What We Learned (May 18, 2014 edition)

How can we already be into May? Time flies by so fast. What did you learn or experience this week that stood out? Every Sunday the Mamas share their experiences with you - be sure to share with us in the Comments.

Robyn:
1. I have learned what outstanding BBQ is like! Being from Texas, I know my beef and sausage. I've had some good ones before, but nothing beats 'Hard Eight' in Stephenville, Texas. Their brisket fell apart when I tried to pick it up with my fork. An hour later, the food coma was totally worth it!

2. Some people cannot be reasoned with. "Lime of my light with pops and orchids to the angry peddler"
WHAT?!
Exactly, I don't get them either.

3. I've learned that it is now the time to search for a bigger vehicle, considering only one of our cars fits all 6 of us! Nothing new, no payments, and it has to have a third row. Not too much to ask, right?! Thankfully, the hubs is super patient and a good deal finder. Now if only he can please the queen bee. Hmmm. Only time will tell.

Lisa:

1. Unexpected surprise at Hippotherapy!! Turns out Banshee's horse was pregnant! Here is Beauty with her unnamed baby girl:

Beauty and her baby girl

2. This awesomeness happened!! Banshee is carrying her baby brother and using him as a compression vest. It was a really cute sight to see. She was very proud of herself and he was super comfy.

Banshee carrying Cubby

3. We had an interesting but busy week here! We decided to make plans for summer and think about things we want to do. The girls want to plant more flowers in the yard. Cubby just wants food. Sailor wants the moss in the yard to go away. I want to just read without stopping. The wolves want to eat the groundhogs that visit our yard and I've saved a zillion times. It's so hard to stop nature from doing her thing but I NEED to intervene. Sometimes being cruel is a sport, Mother Nature. Take some Midol and relax! ;)

Liz:
1. Classes are over for the semester which is nice for both the students and for the faculty. This year I signed up to teach Maymester, which starts Monday (the Monday after finals end for the regular spring semester). I'm not sure what I was thinking. Actually, I am sure - my parents are coming to visit in June and I didn't want to be teaching face-to-face classes while they were here, so I got it done during Maymester (which ends the day before they get here). This is the first year I've actually realized I need a break from teaching though. I am officially tired. Not like "need a new job" tired, but just..."need a vacation" tired.

2. I was awarded tenure this week which is a great accomplishment. There's a rigorous process we go through at our school where we're reviewed by other faculty and administrators for the 5 years prior to tenure and then the November before tenure all our "stuff" (tests, syllabi, student evaluations, participation on campus/volunteer work, etc.) is evaluated. I'm glad the process is over. And it doesn't mean I can sit back and do nothing, which is what some people think "tenure" means. It simply means I'm "vested" with my company, so to speak.

3. I am loving working as a merchandiser for Chloe + Isabel - their products are great and people seem to really enjoy them when they buy and receive them. I have to keep myself from buying too much product myself though! But can you ever have too much nice jewelry? Really?

Now you - comment below in the Comments area and let us know one thing that you learned or that was exciting or different this week.

Things We Learned This Week (August 4th Edition)

Our first group post! We're excited!

So the prompt is, "What did you learn this week?"

Liz:
1)  I learned I hate car shopping. It makes me anxious. My husband somehow has a 0 credit score. How is this possible? We've bought two houses before. I don't get it. But we are now the proud er...not owners...drivers...payers...of a 2013 Honda Pilot. And it rocks my socks. And Silas decided this week that he likes it too (at first he wanted to "Take ih back and geh our car"). Driving an SUV is way different than driving the Prius. This will take some getting used to.

2)  Sage has slept through the night twice. I'm not sure what's going on. Before he was waking up and going right back to sleep if I changed his diaper. Now...he wakes up, mehs a few times, and puts himself back to sleep. I like it. Become the new norm please. Of course now I can't sleep though.

3)  Coordinating the blog with two lovely mamas is interesting to start off with. I'm a control freak and I'm handing over some to two friends...if anyone sees me freak out, understand why. Love my girls!

4)  Quitting smoking (in May) has made it so much easier to run. I ran for 10 minutes straight (2x in one session) twice this week. And I wasn't dying when I finished. Soaked in sweat, yes, but not cardio dying. Go me.

Lisa:
1) I learned that "see you laters" are just as hard as "goodbyes". Banshee has graduated from her preschool at Kennedy Krieger and during the party, after showing much improvement in behavior and social skills, she shut down on me. No talking, no smiling, just hiding behind me. It was sad. Banshee was not happy that she was done with school and even more unhappy that she wasn't going to see her teachers everyday, just for visits here and there. It was a very hard concept to prepare for and with all the change going on in our lives, I felt horrible that I couldn't shield her from something like this. We will keep muddling through together though. She is much better today!

2) Finding the time to continue jotting down "simple joys" in my Simple Joy journal. Let's face it, the day fills up like crazy for Mamas and the last thing you want to do is pick up a pencil to write down the most enjoyable moment of the day "What do you mean? NOW! When I am in bed!" But, taking the 5 minutes to really think about what made you smile and write down a couple of sentences, is fast becoming an enjoyable experience.

3)Breaking the news of our pregnancy and the sex of the baby. This floored some people, mainly because I am 5 months along and no one knew. We had to keep it secret for a bit, due to some early complications, but Mr.Cubby is determined to stay in there and meet everyone in December. I am panicking a little too...I have no boy gear. Sigh!

4) Being unplugged every once in a while, is not a bad thing. I found the time I had been messing around on Facebook, I used it for other tasks around the house. Mainly, helping to get things ready for our move and ::gasp:: read uninterrupted! Woohoo!

Robyn:
1) For all the BF moms, there has been some controversy over why babies get 'that drunk look' on their faces after BF'ing. You know, the glazed over and half open eyes while their body is as limp as a dishrag while trying to burp? Well, get this! It has been linked to the THC receptors in a baby's brain. (Seriously?!) That's right, breast milk will inadvertently get your baby high! I almost spit out my drink (and hopefully didn't cause you do to the same) while reading this BOGUS article. Hmmm..that must be why my other kiddos are so smart. Because I got them "high" for 10 months. Sheesh!

2) Having a postpartum (gyno) appointment is apparently not the time to multi-task. After being put in a room and being told "It will be a while, there are 3 more ahead of you", I cringed. Not only is this appointment not a favorite, but parking is charged by the half hour. So, I decided to do what any busy mommy would do with our precious time: Multi-task. While breastfeeding, I was on the phone with a cruise line (my kids Christmas present this year. I know, genius idea!). I hear a knock at the door, and in walks the doc. Pretty sure I had the deer in headlights look as my doc asks "So, YOU'RE not ready yet?" Clearly not, doc! Pants still on, drape sitting nicely folded in a square on the exam table, and a baby on the boobie. Here I was, trying to explain to two men (with completely different occupations) what was going on. Let me say that it felt very uncomfortable knowing one wanted to get in my pants, and one wanted to take my money. Good thing I know which one was which!

3) For those with teenagers: There is a new game called Oreo (as explained by my 14 year old). While sitting with a group of friends (guys and girls), one teenager will ask another one "out". Out meaning being to have the BF/GF title at school only. The purpose is to see who really likes who. Yep. That's it. Simple. Hey, no complaints from this parent! This is the only time I'm thankful for my children growing up to be technology geeks. At the age of 14, I was thinking about more than just "going out" with boys. Heck, my mind was in the gutter! I was thinking about doing ______ (Feel free to fill in the blank with comments).

What did you learn about yourself or others this week? We'd love to hear about it in the comments.

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First Time Honda Buyer, Comin' Through!

As our readers may know, I've driven a Prius since 2009. We bought it before the boys were born, before they were even thought of, and it was a great little car. It served us well. Until there were too many Wrights to travel comfortably in the 4-door hatchback of Prius goodness. Liz, Mike, Silas, Sage, and the two Girly dogs could no longer travel happily in the Prius. There was just not enough space. So Daddy and I started looking for a new ride.

After test driving a used Honda Pilot (2011) (among many other vehicles...many. other. vehicles. it was a long day), I felt I had found The One. It had enough seats for everybody and then some. It had third row seating, enough for three others besides us (and not uncomfortably I might add). The third row folded down and there was trunk space for bags and Girly dogs and groceries. The used model I looked at had a backup camera in the rear view mirror. I'm a very kinesthetic person, and to me, it just felt right. Good head space. Good space around the arms. Not cramped.

I needed Mike to drive one before I did anything because, well, he's 6'8" - if he doesn't fit in a car (comfortably), then I won't get it. Last Saturday evening we left the boys with some friends and I took Mike to drive everything on my (short) list of vehicles I liked. Rather than go back to the used dealership I had started at, I suggested we head to the source - an actual Honda dealership. They had to have more used Pilots than a random dealership right?

We pulled in to Gunn Honda and we were surprised - no salespeople were hawking us from the sidewalk. After days of looking at cars, I wondered what was up. We went inside. It was Saturday. 6 p.m. (they closed at 7). Bad us for looking so late (and if you've ever worked retail you're thinking, "I hate those people!"). Everyone was busy. Finally I grabbed an employee who was walking out the door and asked if there was a line or if we should sign in to see someone. He told me he could find me someone and if he couldn't, then he could show us a car. His name was Hugo, and he worked in Internet Sales (as in you indicate interest online and he can/will actually bring you the car to test drive at your work or wherever you need him to). We asked him about used Pilots and he showed us one they had - he also reminded us that the price of this new one was similar in price to a brand new base model. Brand new you say? It can't be.

But it was. Mike got to test drive a 2013 Honda Pilot LX (even newer than the one I did, grumble grumble). And he was pretty excited about it. It had good leg and knee room for him. He did not have to put the seat all the way back to drive - there was actually still some room to move it back (so it could be good for someone even taller). After Mike drove we left because we didn't want to be those people who were even there AFTER the store closed. Hugo asked us to fill out an online financing application and I went back on Monday to talk about financing and to get the Prius appraised. On Tuesday we were finally able to sit with financing and get papers signed.

Watch out now...

Mind you, we went in after Mike got off work and brought two kiddos with us. Hugo hung out with Silas in Gunn's kid-friendly room (NickJr playing, toys galore, lots of stuff to do...I wanted to stay there...) so that we could get everything done. I'm honestly not sure I've ever met a staff that would bend over backwards for us like the Honda staff did. Yes, I know, they're trying to sell cars, but you can tell that the folks at Gunn Honda are appreciative of your business and want to help you reach the goal you have of buying a car you want and can afford. They have the One Price feature where their price is there, displayed in the vehicle, and the staff is salary rather than commission-based. So really you get what you see, which is nice to see at a car dealership.

Our newest family member

So I'm excited to say we've added a 2013 Honday Pilot LX to our family. We're first time Honda buyers and super excited about it. Now comes the period where we learn how to turn off the AC and turn on the radio. That's the worst part of buying a new car isn't it? All your stuff's in a different spot. They explained it all to us, but I think you get so overwhelmed you just stop remembering. But I know how to fold down the seats, and if I fold down all the seats I can fit my bike in there. I could fit a gorilla in there. OK, maybe not, but you get the picture.


I'm excited to learn more about my new car and thankful for all the folks at Gunn Honda for helping us. Now I'm off to learn to park something that's about twice the size of my previous car. Wish me luck...

**And no, nobody paid me to write this. I'm sincerely appreciative and thankful for a good customer service experience. I'm a firm believer that you should always let people know when they're doing a fantastic job.**