my personal jackpot

 Just about at my 3 month mark in my new job. Some of it has been wonderful, some more challenging than I had anticipated. I think that when I joined the company they were at the beginning of making some changes, regarding class size, child and teacher placements, etc. This meant me being flexible and going where they needed me - which was for several weeks in some classes, or only a few hours in other classes. I've gotten to know several co-workers and children of varying ages.

Then, all of a sudden, on Monday, I hit my personal employment jackpot! I was working in the 3 yr olds class when someone came in and asked me if they (administration) had told me that we were switching places for the day. I called admin. and they said yes, they needed me in the TK/Kindergarten class for the rest of the day. So I switched and had a lot of fun. In fact, 6 of the students are ones that I worked with quite a bit during the summer in the preschool class.

By Friday admin. called me in and offered me the position of staying in that class permanently. YES! I am so happy, for so many reasons that I won't go into, to stay in that class! It doesn't mean more money, and my duties are pretty much the same. But it just feels like a great fit for me! I'm still not sure why they needed to make a change, staffing wise, and I hope the girl I switched with is happy where they have assigned her. But, I do know that there are California laws in place about where you can work in the center according to how many ECE (Early Childhood Education) credits you have, and whether you have a degree or not. I think having my Associates Degree was a factor in this placement.

But whatever the reason, I have hit my personal employment jackpot and am feeling so lucky! I hope to visit the other classes from time to time, to say hello to the kids and staff I worked with over the summer. 

Gingerbread day

I shared this on Facebook, but want to put it here too:

Autumn is on the horizon and last Wednesday was Gingerbread day with the preschoolers, to go along with the classic Gingerbread Man story they love so much. I brought in fresh ginger and cinnamon sticks so they could compare it to the powdered, and they got to see and smell the dark, strong molasses. I showed them a fresh baked gingerbread doll, but unfortunately the center's rules meant they couldn't taste it. (Fortunately I was able to share the gingersnaps with the staff, because Autumn is on the horizon, and I just couldn't do all this without baking gingersnaps!)

It all went well enough, but the thing that still has me laughing is the corresponding outdoor activity. I told them that we would pretend that I was the baker and they were the gingerbread dolls, and I wanted to catch them for my grandchildren. Thankfully they all knew it was pretend and didn't get scared. So they yelled out "Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" and then scattered. My 58 year old self, with my arthritic knee, did the best I could to chase them around the yard. I must have looked ridiculous - like I was running in slow motion, no matter how fast it felt I was going! But it was a lot of fun. We ended it by making gingerbread dolls in the sandbox, talking about using the freshest of ingredients we had learned about. The center keeps a huge cooler full of water by the sandbox so the kids can wet their sand if they want to. As I got up to go inside, I only had my jeans to wipe my wet sandy hands on, and laughed again about how much I love my job.

Happy Autumn Everyone!

another Saturday

 Well, one thing about this job is it provides many opportunities for mandatory, paid overtime. After a full day of Saturday, CPR training (which really is an important thing to know) Reggie and I went on a date. We got some new curtains, and I will be opening up that sewing machine to hem them. After IKEA we stopped for dinner at a place Samantha recommended called Lazy Dog. Because of the name I thought it was fast food, but it was a nice bar & grill type of place. It was a nice way to end the day.

sunflowers and bees

 To me, August feels too late to be called summer and too early to be called Autumn. Therefore, I think it feels like sunflowers and bee season. And though Pioneer Day is at the end of July, I like to decorate for it in August, as a way of honoring my ancestors. My newest addition to that decor are these pillows I got for $1 each at Walmart.

Happy Sunflower and Bee season!

stocking up Saturday

 For about a year now we've been working hard on the inside of this house. My part has been to go through, use up and/or get rid of what we already had. The goal was to not waste and not buy. For the number of people that have lived in and been through this house over its lifetime, there were things that piled up - especially from us of course. Things like travel size air fresheners, various sizes of various shampoos, cleaning products and food storage. Recently we opened a cute, re-usable, insulated bag full of picnic supplies from my Mom, so we used it up and are now enjoying the bag for road trips, beach days, etc. Another day I made cookies with some smaller bags of chocolate chips that have been sitting around for a while. That actually did not go well, and we dumped the cookies and any other old chocolate chips.  Cupboards have become empty, with the goal of actually taking out and throwing out ones that my Dad made or installed before I was born. One of the next big projects was to find a home for the several sets of our Moms' fine chinaware.

But now, after getting some things in order, and having some hopes and dreams and plans work out, it was time to re-stock (and keep the china, to continue to use on special occasions). So I headed out bright and early on Saturday for my re-stocking day. I had to drive a-ways to our nearest Walmart, and spent several hours there with my trusty list. It reminded me of the years that we did the college drop offs for our kids, and did stock up Walmart shopping for their dorm rooms. I made a few other stops to stores in that area that are not near us, with my last stop being Hobby Lobby. They have all of their Autumn things out and are starting to put out Christmas supplies. I got a few things for the coming season, but figured I can probably manage another trip there before Christmas with Samantha, since she loves that store too.

Once I got home and we got everything unloaded to the basement I took a dinner break. I now have several Saturdays ahead to put everything in its proper place, which sounds kind of fun. We never did throw out those cupboards, so now I will be filling them again.

I ended the evening outside. The sunset is beautiful from our backyard and I sat in a lawn chair to watch it. However, I couldn't ignore all of the weeding that Reggie & Luke had done on Friday, so I raked what I could into the compost cans. Working in the backyard is one of my favorite jobs - clean air and our little square of nature. It was a really good day.

Eazy friends

 As kids in our center are moving up in classrooms, some of the little ones are of course having a hard time. I remember noticing a new three year old sitting and crying at the gate separating his new play yard from his old, 2 yr olds play yard. But it didn't take long for him to adjust. Now he and one of the other new 3 yr olds are fast friends and best buddies. They chase each other around, play in the sandbox and ride the tricycles in a row. When one gets picked up before the other, in the afternoon, there are not tears but just a deflated look on the others' face. Then they are so excited to see each other the next day.

I've decided they are a good example to me. I wonder if God watches us the same way, knowing that so many of the things we don't want to do are the things that will make us happy.

I want to add this song. Though it's not about the subject of this blog post, the sentiment of "easy like a Sunday Morning" does make me think of these two and their easy friendship as I like to call it.

Time for Kindergarten

Several kids in the preschool are leaving as it is their time to start kindergarten. I feel so honored to be included in the goodbyes. It's a beautiful reminder of how sweet this job can be.

Avonlea's Museum

 This visit Avonlea, instead of getting out all of the toys in the basement, set up a museum in the basement. She gave us all tickets and it was fantastic!

She laid her exhibit out nicely on some tables. 

(No, the groceries and mess on the shelves are not part of the museum).

A rocket ship above.

Maui's hookl, a lantern, a dinosaur encyclopedia that I just purchased, and several treasures from the beach.

Note the heart shaped rocks above and the shells and glassy rocks below.

I love her creative mind. My Dad would have especially been proud of his basement being used in such a way.

checking them off

 I am pretty happy to say that I've already been able to check some things off my late summer/autumn dreams list:

Reggie & I visited Lynette and Roger, in their home in the Sonoma area. Lynette showed us so many beautiful quilts she's made and is working on, a hobby she has pursued in her retirement. 

The Mariah & Ross family came for a nice long visit, and though I couldn't do much with them during the week, we had a berry picking trip together on a Saturday. The girls came in my car for the drive down the coast. We listened to the Grandma & Grandkids playlist along the way, which was so fun. Something as small and insignificant as this tradition has turned into a way for me to bond with the kids, and for the little ones to remember their cousins names and just feel connected to them - that they are a part of this group called their family.

 I also was able to bake with the girls, and more for the family on the weekend, which made me feel like me. As I was turning the berries into jam, and the jam into shortbread bars, I wondered if I was not spending my time very wisely. But like I said, baking and cooking helps me feel like me, so if I can at least fit it into the weekend I think it is time well spent.

After berry picking the girls drove home with Mariah & Ross because I needed to run errands. I took a detour and drove about 4 miles out of the way towards a camp ground called Memorial Park. I pulled off to the side of the road and took these pictures and listened to the silence.

Not bad for a late summer so far.

The third August 10th (part 1)

 Saturday was the 3rd anniversary of my Mom's death. My memory was suddenly so sharp of all that happened. It felt like she had just died, and I was grateful for some alone time, at home, to cry. I want to blog later about the significance of this particular anniversary. 

But what I really really want to do right now is jump in my car and take off for Idaho, stay with Rocio and visit my parents' graveside. I want to set up a lawn chair and blanket and talk to them for hours. I want to do all of my rejuvenating that I do when I visit my "Mecca" as Reggie calls it:  my Salt Lake City, my brother and other family, and everything and everyone that I love in Idaho and Utah. 

BUT . . . I know with all my heart that that is not what my Mom would want me to do. I know that she missed my Dad terribly, and loved when people sent her pictures of visiting his grave, but she knew it was not something that she should try to do. And though I know that I will again, this is not the time for me to go. This is my time for staying here; for being present and consistent at my new job. This is the time for me to work hard at work.

So, I am here, and she is still here in a lot of ways. I guess the biggest memory that goes through my mind lately is her slipping away, in her bed, in her room. I listen to the following song, and feel like she is literally saying some of the words to me.

a good dose of patriotism

 Mariah, Ross and the girls were here for almost 2 weeks and one fun thing happening at our house has been the Olympics. They've all been watching it - not necessarily live, but looking up key matches and enjoying the thrill of it all. The girls have been introduced to several sports and keep calling out "USA!, USA!" I have watched a bit, but have also enjoyed hearing the joy from other rooms in the house. 

USA! USA! USA!

The two shots below are of the women's Rugby team. Reggie showed me a clip of them winning the bronze medal, with one play at the very last minute. It was pretty exciting and inspiring!

paying my dues so to speak

I wrote the following two months ago, at the beginning of my new job. I want to post it now. It helps me keep a good perspective.

It does not escape me how lucky I've been in my "career" life: to have been a "stay-at-home mom" for so many years, then a "working at work when they are at school" mom, and then a "working from home daughter" through the pandemic and my Mom's last year of life. For the last 3 years I've had a 6 hr a day job at a school, while settling my Mom's trust and going through her papers and possessions. 

 And now, here I am, age 58, going back to work full time. I say "back to" because I did this in my 20's. I worked full time hours during the summers in-between college semesters and then for 2 years before we started our family.

It feels strange, and scary, but 100% right. I feel that it is time to "pay my dues" so to speak. I know that some things will be hard. Yes, for example, there we be no weeks off during the school year and no summers off in-between. I won't have as much Grandma time in the afternoons and throughout the year.  Keeping up with appointments and cooking and cleaning, scrapbooking, homemade Christmas present making and even my dreaded "paper-work" days will be more challenging now. But challenging does not mean impossible. Knowing that I was able to do all that for so many years feels miraculous. Knowing that I have the opportunity to go back to full time work to bless me and my family also feels miraculous. Like they say in Jurassic world, "life finds a way". My Reggie has worked full time to provide for us for all of his adult life, and still has such a close relationship with his posterity. His grandchildren know him and  are full of so many memories of time with him already. This is how it is, how it has to be, and I am so blessed. Everything is going to be just fine.

 

finishing up in Waikiki (+ misc. pics)

 On Friday Julia, Reggie & I packed it up and headed to Waikiki to get Addy and watch her performance.

We stayed at a Best Western by the airport that night, and went to Waikiki beach. It was still such a loud and alive place at night. We went to a few more ABC stores, watched the fireworks again, swam in the ocean and sat on the sand. What a fun thing to do at night.

Here are a few pictures that Julia took and I have since pilfered. Reggie and I feel like we are becoming some of "those" people who go to Hawaii every year. I mean, with all of his traveling, maybe we can tag along each year that a grandchild does the Kamehameha school. That is what we dream about anyway. 

Late Summer/Autumn Dreams

I've had a few dreams on my mind this summer, that I hope will happen in Autumn. Some are pretty simple, but the thought of them makes me smile:

 - Get a fire-pit for the backyard. Sandlot Smores are fun any time of the year, but it would be fun to sit around a fire outside to do hot dogs, smores, etc.

 -  Stocking up trip to Walmart. They don't deliver groceries as much as they used to, and there is just a lot of groceries and other misc.I'd like to stock up on. There is not a Walmart near us, those this needs to be planned out.

 - Have a romantic trip with Reggie to Ikea to get new curtains for the living room. We picked out the last ones together, so I think it would be nice to get the next ones together: our current are fraying, and I'd like some darker ones to keep the neighbor's porch lights out of the room at night. Also, not so romantic, but some of the preschoolers at my school have been bringing in the cutest stuffed animals, from Ikea, for rest time. I would love to get a few for the grandkids' Christmas bags.

 - Day trip to visit my sister & brother-in-law in the Sonoma area

 - Weekend trip to Lassen Nat'l Park. 

  - Weekend trip to Sequoia &/or King's Canyon Nat'l park, combined with a visit to the Mariah & Ross family.

- open up, get to know, make plans and start using my sewing machine! Mine died and I planned on waiting till Christmas to get another one, but my sister Lynette had an extra and gave it to me! 

 - Berry picking in Pescadero, which better happen soon because I think they wind it up in August!

- Decorate for Autumn - August makes me think of sunflowers, bees, yellow and light orange

- Weekend trip to Sacramento area to visit Hillary & Andrew and the kids; include a visit to DI; include a visit to somewhere unique to their area (mountains of CA, or train museum, or something)