Adventures in Babysitting

No, this blog post is NOT about the 1987 movie Adventures in Babysitting (although I loved that movie when I was in high school and watched it about 500 times.) Adventures in Babysitting has been my life for the past few months. In fact, I am pretty sure that there has not been one day since the end of February that I haven’t thought about babysitting. In fact, we could probably have produced 4 Osterhout Adventures in Babysitting movies in the past few months. :-)

ADVENTURE NUMBER 1 started in February. Since Anna was 6 months old, she has been cared for by a wonderful friend…Miss Sarah! We were so fortunate and blessed to have such amazing care for Anna! Miss Sarah and her family have been blessed with some additions to their family and 4 kids in their home was plenty for them. Since Anna made number 5 and they weren’t willing to give away one of their own children, Anna was the logical choice to go (although I think they should have at least considered it…I mean Anna is awesome.) :-) We were (and still are) super excited for Miss Sarah and her family and totally understood their situation and were totally willing to do whatever was necessary for their family. Their friendship and well-being of their family was our ultimate priority. Although we were thrilled for Miss Sarah’s family and completely understanding, it was kind of stressful as we started looking around and interviewing child care providers. We ultimately found an in-home daycare which was highly recommended and was near the preschool where Anna would be attending in the fall. We made arrangements for Anna to stay with Miss Sarah until the end of the school year and would start at the new daycare in the fall. ALL SETTLED and our Adventures in Babysitting were done…for about a day anyway. :-)

ADVENTURE NUMBER 2 began when Miss Sarah began to have some medical issues with her pregnancy so we had about 2-3 weeks where we weren’t sure what was going to happen (things are good for her and her baby now.) Of course our first concern was the health of Miss Sarah, but we started another adventure during those 2-3 weeks. We were scrambling and very blessed to have my Mom (who happened to be on Spring Break) and my Aunt Donna help out. It was also a huge blessing to be working at Living Stones Church, which allowed me to have a flexible schedule while all of this was going on.

We embarked on ADVENTURE NUMBER 3 when we finally decided that we would contact the daycare that Anna was supposed to attend in the fall to see if she could come for the rest of the school year. Miss Jane agreed and Anna started attending that day care one month ago. We were very pleased and really liked the care that she was receiving there, but there were the adventures and stresses that come with starting a new daycare and how Anna would adjust, learning the routines or new place, etc. About a week ago, I finally started to relax and knew that we had made the right decision. Anna was adjusting well and there were all kinds of neat things going on there. Then this week, the bomb was dropped. Miss Jane told us that she would be closing the day care in July. She has been doing child care for 30 years and had a completely different business opportunity arise and she was ready for a change. We are happy for her to have this new opportunity, but it kind of puts us in a bind. It has caused me to add something to my list of questions that I would have never thought of: “Are you considering closing your day-care/stop babysitting in the next month?” :-)

So, now we embark on ADVENTURE NUMBER 4. As I see it, I have 2 options:

• Quit my job and become a stay at home mom
• Begin the search for another child care provider

As far as option number one of becoming a stay at home mom…there is a big part of me that says do it. However, we have two problems with that. Number 1 is financial. By the time insurance premiums, retirement, college funds, taxes, union dues, etc. are deducted from Mark’s salary, the amount that he actually brings home is fairly small. We kind of like having food to eat and house to live in so we need my income to make that happen (even considering that fact that we have no debt other than a mortgage.) I guess I could become an Extreme Couponer like those people on the TLC show. However, I am not sure I have the time or the energy to devote to that. As a side note, I really think some of the people on that show are about 2 steps away from being on the show Hoarders. I mean who really needs 100 bottles of Maalox (and if you do, you probably have bigger problems that probably should be addressed by a medical professional.) :-) The second reason why being a SAHM is probably not feasible for me is that I think I am probably a better mom because I do go to work a couple of days a week. I think that my personality and the way I am wired makes it a healthier situation for my marriage, my child and myself if I do go to work. If you saw my Facebook post yesterday, you know that I forgot to buckle Anna into her car seat as we drove home on the 20 bypass at 70 MPH so it is probably good if she has someone else who takes care of her part of the time. :-) So…all of you who are stay at home moms I have nothing but mad props for you!!

So, we are left with the option of finding child care once again. The thought of starting over is exhausting. One of our top contenders when were looking in February and March has since de-friended me on Facebook so not sure that is a contender anymore. There are couple ladies at church who do child care, but their location is not ideal. I am hoping to find something on the South Side of South Bend since that is where we live. If you have any recommendations, I would be happy to receive them. We do have some good prospects and I ultimately know that I we will find the right fit. It is just frustrating to begin the process all over again.

Once we do find the right fit and end ADVENTURE NUMBER 4, I am hoping the ONLY Adventure in Babysitting that we have for a LONG while (or ever) is in the form of a cheesy 80’s movie. :-)

The Royal Wedding

In case you have been living under a rock for the past few months, there is a big wedding taking place in London tomorrow. Prince William and Kate Middleton will be exchanging vows in Westminster Abbey at 4 AM tomorrow. I have considered getting up to watch the nuptials but I have a feeling my bed will win out. However, thanks to modern technology I have my DVR set to record the whole thing so I won't miss any of the excitement or any sleep. :-)

Now I am not a huge royal watcher or anything like that. However, I am a little enamored by princesses. On my first trip to Disney World, I cried when I saw Cinderella for the first time. You may be thinking that is not an uncommon response for a child to be overcome with joy at seeing a princess in front of Cinderella's castle for the first time. However, I was 34 years old at the time. :-) Basically, I think the idea of princesses is kind of cool.

I started thinking about Kate Middleton and what happens to her tomorrow when she marries Prince William. She becomes a princess and member of the Royal Family. She is no longer Kate from down the street or simply a pretty girl. She is now "Her Royal Highness" and her life is forever changed. Everywhere she goes she will be treated with the utmost respect and honor simply because of WHO SHE IS and her identity as Princess Kate!! I have a feeling that Kate will carry herself in such a manner fitting of a princess as well. She will know who she is and will have expectations as to how she is treated.

What is happening to Kate Middleton is a pretty amazing thing...but not really that amazing if you think about it. God does the same thing for us. When we enter God's "royal family", our lives are forever changed and receive a new identity that makes us Princesses or (Princes.. if you are dude.) I know that when I first learned this concept and really took it to heart, it TOTALLY changed the way I thought about myself. When I realized who I was in Christ and that God was absolutely crazy about me, it was revolutionary in so many ways in my life.

This concept has even more meaning for me a parent of a little girl. It is my hope for Anna that she never doubts who she is and what God thinks about her. I want her to be secure in who she is so that no BOZO of boy is going to treat her badly or she is going to think things about herself that are not true. I pray that Anna will always embrace her identity as a princess, a daughter of the King.

So...enjoy the royal wedding and remember as Kate becomes a princess that there is a God who is crazy in love with you and considers you a Princess (or a prince).

Birthdays!!

Hello Friends! I cannot believe it is already April 15th. April is definitely a month of birthdays in my world. Today is my Grandpa Foster's 95th birthday. I cannot imagine living 95 years, but I hope that I have inherited some of his genetics. :-) Here are some impressive things about my grandpa.

He and my Grandma have been married for 70 years. Pretty impressive legacy of lasting marriage.

He worked as farmer a good portion of his life. I think a rite of passage for every Foster grandchild was getting to go on a tractor ride with Grandpa. Up until about a year or so ago, he was still driving. It might have been a good idea for him to stop before that, but still impressive that he was still driving in his 90's. :-)

Well into his 80's he still worked the Farmer's Markets in Chicago selling produce from my uncle's apple orchard. This may not sound like a big deal, but it involved getting up at 2 AM, driving to Chicago, unloading a big truck, setting up displays and standing on the hard pavement doe about 7-8 hours in a variety of weather. Pretty hard work, especially for an 80 year old.

My sister and I went on countless trips with him and he taught us all about the (now defunct) license plate numbering system on Indiana license plates. I think we knew all the numbers for all the counties by the time we were 10 or 12 years old.

I don't think I have ever seen him yell or get really angry.

He and my grandmother raised 8 biological children and 1 adopted child. They have 23 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild (I think I have those numbers right...but even if I am off a little it is still a lot of people!) :-) I consider myself extremely blessed to be among that number and I am very thankful that Anna has had a chance to meet and get to know him. Happy Birthday Grandpa!! Tomorrow we are celebrating his birthday complete with cake and visit from a State Senator (who is a former 4th Grade student of my Grandma's.) Since we are on the subject of birthdays, a shout out goes to my sister Mindy who celebrated a birthday on April 3rd!!

April is also my birthday month. On Monday, April 18th I will turn 41 (so no worries...you still have time to shop for my present). :-) I have to admit that I have been struggling a little with 41...way more than 40. Not sure why, but I am trying to look at it from a positive perspective. After all, Jennifer Lopez is my age and was just name the "Most Beautiful Woman in the World" by People Magazine this week. While I am no J. LO, it does give me hope that 41 will be great and that 41 isn't as old as I once thought!!

Well, I guess that is all for now. Bring on the Birthday Celebrations!! :-)

My New "Job"

Hello Friends! I know it has been a few weeks since I have posted, but I have been really busy.

I have a new "job"....Well, it isn't actually a job. I don't get paid for it (I actually paid money to do it...how crazy is that.) :-) What is it?? I joined Weight Watchers Online. I have a significant amount of weight to lose that I gained after getting married and then having Anna (so that means I can blame Mark and Anna for my weight gain and not the fact that I REALLY love food...especially food that isn't good for me.) :-) I was trying to do it on my own, but right now do not have the will power to do what is necessary so I needed some external help. I have always been a fan of Weight Watchers and their program and think it really is one of the best of the best weight loss programs out there, so I decided to give it a try.

I know you may be wondering where the "job" part comes in....counting points is like a part-time job. For those not familiar, Weight Watchers has a point system where you are allotted so many points per day and all foods have a point value. This value is determined using a systematic formula based upon the amount of fat, carbs, protein, and fiber in the food as well as the city where the food was produced, the income level of the food manufacturer or farmer, and the consumers blood type and state or country of birth. (OK so I made some of that up, but you get the picture.) I am certain that counting points will get easier as time progresses, but right now it is very time consuming.

My time has been worth it, I do have to say that it seems to be working. I have lost almost 5 lbs in 2 weeks! Hoping there is more success in my future!

Watch Out...Martha Stewart!!

As most people know, I am lacking certain skills in the domestic area and always thought that Martha Stewart didn't need to worry about me competing with her as the domestic goddess of the world. However, the past few days. Martha may have to watch out (OK...so not really, but that makes this blog post a little more exciting if I say that.) :-)

First of all, I have actually cooked dinner for my family 3 nights in a row. I mean actually cooking from a recipe...not leftovers, heating up something frozen or eating out. I know this is not a big deal for many people, but it is huge in my world. The even more impressive thing is that it all tasted good...AMAZING!! :-)

Secondly, I decided that I wanted to have Anna help me make thank you notes for her recent birthday party. I have NO IDEA why I decided that because I am NOT a card maker. I have tried to make them and been to tons of Stampin' Up parties and workshops and have never really been happy with the results of what I made. I must have had a case of temporary insanity or something in deciding to do this. :-) Anyway...Anna really enjoys finger painting with her Color Wonder Paints (as a side note...whoever created Color Wonder is a GENIUS!!) So, I decided that we would use some of her masterpieces to create the cards. Since we had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed party, I decided to cut out Mickey Heads from her paintings (although I am not longer in the running for Mother of the Year, I did all the cutting since giving a a pair of sharp scissors to a 2 year old probably isn't the greatest idea.) :-) After that, I printed the words for the cards on the computer. Then I had Anna help fold the card stock and then glue the pieces on the cards. These cards cost me nothing since they were made from items that I already had in the house. Overall, I think they turned out to be pretty cute and the beauty of it is that I can say that they were made by a 2 year old if anyone doesn't like them. :-) Here is a photo of the finished product:

So, I have the cooking and crafts down...now I just need to move on the cleaning part. On second thought, I bet Martha pays someone to clean her house. Maybe I should consider the same!! :-)

Definitely Disqualified

Well friends, it is official....I have most certainly been disqualified from winning "Mother of the Year." I am incredibly disappointed because I had visions of standing in front of my adoring fans in a size 2 designer dress (don't laugh..this is my dream.) :-) I pictured myself sharing my acceptance speech that started with "I'd like to thank the academy..." while being flanked by celebrities like Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman.

Even when great friends like Heather N. said things like "I am not going to win Mother of the Year, but neither are you" as a form of encouragement, I politely nodded. However, I secretly knew that I was destined to win this prize.

If you look at the facts, it is obvious that I was a serious contender. Here are just a few of the reasons that I thought I had it in the bag:

• I took Anna to Disney World for her first birthday.
• I have all of her scrapbooks up to date.
• And although my house isn't always the cleanest, I was spending the time I should be cleaning with Anna making crafty birthday thank you notes or reading books (that or spending time on Facebook...where I most certainly was gaining valuable parenting skills.) :-)

However, that dream was shattered today at around 4:45 PM. I entered the kitchen to start cooking dinner (an accomplishment in and of itself.) I usually bring Anna into the kitchen when I cook dinner and have her help or play with her toy kitchen set, but she was finishing the rest of a DVR'd episode of Sesame Street (DVRing educational TV...another reason I should have had the Mother of the Year Award in the bag.) I decided to let her finish figuring she would be OK for the few minutes it took to finish receiving words of wisdom from Elmo. While in the kitchen, I heard a loud thud and then screaming. I ran into the living room to find Anna on the floor in front of the couch. I am guessing that since Mommy and Daddy weren't in the room she decided that it was the perfect time to jump on the couch and ended up falling and face planting. She had a bloody lip, swollen nose and a red mark on the forehead. Once the bleeding was stopped and we were certain that we didn't need to take a trip to the ER, I sent Mark to the store for popsicles since she would not put ice packs on the injured areas and figured that was the next best thing and would at least help with swelling on her lips. Like any good mom, I fed her chocolate and fruit snacks while we waited for the popsicles (because it is never to early to learn that certain foods always make you feel better.) :-) Anna was fine the rest of the evening, but I think she will have some interesting marks in the morning.

However, since I left her unattended and she got hurt, I am guessing my chances of being Mother of the Year are no more. Maybe it is time I give up that dream and start aspiring to something else....maybe a TONY Award. My tap teacher told me I looked like a real dancer the other night after I fell while dancing and had several bruises on my knee and elbows. I think that was her subtle way of telling me that I should move on to bigger and better things. :-) Broadway...here I come!!!

Relaxing Friday

I am pretty excited for this weekend. Anna is turning 2 on Tuesday, so we are having a party for her tomorrow. I thought that my day today would be filled with cleaning and prepping for the party, but thanks to the snowstorm and things being cancelled we were able to get most of that done already. That means a relaxing Friday (until our overnight houseguests arrive a little later today.) I am thinking that I am going spend some of the time reading once Anna goes down for her nap. I love to read, but don't often get a lot of time to do it. I am trying to make a more conscious effort read in my spare time as opposed to messing around on Facebook, watching TV, or playing "Angry Birds"on my phone (my latest addiction.) :-) So far in 2011, I have read 7 books and am in the process of reading 4 others. (I know...4 at one time is weird, but they serve different purposes and it depends upon my mood which one I want to read.). I am considering getting a Kindle or some other e-reader, but still not sure. I like the idea of having all my books in one compact little device. However, I am a fan of getting books from the library rather than buying them and I know that is not possible with a Kindle (at least for now.) I would love to hear feedback from people who use an e-reader.

Anyway...here are some of my favorites so far:

ROOM by Emma Donoghue

This was a book that I could not put down. It is the story written from the perspective of a 5 year old boy who has lived his entire life in a 12 x 12 room because his mother was kidnapped and held captive for many years (similar to the Jaycee Dugard story). He only knows life inside this room. It is a compelling story about the things his mother does to make life good for him and his adjustment to the real world once they escape. In some ways it reminded me of the movie called, "Life is Beautiful" where a father tries to protect his child from the horrors of life in a concentration camp during WWII. I usually have a difficult time reading books that involve abduction or violence against children or young women, but this one didn't seem to affect me as badly as others that I have read involving these topics. It was a compelling story and one that I kept thinking about for days after reading it.

STUFF CHRISTIANS LIKE by Jonathan Acuff

This is a hilarious book! It is based upon Jonathan Acuff's blog based of the same title. If you are a Christian who gets offended easily, I would not read it. However, if you can laugh at yourself as a Christian, it is a great read. I love his sarcasm and humor intermixed with the ability to make a point. Great read and a great laugh!!

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX by JK Rowling

This is my 3rd time reading the Harry Potter Series. I don't know what it is about Harry Potter but I can read them over and over again. There are very few books that I want to read more than once. Actually there only 2 that come to mind right now: "The Bible" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." Anyway, back in September, I decided that I would try to re-read the entire series before the movie of the Deathly Hallows came out in December. Obviously, I haven't accomplished that goal, but I haven't seen the movie yet either. :-) Maybe I will finish the series before The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 comes out this summer. This is one of my least favorite Harry Potter books. I think partly because Sirius Black dies in this book (Sorry if I spoiled it for anyone, but the books and movies have been out for ages...so you had your chance to find out on your own.) :-) I also think it is not my favorite because things begin to get darker in this book without any resolution. I still enjoyed it and love my Harry Potter.

LIFE AFTER SUFFERING by Chris Williams

I actually know the author of this book so when I found out that he had written a book, I ordered it. (As a side note, if you ever write a book count on at least one sale because I will purchase it.) :-) I received it in the mail yesterday and thought that I would put on my pile of books that I will read at some point. However, I did read the first couple pages and I was hooked. I finished last night (sacrificing watching "The Office"...thank goodness for DVR's, right?) :-) Anyway, in this book Chris tells his personal story of suffering when he tragically lost his parents in his freshman year of college along with telling the biblical story of Jeremiah (which is also a story of suffering.) He has many great points about suffering, but my favorite quote of the book was at the end of a chapter when he talked about how different people supported him during his time of grieving. "I had always been told that God put on flesh two thousand years ago as a Middle Eastern Jew, but in my darkest moments of despair it seemed that God put on flesh again and again in many different faces and names." I thought this was a beautiful quote and a great reminder that I need to be "BE JESUS" to people who are suffering around me. There were also many personal applications for me (that I will not go into here) because of the experiences we have had in losing Mark's Mom, Brother and my Dad over the course of the past couple years.

Well..those are my favorites over the past few weeks. How about you? I always love to hear book suggestions.