G is for Glasses

My husband and I both wear glasses. Almost everyone on both sides of our families wear glasses.  So….we didn’t have high hopes that our son would escape unscathed. 

When I took A to his 4 year physical his pediatrician did a simple eye exam, which my son proceeded to fail miserably :(  I had no idea that an eye exam was part of this visit and I had actually come prepared to ask his doctor when we should take him to the ophthalmologist.  Of course as soon as he failed she referred us to see one immediately.  I got him an appointment within the next week or two and the doctor told us he had a bad astigmatism and needed to wear glasses.

What surprised me the most wasn’t so much that he needed glasses (we knew he was probably going to need them eventually) but that we saw no outward signs that he was having difficulty seeing.  There was no squinting, no complaining that things were blurry and his teachers saw no signs either.  It’s probably because he didn’t know what he was seeing was blurry - to him it was all normal.  When he put on his glasses for the first time my heart broke just a little as he turned to me and said “Mommy, everything is so clear!”  It pains me to think about how he’s been going through life looking through a blurry piece of glass. 

It’s only been 3 days and I’m amazed at how well he’s adjusted.  Barely any complaints and he’s good about taking them off for nap time and bed time.   When he went to school yesterday his teachers told him he looked like Clark Kent, which of course made my little superhero very, very happy.   I’m sure it’s because he realizes how much keeping them on helps him, but whatever the reason is I’m not complaining and hope it continues.

not so happy at the eye doctor

our little Clark Kent!

a celebratory hibachi dinner to celebrate his new specs!!

now he looks even more like daddy!!

Mommy and A have matching pairs

Celebrating Mothers

Happy Mother’s Day to all my fellow Moms out there!  Today is a day to celebrate both ourselves and the generations before us.  From kissing boo-boos, checking the closet for monsters, wiping away the tears and celebrating the wins.  We are the reason for all of it.     

I hope everyone has a relaxing day with their families.  Cheers to us all! 

Cranberry Apple Pork Loin Roast

I was searching on the web one night looking for ideas to prepare a pork loin I had gotten on sale at the food store.  I came across this recipie and decided to give it a try.  It was an easy one to make in the slow cooker while I was at work and came out so delicious! 

Cranberry Apple Pork Loin Roast

Ingredients:

• 1 (3 to 4 lb) boneless pork loin roast
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can whole cranberry sauce
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c apple juice
• 2 apples, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Place roast in slow cooker; rub all over with the minced garlic.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. Pork should be about 160° when fully cooked.
3. Serve with rice.

Way to Go Sheryl!

Yesterday CNN posted an interesting article about Sheryl Sandberg – the COO of Facebook. (check out the article HERE) It talked about how for the past couple of years Sheryl has left work at 5:30 to have dinner with her kids.  Sounds like a silly topic to write an article about, right??  Wrong.  Many working moms (including myself) find that there still exists a stigma if you leave the office before 5:30.  I’ve heard people joke “working a half day today, huh?” as I walk out of the office.  What business is it of theirs!   What isn’t apparent to others is that although I leave at 5:00 (most days) my work doesn’t stop.  I work through my lunch, work from the train and plug back in after my son goes to sleep to get my work done.  :::sigh::: Why do I feel the need to justify my hours?

The article talks about how “long hours and constant availability are taken as proxies for commitment and competence”.  Like the author, I find it to be quite the opposite.  Flexible working can promote productivity & commitment.  I find that I’m more productive during the day since I know I have to get out at a certain time.  What about the people who are doing personal errands during the day or playing on facebook?  Just because they stay until 7pm to make up the time they goofed off during the day doesn’t make them a better employee.

 I do find in my profession that most people come in late & work late, it’s just the nature of our business.  If you’re not in the office at 7 pm then you’re viewed to not be working hard enough.  Before I was married, working until 7 or 8 pm was my norm.  But everything changed when I had a family and I’m very lucky my job accommodated the change.  Overall, my philosophy for both myself and the people who work for me is that as long as you can get your work done I don’t’ care if you do it from outer space.

It’s sad that we as society have to write an article congratulating ourselves on spending time with our family.  It should be a given.  I applaud Sheryl for being open about her priorities and urging others to follow her lead, however I can’t help but wonder that if this was a man would we even be talking about it?

Fantastic Four?

As I sit here on the eve of my son’s 4^th birthday I can’t help but think of this moment 4 years earlier:  laying in my hospital bed apprehensive for what the next day would bring, scared of the induction, but most of all anxious to finally meet the little man that had been kicking my belly for so long.

Can it really be 4 years already?  People always tell you how fast kids grow up, but I’m really feeling it this year.  I only have one more year before he starts kindergarten and I am already dreading it. 

So much has happened in the last 4 years – good and bad.  As much as I don’t want him to grow up fast, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to leave 3 safely behind us.  It’s been an extremely challenging year and Anthony has tested my patience in ways I wasn’t expecting.  I’ve heard 4’s referred to as the “fantastic fours” so please, please let that be true. 

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Anthony, you are growing into such a funny, warm, smart and caring boy.  I don’t like that you worry, since that’s supposed to be my job (yes, you’ve told me that you worry about everything). Your job is to be carefree and enjoy the simple things in life.  You amaze me every day at just how bright you are and I am so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.  My wish for you this year is for you to be proud of yourself and come out of your shell a little bit more.  You are such a sweet boy (when you’re not driving me crazy, ha!) and you can accomplish anything when you put your mind to it.  You are my heart and soul.  I love you.

A Quarter Closer

Usually I dread the end of the quarter.  It’s a crazy time at work (more so than usual) and is filled with deadlines, meetings and a sprinkle of panic.

But as March passes me by I’m proud that I’ve kept up with Project 365.  I feel that my photography is growing and I’m not as stumped for pictures each day as I thought I might.  I decided that for just the month of April I’ve added another layer to the mix and am participating in April’s picture of the day.  So much fun so far!

A Break from it All

It’s started to become an annual tradition to visit my mom in Florida the first week in March.  Since my hubby doesn’t get very much vacation time, just A and I fly down and it’s our little vacation together.  A mommy and son bonding week.  While it now feels like it was 6 months ago rather than 3 weeks ago, we had a great time soaking in the sun. 
 
Last year A was so afraid of the water, both the ocean and the pool.  Only on our last day did he finally warm up to the pool.  Boy, what a difference a year makes.  This year we got to the beach and he ran right into the surf without hesitation.  There was my big guy, jumping in the waves and asking me to take him out deep in the ocean so he can “see the waves close up”.  I was taken aback.  Who was this kid and what had he done with my son?!  Over the course of the week I watched as A fell in love with the ocean.  It was so captivating. 

We took a couple day trips to Busch Gardens and to LegoLand where we rode rides and played until the parks closed.  The rest of the week was spent swimming, playing in the sand, splashing, and looking for shells.  The only way it could have been better would have been if my husband had been there to share in those moments.  But otherwise it was pretty darn perfect.