Life Lately v8

This past weekend, our Saturday was chock full of plans. Chuck and I had a family friend lined up to babysit so we could make a little date of going to a Home Depot DIY workshop and then our niece's birthday party in the afternoon. On Friday night, Charlie started complaining he wasn't feeling well and by Saturday morning he was running a high fever. I joked to my friend that the best way to get a kid sick is to plan a date! (But ain't that the truth).

So here I sit, next to a pitiful and lethargic little man. The unanticipated downtime felt like the perfect opportunity to get caught up on life and blogging. Here's what I've been up to lately:

LIFE LATELY

STAY-CATION

A couple weeks ago, Chuck and I found ourselves completely burnt out from parenting two toddlers in the confines of our small house in the middle of the #PolarVortex. I called my Mom one morning on my way to work and desperately asked her if she'd be willing to take the boys over the long President's Day weekend. I was surprised that she was immediately on board. So, the following weekend we met up in Erie, PA (our halfway point) and she took them to her house in Upstate New York for a couple days.

I had a long list of all the house projects I wanted to conquer during my child-free weekend. Instead, I had a Farmers' Market meeting and Galentines' Day get-together on Saturday morning. Then as soon as I returned from my ladies' brunch, I plopped into my bed with The Office and didn't move for the next day and a half. I think my body knew what I needed- REST!

WORKING MOTHERHOOD

I'm still feeling great after passing my first professional exam back in December. It's one of two tests I need in order to be registered for my job. I'm studying for test #2 right now and it's slow-going, but I'm making progress. I'm hoping to sit for the exam within the next two months. Other than that, I still am head over heels in love with my job and I'm constantly daydreaming about becoming a Financial Advisor some day. 

FAMILY

At the risk of oversharing, Chuck and I have been trying to decide whether or not to become a family of five. We said we were done. We said we were happy with two. We don't love the financial sacrifice that adding a third child would mean for our family goals. Neither of us loves the idea of another round of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. And yet, there is this nagging little voice inside our heads and hearts that questions whether we're truly "done." In terms of timing, we have a limited window to make up our minds. We don't want to be paying for three kids in daycare, but we also don't want to have a huge, awkward age gap between our kids. We feel a lot of pressure in making this huge, life-altering decision because it kind of feels like now or never. 

STITCH FIX

If you happen to follow me on social media, you may have seen my recent obsession with Stitch Fix. I've received fixes on and off for years, but lately I've been using them religiously as I try to upgrade my professional wardrobe. Up until now, all my employers have been pretty lax on dress code, and I really haven't updated my closet since college, so it's been long overdue. I have a tendency to get really overwhelmed trying to shop for myself, so Stitch Fix is the perfect solution. I get to wear cute clothes without the headache of finding them! My recent fix was a complete keeper and I've gotten so many compliments on the scalloped hem pencil skirt- it's so dreamy. (Shameless plug: You can get a $25 credit toward your first Fix if you use my referral link).

HOME OWNERSHIP

Chuck and I have found ourselves in the sucky place of having to be responsible adults/homeowners. The place where you have to spend money on really un-fun things that are 100% necessary. We've had problems with crickets in our basement basically since we bought our house 3.5 years ago. This past week, we discovered we could also add mice to the list of critters taking over our abode. So after some discussion, we both resigned ourselves to the fact that investing in a pest control service is a must. The exterminator comes on Wednesday. 

After we lost all our trees to an ice storm in November our front yard also needs some serious landscaping. So, we'll be shelling out for that this spring/summer, as well. Sigh...

CHARLIE + CROSBY

I got to the end of my list and realized I haven't said much about the boys. Honestly, there's not much news to report. At two and a half, Crosby is finally at the age where he can almost keep up with his rambunctious big brother. It's such a blessing watching the boys play together. Charlie is still going to preschool twice a week and loves it. It seems we've settled into a nice rhythm as a family as we're just living an exhausted, beautiful, joy-filled life together.

Have you ever struggled with the idea of being "done" having babies?