Graduation and What's Next...

It's official! I am beyond excited that all my hard work has finally paid off and I have completed 1500 hours in the state of Michigan to get my cosmetology license. I still have to go and take my boards but I am planning on getting that out of the way as soon as possible. There is nothing worse than being out of school and the salon in limbo for months and then going back and trying to take your boards. Even though I don't plan on jumping right into a salon until after these babies are born I want to get it done while everything I have learned is still fresh in my mind. Here are some pictures from my last day of school.

What's next?  Well I am thinking I will start designing full-time again creating websites, business cards, blogs, etc...It's what I love to do in my free time so while I'm home and now have the time to focus on bigger custom projects why not? It will be extra income for the household and it doesn't require me standing on my feet for 8hours a day. I also have been thinking once I have these babies I'm going to return to school, but to finish my bachelor's degree in graphic design YAY! I'm excited and can't wait the future is looking bright from here.

19 Weeks Pregnant (Twins)

How far along?  19 weeks

Maternity clothes? No, however I did have to go and buy larger sized jeans today. I can no longer buttons or zip up my other jeans.

Weight Gain? 25lbs so far

Stretch Marks? Yes but no new ones still have the same ones from my first baby

Sleep? Sleep seems to be okay however it is getting harder and harder the bigger my belly gets and as of right now I get up once at about 3-4am to go pee every single night.

Sickness?  No more morning sickness! It's finally gone for good I believe it's been about two weeks since I got sick.

Movement?  Lots and lots of movement I am really feeling them move this week and can even see them on the outside at times.

What I miss? Being able to just wake up and get dressed its a HUGE task these days finding anything to wear that fits and if it does fit does it look good?

Food cravings? At the moment I really want a hot fudge sundae

Food aversions? Barbeque sauce

What I’m looking forward to: My O.B. appt. on Tuesday


Things I wish people knew:  Lately it's been whenever someone learns that the twins are boys and  that I already have two older boys and they say "OH I feel so bad for you!". Yes I DID want a girl and YES one girl would have been nice who doesn't want to experience raising boys AND girls? however it's NOT the way it turned out and there is nothing wrong with boys and as long as they are healthy and happy that's all that matters so I wish people would quit telling me they feel sorry or bad for me.

Mentorship Portfolio

For those that don't know I attend Paul Mitchell The School Escanaba and I graduate from cosmetology school in about a week and a half and on our last worksheet we have to create a mentorship portfolio.

It's basically a portfolio of someone we look up to as a mentor and for mine I choose Winn Claybaugh (if you don't know who he is google him), but I wanted to share it with you since I do LOVE his book Be Nice or Else! If you haven't read it I highly recommend it anyway  I did the design for my mentorship portfolio and since I am a designer in my free time I wanted to share....

Time Management Basics for Working Women

Whether you work from home or work outside the home, all women work. Keeping your sanity while working and raising a family can be quite challenging, but there are some things you can do to help get things organized and less stressful. Here are some time management basics for working women.

Being a Morning Person

You may not be a natural "morning person," but mornings are really crucial for working women. In fact, one of the secrets to becoming a morning person is to be an evening person first! In other words, do as much as you can the night before so that the morning isn't so rushed and crazy. Here are some tips:

* Pack backpacks and diaper bags the night before and put them by the door.

* Prepare lunches (whether for you to take to the office or the kids to take to school) the night before and freeze or refrigerate.

* Lay out clothes the night before so you don't have to figure out what you and everyone else is going to wear.

* Get up before your kids do so you can have time to get your act together before they're up.

* Prepare any breakfast make-ahead items such as cut-up fruit or hard-boiled eggs.

Come to an Understanding

It's important that your spouse and/or kids understand that everyone has to pitch in. If both spouses work, for instance, it's unfair for one spouse to unwind in front of the TV after work and the other spouse to start working in the kitchen. So have a family meeting if necessary to discuss this issue; it needs to be understood that if you're contributing to the income, they need to contribute to the housework and other such tasks.

Prioritize

It's crucial for working women to prioritize their time. You can't, for instance, be driving your child 20 minutes both ways to attend an activity they're only moderately interested in. You also don't have time to attend every single sporting event or performance your kids are in, and it's okay - forgive yourself and do what you can.

Simple Meals

During this time in your life, it's a good idea to keep meals simple. A few main ingredients and quick preparation can be the rule; apply it to all kinds of meals. And in general, kids are just as happy with a cheese quesadilla as they are with an elaborate beef curry dish. In fact, they'll probably like the quick quesadilla better!

Keep things on hand for simple meals, too, such as jarred spaghetti sauce, frozen bread, frozen vegetables, tortillas, and pasta. Frozen chicken breasts and fish fillets can be prepared quickly, even without pre-thawing. Buy ground meat and make it into patties; freeze, and pull them out as needed.

Hopefully, implementing some of these tips will enable you to spend more quality time with your family.

17 Weeks (Twin Baby Bump)

I am now 17 weeks pregnant with the twins and seem to be feeling a bit better than I was as far as morning sickness goes. I have not had to take a Zofran for nausea in 4 days now.

We also received exciting news this week when I went to get my regular checkup with our specialist. We found out the genders of the babies and are definitely having boys. I know this because I asked him to check a good three times to make sure he was right.  At first I must say I was slightly disappointed that there was no girl there but I'm over it as much as I wanted a girl apparently it's just not in the cards for me at this time maybe not ever because I'm not sure yet if I want to go through all this again and take the chance of having yet another boy so for now it is what it is and I'm gonna be happy with all four of my wild little boys.

On another bright note I started feeling them moving around this week. I have been feeling them for a couple weeks now however I wasn't quite sure if it was them or not, but now I know it is for sure them moving around.

The Zoe II By Fern The Barber (Haircut)

I saw this video and thought it would be a great idea to post a collection of "how-to" videos for some haircuts that I find on Youtube that are super inspiring and that I love so here's the first feel free to check it out. Final result I'm telling ya is super awesome.