Part 1 here, Part 2 here

When last we met (to talk about THIS at least), I was unexpectedly (although really, unsurprisingly...  NFP has rules, people!) pregnant, working 4 jobs, and had been applying for teaching jobs for nearly a year with no luck.  My most recent interviews were in school districts that were both about an hour away, and I never ended up hearing back from either of those schools.  And at this point in the year (November), either somebody was going to have to get sick or get pregnant for me to have a chance.

Well, as luck might have it, I got another call for a position open at a school only 5 minutes from our apartment!  And it was a middle school (my favorite)!  And it was actually full-time!  And the teacher was pregnant and didn't want to return after her maternity leave, so I would actually be under contract, not just substituting!

And I was convinced that I was out of luck again.  Because really, what had I learned from all these interviews?  That nobody wants to hire a wet-behind-the-ears new graduate with no experience outside of student teaching.

Morning sickness was bad.  I was puking more times than I could count every day.  I was starting to get things under control by the time my interview rolled around, only to wake up that morning feeling worse than ever before.  Apparently on top of the morning sickness, I had also caught a stomach bug!  Hooray!

But I had to go to this interview.

So I puked probably 10 times, squeezed myself into the new suit I had bought weeks before John Paul was conceived (I think I was about 10 or 11 weeks pregnant at this point?), and did my best on the interview.  Days later I actually got a call - the job was mine!

Luckily my due date wasn't until a few weeks after school was out for the summer.

What an exercise in trust, huh?  And I certainly needed it - I was so cocky about the fact that I was so qualified that I'd get an awesome teaching job right off the bat.  And we'd obviously postpone kids for a couple of years so Andrew could finish law school, and that would be no problem, right?

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

16 weeks pregnant

Things went a lot more smoothly at that point, although it wasn't exactly the cushiest teaching job...

See, I had inherited a choral program from a very nice lady who seemed to attract some of the less-than-savory characters in the school to her choirs.  For example, one of the groups I taught started out with two of the kids on long-term suspension, one of them (a girl) for smashing another girl's head into a locker and giving her a concussion.  The other one, a boy, had such anger issues that I had to send him out of my classroom one day for throwing a chair across the room.  The girl with anger issues also very frequently complained in class about how racist all white people were, and how slavery was all our fault and we should be apologizing to her for everything we made her ancestors GO through.

So that was fun.

Then there was the time some kids ratted on some other kids in the class for going to McDonald's after school before they had a rehearsal.  They thought I was the one who had snitched (like I really cared? Hardly.), and at the prospect of their punishment (not being able to go to the dance), one of the girls told another that she was going to punch me in the stomach and kill my baby.

So that was cool, too.

Honestly, it was a good place to be for a first teaching job.  My standards stayed low, I worked with some really tough kids and got good experience in those types of situations, and I learned how to work with choirs that had absolutely no training.

I took my 6th graders to Festival (or Assessment, or whatever they called it at that point), and they were pretty terrible but scored higher than any group at that school had for years.  That's how low expectations were.

The position was kind of a revolving door - two teachers before, a group had gone to Festival and performed an original song with a rap section that made fun of a rival school, including profanity.  They got a IV.

37 weeks and looking large

Meanwhile, here I was hugely pregnant with John Paul, and just holding on until the last day of school, at which point I would drive up to Northern Virginia to be with Andrew while he finished up an internship and we waited for John Paul to be born.  And everybody kept saying, "So you're not coming back next year, right?  You're going to stay home, right?"

Um.  Husband in law school.  Zero income.  I'm coming back to work.

And honestly?  I wanted to.  I mean, I wanted to stay home with my kids eventually but just one newborn and me?  I didn't think I could do it.  And when John Paul was born and I got a taste of life with a newborn?

"Newborns nurse every 2-3 hours"  HA!  Not him.  Every 30-45 minutes?

It sounds terrible, but I was really glad I had signed that teaching contract.

Andrew had a year left of law school, at which point we'd see where he found a job.  But for now, I was ready to return to the same job in a new year, with students who actually signed up for my class and not just an "easy A."

Coming up: my 2nd year teaching, moving for Andrew's job, not finding a job again, having Cecilia, finding a job, having the twins, getting pregnant with #5 and quitting teaching... (Read Part IV here)

Kimonos? Are those a thing?

So I was about to press the button and actually add the maxi dress I decided on to my cart a few days ago, when Andrew came along and made a disgusted face at the picture...

Because paisley, apparently.

But Facebook came to the rescue and you guys convinced me that even though he hates the pattern, I can still buy the dress.  So thanks for that!

But then comes the whole "Free shipping over $50" thing and, well, there's gotta be SOMETHING else I need, right?

I joked about a romper.  And then I checked out the romper section and remembered that I had seen a lady at Mass a few weeks ago who was SERIOUSLY rocking a jumpsuit a lot like this one  and, well, I may have been converted.

But alas, they don't make jumpsuits for pregnant ladies.  At least not at Forever 21.

And I don't think I could take myself seriously in a jumpsuit...

And then I remembered this kimono post that I read the other day, and realized that this is actually THE PERFECT article of clothing for a pregnant woman!

Shapeless!

No belly!

Perfect for post-partum, too!

Patterned and quick-drying to hide spit-up!

Plus the designs were reminiscent of  this shirt that's about to get retired due to my increasing girth, and that's a niche I'd like to keep filled because I loooove it...

I narrowed it down to three (which I can't seem to embed images of for some reason):

1. Paisley Kimono (which I would absolutely wear with that see-through lace top) (NOT)

2. Boho Kimono (don't you love that name?)

3. Patchwork Floral Kimono (CROP TOPS!  Perfect for every pregnant mama!)

And ultimately went with #2 in blue because:

1. Blue.  It's what I wear.

2.  Machine washable.

3.  Booty coverage!  I always end up with lines showing in my pencil skirts and prefer to have booty coverage when I wear them anyway, so I'm excited for the long length.

BUT DISASTER STRUCK!!!  It's sold out in every size.  I'm devastated, needless to say.

But I went back and decided on #3 because of all the reviews stating "bum coverage" as a positive.  And I doubt I'll need to wash it that frequently, so maybe I can handle the hand washing...  Or just machine wash anyway.

I added this belt to push it over the $50 edge (and shopped through ebates to get a whopping $1 back!) and in 4-9 business days you can bet I'll be blogging those new clothes!

Our New Normal.

A while back, Maia sent me this book.  And I started reading it and got discouraged and intimidated pretty quickly because life was lacking in order and peace in no small part due to factors beyond our control - I couldn't just up and quit my job (hi there teaching contract!), and the fact that so much of our daily schedule was driven by what time I needed to get to work on THAT particular day was too frustrating for me to even set any sort of routine.

Because how does one set a routine when THIS week, I'm going to work at 11:30 Monday and Friday, 9:30 Tuesday and Thursday, and 10:30 on Wednesday.  And NEXT week it's totally different.

Frustrating.  And one of many reasons why I'm glad that I'm fortunate enough to be staying home with the kids from now on.  So routine - it's going to happen!  But clearly not right away...

We're in our first full week of our new life, and I decided on a whim today to try to start incorporating some sort of purposeful routine.  Sarah's posts always remind me that it is possible to do this!  So I jumped right in.

Always a good idea to make that decision at 8 AM that morning, right?

Of course, Cecilia and John Paul slept until almost 9 (as opposed to their usualy 7/7:30 wake-up time).  Glorious, and they desperately need the sleep, but I had PLANS!

In an attempt to get them to finish breakfast with some semblance of speed, I said that we'd do CIRCLE TIME as soon as they were done eating!

So of course, Mary Claire was whining and chanting, "Circle time! Circle time!" for the next hour while I tried to cajole John Paul into actually eating some of the massive amounts of food he had served himself.  Cecilia decided early on that her tummy couldn't fit any more food, so the twins finished off her fruit.  I tried to clean up the playroom so that we could actually have room to sit in a circle, and gave up on trying to get anyone but the twins dressed.

Then Mary Claire insisted on using the potty (after pooping in her diaper, of course), and ran off to pee on the floor and on her romper once she was done.  All while shuffling through a series of alter egos (Huckle Cat!  Lowly Worm!  Grasshopper!  Nonny!  Sugarlump!) and insisting I address her as such.

Finally I gave up on John Paul's breakfast and we settled down for some prayer, stories, and songs.  Apparently the ONLY thing Mary Claire wanted was to sing the "Circle Time" song that I made up on the spot, because she started sobbing, "CIRCLE TIIIIIME!!!" as soon as it ended.  Meanwhile, John Paul only wants to sit on MY pillow, Elizabeth only wants to sit on CECILIA'S pillow, Mary Claire will only sit in my lap, and Cecilia doesn't want to give up her pillow because it's the only colorful flower pillow!

We finally got things sorted out (Cecilia got the pillow from her bed and let Elizabeth sit next to her, John Paul got my pillow when I stood up to help them, and Mary Claire stayed in my lap, sobbing).  The big kids were receptive for our beginning prayer, Elizabeth was quiet, and Mary Claire...  Well, she's teething and not taking it well, so she gets a pass.

John Paul kept lying down to read a book.  Cecilia just wanted to lie down and pretend to sleep.  Elizabeth wanted to do whatever Cecilia was doing, but Cecilia wanted more space.  And Mary Claire just kept sobbing about "Circle Time."

We finally finished with a prayer, and I asked John Paul and Cecilia if they wanted to do something in their workbooks while I made lunch.  ABSOLUTELY!

I got coloring books and crayons for the babies and got the big kids set with their work, only to realize I couldn't find Cecilia's workbook, and that John Paul was just going to zip through whatever pages he felt like doing at the moment (it's cool, he's waaaaaay above age-level for pretty much everything academic ever).  Cecilia made do with a tracing book but decided she was DONE once she couldn't get her square perfect, so she went off to do stickers with the babies while John Paul finished his breakfast and did every workbook page he could.

On the plus side, I made lunch for EVERYONE with relatively little drama and we all actually got to sit down and eat together!

On the minus side, while we were eating lunch I realized that the big kids and I were still in our pajamas...

First day trying to incorporate a stricter, more purposeful schedule around here... Three of us are still in pajamas, one baby has peed on the floor, one baby sobbed through circle time, and Mary Claire keeps talking about how everybody has a crotch while the other three sing MC Hammer. Nap time yet?

So.

We got through it.  And we'll do it again tomorrow.  And the next day.  And day after day after day, because they will do better, and I'll do better, with some semblance of routine, and some semblance of purpose, and a lot more prayer.  But it's not all happening in one day, that's for sure!

Summer Maternity Style + WIWS

I'm in such an awkward clothing stage right now...  Most of my transitional wardrobe is beyond fitting, but a lot of my maternity stuff is just not working yet - it's pretty much either too warm or too tent-like.  I have found a few pieces that work right now, but I also just sent a BUNCH of stuff to ThredUp because there was just no sense in keeping it anymore when I don't ever ever EVER want to wear it.

See, the problem is, when I was pregnant with John Paul I shopped for maternity clothes that made me look HUGE, because I was so excited to be pregnant and WANTED to look huge!

Yeah, not the best idea.

Then I had Cecilia in January, so I had a bunch of fall & winter maternity clothes but not much for summer.

And with the twins, I pretty much wore that same stuff but didn't particularly like it...

So right now I'm figuring out what gaps I need to fill in my maternity wardrobe, and what I can skip in maternity and just buy in regular sizes!

This shirt (H&M when I was post-partum with John Paul - so flowy and awesome!) is about to be retired for the remainder of the pregnancy, since there is LITERALLY nowhere else for my belly to go in it...

Jersey Pencil Skirt - comes in solids and prints!  And also comes in maternity!

But the pencil skirt is still working surprisingly well!  Old Navy totally wins here - I've been wearing it since last summer and have had no issues with pilling or anything.  I think I'll probably look for it in a size up and in a different color, although they have maternity sizes too.

Maternity tank tops (or regular in a size up) + belly bands have been extending the life of some of my skirts, but there's only so much further they can go!

I love my old Target tanks (sized up) and Old Navy maternity tank tops - they've lasted through the last two pregnancies and post-partum phases really well, plus they're stretchy so they're nice and nursing-friendly!  Awesome layering pieces, and nice and long too.

Elizabeth was the only one awake early enough to come to Mass with me, and she was so SO excited!  We only had to leave the pew once, and she mostly just very loudly told me about all the animals in her Noah's Ark book, so I'll take it as a win.

Here's an example of an awesome but troublesome piece in my closet right now - this dress is J. Crew via Twice and is one of my absolute favorites!  Shapeless enough that a belt in the right place makes it perfect for post-partum and early pregnancy, zipper down the front makes it nursing-friendly, and the fabric works for fall, winter, and spring.  Buuuut not really summer...  And my belly's getting big enough that the dress is now just a little too short for comfort, especially when picking up babies all day!

But seriously, those stripes are amazing - look at that belly-hiding camouflage!

I'm still on the hunt for a great maxi dress, but I'll keep you posted!

Linking up with Fine Linen & Purple for WIWS.

Why I Worked: Part 2

For Part 1, click here

So here I was in college, getting the very practical degree I wanted, on a beautiful campus, with awesome people around me.

I did a lot of really important things, like dress up like a ninja and febreze the boys' rooms on our hall:



Dress up in crazy outfits for our weekly "Hump Day" dance parties in a friend's dorm room:



Audition for American Idol with my sister (we didn't make it):



And just generally have a fun college experience that didn't involve getting drunk or doing drugs or any of those "typical" college experiences.

Along the way I still knew that this was definitely the major for me, and definitely the career for me - every experience I had teaching cemented that, which made life a lot easier!  Meanwhile, Andrew added a history major and decided that maybe singing wasn't the way he wanted to make his living...  So it started looking like maybe I *wouldn't* need to work forever, and he might end up with a promising career making loads of money doing...  Something?

He graduated and took a year to work.  I returned to school for my Junior year with an engagement ring on my finger!

He decided to apply to law school, and ended up at William and Mary in Virginia.  I started researching jobs in the area and realized that there really weren't a ton of schools around there...  But I was going to HAVE to get a job, because we couldn't just live off of student loans and love!

I started sending out applications in January of 2008, planning our wedding and planning for my graduation in the process.



Not a single bite.  Teaching certification and a degree from one of the best universities in the country, and nobody wanted me.  Nobody was hiring music teachers ANYWHERE!

Meanwhile, friends were getting job offers left and right.  People who weren't constrained by location could go ANYWHERE and get a teaching job!  People like me who were limited to one geographical area that wasn't heavily populated?  Not so much.

I graduated.  Still no job.



We got married.  Still no job.



We went on our honeymoon in Jamaica and I got a call from the local school district asking me for a phone interview!  They suggested it for the day that we were driving all my stuff from Chicago to Virginia, but I figured I'd stop at a rest stop for the interview.

Meanwhile, we paid like $70 in roaming charges so that I could set up the interview...

I had my interview (while driving somewhere in Ohio, because I waited at a rest stop for an hour and they never called, so we got back on the road) and it went really well - they called me in for an in-person interview!

I had the interview, and it went really well.  The principal loved me, and talked about all the ways that they'd be able to help me get ready for the upcoming school year, and I impressed him with all my philosophical knowledge of music education.  The department chair seemed unimpressed and unfriendly, but honestly?  He was a high school band director.  I didn't take it personally ;)

Weeks went by.  No call.  I finally called to find out if there had been any decision, and they were shocked that HR hadn't informed me the position had been filled.  Don't you love it when they just leave you in the dark like that?

So we got ready for Andrew's upcoming school year and I kept filling out applications for school districts that were farther and farther away...  I had a few interviews, but nothing panned out.  And suddenly the school year was starting and I was still jobless.  

I filled out a profile on an online babysitting website and immediately had job offers.  I started working two babysitting jobs, and added a job at a local tutoring center on top of that.  Andrew and I decided that he probably needed to keep his church job in Washington, D.C. because that money would *really* help pay the bills, and they offered me a spot in the choir too.  So we commuted to DC every weekend and I still had NOTHING to show for my very, very expensive teaching degree.  

Talk about depressing.

Then, after 4 months of marriage and some very half-hearted NFP practicing, we found out we were pregnant.

And we were terrified.

No insurance, no actual job (or job prospects), and a baby on the way.

To be continued... (Part III here)