Category: Blog Spot

Now that I am finally getting around the house ok (LONG STORY), I happened to check in on the Google Classroom progress for Thing 1. Would you know, this child has SEVERAL missing assignments in Math??? As I look further, CORRECTION, several missing assignments in Math AND ELA! #SayWhatNow When I asked this child how this happened, she said “I don’t know!”

Now I know I can be special, but “I don’t know” isn’t something you want to say to me. I mean, you have a choice…do it…or don’t do it! And I get it, this e-learning business is no joke. Kids are having to rapidly learn stuff just so that curriculums can be met. I get it. I don’t agree with it, but I get it. I have empowered both of my girls to come to me or their teachers (or both) if they are feeling overwhelmed. At least I thought I did. After seeing the amount of work to be done, I had to revisit this.

Thing 1 and I had a good talk about the real reason this work wasn’t done. She recognized that she has so much work to do and it gets overwhelming so quickly she doesn’t have time to send a smoke signal. This is where I come in because the last thing my child will do is battle anything alone! #TheDevilIsALie

My big kid will start using her task notebook I gave her to write down all assignments for the day and their due dates. Then, as the day progresses, she will check off what she has completed. All of this will be done based on assignment priority. If it’s due in 2 days, work on the ones due today first. In addition, she and I will carve out 30 minutes a day to recap what is in the notebook and what is still outstanding. This should help keep both of us on track. I realized I dropped the ball here too…

Backstory…my big one is an overachiever like me. She will spend soooo much time on an assignment because she wants to make sure it is right and the way she wants it. #Perfectionist She has been spending more time online than I’d like, but she gets super upset if I stop her. So, I entertained it. #NoMore She is too young to deal with the stresses that life will more than likely bring her in her career. It is my job now to keep my baby a baby for as long as possible. She will have so much time to be an adult, but not much to be a kid. #Changes

Thing 1 and I will pull a late night tonight and will get up early tomorrow to hammer at it again. All of this as a lesson to her of the importance of giving her smoke signals when necessary. And it’s a lesson to me that my child hasn’t quite mastered the smoke signal and I need to be by her a lot more until she does. I pray these changes work, but if they don’t, we will flex and adapt until they do. #FailFast #TrialAndError

Oh…she’s still grounded for a week! She has told us she was done with her homework far too many days and played Roblox as a result. #AllActionsYieldConsequences

For starters, Happy Friday!

Sooooooooo, people think I exaggerate when I talk about Thing 2. They think, “cut the baby some slack” or “she’s not that bad” or the best one, “leave the baby alone.” Let’s remember she is NOT a baby!

Well, this is what happens when I leave the baby alone in my office…

When I asked the child why she did it her response was, “just to be a prankster!”

Someone come get this child before she learns who the mother of all pranksters is! I have every right mind to tape her into her bottom bunk if it wasn’t for me not wanting to mess up her bed! But…

#ChallengeAcceptedLittleOne

Welp, today we had the follow-up appointment with the Neuro-Oncologist. It went as expected. She explained in detail how tumors are graded and what the pathologists look at to determine the grade. She discussed the reason there is a discrepancy between pathologists on grading 2 vs 3. She also went over the results of the latest MRI. There is no sign of new growth. #PraiseGod No treatment plan was discussed, but she did touch on what treatment could look like in the future. For now, we get on the books with the Neuro-Oncologist from Northwestern. He will provide the second opinion and together, a solid treatment plan will be laid out.

I could still be in my feelings today…rightfully so. But I made a conscience choice to be humbled and grateful for the small wins. The fact that there is no new growth and the brain appears to be healing well tells me God is not finished. #Grateful

For today’s appointment, the entire gang showed up. My dad left work early, my brother darted over right after work, and…y’all know I ain’t got no job…so I headed over a little before the appointment after giving the minions their marching orders since school had ended. #WeShowUp #NoMatterWhat At the end of the appointment, I had to get on my dad for his little comments during the session. See, he was fussing when I asked the doctor if my mom could have a glass of wine. Like, for real, dude? I had to let him know that he can’t be the pot calling the kettle black. His diabetic tail has more sugar in his pantry than the law should allow and yet he wants to get on me and my mom for a glass of wine?!? Sooooooo…needless to say, my bro and I went grocery shopping in their pantry and garage for those sugary foods and beverages that he should not have. Serves him right! Jokes on me, though…I am sure he went right back to Jewel or Instacart to replenish his supply. #ITriedThough #HeBetterGoOnSomewhere

That little incident at the end was just what was needed after such a stressful day. We laughed…we loved. Before we left, we said I love you! There’s been a lot more of that here lately. I guess a life-changing diagnosis will do that to a family. If that wasn’t God who showed up today, though, I don’t know what is. The fact that we were all together in one room with the same agenda, being there for my mom, was EVERYTHING! Together…WE GOT THIS! #FindingPurposeInMyStorm #HeHasUsThereforeWeGotThis

Today my mom got a call from the Neuro-Nurse Practitioner. Results finally came in from the more invasive pathologist. Apparently, both pathology reports conflict with one another. The one thing we know for sure, the tumor is an astrocytoma. What is unknown, if the tumor is a grade 2 or grade 3. The NP recommended we get a second opinion since there are conflicting reports on the grade. Wait…wait…WHAT???

I know this feeling. This is the feeling I felt when I first learned my mom had a mass on her brain. This is the pull a rug from under me feeling. My mom is doing her best at keeping it together, but I…I may need a minute. Just when I felt like closure was getting closer, then this.

I now have a new focus and game plan. I must find a second opinion so that my mom can get the care and support she needs and so deserves. I know there are some lessons in all of this…but I can’t see beyond my nose right now, so Lord, please be patient with me.

A repeat MRI is scheduled for Friday and then a Neuro-Oncologist appointment on Monday. So, there will be some answers soon. I just wish I could fix all of this!

Time to pray! #HeGotMe #CuzIAintGotIt

To say that today was challenging would be an understatement….

I just completed another training course, Certified Scrum Master. It was only a 2 day course this time, which for me, seemed to be much easier than those 3-4 day courses. Boy was I wrong! The same challenges I face with the longer courses didn’t magically go away because it was 2 days. I still had to maneuver through training, 2 kids in e-learning with 1 who seeks out squirrels at every opportunity. Did I mention dinner and family time had to fit into the agenda too? #AuPairPlease

The last 2 nights were spent getting “the squirrel catcher” caught up on her day’s assignments. I would check in with her as much as I could during the day, but she was adamant about being done with what she was supposed to be doing. With no time to trust AND verify, I trusted. Well, jokes on me! She miiiiiiiight have gotten a quarter of her work done by the end of the day.

I tried to do better today. I looked at her Google Classroom on every break and worked to refocus her so that she didn’t have so much to do. #Sigh

Well, lesson learned and grace given!

#ICannotWinThemAll #Squirrel

So, last week I completed another training course. This time, it was for ITIL 4 Foundation. This course wasn’t hard to understand since I have been in IT for the last 13+ years, but it had a lot of terminologies I had to learn. I felt like I was studying for a baby PMP exam. #BoyIDontMissThatExam

I took a week to study before sitting for the exam, only because I knew I would have Certified Scrum Master training starting 11/30…and there is another certification exam for CSM. #IDidntThinkThisTrainingPlanThrough

So, let me stop and take a moment to discuss what a proctored test is. I proctored test means, pre-COVID, you would have gone to a secure facility, gotten patted down, glasses would have been checked, and you would have given everything, but your blood type to prove who you were and that you were not planning to cheat. Proctoring during COVID is only a little less invasive. #ALittle I had to install software on my PC to allow another human, somewhere else in the world, to see me and monitor every key press on my PC to make sure I was not cheating. Then, when the testing started, I had to show my ID to prove I am who I say I am. Then…THENNNN…when the proctor was connected, I had to show him around my room to ensure I was alone, show my desk to make sure NOTHING was on it, move my phone away from my desk so that I am not taking pictures of the questions or using it to cheat, and cover my 2 additional monitors with t-shirts so that I am not putting answers on those monitors while testing (I had to leave to grab another shirt for this and when I returned, I had to show around the room again to make sure no one slipped in when I opened the door.) #MyGod #IGetItThough #ClearlySomeoneTriedItElseItWouldn’tBeThisInvasive

Welp, after living and breathing ITIL 4 and all of its concepts and getting probed from afar, I was able to sit for the exam today. And guess what…I PASSED! #WootWoot

Now for the twist! I walked away mad! I passed and all, but there was a question on the exam where it asked for what option was correct…and THEY WERE ALL CORRECT! I mean, at this point, I KNOW my stuff! I may not have gotten all of the answers correct, but that question should have been a gimme. Soooooo, y’all know what I did…

Yep, I reached out to the testing company to let them know that I spied an error on their part. I don’t know if it will go anywhere, but they need to know the error of their ways. Someone can be out there failing the exam off of that 1 question. #NotOnMyWatch

So, to those future test takers…#You’reWelcome!

Today was just an ordinary day in my house. I woke up knowing it was Thanksgiving, but with Tier 3 in effect for Illinois, no one was coming for the usual meal. So, Thanksgiving wasn’t truly Thanksgiving!

Every year, my mom and I divide up the work. I typically like to take the big stuff since it’s time to let the elders sit down. Most years this works, but there are some years where my mom just wants to make sure everyone remembers what hers tastes like and prove to herself that she still got it! #AndSheDoes We set a time each year. #NoOneIsEVEROnTime My grandmother is usually ready to eat ahead of whatever time we set and she can be found roaming around, requesting ETAs from the chefs. #SheStaysHangry

We go through all of the motions: prep work (sometimes days or a week before), the actual cooking / baking, setting up the kids and adults tables, and then arranging the food in the best possible assembly line to avoid traffic congestion. Let me tell ya, traffic congestion is real with a bunch of hangry folks. Before our meal, we all hold hands and pray together. Then, we go around the room to say the one thing we are most grateful for. Someone always gets choked up here, which means I get choked up, which then means I typically have a one-word response because I don’t need to be snot-nosed crying ahead of dinner. #HappensEveryTime

We eat…we laugh…we share…we love! After the hubby is full and has gotten some couch time in, I typically mention the tree…yes, the Christmas tree. That is his queue to grab the Christmas tree and ornaments from the basement. If I am feeling really froggy, I will get the tree up Thanksgiving night. Typically, though, we will start first thing in the morning the day after.

Until 2020! This year, most of the usual traditions didn’t happen. My dad brought my mom over for a drive-by visit, I cooked catfish, spaghetti, and corn, and the girls spent some time playing Roblox. I did bake an apple pie for dessert, but even it did not taste the same. The hubby even brought the tree up, but there wasn’t any umpf to put it up. It will have to wait! I admit, I had a moment where I held back my tears, but I was reminded of all of the things I have to be grateful for…even in the midst of a pandemic.

This Thanksgiving, I am still so very thankful for my family, my mom coming out on the other side of her surgery, my ability to be home and available to my family when needed, and the abundance of friends turned family that are in my circle. I am in good health…and hey, He woke me up this morning, so what more can I ask for?!?! I choose to fill my head with these thoughts instead. #ShiftInPerspective #StillGrateful #StillThankful #AlwaysBlessed

So, Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was a good day! It started off with a red velvet pancake breakfast and gifts in bed with loads of texts from family and friends. It moved to a virtual painting party, a wine drive-by visit from a wonderful friend, Edible Arrangements deliveries, a visit and cake delivery from family, an adult beverage delivery from a dear neighbor and friend, and special phone calls and FaceTimes from my mom, grandmother, brother and his entire crew, MIL, and my sister from another mister (and misses, but that’s neither here nor there). The day ended with a little adult beverage and Netflix. #LovedEveryMoment #LoveAllOfThem #MyVillageIsMyRock

I’d be remiss, though, if I didn’t mention the virtual celebration my Texas sisters had for me the night before my birthday. They were the first to toast me on Chapter 38 and they sent me off with a bang! #LoveThem

Here are the moments captured from my special day…

CHAPTER 38: If y’all only knew the storms I have weathered to get to this point in my life! I have learned many things in this time. The most important lesson life has taught me…no circumstance is permanent, nor is it too big for God. And God isn’t going to fix it. God has already equipped me with the tools necessary to weather these storms: strength, the power of perseverance, a magnitude of grace, a serving of mercy, and abilities I didn’t know existed. #HeAlreadyMadeAWay And then, because He is so great, He placed a village of amazing people in my life to pick me up when I have fallen, be my eyes and light when I can’t see through the clouds, hold the umbrella when I can’t find the strength to hold it myself, and help me find my footing when I am unstable after the storm. #BUTGOD It is HE who has gotten me here and I am so grateful and humbled!

So…what’s next? EVERYTHING!

I made a vow to myself in Chapter 37 that I’d work on being who I was called to be, and that’s not changing. What is changing, though, is that now I’m going to be listening more, even in my future storms. It is not easy to stop and listen when life seems to be handing out losses, but if I make a conscience effort to change the lenses on which I view those losses I will see Him. And as long as I can see Him, I can hear Him. #ChangingPerspective #MoreInFocus #SeekingHim #ISurrender #ImListening

So, here I sit…graceful, humble, and happy! And while I know it’ll start to rain soon, I’m focused on the sun that’s still shining. Chapter 38 is going to be phenomenal!

#BringItOn #SheReady

This journey without employment has been a long one, but it went by super fast!

About this time last year, I had to make a difficult decision: continue my journey at AT&T (and possibly see another layoff in the future) or decide to leave the company effective 12.30.19 with no job offers lined up. All I could think about was juggling my mom’s surgery (it didn’t have a date yet, but I anticipated February, 2020) and working. I made the executive decision, with my hubby’s support, to leave.

A few days before my last day, my father was admitted to the hospital for a battery of issues I will not discuss. This was the second time in my life I saw my father cry. I worked from the hospital until my last day and on my last day, I packed up my laptop and went straight back to the hospital. My dad still has a long road and needs to be consistent with some lifestyle changes (I can’t even go there right now), but he was finally released a couple days later.

COVID happened 3 months later and before I knew it, I was a homeschool teacher…good thing I got my Substitute Teaching license a month before!

Fast forward to today. I made a commitment to myself last year when I decided to leave AT&T. I was taking a leap of faith and investing in myself. #BettingOnMe That wasn’t something I was accustomed to doing since I am one who puts the needs of others ahead of my own…every…single…time! #ImLearning But I was going to retool myself and make sure that my next role aligned with who I am and what I aspire to me. Part of that plan came to fruition today. I received my first post-employment certification…Six Sigma Green Belt! #CSSGB I still have 5 more courses to go in my other certifications, but this is a start…a welcomed start at that.

Now, I don’t know what that ideal job is going to look like when I am finally able to rejoin the workforce. What I do know, it will be right on time and I will be ready for it.

What I learned in all of this…God makes no mistakes and He is always right on time…but HIS time, not mine. I am extremely grateful for my rock of a family. I couldn’t imagine this journey without them.

#143