Where has the last month gone?

Well, I started my new job about 6 weeks ago and it is going great and I love it, however, I have been the definition of busy. We are short several sales reps and are in the process of training new hires as well as getting through the everyday activities plus I have been in several trainings. On top of all that I gave my first trade ride presentation less than a month into the job and I conducted a training exercise with the sales team this past week. Next week I am giving a small presentation for Sweetbay. Oh, I also forgot to mention that this is a huge display time of year for us with March Madness coming quickly so I have been selling those displays in and watching them go up, which has been a lot of fun. I have been working early mornings and then do emails and plan until pretty late at night. I have to admit there are days I felt overwhelmed but I am loving it!

Rich and the girls have been good, both kid's have had offend on runny noses and coughs. Rich and I got away for our 5 year wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago. We went to Downtown Disney for the weekend and it was so much fun. The kid's stayed with my parents and were very good. Jolie went to a birthday party last weekend, that was fun and we are going to another birthday party tomorrow, which will be fun! Other than work and the kid's things have been quiet and Rich and I are starting to settle into a new routine which is nice.

Changes are here....

So when I posted my 2012 post a week or so ago I alluded to big changes coming for The Perillo's, well the changes are here! I am ready to announce the biggest change for me.....on Monday I put in notice to my current employer. I accepted a job with Coca-Cola Refreshments in Tampa as a manager. I am really excited, it is a new opportunity with a great Americian classic. There are sure to be challenges there like any job but I think this was an amazing opportunity not just for me professional but for my family. It is going to leave me with more time with my family with less nights and weekends. I begin this new chapter next week Tuesday and I am thrilled. While I will miss all my friends and a lot of my customers at Premier this is going to be a great new adventure.

Busy little bees.....

So I just looked at the blog and realized it has been a full week since I updated or wrote anything and then I thought back to why that is and realized we have just been so busy for the entire month of May and most especially during the last 2 weeks.  So here is a little recap....

Last week Sunday, Monday and Tuesday Jolie was in Disney with Mom and Dad so that was great as we had a ton going on here.  I have been drowning in work, there is just so much going on and so much to do.  It is going into the "slow" season but that just means I have to work harder for less, sound fun right?  On top of that Rich is working hard to close out his school year and deal with 120 middle school children everyday who don't want to be at school because FCAT is over, so again a good time.

Then there is all the celebrations and fun family and friends things we have had going on.  Of course we all know Jolie turned 4 two weeks ago and that included a family party, a school party, and a big Chuck E. Cheese party (and I promise I will write a post about all that sometime soon because it really was fun).  Then of course last week Tuesday Avery turned 5 months old, wow, can't believe it, she is so big and rolls around like crazy and pushes up and is working on learning to sit.  So we officially have a moving child, there is no more set her down and she stays there, now you lay her down and she rolls where ever she wants to go.  She smiles and laughs like crazy which is totally fun and makes my heart swell with happiness!  The girls together are super cute but tons of work.  Everyone in our house eats different things at different times and I feel like s short order cook at night.  I did stop breast feeding/pumping on Mother's Day, that was the last day I pumped and after much emotional debate over it I feel really good with my decision.  I ha a freezer full of breast milk so she will be about 6 months old by the time we completely run out of breast milk and we have been mixing breast milk and formula getting her use to it and seems to be working out just fine.  Avery is a great eater and doesn't leave anything in the bottom of the bottle and can put away an entire stage 1 baby food jar.  But enough about all that, I will save the rest of Avery's milestones and updates for a 5 Month update that is almost a week over due but I swear I will get it done.

I have also had a ton of sorority stuff going on and phone calls and meetings and construction at the house so that has again filled my summer but it is going to be GREAT when completed and really be a lot of finishing details to all the work we did last summer, I will be glad when that is all finished it just makes for a lot of stress when I am not there to see that every detail is handled.

So again, we are busy little bees in the Perillo House but things start to calm down this week and then I am only a few weeks to a much needed vacation week in the middle of June!  Updates to follow, time permitting!

Rain, rain go away....please don't come back on a work day!

So let's review my job....I get in my car, drive all around creation, stopping frequently at hotels, restaurants, and bars. I then get out of the car with my super cute red briefcase and a rolling bag full of wines for account to try, I know it sounds fun but this scenario is not focusing on the whole picture with my sales goals and the stress and pressure involved with that. This is meant to tell you it has rained every day this week and that my job is horrible in the rain. Yes, I have an umbrella, several in fact and again yes I have a rain coat, it is actually a super cute trench that on this lovely March day in Florida will make me sweat because coat weather has come and gone here in Tampa. So as I sit in my bed this morning in a mad debate on what is truly the best attire for a day full of massive rain storms I do know that the following applies:

1. If I wear regular length pants, I will inevitably end up with water soaked pants up to about my knees from my pants hitting the ground and the water traveling up, it is grosss I have experienced it on several occasions and thus learned that I will be wearing either shorter style more Capri pants, a skirt, or a dress.
2. No matter how hard I. Try I inevitably end up looking like a drowned rat so I don't put much time or effort into my hair or makeup for the day.
3. I take 2 umbrellas in the car this morning, just in case.
4. My Mom bought some cute, almost fashionable "water shoes" from LL Bean last year so I am almost certain I will be picking my outfit to match those today.

And then of course to absolute worst part of my day is the driving, while I have been driving 500+ miles a week for 7+ years so needless to say I am as use to most driving conditions that occur in Florida as anyone, however, it is the other people on the road that stress me out, completely dumb people take to the roads on days like today, they have no idea how to drive on a good day and choose today to get out there and go for their Sunday afternoon drive. I don't have anything to say as far as advice on this one other than look out and be careful. I am saying an extra prayer for myself and those of you that will be out and about as well. And last but not least probably my least favorite and most stressful part of a rainy weekday is having to drop Jolie off at school and also getting Avery inside at my Mom's....I hate to have either of them get wet at all but it happens, I think Jolie will be wearing her rain boots at least to school to dry to keep her out of the puddles and cause they are cute. And I will be zipping up Avery's car seat cover to try to keep her dry.

Well, after a Post totally dedicated to the fact. That I am over the rainy, nasty weather happening on a weekday, I actually wouldn't mind this for one weekend day as it is perfect sleeping, cuddling, watch movies weather and instead of staying home I am going to have to brave it and that makes me unhappy!

What a Week....

Thank goodness the weekend is here, this last week has just been so crazy two days of down time sounds amazing! March is traditionally the busiest work month of the year for me and that is true this year as well. My work week was made further insane with Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) being this week. Monday I ran around making sure everything was set up, all products were in place at the accounts around the parade route and that we were ready to run three wine tents and the VIP area come Tuesday. Tuesday was a crazy day, I did the normal work stuff then headed to Dunedin to set up for Mardi Gras on Main Street, we set up, we sold and poured wine, I didn't get home until after midnight. That night made me realize I am getting old and late nights like that are going to kill me, the best part was I wasn't even drinking, I had one beer the entire night, I am just old and already tired from being a working Mom. Wednesday was rough, I was tired...plus my Grandma had a big doctor's appointment about her heart so I was stressed about that and then the worst part of my day I had to attend the Durham of my other grandmother's sister. My Aunt Hilda was the last remaining of her siblings, my Uncle Frank passed away about 11 years ago and my Grandmother passed away last year so it was just a sad, odd feeling to know they are all gone now. I will miss Aunt Hilda but I know she is in a much better place now as her suffering in this world was great after having a massive stroke just a few weeks ago. So Wednesday was was difficult. My Grandma will be having a pacemaker/defibulator put in her heart on April 8th to make her left side of her heart pump because right now it is only pumping at 22%...so that has the whole family stressed. Then Thursday and Friday were crazy work wise and now we are to the weekend and I am just relaxing with the kids and husband, although I have cleaning and grocery shopping to do as well as meal planning to do for the week but at least I can most of that in my pj's with no makeup on!

Life as a working Mom of 2

Okay, things have been quite busy and down right crazy in the Perillo House. I went back to work on the 16th and when I was working while pregnant and the Mom of one I had a pretty good routine going and it was working for me. My plate felt pretty full but I was managing and getting everything done with little issue well now I am officially a working Mom of two and I have to admit it hasn't been easy. First off I am just so tired....Avery's colic is pretty much gone now and her night time screaming is mild now in comparison and she is sleeping 5-6 hour stretches which is great but I am still getting up every 3 hours to pump so the really isn't any night that I get a "good night's sleep". I am trying to be sure that I pump enough everyday for her to eat and still keep adding to my freezer supply and it is a lot of work. I pump 3 times a day while at work which means I do it in my car in whatevr random, quiet parking lot I can find on the road and there have been a couple days I have either strapped my pump on wrong and leaked or spilt breast milk down my leg and I have had to see customers with a wet leg so that has been interesting. I have worked late two nights and had the Mommy guilt really hit me as I have been away from my children for more than twelve hours at a time. I have gotten in the groove of menu planning and still use sales and coupons to do well on that front and I only grocery shop once per week to keep me sane for the week, so that is good. The worst part is getting everyone ready and out the door in the mornings feels so crazy....two different drop offs for the kids is not easy but we are getting there. I have started showering at night to save time in the mornings and I pick out everyone's clothes at night as well to save valuable morning time but I still can't make it out the door in the mornings in time unless I get up by 6 am at the latest and start my day with a pump and a feeding of Avery. Jolie has been getting up in the middle of the night too so it feels like I never sleep, that explains the tiredness I think. Work itself is going well, it is really busy so at least I know I am leaving my babies for good money. The moral of this story is working while being Mommy to two little girls isn't easy but slowly aim getting in the groove and I know it won't always be like this but for now I am just going to be tired! Thank goodness for my wonderful husband who is totally in this with me, he has been amazing, short of pumping/feeding which he just can't do for me he has helped me with anything and everything I have needed and for that I am forever grateful. We really are a team and we are conquering life with two small daughters together!

Last Day of Work

So I have officially made it to my last day of work, I set out nearly 9 months ago and said that December 15th would be my last day of work and I can't believe first off that it is already December 15th and second off that I actually made it to the day.  There were so many days that I didn't think it would be possible to make it this far and so many days that I didn't want to keep working but I have made it!!  I have to say now that the day is here I am a little sad to be saying goodbye to all my customers and co-workers for the next 8 almost 9 weeks.  Work is so much of who I am, it is going to be weird to not be calling on customers, driving around, being on the phone all the time, dealing with endless problems, and feeling the rush of a huge sale.  I live for being the best at what I do and now I am going to put all that down and focus on myself and my family without the distractions of a normal day, not really sure how that is going to work out.  When I had Jolie I started to go a little stir crazy and actually went back to work a week early, wonder if it will be like that again?  I have a feeling this time my home life is going to be busy enough that I won't be bored at all!!

I feel very ready to have my family of four home and with me, especially with the holidays rapidly approaching, I always dreamed of signing Christmas cards with The Perillo Family and having four names to follow, it just feels so complete.  Although this year we decided not to send a Christmas card because if we did them early Avery wouldn't be in the picture and if I waited it was just going to get crazy so we have opted for a birth announcement for Avery with professional pictures that we are taking right at New Year's and we will include everyone in our new family of four in that.  But I have been able to sign all the Christmas present tags with every one's name and that was a true gift.

Today will be full of last minute orders and goodbyes for now but I just can't wait for the big day that awaits my family on Friday.  I am thrilled to know in less than 48 hours I will be holding my sweet, precious baby girl.  She is sure to complete our family.  I just want both Jolie and Avery to know that their Mom and Dad dreamed about the day that we would have them both with us and we can't wait to watch them grow and see what life has in store for them, we truly feel blessed to be their parents and grateful for the chance to raise them.