The Nervousness

So today I leave for Chicago to go pitch an association out for bid on our company as their new management. I'm going with our president and VP of Marketing and I'm the proposed executive director. Nervous beyond belief! The good thing is this association is for mystery shopper providers - I mean, how perfect could that be?

Calm the nerves, take a drink, gulp some air.... good night's sleep and hope my hair cooperates tomorrow!

Great posting!

This is a great post from one of my favorite bloggers (who is also named Jenny :)  It really reminds you that your child is more than a child, they are also a friend.

http://andnobodytoldme.com/2011/08/that-my-kid-would-know-me-so-well/

The First Day of Kindergarten

G started kindergarten yesterday, very excitedly. Unfortunately I already received an email (the new way to send home a note?) from his teacher saying that he misbehaved. Oh child! Really? The first day? Let's try not to ruin the reputation you don't even have yet! Hopefully he will be able to be better this week. Perhaps it's nerves, everything being new and being a bit intimidated. At least that's what I'm hoping it is!

My concern for school are his lunches. The boy really doesn't like meat so an old-fashioned turkey and cheese on wheat is out. Yesterday I sent him with a peanut butter and jelly on wheat (cut into dinosaur shapes), veggie straws, sliced kiwis and a Capri Sun. I've been diligently searching for lunch time ideas - especially ones that are easy to eat since G isn't the fastest eater (he and I both take more than 30 minutes minimum to eat). Suggestions?

Easy Lunchbox Ideas
Byndoo Goodbyn Lunchbox - Original
Back to School Lunch Ideas
iLunchBox website

The Date

So it's almost a month in with a guy I've been dating and we met on one of those popular dating sites. When does one broach the subject of going out for sure? Meaning "are you dating anyone else?" That elusive question has been haunting me for a week. It's a difficult question to ask - since with the question you are in essence saying I want to be the only one and let's take the next step, to the next category. I've been single now for a year and this is the first time that I've felt like I'm maybe ready to ask this question and that we may be on the same page. But I don't know for sure and would really like to know the answer before I ask the question. So here goes a week of hinting around and hopefully he will be the one to ask.

Oh I hate this new era of dating! There are so many more rules and unknowns!

The Backburner

Maybe I'm too nice, too easy going. Twice this summer I've been unvoluntarily put into the "backburner girl" category. Meaning "I really like you but I'm going to pursue this other relationship. But let's have lunch cause I don't know where this would be going in the future."

Now I could understand and accept it from one guy... Not the other. We dated for a year and a half. He moved away for a job last year. I didn't do anything wrong. He tells me he's moving BACK. And that he thought about a relationship again with me. He erroneously thought I was taken; I'm still single. But he wants to see where things go with a one week old long distance relationship.

I can't win. I guess singledom suits me. Cause I don't confuse or fight with myself...

The First Cucumber

Voila our first cucumber~! We've been anxiously checking on our garden since May when we planted seeds. The lettuce was good, the peas died and there are so many yellow flowers that will be cucumbers. Hopefully they won't all be this big!

The Friends

So G and I had dinner tonight with some college friends A and L. L just married last month, in Vegas!, and we were really excited to talk about it. G was doing his usual showman stuff and I finally got him to eat his veggies when he knew that ice cream was next.

I talked about the experiment to them - very vague, saying I wasn't ready, that it's a journal and not a blog (because who wants to read about my life?) and that it is an outlet to release all my thoughts instead of inundating friends and family. All so true.

Off to bed (after I take this mask off - see moms do still care what they look like!) with a movie. Satellite decided to reset itself while we were gone and it's still going....

Oh BIG news! G's garden of cucumbers sprouted its first and it's a doozy. Almost 13 inches and we can count so many more coming. We'll have cucumbers and pickles everywhere! I'll post a picture tomorrow.

The Quandry

G is going to a Catholic elementary school in two weeks. Why - since public school in this area isn't so bad. I live in Indiana. His dad and stepmom live in Kentucky. We're 35 minutes away from each other. So.... which side of the river wins? Neither - hence the Catholic school and the tuition headache that comes with it.

Now, as it says in the intro, I make a pretty paltry salary. Love what I do, love where I work but sometimes it's really hard to make ends meet and be in the black at the end of the month. Add my portion of the school tuition and the after school YMCA care (we'll get to that) as new line items and some creativity has got to happen. I filled out financial aid forms for G for school (I didn't even do financial aid for my undergrad and grad degrees and here I am doing it for kindergarten?). Sadly, no help for either application. So the next few weeks may be a stream of consciousness as the ideas pour out and fit the puzzle pieces.

I've already begun a second "job" as a mystery shopper. It's fun - go to the businesses, do the job, fill out a survey, get paid pocket change a few weeks later. Free dinners, make-up, etc. and pretending I have more money than I do ("Yes sir, I'm looking to replace my six-year old car." When really I know I'll be driving it six years from now). But that job won't make enough money each month to cover tuition and the after school program.

Ah yes, the after school program. I filled out a financial aid application for this one too. Sent in my 1040, paycheck stubs and itemized all my monthly expenses. Even totaled it out for them to yearly expenses. Thinking that I had a pretty good shot at this one, anxiously waited for the results.

Which I got today. 15% weekly reduction. Sounds good right? Until you calculate it and realize it's...

$7.20 off each week. That's it.

That's $28.80 a month or a grand total of about $288 (I'm assuming school runs for about 10 months). Now I know that I shouldn't knock the reduction - I am happy to have it. But it's a bit humorous, no?

Back to the drawing board now. Creativity - come!

The Experiment

A few nights ago I did nothing on a Sunday... nothing. I didn't have G that weekend. For someone who constantly has a to-do list, incessant thoughts and goals this was a rarity. Not one, not two but THREE naps. Who does that? And the dogs didn't even care that I was so lethargic, even the crazy one. At about 9 pm, with fresh laundry on the bed (with full meaning to get out of bed and fold them) I fell asleep again. Peaceful until I could feel/see an alligator coming towards me. Jumping, I woke and realized that an animal hunter show was on TV and the image crept into my dream. Turning it off, realizing the fresh towels were now crumbled and due for another trip to the laundry,  I drifted back asleep thinking that a blog may be a good idea since G was about to begin kindergarten. Not having the desire to write before, now I felt inspired.

I mean, I can't be the only one right? Single momdom, with kid and animals, an ever-changing budget that needs to be straightened up, and that whole dating life to contemplate on top of that. 

Life is changing with G getting older, more interesting (c'mon - babies are boring!) and wanting to experience everything. I was never good with updating his baby book - I think the entries quit about three months in. Scrapbooking isn't for me and that's what it felt like. I don't promise to write every day - that's ludicrous except for those professional people who can actually write - but it should be interesting. The dogs are ready - Kaila in her trusty spot under my feet and Daisy simultaneously chewing on her mate's ear and a random Q-tip.

So here we go - a blog of our life, for G when he gets older and for anyone else who's reading this in the present.