Random thoughts of a stay at home mom.

We've just gotten back from a long winter trip. What started out as a wonderful idea to go and spend time with Jason's grandmother, (and actually was a wonderful time with family) turned into our greatest baggage headache to date. Those of us who know us well, know that we travel a lot. . . I mean, a WHOLE lot. . . so, really, the fact that this has been our first MAJOR issue with baggage is actually an amazing thing.
So, when we got to the airport in Chicago, a full 1 hour and 45 minutes before our flight left, we felt pretty good about our chances for getting our bags in Salt Lake. We checked 4 things; two car seats, a soft sided suitcase with Jason's clothes and our liquids in it and then a large. . . well, VERY large, very soft duffel bag which contained all the kids' Christmas gifts, all our ski clothes, my dress winter coat and our handmade (by me) stockings. This is, of course, the one that got lost.
Long story short, we left on Dec 16 and we didn't get it back until yesterday (Jan 2) just before midnight. We had to go shopping to replace the necessary ski clothes, and the Christmas gifts for the kiddos while we were in Utah. Then, the day before we came home (Dec 29) they called and told us that our lost bag was at the Continental (we flew United) dead baggage office in Houston and we needed to call them back. After informing United 3 different ways NOT to send the bag to the Utah address we had given them, and having NOTHING happen, we called Continental and stayed on hold for 25 minutes and told THEM to send the bag to Illinois. That is when things started moving. . . THANKFULLY.
So, for those of you traveling with checked bags, here are a couple of pieces of advice.

#1. Fly direct, and if you can't, give yourself over an hour layover (okay, so we DID fly direct but still, in my experience, it does help.)
#2. Label your bag with YOUR name and address, as well as the phone number you can be reached at during your trip. Ours was labeled with Jason's mom's name and address because she had given us the bag. Not that they tried to contact anyone at that address anyway, and we told them what the tag read, but having the phone number would have helped.
#4. Don't fly with anything with a long, floppy handle. Our bag had one that, as far as the damage looks like, got stuck in the machinery and the luggage tag got ripped off.
#5. If you lose a bag, don't talk to India. They don't help. . . at all. . . they can't even get the right information on your delayed baggage report.
#6. Talk to your LOCAL baggage office. . . at the airport where you lost your bag. Even though we tried to change things on our report at Chicago, because we hadn't changed it with Salt Lake, it didn't change the overall report.
#7. Don't bring anything with you that is irreplacable. .. like things you made by hand. . . you may not ever see them again.
#8. Don't put electronics or cameras, or anything like that in a checked bag. They won't reimburse you for the cost of them if they lose them.
*9. If you pack anything that cost over $100, you will have to prove you own it. . . so don't pack anything that cost over $100.

Hope that helps all of you who are traveling!!

So, as my mom puts it, my life and the expectations of what my immediate future holds has COMPLETELY changed since Stacy (my little sister) got married on April 9.
We moved here to NH about 1 1/2 years ago and, while it's taken a bit of adjusting, we REALLY love it here. It's GORGEOUS, we have a nice house, there is a ton to do and we're close to my brother (in Boston), the temple and even a semi major airport. The schools are great, Jeremy and Karin both love their respective schools, and I'm really getting to like my drives to all the shopping, not to mention making some really great friendships.
Well, the day before Stacy got married, Jason got an interesting email from a co-worker, basically saying there were going to be more layoffs. They had just laid off 1/5 of the workforce so we were kind of surprised but not shocked. Working for a company that requires legislation that is NOT coming is kind of hard. Anyway, I freaked out a tiny bit, but then got on with the wedding, because that's a LOT more fun, and besides, Jason's never been laid off, or even threatened to be laid off. Chemical Engineers are necessary for Powerspan's work so we felt pretty safe.
Well, the day Jason went back to work, Siemens (the company he USED to work for) called and, in a rather round about way, told him that they wanted him back and would he like to interview for a job in the Chicago area. Um, yeah, COMPLETELY out of the blue and had it not been for Powerspan's announcement, we would NEVER even consider moving. BUT, they had also said, as part of their announcement that layoffs were coming, that they only had cash on hand to survive until December. That gives you a not-so-comfy feeling, even IF you have a job that is indespensible to the company. So, the interviews began. . . 2-3 over the phone, one in Chicago and it looked like a good Job for Jason. We waited and found out that Jason did NOT lose his job in the layoffs and then waited for an offer from Siemens. When it came, it was better than we had hoped!!
Before Jason accepted the offer, he decided to tell Powerspan. They came back with a counter offer!! HOLY COWS!! I swear to you, I do better when there is no choice. What it all boiled down to, though, is that Jason and I feel like there's MAYBE a 50% chance that Powerspan will make it past December. IF they do, and that's a giant IF, there's no guarantee of how much longer they WILL last, unless environmental legislation passes, which I do NOT see happening any time soon. SOOO. . . we went with the job that is stable. . . In Chicago.
So, what about this baby that's due? When will you move? Are you trying to get there before school starts? What if you have to be out of your house right when the baby's born? AAAA!!! I have NO idea!! The pathway is not at ALL clear, but the destination is Chicago (actually considerablly outside Chicago), back working for Siemens Water Technology. All of the details will be worked out as they come. Our house is on the market and Jason will be working from home until it sells.
I'm just SOO glad that Jason has a job, didn't have to go looking for one, got offered a considerable raise to change jobs and that all this happened so that the transition could take place in the summer, when a house actually has a chance to sell. . .Even if it is stressful while having a baby.

After watching General Conference yesterday, I was struck by the incredibally important power of parenthood. . . both mothers and fathers. It has really been on my mind recently how VERY important this job that I have is and it sometimes makes me feel inadequate, frustrated and all sorts of other things. Anyway, this is what I've come up with recently.
#1. Being a mom takes a GREAT deal of sacrifice. I do love being the only one who really knows how my kids are feeling and what they need and being the one they come to when they are sad, frustrated, or happy. Jeremy tells me every day that he loves me, and I LOVE that. BUT, I gave up a career to be a mom. I really miss teaching in the schools and being involved in the interesting things that go on there. I also gave up all the extra income that provided for our family. This includes the ability to travel when we want, and do renovations when we want. These things frustrate me. . . A LOT. If you are not willing to sacrifice sleep, most nights for years, showers about half the mornings of your life, sanity, cleanliness, warm meals and your "party" lifestyle, you probablly shouldn't have kids.
#2. I LOVE each stage that my children go through. It's amazing to see them learn new things. Most recently, Karin is learning to understand her feelings and Jeremy has some pretty AMAZING questions about the world around him. It makes me SOO proud.
#3 To go along with #3, I feel guilty, sometimes, that I don't wish that my kids would stay small. EVERYONE around me feels sad when their kids reach a new milestone. . . everything from walking to going to school for the first time. I do NOT cry. I LOVE it. I LOVE that they are having new experiences. I LOVE that they are getting more independent.
#4. I get really frustrated with people who say "You're so lucky that you get to stay home with your kids." Yeah, I have news. It's not luck, it was a concious decision. It means that I don't wear whatever I want, eat whatever I want, involve my kids in all sorts of activities or (again) do the renovations that my house absolutely needs. It means that most days I'm DYING for adult conversation when my husband gets home and am bored halfway through the day, only to be shocked back into reality when Karin gets home from school and we have the MAD DASH until bedtime. BUT, the advantages cannot be overlooked. My kids KNOW that I'm always going to be around if they need me. They are secure in that knowledge so that when I DO leave them somewhere, they don't cry. They are both very healthy because I have time to make healthy dinners. They have an anchor as they deal with the changes that they face. It's worth it. . .

Yep, motherhood is hard, but it's worth it.

So, Jeremy woke up again this morning with diarrhea and vomiting. This happens with all kids, periodically. Viruses go around, kids get them, and dealing with them is part of motherhood. But this time (not to mention last time), it has nothing to do with a virus. It has to do with Jeremy's disgusting habit of putting anything and everything in his mouth. I mean, seriously!! I expect this from a 1 year old, maybe even a 2 year old. . . but he's 4!!! He's REALLY good at linking cause and effect, or has been in the past with lots of other things. The last time he came down with these symptoms, we had a discussion and discovered that he had been licking the bench at Texas Roadhouse. REALLY!?? What would posess a child to do this? We discussed, (as he screamed and cried about having to wear pull ups all day) that this was a direct result of this disgusting habit of licking everything he sees and that there are germs on everything. He SEEMED to get better for awhile.
So, on Monday, on the way home from school, I realized that that dirt on his snow clothes was NOT just mud. There was definitely some sort of animal poop on his snow gear. We discussed that, and washed everything. . . except his boots. So, what did he do on Wednesday? He decided to eat snow off the bottom of his boots. What happened this morning? Surprise, surprise, he got sick. AARGH!!! He CANNOT be that hungry!! How do I stop this oral fixation?

So, it's been FOREVER since our last post. We've had a TON of fun since May. We celebrated our 10th anniversary at the beginning of May by going to DC. This is just one of the many we took on the little underground train between the congressmen's offices and the Capitol building. We were SO blessed to have Jason's mom come and visit to watch the kids. This was the beginning of a VERY busy summer for us. We had visitors or were visiting almost every weekend for the entire summer and into the fall. Someone I know laughed when I told them how many folks we had visit and said, "Don't you know, that's what happens when you move to New England. EVERYONE wants to visit." It's great!! Makes me feel like I've traveled a whole bunch even though we haven't (compared to before we moved here.)