a day in the life

a day in the life of me. Lots of people have asked me what I do all day well here goes:
7:30 am: I go downstairs check the laundry room, clean, sweep and mop. Every six weeks I also close the laundry room for the morning and pull out all the machines and clean underneath them.
from there I go to the lobby and sweep, mop and vacuum. I also clean the windows on the doors, I wipe down the railings on the ramp, and wipe down the furniture. It amazes me how many people must allow their children to climb on their sofas at home with their shoes on, cause their are ALWAYS little foot prints on these sofas. Just cause they don't belong to you does not make it okay!!
I also sweep, mop, and vacuum the ramp leading to the parkade, and check the stairwells and sweep and mop them if needed.

I then go to the center stairwell and clean it ( it's a royal pain cause the stairs have grooves and in order to clean them I have to vacuum.)

from there I go upstairs and I either sweep and mop in front of all the elevators or i vacuum 2 full floors. However I like to switch it up......I was told one day I was late. I don't like to be told when to do things so I try to keep people guessing.
I do get a 20 minute break in the morning which I usually don't take.

Then I get my lunch.
at 12:00 am I take the phone for my manager so she can go on her lunch (I'm on call everyday from 12:00-2:00)

After lunch I do whatever job I didn't do in the morning.(either sweep and mop in front of the elevator's or vacuum the floors) When I do in front of the elevators I also clean the elevators.
and dust the fire hoses,fire extinguisher, walk down all the stairwells looking for burnt out lightblubs and messes.

There are also extra things that get done, like cleaning all the railings in all the stairwells, and washing all the walls in the hallways. I have also scrubbed floors, clean all the lint traps in the dryers.

Then there are the apartment re cleans. If someone moves out, and doesn't do a good job cleaning I go in and re clean it. or if someone was working in the apartment I clean up after them (however I get paid extra for this.)

My two big complaints are yes I am the caretaker but that does not mean I have to listen to your every complaint ( especially if I am sitting in the dentists office with my kids) and if you drop a dirty Kleenex for goodness sake please pick it up, there is no dirty Kleenex fairy I have to pick those up.

HUGE changes

Well since the last time I allowed my depression take over my heart so tightly that I almost lost my life, I have decided that it is time to make some changes to make life better for my family. Here's what has happened since that day. I went to see the phychatrist and she gave me some options to make things better one of the BIG things was the lack of sleep and she suggested that I put Brycen in an afternoon class so I could sleep better!!! I went one better I quit my job ( funny when I wrote that I automatically wrote quilt :-) ), yup no more over nights at McDonald's. Though I really did love my job and the people I worked with!!! However here's what happened. Jeff has been bugging me to move into an apartment for a few months now I kept rejecting the idea saying"but my dog, I don't wanna give up my dog." So after this appointment Jeff again said maybe we should move into something cheaper. I told him to let me think about it and we'd talk again in the am. After he went to work I called to see if there were apartments available in the buildings down the street. While I was asleep on Monday, Jeff not only got us an apartment he also pretty much got me a new job!!

That's right I am on the caretaker in the building it all happened so fast into weeks I quit my job, learned to sleep at night again, gave up my dog and moved!!! It's been crazy, I really didn't want to give up Gracie but I know that this is better for my family. We put up an add on kijiji and got a message from a small dog rescue and after emailing back and forth we decided this was the best option for Miss. Gracie they will screen her new "parents" she will be seen by a vet and be spayed before she's put up for adoption. I didn't want her to go just anywhere and I really didn't want her to go somewhere where they would bread her over and over again to make some money ( she's a purebred miniature daschound) so if we have to give her up and no one in the family wanted another dog then this was the best option. It was hard to let her go but we did it and I know that they will find her a good home. I have been in touch with her foster Mom a few times and it seems Gracie is doing well. I really miss her but I know I have to do what I have to do to make me better.

I start my new job in the morning, I know it will be ALOT of work but it can't be more work then it was at Mc Donald's. I'm really looking forward to it. I will be receiving free rent ( with water and hydro included water and hydro in the house were costing about $750.00 every three months) Free under ground parking and $40.00 for laundry (I have already done $30.00 worth of laundry but then alot of that was from the move) and I will get a pay check every two weeks. This was just to good a deal to pass up. The apartment also has a heated indoor pool which we have already visited 3 times since moving in last Saturday!!! needless to say we won't be living in a house where the basement more or less flooded EVERY TIME it rained, it would just have started to dry out and it would rain again. We also won't have to deal with the washing machine leaking for 7 months with no one ever doing anything about it, ( in fact it was so bad that when you were doing laundry you had to wear shoes down stairs or walk around in the water) or the landlord knocking on the door at 6:30 am or 10:30 pm to collect rent. Everybody is breathing easier ( in Tony's case he really is breathing better for the last few weeks I would make him plug in the vaporizer at night so he could sleep cause he was coughing so badly. The last week he hasn't used it once. J'naya's big concern was that we didn't have a table and chairs to eat dinner at ( our table is WAY to big for an apartment) well we got her a table and chairs it's just a cheap set from walmart but she is thrilled!!! I guess it feels more like home with somewhere to sit to have dinner!

Here's hoping things continue to get better and life gets easier.

angel momma's

I'm sad to say that the newest member to the angel Momma group is a 15 year old girl. I'm so sad for her, no one should be a part of this group musch less at 15.

Tomorrow is the "big" day the tooth is being pulled I hope it all goes well, I've taken to sleeping upsatirs in Ashton"s room and let me tell you the sleep has been WAY better. I may sleep up there from now on!!!

the long month

So the month is almost over and what a long month it's been, A quick update an things happening around here. I walked off my job at 1 am one night, determined not to go back. I did go back, here's why I left, I feel like my manager bullies me. It's not that I don't want to work "under" her it's just that she seems to think it's okay for her to make us do things that she doesn't want to do. Or get upset at us for things that aren't really things to be mad about. That night I had, had enough!!! An example of what's been happening, one night she lost her keys, so none of us were allowed to have the other set that was floating around, here's the problem with that the fridge and freezer are locked, I needed to get breakfast ready, everything is in the fridge and freezer. Breakfast was late because she wouldn't give us keys. Guess where the keys were.......you in her pocket. Or the night that someone puked in the sink in the bathroom, the person who was supposed to clean it up has a weak stomach so I did it for him (no weak stomach here) I got in trouble. It seems once every week or two I go home crying and I hate it!!! It's just simple things but it's ALL the time, in fact there is a blow up there just under the surface, I narrowly avoided a blow up this am. It's bound to happen again. I did go back for two reasons one because I need to work, two because they called me and I was able to talk to someone so we will see what will happen.

An update on CFS, it seems it was a welfare check on Ashton, she had been VERY sick that week and missed the whole week of school, so they wanted to make sure that all was well. However the dining room was a HUGE mess, we had water in the basement and EVERYTHING had to be washed and dried and brought upstairs, that has since been fixed, it seems that's how it ALWAYS happens. Anyhow they could see that Ashton was okay meaning we hadn't beaten her and were now trying to let her heal, was really was sick, in fact we had taken her to the doctor and the E.R. She ended up on a prescription cough syrup to help her clear everything up, and she is finally feeling 100 percent again. It took almost 2 weeks, I think alot of this was stress. You see her friend just found out she pregnant at 15. Ashton was the person she turned to so Ashton kept her secret. I just don't know how that is gonna work out, she's only 15 and her boyfriend is 20, it all seems so crazy. However I have used this a a perfect opportunity to have the "talk" again with Ashton. I was a teen Mom and I worry ( I was 17, I couldn't imagine doing it at 15)

The other thing happening this month is Mackenzie's birthday just 6 more days and it to will be over and the stress around here will elevate for another year. I don't know how to explain the feeling theres a pit in my stomach and it grows over the month until his birthday and then all is better again.

Today is the day I became an auntie to a beautiful little boy 12 years ago, just 6 days before our beautiful angel grew his wings. So tomorrow will be 12 years since Mackenzie and Austin had their first and only fight. Mackenzie was still on the inside and I was holding Austin and he was resting on my tummy Mackenzie kicked him and he didn't like it. Just one of my few memories.

Really???

This week our postal carrier knocked on the door, We had a registered letter, my first thought.... He didn't really (thinking it was from Ashton's Dad's lawyer,I must note that we do not have a court order, we never have, we have always been adults about this and wanted Ashton not to be in the middle that is until now that's why I really don't get this...anyhow that's not what this post is about) after a quick glance to see where it came from I realize nope it's from Jeff's former job. A quick letter to say that after the temporary lay off that came in November and was to be only for 8 weeks, it still has not picked up and he will not be called back (not that he was going back he is now employed else where and LOVES his job, and hopefully here there won't be the whole I'm the "boss' " friend so I can walk around all day texting on my phone and pretty much doing nothing, with no family to support and not get laid off, while the hard working people with families who have worked there longer get let go) Long story short A BIG FAT lie, we know that they have been calling people back but apparently no one there can man up and make a call. A simple we know you have a new job and so we'll lay you off call. Nope a letter full of lies form a company who prides themselves on being "Christian" . I just don't get it am I saying that EVERYTHING I do is right ummmmm NO, no one is perfect I just think that this was handled way wrong. 7 years of hard work, going to work when he was puking, only leaving when he HAD to. And this is how it ends a letter full of lies. He's hurt to say the least. They could have had the balls to call!!!

1 week down many more to go!!

Week one is over I'm officially on my weekend, Friday 7 am to Sunday 11 pm!! I made it even though lots of folks didn't think I would so HA to you!!! It actually wasn't that bad now I know you say McDonald's overnights it can't possibly be that busy, it's not.......with the expectation of the night the bar let out and all the drunk folks were hungry for what else McDonald's!!! Let me tell you Mickey D's believes in running a clean restaurant. There is not one thing that does not get cleaned in a week and most of them nightly, I should know I do it!!! Anyhow there is alot to keep us busy at night and I learned to take the drive through orders!!! Yeah me!! Anyhow it's going well do I love working all night??? Not really. Has sleep been an issue?? some. But it will work it's self out and at least I'm working full time!!! Again yeah me!! However working all through the night has a large problem and that is that I NEVER KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS!!! IN fact Thursday morning, I have a mom's bible study with babysitting provided so us Moms do our bible study and the boy's have a play date. Yup boys we all have boys so that's 7 little boys. However soon the girls will also play but for now the only girls are still babies and they prettiest little girls around one has so much hair I'm sure we could french braid it, the other has beautiful blue eyes, I'm telling you, you could just eat them up. In fact the Miss Molly (you can see her here on her Mom's blog (http://miriamcherie.blogspot.com/)has my hubby wrapped around her little tiny baby finger, he steals her EVERY Sunday and cuddles her all through church. It's a good thing that we cannot have any more children! ;-) I did not go, just couldn't make the effort!! Then this am as I log into my face book account I remember one of the girls does a Christmas get together every year and it was ....... that's right folks last night, I totally forgot and slept right through it. Part of the problem is that I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DAY IT IS!!! My shift starts one day and ends the next. I Wonder how I can get to know what day it actually is?? I guess we'll figure it out!!!

I Made it

I made it, My first over night shift done, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!!! Is my job glamourus??? No I work at McDonalds a person has to do what a person has to do in order for the kids to eat and for them to get christmas I have to do this!! All in all it's not a bad place to live for the most part I cleaned EVERYTHING in the store!!! At least the hubby and I are both gainfully employed once again, me at McDonalds and him at CAA!!!


*sorry for the blurry pic, my camara has a mind of it's own and sometimes it doesn't like taking pic!!*

the grind starts again

I have started the new job, I'm trying to be positive, yesterday I actually got to make fries!!! I swept the floors and cleaned the bathrooms, I just gotta hang in there, I really can do this, this is not my dream job.
I was asked recently what is my dream job??
What do you want to do??
Although I didn't really know the answer then, now that I have thought about it, it would be something with fabric, something where I can create things, where I look forward to the next time I go to work. With that said I feel a tremendous amount of guilt that I have not finished Molly and Lily's quilts both are ready to be quilted in fact Miss Molly's was half quilted when I realized that I had the backing on wrong, it was a stupid mistake made out of haste I really need to take more time, but time is not on my side. Now that I will be working again it really will not be on my side and truthfully there were a few weeks that I didn't feel like doing anything even when fabric was involved!! I will get Miss. Molly's quilt done this week. I will also be doing some things for the children for Christmas like the Christmas jammy's I bought brown snowflake fabric at the end of last winter for their jammy's and now I must get started!! I will also be doing some sewing for their rooms as part of their Christmas gifts, we do not know if the hubby will get paid before Christmas so it is time to get creative, I will post on my other blog about those projects so feel free to check them out at www.fabricischeaperthentherapy.blogspot.com (Maybe if Terri reads this she can message me and let me know how to add links to my other post????)
I still am not so sure that I want to post pics of the kidlets on my blog, I feel like it's just to out there and I wouldn't want the kids to get hurt because of my blogging, so I took some cute pics of the kids, you see Friday was a day off for them but we had invited my parents for supper and the kids wanted to help. We were making mashed potatoes, shake n bake pork chops and honey dill baby carrots (which baby bear ate the most of) however we cannot find our vegetable peeler since the move so over to the dollar store for 4 potato peelers one for each kid, although big sister bear was at school. The kids were so proud and they did all the work, they peeled a whole pot of potatoes, big brother bear then chopped them for he (he's almost 10) then came the shaking part of the shake and bake, I'm still shocked that those pork chops stayed in those bags. We had the best shaked potatoes in the world!!! Over all it went really well with NO fighting that's right folks they DID NOT FIGHT!!!! It all tasted really good, of course I did the cooking but it went well and I hope that in the process they learned something although we won't mention that to loudly!!!

work

I work, I have not held a job in 6 years (almost 7), I have worked in that time, in fact I could probably beat most men re- roofing a house, I have down PILES of laundry,washed the floors probably 1,000 times, not to mention bathrooms and washing dishes and picking up toys. But working where I actually leave the house and go somewhere for 8 1/2 hours and then come home again, that I have not done in along time. I have now worked 12 shifts and I am loving it thus far, but it really is knocking me on my butt!!! I'm beat when I get home I just need to sleep but alas the house work is calling. Not to mention my fabric withdrawal, I do not find near enough time to "play" with fabric now, and then there is my blog/face book addiction it just is not helping the fabric cause.

So far today I have started the laundry, cleaned the bathroom and done 2 sinks full of dishes (we ran out of dish soap so they have been stacking up). Now it's time to log off and finish the house work and maybe just maybe today I'll get a fabric fix!!!!

work

I have not worked in almost 7 years, since I was seven months pregnant with lil sister bear. So now that lil sister bear is in school full time days I decided it was time to get a part time job!!! I talked to Daddy bear about it but he did not want any part of it!!! So I've been talking about it for about 4 months so finally I told him i was gonna apply anyway. A friend told me that the shopper's drug mart was looking for people so I decided to put in an application. I did that on a Friday and Monday the hubby called me I think 3 times to see if they called. So Tuesday i called them and they said they'd let me know early next week. So I waited, then on weds of the next week I decided that if they did not call I'd go to town the next day and put in apps. everywhere. Low and behold they called. I went in for an interview and was hired that same day. I started my job the following Sunday!!!!

I'm so excited, I go to work evenings and weekends when Daddy bear is home with the baby bears to watch them. Not only is it more money, it is a chance to talk to people taller then 3 feet (don't get me wrong I Love my 3 feet tall people, but I need adult conversation to keep my brain from turning to mush)and I love my job so far!!!! We'll see what the future holds for our family now hopefully we're finally through the rough patch!!!!