Wednesday, May 24, 2006


"ON LEAVE"

Today was my final day before my leave of absence from Panera Bread. My manager graciously let me take a leave instead of quitting as I had originally planned. Though the school year is not quite over, I decided to leave in May so that I could help out in school, get my house in order and well...breathe. The last 9 months have been a blur. It was such an adjustment to work while the kids were in school. It is amazing how many things stay-at-home moms take for granted. I had to think about half days, holidays, sick days, field trips, the list goes on. I learned a lot about myself during the year. I found that I could somehow maintain a home while balancing work and life in general. It was exhausting, but I at least kept food in the cupboards and the clothes washed. :) I also had to learn to balance my desire to be a good employee with being a better parent. I learned that I had to make the choice to be a "mom" first even when it meant my manager was short an employee. I discovered that though there are grumpy old men and impatient mall employees, I could somehow smile through the uncomfortable moments of customer service. And I learned that although the thought of working in a restaurant seemed stressful, things are always better than we anticipate.
I made friends both behind the register and in the dining room. I will miss the smiles from the older mall walkers when I gave them their coffee card stamp, the customers who were so regular I had their food ready before they even ordered it and the retired gentleman who would always yell "Kimmy!" when he caught my eye in the morning.
I'm not sure where this story will end. I have a job waiting for me to return in September and I know that it would be easy to step back into it. I've also thought of exploring other options in the school so I could work closer to my children. It's great to know that I have a few options out there.

But for now, where is that "Summer-to-do" list?

Tuesday, May 16, 2006


MY MOM by Caleb



For all of you who are mothers, know someone who is a mom or at least have a mom, I had to post the book that Caleb wrote for me. His teacher gave him a fill in the blank and this is what my precious little boy said...


My mom's favorite food is watermelon. She loves it.

My mom's favorite book is Ten Apples on Top. I love that book too.

My mom's favorite hobby is CVS. She loves it.

My mom's favorite TV show is Extreme Makeover. She loves it.

My mom is 26 feet tall.

She weighs 20 pounds.

The color of her hair is brown.

Her eyes are green.


My mom looks best when she is in bed.


Thanks, Caleb for making Mommy smile!

Monday, May 01, 2006

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted due to a bronchial infection that has hung on for four weeks now. I just returned from the doctor (for the second time in 4 wks) and had to get x-rays on my ribs and lungs. Seems that your ribs can get a little fragile after so much coughing! (yeah-ouch doesn't quite fit the pain I have been in). I am at the point where I am tired of couching, tired of pain and tired of complaining! Fortunately, a friend of ours, Adam tagged me and gave me something fun to do. Here it goes...


I AM: A wife, mom and employee of Panera Bread (till June)

I WANT: to live my life better than yesterday

I WISH: I didn't fear rejection

I HATE: Aggressive drivers, paying full price and watching Christians competing with each other

I LOVE: my family, being a mom and wife, Girl Scout cookies and having my hair played with

I MISS: fitting into Junior size clothes, rocking my babies, my friends who have moved away

I FEAR: rejection (wait, i said that already!), the dark, loosing someone close to me

I HEAR: Sienfield and my puppy's obnoxious bark at my children outside

I WONDER: If my children will like me when they are teens, what is in the walls of my house

I REGRET: being influenced by my friends, spending money on stupid stuff, not dating Todd sooner! :)

I AM NOT: interested in cooking shows, high mantenance

I DANCE: when I'm by myself

I SING: all the time!

I CRY: when I have had enough, when I watch a sad movie, when I see someone else cry

I AM NOT ALWAYS: wrong

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: blankets, hats and booties, dinner, change

I WRITE: much better when I feel strongly about something

I CONFUSE: people on a regular basis

I NEED: time to myself everyday

I SHOULD: clean my kitchen and pay attention to my puppy who is next to me

I START: huge projects without knowing quite how I'll finish

I FINISH: each day laying next to my best friend

I'm tagging Katie