updating my resume

As fellow New Jerseyans know, the state of affairs in education is a hot mess.  That being said, I believe that I will not be offered a position for the 2010-2011 school year.  The person I am replacing is coming back, as far as anyone knows.  The position that my supervisor had hoped I would be able to fill in September due to a retirement is not going to be posted (meaning they are not replacing the retiree.)

Yesterday one of my former colleagues from Hoboken let me know that they are hiring there.  I had my hubby look online and the postings had closed as of 4/16.  He suggested I email the director and let her know I was interested and that I would email my resume later.

I did so and updated my resume last night.  I emailed an awesome cover letter ( in my opinion) and my resume late last night.  I am cautiously optimistic about the opportunities there.  They are hiring for 3 positions, 2 of which I am definitely qualified and 1 is a maybe.  I have the great advantage of having worked in the district for a preschool provider previously, left to finish grad school and be home with the baby a bit and then gained experience in another, much larger district.  But, I love Hoboken.  It was a great place to work and I would love to work there again.  The commute sucks.  But I am much more organized in the mornings now, by necessity, so leaving early might not be as hard as it was before.

I know I am getting ahead of myself here, but I am excited about the possibility.  It gives me hope, and I really needed that about now.

exercise DVD giveaway

My Four Monkeys is a blog I follow, which, if you follow me, you know does awesome giveaways.  I have been so busy this week that I have not been keeping up with any emails/blogs/etc.  Here is one that ends TONIGHT!!   It is for both Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown and Fame: Dance workout.  Awesome for anyone else who is trying to lose a few pounds or just stay fit, especially if your significant other is out of the house a few nights a week.  I know I need to start doing some DVDs on nights that Vin is in school.

Enter and good luck!!

Febrile Seizures

My daughter Lilly had her 1st febrile seizure in August 2009.  It was scary, terrifying really.  We found out she had a urinary tract infection and then from there we found out she has some kidney reflux.  She did not have another seizure until about 8 weeks ago.

She was in school and I received the phone call first from Vinnie and then seconds later from the daycare that Lilly was having a seizure and was being brought via ambulance to the ER.  Receiving that phone call might have been the worst phone call I received to date.  Again we thought she had a UTI but the long term culture proved to be negative.  She was already being treated with antibiotics so she finished them.  Unfortunately by the time the culture came back it was too late to find what the true infection was.

Yesterday she woke up with a fever.  She was going to my mom's so I went to work and made sure she was motrin'd up.  My mom gave her the motrin at the next dosing time and about 30 minutes later she had a  seizure.  I took her to the pediatrician later that day.  She had a red throat but the strep test was negative.  Culture was sent out.  I got a urine sample from her this morning and brought it in to the doctor.  They are sending that out for a culture.  I guess there were some irregularities with it.  I am not exactly sure what that means, but it was very concentrated.  So at this point it is a waiting game to find out the source of an infection.  Of course it could just be viral....

Dr. Cotler also said it was time to see a neurologist.  When I called to make an appointment, the receptionist got us in for next Monday.  Her urgency in getting us in alarmed me.  It is very worrying that Lilly has these seizures and I want to make sure they are just febrile and not a seizure disorder.

So prayers and positive thoughts our way would be much appreciated friends!  And if anyone has any experience with multiple febrile seizures (not just a one-off) please share!

WW update

I have not really given a WW update lately.  I gained at Easter.  Getting my period the day before did not help with all the bloating.  The good news was that even with a gain I kept within the 5 lb weight loss I had from the week before.  The following week I lost about a pound and then finally this week I lost the remainder that I had gained.  So I am down 7.1 lbs. total in 3 weeks.  Not bad considering I had a 2 lb. gain the one week.

I still have not been back to the gym.  I am kind of bummed about that.  But in truth, I have had a lot going on.  Lilly's bedtime routine has been a little longer than before.  On top of that she has been having night terrors for about a month.  And lastly I had my ingrown toenail on my big toe taken care of last Friday.  I had the other foot (3 nails!) done over a year ago and the recovery was so hard that I put off having the other side done.  So at least it is done and hopefully I will be able to work out this weekend.  I think I will at least be able to do my weight workout, if not treadmill/elliptical.

Lastly, I am so excited to have a few other people on this journey with me.  Granted I have not told to many people.  I hate feeling like I am being subjected to the food police.  You know what I mean, I know you do!  So within my family and workplace, unless they read my blog, they do not know.  I have said that I am "watching" but have not been specific about using WW.  But my sister-in-law Gina and her boyfriend Anthony and a few other friends are all doing WW right now.  It is so great to be able to exchange recipes and encourage each other through the week.  Go us!

In fact, if anyone has any tips/recipes/etc feel free to post them in the comment section.  xo

Going green in small ways

I really love the idea of supporting our environment and making little changes to reduce our carbon footprint.  I know I am not the greatest....I buy bottled water all the time, for instance.  Last week I was doing a big shopping order stocking up on things like aluminum foil and storage bags.  I generally use the reusable plastic containers for lunches and leftovers.  However, there are times when plastic storage bags are needed.  I had some great Ziploc coupons and they were on sale, so that was what I was purchasing.  I was happy, and surprised, to see that the Ziplock Evolve bags were the same price as the regular ones.  They use less plastic, so they are lighter but they are good for everyday use.  The cartons are made from recycled cardboard and they are manufactured with 50% renewable energy sources.

I know it is not a big thing, but it is one little step I am making to reducing my carbon footprint.  What small or big steps are you taking?

Thoroughly exhausted

I am just going to say a few things....

1.  I am exhausted.
2.  I did not get to the gym today.
3.  I did not clean my house today.
4.  I ate a little bit of junky food, but not as much as I wanted.  I still felt kind of blah after.
5.  I had a blast with my daughter when we got home.
6.  So because of #5, #1 -3 did not affect me as much.
7.  I am praying that I make healthier food choices tomorrow.  I am starting to (once again) feel poorly when I eat poorly.  When I eat poorly all the time I crave carbs (like an addict) and I don't feel how it affects me.  When I eat pretty decently most of the time I can feel it when I eat the other crap.  This is a good thing.  I was desensitized to what the sugar/flour/fat was doing to me.

I am going to BED!!

Goodnight all!

By the way, have I ever mentioned how much I like lists?

Wordy Wednesday

So many people have Wordless Wednesday blogs that I decided to be a little different.  Plus Vinnie has class tonight so it is a good night for me to sit down and do some blogging.  Of course I am now sitting here blogging instead of cleaning...mopping, laundry, dishes, organizing, putting things away, working on my resume, etc.

Right...so just as I finished that last sentence Lilly woke up screaming in the middle of what (I believe) is a night terror.  And in the middle of comforting her Vinnie came home from school.  yada yada yada...we ate dinner and I had no me-time.  Not to mention the fact that my Wordy Wednesday post will be posted on Thursday.  Shh...don't tell!

I have been having a really hard time getting back to WW in a solid way.  I have been doing okay but not great.  I miss the gym and I miss yoga.  I miss being prepared so that I can make healthy eating choices without a lot of thought/effort.  I keep trying to focus on the big picture.  It is not such a big deal, in the long run, that I have had one day/week/etc when I was off-track.  I may not lose weight this week, or next for that matter.  But eating healthy, exercising, finding time for me and relaxation are all part of the bigger picture of a healthier, calmer, happier me.  So tomorrow I start again.  And maybe if I get enough sleep tonight (fingers crossed) I will have enough energy to go to the gym.

And just maybe I will mop my kitchen floor this week!

Lilly and her cats

So my cats pretend as if they do not want anything to do with Lilly.  I think this picture shows otherwise.

Happy Easter!

Yesterday we dyed eggs with my mom, nanny, Aunt Kelly and Elizabeth.  We had a great time!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.  I think no matter what your faith, Spring is a time of renewal.  Just as hope is renewed when we see those first shoots peeking through the winter soil, I pray that your hope in yourself, your God, your family or whomever you need shows signs of renewal.

et cetera

Lilly is napping and I think I am going to take one, too. It has been a tough several nights with the Lillybug. At least now I know why she has been so cranky, besides the usually toddler stuff. She has an ear infection. I am hoping that this warm weather stays and just blasts out all the germs that have been hanging around all winter.

So my endocrinologist visit came and went...all my hormones check out normal. Okay, so what does that mean for me? I need to work really, really hard to lose weight and keep it off. Basically, in a nut shell, that is the deal. Fabulous.

I went grocery shopping today and saved 26%. I'm pretty excited about that. That is a lot of money. Now I just have to use what I purchased to make goodies for Easter dinner. THey are totally the opposite of WW foods! I am making the pineapple stuffing to go with the ham. Yum. And Ina Garten's Carrot Cake. Yum Yum! I am going to have to say no to leftovers. I honestly think leftovers are what kills me on holidays. At the meal I am okay. But give me stuff to take home and it is gone by morning. Since it is supposed to be a beautiful weekend maybe I can sneak a walk in there, too.