Almost Summer!

You would think that after almost 8 years of writing on this blog, I would remember to do it more often.

Updates on the Minion family:

• Mr Minion started a new job! He works from home, which is great.
• Little Miss Minion is finishing her first year of PSR and had her First Communion a couple of weeks ago.
• I was confirmed into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil after being in RCIA classes since last September
• Mr Minion is drawing up plans to screen in our patio cover.
• I finished another round of classes, so I am one semester closer to getting that BSN. I think right now I will graduate in August of 2024, depending on my course load. I might change it up in the fall, I haven’t decided yet.
• I am also enrolled in a program at work that focuses on professional development and clinical development. You earn points for completing certain tasks or earning certifications, and then there are different thresholds of extra compensation. The levels start at a 1, the lowest level, and go to Level 4. The points are in different categories, like education, professional development, clinical skills, etc. I think I’ll be able to get a Level 3, and I might be able to get a Level 4. I get credit for my bachelor’s in English (bachelor in any field), I get credit for my BSN nursing classes, plus the two workgroups I belong to. The program lasts for a year, then you start getting your new pay rate for the next year.
• LMM has her annual neurosurgeon visit coming up in June. She is also due for an MRI this time, which will be interesting. I think that the last time she had an MRI was in 2017 or 2018, after her last surgery. She won’t remember that one, but this one in June will be the first one she will remember. We’re going to start prepping her for it so she isn’t nervous. I think Baby Yoda might need an MRI for something…lol…I can make the MRI machine out of a carboard box or something and we can play MRI sounds on our phone while Baby Yoda gets his scan.
• I also finally got registered as a volunteer for LMM’s school, which means I can chaperone field trips and events at school. I went with her on a field trip to a local wildlife/restoration area in the spring and chaperoned a class dance party a couple of weeks later. Working night shift is nice because I am available during the day, as long as I don’t work that night. For the field trip, I worked the night before so I was awake for like 24 hours. I did not work that night, which is why I was able to sign up, but it was so much fun to get to see her with all her friends.

Summer plans include summer school, a weeklong summer camp program at school, a Girl Scout daycamp, and a Girl Scout camping trip with Mr Minion and another with me. She will also be doing the summer “daycare” program since Mr Minion works and I have to sleep during the days if I work that night. The program has themed weeks with crafts and activities, plus access to the school’s amenities and the playgrounds, so I think she will enjoy it. She will also be riding a school bus between the summer school and the daycare program, since they are held at different locations. She is very excited, because she has only been on a school bus a couple of times for field trips.

Another item of note is happening this weekend: LMM turns 8! She is having a birthday party with friends (her first one), and she is so excited. I think everyone will have a great time.

Hopefully I remember to update this again before school starts in the fall! 🙂

December!

I can’t believe another year is almost in the books. This year has flown by.

Little Miss Minion has another loose tooth. This time, it’s one of her upper front ones. She’s very excited because she can wiggle it with her tongue now.

She and I made Christmas houses for the tree. I found some cheap little wooden houses and Mr Minion drilled some holes into them to look like lights coming out. LMM and I painted them and then hooked them onto lights on the tree. They look pretty cool.

We also went to a school event that was about celebrations around the world. There were several booths hosted by families who were sharing their heritage and culture. A family from India dressed in their bright saris and talked about their traditional holidays. There was a booth for Mexico, with coconut candies and a fried dessert. The Kenyan booth was amazing. They served a fried doughnut type thing and also had samosas. They were DELICIOUS and I’m trying to find a recipe so I can make them at home. Santa also made an appearance.

The second term of my BSN program is almost over, and I need to decide if I want to speed up my progress or not. Right now, I’m doing one class every eight weeks. I could do two classes every eight weeks, but I don’t know if I want to do that to myself. I might consider it, depending on how much time it will cut off my program. I also have a math class coming up, and I think I should do that one by itself. Ugh.

I hope everyone has a great December and a lovely Advent.

Time flies again…

Every time I plan on regularly updating this blog, something happens and I end up not touching it for weeks. In this case, it was just life.

Updates from my last post:

• Little Miss Minion’s teeth: she has now lost two total and one of her front teeth is loose now as well.
• I still love my job! I’m actually updating this at work, since all of my patients are sleeping. I get to play with them for about two hours while I do my shift assessment, pass medications, and get them ready for bed. If the night is smooth, I have time to work on my BSN work in between meds and assessments. Night shift is awesome.
• Girl Scout camping was definitely an experience. It was hot, fun, and I think I am good on camping. I’m more of an indoor girl anyway.

New things since July:

• We went on a Disney trip in September. We did several days at Disney World and then did a three-night Disney cruise on the new ship, the Wish. It was a great trip and LMM had a lot of fun.
• We expanded our patio under the new cover that Mr Minion and the neighbors built over the spring/summer. I have never handled concrete before and it was interesting. My legs are completely bruised up from kneeling and crawling around on the gravel and the ground. The day we poured the concrete was 80 degrees. The next day it was like 40. Perfect timing.
• We finally got LMM baptized. This has been a journey–we didn’t want to do it while she was in the NICU because it felt like we were giving up on her. We couldn’t do it after that because of preemie isolation. Then we moved and didn’t want to get her baptized without having a “home church.” Then Covid hit, and we didn’t want to test her lungs on that virus. So now, we finally did it.
• My BSN program is going well. My first class was almost entirely just writing papers, which was pretty simple. This class is on pharmacology and is more in-depth, but most of the material was covered in my ADN program so its kind of a review, which is nice.
• I signed up to help with my nursing program’s disaster day program. This is done during the last semester of the program as a way to practice all of the skills that have been covered. I will have been working the night before, so it should be fun.

I set myself a goal to read 100 books this year, and I just hit 75 the other day. I’m behind schedule, since I actually have to work now (LOL), but I think there’s a decent chance that I will catch up and hit the goal.

It’s almost time for my next assessment, so I will do my best to update again soon. Happy Fall!

Summer of Firsts

Happy summer break! It is crazy to think that there is really only a month left of summer vacation. Its been a busy season for the Minion household.

Recap of Firsts

• Little Miss Minion lost her first tooth! I think she is the last one of her friends to lose one, so she’s been looking forward to this for months. She was soooo excited when she was finally able to pull it out. The Tooth Fairy visited and left her some coins in exchange for the tooth.
• Mr Minion quit his job and is staying home with LMM for the summer. Since I am back at work, he gets to spend time with LMM and enjoy himself for once. Its been a long two years since I quit, plus the added stress of the pandemic and LMM starting school.
• I passed the NCLEX! I am now officially a Registered Nurse!
• I started my new job and it is incredible. I’m working at a pediatric hospital for medically complex kiddos so there is a lot for me to see and learn. On day 1, we played hide and seek with the Jack-and-Jill bathroom. My preceptor would hide in the bathroom and then sneak out the other door while the kids tried to open the first door. Then she would pop up from around the corner and surprise them. On my second day, one of the kids chased me around with a toy chainsaw. It was fantastic.
• I switch to night shift this week, and I am so excited. Day shifts feel like they never end, whereas nights never seem as long. Maybe I’m just a night owl. Night owl/vampire.
• This week, LMM and I will be going on a Girl Scout camping trip overnight. I have never been camping before, as I am more of an indoor girl. It is supposed to be 93 with a 50/50 of storms, so this should be interesting. We will be staying in something called a “permanent tent,” which appears to be a canvas sided tent up on a deck-like platform that is about 2 feet off the ground. So no air conditioning, no windows, no electricity…thankfully there are actual toilets though, so I’m counting that as a win.
• Our campout events include swimming, canoeing (which I have never done), hiking, and then some crafting activities. As long we both make it out without heatstroke, I will be thrilled.

I start school online for my (second) Bachelor’s Degree on August 1. The program is set up in 8 week chunks where you take one class at a time, so I will be starting the first session soon. My clinical preceptor from nursing school went through this same program and she liked it, so I am hoping I can keep up with work and school. I’ve been told there are a lot of papers to write, which works out really well for me since I love to write.

Off to pack for this week’s adventure!

Mrs Minion, RN