I can't tell you how it grates on my nerves when I have the following conversation:

Typical Person: "Congratulations on retiring!".

Me: "Thanks."

Typical Person: "So what are you going to do now?"

Me: Um. .."Stay at home with Wyatt and enjoy this time I have with him".

Typical Person: Blank stare. With an unsaid......."and?".

And what? If you are a mom you know how much attention your kid needs. Or rather, how much attention needs to be spent on getting them out of situations they shouldn't be in (removing items from their mouth, making sure they don't fall off the couch, make sure whatever they are climbing is secure, finding them in the bathroom with the toilet paper, etc.). Sure there is daycare, but we don't live near any family, so when the inevitable phone calls start that Wyatt is sick, I will have to leave work to pick him up. I have seen what that looks like, and I honestly just don't want to deal with it. When I am at work, I like to be doing my work and being productive, which for me means giving it my full attention. Having to leave without notice and then being out of work would just end up getting me frustrated, and eventually my co-workers would probably feel like I am getting a free pass to leave (I know to some it is hard to believe, but leaving to take care of your kid is not code for going home to watch TV) and they would just start being resentful.

Before I go off on a tangent, I just want to bring it back to, I don't need to do anything else. I am fortunate enough that Andrew and I made some good decisions in our past, saved instead of spent, which now allows us the flexibility for me not to have to provide an income. Will I want to do something eventually. Yes. But, it's not really that important to me right now. I am okay with just writing, "mom" under my occupation.

PARDON THIS INTURUPTION AS 1ST NAP IS OVER AND I HEAR WYATT TOSSING HIS BED ANIMAL FRIENDS TO THEIR DOOM (aka, the rug....or he aims for the one plant in his room...where I have found a bunny hanging out before).

3.5 hours later. And I am back. Attempting nap #2. He has been singing/laughing/talking to himself for at least 20 minutes, so not sure it is going to happen.

So, as I was saying. No, I don't feel like I need to do anything else at this point. By anything else I mean find a second paid job. I know you are curious, so here are some of the things I have been up to since being at home with Wyatt.

Finished a scrapbook (laugh, but try starting a scrapbook...see how long it takes you to finish).
Found some new recipes.
Made my own walnut butter (really complex stuff.....no, no its really not. Put walnuts in blender, press on, blend till creamy, and you are done).
Made my own almond milk (again super complex....soak almonds overnight, place in blender with water and some salt, drain through a nut bag and your done). Sadly, I also found out I have an intolerance to almonds.
Printed and placed photos in a physical album (same sense of accomplishment as that scrapbook).
Finished some paint work on our doors.
Made some laundry soap.
Organized my desk.
Yard work.
Read some books.
Went to the library.
Visited different playgrounds.
Became an expert plane spotter (the secret, look up).
Dusted up on my knowledge of trucks (and anything else with wheels).
Watched and participated in the life of Wyatt. Oh and answer all of his questions when he points at items and I have to guess, A. What is he pointing to and B. What he wants me to say after I have said what it is and still he is not satisfied.
Made pumpkin spice lattes (from scratch).

UPDATE: 2nd nap never happened. So while Andrew was still trying to convince Wyatt that a nap was a good idea, I snuck away to paint our front door.

So, while my life is currently on a repeated loop of the same activities, I am okay with it. I don't need an additional job. I like my current employer. I am going to try for employee of the month. I got some stiff competition going up against Dada and Babcia (grandma).

WAIT. Did you think I was going to leave without a recipe? Remember the pumpkin spice latte? Well shortly after making my almond milk, I wondered if maybe I could whip up a fall drink. Like magic, Faith Durand from thekitchen, had just shared her own recipe. I did a bunch of substitutions, but in the end it was approved by Andrew, which has resulted in me making them the last three days (this is also when I discovered I have an almond intolerance, as stomach cramps kicked in later the first evening).

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte

WHAT I USED:

2 tablespoons of homemade pumpkin puree *
a couple shakes of pumpkin spice
5-8 twists of freshly ground black pepper
1.5 tablespoons of honey
1.5-2 tablespoons of homemade vanilla extract **
2 cups of homemade almond milk (which I then had to switch to rice milk for myself)
1/2 cup of strong coffee

*How to make homemade pumpkin puree (which you can also use to make pancakes). Buy a pie pumpkin. Heat oven to 375. Cut the stem/top of pumpkin and then cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds (you can save and then roast the seeds or if you are lazy or don't care for them, throw them out). Place the two halves on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, with the innards faced down. Leave in oven for 45 minutes, or until knife easily goes in. Take out to cool for a bit. Scoop inside of pumpkin into a blender or food processor, press spin, TAADAA. Store in fridge (probably no more than 2 weeks).

**How to make homemade vanilla extract. Get 10-14 vanilla beans. Gently cut slits to get some of the beans out. Place in a 24 oz mason jar. Fill jar up with your finest vodka (not really, but we use grey goose). Let sit in pantry for at least three weeks, the longer it stays the darker and more concentrated it will be

INSTRUCTIONS:

Get your coffee going. We french press, so we just make a small batch and add about 1.5 cups of water.
In a small pot on the stove, mix the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and black pepper. About 2-3 minutes.
Add the honey. Mix until it gets sticky. About 2 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract and milk in two batches. I mixed with a silicone spatula to get the stickiness from the bottom of the pot and to avoid scrapping. Once I tested that it was warm/almost hot, I turned it off.
In a small bowl put the milk and mix with a hand blender (2 minutes). Or, put in a automatic blender. Let it froth up.
Now, take your coffee and pour half a cup in two separate cups. Add the milk/pumpkin mixture. Add cinnamon. Add some coconut whipped cream (I did the other day but since it wasn't all that whipped it sunk). Add more honey if you need more sweetness.

Yum right? Who needs Starbucks.