Golden Evening

I know it's hard to see, but this is one of my favorite views on the ranch. I took this the other evening on my way back from the other side of our camp. The sun was all glowy and it was just so pretty I had to stop and take a picture.

Sometimes, living in the country is sort of a pain. Everything is far away, and it's always a production to go anywhere. Our cars are always dusty, and there's no such thing as running into town to get a gallon of milk or a little sugar.

But, the other 75% (or maybe like 99%)  of the time, it's definitely not.

Golden evenings like this one make my heart happy. There's a magic at this time of day, and it's always been my favorite.

When Bert and I were dating, we'd pack up some bottled root beer and potato chips and go for a drive in the evenings during the summer. We'd drive around dusty roads, talk, be silly, and make up dumb songs. We still do this sometimes, actually, just with a baby in the backseat. If we're feeling really wild, we grab Dr. Pepper instead.

We're two crazy kids, I know. And this is one gorgeous view. 

I'd throw in a #blessed, but I'm not sure I'm that hip. 

Hashtags are actually pound signs, anyways. 

How We Make the Work-At-Home Work

I was reading a blog post by a gal in one of my Facebook mom groups, and it really struck a note with me, because it's so true. I sort of hate the titles "Stay-at-home" or "Work-at-home" mom, because it implies that that's all you do. You stay home and stay, or stay home and "work," but that doesn't even begin to cover it.

She had a great list of all the things moms are generally in charge of, from appointments to bills to groceries to auto maintenance, and they're all so necessary and true. I was one of the first of my friend group to get married, and definitely one of the first to have kids, and apparently Bert and I are on the younger side of the spectrum, so we get asked advice from our unmarried, soon-to-be-married, having-kids friends.

My #1? Figure out who does what, don't become resentful about your role, and if it gets too hard, talk about it.

In our house, I'm responsible for pretty much everything inside. I take care of almost all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, bills, calendar, appointments, etc. I remember having friends being like "Why do you do all of that? It's not 1950."

Disclaimer (you knew it was coming): Y'all, I know women and men are equal in so many ways and blah blah blah. But, I also know we have different strengths, and divvy up the "undesirable" parts of life accordingly. Plus, I'm a better cook and I actually do enjoy a lot of this homemaking stuff (*gasp*).

When we first moved in together in 2011, our agreement was simple, and it's sort of evolved from there. To my friends who asked why I do all the inside stuff, my answer was "Because he shoots the things that have to die." That usually got the reaction I wanted: a stop to the nagging and feminist arguments, and a little shock.

A little shock goes a loooong way.

I know, it's a little dramatic, and maybe it doesn't sit well with you, but it's true. In ranching, animals die, or have to be put down to save them suffering, and knowing when they are past saving is an essential part of animal husbandry. I told Bert that I thought it was a fair trade: I take care of the house, he puts animals down when it was necessary. That's how we've proceeded. I know parties on both sides will have trouble with how we do things--that women can of course do what needs to be done (so true), or that a vet should be called to take care of euthanasia (not cost-effective, and not always feasible, and we don't believe in making animals wait in pain for hours while we try to find a vet to come out). but this isn't a post about women's equality, or about the life cycle, or animal rights, or humans' aversion to death and dying, which can often bode poorly for animals.

It's about how we make things work! When we both worked full-time outside on the ranch, things were more 50/50--we fed together, I took a night check, we were both up and at 'em at 4am when it was time to saddle horses. Now, the logistics either waking Wacey up or getting him ready to go outside with all of his stuff for a cow emergency usually means that one of us stays home with him, and it's usually me.

Some days, I find myself getting a little jealous of Bert. Baby-free days every day where he doesn't have to clean an endless litany of diapers and dishes, where's he's guaranteed to get work done, and where he's not scrambling to do allthethings the second that baby goes down for a nap. Plus, I really, really miss working outside. Like, a lot.

But then, some nights, when he's dragging himself out of bed at midnight to tend to a calving emergency at the barn, or coming home in the dark because hunters left the gate open and there are cows scattered to the four winds, or feeding cows in a blizzard and checking around the clock, I imagine he might feel similarly, wishing he could just stay in bed, or enjoy a minute or two on the sofa in an empty house of an evening, or stay in a warm house instead of having to freeze in subzero temperatures. I remember being desperate for relief when Wacey was born last calving season: I was so tired, covered in spit-up, feeling gross and mad that Bert deserted me in the night to go night check the heifers. And then, he came home that morning from a night spent at barn, looking for coffee, covered in blood from pulling a calf that had a ton of trouble, and BAM! The Lord handed me some perspective.

Everything is a season. Some seasons sort of suck. Some are amazing. Some are hard. Some smell terrible. Some are all of those things in turn. Do what works to get through that season, and don't look back, unless it's to gaze longingly at pictures of your tiny baby, or to re-live your wedding, or think about a loved one, or to make sure that cow that was chasing you before has, in fact, stayed on her side of the fence.

Super Tuesday

It's Super Tuesday. Buuuuut rather than focus on the madness happening at the polls today,  I am focusing on all the reasons why Tuesday is super over here (while simultaneously praying that America just knocks it off already and quits goofing around with the fake support of bad candidates). 

I'm also drinking my daily lemon water, while simultaneously praying that if American doesn't knock it off, someone else gets nominated anyway because let's get real, here.

Reason #1: This morning, BEFORE Wacey woke up, I got in 6500 steps and all of my active minutes. I'm trying so hard to be healthier and while I don't enjoy waking up early every morning, it's worth it sometimes to have that goal checked off my list first thing. I re-watched the two episodes of  Friends where Rachel has Emma, and man, having a baby changes how you watch episodes of sitcoms where people are having babies!

Reason #2: I FINALLY ordered the paint for the dresser makeover I've been planning. I've been putting it off because there's a store in Colorado Springs that sells the paint and I thought I could make a worthwhile trip down there, but I haven't had the time so I just ate the shipping cost. I'm so excited for it to get here!

Reason #3: I'm dressed, my face is on, Wacey is asleep, I'm caught up on getting my calves entered, and that means I have time to work on other projects for work, aka sorting out DNA.

Reason #4: My Living Proof proof order is On Vehicle for Delivery today, according to my tracking number. My samples ran out a couple of days ago and I can't wait for those full-size miracle workers to get into my hot little hands!

Reason #5: Our driveway got graded today. As I've said before, in Rural America, road graders=happiness. 

Reason #6: I have leftover tortellini for lunch. Even though I don't pack lunch anymore, having something other than my standard gets me SO excited. I'm a loser. It's okay.

Reason #7: It's March, the weather is beautiful, and I can't help but start looking forward to spring! I know we'll get at least one more big snow--it is March in Colorado, after all--but it's nice to know that we're on the downhill side of a mountain with an usually snowy winter. That was a really awkward metaphor. 

Reason #8: Does anyone else feel happy (or at least a little proud) when they adult? I do. I know, I'm in my late twenties, married with a kid, you would think being responsible would lose its allure, but no siree bob! If you saw my "Continue Watching for Cassidy" queue on Netflix, you would know that adulting does not extend into every area of my life.

I've been working with our insurance agent to get our renter's and personal property insurance up-to-date (because apparently we are saddle/chaps/bit/spur collectors now), and I added life insurance (because it feels irresponsible to me to have a kid and not have life insurance), and opened savings accounts for us and for Wace that accrue much higher interest than our current setup. I'm particularly excited for the last part because having an automatic debit into an account that's harder to access (aka not linked to my checking account ha) with higher interest payments is pretty exciting! I know. L on the forehead. Haters gonna hate, I'm just gonna earn interest. 

Worst song ever.

Happy Super Tuesday! May we all wake up tomorrow to much better political news! 

Motherhood: Year One

I, like most other moms, had grand ideas about what kind of mom I would be before I had a baby. I'd do this, and never do that, and he would sleep, and I would nurse, etc. etc.

And one word that all moms say after they're out of the trenches of the newborn days about their expectations: HA. 

If you know me IRL, you know I'm a Type-A Planner. I like schedules, routines, and knowing what's coming. I like having the same thing for breakfast every morning, and being on top of my game at home and at work. I get immense satisfaction out of showing up with baked goods, and getting things done properly. I'm an introvert and I love to read and do things by myself, but I also love going out to dinner and goofing off with my husband. And now, I have a toddler, and we're planning/hoping for more children at some point. 

I'm still a Type-A Planner. I didn't have any idea about how on earth I was going to maintain my personal sanity and be a mom and do all the things I want to do. Wacey has been one year old for a whole two weeks now (for those of you that follow the family blog, I have his updates written, I just keep forgetting to post them!), and I was thinking about what a difference a year makes--especially since he's my first kid, I had all these expectations about how things would go, so I thought I'd revisit those!

What I Thought: I wanted to try and nurse until he was a year, because "nursing is the best thing ever for your child," and because formula's expensive, y'all.

What Happened: We made it to month one. It sucked. It was so hard because he had a great latch, was an awesome baby, and I made no milk. We started supplementing with formula at one month, went to all formula by month four, and never looked back because he was finally happy and gaining weight and it was glorious. While I'm going to try hard again next time, and get a better LC, I'm not going to beat myself up like I did with Wace. Because yes, our bodies do all kinds of neat things, but guess what? Sometimes they let us down, and then science does some really neat things.

What I Thought: Sleep was going to be so hard. It was actually my number one worry!

What Happened: It wasn't so bad, and I probably just jinxed myself for all future children. Oh well. It was rough in the first month because he wouldn't sleep laying flat, and he didn't like being in the swing all night, so I held him and we slept on the sofa together. At the time, it kind of sucked (I remember crying to Bert at 9pm that "I just want to sleeeep. I'm so tired.") I was worn out, but Wacey was so sweet, so that helped. Once he got his days and nights figured out, he gradually started only waking up once or twice a night to eat, and he has slept more or less soundly all night since the four-month sleep regression ended. I will say that that sleep regression was awful. I remember writing an email to my cousin with the subject: I HATE this Wonder Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

We still have had weeks where he does wake up once a night because of teeth or whatever, but sleep training has worked really well for us and we can usually get him back on track pretty fast. It hasn't been easy, per se, because it does require work, but it wasn't the grueling, all-consuming battle that I thought it would be. 

What I Thought: I would be able to go into the office every day.

What Happened: Not anymore. We did go in every day before he got truly mobile, and when he was still happy sitting and playing with blocks or in his exersaucer, but now that he's a wild man, we spend the mornings at home so he can play and then nap in his room, and then we go into the office most afternoons. It's working so far and has made sleeping (and consequently me getting work done) so much easier.

What I Thought: I would have Wacey on a schedule. Babies need schedules. Schedules are the best. 

What Happened: HA. No schedules for this baby! He goes down for his nap at the same time every morning, but that's relatively new thing--since 9-10 months. Before, it was all very ish. You know, he woke up around 7-8ish, had a morning nap maybe around 10ish, maybe an afternoon nap around 1ish, maybe a late afternoon nap, maybe not. And that's okay. While a schedule is infinitely easier to handle, it's most easy to handle when he's happy! I read Baby Wise, tried all the tricks, looked for sleep signs, and you know, he wasn't hip to that jive. Which is fine! 

What I Thought: A lack of schedule would kill me. We had to get on a schedule.

What Happened: Honestly, a little bit. I've become more flexible since having Wacey, I'm proud to say, and although I'm SO HAPPY we have a semi-schedule now, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be before, although I think with the next baby I'll have a little better idea of how to get the schedule thing started sooner. I've gotten more productive during naptimes, and work at odd hours. When we're having a rough day, we go out. I put him in the car, and we go get supplies from Big R for Bert, or listen to a podcast in the car, or get groceries. I try to save small grocery runs or trips to Big R for cranky days or days when we need a change of pace. 

I will say that I protect his only predictable nap (morning) fiercely. He is a whole different baby if he misses this nap, and the change isn't a pleasant one.

Sometimes he just needs a change of scene to get out of a funky mood, or alleviate crakiness brought on by a missed nap. This is a good indicator that he has a personality--or at least pieces of his personality--a lot like his mama. Heaven help us. 

What I Thought: I'd take him everywhere

What Happened: I do. Everywhere! Where I go, he goes. The barn, the store, the office, etc. This is because we don't have any daycare options we can afford, and also because I like him. I still relish a baby-free outing every now and again, but we're like a really small gang and I enjoy that. 

What I Thought: The baby weight would be gone within nine months.

What Happened: That's a picture of me two weeks before Wacey was born. I'm happy to report the tummy is a little smaller now, haha.

Truly, I'm still working on it! I've been back to my pre-baby weight for awhile, but not my pre-baby size since I don't have as much muscle. I learned, though, that for me it's about changing my lifestyle and finding workouts that I really enjoy doing. I think I've found my groove, and I'm so much happier when I'm not dreading workouts. For instance, I hate jumping, running, and HIIT in general. Totally not for me. I can do some T25 every now and then, but not every day. I do like weights, and I like walking (but fast--no strolling for this gal), and "quiet", strength-based workouts like Pure Barre. If there were a pool nearby, I would swim. But, I feel so much healthier then I did pre-baby, so I'm glad to be were I am. There you go. 

What I Thought: We'd read so many books!
What Happened: I try to sit and read books to Wace every day, but he's just not into holding still for that long! He will, however, sit by himself and look at books, and he's constantly "reading" one in the car, so I'll take it until he's old enough to be truly interested. 

Takeaway: Kids are wonderful, unpredictable but sometimes predictable creatures and we love them even though they're a tiny bit disgusting and smear food everywhere. I miss my tiny little snuggly baby, but seeing him grow and learn new things is such a kick that I'll take the trade, any day! 

An Adventure & A Story

You guys. Do you ever have a morning where you find some weird amount of motivation and energy and get so much done?

I know, it's like the unicorn of morning conditions.

But this morning, this unicorn showed up on my treadmill at 6:15 and I wish it would stay. Wacey and I had to go to town to get some important supplies for Bert, so we made an adventure out of it (I always feel like running to even the close town is an adventure since it's forty miles round trip, haha, it makes it more fun).

Our objectives:

Okay, fine, we really only needed a box of calf electrolyte packets (on the left), but you can't tell me that I'm going to town first thing in the morning and not stopping by SB for Productivity-Inducing, Mood-Booting, Coffee Drink.

The Adventure to Accomplish Objectives:

Wake up early, hop on the treadmill and knock out 4,000 steps and half of Downton Abbey before 7:00. Lament the fact that I can't do this every day, but then resolve to try much harder because it's seriously the best. Also lament the fact that Downton Abbey is ending this season and there's only one episode a week even though it should be like Friends and have hundreds of episodes. Lady Violet, y'all.

Scoop up Wacey, and get him dressed in his hilariously cute little track suit because nothing says ADVENTURE like baby-sized exercise wear, gather up allthethings because we can't leave without, you know, everything, and zip out the door.

Wave good morning to our favorite cowboy ever.

Wave good morning to the road grader and get SO EXCITED because the roads have been so rough since the last snow storm and this guy makes them so smooth!

Wave good morning to our resident deer herd--there's a guy that lives right here who feeds them, so they camp here and I like them. 

Take a beautiful picture of what was supposed to be Pikes Peak but is actually an oddly huge fog bank.

Take a picture of my toddler being unhappy about the hood he is wearing, but not so unhappy that he wants to take it off. The struggle is real, y'all.

And then, stop and take a picture of the exact same spot that was sunny and gorgeous less than an hour before. Huh.

And now we come to the storytelling portion of today's post. I am about to tell you a story about one of the oddest, most hilarious shopping experiences of my life. 

For our wedding, we got a starter set of cobalt Fiestaware (which I registered for, thank you very much! Actually, thank the Wanbergs very much for buying it for us). When I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond to get three more place settings, they sent me back to the china department to order what I needed. While I was there, a girl about my age struck up a conversation about weddings and such. She said "Oh, are you here registering for china?! Me too! What's your pattern?" And I was like "No, just, ah, completing my Fiestaware set." According to her face, I said "No, just here smearing boogers on the counter" while simultaneously kicking puppies with knock-off shoes. She and the salesperson went on a passionate pitch to try and persuade me to buy a real, twelve-person set of china, complete with gravy boat and silver soup tureen, which simultaneously waxing poetic about the lost traditions of china patterns. I tried to explain that everything we own must be durable and dishwasher safe, because of the ranch and the cowboys and the fact that I hate handwashing. Oh and because of life and our lack of staff or aristocratic titles. You know. 

Insert the girl asking "Wait so your husband is, like, a cowboy? Like for his job?" 

I also tried to explain that the only time we would have twelve people over would be at a branding, in which case Chinet will be used. Whaaaaaaat?! However, I will say that we spring for the heavy-duty, pounds-of-meat-holding Chinet.

"I don't see why it matters. Everyone should have nice dishes."

(I do. My "company" set is gorgeous. My "everyday" set is half aforementioed Fiestaware and half Waverly toile. Not china, but gorgeous, and durable.)

"Besides, it's not like your dishes will end up at your barn or whatever." 

 When I was dropping off the electrolytes at the barn, I noticed this:

 

So there's that.

Spoiler alert: I didn't buy any china, and we are still not in possession of either a soup tureen--silver or otherwise--or a gravy boat. Le sigh. 

Happy Tuesday, may you have many happy adventures, and may you always feel free to buy the dishes you like!

Bringing Up Bebe (At Work)

My fabulous sister-in-law, Caitlyn, specifically requested this post, as she will find herself in the same boat shortly, so I am going to do my best to articulate what worked for us and what didn't, in the hopes that I will be able to help her (and you, maybe?) cut some corners!

Bear with me, it's a long post!

A little, itty-bitty background: I am an office manager for a ranch, but the office is just me. So, I have lots of flexibility about when and where I work. This is partially the nature of the beast, and partially the nature of my boss, who is not a beast. I am primarily in charge of data entry, keeping our records and books up-to-date, taking care of employee paperwork, making lists for cow workings, and general keeping-lists-and-calendars duty. I am sometimes very busy, sometimes I am not. It depends on what we're doing on the ranch. I recognize that we are lucky that I am able to stay home with Wacey and work/bring Wacey to work with me, but a system to help make things smoother is a lifesaver.

So here it is: How I Work With My Kid Everyday, or How He Plays Underneath Me And Also Licks My Computer Screen Regularly.

I started working again about three weeks after Wacey was born. Mostly, this was because I was at home, by myself, in calving season, and not only did I have a lot of calves to enter into the database, but I was bored. We still spent tons of time on the couch napping, nursing, and just looking at each other, but I tried to ease into working with an hour here, half an hour there, until Wacey's schedule sort of emerged and I had a good idea about what our day was going to look like ish.

If you've had a baby, you know how it is. The first couple of weeks are tough. The tough period lasts longer for some than for others, or you might be like us and have periods of "OMG I CAN SO HANDLE THIS!" with "OMG I am drowning someone save me I am going to ruin this baby."

When he was a tiny baby, it was actually easier than I realized at the time. When he woke up for the day, I'd feed him and get him dressed and we'd head into the office. We started going to the office regularly around six weeks, I think.

At the office, he would either sleep in his bouncy seat or I would work with him sitting in my lap at my desk, or sometimes I'd put him in my Solly wrap if he was really fussy. When they're that tiny, and you can put them down without having to worry that they'll go somewhere, going places is actually pretty easy, in retrospect. Wacey slept a LOT as a newborn, and didn't really get fussy until the evenings, so my main battle in the day was to keep him awake long enough to eat.

As soon as he started to be awake more, I put him in his bouncer on top of my desk (I know, not the safest, but it kept him from crying!) so I could talk to him while I was working, and make faces and play with him. We took a break every so often to tummy time or play on the floor. Around this time, I was trying to establish more of a regular nap schedule for him, and he took most of his naps in his bouncy seat on the floor. I made a playlist on Spotify of quiet movie scores (Chocolat, Pride & Prejudice, The Theory of Everything, etc.) because I'm a nerd but also because Wacey has always slept better with noise around him. I like to think that he likes movie scores so much because I listen to them while I work, so he heard a lot of them in my tummy.

With April and May comes breeding and branding season, so we spent a lot of time at the barn or at the pens with the guys branding calves. For all of these occasions, I wore Wacey in my Solly wrap (which I know is not completely correct in this picture but I was just trying to get him to look up!).

We used the bouncy seat forever at the office, and on fussy days we stayed home for him to be in his swing. I spent a lot of time sitting on the couch with him in a "nest," too, with my laptop in my lap and The Book on a pillow, haha.

When he got a little older, and started to move around more, I got him a baby gym that he loved to lay on and play with. I also had a bucket of toys I left at the office. At this point, around 4-5 months, he still spent a lot of time in the bouncer because he absolutely loved it! It allowed me long stretches (30ish minutes) of pretty uninterrupted work time. I would also save work that could be done one-handed, like data entry, for feeding times. 

I wish I had a little better idea of what exactly we did every day, but Wacey wasn't on a schedule for FOREVER, and so we kind of played it by ear. He usually napped around ten, around one, and around three, but very ish. He played on the floor a lot, played with the toys on the bar across his bouncer a lot, and sat in my lap a lot!

In mid-July to somewhere in August, I was really trying hard to get him to sleep in his crib or pack-n-play for his naps, since he was now sleeping in a crib at home instead of in the co-sleeper by our bed. My biggest tip (which of course may not help anyone else at all) is to leave the room. He never slept as well if I was in the room with him. In fact, he did a lot of this:

Cute, but not the best for non-crankiness. As soon as he was tall enough, he started playing with his Exersaucer all.the.time. I got him a pretty deluxe used one from a county swap shop on Facebook for $12, and he still plays with it. It was a great investment! Of a whole twelve dollars. YES.

When he could sit up really well, toys were also the name of the game. We had pretty much ditched the bouncer at this point, since he didn't want to sit in it anymore. 

Around five-six months, I also made the permanent switch to the Ergo 360 for our carrier. He's a big baby, and I felt like I had so much more support with the Ergo. However, I still use the wrap occasionally, and can't wait for another newborn to put in it (like, not this year though). 

When we started having to go to the barn a lot for weaning and preg check in the fall, the routine went like this: start him off in the carseat with a couple of toys until he fell asleep around 9 or 10. When he woke up, I'd put him in the Exersaucer for a bit, and then went he got tired of that, he got to be handed around until we were done around noon. Misti (my girl boss), or Decky (my big boss), or whoever else was available and willing (Misti's dad, in this picture) would scoop him up and walk around with him, because by that time, he was SO over it! It truly takes a village, so find one and enlist 'em! You'll be forever in their debt but also much saner, plus everyone loves cute babies, right? 

Now that he's getting too big for his infant seat, I got a spare pack n' play that I plan on using for the barn for awhile. After that, I have no idea what we'll do, but we'll just play it by ear! 

Since Wacey has become more mobile, we've changed our schedule to staying home until after lunch, and then going to the office in the afternoon. I try and wake up before him, check emails, and exercise. We have breakfast together when he wakes up around 7:30, and then we go downstairs. If I have a lot of work to do, I'll bring my laptop down with me and work while he plays. If not, I'll really start working for the day when he goes down for his nap at 9:30. 

This is my main, hardcore work time. He sleeps for 2-3 hours, and you'd be surprised how much you can get done when you really hit it! I also work in the afternoon off and on while he plays, and if he takes an afternoon nap I use that time to work, too. 

Basically, this all means do what works for you, haha. Helpful, I know.

My Big Tips:

1. Get two of everything--one set for at home, one set for the office/barn. I have a "nice" set at home, and then have found spare sets on swap shops or at consignment stores. It actually works out really well, because the well-loved but entirely functional stuff is perfect to go to the barn because it's less expensive than the like-new stuff, and Wacey doesn't care at all. I don't worry about it getting dirty because it wasn't brand-new to begin with; I just swab it down with Clorox wipes or Simple Green in between uses. I also rotate his toys between the office and home so there's a little novelty, and I keep a stash of diapers, wipes, and baby food/formula at the office so I'm never worried about running out. 

2. Keep the routine the same, when possible. If baby sleeps in a crib at home, put them down in a pack n' play or crib at the office. If they are used to eating at noon at home, feed them at noon at the office. I also avoid driving to the office too close to Wacey's naptimes because I prefer him to nap in his crib over the car when possible since he sleeps SO much better. That being said...

3. Be flexible. Your schedule is going to change as the baby gets older and his/her schedule changes. Don't be hard on yourself. That being said, sometimes you're going to have to work in the evenings, Make it an event--put on a movie and some comfy clothes, and have a snuggly work sesh after baby is in bed! If you do have to work at the barn every now and then, don't sweat if baby's schedule gets thrown a little out of whack--he'll be fine! 

4. Prepare for and protect your work times. I know Wacey is going to nap around 9:30 every morning, so I make sure that I have everything I need and no distractions before I put him down. This means laundry is changed, I have all the paperwork I need, laptop is charged, water in on my desk, etc. I also do not answer non-work phone calls during this time, I don't check social media or blogs, and I only check emails if they're work-related. This really helps me stay focused! If your baby still isn't napping regularly, keep your desk well-stocked so you can work whenever you get a chance. I do not work constantly, but it's nice to be prepared when I do need to get stuff done! 

5. Take breaks! Your kid might or might not be able to play alone all day, but regardless, take breaks to play with him, of course! When I'm really busy, I work for 25 minutes, play for 10. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but most days it's more like half and half, plus we always take a longer break for lunch. If the weather is nice, we'll go outside in the stroller or carrier for a half hour or so for a change of scene and to stretch our (my) legs.

Everyone has a different parenting style, and it's just as important to us that Wacey knows how to play alone and occupy himself as it is for him to know how to play with others. So far, it's worked out well. Of course, he still has super needy days, but we take those as they come and sometimes you'll find me standing at the bar in the kitchen with Wacey in the Ergo, or waking up early to put in a good chunk of time before my little maniac wakes up for the day, haha. 

6. Stay organized. I keep calendars for everything, and am constantly looking ahead to try and anticipate the needs of the guys on the ranch. Are we going to need lists printed soon? Do I need to think about a supply order for a cow working? Do we need a crew meal any time soon? And so on. This helps make less spur-of-the-moment projects which tend to stress me out a little more!

7. This is maybe the most important thing: be very clear with your boss about his or her expectations, and about you and your kiddo's needs. I check in often with my boss, letting him know what I'm doing and where I'm at with various projects, and seeing if he has anything that needs doing that isn't on my calendar yet. The guys all have my cell number and know to call it if they need cow info or something to be picked up from town. Thankfully, I work for an outstanding boss and with amazing people, and it helps so much! 

All of this being said, I still grapple daily with mom-guilt. Am I working too much? Am I playing with him enough? Does he feel ignored? Am I getting enough done? Does my boss hate me? Is this working for us?

If at all possible, throw it out the window. We're all doing to best we can. The system is constantly evolving and changing around what works best for Wacey, so I'll re-visit this topic again!

Unremarkable

I'm trying really hard to be consistent with posting on the blog, but some days I can't think of anything to write about. I try to write about topics that are interesting or funny, but then I realized how much it annoys me when other bloggers do that: pretend like their whole life is made up of funny and interesting days. Because life is full of days that are amazing, but entirely unremarkable.

Today was one of those. Wacey is in a really neat stage right now where he's napping reliably in the morning, and in a good mood for the grand majority of the day. Today he laid it on pretty thick with the giggles and the funny faces, and even with the milk river from the overturned bottle in the backseat and the baby who is still awake way past his bedtime, it was a gem of a day.

This most recent stage means that he'll play by himself while I work or will tolerate me being on the treadmill to squeeze in a workout if I didn't get one in before he woke up--as long as I make faces at him while I do so. It also means that I'm less stressed and able to get more done and be less worn out in the evenings, which is a win-win for everyone.

It doesn't mean it's like this every day, or all day every day--he still gets cranky (hellllooooo teeth), he still occasionally wakes up at night for a bottle (again, teeth). He still has stinky diaper blowouts (somehow, last week, he managed to get poop on his socks), and will every now again wake up after an hour in the morning and be cranky for the rest of the day. He's still, you know, a baby. Babies are people, too, so you can't expect them to be thrilled with life all the time.

But tell me that a baby giggling his little heart out while you're dancing to songs from Grease in the living room isn't just the greatest.

2016 Goals

Every year, I write down my goals. This year, I'm proud to say that I put a lot of thought into what I want 2016 to be like and these are my intentional goals for this year!

Personal:

Fitness. I won't be making any resolutions about having a scheduled workout plan or losing xx pounds--those sorts of things stress me out and make me feel guilty if I fall off the workout wagon, and they have never worked in past years. Mostly, it boils down to eating healthier, but not dieting or jumping on weird nutritional bandwagons; moving around in whatever way makes me happy that day, be it a walk, a run, a weights workout or something different; and treating myself properly from my head to my toes.

Skin. I know, this is weird to have as a resolution. But my skin hasn't been good since I got pregnant almost two years ago, and it's driving me crazy. It's time to figure it out. It's hard to feel pretty when your face is blotchy all the time! I've tried several different regimens and none have worked, and I've gotten discouraged with how much skincare can cost. Enter the amazing Laura, and her skin care recommendations in this post. I ordered everything on her list, and it came out to less than ONE of the other products I was considering buying, and everything on her list has better reviews than the fancy products by Murad and such. They're on their way, and I'm so excited.

Time Management. I want to be much more deliberate in how I use my time. This means wasting less time online, and actually using my planners. Bert got me the one I asked for for Christmas, and I just ordered this larger one to keep at home and plan blog posts. I've also been utilizing the Do-It-Tomorrow app to help me remember my to-do list and have it with me all the time. I also ordered the 2016 calendar printable set from Naptime Diaries; I use these for meal planning, weeks at a glance, and having a work calendar when we get really busy. It helps me so much to have pretty planning materials so I'm actually excited to plan and look at my calendars!

The Blog. I'm doing this thing. So, it's time to plan, and commit, and do it justice. I'm excited!

Take Time for Myself. I need alone time to function. Not piles of it, and often Wacey's naptime is enough. But sometimes, a trip to the store or Starbucks sans bebe, or an afternoon at home to clean and organize without feeling like I need to be spending my time with the boys, or a walk without the stroller are glorious and delightfully recharging. Maybe I'll even get my nails done! I know, whoa, calm down Cass. This also means spending more time actively growing in my faith. Because I'm strapped for time, I ordered this devotional that's geared towards moms. I'll let you know how it works out! I love their stuff, though, so I'm sure it'll be amazing. 

Education. I miss school, and although I don't necessarily want to go back, I don't want to stop learning. So, I'm going to go to stuff. Seminars and whatnot. Colorado State University has a great one in April that I'm hoping to attend, for starters. This one has the added bonus of providing serious content for the blog and networking a little. I need inspiration, and I think this is one way to find it. 

Home & Family:

The Budget. While I'm not awful at budgeting, I would like to improve, and since I'm the main grocery-buyer and bill-payer of the house, it's prudent for me to try. I've started using a budgeting app to help track my expenses, and being more clear with Bert about our cash situation. We are working on paying off our student loans in full, and I would like to be through with them by the time I'm 30, which gives us a few more years. I'm also planning on going to the bank the next time I'm in town without Wacey to open up a few more savings accounts to Bert and I can each have "fun money" accounts without dipping into our main savings account. This also means allocating a good portion of our tax return (hey hey, deduction in the form of Wacey!) to paying off our pickup! We're so close! 

The House. I have several projects that have been on the backburner forever, and we got some money from relatives for Christmas to set aside for house things so I'm going to get them done or go insane. Mainly, I would like to find us a bed frame and finish up our bedroom, find a dresser for the TV upstairs (and chalk paint it!), paint the downstairs dresser that I bought, fix the upstairs curtain situation (lengthen curtains, paint rods and fixtures), and add more finishing touches to the downstairs. Oh and buy a new guest bathroom rug, aka horse blanket, but that's just something I need to remember to pick up at Big R while we're there. Honorable mentions: a gallery wall in the guest bath, shelving in Jay's room (aka Bert's leatherworking room), and reorganizing kitchen cabinets. 

Family. More fun stuff, that's pretty much it. Get outside more! Go to the pool! Swing at the park! A date night or six with just me and my main man. Teaching Wacey how to walk and eat big kid food. You know. And, I'm cooking at least one new recipe a month, and as soon as Wacey is eating adult food, we'll all be eating together at the table.

It might seem like a lot, but for me, these all sound enjoyable, so they'll all be do-able. I'm already on the way for several, and have plans for many more. No, I probably won't accomplish all of them, but I really do think I'll get a big chunk done. I know that you can't plan everything, and life will deal me a different hand than I'm expecting this year because that's how it works. But I enjoy starting with a roadmap of where I'd like this year to take us, even it way make several pit stops along the way.

Or get stuck in a cul-de-sac for a minute, because, you know, that happens. 2

2016, I'm coming for you!