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Monday 8 August 2011

Oh no!

Well, we've made our decision, and it looks like I'll be staying in the US with Liara for September and October (and maybe a few days of November too). I'm looking forward to getting some serious work done, helping our family fix some financial instabilities, and seeing some people that I haven't seen in a while. There are a few major events that I'll get to take part in as well, so I'm pretty excited (such as a cousin's bridal shower and the possible birth of my sister-in-law's first baby). Awesome.

However... I've fallen behind in my house cleaning, partly due to Liara catching a cold. Yep, just a few days before a 15 hour plane ride. Boo. My poor baby has itchy/watery eyes, a super runny nose, and sneezes every two minutes. She looks miserable, but she's a trooper. She only gets fussy if I'm more than 3 feet away from her (or doing something other than paying attention to her... hmm). I understand that, there's nothing better than a Momma's love when you don't feel well. My only problem with that is that those dishes in my kitchen aren't going to do themselves, the floor isn't self cleaning, the laundry pile is trying to make a comeback and those suitcases I packed for us, well, aren't going to cut it for three months. Oh dear, it looks like it'll be a late night for me tonight...

If anyone wants to be my maid for a couple days, I'd really appreciate it! This house needs to be spic and span by the time we leave so that Nic doesn't completely destroy it when he's by himself for two months. Oh geez, am I sure about this?!

Friday 5 August 2011

Opportunities come knocking...

Look at me, I've become a fairly regular (or at least more frequent) blogger lately. Go me.

I just needed to get some thoughts out of my head and try to make up my mind about some things that will drastically change our living situation for a while.

We've been struggling with money lately... we've been able to pay our bills, but there isn't anything left over at the end of the month which is a little nerve wracking when you've got a baby on the way and taxes due at the end of the year (5k worth of taxes... eek!). It's been something that has weighed heavily on my (and Nic's) mind and we've had many a discussion about it. We've thought about me going back to work, but with childcare costs and whatnot, it really isn't that great of an option (especially since I can't teach here unless it's at an international school). We've thought about him going offshore for a while, but that isn't a fantastic option either. We were running out of ideas.

That's when I got a heads up about a possibility from a past employer regarding testing (again... something I am very interested in and enjoy doing). It has super flexible hours (so I could stay home with Liara still) and is fantastic money. Plus, it's in my field of study and gives me more experience in a career I'm interested in following. Win-win right? Well...

There is a slight downside. By slight, I would mean that I'd have to stay in the US without Nicolas for a while. Yes, while pregnant and with an 18-21 month old. Basically, I'd stay in Houston instead of returning back at the end of the month, and stay until the beginning of November. Then Liara and I would come back to the UK for November and December, then head back for more work in January. I'd stay there until the work was done (it's calibrating and standardizing a test) and then return with Nic... unless he's able to convince his work that he can work from home in the US and travel back and forth to the UK as needed. He's already talked to his boss about it, but no decision has been made. It wouldn't have any effect on his schooling since it's distance education and he would be able to take his exams at any university.

That's a lot to have happen just 5 days before you leave for a trip. I'm not sure whether to pack for three weeks or three months... I'm sure I'll figure it out though. I'll have more info from my former boss tonight, so hopefully that'll help us make up our minds. Either way, we're looking forward to being back in the US, however long it may be for. Keep us in your thoughts/prayers please... we could use some good vibes to figure out what the heck we're doing!

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Wordless Wednesday!


I don't normally do Wordless Wednesdays, but I had some cute pictures of Li that I just have to share. Perhaps I should do it more often :)


Liara as she says "cheese" for the camera (yes, there is a bruise on her forehead... one of the many bruises she's been sporting lately)

Another picture of my beautiful little girl. Man, we're going to be in trouble when she starts liking boys.

A smiling picture with her Dink :) I love that you can see the smile even with it in her mouth.


Playing in the suitcase is so much fun...

Liara playing Peek-a-boo in one of our suitcases.


Happy Wednesday everyone!