Archive for the ‘Work’ Category
Recently Laura has found that she enjoys designing themes for WordPress using a program I found a while back. Her interest piqued my interest and I have already created a few. Then a friend of ours suggested we offer inexpensive web sites using the themes we create and the WordPress software to quickly build mini sites for people. Thus, $150 Sites was born. Today we officially launch that business, and ask that if you know someone who is just getting started in business, or has a limited budget for their web site, that they check it out. We would really appreciate your support helping us build this new business. Thank you, I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
People used to tell me that I move too often, and they would be very correct. I have lived in more places then I can remember, and this year is turning out to be the worst for moves. We have already moved twice, once to Chicago and then to Kansas City where we are as I type this message. However, at the end of this month the Lambert clan will pack up and move again. It’s comforting to know that we will be moving back to familiar territory, closer to home. I have accepted a job in Minneapolis and will begin on June 29th up there. This comes at a good time since the previous position wasn’t working out for us.
I am going to try and make this the second to last move we make for a while. I am tired of moving and always wondering where my next paycheck is going to come from. So this time I am planning to make this job work long term. I will be working part time while I continue going to school. This will be the second to last move only because we decided to put all of our stuff in storage in Minneapolis and rent a room for a couple of months while we look for a place we can call home for a few years. The timing is perfect, with college students all gone for the summer there are lot’s of cheap rooms available. We’ll be able to save a lot of money this way with no ulitilies and cheap rent.
We originally planned to get a large enough truck to pack all the stuff here in Kansas City, then stop in Wisconsin to get the rest of our stuff in storage there and take it all with us. However, I really don’t want to have to move the stuff in Trempealeau twice, and it’s only two hours away from where we will be so we will likely wait until after Labor Day to deal with that stuff. Besides, our camping gear is there and we will be camping at Autumn Rose in Galesville, WI this September, so it will be near by. It will be nice to get all of our stuff together again, and to have a nice paying, albeit part-time, job that will likely become a full time position, if and when I want it to.
Changes at School
This move will effect the degree path I am following in school. Unfortunately, Minnesota does not allow the Elementary Education degree that the University of Phoenix offers. Though I still think it might be fun to be a teacher, reality has made this decision a lot easier. The highest paid elementary school teachers barely make $40K, and if I am already capable of making near $55K in the IT industry without a degree, think if what I could make with one! I will take a week off of school so we can move and get settled, and start back up on May 29th, with an emphasis on Information Technology, hopefully leading into a Bachelor’s Degree for System Analysis. I will keep you updated as I continue my education.
I am now in my fourth week of classes and so far I am doing very well with grades around 95% still. So now you have some proof that I am not perfect!
I really enjoy the work and doing the assignments online. Saves a lot of writing and paper that way. Basically I log in to the school’s web site and submit questions and answers via the threaded discussion board. I earn participation points for commenting on other classmates posts, and have a private area to turn in my assignments. It’s pretty easy to do and I have learned a lot so far.
Yesterday I finally received the information I was waiting for regarding financial aid. I qualified for enough on a loan to pay for all the classes, with some to spare. I also received a $2,366 Pell grant to use towards educational expenses. The grant is money I never have to pay back, though I will likely use the bulk of it to pay down the loan. This was great news since know I don’t have to worry about how I will be paying for school this year. It’s only guaranteed for one year, if I complete and pass all my classes. So I will need to reapply for next year but I don’t think it will be much of an issue.
I am really happy that I have finally made the decision to do this. I know that teaching will be a lot more enjoyable to me than writing computer and web software. I’ve done that for so long it is time for me to finally give it a rest. I still do some stuff and I talk about that on my other blog, GrandSlambert, but it’s mostly stuff for WordPress, the software we use on this web site.
I have a few people that want me to develop web sites for them, and I might just to make a little extra money, but eventually that will no longer be my business, so I am not working to build that business. Once I earn my degree and start teaching I don’t want to have to work on a computer. It can become my hobby again.
I learned a valuable lesson today about quality time. Allyssa wanted to spend some time with daddy after dinner and I had every intention of doing this. We started watching the Bee Movie together when I stupidly got on the computer and read an email which got me working on something that certainly could have waited. Guess I wasn’t thinking, because when I was done:
Allyssa feel asleep waiting for daddy to do something that could have waited until tomorrow.
I guess I need to really pay attention to what I do with my time. I start school on Monday so time will become even more precious than it used to be. I have a schedule planned for Monday through Friday:
- 7:00am – Wake Up
- 8:00am – 1:00pm – Work
- 1:00pm – 2:00pm – Lunch and exercise
- 2:00pm – 4:00pm – School Work
- 4:00pm – 5:30pm – Work
- 5:30pm – Make dinner and spend time with the family before I go to bed.
No planning work or school on Weekends – those days are for family time. This looks like it should be good right? Hopefully I can stick to it, but I will need Laura’s and Allyssa’s help in several ways:
- While I am at work, they need to avoid distracting me.
- Have lunch ready around 1:00 so I can eat and exercise before school work.
- While I am at school, they need to avoid distracting me.
- At 5:30, they have to tell me to stop and be with the family.
I am sure if we both work at it, I will get on the schedule and be able to stick to it. It’s gonna be a long, hard 2 years with work and school, but I know it will be worth it. After this, we shall see if I continue for my Bachelor’s degree. You ready for this, Laura?
P.S. I should add that I did spend a few hours with her playing with a ball, potatoe heads, blocks and things before we started watching the movie. But it probably wasn’t enough.
OK, I know, it’s April, and most kids are thinking they’ve been in school long enough and it’s time for summer break. But I am not a kid, and no, this isn’t about Allyssa. It’s about me. You heard me. “Back To School” is about me.
For a long time I have been contemplating going back to school and get a degree in something. I know that a degree will help me get a better job and provide a better life for my family. I just never had the time (or the guts) to do it.
Then, earlier this month, I filled out a form online about going back to school. I got a call from a recruiter a few days later and the ball was rolling. I will be attending the University of Phoenix Online starting on Monday (April 20th) and will be taking classes for around 20 months.
So now it’s time for this old man who hasn’t been inside a classroom in 20 years to get back to studying and doing homework. Well, I guess it’s all homework, since it’s online and I will be doing most of it from home.
Oh, yeah, you want to know WHAT degree I am after with this. I will be going for my Associates of Elementary Education. With that, I can become a teacher’s aide while I continue for my Bachelors Degree in a couple of years. With THAT, I can be a full time teacher, which is the ultimate goal.
So, if you thought I never had time to update this blog before, just wait! I get to work full time, go to school full time, cook dinner and spend time with Laura and Allyssa, EVERY DAY. So, if you really want to know what I am up to, get a Twitter account and follow me. I update that more often. 
Yep, you heard me, another move. Sounds like we will never get settled. 
The job in Schaumburg, IL with Verizon Wireless just wasn’t the right job for me. I thought it would be fun to not have to write code any more, but I ended up managing a couple of WordPress installs and that just isn’t what I want to do. When this new opportunity came up I had to take it.
Oh, yeah, this time the move is to Kansas City, Missouri where I will be working with someone I have known and worked with for over 2 years. I will again be writing code and building web sites and promoting the weight loss program that I know works – still down about 25 pounds from the first run and getting started to do it again.
We have spent this past week at Laura’s dad’s home in Holmen, WI, catching up with family and taking care of things that needed to be taken care of here. This time we have a condo waiting for us when we get there, so I packed up the necessary items from storage yesterday and will drive down tomorrow morning. The condo is a perk from the employer so we don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a hotel room while we look for a place. It’s a small, 1 bedroom condo but it’s much larger then then hotel room we lived in for 6 weeks. It’s also close to shopping and entertainment so we’ll save money on driving everywhere.
Hopefully this one will be the one that lasts a while. As soon as we get settled we will share photos of our new digs and try to keep you updated as life continues for the Lambert clan. Now that we will be nearly 8 hours away from family and friends this blog will become an important lifeline to keep you all updated on the trials and tribulations of raising such a beautiful young lady.
No, don’t get excited, yet. This post isn’t about moving back to the La Crosse area. It has only to do with moving our blog yet again. I grew ever tired of Blogger constantly being down, and after using WordPress on a few other projects, have decided to install the software, add the plugins and themes I want, and run the thing on my own servers once again. With this move we also have a new look, though that may not stay forever – you know how fickle I can be.
With moving to a system that won’t be down when I want to post, maybe, just maybe we will update you more often. Of course, having Blogger be down when I wanted to post isn’t the only reason I haven’t posted anything lately. Mostly it’s because I am lazy – come on, you knew that already. Also, since leaving my full time job back in August (you knew that too) I find myself not wanting to be around the computer much during the day, and spending too much time with Allyssa.
I know, you can never spend too much time with your children, but when you don’t get your work done, you don’t get paid. And when the first of the month rolls around and you don’t have the income to pay the bills, you will understand what I mean by “spending too much time with Allyssa”.
The sad thing is that I don’t really spend too much time with her. I am spending too much time moving web sites around, playing with new software and trying new ways to generate income that I just don’t seem to get the work done. That’s going to change, which likely means not very many posts from me – but what’s new?
