March 1st, 2010 by Jen Hen under Momma Monday. No Comments.
I was a bit distracted and almost forgot to write today. The past few weeks I’ve been under the weather and not on top of things, but I’m starting to come out of that slump thanks to the sun finally gracing us with its presence again and a wonderful husband who helps keep me going.
I was catching up on some reading on new web friend Cherylann’s blog, when I came across a website in one of her entries. I decided to check it out and I was instantly pulled in. A new hobby! YAY! I really think this website is something I could get into. The general idea is to find a “swap” you’re interested in, sign-up to participate, do whatever the swap specifies within the time specified, and get to meet/interact/learn about new people. The first swap I signed up for is called “International Theme A Day.” You write in a journal (either one you buy, or one you make yourself) and there are 28 things for you to make sure you include in the journal. At the end of a month’s time, you mail the journal to whomever you were paired up with. The idea is to share some of yourself with someone new. Topics range from a simple introduction, to someone interesting in your family, on over to a grocery receipt and a snippet of a writing about the receipt. Well, I received an e-mail notification that I was paired with someone today. I began my swap project during some free time this afternoon. After getting started, I decided to look at the profile of my “swap partner” to get an idea of who my “audience” was. You talk about a small world. Seriously. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I realized that I was paired up with Cherylann. She lives in Canada. I live in Kentucky, USA. I found the swap website through Cherylann’s website, but I had not added her as a friend on swap-bot, and the woman in charge of the swap had no way of knowing that Cherylann and I had communicated before. I’m not even sure how they go about pairing people up. Nonetheless I found this to be intriguing.
At any rate, go check out http://www.swap-bot.com and see what it’s all about. There are several categories of swaps from penpals for adults, to children’s swaps of coloring books, to crafts, to postcards, to used old postage stamps. Good ol’ ground mail, and electronic mail. I’m intrigued. After I get comfortable with the site I will see if X-man would like to participate in some of the children’s swaps.
In other news… hmm… well… let’s see… school is… school. I’m going to classes and doing my assignments. I’m still debating a change of declared major from Social Work to… yeah, Education. I finally narrowed it down to two options again. Although, I’m really just back to the same drawing board I started at when I began my college education *gulp* 11 years ago. DH says he can see me working with 4th or 5th graders. I was thinking more like middle or high school. My ever lingering passion for Speech and Debate (aka Forensics) sways me to Secondary Education (I am going to end up being a head coach one day… I just can’t get away from the program).
We’re working on some major changes for our family in the coming months but “mum” is the word for now. I don’t like to write about real specific stuff until I know more about what’s going on. It’s all good stuff though! 
Here’s something comical for you to chew on this week: Lil’ C decided he didn’t need to go tinkle in the toilet yesterday. Instead he pulled his undies down in his room and tinkled at the edge of the t.v. cart in his room. DH thinks he was “marking his territory.” I think he’s a three year old with some ideas that baffle me. I’m hoping we never experience that again. Sunday’s have been new experiences every week for three weeks now. I can do without anything new this week.
Alright my “little peeps,” it is time for me to curl up in bed with my sweet hubby.
Tags:swap-bot, swaps.
February 25th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Thursday Thirteen. 1 Comment.
13 Questions I have recently asked myself:
- Who are these kids and why do they keep calling me “mom”?
- How many days until the end of the semester?
- How long can I hide in Florida this summer?
- Should I take a break from college? (again)
- Should I actively freelance write?
- Who in the heck wakes up and decides they want to strap themselves to two pieces of wood and slide down a mountain at 70+mph?
- Who in the heck wakes up and decides they want to strap themselves to two pieces of wood and run towards a vertical piece of ice at 60+kph and flip around?
- Was “Curling” created by drunk ice fisherman who forgot what they were on the ice to do in the first place?
- Will I continue my website after I hit the one year mark?
- How many more germs will we circulate through our house?
- Who comes up with some of these television commercials?
- How do I have so many unique visits to my website with only a few people leaving comments? (I’m just playing with you guys… but really, feel free to leave comments… they let me know what I’m doing right… (or wrong))
- Could I make it on the bunny hill at a ski resort? (I seriously think not… hahaha)
Tags:Curling, humor, Skiing, Thursday Thirteen, Vancouver 2010, Winter Olympics.
February 18th, 2010 by Jen Hen under The Busy Life. 2 Comments.
I dozed off on the couch with my sweet, wonderful, adorable three year old, Lil’ C, on Sunday morning. I fell asleep with him cuddled up with me under our favorite quilt. He was dressed in his favorite batman pajama pants (including his super cute Cars pull-ups covering his bum). Allow me to outline for you, thirteen things I awoke to a short thirty minutes later.
- A naked child. By naked I mean, no pants and no pull up. But I do not mean that he wasn’t covered in something… something blue. From head to toe. As I began to grab my bearings for where I was and what was happening, I realized what I was seeing…
- Toothpaste. A tube in his hand. A brand new tube of minty fresh children’s blue toothpaste.
- “What are you DOING?” I asked as I stumbled towards the bathroom to assess the scene, only to step in a pile of the gel within three movements in the general direction. “Oh gosh.”
- A toy mustang… it needed to be cleaned up apparently… and smell better… as did…
- The television screen
- The bedroom window
- The blankets
- The bedroom carpet
- The bathroom carpet
- The air vent
- “Baby” (also known as his teddy bear)… front, back, head, to toe.
- The stove and counters in the kitchen
- And a brand new bottle of Garnier Fructis needed a healthy coating and a dip into the kitty litter box. ….
- For this particular Thursday, you get a bonus because 13 is not where he stopped… let’s add in the VCR, TV cart, walls, and kitchen floor. Actually, I’m still finding random spots here and there.
Two hours of cleaning later… I’m not sure what the most valuable lesson was for me to take from this experience. Hide the toothpaste from now on? Do not fall asleep under any circumstance? Expect extreme artistic expression out of Lil’ C in the future?
February 16th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Momma Monday. No Comments.
Well, I’ve been slacking. It’s just that time of the year. The winter is not friendly to me (or probably a large portion of the general population). There’s a nasty little pattern that hits me. Some refer to it as the winter time blues. Some refer to it as seasonal depression. Eh… it’s just a funk. It’s dreary, cold, dark and damp outside. The sun rarely makes an appearance, and we stay inside trying to stay warm. Meanwhile, we’re running on low supply of Vitamin D that we absorb from sunlight during the Spring, Summer, and Fall when we can participate in outdoor activities during our free time (without coming in feeling like an icicle).
About 8 years ago I went to a therapist after some none-to-pleasant issues. During my countless hours with that therapist, and then several hours with a psychiatrist, they deducted that I was very possibly bipolar. After a couple of years of toying around with different medications that were meant to help get me “balanced,” that did nothing more than numb me to emotions in general or make me feel even more out of wack, I decided it was time for me to focus 100% on finding my “triggers” and doing it medication free. There were situations surrounding me, and people surrounding me, that seemed to contribute to the emotional rollercoaster. I began a journey of “getting acquainted” with myself, and distancing myself from the previously mentioned surroundings and people.
Eight years later, 6 years medication free, I’m in a much better spot emotionally than I have ever been. I’m able to recognize when something isn’t going to work out for me, I’ve learned to avoid certain elements of life (stress factors), and I still know when talk therapy is probably in the best interests of my sanity and that of the ones I love. Not to say I don’t have some mood swings, and not to say that I don’t have my days where I’d just prefer to hide in my room, under the covers, and away from the world. Because I do. I most certainly do. But it’s not nearly to the level or for the extended periods of time it once was.
I believe environment effects people more than they realize, unless they stay attuned to such things. I still find myself in spots that make me uncomfortable, but some of those are unavoidable for normal human function as a productive member of society. I still find myself trying to balance myself out between personal life, social life, work and school. But don’t we all? Everyone has a balancing act…. some people are just better equipped than others. I still need a spotter on the mat below my high wire, and very possibly, may always need that spotter.
I’ve been told that I come across as confident, letting nothing bother me, by people who don’t know me as well. It’s flattering to hear, but I won’t hesitate to let them know it’s only a misconception. I don’t internalize things to the degree I once did. I write as my therapy and I have been doing so for the last decade. But I am still very much uncertain of myself in many respects. Where am I headed professionally, who am I “growing up” to become, and what is my general purpose in the bigger picture of life?
Just last night I read about a psychological study that argues that venting can actually compound a persons emotions. I think the key word is “can.” What’s counterproductive for one person, can be productive for another. Venting helps me. More often than not, if I’m fuming or a complete emotional wreck, I can sit down and write (or type, depending on how I feel) and by the time I get it all out I feel better.
So… the point? I’m writing. I’m writing right now because I’m feeling a bit off balance and a little out of wack. The winter blues have gotten me down a couple of times this season. What’s awesome? Having a husband, and some incredible friends, who listen to my pity parties, know when to be gently firm in pointing out where I’m thinking wrong, know when to just listen, and know when to just step back and let me have my moment alone.
I’m a believer in the positive effects of therapy and medications (even though medicine never really worked for me). Sometimes you don’t have to go long term, sometimes you just need a couple of visits with an “outsider” to get a different perspective on the things you’re dealing with in life. I’m a firm disbeliever in the stereotypes that people get attacked with for going to therapy. Don’t worry about what other people say about you if you go. It’s not a sign of weakness. It’s not a sign of instability. You don’t earn the title of “psychotic” or “crazy” just because you have been to a therapist. Quite the opposite really (and this isn’t just my biased opinion, it’s commonly psychologist’s professional opinion)… it’s a sign of strength and self awareness when you are willing to acknowledge that you need a bit of a push in the right direction.
If you think you might need some help finding a therapist and taking those first steps, (as cornball as I’m sounding right now), find someone you trust to talk to who you believe would help you in finding the professional resources available.
As for me… well, I think I may make a phone call for an hour visit with an acquaintance. It’s just that time of the season again.
Just a side note, if you are interested in finding out about the symptoms of depression, you can check out this website from WebMD. It’s in no way a substitute for a professional opinion, but it’s something to reference.
Tags:depression, psychology, seasonal depression, therapy, WebMD.
February 9th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Germy. 1 Comment.
Dear Unwelcome Stomach Virus,
Your presence is not welcome in the Hen house. I am evicting you! I don’t care if you brought your bags and your belongings and the state of Kentucky thereby labels you as a resident. I don’t care that I’m supposed to give you 30 days notice to get out. Consider this eviction immediate! I did not agree to your arrival. You are uninvited. You are wrecking havoc on my 10 year old’s body and I will not stand for it.
Signed,
A displeased Momma Hen
It’s a snow day for X-man, but he’s not playing out in the snow. He’s not thinking about snow cream, snow men, or snow ball fights. He’s laying in bed feeling miserable and visiting the bathroom all to frequently. It’s pitiful when one of the kids gets sick, but especially when X-man gets sick because it is a rare occasion that he lets anything knock him down. Strep had nothing on him, colds don’t even phase him, and most bacterial infections don’t stand a chance against his immune system. But apparently stomach viruses can infiltrate and beat the crap out of his defenses. Meanwhile, I have little comfort to offer him. I finally found the proper cords to connect the DVD player to his television, so he’s getting to lay in bed and watch movies. There’s a big window in the kid’s room that lets tons of light in and they normally appreciate that, but X-man’s not so fond of the light right now. I found a black fleece blanket and used binder clips to attach it to the curtain rods so he could have a nice dark room. The cooler that we’ve been procrastinating on putting back out in the shed since July of last year has become a bedside table for a cup of gatorade. And DH has gone to the store, despite 6 inches of snow on crappy roads, for a few things he wanted to get, plus a few “easy on the stomach” items for when X-man gets an appetite later. (On cue, he just came and asked for whatever would be easiest on his stomach.) And Lil’C’s bath toys have been displaced so that the bucket they are normally stored in can be used for “emergency situations” (and later bleached until all germs are DEAD). Fortunately Lil’ C is at his dad’s today, so he isn’t here to be around the icky germs and X-man gets to rest more peacefully.
Needless to say, this wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned for X-man’s snow day. He was gone to his dad’s during the last snow storm we had come through, so I was planning on goofing off with him outside this time. Maybe he’ll feel better this evening and get to go out and enjoy the accumulation. Western Kentucky hasn’t seen this kind of snow accumulation in several years, and may not for another several years after this winter (at least, that seems to be the pattern). X is a snow baby, born during a Michigan blizzard in ‘99… it’s in his blood to like this stuff. haha. (Or, that’s my story anyway.)
February 8th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Momma Monday. No Comments.
I believe I should be cordial and tell you hello since it has been 7 days since I saw you last. The problem I have with being cordial with you, is that each week when you knock on my bedroom door at 6:30am, you aren’t very polite. In fact, sometimes you are down right nasty. I realize that you have taken it easy on me this week. At least so far. But I have trust issues. You have betrayed me on more than one occasion. Multiple times you have promised me that when you came back around it would be nothing more than a fresh start to a new week. Then, you’ve slaughtered those promises and splintered them into a million little pieces, thus nearly splintering me. Sometimes, you really just tick me off. I must admit, you and I have a long history together, but in the same breath, it seems I have no choice but to let you in over and over again. Why must you put me in such a position? You know, if you’d bring me to a sunny patio, with fresh coffee, and a good book, in a sunny Florida resort every Monday, we could be best friends forever. I have a feeling that’s not something you can do for me. So I shall accomodate you with nothing more than this: I know you’re coming whether I like it or not. I will meet you head on. Do not try to bully me, because I will bully you back. You have met your match, Monday. I bid you adieu until next week. (Nevermind that I still have 12 hours alloted for you.)
Signed,
A determined Momma Hen on Momma Monday
February 4th, 2010 by Jen Hen under The Busy Life. No Comments.
This weeks Thursday Thirteen is currently MIA. Should I find it in the next 24 hours, I will place it safely in its place.
February 1st, 2010 by Jen Hen under Momma Monday. No Comments.
West Kentucky just survived “Winter Snow Storm 2010″ with no major emergencies. I had gathered the things I thought we would need early in the week. Once Friday arrived I was more than happy to hear that X-man’s school had canceled for the day, and happily kept my bum at home for three days (aside from a run to the store Sunday for the paper with my coupons, haha). My sister, Auntie E, came to stay with us on Friday so she wouldn’t be stuck out in the country at our dad’s house with no chance of being able to leave. We live in town, so the roads actually get cleared and you can at least get out of the house to go to the store (or have pizza delivered as we did Saturday night).
Friday before the snow started falling my cousin Mimi, and our friend Joan (you’ll see her comments on here from time to time), came over to visit/cheer me up. I went through a funk most of last week where I really wanted to hide from humanity as a whole. However, thanks to a supportive husband and great friends and relatives, I was able to kick it much quicker than I normally do. I had played hookie from responsibility on Thursday. My mom returned a missed call from me and when I told her what I was up to she said “Don’t hide to much, but don’t feel bad for doing it either.” I think it was the validation I needed for that day. Husband agreed when I told him what she said, and that helped too. By the time I went to bed and woke up Friday morning I was feeling much better. And the fact that a three day weekend was built in didn’t hurt either.
Saturday our friends, J and H, came over for pizza and game night. It was such a blast. We always have such a great time with them, and it was long overdue as we had scheduled for over a week prior but between sick germs in the house and other circumstances, rescheduling was a necessity. It’s so nice having friends who enjoy being “old” like us, and just playing card or board games until we’re all ready to pass out which is usually by 11pm or so. (To be honest I think we’re all ready to pass out before we even start the games, but we “stay up late” together. hahaha)
Sunday was nice and lazy aside from the endless energy that Lil’ C seems to carry with him at all times. While he was down for nap, sis, DH and I sat at the kitchen table working number and word puzzles from the Sunday papers. When Lil’ C woke up, DH, Lil’ C and I curled up in bed and watched “National Treasure” until DH and I realized we were going to fall asleep if we remained in the comfy bed. haha. So we watched in the living room.
And today has been an altogether good day aside from the fact Lil’ C got upset about having to go to daycare. The kid has just developed this separation anxiety type issue in the last couple of weeks (or rather, revisited it). He seems fine when we’re getting ready to leave the house and I tell him he has to go to school while Momma goes to work, but once we get inside daycare he clings to me for dear life. I thought we were going to be in the clear for the upset round because he actually got down voluntarily. He turned around about five times for “one more hug” but after the fifth one he went to the arts and crafts table to play with play-doh. By the time I made it to the front door he had started crying for me. *sigh* He has a good time at daycare. He’s always happy when I get there in the afternoons and he has been with the same group of kids since he was 9 months old. Maybe it’s the teacher change? I don’t know.
Anyway, Monday’s are Lil’ C’s day to go to his dad’s every week, so once I drop him off in the morning that’s the last I get to see him until Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon (depending on the week). So when I get off work at the Science Resource Center on campus, I go for lunch, then do my errands for the week. It’s the one afternoon I can count on getting things done with little distraction. Since my sis has been staying with us, she joined me for my routine and we had lunch together for the first time… well, … hmm… possibly in forever. That was nice. I decided I still had plenty of groceries so we came on back to the house to wait for X-man to get off the bus. DH, Sis, X-man and I went out to eat for dinner, then came home and played a fast paced game of Monopoly until it was really pushing the limit for bedtime on a school night.
Now, I just have a week ahead of me that I’m not really looking forward to because it contains a Biology exam. And Biology is not my friend. Fortunately my sis has her notes from taking the same professor and my DH has offered to help me study. I still don’t think I’ll pass the test, but we’ll see. What really kills me is that I can pull A’s and B’s easily out of any subject area. Any area at all… EXCEPT Biology. This is going to be one class I’ll just have to expect a C in, but it doesn’t mean I’m okay with that grade.
Alright.. I’m tired. Bed is calling my name and it’s not even 10pm yet.
January 28th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Thursday Thirteen. 1 Comment.
Thirteen college degrees I have considered for more than a minute….
- Social Work (I know, this is the obvious one)
- Criminal Justice (my declared major when I was at Michigan State University, briefly, after they rejected me from #3)
- English (Michigan State rejected me despite my 4.0 grades in college English, Honors English in high school, and my 29 on the ACT… they’re picky)
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Secondary Education with a focus in Organizational Communications and English
- Journalism
- Broadcast Journalism (there’s a difference between number 7 and 8… one does news print, the other does radio and television)
- Theater (I don’t want to be a starving artist though. We can cross this off the list already.)
- Travel and Tourism (My dream job: Traveling the world and telling people about everything they can do wherever they go)
- Photography (I’ll keep it as my hobby instead.)
- Business Administration (because let’s face it, I’m good at being bossy. Don’t laugh mom, or DH, or …. anyone related to me. (DH just did when I told him what I wrote. haha.))
- Finance (we’d be living well… but I get really uncomfortable dealing with other people’s money. I put on a mentality of “this is my money” so that I’m more cautious (as I would be with my own) which leads to high levels of stress when people aren’t spending their money wisely.)
There’s a common theme aside from a couple of the choices: helping people enjoy life more, in one sense or another. All of the career tests I’ve ever taken have listed most of these same things, but have added in Lawyer (which, I do consider doing once the boys are older since there isn’t a law school closer than a 2.5 hour drive) and Librarian. The latter always seemed like a curve ball in the mix.
Anywho… thanks to BossSanders for the reminder in her comment on yesterday’s post. I do appreciate that. I think I had forgotten that goal as I’ve been stressing out. Of course, I’m still sitting here debating my direction. C’est la vie.
I know that I can make the necessary grades and complete the necessary coursework for any of the things I listed. I know that I could find a job and probably do well with it. But I want to LOVE my job and LOVE going to that job. And it’s not illogical to want that. It’s what professors say you should do all the time. DH likes to remind me of his professors talk with his finance class: “I made a lot of money working in Finance, but I hated what I was doing. I really enjoyed teaching. It only pays me a fraction of what I was making, but I like coming to work. Do what you enjoy. Money isn’t worth being miserable.” (That’s loosely paraphrased and quoted.)
January 27th, 2010 by Jen Hen under The Busy Life. 1 Comment.
What a week! Monday was not friendly to me. Everything I planned last week, fell apart as soon as Monday hit. The kids and I woke up late so we rushed out the door. I got X-man to school on time, but with not a minute to spare. I dropper Lil’ C off at daycare, and ran about five minutes late getting to the computer lab on campus where I work part time. Two hours into sitting there I got a call from daycare saying that Lil’ C had a rash that had started on his wrist but spread to his belly, face, and back. I called Lil’ C’s father, but he was at work in Mayfield, a good thirty minute drive. Dear Husband was home but with strep throat, and just the cargo van. No carseat, and no real seat in the cargo van for putting a toddler even if he had a carseat. So once the 10:30 girl arrived at the lab, I told her I was going to have to leave to take care of the kiddo. Add in there X-man woke up with a sore throat, so I called the Dr.’s office and got an order of antibiotics for X-man (DH had just been diagnosed with strep on Sunday), and set up an appointment for Lil’ C. The research project for class got postponed until next week, even though I hate to put things off.
4pm rolls around and I take Lil’ C to the doc, where we sit for 45 minutes before even being called back. Fortunately there were so many other kids there the wait was “fun” for Lil’ C, and once we did go back it didn’t take long for the doctor to come in. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what was wrong or what was causing his rash aside from a possible allergic reaction to something we were all unaware of. So an hour and fifteen minutes later we left with instructions to give him over the counter medication every four hours until the rash was gone. It was gone the next morning. He’s my mystery child with mystery issues. It drives me crazy.
The past couple of days have been punching me while I’m down. I’m not really sure what the funk is that I’m in, but if I think about it, I realize I get into this funk during the same months every year. It’s always between January and February and I get all down and out and indecisive about my direction in life. Essentially I’m back to my usual internal debate about college. This is the VERY LAST semester/chance I have to change my degree.
I find that I have an interest in 10 different potential degree programs, but can’t seem to commit to one or the other. I’ve started listing the pros and cons of each option, in hopes that I can start crossing things off to narrow down my list of possibilities. We’ll see how far that takes me. I have a passion for Social Work and I completely agree with the NASW Code of Ethics. I’m just not sure that I have the emotional ability of dealing with the career. As I was discussing this with a friend who knows me very well this afternoon, he understood what I meant by it. I get so incredibly wound up and upset at the prejudices, misconceptions, and stigmas that are associated with the field, even just a word or two. Regardless of whether I get the degree or not, I’m going to have some of those same emotions. The difference in getting the degree and not getting it, is the difference of whether it’s something I have to face and deal with on a highly regular basis, or only on occasion. My friend B. basically he said he wasn’t even certain if that kind of weight was something I should deal with daily. Not to mention the potential frustration in just dealing with certain populations. Perhaps this is all part of a self-realization process. Perhaps it’s all part of analyzing myself and where I need to put my focus. I’m just not sure. I really don’t like uncertainty.
I told my DH last night that I’m just kind of at that point where I want to stop everything I have going on. I want to quit and regroup and figure out what it is I am supposed to be doing. I told friend B. that I’d appreciate it if someone could plug into my computer’s motherboard (my brain) and enter the command prompts to tell me what I should be doing. ha.
Tomorrow’s “Thursday Thirteen” will most likely be composed of a list of things that I have been looking at as possible directions/degrees/options.
In a more positive note: last night’s “Sister night” with my sis, “Auntie E,” was a wonderfully relaxing pajama party spent curled up on my bed watching “The Biggest Loser” while DH and X-man did an “archaeological dig” with a Christmas present my dad gave X-man. E and I enjoyed lounging around and running our commentary on the program, and they chipped pebbles away to find dinosaur bones. It was the kind of relaxing evening I had been hoping for. I’m so glad that my sister and I can have those evenings and that DH and X-man enjoy doing projects together. They even cleaned up after themselves (mostly… but I’ll ignore the pebbles they missed because in their defense, they chipped off one at a time and there was no way to be neat about it so anything they missed was pretty well hidden).
I’m just ready to take it easy for a while. I’m ready for this summer and spending a few weeks in Florida with DH, X-man, and a few great friends we’ll get to see.
