Okay, I'm sorry I am going to rant about this a moment. I know jobs are scarce right now and I think it really sucks that good people can't get good jobs. When thousands of people stand in line trying to get one of only 35 firefighter jobs available, you know it's tough. I'm sure most of them were qualified too -but just couldn't find work.
But here's a question....with so many people needing jobs, why is it that some companies feel the need to keep incompetent workers?? I mean have you ever been to a store and the store clerk just didn't know their job or wasn't able to help you at all or even worse yet, were rude and unhelpful?! I am all for on the job training and I will give anyone a chance to learn and correct their mistakes, but I personally think that in an economy like what we have now and with the unemployment rates as high as they are...wouldn't that just make you want to do better and work harder?! It does me!
I'll give you an example....a silly one, but one none-the-less....I drove through McDonalds the other day to grab food for my family. As part of my order, I asked for 2 chicken nuggets kids meals, one with Dr. Pepper and one with Apple Juice. I also asked for a Quarter Pounder combo w/no onions and an Extra Large Iced Tea. First the guy said they couldn't give me an extra large - I told them yes, he could (it would just cost a little more) and that they do it all the time. (I know as my husband likes the extra large iced tea.) Then he said okay, he could do it. I noticed he put on the order screen that I wanted a chocolate milk on one of the kids' meals and that I wanted extra onions on the Quarter Pounder. I corrected him and said I wanted a Dr. Pepper and NO onions. He said, "Yah, yah". I said I want to ensure it is corrected because I don't want to get up to the window and be handed the wrong order. He replied, "Yes, yes, it will be correct."
Well.....can you guess what happened? Yes, my order was wrong. I got up to the window and they handed me an apple juice and a chocolate milk and were about to give me the burger with extra onions. I said sorry, that's not what I ordered. I then asked if I could speak to the manager and told her what happened. She apologized and they worked on getting me what I had actually ordered. (So not only did the guy not correct what he said he would, but he caused his co-workers to have to re-do the order they had already prepared.) The manager and other worker were friendly, quickly corrected the order and apologized for the other employee.
But here's what I don't understand....why keep someone like that? Why keep someone who was rude and created extra work for his fellow employees. I could understand if it was his first time and he corrected his mistake, but based on his attitude, he didn't seem to care. I would think he would care....with all the people needing jobs out there, why should he be kept?
It's something for people to think about. I would think people would want to learn fast and do a great job, no matter what the job. I sure do! Sorry....just had a rant a moment there.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Dogs and kids
I'm a big fan of kids having dogs. Not only does having a dog at an early age apparently help kids not grow up with dog/animal allergies, but I think having a dog does wonders for a kid's personality and helps them learn how to love, respect and care for animals.
We have had a boxer/chow mix for 6 years, he's our first "kid". Before my daughter was born, we ensured we had set up her room, let him sniff her blankets, sleep in her room (which used to be a home office for me) and also had friends bring over their small kids so he would get used to that new baby smell. I even held friend's babies while paying attention to our dog at the same time, so he knew even if I was holding a baby, I wasn't going to leave him out.
When my daughter was born, we brought back a t-shirt and blanket she used in the hospital (before she even came home) so that our dog would get used to her smell. Then when she came home, I sat down with her and let our dog sniff her, let him look at her and let him snuggle up on the couch next to me like he usually did, so that he wouldn't get jealous of the new baby.
We continued to do that as she got older and our dog was always great with her. She was so used to having him around that sometimes she would sleep through him barking at whoever came to our door. When she would cry, he would whine and pace until I figured out what she needed and got her happy again. When she started to crawl he would slowly follow her and see what she was doing and look after her. When she started to walk, she would sometimes hold onto him and use him to help her stable herself - all the while he would stand there very patiently and wait.
Nowadays, she loves him very much and helps to take care of him. If his food bowl is low, she goes and fills it up. If he needs water, she lets me know so I can fill his water dish. She puts a blanket on him if he is laying down so "he doesn't get cold". She has even helped teach her little brother how to interact with the dog eg no pulling his ears, nice pat-pats, don't chase him around (although she doesn't always follow that one herself...lol), etc.
All I know is our family loves dogs and we wouldn't even think of not having a dog for them to grow up with. Our dog is part of the family and I really think having a dog helps our kids learn how to properly treat, care for and love animals.
We have had a boxer/chow mix for 6 years, he's our first "kid". Before my daughter was born, we ensured we had set up her room, let him sniff her blankets, sleep in her room (which used to be a home office for me) and also had friends bring over their small kids so he would get used to that new baby smell. I even held friend's babies while paying attention to our dog at the same time, so he knew even if I was holding a baby, I wasn't going to leave him out.
When my daughter was born, we brought back a t-shirt and blanket she used in the hospital (before she even came home) so that our dog would get used to her smell. Then when she came home, I sat down with her and let our dog sniff her, let him look at her and let him snuggle up on the couch next to me like he usually did, so that he wouldn't get jealous of the new baby.
We continued to do that as she got older and our dog was always great with her. She was so used to having him around that sometimes she would sleep through him barking at whoever came to our door. When she would cry, he would whine and pace until I figured out what she needed and got her happy again. When she started to crawl he would slowly follow her and see what she was doing and look after her. When she started to walk, she would sometimes hold onto him and use him to help her stable herself - all the while he would stand there very patiently and wait.
Nowadays, she loves him very much and helps to take care of him. If his food bowl is low, she goes and fills it up. If he needs water, she lets me know so I can fill his water dish. She puts a blanket on him if he is laying down so "he doesn't get cold". She has even helped teach her little brother how to interact with the dog eg no pulling his ears, nice pat-pats, don't chase him around (although she doesn't always follow that one herself...lol), etc.
All I know is our family loves dogs and we wouldn't even think of not having a dog for them to grow up with. Our dog is part of the family and I really think having a dog helps our kids learn how to properly treat, care for and love animals.
Ways to entertain your kids in the car
I have two kids, a 3-year old and an 11-month old (who just started walking), and I'm always looking for ways to entertain them. They both are full of energy and love to be kept active. When we are riding in the car, rather than "plug them in" to a DVD player or something, I do simple things to help entertain them and I thought I would share:
1) My daughter LOVES trains and so we are always on the lookout for trains. Doesn't matter what kind, it can be a Metro train or Amtrak or whatever. But I always take a few moments to stop at train tracks or wait a moment to see if a train will go by so she can see it, etc. My son loves to watch anything and everything.
2) Another thing we look for are buses. She calls out when she spots a bus, tells me the color (eg red, orange, blue, etc) and whether it is a big bus or not. She particularly likes school buses and can't wait to start going to school and be able to ride a school bus soon. :)
3) Another thing we do is I got a children's song CD and we play it in the car. My daughter loves to sing and have me sing along with her. Her favorite songs (surprise, surprise) are Wheels on the Bus and ABCs. My son loves to listen to my daughter sing - in fact whenever he is a little fussy, she starts singing the ABCs and it calms him right down.
I'm sure many moms (and dads) do similar things, but I just wanted to share some of the things I do to entertain my kids in the car.
1) My daughter LOVES trains and so we are always on the lookout for trains. Doesn't matter what kind, it can be a Metro train or Amtrak or whatever. But I always take a few moments to stop at train tracks or wait a moment to see if a train will go by so she can see it, etc. My son loves to watch anything and everything.
2) Another thing we look for are buses. She calls out when she spots a bus, tells me the color (eg red, orange, blue, etc) and whether it is a big bus or not. She particularly likes school buses and can't wait to start going to school and be able to ride a school bus soon. :)
3) Another thing we do is I got a children's song CD and we play it in the car. My daughter loves to sing and have me sing along with her. Her favorite songs (surprise, surprise) are Wheels on the Bus and ABCs. My son loves to listen to my daughter sing - in fact whenever he is a little fussy, she starts singing the ABCs and it calms him right down.
I'm sure many moms (and dads) do similar things, but I just wanted to share some of the things I do to entertain my kids in the car.
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