A Little Rambling

I haven't done a spectacular job of keeping up with writing. So much happens and doesn't get written. Sometimes I'm just too tired, and sometimes, by the end of the day, I can't even remember anything worthy of being recorded. And then there are the days when I am simply too overwhelmed by my own thoughts.

Florida, formerly known as Minnesota, came to visit a week and a half ago. When I should have been landing in Sanford, Sanford was arriving in western NY. To be honest, there was a conflict of emotions flooding through my mind. There was excitement as to their arrival, and disappointment in the cancellation of my own trip to Florida, as well as frustration at the piddly amount the airline gave me in the form of vouchers as a refund. The change of plans was not made flippantly and I agree wholeheartedly with the decision. (I'm finding it possible to be both in agreement and disappointed both at once.)

We had a houseful of people and more with visitors. I took Thursday and Friday off work and on Friday six adults took ten children to Rochester's Strong Museum of Play. It was probably the highlight of the visit. On Saturday there was a gathering in honor of my birthday. Ten grandchildren, four of my own kids, and three in laws. We found ourselves short staffed at work but my boss graciously allowed me to come into work at 10:30 am on Monday morning, giving me time to say goodbye to my son and his family before they made the long return journey south.

On Tuesday morning my sweet daughter dropped my cat off at the vet. I picked him up on my way home from work. He has made a complete recovery from his "minor surgery". Nothing like cutting it close to the six month mark for neutering a male cat. Thankfully, there were no incidents of spraying prior to him being fixed.

Between visiting family, a time change, and loss of sleep, I found myself extremely sleepy Wednesday night. I fell asleep early (9 pm) waking only once during the night, and then sleeping right through to being awakened by the sound of my phone ringing. It was Heather at work wondering if I was coming in. My alarm had been turned off and I was already 5 minutes late. I told her I would throw on some clothes and be there. I miraculously made it out of the house in a flash grabbing a lunch and my coffee on the way. I arrived at work just 43 minutes late. Not too bad for having a 25 minute drive.

Winter made a return this weekend. I'd be lying if I said I didn't mind. I'm in great need of sunshine and outdoor exercise and very much looking forward to warm weather and trips to the lake.

To Be Honest...

It was a good day in the Baby Room. Lots of tears, because they ARE babies, and lots of hugs, snuggles, mischief and giggles. They are a sweet bunch even if they don't like taking naps. Half an hour. That's about how long they sleep. I don't know how they do it. I could easily pass out for an hour or two. Ha ha!

Child Development Associate

My days at work have fallen into a somewhat steady routine, as steady as a routine can be with four children under a year old. Arrival, playtime, breakfast, diapers, bottles, nap. More diapers, lunch, bottles, playtime, nap. Diapers, bottles, snack, playtime, departure...Today I disassembled our bulletin board and redecorated. Took down our penguins, love bugs, and cardinals along with a stack of photos, and put up something new. Footprint bunnies, carrots, butterflies and flowers, and put up a new stack of photos. I've found an outlet for my photography even if I can't share much of it here. 

I won't be making a return to kitchen duties. The kitchen will soon be turned over to a former cook and I will be a permanent fixture as an Infant Teacher. Imagine that! The CDA is progressing. It might be slow but I have almost 3 more certificates under my belt. It is a good fit for me too. "My girls" are developing wonderfully. They're all mobile in one way or another and our straggler is ahead in language skills, which isn't surprising. I am already dreading the day when they move up to toddlers.

I'm coming up on a couple days off. I bought airline tickets to Florida back in January, but Florida (formerly known as Minnesota) is coming to New York instead. (That's a story I won't get into...) My babies will wonder what has happened to me and I will be enjoying my grandchildren. Perhaps a Florida trip in the not too distant future. I'm still hoping.

Oh, What a Beautiful Day!

I skipped church this morning and met a friend for breakfast. That is not my usual behavior. I hadn't a clue just how beautiful a morning it was going to be, although I was a little bit flustered by the restaurant staff who looked past me several times and then immediately noticed the guy who came in several minutes after me. I raised my hands in front of my body like "what's the deal here?" which suddenly got me noticed. Have I ever told you how often I feel completely invisible? She was all apologies, but honestly, there were three girls up there not one of them addressed me until I waved my hands. 

In spite of the restaurant staff to whose eyes I was invisible, it was a very nice day. Gail and I stopped out by her cottage to check out the lake and then went on up the road to Sodus Point where the beach was still cut off from the lake by a mound of thick, sand and rock encrusted ice. It was windy, but not at all cold. The temperatures reached about 75 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon. A rare early March occurrence.

 From Sodus we headed back to Webster and another of our favorite glass hunting spots. The wind, which was driving in cooler temperatures, was really starting to pick up speed. they say wind speeds today matched the temperatures. The lake was playful and the waves fabulous. My hair whipped around my face and my cotton shirt flapped in the breeze.

Back at home I found the power was out and the house was empty. My shoes and pant legs, drenched by rogue waves, were feeling cold. I didn't feel like changing my clothes and since my car was warm, I climbed back in the driver's seat, leaned it back and took a nap. I woke up when I heard Hannah pull in the driveway with the boys who had enjoyed a nice splash session in some puddles at another park.

Feeling Accomplished

I earned a certificate today. Dug in my heels and stayed the course until it was finished and I have a certificate to prove it. I have not a clue how many certificates I need to produce in the next year, but everyone has to start at the beginning. I have earned two so far. 

We finally had a Saturday where the windchill didn't suck the breath right out of the lungs. I didn't need my expensive gloves down by the lake this afternoon, just a hat and my thin knit gloves. I took a few pictures and decided not to become a casualty of the ice and trudged back up the hill to my car and came home. (Maybe I'll post a picture tomorrow.)

I'm meeting a friend for breakfast tomorrow, my friend Gail. We don't connect near as much during the cold winter months as we do in summer and fall. It will be nice to catch up again. It's been a few weeks since we went out to dinner. I think Mama Lor's is becoming one of our favorite meeting spots.

Lots of family drama. Prayers are appreciated. God knows everything. 

Bits and Pieces

* I got to thinking this afternoon and decided to attempt a resurrection. Of this blog. It's been undergoing a struggle the past few years, but I'm pretty sure with a bit of TLC it can be revived.

* There is so much for which to be grateful. I've often posted here when I was feeling down, but the truth is I'm really doing very well. The good days far outweigh the bad. I am actually loving myself and enjoying life. I rarely wonder who I am or where I am going to end up and I know The One who watches over me. He hasn't failed me yet. (I must remember not to post when I am tired. Honesty is good, life is not perfect, but God is still good.)

* My babies, my work babies, are growing up. When I started this Baby Room job back in October, the task felt daunting. The babies we 3, 4, 5, and 6 months old. I psyched myself up for the couple of months ahead, set my mind, and plunged forward. I fully expected, at the beginning, to be back in the daycare kitchen by Christmas. Silly me. It's been 5 months now. My girls are now 7, 8, 9, and 10 months old. In two weeks they will be 8, 9, 10, and 11 months. I think I'm in the Infant Room for the long haul, and that's okay. I actually like it most of the time. Ha ha!

* It is late and I am tired. Tired makes it hard for me to remember what happened during the day, and not remembering what happened makes posting a challenge. I have a plan to overcome that. And while I can remember...

* Overheard in the hallway this week while the two year old children were going outside, "Rocky the Bear? That's Winnie the Pooh." (Meet Rocky. He's been on the blog before. Do you think he looks at all like Pooh Bear?)

* And yesterday... I can't show her face, but I can show you what she did. The box of tissues was full. Ha ha! I almost didn't think to take a photograph. While she went to sleep I folded the tissues back up and put them into an empty tissue box. No sense throwing them all out. they were clean!