judi75

Reply to This is Very Rotten in Current Events Stardock Forums

I've been bothered lately by just how people are getting fired. At my husband's office yesterday, they had an all employee meeting to announce a recycling initiative as a cost-cutting strategy. And the meeting ended with the boss tossing out the comment that 20 more people would be facing layoffs--not who, just that it was going to happen. Talk about the ultimate in recyling, eh? This is typical of the uncaring way most major corporations are dealing with the c

Reply to Blogs that don't make sense to me. in Blogging Stardock Forums

I blog because right now I have no support system in my life and I am the kind of person who needs to vent (and ideally, get feedback). I have been unable to find a blog site that offers a true sense of community, and that's what I'd like. The things I have to say are more a life journal, occasionally touching on world events, so it's not like I expect to generate tons of comments. But it is disappointing to not receive any feedback when the reason I write is to make contact

One Week, One Month in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

Have I really been home only a week? It seems so much longer than that. And was I really ever cold? That doesn't seem likely on a day like this when it's stuffy and sticky. I feel as if there's an emotional disconnect going on. Intellectually I know that the baby is growing and changing and learning and I'm not there to share any of it, which should break my heart. But emotionally I can't deal with that, so I've kind of built a wall around it. He's

A JoeUser Debut: Jace in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

If anyone would like to see photos of the perfect grandson, I have put them on flickr (can't seem to figure out how to get them all here): www.flickr.com/photos/9282510@N03/ Hope that works... Hit the gym for the first time and it really helped my stress level. I find that I stress about the oddest things. My laptop has been getting increasingly slow loading things when I first turn it on, so the

Home Again in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

I'm home. It was amazing to be able to spend 3 weeks with the kids. Having complete acess to the baby was a true joy--and a luxury--that I am missing now. I would tell him things that only a grandmother can relate, and he would get a look of deep contemplation. When he fussed during diaper change, I would give him lots of forehead kisses and he would quiet down. I know it's nuts, but it felt like he knew I loved him in a special way. When I am missing him

Chillin' and Chilly in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

After much agonizing, I have decided to stay one more week. That will get JLO halfway through her magic date of 6 weeks post-op. I am afraid, knowing her, that if I left now she would start doing too much (as I would in the same situation--as KT would--as the husband would), so one more week just postpones that. Also, if I leave in a week, B will be on spring break, so he will be home for 9 days after I leave, getting her to over 4 weeks post-op. As much as I truly did

Reply to St. Patrick's Day in Parenting Stardock Forums

When the girls were little, this was one of our favorite holidays. I would carry around green food coloring and magically, all their food would turn green. They never caught me. They would search the house for clues of leprechauns (sp?) and bring me bits of fuzz and strings and such that they found, which proved to them that there was one around and proved to me what a bad housekeeper I was!

Vote Here! in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

The baby came home on his week-aversary (as JLO calls it) and is doing well. This province (perhaps all do) sends out a visiting nurse the day after newborns come home, so he has been seen twice since he got home--the second time to monitor his jaundice which continues to linger. He and JLO are doing incredibly well as is the whole new little family. Nursing has taken on a pattern that is good for both mom and babe, and you can see the bonding going on. Daddy is happ

Reply to Criss-Cross Cultures in Life Journals Stardock Forums

Mine isn't really cultural, but sometimes the simplest, everyday things are the strongest memories. My mother was not an inspired cook (and my father was not an adventurous eater), so I can pretty much recite what we ate on each specific week day (at least until she passed away when I was 11). One grandmother was an incredible baker; the other was the source of all holiday or ethnic (Jewish/German) food. But my grandfather used to make us rye bread toast for breakfast and ne

This Morning's Update in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

Jace has gone from 270-something to 230-something this morning, so it looks like at least another day before he can come home. Typically jaundice peaks on day 5, which was yesterday, so I am encouraged that he will be coming home tomorrow, but who knows. And I certainly won't express that to JLO or B. JLO has been a real trooper. She tries so hard not to get her hopes up as they go off to the hospital each morning, but how can she help it. And since the more ti

Update in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

His numbers are still too high to come home. Should peak today, but we don't know how long it will take for them to come down, so now we're thinking maybe Thursday. (I predicted all along this baby would interfere with Grey's Anatomy somehow!) My heart breaks for JLO...

Reply to The First Few Days in Life Journals Stardock Forums

[quote]Is she nursing?[/quote] Yes, and I'm so proud of her--she's doing so well. They've rented a pump so she brought him her milk this morning. Not as good as having him nurse, but at least he gets some of her milk. And realistically, the more time he's under the lights, the better right now. Sigh.

The First Few Days in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

I still can't figure out how to post photos here, but maybe when there's more time I'll try to sort it out... It has been an emotional rollercoaster of a few days! I spent the birth Thursday literally shaking until word came that Jace had been born (although he was nameless then). Then I started shaking for other reasons. Aside from making his appearance 4 1/2 weeks early (but at 6lbs, 6oz--can you imagine how big he would have been full term?!!!), he decided that fa

Reporting In in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

IT'S A BOY!!! And he's perfect. And I'm in love... Details to follow.

Time and Babies Wait for no Grammas in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

JLO's water broke this morning and she is in labor--one month and one day before her due date. Things appear to be progressing well, and the baby should be big enough to be fine, even early. Of course, until it arrives, safe and sound, we will all have a twinge of apprehension, but no one is expecting any surprises--other than finally finding out who this little person is. I am frantic, not simply because I was not anywhere near ready for my trip up there. I am frant

For the Birds in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

The last time we lived in the US, we added a sunroom onto our house and put a garden in on either side of it. We built it on what had been the deck, so it didn't take up any more room in the yard, but made the space usable all year. It was so important to me that we actually chose the house based on the future sunroom--as soon as we saw the deck on that house, we knew that was where the sunroom had to go. And it did--it was worth every (excessive) dollar that it co

Time Flies in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

The house is relatively clean. The short ribs are in the oven--which means the house smells heavenly. The carrots are made, ready for their sauce and then their turn in the oven. Rolls are ready to be browned. Red cabbage, ready to be warmed. Salad, ready to get thrown together. Pie is made. Appetizers need to be assembled, but are ready for that. So this dinner thing is definitely under control, aside

Footsteps (and missteps) in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

I loved my podiatrist in the last US city we lived in. Never thought I'd say this, but he may have competition... Saw the new foot doctor this morning and I am so, so hopeful and encouraged. He believes that he knows what is causing the pain (a nerve is trapped in scar tissue) and he has definite plans of action to fix it. First I need to have an MRI to see if that is actually the problem, but he's confident it is. So he's taped the foot to take some of the pre

Reply to General Guff in Blogging Stardock Forums

[quote]He already hates Kindergarten. I'm dreading first grade.[/quote] Every morning of first grade, JLO would tell me that she had a stomach ache. It got to the point where my answer would be, 'Of course you do--you're in first grade' and I'd send her off. Turned out her teacher was a yeller and it upset her to have that going on all day. You would have thought I had made yelling like white noise for her by then...

Reply to My Guilty TV Pleasures in Blogging Stardock Forums

Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe. I guess those are kind of 'normal' ones. Okay--American Idol--when it doesn't conflict with one of the above. And I read mysteries and fantasies more than other kinds of novels. I want to be a wizard when I grow up.

Catching Up in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

-As happy as I was that Slumdog Millionaire won, I was even happier to see the way the young kids were being taken care of by older cast members. You cannot believe what a huge culture shock this trip would be for those kids, on so many levels, and I was extremely concerned when I heard they were being brought over for the Oscars. But watching how carefully they were mentored really reassured me. -I am starting all over with my foot. So far there have been a total of

Reply to General Guff in Blogging Stardock Forums

I have similar sensitivity issues with my teeth and I have had a root canal. Heard all kinds of horror stories about the pain afterwards from 'normal' people so I was worried. A couple of Advil were all I needed. It took a while, but I am finally able to chew on both sides--amazing!

Reply to Monday Gripes in Blogging Stardock Forums

People who are in such a hurry to get something done that they rush through it and end up buggering it up. People you're talking to on the phone who are obviously doing something else which is commanding the majority of their attention, but instead of telling you they can't talk, they pretend they're listening (and usually give you lots of 'um-hmm' noises rather than words).

Reply to Do They or Don't They? in Blogging Stardock Forums

My younger daughter actually teaches 'health' at the middle school level, and while she does tell the kids that abstinence is the only 100% effective method of birth and disease control, she also teaches the others. When the girls were in school themselves, we had to sign a permission slip saying that it was okay with us for them to have any 'sex ed', and I believe it was maybe a total of 2 hours. JLO does a whole unit on it. I sat in on one of her classes and couldn't belie

Reply to Dear President Obama in Life Journals Stardock Forums

[quote who="adnauseam" comment="10"]For God's sake give him a chance. He's only been there a month. Are you such a fortune teller that you know the package won't work? And even if it does not work, who did he inherit this mess from? The allocation of funds is not going to please everyone but let's hope some of it works.[/quote] This was the first chance he had to follow through on what he promised. He had the opportunity to go through the way funds were allocated and call fo