Tell Me Thursday March 22, 2012

New Mommy Confessions hosts the weekly Tell Me Thursday. Head on over and check it out for links to more people answering these questions and join on in yourself if you have a blog!

For this week... Jobs!

What was your first real job? (like, you paid taxes and everything) In high school I worked as a lifeguard and swimming teacher for the YMCA. It was a good time. I pretty much only taught the lower levels because I didn't have perfect technique of the strokes so working with the Shark level to perfect breaststroke and butterfly wasn't gonna happen. It's funny because I always feel the need to say that when I talk about that job because I feel like people are gonna thing I'm this amazing swimmer or something. I had the skills necessary to lifeguard a pool and teach kids the basic strokes. The smell of chlorine still brings back fond memories.

What was your favorite job? What job did you hate the most? My favorite job was either my first job or my time as a bookkeeper for a local lockshop in college. It was a small company and a nice family sort of atmosphere. Some of the tasks of the job weren't my favorite but I got to learn to cut keys and re-key locks and the atmosphere was fun and friendly. My least favorite had to be my stint in Accounts Payable. Actually, the tasks weren't that bad but the atmosphere was stifling. The manager watched over us and didn't like us talking to each other (very small office with three people in close quarters) while we worked. It was like a really strict school. I felt constantly beat down and a little like a prisoner. When I handed in my letter of resignation, I actually felt so nervous my heart wouldn't stop pounding and I thought I was going to be sick. The manager called me into her office at the end of the day and proceeded to tell me how disappointed she was and how I'd lied to her. In my letter I said I was going back into education (I was going back to substitute teaching while I looked for a permanent position) and said I'd told her I'd given up on that. Um, no. Never said that. Ok, stopping myself now. No need to delve back into those memories. Shudder. 

What is your dream job? Well, I went to school to be a teacher. Unfortunately, the market was saturated when I graduated. I could have gotten a job in Florida or Las Vegas but I was looking close to home. Sometimes I still feel a little bitter about the whole situation but other times I wonder if things worked out for the best and maybe I would have burnt out as a teacher. 

Are you currently working? Nope. I mean not officially. I stopped working about a month before my son was born and have stayed home with him since. I did briefly try my hand at selling Avon but I am so not a salesperson. I'd like to do something sometimes. Not working has really messed up my time management skills and my self discipline. I miss completing tasks (and no, housework does not give me the same sense of satisfaction). I think when the kids are in school, I might go back to something, even if just part time.

What job should everyone try at least once? I've never given this much thought but I think I'd have to agree with New Mommy Confessions about working in the service industry. If you've been there yourself, might think twice about the way you treat the people serving you.

Thursday ain't over yet

Wow, it's been a long day. Good, but long. Well good except for not getting my son to go to sleep until nearly 10 pm even with me lying with him. But although I'm tired, I'm trying hard not to miss any more Tell Me Thursdays if I can help it. So I've settled down with some soda bread and today's episode of General Hospital and off we go!

New Mommy Confessions hosts the weekly Tell Me Thursday. Head on over and check it out for links to more people answering these questions and join on in yourself if you have a blog!

Spring is around the corner (at least I hope it is) Any big outdoor plans for your house/garden?  Hopefully. We try to do a veggie garden every year. Some years are more successful than others, depending on the time we get around to investing. I generally try to do at least tomatoes, bell peppers, and lettuce. Last year I did a small strawberry plant and would like to do that again. And maybe this year I will actually do spices and keep up with caring for them. Last year they kinda went unwatered during a hot spell and all died. Oops.

What part of nice weather are you most looking forward to? I enjoy a small bit of winter because snow can be fun and a break from the heat is nice. Also, it makes me appreciate the warm weather when it comes back. The other day was warm enough to have a window or two open and it was wonderful. I'm not sure what it is about the breeze and the sounds coming in the window, but it makes me happy. Also? I'll be glad not to have to worry about getting Jake in and out of his coat in the car (his winter coat is too puffy for the carseat straps to get tight enough).

For the MilSpouse - What is one thing you wish civilians knew about the military? For civilians - What is one question you would ask someone associated with the military? Huh. I know I've been curious about things in the past but for the life of me, I can't really think of any questions right now. Great answer, right? Um, I guess I would say I've wondered how commitment works. I mean, I know some people join the military for a few years and others stay for a whole career. Are there set contract lengths, depending on the length of commitment you intend to give and how strictly are those enforced? Can you leave early if you decide you can't do it or do you have to stay the full length of time you signed up for? I'm sure this must vary during times of war. Also, I'm sure this is something I could easily find on Google if I tried!

Do you want kids? If you have children, do you want more or is your family complete? We have one boy and a second on the way. We always figured on 2-3 kids and I'm thinking 2 will be plenty, if for no other reason than this pregnancy has been miserable and I'd rather not repeat it.

Are you keeping up with politics these days? Not really. I see a lot on Twitter but I normally tend to wait until candidates are chosen and then I do my research and make my decisions. I tend to vote Democratic so I'll admit I don't pay as much attention to Republican primaries.

Tell Me Thursday (done before dinner this time!)

Tell Me Thursday questions courtesy of New Mommy Confessions.

1.  What other "weekly" blog events do you follow? Honestly, not much of anything. I like to read   the weekly wrap up over at The Bloggess but that's about it right now.
2. What was the best part of your week so far?  Jake has said/done some really cute/funny/affectionate things this week and while I can't remember them all right now, the fuzzy "awww" feelings they left behind still linger.
3. What was the worst part of your week so far? I'm going to count this week as since the weekend and say the first few days after Penny's spay were a little stressful. She wasn't eating and the vet was being very unhelpful. Maybe that whole situation is a post for another day.
4. Groundhog prediction? Today's Groundhog's Day?
5. What is one of your biggest pet peeves? New Mommy Confessions mentioned grammar issues. As an English major who wanted to be a high school English teacher, I used to have grammar/spelling pet peeves. I agree with her that a lot of the text speak is really annoying but as the years have gone by, I've lost a lot of my grammar pet peeves. I have some really intelligent friends who, for perfectly good reasons, have problems with grammar and spelling. And anyone who has ever chatted with me on gtalk or facebook messenger (or aim back in the day) knows I'm horrible with typos. I think too fast and often the conversations go too fast for my sluggish fingers. And in such a casual atmosphere, I let it go more often than I fix it. This also accounts for why I shorten some words (probably to prolly, pregnant to pg, etc). It's just easier to keep up with my brain! That really doesn't answer anything about my current pet peeves, so, um...drivers who blatantly either don't know how to drive or just ignore the rules, and people who are jerks and put other people down. Like Wil Wheaton says, "Don't be a dick!"

Tell Me Thursday (even though it's barely still Thursday)

The innovative lady over at New Mommy Confessions has started something she calls "Tell Me Thursday." It's a way for bloggers to share a little bit about themselves every week. And after missing last week's, I told myself I would make sure to get it done this week. Apparently, I forgot to check the calendar before I made plans to be a better blogger this week (also should have checked before choosing new, more time intensive recipes to make for dinner). I'm gonna rant here about my busy week so if you're just looking for the Tell Me Thursday, jump down a paragraph or two.

I haven't had a week this busy is quite some time and though a week like this might have seemed slow to me back before becoming a stay at home mom, I'm pretty exhausted (I'll let the pregnancy take some of the blame too). I had a visit with the in-laws and a dentist appointment on Monday. I took Jake with so he can could see what they do since he's up for his first visit in June. Tuesday was quiet. I mostly worked on cleaning up around the house at a sloth-like speed since it hurts to move around much. Wednesday I had my first physical therapy appointment (she confirmed the problem is SPD) followed by my 20 week ultrasound. Baby looks healthy (another boy!) and we got to see the little munchkin bopping around a bit. Today Jake had his play class and then we rushed off to the OB for my monthly check up. And tomorrow I've got to drag myself out of bed to take Penny (our dog) to the vet. There's a story there but I'll save it for another post.

And now my body is telling me it's time for bed but I told myself I was going to do this and, dang it, I'm going to get it done! Sorry if I ramble and I probably won't edit this post very thoroughly so I'm sorry for that too.

Tell Me Thursday

Do you have specific bloggers you follow? - I have a few friends with blogs but they're as bad as I am (worse even) at keeping up with them. But I'll admit, when my friend Jessi was living halfway around the world for three years, this is how I kept up with her. Other than that, I'm still pretty new to discovering awesome blogs. A few months back I discovered The Bloggess and while I'm still catching up on past posts, I do keep up with all the new ones. I check in on Wil Wheaton and Joe Hill from time to time and I just discovered New Mommy Confessions (creator of the Tell Me Thursday questions).

What is your least favorite part of blogging? - Mostly, keeping up with it. As I recently posted, I write a lot of blogs in my head and they all add up and I get overwhelmed thinking of all the posts I could be writing and then end up with a list of ideas that goes stale. Also, hoping I'm actually writing things people want to read. I'm still a work in progress on that front. I talk a lot. People in my life sometimes tell me I can take 20 minutes to tell a 3 minute story. I'm awesome at setting the stage and giving details though (teachers loved my descriptive writing assignments). So hopefully, I edit a little better here.

Does your blog have a focus? - I once started a blog for family and friends that was a day to day account of Jake. It had daily pics and updates of anything new and cute he was doing. I've also toyed with a blog about mommyhood or one about TV shows I watch or books I read, etc. But really, my life doesn't have one focus so I figure it makes more sense that my blog wouldn't either.

What is your latest project? - I constantly have different crafty things I want to try. The latest has been yarn-related crafts. I tried knitting and crocheting and then discovered Tunisian Crochet and got stuck on that. I started a scarf for myself before Christmas and my son wanted one too so I took him to pick out yarn and I did start it but it still has a ways to go.

And just because : Favorite TV show? - Honestly, I'm not sure I have a favorite but the shows I watch on a weekly basis are General Hospital (ok, that's daily), House, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Fringe. And I just caught up on Drop Dead Diva. Netflix has introduced me to Dr. Who so I've been working my way through that too.

Update: How did I forget Castle? I love Castle!