Saturday, June 25, 2011

Proud to be a New Yorker!!!!




We always make the best history!!!!!!


I was so happy to hear that the marriage equality bill was passed.


That is all :)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Friday blanks




1. The last thing I ate was chicken nuggets. I didn't want to go to MickeyD's but DS and I needed time to kill while I waited for my paycheck at work.

2. The next thing I'd like to eat is something salad-y and healthy after that lunch. We'll probably grill tonight for dinner.

3. The best things in life are free. I'm stealing this from the original blogger of this post. Smiles, hugs, love, laughter, jokes and just genuine kindness, care and concern are ALL free!

4. Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is hot yoga and ice cream.


5. Sports are not my thang at all.


6. I miss my life when I was single and fancy-free. The grass is definitely greener some days ;).


7. Right now I am enjoying some quiet Mommy time while DS naps :)

Happy weekend all!!!

Feeling overwhelmed

It's been a rough week.

I am starting to feel extremely overwhelmed in my new role.

We have been getting a ton of new referrals and I don't know where to begin with prioritizing whose plan is most important to write.

I also still carry a small caseload, however, they are some very challenging people, who take up a large chunk of my time.

My bosses got on my nerves yesterday (to put it mildly!) with some last minute expectations they were trying to force me to do. No "would you mind doing this?" No "I know it's after hours and everything", just "You MUST do this. You HAVE to".

No pleases and no thank yous.

I didn't end up doing what they were demanding I do...........they got another person to do it since she was already in the area.

There's still some shady stuff going on related to this case they want to take on too which is not making anyone happy. And I kinda feel like my supervisors are turning a blind eye to it because the case brings in a lot of money.

My co-worker called me late last night to vent about it.

It's been rough all around.

I keep telling myself though to think about the end results: It will eventually benefit the client when services are in place.

It's just dealing with all the crap in between though that is rough.

Friday, June 17, 2011

It's just a Facebook status but...........

I think it's still some good food for thought.............


‎15 year old girl holds hands with her 1 year old son. People call her a slut. No one knows she was raped at 13.

People call a girl fat. No one knows she has a serious disease which causes her to be over weight.


People call an old man ugly. No one knows he had a serious injury to his face while fighting for our country in the war.


Re-post this if you are against bullying and stereotyping. 95% of you wont.


Related to the above, I am sure there are lots more we can come up with too. I work with the brain injured, and TBI is called the unseen disability, because you can't usually tell by just looking at a person that there is an issue. Many of my clients are treated poorly though because of their cognitive impairments when interacting with the general public.

Even family and helping providers get frustrated with them for things they can no longer help because of their brain disability.

What is a stereotype that you can think of that has impacted you or a client negatively?

Or how have you or a client been affected by a bullying situation?

Fill in the Blanks



1. The last movie I saw was ???????? it really is a shame that I cannot remember. Probably something cheesy on Lifetime. Last theatre movie though was Black Swan.

2. I want to take a long, hot shower right about now.


3. Surprises are not really my thing. I am not a surprises kind of girl. For both personal and work. I think I have issues with wanting to be in control ;). I also HATE being the center of attention so surprise parties really make me uncomfy.


4. The best accessory is A SMILE!!!!! It is SO true that a smile is such a little thing, however, it can really brighten anyone's day.



5. My favorite warm drink is sipping green tea in my backyard in the late afternoon.


6. My favorite cold drink is water with lotsa ice, flavored with either fresh lemon or lime after an intense hot yoga session.


7. Currently loving the fact that it is Friday and payday even though my check is already spent on bills :).

It's Friday, time to reflect

It's been another crazy week in Socialworkerland.

Some of the things I have dealt with:

1.) Crazy client hospitalization, with a promise of admission, then a discharge a couple hours later, because POOF! All was suddenly well......
2.) Joint visit with APS with same client.
3.) Was able to obtain emergency approval for 24 hour coverage for above client (something that is practically unheard of last minute). Note: Following up on this ONE client probably filled a good 3 days of my week ;).
4.) Financially secured an apartment for a new client, thanks to his natural support.
5.) Comforted a new colleague who feels ready to quit due to being in new position, with little training, isolated in an office far away with almost no support. (Came up with the idea that she can work with me one day a week when the nurse who shares my office is off).
6.) I got another challenging client a last minute psych appointment.
7.) Set up another intake for a potential new case.
8.) Was accused of changing/forging documentation by a long-time colleague. Fortunately, I have mucho documentation so nothing should ever come from this. Note to all social workers: Keep track of EVERYTHING you do. Save ALL, even if it seems unimportant. This situation stems from something that occured a YEAR ago.

BTW, I never made it down to DSS this week to begin my one-shot-deals because I still haven't received the proof of income for one of my people. Makes me suspect she may not have gotten SSI yet.............which will probably cause her to lose the apartment I found if I don't receive this documentation in the next couple of days. For another guy, I will go this coming week.

On a personal note, some things that have been happening:

My son, who is 2 1/2 has started to refuse to go to bed at night. He also comes into my bad in the wee hours of the morning. He thinks it's funny, and a game. I would probably be a bad social worker for kids, because my first thought regarding this behavior was that we should just put a lock on the outside of his door!

I made it through my personal goal of attending FOUR hot yoga classes this week. (I am hoping to go tonight to make it a FIVER if DH gets home in time from work).

I also started journal writing again. Nothing significant, but I have been doing this in the morning to reflect before my days get crazy.


How was YOUR week?

Have a GREAT weekend everyone :)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Weekly recap

So it was a pretty quiet, yet busy past few days for me this week in Socialworkerland.

I have been working on getting some upcoming discharges for nursing home clients moving.

Interviewed with another potential client. I am pretty sure she will be signing up to work with our agency, but wanted to meet with another provider as a courtesy.

I finished several Initial Service Plans which is always a huge big project.

Working with a new broker who has been a huge help in locating housing in an area that is hard to find apartments for my people.

Also been dealing with the usual client crisis moments.

I have started to work with Adult Protective Services (APS) for one case. I requested setting up a joint visit next week with our lady, and the worker asked if we could show up unannounced.

This is something I try to avoid with many of my people if at all possible.

Our client is already pissed off that APS has been called, I want to try to salvage our working relationship as much as possible by giving her the heads up that we are planning to visit.

Next week I have to go down to the lovely local Department of Social Services office to begin the process of applying for a "one-shot-deal" for emergency assistance for one of my clients coming out of the nursing home in a few weeks.

Today is my Friday work from home day, and so far it's been pretty quiet. It's only 9:30 in the morning though. Usually the action occurs later in the day on Fridays!

What have you been up to this week in Socialworkerland?

Anything interesting coming up? (Well, that you are planning for that is LOL ;)

Friday, June 3, 2011

My Happys from this week

1.) Work was only 3 days (although I work from home today, it's my chill day).

2.) Warm, sunny weather has returned every single day.

3.) I have some solid leads on apartments for a couple of people I have been trying to bring out of the nursing home.

4.) What could have been a major problem at work this week for one client, ended up working itself out randomly yesterday, and I really didn't have to do anything.

5.) Our new nephew was born on Wednesday morning. Saw him for the first time yesterday and made me realize how big and grown up MY son has become.

There's more too, I am sure, but these are the major ones.


What are some of your HAPPYS from this week for either social work or personal?