Jobs Worth Considering

 Looking for a job? What jobs are the best? Which will I enjoy? I was thinking about this and came up with a few interesting career choices.

Maid:  What better job than cleaning other people's houses? Yes, cleaning is tedious. I hate it and definitely don't want to clean up after other people's filth. However, I do love to snoop. Curiosity is a wonderful motivator. Who wouldn't want to have the option of rifling through other people's items in the guise of cleaning? What wonderful and scary things you may learn about different people. It's intriguing and would keep my interest.

Window Washer: Same premise as maid but different angle. I like the whole outside looking in thing. Lots of rooms are covered and the work is easier but a tad more dangerous. OK, really dangerous, but who says hanging from bungee cords and harnesses is a part of their job. Very thrilling.

Collections: I'm a bit sadistic. Calling people and harassing them about bills they have no money for is pointless. Listening to their rage could be entertaining. It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it.

Airport Security Screener: The best way to drive people crazy. Make them take off their shoes, throw away their shampoo, ask them ridiculous questions. Fun!

Valet: The best way to decide on what car to purchase next, try them all. Better yet, get paid to try them all.

So what other crazy jobs could be made fun? Leave a comment and let me know.

Outer Space Bedroom

    My son is currently into all things space. He loves star wars. He wanted a room to reflect his love for space. We started out by painting the walls a gray color that he chose. His furniture is black metal. The best feature is his space wall.

    I painted the upper half of his wall a glossy black in the shape of a windshield. He chose some pictures from a book of stars, planets, and galaxies that he liked. I made color copies and cut them out. I then decoupaged them to the wall. We used glow in the dark paint to make some stars. I simply used a fat marker and dipped the end in the paint and dotted the space area and his ceiling. It looks really fun in the dark.

    We bought a remote operated moon nightlight that hangs in space. He can change the phase of the moon by remote and it has a sleep function for night. It's educational and fun.

   He later added Star Wars wall clings, which makes it a bit cartoony but being his room, it's his choice.

   Lastly, what astronaut doesn't have a control panel? I had 2 steering wheels meant for outdoor play equipment. We attached them to a simple wood frame to make a dashboard. My son then painted and added buttons. We found a speedometer sign in a decor shop that works as a perfect accent piece. The seat is from a footstool destined for the dump. I bought new foam and covered it in spacey material and it is a soft place for him to sit.

Click Here to see Star Wars Villains Visit

Brad Wins Essay Contest

 

     Brad entered the "If I Were Mayor, I Would..." essay contest and competed against other seventh graders. He won 1st place and was asked to read his essay to the Ottawa City Commissioners and Mayor. He received $80 cash as a prize.

Click Here for Brad's essay followed by runners up

Click Here for Commission Meeting Video: Brad speaks about 5 minutes in

                                              If I Were Mayor
                                                  Brad Harris

    If I were mayor, I would do things to improve the city of Ottawa. I would make it appealing to the over 12,000 people who live here.

    The first thing I would look into as mayor is modifying stoplights so they can react to the opticons on ambulances. Not all stoplights in town have sensors to react to these invisible waves of light, but it is vital. Opticons are little lights that send invisible patterns to a stoplight sensor and turns the light green so emergency vehicles can respond to an emergency quicker. This could end up saving lives.

    The next thing I would cut the red ribbon on is getting an Arby's to move to Ottawa. An Arby's could boost economy with job openings and help the town's tourism. As a student at Ottawa Middle School I have noticed that kids my age would really appreciate an Arby's. I'm sure adults would too. In order to perform this operation we will most likely need to talk to the head of the Arby's-Wendy's corporation. We will tell them about our popular location on I-35. Many customers would go there because it is easily accessible from the highway.

    The last thing Ottawa needs is a shelter for the homeless. It can be paid for by tax money and could help financially challenged families to get back on track. I have learned over 60 families in Ottawa don't have a place to call home. This will end, with me as mayor.

Sledding Adventure

    We recently went sledding for the first time. We joined up with our aunt, cousins, and a few friends. We didnt have any sledding gear so we invented some things. Our fave was sledding down on old pool plastic. We can't wait to go out again after the newest snowstorm.

Chloe sledding on her daddy Scott

Scott wiping out on snowboard

Chloe sledding on pool

Johnny on snowboard

Johnny wiping out on snowboard



Johnny eating snow



Chloe on pool

Chloe zipping along

My turn on the pool

Chloe

Johnny on wooden sled

Johnny zipping by baby Hayden watching from her bin.

Brad and I on the pool

Too much fun.

Cole on snowboard

Johnny on wooden sled

Taylor and Ellie on wooden sled.

Cole on a plastic chair

Cole again

Chloe catching a ride with Johnny

Brad on wooden sled

Brad again

Brad, Chloe, and Johnny

Johnny Visits the Villains of Star Wars

    The Ottawa Library recently hosted the Villains of Star Wars. Johnny was super excited as he loves that stuff and he got to have his picture taken with them. He later ran home to put on his Darth Vader costume and went back for a few more pictures.

Johnny in costume with Darth Vader

Johnny with Imperial Guard

Johnny with Clone Trooper

Johnny with Boba Fett

Scott being arrested by Boba Fett

Johnny with Storm Trooper

Johnny with Darth Vader

Johnny discussing weapons with Boba Fett

Johnny with Boba Fett

Miss America Party

    My birthday happened to fall on the same day as the Miss America pageant. So my daughter and I planned a Miss USA party. She made me this lovely center piece as pictured above with her dolls wearing sashes. Mario Lopez as host of course. She also set up a nice manicure tray for everyone to do their nails.

    My friends and their daughters showed up along with one of her friends and we had a great time. Watching Miss Arkansas and her crazy yodeling ventriloquist act was my favorite highlight of the evening. It was the stupidest talent I had ever seen and she wins second place. Of course the winner was a bald Miss Nebraska. The girl wears a wig and still wins as beauty queen? I find that odd.

Jennifer and I

Chloe and Justine

Chloe and Justine

Brian and Brad, Johnny in the back

Justine and Kyleigh

Lesa and the girls

Yodeling Ventriloquist Miss Arkansas

Our Real Life Horror Story

  
     I was headed home from work, when I got a call from my 11 year old son. He says that there is a bird in the house and it was scaring him, so he went to neighbors house. I told him I'd be home in ten minutes. I pulled into driveway shortly after and went next door to pick up my son. I thanked the neighbor for letting him in and told him to put on his shoes so we could go home. He then tells me he didn't wear any shoes over and he is barefoot. I looked at him like he was crazy. There is a foot of snow on the ground. I walked back to my van and pulled out my snow boots for him to slip on.

    We walk up to the front porch together. I go to open the door and can't because it is chained from the inside. I turn to Brad and ask him how he got to neighbors house. He says the bird was flying by front door so he ran out the backdoor, climbed the fence, and ran to neighbors house barefoot in a foot of snow. Now I'm wondering what kind of bird got in the house to scare an 11 year old boy so badly, we have a pet cockatiel so this isn't anything new to him.

    I ask him to go around the house and unchain the door since he is wearing the snow boots. I wait and wait and wait. What is taking him sooo long? He finally comes back around the house. What now? He says he opened the back door and the bird was flapping around so he shut the door and came back. I asked if he at least let the bird out? No.

    So now I go around the house. I open the backdoor and there is nothing there. I unchain the front door and let my son in the house. We begin to look for the bird. After searching the house, there is no sign of  a bird. I am beginning to think my child needs medication. He swears up and down there was a bird and is starting to lose it.

    I tell him we will pretend to be cops. We will go through each room and closet together. If we don't see the bird we will yell clear. He nods his head and we begin. Room after room, closet after closet, we yell clear. There is nothing to be found. We get to the last room I say clear and begin to shut the door. Then, I stop. I ask my son, "why does your sister have dog crap on the top of her curtain"? He says that's not dog crap its the bird. I look closer. It's not a bird. It's a bat. We slam the door and run down the stairs.

    I call Scott and tell him to come home now and get this thing out. He arrives about 5 minutes later with a bucket and a fishing net. The bat has moved so it takes him awhile to find it. Then he comes down with it. You can hear it hissing in the bucket. He lets it loose outside, its wingspan is about a foot. No wonder it was scaring my son. He just didn't know what a bat was.

    We are glad it is gone. It has been a year and we still don't know how it got in the house and have never had a repeat performance. Looking back it's funny, at the time creepy.