Back to School

One might think this is a post about A heading back to school, but she still has 4 more weeks of summer. No folks this post is to let the world know that I am heading back to school and have already been accepted to Weber State here in Ogden, UT.

I will be venturing into the world of medicine and pursuing a degree in Radiological Technologies. In the future you may come and see me to get an Ultrasound or have an x-ray taken or even, with enough time, I may be the one to look at your heart and see how the old ticker is working. The possibilities are endless and I am just at the starting point.

With my previous degrees, I should only need to take Anatomy and Physiology (two classes you definitely don't need when you are pursuing a business degree) before getting into the actual Rad Tech program (which will take 2 years to finish). Just say Class of 2010 with me!

I have actually been rolling the idea of going back to school around in my head for a while now and given our recent financial frustrations . . .

(Side note - I may have said this before, but I will say it again - don't loan money to extended family)

. . . and my subsequent job search to try and help alleviate said frustrations and the resulting additional frustrations attached to the job search process (like I really needed any more!)

(Sorry - another side note - Just because I've been giving birth to kids and raising and taking care of a family for the last 6 years, does not mean I am worthless or have forgotten how to do anything of value in the business world people. Seriously, why do some people feel the need to look down on you and dismiss what you do on a daily basis just because you are a mom and you don't bring in a pay check. I mean you try and keep a household clean and stocked, while sticking to a budget AND raise two kids and at all times try and keep them healthy, clean, safe, feed, entertained, taught manners and generally accepted human behavior, while also keeping them happy. On top of all that you must also be available and pleasing to your spouse (who I will openly admit has his own issues and stresses of solely providing (financially) for the family but we are not taking about him, we are talking about me) and throughout all of this you had better keep your looks and stay fit because heaven forbid you let yourself go through out this process. Also, don't even think about having any problems or stresses of your own because there are just not enough hours in the day or days in the year to take care of your problems!!

. . .Uhhh . . . OK . . . (breathing - breathing) . . . Sorry, I got a little off topic there and I am digressing a little more than I intended. Guess I have some rather intense feelings that needed to come out - I'll just get back on topic now . . . Ummmm . . . Yah!

So . . . both Aaron and I feel that now is really as good a time as any to get this started. By the time I am finished both Ave and Kem will be in school (Ave in 3rd and Kem in Preschool), and I will have something to do that adds value (ie. brings in a paycheck). I also don't think I will do so well just puttering around the house (shocker, I know) while the kids are in school and since my recent attempts to return to the work force with my business degree and extensive experience have been frustrating (to say the least), why not head back to school and get a skill set that will give me job flexibility, great pay and the ability to work when and where I want to.

Aaron is totally behind me in this and thank heavens he has a job that will (hopefully) give us the flexibility we need to not have to turned to day care to make this happen. Ave actually thinks it's pretty cool that mommy is going to school and will now have homework and assignments and stuff, just like she does. Do you think she would ever trade her 1st grade level homework for a test in anatomy. I wonder?

Plus, I will have an avenue for more adult interaction/communication which I have been sorely missing since leaving the work place. And Aaron will get to take on more of a role at home and in being Dad and take care of the girls and their needs first hand. That alone will make this all worth while.

I know this venture is not going to happen without it's share of challenges and stress, but I think a positive attitude and sheer determination to not let anyone suffer, will help out in those times when stress rears it's ugly head.

Just keep us in your thoughts (not like you don't already) and know we will survive and more importantly - THRIVE!!

"Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it!" ~Author Unknown

"We cannot choose things that will happen to us. But we can choose the attitude we will take toward anything that happens. Success or failure depends on your attitude" ~Alfred Montapert

Just a few things I am trying to keep in mind - wish us luck!

Fun times

I guess there are good thing that come out of trying to be smart about where you spend your money - you just go to all the things in your area that don't cost a thing.

Case in point, here are a few of the activities we have been going to as of late. And having a mighty fine time to boot!

Summer Concerts at Snow Basin.
Last week the band playing was a tribute band to Carlos Santana. They were awesome. And there is just something about sitting outside in a beautiful mountain setting, listening to good music and soaking up the sunshine that you just can't beat. Also, watching your kids dance around like the dancing queens that they are make for pretty entertaining times as well. K has turned into quite the little mover and shaker. Only video would do her moves justice and alas I don't have one, yet. Stay tuned.

Firework show at Weber State.
Granted this won't happen every weekend, as it's part of the Pioneer Celebration here in Utah that turns into quite the production for most cities. Seriously, there are more activities and shows for Pioneer Day (which isn't actually until the 24th) than there were for the 4th of July. But we take it and all the fireworks you want to throw at us, especially as we got robbed of seeing any on the 4th of July (see side note below). The show was awesome and we found the perfect grassy spot to spread out our blankets on an lay back and watch as the sky exploded overhead in an array of colors and sounds. K was besides herself with delight as it was her first official big fireworks show of her young life. She kept screaming "fireworks" over and over and over. A had more fun running around and pretending to be every animal we could throw out to her. Seriously, she's a pretty good little actress.

(Side Note to Ogden City Fireworks Planning Committee- if you advertise that your firework show will start at 10:00 pm on the city website and on all your flyer's you send out in the mail, than start your show at 10:00 - not 9:30. It really upsets the kiddos that are expecting to see said fireworks and the parents who leave with enough time to get to the show in time to see said fireworks, only to drive up and see everyone is leaving and the show is over and it's only 10:05!!!)

Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington
I am so glad we bought the season pass for all of us. We have more than made up for the initial cost and it gives us a great place to go and hang out. The kids love it, can't get enough and can run around wild and free (well not too wild and free) and the only cost is that of a Hawaiian Shaved Ice or Bag of Cotton Candy at the end. Plus, there is also a water slide part to the park that we can go to. A and K love the slides. I don't love the crowds or the crazy people that follow you around telling you over and over again how cute your little girls are. (seriously, it only happened once, but it was WEIRD and CREEPY)

That instance aside, it's a fun place to go and I get my fix on people watching. Seriously, I wish I had gone into studying Human Behaviour because amusement parks are filled with various case studies and are oh so entertaining. Plus, riding the roller coasters are pretty fun too!

So what's up for this weekend - Star Gazing Party at Snow basin. Just bring your telescope and watch the full moon and the stars from the mountain tops. Seriously, Big A and Little A are going to have so much fun. Mom and K are having a party at home!!

Surgery Outcome

So just a little update to let everyone know that A's surgery on her hernia today went really well. She was only in the OR for like 45 minutes. The Dr. ended up making the repair on both sides (not just the right side). Just 3 little incisions, one on each side and then one in the belly button for the telescope to go into. They took some pictures, which tripped me out, but the hernias are fixed and there is very little chance of them recurring - awesome news!

She had a really rough time coming out of the anesthesia (neither A nor I are very good with anesthesia, so we weren't too surprised by her reaction) and we spent most of the time in recovery just trying to get her to keep down fluids and come back to reality (she was seriously tripping for a while).

After keeping down some orange slushy and then some cherry slushy we figured she was ready to go home. Alas, on the way to pick up little sis, she threw up said orange and red slushy. Thank heavens for little pink buckets the hospital supplies, because otherwise I would be shampooing the carpet and seats in the car, instead of writing this post.

So we are back home and she is laying down watching Camp Rock and resting. Something tells me I am going to be hearing this sound track quite frequently over the next few days while she recovers. She has to take it easy (lay down) for the next 36 hours and then take it easy (minimal activity) after that for the next 2-3 weeks. So no bike riding or trampoline jumping. I just hope this little one can handle the "down time". She is definitely not one for staying still for long.

Any suggestions for low key activities for recuperating 6 year olds will be greatly appreciated!

Thinking . . .

I found this on another blog and just had to share it!

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Thinking of Becoming A Parent??

Thinking of having kids??

Do this 11 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
10. Repeat steps 1-9 each night.

Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.

Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine-month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years.

(I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' and or 'daddy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy/daddy' tape made from Lesson 10 above.

You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

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Now - if I could only find a way to take all of the skills gained from the above lessons and turn them into relevant job experiences to account for the last 6 years of my life, so that any employer who would take a look at my resume would become so overwhelmed with my expertise and skills that they would offer me a position on the spot and pay me 100's of thousands of dollars. Seriously - a mom can dream right?