Category: life

health, life, transcription, work

Lest you think I forgot you —

criscollrj

I’m alive!

Kids have all been sick again. Ryan is home sick with the intestinal garbage (I think he fell asleep). Colleen missed 3 1/2 days this week, Chris missed one. Mom was here this week and now she doesn’t feel well. My days may be numbered. Rog was sick earlier this week while he was out of town.

I still have so much work!!! It just keeps coming. Legal interviews, hearings, a focus group, and even working on a web site for someone! Rog just got more work approved too – YAY!!

Some pics — and then back to work!
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First, the brand new sink we got in our bathroom last weekend! Rog and his dad worked about 8 hours on this! The old one had quit working and only leaked drips of water and nothing else.
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Ryan just a little while ago – I thought he was sleeping —
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Then he turned over and looked at me and said “cheese” —

 

 

 

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What he’s watching – or sleeping through, by now! He even loves the teen shows like Hannah Montana and Zach and Cody…

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What I’ve been eating. Too. many. of.
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How I type – for the non-seasoned to transcription world readers – though the ORANGE is an extra item that I didn’t know was there – suppose I may eat it with my lunch? This is my money maker and occasionally cramp-in-the-foot maker!! I switch feet, often. It’s sitting on my scanner so I have some height so my foot doesn’t get too sore… I download audio into Express Scribe or For the Record and type away.
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Today’s ice/snow storm. I don’t think we got it as bad as south –

and I just realized I completely missed the news that would have told me (12:30 p.m. now)

Back to work!

 

Christmas, health, life

My day – November out with a bang–

criscollrj

My to-do list today: from 6  a.m. to 3 p.m.
* Get rid of headache from h*** (already laid down quite a bit and took 2 Excedrin Migraine pills) — Well it’s better but I still feel goofy. I had to nap for like 60 minutes as I felt so off and getting nauseous.
* Get two more kids on the bus
* Take bath/shower
* Order Avon today
* Finish reading over hearings due today (I’m way ahead on this and QUITE HAPPY about that! — I have read 4 3/4’s of 6 hearings and will finish reading them shortly when I get back home.
* Start job today that I was going to start Monday (headache permitting) — Not going to happen, I don’t think
* Call lady I’m doing speech trans for as she never called me back yesterday. Explain that I probably won’t get sizeably through this until week of the 10th (finish by 15th or so???) — Didn’t yet but will try from car
* Unpack remaining Christmas stuff and get boxes up to attic (I KNEW it would take all week this week – not bad, “bite-size” portions– didn’t happen.
* Mail in printer ink rebate — I’ll just do this tomorrow
* Make a decent dinner in crockpot — just going to put up something quick at store
* Go to grocery store — Going to run in very quickly now, get a few things, and get gas, AND THEN have to pick up sick kid at school (again) which is pretty well going to throw off all the above plans because of the length of time involved to do so involved in distance driving, etc., before other kids come home…. They don’t want to put him on the bus because he’s on there for an hour while they pick up kids for another school, etc.
* Buy Christmas stamps — Will try and remember this at the store! DIDN’T REMEMBER.
* Do A TON of dishes (they’re piling up badly)
* Laundry (unspoken amount still remaining and WET)
* Start cleaning up basement (this weekend probably) again for basement treating people coming next Thursday.

I realized that I’ll actually be off work next Wed., Thurs., and Fri (mammogram, basement people coming, and my Christmas plans with my friend) so I need to make full use of today, Monday and Tuesday!!!

headache be GONE!

later – GOT Chris picked up. GOT ahold of new client (yay, she’s happy with my doing job by 15th!). Still sick and nauseous with migraine…

autism, children, deafness, life, NaBloPoMo

The dreams of children

criscollrj

 

The dreams that we hold about having our children… and the reality given and the new dreams held

Dreams of all my life
The children we always wished for
Years go by like lightning
But the expectations soar

Wanting perfection
Working day and night for our bread
Trying to observe each smile,
accomplishment, and word said

When the progression is difficult
than the way you thought
it can be easy to despair;
when the child doesn’t speak, you doubt

The deafness and the silence, and even times with speech,
yet centered in their self fulfillment,
yet merged with our duty and responsibility
can make you wonder where meaning went

Others don’t understand
the way our lives progress
only in humor can we survive
The surroundings can appear a mess

and the heart, indeed, can be torn
as the love is strong as fire
burning in fierce protection
knows how their odds are dire

Chasing a boy, so active and bright,
running in glee
before he breaks the dishes
and plugs cords into electricity

The older child, a man,
yet speechless he is
locked in his world, caught,
yet we glory at each new task taught

We watch for each new joy
yet fight for rights unknown
the road is full of mire
but the Light of God is shown

copyright criscollrj.com dori 11/24/07

 

life, organizing

Chris’ birthday

criscollrj

http://nablopomo.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=997435%3ABlogPost%3A120991

My regular criscollrj.com/Blog is down but having fun learning about nablopomo and posting there. SO many blogs, SO little time 🙂           (2020 – these sites are no longer there, but interesting!)

Yes, can’t believe my Chris will be 17 soon…

tired and busy as always… with two boys that will not go to sleep.

More about my day from my transcription board:

posting today as I thought you’d all be able to use a good belly laugh —

Here’s what I THOUGHT I was going to do today: (On my transcription vacation, DAY ONE!)

  • Do British QA at 5 a.m.
  • Take shower and do misc. things like eat breakfast after kids go to school and be ready to start cleaning by 9
  • 9-12 – clean all upstairs rooms and do some paperwork that’s been awaiting me (I did clean and organize office yesterday so it literally is organized and awaiting me)
  • 12-1 – clean kitchen thoroughly and wash the floor and start a crockpot dinner
  • 1-2 – clean basement and workshop and garage that Ryan thoroughly trashed over the weekend. Now you’ve never seen trashed like this. This is taking big gray storage bins and dumping them upside down, mixing up all the contents, of 10-12 bins and searching for flashcards in them. He did this quickly and silently and sneakily while I was up here yesterday cleaning the office. He also dumped containers of some kind of glassware that may have been here from the previous owners and it is now broken on the floor in the workshop in the corner – I pushed it over but need to get the broom and dustpan and get that thrown out. Yes, I thought I could clean ALL this in one hour.
  • 2-3:30 and also throughout all day – sort about 11-12 loads of laundry (much soaking wet from the boys repeatedly putting clean towels in the bathtub to purposely stop it up and then dumping the towels over the other dirty but dry clothes and making them wet.

Needless to say this did not happen.

Here’s what I did:

  • First of all British QA was not ready until 2. Therefore thinking I had no work I actually took a leisurely bath and wrote my friend this morning(instead of starting housework).
  • Somehow my breakfast and all that and finishing invoicing I didn’t finish Saturday, answering various work emails and researching different audio I had loaded and stuff for next week took me all the way until 12:00 How this happened I do not know. I also almost fell asleep in the tub….
  • At 12:00 I went downstairs and started cleaning basement and workshop, and sorted the laundry WHILE I watched Pretty in Pink movie — I really was diligent though – I did keep sorting and folding and putting in pause to change loads or bring more downstairs. I was a good girl.
  • Started dishes at 2 and then also went back down into workshop to clean more about 3:15.
  • Surprising got British QA at 2 – did 40 minutes.
  • Never started dinner – ended up making hot dogs and soup at 6
  • Still finishing dishes.
  • Never cleaned upstairs at all. It looks like there was a typhoon.
  • Left out various details about Ryan going No. 2 where he shouldn’t have — 

Ah well, tomorrow’s another day – with everything added above that I didn’t do today, plus grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, picking up the yard (I still have pool toys out there) (and moldy pumpkins carved for Halloween). I also planned to get my Christmas stuff down – at least 1/3 of it [including the tree]. Well, that’s on hold now until Friday—

And the bus driver this morning says, hang in there, only one more day of school. No —

 

children, health, life, NaBloPoMo, sleep

What I’ve been up to:

criscollrj

Directly from my post to my transcription board 🙂

I have had to take a bit of a posting break. I’ll probably try and get back to posting regularly after Thanksgiving.

What’s keeping me so busy:

* Everyone being sick, including me, going all the way back to early October. I’ve scheduled a drs. appt. in case this cough isn’t better by then and also plan a chiropractor visit for this afternoon.
* Because of all the sick days for the kids, I had gotten so behind on my work I could do nothing else, not even sleep. I got a serious sleep deprivation there and last night actually fell asleep at 8 and got to sleep until 5 (just getting up once with my son at 11 who was still up….) sleep finally! I’m just praying I don’t get a migraine from all the sleep schedule switching.
* I also need to file and finish cleaning my office. (I did clean the desks and switched desks with my daughter over the weekend and am now proud to say I have a resting shelf for my feet to transcribe on and can even easily switch feet – yay! I’m also the proud owner of new speakers with a headphone jack, as well as the aforementioned new ergo keyboard and the new external hard drive to store my hefty space-grabbing audio on…
* I’m going to take next week off of work (probably just do British QA in the early morning) and just focus on cleaning my house well for the Thanksgiving dinner we’re having here. Then I’ll be back hard at work the next week, though I MAY schedule another few days end of next week to finish Christmas shopping and start wrapping (lest you think I’m some kind of holiday guru, we have cut WAY back this year and are only shopping for the children – our children, our relatives, and a few close friends. That greatly cuts the list down.
* And I want to try and get more rest so I can focus on getting better.
* Prayers still appreciated for our family’s health in general and for Lisa specifically.
* I haven’t started this yet, but next week I need to sit down and do tons and tons of paperwork and stuff for the kids that I’m behind on.
o I have to schedule also two sedation appts. for the boys for hearing tests they do on the brain while they’re sleeping, and for my oldest to have his blood tests he needs for his meds, and for them both to have good teeth cleaning.
o I also need to schedule Ryan’s concluding genetic tests (They probably think I forgot about them, it’s been so long).
o I also need to fill out two autism scholarship forms as we’re considering possibly trying to have them attend this autism/deafness school in Florida if there’s any way we can arrange it (probably for next year) but it will take a lot of planning and research and special miracles from the Lord. (And possibly me moving down there just over the school year – sounds very complicated but if it’s what the Lord wants for the boys it will work out – I’ll post the site soon).

I hope we have a good family gathering here on Thanksgiving – that’s the first time I’ve ever tried to have one. I need to go shopping for my turkey, etc., and plan the meal.

I also plan over the next few weeks to update all my sites for the holidays – one of my favorite things to do!!

Blessings, dori

children, life, NaBloPoMo

Thoughts on sports and activities

criscollrj

In the late 90’s Colleen was 3 & 4, and we were very active at the Y, and she was in gymnastics, ballet, swimming, and art class. I taught at the Y – gym & swim, adventure center and babysitting room. I typed at home, too, AND in the middle for some months or so worked at a law firm. It was an insane two years or so. She had classes 2-3 days a week AND Chris had speech therapy and occupational therapy, and I also took him to the Y for play time that also really counted as therapy time for him, in the Y’s adventure center. (I’ll link to some pics of them when I’m more awake).

In about 2004 or so our schedule was insane before I almost had a heart attack (not literally, but of course who really knows?) [this was in most of the 04 year on and off after I quit “working” and thought I had to have the total soccer mom schedule AND have a better homes and gardens house (uh, yeah?)

Colleen: swimming, art, volleyball, trumpet lessons, counseling
Chris: on and off speech therapy, OT, and possibly another OT place part of that year (unless that was 05??)
Ryan: speech therapy, OT, toddler school therapy, gym and swim

Now – unfortunately we do “nothing.” I’m too tired from my life to do a thing, AND our scholarships expired for the Y. *I’ve not worked there since 01*, and now that we make more $ I cannot afford the down payments involved with the Y that they tack on to the scholarships at a higher income bracket.

BUT there’s a workout center right in our community that is free to us that I’m dying to check out (and probably “dying ” literally if I don’t).

Colleen is planning to play in the band next year – drums. I need to check out lessons. I know this will involve countless football games as a high school freshman! She was in choir last year, and band two years before that (since 5th grade). She played the trumpet.

When I was in high school I was in choir, played in the drama club events sometimes (guitar and sang), was guitar accompanyist for the choir, was in art club, on yearbook and newspaper staff, wrote books and poems, and took guitar lessons. In college I was in swing choir, took piano and voice, and just about quit writing altogether which was a shame. I then was in choir in church for about 10 years until 2001 and also played for the little kids. I started writing again in 1989.

Sports — I loved playing basketball but was never on a team. I also practiced gymnastics in my back yard, but again, never took a lesson or did anything (except participated in a cheerleading group in 6th grade for our school levy).

 

 

life, NaBloPoMo

Songs for the spirit in the trying times.

criscollrj

We are going through trying times right now for some reason and these songs are a comfort:

As We Seek Your Face
As We Seek Your Face (Jesus Draw Me Close)

G D/F# Em7/D
Jesus draw me close
C G/B Dsus D
Closer Lord to You
G D/F# Em7 C Dsus D
Let the world around me fade away

G D/F# Em7/D
Jesus draw me close
C G/B Dsus D
Closer Lord to You
C D Em7 D Gsus G
For I desire to worship and obey

G D/F# Em7 G D/F# Em7
As we seek your face, may we know your heart
G D Em7 C
Feel your presence, acceptance
G D G
As we seek your face

G D/F# Em7 G D/F# Em7
At your feet we fall, sovereign Lord
G D Em7 C
We cry holy, ho- ly,
G D G
At Your feet we fall

G D/F# Em7/D
Jesus draw me close
C G/B Dsus D
Closer Lord to You
G D/F# Em7 C Dsus D
Let the world around me fade away

G D/F# Em7/D
Jesus draw me close
C G/B Dsus D
Closer Lord to You
C D Em7 D Gsus G
For I desire to worship and obey

Public Domain
Words and Music by Unverified

(verse 1)
Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be

(chorus)
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed They hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness Lord unto me

(verse2)
Pardon for sin
And a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence
To cheer and to guide
Strength for today
And bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine
With ten thousand beside

I woke up singing one in my head one day and the other the next. I know the Lord put them in my heart to give me strength through the days.