Go big or go home!

Now that I'm a nursing mother (a phrase that I toss around a little too often to justify sketchy actions such as buying Skittles from my school's store), I need to have access to my, er, chestal arena quite often. Even at work, where I pump two/three times a day in the privacy of my office. And, as I'm a nursing mother, my chestal arena is also a bit more expansive than it has been in the past. So how do I deal with access and modesty, especially in the high school environment?

I tend to swathe myself in scarves, which is always a good trick, but sometimes it gets a little old, as you can appreciate, especially as the weather gets nicer and nicer. So recently I've been going with a trick first taught, I believe, by the inimitable Sal. And what's that trick?

Why, a big ol' necklace!

Keepin' it classy at the French lab at work...

This big ol' necklace was a surprise Christmas gift from my husband, who knows that I love turquoise and Indian jewelry and red, and, thusly, found me the perfect stocking stuffer. I can't wear the necklace too much in my every day life, as I don't want to whack Baby Boots in the face, but it's perfect for work and it keeps my rather expansive neckline busy with its massiveness and pattern and, well, just plain presence.

So there you have it, folks. When the weather gets too warm for neck-coverin', a big ol' statement necklace will do great in a pinch. 

You're welcome.  

Drive-by

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am terrified of bike-riding. In fact, I forgot how to ride a bike about three times. Yes, I know that that "can't be done." Trust me, I'm living proof. I also (and I realize I'm about to lose a lot of friends here) kind of hate a lot of bike riders. The ones that don't follow the rules of the road. The ones that yell at me for being in their way on the sidewalk. The ones who have to be so bad-ass that they get into accidents because of trying to zoom around with little consideration for others. When I'm on a biking/jogging path, I follow the rules and share the road. It frustrates me that many bikers don't.

That being said, I'd love to get a bike and learn how to ride again.

That being said, I also love this website; its creator, S, was one of the chic ladies of the late, lamented Academichic. Although I'm slightly frightened by bike culture, I read her new(er) blog religiously, as she writes frankly about more than just biking. She writes about feminism, culture, classroom stuff, academics, pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Recently, she's begun a series on multilingual parenting, as she hopes to bring up her own baby daughter bilingual. We had a series of conversations and I'm honored to be one of the interviewees on her series.

So if you're interested to know about what our plans are for Baby Boots in terms of language acquisition, or if you're curious about what languages exactly we all speak, or if you just want to know the first initial of my first name (and Baby Boots'!), take a look!

Oops

Well, hello.

So, I haven't visited any blogs in about a week. I haven't responded to e-mails (Kelly) in about two weeks.

And the ironic thing? I've been wearing cute outfits! I can sort of fit back into my pre-pregnancy wardrobe (according to my husband's definition: if I can put it on, it fits) and I'm maneuvering the world of nursing tops. I'm back at work, full-time, five days a week, and putting thought into each day's ensemble.

But?

For the first time in my life, I've completely divided my home life from my work life. I come home, I usually don't do any grading (that's what having the first hour of the morning free is for!), do minimal class prep work, and tend to my baby. Hell, even at work, my day is divided into "class" and "when I'm going to pump in the privacy of my office."

So that's what it's like around here.

Stuff has been going well. I got a haircut, like, three weeks ago. I interviewed for a job teaching a part-time evening course at a nearby university last week. Baby Boots is thriving and has gained so much weight so fast that we're off formula for now and seeing how she does on just breast milk (the issue before seemed to be a problem with transference, but a visit to a charming lactation consultant helped us out). The balance between work and home has been great: I like adult/teenage time at work, and I love baby time at home. Weekends, especially, are glorious.

So, as you can understand, when I get home, I rarely open my computer and certainly don't take an outfit picture before pulling on some yoga pants and calling it a night.

But I'm gonna try, folks. I like what I've been coming up with recently and I'd like to share. Just... bear with me a little while longer, mmkay?

In the meantime, enjoy!