SO proud of them!

Wow.  The kids have come a long way!  They are all making me so proud.  All of them.  We have been spending tons of time at activities.  Trust me, tons!  The girls are spending almost 11 hours a week doing gymnastics and cheer and Coby is about to be bumped up to 3 hours per week in Tae Kwon Do.  I used to really look forward to my time in the gym with them, but now that I'm working I do dread the amount of hours I have committed them too.  As I watch them, I realize that my sacrifice is paying off.  Tonight at gymnastics, Zuri was a TWO FINGER back handspring spot!  This is huge.  I expect her to be on her own on the tramp within a few weeks.  That's two years younger than Paige!  I can't imagine having my back handspring when I was 5.  Paige has had major issues lately keeping her legs closed.  Get your perverted minds out of the gutter..that's not what I mean.  During her back handsprings, her legs are separated.  Obviously not how they are suppose to be.  Mr. Mitchell, the main owner of the gym, has been rubber banding her legs together at the ankles and the knees to correct this.  I know, I know. A gymnasts' daughter is not suppose to have this problem..... we all progress in different ways!! Its clicking and her form is developing.  Her legs were much better tonight w/out being rubber banded.  I think Mr. Mitchell finally realized this method of correcting her was making her form worse.  It just had to click.  I knew this.  Tonight after doing sooooo much better on one back handspring, she did a double.  She's been working on this at home, but we have a circle tramp and not a rectangle tramp.  This makes it so much more difficult.  Liana hasn't joined the power tumbling pre-team yet, but shes close.  Shes so graceful and pretty.  She naturally pretty and Zuri is as well.  We need to instill this in Paige.  Not every gymnasts just comes pretty.  Liana is a beam lover!  She takes after her momma.  My monkey toed girl just knows what to do. 

Coby tests next week for his camo belt!  Yes, already!  I'm not so sure I'm ready for this.  Along with the camo belt comes weapons and sparring.  Yeeeaaaahh, not ready. He is, not me.  Some of those kids can kick some bootay in sparring.  I'm not ready for that!!  He is majorly stoked about weapons.  This does not surprise me.  I think he will excel at weapons, but not so sure about sparring.  I need to put this fear aside and let him do what he enjoys.  I might enjoy being a soccer mom again with him in the fall....

I really hope that as the years come and go and these kids get older, they will appreciate the time I have put in to them.  These girls are living my dream for them and Coby is gaining interest in activities that involve large groups of kids.  TKD has really helped with the social aspect for him.  It makes up for where school lacks.  All these kids have come a long way and they make me so proud!

Stuck up PTA Mom....No thanks

Holy Moly!  Its been a long time since I have blogged last. A lot has happened as well since then.  We survived 3.5 months of my husband being away, the snakes have left the premises, I haven't gotten locked out of the house, the kids have been up to their usual activities.  The house is normalizing again.  Most importantly I went back to work. YES, I did.  No seriously,   I have been a stay at home mom for 8.5 years.  Its been that long since Coby was diagnosed as being autistic and I made him my job.  Although that time was very well worth it, Liana is going to Pre-K in two weeks and ALL of them will be in school.  Its a new chapter for us.  Several people have criticised my decision to go back to work, but why wouldn't I?!  I know my husband makes enough money that I don't HAVE to work, but I WANT to.  What else am I going to do?  Be one of those stuck up PTA moms?  HELL No.  I mean no thank you.  We all know what I am referring to.  In the past I have volunteered to help with several PTA events.  One major event a few years ago was fantastic.  Another last year...not so much.  I put a lot of time into it to get thrown under the bus and not appreciated by the chair.  Never again.  Do I want to be the housewife that hangs around the house like the Cleavers cooking, cleaning, dusting, going to the gym...  nope. Don't want to be that either.  My plan last year was to put Liana in preschool and work part time on those days and I did and she dropped out.  She just wasn't ready.  I put my working mom, financially contributing to the household needs aside and stayed home with her the rest of the year.  I think she's ready and I was ready a year ago to do this.  I was determined this year that my plan was going to happen.  Several weeks ago I applied for a job with the hospital my husband works for, got a call immediately for an interview.  They had two positions open.  Both were front office.  One was a brand new interventional cardiologist office that was just opening and another was for a group of 3 ENT physicians that had an open position. I went to the interview with all intentions of just checking out the job and came out wanting it.  Within an hour of leaving I get called back for another interview and to meet the physicians and we began negotiating.  I really wanted to put all of my motherly instincts aside and take this job, however it was full time and I always commit myself to being a mom first.  I was devastated and turned down the job.  I was thinking I wouldn't find anything else.  I applied for another job at a local bank, got called immediately for an interview and was offered the position and I accepted.  In this same time period of taking this job, I got called for an interview for another position with a friend of mine in another front office job, go to the interview, get offered the job and again I accept.  At this point I'm wondering how the unemployment rate is so high BC now I have two jobs?!
Anyways, I started at my job this week and it feels fantastic.  Donnie's parents immediately found out I was going to hire a nanny and volunteered to come out.  They love the kids. I'd rather pay her than someone I only know a little bit or not at all.  I will have to learn a new balance with working, cleaning, cooking, and keeping the house organized and running smoothly.  I can do it.  I know some mothers that can't, but I can.  I'm no wimpy mom.  The girls gymnastics tuition is honestly pretty high in my opinion.  It feels so good to know that I am now responsible for that and to lift a little bit of weight off Donnie's shoulders.  He does so much for us, why wouldn't I help him?  We are most likely moving in a year and I'm pretty ready.  The thought of putting our home on the market will be approaching us very soon and home shopping is also going to be a reality sooner than we know it.  Knowing that any income I make past the kids activities fees can be set aside for a down payment is pretty nice.  I'm also a pretty cheap person.  I can't be out foolishly spending money on random and non essential things when I don't make the money.
ALL of these changes are going to be a huge transition to us.  I'll still volunteer to do things non-PTA related for the school.  Last year I was the grade chair for Pre-K and it was great.  I met lots of incredible moms who helped me tremendously and it was a fantastic year.  I will still attend music programs, still take the kids to school and pick them up, but I will feel like an adult and a better wife as well.  Goodbye Stay at Home mom, hello working mom feels awesome.