Yesterday was Earthfest. I could write novels of the chaos, discrepancies with vendors, frustrations with volunteers not showing up, amazing performances, delicious food, valuable friends, fabulous weather and overall fun.
But I won't.
Let's just say, I was up at 4:30 (ten minutes before the alarm clock went off), to get to the park at 6:00, which is fine. I can deal. I got home just before 10:00, figuring I could unwind and get myself to bed at a reasonable hour, since I had to work at 11:00 the next morning. Whoo, boy, was I wrong!
I went to bed around 11:00. Aaron and I talked a brief while while laying in bed, I was just about asleep when...Autumn woke up. And she was not happy in the least. She wakes up on occasion, but usually gets herself back down. Not tonight. I figured, I'll check her diaper, snuggle with her a bit, and she should be fine. Unfortunately, I picked her up, and her whole body (she was in nothing but a diaper) was just scorching hot. I could not find her thermometer, so I told Aaron to hang out with her and I'd get one at the nearest 24-hour Walgreens (only a 2-minute drive away). 105.0 was the reading. To the ER we go.
That was scary as hell. She had been running a slight temperature since Friday, but I figure, she's teething, it happens. If it was still going on Monday morning, I'd take her to the walk-in clinic. She looked and felt awful, and I felt completely guilty for being too busy with Earthfest business to take care of her sooner. I had a minor breakdown in the ER between waiting for various tests. Not that the tiredness had anything to do with it (sarcasm, sarcasm).
So, after two needles, a urine sample (via mini-cath), a chest x-ray, and a few catnaps on my chest, Autumn managed through the night, all the way till 3:00am. So, she slept till her usual time this morning, took her 1 1/2 naps (which was the norm before all of this), and has been very snuggly. Her temp is still a bit high, but much more manageable. We go to her regular pediatrician tomorrow for a follow-up.
So there it is. I'm heading to bed early tonight. Or, at least I'll be in my pjs doing nothing in a few minutes. Hopefully something will give during the overnight. This is the most sickness I've dealt with for Autumn. I guess we've been pretty lucky that way.
Tuesday, I have an anti-Pagan protester to deal with, but that's for another posting.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Ben and Jerry's on a Rollercoaster Ride
Last night I was in the mood to write, but the results would have been much different from what you are about to read. And that's a good thing.
I haven't been blogging lately, and I have no specific reason why. Midsummer Fest is in 9 days. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not exactly jumping for joy. I'm hoping that will change. That tends to happen when it doesn't turn out anything like you had hoped. There is another pending project that I'm hoping to redirect my energy towards next year. But shhhhh... it's a secret.
The last 24 hours have been a hellova ride, as you can see from my status updates. Aaron has found some temp work for this week, which is wonderful. On top of steady 1st-shift work, he has 3 karaoke DJ gigs this week, starting tonight. This has thrown our schedule in upheaval trying to find someone to watch Autumn. I've had to cancel a couple tiny shifts with Home Instead, but this was partially for my own sanity. I'm very blessed for the community I am surrounded by. Last night at Tea and Talk (a Pagan discussion group we've been attending for several months) I brought up that we still had some gaps in the schedule. Two women in the group jumped right in and said they would help. (And they are two that we know and trust the most.)
In the meantime, not having Aaron around means no backup during the day. I'm typically fine with this. In fact, I tend to get more housework done when it's just Autumn and I. However, yesterday gave me a swift kick in the arse. I started my day with a new yoga class through the Sheboygan Falls YMCA. LOVED IT! The instructor and her methods were perfect for what I was looking for. But I then had to rush back to my parents' home, where Autumn was, lay her down for a (half-hour) nap, eat, change clothes, keep drinkning water to prep for plasma donation, then get to BioLife. Check on my recent status updates for THAT story. No 2nd nap, no break. Meanwhile the housework has been neglected, which was apparent every minute of housework I attempted while having an overtired, clingy toddler by my side.
Today is a new day. Autumn has not bee sleeping well the last couple of nights, but last night she only woke up once, and was able to get herself back down. Hopefully she will be back on track. However, she woke up about two hours earlier than I am used to. It's OK. I feel rested, and now I have more time in the day to continue housework. I'm shedding myself of yesterday and moving forward. That's how it goes, right?
I haven't been blogging lately, and I have no specific reason why. Midsummer Fest is in 9 days. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not exactly jumping for joy. I'm hoping that will change. That tends to happen when it doesn't turn out anything like you had hoped. There is another pending project that I'm hoping to redirect my energy towards next year. But shhhhh... it's a secret.
The last 24 hours have been a hellova ride, as you can see from my status updates. Aaron has found some temp work for this week, which is wonderful. On top of steady 1st-shift work, he has 3 karaoke DJ gigs this week, starting tonight. This has thrown our schedule in upheaval trying to find someone to watch Autumn. I've had to cancel a couple tiny shifts with Home Instead, but this was partially for my own sanity. I'm very blessed for the community I am surrounded by. Last night at Tea and Talk (a Pagan discussion group we've been attending for several months) I brought up that we still had some gaps in the schedule. Two women in the group jumped right in and said they would help. (And they are two that we know and trust the most.)
In the meantime, not having Aaron around means no backup during the day. I'm typically fine with this. In fact, I tend to get more housework done when it's just Autumn and I. However, yesterday gave me a swift kick in the arse. I started my day with a new yoga class through the Sheboygan Falls YMCA. LOVED IT! The instructor and her methods were perfect for what I was looking for. But I then had to rush back to my parents' home, where Autumn was, lay her down for a (half-hour) nap, eat, change clothes, keep drinkning water to prep for plasma donation, then get to BioLife. Check on my recent status updates for THAT story. No 2nd nap, no break. Meanwhile the housework has been neglected, which was apparent every minute of housework I attempted while having an overtired, clingy toddler by my side.
Today is a new day. Autumn has not bee sleeping well the last couple of nights, but last night she only woke up once, and was able to get herself back down. Hopefully she will be back on track. However, she woke up about two hours earlier than I am used to. It's OK. I feel rested, and now I have more time in the day to continue housework. I'm shedding myself of yesterday and moving forward. That's how it goes, right?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mama's Day
So today's Mother's Day, and I've got to leave for work in about a half hour. I should really get out of my PJ's.
This has been quite an interesting weekend. Friday night I worked, and at first it was looking to be dreadfully slow, which means no decent amount of income. The other drivers were sent home and we were handed a late rush. I came out quite well, I must say. We didn't get out of the building until 2:30am, but my manager was in one of the most pleasant moods to come from him that I have seen in quite some time. We mocked some of his former classmates that I worked with during my first stint at the Hut, we laughed a lot, it was all good.
Yesterday was Motherfest, an annual Earthfest fundraiser held on the weekend of Mother's Day. Aaron and Autumn joined me for a while, but much to our chagrin, it was not an ideal setting for a toddler. There were many friends in the area who are used to young ones, and they were very accommodating with her, but the second nap was inevitable, so Aaron and Autumn were dropped off at home.
It was planned that I perform some spoken word "poetry" (I feel it's more prose) by Maggie Estep between some of the singing performers. I really don't remember much about the actual performances, but I ended up doing a bit of MC-ing in the process. For my last round I knew ahead of time that the group's set-up was going to take a bit of time, so after the one poem I had left had finished (which got a lot of great responses), I improvised for some time to keep it rolling. It was an absolute blast. I had a handful of people tell me that it was a lot of fun to watch my energy roll on stage like it did. The weird thing was that I wasn't really putting a lot of acting into my work. I just did it. I think I should start my own karaoke business. We just gotta stop being broke.
So here I am, telling myself to get off the computer and get ready for work. Oddly, I'm only scheduled till 4:00, when it's usually 7:00. I know the reasoning, and it's stupid, but I get to be thankful now because we're heading to my grandma's for supper tonight, which I was just made aware of at about 10:30 last night. I'm just going to enjoy the day, hopefully make some bucks, and celebrate Mother's Day at suppertime - with four generations of kick-ass women in one room. Look out world.
This has been quite an interesting weekend. Friday night I worked, and at first it was looking to be dreadfully slow, which means no decent amount of income. The other drivers were sent home and we were handed a late rush. I came out quite well, I must say. We didn't get out of the building until 2:30am, but my manager was in one of the most pleasant moods to come from him that I have seen in quite some time. We mocked some of his former classmates that I worked with during my first stint at the Hut, we laughed a lot, it was all good.
Yesterday was Motherfest, an annual Earthfest fundraiser held on the weekend of Mother's Day. Aaron and Autumn joined me for a while, but much to our chagrin, it was not an ideal setting for a toddler. There were many friends in the area who are used to young ones, and they were very accommodating with her, but the second nap was inevitable, so Aaron and Autumn were dropped off at home.
It was planned that I perform some spoken word "poetry" (I feel it's more prose) by Maggie Estep between some of the singing performers. I really don't remember much about the actual performances, but I ended up doing a bit of MC-ing in the process. For my last round I knew ahead of time that the group's set-up was going to take a bit of time, so after the one poem I had left had finished (which got a lot of great responses), I improvised for some time to keep it rolling. It was an absolute blast. I had a handful of people tell me that it was a lot of fun to watch my energy roll on stage like it did. The weird thing was that I wasn't really putting a lot of acting into my work. I just did it. I think I should start my own karaoke business. We just gotta stop being broke.
So here I am, telling myself to get off the computer and get ready for work. Oddly, I'm only scheduled till 4:00, when it's usually 7:00. I know the reasoning, and it's stupid, but I get to be thankful now because we're heading to my grandma's for supper tonight, which I was just made aware of at about 10:30 last night. I'm just going to enjoy the day, hopefully make some bucks, and celebrate Mother's Day at suppertime - with four generations of kick-ass women in one room. Look out world.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Maiden, Mother, Crone talk
As I've mentioned here, Aaron and I have been going to a weekly Pagan discussion group dubbed "Tea and Talks". This past Tuesday, there was much talk of the three phases in a woman's life, The Maiden, Mother and Crone. There are two women in the group who really should be in the Maiden phase, still, but somehow got their way into the Mother phase prematurely, and it's sucking a lot of life out of them.
While listening to this, I realized that I got into the start of the Mother phase much earlier than it seems. It was pretty obvious when I decided to marry a man who already had two children. However, I was sort of my brother's mom in high school already, because of my parents' work schedules. Thankfully, my bro and I have always been close because of this.
In those days, I remember being told on a regular basis that I would make a good mother someday. The thing is, I was already on my way. I was the one people would go to for advice, if they dared getting caught talking to me at school. I was the one making sure my brother had his homework done and helped with the dishes on occasion. Even my senior year of high school, I had a boyfriend who was two years younger than me. At that stage in the game, it was a big difference. It just seemed to be there so early.
Now, it's so apparent that I'm in fully mommy mode. But I realized that I'm still not willing to give up a part of the Maiden life. I think I got a little hosed out of the Maiden life that I should have had. I think I feel a bit ashamed of that. I'm not proud of it, at least. I mean, I'm married with a kid, the whole Mother thing is what I'm supposed to be doing, right?
That said, a new issue has come up in the household. Aaron's parents has been encouraging him to go back to school for a Pharmacy Technician, which would take about a year. Yesterday he attended a seminar to get more info. At first, I felt very weird about it, and couldn't pinpoint why. Last night, I figured it out; I'm jealous because I've had plans to go back to school for years, but wanted to wait until Autumn was in pre-school so figureing out her care would be less of a problem. It seemed to be the right plan. And now this thing comes up out of the blue and Aaron gets to jump ahead of me?
Well, the negativity has subsided. Aaron and I talked it out last night and we both came out of it very positively. However, his mom is not quite seeing it this way. She called him tonight while I was at work. He tried to explain how I was feeling, but then also tried to explain that we've settled on the idea that this is a good thing. The last time I was talking about this whole thing in front of Aaron's parents, I was still very leary, and that's all his mom knows. In a nutshell, Aaron tried to defend how I was feeling and logically explain where we now stand, and she wouldn't hear it. So to the point that she kept talking no matter how hard he tried to stop her.
I just keep getting the feeling that Aaron's parents, his mom at least, are starting to see me as another Samantha-Aaron's ex wife. In a nutshell, he was a doormat in that marriage and was borderline verbally abused. Yes, I have the "leader" personality in this marriage, he and I will agree to this. But Aaron is allowed a say in what goes on under this roof. He is allowed to make his own decisions. If anything, I'm the one who is always saying "I'm thinking about doing ____, what do you think?" I'm very frustrated that they don't seem to see the difference between a leader and a pushover. And I've been the pushover before, and it's been pointed out to me on many occasions.
I really don't want there to be a rift between Aaron's family and this home. There was one during his first marriage, and it's not fair to let that happen again. By and large, I love his family. They've been super supportive through every bit of crap we've been through. And they're fun to boot. I just hope this is resolved peacefully.
While listening to this, I realized that I got into the start of the Mother phase much earlier than it seems. It was pretty obvious when I decided to marry a man who already had two children. However, I was sort of my brother's mom in high school already, because of my parents' work schedules. Thankfully, my bro and I have always been close because of this.
In those days, I remember being told on a regular basis that I would make a good mother someday. The thing is, I was already on my way. I was the one people would go to for advice, if they dared getting caught talking to me at school. I was the one making sure my brother had his homework done and helped with the dishes on occasion. Even my senior year of high school, I had a boyfriend who was two years younger than me. At that stage in the game, it was a big difference. It just seemed to be there so early.
Now, it's so apparent that I'm in fully mommy mode. But I realized that I'm still not willing to give up a part of the Maiden life. I think I got a little hosed out of the Maiden life that I should have had. I think I feel a bit ashamed of that. I'm not proud of it, at least. I mean, I'm married with a kid, the whole Mother thing is what I'm supposed to be doing, right?
That said, a new issue has come up in the household. Aaron's parents has been encouraging him to go back to school for a Pharmacy Technician, which would take about a year. Yesterday he attended a seminar to get more info. At first, I felt very weird about it, and couldn't pinpoint why. Last night, I figured it out; I'm jealous because I've had plans to go back to school for years, but wanted to wait until Autumn was in pre-school so figureing out her care would be less of a problem. It seemed to be the right plan. And now this thing comes up out of the blue and Aaron gets to jump ahead of me?
Well, the negativity has subsided. Aaron and I talked it out last night and we both came out of it very positively. However, his mom is not quite seeing it this way. She called him tonight while I was at work. He tried to explain how I was feeling, but then also tried to explain that we've settled on the idea that this is a good thing. The last time I was talking about this whole thing in front of Aaron's parents, I was still very leary, and that's all his mom knows. In a nutshell, Aaron tried to defend how I was feeling and logically explain where we now stand, and she wouldn't hear it. So to the point that she kept talking no matter how hard he tried to stop her.
I just keep getting the feeling that Aaron's parents, his mom at least, are starting to see me as another Samantha-Aaron's ex wife. In a nutshell, he was a doormat in that marriage and was borderline verbally abused. Yes, I have the "leader" personality in this marriage, he and I will agree to this. But Aaron is allowed a say in what goes on under this roof. He is allowed to make his own decisions. If anything, I'm the one who is always saying "I'm thinking about doing ____, what do you think?" I'm very frustrated that they don't seem to see the difference between a leader and a pushover. And I've been the pushover before, and it's been pointed out to me on many occasions.
I really don't want there to be a rift between Aaron's family and this home. There was one during his first marriage, and it's not fair to let that happen again. By and large, I love his family. They've been super supportive through every bit of crap we've been through. And they're fun to boot. I just hope this is resolved peacefully.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Goin' back to high school
Yeah, so I botched the "blog every day in April" plan. Arrest me.
Last night I went to go see Oostburg HS's production of Midsummer Night's Dream - the school I graduated from doing a show I was in my junior year. I must say I was very impressed with the talent, especially for a high school production. Although it was weird going back and seeing that the school finally did some remodeling. Much of the parts of the school were there when my dad attended, and you could tell. Because heaven knows the basketball team couldn't go THREE YEARS in a row with the same uniforms!
In other news, Autumn got a minor ear infection. We caught it pretty early, so we dealt with a fever for one day, a poor appetite for two days, and that's about it. She's a tough cookie, we all knew she'd take it in stride. And we know how fortunate we are in that she's 15 months old and just now getting her first one. It's nice to know we're doing something right. :)
We had the boys over this weekend, in fact they and Aaron just left to get dropped off at church. It's been tough dealing with them lately-particularly Michael. Firstly, it's pretty apparent that Michael's gaining weight again, and not in the "normal growing boy" way. It's also pretty apparent that he's getting lazier, and quite frankly, more selfish. We just got report cards, and this behavior is affecting his school work. I know, kids his age want the world to revolve around them, I get it. But Michael simply doesn't seem to understand that there are other people in the room with him, and they're not going to be focused on him 24/7.
Both of the boys have taken on this need to be Autumn's shadow in everything she does, to the point where they're tattling on her with every little thing she does, and most of the time she's not doing anything of any concern. On the other side of the coin, when we need them to keep an eye on her, the TV becomes the primary focus. It's just a very frustrating situation. I love those boys, but there days when it's hard to like them.
That's all for now. I've gotta get ready for work.
Last night I went to go see Oostburg HS's production of Midsummer Night's Dream - the school I graduated from doing a show I was in my junior year. I must say I was very impressed with the talent, especially for a high school production. Although it was weird going back and seeing that the school finally did some remodeling. Much of the parts of the school were there when my dad attended, and you could tell. Because heaven knows the basketball team couldn't go THREE YEARS in a row with the same uniforms!
In other news, Autumn got a minor ear infection. We caught it pretty early, so we dealt with a fever for one day, a poor appetite for two days, and that's about it. She's a tough cookie, we all knew she'd take it in stride. And we know how fortunate we are in that she's 15 months old and just now getting her first one. It's nice to know we're doing something right. :)
We had the boys over this weekend, in fact they and Aaron just left to get dropped off at church. It's been tough dealing with them lately-particularly Michael. Firstly, it's pretty apparent that Michael's gaining weight again, and not in the "normal growing boy" way. It's also pretty apparent that he's getting lazier, and quite frankly, more selfish. We just got report cards, and this behavior is affecting his school work. I know, kids his age want the world to revolve around them, I get it. But Michael simply doesn't seem to understand that there are other people in the room with him, and they're not going to be focused on him 24/7.
Both of the boys have taken on this need to be Autumn's shadow in everything she does, to the point where they're tattling on her with every little thing she does, and most of the time she's not doing anything of any concern. On the other side of the coin, when we need them to keep an eye on her, the TV becomes the primary focus. It's just a very frustrating situation. I love those boys, but there days when it's hard to like them.
That's all for now. I've gotta get ready for work.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Uneventful
Worked both jobs today. Nothing to write home about on either end.
In between, Autumn and I ran a bunch of errands together. She was a total rock star, as usual. Her illness is getting much better, and she's sleeping like a rock (yay!) Some of the errands included getting the paperwork for Midsummer Fest copied. It's actually feeling real now, which is weird.
Tomorrow Autumn and I have swim class. Then the three of us are heading out of town again. Hopefully we'll be meeting up with my sister in Oshkosh for a few minutes, as I still owe her a t-shirt that she ordered during last year's Earthfest. Oy.
Off to bed in a few. I'm soo looking forward to tomorrow :)
In between, Autumn and I ran a bunch of errands together. She was a total rock star, as usual. Her illness is getting much better, and she's sleeping like a rock (yay!) Some of the errands included getting the paperwork for Midsummer Fest copied. It's actually feeling real now, which is weird.
Tomorrow Autumn and I have swim class. Then the three of us are heading out of town again. Hopefully we'll be meeting up with my sister in Oshkosh for a few minutes, as I still owe her a t-shirt that she ordered during last year's Earthfest. Oy.
Off to bed in a few. I'm soo looking forward to tomorrow :)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
A surprise visit to the parents...
We originally didn't have any Easter plans today. Then my mom called around 11am to let us know that she was cooking a ham and my brother was coming over any minute. So we quickly changed out of our PJs to head out to Gibbsville. It was a wonderful visit, including a family tradition of what is called "egg ticking". Basically, each person gets an Easter egg, and we take turns trying to crack the other person's egg with our own. You get two cracks on your egg before you're out. Last one standing wins. My mom's family has been doing this for as long as I can remember. The first year Aaron was included in this tradition, he won...a can of peaches. (we always come up with cheezy prizes). That can sat several years in our pantry until it finally started leaking.
I had to work tonight, and it was way busier than anyone had expected. I came out with much more money than I had planned, so I'll take it.
Registration for Midsummer Fest is now open. I've finalized all my paperwork and will be getting copies put together tomorrow. The whole thing is finally starting to sink in. Thank gods I've got a great team on my side.
Time for bed, in a few...
I had to work tonight, and it was way busier than anyone had expected. I came out with much more money than I had planned, so I'll take it.
Registration for Midsummer Fest is now open. I've finalized all my paperwork and will be getting copies put together tomorrow. The whole thing is finally starting to sink in. Thank gods I've got a great team on my side.
Time for bed, in a few...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Losing my voice... thankfully I can still type
Today was a good day. Long and exhausting, but good.
Like I mentioned yesterday, I had a meeting in Milwaukee for work. I drove down with three other women, and long story short, we had an absolute blast. I would have been exhausted, as I only got 4 hours of sleep (Autumn woke up with a messy and painful diaper), but it was so beautifully sunny out, it kept spirits up.
We then made it to the Earthfest fundraiser at EBCO, which I really enjoyed. Aaron and Autumn got a bit bored early on. The people who would have eventually showed up that Aaron knew were not there, and I was chatting with my sister and a close friend. Autumn was in need of a nap, so I sent the two home while I hung out at the event.
Aaron and Autumn picked me up to head to his parents' house to celebrate his birthday. It was a very enjoyable time. We had Kevins world-famous in the Covey home spaghetti. It was just a very nice time. We really haven't had a lot of time spent with his family.
Some other bs happened later in the night, but it's minor, I'm over it, and I don't want to end on a down note.
I'm hoping that my sister might stop by for a bit tonight, as I invited her over, and she's crashing at a friend's house that only lives a few blocks away. It's getting a bit late, and I haven't heard from her, so I'm guessing that's not going to happen, but that's OK. I got some wonderful time in with her today.
I'm friggin' tired. I'm also technically sick, although I don't feel it unless I try talking. I don't have to work until 5 tomorrow night, since the Hut doesn't open till 4 for Easter. We don't have any plans for Easter, with my mom working and such, but that's ok. Sometimes doing nothing is the best way to spend a holiday, even if it's a holiday I don't really practice. Meh, I'll take a day "mostly" off to spend with my family. It's all good.
Like I mentioned yesterday, I had a meeting in Milwaukee for work. I drove down with three other women, and long story short, we had an absolute blast. I would have been exhausted, as I only got 4 hours of sleep (Autumn woke up with a messy and painful diaper), but it was so beautifully sunny out, it kept spirits up.
We then made it to the Earthfest fundraiser at EBCO, which I really enjoyed. Aaron and Autumn got a bit bored early on. The people who would have eventually showed up that Aaron knew were not there, and I was chatting with my sister and a close friend. Autumn was in need of a nap, so I sent the two home while I hung out at the event.
Aaron and Autumn picked me up to head to his parents' house to celebrate his birthday. It was a very enjoyable time. We had Kevins world-famous in the Covey home spaghetti. It was just a very nice time. We really haven't had a lot of time spent with his family.
Some other bs happened later in the night, but it's minor, I'm over it, and I don't want to end on a down note.
I'm hoping that my sister might stop by for a bit tonight, as I invited her over, and she's crashing at a friend's house that only lives a few blocks away. It's getting a bit late, and I haven't heard from her, so I'm guessing that's not going to happen, but that's OK. I got some wonderful time in with her today.
I'm friggin' tired. I'm also technically sick, although I don't feel it unless I try talking. I don't have to work until 5 tomorrow night, since the Hut doesn't open till 4 for Easter. We don't have any plans for Easter, with my mom working and such, but that's ok. Sometimes doing nothing is the best way to spend a holiday, even if it's a holiday I don't really practice. Meh, I'll take a day "mostly" off to spend with my family. It's all good.
Bloggedy blog blog
Had to work tonight. No biggie. I made some decent money, so that's cool. I didn't have to stay till 3 again. Still cool. Tomorrow I have to drive down to Milwaukee with a couple co-workers for a mandatory meeting. Not cool, but meh.
The rest of the day was so-so. I hit Zumba class, while Autumn hung out in day care. She's definitely a lot more vulnerable about the fact that I'm leaving. Up until about two weeks ago, it never really bothered her. It's so heartbreaking, but she's gotta learn I guess.
I managed a nap in the middle of the day. I don't know if it really helped, but it felt good. I do kinda feel band because I took the majority of my nap while Autumn was awake, and Aaron was trying to get laundry done. The poor girl has been dealing with some tummy troubles, and as a result, has some horrible diaper rash. We've been doing what we can to calm it down, but to no avail today. She's so heartbreaking when you have to wipe her bottom, and she cries out because it's hurting her. I hope it's better tomorrow.
Tomorrow's gonna be nuts. I have the meeting in the morning. Then from 2-10 will be an Earthfest fundraiser in town. At 4 we're meeting up at Aaron's parents' place for his birthday, which was Tuesday. I definitely want to make it to the fundraiser, as many people I know and don't see often will be there, and by proxy, they haven't seen Autumn in ages. We'll se how it goes.
The rest of the day was so-so. I hit Zumba class, while Autumn hung out in day care. She's definitely a lot more vulnerable about the fact that I'm leaving. Up until about two weeks ago, it never really bothered her. It's so heartbreaking, but she's gotta learn I guess.
I managed a nap in the middle of the day. I don't know if it really helped, but it felt good. I do kinda feel band because I took the majority of my nap while Autumn was awake, and Aaron was trying to get laundry done. The poor girl has been dealing with some tummy troubles, and as a result, has some horrible diaper rash. We've been doing what we can to calm it down, but to no avail today. She's so heartbreaking when you have to wipe her bottom, and she cries out because it's hurting her. I hope it's better tomorrow.
Tomorrow's gonna be nuts. I have the meeting in the morning. Then from 2-10 will be an Earthfest fundraiser in town. At 4 we're meeting up at Aaron's parents' place for his birthday, which was Tuesday. I definitely want to make it to the fundraiser, as many people I know and don't see often will be there, and by proxy, they haven't seen Autumn in ages. We'll se how it goes.
Friday, April 10, 2009
I was feeling pretty productive today. I talked with a friend who, in short, could produce a whole setup for the children's stage at Earthfest. It would pretty much wrap up the better part of the work that I needed to do for the Kids Korner. Yay!
I got some other needed things done today as well. Woot.
I then headed to work as a server, and we got fairly busy. I made a fair amount of money in the process. I wasn't planning on going out after work, money situations being what they are, but I broke that plan and went out with mom.
Due to a brief situation in between, I got into a bit of a funk. I'm not going into it, because I haven't gotten out of it. I gotta go to bed now.
I got some other needed things done today as well. Woot.
I then headed to work as a server, and we got fairly busy. I made a fair amount of money in the process. I wasn't planning on going out after work, money situations being what they are, but I broke that plan and went out with mom.
Due to a brief situation in between, I got into a bit of a funk. I'm not going into it, because I haven't gotten out of it. I gotta go to bed now.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Just a quickie before midnight
Not a lot to post about today. We were thinking about getting out of town today. I was looking up various metaphysical shops in the Milwauke or Oshkosh area. There was one in Oshkosh that peaked my interest. We were going to just go there, but something told me to try calling the place. (We found the year-old listing on Witchvox, a popular Pagan website.) The phone number had been disconnected. I looked up the shop name on yellowpages.com, and the name of the place was not listed there.
On top of things, just as we were going to head out, Autumn got very upset and inconsolable. This is not normal for her. We figured she was very tired, and it would have been time for her to take a nap typically. The two strange things happening at once just told me today was not the day to make a road trip.
Autumn napped for 3 hours. She still has cold symptoms, so lots of rest is the best thing we can give her at this point. Aaron and I had fun having a nice lunch and playing Wii while she slept. We got out of the house and did a little shopping in town for some needed things, plus a few extra things that will be used for Earthfest and Midsummer Fest. Autumn was a total rock star for all of it.
I worked tonight. Nothing major to write about except for the fact that we had a lot of later orders, which got us out a lot later than we would have liked. It happens, no biggie.
OK, so this wasn't as quick as I'd thought. Meh.
On top of things, just as we were going to head out, Autumn got very upset and inconsolable. This is not normal for her. We figured she was very tired, and it would have been time for her to take a nap typically. The two strange things happening at once just told me today was not the day to make a road trip.
Autumn napped for 3 hours. She still has cold symptoms, so lots of rest is the best thing we can give her at this point. Aaron and I had fun having a nice lunch and playing Wii while she slept. We got out of the house and did a little shopping in town for some needed things, plus a few extra things that will be used for Earthfest and Midsummer Fest. Autumn was a total rock star for all of it.
I worked tonight. Nothing major to write about except for the fact that we had a lot of later orders, which got us out a lot later than we would have liked. It happens, no biggie.
OK, so this wasn't as quick as I'd thought. Meh.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
An excess of exes
I just got off the phone with Samantha, Aaron's ex wife. I'm not thrilled with this fact, but I probably got further in the conversation than Aaron would have, so there it is.
Darren is in Boy Scouts. Full-fledged Boy Scouts, as he has just recently "graduated" from Cub Scouts. Now, the fact of the matter is that he is going to have a lot of events for scouts in the months/years to come, many of which are on Saturdays, when the boys are either visiting with Aaron and myself or Aaron's parents. Of course, we totally support the boys' involvement with scouts. However, it's very difficult when the few days we get with the boys are already planned for us.
Basically, my work schedule is not very accommodating. I work every Friday nite, ending anywhere from 1 to 3am. (Mercifully 3am is a rare thing, even though it was the case last week.) Darren has an event the next weekend they are here at 8am. Long story short, Samantha thinks Aaron should pack up all three of the kids just to bring Darren to this if I want to sleep. I'm just going to get up and take a nap later in the day. My call to her tonight was to let her know that we'd make the schedule work, but it would be nice to have a "plan B" available, since my job schedule could easily change and I need the van to do so. Her response was basically, whenever she needs to get only one kid somewhere, she hauls the other around no matter what. Supposedly she understands the difficulty of adding a toddler to the mix. Oddly enough, Aaron's parents were the primary caretakers of the boys when Michael was Autumn's age. We're at an impasse, which happens often. At least she let me finish all of my sentences. Aaron didn't even get that during the first conversation with her.
And in other news, Midsummer Fest plans continue. I didn't really make any great strides, other than that I got to talk to a couple people at our Pagan discussion group tonight.
I really spent a lot of time on the Wii today, and playing with Autumn. Today was Aaron's birthday, and I made chicken parmesan for his birthday meal.
Autumn's tummy troubles and coughing continued today, but both are definitely getting better. You wouldn't know that she's sick at all by the way she acts. She's still her smiling, hugging self.
I'm really hoping I can purge myself of this phone conversation. The rest of my day totally rocked, and I want to focus more on that. That's tough when American Idol is playing in the background! (sarcasm, sarcasm...sort of.)
Darren is in Boy Scouts. Full-fledged Boy Scouts, as he has just recently "graduated" from Cub Scouts. Now, the fact of the matter is that he is going to have a lot of events for scouts in the months/years to come, many of which are on Saturdays, when the boys are either visiting with Aaron and myself or Aaron's parents. Of course, we totally support the boys' involvement with scouts. However, it's very difficult when the few days we get with the boys are already planned for us.
Basically, my work schedule is not very accommodating. I work every Friday nite, ending anywhere from 1 to 3am. (Mercifully 3am is a rare thing, even though it was the case last week.) Darren has an event the next weekend they are here at 8am. Long story short, Samantha thinks Aaron should pack up all three of the kids just to bring Darren to this if I want to sleep. I'm just going to get up and take a nap later in the day. My call to her tonight was to let her know that we'd make the schedule work, but it would be nice to have a "plan B" available, since my job schedule could easily change and I need the van to do so. Her response was basically, whenever she needs to get only one kid somewhere, she hauls the other around no matter what. Supposedly she understands the difficulty of adding a toddler to the mix. Oddly enough, Aaron's parents were the primary caretakers of the boys when Michael was Autumn's age. We're at an impasse, which happens often. At least she let me finish all of my sentences. Aaron didn't even get that during the first conversation with her.
And in other news, Midsummer Fest plans continue. I didn't really make any great strides, other than that I got to talk to a couple people at our Pagan discussion group tonight.
I really spent a lot of time on the Wii today, and playing with Autumn. Today was Aaron's birthday, and I made chicken parmesan for his birthday meal.
Autumn's tummy troubles and coughing continued today, but both are definitely getting better. You wouldn't know that she's sick at all by the way she acts. She's still her smiling, hugging self.
I'm really hoping I can purge myself of this phone conversation. The rest of my day totally rocked, and I want to focus more on that. That's tough when American Idol is playing in the background! (sarcasm, sarcasm...sort of.)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Plugging Away
Today I had off of work most of the day, say for an hour and a half first thing in the morning with a Home Instead client. I have off again tomorrow, and it's an odd feeling, I must say.
Midsummer Fest plans are chugging along. I've gotten the Myspace put together, I've put up and event listing on Witchvox (probably the most popular Pagan website in the world). I've also joined a few Yahoo groups and posted some plugs in them all. I've already received a few wonderful responses from group memebers. It's been a productive day, but I'm not thrilled about spending so much time in front of the computer. I can't wait until this part is pretty much wrapped up and I can get to the actual planning that involves sitting and talking with physical people.
Aaron and I watched the Princess Bride, so I guess I got away from the computer for a little while tonight. Autumn and I went shopping for a bit today, as well. She's still a bit under the weather, but she won't tell you that. Slowly, she's getting better, thankfully. Tomorrow we're hitting swimming class at the Y. I so love doing that with Autumn.
Lately, Autumn has taken to giving out hugs like candy on Halloween. It's heart-melting for anyone with a heart. She is so full of love, I can't even begin to describe it fully. I'm so proud to be her mommy.
Well, I'm done on the computer for tonight, and this time I mean it! :)
Midsummer Fest plans are chugging along. I've gotten the Myspace put together, I've put up and event listing on Witchvox (probably the most popular Pagan website in the world). I've also joined a few Yahoo groups and posted some plugs in them all. I've already received a few wonderful responses from group memebers. It's been a productive day, but I'm not thrilled about spending so much time in front of the computer. I can't wait until this part is pretty much wrapped up and I can get to the actual planning that involves sitting and talking with physical people.
Aaron and I watched the Princess Bride, so I guess I got away from the computer for a little while tonight. Autumn and I went shopping for a bit today, as well. She's still a bit under the weather, but she won't tell you that. Slowly, she's getting better, thankfully. Tomorrow we're hitting swimming class at the Y. I so love doing that with Autumn.
Lately, Autumn has taken to giving out hugs like candy on Halloween. It's heart-melting for anyone with a heart. She is so full of love, I can't even begin to describe it fully. I'm so proud to be her mommy.
Well, I'm done on the computer for tonight, and this time I mean it! :)
Sunday, April 5, 2009
God supports terrorists, in theory.
Today was a little messed up at work. OK, it was borderline chaotic. What's interesting is that the customers who were crabby, were REALLY crabby, and those that were nice, were super-nice. I'm not going to go into any stories about the various d-bag customers, though. Just your garden variety complaints and stupidity.
However, I saw something interesting on one delivery. There was one gas station in town that I drove past where cars were lining up out onto the road to pump gas. At first I couldn't figure out why. Then I saw a woman, close to my age, standing on the corner holding a sign that read "35 cents off per gallon/ Sharing God's <3 (heart/love?)" Now, most normal people would have seen this and thought, "Aww, what a nice service to the community." Nope, not me. My first thought was, "Your God's love is helping support terrorists in the Middle East, Jackass!" (Yeah, I know it's way more complicated than that. I am a liberal, after all.) Talk amongst yourselves.
I'm a bit pooped out, again. I hauled ass at work today, but it's all good. With all the weirdness, the extra effort was very needed, and I feel good about what I got done. Now I'm going to watch the top 20 80's One-Hit-Wonders. Huzzah.
However, I saw something interesting on one delivery. There was one gas station in town that I drove past where cars were lining up out onto the road to pump gas. At first I couldn't figure out why. Then I saw a woman, close to my age, standing on the corner holding a sign that read "35 cents off per gallon/ Sharing God's <3 (heart/love?)" Now, most normal people would have seen this and thought, "Aww, what a nice service to the community." Nope, not me. My first thought was, "Your God's love is helping support terrorists in the Middle East, Jackass!" (Yeah, I know it's way more complicated than that. I am a liberal, after all.) Talk amongst yourselves.
I'm a bit pooped out, again. I hauled ass at work today, but it's all good. With all the weirdness, the extra effort was very needed, and I feel good about what I got done. Now I'm going to watch the top 20 80's One-Hit-Wonders. Huzzah.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Pooped
Autumn is still sick today. Her wheezing from the other day has gone away, but I think she's got tummy troubles and she's still got a nasty cough. I slept for crap last night. After getting home at 3am, Autumn decided it was time to be up at 6. Aaron got up with her, but he hadn't slept much either. She didn't have napping on her agenda for most of the morning, despite all the tiredness signs she gave us. Once we finally got past the napping issue, the rest of the day went pretty well.
We have the boys this weekend, and we stayed in. Yeah, it was nice out, but let's face it, we're broke. We played the Wii a lot together, colored eggs, then had a nice sit-down supper together. My brother joined us for supper, then we played the Wii some more. Aaron apologized to the boys about being cooped up in the house all day, and Darren gave the best response we could have asked for; He was just happy that we got to spend so much time together. Man, I love that kid.
I'm very much hoping Autumn sleeps well tonight. She's already woken up once, about an hour and a half after being laid down. I'd like to think it will be an early night, but it's pushing 10:30 already. I don't see it happening. I almost went out for karaoke tonight, but I'm glad I didn't.
It's back to work tomorrow, with a potential snowstorm heading our way. (Or at least that's the last I heard...yesterday). Whatever we get, I hope it gets people to stay home and order delivered pizza. Oh, and I hope they're somehow encouraged to tip their driver, too.
Until tomorrow.
We have the boys this weekend, and we stayed in. Yeah, it was nice out, but let's face it, we're broke. We played the Wii a lot together, colored eggs, then had a nice sit-down supper together. My brother joined us for supper, then we played the Wii some more. Aaron apologized to the boys about being cooped up in the house all day, and Darren gave the best response we could have asked for; He was just happy that we got to spend so much time together. Man, I love that kid.
I'm very much hoping Autumn sleeps well tonight. She's already woken up once, about an hour and a half after being laid down. I'd like to think it will be an early night, but it's pushing 10:30 already. I don't see it happening. I almost went out for karaoke tonight, but I'm glad I didn't.
It's back to work tomorrow, with a potential snowstorm heading our way. (Or at least that's the last I heard...yesterday). Whatever we get, I hope it gets people to stay home and order delivered pizza. Oh, and I hope they're somehow encouraged to tip their driver, too.
Until tomorrow.
Blech.
I just got home from work. It's 3:00 am, but for me, it's still Friday night, so I think it still counts. I've been up since 6:00am, so that totally blows. Didn't have the greatest night, but I really don't feel like talking about it. I feel like getting into my pj's and heading to bed. I'm gonna do that now.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Beefy and the Beefettes
So I may or may not be completely of a sound mind right now. You know, beer and stuff.
Tonight I had to work. Decent customers, so-so co-workers. Whatever.
The good part of the night was the karaoke-induced drinking, or perhaps the drinking-induced karaoke that ensued afterwards.
WHY IS SETH ROGAN EVERYWHERE???? Apparently he's on Jimmy Fallon tonight, but I digress. (Well, not litterally ON, but whatever.)
So there's this guy at karaoke who calls himself "Beefy", and he did the song 'Enormous Penis' by DaVinci's Notebook. There were two gals that I know from bowling doing, shall we say, back-up dancing with the song. Hence the title Beefy and the Beefettes. It's the biggest laugh I've gotten all night (and the title was my mom's creation. Bless her.)
I had to take Autumn to the walk-in clinic today. She started coughing a lot this morning, and it sounded just awful. I'd never heard this type of cough from her before, so I figured better safe than sorry. Thankfully, it's just some swollen vocal cords, and we've got some medicine that she only has to take today and tomorrow. No biggie, she's good with taking medicine. And she's still in very goods spirits.
Thats in tonight. As Aaron told me to type: K-Boom C Ya ZZZZZZZ 8====D (don't ask.)
Tonight I had to work. Decent customers, so-so co-workers. Whatever.
The good part of the night was the karaoke-induced drinking, or perhaps the drinking-induced karaoke that ensued afterwards.
WHY IS SETH ROGAN EVERYWHERE???? Apparently he's on Jimmy Fallon tonight, but I digress. (Well, not litterally ON, but whatever.)
So there's this guy at karaoke who calls himself "Beefy", and he did the song 'Enormous Penis' by DaVinci's Notebook. There were two gals that I know from bowling doing, shall we say, back-up dancing with the song. Hence the title Beefy and the Beefettes. It's the biggest laugh I've gotten all night (and the title was my mom's creation. Bless her.)
I had to take Autumn to the walk-in clinic today. She started coughing a lot this morning, and it sounded just awful. I'd never heard this type of cough from her before, so I figured better safe than sorry. Thankfully, it's just some swollen vocal cords, and we've got some medicine that she only has to take today and tomorrow. No biggie, she's good with taking medicine. And she's still in very goods spirits.
Thats in tonight. As Aaron told me to type: K-Boom C Ya ZZZZZZZ 8====D (don't ask.)
Captain's Blog, Star date April Foolishness 20000969
So, I'm cutting this down to the wire, for getting my first blog of April in. Meh.
Autumn's been under the weather, but it sounds like a throat thing she had a couple weeks ago, so we're not too worried. We're just keeping her in the house and cranking out the fluids for her.
Today I had to work, which I was totally dreading. The manager I had to close with just had her grandmother and dog pass away in the past couple days. Now, typically, I'd be totally sympathetic and gentle about all of this. However, this woman seems to thrive on drama - whether it really is there or not - and frankly, grandma has been of ill health for years now. In fact, there was a bit of a joke going around that grandma has actually been dead since the 80's. On the contrary, she was in good spirits last night. It was the total opposite of what I was expecting. Neat.
That's all for now. Until tomorrow...
Autumn's been under the weather, but it sounds like a throat thing she had a couple weeks ago, so we're not too worried. We're just keeping her in the house and cranking out the fluids for her.
Today I had to work, which I was totally dreading. The manager I had to close with just had her grandmother and dog pass away in the past couple days. Now, typically, I'd be totally sympathetic and gentle about all of this. However, this woman seems to thrive on drama - whether it really is there or not - and frankly, grandma has been of ill health for years now. In fact, there was a bit of a joke going around that grandma has actually been dead since the 80's. On the contrary, she was in good spirits last night. It was the total opposite of what I was expecting. Neat.
That's all for now. Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
So, um, yeah.
Reading my sis-in-law's blog, I read that April is another NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). So I guess I'll give it a shot. Yeah, I'm starting a day...OK, an hour early. Deal.
Had another awesome Pagan discussion group meeting tonight. The gal who was supposed to do the "teaching" wasn't able to make it, and the group "leader" (she doesn't like that title, as she really doesn't want the group to have a leader, but rather have it be a whole, equal unit) was going to be late due to an exam at school. So I whipped up a discussion about Feng Shui. I really need to practice what I teach.
Autumn's been a bit under the weather. She had an icky sounding throat a few weeks ago, and it sounds very similar to that. I'm just hoping she can still sleep decent. I've been hearing peeps from her through the baby monitor all night. Thankfully, we did not take her to tonight's meeting, and Aaron stayed home with her.
I should really head to bed. I've been eating too much tonight, and I feel like crap because of it. Sigh. It's off to the Y tomorrow...
Had another awesome Pagan discussion group meeting tonight. The gal who was supposed to do the "teaching" wasn't able to make it, and the group "leader" (she doesn't like that title, as she really doesn't want the group to have a leader, but rather have it be a whole, equal unit) was going to be late due to an exam at school. So I whipped up a discussion about Feng Shui. I really need to practice what I teach.
Autumn's been a bit under the weather. She had an icky sounding throat a few weeks ago, and it sounds very similar to that. I'm just hoping she can still sleep decent. I've been hearing peeps from her through the baby monitor all night. Thankfully, we did not take her to tonight's meeting, and Aaron stayed home with her.
I should really head to bed. I've been eating too much tonight, and I feel like crap because of it. Sigh. It's off to the Y tomorrow...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Earthfest and fam'ly days and camps, OH MY!
Events are busting out all over, and I couldn't be happier.
Today I got the official 'thumbs up' from the 4-H committee to use Camp Riversite for Midsummer Fest. Now it's time to get off my butt and, well, sit in front of the computer to get my paperwork and advertising together. Go fig. Thankfully my crack team of Pagan mamas (and one daddy) are on the job.
A few days ago I found out that Pizza Hut will be holding a "Family Fun Day" to be a fundraiser for Camp Heartland. This is a camp that Pizza Hut has sponsored for several years, and is for children with HIV/AIDS. Our particular store always kicks ass, typically taking first place in the area (unfortunately second last year). Basically I'll be creating a mini Kids Korner from Earthfest. A tiny scrap of scribbled-on paper and twenty minutes later, I've pretty much got the whole thing planned.
Sadly, Earthfest is sort of low on the priority list. It's not until August. There are two fundraisers in the coming month and a half, but they're pretty much set up.
Aaron's done with his temp job assignment for now, due to some totally BS circumstances. On the bright side, no more having the alarm go off hours before dawn. I'm not exactly a morning person, to say the least.
This is the stuff I live for, though. Blissfully, all the events I'm working with are family-friendly, so including Autumn, Aaron, and my friends with their kids in everything is hardly a stretch. I hate to put it this way, but I'm glad having a child hasn't taken me away from the events I love to put together. In fact, being a mom helps me look at it from a different angle, which makes these things turn out better.
Tomorrow is my day off, starting with swimming class the Y with Autumn. It's gonna be a good day.
Today I got the official 'thumbs up' from the 4-H committee to use Camp Riversite for Midsummer Fest. Now it's time to get off my butt and, well, sit in front of the computer to get my paperwork and advertising together. Go fig. Thankfully my crack team of Pagan mamas (and one daddy) are on the job.
A few days ago I found out that Pizza Hut will be holding a "Family Fun Day" to be a fundraiser for Camp Heartland. This is a camp that Pizza Hut has sponsored for several years, and is for children with HIV/AIDS. Our particular store always kicks ass, typically taking first place in the area (unfortunately second last year). Basically I'll be creating a mini Kids Korner from Earthfest. A tiny scrap of scribbled-on paper and twenty minutes later, I've pretty much got the whole thing planned.
Sadly, Earthfest is sort of low on the priority list. It's not until August. There are two fundraisers in the coming month and a half, but they're pretty much set up.
Aaron's done with his temp job assignment for now, due to some totally BS circumstances. On the bright side, no more having the alarm go off hours before dawn. I'm not exactly a morning person, to say the least.
This is the stuff I live for, though. Blissfully, all the events I'm working with are family-friendly, so including Autumn, Aaron, and my friends with their kids in everything is hardly a stretch. I hate to put it this way, but I'm glad having a child hasn't taken me away from the events I love to put together. In fact, being a mom helps me look at it from a different angle, which makes these things turn out better.
Tomorrow is my day off, starting with swimming class the Y with Autumn. It's gonna be a good day.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I just don't know anymore...
I'm feeling a bit off right now, and my right hand is really, really cold, so I'm having a hellova time typing. Anywho...
So, Aaron's working a temp job this week. It's nowhere near permanant, but it kinda gets him back into the swing of things. Hopefully this is a good sign that there is at least SOMETHING out there, now. I'm not holding my breath. I think this is good for the both of us, though. It's been five months since Aaron's been out of work. Sadly, I almost feel more productive when I'm here by myself, with Autumn, of course. It's kind of this weird feeling that - even though you are married and live together - you need to entertain the other person here, which prevents me from being motivated to do housework. I don't mind housework, and Autumn is pretty cooperative when I want to get things done. I just haven't had the desire lately. Heck, I even did dishes yesterday, and that's usually Aaron's territory.
Next, I'm starting to seriously reconsider staying with Home Instead...again. We really need the little bit of extra money, but I just had two former clients pass away this week. Both were in their 30's. One passed last year, and I found out via newspaper obit the night Aaron and I went out for our anniversary. I was very close to her, so to the point that I brought Autumn to see her while she was in a nursing home. I took care of that woman through a good part of my pregnancy. These last two, I weren't particularly close to, but one was a friend of my uncle's, and the other I took care of for most of my pregnancy, even though we didn't quite "get along", per se. It's still not that easy.
I had a good workout at the Y today, though. And if I didn't this paragraph would be written much differently. I haven't lost any weight in months. I know my diet has a lot to do with that, but the timing of my job, and the fact that it's friggin' Pizza Hut is killing the whole plan. I'm feeling very stuck, and there are more and more days when I wonder why I even bother going to the Y. Like I said, today brought a good workout, where I gave myself a goal and actually stuck to it. I'm going to a weekly workout class called Zumba. It's based on a lot of Latin dance, and it's actually a lot of fun, except for the fact that I have the rhythm of a white girl. And that I'm totally envious of the gorgeous redhead that leads the class. But the participants come in all shapes, sizes and abilities, so I don't feel like I stand out, which is a good thing.
Today's been a good day so far. Autumn's sleep pattern completely meshed with what we needed it to this morning, she's taking a good nap now, and I'm feeling alright. I've been on an antibiotic for this apparently "chronic" sinus issue I've been dealing with. I had sinus problems for 6 months of my pregnancy, thinking it was just the wonky hormones. But when I got it again, I hit the doctor's office once the one month mark hit. I'm NOT going another six months like that. And it seems to be working. Yay.
Daisy's empty cage is still sitting behind me. It's been nearly a month, I just realized. And a tear is still welling up behind my eyes. We were supposed to do a little something to honor her at the Ostara ritual, but it was cancelled due to the fact that the host family came down with a nasty stomach flu. I don't know what to do with it. It's junk, really, since there's a large crack on one side. I just don't have the heart to move it yet.
So, Aaron's working a temp job this week. It's nowhere near permanant, but it kinda gets him back into the swing of things. Hopefully this is a good sign that there is at least SOMETHING out there, now. I'm not holding my breath. I think this is good for the both of us, though. It's been five months since Aaron's been out of work. Sadly, I almost feel more productive when I'm here by myself, with Autumn, of course. It's kind of this weird feeling that - even though you are married and live together - you need to entertain the other person here, which prevents me from being motivated to do housework. I don't mind housework, and Autumn is pretty cooperative when I want to get things done. I just haven't had the desire lately. Heck, I even did dishes yesterday, and that's usually Aaron's territory.
Next, I'm starting to seriously reconsider staying with Home Instead...again. We really need the little bit of extra money, but I just had two former clients pass away this week. Both were in their 30's. One passed last year, and I found out via newspaper obit the night Aaron and I went out for our anniversary. I was very close to her, so to the point that I brought Autumn to see her while she was in a nursing home. I took care of that woman through a good part of my pregnancy. These last two, I weren't particularly close to, but one was a friend of my uncle's, and the other I took care of for most of my pregnancy, even though we didn't quite "get along", per se. It's still not that easy.
I had a good workout at the Y today, though. And if I didn't this paragraph would be written much differently. I haven't lost any weight in months. I know my diet has a lot to do with that, but the timing of my job, and the fact that it's friggin' Pizza Hut is killing the whole plan. I'm feeling very stuck, and there are more and more days when I wonder why I even bother going to the Y. Like I said, today brought a good workout, where I gave myself a goal and actually stuck to it. I'm going to a weekly workout class called Zumba. It's based on a lot of Latin dance, and it's actually a lot of fun, except for the fact that I have the rhythm of a white girl. And that I'm totally envious of the gorgeous redhead that leads the class. But the participants come in all shapes, sizes and abilities, so I don't feel like I stand out, which is a good thing.
Today's been a good day so far. Autumn's sleep pattern completely meshed with what we needed it to this morning, she's taking a good nap now, and I'm feeling alright. I've been on an antibiotic for this apparently "chronic" sinus issue I've been dealing with. I had sinus problems for 6 months of my pregnancy, thinking it was just the wonky hormones. But when I got it again, I hit the doctor's office once the one month mark hit. I'm NOT going another six months like that. And it seems to be working. Yay.
Daisy's empty cage is still sitting behind me. It's been nearly a month, I just realized. And a tear is still welling up behind my eyes. We were supposed to do a little something to honor her at the Ostara ritual, but it was cancelled due to the fact that the host family came down with a nasty stomach flu. I don't know what to do with it. It's junk, really, since there's a large crack on one side. I just don't have the heart to move it yet.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Yeesh, it's been too long again...
So, first I'm going to get this out: We have "unofficially" gotten the OK to use Camp Riversite for Midsummer Fest. The chairwoman read the letter I presented and was very positive about the whole thing. She got the feeling that we are a non-profit without the legal title. I can finally get the ball rolling. YAY!!!
The good streak at the weekly Pagan discussion group that we've been attending continues. There was no illuminating realizations or anything. It's just been good. Bronwen, who recently published her first book, has spring break from school next week and wanted to take a road trip to Appleton next Tuesday, which sounds like a total blast. I'm totally looking forward to it.
Autumn continues to amaze Aaron and I. There aren't any major stories to tell or anything, she just keeps growing and getting smarter. I guess there is one story; Last week we went to our (what we can loosely call a) mall, which has a play area in the center for toddlers. Autumn was the smallest child there, as usual, and there were a few kids who were blatantly pushy and commanding, and they kept knocking Autumn off the steps for the slide. She wasn't getting physically hurt, nor did she fuss, so we let her do her own thing, no matter how irritated we got. It just amazed Aaron and myself on how unphased she was. She managed to just say "the heck with you, I'll go do someting else." Bless her heart.
There was a bunch of other crap at work, nothing major. Life goes on. I feel like there should be more to write, but I'm drawing a blank. Until next time, then...
The good streak at the weekly Pagan discussion group that we've been attending continues. There was no illuminating realizations or anything. It's just been good. Bronwen, who recently published her first book, has spring break from school next week and wanted to take a road trip to Appleton next Tuesday, which sounds like a total blast. I'm totally looking forward to it.
Autumn continues to amaze Aaron and I. There aren't any major stories to tell or anything, she just keeps growing and getting smarter. I guess there is one story; Last week we went to our (what we can loosely call a) mall, which has a play area in the center for toddlers. Autumn was the smallest child there, as usual, and there were a few kids who were blatantly pushy and commanding, and they kept knocking Autumn off the steps for the slide. She wasn't getting physically hurt, nor did she fuss, so we let her do her own thing, no matter how irritated we got. It just amazed Aaron and myself on how unphased she was. She managed to just say "the heck with you, I'll go do someting else." Bless her heart.
There was a bunch of other crap at work, nothing major. Life goes on. I feel like there should be more to write, but I'm drawing a blank. Until next time, then...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Hey, Jane, get me off this crazy thing...
So, long story short, Daisy's teeth were just fine. The vet found multiple tumors. I don't have the heart to go through the whole thing, so I will simply direct you to Aaron's blog. He was the one to take her in to be put to sleep.
I've been crying all day on and off. I had bowling league tonight, which was little consolation.
The one positive thing that happened today was that in conversation, I discovered that my mom knows exactly which spiritual path I follow, and that she's OK with it. Several years ago, this topic came up - briefly - and my mom expressed her disappointment. My half-sister follows the same path, which she also knows, and Mom had nothing but positive things to say about her.
I'm wondering if my mom has since done some research. I know that, at the very least, she has seen me with the Earthfest crew, and of course, she attended Autumn's blessing ceremony, which was quite blatantly Pagan.
It's a relief to not have to sneak things around or use vague terms when it comes to my spiritual choices. At the very least, my family knows that this home is full of love. We are responsible, hard-working people who go day-to day normally like everyone else. We don't sacrifice goats, we don't travel on brooms (although, that would be cool), etc.
What a day. I keep looking back at the empty cage expecting a live creature to be there. She will be honored at Ostara, which appropriately celebrates new life with the symbols of eggs and rabbits. (sound familiar).
Rest in peace, Daisy. I hope you enjoyed your eight years on this earth.
I've been crying all day on and off. I had bowling league tonight, which was little consolation.
The one positive thing that happened today was that in conversation, I discovered that my mom knows exactly which spiritual path I follow, and that she's OK with it. Several years ago, this topic came up - briefly - and my mom expressed her disappointment. My half-sister follows the same path, which she also knows, and Mom had nothing but positive things to say about her.
I'm wondering if my mom has since done some research. I know that, at the very least, she has seen me with the Earthfest crew, and of course, she attended Autumn's blessing ceremony, which was quite blatantly Pagan.
It's a relief to not have to sneak things around or use vague terms when it comes to my spiritual choices. At the very least, my family knows that this home is full of love. We are responsible, hard-working people who go day-to day normally like everyone else. We don't sacrifice goats, we don't travel on brooms (although, that would be cool), etc.
What a day. I keep looking back at the empty cage expecting a live creature to be there. She will be honored at Ostara, which appropriately celebrates new life with the symbols of eggs and rabbits. (sound familiar).
Rest in peace, Daisy. I hope you enjoyed your eight years on this earth.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Boy Scouts, Bunnies and...WTF MORE BLODDY SNOW???
Dammit, I'm so sick of winter. I usually love winter, but this one's been freakin' useless.
Anywho, tonight was Darren and Michael's annual Blue and Gold Banquet for cub scouts. It was a fun ceremony which Autumn sat so wonderfully for throughout, with a few "get the wiggles out" breaks in between. Darren completed this phase of scouts, and crossed over tonight, so that he will join Boy Scouts next year. I'm so proud of the guy.
So, of course, Samantha bought a few things for Darren to celebrate; a sash for his badges in the coming years, a Scout bookmark and a good ol' fashioned multi-tooled knife. Before the tissue paper even hit the floor, Michael's already in tears because he did not recieve any gifts. "It's not fair" is his explanation. No logic that this was Darren's time and that he will eventually get his could console the kid. I'm sorry, but he's eight. Samantha even agreed that he's at the age where no one will feel sorry for him. There's been a long-running tradition that Michael would get a gift at Darren's birthday parties so that he doesn't feel bad. I've made it well known that I think that needs to stop. From what I heard, he was a sore loser at the Pinewood Derby as well. I love Michael dearly, don't get me wrong, but his little drama fits are getting quite old. *perging complete*
Not everyone knows, but we have a rabbit named Daisy. I got her several years ago from a co-worker whose daughter was not really taking care of her. Lately I've noticed that Daisy had not been eating. Most smaller animals need a way to keep their teeth from getting to long, and somewhere along the line, I've neglected to prevent this from happening. Daisy has gotten very thin, and she will not drink her water or her rabbit feed. I've managed to get her to eat apple slices, carrots and lettuce. I'm hoping she's getting enough water in these foods. I can still her her teeth grinding when she eats, though. I'm thinking we may have to take her to the vet to get her teeth trimmed. I'm truly hoping this will help. I feel awful that I've neglected Daisy. She's somewhere between 6 and 8 years old, which is considered senior for a rabbit. It's possible that it may just be her time, but I still feel responsible. I just hope she's not suffering.
The quest to put together what I am now dubbing Midsummer Fest continues. I have a site picked out, but it is owned by 4-H, so I must prove to them that the camp will suit their mission; being family-friendly and educational. I think I'll be able to do that, I'm just trying to be delicate with the wording, as not to freak them out with our "crazy" Pagan traditions. The Tuesday night Tea and Talks group that I have been attending has some members that are very much looking forward to putting a great deal of effort into this camp. I'm totally excited to be working with them. It's pretty much up to whether or not we get the campsite. As soon as we get the thumbs up, we get to move forward from there.
The dust has settled at work. There was another brief issue that was brought up on Friday, but I was able to talk to the person right away and had it (somewhat) resolved. I don't think it will ever be completely resolved, as we are two very strong-opinioned people, but that's the way it rolls. I gotta go back to work tomorrow and drive in this white crap. I just hope it yeilds a bit of extra cash, to at least make it worth my while.
Anywho, tonight was Darren and Michael's annual Blue and Gold Banquet for cub scouts. It was a fun ceremony which Autumn sat so wonderfully for throughout, with a few "get the wiggles out" breaks in between. Darren completed this phase of scouts, and crossed over tonight, so that he will join Boy Scouts next year. I'm so proud of the guy.
So, of course, Samantha bought a few things for Darren to celebrate; a sash for his badges in the coming years, a Scout bookmark and a good ol' fashioned multi-tooled knife. Before the tissue paper even hit the floor, Michael's already in tears because he did not recieve any gifts. "It's not fair" is his explanation. No logic that this was Darren's time and that he will eventually get his could console the kid. I'm sorry, but he's eight. Samantha even agreed that he's at the age where no one will feel sorry for him. There's been a long-running tradition that Michael would get a gift at Darren's birthday parties so that he doesn't feel bad. I've made it well known that I think that needs to stop. From what I heard, he was a sore loser at the Pinewood Derby as well. I love Michael dearly, don't get me wrong, but his little drama fits are getting quite old. *perging complete*
Not everyone knows, but we have a rabbit named Daisy. I got her several years ago from a co-worker whose daughter was not really taking care of her. Lately I've noticed that Daisy had not been eating. Most smaller animals need a way to keep their teeth from getting to long, and somewhere along the line, I've neglected to prevent this from happening. Daisy has gotten very thin, and she will not drink her water or her rabbit feed. I've managed to get her to eat apple slices, carrots and lettuce. I'm hoping she's getting enough water in these foods. I can still her her teeth grinding when she eats, though. I'm thinking we may have to take her to the vet to get her teeth trimmed. I'm truly hoping this will help. I feel awful that I've neglected Daisy. She's somewhere between 6 and 8 years old, which is considered senior for a rabbit. It's possible that it may just be her time, but I still feel responsible. I just hope she's not suffering.
The quest to put together what I am now dubbing Midsummer Fest continues. I have a site picked out, but it is owned by 4-H, so I must prove to them that the camp will suit their mission; being family-friendly and educational. I think I'll be able to do that, I'm just trying to be delicate with the wording, as not to freak them out with our "crazy" Pagan traditions. The Tuesday night Tea and Talks group that I have been attending has some members that are very much looking forward to putting a great deal of effort into this camp. I'm totally excited to be working with them. It's pretty much up to whether or not we get the campsite. As soon as we get the thumbs up, we get to move forward from there.
The dust has settled at work. There was another brief issue that was brought up on Friday, but I was able to talk to the person right away and had it (somewhat) resolved. I don't think it will ever be completely resolved, as we are two very strong-opinioned people, but that's the way it rolls. I gotta go back to work tomorrow and drive in this white crap. I just hope it yeilds a bit of extra cash, to at least make it worth my while.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Never a dull moment
Typically, I'm totally ok with not having dull moments. I'm just one of those people who like things to be going on at all times. Except for when I'm stuck at work late three nights in a row.
I know, working in food service, staying late when needed is part of the deal, and this does happen on a regular basis. However, my boss is a bit of a Labor Nazi, so she's always making sure everyone gets out on time whenever possible. This weekend was just insane from the delivery angle, and perhaps elsewhere as well, I'd have no idea, so there I was, whether I liked it or not.
Tonight I had a meeting with the other Earthfest organizers at 7:00, which is also when I was scheduled until. So imagine my frustration when we ended up with yet another busy night. Thankfully I was out by 7:20, and the others knew I was going to be late.
This has been a rough week all around. I've been feeling very down about busting my ass at work for what seems to be little to no recognition. I've also gained back what little weight I lost. I don't have the heart to change my weight loss ticker. I'm hoping to find out if my insurance will cover my talking to a nutritionist or someone of the like at the clinic. I know the general guidelines of what I should and should not eat, but I think I need specific rules to follow. I think that will be much easier to follow as opposed to "well, I'll just have a cheeseburger here and there," And by 'here and there' I mean whenever I don't have time to have a decent bite to eat at home.
This has not been a positive week. I can feel myself slipping back into the downward spiral I went through back when I worked at Pizza Hut the first time around. I'm not going to go into great detail about those days, but I was a manic mess. Now is a different time, though. I have obligations to my husband and daughter. I have many more responsibilites, and most of all, I simply don't want to go down that path again.
I've decided I'm going to try to do a Mini-Pagan Camp this summer. There is a huge camp put together by Circle Sanctuary called Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG). It's about a 15 hour drive from here and is getting increasingly more expensive to attend. There is a fair sized Pagan community here, and I think it's time I try to start a small gathering here.
Aaron pointed out to me that he thinks I tend to start up these projects when I need to feel in control. Or at least when I'm very much not in control at my job. My history does seem to create a connection. However, I feel like I should be doing something positive that improves the community around me. At work I don't feel like what I do is anything significant, so if there's a work/project connection, it lies in feeling valid. Plus I'm just one of those people who always needs to have something going on. He knows this about me, too.
I'm probably going to end up over my head, like I tend to do, but that's the fun of it. Seeing what your limits are. Five years ago I would have never considered this type of project. Wish me luck...
I know, working in food service, staying late when needed is part of the deal, and this does happen on a regular basis. However, my boss is a bit of a Labor Nazi, so she's always making sure everyone gets out on time whenever possible. This weekend was just insane from the delivery angle, and perhaps elsewhere as well, I'd have no idea, so there I was, whether I liked it or not.
Tonight I had a meeting with the other Earthfest organizers at 7:00, which is also when I was scheduled until. So imagine my frustration when we ended up with yet another busy night. Thankfully I was out by 7:20, and the others knew I was going to be late.
This has been a rough week all around. I've been feeling very down about busting my ass at work for what seems to be little to no recognition. I've also gained back what little weight I lost. I don't have the heart to change my weight loss ticker. I'm hoping to find out if my insurance will cover my talking to a nutritionist or someone of the like at the clinic. I know the general guidelines of what I should and should not eat, but I think I need specific rules to follow. I think that will be much easier to follow as opposed to "well, I'll just have a cheeseburger here and there," And by 'here and there' I mean whenever I don't have time to have a decent bite to eat at home.
This has not been a positive week. I can feel myself slipping back into the downward spiral I went through back when I worked at Pizza Hut the first time around. I'm not going to go into great detail about those days, but I was a manic mess. Now is a different time, though. I have obligations to my husband and daughter. I have many more responsibilites, and most of all, I simply don't want to go down that path again.
I've decided I'm going to try to do a Mini-Pagan Camp this summer. There is a huge camp put together by Circle Sanctuary called Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG). It's about a 15 hour drive from here and is getting increasingly more expensive to attend. There is a fair sized Pagan community here, and I think it's time I try to start a small gathering here.
Aaron pointed out to me that he thinks I tend to start up these projects when I need to feel in control. Or at least when I'm very much not in control at my job. My history does seem to create a connection. However, I feel like I should be doing something positive that improves the community around me. At work I don't feel like what I do is anything significant, so if there's a work/project connection, it lies in feeling valid. Plus I'm just one of those people who always needs to have something going on. He knows this about me, too.
I'm probably going to end up over my head, like I tend to do, but that's the fun of it. Seeing what your limits are. Five years ago I would have never considered this type of project. Wish me luck...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Bless me goddess, for I have slacked...
It has been nearly two weeks since my last blog and I wish I was in a better mood.
I had to work tonight, and the start of the night was, let's say, interesting. I was waitressing, and typically the first hour or so of my shift is slow enough to get some extra cleaning done. Another person was supposed to thoroughly clean the windows, and they didn't, so I volunteered. To do so, I had to (well, didn't "have to," but it made it a lot easier) sit on the table. My boss, Misty, came out to make a semi-smartass comment, which threw me off guard. I tried getting off the table, but it tipped a bit, the base snapped and it all went to hell. I did not fall, but it was a bit of a mess. Thankfully, Misty laughed at it since she was able to figure out a way to fix it.
The rest of the night was pretty standard. A few tables here and there, a few more just as I was about to clean, while annoying, not anything to ruin my night.
However, I've been feeling, for lack of a better word, underappreciated. Now, I know Misty and the other managers, except for one (that no one takes seriously anyway) actually does, indeed, appreciate what I do. I'm far from the perfect employee, I know this. But I can usually be counted on to do my job accurately, show up on time, and be pretty consistent.
The problem is that this is now the norm. We have several high schoolers who work at the Hut. Generally, I like them all. We get along quite well. But they're expected to be the goof-offs, so when they go through a night without screwing up too badly, "hip-hip hooray!" Last night I worked an extra two hours - making it a 10 hour day - to help the closing driver get prep done and help preventing what was already looking like a long night. I got a quick thank you from the closer, and that was about it.
Now, I appreciate thank you's as much as one can. I think those two words mean a lot. But again, it's not that odd for me to make sure certain things are done before I leave, no matter what the time is, so it was no big deal.
So, that's my whiny-assed work rant. I could go on about the above mentioned manager who no one takes seriously, but we'll save that for when we've got a juicy story about her. Oh yes, I've got one ready right now, but perhaps another time.
Tomorrow I don't have to work, which is a relief. But I have swimming class with Autumn in the morning and the Pagan discussion group in the evening. I'm very much looking forward to one whole day of nothing. Well, at least nothing scheduled.
Until next time, blah, blah, blah, some quasi-clever saying, etc.
I had to work tonight, and the start of the night was, let's say, interesting. I was waitressing, and typically the first hour or so of my shift is slow enough to get some extra cleaning done. Another person was supposed to thoroughly clean the windows, and they didn't, so I volunteered. To do so, I had to (well, didn't "have to," but it made it a lot easier) sit on the table. My boss, Misty, came out to make a semi-smartass comment, which threw me off guard. I tried getting off the table, but it tipped a bit, the base snapped and it all went to hell. I did not fall, but it was a bit of a mess. Thankfully, Misty laughed at it since she was able to figure out a way to fix it.
The rest of the night was pretty standard. A few tables here and there, a few more just as I was about to clean, while annoying, not anything to ruin my night.
However, I've been feeling, for lack of a better word, underappreciated. Now, I know Misty and the other managers, except for one (that no one takes seriously anyway) actually does, indeed, appreciate what I do. I'm far from the perfect employee, I know this. But I can usually be counted on to do my job accurately, show up on time, and be pretty consistent.
The problem is that this is now the norm. We have several high schoolers who work at the Hut. Generally, I like them all. We get along quite well. But they're expected to be the goof-offs, so when they go through a night without screwing up too badly, "hip-hip hooray!" Last night I worked an extra two hours - making it a 10 hour day - to help the closing driver get prep done and help preventing what was already looking like a long night. I got a quick thank you from the closer, and that was about it.
Now, I appreciate thank you's as much as one can. I think those two words mean a lot. But again, it's not that odd for me to make sure certain things are done before I leave, no matter what the time is, so it was no big deal.
So, that's my whiny-assed work rant. I could go on about the above mentioned manager who no one takes seriously, but we'll save that for when we've got a juicy story about her. Oh yes, I've got one ready right now, but perhaps another time.
Tomorrow I don't have to work, which is a relief. But I have swimming class with Autumn in the morning and the Pagan discussion group in the evening. I'm very much looking forward to one whole day of nothing. Well, at least nothing scheduled.
Until next time, blah, blah, blah, some quasi-clever saying, etc.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
When good times go bad.
As I've mentioned previously, I've started attending a Pagan discussion group through the Unitarian Universalist church in town. I'm loving it so far. However, things suddenly took a negative turn over the last week.
Last week, a man showed up for the first time, and in simple terms it was discussed that he wants to seek out a career in law enforcement, but most likely will never get anywhere because no one wants to "give him a chance". One woman, who has been a regular for a while now, mentioned last week that she wanted to discuss visions this week. Between the two meetings, it was revealed that this man is a registered sex offender for sexual assault of a child under 15, with violence and possibly a weapon being involved.
That said, we had talked about bringing children to the group. Aaron and I still brought Autumn, but Bronwen, another regular, said her husband refused to bring her four-year-old. I can't say I blame her.
In the emails during the week I said I didn't want to simply brush off the man's record, but he did declare that all he is asking for is a second chance, and I was willing to give it to him, until I heard what happened before tonight's meeting. The woman wanting to discuss visions arrived 40 minutes early, as she has the key to the building, and the man showed up just as early. The conversation, in a nutshell, was very uncomfortable and ended in the man asking where the woman lived.
That said, the man's "second chance" was over. We all agreed on it and the group leader will respectfully ask the man to not return to the group.
It's so tough to decide what is right in this situation. I agree with asking the man to not return, but he wants a second chance. On the other hand, the above-mentioned woman was able to find his sex offender registry without knowing his last name, and had seen him doing it again in a vision.
As was discussed in a previous meeting when we talked about divination, the future can always change. Just because one has a vision or your tarot says one thing, that never sets anything in stone. Then again, I believe in "harm ye none..."
Hopefully we can move forward from here. I'm very much enjoying the education and community coming from this group. I'm slowly starting to feel like I'm reconnecting with my spirit. Now if my spirit could drag my butt back to the Y.
Last week, a man showed up for the first time, and in simple terms it was discussed that he wants to seek out a career in law enforcement, but most likely will never get anywhere because no one wants to "give him a chance". One woman, who has been a regular for a while now, mentioned last week that she wanted to discuss visions this week. Between the two meetings, it was revealed that this man is a registered sex offender for sexual assault of a child under 15, with violence and possibly a weapon being involved.
That said, we had talked about bringing children to the group. Aaron and I still brought Autumn, but Bronwen, another regular, said her husband refused to bring her four-year-old. I can't say I blame her.
In the emails during the week I said I didn't want to simply brush off the man's record, but he did declare that all he is asking for is a second chance, and I was willing to give it to him, until I heard what happened before tonight's meeting. The woman wanting to discuss visions arrived 40 minutes early, as she has the key to the building, and the man showed up just as early. The conversation, in a nutshell, was very uncomfortable and ended in the man asking where the woman lived.
That said, the man's "second chance" was over. We all agreed on it and the group leader will respectfully ask the man to not return to the group.
It's so tough to decide what is right in this situation. I agree with asking the man to not return, but he wants a second chance. On the other hand, the above-mentioned woman was able to find his sex offender registry without knowing his last name, and had seen him doing it again in a vision.
As was discussed in a previous meeting when we talked about divination, the future can always change. Just because one has a vision or your tarot says one thing, that never sets anything in stone. Then again, I believe in "harm ye none..."
Hopefully we can move forward from here. I'm very much enjoying the education and community coming from this group. I'm slowly starting to feel like I'm reconnecting with my spirit. Now if my spirit could drag my butt back to the Y.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
I need a label-maker. Mine's broken.
I've often been found saying that I hate giving myself a label of any kind. The big "non-label" that I deal with is my religion. I call myself Pagan, but it's really a mish-mosh with heavy Pagan roots.
Some labels I don't mind; Mom, wife, daughter, friend. These roles are very important to me, and I take great pride in them.
In the midst of all the chaos yesterday, one of my managers at the Hut, Dan, and I had a talk in regards to a situation where I felt some of the younger 'kids' at work were being favored. (I swear, there's a connection, here. Bear with me.) One issue I have at work, and this happens in the world in general, is that there are workers who are considered screw-ups, goof-offs and things of the like. When they go through a whole day of work with out any major snafus, they get a hearty pat on the back. The rest of us are expected to maintain a higher standard of work ethic, so it's harder to receive recognition for much of anything.
So here's where the two merge. I wonder where I stand in the workplace and in the world amongst strangers, at the bars, as an example. I'm not the model employee, I know this, but I don't screw up or goof off as much as some. I'm somewhere in the middle. I stayed two extra hours at work last night because I felt it was only fair to have the dining room properly prepared for the opening waitress. For many there would be a big "wow" factor, but for me, it's just what is expected. When I go out to the bars by myself, I have my circle of acquaintances, which I'm just fine with. I sing karaoke, and I'm pretty fair at it. I'll never make it to American Idol, but I can carry a tune. As I mentioned yesterday, there's one guy I see regularly who I like to label the "ultimate entertainer." He looks goofy when he's up singing, but not in a way where you take pity on the guy. He's genuinely fun.
I'm not extraordinarily good at any one thing. To use a cliche, I'm a "Jane-of-all-trades, master of none." I help organize Earthfest, I've performed in plays, but never have I been the head of an event or a lead role. If the world's a stage, I'm "girl #2".
At the same time, I know to be careful what I wish for. Many guys at my school knew who I was back in my high school days, and it was only because they had to know my name to make some god-awful variation to call me fat or ugly.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, my husband constantly reminds me of how wonderful of a mother and wife I am to this family. It's certainly not that I don't appreciate the recognition. And I'm proud beyond belief of being the mother of an extraordinary daughter. I guess I just wish I had a bit more to go off of.
Off to bed, yet again, at a late hour. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a bit of cold sunshine. (no, seriously, we're looking at a high of 10 for tomorrow.)
Some labels I don't mind; Mom, wife, daughter, friend. These roles are very important to me, and I take great pride in them.
In the midst of all the chaos yesterday, one of my managers at the Hut, Dan, and I had a talk in regards to a situation where I felt some of the younger 'kids' at work were being favored. (I swear, there's a connection, here. Bear with me.) One issue I have at work, and this happens in the world in general, is that there are workers who are considered screw-ups, goof-offs and things of the like. When they go through a whole day of work with out any major snafus, they get a hearty pat on the back. The rest of us are expected to maintain a higher standard of work ethic, so it's harder to receive recognition for much of anything.
So here's where the two merge. I wonder where I stand in the workplace and in the world amongst strangers, at the bars, as an example. I'm not the model employee, I know this, but I don't screw up or goof off as much as some. I'm somewhere in the middle. I stayed two extra hours at work last night because I felt it was only fair to have the dining room properly prepared for the opening waitress. For many there would be a big "wow" factor, but for me, it's just what is expected. When I go out to the bars by myself, I have my circle of acquaintances, which I'm just fine with. I sing karaoke, and I'm pretty fair at it. I'll never make it to American Idol, but I can carry a tune. As I mentioned yesterday, there's one guy I see regularly who I like to label the "ultimate entertainer." He looks goofy when he's up singing, but not in a way where you take pity on the guy. He's genuinely fun.
I'm not extraordinarily good at any one thing. To use a cliche, I'm a "Jane-of-all-trades, master of none." I help organize Earthfest, I've performed in plays, but never have I been the head of an event or a lead role. If the world's a stage, I'm "girl #2".
At the same time, I know to be careful what I wish for. Many guys at my school knew who I was back in my high school days, and it was only because they had to know my name to make some god-awful variation to call me fat or ugly.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, my husband constantly reminds me of how wonderful of a mother and wife I am to this family. It's certainly not that I don't appreciate the recognition. And I'm proud beyond belief of being the mother of an extraordinary daughter. I guess I just wish I had a bit more to go off of.
Off to bed, yet again, at a late hour. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a bit of cold sunshine. (no, seriously, we're looking at a high of 10 for tomorrow.)
Friday, January 23, 2009
(un)Grateful (brain)Dead
So tonight was Michael's birthday party. Being the genius that I am, I volunteered to have the second half of it at Pizza Hut, since I was already serving and could not attend otherwise. Aaron and I said we'd pay for the food and I decorated Michael's cake (which took over 3 hours to do). Now, I don't mind doing any of these things. I love Darren and Michael dearly.
It came to a few hours before the party was to start at Blue Harbor, and Aaron called the boys' mom, Samantha, to verify times and schedule, etc. We found out at that moment that the invites said for the parents to pick up the kids at 8:30. I'm scheduled till 9 and 20-plus people's worth of crap is a lot to clean. Aaron tries to explain that this is a bit late for Autumn as well as the sake of my job at hand, and she replies that there's no school tomorrow, so it's not late for the kids. With some frustrated backing and forthing, Samantha is not getting it, nor is she listening anymore, so Aaron hangs up. She and I end in a text-fight, where I explain that we're frustrated at the lack of communication. Long story short, she goes into bullshit semantics, and I ask for a truce.
Aaron's parents show up at the Hut well before the party arrives and I find that Samantha had given the wrong location on the invites (there are two Pizza Hut's in town) . Can we call this a communication breakdown yet?
The party itself is a success, I have a mess to clean, but I am prepared for it. Samantha's boyfriend, Jon (who I've long ago established as a guy I think highly of-so why is he with her???) is the only one from Samantha's side of the "family" to acknowledge what kind of task I took on and gave me a sincere "thank you". I'm the type who believes those two words mean everything. Sure, I got a thank you from Samantha, as she had one hand on the door heading out, and I said "bye" to them first. Maybe it's just me, but it didn't seem all that sincere anyway.
Two hours after my scheduled shift I head out. The original plan was that I was going to meet up with my mom at the bowling alley up the street, like we often do on Thursdays. She bailed out to go out with some of the bowling teammates for a preemptive birthday celebration.
I decided to hit Hopps Haven where I knew there would be karaoke. There is a regular there, named Aaron, who is the ultimate performer. He dances with more gusto and vibe than anyone finding themselves dancing alone while cleaning their house. Oh, and he does a bad-ass "Baby Got Back" that puts Sir Mix-a-Lot to shame. As I watch this guy, I sit and wonder what it takes to be so free and unashamed of himself. More people need to be like him, myself included.
After two 7-and-7's on an empty stomach I'm still feeling like shit (in fact, a bit worse for the wear), so of course I hit Taco Bell and come home to eat and vent/blog. I gotta work in about six hours so I better get my ass to bed.
Keep on Truckin'.
It came to a few hours before the party was to start at Blue Harbor, and Aaron called the boys' mom, Samantha, to verify times and schedule, etc. We found out at that moment that the invites said for the parents to pick up the kids at 8:30. I'm scheduled till 9 and 20-plus people's worth of crap is a lot to clean. Aaron tries to explain that this is a bit late for Autumn as well as the sake of my job at hand, and she replies that there's no school tomorrow, so it's not late for the kids. With some frustrated backing and forthing, Samantha is not getting it, nor is she listening anymore, so Aaron hangs up. She and I end in a text-fight, where I explain that we're frustrated at the lack of communication. Long story short, she goes into bullshit semantics, and I ask for a truce.
Aaron's parents show up at the Hut well before the party arrives and I find that Samantha had given the wrong location on the invites (there are two Pizza Hut's in town) . Can we call this a communication breakdown yet?
The party itself is a success, I have a mess to clean, but I am prepared for it. Samantha's boyfriend, Jon (who I've long ago established as a guy I think highly of-so why is he with her???) is the only one from Samantha's side of the "family" to acknowledge what kind of task I took on and gave me a sincere "thank you". I'm the type who believes those two words mean everything. Sure, I got a thank you from Samantha, as she had one hand on the door heading out, and I said "bye" to them first. Maybe it's just me, but it didn't seem all that sincere anyway.
Two hours after my scheduled shift I head out. The original plan was that I was going to meet up with my mom at the bowling alley up the street, like we often do on Thursdays. She bailed out to go out with some of the bowling teammates for a preemptive birthday celebration.
I decided to hit Hopps Haven where I knew there would be karaoke. There is a regular there, named Aaron, who is the ultimate performer. He dances with more gusto and vibe than anyone finding themselves dancing alone while cleaning their house. Oh, and he does a bad-ass "Baby Got Back" that puts Sir Mix-a-Lot to shame. As I watch this guy, I sit and wonder what it takes to be so free and unashamed of himself. More people need to be like him, myself included.
After two 7-and-7's on an empty stomach I'm still feeling like shit (in fact, a bit worse for the wear), so of course I hit Taco Bell and come home to eat and vent/blog. I gotta work in about six hours so I better get my ass to bed.
Keep on Truckin'.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Stuff (at a lack of a creative title today)
Boy, am I doing better today. Yesterday I came home pissed about a two-minute situation at the end of my work shift, came home to a stressed husband, then went back to work today knowing I'd have to confront the situation from last night.
Work went significantly better than I expected. I found myself tattling on myself to my boss in order to explain where my frustration came from. Thankfully the other person's wrongdoing greatly overshadowed mine. Confused? Too bad.
Anywho, things got resolved, my boss sided with me and I came home to a much happier husband. The weather is starting to behave again so I will be able to bring Autumn to our swimming class again tomorrow. I skipped out on the Y all last week and I'm feeling like a total schmuck for doing so.
Michael's birthday party is this Thursday, and I volunteered to make his cake. I may be regretting this in 24 to 72 hours. The idea is based on a cake I saw online with classic Super Mario Brothers as the theme. Pictures of the catastrophe to follow.
Oh yeah, and did I mention my house is falling apart? The kitchen sink got severely clogged from excess cake and frosting crap on Saturday and I just today was able to get around to working on it. The plunger didn't work, Liquid Plumber didn't stand a chance, so I went to the almighty Internet for advice. "Plug the other side of the sink and plunge away"* it said. And whadya know? It worked! Meanwhile, I have a faucet in the basement where a washer has been worn to oblivion, so when it's on at all, it sprays everywhere. This faucet is for our clothes washer, so it can be turned off for now, but we'll need clean clothes sooner or later. Home Depot better have someone in plumbing who knows shit working tomorrow, or I'll start firebombing. No I won't.
*slightly paraphrased.
Work went significantly better than I expected. I found myself tattling on myself to my boss in order to explain where my frustration came from. Thankfully the other person's wrongdoing greatly overshadowed mine. Confused? Too bad.
Anywho, things got resolved, my boss sided with me and I came home to a much happier husband. The weather is starting to behave again so I will be able to bring Autumn to our swimming class again tomorrow. I skipped out on the Y all last week and I'm feeling like a total schmuck for doing so.
Michael's birthday party is this Thursday, and I volunteered to make his cake. I may be regretting this in 24 to 72 hours. The idea is based on a cake I saw online with classic Super Mario Brothers as the theme. Pictures of the catastrophe to follow.
Oh yeah, and did I mention my house is falling apart? The kitchen sink got severely clogged from excess cake and frosting crap on Saturday and I just today was able to get around to working on it. The plunger didn't work, Liquid Plumber didn't stand a chance, so I went to the almighty Internet for advice. "Plug the other side of the sink and plunge away"* it said. And whadya know? It worked! Meanwhile, I have a faucet in the basement where a washer has been worn to oblivion, so when it's on at all, it sprays everywhere. This faucet is for our clothes washer, so it can be turned off for now, but we'll need clean clothes sooner or later. Home Depot better have someone in plumbing who knows shit working tomorrow, or I'll start firebombing. No I won't.
*slightly paraphrased.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Diapers and Liquid Plumber
True story; After a visit to my grandparents, we ran to Target to pick up diapers for Autumn and Liquid Plumber for our kitchen sink. "What an odd combination," I thought to myself. Then I found that the man in front of me at the checkout had the exact same combination, the only difference being the brand of diapers. The man and I got a good laugh...
Today was Autumn's first birthday party, and it went incredibly well. Grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends came to celebrate. I even managed to bake the cake from scratch using Splenda. The only negative reaction I caught was that one person didn't care for the frosting. It was more filling that we had expected. I'm just glad it was edible.
Somewhere along the line, before the party, one of our kitchen sinks got ridiculously clogged. I mean, really, really clogged. I had half of a bottle of Liquid Plumber already in the house, but to no avail. Good ol' plunger? Nothing. Oy...
The party was filled with adorable moments, not enough of which were caught on camera. My friend Amanda, whose daughter Gabby is only six days younger than Autumn, stopped by for a few minutes. Autumn approached Gabby and gave her a big bear hug. Unfortunately, the roaring "awwww" thereafter scared Gabby a bit and made her fuss. Another baby, Reilly (seven month-old son of my good friend Robyn) got another one of Autumn's famous hugs, and he took it quite well. There was ripped paper, laughter, happy noises, and all kinds of things that baby memories are made of.
I also got the perfect "cake shot". You know, the one every mother needs to get of their kid on their first birthday after they've wreaked havoc on the frosting. As you can see, there was lots of blue. My grandparents, who live in Sheboygan Falls, chose not to come to the party due to the snowy weather. The weather really wasn't too bad but my grandmother has a hard time moving around and just didn't want to risk falling. So we brought a party to their house. We had a wonderful visit, just Aaron, Autumn and myself.
Which brings us to Target, purchasing diapers and Liquid Plumber.
Meanwhile, I skipped out on the Y this week, and I feel like absolute crap for it. Of course it doesn't help when it's closed two days of the week due to insanely cold temperatures.
Thursday Autumn had her one-year portraits taken at Sears, which took all of fifteen minutes. The kid's a rock star. Yesterday was her doctor's appointment, where the poor girl was a human pin cushion; three vaccinations plus having blood drawn for a lead screening. She didn't bounce back from the shots as quickly as she usually does. It broke my heart, as usual.
I'm really hoping the weather starts to get back into shape. I hate having to re-arrange my schedule because of it. I need to get back to the Y and get my usual shtick back in order.
I have so much more to say, but I'm just too tired to type any m
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Babes in Toyboxes
Today I got a video of Autumn, who had already crawled into her toybox, hang out, throw a few toys out of said box, and crawl out. It doesn't sound extraordinary, but it was cute as hell.
I haven't changed the ticker yet, but I'm up to losing five pounds! I slacked so horribly during the two weeks of Christmas and New Years. It didn't help that the Y kept closing down for snow days for a while, either. I'm back on track, now. Of course I say this as my husband is currently out picking up a McDonald's supper. Sigh. More time on the treadmill tomorrow.
I'm working on putting Autumn's 1st birthday party together...which is next week!! Why do I constantly talk about having to clean the house for the next get-together on this blog????
That's it for now. Just thought I'd post since it's been over a week. Laterz.
I haven't changed the ticker yet, but I'm up to losing five pounds! I slacked so horribly during the two weeks of Christmas and New Years. It didn't help that the Y kept closing down for snow days for a while, either. I'm back on track, now. Of course I say this as my husband is currently out picking up a McDonald's supper. Sigh. More time on the treadmill tomorrow.
I'm working on putting Autumn's 1st birthday party together...which is next week!! Why do I constantly talk about having to clean the house for the next get-together on this blog????
That's it for now. Just thought I'd post since it's been over a week. Laterz.
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