The Princess attended a birthday party this morning. It was a Birthday Tea Party. Very ladylike. The girls were in fancy sundresses and all wore hats.
The place had a limited number of tables, so I just dropped the Princess off. It was fine because she was able to act silly with her girlfriends without having me listening in. I wanted her to have fun without being encumbered by my presence.
So...me? I went to the mall that was a mile away from the tea house. The Mall! ME! Yes! The place that I dread. The place that I avoid at all costs. Most of the time.
But today? I went there voluntary. Why? Because I need some new bras. Yes. Bra shopping. It's something you can't just do quickly. You can't just grab items off a rack and go. You need to TRY things on. I found this out once again by grabbing things off the rack at Kohl's last week. I got things that I thought were my size. When I got home and tried on the bras? NOTHING fit. NADA. NADA! Horrific state of affairs. I need new bras for when I start working again!
Today I splurged. I went to Vic's Secret. Yes. I went there. Since it was early, the place wasn't busy. I was able to get an associate to help me out. Estimate my size. Get me all the "try-on bras". She told me that I should try single bra on in my size. She said that each bra is different so it was important to try on each one. To see how it fit on my body. To see how the bras fit my breasts. AH!!!
What did I find out? That the bras that I have? The bras that I hate? They are in the wrong size. Uh-duh! I am NOT a 36C. When I first married the Hubs, I was a 36B...a FULL B. So after the kids I thought I'd moved up to a B-cup. Uh...wrong. WRONG! I am actually....[wait for it]....a 36D. Yes. I am now a D-cup.
Since I tried on all the different bra styles, the associate actually wrote down the bras that I liked the best. I now have a card with the bras that fit my body/breasts the best. And now? I can shop online to see when THOSE styles are on sale/special. YEAH! I did end up purchasing two bras today. I couldn't pass them up. I got a convertible bra -- so I can change to T-back or strapless. I also got an enhancement bra. It just gives me a little push inwards so I've got cleavage. The look of 'younger' breasts! Lifted! Perky! Robust! Ha!
I no longer the breast bumps peaking out of the top of my bra. My breasts are now securely contained within the cups. Safe and secure. Bras that fit? It's a wonderful thing!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
More progress made
This week both of the kiddos were in swim lessons. BOTH OF THEM!
THIS week, the swim school had a "power" week. It was a week in between their regular 4 week sessions. So they took that opportunity to have a 5 day class. Yes. I was at the swim school every single day this week.
The classes weren't at the regular time that I have the Bear signed up for. Since I only signed up 2 weeks ago, I had to take what was left. The Bear at 11:30am. The Princess at 12pm. [sigh] Everything else earlier was filled. And I couldn't get them in at the same half hour time-frame. Couldn't. I had to settle for a hot time. Not only was it hot this week? It was humid. We've had cloud cover ALL week. And for those of you who know the desert, the cloud cover doesn't really provide any relief. It just brings on that sauna feeling. Would you rather feel like you're in an oven? Or a sauna? I would prefer an oven myself. I know that if I stay in the shade that I'm as cool as I can be. I'm not sweating. I do hate sweating when I'm just sitting in the shade. HATE IT!
The kids enjoyed themselves.
The Bear had an instructor that he'd never had. It was a guy that has a deep loud voice. And he is one who always challenges his kids. And he really did challenge the Bear to his limits. Made him swim on his own more than any other teacher has before. What happens with the Bear is that when he takes a breath he doesn't keep a steady strong kick with his legs. And because of this? His little bottom sinks. And then he can't get it back up. He then sinks like a rock. OY!
The Princess had one of her favorite instructors. Someone that challenges her but in a more soft approach than the Bear's instructor. She hadn't been in a class for a few weeks, so she struggled a little on the first day. But guess what? I found out today that her instructor is recommending she go up another level! Yes! Here is her progression -- Flounder -- Pollywog -- Goldfish -- Blue Gill -- now onto Dolphin! She has gone through 4 levels since February. She's never had to repeat a level. I think she's a natural swimmer. Fascinating, since my girl has NEVER enjoyed getting water in her eyes. I think it'll be good for her since it's more of an individual sport versus a team sport. It's something that she can challenge herself with rather than having other people rely on her to do stuff. I mean, she enjoys people. She loves her friends, but she doesn't do well with team sports. She just doesn't. She feels too much pressure. I mean, my girl used to cry when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her before we cut her cake at parties. Seriously. She would CRY. She didn't like all our eyes on her.
Anyway, it's been a sweaty week for me as I sit in the shade next to the pool -- for an hour. I send the kids into the cool play room inside while I watch each of them. What kind of Mom would I be if I didn't watch my kids at their lesson?
[snort]
I don't want to be the parent who sits as far away from the pool as possible facing away from it while talking on the phone for 30 minutes. I don't want to be the parent who sits reading a magazine and never looking up once. I don't want to be the parent who sits at a table reading and highlighting paperwork.
Yes. There have been parents like that this week. But to each their own, right? I just couldn't NOT watch my kids. Because every now and then? They'll look up towards the shady area and seek me out. And I don't want to miss them. Their smiling face. I want them to see me smiling right back at them. I want them to know I'm proud of their effort and progress. That I'm there. Watching them succeed.
THIS week, the swim school had a "power" week. It was a week in between their regular 4 week sessions. So they took that opportunity to have a 5 day class. Yes. I was at the swim school every single day this week.
The classes weren't at the regular time that I have the Bear signed up for. Since I only signed up 2 weeks ago, I had to take what was left. The Bear at 11:30am. The Princess at 12pm. [sigh] Everything else earlier was filled. And I couldn't get them in at the same half hour time-frame. Couldn't. I had to settle for a hot time. Not only was it hot this week? It was humid. We've had cloud cover ALL week. And for those of you who know the desert, the cloud cover doesn't really provide any relief. It just brings on that sauna feeling. Would you rather feel like you're in an oven? Or a sauna? I would prefer an oven myself. I know that if I stay in the shade that I'm as cool as I can be. I'm not sweating. I do hate sweating when I'm just sitting in the shade. HATE IT!
The kids enjoyed themselves.
The Bear had an instructor that he'd never had. It was a guy that has a deep loud voice. And he is one who always challenges his kids. And he really did challenge the Bear to his limits. Made him swim on his own more than any other teacher has before. What happens with the Bear is that when he takes a breath he doesn't keep a steady strong kick with his legs. And because of this? His little bottom sinks. And then he can't get it back up. He then sinks like a rock. OY!
The Princess had one of her favorite instructors. Someone that challenges her but in a more soft approach than the Bear's instructor. She hadn't been in a class for a few weeks, so she struggled a little on the first day. But guess what? I found out today that her instructor is recommending she go up another level! Yes! Here is her progression -- Flounder -- Pollywog -- Goldfish -- Blue Gill -- now onto Dolphin! She has gone through 4 levels since February. She's never had to repeat a level. I think she's a natural swimmer. Fascinating, since my girl has NEVER enjoyed getting water in her eyes. I think it'll be good for her since it's more of an individual sport versus a team sport. It's something that she can challenge herself with rather than having other people rely on her to do stuff. I mean, she enjoys people. She loves her friends, but she doesn't do well with team sports. She just doesn't. She feels too much pressure. I mean, my girl used to cry when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her before we cut her cake at parties. Seriously. She would CRY. She didn't like all our eyes on her.
Anyway, it's been a sweaty week for me as I sit in the shade next to the pool -- for an hour. I send the kids into the cool play room inside while I watch each of them. What kind of Mom would I be if I didn't watch my kids at their lesson?
[snort]
I don't want to be the parent who sits as far away from the pool as possible facing away from it while talking on the phone for 30 minutes. I don't want to be the parent who sits reading a magazine and never looking up once. I don't want to be the parent who sits at a table reading and highlighting paperwork.
Yes. There have been parents like that this week. But to each their own, right? I just couldn't NOT watch my kids. Because every now and then? They'll look up towards the shady area and seek me out. And I don't want to miss them. Their smiling face. I want them to see me smiling right back at them. I want them to know I'm proud of their effort and progress. That I'm there. Watching them succeed.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Out and about in the sun - Part 2
On Saturday we headed out to....the Del Mar Faire!
When I was young, my folks (read that as my Dad) didn't like crowds. We were lucky to actually go to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. And the Del Mar Faire? It's crowded. It's noisy. Just the kind of place that I never got to go to when I was little. So I wanted to be sure the KIDS were able to go.
We arrived at the Faire when it opened at 10am. There weren't any lines. We got to the ticket counter straight away. We then proceeded to the entrance in another minute. Into the place in no time flat. Woohoo!
Thankfully, it was an overcast morning. The kids had sunscreen of course. But having the cloud cover made for a more enjoyable time. The only issue was that it felt muggy (again!). But there was an intermittent breeze that felt WONDERFUL.
We headed out to the kids area right away. They had all the kiddo sized rides in the center of the racetrack. Yes. In the interior area of the Del Mar Racetrack. The rides. The games. The snacks. Everything was for the kids. It was great. I thought the Bear would be ALL about the rides. But guess what? It was the Princess was the daredevil. She wanted to go on EVERYTHING. In hindsight, I think the Bear was just tired. TOO TIRED for words. But he did ride a few things. The smaller things.
We ended up with about 8 prizes. We would have come home with a couple fish, but we didn't want to take a chance at those little things dying in the bag. The kids threw balls into bowls that were rotating in a water. The kids threw darts (sharp ones!) into balloons. The kids sprayed water at a target. It was fun for the kids to play the games as it was easy to win prizes. They had a good time doing each game.
After a few hours of rides and games, we got some lunch. Krispy Kreme sandwich? Deep-fried Oreo? Deep-fried Twinky? Yes. There were the weird foods out there. But we stuck to stuff we knew. Hot Dog on a Stick. Lemonade. Frozen yogurt. We didn't want any tummy issues. No sirree! We left after we ate. We were all tired.
And it was a GOOD TIRED.
When I was young, my folks (read that as my Dad) didn't like crowds. We were lucky to actually go to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. And the Del Mar Faire? It's crowded. It's noisy. Just the kind of place that I never got to go to when I was little. So I wanted to be sure the KIDS were able to go.
We arrived at the Faire when it opened at 10am. There weren't any lines. We got to the ticket counter straight away. We then proceeded to the entrance in another minute. Into the place in no time flat. Woohoo!
Thankfully, it was an overcast morning. The kids had sunscreen of course. But having the cloud cover made for a more enjoyable time. The only issue was that it felt muggy (again!). But there was an intermittent breeze that felt WONDERFUL.
We headed out to the kids area right away. They had all the kiddo sized rides in the center of the racetrack. Yes. In the interior area of the Del Mar Racetrack. The rides. The games. The snacks. Everything was for the kids. It was great. I thought the Bear would be ALL about the rides. But guess what? It was the Princess was the daredevil. She wanted to go on EVERYTHING. In hindsight, I think the Bear was just tired. TOO TIRED for words. But he did ride a few things. The smaller things.
We ended up with about 8 prizes. We would have come home with a couple fish, but we didn't want to take a chance at those little things dying in the bag. The kids threw balls into bowls that were rotating in a water. The kids threw darts (sharp ones!) into balloons. The kids sprayed water at a target. It was fun for the kids to play the games as it was easy to win prizes. They had a good time doing each game.
After a few hours of rides and games, we got some lunch. Krispy Kreme sandwich? Deep-fried Oreo? Deep-fried Twinky? Yes. There were the weird foods out there. But we stuck to stuff we knew. Hot Dog on a Stick. Lemonade. Frozen yogurt. We didn't want any tummy issues. No sirree! We left after we ate. We were all tired.
And it was a GOOD TIRED.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Out and about in the sun
My interview wasn't until 2pm on Thursday, so that morning we headed out to the park.
Oh Lordy-bee! It was muggy and sunny. Thankfully, there was a cool breeze that came up intermittently.
The kids had a blast running around on the equipment. There was no tarp over the area, which they commented upon. I had to convince them that the equipment was still okay to play on. That it wasn't super burning hot. So off they went. Running. Sliding. Climbing. There were only about 3 other kids in the area. And two of them were about a year old. So my kids had a run on the place. It was all good.
The Bear loved pretending to ride a motorcycle and going down the half a dozen slides.
The Princess had such a fun time on the caterpillar ladder and on the traverse swing. She went on those over and over again.
We headed back so I could get ready for my interview. And it was a good interview. It FELT good. I was able to answer their questions. I felt comfortable. I was able to bring up my skills and how I used them in the past and how it applied to their current needs. But the thing is? It's Tuesday and I haven't heard from them. I'm bummed. I sent 'thank you' emails to each of the people I spoke with too. [sigh]
It would have been an ideal place to work. The offices were in a square building with an open middle courtyard with benches and LOADS of plants. Those who have desks facing the interior see the courtyard. Those who have desks facing the exterior of the building see the trees surrounding the building. The location was great too. It was only about 5 miles south from the community we want to live. FIVE MILES!
What's interesting is that the office location is just around the corner from the place where I first worked after college. JUST. AROUND. THE. CORNER. So, of course, I felt compelled to drive by my old office building. It looked the same from the outside. Just driving by it brought back some good memories.
Hopefully I'll be able to create some new wonderful memories. Soon we'll be making those memories near my family....
Oh Lordy-bee! It was muggy and sunny. Thankfully, there was a cool breeze that came up intermittently.
The kids had a blast running around on the equipment. There was no tarp over the area, which they commented upon. I had to convince them that the equipment was still okay to play on. That it wasn't super burning hot. So off they went. Running. Sliding. Climbing. There were only about 3 other kids in the area. And two of them were about a year old. So my kids had a run on the place. It was all good.
The Bear loved pretending to ride a motorcycle and going down the half a dozen slides.
The Princess had such a fun time on the caterpillar ladder and on the traverse swing. She went on those over and over again.
We headed back so I could get ready for my interview. And it was a good interview. It FELT good. I was able to answer their questions. I felt comfortable. I was able to bring up my skills and how I used them in the past and how it applied to their current needs. But the thing is? It's Tuesday and I haven't heard from them. I'm bummed. I sent 'thank you' emails to each of the people I spoke with too. [sigh]
It would have been an ideal place to work. The offices were in a square building with an open middle courtyard with benches and LOADS of plants. Those who have desks facing the interior see the courtyard. Those who have desks facing the exterior of the building see the trees surrounding the building. The location was great too. It was only about 5 miles south from the community we want to live. FIVE MILES!
What's interesting is that the office location is just around the corner from the place where I first worked after college. JUST. AROUND. THE. CORNER. So, of course, I felt compelled to drive by my old office building. It looked the same from the outside. Just driving by it brought back some good memories.
Hopefully I'll be able to create some new wonderful memories. Soon we'll be making those memories near my family....
Monday, July 7, 2008
We're home
We're back safe and sound.
We actually arrived home yesterday evening.
The Hubs went to work like normal today. The kids had swim class. I had to catch up on work. BUSY day. We're all still tired. I konked out on the couch after dinner for about 20 minutes. I didn't realize it but the Bear konked out on the other side of the couch pillow that I was on.
We did a lot for us. We spent time at the park the morning before I had my interview. We spent the 4th at my sister's house. BIG family gathering -- our side and my BILs side of the family. We had about 24 people there. LOTS of food. The next day we went to the Del Mar Faire. Then we drove home. Those are the highlights -- more to come in the next day or so. It's already 11pm and I need to head off to sleep.
We actually arrived home yesterday evening.
The Hubs went to work like normal today. The kids had swim class. I had to catch up on work. BUSY day. We're all still tired. I konked out on the couch after dinner for about 20 minutes. I didn't realize it but the Bear konked out on the other side of the couch pillow that I was on.
We did a lot for us. We spent time at the park the morning before I had my interview. We spent the 4th at my sister's house. BIG family gathering -- our side and my BILs side of the family. We had about 24 people there. LOTS of food. The next day we went to the Del Mar Faire. Then we drove home. Those are the highlights -- more to come in the next day or so. It's already 11pm and I need to head off to sleep.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Sitting waiting patiently
It's 3pm. What am I doing?
Waiting patiently. OR...trying to wait patiently for my husband.
We have a LONG drive (6+ hours) ahead of us.
The natives (aka the kidlings) are getting restless.
They know we're heading out. And they are anxious to start our drive.
[sigh]
Nervously waiting
Today we'll be driving out to my folks' house.
Tomorrow? I'll be seeing someone that I mentioned last month.
You all know that I really dislike talking about myself and what I can do. It's not a natural thing for me. I know there are people out there who aren't embarrassed to discuss their opinion or stuff like that. I am not one of those people. So it's a struggle for me to convey to others about my skills. What I can bring to the table. All that jazz. HATE IT!
But I must tell you that the companies/people who have hired me have always been pleased with my work. My ability to learn things quickly. How I can take a project and run with it. The fact that I only need a minimal amount of guidance. My knack for picking up new software systems I've never seen or heard of before. My ability to feel comfortable interacting with all kinds of staff (accounting, engineering, customer service, etc.) or management. In fact, two of my previous managers that I've worked for have hired me on for other jobs.
Crazily enough...I tend to forget all these things. My mind can go completely blank sometimes. But you see....it's only during interviews that I freeze up. I'm fine once I'm on the job. I actually did work for temp firms a few times (when I got out of college and when we moved to a new city). and each time the company I temp'd for hired me. [sigh]
Anyway.... tomorrow afternoon I have a face-to-face interview. Yes. From that job I had the phone screen for. I'm nervous. I can already feel that my tummy is full of acid. The anticipation of it (and any interview) gets to me BIG time. I'm a bundle of nerves. I'm sure I'll get through it but I need to get my mind set on what types of things they'll ask me and have something prepared in my mind. So I DON'T. GO. BLANK.
Are YOU comfortable when you're interviewing for a new job? How do you prepare yourself? What do you do when you're nervous?
Tomorrow? I'll be seeing someone that I mentioned last month.
You all know that I really dislike talking about myself and what I can do. It's not a natural thing for me. I know there are people out there who aren't embarrassed to discuss their opinion or stuff like that. I am not one of those people. So it's a struggle for me to convey to others about my skills. What I can bring to the table. All that jazz. HATE IT!
But I must tell you that the companies/people who have hired me have always been pleased with my work. My ability to learn things quickly. How I can take a project and run with it. The fact that I only need a minimal amount of guidance. My knack for picking up new software systems I've never seen or heard of before. My ability to feel comfortable interacting with all kinds of staff (accounting, engineering, customer service, etc.) or management. In fact, two of my previous managers that I've worked for have hired me on for other jobs.
Crazily enough...I tend to forget all these things. My mind can go completely blank sometimes. But you see....it's only during interviews that I freeze up. I'm fine once I'm on the job. I actually did work for temp firms a few times (when I got out of college and when we moved to a new city). and each time the company I temp'd for hired me. [sigh]
Anyway.... tomorrow afternoon I have a face-to-face interview. Yes. From that job I had the phone screen for. I'm nervous. I can already feel that my tummy is full of acid. The anticipation of it (and any interview) gets to me BIG time. I'm a bundle of nerves. I'm sure I'll get through it but I need to get my mind set on what types of things they'll ask me and have something prepared in my mind. So I DON'T. GO. BLANK.
Are YOU comfortable when you're interviewing for a new job? How do you prepare yourself? What do you do when you're nervous?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
It's the 2nd half of the year?
It's July 1st.
It's the start of the 2nd half of the year. We've already finished HALF of 2008! Oh my!
And tomorrow afternoon? We leave for our long drive out to visit my family. TOMORROW. And I haven't done one thing to get ready.
What clothes to pack?
What additional items to bring?
What food/snacks/drinks to set aside?
Nothing. Nada.
ARGH!
What does this mean? Tomorrow is going to be a mighty busy morning. BUSY.
[sigh]
I'm tired just thinking about it.
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