March 6, 2015 by Stephanie

The Worst Job

In college and high school, I took some random jobs that were not exactly “life changing-fill your soul up” kind of jobs. The goal was to get money to save for college expenses. And because of that I came out of college (twice) with zero debt. Well these random jobs and applying for every scholarship I was eligible for did that.

Last night I was reminded of one of my least favorite jobs I had in college.

The dreaded alumni phone-a-thon.

I received a very sweet call from a current Clemson student who was basically trying to get me to give money to make “Clemson better.” I mean really why would some random student call me just to talk: I don’t think so.

My heart went out to her because for one semester my freshman year of college, I was her.

We had a list of alumni that we had to call “begging” for their donation.

First of all, I hate phones.

Second, I hate conflict.

Third, how awkward is it to ask money from total strangers? For me, it was very awkward.

With my phone anxiety at the time, this really wasn’t the most ideal job. Honestly it was the worst.

image via

Our team would have competitions to see who could gather the most donations each night. Surprise that I never one. I called it a successful night if I didn’t have someone yell at me for interrupting their dinner. There was one lady who yelled at me because her son had passed away (who was the alum) and to stop harassing her. Information noted and updated…

Every call I made, I had a pit in my stomach expecting the worst conversation of my life. A little dramatic but did I say that this was the worst job for me?

There were a few successes. I did get to have some lovely conversations with people who were education majors or were also in band like me. People like to talk about commonalities you know. My biggest donation was I think $100, and I about fell out of my chair in shock. I also did make a few friends who were in the trenches with me on the calls.

This was not the greatest job for me because of the anxiety of pissing people off and not seeing them face to face (not that I really want to see someone who I have pissed off face to face, but you get the idea). It was however the beginning of my introduction into Student Affairs. I did learn a lot about how institutions function. It also provided me with perspective from Alumni that I would never have seen otherwise. It helped me come out of my shell a little bit, and I worked through some of my cold call phone anxiety. But it is something I would never voluntarily do again.

So when this young woman called me last night, I couldn’t help but feel for her. I didn’t want to be that person who caused her anxiety or hung up on her. Because I had been in her shoes, I knew as soon as she started talking that she was going to get my money. I have donated every year, but when you get the call it does become more personal. I didn’t do it out of guilt, but more out of camaraderie because I had been a fellow phone-a-thoner. And I gave more than I usually do because I know on the back end how that will feel for her. I hope she continued to have a pleasant night.

So note to my Alma Maters, call me every year and you for sure will get my support. Because I am a sucker.

It does feel good to give back to your schools, especially since I was given so much through the experiences there. It is my small way of trying to help someone else have those “life changing-fill your soul up” experiences too.

I will say, Central needs to step up their game. I have never received a call from them or any emails about donations. And my phone and email have not changed high school. What has happened since I have been there?

Anyway, Go Tigers and Go Mules!

Do you give back to your Alma Maters? What was your worst job?

March 4, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 9/52

What I did last week:

Thursday-30 minutes on a treadmill. I have been keeping a monthly log on my progress. I have increased my mileage for this time by almost a half mile since January. I would say that is progress.

Saturday-We had a kids’ party to attend during our normal gym time so I had to make some adjustments. We walked around the mall for an hour that afternoon. Shopping is a sport people, especially when you are pushing a stroller! Instead of sitting watching the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars, for that entire hour I marched and jumped around the living room with George. It is really hard to keep moving for a whole hour, but I did it! I definitely looked like one of those Leslie “Walk at Home” videos.

Sunday-Another day I didn’t make it to the gym, but have no fear I still made this body move. I did 15 minutes of stairs. My calves are still feeling it days later. I also did an hour of mini squats unintentionally while trying to bounce/rock George to slumber. I think this totally counts as a workout!

Tuesday-30 minutes on a bike.

Impressed by:

Seeing how much I have improved on my mileage while running. I would love to be able to run a 30 minute 5K, so this was some positive progress. (My PR for a 5K is 34 minutes.)

Struggled with:

Apparently I struggled to work out on Monday and Wednesday. Monday I will be honest I just wanted to watch the Bachelor and enjoy sitting on the couch with Tom for more than 5 minutes in passing. So that is what I did!

Did I meet my goal from last week?

My goal was to be more positive about myself, and I really tried to do this! I started an open note on my phone to help. Whenever I was feeling down about myself, I would challenge myself to think about at least one reason why I love my body and record it there. I wont share all of them but here are a few: “I love my body because it allows me to hold George. I love my body because it allowed me to walk across a graduation stage on two separate occasions for college degrees. I love my body for the ability to carry a child safely into this world through pregnancy and birth. I love my body because it helped me finish 5 half marathons.” These affirmations are a good reminder of what I can do because of the body I was given. It is reminding me how lucky I am, and also how strong I really am as a woman. Seeing and reflecting on these really helps me shift my thought process to a much more positive one and serve as a testament that I do have a choice how I view myself! Also our admin assistant asked me the other day if I had lost weight and complimented me on how great I look. I laughed and said that I had actually gained weight, but it was another reminder to not worry so much about what I see in the mirror. We are all beautiful!

What is my goal for next week?

To tackle the row machine like a beast.

Fitness Thoughts:

Baby wearing a 6 month old should always be considered a form of exercise. It is no joke.

d155f7dfb7a9b96019e1f461a4311711 image via

Anyone else feeling the winter struggle on working out? (My eyes are getting a workout watching the snow right?)

March 3, 2015 by Stephanie

Talks with Tom #36

Tom has a problem with laundry. (As in it is all over the house.) It is something I have had to accept that the entire house has become his closet. The things you learn about someone once you start living with them…

I think there is a conversation on a daily basis where Tom is trying to find some article of clothing. (To which I usually respond either out loud or in my head that he would be able to find things if he put things away…just saying Tom.)

This is one such conversation.

Tom-My socks disappear at a rate of a billion a day.

Me-I don’t think those numbers are accurate.

Tom-Those numbers are spot on. It’s been confirmed by CNN.

Me talking to George-Are you going to be an elaborator like your dad?

Tom-Brian Williams confirmed those statistics while he was in a plane crash in the Vietnam War.

All this was said as he was digging through laundry baskets and the inevitable load that never makes it out of the dryer. (Which is my problem–I can never seem to remember that there is laundry in the dryer…)

Do you or your significant other make the house your closet? Are you notorious as well with leaving loads in the washer or dryer? Really where do all the socks go?

March 2, 2015 by Stephanie

Spreading That Oogaa Love

George has two teeth that are trying to make their appearance. One on top and one on bottom. We have felt that he has been teething for a couple months now, but now at 6 months there still are no pearly whites. As we enter further into the throws of teething, let me tell you this is not a fun baby stage. My overall happy baby now throws fits. Who is this child?

It has got to be pretty miserable to basically have bones trying to break free. I imagine it is the same affect that Harry felt when Madame Pomfrey had to mend his rubber bones from a silly spell from Professor Lockhart. Agony.

So over the past couple months we have amassed a variety of teething soothers. We have a basket of teething toys that don’t seem to keep George’s crankiness subsided for more than a few minutes. We have to rotate the toys every couple minutes because he gets frustrated and loses interest in that particular toy. He also isn’t the greatest at keeping a hold of things so many of the toys are dropped for us to play fetch with.

We needed something that would help sooth his gums but also keep his attention for more than 2 minutes.

Enter the Oogaa teether.

AKA: the best toy ever.

We have plastic orb balls, twisty-clicky rattles, several different types of teething rings, teething keys, and teething pacifiers (which with his love of pacies you would think these would be his favorite, but no.) Basically if it has teething in the title, it’s in this box of teething wonders. (Yes we fell down that first time parent trap…) We even have Sophie the Giraffe which most moms will swear by as the answer to teething problems. Don’t get me wrong he loves these toys, but after two minutes you have to try to impress him with something else. Even Sophie doesn’t cut it for more than a couple minutes before he throws her off the ledge.

The Oogaa octopus teether was different. I went in with no expectations seeing as he had pretty much said “That’s all you got Mom?” to every other option I have thrown at him.

So when he held on to this little guy for more than 5 minutes, then an astonishing 10 minutes. I was basically in shock.

He adores this octopus.

So let me tell you more about this teether that we are now obsessed with.

First, it is a silicone teether so it is not like most teethers you get at the store. The whole thing is bendy so George can grip it many different ways. The texture is also unique because it is not completely smooth as you can see that there are ridges outlining the octopus shape. He really likes to feel the raised outline with his figure and his mouth. He is at that stage where texture is so intriguing to him.

What I like about it being silicone is that I can easily put it in the dishwasher. Easy washing makes a huge difference with baby slobber and the dogs running a muck. So anytime I think it needs a wipe down, it can easily be run under the faucet for a quick clean and then dried off in a snap. Easy peasy! I am not a fan of the cloth teethers because it just seems like they would harbor germs. So I like that I can easily wash this in the sink or put it in the dishwasher.

I also like that the company strives to be environmentally friendly with their products and are very conscious of what is being put in your baby’s mouth. One less thing this mama has to worry about!

The shape is also important here. Some of the other toys are somewhat awkward for George to hold. Either they are too big or they have too much going on that he doesn’t really know what to do with it. This teether is pretty simple. I think the flexibility helps as well as the unique shape. When George gets bored with one way of holding it, he will just rotate it for a new option. And he does that himself! (I like things that make him more independent.) And very rarely do we have to go chasing after it because he dropped it. This is the first toy that if he does drop he attempts (mostly successfully) to pick it back up. He likes trying to bend it, which is great for a kid who is just figuring out what is fingers and hands do. Several areas can serve as a handle for him and are easy for him to grip. I also like the hole on the side which he loves to hold with his hands and his mouth.

Or his feet.

As for the chewing part. This teether is like the perfect mixture of being hard enough yet soft enough to be soothing to his gums. It’s not like he is chewing on hard plastic or yucky cloth. It is a nice pliable middle ground! And the size isn’t so awkward that he will a) get it stuck in his mouth or b) not be able to put it in his mouth.

The colors are also really great for these toys. They are bright and vibrant. And I like that it is just one color which you don’t always see in baby toys. They are just a fun to look at toy! Also another plus on the shape/size is that they do not take up too much space in the diaper bag. Win! Because seriously this thing now goes with us everywhere.

Oogaa has two options for teethers: an octupus and an elephant. Aren’t they just adorable? We may have to look into getting the elephant to match his elephant room. Plus those handles look great!

I think we need to come up with a name for this new pal because George just loves this thing.

If you have not heard of Oogaa and you have children, or you need a good gift for someone else’s children, I suggest you head on over to see their products. Here is their website. This will be one of my go to gifts from now on.

To purchase this teether does not cost you any more than the average teether out there. But seriously who is with me on the fact that with teething you would pretty much shell out any amount of money to sooth those gums (and your sanity). The $8 is well worth it folks!

We love this company, and love supporting this mom’s vision come to life with her products. We are also using their utensils as we dive further into this feeding adventure, but I will save that excitement for another post!

We did receive receive this teether complimentary for testing purposes as an Oogaa Brand Partner. All thoughts and opinions are mine, and George’s of course!

February 26, 2015 by Stephanie

George-6 Months

Weight: Right under 14 lbs. He is still pretty lanky but he is definitely getting longer. We will get updated measurements next week at his 6 month check up.

Health: He is doing pretty well; no health concerns as of late. He is full on teething now. Still no teeth, but I feel one on the top trying to make an appearance.

Diet: This has been a big month diet wise! It is the last month he will be primarily fed by breastmilk. We are going to start the weaning process next week. He still is mostly fed with breastmilk with one formula bottle right before bed. We do have formula on hand for when we are out an about on the weekends though. He is really difficult to nurse right now, so when we are going to be away from the house it is just better to feed him with formula. When I do nurse him, he will only latch for a minute, then yank himself off and scream. Then latch for another minute before he pulls himself off in a fit again. It is a cycle that goes on for awhile. He will only get about 5 minutes of actual latched on feeding (even though the whole experience may be about 20-30 minutes) done before he is screaming so hard that we are both in tears. The real kicker is that he will then be hungry again in an hour or so. This has been going on for the last two months. So doing this out in public is not ideal. This behavior paired with the fact that I am barely scrapping by with making enough milk for him throughout the day (with extra pumping on the weekend and nights) is why we will be stopping our relationship with breastfeeding this month. Some days I feel really good about this decision, and others I feel really guilty. But the reality is, it is just not working for us, and we are both pretty miserable about the experience. On the plus side, we started REAL SOLID food this month. George could not be a bigger fan of real food. He attacks it with such ferocity. We have done a combination of purees and the Baby Led Weaning approach. Right now he is much more favorable of the purees. His pincer grasp is not the greatest, so feeding himself usually ends up with more of it on the floor. He does grab it (after sufficiently smashing it into the tray) and attempt to bring it to his face. He usually drops it before he can knosh on it. When he does get the food pieces to his mouth, he usually spits those big pieces out more than he does with the puree. So we are experimenting with both the puree and whole foods. He is getting a better grasp on holding a spoon for himself though, but he doesn’t understand dipping it in the bowl to get more. So I dip it and then he takes it from me to put in his own mouth. He honestly just tries grabbing the bowl itself and tipping it into his mouth. My mom got a great video of this and shared it on Facebook, but I can’t figure out how to save it for myself. He growls at you if you don’t get him food fast enough, which then turns into crying if you are really slow. He just wants the food now! He is also known to lick it off his bib once we are done with what is in the bowl. This kid LOVES eating real food. So far we have tried sweet potatoes (his first real food), peas, pears, squash, bananas, carrots, mashed potatoes, french fries, and pizza sauce.

Clothes: We are still in 3 month clothes and size 2 diapers. He is definitely growing so we may be into 3-6 month range here soon.

Sleeping: Sleep is a funny thing right now. George refuses to take naps at home. At the babysitter’s, naps no problem. Actually, he will take naps with us, but only if you are holding him for the entirety of the nap. We aren’t good at the transfer to the crib part so we always wake him up. And once he is up, he is up. So I guess it should be a testament that he doesn’t want to miss anything while at home and loves snuggling in our arms. But it poses a real problem on the weekends when the no napping means he is cranky or that we have to hold him all day. We have tried a lot of different things to get him to nap, obviously none of them seem to work. So suggestions are welcome at this point. As far as bedtime, it has been interesting this month. I had several suggestions over the course of last month with the nap/sleeping through the night situations that he needed to go to bed earlier. He was going to bed around 9pm and getting up at 4am, with very little napping throughout the day. So we tried the earlier bed time, and are still trying it. We feed him around 6:30, give him a bath, then put him to bed around 7:30. Like clockwork, he never sleeps longer than a half hour. Only two times in the past few weeks has he stayed asleep longer. At first we tried consoling him to sleep for the next TWO hours. We would take turns every 15 minutes trying to get him back to bed. We are silly parents, obviously this was not working. So the last week we have been still putting him to “bed” at 7:30. But now after he wakes up from the only nap we ever can get him to take, each of us will take one turn to try to get him to sleep before we let him stay up with us. And he seems pretty content and calm staying up until that last feeding that we do around 9:45. And now he has been staying asleep from 10pm until we wake him up at 5:30 am. It is one of those things that we have to follow his cues instead of worrying about doing what the books say. My only concern for his sleep is on the weekends when we fail to get him to nap. During the week this process seems to work just fine, and he seems happy with the amount that he is getting.

Likes: He is generally a really happy baby. He loves to watch us dance, and he will laugh so hard at us being silly. He likes it when you bicycle his legs. He gets a kick out of it, pun intended. Basically any funny noise you make at him will make him giggle. George loves to be in the baby wrap so we spend a lot of time with it. He has several toys that he loves now, his favorite being this plastic ball thing. FOOD. He loves to stand. He would rather be doing that than sitting. Speaking of sitting, now that he is able to sit up more, baths are a little easier for us all. He is starting to like it more because he has more room to kick his feet around in the water. He loves to munch on his own feet too. I swear his foot is in his mouth a majority of the day.

Dislikes: Naps. Being alone. Not getting food fast enough.

Milestones: He rolls from stomach to back on both sides. He has not rolled from back to stomach yet, but he is flailing around a lot so I think it will happen in the next week. He does roll to his sides, just not completely over. While he is on the floor he will scoot himself around in circles whether he is on his back or stomach. He seems pretty content not being mobile and does not show any signs of wanting to move forward or backwards. No rush. He will move when he is ready. He is ready to sit on his own now though! He sits unassisted for a a few minutes. He also likes to bend all the way forward like he is doing the butterfly stretch and then bend back to a seated position. It is like he is mocking me with his flexibility.

Quirks: He gives neck hugs now. Best moments of the day. The night my grandma died, he held my face with his hands for the first time. I was leaning over him, and he just reached up and put his palms on my cheeks like he knew I needed it. I cried big fat ugly tears all over that sweet face. He likes to hold my face a lot now. He makes all kinds of humming and squealing noises now.

We parents are: ready for the academy to be over. Tom is itching to get on the road with the police department, and I am itching to have my husband back. I am also in shock that this little fella is 6 months now.

The dogs are: have bad cases of cabin fever. So we have been having some behavior issues. They do however love to help clean George at dinner time. They are interacting a lot more. It is really fun to watch them play together. Watch this video for some surefire giggles of George trying to eat Grace’s nose.