So I finally got a call from the daycare just to come in for a half day yesterday. It's been a month since the last day I worked there so that was, well, at least better than nothing! Before I went home I went to the office and talked to Tracy (the daycare manager) about that full-time job she mentioned before Christmas. Wondering whether she still wanted to hire someone fulltime and if she was still considering me for it. From the sounds of it she wants to wait until the little guys in the baby room graduate onto the older kid floor (March), and can add the babies on the waiting list to the baby room. More income for the daycare = more funds for hiring another full time person! So I told her I am very interested in the position and when the time comes that I would love to take it!
The only thing is, I have to take the Early Childhood Education course to qualify for this full time job. So I found out more about the course and still need to find out some more, but so far I know that it's a 2-year course that I can take through distance ed and will cost something like $4500 plus book costs for those two years. Not a bad price and I could probably get a student loan and get it paid off quickly, say even $200/mo payments would pay off $2400 in the first year! So I am now waiting for a call from the school and hopefully will know all the details soon. What really helps make up my mind is that without this course I can't get the job I love so much, but with the course I will have a full time 40-hour-a-week job having fun where even when J and I have a kid I will be able to work and be nearby to our child! I think this is a teriffic idea. I know the timing may not be the best as we are actually trying right now to get pregnant, but I wouldn't be the first to have a baby while 'in college'. If you really count distance ed as 'in college'! Either way, I know I am a smart and focused person and would rock that course!
Showing posts with label daycare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daycare. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday, November 20, 2009
Enjoying the Small Things
Well I have been super busy these past few weeks!
I've been working 3-4 days a week at the daycare, which is keeping me on my feet a lot and I just love waking up early and heading out for the 2-block bike ride to the building, breathing in the cool morning air to help me wake up a little more, and then spending a day getting paid to play with little kids! I am really loving it, well maybe not so much the diaper changing, but I always have so much fun at this 'job'!
As well as that J and I have been heading out most weekends to either go shopping, visit friends or family members out of town. Pretty much not a day goes by where we don't have something to do. I really love that I can be so busy now and not get super tired at the end of each day! I'm feeling awesome and haven't gotten a single cold yet this year (of course now that I've said that, you know it's got to happen).
I am so happy that the weather has been just amazing for being more than halfway through November. It's so warm that it feels like we are finally getting the summer that we missed a few months ago. No snow yet, and some days I can be at the daycare playground with no jacket on for hours just enjoying the sunshine and warmth. I know it's strange to have such a major heat wave for over a month now, and probably not a really good thing that we have so far no snow. But let's be honest: I am not a winter person! I hope it's this nice out till June, and then we get some real summer heat! Only thing I have yet to do this year that I would miss: Making a snow angel. I do it every winter!!!
Well that's about all that's new for now, so I think I'll get back to the gorgeous outdoors and enjoy the colors of the sun sinking down behind the trees and then come in to enjoy some hot chai tea!
I've been working 3-4 days a week at the daycare, which is keeping me on my feet a lot and I just love waking up early and heading out for the 2-block bike ride to the building, breathing in the cool morning air to help me wake up a little more, and then spending a day getting paid to play with little kids! I am really loving it, well maybe not so much the diaper changing, but I always have so much fun at this 'job'!
As well as that J and I have been heading out most weekends to either go shopping, visit friends or family members out of town. Pretty much not a day goes by where we don't have something to do. I really love that I can be so busy now and not get super tired at the end of each day! I'm feeling awesome and haven't gotten a single cold yet this year (of course now that I've said that, you know it's got to happen).
I am so happy that the weather has been just amazing for being more than halfway through November. It's so warm that it feels like we are finally getting the summer that we missed a few months ago. No snow yet, and some days I can be at the daycare playground with no jacket on for hours just enjoying the sunshine and warmth. I know it's strange to have such a major heat wave for over a month now, and probably not a really good thing that we have so far no snow. But let's be honest: I am not a winter person! I hope it's this nice out till June, and then we get some real summer heat! Only thing I have yet to do this year that I would miss: Making a snow angel. I do it every winter!!!
Well that's about all that's new for now, so I think I'll get back to the gorgeous outdoors and enjoy the colors of the sun sinking down behind the trees and then come in to enjoy some hot chai tea!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Happy Birthday to me! :D
Well, yesterday that is! So I'm 23 now. And its been 10 1/2 months since my stroke. I've been getting used to the schedule of getting blood tested every 2 weeks, then waiting to hear if I need a pint taken out to keep the blood cell count low. So far this week I did the bloodtest on Monday and got good news, that I can wait two weeks till the next bloodtest without getting the phlebotomy done again. So that's great, it's already starting to normalize without drugs! Yay!
I've been working more lately too, just one day last week and then 3 full days in a row this week. Hopefully I'll be getting more shifts in the coming weeks too, because I can really handle them a lot better than before! Still hoping I can hold off getting sick as well!
Anyways enough about work. I am excited that I can at least DO it, but I know its not the most exciting thing to write or read about!
Didn't do much yesterday for my b-day. After getting home from the daycare it was supper, then out with J to a meeting, and then clean the town office, then home and sit in front of the computer for a couple hours so I could get to bed at a decent time. I actually forgot to open the present my dad got me, oops! LOL! So didn't really do much, J wants to take me to the Astroboy movie that starts today sometime, other than that not much has been going on. We have been enjoying his present to me - Nip Tuck Season 5 pt. 2, I love that show. I hate that they for some reason decided it needed to be split into 2 parts though, just wanted to make twice as much from the sales I suppose. Oh well, I had to see it!
Anyhow not much more has been going on lately. So I will be back when something fabulous and interesting happens!
Well, yesterday that is! So I'm 23 now. And its been 10 1/2 months since my stroke. I've been getting used to the schedule of getting blood tested every 2 weeks, then waiting to hear if I need a pint taken out to keep the blood cell count low. So far this week I did the bloodtest on Monday and got good news, that I can wait two weeks till the next bloodtest without getting the phlebotomy done again. So that's great, it's already starting to normalize without drugs! Yay!
I've been working more lately too, just one day last week and then 3 full days in a row this week. Hopefully I'll be getting more shifts in the coming weeks too, because I can really handle them a lot better than before! Still hoping I can hold off getting sick as well!
Anyways enough about work. I am excited that I can at least DO it, but I know its not the most exciting thing to write or read about!
Didn't do much yesterday for my b-day. After getting home from the daycare it was supper, then out with J to a meeting, and then clean the town office, then home and sit in front of the computer for a couple hours so I could get to bed at a decent time. I actually forgot to open the present my dad got me, oops! LOL! So didn't really do much, J wants to take me to the Astroboy movie that starts today sometime, other than that not much has been going on. We have been enjoying his present to me - Nip Tuck Season 5 pt. 2, I love that show. I hate that they for some reason decided it needed to be split into 2 parts though, just wanted to make twice as much from the sales I suppose. Oh well, I had to see it!
Anyhow not much more has been going on lately. So I will be back when something fabulous and interesting happens!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Polycythemia Vera
So, what is a Myeloproliferative Disorder? Wikipedia says they are a group of diseases in the bone marrow where excess cells are produced. In my case, I had been diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera. Poly-sy-theme-ee-uh Vera. Since I found myself with a lot of time on my hands and not a lot of energy, I had the opportunity to get to know my disease quite well by looking all over the Internet for information on it.
PV causes my red blood cells to multiply really, really fast, causing my blood to get too thick and raise the risk of clots, stroke and heart attack. I already knew that last part, after being hospitilized from my own stroke and two blood clots in the brain. So perhaps it was less scary for me than for someone who hasn't gone through those things but was still at high risk for it.
It is most common in men over 60, but I have been in touch with others who are younger, some in their teens, who have the same diagnosis. Knowing this, I also found that the average lifespan after getting diagnosed and treated is 10-20 years. Now I know this is nothing to be alarmed about. Just think, if on average you get diagnosed at 60, then another 10-20 years after that is pretty normal. I don't see any reason for my lifespan to be any less than normal either. But I do understand how it looks scary if you don't put those two facts together.
I know that when I was first brought into the hospital I had a high count of red blood cells, as well as platelets and white blood cells. This is pretty common with PV as well. The Hydrea I was taking was to lower the counts of all these cells. I also take blood thinners to keep my blood 2-3 times thinner than an average person's, and an Asprin a day to make the blood less sticky.
I have a team of doctors who keep an eye on my results. My family doc in the next town over, a neurologist in a town an hour away where I go for MRI's, and a Hematologist in Winnipeg who is awesome and spends all the time I need to get my questions answered. He referred me recently to a High-Risk pregnancy doctor so I can get an idea of when, eventually, having a child might be possible. At this point I will probably be waiting another 4-6 months before any progress is made about THAT!
My doctors are great, so far they have all been really easy to get along with and knowledgable about my disease. I think I've been pretty lucky so far that the doctors and I are on the same page when it comes to treatment.
At first, I was not allowed to get a lot of activity, and had to take it slow so I didn't overexert myself. It was pretty disappointing to walk up the stairs and be out of breath, or be walking in a store and have to slow down or sit because of the fatigue. But after another month or so I was allowed to try to get back in shape, and basically started from scratch to get stronger and have more energy to move around.
In the spring, I think it was March or April, I got a casual job at the daycare in town, and worked once or twice a week. It was great, I still work there and just have so much fun playing with all the kids and pushing them on the swing. I know that working there has done a lot for my strength and endurance. It has, however, shown me how poor my immune system was on those pills, because after an 8-hour shift I'd end up sick with no voice for a week!
Another side effect of the pills I was taking was that with blood thinners, you usually get poor circulation, so my hands, feet and even nose would constantly fall asleep. I was fortunate though that I didn't get itchy legs after taking a hot shower, which is really common with PV. So I considered myself lucky to only have the symptoms I did have, which were improving as my body adjusted to the medication.
So I looked forward to a healthier summer, getting my strength back and getting used to living with a blood disorder.
PV causes my red blood cells to multiply really, really fast, causing my blood to get too thick and raise the risk of clots, stroke and heart attack. I already knew that last part, after being hospitilized from my own stroke and two blood clots in the brain. So perhaps it was less scary for me than for someone who hasn't gone through those things but was still at high risk for it.
It is most common in men over 60, but I have been in touch with others who are younger, some in their teens, who have the same diagnosis. Knowing this, I also found that the average lifespan after getting diagnosed and treated is 10-20 years. Now I know this is nothing to be alarmed about. Just think, if on average you get diagnosed at 60, then another 10-20 years after that is pretty normal. I don't see any reason for my lifespan to be any less than normal either. But I do understand how it looks scary if you don't put those two facts together.
I know that when I was first brought into the hospital I had a high count of red blood cells, as well as platelets and white blood cells. This is pretty common with PV as well. The Hydrea I was taking was to lower the counts of all these cells. I also take blood thinners to keep my blood 2-3 times thinner than an average person's, and an Asprin a day to make the blood less sticky.
I have a team of doctors who keep an eye on my results. My family doc in the next town over, a neurologist in a town an hour away where I go for MRI's, and a Hematologist in Winnipeg who is awesome and spends all the time I need to get my questions answered. He referred me recently to a High-Risk pregnancy doctor so I can get an idea of when, eventually, having a child might be possible. At this point I will probably be waiting another 4-6 months before any progress is made about THAT!
My doctors are great, so far they have all been really easy to get along with and knowledgable about my disease. I think I've been pretty lucky so far that the doctors and I are on the same page when it comes to treatment.
At first, I was not allowed to get a lot of activity, and had to take it slow so I didn't overexert myself. It was pretty disappointing to walk up the stairs and be out of breath, or be walking in a store and have to slow down or sit because of the fatigue. But after another month or so I was allowed to try to get back in shape, and basically started from scratch to get stronger and have more energy to move around.
In the spring, I think it was March or April, I got a casual job at the daycare in town, and worked once or twice a week. It was great, I still work there and just have so much fun playing with all the kids and pushing them on the swing. I know that working there has done a lot for my strength and endurance. It has, however, shown me how poor my immune system was on those pills, because after an 8-hour shift I'd end up sick with no voice for a week!
Another side effect of the pills I was taking was that with blood thinners, you usually get poor circulation, so my hands, feet and even nose would constantly fall asleep. I was fortunate though that I didn't get itchy legs after taking a hot shower, which is really common with PV. So I considered myself lucky to only have the symptoms I did have, which were improving as my body adjusted to the medication.
So I looked forward to a healthier summer, getting my strength back and getting used to living with a blood disorder.
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