What Do You Do?

[2kids4me]

Finally noticed this thread!

I am mostly a stay at home mom, animal health technologist by night.. my hubby is a vet so I am the after hours help.

I worked full time in veterinary emergency medicine before I had kids. In 1992 when our daughter was born, it was clear my career path had changed - she has had challenges since the day she was born...I learned about every medical test imaginable that could be done to a "floppy baby", then learned physcial therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, how to be an advocate and all the rest that comes with having kids.

Once I got to be an expert there, I began to write technical articles for a magazine called Veterinary Technician so I could keep up with my other passion - being a technologist. My first article was in depth and I was very proud of it..unfortunately the same day my copies of the published work arrived...was the day I had an appt with cardiology for my daughter to find out she had Kawasaki disease and heart damage because of it. I have also been published in an Autism Spectrum magazine with a piece I did about our journey in the world of Aspergers with Kathryn.

I continued to write and even made the cover of the December 2004 issue of Veterinary Technician. I have since quit writing because of health issues with the children...I figure my best and most important job right now is mom and I'd rather play board games or ball with the kids. I can write later, I only have them here with me for another few years as they are teens now! Yikes!

Our son is in scouts and recently backpacked in to a remote site with his group and camped out for a night. He did very well and managed to do this with his diabetes and celiac. Our daughter is doing well in school, she needs an aide because of the Aspergers but has overcome many challenges and is assertive, self confident and loves to explore the environment

I help out at a local animal shelter too, recently cared for some orphan kittens til they were old enough to eat by themselves.

That's about it for me...

Sandy

[blueeyedmanda]

Sandy,

It sounds like you really have done a lot. It also sounds like both of your children have grown into well rounded children despite some medical obstacles they had to overcome. This is a great!

[elye]

EMILY!!!! I want you picture back. Don't want to look at some bruiser puck putter. (don't hurt me Canada - in mask).

Question from US-Southern, how many of Canadians that post here are fluent in french and what is your primary language? Just a question of interest from the land down under.

(I would love to see some of your work)

Sorry about this late response, Lisa! Wow, these great threads just take off and within a few hours there are pages and pages! I'll get my pic back up after The Ottawa Senators win the Stanley Cup...shouldn't be too long.

I am functionally bilingual, and anyone here who works for the federal government has to be pretty serviceable in both official languages. So lots of anglophones in Ottawa are bilingual. Very few out west, I would say. And I would say that most francophones in Quebec speak English. As an ESL teacher, most of my adult students over the last fifteen years have been Quebequois people, needing to fine-tune their English.

[tiredofdoctors]

Yeah, just ask Lynne what it's like when she calls my house! LMAO!

MA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave even yells that out when he thinks it's been too long since I've talked to Karen! Let's see . . . one time, the boys were fighting -- we think it's the Canadian hockey influence -- only it was ON THE STAIRS. I hear SCREAMING, and Karen says, "OMG -- I've gotta go. Call you back."

Then, each time Karen is on the phone, Conner decides that it is time to snuggle with Mommy. And snuggle and snuggle -- and wants her to get OFF the phone!

Or, someone needs a movie changed.

Or, someone needs a video game changed.

Or, someone needs a drink that is in the refrigerator.

Or, this one needs to be taken to this activity, that one needs to be taken to that activity, and this one needs to be picked up from another activity fifteen minutes after that -- but it's a 30 minute drive from one place to the other. It's a wonder she doesn't have a van-full of speeding tickets!

Do I need to go on??????!!!!!! Given that she has Celiac, I truthfully don't see how she has TIME to go to the bathroom! Much less, the Celiac bathroom curse!

Karen is AMAZING. I don't see how she does it. Seriously. She also takes care of her mother -- without the help of her siblings. (had to put that in, Karen. sorry.) What an amazing woman.

[alamaz]

Edited

[tiredofdoctors]

Every one here is so interesting! I work for a non profit raising money for our programs. We provide emergency shelter and tranistional living to women and children who are homeless due to domestic violence or other hardships. The best moment of my job was the night I volunteered for child care while the moms had a group meeting and taught two of the teenage girls how to ride a bike. They were 12 and 13 and never knew how to ride a bike. It had never occured to me that a child wouldn't know how to ride a bike.

How cool is that???? It must have made your heart feel so GOOD to teach those kids how to ride a bike. It must make you feel good, too, to know that you're working to help people who are probably SO disheartened by the time they reach your shelter.

I agree -- everyone here IS interesting. I think this is a very interesting thing. While someone said that we all tend to have science and (can't remember the other) backgrounds, by and large, most of us have an element of art within us, as well. Even the IT people are designing websites -- THAT is artistic! I think that is a really NEAT thing that I have found out about everyone. I also read about someone who now sells her watercolors -- isn't that something? And have you checked out Vydorscope's website? His photo's are out of this world! (Sorry, Vincent, couldn't resist!) On the serious side, his photos are of the constellations, planets (I believe), all taken through a telescope -- by him. He is SO creative. I need to look at his site again. Have to PM him!

I think this is a GREAT thread. Thanks for starting it, Lisa!

[Lisa]

It is fun and nice to know everyone a little bit better.

[ami27]

I am a software developer and the mom of 2 boys ages 8 & 11. My fiance is an artist and entrepreneur. He has owned his own business for over 13 years.

Ami

[corinne]

I'm originally Canadian (grew up in Calgary and went to school in Vancouver), but now live in California. I'm pretty much bilingual, but it's mostly from living in France for two years. The 12 years of French in school didn't do much good. I couldn't understand anyone when I moved to France or even read much, but I suppose I picked up the language faster than if I had never heard it.

[aikiducky]

I think the nice thing about a forum like this is that you meet so many people with totally different occupations and lives. Most of my friends are musicians that I learned to know at the conservatory, or that my husband plays with... It's really interesting to read about everybody!

I studied recorder playing (think renaissance and baroque music) and baroque flute first and the after graduating that I did a three year course to become an Alexander Technique (AT) teacher. The reason for that was that I had some wrist problems while I was studying music, and an Alexander Technique teacher at the conservatory helped me with that, and after having private lessons for a while I felt that I really couldn't teach recorder playing without knowing more about how teach my pupils to play in such a way that they wouldn't get into trouble with their bodies. A lot of musicians get things like repetitive strain injuries and stuff and it's very often preventable. So I felt I needed to do the AT teacher training to not only be able to take care of myself but to also be able to teach it to other people.

Now I have a teaching practice at home, I have more or less equal numbers of AT pupils and music pupils, some of the AT pupils are musicians but I also see lots of people with regular office jobs. I don't actually teach the AT to recorder students but I do keep an eye on how they sit and hold their instrument and so on. I absolutely love my work, all my students are really nice, and I love working at home!

My husband plays all kinds of keyboard instruments, harpsichord, piano, fortepiano and organ, he plays both early music and very contemporary music and everything between, and composes himself. You can hear him playing on some of the links on the two pages under here:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

He's had AT lessons with one of my teachers, and after I graduated, with me. He looks very well when he plays.

In my free time, apart from hanging out here, I do aikido. Something like this(this is not our dojo, just a random clip to give you an idea):

Open Original Shared Link

Pauliina

[tiredofdoctors]

Pauliina -- You are amazing!! What talent!! And, might I say, a VERY talented husband, as well. I think the idea of studying the AT then teaching is fantastic. You would not believe the kids I saw with repetitive strain injuries simply because no one taught them the correct way to hold their bodies, their instruments or even addressed strengthening in order to hold the instrument. I had to learn (quickly & the hard way) the correct playing posture of a multitude of instruments in order to teach them the correct posturing, etc. Luckily, my kids either played a lot of different instruments, or hung out with other musicians! You are so SMART to recognize the need for that and address it early-on. Of course, I'm not surprised . . . . . . . . . You are so very intelligent.

I'm all for you changing the statement! And, if you can change it to something a little more risque, even better!!!

I think you are fantastic. And, by the way, I still have your penguin card -- I keep it in a box with other special things I have received.

[tiredofdoctors]

I am a software developer and the mom of 2 boys ages 8 & 11. My fiance is an artist and entrepreneur. He has owned his own business for over 13 years.

Ami

Ami -- what type of software do you develop? I am always amazed by people who have the ability to do what you do. Again, I think it is a combination of art and science.

If it isn't intrusive, I would love to know more about what you do . . . . . . .

[Lisa]

I would love to job-shadow each and every one of you.

Let me regress 30 years:

Went to college and had fun and dad said "Nope, secretarial school for you" (does anyone even remember that term)? Then went to work for a National Political Party in DC, to remain nameless, and raised money from 90 year old widows...and quit because of it.

But every Sunday during the summer, I flew (flight crew) in a 1929 Consolidated Fleet Bi-Plane in a 90 minute airshow. What fun I had. I met my husband there who was doing an aerobatics demonstration in his Pitts Special....probably would not make any sense to you unless you know airplanes.

Married, came south, raised my daughters and did what every southern lady does...VOLUNTEER

[confused]

I would love to job-shadow each and every one of you.

Let me regress 30 years:

Went to college and had fun and dad said "Nope, secretarial school for you" (does anyone even remember that term)? Then went to work for a National Political Party in DC, to remain nameless, and raised money from 90 year old widows...and quit because of it.

But every Sunday during the summer, I flew (flight crew) in a 1929 Consolidated Fleet Bi-Plane in a 90 minute airshow. What fun I had. I met my husband there who was doing an aerobatics demonstration in his Pitts Special....probably would not make any sense to you unless you know airplanes.

Married, came south, raised my daughters and did what every southern lady does...VOLUNTEER

I am so jealous of your life. I really havent decided what i want to do when i grow up, I love being an mom but i need so much more. Hubby always tells me to volunter, but im not sure were i want to volunter.

I do have my hospice education, but i always got so attached to the people. I also did classes to be an domestic violence counselor, but i dont even know if that is still good or i would need new training. I think voluntering is the most rewarding job. of course after being a mom. lol

paula

[Glutenfreefamily]

Im a sahm now but I was a nuclear pharmacy technician before kids.

[Lisa]

Im a sahm now but I was a nuclear pharmacy technician before kids.

Being ignorant on the subject, but sound scary to me..a nuclear pharmacy tech. And what does a NPT do? Save us, I presume.

[Lisa]

I am so jealous of your life. I really havent decided what i want to do when i grow up, I love being an mom but i need so much more. Hubby always tells me to volunter, but im not sure were i want to volunter.

I do have my hospice education, but i always got so attached to the people. I also did classes to be an domestic violence counselor, but i dont even know if that is still good or i would need new training. I think voluntering is the most rewarding job. of course after being a mom. lol

paula

PAULA: With multiple degrees, you can do what ever you want. Can you spare a degree and sent it my way. It's just paper, hey, I can make it work.

[Glutenfreefamily]

Being ignorant on the subject, but sound scary to me..a nuclear pharmacy tech. And what does a NPT do? Save us, I presume.

Sounds exciting but its a pretty boring job, Basically I would draw up doses of small isotopes for hospitals for testing and treatment. I send over part of the dose for quality control, its packaged and shipped with a driver. Typical night was 350 to 499 doses throughout the state . Then downtime and the next day emergency doses are drawn and shipped. The only interesting part was once when I put the needle through my thumb and received a vacation due to me being too hot to work and the other time my shirt was reading too hot and I had to take off my shirt in the lab and just wear my lab coat home, thankfully I still felt somewhat covered up in a lab full of men lol!

Dont feel ignorant about it, Everybody usually gets a little spooked about my previous occupation especially since they have no idea its made in their city. Deliveries are the funny part. When you go into the hospital with lead containers marked biohazard nuclear materials on them nobody will ride in the elevator with you and they back away from you. Then they get a little weird and are in shock they have nuclear chemicals in a hospital.

[Lisa]

Sounds exciting but its a pretty boring job, Basically I would draw up doses of small isotopes for hospitals for testing and treatment. I send over part of the dose for quality control, its packaged and shipped with a driver. Typical night was 350 to 499 doses throughout the state . Then downtime and the next day emergency doses are drawn and shipped. The only interesting part was once when I put the needle through my thumb and received a vacation due to me being too hot to work and the other time my shirt was reading too hot and I had to take off my shirt in the lab and just wear my lab coat home, thankfully I still felt somewhat covered up in a lab full of men lol!

Wow, you mean there is a world out there other than my small circle. Light bulb... Cancer patients.?

[Glutenfreefamily]

Wow, you mean there is a world out there other than my small circle. Light bulb... Cancer patients.?

Most of it is testing but some are cancer patients. For cancer its mostly iodine (I-131) for thyroid cancer. Iodine is also used for graves disease, goiter, and hyperthyroidism.

[gfmolly]

Hi,

I'm really a newbie....but I've learned alot from all of you thus far. My bloodwork has come back normal twice but I am certain that this is my issue since I feel great when I am Gluten-free Casein-free! Anyway, I am a high school band teacher. It is alot of fun. I have two boys ages 3 and 6. Can't wait for summer to work on getting healthy and try my hand at SAHM for the summer!

Terri

[tiredofdoctors]

tcat -- Welcome!!! Band Teachers ROCK!! (Can you tell I'm the mom of two musical kids?!!) You guys have a hard job -- not to mention the fact that, if you teach band to younger kids, you a) have the patience of a saint and have a high pain-tolerance! Those squeaks and squawks were worth it now, when I listen, but back in the early days . . . . like fingernails on a blackboard!!!

Welcome to the forum . . . you won't find a better group of people!

(((((((hugs)))))))

Lynne

[blueeyedmanda]

Hi tcat!!

Welcome to the board. I miss working with young children. I used to be a daycare teacher years ago.

[aikiducky]

Lynne thank you for the kind words. I'm very proud of my husband (could anybody tell? )

I agree band teachers rock! I only ever teach two kids at a time and even then I try to get them to come separately if I possibly can! I've had groups of up to eight kids before (I used to substitute teach at music schools) and, well, I love the recorder but eight of them in inexperienced hands...wince...

Momma Goose, you can't just tell us that you used to do flight shows like it's nothing! That's really cool!

I was once in a small airplane that had space for four people... I was sitting next to the pilot to his left, and I had a much too good view forward and to the sides and DOWN every time he had to turn left and cant the plane that way...it was a sightseeing kinda flight, so we flew around over the town and admired the view, and towards the end the pilot said carefully, glancing at me, "usually at this point a do a couple loops, but I think you guys don't want that?"... :lol:

Pauliina

[confused]

PAULA: With multiple degrees, you can do what ever you want. Can you spare a degree and sent it my way. It's just paper, hey, I can make it work.

Yes i can, which one do you want

paula