Friday, April 27, 2018

4 for Friday

Why, hello there!

Remember me?  I did this thing almost a year ago that has really gotten in the way of my blogging.

I had a baby.

It's been a crazy first year, and I have to say that I've missed my little space here in blogging land.  I have a few spare moments, and I thought I'd pop on and share a little something with the world.

1. My little guy turned 11 months last Friday.  
I seriously can't believe that it's been almost a year since he came into the world.  I am currently planning his 1st birthday party! 

This is from today.  :)
2. I have 24 school days left for this school year.  
In some ways, it's gone so quickly, and in other ways, it can't end soon enough.  It's been a difficult school year adjusting to being a working mom, having new curriculum to teach, and a full year with new administration.  Just a lot of change, and as we all know, change is hard.

3. I got a new vehicle!  
I traded in my Prius for a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.  It's a plug-in hybrid.  I just needed more space since there's a lot of stuff that a person with a baby needs to lug around, and I didn't want to sacrifice gas mileage.  I love almost everything about it.  We're still trying to figure out if the drive battery is really supposed to be dead after driving only 20 miles round trip when it was fully charged. 

4. I changed this post from 4 for Friday to 5 for Friday because I literally couldn't thing of more than three things.
I thought I'd share that with you by making that little tidbit the fourth thing.

I hope everyone out there in blog-land is doing well!  Heaven only knows when I'll be back again! :)

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

6th Annual Great Pumpkin Swap Reveal!


I might not have a lot of time these days, but I had to make time to host The 6th Annual Great Pumpkin swap with Kristin!  It's a fall tradition that I love!

This year, due to an uneven number of participants, I got to be part of our first ever swap trio!  Regine, Brittany, and I were grouped together.  I mailed a swap package to Regine, Regine sent to Brittany, and Brittany sent to me.  I won't lie, we were confused at first.  Haha!  BUT we figured it out.

Here's my package from Brittany:






This is such a perfect fall package!  As a new mom, I've realized that caffeine is a must in my daily life.  I've tried and just CAN'T do coffee, but I discovered I can do cappuccino.  So the travel mug is a perfect addition to my collection.  The scarf is beautiful, and you just can't go wrong with Ghirardelli squares!

Brittany, thank you again for a wonderful package and for joining this year's swap!

I can't wait to see what everyone else got in their packages!  Link up below!  (And instead of a blog post, you can share the link to an Instagram or Twitter post, if you prefer!)  Don't forget to share your pictures on Instagram and/or Twitter and tag @kedarhower and @rebeckann2 and use #GreatPumpkinSwap!








Thursday, October 12, 2017

Teacher Thoughts: Technology in the Classroom


So I thought I'd stop by to write a very quick blog post and ask those of you in the blogosphere for your help!

There's an amazing organization called DonorsChoose.org that helps teachers get donations for their classrooms.  Currently, I have a project open for a technology need that I have in my classroom. 

While you wonderful, generous people are more than welcome to help me by making a donation, I am also asking that if you know anyone who would be able to help that you share the link with them!

Thank  you all in advance for helping me to be a more effective teacher! :)

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY TECHNOLOGY PROJECT

Monday, September 25, 2017

Guess What Time It Is?!?

IT'S TIME FOR THE 6TH ANNUAL GREAT PUMPKIN SWAP!!!!



So I know I've really been MIA around here lately.  This being a new working mom thing isn't easy.  I've been working really hard to make time in my day to complete life essentials, and unfortunately, blogging just isn't one of them for me.

HOWEVER

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to host the 6th Annual Great Pumpkin Swap with Kristin!

Here's how it works:

1. Fill out the form to sign up for the swap! Sign-ups end on Friday, October 6th at 11:59 PM (EST)
2. By Monday, October 9th, you will get an e-mail from one of us with your swap partner.
3. Once you know your partner, please make contact within 48 hours (by Wednesday, October 11th) to get to know a bit more about each other.
4. Spend $15-$20 (excluding shipping) to put together a fun fall themed package for your partner.
5. Mail your package on or before Tuesday, October 24th.
6. Link up with us on Tuesday, November 7th to share your swap goodies! You can link up your blog post and/or share on Instagram or Twitter. Use #GreatPumpkinSwap and tag me @rebeckann2 and Kristin @kedarhower!

That's all there is to it!  You don't have to have a blog to participate.  
Want to join?
Fill out the form below!


Thursday, August 24, 2017

Ryder's Birth Story

Why, hello there!

Remember me?

I used to be a blogger.

Then I went and did this thing.

I had a baby.

And time has suddenly slipped away from me.  One minute I have a day ahead filled with promise, and the next thing I know, it's night time and nothing got accomplished.

Right now, I sit on my bed with a 3 month old asleep in his pack 'n' play at its foot, and I thought, I think I'll finally take some time to share the story of how this little boy was born.

So here goes...

Back in December, I shared the news that we were expecting.  Then in January, I was able to share that Baby was going to be a boy!  Then the wait for his arrival on May 25th began, but as always, things do not go as we planned.

On May 19th, my cousin, Tori was getting married.  Originally, I was supposed to be in the wedding, but due to a HUGE error by David's Bridal, I was not able to exchange my bridesmaid's dress for a larger size to accommodate my pregnant belly.  Tori still wanted me to be a part of some picture taking and asked if I could be at the venue early.  I readily agreed, glad that I could still have a special part in her day.

On Friday, May 19th in the very wee hours of the morning, I woke up with some cramp-like feelings. It was a little annoying but nothing major, so I went back to bed.  Around 10 AM, I was having the same feelings, and I called my doctor's office to be sure this was normal.  I told them that I thought I was having Braxton Hicks contractions.  I was instructed that all was in fact normal, and that if I got to a place where I couldn't walk or talk through the contractions to call back.

Scott and I got ready and headed out to the wedding venue in order to arrive by 2 P.M.  I was still dealing with cramping every now and then, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.  I took a few pictures with Tori and sat through a very lovely (and very HOT ceremony*).

*Seriously.  Earlier in the week, it had been in the 60s.  On this day, it was near 80 degrees.  My pregnant self nearly melted.

I was progressively feeling worse, but this was my cousin's wedding, and there was free food to be had!  ;)  So I pressed on.

Helping Tori bustle her gown after the ceremony, and looking MUCH happier than I felt.
We had dinner, and Scott and I left pretty soon after (around 8:30 P.M).  I just felt so awful.  Since he had been drinking, I drove home, and we went to bed.

Around midnight, I woke up from the cramping.  I thought if I changed positions I would be more comfortable so I went downstairs to try to arrange myself on the couch.  Scott came down a little later wondering where I was.  By this point, I had been tracking the contractions on my pregnancy app trying to make sense of it all.  They weren't coming at regular intervals.  Sometimes, I would go 10 minutes, and sometimes, only one or two in between.  Everything I read stated that they should come more often, get progressively stronger, and be relatively the same time apart.  When Scott had enough of me grabbing his ankle when one would come on, we called the doctor.

The doctor on call said to come in to the hospital to get checked out.  Of course, I hadn't had my hospital bag packed (though I had been planning to do it for weeks....).  Fortunately, most of my daily toiletries were in a backpack in our bedroom because we were remodeling our bathroom and I had been getting ready over the tub or at the kitchen sink while our other sink was out of commission.  So Scott gathered up a few things with the promise to come back for more later if we needed it.

On the way to the hospital, I was so worried that they would tell me to suck it up and stop being a wuss and send me home.  At this point, I was looking for relief from the pain, and I knew that if it wasn't time there wasn't anything they would do for me.  We arrived at the hospital around 2 A.M.

I was taken to a room, and they came in to examine me.

I was between 6 and 7 cm dilated.

Turns out, I am NOT a wuss.

And then I promptly requested my epidural.

I was definitely not a person who had a specific birth plan in mind.  My mindset was to deliver a healthy baby in any way necessary.  I was open to whatever needed to be done to ensure we were both happy and healthy.  The only thing Scott and I were not open to was the use of forceps to get him out.  I wanted to wait as long as I could before getting an epidural, and I was pretty proud of myself.

When they admitted me and got things started for pain relief, Scott called my parents.  My mom answered, and he told her I was in the hospital and the baby was on the way.  She said, "Ok," and hung up the phone on him.  A moment later, she called him right back. In the surprise of a phone call in the middle of the night, things didn't quite register with her right away!   She, my dad, and my brother got ready and arrived at the hospital.

My mom and Scott were able to stay with me as the time came to get down to business. It didn't take too long to get to 10 cm dilated and begin pushing.  I pushed for awhile, and though I was doing a good job (their words, not mine! haha), we weren't getting anywhere.  We agreed to let the doctor try to suction him out, which she tried twice.  That wasn't successful, and so I was taken to have a C-Section.

They got everything ready, and we got down to business (again) to deliver our baby boy.  Scott was able to be in the room, and very quickly, a beautiful baby boy was born!

Ryder James
May 20, 2017
11:26 A.M.
8 lbs 4 oz, 21.5 in
Proud Daddy with his baby boy
with my brother, mom, and dad


Tuesday, May 2, 2017

April Books

It's been a slow month for reading around these parts, but the good news is that I'm 5 books ahead of schedule for my goal of reading 25 books this year.


Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French ParentingBringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A fun and funny parenting book. I also found many things quite informative. I loved the author's take on the differences between American parenting and French parenting. In truth, I think the French are doing some things WAY better, and I plan to use some of their methods when our baby arrives!


The Winter Sea (Slains, #1)The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book! At first, I didn't like switching back and forth between Carrie's story and the story she was writing, but as the story went on, I wanted to hear more and more of both of them.


For the record, these were both audio books from Audible,  I am just so lazy at home lately that I'm lucky that I even make dinner most nights.

The Complete Book of Breastfeeding: The Classic GuideThe Complete Book of Breastfeeding: The Classic Guide by Sally Wendkos Olds

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was given to me by a friend who breastfed both of her children. I am planning to nurse my son, and this is an AMAZING resource. While I ultimately didn't read every single page (I skipped the chapter for dads and skimmed the chapter about special circumstances), I found the information I DID read to be very helpful. I feel much more informed about my decision, and I may have also dog eared pages for quick reference later.

If you are pregnant and considering breast feeding, I would HIGHLY recommend this book!



View all my reviews

DNF
I borrowed an eBook from the library this month called The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes, and despite my love for all things English history, I just couldn't get into it.  I was basically forcing myself to read at least one chapter a night.  When I realized I was forcing myself to read it, I gave up.  I still wasn't halfway through the book.  I just don't think I enjoyed the author's writing style as much as I have other authors who write similar historical fiction (i.e. Philippa Gregory or Allison Weir).

What have you been reading lately?



Monday, April 3, 2017

March Books


It was a slow month for books around here, but I got a couple in!

The Baker's DaughterThe Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was good, but it wasn't a book that I had a hard time putting down. I liked the characters, and I particularly enjoyed the parts of the story that took place during WWII. The story could have stood up on its own without the other plot of Reba and Rikki in the present. I almost feel like their portion of the story was unnecessary.


America's First DaughterAmerica's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book! As we all know, I love historical fiction, and I haven't read a lot of historical fiction based in America! haha I really enjoyed this story told from the perspective of Patsy Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's daughter.

There was a lot of insight into the life of one of our founding fathers as well as the political and historical events of the time. I listened to this on Audible, and I looked forward to each listening session!



View all my reviews

What did you read this month?

 
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