Date night

You know, I thought getting back into working would be a lot easier than it has been. It’s been over a month and I still don’t think my body has adjusted yet. I am always tired and we go to bed before most 9 year olds do. I don’t understand it. And I hate it. I just want to sleep in every day like I was before. But I get to, no make that have to be a responsible adult and bring home some money so we don’t end up on the streets. Ok, it wasn’t actually that bad. But it is really nice to have some money left over to do some fun things with.

For example, this past weekend, Big John and I dumped the kid off at my brother’s house for a sleep over with my nephews. We went and played bingo on Friday and we both walked out a winner!! Then Saturday morning we got up and traveled around Indiana all day hitting up some wineries. We made it to four different ones. It was so awesome!! To think, these places actually give you tons of wine to sample for free!! I can’t believe we haven’t done this before. And one of them that we went to if you help them pick the grapes, they pay you in wine. Let me say that again. THEY PAY YOU IN WINE. I am quitting my job right now.

We really did have a great time together. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do anything like that. Our marriage needed it. Not that things were bad. Because surprisingly, they weren’t. I was so afraid that our money issues would start to cause a problem between us. But I think it actually brought us closer. I think it’s because of all the time we spent together at home as a family. We didn’t have the money to go and do things so we made being at home fun. But that isn’t to say that we didn’t wish that we could have a night out. I think every married couple with kids needs a date night every once in a while. We are going to hopefully make this a regular thing. So what do you and your significant other do on date nights?

I'm Baaaaack!!!!!

I am not dead… I did not fall of the face of the earth… I did not run off and join the circus (although I thought about it a few times.)

So what happened to me, you ask? Well, the only answer I can give is life. Life happened. A job was lost. I became a stay at home mom for 10 months. It was 10 long, short, blissful, frustrating, happy, sad, maddening, humbling months. Eli has changed so much and as a result, so have I. I have so much admiration for women that are stay at home moms now. I did it for only 10 months. Those of you that do it for your child’s entire childhood deserve some recognition. Too many people don’t realize how hard it is to be a mom day in and day out with no break, no time for yourself, and no help. Heck, I couldn’t even pee by myself. But on the plus side of that, Eli now knows how to use toilet paper.

Eli is now 20 months old going on 14. He has an attitude (which Big John says he gets from me. I still am not convinced…). He is a little dare devil. He likes to fling himself off of various pieces of furniture and then laugh when I freak out. He usually has to do things all by himself. But when he gets frustrated with trying to do something, he will let me and everyone in the neighborhood know about it. He is very smart and picks up on things so quickly. Some things we wish he wouldn’t pick up on… But for the most part we are so proud of everything he has learned. I did Mommy School with him almost every day. We would work on a different skill and read lots of books. He loves to read which excites me so much as I am an avid reader also.

He loves to swim. My parents have a pool and he was in it quite a few times this summer. The last time he was in it he was swimming by himself using just arm floaties!! He is going to be a little fish just like his daddy is.

Well, I promise it won’t be so long in between posts from now on. I will post some more recent pictures of Eli soon also.