May 21, 2008

Did you know that a spider's blood is blue??

I bet not.

Dude, we need a new spider book. STAT. Every single day, we are reading the current one, like 5 or more times. IN A ROW. We tried out another spider book last night and the pictures were horrible and not even properly annotated. No bother, because between Arun and I, we were able to identify every.single.one of them without the proper labels.

Anyway - I have loads of unimportant, uninteresting stuff to get out of my system. I do not have much time because I am supposed to be gunning for a Self Imposed Deadline for FoodieBytes. Let us see what I can get out in the next few minutes:

  1. I am fairly certain that I am suffering from plantar fasciitis. My left heel is killing me and every morning, I hobble around for about an hour until I can work myself up to a Subtle Limp. According to the link, I need to avoid sandals and backless shoes for awhile. Great! Just great.
  2. When I was growing up, a "thong" was something you wore on your foot. A "flip-flop" was something your stomach did when you fell in love or ate a bad meal. Am I totally Old School here or is it not in incredibly BAD TASTE to be able to see the back of one's thong when one leans over? Particularly, when one is leaning over into her MINI-VAN to fiddle around with her BABY?
  3. Amy of Amalah has had some interesting posts about staying at home. They have really made me think and the comments were very interesting. I was tempted to write a post about how staying at home is not that bad. But I think I have subjected everyone enough to my diatribes about that. Yes, I love staying at home. Yes, I still consider myself a CPA, but much like my Status as a Catholic, a non-practicing one. Yes, "staying" home is sometimes boring and monotonous. Yes, I sometimes resent the fact that X can just come and go with leisure and not have to consider who watches the kids. But no - I do not feel as if I am a drain on our resources - "his" money is OUR money and I spend it with unabashed glee and abandon. And no, I do not feel as if I "lost" myself. Seriously - am I the only mother out there who feels as if she found herself after having kids? Besides, I would be heartbroken - no, make that devastated - if I had to go back to "work" and stick the kids in daycare. I stay home for all of us - it makes all four of our lives easier. So while some days are boring, other days I have to stuff back the guilt I get from knowing that my job entail things like trips to zoos, parks, museums, or farms.
  4. Finally - there is much Simian Snappage to be had - click on any of the following snaps to get to the Flickrage. I uploaded about 35 and I have made them public.



18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel like I found myself when I had kids. LIke I found my center, and for the first time was able to orient myself in my own life. Things snapped into place and suddenly I could make decisions and prioritize. And some days I have crappy days. But I love being home, and I want to be here and I don't feel like a drain and I'm so freaking happy. I was sorta bummed by a lot of the negative comments Amalah's post spawned.

i think her post are incredibly honest and touch on a nerve someone of us would rather not share, but there is something cathartic in saying..holy crap, I'm happy and I'm terrified something will happen to take that away.

But I love my husband and we are a team. We are a team because we decided together that was what we wanted..

I believe some people are unhappy, I wish they would believe that I'm not.

Dooneybug said...

1. I had plantar fasciitis once so bad that I had to have inserts in my shoes custom made. It did go away, thankfully. One tip I kept hearing (from my chiropractor and foot doctor) was to keep my feet at a 90 degree angle. Unfortunately that is really hard to do when you're sleeping, which is part of the reason it's so painful in the morning. I know how that pain can be, very excruciating. I hope it gets better for you soon.

2. A mom with a thong. Niiiice.

3. I can't imagine not staying home with my kids. As hard as it can be some days, I wouldn't trade it for an easy day at work outside the home. But that's just me. I sometimes think that I've lost certain work related skills but at the same time I'm learning a bunch of new ones staying home that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.
4. Arun is looking like such a big boy these days. He is just adorable. And Angjali looks like such a little lady. Her hair looks really relaxed in that picture. Is it the humidity or a new product you're using? LOVE the curls. I really hope my girl gets some curls!

Dooneybug said...

I meant Anjali. Sorry, finger slipped on the "g". *proofread!*

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

Brit, I was thinking of you when I wrote that bullet! I knew you would understand where I was coming from. I was also saddened by so many negative comments about staying at home. You said it in a nutshell with the "I believe some people are unhappy, I wish they would believe that I'm not."

Dooneybug, Thanks for sharing your foot experience! I think I need to look at the brace thingie that will keep my foot in a 90 degree angle. I sleep on my stomach and I KNOW my foot is in the wrong angle all night long. Also, I KNOW I have lost certain work-related skills. I do keep up some with the accounting stuff, but my technical skills are all crap now - keep in mind I used to do data security for the Federal Reserve! It makes me sad that I am behind technologically, but I try not to dwell on it. Anjali's hair loses the curl if it is a dry day and if I don't wet/style it. Otherwise, it gets straight n' frizzyish.

Jenn said...

Wow! That child is just gorgeous!

I'll tell you one thing....staying home and taking care of two kids is really harder than I thought it was going to be. Working is SOOO much easier. However....Ilove being home so much more. =o)

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

Jenn, You are right. It is not necessarily EASY staying home. And OH MY, it certainly takes a mindset to get through the days.

The lack of breaks is probably what gets me the most. I miss Peace and Quiet on the Pot, the most. I am definitely behind on reading my celebrity gossip rags.

If you know what I mean. Ahem.

Anonymous said...

Your kids get cuter every time I see their picture!

I don't know if it's the post partum or how I came to be a SAHM, but right now I'm having a hard time with it. I'll probably be posting on it soon just to get my angst out.

Lisa said...

Oh My gosh Cagey... Life gets busy for me and I don't get to visit for awhile and while I was gone, your kids have grown by a whole foot er somethin'!

Gosh, they are beautiful little ones!

Oh I need to check out that post by Amalah.

Anonymous said...

Isn't the blood of all animals blue until is hits oxygen? Thought I learned that once, but could be wrong.

I think Amalah's post and yours just emphasizes how all parents should make the best choice for themselves. Many people are happy to stay home, and others, like me, would be unhappy. I would be so scared to depend on one income because of all the "what if"...not to mention the dependence issue. I'm amazed at how brave you and X are to start your own business from scratch. That takes a lot of guts.

CPA Mom said...

Re: plantar fasciitis - I've suffered through a bout of that recently. It takes FOR.EV.ER to go away. What helps? Roll your foot over a bottle of frozen water until it's numb. Get a foot massager with balls on it that press into that part of your foot. Get orthopaedic inserts from your doctor or even the runs at the running store are good.

I could not stay at home. I'd go insane. But I respect that we are all different and what makes me crazy won't make someone else crazy.

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

Ice Cream Mama, I am really good with Photoshop. My kids are actually covered in warts. heh. Seriously, though - I am staying home by choice. I know your situation is different and that would definitely change things up a bit.

Olivia, the "all blood is blue" is an Urban Myth originating from the fact that blood looks blue when looking at the veins in our skin. Building our own business from scratch? IS SCARY. Yes. It is, indeed.

CPA Mom, thanks for the info - will look into that! I have already noticed a HUGE difference already just yesterday by only wearing my really, really good Josef Seibels and ONLY WEARING THOSE. However, I fear those shoes are going to be quite stinky by the time this thing heals if those are the ONLY pair I am wearing. *sigh*

D. Jain said...

Hello! I recently found your blog and I'm enjoying it, especially because I'm also an American married to an Indian.

We don't have kids yet, but will start trying in a year or two. My dream is to be able to stay home with them the way you do, but I'm having trouble convincing my husband. He's a typical high-achieving desi (chemical engineer in the last year of his PhD), and he's just having too hard a time accepting the idea that I wouldn't be bringing in more money or being a high-powered career woman. I'd really love to hear how you guys arrived at your decision to stay home and how you deal with the financial side of things.

Christy said...

When I first quit my job, I did feel guilty about spending money. However, as time goes by, I feel less and less guilty about not contributing financially. And I definitely think that my job is just as important as John's.

Celebrate Woo-Woo said...

I wish I could be a stay at home mom. I wish we didn't need my income to have the lifestyle we want. I don't like missing out on things, which limits my job oppotunities; I can't keep a job that doesn't allow me to keep my family, my children, specifically, as a higher priority, meaning that I can take a long lunch to visit my children at school for a special event or take care of them when their sick and just work some extra time here and there to balance it all out. I know my children have goten some benefits from not being subjected to me being the sole daily caregiver, but it doesn't really make me want it less.

Rebecca said...

Arun is looking so much older to me all of the sudden! Wow!

Unknown said...

They are both just too, too cute. And yes, the thong & the minivan things is a wee bit disturbing.

Anonymous said...

Um! Hey! Can you see me?!? I am sitting in my office without windows, fifty feet behind Simian #1!

Anonymous said...

I like your point that it works better for everyone. That's what we've always felt, that whatever works so that there is money and some free time and the schedule doesn't have to be planned to the minute for every day is what makes us all more relaxed.

As my kids got older I worked very part-time, then part-time at home, then full-time at home and when that went away right after 9/11, why look at that, I was finally pregnant with #3. When he starts 1st grade in the fall, I'll be finishing up a(nother) master's program by December and we'll see...even the job path comes with...big summer breaks.

Part of the problem seems to be that when people complain about their PAID jobs, everyone expects that and at most might tell them to look for a job elsewhere.

However, when you work for no pay (and no sick days, vacation days, personal days, or real bathroom breaks) and mention that some days some things could be better...why then everyoone goes berserk and assumes it means you hate the whole thing and should really get yourself out of there and get a paid job.

While being at home full-time had its moments of horror, I was more like you, gleeful and a little guilty that going to the zoo and reading picture books are the things you are *supposed* to be doing!