All out in the open

This hospital photography job is turning out to be quite an adventure. Every day is a new experience with new people & new personalities. An average day at the hospital for me involves 12 new babies to visit. Every time I knock on a hospital door, it's a new life experience. There are so many different kinds of people in the world, and the maternity ward does not always bring out the pleasant side of people. I could really write a book about the experiences in the maternity ward (without violating HIPPA).

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”

—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004); psychiatrist, educator

Texas Weather

This Texas weather is a trip! One day it is 85 degrees outside, and the next day it is below freezing! I cleaned up one of their out door toys and brought inside about a month ago. The girls have used it more in the past month than they have in the whole 2 1/2 years that we have had it! So, I guess it works pretty well as an indoor toy... Especially to get out some of their energy!

Money Saving Tip #12~ Play mat

We (the girls and I) are in the process of building a city. This idea is similar to the Playmats for Matchbox cars. I took a fitted white twin size sheet that I got on clearance for $1.99, and laid across the dining room table with newspapers underneath it. Then, I used fabric paints to map out roads, build businesses, houses, and parks. Jaden and Morgan participated in adding things to the park (swings, slides, etc). You can't tell what it is that they made in the park, but they know, so that is what counts. Then, they told me which businesses they wanted in the city. It is still under construction, but they can use it right now the way it is until I get the last three businesses built. They use the matchbox cars on the roads, and fisher-price little people to do the things in the city (like swim, go to school, go to their friends house, etc). A great thing about this city is it is easy to take down and store & take back out when they want to play with it.

Money Saving Tip #11~ Fancy bath foam

To make bath-time fun, there are all kinds of products on the market you can buy for your kids. My girls enjoy the foam bath that I make for them, and it hardly costs a penny (plus, it is educational). This is what I do. Before their bath, I put a dab of their bath soap in a squeeze bottle & fill it up with warm water. Next, I get two different colors of food coloring, and put a different color in each bottle. Now, here comes the educational part... Jaden gets one bottle and Morgan gets the other. Today, Jaden's was red and Morgan's was yellow. They found out that after they both washed up, red and yellow make orange (the color that the bath water turned to when they were done).

My loving girls

In case you haven't read the article about Jaden and Morgan on the Children International web-site yet, you can check it out here:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/FeatureStories/2009/Pages/SponsorshipExperience-AFamilyAffair-2-17-09.aspx?sid=108CBC7-EDA9-458E-9D2B-BBFD0D7CB51F1

It will probably be up for just a few more days. Jaden is already 1/4 of the way into reaching her goal of buying beds for all 4 children with HIV/AIDS. She raised $125 to send to the Dominican Republic to buy a bed for Dulce. Next on her agenda is to raise $160 to buy a bed for Jonathan in Ecuador.
She has a million other ideas that involve helping others, and she wants to do them all (some of the things she will be able to do without spending money, but rather time). Every day, her show of compassion for others amazes me. Morgan sees what Jaden is doing and automatically wants to do what her big sister is doing! What a great example she is to her little sister (and to others)!

More fun with the Wiggles!

The Wiggles Live... featuring Wags the Dog!

A little fun before going back to work

I took the girls to play on Friday, since I knew that I would be at work a lot the next few days. We had a great time & enjoyed our day (even though Morgan and I weren't feeling our best). I will post more about our outing later. I just wanted to get something up here, so that you would know I am still alive. I am doing the hospital photographer gig a few days this week, and my work week starts on Saturday. I will be working at the hospital Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & Thursday. I won't be blogging much, but I will catch up, I promise!

A Family Affair

The article about Jaden and Morgan is now live & will be up on the Children International web-site for the next 2 weeks. Enjoy:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/FeatureStories/2009/Pages/SponsorshipExperience-AFamilyAffair-2-17-09.aspx?sid=F22461C-840F-4BFE-9097-ADAF89036C931

Moments that take our breath away

I got this in an e-mail, and had to share:
A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that :

We have taller buildings but shorter tempers,

wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less,

we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families,

more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense,

more knowledge, but less judgment,

more experts, yet more problems,

more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly,

laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry,

stay up too late, get up too tired,

read too little, watch TV too much,

and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back,

but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever,

but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion,

big men and small character,

steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce,

fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers,

throwaway morality, one-night stands,

overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you,

and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Money Saving Tip #10~ Go to the museum for free!

There are a lot of things that you can do without spending a dime. Did you know that the first weekend of every month, you can go to the museum for free?! 70 museums state-wide are part of the "Museums on Us" program. Just show your Bank of America debit or credit card & the tickets are free. For more information: http://promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums/?u1=C5B1L3BR2S32856-2009-02-17-12-00-p-25122-email-71427

Jaden & Morgan will be famous tomorrow!!!

Big announcement! Of course, we all know how special both of the girls are, but soon the world will know. Jaden and Morgan have done a few projects to help others and already understand that there is a world beyond themselves with people that have less than they do. For Christmas, you may remember they put together Christmas gift bags for 40+ families in the Dallas area.
Now, Jaden and Morgan have decided to get money together to purchase beds for 4 children who do not have a bed. None of this came by my persuasion but rather by Jaden seeing a need and asking questions. Of course, all of that will be in the article that will go live tomorrow. It will be on the home page of the Children International web-site for a week. To see it, starting tomorrow morning, go to: http://www2.children.org/en/us/Pages/Home.aspx?sid=7AEBEA10-4811-443D-BCFE-6EBCE651AB41 , and scroll down to the bottom of the home page on the left hand side.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Money Saving Tip #9: Don't pay for magazines; get them for free!

Ok, I have about 15 magazine subscriptions. Looking at it, one would think I spend a couple hundred dollars on subscriptions, but I don't pay for any of them. This is what I do. There is a survey site that lets you earn points and redeem them for items like magazine subscriptions. The website is:
http://www.e-rewards.com
Here are some of the magazines offered (1 full year subscription, with no strings!):
Inc.
Vibe
Flying
Body + Soul
Interview
Woman's Day
American Photo
Outside Magazine
Smithsonian
Seventeen
Golf Digest
Entrepreneur
Family Fun
Working Mother
Travel & Leisure Golf
Computer Shopper
People en Español
Forbes
Martha Stewart Living
The Wall Street Journal
Latina...
Anyway, you get the picture. So, if you had some magazines you have been wanting to get but can't fit them into the budget... Log in & start answering some surveys! My latest order was for American Photo. I think it provides photographing tips, so I am hoping it will help me in the baby photography career I have started (and, by the way, I got my check today... Whew!)

Welcome to OUR 365

This is a nice introduction to the company. This company is the one that does the baby pictures in the hospital. I just started working for them on the weekends, and I have been an employee now for 1 month. Yesterday was the day for my first pay check. The day came and went with no pay. My supervisor said that the first check is always a "live" check, and then, the rest will be direct deposit. So, in the meantime, I logged on to my company account that I now have access to, and this is what I read:

* Please note - Pay checks and vouchers are mailed two days prior to the check date.
Please wait 8 business days after the check date before reporting non-arrival.

Nice way to welcome an employee to the company, among other wonderful (NOT!) surprises that I have learned along the way. I wonder why they have such a high employee turn-over rate?

What do I do?

The play area in the hospital where I take baby pictures
One of my jobs as an independent contractor. We had to pretend we were interested in buying a play set for the backyard.
The house below was another job that I had to pretend to be a potential home-buyer interested in that house.

Eating at restaurants is, also, part of some of my independent contractor jobs. A lot of them, I get to bring my family with me!!

Ever wondered what your house would look like if you had a book store inside it? This is about 10% of the used book inventory that is inside our house/garage/shed.
Pretending to be interested in buying yet another play set!

It is hard to explain to people when I meet them. The question of, "so what do you do?" I met up with my best friend from high school that I haven't seen since 1997. I saw her once in 1997, and before that, I hadn't seen her since 1992... So, it has been awhile. She found me on Facebook (I am finally a fan of the site since I have been able to find friends I had lost track of over the years)... Anyway, we met up last Friday and caught up on each other's lives. Of course, "what do you do?" was one of the questions, and I don't know why I always get stumped on it... I guess because before I could just say, I work for a foreclosure law firm, and that would be self-explanatory. Or, if you have a title to your job, you can say something like, "I am an accountant,.." (or whatever the profession is). So, here is an explanation of what I do now that I have changed profession and gotten out of the mortgage industry...

1. online book sales (used books on one web-site~ about 6,000 books in my inventory)

2. online Ebay sales of things that I can find that may have a good resale value (the items differ depending on the season/ sales available)

3. independent contractor for 30 + companies to merchandise, audit, or display their products. I am free to take assignments as I want them and reject any that I don't want. (a VERY flexible profession) Plus, there are another 80+ companies I can sign up with if I get bored with the ones I am working with.

4. most recently- a newborn baby photographer at an area hospital. This is the only job that I have where I am working under a supervisor, even though I am at the hospital all by myself. This is a part-time permanent job on the weekends and Mondays.

More pics from Jaden's Star Performance

Jaden was not happy waiting in the chairs before her performance. Her instructor asked us to arrive at 4:30PM (the first performance started at 7:00PM, and Jaden's didn't start until after 8:00PM). We didn't arrive until 5:30PM, but it was still too early for a 4 year old and a 2 year old to be expected to sit still and be happy doing it!
Morgan went up to the stage several times to dance (this is all before the performances started), and LeCount kept packing her back to the seats. She had a fit every time.
These are the flowers that Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Lyale bought for Jaden. They handed them to her at the performance. She was so proud of them. She put them in a milk jug that she had painted earlier.


Jaden when she was waiting for her turn on stage.

If you showed up late to the Hip Hop Showcase...

This is what you missed. The beginning of the video is kind of fuzzy, but it gets better after a few seconds. The lady the camera is focused on with the blue shirt and black pants is Jaden's dance instructor. There were several dance groups dancing that night, but my absolute favorite was the Pee Wee Hip Hop group :0) Go, Jaden!

Jaden's Hip Hop Performance

Both of these pictures are of Jaden AFTER the performance... As she tries to crasp what she is supposed to do with all of the audience's reaction.




This performance, Jaden's first ever on stage performance, went really well. The audience was receptive to the kids and the music. It was a lot of fun seeing the kids get excited when the audience clapped along with them... VERY COOL!! An unforgettable experience for sure! (and, yes, that was Jaden pushing the other girl out of her way) Enjoy!

As promised, here are more companies who are hiring

11. Booz Allen Hamilton

2009 Best Companies rank: 52

Top 3 locations: McLean, VA; Herndon, VA; Arlington, VA

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 1,046

What they're looking for: Software and systems engineers, information assurance and security engineers, and intelligence analysts with access to classified information.

12. KPMG

2009 Best Companies rank: 56

Top 3 locations: New York, NY; Montvale, NJ; Chicago, IL

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): Thousands

What they're looking for: Positions in a wide range of areas, from administrative assistants to IT associates to tax and audit managers.

13. PricewaterhouseCoopers

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 500

What they're looking for: Talent in assurance, tax and advisory. In the process of hiring 2,000 students on campus for winter and summer '09 internships in firm's three core business units. Also PricewaterhouseCoopers' goal is to hire approximately 3,000 undergraduates this year.

14. Scripps Health

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 442

What they're looking for: Executives, managers, staff nurses (RN), imaging techs, pharmacists, IT, and service and support people.

15. Mayo Clinic

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 1,000

What they're looking for: Nursing, laboratories (e.g., research and lab technicians), health-care professionals (e.g., pharmacists and therapists).

16. Baptist Health South Florida

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 728

What they're looking for: Talent in all areas, especially RNs, allied health professionals and clerical/administrative staff.

17. Bright Horizons

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 387

What they're looking for: Center and school staff, center and school leadership positions, benefits, client services (sales), payroll, property management, information technology, marketing.

18. Publix Super Markets

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 900-plus

What they're looking for: People for retail grocery stores, information systems, manufacturing, distribution and other support offices.

19. T-Mobile

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 2,163

What they're looking for: Retail sales, customer service, sales, engineering & operations, EIT, finance, product development, legal affairs, business operations, human resources, marketing, integrated customer experience, corporate communications.

20. Accenture

Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): Thousands

What they're looking for: Specific IT skills, such as Java, J2EE, industry expertise and government secured clearances. Also hiring for corporate roles that include finance and sales development.

Message for the unemployed

I just saw this today. If you are looking for a job, here are some companies that are still hiring!:
1. Edward Jones ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 1,040

What they're looking for: Financial advisors and branch office administrators.

2. Google ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 350

What they're looking for: Engineering, marketing, product management, people operations, legal, sales.

3. Wegmans Food Markets ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 2,000

What they're looking for: Store positions. In addition, three new stores are scheduled to open this year (in Fredericksburg, Va.; Collegeville, Pa.; and Leesburg, Va.).

4. Cisco Systems ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 500

What they're looking for: People in engineering disciplines and customer advocacy.

5. Genentech ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 585

What they're looking for: Commercial, product development, manufacturing, CFO group and legal.

6. Methodist Hospital System ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 400

What they're looking for: Management, nursing, clinical professionals, non-clinical professionals (such as IT and HR), entry level support services (such as housekeeping and dietary) and administrative/clerical jobs.

7. Whole Foods Market ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 800

What they're looking for: Retail and non-retail. Positions range from administrative jobs like accounting and IT to store-specific jobs in all departments.

8. Microsoft ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): Thousands

What they're looking for: Microsoft announced Jan. 22 that it would be cutting up to 5,000 jobs in the next year and a half. But it's still looking for software design engineers, financial analysts, human resources, administrative and marketing and sales talent, particularly in online ad sales.

9. Burns & McDonnell ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 400

What they're looking for: Engineering, architecture, construction management.

10. Ernst & Young ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 2800

What they're looking for: The firm plans to hire around 2,400 experienced professionals and nearly 5,000 students from campus for opportunities in the U.S. and Canada (roughly 2,800 full-time staff hires and 2,100 interns) for fiscal year 2009. Openings are in assurance, tax, and several of the advisory practices. ****
**** Openings in Dallas, TX!!!

(Brought to you by CNN Money) More jobs will be posted tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Fun at the library

There is a library near us that has a children's area. I took the girls there last night. We checked out 3 DVDs (Caillou & The Emperor's New Clothes). Then, the girls played with the educational puzzles and activity block. They ALMOST forgot that we weren't at Chuck E Cheese ;)

Morgan's birthday present from Aunt Anne & Uncle Jeff

Morgan got a new car seat from my brother and his wife in California. As you can see, if you look at the seat next to hers, it matches Jaden's car seat (she, also, got a car seat from them for her birthday). Morgan's car seat arrived before her birthday, but it has just taken me awhile to put it in. I don't like installing car seats because every car seat is different~ and I HATE to read through pages of instructions. This seat really wasn't that hard to install. Unlike other seats we have used in the past, it has locking mechanisms on the inside of the seat to lock the seat belt in place. Also, instead of having to rethread the harness, the yellow thing in the back slides up and down for adjustments. Very cool!