wednesday september 14th

i am really enjoying my job... i don't get to spend much time chatting with my coworkers because i am busy busy most of the day...

when i arrive i say hello to the kiddos and teachers and if anyone is upset (kids that is) and if can help calm them, i do that... then i make the cleaning solution for each room and put away the lunch boxes.. then it's off to the races

check in with each room to help out if needed, see if they need any supplies.. wipes paper towels, etc.. then up to the kitchen to get/prepare snack

back downstairs to

give the teachers a potty break and help with diaper changes/potty.. either to do the changing or help out with kids while teacher does it.

sorry, it is now the 18th.. i didn't get to finish this post earlier...

but i set out the snack, help get the kids outside for playing, go back in to clean up after snack, if it hasn't been done yet.. set up the cots for naptime, put out the lunch boxes the kids have brought from home... back out to play till its time to come in..

then we diaper/potty again... i start to cover lunch breaks at 12/12:30/1:00... meanwhile the kids are all going down for "rest" when they have finished eating.. i am have last lunch for the time being.. supposed to go at 1:30 for 1/2 hour, but it usually is a bit after 1:30.. it is working well for me for now.. i go to the post office during that time, run the mail home, pee and brush my teeth then go back to work till 3.. anyway the day flies by

and i work with really nice people !!

happy labor day

friday was my last day of babysitting for d. he is a sweet, easy, good baby.. i told his mom that i will watch him on my fridays off if she needs me.

saturday, after pilates, i had a manicure/pedicure... i have been biting my fingernails again, but i really don't want to be putting my hands in my mouth when i am working with the kiddos.. groomed nails prevent a lot of that for me and my feet were just awful, so, even though i don't bite them, they needed prettying up.. m. did a great job as usual, although she did draw blood on 2 fingers and one toe!!! (just a little) she was so focused on those cuticles!!

sunday we were going to rent a motorcycle and spend the day riding around, but the weather wasn't great and the motorcycle doug wanted wasn't back yet and the sunday hours are shorter to begin with, so we drove around in the car for a while instead..

today is labor day... so i guess that means i have to work?? i am going to do some chores and some grocery shopping.. i will make a salad to go with the pot of lentil soup i made the other day. maybe i will make bread too.

tomorrow is the first day of work with kids.. i imagine there will be lots of crying (mostly the kids, but maybe me too!) i will feel inadequate at the end of the day.. i will do my best to spend equal time in each of the 3 rooms and to get all of my work done.. wish me luck!

yes.. i am tired

day two of "back to work"... today was more cleaning and setting up of rooms, although i don't feel like i did too much setting up. i sorted a few things and washed the cots and put on the sheets... i made some playdoh with miss sherri.

as i walked into the school yard today, i noticed a joyce landscaping truck in the yard and a bobcat in the play yard.. i thought "i wonder if that is jesse" "nah" he wouldn't be working this job (although he does drive a bobcat),,, i went in, going about my business and miss sharon said, " i saw jesse" how cool is that that we were both working at the same place?? he was cleaning up the play yard and bringing in more sand for the yard and sandboxes.. looks good jesse!!

once back home i did some of my "other job" shipping, statements, banking and post office, then on to my OTHER job.. covering the desk at PP and doing some chores there. i was going to stay for zumba, but i admit it, i am tired. i will probably be dead on my feet at the end of next week, when there are children to tend!!!

when i got home from PP we went to barbyann's for a bite ( yummy lobster cesaer salad , lobster bisque) and a couple of black russians.

casey says he will come home for christmas this year. he hasn't been home for christmas since he moved to japan.. he also says he is not bringing sugar ray or his lovely wife with him!!!! i am thrilled that he will be here, but heartbroken that he is not bringing the fam... i will take what i can get...maybe he will change his mind, (no pressure, no guilt casey) or maybe he will surprise us (again, no guilt, no pressure) i am just sayin'

hurricane, cat, work

the hurricane blew through here without too much inconvience... we lost power for a few hours on sunday and cable on monday afternoon till tuesday afternoon, but we survived...

little jerry has taken off again, as well as "buffy" the little stray(?) who has been coming around for about a year now.. i am sure they'll be back.. if they come around before nitzy goes up to bed, she sees them and frightens them away.

today i started back to work at w.p.f.s. i have the same job i had when i worked there before, i think it will be fun and the paycheck will be more fun!! my hours are 9 to 3, can't complain about that. i will also be working at least 1 day of late care. i signed up for fridays in sept.. i may see if i can just do that each week. today was a work day with no children.. setting up the rooms, putting up bulletin boards.. tomorrow will be more of the same and parent orientation.

it is dark already.. only 8 o'clock.. when did that happen

i have some "homework" already. i don't remember that from last time... "professional development goals" and how i plan to achieve them.. any suggestions. i don't really have any goals.. i just want to hold babies

i knew it!

i knew as soon as i finally decided to take away the litter box.....

(yesterday)

that little jerry would come back...

i was turning out the lights tonight and there he was.. in the driveway.. meowing.. he is thinner, but clean.. no ticks or booboos.. someone has been taking care of him

nitzy will be delighted!

devin's blog

did i forget that devin has a blog? well i found it today when i found he had a twitter account too. where have i been? i should know these things. anyway, here is a link.

http://gratefulbean.wordpress.com/ or you can look at my side bar thingy and get to it from there, if you want.

MVI_0030

MVI_0030 a video by barbarabean422 on Flickr.

how cute is he?

march 30

i had to meet jesse at work this morning.. he overslept and i had his lunch and he had his dog, we traded. the good thing about that is that i got showered and dressed earlier than usual and may actually get my chores started in a timely fashion.

i am going to cardio pilates this morning and plan to work some in that messy office. i did a couple of things yesterday so i hope i can get things cleaned up a bit more today. it sure would be helpful to sell a house or two. i could tidy up everything!!!

i also have my ONE HOUR of work this afternoon/evening.

it is nice and sunny out, although still quite chilly..

monday karen and jack came over for dinner.. meatloaf and lentil loaf, baked potatoes, green beans and salad.. i made some little raspberry walnut pie crust roll up thingies to have with coffee.

yesterday sharon and amy came over for tea in the afternoon. i was making bread, i have some old sourdough starter and i am trying to revive it. the bread was fine, but not really "sour". i guess i'll keep feeding the starter and try again in a couple of days. i sent some starter home with sharon and someone at pilates wants some if it is still alive, (i think it is)

when we came back to the u.s.

we flew from osaka to tokyo, a one hour flight... we were pleasantly surprised to find our seats were in BUSINESS CLASS!! what luxury... reclining seats with massage... too bad for us the flight was only 1 hour.

our next LONG flight was in steerage, but i don't remember anything traumatic so i guess it was a smooth trip..

i have to say that the flight attendants on ANA are terrific.. they are friendly and smiling and attentive the entire time and while the passengers, after 14 hours, are rumpled and greasy, they are fresh and groomed as they were at start of the flight.

back to september

remember last september when laurie and i went to japan to visit with casey, chieko and ray... i think i posted about thursday.. so here is friday...

we opted for a "walking tour" of kyoto

with our guide "johnnie hillwalker"

johnnie took us on a 4 hour, 1 mile (if i remember correctly) slow, back streets and shops of kyoto.... it was very, very slow.

unfortunately some of the local shops (home industry) that we were supposed to see, not on traditional tours, were not open.

we looked into a shop where they made prayer beads, and toured a fan shop

the fans are hand painted and printed,

this woman was gluing the paper, pressing it, to the bamboo.

this is also done by putting it under heavy stone.

one worker will make 500 fans per day according to johnnie

some of the work might be done at home:

one might make the paper

another prepare the bamboo

it is then brought to the shop to be assembled and glued

now i may have things a little mixed up.. i wrote things down, but i am old now and my notes were really messy

we passed a shop where they make tofu, also not open, but johnnie told us it was the "best tofu in japan!!"

we didn't go into a green tea shop, where they sold the "the best green tea" in japan.

we saw a store that sold alters to place in your home for worshipping your ancestors.

the best of everything is japan, come kyoto.. johnnie said so!

we said hello to a buddhist priest who told us to "have a nice trip" supposedly the only english he knew.

we also saw and old geisha school. but no old geishas.

we went someplace else, but i can't remember exactly what it was, a temple or shrine ? but we learned a little about buddhism and shintoism

my notes say...

buddhist - dead

shinto - alive

which i think means

buddhists live a life in preparation for whatever comes next... good karma now, means good karma later and the shintoist (?) live a good life for this life.

i know there is much more to it and i should know more, but at this point we were almost comatose and more focused on the spittle in the corner of johnnies mouth.

we took off when no one was looking and did some more exploring and shopping (casey's favorite thing) on our own

we saw a "geisha" posing with tourists

a dog dressed as a samurai

a bunch a women dressed alike

( i think they are flight attendants)

we said good bye to casey at the train station, he went back to kanazawa and we went to osaka

shopping more at the station in osaka, because there was still room in the suitcase, haha.

we stayed in a hotel near the airport, comfy.

hi

we had a really, really nice visit with casey, chieko and ray, from february 22 till the 16th of march. they were supposed to leave on the 14th, but because of the goings on in japan, we got to have them for a couple of extra days..

well let's see... it has been almost four months since my last post.... what happened in that time? my mom went to oklahoma for a while... eddie got her a one way ticket with points so she can come home whenever she feels like it. she is thinking july (as of last week)

christmas was quiet... we went to california in january to visit devin and aimee. jesse came with us and we went to san francisco, yosemite and napa valley.. it was COLD...

devin was able to come home for a long weekend while casey was here, it was so nice to have the "kids" all home at the same time. he is coming back this week too, he has a wedding to attend, but i don't know how much time we will get to spend with him.. he gets in late wednesday... they will stay with aimee's parents. saturday is the wedding and he leaves again on sunday.. the days just go by too fast!!

tonight we are going to have a bite to eat with the lorentzens and fitzgeralds to celebrate the fitzgeralds' anniversary... goin' to the kreme n cone. yum yum