Interview update

John's job interview went really well! He met with the Dir of HR for 20 min, the Dir of Security for 40 min and has already been asked if he would come back for a 2nd interview with the Dir of the entire establishment! He took the drug test yesterday as well. They gave him more details than I think they'd give to just anyone. I'm taking this as a positive sign and that they are really considering him! There are three applicants in total. One had been interviewed already and they told John he didn't have 1/4 of the experience John has. The other was being interviewed after John yesterday.

This job would make all the difference - it's been so long since he worked. I'm praying as hard as I can that this is it for him!

Do you want some cheese with that whine??

Yes, this is me today.

I woke up with a migraine.
I have a raging toothache.
I'm tired.

Whine, whine, whine. I just can't help it. I'm going to try and steer clear of people so I don't infect everyone else but I'm clearly just having a day. I can't get into the dentist until Thursday. It's my own damn fault for waiting so long. I've had the toothache for almost two weeks but it just turned really unbearable in the last couple of days. To the point where I can't chew on the right side of my mouth and I have to take Tylenol with Codeine just to function. Yeah, that's pretty bad. I bet that isn't helping my migraine either.

Why do we, as mothers, let things get to this point? Why do we put ourselves last? I knew I was going to need to go to the dentist but there was always just one.more.thing that needed to be done. I didn't have time to get in and see someone. My own damn fault. Maybe this will teach me a lesson. Eh, probably not. Who am I kidding?

Silver lining (because I do always try to find at least one) John has an interview today. YES! At least he got to the interview point - he's submitted resumes for everything under the sun and hasn't gotten any calls back before now. Just more stalling - we're sorting through the applications, we're doing the background checks, we'll let you know. I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying as hard as I can that he gets this job. We really really need this. Yes, there are a lot of people in our situation and I get that. But he hasn't had a full time job in FOUR years. I think we're on the extreme end of the unemployment range. Hopefully this will work out and we can get ourselves back on track.

Update to follow.

Another weekend flies by

I wish I could find a way to sloooooow them down! I want more time damnit!

Thursday night I went out for a little karaoke with Justine, Christine, Keri and Eric. Good times. Right down the street from my house and very entertaining. Yes, I did sing. Not alone. Hell no. There isn't enough liquor in the world. Christine and I sang "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood and "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Although parts of DSB I did sing alone because Christine stopped singing and made me. LOL. I was SO nervous! I don't know Last Name very well so I'm sure it could have been better but C, J and K all said I did great. Yeah yeah. Whatever, it's karaoke and I know for sure I wasn't the worst singer in there lol.

Friday was SO hot. We tried to stay inside all day. It was one of those dangerously hot days. The kids did get out in the sprinkler for a bit but not until after 4pm. It really was that hot. I had a nasty migraine - I don't do heat well.

Saturday started off rocky. HUGE thunderstorm. We had an outdoor birthday party to go to and I was afraid it wasn't going to happen. Thankfully the storm only lasted for the morning. At 1pm we went to Vivian's birthday party. John got called in for a detail so he stayed for 20 min and then left. The kids had such a great time. Jeff (V's grandfather and our neighbor) had a bounce house and it was a pool party so the kids bounced and swam to their hearts content. No, I did NOT get in a bathing suit. No way, no how. I just watched the kids like a hawk. No worries though, they are really pretty good at swimming and they did just fine. I was able to chit chat with the neighbors and it was a great time. At 430p I made the kids pack up though because I had to go to the grosh and get supplies for dinner. I wasn't traipsing around with them in wet suits. I took them home, got them changed and off to Trucchi's we went. The kids wanted tacos. Absolutely - quick and easy, sounds good to me! John got home just as I finished serving up the kids so he was able to eat with us as well. Saturday night we just stayed in and watched movies with Mike and Brandon. Very laid back, perfect.

Sunday was a beach day. I wish someone had let the sun know that! I set the alarm for 645a (who gets up that early on purpose, on a weekend?! Oh, wait. I do. HA) and wasn't happy to see a very cloudy morning. It was supposed to clear up though so we said we'll go anyway. Lisa, Ronny, Avery, Shane, Stephanie, Butch, Emma, Noah and Addie were all going with us. We met up at Lisa's house and hit the road. The day never really cleared up - the sun would try and peek out a little bit but never lasted long. It was sprinkling off and on but we were in bathing suits anyway so who cared. The kids caught hermit crabs, clams, shrimp, dug in the dirt, walked in the water, played in the splash pad and just had a great time. At 2pm we started to pack up because the wind kicked up and it was a bit chilly. I wish it was sunny but we still had a great time anyway. We'd never been to this specific place before so I'm really glad the kids loved it. Hopefully next time the sun will join us!

Where do they come up with these things??

Aidan. God love him.

Apparently my son is moonlighting as a masseuse. We just found out.

He takes my car at night, after I go to bed, and comes home before I wake up.

He makes sixty-hundred dollars a night. His boss is mean and doesn't even leave him one of it. But, he just got a new boss and this boss DOES leave him one of it so he is liking it now.

WHERE does he come up with this stuff? I have no idea, but I hope it keeps coming because he sure does make us laugh!!!!

Offered........and accepted!

BK offered me the Marketing Admin role yesterday morning and I happily accepted! Let the games begin!

Today I need to hurry and get my current role posted in ojp - our internal online job posting website. Hopefully we'll get some candidates there and can go straight to the interview process. If not, the job will have to be posted externally and that is much more painful. A candidate would have to take a test to get an interview. Once they went through the interview process they'd have to go through the drug test and any other things P&G may have come up with in the last 11 yrs since I've been here. Much more painful process that would only delay my training a replacement. Fingers crossed we get an internal candidate that can just transfer to my dept.

A couple of changes with my new role. First, BK asked if I'd be willing to carry a Blackberry. Sure, no problem. Carrying two phones will be a PITA but, hey, plenty of people do it. Secondly, she asked that we try shortening my work days Mon - Thurs by 30 min so I would work 2 hours on Friday mornings. From home. Absolutely. I can totally do that. I get home a bit earlier at night and I check in for 2 hours on a Friday morning from home.....check. I think she is a little lot panicked about not actually having ANY administrative support for a whole day. I get that. It takes some getting used to. We'll do this for 6 months and then revisit to see if any tweaking needs to be done.

Timing is looking like 9/1 for my official start date over there. BK wanted me in by mid-August but I *knew* LJS would have a hard time with that. That's not for me to worry about though and I'm happy to stay out of it. It's up to the managers to work out the timing details. Phew! BK will be making the announcement to her organization this week. LJS will forward that announcement to my current team. Job posting will be open for two weeks internally. Hopefully a proper candidate will be found and training will begin. I'm not sure when my training for the new role begins but I assume someone will be telling me shortly.

All in all, not bad! I get to do some totally new work which, after 10 years, will be refreshing. I'll be in a new building with new people. I'm pretty excited. For someone who HATES change this is a pretty big deal!!

Weekend recap

Yet another fantastic weekend of camping! We are SO blessed to be able to do this with / for our kids. I didn't camp until I was in my 20's. It's just not something my Mom did. If you knew my Mom this will not be surprising lol.

This weekend we were at Canoe River with the Wronski and Studley families. So. Much. Fun. These girls are like family to me - we have known each other since we were kids. It means so much to me that our kids get to grow up together like we grew up together.

Canoe River is a tad lot more rustic than Normandy Farms but it's camping and it's supposed to be rustic. Besides, we're in a 38 ft camper, how "rustic" does it really get?! All we need is a pool, a firepit and each other (kumbaya anyone?) and we'll be just fine.

Next scheduled camping trip: August 3rd at Pine Acres. A totally pimped out resort that we've never been to but have heard rave reviews about. Can't wait!!!

SECOND Interview!

So, I may have been a little too quick to assume that I'd be out of the running for the Marketing Admin because of my CWW.

Today I received a meeting request for a second interview. This time with the Associate Marketing Director. 3 hours notice. Eeeeek!

So glad I decided to throw on a dress today instead of the jeans / top I had planned on!! (Although I have been told it wouldn't have mattered, that jeans are perfectly acceptable. But not for me. Not on a job interview.)

Wish me luck!

The waiting game

I had my interview today.
I think it went really well. B said I was "obviously" well qualified. She said I "obviously" had the skill set. Yay, definite positives! I'm well experienced in what she is looking for.

But, of course, there is a downside.

My compressed work week. Right now I work Monday through Thursday 6:30a - 5:00pm. I have Fridays off. P&G is a huge supporter of the work / life balance. When I applied for the CWW I played up the w/l balance. I have four days of work and three days of family time. I love this schedule. Yes, it makes for long days. But I have three days of family time and that means the world to me. On Fridays, when school is in session, I volunteer. I have long weekends. We can take three day camping trips. I don't have to use vacation time for it. It is amazing and I really do not want to give it up.

This might be a sticking point for the new role though. I could tell that B was antsy about it. I have a feeling she'd be high maintenence. I could almost hear her saying to herself, "but what if I need her to do something for me on a Friday?!" I kind of almost felt bad for her. She asked if I have a Blackberry. I said no, but if they wanted me to have one I wouldn't be opposed to it. I said if I had a BB and did the CWW I'd definitely be checking in on my phone (b/c I'm Type A and I like to know what is going on if I'm able). I also told her that if they absolutely needed me on a Friday I would be perfectly willing to swap a day here and there. That I could be flexible. I am willing to do almost anything. I just really can't give up the CWW. Right now it just means too much for my family. I explained I have three young children at home. That being home with them that extra day a week, being able to volunteer at their schools, was huge. That I worked really hard to get the CWW and I'd have to think long and hard about giving it up. I told her that I wanted to be honest with her and let her know exactly where I was coming from. She said she appreciated it and she's sure she'd be talkign to my manager.

So, while I still have my fingers crossed I might be just a tad less optimistic about things now. I am confident that everything will work out however it's meant to. If I'm meant to have this new opportunity then I will.

Weekend recap

I just loooove camping.

I got out of work on Thursday and headed straight to Normandy Farms. Ate dinner when I got there - John and the kids had already eaten - then I cleaned up from dinner and relaxed.

Friday turned out to be a craptastic day weather-wise but still a great day. We all had more time to relax. John took the kids swimming in the indoor pool while I cleaned / organized the camper (I am SO Type A when it comes to the camper lol) did the dishes, etc. Then I sat down for a while and read. A book. Yes, quiet time for reading. I actually read two books over the weekend. Didn't watch any tv at all. Just sat and caught up on some reading. BLISS.

Saturday's weather absolutely made up for Friday. It was a gorgeous, perfect pool day. We got up in the am, had breakfast, cleaned up and hit the pool at 10am. We didn't leave until 3pm. John ran back to the camper at lunch time to bring food over so we could just stay at the pool. We took turns going in the water with the kids....it was great. The pool that we prefer was SO much less crowded than the other two which was super nice. I get kind of nervous when the pool is jam packed because I like to keep a close eye on the kids. It's not like I need them attached to me but when there are SO many people trying to swim and so many kids I get anxious.

Saturday night Susan, Rob and "RG" came to NF to join us for dinner. We had fresh veggies with ranch dip, burgers, dogs and spicy fries. We are addicted to the spicy fries from the snack shack. After dinner Susan, "RG" and I stayed at the camper while John, Rob and the kids hit "Casino Night" at the Rec Hall. Susan and Rob left around 9p and I hit the Rec hall for the ending of casino night. We were up waiting for the auctions to end until 11pm. Needless to say it was off to bed after that.

Sunday morning we got up, ate cereal, I washed the dishes and we hit the road. It was super easy to pack up and get going because it was just the five of us. All three kids wanted to ride home with me so John got a nice truck ride home with the dog lol. We got home and then just started doing laundry (have to strip all the bedding from the camper for our next trip) and cleaning the house. A very productive day. Early to bed for the kiddos last night because they were up until at least 10p all weekend long. That's about it. Another great weekend.

We're camping again this week - headed to Canoe River on Thursday and we'll be joined by the Wronski and Studley families. Can't wait!!!

Checked out

I really have. I have no desire to work any more today. I've cranked out SO much work. It's been a really productive week.

John and the kids are already at Normandy Farms. I just want to hurry up and get there. Yes, we're camping for the weekend again.

This will be a nice, relaxing, quiet weekend. It's just the five of us going. No guests, just us. I looove having people come camping with us - don't get me wrong. But a little alone family time while on a camping trip is nice too. The weekend is supposed to be gorgeous. I'll be hanging poolside all weekend working on my tan. Bring. It. On.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Job update

So, today I had lunch with PB, the admin who reco'd the new role to me. SUCH a great lunch! We talked about everything. Work, life, etc. She filled me in on a lot of what the role would be, how the people are, how things work "over there." It's so different from the side I'm on. I think I'd be really happy in that group. I also learned I'd be sitting up on 8F with her - yay!

She asked me if she could send a note to the hiring manager and advocate for me. I said sure, absolutely. She said "GOOD because I actually drafted a note yesterday but I wanted to make sure you wouldn't mind before I sent." Hell no, I don't mind! I barely know this woman and she wants to advocate for me - go for it. You know those people you just kind of "click" with and you know you will get along? This is PB. I knew when I met her last week that we had similar personalities. She pretty much sealed it for me when she mentioned we should meet for drinks sometime soon because we live one town away from each other. LOL.

So, lunch meeting went great. Really great. One hour later I got an Outlook Calendar meeting request. JOB INTERVIEW! YAY!! Monday morning at 10am I will be sitting down and interviewing with my next potential manager. I'm super excited. But I'm also nervous, scared, etc. You know how it goes with job interviews.

So, there is the latest. Prayers, wishes, good luck......it's all appreciated and welcomed!!

Verrrrrry Interesting!

I get my horoscope on Facebook. I don't live and die by it, I just like to read it. Most days it gives me a mild sense of entertainment. Today's horoscope says:

Heavenly energies are blessing the work, career and finance areas of your chart right now. If you were thinking of pushing for a promotion, today is the best day to work on making that dream come true.

Huh. I just applied for a new role with P&G on Tuesday. I have been in my role, on the same team, for the past 10 years. I think it might be time to change things up a little. I've never applied for another role here. I don't like change. I like knowing what I am doing and being good at what I do. Starting a new role means new responsibilities, new things to learn. I usually shy away from things like that. But, I honestly feel like I am taken for granted a bit in this role. I know others absolutely agree with me on this. I think it's time to move on or at the very least put myself out there. I think it's good that my boss knows that I am willing to look elsewhere. If I don't get the new role than at least maybe she knows that I am willing to move on if possible.

The role I applied for is a Marketing Administrator role. It's technically a lateral move but the opportunities from there are endless. Being in Sales right now there isn't much room for growth or movement. Especially on my team because I am already the Lead Team admin. There are no administrative roles above me. But the new role would give me exposure to some of the really high ups. Definitely room for growth over there.

The deadline for applying was yesterday. I am thinking I'll hear if I get an interview sometime next week. I'm terrified of the job interview process. It's been 11 years since I've been on one! I get all nervous and worked up, I just don't like it. But, who does?? I'll put on my big girl panties and suck it up. I'll hope that I am the right fit for this new role and I'll hope that I get a job offer. Who knows, maybe it would even bump me up into another pay grade and I'd get a raise as well. That would definitely be a plus!

So, if you are reading this and can spare a prayer for me I would really appreciate it. The more I think about moving on the more excited I get. Now I just need it to happen.

The weekend in review

I'm going back over what I had planned and what actually happened because things never go exactly as you had planned.

Thursday night - this went as planned. Went to Great Chow with Susan. Christine and her friend, Jimmy, met us there. Rich's sister Gina was there with some of her friends, Deirdre showed up and Dan, the karoake whore (yes, I said this to him when I walked by and saw him at a table) was there as well. Roy stopped in, I'm assuming because Dan was there - he didn't know I was going to be there.

Friday went as planned as well. Beach with The Forbush Family. AWESOME time. My kids love the beach. They had so much fun. However, WHAT kind of idiot goes to the beach and doesn't bring a suit. Yes. This idiot. I packed up the kids - suits, towels, sunblock, you name it. Myself? Not so much. So I was hanging on the beach in a tank top and my jeans (again, I do NOT wear shorts) rolled up. Yup, ass. That's me. Friday night was the Rox game with Susan and Rob. We left early. Now, by early, I don't mean in the 5th inning. Nope. TOP OF THE 12TH. Holy. Talk about the game that would not end!!! I have no idea who won. We were just ready to go home and go to bed lol.

Saturday absolutely didn't go as planned. Not even close. John ended up going to the movies with the boys alone. Jonny U and Ryan didn't go. Long story short, he and Tiff were fighting, everything got screwed up - not my issue, don't want to get involved. Erynn and I stayed home, did laundry and cleaned the house. We didn't do lunch with Susan. Christine's surprise party didn't pan out either. Turns out Christine was stuck in Texas and didn't get home on Saturday at all. I felt really bad for her. We'll make it up to her though!

Sunday morning I got up bright and early to ran errands. Erynn came with me. Beach day was definitely off - it was crappy outside, no sun at all. Susan and I ended up going to the movies early afternoon and then we went to Susan and Rob's for a mini cookout and some fireworks. The weather was kind of crappy - it started to rain. We weren't sure the fireworks were going to happen but they finally did. Erynn was TERRIFIED of them though so we ended up leaving about halfway through. I had to get home and bake the layer cake for Monday anyway.

Monday was the Thornton cookout and it was perfect. We all swam, hung out, drank and caught up with one another. They had a really great turnout and it was the perfect way to end a long holiday weekend.

Wrapping things up....

I'm just going to go ahead and get this challenge overwith. It's dragged on long enough I think!

day 29 - a song from your childhood.

My Mom sang this to us growing up.......I sing it to my kids.


Pretty much any Carly song reminds me of my childhood - my Mom played Carly all.the.time.


day 30 - a song that makes you want to help the world, help the environment, end poverty, help society...

Duh.