Word on the Street with Stephanie

Earlier this week I decided to run some errands between my daughter's nap times. The hilarity that ensued prompted me to compare running errands pre-baby with the marathon I had just experienced. On my list: to drive 15 minutes to the next town because I had to grab a hair product at Target and then a stop at Walmart to pick up some pictures. Pre-baby: 1) Leave whenever I want, drive with the music cranked and dance along to the radio.  2) Arrive at Target 3) Stroll the aisles and pick up anything interesting before making my way to the pharmacy for the hair product I wanted 4) Pay for my item(s) 5) Drive over to Walmart 6) Pick up my pictures from the photo lab 7) Stop and grab an iced coffee to enjoy on my way home Post-baby: 1) Eat lunch while I wait for baby to wake up 2) Prepare baby's lunch and feed her as soon as she wakes up 3) Put on baby's shoes and my own and, just as I'm about to unlock the front door, realize she has pooped ...

I honestly believe that there is no such thing as an easy birth. There are some that are easiER than others, but none that are easy. My story is no different. If you are pregnant with your first child or are planning to have a child at some point, you may want to skip this post ;) I had a drama-free pregnancy until 3 days before my due date when I slipped while going up the stairs and fell down them instead. I managed to turn onto my side so I did not fall directly onto my belly but I was still worried about what it could mean for the baby so I called the labour and delivery ward at my local hospital and was advised to get myself checked out. I spent the entire day being monitored and, after a couple of tests, everyone was satisfied that the baby was fine so I was sent home to rest and told to come back two days later for follow-up. My left leg was black and blue from my hip to my knee but the baby showed absolutely no signs of distress. This was the very first time that I would take...

Having just submitted my final assignment for this online course, I can finally say that I'm finished! I have already worked out my lowest possible grade (yes I realize that makes me a nerd, don't judge) and have concluded that, barring some major error on my part, I will definitely be passing this course. I cannot even describe the relief I feel. I have already warned my family and friends that should I ever mention taking an online course in the near future, they are more than welcome to remind me of all the late-nights, the seven weeks I have spent riddled with anxiety and the lack of time I had for EVERYTHING except this course. I realize that, as an educator, I have committed to being a lifelong learner and will have to take other courses in the future but it will be a looooong time before I walk the plank again. Now if you'll excuse me, it's 9pm and I have a date with my television.

I know I know, I've been slacking on my posts. Well get in line because I've been slacking on just about everything besides feeding my child. My course will be done in 12 days and I can finally start enjoying my summer. I also really need to catch up on house chores. Baseboards, windows and floors oh my! If only sleeping was optional! Then I would be able to fit everything in. I sure hope this course helps me land a teaching job. With the upcoming election I can only hope things go my way (for a change). Otherwise I will have wasted a lot of time, effort and money and will need a career change before I've even started. I swear I'm through complaining. My family is happy and healthy and that's all that matters. Plus I'm kicking ass in this course :)

It's official! I am terrible at time management. On top of taking care of my infant daughter and running a household, I decided to take a course that will hopefully get me onto an occasional teaching list. In my head I assumed I could sit down to do homework during nap times and it would be a breeze. I...was....wrong. But don't tell my husband I said that! In my head it worked out perfectly and I would be able to stay on top of everything. I figured that when I needed a break from doing work I could get up, stretch and fold a load of laundry. In reality, I scheduled nearly every minute of my day and, let's be serious, who thinks doing laundry is a "break"? When I get fed up of being on the computer what I really want to do is watch a few minutes of tv or log onto one of my social media outlets and see what's happening in the outside world. I just have to make it through one more month and then this course will be finished. Until then, laundry and housework w...

At some point, I decided that it would be a good idea to take another course. I am currently earning my certification in teaching at the Senior level. It is online and I thought that, with proper time management, it would be a piece of cake. It is not. There is a lot of work to do and although it isn't my first online course, it is my first since having a baby. Her nap time used to be "me" time. I could sit down, eat and just relax but for the next 7 weeks or so, as soon as my daughter is sleeping my bum needs to be firmly planted at my desk, doing work. It isn't enough to simply keep up with the course work. I never know when we are going to have a bad day so I am doing everything possible to stay ahead of the course work, just in case. I just have to keep reminding myself of the bigger picture: it is only a few weeks and once I am finished I will have increased my chances of getting hired by a school board. In the meantime, I am encouraging my loved ones to stay...

I don't know what it is about the month of May but regardless of how the weather has been, I expect nothing but blue skies and sunshine. I realize that we are behind in the weather department this year but I'm ready for some sun already! My daughter is finally at an age where I can do stuff with her like put her on a swing at the park and we have had very few days this year where I've been able to do that. I made the mistake of checking the forecast and all I see is rain, rain and more rain and it's got me in a bit of a slump. What do you do when the weather refuses to cooperate?