Tons O' Updates

I was feeling Irish when I wrote my post title!

I've been a busy little beaver, with work and preparing for the school pumpkin fair. Being in charge of commercial sales had me all in a bundle of nerves because it meant I had to make phone calls to all of the businesses that bought from us last year. I don't do phones! The thought of calling someone makes me want to throw up. So when the PTA handed this assignment to me, I went back and forth between dry heaving and assuring myself that I could do it. This past week was crunch time, and I had no time to really stress about it. I had to make those phone calls - 600 kids were depending on me to help raise money. So that is what I did. I sat down one afternoon when we got home from school/work and I pounded out all the phone calls. I wasn't nervous at all. I just did it. I still have to call a few people, but only because they've been unavailable every time I call. I will finish that up tomorrow, then all I have to worry about is the setting up of the actual pumpkin fair, the fair itself, then the delivery of the fall decor. So really, even though most of the long hours and heavy lifting are still ahead of me, the hard part is over. And as soon as all that is over, I get to start on the cookie dough fundraiser. I think that will be easier.

Work is going well. I'm still not officially hired for the position, and still just a sub, but I absolutely love this job, and I've told my manager that I am definitely interested in further training. I think I have finally found something to do with my life. I'm not insanely passionate and knowledgeable about child nutrition, but I am very, very interested and I do think that passion will come. Along similar lines, I'm getting involved in a children's fitness program at the school. They started a Go Far Club, and our first meeting is Tuesday. I have volunteered for that (along with my manager) and we're going to spend 8 weeks training for a 5K. And so this gets me thinking (again!) about getting my Turbo Kick certification, and teaching TK to kids! How fun would that be??!!!

Let's see...what else? My father-in-law came to visit for Labor Day weekend and took us off-shore fishing. I had horrible seasickness. I'd never had a problem on a boat before, but I'd also never been 40 miles from land before. The waves are different out there. The choppy, fast moving stuff didn't bother me. The slower, longer waves did. The only time I didn't want to puke was when I was lying down with my eyes closed. Also, when I was doing actual fishing (which I did!!!), I was okay, but as soon as the excitement of the catch was over, I had to lie down again. Which was a shame because the mate was shirtless and sofa king sexy!!! OMG, no words. It was amusing though - after we got off the boat, my husband made some comments about how he just knew I'd think the mate was hot. Sam even said, as soon as the mate took his shirt off, he knew what would go through my mind. I didn't get to see the shirtless mate until well after he'd taken it off, because I was just trying everything not to hurl on his feet. I did notice that it didn't look like he was wearing underwear though. Ah, the memories.

My 11th wedding anniversary is next weekend. I got a Kindle. I always said I'd never get one, but the new 3rd generation Kindles are so light and thin and cute. I had some Amazon gift cards that I'd earned from SwagBucks, so that helped pay for about half of it. The rest of it was a "gift" from my husband. I first thought about getting it before my father-in-law got here, and at that time, any e-reader would have worked. I just wanted one. I'm so glad there wasn't one available locally. It gave me time to research more and see if I really did want one. Then I couldn't decide whether I wanted a Kindle or a Nook. Most of the ebooks I have are Kindle format (thanks to all the freebies Amazon offers), so I went with that. And of course, they were backordered so I had to wait. It took about 2 weeks from the time I ordered it until it arrived. It would probably have taken another week but I didn't cheap out and sprung for 2-day delivery. I love it. I absolutely love it! I named it Lasher, after the Anne Rice character/book (which gave me nightmares). I can access the Internet and read my blogs and message boards. I can put all of my fitness and nutrition PDFs on there and read whenever I need to. It's very convenient. My first "for fun" reading is the Sookie Stackhouse series. I just finished watching Season 3 of True Blood and OMFG!!!!! I am a total werewolf girl. Total.

Remember how I started monthly menu planning? This week has sucked for following it. I didn't take into consideration the fish we might catch (50 mahi mahi) or the deer Sam would get on opening day (about 30 pounds of meat - all ground). So my freezer is full of those two things and I haven't been able to buy any other meat in preparation for the menus. Hopefully, my October menu will be better executed. I am planning a lot of venison & fish quick or Crock Pot meals because...I'm now a sub for the after school enrichment program. That runs until 6 PM every day, and I never know when I'm going to be called to work. I wouldn't call it "babysitting" but more like facilitating and monitoring the kids in whatever grade level I am working with. They play outside, have a snack, do crafts and other activities, do homework. The best part is, Sebastian gets to go on days I work and play with his friends. I'm not available every day because on Mondays Sebastian has his allergy shots, on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next 8 weeks we're doing to 5K training, and one Wednesday a month, I have Green Team.

Green Team keeps me busy too, and I'm not even a main leader!! Our first meeting was last week, and I wanted to have the kids make scarecrows out of recycled/recyclable materials. I had to do a lot of the prep work before hand, and I still have to put everything together into the final product before mid-week. The scarecrows are going to be decorations for the pumpkin fair. I was a bit nervous before the first meeting because, though I volunteered last year, I wasn't a team leader. This year, I am. 

So basically, I'm all about the elementary school these days. I like the kids (probably because I don't have to deal with them all day) and the teachers and admins are mega-awesome. I'd like to do more in the classroom but my work hours kind of suck for that. Oh, and I'm in charge of making salads! I like that. I don't feel guilty making those. I think it is kind of dumb to have different types of chicken salads three days in a row each week, but no one I work with directly has the power to change that. 

I know I'm probably forgetting something. I love being busy but I feel like I'm doing enough in terms of contributing around the house. Yes, I'm working but it's only part time and I could probably get a full-time job and help out more. I spend a lot of time on the volunteer stuff, which is great, but I feel like some things are already being shoved to the back burner. I'm trying to keep to a schedule for keeping up with the house cleaning and I've been doing weekly To Do lists that has helped out tons. I'm keeping all my stuff organized and accessible. I hope I can stay on top of everything. The new TV season starts tomorrow and there's so much I want to check out but I have a feeling that I just won't have time. I have it on my To Do list to update my DVRs before tomorrow night. That item is not crossed off yet.

School Breakfasts/Lunches - Ideas for this year!

I may work in a school cafeteria, but that doesn't mean I want my kid eating what I serve. Sebastian took his lunch most of the time last year, and ate school lunch the year before (in pre-school, and I have no idea whether home-brought lunches were allowed or not...unless there were allergy issues [none in his class], I think everyone got school lunch, and I do know the teachers were very good about making sure the kids chose fruit and vegetables). I wanted to jump on the bento lunch bandwagon but I am what you call a lazy parent. We were extended breastfeeders and co-sleepers because I was too lazy to make formula bottles or pump or quiet him in his own bed. I'm so glad he was a comfort nurser, too. He was so clingy, I managed to watch

and

AND

before we were all finished.

Luckily, I've found a fantastic blog that's not all fancy bento, but it does offer great ideas and pretty healthy recipes. I cannot tell you how much I love this blog. If I had to cheat on Fitbomb, it would be with this blog.

Breakfasts:

granola/cereal bars
muffins
pancakes/waffles
toast (or bagel/English muffin) w/ nut butter or light cream cheese
cereal (Cheerios, Rice Krispies, or Corn Flakes)

with milk or yogurt and fruit, sometimes turkey bacon or sausage.

Lunches:

ham or peanut butter & jelly/Nutella on whole wheat or quick ogre bread, tortilla roll up, or mini pita
meatballs with easy vegetable risotto
crumb coated chicken nuggets (use boneless, skinless)
chicken Momnuggets
chicken/beef/vegetable soup
Tex-Mex corn & bean salsa
grilled cheese or quesadillas
Sandwich Thin or English Muffin pizza
bulgur chili
kabobs
turkey veggie meatloaf muffins
ham & cheese mini muffins
ham stuffed cheddar mini muffins
tacos
baked corn dog bites

Snacks:

whole wheat crackers w/ peanut butter, jelly, low fat cream cheese & chives
pretzels or croutons
oatmeal pumpkin bars or pumpkin nuggets
whole wheat pumpkin carrot muffins
fruit & vegetable slices
air-popped popcorn
yogurt
oatmeal raisin cookies
baked apples w/ cinnamon

I'm hoping to post a full menu for the month of September, that will include breakfast, lunch, and dinner for both of us (Sebastian and me - Sam gets whatever he gets). I have Sebastian's lunches penciled in and I need to schedule dinners. My lunches will likely be left overs, and my breakfasts the same (or not all that varied). And of course, since I have no idea what the heck I'm doing, September's menu will be very simple and not likely to include any "new" dinner recipes. I'm also trying to figure out how to present it online. I know there are menu planning templates but the once I've seen so far aren't right for my need to be in control of every single detail. I'll probably end up making a spreadsheet in Google Docs.

The theme to "The Jeffersons" is stuck in my head.

Because I'm moving on up!

Earlier this year, after 6 months of never being called to substitute teach, I got a job subbing in the school cafeteria. Mainly at my son's elementary school, but occasionally at the middle school, as well. I liked the middle school well enough, but I loved the elementary schedule. And they loved me, if I do say so myself. I became a "long term" sub in April-ish, after one of the girls got really sick. I worked every school day from then until the end of the school year. Boss Lady (BL) at the elementary school seemed to like my work, availability, and enthusiasm. I made it clear that I loved the job and would definitely be interested in something permanent if Sick Girl (SG) didn't come back or one of the others transferred.

So, I waited through the end of June and into July. I saw SG at Kmart and she looked good. She didn't see me, so I didn't make conversation. I got my paperwork from the school board about whether or not I still wanted to be on the substitute teacher list. I filled it out and indicated I was still interested - after all, I'd paid my billion dollars for the course and didn't want to retake the course in the future. Then I got my paperwork for the substitute child nutrition list. That's what we are - child nutrition employees, not lunch ladies. In that paperwork, there was also the questions of whether or not I'd be interested in a permanent position. Well, duh. So I checked that box, too.

BL from the elementary school called me this morning. SG isn't coming back, have I found something better? Lady, I wasn't even looking. I was holding out for you! That's what I told her. And I was! I wanted this job. It's still perfect, even without benefits.

It's not officially official yet, but the Director of Child Nutrition (DCN) wants me to attend the training sessions and start the school year, then when things settle down, we'll all sit down with the principal and do the interview. Yikes. I'm not worried.

What does scare me is how busy I'm going to be, after going from being a housewife then stay at home sit on my ass mom for the last nine years to having a job AND being the head of the PTA fundraising committee. I'm also trying to get on the sub list for our school's after school care program. We'll also have Green Team and I wanted to see about starting a Lego Robotics team at our school.

When will I have time to play on the internet? Will being much more active help me lose these last 7 pounds? What time will I have to wake up each day to get my workout done before school? How will I stay in control of my food? Will there be a lot of Crock Potting in my future? Will I get hopelessly behind on my stories?

I do enjoy my job.

I haven't worked since March 2001. My employment history is funky. My first job was at McDonald's in Fredonia, New York. I loved that place, especially once I started closing. The closing crew we had was awesome. Aside from closing, I loved doing maintenance on the weekend. I didn't have to deal with customers all that much. I was quite happy in the freezer stacking boxes or hauling garbage to the dumpster. After Mickey D's, I had a work-study job on my college campus. I cleaned the dorms during the summer, when the Buffalo Bills had their training camp. I once asked Marv Levy if he had a banana in is pocket or was he just happy to see me. He had a banana in his pocket. I also got Steve Christie's autograph. I even stole a pair of John Butler's shorts. Now, he was a bigger guy and his shorts did not fit me, but don't worry - I grew into them.

So I did that few a couple summers, and I worked at Bob Evans as a bus boy (?) for a month. I hated that place so much, I don't even think I went back for my last paycheck. But I got my dream job shortly after that - tutoring science for the Upward Bound Program on campus. I worked with high school kids in various capacities for about 4 years after that, and I loved it. LOVED IT.

I left that job to move to North Carolina, where my mom had moved with her new husband. She got me a job at a little store that sold lighthouse crap. It was was okay, but I missed teenagers. Luckily, I found a job as a "high risk intervention mentor" and got to work one-on-one with behaviorally challenged kids. My first client was a 16 year old male (who has grown into a wonderful young man, solider, and father). He phased out of the program and I was assigned a 7 year old girl. That only lasted a few months. Elementary aged children are not my forte. So I quit that job to focus on grad school. A couple years later, I became a stay-at-home mom. It wasn't until my son started kindergarten that I felt comfortable enough to try working again. He was sick a lot in preschool so I could never do it then.

I bit the bullet and took my course to become a substitute teacher. Due to Sebastian's schedule and the weird way the schools here do not all start at the same time, the only school I was available to sub in was his elementary school. I took my phone to bed every night, waiting for that last minute call. Of course, it never came. Then I learned from a fellow sub (who was worked to death in the same elementary school), that the cafeteria needed subs. They aren't called lunch ladies anymore. They are child nutrition managers & employees. (Let me assure you, there is very little "nutritious" about the school lunches.) Anyway, I emailed the Child Nutrition Director, and since I was already approved to substitute teach, it took less than 24 hours for me to be put on the list for the cafeteria - all 8 of them, since the hours worked with our schedule. And to my surprise, the phone rang in the morning. It was my son's school, and they needed someone that day. I was a little scared but whatever. I hadn't worked in almost a decade and I was just sure I'd commit some employment faux pas. But I didn't. I served lunch to hundreds of elementary kids, including my own. It was a perfect shift - just 4 hours - of no stress, no pressure work.

My next gig was at a middle school. The hours were longer - 6 this time - and it cut it close, time-wise, for picking up Sebastian. But it's not horrible there, especially serving. The middle school kids know what they want and you don't have to ask them 50 million times whether they want crappy carbs or healthy vegetables. The middle school kids can't stack their trays for shit, so being in the washroom at the middle school sucks. The elementary kids are very good about stacking their trays, probably because they have a lot of guidance.

I've been at the middle school 4 times in the last 2 months. I've been at my son's elementary school 13 times, and I'm scheduled for 2 more this week. I had my first 6-hour shift there today and 6 hours there isn't nearly as long as 6 hours at the middle school. I would love to be a permanent lunch lady at my son's school. I have no desire to substitute teach there. That doesn't mean I don't want to substitute teach at all - I'd just prefer to teach the older kid. But until Sebastian moves to middle school and can become a latch-key kid, I'm chained to the little guys. And I'd much rather serve them food or wash their lunch trays than try to keep their attention for 6 hours a day. I have little patience on the best of days. I can't imagine dealing with 21 Sebastians for any length of time.