Work Party

I have been working part-time for N2 Publishing. I am the ad manager, basically I can put project management on my resume which isn't a bad thing. I work very part-time a few tradition hours, but a lot of non-traditional hours. I think it is a sweet gig!  We had a fun get together at the lake with everyone one afternoon and this kids were thrilled to go out on the pontoon boat!

Find the Tiny Christmas Tree

We met Rob at work for lunch. He has been working so much we decided to stop by and say Hello. The kids really enjoy eating in the cafeteria! I think Rob secretly enjoys showing off his family! We are proud of him and all he does at work, but I think he gets excited to show his family off in the flesh and we certainly enjoy it as well! We did take the kids to the lobby and Rob told Mason he might have trouble finding the Christmas tree because it was so small. Mason was looking for such a small tree that he missed the big one. Rob had to stop him and point out the tree he was teasing Mason about! It wasn't small at all! A really really tall one!

Ugly Sweater Party

Do you know how hard it is to find an ugly Christmas sweater late in December? You can find them, but for more money than what I wanted to spend. I ended up going to Target and came across these matching t's for $5. Thank goodness my husband is a good sport and wore the reindeer antlers that I put with these beautiful t's.

It was his Transport work party, so I don't think he had a choice. We also did food that would stereotypically go with a party of this fashion. Rob was in charge of bringing cheap beer. The cutest things were that someone made sushi out a twinkie, fruit roll up, and topped with a swedish fish! Adorable. I was in heaven, I don't make the people puppy chow anymore because of the peanut butter, but it was at the party and I wanted to sit in the corner and eat the whole bowl! We also did white elephant gifts with a redneck flare. We found a shower curtain with the mud flap lady on it and it was a huge hit. The spouse of one of the nurses owns a party bus and he puts shower curtains up for some reason on the bus and he was now the proud owner of the curtain. He assured us it would be perfect for what he needed it for! We came home with the As seen on TV can toppers and a holiday Karma Sutra book. We usually congenitally leave behind our gifts and were able to put the can toppers on every one's bear, but we did make it out with our new reading materials! Oh the joys of life!

2010 Children's Gala

We went to the Children's Hospital Gala tonight. I was a bit more involved with the Gala this year, I co-chaired the silent auction. I have mixed feelings and advice to give for someone asked to help with such a task. Depending upon the day I would tell you to either do it or not do it. Do it because it is very rewarding and we will raise a lot of money for the hospital, but don't do it because it takes A LOT of time. Thank goodness we had a wonderful committee to work with. The exciting news is that we think we hit our goal and went over and beyond what was expected. It just might go down as the highest amount raised to date, and that is a really good feeling.

Rob and I had a great night out together. This years theme was "Through the Years" and instead of having a band with a dance floor they got Kenny Rogers to come and perform. I wouldn't say we are fans of Kenny, I only knew a few songs, but it was fun seeing an iconic person perform in such an intimate setting.

Ambulance

Rob took the position of Medical Director of Transport and Children's Hospital here in Omaha and has been working hard at getting it launched. We are very proud of him for all of his accomplishments and wish him luck on all future endeavors and challenges the job brings him. He is very passionate about pediatric transport and I think it links him back to his EMS days. We were able to see the new ambulance at a health fair this past weekend. It is the first of its kind for this area being used specifically for pediatrics. Very nice and fancy. They did have a scary looking manikin in the back that Ellery wouldn't go near and Mason wasn't that found of either.
I also recorded Rob's tv debut onto the camera to share. He is becoming quite the celebrity appearing on local networks through work and cable channels through traffic stops. People just might start to recognize him.

2009 Children's Hospital & Medical Center Gala

We went to the Children's Hospital and Medical Center Gala last night and had a wonderful time. It was a date night on steroids for us. We got all dressed up and I wore a pair of fabulous red shoes that I am in love with. I never understood the love for shoes and shoes have never spoken to me, but these were screaming my name. The quest started when I tried on a $300 pair of red pumps that were so comfortable because they had Nike Air inserts. I didn't buy the $300 pair, but it did inspire my quest for a red pair of shoes that I could afford. Needless to say they looked fabulous with my dress and with the jeans I have on earlier today.
The Gala's theme was "Fun in the Sun." They were creative and booked a band that sang Beatles music hence why we have on the glasses. We are giving the glasses to our kids today so they are on a ticking time bomb schedule before they are broken and find the trash. It was nice to put faces with names on Rob's peers and meet other fun people. We also had a good time bidding on the silent auction items and we may or may not be new members of a country club from the ordeal. Have to iron out some logistics that the club didn't place in the packet of information but slipped them in the packet after you won. Hmmmmm. All in all it was a fabulous night and a great time. A good atmosphere, food, music, and wonderful company to dance with.

Big Boy Mason

We are pleased to announce we are wearing big boy undies at night now. It is official, we are done with diapers/pull ups. He traveled to South Carolina in big boy undies without any accidents and has been doing great. He has been dry in the morning for the past few weeks, but we didn't want to chance it while on vacation, but we finally took them away and wha la. He also has started going #2 on the real toilet and goes without being told. He has figured out the urge and I couldn't be prouder. I am also thrilled to have discovered flushable wipes, they are fantastic. We have had to change out the undies a few times in the past few weeks, but never enough to go through to his pants. It tends to be when he is really excited about a toy or in a large group playing and I don't give the extra nudge I know he needs.

Also, if Mason every starts a yard service we have the perfect marketing picture for him. He is all about safety in his safety goggles and asks you to try to poke his eyes while he is wearing them.

Tax Day

A huge thanks to Rob for doing our taxes. It is hard to picture that this is what he used to do in his previous career. He told me he really enjoys doing our taxes, lucky me! He enjoys it so much he told me he wouldn't mind doing taxes for others. I asked him to define "others" and learned he would take on 2-3 other cases. I guess if anyone gets in a bind next year you know you can always count on Rob.

Business Cards

Rob came home with new business cards. He is very fancy with lots of credentials behind his name. He has worked hard for those credentials, but I think he is thrilled that he has the position and title of "Medical Director, Neonatal and Pediatric Transport". Transport is a love of his and he is doing a fine job that is making everyone proud. I found it very reassuring that you find the words "We know children" when you flip his business card over. A few words of comfort in case you had any doubts. I wonder if anyone would be impressed if I made myself some fancy stay at home mom business cards. It is tempting just to see one's face on reacting to such a card when I handed it to them. The next question is who would I hand it to and when?

Meet Our Newest Physician

Fancy Pants Rob has made the Children's of Omaha's web page for meet the newest physician.
childrensomaha.org
more specific http://www.childrensomaha.org/body.cfm?id=1592
I can say over and over how proud we are of him and it still doesn't seem like enough. He has worked very hard to get to where he is and continues to work hard. Yeah ROB!
Rob might also be a TV star as well. Remember the posts regarding Rob's fellowship graduation party?
http://chaplinclan.blogspot.com/2008/06/congratulations-rob.html
http://chaplinclan.blogspot.com/2008/06/update-on-javier-adventure.html
Well, I just received an email from them. I guess we are going to be starring in an upcoming Speeders episode on truTV. They also asked to feature us on their blog and I quote "I wanted to know if you had any interest in doing a short email interview about the incident for our blog, and if you would have any interest in putting a link to it on your site (we would return the favor with a link). We are always trying to drum-up traffic and this seems like an easy way to do it."
How funny is that? Everyone just promise me you will still call me your friend after watching our crazy episode. Remember I am with a drunk husband at weeish hours of the morning, sleep deprived from a newborn, stressed about our house still on the market, and still dealing with all the normal daily grind.

Leaving the Work Force

My new job title-M-O-M.

Today is my last day of employment. The last time I hear a 5 o'clock whistle. I am taking off for the holidays for sure and I include Halloween as a holiday and I will reassess what direction I want to go after the first of the year. A wise lady asked me if I had ever heard of a stay at home mom regretting her decision. I answered her with a No, I have never met a mom who regretted staying home only moms who regretted not doing it. I can always get a job and will have an education but I will never get the time back with my young children. We might have days where I wish I had a job, but I think we will have more days that I am glad I don't. Cheers to a shift in focus from a day job to a 24 hour job.

Working 9-5 What a Way to Make a Living

My maternity leave is officially over. I am back to work at Cerner part-time as of today. I added a few weeks of vacation onto my 12 week leave, we had to go buy a house in Omaha. Mason is going to daycare and I am currently keeping Ellery home with me. I had such a hard time putting Mason in the infant room, and I don't want to experience that again. I thought Mason was a good baby, but compared to Ellery he was just average, she is an excellent baby. As long as she is in the room that I am in she is happy. She is either happy or mad, no in between with her and she leans more on the happy side. Plus I can leave her open on the floor more since Mason isn't here and she really enjoys her freedom. She must sense she is safer from trips, kicks, random hugs and kisses, and falling objects when her big brother isn't around.
I am only going to work until October. Cerner has a big push to bring virtual associates back to KC or place them in full-time travel roles. Since I am not moving to KC and unwilling to travel this is the best gig for me right now. I will be let go before the 4th quarter begins in October. Just in time to be off for the holidays! Not sure what I will do once I am done with Cerner and get through the holidays. I might just stay at home for a few months or years.