From Coffee to the Salamander

Let me explain...I must have coffee in the morning. I am, by now, positive it is 90% in my head, but still, the fact is I must have it. So, first thing I do after getting Hayley up and ready is to start the coffee while I start her breakfast. Seems like a sound plan. So she has her oatmeal and fruit, followed by a not-so-yummy bottle. Then it's time to help me get ready for the day (shower, dress, get a face on). After all this, it is time for a nap (sometimes for me, but in this case, I mean Hayley). After getting her down for a nap, I rush downstairs to wash dishes, clean her bottles, pick up the breakfast mess, start laundry, and then grab 10-15 minutes of computer time before she wakes. 

Then it's back up to get her up and dressed for the day. Now she's ready to play so we have some floor time with toys upstairs for a bit before coming downstairs to get in her jumper and hop away. When she's bored of that, it's usually time to switch the laundry and do some more cleaning, so she tags along. Then it's either lunch (a pureed veggie) or bottle time before the next nap. 

OK, next nap commences so I am either taking a nap myself on the bad days or I am catching up on some work. I also usually make something for lunch at this point. Wake up time again! Now it's back to the jumper for a bit to wake up and stretch. At this point, she usually plays more with the toys on the jumper rather than hopping. One of those toys is a spinning salamander. She loves to make it spin. While I watch in amusement, I realize I have yet to actually drink my coffee. In fact, it's still sitting on the Keurig. Dang. (Full disclosure there are days where I remember it while working and will drink it then. Those are good days.)

Image from http://www.domesticatedmomma.com/

All of that brings me to my point. I miss my brain. I've said it and alluded to it before, but some days I lament the mushiness that remains where a once-functioning brain used to be. All I have now is Mommy Brain. It happens to the best of us, I guess. 

I have artfully-crafted this post many times in my most-favorite thinking place (the shower), and yet, by the time I have a moment to actually compose the words, I am left with a blank stare and idle fingers. (I promise it was supposed to be full of intriguing insights and thoughtful considerations.) Had I not had a brief, striking moment of clarity at 2 a.m. this morning, it may not have been written at all. But while staring at the ceiling and counting the minutes I was wasting, I suddenly thought of many words I tried to think of over the course of the last week. Words I used to use frequently in my vocabulary. (These days, I am lucky to remember "vocabulary".) I suppose it is how nature intends. When you are a mom, your first and largest thoughts must be centered around your child. The next portion is for your significant other/family. And then typically work, household, etc. The last thing you get to use your brain for is yourself. All the more reason to exercise not only your body, but also your mind (does Words with Friends count?).

So I get the reasoning behind my dearly-departed brain, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I guess I have to take solace in what I can still do with it.

Ask me where the favorite paci, cherished Sophie teether, newest favorite toy, or closest bib is, and I can tell you without blinking.

Ask me to spell salamander, and you will probably have some time to go make coffee for yourself.

From Master's Student to Graduate (or From Undergrad Debt to Master's Debt)

Since I mentioned last year (gulp) that I was completing my master's thesis, I thought I'd put together a summary/update/what-the-heck-ever post to tell you a little more about that experience.

In my head (sometimes a scary place, btw), I envisioned a master's education to feel/look like this:

Inquisitive Minds of a Graduate Class (such as Harvard Law). 

In reality (a sometimes even scarier place), it felt and looked a bit more like this:

Monkeys Sitting in a Room Four Hours a Week. And Writing Papers. And Discussing Parts of a Sentence.

Sad, but also, sadly, a bit true. By obligation of the mountain of student debt I now posses, I am required to say I am glad I went. And, truly, I am. Because despite the best efforts of a few misguided professors, a chaotic, in-flux school leadership team, a couple of obstinate classmates, Grammarly, Agile systems, and pregnancy brain, I did learn a few things. And because I am generous and like imparting wisdom, I will share some of what I learned with you. Free of charge. That's a $20k value. You are welcome.

Things I now know, courtesy of/because of/in spite of a master's education:

1. I hate Agile systems.
2. I also hate Grammarly. And, for the record, Microsoft is not always correct when a program suggests changes in text. Please use common sense.
3. Common sense has gone the way of dinosaurs. Or maybe, like unicorns, it just never existed. A figment of the collective imagination.
4. Sometimes you learn far more by talking to and observing those around you than by idly doodling while a professor talks at you. Good and bad, you really can gain knowledge through your surroundings.
5. Depending on the professor, you may also learn more by playing Words with Friends. Unless you cheat. Don't cheat. It's just a game. A game I must always win (ahem, Niki).
6. It is possible to conduct research, write, edit, assemble a presentation, and present a thesis in a period of four weeks. It's just not fun. But, procrastinators can rejoice. Later.
7. Professors aren't perfect. They're people with people flaws. So if a professor doesn't like you because all the young people are stealing their spouse's jobs (and you have been lumped into the young people group)...well, that professor may hold a grudge. Probably nothing to be done about it except try to be better to others than others are to you. And, find out what job was stolen. Maybe it's a good one that you should go after. Hey, it's a dog-eat-dog employment market. Especially for young people. (No dogs were harmed in the composition of this post).
8. Some professors are good. They will go above and beyond the expectations of the class, the program, the school, and maybe even you. Cherish those professors like the last box of Hostess Twinkies. Unlike Twinkies, they won't be around in 100 years.
9. You can never count an opportunity to learn, in whatever form that learning comes, as a waste of time. Stop learning and you stop growing. You might even regress to one the monkeys in the classroom pictured above.
10. I absolutely am grateful for the experience and treasure the connections I made with two fantastic women that I can call role models, leaders, peers, and friends. Hey, we even started a blog. Oops, speaking of said blog, I am pretty sure it's my turn to post. Maybe I could just "repurpose" this post... Unfortunately, I think they may have paid attention to the part of the program about self-plagiarism. 

My Take 3 Ladies. We're Wearing Our Most Expensive Outfits.

Bottom Line: Leadership is an under-valued and under-taught skill. I am glad I have a piece of paper that says I attempted to learn more about it and how to do it better. Even if it is the most expensive piece of paper I own. Except, perhaps, my marriage certificate or my daughter's birth certificate.

From Mentally Blogging to Actually Blogging

Hello out there! I have apparently remained true to my procrastinating self. Exhibit A: my last post (see here) is from nearly a year ago. It's the one that talked about resolutions and procrastinating. Yeah.

Okay, here's the thing. I have blogged entire posts in my head at least twice weekly during that year. So, where are they? Unfortunately, much like the road crews in Charlotte, they ran out of resources to actually make an appearance in the real world. Until now...

Hayley Quinn. You'll see much more of her later, I'm sure.

Enter my precious babe (Hayley--much more on her later). I have decided I just don't have enough to do, and I get way too much sleep so I should start blogging again. (Would you care for another helping of sarcasm?) Really, though, this time. I actually wrote down a list of topics for the posts I already have in my head. Now, I just need to navigate through my mental ball of string and manage the mommy brain syndrome long enough to put them in writing.

Some of my topics are totally offbeat and shallow, but I have plans to expose some personal experiences (some a bit raw and painful) as well. So if you find yourself with nothing better to do on a Monday morning while staring idly at a pile of work or bored in Friday's afternoon traffic, be sure to check back. I'll be here. Writing away. Or changing a diaper. Maybe both. For your sake, I'll try to spare you the details of the latter.

Must go...hear the sweetest sound ever. My Keurig finishing its cycle. For the third time today. I hear they need the business.