A Moment of Time

The whole of life is but a moment of time. It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it. ~ Plutarch

There are days when I need to remember this. Life goes by so fast and the monsters change so quickly. I need to remember to take time each day to connect with them.

Until later...

Reward

The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.
~ Jonas Salk

I had not been at work today for more than an hour, when I received a call from someone asking me if I'd be interested in joining a different team within the company. My first thought (and the next fifty to be honest), was "Hell NO!".

I immediately went and talked to my boss. I trust him and value his counsel. To my surprise he already knew about the possibility, and at that point, he felt that it was going to be a "only one possible decision" sort of an issue. There was a meeting scheduled later this morning, and he'd let me know what he found out.

What he found out, is that my choice as the addition causes serious repercussions to many teams and wasn't made lightly. It was also made known by my current director, that he wanted me to have an out, if things went south. This team has gobbled up new members and spit them out so many times, that he felt the out was necessary. Should I not be able to push back and integrate myself into the team the way they expect (the main reason for picking me...I guess having a pair can be a good thing.), he wanted me to know I could come back to my current team without it being a detriment to my personell folder.

My boss feels that it is the best move for me and part of me agrees. There is more of a chance of career and knowledge base development with this move. The part that doesn't agree, likes her comfortable, well worn job, where she knows exactly how to do everything and where to go for answers.

I'll certainly miss my current boss. I know going in that my new boss will NOT be easy to work for, as I currently work with her on a few projects. And that's where the out my current director required made all the difference in my decision to take the job.

So starting November 10th, I'll be reporting to a different boss, a different director and have an entirely new job.

I hope I made the right decision.

Until later...

Dessert

Life is unsure. Always eat your dessert first.
~ Anonymous

Tonight I have to make 3 pans of brownies for Bugaboo's End of Season Banquet. That's 3 rounds of timing brownies in the oven for 40 minutes. I figure I'll be done around 10.

I don't mind though, as baking is one of life's pleasures for me. I enjoy the measuring, the stirring, the opportunity to use my Kitchen-Aid mixer. Baking is more of a religion to me than it is something that has to be done.

I don't bake often for the family though. The monsters and I don't need the extra calories and most times, an extra pan of brownies just goes to waste around here.

So having an excuse to bake is a wonderful thing for me.

Tomorrow's set up, volunteer time behind the cooking lines and the tear down? Not so much.

Until later...

A Quiet Weekend?

Not hardly. I found out last night, that I have been added to the on-call rolls for the weekend. We're switching servers at work, and that means that once the switch goes through, we'll have to test to make sure everything works okay.

Which means I can't make any plans for tomorrow, as I'll be tied to the laptop all dang day. Part of me doesn't mind, as the OT is always a good thing, but part of me does mind, as I was looking forward to heading out to a small town near here and just browsing the antique shops.

Ah, well...maybe next weekend.

Until later...

Thursdays

Thursdays are a day of running around doing laundry, quizzing the monsters on their Friday tests and getting things ready for them to go to their dad's for the weekend.

I hate Thursdays.

Even though most Wednesdays are days of relaxation, it doesn't quite make up for the chaos of Thursdays. Plus, Thursdays mean that the monsters are heading to their dad's, and while I know that they need to spend time with him, I prefer to have them home.

So my agenda tonight is laundry, quizzing and searching for that missing shirt that one of the monsters has to wear tomorrow.

Is it Friday yet?

Until later...

The Best Cure

The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.
~ Napoleon Bonaparte

It's Wednesday, and that means sitting at home for once. I love Wednesdays!

There's not much on the agenda today. The monsters have their chores to do, and other than cooking, I'm not planning on much of anything. I have a new book to read, and the monsters are planning on playing with the new games that Mr. A got for his birthday.

Wednesdays mean taking some time to rest up the body for the rest of the week...one of the best cures for over work.

Until later...

Chaos and Whim

A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.
~ Annie Dillard

This quote is so true for my family. We NEED a schedule. Okay...the monsters might not, but I certainly do!

I have a severe Type-A personality. I work best when things have a place and are in their place. If everything is "just so" I can deal better with the chaos and whim that pops up from time to time.

The first few weeks back to school have a huge relearning curve for my little family. After three months of living basically on my own, I need to relearn how to deal with the needs of the monsters. I need to learn how to balance my crazy work hours (will there ever be a time when I don't bring work home?), helping with math facts, quizzing on spelling words, helping with French vocab, making dinner, washing clothes...well, I don't have to tell most moms how it is.

I admit that I get very selfish over the summer. I do what I want, when I want. I eat what I want, when I want. The monsters? Not so much. For whatever reason, they expect to have a three course snack after school and a five course meal for dinner...of course those courses are just seconds, thirds and fourths of what's on the menu, but still.

I have been more tired these past two weeks then I have in a long time, and I know that it is because the monsters are back home and we're learning to live together again.

I'll be glad when chaos and whim are only sometime visitors, instead of the guests that refuse to leave.

Until later...

Are We Sure The Day of Rest is Sunday?

It was a lovely evening last night. LOVELY.

Why, you ask? Because I did NOTHING all evening.

Okay, that's not really true. I cooked dinner for the boys...but Mr. A helped, so it doesn't count as a true full meal. Once the boys had eaten, I cleaned up the kitchen and then my book and I retired to the bathroom.

In my clean tub, I ran some really hot water and just relaxed. Just me, my book and a glass of tea (can you really call it iced if it is just the tea without the ice?). I lazed in that tub with its scented steam from the apple cider bath salts I'd used and just let myself be. The boys were playing Risk downstairs and getting along quite well, so I wasn't needed to referee.

I think we all needed the down time. We've been on the go since the middle of April, and it takes a toll out of you. The boys needed the time to remember they're kids and not crazed, over-scheduled athletes. I needed the time to remember that while I might be a mom who has 50 kajillion things going on any given day, I'm also a woman who needs to remember to pamper herself.

So here in the Hinterlands, Monday was the night of rest...not Sunday.

Until later...

Add Another Log To The Fire...

Or actually, a candle to the cake...it's that time of year again when my birth certificate reminds me that I am on a speeding, head-on collision course with middle age.

How in the world did I end up here? Seriously? I'm 37, single and busier than hell. This wasn't the plan when I was 15, sitting in my friend's bedroom during an overnighter and playing with a OUIJA board. It wasn't the plan when I was 18 and hyped up on the fact that I just graduated from high school and I had experienced THE BEST senior year I could have imagined. It wasn't the plan when I accepted a marriage proposal on that Christmas Day so long ago. Some time after that, life ~ as it is so apt to do ~ changed the plan on me without first letting me in on the detour.

I'm 37. THAT I have no control over. It's not like I can stop the clock at 25 or 35 and say, "I'm done. This is as old as I want to be!" I know some people would enjoy that, but as life moves on, I find that I enjoy the aging process. The learning never stops and the experiencing never stops...it's life. I enjoy life and the growth that you should be reaching for, if you look for it.

I'm single and I like it that way. I do what I want, when I want, how I want...the only people I have to take into consideration are the monsters and while their lives are busy, some how I enjoy and WANT to do what they are involved in. I've decided I'm more selfish now than I was as a self-absorbed teenager, and I don't care. Truly, I've learned the hard way that I have to be happy with myself to be happy, no matter who is in my life and I've taken that lesson to heart.

I'm busy as hell. I have a full time job that I enjoy 85% of the time...who wants to enjoy their job all of the time? That's where ruts happen, and if you get in a rut, you don't grow. I have two very active tweeners. They are involved in all sorts of activities and I find myself enjoying the experience with them.

Life is what you make of it, and if you're lucky, you make it good. I've learned this past year that while nothing stays the same, if you work at it, it will most likely be better than what you imagined...even if that OUIJA board tells you that you'll one day be an OB/GYN and have twins and you actually end up an editor with two monsters...

Until later...

So, I Ended Up Getting...

Hello again Bloglandia! I've been away for quite a while...

The wedding I asked for help on has come and gone. All I can say about that, is thank god! I'm wedding free for another five months.

I appreciated your ideas on gifts and I ended up going with a set of BBQ Utensils and stuck a set of metal skewers for kabobs inside. I also picked up a few (okay, 8 of the small bottles) different spices from Penzey's and threw (well, maybe not threw...)it all in a basket. We'll see what the bride thought when the thank you note arrives.

Life has certainly picked up the pace, but now that I can pre-write Blogger posts, I just may do that, so I'm not ignoring my notions due to baseball or soccer or scouts or....sleep.

Until later!