After 3 nights and 3 days of Callum spending time with me I re-claimed my house yesterday.
Never having had children I really do not know what it is like to have toys all over the place or to be cleaning up crumbs throughout the day, giving up the television and having Nick, Jr. play all the waking hours or to spend a good time of your day feeding a child, then changing their diaper.
But Callum and I came to a "deal" - I would have the News on until 10AM, then he could have his 'shows' on until Jeopardy came on at 7PM - then the television was mine for the remainder of the evening.
Also, all toys would be put away at the end of the day before we went to bed. If he had a cupcake for dessert then his hands and face had to be clean before he could go into the living room and sit on the furniture.
Now that the ground rules have been set, the next time Callum will spend an extended period of time with me will be August and I cannot wait.
I am not quite sure if Callum is trying to placate me or sass me?
Every now and then when I ask Callum to do something or reprimand him, in a very tired like 'here she goes again voice' he will respond "okay, Auntie Toni". It is times like that I have a distinct feeling he is trying to placate me and get me to kindly drop the subject.
Well, last night I found out he has learned the tone and the words to deliver this from Disney's "Neverland - Jake and the Pirates". It appears that Captain Hook replies to his Mother with, "Yes, Mother Dear" in a bit of an exasperated tone.
I guess I should feel lucky that he doesn't add the "Dear" when he responds.
Callum has two phrases he is always saying to me, the first is "don't worry Auntie Toni" and the second is "are you alright"?
Children are extremely perceptive and he can always gauge my mood - he is sensitive and wants to please people. He is very much into moods lately and in his shows can tell when the characters are sad or crying.
He lately will let you know if he is sad or scared and I try to talk to him as to why he is feeling that way. He cannot always articulate it; but, he is very much a child who is into routines and anytime his routine is changed he is upset.
I do think that much of his vocabulary comes from his Nick, Jr. shows - having had him over for these past few days I am amazed that he knows his alphabet, his numbers and can spell his name. I have downloaded many educational apps to my iPad and he will go ahead and get himself on it and play music or do alphabets or work on animal association.
Take the time to learn from a small child near you - watch how perceptive they are and how your moods influence them.
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Yesterday was my first full day with Callum - the unusual thing is that it was a work day and I worked remotely.
I was quite fortunate in that I only had two conference calls, one of them went for only half of the scheduled time and the other was cancelled. I was able to still take calls and to get some things written and completed. Like me, Callum is a multi-tasker and loves his technology.
He was watching his DVDs: Kai-Lan, Bubble Guppies and Thomas; but, he was also doing his puzzles and his ABC's on the iPad and watched some Bubble Guppie vignettes on my personal computer.
He is certainly not sensory depraved - he managed to keep up with each device and comment on what was happening with each one; including being able to recite the episodes "word for word".
What amazes me is he is not afraid of asking for help when he gets stuck and saying "thank you" when you give him assistance. I hope this continues on as he grows up!!!
I am wondering if it is time to purchase a new personal laptop. I have had my present laptop since August 2008 and it is beginning to show some wear and tear.
First there are times when I have been typing and the cursor is not in the right place - not through any fault of my own. It can be quite annoying and I cannot tell you how many times I have had to re-write something and it is totally frustrating when you see that the words you are typing are not in the right order.
The other day the "page down" button popped off - I was thinking do I have to glue this down and then I was able to pop it back in.
My concern is that I have so much information on this computer (yes, I back this one up) and there are so many choices I would have a difficult time deciding.
I am going to try to make this last as long as possible - then I may ask a member of my team to help me on the choice.
We were over 90 degrees today and quite humid - the perfect weather for a summer thunderstorm.
Most individuals hate this - a thunderstorm on a summer evening; but, it is Mother's Nature of cooling us off. We can expect this type of weather for the next few days. And in truth, the storms do not last very long - just enough to lower the temperature and get rid of some of the humidity.
Think of it as - Mother Nature balancing herself out.
Today after working out I focused on "Callumizing" my home.
This week I will work from home Wednesday through Friday so that I might watch Callum as his daycare is closed for this week. He is a great little boy; but, he has never been over when I need to work so I need to keep him busy and entertained while I am on conference calls and/or having to respond to messages.
I stopped by "Toys R Us" and picked up a new Thomas the Tank and Bubble Guppies DVD, I also picked up a Crayola Disney packet that has Jake the Pirate and another copy of Good Night Moon, this one I am going to try to keep him from taking it home.
After picking all of this up I stopped by Home Goods to find a basket that could hold the toys and books he is amassing at my house - this way they have a place to go into when he is not around or when he is no longer playing with them.
I am looking forward to him being here and I am also going to try tackling potty training - wish me luck as he has been very resistant!!!
Ryan has been after me for weeks regarding making our airline arrangements for vacation.
This year we will be going to Disney World for the last week in August. The place was taken care of as I am a Disney Vacation Club member so we are staying at Animal Kingdom's Savannah Gardens.
The next major step was the air arrangements - I wanted to use mileage points for that and I also wanted to get flight times that would be easy for Callum. I finally had points transferred to my Delta account and I was able to get two airline tickets using mileage and I purchased the other two.
Then I will need to contact Disney and advise them of our flight arrangements - we will take their bus from the airport to the villa. I will purchase our park tickets and I have decided that we will do the family dining plan.
I know that this year I have taken longer to make the arrangements; but, it is still all coming together properly.
My date and the person I woke up to this morning was my great-nephew, Callum.
He had a sleepover last night so that his Mother could remove the old furniture, clean up the apartment and wait for new furniture to be delivered. It is just much easier to do some household chores without Callum around.
I made sure that I was prepared for him - I baked his favorite cheese danish, a yellow cake with chocolate icing for dessert and I picked some short sets and summer pajamas. Not only did he spend last night; but, he will be at my house starting on Tuesday evening through Friday.
For entertainment I have a bunch of his favorite shows in DVD format. He is currently into "Thomas the Tank Engine" and I have books and blocks that he can play with as I still need to work next week.
I will enjoy the time with him and hope he enjoys his time here. He is adorable and very loveable.
It's HERE!!! Finally, summer has arrived and I feel like a child - school is out and I have 2 1/2 months off.
Not really. I still have to work; but, this is my favorite time of year - I love the sounds, smell and feel of summer. Besides feeling healthier and prettier with a slight tan to my skin - vitamin D which you get from the sun is good for you.
The weekends will find me lying on my lounge chair on the back patio reading a book or taking a quick nap, there will be weeding that will get done and the proverbial barbecue.
Let's not forget the foods of summer - for me it is the fruit that is available like nectarines, cantaloupe and cherries that catch my fancy. Also, I think of lobster rolls or shrimp and crab salad. What about tomatoes or corn. Yes, I do have the occasional hamburger, potato salad and baked beans.
Enjoy the summer - its sounds, scents and taste.
We have a Town Hall this meeting and my team and I are not only attending this meeting; but, we are also supporting it.
Last night I spent several hours editing the presentation and ensuring that the fonts, text, etc. were all the same from slide to slide and that it was legible.
I should have been a bit more proactive and built a template for the speakers to use; but, truth be told at the Health System we have a template that we use for our presentations that has all the fonts, etc. built in.
Oh well, next time - I won't ass u me.
I am a little tired this morning because I didn't get home until 10PM last night - but it was for a good reason.
Last night I attended Ryan's "Moving Up" ceremony as he leaves the 5th grade and Elementary school and goes into 6th grade and the Middle School in September. He was very somber and took the entire ceremony extremely seriously - it was great to see what an impact it had on him.
And the other picture is of Callum who graduated from Pre-K last Friday. The children all had caps and gowns pre-cursors to many more of those ceremonies in their future. It was wonderful to watch them all run to get their diplomas - the first of many.
They are growing fast and I am thankful for the time I have with them and that they still like to come to my home and hang out with me, their "Auntie" Toni.
I am sure that many of you are going through similar ceremonies - cherish and enjoy each of them.
I have been leasing Honda CRV's since January 2004. Yesterday I picked up my latest one - a 2013 in the burgundy with a light grey interior.
My lease still had a year to go; but, Honda is really good about letting you out of the lease in 2 years and getting you into a new lease. The car maintains its value - so that is why they are able to do it.
What I am amazed at is that the entire car has been revamped including the engine. It is such a technically updated car that it only had one CD input unlike my 2011 which had 6. Their reasoning behind it is that most everyone has an MP3 or a Nano, etc. Guess I know what I will be doing this weekend - getting all my CDs onto my Nano so I can play that in the car.
I am looking forward to driving it and testing the new "Econ" button which will reduce the effort the car puts out.
Today I am not going to mind driving the 53 miles to work - but, I am not looking forward to having to put all the addresses back into the navigation system. That will be the next thing - how to import that information.
Just about my entire Father's Day dinner for my nephew, Gerard was grilled today and I did it!!!
Now you may think that is no big deal except that generally I am not the person who grills in my home; it would be my cousin or my nephew-in-law; with neither of them here it was up to me.
Of course I can't do things simply - I decide to grill steaks, potatoes and corn. I sauteed onions and mushrooms, made a big salad and made white sangria; lastly, a carrot cake from the bakery. OH, but I did bake a cheese danish for Callum.
I am happy to state that everything came out cooked at the same time and it all tasted delicious. Another dinner done and something else I have managed to accomplish.
I have to thank my nephew, his wife and the boys for being willing to be my guinea pigs as I experiment with different recipes and techniques.
I love when I feel that I have a productive Saturday able to workout, relax and do other things - and yesterday was such a Saturday.
I had a great aqua aerobics workout and caught up with my friend Linda who had been in Florida for a couple of weeks. Afterwards I went to Honda and I am going to be able to terminate my current lease one year early and on Monday I will pick up my new 2013 Honda CRV. If you have not seen it they re-designed the entire car interior, exterior and even the engine. I then stopped by the grocery store to pick up such things as milk, orange juice, seltzer and the makings for my cheese danish for Callum tomorrow.
Then home to have lunch, read the newspaper and catch up on some taped shows. Next it was time to clean the gas grill. Tomorrow my nephew, Gerard and his family will come over for Father's Day dinner and with the exception of the salad I am grilling the entire meal. So NY Strip steaks, potatoes, corn, mushrooms and onions will all go on the grill.
Finally before going to bed I just put together what I would wear for the week and made sure everything was ironed and pressed.
All in all a very productive day.
Yesterday I attended Callum's pre-K graduation. It was amazing to see these little boys and girls so confidently running up to get their diplomas.
They have many more of these graduations to come - this was just the first and probably one that none of them will ever remember; but, I will.
This is a challenged generation - the ones who understand the iPad better than I ever will. The ones I worry as to what world we are leaving them and if they will be able to afford higher education.
But for now I will take solace and enjoy the way they embrace life to its fullest. They laugh loud and hard, they are fearless and they are our legacy.
I am not sure why I have been able to catch up with my work and I literally have nothing that I am carrying over from yesterday.
Is it the rain and being captive in my home or is part of it that my boss is on vacation; but, yesterday I managed to get through every item on my "to do" list. That NEVER happens.
Granted I only had two scheduled conference calls and one impromptu conference call; but, I still had about five phone calls from various customers.
Anyhow I am not complaining - I am just surprised and ecstatic that I am starting today with a clean slate.
I was at the Jersey shore on June 1st and 2nd - if you remember those days we just skirted the 90's and at the shore there was a very nice breeze.
I didn't wear a hat on either day and managed to burn my scalp. I can tell you that when it happened it hurt - a week later I was getting a haircut and was concerned that someone else washing my hair or blow drying it with a hairbrush would cause me agony. It didn't hurt that much - I could grin and bear it.
What is causing me more agony and annoyance now is that my scalp is peeling and it itches. I wish I knew what type of cream to put on it to stop the itching, stop it from peeling and to have it back to normal.
I am amazed that when you go to buy sunscreen there is nothing out there that you can either mousse into your scalp or spray on it. The scalp tends to be very sensitive and burns easily. So it is not just men who need to beware; but, also women and children especially those who may be fair skinned.
Another lesson learned - when sunning wear a hat!!!
As most of you know I LOVE my job; but, every now and then I can get frustrated. Today was one of those days and I don't like the fact that I lost my composure with two individuals who were just the messengers.
I have been working on a Managed Service program for over 18 months - it was decided in April instead of spending $1MM+ annually why didn't we in-house the positions, have them entry level with a career path. How wonderful.
But, trying to get the interns or the job requisitions in has been extremely frustrating. I am hoping that my actions today with a message to Senior Management will get this resolved quickly.
As I said I love my job; but, the policies can be an issue at times.
I am a huge Broadway musical aficionado and I am pleased to state that my best friend, Pat and I saw "Kinky Boots" and thoroughly loved it.
I do believe that the other contenders are also wonderful candidates and I am pleased to tell you that I am making plans to see the other musicals. Ryan will be graduating from the 5th Grade - so his gift will be tickets to see "Matilda" with me. A colleague from work and I will be seeing "Motown: The Musical" on July 17th; in fact, I will be purchasing the tickets this coming Wednesday.
I had seen "Pippin" when it originated with Ben Vereen; but, I am going to make arrangements to see this revival. I also want to see "Cinderella" as this version is the one I saw on television in the 60's and totally fell in love with; then there is "Annie" and I would like to see it with Jane Lynch this summer.
If I can get through all of those in the next couple of months, then I will be ready for the new season which will begin in the fall.
If you have never seen a musical - please go as there is nothing like LIVE theatre.
On Saturday I stopped by the cleaners to pick up the five pairs of pants that I had tailored. I needed to have the waist taken in by 2 inches - but, it wasn't just the waist - in order not to have a baggy butt the tailor had to take it in all the way down my butt.
What I had to get over is the tailor (a female) telling me I had a great shape. I never looked at my body that way as having a good shape. I have always been concerned that my hips were too big; what I have failed to realize is that I have reduced my hips by 13 inches in the last 4 years.
They are more in line with my body shape and if I were to reduce them by another inch I would have the perfect shape.
I will always have curves - I will never have hips the size of my waist - I need to get over that. Good money will be spent in buying pants and having them altered to close around my small waist; but, still get over my hips.
I need to pat myself on the back for the work I have done and to accept the figure that I have been granted - you should do the same.
It has been a few weeks since I have been to the gym - there were a variety of reasons: a) work has been hectic, b) it was pouring one weekend, c) I babysat the boys another weekend; and, d) lastly, I was away last weekend.
Those were all my excuses - I am done. Work is about to become somewhat reasonable again and I have no major commitments for the next several weekends. The nice thing is that I have not gained any weight!
Today was aqua aerobics and tomorrow will be Zumba - two classes that I love and which really push me to my limits. What I am always amazed at is that the muscles remember and it feels good to stress them.
Don't let the fact that you haven't worked out in a few weeks stop you from trying.
You can always get back on that horse!!!
The 2013 hurricane season is only 7 days old; but, has already created some havoc on the East coast.
Throughout the day there were updates tracking the first storm of the season, Andrea. Notifications were provided by each of the news channels advising listeners to not drive into water puddles. That the rain would be worse from 7PM until 2AM and that we could expect up to 4 inches of rain.
I appreciated working remotely and not having to deal with the rain, the flooding; and, inevitably the many car accidents which would occur as people tried to drive in the mess.
I am hoping that many people won't be flooded by the many inches of rain - so many folks are still very susceptible due to Sandy that they might not be able to handle Andrea.
Although hurricane season begins June 1st we usually do not start to feel the repercussions until late August, September.
I sure hope that this is a fluke and not shades of the remainder of the season.
Yesterday my team and I supported our company's Annual Board of Trustees and Awards meeting. This meeting generally has approximately 800 people in person and then it is streamed to the major hospitals.
The program went flawlessly and we received "kudos" for the program's success; however, it was my job to let Senior Management know that it just was not the work of four individuals. This is truly a collaborative effort from many teams.
Our direction is from the Foundations organization; but, then we bring in an audio visual company for lighting, staging, etc., a streaming company, we interface with our network team to advise them of the program and to monitor the network and our Help Desk team to respond to individuals who may be having problems with the stream.
What is the most work is the coordination amongst the team - but, we all have one objective - program success!
It is to ensure that our Executives are presented at their best to our Board of Trustees, that our Award recipients - who are so deserving - are seen at their best by the peers in the Health System; and, lastly it is to present our company in the most positive light.
As a team - we all did this - and as a team - we are all successful.
My job is to ensure that the employees of the Health System can collaborate and/or participate in a web cast or a video conference. I am also responsible for recommending what type of video system they should purchase.
Given the cost of these systems I want to ensure that people are comfortable with the technology and are using it. That was my team and my responsibility yesterday - to unfrustrate a client who was having issues with their system.
It took a moment of telling the individual, "breathe" and "don't let the technology intimidate you"; but, by the time we left we had a convert.
People are generally good and just need some hand holding. Taking the time to meet the person on their own "turf", demonstrating and then having them re-enact the steps while you are there works wonders. Lastly, we will be putting together a one page document that they can refer to whenever they may be a little confused.
So, what makes me feel good? That - having a client smile, tell you thank you - and see them do it on their own.
You have heard me mention these past few days that I have been reading Dan Brown's Inferno.
As I mentioned yesterday I started this book on Saturday afternoon and finished it last night. Throughout this time I did eat, sleep, do laundry, ran errands, etc. Am I a fast reader - YES - I did take the Evelyn Wood speed reading class.
But, I did read every part of this book - it brought back memories of having read Dante's Inferno when I was in college. I remembered some of the places I had been to in Florence and Venice and it wants me to read more on individuals like Dante.
Do you have a passion for a book? Let me know if you read Inferno and your thoughts on it.
I don't have to tell you that I had a wonderful weekend; but, as they say all good things must come to an end.
Reality check kicked in today and the weekend is over. After my 4 hour drive home the first thing I do is get the things together that need to be laundered and I get the wash started. Next, it is to go ahead and empty the rest of the suitcase and put it away.
I also went through my mail and decided what stays and what goes.
After folding clothes and taking them upstairs - it was out to run some errands. Errands done and I was determined to finish Inferno as Sunday night I finally stopped reading at 11PM with 60 pages left.
Yes, I finished the book in 2 days - it was over 450 pages; but, it was hard to put down.
Don't know about you; but once vacation is over I need to get everything back in order - suitcases, clothes, etc.
As usual everything has a place and everything in its place.
I hope that each of you selects a time when you focus on what you enjoy doing and what replenishes your energy.
I had such a weekend!!! I am a sun lover and I enjoy reading books - nothing is more precious to me than time when I can do both.
As I already told you the weather was gorgeous at the Jersey shore and I finished one book and began Dan Brown's Inferno.
I have a nice healthy tan, I walked and smelled the ocean air and Coppertone and I began a book that highlights many of my other loves.
Italy, art and symbolism. The book is one I cannot put down - it is rare to find books like that and when I do I am amazed at how everything else falls into the background.
But, this blog is really to tell you to find that which helps you re-energize, to re-focus and to once again be able to face your daily responsibilities to family, friends and work.
I needed this weekend - I am glad I recognized that and made it my priority.
I had a wonderful day at the shore yesterday. The weather was great - I have begun to work on my summer tan and I finished one book and began Inferno.
I always go to Cape May whenever I am in Wildwood Crest - yesterday was no exception. I enjoy looking at the quaint shops and I generally have dinner at one of the restaurants while I am there.
In Cape May you need to find a parking spot in one of the many public parking lots and then get a ticket from the Muni Meter and display it in your window. I went to where I regularly park and noticed that they had signs that stated there would be NO PARKING between 4 and 7PM - it was already almost 3PM - this wouldn't do.
I went and parked in a different lot and as I was making my way to the Muni Meter a young guy offered me his Muni Meter ticket - he was leaving and it was good to 7PM. I thanked him and took it and thought - wow - how nice.
I walked all around Cape May, did a little bit of shopping and grabbed some dinner - it was almost 5PM and as I went to my car I saw someone walking to the Muni Meter and offered him my ticket.
He accepted it; but, did state 'You are from NY - you guys aren't generally friendly' - he was from Philly.
I was glad to "pay it forward"; but, gladder to prove to him New Yorkers can be VERY friendly.
It took me 2 1/2 hours to get from Villanova to Wildwood Crest yesterday evening. I arrived and the sun was still out and people were still enjoying the gorgeous day.
This morning it is gorgeous, the weather report is sunny and in the 90's. Woo Hoo!!!! My day is planned - I will walk a few blocks to have breakfast, come back and put on my bathing suit and sit by the pool and read Dan Brown's latest novel Inferno and work on my summer tan.
After a couple of hours I will either take a walk on the beach or rent a bike for a ride. This evening I will head into Cape May for a light dinner and for some walking around the town and the quaint shops - it is never too early to start Christmas shopping.
I haven't done this in a long time - a weekend by myself at the shore - and no work laptop with me. Total disconnect except for you - my loyal readers and followers.
I hope your weekend has begun as well as mine!!!
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