Welp...here we go

Well bloggy friends.  I have done it.  I know I put in my comments yesterday that I wasn’t going to but I did.  I sent a follow-up email letting upper management know about my successes in sales and letting them know that I am going to be the bigger person in their shake-up but that I am sales oriented and that I can do what they think I can’t do.  I also snuck in there that I thought that I didn’t think it was the best idea to take a test’s word over factual information in what a person’s worth is.  So it got sent Friday afternoon where I’m sure they are not in the office but they should see it Monday.  Here’s hoping I didn’t hurt my future at this company.  But I did send a copy to my mom to read over after the fact and she said it sounded very professional and not bad so yeah. 

Project 52: Bed Head

Crazy-hair Magee! He get it from his mama!

Haunted Traditions

When I saw the spin this week was family traditions I thought that we don't have a lot of actual traditions for our little family. But then on Sunday my mom and I took Leo to the pumpkin patch and it hit me that, DUH! This was our family tradition. Since Leo has been 1 year old my mom and I have taken him to the pumpkin patch and had such an awesome time. We go to one that is about 45 minutes from where we live and each year the little farm gets bigger and bigger and always adds more attractions. And each year as Leo gets a little bit bigger he is able to do more and more. We were talking about how next year Leo would be in, GASP, kindergarten and so we would probably have to go on a weekend again but we both thought that we might be able to take him out of school or if they had an in-service day we could use that one to go and enjoy the time together. So our family tradition is nothing crazy but we sure like it! Here are some pictures from years past at the pumpkin patch...we don't have any from this year because I haven't gotten them from my mom yet.

Leo's favorite thing to do is play in their sandbox filled with corn and drive their dump trucks

Leo wished we could take this giant pumpkin home with us last year!

Leo and me in 2008

Each year we see how tall he is compared to the giant pumpkin! 2008

A little bigger in 2009

And in 2010!

And yes I am the obnoxious mom who makes her kid pose in the same spot every. single. year!
2008

2009

2010

To see other traditional spins go see Jen. I'm sure it should become your weekly tradition!

Dirty Laundry

So if you read my weekend recap you saw that I had a pretty crappy start to my weekend.  Well I’ll go into it now.  I think I’m ready.  But it still sucks and I still don’t agree with it.  But I need to get it off my chest into a medium that is not controlled by people who are “for me” or “against me.”  WARNING…this is a long post!

 

It all started Thursday afternoon when my boss, who I am friends with, received a phone call from her boss saying they needed to have a meeting that afternoon.  But she wouldn’t tell her what it was about.  I left before she came back but I talked to her later and was told that she would be moving branches.  While that was not a huge surprise because of some change-ups with the company we were both still in the dark on who her replacement would be.  Currently I am the assistant branch manager and with other managerial changes that have happened recently the assistant of the branch has been promoted in 3 instances so my assumption (even though we know what happens when you assume…) was that I would be a logical replacement.  It was a crazy night of what-ifs between us and we both just were waiting for the bomb to drop the next day as to what the changes would mean for the branches.

 

Cue to Friday…I spoke to my boss throughout the day but she had not heard anything regarding the changes any more than what we already knew.  I left for the day at 3 and headed to Wal-Mart to get a few things.  While there I received a text message from my boss saying that the changes had been laid out to everyone and I was not the replacement for her.  Now this wouldn’t have been a huge deal except that they replaced her position with someone who was already in the current position that I am in.  So basically I was replaced by a different me.  Who doesn’t know the clientele that we serve and hasn’t been managing the employees that I have been for the past 3 years.  I have had my hand in hiring almost all of the current employees that we have.  Needless to say I was beyond mad.  Plus I’m a crier.  So I was trying to keep it together while finishing up in Wal-Mart and get home.  Then of course on the way home I called the hubby only to sob-scream into the phone and he was at work.  So I’m sure that was the most awesome phone call to get on a Friday afternoon. 

 

After talking to my boss later in the evening after she got off work and we could cry/discuss together the thing that I got out of it was that no one outside of upper management understood why that specific change was made.  My reasoning was that I was pregnant and they don’t want promote me when I’m getting ready to go on leave for up to 12 weeks.  I’m not saying that is the full reasoning behind it but that’s what my initial thought was.  Along with quite a few other people.  After letting the news simmer over the weekend I concocted a letter to send to our Human Resources department, my boss’s boss and then the main person in upper management who has the final say in decision-making.  I had the hubby proof-read and add/change things to make it sound better and sent it to them first thing Monday morning. 

Monday continues and I get a phone call requesting a meeting with myself, my boss and her boss.  Again, no reason is given but of course I am super-nervous because I know it is regarding the email I sent.  She comes in at 3 to have the meeting and the first thing she tells me is that she is glad I sent the email because if I hadn’t then she would have been concerned.  She continues on that basically the reason that I was not given the position over this other person was based on a test that we had taken over a year ago where we chose which word out of 2 that described us better and according to mine I was more operationally-focused whereas the other person was more sales-focused and with the way our company is headed they were looking for someone more sales-focused.  I told her that I thought it was ridiculous that my future was based on a test and that I feel that I would do just fine in a sales-based environment.  She even told me that individual sales were not looked at when determining the position.  Only the test.  It was SO frustrating.  Of course I cried some more because I couldn’t keep it together (stupid pregnancy hormones).  She said she felt really bad and had a sleepless weekend after the decision was revealed.  She also said that I was a candidate but that the upper management was the final decision.  Really what I felt it came down to was she was afraid to fight for me if she really thought that I would have been the better candidate.  She also said I needed to prove to everyone that I can achieve sales…which really annoyed me because I do that and if they don’t want to look and see what I’ve done then that’s their loss.

 

So after that meeting I just had another pity party.  But then that night and the next day I really started to think more about it.  I have been with this company since 2004 and since then I have won multiple awards based on sales.  And then I could pull up a program and compare sales between myself and this new manager.  And we have a sales quota that when we open new accounts we have a cross-sale that we are supposed to achieve.  That cross-sale is a 3.25 average.  So basically per customer they are wanting us to sale 3.25 products per customer.  So I looked…and in the past 20 months I have achieved my goal 19 times.  She has achieved hers 6 times…so really does a test show someone’s true self or does it just say what you think they wanted to hear?  So then it takes me back to either thinking they really didn’t want to promote me because of my pregnancy OR they are just that dense that they think a test shows someone’s worth.  And then just because I am catty and I like to make myself feel better I have other reasons why I think I was the better person for the job…Like I’ve been with the company longer, I have my Bachelor’s degree and she doesn’t and again I already know the customers and employees and they respect me because they know me.

 

So yeah…sorry this was so long and thanks for anyone who read all the way to the end.  But I needed to get it off my chest and hopefully this will be my letting go moment.  I’m sure it will last a little longer seeing as this new girl starts on Monday but I will be the bigger person and just deal with it.  But I am definitely looking for other positions internally and externally just to see what my options are.

The Weekend That Was

Wow. Another weekend has come and gone.  Mine started off horribly Friday after work when I got some bad news regarding work but that isn’t something I’m ready to blog about yet…I still have a job but I’m not as happy to go to work as I once was.  Of course I then had to go to work on Saturday but then once I got off Saturday night my weekend got exponentially better!

 

My Sunday started off extra early when Leo woke up at 6:45(!) and I just stayed up.  I decided that since I was up and I needed to go to the grocery store I would.  I got home and made us a nice breakfast of pancake, bacon and eggs and cleaned up the kitchen and put away groceries.  It was actually really nice to have all of that accomplished by 10.  Then I watched some Indiana Jones with Leo and then we started to get ready for our day.  Leo and I were going to the pumpkin patch with my mom.  We got to the pumpkin patch around 1 and stayed until 3:30.  It was so much fun (and that will be a post for a different day…spin cycle I’m talking to you!) but it was definitely time to go when we did!

 

We got home around 4:30 and the rest of the evening was just spent hanging out.  I did make dinner for Sunday and Monday so all the boys would have to do Monday night was put it in the oven since I have to work late.  It was pretty simple.  And then of course the kitchen got cleaned AGAIN.  It seems like the dishes were ganging up on me!  Then bathtime for Leo and bed for me by 8:30 after laundry had been put away.  It was a very eventful day!

Spin Cycles: Rules

Yeah...2 posts in one day.  It just happened.  But I was thinking I really need to post for the Spin Cycle because I haven't lately but I just don't seem to have the time to put that much thought into a post.  But then after reading a few other posts about rules I realized I totally have a post about rules.  So here we go...

2 summers ago we were heading to Dodge City to visit family for the week.  And Leo had been in the precious stage of the terrible twos.  So in the weeks before going we had created a list of the rules of the house.  And it was a loooong list.  Granted he was in a semi-violent stage (which seems to still come and go...gotta love a little boy full of a LOT of energy) we had some rules regarding those as well.  I wish we hadn't packed/thrown away so much crap but I just recently put it away or else I would have taken a picture of it.  It's even written in crayon because I couldn't find an actual pen.  It went a little something like this...

• No hitting
• No biting
• No throwing toys
• No pulling on clothing (He seemed to pull on our clothes all the time)
• No yelling
• No kicking
• No hitting Freckles

I honestly can't remember everything on it but I'm pretty sure there were 21 items on it.  And we kept it on our refrigerator until just recently.  We even took it on that trip to Dodge and we had to get that list out quite frequently to refer to when we were placing Leo in timeout because he wasn't following the rules.

Today the list of rules we try to follow are similar but as he's gotten older and able to express himself a little bit better we have pared down our list of rules although they still are there.  Today the rules we seem to spout over and over go a little something like this...

• No yelling
• We must brush our teeth EVERY. Single. Day. (twice a day)
• Wash your hands after using the restroom.
• Put your dishes away.
• Don't hit the walls (not in anger...just when running through the house.  He seems to think the walls were meant for running into.)

So of course we still have rules and we use them on a daily basis but they are more items that we want Leo to do and not just how he needs to behave.  It's nice that he's able to abide by some of our rules without us having to repeat them over and over again but of course there are days when all have to be on repeat. 

To see other spins about rules check out Jen.  She rules over all of our spins!

Things Not To Tell A Pregnant Lady

Here are just a few things I’ve been told in the last week or so regarding my appearance…

 

Dang girl, you look like you swallowed a watermelon.

 

Every time I see you, you keep getting bigger and bigger.

 

It looks like your belly gets bigger every single day.

 

You sure are looking pregnant today.

 

Wow.  Are you due today?

 

Yeah, all self-esteem boosters don’t you think?!  Happy Friday!

Project 52: Vintage 2007

 

 

 

 Vintage Leo: Circa 2007

 

Vintage: a : a period of origin or manufacture vintage> b : length of existence : age

(from here) 

RTT: Very Random Thoughts

I know it's Tuesday and I know it's for random but this week you get lots of VERY random.

• We got rid of our digital cable and opted for satellite. We did have to sign a 2 year contract but as far as I can see so far it will be worth it. Especially with my maternity leave coming soon and we got 3 months free of HBO, Starz, Cinemax and Showtime. Pretty excited about that!
• While getting rid of our cable we also opted to get rid of our phone landline. I'm not sure how I feel about this but we hardly ever use it and both the hubby and I have cell phones that don't really have a lot of connection issues. So hopefully it works out for the best.
• I was feeling very thankful this evening. I have been meaning to buy some thank you cards for some random things that people have done and I had packed up all my thank you cards while getting ready for the move. So I finally bought some this evening and sat down and wrote them out. So it made me very thankful to see what people have done for me.
• My sister-in-law's are throwing me a baby shower brunch or BBQ (I'm not sure which) and I feel very awkward. Mainly because it's my second baby and so I'm one of those people that think showers are for baby #1 but am extremely grateful that they want to do something so sweet for me. I also feel like it might be awkward because I don't have a lot of people to invite because I don't have a lot of friends. So if any of you bloggy friends want to head up to good ol' Kansas for a baby shower feel free to shoot me your address and you can come! :)
• The weather here has finally changed to a decent temperature but now that I am in my 3rd trimester I feel like all I want to do is sleep. And apparently the hubby feels the same way because I am having to pick up the slack where he is leaving off. I love the man dearly but seriously...I'm 32 weeks along...a little help shredding some cheese and cutting some tomatoes would be awesome!
• On the creepy side of me I took my phone into Leo's daycare and snapped a picture of their schedule. They aren't in their "assigned" room in the morning when it's breakfast time so no one saw me do it. I did it for when I am on maternity leave and keep Leo home a few days a week I can try to keep him on a less-strict schedule than they do but still have some ideas in mind of something to keep him occupied other than the Backyardigans and Dora. So I have the schedule and now all I need to figure out what the heck circle time and centers consist of. Any ideas would be appreciated!
• I made some extremely delicious chicken tacos last night for dinner. We hadn't had them in a while and so I decided to make them and they turned out awesome. I was very pleased with myself! I also made a list of dinners for the next two weeks and I bought my groceries and spent under $55 for 2 weeks! I will have to make at least 1 trip during the next week to get more milk but between the meat we already had and the stuff in our cupboards we had quite a bit so that was pretty awesome as well. I love it when I can make a list and stick to it!
• Evenings have been a real struggle lately for Leo. He starts to get sleepy and cranky around 7 and I can tell it's time for bed but if I put him to bed that early he wakes up sooooo early. Plus 7 just seems so early especially when I sometimes don't even get off work until 8. If he was already in bed then I wouldn't get to see him at all. Any suggestions on what to do to help ease the evening angry's let me know!

Ok. Enough random spouting. I'm sorry if you feel dumber for reading this! Haha. SOmetimes I feel that way when I write it! Happy Tuesday!  Go hit up Stacy to see all the other random ramblings out there. And she's also hosting a super-awesome giveaway for her 3rd blogiversary.  You can choose wine or no wine.  So yeah, it's definitely worth it to check it out!

Project 52: Freckleshins

This is my crazy dog Freckles! She is currently staying with my parents so we can make sure she doesn't terrorize the potential home buyers when they come over. Haha...she is a nut. I've had her since 1997 and she is just a crazy old dog. She acts more like a cat where she only will do something if she wants to. She is a little crazy-eyed (as you can see from the picture) but she's a sweet dog and we love her none-the-less! And she's put up with Leo's shenanigans for the past 4 1/2 years so we give her credit for not going crazy and biting anyone!

Project 52: Mirror Mirror

Week 5 is a little late but better late than never! Plus I had to clean the mirror and I used Emily's idea to just put me and my Peo in front of the mirror and snap away! I was lucky in the fact that he was in a good mood to be photographed!

RTT: Weekend Fun and Random Musings

Wha? How did that happen? It's Tuesday? Woo hoo! That means a 4-day work week. OH wait...it doesn't for me since I work some Saturday's and this week is one of them but it's whatever! It does mean it's Tuesday and time for some Random.

With our 3-day weekend (because I was lucky enough to not work this past Saturday) we did a lot of nothing and it was amazing. I'm really enjoying having the house pretty much fixed up and with a lack of stuff in it so the cleaning is quick and painless. Saturday my mom took Leo to the local historic museum called Cowtown and they watched gun fights and participated in a scavenger hunt and did other fun things. Like drink beer (sarsaparilla) in the saloon. He thought that was pretty awesome! So while they were out gallivanting around town the hubby and I just hung out and watched HGTV all day. It was pretty amazing. Sunday was busier only because we attended 2 parties with our families. It was nice to see everyone and spend time with them. Monday was another day where we didn't have anything going on but then we got a message saying that someone wanted to come look at the house so we had to clean up and get out. While the people were snooping around we went to eat, went to Target and then got Leo's hair cut. All in all it was an outstanding weekend!

We didn't really have anything to get at Target but it seems like you can't leave without buying something. So Leo made out like a bandit. He got a coloring book, a box of colored pencils, a Star Wars t-shirt and a Target brand Nerf gun (btw...I didn't even know they made off-brand Nerf guns but he got 3 mini guns that came in 1 pack for $5). All of that I got for under $20. I was pretty amazed. And he was extremely happy!

Our house has been on the market since August 17th. That is 19 days. And since those 19 days have passed we have had 3 showings. That's 1 per week. I think that's pretty good seeing as how the market isn't super-awesome. I'm just hoping that before September 20th our house sells. I'm giving it until then so that way if it takes 1 month to close we are still closing on our house before my due date. Let's hope that the showing on Monday was the one and they put an offer in today!

Even though I sometimes complain about work we do have some pretty cool perks. Such as winning tickets to local events at the arena that our bank has the name rights to. The most recent contest was to win tickets to see Disney on Ice Toy Story 3. And we won! AND we get suite tickets. So this upcoming Saturday we get to go to the arena and watch Toy Story 3. Leo is so excited!

Is anyone else excited about football season? I AM! It starts this Thursday and I can't wait! Woo hoo! Let's go Redskins! :)

Ok. That's enough random from me. I hope you all had a nice Labor Day weekend and your week goes quickly!

Baby Update: 31 weeks

How far along: 31 weeks!

Baby Size: Head of Lettuce. AKA 4 pounds and 19 inches long

Weight Gain: As of my scale at home 30 pounds. I'm not too concerned about the weight gain anymore because my doctor says my blood pressure is great and my glucose test was perfect. So I'm just trying to keep doing what I've been doing and hopefully not blow up the last 9 weeks.

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing lots of dresses and not a lot of pants because it has been a constant stream of 100+ degree days. We've finally had a cool streak (2 days of 80 degree days!!!) and so I'm sure I'll bust out a few fall clothes soon. But with only 9 weeks to go I'm not planning on buying any more maternity clothes and just forging through with what I have already.

Sleep: Falling asleep is becoming more of a struggle because I'm not able to find a comfortable position but some nights I can sleep through the night without getting up so that's awesome!

Best Moments: Making it through every passing day is a best moment because I know some people aren't as blessed to have had such an easy pregnancy.

Movements: Still moving and grooving in there. I'm sure that will start to slow down in the upcoming weeks.

Cravings: Sweets will be my downfall. The other night I went to bed just thinking about how good ice cream, cookies and pie all sounded. And then this weekend we had 2 family get-togethers with a LOT of sweet snacks so I definitely over-indulged. Oh well!

Looking forward to: My appointment on Friday. I'm to my every 2 weeks appointments. My last one I was in and out and so I'm sure they will continue to be the same.

Symptoms: No symptoms as of late. So that is awesome!

And last but not least stretch marks: The same as before. Haven't noticed any new ones. Thankfully!

With all the craziness that is life I haven't really updated on my life lately and since this is baby related I'll put it in this update. They are re-finishing the floors where I work and when I was walking back from getting lunch my foot slipped on a slippery spot and down I went. I wasn't going to even call my doctor because I could still feel the baby moving and wasn't too concerned but one of the girls I work with is marrying a doctor and she was overly-concerned. So I called. And they told me I should go to the hospital to be monitored. So I went when I got off work and they hooked me up to the monitors and there I stayed for about an hour and a half. Alas...everything was fine as I suspected but of course it's good that I went in and got checked just to be on the safe side. So a little scary moment but all turned out fine!