I WANNA ROCK!
Er, well, not quite. But now that I'm having to drive almost 45 minutes every day to and from work, it gives me quite a lot of thinking time. Well, when the kids aren't being so noisy that I can't even focus on driving, let alone thinking. (Boy, is this drive going to be fun in the winter!) Anyrate, as noticed with my previous post, I'm thinking a lot about my job and how I don't really like it that much. The pay is great, the benefits are greater, but there is still something lacking in it. Perhaps it's just that I've worked for this company for eight years and in my current position for six. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm in a union, so--despite the great pay and benefits--I've somehow or another been screwed out of a promotion several times due to asinine rules--from both the union and the company. I get told time and time again what a great employee I am, but I feel no benefits arising from it. I am STUCK.
So, what do I do? Isn't it interesting that I have a degree and yet no idea how to use it anymore. My teaching license expired five years ago (and was only good in Indiana, anyway). If I wanted to go into teaching again, I'd have to get my master's degree. We don't exactly have the cash for me to pursue that. While going through the angst of trying to figure out how to stay at home with my kids, I thought about and pursued all kinds of different options: selling crap from home, running a day care, becoming a medical transcriptionist, etc., etc. But nothing really sounded like it would fit my life or fit "ME"--or was too expensive to get into.
What a position to find myself in. Too qualified for some jobs, not qualified enough (and no money to get it) for others. But what it all boils down to is: I don't know what I want to do. I don't know what kind of job to pursue to feel as if I'm doing something worthwhile and not robbing myself of time with my husband and kids. So I stay at the same old job, afraid of losing the great pay/benefits that so many other jobs lack now-a-days, and wait perhaps for fate to intervene. Maybe we'll move out of Rochester--nope, that's not going to happen NOW. Hmmm...maybe when my union's contract comes up in February, I'll get laid off--not likely, but ya never know. Maybe a giant bundle of cash will fall from the heavens and right into my lap. Maybe I'll get some sort of miraculous flash from God telling me what would suit me and my lifestyle perfectly. Yeah, right.
So all these thoughts swirl round and round my head while I drive 45 minutes to and from work (when I'm able to block out the kids, that is). What the heck AM I gonna do with my life? Now that our housing situation is no longer temporary, what can I do to improve my vocation?
*sigh* I need a shorter drive.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Friday, August 18, 2006
Internet BAD
So I decide to go online the other day to look for horse decals I can stick up in Mary's room. You know--the stickers that are non-permanent and won't ruin your paint and when your kid gets sick of their current room theme can just be ripped off like PRESTO!. Anyway, looking up stuff is BAD. I found a comforter set which is just adorable (and reasonably priced) and--if purchased--would screw up the color scheme that we picked--and already bought--for her room. It's a good thing I've got some pretty solid will power....but it sure is tough! I am considering buying her one of the horse pillows. Mary's a might bit jealous of the Saturn glow-in-the-dark pillow that middle child received and has been grumping about it for a few days. *sigh* BTW--I never did find any decals to stick up. Gotta keep googling, I guess.
Someone asked me the other day when we were going to have a house warming party. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Someone asked me the other day when we were going to have a house warming party. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Monday, August 14, 2006
"He's CUTE!"
Have I mentioned that little Izzy just LOVES baby dolls? I'm still adjusting. Mary Anne was never into them--being more of a stuffed animal/horse lover. Watching Izzy's face light up when she sees a baby doll, or even a live baby, is just priceless.
Well, the other day, she toddled by the box of toys that contains the talking/moving Yoda that Keith got for Christmas. He didn't phase her one bit. She picked him up, called him "BABY!" and announced to all of us, "He's CUTE!"
Yoda is the last toy I would expect any toddler to find cuddly, but she carried him around and babied him like you wouldn't believe. And then we turned him on....
Nope, she didn't freak out. She just sat there mesmerized while her new "cute" doll stood there and told her the story of "A New Hope" while moving his mouth and eyes. That kid is something else.
Well, the other day, she toddled by the box of toys that contains the talking/moving Yoda that Keith got for Christmas. He didn't phase her one bit. She picked him up, called him "BABY!" and announced to all of us, "He's CUTE!"
Yoda is the last toy I would expect any toddler to find cuddly, but she carried him around and babied him like you wouldn't believe. And then we turned him on....
Nope, she didn't freak out. She just sat there mesmerized while her new "cute" doll stood there and told her the story of "A New Hope" while moving his mouth and eyes. That kid is something else.
House update: We didn't get too terribly much done this weekend--just more purchasing. We bought some stuff to decorate the bathroom and TRY to de-emphasize the blue, blue tiles that are EVERYWHERE. We found a comforter set for Keith with a solar system theme (and even bought the Saturn pillow). We also finally picked the colors and bought the paint for Mary/Izzy's room. We decided to match up with Mary's current Care Bear sheet set and bought two different blues and a bright yellow for trim. I did finish scrubbing adhesive off their walls yesterday, so we are now officially ready to paint. I also got some of the massive amounts of weeding done. I don't think the sellers did ANY work to the yard after the deal, 'cause all the flower beds are nothing but weed jungles.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Talk about being OLD
John and I spent most of our weekend working on our new house. John mowed and cleaned out the gutters (which he believes hasn't been done for several years and is probably the reason why the roof is in such bad shape in certain spots). I took the time while Izzy was napping to start washing down the walls in Mary/Izzy's room to get ready for priming/painting. It took me 5 hours (between the two days) to finish about 80% of the room. Hmmm...There was a lot more wallpaper adhesive there than I first thought! Mary helped out at first, but she quickly got bored. At one point she was hauling up a chair, a box, and a load of crayons/coloring books to settle in and watch while *I* did all the work. Then Izzy woke up, and there the room still sits--with glue still stuck to part of one of the walls. Wow. We're NEVER gonna get these rooms done. We'll be sleeping on the couches and on the floor for the next 10 years!
Anyway, after all that work, my body was an aching mess Sunday night and well into Monday. Old, old, old!!
The garage is still a mess of boxes. I was going to make eggs and toast for dinner the other night and started giggling because I realized that I didn't know where the toaster was. My kids weren't so amused.
Mary is spending the week at Girl Scout day camp. I was a bit apprehensive about dropping her off to ride the bus to camp, and even Mary was a bit sheepish at first, but she darted onto that bus (her first "real" bus ride), and was a real trooper. I could tell by the look on her face when I picked her up last night that she had had a blast. It was a bit pricey, but I'm sure glad that we sent her now.
This was supposed to be the kids' last week at our old day care provider's place. But we are still not 100% happy with any of the places we've interviewed, so I guess they'll be there at least until school starts (three more weeks!). I'm seriously considering keeping Keith and Izzy at the current place for the next year and driving the extra 15 minutes out of my way (each way!) to a person I know and trust. Mary is out of luck, though. She has to be somewhere local to get to/from school. But if John drops her off, that leaves only having to find after school care. I'm going to see if the school provides anything like that (the old school did). If I do this, I may still send Keith to a preschool at the new location for a couple days a week. I think it would be good for him to be exposed to more kids his age. Decisions, decisions.
Anyway, after all that work, my body was an aching mess Sunday night and well into Monday. Old, old, old!!
The garage is still a mess of boxes. I was going to make eggs and toast for dinner the other night and started giggling because I realized that I didn't know where the toaster was. My kids weren't so amused.
Mary is spending the week at Girl Scout day camp. I was a bit apprehensive about dropping her off to ride the bus to camp, and even Mary was a bit sheepish at first, but she darted onto that bus (her first "real" bus ride), and was a real trooper. I could tell by the look on her face when I picked her up last night that she had had a blast. It was a bit pricey, but I'm sure glad that we sent her now.
This was supposed to be the kids' last week at our old day care provider's place. But we are still not 100% happy with any of the places we've interviewed, so I guess they'll be there at least until school starts (three more weeks!). I'm seriously considering keeping Keith and Izzy at the current place for the next year and driving the extra 15 minutes out of my way (each way!) to a person I know and trust. Mary is out of luck, though. She has to be somewhere local to get to/from school. But if John drops her off, that leaves only having to find after school care. I'm going to see if the school provides anything like that (the old school did). If I do this, I may still send Keith to a preschool at the new location for a couple days a week. I think it would be good for him to be exposed to more kids his age. Decisions, decisions.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Endnote: farewell to the cats
Just wanted to let everyone know that we did decide to drop off not just Tarquin, but also Winston to the SPCA. There were some tears, and some aggravated "meows", but now that they're gone, John and I are kind of relieved. No more peeing on the carpet, no more chasing after naughty cats running out the door, no more hair balls and cat vomit, and no more RESPONSIBILITY. It's bittersweet. We loved those cats fiercely, but we did feel bad because it seemed we just didn't have the time to care for them properly. We hope they find good homes soon. We think Winston will have the best chance since he's such an adorable-looking and extremely loving cat. Think happy thoughts....
:-(
:-(
Moving Day from HELL!!!!! Parts 1, 2, and 3!
Poor John.
Moving day SUCKED.
First off, I couldn't get a U-haul until Sunday the 30th. No biggie at first--we had found out the manager hadn't rented out the apartment until Sept. 1, so we knew we didn't absolutely HAVE to be out the "five days before your lease runs out" crap that they try to sell you (don't get me started). Let's just say that the week before moving, we couldn't seem to get much packing done. I took off work Thursday to try to get some done, but I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours at Sears that morning getting John's out-of-date inspection done on his car (another amusing story for later). So then I went home, got quite a bit done--including scrubbing the bathroom tub--before I then had to leave to go to our new town to 1) register Mary for school and 2) interview another day care. So all told, I got about 2 hours of packing/cleaning done that vacation day off from work.
So, Thursday morning the maintenance man shows up at our place to paint, thinking we've moved out 'cause it's 5 days before the end of the month, and "someone is moving in." "Well, yeah, but not until September 1st," I tell him. Hmmm.... Found out later that day that the apartment manager, finding out that our closing did go through, went ahead and told the new leasees that they COULD move in for August. Umm....sorry, we're not out until Sunday! Gotta admit, she was pretty cool about it. She said she'd sent painters over first thing Monday morning.
Well, we did the best we could. Sunday comes, we get the U-haul, and John starts loading. I'm trying to finish packing up the "loose ends" while he's doing the initial loading. Please, everyone, keep in mind that we couldn't find anyone to watch the kids while we're doing all this. I had two volunteers: one person who is currently 9 months pregnant with three other kids at home (I wouldn't even think of dumping my kids on her like that!), and another friend who is a twenty minute drive in the opposite direction. Sorry, not very convenient. And the kids were NOT very helpful--specifically the littlest one. I tried putting them all into a bedroom to play together, but it just was NOT happening. John had scheduled a friend to come and help around 2:00. Well, 2:00 comes, and we realize we have a problem. There are a LOT more "loose ends" than we figured. We have more crap now than we figured. We ran out of boxes. And the kids are keeping me from helping as much as I should.
John gets his friend (and more boxes), and the two of them load up all the heavy stuff. By the time they had loaded and unloaded the FIRST load, it was after 9:00pm. And they still had to go back to the sellers' new house to pick up the sectional that the couple kindly sold us for $100.00. John's friend did not get home until after 11:00.
At this point, I've had to put the kids to bed, so I'm kinda stuck in the house--and I've got to go to work in the morning for @#$% payroll. John goes back to make another load. He finishes the SECOND load around 3:30am--only to discover that the truck won't start! He's so exhausted, he just comes home and crashes. He probably got around 2 hours sleep before he got up, took me to work, took the kids to day care, and then started in again. We had called U-haul, only to discover that that truck "has a tendency to do that" and that we should keep trying, it'll eventually start! And thankfully, it did (after about 11 tries).
One of my co-workers called in for the day (don't get me started on that either), so I ended up stuck at work until after 2:00. John unloaded the truck then went back and loaded up the THIRD load all by himself (again). I got to help him unload it Monday afternoon (Yay! I actually DID get to help!). We finished up just in time to go pick up the kids from day care.
And here John was getting on to me for getting the 26-footer. "It's too big!" Well, I guess I did ONE thing right that day!
Now we've got a garage FULL of boxes, so we can't park in there. Many of the boxes were so hurriedly packed that they're unmarked. Clothes, food, etc. is all inter-mingled in our over-100 degree garage.
Oh, God. We'll never get unpacked.
Oh, God. Good thing we bought this place. I'm never moving again!
Moving day SUCKED.
First off, I couldn't get a U-haul until Sunday the 30th. No biggie at first--we had found out the manager hadn't rented out the apartment until Sept. 1, so we knew we didn't absolutely HAVE to be out the "five days before your lease runs out" crap that they try to sell you (don't get me started). Let's just say that the week before moving, we couldn't seem to get much packing done. I took off work Thursday to try to get some done, but I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours at Sears that morning getting John's out-of-date inspection done on his car (another amusing story for later). So then I went home, got quite a bit done--including scrubbing the bathroom tub--before I then had to leave to go to our new town to 1) register Mary for school and 2) interview another day care. So all told, I got about 2 hours of packing/cleaning done that vacation day off from work.
So, Thursday morning the maintenance man shows up at our place to paint, thinking we've moved out 'cause it's 5 days before the end of the month, and "someone is moving in." "Well, yeah, but not until September 1st," I tell him. Hmmm.... Found out later that day that the apartment manager, finding out that our closing did go through, went ahead and told the new leasees that they COULD move in for August. Umm....sorry, we're not out until Sunday! Gotta admit, she was pretty cool about it. She said she'd sent painters over first thing Monday morning.
Well, we did the best we could. Sunday comes, we get the U-haul, and John starts loading. I'm trying to finish packing up the "loose ends" while he's doing the initial loading. Please, everyone, keep in mind that we couldn't find anyone to watch the kids while we're doing all this. I had two volunteers: one person who is currently 9 months pregnant with three other kids at home (I wouldn't even think of dumping my kids on her like that!), and another friend who is a twenty minute drive in the opposite direction. Sorry, not very convenient. And the kids were NOT very helpful--specifically the littlest one. I tried putting them all into a bedroom to play together, but it just was NOT happening. John had scheduled a friend to come and help around 2:00. Well, 2:00 comes, and we realize we have a problem. There are a LOT more "loose ends" than we figured. We have more crap now than we figured. We ran out of boxes. And the kids are keeping me from helping as much as I should.
John gets his friend (and more boxes), and the two of them load up all the heavy stuff. By the time they had loaded and unloaded the FIRST load, it was after 9:00pm. And they still had to go back to the sellers' new house to pick up the sectional that the couple kindly sold us for $100.00. John's friend did not get home until after 11:00.
At this point, I've had to put the kids to bed, so I'm kinda stuck in the house--and I've got to go to work in the morning for @#$% payroll. John goes back to make another load. He finishes the SECOND load around 3:30am--only to discover that the truck won't start! He's so exhausted, he just comes home and crashes. He probably got around 2 hours sleep before he got up, took me to work, took the kids to day care, and then started in again. We had called U-haul, only to discover that that truck "has a tendency to do that" and that we should keep trying, it'll eventually start! And thankfully, it did (after about 11 tries).
One of my co-workers called in for the day (don't get me started on that either), so I ended up stuck at work until after 2:00. John unloaded the truck then went back and loaded up the THIRD load all by himself (again). I got to help him unload it Monday afternoon (Yay! I actually DID get to help!). We finished up just in time to go pick up the kids from day care.
And here John was getting on to me for getting the 26-footer. "It's too big!" Well, I guess I did ONE thing right that day!
Now we've got a garage FULL of boxes, so we can't park in there. Many of the boxes were so hurriedly packed that they're unmarked. Clothes, food, etc. is all inter-mingled in our over-100 degree garage.
Oh, God. We'll never get unpacked.
Oh, God. Good thing we bought this place. I'm never moving again!
*sigh*
Poor John.
Friday, July 28, 2006
It's official: we got mail
John called me from the new house last night while he was in the process of pulling the offensive floral wall paper off the walls in Keith's room (Showing pink paint underneath! Aaaauuuuugggghhh! Quick! Get some black sludge slathered on those walls! This room has apparently been girly since 1962!!! We must de-toxify!) . Ahem. Anyway, we got our first official mail since claiming ownership of the house: the electric company, the water authority, the insurance company, and the trash company have already sent their love. How thoughtful.
And here I was hoping they really wouldn't notice.
And here I was hoping they really wouldn't notice.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
We have a house! Now what?
Closing did go through Friday afternoon--although not too smoothly. First off, I couldn't find anyone to watch the kids while we were in a boring office signing a million papers, so all three kids got to be privy to the inner-workings of house closings. They were not amused. Then the bank kept sending over the wrong paperwork--with wrong names, wrong figures, or just missing things. It took forever. Then as we were leaving, we see that John had gotten ticketed for his car being three weeks out of inspection. Now how ironic that he'd had the appointment to take it to the mechanic THAT DAY but canceled it due to the chaos of the house closing. GRRRR!!! Whatever--WE'VE GOT A HOUSE!!!
Friday night we stopped by the place to see it and show it to the kids. The sellers dropped by and showed us some of the "quirks" and things they had done to the house--and offered us their sectional for a sweet price. Awesome! Now we won't have an empty living room for the next two years as feared!
Saturday night we took sleeping bags and an air mattress and "camped-out" in our new, empty house. The kids had a ball running, running, running through all the empty rooms.
Sunday we went to the company picnic at the local amusement park. Not house related, but I thought I'd mention why we didn't get the moving vans loaded up right away. Previous engagement!
So now this week we've made a few deliveries to the place, but we couldn't get a truck until Sunday. We were hoping to get some painting done, but it just hasn't worked out yet. Our biggest concern is Keith's room. Just doesn't seem right to make the kid sleep in a room with floral wallpaper. Maybe we'll finish it up on Saturday. Otherwise, we're thinking of setting up his bed in the living room until we get it done!
Friday night we stopped by the place to see it and show it to the kids. The sellers dropped by and showed us some of the "quirks" and things they had done to the house--and offered us their sectional for a sweet price. Awesome! Now we won't have an empty living room for the next two years as feared!
Saturday night we took sleeping bags and an air mattress and "camped-out" in our new, empty house. The kids had a ball running, running, running through all the empty rooms.
Sunday we went to the company picnic at the local amusement park. Not house related, but I thought I'd mention why we didn't get the moving vans loaded up right away. Previous engagement!
So now this week we've made a few deliveries to the place, but we couldn't get a truck until Sunday. We were hoping to get some painting done, but it just hasn't worked out yet. Our biggest concern is Keith's room. Just doesn't seem right to make the kid sleep in a room with floral wallpaper. Maybe we'll finish it up on Saturday. Otherwise, we're thinking of setting up his bed in the living room until we get it done!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
THE WAIT IS OVER!!!!
After several very hectic days, hectic phone calls, no sleep, and even MORE hectic phone calls to the same people asking the same things, all our nuts are apparently all collected in the same basket and WE ARE CLEAR TO CLOSE TOMORROW!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!
Don't know the bat-time or bat-channel yet, but as of now realtors and lawyers are apparently calling each other to try to plan the closing orgy late tomorrow afternoon. Now whether or not all these lawyers can get their stuff together in time for that, I don't know. But they've all known that all parties involved were trying for tomorrow, so I'm hoping there will be no road blocks. If anything, I guess it'll happen early next week.
YAY!!!!
Don't know the bat-time or bat-channel yet, but as of now realtors and lawyers are apparently calling each other to try to plan the closing orgy late tomorrow afternoon. Now whether or not all these lawyers can get their stuff together in time for that, I don't know. But they've all known that all parties involved were trying for tomorrow, so I'm hoping there will be no road blocks. If anything, I guess it'll happen early next week.
YAY!!!!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
P.S. Anyone want a cat?
He's cute, cuddly, Garfield-like personality.
As long as you don't mind the fact that he uses your living room as a litter box....
;-)
As long as you don't mind the fact that he uses your living room as a litter box....
;-)
House closing Part Two
Well, our mortgage broker's wife went into labor today (she was a week late, so I'm actually not sure if it's "labor" or "induced" or "c-section" or what), so since he's not around, it looks definite that we will NOT be closing on Friday. There has been finger pointing about how/why the closing is not going to happen, but we've been told that we've done everything WE needed to do, so I'm not too terribly worried about it. As long as we're out of that apartment by the end of the month, I really don't care.
*sigh*
*sigh*
House closing would be good here
Well, we were originally supposed to close on the house on Friday, but it doesn't look good. The realtor is insistent that everything is going according to plan, but the broker is telling us not until mid to late next week. Good thing we didn't schedule the U-Haul until the 22nd. John is all stressed out which is making ME stressed out. I keep reminding him that I've never heard of ANYONE who had a house closing go smoothly and rarely do they get to do it on the original date. It just ain't so. (Have fun, Jeff and Paula!)
So we've put off putting the utilities in our names until we definitely hear what's going on. I've slacked on packing (which isn't saying much, since I've only got about 10 boxes packed--and those are only some of our books). Thankfully, we don't really have a lot of stuff--just a lot of TOYS. I may start tossing some of those in boxes (or discretely in the Salvation Army drop-off!) in the next few days.
So here's hoping we're closed by sometime next week. Then we can get moved and get on with the next phase of our lives--home ownership!
So we've put off putting the utilities in our names until we definitely hear what's going on. I've slacked on packing (which isn't saying much, since I've only got about 10 boxes packed--and those are only some of our books). Thankfully, we don't really have a lot of stuff--just a lot of TOYS. I may start tossing some of those in boxes (or discretely in the Salvation Army drop-off!) in the next few days.
So here's hoping we're closed by sometime next week. Then we can get moved and get on with the next phase of our lives--home ownership!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
...and Such
Friday night John and I threw caution to the wind and decided to try to take all three kids to the drive-in to see Cars and Nacho Libre. We've attempted the drive-in option before--hoping the kids would follow OTHER kids' examples and fall asleep in the back. No such luck. This time, with it being a kids' movie, and another "kid-esque" movie as a second-biller, we weren't too concerned about the older two staying awake. We just wanted the Third to be the good baby she USED to be before teething and fall asleep like a good girl. Again--no such luck. We were fine when we first got there. We set up our chairs outside, pulled out a blanket and munched on popcorn while waiting for the previews to start. The minute the previews started--it started to rain! OK, so now we're stuck in the mini-van. It doesn't take Izzy long to realize a) hey, I'm tired, b) hey, it's loud and stuffy in here, c) hey, my erupting tooth is killing me. The screaming ensued. For most of the movie we were dealing with her screaming or not being able to see the screen due to the on/off rain showers. At one point, not being able to handle being stuck in a stuffy mini-van with a screaming toddler, I took her outside. She calmed down and put her head down on my shoulder. Hey! Maybe she just needed fresh air! Great! 20 minutes after I climbed back in the van, she was screaming again. The movie thankfully finally ended, and we started up and headed home. We didn't even stay for the always-amusing credits at the end. Forget it! We'll rent it! And screw Nacho Libre! We'll rent that, too!
*sigh*
Other news: The house-buying/closing is moving along smoothly. We FINALLY got word back from the insurance company that gee, you're right, the roof really isn't that bad, and golly, we sure would like to insure you now! So....I'm rushing around getting all the paperwork out/received for that. Now that we've finally got insurance approval, we're done jumping through all the hoops and crossing all the roadblocks to our July 14th closing date.
It's been a learning experience. We've learned that when brokers/realtors/etc. are telling us something, they are probably meaning something else. The problem I have is that I just don't always know what question to ask to get the actual accurate answer I need. We really wish we had taken the time to take those buy-your-first-home classes that Fanny Mae and such places offer, but this was just a quick, last-second decision. Oh well. I guess we'll know a few things now if/when we have to do this in the future. ER, I hope so, anyway.
Beyond all this, we're trying to find a home for Tarquin, the cat. I can't take it anymore, and he has peed himself out of a spot in the new house. I have a co-worker checking with her aunt to see if we could make him into a barn cat--where he'll be very well taken care of. Other than that, it's the SPCA for him. I shudder at the thought of his being euthenized, but we're just really at our wit's end here. And I just don't feel right putting an ad in the paper and giving him to some stranger--for him to pee in their house. The new owner may not be as forgiving as the current one.... We'll probably keep Winston for now. Even though he's older and has an ultra-sensitive stomach, at least cat vomit is easier to clean up than cat pee.
And last....
For the fourth we spent the day with the family of a co-worker of John's. We just grilled (yes, vegetarian burgers are actually quite good grilled), drank some wine, and chatted all day. The kids spent the day making crafts (their eldest--also named "Izzi" is also quite creative) and playing on the new swing set. All were happy and getting along until Keith got curious with the scissors and cut up some of the crafty "creations". And then Izzi--with the unfortunate "home advantage"--hid a little too well for Mary during hide-and-seek. Mary's not the greatest loser and had to be reminded about the etiquette of losing well--AGAIN. OUR Izzy spent the day running/walking around exploring, getting cranky, and then finally giving up (after a shot of Tylenol) and taking a very late nap. Most enjoyable day.
*sigh*
Other news: The house-buying/closing is moving along smoothly. We FINALLY got word back from the insurance company that gee, you're right, the roof really isn't that bad, and golly, we sure would like to insure you now! So....I'm rushing around getting all the paperwork out/received for that. Now that we've finally got insurance approval, we're done jumping through all the hoops and crossing all the roadblocks to our July 14th closing date.
It's been a learning experience. We've learned that when brokers/realtors/etc. are telling us something, they are probably meaning something else. The problem I have is that I just don't always know what question to ask to get the actual accurate answer I need. We really wish we had taken the time to take those buy-your-first-home classes that Fanny Mae and such places offer, but this was just a quick, last-second decision. Oh well. I guess we'll know a few things now if/when we have to do this in the future. ER, I hope so, anyway.
Beyond all this, we're trying to find a home for Tarquin, the cat. I can't take it anymore, and he has peed himself out of a spot in the new house. I have a co-worker checking with her aunt to see if we could make him into a barn cat--where he'll be very well taken care of. Other than that, it's the SPCA for him. I shudder at the thought of his being euthenized, but we're just really at our wit's end here. And I just don't feel right putting an ad in the paper and giving him to some stranger--for him to pee in their house. The new owner may not be as forgiving as the current one.... We'll probably keep Winston for now. Even though he's older and has an ultra-sensitive stomach, at least cat vomit is easier to clean up than cat pee.
And last....
For the fourth we spent the day with the family of a co-worker of John's. We just grilled (yes, vegetarian burgers are actually quite good grilled), drank some wine, and chatted all day. The kids spent the day making crafts (their eldest--also named "Izzi" is also quite creative) and playing on the new swing set. All were happy and getting along until Keith got curious with the scissors and cut up some of the crafty "creations". And then Izzi--with the unfortunate "home advantage"--hid a little too well for Mary during hide-and-seek. Mary's not the greatest loser and had to be reminded about the etiquette of losing well--AGAIN. OUR Izzy spent the day running/walking around exploring, getting cranky, and then finally giving up (after a shot of Tylenol) and taking a very late nap. Most enjoyable day.
Birds, Death, and such
Last Thursday morning, being behind-hand on the laundry as always, I rush downstairs to get my jeans out of the dryer to wear to work. On the way, I pass by the downstairs bathroom and hear "chirp, chirp, chirp." I KNEW it! A while back, I SWORE I heard a bird in the bathroom vent, but never hearing the noise again, I assumed maybe the bird got stuck--and upon never detecting the impending smell, I assumed the bird just gave it up and moved out to better accommodations. NOPE. There is now a CHORUS of chirps coming from the bathroom. Now, I'm not quite fully awake yet, and since this is the bathroom I hardly ever use (it's the designated "kids' bathroom"), I go to turn on the light--and hit the vent switch instead. YIKES! Well, after a bit of flapping around, I still hear the chorus, so I figure the birds are way up there, and all's good. Not being able to do anything about the poor birds at the moment, I grab my jeans, and go about my morning of getting ready and getting the kids up.
20 minutes later, Keith is rushing in the bathroom to do his business and says, "Mommy, I can't go in here, it smells!" I check it out, and now I've got pieces of nest and bird crap all over the floor. By the time John is up, we can actually see a little bird leg hanging out of the bathroom vent! Great! I demolished their nest! Great! It's time to go to work!
Upon arriving home from work, John gets out the screwdriver and removes the still squawking baby birds. He finds three--two in pretty good shape, one which is barely moving and obviously already knocking on heaven's door. Upon inspection outside, we see the tiny little vent hole where mama had built her nest, the rest of the nest on the ground, and another baby who didn't survive the great fall. (Now I'm wondering if the nest--having been built in such a precarious place in the first place, had collapsed during the night whereupon the three fell deeper into the vent, and the one fell outside which is why I could finally hear these obviously weeks-old birds which we couldn't hear before).
Well, we stick the babies in a box, and I'm trying to reach animal control (which is closed at this point). Now, in a book I had read as a youngster, a family finds a baby wren and are able to raise it. In the book, the mother had put the baby bird in the oven to warm up and had made a mixture of flour/milk on the stove which she fed to the baby with tweezers. I'm too freaked out to put the birds in the oven (sing a song of sixpence?), but I do decide to at least warm up a little milk and feed it to the remaining babies with a medicine dropper. The two alert birds are going crazy and obviously love it! I try to get the not-so-alert one to take some, but it barely opens its mouth. Just as I got one dropper-full in each little alert beak, John yells from upstairs, "It says here [on the internet, obviously] NOT to give them milk or ANY kind of liquid." Apparently the baby birds could suck it down so quickly that they could choke themselves. Oh. Well, so much for childhood books as resources.
John gives me the number of some local wildlife preservationist to call. I leave a message. The babies are still chirping away--for about the next 20 minutes. Then they all quiet down. And they are all cold. I guess following his internet advice, John puts them in a planter and hangs them outside in the hopes that their chirping (which they are no longer doing!) will call the mother. Nope. They've stopped squawking and now they are apparently orphans. We bring them back inside since it's going to be a chilly night, put a dish towel in with them, hang them up in the utility room where Tarquin can't get at them, and hope for the best. But warning the kids when we put them to bed, that "it doesn't look good."
Next morning I rush down to check on them, and just one is barely twitching. I hang them back outside on the shepherd's hook knowing that this is the end. I tell both kids as they get up that "the birds didn't make it." Poor Keith starts crying immediately. Mary took it a little better. Both kids did pretty well in the long run. Lots of questions. Lots of answers. And while they seem to be handing it well, I can't help but wonder if I could have helped the birds more. What if we'd just used our heads and put them outside in the first place? What if I hadn't fed them milk? What if that @#$% preservationist had ever called back? What if I hadn't flipped the wrong @#$% switch? Good grief! I now have the weight of the death of four little baby birds on my shoulders! And all I can think of is that poor mama bird grieving over the death of her little ones and wondering what that awful whirring noise was that scared her off and broke up her little nest. *sigh* Humans suck. Especially meddling ones....
20 minutes later, Keith is rushing in the bathroom to do his business and says, "Mommy, I can't go in here, it smells!" I check it out, and now I've got pieces of nest and bird crap all over the floor. By the time John is up, we can actually see a little bird leg hanging out of the bathroom vent! Great! I demolished their nest! Great! It's time to go to work!
Upon arriving home from work, John gets out the screwdriver and removes the still squawking baby birds. He finds three--two in pretty good shape, one which is barely moving and obviously already knocking on heaven's door. Upon inspection outside, we see the tiny little vent hole where mama had built her nest, the rest of the nest on the ground, and another baby who didn't survive the great fall. (Now I'm wondering if the nest--having been built in such a precarious place in the first place, had collapsed during the night whereupon the three fell deeper into the vent, and the one fell outside which is why I could finally hear these obviously weeks-old birds which we couldn't hear before).
Well, we stick the babies in a box, and I'm trying to reach animal control (which is closed at this point). Now, in a book I had read as a youngster, a family finds a baby wren and are able to raise it. In the book, the mother had put the baby bird in the oven to warm up and had made a mixture of flour/milk on the stove which she fed to the baby with tweezers. I'm too freaked out to put the birds in the oven (sing a song of sixpence?), but I do decide to at least warm up a little milk and feed it to the remaining babies with a medicine dropper. The two alert birds are going crazy and obviously love it! I try to get the not-so-alert one to take some, but it barely opens its mouth. Just as I got one dropper-full in each little alert beak, John yells from upstairs, "It says here [on the internet, obviously] NOT to give them milk or ANY kind of liquid." Apparently the baby birds could suck it down so quickly that they could choke themselves. Oh. Well, so much for childhood books as resources.
John gives me the number of some local wildlife preservationist to call. I leave a message. The babies are still chirping away--for about the next 20 minutes. Then they all quiet down. And they are all cold. I guess following his internet advice, John puts them in a planter and hangs them outside in the hopes that their chirping (which they are no longer doing!) will call the mother. Nope. They've stopped squawking and now they are apparently orphans. We bring them back inside since it's going to be a chilly night, put a dish towel in with them, hang them up in the utility room where Tarquin can't get at them, and hope for the best. But warning the kids when we put them to bed, that "it doesn't look good."
Next morning I rush down to check on them, and just one is barely twitching. I hang them back outside on the shepherd's hook knowing that this is the end. I tell both kids as they get up that "the birds didn't make it." Poor Keith starts crying immediately. Mary took it a little better. Both kids did pretty well in the long run. Lots of questions. Lots of answers. And while they seem to be handing it well, I can't help but wonder if I could have helped the birds more. What if we'd just used our heads and put them outside in the first place? What if I hadn't fed them milk? What if that @#$% preservationist had ever called back? What if I hadn't flipped the wrong @#$% switch? Good grief! I now have the weight of the death of four little baby birds on my shoulders! And all I can think of is that poor mama bird grieving over the death of her little ones and wondering what that awful whirring noise was that scared her off and broke up her little nest. *sigh* Humans suck. Especially meddling ones....
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Geekfest 2006: The best weekend ever!
Despite being a few hours "late", John and I (and our children) thoroughly enjoyed Geekfest 2006.
We started off our weekend fitting in one day care visit (decided not to attempt two--and it was a good thing, too) on Thursday morning. "Small World" passes inspection and I may send Keith there two or three days a week for preschool if nothing else.... Then John had to go to work "for a couple of minutes" (yeah, right). THEN we had to pick up Mary from school. THEN we still had to pack up the mini-van and go to the grocery store. Considering all that, I'm actually impressed that we were moving down the road at 1:15.
We got stuck in a rainstorm in Cleveland during rush hour for over an hour, so we didn't get to the resort until around 7:00. We shoved food down our throats, threw on our suits, and headed to the waterpark. Hey, after being stuck in the car for six hours, the kids deserved a little bit of fun before bed!
It was a great weekend, and we really liked the resort. Plenty of room, awesome kitchen. The kids had a ball. Mary flew down those slides without even a second thought. Keith was a little more tentative--but we did get him to go down some of the "medium" slides by Saturday. One bump on the head, and one total immersion later, and he declared his sliding days were over! Izzy had fun just standing in the water and splashing everyone. And we were ALL spoiled by the hot tubs.
By the last day, the kids were incredibly tired and cranky, and so were the parents. We were ready to go home to our own beds. We didn't get in until after 9:00 pm, and it was a bear trying to get up (and get everyone else up) Monday, but it was worth it.
Now it's Wednesday, and so far I haven't managed to unpack the cooler (it was mostly empty anyway), and two outfits in the kids' suitcase. Not bad, all things considered.
We are excited about the idea of doing this again next year. Maybe taking a group side trip to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame or something. Not too many side trips--I kind of liked the ease of just walking (albeit down very long corridors) back and forth to the waterpark and not having to pack up the kids in the car every day.
Let's start the plans for Geekfest 2007!
We started off our weekend fitting in one day care visit (decided not to attempt two--and it was a good thing, too) on Thursday morning. "Small World" passes inspection and I may send Keith there two or three days a week for preschool if nothing else.... Then John had to go to work "for a couple of minutes" (yeah, right). THEN we had to pick up Mary from school. THEN we still had to pack up the mini-van and go to the grocery store. Considering all that, I'm actually impressed that we were moving down the road at 1:15.
We got stuck in a rainstorm in Cleveland during rush hour for over an hour, so we didn't get to the resort until around 7:00. We shoved food down our throats, threw on our suits, and headed to the waterpark. Hey, after being stuck in the car for six hours, the kids deserved a little bit of fun before bed!
It was a great weekend, and we really liked the resort. Plenty of room, awesome kitchen. The kids had a ball. Mary flew down those slides without even a second thought. Keith was a little more tentative--but we did get him to go down some of the "medium" slides by Saturday. One bump on the head, and one total immersion later, and he declared his sliding days were over! Izzy had fun just standing in the water and splashing everyone. And we were ALL spoiled by the hot tubs.
By the last day, the kids were incredibly tired and cranky, and so were the parents. We were ready to go home to our own beds. We didn't get in until after 9:00 pm, and it was a bear trying to get up (and get everyone else up) Monday, but it was worth it.
Now it's Wednesday, and so far I haven't managed to unpack the cooler (it was mostly empty anyway), and two outfits in the kids' suitcase. Not bad, all things considered.
We are excited about the idea of doing this again next year. Maybe taking a group side trip to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame or something. Not too many side trips--I kind of liked the ease of just walking (albeit down very long corridors) back and forth to the waterpark and not having to pack up the kids in the car every day.
Let's start the plans for Geekfest 2007!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
VACATION, ALL I EVER WANTED. VACATION, HAVE TO GET AWAY!
Woo hoo! Dave's blog says about 5 1/2 hours until vacation. Of course, ours is starting a little behind due to having to wait until Unit #1 gets out of school at 11:30. BUT we're still taking the whole day off, so I guess it's technically still good. And I'm getting antsy.
The laundry isn't done, I haven't packed, I still need to make another run to the grocery store, I'm still not 100% happy with the bathing suit I bought, and the list goes on.... It's only a 4 (well, 3 1/2 now) day weekend, and it's kicking my butt!
BUT since we're going to have a late start tomorrow anyway, I've made appointments to check out two day care centers near our new house. I'm not the day care type person. I prefer to send the kids to individuals who run day cares out of their homes. I feel the kids get more one-on-one attention that way. And leaving my current provider, whom we've had since Mary was 6 1/2 months old, is breaking my heart. She was certainly a second Mom to them (and a very good friend to me). If only I could take her and her family with me!! Anyway, all the at-home people I called are already full for the fall (cripes!), so we may be stuck with a center--which does have benefits of its own (don't have to worry about finding back-up for vacation time, open longer hours, etc). So tomorrow morning we'll be checking out places with names like "Tots U" and "Small World." Ugh. Just the names make me cringe.
Izzy is feeling much better, thank you. And except for another Frankenstein fit the other night (think she might be teething again) she's back to her old self.
Mary had her kindergarten "spring show" on Monday. I was stuck with my nose to the "payroll grind" at work, but John got to go, and he tooks lots of video. Quite adorable. Now if only my adorable one would stop waking me up at 3:00 am EVERY MORNING. Even bribery isn't working. Ugh. No wonder I'm not getting anything done around the house.
The laundry isn't done, I haven't packed, I still need to make another run to the grocery store, I'm still not 100% happy with the bathing suit I bought, and the list goes on.... It's only a 4 (well, 3 1/2 now) day weekend, and it's kicking my butt!
BUT since we're going to have a late start tomorrow anyway, I've made appointments to check out two day care centers near our new house. I'm not the day care type person. I prefer to send the kids to individuals who run day cares out of their homes. I feel the kids get more one-on-one attention that way. And leaving my current provider, whom we've had since Mary was 6 1/2 months old, is breaking my heart. She was certainly a second Mom to them (and a very good friend to me). If only I could take her and her family with me!! Anyway, all the at-home people I called are already full for the fall (cripes!), so we may be stuck with a center--which does have benefits of its own (don't have to worry about finding back-up for vacation time, open longer hours, etc). So tomorrow morning we'll be checking out places with names like "Tots U" and "Small World." Ugh. Just the names make me cringe.
Izzy is feeling much better, thank you. And except for another Frankenstein fit the other night (think she might be teething again) she's back to her old self.
Mary had her kindergarten "spring show" on Monday. I was stuck with my nose to the "payroll grind" at work, but John got to go, and he tooks lots of video. Quite adorable. Now if only my adorable one would stop waking me up at 3:00 am EVERY MORNING. Even bribery isn't working. Ugh. No wonder I'm not getting anything done around the house.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Sick, sick, sick (not for the faint of heart--or those who faint at the mention of vomit and other such excretions)
So last Wednesday while getting Izzy out of the carseat, she decided to do a Jackson Pollock right onto our parking lot. Thank heavens none of it flew into the van or on my person. Poor Izzy spent the next several hours creating impressionistic art on all kinds of media (her jammies, her sheets, my shirt, her favorite blanky)--and even when she had a lack of "paint", as it were (yes, that would be "dry-heaving"). Reminding myself that I just don't get to spend nearly enough time with my family, I "burned" a vacation day Thursday to stay home with the poor thing. Even on Friday, while the creative spurt had been all used up, she really wasn't quite herself. By Saturday, she had a slight fever and was obviously having issues going #2 (perhaps due to the lack of food and fluids for the previous two days). By Sunday, the "blockage" was bypassed--and apparently cleared the way for the much "smoother fuels" waiting in the tube. NOT pleasant. And she's still not quite herself even today. ugh.
Despite Izzy's issues, we did manage to have some fun this weekend. We took the kids to a farm where we got to meet three baby horses--and a couple of the parents, too. The kids were enthralled--even a slightly feverish Izzy managed to crack a smile and say "horse!" We were promised a ride on the mama horses if we come again (on a not-so-impossibly hot day).
I took Mary and Keith to the apartment swimming pool on Sunday (and wondered if after we move I could still get in with my non-dated pool passes. no, better not. curse me for being so gosh-darned honest!). This is the first year Mary was willing to get in and doggie-paddle around with no whining, clinging, or otherwise drowning-attempts on her mama. Not so with little Keith. After much cajoling, I got him to get in and showed him how he could actually touch bottom. But it was to no avail. After the "thrill" was gone, he spent a half hour whining and screaming and clinging before I finally gave it up and let him sit on the side of the pool. But how humiliating that then when Mary wanted to do laps with me, she beat me far too many times for me to be willing to publish here. Granted, she was doing shorter laps, but STILL.
*sigh* I'm getting old.
Despite Izzy's issues, we did manage to have some fun this weekend. We took the kids to a farm where we got to meet three baby horses--and a couple of the parents, too. The kids were enthralled--even a slightly feverish Izzy managed to crack a smile and say "horse!" We were promised a ride on the mama horses if we come again (on a not-so-impossibly hot day).
I took Mary and Keith to the apartment swimming pool on Sunday (and wondered if after we move I could still get in with my non-dated pool passes. no, better not. curse me for being so gosh-darned honest!). This is the first year Mary was willing to get in and doggie-paddle around with no whining, clinging, or otherwise drowning-attempts on her mama. Not so with little Keith. After much cajoling, I got him to get in and showed him how he could actually touch bottom. But it was to no avail. After the "thrill" was gone, he spent a half hour whining and screaming and clinging before I finally gave it up and let him sit on the side of the pool. But how humiliating that then when Mary wanted to do laps with me, she beat me far too many times for me to be willing to publish here. Granted, she was doing shorter laps, but STILL.
*sigh* I'm getting old.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
The best laid plans
So yesterday as I'm driving to work, I'm thinking about all the things we are doing/need to get done this month: last t-ball game, dentist appointment, pack for vacation, pack to move, get groceries for vacation, the last day of school for Mary.... Hey, wait a minute. (Picture synapse firing in brain here). Uh oh. Mary's last day of school is June 22--the same day we're supposed to be leaving for our vacation in Sandusky! Yikes! HOW did that happen?
Well, the good news is that she only has to go a half day--dismissal will probably be around 11:20 or so--so I guess we'll just have a later start on our trip than originally planned. Curse the East and their late-starting, late-ending school year!!! @#$%
Well, the good news is that she only has to go a half day--dismissal will probably be around 11:20 or so--so I guess we'll just have a later start on our trip than originally planned. Curse the East and their late-starting, late-ending school year!!! @#$%
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