I’ve Got it so Easy

We were to have some company yesterday morning, and knowing that always makes the children impatient.  It led to my having this exchange with Natasha:

N: What’s taking her so long?

A: She’s got two little kids who are too little to help, so she has to do all the getting ready herself.

N: Wow.  That’s a lot of work

A: Yes, it is.  I’m glad I have such big kids to help me.  It’s very nice.

And she  went back to helping clean up.  Very nice.

 

“Where Do They Go to School?”

We took the kids to a playgroud last Saturday morning. There was a family of three kids already there, the oldest brother (maybe 10) seemed to be vaguely in-charge and eager to converse with an adult (hey, that’s me!).

He asked if that school was where my kids went. I said they weren’t old enough to “go” anywhere yet. “Well, will they come here when they’re old enough?” he persisted.

“No,” I said, “I’ll be teaching them at home.” The young man seemed nearly distressed, and protested, “But they need friends!

I’ve Started Lessons again

I signed up for the intermediate guitar class, and got the run-down tonight.

It looks to be just what I need (Highly structured and purposeful) goes where I want to go, and (God. help. me.) at breakneck speed.

I’m hoping I can keep up, because if I can I will learn a bunch of stuff I’ve wanted for a long time but didn’t have the self-discipline/structure to make happen.

Sick sick sick

Thank God for ibuprofen (even if the kid’s not taking it willingly anymore) and “Snarkers.”

Melody at least is big enough to blow her own nose, but E ceratinly isn’t. With a plugged nose and (just last night) a temp of 103-degrees he is one wiped patoodie.

Both girls have the cough and runny nose, but because of his age (the doctor said) it’s just grabbed Elisha a little harder and longer. He spent most of the weekend attached to Jay’s chest so it was very hard for him to watch Daddy leave for work Monday morning.

One blessing (?) is that the fever seems to confine itself to the nights. I used to think this was because the kid was covered in blankets, but last night he was wearing the same warm snuggle-suit he’d had all day without fever and his temp really popped up– second night in a row.

Things are Rocky but Improving

Well, I wrote a post about my migraine the other day, complete with thank-yous about the way I get them as opposed to the worst they could be (which I did get once, so I do know what I’m missing).

But by the end I realized it was more for my own sorting-out of things, so you’ve been spared 😉

Thing continue to tumble wildly at Jay’s work. Specific prayer requests:

  • Improved communication!
  • Grace for transitions, and a quick settling of disputes (the fellow formerly in-charge is disputing his removal from power, and poor Jay would just like to do his job with the most help and least drama possible).
  • Favor with those who could make Jay’s work easier. There are a couple of these, and one I’m already thanking God for.
  • Strength for Jay. Yesterday he was exhausted before even getting home.

Praises from the home-side:

  • I was able to put a detailed menu together that will help smooth our days quite a bit
  • I’ve been able to be in the Word consistently for a couple weeks now, and I can tell it’s been good for me.
  • After Mom’s help the day of my migraine (*so* needed and appreciated) I’ve been hacking away at laundry and dishes and have things almost to maintainable-level. Very encouraging.

Prayer needs:

  • Elisha was weaning and sleeping through the night for about a week and has started teething again (complete with the cold, massive runny nose and once the fever). So peace for him and sufficient rest for us all.
  • Melody also is sick, so prayers Natasha doesn’t get it too.

One thing I’m very thankful for is how attitudes have sweetened up as the week has progressed. This is a good thing all around.

And (Yay!), Jay has told Shop-boss that he’s got too many other responsibilities to keep working in the Shop right now. He’s left the door open to return and help some more, but now Jay’s able to narrow his focus a bit more, and that also is a good thing.

Sleeping With the Cow for Free Milk

(Extra points for anyone who recognized that line from Mad About You.)

I don’t know if anybody really uses the “Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free” line, just like I don’t know anybody who uses the “If all your friends jumped off a cliff would you?” line, but I just did today.

The Cow line.

Jay is no longer in the Electronic Shop at the University. He is now working “exclusively” in infrasound and is down to three jobs:

  • Operator of two CTBTO infrasound sites
  • Part-time deployment data-collection specialist (assisting with preparation and deployment of portable sensor arrays for specific data-collection projects)
  • Working for Chaparral.

Not just working-for.

Due to some bizarro (but ultimately positive?) events he is now the Boss Supremo (second only to the guy who’s the head of the whole Geophysical Institute). But he’s still the only full engineer “in” the Electronic Shop.

And he’s under a *lot* of pressure right now trying to keep a bundle of knives in the air. No only is he going to have to start learning how to run a company by doing it (I’m thankful he has such high quality standards, and he’s thankful he can now have full say in how the products are presented), but he has to help his Shop (former) boss finish up a project.

Naturally this has led to long hours and an over-tired, stressed-out man at home. I found a Business Administration class he is now considering, to ease the transition. This would result in more time away from home but– Lord willing– a less-stressed man in the end.

I’ve been calling his Shop project an albatross. I asked Jay why someone else couldn’t take it over.

He said it was because said he was the only engineer in the shop, and it would take forever to hire a new one. I pointed out that there was no motivation for the Shop to look for a new engineer while they have access to one as good as he.

That’s when I made my lame attempt to quote the line about the cow, and it came out like the misquoted title, and I had to try again.

“Why would you do that?” I asked.

“I’m a nice cow,” he said, firmly.

Then he explained that he wants to use the finished project at Chaparral, so being a part of this ensures he ends up with what he needs.