Sunday, December 21, 2008

Bronwen and Ava's Cute Words

Tonight Bronwen made an airplane out of legos. She put on the wheels, wings, and a smiley face (airplanes need to have cute faces too, you know). Lastly, she plopped a large lego on top of the airplane's head. She then looked at Conrad and me and said, "My airplane friend needs to wear ear muffins so she can fly in the snow." Hee-hee!

Like her momma and aunties Natasha and Bianca, one of Ava's favorite foods is "wasanga". It's so cute that we can't bring ourselves to correct her because we love hearing it so much! "Ava, what are we having for dinner again?"...

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Our first snow in Seattle

True to the forecast it snowed about an inch in Seattle last night, leaving a beautiful Winter Wonderland.

The previous owner of our house let us know that the hill behind our backyard was a magnet to kids for sledding. Bronwen must have heard this through the grapevine because as soon as she saw the snow she said, "We have to put on our coats, mittens, hats and shoes and go down the big hill." We all had a great time!


Adventures on the big hill



Thursday, December 11, 2008

All jobs are not created equally...

Okay, sad, but good news...I quit the 'fantastic' job.

After looking for a job for six months I thought I found the answer to my prayers when I landed my job that offered 'flexible' hours.

When hired on I was told that I would have to work a swing shift for two weeks for on the job training. After that I could set my schedule as long as it met business needs.

Within one week I met with my boss, who then informed me that he needed me to continue working the swing shift for six weeks. It was a stretch, but I was willing to tough it out (as was Conrad who had already started going to work late to take care of Bronwen and Ava so I could sleep).

Well the last straw came Monday when I found out I had to work graveyard all of Christmas week (and New Year's Eve!). I realize the economy is terrible and employment options are grim, but some things, like the impact of a unpredictable schedule on my family, just aren't worth the money.

My takeaway, get clarification of what 'flexible' means (is it flexible for your or the company's benefit), and talk to current employees. I later found out the turnver rate ran rampid in this company. Gee, I wonder why...

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the creepy 60-year-old scientist who moonlights as a cross-dresser on the weekends (and carries around an 8X10 picture of him in drag to work). When he showed me the picture (he's standing next to a lady wearing the same outfit) he had the nerve to tell me, "I'm the one on the right." Yeah, I thought, I know. You mean the obvious looking man on the right wearing an obvious wig and obvious protruding fake boobs. Yeah, I know.