before proceeding).  She's quite the lady, isn't she?  She's up before dawn, making sure that the needs of her family are met (vs. 15, 21).  She's around the village, buying property, planting vineyards, and selling clothes she made herself (vs. 16, 24).  Her husband and children see all her good and praise her for it (vs. 28&29).  Sounds great, doesn't it?

At some point or another, I bet every Christian woman has read these verses (and/or heard a sermon on them) and wondered how she measured up.  The Proverbs 31 woman is our ideal, our model for how to be a woman and a mother.

just thought I'd lighten the mood a bit :)

When I read it the other day, I realized, "Wait, she was a working mother?"  I am no Biblical scholar, but she's making linen garments and selling them.  That sounds like a working mother to me!




The whole stay-at-home vs. working debate is rampant in my church.  We follow the "be fruitful and multiply" command (Genesis 1:28) seriously!  Google "Bible and stay at home mom" or google "Bible and working mom" and you'll get thousands of hits.  In preparation for this blog, I wanted to do some research.  I fully believe that the Bible is truth and that it is there to teach us about God and how to live for Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  So I wanted to see what was out there about God's take on momitude.

Ultimately, God has different plans for each one of us.  I believe He calls some of us to be stay-at-home moms and He calls others of us to be working moms.

I don't believe one is more admirable than the other, just different.  However, not everyone feels this way.  Here's what the naysayers have to say about working moms:

Excerpts from "The High Calling of Wife and Mother in Biblical Perspective," by Dorothy Patterson (2005)
To be fair to her, you can read the article in its entirety here.

"Many women have devoted themselves to ambitious busyness everywhere but in the home."

"A salaried job and titled position can inhibit a woman's natural nesting instinct and maternity by inverting her priorities so that failures almost inevitably come in the rearing of her own children."

"Some women want to limit parenthood to the labor room, settling for a "maternity sabbatical" in which they birth a baby during a few weeks' leave before rushing back to their lofty pursuits."

Dear Ms. Patterson, I cannot speak for all working mothers.  We have different motivations, different life pursuits, and different careers.  Just like I cannot lump all of us together, I don't think you should either.

I read several articles when researching this blog.  Most took a more open-minded approach.  I really liked this article by Kimberly Chastain.  I'd recommend reading the whole thing.
A few excerpts:

"The Bible's message is timeless and covers all cultures.  So, I think it would be wrong to tell a mom with children starving in a third world country that she should not work outside the home and find food for her child.  You may think that argument is ridiculous, but if no mom should work outside the home then that should apply to all moms."

"I encourage you to pray about your decision and ask for clear direction and peace about your decision.  Once you have made your decision do not spend time worrying and fretting about your decision."

"Our priorities always have to be clear.  God is first, family second, and then work is much farther down the priority list.  No one [men or women] should put their career ahead of God."

"The ground is level at the cross and there is not a separate section for working moms and stay at home moms.  God loves us all the same.  Please hear that last point, God loves us all the same."

What does Scripture say?

Titus 2:3-5 
"[Women] are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."

1 Timothy 5:15
"So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander."

Acts 18:2-3
"And [Paul] found a Jew named Aquila... with his wife Priscilla... And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade."  

Other working women (not all of them were also mothers) in the Bible:
Rachel (shepherdess), Deborah (a judge and military commander), Ruth (grain-gatherer), Lydia (a seller of fabric), and Rahab (though I'm not encouraging her profession!)

Deuteronomy 6:6-7
"And these words I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (these verses are actually up in my house thanks to my friend Liz and her business on Etsy)


I think God wants all parents to focus on raising their children up to know Him, love Him, and put their faith in Him.  As long as the parents are doing that, I don't think it matters whether they also have a 9-5 job.  Like Ms. Chastain said, pray about it, make a decision, and then stick to that decision.  Every Christian household is going to function differently.  Either way, people are going to have misconceptions about what you do!

Want someone else's take on being a Christian Working Mom?  Read this.



Next Up: How does Jason fit in to all of this?