I Have Been Tagged!

Thanks to Bombadee for the tag.

Five things you didn't know about me:

1. I’m really uncomfortable sitting with my back to a room of people
2. I shot a bird with a .22 rifle when I was seven and was so heartbroken I’ve never shot another living creature since.
3. I still have dreams of being on stage and performing.
4. I can’t legally own a firearm in the state of Illinois (don’t ask, that’s all you’re getting on this one).
5. It’s very hard for me to come up with five things people don’t already know about me. I’m a pretty open book and if you don’t already know it, I don’t want you to.

TaterTot Family Holiday Letter: 2006

Many apologies for not sending holiday greetings and family updates for what I believe to be two years in a row. Cards, letters, pictures, stamps; they all have had a way of falling to the bottom of my overwhelming to-do list. I promised myself not to let that happen again, to take some time to reflect on 2006 and wish those we see every day and those we don’t see nearly often enough a wonderful holiday season and amazing 2007. The past year has been full of exciting changes in the TaterTot home.

Abigail Louise. This has been an incredible year with my eldest, who will be turning twelve this spring. Abi is active as ever in sports playing soccer, softball and basketball. While she is still easily located on the field for being the smallest player, she has the largest amount of drive, enthusiasm and sheer love of the game out there. Both her softball and basketball teams earned championships this year. School is still a place she very much enjoys, which is apparent in her outstanding marks. She has finally found a history buff buddy in our good friend Dan and enjoys talking his ear off about her knowledge of the Civil War and all things intellectual. Abi is looking forward to performing with the sixth grade band and choir for the holiday concert in just a few days. Actually, I’m not sure who’s anticipating the concert more; the entire family has endured her relentless carol singing and flute playing around the house for weeks. Chatting on the phone with friends, Friday night football games and careful consideration of what to wear each morning has made it abundantly clear that she is growing up. Abigail is a great source of joy as her dad and I have watch her transition into the strong, independent, bright and beautiful soul we see before us today.

Emily Anne. What can I say about my Mimi? She makes me laugh, out loud, every day of my life. In just a couple of short months Emily will be entering the realm of double-digits, as she looks forward to leaving the age of nine in the dust. She, like her sister, is very active. Soccer, softball and basketball keep mom and dad busy driving back and forth to practices and spending our Saturday’s nestled in chairs on the sidelines cheering on her team. Emily was honored to be a member of the championship teams in both soccer and baseball this year. Girls Scouts is an important part of her life as my hands can attest from sewing on her many earned patches. This summer she attended Girl Scout Camp, her first weeklong trip away from home. As we were getting her settled in the platform tent, she pointed to the rafters and asked her dad if that was a dead bat hanging from the ceiling. As soon as she said it, I thought to myself “How could a bat be hanging if it were dead?” Dad poked it and suddenly there were screaming girls running in all directions. We’ll be telling that story for years to come. Emily enjoyed some experimenting with her hair color this summer as well, sporting both hot pink and purple for a short period of time. Always looking to do everything her older sister can do, she learned to drive Grandma’s four-wheeler by herself, get a bull’s eye with her bow and arrow and shoot a can off a log with her dad’s rifle this year. Emily is a bright sun in the sky for all those privileged to know her. I look forward to years and years of pee-my-pants laughter with her.

Isaac David. Still my SugarLips. I am often teased if I don’t stop calling him this, poor Isaac will be cursed to wear a football jersey with SugarLips emblazoned on the back. He hasn’t given me that “Mom…not in front of the other kids” look yet, so my nickname lives on. September 11, 2006 marked Isaac’s third year and my continued frustration at his insistence to wear diapers. The girls easily potty trained by their second birthdays and here I had a three-year-old boy who thought underwear was “scary”. This all changed a few weeks ago when Jeff started a new job and Isaac’s would be going to the sitter’s house all day (more on the new job in a moment). Sitter Sally suggested this was the opportune time to go cold turkey. We told Isaac on a Sunday that starting tomorrow he would be going to Sally’s first thing in the morning, have preschool time, play with his friends, have some lunch, take and nap and then dad would pick him up…and by the way…no more diapers. Sally is a genius, it worked and I can’t thank her enough. Isaac is beginning to navigate the waters of independence, wanting more and more say in the world around him. I will admit it can be frustrating at times but it is also the most awesome site to see day after day. While Isaac has been blessed with the virtues of patience, caring, gentleness, curiosity and happiness we have been blessed with the overwhelming love he brings to our lives everyday.

Jeff and Jennie. Jeff finally, after almost twelve years, managed to find a first shift job a few weeks ago welding for a company in The City. The kids and I feel spoiled to have dad home for dinner every night of the week. Jeff feels spoiled to be able to go trick or treating with the family and help with homework or attend a week night ball game. I was worried at first, fearing a war over the remote control or arguments about how I’ve always ran my evenings alone with kids but it has been smooth as glass. I celebrated my tenth year at Memorial Hospital and was promoted to an IMS Call Center Analyst after finally earning my A+ Certification for computers. Jeff and I were invited to join our pals the Mathews in Las Vegas this summer to celebrate their 10th anniversary in the City of Lights. It’s funny how you get so wrapped up with soccer games and homework you forget how wonderful it is to put on a fancy dress and high heels to spend an evening out on the town with your fella. We hope to make it an annual weekend for mom and dad to get away and enjoy each other. Stephanie graduated from Benedictine University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science and is working on her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at St. Ambrose University in Iowa. She and Brian are still going strong and I anticipate their relationship growing in the years to come. Sara is nestled snuggly in Arizona. Her house is built and she is working as a flight nurse and riding her horses and new Harley Davidson motorcycle in the warmer climate. She is still missed, but with us in thought everyday.

To all of our friends and family, thank you so very much for a wonderful year. I cherish the time I spend with each and every one of you and look forward to many more adventures in 2007.

Have an awesome holiday season and tremendous New Year!

Jeff, Jennie, Abigail, Emily and Isaac

“We dream a world without violence

a world of justice and faith.

Everyone gives the hand to his neighbours

Symbol of peace, of fraternity

We ask that life be kind

and watch us from above

We hope each soul will find

another soul to love”
-The Prayer

Tot + Bombadee + PunkyMom + Alcohol + Camera = Classy Images for the Internet

What's On Your Plate?

Starting tomorrow, December 14th:

Thursday Evening: Tot out with girls from work for dinner and to watch boys take off clothes.
Friday Evening: Jeff’s Holiday Party for Work
Saturday Morning: Two basketball games
Saturday Afternoon: Shopping with Sister Stephie
Saturday Evening: Tot’s Holiday Party for Work
Sunday: Finish all shopping and wrap all presents. Hopefully have a cosmo.

Work Monday through Friday, evenings peppered with one Girl Scout meeting and four basketball practices.

Friday Evening: Out for an evening of dinner and dancing with my bestest buddies (can’t wait for this one)
Saturday All Day: Tot’s Extended Family Christmas Party
Sunday (Christmas Eve): Jeff’s Mother’s house
Monday (Christmas): Parents and Sister to our house for brunch, stay at home all day in pajamas on couch watching kid’s play with new loot. Hopefully have a cosmo.

Work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; three evening basketball practices

Friday: Off work, shopping with Sister Sara home from Arizona (Yeah!)
Saturday Morning: Three basketball games (Emi has a double header)
Saturday Afternoon & Evening: Christmas with Tot’s Parental Units
Sunday Evening (New Year’s Eve): Friends to the House of Tot for a New Year’s Eve Party, family style. Hopefully have a cosmo.

Opportunity Lost

I was informed eleven months ago, my current position at work was being eliminated. To maintain employment in the newly formed replacement position I would be required to obtain my A+ Certification by December 29, 2006. This certification is a series of two tests; one focused on hardware the other on operating systems. I passed the first test in August and struggled with the decision whether or not to take the second test by my deadline. See, I always intended to take the second test and become certified, however was unsure whether or not the changes in my department were resulting in a place I wanted to continue my employment. If I passed the by 12/29/06, I would forfeit the severance package offered when my current position ceased to exist. After much thought and consideration over the Thanksgiving holiday I decided to buck up, take the test and be a positive influence and help make the department a place I wanted to be rather than just expect it to happen on its own. I chose December 11th as my test day to give myself a window to retake it if needed (several of my coworkers had indicated the second test was very difficult and more than one had to take it twice to obtain a passing score).

Then on Wednesday, November 29th I received an email address to all of the employees in my area stating the following:

“We have agreed to shift a position from the Call Center to PC Support. Anyone who is qualified for the PC/network tech Level I (A+ certified) can apply. The posting begins today and closes at end of day Monday. You can notify me via email if you are interested in interviewing for the job.”

If I were going to be considered for this job, I had to somehow get my certification in four days. My first thought was no friggin’ way, it’s impossible. Plus, I wasn’t even considered qualified to keep the job I had; what made me think I would be qualified to move up? It has been the opinion of some in my department that I don’t deserve the job I have now. This has always been a dark cloud over my head that I have allowed to remain there and affect my self-confidence. No matter what I learned or new skills I obtained I have maintained the belief that I am no more than a dumb person in a room full of smart people. The only reason I have the job I do is because I’m a nice and likable person who knows the right people in the right places. I lack what many others in my area seem to have in abundance (some of them too much). Confidence.

After stewing the whole situation for a day and much encouragement from my mom, I decided that everyone else who would be applying for this job had just acquired their certification in the past six months. Was I really going to let this opportunity pass because I missed being qualified by seven days? Hell no. I studied my ass off for the next four days. I mean, with the exception of going to Bombadee’s roller derby on Sunday afternoon I lived, ate, slept and breathed operating systems for four days. Long story short (too late, I know), I easily passed and put my name in the hat of candidates. If they were looking for someone with drive, I’ve shown I’ve got it.

Then I had the interview and my chances crumbled. Historically I interview really, really well. I’m comfortable answering questions in front of a group, I teach customer service and issue resolution for the health system I work at so know all of the “right things to say” and am generally pretty quick on my toes when it comes to articulating well thought out answers to interview type questions. I may not know the answer to some of the specific technical questions, but don’t mind saying so and expressing my desire to learn. The PC techs interviewing all of us are pretty familiar with our skill levels and know we will require a significant amount of training to get up to par. If they wanted someone superbly technical and who could hit the ground running they wouldn’t have chosen to move someone up from the Call Center.

This interview was a complete and total disaster from the first question; “Why do you want to move into this position?” The first thing that came to my mind was “I shouldn’t move into this position because I don’t deserve it.” Of course I didn’t say that, but that thought would not leave my head and I believe I rolled my eyes and mumbled a few “ums” before finally spewing on about how my current area sucks so I figured “why not…it should be better then where I’m at now.” The whole time I was there, I could not shake this feeling. Even when I knew how to reply to some of their technical questions my response came out more like a question than an answer, like I wasn’t really sure but was guessing. I left the room embarrassed and feeling like a complete failure.

What should I have said? What do I wish I had the confidence to say?

I want to move into this position because I have excellent customer service skills, have proven myself to be a fast and motivated learner and given time, experience and training I am confident I will become a valued member of your team.

Maybe I’ll get another chance someday.

Thanksgiving Weekend: 2006

I just really wanted to put a link to Bombadee for the week, as she expressed my sediments exactly.

What have the Tot’s been doing?

Thanksgiving:
Two family celebrations in two separate towns. Mine and Jeff’s family’s celebrate so differently. Jeff’s Mom prepares all of the food, you show up about an hour before the meal to look through the sale papers, eat, Mom and Sister Jenny do the dishes while I clean the meat off the bird (I can clean a bone like no one else!) and then you go home. It’s very nice, but short and to the point. My family gets together for holidays around noon and basically has a constant, never-ending smorgasbord of food that everyone pulls up to like a trough all day. Games, cards, pool, four-wheelin’ in the woods…this goes on until well past dark when the last of the overstuffed relatives are still playing Euchre next to the crackling fire in Uncle Bob’s living room. We managed to hit both.

Friday:
Hair cuts and color for the kids and much needed giggles with the BlahZeeBlah’s followed by a fun filled afternoon and evening at the Bombadee’s. They had two tables going with games, food aplenty, and kids running circles. We played this awesome game called Scruples and I discovered that Mr. BlahZeeBlah is one of the most cunning men I know and Jenny is one of the most honest women I know. My son managed to take a dump in his pants while we were there and then on the way home I had to pull over so I could puke all of the wonderful food I had eaten in the ditch. Michelle’s homemade roasted garlic hummus does not taste as good coming up as it does going down.

Saturday:
Both Jeff and I: puke, puke, puke, diarrhea, puke, diarrhea, diarrhea, diarrhea, diarrhea.

Sunday:
Some relaxation, at last! Jeff cleaned the house and we put the tree up and all of the holiday decorations out. I studied for my second certification test for about four hours then took a break to watch the Bears (or should I say Grossman) lose the football game. Spent the rest of the evening snuggled up on the sofa listening to holiday tunes as the tree sparkled in the corner and the tiny figurines ice skated on my St. Nicolaus Square village atop the entertainment center.

It was a very busy and very wonderful holiday weekend (except for the puking and diarrhea, of course).

A Day of Great Thanks!

From mine to yours...

Curran's Apple Orchard, October 2006

Release: November 21, 2006

Can't wait to buy this.

Success at Last!

I hadn’t posted this phenomenal news from the House of Tot sooner for fear of jinxing something. The fear is now gone, the objective has been met.

Jeff began his new, first shift job on Monday and Sitter Sally suggested it was the opportune time to make another big change as well. No more diapers. I was fearful at first, as SugarLips has shown no interest in the potty what so ever, even crying at times when the suggestion was made to try it out. After much consideration, we agreed; this is the perfect opening to tell him that he will be going to Sally’s house for breakfast and lunch everyday, will be having preschool time each morning, napping at Sally’s in the afternoon…and oh yeah…no more diapers. We’re going cold turkey.

Sunday afternoon I went shopping and bought 14 pair of size 2T-3T underwear in a variety of styles. We had Buzz LightYear, Cars, Spiderman, Superman, Football! I was so excited to get them home and put a pair on those cute little buns. Little did I know I would first have a twenty minute conversation with my 3 year-old on why he thought underwear was “scary”…don’t ask, I still don’t quite understand. After a great deal of discussion and some sneaky jumping on the bed distraction we finally got him into a pair with a huge Superman symbol prominently displayed on his tiny rear. He kept asking for a diaper, but we told him that there were no more diapers so he would have to use the potty and kept our fingers crossed.

Next came the pièce de résistance; The Potty Chart. Sugar and I made a quick trip to the Super Dollar Store and bought our supplies; a big white poster board, markers and sparkly stickers of snowmen, stars and clowns. With each successful “event” a sticker would be earned. My entire plan relied on the notion my son would covet the sparkly stickers.

To spare readers the lurid details I will offer this summary; since Sunday evening we have had no, that’s right NO, pee accidents. This morning he even woke up with a dry pull up (he gets one only for night time sleeping, not naps) and immediately told me in his not quite awake yet, crackly voice that he had to use the potty. Poop is a hurdle we have yet to successfully clear having one accident on Monday evening with no further occurrences as of this morning. I know he has to go though, observing the tell tale signs of constant gas and declarations of “my tummy hurt” this morning. Keep your fingers crossed I come home to celebration tonight and not a grocery bag of rinsed out Spiderman briefs and blue jeans.

Best Be Steppin' Bitch!

These two bad-ass mo-fo's will wipe the pavement with your ass!

Innuendo

Recently overheard at work:

“It’s too hard, I have to suck on it to get it soft”
(referring to a piece of taffy)

“It’s pretty tight when you try to put two through there”
(attempting to pull two carts through a narrow opening)

“Cause for eight bucks I can have some woman massage my head”
(in response to asking Schweaty Man why he bothers to pay for his crew cut rather than buying a set of clippers)

“Let’s see how big this unit is”
(when opening a document for printing)

Halloween of Tiny Tots

Mimi, The Rainbow Witch (9 years old)

Abi, The Devil (11 years old)

SugarLips, "PiderMan" (3 years old)

Showing off their loot...

-------------------------------------------

I found this pic over the weekend and thought I would share...

Vintage TaterTot and Bombadee.

All Hallow's Eve 2006

Class of '91 Reunion Part Two: Who the Fu** Is That?

Jill, Erika and Tot: I can't believe we didn't end up in the bathroom singing When Soft Winds Blow...

Tot & Wendy: The first person I ever skipped school with, it was in the sixth or seventh grade and we were totally busted...(be thankful Wendy, I almost scanned in pics from my 5th grade slumber party where we all dressed up in togas made from my mothers floral sheets and you had a bad perm and that contraption you wear across your face and head at night with braces...)

This pic could sum up our entire evening...continuous pee-your-pants laughter

1991: Flash, Jeel, E and Pief

2006: Matt, Jill, Erika and Jennie

Not quite sure what Jill and I were doing here, but it should have been my first indication to stop drinking...open bars at class reunions are not the best idea. (Doesn't it look like I have horns growing out of my head in this pic...it took me a minute to realize it was the persons behind me ears)

This picture cracked me up when I noticed Dean flippin' me off in the background.

What I would have given for Matt to put his tongue on me in high school...I had to wait 15 years.

We really should get together more often guys, I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. Love you Mark!

This is a picture of a girl that I was stalking with my camera all night asking everyone "Who the fu** is that?"...it should have been another indication that I had too much to drink. All of my old classmates must think I've become a raging alcoholic. After looking at it again though, I still have no idea who the fuck it is.

See you at the 20!

The TaterTots.

Class of ’91 Reunion Part One: Brown Blazers and Striped Shirts

The day before the reunion...shopping for an outfit. I thought it would only take a few moments to run into Old Navy and pick up this great outfit I had pre-shopped for online. It was a nice pair of really dark denim jeans to be paired with a silk avocado green wrap top. Mrs. Blahzeeblah was waiting for me so I was trying to hurry. She was going to help me revise the platinum hair I chose to sport for Vegas and instead go with a more realistic looking brunette with golden highlights. As fate would have it, the shirt I wanted to buy was only available online and the jeans turned out to have this horrible low rise cut giving me a muffin top hearty enough to feed the Jolly Green Giant (ho-ho-ho). After three hours and four stores I settled on a pair of jeans, pale gold tank and chocolate velvet blazer from Kohls. I also bought some bronze pumps and fabulous dark teal suede purse. For Jeff I picked up a black button up collared shirt with pin stripes. The rest of the afternoon was run, run, run with hair dyeing and giggles with the Blahzeeblah's. I was speeding to get to my Small Smug town (an hour from their house) to pick up SugarLips when suddenly my cell rang; it was Mrs. Blahzeeblah letting me know I had just left her house sans purse. What a friggin' day! It finally arrives, the day of the reunion.

Thankfully Jeff and I made arrangements to meet up with our old pals E and Mr. E at a local brewery before the reunion was slated to begin. We arrived first and ordered a couple of beers and chips with salsa as we sat uncomfortably on the same side of the booth in anticipation of our cohorts (I always find that odd, when couples share the same side of a booth at restaurants with the other side empty). After about ten minutes the phone rang; E calling to tell me there couldn’t find the place. With some quick directions, my excitement grew knowing we would be running towards each other within in moments; arms in the air, fingers wiggling and that high pitch screech chicks make when they are about to hug (yes…she is the ONLY person I do that with). It was so wonderful to see them again. It’s funny how you can not hang out an old friend for years, but when you do it’s as if you were driving around town drinking swigs from a bottle of Bacardi with Bandits in your mouth only yesterday. (Don’t ask) We laughed our asses off when our embrace finally broke and it dawned on us we were both wearing dark denim jeans paired with brown blazers and heels. Not only that, but as Jeff walked up to join in the merry greetings he and Mr. E were both sporting dark button up collared shirts with pinstripes. I shit you not. We must have both shopped in the “15 Year Class Reunion” section of the store.

The Tot’s Impending Divorce…

Okay…okay…the title of this post is a joke. Of course! It’s my newest funny-ha-ha that was really old to every one around me by the third time I said it. Something is happening in my marriage that hasn’t occurred in the past eleven years. My husband is moving to a first shift job. To avoid the high cost of having two children in full time daycare, way back when we were in our early twenties and hocking stereo equipment to buy diapers and formula, Jeff moved into a second shift job. He has always been with the kids all day and I take over in the evenings. At most, the kids have been in daycare for our 2-3 hour overlap. Just when the girls finally hit the age they were in school all day, Jeff starting looking for a day job. Then we found out I had a SugarLips growing inside so it was postponed. Isaac is a bit older now and we found a daycare that rocks, so we decided Jeff could try to move into a first shift job again. The place he’s been working had nothing available though, so once again…we waited.

They say it’s all in “who” you know. We met the Blahzeeblah’s and Bombadee’s for dinner less than two weeks ago when Mr. Bombadee handed Jeff a business card and told him to call his boss. One of the shop guys was hanging on by a thread and they may be looking to replace him in a hurry. Dan suggested Jeff. Less then a week later Jeff had an interview and was told the job was his if he wanted it. After some schedule rearranging on my part (thanks a million Sparky) and tough benefit negotiations (Jeff is still thanking me for insisting he ask for more days off) our lives are about to be turned upside down. We’ve always said one of the reason’s we been able to maintain the excitement in our marriage is due to the fact that by Saturday we can’t wait to see each other. That theory is about to be put to test. I can’t thank Dan enough for all he’s done, although it could be fun to try ~wink wink~.

So how will things change? We will sit together as a family for dinner five more nights a week. My children’s father will be cheering them on from the sidelines at all of their baseball games. Homework duties and soccer practices will no longer lie solely on my shoulders. If I’m invited to a Pampered Chef party or out for cosmo’s with Bombadee on a Tuesday night, I won’t have to arrange a babysitter. We will begin to battle for the remote control. This will be the last trick-or-treating on Halloween night Jeff doesn’t experience through pictures. I will be going to sleep with the love of my life just inches from my side Monday through Friday. I will have a reason to postpone actually going to sleep Monday through Friday that doesn’t involve the dirty book Bombadee loaned me. I can’t wait!

Can I get a woo-hoo?

Cheeeeez!

Isn't it funny how people react when the three-year-old is manning the camera?

Mrs. Blahzeeblah, photgraphed by SugarLips (10/22/06)

Class of '91, continued

Madrigal Dinner 1990 vs. Las Vegas 2006

So do you think our old classmates will have trouble recognizing us at the reunion?

Class of '91

15 Years? That can’t possibly be right. Saturday night Jeff and I head to the Banquet Center for the East High School Class of 1991 Reunion. There was no five or ten year event so most of these people we literally haven’t seen since senior year. One of my closest friends who I have managed to keep in contact with over the years, even though she and her family live in a neighboring state, is E. I can’t wait to see her. We are meeting her and her husband for drinks at a separate location before the reunion starts, so we should be in fine form by the time we decide to make our grand entrance.

I emailed E this morning and told her she has to help me with a few things:

Names. I suck at names, BIG TIME! I guarantee I will have people coming up to me all night exclaiming “PIEF” (my nickname in school) and I will have no friggin’ idea who in the hell they are. Jeff and E will be able to tell by that stupid smile you get on your face when you’re pretending the person in front of you was the coolest person ever and I can’t believe we’ve lost touch…blah, blah, blah.

“So what have you been up to…married…do you have any kids?” How many times will I have to answer this question? I want to put my response in bullet form and print it out on little cards I can hand to people when they ask. “Here you go, this has all of the information you need on it…nice to see you.” Do I have to ask this question of everyone I see too? Will there be a test at the end of the evening? Like I care.

Gossip. It’s already happened, I have reverted into the 15 year old mean girl who giggled in the corner about the nerdy boys and called girls who were prettier than I was slutty. I work with a girl I’ve known since the fifth grade, she is actually the person who talked me into going to this in the first place. (You know who you are…and I know you’re reading this). She and I were emailing back and forth yesterday about what we plan to wear and within 3 reply’s I was already making reference to a girl who was rumored to have serviced a guy through a chain link fence in high school. What the hell?

“Oh my gawd…you two are STILL together?” I’m sure the first few times I will politely smile and say, “yes…still together…can you believe it?” By the 84th time however, my response will probably have morphed into “No, we haven’t seen eachother since prom but when our eyes met in the parking lot we just knew and told our spouses to get lost and had hot monkey sex in the back seat of his car. It’s just like old times again.” Yes, I am happily married to the boy I began dating when I was 16 years old, who took me to my senior prom, who I lost my virginity to for crying out loud. Doesn’t seem all that odd to me, I’m sure lots of people will be at the reunion with the person they lost their virginity to…although I doubt they will be married to them. ~snicker~

I promise to share stories and pictures next week. Wish me luck and let’s hope I don’t make too much of an arse out of myself.

Boom Boom Martini...

It's an inside joke...