Christmas

As much fun as our family has around Christmas, and as much as I enjoy getting together with everyone, the whole concept of it drives me nuts in more than one way.

But I still celebrate it.

Pictures to come as soon as Leah get's them uploaded, but for now - here is the aftermath of too many Christmases at our house.

The Darkness!

The sickness has hit our home! However, it seems to have only hit Leah thankfully. She was out of commission for 24 hours yesterday - laid up in bed or on the pot desperately trying to sleep or keep whatever she tried to eat down.

Yesterday morning she says "I want some ice and coke" ... we only have cherry coke ... "I know that's what I want." Weird - for someone puking but - she got it down and kept it down! The movement to be better the rest of the day was great. I was able to get some things done for work and Meema and help clean up the garage a bit.

Today I will be finishing up some things at the office, building a little thing, and closing up shop until after the holidays! I gave Dave (our part time driver and long time family friend) the next week off because we had nothing scheduled. Then - of course we got a call that we need runs Monday through Thursday! Great for business, and Dave doesn't mind, but I knew it would happen!

Now I just need to get some space leased and recycle everyone's cardboard!

Projects!

So last yesterday I was able to get a project done that we were really aching to get done. The previous owner had an office off of our dining room. However - for some reason there was no light there! I ran a line from the outlet through the wall, to a switch, up through the ceiling to a light in the center of the room. Now - if only the light bulb hadn't broke! One of those new 2 pronged halogens or something?

Then Leah and Caleb and Dylan went over to see Steve and Susie for a bit... Dylan HATES the cold weather! However, he makes a pretty adorable abominable snowman... RAWR!


Last night was the eclipse - and sadly I did not get up to see it. However it was very cloudy in our part of the state anyway. Some of the photos are pretty amazing, and I guess I'll have to wait another 450+/- years to see another one coincide with the winter solstice!

Oh - Leah thinks she has the flu just in time for Christmas! Hooray!

Norlin Goals

So over the past few days I've been struggling with a direction to take Norlin for the future. We have 50,000 square feet available, so what do we do with it? I have been toying with options - and do we want to be greedy or focus on creating sustainable wealth for our firm? In all reality if I found a company to rent our entire space we have no immediate growth strategy - other than more driving services.

If we find a few firms to provide services to we could expand our suite of services that we offer - however our expenses would increase exponentially with the services. More, smaller clients means more paperwork, more employee costs, more stress with performance requirements, and more worries about getting paid.

If we find a company to put a business in our location - IE hire people and run it themselves - then we don't have any worries about our costs, just collecting a check every month. However - this puts me in a position of saying "what next" or, "all my eggs are in one basket." Sometimes this can be great - a-la Fairmont Foods for 40 years. Sometimes - a fly by night could drop out of sight in a year!

However - I feel that a combination of marketing efforts to both options is our best way to move forward. The past 2 years have been extremely frustrating for me getting turned down on a daily / weekly / monthly basis. However, I feel that approaching the new year with a renewed vigor and strategy may be just what the doctor ordered.

I am picking the top 20 businesses within 60 miles that I want to get business from, and marketing to them physically, digitally, and verbally every 2 weeks until I get a meeting. Now - I am not offering a sale up front - rather new market information in their industry that could be of potential interest to them. After doing some research I see that to get clients and keep them, you need to teach them.

What can I offer you? Why should you meet with me? What is going to come of my time? Not - buy from me. I think this is a better way of going at people instead of saying "hey I want you to buy this from me." So - over the next 2 weeks I will be developing some marketing materials that are specifically designed for these individuals and our industry. Information on 2011 concerns on transportation in Pennsylvania. Information on cardboard recycling price volatility. And information on storage issues in a down economy.

I'm excited - for the first time in a long time - about the potential business we can earn and the possible future growth of Norlin.

What's up homeslice?

The twins had their 2 month checkup yesterday (about 2 weeks late) and got some shots to boot. I wasn't able to go to the appointment, but thankfully Leah's mom was available to help her out. Everything went great, and they are growing like they should be.
Dylan is 11lbs, 11oz, and 23 inches. Just shy of the 50th percentile which is great, considering he was a twin and had stomach surgery!

Chelsea is 9lbs, 5oz, and 21 3/4 inches. This is probably in the 30th percentile, which is also great considering the terrible amounts of colic and inability to eat she has faced. She is now on Prevacid and Zantac to help with her reflux - which - knock on wood after the Prevacid last night she has been draining bottles!
Caleb is now 28lbs and 35 inches. I have no idea what percentile that is, but most likely the 20th or so - he is going to be on the smaller side we think. Apparently, with heart babies that is relatively normal.

So it looks like we might have 2 Leah size kids and 1 me size. Although Dylan is on pace to grow much bigger at his exponential rise! But health updates aside things are going well at our house. Although we are going to have a slumber party with Caleb - he is very jealous of the fact that the babies sleep in our room. We have explained it is because they get up all the time, but to a 2 year old that doesn't always make a difference.

His vocabulary is pretty intense. And he is starting to enjoy reading a lot - at least 2 books before bedtime plus all the time during the day (when he isn't playing something, or imagining he is cleaning, or cooking, or sometimes watching TV because you need a break and have 2 other kids to hold (my wife is super woman) ). We are now working on the I, ME, MY instead of Caleb, Caleb, Caleb. Note: new parents - don't correct your child by saying their name, correct them using the proper pronoun!

Both of the babies are cooing, wiggling, focusing and following, and recognize people now. Dylan especially recognizes me, and smiles any time he hears me or I get in front of him - melts my heart. AND last night he GIGGLED at Leah! I missed it, but Leah swears he did. Here he is in a nice little hat for Chelsea - but he was up!

Looking forward to seeing everyone and having people meet the new kids at Christmas!

Politics Again

So - the people in Washington are playing games with our money again.

Here are my feelings. People who have been on unemployment for 2 years should be cut off. Period. No excuses, there are jobs out there you just aren't WILLING to do them. No wonder out Hispanic population has all the jobs - they are willing to do things you aren't.

Also - I was on unemployment plus 1 day of work for almost a year, and I didn't get an extension, so I took an offer from the same company for less money because I am not going to sit on my ass and do nothing. Although I did turn down a potential job for more because driving an hour a day extra to make a little more with 3 kids - just not worth it, I am still off the system.

Tax cuts, tax breaks, more unemployment, estate tax , can't we just have smaller government oversight? The government has grown by over 290,000 jobs in the past two years - come on! And still - the unemployment rates climbed! What's that mean? I think the government is hiring to many people for oversight and privacy invasion that we don't need.

As for tax rates - I shouldn't care if the rich get a tax break, as long as I do as well. Why are people so terribly jealous of that? The majority of the Democratic party thinks the Republics are just for the rich people. But why do people care if they make more money too? Proportionally the rich pay more than anyone as it is. "They don't need more money," so I guess poor people don't then either. There shouldn't be a limit on who gets breaks in my opinion.

In fact, I am a proponent of a flat tax. Everyone pays the same rate if you make over poverty levels - period. No exemptions, no wiggle room - just the same rate. Could you imagine how much money could be saved on IRS oversight? Find a new job you tax agents - nobody needs you anymore! If you make a million, you pay X%, if you make 50k you still pay X%, proportionally everything is fair. This would also eliminate double taxation problems AND encourage investment and job growth! However - you would need to destroy the current tax code to do it - no more shelters, tax deferments, or exempt income for the richest of the rich. Heck - Warren Buffet paid LESS tax than his SECRETARY!

And estate tax? What total bullshit is that. The tax has ALREADY been paid on those assets for the original owner to gain them. If your mother spent her whole life making a company worth millions, paid the taxes on it over those years, why oh why should you have to pay millions in taxes if you want to inherit it? Total. Absolute. Bull. Shit.

Anyway, just had to rant a little. Hope everyone is gearing up nicely for the holidays!

Christmas Approaches!

So as Christmas time approaches, we have had to start cleaning up the garage (to put the van back in!) because there was a bit of an explosion of holiday related items. Let's just say 1/2 of our entire attic is Christmas / Holiday decorations.Add to that the extra stuff I brought down of things we haven't touched since we moved home from Frederick (some since COLLEGE) and we had some cleaning up to do! But we made some pretty good progress - and I am parting with about 200 (+) books just because it is time. Some college books, but mostly fiction & non-fiction that I really have enjoyed reading over the past 4 years.To make matters even more crazy we decided to wrap some presents last night. Twas interesting with all 3 up and Caleb running around like a mad man with his tube. That was nearly a 1/2 full roll... til he got his hands on it. Oh well - kept him busy!


I went to a friends wedding from college on Friday night and when I got back Saturday (I was up and ready to go at 8, then took a 45 minute shower at the hotel, then proceeded to try and find my jacket from the night before... yea too much gin. I've decided that if Leah isn't with me I must stick to water). But when I got home we went out to eat, Pizza Hut!


I am also trying to figure out why a 6MP camera on my DROID X is TERRIBLE! Anyway, we went home and had a pretty good evening - and I got to spend some quality belly time with Dylan - never mind the double chin there!


I am so looking to the time when they are moving much more and shaking a whole bunch! They are already very attentive and alert, following, cooing, making some fun noises. Dylan DESPERATELY tries to laugh when you tickle him but only gets out noises instead. In time Daddy, in time.

11 shopping days until Christmas! GET IN GEAR!

Top 10

Reasons I Miss It Being Just Leah and I:

1. Up and leaving with Leah for a weekend or a night for the hell of it.
2. Getting projects and renovations done on a timely schedule.
3. Going out with the boys - even though it was once a quarter.
4. Being able to play video games.
5. Sleep.


Reasons I Wouldn't Change It For the World:

1. Being absolutely terrible at hide and seek.
2. Seeing the smiles that my kids make for others.
3. "Maybe it's not" (No, it is dark out. Repeat ad nauseam)
4. Giggles, coos, laughs, and crying.
5. I'm "Daddy."


As we approach the Christmas season - as much a problem I have with the "birth of Jesus on Christmas" fib - I still support the basis behind gift giving. I for one am grateful to a large constituency of people for making my life the way it is - the very best of whom live in my house.

I am lucky to still have all 4 of them as my family, and I just viewed this video from a Facebook friend of people who don't anymore. Count your blessings today, every day, and especially throughout this season into the new year if your loved ones are still with you. And if you make it through this video without at least tearing up you should have your heart checked. Of course, if you have been in anything close to this situation with any part of your family - let alone your own children I expect full on tears.

Too long!

So I have been away too long, and need to update everything.

Last night - Caleb spent the night at Grammies sleeping with Gam Gam! Leah cried a little, but he was so excited to go - and it was only suggested on a whim! The twins ate (ok, Dylan drained his bottle Chelsea cried through 1/2 of hers) at 8, were out by 9, and slept until 6AM!

Talk about a break through of sleep last night, surprisingly I feel even more tired today even though I got 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep - literally didn't know I fell asleep until my alarm went off! And I forgot my coffee in the kitchen this AM - D'oh!

Chelsea is terrible though. Crying fits for the past week - obscene crying fits - that she won't snap out of and can't stop. She cries through them, and suffers. We went to the doctor yesterday to try and figure something out, but nothing seems to be working. Hopefully she can get through this and settle her belly!

Christmas is almost upon us - and we need a Christmas miracle! So last week I get a call that someone wants to come through our space - great. They did yesterday, and so did someone else. Hopefully by the end of this week 25k total of our 50 will be rented out!

Plus - I love my DROID. I have passed on the previous 5-6 years of upgrades on my phone so Leah could upgrade. We have even switched a company phone upgrade for her! This year was my turn - and it has paid off nicely! Love it!