Monday DT

I just wanted to say good morning....and goodbye.

I'm off for the day. A full day meeting with our company lawyer. Exciting huh???? A day full of policy and procedure talks. WoooHooo! Anyhoooo, I will be back late tonight so....you guys behave here today. Okay?!?! Don't get into too much trouble while I'm away.

Have a great day!

Nice weather here today - sunny, bright and not too cold. Sitting in my top-floor room, I can see right across town (we live on a hill too . . .)

Getting quotes for painting the windows, the paint is peeling of the outside of them, and it's starting to look scabby. Lots of windows = lots of pennies (I'm sure)!!!!!

Have to get my large project delivered to the client by the end of the week, so I probably won't be dropping in here too much (there's a lull at present, no translators sending completed files through). If we get this right, there will be a project about 8 times the size of this one in Arpil - that will really get my little company off the ground!!!

I've also got other stuff going on - which I will divulge in due course, but not just yet. I don't mean to be mysterious, but there is so much up in the air at the moment I don't waht to tempt any fate at all by mentioning things.

Oh - and we're seriously talking about moving house. We're starting to have enough of living in the noisy, very dirty and somewhat dangerous centre of town. Seriously, I have to have CCTV over my gardens (front and back), so I can see if anyone is going to vandalise my car (I've had the roof cut twice), and to see if anyone is scaling the walls to nick the garden furniture or ornaments.

Have a good day everyone!!!

I've nothing to do, today. Going to put on a pair of shorts and kick back, on the patio, with a book. We're expecting a high of 79, today.

Shorts!? Can I just say I am jealous? Oh well... enjoy the sun for me, too. It's really not so bad here. We have snow on the ground, but it's not miserably cold or anything.

I am feeling lazy today. All I wanted to do was stay home today read, watch TV, surf the net, and generally loaf around. Typical Monday mood.

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Hello all!
Just another quiet day, playing Kingdom Hearts - I love it as it has Disney Characters in it. I didnt get much sleep last night because Kahu slept with me and Penka kept trying to sneak up on him to attack him and I had to keep separating them. So I am a little tired.
Shorts - dang it, I cannot wait for summer!
Yesterday I was talking to someone, about the journey thru life, and she said that too many people are looking forward to the end of something, or attaining a goal and they forget about the journey itself. I thought she made a good point and from now on, while hoping to reach the goal of going home, I will enjoy each day as it comes. I talked to my sister and she said that my niece who is 6 yrs old said 'I love school, I love holidays, I love every day' and I thought it was a wonderful outlook on life. I am going to try and adopt that! I also wondered how she got so wise at such a young age!
Gabe, my little sweetheart is now potty trained, we were so happy and as he loves Scooby Doo, we went and got him some Scooby Doo undies, as a reward.
I am still looking for information about normal height growth - Ghyslaine, how tall is your 4 year old? Gabe is now 100cm (1 metre or 3'3") He grew 4 inches (10cm) in about 6 months and I am worried that hes growing too fast for his bones to handle.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Yola, I know exactly where you're coming from with the vandalised car issues. I've had 14 attacks on my car over the last two years and I'm getting rather bored of it now. I have more keys to secure my car than my house!

We are also moving - but to New Zealand! Lots better, most houses have a garage, so no worries there - not that they're needed except to keep the car cool!

Quotes coming in to ship the animals (2 dogs, 4 cats = £5,000), us (2 adults, 3 kids = £1,500) and the furniture (3 bed house = £1,800). The plan is to move in July...

Diana

Wow - that is brave. Moving to the other side of the world. I'm umming and erring about moving 20 miles down the M4!!!

Diana are you from NZ originally, is it work related or just a search for a better quality of life?

Some how I always manage to get in debt. However, I was quite surprised this morning to find that my car insurance is credited to $300.00 so I didn't have to pay it this month! Oh joy! Now I can pay my gas and electric! I've been worried about how I'm going to get by this month but I guess I'm just running a lucky streak. As little as I make, for some reason I make due. If I can get caught up on all the essential things I need, I can start to save, save, save! I went to Cat Welfare yesterday. I was petting and lovin kitties! One of the volunteers came out of the back and gasped at me after she saw me petting a grey tabby. She said that no one has been able to ever touch her. I had her on her back rubbing her tummy! I was able to pick her up and hold her. I guess I have a new job!

It is definitely Monday in my world. We've been fighting the owners on one issue for 2 weeks now. They are requiring for the two full time admin people to work 4 hours of overtime every other week, but we are supposed to either take 4 hours off during that week (yeah, right! when are we supposed to do that and leave the office unattended or our work unfinished?) or take it as comp time to take off later. This was OK and we understood it when everyone had to do the same thing with OT because of the financial situation of the company. Well, they sent out an email saying the OT ban was lifted for all employees but later came and told us that didn't include the admin department. They actually had the gall to tell us that they couldn't afford it (one of the two of us is the accountant ). Right, like paying two of the lowest pid employees 4 hours of OT will really break the bank. The final decision came down today, after Kim made her case about it last week and they discussed it, that we still don't get paid OT for the required time, and now they are thinking of cutting Friday afternoons for admin altogether. Fine, at least don't expect me to work OT and not pay me for it. I would rather just have the time off and consistency in their decisions. So we're pretty well fuming today because it is not only discrimination against the admin work, like what we do is less important, but we are 2 of the 3 female full time employees here, and the other one never works OT. One of the owners has let some pretty sexist comments slip, so it's pretty obvious to us what's going on.

Other than that rant, not much going on. It's ridiculously nice out for January. We're going to be close to 70 today.

Heidi - That really stinks! I hope they pull their heads out of their you know whats and realize how important admins really are!

Well, I'm feeling a bit better today. Still gonna take it kinda easy though, I don't feel up to a whole lot of activity. I caught someone going through my freezer outside last night! I yelled at him, it was some guy saying he was hungry. he took off, I ran inside and got Mike, who took off after him with a camera. As I looked through the freezer, I discovered he'd stolen my lobster tails that I'd bought for our anniversiary dinner!!! I am SOOOO angry

Marcy....that's awful! I am thankful I have yet to experience something like that. I can't imagine how I would react to finding someone rummaging through my freezer.

And Yola.....get out of that place! Hope you find a nice, clean, safe home to live in.

Yikes folks....I guess for myself, living in the country far away from all the theft, break ins etc.... is like living in a little corner, tucked away close to Heaven. I am blessed to not have any issues like that to deal with. I love my home and surroundings. And I've also realised that having such a blessed, safe, living arrangement will, in no way, ever prepare me to ever go out into 'the real world'. I think I'll continue hiding out over here.

Diana, geesh...I really wish I knew more about money exchanges. I am curious now what your costs mean in Canadian dollars. I'll check out a currency exchange site when I get the chance.

Heidi....I don't really have any words to say that can make you feel better. Personally, I would be really ticked off. It is discrimination and if I were you, I'd investigate why it is this way. Check with HR and get more info.

Kellye, I really do think your little guy is growing like a weed! I am not 100% sure how tall Nicolas is but if I am not mistaken, at his last doctor's appointment, he was 3 feet (something).... Now, he is short for his age (smallest in his class) so i am ot sure what the norm is. It's pretty funny though because he was 10lbs7oz at birth.I thought he was going to be a monster. He's short and chubby and his brother is tall and lean. Is your little guy complaining about pains anywhere? Normally, children get sore legs, arms etc...when they go through growth spurts. If you find he is complaining alot, maybe it may be worth an extra check up with a bone specialist to make sure his bones/joints are extending properly and that there is no problem. If you do find out the normal height for his age, can you let me know? I'm curious as to what is normal for 4 now.....

Ghys, there is no HR department. I work for a small company so when the owners make a decision there is no appeal. We can be mad and gripe about it, but unless we want to leave there isn't anything to do about it. This thing will play itself out. We both think that they will cut our Fridays and at some point there will be enough complaints that there is no one answering the phones and the accountant can't get all her reports done on time that it will come back around.

Here is a growth chart Ghyslaine, Gabe is way over the normal percentile for his age.

Kellye, Nicolas is right on in the weight (he weighs 34 pounds) but.......I can't figure out where to look for the height. I'm either having a 'duh' moment or I'm tired and don't understand.

I'll check it out tomorrow, when I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed!

Heidi....that is too bad. I guess all you can really do is wait it out. Sometimes, what upsets us one day, doesn't seem as bad the next day. Maybe, like you say, it will play itself out. Good luck!

Morning all!

Yola, (prepare for long story), I was born in the UK, emigrated when I was only 10 months old and then returned to the UK in 1986. We went for a holiday in March 2002 and I've been wanting to go back ever since!

Told my mum last night that we're coming over in July and she said "this year?". Yep, all I've got to do is pack up the house and animals, sell the house and sort out a visa for my husband. Oh yeh, and I've got to have a baby around April/May too! Should be plenty of time don't you think??

Diana