Head Lice Infestation!

Mini Me got head lice. I never thought it possible. We are a curly headed family. And we use a lot of product in our hair. Didn't think we could be afflicted. But alas, we have been.

In all honesty, it has not been as bad as everyone has made it out to be. Everyone in Widney Loft was lice shampooed and nit checked (to be safe). Sure, it took me 2.5 hours to comb through Mini Me's hair with a nit comb. I made sure to section her hair off in small chunks and went over each section numerous times from each angle. Then when each section was done, I went over the whole thing a few more times. If my daughter had fine, straight hair, it would have been even easier. But it wasn't that bad.

Even the house de-lousing everyone complains about was not that hard. We put all of their stuffed animals away for two weeks. We washed all of our most recently worn clothes (J had just washed everything so we were in a pretty good place). We washed everyone's bed sheets. Finally, we vacuumed the living room sofa and carseat headrest. But honestly not hard.

Maybe we did something wrong. Everyone makes it out to be the most horrible, horrific experience ever. That you should drop a couple grand to have some Lice Fairy hair salon go through your family's hair with - literally - a fine toothed comb. Or that you should use all these specific products to get your child's hair and your home cleaned. I don't know. Maybe I did do something wrong. But it's gone from Mini Me's hair and we survived.

Have you ever had head lice in your family? What did you use?

Knowing Me Knowing You - February '12

My friend, The Fairy Blogmother FINALLY posted a new "Knowing Me, Knowing You" so I am happy to play along.

1. What is the one thing you wish you were better at as a blogger?I used to blog every day. And I used to miss reading my blog friends' sites every day. I miss that. I miss my blog world.

2. What is your favorite way to treat yourself/pamper yourself?I like my alone time. I like to go get a pedicure and my waxing done by myself. A massage and alone time is divine.

3. Do you (or have you in the past) work outside the home?  If so, what do you do?I do marketing and admissions for a private school. I LOVE what I do. I LOVE where I do it. 

4. What is your favorite thing about blogging?I can get my thoughts and feelings out and that is therapy for me.

5. If you could magically be anything you wanted to be (without needing additional education or childcare) what would you be?
I'd like to be a psychologist. Have a license to tell people how to run their lives instead of now - I tell them but I don't have a license.

6. Do you like to travel? If so, what is your favorite destination?Yeah, I like to travel but I don't want to waste money on it. Meaning, I want to rest on vacation. I don't want to spend a bunch of money traveling somewhere to lounge at the pool reading when I can curl up with a good book in my pajamas in my bed. That said, I've traveled a fair bit and seen a bunch of stuff and have rather enjoyed it.

7. Are you an adventurous eater?Yes. I've eaten things other people would not eat like alligator, cow testicles, rattlesnake, shark, all manner of sea creature, etc.. Doesn't mean I would eat it twice. What doesn't kill strengthens, right?

8. How would you describe yourself? Type A-/B+ personality. I come across as an A-type until you put me next to an alpha female and then you realize that my shy side is there and I no longer dominate the room. But without the other alpha female, it's my show, my friend.

9. Have you ever met your online/blogger friends in real life? What was it like?I think the first bloggy friend I met was The Fairy Blogmother. I knew her well enough from her blog that I knew she was shy and it would take some prodding to get her to come meet me - even though it was with a mutual real life friend, NAMK and her family. 
And I met A2EatWrite in Ann Arbor, MI in 2010. She made me the most delightful cookies. My mom and sister thought I was going to be killed by her. They were so wrong. A2EatWrite was like hanging out with my best friend that I had not seen a couple of years.

10. Do you have a best friend? How long have you known them?J has been my best friend for 15 years. This is both good and bad. Good because I have a "built-in" best friend. I've never been best at nurturing female relationships. So having a built-in bestie makes it even harder for me to put forth the effort to connect. I have many good friends but I don't talk on the phone with anyone nor do I go out shopping or to lunch with the girls often (every really).

11. Do you still live in the same town where you grew up?
Nope. That ship sailed at 18 years of age when I took the first opportunity to move back to Toronto. I always think I can live a small town, small city life but I really can't. I can do it for a little bit until the novelty wears off but I need concrete under my feet and skyscrapers above my head to feel comfortable in my own skin.


Okay, so head on over to The Fairy Blogmother and play along...

Madonna Strong

Everyone has an opinion on Madonna's performance at the 2012 Super Bowl. This is NOT yet another arm chair quarterback critique. In fact, I read a great blog post that talked about how Madonna has always been a fighter. It's true. She has.

Madonna was always different. I remember seeing interviews with her former roommates and friends about when she was starting out. They all say that Madonna was talented, hard-working and different. Say what you will about her, you have to admit she is hard-working. That she is a fighter. That she demands perfection from herself and others. And that she doesn't give up. I admire that about her.

In my life, it seems like we get over one thing and start to feel like we can walk on sure footing and then we are smacked in the face with something else. I'm tired. I don't want to do "it" anymore. I just want to have a chance to rest and relax. For years it's been immigration, infertility, adoption, unemployment, etc. The list goes on. I try not to look at other people's lives because I know it is all surface perfection. I know we all have our struggles. When you go through infertility, you ask "why is it so easy for some people?" Is it worth fighting for? The past year, and especially the last few months have been trying. At times, I just feel like, "God, can I please get a break?"

Then I read a great blog post about Madonna and how she has been fighting from the beginning. At 53, Madonna should be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of her labor. But that is not how the woman is wired. And that is not how her life - or mine, or yours - is wired. We are in a constant struggle and battle. There is always something on the horizon. Some "bad news" or some "hurdle" we need to overcome. It's life.

Now, there is a difference between "struggle" and "drama."  Martin Luther King, Jr. had struggles. Rodney King had drama. Martin Luther King struggled for a purpose. He had a means to an end. His struggle was justified. No, I'm not about to compare Madonna's struggles with the greatest civil rights leader of the 20th century's struggles. The point is, in our lives, do we have struggles or do we have drama? Is it our struggle or is it someone else's drama that we are allowing to be our struggle? Some people took Rodney King's drama and made it their struggle when they burned down parts of L.A. Is it your struggle? Is it your drama? Or is it someone else's?

One nice thing about being over 40 is that I am at a stage in my life where I feel like I can really say: "I'm not taking your crap on." While I may not say that to someone's face, I am saying it to myself. I can distance myself from what I don't want to be involved in, including other people's drama.

Another nice thing about this stage of my life is that I know myself. I know how to read my own language. So the other day when I was feeling like I wanted to slap everyone around me silly, I realized my hormones were ramping up and I needed to step back and chill out. Otherwise, the drama created would have been mine. Created by me.

Ultimately though, we all have our own struggles. I think the difference is in how we approach it. Do we embrace the struggle, learn and move on? Or do we curl up in a ball and run from it? We need to know when to stand strong and when to run. When I did crisis pregnancy counseling, I often asked the girls to imagine what is the worst thing that could happen if they told their parents they were pregnant. And then I asked them the best thing. Usually, the reality is somewhere in between - parents typically don't kill their daughters for getting pregnant. What's the best thing that could happen if you go for it? What is the worst thing? Sometimes, we don't know the answer to that question. We just know we are in the struggle and we have to see it to the end.

Sometimes our struggles make us stronger. Other times, it puts us one step closer to the prize. If we had not struggled with infertility. If we had not ruled out reproductive options. If we had not stumbled through the adoption process. We would not be our son's parents. People all over the world would not have been touched by our son's story. We could have decided to remain childless. Nothing wrong with that choice. Some days I regret not going that route. But there was something inside that made us move on and keep going. Keep fighting.

It's that drive and desire inside that keeps us going. That keeps us moving from struggle to struggle to victory. It's knowing that we can do better. We can be better. That "thing" inside us that won't let us rest. That won't let us quit early. That even when we are at the top of our game, like Madonna has been, that makes us keep going. Keep reaching.

Where will today's struggle take you tomorrow?  What prize is waiting to be unlocked in your life?

The Value of Books: Children and Reading

I am a book LOVER. I would own every book imaginable if I could. If I were Oprah rich, I would buy a library and sit there and read for hours and days and weeks on end. At one point when I was in grade six or seven, I had read all of the books in the Bookmobile that came to our neighborhood - and could tell you what each was about.

I love the smell of books. I love the feel of books - hardcover or softcover, it doesn't matter. I love reading books on my iPad. I love listening to books as they are read to me. I. Love. Books. I love reading newspapers and will read anything I can. Even upside down on your desk...

And I want my children to love reading too.

While I want my children to love books that mean something, I realize the value in "garbage reading." What is garbage to me is often a gem to my children. Case in point: the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series. I don't like the meanness, bullying, and irresponsibility portrayed in the books. However, my boy loves them. My goal is to get my son reading so I have purchased several in the series for him and we have listened to them on audiobook in the car. I just have to follow up with life lessons so he doesn't treat others that way.

Our son's principal recognized the love he and several boys in the class had for all things Titanic when they were in first grade. She purchased new library books on the Titanic at their reading level. This helped to bring a heavy topic to a child's comprehension level. My son is an artist so he draws everything he is reading. It's a double benefit for him.

What holds your child's interest? If it's Barbie then let your daughter read Barbie books. If it's Sonic the Hedgehog, buy some Sonic cartoon books. Personally, I believe that what gets your children reading is what is important. You can work with them on the content later.

My children are ages 9 and 6 right now. I still read to them. I thought I should be phasing it out, especially for the oldest. But then I read a few articles that talk about the value of reading to your children well beyond middle school. Reading to your children helps them to understand the cadence/rhythm and pronunciation of words. It helps them develop and improve literacy skills such as increasing their vocabulary, improves attention span, nurtures emotional development, stimulates imagination, and improves problem-solving and analytical thinking.

Children listen on a higher level than they read so listening to adult readers stimulates growth and understanding of vocabulary and language patterns. It enables them to "read" books beyond their literacy level. Plus, it builds memories and bonds with your children.

I will tell you that reading with your child need not be drudgery. Once, our local librarian said her daughter hated "Alice the Fairy" but I was convinced my daughter would love it. I put on a "fairy" voice and so began my children's love affair with Alice. We bought the book for our home library. I even read it in that crazy voice for my daughter's classmates - and they LOVED it!!!

When I read a "Series of Unfortunate Events" to my children, I use a British accent. And when I read Elephant and Piggy books by Mo Willems, I use a politically incorrect southern African American male voice. The point is, have fun with the books. Find the voice of the book that works for your family.

Well, I must end this now so I can go live what I just preached. I am getting ready to read "The Littles" to them right now. What are you reading to your children?

The Littles

Do you remember reading "The Littles" when you were a kid? I LOVED the Little family. I used to wish we had tiny humans with mouse tails living in our walls.

In fact, one time, we had a 2"x2" hole in a wall by the baseboard and I told a friend that the Littles lived in the walls and used that hole to get in and out. In hindsight, she probably thought we had mice. No mice. Just my very vivid 10-year old imagination.

I'm always in search of book series' to grab my children's interests. (I got them hooked on Lemony Snickets "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and Motor Mouth hooked on "39 Clues.") Needless to say, I was extremely happy when the children jumped on board and got excited about me reading The Littles to them. Did you know that there is value in reading aloud to children right through middle school and beyond? Reading to your children should no stop once they can read to themselves.

I found the first Littles book in the series at a Barnes & Noble in town. I found 6 more in the series while hanging out in-store at www.Open-Books.org (great organization, check them out). I ordered two more from Scholastic through school. Now I'm on the hunt for the final 3 titles I'm missing.

We are an excited family!

Widney Christmas Tree Watch 2012

One post a day until the tree is packed away.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Friday, February 3, 2012

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Bead Parenting

Now that our children are a little older, the most successful parenting tool has been a bead reward system.

It started off with a complex chart of what they needed to do in the morning and after school. Things like brushing their teeth, getting dressed, putting their swim clothes in front of the washer, etc. They could earn bonus beads for being kind and considerate of each other and others. Beads were taken away if they did not obey the first time (with a warning that they would lose beads) The reward for filling their jars was either money ($7) or a play date. They took to it!

Why $7? I didn't feel like doling out $20/week. And when I said $7, they were really excited! Turns out, it takes about a month to fill their jars. We tend to give them about $10 each.

To keep it fresh, the chart evolves. Whereas they were given beads for basic things they did, if they did not do them, beads were taken away. No swim clothes by the washer? Lose 2 beads. Motor Mouth goes to the pool 4x/wk so that can add up!

For awhile, the kids kept wetting their bed. It was insane. I decided to reward them for dry nights. Five beads for waking up dry. Wasn't sure this was good for their psyche but it worked. Dry mornings! Before the new year, we said they would stop getting beads for this as of New Year's Day.

We now give Mini Me 3 beads for waking up. BUT, if she cries for no reason, she loses 2 beads each cry. Crying has reduced.

Motor Mouth gets beads for getting all of his spelling and vocab words and memory verse right.

Both kids get extra beads for helping or being considerate of others. If we get a good report from the sitter, they are respectful to grow ups, behave in public, etc. they get bonus beads.

Conversely, if they are being an absolute putz, they get beads taken away. We give warnings and often it is enough to elicit the desired response. The beads removed must match the infraction.

We realize this is a temporary system. But until the kids figure beads with the hope of a play date or cash is lame, we are relishing the system.

Details on the Beads:
I first wanted to do marbles. I went online to order some but decided to go with the beads instead when I walked in to Pier 1 and found these lovely gems. I was able to pick some that matched Widney Loft that the children would like. The glasses were on sale as well. About 8 oz glasses. The circles are Mini Me's and the stripes are Motor Mouths. Kids have to fill their glasses to get a reward.

When the kids do well, they get the beads in their glass. When they don't do well, they lose a bead to the jar.

Round Up

My life as it stands...

Some like it hot. So do I.
Our heater went out. Of course it did. J was out of town. Did it go out when he was here? No. Does crap ever hit the fan when my man is in town? Nope. When I got home, it was only 64 degrees in here. I was so cold, I wore a sweater, J's thick hoodie, my pj pants and thick socks to bed and had the bed heater turned up all the way and the down comforter on. I still froze all night and woke up shivering several times. It was down to 62 degrees this morning.

The handy man came over to fix it. His name is Manny. And he is Hispanic. I kid you not. He looks like Handy Manny's Abeulo. Turns out, we had 2 extra filters that Handy Manny said we did not need. They were located in obscure places, too. How often do you change your air filter? We thought it was every 3 months. Turns out, Handy Manny said we should change it every month.

Play Dates Rock
Certain kids have been wanting play dates with my kids for forever! One kid had to wait almost a year to come over. Kids have handed me or J their parents' cell numbers on slips of paper. Over the Christmas Break we had four play dates with five families. I got to know two new families. It was nice.

No Laptop for 3 Weeks
I went for three weeks without opening my laptop. I checked email on my iPhone, looked up information on my iPhone, checked Facebook on my iPhone. I used the iPad to read a book by my one of my favorite authors, Patricia Cornwell.  I wasn't sure it would turn back on after such a long hiatus. LoL.

My Kids Rock
For no special reason other than I love them like crazy!

Sonic the Hedge Hog Hat

We made this for our son! 

Sonic the Hedgehog Hat & Scarf

Motor Mouth is OBSESSED with all things Sonic the Hedgehog. 

He asked me to crochet a Sonic hat for him. I finally made it for Christmas. 

As a bonus, I made him a scarf to go with it.

I crocheted the hat.

I modified a pattern I found called "Chemo Hat." 

Unfortunate name for a great little hat that is easy and quick to make. 

J made the face using felt pieces that he glued to a black felt piece that doubled as an outline. That main piece was glued to the hat. Fabric glue just wasn't enough to hold the edges down as it hardened but the hat has to be flexible. I used black thread and a larger needle to sew the edges down.

This was the inspiration for the face of the hat.

Naturally, our boy loved it!

On A String And a Budget

The Chicago Widney's are scaling it back. Way back, my friends. We do not live overly extravagant lifestyles to begin with. However, we have begun to really trim the fat, so to speak. If we were really trimming the fat, we would undergo liposuction...

For example. we have begun to shop at WalMart for groceries. In Chicago, this means a trip to the far south suburbs or Indiana. Last week, we went to Indiana as the new Supercenter there is closest and gas is $0.20/gallon cheaper there. Not only did we shop at WalMart, but we bought - hold my hand, I need the support for this revelation - generic!

I loaded up more generic WalMart brand items on that conveyer belt than I have ever loaded in my life combined. It was shocking. Most of all, it was humbling.

When we lived in Tulsa, we shopped at WalMart all the time because our Albertson's went out of business (coincidentally when WalMart moved in down the street). But we seldom bought generic. When we moved to Chicago and I stayed home, I had the time to shop at WalMart for basics (toiletries, paper goods, etc.), another store for produce, Costco for other stuff, and Trader Joe's.  As a working mom, it was Whole Foods, Dominick's or Target for what we needed 'cause that's what was close and handy.

Going back to WalMart has the possibility of saving us up to $300 off our grocery bill each month. Ummm....Generic doesn't seem quite so bad anymore!

I Am 42 And Earned It

I think it's great that people are always genuinely shocked at how old I really am. Typically, they think I'm in my late twenties to early thirties. I just turned 42 years old.

Personally, I love being 42. Or 41 or 40 or 37. It's all about the process. I've earned my 42 years. They were not all easy years. Some of the years I thought were hard, in hindsight, were a piece of cake - what was I thinking in my silly youth?!

Someone asked what I would say to my 20 year old self. What advice I would give her. I think I'd just give her a hug and walk away. There is nothing I could have told my 20 year old self that would have made differences and yet still brought me to where I am today.

If I had gone down any number of paths, I might not have met and married J. If I had gone down any number of paths, we might not have become parents to Motor Mouth or Mini Me. Whatever careers or volunteer positions I've done, whatever people I've met, whatever mistakes I've made, whatever kudos I've accumulated in the past were all insignificant compared to having the family I have right now. Yet all of them were necessary to enable me to be with the people I live with. My kids are my reason for being on this earth. J and I were destined to be their parents.

So, if my eye lids are a little more droopy than when I was 30 or if I have a few more gray hairs than when I was 30, if I have some lines forming around my eyes or mouth, or if my boobs are not where they were when I was 20, it was all worth it to be doing life with this husband and these kids. Wait. I think it would be nice to have the 20 year old boobs and still be doing life with my family.

When You Know Better, Do Better

We have been going through some stuff for the last few months. Some of it is stuff I just flat out did not want to happen and other stuff that was coming down the pike was stuff I just flat out did not want to happen in the future. Combined, it was a heavy weighing on my heart and thoughts.

The whole time, I felt like I was screaming inside. Like those people who have surgery and their bodies are paralyzed by their mind and senses are awake and they are trapped in their bodies, feeling the pain of the procedure. Except, I could have yelled and screamed and blogged and talked about it with everyone who would listen.

But this time around, I wanted to do it better than I have in the past. I wanted to walk through it gracefully, with peace and dignity. I wanted the process to be different than before. Ultimately, the outcome would be the same. It is how you go through it is what makes you feel good or bad about yourself afterwards. This time around, I wanted to feel good about myself. 

Sunday Wrap Up

Here is a rundown from the last month or so...

Thanksgiving
For the first time, we went to the State St Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was a blast!!!  I especially enjoyed singing and dancing to "Shake It Up, Baby" with Santa on State St - like in Ferris Beuller's Day Off! I should mention that we had VIP seating in the stands and THAT is the only way I will ever do a parade in future.

Bun Bun is Gone Gone
Our rabbit, Bun Bun, was adopted from the rabbit farm by another family. When I finally told the kids, I accidentally told them that Moo Moo was adopted from the farm by another family. They were devastated. If you recall, Moo Moo is the Christmas Cow from Santa's farm that visits us each year for the month of December. Needless to say, when I realized my mistake and clarified, the kids were totally cool with the rabbit being adopted - so long as Moo Moo still came. So, if you ever want to break bad news to a children, just tell them they lost something they love and when they realize that is not the case, the lesser news won't be so bad...

Barking Dogs
The timer for my iPhone sounds like a barking dog when it goes off.  I set my timer at work and walked away without my phone. Needless to say, there were a number of disturbed staffers and parents who heard a fierce barking dog in a school building. Bahahaha!

Total Flattery
My friend MAM is a writing professor, published author, speaker, and well all around accomplished in the field of writing. For my birthday, she gave me a book to help me start submitting my work for publication. Basically, MAM said that my writing has improved and with some tweaks here and there, she thinks I'm ready for publication. HIGH PRAISE indeed!!! If MAM thinks it, it must be true. I need to get my butt in gear and start submitting work!

New Blog
It might be time to phase out of Widney Woman into something different. There is much over the last month or two that I would have liked to have shared but can't because for as anonymous much of my blog is, it is not anonymous to those who know me and J. I get out my thoughts and feelings in writing. It is hard to do that right now which leads me to question the viability of Widney Woman. I'll keep you posted.

Toyota Frustration
I'm so frustrated with Toyota right now. We bought a brand new car so we would not have to make expensive repairs in the first 3-4 years. Not working out that way!!! Should have bought a Ford. That way, we would have expected a disappointing vehicle and to pay out the whazoo on repairs!

Okay, so that is about it. I'm sure I have more that I will wish I had said but, oh well. 

It's Your Birthday!

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago.

I took liberty this year as my birthday was on a Monday- it was a 4 day celebration starting Friday. Basically, the kids had to be nice to each other and not fight or argue from Friday to Monday. 

PRESENTS

When asked what I wanted for my birthday this year, it was simple - sleep!!! I requested to be able to sleep all day Sunday and Monday (took the day off work). It was divine! J did get me a leather Book Book case for my iPhone to match my laptop case. J took the kids to get me a birthday card and they made cards and a Happy Birthday banner.

FOOD

On Sunday, J made me breakfast in bed. Yum! While the kids were at school on Monday, J took me to Cafe Trinidad for lunch. I was born in Trinidad so it is always nice to "return to my birth place" on my birthday. After dinner that evening, we had a glorious cake from Whole Foods. Yum!!!

SURPRISE

That evening, J surprised me with a visit from one of my favorite friends, Usher! I hadn't seen Usher since he was one of my nursemaids that fateful day in August when I almost died. It was good to hang out with him and J. I wish I had known he was coming - I would have put make up on and done my hair. After all, the last time Usher saw me, I was snoring on his lap and looked like a character out of Star Trek!

In his defense, J was going to have me get showered and made up but Usher came an hour early. I'm glad he came when he did. Otherwise, Usher could have possibly heard me singing and carrying on in the shower. And there is no telling what I would have gone running into the living room wearing - or not wearing - while being obnoxious as one can be with only your spouse awake. It would have made for a funny story after I recovered from the shame of embarrassment. Maybe.

All in all, it was a wonderful birthday!

Knowing Me Knowing You - November '11

knowing me, knowing you - November 2011

It's time once again for that monthly interview project, Knowing Me, Knowing You!!

1. What keeps you up late at night?This summer I was up a lot thinking about work. I had several goals that were rather lofty. I ended up slam dunking the work goals.

2. Do you collect anything?Tea pots. NOT tea cups. NOT mugs. Tea pots.

3. Are you addicted to Angry Birds?No. I have only played it once.

4. What's your idea of a perfect evening?Honey, these days, if I can stay awake when I sit down for a minute, it's all gravy from there.

5. Are you looking forward to winter?I live in Chicago. No.

Now, head on over to the Fairy Blogmother and show her some love!

Art Meets Life

This painting is at the Art Institute in Chicago.

I have loved it for over three years as it reminds me 

of how my mother looked when she was younger.

This week, my mother visited us in Chicago.

It was a delight to show my mom this painting in person.

O Questions

I am flipping through the November issue of "O Magazine" and came across these questions that Joel McHale ("The Soup" and "Community") answered. I should mention I actually find him...sexy. I can't always explain my taste in men. At any rate, here are my answers to some fun questions.

Best Bowl of Soup
Baked potato soup at Charlestons Restaurant in Tulsa. It is perfection in a bowl.

Best Vacation
Hmmm...Tough one. Vegas and Colorado rank right up there but the winner goes to....

Flying in a helicopter cross country to Pensacola (to visit family) then Disney World (where I saw Cirque du Soleil, all the Disney theme parks, and met Mickey!!!) and driving to Daytona Beach before going to a lighthouse and then on to Cape Canaveral where I saw space shuttles and stayed at a fabulous resort.

The helicopter ride enabled me to see so many sites: forest fires, hunting posts, homes on stilts near the Gulf, Disney from the air, sunken ships, dolphins and sharks, homes of all shapes and sizes, perfectly manicured yards and hoarder yards, the Mississippi River, and the beauty of the American countryside to name a few. The biggest take away from the helicopter ride came after seeing the carnage of Hurricane Katrina - having seen where these people lived and to think it was all gone.

Best Gift
This laptop. Or my iPhone. Can't decide. Both are liberating and life-changing.

Best Pick-Me-Up
My kids telling me they love me.

Best Advice
"Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy. Changed the course of my life at age 11. I believe we should give more to our community than we take out of it. That means volunteering of yourself. Of your time. Giving money to others is nice but giving of yourself is more personal. It is more rewarding. I get to work in a field that I am solely qualified for because of my volunteer experiences.

Best Movie Genre
Action.

Best Way to Spend a Sunday
Beach with the kids, brunch, hang out on Michigan Ave or Millennium Park then home for a nap before J makes dinner, for our family to eat on the patio before having a tickle fight and doing the kids bedtime routine. Afterwards enjoying a glass of wine with my husband.

Best Excuse
"I almost died on the CT table" was the reason I gave for not going back to the office after my test in August.

Whatever It Takes

I'm a mom. I have two children. To get time alone, I sit on the porcelain throne and read my mail. Or flip through my iPod. Or flip through a book or magazine. When they come in to tattle tale, I ask them if I disturb them when they are in the bathroom.

What do you do to get personal time?

Fulfillment

For the first time since I was a computer consultant in my twenties, I absolutely love my job and love what I am doing. There were times between when I thought I loved my job and got satisfaction out of it. Those times pale in comparison to now. 

I do admissions and marketing for a private school. This is a stretch because I studied computers, not marketing. To think, I cried the entire drive in to interview for this job. Well, technically, it started as marketing and events but morphed into admissions and marketing. This has been one of the hardest jobs I've ever done. I've felt more fear and insecurity doing what I do. 

But I also feel successful at what I do. The year before I got there, enrollment was about 96 in K through 8th. When I got there, enrollment was about 106 students in PK to 8th. The next year it was 145. This year, we are at 189. This is a recession and we charge tuition. Private schools are closing all over the city. We are blessed.

There is a challenge to my job that is heightened because we are located in the heart of the downtown core. Marketing is a unique beast because of our location. It's not like we have a 50 acre front lawn we can park a school bus on with a sign that says "Now Enrolling" and call it a day. Interestingly enough, we don't have a school bus. One of the reasons we don't have school buses is because of the cost we would incur to re-paint them several times a year after they are tagged in our parking lot. Not an expense many schools in the burbs have to factor in. LoL!

Want to know what actually works...? Posting fliers with tearaways in local coffee shops, restaurants, and dry cleaners. Want to know what had a crazy great affect? We put 2 ft tall letters with our school name.org in windows at the front of our building (on a busy city street). It put us on the map in the neighborhood. Our best marketing tool of all time though is word of mouth. 

We used to have parent volunteers give potential parents tours. That job has fallen on my shoulders. I LOVE it!!! I get to meet everyone and tell them how unique our school is. We believe that having one or two knowledgeable people doing the tours has helped to provide a consistent message and to give prospective parents the information they need to make an informed decision.

I look forward to going to work every day!

Truthful Tuesday - No Truth About It

The thing about my life right now is that I can't really talk about my life right now. Sigh deeply.

I started to write a blog entry then realized I can't talk about that stuff right now. Then I started to write another blog entry and realized I can't talk about that either.

Seriously frustrating as I often use my blog as a means of thinking things out and expressing my thoughts and feelings. Hmmm.... If you are interested, email me and I may be able to tell you personally.