Merry Christmas

Popcorn

Today I made a trip to the doctor's office with all three kids.  They each had an appointment for checkups.  Even though it wasn't to bad, I do not want to go to another appointment with all three kids again.  Jude and Elise were ok, but Avery kept on getting into the cabinet, trash, and drawers.  She actually hit her head on one drawer and now has a scratch under her left eye.  Avery received one shot, the other kids did not.  During Elise's checkup, at the point the doctor checks up her nose, he says that it looks like there some kind of object in her nose.  I took a look and yep, there was an object up her nose.  The doctor said it looked like it might be a bean.  He wanted her to blow her nose to try and eject the object, but Elise wouldn't do it.  So, the doctor said I would need to take her to the hospital to have it sucked out since they didn't have the right equipment in the office for such a procedure.   I'm thinking "Oh, great.  Another trip to the hospital, just what we need right now."  Well, we get home and I had Elise blow her nose about four times to get this object out of her nose.  It finally came out and it was a popcorn kernel.  We had popcorn last week.  The kernel was split and looked like it had germinated.  How crazy is that, Elise was trying to grow corn in her nose.  Earlier at the doctor's office I asked if she put a bean in her nose, she said "no."  So this time I asked if she put popcorn in her nose, she said "yes."  She didn't have an explanation for it.  What gives?

I did it, and an update

First things first....

Most you probably know, but Delilah had her gallbladder taken out yesterday. If you know her it is hard to keep that woman down. I managed to keep her off the phone yesterday after she was released from the hospital. After she had her appendix removed she made some phone calls while drugged up and did not want a repeat. Today is a different story however, she woke up early this morning, like 3 am, from all the sleep she got yesterday. She went back to sleep at 7. During that time she managed to get our Christmas cards finished and type a letter to send out in the cards. She woke up again at 9 and was on the go. She started doing laundry and then later on baking cookies. Needless to say she over did it a little bit, but the doctor did say to do what ever she wanted to do if she felt up to it. The only restriction was that she could lift anything over 10 pounds.

Now..........

I completed my two classes to finish off my Associates Degree, it will be about 3 weeks until I receive the final grades, I am confident that passed both classes. Hopefully this will help in the job search. I know it can't hurt.

Peace out to the discount furniture.

Movie Time?

The J-O-B hunt continues

I am still job hunting. The job I thought I had lined up seems to be in limbo. Which is frustrating in itself, I guess that is the nature of this beast which we call a bad economy. So I am back in the hunt. I had an interview today for a position that teaches clients (kids that are aging out of children services) independent living skills. I am really exited about the possibility of this position. This a new program for the organization and the possibilities are endless for what the program could grow into. I probably won't hear back until later next week. There were still several interviews to go.
I have signed on to drive a snow plow truck this winter season. I will be working for a family that attends our church and am excited about making a little extra cash. It will be early morning hours, but I think it will work out most of the time, so long that I don't become to much of a grump to those around me, like Delilah.
I am five assignments from having my associates degree. One of the assignments is to write a five to six page paper on the differences/similarities in the doctrines of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It has proven to interesting thus far in the process. I just started doing some research and am about a page into the paper.
So, things are slowly moving along for us in the family.


More to come later after I look up Ju Ju Be.

Post Election Observations

I have noticed a few things about this election that was held this year. I think the Democratic party and the Obama faithful did a great job of organizing and pursing a grassroots based push towards the election. In our neighborhood, Obama faithful went door to door on one occasion and possibly two occasions. I never saw the McCain faithful go door to door. Obama trounced on the Midwest, it was a very impressive showing for him considering the Midwest is considered the heartbeat of the United States and often considered to be the backbone of the Republican party. The overall feeling I have about the election of Obama is that people view has the person that will save the country. I think that view should be taken cautiously. I believe Obama will do a good job as President, but I also realize that President only has so much power. The President is only one part of the federal government the other being the judicial and legislative branches. The Democratic elected officials sure better work together to accomplish issues because there will be no one else to blame but themselves considering they have a Democrat as the President and control of both the House and Senate.

There have been some mix result with this year's election. For example: Californians approved an amendment that defined marriage as the union of one man an one woman; Florida and Arizona approved gay marriage bans; Arkansas approved a measure that restricts unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents; Colorado defeated a measure stating that life began at conception; South Dakota defeated a measure that would have banned abortions except in the case of rape, incest, and serious health threat to the mother; Washington approved physician-assisted suicide; Nebraska approved a ban on race - and - gender - based affirmative action; and San Francisco said you can arrest prostitutes.

I think the conservative ideal lives on in America as is apparent by the various outcomes of different measures across the nation. We may not all agree on the different ways to solve the issues that confront the United States but we must all respect the position of the President of the United States and work together to solve the issues.

I guess I'll keep looking for Ferrari parts in the mean time.

Stockyard

enter the building
walk through the gate
through the metal detector
into the lobby
feels like a stockyard
the line continues
towards the first person to speak with
like a creek flowing into a dam
no water flowing out
keeps flowing
finally
a trickle here, a trickle there
one by one
names are called
meet with the second person
set your appointment
meet with a third person


the stockyard
full of broken people
tears to my eyes
children not a clue
shouldn't have to experience this
single moms, babes in tow
broken hearted i sit
waiting
waiting for the second person
watching
watching around me
some should focus on retirement
others their career
why
how
here


socioeconomic background matters not
demographics matter not
young
old
black
white
brown
yellow


it happened to me
you?
i wish not
hope not
dignity lost
nothing to do but count the light fixtures

Go Bucks, I tried...

I have made the decision to start rooting for Ohio State. It's not that I'm upset with the way Michigan is playing. I expected it to be a tough year for Michigan because it is such a large transition in programs. The reason I have started to make a switch to Ohio State is because Coach Tressel has grown on me. He is a great coach and seems to ge a great individual. I have enjoyed watching how he carries himself on and off the field. At the beginning of the of the Penn State I was rooting for Ohio State but after a while I found myself rooting against Ohio State. Needless to say, I did I try to root for Ohio State. You've heard it here first, I am an Ohio State fan. Go Bucks. Maybe I need to put my Michingan stuff on sale.

Almost...

Can you believe that it is almost November? Where has this year gone? It seems just like yesterday that I was discharged from my previous job all the while it seems like it is going to take forever until December 1st to roll around. December 1st it my first day back to work, and I cannot wait until then. Not because I want to get out of the house but because I will be able to bring more money to the family to get us back to being somewhat financially stable. It's been tough on us since mid-September when the state employment ran out. I filed for the federal extension but have not heard about the determination of benefits. It has been slim pickings for us. Yesterday at church we heard a sermon about Breaking Out of the Trap Debt it was a good sermon and was almost perfect timing for us to hear. Delilah and I have been discussing our finances and how we are going to get out of debt. Finances can be such a burden on individuals and families. We were beginning to take steps of getting out of debt before I was let go. Soon, very soon we will be able to resume the process of getting out of debt. Sometimes it can feel like golf balls bouncing all around on concrete when it comes to finances.

A day off

Today Jude didn't have school. I told him earlier in the week that on Friday he wouldn't have school. I asked him if we would want to go the Akron Zoo if it was nice out. He said he wanted to go. I told him I would check the weather to see and that we would have to wait until Friday to make the final decision about it. He seemed fine with waiting until Friday to decide. Well, as it turned out, th weather wasn't perfect but at least it wasn't raining. I contemplated whether to go in the morning or in the afternoon. I knew it would be a little warmer in the afternoon but decided to go in the morning. We went to the zoo and it was nice to go when we did. There were only 4 or 5 other families at the zoo with us when we arrived. It was a bit on the cool side but the kids didn't seem to mind at all. We were able to take our time walking, err running through the zoo. The kids had fun because they were able to run off in front of me with out being swallowed by a crowd of people. The animals were very active. The jauguar was doing laps around his pen and walking right past the window. We actually heard one of the lions rumble out some sounds, they weren't full fledged roars but I think it might of scared Jude and Elise a little. One of the nice things was that we were able to take our time through the jelly fish. We went last time it was so crowded. Actually I can't think of an animal that wasn't inactive. We made it through the zoo in a hour and a half. Perfect amount of time for youngsters. When I put Avery into the van after the zoo her poor little hands were cold. The Akron Zoo might be the closest thing we can come to Disney vacations.

She did it again

Aw that sweet Avery. She did it again. She pooped in the bath tub 2 baths in a row with the other kids in there with her. I am surprised that Jude did not hurl, he has a week stomach when it comes to things like that. Actually there was one time about 3-4 years ago that he started gagging when there was mud on his shows. I have been giving the kids a bath every other day (unless they are really dirty) I gave them a bath on Tuesday morning and again this morning. This morning I put Avery on the toilet in hopes that she may poop in it. But she didn't. She decided to go in the bathtub instead. What fun. So I scooped out all the poop I could while I drained the tub. I cleaned the tub out and refilled it to continue with their bath time. Elise has a routing of wanting to get in the bath tub with Delilah in the mornings. Yesterday Elise told Delilah she wanted to take a bath with her "with out poop." Such a funny girl.
I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before. My official start date is December 1st. It seems like so far off. Delilah and I briefly discussed our child care options and both agreed that we need to start interviewing people for the position. I guess it would be a good time to use some employment screening.

Gloom & Doom

I can't catch a break in the sporting world. My beloved Cubbies went down in flames. How is that even possible. They had the 2nd best record in the majors and they went down in a blaze of non glory. It really is true. The post season is a brand new season and it does not matter what you did in the regular season.
What about my poor Wolverines? They can't even beat Toledo. I realize this is a rebuilding year for Michigan but what is with all the turnovers? There is no excuse. They need to play more consistent. I wish they would have gotten Les Miles from LSU, I think he embodies Michigan football more fully.
I guess there is one bright spot in my sports. Mobile Router. How bout them Browns? Did they put a spanking on the Giants or what? If only they could play like that every game, they would be serious threat.

Hello, My Name is Jake..........

In case you forgot, I know it's been a long time since I put a post up on the blog. A while back I decided to go through each post and put a label on each one of them. It took a little time do it but I am glad I did. It's good to read what I have posted in the past. Things are moving along on the job front. My unemployment benefits ran out so I had to apply for the Federal extension of the benefits. As far as I know I am approved for the extension and will be able to receive them next week after about a 3 week lapse of the state benefits. I do have a job. I know how much I will be making but not when I start. It will be sometime between Oct 13 and Dec 1. I am really hoping for sooner than later. I will be working the same industry as before. The office is going to be based out of Cuyahoga Falls, in the river front area. I am very excited about this opportunity and believe I will be very successful at it.

After dropping Jude off at school today, I ran to the post office and then to the bank to have some cash for a date night tonight. When I got to the ATM, the guy in front of me left his bank card in the ATM and the transaction was not complete. If I wanted to I could have withdrawn cash from his account, which I didn't. I ended the transaction and got the cash out of my account that I needed and grabbed the bank card and went through the drive thru window and handed the card to the teller. I wonder how many people would have withdrawn cash with that card? I probably could have bought a nice set of bar stools for the basement.

I suppose that is all I have for now, that I wish to share.

Fixing the van

Our right headlight had been out for about 6 months before I fixed it. I had replaced the lamp and it didn't take care of the problem. One time while in WV, my dad and I thought we traced the problem back to the front end module (front computer). I bought a salvaged replacement for about $40 with shipping. I finally got around to switching the module out and it still didn't take care of the problem. After doing more research and understanding the wire diagram a little bit better and getting additional help from my dad I was able to track the problem down to a wire coming out of the lamp harness. There are 3 wires that come out from the harness, 1 wire is always hot. Well my wire was hot but it was reading about .03 compare to 12.4 to the left headlight. I was able to test the wire and found out that there was a break in the wire somewhere within 1 foot of the wiring harness. I bypassed the break in the wire with running a parellel wire from a known good spot in the same wire. Long story short, I was able to fix the right headlight. It was a gratifying moment for me.

The rear brakes had been making a grinding noise so I decided to take a look at them. My initial thought that there was some kind of debris causing the grinding. I was right. I cleaned the brake pad and the brake drum and took the van for a test drive........ no grinding was present.

It feels good to fix something yourself.



Ladybug Steam Cleaners

How bout them Cubbies

I've been a Cubs fan for longest time since the early 90's from the days of Ryan Sandberg, Mark Grace, and even Sammy Sosa. I've never been to Wrigley Field but I hope one day I will be able to watch the Cubs play a game there. I have been to one Cubs game in my life, I watched them play the Cardinals in St. Louis (the Cubs lost). The Cubs have been a sub par, below average team since I can remember. Amazingly during the last 2 seasons they have managed to turn things around. As of today their magic number is 2, they must win 2 games to clinch the NL East or if the Brewers lose today and the Cubs win today they will clinch it.

As of today the Cubs are 92-59 with a winning percentage of .609, they have the best record in the NL. They are 1/2 game behind the MLB best record of the LA Angels who are 93-59 with a winning percentage of .612. The Cubs have outscored their opponents by a margin of 185 runs, the best on the Majors. The next closest is the Boston Red Sox who have outscrored their opponents with a margin of 158 runs. I think the Cubs are in pretty good company.

The Cubs can try to play spoilers to both the Mets and the Brewers, the 2 teams in the hunt for the wild card spot right now. The Cubs play the Mets 4 more times and the Brewers 2 more times. The Astros are on the outside looking in (5 games behind the Mets) for the wild card but it could change. The Astro's have been given a 0.5% of making the postseason.

If I could think of any Cubs team to go the distance, I think this is the team that can do it. It's been a long, long time (1945) since they made it to the World Series.


I wish we could take some more cruises.

Procrastination and Waiting

I am taking a literature course that I absolutely hate. I can't stand it. So instead of doing my course work I am procrastinating by doing other stuff. I know, I know, I should be working on my course.

I have a job lined up (as far as I understand). Now I am playing a waiting game. I can't stand waiting. I'm about ready to jump out of my skin.

I guess I should try and something productive and get off the computer for now.
Why would you want talking watches?

Things are moving

Last week felt like summer and it was the middle of September. Today it feels like fall. I woke up to a wet drive way and clouds. Just before Jude had to head off to school it started to rain a little and by the time I picked Jude up from school it had turned into a beautiful day. It was a little bit chilly but it was nice out. Tomorrow may turn out to be my favorite type of day if the forecast holds out. It's suppose to be around 70 and sunny and on Wednesday it's suppose to be around 75 another great day. I can't wait.

I hate high credit card limit

Porthole Observations

Say what? Porthole Observations? Check it out. It's a new blog from Delilah and me.

http://portholeobservations.blogspot.com/

I'm still around

I've really fallen off track with keeping posting on this blog. Since Jude started school and I am doing my own course work, I've really cut back my time on the internet. I've fallen in a routine of taking advantage of the quietness when the 2 younger ones are taking their naps. I'm able to get about 2 hours of course work done each day. Except for this week of course. This week has been a little bit crazy. Our kitchen drain backed up pretty bad Monday night. So Tuesday we had our friend Steve come out and take a look at it, he owns his own home repair business. He replaced the drain coming down from the sink going into the stack. Well, it didn't take care of the problem. There ended up being a blockage in the main drain under the concrete floor. He called to call his guy out that takes care of the major plumbing issues with his equipment to snake out the drain. There had been years and years and years of grease buildup in the drain. He finally got it unclogged after about 2 1/2 hours. There has been no problems since then. The drain which was replaced from the kitchen sink needed to be replaced anyways because it was galvanized steel and was starting to rust through one of the joints. In the midst of all of the drain issues I have been preparing for an Experiencing God bible study at our house that we had last night. Almost enough activity for me to start acne treatments. There never seems to be a dull moment in the Miller household.

A mid-week update

Well Jude is in kindergarten now and the rest of us are settling into our new routine. We have been walking to school it is .9 miles one way. You have to live 1 mile from the school to get bused. Jude was kind of bummed out about not riding the bus to school. So, since Monday I have been walking 2.7 miles just taking Jude back and forth to school. Avery has been in the stroller or in the backpack on my back. Elise has been either on her little bike or in the stroller. I let Jude ride his bike to school and back from school to the house. According to the district rules, kids are not suppose to ride bikes to school because of the risk of getting hit by a car. I figured since I am with him I would let him ride his bike. But here's the catch, I have to bring the bike back home with me and take it back to the school for him to ride it. They don't have bike racks at the school. I was able to put it on the the handle bars of the stroller, I'll have to get a picture of it for you to see what it looks like.

I weighed in at 214 this morning and ran almost a mile also this morning. My left foot/ankle has been hurting like crazy. I think I twisted or sprained it on Sunday. The left side of my foot below my ankle is red and tender. It also it is a little puffy. I told Delilah that I have to work out through the pain. I've started and I don't want to quit, it will be that much harder to start back up again.

I guess I could get a hold of a Chicago personal injury lawyers and say that the city sidewalk caused my injury.

Workout Day 1

The potential to work with the APD has turned into a motivator to get back into shape. Last week I told Delilah that today August 25th was going to be the start of my workout program. I have decided to begin my work out program with 30 minutes of running/walking and then sit ups and push ups five days a week. Eventually I will work towards running three miles, when that takes place I will run three miles, three days a week and do some weight training the other two days at the Y. My goal is to drop from 217 pounds to 190 pounds for a total loss of 27 pounds almost 12.4% of my current weight.
Let's recap day one of my new workout plan.

• Man I am more out of shape than I realized
• Ran for 2 minutes
• Walked for 28 minutes

After the run/walk I did 20 sit ups and 13 push ups. It's much tougher to do those when your body is already a little tired.


Acne Cream

First Step

I have decided to apply for the written test to become an Akron Police Officer. Delilah and I discussed it at length and decided it would be a good idea to take the initial first step in the process. Akron seems to have a good program. Once you are in the academy you receive full pay. The down side about this is I pass everything we would have to move to Akron within 12 months. But there are some nice neighborhoods in Akron. I need to start getting my body in shape for the testing. If anything this will be a good motivator to get in shape. Maybe I should look into some promotional products.

The Story Behind the Pictures

Yesterday morning I looked outside the front window to see all these fire trucks. I was curious to see what was going on. I observed the guys in action. Or lack of action. My first clue that there was nothing serious going on was the lack of the fire trucks lights being on and the guys leisurely walking about. The firemen were doing a training exercise in the local metro park. Come to think of it. I've seen fire trucks lined up down the street before, but never thought more about it until now.

As anyone had a colon cleanser before?


See you on the flip side.

WW Views from the Front Porch

WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price

Delilah and I watched a movie over the course of a couple days. (Because we were so tired we had to turn it off and go to bed). WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price is a thought provoking movie. I suggest that everyone watch this movie. Take a look at the following:

Your tax dollars pay for Wal-Mart's greed

• The estimated total amount of federal assistance for which Wal-Mart employees were eligible in 2004 was $2.5 billion. [The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart, A Report By The Democratic Staff Of The Committee On Education And The Workforce, 2/16/04]
• One 200-employee Wal-Mart store may cost federal taxpayers $420,750 per year. This cost comes from the following, on average:
  • $36,000 a year for free and reduced lunches for just 50 qualifying Wal-Mart families.
  • $42,000 a year for low-income housing assistance.
  • $125,000 a year for federal tax credits and deductions for low-income families.
  • $100,000 a year for the additional expenses for programs for students.
  • $108,000 a year for the additional federal health care costs of moving into state children's health insurance programs (S-CHIP)
  • $9,750 a year for the additional costs for low income energy assistance.
  [The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart, A Report By The Democratic Staff Of The Committee On Education And The Workforce, 2/16/04]

Health care subsidies compared to executive compensation

• Excluding his salary of $1.2 million, in 2004 Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott made around $22 million in bonuses, stock awards, and stock options in 2004.
• This $22 million could reimburse taxpayers in 3 states where Wal-Mart topped the list of users of state-sponsored health care programs, covering more than 15,000 Wal-Mart employees and dependents. [Wal-Mart Proxy Statement and News Articles GA, CT, AL].

Your tax dollars subsidize Wal-Mart's growth

• The first ever national report on Wal-Mart subsidies documented at least $1 billion in subsidies from state and local governments.
• A Wal-Mart official stated that "it is common" for the company to request subsidies "in about one-third of all [retail] projects." This would suggest that over a thousand Wal-Mart stores have been subsidized. ["Shopping For Subsidies: How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never-Ending Growth," Good Job First, May 2004]

The above was taken from http://wakeupwalmart.com/facts/#taxpayers

Please watch the following clips.







I don't think I'll be buying indoor lighting from Wal-Mart.

More Busy-ness

We've had another busy weekend/end of last week. My mom and dad came up late Wednesday and stayed through until Sunday afternoon. It was a good visit. Thursday we were able to get the mulching done around the house. Well, at least the large front flower bed and the 2 flower beds in the side yard. It looks soooo much better. It was full of weeds. Friday we had a semi-relaxing day. We went for a 1.8 mile hike in the Gorge Metro Park. It really is a beautiful park, it's just a shame that in certain spots that it really smells like sewer. Something needs to be done about it. Friday evening we headed to Ron's house for a cook out and a boat ride. The kids loved being on the boat. Avery even enjoyed it for the first little while, then I think she was tired of wearing her life jacket. On Saturday we headed to Amish World, as Jude called it. We visited some extended family and had a good meal in Mt Hope. Delilah and I with the kids headed back early because we had a ton of stuff to do for Sunday. We had Avery's birthday party on Sunday. It was fun. It's amazing how comfortable it was here at the house with all the people here. At the pink house it would have been cramped and you would probably needed to have tactical gear to get around all the people and kids running wildly. I think everyone had a good time. At least I hope they did.

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Madness

It always seems that Monday is turns into madness. Maybe I should check out the wine of the month to make things seem better for me on Monday's. Things seem to get done at a little bit of a slower pace. This is how would like my typical day to flow.

1. Get a shower and dressed before the kids get up
2. Eat a bowl of cereal before the kids get up
3. Read through the paper while sipping on my coffee before the kids get
4. Get the kids breakfast and dressed
5. Put Avery done for her morning Siesta usually around 8:30 or 9:00
6. Do a little school lesson with Jude while Avery is asleep
7. When Avery wakes up, get her dressed
8. Feed the kids lunch
9. Do an outside activity with the kids, usually go to the wading pool
10. Back for naps
11. While the kids are napping do some of my own school work from Upper Iowa University
12. Get the house picked up
13. Wait for momma to get home

I guess that is how my typical day would flow, except on Monday's of course. Because things always seem to get done a slower pace because of the weekend. Well, it's about that time. Time for lunch. PB&J sounds great today.

See you on the flip side.

July - recap

July has seemed like a blur to me. Why does it seem like everything happens during the same time. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad it all seems to happen during the same general time. Let me recall the month.

1. We moved
2. Delilah had surgery
3. Jude and Elise went to TN
4. We celebrated Mandy's life
   

Looking back I guess there wasn't more events than any other month except for the fact that this month it was an emotional roller coaster for all of us. It took it's toll on us.

Moving in itself is not a lot of fun. It wasn't like we moved across the state. We only moved six house away, just around the corner from the "pink" house. With moving there always seems like of lot stuff to do. There is a lot of work to make the house your home. You want everything to look nice, even if you are just renting (again). We are slowly settling in to our new surroundings. I can honestly say this house feels more like home does than the "pink" house ever did. Isn't that weird? Maybe not. I guess we are much more comfortable in our new house.

Delilah had to have surgery this month. A semi-emergency surgery. She had her appendix removed. She is a trooper. The doctors said they were amazed she wasn't doubled over in pain and sweating bullets when she came into the ER. Her surgeon said that if she would have waited another 12 hours she would of had poop all inside of her. (I always knew she was full of sh*t) ha ha ha. She recovered pretty quickly from her surgery. It is always hard to keep her down.

Jude and Elise went to TN the week following Delilah's surgery. They always love leaving the house for a week. They had a blast. They got to go fishing, see wildlife and spend time Nanna and Poppy. But it's always a transition when they get back home. I think they are ready to head back to TN.

On the 28th and 29th we had the opportunity to share in celebrating Mandy's life. She was courageous in her fight against cancer. At this point that is all I am going to write about Mandy. I am not able to get the words to type correcting so they accurately describe what I am feeling and what I wish to share. She was a special person and will be missed by all.

Yesterday we finally registered Jude for Kindergarten. We have to wait until next week or the week after next to find out if he is in AM or PM. That to me is so annoying. Why can't they tell you when you register your child whether they are AM or PM. And what's with having to buy all these Kleenex's, Purel, zip lock bags, etc. I thought that is why schools have levies? What happens when you can't afford to buy these extra "essentials" to be shared with the rest of the classroom? Do they label the child and the family as non-compliant? No Child Left Behind.

I guess that is all for today. Check you later.



Office Supplies

Happy Birthday Dad/Father-in-Law/Papaw

Happy 1st Birthday Avery (July 27)

Aww, Monday.........

Well is is Monday and things here at he Miller household are slowly coming back together. Delilah is feeling much better other than some side affects to the antibiotic she is on. She made a phone call to the doctor and they are suppose to call back at some point. Jude and Elise are in TN and I think that Avery might miss them a little bit, she has been a little grumpy over the last couple of days. They will probably return home Friday or Saturday. I have a job interview with Primerica Thursday evening. I'm a little nervous about it. I did a quick search on Google about the company and there seemed to a lot of complaints and some people felt that it is a scam. They are a part of Citigroup so I guess we will have to see what develops on Thursday. Everything I read from the Primerica website looks good and falls in line with what I tend to believe. And with this job I won't have to travel. Which is nice because if you were have to fly somewhere it seems like all the airlines are charging to check luggage.
I will take advantage of this week with only having Avery. I need to go and renew my license and registers the cars and also get Jude's paper work for school so he can goto kindergarten in about a month. Crazy. I can not believe that Jude is starting school already.


Peace, see you on the flip side.

Delilah is home now.

Update

It looks as though Delilah will be at the hospital until Saturday. She still has a lot of pain from the appendicitis/surgery. She was able to get a little rest today with a couple of naps.
I took the kids into see her twice today. Tonight they were all interested in the different gadgets in her room. Jude is ready for mommy to come home. Elise is also ready for momma to come home.

Delilah

It turns out that Delilah actually had appendicitis. Not the flu. Not bad cramps. She had surgery this morning at about 1. She went through it with flying colors. I will keep you updated when ever I find out more.

Wordless Wednesday

Flood Safe Water Supply Lines

If you read Delilah's blog you will remember that she mentioned something about the hot water not working on the kitchen faucet after I switched them around. Well, I went to Home Depot to pick up some new water supply lines because the old ones in the sink were leaking at the hose coupling after I replaced the faucet there might have been a medigap between the hose and coupling. I might have over tightened them, I'm not sure. Anyways, I bought 2 flood safe water supply lines. I figured it would be better to pay an extra $2 dollars just in case. Well, the cold water supply line is working great. The hot water supply line kept on tripping itself. If the water flow over certain gallons per minute then it will shut off. I'm not really sure why the cold water didn't shut off but the hot water did. So this morning I ran over to Home Depot at 6:15 in the morning to get the new water supply line before Delilah headed off to work. I am pleased to say that both hot and cold are now working on the sink.

Goldfish Catch

Last night was the annual goldfish catch for the Falls. The city takes one afternoon/evening to place goldfish in all of its wading pools. Kids 12 and under get the opportunity to try and catch some goldfish. The kids had a great time trying to catch the goldfish. I think that Delilah also had a great time helping them. We caught about 15 goldfish, our "friends" gave us 3 or 4 of their goldfish. Are they really friends when they are pawning off fish to us? I guess we still have them as friends. It takes more than giving us more fish to get rid of us as friends. Anyways... enough of going down a rabbit trail. On the way home Jude mentioned that he a was going to play hid-and-seek with one of his fish (the white fish). So we asked him how we was going to play, he said that he was going to count while the fish hid.
I think Jude needs to play with kids is age more often. I think this move has really messed our schedule up. We need to get back in the grove of things and head to the park and wading pools. Oh, and to the library. We signed the kids up for a reading program at the library. We have only been to it a few times, maybe only twice, now that I think about it.

(Elise scouting for fish)

(Elise caught one)

(Successful trip?)

(Jude being happy)

(Waiting for their turn again)

Las Vegas vacations

Changes

So many changes. Last night Delilah told me that Tony Stewart was leaving JGR to become majority owner of HAAS Racing. I knew that it was a possibilty for him to leave at the end of the season because he hadn't signed a contract extension with JGR. But what I didn't know was that Ryan Newman may also follow Tony, leaving Penske Racing for HAAS. Ryan and Tony are my 2 favorite drivers in NASCAR. I am excited about the possibility of them teaming up.

I was looking at kitchen faucets at Home Depot because our new one does not have enough clearance. I can't believe how much they cost. The cheapest one with the high clearance was $80.00. I think I'll wait till later for that project.

I have decided to change my blog layout. I like the look of this one which I found dropping entrecards yesterday. I hope you also like it. I will be spending some time tweaking it so it looks better. Hope you all enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday - Jude and His Animals

Jude loves to set his animals up.

(View from the front)

(View from the back)

Happy 4th of July

First Post From the New House

We are slowly getting settled into the new house. The kitchen is pretty much put together, which makes it much more enjoyable to eat in the dining room. Yesterday, while working on some things at the house, a car stopped in front and an older couple got out of their car. The wanted to welcome us to the neighborhood (they live about 4 blocks away on the same street) I told them thanks and explained that we had actually moved only six houses from around the corner. I also told them that we always walk past their house and Delilah says that she wants to buy it. It has an acre and a detached workshop on the property. They laughed and said that a month after they bought it a couple stopped in and offered to buy from them. They have been in the house for 3 years now.

Things are moving along for us. There is a lot of work to do yet. We need to head back to the old house and get the rest of miscellaneous stuff out and move the garage stuff over. Then we need to clean the old house. So much fun.

Metal Roofing

Moving along

Yesterday was a long day. I headed over to the new house at 5:30..... in the morning to trim some of the living room before heading to my men's group. I returned home from the group to get some things ready to take to the new house while waiting for Heather to arrive to eat lunch and go to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. Let me tell you, the Restore is great. We bought a table for the kids, it's one of those table you might see in a kindergarten room, it's round and short. We bought it for $7.50, what a deal. We also bought several nice paint brushes, a new dining room light and new lights for the hallway. We spent a total of $40.00, what a deal. If you have one in your area you need to check it out. The have a variety of things there. Anything from Pella windows, nice cabinets, paint, desks, tables, roofing, front doors, basically a variety of things. Anyways....... With Heather's help, Delilah and were able to paint the living room, kitchen, and clean the rest of the basement. Things are looking good. I think the plans today are to mop and steam vac the upstairs and maybe move a few things into the basement.
We have 2 great babysitters yesterday, they both put in long days for us. Grace babysat from noon till 9:30 pm and Sara (her sister) came at 3:00 to help out, since Heather's kids were here also.


Memory cards

Really? It's Friday.

Where has this week gone? I can not believe that it is Friday. This week has gone by in a blur. Jude had Safety Town this week. He had his little graduation ceremony today. We had our babysitter here through out the week. This gave me an opportunity to work on the new house. So far this week we have cleaned out Delilah's new craft room, the storage room, and the basement bathroom. The hallway/entry is now freshly painted. The living room and kitchen are taped ready to painted tomorrow and the yard had been mowed. It has been a crazy week. I am tired. My legs are tired. It will be a busy weekend as we try to get everything ready to be moved into the new house.


HDMI

Moving

We are moving. We found a house to rent that is literally just around the corner from us. It is a much nicer house for the same rent. We have been looking for houses for the last 2 months. They all seemed to be smaller than our current one for much more money. This will be a blessing to our family. Right now we are doing some painting. We really want to make the house our home. This will be the house we are in that we can really do that. We are excited. The new landlord it great. He is doing everything that he can to make sure we are happy when we move in.
The house we are moving into is a brick ranch built in the 50's. I never thought I would like a ranch. This house I like. It has 3 bedrooms, large living room, finished basement, which half of it is a rec room and the other half will consist of craft room, office, and kids play area. And maybe the best part is....... the house has landscaping. We miss out landscaping. The flower beds are over grown but they can be whipped into shape. The kids are excited as well. The new landlord actually gave the kids 2 new scooters. Well they look fairly new.
My goal was to get everything painted (kitchen, hallway, and living room) by the end of the week. I don't think it is going to happen though. Jude has safety town this week and tot time, so time is very precious to get anything done. Well, it's about time for tot time gotta run.

Sale

Staying active

This is my 200th post. I can't believe it. I never imagined I would keep with this blogging thing, I guess I surprised myself a little. Anyways..... I have been trying to stay active with the kids. I was going to say stay busy with the kids. I don't think the word busy is the right word to describe my intentions. Today we have had a little break in the weather. The a/c is turned off for the first time in a week. It is nice to have outside air blowing across your face when your in the house. Yesterday the kids enjoyed Tot Time. It is a time for tots to come together and do a craft. It runs through the whole summer and occurs twice a week. Tuesday they made name cards. At the end of the craft they took turns saying their names and something about themselves. Of course Jude and Elise didn't say anything, they would stand up or say their names.

Today, after Avery woke up from her morning nap we went for a hike through the Gorge Metro Park. It is nice because it is within walking distance from our house. No need to fire up the ole gas guzzler minivan. It is nice that the metro park is so close to the house. It is a nice metro park other then the fact it smells like sewer. The metro park needs to do something about the smell. There's nothing like breathing in stink while trying to enjoy the woods. After the hike I loaded the kids up in the van and we headed off to Delilah's work. We made a stop at Subway to pick up some lunch then to her work to pick her up and then off to a park in Kent. It was a nice time together. The kids enjoyed being with mom a little during the afternoon. Now they are all taking naps/quiet time.

Well gotta run and take advantage of this time and get a few things done.

Computer memory.

Hiking

It heated up as the day marched onward. The house with its windows and doors flung open was not able to stay cool as the day marched on. Something had to be done. What was the answer? The decision was made. It was time to dive deep into the van. The air condition was turned on while the errands were being run. The first scheduled stop was at the local library to return rented movies. The second scheduled stop was at Giant Eagle to pick up a prescription for little Avery. In an attempt to conserve the precious material we call gold, err gasoline, the windows were opened and engine was shut down while waiting at the drive up window. But to no avail, the prescription was not ready. It seemed they need the new health insurance card. The pharmacist said, "It will be ready in 20 minutes." Onward we travel to the third stop. To get the much needed water for the water cooler. At 25 cents a gallon, you can't beat the price for filtered, clean tasting water to drink on a hot day. Now it is time to head back to stop number two to pick up the prescription. Once again we pull up to the window. The van shuts down and the window's open. Success this time. Mission accomplished. On to stop number four. To the woods we go. As we travel down the road I try to remember which drive to use to enter the metro park. I use the wrong drive (again). Jude says that I am silly and need to get a map. I agree with him. After a little turn-around, we finally make it to the correct parking lot of the Summit County Metro Park's Oxbow Area. I told the kids we would go on a hike today. Silly daddy I thought as we got out of the van. I decided on the Oxbow Trail a 1.2 mile hike through the woods that followed the Cuyahoga River (Cuyahoga Falls River, according to Jude) for part of the way. I place Avery in the backpack for the first time. She didn't mind sitting in it at all. Very good sign. Jude, Elise, Avery and I started on the hike. As we were hiking a couple of thoughts ran through my brain. In no particular order.

• I have been feeling pity for myself because of staying at home with the kids.
• Oh crap, I forgot the diaper bag at home
• I sure hope Avery doesn't need a diaper before we get home.
• Who in their right mind says to kids, "Hey let's go hiking" when it is 3:00 pm, the hottest part of the day?
• Oh no, I didn't bring a bottle for Avery, I sure hope she doesn't want her 4:00 bottle before we get home.
• Seriously, who in the right mind wants to go on a 1.2 mile hike during the hot part of the day.

The children really enjoyed the hike. We skipped a few stones across the river at one point. Jude wanted to go into the river and get a pop can. Avery didn't need a diaper or bottle before getting home, whew. Jude and Elise both peeped in the woods. They seemed excited about that. Elise did a great job hiking. I was a little concerned because there is one area that has a bunch of steps to climb up, she did a great job. As I sit writing this Jude asks, "Dad, can we hiking again today?" I smartly reply we will have to see, it's suppose to be hot today. Whew.



Maybe next time I'll sit in the hammock chair instead of hiking.

Err the Weather

Today has been a rough day. It has rained most of the day at times it was coming down pretty good. Which means the kids get to stay indoors. So much fun. Actually, they did get outside for about 30 minutes this afternoon to play then we went for about a 30 minutes walk/bike ride after they played. Accuweather is calling for rain Wednesday and Thursday. I think I will be heading to the Y to use the treadmills, hopefully one will be open. They usually are. This way the kids can get out of the house and I can have a little free time zoning out while listening to the ipod. I guess we will have to see what kind of morning we have.

Peace.

Back to school

Jude and Elise spent most of last week in WV. There is always a transition period after the kids spend time away from the house. Jude had a rough time the first couple of nights getting back into the swing of things. Now it is back to school for him. back to learning how to read.
It's not just back to school for Jude but for me as well. I am 2 course away from having my associates degree. I am taking the course now through an external degree program at Upper Iowa University. It is a regionally accredited school. My ultimate goal is a degree in Public Administration through the university which I started about 3 years ago. The price for the schooling is very reasonable. Hopefully in about 4 months I will have my classes completed. The 2 courses which I am taking are Religion and Literature. The religion one will be interesting. I have started reading the text, right now I am reading about Hinduism. It is an interesting religion. I am excited about learning about Islam and being able to make my own conclusion on it. I had to buy The Holy Qur'an. Needless to say it does feel a little wierd to have the Qur'an in my house as a Christian. None-the-less, I look forward to studying on the religion.



How about those walk in tubs?

Off a Little

I've been off my routine this week. I just can't seem to get into my groove. We had a busy weekend. Elise turned 3 on Sunday and so we had a Hello Kitty birthday party for her. It is hard to believe that she is 3. Time goes by so quickly. Back to the weekend. It was busy. We went out to dinner with some friends on Friday, it was a last minute adventure. Saturday I went to a men's group in the morning and then we went to a birthday party in the evening, it was next door which made it nice because we were able to lay Avery down to sleep for the night and have the monitor turned on while we still enjoyed the birthday party. And on Sunday we had Elise's party but had to do a little running around for some last minute things. So it was a busy weekend.

Things are slowly coming together this week. Delilah did a bunch of laundry so maybe that threw me off a little. Who knows?


What the world is generic Phentermine?

Stay Organized

If you were to ask Delilah, she would tell you that I am an organized person. I think sometimes I drive her crazy. My organization had not stopped since becoming a stay at home dad. I've started using Google Calendar. It is great tool. I am able to access from any internet connection. A great feature that it has is that it can text you appointment reminders. It is great . I type all my events into Google Calendar no matter how small or large the event is. This allows me to stay on task when events come my way. Now that you have read this, I'm sure that you think I am a stay at home geek. It's ok if you do.


On another note, did you know that we are going on 2 years living in this house and not all the windows have blinds?

Have a Good Drink

We have a friend that is a stay at home mom. She jokingly says that she is on a coffee/caffeine diet. Three weeks into the stay at home business, I now know why. The first thing I learned about staying with the kids is to have good coffee readily available. It seems to make the day, especially the morning go much smoother. I think I average 1/2 - 3/4 of a pot of coffee each day. But, I must say, I am a coffee snob. No creamer, no coffee for me. What can I say?

Maybe I should check into getting a good auto insurance quote, just in case I get the jitters from being overly caffeinated.

Name Change

Last night I was talking to Delilah after she arrived home from her woman's Bible study. I was sitting on the basement steps while she was at the desk catching up on some blogs. I told her that she needs to read my latest post and tell me what she thought of it. While sitting there, I jokingly told her I should change my blog name from the Launch to Adventures of a Stay at Home Dad. If you are a stay at home parent I think you know what I'm talking about. It seems like each day has a little adventure in it. After saying the blog name it kind of stuck with me.

It seems like there is an adventure with every day. Especially when I am staying home with the kids. My goal with the new direction of this blog is to share a little bit of my adventure with you. I guess this will be an online journal of what works and doesn't work for me. I'm sure what I have to offer will not be any new insight for the seasoned stay at home parent. But, I hope you will join me on this new adventure.

Welcome to The Adventures Of A Stay At Home Dad.

Is it Really Only Tuesday....?

Ugh, I can not believe it is only Tuesday. It has already been a long week for me. Monday was a horrible day with the kids. It was absolutely crazy. I'm not sure if it was because we had a busy weekend or it was rainy and the kids were stuck inside. It was probably a combination of both. Today I had an appointment at the Job Center. It is a one stop facility for job seekers, government assistance etc. Each county in Ohio has a one stop place, they may have different names for it though. I had to do an orientation program. Next week I have an one on one meeting with one of the workers. I guess they will help me search for jobs better and resume stuff, etc. If you are looking to switch careers or want more information on the job market you should really check it out.

On a lighter note..... I have been going on some bike rides, and I took Avery and Elise on an hour long bike ride while Jude took Delilah to mom prom (which I hope she blogs about soon) (hint, hint). The girls really enjoyed it. Jude is doing great riding his bike. I have been letting him ride on the road with me. He rides between the curb and me on the streets that are not very busy, the rest of the time he rides on the sidewalks.

One day last week I took all the kids on a bike ride in the afternoon. I usually have Elise ride in the trailer with Avery but this time I let Elise ride on the back of my bike in the carrier seat. I buckled Avery in the center of the trailer since she was the only one riding in it. So I was riding in front of Jude on the sidewalk and the left wheel of the trailer ran over a rock or something sticking out onto the sidewalk, the trailer flipped onto its side and I dragged it about 5 feet before stopping. Jude was yelling behind me to stop. When I dismounted my bike Avery was suspended in the trailer since she was buckled. She was crying because I had scared her. She calmed down once we got moving again. If anyone saw what had happened they probably were thinking that I needed to go to drug rehab.

Happy Birthday

Today is the big day for my mom, it is her birthday. (Sorry, we didn't send a card yet) Maybe dad can celebrate your big day by going out and buying some hot lingerie for you. Or should he do that when it is his birthday? At any rate Happy Birthday.

Jude is a funny one

During the week I am trying to keep the kids on a schedule. I am attempting to keep Avery on a schedule for her nap times, Elise on her schedule for her nap time, and Jude on his schedule for quiet time. Since Jude and Elise are sharing a bedroom, it does not work out for them to be in the same room during quiet/nap time. We started letting Jude have quiet time in the living room on the bean bags. He loves doing that, actually he fell asleep on the bean bags one time during quiet time. I have noticed something though. He has asked to have quiet time in our bed a few times and today he asked if he could have quiet time in our bed again. I said sure no problem. I turned both bed side lights on and turned the sleep timer on the radio. I always tell him when the radio turns off he can be finished with quiet time. Well, today he fell asleep in out bed during quiet time. He must have been tired. The last couple of quiet times he took in our bed he fell asleep. I guess he knows when he is tired enough to take a nap during quiet time. So he is a funny one.



Ademco?

Crack(ed)

I filed a claim earlier in the week on our van for the windshield. A while a go we were on a trip to TN and driving through a construction zone and all of a sudden BOOM. One of the construction trucks driving a long side of the road kicked up a rock and it the very most top center of the windshield. It sounded like a shotgun had just went off. The initial crack was a spider crack and it was not going to be able to repaired unless the windshield was replaced. So I decided to wait out the crack and see how bad it got. Never the less over time it spread down to the bottom of the windshield. Delilah finally told me that it was time to get the windshield replaced. So I called to make claim and the insurance company set up the appointment for Wednesday between 8 and noon. So I waited and waited and waited...... the kids had lunch and it was noon by the time the kids had finished lunch and no new windshield. So I took the kids out for a drive to look at some potential houses for us to rent. They all fell asleep on the drive. I didn't find any houses for us to rent. When we got back to the house I decided to call to see what had happened to the new windshield. Well they said there was a glitch in the program that send the information to the windshield replacement people.

Finally the windshield was replaced this morning. It was pretty slick how easily they can replace the windshields. After the windshield guy left, Jude and Elise decided to stay outside and play. Jude has been trying to ride his 2 wheeler bike for several weeks and never had quite gotten it. But what do you know....... he decided to ride his 2 wheeler and got it down pretty good. He was riding around the driveway and doing circles. It amazes me that he went out on his own to do it. He always wanted me to be outside watching him or pushing him on the bike. He is growing up so fast.


Maybe when we move we can look at some swing sets.

Why Oh Why Ohio

The original title for this post was just going to be Why Oh Why, but I thought adding Ohio would have add a nice little ring to the title even though it really has nothing to do with this post.

It is not much much riding in a van with 3 children looking for a house to rent. Why can't each city have its own web site to list rental properties. Maybe I should try to set up a website that allows for this to take place. It would make it a lot easier if I could type CuyahogaFallsRentals.com to search for houses. This website would require you to list the address, price, square feet, bedrooms, bathrooms, basement, garages, and several pictures of the property. Nothing more is annoying than having to make phone calls to find where the property is located, the price, and various details about the property. I think this website could be big hit and could be expanded to other cities. I think this would save time for everyone involved.

How funny, I typed in cuyahogafallsrentals.com and it forwarded me to another website for Bluejay-rents..com Well there goes my money making idea.

Anywho, why does it seem like everything happens in all at once for you? Not that the things that have happened are life threatening. It is just the annoyance factor part of it. It stinks.



Need some CAT6?

The first half day of a new schedule

Things are going well. But, I am dead tired and it's only 1:15 pm. I have to get to bed much earlier than midnight. I need my 8 hours of sleep. So this means that I have to get to bed at 10 pm because the kids always wake up around 6:30 am. Ugh. All things considered today is going well for us, except that Delilah has yet to call me from her new job. She always gave me a hard time when I didn't call home to check in to see how things were going. Believe me, I will give her a hard time. ;-) I know how things can get busy, been there done that. Anyways, gotta go because Jude says Avery is crying now. Later.



I love electronics.

Oh the sickness

Well you've heard it here first. Delilah is sick. Every one has been sick other than Avery during the last month. It's so much fun. On a lighter note.................

The kids and I walked to the library today. I used the double stroller that was given to us some time ago. I'm not sure how to use that thing, it is so huge. It takes both hands to steer it. I liken it to riding in a dump truck. It's a rough ride for the kids when you go over the bumps. It seems to ride like a dream on the smooth sidewalks though. I put Elise in the front and Avery behind her. Jude walked with me. It is a 30 minute walk to the library. Jude really well. He was getting tired on the way back. So we walked for a total of 1 hour to spend about 25 minutes at the library. It felt great to get back outside and enjoy this weather. You never know when it might turn on you on Northeast Ohio.

I've been working with Jude on his phonics. We finished lesson 12 today. (It's taken us a long time to get to lesson 12) Each lesson is about 15 minutes long. He has learned a, e, t, m, r, and s. Tomorrow he will learn d. The lesson are pretty good. He is learning to sound out words and can actually read rat, mat, am, and sat, to name a few of the words. He also is learning to write the letters. He's doing pretty good at it.

Later




What is hoodia?

Breaking in slowly

Today marks the first day of stay at home dad life. Delilah is working a temp job this week that is for 4 hours in the morning. I only have to watch Avery since Jude and Elise at in TN with nanna and poppy. They will return on Wednesday. There is not better way to transition to stay at home dad than to take care one child. Avery woke this morning at her usual time and was ready for her morning nap at about 7:45, she slept until 10:45. This gave me ample time to get some things done that needed to get done. I was able to take my shower, wash some clothes and our sheets, and finish some paper work. I balanced the checking account, which by the way, is sooooooo not fun to do when you don't have a job. Anyways, I balanced the checking account and sent our city taxes ready to drop off and our state taxes ready to mail. I also put the finishing touches on my application, resume. cover letter, and references for a position I am applying. When Avery woke up from her long nap, I changed her poopy diaper and dressed her and gave a some snacks then we headed out the door to run a few errands. I had to stop by the city center to drop our taxes off and mail our state taxes and then stop by the Y to drop off some paper work. After our few stops we returned home and about a half hour later Delilah returned home. Let me tell you, when Delilah got I home, it was like I wasn't even here. Avery was all about being with Delilah. Nothing like being second rate.


I know some of you might want to check out these cell phone amplifiers.

30 Days?

Has it really been thirty days since I last went to work? I don't like the feeling when I wake up and having a place to go to work. Funny isn't it? How is it all through life we dread waking up and going to work on Monday mornings, but now that I don't have a job to go on Monday's I dread the fact that I don't have a job to go to on Monday morning.

As Delilah mentioned in a recent post I am applying for a position with a township in Summit County. It is kind of ironic because last week Delilah was asking me questions about the choice of my degree that I want to complete, Public Administration. Well this position prefers a degree in Public Administration, it was nice to see that there are local positions that prefer a degree in Public Administration to show to her. Actually she was the one that found the job posting for me. Thanks Delilah for the opportunity.

Anyways I can see this position as a great entry to public administration.


Some I feel like I am towing around travel trailers.

Being Sick

Well, I was sick yesterday. I spent all but 1 hour laying in bed throughout the day. The first thing i ate was some yogurt at about 7:00. PM that is. If you know me at all, I love my food. Yesterday I wasn't even hungry. So when I started feeling better during the evening I decided to have some yogurt and then a bowel of Curves cereal. That is all I ate during the whole day. It was quite amazing I thought. Delilah and her mom took the kids shopping most of the afternoon. When they got back Delilah spent some time doing the laundry. She told me that if I wanted her to do more stuff around the house all I needed to do was just tell, that I didn't need to get sick for her to more things around the house. I replied, is that all it takes? She does a lot around the house.


Are you searching or in the need of new bathroom vanities?

Motivation

Since being unemployed I have had the opportunity to listen to several motivational/guidance/self help podcast. One of the podcast I have listened to is provided by Sales Gravy. The podcast is geared/directed to the sales professional. I have listened to all the available Sales Gravy podcasts available on Itunes. They are great podcasts and I believe anyone could learn something new from the speaker regardless of their profession. I know I have gained new knowledge through these podcasts. The biggest asset we have is our knowledge. My goal during this time is to gain more knowledge to better prepare myself for my next job.


I guess I could look at this like air cleaners for my life.

In Response

This post is a response to a comment left on Delilah's blog . This is the comment that was left:

"I really think Jake should push things on his bonus check. He earned that money and if nothing else check with someone else that has knowledge of this type letting him go. Labor board or even a lawyer. Even if he had to give a lawyer 1/2 the bonus would be better than nothing at all and the company offering him another job may just be a way of keeping him from going after his bonus. That money is his, he earned it and someone else will be living high on his money. If he doesn't stand up to them then they will continue to do the same year after year to other employees. Please Please check into it a whole lot. Don't write that money off. They are taking that money away from you and your kids and a better life better home ect. Love and prayer for you and your family." Anonymous

There are two criteria to receiving the bonus. 1) Individual Performance 2) Net profit year-end of xx%. The net profit year-end is an easy criteria to determine because it is objective. However, the first criteria is subjective. It is based on your individual performance. Since I was discharged from my place of employment for "poor performance" I don't qualify for the bonus. One thing to consider is that Ohio is a no-fault state. Which means that an employer can discharge an employee with or without cause.

I have performed a brief search for laws or guidelines relating to bonus' etc. I have had no such luck finding anything. I suppose some companies could put the bonus as part of a severance package. But Ohio or Federal law does not mandate or require severance packages.

There were a few employees at my previous place of employment that did not receive a bonus. In my opinion they should have received the bonus. But this is a subjective matter.

Regardless of the having the bonus or not, it is very disheartening how I was discharged. But life does go on and I believe that everything will work out for the best.


Need life insurance?

Children and Sponges

Sometimes I think I should give Jude a child performance evaluation, it would be like an employee performance evaluation. I wonder how Jude would do on it. Don't get me wrong, he is a great kid. But he has some things I wish he wouldn't do. His fit throwing, or sometimes his likes to talk like a baby and not use complete sentences. Last week Elise and him were playing a make believe game in the dining room, he told Elise "Let's get the h*ll out of here." I was like what? Jude did you say h*ll? He replied that he did. I had him sit at the table so he could tell me where he heard that from. He never did tell me, I think he sat at the table for over 10 minutes. I went through a list people/things he might of heard it from. I even included Delilah and myself on list. Earlier in the week we were driving back from Wal-Mart, he said bam it that house, bam it that house. Once again Delilah and I were like what? He tried to deny that he said bam it. We think he knows what he was saying was wrong even though he did not say it correctly. He never did say where he heard that one from. Oh kids, how they are such sponges.

Don't really feel like blogging much

Well it has been a while since I last blogged. I just don't really feel like blogging that much. It is not like I don't have the time to do it, right now I have all the time in the world. I applied for a sales assistant position in Akron, I also interviewed for a youth pastor position in Canton. I met with the pastor and took a quick tour of the church. It seems like it has a lot of potential. I am excited about both possibilities. Delilah is also applying for several positions as well.
Last night I assisted with our youth group for the first time. It was a group of sixth graders. I have to be honest, it was very interesting. I think that this might have been the first time I have actually worked with a group of sixth graders in this type of setting.



Do you ever feel like you just need a colon cleanse to keep you going?


Later

Ryan Newman and the Daytona 500

My in-laws were in town recently and my great father in-law was surprised that I hadn't put a post up on my blog about the Daytona 500. Since I have a little free time I figured I would put a post on my blog about the race.

It was a great race, a special race. It was the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The Daytona 500 is considered the race of all races. It is a coveted prized among drivers. I was excited when Newman crossed the finish line first. I was jumping up and down and pumping my fists into the air. I think the kids thought I was crazy. Go Newman.

laptop memory

Where to from here?

Where to from here?
How do I provide again?
Just when things were looking stable.
Month to Month.
Back into the hole I go.
I must lead.
Be the provider.
Which way do I turn.
Disappointment, disappointment
Where to from here?

Ohio Primary March 4th, 2008

I will not be voting for a republican candidate during this primary. Ohio is one of a few states that allow you vote for which ever party you would like to vote for. Now I understand why I am registered as a democrat. During the last primaries I voted for a democrat instead of George W. Bush. The reason you ask? Well, Bush had the nomination all wrapped up. Instead of voting for a party that already but decided candidate that would be nominated I decided I would use my vote to vote for the candidate from the opposite party I would want to be president. I urge a all republicans to take this approach during the March 4th primary. I believe as a republican you have to look at the next best candidate for the presidency. Make your vote really count during the Ohio Primary. McCain has wrapped up the nomination for the Republican Party. Now you must sit back and look at the democratic candidates and decide who would make the best candidate for presidency. Clinton or Obama? What is your choice. During this process you don't want to vote for the individual you think your candidate can beat. You must vote for the best possible candidate. Come fall, you will have the best two candidates running for the presidency. Boy, I sure hope all this makes sense. Bottom line is this...... I will not be voting republican during the Ohio Primary. Not necessarily because I don't like McCain but because during the presidential election I want what I feel is the best candidate from both parties to be running for the presidency. This way, I feel like my vote actually counts for something. Peace.

small business phone systems

Landing

Last Sunday our church showed a video clip of a comedian. (I can't think of the comedian's name right now). Anyway he was talking about flying and it was very funny what he was saying. Watching the clip got me to thinking about flying and since I flew this week I was REALLY thinking about flying. By the way my flight this morning was canceled due to snow and rain. So I decided to leave a little early for the my flight this afternoon and took the Jeep Commander out for a little spin. It was great. I was going through standing water and snow like it was nothing. Oh the joys of renting a vehicle. Next time I should probably check out some online auto insurance before trying something like that again. Anyways...... back to my flying. Why is when the plane "lands" they say the plane is landing? The plane doesn't land, it is crashing. It is a controlled crash none the less. I wish they would just be honest with the passengers. "There is your pilot speaking, we have been cleared to crash......... please make sure your belongings are properly stowed and all electronics are turned off and stowed away....... thank you again for flying Miller Airlines" let's just call it what it is. It is a CRASH people. End of story.

What the CVS?

Delilah is on a CVS kick. I think it is great to be able to purchase things for free or for pennies on the dollar. I have asked several times what does CVS stand for? She has yet to come up with an answer for me. I now what it means, do you, you CVS shoppers? I just figured if you are going to partake in this CVS maddening game you should know what CVS stands for. Right? Right. Do you have an answer for me? Well leave a comment and I will let you know if you are correct.

Later

Need to pick out some wedding rings after Valentine's Day?

Traveling

The one thing that I don’t like about my job is the traveling. Well not actually the traveling part but staying at the hotel. I would much rather be at home with my family. If we had a live in nanny or if we could afford it I would have the family travel with me on some of my trips. The trip to Maine would have been a good trip for them to travel on with me. Some trips would be much harder for the family to travel with me. One nice thing about having the main account I have is that when I head towards VA, WV, KY the family can travel with and we are able to stay at my parents’ house as they are a nice distance from a lot of plants I have to visit. I guess you have to take the good with the bad. I love my job. I love being in power plants. Since I love my job and love being in power plants it requires me to travel. Also, if I want to make decent money and hold onto my job I have to travel to plants. Sometimes it requires just an over night or a couple of nights. The beginning of this week I am in Portland, Maine, later on the in the week I may be required to be in Kentucky for a start up. The day is yet to be set. I am at the mercy of the power plant.

Next week I am scheduled to be in Southern Indiana and the following week in Seattle, Washington. I am starting to believe that every month is the busy month. We were told to cut back on travel unless it is required to make a sale or for technical services during the last 2 months of our fiscal year. Instead of travel cutting back, I believe it has increased for everyone.

Some of the best times I have had with my family are when we traveled to the Outer Banks. We have been there twice (I think) we had a great time as a family. This summer we are heading to Camden, Maine for vacation. I cannot wait until I can eat a bunch of lobster. Later.

Oh by the way, I have decided I’m going to change my blog picture every once in a while. I love power plants.

And I Thought Chicago was the Windy City

Last night and early this morning it was very windy out and the temperature plummeted. I was in the base starting to work on filing our taxes and I could hear the wind swirling out side thought the furnace. It was crazy. I can't recall the last time it has been this windy. I had to drive the van to work today because my car doors were frozen shut. Now Delilah is trapped at home without a vehicle to drive. Not that you really would want to go anywhere today with the weather like it is.

Need some interesting cufflinks?

The Open House

I am going to rant a little. Today we went to an open house that was advertised in the paper. We got there at exactly Noon, when it was supposed to start. No one was there. We waited five minutes and still no one. We decided to go eat lunch and come back. We did and still no one was there. There was a note on the door that said the open house was canceled. What a waste of time and gas. It looked like there had been several people there - the Realtor missed a good opportunity. Maybe next time we can get in so I can look at the plumbing fixtures.

Getting in Shape

We are still working at getting in shape. We went back to Ball Aerobics and this time there was like 15 women in the class and me. We got there just as the class started so we had to rush around, get settled in, get a ball and try to catch up. I wore sweat pants over a pair of gym shorts to the gym and planned to take the sweats off but since we were late I ended up wearing them for the entire class. Let me tell you - they don't call them sweats for nothing. I was dripping sweat by the end of class. It is a good workout and even a little fun. I definitely feel the burn today.

When I get buff I am going to wear a gold chain like those macho guys in the weight room.

The Cat

I am not fond of Delilah's cat. She has had the cat since she was 23 so I guess I am stuck with the little fur ball until she kicks the bucket. The cat threw up on the basement floor the other day. I left it there for Delilah to clean up. Gross, I know, but I draw the line with throw up. I clean the cat litter but I am not cleaning cat puke.

Anyways, I needed to use the words cat bed so I thought I would talk about the cat.

And the results are............(oh my)

So I decided to join in the fun and take the political quiz. For some of you the results may surprise you, I know 3 of the top 5 surprised me a little.

66% Chris Dodd
65% Tom Tancredo
64% Hillary Clinton
62% Barack Obama
60% John Edwards
57% Mitt Romney
56% Bill Richardson
53% Joe Biden
47% John McCain
45% Mike Huckabee
45% Rudy Giuliani
44% Fred Thompson
39% Mike Gravel
37% Dennis Kucinich
29% Ron Paul
tonneau cover
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Ball Aerobics

Today Delilah and I went to work out at the local Y, we (she) decided on ball aerobics for us to partake in together for this session of classes. I had no idea what this class was about. I was nervous to say the least. So we walked into the class together and I am the only guy. There are like 6 of us all together, I am kind of glad it is smaller class. Less people to embarrass myself in front of. I was always a step behind the instructor. About 5 minutes into the class I looked over to Delilah and told her "You owe me." I'm thinking about picking out the next series of our class. How does power lifting sound? I think I am going to enjoy this class, I didn't know how out of shape I really was. I already knew I was not flexible and this class proved it to me even more. I guess you have to work hard to get back into shape.

Later.

real estate

A New Year

Well, I am sure, if you keep reading this blog, that you think I have fallen off the face of the earth. Don't worry. I am still here. You have kept up with Delilah's blog you know that I've been given more responsibilities at work. This is a good thing. This also keeps me busier. I am handling it well so far and I think Delilah is as well. I can not believe that it is 2008 already. Time does fly by. I think the year goes by quicker now than ever before. It seems just like yesterday Delilah and I were getting prepared to go on our honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean. Look at us now. We have 3 children and seem to be busier than ever. So if you are reading this, thanks for staying with me. I will try to keep you posted about what's new and exciting in my life.
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Peace.