So, do you know what I do all day? I didn't think so. I don't know what you do, either. What exactly, say, does Ed do? Or Frank? Or Pete? I have NO IDEA. Fill us in, inform us. Let us get to know you better.
Good news on the HVAC Tom! We spent two weeks in 98 + degree weather while finding out what our options regarding furnace and air conditioner would be. We went with the cheepest and that ended up being more than $6000.
Does anyone wanna buy Girl Scout Cookies from Emma? If you do, I'll have her call you! They cost $3.5 per box and include: Trefoils: shortbread Do-si-dos: Oatmeal/ PB sandwich Samoas: Mike Lavelle's favorite..vanilla cookie covered in caramel, rolled in cocoanut and striped with fudge. All Abouts: shortbreat with fudge Cafe cookies: a crisp, brown sugar cookie Tagalongs: cookie layered with peanut butter then coated with chocolate Thin mints: everyone knows these!
Well, this is my day today: 1: Administrative cabinet from 8:30-10:00. 2: Come back and look at blog. 3: Center for Academic Technology advisory group meeting 11:00-12:30 4: Go to lecture "Translating Emotional Material Into Fiction" 2:00-3:00. 5: Make some copies. Pay some bills. Return emails. Do stupid boring stuff. 5: Attend meeting assigning students to certain advisors (writer they'll work with for a semester) 3:45-5:00. 6: Have a glass of wine. 7: Have a beer. 8: Have a beer.
OK today...Blog. Copy and assemble packets for Confirmation student first meeting tonight. Write opening and closing prayers for same. Meet with Fathers Dan and Chris and tell them what they're doing at the confirmation meeting. Type and copy agendas for Confirmation team. 1:00 Lunch with Joan, where we warm up South Beach Diet meals and talk about parish and diocesan gossip. 2:00 Blog. Return phone calls to anxious parents about Confirmation meeting. Search for ideas and try to write lessons for next Generations of Faith session about Lent. Pay bills and balance account. Write a budget submission for next Finance Council meeting. (That's probably what I'll spend the most time on today, but when I get stalled or bored with one thing I go to another unless I'm under deadline.) Blog. Put together stuff for Confirmation meeting in hall, make sure setup is ready, go grab fast-food dinner, 7:00 Confirmation meeting. Blog (?) But every day is different. Oh, and today we get filled in on nuts and bolts of diocesan audit. I've been operating on a monetary gift with a separate checking account and doing whatever I want, but I'm sure I'm going to be rolled in to the general budget. I hate getting my wings clipped. The Diocese wants to know where all the money is/goes.
I can't say that everyday is like today. In fact, they are not. But it is 12:05 pm and this is what we have done today. We got up at 7:30 to go to 8:30 Mass. At 8:00 am a torrential rain began to fall. It lasted about 12 minutes so at 8:15 we were able to leave for Mass. It was 70 degrees and humid. When we first came here we discovered that one of our dining room chairs has a broken leg. The chairs have rollers and one of the legs split so the roller assembly would not stay in place. You could sit squarely on the chair ok but if you tried to move, the roller would fall out. Well, when we got here this year we discovered that the same thing happened to a second chair so we started going to used furniture places. Last evening Tally (Marty Straub"s wife) called to tell us she had been to Goodwill and saw 4 dining room chairs in excellent condition for $80. But the seats are pink as well as pink upholstered legs. She wasn't sure if we would like the pink but because they are is such good condition and not expensive, she wanted to tell us about them. We drove to Goodwill right after Mass and did not like the pink chairs but we saw a country style table with a hand painted design and six chairs in decent condition for $199 so we sprang for the set. When I say "decent condition" I am not referring to sturdiness but rather that some of the pieces need some touching up. The chairs are all white as are the 4 table legs. A little lemon oil and some glossy white paint should recondition it quite well< we hope> after leaving goodwill we drove back to Tequesta to the Lighthouse restaurant for brunch, then came home. Mom is taking a nap and I will, too, after I get done here. We will not go to the beach today because it is still cloudy but we went to both the beach and the pool yesterday (after our 1 and one-half mile walk). In fact, she also was in the pool yesterday morning for her water aerobics class. Tonight we will go to a Bible study class conducted by the assistant pastor and then to an Italian restaurant for a little nourishment. That should give you a glimpse at what we do. Tom and Nance, good news about the insurance. Now maybe you can come to Jupiter. Cathy and Steve are coming the last weekend in January and Pat and Emily are coming Feb. 8-11. Everythind else is open until March 15, when we leave here. Mom and Dad
Oh, Lisa, Catherine is selling Girl Scout cookies too but I don't think they're all the same. What gives? They don't have Cafe cookies but they do have a lemonade shortbread cookie that I can't remember the name of. They eliminated lemon creme sandwich cookies and we don't have Samoas (I might be wrong about that one). I like the Trefoils the best.
Cathy - Catherine does most likely have Samoas, but probably under a different name (check out her order packet). I loved the lemon creme sandwich cookie. I do not believe that we need all these shortbread cookies!
Typical day: -kids -housework -bookwork (daily's, taxes, donations, advertising, promotions, accounts payable, accounts receivable, blah, blah, blah) -blog/emails -bookwork -phone calls -kids -housework -homework -sports/guitar lessons(?) -dinner -husband -Judge Judy and other Tivo'd shows with Tom -bedtime... -Oh, and Guinness is there through it all. :-)
Cathy, Thanks for asking. Just emptied the last two boxes in Gillian's room. The garage will have to wait until spring. Gillian hates the homework part from school. She has alot more here. Nicholas is happy for once. I haven't heard "mommy my tummy hurts" excuse. He also likes that everyone know his name before he got there. When are you and Steve visiting us? Let Grace and family know. Maybe they can come too. Erin
Here's my day. Take kids to school. Do dishes. Laundry. Pick up rooms. Today I painted the ceiling in Ellen's bathroom and one wall in her room. It took three coats of paint. Took some things to a consignment shop. Picked up kids. Went to Home Depot to get rollers to finish Ellens room. Came home. Put chicken in the oven. And now on blog. Pretty typical day.
Pleeeze tell your children to cash the checks we gave them. There are still birthday checks that have not cleared the bank since last summer. And it's not just grandchildren. Some of you are sitting (literally I presume) on checks. Mom and Dad
-visited the gym where I discovered that I had lost the ability to run (due to holiday lethargy) -drove to work because it was too cold to wait for public tranportation (10 degrees before windchill) -checked email and dealt with advertising emergencies of varying degrees -went to lunch and discussed general, unwarranted dissatisfaction -participated in several client calls and listened as they blamed their business problems on advertising -taking full advantage of a slow day, I left work at 6 to come home and contribute to this and my personal blog -about to leave to have dinner and drinks with Phelan and discuss her many endeavors -following a phone call with my girlfriend who is visiting her parents in Florida, I will likely swallow a handful of Tylenol PM and hit the sack
All in all, I'd say today was/will be a pretty good day. I didn't paint any ceilings. But I did unclog a toilet. And I can go to bed knowing that a handful of marketing catastrophes may have been avoided because of me.
We had corn dogs, french fries, coleslaw (she had to pick a veggie and she didn't want beans), and brownies.
Randy moaned and groaned to his co-workers about the high fat content of the food his child prefers and based upon their reactions, it seems the single grown-ups at his office eat like that all the time!
I had to move the ladder and scoot the stove back into place (scoot the stove is an oxymoron) in order to plug it back in to cook the fries and dogs.
While picking up the corn dogs from the frozed food section, I noticed this: Oopah! Gyros in a box. That's what we're having tonight.
May try Emily's fish taco recipe this weekend.
My days are full of not accomplishing enough either at work or at home, but I would guess you could all say that.
Do you have a fryer or do you fry your fries in a frying pan? Pepperloin: thanks for contributing. I was about to say "Still no word from the guys? It doesn't make you look mysterious. It makes you look like underachievers." but now I can't say that, can I.
Although I do not have to work full time or take care of kids, I believe I have the worst school schedule. I like to complain about it, so this is the perfect forum for that:
Mon/Wednesdays: 9:30 Leave for school 10-11:30 Special Ed class with Autistic Professor 11:30-12 Break 12-1:30 Class 1:30-2:30 walk across campus, work out, walk back 2:45-4:00 class 5-8 class It just sucks because everyone in these classes all takes them together, and we have so many breaks, but not enough time to go home.
My typical day is as follows: wake up Tu/Th 5: 45 AM hit the gym
M/W/F 6 AM suck down 3 cups of coffee and watch news, eat a bowl of cereal.
7:40 at work. remind newbie he's not allowed to ask questions until i have my coffee. head to panera and grab a coffee and flirt with 20 yr old ukranian gal behind counter. Our eye's meet, and my angst finds an echo deep within her slavic soul. head back to work.
sit in my crappy little off-mauve cube (the ugliest color i've ever seen) chumming through emails, answer newbie questions. feel the flourescent lights start to suck the life out of me. at 8 start taking calls and troubles. spend the next few hours fixing network equipment so people can browse the internet. in between troubles check the blog, read the news ect.
eat lunch at my desk usually, working if needed or reading cnn website. check various blogs that i find amusing.
afternoon much like the morning, taking calls and troubles and fixing the network.
go home. run 2 miles most days. eat, read, watch tv and hit the sack usually by 10:30.
sometimes i have to work early in the morning if a piece of equipment needs to be replaced and it takes down a bunch of people, so every couple weeks i'll be in at 4 or 5 AM to do that sort of thing.
next week i'm covering the 2nd shift on Tu/Th/Fr so this will be all out of wack.
Do you have the option of painting your space? Why do so many institutions use that color? It's a soul-killer. Stevo's office is grayish white with inadequate flourescent light. I think I'm going to insist that we spend our anniversary day painting it and shopping for lamps. And spring for those full-spectrum flourescent tubes that mimic daylight (there's an idea for you, Frank. They make you feel a little better.) I'm mighty impressed that you run AND work out.
My days vary. If it's M-W-F, I wake up (my wonderful husband has the coffee made), shower, feed and clothe 3 little people, send Braden and Zane to school, drop of Ty, and head to work. If I'm lucky, there was a banana or granola bar left for me to munch while I commute. I go to a different school each day where I deal with the school secretary or principal for a few minutes. Some are well prepared and cheerful or friendly, some are very snotty because I ruined their day by walking in the door. Some act as if they have no idea that we need every child's health physical and class lists that include name, age, address, and birthdate for every grade even though we come to their school every singly year and they scheduled this day for us to come. Then I lug my hearing and vision equipment to some empty closet or classroom and spend the rest of the day pulling children from their classrooms and asking them to raise their hand when they hear the beep or to show me which way the E points. Some teachers are accomodating. Some aren't. I see kids from pre-school through high school, regular ed and disabled. Some kids are severely disabled and require a lot of effort and a one-on-one aid. All kids require patience. Especially 3-year-olds and eighth graders. Sometimes I eat school lunch, sometimes I bring my lunch, sometimes we run out to grab a bite in between classes. But kids can be really funny, too. We record the result of each screening on each physical for school records. I work with Ryan's aunt Debi every day. Sometimes there's an extra screener with us to help out. Then, I head home, pick up Ty on the way, then Braden or Zane if they're at after-care. Do all the mom stuff, have dinner, make sure homework etc. is in order, watch t.v. with Ryan. On my days off, I hang out with Ty, maybe run some errands, usually try to do some studying or homework for one of my two classes at the comuunity college. Lots of on-line work, class every Tues night. An occasional near all-nighter to prepare for a quiz or exam. Throughout the year the kids participate in different sports, so that's a couple nights a week off and on. I coach soccer in the spring - couple nights a week. Do the never-ending laundry and dishes every day. Never enough time for real good housecleaning. If it's summer I work at the office hauling supplies and student records around and doing office-type stuff. The worst part of my day is the morning b/c it's a rush and very stressful. After that, it's good. I listen to sports talk radio in the car and weekends are for watching football.
Ellen that's a killer class schedule. Last night Ryan asked me what was in the doggie treats you made for our dogs, cuz they smelled so good. I grilled him mercilessly, but he wouldn't admit to eating one of them. I think he probably tried one.
Wake up when I hear, "Momma" from down the hall. Usually 6:30-7. Plop Jude in front of Sesame Street with a cup of juice and a cup of dry cheerios to munch on while I make coffee (for me) and oatmeal (for both of us.) Then we get dressed, head to the gym for about an hour an a half. Come home and play which lately involves bringing every pillow and stuffed animal and every "guy" into the living room for a nap, then we wake them up and make them a cake and some drinks. Then Jude watches Mr. ROgers and eats lunch and takes a nap for two to three hours every day. Yes, I am very lucky. During this time, I blog, watch soaps, (Why won't Elizabeth tell Jason he's the father of her baby?)fold laundry, put stuff in crockpot, dishes,etc. and eat my lunch in peace, usually a lean cuisine.
Then when Jude gets up, we have a snack then we may go for a walk to the park or if it's not too windy, go play in the sand on the beach, or sometimes we just stay home and play inside. More coloring, and making of imaginary snacks for "the guys". Sometimes we hang out with our neighbors Rainbow (mom) and Quin who is about Jude's age. Then I put Jude in front of the TV again so I can get dinner started. When Scott comes home sometimes we go to the gym again, then we eat, bathe, put Jude to bed at 9 and watch tv and are usually in bed by 11 at the latest. Not too exciting. I think it's time for another kid here pretty soon.
No deep fat fryer for fries at our house... strictly oven baked. Joe III is the one with the fryer and lots of other kitchen toys.
I asked Randy if we could paint our bedroom a black/brown purple. He said no. Purple must be the color that will be in style next near. I want purple curtains in the living room, too. He said no to that also.
I forgot to add, I also take tennis lessons on Tuesday Nights from 8:30-10 for which I must sacrifice American Idol.
On another note, Jude has started hitting other kids at the park. If another kids walks toward him, he shouts, "no no no no no" then whacks them. Not hard, but still... What to do?
You all probably know this, but most of Calif's crops have frozen. Expect produce to go up. It actually snowed in Malibu yesterday, right on the PCH. Crazy!
I's still waiting for more of the guys to explain their days to us.
You all should check out Pepperloins's blog. His essay on Phelan's private war with Starbucks is hilarious.
Tell Jude before you get to the park that he can't hit and if he does, you'll have to go home. Then when he does (and he will) grab his arm, say, "NO!" strongly enough to scare him and pick him up and whisk him out of there. It'll be a big pain. He'll be traumatized. But this is one of those areas where reasoning is useless. 2-year-olds don't have a conscience (mostly). It's all behavioral. Poor guy - I feel sorry for him already. What a mean mom.
What I'm saying is, a lot of stuff is negotiable: picking up toys, eating vegetables, etc. But aggression toward others has to be non-negotiable. He doesn't need to learn why (and maybe he can't, at that age,) he just has to learn "We don't do that."
The boys and I have tried the dog treats shaped like hot dogs in a bun. The breading is good but the red part I believe is dried out marrow and not so tasty. Monica and Ellen wouldn't try one. Grace, do you think Ryan had a dog treat dinner night?
No. But has anybody ever tasted cat food? I remember hearing about that once. If you're in a place where you can't whisk Jude away (like the grocery store) and he has to be disciplined, put him on time out in the cart or whatever. Just let him know he's on time out. And tell him before you go, like my mom said. So when it happens he'll realize you meant it. You'll have to do it a bajillion times before he learns hitting is bad. I used to tell the kids "Stay by my side. Don't run away. If I say your name, stop and look at me. If you don't we'll go home" while they were captive in the backseat on the way to the zoo. Same thing for everything else - tell them what I expect before they get there. If they are naughty, we go home, or whatever other torture I think fits the crime. Of course, they aren't perfect angels so take what I say with a grain of salt! Has Jude said any bad words yet? Have you told us that already?
Sometimes (rarely) Molly puts Mia on time out (go to her room), but one time she said, "Okay. I like it!" with a smirky little smile. So Molly had to make time out less pleasant. I think now she has to sit on a chair soomewhere with no toys or TV. She says, "I'm better now."
Sports talk radio! Opinionated guys shouting insults at each other, not listening, and acting tough. Except for the "acting" part, does it make you feel nostalgic for the Marines?
A few years ago...time-outs switched from, "sitting on their beds," to standing in the corner. Donny was funny...he would march over to the corner and stand like a soldier and wouldn't move nor speak. Eli and Liam get all marshmallowy and moan like it's the most painful thing in the world. Always, had to be careful, with Donny, 'cuz it would be easy to forget that he was in the corner (so quiet & very patient)...Eli and Liam never let yah forget it 'cuz they, constantly, make some sort of noise and want to know if their time is, "up," yet.
I tried a dog treat I made, they're okay. I think some drunk friends ate the rest this weekend though, because they were all gone when I got back the next morning. Well, roommate's friends, not mine. They are flour, carob, wheat germ, a little peanut butter, and water.
For Jude, I would just tell him sternly 'no hitting' and remove him from situation. That could just be moving him over five feet. Also, be sure to praise him every time he does soemthing nice for a friend. I don't think positive reinforment is the only type of guidance for 1 & 2 year olds, so 'no' is okay sometimes. Time outs should be one minute for every year old they are. Some people don't evey think kids under three should have time outs, but I don't agree. As long as you do them correctly, like telling them before and after why they are in time out. But then again, with someone Jode's age, you cannot tell them a lot or give them a lot of directions at once, so it really jsut depends on if you think he understands time outs. You know him best. Ahh, that was too long. Sorry.
Sports talk radio is pretty much like political talk radio. But at least when people say idiotic things they're talking about sports. Instead of war, social security, laws... like a proposed bill (proposed by a Dem) that would make it illegal to spank your kids who are younger than 3. Maybe someone should make a law telling me when it would be legal to teach my kids about safe sex. Or when they are legally old enough and mature enough to learn about the Holocaust. Because as a parent, if the government doesn't regulate those things for me, I'll probably screw up my kids.
52 comments:
so tell us already!
Patricia...you start. What do you do? :-)
I don't know what I do, which is why I'm on the blog.
Good news on the HVAC Tom! We spent two weeks in 98 + degree weather while finding out what our options regarding furnace and air conditioner would be. We went with the cheepest and that ended up being more than $6000.
Does anyone wanna buy Girl Scout Cookies from Emma? If you do, I'll have her call you! They cost $3.5 per box and include:
Trefoils: shortbread
Do-si-dos: Oatmeal/ PB sandwich
Samoas: Mike Lavelle's favorite..vanilla cookie covered in caramel, rolled in cocoanut and striped with fudge.
All Abouts: shortbreat with fudge
Cafe cookies: a crisp, brown sugar cookie
Tagalongs: cookie layered with peanut butter then coated with chocolate
Thin mints: everyone knows these!
Sure! Have her call us! :-)
Yah, our unit is one of three and will cost (not us!) about $9000! :-) Thank you sweet baby Jesus for insurance!!!
Chuck Norris will stop you. With a roundhouse kick to the face, of course.
Well, this is my day today:
1: Administrative cabinet from 8:30-10:00.
2: Come back and look at blog.
3: Center for Academic Technology advisory group meeting 11:00-12:30
4: Go to lecture "Translating Emotional Material Into Fiction" 2:00-3:00.
5: Make some copies. Pay some bills. Return emails. Do stupid boring stuff.
5: Attend meeting assigning students to certain advisors (writer they'll work with for a semester) 3:45-5:00.
6: Have a glass of wine.
7: Have a beer.
8: Have a beer.
P
Like George Costanza?
OK today...Blog. Copy and assemble packets for Confirmation student first meeting tonight. Write opening and closing prayers for same. Meet with Fathers Dan and Chris and tell them what they're doing at the confirmation meeting. Type and copy agendas for Confirmation team. 1:00 Lunch with Joan, where we warm up South Beach Diet meals and talk about parish and diocesan gossip. 2:00 Blog. Return phone calls to anxious parents about Confirmation meeting. Search for ideas and try to write lessons for next Generations of Faith session about Lent. Pay bills and balance account. Write a budget submission for next Finance Council meeting. (That's probably what I'll spend the most time on today, but when I get stalled or bored with one thing I go to another unless I'm under deadline.) Blog. Put together stuff for Confirmation meeting in hall, make sure setup is ready, go grab fast-food dinner, 7:00 Confirmation meeting. Blog (?) But every day is different. Oh, and today we get filled in on nuts and bolts of diocesan audit. I've been operating on a monetary gift with a separate checking account and doing whatever I want, but I'm sure I'm going to be rolled in to the general budget. I hate getting my wings clipped. The Diocese wants to know where all the money is/goes.
I can't say that everyday is like today. In fact, they are not. But it is 12:05 pm and this is what we have done today. We got up at 7:30 to go to 8:30 Mass. At 8:00 am a torrential rain began to fall. It lasted about 12 minutes so at 8:15 we were able to leave for Mass. It was 70 degrees and humid. When we first came here we discovered that one of our dining room chairs has a broken leg. The chairs have rollers and one of the legs split so the roller assembly would not stay in place. You could sit squarely on the chair ok but if you tried to move, the roller would fall out. Well, when we got here this year we discovered that the same thing happened to a second chair so we started going to used furniture places. Last evening Tally (Marty Straub"s wife) called to tell us she had been to Goodwill and saw 4 dining room chairs in excellent condition for $80. But the seats are pink as well as pink upholstered legs. She wasn't sure if we would like the pink but because they are is such good condition and not expensive, she wanted to tell us about them. We drove to Goodwill right after Mass and did not like the pink chairs but we saw a country style table with a hand painted design and six chairs in decent condition for $199 so we sprang for the set. When I say "decent condition" I am not referring to sturdiness but rather that some of the pieces need some touching up. The chairs are all white as are the 4 table legs. A little lemon oil and some glossy white paint should recondition it quite well< we hope> after leaving goodwill we drove back to Tequesta to the Lighthouse restaurant for brunch, then came home. Mom is taking a nap and I will, too, after I get done here. We will not go to the beach today because it is still cloudy but we went to both the beach and the pool yesterday (after our 1 and one-half mile walk). In fact, she also was in the pool yesterday morning for her water aerobics class. Tonight we will go to a Bible study class conducted by the assistant pastor and then to an Italian restaurant for a little nourishment. That should give you a glimpse at what we do. Tom and Nance, good news about the insurance. Now maybe you can come to Jupiter. Cathy and Steve are coming the last weekend in January and Pat and Emily are coming Feb. 8-11. Everythind else is open until March 15, when we leave here. Mom and Dad
Oh, Lisa, Catherine is selling Girl Scout cookies too but I don't think they're all the same. What gives? They don't have Cafe cookies but they do have a lemonade shortbread cookie that I can't remember the name of. They eliminated lemon creme sandwich cookies and we don't have Samoas (I might be wrong about that one).
I like the Trefoils the best.
Cathy -
Catherine does most likely have Samoas, but probably under a different name (check out her order packet). I loved the lemon creme sandwich cookie. I do not believe that we need all these shortbread cookies!
Typical day:
-kids
-housework
-bookwork (daily's, taxes, donations, advertising, promotions, accounts payable, accounts receivable, blah, blah, blah)
-blog/emails
-bookwork
-phone calls
-kids
-housework
-homework
-sports/guitar lessons(?)
-dinner
-husband
-Judge Judy and other Tivo'd shows with Tom
-bedtime...
-Oh, and Guinness is there through it all. :-)
Hey Jim and Erin -
Are you in your house? Is the furniture there? What do the kids say about school?
Hmmm...apparently the guys don't do anything all day.
Cathy,
Thanks for asking. Just emptied the last two boxes in Gillian's room. The garage will have to wait until spring.
Gillian hates the homework part from school. She has alot more here.
Nicholas is happy for once. I haven't heard "mommy my tummy hurts" excuse. He also likes that everyone know his name before he got there.
When are you and Steve visiting us? Let Grace and family know. Maybe they can come too.
Erin
Here's my day. Take kids to school. Do dishes. Laundry. Pick up rooms. Today I painted the ceiling in Ellen's bathroom and one wall in her room. It took three coats of paint. Took some things to a consignment shop. Picked up kids. Went to Home Depot to get rollers to finish Ellens room. Came home. Put chicken in the oven. And now on blog. Pretty typical day.
mmmmmmmm chicken. I wonder what I'll have for dinner. Probably some processed food of some sort.
I need a Monica.
P
Me too.
Pleeeze tell your children to cash the checks we gave them. There are still birthday checks that have not cleared the bank since last summer. And it's not just grandchildren. Some of you are sitting (literally I presume) on checks. Mom and Dad
-visited the gym where I discovered that I had lost the ability to run (due to holiday lethargy)
-drove to work because it was too cold to wait for public tranportation (10 degrees before windchill)
-checked email and dealt with advertising emergencies of varying degrees
-went to lunch and discussed general, unwarranted dissatisfaction
-participated in several client calls and listened as they blamed their business problems on advertising
-taking full advantage of a slow day, I left work at 6 to come home and contribute to this and my personal blog
-about to leave to have dinner and drinks with Phelan and discuss her many endeavors
-following a phone call with my girlfriend who is visiting her parents in Florida, I will likely swallow a handful of Tylenol PM and hit the sack
All in all, I'd say today was/will be a pretty good day. I didn't paint any ceilings. But I did unclog a toilet. And I can go to bed knowing that a handful of marketing catastrophes may have been avoided because of me.
;)
Yesterday I let Mary choose our dinner menu.
We had corn dogs, french fries, coleslaw (she had to pick a veggie and she didn't want beans), and brownies.
Randy moaned and groaned to his co-workers about the high fat content of the food his child prefers and based upon their reactions, it seems the single grown-ups at his office eat like that all the time!
I had to move the ladder and scoot the stove back into place (scoot the stove is an oxymoron) in order to plug it back in to cook the fries and dogs.
While picking up the corn dogs from the frozed food section, I noticed this: Oopah! Gyros in a box. That's what we're having tonight.
May try Emily's fish taco recipe this weekend.
My days are full of not accomplishing enough either at work or at home, but I would guess you could all say that.
What color is Ellen's room?
Do you have a fryer or do you fry your fries in a frying pan?
Pepperloin: thanks for contributing. I was about to say "Still no word from the guys? It doesn't make you look mysterious. It makes you look like underachievers." but now I can't say that, can I.
Gyros in a box are good. Not King Kong, but tasty.
Although I do not have to work full time or take care of kids, I believe I have the worst school schedule. I like to complain about it, so this is the perfect forum for that:
Mon/Wednesdays:
9:30 Leave for school
10-11:30 Special Ed class with Autistic Professor
11:30-12 Break
12-1:30 Class
1:30-2:30 walk across campus, work out, walk back
2:45-4:00 class
5-8 class
It just sucks because everyone in these classes all takes them together, and we have so many breaks, but not enough time to go home.
T/R/F
8:30-1:30 Work
2-3:30 class
Still gotta but tomatoes and cukes. I think they're really good!
And onions. Lots of onions.
Dad - How do the new table and chairs fit in your dining area? Did you bring them home yourself or have them delivered?
My typical day is as follows:
wake up
Tu/Th 5: 45 AM hit the gym
M/W/F 6 AM suck down 3 cups of coffee and watch news, eat a bowl of cereal.
7:40 at work. remind newbie he's not allowed to ask questions until i have my coffee. head to panera and grab a coffee and flirt with 20 yr old ukranian gal behind counter. Our eye's meet, and my angst finds an echo deep within her slavic soul. head back to work.
sit in my crappy little off-mauve cube (the ugliest color i've ever seen) chumming through emails, answer newbie questions. feel the flourescent lights start to suck the life out of me. at 8 start taking calls and troubles. spend the next few hours fixing network equipment so people can browse the internet. in between troubles check the blog, read the news ect.
eat lunch at my desk usually, working if needed or reading cnn website. check various blogs that i find amusing.
afternoon much like the morning, taking calls and troubles and fixing the network.
go home. run 2 miles most days. eat, read, watch tv and hit the sack usually by 10:30.
sometimes i have to work early in the morning if a piece of equipment needs to be replaced and it takes down a bunch of people, so every couple weeks i'll be in at 4 or 5 AM to do that sort of thing.
next week i'm covering the 2nd shift on Tu/Th/Fr so this will be all out of wack.
and that's a day in the life of a Frank
Do you have the option of painting your space? Why do so many institutions use that color? It's a soul-killer. Stevo's office is grayish white with inadequate flourescent light. I think I'm going to insist that we spend our anniversary day painting it and shopping for lamps. And spring for those full-spectrum flourescent tubes that mimic daylight (there's an idea for you, Frank. They make you feel a little better.) I'm mighty impressed that you run AND work out.
the walls to the cube are fabric. can't paint. as for the running and working out, we'll see how long that lasts...
My days vary. If it's M-W-F, I wake up (my wonderful husband has the coffee made), shower, feed and clothe 3 little people, send Braden and Zane to school, drop of Ty, and head to work. If I'm lucky, there was a banana or granola bar left for me to munch while I commute. I go to a different school each day where I deal with the school secretary or principal for a few minutes. Some are well prepared and cheerful or friendly, some are very snotty because I ruined their day by walking in the door. Some act as if they have no idea that we need every child's health physical and class lists that include name, age, address, and birthdate for every grade even though we come to their school every singly year and they scheduled this day for us to come. Then I lug my hearing and vision equipment to some empty closet or classroom and spend the rest of the day pulling children from their classrooms and asking them to raise their hand when they hear the beep or to show me which way the E points. Some teachers are accomodating. Some aren't. I see kids from pre-school through high school, regular ed and disabled. Some kids are severely disabled and require a lot of effort and a one-on-one aid. All kids require patience. Especially 3-year-olds and eighth graders. Sometimes I eat school lunch, sometimes I bring my lunch, sometimes we run out to grab a bite in between classes. But kids can be really funny, too. We record the result of each screening on each physical for school records. I work with Ryan's aunt Debi every day. Sometimes there's an extra screener with us to help out. Then, I head home, pick up Ty on the way, then Braden or Zane if they're at after-care. Do all the mom stuff, have dinner, make sure homework etc. is in order, watch t.v. with Ryan. On my days off, I hang out with Ty, maybe run some errands, usually try to do some studying or homework for one of my two classes at the comuunity college. Lots of on-line work, class every Tues night. An occasional near all-nighter to prepare for a quiz or exam. Throughout the year the kids participate in different sports, so that's a couple nights a week off and on. I coach soccer in the spring - couple nights a week. Do the never-ending laundry and dishes every day. Never enough time for real good housecleaning.
If it's summer I work at the office hauling supplies and student records around and doing office-type stuff. The worst part of my day is the morning b/c it's a rush and very stressful. After that, it's good. I listen to sports talk radio in the car and weekends are for watching football.
Ellen that's a killer class schedule. Last night Ryan asked me what was in the doggie treats you made for our dogs, cuz they smelled so good. I grilled him mercilessly, but he wouldn't admit to eating one of them.
I think he probably tried one.
Has anybody eaten at Panda Express and gotten the orange chicken?
I ate there for the first time last night and that orange chicken ROCKS! I am still thinking about it today.
My days:
Wake up when I hear, "Momma" from down the hall. Usually 6:30-7. Plop Jude in front of Sesame Street with a cup of juice and a cup of dry cheerios to munch on while I make coffee (for me) and oatmeal (for both of us.) Then we get dressed, head to the gym for about an hour an a half. Come home and play which lately involves bringing every pillow and stuffed animal and every "guy" into the living room for a nap, then we wake them up and make them a cake and some drinks. Then Jude watches Mr. ROgers and eats lunch and takes a nap for two to three hours every day. Yes, I am very lucky. During this time, I blog, watch soaps, (Why won't Elizabeth tell Jason he's the father of her baby?)fold laundry, put stuff in crockpot, dishes,etc. and eat my lunch in peace, usually a lean cuisine.
Then when Jude gets up, we have a snack then we may go for a walk to the park or if it's not too windy, go play in the sand on the beach, or sometimes we just stay home and play inside. More coloring, and making of imaginary snacks for "the guys". Sometimes we hang out with our neighbors Rainbow (mom) and Quin who is about Jude's age. Then I put Jude in front of the TV again so I can get dinner started. When Scott comes home sometimes we go to the gym again, then we eat, bathe, put Jude to bed at 9 and watch tv and are usually in bed by 11 at the latest.
Not too exciting. I think it's time for another kid here pretty soon.
No deep fat fryer for fries at our house... strictly oven baked. Joe III is the one with the fryer and lots of other kitchen toys.
I asked Randy if we could paint our bedroom a black/brown purple. He said no. Purple must be the color that will be in style next near. I want purple curtains in the living room, too. He said no to that also.
I forgot to add, I also take tennis lessons on Tuesday Nights from 8:30-10 for which I must sacrifice American Idol.
On another note, Jude has started hitting other kids at the park. If another kids walks toward him, he shouts, "no no no no no" then whacks them. Not hard, but still... What to do?
You all probably know this, but most of Calif's crops have frozen. Expect produce to go up. It actually snowed in Malibu yesterday, right on the PCH. Crazy!
I's still waiting for more of the guys to explain their days to us.
You all should check out Pepperloins's blog. His essay on Phelan's private war with Starbucks is hilarious.
Tell Jude before you get to the park that he can't hit and if he does, you'll have to go home. Then when he does (and he will) grab his arm, say, "NO!" strongly enough to scare him and pick him up and whisk him out of there. It'll be a big pain. He'll be traumatized. But this is one of those areas where reasoning is useless. 2-year-olds don't have a conscience (mostly). It's all behavioral. Poor guy - I feel sorry for him already. What a mean mom.
how do i get to pepperloin's blog
What I'm saying is, a lot of stuff is negotiable: picking up toys, eating vegetables, etc. But aggression toward others has to be non-negotiable. He doesn't need to learn why (and maybe he can't, at that age,) he just has to learn "We don't do that."
The boys and I have tried the dog treats shaped like hot dogs in a bun. The breading is good but the red part I believe is dried out marrow and not so tasty. Monica and Ellen wouldn't try one. Grace, do you think Ryan had a dog treat dinner night?
No. But has anybody ever tasted cat food? I remember hearing about that once.
If you're in a place where you can't whisk Jude away (like the grocery store) and he has to be disciplined, put him on time out in the cart or whatever. Just let him know he's on time out. And tell him before you go, like my mom said. So when it happens he'll realize you meant it. You'll have to do it a bajillion times before he learns hitting is bad. I used to tell the kids "Stay by my side. Don't run away. If I say your name, stop and look at me. If you don't we'll go home" while they were captive in the backseat on the way to the zoo. Same thing for everything else - tell them what I expect before they get there. If they are naughty, we go home, or whatever other torture I think fits the crime. Of course, they aren't perfect angels so take what I say with a grain of salt! Has Jude said any bad words yet? Have you told us that already?
Sometimes (rarely) Molly puts Mia on time out (go to her room), but one time she said, "Okay. I like it!" with a smirky little smile. So Molly had to make time out less pleasant. I think now she has to sit on a chair soomewhere with no toys or TV. She says, "I'm better now."
Sports talk radio! Opinionated guys shouting insults at each other, not listening, and acting tough. Except for the "acting" part, does it make you feel nostalgic for the Marines?
A few years ago...time-outs switched from, "sitting on their beds," to standing in the corner. Donny was funny...he would march over to the corner and stand like a soldier and wouldn't move nor speak. Eli and Liam get all marshmallowy and moan like it's the most painful thing in the world. Always, had to be careful, with Donny, 'cuz it would be easy to forget that he was in the corner (so quiet & very patient)...Eli and Liam never let yah forget it 'cuz they, constantly, make some sort of noise and want to know if their time is, "up," yet.
I tried a dog treat I made, they're okay. I think some drunk friends ate the rest this weekend though, because they were all gone when I got back the next morning. Well, roommate's friends, not mine. They are flour, carob, wheat germ, a little peanut butter, and water.
For Jude, I would just tell him sternly 'no hitting' and remove him from situation. That could just be moving him over five feet. Also, be sure to praise him every time he does soemthing nice for a friend. I don't think positive reinforment is the only type of guidance for 1 & 2 year olds, so 'no' is okay sometimes. Time outs should be one minute for every year old they are. Some people don't evey think kids under three should have time outs, but I don't agree. As long as you do them correctly, like telling them before and after why they are in time out. But then again, with someone Jode's age, you cannot tell them a lot or give them a lot of directions at once, so it really jsut depends on if you think he understands time outs. You know him best. Ahh, that was too long. Sorry.
Oh yeah, say "I don't like it when you hit your friends. You can take a break over here."
tell him he makes the baby jebus cry.
Tell him Santa is watching.
Tell him he will be damned to hell if God finds out.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1472780197
Sports talk radio is pretty much like political talk radio. But at least when people say idiotic things they're talking about sports. Instead of war, social security, laws... like a proposed bill (proposed by a Dem) that would make it illegal to spank your kids who are younger than 3. Maybe someone should make a law telling me when it would be legal to teach my kids about safe sex. Or when they are legally old enough and mature enough to learn about the Holocaust. Because as a parent, if the government doesn't regulate those things for me, I'll probably screw up my kids.
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