Thoughts
I just about let September coffee talk slip on by me. Probably because it still feels a lot like August? We had a few mornings that were slightly less than 80 degrees if you got out nice an early, but even that simple luxury seems to have slipped away for the meantime.
Anyways, if we were having coffee, here are some things I may ramble about:
// Preschool starts next week and I’m actually super sad about it. KB is at an age that’s really fun and knock on the wood in the world, kind of easy. Since nothing lasts with kids, I’ll miss having him with me every minute. I don’t think I’ve been away from him for more than 2 hours since May. {Should I have admitted that?}
// Speaking of school, it’s probably good that it is starting even though it makes me sad because the self-employed work/be a mom balance gets a little crazy in the summer. I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it’ll probably be good for my professional life to have a few dedicated work hours consistently back in my life that don’t happen in the wee hours of the morning or past my self-imposed bedtime. I’m in the process of reworking my current nutrition programs to broaden the scope of my offerings and I’m pretty excited about it. {Side note: if I talked more about working at home/ being self-employed, is that something you’d be interested in? I get a lot of questions about it…}
// Pure Barre. If I knew I’d still be obsessed I would have laughed at myself. It’s such a good workout for me and luckily has continued to be during pregnancy. I haven’t been going quite as often and I’ll probably wait til after baby to renew my package when it runs out {maybe, we’ll see if I can resist}, but I’m so glad I tried it in the first place. I think the focus on the tiny muscle groups helps keep me injury-free {and I’m super injury-prone so that’s a huge bonus}.
// House. We live in our new house! It’s mostly unpacked {except for all the boxes still pushed in corners that I’m ignoring} and we’re starting to get used to it. We still have some work to do, but it’s nice to start to feel settled. Not knowing where we were going to live for awhile there was driving me about bonkers.
// That’s it. What are you up to this weekend?
*PS Excuse all the blog formatting and commenting issues. I’m having lots of technical difficulty and haven’t had the time or knowledge to sort them out properly yet. {See school comment #1.
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linking up to the Ultimate Coffee Date – swing on by!
Tech
{Name that movie and be my bestie.}
As summer winds down and the school year is getting ready to start, I’ve been feeling awfully guilty about my decision to send Kabes to preschool 4 days a week instead of 2 like most of our friends. This afternoon I was reminded why I made that decision. I’d hung up our wet towels from the pool and had just opened my computer to start working when I heard the telltale scream of nap that was over.
20 minutes.
all day.
husband gone for extended time.
work to do. lunch to eat. showers to take. house to clean. WORK TO DO.
And then I realize what I just said: I’d just hung up our towels from the pool. The pool. In the middle of a weekday. As I climbed the stairs to get my cranky, tired-but-won’t-sleep-more-baby, I think for the 1,000th time how lucky I am to be able to spend my days with him AND work.
I’ve said repeatedly how grateful I am to live in the 21st century and that statement holds even more truth now that I’m a parent. My mom never could have been at home and worked at the same time. I’m a part of the first generation that even has to consider “opting in”- there was never even a choice before.
Ironically, since I’m known for my ability to magically break anything electronic, I owe my gratitude to technology. On any given day I interact with no less than 5 amazing creations: my smartphone, a tablet, my laptop. A dishwasher that I can set to clean my dishes while I’m asleep. A dryer that will periodically fluff my clothes so they don’t get wrinkled while I forget I’m in the middle of a load of laundry. THE INTERNET. WiFi. Public places that have free WiFi. A video monitor that lets me watch my little guy sleep when he finally goes down peacefully for the night.
These crazy once-sci-fi-sounding things let me work from home, raise my child, and not feel alone while I do it. Have you ever worked from home? It’s totally awesome. For a week. Then it’s lonely, isolating, monotonous. Most of the time my entire socialization for the day comes from someone under the age of 2. But with Twitter, Facebook, and group texting, I’m able to connect with my friends at any moment of any given day. If I have a question I can ask people on Twitter {which will likely elicit a better response than said toddler}. I can plan a play date with mommy friends without having to scream over the raucousness of a 19 month old. I can keep up with friends from college in between writing for work. I’m currently looking at a thread of over 250 messages in a group convo on fb messenger with friends that span at least 5 states. I can go to the grocery store in the middle of the day when it’s not crowded and I can see my friends without having to wait until the babe is asleep. My family 2 states away can see our daily adventures on Instagram and witness how fast my little guy is growing. My son can Skype with his dad while he’s away for work, and I can spend time with my husband when he’s not traveling and working remotely from home.
So when I think about it I’m pretty ok with 4 days of school. It’ll let me dedicate time solely to work instead of having to balance running around typing on my tablet while playing choo choo trains and chasing deflating balloons around the yard. Perhaps, if I stay on top of things, it will even let me do something for myself. Me. Just me. {Whatever the heck that means?!}
How has technology changed or shaped your life? How do you use it to connect with friends, family, coworkers…?
