So I'm working on a mini-album for my class this last Saturday. It was a "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" class, and focused on making an album map for a theme album. Since we didn't really vacation this year, I chose to do my album on the trip that DH and I took to Boston last May. (scroll down for Boston posts).
The point to this post? I'm writing out my journaling, and every time I come to a key place as I wrote, I found myself wanting to put in hyperlinks.....
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Let's Create a Personal Day!
Wouldn't it be great if we could have the power to add another day to the week? Or just stop the world around us long enough to get a little more caught up? I'm so wishing I had a day just for me. A day where I didn't have to meet anyone's deadlines but my own. That way, I'd have clean clothes in my closet (instead of in stinky piles around our family office) and I'd be caught up in projects for my classes at Stampin'Cat. (How nice would THAT be? Instead of trying to do my projects in a semi-lit classroom during "rest time", racing to finish it before my class on Saturday, I'd just turn in a finished sample a month before the class is scheduled. Ah, what quiet bliss!)
Or, instead of rushing around trying to get caught up, I'd just sleep all day....and then I'd sleep some more.
And that's the other side.
Or, instead of rushing around trying to get caught up, I'd just sleep all day....and then I'd sleep some more.
And that's the other side.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Back to the proverbial grindstone
So I've started working full time again. I haven't worked full time in about 4 years. I taught preschool 4 years ago when I was pregnant with C. I'm working again for the same company in almost the same situation--a preschool/care center in a local elementary school. On one hand, I'm glad for a job where I don't have to pay extra for care for C. On the other hand, there are a lot of reasons I liked/chose/wanted to be a SAHM. But little luxuries like food and the power bill got in the way of those.
My plate is extremely full right now. We are going to be in transition for a few weeks while we get used to Mom being gone. And I'm going to have to be extra efficient to get everything done that I need to get done. (If there are other mothers working outside the home, you know exactly what I'm talking about). We have a new dog in our home (not the best time to get a dog, but when you are given a bichon frise--purebred--the very dog you've wanted for years, you say "yes!"). I am managing the music for our church worship services, leading the choir, and leading the music at our main meeting. I'm still teaching 2-3 classes at Stampin'Cat a month, teaching my own class once a month at the community room at Ray's grocery store, and getting the kids to TaeKwonDo a couple of times a week, plus homework for a 7th and 3rd grader, plus Cub Scouts, and so on and so on. I've discovered that I need a little more quick things in my pantry so we can still eat as a family each day. I don't have time to make my own chicken broth, I need it in a can.
Still, I feel strongly that this is the right job for me right now. I've been praying that the right job would come along so that I could make a positive financial impact on my family's finances. I didn't want a job working minimum wage where the government would take, oh let's say $2 of my $7.50 an hour wage (the minimum here in Oregon), childcare would take $4 of it, leaving me with only $1.50 per hour to show for my work. This is definitely the job I was supposed to have. We've set a goal to be free of consumer debt in 5 years (just in time to send J to college!). I created a lot of that consumer debt with my different "jobs" (see here and here) so I really feel like it's only fair to help out. Plus the economy right now is killing us. We re-did our budget recently and found out taht 4 years ago, we paid $50 a paycheck for gas for two weeks for two cars--now, with the SAME cars, we pay close to $200 a paycheck for gas for two weeks. Milk is nearly $3 a gallon--and we drink a lot more of it now. It's just harder to make those elusive ends meet. So I've gone back to work, to a job I had before and like, with people I worked with before and liked, and my only real "perk" is that I don't have to pay a penny for C's care. That's huge! I know that my Heavenly Father is watching out for me right now. And I need the help!
Here's to the Mom's out there who work outside their homes! I know what a juggling act you do each day, and I salute you!
My plate is extremely full right now. We are going to be in transition for a few weeks while we get used to Mom being gone. And I'm going to have to be extra efficient to get everything done that I need to get done. (If there are other mothers working outside the home, you know exactly what I'm talking about). We have a new dog in our home (not the best time to get a dog, but when you are given a bichon frise--purebred--the very dog you've wanted for years, you say "yes!"). I am managing the music for our church worship services, leading the choir, and leading the music at our main meeting. I'm still teaching 2-3 classes at Stampin'Cat a month, teaching my own class once a month at the community room at Ray's grocery store, and getting the kids to TaeKwonDo a couple of times a week, plus homework for a 7th and 3rd grader, plus Cub Scouts, and so on and so on. I've discovered that I need a little more quick things in my pantry so we can still eat as a family each day. I don't have time to make my own chicken broth, I need it in a can.
Still, I feel strongly that this is the right job for me right now. I've been praying that the right job would come along so that I could make a positive financial impact on my family's finances. I didn't want a job working minimum wage where the government would take, oh let's say $2 of my $7.50 an hour wage (the minimum here in Oregon), childcare would take $4 of it, leaving me with only $1.50 per hour to show for my work. This is definitely the job I was supposed to have. We've set a goal to be free of consumer debt in 5 years (just in time to send J to college!). I created a lot of that consumer debt with my different "jobs" (see here and here) so I really feel like it's only fair to help out. Plus the economy right now is killing us. We re-did our budget recently and found out taht 4 years ago, we paid $50 a paycheck for gas for two weeks for two cars--now, with the SAME cars, we pay close to $200 a paycheck for gas for two weeks. Milk is nearly $3 a gallon--and we drink a lot more of it now. It's just harder to make those elusive ends meet. So I've gone back to work, to a job I had before and like, with people I worked with before and liked, and my only real "perk" is that I don't have to pay a penny for C's care. That's huge! I know that my Heavenly Father is watching out for me right now. And I need the help!
Here's to the Mom's out there who work outside their homes! I know what a juggling act you do each day, and I salute you!
Monday, September 03, 2007
The Power of Paper
I had a wonderful "grandma" aged gal take my "Holiday Memories" book last November at Stampin'Cat tell this story at one of my classes this summer. She made the book for her 15 yo granddaughter. Earlier this year (late spring or early summer) this dgd had a big fight with her parents and decided to leave home. She'd made her grand exit, complete with door slamming and stomping off when she suddenly turned around, slammed her way back inside the house grabbed the scrapbook her grandmother gave her (the small "Holiday Memories" book) and then stomped and slammed out again.
"That's when I knew she'd be back" said her grandmother.
I love that a little paper combined with the time to lovingly create something has so much power.
"That's when I knew she'd be back" said her grandmother.
I love that a little paper combined with the time to lovingly create something has so much power.
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