I am a couple days late on my 15 week update since I was out of the office all day on Tuesday and yesterday I was just too darn busy on my day off.
Baby is the size of an orange this week! My bump is getting bigger by the day! I have now made the transition to maternity clothes. The only piece I was unable to find on my shopping trip was a maternity bathing suit. I tried a few on, but I didn't find any that I liked and weren't $50 or more. So, I didn't get one. I will make do with what I have for now. I may have to buy a cheap one from walmart in a plus size once I get bigger since I want to keep swimming all through my pregnancy.
My queasiness has gone away, but what I am getting now is a ton of headaches. It is very common in pregnancy to get headaches... Luckily, taking tylenol is considered safe, so if the headache is really bad, I will take one of those rather than suffer through it.
We are trying to decide if we want to find out the gender of the baby at our ultrasound. The ultrasound is supposed to be between 18 and 22 weeks, which means at some point in July (don't have a date for that yet). We are on the fence right now as to whether we want to find out. On one hand, it would be nice to know ahead of time, but we also really enjoyed the surprise with J. She is adamant that it is a boy, so if it is a girl, it might nice to have the last 4 months of the pregnancy to convince her she's having a sister, not a brother. Or, she could be right, who knows! Also, if we have a girl, we won't need to buy anything, whereas if we have a boy, we would need to buy some stuff. And it would mean we'd only have to decide on 1 baby name, not 1 for each gender. But, there was something so magical about going through labour not knowing if it was a boy or girl and having that be a surprise after all that hard work! I can see advantages to both sides! Hence, we're on the fence! Decisions, decisions...
Baby Age Ticker
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
14 weeks!
Wow! Baby is the size of a lemon this week! :)
Yesterday, we finally heard our baby's heartbeat! It was such a special moment - I think it is going to start to feel more 'real' now; there is an actual baby in there that is growing and doing well! I am so happy that we got to hear our baby! Heartbeat was strong and at 150 bpm.
So, time to start spreading the news! I told my coworkers on Friday last week since we were all together at our annual general meeting, so it was a good opportunity. I will be telling the rest of my friends this week - starting with playgroup on Wednesday, small group on Friday, and then church on Sunday! I am also going maternity clothes shopping on Saturday. I have a lot from when I was pregnant with Julie, but there are definite holes in my wardrobe.
Yesterday, we finally heard our baby's heartbeat! It was such a special moment - I think it is going to start to feel more 'real' now; there is an actual baby in there that is growing and doing well! I am so happy that we got to hear our baby! Heartbeat was strong and at 150 bpm.
So, time to start spreading the news! I told my coworkers on Friday last week since we were all together at our annual general meeting, so it was a good opportunity. I will be telling the rest of my friends this week - starting with playgroup on Wednesday, small group on Friday, and then church on Sunday! I am also going maternity clothes shopping on Saturday. I have a lot from when I was pregnant with Julie, but there are definite holes in my wardrobe.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
13 weeks!
We're at the tail end of the 1st trimester - 2nd trimester starts on Friday!!! Baby is the size of a peach this week :)
I have definitely been feeling better lately - have some energy back, which is nice. Julie spilled the beans to someone at church on Sunday - I am actually very surprised she kept the secret for so long!
Yesterday, we had a sad day in our house. We had to put our cat Gino down. He had a urinary track blockage, so same thing we went through with Smokey 5 years ago. Because Gino is already a senior cat, we decided we didn't want to put him (or ourselves) through all that stress again. It was awful when we went through it with Smokey - for weeks, we didn't know if he was going to make it and we had to monitor him very closely. I was a wreck for weeks.
So, the vet basically told us we had to decide what we wanted to do within a couple of hours since Gino was in obvious pain and distress. Either we spend the $1,500 to have the blockage cleared (although there is no guarantee that it will work long-term) or we put him down. So, we talked about it and decided it was time to put him down. If we was younger, we may have decided to have the procedure, but Gino was already near the end of his days. So, we decided to put him down. It was really hard. Intellectually, I know we did the right thing, but it was hard emotionally. I had a very teary day. And now poor Smokey doesn't know what to think. He keeps wandering around the house looking for his friend.
I have definitely been feeling better lately - have some energy back, which is nice. Julie spilled the beans to someone at church on Sunday - I am actually very surprised she kept the secret for so long!
Yesterday, we had a sad day in our house. We had to put our cat Gino down. He had a urinary track blockage, so same thing we went through with Smokey 5 years ago. Because Gino is already a senior cat, we decided we didn't want to put him (or ourselves) through all that stress again. It was awful when we went through it with Smokey - for weeks, we didn't know if he was going to make it and we had to monitor him very closely. I was a wreck for weeks.
So, the vet basically told us we had to decide what we wanted to do within a couple of hours since Gino was in obvious pain and distress. Either we spend the $1,500 to have the blockage cleared (although there is no guarantee that it will work long-term) or we put him down. So, we talked about it and decided it was time to put him down. If we was younger, we may have decided to have the procedure, but Gino was already near the end of his days. So, we decided to put him down. It was really hard. Intellectually, I know we did the right thing, but it was hard emotionally. I had a very teary day. And now poor Smokey doesn't know what to think. He keeps wandering around the house looking for his friend.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Glad that's over
This morning, I was feeling really nervous and anxious about telling my boss the news, so I decided to just take a deep breath and do it (I wasn't originally planning to tell him until next week). It went surprisingly well. My boss and I have had 'issues' lately where I feel like I have been treated very unfairly over the last year or so, so I was feeling very strongly that I should tell him my news before my annual appraisal meeting, which is supposed to be any day now.
Well, as soon as I told him, his face lit up and he congratulated me. I am so relieved! He said we'll figure out over the next few months how to distribute my workload. He also said he'll leave telling everyone else up to me whenever I feel it is appropriate. I said I would tell everyone over the next week or 2. We have our annual general meeting next Friday (June 1st), so I am thinking that would be a good opportunity since everyone will be together, so I won't have to tell everyone separately. And, that will officially be my first day of the 2nd trimester, so good timing. I'm a little nervous telling everyone before we've heard the heartbeat, but really, I'm sure everything is fine. If it wasn't, I'd have symptoms by now. I'm taking my growing belly as a good sign!
One week left in the first trimester - hard to believe it's been 8 weeks since we found out. How we've kept it a secret this long is beyond me. At playgroup yesterday (with my church mommy friends), one of them said to me "so, you think you'll have more kids?" and I responded with the vague "yes, someday" kind of answer. I can't wait to share the news at the next playdate in a couple weeks (we have them every other Wednesday morning).
Well, as soon as I told him, his face lit up and he congratulated me. I am so relieved! He said we'll figure out over the next few months how to distribute my workload. He also said he'll leave telling everyone else up to me whenever I feel it is appropriate. I said I would tell everyone over the next week or 2. We have our annual general meeting next Friday (June 1st), so I am thinking that would be a good opportunity since everyone will be together, so I won't have to tell everyone separately. And, that will officially be my first day of the 2nd trimester, so good timing. I'm a little nervous telling everyone before we've heard the heartbeat, but really, I'm sure everything is fine. If it wasn't, I'd have symptoms by now. I'm taking my growing belly as a good sign!
One week left in the first trimester - hard to believe it's been 8 weeks since we found out. How we've kept it a secret this long is beyond me. At playgroup yesterday (with my church mommy friends), one of them said to me "so, you think you'll have more kids?" and I responded with the vague "yes, someday" kind of answer. I can't wait to share the news at the next playdate in a couple weeks (we have them every other Wednesday morning).
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
12 weeks!
Yay! We are just a couple weeks away from telling the world! I may tell work next week, I'll see how it goes. Our appointment to hear the baby's heartbeat is in less than 2 weeks; I can't wait!!!
I am starting to feel better now. The queasiness isn't nearly as severe and I am starting to get some energy back too. I think I am really starting to show now, so I'm sure people won't be surprised when I share the news. One woman in my small group at church ran into my mom at an event last week and said to her "C is expecting, isn't she" more of a statement, not a question. My mom didn't know what to say, so this lady said "I figured she wasn't telling people yet". My mom said I would be annoucing this at the end of the 1st trimester, so in a couple of weeks. This lady said she could tell that I was pregnant. Now, she is a doula, so her whole career is based on pregnancy, so I'm sure she is very in tune with women's shapes, etc.
I had a wonderful long weekend at the cottage - we were there from Saturday morning until yesterday afternoon and it was glorious! I didn't want the weekend to end!
I am starting to feel better now. The queasiness isn't nearly as severe and I am starting to get some energy back too. I think I am really starting to show now, so I'm sure people won't be surprised when I share the news. One woman in my small group at church ran into my mom at an event last week and said to her "C is expecting, isn't she" more of a statement, not a question. My mom didn't know what to say, so this lady said "I figured she wasn't telling people yet". My mom said I would be annoucing this at the end of the 1st trimester, so in a couple of weeks. This lady said she could tell that I was pregnant. Now, she is a doula, so her whole career is based on pregnancy, so I'm sure she is very in tune with women's shapes, etc.
I had a wonderful long weekend at the cottage - we were there from Saturday morning until yesterday afternoon and it was glorious! I didn't want the weekend to end!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
11 weeks!
Only 29 weeks to go! :)
I'm getting closer and closer the end of the first trimester. I can't wait until we hear the baby's heartbeat!
On the weekend, I got out all my maternity clothes and tried everything on. Most things fit, which is good. Everything except for 3 pairs of pants fit, so I'm happy with that. I realized that this time, I will need more summer stuff (I didn't have any summer stuff last time really) and a couple more pairs of pants. And a maternity bathing suit. I was able to get away without one last time since I wasn't big until the fall and winter, but this time, I swim at the Y and intend to do so all through my pregnancy. Not to mention, I will be big this summer too, so I will need a bathing suit to swim in at the cottage and my parents pool. So, I am planning a maternity clothes shopping day in June.
I have been feeling a little better this past week. The queasiness still comes and goes, but I have slightly more energy and the queasiness has been less severe. So, I think I am starting to feel back to my old self again. I still go to bed quite early, but I am able to function at work again, so that's good. There were a few weeks where I felt like I wanted to crawl under my desk and take a nap every afternoon.
Julie is still asking every day "Is the baby out yet?" Too cute! I am really surprised that she hasn't spilled the beans to anyone at church or small groups or anything. Only a couple more weeks to hang onto the secret and then we can start spreading the good news :)
I'm getting closer and closer the end of the first trimester. I can't wait until we hear the baby's heartbeat!
On the weekend, I got out all my maternity clothes and tried everything on. Most things fit, which is good. Everything except for 3 pairs of pants fit, so I'm happy with that. I realized that this time, I will need more summer stuff (I didn't have any summer stuff last time really) and a couple more pairs of pants. And a maternity bathing suit. I was able to get away without one last time since I wasn't big until the fall and winter, but this time, I swim at the Y and intend to do so all through my pregnancy. Not to mention, I will be big this summer too, so I will need a bathing suit to swim in at the cottage and my parents pool. So, I am planning a maternity clothes shopping day in June.
I have been feeling a little better this past week. The queasiness still comes and goes, but I have slightly more energy and the queasiness has been less severe. So, I think I am starting to feel back to my old self again. I still go to bed quite early, but I am able to function at work again, so that's good. There were a few weeks where I felt like I wanted to crawl under my desk and take a nap every afternoon.
Julie is still asking every day "Is the baby out yet?" Too cute! I am really surprised that she hasn't spilled the beans to anyone at church or small groups or anything. Only a couple more weeks to hang onto the secret and then we can start spreading the good news :)
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
10 weeks!
I'm at 10 weeks as of today! YAY! Only 30 weeks to go ;) Only a few more weeks until I reach the 2nd trimester - officially, that is at 13 weeks, 3 days, so I will get there on June 1st.
I've had an okay week. I have really been struggling lately with being extremely tired and queasy. I told a few people at work on Friday since I was supposed to go to a site on Thursday of this week, and I just can't do it given how awful I have been feeling. So, I told 3 people in total (started with HR), and they all know it is confidential still. They were all very happy for me and they said it is no problem that I don't go to that site, they will send someone else. What a relief!
I am really excited for Friday because in our small groups (sort of like a Bible study, only way more fun than that sounds), we finally get to see our music videos! Each small group made a music video and we finally get to see them all and vote. One group did Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" - that is going to be hilarious! I think they are all going to be funny! Our church is so much fun; I love that place. I'm so glad we found a church that we enjoy going to and feels like 'home'.
I've had an okay week. I have really been struggling lately with being extremely tired and queasy. I told a few people at work on Friday since I was supposed to go to a site on Thursday of this week, and I just can't do it given how awful I have been feeling. So, I told 3 people in total (started with HR), and they all know it is confidential still. They were all very happy for me and they said it is no problem that I don't go to that site, they will send someone else. What a relief!
I am really excited for Friday because in our small groups (sort of like a Bible study, only way more fun than that sounds), we finally get to see our music videos! Each small group made a music video and we finally get to see them all and vote. One group did Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" - that is going to be hilarious! I think they are all going to be funny! Our church is so much fun; I love that place. I'm so glad we found a church that we enjoy going to and feels like 'home'.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
The drama never ends around here!
Yesterday, my parents' dog Koby was very sick. He was just laying on the ground all day, wouldn't eat his supper, and wouldn't drink anything. This is very unlike him. He had killed a groundhog on the weekend, and had some bites from that, so we were concerned that he caught something. All Koby's shots were up to date, so at least we weren't too worried about something like rabies. My mom was up all evening last night worried and was afraid to go to bed because she was so concerned. But, he wasn't whimpering and his breathing was normal, so she was finally able to go to sleep.
She took him to the vet this morning and sure enough, Koby has an infection from the groundhog bites. They gave him some antibiotics and said he should bounce back within 24 hours. So, I'm sure by tomorrow, he'll be back to his old self. My poor mom though, she has been through an ordeal and barely slept last night! And of course, you always think the worst in these types of situations.
In other news, I am going to tell HR at my office about the pregnancy tomorrow. I really have to. I am being sent to a site on Thursday of next week that used to be contaminated and I am really not sure if it is safe for me to go to. I really don't want to take a chance. Not to mention with how queasy I've been feeling, I really can't spend a day out in the field right now. Maybe in a few weeks, but not now. So, I have to come clean because I really can't go to a site that was formerly contaminated. It has been remediated, but can they really guarantee that is safe for a pregnant woman in the 1st trimester??? Figures, I haven't been to a site in months, maybe longer, and then of course they want to send me NOW. So, I'm going to tell HR what's going on and we'll go from there.
She took him to the vet this morning and sure enough, Koby has an infection from the groundhog bites. They gave him some antibiotics and said he should bounce back within 24 hours. So, I'm sure by tomorrow, he'll be back to his old self. My poor mom though, she has been through an ordeal and barely slept last night! And of course, you always think the worst in these types of situations.
In other news, I am going to tell HR at my office about the pregnancy tomorrow. I really have to. I am being sent to a site on Thursday of next week that used to be contaminated and I am really not sure if it is safe for me to go to. I really don't want to take a chance. Not to mention with how queasy I've been feeling, I really can't spend a day out in the field right now. Maybe in a few weeks, but not now. So, I have to come clean because I really can't go to a site that was formerly contaminated. It has been remediated, but can they really guarantee that is safe for a pregnant woman in the 1st trimester??? Figures, I haven't been to a site in months, maybe longer, and then of course they want to send me NOW. So, I'm going to tell HR what's going on and we'll go from there.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
9 weeks and counting
The baby is the size of a grape this week!
I’m at the point where this doesn’t seem quite ‘real’. It has been almost 5 weeks since I had a positive pregnancy test and I still have another almost 5 weeks to wait until we get to hear the heartbeat. That’s a long time to wait! I guess I just assume that everything is okay in the meantime? It’s difficult to wait so long!
And the only people that know at this point are family and close friends. So, I am excited to be able to tell the world! We’ll be making this public after we hear the heartbeat, which should be at our appointment on June 4th.
I have been feeling very queasy lately. The last 3 days or so have been the worst so far. My midwife says the sickness usually peaks around 8 or 9 weeks and then starts to get better. So, anytime now! I have also been completely exhausted. I had to nap on both Saturday and Sunday just so I could feel like a human again. I have been going to bed between 8:30 and 9pm every night and I still find it hard to get up at 6am for work. I hope I get some energy back soon! I remember with Julie, I was really tired in the 1st trimester, but felt great in the 2nd.
I am also very busy right now at work and with my courses. I have one large assignment for my current course I need to get done tomorrow. Then, on the weekend, I will have to do next week’s work since I need to spend next Monday and Wednesday studying for my midterm on Wednesday evening. I will be relieved when my exam is over! My next course starts on the 11th, so I will be taking 2 at once after that. Needless to say, I won’t be taking another course on until July when my current one is wrapping up. 3 at once would be too much – 2 I can hopefully handle. We’ll see!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Battle of the bump
Well, I don’t have a bump yet, but my waistline is definitely changing/growing! This morning, I couldn’t get my 2nd pair of jeans done up. I still managed to wear them with a rubber band through the button hole. So, that leaves me with 1 pair that I can still zip up. I guess I’ll have to start wearing my dress pants more since those are looser to begin with. I may have to break out my maternity pants this weekend!
As of today, I am at 8 weeks in my pregnancy. I can’t wait until we get to the end of the 1st trimester and I can start telling people!
Monday, April 16, 2012
First appointment with midwife
We had our first appointment this morning. We have a new primary midwife this time since our primary from last time is no longer at the practice. And our secondary one from last time has holidays booked around our due date, so she can't be our primary one this time either. So, we have someone we have never met before. She seems very nice though. And very knowledgeable - she was an obstetrical nurse for 18 years before she was a midwife and has been a midwife for over 10 years. So, very experienced. We're not sure who our second and third midwives will be at this point, we will find that out later on.
Our next appointment will be in early June (don't have it booked yet since their appointment calendar didn't go that far). By then, I will be at around 14 weeks, so we will be able to hear the heartbeat. After that appointment, it will be time to start telling people! Can't wait! I may tell my work in late May though - I will wait and see. I am already finding that my clothes don't fit as well, so I may have to break out my maternity pants soon - or at least find one of those band things that allow you to extend the waist of your current pants. It's tricky. I am still at least 6 weeks away from telling my workplace, but I may start showing before that! I guess I will just play things by ear. I can always tell HR early since heaven forbid, if I had a miscarriage, I would be telling her anyways since I would want a few days off work.
Our next appointment will be in early June (don't have it booked yet since their appointment calendar didn't go that far). By then, I will be at around 14 weeks, so we will be able to hear the heartbeat. After that appointment, it will be time to start telling people! Can't wait! I may tell my work in late May though - I will wait and see. I am already finding that my clothes don't fit as well, so I may have to break out my maternity pants soon - or at least find one of those band things that allow you to extend the waist of your current pants. It's tricky. I am still at least 6 weeks away from telling my workplace, but I may start showing before that! I guess I will just play things by ear. I can always tell HR early since heaven forbid, if I had a miscarriage, I would be telling her anyways since I would want a few days off work.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Awesome weekend!
We had a great time sharing the news with our families on the weekend. Julie wore her 'I'm the big Sister' shirt with pride and told everyone "I'm going to be a big sister!" Everyone is very excited - my dad promptly broke out the schnapps ;)
I got the call this afternoon that we got a spot with the midwives. So, I am very happy about that! Our first appointment is next Monday, so I will be at almost 7 weeks by then.
The Big Egg Hunt on Saturday was a HUGE success! Thousands of people came - it was a great day. Another successful event for our church!
I got the call this afternoon that we got a spot with the midwives. So, I am very happy about that! Our first appointment is next Monday, so I will be at almost 7 weeks by then.
The Big Egg Hunt on Saturday was a HUGE success! Thousands of people came - it was a great day. Another successful event for our church!
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Busy weekend ahead!
It's going to be a busy and exciting weekend! I have no idea how I have been able to keep this secret for the last week, but we are finally sharing the news with our families this weekend! My family tomorrow and hubby's family on Sunday (which also happens to be hubby's birthday). Going to be awesome!
Saturday is our church's second annual Big Egg Hunt. This year, we have twice as many eggs as last time - we have over 20,000! Last year, we had 3,000 people out to the event - who knows how many we will have this time! The event is better advertised this time, so we could have tens of thousands of people, who knows! It is a free event we put on for the people of our City. Just a 'no strings attached' way to give back and show God's love.
Saturday is our church's second annual Big Egg Hunt. This year, we have twice as many eggs as last time - we have over 20,000! Last year, we had 3,000 people out to the event - who knows how many we will have this time! The event is better advertised this time, so we could have tens of thousands of people, who knows! It is a free event we put on for the people of our City. Just a 'no strings attached' way to give back and show God's love.
Monday, April 02, 2012
It has been confirmed!
I just got back from my appointment. Turns out they don't take blood to confirm the pregnancy, they do a urine test. So, we did that and it came back positive. So, it's official now! YAY! I go back again in a month to have a whole bunch of blood work, etc. As soon as I got home, I called the midwives since I know you have to call very early to get a spot there. So, she took all my information and will call me in about a week to let me know if we got a spot.
I can't wait until Friday when I can share the news with my family!
I can't wait until Friday when I can share the news with my family!
So it begins
I have been feeling very nauseous over the last few days. I think I have had more queasiness so far than my entire pregnancy with Julie! Or maybe I just don’t remember that from last time ;)
I have an appointment to see my doctor this afternoon to have the necessary tests done to get this confirmed. I am hoping I can get the results within a few days so we can tell our families this weekend. We bought a T-shirt for Julie that says “I’m the Big Sister”, so we’re going to let her make the announcement!
I can’t wait to get confirmation on this; maybe then it will feel more real. I still feel like I am dreaming this whole thing up!
In other news, there has been an interesting development in the lawsuit. The next step is to go through examinations, which could happen as early as 3 weeks from now. This is sort of a turning point since that would cost a lot more money. Our lawyer wrote my uncle's lawyer and basically told him that if he drops the suit now, we won't go after our costs, but if he continues, we will be seeking our costs for the entire time. So, if my uncle stops now, we won't go after him for the money we have already paid the lawyer, but if he keeps going, we'll be going after all our costs, which could be tens of thousands of dollars. My uncle must realize by now that his chances of winning are slim to none (he has seen all our documents).
So, last week, my mom got a call from a mutual friend between my uncle and her. He had been talking to my uncle and my uncle expressed a sense of urgency that we need to talk about things and see if we can come to some sort of settlement. This is the best news we've had since the lawsuit was launched! I think this would be a really good time to talk things over and see if there is some sort of compromise that we can all live with. We believe that we would win if this case went all the way, but we are not keen on going through a few more years of this if we don't have to. So, we are open to talking about things, provided we get the necessary guidance from our lawyer and the discussions take place with the assistance of a professional mediator. So, the friend was going to relay that to my uncle and we'll see what he says. I would be so happy if we could settle this and be done with it! I'm not holding my breath, but maybe my uncle really is starting to realize he doesn't have a chance.
I have an appointment to see my doctor this afternoon to have the necessary tests done to get this confirmed. I am hoping I can get the results within a few days so we can tell our families this weekend. We bought a T-shirt for Julie that says “I’m the Big Sister”, so we’re going to let her make the announcement!
I can’t wait to get confirmation on this; maybe then it will feel more real. I still feel like I am dreaming this whole thing up!
In other news, there has been an interesting development in the lawsuit. The next step is to go through examinations, which could happen as early as 3 weeks from now. This is sort of a turning point since that would cost a lot more money. Our lawyer wrote my uncle's lawyer and basically told him that if he drops the suit now, we won't go after our costs, but if he continues, we will be seeking our costs for the entire time. So, if my uncle stops now, we won't go after him for the money we have already paid the lawyer, but if he keeps going, we'll be going after all our costs, which could be tens of thousands of dollars. My uncle must realize by now that his chances of winning are slim to none (he has seen all our documents).
So, last week, my mom got a call from a mutual friend between my uncle and her. He had been talking to my uncle and my uncle expressed a sense of urgency that we need to talk about things and see if we can come to some sort of settlement. This is the best news we've had since the lawsuit was launched! I think this would be a really good time to talk things over and see if there is some sort of compromise that we can all live with. We believe that we would win if this case went all the way, but we are not keen on going through a few more years of this if we don't have to. So, we are open to talking about things, provided we get the necessary guidance from our lawyer and the discussions take place with the assistance of a professional mediator. So, the friend was going to relay that to my uncle and we'll see what he says. I would be so happy if we could settle this and be done with it! I'm not holding my breath, but maybe my uncle really is starting to realize he doesn't have a chance.
Friday, March 30, 2012
This will have to wait
I just called my doctor's office to see if I could get in today to have this confirmed, and his office is closed this week. They re-open on Monday morning. So, I will call first thing on Monday to see if I can get in on Monday afternoon. I should be able to get the results by Wednesday or so - I really want to tell my family on Good Friday and CT's family on Easter Sunday!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
We're expanding!
We are expecting our second child! I took a pregnancy test this morning and it came back positive! I will try to get in to see my doctor to have this confirmed tomorrow. But, I am quite certain I am pregnant since my period is 3 days late and I had a positive result on a home pregnancy test (two actually, I took one yesterday (cheapie) and another one (digital) this morning - both were positive). The digital one even tells you how far along you are - so I am 2-3 weeks after conception, so 4-5 weeks total.
We are excited! Based on an online due date calculator, it appears as though we will be having a holiday baby with the due date in early December. So, baby #2 and J will be almost 4 years apart. Perfect spacing I think since J will be at a good age to 'help' with the baby.
This is still on the DL for now - we are planning to tell our families at Easter since everyone will be together. That gives me a week to see my doctor and get the necessary confirmation on this before we tell our families. So, you ladies are the only ones who know this besides me and hubby! So, this is strictly confidential at this stage; but I had to let you gals in on this!
We are excited! Based on an online due date calculator, it appears as though we will be having a holiday baby with the due date in early December. So, baby #2 and J will be almost 4 years apart. Perfect spacing I think since J will be at a good age to 'help' with the baby.
This is still on the DL for now - we are planning to tell our families at Easter since everyone will be together. That gives me a week to see my doctor and get the necessary confirmation on this before we tell our families. So, you ladies are the only ones who know this besides me and hubby! So, this is strictly confidential at this stage; but I had to let you gals in on this!
Friday, March 16, 2012
The end of an era
Yesterday, I said goodbye to Zeke – my 2001 Toyota Rav4 that I have had for 11 years. We decided to upgrade to a larger vehicle; it was time. I sold Zeke to my brother Alex, so at least Zeke gets to stay in the family! Alex and his wife are very excited to have Zeke; I am thrilled they wanted him because I really didn’t want to see him go to a stranger. I sold Zeke to Alex for the same price that the dealership offered me for a trade in value (which was probably half of what I thought he was worth), so Alex gets him for an awesome price and it’s no different to us financially than if we traded him in. So, it’s a win-win for everybody!
Our new vehicle is a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. It’s pretty sweet! It has the full Stow n Go seats, which are awesome. It’s got so many cool features – and so much easier to fit Julie’s car seat into. We picked it up last night. It doesn’t have a name yet, but I’m sure we’ll name it soon ;)
Our new vehicle is a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. It’s pretty sweet! It has the full Stow n Go seats, which are awesome. It’s got so many cool features – and so much easier to fit Julie’s car seat into. We picked it up last night. It doesn’t have a name yet, but I’m sure we’ll name it soon ;)
Thursday, March 01, 2012
*Hopefully* the worst is over
So, things have been going slightly better at work lately. I had an unpleasant meeting with a client earlier this week, but I was able to get through it. I was upset that my boss wasn’t able to be there, so I had to do the meeting by myself. The client is very mad and upset, so that wasn’t fun to deal with. But, it’s over now.
I was talking to one of my friends at church on Sunday and he told me he got a big promotion at his company and they are looking for more people in his group. I told him a little bit about how unhappy I have been here, so he wants to talk to me about possible opportunities there. It’s the same company I did 3 of my co-op terms with in school – the only reason I didn’t apply there earlier is I really don’t like the president of the company – I don’t think he’d be much better than my current boss. But, my friend said he is the ‘shield’ between any employees in his group and the president, so maybe that would work out okay. I will definitely take him up on his offer to talk more – can’t hurt to find out more about it and see if that might be a good ‘change of scenery’. It would be nice to have another option in my back pocket in case things get bad here again. He was horrified when I told him a little bit about what I have been expected to do here with no help or guidance. He told me it has taken him months and months to develop his skills with these software programs. I was expected to learn them and be an expert instantly.
I have been enjoying going to the Y – I think that has been a good way to combat some stress. I enter the pool all stressed and mad and then get out of the pool all relaxed. Maybe next time I’ll try the hot tub too!
I was talking to one of my friends at church on Sunday and he told me he got a big promotion at his company and they are looking for more people in his group. I told him a little bit about how unhappy I have been here, so he wants to talk to me about possible opportunities there. It’s the same company I did 3 of my co-op terms with in school – the only reason I didn’t apply there earlier is I really don’t like the president of the company – I don’t think he’d be much better than my current boss. But, my friend said he is the ‘shield’ between any employees in his group and the president, so maybe that would work out okay. I will definitely take him up on his offer to talk more – can’t hurt to find out more about it and see if that might be a good ‘change of scenery’. It would be nice to have another option in my back pocket in case things get bad here again. He was horrified when I told him a little bit about what I have been expected to do here with no help or guidance. He told me it has taken him months and months to develop his skills with these software programs. I was expected to learn them and be an expert instantly.
I have been enjoying going to the Y – I think that has been a good way to combat some stress. I enter the pool all stressed and mad and then get out of the pool all relaxed. Maybe next time I’ll try the hot tub too!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Things not much better
So, things got a lot worse since my last post. To the point that I started getting stomach pains over the stress and ALMOST made an appointment with my doctor. I did talk to HR again though and was very clear that I am at my wit’s end and completely burned out and overwhelmed. But, since then, things seem to be getting better. I have one huge project submitted, so that feels really good. My mentor told me that site was only the 2nd most complex site he has seen in his 25+ year career. So, obviously it was a heck of a one for me to work on as a beginner in this field! He said he was going to email my boss and the PM to let them know just how complex it was – I think they may actually listen to him since they don’t seem to be getting it when I tell them how complex it was.
My mentor invited me (and hubby and daughter) over for lunch after church on Sunday. He offered to talk to me about workplace stress since he has dealt with it a few times in his career (once it got so bad he had to take medical leave for a summer!). So, I was completely honest with him about how things are going and that I am concerned for my health at this point.
I also joined the YMCA since physical exercise might be a good way for me to combat the stress. So, I went for the first time on Wednesday and I am going again tomorrow. I’m going to try to go at least twice a week on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. If I can go more often, great, but that will be my minimum.
Also, my mom and I had a meeting with our lawyer on Thursday. Basically, since all the documents have been received, we know that my uncle doesn’t have a case. But, he wants to proceed anyway. I think he is hoping to drag this out so long that we’ll have to give in because we can’t afford to keep paying to fight him. So, we’re thinking at this point about whether there may be opportunity for settlement. We are open to some possibilities and want our lawyer to ask his lawyer if my uncle has any suggestions for a reasonable resolution. If we are going to settle, now would be the time to do it before things get a lot more expensive. If there is no settlement, then we need to go through examinations, which will likely cost us another $5,000.
We had a meeting yesterday with my brothers to talk about how they feel. Surprisingly, we are all on the same page where we would be open to some sort of compromise. We have realized that sharing the cottage with our cousins would not work since we are afraid they would sabotage, etc. We would rather not have to go through all that stress.
So, we’ll see what happens. We are praying that my uncle will be reasonable. I’m hoping we can reach some sort of settlement. He has got to realize that is better for him than continuing since he will only lose in the end. We just can’t afford to keep fighting for much longer – our lawyer costs $350/hour!
My mentor invited me (and hubby and daughter) over for lunch after church on Sunday. He offered to talk to me about workplace stress since he has dealt with it a few times in his career (once it got so bad he had to take medical leave for a summer!). So, I was completely honest with him about how things are going and that I am concerned for my health at this point.
I also joined the YMCA since physical exercise might be a good way for me to combat the stress. So, I went for the first time on Wednesday and I am going again tomorrow. I’m going to try to go at least twice a week on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. If I can go more often, great, but that will be my minimum.
Also, my mom and I had a meeting with our lawyer on Thursday. Basically, since all the documents have been received, we know that my uncle doesn’t have a case. But, he wants to proceed anyway. I think he is hoping to drag this out so long that we’ll have to give in because we can’t afford to keep paying to fight him. So, we’re thinking at this point about whether there may be opportunity for settlement. We are open to some possibilities and want our lawyer to ask his lawyer if my uncle has any suggestions for a reasonable resolution. If we are going to settle, now would be the time to do it before things get a lot more expensive. If there is no settlement, then we need to go through examinations, which will likely cost us another $5,000.
We had a meeting yesterday with my brothers to talk about how they feel. Surprisingly, we are all on the same page where we would be open to some sort of compromise. We have realized that sharing the cottage with our cousins would not work since we are afraid they would sabotage, etc. We would rather not have to go through all that stress.
So, we’ll see what happens. We are praying that my uncle will be reasonable. I’m hoping we can reach some sort of settlement. He has got to realize that is better for him than continuing since he will only lose in the end. We just can’t afford to keep fighting for much longer – our lawyer costs $350/hour!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Nearing the end of the month
The first couple of weeks of January went quite well (compared to December, which was hell). Then last week, things got very stressful again. But, I managed and there were no tears shed, which is improvement. It meant I had to work a bunch of extra hours, but I did what I needed to. And instead of thanking me for my effort, my boss thanked another guy for staying a couple of hours late one night to get the drawings done for one of the projects I’m working on. I laughed out loud when my boss thanked that guy and not me. He thanks him for putting in an extra 2 hours, but I get no thanks for putting in an extra 9 hours that one week when I have a toddler and child care arrangements to juggle? GRRRRR!
If it weren’t for the mentorship they are providing me, I would be outta here in a heartbeat. But, I am learning a lot from my mentor and am gaining valuable skills, so I want to stick it out here for at least a couple more months so I can learn all I can from my mentor.
In my meeting with my boss last month, he said probably 5 times during the meeting that the mentor is here to mentor the company, not me. So, that was drilled into my head. Then, I found out last week that the mentor said no to mentoring the company and only wanted to mentor me. Ha! Too bad for the company, but awesome for me!
In other news, our basement renovation is in full swing. We were originally planning to wait until spring, but my dad is off work right now and will be busy in the spring, so we decided to make use of his free time while he has it! So, he has been working on our basement for the last week and a half and we’re at the stage now where it is being primed. So, the painting can start early next week, most likely! I am hoping to have it almost done in time for Julie’s 3rd birthday party next weekend so we can show people.
When we bought the house, the basement was unfinished. We are finishing one area of the basement to make it into a home office. It will become my office if I decide to proceed with my own business.
Then eventually (as in sometime in the 5 years) we will finish the rest of the basement. Half of the remaining space will be a laundry and storage room and the other half will be a family/rec room. That’s the plan anyways.
For those who are keeping up with the law suit saga, we finally have a copy of my uncle’s affidavit of documents. I had to submit our documents in early December. The deadline was Dec 11, which is a court ordered deadline, so on Dec 12th, our lawyer phoned my uncle’s lawyer to get a copy of his affidavit. He responded with “oh, we haven’t done that yet, we’ll need some more time”. You’ve had months! Really made me mad that he could miss a deadline like that. But, he got his act together and submitted just before Christmas.
So, we got a copy of the documents last week. All in all, he really doesn’t have anything. He has some statements from one select group of Oma’s friends (whom she was estranged from for awhile) which basically explain Oma’s deterioration with dementia. One even went so far as to suggest elder abuse on the part of my mother because she found rotting food in Oma’s fridge once and Oma smelled sometimes. The truth was Oma refused to shower most of the time and my mom did seek help for that very issue from the Alzheimer’s society. I fail to see how that is my mom’s fault. All the statements are dated within a couple days of each other, so I know my uncle solicited those statements. And they are dated the summer of 2009, when Oma was just beginning to seriously deteriorate, so it did take a little time before my mom clued into things and figured out how to handle things.
They also claim that my mom was isolating Oma from her family and friends, which is a total lie. Oma had a very active social life and never declined an invitation from this group of friends. So, I really have no idea how they can claim that. We can prove otherwise.
He also has a hand written note from Oma to her first lawyer stating she wants her Will reverted back to the previous version (i.e. the one Ken wants). But, that letter is not witnessed, so I’m sure my uncle dictated that to her. So, I’m not worried about that.
So, overall, given the evidence, I really think we have a stronger case. We are going to meet with our lawyer on Feb 16th to discuss things and we’ll see what he says.
If it weren’t for the mentorship they are providing me, I would be outta here in a heartbeat. But, I am learning a lot from my mentor and am gaining valuable skills, so I want to stick it out here for at least a couple more months so I can learn all I can from my mentor.
In my meeting with my boss last month, he said probably 5 times during the meeting that the mentor is here to mentor the company, not me. So, that was drilled into my head. Then, I found out last week that the mentor said no to mentoring the company and only wanted to mentor me. Ha! Too bad for the company, but awesome for me!
In other news, our basement renovation is in full swing. We were originally planning to wait until spring, but my dad is off work right now and will be busy in the spring, so we decided to make use of his free time while he has it! So, he has been working on our basement for the last week and a half and we’re at the stage now where it is being primed. So, the painting can start early next week, most likely! I am hoping to have it almost done in time for Julie’s 3rd birthday party next weekend so we can show people.
When we bought the house, the basement was unfinished. We are finishing one area of the basement to make it into a home office. It will become my office if I decide to proceed with my own business.
Then eventually (as in sometime in the 5 years) we will finish the rest of the basement. Half of the remaining space will be a laundry and storage room and the other half will be a family/rec room. That’s the plan anyways.
For those who are keeping up with the law suit saga, we finally have a copy of my uncle’s affidavit of documents. I had to submit our documents in early December. The deadline was Dec 11, which is a court ordered deadline, so on Dec 12th, our lawyer phoned my uncle’s lawyer to get a copy of his affidavit. He responded with “oh, we haven’t done that yet, we’ll need some more time”. You’ve had months! Really made me mad that he could miss a deadline like that. But, he got his act together and submitted just before Christmas.
So, we got a copy of the documents last week. All in all, he really doesn’t have anything. He has some statements from one select group of Oma’s friends (whom she was estranged from for awhile) which basically explain Oma’s deterioration with dementia. One even went so far as to suggest elder abuse on the part of my mother because she found rotting food in Oma’s fridge once and Oma smelled sometimes. The truth was Oma refused to shower most of the time and my mom did seek help for that very issue from the Alzheimer’s society. I fail to see how that is my mom’s fault. All the statements are dated within a couple days of each other, so I know my uncle solicited those statements. And they are dated the summer of 2009, when Oma was just beginning to seriously deteriorate, so it did take a little time before my mom clued into things and figured out how to handle things.
They also claim that my mom was isolating Oma from her family and friends, which is a total lie. Oma had a very active social life and never declined an invitation from this group of friends. So, I really have no idea how they can claim that. We can prove otherwise.
He also has a hand written note from Oma to her first lawyer stating she wants her Will reverted back to the previous version (i.e. the one Ken wants). But, that letter is not witnessed, so I’m sure my uncle dictated that to her. So, I’m not worried about that.
So, overall, given the evidence, I really think we have a stronger case. We are going to meet with our lawyer on Feb 16th to discuss things and we’ll see what he says.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A new year, new beginning
Well the situation at work got much worse since my last post. December was an awful month at work with many tears and me wanting to storm out and quit. I felt like I was being blamed for things that weren't my fault and I basically felt completely incompetent, which is not a feeling I am used to!
I decided to talk to one of my coworkers about this in mid-December. He is one of the 4 senior managers, so he has lots of 'pull' in the company and he and I have been friends since I started 8 years ago. So, he is probably the coworker I am most close to. So, I asked him if we could go for lunch and talk. I was completely honest with him about how I was feeling and that I didn't think I was being treated fairly. I also told him I was concerned about being fired over this and he told me that won't happen. So, I was relieved to hear that - I was feeling like I better find another job quickly before they fired me, but knowing that they weren't going to fire me took the pressure off to find something else quickly.
He was very understanding about the whole situation and was completely on my side. He suggested I also talk to the head of HR about my concerns, which I did the following week. She was also very supportive and suggested I meet with the president of the company and another senior PM involved so I could have a chance to voice my concerns because up until that point, I felt like I wasn't being heard. I agreed to the meeting and asked that the head of HR also be present.
So, that meeting happened the Tuesday before the Christmas break. What an awful experience. This was a meeting I called - it started out well, I had notes about what I wanted to say, so I was able to get through all that. Although, I still don't think they really got it. Then the meeting basically turned into a discussion of my weaknesses and resulted in me being demoted - again. I am now in the same position I was 8 months ago before my big promotion last May. I left that meeting feeling completely deflated and like a piece of garbage. I think they need to learn how to manage people better because you don't just beat someone down and then end the meeting. I am willing to accept criticism, but they should have ended the meeting on a high note. Instead, I left feeling completely useless and went to the bathroom and cried.
Over the Christmas break, I decided to just put that all behind me and start fresh in January. I made myself a deadline of the end of January to see if things can turn around a little bit or not. If I am still miserable at the end of the month, I will seriously consider other employment options. As of the end of December, they have hired a mentor for me on a casual, as-needed basis and he is the in town guru in this subject area (and I worked with him for 3 co-op terms and he and his family also go to our church, so I do already know him). So, I am feeling hopeful that things can turn around. If not, I can leave with no regrets or guilt because I don't owe them anything.
I know I can't go on like things were in December - I was crying all the time and completely miserable to the point I dreaded going into work.
Onto happy things - we had a great Christmas. Julie was so excited and everyone spoiled her. I was spoiled too - Carlos bought me a blackberry playbook and then I bought myself a Kobo on Boxing Day since it was an awesome deal. I love both my new gadgets ;)
I can't believe how much Julie is growing up. She will be 3 in less than a month! She amazes me with her vocabulary every day! As much as I hate my job these days, I keep trying to focus on the fact that my most important jobs are being a wife and mother, so Carlos' and Julie's opinion of me is WAY more important than my boss. It's just a job - Carlos and Julie are my life.
I decided to talk to one of my coworkers about this in mid-December. He is one of the 4 senior managers, so he has lots of 'pull' in the company and he and I have been friends since I started 8 years ago. So, he is probably the coworker I am most close to. So, I asked him if we could go for lunch and talk. I was completely honest with him about how I was feeling and that I didn't think I was being treated fairly. I also told him I was concerned about being fired over this and he told me that won't happen. So, I was relieved to hear that - I was feeling like I better find another job quickly before they fired me, but knowing that they weren't going to fire me took the pressure off to find something else quickly.
He was very understanding about the whole situation and was completely on my side. He suggested I also talk to the head of HR about my concerns, which I did the following week. She was also very supportive and suggested I meet with the president of the company and another senior PM involved so I could have a chance to voice my concerns because up until that point, I felt like I wasn't being heard. I agreed to the meeting and asked that the head of HR also be present.
So, that meeting happened the Tuesday before the Christmas break. What an awful experience. This was a meeting I called - it started out well, I had notes about what I wanted to say, so I was able to get through all that. Although, I still don't think they really got it. Then the meeting basically turned into a discussion of my weaknesses and resulted in me being demoted - again. I am now in the same position I was 8 months ago before my big promotion last May. I left that meeting feeling completely deflated and like a piece of garbage. I think they need to learn how to manage people better because you don't just beat someone down and then end the meeting. I am willing to accept criticism, but they should have ended the meeting on a high note. Instead, I left feeling completely useless and went to the bathroom and cried.
Over the Christmas break, I decided to just put that all behind me and start fresh in January. I made myself a deadline of the end of January to see if things can turn around a little bit or not. If I am still miserable at the end of the month, I will seriously consider other employment options. As of the end of December, they have hired a mentor for me on a casual, as-needed basis and he is the in town guru in this subject area (and I worked with him for 3 co-op terms and he and his family also go to our church, so I do already know him). So, I am feeling hopeful that things can turn around. If not, I can leave with no regrets or guilt because I don't owe them anything.
I know I can't go on like things were in December - I was crying all the time and completely miserable to the point I dreaded going into work.
Onto happy things - we had a great Christmas. Julie was so excited and everyone spoiled her. I was spoiled too - Carlos bought me a blackberry playbook and then I bought myself a Kobo on Boxing Day since it was an awesome deal. I love both my new gadgets ;)
I can't believe how much Julie is growing up. She will be 3 in less than a month! She amazes me with her vocabulary every day! As much as I hate my job these days, I keep trying to focus on the fact that my most important jobs are being a wife and mother, so Carlos' and Julie's opinion of me is WAY more important than my boss. It's just a job - Carlos and Julie are my life.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
A resolution
After 3 weeks of feeling like I didn't matter and no response to my letter, the head of HR (who also has been a friend of mine for over 10 years), asked to speak with me about my letter. So, we had a chat and I told her how I felt. I ended up crying, but it wasn't a big deal since she is a friend. She took my concerns very seriously and said all the stuff my boss should have said about how much they value me, etc.
So, another 10 days went by and finally my boss asked to speak with me. So, this was a full month after our first meeting. He said they may not have been fair to me to put this new role on me at this point when I am not working a full load and am trying to balance my home life and work life. And, it was a huge jump in responsibility.
So, he has offered me a new position - Senior Project Coordinator. It is still a promotion from where I was before, but is a step back from being a full PM. I will still do a lot of the same actual work that I am doing now, but there will be someone else actually managing the projects. This is more of a stepping stone to being a full PM where I can slowly ease into that instead of it all being dropped on me at once.
This new position comes with an 11% raise! YAY! So, as a result of Friday's meeting, I was offered a position that is less responsibility and a lot less stress, for more money. Sounds good to me! I am thrilled with the raise - it comes into effect on Monday!
I am hoping this will make me happy with my job again. I am still considering other options, but I will stay at least until I have another mat leave. Then I'll have a year off to make some decisions about my career path. I'm not closing the door on my current company just because of a few bad months, but I am not sure I want to work outside the home 4 days per week after we have 2 kids.
So, another 10 days went by and finally my boss asked to speak with me. So, this was a full month after our first meeting. He said they may not have been fair to me to put this new role on me at this point when I am not working a full load and am trying to balance my home life and work life. And, it was a huge jump in responsibility.
So, he has offered me a new position - Senior Project Coordinator. It is still a promotion from where I was before, but is a step back from being a full PM. I will still do a lot of the same actual work that I am doing now, but there will be someone else actually managing the projects. This is more of a stepping stone to being a full PM where I can slowly ease into that instead of it all being dropped on me at once.
This new position comes with an 11% raise! YAY! So, as a result of Friday's meeting, I was offered a position that is less responsibility and a lot less stress, for more money. Sounds good to me! I am thrilled with the raise - it comes into effect on Monday!
I am hoping this will make me happy with my job again. I am still considering other options, but I will stay at least until I have another mat leave. Then I'll have a year off to make some decisions about my career path. I'm not closing the door on my current company just because of a few bad months, but I am not sure I want to work outside the home 4 days per week after we have 2 kids.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Feeling lost
So, as you all know, I got a big promotion in May. Well, it came with a tiny little raise which I didn't think even came close to reflecting the increase in responsibility and stress. So, right away, I went to my boss and told him I wasn't happy with the raise and he said we could do an informal mid-year review in October and if I was doing well in my new role, he would "bump me up" at that time.
So, from May until October, I worked my butt off to 'prove myself' in my new position. I took phone calls from clients on my days off, made sales phone calls in the evenings to get more work, worked extra hours, dealt with difficult clients, etc. One client in particular has made me cry at work twice in the last month. Not cool. I obviously need to develop a thicker skin. My new position has been so stressful - the only thing keeping me going in my job was looking forward to my big raise in October.
Well, the big meeting arrived last week. I was so excited for months; I couldn't wait to see what all my hard work had gotten me. Well, my boss gave me a raise in the amount of: big fat ZERO! He said there wasn't a problem with my performance, just that he doesn't think I've had enough time to prove myself yet. I was LIVID! So, naturally, I went into the bathroom at work and cried. So upset. I felt hurt and betrayed. I've been at the company for almost 8 years now; this made me feel so under-appreciated and under-valued.
I took the long weekend to calm down and decided to write my boss a letter explaining that had I been told at the outset that I'd need to work in the new position for a year before getting a substantial raise, I would have considered declining the promotion. In the spirit of compromise, I am willing to wait until January 1st, but I expect to be told now what the anticipated increase in salary will be so I can decide if I want to continue on that path or request to be returned to my former position. I just gave him the letter yesterday, so no response yet.
Honestly, my old job was so much less stress. If I'm not going to get a raise, it's just not worth it to me. Especially since we're probably going to have another baby soon. My number one priority is with my family, not my career.
This whole situation has made me re-evaluate what I want to do with my life though. Maybe project management at an engineering company isn't for me. Too much stress at this point in my life. I want to be in a job that I feel appreciated and that doesn't make me cry. I have been with the company for almost 8 years, and I have cried 4 times in total over my job and all 4 times have been in the last month. A sure sign that things are going downhill for me - fast. I need to get out of there.
Perfect time to have another baby, I think :) Then I'll have a year off to give me some time to think about my options and come up with a plan. We were originally thinking we'd have our kids 3 years apart and our girl is 2 years and 8 months now, so I guess we better get started ;)
So, from May until October, I worked my butt off to 'prove myself' in my new position. I took phone calls from clients on my days off, made sales phone calls in the evenings to get more work, worked extra hours, dealt with difficult clients, etc. One client in particular has made me cry at work twice in the last month. Not cool. I obviously need to develop a thicker skin. My new position has been so stressful - the only thing keeping me going in my job was looking forward to my big raise in October.
Well, the big meeting arrived last week. I was so excited for months; I couldn't wait to see what all my hard work had gotten me. Well, my boss gave me a raise in the amount of: big fat ZERO! He said there wasn't a problem with my performance, just that he doesn't think I've had enough time to prove myself yet. I was LIVID! So, naturally, I went into the bathroom at work and cried. So upset. I felt hurt and betrayed. I've been at the company for almost 8 years now; this made me feel so under-appreciated and under-valued.
I took the long weekend to calm down and decided to write my boss a letter explaining that had I been told at the outset that I'd need to work in the new position for a year before getting a substantial raise, I would have considered declining the promotion. In the spirit of compromise, I am willing to wait until January 1st, but I expect to be told now what the anticipated increase in salary will be so I can decide if I want to continue on that path or request to be returned to my former position. I just gave him the letter yesterday, so no response yet.
Honestly, my old job was so much less stress. If I'm not going to get a raise, it's just not worth it to me. Especially since we're probably going to have another baby soon. My number one priority is with my family, not my career.
This whole situation has made me re-evaluate what I want to do with my life though. Maybe project management at an engineering company isn't for me. Too much stress at this point in my life. I want to be in a job that I feel appreciated and that doesn't make me cry. I have been with the company for almost 8 years, and I have cried 4 times in total over my job and all 4 times have been in the last month. A sure sign that things are going downhill for me - fast. I need to get out of there.
Perfect time to have another baby, I think :) Then I'll have a year off to give me some time to think about my options and come up with a plan. We were originally thinking we'd have our kids 3 years apart and our girl is 2 years and 8 months now, so I guess we better get started ;)
Monday, August 08, 2011
Enjoying the summer
I'm having a great summer so far. I went to Las Vegas last week with nej and lj and it was an absolute blast! The Grand Canyon was amazing and Vegas was loads of fun. The shopping down there was pretty fab as well.
Things are moving slowly on the law suit front. An "Order Giving Directions" was filed which is basically an action plan on what is going to happen and by when. Right now, we are in the stage where we have to gather all the documents we have that we would be willing to produce and list them in an Affidavit. This is so that neither party can all of a sudden have a handwritten document from Oma once the case has already started. We have to lay it all on the table so everyone knows what evidence is out there. The lawyers are also gathering all Oma's medical and legal files. So, once all that is gathered, we will need to meet with our lawyer again so he can advise us on how to proceed. So far, all the evidence has been on our side. I can't imagine what evidence my uncle has, but we'll soon find out if he has any.
Julie is 2.5 years old now - crazy! She is so amazing - she's talking in complete sentences and I'm blown away by all she knows. At this rate, it won't be long before she's reading ;) She still hasn't taken much of an interest in potty training. I have a week of holidays at the end of the month, so I'm going to take a few solid days and just concentrate on potty training. We may even try just having her naked in the house and drinking lots of fluid and see what happens. I have a whole stash of stickers for her as rewards. I sure hope this works!
Things are moving slowly on the law suit front. An "Order Giving Directions" was filed which is basically an action plan on what is going to happen and by when. Right now, we are in the stage where we have to gather all the documents we have that we would be willing to produce and list them in an Affidavit. This is so that neither party can all of a sudden have a handwritten document from Oma once the case has already started. We have to lay it all on the table so everyone knows what evidence is out there. The lawyers are also gathering all Oma's medical and legal files. So, once all that is gathered, we will need to meet with our lawyer again so he can advise us on how to proceed. So far, all the evidence has been on our side. I can't imagine what evidence my uncle has, but we'll soon find out if he has any.
Julie is 2.5 years old now - crazy! She is so amazing - she's talking in complete sentences and I'm blown away by all she knows. At this rate, it won't be long before she's reading ;) She still hasn't taken much of an interest in potty training. I have a week of holidays at the end of the month, so I'm going to take a few solid days and just concentrate on potty training. We may even try just having her naked in the house and drinking lots of fluid and see what happens. I have a whole stash of stickers for her as rewards. I sure hope this works!
Friday, June 10, 2011
A promotion for me!
We had our annual performance reviews last month and I am being promoted to a full-fledged Project Manager. I was doing some PM work before my mat leave and then when I returned from mat leave, I didn’t do any PM work. I think they were a little hesitant to give me any projects to manage until they saw how my return to work 3 days a week (and now 4 days a week) was going to work. Well, I have obviously proved myself because my boss wants to make me a PM again only this time they are making it official by giving me that title (my job title has never been PM before).
So, naturally, I was expecting a huge raise. Well, turns out my raise is decent, but not nearly what I was expecting. It is higher than the company average raise, but I was honestly expecting maybe twice what I got. Our company does raises once per year each April (our reviews were late this year, but the raises were retroactive to April). So, as soon as I got the letter with my salary adjustment, I went to talk to my boss and told him I was expecting more given my increase in responsibility. The raise I got was more what I would have expected if I was staying in the same job, not with the promotion. He gave me lots of manager-speak and what we negotiated to is that in early October, we’ll do an informal appraisal to see how I’m doing with my projects and I’ll get another raise then if merited. So, I’m okay with that. Better than having to wait a whole other year for another raise! And at least he knows I am being proactive with my career, so it didn’t hurt to ask. And if I get another raise in October and then another one next April, that would be awesome.
On to other things…
For those who are curious, the law suit is still on going. We have come to the realization that it will likely take YEARS before it's over. No fun. The next steps are mandatory mediation and then our lawyer gets to examine my uncle and his lawyer gets to examine my mom and I. Both lawyers also get to examine Oma's 2 lawyers (the one she 'fired' because she thought he was working with my uncle and her most recent lawyer), her medical professionals, and the capacity assessor. All that will be completed within the next 9 months, so that takes us to early 2012. Then, if things are not settled by mediation, it will go to trial before a judge, which could take a very long time depending on the schedule of the Court. So, it's going to be a long and expensive road, but we're not giving up - we have to fight for what Oma wanted.
We’ve been in our house for over a month now and we LOVE it! We are in the planning stages of building a deck, so hopefully we’ll have that installed within the next month or so. Still have more unpacking to do (our garage is maybe half full of boxes still).
This weekend I’m going to a ladies retreat. I went for the first time a year and a half ago and I took Julie with me since she was still nursing. Well, she’s not nursing anymore, so I am going without her this time (they only let you bring your child if they are a nursing baby – which makes sense – the whole point of the retreat is to have a little getaway!). This is my first time being away from Julie for more than 1 night. It’s a little ‘trial run’ for Vegas next month when I’ll be away from her for 5 nights! We’ll see how I do! I will of course miss Carlos too ;)
So, naturally, I was expecting a huge raise. Well, turns out my raise is decent, but not nearly what I was expecting. It is higher than the company average raise, but I was honestly expecting maybe twice what I got. Our company does raises once per year each April (our reviews were late this year, but the raises were retroactive to April). So, as soon as I got the letter with my salary adjustment, I went to talk to my boss and told him I was expecting more given my increase in responsibility. The raise I got was more what I would have expected if I was staying in the same job, not with the promotion. He gave me lots of manager-speak and what we negotiated to is that in early October, we’ll do an informal appraisal to see how I’m doing with my projects and I’ll get another raise then if merited. So, I’m okay with that. Better than having to wait a whole other year for another raise! And at least he knows I am being proactive with my career, so it didn’t hurt to ask. And if I get another raise in October and then another one next April, that would be awesome.
On to other things…
For those who are curious, the law suit is still on going. We have come to the realization that it will likely take YEARS before it's over. No fun. The next steps are mandatory mediation and then our lawyer gets to examine my uncle and his lawyer gets to examine my mom and I. Both lawyers also get to examine Oma's 2 lawyers (the one she 'fired' because she thought he was working with my uncle and her most recent lawyer), her medical professionals, and the capacity assessor. All that will be completed within the next 9 months, so that takes us to early 2012. Then, if things are not settled by mediation, it will go to trial before a judge, which could take a very long time depending on the schedule of the Court. So, it's going to be a long and expensive road, but we're not giving up - we have to fight for what Oma wanted.
We’ve been in our house for over a month now and we LOVE it! We are in the planning stages of building a deck, so hopefully we’ll have that installed within the next month or so. Still have more unpacking to do (our garage is maybe half full of boxes still).
This weekend I’m going to a ladies retreat. I went for the first time a year and a half ago and I took Julie with me since she was still nursing. Well, she’s not nursing anymore, so I am going without her this time (they only let you bring your child if they are a nursing baby – which makes sense – the whole point of the retreat is to have a little getaway!). This is my first time being away from Julie for more than 1 night. It’s a little ‘trial run’ for Vegas next month when I’ll be away from her for 5 nights! We’ll see how I do! I will of course miss Carlos too ;)
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Loving the new house!
Our new house rocks! I absolutely LOVE it!
We got the keys just after noon last Monday. We moved several loads of stuff over on Monday afternoon and evening. We stayed at our old house for the last time that Monday night since our furniture wasn't being moved until the following day. We hired movers to move our large furniture and appliances and am I ever glad we did. That would have been way too much to do ourselves! The movers were done just after noon on Tuesday, so we spent the whole afternoon and evening moving more stuff. On the Wednesday morning, our phone/TV/internet was installed, so we had to hang around home while that was being done. For the rest of Wednesday through Friday, we moved more stuff and did some shopping for things we needed to get for the house. On Saturday, we took a bunch of stuff to the landfill and also used my dad's truck to take 2 more loads over to the new house. Then on Sunday, Carlos and his dad got the very last load of stuff. So, it took us an entire 7 days to get all our stuff moved over.
Now our garage is packed full of boxes. I have the important ones unpacked, but it will take us a few weeks to get the rest unpacked. At least we have everything moved over now! We had a deadline since the first tenant was moving into our old house on the 7th, so I wanted to have most of our stuff out by then.
Today, I took Julie for a walk to the local zoo. It took us 7 minutes to get from our front door to the zoo - not too bad! I think we're going to be going there a lot this summer! It's a free zoo and they also have great playground equipment and have a splash pad in the summer. It's a great place!
We also bought new bikes for Carlos and I and a bike trailer for Julie. So, now we're all set to go for family bike rides this summer! I sold my triathlon bike and we were able to buy Carlos' new bike, my new bike, and Julie's trailer for less than $2 more (including tax) than I sold my bike for. I thought it was neat how that worked out. We got hybrids, so I could easily use that bike if I ever want to do another triathlon since I used a mountain bike for my first 3 anyway.
We got the keys just after noon last Monday. We moved several loads of stuff over on Monday afternoon and evening. We stayed at our old house for the last time that Monday night since our furniture wasn't being moved until the following day. We hired movers to move our large furniture and appliances and am I ever glad we did. That would have been way too much to do ourselves! The movers were done just after noon on Tuesday, so we spent the whole afternoon and evening moving more stuff. On the Wednesday morning, our phone/TV/internet was installed, so we had to hang around home while that was being done. For the rest of Wednesday through Friday, we moved more stuff and did some shopping for things we needed to get for the house. On Saturday, we took a bunch of stuff to the landfill and also used my dad's truck to take 2 more loads over to the new house. Then on Sunday, Carlos and his dad got the very last load of stuff. So, it took us an entire 7 days to get all our stuff moved over.
Now our garage is packed full of boxes. I have the important ones unpacked, but it will take us a few weeks to get the rest unpacked. At least we have everything moved over now! We had a deadline since the first tenant was moving into our old house on the 7th, so I wanted to have most of our stuff out by then.
Today, I took Julie for a walk to the local zoo. It took us 7 minutes to get from our front door to the zoo - not too bad! I think we're going to be going there a lot this summer! It's a free zoo and they also have great playground equipment and have a splash pad in the summer. It's a great place!
We also bought new bikes for Carlos and I and a bike trailer for Julie. So, now we're all set to go for family bike rides this summer! I sold my triathlon bike and we were able to buy Carlos' new bike, my new bike, and Julie's trailer for less than $2 more (including tax) than I sold my bike for. I thought it was neat how that worked out. We got hybrids, so I could easily use that bike if I ever want to do another triathlon since I used a mountain bike for my first 3 anyway.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Big Egg Hunt was a success!
Our church put on a free Easter egg hunt for our community on Saturday. It was amazing! We were hoping for a few hundred people and we got a few thousand! We had 10,000 Easter eggs and they weren't nearly enough - next year, we'll need 100,000!!!! It was a wonderful event for the community.
Our moving day is getting closer! In one week from right now, we'll have the keys to our new place. It could be as late as 5pm before we get the keys, so we have the movers coming next Tuesday to move our large furniture and appliances. Everything else we'll move ourselves - I imagine it will take us about 20 trips! Good thing the new house is only 7 minutes away from our current house. I am SOOOOO excited!
Our moving day is getting closer! In one week from right now, we'll have the keys to our new place. It could be as late as 5pm before we get the keys, so we have the movers coming next Tuesday to move our large furniture and appliances. Everything else we'll move ourselves - I imagine it will take us about 20 trips! Good thing the new house is only 7 minutes away from our current house. I am SOOOOO excited!
Monday, April 18, 2011
A beautiful service for a beautiful woman
The funeral for my grandmother was on Friday, which would have been her 83rd birthday. We went to the cemetery in the morning for the burial, which was very difficult, I cried the whole time. Then we had the memorial service in the afternoon, which was a lovely tribute to Oma. Close to 50 people came and we shared funny stories about Oma and everyone had a chance to say what Oma meant to them. I burst into tears and couldn't quite get through my speech, but I'm sure people understood. It was a very emotional day and I felt I was near tears all weekend.
Turns out my uncle did show up at both the cemetery and the memorial service, which was fine. We weren't going to uninvite him since we thought he should be able to go to his mother's funeral no matter what else is going on. So, he did come, but didn't say a word to us. Which is fine. We're glad it's overwith so now we don't have to worry about it any more.
We're hoping that my uncle saw how many people were there and so many of them expressed how happy Oma was with her living arrangements and they had never seen her more happy than she had been in the last few years. We're hoping that softened his heart a little bit to the law suit, we'll see. I'm not counting on it, but it would be nice!
In happy news - we get the keys to our new house in 2 weeks from today - YAY! We spent the weekend packing. We got a lot done, but there is still so much more to do!
Turns out my uncle did show up at both the cemetery and the memorial service, which was fine. We weren't going to uninvite him since we thought he should be able to go to his mother's funeral no matter what else is going on. So, he did come, but didn't say a word to us. Which is fine. We're glad it's overwith so now we don't have to worry about it any more.
We're hoping that my uncle saw how many people were there and so many of them expressed how happy Oma was with her living arrangements and they had never seen her more happy than she had been in the last few years. We're hoping that softened his heart a little bit to the law suit, we'll see. I'm not counting on it, but it would be nice!
In happy news - we get the keys to our new house in 2 weeks from today - YAY! We spent the weekend packing. We got a lot done, but there is still so much more to do!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Not much new to report here.
We are really excited about our new house! We move in 5 weeks! We got 3 quotes from moving companies to only move our large items (we want to move everything we possibly can ourselves, but need movers for our large furniture and appliances) and they came back at $1,200, $650, and $400. And all 3 companies did a walk-through of the house and quoted on moving the same items. Strange! Needless to say, we’re going with the cheapest one and we’re hoping to reduce that cost even further by moving even more by ourselves. They only have a 2 hour minimum while the other 2 companies have a 4 hour minimum. Seems like a waste of money just to have our items moved, but then again, I would feel safer having a moving company for things like our appliances, mirrors, and TV since then they are insured.
Right now we’re trying to decide which company to go for phone/tv/internet. Right now we have Bell, but I think we pay way too much for what we get. So, our only other option in our area if we want to have 1 company for all 3 services is Cogeco. According to their online quotes, it looks like we’d be saving at least $75 per month if we switch to them. So, it would be worth it to make the switch.
The situation with my uncle has gone nowhere in the last few weeks. Our lawyer submitted an “Intent to Defend” form on our behalf to my uncle’s lawyer, but it hasn’t gone any further than that. I imagine our lawyer will need to meet with us again in the next couple of weeks to figure out where we’re going from here.
My mom is a ball of stress right now over the whole thing. She is having a really hard time with the whole being sued by her own brother thing on top of missing her mother. Oma’s burial and memorial service is coming up in a couple of weeks, and we don’t know if my uncle will show up. He knows the place and time for both since I told him about that before we were served with papers. We didn’t officially ‘un-invite’ him because we didn’t want to come across as spiteful, but my mom certainly does not want him in her home (she is hosting the memorial service). Not to mention there are several relatives who have told us that they will only come if he is not there (they all have their own beef with him that goes back many years, has nothing to do with the law suit). He also already hosted his own memorial service for Oma since he didn’t like the fact that we wanted to wait until the spring and have it on what would have been her 83rd birthday. So, I have a feeling he will not show up for the memorial service, but he will likely come to the burial. Which my mom is terrified of because she never wants to see him or speak to him again. It could be a very difficult situation to be in. Not to mention Carlos and my dad both want to punch his lights out – nobody needs to end up in jail! I just don’t want there to be a screaming match over Oma’s grave.
Right now we’re trying to decide which company to go for phone/tv/internet. Right now we have Bell, but I think we pay way too much for what we get. So, our only other option in our area if we want to have 1 company for all 3 services is Cogeco. According to their online quotes, it looks like we’d be saving at least $75 per month if we switch to them. So, it would be worth it to make the switch.
The situation with my uncle has gone nowhere in the last few weeks. Our lawyer submitted an “Intent to Defend” form on our behalf to my uncle’s lawyer, but it hasn’t gone any further than that. I imagine our lawyer will need to meet with us again in the next couple of weeks to figure out where we’re going from here.
My mom is a ball of stress right now over the whole thing. She is having a really hard time with the whole being sued by her own brother thing on top of missing her mother. Oma’s burial and memorial service is coming up in a couple of weeks, and we don’t know if my uncle will show up. He knows the place and time for both since I told him about that before we were served with papers. We didn’t officially ‘un-invite’ him because we didn’t want to come across as spiteful, but my mom certainly does not want him in her home (she is hosting the memorial service). Not to mention there are several relatives who have told us that they will only come if he is not there (they all have their own beef with him that goes back many years, has nothing to do with the law suit). He also already hosted his own memorial service for Oma since he didn’t like the fact that we wanted to wait until the spring and have it on what would have been her 83rd birthday. So, I have a feeling he will not show up for the memorial service, but he will likely come to the burial. Which my mom is terrified of because she never wants to see him or speak to him again. It could be a very difficult situation to be in. Not to mention Carlos and my dad both want to punch his lights out – nobody needs to end up in jail! I just don’t want there to be a screaming match over Oma’s grave.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Update on the bad news and good news
My mom and I met with our lawyer this afternoon to tell him 'our side' of the story. Prior to our meeting, he had only read my uncle's 50-page statement of claim, so once he heard our side, he believes we can provide a strong defense. So, we can certainly fight him, but this litigation process will likely be VERY expensive. It's never easy! The next step is our lawyer will inform my uncle's lawyer that we will be preparing a defense so they know we're not just ignoring the papers. Then, we have to gather all the evidence we possibly can about his mistreatment and neglect of Oma and how happy she was with the care she received from my mom. We have tonnes of people willing to testify on our side, so we have a strong case.
In happy news, we had our home inspection yesterday and the house had no major issues. He did find 3 or 4 very minor issues, which are quite easily fixed. I'm sure any house would not be 100% perfect! He did say that for a new build, they did a very good job. He checked all the walls with an infra-red camera to check to make sure the insulation was consistent and that there was no water damage - that was very cool! So, we signed the papers last night, so the house is offically ours! We move in May 2nd - yay! I drove by the house today to see if the 'SOLD' sign was up and it was, so I took a picture :)
In happy news, we had our home inspection yesterday and the house had no major issues. He did find 3 or 4 very minor issues, which are quite easily fixed. I'm sure any house would not be 100% perfect! He did say that for a new build, they did a very good job. He checked all the walls with an infra-red camera to check to make sure the insulation was consistent and that there was no water damage - that was very cool! So, we signed the papers last night, so the house is offically ours! We move in May 2nd - yay! I drove by the house today to see if the 'SOLD' sign was up and it was, so I took a picture :)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Highs and lows...
As I posted last week, Carlos and I didn't get the house we put the offer in on. We were very disappointed for a few days and then we figured there was a reason we didn't get that house - must mean there is something else in store for us. We went to 2 open houses on the weekend in addition to visiting 4 sales offices for new home builders in the area. Nothing really struck our fancy, so we decided to keep looking.
The last night, a new listing came through and as soon as I saw the pictures, I knew we had to go and see the house. It only came on the market yesterday and I called my agent right away, but by then it was 6:30pm and it was too short notice to the sellers to see it that night. Which sucked because I was supposed to leave at 5:30am this morning to come to Toronto for a conference. Our agent arranged the earliest showing he could which was this morning at 10am. So, I decided to skip the morning sessions at my conference and go see the house. It was PERFECT! We love it even more than the other house we lost last week. We submitted an offer right away and they had until 8pm to respond. They came back with a counter offer which we now have until tomorrow at 8pm to respond to and we are going to accept. So, the house is ours! YAY! Provided that the home inspection comes back okay, we'll be moving in May!
Then, onto BAD news - my mom and I are being sued by my uncle. Just when I was calling her to tell her our good house news, she sounded all upset and told me she had been served with legal papers this afternoon and that my uncle was suing her and me. Since I am out of town, they couldn't serve me with papers, but they tried to deliver them this evening at 9pm. So, I'm sure they will try again tomorrow. I feel absolutely sick. I can't believe he is suing us! Apparently it's a 50 page document, so my mom hasn't read it all, but apparently he is suing saying he has witnesses (some of Oma's friends) saying that she was afraid of my mom. It would be laughable if it wasn't so scary to be sued! He is suing my mom for $500,000 plus $100,000 in punative damages. Not sure what he's suing me for, but I will find out when I "am served".
The last night, a new listing came through and as soon as I saw the pictures, I knew we had to go and see the house. It only came on the market yesterday and I called my agent right away, but by then it was 6:30pm and it was too short notice to the sellers to see it that night. Which sucked because I was supposed to leave at 5:30am this morning to come to Toronto for a conference. Our agent arranged the earliest showing he could which was this morning at 10am. So, I decided to skip the morning sessions at my conference and go see the house. It was PERFECT! We love it even more than the other house we lost last week. We submitted an offer right away and they had until 8pm to respond. They came back with a counter offer which we now have until tomorrow at 8pm to respond to and we are going to accept. So, the house is ours! YAY! Provided that the home inspection comes back okay, we'll be moving in May!
Then, onto BAD news - my mom and I are being sued by my uncle. Just when I was calling her to tell her our good house news, she sounded all upset and told me she had been served with legal papers this afternoon and that my uncle was suing her and me. Since I am out of town, they couldn't serve me with papers, but they tried to deliver them this evening at 9pm. So, I'm sure they will try again tomorrow. I feel absolutely sick. I can't believe he is suing us! Apparently it's a 50 page document, so my mom hasn't read it all, but apparently he is suing saying he has witnesses (some of Oma's friends) saying that she was afraid of my mom. It would be laughable if it wasn't so scary to be sued! He is suing my mom for $500,000 plus $100,000 in punative damages. Not sure what he's suing me for, but I will find out when I "am served".
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The suspense is killing me!
Carlos and I put an offer in on a house yesterday, which was accepted. The only issue is the house already had an accepted offer on it which was conditional on the sale of their home. So, because the seller accepted our offer, the first people who submitted the offer have 48 hours to either remove all their conditions or walk away. The clock started ticking on that yesterday at 4:30pm, so we will know either way by tomorrow at 4:30pm. Could be earlier if they made their decision before then, but I suspect it will be close to the deadline when we hear.
Carlos and I have been thinking about moving for the last several months. We love our house, but it is not the best location (surrounded by student rentals). Think loud parties and broken beer bottles on the front lawn. Now that we have Julie, we want to move to a nice, quiet family-friendly street. But, I’m not willing to move until we find the perfect house – has to have absolutely everything on our checklist, otherwise I am happy to stay where we are until we find that.
So, since October, I have been checking listings on mls.ca almost every day to see what’s out there and we have gone to maybe 5 or 6 open houses. Every house we’ve seen, I left thinking “Nice house, but not the house for us”. Until we went to the open house on Sunday – we both fell in love with the house! It’s on a nice, quiet street with a cul-de-sac on one side (i.e. no through traffic), in our preferred end of town, 2 story, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, double attached garage, unfinished basement that could easily be converted to more bedrooms or a large rec room. It also has a fully fenced in yard (which isn’t huge, but larger than some of the other houses we’ve seen!), nice kitchen, gas fireplace in the great room, main floor laundry, and the list goes on!
This house only went on the market a week ago and the first day it was on the market, they got an offer and accepted it. However, that offer was conditional on the sale of their house and their house didn’t even go on the market until today. So, they have until tomorrow at 4:30pm to either remove the conditions to their offer or walk away. I am doubtful they would be able to sell their house in 1.5 days, but you never know, it could happen. Or they could decide to ‘risk it’ and just hope their house sells in time before the closing date. But, that is very risky, so I’m hoping they would just walk away from the deal!
Either way, in 25 hours, I will know if we get this house or not. If we do, then I already have a home inspection scheduled for Friday afternoon. It is a 4 year old house, so not likely to be anything major wrong with it, but you never know with the builders these days…. So, spending the money on a home inspection is worth every penny in my opinion!
Carlos and I have been thinking about moving for the last several months. We love our house, but it is not the best location (surrounded by student rentals). Think loud parties and broken beer bottles on the front lawn. Now that we have Julie, we want to move to a nice, quiet family-friendly street. But, I’m not willing to move until we find the perfect house – has to have absolutely everything on our checklist, otherwise I am happy to stay where we are until we find that.
So, since October, I have been checking listings on mls.ca almost every day to see what’s out there and we have gone to maybe 5 or 6 open houses. Every house we’ve seen, I left thinking “Nice house, but not the house for us”. Until we went to the open house on Sunday – we both fell in love with the house! It’s on a nice, quiet street with a cul-de-sac on one side (i.e. no through traffic), in our preferred end of town, 2 story, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, double attached garage, unfinished basement that could easily be converted to more bedrooms or a large rec room. It also has a fully fenced in yard (which isn’t huge, but larger than some of the other houses we’ve seen!), nice kitchen, gas fireplace in the great room, main floor laundry, and the list goes on!
This house only went on the market a week ago and the first day it was on the market, they got an offer and accepted it. However, that offer was conditional on the sale of their house and their house didn’t even go on the market until today. So, they have until tomorrow at 4:30pm to either remove the conditions to their offer or walk away. I am doubtful they would be able to sell their house in 1.5 days, but you never know, it could happen. Or they could decide to ‘risk it’ and just hope their house sells in time before the closing date. But, that is very risky, so I’m hoping they would just walk away from the deal!
Either way, in 25 hours, I will know if we get this house or not. If we do, then I already have a home inspection scheduled for Friday afternoon. It is a 4 year old house, so not likely to be anything major wrong with it, but you never know with the builders these days…. So, spending the money on a home inspection is worth every penny in my opinion!
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Oma's promotion to heaven
It has been a long time since I have posted anything. I will try to post more often. So much has happened in the last several weeks!
First off, we had a great time in Florida after Christmas. Very relaxing, saw a couple of alligators (one was 4 houses down in a little park and the other was in our backyard). Went to Disney world where Julie got to meet Mickey and Minnie. It was really cute, she was carrying around a Mickey sticker and as soon as she got to meet him, she handed him the sticker like it was some sort of currency ;) We also did lots of shopping and had 4 beach days at various local beaches. We had great weather – some days were as high as 30 degrees! Made it difficult to come back to the cold!
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that my Oma passed away on Jan 21st. As I mentioned before, she suffered a stroke on Dec. 18th and just when we thought things were looking good and they were talking about rehab, she complication after complication. Just when they’d get one thing under control, something else would come up. She had an irregular heart rate that they needed to stabilize with medication, she developed aspiration pneumonia, then jaundice.
We found out on January 15th that the jaundice was caused by advanced cancer and there was nothing they could do and they were moving their focus to palliative care and just keeping her comfortable for however many days she had left. The doctors were amazed that she hadn’t been in pain for the last several months given how advanced the cancer was.
On the Monday, January 17th, the hospital called the family in at 4:30am thinking the end was near, at that point they told us hours, and we were all at the hospital by 5am. We spent 4 days at the hospital round the clock and she passed away just after midnight on the 21st. She had a semi-private room with the other bed empty, so my mom was able to stay in the hospital overnight and slept holding Oma’s hand. We gave Oma the most beautiful sendoff to heaven and it was such a peaceful and beautiful experience. I didn’t know death could be like that! We will all miss Oma terribly, but we know we’ll see her again someday in heaven. Oma always said she wanted to live long enough to see Julie walk, and she lived 6 months longer than that. I am so glad we had a girl and named her middle name (Erika) after Oma. Julie still asks for Oma every day and while Oma was in the hospital for 5 weeks, I said “Oma’s not home right now”, but now when Julie asks, I say “Oma lives in heaven with Jesus”.
I can't believe Julie turns 2 on Monday! The time has flown by! She is talking in full sentences now!
First off, we had a great time in Florida after Christmas. Very relaxing, saw a couple of alligators (one was 4 houses down in a little park and the other was in our backyard). Went to Disney world where Julie got to meet Mickey and Minnie. It was really cute, she was carrying around a Mickey sticker and as soon as she got to meet him, she handed him the sticker like it was some sort of currency ;) We also did lots of shopping and had 4 beach days at various local beaches. We had great weather – some days were as high as 30 degrees! Made it difficult to come back to the cold!
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that my Oma passed away on Jan 21st. As I mentioned before, she suffered a stroke on Dec. 18th and just when we thought things were looking good and they were talking about rehab, she complication after complication. Just when they’d get one thing under control, something else would come up. She had an irregular heart rate that they needed to stabilize with medication, she developed aspiration pneumonia, then jaundice.
We found out on January 15th that the jaundice was caused by advanced cancer and there was nothing they could do and they were moving their focus to palliative care and just keeping her comfortable for however many days she had left. The doctors were amazed that she hadn’t been in pain for the last several months given how advanced the cancer was.
On the Monday, January 17th, the hospital called the family in at 4:30am thinking the end was near, at that point they told us hours, and we were all at the hospital by 5am. We spent 4 days at the hospital round the clock and she passed away just after midnight on the 21st. She had a semi-private room with the other bed empty, so my mom was able to stay in the hospital overnight and slept holding Oma’s hand. We gave Oma the most beautiful sendoff to heaven and it was such a peaceful and beautiful experience. I didn’t know death could be like that! We will all miss Oma terribly, but we know we’ll see her again someday in heaven. Oma always said she wanted to live long enough to see Julie walk, and she lived 6 months longer than that. I am so glad we had a girl and named her middle name (Erika) after Oma. Julie still asks for Oma every day and while Oma was in the hospital for 5 weeks, I said “Oma’s not home right now”, but now when Julie asks, I say “Oma lives in heaven with Jesus”.
I can't believe Julie turns 2 on Monday! The time has flown by! She is talking in full sentences now!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 4.0
Total so far: down 23.5
YAY! I am at my lowest weight since starting WW in July! I gained 3.5 pounds over the last 2 months, so I lost that plus another half pound all in one week! I guess my body likes the new program!
I will have to work really hard to maintain while on the trip, but if I gain a pound or two, I am okay with that. I will start fresh when I get back. I`ll still be careful while I`m away and eat lots of fresh fruit and get lots of activity!
Total so far: down 23.5
YAY! I am at my lowest weight since starting WW in July! I gained 3.5 pounds over the last 2 months, so I lost that plus another half pound all in one week! I guess my body likes the new program!
I will have to work really hard to maintain while on the trip, but if I gain a pound or two, I am okay with that. I will start fresh when I get back. I`ll still be careful while I`m away and eat lots of fresh fruit and get lots of activity!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Crazy last few days!
As most of you know, my grandmother (Oma) had a stroke on Saturday. So, it has been a hellish few days. Thankfully, she is recovering well. She`ll likely need to be in the hospital for another couple of weeks.
So, that certainly puts a damper on the trip to Florida. Since the rental house is paid for and we can`t get a refund this close to the time, my mom is insisting that the rest of us (me, Carlos, Julie, and nej) still go. Since Oma is stable, I think she would want the rest of us to still go and enjoy ourselves. My mom wants us to come back all refreshed since she`ll need lots of help when Oma comes home.
With Oma`s dementia, she won`t even realize she`s spending Christmas in the hospital or that I will be gone for 2 weeks. We`ll have a little Christmas celebration once she gets home.
What a crazy few days! I am so thankful she is doing so well! And I`m thankful this didn`t happen while we were on our way to or in Florida as Oma was going to be coming with us!
So, that certainly puts a damper on the trip to Florida. Since the rental house is paid for and we can`t get a refund this close to the time, my mom is insisting that the rest of us (me, Carlos, Julie, and nej) still go. Since Oma is stable, I think she would want the rest of us to still go and enjoy ourselves. My mom wants us to come back all refreshed since she`ll need lots of help when Oma comes home.
With Oma`s dementia, she won`t even realize she`s spending Christmas in the hospital or that I will be gone for 2 weeks. We`ll have a little Christmas celebration once she gets home.
What a crazy few days! I am so thankful she is doing so well! And I`m thankful this didn`t happen while we were on our way to or in Florida as Oma was going to be coming with us!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
New program = new start
This past week, WW unveiled the 2011 program which is very different from the current program. It now takes into account the carbs and protein of different foods, so that's cool. Also, the best part is: all fruit is now 0 points! YAY! So, mom and I have both been maintaining for the last almost 2 months, so now with this new program comes new motivation to get the weight loss train going again!
Of course, we are leaving for Florida for 2 weeks at Christmas, so keeping on track with WW will be difficult. I'm just going to try my best, eat lots of fruits and veggies, and walk lots!
I am loving my Wii Fit! I have earned 15 activity points this week so far (so between Saturday and Wednesday) - not too bad if you ask me! That should help kick start my weight loss as well!
Julie is now 22 months old - I can't believe it! She is going to be a cow in the nativity play at our church on Sunday - can't wait! She is going to be the most adorable cow ever ;)
Of course, we are leaving for Florida for 2 weeks at Christmas, so keeping on track with WW will be difficult. I'm just going to try my best, eat lots of fruits and veggies, and walk lots!
I am loving my Wii Fit! I have earned 15 activity points this week so far (so between Saturday and Wednesday) - not too bad if you ask me! That should help kick start my weight loss as well!
Julie is now 22 months old - I can't believe it! She is going to be a cow in the nativity play at our church on Sunday - can't wait! She is going to be the most adorable cow ever ;)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Update from a 30 year old
As far as my weight loss, I have been staying the same in the last couple of weeks - actually, I gained a pound and then lost it again. So, I am still at a total of 21.5 pounds lost. I have really lost my motivation in the last month - I guess I was happy with my 21+ pound loss and relaxed a bit in my efforts.
And, today is my birthday, so this weekend has been filled with celebrations and special treats. But, starting tomorrow, I am back on track!
My hubby bought me a Wii for my birthday, including a Wii Fit Plus, so I am hoping that will give me the kick in the butt I need to up my fitness. I already tried it out and did some fun games and burned 90 calories just in 20 minutes of playing around on it! I think it's going to be lots of fun!
So, today, I turned 30 years old. It hasn't really sunk it yet that I am no longer in my twenties... I really enjoyed my twenties - a lot happened in a decade! Didn't start out so good (with a broken engagement when I was 20), but once I got through that, things just got better and better. You ladies were a big part of that! Meeting Carlos when I was 25 was also a turning point in my life. Becoming a mom when I was 28 was the most proud moment of my life and one which I will never forget. I can only hope my thirties are as good as my twenties were!
Our trip to Florida is less than 4 weeks away now - yay! I am so looking forward to the 2 weeks off work and fun times with my family and nej!
And, today is my birthday, so this weekend has been filled with celebrations and special treats. But, starting tomorrow, I am back on track!
My hubby bought me a Wii for my birthday, including a Wii Fit Plus, so I am hoping that will give me the kick in the butt I need to up my fitness. I already tried it out and did some fun games and burned 90 calories just in 20 minutes of playing around on it! I think it's going to be lots of fun!
So, today, I turned 30 years old. It hasn't really sunk it yet that I am no longer in my twenties... I really enjoyed my twenties - a lot happened in a decade! Didn't start out so good (with a broken engagement when I was 20), but once I got through that, things just got better and better. You ladies were a big part of that! Meeting Carlos when I was 25 was also a turning point in my life. Becoming a mom when I was 28 was the most proud moment of my life and one which I will never forget. I can only hope my thirties are as good as my twenties were!
Our trip to Florida is less than 4 weeks away now - yay! I am so looking forward to the 2 weeks off work and fun times with my family and nej!
Sunday, November 07, 2010
WW Update
This week: up 1.5 pounds
Total so far: down 21.5 pounds
Oops. I had a bad week. I didn't track this week, so I'm sure that's part of the reason for the gain. So, I'm starting fresh this week and getting back to tracking. So, I'm not letting this get to me. I'll keep going and I'm sure I'll lose again next week.
Total so far: down 21.5 pounds
Oops. I had a bad week. I didn't track this week, so I'm sure that's part of the reason for the gain. So, I'm starting fresh this week and getting back to tracking. So, I'm not letting this get to me. I'll keep going and I'm sure I'll lose again next week.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 1.5 pounds
Total so far: down 23 pounds
I'm glad I lost the 0.5 I gained last week plus another pound! And I was away for the weekend, so I am quite pleased with my results this week.
Total so far: down 23 pounds
I'm glad I lost the 0.5 I gained last week plus another pound! And I was away for the weekend, so I am quite pleased with my results this week.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
WW Update
This week: up 0.5 pounds
Total so far: down 21.5 pounds
I had to weigh in early again this week since I will be out of town all weekend in Ottawa visiting Eva - yay!
For the first time since I started WW 3.5 months ago, I gained a little bit this week. No big deal. I have a feeling it was the McDonald's yesterday. I didn't get home last night until 7:15pm and I thought that Carlos was going to have supper all ready when I got home, but turns out he had to work until 7:30pm last night. At that point, I was too hungry to make anything, so I asked him to pick up subs on his way home. He understood that as pick up "something" on the way home, so he showed up with McDonalds instead. At almost 8:00pm, I couldn't say no, especially since it was right in front of me! So, that's probably the 0.5 pound gain right there. I'm not worried, I'll start fresh again today.
Total so far: down 21.5 pounds
I had to weigh in early again this week since I will be out of town all weekend in Ottawa visiting Eva - yay!
For the first time since I started WW 3.5 months ago, I gained a little bit this week. No big deal. I have a feeling it was the McDonald's yesterday. I didn't get home last night until 7:15pm and I thought that Carlos was going to have supper all ready when I got home, but turns out he had to work until 7:30pm last night. At that point, I was too hungry to make anything, so I asked him to pick up subs on his way home. He understood that as pick up "something" on the way home, so he showed up with McDonalds instead. At almost 8:00pm, I couldn't say no, especially since it was right in front of me! So, that's probably the 0.5 pound gain right there. I'm not worried, I'll start fresh again today.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
WW Update
I know it's a few days early, but I went to weigh in this morning instead of Saturday since I'm busy on Saturday and won't be able to go to WW for my regular meeting.
This week: down 0.5 pounds
Total so far: down 22 pounds
YAY! I was going into this weigh-in expecting to gain because of the back to back big family meals on the weekend, but I managed to lose a half a pound. I am so pleased! Must have been the fact that I was really good yesterday to try to counteract some of the weekend :)
This week: down 0.5 pounds
Total so far: down 22 pounds
YAY! I was going into this weigh-in expecting to gain because of the back to back big family meals on the weekend, but I managed to lose a half a pound. I am so pleased! Must have been the fact that I was really good yesterday to try to counteract some of the weekend :)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Update on my aunt
I emailed my uncle for an update on my aunt. Turns out Oma had the details incorrect. Annette has melanoma, so not in the eye at all. She is not in the hospital; she just had a day surgery to remove something on her leg to go for testing. Now we’re just waiting to get the results and then we’ll know what treatment she’ll need. I’m glad I asked because it sounds like it’s not as serious as what Oma said!
Saturday, October 09, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 0.5 pounds
Total so far: down 21.5 pounds
Not bad considering the week I had. This next weigh-in might not be pretty given the back to back turkey dinners I have this weekend! I'll do my best to stay on track and try to get some exercise in too.
Total so far: down 21.5 pounds
Not bad considering the week I had. This next weigh-in might not be pretty given the back to back turkey dinners I have this weekend! I'll do my best to stay on track and try to get some exercise in too.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Sad news
Oma got a call from my uncle yesterday - first time he's talked to her since the beginning of July. Turns out my aunt is in the hospital in Toronto and she has just been diagnosed with cancer. All we know is it is some type of cancer of the eye - the same type that my Opa died of 17 years ago. Of course, Oma is quite upset and keeps asking my mom for details, but my mom doesn't know anything because all the information we have received has been from Oma. Doesn't he know giving a woman with dementia details is useless because she doesn't remember things from 30 seconds ago?!?!
So, my mom emailed my cousin to try to get some info. Needless to say, we are all pretty worried! Makes it worse that we don't know any details!
So, my mom emailed my cousin to try to get some info. Needless to say, we are all pretty worried! Makes it worse that we don't know any details!
Sunday, October 03, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 1.5 pounds
Total so far: down 21 pounds
YAY! This week, both my mom and I got our 10% award - we have each lost 10% of our starting weight. I thought it was funny that we both reached it in the same week - haha!
As of tomorrow, I will officially be a full-time (more than 30 hours per week) employee again. I am adding Monday mornings to my current schedule of all day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. That will bring me up to 31 hours per week. Which means I'll get the health benefits for free again - yay!
I had a great weekend. Yesterday, I was a vendor at a Girls Day Out event, so that went well. Today, we had church in the morning and then we had some portraits taken with Julie. Our annual family portraits - they turned out really well! We had them done at Walmart this time and now I know that next time I'll go back to Sears. I wasn't overly impressed with Walmart, but live and learn! Here is one of my favourites:
Total so far: down 21 pounds
YAY! This week, both my mom and I got our 10% award - we have each lost 10% of our starting weight. I thought it was funny that we both reached it in the same week - haha!
As of tomorrow, I will officially be a full-time (more than 30 hours per week) employee again. I am adding Monday mornings to my current schedule of all day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. That will bring me up to 31 hours per week. Which means I'll get the health benefits for free again - yay!
I had a great weekend. Yesterday, I was a vendor at a Girls Day Out event, so that went well. Today, we had church in the morning and then we had some portraits taken with Julie. Our annual family portraits - they turned out really well! We had them done at Walmart this time and now I know that next time I'll go back to Sears. I wasn't overly impressed with Walmart, but live and learn! Here is one of my favourites:
Saturday, September 25, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 1.5 pounds
Total so far: down 19.5 pounds
Another good week! YAY! I am just a hair away from getting to 20 pounds lost. And I only have another 17.5 pounds to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight. I would like to lose more than that though, that's just the minimum that I want to lose by next summer.
I am going to take my measurements again today since I've been on WW for 3 months now. Gotta see how many inches have been lost! I am swimming in my pants, so that is a good sign! Makes it hard though since I don't want to buy more pants since I still have more to lose. Although H&M is opening here in October, so I may have to buy a couple of pairs of pants there in the meantime.
Total so far: down 19.5 pounds
Another good week! YAY! I am just a hair away from getting to 20 pounds lost. And I only have another 17.5 pounds to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight. I would like to lose more than that though, that's just the minimum that I want to lose by next summer.
I am going to take my measurements again today since I've been on WW for 3 months now. Gotta see how many inches have been lost! I am swimming in my pants, so that is a good sign! Makes it hard though since I don't want to buy more pants since I still have more to lose. Although H&M is opening here in October, so I may have to buy a couple of pairs of pants there in the meantime.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 2.0 pounds
Total so far: down 18 pounds
WOW! I am so happy with the progress I've been making. 18 pounds in less than 3 months - yay! I didn't think I had a very good week in terms of eating, so the extra exercise must be making a difference!
Total so far: down 18 pounds
WOW! I am so happy with the progress I've been making. 18 pounds in less than 3 months - yay! I didn't think I had a very good week in terms of eating, so the extra exercise must be making a difference!
Monday, September 13, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 1 pound
Total so far: down 16 pounds
Yay! I really wasn't expecting to lose any weight this week given all the meals out last week. But, all the walking must be making a difference and I was able to lose another pound! 16 pounds in 12 weeks is awesome; I am so pleased! I am hoping to lose another 10 pounds by the trip to Florida after Christmas - 10 pounds in 15 weeks is doable I think.
I had a great time at Eva's wedding on Saturday. It was beautiful! It was fun to catch up with the gang again.
Total so far: down 16 pounds
Yay! I really wasn't expecting to lose any weight this week given all the meals out last week. But, all the walking must be making a difference and I was able to lose another pound! 16 pounds in 12 weeks is awesome; I am so pleased! I am hoping to lose another 10 pounds by the trip to Florida after Christmas - 10 pounds in 15 weeks is doable I think.
I had a great time at Eva's wedding on Saturday. It was beautiful! It was fun to catch up with the gang again.
Saturday, September 04, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 1 pound
Total so far: down 15 pounds
Yay! I made it to 15 pounds lost! Not bad for 10 weeks. And I did this during the summer when social engagements are at a maximum. The next 2 weeks will be rough because I have a bunch of special things coming up - including my 3rd anniversary and a wedding to go to, plus a couple of other meals out. I will be okay with just staying the same for the next 2 weeks... we'll see how this goes!
Total so far: down 15 pounds
Yay! I made it to 15 pounds lost! Not bad for 10 weeks. And I did this during the summer when social engagements are at a maximum. The next 2 weeks will be rough because I have a bunch of special things coming up - including my 3rd anniversary and a wedding to go to, plus a couple of other meals out. I will be okay with just staying the same for the next 2 weeks... we'll see how this goes!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
WW Update
This week: down 2.5 lbs
Total so far: down 14 lbs
Yay! I had a really good week and I am so glad that the scale showed it! I am really close to getting my 3rd 5-pound star! Walking Roxi for a half hour per day is certainly helping with my weight loss efforts I'm sure.
We went to Wendy's tonight for supper and where I normally would have gotten a spicy chicken sandwich and fries, I chose a grilled chicken sandwich and a baked potato instead. It was super yummy! I probably enjoyed it just as much and it was WAY less points. So, next time we have a hankering for fast food, I know I can get that and not feel guilty about it.
In other news, we are moving offices in October. To a building that is being completely renovated for us. It is a 4 minute drive from home - awesome (right now, I am a 15-20 minute drive from work). The other reason I am super excited about the move is I will get my own office again - woohoo! I had my own office before I went on mat leave, but while I was away, they hired a senior PM, so he got my office. Well, in the new building, there are more single offices than we currently have, so I will be getting my own office again. I am so excited!
We had a good weekend. On Saturday, we spent 2 hours cleaning the living room/dining room and kitchen. It needed it badly! It looks so much better now! Then we went for a swim at my parents house. Today, we went to visit Carlos' sister and nephew, so that was nice. We took Roxi along too :)
Total so far: down 14 lbs
Yay! I had a really good week and I am so glad that the scale showed it! I am really close to getting my 3rd 5-pound star! Walking Roxi for a half hour per day is certainly helping with my weight loss efforts I'm sure.
We went to Wendy's tonight for supper and where I normally would have gotten a spicy chicken sandwich and fries, I chose a grilled chicken sandwich and a baked potato instead. It was super yummy! I probably enjoyed it just as much and it was WAY less points. So, next time we have a hankering for fast food, I know I can get that and not feel guilty about it.
In other news, we are moving offices in October. To a building that is being completely renovated for us. It is a 4 minute drive from home - awesome (right now, I am a 15-20 minute drive from work). The other reason I am super excited about the move is I will get my own office again - woohoo! I had my own office before I went on mat leave, but while I was away, they hired a senior PM, so he got my office. Well, in the new building, there are more single offices than we currently have, so I will be getting my own office again. I am so excited!
We had a good weekend. On Saturday, we spent 2 hours cleaning the living room/dining room and kitchen. It needed it badly! It looks so much better now! Then we went for a swim at my parents house. Today, we went to visit Carlos' sister and nephew, so that was nice. We took Roxi along too :)
Monday, August 23, 2010
WW Update
This week: same
Total so far: down 11.5 pounds
I totally deserve to stay the same this week since I was at the cottage on the weekend and then had 2 meals out on Monday and Tuesday. So, I am okay with staying the same this past week. This week, I'm kickin it into high gear so that I'll see a loss at my next weigh-in!
In other news - we got a puppy yesterday! Her name is Roxi and she's adorable! We have been thinking about getting a puppy for a few months, but were originally planning to wait until the spring. Well, I just fell in love with this precious ball of fur that we decided to get a puppy a few months earlier than planned. She has such a sweet and gentle nature. She's a morkie, so a cross between a maltese and a yorkie. She'll stay small, likely less than 10 pounds. Perfect little dog to take for walks with Julie and hang out at the cottage!
Total so far: down 11.5 pounds
I totally deserve to stay the same this week since I was at the cottage on the weekend and then had 2 meals out on Monday and Tuesday. So, I am okay with staying the same this past week. This week, I'm kickin it into high gear so that I'll see a loss at my next weigh-in!
In other news - we got a puppy yesterday! Her name is Roxi and she's adorable! We have been thinking about getting a puppy for a few months, but were originally planning to wait until the spring. Well, I just fell in love with this precious ball of fur that we decided to get a puppy a few months earlier than planned. She has such a sweet and gentle nature. She's a morkie, so a cross between a maltese and a yorkie. She'll stay small, likely less than 10 pounds. Perfect little dog to take for walks with Julie and hang out at the cottage!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Week 7
This week: down 2 lbs
So far: down 11.5 lbs
YAY! This week I got both my 10-pound star and I met my 5% weight lost! I am so proud of myself! My normal weigh-in day is Saturdays, but I had to weigh-in a day early this week since tomorrow I am doing a tradeshow all day. Then it's off to the cottage tomorrow night for the rest of the weekend!
So far: down 11.5 lbs
YAY! This week I got both my 10-pound star and I met my 5% weight lost! I am so proud of myself! My normal weigh-in day is Saturdays, but I had to weigh-in a day early this week since tomorrow I am doing a tradeshow all day. Then it's off to the cottage tomorrow night for the rest of the weekend!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Julie's 18 months stats
Julie had her 18 month appointment on Monday. She must have remembered all the needles she has received there, because as soon as we went into the doctor's office, she started screaming and wouldn't stop! But, she is in perfect health and has grown quite a bit in length! She is now 34 inches long, which puts her at the 95th percentile for length for her age. She hasn't put on much weight though, she is still between 22 and 23 pounds, which puts her at about the 25th percentile for weight for her age. She is walking up a storm now and says about 8 to 10 words, so she's right on track.
The doctor will order another ekg for Julie sometime within the next couple of months just to make sure that the small hole in her heart wall has closed. She couldn't hear a murmur anymore, so it has most likely closed, but she'll want an ekg just to be sure. I'm not looking forward to that since getting an 18 month old to sit still for an hour while being poked and prodded will be no easy task!
The doctor will order another ekg for Julie sometime within the next couple of months just to make sure that the small hole in her heart wall has closed. She couldn't hear a murmur anymore, so it has most likely closed, but she'll want an ekg just to be sure. I'm not looking forward to that since getting an 18 month old to sit still for an hour while being poked and prodded will be no easy task!
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Week 6
This week: down 1.5 lbs
Total so far: down 9.5 lbs
Yay! I am just a hair away from getting my 5% lost, which is my first goal! I should get it next week, which would be great! I think I did well this week considering I was at the cottage for 3 days. I was really good for the rest of the week, and it paid off!
My mom and I took Julie for a 90 minute walk this afternoon, so I earned 4 activity points for today - good thing I did because we're having steak tonight!
Julie is 18 months old today - I can't believe how fast the time has gone! She's going to the doctor on Monday for her 18 month check-up, so I will post her latest measurements after that. She's walking up a storm now and says about 5 or 6 words.
Total so far: down 9.5 lbs
Yay! I am just a hair away from getting my 5% lost, which is my first goal! I should get it next week, which would be great! I think I did well this week considering I was at the cottage for 3 days. I was really good for the rest of the week, and it paid off!
My mom and I took Julie for a 90 minute walk this afternoon, so I earned 4 activity points for today - good thing I did because we're having steak tonight!
Julie is 18 months old today - I can't believe how fast the time has gone! She's going to the doctor on Monday for her 18 month check-up, so I will post her latest measurements after that. She's walking up a storm now and says about 5 or 6 words.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Week 5
This week: no change
Total so far: down 8 pounds
I went in to my weigh-in on Saturday morning thinking that I'd be happy with staying the same this week since I had an 'unknown' day on Friday with lunch and supper out with my work function. So, I am fine with staying the same.
This past weekend, I was at the cottage all weekend, but I think I did okay in terms of points, so as long as I stay on plan for the rest of this week, I should be okay for Saturday's weigh in.
I enjoyed my weekend with lj, nej, Carlos, and Julie! We went to the cottage and went to the Bancroft Gemboree on Sunday, which was fun. We had nice weather and it just started to rain as we were leaving today, so that was perfect. The weekend went by way too fast, now it's back to work tomorrow... boo.
Total so far: down 8 pounds
I went in to my weigh-in on Saturday morning thinking that I'd be happy with staying the same this week since I had an 'unknown' day on Friday with lunch and supper out with my work function. So, I am fine with staying the same.
This past weekend, I was at the cottage all weekend, but I think I did okay in terms of points, so as long as I stay on plan for the rest of this week, I should be okay for Saturday's weigh in.
I enjoyed my weekend with lj, nej, Carlos, and Julie! We went to the cottage and went to the Bancroft Gemboree on Sunday, which was fun. We had nice weather and it just started to rain as we were leaving today, so that was perfect. The weekend went by way too fast, now it's back to work tomorrow... boo.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Week 4
This week: down 1.5 lbs
Total: down 8 lbs
I had a good week and the scale showed it! I have been back on WW for a month now, and I am down 8 pounds, and I am thrilled with that. This coming week, I have a work function on Friday that includes lunch and dinner, so I'm going to save all my extra 35 points for Friday. Then, next weekend, I'll be at the cottage with nej and lj, but luckily my points reset on Saturday, so I'll use my extra 35 points for that week on the weekend.
Total: down 8 lbs
I had a good week and the scale showed it! I have been back on WW for a month now, and I am down 8 pounds, and I am thrilled with that. This coming week, I have a work function on Friday that includes lunch and dinner, so I'm going to save all my extra 35 points for Friday. Then, next weekend, I'll be at the cottage with nej and lj, but luckily my points reset on Saturday, so I'll use my extra 35 points for that week on the weekend.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Julie is WALKING!
Julie took her first steps on Sunday afternoon. It was just a special moment, and I am so glad she decided to take her first steps when both Carlos and I were right there! Good timing! I would have been so sad if I had missed it!
We bought her some mega blocks (lego for babies) and were building a tower. I stood Julie up a few feet away, and she walked right to the tower! She did this several times in a row. I right away called my mom, and came right down with my dad and Oma to witness it first hand. We got out the video camera and took some video as well as a few pictures of this momentus occasion.
She is so adorable. The look on her face when she realized she was walking on her own was priceless. She was SO PROUD!!!
We bought her some mega blocks (lego for babies) and were building a tower. I stood Julie up a few feet away, and she walked right to the tower! She did this several times in a row. I right away called my mom, and came right down with my dad and Oma to witness it first hand. We got out the video camera and took some video as well as a few pictures of this momentus occasion.
She is so adorable. The look on her face when she realized she was walking on her own was priceless. She was SO PROUD!!!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Week 3
This week: down 0.5 lbs
Total: down 6.5 lbs
Another slow week in terms of weight loss. My normal weigh-in is on Saturday mornings, but this Saturday I have my next CropDay, so I won't be able to weigh-in, so I decided to weigh-in this morning, so it has only been 5 days since my last weigh-in. I lost a half a pound, so I am trying to focus on the total weight lost (6.5 pounds - yay) instead of the weekly loss since I feel that me level of effort in the last 2 weeks deserves more than a half pound lost each week. Could be the fact that I'm a nursing mom, maybe that's throwing everything out of whack. Who knows. I still have 25 of my extra points left for the rest of this week, so I doubt I will use them all.
Total: down 6.5 lbs
Another slow week in terms of weight loss. My normal weigh-in is on Saturday mornings, but this Saturday I have my next CropDay, so I won't be able to weigh-in, so I decided to weigh-in this morning, so it has only been 5 days since my last weigh-in. I lost a half a pound, so I am trying to focus on the total weight lost (6.5 pounds - yay) instead of the weekly loss since I feel that me level of effort in the last 2 weeks deserves more than a half pound lost each week. Could be the fact that I'm a nursing mom, maybe that's throwing everything out of whack. Who knows. I still have 25 of my extra points left for the rest of this week, so I doubt I will use them all.
Friday, July 09, 2010
Week 2
This week: down 0.5 pounds
Total weight loss: 6 pounds
I'm a little baffled at how in my first week, I went over on my points and lost 5.5 pounds, and this week, I have 20 of my extra points left and I only lost 0.5 pounds. Who knows, could be water retention due to the heat wave. Could be salt. I'm not going to worry about it, at least I'm still heading in the right direction!
Total weight loss: 6 pounds
I'm a little baffled at how in my first week, I went over on my points and lost 5.5 pounds, and this week, I have 20 of my extra points left and I only lost 0.5 pounds. Who knows, could be water retention due to the heat wave. Could be salt. I'm not going to worry about it, at least I'm still heading in the right direction!
Monday, July 05, 2010
Week 1
This week: down 5.5 pounds!!!
I got my first 5 pound star for my very first week! I am so proud of myself! And the week I had consisted of going to a buffet, eating at my in-laws (where food is a plenty!), and a potluck with friends. So, I think I did amazingly well!!!
I set a goal to lose 10 pounds by mid-August and I'm already half way there!
I got my first 5 pound star for my very first week! I am so proud of myself! And the week I had consisted of going to a buffet, eating at my in-laws (where food is a plenty!), and a potluck with friends. So, I think I did amazingly well!!!
I set a goal to lose 10 pounds by mid-August and I'm already half way there!
Monday, June 28, 2010
It has been awhile...
Does anyone even check this anymore?!?!? I really want to start blogging again, so I hope I can keep this going again.
Things are going well right now with me. I am looking forward to some upcoming vacation, I only have 1 workday left and then I'm off for almost 2 weeks - yay! My first vacation since starting work again back in January. And it will be my only vacation until our trip in December. So, I'm going to make the most of it!
My mom and I started back at Weight Watchers this past weekend. I need to make a change, and I really need the accountability of knowing that I have to go there to weigh in every week.
I really want to lose a significant amount of weight (up to 50 pounds) before I get pregnant again. So, that gives me about a year probably, so here's hoping I can at least get down to the weight I was before I got pregnant with Julie!
My first couple of days back on WW have been a real eye opener. I have started measuring portions and I am shocked by how much I was really eating. I am guessing I was easily eating 40 or 50 points per day. No wonder I wasn't losing any weight! The good thing is I get more points per day than last time I was on WW since now I am a nursing mom, so I get an extra 5 points per day because of that.
Are any of you girls following WW? Have you had some success?
I am planning to post the results of my weekly weigh-in here and hopefully we can all encourage each other to reach our goals!
Things are going well right now with me. I am looking forward to some upcoming vacation, I only have 1 workday left and then I'm off for almost 2 weeks - yay! My first vacation since starting work again back in January. And it will be my only vacation until our trip in December. So, I'm going to make the most of it!
My mom and I started back at Weight Watchers this past weekend. I need to make a change, and I really need the accountability of knowing that I have to go there to weigh in every week.
I really want to lose a significant amount of weight (up to 50 pounds) before I get pregnant again. So, that gives me about a year probably, so here's hoping I can at least get down to the weight I was before I got pregnant with Julie!
My first couple of days back on WW have been a real eye opener. I have started measuring portions and I am shocked by how much I was really eating. I am guessing I was easily eating 40 or 50 points per day. No wonder I wasn't losing any weight! The good thing is I get more points per day than last time I was on WW since now I am a nursing mom, so I get an extra 5 points per day because of that.
Are any of you girls following WW? Have you had some success?
I am planning to post the results of my weekly weigh-in here and hopefully we can all encourage each other to reach our goals!
Monday, March 15, 2010
What a whirlwind couple of months!
It has been awhile since I've last posted. Things have been busy!
I am back at work now, 3 days a week. That seems to be working well; I am enjoying it. I am considering upping my hours slightly from 24 hours per week to 30 hours per week since then I would get free health benefits again (part time employees have to pay approx. $135/month for health benefits and it is free for full time employees). And I would have to work 30 hours per week to be considered full time. So, it would be worth working the extra 6 hours per week for that. And the extra money would be good too ;)
Things with my uncle have gotten a lot worse. Long story short, 2 months ago, he invited Oma out for coffee and took her to her lawyer instead. He somehow convinced her to change her will and power of attorney documents back to the way they were before she changed them last year. When we found the new papers at Oma's, we asked her about them and she said she never would have signed them since they didn't reflect her wishes. We couldn't understand how Oma's lawyer could go along with whatever my uncle wanted when he was supposed to represent Oma! Last year, she told her lawyer she didn't want her son to have access to any of her documents and that she wanted her daughter to be protected. Then, all of a sudden, he can take her to the lawyer and get everything changed back? After it took months last year to get it changed the first time?
So, we took Oma to a new lawyer the very next business day. She met with the new lawyer by herself on several occasions and what she told her new lawyer was the exact same as she has been telling mom and me over the last few years. So, the new lawyer drew up a new will and power of attorney documents and they were signed less than a week after the one was signed with my uncle.
The problem was, we couldn't relax knowing that my uncle could just pick her up and change it all back again. We didn't want to be in a situation where she could change her will every week. So, she decided to transfer her properties now (home and cottage) to the people who would be getting them in her will. This way, we don't have to worry about my uncle picking her up and convincing her to change her will since now she doesn't own any property. I am so relieved this is all done and we can finally relax. We know it's going to come to a law suit when my uncle finds out, but he won't have a case. Oma's new lawyer has known right from the beginning that this will likely come to a law suit, so she has been very meticulous about making sure that she met with Oma by herself on several occasions to make sure this is really what she wants.
So, after almost a year of this stress with my uncle, we can finally relax.
On to happier things...
Julie is 13 months old now - I can't believe it! She is so amazing. She's got 6 teeth, with 2 more coming in. She is pulling herself up on furniture, so I'm thinking it won't be long before she starts to walk!
Our kitchen renovation is almost done! It looks so awesome!
I am back at work now, 3 days a week. That seems to be working well; I am enjoying it. I am considering upping my hours slightly from 24 hours per week to 30 hours per week since then I would get free health benefits again (part time employees have to pay approx. $135/month for health benefits and it is free for full time employees). And I would have to work 30 hours per week to be considered full time. So, it would be worth working the extra 6 hours per week for that. And the extra money would be good too ;)
Things with my uncle have gotten a lot worse. Long story short, 2 months ago, he invited Oma out for coffee and took her to her lawyer instead. He somehow convinced her to change her will and power of attorney documents back to the way they were before she changed them last year. When we found the new papers at Oma's, we asked her about them and she said she never would have signed them since they didn't reflect her wishes. We couldn't understand how Oma's lawyer could go along with whatever my uncle wanted when he was supposed to represent Oma! Last year, she told her lawyer she didn't want her son to have access to any of her documents and that she wanted her daughter to be protected. Then, all of a sudden, he can take her to the lawyer and get everything changed back? After it took months last year to get it changed the first time?
So, we took Oma to a new lawyer the very next business day. She met with the new lawyer by herself on several occasions and what she told her new lawyer was the exact same as she has been telling mom and me over the last few years. So, the new lawyer drew up a new will and power of attorney documents and they were signed less than a week after the one was signed with my uncle.
The problem was, we couldn't relax knowing that my uncle could just pick her up and change it all back again. We didn't want to be in a situation where she could change her will every week. So, she decided to transfer her properties now (home and cottage) to the people who would be getting them in her will. This way, we don't have to worry about my uncle picking her up and convincing her to change her will since now she doesn't own any property. I am so relieved this is all done and we can finally relax. We know it's going to come to a law suit when my uncle finds out, but he won't have a case. Oma's new lawyer has known right from the beginning that this will likely come to a law suit, so she has been very meticulous about making sure that she met with Oma by herself on several occasions to make sure this is really what she wants.
So, after almost a year of this stress with my uncle, we can finally relax.
On to happier things...
Julie is 13 months old now - I can't believe it! She is so amazing. She's got 6 teeth, with 2 more coming in. She is pulling herself up on furniture, so I'm thinking it won't be long before she starts to walk!
Our kitchen renovation is almost done! It looks so awesome!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A New Year
Hard to believe I've been keeping this blog for over 5 years now - wow! How much my life has changed since I started this blog!
This is my very last week of maternity leave. I go back to work on Tuesday. I am actually starting to get excited about going back to work, much to my surprise. I think it will be really good for me to get back into the working world. I am so happy that I'll be working 3 days a week instead of 5! I think it will be a bit of an adjustment at first, especially getting up at 6am so that I have time to feed Julie (probably twice) before I leave for work at 7:30am. After I leave, Carlos will be home for 2 hours each morning with Julie before he drops her off at my mom's on his way to work. Then she'll be at my mom's for 7 hours before I pick her up on my way home. Julie will be fine; it will be me that will have a rough time of it in the beginning I think.
I have been enjoying this week since it is my last week of my mat leave. Tomorrow, I am getting together with a friend, on Friday I am getting a massage, and on Saturday, I have a hot date with my hubby! Should be lots of fun!
This is my very last week of maternity leave. I go back to work on Tuesday. I am actually starting to get excited about going back to work, much to my surprise. I think it will be really good for me to get back into the working world. I am so happy that I'll be working 3 days a week instead of 5! I think it will be a bit of an adjustment at first, especially getting up at 6am so that I have time to feed Julie (probably twice) before I leave for work at 7:30am. After I leave, Carlos will be home for 2 hours each morning with Julie before he drops her off at my mom's on his way to work. Then she'll be at my mom's for 7 hours before I pick her up on my way home. Julie will be fine; it will be me that will have a rough time of it in the beginning I think.
I have been enjoying this week since it is my last week of my mat leave. Tomorrow, I am getting together with a friend, on Friday I am getting a massage, and on Saturday, I have a hot date with my hubby! Should be lots of fun!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Enjoying the Florida sun
It is gorgeous here! Low to mid 20's and sunny! This afternoon, we are heading to the beach and tomorrow we are heading to the everglades to go on an airboat tour. Tomorrow is supposed to be the warmest day yet at 27 degrees. Then it is supposed to be cooler for Thurs and Fri - so you know what that means - outlet mall shopping!
Our house here is absolutely gorgeous. We got the master bedroom since we have Julie and the bathroom (complete with 2 walk-in closets) is bigger than our bedroom at home. We love this house! If we come back again next year, we'll likely get the same house again since it is gorgeous and in a nice quiet area, but close enough to the shopping.
Julie did so amazing on the drive down! It was about 25 hours of driving time and we only lost an hour total due to traffic, which isn't bad considering how long the trip was. Having the portable DVD player in the car for Julie was awesome, it kept her occupied for most of the drive.
We are enjoying our vacation so much, I don't want the week to end!
Our house here is absolutely gorgeous. We got the master bedroom since we have Julie and the bathroom (complete with 2 walk-in closets) is bigger than our bedroom at home. We love this house! If we come back again next year, we'll likely get the same house again since it is gorgeous and in a nice quiet area, but close enough to the shopping.
Julie did so amazing on the drive down! It was about 25 hours of driving time and we only lost an hour total due to traffic, which isn't bad considering how long the trip was. Having the portable DVD player in the car for Julie was awesome, it kept her occupied for most of the drive.
We are enjoying our vacation so much, I don't want the week to end!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Last post for 2009 (probably)
This will likely be my last post for the year given that I'm leaving for Florida on Friday and won't be back until January 5th. Although, who knows, I may post while I am sitting by the pool at our house in Florida ;) I'm so excited about the trip! I hope Julie does okay in the car for that long! We bought a portable DVD player to help occupy her for some of the drive.
This is my first time ever going south during the winter. All the other times I've been south have been in August, April, October, and September. So this one will be different because I can escape some of the snow! I have also never been on this long of a drive. My longest drive thus far would be to New Brunswick in 1996.
We had Christmas with my side of the family on the weekend, and it was awesome! We had our turkey dinner on Saturday, then played games for the evening. We played this new (to us) game "Settlers of Catan". Have any of you ever played it? It is AWESOME! We loved it so much that we played it again on Sunday! We had our 'Christmas morning' on Sunday and it was so much fun.
On the 25th, we will be heading to Carlos' parents house for the afternoon and then we're leaving on our trip - yay!
I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas!!!
This is my first time ever going south during the winter. All the other times I've been south have been in August, April, October, and September. So this one will be different because I can escape some of the snow! I have also never been on this long of a drive. My longest drive thus far would be to New Brunswick in 1996.
We had Christmas with my side of the family on the weekend, and it was awesome! We had our turkey dinner on Saturday, then played games for the evening. We played this new (to us) game "Settlers of Catan". Have any of you ever played it? It is AWESOME! We loved it so much that we played it again on Sunday! We had our 'Christmas morning' on Sunday and it was so much fun.
On the 25th, we will be heading to Carlos' parents house for the afternoon and then we're leaving on our trip - yay!
I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas!!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Great weekend
I had my company Christmas party on Friday and it was a lot of fun. It was great to see everyone again and get to know some of the new people. I was so glad that Julie was okay without me from 6:30pm until almost midnight! She was with my parents and was an angel, she only got a little grumpy near then end and that was only because she was really tired. I'm so glad I can get out in the evenings now! Tomorrow, I am meeting the girls from work for dinner and then we're going to see New Moon. They even made T-shirts so we all wear either "Team Jacob" or "Team Edward". We'll feel like we're 15 again ;) I decided to go with Team Jacob for this movie, but then I'll switch to Team Edward for Eclipse ;)
And then on Friday I'm going scrapbooking with a mom's group that I joined, so that should be fun!
Hard to believe it's only 11 days until the trip now! I'm getting so excited!
And then on Friday I'm going scrapbooking with a mom's group that I joined, so that should be fun!
Hard to believe it's only 11 days until the trip now! I'm getting so excited!
Monday, December 07, 2009
It's a lonely world...
... this blogging world is. Seems like I am the only one who is still posting. The rest of you haven't posted since the summer! I'm feeling a bit like the cheese standing alone...
Monday, November 30, 2009
That's a first!
We have our Christmas Tree put up and decorated - and it's still technically November! We put up our tree on Sunday afternoon; our very first Christmas tree of our own! We figured that now that we have Julie, time to put up our own tree! And since we're leaving for Florida on the 25th, I thought we should put our tree up early so we can enjoy it! This morning, I wrapped most of our presents and put them under the tree. We only have 2 more presents to buy (I know what to get, we just have to go out and get them). Other than those 2, all our other presents are wrapped and under the tree. I am thrilled since I hate the crowds in the stores, so we don't have to do any last-minute shopping this year - yay!
I had a lovely birthday weekend. Crop Day on Saturday went very well. We had some last-minute add-ons, so we ended up with 12 of us in total, so we had enough to cover all our costs and a little extra... so yay! Everyone who came really enjoyed themselves and wanted to know when the next one is. So, I'll likely do another one in the early spring and hopefully get some more people out.
We bought our dishwasher yesterday and we are having it installed this week - likely on Wednesday. I can't wait! I am so pumped about having a dishwasher; it will be the first time I've had one since living with my parents!
I had a lovely birthday weekend. Crop Day on Saturday went very well. We had some last-minute add-ons, so we ended up with 12 of us in total, so we had enough to cover all our costs and a little extra... so yay! Everyone who came really enjoyed themselves and wanted to know when the next one is. So, I'll likely do another one in the early spring and hopefully get some more people out.
We bought our dishwasher yesterday and we are having it installed this week - likely on Wednesday. I can't wait! I am so pumped about having a dishwasher; it will be the first time I've had one since living with my parents!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Julie had her 9-month check up yesterday. She is now 30" long and weighs 18.5 pounds, so she is on the 95th percentile for length for her age and 50th for weight. She's in perfect health and my doctor thinks she'll be reading at 3 since she's so alert.
This weekend, we'll be making a purchase that I am SUPER excited about! We're getting a dishwasher! The dishwasher that matches our new fridge and stove is on sale this weekend only for $100 off, so we thought we'd jump on that chance. So, hopefully we can get it installed soon and say goodbye to washing everything by hand - yay!
I've had one more person sign up for CropDay (they saw my ad on Kijiji), so now I only need 1 or 2 more people to sign up to break even. I still have 3 or 4 solid maybes, So I'm hoping a couple of those people come! Should be a great day!
EDIT (1:44pm)
That person that had signed up for Crop Day just cancelled - what a bummer! I was really hoping to get at least 1 new person out! Sheesh!
EDIT (9:33pm)
I just had another 2 people sign up, so I am really close to breaking even now - yay!
This weekend, we'll be making a purchase that I am SUPER excited about! We're getting a dishwasher! The dishwasher that matches our new fridge and stove is on sale this weekend only for $100 off, so we thought we'd jump on that chance. So, hopefully we can get it installed soon and say goodbye to washing everything by hand - yay!
I've had one more person sign up for CropDay (they saw my ad on Kijiji), so now I only need 1 or 2 more people to sign up to break even. I still have 3 or 4 solid maybes, So I'm hoping a couple of those people come! Should be a great day!
EDIT (1:44pm)
That person that had signed up for Crop Day just cancelled - what a bummer! I was really hoping to get at least 1 new person out! Sheesh!
EDIT (9:33pm)
I just had another 2 people sign up, so I am really close to breaking even now - yay!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Feelin a little discouraged...
I am co-hosting a Crop Day (scrapbooking) in a couple weeks with my leader. We decided to do this to increase our client base. We rented a hall and advertized in the newspaper, on kijiji, put posters up around town, through facebook, and sent invites to all our personal contacts. After ALL that, we only have 6 people signed up (2 of which are my mom and Oma). VERY disappointing. I just joined a local Business Network and went to a networking meeting last week to try to make some new contacts. There was certainly lots of interest, but nobody signed up for my event. I also joined a local mom's group, and have posted my event there. So, it's certainly not for lack of trying! I don't know what else I could have done!
I am just really disappointed because we need another 2 people to sign up to break even. The space we rented can hold 26 people, so we still have 20 spaces left! So, I am really discouraged. At least 7 or 8 people have told me that they would really like to come, but can't make that particular day and would like to know if I run it again. I'm thinking maybe next time, I'll have one at my mom's house so it won't cost me anything. We'd be limited to 8 people or so, but at least I wouldn't have to pay for a hall rental if not many people show. And I could reduce the cost to people that way too.
I am disappointed that I didn't get a single phone call from all the advertising we did. I guess in hindsight, it's probably not a good time of year for people, but I thought people might like to work on Christmas gifts or cards.
I just wish people would give it a chance. Because the products are absolutely amazing and there is something for every level of creativity. There are really simply albums where everything is included (papers, photo mats, stickers, etc.), so no thinking required. There are even albums where all you do is slide in your photos! I just need to find a way to get it across that you don't need to be creative to do scrapbooking. There is even digital scrapbooking for those who don't have a lot of printed photos, but have lots on their computer. This is a great way to get your photos from your computer to being enjoyed; also make great gifts for people. I just created my first digital scrapbook and had 5 copies printed for Christmas gifts... made shopping really easy!
I just realized that when I go back to work in mid-January, I will have a total of 4 part-time jobs - yikes! I will have my regular job 3 days a week (24 hours a week), my Creative Memories business, looking after Oma 2 evenings a week (8 hours a week), and my marking job for the local university, which is 44 hours per semester (works out to ~4 hours a week). So, when you add all that up, I will be working at least 40 hours a week! But, only 1 of those jobs means being away from Julie, so I'm happy about that.
I am just really disappointed because we need another 2 people to sign up to break even. The space we rented can hold 26 people, so we still have 20 spaces left! So, I am really discouraged. At least 7 or 8 people have told me that they would really like to come, but can't make that particular day and would like to know if I run it again. I'm thinking maybe next time, I'll have one at my mom's house so it won't cost me anything. We'd be limited to 8 people or so, but at least I wouldn't have to pay for a hall rental if not many people show. And I could reduce the cost to people that way too.
I am disappointed that I didn't get a single phone call from all the advertising we did. I guess in hindsight, it's probably not a good time of year for people, but I thought people might like to work on Christmas gifts or cards.
I just wish people would give it a chance. Because the products are absolutely amazing and there is something for every level of creativity. There are really simply albums where everything is included (papers, photo mats, stickers, etc.), so no thinking required. There are even albums where all you do is slide in your photos! I just need to find a way to get it across that you don't need to be creative to do scrapbooking. There is even digital scrapbooking for those who don't have a lot of printed photos, but have lots on their computer. This is a great way to get your photos from your computer to being enjoyed; also make great gifts for people. I just created my first digital scrapbook and had 5 copies printed for Christmas gifts... made shopping really easy!
I just realized that when I go back to work in mid-January, I will have a total of 4 part-time jobs - yikes! I will have my regular job 3 days a week (24 hours a week), my Creative Memories business, looking after Oma 2 evenings a week (8 hours a week), and my marking job for the local university, which is 44 hours per semester (works out to ~4 hours a week). So, when you add all that up, I will be working at least 40 hours a week! But, only 1 of those jobs means being away from Julie, so I'm happy about that.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
WOOHOO!
My Dad's passport came in the mail today! I was at my parents house when it was delivered and mom and I were totally floored that it arrived exactly a week after we mailed that paper we were waiting months for! We thought it would take 4 - 6 weeks to get his passport.
The Austrian Embassy was really on the ball! We thought they were waiting for the Citizenship record search before they sent the application to Austria, but they must have sent it back in August when Dad applied and then when we sent the Citizenship record paper, they sent us the passport right away. Amazing! So, Dad is coming on the trip for sure now! We still have to apply for the Permanent Resident card, but apparently as long as we can prove we have applied, that will be good enough for getting across the border. But, with 6.5 weeks until the trip, that may be enough time to get his PR card, especially since we can have it rushed since we have proof of travel plans. YAY! I am so glad he can come! He totally deserves a vacation!!!
Julie is 9 months old now, I can't believe it! She is 30 inches long, so she is the length of an 18 month old! Gonna be a tall girl!
I LOVE my new software. I can create scrapbooks, calendars, cards, etc. I have been working on a scrapbook since they are on sale 25% off this month (so my 20 page scrapbook will cost me $15 to have it printed). All these pages are pre-designed, so I just drag and drop photos and write some text - the rest is done for me! SO EASY! I'm going to have a whole scrapbook printed, but this is my favourite page so far:
The Austrian Embassy was really on the ball! We thought they were waiting for the Citizenship record search before they sent the application to Austria, but they must have sent it back in August when Dad applied and then when we sent the Citizenship record paper, they sent us the passport right away. Amazing! So, Dad is coming on the trip for sure now! We still have to apply for the Permanent Resident card, but apparently as long as we can prove we have applied, that will be good enough for getting across the border. But, with 6.5 weeks until the trip, that may be enough time to get his PR card, especially since we can have it rushed since we have proof of travel plans. YAY! I am so glad he can come! He totally deserves a vacation!!!
Julie is 9 months old now, I can't believe it! She is 30 inches long, so she is the length of an 18 month old! Gonna be a tall girl!
I LOVE my new software. I can create scrapbooks, calendars, cards, etc. I have been working on a scrapbook since they are on sale 25% off this month (so my 20 page scrapbook will cost me $15 to have it printed). All these pages are pre-designed, so I just drag and drop photos and write some text - the rest is done for me! SO EASY! I'm going to have a whole scrapbook printed, but this is my favourite page so far:
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