My hamper floweth over

I have tried to contact blogger and report the jerks who now have my web name... But it looks like I am stuck here. I was trying to change my header, and put that where the address is supposed to be... and when i realized what I had done, and went back to change it, my name was gone. I am not sure why some phony site that makes annoying and not family friendly pop-ups appear on your screen would want my name, but they have it. soon I will write them a letter :)

The good news? I did change my header and links ALLBYMYSELF!!! Yes, I realize that my 11 year old could have probably done the same thing, but frankly, I am proud of myself for changing from cassette tapes and VHSs to cd's and DVDs. And while I still don't have a DVR or caller ID, I can post my own pictures and manage my own blog, and that, folks, is an accomplishment!

We managed to see a lot of family in a very short time, but I couldn't have asked for things to go better. The kids were very well behaved despite all of them having an icky cold, and for the most part it was all very relaxing. Must go now to do an enormous amount of laundry, and unpack many bags.....

Some more pictures from Great Wolf Lodge. The picture of the kids standing in front of the tree was taken in the "cub club" room, where they host arts and crafts practically all day, most of which are free. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our stay, I know this is a ridiculous amount of pictures, but I still didn't post pics of the incredible room that really comfortably housed our family of 7, or the clock in the lobby that has animatronic animal that sing and tell stories 3 times a day, or the snow (they made it "snow" bubbles twice a night, it really looked like snow)... It is a little pricey, but I think it is definitely worth it!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! My blog name has changed, I was making some changes to my template and accidentally erased my address, and when I went to change it back moments later, it had been stolen! By I'm not sure what, but not a legitimate website. Anyway, thought I would share some photos of our fantastic holiday with those of you who found me!

Today was my last day. I was a little sad, but I am sick, so it is hard to have too much emotion when your head weighs 500 pounds and there are squirrels with jackhammers inside of it. Mostly today I just felt....Sick.


One of my boys gave me a teddy bear. The smile on his face when I opened it was one of the memories that will remind me why I work with children. One mom cried as she told me that she is thankful for the progress her son has made in my class and that she believes it is do largely to me, and another mother said she hoped that every time I look at the (gorgeous) ornament her son gave me I will remember that I helped make his transition into preschool a great thing.


I have to say, I am thankful for my head cold that kept me from feeling to much of anything. Sadness, yes, but anger as well. Anger at being basically forced out and my director's refusal to admit it. Anger that she feels she could stick a trained monkey in the class without anyone noticing or caring that I was gone.


Also, anger at the parents who weren't so nice. Parents who believe that you are their child's teacher first, and anything else that defines you a distant second. Parents who were extremely rude to my replacement for leaving her room to come to mine, even though it will be a great thing for her and her daughter. Honestly, if you aren't happy with the care your child is receiving, and you don't think that your voice is received well enough to make changes, find someplace else. Don't take it out on the teachers who put up with enough crap daily and still manage to have a great attitude about changing your kids poopy diapers and wiping their snotty noses. I'll say it and mean it, good preschool and infant teachers are saints, (self included).


Now that that's off my chest, I will get back to preparing for a great Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Hope you all have the same!

Also, remember that getting 5 kids to look in the same direction and smile simultaneously requires professional help, and trying to do it yourself can leave you needing another type of professional help entirely.


We did get a few good shots when we abandoned the idea of having all 5 kids in the shot and split them up into boys and girls, but I can't get them to load on here because they are in PDF instead of jpg (and if you think I have any idea what I just said, you are nuts).


Merry Christmas!

Alright, so I officially quit my job, which went relatively smoothly (there was even a little bit of faked "sad to see ya go" on her part). Sorry, Pam, I didn't follow your advice, but I do still have 3 days left, so she may still get my letter (and I'll keep my video camera handy In case there are any exciting moments).

I made it to 2 of the 3 parties, my 2, and Chad took all of the kids to his staff party. Yes, I know HE watches all the kids, he's a saint, I watch all the kids, I'm a mom.

The "new job" party was a little stressful, I'm nervous meeting new people, especially when they all already know each other. They all seem like very nice people.


My "old job" party went well, too. So maybe even my closest friends there are not as "nice" of people, but definitely some fun people (you know, people who enjoy a good practical joke, and know the only way to survive with sanity is to laugh about this situation, people like me). I know this move was inevitable, I don't want to go down with the ship (and trust me, it IS sinking), but I am a little sad. There are people I will miss, and people my children will miss, (one teacher in particular that Max is going to miss in a BIG way), and I really hoped I would be able to stay to see it turn around.

Anyway, that took longer than the 10 seconds I had allotted to blog in the "CHRISTMAS IS HOW CLOSE????" panic that currently sums up my life....

By the way, Lizzie, sorry I didn't call you back, but I am currently working at our church. And if you are seriously wanting to come along, I could ask if they need anyone else.....

No, that's an understatement, I dread, fear, avoid at all costs, hate, LOATHE, confrontation.

I shouldn't have posted about my new job yesterday. I did so believing that I would give my notice today. Yeah, that didn't happen. When my director arrived at work, she was already uberstressed about our Christmas program tomorrow. Then one of my co-workers (who recently found out she is pregnant) had a mini nervous breakdown. So I decided not to add any stress to my directors plate today.

Why? Not telling her is adding to MY stress level. And let's be honest, the main reason I am leaving is, well, my director. I don't think she is a bad person, but she isn't a people person, which, is kinda important for her job, No? On top of that, she has shown me compassion....never. I actually make less than I did when I started 5 years ago, because she keeps raising the amount I pay for childcare (even though NONE of my children actually take up a spot that would be otherwise filled by a full paying child), she won't give anyone a raise until SHE gets a raise because SHE doesn't make enough money (and she loves to tell you that), and her motto has always been "If there is something that you don't like about your job, feel free to work someplace else." And on and on that I won't even get in to.

So why do I feel a need to make my leaving as easy on her as possible, because, quite frankly, I don't like where I work, so I am just following her suggestion.


I am ready for this part to be over, so I can focus on the exciting part: my new job! Where I will make more money! And Pierce will actually have a class to go to (with all of his friends from school) instead of being bored to tears for 2 1/2 hours every day)! Where they focus on what is best for the children! Where they want their teachers to be happy because they know that keeping good employees is important! Where they encourage parental involvement! And on, and on.....


Tomorrow, after the Christmas program is over, I will suck it up and tell her. And then I will go to the staff Christmas party. Now THAT should be something to blog about!

So, I won't blog about how crazy my schedule is right now, because I know that everyone has the same situation, but I will casually mention that this Thursday I have our preschool Christmas program and 3, yes 3 staff parties, which is only Jordan's shadow day at Classen SAS tomorrow, which is just before Jordan singing in the mall on Friday and the Wilson Christmas party..... I bet you are glad I didn't complain about my schedule at all :)

Anyway, this weekend was my 11th wedding anniversary. Chad and I went to see "Stranger than Fiction", and I was pleasantly surprised! I am not a big Will Ferrell fan, but I think he did a great job in the movie of, well, not being himself. We also went Christmas shopping, by ourselves. We had a good time even though we both came to the conclusion that going home and shopping on the internet was 10 times more appealing.


Were you wondering how I have 3 staff parties on one night? Well, we have a party for Chad's work, My OLD work, and my NEW work. Yes, I will be be starting a new job in January. I am very excited, and a little nervous, I will be working in a toddler room with Max, but the benefits FAR outweigh any small obstacles.


So that how things are with me. Now you can sleep well tonight.

Been feeling it a little lately, mostly because I am not a big shopper. I go to Target, Wal-Mart, and the Remarkable Shop (thrift store), will occasionally make a trip to TJ Maxx or Tuesday Morning, and that's about it. I don't find "I just need to run in and get one thing" shopping trips enjoyable (or for that matter, a realistic option) with 5 kids. I despise the mall, and have had unusually bad shopping luck this season. A few examples:

I was waiting in a ridiculously long check-out line at Wal-Mart (why have 50 check-out lanes and 10 checkers?), when my checker starts scanning my items at a very slow speed. She picks up a pair of mittens, seems to thoroughly inspect them, sits them down, and then sllooowwwlllyy scans them. Then, she stops scanning altogether, and stares off into space. Then she runs to the lane in front of us, and starts vomiting in the trashcan. She apologizes profusely (with vomit still on her chin), and I have the very un-christianlike thought "Please let her be pregnant", because I fear the stomach flu more than, well, almost anything. It takes 15 minutes and 3 managers to finishing checking me out, (one actually asks her "Do I need to find someone to finish your shift?") YES PLEASE!


I went to Tuesday Morning the other evening, and the store was virtually empty save 2 employees. One is telling the other her life story, LOUDLY, all about her ex-husband, who abused her mentally and physically, and how her new boyfriend is nicer, but boring, he doesn't like to "party", and won't go to bars with her, and sometimes she thinks about getting back together with her ex, (in spite of all their "problems" they really had a lot in common), but she doesn't think the sex will ever be the same. Kind of distracting when I am trying to decide whether to get my nephew the tinker toys or the legos.


Doing all this shopping, I feel compelled to listen to one of the 2 all Christmas radio stations that have been playing nothing but Christmas music since 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Guess what? Not all Christmas music is good music. Quite frankly, I find about half of it extremely annoying...If I have to listen to the Beach Boys tell Rudolph to run one more time a may scream!



But then , the other night, a bright light appeared in the front of my house. I went to investigate, and found a brilliant star right above the computer monitor! The screen said "this is the way to happiness, Jamie" and it was then that I found the joy in online shopping. Being a miserly person, my online shopping in the past has been restricted to amazing deals on E-bay. However, I have learned to fully embrace online shopping. I can put on Christmas music that I like, browse through items without listening to some stranger talk about their sex life, click a button to check-out without fear of being barfed on by my cashier...

I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!


God Bless us, everyone!

I write in this blog for my own benefit. I do not write in depth about my feelings, or give a detailed account of my life right down to every grocery shopping trip; I use this blog for the sole purpose of ridding my mind of some of the countless random thoughts that pass through it every minute. It helps relieve the tension from the voices in my head, if you will.

So most of the time, I don't care much that only about 20 people even look at my blog on any given day, and many of those people are googling something specific that I obviously cannot offer them help or advice for, (my favorite was "Lady Angela Spanking"), so they barely look at my blog before deciding that it is too boring to waste their time on.


But today I was reading at Dooce her latest hate mail edition, and I was very saddened. I wish this once I was popular enough to receive hate mail. So if you are searching Google for "reborn babies" and come across my site, and would like to defend yourself for either making or purchasing these frightening "dolls", knock yourself out. I'm sure there is a side to your story, and though I can't imagine what you would say that would help my mind accept your insanity, I would love to hear it.


my friend Allison googled "reborn baby" after viewing my post, and came across a blog ring dedicated to the subject. One woman wrote how she was so excited to get her new "baby", and that the next day, she was going to take her out to shop for some new preemie baby clothes. Take the doll. WITH HER. Shopping. WITH HER. For real baby clothes. (did I mention WITH HER?)




By the way, did you all know that Christmas is almost here? And that even if I don't say the month or date aloud, it is still going to come just as quickly? Just thought I'd let ya know.

Mom to many out

Dear "reborn baby" people,
I am not sure which of you scares me more: Those of you who spend (I can only guess) an obscene amount of hours "giving life" to these "dolls", or those of you who spend obscene (upwards of $300) amounts of money buying them. I am horrified to see that them come with heartbeats, "warming devices" (so that they feel real when you hold them), and "butt plates" so that you can have their bottoms stick out of drop-drawer pajamas.

I enjoy holding newborns more than most people, but you have to draw a line somewhere. Because when you start to make people who knit matching sweater and bootie sets for their 10 cats and take them to a studio to have their pictures taken look good.....



Sincerely,
Mom to many







If you want to be further horrified, search "reborn baby" on e-bay

This is where we will be spending Christmas Eve. I am not sure if Santa will be bringing our presents to the hotel or if he we should ask him to come to our house a night early? Anyone had a similar dilemma who might be able to offer some advice?

Happy 1st Sunday of Advent!