What’s New

Hi everyone, I haven’t posted in a while. Why? Well for starters I have been BUSY, and secondly, WordPress changed it’s editor and I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to try and figure out how to “post” a blog. Or at least a blog of the same caliber of my previous endeavors.

Back when I would post here regularly, I was very detailed with my posts and images. I proof-read, and took a lot of time curating the subjects I posted about.

I miss keeping this blog up as to showcases a side of me I don’t often get to dig into, my more formal writing side.

So I mentioned I was busy. SO what is keeping me so busy. Life right? Three kids, keeping up the house, marriage, community volunteering and advocacy.

While my children were little I was active in Early Childhood Family Education, and I sat on their Parent Advisory Committee for 6 or 7 years I believe. (I honestly lost track.)

While being on the Homecroft ECFE PAC and as their rep to the Saint Paul ECFE “All-City” PAC, I learned a TON. I learned about writing agendas, Robert’s Rules, stacking, consensus voting, collaborative timelines, delegation, etc…

It was fun to apply my skills as a RN to this different framework and learn the “culture” of grassroots “non-profit” committee work. I have some formal hospital committee experience, but is was formatted much differently, much more hierarchical top down. I was my unit rep (where I just needed to provide a nurse report from our unit)  and a member of an evidence based practice policy committee where we were collating evidence regarding aroma therapy for our integrative care to write hospital policy to guide nurses in safe usage of E.O.s at bedside. I also did nurse clinical research, where I did chart audits for certain variables regarding PICCs and “locking” practices, to see if saline could maintain line patency vs heparin. To decrease the amount of Heparin our patients were receiving and also looking at incidence of HIT syndrome.  (This was about 11 years ago before I had Amelia and around the time our hospital decided to lay off our clinical nurse specialist so thus my research ended.)

Once Zoey aged out, and I was staying home,  I started to focus my committee work elsewhere. Last year I joined the Highland District Council’s Transportation committee, because I was getting fed up with almost getting hit crossing the street to use the bus. This year I ran and was elected to the Highland District Council and currently sit on their engagement committee, and am going to be a member of their Equity Taskforce.  In  addition my friend Erin and I started a waste-reduction advocacy group called, “Zero Waste Saint Paul.” I also started the Expo Green Team at my kids’ elementary school, to help provide a sustainability focus to the school and help the edible garden. After winter break the Green Team will be starting a milk carton recycling pilot during their Breakfast to-go.
(Breath)
This spring I also became a Master Recycler Composter through Dakota County, a program we hope to bring to Saint Paul.

Testified at a senate committee hearing at the state level regarding sustainable to go packaging and public health.

AND I am a coordinating committee member for the Saint Paul Green Party. (Which is not really much of a time commitment at this point as the party is restructuring.)

I don’t know where this all is going to lead me, but I am remaining open to opportunities as they present themselves, and trying to be as prepared for those opportunities as they arise.

I have been networking very heavily, and working to make professional connections everywhere I go. As I know it isn’t as much about what you know, but who you know.

As this year is rounding it’s corner I am looking forward to planning ahead and being more focused. Zoey is now in pre-K 5 days a week, and Preschool 2 days a week. I want to be really efficient and more effective in 2019.

Work smarter not harder.

I am also working on things being good enough and not needing to be perfect. So I am not going to proof-read this post prior to posting.

I hope you all are having a amazing holiday season with your friends and family.

Talk to you later Kristina

PS. this blog is going to be taking a little bit of a different turn. Stay tuned.