Halbmaier Happenings

I'm done with funerals

2012-02-18T16:59:00.001-06:00

Went to another funeral today...my friend's son passed away on Tuesday. He was 3 months younger than Tristan. With his history of cardiac issues this little guy had a massive heart attack that he couldn't survive. I keep thinking about his mom and how hard this has to be. And at the funeral today I kept thinking about what I would be like if it was one of my kids...I don't think I'd be doing well. I'm done with funerals this year. 2 funerals in 2 months for a 2 day old and a 8 year old is enough for the year. Today, the daddy of the 2 day old was at the funeral for the 8 year old...it was nice to see him but so very hard too.

So, done with funerals and done with dying...hopefully my next post will be more upbeat :-) we can only hope right???

friends

2012-02-05T23:01:00.002-06:00

I have a friend whose son is in ICU and has been there since Friday. He has a history of Cardiac issues...he's currently on 11 different IV meds, is in a medically induced coma, on a ventilator, etc. He and his mom are heavy on my heart lately.

Another friend's mother is in the hospital after possibly having another stroke or having an infection in her brain. She's pretty sick too.

This year has been kind of yucky with "bad things happening to good people" it seems. There has to be a reason for this but it's pretty hard to see right now.

It will get better...it HAS too.

Prayers are always needed and appreciated :-)

hmmmmm

2012-01-29T23:46:00.003-06:00

Overall an ok week. Stayed busy. Got to have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off...that was nice. Today we got to got to church, go to lunch with friends, and then come home and take naps. AND, now Tristan has been sick the rest of the day. I woke up from my nap hearing Jason sending Tristan to the bathroom and then heard Tristan throwing up as he ran down the hall. There was vomit all over the hallway wall. Thankfully, (since I do the "sympathetic vomiting" thing) Jason let me stay in bed and he cleaned the wall, carpet, bathroom, etc. He's pretty awesome. Tristan is still sick however...I think he's got that stomach virus that's been going around. Hopefully he's the only one who gets sick...it's not that likely though. Grrrrr

Today

2012-01-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

Today I spent about 10 hours at work and got lots of stuff accomplished. I started with a long list and accomplished alot of it, then made another list and accomplished a lot of that, and then made another list and have that to do tomorrow and the rest of the week. It's nice to feel like I accomplished something though!

Five Question Friday

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

1. Where do you hide the reeeally good snacks? ummm...well, I usually hide them in the freezer...or at work. Otherwise my 3 little velociraptors devour it in no time!

2. Do u keep your vehicle clean or am I the only one who has things falling out of their van? My vehicle is actually the cleanest of our cars but Jason works out of his car so he has an excuse...I guess :-) I still have things falling/rolling out of Surburban though...lately it's been a bottle of water....

3. Have you ever been to Vegas? Nope...but I wanna go...not for the gambling but for the shows.

4. Warm room light blankets or cold room warm snuggly blanket? Neither...I prefer a regular temp room with my heated mattress pad on about medium with extra blankets nearby if I need them :-)

5. What is the worst airplane/flying experience you've ever had? One time when we were flying from Chicago to Minneapolis we got on the plane to just sit there for an hour...then we had to get off the plane and switch to another plane...then the 2nd plane took off and we had engine trouble and had to divert to somewhere in Wisconsin and sit there while they fix the engine...the flight that usually took about 1 hour took 7-8 hours...we could have driven there faster!

thursday

2012-01-19T21:19:00.001-06:00

it was a long 12 hour shift today...but I have the next 3 days off!!!!

Wednesday

2012-01-18T18:01:00.002-06:00

Pretty good day today...only worked about 6 hours...got stuff accomplished. Got to come home at 3:30...got grocery shopping done, picked up T and Ree from after school care and then happened to be driving home at the same time A got off the bus so picked her up too. Making Mostaccioli for dinner and gonna have a good night!!!!

today was better :-)

2012-01-16T22:11:00.000-06:00

Work was long today but overall a good day.
Glad for that.
Kids were off school today,
back to school tomorrow.
Got mom to say she can watch the kids on the 26th so Jason and I can go see The Oak Ridge Boys in concert :-)
Thanks mom!
My husband is amazing!
He worked, took care of the kids, made dinner, and did laundry.
I think I'll keep him!

much better today

2012-01-15T16:17:00.001-06:00

church really helped today. Doing better :-)

This week....

2012-01-14T22:42:00.002-06:00

has been horrible...
...I haven't cried so much in years...
...can't take much more...

5 question Friday....I'm back!!!! :-)

2012-01-13T01:21:00.001-06:00

So, I haven't posted in about 2 months...I'm blaming that on being very busy at work and dealing with Christmas.
The past week has been a rough one. Work was...ummm...challenging...due to a very sad situation. I just feel drained. Plus, I found that a friend from my old job just passed away suddenly. Today I'm going to a baby's funeral. It's just all around not a good week. The only good about this week is being able to come home to my wonderful husband and adorable kids. So glad I have them.

So, I've decided to get back to blogging and am starting back by joining in on Five Question Friday!

1. What is the last thing you bought for yourself? I bought some really nice glass canisters with brushed nickel lids...they are so pretty...I just opened the box today!
2. What is your favorite meal on a cold winter day? Creamy potato soup from scratch...YUM!!!
3. Have you started looking at swimsuits for this year and do you buy a new one each year? Really...nope, I don't buy a new one each year and until I lose some weight I won't be looking for a new one...
4. If you could be any candy what would you be and why? Ummmm, M&M's I guess...'cause they melt in your mouth and not in your hand....sorry, this was a kinda odd question.
5. What are you most passionate about? #1 My family, #2 My work

Bonus Question: What is your favorite thing to "pin" on pinterest? New recipes...I've tried a couple...my favorite is the crockpot mac and cheese...Yummy!!!!!

5 question Friday

2011-10-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets? Before I was married, I only slept on satin sheets...my husband Hates satin sheets. So, now we sleep on cotton sheets...with the highest thread count I am willing to pay for.

2. What time zone are you in? Central time zone with DST almost over...

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season? Christmas music...after thanksgiving please, thank you very much!

4. What is your favorite "wintry" drink? (It doesn't have to be an "alcoholic" drink!) Peppermint hot chocolate...yummy!

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world? nursing assistant on a med/surg floor or a nursing home...all you do is clean up **** and give baths and clean up more ****, etc, etc, etc.... I know many nurses assistants and they love their jobs, but in my opinion that would be the worst job EVER!!! And that is of course because I have the best job ever (just like Mama M). I mean, who doesn't like to experience (not personally) the miracle of birth and caring for that new little life (I do the baby side instead of the momma side) every day you are at work :-)

Adreyn

2011-10-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

This is what Adreyn texted me today...It was a test and a Major Grade! I'm so proud of her!!!!!!

5 question Friday

2011-10-21T11:11:00.000-05:00

1. Where do you escape to when you've had enough? Hmmm, I've been trying to escape lately but everyone keeps on finding me! Well, I usually "escape" by reading a book...but I've also been known to go grocery shopping just to get out of my crazy house!

2. What shows are you watching this fall? Well, TV I guess is another place where I escape. I watch all the CSI's, Criminal Minds, The Sing-Off, DWTS, Castle, Body of Proof, Person of Interest, Revenge, Last Man Standing, New Girl, and there's more. I DVR them and then watch them whenever I get a chance.

3. What was the longest roadtrip you've ever taken and where did you go? It was probably the last trip Jason and I took to Illinois from Texas when Adreyn was 2 or so. We went up to visit his family...nothing exciting :-)

4. Do you plan on taking your kids to Disney World? Jason and I were going to go to DW for our honeymoon but changed our minds. Neither one of us has ever been. I really want to take the kids, and the kids are begging to go...but I'd rather pay off debt right now then spend thousands of dollars for a week vacation. Hopefully, we can go in a couple years.

5. What is something people would surprised to know about you? Well, most people are surprised to find out that I don't have pierced ears. My dad (a minister) always said that if God had wanted you to have holes in your ears you would have been born with them. So, we weren't allowed to have them growing up. Now, I want them but I just haven't taken the time to go get them...I guess I should make the time, huh?!?!?!

5 question Friday

2011-10-07T11:51:00.000-05:00

1. What is your go to comfort food or sweet? Lately...Ice Cream. For "real" food, it's always been homemade beef and noodles...

2. What is the most romantic place you've ever been to? Hmmmm, I don't know...I guess my most romantic times have just been times spent with my husband...we didn't have to be any where special.

3. What is your favorite thing about fall/Halloween? The only thing I like about Halloween is seeing my kids excited about dressing up (which reminds me...I need to pick up their costumes). But I really love Fall...I love the weather changing, the pumpkin scents, and cinnamon apple scents...but I just wish I was enjoying Fall in MN again...the color changes on the foliage was so gorgeous...we don't really get to see that in TX since by the time Fall comes around Summer has already turned everything brown!

4. How would you spend 24 hours alone? I'd play on my iPad and laptop, I'd read, I'd sleep, I'd get a massage, and I'd just relax and enjoy!!!!

5. Does you husband bring you flowers? Are you the bring-me-flowers type of girl? My husband brings me flowers occasionally. I'm not really a "bring-me-flowers" type of girl (plus he still thinks for some reason that yellow roses are my fav...NOPE...my fav's are dark red/purple roses and tulips...maybe after another 15 years he'll figure it out.) BUT, I'd love to get flowers at work and I've been dropping hints since I have an office now but he hasn't gotten the hint yet :-)

And these are the CAH-RAZY weeks of my life 8-)

2011-10-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

After my "ups and down" week I had an okay week...I really don't remember it much. Then I had another CAH-RAZY week! I worked 6 12 hour shifts in a row, so 72 hours (2 weeks worth) in those 6 days. I had 1 day off (and I spent it sleeping and grocery shopping...hadn't been in almost 2 weeks) then worked the next 4 days and logged 38 more hours this week. I would like to say that my paycheck will be *AWESOME* but I think 'uncle sam' will end up taking more than his fair share. Work is still crazy busy BUT I have hired a few people. The first 3 people I hired are ones I worked with at my last job. I love getting to see them again. I've hired one other person and have a couple more interviews to go. Hopefully, once I get enough staff I'll be able to spend my time getting caught up on the management side of my job...it has been shoved to the side lately.

On a good note...the kids are doing well in school. However, I think I need to have another talk with Tristan's teacher because I think she is being a bit too easy on him...because now he is not doing his homework (which he loved last year) and his behavior all around is just not good...last year's teacher made him toe the proverbial line and he did so well because of her high expectations.

I have this weekend off and I'm looking forward to resting up and hopefully getting stuff done around the house and spending time with my family...I've missed them.

Next week should be interesting...Jason's grandmother passed away on Wednesday night and he will be taking some time next week to drive his parents to Pensacola for the funeral. So, my work schedule will be crazy next week again but it should actually end up with me having shorter days at work...YAY!!!!

Ups and downs

2011-09-22T09:58:00.000-05:00

I know, I know...I have not been a good blogger lately. Life has just been a bit too much lately. Today is my first day off in the past 7 days, and in that past week I worked 70 hours. My brain is a little fried. I'm getting a bit frustrated and grouchy, and I don't feel like I've seen my family much in the past week.

On the "up" side...work is getting busy and last week was CRAZY, which is why I worked so much. On the "down" side...I really don't have enough staff for that crazy of a week. On the "up" side, most of my staff pulled together and helped out as much as they could, also on the "up" side, I'm finally starting to hire more staff.

On the "down" side, my boss is having some health issues and I'm worried about her. On the "up" side, I'm hoping that due to this she will actually start letting me take some of the burden off of her.

On the "down" side...why did it take almost 4 months for some of my staff to start showing their "true" colors...now I look like an idiot for not dealing with it in the first couple of months. Stressful!!! On the "up" side, I'm dealing with it now!

On the "up" side...I actually managed to get some (very little, but it makes me happy) "decoration" added to my office this week...I got a bulletin board hung and covered it with some pretty fabric...just one more to do and hang. On the "up" side, my office is actually fairly organized and finally makes sense, AND, it smells pretty! I've got a candle warmer and one of my favorite apple candles on it and I'm loving it!!!!

On the "up" side...It is so nice that it isn't so blazing HOT here in Texas anymore...day after day of over 100 degree temps just kills all joy! It's nice to be able to walk outside and actually breathe!!!

Another "up", I have the day off today, I get to go to lunch at my favorite place, with some of my favorite people...my husband, my baby sister, and a great friend. Oh, and I have a 1 hour massage scheduled at 4:30 pm...can't wait!!! (especially since I had to cancel the last time I had one scheduled)

Another "up"..at least I think my boss would think that it's an "up". I've stopped asking my staff to "please" do something and have just been telling them what I expect. And telling them when they have ticked me off. This is so not my personality...but I really kinda like it!!!!!

So, that's what's going on lately...more "up's" than "down's"...I'll take it!!!!

5 question Friday

2011-09-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

1. Shoes in the house - yay or nay? We do our best to not wear shoes in the house...there is a basket by the back door where we keep our shoes...however, sometimes little people and big men forget to take them off.

2. What do you call them- flip flops, slippers, thongs, etc? I grew up calling them "thongs" now I call them "flip-flops"

3. What song are you almost embarrassed to admit you know all the lyrics to? Pretty much every song from Dirty Dancing, every song from Sound of Music, and alot of other songs from musicals...what can I say...I really like musicals!

4. What is the best quality to have in a friend? Acceptance. The best friends are those who accept you for who you are.

5. Do you know what you want for Christmas? Not really, some snow would be nice (doesn't happen much here in Texas--wouldn't have said snow if I still lived in MN though) I keep telling my husband that I would really like him to just get me several giftcards to various places and he keeps telling me that those aren't really gifts and he wants to buy me "something". I believe that is why I ended up with a red fleece zip-up bathrobe one year LOL!!!!

5 question Friday...On Saturday!

2011-08-27T23:13:00.000-05:00

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week? Yes, I purchased a movie ticket and went to a movie with a great friend!

2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be? I'm not a concert person, I'm claustrophobic, so being in such a huge crowd is NOT fun! Plus, I'd just as soon listen to music on my ipad/ipod. I've only ever been to one concert--Rascal Flatts--but I wasn't impressed with our seats or with the CRAZY drunk people all around us!

3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore? All are my least favorite and NONE are my most favorite...I really, really, really need a housekeeper!!!!!

4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes? I think I'd like new appliances...clothes would be nice but I'd like to lose weight before I buy more...

5. Miracle Whip or Mayo? Miracle Whip...or Mayo...I don't eat it often so I don't really care...

5 question Friday

2011-08-19T00:15:00.000-05:00

1. Do you close the bathroom door when you are home alone? Generally...I don't like my dog walking in on me. LOL

2. You have to walk around with a word on your forehead. That word describes you. One word. What is it? CLUTZ

3. What store do you refuse to shop at and why? Neiman Marcus...can't afford it...too ritzy for me.

4. If you participated in arranged marriages for your child(ren), who would you choose for your child(ren)? I wouldn't...and therefore I don't need to answer this...plus, my kids will never grow up and leave me to get married HAHA!

5. If you could pick how and when you would die, would you? What is with these questions? Not gonna answer this one today...

ok...so...

2011-08-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

So, I mentioned in a previous post that I'm only working 4 days a week now...well, that isn't quite true. I'm still on call 24/7 as usual but lately I've been getting called in for random things...or allowed to stay home but then called in for something else. I've had more late nights at work lately than I had when I was just working 5 days a week. Understandably, Jason is a bit frustrated...as am I. Hopefully, our census will pick up and we can get this figured out. At least I'm not the only one staying at work late...so's my boss (later than me most nights). This too shall pass...right?....right?????

This week

2011-08-04T00:04:00.000-05:00

This week I worked 12 hours on Monday, our 14 year wedding anniversary was on Tuesday....mom watched the kids overnight so Jason and I could have a date, and I had today off too. Tomorrow I work an "office" day and then I work Friday night shift. This week is kinda crazy! Anyway, looking forward to the rest of this week. Hopefully we can get the kids pool back up so they can enjoy it this weekend. Jason and may be enjoying it too...temps have been around 110 degrees this past week and have been over 100 for more than 30 days in a row. It's really hot here. Even 90 degree temps would be nice!

so....

2011-07-21T20:29:00.000-05:00

Well, my new boss started 3 weeks ago (plus a few days I think). Come to find out apparently her boss (and ultimately my boss) had been waiting for her to get here to bring up several issues. Most were issues that I could have been working on if I had been told about them. So, that is a bit frustrating for me because lately it's seemed like my boss's boss is upset with me. My boss says it's not true but I don't like it! Anyway, I've now got LOTS more work to do each day...which doesn't bother me at all. However, the problem is that my boss's boss has decided that since our census has been lower that I have to do 2 twelve hour shifts (patient care) per week and only 2 eight hour management shifts per week. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to accomplish more paperwork and responsibility in drastically less time each week. Luckily my boss would prefer me in management more instead of patient care so hopefully we can get it figured out and I can get back to doing the job I was hired for. Plus, me going into staffing means that some of my full-time staff don't get to work if I'm on that shift so they are getting a bit frustrated too.

Anyway...that's why I'm frustrated and stressed. The only good thing about this 2 twelves, and 2 eights is that I should get more days at home :-)

5 question Friday

2011-07-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

Okay...it's only been a month since I've posted. Work has been keeping me busy...it's a bit stressful right now but I'm working through it. I'll try to get back to posting regularly...we'll see.

1. If you knew your best friend's spouse was cheating on her or him, would you tell her (him)? Yes, I would tell...but I'd be doing some thinking first on the best way to tell...and I'd probably make sure I had proof.

2. Soda in a can or a bottle? It's NOT soda or pop...it's COKE!!! It doesn't matter if it's clear and the label says 7-up, it's still just a coke! Even if the label says pepsi I grew up requesting a "coke" and then the person retrieving said coke would ask what kind I wanted. ANYWAY....I have a very hard time drinking "coke" out of a bottle...I prefer it in a glass over ice. If I have to I'll drink it out of a can but my preference is over ice :-)

3. What do you wash first, hair or body? Hair first...cause if I don't I either forget to wash it...or I try to wash it with my body wash instead of shampoo.

4. What advice would you give to any new mama? take time for yourself...even if you feel like you can't...sleep when the baby sleeps...know that breastfeeding is a learned behavior...yes it is "natural" but it still takes a lot of work...and if your baby is in the NICU...find a nurse that you "connect with" and trust and have her "translate" all the medical talk the doctor says...OH, and the BIG ONE (for me anyway) "nipple confusion", while it *can* happen...it rarely does.

5. What is your best hangover remedy? Don't have one....

2011-06-17T07:05:00.000-05:00

1. What is your favorite summer time activity? taking the kids to the pool

2. Do you have one laundry soap you stick to, or do you buy whatever's on sale? I prefer to use All free and clear, but if I can get a good deal on something else I'll pick it up too.

3. What is your favorite dinner to make in the summer? I don't have any specific summer meals but I guess that it would probably be hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill...but then, I don't make it, my husband does :-)

4. Do you have any talents? Hmmmm, well, of course...am I gonna list them here...probably not :-)

5. If you could instantly be an expert in something, what would it be? Why? I'd like to be an expert in...men...for about 3 minutes only. Why?? Because maybe, just maybe, I'd understand my husband...but I probably wouldn't :-)