Back at It

I have had a wonderful break from work. A glorious week, paid, that didn't require the use of any hard earned vacation or sick days. 

I really started to enjoy the stay-at-home-mom role. We fell into a routine, which often involved sleeping until 9am and taking a 2-3 hour afternoon nap. Yes, both of us.

I was able to keep the house clean, cook a few meals, play with a doll house, and stay in my pjs until about 11.  It was awesome.

I know there must be more to this than what I have experienced.  There is the great and lasting debate about which is more difficult: working mom or staying at home mom. So, what am I missing?

Sure, we've had our rough patches. Naps weren't always the easiest, and sometimes I just wanted to skip the laundry and clothes folding for something a little more, fun. Like a Grey's Anatomy marathon.

Perhaps the difference is that this was just a week. It was a week were I was home, but we still had 2 incomes. I suppose true SAHMs do things like pay the bills and balance the checkbooks and clip coupons and stuff. And have play dates in the park, and power walk. And make their children geniuses. All things I seem to have no interest in.

Well, except the child genius part. We're getting there. She almost knows her right and left. Sometimes. By accident.

Ok, so maybe I'm not cut out for this...

Creature of Habit

I cannot make decisions. Period.

When I'm getting ready for work in the mornings, rarely do I wear the first thing I put on. Unfortunately, I've found myself doing this with my child as well. However, I've learned that Ansley doesn't care if the skirt makes her thighs look fat, and, sometimes, it's better to let her go unmatching than hog tying her to change her clothes.

Probably the biggest decision I have is knowing what I want to eat. This is how a typical conversation between me and the hubs goes:

Me: "Hey, let's go out to dinner." Him: "Ok, what do you want?" Me: "Hmm. I don't know. What do you want?" Him: "You made the suggestion, so you obviously had something in mind." Me: "How about Moe's?" Him: "That sounds good." Me: "We don't have to go there. We can go somewhere different." Him: "Moe's is fine. Do you really want Moe's?" Me: "I don't know. I was kinda thinking I was in the mood for some chicken. How about Chick-Fil-A?" Him: "Ok, that's fine." Me: "No, let's just go to Moe's" Him: "Are you sure?" Me: "Yeah. Just go to O'Charlies."

When we were picking baby names, I flip flopped about 17 times.

And picking a movie, forget it.

I cannot make decisions. It's almost impossible for me to do so. And many times, I end up avoiding whatever decision needs to be made (minus having to pick out an outfit. Avoiding that decision would mean running around naked, and even though I've cranked out a baby and have had people I've never met help me use the bathroom, naked is out.).

Which is why when I'm faced with big decisions, I tend to stick with what is known. What is comfortable. What isn't a stretch.

Ok, not even big decisions. Little ones too. Like I rarely order something new from a restaurant. Because I know I like it. And I'm too worried I'm not going to like something else.

And if I find a shirt I like, I tend to go back and buy it in every color. Because it isn't a stretch for me in the mornings to decide what to wear. When Old Navy had the super soft rouched V-neck shirts, I had like seven of them.

I always get the same haircut. I spent most of my time at Walmart in the shampoo section trying to decide what kind I want to use, only to ultimately buy what I always do.

But now, we've got to make some decisions. And I can't just avoid them.

I've got to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. I've got to decide if I want to try and sell our current house, and buy one that is cheaper, allowing us to save more money. And I can't decide.

And, I've got to decide what to do for Ansley's first birthday party. Zoo? Aquarium? Baseball game? Park? Nothing big because she won't remember it anyway?

And, I've got to decide when that first haircut should happen. Cause, that little side-sweep of her bangs is only going to work for so long.

Vogue

Today, I'll let my love do the talking.

After a brief description.

On Black Friday, I stumbled upon a Nikon digital SLR package. It included two lenses, the bag, a software package and a bunch of other stuff. It was a great deal, even though I'm pretty sure it cost more than my engagement and wedding rings combined. But, I'm hoping that it will eventually pay for itself.

So, enjoy these pictures, and hopefully you'll understand why I love my camera.

Now, I understand I'm not an amazing photographer, but I have two things going for me:

1. I used to work for a newspaper, therefore I can call myself a "published photographer," and

2. A friend used one of my photos as her Facebook profile pictures. That has to mean you're good, right?

Make that 3. My camera has amazing color on it, and though I haven't figured out all the gadgets on it yet, I can tell it to figure it out for me, and it makes wonderful adjustments.

I do love photography, though I don't have as much time for it as I would like. I hope to eventually get into some studio and wedding work, but that's pretty far down the line.

What about you? What is something you LOVE doing and hope to, or already are, making some bank on it?