Mom 2 Gab 'n Nat

2012 Starting Swell

2012-01-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

I'm starting off the new year on a positive note so far, and I like it! I was asked to start subbing in the office at school, which means a substantial raise on those days I sub versus the days I work recess. :) So far this month, we've only had 4 days of school each week, which saves on gas! (2 were planned days off, one a snow day). I'm back into my fitness routine which is good for me as I was out of control for the Christmas season. Oh, and I already finished my taxes!!

One down side is that someone is trying to slander the rescue owner that we volunteer for. I totally understand that not everybody is going to love her and sing her praises, but my gosh, the effort that goes in to bad-mouthing and trying to put a person down should be better put to positive efforts elsewhere in the community. I have a suspicion that it is coming from a different rescue in town, and to that I say, aren't we all doing rescue for the same reason -- to save the lives of unwanted shelter animals?? Why does it have to be a competition??? Some people just can't see past their own reflection in the mirror.

Check out this Instant Win Game I'm participating in...

2011-12-31T17:29:00.000-05:00

Check out this Instant Win Game I'm participating in...

White-ish Christmas

2011-12-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

Wishing a very merry Christmas to everyone reading this. I am sitting here with a sleeping hubby on the couch and 2 satisfied girls upstairs playing with their new sock monkey's, Webkinz, and Justin Bieber dolls. Unwrapping this year took a mere 10 minutes I think, and I wonder why do I spend hours wrapping it all up?

We got a Christmas miracle of sorts on the night of the 23rd, SNOW! Too bad most of it melted on the 24th but there are still some patches of white out there, and that's what matters most to look like Christmas.

I hope everyone has a blessed day with family and friends sharing and making memories today and the rest of 2011!

Christmas Countdown

2011-12-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

I still cannot get into the spirit. It's so hard with no snow. We've only had a dusting and the news says the average for December is around 19". I can't believe we haven't even had an inch yet! As for shopping, that isn't even happening until Friday night since hub's bonus is a week later this year. Not really complaining though since it is larger than last Christmas (which went towards the down payment on the van).

Here's hoping we survive the marathon shopping on Friday though. The kids and I will be getting all the food from Costco and Meijer (along with a few last minute presents) then DH and I will drop kiddo's to grandma for the night and we'll shop for them then come home and assemble and wrap. Maybe there will be some sleeping sometime after that. :) Christmas eve, he will take the kids to get something for ME and then we always go to a movie and to IHOP (thank goodness for SCRIP, I already have those paid for with gift cards).

It's (not) Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

December 6 should have me in the Christmas mood, but not yet. No snow on the ground makes it hard to feel like Fa la la la la. It's cold enough though. I freeze my keester every day working. I know what's being added to my Christmas list along with a Kindle - a long, warm, winter coat or some snow pants.

We walked in the Santa Parade last weekend with school and Girl Scouts, but it was in the rain. Hard to welcome Santa when it's wet instead of white.

A break from break

2011-11-27T11:07:00.000-05:00

5 days seems long enough to have everyone home! I'm ready for a "normal" day tomorrow when the kids go back to school and my one day off. I don't do anything remotely exciting, but it is a day I don't have to deal with my kids fighting or making messes between the hours of 8am and 3:30pm. Heaven!!

Thanksgiving went very well and was very delicious. I don't plan to step back on the scale until January 2. LOL I figure I want to enjoy life and there isn't all this good cooking the rest of the year normally so might as well live it up for a month.

On a food note, I LOVE the Candy Cane Hershey Kisses and have already plowed through 2 bags of them. I also found Pillsbury Peppermint Cookie Dough and will be making some of those today after the kids finish their chores. I hope they are delish because I bought 3 tubes of them (froze 2 for later) since they are limited availability.

Fall Back

2011-11-05T18:20:00.002-04:00

Changing the clocks in the fall is so bittersweet. In one way, I am glad I won't be driving to school in the black darkness in the mornings. I am sad it will now be dark at dinner time though. I love when it is light at night, but starting tomorrow it will be dark around 6. :( I guess all we need now is snow!

BOOO!

2011-10-31T13:49:00.001-04:00

Did I scare you?
Happy Halloween!

You're Kidding Me

2011-10-23T12:06:00.000-04:00

About 3 weeks ago, Nat fell in the basement and landed head first onto the floor (from about 3 feet off the ground). We had her take it easy all day and kept an eye on her, but I decided I better give the on-call nurse at the ped's office a call to find out what to watch for at bedtime. After answering her questions, she said she needed to consult with the dr. She called us back after a few minutes and said Dr. said to go to ER right away.

Off to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital we went. We were fast tracked and got right in, though they weren't busy anyway and we would have gotten right in. After waiting in the room for an hour, we were finally seen by the PA who just checked a couple of things with her and did a couple of balance tests. She said she didn't suspect a concussion and gave us instructions for the week (basically no gym, keep calm, etc) to let her brain heal from being shook up a little.

Fast forward 2 weeks and we get our insurance statement (which of course they won't cover, it all has to go toward deductible). The ER is charging over $600 for "first aid care" and the PA bill came a couple of days later and is nearly $200 for 10 minutes of her asking a few questions and doing a balance and jump test. I can't wait to get the actual bill from the hospital to see what $600 of "first aid care" really is. She didn't even change into a gown, there were no scans done, no bandaid, NOTHING done except basic triage, which I can do most of that myself. To say I'm pissed right now is putting it mildly and there will be phone calls made when I do get the actual itemized bill. She wasn't even given a blanket or pillow!!!!!

Finally, Fall

2011-10-17T12:36:00.000-04:00

After having 80 degree days earlier this month, it now finally feels like fall. The downside to the cooler temps is that now the cats don't get many opportunities to go lay on the front porch in the sun. That leads to some cranky kitties!

We are back up to 6 cats in the house - 3 are fosters. All 3 are black and white - one tuxedo, one like a cow, and one all white except for a very small spot of black by her ear. It's sad when they get overlooked at the rescue adoption events and I have to stuff them back in the carriers and bring them back home. Don't get me wrong, they are awesome animals and we all love them, but the longer we have them, the more they and us get attached.

Everyday I'm Shufflin'

2011-09-20T21:40:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I love the Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO and look forward to Zumba every week to get my groove on to it. hehe

It also sums up my life so far this whole month of September. School started on the 6th and I have hardly had a chance to sit since! I work Tues-Friday, volunteer usually at least 2 of those days too, and the last 2 weeks have had things going on 3 nights a week. It's amazing anyone in our house has any clean clothes to wear! I have time to throw in a load in the morning and hope I remember to put it in the dryer between dropping kids off, working, and picking kids back up from school.

I also have been busy every weekend with the animal rescue trying to save as many pets as we can from death at a shelter. Tonight was a great night and someone came over to look at one of my fosters (who he will be adopting at the end of the week) and is considering adopting a 2nd of my fosters!! Caesar has only been here for a month, and he is the for sure. Oreo we've had since April and it's time for that little buddy to find his own place. My big boy Marco will probably never go, even though my husband thinks he is a bully and needs to get a home quickly. He really isn't, he just gets fed up with one of my personal cats constantly following him and staying about a foot away, and then staring at him. This is a daily ritual and has been since Marco got here in June, the poor guy.

Time to shuffle along now and enjoy the rest of September. October looks just as busy with Girl Scouts starting up, and silly me, I went to a book fair volunteer meeting at school Monday morning and ended up on 2 committees. How do I get myself in these situations??

Falling into place

2011-08-25T11:17:00.000-04:00

It is not often that I can say that, and I really hope I didn't just jinx myself! Jeff's car repair came in at about 1/2 of what we put our maximum budget for it (since the car is old and paid off, we put a cap on how much was worth putting into it to fix it up). My treadmill is nearly sold (the buyer is paying for it today and picking it up tomorrow or Saturday). Now we will have cash to pay when we go outlet shopping over Labor Day weekend! Hooray!! Love it when things work out a little better than we he hoped, especially since we usually prepare for the worst when things go wrong in our house.

Leather Seats? OK

2011-08-21T15:29:00.000-04:00

I wasn't sure how I'd like the leather seats when we got our "new to us" van back at Christmastime, but I can say that there have been several times I'm glad we have them. The butt warmer is amazing in the winter, but burning my butt in the summer when it's been sitting in the sun is not so amazing.

Yesterday while packing up at the animal adoption event, I left the windows down a bit because I had 2 cats in there (don't worry, it was cloudy and not that warm out). We had a family coming back to finalize the adoption of Sharif (see my previous post about the Shar Pei) and then we could leave. We knew a storm was coming so we got things packed in record time. Before the family got back, the storm rolled in. Since the dog isn't a fan of rain (and I'm not a fan of lightening) I took him inside TSC to wait for his new family. In the meantime, my car windows were still opened a bit (about 2 inches) for the cats to have fresh air. Then, it downpoured. By the time papers were signed and the adoption fee handed over, my car got thoroughly soaked! I had to run through the parking lot barefoot because it was ankle deep water, and jump into my van. All the way home, each time I turned a corner, water dripped out of my dash onto my feet. I hope I didn't ruin anything. At least the seats were easier to dry than cloth though!

PS: The adoption didn't work out and the dog came back to us after only 4 hours. :( Sharif played a little too rough for their smaller Shih Tzu dog. I hope my buddy gets a forever family soon!

Tough Job

2011-08-16T20:20:00.000-04:00

Rescuing is a hard job with hard decisions to be made. Kasse is a sweet girl locked in a local shelter. Our rescue owner was lining up a foster home for her so we could pull her. She went to visit her and ran a heartworm test, which came back positive. Unless we can come up with the $800-1000 for the treatment, this beautiful girl will be put down.

Fur to Feathers Rescue ("like" us on Facebook) has kicked off a donation campaign to save Kasse. Our goal is to raise $1000 by August 31 to get this girl the treatment she needs so we can give her the life she deserves.

Payments can be made through Paypal to jjcook98@yahoo.com or by mail to Fur to Feathers Kasse Fund, ‎3381 3 Mile RD NE, Grand Rapids, 49525.

Back to School

2011-08-08T17:15:00.000-04:00

It's that wallet draining time of year once again...time for BTS shopping. Luckily my kids have a TON of clothes from shopping clearance racks, garage sales, and hand me downs. So far I've only had to buy a bunch of classroom supplies, but have been carefully watching the sales to try to catch some of the good deals. Yesterday we hit Target and Office Max and today was Staples. The only other thing I think we need is shoes, but I plan to go outlet shopping and also have a GC and coupon for Payless to get that stuff. Kids are so stinkin' expensive! :)

3 Kittens and a Puppy

2011-07-30T18:47:00.002-04:00

Overall, we had a successful adoption event today for Fur to Feathers Rescue. 3 kittens found their forever homes and one puppy was also adopted. We had 4 different families that came out specifically to look at Sharif (aka Pancake) but one gal decided on her own that she would like to start fostering first, one man didn't want a home visit done (red flag there), another one is thinking between him and one of our puppies, and I can't remember what happened to the other.

Unfortunately, Sharif came back home with me for the night. We are going to another event tomorrow so maybe we'll get some leads then. I won't be able to take him but one of our volunteers will be picking him up and bringing him. He is so tired out from today's event that after he ate, he flopped down and has been sleeping ever since (with one potty break). He is such a good boy but we need to be picky about where he goes because he is such a special dog. We want to make sure he will be treated like a family member, and not just a dog who is tossed outside all day all alone.

Doggies!

2011-07-29T11:15:00.003-04:00

We are fostering the cutest Shar-Pei boy right now! He is such a good dog, knows his basic commands, and is great with the kids. He is very curious about the cats, and they HATE him, haha. He just got fixed yesterday so the urge to mark is still in him. I'm trying to give him a bit more freedom in the house and he promptly marked the laundry basket in the hall and then the dehumidifier downstairs (I blocked the way to the basement now). He is going to make a fabulous addition to someones family. Natalie said he is the perfect addition to our family, but Jeff says NO, and I know he is right. We just are not cut out to be dog owners, but fostering from time to time is fun. Here's to hoping "Pancake" gets adopted soon!

Back in the Swing of things

2011-06-23T07:50:00.002-04:00

BUSY, and that doesn't even cover the half of it! I thought summer vacation was supposed to be, well, vacation. I have been busier than ever since school got out on June 10. I am now co-director for GS Day Camp due to the other one backing out very last minute. Things that should have been done several months ago weren't and we are scrambling to get everything done and ready for camp in 3 weeks. EEK!

I'm also trying to keep up with my diet and workout program, but that has taken an odd turn as well since Thing 2 broke my toe yesterday. I still managed to run 2 miles and even shaved 4 seconds off my first mile. HooRah! I don't know if I will post a loss next week at fit test or not, but as long as I maintain I will be happy.

Our newest venture since February has been with Fur To Feathers Rescue (http://www.furtofeathersrescue.org). Today is supposed to be the start of our fundraising yard sale but Mother Nature is trying to foil those plans. Rain, rain, go away.

Swag, Baby

2010-10-19T08:43:00.003-04:00

So, I've decided to finally join SwagBucks to earn points for searching the web. I've resisted long enough. In my first day I got up to 72 points! I only need 450 for each $5 Amazon code I want, so it should prove to be fairly lucrative for earning a little towards Christmas and birthday gifts. I also have a ton of MyPoints to cash in too towards Christmas. Yay for free gifts! If you are interested in signing up for either, you can join SB by clicking on the widget to the right, or send me a message for MyPoints and I'll send you the link.

The worst chore ever

2010-05-17T09:41:00.002-04:00

I have finally discovered what the worst household chore EVER is. It is power washing wood siding. What A Mess! We're prepping the house to repaint it soon (hopefully it will be done in 2 weeks). Even though we tarped 10 feet out from the house, I was still digging through the yard picking up paint chips that flew off from the pressure of the washer. Now we just have to wait for the house to dry. It looks terrible right now, but I'm hoping to start priming this weekend. That will at least make it look a tiny bit better.

Long time, no blog

2010-04-06T13:49:00.002-04:00

Life sure did get busy and out of control starting in January. I started working 2 days a week along with volunteering 2 other days during the week. That leaves me with one day to get laundry done and have some time for ME. Girl Scouts and now basketball practice and games have also taken up 3 evenings a week. I don't even have much time for Tupperware anymore, but I am staying active so any orders are welcome and appreciated. I don't even remember when the last traditional in-home party was that I did. I have a book party and fundraiser going right now and also keep up with my monthly vendor group too. Whew, I have a love/hate relationship with being this busy. I love that the kids are taking an interest in being more involved in after school activities, and it gets Gabby in with a better group of friends than some of her other so-called friends (who regularly were a part of her getting in trouble for behavior).

End of a year, End of a decade.

2009-12-28T18:32:00.002-05:00

I must admit that I am not too sad to say goodbye to 2009. It wasn't the kindest year for our family. The brightest spot was Jeff landing a permanent job. While we're so very thankful for that, we are still deep in debt and being hounded by collectors from the 12 months he was un and under employed. Here's to hoping 2010 is a better year for us financially.

Saying goodbye to a decade that has had so very many changes for us. 2000 brought the birth of Gabby. 2002 we purchased our first house. 2003 we welcomed Natalie and 3 of our 4 cats. It has definitely been a decade of additions and life changing events. I look forward to the next decade and hope we can be as blessed in our family.

Brrrrr.

2009-12-09T15:01:00.002-05:00

It's officially a blizzard out there, and it is forecast to be one for the next 24+ hours. 2nd snow day of the season for the kids today and I am almost 100% positive there will be another one tomorrow too. I've spent the morning shoveling the slush from overnight before it could refreeze and make a chunky mess at the end of the driveway. I expect several inches (or feet??) to shovel by the morning too. Welcome to winter (and it is still technically fall for another week or so).

Poor Blog

2009-11-03T11:58:00.001-05:00

Oh, poor little blog. Someday soon I'll hopefully remember to update you on a more frequent basis. You must feel so neglected. ;)

I Can't Believe It

2009-09-04T23:12:00.002-04:00

Another school year starts on Tuesday! Seriously, what happened to summer? I must have blinked and missed it. I look forward to the start of the school year and I don't. It means time to myself, but it also means being by myself. It means my girls are growing up, but then again, it means my girls are growing up too fast. Natalie will be in school all day now. I hope I can keep it together on the first day of school. Kindergarten was a little tough but I think 1st grade might be a little harder since I won't see her until 3:15. I also have Gabby who is starting to grow and change (and ask LOTS of questions every day).

We've had a murderer in our house too. Scratches found it necessary to end the lives of a bird and a mouse this week and last week. The mouse I can handle, better she get it outside than it make its way inside. I wish she'd leave the birds alone though, or that they would fly higher. :)

Almost Done

2009-08-09T10:09:00.003-04:00

With BTS shopping that is. Gabby needs 1 more notebook and another pair of jeans, then I just need the classroom basics for donation - tissue, paper towel, band aids. I still need to get them winter boots but those can wait a couple months.

Speaking of winter, today we are finally getting a taste of real summer - hot, sunny, humid, and in the 90s. Ahhhhhhh.....yucky! I think it is only supposed to last 2 days, then a short break, then back to summer again. I just might have to get out the pool for the kids, but that would require I mow, which I don't want to do in the heat. The slip n slide sprung a big leak so that is shot for the summer. Maybe I'll go invest in a new sprinkler for the kids and see if that tides them over.

Why Me?

2009-08-05T12:08:00.002-04:00

I seem to have this thought go through my mind on a daily basis. Why is my life so shitty? Why are we always on the losing end? When is it our turn to breathe easy? I'm beginning to think it will never happen. I am not the type of person that wants or needs "things" but damn it, I sure would like to just have enough. I would love for my kids to just once in their childhood, be able to take a family vacation (for more than just one day driving across state). I feel like all we do is get kicked while we're down. We have a crap load of medical bills for Natalie's eyes, Gabby's teeth, and Jeff's arm. Of course everything always happens after we lose insurance. It sucks!!!!! We never seem to qualify for much help either. Today in the mail I get a $200 tax bill from fricken 2005 due to a mortgage company screw up. Nice. They get billions of govt. bail out money and we get screwed again.

I try to remind myself God doesn't burden us with more than we can handle but my goodness, can't someone else get dumped on for a change? I get so disheartened when I see others that get to take fun vacations, can afford to make home improvements, can throw big birthday parties for their kids. Again, I don't want brand new things, I'm fine driving used cars and shopping second hand for clothes and such, but sometimes it would be really nice to have money to just go to a store and buy one outfit without worrying about taking that money away from a bill.

I guess I just needed to vent some frustrations. I am just waiting for the tide to turn and things to start looking up, but it just seems to only get darker here lately and we fall deeper and deeper.

It's a Zoo in Here

2009-07-28T22:43:00.002-04:00

Well, as if 4 cats, 3 rats, 2 crazy kids and a dwarf hamster weren't enough, now we have a dog. The dog is only temporary, I hope. My crazy MIL went and bought herself a Boston Terrier late December even though her townhouse complex doesn't allow it. She's been caught a few times and the dog would stay with us during the day - I was doggy daycare. Well I get a call last night saying I needed to keep the do for her for at least a week. Oh Joy! Don't get me wrong, I like dogs - other peoples dogs. We are just not a dog household. I like the cats, they know to pee and poo in the litter box. With a dog I have to pay attention to when it ate and when it needs to go out to do business. She also isn't vocal, which is good and bad. She doesn't bark much but that means she doesn't tell me she needs to go out. So far there's only been one piddle today though, and it is pretty easy to clean up the wood floors with spritz instead of it stinking up carpet. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

Motivation, where are you?

2009-07-23T10:03:00.002-04:00

I don't know what the deal with me has been lately but I just lack any sort of motivation what-so-ever. I have superb thoughts of doing things in my head on Sunday nights, and before you know it, it's Thursday and the only thing I've done that is helpful is a few loads of laundry (which are not even folded yet, by the way).

I did manage to rearrange Natalie's bedroom in hopes of keeping her in it at night. So far so good on that battle.

We found out on Monday that we will be getting about 10" worth of insulation blown in to the walls and attic in a month or so. We won't be getting the living room windows replaced though, Boo!

I'm still plugging away to sell my way to earn the kids a party spot. I've enlisted the help of a Blogger who I teamed up with in the spring. She placed a small order but her readers so far have not jumped on the bandwagon of ordering for extra entries and a possible 2nd prize. It's been less than 24 hours since she posted it though. I still have hope I'll make it.

Shameless Plug

2009-07-16T11:10:00.001-04:00

I'm here to shamelessly plug my Tupperware business. If I reach a minimum of $500 in sales for the month by July 31, my kids will earn tickets to be able to go the the Kids Rally for our Tupperware Unit. They'll have games, prizes, food, etc. and the only way kids are able to go is if their parent earns it for them by selling a minimum of $500. Go to http://my.tupperware.com/jlcook to see what there is and if you feel so inclined, you can place an order (and just know it is going to earn a special evening for my kids). Thank you!!

It's a Tradition

2009-07-06T10:02:00.002-04:00

I got my annual 4th of July burn. The worst part is though, that my daughters now seem to be following in my footsteps. Seriously, the sun was out for 5 minutes while we were in the pool at a friends house and we all got fried. Natalie's was cleared up mostly the next day, Gabby's is much better today, and mine is still flaming on. Will I ever learn? Probably not. We got some good excitement when one of their neighbors shot off some illegal fireworks and set the brush in the woods behind the friends house on fire. We grabbed a hose and hooked up some extra lines and had enough to stretch across their yard to spray it to keep it contained. We had to call the fire department to come make sure there were no hot spots left (which there actually were so it was good to call them).

Sunday was a nice day with visiting my parentals. They called and invited the girls and I up to their camp site for the day. Jeff got to play mechanic and help his brother change brakes so he didn't go. I took them to the lake to put their feet in and Natalie ended up losing her balance and falling all the way in. She had to ride home in a wet sundress and undies since I didn't pack extra clothes. Next weekend if we go visit, we'll bring a bag of extras along for everyone.

Welcome to July

2009-07-01T09:43:00.002-04:00

It's already July! Now it will really feel like the summer is flying by. Tomorrow I have to go fill in at BNI (a business network) for my Tupperware director who is on vacation. I always get so nervous before it and it's over in 90 minutes. I just get worked up about public speaking even though I only have to talk for 30 seconds and listen the rest of the time. I still have to get a sitter for the early morning too. Guess I should've thought of that sooner.

Why does my darling 6 year old think that 4am is a fine time to be awake and be scared, thus waking the rest of the house? Thanks to a YouTube video with the seemingly innocent start but has the scary face that pops out and screams, she is scared of everything. She has even had 2 accidents in her pants since Saturday because she is afraid to go to the bathroom alone. Grrrrrr.

Strawberries

2009-06-25T20:01:00.002-04:00

There is nothing on earth like a fresh Michigan strawberry. Yummmy. The girls and I got up early this morning to go to the local u-pick and we brought home 13 pounds. I flash froze 2 large containers, mashed and added sugar to 2 more 2 lb. containers and the rest are hulled and stored in the fridge. Oh, we also made some popsicles in the Tupperware Ice tups and I made a bowl of sorbet for Gabby to munch on. I would love to make some jam but know that I'd be the only one eating it since everyone else is strictly grape for their PBJ's. Oh, a fabulous though just came to me. We WILL be having pancakes with pureed strawberries this weekend. I even have some whip topping! If it wasn't still so blasted hot and humid in my home I'd make some right now.

It's finally been hot but I don't want to destroy the yard with the kids pool this year. I got them a Slip N Slide instead and Natalie loves it to death. She is out there at least 2 times a day on it. I'm sure I'll end up caving and putting the pool up again but I am holding the kids off with the excuse that I need to mow first. That will only work for maybe 1 or 2 more days though.

Tomorrow the girls and I get to make some yummies in prep for my Tastefully Simple party I'm hosting. My goal was to get the consultant to trade parties with me but she had excuses for that. Oh well, at least I can earn some goodies by hosting for her. Maybe, just maybe, she'll be convinced that she needs a few items that I plan to pull out to use for the food. That is my hope anyways.

Is it really summer?

2009-06-13T12:10:00.002-04:00

I would have thought by the weather we've had it was only early May. I have not worn shorts 1 time this year yet, other than boxers to bed. The kids have only asked to go in the sprinkler one time, and that only lasted about 5 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I am not wishing for the 90 degree hot and steamy days, but perhaps we could break the 80 degree mark sometime soon.

Good News! Jeff got a call to start a contract gig for Monday. FINALLY we'll get more than MARVIN. I can't wait! It's only for 2 months but it is a start and fingers crossed, maybe they'll be able to extend it or even find a permanent slot for him somewhere there. I'm just glad I can breathe a small sigh and maybe start to pay a few things on time for a change.

School's Out!

2009-06-06T12:28:00.002-04:00

Another school year is behind us. It's kinda bittersweet. I'm glad it is summer break but sad that my little one is growing up, she'll be in 1st grade in September. I'm also going to really miss Gabby's teachers. They were fantastic!!

This week was horribly busy with all the end of the school year activities and with Grandma still being hospitalized. She was supposed to have come home last Sunday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, and now maybe Monday. We have family coming in from out of state today, earlier than they had planned to come visit this summer. My sister and her family are driving up on Sunday to see her too. Maybe that will perk her up a little to get better. I must admit that she has lived a long and wonderful life for 93 years and we do know that she is ready do be done soon. We were prepared for her passing last year when she got really sick and feel blessed to have gotten more time with her.

Here's to a great summer, now if only the temperature would get with the program and hit 80.

Busy Busy Busy

2009-05-30T21:58:00.002-04:00

This week has been nuts, and not always in a good way. Tuesday was my birthday, day to help at school, and for fun, Girl Scouts was thrown in there too. Wednesday I helped at school again, helped set up tables for Marketplace, and had to run some tests to the Dr. for my Grandma. Thursday was Marketplace day for Gabby's class at school, then I had to call the Dr. and ended up taking Grandma to the ER. We sat in ER all night and at 5:30am they took her to have her appendix out. Came home Friday morning to try to sleep, and Natalie also had a friend come over after school. I got up, had to pick up Gabby, then back down to the hospital to check on Grandma. Saturday was busy too with a Girl Scout event in the morning, then a friends birthday party in the afternoon, and a trip to check on Grandma. Sunday I may get to stay home but then again, Grandma may get released so I'll have to pick her up. Next week will be just as bad being the last week of school and full of granduations and field trips. Whew!

My Oh May

2009-05-18T08:09:00.000-04:00

May is spiraling out of control! What a busy month. Between birthdays and school functions we rarely have a night we aren't busy. Only 3 more weeks left of school. I can't believe it. I'll have a first grader in less than a month. Again, time just goes by to quickly.

Mow Town

2009-05-05T16:43:00.002-04:00

One of the wonderful joys of spring and all of the April Showers we had to endure is now I have a jungle of a yard. I sent hubby out today to fill the gas can and now I have the pleasure (?) of mowing the lawn. The dandelions are speckling the yard with their yellow and I have patches of grass that are at least an inch taller than other spots. It looks horrible. I'm hoping the weather holds out for tomorrow afternoon to get it done since I have Girl Scouts tonight and I think I would keel over from shock if Jeff actually picked up a finger to help around here. All I can say is this - he can't go back to work soon enough! He may make a call or 2 each day but then he sits around and usually ends up falling asleep. Ahem, there are PLENTY of projects to do around the house and I sure as heck do not curl up and take a daily nap even though I don't work outside the home.

Freebies!

2009-04-28T14:41:00.002-04:00

I am a free sample hog. If there is something out there for free that I can use, I want to know about it and sign up for it. Just today I got a free sample of body wash. Last week I got a free grocery tote. I get many monthly feminine products for free also. Visit FreeSampleDirect for updates on the latest freebies available out there. No more searching the web for them, just visit FreeSampleDirect to find links to great products.

Sure Would Be Nice

2009-04-28T14:16:00.002-04:00

Any day now our luck can turn around. Saturday our water main decided to start leaking. At least I have a friend married to a plumber so he only charged us $50, but it was yet another blow to our already rotten week.

Yesterday, Jeff drove out to Jenison for an interview. Too bad the guy interviewing him didn't show up. Then he drove back to Mich Works to sit in the meeting for No Worker Left Behind. He was the first one there, signed the sheet they told him too, then went to sit and read a book while waiting. Turns out the person working told him and several others to sign the wrong sheet so they didn't get to get in on the class because the correct sheet filled up in the meantime. I really wish people working for the public could learn to do their jobs correctly.

Today has been so-so. I have a BUNCH of stuff I need to get done for upcoming TW parties, I need to ChaCha, and I want to finish filling out sweeps entries because one of these days, with all the bad luck we've had, we should win something nice and big again, right????

Horrible Day

2009-04-20T22:25:00.002-04:00

Well, today actually started off ok. I got busy this morning and logged in and worked some, then went to do the K pick up. I got home and my neighbor asked if Natalie and I wanted to go to lunch with her and the girl she babysits, who Natalie plays with a lot. We ended up at McD's playland and it was nice for the kids to play and she and I got to chat a bit. After that, we left to pick up Gabby. On our way home, my cell starts to ring and I see it was Jeff. I answered it and he asked where we were then proceeded to say he was at home. When I asked why he was home he said, "why do you think, I got fired today." Niiiiiice. Well, this isn't the biggest surprise in the world since he has not been happy at this job since he got it and they were always riding him for one thing or another and nothing he did was ever the way they wanted him to do it. He said around 3 they called him into the conference room and his boss just said they decided to go in a different direction than what they were thinking when they hired him and were letting him go. The the boss walked out and left him there with the HR lady. They are paying him for the rest of the week and keeping our benefits through the month. I'm not heartbroken about it and neither is he but we have NOTHING, not a thing, to live off of. I pray to God we get unemployment because otherwise we literally will lose everything. I sent out several of his resumes (and even one of my own) and he contacted many of his contract contacts and emailed out many updated resumes. The bad part is we live in Michigan where there really is nothing. 12% unemployment rate is not very encouraging. We may have to pack up and just leave our house and move, which sucks and is not at all what I want to do. One tiny bright side - he has a side job lined up for tomorrow morning that will bring in enough money to make his car payment this month. Guess we gotta take what we can get, any way we get it.

6 More Weeks

2009-04-16T23:03:00.002-04:00

After tomorrow there is only 6 more weeks of school! Wow, the year has flown by and my baby will soon be a big 1st grader! I can hardly believe it. While I am excited for next year and not having a middle of the day school run, I just can't let her grow up yet.

I've been busy sweeping this week, but have yet to win something for the week. I still have faith though. I'm really hoping for a Clorox Wipes canister because we are out and could really use some. I think I've entered darn near every one I've run across for those.

I had a contest come up courtesy of Eighty MPH Mom to giveaway some of my Tupperware. Visit her link through the button on the side. I've had a bunch of new hits to my website and hope people have bookmarked it for future reference. So far no new sales but there is still a week left of the contest. Plenty of time for people to still see it.

Beth has had a lot of interest in Tupperware from co-workers. One group is doing a fundraiser right now for Relay for Life and another person wants to have a regular party. I can't wait!! Things are starting to fall into place for my home business, at least for this next month. I have one party scheduled, a book party scheduled, and this fundraiser. I also have this new possible party. It couldn't happen in a better month with it being TW Birthday month. I also need the extra sales for my extra May bills (home insurance and car tags).

Paying my taxes

2009-04-13T09:08:00.002-04:00

Ugh, had to finally hit the send button on the Turbo Tax today. Now I just need to mail out my check tomorrow.

Had a nice Easter yesterday. I spend the morning in bed watching old 90210 on SoapNet, Jeff helped Gabby make some cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then we started our festivities. We completely blanked on stuffing the eggs to hide on Saturday night. We were too busy folding 3 baskets of laundry and watching Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Of course Natalie noticed that we hadn't hidden any eggs - she's already figured out that Mom and Dad hide the eggs after she spied on us 2 years ago. She is so funny though. She said she would help put candy in them and then pretend to be asleep while we hid them. Instead I sent them to Jeff's family while he went and played games. I stuffed and hid the eggs and set out the Easter presents while they were gone. It was perfect timing too because as soon as I had showered and dressed, they were pulling in the driveway to see the eggs scattered about the yard. It was really nice.

Later, we went back to the in-laws for a nice ham dinner and the kids played with the dog and outside with some of their new toys. Gabby was ecstatic to receive a bat and ball (thank you Dollar Tree) and Natalie was having fun with her foam sword.

The Sun

2009-04-09T15:43:00.002-04:00

The sun is shining and the sky is blue. If I could pull myself away from the computer I could go out and enjoy it. I have wasted most of the day when I should have been working for ChaCha earning my dimes. I also need to get a new marketing plan to boost sales to my Tupperware site. I have a fundraiser in the works, a regular party, and a book party for the next month so that is fantastic news and the extra money couldn't come at a better time. Money in May flies out faster than it comes in - house insurance, car tags, and I get to renew my license this year too. Can't wait! There's also Mother's Day and birthday's thrown in there too, but those can wait for another time. I'm a mom every day, I don't need a Hallmark card to remind me of that fact. I'm considering doing a giveaway for my Tupperware, I just need to do more research as to how to go about it. I think I could do one myself from my little 'ol blog or I could check on my mommy boards with some other bloggers and see what they suggest. Anyhoo, have an enjoyable Thursday.

Good Grief

2009-04-08T09:37:00.002-04:00

Well, things today just aren't made the way they used to be. Last week, a wire broke off Gabby's retainer. She already had an appointment scheduled for yesterday so we left it for then. Yesterday she wakes up and tells me a wire broke on the bottom one too. Good thing we were going to the dentist. Well, they have to send in the upper to the lab to be repaired. $100 charge for that. REALLY? On top of the already $2400 we've paid for this? I can see if she would have done something to break it but it just apparently got weak and broke off. He fixed the bottom one in the office but when she was brushing it last night it came undone again. Seems to me that they should hold up longer than 6 months. She just got them in August and is careful with them. Now we wait until Monday to get that one fixed when we go pick up the upper. I'm highly annoyed and will really be ticked if we're charged more for it. I had numerous sets of retainers growing up and never had one break or wires come off.

April Chill

2009-04-03T10:14:00.001-04:00

Spring break starts after school today. The kids are looking forward to staying home and being able to ride bikes and play in the ... snow? Yes, that's right folks, accumulating snow is in our forecast for the beginning of the week. What's up with that? I'm ready to pack away the boots, gloves, and snowpants for good.

April Fool

2009-04-01T08:59:00.003-04:00

Well, some magical forces were at work in our home some time in the wee hours and they got us pretty good for April Fools. Our alarms did not go off. Now I am pretty sure I remember setting mine. I have no clue if Jeff set his. Either way, they did not go off and I didn't wake up until 7:16 when I heard Natalie talking to Gabby in the monitor. The kids get picked up for school around 7:35. OOPS! Amazingly, they got dressed, ate, and brushed teeth in record speed and were ready to go when their ride got here. I even had time to put crazy pony tails in their hair for Wacky Wednesday at school today. Now, to see what else the day has in store for me...

Back in the Sweep of things

2009-03-31T17:38:00.002-04:00

I have started to get back into sweeping. I slacked off for a few months and have missed it. Even more, I've missed winning things. Now, I'm not all gung ho with entering everything out there, I just enter the ones I'd want or use. I don't go for the vacations because I know Jeff can't take time off work and I'm afraid of flying. I did have a great surprise in my inbox this morning and I won a $20 gift card and a Tickle Me Plant. Gabby is excited about the plant.

So, March is going out. Not sure if ours came or went as a lion or lamb but it is going. We are down a pet now. Had to put Sandy the rat to sleep last week. Gabby has her heart set on a pair of hairless rats available up north so we may be taking a road trip this weekend if they ever email me back again.

Come On Spring

2009-03-05T09:45:00.002-05:00

After enduring 100+ inches of snow over the winter, I am more than ready to welcome in the spring weather with open arms. Today we should be near 50, woohoo! I am sure we will still have more snow in the future, this is Michigan after all, but I am looking forward to the kids being able to go out and play for more than a few minutes before coming in complaining of the cold.

The holidays and birthday have blown by us in a blur. My girls are each another year older already. Jeff's job sucks but at least he has one and we have benefits. We keep submitting resumes in hopes of something more suited to his talents will come up, but I'm sure he gets lost in the sea of 1000 other resumes in this economy. I was hoping we'd qualify for some sort of mortgage assistance since we are negative equity in our house thanks to the 2 forclosures on either side of us and the new one going up across the street. I don't believe our loan is a Fannie or Freddie so we are once again SOL. Our lender said to call them back in a few months and they may have something to help us. Keep fingers crossed! We aren't behind at all but our rate will jump in less than 2 years so I am trying to do something now while the time seems right.

Slacker

2008-10-10T12:33:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I know, I am such a slacker lately. I couldn't even fight the urge to to crawl back in bed this morning after the girls got picked up for school. I feel like such a lazy butt lately. I need to make myself get moving more. I really need to shed some pounds and sitting on the computer isn't going to do it. My reasoning is that I am usually making money sitting here so it's ok. ChaCha has been going well. Contests have been pretty slow lately. I did win a coupon for a free bag of Hershey's chocolate so far this month (really good for trying to lose weight, huh?).

This week I went with Gabby's class to the zoo for a field trip and next week I go with Natalie's class to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. I just hope it isn't muddy. Today would have been the perfect day to go there since it is sunny and supposed to be near 70. Next weeks forecast doesn't look as promising.

Tupperware is picking up a little bit. I have 1 (possibly 2) people doing catalog parties right now. I have 3 craft show/holiday bazaar events coming up in November too. I hope I can book some more off of those events to keep things rolling along.

Time for an Update

2008-09-19T09:32:00.002-04:00

Well, I guess I haven't posted anything for awhile so I should add some updates.

Jeff got a job working for his friends FIL. He and his friend had been talking a lot about going into business together and possibly taking over his FIL's business. Well, Jeff got the job on Tuesday morning and has been working there since that afternoon. So far he likes it because it is just him and the owner and Jeff gets to voice his ideas for the company and the guy likes them. Jeff is the type of person he was looking for to groom to possibly take over in the near future. He didn't want just a tech guy, he wanted someone with vision and new ideas to bring on more clients and more services to sell. The pay is a touch lower than at his old job BUT he gets paid hourly instead of salary so he could end up making more. The down side is no insurance so we'll have to look into getting that ourselves. I've filled out the paperwork for MIChild for the girls and hopefully I'll hear back on that soon (and hopefully their Dr. will accept it or I'm screwed).

Grandma is 93 today!! Hard to believe she made it to this day after all her health problems back in the spring. K and J flew in from NC to surprise her and we are taking her to lunch this afternoon. I'm even letting Gabby get out of school early for the day when I pick up Natalie from kindergarten so she can go to lunch with us too.

Good Vibes Needed

2008-09-11T08:42:00.002-04:00

Jeff is currently at interview #2 of 3 for this week. Please, please, please send good vibes that he gets offered at least one of the positions (preferably #1 or #2). We're pretty sure he'll get offered #3 but we're also pretty sure the pay is 1/2 of his old job (which wasn't much) and there is no way we can live on that.

The girls are adjusting to school. Carpool started this week so I'm off the hook for mornings and just have to do K pick up and Gabby's end of day pick up. Gabby is back to her old self being stubborn in the mornings and driving me crazy. Natalie is fussing over her outfits and thinks she has to wear a skirt or dress everyday. Today I made her wear her Barbie crocs that the had to have and she was throwing a fit and I threw her into the carpool van with her crying and me apologizing to the mom driving. Luckily she has a daughter the same age and knows the drama well. I haven't gotten a phone call from school so she must have settled down on the road. I'm sure her teacher will appreciate her moodiness :P

Pretty good Sunday

2008-08-25T10:23:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the IL's planned on having a picnic at Riverside park. Neither Jeff nor I were really looking forward to it but after a little bit of a rocky start to the day (with he and I pretty much snapping at each other over anything and everything) it turned out to be pretty good. Jeff and his brother took the kids fishing after we ate lunch so the ladies could sit around and chit chat. It was pretty decent weather wise but was a little windy which made it kind of cool out.

After the eating and fishing, we went home so Jeff and Natalie could clean up since they were pretty gross from sliding around in all the goose poop down by the pond, we went to MIL's to play some games. It is usually a pretty good time when we get together to sit around and be silly playing Trivial Pursuit and Scene It.

At least the weekend ended pretty nicely.

Why can't I try to be happy?

2008-08-23T12:43:00.003-04:00

I feel like I have nothing left in me to be positive for. Seems anytime we think things are starting to go ok for us we get sh*t on yet again. I hate it, it makes me cranky and I end up taking it out on the kids, which makes me feel even worse than I already do. I try to be supportive for hubby since this time it isn't his fault his company lied to him when he went back to work there in the Spring after a new owner bought the old failing company. Life just isn't fair to us and I want to scream and kick and throw a temper tantrum about it. I hate the saying "God never gives you more than you can handle" because He sure as hell tries to with us, while so many others around me seem to have it so much easier and have never had the struggles that we constantly have. I have zero faith anymore, which is sad to say but it is very, very true. I know Jeff feels the same way, in fact he stopped believing years ago. Whenever someone says "I'll be praying for your family" I just smile and politely thank them all the while thinking what good will it do?

Worry Lines

2008-08-22T20:42:00.002-04:00

Here I thought Jeff had some time and would be able to line up something, even a contract, before he was downsized, but it does not look promising. He's had 2 interviews but 1 was for something different than the IT area he is more proficient in and the other one was going to be very mundane and the interviewer knew he would not be happy doing it for long because he's too skilled for it. He's going to see if he can squeak out a little more time at his current employer by doing something different until they need him for network issues. The only thing is he'll most likely have to take a pay cut because that is another thing they mentioned, that he is one of the highest paid in the company. I guess as long as it pays more than MARVIN he'll have to do it until he gets something else. THIS SUCKS!!! Last time it took him 2 YEARS to get something permanent and we almost lost our house. We have enough savings to get by for only 1 month and I need to pick up more ChaCha time or sell a whole lotta Tupperware.

Gaaaah, I hate this and I hate it even more for our kids having to go without fun stuff yet some more. We just took our first 'vacation' this summer, ever, and that was only to Dearborn overnight. Woohoo, a whole 3 hours away. I hate my life most of the time and if we could, we'd pack up and leave here because it sucks so bad.

The End is Near

2008-08-14T13:04:00.002-04:00

Well, Jeff finally got word that, yes indeed, his job is being eliminated and will be going to a contract/as needed status. He was able to buy himself a little bit of time, to the end of this month. We are optimistically hopeful that he can get something lined up before then, but we know that in all actuality, it probably won't happen. I've made his profiles public now on the job sites and he had 2 interviews so far this week but already knows he doesn't have either of those jobs. The first one was a different job description than what the recruiter had who sent him there, so he didn't have all the qualifications in the areas they wanted. The second one, he was too skilled for and would be bored with it, and the owner of the company knew it too and has no plans to change things up since his company runs smoothly as it is.

Here's to hoping SOMETHING/ANYTHING that pays the same comes along, and fast!!

Dog Days

2008-08-05T16:22:00.002-04:00

Well, we're in the final stretch of summer break from school. Gabby and Natalie got their teacher assignments. Natalie is excited she got the Kindergarten teacher she was wanting. Gabby was less than thrilled that she didn't get the 3rd grade teacher she was hoping for. To top it off, our neighbor who has been in her classes since K got a different teacher (the one Gabby wanted) as did one of her close friends. Hopefully once school starts she will have a better attitude or it'll be one heck of a long year for the teachers and me.

The hot humidity is here, joy. It's supposed to cool down some by the weekend though which I hope it does. I love having the windows opened instead of the AC running upstairs.

My ChaCha guide opportunity might be numbered. Here I thought I found the perfect way to make a few hundred extra bucks a month since I suck at selling Tupperware. Now they are changing the payscale so unless you make the top percent, you get 1/2 the pay. I made it in the top my first week but don't know why I didn't make it last week. I'll just have to try my darndest to make it and keep the same pay (and hopefully the company doesn't fold too). Hey, every little bit helps. Hopefully Jeff will find something new that pays a better wage as well so we aren't so strapped. I'm also selling unwanted stuff on Craigslist too for a tidbit of extra money. It's like having a garage sale without all the work!

Stupid Company

2008-08-01T15:24:00.002-04:00

So, it is common knowledge that Jeff works for a bunch of douche bags that don't understand common sense and do everything a$$ backwards. Now he doesn't get a general increase because he is one of the highest paid in the company. Well no $hit he makes more than most, he is the one that keeps all the innerds of the company running. BTW, he is still GROSSLY underpaid for his position in our area though. They go on about the normal bla, bla, it's not the same company it was a year ago, it's smaller, yada yada. Who cares!! Jeff still does the same kind of work. The network still needs to run and the phones still need to accept calls. Just because they suck at marketing and just spend money on stupid useless stuff isn't Jeff's fault.

He (through me) has given them a superb idea to increase traffic to the website, start a contest!! I enter contests daily so I emailed them examples, how they should do it, what they should giveaway, etc. Nope they decided to do something completely asinine and instead of posting a contest on their webpage, they emailed existing customers to have them call in to enter in some sort of bogus gas card scheme they are a part of (a place you get $25 gas cards for every $100 you spend). HELLO losers!! How is that driving more traffic and attracting NEW customers. Jeff's boss kept saying he didn't understand it. He's such a boner and needs to go back to China then if he couldn't understand the simplicity of having a button on the webpage where people sign up to receive the monthly newsletter and will be entered into a drawing to win (and here's the kicker) actual product that you sell!! Is that really so hard to understand? I even sent them links of examples and stressed that they will get more people interested if they are actually putting their product in their hands.

Sorry if I got off on a rage there but STUPID people truly need to be boxed up and sent to some remote island somewhere where they won't bug the rest of us.

Ok, I'm done now. Carry on, LOL.

We Survived!

2008-07-29T09:36:00.002-04:00

We took our first family 'vacation' this weekend. We drove to Dearborn (almost 3 hours away) and went to The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village. In all it was a nice time. The kids didn't ask too much "are we there yet?" and they were for the most part good. Of course they were most impressed with swimming in the hotel pool than anything else, but they did think riding on an old steam engine and in a Model T car was pretty neat.

I can't believe how expensive it is to just take an overnight trip! Our tickets I got inexpensive by buying them from people who won them in the contest but lived too far away to use them. That was a win-win for both of us because it gave them some cash for otherwise useless tickets and saved me some cash because we were going to visit there anyways this summer. Our meals weren't too costly, we ate at Bob Evans for one dinner, free breakfast at the hotel, and had lunch at another mom and pop type restaurant. The hotel is where it really added up, and we just stayed at a Hampton Inn so it wasn't exactly luxury. It was located right next to the Village so we wouldn't get lost driving around Dearborn, and I didn't want to stay in a dive like the Red Roof Inn (which did indeed look like a dive when we drove past on the way to Bob Evans).

I'm already planning another trip for the spring to the Chicago Science and Industry museum after my sister gets moved to South Bend. We'll take the weekend commuter to Chicago and walk the 2 blocks to the museum. Kids ride free with adults on the weekend and then we save a bundle on gas, parking, and the headache of driving into Chicago. It'll be fun!!

Remind Me

2008-07-22T16:40:00.002-04:00

The next time I plan to spray weed killer in the yard, remind me to check the weather. I sprayed around lunch time today and 3:45 or so in roll some thunderstorms. I can't remember if the stuff just has to dry of if it needs to stay dry for a certain amount of time/days. Oh well, guess I'll just repeat again next week if it doesn't look like it worked.

Ghost Hunt

Went out with some of my friends last night in search of the famed Ada Witch. I got chills just typing that, LOL. We didn't see her, but I was a big chicken anyways and most likely would have wet my pants. The odd thing is that there was a newer house right across the street and also right smack next to this cemetary, which has graves dating back into the 1800s. Why in the world would you build a house right smack next to a known haunted cemetary? The back side of the house was mostly windows too and the owners were home so we were scared of getting the cops called on us too, even though we were very quiet and respectful to the graves. I think there is another ghost hunt being planned for around the next month's full moon as well. Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

Wall E

2008-07-13T11:07:00.007-04:00

Yesterday we finally took the girls to see Wall*E. Jeff and the girls really liked it, I thought it was ok but took a little too long in the beginning. It was a cute movie.

The theater was packed yesterday though, which is always a pain when you're taking young kids (aka: wiggly Natalie) to a movie. Of course we had 2 bigger people sitting directly in front of us and they reclined all the way in their seats, making it impossible for us to sit without our legs bumping their seats. Yes, I know they paid just as much for their tickets but I still thought it was kinda rude and perhaps they should have sad in a different row or over a few seats where they wouldn't recline into anyone. Anyways, that's my rant. Oh, and Gabby made us put the fake butter on our popcorn and ALL 4 of us were racing for the bathroom when we got home (if you know what I mean).

Argh!

2008-07-10T11:33:00.002-04:00

I hate when I make lazy decisions and it ends up costing me. This time it was to the tune of 3 bank fees because I f'd up and didn't transfer money over from Jeff's account after I bought the cage topper for the rat (which by the way I returned yesterday because it hurt her feet!!). Oh man, I am so pissed at myself. We so did not need to have those fees, it puts us even further behind for the month than we already are. This week isn't pay week so I listed a bunch of stuff up on Craiglist to try to sell for grocery money (it's all outgrown kid stuff so it's things I've needed to get up there to sell anyways). I also put up a BUNCH of my Tupperware overstock in hopes of generating some interest for someone who doesn't want to wait for an order to be shipped. *IF* I can sell the majority of what I have listed that will generate over $200. It's all new stuff and priced well below book price, but people around here still want something for nothing so I'm not overly optimistic of much of it selling since I'm not too flexible with the prices I set. Oh well, you never know unless you try.

Last night Jeff and I also discussed the very real possibility that I might have to get a job (shudder). It would so suck because I'd be stuck working every weekend and lots of nights if I just go out and get a stupid retail job for awhile to get us caught up and back on track. Gaaaaah, how do we keep getting ourselves into this situation!!

The Cage

2008-07-08T19:44:00.003-04:00

So I am terribly perplexed on how to house the new creature. Right now she is in a 10 gal., which we know is not ideal. I did go to Petco and pick up a tank topper which gives her climbing space and and added level. The drawback to that is it only opens on the top so Gabby can't get her out on her own, and it makes food and watering very difficult.

Petsmart has a great cage on their website that I can get for $85 (or $75 if Google still offers $10 off to set up a new checkout account) but we don't have that extra money right now. The Petco one was $45.

Amazon has a topper for $21 but it just doesn't give enough details for my liking. I'm the kind of person who needs to know EVERYTHING before buying.

Ya know, another hammy would have been so much easier. Maybe I just need to find a way to make more money too, then I wouldn't be stressing like I am now. Doesn't help that Jeff is getting disgruntled with his job and doesn't think he'll get a raise since the company isn't making much money. He is also talking about going out on his own with 2 guys he works with and starting their own biz. That scares the living #%@! out of me because I thrive on consistency in knowing EXACTLY how much money is coming in each paycheck. I also worry about insurance too. Arrrrrgh, I hate when were in this predicament (yeah, this happens a couple times a year with him).

Our New Pet

2008-07-08T10:43:00.003-04:00

Well, let me clarify the "our", that means Jeff and Gabby's new pet. While I suggested her (because I knew it's what Jeff wanted) I certainly am not overly fond of her.

Yesterday, Gabby's new hamster Daisy was dead. Not a huge deal as we'd only had her a week and nobody was attached to her like we were Sunshine. Of course we were a day over the pet store's guarantee so it was kinda a waste of money. We had some errands to run anyways and stopped at the pet store while we were out. They had some Golden Hammies in there that Gabby was interested in but Jeff had said get a rat when I called him at work to tell him about Daisy. They had 1 large rat left which happened to be a female (what we wanted) and was also a hairless. She is the ugliest thing you've ever seen!! But she was also quite tame when I had the clerk take her out so Gabby could see her better. I had them hold her until Jeff got home from work and we went and picked her up. Jeff carried her the whole time, though I did buy a ball for her to carry her home in because she refused to go in the box for the ride home.

Her name is Sandy Cheeks, yup Spongebob's friend LOL. I'm still freaked out by her but Jeff and Gabby take her out and let her crawl all over them. I don't want to touch her but I talk to her and give her grapes as treats.

Right now she is just in the 10 gallon we used for the hammies but we're going to buy a topper that doubles her living space and gives her room to climb and run. They said she'd be fine in the 10 gal. for a short time.

Wild Wednesday

2008-07-03T21:28:00.003-04:00

Wow, yesterday was some day. Natalie had her quarterly eye check/exam so we left the house early for that since the route there had construction. We were pretty early so we went to the mall across from her dr. office and piddled around for a bit. Found some awesome deals at Disney and walked out of there with a bag full of goodies for only $20.

We got in pretty much on time for her appointment - shocking! When we got done it was super dark outside (this is at 3pm) so we ran to our car and sat in it riding out what ended up being round 1 of severe storms. We waited through very vivid vertical lightening, marble sized hail, and probably at least an inch of rain in 15 minutes. It finally cleared up and looked like it was over so we left and went back over to the mall because the girls wanted to go in Build a Bear and we didn't have time before. While in there the clerk asked us if we were waiting out the rain at the mall and we said no, we did that at the dr. office then came to the mall. She then said, well that was only the first storm, there are more. Great! The girls get a new BAB and outfit and we left, only to hear the thunder starting up. We drove home in torrential rains, wind, very dark skies, and all around scariness.

When we finally got home it was letting up a little bit plus we discovered we had no power. Finally around 5:30 it stopped lightening so I was able to go out and clear out the storm drains which were gunked over and caused the street to flood up to mid-shin. Another neighbor came out and helped clear the other drain across the street. It looked like a tornado through our neighborhood. Chainsaws were a buzzing and the lady that helped me clear the drains lost part of the back end of her house to half a tree. It was crazy!! A different neighbor said it was like a hurricane blowing through.

We spent a very quiet and dark night at home. Natalie woke up freaking because her lantern we put in her room had burned out so 4am she was up and in our bed, and not going back to sleep. We went to my moms house briefly after getting McD's for lunch because she at least had power and I wanted to check my emails. We were told power might not be restored until late Saturday. We had decided to start calling hotels for the night. I made 4 calls to get prices and was debating on what to do when FINALLY at 6:20pm we got an answer - our power came back on so no wasting $100+ for a hotel room for the night.

Now we just get the fun part of tossing the fridge contents and restocking that tomorrow. I haven't checked the deep freeze but that should be ok since it was pretty full and everything was frozen solid. I doubt anything melted, and if any did it would have only been the freeze-pops which can refreeze.

All I can say now is HOORAY for electricity!

Mosquitos

2008-07-01T16:44:00.003-04:00

Yeah, I know they are part of the food chain, but still they serve no purpose in my life other than making me a prisoner in my own home. I tried to do a little yard work yesterday and was eaten up by them. My arm looks all disfigured from the super sized welts I have. Why am I the tastiest one in the family? The girls were out there longer than I was and didn't get any bites. I even had to have Jeff do the mowing this weekend because they are so horrible. He's a smoker so they don't like him. He did a half assed job on the grass too and completely ignored the front on the other side of the fence line, so that looks stupid now too.

Maybe I should invest in a bat house to try to keep the pest population down to a minimum. Off to itch and apply some more smelly After Bite medicine.

RIP Sunshine

2008-06-29T20:26:00.003-04:00

Friday morning we took Gabby's little buddy, Sunshine, in to our vet to be humanely put down. She was a brave little girl (both Gabby and Sunshine). I had emailed our vet a few times on Thursday and she said if we brought her in, she'd take care of it for us for no charge. We went first thing in the morning and took along the little wooden 'coffin' Gab's had decorated for her to be burried in. I tossed in a couple of old baby washcloths and they wrapped her nicely in them after she was gone. They even gave her a little ceramic heart with a paw print on it.

When we got home, we made the stepping stone kit we had bought a few weeks ago when we first thought Sunshine was going to die. We put the paw print stone from the vet in the middle of it.

Yesterday, we picked the spot and burried her and placed the stone on top of her grave. (our fat cow of a cat, Scratches, went out and peed on her today, ugh)

Saturday we also got some new additions: 6 new fish and a new fancy hamster that Gabby named Daisy (sure hope she's a girl). The new hammy is so cute, looks like a wobbly cotton ball! She seems to have a good disposition and lets us pet her and Gabby has held her several times today without incident, except for potty messes.

Yay!!

2008-06-26T17:57:00.003-04:00

I just got the call this evening that everything is all set to take Grandma back "home" tomorrow at noon. Mom's been waiting for them to call her for 2 days but apparently they had her number wrong so they finally just called me. Well, whatever, at least she can finally go home, with a few provisions. She'll be pretty much isolated to her own room until the C Dif (not sure the real name, that is just what they called it) infection is cleared. Honestly, we think she'll get over it faster by being left in her own room anyways because chances are she was re-picking up the infection by going to the PT/OT room where all the other residents go anyways. She'll also be much closer to visit - less than 5 min vs. 20 min away.

On a sad note: Gabby's little hamster Sunshine is once again knocking on death's door. Nobody ever seems to answer though so the poor little thing is left to suffer with her icky oozing blood tumor. I finally sent an email to our vet asking how much to put her down humanely. She has to be suffering with that huge tumor and she looks miserable, yet oddly enough she gets really happy and perky when we go in to talk to her and pet her.

I can't believe

2008-06-25T14:57:00.002-04:00

that it's almost July. Wow, each day just seems to blend into the next and before I know it, it's almost time to flip the calendar.

The kids go batty being home some days but I can't justify driving somewhere just for boredoms sake. I'll be going through enough gas once school starts so I want to try to save up over the summer.

Grandma will *hopefully* be able to go back to assisted living this Friday, if not Monday. Happy days!! The rehab center is trying to say she needs to stay until July 22nd until the course of medication she is on is finished. She developed a digestive bug while there. Her assisted living center is working with us to get her out of the rehab place because we think they are intentionally lowing then raising her dose of this medicine. Chances are she is re-catching the bacteria when she goes down to the therapy room as well since we all know they do not sterilize the equipment after each patient. Assisted living said she could come back and finish the course of medicine while in her own room, even if she needs to be quarantined. She'll probably miss BINGO and a few activities for a few weeks but I think the fact that she'll be back *home* will more than make up for it.

Farmer

2008-06-21T08:49:00.002-04:00

The girls and I met a friend and her kids today at the playground. It was great to have adult conversation while the kids ran around and played. Natalie had mentioned when we first got there that we forgot sunscreen. Oops. I told her it'd be ok this time. Well, we were there for about 2 1/2 hours and about an hour after getting home I itched my arm. It started stinging right away and I thought "what the..." until I looked and saw the awesome farmers tan I had happening on that arm. I also have a nice square on my leg from mid-thigh to knee. It's hilarious. Natalie ended up slightly pink on her arms, but not bad. Gabby just got tan. She's got my skin from younger years and Natalie has Jeff's sun sensitive skin. I told Nat that we won't forget next time.

Ever Wish?

2008-06-19T12:20:00.004-04:00

Somtimes I really cannot be around my kids. Natalie knows just what buttons to push to get me riled up. I swear she thinks I am on this earth to follow behind her and clean up the messes in her wake. Believe me, there is plenty of mess wherever she goes. I'd LOVE to throw away all stuffed animals. I'm also thinking I shouldn't have any food in the house because she is such a little piglet and makes a mess of anything she eats. Yes, I know that this is what kids do, but some days I'm just sick of it and want to go on strike, but I won't because I can't stand to have a hugely messy/dirty home.

On a good note, Grandma should be able to get sprung from rehab very soon. She ended up with a secondary intestinal bacteria, which is common. She's now on some liquid medicine she gets 4x a day to clear it up and we have to scrub our hands when leaving her room. As soon as she tests negative she can go back to her assisted living. She is so relieved we have a light at the end of the tunnel. She did say the medicine is helping so I think she is feeling a little better too.

Yummy Mummy

2008-06-17T10:22:00.004-04:00

Does life get any better than brownies? I just entered a blog contest here about Yummy Mummy Brownies. They look to die for!! I need to go lose a few pounds so I can order some, and not share :) Now I need to go wipe the drool from my keyboard.

Unit Meeting Motivation

2008-06-17T10:11:00.003-04:00

I love going to our Tupperware unit meetings, especially after big months. While I sold barely more than squat last month (about 250) I still ended up with a great prize. I got an olive oil mister, makeup case with brushes/sponges, and some silly string for the kids to play with outside later if they are good.

I'm always so pumped up afterwards and want to go out and sell and book parties. So, who wants to have a party now??? That's where I always get hung up. I hate making calls and bugging people but that is probably how I'd be able to get some datings. I sent out a large email blast last night in hopes of generating some sales at least. I've gotten 6 web viewings so far since I've done that.

There's only a few weeks left to be able to buy the dining trays, which are fabulous for anyone who ever has campouts, home BBQ's, potlucks where you have to BYO dinnerware, great for kids to use. There's just not enough good things to say about them. They have one big compartment, 2 small compartments, and a slot to hold your silverware as you peruse the poutluck line. They don't bend and break like paper plates and also you can keep your foods separated so they don't run into each other (ie: no jello flavored burger buns LOL). Feel free to check out my website to see what else is on sale this month.

Where did summer go?

2008-06-16T16:34:00.002-04:00

So after having the last 2 weeks being hot and humid, today is quite chilly and breezy. The girls and I went to the park with some MMC mommies and we were all pretty cold.

The mystery allergic reaction is now on both palms. Still have no clue what exactly it is from, other than something outside. I think I'm gonna buy some heavy duty gloves to wear when mowing and also I'll have to wear jeans since I have a large rash on my thigh too. Drinking the kids Benedryl helps to control the itchiness but makes me REALLY tired. One of these days I probably should go and have an allergy test done to figure out what I am for sure allergic to. I also have some spray for the yard to kill all the weeds (basically my whole yard, LOL) that I'm going to spray this week as long as there is no rain forcasted.

What could it be?

2008-06-15T15:01:00.001-04:00

Something in the outside world doesn't like me!! LOL 2 weeks ago I battled some sort of crazy rash that swelled up my ear and left blisters, then started taking over my hand (both on the left side). I tried Cortaid, Benedryl cream and liquid, and finally used my steroid ointment which finally helped.

Yesterday I mowed the yard and now I have more rash starting on top of my left hand and also some on the palm of my right. I don't trim the grass by hand, I push the mower. One would think my legs would break out since I had on shorts and any grass/weed clippings would hit there before getting to my hands. I washed my hands and arms as soon as I was done, and jumped in the shower within half hour of being done to wash off any pollen, outdoor dirt, etc.

I'm perplexed by this.

Today Looks Like...

2008-06-14T10:52:00.002-04:00

...a great day to mow the yard LOL. It really needs it and hopefully it will dry out a little bit so I can get it done.

On another yard related note, we've been having toads all over the yard. Yesterday one was at the bottom of the back porch steps, then when I was taking the cover off the girls pool to drain it so I can mow, there was one stuck on the cover of it. I about peed myself when I was spreading out the cover to dry it and here sits this ugly brown toad. He didn't seem to have a care in the world, otherwise he was scared silly. Gabby caught him a few times in her butterfly net :) I finally made her put him over in the garden area. I'm hoping they stay outta my way when I get the mower out!!

Sweeps are going pretty well still. I have won a bunch of Subway free Flat Earth chips coupons. I also won a canvas bracelet yesterday too. Still waiting on my big 7-11 check, but it's only been 2 weeks so I have up to 8 more weeks of waiting on it. I'm really trying hard to win some free Henry Ford Museum tickets. Seems like lots of out of state people keep winning them. I did buy some from a lady for $22 though. That saves us $16 if we lie and say Natalie isn't 5 yet, shhhhhhhhh.

More Winnings

2008-06-13T10:32:00.002-04:00

Today I won a canvas bracelet from Cool Mom Picks. This is my second win from them, they are very nice. I've won a bunch of free Flat Earth Chips from Subway but have yet to redeem one. I also won a free Tuscani Pasta dinner from Pizza Hut that we did order up on Wednesday. We got the chicken alfredo. Could have been a little creamier and a little less fresh ground pepper, but overall was good. The breadsticks have changed though and that is way disappointing.

Some Sneeze

2008-06-10T17:51:00.002-04:00

So last week Thursday I was getting Gabby up and myself dressed so I could take her and Dakota to school. I was walking out of Natalie's room and across the hall to Gabby's room. I started sneezing, which is nothing unusual for me, when all of a sudden something jarred my back/neck and I was frozen in pain. I managed to loosen up enough to get dressed and had Gabby put on a pain patch across my shoulders, but I have been in pain ever since. I know, I should probably go to the chiropractor but I really just don't want to part with $35 per visit there. Sitting hurts, trying to get comfy in bed hurts, turning my head over my shoulder is painful (which makes driving dangerous). I've tried the back massager thingy we have and that feels ok but can also be a little painful. Guess I'll just have to hope the muscles heal soon.

In other news, signed the girls up for summer reading at the library today. We walked there, correction, I walked while they were chauffeured in the bike trailer by me. They did walk a small portion on the way there but then Natalie got tired and Gabby complained of blisters. Lazy kids. I even had to carry the backpack full of books on the way home too!

Rain, Lice, and all that Jazz

2008-06-08T20:42:00.002-04:00

This weekend was Festival weekend, so of course that means crappy weird weather. Yesterday was so blasted hot and humid, then we got some bad storms and huge amounts of rain come through at night. Jeff did get the window AC put in upstairs though so it was bearable. We put up the air mattress in the next room for the girls to sleep.

Had another round of lice last night. Grrrrrr. I've been so diligent at checking. Gabby was free for 2 weeks and then was loaded again last night. It's like one minute she's clear, the next she is covered. Natalie only had a couple of live ones. They got a peppermint shampoo treatment and then I slathered their heads in mayo and covered with a shower cap for overnight. It smelled nasty but seemed to do the trick. Natalie was totally clear after washing it out. Gabby I had to pick the nits out but they came out easily since her hair was so conditioned.

Jeff butchered her hair because he is so sick of the bugs. And it was sooooooo cute the way it was. I'm still irritated he did it. I colored it with burgundy streaks today though so it at least is fun for her for the summer. They should wash out in a couple months.

We think the neighbor girl is giving it to them. It's just too big of a coincidence that everytime she comes over to play outside with them, they suddenly end up with lice. I'm removing her from the equation to see if we can remain lice free now. If not then I'll allow her back over to play (outside). If they get them again I'm going to scream!!!

10 Years

2008-06-06T09:11:00.002-04:00

Today is my 10th wedding anniversary. I'm taking bets on whether or not my dear hubby will even remember. I even went so far as to schedule it on his work calendar. We'll see how observant he is.

Gabby is out for the summer at 11:15 today!! I really hope this means a little bit of sleeping in in my future.

Natalie has been a buster all week so I hope Gabby being home to play with her some is helpful. She's been desperate for me to put up the pool but I need to mow the yard first and that ain't happening in 99% humidity.

Holy Moly

2008-06-02T21:43:00.002-04:00

Today was so awesome!! Natalie and I did a few errands this morning and stopped at Lowe's and picked up a mixed flat of Petunia's and Marigold's to plant in front. I got the flower beds weeded, finished raking up the mulch from the tree/stump removal, planted the flowers, then had to go to Big Lots to buy a new hose since the old one was full of kinks and sprayed all over the place.

After getting home from picking up the big girls, I checked my email in my sweeps account and about fell on the floor. I won $6K from a 7-11 sweepstakes!! It could not come at a better time because I've been looking for a part time job to help with our enormous debt, plus the higher car payment for the new van had me worried as well. I am sooooo excited, but trying not to be too much until I have it in my hot little hands. I have to go to get the affidavit notarized and send it tomorrow and hopefully will have it within a month!! Thank you to whomever has been watching over us! Mwah!

June

2008-06-01T11:00:00.002-04:00

It's now June. 5 more days until our 10th anniversary!! Who woulda thunk it LOL. Gabby is officially done with school on Friday. Steph, Dan and the kids should be up here Friday night as well. It will be nice to see her since it's been about a year.

Picked up my new-to-me van on Friday evening. Found a few minor glitches but at least they are $20 fixes for 1 and free for the other since we added on the warranty. Not looking forward to the higher car payments. I'll probably have to go get me a job soon now. I can have the Goldman's job but need to go to Flint for a 2 hr. training session. Sucky!!

Got the stumps ground out of our trees finally, now I have 2 huge holes to fill in the yard. Today looks like it'll be a nice day to do that though. JOY!!

Where is summer?

2008-05-29T13:03:00.003-04:00

Ok, I know summer is technically a little less than a month away, but come on - I have not felt the need to wear shorts even once and when I wear short sleeves I'm usually cold. Shouldn't it be nice out already? I haven't even begun to think about planting flowers yet either and usually I have that done over Memorial weekend. Sheesh, looks to be a long chilly summer so far.

Car news: So my tranny is trying to decided whether or not to take a dump. It started it's chugging, shaking and engine light business again yesterday. Went to Tuffy and they said it's a torque converter code (but possibly just a sensor). Either way I'm looking at a decent repair bill to add to everything else maintenance wise on it and it just isn't worth it. I just rolled over to 140K on it yesterday too. We're waiting to hear about financing on an '02 Caravan today. I don't want a higher car payment but don't want to sink a bunch of money into a heap either.

Happy Birthday?

2008-05-26T10:44:00.002-04:00

Well, here I am staring 32 right in the face. Started out similar to any other day: Natalie being a pain and coming and waking me up at 6 something, Jeff staying in bed snoring away, you get the picture. Got up with the kids (why can't they ever sleep in on non-school days?) and sat down to do some sweeps at the puter. Jeff got called in to work, surprise surprise. We have to go to the in-laws at 11:30 for cake, etc since it's mother-in-law's birthday as well. Later on I'll probably stop down to the hospital to see how my grandma is doing. Have to get Gabby ready for school tomorrow and make her lunch. Thank goodness we are in the home stretch till summer break!!!

Another Win!!

2008-05-13T13:18:00.001-04:00

I won this from the girls over at Fitness For Mommies!! So cool! I'm on a role now (I hope).

Go West

2008-05-13T08:48:00.002-04:00

Gabby had her spring concert last night. It was called Go West!. The 2nd-4th grade classes were a part of it. It was pretty decent considering it was little kids. We had some really annoying parents sitting behind us though. They were making comments and chattering through the whole thing. At one point they made remarks about the scenery which was painted by a few moms, one of them Gabby's friends mom. They were like - "kids must have painted them, look at the horses legs, they're too short; look at the paddle wheel on the boat". I was thisclose to turning around and telling them to zip it and they have no room to talk about anything if they didn't step up and volunteer to help with any of it. Then they were making comments on some of the costumes (or lack thereof) of some of the kids. Well, hello, they can't all be perfect snobs like you are, ass wipes!! The kids just had to dress somewhat western/pioneer-ish. Gabby wore a floral Laura Ashley dress and borrowed a bonnett from a friend who had extras. Some kids wore denim shirts and had red bandanas tied at their necks. For the most part, almost all the kids were in 'costume'.

I Won!!

2008-05-12T17:30:00.002-04:00

Finally, after a couple months of sweeps I won something!!! I'm so excited, even though it is not a huge prize, or even for me for that matter. Here is what I won. Gabby is excited for it to arrive.

I've started jogging using the Couch to 5K method. Last week I could only handle about 15 min. of jog/walk combo. Today I did 25 min. and I feel great. I can't wait to start seeing the results on the scale!!

GoodyBlog Giveaways

2008-05-07T11:55:00.002-04:00

Chickflicks and Popcorn
Click above to enter to win some DVDs and popcorn from GoodyBlog.

Williams Sonoma
Above link will take you to the Williams Sonoma Brunch Kit.

$200
Win $200 of Gramicci Clothes.

Tee
Win a Promom Coture Tee

Laptop
Win a Sony Vaio in pink!!

$500
Win a $500 Shop.com certificate

$100
Win a $100 Blurb.com certificate

New contests

2008-05-06T09:10:00.003-04:00

5 Minutes For Mom has a huge Mother's Day contest running this week. Check it out here to enter to win some great prizes.

Long time, no updates :)

2008-05-06T08:50:00.002-04:00

I just realized it has been a long time since I've made an entry, so here it goes. Some exciting/not so exciting things happening are we had another limb come down on the mostly dead maple in the front yard so as soon as we get our loan from China (aka stimulus rebate) on Friday that and the tall pine are coming down. So much for having a savings cushion.

Natalie has 1 more week of school after this week. I cannot believe it. She had her K evaluation last week. Her growing up makes me want another one, kind of. Good thing we got that taken care of a long time ago.

Gabby goes in for an ortho consult this week. Gee, can't wait to see that bill.

We went to a gold sale this weekend to get rid of some unused jewelry that was taking up space in the armoire and got some $$. I was also offered a job doing it!! They emailed me back and told me to give them about 2 weeks to get the paperwork ready. I'm not totally holding my breath on it but if it does pan out it will be some nice extra money.

I started jogging, yes really. I have to do something to shed 20 lbs. and nothing else I did was working. I'm doing the couch to 5K program where you start out jog 1 min, walk 2 min. for the first week and gradually build up to jogging more, walking less. If you can follow the program you should be jogging 5K in a little over 2 months. I can go a block right now before I'm huffing and puffing but my goal is one driveway further every time. I always had a dream to run in the River Bank Run when I was little, maybe I'll be able to do the 5K once in my life.

April Showers...almost

2008-03-31T13:21:00.002-04:00

We're ushering March out like a lion here with Tstorms and heavy rain. Yuck, Jeff has no place to park since his spot has turned into a lake now. Unfortunately April will arrive with a cold front and temps dropping from the 40's. I'm really craving the warm sunny days now that we had a smidget of taste of them.

Jeff's going back to his old job after a week at the new one. He was too bored there and his old place was more than happy to take him back. Too bad he doesn't get a raise yet but they said they'd re-evaluate in a few months. The new job wasn't exactly thrilled that he was leaving but most of them understood it wasn't a challenge and he wasn't happy there. He doesn't lose any seniority at the old place either since he was only gone a week, and our benefits stay intact too. I hope and pray this was the right decision and we don't end up screwed in the end since he most likely burned the other bridge from the new job.

On a sad mommy note - I enrolled Natalie in Kindergarten last week :( My baby is growing up!!

Come out, come our wherever you are!!

2008-03-25T14:01:00.002-04:00

Hello, Spring, where have you gone? Today is cold, blustery, and occasionally snowy. What a bummer for the end of March. I know this is MI, but it would be nice to have a few warm 50+ degree days before the harsh reality of our roller coaster weather slaps us back in the face.

On a lighter note, the girls had their check-ups last week and are both growing faster than weeds. They are very tall for their age but average in weight. Natalie practiced being a pin cushion for her kindergarten booster shots. She cried but did good. She got a new Max and Ruby Easter DVD as bribery. Gabby got a Ken doll (we'll pretend he's Troy from HSM) but his neck broke after taking him out of the box so I need to take it back to Target and get a new one. The things we do to get our kids to the dr. office for a check-up :)

Life Keeps Rolling On

2008-03-09T14:00:00.004-04:00

Well, after a boring week at work, at least Jeff still has his job to go back to (though no raise in the foreseeable future). Can't say the same for most of the rest of the 'company'. They are trying to rebuild it but it will be a long road with obviously no increase in pay. Well, we could really use that increase in pay, which was supposed to have happened back after Christmas. He does have a lunch interview with a vendor they were going to use for some analysis purposes. We'll see what kind of offer stems from that. If it is enough of an increase after taking more driving into consideration he may have to jump ship.

Time Flies

2008-02-25T09:56:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's the last week of February already. Where has this year gone so quickly? We haven't had much excitement this year, I guess we've all been taking turns being sick so that zaps all the fun out of everything. We got our taxes back last week!! Too bad they've been spent on bills as quickly as the money was deposited. We're hoping to be able to take a small vacation this summer with the girls. That should be interesting.

Tried a new drink this weekend. I got some B1G1 coupons from Vocalpoint for Fuze and bought some. The Peach Mango and Banana Colada are super yummy. The tropical punch is not so good, really doesn't have much flavor to it making it kinda bland and yucky. They are probably not something I would buy if I didn't have those coupons though, but that's just because I'm frugal :)

More Snow, More Ice

2008-02-18T14:39:00.003-05:00

Natalie had her 5th birthday on Saturday. I can't believe my baby is already 5. As much as I want her to stay little, I know I need to let her start spreading her wings and encourage her to be a bit more independent.

Sunday was an adventure in ice-capades. I took Gabby to a friends house to play and got stuck on their ice rink of a driveway. Their house sits back off a main road about 1/4 mile. Partway down the driveway I realized it was a big mistake, but it was too late by then. It took half an hour to get back out the driveway to the road. It was pure ice due to the crazy nasty weather we have here. They were putting newspapers, pizza boxes, and rugs under my van to try to get me a little traction to get out. FINALLY, as Jeff was on his way up to try to rescue me, I was able to get out. I definitely did not make that same mistake twice. When I went to pick her up later, I left my car parked on the side of the road at the end of their driveway with my flashers on. I pulled on my snow boots and hoofed it through the snowy yard to the house. I couldn't even walk on the drive it was so icy.

Cough, cough, go away!

2008-02-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

I am now entering week 2 of the coughing game. Natalie is in week 3. Will it ever end? Everything is loosening up now which is both good and bad. I've coughed so much I sound like a pre-pubescent boy with my voice cracking, when I have a voice that is. I cannot wait until the weather breaks and warms up to, oh say 50 so I can crack some windows and air out the germs. I'm tired of living in the house of sickies. I can only clean so much before it all starts all over again with someone else here.

They grow up too fast

2008-01-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

Gabby turned 8 years old yesterday. I can hardly believe she is that old already!! We had her cake/ice cream party with the extended family on Sunday and yesterday we went out to eat. She picked TGIF. Come to find out they don't do the embarassing singing anymore but she did end up with 5 balloons from different waitstaff. She didn't even get a free dessert, which I found odd. Oh well, we let her get one anyways (and with the savings we get from our Key Card it was almost free anyways). Today was a snow day so she must have gotten her birthday wish :)

Being Sick Sucks

2008-01-27T12:07:00.000-05:00

I hate to be sick. Luckily it doesn't happen often, but I have a feeling once Natalie is in school everyday then we will have more germ invasions. Gabby is a pretty healthy little kid, she can kick her illnesses pretty fast. She had a stomach bug a few weeks ago that lasted only 2 hours, but I had to keep her home from school anyways since she had been throwing up. Let me tell you, I was ready to take her to school by lunchtime. Natalie has been snuffly all month, started a bad cough last weekend, and now has a fever along with the cough. I had the horrible aches and cough yesterday and last night, but a few hours after taking some Nyquil (tastes like poison but is a godsend) I broke my fever and now just have the cough. I hope soon my house will be healthy. It'll be nice if we get another 50 degree day soon so I can crack a few windows for an hour and air out the stuffiness.

Bzzz

2008-01-20T14:49:00.000-05:00

I recently joined Bzz as an agent and they will send me free stuff and coupons to try products and spread the word. My first project was the Hillshire Farms wraps. First off, I was kinda disappointed that my "free" package was not really free since they only reimbursed up to $2.99 and they cost $3.99, but oh well, it was still lunch for $1. Then I was peeved because the Meijer I shop at only carried one of the 4 flavors. I really wanted to try the turkey, bacon wrap but they only had the ham/swiss. I don't mind ham but am not a swiss fan so I sprinkled the cheese on it sparingly. It did however come with honey mustard sauce which I LOVE. It was pretty good. I didn't have high hopes for the whole wheat wrap but that was tasty too. Would I pay $3.99 for this item in the future? Probably not unless they go on sale and I still have a coupon for it.

Baby, it's cold outside!!

2008-01-20T14:44:00.000-05:00

Brrrrrr, you can definitely tell it's January now. Below 0 wind chill and single digit highs are in the air. On the bright side, I got my deep freeze defrosted this weekend since it was cold enough to leave the food outside overnight in freezers. I had so much ice in that thing. I filled a 14 qt mop bucket 2/3 of the way full with water. I really should make sure I do that once a year from now on to try to extend the life of that old thing as long as possible.

Natalie has been invaded by the barky cough. I'm don't think it's croup, Jeff and I both are leaning more toward bronchitis. She has a stuffy nose and snots all over the place when she sneezes but she says it doesn't hurt to breathe and that her throat and chest don't hurt when she coughs. She just sounds awful. I'll probably call her ped in the morning to make sure she doesn't need to be seen and we just have to wait it out. She doesn't have a fever either so I dunno what has a hold of her.