Where are all the intelligent people?

I cannot wait for the elections to be over. What has happened to the people I know that I thought were so intelligent? So many people posting propaganda on their facebooks for the parties and candidates without researching the information first. They are just making themselves look like idiots.

Snopes.con
Factcheck.org

Be smart look it up first.

FAM with a baby

Every year I attend the Florida Association of Museums conference. Each year it is in a different Florida city and we get to tour the various museums in the evenings after the sessions are over for the day. The last few years I have even had some sessions of my own and I assist with the Emerging Museum Professional track.  I truly enjoy my time at these conferences. I have learned a lot and have gotten to know some great people.

This year was the first one since Elsa was born. At 5 months old, I wasn't ready to leave her for 4 days and 3 nights yet. So I asked Steve to come along and bring her. He got excited for a bout a minute until I told him it would be in Tallahassee. Ha ha. I was a completely different experience having them there. I didn't network as much as I normally would, but it was awesome to have them go on the tours with me in the evenings. Now that I have done it with a baby, I probably wouldn't repeat it. It's hard to be fully engaged in the conference while also thinking about when the next time I needed to be back at our room to feed her was.

All in all, a great conference and I got to show off the Elsa! :-)

So she wouldn't stand up straight for a photo. Best I have though.  We were in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol Museum.

I'm a Working Mom

When Steve and I made the decision to grow our family, we knew it would come with some unfortunate choices. I won't use the term "sacrifice" because nothing I do for my daughter will be a sacrifice, I will do it because it's what it best and right to do. And how could that be a sacrifice?

We knew we would both have to work. We could not pay our bills otherwise, unless one of us doubles our salary or we win the lottery (personally I'm banking on the lottery). Knowing this I had to come to terms that this is the lifestyle our family would live. Mom and Dad working, baby going to a sitter or daycare. When the time came for me to go back to work I had to put my big girl pants on and accept it. To do otherwise would mean endless days of anguish, longing and ultimate sadness.

There are pro's and con's to this arrangement. Con's I miss out on a big chunk of Elsa's day, I don't get to be her only teacher besides her dad, and exhaustion after work does not mean I can check out and nap or whatnot when I get home.  The Pro's are that I get mommy time, some adult interaction on an intellectual and social level and I can provide for her (put a roof over her head, clothes on her back, diapers on her butt, food in her belly and so much more).

In a perfect world we would get one year of maternity leave and still be able to pay the bills. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, but it is the best world I can offer and live with.