Oh, am I Lucky...(WMW Post)

I'm linking up for the first time in a while with Julia and the gang at Working Mom Wednesday. Are you a working mom? Check us out!

As I am not a very good scheduler in the least (you can expect if I say "we'll be there no later than 10" you will see me around 10:30) I have chosen today's second prompt: would you rather have a large salary and crappy benefits or a smaller salary and stellar benefits?

As someone who has been in both positions, I can definitely say "Option B, Alex".

See, before kids I worked in retail management and I did this in some capacity or another for almost 10 years. I was 26 years old, in the mid-2000's, no kids, newly married, buying my first house, making close to 50 grand with no college education. I felt special, as if I had somehow charmed my way into being someone I shouldn't be. (Looking back, obviously I worked hard for that position.) Our benefits were better than most retail companies: I got 3 weeks of paid vacation, 4 personal days a year, and sick time when my store wasn't too short-staffed to manage without me (ok, so I rarely got sick time).

On the other hand, I only got one full weekend off a month, had to work until 10PM twice a week, and some weeks (during floor changes and inventory) worked well over my salaried 40 hours. I had to bow out of last minute weekend trips to the beach and turn down free college football tickets while all of my friends went tailgating on Saturdays. I was beginning to imagine raising a child in all of this and thought we could make it work, but looking back, I am SO GLAD I lost that job. The company has gone through rough times, been bought and sold and their commitment to a "work-life balance" is nearly non-existent at this point.

And then there's my job now. I started at the ground floor, doing a job that a lot of people feel is suited for a retiree or college student, and taking a cut in salary back to what I was making as a 21 year old in my first assistant manager retail position. But as I've learned this new world of banking and all of it's intricacies and regulations and audits, I have fallen in love. Sure, I have the occasional complaint about the battle between salespeople and operational people. Sure, I have clients that sometimes are like a stump in the thick mud I'm trying to navigate. Sure, I occasionally talk my husband's ear off on our commute home at the crazy thing that happened this morning. But overall, I love being able to pack up at 5PM (ish...sometimes 5:30) and head home.

Friday nights have a new meaning: a relaxed family night where we're not as strict on Jacob's bedtime and we don't feel the rush-rush-rush to get dinner made, eaten, baby bathed and in bed within 2 hours of getting home. And I now know the feeling of having the whole (3-day Holiday) weekend stretched out before me, with no mind paid to work whatsoever. I traded in my lovely weekday off for having off Columbus and President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, and any other day the Federal Government deems a holiday. I was paid in full for 8 of the 12 weeks I was home on maternity leave for doing absolutely nothing for this company.

The typical benefits are pretty similar to what I was getting in retail, comparable vacation-sick time. Slightly better health benefits (I paid $750 total for my entire pregnancy from the first visit to the surgery to the 6 week follow up.)

But the work-life balance benefits are incomparable. And worth every bit of the $48,000ish (before taxes) that I've "lost" over the last 3 years.

I'm a Winner!

The lovely Helga over at My World (she lives in Iceland, y'all, check her out!) has nominated me for the Stylish Blogger Award. It's been a while since I've received a blog award, so I was very flattered and excited to participate in this one. I'm not sure how stylish I am lately, with my daily wet bun hairstyle and my over-eagerness at the chance to wear jeans to work 5 times this month, but hey, I'll take it! I did wear a skirt, tights, and boots yesterday, which is a major departure from my usual style and a step in the right direction!

Of course, these awards always come with a catch...this one being that I'm supposed to tell you 7 random facts about myself. Being that a blog is all about telling you about myself every day, it may be hard to find things that are interesting, but I will let y'all be the judge of that! I'm also supposed to nominate 13 people to pass along to, but with it being Thanksgiving week, I think I will skip nominations this time and just tell y'all about myself!

1) I used to say that I could live without the baby stage, and would be fine just adopting a 3 year old and taking the parenting from there. What did I know?

2) When we were little, I tortured my sister by telling her things like if she dropped a battery it would explode, or if she dropped anything down the central air vent our house would explode. I was not a very good big sister.

3) I have trouble with brevity. I tend to give people and overwhelming amount of info when I could just say/write one sentence.

4) I have a tattoo, I would say medium sized, on my back and want another one (really tiny) on the inside of my forearm or wrist but my husband says that would look like white trash, so I haven't worked up the courage to get a second one yet.

5) I introduced the man who introduced me to my husband to his wife. He was my best guy friend for a long time (we're still friends, of course, but 'couple' friends now) and we will always be grateful to each other for helping find a mate.

6) Growing up, even though I was 4 years older, my little sister was the bossy one and I was sensitive. It took us a long time to work through that. The only thing that explkains it is that I'm a Cancer and she's a Leo. If you believe in that stuff.

7) My birthday is July 7th. In college, I had a friend whose birthday was 7/7/77. I was jealous.

Hot Dawg!

I love hot dogs.

I don't care what people say about nitrates and ass and feet and whatever else may be included in those neat little tubes of salty-tastiness. Really, I've read Upton Sinclair. I know what happens in hot dog factories. I'm sure even today it's probably closer to what he described in 1906 than any of us care to admit. However, I love hot dogs. Yum.

Down here in near-eastern NC, where we like our barbecue with vinegar and collards (also with vinegar...we just really like vinegar), we like our hot dogs one way: mustard, chili, and onions (slaw is accepted but optional). Most people in the area I live in also prefer the ubiquitous "red" hot dog, which I can tolerate at an occasional softball field church gathering, but generally think is kind of gross. There is one rule when it comes to hot dogs in NC: DO NOT PUT KETCHUP ON A HOT DOG. EVER. (There are more than a few local grills in Raleigh that will not serve ketchup. One has a tiny bottle on a shelf behind the cash register that you can purchase for $99. I'm not even kidding, and neither is the Roast Grill.)

Another place with this lovely rule? Chicago, home of my second favorite hot dog: the Chicago Dog. I love a good Chicago Dog. The more crap you can throw onto a juicy, sizzling case of meat, the better. I never knew the joy of a "sport pepper" or weird fake-green relish until I had my first Chicago Dog, and I was hooked. And thanks to KLZ at Taming Insanity and Liz at a belle, a bean & a chicago dog, I am now shouting HOT DAWG!!!

Because my post about my husband and his vocabularity limitations not only earned me Nerd Mafia Made Man status, but they liked my word "pedantic" so much that they are using it as the next Word Up, Yo! word of the week.

You know what I deserve for all of this recognition? MORE RECOGNITION! If you agree, please click that little white picket fence linky. Pretty please? Oh, and join Word Up, Yo! this week. It's fun, y'all.

Almost as fun as eating a hot dog!

Frugal, Fickle, or Felon?

You know those chicks in movies, magazines, and Hollywood who have a "signature smell"? Like, "I've been wearing Chanel No. 5 since 1986"? Not me. I like change, I like new, I like to be different and unique. So I wear different perfumes frequently.

And I have high standards for perfume. Nothing floral, it just smells like old lady on my skin. I go for the citrusy and clean scents in the summer and something a little more heady and sensual in cooler weather. I like the idea of smelling exotic or sexy. But, perfume changes over time and 4 hours later (or even 10 minutes later) smells completely different than when you first spritzed it on. Because of this, I always have to sample before I buy.

This used to entail going into Sephora and spritzing myself, then doing the rest of my mall shopping before deciding what I wanted to buy. (I buy perfume like once a year, don't get all excited thinking this is my Carrie Bradshaw shoe equivalent and I have a vanity covered in fancy perfumes bottles. I don't even have a vanity. I have a bookshelf leftover from college that just happens to fit in the space between my bathroom counter and the wall; that's where my girl crap gets stored.) But this didn't work well, because I usually couldn't commit after just one day. Perfume is, after all, a long term commitment, and that would be like moving with a guy you just met at a concert the night before.

So one time I asked if they had a sample, and lo and behold, the Sephora lady pulls out the drawer underneath the display and ::hallelujah:: there are thousands of tiny spritz bottles in there just waiting for her to fill with any of the hundreds of perfumes they carry. The first time, I didn't feel guilty.

But yesterday, after quietly asking "do you guys have samples?" for oh, I don't know, about the sixth time in three years, and then getting two to go, I did feel a little twinge of guilt, like I was ripping them off. (You can, too, all you have to do is ask nicely.) So, I'm considering buying Lavanila Vanilla Coconut if I get any money gifts at Christmas. It's quite lovely, actually, warm and sensual and I feel special when I wear it. That's what a good perfume should do. I highly recommend their line...it smells a little sweet out of the bottle, but give it a little while to settle in and it's not quite so cotton candy. It blooms very nicely. They also have a baby line...I'm thinking of trying it.

So, it's not stealing if they offer it, right? And to my credit, I always buy my perfume from there when I do decide to take the plunge. Hope this is a useful tip for any of you who have perfume-commitment issues like myself!

Tag...You're It!

So my friend Ingrid (and I can say that...we've totally Skyped) over at her adorably pink blog Avery and Me tagged me in a fun bloggy-buddy game to "get to know your fellow blogger". I think today is the perfect time to respond, since I'm kind of busy and emotionally drained. It's a quick recharge for me and I don't have to come up with a topic!

So here goes:

1. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? I am complicated. It changes from time to time, but I will admit that twice in the last 6 weeks I have had a double scoop of Ben and Jerry's Bonnaroo Buzz and Chocolate Therapy. I think Chocolate Therapy says it all.

2. What was the worst job you've ever had? Although I'm cheesy and think every job is a learning experience, it would have to be selling Cutco Knives. You know, like, the door to door presentation/referral based business. It was kind of high pressure and cultish, and they didn't pay me my last commission check, which caused me to literally flip my lid in front of my brand new college suitemates. After that I became known as "the one who kicked her shoe through the window."

3. Best vacation you ever took? My honeymoon. Best decision we ever made was to stay stateside and visit San Fran, drive up Highway 1 along the rocky beaches, cross over to Napa and Sonoma, and end up in a very high end boutique hotel in Sausalito. AWESOME vacation, and we're considering a repeat for our big anniversary next year.

4. What's your dream job/career? My dream career does not exist. I would LOVE to be a wedding planner/florist/decorator. I would be SO AWESOME at it. I deisgned and made the flowers for my own and my sis' wedding. But unfortunately, I gave up working weekends long ago and I don't know many brides that want to get married Monday-Friday b/t the hours of 9-5, so it really is a dream job!

5. Who was your favorite teacher and why? I had some really great elementary teachers, but I have to say my high school drama teacher, Doug Patterson, made the biggest impression on me. He took me to the big apple for the first time and introduced us to really cutting edge theatre (back then) like Rent and Stomp. I directed a full-length play in high school with minimal faculty participation and just had a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about myself.

Now I'm supposed to nominate some people to participate. I'm going to go out on a limb here and actually nominate a NON-MOM-BLOGGER!

1) Melissa from In The Short Rows (if you want a glimpse into the life of a real farmer, here it is.)
2) Also, my newest reader who is responsible for introducing me to the Working Mommy Network, D from Dearinger Diary
3) Finally, Christine from A Mama Stork Knows, b/c OMG! You guys HAVE to click and go see this pic of 10 month old Rosemary...

Recipe Thursday: Banana Cupcakes

Okay, I just made that up, but these are so good I have to share...

Just for you...I'll see if I can remember the recipe. This is supposed to make 12 muffins, but it always leaves a little extra so I make a couple of those little heart cakes. That's what little man had for his birthday last night and he went to town...at one point he tried to shove the whole thing in his mouth.

Mix together: 3/4 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt (I think it's weird that the sugar is mixed in with the flour, but it works.
In a hand or stand mixer, mash 3 very ripe bananas, then mix in 1 stick of melted butter, and 1 egg room temp. And some vanilla if you feel like it. Once combined, gradually mix in the flour/sugar mixture, and voila.

Bakes at 350 for about 25 minutes (you know, the whole toothpick thing).

I made a buttercream frosting for them, but I'm not good at measuring. I know I let one stick of butter soften, then I "whipped" it until it got fluffy, then added powdered sugar and whipping cream until I felt like it was the right consistency...this is by far my fave frosting and I think I'm even going to use it on his b-day cake now. I also added about 1-2 tsp of vanilla (I measure with the cap...)

Sorry for my recipe "format"...I'm a good cook, but bad at writing crap down! Enjoy! I made them while I was pregnant and had to have them again. It's probably why JTD loves bananas so much!

How Should I Spend My Lunch Break?

Because my second guest blog post is up! YAY!

I was really excited to guest blog for Anne at AJD+3! Her blog is great...if you need motivation, see her! She put herself through undergrad and law school as a single parent, found a wonderful, wonderful husband who brings her treats "just because he thought she would want some chocolate today", and she recently completed a 5K!

So, here it is, my guest blog while she's busy settling in to a new place:

http://www.ajdplusthree.com/2010/06/we-have-guest-its-last-splash-time.html

Since I wrote this last week for her to use when the unpacking became a little too time-consuming, instead of blogging, I have my choice of what to do on my lunch hour: take my car over to the auto shop half a mile away and have an inspection and oil change, or go get a pedicure?

Hmm....the tough choices we have to make in life!

Damn you, Kelley!

So, ladies...

Kelley from Kelley's Break Room has nominated me for an award, the Sunshine Award. Here it is:

This has thrown a kink in my hyper-scheduled week. Since I'm going out of town later this week and probably will take a blog-hiatus unless anyone I know wants to shoot me a quick guest-blog, and today I'm having lunch with a friend (I seriously just almost wrote friend with a lunch...that would be a little yikes) I am now forced not only to try to bang this acceptance speech/nomination post in the next 10 minutes one-handed while trying to lean against my desk with one pump-receptable squishing my boob, but I also realized that I have never read Kelley's blog.


Big mistake: or maybe not. See, I'm kind of at the limit of how much of my free time can really be spent reading blogs, but hers is a crack up. Seriously, I was sitting in my office literally LOLing (I type it all the time, but rarely am I actually laughing aloud, sitting alone in front of a computer screen). For proof, check out this post about everyone's favorite topic, public restrooms: http://http://kelleysbreakroom.blogspot.com/2010/06/top-5-things-i-need-from-my-public.html .


And now you know. So what's this award about? Apparently, I keep it light and loose around here, with only the occasional Libertarian rant popping in. That's my goal, is to make people LOL (like, for realz) so I'm glad that it's working! I don't know if I have time to pick 12 because the one-handed linking process is not going to smoothly for me, but here are people whose blogs make me laugh. Sometimes only on the inside, sometimes out loud, and sometimes I just smile and nod because what they say is SO TRUE. Hope you enjoy!


http://http://helmstheblog.blogspot.com/ If any of you "know" Helms on the Bump, then you know she's hilarious, polarizing, controversial fun. Love her or hate her, she doesn't care, so you might as well laugh along with her.


http://http://imo-fwiw.blogspot.com/ This girl is like my blogging sister. We don't know each other in real life, but I'd say her online thoughts are the most like mine. She's funny, she likes to talk about boobs, and she nails sarcasm to the wall like it's her bitch.


http://blessedmommaandwife.blogspot.com/ Elizabeth is a different kind of blogging sunshine. She is strong in her walk with the Lord, and I appreciate reading her poignant, very well-written and thought out posts. Plus her son is just adorable to look at, especially when he's wearing his "lock up your daughters" onesie.


http://mom-nom.com/ Tiffany has the most popular, well-known blog on my list. If you like your giveaways with a dash of saltiness, she's your girl. An experienced mom who can give experienced mom advice yet also has a Post Label for "Shit my kid says". Priceless.


http://mandaphilly.blogspot.com/ And finally, the best for last, my dear friend Amanda. Reading her blog will change your mind about what it means to be a single, teenage mom. Now, as an old almost 31-year old geezer myself, sometimes I have to sift through the Text-speak... (Um, I don't Twitter and my phone is a simple pay as you go plan *gasp*.) but it is well worth it to see into this strong woman's soul and see that just like the rest of us, she is simply trying to do the best thing for her family.


So, I hope you enjoy those ladies, and I hope they find this award, because I do not have time this week to let them know about the nomination. Oopppssss.....

Some Assorted News

So, I don't know why I've been so "secretive" for so long...I mean, I link to my blog on my Facebook page for goodness sakes, so it's not like I'm trying to hide from anyone. With that in mind, I finally put my picture and (ZOMG) my real name on this piece. Now you know something to call me other than "Cannonball" which has never been a nickname of mine except in the Blog-o-sphere. (Boochie or Ali-boo, however, have...)

And other than that, I am at a training this week and have limited internet access, even during our lunches, so I am on a bit of a sort-of blog hiatus. Except, keep your eyes peeled because I will be doing my first guest blogs this week. I'll let my fellow bloggers remain a surprise, and you guys just be on the lookout to see my crazy posts elsewhere! Of course, I'll try to linky so that you don't have to search too hard, but in case I'm busy, you can find both ladies in my blogroll to the right.

Have a great week!

But I Didn't Write a Speech

When I started this blog, I wasn't in it for the fame, or the money (because, um, there is none), or even any recognition. I just wanted a place to share my thoughts about anything. Anything primarily being a new mom to the most adorable little guy ever. And I like that my friends and family can read it, and that people I have met on the internet that know a little (but not everything) about me can get a clearer picture of who I am. And along the way I've found that I rather like the attention.

But I never in a million years expected to be nominated for any awards! This award is simple, really. It's basically a badge of honor passed around from people who read my blog (and like it) to people whose blogs I follow. The rules are this: I tell you seven interesting facts about myself, and then nominate seven people to pass the award to. Hopefully, they will feel like sharing the love right along!

Seven facts about me:

1.) My husband proposed at Krispy Kreme. It was December 22, 2005, and he had gotten a horse drawn carriage ride for us. What he wasn't expecting was the cold and the proximity of the driver and horse's ass. We stopped to warm up with hot chocolate and that's where he did the deed.

2.) I have a phobia of the dentist. Before I found my current dentist, I would hyperventilate while on the phone making an appointment, and then while waiting in the lobby I would start crying. I have to get nitrous oxide for a cleaning and exam. (ALL of the cleaning and exam.) If my current dentist ever moves or retires, I'm screwed.

3.) My first job was selling knives. I worked as one of those Cutco representatives the summer after I graduated High School.

4.) When I first met my husband, I was a total Liberal and he was a die hard Republican. (He's still registered Republican but we both pretty much consider ourselves Libertarians. Well, he doesn't believe that, but I know in his heart he really is.) He couldn't stand to be around me because I thought Al Gore was God and trashed GWB every chance I got. Sparks flew...

5.) I am a girl who truly loves sports. I love Hockey, College Basketball, College Football, Pro Football, and Pro Baseball, in that order of allegiance.

6.) I drive a 5-speed and LOVE it. I know that with one baby and hopes for a little sibling one day, this will probably be my last 5 speed for a good twenty years so I take full advantage.

7.) Every time I travel to a new place, I can picture myself living there. Which is strange because I am very proud of being a North Carolinian and couldn't honestly imagine leaving my family. We live here because it's home and such a great place to raise our family.

Now, I strongly encourage you to read these blogs:
AJD+Three
Feels Like Home
look at the birds...
Maxed Out Mommy
Learning How to Love
IMO: In My Opinion
P and Me

And finally, thanks to Nicci at Changing the Universe for nominating me!