so much to say.

{don't forget...today is the LAST day to get on my 'ho ho ho' snail mail list. i'll give y'all until midnight my time - that's EST, folks - to email me your address. click here for the deets. remember, i am picking two lucky friends from the snail mail list to receive a lil' extra surprise. it is my goal to get the cards & packages in the mail either tomorrow or monday at the latest.}

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so yesterday's interview was a bust. a big bust. very unprofessional. a little too personal. overall, a big disappointment. i left the interview - all twenty minutes of it - feeling let down. not a bad kind of 'let down' feeling...it was almost a good one. i wasn't discouraged - okay, maybe i was a little - but as i drove off, i had a feeling in my gut that this was not the job for me. i am glad i was not chosen for the job - yes, they made a decision yesterday afternoon - because i would have declined the position anyways. *note to self: any interview that starts off by saying that i was overpaid at my last job is a sign. a sign that they cannot see the value in their employees. yes, i made good money. i worked hard for every damned cent of that money & i am worth every damned cent of that money. while i realize we are in a recession, i do feel that it is slightly ridiculous to think that a college educated woman would take on a position that involves the work of three people for a less than meager salary. the job yesterday was offering what i was making out of college...and i graduated with my bachelor's degree {nearly} ten. years. ago.

while some may think that i should have jumped at the chance to earn any kind of money right now {and i do agree to a certain extent} i do have my morals & my own standards. i have never in my life been interviewed by a company who was more concerned about my family life & my finances than my skills or my talents. openly telling me that the other two women i am competing against are single & childless and then making the "well, you'll be okay because your husband works" statement were absolutely unnecessary. they are lucky i didn't cry 'discrimination!' and call the BBB. and this was all said by the owner/president of the company. who was, i might add, a woman.

anyways...when one door closes, another one opens...and i'm hoping, wishing & praying for some good news next week. we are taking things as they come & the arrangement has been lovely thus far.

so it's finally friday. it's just me & the pup. malia was home sick for a couple days earlier this week. i'm hoping to get my 'routine' together again. laundry, housekeeping, crafts, baking, being driven insane by the pup. you know, the usual.

oh, i do have a new camera. it came last week. i finally took it out of the box. i am smitten. absolutely in love. it's not the d-slr that i wanted to get...maybe that can be on my wish list for next Christmas, but i love my new kodak p&s just the same. it's 14 megapixels of hd goodness. i'll upload some pics later & share them with you. i owe you some anyways.

it's cold. weather in virginia is wonky. it was in the 70s just a couple days ago. kid. you. not. no wonder kleenex has become me BFF here lately. it's supposed to be fuh-reezing tonight {i know, i know...temps in the 30s is like a heat wave for some of y'all} and it's supposed to be back in the 60s by the beginning of the week. i realize that it's not quite winter, but i'd like a little consistency, please.

well, the pup is snoring. that's a sign to get off the computer & get motivated. things get accomplished while he's snoozing. it's silly, but it's true!

I'll take one vacation...hold the kids, please!

Adam and I go on vacation together every year. It's only one week out of the year, but it's OUR week. The week belongs to no one else. It's a time for the two of us to reconnect and rekindle our romance. We get to relax, enjoy each other's company and forget about the stress that comes with working, owning a home, being a parent, etc. We truly enjoy getting away -- just the two of us -- and we both feel that it does wonders for our relationship and our marriage.

Do I feel guilty for leaving the kids to take a week's vacation with my husband? No.

Should I feel guilty for leaving the kids to take a week's vacation with my husband? No.

I love my children, but I also love having that time for myself and the hubby. Trust me, if you work for your husband (as I do) you need all the reconnecting and rekindling you can get!

What to do?

The school board voted to end the year-round school option effective immediately at the end of this school year. My children attend one of the four elementary schools in Virginia Beach that operate on a year-round calendar, Corporate Landing Elementary. It is our daughter's third year at the school (she's been there since Kindergarten) and it's our son's first year there (he's only in Kindergarten). Our neighborhood is technically zoned for a different elementary school; however, we had the choice of "opting out" of our zoned school (which operates on a traditional calendar) for CLES since the year-round school was "super zoned" for our area.

We love the year-round calendar. Love it, love it, love it! I wouldn't change it for anything. But, budget cuts and all that jazz are forcing the program to come to an end. It's kind of sad to think about, really, but what weighs most on my mind is what happens now? Fortunately, the principal sent home a letter on Friday addressing a lot of my questions and concerns. My biggest concern was whether or not our children would be able to stay at CLES -- and the answer is NO. Not without a zone waiver approved by the principal of the school. Basically, this coming September, they would both be back at Ocean Lakes Elementary -- the school our neighborhood is truly zoned for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking OLES, but I just don't like the idea of my kids switching schools. Maybe it's the change. Maybe it's the fact that we just love CLES. Maybe it's because the kids are already a bit upset about the prospect of changing schools....the way they look at it is that we're not moving so why do they have to move to a different school?? I know without a doubt that my children will thrive at OLES and they will receive the same superior education that they are receiving now. I am a bit biased in that respect only because I am a product of the Virginia Beach City Public School system having lived here since 1986 (I was in the 4th grade when we moved here).

Bottom line is this -- Adam and I have a lot of decisions to make. This isn't about pros & cons, but what works for our family and what would be best for the children. I'm sad that my son might not have the opportunity to have the same first grade teacher as Malia and I'm sad that Malia might not have a chance to be in a friend's third grade classroom (she's a teacher at CLES). But, I do know that they would be in good hands at OLES -- a close family friend is the guidance counselor at OLES.

Adam and I need to decide whether or not we want to pursue an attendance zone waiver to keep the kids at CLES -- then all transportation becomes our responsibility (no sweat, we would only need to drive them to school). Or, do we just want to go with the flow and keep things simple by sending them to OLES. Some of their friends might be there (there are a lot of children from our neighborhood & surrounding areas who are zoned for OLES but opted out to go to CLES). The only major change despite being at a different school would be the fact that school would start a half an hour earlier than what they are currently used to. (The way I see it is that it's a blessing in disguise and I would actually be a half an hour earlier to work...) The only issue with OLES is whether or not Parks & Recreation offers an after-school program at the school like Malia currently attends at CLES -- if not, then this raises even more issues for US as a family due to childcare issues.

So, as you can see, there is a lot to think about. A lot. And, I want to have a decision soon.

http://www.corporatelandinges.vbschools.com/Fact%20Sheet-Possible%20Changes%20to%20the%20Year-Round%20School%20Program_.pdf

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/major-cuts-proposed-va-beach-school-programs

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/end-beachs-yearround-schedule-may-affect-800

Yogi Tea thought for the day before yesterday :)

Attached to my tea bag on Tuesday was this saying:

"Recognize that the other person is you."

That's some food for thought, huh? I think I've realized this one with "my person" -- she knows who she is! :)

Humbling stuff...

I read the classified section of our local newspaper -- not because I'm looking for a job, but because I am nosey. I like to see who lost what, who found what...who is missing a fur baby and who has found someone's fur baby...who is selling what or who is trying to buy something. OK, OK...I like looking over the job listings, too. It's interesting to see who is hiring and for what.

But, I also read the classifieds to read through the foreclosure listings. (I also like to read the obituaries, but that's in a different section of the newspaper...) You have to be really, really stupid or from another planet if you didn't know and understand the economic peril the U.S. is spiralling in at the moment. The increasing number of foreclosure listings is evident. And, while scanning through the listings last night, the reality of the problem hit close to home -- well, sort of. I recognized a name. Yes, I saw a foreclosure listing on a house that belongs (well, I guess BELONGED to) someone I know. I don't know her or her husband well, but I've met them nonetheless and do feel sorry for them. No one wants to lose their home. But, in a sick & twisted sense, I DON'T feel too sorry for them...living "the high life" isn't always so great. Of course, this is only my opinion of their situation and, while I don't know their situation completely, it really isn't my place to judge. But, irregardless of the situation or how they used their money or whatever, the sad reality is that their family lost their beautiful home. Their foreclosure listing was just one of many that covered about four pages of the classifieds section. Four pages. Yikes.

Needless to say, it just drives the fact home that the seriousness of our country's economic situation is alive and very much well all around us. This just drives the point home even more that I need to be more of a miser and less of a glutton.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy New Year!

Today is Chinese New Year -- the year of the Ox.

I have my red sweater on for good luck. Tonight we're having dinner with friends to celebrate the new year in our family's own special way.

Today is just a cool day

A view of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. as thousands

upon thousands await the inauguration of our 44th President,

Barack Obama.

I can't take credit for the photo posted above. It's from MSNBC's website. I've got some live video streaming right now on the computer. Today is quite an exciting day! What makes today even more exciting is the fact that my children, who are only 5 and 7 years of age, know what is going on and know who Barack Obama is. In fact, during their school's mock election, both kidlets voted for Obama. My daughter's reasoning was pretty straight forward -- she just liked him better than McCain. I think it was maybe because Obama's name is just cooler sounding. My son, however, was very honest and said that the ONLY reason he voted for Obama is because his wife's name is Michelle and his daughter's name is Malia -- just like Aidan's mom and sister. :)

Kitchen progress

So, it's now been four whole days since I've had a working kitchen sink. It's starting to get kind of annoying. While I'm thankful that everything else in our kitchen is still accessible and working, it really is difficult to work in a kitchen without a sink. Before, we were still able to at least run the dishwasher but Adam turned off the water supply to the kitchen last night because he had to redo the plumbing underneath the sink in order to accomodate the deeper sink and the new garbage disposal. *sigh*

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I just want my kitchen back!

I suppose, however, that this kitchen renovation is going a lot smoother than originally planned. And, just knowing that we can get this done and NOT have to worry about the kids (since they are with my parents) has been quite a big help, too. I couldn't even imagine taking on such a project if the kids were at home. They practically live in our kitchen!

Anyway, Adam and I went to The Tile Shop yesterday at Lynnhaven. We brought a piece of our existing granite tile in order to find a suitable match for it. Also, we needed to find three 12"x12" tiles to closely match the granite tile because Adam found out that he was 3 tiles short to complete the job in the kitchen. We had agreed that our "bar" area would just have ceramic tile since there wasn't enough granite to cover it as well. Well, upon entering the store, we were greeted by Jason who helped us out with everything. The best thing we heard yesterday was, "We have that exact tile here in the store!" Adam and I couldn't believe our ears! Seriously?! The Tile Store had our tile? Sure enough...they did! It wasn't from the same run number (duh!) but Jason told us that the granite we had was probably some of the most popular...or was it the most common (I dunno)...but, irregardless...they had our tile! This meant that we didn't have to use ceramic for our bar area...hooray! And, to make things better, they also had matching end-pieces and corners! Hot diggity dog!

While at the store, we also chose our glass mosaic tile for the backsplash. It wasn't the color I had originally fallen in love with online, but I think it's going to look beautiful just the same. The color worries me just slightly since our kitchen walls are painted a turquoise blue color (it's "Embellished Blue" by Behr), but the eat-in portion of our kitchen has a darker blue colored ragged onto the walls (a la moi!) called "Surfer" (also, by Behr). So, I think it will be fine. The glass tile I saw online was actually MUCH, MUCH lighter in person and would not have worked at all. Adam chose a coordinating mortar color (something to go with the granite and also the mosaic tile) and then Jason totalled up our purchase. A good portion of our purchase will be shipped to the store on Wednesday so our kitchen will be complete by next weekend!

I've taken a few pictures here and there and I'll get those posted soon. I'm just excited that we're actually doing something substantial to our tiny kitchen. Maybe I'll even spend more time cooking in it once it's finished....ha ha ha, yeah right, who am I kidding?!

Fresh Starts

"Fresh starts. Thanks to the calendar they happen every year --just set your watch to January, our reward for surviving the holiday season is a new year. Bringing on the great tradition of new years resolutions, put your past behind you and start over. It's hard to resist the chance of a new beginning, a chance to put the problems of last year to bed."

Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy"