Yer Name's Sundee?

Ask anyone who knows me very well.  I'm pretty picky about my name.  I don't know exactly why my parents named me after the weather or why they decided to switch out the traditional Y for a cheerful I, but Sunni is my given name and I figure that people should, for the most part, get it right.  I assume that the barista will write "Sunny" on my cup when I give them my name and that's no problem for me.  Even when people pronounce it "Sue-knee" when they see it written for the first time is okay... as long as it doesn't happen a second time.  

Just like anyone else with an unusual name or a name with a non-traditional spelling, I've tried to figure out ways to make my name easy for people to understand and easy to remember.  The following dialogue took place when I was a teenager working at a snack counter.  It gives you a glimpse into my life with the name Sunni. This story isn't even about the unusual spelling -- that is a whole other blog post!  Anyway, here is one of the many funny conversations about my name:

Older gentleman:   Yer new here.  What's your name?

Me:  Sunni

Him:  Sally?

Me:  No, Sunni.  Like the day. 

Him:  Yer name's Sundee?!

Me:   No Sunni.  Like the weather.  Sunny day.  Like that.

Him:   Yer name's Sunny?

Me:  That's right.  Pleasant customer service smile.

Him:   Oh. Sunny... like Sonny Boy.... That's a boy's name.

Me:   Giving up.  Here are your nachos, sir. 

Airplane Carry-on: Then and Now

Before I was a mom, my carry-on would include:
Emoillient lip balm
Hydrating face mist
Extra-moisturizing hand lotion
Nail clippers (for the rare hang-nail that might disturb)
Lavender-scented buckwheat neck pillow
Eye mask (on long flights)
Ear plugs
My own (sanitary & comfortable) headset
Fully charged laptop for working and playing Solitaire
Handful of my favorite magazines purchased in the terminal
Printed copies of trip paperwork in folder
1-2 Luna bars
Mentos (the freshmaker)
Sparkling water or iced tea purchased right before boarding plane

Traveling with my children, my carry-on includes:
Umbrella stroller (gate-checked)

"Cozy blankie" (my daughter's huge fuzzy blanket)

LOTS of diapers

Wipes

Changing pad
Plastic bags for soiled diapers
Two complete changes of clothes for each kid (don't forget socks)

Nursing cover

Diaper ointment
Teething tablets and cream

Small bottle of infant Tylenol

Bibs

Binkies (5 would be ideal)

Empty water bottle & sippy cup for filling with water in terminal

Many small baggies of snacks for kids
Inexpensive paperback books that I'm okay with losing

An endless array of small "disposable" toys

Post-it notes (can entertain a toddler for a LONG time)
iPod with many preschool-age videos loaded in advance
Old over-the-head earphones (for child who doesn't like iPod ones)

A few more kid snacks

Chapstick, any chapstick (please tell me I threw one in here!)

Favorite Photo Friday

You may be thinking I need to take a few more pictures if this is my favorite photo of the week!  But wait, let me explain.  As most of you know, I am a contestant in the Verity Mom contest -- a chance to win a job as a blogger/spokesperson for Verity Credit Union in Seattle.  And a primary part of the application process was making a one minute video.  The rules specified that applicants had to script, film, edit and post the video by themselves.  And so I did.  And this, dear readers, is a photo of my amazing cameraman.  I call him Bob.  (grin)

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

In addition to all my tension, worry, stress and upset because my dad is in the hospital recovering from a stroke (almost 1000 miles away), yesterday was stinky because:

Jeep broke a beautiful little dish that I brought back from Japan over ten years ago.

CeCe "the Destroyer" found (by getting past the kid-lock on the bathroom cupboard) and ruined my favorite lipstick. Lipstick under tiny fingernails is OH SO fun to clean up!

My mom (understandably) had a huge emotional breakdown.

Mother Nature brought me a "gift." (Let's pretend I didn't just write that.)

More great moms applied to be the Verity Mom. Including a professional blogger. She probably has a clean house and nice handwriting too. Grrr.

My husband got a speeding ticket. Okay, that was actually a couple of days ago, but I was still really mad about it yesterday.

Jeep whined. CeCe fussed.

And some other stuff. That I can't think of today. But it sure seemed like a really bad day. Except for the moments when it didn't. Like when we took a walk as a family to the local park. And during the phone calls from dear friends who wanted me to know they love me and are thinking of me and my family. And when my husband put the kids to bed so I could go to the gym. And when I was eating the brownie sundae I made when I got home.

So maybe it wasn't exactly a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But I hope today is better.

Smells Like A Budget In Here

This post was written as part of my application to be the Verity Mom for Verity Credit Union so it also appears online at www.veritymom.com.

Before I stopped "working for money" (my previous career) to "work for love" (become a stay-at-home-mom,) I saved a little chunk of change for use in case of emergency as we transitioned to living on one salary. Every month I would find myself writing a check from savings to cover any number of "emergencies"-- from date nights (cheaper than marriage counseling, I told myself) to new shoes (on SALE) and car repairs (okay, that truly is an emergency.) And yet I was surprised when I realized the fund was nearly depleted. How did that happen?! Wouldn't I have noticed the rapid decline? Well… the truth is, I didn't. Two young kids kept both my husband and me very busy and our finances were not getting the attention they deserved. We had made a few spending changes and I was proud that we weren't using our credit cards, but for the most part we were living like we did when we both drew a salary.

After a brief period of panic and worry, I reminded myself that living within our means is a choice. I knuckled down and went carefully over our fixed expenses and bank records and made a budget. Candidly, it was EYE-OPENING! We are fortunate to have enough money coming in to cover our daily needs, but we don't have a lot of wiggle room. A couple of expensive dinners out, a few thoughtless purchases and one of those ever-present unanticipated expenses and wham-o, we are over budget! No wonder the emergency fund evaporated.

Now we pay fixed expenses with our online banking and liquid expenses with cash that comes out of an old-school envelope system. In our family are certainly still learning how to use our budget muscles -- we've been out of shape for a while. It isn't easy, but the challenge is balanced with a great feeling of satisfaction. I know I am making good choices for my family and our future which brings me more pleasure than the convenience purchases I was making before.

Today, instead of buying a treat from a Starbucks drive-thru (a too-busy mom's snack salvation), we are having fresh baked cookies. The grocery store had Marie Callender's Chocolate Chip Cookie mix on sale for $1.79 so even when I add butter and eggs, I'm getting a dozen cookies for less than I would have spent on two cookies a few months ago. And a mix is still manageable for a too-busy mom. It isn't true every minute, but right now, living on a budget smells pretty sweet.

Light the Fire

I've written many, many blog posts since last September... unfortunately they have all been in my head! But a couple of weeks ago I found something that inspired me to return to the actual keyboard.


A local credit union is basically having a contest... for a part-time job as a "mommy-blogger" and spokesperson! I am a little surprised that I am so interested and excited by this idea. I tend to be a bit of skeptic and I get frustrated at how marketing departments can push, push, push for never-ending, thoughtless and wasteful consumerism. But this seems different. Sure Verity CU is doing this for a reason -- and I'm sure a numbers-based reason -- but it feels like there is heart behind it. That while they want to find new customers, they are also interested in those customers on a more holistic level. And that yes, their research shows that moms make most of the buying decisions in a family and so, of course, let's capture those banking customers, but let's also make their lives a little bit easier by giving them a space, and a voice, that supports the important, all-consuming yet so rewarding work of being a parent.

So, I'm in. I still need to write a blog post for my online application, but yesterday I borrowed a flip camera from a friend to make my application video. Today, I taped myself talking on my back deck while Jeep watched "kids TV" and CeCe took a nap. And the perfectionist, former working-for-money professional, detail-oriented me wanted to shoot it about 25 more times in various outfits, from multiple angles and in different light, BUT the baby woke up after take number 3 and my real-life as an at-home parent brought me back to the sweet reality of "good enough." Afterall, in addition to all I do everyday as a mom, I still need to get the video onto YouTube, finish my Facebook "Sunni Bannon for Verity Mom" fan page, and send a few more Tweets. grin

So thank you, Verity Credit Union for this great idea. It has recharged my blogging brain with loads of new ideas and I'm glad to be back!

And also thank you to Tim who kindly granted me permission to use Verity Credit Union's "Verity Mom" logo.