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 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.

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:

1. While I am at work, they need to avoid distracting me.
2. Have lunch ready around 1:00 so I can eat and exercise before school work.
3. While I am at school, they need to avoid distracting me.
4. 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.

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.

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.

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?

Today I moved the entire blog back to Blogger because WordPress wouldn’t let me track how many of you are actually reading this blog. With this move I have made the site more friendly and updated the look. I hope you like it.

Now, how did I find time to do this? Simple! I left my job to go back into freelance work. TravelNet was working me to death and I just couldn’t do it any more. A lucrative project came up that will keep me busy for a few months at least, and I had to take it. So now I get to sit at home again and just have fun – when I am not working. My last day was August 28th, just before Labor Day weekend.

So, now that I am not so burned out every evening, perhaps I will find time to update this blog more often. And just so you don’t forget what she looks like, here’s a picture of Allyssa with my Dad and Roseanne at Steve’s Wedding Vow Renewal back in June.

Wrong! Though most of the time it is just a job for me, for the most part I do enjoy the work. The stuff I have been doing this past month has been new and challenging and a lot of fun. For those of you that don’t know, I now work for Travel Net Solutions in Cottage Grove, MN. My main focus right now is to update and maintain the software to manage the Resorts and Lodges.com web site.

It’s more than just building web pages though. I am currently working to automate their work flow process and eliminate paper trails and manual entry of data into multiple systems. I won’t bore you with the details, but just know that it’s taken me two weeks and we still aren’t done with it. Hopefully I will be done by the first of the year – at least that’s the goal.

So, although it really is a job like most people have, I get to have some fun doing it. The people I work with are all wonderful except for the occasional screaming at the top of their lungs – not because they are made or hurt, but because they are excited about something. It can get distracting, but generally does help boost morale and keep us all on track. Oh yeah, the game room is really nice too – just too bad I never get to see it!

For those of you that do not know, I am working on a social networking web site for network marketers, you know, those people that first sell you something then want you to join them in the business? Well, I found a business that I like and is going to help me get healthy so I can spend more time with my family. I have been taking the whole food supplement known as The Pops since April and it is really starting to make a difference in my life. But I shall spare you the details here for now – take a look at my Healthy Dad web site for all of those details. I’ll just share that since taking The Pops, I have more energy during the day and sleep better at night. Want proof? Look at the picture above.

Ok, you’ve seen another picture, now it’s time for me to get back to work.