Thoughts I've been thinking about babies, SAHMs, and sweating
Sometimes I don't write in my blog because I have too many things to write; I delay writing about something because I don't feel I have the energy/mind space/time to adequately compose an entry; my inner critic shuts me down before I get started.
Well, bah to that. Here are some unfinished thoughts about some things I've been thinking. Perhaps this is all they were meant to be anyway.
The decision tohave try for a third child
Even though this is the year to have a golden piglet, I do not want to get pregnant. When we discussed having another child, Mike thought about it for ten seconds and said, "I'm ready!" I will now refrain from disparaging remarks about how easy it is for him to participate in the process and how he doesn't have to be pregnant for nine months, etc., etc., because that's not the reason I want to wait.
My reason for waiting is much more practical: I want both of my older kids to be in school before I bring another baby into this house. Emily starts kindergarten and Thomas starts preschool in the fall of 2008; therefore, being pregnant and having a new baby will be much easier at that time.
That being said, I certainly do worry about my age (I'll be 39 this year) and my declining number of good eggs and the increase in odds for having a baby with downs syndrome. I also wonder if I'm crazy to think that as a woman in her fifties, I'll be mentally and physically capable of handling three teenagers. I also worry about overpopulation, the strain on the planet's ecosystem, and the idea of gaining and losing fifty pounds again.
I am looking forward to eating like a pregnant woman.
Thoughts on dropping out of the workforce to be a SAHM
I wish we as a society didn't consider it a death sentence when a woman drops out of the workforce to stay home with her kids. Even the terminology--drop out--suggests that the woman is dooming herself to a life of stagnation, that she will never be able to return to satisfying paid work.
I think that's bullshit.
I have had two careers in my life already. After I realized I no longer wanted to be an insurance underwriter, I quit my job ("dropped out") and returned to school to complete my BA degree. Several people I knew at the time thought this was a foolish move and that I was throwing away my hard work. Sound familiar? While in school, I realized that I did not want to pursue a degree in Biology as I had originally thought so I changed my major to Technical Writing. Again, people questioned this change of plans; people apparently hate change. I graduated with a degree in Technical Writing and within six months, I was making the same salary I had been making when I left my insurance career three years earlier. Within two and a half years, I was making almost double. Also, I was happier than I ever had been working in insurance.
There's life after thirty. There's life after having kids. If you have even half a brain, there will always be work for those-who-are-called-mommy in the workplace.
Exercising with toddlers and preschoolers
I started a new class held at my local rec center called Mom's Gym. It's fantastic! The kids love running around and chasing after balls while I burn up my thighs doing hundreds of lunges. We also dance like silly people and run around laughing. I highly recommend it!
The class has so inspired me that yesterday after I worked out on our elliptical, Thomas and I kicked soccer balls up and down the length of our backyard. When we got to each end, I did 10 lunges for a total of 100. Then I felt like mom of the year, and it felt pretty good.
Well, bah to that. Here are some unfinished thoughts about some things I've been thinking. Perhaps this is all they were meant to be anyway.
The decision to
Even though this is the year to have a golden piglet, I do not want to get pregnant. When we discussed having another child, Mike thought about it for ten seconds and said, "I'm ready!" I will now refrain from disparaging remarks about how easy it is for him to participate in the process and how he doesn't have to be pregnant for nine months, etc., etc., because that's not the reason I want to wait.
My reason for waiting is much more practical: I want both of my older kids to be in school before I bring another baby into this house. Emily starts kindergarten and Thomas starts preschool in the fall of 2008; therefore, being pregnant and having a new baby will be much easier at that time.
That being said, I certainly do worry about my age (I'll be 39 this year) and my declining number of good eggs and the increase in odds for having a baby with downs syndrome. I also wonder if I'm crazy to think that as a woman in her fifties, I'll be mentally and physically capable of handling three teenagers. I also worry about overpopulation, the strain on the planet's ecosystem, and the idea of gaining and losing fifty pounds again.
I am looking forward to eating like a pregnant woman.
Thoughts on dropping out of the workforce to be a SAHM
I wish we as a society didn't consider it a death sentence when a woman drops out of the workforce to stay home with her kids. Even the terminology--drop out--suggests that the woman is dooming herself to a life of stagnation, that she will never be able to return to satisfying paid work.
I think that's bullshit.
I have had two careers in my life already. After I realized I no longer wanted to be an insurance underwriter, I quit my job ("dropped out") and returned to school to complete my BA degree. Several people I knew at the time thought this was a foolish move and that I was throwing away my hard work. Sound familiar? While in school, I realized that I did not want to pursue a degree in Biology as I had originally thought so I changed my major to Technical Writing. Again, people questioned this change of plans; people apparently hate change. I graduated with a degree in Technical Writing and within six months, I was making the same salary I had been making when I left my insurance career three years earlier. Within two and a half years, I was making almost double. Also, I was happier than I ever had been working in insurance.
There's life after thirty. There's life after having kids. If you have even half a brain, there will always be work for those-who-are-called-mommy in the workplace.
Exercising with toddlers and preschoolers
I started a new class held at my local rec center called Mom's Gym. It's fantastic! The kids love running around and chasing after balls while I burn up my thighs doing hundreds of lunges. We also dance like silly people and run around laughing. I highly recommend it!
The class has so inspired me that yesterday after I worked out on our elliptical, Thomas and I kicked soccer balls up and down the length of our backyard. When we got to each end, I did 10 lunges for a total of 100. Then I felt like mom of the year, and it felt pretty good.
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