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Happy Thanksgiving!
We celebrated today with my side of the family, at my grandmother's home. The "Part One" is a reference to the fact that we will be celebrating again on Saturday with J's side of the family.
We had an ok day- family get togethers can sometimes be a little strained, and kids can get cranky, but overall it was a nice thanksgiving. It was the first one we have celebrated with J since 2005. In 2006 he was deployed, and last year S, F, and I had already returned home on leave. So having us all together was a nice change of pace!
Pictured above is most of my family (minus one of my sisters, who is still up in Delaware for school) My older brother (R1), J, my father, my mother, my younger brother (R2), my grandmother, S, myself, F, and my youngest sister (C2)
Time for a little picture comparison. Above are two pictures of S. One taken over the summer, and one taken last night. There are a lot of similarities between the two, since it is not uncommon to see S flipping through a favorite book, looking at the pictures and making up the story as he goes along. There is a big difference between these two pictures, though.
In the first picture, S is just flipping through the book, making up the story as he looks at the pictures. In the second picture, S is actually reading a story to his Teddy Bear.
My MIL recently bought S a beginner readers book, with six stories in it. S worked long and hard to sound out the words in the first story "Me Too, Woody" and was soooo proud of himself when he could sit and read the story outloud. He read it to me, to J, to my FIL, to F, to his Teddy Bear, and to my MIL. He can't wait to bring it to my parents house so he can read it to everyone there, as well. And I have no doubt it will make the trip to McComb for Thanksgiving, so he can read to the entire extended family.
Truth be told, it's not a very fascinating story. And, under normal circumstance, hearing it once would be enough. But I could listen to S read it all day long. We had been told that, due to S's difficulty with phonics and sounds, he would very likely be slow to learn how to read. And, while I know that one short story is not a huge deal- it's a very big deal for us. I love how determined S is, and that he won't let difficulty keep him from learning something new.
I have a job working at a local gym called Fitness Lady! I am very excited about this, and think this is a step in the right direction to pursue my personal trainers certification. I am only working part-time for now, but there is opportunity for full-time work in January, so I think it's worth sticking out for now. I started work yesterday. I will have less time to goof off on the computer, but being able to get out of the house and help with the finances makes computer time something I am willing to sacrifice!!
I have an interview today at a gym called Fitness Lady. It's a chain around here, not sure if it is out of the state though. I am pretty hopeful about this one, although the job is not perfect. It will only be part time work until January, and starting pay is not spectacular. But, it's getting my foot in the door in a field I want to work in, and I can always pick up a second part time job as well.
This is my first official interview with them, although I did speak with their training manager last week. I called to ask them what certification programs they recommend to their employees, and made it very clear that I have every intention of pursuing this further. I am hoping that they will remember that and it works in my favor.
There are some great things about this job that make me want it, part-time or not.
- My mother works from home just down the street, and has volunteered to watch F for me until the job becomes full-time
- It is literally across the street from a local community college, which would make it really easy for me to take classes once we are settled in
- They have another location that is down the street from where we are living now, and told me that, if I am working with them, it is very possible to be transferred to the other location in January.
This is what I want, so wish me luck!
Yesterday S had a Pow Wow at school, and he seemed to have a lot of fun. He came home and couldn't wait to show off his face painting, tshirt, headband (with a feather!), tom-tom drum, rainmaker, pasta necklace, and name tag. His new Native American name is Tall Pine, apparently.
I'm glad they are taking some time to study Native American heritage at his school (especially around Thanksgiving), although I am not sure how accurate they are being. I know that S loves to learn though, so I am planning to take him down the road to the library today to get some age appropriate books and learn some more about it!
I didn't want to rain on his enthusiasm yesterday though, so I let him show me what he made and was sure to "oooh" and "aaah" when appropriate, and then I turned S and F loose in the yard to enjoy their new toys. Tall Pine informed me that F's new name is Mud Player, and I think it's an appropriate one for her!
Today is America Recycles Day, so I thought I would remind people of that! I always thought recycling was a big movement in the US, but after living in England I realize that we are not very good at it here in the States!
While we were stationed in England- trash only ran once every other week- and recycling and compost were picked up on the weeks in between. After 4 years, that just seemed normal to me, so I was surprised when I moved back stateside. Trash was running twice a week, every week, and I never saw a single recycling bin placed at the curb!
S, F and I are going in search of our local recycling center this weekend- I found a site that let's you find one near you HERE. Take a look and see if you can find one close by!
That sums up F as of late. The contrast between F's speech at 3 1/2 and S's when he was her age is astonishing to me. Many of the things she says just throw me for a loop.
For example, F has developed a fondness for adjectives. "The leaves are fabulous, Mommy", "I'm looking for a delicious snack" "I want a perfect hug".
When we were in town last year my mother pulled some old dresses out of the attic for her. She found one of them in the closet here recently, and insisted on wearing it for the rest of the day. (I'm just glad the early 90's styles aren't making a comback!) She spent the rest of the evening spinning around the living room announcing to anyone who would listen "Look at my gorgeous dress"
At dinner time, she's not shy at all when it comes to saying what she wants! I was making salads the other day and she informed me "Tomatoes taste yucky on my salad, but they ar yummy for you."
On the subject of food, F also has become very picky and bossy about meal times! When we went to the park to play with some friends the other day, and on the way home we stopped for hamburgers. She wanted a cheese burger "with no onions, tomatoes, or pickles. Just cheese with a burger under it" Since I knew the kids cheeseburger meal only came with pickles, that was all I asked them to take off. Apparently, I didn't order it correctly, because when we got to the window she had to ask for herself to make sure it was just what she wanted.
F also insists on describing her feelings and emotions at any given time. She will tell me that she is feeling silly, happy, angry, sad, jealous, frustrated or content. Heck, I don't know many adults who are that aware of their own emotions and able to verbalize them like that!
Of course, she's not spot-on with all of it. This morning she handed me a newspaper and instructed me to "hold my connotation for me, Mommy". I explained to her that she was using the word wrong and give her a brief definition of it, so I wouldn't be surprised if it pops up in conversation with her again later!
... I've started giving some serious consideration to pursuing work as a personal trainer. I'm sure many people who know me think I'm a little off my rocker. And I might be. I've certainly had my share of doubts about it.
I wonder if I am going to be able to find work right now, with the economy bad. I wonder if the pay will be enough to help support our family now that we are no longer associated with the military. And I wonder if I can even do this. After all, I have a hard time keeping myself on track- how am I going to help others stay on track too?!?
BUT... I think I really want to do this. I think this might be the right thing for me. While job hunting, my FIL told me to picture something I really enjoy doing- and then pursue that. I've been interviewing for secretary positions and, while certain aspects of the job are appealing to me, I can't picture myself waking up in the morning happy to go to work.
But I like to exercise. I enjoy the feeling I get when I know that I am making the best choices for myself each day. And I think I would like sharing that feeling with others. So I've decided to pursue it, and tackle my doubts along the way.
1) The economy- I have no intention of trying to start my own business at this point, so I am not too worried about that. I have applied for three gyms so far, and that's just the three on this street! I have a list of 20 others that I am planning to call over the next few days- and I am sure I will be able to get my foot in the door with at least one of them.
2) Income- I've been looking into getting certified. I know that general floor workers are not going to make a lot of money off the bat, but with a certification I can make more, and perhaps even teach some classes. I found an article that lists the 7 accredited Personal Trainer Certification Programs, and I am starting to do some research on them, and will pick a program based on which ones are most highly accepted in this area to increase my chances of getting work!
3) Staying on track- I think that this might actually be the push I need to keep myself in check! Afterall, what better way to stay accountable in a healthy lifestyle than to focus on health, nutrition, and fitness for a living?
I'm still not 100% sold on the idea, but this is the most I've been excited about anything in years- so I think I might have found my calling. It's not a new idea for me, it's just an idea I kept pushing to the back burner because I thought it was too impractical.
But I've been going to several secretary interviews here, and realizing that, although I want the job so that I can help support our family, I have no desire to work in any of these places. I am dissapointed when an interview goes poorly, but it's more my competitive side feeling let down because I didn't "win" the job. I've been trying to pursue a path that others think would be best for me, and aiming for a goal that I never set for myself. I think it's definately time to stop trying to please everyone else, especially my parents.
I have talked this over with J and he is behind me 100% with whatever I choose to do, so I know that, in the end, I have my husbands support. And since the choice I make is going to affect our family, in the end, his opinion is the only one I need to take into consideration.
I have been considering other options though. I have another interview this evening, and I am talking to a guard recruiter soon. And yeah, the guard seems like a drastic change, but it is something J and I discussed in the past. And, just my luck, one of the "hot jobs" (jobs they need people to fill) for the local guard base is in services- which means I would get training to work in all area of services including the base gym. A sign? Maybe- but probably not. Because another hot job is information management- which would give me secretarial training. I guess I really do need to make a decision one way or the other.
I suppose it's time for an "official" update since our lives have turned upside down and inside out recently!
J: Is out of the Air Force (kind of) Right now he is on terminal leave, and as of Dec. 13th he is officially done. It's a big adjustment, and a bit nerve-racking right now, but I am convinced that when all is said and done this is the best choice for our family.
M: I'm job hunting, and no longer in school. Once John and I find jobs, and a house, and a second car, I will go back to school, but there is just too much going on right now to make that a priority for us. Hopefully we'll get jobs soon, there's no telling with the economy the way it is at the moment, but we're still hopeful!
S: Is in kindergarten and thrilled about it. He seems to love every bit of this- he gets up really early in the mornings to wait for the rest of the house to wake up, and then rushes me out the door to wait for the bus. I stood out there with him for 40 minutes this morning, because he didn't want to miss it and HAD to be waiting outside the entire time. I'm glad he's excited though, and hope this enthusiasm lasts for a very long time.
F: Is her normal self. We took her to see the daycare she will be attending when things are sorted out, and she seems excited. There is a dance school that comes to the daycare for their preschool, and she is excited about taking dance, so we will probably sign her up for that.
P: Is trying to adjust to being an outside dog, and to grass, and trees, and cool weather, and squirrels and.... well, everything. She's doing pretty well though.
I suppose that's all, for the time being!
S had his first day of kindergarten again. Why not? He started school here in MS this morning, and he is very excited about it. We had a long meeting with his new teacher, the speech therapist and the resources teacher for his school, and then he went to join all his new classmates on the playground.
He loves that he gets recess twice a day. He thinks it is very cool that he gets to eat lunch in the cafeteria (and he has a brand new Spiderman lunch box!) He has a new best friend. Doesn't know his name, but he wore a red shirt with a pocket on it, and that is apparently enough for S.
At dinner tonight he informed me that I am going to have to vote tomorrow. He seemed very serious about this, and said that he already voted while he was in school, and that his teachers told him that adults are voting tomorrow. I certainly don't want to let S down!
I never changed our voter registration, so I am going to go down and see if I am still registered here. I might not be able to, I can't remember where it is I registered before. But it's worth a shot!
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