Off to cheer!

We'll be headed out in a couple hours to cheer for the Hubs alma mater. It's HOMECOMING! The Hubs invited the Princess and myself to attend the game with him.

We'll be dropping off the Bear with my ILs. He just loves my FIL so he'll have a great time. When he finds out we're going to visit my ILs? He'll just continue to refer to my FIL. Over and over again. The Princess used to do the same thing. Both my kids adore him. No mentions of my MIL though. Interesting, don't you think?

Anyway, it's going to be an afternoon game. It'll be nice. Not too hot. Hopefully a breeze will kick in. I'm sure they'll be handing out SOMETHING for attending the game. I think one year the fans received pom-poms. Another year plastic cups. This year? We'll see.

And yes. We'll be driving on back home after the game. It'll be a long day. But the Hubs wants to watch his team. And we want to spend some quality time with the Hubs.

Excuse me?

The other day we had a playdate at our house.

Actually, on Monday the Princess asked if her friend (YC) could come home with us. To play. After school?

Well, I called YC's mom up that day and found out that Wednesday would be a good afternoon for the playdate. I let YC's mom know that I had an extra booster. That way YC could come home directly with us from school and the mom could have some extra time to herself to do whatever. We arranged for a 5pm-ish pickup.

Wednesday came around and we drove home. The girls giggled about goodness knows what. They sat side-by-side in the 2nd row buckets. When we got to the house, my kidlings immediately took off their shoes and socks. They know to do this. We don't wear shoes in our house. Plus, their shoes & socks are ALWAYS filled with sand/dirt/rocks from school. So most of the debris piles up in front of the garage door for easy sweeping & vacuuming.

Seeing my kidlings remove their shoes prompted YC to do the same. Fine, right? The girls tore upstairs and started to play. This is the point where I began to appreciate my kids.

1. YC tried to bring toys downstairs - we have the toys upstairs in the loft area. **
2. YC tried to bring BIG toys (like a baby pack-n-play) down after I told her nothing was allowed downstairs.
3. YC threw a ball down the stairs. ** We don't throw anything from the 2nd floor to the 1st. She did it a second time. **
4. When I served a snack (saltines with peanut butter and slice bananas on the side), YC kept on getting up from the nook table and running upstairs. This prompted the Princess to follow her. ** We eat our snack. We don't run around when we eat. **
5. When YC's mom came to pick her up, she brought their new puppy with her. YC promptly put the puppy down on our floor. Umm....PICK THE DAMN DOG UP! No, I didn't say that. But I wanted to. YC's mom had to keep on telling her that about 10 times to pick the puppy up. I guess I know where she gets the habit of not listening....

When I served the snack, YC came over to me and we had the following discussion.

YC: "What can I eat?"

Me: "Well, I made that snack over there."

YC: "Oh."

Me: "Why?"

YC: "I want cereal."

Me: "Cereal?"

YC: "I eat Cocoa Puffs."

Me: "We don't have that kind of cereal."

She looks up in the pantry. I take down the boxes. Shredded Wheat. Fruit Harvest. Nothing sugary. She looks disappointed. She looks more closely in our pantry. She points.

Me: "I'm not making that. That's not for a snack."

You know what she was pointing at? Not the rice cakes. Not the dried cranberries. Not the Nutrigrain bites. She was pointing at the Chef Boyardee spaghetti can that was ALL the way in the back. Our "emergency" rations.

She ended up eating nothing.

And that prompts me to recall the conversation in the car on the drive home.

Me: "Prin, do you want water or milk with your snack?"

Prin: "Water please."

Me: "You feeling a little dehydrated today?"

Prin: "Yeah. I didn't drink enough water at school."

Me: "Okay. YC? What do you want to drink? Milk or water?"

YC: "Water."

Me: "Two waters. Got it."

YC: "I'm only allowed to drink soda when I'm with my mom."

I let that comment go without an answer. Did she think I was going to serve up soda? My kids don't drink soda. The Princess gets a tummy ache from drinking Capri Suns. She only likes to have orange juice that's diluted in half with water.

I guess YC is used to getting her way at home. Who knows if she'll ever want to come back to our house for a playdate. Maybe I'm too strict for her. I definitely don't have the stuff she likes to eat stocked in my pantry.

But my kid? I hope they follow the rules of conduct we instill in our home when they are out and about. The Bear is still a little young to figure it out. I know that the Prin is good about it. Today her teacher said "Gabrielle is a joy to have around. If all the kids were like her, then teaching would be a breeze." That was the best compliment for my daughter's behavior. That she's respectful of her friends and her teachers. That she listens to directions. That she can follow rules. That she lets people have their space. That she doesn't have to act like others who are not following the rules to remain their friend.

I hope that when your kids have a playdate...you don't have a 'guest' like we did.

---

** This mark? Indicates that I told the girls directly what the rules are. And wehre I have it twice under the same number? That means I had to say the rule a second time. It's not that the Princess forgot the rules. She didn't want to reprimand her friend. She and I have since had a discussion that if she has friends over that she can say "We're not allowed to do that in our house. My Mom & Dad said so." This way she's saying what the rules are in OUR house. She's not being the bad guy. She's just the messenger. Mom & Dad become the bad guys with her explanation.

Misunderstandings

Lordy people!

My head would be lost if it wasn't attached to my neck!

Yesterday, the Princess' teacher told me that her class brought in the most candy for the school. To reward the class they would be having an "E" party. "E" is a local sandwich shop. My assumption was that the kids would be getting a LUNCH party.

I packed her the required two snacks for the day this morning. I was kind of wary about not packing her a lunch but it was an "E" party, right?

Thankfully, I called the school just now. The party? It's at 2:30pm. Yeah. It's a snacktime party. Not a lunchtime party.

So me? I've got to get out of my comfy at-home work outfit (a tanktop dress that I use for sleeping) and get back into some jeans & a tshirt so I can drop off the Princess' lunch at school.

DANG IT ALL!

He knows how to push

I am ever so proud of my little Bear.

HE KNOWS HOW TO PUSH!

The last two nights he's been able to squeeze a few bits of urine out of his penis. It's amazing. You can actually see him working his muscles. This is a totally new development. Last week we discovered that he can push little toot-toots out of his bottom. But pushing from the front? That is a new one on us.

Now we really have to be consistent with toilet time. Get him some sitting time reserved on the throne. Having him in daycare is really helping. I think a couple boys in his class are able to urinate when they have toilet-time, so that's getting him interested in 'performing' as well.

Who knows? By mid-spring, I may have a little guy in underpants???? [crossing fingers & toes...]

What would you do?

This past Saturday, we had dinner with the Hubs' immediate family at a restaurant. Well, most all of the Hubs' family.

My FIL and MIL were not there when we arrived. What was odd about that was that they had left before us to get to the restaurant. So we were pretty surprised not to see them sitting there when we arrived.

Hubs: "Where are Mom & Pops?"

SIL: "They left."

Hubs: "Why?"

BIL: "Her boss is here. With his girlfriend."

Hubs: "Oh....what?"

SIL: "Remember? He's married? He's here with his girlfriend!"

Hubs: "Okay."

Me: "So your parents walked in and saw him and left?"

SIL: "Yup!"

Just because her boss was there was his girlfriend, my ILs bowed out of dinner. REALLY people. The boss was out in public with this lady. If he got 'caught' with her than it's his own fault, you know?

Later on...

Me: "Doesn't he live alone out here? I remember your mom mentioning that he had that big house all to himself."

SIL: "That sounds right."

Me: "So then his wife lives somewhere else."

SIL: "Yeah...."

Me: "Then maybe the two are separated. Even if they are still legally married."

SIL: "Maybe."

Me: "Or else they have an open marriage."

BIL: "Oh sick!"

The Hubs and I spoke about this on the drive home while the kidlings were passed out.

If the Hubs were in that situation, he would have left the restaurant. Just like his parents. Why people? Why?

If I were in that situation, I would have gone in and had dinner. I would have even stopped at the table to get 'introduced' to the lady. That way I would be calling him on it. Let's just say I'd use it as leverage if needed. Then again I would find out if he was legally separated or not. I would use it as an opportunity for information.

What would you have done if you were out and caught your boss out with a lady or a man (not the spouse)???

Kick on in!

It's about 12:05am. I'm awake. I wasn't. Until an hour ago.

That's when the HIVES took over. I felt so itchy. All over.

Once I woke up. I got out of bed. I logged onto the web. Surfed around to find any store that was still open.

AHA! The one that's only 3/4 miles from my house was open until midnight! Halleluia!

I threw on some clothes. I whispered to the Hubs that I was going to the store.

"But they're not open until 6am...."

"They're open until midnight."

So off I went. In the dark dark night. Itchy as itchy can be. The hives were spreading. That's why I woke up. All around my neck. Over about 60% of the trunk of my body. Sweet goodness I needed some relief.

I ended up with some "Claritin - Hives Relief". It's non-drowsy 24-hour relief. It's supposed to take about an hour to kick in. I took it almost 30 minutes ago. It's got loratadine in it. Supposed to be a 2nd generation antihistamine that doesn't cause drowsiness like the stuff that's in Benadryl. We'll see if this stuff works. And for those of you who have used the Benadryl? How long did it take to kick in? Did it really make you drowsy?

itchy-scratchy-itchy-scratchy

You know how go through your day and scratch when the urge hits?

I had worn a sports bra to bed last night. This morning, I was itchy around the left side of my breast. No biggie. Just scratch and put on a daytime bra. Go on with my day. I absently scratched my skin th rest of the day.

When I went to pick up the Princess and the Bear this afternoon, I noticed that I was itchy. I figured it was due to the fact that I failed to put on moisturizer after my shower last night. Good reasoning, eh?

People? I've got HIVES!

I noticed it just before the Hubs got home this evening. I actually looked and saw raised red skin. And you know what else? The raised and red skin is...ALL...OVER...THE...PLACE!

It's in that spot that I noticed this morning. On the left side of my breast. Around the bra-band area on the left. Under my upper right and upper left arm. A couple spots on my tummy. The front of my neck. And on the front of my thighs.

I found some Calamine lotion. I've got streaks of it in all the right places. Thankfully, it's helpful alleviate the majority of the itchy feeling. But there's that underlying urge to scratch away. You know?

Now how long does it take for hives to go away? Is there some other ointment that I should be using? HELP!

Remembering balloons

Friday morning on the drive home from dropping off the Princess & the Bear, I saw a hot air balloon in the south sky. It looked so lonely. All alone. In the sky with the grey clouds behind it. The sun just starting to peak over the clouds.

It reminded me of some memories of hot air balloons.

When I lived in San Diego, there were a ton of hot air balloons. Every Friday and/or Saturday evening there would be 4 to 6 hot air balloons in the air just before sunset. These people had a business of bringing customers up to watch the sun set over the ocean. I'm sure it was a beautiful sight. I never was able to make my own arrangements to get in one of those things. But it was a wonderful sight to see.

One time I got really close to a hot air balloon. An unexpected encounter. It was a Friday afternoon. I was at home in my 2nd story condo. I happened to look out the window. I saw a hot air balloon a block away. It was maybe 20 yards above the rooftops. It was WAY off course. It was way too low also. I'm sure they had a malfunction of some kind. The balloons didn't come around our neck of the woods (about 10 miles inland). I watched. Mesmerized. I couldnt' believe that the balloon was right there! I watched as it continued to sail slowly eastward. I remembering praying that it wouldn't hit any of the homes. That it would find a safe landing zone in this huge community of homes. Then I remembered. There was a park about a mile east. I watched. And Ii watched. Finally I saw it go down. Right about where that community park was located. AH...I'm sure we all sighed in relief.

But I tell you. Hot air balloons are beautiful. They seem so serene. Have you ever been in one? When? Where? One day I hope to take a ride in one with my Hubs.

Freak out!

People? My new boss is a freak.

Not in that weird demented kind of way. In that "He's a NUT!" kind of way. Instead of being able to concentrate on what I'm hoping to accomplish this week...I've been putting out fires. Fires that under his jurisdiction. Pulling me off what I need to do is not going let me get MY THINGS DONE! Last Thursday. Yesterday. Today. Will it never end?

So he better not get himself all twisted up this Friday when he discovers that the stuff I was supposed to get accomplished this week...are still not done.

@$^@^!^

Okay. I'm better now. I'm off to fight another fire.

pathetically unattached

At the moment I'm taking a 20 minute break from the job. I ate lunch today! The first time I've made myself something instead of grabbing a bag of whatever out of the pantry. It was stew. Sure, it was from a can...but it was good. Can you believe that I've got TWO computers on right now? Right beside each other? I'm keeping the work laptop for work. But since I'm taking a break I turned our personal desktop on.

I am SO behind in reading my favorite blogs! I feel so left out!

But alas...work has me dragging by the nails. I'm still bone tired. Last night (at 1:30am) the Bear woke up coughing. That coughing that you know isn't going to stop? The kind of cough that keeps on tickling as you lay there flat on the bed? I went up and got him. I sat on the couch so he could fall back asleep. What's pathetic is that I had just thrown myself into bed at midnight after finishing up some work. So I got almost 1-1/2 hours of real sleep. Then I got a couple more hours of restless sleep. Now how comfortable can YOU sleep with 35 pounds on top of you?

The good thing is? The Bear didn't cry yesterday or today when I dropped him off at daycare. Yeah! Small victories. You gotta love it!

Zonked out

Since starting my new job on Monday I've been busy. WAY BUSY.

The result of being so busy? I sleep like a log. Apparently, the other night I was so out of it that I was snoring up a storm. Enough noise to wake my husband up and keep him awake for a half hour. He finally shoved nudged me softly so I changed position.

Typical schedule?

• Wake up at 5:45am
• Wash up/contacts in
• Get sippys/milk/breakfast out
• Login to computer to check emails
• Get Bear by 6:30am
• Wake Princess by 6:45am
• Make lunches & get backpacks packed
• Get Bear washed & dressed for the day
• Get Princess washed & dressed for the day
• Out the door by 7:30am
• Drop Princess at kindergarten
• Drop Bear at daycare
• Get logged into computer at 8:30am
• Work
• Work
• Work
• Head out at 2:45 to pick up kidlings
• Princess at 3pm
• Bear at 3:15 (or so)
• Home by 3:25
• Snacks & cuddles from 3:30-4pm
• Send the kids to play upstairs
• Start to get dinner ready 4:30pm
• Work/check emails
• Eat dinner 5:30pm
• Kids to bed by 7:30pm
• Work

There's been a ton of work. But it's fine. The stuff I'm doing now is something I can understand. There's just a lot to it. Working from home has been nice so far. It's given a bunch of flexibility to when I can do more work (before the kids wake up/after the kids are in bed). But because it's right here? I'm working a lot. Last night I was up until 11:30pm trying to get my brain to understand all the steps to a process. Thankfully, I think I've got it down. Just one more iteration to go. Then I'll be ready for the real deal on Monday. Getting it done and getting it to the person who needs it. Did I tell you that they just gave me this project at lunchtime on Thursday?

Oh...and that's another thing. Because I'm in the comfort of my home? I'm forgetting to take time outs. Sure, I'll grab some water and use the facilities, but I'm not stretching out. I'm not eating a proper lunch. The last two days I snacked on some yogurt pretzels and tropical trailmix during the day.

Once I get into the groove of my job requirements, I hope to be able to take a half hour to do some cardio sometime during the day. Get myself on a better schedule. But for now? Work! That's what I'm about to do right now. More work. On a Saturday morning. ARGH!

Making Mommy Laugh

A Barney video was playing this morning before we headed out the door.

Princess: "Mommy, BJ is a funny character."

Me: "What? PJ?"

Princess: "Oh Mom..."

Me: "Is it PJ? Or is it BJ?"

Princess: "BJ."

Me: "What? I can't hear you. P-P-P, like in pig?"

Princess: "B-b-b, like in baseball."

Me: "Oh...BJ."

Princess: "Yeah, it's di-pi-cult."

WHAT? What? She made FUN of me! She was saying 'difficult'. But since I kept on hearing the "P" sound she said 'dipicult'. That kid!

I'll definitely be using the hot water

You know people are nowadays. Trying to save their clothing from too much wear and tear. Washing in warm or even cold for most of their stuff. Then setting the drier on low. I saw an article in the back part of the latest BH&G magazine. It was about laundry.

Laundry, you say? Yeah. The "stuff" that's in our laundry rooms is gross!

Based on today's washing methods there's a high percentage of folks that walk out of their laundry room with fecal matter on their hands. Fecal matter?

Apparently, most people have fecal matter in their underpants. No matter HOW well you wipe yourselves. They say you don't necessarily have to SEE it to have some in your underpants. EEEKKK!

Back in the OLD days, folks were washing in hot water and drying their clothes in the warm sun. Back then? The hot water would get the fecal matter off clothing more easily. And the sun? Would kill any residual germs that lingered.

You know people are nowadays. Trying to save their clothing from too much wear and tear. Washing in warm or even cold for most of their stuff. Then setting the drier on low. So the yucky stuff isn't being washed off & killed off our clothing. So the stuff you might think is clean? Isn't necessarily clean!

What does BH&G recommend? That all linens be washed in HOT water & dried on the HIGH. That all underpants (adults & kids) be washed as a separate load in HOT on the longest setting & dried on HIGH. This way the residual matter will be contained & washed away together. Then the biggest is that the clothing of kids who aren't potty trained be washed on HOT & dried on HIGH. Sounds like more loads of laundry coming my way!

A mess just waiting to unfold

Did anyone else see this latest news on Martha Stewart?

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. You see, where I live the reputation of this particular builder is horrible. Actually, the division in my STATE is horrible. There have been a ton of complaints against them.

The one that hits closest to home happened to a gal who used to work in the same office as the Hubs. She bought a home from this builder about 3 years ago. The day they moved in they noticed that the armoire they placed in their master bedroom was leaning. Leaning? They tried to straighten it out. No luck. You know what they found out? Their master bedroom floor sloped down towards that one wall. It sloped down about 2 inches from where it should be. And the master bedroom was on the SECOND floor. You say, how can that be? It happened. They had to move everything out of the master bedroom and the builder had to come in and fix it. Don't ask me HOW they fixed it. But they did.

Now this is just one example of how Martha's new partner somehow gets away with shoddy workmanship. I hope in the state where they are partnering...has a better team. [snort]

Pick up was great...drop off was not [update]

Yesterday, I picked up the Princess from school.

Princess: "Where is the Bear?"

Me: "He's still at 'school'. I wanted us both to pick him up!"

Princess: "Was he crying when you left him there this morning?"

Me: "Yes honey. He did cry."

Princess: "Poor litte boy. I hope he didn't cry too long..."

Me: "I hope he didn't cry long either."

Princess: "I'll bet he'll be smiling when he sees us!"

Me: "I'll be he will to."

We drive on over to the daycare (aka 'school'). We walk into the Bear's classroom. They're having their afternoon snack. He sees the two of us and bolts up. He trots over and wraps his arms around me. The Princess came around and hugged us both. He looked fine. They told me the kid actually took a nap too! Halleluia!

All was well this morning too as we got ready for the day. We dropped the Princess off at school like normal. The Bear carried his lunch bag as we walked the Princess to the playground. He didn't say a word on the ride over to the school. As I parked my car, I heard him in the background.

Bear: "Home."

Me: "Oh buddy! It's time for your school!"

I get him out and we walk into the building. He carried his lunch bag in himself. He also put the bag into the refrigerator on his own (I opened and closed the door for him). As we walked into the common area, he wanted up. We walked into his classroom. I stayed there for a bit. He knew what was coming. I stayed for about 5 minutes. The gal in the room walked over & stood next to me.

Me: "Okay buddy! Time for Mommy to go."

I gave him a big hug and kiss. Then I handed him over to the gal. The crying began immediately as I pulled him away from me.

Bear: "Moooommmy!"

I walked out. As I walked away I heard the gal.

Teacher: "Honey. Mommy has to go to work. She'll be back later. Okay?"

I hope the Bear gets used to this routine of drop-off. He has too, right? It just breaks my heart to have to walk away from him.

How long did it take your child or children to get used to being dropped off at either daycare or school or a babysitter?

*****************

I forgot to mention earlier that they told me that for the first three hours the Bear was observing. Watching. Looking around. Not saying anything. This reminds me SO much of me as a kid. I'd just look and watch and see how everything worked before jumping into things. Kind of like the Princess too.

If anyone asked him a question? "NO!" That's all he would say. But once lunchtime hit, I guess he loosened up and got in the groove of the class.

I'm headed out in about 5 minutes to go pick up the Princess. Then we'll head out to get the Bear. I wonder how he'll be when we pick him up???

On the work front? I got a bunch of stuff done. I'm getting up to speed on the terminology. How this document goes and affects this process. How this report is the data for this other file. Etc and so forth. I'm getting my brain around it all. This is only my 3rd day! But you know what? I found some errors in some data files today. I went in and corrected them. Woohoo! I FIXED SOMETHING! Yeah! That feels good!

Why is it harder for the parents? Or is it?

About 20 minutes ago, I dropped the Bear off at daycare.

This is the first time that anyone has taken care of him other than family. I feel amazingly guilty about it.

We prepped for it. Yesterday, we watched a video of Blues Clues where Periwinkle goes to school for the first time. This morning, I told him that he was "going to school just like Sissy!" He was agreeable about it. We'd been to the Daycare facility twice and both times he wanted to stay and play.

He seemed fine enough when we drove up to the place. He was fine when we finished up paperwork at the receptionist area. He was fine putting his lunch box into the refrigerator. He was fine dropping off his backpack in the classroom. He was fine joining all the other 1 & 2 year olds in the other class to watch Baby Einstein videos until their teacher arrived at 9am.

He was NOT fine when I decided to leave. One of the assistants (Carol) was next to me. I gave her a "look" to let her know I was going. I bent over and kissed the Bear on his head.

Me: "Bye-bye! I'll see you later!"

Bear: "Up! Mooommmmy!"

He was ready to follow me. Carol scooped the Bear up and held him. As I walked away I could still hear him crying but with less vigor.

I called the Hubs right as I was sitting at a stoplight.

Me: "I just finished dropping your son off."

Hubs: "How was he?"

Me: "He was fine...until I said bye-bye. Then he started to cry."

Hubs: "You know what? He probably will stop crying within 5 minutes or so. He'll be fine!"

Yeah. I guess so. The majority of parents in the United States go through this ritual every workday. I know. But this was my first time people! My heart is heavy. I'm sad. I left my child when he was crying! Wanting me! But the reality of it is that I have to work. And I'm sure he'll make friends quickly. It's just getting him used to the idea of going to 'school' every day will be interesting.

new printer recommendations

Need some help folks.

I'm going to need a new printer here at the house. But what kind?

Need:

• Reliable unit
• Good quality (not GREAT photo quality)
• Not too pricey cartridges (refills)
• Not too pricey cost for unit

Those of you with home businesses? What do YOU use? Help!

Writing sentences?

Today after she was finished with a page in one of her many coloring books, the Princess did something amazing.

She wrote a sentence!

"The cat has sum milk"

Yes. I realize she spelled "some" incorrectly. But she wrote a sentence. Just because! She wrote it in upper and lower case too. I could hear her sounding the words out and writing carefully in her coloring book.

People! She just turned five a couple weeks ago. She's writing. She's thinking up sentences on her own.

I'm so amazed. I'm proud of her. Wow!

Stressing for a job [update]

I haven't landed a job. STILL! I'm stressed out.

My first car payment will be November 1st. I'd like to have a job by then to pay for the car. I don't want to have to dip into my savings to pay for it.

I have to find the 'right' job. One that will pay at least the minimum amount I'll need to pay for the bills (car, daycare, bills) every month.

The interview from last Wednesday? Nothing yet. I called yesterday and the gal told me that they had just finished up with the first interviews. This means she scheduled people for an entire week! Lots of candidatates. Dang-it-all! She let me know that she'd be calling on Monday to inform all the candidates either way. I do hope I get a 2nd interview. But I'm not setting my hopes up high to be in the final three.

I do have an interview this afternoon. It's for a full-time job. Sounds like it'll be a load of work, but the cool thing would be that I would work from home. The only reason I'm considering this full-time position is because I'd be able to work at home.

The job was listed yesterday morning. I sent my resume in around lunchtime. The gentleman called me by 2:30pm. I spoke with him around 4pm. We'll be meeting today at 3:30pm.

When the Hubs got home, I told him about the job. That it was full time. That I'd be able to work at the house. What the basics of the job entailed. He thought it was a good move. He felt that I had the skills to do the job. That a full-time job working from home would be something I could do. It would mean that I would not need to get dressed up for the day (no dry cleaning or extra outfits to wash). I'd be close to the Princess school and the Bear's daycare. No commute to an office. Meaning less wear on our new car and less fuel to buy. Working from home would mean I could put in more hours to the job too.

Even if it is working from home, I know that I'll still need to put the Bear into daycare. I'll need to concentrate on the work. He's used to me playing outside with him. Running around the playroom with him. Eating lunch with him. It wouldn't be fair to him for us to be home and me having to focus on something other than him.

If this recruiter guy seems to feel I have the skill set for this job, I am going to broach the topic of having 'core' working hours from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Then working the additional hours before the kidlings wake up or after the kidlings are in bed. This would provide me with the flexibility to drop the kidlings off and picking them up. Having family time once the Hubs gets home.

Anyway, I'll try to put my best foot forward. With a smile on my face. With a 'can do' attitude. Like I do with every interview.

I did send my resume out to about 4 other places this week. But I haven't heard from anyone else. Hopefully either today's interview or last week's interview will pan into a paying job.

Cross your fingers for me??? THANKS!

***********************

Update as of 4pm

The gal that I interviewed with last Wednesday called.

"We have narrowed the candidates down to two. The two we decided on both have experience running an office like ours."

Okay. So none of the criteria stated that you wanted someone who had that type of experience. And just because someone ran an office like yours doesn't mean that's the way you want your office to be run. Does it?

"But I wanted to let you know we are going to keep your resume on file in the event that these two don't work out."

So first you tell me that I'm not good enough to make the final round. Now the next thing you're saying is that you'll keep my info in the event your FIRST choices don't pan out? THANKS but NO THANKS!

Now would you take a job knowing you're their second choice?

***********************

Update as of 6:30pm

I now am part of the working world again. I GOT THE JOB!

After about 10 minutes of chatting with the gentleman (who I'll be referring to as BossMan from now on) this afternoon, he eluded to the fact that he was going to offer me the position. It felt SO good to get some positive feedback from the get go. I wasn't dangling on pins and needles the rest of time I spoke with him.

I'm going to meet up with BossMan on Sunday to get a few pieces of equipment that I'll need and to sign an employee agreement and some forms. I didn't want to have to meet up with BossMan on Monday (when I'm sure he'll be busy) with the Bear in tow. I wanted to do it Sunday so I could go alone. Let the Hubs watch the kidlings while Mommy takes care of business.

I think both he and I were comfortable once we starting talking to each other. He gave me an overview of the job. He handed me some paperwork to look at. He told me where I'd be gathering information. Then he paused. I took that opportunity to reiterate back to him what I would need to do on a more technical level. Once I finished my blurb back to him?

"She knows what I'm talking about!"

I could tell that's what he was thinking. He looked at me in the eyes with a visible sense of relief. I think from that moment on we knew this thing would work out.

"You realize that this isn't a glamorous job. It's really the 'grunt' work...for lack of a better description."

"Since I haven't worked for 5 years, I want to get back into the game. I've done this work in the past. And I know I can do it. I'm fine that it's not a high-visibility job. Plus, you all are growing this business. I'd rather get into it now and learn the business while it's growing."

"If you get to that point where you get tired of doing this job? I know we can find a place for you."

We ended up chatting for about 45 minutes.

"I'd like to offer you the job. You don't have to answer this minute. I'll be available all weekend."

He looked skeptical. I think he didn't know if I'd take a job at the pay level they have it at (compared to what I'd been paid in the past).

"Let me just tell that I'm 95% sure that I'll take the job. I'm sure my husband will agree this is a great opportunity for me. "

He first looked surprised, then relieved once more.

So that's it folks. THANKS for all the crossed fingers and toes.

And you know what happened while I was typing this update? Another recruiter called up to talk to me. And just before I got on here I checked email and someone sent me an email with a time to meet with them next week. DANG! When it rains? It pours!

And the Hubs? He is mighty happy that I'll be able to work from home and get paid.

I'll be able to pay for my monthly car payments and the Bear's daycare without a problem. I'll also be able to pay off larger chunks off my credit card bill than I'd originally slated. It also means that I'll be able to put money into my savings account. And when the Princess has days off school I won't have to make special arrangements for her. I'll still drive the Bear to daycare and have the Princess here playing at the house. She can play independently...no big.

The VERY BEST thing about all this? It'll give the Hubs a break from being the only one earning money. It'll give him some breathing room. Give him some play money for himself. He deserves it!

Appreciating the older folks

As I drove by the elementary school, I knew something was up.

The parking lot was FULL. And it was only 7:40am. That school doesn't start until 9am. Something unusual was going on that's for sure.

When I drove home, the parking lot was overflowing. There were vehicles parked in the dirt lot next to the school. Not a handful either. About 30 or so!

I found out that the school was recognizing the older generation. They were having their 2nd annual Grandparents Breakfast. Fantastic, eh?

All the students were able to invite their grandparents. Then they all had breakfast together at the school. Turns out it was a very nice breakfast. Compared to last year.

What happened last year? It was the FIRST Grandparents' Breakfast celebration. The school even put a reminder on the marquee outside the school. Grandparents Day Breakfast Sept xx, 2004.

Wouldn't you know that they ran out of food? Some people had to wait until 9am before they could eat? Why? Why? Why the shortage of food? Because random old folks showed up. They were someone's grandparent. Not a grandparent to a child attending that school. Yes. People from the senior citizen's community about 3 miles up the road showed up to eat. There was even a BUSLOAD of seniors that came from an old folks home nearby.

So this year, the students gave THEIR grandparents tickets to the event. There was no announcement up on the marquee. But they had enough food. And everyone got to eat before school started at 9am.

Read a little closer

[ring-ring-ring]

Receptionist: "Hello, XXX Corporation."

Me: "Good morning. I'd like to speak with Eric So-n-So. I received an email yesterday stating I should call as soon as possible."

Receptionist: "Would you please hold?"

Me: "Sure. No problem."

La-le-la-la. La-le-la. La-le-la-la-a-a-a-a.

Receptionist: "Erin So-n-So will be out of town for the next few days. Would you like her partner's voicemail?"

Me: "That would be great."

Did you catch that?

I read the email this morning. I wrote down the person's name. Company name. Location. And TWO telephone numbers.

And I still got the name WRONG.

It was ERIN that emailed me. I read and wrote down ERIC.

I hope the receptionist didn't catch my slip up. I did say her first and last name. So I hope she just caught the last name. I hope. I hope. I hope!

What's a matta' you?

In what WORLD is it okay to...

1. ...come home in a pissed off mood
2. ...not talk to anyone to let them know why you're upset
3. ...yell at one of the kids when they fall and start to cry
4. ...not eat dinner with your family
5. ...continue to be mute AND look all pissy the rest of the night?

Welcome to my evening. No. I'm not the one who is pissed off. I'm just sad that the kids have to see such behavior.

ARGH!

After a disaster...what about education?

I don't normally listen to the radio, but I happened to catch NPR the other morning on the drive home from the Princess' school.

What are the New Orleans schools doing to reopen? I went to one website that said they're planning on a November start date. But they are relying on families to contact the school district to ensure that the schools are ramped up correctly.

It was an interesting discussion about how the school district is getting ready to re-open after Katrina.

They mentioned that the largest (or was it best?) school district had over 50,000 kids in it last year. This school year they anticipate only 10,000 kids to return. I mean, that district had to evacuate so I'm surprised that the district is anticipated so many to come back.

To get the kids back in school would mean that the families would have homes to live in. That the parents would have jobs to go back to. Right? But is the part of New Orleans that was devastated by Katrina in ANY condition to support families? I don't think so.

Housing needs to get in order before anyone can move back. I know that when Florida has been hit, it was up to the residents to get their insurance companies to evaluate their situation and then get repairs done. It has been the people's responsibility to get their homes back up and into livable conditions. Are the folks from New Orleans in any position to rebuild their homes?

Jobs need to get stabilized before families would commit to coming back. They need something to come back to. Are the businesses in that area going to rebuild? Are half of them going to rebuild? 25% rebuild? I think that the number of kids that return to school depends on the number of stable jobs that are established in the area.

I hate to say it but it's a big mess. Clean-up needs to take place. Homes need to be made livable. Jobs need to be established.

What I found the most interesting was the talk about how the school district was so bad before the hurricane. How some have advised the district that it should now take the time to revamp itself. That with so few kids returning for this school year that they should focus on BUILDING the district from scratch. To redistribute resources. To focus on restructuring in a more streamlined and more efficient manner. To not waste the money they had -- to use it wisely.

I think that given the condition of the district (which they eluded to) that a restructuring and reorganization of assets and personnel would be best. They really need to focus on the FUTURE of the kids in that district. Not many districts or cities are given the opportunity to see 'best practices' out there and able to initiate them within their schools because of old structures. Now that there is no structure? Take advantage. Look at things with new eyes. If you can't? Then get people who can make the schools the best they can be.

Like many of us know....kids are our future. Give them a place to learn and flourish.

Shuffle here and there

The ILs have found a resolution with their problem kitchen. You know. The one my MIL has been contemplating on renovating for 2 years?

The solution? They're selling their house and buying another one. The other house? My BILs house.

You get the title of this entry now?

So...my BIL and his fiancee are selling their house. They are buying one in the city where my BIL will be starting his new (which starts November 1st). My ILs will be buying my BIL & his fiancee's house.

The only problem I see with this? My BILs house is 10 miles further out than my ILs current home. This means a longer commute for them both. And my MIL? She doesn't like to drive at night. AND she doesn't drive on freeways. So any time savings she'd get by driving on the freeway will be spend on regular streets.

But my BILs house? It's really nice. The kitchen/family room area is spacious. The living is huge. The dining room area is cute. And they've got a pool out back. I do hope they'll be happy there.

They still shock me

I've known my husband for 12 years now.

What amazes me is that learning stuff about his family still shocks and/or surprises me.

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I guess about half of my MILs siblings have used/abused drugs and/or alcohol.

There's this one crazy married in aunt (CMIA) that is very loud. She is the one who introduced my MILs younger sister (MILYS) to the guy she ended up living with for 20 years. She also ended up having a son with him. The guy? He was the family drug supplier.

Way back in the day, my FIL was a cop (along with 3 of his brothers). So did he & his brothers ignore the drug use in my MILs family?

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My Hubs godmother (HG) doesn't like CMIA. HG thinks CMIA is a rude & loud person. HG also thinks that CMIA stalks her. I guess CMIA has called a couple times & talked about stuff she'd only know if she'd driven by HG's house (which is a couple miles away from CMIAs house).

A couple weeks ago HG got into a fender bender. She took her car to the shop to get fixed. She got a rental. Later that day she got a call from CMIA.

CMIA: "Hey, it's CMIA!"

HG: "Oh...hi!"

CMIA: "What's that car doing in your driveway?"

HG: "What?"

CMIA: "There's some strange car in your driveway. I know that's not your car."

HG: "It's a rental."

CMIA: "Oh. Okay."

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One of the Hubs cousins got married this weekend. At the rehearsal at the church his Grandma had one of her rude moments. She and my SIL were sitting at the back of the church. A 50-ish year old woman walked in.

Grandma: "Who is that?" [to my SIL]

SIL: "I don't know Grandma." [my SIL flew in for the wedding so she doesn't know who everyone is]

Grandma: "Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here?" [She's yelling over to the woman]

The 50-ish year old woman (50W) walks over to Grandma and extends her hand.

50W: "Hi there!" [Speaking in a very pleasant, cordial voice]

Grandma: "Hi." [Sounding suspicious]

50W: "I'm Mrs. So-n-so, the mother of the groom. We've met before at this-that-n-the-ther function. It's nice to see you again."

She smiles and then walks towards the front of the church.

The Hubs' Grandma? She didn't apologize for her behavior. I guess that's where my MIL gets it from!

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There's not only friction between the older generation. There's friction amongst the cousins too.

At the wedding rehearsal on Friday night, one of the female cousins (FC#1) was overheard saying "I bet Grandpa paid for most of this" in a nasty tone.

FC#1 got married a couple years ago. I guess she had informed the family that she only wanted people 18 years and older at the reception. Somehow, the one uncle from out of town ahdn't heard this information. He flew into town with his 16-year-old daughter. He ended up having to make arrangements for her while he attended the reception. I guess the Grandpa wasn't happy with FC#1's rule of 18+. The Grandpa ended up not making the 'welcome' speech he's made at all of his grandkids' wedding receptions.

So the female cousin (FC#2) that was getting married this weekend told her Grandpa that he could do whatever at her wedding. Therefore, that's why FC#1 reacted the way she did. FC#1 got no monetary help from the Grandpa. I guess she was a little miffed at the treatment she received a couple years before.

Now I'm married into this family. And even I know that FC#2 is very close with her Grandpa. I mean, she was the only grandkid who was constantly at the hospital when the Grandpa was admitted last winter. She was the one who called us all up with the news and with updates. So I would not be surprised that the Grandpa paid for stuff at FC#2's wedding.

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And the friction doesn't stop at friction. There are actual fights!

Turns out the last time my BIL was visiting, he got into a fistfight with his uncle. I guess they were both drunk. The uncle and my BIL were arguing about some topic. The uncle takes the first swing and all heck breaks loose. I guess the uncle is a "surly drunk" and it doesn't take much to get him started.

MIL: "I hope your brother stays away from boy cousin #1 (BC#1)."

Hubs: "What're you talking about?"

MIL: "I heard that BC#1 is a surly drunk too. With what happened last time...."

Hubs: "If your son stays sober, then there shouldn't be a problem."

Can you believe they actually have fights? Between the older and younger generation? And what is with getting drunk at gatherings? Is that a must? Oh gosh!

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There was this conversation this past weekend. Talk about no tact!

Uncle: "What's going on with your father?"

Boy Cousin#2: "I don't know." [BC#2 starts to tear up]

Uncle: "Well, what's he going to do?"

BC#2: "All I know is that he and my Mom are going to lose the house November 1st." [BC#2 walks away]

BC#2's Dad hasn't been able to hold a job for a few years now. Because of his lack of income, the bank will be foreclosing on the house November 1st. This is what confuses me. If I couldn't hold a job and I knew I couldn't sustain a home, I would sell it. That way I could still make a profit on it. Now that they're at the bottom of the pit? BC#2's Dad will be moving in with Grandpa and Grandma. BC#2's Mom will be moving in with her sister.

BC#2? He's getting married next year. This should be a happy time for him. Getting ready for the wedding and stuff. Instead? It's a sad time.

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Hubs' Grandma & Grandpa's house? There are going to be a few of their kids residing there. The one aunt has never moved out. She's a really nice lady. Very generous and kind. BC#2's Dad will be moving in November 1st. And my MILs youngest brother (MILYB) will be moving back any time now. MILYB just lost his government job. We don't know why he lost it but he did. MILYB has a history of alcoholism. That's one of the contributing factors that led to his divorce 5 years ago. MILYB's oldest daughter was the flower girl at the Hubs' and my wedding. Since YS lost his job, he will not be able to afford his apartment. So he will be moving back to his parents' home any time now.

Now how sad is that? Hubs' grandparents will have 3 of their 8 children back in their house. All of the kids are over 50 years old too. By the time most people are in their 50's they're thinking about their retirement, right? Thinking about what they'll do with their lives when they no longer need to work. That's not the case here.

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It saddens me. It's amazing really. All this...STUFF. I should be grateful that the Hubs turned out so normal, eh?

Now does your family or your husband's family have crazy stuff like this happening????

What the tastebuds will accept

The most fun show caught my attention this afternoon.

It about the 25th anniversary Spamarama festival in Austin, TX. **

That's right folks. It was a food festival all centering around Spam. It was fabulous!

They had a sports event! Teams of two would toss a full-size piece of spam at a specified distance. Teams who successfully tossed & caught the spam would continue to the next round.

Then there was the cook-off. The THINGS they came up with were amazing.

There was one dish that had Spam mixed with lobster (some sort of parfait). It seriously looked like a French dish with all the layers and the pretty presentation. There was the Spam sausage. It was 40% spam & 60% pork butt with herbs, onions, and other seasons mixed in. There was Spam on a stick. It was sliced long and thin. Dipped in jalapeno pancake batter. Deep fried. Toped with some sauce.

It was great when they rolled clips of people recalling Spam in their lives.

"Oh yeah. My Mom used to make it 2 to 3 times a week. We'd have it with potato flakes. Spam & mashed potatoes!"

"My grandpa used to fry it up on Sunday mornings. Us grandkids would eat it up."

"My Mom used to fry it up and also do up some eggs. Spam and eggs. Ummm..."

What I found interesting is how Spam made its way into homes across America. Did you know that World War II soldiers had canned Spam as a part of their rations? Yes. Turns out that Spam was the only meat that a lot of soldiers were able to eat on a regular basis. So after the soldiers came home? They incorporated Spam into their civilian lives. Through these soldiers, Spam received national acceptance.

I grew up with the stuff. Oh yeah. On weekend mornings, my Mom would cut it up into square shaped the pieces and fry them up in a pan. Then she'd scramble some eggs. Then she'd throw some cooked white rice in. Yes, Spam fried rice! We'd even have Spam for dinner sometimes too. We'd have it cut into rectangles and fried it up in a pan. We had it with white rice and diced tomatoes. Yummy!

The Hubs? He can't seem to wrap his head around Spam. Meat in a can. Can't seem to get over that concept. But doesn't tuna come in a can? He has no problems eating that. Yes. I am aware that Spam is processed WAY more than tuna, but it's still in a can the same way.

Maybe it's because he didn't grow up eating Spam. That's my only conclusion. His Mom never made it for them as kids. So none of them have an appreciation or desire to eat Spam. I don't even bring it up. I know I'll hear sounds of disgust at the thought of eating this American icon. To me, eating Spam is like eating food from McDonald's. It's a classic.

Now did you grow up with Spam?

** They actually had the 27th festival in April 2005

Isn't it pretty

I totally forgot to show you guys my sister's wedding dress. I can safely post it here since my family doesn't know I have a blog. Ha-ha!

What do you think? To tell you the truth I'm surprised she selected this dress. It's not something I would picture her in. Especially for her wedding.

As you can see it's a strapless piece with a snug bodice. Then it has a flowing skirt section with a train. A train that'll need to be bustled after the wedding ceremony. Now WHO will get underneath the back there and do it for her is a guess. I certainly will be busy with my two kidlings (who are both in the wedding). I'm already going to be sweating trying to keep the Bear settled and happy. LilSis is going to have to recruit one of her maids of honor -- since she has three of them. Can you just hear the sarcasm?

From the close-up, you can see that the bodice has lots of detailing on it. The bottom front of the skirt has the same beading/sequins along with the back part of the veil that'll skim the train. It's pretty detailed. I have no idea how much the dress costs either. I didn't want to ask. I didn't want to throw up. It's beautiful. But I'm sure it's pricey.

I'm glad I was able to see it early on. At the store, the saleslady was anticipating me crying. I guess most ladies do cry when they see their daughters, sisters, friends in their wedding gowns.

"I'm not a crier. I don't need any kleenex."

True to my word. I didn't. I just looked at it and took photos. I was so detached. It was weird. But truthfully? Even my Mom didn't cry when she saw it the week before. She just looked at LilSis and nodded. No a glimmer of a tear in her eyes. Now...how I'll be at the wedding? I don't know. I don't anticipate shedding any tears. But who knows?