Category Archives: Management

About doing and coordinating

by

Sleep and sweetness connected?

Starting Tuesday of last week (12/18) when she emptied her part of the dishwasher the first time she was asked, Melody has grown more and more sweet and affectionate. Almost compliant at times.

She still clams up and does her pouty face when she feels like too much is being asked of her (smile? right *now*?), but her words are becoming sweeter (“I love you so much.”) and her snuggles more…genuine, I guess is the word I’m looking for.

She’s always been a touch-hungry kiddo, but half the time it’s been a demanding on-her-terms sort of affection. It’s been nice watching her soften.

It’s also been a week of unexpected night-wakings. And I really wonder what’s going on in her little self– whether whatever is loosening her tongue is somehow causing her sleep to be disturbed.

by

“Come” Training

At the book store last week Elisha met a little girl his size who was there with her father.

Both kids were dinging around (not-listening) and after a while I had to round up my three and take them to the bathroom for a diaper change (not going to leave anyone unsupervised, of course).

The dad (he seemed young to me) saw me herding them all and shook his head saying, “And I thought my hands were full!”

Smiling at the new thought I told him, “You’ll find that your hands grow.”

~ ~ ~

But the incident made me realize that I needed to do something about Elisha’s not-listening. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and finally got to do something about it today.

While out grocery shopping (morning-shopping is *awesome* even with three little kids in tow) Elisha wanted to be out of the cart like his sisters. He then ran the other way when I called him to come closer.

This earned him a swat and a time-out in the cart. He came four or five times on the first call before he tested me again. He is relishing his new freedom, as I am relishing his growing understanding and obedience.

We both know now that he can come when called, and that there are positive and negitive results for every behavior. All that remains to be worked out (and I’m having to re-train the girls a bit in this, as his understanding depends on their modeling) is what freedom looks like.

When we shop the stores are mostly empty, so I let the girls run around as much as they like, as long as there’s no one else in the isle and we can see one another. This allows for a great deal of freedom while still having specific (if invisible) boundaries.

These I’m much more lenient in enforcing, because I think they might be a little too subtle for Elisha to grasp.

But this training reminded me that having to “count” to make a child obey means they’ve already disobeyed. Counting (and I count backwards: 3-2-1) is the parent’s way of saying

I really don’t want to enforce this rule right now. Are you going to make me?”

And the kid decides (or doesn’t) that s/he doesn’t really want it enforced either.

I counted once with Elisha– out of habit, I do it so much with Melody– before I realized how silly it was. He has no concept of the counting, and for him to learn to obey at once will be much more pleasant anyway.

by

Living with the Cold

Well, I can’t decide if I’m sensible or a wimp.

It was 16-below this morning– for this first time this winter?  And I decided we were staying home from MOPS.

We went to the library yesterday at zero, and I learned what an odd age/cold combination I have.

Natasha is old enough to winterize herself, and walk quickly from warm place to warm place.  Elisha lets me winterize him (somewhat– though he still pulls his mittens off sometimes), and I can carry him.  But Melody walks more slowly when she hits the cold, and with my arms full of Elisha I can’t scoop her up too– which means we all have to move more slowly because we can’t leave her behind.

I guess it’s time to put a sled in the back of the Subaru again– in case of emergency.

by

Natasha and Kindergarten

I’m not sure where exactly she got the concept of “kindergarten,” but Natasha’s asked a couple times now when she’s starting and how it will be different than preschool.

In case you haven’t heard, I’m planning to start her in the Fall of ’08. She’ll be 5, then. I had wanted to wait until she was 6, but then I realized that Melody would be 5 that fall (maybe ready to start, herself), and I did want them to be separated a year.

I explained that kindergarten will be different because she will be doing school every day that Daddy goes to work, and we will be spending more time on some new things. The idea pricks her interest, but I can tell she’s not ready for it yet. She has a terrific attention span for things of her own choosing, but she hasn’t learned to consistently apply it to something of my choosing, which is something school will require.

by

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.

by

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.

by

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.

by

Making Muffins (and a prelude)

Today when I came out to grab Elisha for his turn after putting the girls to nap, this is what I saw:

jam1.jpg jam2.jpgjam3.jpgThere’s even jam up his nose in that last picture! (I think cameras are a good to for delaying reflexive anger.)

So I cleaned him up and worked in the kitchen for a while during nap. Never did find the lid to that jar though. Makes me glad I don’t live in a region where that could be hugely unsanitary.

Natasha was the first to wake up, so we had a great mother-daughter time making “Hide and Seek Muffins” from this book. Natasha loves it– it’s designed for preschoolers (with picture directions) with food that’s not “traditional” preschool fare.

(If anybody’s interested, it would make a great Christmas present… and it looks like there’s a sequel too.)

The book is designed to make the adult the child’s helper, instead of the other way around.

pouring.jpg Natasha got to stir the dry ingredients, measure and pour the milk.

She broke all the eggs:

egg1.jpg egg2.jpg egg3.jpg

and stirred the batter (I helped by holding the bowl still and showing her how to hunt for the flour “hiding” by the bowl’s walls), and then she filled the muffin papers– all by herself.

filling.jpg

Part way through the filling the other kids woke up, so everyone enjoyed the fruits of Natasha’s labor.

the-fun-part.jpg

We had muffins with our dinner.

They’re called hide and seek muffins because of the last step. Melody was awake by then, so I was guiding two kids instead of taking pictures.

They rolled the raspberries they picked yesterday in sugar, then poked them into the middle of each muffin.

The berries hid when the muffins cooked, and were found again when eaten.

Fun idea, good muffins, and the interaction was priceless!

by

The New Car (Jay takes the keyboard)

Because of the problem of proper disposal, along with the special tools and necessary expertise required, we strongly recomend that you have your oil changed by an authorized VOLKSWAGEN dealer or a qualified workshop.

Wow. Bolded and italicized. This must be *really* important.

Never mind that the nearest VW dealer is in Anchorage (i.e., more than 300 miles away).

So, yup, Jay got the exact car he was wishing for– down to the color. He’ll be stepping in in a moment to give all the specs (he’s been reading the manual all evening) and here’s a pix he just took:

new-car.jpg

Cute little car. We bought it from a couple with two little kids who said they were running out of room and needed a bigger car.

The wife seemed positively embarrassed when she heard we were buying it with three kids in our family.

What I know:

  • It’s cute.
  • It will fit the whole family if we need it to.
  • Manual transmission
  • CD/tape players
  • Heated seats
  • Fabulous gas mileage due to diesel engine.

Jay will now take over and give as much as you’ll ever need to know.

If you haven’t guessed from the picture it is a blue 2002 Volkswagen Golf GLS with the TDI (turbo diesel) engine. It is basically exactly what I’ve been looking for to replace the Ford Escort. I was looking to get one a few years newer, but then I went flying in the Cessna 172, and I decided that I needed to conserve money so I can get my pilots license. The main reason for this car is the “fabulous” gas mileage (as Amy put it): mid 40’s in town and low 50’s on the highway. Experiencing it was a blast too, we picked the car up (in Anchorage) with ~180 miles on the tank and drove to Fairbanks, and I still have more then a quarter tank left (over 500 miles total). 🙂 🙂 The other reason is that the Golf is a very upscale economy car: heated seats, auto up/down windows, speed adjusted volume, etc. One of the nice things with the diesel engine is that with the lots of torque you don’t have to down shift very often, which makes cruise control just about as simple as in an automatic. It is definitely a different experience to pass without the engine howling and screaming at high rpm’s.

Despite the dire warning I think that I will be changing the oil myself. 🙂

by

Only the child of a storyteller…

Natasha’s first homonyms:

Roc and rock.

Second homonyms:

Knight and night.

Both sets are presented in the order we encountered them in the stories.   Phonetic and observation (of spelling differences) lessons smoothly inserted themselves.  This kid is sharp.

ETA: I have since learned that these are not true homonyms– rather, they are homophones, sounding alike while looking different.