Routine

Routines are good.  We had a great routine about two months ago.  Rick went to work, I went to class, Tatiana went to preschool, and Aren did regular school.  Add in some piano lessons, a meal out every now and then, life was good.  Our routine was good.

Then out of the blue we get a phone call saying that Rick is being furloughed; that's the nice of way of saying, "We're not firing you, just don't come back to work until we figure out what to do...and you're not getting paid."

We quickly formed a new routine.  Aren went to school, Tatiana went to preschool, and I went to class and studied...and studied...and studied some more.  Rick quickly fell into the roll of a stay at home dad and he was amazing.  Every morning Tatiana would wake up and say, "Dad, do you have to go to work today?" Rick would respond with his usual, "Nope," and Tatiana would throw her hands up in the air and scream, "Awesome!"  Tea parties and haircuts, Power Puff Girls marathons and lunches of chicken nuggets ensued.  It was an amazing routine.

Friday we finally got word that Rick would be returning to work on Monday, so it's time to figure out a new routine.  I'm not sure how Tatiana is going to deal with being stuck with me all day long as opposed to her tea partying daddy.  I'm not sure how I'm going to handle walking in the door from class and having Rick there with a diet coke in hand and a shoulder for me to cry on because I just can't handle one more day in my accelerated anatomy class.

One thing is for sure...neither Rick or I will try and change up our routine by pulling a Calvin.

Weekend Baker

My weeks are crazy.  Even with Rick being home full time for the past two months, we rarely see each other.  I have class Monday and Wednesday morning and Tuesday and Thursday nights.  Rick has class Monday and Wednesday nights and works at Papa John's (Papa's in the house!) Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights...ridiculous, right?  When I'm not at school, I'm studying and Saturday and Sunday seem to be the only days where I can find some time to get things done.  So this weekend I baked...and baked some more.

Saturday morning I made chocolate chip pumpkin muffins and then I was feeling adventurous and decided to make these lil' diddies - whole wheat cranberry orange muffins.  You can find the recipe HERE.  And this is what they look like...they really did.  Seriously.  Except they weren't on a red plate, but whatever.  They were dang good.  I'm not gonna lie, you can tell they're "healthy" but super good just the same.

Then, because I wasn't crazy enough, I decided that I needed to make these lil' gems this afternoon.  Holy shiz it made a ton of cookies!

You can find the recipe HERE.  I didn't have any M&Ms in the house so I used milk chocolate chips instead and we didn't have peanuts either, but I did have coconut, so I used that and man oh man...soooo good!  This recipe made about seven dozen cookies easy.  I baked up two dozen and then spooned out the rest of the dough on a cookie sheet then stuck them in the freezer and when they were all frozen, I put them in a ziploc bag.  Now whenever I want cookies all I have to do is drop the little suckers onto a cookie sheet and go for it.

So, there you have it.  Mommy moment at its finest.  Let me know if you try these.  Pretty sure you won't be disappointed!

Going Pro

I've been wanting to try out bike riding ever since I started having issues with my foot about a year ago, but we never seemed to be able to find the money to get one for me.  Fast forward to December and a super generous friend gave me her bike because she was moving and didn't have room for it.  Suh-weet!

I bought a helmet and away I went...all the way to end of the cul-de-sac and back.  I was a little nervous to be riding around.  A few weeks later I got up the courage to ride about two miles and then about a week ago with Rick by my side - actually in front of me - I rode all three miles to the college, had study group, then rode all three miles home and have totally loved it. 

It's my preferred mode of transportation now...I'm pretty much a pro.

Income is a Good Thing!

Totally wish that I could say Rick had his old job back, but not so much.  Still, I'm very, VERY happy that Rick got a job delivering pizzas.  The last of the money we've been receiving from vacation pay comes in this Friday and then nothing until we get word  about him returning to work, so this was a much needed blessing!  So remember to tip big when you see Ricky coming to your door with your order!!

Everyone Look Out!

It's kind of been a long month.  Rick has been furloughed since about Christmas time which means that while he technically still has a job, he doesn't need to go to and he won't get paid for it.  We both started school and today in class my teacher actually used the phrase "Shit's gonna hit the fan" when referring to our list of tasks that need completing this semester.  Back to the job thing...no job means no income.  Luckily our church is helping a lot and Rick had some vacation saved up, but trust me, it doesn't go far.

Why am I telling the blogging world this?  Who knows.  I hate when people say, "This is my journal so I'm gonna say what I want."  I guess I figure this is my reality, so why hide it?  On the plus side, in the five weeks that Rick has been at home we've only had one little fight and I wouldn't even call it that...more like an ignoring session. 

So to sum up, Rick has no job, two semesters of anatomy at once is going to fry my brain, church food is good - except when they only send us one thing of cheese instead of the two we requested, and I like Rick...mostly.

Squamous, Cuboidal...What's the Difference?

Do you know what this is?  I do.  It's simple squamous epithelium.  Are you impressed?  Me too, because seriously, I thought last semester I was crazy for going back to school, but this semester takes the cake.  I am trying to get into nursing school in the fall, but the only way to do that is to have both Bio 201 and 202 (Anatomy and Physiology) done by the end of the spring.  And how do you do that seeing as each class is a semester long and you need 201 before you can take 202?  Well, I'll tell you.  In a brief moment of hysteria you sign up to take each 16 week course in eight weeks and hope for the best.  AGH!  I have two, yes TWO, tests next week, just two weeks into the semester - a lab test where I need to identify way too many tissues and a test on Chapters 1-4.  Good thing Rick is on furlough so he can hang with Tatiana and Aren while I move into the library.

Seven Years

It's been seven years since Lily died.  Seven years.  That's a long time.  I did a paper for my developmental psychology class this semester on the gender differences in the grieving process of parents who have lost a child and it was painful to do.  Studies have been done that suggest even five years after the passing of a child, parents still think of them on a daily basis.  I should have been in that study.

I think about Lily as I drive down the street and see the park where she played.  I think about Lily when we go to Target and Tatiana begs to look at the shoes just one more time.  I think about Lily when I go to church and see a little girl wearing the same Christmas dress I bought for her just a month before she died.  I think about Lily every time I wake up and see her picture hanging on the wall, constantly taunting me because it will never change.  I think about her every time I come to the intersection of Foothills and Hwy 92 and see Hatfield's - the mortuary where we picked out her casket.  The director suggested a cradle, but I refused.  Lily insisted on a bed instead of a crib the last time she was in the hospital because she told me that she was a big girl.

I think about Lily when I hear people talking of forever families and in my heart I listen for that small voice to whisper that it's true.  That she is mine forever and I will see her again.