Yes, I am still complaining about work....

I have 14 business days left not including the 3 hours and 13 minutes left of today. I am trying to breath in and out very slowly. I hear this reduces the amount of steam coming out of your ears and nostrils. It happened again. The lady at work who prefers to talk to my boss about things I have done that she doesn't understand has struck again. She has walked past my office and gone to my boss to ask about a letter I asked her to sign so I can send a bill to a client.

I know I only have 3 weeks left here but I do still work here. My office is on the way to my boss' office. Why not stop by and ask me the question instead of trying to get me in trouble over something that I could have easily explained? Instead I have to explain it all to my boss who then sends me down to this lady's office to try to explain what the deal is. Of course this lady is in her office MAYBE 4 hours per week, the rest of the time she works from home. Perhaps it is just the lack of chocolate talking but I swear it is taking every ounce of restraint I have left not to draw a map to my office and tack it on her door complete with a little you are here star at her office and a checkered flag at my office.

I really just want to grab my purse, walk out the door and never come back. But I know I will regret that later. This is too small of a community for me to get away with that and still be able to get a job someday when I want to go back into the workforce. Did I mention they haven't posted the position yet for the girl who is replacing me? We work in offices next to each other and she has not trained at all yet because my boss wants to hire someone to take her place first before I start training her. Never mind that I am leaving in 3 weeks and they aren't even getting resumes yet. I know in the grand scheme of things this is not that big of a deal but its still very hard not to say something smart alecky.

Please send brownies...

I am a slacker blogger. I have had ideas y'all but I have just been too lazy to put forth the effort to actually type them. I get on the internet with the full intention of updating y'all on the boringness that is my life but alas I get sucked into the void of celebrity gossip, my google reader, and recipes. It could also be that my husband and I started a diet of sorts this weekend and all I want to do is lick the chocolate off a giant cupcake while shoving ice cream in my mouth with a snow shovel.

I don't "diet" in the traditional sense. I find them too rigid and they require things like my pre-diet weight and fancy small packages of food that only Paris Hilton can afford. So instead I made a trip to the grocery store and bought enough produce to last me until the ice age. Or so I thought, until I had to make another tomato and avocado run today. Mainly I am just eschewing bread, cokes and products containing sugar while upping the fruits and veggies. I actually threw my beloved chocolate chip cookies I made Thursday night in the trash. Did you hear me? Cookies. in. the. trash. Its almost un-American.

I haven't been hungry per se just more fantasizing about chocolate chip pancakes and vats of Cool Whip. Everyone has their vice and mine is definitely in the form of sugar, or more specifically chocolate. Although I do have a dirty little affair with bread on the side but don't tell chocolate. Besides that we have just been keeping busy with cleaning the house and working on the yard. I did get a new toy this weekend. My husband ordered me a Garmin Nuvi 200W GPS last weekend and it arrived Friday. I love it. My husband has a Garmin C330 that we bought about 2 years ago and now I finally have one of my own. Its not the fanciest GPS out there but it suits me just fine. Now if they only made one that dispensed chocolate I would be in heaven.

Separation anxiety

I am feeling better today physically. It is a gray morning and I am feeling a bit melancholy. It started with dropping Bear off at daycare this morning. He has gotten to the separation anxiety stage where me and my husband are the only people he wants to be with. When I was pregnant I so looked forward to this stage. I wanted those little arms reaching up for me and only me, his Mama. But now it is inconvenient because those little arms don't want to be left with Nana or the daycare. They want Mama. All. the. time. This morning I put him down and he held on to my leg for dear life whimpering Mama. Breaks my heart. I'm afraid it is only going to get worse once I have him home with me full time.

Then I got to work and got a call from a lady with a seminar I was supposed to be at with 2 of my co-workers today. We all forgot it was today and we can't go now due to deadlines and such. It is a little depressing because I really wanted to go.

On the upside, I did make chocolate chip cookies last night and have been enjoying those with my coffee this morning. It is also casual Friday so I got to wear jeans and my cute wedge sandals that show off my pedicure with the little flower and design on the big toe from last weekend. 3 weeks from today I will be celebrating my last casual Friday, at this office at least. It is going by fast now.

In other news...

Well, I should have just kept my mouth shut about my menfolk's digestive issues. I awoke far, far too early this morning to discover that I too have been struck. Ugh. So I called in sick and took one of my few precious remaining vacation days. I am taking it easy today or as easy as one taking care of a 14 month can.

As the day progresses I am feeling better but I think I will still skip my women's group tonight to be on the safe side. I really wanted to go too. Oh well.

In other news, I'm a winner. As in, I won an actual prize today. I won these absolutely adorable decorations by Tree by Kerri Lee at Petit Elefant. I am so excited. I cant wait to hang the little sign on Bear's door and wind up the music box for a lullaby.

The Great Diaper Blowout of aught-8

I got home this evening and put Bear down for a nap so I could chase down my wayward pug. My husband came home shortly after and helped me corner him in the neighbors yard using an elaborate plan involving a squeaky toy with person in front of him and a person sneaking up from behind. While we were outside my husband decided to mow the grass while I pulled a few (million) weeds. When we got done we were too tired to deal with dinner so we decided to go out. My husband has a bit of an upset stomach today so in our infinite wisdom we decided to go out for Mexican. In our defense we had a $25.00 gift certificate from restaurants.com I bought half off for $5.00. Then we were going to go to Home Depot to pick up some supplies to fix our fence.

So we get to the restaurant and order and eat our appetizer and my husband's stomach starts to hurt so he excuses himself just as the food arrives. Bear has been a little fussy and threw up a little on the table after coughing. No biggie he seems fine and is eating good. I wiped it up and worked on my quesadillas. My husband gets back and decided to box his food to go and Bear is getting really fussy. I pick up Bear to try and calm him so we can get checked out and I notice his back is wet. I pull my arm away and it is coated in what I wish was melted chocolate but unfortunately was not. My poor husband who is already a little green is frantically handing me wipes while poop continues to squish out the back of the diaper and all over Bear's pants and shirt. We get the worst of it wiped off and I grab a handful of napkins to press against his back so we can hightail it out of the restaurant.

Luckily I replenished the plastic baggie supply last night in the diaper bag so we could take all the nasty wipes with us. We run to the car and strip Bear and see poop oozing out the leg holes as well so it gets all over his socks. We are out of wipes at this point and are down to restaurant napkins. We bag his clothes and get him wiped down enough to put on a clean diaper and strap him in the car seat. We pull out another baggie and dispose of the offending diaper and napkins. Bear was perfectly fine after that and laughed the whole way home. He got a nice long bath when we got home. Needless to say the Home Depot trip has been postponed until tomorrow or until my men get better digestive health.


Halp. I are prizner. Pleez send bail.

Easter

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend full of family, good food, and chocolate bunnies. I didn't get any chocolate bunnies but I did get plenty of the first two, and maybe a few pilifered pieces of chocolate from my brother's Easter candy. My husband and I both got off at noon Friday so I picked up Bear and headed home to pack. My husband showed up at 1:15 after having to run some errands. We grabbed lunch and packed up the car and left town around 2:30. Bear had not gotten a nap so he took advantage of the long car ride to catch some zzzs.



We had to stop at my in-laws house to drop off some stuff and ended up catching all kinds of construction traffic on the way so we didn't make it to my parent's until 8:30 that night. The next morning I went and got a pedicure with my mom and lunch at La Madeleine. Yum. We did our Easter grocery shopping and then headed back to the house. The next morning was Easter and of course we all overslept and ended up 30 minutes late to church after having to get ready and take pictures.




We had a wonderful church service and then went home to fix lunch for everyone. There were 4 more families that showed up and we had a great lunch, Easter egg hunt, confetti eggs fight, and treasure hunt. We made it home around 7 last night. I was very pleased with the weekend. We got all our stuff unloaded and put away last night and I thought the weekend came to a perfect end.

That was until I was ready to bring in Rocky for the night. He was out playing in the backyard in the afternoon but when I went to call him in for the night there was no Rocky. I threw on some flip flops and my husband grabs a flashlight so we can search the backyard. Finally we see it, a hole. Rocky has gotten into the neighbors yard, again. Of course it has been raining so its all muddy and easy to dig. We tried calling him over but it was dark and the neigbors larger dogs were barking at us. We were in our pajamas and I'm sure the neighbors were getting ready for bed so we left him over there for the night. I went out this morning and called for him but he didn't come. They have a huge yard though with storage buildings and woodpiles, lots of places for small dogs to hide out. I will have to go over and get him after work today. Grr...

The usual

I've been a little light on the posting lately but there really just isn't much going on over here. Still slaving away to finish my job up. 4 more weeks after this. I just found out we close at noon tomorrow so I calculated that into my countdown of days left until freedom. Bear is doing fine. Knock on wood. We are all set to go to my Mom's this weekend and do a big Easter egg hunt and Easter party although I believe Bear will just be doing photo ops and no actual eggs will be hunted. If he does snag an egg I call dibs on it. Because of choking hazards, of course. Don't feel bad. He has an Easter basket with baby safe goodies including animal crackers so he will get to participate in the festivities.

I will post some pictures for y'all when I get back. If I don't post before I leave tomorrow, have a wonderful Easter!

Where is the money going?

I am feeling a wee bit stressed lately. Besides the work they are piling on me in my last month at my job I am stressing a bit about the financials of leaving my job. Am I crazy to leave my job when we are heading into a recession? My 401k has been steadily bleeding out, savings accounts are paying less and less interest, and the price of goods and gas is out the roof.

I went to the grocery store Sunday to stock up on the basics (bread, milk, meat, produce, baby food, etc) and I can't believe how much everything is going up. I used $34.30 in coupons and still came out at $107.00 on what should have been about $50.00 worth of groceries. My husband asked where the rest of my bags were when I got home. Not to mention the fact that the bagger didn't give me my bag of produce so I had to make another trip to the grocery store using my $3.20 cent a gallon gas to get there. This is the 4th time in the last 2 years I can think of that they have done this.

I know staying home is the right decision but it is just so scary to think that they are predicting things to get worse before they get better. Don't even talk to me about insurance premiums and co-pays. My husband hasn't had a raise in 2 years so he actually makes less than he did two years ago if you count for inflation and the value of the dollar. But we have been smart and put down 20% on our house, paid cash for everything we buy and put money back in savings. So I know we aren't in the same perilous position as some families. Its still scary though. Any tips on couponing, saving money, etc would be greatly appreciated. I will have time to look into the CVS and Walgreens deals once I am not working.

This is just a phase. Right?

I present exhibit A.



This may look like an innocent picture of a side table with a laptop, coffee cup, picture, rings, etc. Look in the background. Do you see that? A trolling baby? Looking for things at eye level that can be snatched off the table? Not pictured my cell phone, a box of wipes, a baby monitor, and a burp rag. They mysteriously disappeared.

Exhibit B.



Let's try a little experiment with my camera case. Yep, just as I thought. The baby strikes again. *

This is what I deal with all day long. At home, at restaurants. At the store. I have become THAT parent. Help? Anyone?

* No camera cases were harmed during the documentation of "Baby on a Rampage". A film by the Association of Mother's at their Wits End.

My love list

I love cafe au lait with beignets on a perfect muggy morning in New Orleans. I love the feel of sand between my toes and the lapping of the warm ocean water. I love a cold fountain Dr. Pepper. I love being surprised with flowers. I love warm brownies right out of the oven with cold milk. I love sweet dimpled arms reaching up for me. I love Fridays for their promise of the weekend to come. I love the smell of the earth after a spring shower. I love summer sunsets. I love sitting out by the pool at my Mom's house. I love the excitement of buying something I've been wanting on sale, the cheaper the better. I love bagels with lots of cream cheese, preferably with chives. I love pulling out my summer clothes from the back of my closet. I love coming home for lunch to watch a Tivo'd show from the night before. I love getting off work early. I love ceiling fans. I love the first cup of coffee in the morning. I love waking up to the smell of bacon. I love being invited to go somewhere with someone I want to be friends with. I love chocolate chip pancakes with cool whip. I love driving with the windows down and the radio up. I love when a song I have been thinking about comes on the radio. I love giving the perfect gift. I love the smell of department stores. I love crawling into bed in the middle of the day for the perfect nap. I love getting cards in the mail. I love putting up the Christmas tree. I love a long hot shower after a cold wet day. I love driving through the mountains. I love coming home after a long trip. I love putting away the last piece of clean laundry. I love taking a picture that captures the moment perfectly. I love clean sheets. I love walking out of my hotel room for an excursion on my first day in a new city. I love taking the ferry across the San Francisco bay. I love playing in the falling snow. I love snuggling up and sipping cocoa on a cold wet blustery day. I love checking my email and seeing comments on my blog posts. I love getting my hair done. I love a cold Shiner Bock at the end of a hard day. I love showing off a new pedicure in cute sandals. I love donuts with chocolate icing and sprinkles. I love movie theatre nachos. I love the way I feel after seeing a great film. I love outdoor concerts. I love meeting a new person and finding out how much I have in common with them. I love campfires. I love canoeing down the river. I love laying in a hammock watching the clouds. I love my Grandma's cheesecake. I love yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing and sprinkles. I love getting a new magazine in the mail. I love the colors pink, brown, and blue. I love flip flops. I love the changing of the seasons. I love late night walks after the world has gone to bed. I love walking barefoot. I love tea in all its forms. I love the smell of baby powder.

*I stole this idea from Jennie at She Likes Purple. Please feel free to write your own love list. Her rules are that you can't include a single person you know on your list. No "I love the way my husband laughs" or "I love hearing my little girl call for me." But this particular little exercise is about stripping away everyone who defines you and figuring out what you (not his partner; not their mother/daughter/sister/friend) love.

A Book Meme

Hmmm....I can definitely get used to this staying at home thing. So far I slept till 8:30 until my small chubby alarm clock announced it was PAST breakfast time. Got him up, fed him his breakfast, made perfect coffee with my Senseo coffee pods (Paris blend) with milk and cinnamon and played. He went down for a nap and I watched One Tree Hill from last night while eating cinnamon toast and drinking my second cup of coffee. When he got up he got a snack and a bath. We went out on the deck and played in the sunshine. Now we are watching Emma and playing. I did get the bed made, laundry started, dishwasher unloaded and the house picked up. Riveting stuff, I know. But I am enjoying it.

In other news, I was tagged by the lovely Amanda at Random Thoughts for a Book MeMe. The rules go something like this: "Look up from the computer, look around the room where you're sitting and pick up the closest book. And closest really means closest. No cheating by running upstairs to unearth your pink-highlighted college copy of The Critique of Pure Reason or the Prolegomena. Open the book, turn to page 123, count down to the fifth sentence on that page, and then post the next three sentences."

I feel sorry for you guys or maybe you should feel sorry for me. I have been trying to read Love in the time of Cholera with very little success as well as How to Save a Fish from Drowning. I have also been reading Having a Mary Spirit for my women's group. However, none of these books is close by right now. Instead the nearest book is one I bought at Half Price books this weekend, Trading for Dummies. I have been trying to learn a bit about trading and the stock market in general. So here is a peek at what I am reading.

"Although some overlap exists between fundamental and technical analyses, you find dyed-in-the-wool, true believers in both camps, and they argue that their way is best, even going so far as to say the opposite way is worse than useless. For our money, the truth lies somewhere in between these two extremes."

Sorry its not more interesting. If you are reading anything interesting and need blog material, please consider yourself tagged.

The shortest work day ...

1 hr 8 minutes. That is how long I was at work today. Barely enough time to get logged in, respond to emails, sip coffee and eat my homemade banana bread I brought for breakfast. Certainly not long enough to get any actual work done. Then at 9:23 am the daycare called and said I needed to pick up Bear because he is running a 101.6 temperature.

I packed up my laptop and informed my boss that I would be back Monday. (I have to keep Bear home tomorrow because of the fever and I am off Thursday and Friday for Spring Break). She verified I will have email access and can VPN in to complete my work. Of course.

I picked up Bear and on my way out I asked the bookkeeper if I could get some kind of discount for the week since I paid for the entire week and Bear was there for yesterday and less than 2 hours today. She said she doubted it but she could check with the center director. The director came out and said she could check with her boss because they are supposed to charge for an entire week if the child attends even 1 day. This is not what I was told when I first signed him up for the daycare.

So now I am home with my sick child napping and I am about to crack open my laptop to try and finish up my work. There are worse things than having to work from home and have the rest of the week off. Still, I am ready to be home full time and be done with the daycare, the illness and work. Plus my doctor co-pay increased 300% effective March 1st which makes it not only an inconvenience but also a significant expense to go to the doctor. My heart really goes out to single parents and couples who can't make it without two paychecks. Y'all are heroes. Truly.

Teaching a short timer dog new tricks?

I don't know why but since I put in my notice I have been more stressed at my job than I ever have been previously. You would think it would be just wrapping up loose ends and training the new person. It seems as though my boss is trying to get every last possible bit of extra work out of me as possible. Plus pinging me on things that she wants me to start doing. I don't really get the point of adding duties someone who has 6 weeks left. Why not wait and make that part of the transition for the new person? Plus I feel she has been a lot more critical of my work and the way I do things recently.

Maybe I am just being overly sensitive but I have been really stressed out. I wanted to leave on a good note so I gave them 2 months notice. I am really wishing I had just given 2 weeks and been done with it. I just keep counting the days and I know I have so little time left I really shouldn't be complaining.

Just another weekend

It's been a busy weekend here in our household. I am very behind in my Google Reader but I guess that will give me something to do at work tomorrow. Just kidding, sort of. The funny thing is we really didn't "do" a lot. We stayed home this weekend catch up on things after being out of town last weekend. Friday night our neighbors invited us to dinner with them and their newborn and 2 year old. It was very enlightening. The idea of having 3 kids is now not looking as good as it once did. Luckily the Mexican food and margaritas(for me) did make it slightly easier to handle.

Then we had to stop at the grocery store on the way home so I could run in and pick up some stuff for lunch with friends on Saturday. Note to self, don't drink strong margaritas before deciding to make a quick trip to the store. I ended up coming out with lemon bar mix, sour cream, chocolate chips, baby oatmeal, garlic bread, a 6 pack and gum. I promise its not as random as it sounds. I couldn't decide between making Sour Cream Chocolate chip cake or lemon bars. Cream cheese lemon bars won, btw.

The next morning I had a hair appointment and then we had a great lunch with our friends. Luckily she was in charge of the main dish so I just supplied garlic bread and the lemon bars. Her husband is quite the stock guru so he was showing me some cool tricks on playing the stock market. In exchange my husband helped hang pictures and curtains in their new apartment. We had a great time.

Today we started out slow with the whole time change thing. But we did make it to Petsmart (for dog food), Barnes and Noble (for Starbucks), Panda Express (for lunch), Bed Bath and Beyond (for bedroom curtains), Half Price Books (for Trading for Dummies book), the gas station, and Kroger. We got home and I put Bear down for a nap and I tackled our pantry. I cleaned out a lot of random junk that has accumulated since we moved here two years ago. I have enough light bulbs to last until the Apocalypse in case you were worried. Then we hung the new curtains, did laundry, cleaned the house, and made dinner. I am tired, y'all.

Short Vent

Things I will NOT miss about my job cont'd

1. People going to my boss with mistakes or questions about things I worked on instead of coming to me first. There are several people who consistently go to my boss and tattle about things without a word to me first so I am blindsided when my boss comes by to talk about it.

2. Being blamed for other people's mistakes. I have had several incidents lately where I received incomplete or inaccurate information and I got blamed for entering it incorrectly.

3. Being expected to be psychic. Apparently if you are working on something and haven't told me about it I am supposed to know you are working on it because you did the same project last year. Nevermind that I have only been here 7 months and wasn't around to know you do this project every year.

Can you tell I am a little frustrated after a chat with my boss? 28 more business days I have to deal with this and then I am OUT.

My new favorite place

A friend of mine called this afternoon when I was leaving work and invited me to dinner. We caught up on gossip over margaritas, Mexican food and dessert. She casually mentioned that Ulta was giving a 14 piece free gift set with a $17.50 Ulta product purchase. My ears perked up. I have been wanting to check out Ulta since they opened a few months ago so what better way to try them out.

We wandered around the store taking in the amazing selection. I'm such a dork I kept thinking wow, this is the stuff Amalah talks about. If she knew who I was she would be so proud. I picked up some Ulta Mineral pressed powder in Translucent (did I mention I double as a ghost in my spare time?) and eyeshadow in Truffle (its just as yummy as it sounds, although darker than it looks in the picture). I couldn't get a decent picture with my camera so these are courtesy of the Ulta site.


With that I got all this

Now is the time to stock up on Easter supplies

I stopped by Hobby Lobby today on my lunch break to pick up Bear an Easter Basket. Nevermind that he can't walk. Its tradition. Anyway, I came out of Hobby Lobby 30 minutes later with an Easter basket, Easter grass (blue-greenish), Baby chicks in little tiny nests, a stuffed baby chick with Easter bunny ears (super soft), 24 medium sized plastic Easter eggs, 6 large plastic Easter eggs, a box of Easter animal crackers, and 3 blue rubber duckies for the tub (1 large, 2 small). How much did I pay for this treasure trove of plastic, lead laced, Chinese goodness?

$7.64

Hobby Lobby has the majority of their Easter stuff including baskets, plastic eggs, decorations, and Easter grass for 50% off through this Saturday. The candy and cookies were regular price but I printed off the trusty 40% off a regular priced item before I left for lunch so I got the animal crackers for 40% off. They were 0.99 regular price but 40 cents is 40 cents. The salesgirl may have rolled her eyes at me but that was the only thing I bought that wasn't 50% off and I wanted to use my coupon. Sue me.

Things I will miss and things I won't

Things I look forward to about being a SAHM
1. No more dry cleaning, heels or pantyhose (unless I feel like it)
2. Playdates
3. NO MORE DAYCARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4. Sleeping later (I usually get up an hour before Bear to get ready, make his breakfast, pack the diaper bag)
5. More than an hour during the day to run errands, eat lunch, get gas, etc
6. No more endless, mindless meetings
7. No more performance reviews
8. No more babysitting of adults
9. Less doctor visits for the bug du jour at daycare
10. More time with Bear, of course (I saved the best for last)

Things I will miss about work
1. Lunches out with adults regularly without a baby
2. Spending an entire 9 hours without changing a diaper
3. Talking with adults every day
4. Making money
5. Losing my housekeeping service
6. The sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a big project
7. Sick days and vacation days
8. Monthly birthday cakes and weekly donuts
9. My office with a big window (I work in cubicles for the previous 3 1/2 years)
10. My student worker (she rocks!)

Penny Pinching

As my blogging universe has expanded so has my participation in giveaways. I have signed up for hundred and hundreds of giveaways in the past several months. I can't help myself. Its an illness. I may need an intervention. Same for all the blogs that highlight good deals and coupons. People who actually scour the internet looking for 20% off codes and free full size bags of chips. I love these people. I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you today.

1. Bloggy Giveaways - This is the holy grail of giveaway sites, in my humble opinion. They host daily giveaways plus seasonal giveaways where hundreds of participants sign up to give away free stuff. Good stuff. Like Starbucks giftcards, books, purses, etc.

2. Want Not - This site is wonderful for finding the best deals on the internet. She checks the sales to tell you what the best deals are that day and finds great free shipping codes to boot.

3. Money Saving Mom - She will help you work the CVS and Walgreens sales and points to get the best deals. Shopping almost for free. But she also covers deals for Target, grocery stores, RiteAid, and many, many more places.

Today 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a great giveaway for an absolutely beautiful purse. You should all go sign up now.

These are just a few of my favorites. I subscribe to many more beyond these three. Let me know if you have any must read bargain sites. In a short month and a half I will be working on a greatly reduced budget and can use all the help I can get.