It has been one year since I started this blog. It is amazing how much can happen in a year. Here are some stats:
Injuries:
Number of cars crunched:
pictures posted:
blog entries posted: 196 WOW
new skills: Kay can walk and talk! Cam reads and spells like a pro. He has been able to for a while but he is really good at it now. Taylor can navigate the high school experience. Jeff is awesome at being a superviser at work. I am learning to be nocturnal.
New babies born in our families: 2
Deaths: 2
Weddings: 1
approximate hours worked: 2080 outside the home. It is impossible to calculate the number of hours worked inside the home.
Barbeques and family gatherings at our house:
approximate number of loads of laundry: 520
Rooms painted: 11 I think. Seems like more than that. Mom's bathroom, Cam's room Kay's room, master bedroom, master bathroom, hallway, kitchen, dining room, family room, front room, sun room.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
JDMC Family Fun Fest
Family night at work. Food and games. The kids had fun. It was really nice for them to have everyone out.
Monday, August 25, 2008
More cute kid quotes, they never end. I love it.
All are thrilled with the new baby. Kay can't say Sydney so she calls her baby Sinny.
Kay also says "That teetoes" When we tickle her and she calls the letter "W" "BubbleU"
Now for Cam....
We were complementing him on what a good big brother he is because he is so patient with Kay. He understands that she is still little and sometimes not very good at sharing. I said you must really love your sister. He answered "Well I don't love her all the time."
Cam came and asked me to open a package of crackers so he and Kay could have a picnic snack. I asked him to please be carefull not to make a big mess for me to have to clean. He said "But Mom, you dance when you clean up."
I guess that is true. I spend a lot of time cleaning and when the kids help I try to make it fun so we do dance sometimes. I hope they haven't been making more messes just because they think it makes me happy to clean and dance. So I told him to try to keep the mess to a minimum and we could just dance for fun.
Kay also says "That teetoes" When we tickle her and she calls the letter "W" "BubbleU"
Now for Cam....
We were complementing him on what a good big brother he is because he is so patient with Kay. He understands that she is still little and sometimes not very good at sharing. I said you must really love your sister. He answered "Well I don't love her all the time."
Cam came and asked me to open a package of crackers so he and Kay could have a picnic snack. I asked him to please be carefull not to make a big mess for me to have to clean. He said "But Mom, you dance when you clean up."
I guess that is true. I spend a lot of time cleaning and when the kids help I try to make it fun so we do dance sometimes. I hope they haven't been making more messes just because they think it makes me happy to clean and dance. So I told him to try to keep the mess to a minimum and we could just dance for fun.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Baby and back to school
Announcing the arrival of baby Sydney Rogue.
Kids went back to school today.
Kids went back to school today.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Taylor is in high school
We enrolled at Norman North High School today. It snuck up on me like so many things in my life lately.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Mom's back surgery, Jenny arrives and the bathroom is finished.
Mom had her back surgery today. I will pick her up from the hospital in the morning. It went well and she is feeling better.
Jenny arrived for her visit today. She will be here until the 8th.
Mom's bathroom is finished. It looks really cute. We bought new hardware for the cabinets and a new toilet seat. Mom put up the wallpaper border.
Jenny arrived for her visit today. She will be here until the 8th.
Mom's bathroom is finished. It looks really cute. We bought new hardware for the cabinets and a new toilet seat. Mom put up the wallpaper border.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Cool hippie tye dye
We made tye dye shirts today. Cam has been asking to make one so we got the stuff and did one for every one. It was fun. Each one is very different.
Friday, August 1, 2008
More painting, new bed and Kay's orthopedic appointment
I started painting Mom's bathroom today. It is a very pretty chocolate brown.
We got a new mattress because the store was selling the floor model and it was tax free weekend. So we got a good deal but we really needed a new bed so I am very happy. We were sleeping on the floor on a twin mattress. Now we have a roomy queen size that is actually up on a frame and every thing. It is the first new mattress I have had since I was a little kid.
Kay had her one year follow up with her orthopedic doctor today. We got horrible lost at Children's hospital as we always do and wandered aroung the buildings for 45 minutes. We finally found Dr. Davey and he said Kay is doing great.
We got a new mattress because the store was selling the floor model and it was tax free weekend. So we got a good deal but we really needed a new bed so I am very happy. We were sleeping on the floor on a twin mattress. Now we have a roomy queen size that is actually up on a frame and every thing. It is the first new mattress I have had since I was a little kid.
Kay had her one year follow up with her orthopedic doctor today. We got horrible lost at Children's hospital as we always do and wandered aroung the buildings for 45 minutes. We finally found Dr. Davey and he said Kay is doing great.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Adventures on the CART bus with Grandma
When you don't have to pay attention to driving you notice all kinds of other things. Like the two guys skipping together in the Norman High School parking lot and the man golfing in the Sam's club parking lot. Also people on the bus are really nice.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Rachel sent us more signing time shows
Now Rachel has lots of help in the office to get everything done but when we first got involved Rachel still answered the phone at Two Little Hands. Cam remembers that and because he has been to visit the Signing Time group a few times they are part of our family. Rachel is like that really cool aunt that you don't get to see a whole lot but who sends fun packages in the mail. We got another package today with the latest DVDs. Cam always says Rachel sent me a package cause she loves me.
We got series two volume 11 Once Upon A Time and volume 12 Box Of Crayons. Rachel even signed them for us. We also got a Signing Time coloring book and crayons to color with. Cam and Kay were very excited and as usual the DVDs have been running non stop. Cam says his favorite part is when Rachel wears the silly glasses and when it gets all dark when they turn out the lights and talk about the color black in the Box Of Crayons DVD. Also when Hopkins holds up the signs that say Kiss Please when he wants Leah to give him a smooch in Once Upon A Time.
His favorite signs he has learned so far are word and book from Once Upon A Time. He already knew how to sign book but Rachel talks about how you change the size of the sign to match if you are talking about a big book or a little book.
In Box Of Crayons his favorite signs are gold and silver. Kay likes all of the different parts of the shows. She laughs when she sees Hopkins and she listens when she hears Rachel's familiar voice.
As usual the new shows are a huge hit at our house. Anyone who is interested in learning ASL would benefit from adding these DVDs to their collection.
Thanks Aunt Rachel and everyone at Two Little Hands Productions!!
Visit www.signingtime.com for more info or to place an order.
We got series two volume 11 Once Upon A Time and volume 12 Box Of Crayons. Rachel even signed them for us. We also got a Signing Time coloring book and crayons to color with. Cam and Kay were very excited and as usual the DVDs have been running non stop. Cam says his favorite part is when Rachel wears the silly glasses and when it gets all dark when they turn out the lights and talk about the color black in the Box Of Crayons DVD. Also when Hopkins holds up the signs that say Kiss Please when he wants Leah to give him a smooch in Once Upon A Time.
His favorite signs he has learned so far are word and book from Once Upon A Time. He already knew how to sign book but Rachel talks about how you change the size of the sign to match if you are talking about a big book or a little book.
In Box Of Crayons his favorite signs are gold and silver. Kay likes all of the different parts of the shows. She laughs when she sees Hopkins and she listens when she hears Rachel's familiar voice.
As usual the new shows are a huge hit at our house. Anyone who is interested in learning ASL would benefit from adding these DVDs to their collection.
Thanks Aunt Rachel and everyone at Two Little Hands Productions!!
Visit www.signingtime.com for more info or to place an order.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Work
Back to work tonight after 2 days off. I would really love to be able to stay at home with my kids. I hate worrying about child care.
I am having a bit of a hard time on night shift. I get sleepy but I stay awake. I get up and work on cleaning projects. It is hard to fall asleep when you are up moving around. I was raised to believe you work when you are being paid for it and if you say you are gonna do something you do it. Some of my co workers are really good but a lot of them don't do much. In fact a lot of them sleep. It doesn't seem that they get in trouble for sleeping. Hey, I think it would be great to get paid to sleep. If I slept at work I wouldn't have to sleep as much at home and I would have more time to spend with my family. I can't do it though. I think it is wrong.
Last Tuesday I worked with someone I hadn't before. I had been warned about her. She shows up late, she sleeps for several hours, and she is a bit difficult. I tried to keep an open mind. I would just do my best to get along with her. She was late so I had already started laundry and cleaning the floor. I had checked all the kids and got paper work out before she even arrived. She quickly mopped her part of the floor then told a story about some other people who work there sleeping when she worked with them. She said she only rests her eyes she doesn't actually sleep. She then went to watch TV.
I cleaned the tables and chairs and wiped down the kitchen and the trash can. I checked on the laundry I had put in the dryer but it was still damp. A bit later she checked the laundry again and I helped her fold what was dry. She put away the dishes and changed out the laundry. She kept going in the laundry room and hanging out so she seemed to always get to the laundry first. Sometimes she would stay in the laundry room and fold the clothes so I couldn't help. I thought maybe she wanted to work on the laundry because she has a very particular way she likes things folded and put away. So I backed off.
Around 2:30 she started napping on the couch. I re-programmed the microwave because some of the buttons had quit working and tried to stay busy. There wasn't that much laundry to do. Around 4:30 she woke up and changed out another load of laundry. She then asked me if I had been told that only one person did laundry cause I hadn't done any all night. What!? I was so shocked that she woke up from a nap to tell me she didn't think I was doing my share of the work. I said I started the laundry and helped fold it I have been checking on it but it hadn't been ready yet. You just seemed to get to it first when it was ready. She said Oh so you started one load and walked off. Wow. I have never been accused of not doing my share of the work. Usually people tell me to slow down. She went back to watching TV and napping. I finished cleaning out all the cabinets in both laundry rooms and took out all the trash except for what was in her patients rooms because she had already told me to stay out of there. Then I cleaned my patients wheelchairs. She didn't help with any of that. She sat on the couch. She didn't clean her patients chairs, she napped. I can not believe someone would show up late for work, nap for a good part of the night and then accuse the other person of not getting enough done.
They get away with it too because we are short staffed so they hate to fire anyone. What ends up happening though is the people who actually work finally get fed up with it and quit. The people who are getting paid to sleep aren't gonna quit. They are gonna end up with nothing but sleepers and no one to get the work done.
I am having a bit of a hard time on night shift. I get sleepy but I stay awake. I get up and work on cleaning projects. It is hard to fall asleep when you are up moving around. I was raised to believe you work when you are being paid for it and if you say you are gonna do something you do it. Some of my co workers are really good but a lot of them don't do much. In fact a lot of them sleep. It doesn't seem that they get in trouble for sleeping. Hey, I think it would be great to get paid to sleep. If I slept at work I wouldn't have to sleep as much at home and I would have more time to spend with my family. I can't do it though. I think it is wrong.
Last Tuesday I worked with someone I hadn't before. I had been warned about her. She shows up late, she sleeps for several hours, and she is a bit difficult. I tried to keep an open mind. I would just do my best to get along with her. She was late so I had already started laundry and cleaning the floor. I had checked all the kids and got paper work out before she even arrived. She quickly mopped her part of the floor then told a story about some other people who work there sleeping when she worked with them. She said she only rests her eyes she doesn't actually sleep. She then went to watch TV.
I cleaned the tables and chairs and wiped down the kitchen and the trash can. I checked on the laundry I had put in the dryer but it was still damp. A bit later she checked the laundry again and I helped her fold what was dry. She put away the dishes and changed out the laundry. She kept going in the laundry room and hanging out so she seemed to always get to the laundry first. Sometimes she would stay in the laundry room and fold the clothes so I couldn't help. I thought maybe she wanted to work on the laundry because she has a very particular way she likes things folded and put away. So I backed off.
Around 2:30 she started napping on the couch. I re-programmed the microwave because some of the buttons had quit working and tried to stay busy. There wasn't that much laundry to do. Around 4:30 she woke up and changed out another load of laundry. She then asked me if I had been told that only one person did laundry cause I hadn't done any all night. What!? I was so shocked that she woke up from a nap to tell me she didn't think I was doing my share of the work. I said I started the laundry and helped fold it I have been checking on it but it hadn't been ready yet. You just seemed to get to it first when it was ready. She said Oh so you started one load and walked off. Wow. I have never been accused of not doing my share of the work. Usually people tell me to slow down. She went back to watching TV and napping. I finished cleaning out all the cabinets in both laundry rooms and took out all the trash except for what was in her patients rooms because she had already told me to stay out of there. Then I cleaned my patients wheelchairs. She didn't help with any of that. She sat on the couch. She didn't clean her patients chairs, she napped. I can not believe someone would show up late for work, nap for a good part of the night and then accuse the other person of not getting enough done.
They get away with it too because we are short staffed so they hate to fire anyone. What ends up happening though is the people who actually work finally get fed up with it and quit. The people who are getting paid to sleep aren't gonna quit. They are gonna end up with nothing but sleepers and no one to get the work done.
Friday, July 11, 2008
More scary TV
New burger king commercial for apple fries. Scared the crap out of me. The king and his kids reacting to the new apple fries. The boy looks just like him but even creepier. I know it's hard to believe but trust me. I can't find this commercial online yet but while I was looking I found this one which will cause me to have nightmares as well.
http://videos.caught-on-video.com/recentvideos/2/11565dc5-16d3-4f8e-9053-985c014a5203.htm
BoohBahs. This makes Kay run and hide behind the couch and cry until we turn it off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SUq51zVViA&feature=related
At the Beach Tanning Commercials. Cam is frightened by these. Her voice is quite unnerving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jxjwip2cng
You can see more at the beach here:
http://www.atbtanning.com/tvspots/
http://videos.caught-on-video.com/recentvideos/2/11565dc5-16d3-4f8e-9053-985c014a5203.htm
BoohBahs. This makes Kay run and hide behind the couch and cry until we turn it off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SUq51zVViA&feature=related
At the Beach Tanning Commercials. Cam is frightened by these. Her voice is quite unnerving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jxjwip2cng
You can see more at the beach here:
http://www.atbtanning.com/tvspots/
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Cams first missing tooth and gymnastics class
We went and tried gymnastics class today for Cam and Kay. Cam had a great time. Kay did her own thing which I was fine with but I am not sure the teacher appreciated it. She had a hard time with the different surfaces on the floor and kept tripping and falling. They didn't want her to wear her shoes and braces. I understand they want to minimize wear and tear on the equipment but she has to wear them so its a moot point. The teacher tried to tell me it was OK for her to wear just the braces but I think the ortho is a little more knowledgeable on the subject and I choose to follow his advice.
I am going to look into dance classes next and see if we have any more luck there.
After gymnastics Cam lost his first tooth. It has been wobbly for a few days. He says he swallowed it when it came out. I told him the tooth fairy wouldn't mind. He looks so cute when he smiles.
I am going to look into dance classes next and see if we have any more luck there.
After gymnastics Cam lost his first tooth. It has been wobbly for a few days. He says he swallowed it when it came out. I told him the tooth fairy wouldn't mind. He looks so cute when he smiles.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Finish painting for the love of God
In the middle of all this crazyness I am still working on the never ending painting projects. I finished Kay's room. I just had to finish the trim. It looks so cute and she was really happy with it.
So now I think I just have to remove the wallpaper in the hall bath and the entryway and paint in there. Paint Taylor's room, the closet doors in Kay's room, finish the top cabinets for the kitchen, and do the blinds in the dining room. I had also planned to paint the outside door and porch but I may wait and tackle that later. Then I do have some spots to touch up but hey I feel like the end is in sight. After I get that done I can help Mom with her painting.
So now I think I just have to remove the wallpaper in the hall bath and the entryway and paint in there. Paint Taylor's room, the closet doors in Kay's room, finish the top cabinets for the kitchen, and do the blinds in the dining room. I had also planned to paint the outside door and porch but I may wait and tackle that later. Then I do have some spots to touch up but hey I feel like the end is in sight. After I get that done I can help Mom with her painting.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Moving on BBQ
I have been saying all summer I wanted to have my co workers over for a BBQ at my house. Something always seems to come up though. Painting mostly, I wanted to finish painting before inviting people over.
Then I got my transfer papers to move to a different house on night shift which is 11 PM-7:15 AM. I knew if I didn't do it right away that BBQ would not happen. Besides I may never finish painting. So I invited everyone over on Friday the 27th. Only two people were able to come but it was fun. We ate and then we went to see Wall-E at the theatre.
It's been a rough couple of weeks. I am emotional. I don't like changes so moving to a different shift and house is hard on me. I have been having some trouble at home too so I am a bit stressed. Jeff is having some problems so we are having some problems together. We are trying to work it out but it is hard. He is spending some time staying at his Mom's house and away from us. I am hoping that being forced to spend some time away from us will make him want to be with us and encourage him to find a way to get healthy so he can come back. I am ready to put it all behind me though and hope that better things are coming in the future for me and my family.
I started nights on the 29th. My sleep schedule is so screwed up I don't know if I am coming or going. I miss the kids in good ol house 4. The kids in 3 are great too but sleeping most of the time I am there. It is slow and quiet but I am getting lots of cleaning done and reading. It is nice to be able to find a place to park and I love spending the evenings with my family. I am sure it will get easier once I adjust. I have a really hard time around 4 am. That is when I get up and scrub the kitchen. I get home around 7:30 am and usually eat a quick bite then shower and hit the bed. I try to sleep from 8:30 until 4:30. I am still waking up around 11:30 and trying to force myself to sleep longer.
My favorite little patient was looking for me. He noticed I was gone and kept saying "Poor Jenper" When I came in to work at 11 he was still up and he gave me a big hug and kiss and told me "Earl missed Jenper" Ahh he is killing me! I have been going by house 4 in the mornings so I can see everyone and check my mailbox. It is good to still get to see the kids.
It is kinda funny after all that time I have been working with the house 4 crew on my last day I didn't work with any of the regular people. It was just me and the new girl. Probably for the best cause I hate goodbyes. Tabitha and Kayla will miss me though. Kayla said when I am not there it is chaos and that I change the whole atmosphere of the place. I think because they all fight with each other more when I am not around. I try not to get involved with the fighting and just listen to what they have to vent about. I am good at listening and I don't like to fight. Tabitha is mad at me for leaving but I think she will be OK. They won't even think about me once I am gone.
Then I got my transfer papers to move to a different house on night shift which is 11 PM-7:15 AM. I knew if I didn't do it right away that BBQ would not happen. Besides I may never finish painting. So I invited everyone over on Friday the 27th. Only two people were able to come but it was fun. We ate and then we went to see Wall-E at the theatre.
It's been a rough couple of weeks. I am emotional. I don't like changes so moving to a different shift and house is hard on me. I have been having some trouble at home too so I am a bit stressed. Jeff is having some problems so we are having some problems together. We are trying to work it out but it is hard. He is spending some time staying at his Mom's house and away from us. I am hoping that being forced to spend some time away from us will make him want to be with us and encourage him to find a way to get healthy so he can come back. I am ready to put it all behind me though and hope that better things are coming in the future for me and my family.
I started nights on the 29th. My sleep schedule is so screwed up I don't know if I am coming or going. I miss the kids in good ol house 4. The kids in 3 are great too but sleeping most of the time I am there. It is slow and quiet but I am getting lots of cleaning done and reading. It is nice to be able to find a place to park and I love spending the evenings with my family. I am sure it will get easier once I adjust. I have a really hard time around 4 am. That is when I get up and scrub the kitchen. I get home around 7:30 am and usually eat a quick bite then shower and hit the bed. I try to sleep from 8:30 until 4:30. I am still waking up around 11:30 and trying to force myself to sleep longer.
My favorite little patient was looking for me. He noticed I was gone and kept saying "Poor Jenper" When I came in to work at 11 he was still up and he gave me a big hug and kiss and told me "Earl missed Jenper" Ahh he is killing me! I have been going by house 4 in the mornings so I can see everyone and check my mailbox. It is good to still get to see the kids.
It is kinda funny after all that time I have been working with the house 4 crew on my last day I didn't work with any of the regular people. It was just me and the new girl. Probably for the best cause I hate goodbyes. Tabitha and Kayla will miss me though. Kayla said when I am not there it is chaos and that I change the whole atmosphere of the place. I think because they all fight with each other more when I am not around. I try not to get involved with the fighting and just listen to what they have to vent about. I am good at listening and I don't like to fight. Tabitha is mad at me for leaving but I think she will be OK. They won't even think about me once I am gone.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Promotions, goodbyes and golf cart rides
Jeff got promoted at work today. This is good news that has been a long time coming. He should have been promoted a while back but because his work schedule was limited by my work schedule they were having trouble making him a manager. He had to be able to work any time they were open in case of emergencies. Now my work schedule is not a problem any longer.
Aparently the chemical spill was too much for one of the workers. She was totally stressed and didn't show up for work. So now they are 3 people down. Looks like Jeff will be busy for the next few weeks.
Two of the kids from house 4 are discharging so we had a goodbye party for them. It was my day off but I went anyway because it was requested by the kids. Cam and Kay came with me and enjoyed cake. Then I took them to play on the playground and on a golf cart ride. They had a great time. Cam told his school friends his Mom works at a playground. Well its not always fun and games but I am glad he thinks its cool.
Last time for a golf cart ride for a while. I don't think I will be on the cart much during my new shift.
Aparently the chemical spill was too much for one of the workers. She was totally stressed and didn't show up for work. So now they are 3 people down. Looks like Jeff will be busy for the next few weeks.
Two of the kids from house 4 are discharging so we had a goodbye party for them. It was my day off but I went anyway because it was requested by the kids. Cam and Kay came with me and enjoyed cake. Then I took them to play on the playground and on a golf cart ride. They had a great time. Cam told his school friends his Mom works at a playground. Well its not always fun and games but I am glad he thinks its cool.
Last time for a golf cart ride for a while. I don't think I will be on the cart much during my new shift.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Chemical spill at Ace.
I went by with the kids to see Jeff at work today. Right after we left and Jeff went on his lunch break a shelf collapsed. It was the shelf holding all the chemicals they sell. 600 pounds of fertilizer fell on one of the workers and while they were digging him out one of the other people inhaled too many chemicals and got very loopy. They had to evacuate the store and send workers to the hospital. The fire department and Haz Mat came out. They closed them down for the rest of the day.
I am so glad we got out of there before that happened. No one was seriously hurt but two workers will be out for a while. There is a giant mess to clean up too.
I am so glad we got out of there before that happened. No one was seriously hurt but two workers will be out for a while. There is a giant mess to clean up too.
Friday, June 20, 2008
New Kay Pics
I can't the picture posting button to work. It is really frustrating because I have tons of pictures I have been trying to add for weeks and something is always going wrong to prevent uploading.
I will get the pics added to this post and the others ASAP.
I will get the pics added to this post and the others ASAP.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Going Postal or How much is an H stamp worth?
Ahhh, the post office. Another fine example of how state and government offices waste an insane amount of time and money. How I wish I never had to set foot in another one.
Let me back track a bit. I was out of work for 4 weeks 3 days with a workers comp injury. They were required to pay me 70 % of my salary during that time (yes, they should have to pay 100 %). After a month had gone by with no pay I called them. I thought perhaps they would send me a check on June 1st as that would be my normal pay day. It did not come. When I called and left several messages a day for 3 days in a row and still did not get a call back I was getting pretty nervous. I had bills due and hungry kids and literally NO money. Finally on the third day I called again and she answered. She told me she had sorta forgotten to enter me into the system so my checks had not been printed. I was supposed to have received a check every week. Sucks for me right. So she entered my info, printed a check for the total amount, and said I should get in in 5 days or so.
We had to borrow 100 bucks from Taylor to buy some food and hope the check would come quickly enough to keep things from being shut off.
Now back to the post office story. I had gone to the store and purchased padded envelopes to send our Father's Day gifts. I got them packaged up and went to put the addresses on them. Can not find the addresses to save my life. My one goal for my Thursday off was to get the gifts sent so they would arrive in time. It took about 5 hours but Jeff finally found the addresses it a box of stuff in the garage. Yes, I tried looking on the Internet address finder but our Dads live kind of out in the middle of nowhere so they are not listed. And yes I could have called and asked them but I am crazy OK. I didn't want to call and admit that we had lost their addresses. Somehow in my mind loosing someones address gives the impression that you are an uncaring disorganized boob. While I am still a bit disorganized (we are making progress on the garage) I care very much about the Dads. I just wanted to get the packages sent already.
By this time the post office is closed but they have that handy little drop box for after hours packages. I put them on the scale to see how much the postage would be. 5.60 each. I have no money remember. I brought all the stamps we had in the house and some change to purchase more if needed. I ended up covering the entire package with stamps.
I had to call home to find out what the H stamp is worth. I thought it would be at least 2 cents. I mean what is the point of printing a stamp that is less than that? I thought the rate hikes went up by at least 2 cents each time. But the H rate stamp is only 1 cent. So I ended up being short by 65 cents. I had to go back home a scrounge up some more change. I finally got the rest of the stamps affixed and dropped the packages into the open drop box.
When I closed the door I saw the label. It says that due to heightened security you can not drop off stamped mail that weighs more than 16 ounces. You can only see this label after you close the door after depositing your package. Well, I can't get them back out. So despite my best efforts the packages will not be going anywhere. They will get pulled as a security risk and be held for who knows how long then be returned to me. At that point I will have to return to the post office and hand deliver them to someone who will throw them in the same bin they were already in and ship them off.
The only difference will be that now they will have me on camera delivering the package. I could also use the drop box if I purchase metered stamps with a credit card because then they have a name to trace. So what is boils down to is that they don't plan to search my package or X-Ray it (in which case they would see it is only a photo album with pictures of the kids). They don't really care if I blow someone up they just want to be able to find me later if I do.
This is what your envelope ends up looking like when you are broke.
Here is a interesting site that details the postage increases over the years.
http://alphabetilately.com/G.html
Let me back track a bit. I was out of work for 4 weeks 3 days with a workers comp injury. They were required to pay me 70 % of my salary during that time (yes, they should have to pay 100 %). After a month had gone by with no pay I called them. I thought perhaps they would send me a check on June 1st as that would be my normal pay day. It did not come. When I called and left several messages a day for 3 days in a row and still did not get a call back I was getting pretty nervous. I had bills due and hungry kids and literally NO money. Finally on the third day I called again and she answered. She told me she had sorta forgotten to enter me into the system so my checks had not been printed. I was supposed to have received a check every week. Sucks for me right. So she entered my info, printed a check for the total amount, and said I should get in in 5 days or so.
We had to borrow 100 bucks from Taylor to buy some food and hope the check would come quickly enough to keep things from being shut off.
Now back to the post office story. I had gone to the store and purchased padded envelopes to send our Father's Day gifts. I got them packaged up and went to put the addresses on them. Can not find the addresses to save my life. My one goal for my Thursday off was to get the gifts sent so they would arrive in time. It took about 5 hours but Jeff finally found the addresses it a box of stuff in the garage. Yes, I tried looking on the Internet address finder but our Dads live kind of out in the middle of nowhere so they are not listed. And yes I could have called and asked them but I am crazy OK. I didn't want to call and admit that we had lost their addresses. Somehow in my mind loosing someones address gives the impression that you are an uncaring disorganized boob. While I am still a bit disorganized (we are making progress on the garage) I care very much about the Dads. I just wanted to get the packages sent already.
By this time the post office is closed but they have that handy little drop box for after hours packages. I put them on the scale to see how much the postage would be. 5.60 each. I have no money remember. I brought all the stamps we had in the house and some change to purchase more if needed. I ended up covering the entire package with stamps.
I had to call home to find out what the H stamp is worth. I thought it would be at least 2 cents. I mean what is the point of printing a stamp that is less than that? I thought the rate hikes went up by at least 2 cents each time. But the H rate stamp is only 1 cent. So I ended up being short by 65 cents. I had to go back home a scrounge up some more change. I finally got the rest of the stamps affixed and dropped the packages into the open drop box.
When I closed the door I saw the label. It says that due to heightened security you can not drop off stamped mail that weighs more than 16 ounces. You can only see this label after you close the door after depositing your package. Well, I can't get them back out. So despite my best efforts the packages will not be going anywhere. They will get pulled as a security risk and be held for who knows how long then be returned to me. At that point I will have to return to the post office and hand deliver them to someone who will throw them in the same bin they were already in and ship them off.
The only difference will be that now they will have me on camera delivering the package. I could also use the drop box if I purchase metered stamps with a credit card because then they have a name to trace. So what is boils down to is that they don't plan to search my package or X-Ray it (in which case they would see it is only a photo album with pictures of the kids). They don't really care if I blow someone up they just want to be able to find me later if I do.
This is what your envelope ends up looking like when you are broke.Here is a interesting site that details the postage increases over the years.
http://alphabetilately.com/G.html
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Back to work and new Signing Time shows
I went back to work yesterday. Two people called in sick and the only other girl working was supposed to leave at 9:00. She ended up staying so at least I wasn't all by myself. Fun times!
My favorite little patient is back though and he was happy to see me. I had just gotten my new set of Signing Time DVDs so we watched them together and he was thrilled.
Cam and Kay have been watching the new shows non stop. Kay can sing along with the theme song now. Cam was really excited about the stickers, chore charts and dusting cloth that came with the set. Maybe he will turn into a neat freak and help me around the house more. Hey, I can dream right?
I really enjoyed the special feature of the trip to Africa. They are doing amazing work there. I wish I could donate a million bucks to the Signing Time Foundation so they could continue to do great work. They will find a way regardless but it sure would be nice to be able to help financially more than I do all ready.
My favorite little patient is back though and he was happy to see me. I had just gotten my new set of Signing Time DVDs so we watched them together and he was thrilled.
Cam and Kay have been watching the new shows non stop. Kay can sing along with the theme song now. Cam was really excited about the stickers, chore charts and dusting cloth that came with the set. Maybe he will turn into a neat freak and help me around the house more. Hey, I can dream right?
I really enjoyed the special feature of the trip to Africa. They are doing amazing work there. I wish I could donate a million bucks to the Signing Time Foundation so they could continue to do great work. They will find a way regardless but it sure would be nice to be able to help financially more than I do all ready.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Name that spot
It has been one week since I cleaned all the carpets in the house. I thought it would be fun to take a tour and see what kind of damage has taken place in a week. Can you guess what these spots are? 
Spilled blueberry bubble solution
Spilled blueberry bubble solution
Bit of old squished banana
Green marker
Small spots of mud
Crushed chocolate doughnut with a background of red kool aid
This is my favorite this is a small yogurt stain that looks like a blue and purple tree. It is framed by the very large water stain that was, ironically enough, caused by the carpet cleaner leaking.
Spilled paint
Pasta sause?
That's just one week of stains so in a month or so it will look like I never cleaned the carpets.
We also decided to go ahead and have another BBQ. So here are the pics of the family and two of Jeff's co-workers.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Butterflies, soap boats, volcanoes, and spinning paint
These are a few of my favorite things. Well, actually these are some of Cam's fun summer projects from week one of school vacation.
We watched caterpillars turn into butterflies and then set them free.
We made a volcano that was supposed to erupt but it only leaked red goo out of the bottom. It was still fun though.
Cam made a soap boat out of a bar of soap a nail and a leaf. Why I don't know but he really wanted to and it looked pretty good. He is a creative kid.
We watched caterpillars turn into butterflies and then set them free.
We made a volcano that was supposed to erupt but it only leaked red goo out of the bottom. It was still fun though.
Cam made a soap boat out of a bar of soap a nail and a leaf. Why I don't know but he really wanted to and it looked pretty good. He is a creative kid.
Taking the soap boat for a spin.
Spinning paint machine. Cam made lots of art work with this.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I almost got squished
Whats left of the branch
The branch actually fell on both cars. The Avalon (that I was in) was scratched up but really looked surprisingly unharmed. The Suzuki got hit with the heaviest part of the branch. The back window was turned to a million tiny shards of flying glass and the trunk has a big dent in the top of it now.
I called Jeff and he came out to drag the branch off and assess the damage. Our neighbors across the street came out because they heard the impact from inside their house. The glass is covering the driveway in both directions and went into the yard as well. Thank goodness I hadn't put the kids in the car because the backseat and car seats were covered in glass.
Back seat covered in glassWe took the car over to Mom's garage because it was raining. Now it is over at Binswanger Glass getting a window replacement. I hope they can get all the glass shards out of the seat. It will cost around 300 bucks. We will just live with the dent.
Broken window dented trunkI had to rush back home to take Cam to his 6 year check up. He is doing great. 75th % for height and 50th % for weight, he is 46 inches tall and 46 pounds. What are the chances of that? This is just another little example of Cam magic.
Later that day we got our economic stimulus check. It looks like it will go to disaster repair (new tire, window, and termite treatment). I really hope we are finished with accidents and odd infestations for a while. We did go buy some food though. Eating is good.
On Sunday I used one of the carpet cleaning machines from Jeff's work to clean all the carpets in the house. He gets free rentals on the machine. The carpets look so nice, for the moment. Cam already spilled paint in the kitchen again but that is life around here.
On Monday we had a Memorial Day BBQ. It was fun having everyone over. Some of Jeff's co- workers even stopped by.
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