House of Ick

   With the weather constantly fluctuating between 15 and 55 degrees, you can imagine the number of colds and viruses floating through Des Moines. It seems like everyone has been sick forever. My little family caught our cold December 17th. (Yes I know the exact day.) We went to the Dalton Family Christmas in DeWitt. 50+ people in one house, and someone shared something, because Scott, Weston, me and Shannon all woke up Monday morning congested and feeling generally like Poo. We all spent the week leading up to Christmas on every cold med we could think of... DayQuil, Advil Cold & Sinus, Musinex - well everyone except Weston, because he's still too little for Cold Medication. After Christmas, Shannon had a sinus infection; Scott was sneezing and light coughing all the time; I was coughing so badly it felt like I would lose organs; and Weston had a congested cough that seemed to be on it's way out. Add to that, Mom drank from my soda and wine, even though I told her I had a nasty cold and not to do it. So she got the cold which turned into Bronchitis and some other nasty infection that attacks low immune systems. So, Mom got pretty sick, but I did warn her. Many, many times.
  Fast forward to yesterday, January 15th. Scott's on the mend, Shannon too. Mom's on antibiotics, and I'm mainly coughing at night, and when I run out of breath. Weston on the other hand has gotten a lot worse. He now has a bad cough, really congested sounding, and tires very quickly. Yesterday, he coughed so badly he threw up lunch and breakfast. And then again last night, except the poor boy hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the first time. So it was so sad to watch, my little 3 yr old boy holding onto the trash can for dear life.
  I am leaving now to take him to the doctor. When I called for a recommendation on cold meds, they wanted to see him. Since it's been a month, they want to check his ears and lungs. So, I'm off to the doctor! Wish us luck!

ADDENDUM

  So we went to the doctor. Our regular pediatrician, Dr. Emily Gavin, was unavailable. So we met with the new doctor, Dr. Rhonda Dodge. I loved her! She was awesome. And it's great to have a back up doctor. Anyway, after informing Dr. Dodge that one child at daycare has pneumonia, another is on a nebulizer, and a third went home sick with a fever, it was a surprise to hear that Weston's lungs and ears are clear. that all he has is a virus. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done for him. And we were told that the cough sometimes takes 4-6 weeks to move out of his system. Hopefully we're halfway through that wait time. Dr. Dodge did tell Weston that the only medicine he needs is a lot to drink, mainly water and juice. and he seemed to understand her. So... no meds, and lots of fluids. And hopefully we'll be on the mend soon. We woke up to almost 3" of snow this morning... maybe that hard long freeze is on it's way to kill all the bugs in the air. Maybe....

Brrrrr!!!!

Had our first significant snow fall yesterday. The first since last winter, early 2010. It was 50+ degrees 2 days ago, and now it's a high of 18. Brrr is right! The worst part isn't the snow. It's the wind. 30-45 mph wind makes for a very cold walk to the car. i think I'm going to start my car now... and leave in 10 minutes.

resolutions to revelations

Happy 2012!!!

  I am hoping to be a better blogger this year. Then again, I am hoping to have more time to write and more to talk about. My graphic design business has stalled a bit. One because I am so busy with the new job and holidays, and two, because I am waiting for good high-quality pictures for the job I am currently designing.

  Right now, my little family is trying to just settle into the New Year. Post holidays, we’re trying to be home more and to get more organized, and to work more on our family. I want to be a better wife and mother. I really want to be less tired than I have been in the last year. I want to be “there” for Weston. And I am trying really hard to make the time to play. If it means waiting to eat dinner until 8pm… so be it. It’s not like Weston is eating right now any way. (And he’s not. He eats when he’s hungry. So, he’s fine.) And speaking of Weston, he is now more than ½ my height. Which is crazy! At this rate, he’ll be taller than me by the time he’s 8 or 9. I’m sure the growing will slow down, but I still think he’ll pass me by sometime around 10 or 11 years old. Right now he’s learning about Dinosaurs and Paleontologists. And our daycare is so amazing! Yesterday, Weston and his fellow Paleontologists did a field study outside (thank you 60 degree day in January!) and they “dug” up dino bones. (Cut from paper) and their most exciting find was deer poop in the field. Kids. J So, it’s Dinosaur mania in our house.

  Scott is working, and finally getting home at a decent hour, now that the liquor-fueled holidays are over. He’s hurting a bit… not sure what he plans to do about it. But I’d love for him to feel better soon. Maybe with his chiropractor finally back from a 2 week vacation, he can get his body fixed. These weekends at home are helping too.

  I started my new job at RCS Millwork last week. And on days when I am busy, it’s great. I feel so productive and useful. And then the days when the Project Managers forget that I am here, and they do everything by themselves… well those are the days that I want to fall asleep. And it’s so warm in this office, that if I am not careful, I Will Fall Asleep. Oops.

  I will close with a little insight from a toddler: This has been the best week with Weston in a while. Not that he isn’t great in general; it’s just that this week he has been especially poignant and just plain fun. Case in point: Saturday we had a movie night. He wanted to be in our bedroom and he wanted Auntie Shannon to be with him. So she went. They were watching Curious George and discussing anatomy. Where’s your brain? Weston points to his head. Where’s your heart? Weston points to his chest. And then he says,

“If someone hurts your heart, you might cry.”

Yep. Very astute for my 3 year old, though he’s usually logical. on Monday, we played puzzles, and cars, and in a tent, and wrestled with his 4’ tall stuffed Frog named Phreddie. (Phreddie won.) And when Daddy came home, Weston played with him too. Last night at Shannon’s, he kept making the best faces. And then we played with her Melissa & Doug puppet named: Cupcake (Shannon), Strawberry Shortcake (Weston), and Janice (by me, because she looks like Janice from Animal’s rock band on the Muppets.) It was high-larious! Though the funniest part was when Weston spoke in a high voice for the puppet. I need to get the video from Shannon. Yes, it’s on video.

  My point is this… life is constantly changing. Sometimes for the worse, hopefully for the better. I resolve to try and look at 2012 as a year where things are Good. Things don’t have to be great. But so long as everyone is happy and healthy for the most part, then I will love Good. And I will be satisfied.

I GOT A JOB!!!

Ok, picture this:

Last Friday, I jump up from my desk and then I jump up and down screaming, "I GOT A JOB!!! I GOT A JOB!!!" Over and over again.
Last Friday, I was offered a position with RCS Millwork. Sort of a purchasing, material overseer type position. It doesn't actually exist, they are creating it for me. They wanted me enough to make a position for me! It still doesn't sound real yet. We met yesterday, discussed the terms, and came to an agreement. I accepted! I start on January 3rd. I have all next week off. I am excited, and scared. But the pay is an increase, and allows us some movement in the upcoming year. Hopefully we can find somewhere larger larger and nicer to live. Maybe plan to add to our family in 2013.

So, Merry Christmas, I have a Job!!!

new opportunities!

I've started a new blog for the project that I am working on. I can't call it a company, but it's definitely an exciting possibility. If you are interested in my services, let me know!!!

Affordable Arts Designs... my new logo

the end

My Company is closing.
After 70 years, the Onthank Company has decided to shut its doors. And this is incredibly sad to me. I'm not saying that I love my job (because I don't) but I like it at times. I Love the people that I work with. We have gone through so much. We've had weddings, infertility, babies and grand-babies. We've lost coworkers to other employment and lay-offs. We've lost one friend to tragedy, something that haunts a few of us daily.
I had planned on being at Onthank for a while. Maybe long enough to move up the chain a little more, or to have the company compensate me for all the work I've done.
The last 2 years have been hard. Having to constantly talk around our situation to our customers, having to go against morals and honesty, losing friends to lay-offs.
I should be happy to be able to find another job with a company with less stress. Instead, I am scared to death. I haven't had to look for a job since 2003 when I moved to Sioux City to be with Scott, without any job prospects. It was terrifying. And things are different now, we have Weston. He has daycare, etc.
And to bring my personal feelings into this, because it is personal, it may be business, but it's still personal to me, this puts a real damper on our family planning. We had put into action all the beginnings to try for another baby early next year. Obviously, we can't go through with that at this time. Even the best company would more than likely require one year on the job before granting maternity leave. And there is no way I can have another baby without a job. Everything is dependent on the next job.
So, thank you Onthank Company - for giving me a career that I felt uniquely qualified for (and is becoming glaringly obvious that I will not find again), for now depriving me of spending 8 hours a day with people I love and customers I adore, and for sending my family-planning to the back burner because this in 2011 and not 1950, and we both have to be gainfully employed just to have children.
I think this Friday may be my last day, not that anyone has said anything for certain, and I am not going to promise not to cry.

Homonymy

Mom in the '60s or 70s on Christmas

Looking at this picture, it's no wonder that I love plaid, big hair, and more than anything, vests! I love Vests! I have 9 I think. At least 4 sweater vests, 3 suit vests, and 2 long cotton ones - one of which has a lace back and lace panels.
That being said... definition states:
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings. Thus homonyms are simultaneously homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of their pronunciation) and homophones (words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of their spelling.) The state of being a homonym is called homonymy. Examples include: stalk (like a corn stalk) and stalk (the act of following/harassing a person.)
(thank you Wikipedia.)

So, why the Grammar lesson, you ask?
Well, first of all, I like grammar. And everyone could use a grammar lesson once in a while. But seriously, upon reflection this past weekend, I think my Mom and I are Homonymy. We are the same, but with completely different meanings.

My parents have sold our childhood home. Their home for the last 18 years. My Dad was in the Navy until the summer of 1990. Prior to that, we moved every 3 years to military housing. So in 1990 we moved to Clinton, Iowa. In 1992, my parents purchased their first home. And it was a doozy. Built in the 1860s (I think) it was 2200 sq and 2 stories with 4 bedrooms and 1 upstairs bathroom, an unfinished basement that still had the original oil drums from when the furnace was converted from coal to oil, before our own natural gas, and no central air conditioners. It had many previous owners, the last of which was a middle-aged bachelor who started projects and then... moved onto something else. So my parents had a lot of work to do with their first home. But they (along with my aunt and uncle) did it. They made a huge house into a home. And we loved it. So... Shannon and my little family travelled back to snap some pictures of our old house and our hometown. To have something to show for the 18 years of memories that we made. We plan on making Shutterfly books to hold these memories.

Mom and Dad are scheduled to sign the papers on their new condo on Thursday, November 10th.
Scary... a whole new place to live.

Guess what? I am wearing a sweater vest today. Navy blue over a white button down... with my hair in a high (but much smaller) bun.
The Homonymy continues.