SAIT's Aero Centre

I met several fabulous faculty and administrators during my 2-week training course at SAIT in early August.  One of my colleagues teaches Aircraft Maintenance at SAIT's Aero Centre campus near the Calgary airport. He said he'd be happy to give me and the kids a tour!

This yellow plane is from WWII:

Our host seriously reminds me of my brother-in-law, Kyle Elliott!

Averi's salute:

Helicopters, too!

We had lots of fun and learned lots of new stuff!

Thanks, Steve!!

Letter to Grandma

Since my grandmother doesn't have a computer, I print my blog posts and send them to her once in awhile. It's been too long but I'm sending her what she's missed. I usually send along a letter and thought I'd include it here since it is a nice little update and I've been remiss in my posting.

Dear Grandma,

I was thinking that it’s been an awfully long time since I printed and sent my blog posts for your perusal! I should make it a New Year’s tradition…

I keep a document that indicates what dates I’ve already sent you and I can’t help thinking that I must have forgotten to record my last printout because the last date recorded was April 2011!! I’m pretty sure I’ve sent you more since then but just in case… Regardless, forgive any duplication!

A brief overview of our current status:

Finals at SAIT ended in April so I have been home for nearly a month! Catching up on some organization and certainly enjoying some free time! I like to make cards and research educational opportunities. I plan on getting a degree someday when the kids are older. If I get permanent employment at SAIT, then they will fund it! I enjoy instruction. It’s fast-paced and keeps me busy; no chance of getting bored!! I enjoy grading assessments and, as I get better, I hope to improve my methods!

I still work at the hospital part-time. Usually just Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as well as Saturdays.

Shawn is finishing up his 3^rd year plumber apprentice hours. He has registered for his 4^th and final term in September. After that, he takes his provincial and national exams. All that will be left to do after that is to complete his 4^th year hours. He is so excited to have this all done!! His income will improve and we’ll start contributing towards retirement again! Shawn really wants to get a better mountain bike (his current hobby) as well as a motorcycle. I hope to get a motorcycle one day, as well.

Taylor is nearing the end of grade 2. He seems to be enjoying school, in general. Averi goes back and forth about liking Kindergarten. Interesting since Kindergarten is really the most fun of all the grades! Taylor has his two big front teeth as you will witness upon our visit. The teeth on either side of his front teeth are coming in quite slowly so he’s had the appearance of a rabbit for some time! Taylor really enjoys building things with intricate pieces/parts that click together (called Knex). He also rides his very own bike since last year. Averi is also riding her very own two-wheeler as of this year. Ella really enjoys riding along behind one of the parents (as you’ll see in one of the blog posts).

Averi is the sweetest child ever! She reminds me of Eva when she was young. Averi’s only flaw is a propensity to whine. She’s slightly less honest than Taylor, but he’s a hard act to follow! Averi loves to sing and dance and doesn’t usually have stage-fright (whereas Taylor cannot tolerate an audience!).

Ella has some behavioral issues. She’s been seen by a pediatrician but that wasn’t helpful in the least except for a referral to the Early Childhood Mental Health Outreach program. Ella has her own case worker but, again, I’m not sure how effective it’s been. We keep considering a private assessment by a family psychologist group to see if Ella wouldn’t qualify for funding for her issues. As it is, I have registered Ella for “preschool” in the Fall at a school for kids with special needs. Her case worker suggests that Ella goes to a school with children that don’t have issues so that she has models of appropriate behavior. I see the logic and have been trying to find a program elsewhere (with little success so far).

Ella still refuses to potty-train. I have tried all sorts of things, though Dad did suggest a star sticker approach that was apparently used on us as kids. The problem is that Ella is not motivated by ANYTHING! She will simply have to decide that it is time. Unfortunately, Ella is far too BUSY to entertain toilet use. I have, of course, attempted to put her on the toilet every half-hour (she simply goes in between half-hours…), have disallowed TV unless the toilet has been used first, used rewards, etc. etc. to no avail. The one bit of progress that she has made is that she has started hiding when she has to go #2. At least she is recognizing the signs of impending defecation! I always catch her too late.

Ella turns 4 in a week and a half. She always seems to lag developmentally by about 6 months to a year behind average children. I have convinced myself that she will make up for this early torture later on in life. I look forward to it!

Look forward to seeing you and Dad and other family in Victoria in a month! Would love to take the kids to see the fireworks on Canada Day.

Love, Dana

Teacher's Pets

Christmas gifts from three of my students:

I got my very first #1 Teacher paraphernalia! It's a snowman s'mores ornament.  I was quite tickled.  ;)

Also some cookie-mix-in-a-jar and a vocabulary desk calendar. So sweet!

The Christmas Cactus in the background was a gift from my mentor, Lori. I'm so nervous that the thing will die cuz I'm terrible with plants. Otherwise, it's a lovely spot of color on the desk.

Location, Location, Location

Even though it's a long commute to northwest Calgary, I love working at SAIT because of the spectacular view!!

This is just outside the parkade:

The glorious night view! (Excuse the poor photography...)

A shot of downtown on a foggy day:

The building I work in as seen from the parkade (my office is actually on the opposite side but I've been teaching classes up on the 9th floor here):

 This was the very first building at SAIT. It's called Heritage Hall and Shawn's grandmother actually graduated from here in 1920!! (The photo was taken from the steps from the parkade... I really should have found a better place to take this shot from...)

The view from my office:

I share the office with 4 other instructors. The lovely lady in the bottom left of the photo above is my mentor, Lori, the Medical Transcription program instructor. I really work with most spectacular ladies!

Quick Update

I've been super busy but wanted to share that I signed a contract for next term at SAIT. Wehoo! I'll have my fingers in 3 different programs: Medical Transcription, Health Information Office Assistant (being renamed Medical Office Assistant/Unit Clerk), and Health Information Management (the program I took once upon a time). I even have an old pal that's currently taking that last program, so I'll get to see her on a regular basis starting in March.  :)

We set up the Christmas tree this past weekend and the kids are wondering where the presents are.  lol!

Ella finally got her glasses! I haven't had a chance to take pics... Will have to do ASAP.  Since she's farsighted, the lenses magnify her eyes a bit... She's still cute.  At least when she's hugging you.  ;)  She's very huggy but only on her own schedule.  ;)  We also have to patch her a bit. I feel terrible that our kids' eyes are so terrible.  Even Taylor's grade 2 teacher has voiced concerns so Taylor's up next for an optometrist visit.  :(

Breath vs Nose

Due to stress related to having a new job (I signed the contract yesterday!), sleep has become elusive. ;) The up-side to this is already being awake when Ella gets up. Morning's are her best time: she's sweet and loves to cuddle.

In the midst of our snuggle, I remarked to Ella that she had terrible morning breath. She turned it around by saying, "No, your nose stinks!"

Teacher Time

Today I was officially offered a teaching position at my old tech school, SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology)!

Rewind a few years, 2008 to be exact, and I have just interviewed for a full-time position co-teaching the program I graduated from, Health Information Management, with a friend that I graduated with. I felt very good about the interview and the more I thought about teaching as a career, the more ecstatic I became. I used to play school with my younger sibs, creating mini-texts and quizzes to grade. I taught Eva (maybe Owen?) to read (not that I find that kind of patience with my own children!). I've really enjoyed any training opportunities that came my way as both a coder and an analyst.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

It was just as well since our family grew once more after that. ;)

Fast-forward to the beginning of this past summer and my friend at SAIT approached me about a part-time contract (temporary) position at SAIT. It wouldn't be teaching my program but helping out the Medical Transcription and Health Information Office Assistant programs. It would be a foot in the door!

At this same time, I had already applied for a part-time data quality position at the new Calgary hospital (opening end of this year/beginning of next year). Data quality is my passion (consistency appeals to my detail-oriented, problem-solving side) and these positions don't come up often. It made me consider getting out of my stay-at-home-mom mode since Averi is now going to school. Child care would be less expensive and I would be missing less time with the kids. (Ella and parents will all benefit with some time apart.)

I find it unfortunate that both of these opportunities presented themselves at the same time. It has been my experience that Heavenly Father brings about these types of situations for a reason. I went after the teaching position since it was temporary and would lead perfectly into the hospital position. SAIT, however, has offered me a year-long contract, rather than just one term. I look forward to finding out what becomes of this! Will I become a permanent instructor, coding coordinator or both (SAIT assures me that they can be flexible)??

Boss's Bday

Ever since my boss surprised me with a birthday gathering at our private "meeting," I've been planning revenge!

I should have done before and after pics but instead all you get are the reaction pics. He strode in just as I was putting on the final touch! He loved it!

 He actually had a teleconference he was urgently trying to attend and so he immediately had to rip a hole on the monitor and find his telephone!

This is the cleanest his desk has EVER been! ;)

We organized a potluck lunch for him with the whole area. It was terrific!

For some reason, my flash kept futzing out...

Can you believe he's 35? I actually thought I was older than him for awhile!! ;)

First Week Over

Wonder Woman, aka Stefanie, kept the kids busy all week with play time, craft time, snack time, etc. The kids especially like crafts, of course, and would help put all the toys away so they could get to it. Avi would say, "I love craps! I love craps!" lol

Ella and Seth have become fast friends, chasing each other around and laughing at their reflections in the front closet mirrors. How cute is that!

We had a heavy, wet snowfall the last couple of days and when the kids went for a walk yesterday, Avi, being Avi, fell into not one, but two! puddles!

I have to say this new schedule of work and home is great for me so far. I'm getting back into the tech stuff at work and I know my kids are in the best hands possible. I'm so blessed!

On another note, Shawn hurt his back shoveling snow and has stayed home from work. It's just as well since he has oodles of schoolwork. This whole school thing has been a rollercoaster for him... Please keep him in your prayers!

First Day Back to Work

I have so much to update on here but rather than being bogged down by that, I'm going to shove in a quick post about my first day back to work after maternity leave.

It went fine.

I looked good. ;)

My new supervisor is great.

I did get a headache from, I believe, excessive lighting but that is easily remedied.

The kids did terrifically well with my neighbor, Stefanie. What a miracle she is!!

I really feel that the time spent with the kids during the evening was better quality and we sang lots of songs before bed.

Getting them to sleep wasn't hard either... Bless you, Stef!!!!

Off Work

Today was my last day of work. Technically, my mat leave doesn't start until the end of April but I'm using up my vacation days. Wehoo! I already have a list of home org chores... *sigh*

Big City Despair

I have been campaigning to my husband for the last few months to move to a smaller town. This morning illustrates one of the reasons why...

It usually takes me 45 minutes to get to work. This is an improvement from my former commute by transit which took at least an hour and a half and only if I caught my connecting bus(es). That 45 minutes, however, is dependent on no accidents, construction or bad road conditions. During the summer, I was often delayed by construction. In the winter, things are much, much worse.

This morning, it took an hour and a half to get to work despite the fact there were no accidents. The road conditions were no worse than yesterday. I left home at the same time as yesterday. Yesterday, it only took an hour to get to work. There is no accounting for these congested traffic anomalies except to say that we live in a city of a million people. Small by American standards, to be sure, but bad enough.

Reason the hub doesn't want to move: he likes our house and he hates change. Hmmmm....

Makeup

I've become quite adept at applying my makeup during the commute to work.

I can actually tell how bad or good traffic is by how much I get on by the time I get to work.

This system is not without it's drawbacks.

I've learned that one should not apply mascara in a hurry. Even at the best of times, mascara is tricky for me.

Today, I was able to get one eye completed by the time I parked. Having only mascara left to put on the other eye, I was assured of no mishaps since I was no longer traveling.

Sadly, 'twas not to be.

Not only did I seem unable to keep mascara from collecting around my entire eye area, I got a huge blotch in my hair, nearly permanently dyeing it.

I also left a blob on my visor and several smears on the seat.

One of these days, Shawn is going to notice this collection.


I have retracted this recommendation....
P.S. After trying several rather expensive mascaras from Sephora, I've found the best (and cheaper!) one is from MAC, which is found in The Bay.

Work

After one year of paid maternity leave (Canada rocks!), I returned to work on Monday, July 7. I thought I would have plenty of time to reacclimate myself to my job, but alas, I've been super busy since day one! I find myself struggling to extract data that would have been simple before I went and had a baby.

**Boring material follows.**

For those of you who don't know, I am a Health Information Analyst. I extract and compile clinical utilization data, among other types of data, and put them into supposedly reader-friendly reports. I also create and maintain performance measurement indicators. *yawn* This means I sit at a computer all day, using Oracle SQL and MS Excel... *snore*

My employer used to be known as the Calgary Health Region, but Alberta recently dissolved all of her health regions and we are now provincially known as Alberta Health Services. Obviously, big changes happened while I was away! It started with my former department, Quality, Safety and Health Information, being dissolved and the majority of its units making up the new Health Outcomes portfolio. My unit was the only one to be moved over to ITTS, which is Information, Transformation and Technology Services (aka IT). What a mouthful. We find we don't quite fit in...

**End of boring material.** (or is it?)

I actually enjoy my job when I'm busy. I'm just frustrated with my mental constipation at the moment. Shawn teases me about how "hard" my job is. It really is cushy...

I'm looking into advancing my technical education at the expense of my employer. ;) They put me through a course at SAIT to learn Oracle SQL and I'd like to go further in that direction.

Q & A

Do I miss the kids? Nope. I still see them everyday.

Do I feel guilty leaving the kids? Never! They're at home with daddy. He makes a better stay-at-home mom than I ever do.

Do I revel in my child-free liberty? Not revel exactly but I do enjoy it. I'm too busy to fully appreciate it. But I do value my time with the kids more now that I see them less.

Do I gleefully leave the children with their father every morning? YES! It's Shawn's turn to deal with spitting, shrieking Avi and whiny, demanding Taylor every day, all day.

Do the kids miss Mommy? Taylor's a daddy's boy, so no for him though he does run and give me hugs when I get home. Avi's a little clingy when I get home from work, so probably yes for her.

Is Daddy surviving so far? Yes. As long as he can get out of the house, even if it's with the kids, he does well. He's taken care of the recycling, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, run errands, cleaned our nasty hardwood floors and all with the kids. Way to go, Daddy!

Am I enjoying being back at work? At first, I was indifferent. It felt like I'd never left. However, someone here (yes, I'm blogging on my lunch break at work even though I'm probably breaking some rule) just said the word 'aspirated' and I realized that I've missed grown up medical talk!

Unfortunately for Shawn, Taylor has been getting up while Mom's getting ready in the morning. Typically about 6:30am. Daddy is not happy.

*********

So what work does everyone else do? Any return-to-work stories?

All is Well

So life returns to normal. The kids were decent today. Alleluia.

I've been thinking about my inevitable return to work. Getting up at the same time every day, the routine, the daily grind, the commute... the freedom from children! It'll be interesting to see how I feel once I'm back. Though I've considered it, I can't go back earlier than my original return date (July 7) due to Shawn's Alaska motorcycle trip.

This weekend is the Harley Davidson demo where you can try out their bikes. I was never into the whole Harley thing, but Shawn and I looked into them when we were considering getting a bike and they can be quite nice. You pay extra for the name, of course. So we're hoping to get a chance to try out a bike or two.

Nothing much going on. I'm so boring.

Another Day in the Life

For some reason, Taylor tried to join us in bed during the night again. When I asked what was wrong, he just went back to his own bed. Is he sleep-walking?

The weather being respectable, the four of us went for a walk today. We clip Avi's carseat into the stroller and Taylor alternates between walking, riding Daddy's shoulders and sitting on the stroller's "handlebars." Avi stayed awake the whole time, which surprised me. Near the end, Taylor was nodding off as he rode the stroller. A few houses away from home, I just carried him the remainder of the way. After disrobing from a mountain of winter wear (Taylor likes to jump into snowdrifts), Taylor said "Nap time." It always reminds me of Aunt Lizzie when Taylor puts himself to bed as she is reported to have done the same thing.

This afternoon I contracted/exhibited something requiring close proximity to a toilet. Shawn works evenings so I've had to care for 2 kids from the throne room. All considered, it wasn't too bad... I've fed Avi on the potty before but I still say hooray for Imodium!

Discussion commenced today regarding the Harris family reunion. Since we just had one in 2005, some of us feel it should wait another year or so for a repeat. Issues such as money, time away from work and transportation are on the table.

Shawn's booked passage on the Alaskan ferry for his motorcycle trip with his dad this summer. Being indecisive and a worry wart, Shawn is still not sure he will go...

I'm scheduled to return to work on July 7th. I'm hoping to work 4 days a week rather than 5. I've enjoyed staying with the kids alot more this time around probably because 2 kids keep you busier than one! Eva said that she wouldn't be able to handle staying home with Claire and I told her that I understood! I was quite happy to get back to work after Taylor... Time away from the dependence!! Anyway, so far with Avi it's been pretty nice. It helps when one has a better idea of what to expect with a new child and has a child to help keep the entertainment factor up! So far I'm not anxious to return to work!

Workwise, I've missed a major change. The health Region's been reorganized and my department no longer exists! I'm now part of a new department that encompasses the IT (Information Technology) guys. I keep hoping that maybe we'll be relocated a little closer to home! My commute is 35 minutes in exemplary traffic, 45 minutes in heavier traffic, and even longer if there's an accident or construction (plenty of construction in the summer!). And that's if I'm driving. Back when I was taking transit, it would take me at least an hour and a half to get to work if I timed my connections perfectly.

My mother-in-law came over tonight to get music put on her iPod. It wasn't exactly a relaxing evening with the kids around but hey... Thanks for helping me tidy up!

Naughty Taylor

Taylor has taken to hitting people so he can say sorry. What the!?