There is so much to do

I've been trying to map out what I want to do in the near and distant future. It's difficult. I really want my freaking degree to be completed. I'm about halfway there. This is incredibly disheartening because it's taken me around five years to get this far. If I keep going at this pace I will be 30 before I graduate. This normally wouldn't be a big deal but I really freaking want my degree.



I want to go to OCS and become an Officer. There I said it. It's always been my little dream and I want to make it happen. I need my degree for it.



I will keep plugging away and see if I can make things work. I'll keep doing one class a semester until I'm 30 if I need to.



The other blank spot is Erik's upcoming deployment. I will be a single parent for a year. That means I probably shouldn't be adding to my work load. OCS gets pushed back another year. Oh well, so be it.



I have struggled the past few months about what to write here. I've lost a good amount of my focus and can't seem to bring it back inline. I'm hoping that returning to work next week will help. I really enjoy my job. I'm not as good at it as I should be but I'm going to start working on that when I go back. More focus on personal improvement. I'm going to work on my (severly lacking) photo skills and my atrophied video editing skills. Also I'm going to work on my physical fitness (because I want to look hot in my bikini this summer damn it!).



In other news:

Rhea had her two month check up and here are her stats:

11 lbs, 6 ounces (50th percentile)

22.5 inches long (25th percentile)

16 inch diameter head (97th percentile) GIANT FREAKING HEAD!!!!

She had her shots which she didn't like but got over relatively quickly.



This is what's been on my mind lately.

I'm happy being a mom. Its draining and overwhelming at times but then she will look at me and its worth it. She makes me want to be a better person.

Prepping for spring

I want to grow some vegatables so I can cut some costs at the grocery store. I'm not sure how large it's going to be. Mostly container gardening though because our soil is pretty raunchy. So definately string beans, some form of loose leaf lettuce and summer squash. I'm not sure what else. Any suggestions?

I should get started soon.
Monday is the start of my last week of maternity leave. Rhea starts daycare on March 1. I'm sad that I won't be spending all day with her but I'm also happy to be getting back to work.

Less stuff, more thanks
I've recently realized how easy it is to become hypocritical in lifestyle. I truly believe that I would be better off with less material goods but I still lust after the new and shiny. Especially with my kitchen. Well from this point on I'm going to make a conscience effort to not be so focused on newness and instead focus on enjoying what I have. This is a big step because my kitchen is a 70s horror show. At least everything works right?

That's it! I'm renaming my daughter Gasius Clay because she is the champion. Didn't get that from me. ;-)

No Impact Man, man.

We watched the first half of No Impact Man and I'm intrigued. Erik isn't sold on it I don't think. I really want to attempt to get rid of the TVs for a bit. I can't imagine how much time we waste watching TV. So maybe this summer we can limit our boob tube time.

In other news Rhea sucked on her thumb this morning. It was so amazing, watching her figure out how to separate her thumb from her fist and stick it in her mouth. I was a thumb sucker, I don't think Erik was.

She is going to be two months old next week and she has changed so much! My head spins thinking about it.

I mAde Erik try my homemade deodorant yesterday. Lets just say he's ticklish and leave it at that. :-)
I am finally at a place where I'm not a hormonal robot anymore. I'm not getting more sleep but I've adjusted to the lack. It makes it easier to be playful.
Rhea is 7 weeks old. It's going by so fast. *tear*

Ahh Thursday.

About half of the trash I wanted to throw out got picked up. I was too slow to get all of it out to the curb. Darn.

Day three of the deodorant change: I noticed that the creases in my armpits were slightly red and irratated. I'm thinking it is the baking soda. I could feel myself sweating today and still no smell.

My driveway is a sheet of ice and I'm more than a little pissed about it. I grew up in a house where the standard of being a decent person was set by appearances and that has shaped my view of my home. The pile of flooring on the side of my house is a black mark against me too. All I do is walk around compiling my mental list.

Prime and paint the hallway, put the finishing touches on the bathroom, replace the rotted out slider, trash the old flooring, fill in the low spots in the lawn. That doesn't even include my home improvement list.

Someday I will get to it. If daycare costs don't put us in the poor house. I've managed to just bring it in under $800 a month. Thats right, daycare almost costs as much as my mortgage. I'm scared to think about budgeting. Bleh.

She is worth it though. Totally. She smiles now and coos.

24 hours after initial application and only mild odor. I shoveled the entire drive way too so I definitely was sweating. I could get used to this.

Just in case your wondering, yes i did it. I made my own deodorant. I put it on before bed and it still smells good. The only thing I'm concerned with is sweat. I'm not a heavy sweater so I'm hopeful. I'll let you know.