SETTING: BEN IS AT THE SINK IN OUR GUEST BATHROOM, AND I AM GETTING IN THE SHOWER.
ME: I'm so glad we don't have to get ready in a bathroom this small every day.
BEN: Yeah, but it would be okay.
ME: Why do you have to be so positive all the time?
BEN: It's just my nature.
ME: Well, it's kind of annoying.
BEN: (pause)
You're right. Being in a bathroom this small would really suck. I would hate it. I'm getting depressed just thinking about it. We would probably break up and never speak to each other again. I'm going to go get some alcohol and start drinking.
ME: (laughing hysterically in the shower)
Point proven.
HOLLA -
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Weekend
This weekend, Ben is tiling our master bathroom. He already did our guest bathroom, and he rocked it. Did I mention he had never tiled anything before and did it with minimal help from anyone? He borrowed our neighbor's tile saw, asked advice from my dad and brother, and figured out the rest from the internet. I am so proud and blessed to have such a Mr. Fixit in my house.
While Ben is preoccupied, Millie and I have decided to take this time to accessorize. She likes my bracelets. (What girl doesn't?) She liked one of them so much that she decided to break it and eat the little plastic beads. Lucky for her, I was right there to extract each one of them with my sharp fingernails. Guess which one of us was freaked out, and which one of us was pissed off?
Last weekend was Millie's first birthday. Oh, how I can't even put all of the emotions into words that come along with your first child having her first birthday. I will devote at least one blog to this in the coming week. Seven days later, SOMEONE is still having a hard time letting go of the party. The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Why is Ben tiling, you say? Because we are getting ready to put our house on the market. I want to get the *@&$ out of here so bad I can hardly stand it. Being cooped up in this teeny house all weekend with a toddler who doesn't want to take a nap half of the time is enough of an explanation. (We did make it out to shred some paper and go to the farmer's market, but still.) Please God, help us (and my brother and sister-in-law) sell our house soon.
Since Little Bit is one now, she can switch from formula to whole milk. Easy transition for the easiest baby in the world, difficult transition for the mother who has a difficult time with her kid's transitions. I struggled hard with breastfeeding, and when it was over, I mourned. I struggled getting used to the formula thing, and now, I tear up thinking about losing my job as bedtime bottle giver, which I probably missed less than ten of out of her 365+ days of life. Now I worry that she isn't getting enough to eat and that she will be hungry. Given the fact that she is in the 85 percentile for weight, I don't think I have anything to be concerned about. Still, though, new parenting stuff is tough. Period.
Today we will take Mills to get her one year pictures taken. I am praying that she a)is happy, b)cooperates, and c)has a decent photographer. Thank you, God, for Groupon, and thank you God for getting us through this crazy, hectic weekend.
HOLLA -
HOLLA -
Monday, April 16, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Why I Work (And Don't Stay Home).
I work part-time. I teach toddler through second grade music at a private school, and I love it. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I would set up a little classroom in the basement of my house, complete with a chalkboard on the wall and a language arts teacher's manual that I hustled from a teacher in the second grade. I had a bell and one of those chalk holders so my hands didn't get all chalky when I was writing on the board. I would spend HOURS down there perfecting my craft.
I didn't know what kind of teacher I wanted to be until I was in high school. I loved my music teacher so much - he was amazing...one of the biggest influences in my high school career, for sure. He believed in me, and I knew then that I wanted to teach music.
As you can tell, teaching is just in my blood. I've always wanted to do it, always had a passion for it. Even when I have hard days (or weeks, or years) and think about quitting, there is nothing else in the world I can imagine doing other than this. I'm good at it, and when I am doing it, it feels like all of the planets are aligning and everything is right with the world. Energy flows through me and it all just "clicks".
So, I teach. I teach because it is what I was meant to do.
I also teach because I don't want to stay home. Gasp! That's right - I said it. I do not want to stay home with my children. Staying at home all day, every day, is not my cup of tea. (No offense to all of the stay-at-home-moms out there! If it is your calling, then carry on, brave souls!) I wouldn't get to interact with adults all day. I wouldn't have professional conversations and attend workshops with colleagues who share my passion for education. I wouldn't feel like I was making my mark in the world in the way I was supposed to. I wouldn't be my best.
Recently, Ben told me that he wished he made a ton of money so I could just stay home and go shopping all day. And I told him that, no matter how much bank he brought home, I would never want to stay home - I would always choose to work. I just feel this innate desire to give something of myself for the betterment of others, and although I do this as a mom, I am called to do more.
So, for my family, for our home, for our finances, for my daughter, for the world, and for myself....
I teach.
HOLLA -
I didn't know what kind of teacher I wanted to be until I was in high school. I loved my music teacher so much - he was amazing...one of the biggest influences in my high school career, for sure. He believed in me, and I knew then that I wanted to teach music.
As you can tell, teaching is just in my blood. I've always wanted to do it, always had a passion for it. Even when I have hard days (or weeks, or years) and think about quitting, there is nothing else in the world I can imagine doing other than this. I'm good at it, and when I am doing it, it feels like all of the planets are aligning and everything is right with the world. Energy flows through me and it all just "clicks".
So, I teach. I teach because it is what I was meant to do.
I also teach because I don't want to stay home. Gasp! That's right - I said it. I do not want to stay home with my children. Staying at home all day, every day, is not my cup of tea. (No offense to all of the stay-at-home-moms out there! If it is your calling, then carry on, brave souls!) I wouldn't get to interact with adults all day. I wouldn't have professional conversations and attend workshops with colleagues who share my passion for education. I wouldn't feel like I was making my mark in the world in the way I was supposed to. I wouldn't be my best.
Recently, Ben told me that he wished he made a ton of money so I could just stay home and go shopping all day. And I told him that, no matter how much bank he brought home, I would never want to stay home - I would always choose to work. I just feel this innate desire to give something of myself for the betterment of others, and although I do this as a mom, I am called to do more.
So, for my family, for our home, for our finances, for my daughter, for the world, and for myself....
I teach.
HOLLA -
Friday, March 30, 2012
Imagine This Store...
Imagine a store where you work. It's a GREAT store. It has all of the latest gadgets. You are so excited to work there. The customers are AMAZING. Every time they come in the door, they challenge you with really hard questions. When you are at the store, you feel like you are exactly in the place you are meant to be.
But there are a few issues with the store. Some of the other workers...well, they don't work so hard. They don't try to help the customers as much as they should or could, so the customers don't get the high-quality product that the store boasts about. Some of the workers don't seem to care much about the customers or the products. They kind of hide behind the canned good aisle until it's time to go home. They just want their paycheck so they can buy a six-pack of beer and get out of there.
Some other workers think they might be doing a good job, but they're not. They don't have the proper training. To the disservice of the customers, they have been hired for reasons other than their skills and qualifications. Some of them have been customers for a long time. Some of them just get along really well with the manager. Some of them have never done this kind of job before, and were asked to help customers right away without receiving proper training. Customers helped by these workers often leave the store confused and frustrated.
You would think the management would catch on to these issues, but they have issues, too. The assistant manager has been a manager of a different kind of store, but has never been a worker. He doesn't even know what a worker is supposed to do. When workers go to him with really big problems, he says things that he thinks will help, but they really don't. Sometimes what he has to say just makes the problems worse. Often times there is a big spill in the store, or something gets broken, or a customer is mad, but he doesn't know what to do. Sometimes the assistant manager tries to help a customer, but since he has never been a worker before, he doesn't have any idea how to help. When the good workers see this, they feel alone about the good job they are expected to do. Sometimes this assistant manager sees some workers working really hard, and other workers not really doing anything, and he treats them exactly the same. He might even make excuses for the bad worker, even though they know better and have enough training to do a really good job. Then the bad worker figures out that they can do not much of anything and not get into trouble, and the good worker wonders why they are working so hard at all.
Then, there's the manager. The manager really needs help. He thinks that everyone likes him and that he does a good job, but there are a lot of people who don't like the manager. Sometimes, when the manager talks to a worker in private, he says things to the worker that are lies. The manager thinks that the conversation is over, but the worker is really upset, and goes and tells his worker friends what happened. The other workers get mad at the manager for this. Pretty soon, there are a lot of workers going in to talk to the manager, and the manager is telling everyone something different, not knowing that all of the workers talk to each other and are very close. Although the manager doesn't realize it, he is making the workers very, very angry. When the manager calls a store meeting, he acts very happy and thinks that everyone believes what he is telling them. But the workers have seen enough from the manager to know that what he is telling them is probably not true.
Now the store doesn't feel like a safe place anymore. Instead of talking to each other and the customers about what a great place the store is, the workers talk about how unhappy they are there. They love the merchandise and they couldn't imagine life without the customers, but they are getting tired of working for managers who don't appreciate them and don't know what they are doing or what a really good store should look like. Even the customers are starting to notice that something isn't quite right. Workers who have been at the store for a long time and work very hard for the customers are frustrated. The manager never tells them they do a good job. The assistant manager does sometimes, but he doesn't really know what a "good job" is, so it doesn't really count. He tells all the workers they do a good job, whether they really do or not! That's kind of like comparing a high-quality product and a cheaply made product in the store and telling a customer that they are both exactly the same! No good worker would do that.
Can you imagine working in a store like this? Not me, but I certainly could imagine a store I would LOVE to work in....stay tuned!
HOLLA -
But there are a few issues with the store. Some of the other workers...well, they don't work so hard. They don't try to help the customers as much as they should or could, so the customers don't get the high-quality product that the store boasts about. Some of the workers don't seem to care much about the customers or the products. They kind of hide behind the canned good aisle until it's time to go home. They just want their paycheck so they can buy a six-pack of beer and get out of there.
Some other workers think they might be doing a good job, but they're not. They don't have the proper training. To the disservice of the customers, they have been hired for reasons other than their skills and qualifications. Some of them have been customers for a long time. Some of them just get along really well with the manager. Some of them have never done this kind of job before, and were asked to help customers right away without receiving proper training. Customers helped by these workers often leave the store confused and frustrated.
You would think the management would catch on to these issues, but they have issues, too. The assistant manager has been a manager of a different kind of store, but has never been a worker. He doesn't even know what a worker is supposed to do. When workers go to him with really big problems, he says things that he thinks will help, but they really don't. Sometimes what he has to say just makes the problems worse. Often times there is a big spill in the store, or something gets broken, or a customer is mad, but he doesn't know what to do. Sometimes the assistant manager tries to help a customer, but since he has never been a worker before, he doesn't have any idea how to help. When the good workers see this, they feel alone about the good job they are expected to do. Sometimes this assistant manager sees some workers working really hard, and other workers not really doing anything, and he treats them exactly the same. He might even make excuses for the bad worker, even though they know better and have enough training to do a really good job. Then the bad worker figures out that they can do not much of anything and not get into trouble, and the good worker wonders why they are working so hard at all.
Then, there's the manager. The manager really needs help. He thinks that everyone likes him and that he does a good job, but there are a lot of people who don't like the manager. Sometimes, when the manager talks to a worker in private, he says things to the worker that are lies. The manager thinks that the conversation is over, but the worker is really upset, and goes and tells his worker friends what happened. The other workers get mad at the manager for this. Pretty soon, there are a lot of workers going in to talk to the manager, and the manager is telling everyone something different, not knowing that all of the workers talk to each other and are very close. Although the manager doesn't realize it, he is making the workers very, very angry. When the manager calls a store meeting, he acts very happy and thinks that everyone believes what he is telling them. But the workers have seen enough from the manager to know that what he is telling them is probably not true.
Now the store doesn't feel like a safe place anymore. Instead of talking to each other and the customers about what a great place the store is, the workers talk about how unhappy they are there. They love the merchandise and they couldn't imagine life without the customers, but they are getting tired of working for managers who don't appreciate them and don't know what they are doing or what a really good store should look like. Even the customers are starting to notice that something isn't quite right. Workers who have been at the store for a long time and work very hard for the customers are frustrated. The manager never tells them they do a good job. The assistant manager does sometimes, but he doesn't really know what a "good job" is, so it doesn't really count. He tells all the workers they do a good job, whether they really do or not! That's kind of like comparing a high-quality product and a cheaply made product in the store and telling a customer that they are both exactly the same! No good worker would do that.
Can you imagine working in a store like this? Not me, but I certainly could imagine a store I would LOVE to work in....stay tuned!
HOLLA -
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Church by the Sea
In my dreams, we go to this church.
or maybe this one...
or this one...
or even this one.
And every Sunday, we all get dressed and walk barefoot, hand in hand, to church and say hello to our friends and worship with the breeze in our hair and sand in between our toes. And after church, all of the church members sit around big long tables with white tablecloths and give thanks and eat a delicious homemade lunch that we all had a hand in preparing. And then we spend the rest of the day swimming or flying kites or collecting sea shells.
Maybe this is what my heaven will be.
(can you tell I miss the ocean?????????)
HOLLA -
or maybe this one...
or this one...
or even this one.
And every Sunday, we all get dressed and walk barefoot, hand in hand, to church and say hello to our friends and worship with the breeze in our hair and sand in between our toes. And after church, all of the church members sit around big long tables with white tablecloths and give thanks and eat a delicious homemade lunch that we all had a hand in preparing. And then we spend the rest of the day swimming or flying kites or collecting sea shells.
Maybe this is what my heaven will be.
(can you tell I miss the ocean?????????)
HOLLA -
Sunday, March 18, 2012
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