Happy Holidays from the Wards

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/HuSjGZrS5jYWCiIPqwki

See the link above for our Xmas greeting. Be sure to turn up your speakers (especially if you're at work). :)

We're encountering our first 'blizzard' the likes of which I haven't seen since the early 1990s.

The kids and I haven't left the house since Tuesday. Rob's working two days on with one day off (where he sleeps and then spends hours trying to get back to work to work two or three more shifts because so many people are having a hard time getting to work where he works).

We were getting stir crazy, so today we walked to the Kent Valley Ice Center for a hamburger. While there, we ran into my good friend Joan (a hockey friend) who invited our kids to have photos with "hockey Santa." Now mind you, today is braid day. I'd just undone the kids hair and poor Destiny looked like a troll doll, but we wanted to go eat before we got started on hair. Anyhow, we were convinced to have the kids' photos taken with Santa (perfect now that I see the weather forecast, there is no way we'd be able to get the kids out to see Santa before Xmas).

Melat saw Santa and freaked out screaming "NO COCA COLA" (She confuses Santa Claus and Coca Cola for some reason). I ended up in the photo because I had to hold screaming little Melat into it. "Santa" in an effort to help Destiny to calm her sister, pulled down his beard and said "see, I'm just a regular guy, tell her not to be afraid." Destiny says "never mind, and backs out of the sled, now also tearing up at the thought that Santa was not in fact Santa, but a fraud, and "just a regular guy." Her worst fears confirmed. Santa may just be dad.

Now poor "Santa" is totally perplexed, why are both kids upset? Well, Melat has never seen a guy with a white beard like that, and just barely understands the whole American Christmas thing, and Destiny truly believed in Santa Claus and he just dashed her faith. Now, in Santa's defense, what kind of five foot tall kid still believes in Santa? Well, mine did. I was thinking this might be the year to explain, but I was going to just put it on my calendar and explain it around Valentine's day. She's had a lot of other disappointments in her life the past couple of years and taking Santa away never seemed like a good idea.

Well, this fairly hilarious photo resulted. We all look kind of like snowmen because for the one-mile walk to eat lunch in an ice rink we dressed in layers. Santa gave the kids oranges and candy canes, for which both kids were very thankful, and we all had a delightful afternoon break.

Thanks Joan and "Hockey Santa" for the excitement. :)

Over lunch, I explained to Melat how Santa's a nice guy.... and then double-checked myself realizing that Santa does his primary business by breaking and entering to six billion homes in one night... but perhaps I'm over thinking this?

Merry Christmas All!

I dare you....

To watch this to the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJmRPdogf7U

Taking the plunge

So as I posted before, Thursday I lost my job. The economy has hit the construction industry especially hard, so while I was surprised, it wasn't exactly shocked.

This may be the answer to my prayers. Ever since becoming a parent, I've wondered how I can be the kind of parent I want to be (like my parents were) and yet have a job or career at the same time. I'd especially like to be self-employed, though if I find the right job with the right company I wouldn't complain either.

We're not in dire straights and can make it for a good long while without the 2nd income, it was really more about meeting our charitable goals and college savings for the kids, and less about meeting day-to-day expenses.

While I'm still looking for a possible "perfect job" I have decided to take the plunge and follow my parent's entrepreneural footsteps. I applied for a business liscence and now am the sole-proprieter of "A Notary Now!" a mobile notary company.

I've been a notary for several years, but I've never charged anyone for my services. I'm also planning to do some freelance writing (I've done this before and *loved* it!). I'm also going to be volunteering more--with my kids' school, and within the adoption community.

Cross your fingers for me for some good notary business. I'll be doing a lot of financial, adoption and construction type documents, so if you know anyone in these industries, please direct them my way.

Now What?

So the economy has gotten to us. Today I was laid off from the company I've worked for for three years. I'm pretty bummed by that because I loved the company and will miss my colleagues, but feel liberated to now find the "right" job for me, as that one wasn't seeming like it fit. The opportunities for advancement that I had gone to that position for disappeared when the economy started going south, and what could have been a career was becoming a job.

I'm going to spend some time this weekend and next week determining my next strategy... do the "stay at home mom" thing (which has kind of been on my "wish list" but moving to one income-- while doable --seems scary to me). I could start my own business (I've had an idea in the back of my mind for a year now), or I could try to find another construction industry job or find something entirely different.

Alternatively, I could go back to school. That liberal arts degree hasn't exactly been bringin' home the bacon (a word to poly-sci majors....). Perhaps I could go back to that college aptitude test and become a mortitian? Now there's a job with room for advancement, easy customers and in a growth industry.

Anyhow, that's the latest--I'm currently jobless (unless I take the company's offer of a 20 hour per week position through the end of the year, which likely won't pay our childcare costs).

The kids are good--they're getting excited for the holidays. Tomorrow night I'm taking Destiny to a play at a local church and Sunday I'm taking both kids to the Langston Hughes "Black Nativity" which is a gospel production that I've wanted to see for years. Thursday we're going to the Nutcracker. The next few weeks will be a blizzard of activity.

Well, that's my story for now--I'll update as I have more ideas.

First thanksgiving

It was our first thanksgiving with Melat, and I think she gets the program. Eat a lot, play a lot, and visit with everyone. She seems ok with that so long as someone passes her the meat in a hurry. (Boy this kid can eat!).

Destiny LOVES thanskgiving. I remember her first thanskgiving with us three years ago, she woke me up at 3:00 AM saying "mom--i can't smell the turkey--do you think it is here?" I shouted "NO! It's stuck in the chimney with the easter bunny!! Now go back to bed!!!!" Grandma was cooking the turkey that year...at her house.

Thanksgiving is nice for Destiny because it's relatively the same for all American families (though I've since remembered that we forgot to have collard greens for Destiny, which she always looks forward to).

I think with Melat the honeymoon is over. She's let out her full three-year old fussy, tantrumy self. It's not too awful, but it's really wearing on Destiny hard, and Destiny is also expressing her full, tantrummy self. (Which in turn, is really wearing on mommy). We know from experience that This too shall pass.

You'll recall that in our attempt to teach Melat her new name (Melat Elizabeth) Destiny somehow managed to teach her that her name is "Melat Garbage." which she still seems to believe (I thought it was cured, but she introduced herself to everyone at thanksgiving as Melat garbage.

I've since decided that since Destiny so likes garbage, taking out the trash shall be her chore until Melat learns her new name.... and despite Destiny's very best efforts at re-teaching, she's not getting anywhere. Melat idolizes Destiny. She's so cool that poor Destiny can't even pee with peace. If Melat hasn't snuck into the bathroom somehow, she haunts outside the door and provides the play-by-play. Poor Destiny! She doesnt' really want to be separated (she turns downs offers for a weekend vacation at grandma's or an evening out with mom) but she is obviously a little chafed by her barnacle of a little sister, and it doesn't help that the house is small, so we're all a little underfoot of each other now.

Needless to say, there's the constant "she hit me" or "she told me to stop it" (even when no crime has been committed by either party). It truly is constant.

By the way, mom, I'm sorry for every stupid fight I ever picked with Sarah--I know I deserve this, but this is SO not fun.

We're planning to put the condo on the market after January, we're cramped and markets be damned, I need to be able to tell these noisy kids to go outside and play every now and then, and I'm willing to pay the price. We've got to find a house with a yard big enough for two or three bickering kids.

Melat's English is coming along great. There's still some words I can't quite figure out, and she always talks about herself in first person (kind of cute, but I hope she grows out of it before too long). She's being stubborn and onry, but even Destiny is intervening and saying "trust me on this kid--you don't want to mess with them like that."

We put up our holiday decorations this weekend, and Melat seems to think that the Nativity is a dollhouse. I routinely find all of the characters lined up in the "house" or all out, or re-arranged. She thinks that the wise men are carrying coffee cups, which cracks us up. She LOVES the Christmas tree, especially the annual ornaments that have Destiny's school photos.

Melat carries the school photo ornamants around the house, and Arthur (our cat) carries the fuzzy ornaments around the house. Destiny is the only one with the good sense to leave the tree alone.

I apologize for having no photos or video to share. The new computer I bought in July just recently quit working entirely--and had to be returned for waranty repairs... it had all of my photo and video downloads on it. I'm totally bummed. I'm crossing my fingers hoping the problem is waranty work and not that somebody in this house has fed my new computer a peanut butter sandwich.

Well, that's the update for now. we're planning a few holiday outings--I'm thinking of taking Destiny to a play this Friday--we've got Nutcracker tickets with friends next week, and maybe Zoolights (the kids both LOVE the zoo and it's best to do that before it gets butt-cold) and spending time with friends and family.