The Most Important Job You Can't Put on A Resume

Unfounded Guilt

As my husband has recently picked up a second job so we can make more progress financially, I’ve been battling feelings of guilt I know I shouldn’t be having. I feel like I should be contributing more. It is a financial sacrifice to be a full-time mom. I’m blessed to have opportunities to freelance as a copywriter but as is the nature of freelancing, that income is never consistent or reliable. And as I watch my husband work incredibly hard and come home exhausted each day the scale seems uneven. But it isn’t. And I know that.

Neglected Stacks of Pencil Skirts

Admittedly I sometimes miss my pencil skirt days when I contributed intellectually all day long, saw immediate results from my hard work, and impressed impressive individuals. I look at the portfolio I worked tirelessly to create and the experience I constantly chased after to have a well-rounded resume and sometimes feel as if they were just a part of an obstacle course I didn’t actually end up getting through.

 However, I’ve been trying to give myself all the massive amounts of credit that is due for having the most important job yet in one of the most important and influential industries: Motherhood.

Job Position: Proud Mother

The job title of “mom” is the most prestigious of any I’ve ever held. The duties that come along with the title are the most difficult I’ve ever been asked to fulfill but the benefits far out way all of the associated costs. My pay is the smile on my child’s face and the satisfaction of knowing the work I do is a good one. I don’t receive bonuses or reviews. I never find myself in the lime light being praised by my superiors. I wear yoga pants and v-neck t-shirts, not high heels and business blazers. Instead of keeping up with the latest media trends and reading my bi-monthly edition of Ad Age I sing along with Sesame Street and read Dr. Seuss.

But at the end of a day full of 5 diaper changes, 6 nursing sessions, 3 messy-faced meals, 4 outfit changes, 2 head to toe lotion sessions for his eczema, 1 wet bath that leaves the bathroom and myself doused, and fewer check marks next to my To-Do list as I would like, I sneak into my child’s room one more time before I sleep and look into a crib where lies the greatest work I've ever done. 

Tuesday Tid Bits 04/22/14

Jude

- Jude’s Mexican heritage is manifesting itself in his new favorite foods: black beans and guacamole! When feeding it to him, he isn’t satisfied unless he’s got a good amount of it in his mouth at all times.

- Jude had his first visit from a very cute Easter bunny (aka Grandpa Fender). Somehow grandpa got a hold of a head-to-toe Easter bunny suit. When he came down the hall in the suit Jude just studied him for a while and then gave his big bunny face a nice little stroke and smiled. He must be too little to know that such things can be possibly terrifying.  

As cheesy and posed as this picture may seem, this is real life. It's safe to say the kid is loved. And his mamma LOVES that. :)

- He is finally sleeping through the night better after a couple of uncharacteristic, rocky weeks. It just took his parents being more stubborn then him and letting him cry it out until he fell back asleep. Which is hard yes, but what’s even harder is being an exhausted parent (well, more exhausted then usual I guess). 

Arianna and Michael

- Michael dressed up as a Nephite from the Book of Mormon for a presentation in the Primary on Sunday. In character (and not to mention a skirt, OK, loincloth) he gave an account of the Savior. He was a big hit and had to wander around the Church full of people in their Easter-best for the next hour and a half looking like a Native American. However, I think he has reached a whole new level of coolness with the 11 year-old boys he teaches in Sunday school.

- We have a pet goose that lives and nests on top of our carport every spring. Her name, according to Michael, is Gooseman and according to Michael she is Mexican because of coarse that is where she migrates from (he’s just making stuff up). We say "hi" to her every time we get into our car and yesterday her ducklings hatched. What a cute little nature scene we have from outside our top bedroom window! 

- We took the opportunity a couple times this week to “salsa dance” as a family in the kitchen. It was of coarse our own interpretation and completely goofy and I am surprised nobody ended up injured. When Michael and I are old and all the kids are out of the house maybe we will be one of those funny couples who go Latin dancing every weekend at Club Ol’ Fart. I hope so. J

- I planted my “garden” on Saturday. I am going for an English garden-feel this year. As much as you can make a 12x4 foot space feel English-garden-y.  The inspiration is probably thanks to my BBC English films I’ve been watching as I feed Jude. I’ve never been really into chick-flicks but boy do I get embarrassingly giggly when I watch a good Jane Austen novel film. Anyways, hollyhocks have always been a favorite so, hollyhocks it is! Loved getting dirty. As dirty as you can get in a 12x4 foot space. ;)

It was also my birthday and I got totally spoiled.  My husband and dad surprised me with a shopping spree which I had at J Crew (my new favorite). I bought this tunic and several other things I really needed to be more age/mommy appropriate. 

As we say at our house, "Happy Easters" (for those of you who don't get the reference,  consider spending some time with our dear friend Nacho Libre).

Tuesday Tid Bits 04/15/14

Jude

- Had his first zoo trip. His favorites were the monkeys, which is very appropriate because he looks like a little monkey himself and has lately been just as busy as one. He gets in moods where he will wiggle just to wiggle, a great workout for anyone trying to hold him.

- Started playing the game where if you do something like shake your head he will go back and forth imitating you.  

- Was a celebrity at church as always. 

- LOVES his snuggle and play time with Grandma and Grandpa Fender. And I LOVE to be a spectator!  It’s so rewarding as a mother to see my child build a relationship with my parents. 

              

            I can't upload all my pictures/videos from my camera so we only have those from my not-so-nice phone right now.

Arianna & Michael

- Discovered the perfect date for moms and dads who aren’t up to going out for date night and are more in the mood for just hanging out in bed. Michael and I got onto Google Earth and gave each other tours of some of our favorite places we have traveled. Google Earth is so cool because you can quite literally walk the streets of wherever in the world you want and snuggle your husband all the while! He showed me some of his favorite and not-so-favorite places he served his mission giving commentary like, “And that was THE BEST pizza restaurant, we would go there all the time!”

I showed him my favorite spots in New England including Sleepy Hollow, NJ where my mother and I wondered an old cemetery on a perfectly foggy and spooky fall day. We also walked the streets that my little brother is currently roaming in Fukuoka Japan. Afterwards we felt like we had gone on a mini trip and had come to know each other and the things we had experienced before “us” a lot better.

- Michael got awarded Employee of the Month. He works at a large health care facility as the HR Manager. He gets nominated all the time but because he is in charge of giving the award in the staff meeting he never chooses himself. So this time around they surprised him by making him read a sheet of facts like, ‘This person is always kind and optimistic and has a genuine concern for others etc.”, thinking he was describing someone else. After he was done they told him that it was him. 

Less then 6 months into his employment with Rocky Mountain Care he received the Legendary Employee Award, which is only given annually. My man is on fire!

 
- We had a great weekend together which involved exploring an old cemetery in SLC complete with spooky crypts and deer snuggled up against head stones, driving through our dream neighborhoods and choosing our favorite old houses, and going on sunshiny walks. 

-   - Michael made Jude and I animal pancakes like my daddy used to do for me on Saturday mornings growing up. Here is his rendition of a giraffe. :)

Tuesday Tid Bits 04.08.14

Jude

- Jude has never been a worse sleeper. Mikey and I are sporting some nice bags underneath our eyes as a result. He has always been great at sleeping (we’ve used the Baby Wise schedule) so this past week we’ve had a wake up call (pun intended) for how spoiled we have been. I’m assuming it is teething. He got his first two teeth over a month ago so he is probably due for some more. He loves getting his teeth brushed. I say, “Ahhhh zebenya benizenama” (there is probably a 99% chance you sing it differently) and he opens his mouth up wide for a good scrub, smiling all the while.

- Many know that Jude has been coughing for attention for months now. He learned dangerously early on how to ‘work it’ to get attention. Right now he just thinks it is funny and it makes him smile when I react to his coughs but I am trying to get out of the habit of giving him too much attention when he does it because I don’t want him to be one of those kids that constantly says, “Moooom, I’m siiiick.”

- Jude had his first little fever. Mamma hit the books on how best to treat it and we kicked it to the curb quickly. Likely another sign of teething.

- Jude and mom have been starting each day off with some Michael Jackson and dancing in the kitchen. Your day cannot go wrong when it is begun with the King of Pop, folks. Man he is good.

Arianna & Michael
- I mixed melted chocolate with some of Jude’s baby food and (no, I did not feed it to him!) put it in one of his diapers. I then placed it in Michael’s underwear drawer and waited in anticipation for him to find it as he exclaimed, “Oh, what the heck?” T’was a classless April Fools joke.

- Last night I went to a Cardio Barre class with one of my girlfriends, Mallory. It is a ballet infused cardio workout and it is owie. However it feels good to exercise so much self-discipline that you wake up hurting head to toe the next day (OK, let’s be honest, I was hurting the second I left the class).

- We had a family movie night on the living room floor and our little Juders passed out between the mamma and daddy. We had a good family sandwich snuggle.

- We were naughty and went on a milk shake run late last night. We sat in the car as we talked and ate them and Jude snoozed in the backseat. 

- We spent time with our friends Camille and Dustin Wiggins last Thursday. We ate homemade sushi and ended the night with live violin music courtesy of Camille and a not-so-authentic/interpretation of an Irish jig by Michael. Haha The following night we joined Kamille and Brandon Bonnet for some yummy Belgium waffles.

- As always, Arianna has a big crush on Michael.