I’ll start it because I have an update. Remember (or not) that I posted I had hit my shin really hard, and we were thinking it was a bone bruise. It is resolving but turns out it was a hematoma. It’s been 3 months and it’s mostly gone. I can’t believe it’s been so long.
For Christmas DD wanted and got a guitar. She had her first lesson and loved it. DS is asking for piano lessons. The psychologist we saw said if he’s still interested this summer, by all means let him start. He’s only 5 so it just seems so little. But there’s a ton of musical talent on both sides of our families (though it totally skipped me and DH) so maybe I’ll have kids who can enjoy making music.
Post by covergirl82 on Jan 9, 2020 10:49:17 GMT -5
I have an in-person interview tomorrow morning for a job I'm very interested in. I'm nervous because it's been a while since I've interviewed. If anyone has suggestions for their go-to questions that they ask (as the interviewee), or questions you like to hear candidates ask, I'd love to hear your suggestions!
mommyatty, we started DD1 on piano when she was 4. She loves it and plays constantly. She refuses to learn to read music but she’s very talented. DD2 refuses until age 6. She can read music better than DD1 but clearly does not have her passion.
DH’s family is very musical. He has several professional musicians in his family. He plays piano, guitar, and trumpet. I play violin. This will be DD1’s thing, I think.
We don’t force either of them to practice and it’s typically not an issue. But if he’s interested, there’s no reason not to start.
I have an in-person interview tomorrow morning for a job I'm very interested in. I'm nervous because it's been a while since I've interviewed. If anyone has suggestions for their go-to questions that they ask (as the interviewee), or questions you like to hear candidates ask, I'd love to hear your suggestions!
Where I work there is always discussion about strengths and weaknesses and how to handle different situations. Also what is one word to describe you- that sort of thing. It is important to try to highlight what might make you different (better) from other candidates applying for the position.
If you need a question to ask one of the easier ones is what does a typical day of a person in this position look like or what is the biggest potential challenge for someone in this position.
I've interviewing a potential candidate today. On paper, he seems great. Boss met him and liked him. My biggest hesitation is that he just moved to the city and the commute down is looooooong. Supposedly he's used to a long commute since he relocated from Boston, but I have not had luck hiring and retaining people with a 1.5 hour commute each way on a good day. WFH or for one of our satellite offices is a potential option down the road, but wouldn't be available to him for quite some time if at all.
k3am I’m sitting at a meeting in San Jose right now and the start is delayed because so many of the trustees are stuck in traffic. I woke up just over 3 hours ago in San Diego and flew here, and I probably had an easier commute than a lot of the people who live here.
covergirl82 when I interview people I’m really looking more for a good personality fit who I think I can work with everyday and a smart/motivated person than super specific skills - which I’m sure you have if you got the interview. So try to relax and be likable, which I know you are.
I told my boss yesterday that I’m pregnant and have started sharing the news with more people. The reaction to news of a fourth kid has universally been ‘oh my god, wow!’ and then ‘congratulations?’
sdlaura , it took me almost 50 minutes to get in this morning. I live 10 minutes away. Apparently it sprinkles here and it's the equivalent to an east coast blizzard.
And YAY on the good news! I am honestly surprised when I meet people here who have more than two kids. I know one person who has three. 98% of the time when a friend announces a 3rd, they also announce they're moving.
k3am makes me wonder would it be easier to bike (maybe one with an electric assist) on the sidewalks? Might not be sidewalks though, and I realize we are supposed to bike on the road but we do in the sidewalk if there are no pedestrians.
Post by traveltheworld on Jan 9, 2020 12:23:53 GMT -5
DH met with a recruiter earlier this week who seemed genuinely excited about his profile. DH worked in a very specific role for over a decade and there's really no equivalent to that here; so he has struggled to find something. But this recruiter seems to recognize that a lot of his skills are transferable and said she might have a few positions that would suit him, so we are excited about that. Hopefully that'll turn into something concrete.
We've set up a shadow day for DS at the local gifted school next week. I talked to the principal and she seemed very excited about DS. She already confirmed that they'll take him, so the decision is entirely ours.
I have been interviewing lately and I always feel a lot of empathy for the interviewee because I hate interviewing and I hate how contrived the whole thing feels. What questions you should ask and will be asked are very dependent on the job so it's hard to generalize. In my case, I am very very concerned about personality fit as well as skills. The best thing I like to hear is when people are asking me questions about the role, because I want to make sure they understand what they will be doing as it's important but very varied work. Asking general questions about the company is ok too since most people don't REALLY understand how our industry works until they get here. But that is a situation very specific to my job as well....
Ds2 is liking his new school and is bringing home lunch. Apparently the child who is super picky and doesn’t eat is eating everything and saying he’s still hungry. Maybe it’s a growth spurt?
k3am I know plenty of people with 3 kids, but almost none with 4 where we live. I’m not sure if I’ve told you that most of the new families in my neighborhood have come from the Bay Area. They think the million dollar un-updated single family homes are a bargain
Totally umprompted but at breakfast today, DD made a point to tell me "just so you know.. like, if you hear about girls kissing boys at school, I am NOT kissing the boys at school."
All week I’ve been waiting for the “thing” that was going to e an issue at work this week. There’s been a “thing” pretty much every week for the past year since my company spun off from my old company but left me in place in a building owned by old company. Anyway, the “thing” broke today and I’m basically at a standstill currently due to it. So annoying.
Also, my younger 2 kids going from best friends forever one minute to fighting like their lives depend on the other not existing is really starting to wear on me. Either get along or just ignore each other completely!!
And, I’m figuring out summer camp/care stuff and feeling good about my decisions. DH didn’t want to discuss on the phone last night so I went ahead and registered today anyway. That’s what he gets for going to Hawaii in January for work!
All week I’ve been waiting for the “thing” that was going to e an issue at work this week. There’s been a “thing” pretty much every week for the past year since my company spun off from my old company but left me in place in a building owned by old company. Anyway, the “thing” broke today and I’m basically at a standstill currently due to it. So annoying.
Also, my younger 2 kids going from best friends forever one minute to fighting like their lives depend on the other not existing is really starting to wear on me. Either get along or just ignore each other completely!!
And, I’m figuring out summer camp/care stuff and feeling good about my decisions. DH didn’t want to discuss on the phone last night so I went ahead and registered today anyway. That’s what he gets for going to Hawaii in January for work!
I'm starting to make plans for the summer for the kids. They are old enough to do the same stuff this year which is nice.
One thing I'm looking into is overnight camp for my oldest, though. I am looking at sending DS this year for the first time. I'm getting a little bit of sticker shock, but at the same time I wouldn't want to send my kid to stay in a CHEAP place so I'm trying to tell myself it'll be FINE.
$330 is a very nice house in my area. That will get you 3-4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3000 square foot. In the rural area, you will get 5+ acres. In the suburbs, it will get you into a vary nice, upscale neighborhood with amenities.
I had my class do New Year's questions today. One question was who would you like to be like in the New Year. 2 girls said Ms. Rere. It was so nice! Of course I was a big awkward dork about it because I was surprised, but I hope they know it made my week.
My new employee starts Monday. IT hasn't set up the phone or laptop in their offices, so I hope they get it by Monday. He will be doing personnel stuff for 2 days, but I have been trying to set up some things on the calendar to help him observe and train the next couple of weeks.
All week I’ve been waiting for the “thing” that was going to e an issue at work this week. There’s been a “thing” pretty much every week for the past year since my company spun off from my old company but left me in place in a building owned by old company. Anyway, the “thing” broke today and I’m basically at a standstill currently due to it. So annoying.
Also, my younger 2 kids going from best friends forever one minute to fighting like their lives depend on the other not existing is really starting to wear on me. Either get along or just ignore each other completely!!
And, I’m figuring out summer camp/care stuff and feeling good about my decisions. DH didn’t want to discuss on the phone last night so I went ahead and registered today anyway. That’s what he gets for going to Hawaii in January for work!
I'm starting to make plans for the summer for the kids. They are old enough to do the same stuff this year which is nice.
One thing I'm looking into is overnight camp for my oldest, though. I am looking at sending DS this year for the first time. I'm getting a little bit of sticker shock, but at the same time I wouldn't want to send my kid to stay in a CHEAP place so I'm trying to tell myself it'll be FINE.
All 3 of mine are going to overnight camp this year. 13 year old (will be 14 this summer) for 2 weeks, 10 (will be 11 this summer) and 8 year olds for a week. All at the same time! It will be glorious! DH and I will have the house to ourselves for a few days and we will go to Seattle for a few days! And overnight camp is the best thing ever!! Ours is actually already full for most weeks, it’s very popular. My older 2 have went to that camp for 2 summers now (and a different one the summer before that). It actually is one of the cheaper options, but it’s AMAZING!! And they love it so much. Even at one of the cheapest options it’s still pricey. I put money aside every month specifically for it because it’s slightly less painful to put aside $300/month than to pay the full amount all at once.
I picked up a consulting gig this week. It won’t pay a ton (maybe $2k), but I think it will lead to more work.
DD1, after a stretch of good behavior, has become an unholy terror this week. Her little sister is sobbing on the regular due to the awful treatment. I don’t know WTF happened, but I am not handling it well. We signed her up for 4 weeks at sleepaway camp. I was thinking of cutting it back to 2 weeks, but NOPE! Have fun at camp kiddo!!
School stuff has calmed down, but I’m starting to look for new places. The school goes through the 8th grade, but the longer we are there, the more I realize that it’s not the right place long term. But the alternatives are $$$$$. We will pay easily 3-3.5x what we are paying now just for middle/high school. And then college isn’t much more. It makes me a little sick. We would have to start test prep this summer/fall for a Sept 2021 start. 🤢🤮
The overnight camp we sent DS to last year was $600 which isn't bad considering DD went to the grandparent so care was 0, and summer care is usually in the $400's for the 2 of them per week. But DH wants to send both of them which is $1200 for the week. We will definitely need to put that money aside. I am still questioning on DD, but I think if I can get her to wash her hair independently. And for some reason my techniques are working for the nightmares so that got way better. I googled, and they said after you wake up from the nightmare or in the morning re-write the dream to something positive and it is working. She also sleeps with the eraser I got for her (the bigger size ones) because it erases scary thoughts.
ETA- If we have time they will still do a grandparents week, so that will at least save us $400 that week.
Ugh. Summer. Last year we put DD back at daycare and it was heavenly for us (one drop-off/pickup was the BEST, even if it was pricey) but DD doesn't want to do it this summer. I'm still trying to convince her to hang for one more year until DS is old enough to go to camp with her.
I'm just going to go ahead and play ostrich on this and pretend I don't need to worry about it.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Jan 9, 2020 16:38:01 GMT -5
So the overnight camp I am looking at is 1900 for 1 week, or 3750 for 2 weeks. 1 week is only an option for kids age 6-9, so DS could only do that this year and next.
I don't think DD is ready for overnight camp.
There is another one that is cheaper by a few hundred dollars, and then yet another one that is half the cost of the most expensive one. The most expensive one is secular and the other two are christian. It seems like most of them are Christian, which I don't have a problem with exactly but I think my DH might? But I sent him 3 choices to look at. I just happen to know families that have gone to the most expensive one and loved it..of course.
I have to say that I don't really know of anyone who has gone to any overnight camp and not liked it. But I'm sure such stories do exist.
I'm with k3am, and playing ostrich on summer. Nothing opens here for registration until March and her aftercare won't start talking summer camp until May. I'm good with ignoring it for the next 3 months. DD turns 9 in June. She is counting down until she turns 10 and no longer has to go to camp or before/after care as she will be old enough to stay home.
The overnight camp that DD1 attends is $$$$, but DH and I just don’t care. We will sacrifice our own vacations to send her. I feel terrible saying this, but it’s totally worth the break to us. We live DD1, and her good days are unbelievable and wonderful. But there are so many bad days. So many. So to get a 2-4 week reprieve would be worth ramen and Mac and cheese the whole time if we had to.
Ours is a Christian overnight camp. We are Christian, but haven't been to church in a year or so. We do like the church, and would like to get back into it, but we also like having leisurely weekend mornings, Sunday morning grocery delivery, and swim lessons for safety reasons.
I would say if I have raised my child to be agnostic/ atheist or another religion then I wouldn't feel comfortable sending them to our camp. I think they might get confused. It is religious lite ish, but they still do bible study daily and there is a play/ skit that is religious on one of the evenings. They might pray before meals something minor ish like thank God for the food or religious songs.
We were talking about camps, and I think the ones that don't like it are the ones that hate the woods/ bugs.
Post by traveltheworld on Jan 9, 2020 17:15:41 GMT -5
DS is signed up for 1 week of overnight camp. It's extremely affordable. There aren't many amenities or fancy activities, but it's nature-based, the kids get to run around in the woods, and it has a nice lake. He went last year and had a blast, so he's going again. DD desperately wants to go, but I don't trust her, so she won't be going for a few years.
I'm saving up for DS's hockey camp(s). He really wants to do multiple weeks of hockey camp and those are $$$$$.
Post by librarychica on Jan 9, 2020 17:21:50 GMT -5
My oldest loves the woods and bugs but could not stand to be away from us that long, I don’t think. She is very much a homebody. Alas. Though overnight camp is so far outside H and I’d life experiences that it’s hard to imagine. Maybe she’d feel differently if she had friends or cousins going.
I have booked two weeks of science day camp for each kid per usual as they have a sale this time of year. Actually we usually do 4 or 5 but as DD1 gets older the Museum is offering almost no natural/biological science options and more engineering/software type options, which she likes okay but not 5 weeks worth. My current childcare situation is a mess let alone summer. H is gone 22 of the next 32 days.
I had mentally recommitted to my job 6 months ago and have been very focused but then since Christmas break I’ve had two professional acquaintances reach out about moving to two different companies. I am considering at least a conversation. I am torn.
I am a little worried about that with DD too. She cried when she at the grandparents because she missed her brother.
I went to summer camp, and I liked it. I was homesick a little. But I only went one year, and I wouldn't say I loved it but I liked it, and I later worked there one summer. I have the feeling the camp DS went to is more fun like they have more exciting physical activities and lots of swimming (with life jackets). He cried when we picked him up because he loved it so much.
Interview complete. I like the guy, so we'll see how it goes. He's interviewing with two other companies in the area, and I know he's further along than we are.