my sick littles.

I think we've been incredibly lucky with how healthy our kids are.

We've had very few aliments requiring antibiotics, and in the rare case

that one of our kids is sick, each of them has done a great job at

fighting it off on their own (we tend to be minimalist when it comes

to intervention, but that's another post for another day).

That being said, I definitely was not prepared when all 3 kids

woke up sick Saturday morning. This was the first time Cam, Eva,

and JP had been sick at the same time. JP's FIRST

ever sickness to be exact. It appeared to be upper

respiratory, but nonetheless, no one was feeling there best.

Sunday didn't prove to be much better. JP seemed so miserable

that we even took him to Urgent Care. Trips to UC are damn near

unheard of in this house, but my gut told me to have him looked at.

Sure enough, he's got a pretty nasty ear infection.

I feel so bad for my little baby bear, but I think making it

to his 10 month birthday before ever having to deal

with antibiotics is something to brag about!

10 days of amoxicillin, which I'm sure will result

in 10+ days of diarrhea (if you have kids, you know what I'm talking about).

But if helps my babers, it will all have been worth it.

And with sick three kids, I did what any Mom would do...

Took advantage of all the extra snuggles!



One income?

I know I just shared my exciting news about my new,

closer-to-home job, and as excited as we are about it,

we also having some other issues on the table.

 

My husband works for one of the biggest companies

in our area. He's been there for 2 and a half years.

And in January, we were informed that they would be laying off

100 people.

They're moving 100 jobs to Mexico.

 

I'm not going to get into the politics of jobs leaving the country.

It's shady. And it sucks!

 

That being said... these 100 jobs are going to be

eliminated from the bottom up. Those with the least

amount of seniority are going bye-bye.

 

Jay is/was (and I say was because a few people have quit

in the mean time) 54th from the bottom.

 

I don't even know where to begin with all of this.

I'm freaking out!

I know we'll figure it out.

I know we'll get by.

But I don't know how exactly we're going to go about it.

Or where we'll make cuts from.

Or what we will sacrifice to make ends meet.

 

We have three children.

Thankfully, given the time line of the layoff,

we will no longer be buying formula. So there's at least

one monthly expense I know we can do away with. And we're

cloth diapering so we won't have that expense either.

But we also have a mortgage.

And a vehicle payment.

And insurance.

And students loans.

And you're standard set of bills.

And the scariest part, Jason carries the health and dental insurance.

Granted I can pick it up through my job when the time comes,

but it will cost us twice as much as it does now.

Sure, he won't have the 20 minute commute, so we'll

be saving a fair amount of money in gas, but not enough

to make up the difference.

 

I'm not going to sugar-coat it.

I'm worried.

I've lost sleep over it and I know my husband has too.

 

You might be asking yourselves, "Why wait? Start the job hunt now!"

 

It's not that simple. Good could come from this layoff.

Because his job is being shipped out of the country, the Federal

government will pay for him to go back to school for two years.

He wants to go back to school.

I'd love for him to go back to school.

 

We just need to figure out if we can survive while he's

hitting the books. 

New happenings in the HECTIC house!

I certainly have not been giving this blog the love it deserves lately, but

it isn't without good reason.

There have been some changes in the HECTIC house!

 

I have had a job change! Well... not exactly a "change" but

I accepted a transfer to a clinic closer to home, and I couldn't

be happier!

 

Up until a week and a half ago, I had a 40 minute commute.

One way. < ----Sucky!

 

I know lots of people commute, and I shouldn't bitch, but

with 3 young children and a husband who works

an opposite shift (I work days, he works evenings),

it was really starting to become a pain.

 

Let me paint the picture of what a typical work day was

like for us...

 

I would leave at 5:15 a.m. to get to work by 6 a.m.

Jay would stay home all day with the kids.

At 2:30, I would leave work.

At roughly the same time, Jay would pack up the

kids and leave home.

He worked 20 minutes from home, which was damn

near smack in the middle of my office and our house.

We would meet in the parking lot of his work, switch vehicles

and I would drive the 20 minutes back home with the kids.

Every. Stinkin. Day.

 

It sounds like a pain, and it was a pain.

But it saved us over $1000 a month by not requiring

the expense of daycare.

 

I LOVE my job (I work in the medical field)!

So when the same position became available closer to home,

I had to go for it.

 

Thankfully, I got it!

Not only is it a great job, but it's so much

better for my family.

 

Now I'm home by 2 p.m., we no longer have

to pack up the kids, and I get to have lunch with my

family every day!

 

HAPPY MOMMY = HAPPY FAMILY

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Tag.

I got this Tag from YouTube. It was originally created by BabyBellyKelli.

If you don't want to know, don't read my answers.

But if you know, it's likely you already know where I stand.

Without elaborating on any topics, here goes...

Democrat or Republican?

Democrat.

Did you vote? BE HONEST, and if so who did you vote for?

Yes, Obama. Twice.
Pro-Gay, or Anti-Gay?

Pro-Gay.
Pro-Life, or Pro-Choice?

Pro-Choice.
For or against vaccinations?

For.
Sugar before the age of 1?

I think all of my children had a few bites of

ice cream before their first birthdays.

By no means would I go crazy with it,

but a couple bites is harmless.
TV before the age of 1?

If JP appears interested in something

Cam and Eva are watching, I'm not going to rush

him out of the room.
Cloth diapers, disposables, or both?

Both. Cloth all day, disposables at night.
Circumcisions, yes or no?

Yes.
Homeschool, public schools, or private schools?

On the fence.

We'll see where we end up with it's time

to get serious, but it will either be home or public.
Spanking, or no spanking?

No spanking.
Cursing in front of your children, ok or not ok?

Not ok. But I know I've slipped.
Do you believe in God?

Yes.
CIO (cry it out method) yes or no?

Depends on the situation, but yes.
Organic, or non-organic?

We buy both.
Fast food for kids?

No. But again, it has

happened in our house.
Do you agree with co-sleeping?

Yes.
Breast or formula?

Both. I think all Moms should at

least TRY breast. Where they end up,

is up to them.
Natural birth, or epidural?

I've done both. But if given the choice,

I would probably go with another epidural.
Rear facing until 1, or 2?

We have refaced for as long as the child

appears comfortable.
Name brand, or off brands?

Both.
Hand-me-downs or brand new?

Love hand-me-downs, but love

to by new for special occasions.
Pop, or water, for you and for your kids?

Water for my kids.

My husband and I drink a lot of water,

but we occasionally drink pop too.
Ok dating age?

Never. Ha! 16, I guess.
Do you consume alcohol, and if so how much?

Rarely. Maybe 2 drinks a month.



MORE snow?!

I can't fricken believe this!

I know for a Minnesotan, bitching about snow is

totally ridiculous... but let's get real here!

IT'S APRIL!

We are under a Winter Storm Advisory until Thursday night!

3-6 inches of snow!

April 9th-11th!

Ugh... why do we still live here?!

The faces of Jay-Perrs!

Every time I snap a picutre of JP,

I capture a face totally different from the last.

He's one animated kid!

And we can't forgot the other two

cutie-bears!

She even naps like a diva!

Pretty much the only sweatshirt he wants to wear.

I can't be the only Mom that takes this many pictures! I'm sure

it's "excessive", but I just want to capture

every moment. They come and go so quickly!



Too much Wreck-It Ralph.

"Enjoy your little tantrum diaper baby?"

-Cameron, to his sister, in his best Vanellope voice, after a

meltdown that no description could do justice to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luwkO8hwSeo

"MOM!" -Cam

"MOM!" -Cam

"Cam." -Me

"I'm Fit-It Felix Junior and Eva is Wreck-It Ralph." -Cam

"You don't want to be Wreck-It Ralph?" -Me

"No! Eva is Wreck-It Ralph! ...Because she's mean." -Cam

Cameron has the best imagination! That kid makes me laugh so hard I'm

in tears ATLEAST once a week!

Life is good.

:)

#tbt

Man, I barely recognize this couple!

Winter 2007.

Just a few months after we met.

Loved him then.

Love him still.



EASTER Sunday!

I cannot believe another holiday has come and gone.

I feel like as soon as I get a second to bask in the calm of

another holiday party, it's over.

I love the preparation, but I sometimes wonder

if I do too much prepping and not enough sitting back and enjoying.

That being said, this family had a great Easter!

In the days leading up to Easter Eve, Cameron was not

so sure having the Easter bunny in his house was a good idea.

We unfortunately saw a terrible attempt at an Easter

bunny while out shopping one day, so I can't blame the kid

for not wanting that creature in his house. But after some convincing,

he was on board with the Easter bunny coming

while he was sleeping. If he didn't have

to interact with it, it was all good.

Long story short, someone fluffy came to visit!

And then of course everyone in their Sunday best!

After a couple dozen attempts at trying to

get a picture of the 3 of them smiling at once, I gave

up and decided this was as good as it was going to get.

It's still a treasure though.

And after a day FULL of festivities,

this is how it ended.

I dare you to try to take her basket.

All in all, it was a perfect, blessed Easter.



.Easter Eve.

I think I like the eves of holidays more than

the actual day of!

I just love all of the preparation!

Easter was no exception!

This bunny was happy to pack baskets after hours.