Every year, like clockwork, the holidays sneak up on me. I always have the best of intentions for getting started early on my Christmas gift shopping, but regular old everyday life always seems so demanding that it gets back-burnered. And, yet again here I find myself with almost every weekend holding some event or something I'm involved in somehow, and little to nothing accomplished towards Christmas. It's possible I can drag out the few outside lights and wreaths this weekend, with the thought of possibly decking the house for the holidays following Turkey Day. I don't think we have near enough stuff for the outside of our house, but I also have a hard time justifying spending money on something that's going to cost money to use!
Lat year, I decided not to put my tree in my bay window. You'd have thought I had ruined, or Scrooged, my husband's entire Christmas. (Just for that, I may do the same thing again.) To get the tree in the window, I have to move a loveseat and a sofa table that I've turned into a window seat for my dog. It's not the end of the world to move it, but it does mean rearranging a large portion of the furniture in the living room, just so I can put together the pre-lit box tree, connect all the plugs buried within the tree for the lights, arrange the tree skirt, dig out the boxes of eclectic decorations, and do the decorating and garlanding of the tree all by myself. Seems to me that if I'm doing all the work, I should be allowed to decide where the tree goes!
Sorry for the brief diversion, there. Okay, gifts. I tried, rather unsuccessfully, last year to follow the credo that a blogger I read uses - Want, Need, Wear, Read. Basically meaning that each child gets 4 gifts, one from each category. So if they're smart, they'll be involved and have a large portion of the suggesting/say in what they get. And yes, I realize that makes it sound like we no longer believe in Santa Claus, but my children are all old enough to know now who it is who funds the gifts - my youngest is 12!. Also, it behooves them to provide me with ideas from all the categories, so they know that the few gifts they are getting are truly ones they want. And I don't have to stress too much, aside from creating the silly stockings that I still do for them.
My daughters both take after me in that they are heavy readers, although they also like to watch television series on their laptops. My son took a while to nudge and encourage into reading. We had to find a series that he would be interested in, yet would challenge him - then he took off. We bought him a Nook for his last birthday, and if I'm not careful, he'll badger me constantly about buying books for him on it! Fortunately, to buy ebooks, we have to enter in not only the IP address, but a password to verify the purchase of EACH and EVERY book he buys. So we've got total control over his purchases. However, for gifts, I'd rather get legitimate in-your-hand books or paperbacks to wrap.
Then there are the rest of the family members - the Mister's family, my family, and our two grandchildren. How do I limit gifts there? I think I got three apiece for them last year, because I didn't want to overwhelm them and compete with the other grandparents or even with their OWN parents. But this year I'm scrabbling for ideas. Guess I'll just have to reach out to their parents and find out suggestions. Boring, I know, but it seems what I'm reduced to every year. I don't want to buy something that's NOT wanted, and I want to make sure that what I do buy will be of use to them - be it fun or functional.
GAH. I can put myself into such a tailspin over the holidays. I don't even need anyone else to help - just give me the topic, and watch me mentally run myself right into the ground. Good thing I have SLH (Santa's Little Helper) still available to go shopping with me! Santa's too busy doing other stuff this time of year - the show belongs to Mrs. Claus. Mrs. Claus being me!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Stink. Stank. Stunk.
Haven't even made it to lunchtime today, and my day is already headed down the tubes.
1. The Mister refused to get up easily this morning. Meaning lots of extra trips back upstairs to shake him and tell him to get in the shower. Wasted time on my part.
2. The Boy was unable to focus and help out with the morning tasks like he usually does. Which set me back in time for getting him organized and out the door and made my shower later than I wanted it to be. Then, he decides he doesn't need to leave at his normal time, yet yells at me while I'm in the shower about needing to do the paperwork for school picture day tomorrow. HUH?? Um, it's tomorrow - I can select the (overly expensive) package tonight and write the check. So at 15 minutes later than his normal departure time, I'm downstairs yelling, again, for him to turn off the mindless boob tube and get out the door for his walk to school.
3. Getting dressed for work, gathering food for lunch, walking the dog and brewing tea for the drive to work took me 30 minutes longer than yesterday. I knew this would put me into bad traffic. As I'm driving, I'm hearing traffic reports about the Beltway being backed up. Great. Can't win for losing here.
4. One of the roads I take to avoid traffic turned into gridlock this morning due to a ditz of a crossing guard holding up the main drag to let kids cross. I know they need to get to school, but a half-mile of cars would like to get past you, off this road and onto the rest of their drive to work! 15 minutes just to travel down 1.1 miles of this road. Need to check the school hours for these two schools so I can better avoid this mayhem in future.
5. There was an accident on another side street I use. Had traffic backed up (not as bad as it could, I'll grant), and blocked one lane in both directions on this road.
6. Finally make it to the Beltway, and as I'm driving I can hear my van clunking into gear (it's an automatic). Need to check the transmission fluid, again, since the Mister won't let me get a new vehicle until I get a "legitimate" job. Wonder just what I drive to every day?? I thought I had a job. Oh wait, he means a job with a future, as I'm one of the last employees left helping to close the company down.
7. And it's freezing in my office. I put on my office sweater OVER the sweater I wore to work.
It's gonna be a long day, folks.
1. The Mister refused to get up easily this morning. Meaning lots of extra trips back upstairs to shake him and tell him to get in the shower. Wasted time on my part.
2. The Boy was unable to focus and help out with the morning tasks like he usually does. Which set me back in time for getting him organized and out the door and made my shower later than I wanted it to be. Then, he decides he doesn't need to leave at his normal time, yet yells at me while I'm in the shower about needing to do the paperwork for school picture day tomorrow. HUH?? Um, it's tomorrow - I can select the (overly expensive) package tonight and write the check. So at 15 minutes later than his normal departure time, I'm downstairs yelling, again, for him to turn off the mindless boob tube and get out the door for his walk to school.
3. Getting dressed for work, gathering food for lunch, walking the dog and brewing tea for the drive to work took me 30 minutes longer than yesterday. I knew this would put me into bad traffic. As I'm driving, I'm hearing traffic reports about the Beltway being backed up. Great. Can't win for losing here.
4. One of the roads I take to avoid traffic turned into gridlock this morning due to a ditz of a crossing guard holding up the main drag to let kids cross. I know they need to get to school, but a half-mile of cars would like to get past you, off this road and onto the rest of their drive to work! 15 minutes just to travel down 1.1 miles of this road. Need to check the school hours for these two schools so I can better avoid this mayhem in future.
5. There was an accident on another side street I use. Had traffic backed up (not as bad as it could, I'll grant), and blocked one lane in both directions on this road.
6. Finally make it to the Beltway, and as I'm driving I can hear my van clunking into gear (it's an automatic). Need to check the transmission fluid, again, since the Mister won't let me get a new vehicle until I get a "legitimate" job. Wonder just what I drive to every day?? I thought I had a job. Oh wait, he means a job with a future, as I'm one of the last employees left helping to close the company down.
7. And it's freezing in my office. I put on my office sweater OVER the sweater I wore to work.
It's gonna be a long day, folks.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Night Owl
I've got to figure a way to create and cement a new schedule in my home. The Boy started middle school this year, which requires him to leave the house an hour and a half earlier than he did last year! And I'm not involved in getting him to school, either. He walks. Oh, my heart broke just a little the first day of school when he left and I was still at home, yes it did.
The Girl has taken a job looking after the son of a former high school English teacher in the morning, so the teacher can get to school on time (high school starts at 7:20!), and her son can sleep in and be taken care of and walked to school. Elementary school starts at 9 am. However, this little boy likes to get to school early, which is a good thing, as she attends our local community college and has a class that starts at 9:30 on Tuesday and Thursday.
Needless to say, our mornings are all kinds of higgledy-piggledy. And I'm still trying to squeeze myself into the cracks of the morning around everyone else's schedule, to get done all the things I do for them, and fit prepping myself for my day into the open spaces. It's coming together, but it still needs some tweaking.
And one of those things that requires tweaking is bedtime. I am such a night owl that I want to stay up late and do personal things that I enjoy; but the alarm clock is still going to ring at 5 am. And after 4 days of early mornings and still-kinda late nights, I am one tired person at work today. I've had my coffee, yes, I have, but the yawns are still arriving.
The schedule will continue to be finessed. Hopefully both ends will come together to make the week move along much smoother. Time will tell. But today my patience is thin, and I am tired.
The Girl has taken a job looking after the son of a former high school English teacher in the morning, so the teacher can get to school on time (high school starts at 7:20!), and her son can sleep in and be taken care of and walked to school. Elementary school starts at 9 am. However, this little boy likes to get to school early, which is a good thing, as she attends our local community college and has a class that starts at 9:30 on Tuesday and Thursday.
Needless to say, our mornings are all kinds of higgledy-piggledy. And I'm still trying to squeeze myself into the cracks of the morning around everyone else's schedule, to get done all the things I do for them, and fit prepping myself for my day into the open spaces. It's coming together, but it still needs some tweaking.
And one of those things that requires tweaking is bedtime. I am such a night owl that I want to stay up late and do personal things that I enjoy; but the alarm clock is still going to ring at 5 am. And after 4 days of early mornings and still-kinda late nights, I am one tired person at work today. I've had my coffee, yes, I have, but the yawns are still arriving.
The schedule will continue to be finessed. Hopefully both ends will come together to make the week move along much smoother. Time will tell. But today my patience is thin, and I am tired.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Open Your Eyes
I should have done this yesterday, when it actually happened, but I'm me, and didn't get to it. Whatcha gonna do?
I told you about the fox on the hill, right? Well, the very next day, as I drove through the same neighborhood where crazy car lady hangs out - just one turn farther away - I saw a doe and two fawns standing in the yard space between two houses. This particular neighborhood is a bit more secluded, and backs up to forest, so I guess it's not all that unusual for deer to be out and about, but two fawns? Both were wearing white-spotted coats, so they were probably still young.
And to think, I live in a bedroom community just south of DC. Nature is all around you, if you'll only open your eyes to it. And I'm so glad that I'm a curious person, always looking.
I told you about the fox on the hill, right? Well, the very next day, as I drove through the same neighborhood where crazy car lady hangs out - just one turn farther away - I saw a doe and two fawns standing in the yard space between two houses. This particular neighborhood is a bit more secluded, and backs up to forest, so I guess it's not all that unusual for deer to be out and about, but two fawns? Both were wearing white-spotted coats, so they were probably still young.
And to think, I live in a bedroom community just south of DC. Nature is all around you, if you'll only open your eyes to it. And I'm so glad that I'm a curious person, always looking.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Morning Salute
While driving to work this morning, and dealing with all the absolutely crazy traffic and kids going back for their first day of school, I saw something amazing.
Sitting on a hill beside a house, on one of the busiest corners in this development, where kids cross the main drag to go to one of two elementary schools (one schooling K-3, and the other 4-6) was a red fox. Parked close to a small tree, sitting just like a dog, watching moms and dads walk their children to the street crossing and on to their school. And I had plenty of time to observe him, as this crossing is manned by a policewoman, and traffic was moving slowly through her intersection.
And, rather than be disturbed by the fact that he was out, among all the humans, possibly rabid, I'm going to think that he was just being social, and giving those who observed him, a little special morning salute on the first day of school.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
Sitting on a hill beside a house, on one of the busiest corners in this development, where kids cross the main drag to go to one of two elementary schools (one schooling K-3, and the other 4-6) was a red fox. Parked close to a small tree, sitting just like a dog, watching moms and dads walk their children to the street crossing and on to their school. And I had plenty of time to observe him, as this crossing is manned by a policewoman, and traffic was moving slowly through her intersection.
And, rather than be disturbed by the fact that he was out, among all the humans, possibly rabid, I'm going to think that he was just being social, and giving those who observed him, a little special morning salute on the first day of school.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Yo-Yo Momma
My boss is out of the office all this week (see previous post), so I'll be the first person to arrive in the office every morning. What is it with senior citizens and being early birds? He gets to work most days by 7:30 or so - one day last week he woke up extra early and decided to drive on in to work. He lives 25 miles away, and he was at work by 6 am! Yes, you read that right.
At 6 am, I'm still in my pjs and robe, doing the morning routine in my kitchen, packing lunch for the Mister and filling a go cup and travel thermos so he can stay caffeinated all day. He wants to get up at 5 and be gone by 6, but that would be in a perfect world, and I've yet to meet someone who lives there. (Especially when he chugs Cokes late at night, boredeom eats whatever he can find that's quick and easy (and probably fat-filled and high-calorie, too) and doesn't come to bed until close to midnight.)
So, back to this week. The Boy is starting middle school after Labor Day, and this week is a "summer academy" where the kids can go in and walk around the school, meet teachers, counselors and advisors and become more comfortable with the whole middle school environment. Starts at 8:30 and goes til 12 every day this week. (I have NO idea what they'll specifically be doing every day - it was very organized when I left him there this morning.) My days will consist of dropping him off, driving to work, keeping busy til I leave at 11:30 to go get him and drop him at his next location for the rest of the day, and rushing back to the office, so I can eat lunch at my desk, work some more, and leave to go pick him up. Fortunate for me the boss is gone this week, wouldn't you say? I wouldn't know how to explain all this yo-yoing otherwise. Once home, it's prepare dinner, clean up, run some laundry through the machine, take the dog out 2-3 times, possibly go to the store, possibly get online and noodle around, or maybe read some on my KindleDX. I need to check into the TV schedule to see when my few favorite shows are starting back up, so I can work them into my evening schedule, such as it is.
And if you're asking where the Mister is during all this household mayhem? He's been downstairs playing Skylanders with The Boy, or watching TV, or over at his parents' house studying for a certification test he's due to take (they're gone, so their house is quiet). Help me out? Nope, that's what The Girl is for! Females unite, or maybe go on strike.
At 6 am, I'm still in my pjs and robe, doing the morning routine in my kitchen, packing lunch for the Mister and filling a go cup and travel thermos so he can stay caffeinated all day. He wants to get up at 5 and be gone by 6, but that would be in a perfect world, and I've yet to meet someone who lives there. (Especially when he chugs Cokes late at night, boredeom eats whatever he can find that's quick and easy (and probably fat-filled and high-calorie, too) and doesn't come to bed until close to midnight.)
So, back to this week. The Boy is starting middle school after Labor Day, and this week is a "summer academy" where the kids can go in and walk around the school, meet teachers, counselors and advisors and become more comfortable with the whole middle school environment. Starts at 8:30 and goes til 12 every day this week. (I have NO idea what they'll specifically be doing every day - it was very organized when I left him there this morning.) My days will consist of dropping him off, driving to work, keeping busy til I leave at 11:30 to go get him and drop him at his next location for the rest of the day, and rushing back to the office, so I can eat lunch at my desk, work some more, and leave to go pick him up. Fortunate for me the boss is gone this week, wouldn't you say? I wouldn't know how to explain all this yo-yoing otherwise. Once home, it's prepare dinner, clean up, run some laundry through the machine, take the dog out 2-3 times, possibly go to the store, possibly get online and noodle around, or maybe read some on my KindleDX. I need to check into the TV schedule to see when my few favorite shows are starting back up, so I can work them into my evening schedule, such as it is.
And if you're asking where the Mister is during all this household mayhem? He's been downstairs playing Skylanders with The Boy, or watching TV, or over at his parents' house studying for a certification test he's due to take (they're gone, so their house is quiet). Help me out? Nope, that's what The Girl is for! Females unite, or maybe go on strike.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Hooky
Today, my boss is traveling - headed out west - and I decided to play hooky for the day and stay home and do some things I haven't gotten to in a looong time.
I have a clothes tree in my room (a tension rod that goes between the floor and ceiling, with 3 bars off of it and one smaller hook), and a 6-hook over-the-door rack on my closet that have been groaning and occasionally throwing my clothes off due to the heavy load I have asked them to bear. After fortifying myself with several cups of coffee (go, caffeine!!) and a half a bagel (just to keep the acid from totally wrecking my stomach), I started in on my clothes.
I found:
5 pajamas / nightgowns
4 pair shorts
2 pair dress pants
1 pair palazzo pants (used for church choir and handbell performances)
1 pair embroidered capris
4 skirts
11 dresses
1 corduroy jumper
2 blue jean shirts
9 dressy tops
15 casual tops / turtlenecks
11 sweaters / cardigans
6 tank tops
2 exercise tanks
8 "slimmer" camisoles (I think some of these need to go - pilled and torn)
My bed currently looks like my closet was unloaded on it (nope, haven't touched the closet yet!), or I'm packing for a long extended trip. But the physical and visual clutter that had taken over one end of my bedroom is well on its way to being put in its proper home, and hopefully this will mean that I can be a better organized person in the morning, who can actually find what she's looking for in her wardrobe and have more wardrobe options to boot!
Next step: working on the shoe heap.
I have a clothes tree in my room (a tension rod that goes between the floor and ceiling, with 3 bars off of it and one smaller hook), and a 6-hook over-the-door rack on my closet that have been groaning and occasionally throwing my clothes off due to the heavy load I have asked them to bear. After fortifying myself with several cups of coffee (go, caffeine!!) and a half a bagel (just to keep the acid from totally wrecking my stomach), I started in on my clothes.
I found:
5 pajamas / nightgowns
4 pair shorts
2 pair dress pants
1 pair palazzo pants (used for church choir and handbell performances)
1 pair embroidered capris
4 skirts
11 dresses
1 corduroy jumper
2 blue jean shirts
9 dressy tops
15 casual tops / turtlenecks
11 sweaters / cardigans
6 tank tops
2 exercise tanks
8 "slimmer" camisoles (I think some of these need to go - pilled and torn)
My bed currently looks like my closet was unloaded on it (nope, haven't touched the closet yet!), or I'm packing for a long extended trip. But the physical and visual clutter that had taken over one end of my bedroom is well on its way to being put in its proper home, and hopefully this will mean that I can be a better organized person in the morning, who can actually find what she's looking for in her wardrobe and have more wardrobe options to boot!
Next step: working on the shoe heap.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Update
Well, apparently my CPU was so old that it couldn't be saved. So I'm functioning with a 3-year old CPU that the IT guy found in our computer graveyard. He managed to import "almost" everything that I need to function at the office from the old CPU to the new one, but I've lost my barn owl tile that I had on my desktop. Funny how it's the little things you miss more than the truly functional ones.
I had to send an email to him earlier today to ask about two situations that still needed to be resolved. He "phoned it in" and asked me to provide him remote access to my desktop computer so that he could fix them. (I tell you, he's a real piece of work!) And watching my screen go black as he worked his alleged magic from wherever he was was a bit creepy - I felt like my desktop was possessed - it was doing stuff, and I wasn't the one doing it!
After he fixed (yes, he did - he's good, even if I don't personally like the guy) the two situations, I made sure to take off the remote access permission, and changed passwords on the packages he'd been helping me with. I feel like that was the smart thing to do. Especially since one of them was my personal email, that I'm having to use as both my boss's and my business email, since our email server has died, never to come back again.
I had to send an email to him earlier today to ask about two situations that still needed to be resolved. He "phoned it in" and asked me to provide him remote access to my desktop computer so that he could fix them. (I tell you, he's a real piece of work!) And watching my screen go black as he worked his alleged magic from wherever he was was a bit creepy - I felt like my desktop was possessed - it was doing stuff, and I wasn't the one doing it!
After he fixed (yes, he did - he's good, even if I don't personally like the guy) the two situations, I made sure to take off the remote access permission, and changed passwords on the packages he'd been helping me with. I feel like that was the smart thing to do. Especially since one of them was my personal email, that I'm having to use as both my boss's and my business email, since our email server has died, never to come back again.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Work Issues
There's one gentleman in my office who is currently driving me to distraction. Every time he comes into the office, it's like we're only here to serve him. He sits at his desk and calls out, telling us what we need to do for him. I've got news for you, Buster, you're a consultant, just like the other lady and myself. We work at the discretion of the Board of Directors of the company that we're trying to wind down and close.
My most recent, and biggest, complaint about him is that the last time he came to work (he only works ONE day a week), he couldn't access his Verizon email account. So he came out to my desk to use my computer. And proceeded to complain about how slow my computer was. So when our IT guy came in (and he's another piece of work, himself), he asked him to do "something" to my computer to clean it up or speed it up. Since there's no space around my desk for people to hover, I walked away and didn't see what he did - not like I'd understand it anyway! But, and here's why I'm still blowing steam from my ears, the next time I got on my computer, something popped up on my screen about running a security scan. Not having seen what was done, I clicked on it. Yes, you read that right. (I'm bowing my head in shame here, people.)
I should've realized it was a security SCAM. My computer is now frozen in a state of WAIT, because when I clicked on the "Scan now" button, I apparently got some kind of Trojan virus. I called our IT guy and told him what had happened, did the few things he could tell me to do that "might" fix the situation, and am STILL WAITING for him to get in to the office and look at my desk computer and bring it back to a functional life. This happened on Friday, I might add.
Do you see my frustration here? Today is Wednesday! I've left the mess up on the monitor of my computer, waiting for him to come riding in and save my day, but he's absent. He said he'd try to get by before the end of the day Friday, but he might have to take my computer and work on it over the weekend to restore it. I WISH!
Thank goodness I, for some unknown reason, thought to bring my laptop from home into the office on Friday. I was able to connect to the internet via a cable, and am still trucking my laptop back and forth all this week. I'm placing a call to our IT guy, yet again, reminding him of the situation with my computer, and telling him to get in here and fix it. I'm having to go through so many mental and computer-jumping contortions just to function semi-normally here in the office that it's ridiculous.
Anybody want to place bets on how long it takes me to get my desktop computer back?
My most recent, and biggest, complaint about him is that the last time he came to work (he only works ONE day a week), he couldn't access his Verizon email account. So he came out to my desk to use my computer. And proceeded to complain about how slow my computer was. So when our IT guy came in (and he's another piece of work, himself), he asked him to do "something" to my computer to clean it up or speed it up. Since there's no space around my desk for people to hover, I walked away and didn't see what he did - not like I'd understand it anyway! But, and here's why I'm still blowing steam from my ears, the next time I got on my computer, something popped up on my screen about running a security scan. Not having seen what was done, I clicked on it. Yes, you read that right. (I'm bowing my head in shame here, people.)
I should've realized it was a security SCAM. My computer is now frozen in a state of WAIT, because when I clicked on the "Scan now" button, I apparently got some kind of Trojan virus. I called our IT guy and told him what had happened, did the few things he could tell me to do that "might" fix the situation, and am STILL WAITING for him to get in to the office and look at my desk computer and bring it back to a functional life. This happened on Friday, I might add.
Do you see my frustration here? Today is Wednesday! I've left the mess up on the monitor of my computer, waiting for him to come riding in and save my day, but he's absent. He said he'd try to get by before the end of the day Friday, but he might have to take my computer and work on it over the weekend to restore it. I WISH!
Thank goodness I, for some unknown reason, thought to bring my laptop from home into the office on Friday. I was able to connect to the internet via a cable, and am still trucking my laptop back and forth all this week. I'm placing a call to our IT guy, yet again, reminding him of the situation with my computer, and telling him to get in here and fix it. I'm having to go through so many mental and computer-jumping contortions just to function semi-normally here in the office that it's ridiculous.
Anybody want to place bets on how long it takes me to get my desktop computer back?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Working
My "get-up-and-go" has apparently "got-up-and-went". I've been having difficulty recently caring about doing much of anything. Even the very basic things. I still get up and go to work, although I'm working for a company that's not in business any longer, and is in the winding-down process, which has seemingly been going on for the last two years. And I seriously don't know when it will all actually end. I just know that there are days when I can't stand to come to work - because there's literally NO work to do.
And I know, I KNOW, some of you are thinking "Holy Cow! That's an ideal situation! Getting paid for doing nothing!" I'm here to tell you - it stinks. Sure, it's nice sometimes. But day after day? In reality, not so much. I think of how my skills are diminishing. How I don't have anything to look forward to to make me want to come to work. How I have to pay sooo much in taxes, since I don't have anything taken out of my paycheck any longer. (When you're working and have those taxes taken out of your paycheck that you complain about - just stop it now. When you just get a straight check paid to you with nothing taken out - it means YOU are solely responsible for paying ALL the taxes. And any company you work for pays a portion of those taxes - be grateful for that fact!) And even how I feel guilty for wanting to leave before it's all over because of my personal feelings of stagnating.
It's that old rock and a hard place situation. You're durned if you do and danged if you don't. All I know is that something has got to give, before I decide to take myself to the doctor, and politely demand to be put back on antidepressants again. At least then I might be able to drop some of the poundage I've put on over the last several years. I do remember that the Wellbutrin I took helped me drop 35 pounds - that's one side effect I can go for!
And here I thought I'd be doing better due to the longer days and more sunshine out there!
And I know, I KNOW, some of you are thinking "Holy Cow! That's an ideal situation! Getting paid for doing nothing!" I'm here to tell you - it stinks. Sure, it's nice sometimes. But day after day? In reality, not so much. I think of how my skills are diminishing. How I don't have anything to look forward to to make me want to come to work. How I have to pay sooo much in taxes, since I don't have anything taken out of my paycheck any longer. (When you're working and have those taxes taken out of your paycheck that you complain about - just stop it now. When you just get a straight check paid to you with nothing taken out - it means YOU are solely responsible for paying ALL the taxes. And any company you work for pays a portion of those taxes - be grateful for that fact!) And even how I feel guilty for wanting to leave before it's all over because of my personal feelings of stagnating.
It's that old rock and a hard place situation. You're durned if you do and danged if you don't. All I know is that something has got to give, before I decide to take myself to the doctor, and politely demand to be put back on antidepressants again. At least then I might be able to drop some of the poundage I've put on over the last several years. I do remember that the Wellbutrin I took helped me drop 35 pounds - that's one side effect I can go for!
And here I thought I'd be doing better due to the longer days and more sunshine out there!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Changes are in the air, along with Spring - FINALLY! We're seeing warmer weather, so I can pull out my cute, summery shoes for work. Which reminds me, I need to schedule my first-ever pedicure. Gotta get some smoother feets and painted tootsies.
Anyway, changes.... We're looking at lots of things being different in the future at the Snark household. SB is leaving elementary school and going on to middle school. Concerns have been expressed about his ability to cope there and lots of meetings have ensued with psychologists, counselors, teachers, principals and parents. We're trying to come up with a game plan to get him started on the right foot, and we'll adjust it as needs be after that. I'm just hoping that the staff at the middle school is as wonderful as the elementary school staff we're working with now, because, just.... WOW. These are some caring individuals, who want the best for SB, and are working with us to see that that happens for him.
SG is finishing up her first year at a local community college. She had a wake-up call with her first semester, and thankfully learned and turned it around for the better with her second semester. She's taken a staff position with a church-based summer project and will be leaving us for two months this summer. It will be strange in our household, especially for me, as she's often my cohort in running around accomplishing my varied and sundry trips, shopping and such. Before she leaves, however, she's going to be watching my oldest's two children as she starts a new job herself! Of course, there'll be lots of shopping to gather the things she'll need for her summer job. And maybe she can get her fall semester of college planned and scheduled before she leaves. It'll be here before we all know it!
I mentioned my oldest above. She's amazing, as are all my kids (yes, I'm kinda prejudiced that way - aren't all moms??). She went straight from high school to motherhood and marriage, with 2 children almost back to back. And her husband has been deployed twice, already. So she's done a LOT of it on her own, too. Now, she's looking forward to doing something for her - getting out into the big, bad world of working - and trying it in a field that not a lot of women get into - the automotive world. It's a toe-hold, but it's a start, and I'm excited for her.
And me, I'm looking at the end of my career at my current job (after close to 25 years!), and trying to find something similar, possibly closer to home. I don't think I handle interviews well, unfortunately, which will make the searching for a new job even more troublesome for me. Even though Ibelieve know I have skills, I have a hard time being a braggart about them, which is what interviewing and creating your resume feels like to me. That's an attitude I have to get over, though, as I need to "sell" myself in order to get hired! I've submitted my resume for a slot close to home, and now I'm playing the waiting game.
And the mister? He's been really busy taking lots of courses for certification, and tending to his parents as they deal with their own set of changes - which I may talk about later, or I may not.
Suffice it to say - there's a lot going on around here!
Anyway, changes.... We're looking at lots of things being different in the future at the Snark household. SB is leaving elementary school and going on to middle school. Concerns have been expressed about his ability to cope there and lots of meetings have ensued with psychologists, counselors, teachers, principals and parents. We're trying to come up with a game plan to get him started on the right foot, and we'll adjust it as needs be after that. I'm just hoping that the staff at the middle school is as wonderful as the elementary school staff we're working with now, because, just.... WOW. These are some caring individuals, who want the best for SB, and are working with us to see that that happens for him.
SG is finishing up her first year at a local community college. She had a wake-up call with her first semester, and thankfully learned and turned it around for the better with her second semester. She's taken a staff position with a church-based summer project and will be leaving us for two months this summer. It will be strange in our household, especially for me, as she's often my cohort in running around accomplishing my varied and sundry trips, shopping and such. Before she leaves, however, she's going to be watching my oldest's two children as she starts a new job herself! Of course, there'll be lots of shopping to gather the things she'll need for her summer job. And maybe she can get her fall semester of college planned and scheduled before she leaves. It'll be here before we all know it!
I mentioned my oldest above. She's amazing, as are all my kids (yes, I'm kinda prejudiced that way - aren't all moms??). She went straight from high school to motherhood and marriage, with 2 children almost back to back. And her husband has been deployed twice, already. So she's done a LOT of it on her own, too. Now, she's looking forward to doing something for her - getting out into the big, bad world of working - and trying it in a field that not a lot of women get into - the automotive world. It's a toe-hold, but it's a start, and I'm excited for her.
And me, I'm looking at the end of my career at my current job (after close to 25 years!), and trying to find something similar, possibly closer to home. I don't think I handle interviews well, unfortunately, which will make the searching for a new job even more troublesome for me. Even though I
And the mister? He's been really busy taking lots of courses for certification, and tending to his parents as they deal with their own set of changes - which I may talk about later, or I may not.
Suffice it to say - there's a lot going on around here!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
It's All About the Comfort Today
Today, the weather is supposed to be cool and there's a chance of rain. Great. Why does the weather always know when I've bought new, cute clothes and shoes - then give me weather that makes it impossible to wear them?
Oh well. They're really more work-appropriate or church-appropriate clothes anyway. Today, it's all about the comfortable. So, I'm sporting a tank top with an old hand-me-down shirt (from my middle daughter!) over top of it, a pair of knee socks for warmth, and my favorite style of jeans (from Wal-Mart - can't beat $20 jeans that fit and look wonderful!). But, sad to say, my feet are covered in a baby blue pair of - gasp! - Crocs.
Like I said, it's all about the comfort.
Oh well. They're really more work-appropriate or church-appropriate clothes anyway. Today, it's all about the comfortable. So, I'm sporting a tank top with an old hand-me-down shirt (from my middle daughter!) over top of it, a pair of knee socks for warmth, and my favorite style of jeans (from Wal-Mart - can't beat $20 jeans that fit and look wonderful!). But, sad to say, my feet are covered in a baby blue pair of - gasp! - Crocs.
Like I said, it's all about the comfort.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Neighborhood Watch
In an effort to avoid the traffic congestion on the Beltway, I use a series of major side roads and neighborhood streets to kinda/sorta run parallel to the Beltway for a portion of my trip in to work. I still have to deal with a stretch of the Beltway, because let's face it, back roads get congested, too!
Anyway, one of the neighborhoods that I have driven through for several years has put up a series of road "humps" in an effort to slow traffic down (they weren't always there, and I respect the fact that they're trying to keep the neighborhood safe from speeders). There are also 3(?) stop signs along the main road to keep the cut-through commuters on their toes and driving at a safe speed. There is one spot where lots of people try to stop where NO stop sign exists, which dances on my last nerve, and has also caused some close calls due to these drivers' idiocy. But that's another story; I shall step away from this, and breathe deeply.....
A little farther in my commute is another neighborhood that is trying to deal with cut-through commuters by installing a 4-way stop, a 3-way stop (at a "T"), and lately, a speed bump/hump. What I find funny about this particular location is that here recently I've observed a lady in her car, located on the other side of the road, just before the bump, slumped down in the driver's seat, facing the direction I'm coming from, - doing what? She's not there every day, but enough that she stands out. I also think she's local because the same car she sits in on the side of the road can be seen in a driveway. Is she talking on her cell phone, and doesn't want to disturb people in her home? Or is she sitting there, taking down license plates and vehicle descriptions? For what purpose? Will she turn them in to the police, who will do what with them? Am I in for a nasty letter telling me to cease and desist driving through this neighborhood? Or am I just worrying for nothing?
Strange musings from my daily drive.
Anyway, one of the neighborhoods that I have driven through for several years has put up a series of road "humps" in an effort to slow traffic down (they weren't always there, and I respect the fact that they're trying to keep the neighborhood safe from speeders). There are also 3(?) stop signs along the main road to keep the cut-through commuters on their toes and driving at a safe speed. There is one spot where lots of people try to stop where NO stop sign exists, which dances on my last nerve, and has also caused some close calls due to these drivers' idiocy. But that's another story; I shall step away from this, and breathe deeply.....
A little farther in my commute is another neighborhood that is trying to deal with cut-through commuters by installing a 4-way stop, a 3-way stop (at a "T"), and lately, a speed bump/hump. What I find funny about this particular location is that here recently I've observed a lady in her car, located on the other side of the road, just before the bump, slumped down in the driver's seat, facing the direction I'm coming from, - doing what? She's not there every day, but enough that she stands out. I also think she's local because the same car she sits in on the side of the road can be seen in a driveway. Is she talking on her cell phone, and doesn't want to disturb people in her home? Or is she sitting there, taking down license plates and vehicle descriptions? For what purpose? Will she turn them in to the police, who will do what with them? Am I in for a nasty letter telling me to cease and desist driving through this neighborhood? Or am I just worrying for nothing?
Strange musings from my daily drive.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
How DO You Know?
How do you know when it's time to give up? Give up on a relationship, a job you've held for over 2 dozen years (which is in its final stages, anyway), or on the current blogs you read?
Does it take the blogger no longer amusing you, or is it the fact that they haven't posted in a month of Sundays? Can you just not relate to what they say any longer? Have they become too commercial, too many sponsored posts for your tastes? Do you click on their site daily, just to see the same outdated post, day after day? If you do decide to remove them from your favorities list, do you feel guilty when you hit that delete key?
What about the job? What is the final straw that will make you say "I've had it, that's it, I can't take it any more. It's time to walk away from this, it's not worth it any more, no matter what"? What about if you can hold on for some, it-makes-sense-to-you length of time? Can you get your financial ducks in a row to see you through the coming job search, all the applying for jobs, and (hopefully!) the interviews that will lead to another job? How long can you survive without an income?
And the relationship..... That's totally personal, I understand. Only you understand your priorities, and what has to happen before you're comfortable walking away. I've discussed this, both physically and via texting, with both my girls. One is married with children of her own, the other is in a relationship - but I don't think they would say they're in a perfect situation, either. Do you wait until X happens? Do you wait until the last child is older?
I find myself thinking through all these situations, some with greater depth than others. And two of the three are way more major than one is, certainly! But my mind goes round and round, trying to weigh this against that, and see if there's a right decision out there.
Or maybe, it just has to be right for me?
Does it take the blogger no longer amusing you, or is it the fact that they haven't posted in a month of Sundays? Can you just not relate to what they say any longer? Have they become too commercial, too many sponsored posts for your tastes? Do you click on their site daily, just to see the same outdated post, day after day? If you do decide to remove them from your favorities list, do you feel guilty when you hit that delete key?
What about the job? What is the final straw that will make you say "I've had it, that's it, I can't take it any more. It's time to walk away from this, it's not worth it any more, no matter what"? What about if you can hold on for some, it-makes-sense-to-you length of time? Can you get your financial ducks in a row to see you through the coming job search, all the applying for jobs, and (hopefully!) the interviews that will lead to another job? How long can you survive without an income?
And the relationship..... That's totally personal, I understand. Only you understand your priorities, and what has to happen before you're comfortable walking away. I've discussed this, both physically and via texting, with both my girls. One is married with children of her own, the other is in a relationship - but I don't think they would say they're in a perfect situation, either. Do you wait until X happens? Do you wait until the last child is older?
I find myself thinking through all these situations, some with greater depth than others. And two of the three are way more major than one is, certainly! But my mind goes round and round, trying to weigh this against that, and see if there's a right decision out there.
Or maybe, it just has to be right for me?
Monday, February 27, 2012
Totally Stolen from BusyMom
Coffee of the Day: Folgers, w/ French Vanilla creamer.
Today's Mental Jukebox Selection: an Alto-fied version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Mama Mia's, anyone?
Reading:: Stuck With You on my Kindle - I love free books! Especially when I go back and read the description and find that they're now asking $7.69 for it.
Thinking: I. Am. So. Tired.
Dreading: Slogging through the rest of this week. And the dinners I need to cook.
Looking: Out someone else's office window, as I'm a windowless bump-on-a-wall.
Wondering: How much longer til lunch? And when can I go home?
Needing: To find documents to help the Mister get our childcare reimbursements, and then do our taxes. ICK.
Also needing: To come up with a plan to get my backside in bed at a decent (and by that I mean MUCH better/earlier) time each evening. That, and to call the dentist to whine about the "flipper" I got after my tooth extraction that makes me want to gag every time I try to talk (which means that I don't wear it much).
Today's Mental Jukebox Selection: an Alto-fied version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Mama Mia's, anyone?
Reading:: Stuck With You on my Kindle - I love free books! Especially when I go back and read the description and find that they're now asking $7.69 for it.
Thinking: I. Am. So. Tired.
Dreading: Slogging through the rest of this week. And the dinners I need to cook.
Looking: Out someone else's office window, as I'm a windowless bump-on-a-wall.
Wondering: How much longer til lunch? And when can I go home?
Needing: To find documents to help the Mister get our childcare reimbursements, and then do our taxes. ICK.
Also needing: To come up with a plan to get my backside in bed at a decent (and by that I mean MUCH better/earlier) time each evening. That, and to call the dentist to whine about the "flipper" I got after my tooth extraction that makes me want to gag every time I try to talk (which means that I don't wear it much).
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
You Sank My Battleship!
Wow. I did not mean to leave off posting for this long - again. Seems like when life gets busy, this little internet spot of mine suffers.
Due to worsening health conditions of my MIL, the mister has been spending most of his evenings at his parents' house, only coming home from work to eat quickly (if at all) and then run over there, and hopefully he'll return home in time to crawl in bed just to lather-rinse-repeat the next day, ad nauseum.
This has meant that it's been up to me to occupy SB's time - which would be vastly easier if I were one of those "meh, do whatever you want" parents. But I greatly prefer that he not live in front of the TV playing Wii, Playstation or nose-to-the-screen of his DSi, or just watching the mindless drivel that is on Disney channel or other stations. (Or at least, not ALL of the time! I am not perfect, not by a long shot!) Fortunately, SB likes to read; he just prefers TV and games over books. But if I can guide him away from the tube, he'll read, or I can get him to help me with household chores - in small doses. He does like to know what's in it for him - so it's often a matter of tit for tat - you do this, and I'll do that.
In one of our flurries of housecleaning, we straightened out the area of the family room behind the couch and sandwiched in by the kitchen half-wall. It's where almost all toys, games, puzzles, etc. are located. We re-found his Battleship game, and he's been pestering almost everyone to play with him. I finally caved this weekend - I'm the parent more often home with him, of course. Let me say, this is a trifle unusual for me - I am not usually a game player, preferring my books for entertainment. Unless you want to play Apples to Apples, then you're on!
We set up in the dining room, at opposite ends of the table. Laid out all our pins, plotted the best placement of our ships, etc. Even brought out the penny crayon so we could utilize pennies to mark spots where our opponent "missed" shots. Let the battle begin!
First game, I laid out my ships in a pattern I though would confuse SB. Was I ever right - but that was the last game I won. He showed me mercy in the next 3-4 games, letting me keep my last shot for many rounds while he called obviously empty locations, so I could, just maybe, locate the ships of his that I had been unable to find so far. I'm not sure if he was being chivalrous to his mom, or just prolonging my agony, but it's been fun playing with him. And yes, I'm actually looking forward to the next game(s).
I'll be certain to vocalize that commercialized cry - "You sank my battleship!" at the appropriate time.
Due to worsening health conditions of my MIL, the mister has been spending most of his evenings at his parents' house, only coming home from work to eat quickly (if at all) and then run over there, and hopefully he'll return home in time to crawl in bed just to lather-rinse-repeat the next day, ad nauseum.
This has meant that it's been up to me to occupy SB's time - which would be vastly easier if I were one of those "meh, do whatever you want" parents. But I greatly prefer that he not live in front of the TV playing Wii, Playstation or nose-to-the-screen of his DSi, or just watching the mindless drivel that is on Disney channel or other stations. (Or at least, not ALL of the time! I am not perfect, not by a long shot!) Fortunately, SB likes to read; he just prefers TV and games over books. But if I can guide him away from the tube, he'll read, or I can get him to help me with household chores - in small doses. He does like to know what's in it for him - so it's often a matter of tit for tat - you do this, and I'll do that.
In one of our flurries of housecleaning, we straightened out the area of the family room behind the couch and sandwiched in by the kitchen half-wall. It's where almost all toys, games, puzzles, etc. are located. We re-found his Battleship game, and he's been pestering almost everyone to play with him. I finally caved this weekend - I'm the parent more often home with him, of course. Let me say, this is a trifle unusual for me - I am not usually a game player, preferring my books for entertainment. Unless you want to play Apples to Apples, then you're on!
We set up in the dining room, at opposite ends of the table. Laid out all our pins, plotted the best placement of our ships, etc. Even brought out the penny crayon so we could utilize pennies to mark spots where our opponent "missed" shots. Let the battle begin!
First game, I laid out my ships in a pattern I though would confuse SB. Was I ever right - but that was the last game I won. He showed me mercy in the next 3-4 games, letting me keep my last shot for many rounds while he called obviously empty locations, so I could, just maybe, locate the ships of his that I had been unable to find so far. I'm not sure if he was being chivalrous to his mom, or just prolonging my agony, but it's been fun playing with him. And yes, I'm actually looking forward to the next game(s).
I'll be certain to vocalize that commercialized cry - "You sank my battleship!" at the appropriate time.
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Smack Down
Wow. Just as I thought I was getting a handle on things, I get a reality smack down to tell me not to be so smug. Don't want to go into great detail, as it's personal, but both my girls are dealing with some recent life events that sadden my heart.
I thought I was doing a decent job of parenting, but I'm having to reassess. How do you know when you're hindering your children instead of helping them? Just as most parents do, I want good things for my brood, and try to clear the path for them to succeed. However, maybe I've been doing too much for them, and it's time to step back and let them take over the process. Rules need to be made and changed, and I anticipate that it's gonna get messy before it gets better.
In for a pinch, in for a pound. Tomorrow is another day.
I thought I was doing a decent job of parenting, but I'm having to reassess. How do you know when you're hindering your children instead of helping them? Just as most parents do, I want good things for my brood, and try to clear the path for them to succeed. However, maybe I've been doing too much for them, and it's time to step back and let them take over the process. Rules need to be made and changed, and I anticipate that it's gonna get messy before it gets better.
In for a pinch, in for a pound. Tomorrow is another day.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
I'm Still Tired....
Yeesh. How many times do I have to keep trying to live the schedule of someone much younger than me, staying up til almost midnight most nights, then getting up before the sun to start the day with and for the Mister? I am sooo not a morning person....
I don't think there are too many nights when I get more than about 5-6 hours of sleep, until I hit Friday and Saturday night. Part of it is that the Mister gets up at the unreasonable (to me!) hour of 5am to get ready for his workday. If I could just sleep in until 7am, then blink and have my shower done, coffee ready and lunches packed, I'd probably be a lot more functional both at home and on the job. Of course, If the Mister kept to that schedule, then he'd be late for work, which creates a whole other set of problems for me. It always amazes me how he needs me (or SG) to get him up, pack his lunch and do his to-go coffee - yet on those rare occasions that I'm not around, he can do it for himself. What gives? I'd love to be able to take a shower, then come downstairs to drink a cup of coffee, before picking up my lunch and a thermos and go-cup of coffee and walking out the door. I think it's that Mom thing - we're expected to tend to stuff in the house and the family, and Dad, he's expected to work. Funny how things haven't changed, even though loads of moms are currently working outside the home alongside the dads.
It's probably one of my weaknesses that the few TV shows that I really like to watch seem to start at 10pm, as well. I'm sure that doesn't help with my poor sleeping habits. And yes, even though I'm somewhat technologically challenged, without access to the internet on my phone, no FaceBook account (I flat out refuse), no Twitter, Tumblr, etc., we do have access to a DVR on our TV - yet I don't want to watch my shows at any other time than when they're truly scheduled to air. Probably due to the fact that we only have 2 TVs in our house, and you're lucky you can get time when the TV's free to watch what you want!
I think, I know, we'd be better off with another TV in the house, but I refuse to have a TV on the bedroom level. I've long said that the day a TV moves into the master bedroom, I'd move out. Can't say as that's ever gonna happen though, as there's no place to put a TV in our room, and I like it that way, too!
Man, talk about getting off track! I think I need more sleep.....
I don't think there are too many nights when I get more than about 5-6 hours of sleep, until I hit Friday and Saturday night. Part of it is that the Mister gets up at the unreasonable (to me!) hour of 5am to get ready for his workday. If I could just sleep in until 7am, then blink and have my shower done, coffee ready and lunches packed, I'd probably be a lot more functional both at home and on the job. Of course, If the Mister kept to that schedule, then he'd be late for work, which creates a whole other set of problems for me. It always amazes me how he needs me (or SG) to get him up, pack his lunch and do his to-go coffee - yet on those rare occasions that I'm not around, he can do it for himself. What gives? I'd love to be able to take a shower, then come downstairs to drink a cup of coffee, before picking up my lunch and a thermos and go-cup of coffee and walking out the door. I think it's that Mom thing - we're expected to tend to stuff in the house and the family, and Dad, he's expected to work. Funny how things haven't changed, even though loads of moms are currently working outside the home alongside the dads.
It's probably one of my weaknesses that the few TV shows that I really like to watch seem to start at 10pm, as well. I'm sure that doesn't help with my poor sleeping habits. And yes, even though I'm somewhat technologically challenged, without access to the internet on my phone, no FaceBook account (I flat out refuse), no Twitter, Tumblr, etc., we do have access to a DVR on our TV - yet I don't want to watch my shows at any other time than when they're truly scheduled to air. Probably due to the fact that we only have 2 TVs in our house, and you're lucky you can get time when the TV's free to watch what you want!
I think, I know, we'd be better off with another TV in the house, but I refuse to have a TV on the bedroom level. I've long said that the day a TV moves into the master bedroom, I'd move out. Can't say as that's ever gonna happen though, as there's no place to put a TV in our room, and I like it that way, too!
Man, talk about getting off track! I think I need more sleep.....
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Oh, Tannenbaum
When do you take down your Christmas decorations? We have a house on our street - they put up their decorations either on Thanksgiving Day or the day after. And, of course, they took them down on New Year's Day! As I've been saying recently, I'm nowhere near that organized - my (box) tree went up either the first or second weekend of December, and got decorated within a few days of that (and not by me, I might add!). We don't have outside lights to put up - I bought a 3.5 foot LED snowflake this year - my sole outside decoration!
The tree still sits in all its decorated glory in my living room, and there are still various gifts belonging to family strewn around the room, including some of my own gifts. I guess if it were a cut tree, I'd be more on top of getting it undecorated and out on the street, but with a box tree, it's just a matter of finding the time, hauling the decoration boxes back up from the basement, and actually stripping the tree and boxing them all up again. Then, there's the compressing of the branches, the unplugging of all the (7!) light connections on the tree, and trying to cram the 7.5 foot tree back into its much smaller box in all its 3-piece glory.
Can you blame me for being less than enthused about this endeavor, especially since I'll be doing it by my lonesome? We shall see if I actually accomplish the re-claiming of the living room this coming weekend, or if I get sucked into the time vortex that is laundry!
The tree still sits in all its decorated glory in my living room, and there are still various gifts belonging to family strewn around the room, including some of my own gifts. I guess if it were a cut tree, I'd be more on top of getting it undecorated and out on the street, but with a box tree, it's just a matter of finding the time, hauling the decoration boxes back up from the basement, and actually stripping the tree and boxing them all up again. Then, there's the compressing of the branches, the unplugging of all the (7!) light connections on the tree, and trying to cram the 7.5 foot tree back into its much smaller box in all its 3-piece glory.
Can you blame me for being less than enthused about this endeavor, especially since I'll be doing it by my lonesome? We shall see if I actually accomplish the re-claiming of the living room this coming weekend, or if I get sucked into the time vortex that is laundry!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
One Bite at a Time
You know the famous one-liner about how do you eat an elephant? Answer: "One bite at a time."
I think this is going to have to be my mantra about getting organized, except it's going to have to be - one spot or room at a time. And that's going to be a s-l-o-w process, because, while I don't have the biggest house around, I share space with an ADHD boy, a busy-lifed teen girl with all of her possessions and personal Mt. Corner in her room (I don't know when she's last seen the bottom of it!), and a preoccupied Mister. And then there's all the other people dancing around the periphery of my life....
I'm not saying that I'm in any way better than the above-mentioned people, just that it seems to be my lot in life to be the one walking behind everyone, picking up stuff. It's either that, or trip over it. Or I'm the only one seeing the bigger picture, and the one who's concerned enough about it to tackle the problem. And no, I don't particularly like being the one who is just "supposed" to do these things, but if I don't, who will??
And so, I will address most of my life issues, one bite at a time. Any one know of a good book of elephant receipes?
I think this is going to have to be my mantra about getting organized, except it's going to have to be - one spot or room at a time. And that's going to be a s-l-o-w process, because, while I don't have the biggest house around, I share space with an ADHD boy, a busy-lifed teen girl with all of her possessions and personal Mt. Corner in her room (I don't know when she's last seen the bottom of it!), and a preoccupied Mister. And then there's all the other people dancing around the periphery of my life....
I'm not saying that I'm in any way better than the above-mentioned people, just that it seems to be my lot in life to be the one walking behind everyone, picking up stuff. It's either that, or trip over it. Or I'm the only one seeing the bigger picture, and the one who's concerned enough about it to tackle the problem. And no, I don't particularly like being the one who is just "supposed" to do these things, but if I don't, who will??
And so, I will address most of my life issues, one bite at a time. Any one know of a good book of elephant receipes?
Monday, January 2, 2012
Time
Time is one thing everyone craves more of - yet it's the one thing mankind hasn't figured out how to manufacture more of. There's a finite amount of time to each and every day, and it's up to us to figure out how to get the most out of those hours.
What with my kids being out of school for Christmas break, and then staying up like a young fool on New Years' Eve, I've gotten my time turned around, and now must endeavor to get myself back on the work and school schedule. All in one night. I am seriously not looking forward to the rest of this week.
Coffee, anyone?
What with my kids being out of school for Christmas break, and then staying up like a young fool on New Years' Eve, I've gotten my time turned around, and now must endeavor to get myself back on the work and school schedule. All in one night. I am seriously not looking forward to the rest of this week.
Coffee, anyone?
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2012
Maybe I can hold to a mini-resolution to post WAY more frequently than I did last year.
Just a quick status here - spent New Years' Eve w/my middle daughter and her boyfriend babysitting my 2 grands at my oldest daughter's apartment. (Did you get that convoluted statement?) While my mind is young-at-heart, my body is definitely grandmotherly. I managed to stay up til past 2 am, then read for another 20 minutes or so in bed. Set an alarm for 7 am (HA! who am I fooling?) Fell asleep again til 9:50! Even the grands slept in!
Had a great day w/people I care about and like. Let's hope that 2012 is a good year!
Just a quick status here - spent New Years' Eve w/my middle daughter and her boyfriend babysitting my 2 grands at my oldest daughter's apartment. (Did you get that convoluted statement?) While my mind is young-at-heart, my body is definitely grandmotherly. I managed to stay up til past 2 am, then read for another 20 minutes or so in bed. Set an alarm for 7 am (HA! who am I fooling?) Fell asleep again til 9:50! Even the grands slept in!
Had a great day w/people I care about and like. Let's hope that 2012 is a good year!
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