Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Little Bites: REVISITED
9:00 this morning: Went to a Community College to discuss options for Medical Billing field. (TWO YEAR PROGRAM! Are you @#$% kidding me? I already HAVE a Bachelor's [that I'm STILL paying for]--why on EARTH would I want an Associates? I just want a CERTIFICATE!)
3:00 today: Sign up with staffing agency for Admin Assist job.
Complete waste of time! Only job they had available was for $9.50/hr. Hello! This is not 1996 anymore! But I completely SMASHED their typing and Excel tests! Go me! Maybe something else will come up soon....
8:00 Monday: Sign up with ANOTHER staffing agency for another job for which I've applied (probably Admin Assist also--sad that I don't really know as so many resumes have gone out now).
Had to reschedule to Thursday at 3:00 due to conflict with JOHN'S schedule. Having kids while looking for a job is a PAIN IN THE BUTT. But I looked on their website--nothing they have posted really looks too appealing, anyway....
11:00 Monday: Phone interview for Exec Assist position that my FIRST staff agency set up for me (first I've heard from them in over two weeks).
Interview lasted six minutes! But I must have done OK, 'cause I scored a "real" interview next Wednesday!
4:00 Tuesday: Interview for contract position with FORMER EMPLOYER. (Too bad it's not my former JOB--but we'll see what happens.)
Scheduling conflict AGAIN! And when I called to reschedule, I got an ATTITUDE and that there were NO OTHER OPEN TIMES. Guess I'll ask the neighbor to watch Izzy and get Mary/Keith off the bus.
Hmmm....Maybe I should slow down the resumes for now.
3:00 today: Sign up with staffing agency for Admin Assist job.
Complete waste of time! Only job they had available was for $9.50/hr. Hello! This is not 1996 anymore! But I completely SMASHED their typing and Excel tests! Go me! Maybe something else will come up soon....
8:00 Monday: Sign up with ANOTHER staffing agency for another job for which I've applied (probably Admin Assist also--sad that I don't really know as so many resumes have gone out now).
Had to reschedule to Thursday at 3:00 due to conflict with JOHN'S schedule. Having kids while looking for a job is a PAIN IN THE BUTT. But I looked on their website--nothing they have posted really looks too appealing, anyway....
11:00 Monday: Phone interview for Exec Assist position that my FIRST staff agency set up for me (first I've heard from them in over two weeks).
Interview lasted six minutes! But I must have done OK, 'cause I scored a "real" interview next Wednesday!
4:00 Tuesday: Interview for contract position with FORMER EMPLOYER. (Too bad it's not my former JOB--but we'll see what happens.)
Scheduling conflict AGAIN! And when I called to reschedule, I got an ATTITUDE and that there were NO OTHER OPEN TIMES. Guess I'll ask the neighbor to watch Izzy and get Mary/Keith off the bus.
Hmmm....Maybe I should slow down the resumes for now.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Speaking of things Lost
'Round about the time of the mysterious missing pajamas, I also misplaced a book. Actually, it's inaccurate to say *I* misplaced it. Izzy is to blame for THIS Bermuda Triangle incident.
Ya see, I was on the phone (probably with my mom or dad) and also picking up the house (I simply can't get on the phone without also walking around the house picking up clutter. Sometimes I purposefully call people--like JJ!--because then I know I'll have X amount of minutes that I WILL get the dishes done or the pile of crap picked up off the coffee table. Of course, all the walking around almost always guarantees I will lose connection at least ONCE. Ah well.). Um...anyway.... I had been reading a book, which is in a SERIES of sci-fi books that I own and love and usually read AT LEAST once a year. And it had in fact been TWO years since I last read them 'cause they were "lost" in one of the boxes of books stuck down in the basement. BUT! I had JUST re-discovered them and was enjoying our reunion when the phone rang.
So...while I was wandering around the kitchen, I see Izzy with the book I had just set down. She was PUSHING it across the kitchen floor. I finally had to stop and ask her what she was doing? "It's a boat, Mommy!" Ah! I see! And I had quite a chuckle about it with whichever parental unit I was talking.
Well, I got off the phone and caught up with the Iz-meister so that I could start reading my book again. She didn't have it anymore. I checked the kitchen. Hmmmm.... I wandered all through the house. Um...."Izzy, where's my book?" "You're wipe [white] book?" "Yes, where's Mommy's book?" The two of us looked in the kitchen more diligently. It was NOWHERE.
I've looked and looked and looked for that book. I didn't want to read the next book in the series until I had finished THAT one. It doesn't matter that I've read the book at least five times! I HAVE to finish it!
I never found it.
And after a while, I DID finally decide that the book must be permanently lost and read ON (Gasp! Can you believe it?!).
Yesterday, Izzy was playing with her babydoll; she decided to wanted to feed her. I got out the toy diaper bag and dug up the bottle and baby spoons for her. While I was at it, I started collecting all the other baby doll clothes/paraphernalia from the toy basket and shoving them "away" into the bag. I checked the little front pocket...
...and THERE was my book.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cracked up and showed Izzy. "You're wipe [white] book!"
Indeed.
[Brat!]
Ya see, I was on the phone (probably with my mom or dad) and also picking up the house (I simply can't get on the phone without also walking around the house picking up clutter. Sometimes I purposefully call people--like JJ!--because then I know I'll have X amount of minutes that I WILL get the dishes done or the pile of crap picked up off the coffee table. Of course, all the walking around almost always guarantees I will lose connection at least ONCE. Ah well.). Um...anyway.... I had been reading a book, which is in a SERIES of sci-fi books that I own and love and usually read AT LEAST once a year. And it had in fact been TWO years since I last read them 'cause they were "lost" in one of the boxes of books stuck down in the basement. BUT! I had JUST re-discovered them and was enjoying our reunion when the phone rang.
So...while I was wandering around the kitchen, I see Izzy with the book I had just set down. She was PUSHING it across the kitchen floor. I finally had to stop and ask her what she was doing? "It's a boat, Mommy!" Ah! I see! And I had quite a chuckle about it with whichever parental unit I was talking.
Well, I got off the phone and caught up with the Iz-meister so that I could start reading my book again. She didn't have it anymore. I checked the kitchen. Hmmmm.... I wandered all through the house. Um...."Izzy, where's my book?" "You're wipe [white] book?" "Yes, where's Mommy's book?" The two of us looked in the kitchen more diligently. It was NOWHERE.
I've looked and looked and looked for that book. I didn't want to read the next book in the series until I had finished THAT one. It doesn't matter that I've read the book at least five times! I HAVE to finish it!
I never found it.
And after a while, I DID finally decide that the book must be permanently lost and read ON (Gasp! Can you believe it?!).
Yesterday, Izzy was playing with her babydoll; she decided to wanted to feed her. I got out the toy diaper bag and dug up the bottle and baby spoons for her. While I was at it, I started collecting all the other baby doll clothes/paraphernalia from the toy basket and shoving them "away" into the bag. I checked the little front pocket...
...and THERE was my book.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cracked up and showed Izzy. "You're wipe [white] book!"
Indeed.
[Brat!]
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
That was weird
Whilst visiting the H clan last summer, we harassed JJ into purchasing some new D-store jammies and t-shirts for the kids with her employee discount (they were super cheap already!). Well, somehow or another, the bottoms to one set of Izzy's got misplaced. I recalled that I threw the bottoms into the laundry basket after a "EEEEEWWWWW!" moment when her pull-up leaked the previous night. And then I sorta lost track of them. The top got washed just fine....but the bottoms did not miraculously "show up" as I figured they would.
I started casually going through all the laundry bins, all the piles in the basement, the garage sale bags, and even Mary's dresser looking for those darn PJ bottoms. What the....?
Fast forward about six weeks later. That would be, um, yesterday. I am folding the latest load of the umpteen-million loads of laundry I do each week. And guess what? Yup--THERE THEY WERE.
Where the FREAK did they come from? I do NOT recall throwing them in the wash, nor putting them in the dryer. I have not seen them in ANY of the multitudes of dirty clothes piles hanging around the house. Where the heck were they, and how the heck did they manage to get CLEAN again without my knowledge? Did they hitchhike across the galaxy with the old towel and their electronic thumb?
And I don't fret so much about lost singleton socks. It happens, folks, so I just deal with it. But WHY and HOW is it that in a house where laundry is washed at LEAST four times a week--and usually EVERY DAY--is Izzy suddenly completely OUT of socks? I'm serious! All that is left in her sock drawer are the pairs of ankle socks I don't like and don't put on her. Where did the other TEN PAIRS of simple, white bobby socks GO? And why did they suddenly start disappearing the VERY WEEK of the return of the pajama bottoms!!!!!
I think I need a job just so that I have other, legitimate things to complain about.
I started casually going through all the laundry bins, all the piles in the basement, the garage sale bags, and even Mary's dresser looking for those darn PJ bottoms. What the....?
Fast forward about six weeks later. That would be, um, yesterday. I am folding the latest load of the umpteen-million loads of laundry I do each week. And guess what? Yup--THERE THEY WERE.
Where the FREAK did they come from? I do NOT recall throwing them in the wash, nor putting them in the dryer. I have not seen them in ANY of the multitudes of dirty clothes piles hanging around the house. Where the heck were they, and how the heck did they manage to get CLEAN again without my knowledge? Did they hitchhike across the galaxy with the old towel and their electronic thumb?
And I don't fret so much about lost singleton socks. It happens, folks, so I just deal with it. But WHY and HOW is it that in a house where laundry is washed at LEAST four times a week--and usually EVERY DAY--is Izzy suddenly completely OUT of socks? I'm serious! All that is left in her sock drawer are the pairs of ankle socks I don't like and don't put on her. Where did the other TEN PAIRS of simple, white bobby socks GO? And why did they suddenly start disappearing the VERY WEEK of the return of the pajama bottoms!!!!!
I think I need a job just so that I have other, legitimate things to complain about.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Old Haunts
I had several errands to run today, and since a few were on the other side of town, I fit in a visit to the ol' workplace. All those people for which to perform? Izzy was IN her element.
While Izzy showed off her repertoire of "Pterodactyl" and "Dragon" impressions, I caught up with the crew. Here's what I heard a lot: "Boy, you look really good!" "You look so relaxed!" "You look great!" "Bet you're not as tired now!"
Makes me wonder--how was I looking a year ago when I quit? Tired? Stressed out? Apparently not as well-groomed?!
Yeah. That last two years I was working WERE tough. I knew it was getting to be a little too much, but I didn't understand HOW much until I finally got to quit. And actually take a breath. And not have to drive across the city every day. And....
Well, it's just a shame I have to go back to work, that's all. 'Cause I doubt if a year off is really going to be enough.
But here's some good news I noticed at my annual this morning: I've apparently lost weight. I don't typically weigh myself, so I had no idea. So water aerobics twice (er....sometimes only ONCE) a week DID help! Still doubt I could fit into my old "interview" suit, though. *sigh*
While Izzy showed off her repertoire of "Pterodactyl" and "Dragon" impressions, I caught up with the crew. Here's what I heard a lot: "Boy, you look really good!" "You look so relaxed!" "You look great!" "Bet you're not as tired now!"
Makes me wonder--how was I looking a year ago when I quit? Tired? Stressed out? Apparently not as well-groomed?!
Yeah. That last two years I was working WERE tough. I knew it was getting to be a little too much, but I didn't understand HOW much until I finally got to quit. And actually take a breath. And not have to drive across the city every day. And....
Well, it's just a shame I have to go back to work, that's all. 'Cause I doubt if a year off is really going to be enough.
But here's some good news I noticed at my annual this morning: I've apparently lost weight. I don't typically weigh myself, so I had no idea. So water aerobics twice (er....sometimes only ONCE) a week DID help! Still doubt I could fit into my old "interview" suit, though. *sigh*
Monday, September 22, 2008
TWINS!
My cousin's babies are HERE! And oh, how I wish I could fly to OK to go visit! MUST. HAVE. BABY. FIX!!
Congrats Mary Anne and Jon! Welcome Elena and Ryan!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Dear MR
Just 'cause I can't find a job doesn't mean I'm not busy!
Let's see....not only am I spending all this time looking for jobs, completing applications, emailing resumes, and banging my head against the desk at the lack of opportunities, but I have also been Organizing GS recruitment events, attending said events, registering folks, setting up troops, finding leaders for said troops, answering a million emails a day from new leaders AND planning GS meetings, answering a million emails a day from co-leaders, attending meetings--with ALL THREE KIDS due to other half working late--helping 12 girls (plus 5 tag-a-long siblings) make messy s'mores, pouring juice, and keeping the pack at safe distance from the fire. Oh yes! I also took my middle child to school one evening to sign him up for CS--and now I somehow have to fit in the time to get him HIS uniform. AND THEN to top it all off, I had the impending visit from my father and his wife for which to prepare--with the cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, washing of linens, and clutter control. Not to mention the water aerobic class I'm still trying to attend at least twice a week.
So if I'm not putting enough posts out there, WELL EXCUSE ME!
Sincerely,
Q2
Let's see....not only am I spending all this time looking for jobs, completing applications, emailing resumes, and banging my head against the desk at the lack of opportunities, but I have also been Organizing GS recruitment events, attending said events, registering folks, setting up troops, finding leaders for said troops, answering a million emails a day from new leaders AND planning GS meetings, answering a million emails a day from co-leaders, attending meetings--with ALL THREE KIDS due to other half working late--helping 12 girls (plus 5 tag-a-long siblings) make messy s'mores, pouring juice, and keeping the pack at safe distance from the fire. Oh yes! I also took my middle child to school one evening to sign him up for CS--and now I somehow have to fit in the time to get him HIS uniform. AND THEN to top it all off, I had the impending visit from my father and his wife for which to prepare--with the cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, washing of linens, and clutter control. Not to mention the water aerobic class I'm still trying to attend at least twice a week.
So if I'm not putting enough posts out there, WELL EXCUSE ME!
Sincerely,
Q2
Friday, September 12, 2008
I can't even get into customer service!!!
Dear Carrie,
Thank you for your interest in the Emergency Dispatch Operator/Customer Service Representative position, reference number **-****. We appreciate your consideration of A** Security Services, Inc. for future employment.
At the present time, we are considering candidates whose experience and skills more closely match our requirements. We will keep your application in our active files in the event that a suitable position becomes available.
Please note that though this position may not be a fit, you may still be in consideration for other openings you have applied to.
Again, we thank you for your interest and wish you every success in your future endeavors.
Respectfully,
A** Security Services, Inc.
NOW I'm starting to get worried....
Thank you for your interest in the Emergency Dispatch Operator/Customer Service Representative position, reference number **-****. We appreciate your consideration of A** Security Services, Inc. for future employment.
At the present time, we are considering candidates whose experience and skills more closely match our requirements. We will keep your application in our active files in the event that a suitable position becomes available.
Please note that though this position may not be a fit, you may still be in consideration for other openings you have applied to.
Again, we thank you for your interest and wish you every success in your future endeavors.
Respectfully,
A** Security Services, Inc.
NOW I'm starting to get worried....
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
My first time
I did it for the first time. Got on eBay. I know, I know! I've been avoiding it for all these years, and I can't even tell you why.
I decided to take the plunge because I noticed that my swimming suit is starting to get a bit stretched out from all the water aerobics I've been doing (And John never liked the color anyway--said it made me look to pale. When I saw pictures of me in it, I had to agree.). And my tankini "spare" suit just isn't conducive to water aerobic activity (the material swooshes in the most annoying ways).
I've been casually glancing at the racks this summer, but not whole-heartedly. I usually have a kid or three with me--and no one would want to try on swimming suits with THAT lot around. Especially since I seem to be "between" sizes and would probably have to try on a million before I found one that fit (and it'd probably be the wrong color, too).
So I surfed the net. And found that even clearance racks online usually had suits that were WAY to expensive for my taste, or WAY (and I mean WAY!) too big. *sigh*
So, onto eBay! I found a nice, brand-new fitness-style suit (and really, who cares about the color if I'm just using it to work out in?), placed a decent bid. Waited ALL day for the bidding time to stop. But THEN had to go to a meeting. And THEN had to go out AFTER the meeting. And THEN went to bed. Checked my account today: OUTBID! NO WAY!!! @#$%!!
So I did what any frustrated not-too-keen-to-shop woman would do--I searched again and found a suit to BUY NOW, and whipped out the credit card.
Seriously! I don't have time for all that bidding and suspense! I just want an inexpensive, durable swimming suit!
Oh God. I hope it fits!
I decided to take the plunge because I noticed that my swimming suit is starting to get a bit stretched out from all the water aerobics I've been doing (And John never liked the color anyway--said it made me look to pale. When I saw pictures of me in it, I had to agree.). And my tankini "spare" suit just isn't conducive to water aerobic activity (the material swooshes in the most annoying ways).
I've been casually glancing at the racks this summer, but not whole-heartedly. I usually have a kid or three with me--and no one would want to try on swimming suits with THAT lot around. Especially since I seem to be "between" sizes and would probably have to try on a million before I found one that fit (and it'd probably be the wrong color, too).
So I surfed the net. And found that even clearance racks online usually had suits that were WAY to expensive for my taste, or WAY (and I mean WAY!) too big. *sigh*
So, onto eBay! I found a nice, brand-new fitness-style suit (and really, who cares about the color if I'm just using it to work out in?), placed a decent bid. Waited ALL day for the bidding time to stop. But THEN had to go to a meeting. And THEN had to go out AFTER the meeting. And THEN went to bed. Checked my account today: OUTBID! NO WAY!!! @#$%!!
So I did what any frustrated not-too-keen-to-shop woman would do--I searched again and found a suit to BUY NOW, and whipped out the credit card.
Seriously! I don't have time for all that bidding and suspense! I just want an inexpensive, durable swimming suit!
Oh God. I hope it fits!
Monday, September 08, 2008
Grief
Sometimes it just takes a nice long talk with my friend S to put my idea/thoughts/emotions in perspective. She takes all my whining and complaining and sums it up for me in a concise, neat, little package. I feel bad because no matter how much I tell myself I will focus on HER when we talk, I always seem to take over the conversation about what's going on in MY life. She just helps keep me grounded.
So when I was trying to report to her all my frustrations of the lack of stay-at-home working options, and the unfairness of what a little bit of miscalculation will do to push the need quite SUDDENLY from part-time to full-time work, and, well, I just don't want it get into it all here--she summed it up for me perfectly. "You are grieving. And you have the right to grieve."
Oh, S. Thank you for putting it in perspective. And here I was trying so, so hard to be brave and OK! about this and...well, now I understand why I'm having such a hard time doing all that despite my best intentions.
Give me time to grieve. And I'll be OK.
And S, I promise, our next conversation, I'll keep my mouth shut and try to listen to YOU more.
So when I was trying to report to her all my frustrations of the lack of stay-at-home working options, and the unfairness of what a little bit of miscalculation will do to push the need quite SUDDENLY from part-time to full-time work, and, well, I just don't want it get into it all here--she summed it up for me perfectly. "You are grieving. And you have the right to grieve."
Oh, S. Thank you for putting it in perspective. And here I was trying so, so hard to be brave and OK! about this and...well, now I understand why I'm having such a hard time doing all that despite my best intentions.
Give me time to grieve. And I'll be OK.
And S, I promise, our next conversation, I'll keep my mouth shut and try to listen to YOU more.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
First Day: Ah, the serenity!
Today was Mary and Keith's first day back to school. They were soooo excited that they had their lunches packed YESTERDAY afternoon, and they were dressed and out the door waiting for the bus by 8:04 this morning--and the bus doesn't come until 8:24.
After they were gone I faced my first day alone with just Izzy. It was so...strange. I casually finished my breakfast and then started cleaning up the breakfast dishes and dutifully picking up the house. But! What should I do with this special time alone with my little girl? (Knowing it'll be one of the last days alone with her IF I get lucky enough to finally become gainfully employed again.) So, she and I sat on the couch and read a couple of Dora books, and she quizzed me on my alphabet sounds (I did pretty well). And then we went outside where she played in the sandbox and tormented some potato bugs. Then it dawned on me: we have a lunch date!
Yes, some other SAH friends of mine try to get together every year on the first day of school for lunch at Panera's. I don't typically frequent that place (just too darned expensive), but I decided to go for the first and last chance I'd ever get to join in on the tradition.
Izzy and I ate our $15.00 lunch (Seriously!) and got caught up on some local gossip. Then I took the Iz-meister across the street and bought her a new pair of shoes (her heels are actually starting to hang over her sandals!). THEN I remembered our cereal-depletion problem in the cupboard, and we went to the store to stock up on Frosted Flakes and other goodies for the kids to pack in their school lunches.
We came home, and I relaxed on the couch (is it the weather that is causing me to have a headache EVERY SINGLE FREAKING DAY? or perhaps my sinuses? or the STRESS of not having a job and not seeing ANYTHING even REASONABLY palatable in the classifieds?) while Izzy did NOT take a nap in my bed. Ahhhh....
The bus was 25 minutes late coming home (My mantra: FIRST day of school--they are ALWAYS behind on the first day of school! Surely they would call if....FIRST day of school!). Mary and Keith were STARVING--just as I expected them to be. All the kids ate raisins or what was left of their school lunches (I have a feeling Mary socialized more than ate today), and now they are playing and making SO MUCH NOISE that I did NOT miss today.
Yes, I enjoyed my brief respite as a mother-of-one again. Too bad this peacefulness will (hopefully!) soon be replaced by extremely-stressed-out-mamma trying to get three kids ready and out the door and on her way to work. (I have tears in my eyes just thinking of it).
I did have a job interview yesterday, but I doubt they call me back (lack of experience), and I don't think I'd even take it if they did (lack of $$$!). I think if this were 1995, and I had just recently gotten my diploma, I would SO take this job. But as a tired, worn-out, old, Mother, it just isn't too terribly appealing. Especially for the rate of pay--insulting, really!
So, if you'll excuse me, I must get some sort of dinner ready. And I must take some time to get on the classifieds again. And see if I can find where John hid my resume when he re-imaged this @#$% crappy computer. (It could probably stand to be re-done, anyway).
After they were gone I faced my first day alone with just Izzy. It was so...strange. I casually finished my breakfast and then started cleaning up the breakfast dishes and dutifully picking up the house. But! What should I do with this special time alone with my little girl? (Knowing it'll be one of the last days alone with her IF I get lucky enough to finally become gainfully employed again.) So, she and I sat on the couch and read a couple of Dora books, and she quizzed me on my alphabet sounds (I did pretty well). And then we went outside where she played in the sandbox and tormented some potato bugs. Then it dawned on me: we have a lunch date!
Yes, some other SAH friends of mine try to get together every year on the first day of school for lunch at Panera's. I don't typically frequent that place (just too darned expensive), but I decided to go for the first and last chance I'd ever get to join in on the tradition.
Izzy and I ate our $15.00 lunch (Seriously!) and got caught up on some local gossip. Then I took the Iz-meister across the street and bought her a new pair of shoes (her heels are actually starting to hang over her sandals!). THEN I remembered our cereal-depletion problem in the cupboard, and we went to the store to stock up on Frosted Flakes and other goodies for the kids to pack in their school lunches.
We came home, and I relaxed on the couch (is it the weather that is causing me to have a headache EVERY SINGLE FREAKING DAY? or perhaps my sinuses? or the STRESS of not having a job and not seeing ANYTHING even REASONABLY palatable in the classifieds?) while Izzy did NOT take a nap in my bed. Ahhhh....
The bus was 25 minutes late coming home (My mantra: FIRST day of school--they are ALWAYS behind on the first day of school! Surely they would call if....FIRST day of school!). Mary and Keith were STARVING--just as I expected them to be. All the kids ate raisins or what was left of their school lunches (I have a feeling Mary socialized more than ate today), and now they are playing and making SO MUCH NOISE that I did NOT miss today.
Yes, I enjoyed my brief respite as a mother-of-one again. Too bad this peacefulness will (hopefully!) soon be replaced by extremely-stressed-out-mamma trying to get three kids ready and out the door and on her way to work. (I have tears in my eyes just thinking of it).
I did have a job interview yesterday, but I doubt they call me back (lack of experience), and I don't think I'd even take it if they did (lack of $$$!). I think if this were 1995, and I had just recently gotten my diploma, I would SO take this job. But as a tired, worn-out, old, Mother, it just isn't too terribly appealing. Especially for the rate of pay--insulting, really!
So, if you'll excuse me, I must get some sort of dinner ready. And I must take some time to get on the classifieds again. And see if I can find where John hid my resume when he re-imaged this @#$% crappy computer. (It could probably stand to be re-done, anyway).
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Where is the love?
I got NO callback.
Feeling rejected and unloved.
(Probably asked for too much money.)
I hate this.
Feeling rejected and unloved.
(Probably asked for too much money.)
I hate this.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Well, THAT was fun
Last week is now a complete blur to me. Not only was I contending with the job search and interview and online evaluations (Lord Have Mercy! NOT fun!), I also took part in a multi-family garage sale the next-door neighbors were having. So in between tests (and agonized tears and frustrations and calls to my husband and tech support when the tests weren't WORKING properly) and interview wardrobe check, I was rifling through the Goodwill corner of the basement sorting the sellable from the crap and MARKING 50 cents on EVERYTHING. The kids just went on auto-pilot and fed and entertained themselves (while I screeched at them if they made a whimper of a noise while I was taking that @#$% math test).
First off, let me allay your fears. Despite the slight breakdown and technical difficulties, I apparently passed all my exams "well above level." I didn't even have to give the prepared speech about the lockdown of my computer during the last five questions of the Excel exam (I didn't call the hiring company and request a new test as tech support suggested as I figured it may make me sound like a "whiner." Not to mention that I honestly felt that even if one truncated the last five questions off the final score, I probably showed my Excel prowess quite well. Wudyaknow? I was right!). So, less said the better about my testing difficulties...now I guess everything rests on my interviewing capabilities. I should actually know by TODAY if they're calling me back to consider me for a second interview. Cross your fingers, folks! If they LOVED me and my test scores and experience and actually want to pay me what I WANT, I won't have to post for ANY MORE jobs. (*sigh* I'm sure it won't be that easy.)
...Back to the garage sale. UGH. I had been thinking of putting one on this summer, but I could never get up enough gumption to do it. Just too! much! work! But the neighbors did the advertising and so I figured that was at least ONE step I didn't have to do. BUT THE GOING THROUGH THE CRAP!!!! I mean, I knew the Goodwill corner of the basement was growing and growing, but not until I had to unbag and start labeling did I realize how much crap I hadn't gotten around to dropping off yet. Basically ALL of Izzy's clothes for the last two years, and boxes and BOXES of toys I had secreted downstairs when the wee ones weren't looking. (Every now and then the kids traverse downstairs and spot a previously-not-played-with toy and haul it back upstairs. Then the Goodwill elves quietly tip-toe into their rooms and snatch it BACK! Ha!) The garage sale was on Friday and Saturday and all told I made about $49.00. It's already been spent on part of the grocery bill the other day.
Friday I had to close my portion of the garage sale early to go to the interview. Saturday, I only had to bow out for about an hour to take the kids to their second-to-last swim lesson. It ended up being a very hot, sunny day. I was lazy and didn't use any sunscreen, figuring that I'd just stick close to the shade and inside the garage. SILLY woman. I got a LOVELY sunburn to add some color to my farmer's tan I'd been accumulating this summer (was wearing a tank top on Saturday).
The kids and I jumped in the neighbor's pool after we closed the doors on the garage sale. COLD, but lovely after being out in the heat all day. We went back inside, and I completely CRASHED the rest of the day, totally EXHAUSTED.
I woke up Sunday to find the house was a complete, FREAKING mess. Basically, I'd been so busy with job-posting, test-taking, interviews, swim lessons, the garage sale, and pool-dipping that NO housework was getting done. It was QUITE scary. The kids and I (more like MARY and I) got a bulk of it straightened out on Sunday afternoon, and I feel I can breathe again (and CPA won't be showing up on the doorstep).
...Now I guess I'll get around to seeing what new jobs may be posted online in case my ship does not come in for my first "real" interview in YEARS. GAH! I HATE job-hunting!
First off, let me allay your fears. Despite the slight breakdown and technical difficulties, I apparently passed all my exams "well above level." I didn't even have to give the prepared speech about the lockdown of my computer during the last five questions of the Excel exam (I didn't call the hiring company and request a new test as tech support suggested as I figured it may make me sound like a "whiner." Not to mention that I honestly felt that even if one truncated the last five questions off the final score, I probably showed my Excel prowess quite well. Wudyaknow? I was right!). So, less said the better about my testing difficulties...now I guess everything rests on my interviewing capabilities. I should actually know by TODAY if they're calling me back to consider me for a second interview. Cross your fingers, folks! If they LOVED me and my test scores and experience and actually want to pay me what I WANT, I won't have to post for ANY MORE jobs. (*sigh* I'm sure it won't be that easy.)
...Back to the garage sale. UGH. I had been thinking of putting one on this summer, but I could never get up enough gumption to do it. Just too! much! work! But the neighbors did the advertising and so I figured that was at least ONE step I didn't have to do. BUT THE GOING THROUGH THE CRAP!!!! I mean, I knew the Goodwill corner of the basement was growing and growing, but not until I had to unbag and start labeling did I realize how much crap I hadn't gotten around to dropping off yet. Basically ALL of Izzy's clothes for the last two years, and boxes and BOXES of toys I had secreted downstairs when the wee ones weren't looking. (Every now and then the kids traverse downstairs and spot a previously-not-played-with toy and haul it back upstairs. Then the Goodwill elves quietly tip-toe into their rooms and snatch it BACK! Ha!) The garage sale was on Friday and Saturday and all told I made about $49.00. It's already been spent on part of the grocery bill the other day.
Friday I had to close my portion of the garage sale early to go to the interview. Saturday, I only had to bow out for about an hour to take the kids to their second-to-last swim lesson. It ended up being a very hot, sunny day. I was lazy and didn't use any sunscreen, figuring that I'd just stick close to the shade and inside the garage. SILLY woman. I got a LOVELY sunburn to add some color to my farmer's tan I'd been accumulating this summer (was wearing a tank top on Saturday).
The kids and I jumped in the neighbor's pool after we closed the doors on the garage sale. COLD, but lovely after being out in the heat all day. We went back inside, and I completely CRASHED the rest of the day, totally EXHAUSTED.
I woke up Sunday to find the house was a complete, FREAKING mess. Basically, I'd been so busy with job-posting, test-taking, interviews, swim lessons, the garage sale, and pool-dipping that NO housework was getting done. It was QUITE scary. The kids and I (more like MARY and I) got a bulk of it straightened out on Sunday afternoon, and I feel I can breathe again (and CPA won't be showing up on the doorstep).
...Now I guess I'll get around to seeing what new jobs may be posted online in case my ship does not come in for my first "real" interview in YEARS. GAH! I HATE job-hunting!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Job Hunt
I'm stepping up the job hunt process now that school is just two (short!) weeks away. I tweaked the hurriedly-crafted resume I regurgitated a few weeks ago, and then I posted online for a particular job. Within TWENTY MINUTES I had a phone call on it.
Yikes!
So...I have to take a couple online evaluations (wow--welcome to job hunting in 2008!), and I have an interview next Friday.
I'm completely freaked out.
I've got several other jobs I'm about to post for, but it's difficult to get in the "quality" computer time I need while the three-year old is up and about.
I guess I forgot to mention here (er, well, more like never found the computer time to make a post about...) the fact that I had an interview a few weeks ago. It's a part-time position that will probably not even be worth my while, but I thought I'd give it a go. Of course, at the 11th hour, I decided to finally try to find the outfit I was going to wear.
Oh dear. NOTHING fit. Absolutely NOTHING.
See, I had a CASUAL job for nine years--I could (and did!) wear jeans to work every day. So all my interview-quality clothes are NINE to TEN years old! And guess what? I've had THREE KIDS since then! I may be still considered "thin" in some people's opinions, and may even "technically" weigh the same I did back then, but my body is SHAPED differently now. So after not being about to get into the two suits I still owned, and not seeing anything too desirable that I could "throw together" (keeping in mind that it had been in the '80s, and most of my nicer clothes are more fall/winter oriented) I finally faced the facts that I just HAD to go shopping. Of course, it was 7:00, and John was out of town, so I had all three kids with me! Well, ha, ha! Shopping we all go! I went to three different stores and managed to find a decent dress, a nice shirt to go with a black skirt I owned, and even a new interview-appropriate purse--and had the kids home by 8:30.
Oh God. I really HATE having to do this.
Yikes!
So...I have to take a couple online evaluations (wow--welcome to job hunting in 2008!), and I have an interview next Friday.
I'm completely freaked out.
I've got several other jobs I'm about to post for, but it's difficult to get in the "quality" computer time I need while the three-year old is up and about.
I guess I forgot to mention here (er, well, more like never found the computer time to make a post about...) the fact that I had an interview a few weeks ago. It's a part-time position that will probably not even be worth my while, but I thought I'd give it a go. Of course, at the 11th hour, I decided to finally try to find the outfit I was going to wear.
Oh dear. NOTHING fit. Absolutely NOTHING.
See, I had a CASUAL job for nine years--I could (and did!) wear jeans to work every day. So all my interview-quality clothes are NINE to TEN years old! And guess what? I've had THREE KIDS since then! I may be still considered "thin" in some people's opinions, and may even "technically" weigh the same I did back then, but my body is SHAPED differently now. So after not being about to get into the two suits I still owned, and not seeing anything too desirable that I could "throw together" (keeping in mind that it had been in the '80s, and most of my nicer clothes are more fall/winter oriented) I finally faced the facts that I just HAD to go shopping. Of course, it was 7:00, and John was out of town, so I had all three kids with me! Well, ha, ha! Shopping we all go! I went to three different stores and managed to find a decent dress, a nice shirt to go with a black skirt I owned, and even a new interview-appropriate purse--and had the kids home by 8:30.
Oh God. I really HATE having to do this.
Cheap Vacations
We rather enjoyed our visit from the H's. For detailed description, see Dave. It was a somewhat cheap vacation for the H's, as we cooked from home/packed our lunches as much as possible. Saved that much more money for the Cheesecake!
OUR cheap-ish vacation took place the following week. John and I spent two days after the H's left going back and forth about what to do with his week off. We wanted to do something fun, somewhat close by, and somewhat cheap. We finally decided to take the kids to Cedar Point.
So we left Tuesday afternoon (after Mary's last painting class) and got to our hotel in decent time (AMAZING how much simpler a 5 hour trip is as opposed to an 8 hour trip!). Wednesday morning we got up, hit the continental breakfast bar, and then hit the coasters. Well, John and Mary did, anyway. Mary, being 47 inches, could now go on most of the coasters. Myself and the wee folk, Keith and Izzy, stayed closed to Kiddie Korner for those first four hours (and had a sit-down lunch, too). John texted me throughout the duration.
We picked an excellent day to go to Cedar Point. The weather was only in the upper '70s, so it wasn't too hot. It was a Wednesday, so the crowds were thin, and John and Mary hardly had to wait more than 15 minutes each ride. Exception: The Millenium Force. They ended up waiting for two hours for that ride. Mary was completely bored and annoying throughout the wait, and we decided not to torment her with the wait again.
After the family reunited, and Mary and John had a bit of a snack, we all went back down the line to all the coasters. This time, Mary and I hit the ones she wanted to ride (she was adamant NO upside-down roller coasters!) while John would take the wee ones to whatever kiddie rides were close by. Still only 15 minute wait--heaven!
John and I paid an exhorbant fee and had caricatures done of the three kids. Keith's wasn't so great, but Mary and Izzy's were quite like.
Twilight came, and we decided to hit the games on the way out of the park. The kids were ALL exhausted and Mom and Dad weren't doing so well either. After a couple of breakdowns over games not won and tickets stuck in pockets and therefore not turned in for crappy prizes, we stopped for a breather (Oh! The humanity!) and then headed out the gate.
It was a great time, seriously. We just pushed it too long at the end with hungry, tired parents and kids!
Next day we drove to Cleveland and John and I finally made good on a years-long threat: we stopped at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. The kids were completely bored, and Izzy was a complete brat (wanted to be in the stroller, DIDN'T want to be in the stroller, had to go potty, DIDN'T need to go potty, WANTED TO DRINK FROM EVERY FREAKING FOUNTAIN IN THE PLACE...). I basically spent my time attempting to read a few things here and there while mainly keeping Izzy out of John's hair so that he could take in as much as possible. We just need to go just the two of us sometime....
So we then headed home and got in around 7:30 Thursday night.
Cheap(ish), but fun.
OUR cheap-ish vacation took place the following week. John and I spent two days after the H's left going back and forth about what to do with his week off. We wanted to do something fun, somewhat close by, and somewhat cheap. We finally decided to take the kids to Cedar Point.
So we left Tuesday afternoon (after Mary's last painting class) and got to our hotel in decent time (AMAZING how much simpler a 5 hour trip is as opposed to an 8 hour trip!). Wednesday morning we got up, hit the continental breakfast bar, and then hit the coasters. Well, John and Mary did, anyway. Mary, being 47 inches, could now go on most of the coasters. Myself and the wee folk, Keith and Izzy, stayed closed to Kiddie Korner for those first four hours (and had a sit-down lunch, too). John texted me throughout the duration.
We picked an excellent day to go to Cedar Point. The weather was only in the upper '70s, so it wasn't too hot. It was a Wednesday, so the crowds were thin, and John and Mary hardly had to wait more than 15 minutes each ride. Exception: The Millenium Force. They ended up waiting for two hours for that ride. Mary was completely bored and annoying throughout the wait, and we decided not to torment her with the wait again.
After the family reunited, and Mary and John had a bit of a snack, we all went back down the line to all the coasters. This time, Mary and I hit the ones she wanted to ride (she was adamant NO upside-down roller coasters!) while John would take the wee ones to whatever kiddie rides were close by. Still only 15 minute wait--heaven!
John and I paid an exhorbant fee and had caricatures done of the three kids. Keith's wasn't so great, but Mary and Izzy's were quite like.
Twilight came, and we decided to hit the games on the way out of the park. The kids were ALL exhausted and Mom and Dad weren't doing so well either. After a couple of breakdowns over games not won and tickets stuck in pockets and therefore not turned in for crappy prizes, we stopped for a breather (Oh! The humanity!) and then headed out the gate.
It was a great time, seriously. We just pushed it too long at the end with hungry, tired parents and kids!
Next day we drove to Cleveland and John and I finally made good on a years-long threat: we stopped at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. The kids were completely bored, and Izzy was a complete brat (wanted to be in the stroller, DIDN'T want to be in the stroller, had to go potty, DIDN'T need to go potty, WANTED TO DRINK FROM EVERY FREAKING FOUNTAIN IN THE PLACE...). I basically spent my time attempting to read a few things here and there while mainly keeping Izzy out of John's hair so that he could take in as much as possible. We just need to go just the two of us sometime....
So we then headed home and got in around 7:30 Thursday night.
Cheap(ish), but fun.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Impending Arrival
I've been pacing myself this last week getting ready for the upcoming visit from some FTW friends. It's the third "friend" visit we've received since we moved here TEN years ago--and the second one that involves JJ. I'm thinking our other friends kind of OWE us a visit or two. *cough*
So, anyway, I've actually been keeping up with the housework quite nicely lately. I guess after almost a year, I've finally got this whole "housewife" thing down. Gee, just in time for me to go back to work, too. Greeeeeeeat. So, I'm putting some extra elbow grease into the cleaning and picking up a bit more clutter, and screaming at the kids to STOP MESSING UP THE HOUSE!!!
And since we have an infink arriving, I dragged out the pack 'n' play, the bouncy seat, and the high chair. And then cleaned them. The high chair: GROSS. I THOUGHT I had cleaned it before I put it in the basement. The year and a half's accumulation of mold and dust told me otherwise. Thankfully, since JJ and co. had done the same thing with THEIR highchair, I knew JUST how to clean it: vinegar. And I took it outside and sprayed it down with the water hose. Dang! It looks like new! (But I did have to cut off the straps. They were a LOST cause.)
I went to the ol' warehouse today to stock up on Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops for the H's. I figure we'll do the rest of the shopping after they get here (tomorrow!), and we all figure out the menu for the rest of the week that they are here.
John was supposed to clean out the spare room so that we could set up the spare bed again, but he's been too busy with work, then his weekend romp, and then work again. He promises he'll do it tonight; he'll just stay up late. We'll see. The H's may have to sleep on the pull-out after all!
So have fun going down the highway tomorrow, folks! The kids are excited to see you. I'm intrigued to see my house full of 10 people!
So, anyway, I've actually been keeping up with the housework quite nicely lately. I guess after almost a year, I've finally got this whole "housewife" thing down. Gee, just in time for me to go back to work, too. Greeeeeeeat. So, I'm putting some extra elbow grease into the cleaning and picking up a bit more clutter, and screaming at the kids to STOP MESSING UP THE HOUSE!!!
And since we have an infink arriving, I dragged out the pack 'n' play, the bouncy seat, and the high chair. And then cleaned them. The high chair: GROSS. I THOUGHT I had cleaned it before I put it in the basement. The year and a half's accumulation of mold and dust told me otherwise. Thankfully, since JJ and co. had done the same thing with THEIR highchair, I knew JUST how to clean it: vinegar. And I took it outside and sprayed it down with the water hose. Dang! It looks like new! (But I did have to cut off the straps. They were a LOST cause.)
I went to the ol' warehouse today to stock up on Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops for the H's. I figure we'll do the rest of the shopping after they get here (tomorrow!), and we all figure out the menu for the rest of the week that they are here.
John was supposed to clean out the spare room so that we could set up the spare bed again, but he's been too busy with work, then his weekend romp, and then work again. He promises he'll do it tonight; he'll just stay up late. We'll see. The H's may have to sleep on the pull-out after all!
So have fun going down the highway tomorrow, folks! The kids are excited to see you. I'm intrigued to see my house full of 10 people!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Deceiver
Remember a while back when my innocent little Mary became a thief, and then taught her little brother the trick? Well, she took a brief hiatus from her life of crime--and is now back on the rampage.
She must be bored this summer--and very hungry. Just since we got back from our vacation she has eaten WITHOUT permission: ONE whole ziplock bag full of the chocolate candy left over from Halloween (she found the stash in the freezer and just went to town), ONE piece of gum--while being grounded from candy due to the freezer candy incident from five days prior, ONE peppermint patty just the DAY after the gum incident and barely a week after the original crime(seriously...she is just NOT a smart candy thief--you expect me NOT to notice the minty freshness?), FOUR--maybe FIVE--soft chocolate chip cookies from the kitchen cabinet (ignorantly leaving the empty bag behind apparently thinking that her parents would just NOT see it), AND THEN BARELY 24 HOURS LATER, she ate a Slimfast bar and threw the wrapper on the floor of her bedroom where GOSH, no mother would just EVER find it!
Her ineptitude and clumsiness astonish me. I'm sure I was MUCH better at hiding things when I was her age.
I actually knew she had taken candy out of the freezer. I wasn't going to say anything about it. After all, it's basically partly HER candy, and a piece here and there isn't going to hurt. I was being all Zen about it and just "letting it go." BUT to open the freezer and see a bag COMPLETELY empty (and in just a week's time) was just too much. The point, my darling child, is that you are SUPPOSED to ask. AND I don't want you to become a glutton just for the SAKE of becoming a GLUTTON!
And in actuality, I wouldn't have cared about a piece of gum or a mint here or there either. This was ALSO her candy which she got from kids' birthday parties (and THIS is one of the reasons I put MAYBE one piece of candy in the goodie bags I hand out--WHY mothers? Why put SO MUCH candy there? Are you emptying your house of all your excess Halloween/Easter CRAP? Why the compulsion? Seriously?). Um, anyway, the POINT was that due to her gluttony of the week prior, we grounded her from treats for a week. So no lesson learned from the punishment--not even better ways to sneak it so that her mother wouldn't find it.
Chocolate chip cookies are the devil's food and so that incident may have been more readily forgiven--if not attached to the three previous, and if she hadn't eaten the REST of the package leaving NONE for Dad (who had BOUGHT the cookies and ended up with NONE). Once again, no lesson learned yet. She also did the unforgivable act of ALMOST letting an innocent victim take the blame for it. See, I'm not as naive about all this as I used to. Keith knew where the cookies were and had just as much access as she did. We asked SOMEONE to step forward and admit their mistake, but the innocent faces abounded. I finally pulled aside the person I was 90% sure was guilty of the offence and got her to fess up. How DARE you throw your poor brother under the bus like that?
The Slimfast bar is an enigma. She maintains that she actually did this offence "sometime last week" (YES, while STILL being grounded from treats, folks). But as her mother, I'm quite intimate with the state of her room, and I'm sure I would have noticed the half-hazardly thrown wrapper that wasn't even CLOSE to the trash before now. Maybe some of her dirty clothes were on it.
I have obviously failed as a parent. My eldest is not learning to ASK. She is not learning to CONTROL her chocolate (or sugury) urges. She is also not learning to OWN UP to mistakes she has made. And grounding her is laughably ineffective. I finally told her that she could not have a play date this week. THAT brought on the waterworks. WILL it bring on the other lessons needed to be learned? I sure hope so. Otherwise the rest of her summer is going to be Awfully Dull.
God. Now I think I know why she had so many cavaties all of a sudden.
She must be bored this summer--and very hungry. Just since we got back from our vacation she has eaten WITHOUT permission: ONE whole ziplock bag full of the chocolate candy left over from Halloween (she found the stash in the freezer and just went to town), ONE piece of gum--while being grounded from candy due to the freezer candy incident from five days prior, ONE peppermint patty just the DAY after the gum incident and barely a week after the original crime(seriously...she is just NOT a smart candy thief--you expect me NOT to notice the minty freshness?), FOUR--maybe FIVE--soft chocolate chip cookies from the kitchen cabinet (ignorantly leaving the empty bag behind apparently thinking that her parents would just NOT see it), AND THEN BARELY 24 HOURS LATER, she ate a Slimfast bar and threw the wrapper on the floor of her bedroom where GOSH, no mother would just EVER find it!
Her ineptitude and clumsiness astonish me. I'm sure I was MUCH better at hiding things when I was her age.
I actually knew she had taken candy out of the freezer. I wasn't going to say anything about it. After all, it's basically partly HER candy, and a piece here and there isn't going to hurt. I was being all Zen about it and just "letting it go." BUT to open the freezer and see a bag COMPLETELY empty (and in just a week's time) was just too much. The point, my darling child, is that you are SUPPOSED to ask. AND I don't want you to become a glutton just for the SAKE of becoming a GLUTTON!
And in actuality, I wouldn't have cared about a piece of gum or a mint here or there either. This was ALSO her candy which she got from kids' birthday parties (and THIS is one of the reasons I put MAYBE one piece of candy in the goodie bags I hand out--WHY mothers? Why put SO MUCH candy there? Are you emptying your house of all your excess Halloween/Easter CRAP? Why the compulsion? Seriously?). Um, anyway, the POINT was that due to her gluttony of the week prior, we grounded her from treats for a week. So no lesson learned from the punishment--not even better ways to sneak it so that her mother wouldn't find it.
Chocolate chip cookies are the devil's food and so that incident may have been more readily forgiven--if not attached to the three previous, and if she hadn't eaten the REST of the package leaving NONE for Dad (who had BOUGHT the cookies and ended up with NONE). Once again, no lesson learned yet. She also did the unforgivable act of ALMOST letting an innocent victim take the blame for it. See, I'm not as naive about all this as I used to. Keith knew where the cookies were and had just as much access as she did. We asked SOMEONE to step forward and admit their mistake, but the innocent faces abounded. I finally pulled aside the person I was 90% sure was guilty of the offence and got her to fess up. How DARE you throw your poor brother under the bus like that?
The Slimfast bar is an enigma. She maintains that she actually did this offence "sometime last week" (YES, while STILL being grounded from treats, folks). But as her mother, I'm quite intimate with the state of her room, and I'm sure I would have noticed the half-hazardly thrown wrapper that wasn't even CLOSE to the trash before now. Maybe some of her dirty clothes were on it.
I have obviously failed as a parent. My eldest is not learning to ASK. She is not learning to CONTROL her chocolate (or sugury) urges. She is also not learning to OWN UP to mistakes she has made. And grounding her is laughably ineffective. I finally told her that she could not have a play date this week. THAT brought on the waterworks. WILL it bring on the other lessons needed to be learned? I sure hope so. Otherwise the rest of her summer is going to be Awfully Dull.
God. Now I think I know why she had so many cavaties all of a sudden.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The End is NEAR!!
Well, my year off is almost over. The checks will run out soon. It's time to get off my butt, brush off the resume, and get a job.
Oh, God.
My year off has been a good one. I really enjoyed being home with the kids. I didn't accomplish hardly ANYTHING I wanted to, and I should have spent more of this "free" year starting a business from the home. But I didn't. I still can't think of anything to do out of the home that I would like. And I'm in deep envy of my lucky friends who have the free daycare arrangements so that they can work part-time jobs and not have the whole point/check be wiped out with their daycare costs.
Ideas: home daycare (too many issues), tutoring (have to have a LOT of clients to make it feasible), medical transcription (schooling too expensive right now), editing from home (takes a LONG time to build up a client base which could come close to helping with all the bills).
Um.....
The good thing is that if I'm forced to go back to work full-time (which seems likely at this juncture) than I will only have to pay for childcare for one child full-time in the fall. And the year after that....Look out! Izzy will be in kindergarten (still can't believe it).
Time just goes by too darn fast....
Think I'll go cry into my cup of tea now. And maybe start looking at the want ads. Or maybe I'll just put that off for another day....
Oh, God.
My year off has been a good one. I really enjoyed being home with the kids. I didn't accomplish hardly ANYTHING I wanted to, and I should have spent more of this "free" year starting a business from the home. But I didn't. I still can't think of anything to do out of the home that I would like. And I'm in deep envy of my lucky friends who have the free daycare arrangements so that they can work part-time jobs and not have the whole point/check be wiped out with their daycare costs.
Ideas: home daycare (too many issues), tutoring (have to have a LOT of clients to make it feasible), medical transcription (schooling too expensive right now), editing from home (takes a LONG time to build up a client base which could come close to helping with all the bills).
Um.....
The good thing is that if I'm forced to go back to work full-time (which seems likely at this juncture) than I will only have to pay for childcare for one child full-time in the fall. And the year after that....Look out! Izzy will be in kindergarten (still can't believe it).
Time just goes by too darn fast....
Think I'll go cry into my cup of tea now. And maybe start looking at the want ads. Or maybe I'll just put that off for another day....
Monday, July 07, 2008
The Heartland Trip
It took longer than normal to get to The Crossroads as John, the techie, decided to make a few stops along the way in the process of converting his laptop into a DVD player for the kids (SaLy we spent quite a bit of time there in Buffalo!). The kids were excited when he finally got it running right and watched several episodes of the Avatar. We also stopped to eat at a favorite restaurant in Erie that we don't have here in upstate New York. ("Bean Crock")
Finally, we got to Indy, where we had a nice cookout with family and friends we hadn't seen in years. And got to meet a hs friend's fiance (the whole point of this trip). Sorry I can't come to the wedding, folks!
We made it to FTW in good time--after a slight detour to the old Alma mater. The kids just did not get the same awe-inspiring vibes that John and I did. Not even, "You know, if it weren't for this place, the three of you would never have existed" got much of a response. Can't please everybody. John and I did get a kick out of visiting one of our favorite stores--they had different merchandise (no more previously owned CDs!) BUT the store SMELLED EXACTLY THE SAME (incense). I bought a new BSU sweatshirt and enjoyed the stinkyness on me for the rest of the day.
On to FTW, where we drove around, took over the H's house, drove around some more, saw family and a softball game, drove around, went to the zoo, and then had a party where we saw more friends and cute babies who are just getting too, too big too soon. Also, Izzy did a face plant off the swing and cut her lip and proceeded to bleed all over one of my favorite t-shirts (and I can't get it out).
We decided to cut the rest of our vacation shorter than we originally planned so that the kids would not have to miss two swimming lessons (and for Keith--karate). Sadly, we didn't see everyone we intended/wanted to see. Perhaps our next trip will focus on those we missed THIS trip. We're not sure if we'll be back at Thanksgiving time as we usually try to come--we'll let you all know!
Anyway, it was a nice visit with our family and friends that we DID get to see. The kids were exhausted from all the driving and late nights. Ah well. Summer has officially started, and we're going to try to make the most of what's left of it!
I am really, really sad that I missed out on all those PIF contests. Maybe I can try to get in on the second or third rounds???
Finally, we got to Indy, where we had a nice cookout with family and friends we hadn't seen in years. And got to meet a hs friend's fiance (the whole point of this trip). Sorry I can't come to the wedding, folks!
We made it to FTW in good time--after a slight detour to the old Alma mater. The kids just did not get the same awe-inspiring vibes that John and I did. Not even, "You know, if it weren't for this place, the three of you would never have existed" got much of a response. Can't please everybody. John and I did get a kick out of visiting one of our favorite stores--they had different merchandise (no more previously owned CDs!) BUT the store SMELLED EXACTLY THE SAME (incense). I bought a new BSU sweatshirt and enjoyed the stinkyness on me for the rest of the day.
On to FTW, where we drove around, took over the H's house, drove around some more, saw family and a softball game, drove around, went to the zoo, and then had a party where we saw more friends and cute babies who are just getting too, too big too soon. Also, Izzy did a face plant off the swing and cut her lip and proceeded to bleed all over one of my favorite t-shirts (and I can't get it out).
We decided to cut the rest of our vacation shorter than we originally planned so that the kids would not have to miss two swimming lessons (and for Keith--karate). Sadly, we didn't see everyone we intended/wanted to see. Perhaps our next trip will focus on those we missed THIS trip. We're not sure if we'll be back at Thanksgiving time as we usually try to come--we'll let you all know!
Anyway, it was a nice visit with our family and friends that we DID get to see. The kids were exhausted from all the driving and late nights. Ah well. Summer has officially started, and we're going to try to make the most of what's left of it!
I am really, really sad that I missed out on all those PIF contests. Maybe I can try to get in on the second or third rounds???
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