Sugar 'N Spice

2008-08-23T19:42:00.001-05:00

Yeah, Yeah...

http://blendinn.blogspot.com :)

Catchin' Up

2008-08-21T10:47:00.001-05:00

I've got some catching up to do... so bare with me here!

Caleb's First Day...

2008-08-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

So, Caleb's first day happened! He was SUCH a big boy. We dropped off his sister first and then drove back to his school and we were talking while waiting for the line to go through. Well, Fun Fun... I planned on taking in my new camera and taking a photo of him in front of his little cubbie. But he wanted to be a big boy... and he got out of the car by himself and headed in to drop off the back pack and eat some breakfast. So he did it all himself.

He got a sticker and a piece of candy because he behaved all day. :) So while we were waiting for Laura to show up I took advantage of the time and snapped a first day (after school) photo.

Steve and I decided to walk to pick up the kids from school today... it was nice to enjoy some time to walk by ourselves and then have some time to talk with the two older kids without being "out numbered" about how school was and such. I had to once again take advantage of the camera :).

Laura's First Day Of School...

2008-08-19T22:48:00.001-05:00

Today was Laura's first day of school. She was to go until 11:25. She seemed to have a GREAT day!

We drove to the school a little before 8 in the morning. She has to get there at 8:05 latest in order to get breakfast in the morning. She gave me my kiss, hopped out of the van, and did her typical turn around and wave quickly before disappearing into the school.

Every year, I become annoyed. I become annoyed at the people who don't know what they are doing. Those that choose to stop in the drive through area (they can park on the other side or in the parking lot). We stop pretty much to where we fit as many people as possible dropping their kids off. So, most of us don't leave enough room to try to pull around the person in front of us (we aren't suppose to pass anyways... child safety). But yeah, I always get stuck behind the person who has to GET OUT and walk in and not show back up for awhile. URG!

Laura's highlight was that her teacher is pregnant... and we know how much Laura loves pregnant women and babies!! She's gonna be a mommy when she grows up. LOL! :)

Restraining Orders

2008-08-19T13:45:00.003-05:00

I'm not aiming this at anyone in particular... but I have to say something and it might offend some people. For this, I AM sorry... but it has to be said and MAYBE it will make some sense when you look at it from this angle.

I understand that people argue. I understand that people fight. A little turbulence is normal... however, when a MAN (or WOMAN) abuses you (via pushing without marks or hitting with marks) it's NOT RIGHT. There's no OTHER way around it. Yeah, you MAY love them or you MAY THINK you love them... but why in the hell are they hurting you then and why do you love being treated like that! (Trust me... get out and you'll find out what LOVE really is... even if it's just finding out how to love YOURSELF!) Now, when you RECOGNIZE that it's wrong and you are willing to leave... you leave for awhile. Fine, you know I can understand ONCE or TWICE... but every damn time and it's find for awhile then he does it again... HE'S going to keep doing it... and you're just ENABLING him to (because you love him). Once you get brave and you get out... you should probably stay out if he/she does it again! But whatever.

Now, when he leaves marks on you or just pushes you around... and you FILE A RESTRAINING ORDER. Fine... I can see why you want that restraining order. But when you file it and within the scope of that order you decide to FUCK the order, we'll get back together... DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET THEM IN SOME PLACES WHEN YOU HAVE BULLSHIT ORDERS EVERY DAY! SOME PEOPLE NEED THEM AND THEY ARE SO BACKED UP AND HARD TO GET BECAUSE THE COURTS ARE CLOGGED WITH YOUR BULLSHIT ORDER THEN THINK ABOUT THAT THE NEXT TIME THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REALLY WANT ONE! Again, maybe I can forgive you once... BUT when you do this over and over it gets hard for me to read, it gets hard for me to support any decision you make, it makes it hard for me to believe you are HALF the parent you claim to be, it makes it hard for me to TRY to give you advice... because even those of us who hear he's abusing me (yeah, we may not know half the story... but we know enough to give you the advice) know what's best... ESPECIALLY those who have been there! You need to take a step back... and stop abusing the system that is there to protect the people who need it! Just stop, just overcome the fear, learn to love yourself, and THEN you'll see what life really is. Even if it is harder, because you are raising kids on your own!

Matt's First Day

2008-08-18T12:56:00.005-05:00

The kids were up by 8:30 this morning... I was going to sleep in but then an excitement and nervousness set it and I couldn't so I got up. Over the morning, breakfast was served... kids played... Matt got dressed... back pack was packed (one set of spare clothes to KEEP at Head Start and one set to KEEP in the back pack)... we waited on the porch for the bus to come... then he was off to school. As far as I can tell he manged to get on the bus without a fuss but once in his seat his nerves kicked in I think. But he wasn't crying like I expected.

So, here is some photos from him going back to school.

Matt's waiting so patiently!

Did I just hear the bus????

I'm a big brave boy!!

Getting ready to get on the bus...

And he was off!

They Went Swimming...

2008-08-17T22:24:00.002-05:00

The kids went swimming when I got home from work. The neighbor invited us over so Steve called me while I was doing my after work shopping. I didn't swim but Steve and the kids did. They had a GREAT time too! It was nice to see them all having a little fun.

Back To School

2008-08-17T22:16:00.002-05:00

WOW, I'm telling you that retail (particularly in back to school/stationary departments) is NOT a fun place to work. I mean, yeah it's great to have the sales. But what's not so fun is those that wait until the LAST minute to shop for back to school. They waited so long in fact that today we ran out of some items that were needed. But if they would have shopped a little in advance, the stuff would have been ordered and IN! The computer can only calculate sales based on average daily sales, and when we sell THAT much in one day, the order isn't in the DAY BEFORE SCHOOL.

Someone at work said it best today... the attitude that 90% of the customers had today (even if it was just looking for something that was on hand) made you think that they just found out today that school starts TOMORROW (or Tuesday).

It was just a frustrating day. It won't even be over tomorrow really. Then we have high school kids that don't get their list until the first day of school. Then the people who will be back to get what they couldn't/didn't get today. A lot of people just got frustrated by the SHEER volume of people in the isle that they left without getting everything.

I work tomorrow, but it's a short shift. So, that is AWSOME!

Some Photos...

2008-08-16T22:27:00.000-05:00

I wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some photos from our last trip to the park. Enjoy.

Caleb riding his big boy bike!

Laura's NEW bike...

Matthew riding a scooter... when he got tired we had to push him.

Myself and my wonderful hubby... It's hard to believe MY husband will be 29 VERY soon!!

My Daughter

2008-08-15T22:57:00.000-05:00

My daughter is soon to be 9 years old. I don't remember ages where I started doing things. I don't remember for sure when I started my period (it was jr high). I don't remember when I started shaving. At this point, I'm not very worried about the period... because it will start when it starts! However, my daughter has harry legs. They are light (thankfully). I would like her to wait another year or so before she starts shaving. However, she feels a need to shave her legs. I told her I would think about it and tell her a little bit later. So I want to know when your daughters started shaving their legs (or even yourself). When do you plan on letting your daughter begin shaving their legs? Think realistically. :)

Back To School

2008-08-15T22:43:00.002-05:00

I definitely hit a brick wall tonight at work. I was exhausted. Probably a result of being up so early this morning :(. But I'm gonna curl up here in a minute and get some sleep... but I've fallen badly behind on my blogging... BAD JESS! So, I need to start getting my time devoted back to my blog. I miss my blog... and my blog friends. I honestly miss having comments. :'(

I finalized my back to school shopping today for all the kids. There isn't anything that is on the list that isn't packed in their back packs. Waiting. Just a few more days. Monday the Head Start bus will be here at 11:40 AM to pick up my baby Matt. Tuesday Laura has a half day, Caleb has orientation. Wednesday Laura and Caleb have their full days. Matt will begin his whole day classes the following week when the pre-k classes start. :)

The only thing I have left to pack is an extra set of clothes for Matt... well two sets. One for Head Start and one for Pre-K. Then there will be an extra pair in his backpack between the two in case he has more than one accident. Hopefully, he will do good this year and he won't have many. He's come a long way from last year.

I'm ready... :) I'll have to get pictures...

The Doctor Says...

2008-08-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

To follow up in 1 month... if he doesn't gain weight he will be referred to Children's. So, that's that... and he goes back next month.

The Physical

2008-08-13T20:45:00.000-05:00

Matthew's physical for school went okay. We were pretty much in and out.

He is 37 inches tall. His blood pressure is 50/80. He weighs 26 lbs. So, he lost 2 lbs since his last visit. Granted, this could have been because he had shots the day before and he gets kinda blah for the first 48 hours.

The nurse practitioner is going to call after she talks to the doctor. She wants to find out if he wants to follow up or what. So now we wait on a phone call.

Off!

2008-08-12T10:07:00.002-05:00

I'm so happy to have two days off!! Although I must admit that I can't wait for school to start so that I can actually enjoy my days off instead of trying to run around taking care of everything. Doctor's appointments, open houses, orientation, and everything else!! UGH! These two days off are going to consist of Orientation, Doctors, and Health Departments. *sigh* Joy! I must admit that I can't wait to find out how much Matt weighs... but still!

Hair Donation

2008-08-11T09:40:00.008-05:00

I mentioned the other day that I was planning on donating my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. You may remember that I was going to donate my hair if I reached my goal for the CFF.

But the more I started thinking about it I decided I was going to donate my hair either way, so my journey starts today and will end Sept 16, 2009.

Now for some basics... Pantene Beautiful Lengths has some requirements for donations of hair. Hair can't be chemically treated or permanently dyed. Donations must be 8 inches in length.

With those things said, I have to grow my hair 8 inches (beyond cutting point, my ears). I also have to trim it every 6-8 weeks to keep it from breaking (rumor has it that it helps it grow faster too). Also, I have to make sure that I take good care of it and I'm going to use Pantene products AFTER I use what I currently have.

Current Statistics...

Total Length: 13 inches
Last Trim: 8.10.08
Dyed Length: 10.5 inches
Natural Length: 1 inch
Cutting Length (from ears): 0 (will begin when my dyed hair is gone.)

I'm so excited and I can't wait. So, here goes!!

Party Re-Cap

2008-08-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

Laura's birthday party went very well. It went well but it was crazy. We had more kids than I planned but they seemed to have a lot of fun.

This year's attendance was Sharon (grandma), Grammy and Grampy, Papa and Gigi (as well as one of Steve's sister's daughters), Great Bob and Great grandma, Cierra (Laura's friend), and her own brothers and step brothers.

She ended up with lots of great stuff too! She got two Hanna Montana barbie dolls, lots of clothes, a few purses, other Hanna Montana odds and ends, as well as some cash. She was so happy. She also got a bike, license plate, helmet, girly make up, a little ipod practice radio (she has to be able to take care of it before I buy her a real one).

She was surprised by her theme not being princesses and with it being Hanna Montana. She couldn't wait to ride her bike!

I didn't get photos but my grandpa did. So when I get them from him I will share some with ya. It was CRAZY so I gave up on the whole camera this time!

(Oh yes, this results in Laura's first sleep over IN MY house... Joy! Girls up giggling all night!! LOL!)

A lot...

2008-08-08T21:20:00.000-05:00

Today a lot got accomplished. I didn't even do most of it!!

My wonderful husband has been knocking out the dirty laundry. There is a little bit more but he's done a great job!! He'll have it done tomorrow I'll bet!

I completed the strings and hung them from the ceiling. I even re-did half of them because they were to low so I had to take them down and recut them and then hang them again.

I also knocked out 7 CBL (computer based learning) so I have 1 more for my current job code, 1 for my 1st secondary job code, and A LOT for my newest secondary job code! I'm going to try to get most of them knocked out tomorrow before my day off on Sunday... but we will see!

We also have *A* and *R* which has added extra people to the number of people that Steve had to take care of while he's doing all the housework. Poor Steve... 5 kids is alot... good thing he loves all of us!!

Shopping... Check!

2008-08-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

Today was payday, which meant that I have to finish shopping for Laura's birthday.

The other day I bought a bike for Laura. She has no idea about it though. This is her bike. We now know that this is the same bike of her best friend across the street so we have to get her a license plate for it so they can tell the difference.

Today I got a shirt (with a radio) from High School Musical. Tomorrow I hope to get a pair of pants so she can wear it to school.

She also got a purse and a thing of lip gloss. I hope it helps her girly side. She's very girly but I'm having trouble grasping this because I never was that girly.

I've gotta get her license plate for her bike tomorrow. I forgot to get it today. But then everything is bought as far as gifts.

I also bought all the balloons, plates, plastic wear, and such today too. WOOT! I enjoyed it. I still have to get her cake and then I have to get her ice cream.

Signed Away...

2008-08-06T15:21:00.003-05:00

An hour and a half after arriving, we have THREE kids who are registered for school! WOOT!

I have one preschooler. I have one kindergartner. I have one third grader. The two older children will start August 19th for a half day! (But, we actually have 2 kindergartners and 2 preschoolers with Steve's kids... but I didn't have to stay and register them.)

Most of their stuff is complete but Caleb will need an eye exam (a NEW state requirement) and I need to take $24 into the school tomorrow for Caleb's snack fee. I also need to remember to cancel Caleb's doctor's appointment because he doesn't need a physical!! WOOT!!

Let the count down begin!!

Two Good Causes!

2008-08-05T22:10:00.004-05:00

Most of you know that I am currently trying to get donations for the CFF. The CFF is short for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This is one of the largest foundations working on finding new treatments and ultimately a cure for cystic fibrosis. To many people have died because of this terrible disease which they have no control over!! They did nothing to cause this diease and they couldn't do anything to prevent it!

My personal goal is $500 this year since it is my first year. I have until September 13th (the date of my teams walk) to collect donations. So, I still have a lot of work to do. But because I am asking something of you, I'm giving something of myself as well. But I need YOUR help first!!

If I reach my goal of $500 by September 12th (the day BEFORE the walk) I'm going to sacrifice the ONE thing that I can (aside from organs). In case you don't know... currently because of time spent overseas in a country where there is mad cow disease I am not allowed to donate blood. So, I'm going to try to get MONEY donations for Cystic Fibrosis and THEN I'M going to GIVE my HAIR to contribute to wigs for cancer patience who have lost their hair. I'm 90% sure which company I'm going to donate through. I'm thinking I'm going to use Pantene Beautiful Lengths. I'm really excited for this, but I'm REALLY wanting to have this as a reward for you guys who have donated a dollar or so to the CFF. The person asking, giving of themself!

Now, I need to bring to light a couple points... Hair donation isn't all rainbows. There are some standards that is going to cause it to take me a little extra time! But, I will also be opening a blog ONLY for updates on my donation process as well as updating here.

Hair can't be perminately died or chemically altered. (With that said, I have to grow my hair out a little extra. I died my hair about 3 months ago... it's growing out already. But I am going to grow my hair to where my "roots" are at my shoulder. Then I'm getting it cut to right at my shoulders. This still leaves A LOT of length while it continues to grow out.)
Hair must be 8 inches long from the band. (With that said, when I actually do the CUT I would like my hair that I'm keeping to AT LEAST be at my jaw bone when I cut it. So it's gotta be kinda long!)
Needs to be trimmed every 8 weeks to prevent breakage. (This also helps the hair grow faster and healthier. It won't have to be any LENGTH... but just a trim at the very bottom.)

My GOAL is that if we raise the $500 goal by Septmber 12th (the day before the walk this year) I will have my hair CUT and DONATED on Septmber 13th, 2009!! This is one year after the walk I originally gathered donations for. (If by some occassion the growth of my hair doesn't stay as quick as it normally does, I will continue the updates until I have 8 inches that can be cut.)

I will post monthly "accounts" of how it's going, how long the hair is getting, trimmings, and anything else that has to do with hair and condition. I will post it both here and in a blog that is meant for only the cause.

So, please come donate to the CFF and help me meet my goal and then sit back and watch me do all the work! :)

Head Start

2008-08-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today was our home visit from Head Start. Which basically means that they come in and talk to both the parents and the student. Any paper work that needs to be caught up gets caught up. They also use this as a way to update about how your child is doing throughout the year. These aren't the type of home visit that you might think of. They don't go through and make sure every little thing is picked up. I've never had them go beyond my living room without my child initiating it (like asking them to come see something).

Today's visit was about getting all the registration forms filled out or updated. Matthew played very shy! At least all the papers that have to be filled out are already filled out.

We still have to go to orientation (8/12), go get hemoglobin results and TB waver/results (8/12), go get his physical (8/13), and turn all these papers in at the office (8/15). At least I don't have to fill them out! Matt will have to go to the dentist sometime in November. Maybe next month I will work on getting an appointment that far out.

Then he starts Head Start on 8/18!! WOOT. He's so happy... although I think a bit nervous too.

Home Sick

2008-08-03T21:55:00.002-05:00

Tonight, I'm miserable. I was suppose to work until 8 PM and ended up having to clock out at about 6:45 PM instead. When I came home for lunch I started getting a headache that I had hoped was just from being hungry. So I ate. By the time I returned to work at 4, it was pretty bad but I was going to put up with it. But by 6:30 my ears, for lack of a better explanation, went numb. There was a high pitched noise in my ears and it hurt both my ears and my head and then it just stopped and my ears felt as if they had fallen asleep. Very weird, don't think I've experienced THAT quiet like that before. I came home and layed outside on a couch since Steve had company over and then when they left we both went inside with the kids. I barried my head between pillows, tried a hot shower, then bath, more meds, and then layed back down and tried to just sleep the pain off. It wasn't a steady sleep at all... it was a slightly interupted. I remember hearing bits and peices of what is going on. But I woke up at 9 something and asked Steve to get me some cereal. Then, I decided to make sure that there wasn't anything going on with the world that I've been missing while I've been so miserable. Low and behold, there is nothing new going on in the world. Besides that, I'm heading back to sleep. :) I'll update more in the morning.

Shaved...

2008-08-02T23:51:00.004-05:00

I now have a bald kitty cat. Well, it's almost bald. My poor little Waffle was COVERED in fleas. Most likely from living outside since birth. However, it is really hard to treat fleas on a kitten is YOUNG as he is. He's approximately 6 weeks old. You can't treat with anything until 12 weeks of age, however I've found out that I can in fact treat him with a drop type stuff at 8 weeks. However, as many as he had they were drinkin' all his blood so I couldn't just sit around and wait. Although he's very unhappy with me tonight he's hairless and has at least 50 less fleas. There are still SOME on him... but less. Hopefully this will contribute to some kind of greater weight gain. He's not getting TO small but smaller than I'd like to see for being a week into this thing. I have to worm him again in a few days (10 days after the last treatment) and hopefully it takes care of everything. As long as he lives to see 12 weeks he will go in and get a visit from the vet (as will Wally).

Work today was... compliated. I hadn't had to work a full 8 hours shift (scheduled for 9 hours with an hour lunch) in a while... so I was exhausted!! LOL! Another one again tomorrow. But tomorrow Steve gets to clean the house because Monday morning they are suppose to come hook up our cable television, which we are suppose to be getting from New Wave Communications. After they get it all hooked up I'm sure I'll be back to tell ya about all the great stuff on the TV. We even got an extra teir of channels because I HAVE to have my Discovery Health and such. WOOT!

Because...

2008-08-01T22:47:00.001-05:00

Some of you have asked about Laura's Wishlist for her birthday... so I'm posting the link to it. I've removed things that we have gotten her (or that I KNOW someone else has gotten her). For most of you, this doesn't mean anything, but some of you wanted to get her something for her birthday so I'm posting it :). Thanks.

Alzheimer's Memory Walk

2008-07-30T18:51:00.004-05:00

Alzheimer’s is a thief. This terrible disease steals the memories. At this point and time, there is no cure. There have been advancements made in the early treatment of this disease though. People who have been diagnosed have been able to remain “themselves” longer because of research. But in order to be able to have successful research, there has to be funding because research doesn’t happen by itself. There for, there is a walk designed to help with this. The Alzheimer’s Memory Walk is the nation’s largest event for raising funds and making people aware of this terrible disease. Together we can make a difference in helping to create a world without Alzheimer’s!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; document.write('&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://clk.atdmt.com/TGA/go/108708464/direct/01/" target="_blank"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img src="http://view.atdmt.com/TGA/view/108708464/direct/01/"/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;'); &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/script&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;noscript&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://clk.atdmt.com/TGA/go/108708464/direct/01/" target="_blank"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img border="0" src="http://view.atdmt.com/TGA/view/108708464/direct/01/" /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/noscript&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

There are more than 600 communities with walks which are typically 2-3 miles long and are held in the fall. You can participate in one and help with raising awareness of this terrible, memory stealing disease! Maybe even help with the funding that finds a CURE so that Alzheimer’s is no more!

Personally, I have a passion about this disease because early on it stole my grandma. She was SO much fun to be around and she played with all her grandkids. Then slowly she would forget small things. She then suddenly forgot where she lived and walked into her neighbor’s house thinking it was hers! This was our first time of thinking it wasn’t “just typical memory loss”. People would keep an eye on her but there was no one who thought it serious enough for her to have someone as a caregiver, at least not until she managed to get into her car and ended up in getting lost on the interstate. It is very painful to watch someone who loves you forget who you are, eventually even within the same visit they can’t remember you.

This was years before the treatments that are available now. She might have retained her memory longer given treatments that there are now. But there was no cure in her life time. So we watched her suffer not remembering anything towards the end. Maybe in my lifetime there WILL be a cure for Alzheimer’s!

Alzheimer's Memory Walk

Quiet...

2008-07-30T15:39:00.001-05:00

I'm enjoying a quiet moment... three kids are outside with Steve. Two kids are inside with me... but they are enjoying the end of a nap. It's super quiet... and I love it! But I'm going to take advantage of some uninterupted time to update some things here on the blog. :)

Changes To The Party...

2008-07-30T15:33:00.000-05:00

It turns out that Laura isn't going to get that princess cake. When I went to order her cake I found out that they had two Hanna Montana cakes besides the one that I SOMEHOW missed in the book. They had a lip gloss one and also a pencil topper one. So, she is getting her Hanna Montana party!! However, she doesn't know about the change yet! I ended up ordering the lip gloss one and I get to pick it up at 10 AM on the 9th! :) WOOT!

I also got balloons, new invitations, lip gloss for the girls who come, and streamers. There isn't a lot more that I have to get... since I already have the string, paper clips, and tape.

Guess what else I got!! A clothes line. I get to take advantage of the sun and heat and not use up so much of this earth's energy. Hehe

In Need Of Police Gear?

2008-07-28T09:29:00.006-05:00

So, I went to check out this website I’ve heard about. It is for a company called LA Police Gear. This company supplies some great police gear from clothing, to boots, to whatever the police enthusiast is interested in. Their website is set up so you can easily find what you are in search of. The prices are also reasonable. So, if you are looking for some great gear, check out LA Police Gear today!!

*This is a sponsored post*

Then There Was Two...

2008-07-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

We started out with three kittens. We are now down to TWO little babies. Daisy passed away during the night. She put up a heck of a fight and managed to fall asleep and just never woke up again. I don't know how many kittens we are going to have in the end of this whole thing... but hopefully we have at least one! :( Laura was sad. However, she's looking forward to getting another cat at a later date. Plus, she's still cleaning the litter box too. Weird child. I would have given that up already!

Verbal

2008-07-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

Today I got a warming at work. The bad news is the warning will follow me for awhile. However, it will not keep me from being promoted, transferred to other departments, or transferred to other stories.

Tonight, I will admit that I did make a mistake. I wrote the wrong number on a check voutcher. I admit that I did go to who should have caught it but it didn't get caught even then. But I should have specifically asked.

I have to admit, it took about 30 minutes for me to get rid of the feeling like I was crying if I opened my mouth. Then I was angry until after lunch. I'm okay now... just one of those days.

Let's Just Say...

2008-07-25T21:26:00.003-05:00

As of today, I don't have to change the litter box anymore. That is the pro part of what happened today. The con part is that we now have three more tiny little kitten mouths to feed. But before Laura could get her cat, she had to agree to scoop the kitty litter box everyday. Some responsibility isn't a bad thing for her.

This all started when we went swimming a while back. They had kittens that were to little to take home just yet but two kids clamped onto a couple. Matthew didn't clamp onto any until today. So, that made an extra. So, I introduce you to...

Caleb & Waffle
Laura & Daisy
Matthew & Coconut

In case you can't tell... each child named their own. Laura's is the only girl. Someone's getting fixed at a later date. They are about 6 weeks old. They eat solid food and drink water. They (at least 2 of them) are litter box trained. Something I've always liked about cats is that they are attracked to sand/textures to go potty so they are sometimes easily litter box trained. Right now they are all staying in the back room because they are tiny little babies. Here before long they will be given more room to explore but we are starting out slowly with them.. Especially since they are still walk on able!

Just An FYI

2008-07-25T17:48:00.003-05:00

This is just a note... a quick note that I wanted to leave for all my readers. The last post you saw was a notice. The reason behind it is because I signed up for Pay Per Post. I was finally approved too. :)

Not that a lot of people are worried about it... BUT... This blog is STILL going to reflect MY personal life. It will have a FEW ads and sponsored posts but it won't be to bad. I promise. It will still be sharing stories. But, as you know... with everything going on a few extra bucks isn't a bad thing to have in your pocket... so I'm going with it.

More later :).

Disclosure Policy

2008-07-24T16:29:00.000-05:00

This policy is valid from 24 July 2008

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Jess (jesskirk at ymail dot com).

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

2008-07-23T22:17:00.003-05:00

For the parents, I'm sure that you know what this little chart is. For the people who are not parents or who have young children and haven't seen this yet... This is a growth chart that is used in the United States. They actually break it down into Boys birth to 24 months and 2 years to 20 years. They also have one for girls. In most cases a child will fall somewhere between the high line (being percentages of average) and the low line. These are also, I believe only used for full term babies as they have to adjust age on premies. But I could be wrong. This chart, will be much better when I go back to the doctor and get my figures again from Matt's recent visits. However, the little red dot (there's only one) is where he is as of my home scale right now. As you can see (barely as this shrunk during the upload) he's below that lowest line (which now has him below the 2% he was at). However, since my scale sometimes differs from the doctor's, I'm not doing his official chart until I go talk to them after I make the appointment. Then I will fill in all the blanks to date. Remember Matt was NOT born a premie. He was born 2 DAYS before his due date at 7 lbs 11 oz (after a completely unmedicated birth, almost at home and the only complications were to ME) so he's on this chart. Also remember that even a child that falls below the line NEEDS to form their own line, even if it is lower/slower/faster/bigger. Each child grows ALONG the same line as the ones printed above, even if not exactly on them. Matthew has been diagnosed with Failure To Thrive (FTT)... but we have never found out the cause YET. But at least after a few years of worry, someone said it wasn't just that it was just in my head and it was just because he wasn't eating quiet right!

Since Matt got back the question I hear all the time is "Has he grown?" and the question gets to me. Particailly because it makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong (magically he's going to get bigger because he was gone for 30 days in the summer? or maybe everyone thinks I'm not feeding him right... whatever the deal is... yeah). But partically because to be honest, I don't think he HAS grown while he was gone. I don't think he's grown much since his last appointment for weight check. Which leaves me feeling helpless because I have tried EVERYTHING to help him grow (or at least gain weight). We've even done and ICE CREAM diet... and it doesn't even work.

Although I'm not comfortable giving you all the note that he has NOT grown until I go to the doctor and have him on their scales, mine reads 28 lbs. Which is what his doctor's read LAST time.

If he hasn't gained weight I'm at a loss for what to do. The doctor has already ordered every test in their book to rule out any kind of hormone, thyroid, kidney, etc problem. (I'm still not convinced that it doesn't have SOMETHING to do with the fact he spent the first year of his life consitpated until he was put on Miralax at 6 months of age daily (then if you missed a dose he was back at not beign able to poop, sorry guys! But I also don't know since everything is normal with his blood work. I've read somewhere else that there is another kid that isn't gaining weight quiet right and they have a doctor with a "special" name... and for the life of me I don't remember who it was or how I got there or the name of the kind of doctor they see for it. Otherwise I could request a referral to see someone who might be able to find SOMETHING.

Now, even gaining 1-2 lbs from the last visit, while it won't put him on the chart will ease my worries. It's been 3-6 months since his last visit and he needs to have gained something. Even slow is better than NONE in that amount of time. *sigh*

Well, I guess if you have any idea of what the name of this kind of doctor might be you could share it. Otherwise, just say a prayer/positive thought for him and me and the family.

Since we know they work...

2008-07-23T20:54:00.003-05:00

As I was blog hopping today through my list of reads... (once again, if you are not in it but you stop by and read my blog... please leave a comment so I can find you!) I do this daily, or at least almost daily. It's how I make sure how everyone is doing... any changes and so forth.

Most of you know about Tricia, Gwyneth, and Nate because I've mentioned them more than once in my blog. A recap for anyone who doesn't know... Tricia has CF (also please see THIS post). She gave birth to a premature baby (Gwyneth) before going through a lung transplant (which as far as I can tell went VERY well!). Their little girl is doing very well too given everything that was against her. :) She's very cute too! Gets cuter by the day!! Shortly after the transplant Tricia found out that she has cancer. She's kept her great attitude throughout the whole thing though and completed weeks worth of chemo. They found out that she did not respond to this treatment, so they are resorting to stronger medications to try to get rid of this cancer within her. Please remember to say a prayer/positive thought that Tricia handles this treatment okay AND that it works!

Coming Soon To A Blog Near You...

2008-07-23T18:45:00.002-05:00

As if my first attempt at a blog header wasn't poor enough, I'm going to try it again. The one that is currently shown on my blog was from my old blog. My xanga. It's still active, just because so many of them don't have comments turned on without xanga and also they are friend protected. So I keep it around...

So, I'm going to be in the process of trying (TRYING) to make a new blog header... :) Of course, if anyone wants to help me out... feel free to leave me a comment and I'll send you the pictures I want on it and let you play around :). I will probably be trying to make some seasonal ones as well. Then use my normal one in between. *sigh* I have to many plans for someone who can't really design that well!! LOL!

A Side of Al

2008-07-22T21:01:00.003-05:00

Tonight at dinner my children were offered mustard & katchup. Laura (being of reading age) asks for some Al sauce, which was also sitting on the table. We had to silence laughter as we allowed her to try Al sauce for the first time and asked for more (still not paying attention to the fact that it wasn't Al sauce at all even after the 3rd time we told her. Kids really do say the darnedest things.

Btw... in case you didn't catch it... it is A-1!

Up For Grabs...

2008-07-22T18:13:00.002-05:00

Since I won't be using them there is no use in them going to waste... so please read this and leave me a comment if you want one. First come, first serve. Also, I will contact you by e-mail to get your address... you have 24 hours to respond or I give it to the next person :).

Save $2 on ONE any size Dreft product (expires 8/31/08)
Save $1.50 on ONE any size Pampers Diapers Jumbo pack or larger (expires 9/30/08)
Save $1 on ONE any size Pampers Sensitive Wipes 70 count or larger (expires 9/30/08)
Save $1 on ONE any size Pampers Diapers Jumbo pack or larger (expires 9/30/08)
Save $2 on ONE any size Pampers Splashers Swim Pants (expires 9/30/08)
Save .50 cents on any ONE Mr. Clean product (expires 9/30/08)

Supplies Almost Done

2008-07-20T18:46:00.000-05:00

It is almost inventory at work. This means a hell of a lot of counting. At least it makes the day go by faster!! I'm back at doing it again tomorrow! If I can wake myself up at 6 AM.

So, to make today's entry I will leave you with each of the children's current school supplies... there's more that has to be bought still too! OUCH!

Matthew's... I still have to buy a paint smock.

Caleb's... He doesn't need much more... baggies and trash bags, and baby wipes.

Laura's... she needs shoes, and quiet a few other things.

Family Fun

2008-07-19T21:54:00.002-05:00

Today's "family fun" (read below) was going to the farm (my in-law's house) to go swimming. This is something we started last year and I've been looking forward to it all winter/spring. YAY! I've missed getting into the water.

So, today we took Laura, Caleb, and Matt out. They had a blast! Laura and Caleb were right in the water. They each played and went down the slide and got piggy back rides. Matthew took a few minutes but he turned into a regular ol' fish! It was very cute.

I did manage to snap a few photos.

Steve showing off...

Myself, self portrait...

Laura Swimming Around...

Caleb Trying To Not Get His Picture Taken

Matthew Finally Enjoying The Water

"Family fun" is now a new thing we do. At least ONE day a week we will do an outing/craft/combo. We will try to do it more often, but planning between work/school schedules is never easy. But at LEAST one day... we will do SOMETHING.

Team Patty Sue!!!

2008-07-18T18:55:00.001-05:00

Cystic Fibrosis is a deadly disease taking many lives. The only thing extending lives affected is a lung transplant. But working together we can find a cure. But research takes money, money donated by people like you!

The team I am supporting is "Team Patty Sue". While I'm not walking, I'm involved mearly to support those that ARE walking and spread the word so that their team can have as many donations as possible. Many of you have "heard" me mention the family who's team I am on. Tricia, who has been lucky and has received a double lung transplant, is my inspiration!

I'm asking for you to PLEASE donate! Please go to my personal donation page and donate a little bit (or a lot)! Please remember that even the little donations add up... and TOGETHER we can find a cure!

School Supplies...

2008-07-18T15:06:00.008-05:00

It's amazing that it's already the time of year where you need to buy school supplies! It seems this summer has flown by for the most part! So, a few days ago I prepared by picking up three supply lists. I know how it gets closer to time for school to start (less than 30 days now!). They tend to run out of supply lists and such. Since I didn't have my lists organized yet (I learned that if I go through the lists and make ONE copy with the number of everything I need it works out much quicker!) we picked up what would probably be the MAIN expense of going back to school. We knocked out the back packs... This year it was early enough that each kid got to pick their own and be more individual. Laura went with Tink, Caleb went with Superheros, and Matthew went with Diego. Then to knock out the next things that tend to go quickly... I went with two pairs of scissors and 1 ruler. Stuff I still have to get:

~~2 x 24 count crayons~~
~~24 ct pencils (I have the others at home already)~~
~~1 zipper pencil case~~
~~Small plastic pencil case~~
~~4 x 4oz glue bottles~~
~~5 x glue sticks~~
3 x large pencil erasers
~~2 x watercolors~~
~~2 x colored pencils~~
~~8 ct washable markers~~
~~Wide ruled note book paper~~
2 x wide ruled 70 sheet notebook paper
~~2 x folders with pockets and fasteners~~
~~2 x grading pens~~
2 x boxes of tissues
~~Roll of paper towels~~
Garbage Bag (20-30 gallon cinch type)
Soft soled gym shoes
2 x old shirts
Plastic paint cover shirt

*sigh* I just LOVE back to school! I actually can't wait for it to be over and have them all back to school. Current amount spent is APPROX. $45 (with my discount & sales). I will have at LEAST $24 in fees for kindergarten and the rest of the supplies.

So, when do you start shopping for back to school? What's on your list this year? How much do you spend on average?

Positive Thoughs/Prayers In Action

2008-07-17T18:56:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I mentioned a young woman who was pregnant and had been in the hospital for awhile on bed rest. However, she managed to bring her baby to 30 weeks 2 days before delivering him because it was safer that way. You can find her HERE. While everyone knows that in the NICU things change by the minute her son is doing GREAT. Within his first 24 hours he was on CPAP but only breathing room air. Then he was taken off of that within his first 48 hours and is on just the nasal. For a 10 week premie that is PRETTY DARN GOOD. And while we know they are NOT out of the woods yet, at this point everyone is thinking/praying positive. So, to anyone who read that on my blog and said a positive thought or prayer... keep it up because they are working!! Also, stop by and say hi. Right now she's looking for a gentely used breast pump so she can continue to feed her baby expressed milk even after she is released. So, if you know anyone/anything stop by and let her know!

Sometimes I wish...

2008-07-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

that I knew exactly what I was suppose to be doing at work. Because it gets annoying not knowing where I'm going on which day. On the schedule they still have me on the garden center. So unless otherwise told I go back there. I counted fabric a few days. I went back to the garden center. Then yesterday I showed up and started to head that way when they wanted to know where I was going. I'm suppose to be in my new department now evidently. But of course, give it a couple days and they'll probably have me back doing something in my old department. *sigh* It would be much more simple to just get to do one job and not wonder where I'm going each day.

I came home at 10 after requesting that the kids stay up until I got home (I've missed them, what can I say) and we got to spend some more time together. We actually had some fun and then they went to bed. Soon, I've got to stick them BACK on their normal schedule! School starts in exactly 31 days!

Complete...

2008-07-15T23:47:00.002-05:00

At approx. 9:50 PM tonight my house became complete again. As my children pulled up with their grand parents I was waiting outside eager as ever to hug, kiss, and hold my babies again. Even if half of them (or all of them) aren't really babies anymore!

As I weave in between children playing with long lines of cars or one that has quickly resumed his position attached to my hip I put their clean laundry away out of their suit cases and get them changed into their pjs. They're noise is welcome. I've missed it. As soon as Matt walked in the door and I joined them after carrying bags of clothes he smiles and asks for my keys. How can I say no? Caleb asked to play a video game... to which I reply that we can do it in the morning... tonight we are a family again and he has all kinds of toys to play with. Laura wanted to know where her room was because her dresser was different.

At this moment, Laura and Caleb are going between playing with those long lines of cars to playing with the kitten they didn't know existed just 5 minutes before. Matthew is tired, after all they were up at 5 AM this morning and it's now almost 11 PM. But they are as eager to see their step dad as their step dad is to see them. Thus I keep them out of bed. Matt is about to fall asleep on the couch until he gets home though... he only has another 30 minutes to go.

I was extremely happy to see that Matt was in underwear :). Always a good thing! He's gotten so big... but that might be my eyes playing tricks on me. I might have to weigh him to find out! Caleb is still talking clear and for the moment the attitude we had been fighting with all winter is gone. Laura is being little miss know it all. She's very informative... but for the moment none of them are sharing stories of Colorado. The only tid bit I got was going to a water park. They all look to be at least a foot bigger... but yeah, I think it's just because I haven't seen them.

My heart is complete... again. There's always a big hole in my heart when they are gone and this time was no exception. Even if I was busy working... my mind often wondered to my children... now it doesn't have to wonder very far! So, I'm back to spend some time with the children before I ship them off to bed to sleep before spending a morning/afternoon together before I go to work. *sigh* I wish I was off. I've got time to catch up on. But I have Friday/Saturday off and we will do something as a family.

Two Points

2008-07-15T11:48:00.001-05:00

First off, I stumbled upon a blog today... I would really appreciate it if you could say some positive thoughts or prayers to go out to this person. She's delivering her baby today after being in the hospital for awhile. I think she is now 30 weeks and it's still VERY early to have a baby. So, yeah, say some prayers/positive thoughts for her, her baby, and her whole family!

Second, WHO IN THE HELL decided it would be a GOOD idea to raise gas prices to $4.15 a gallon. YESTERDAY it was $3.99... DUDE, that's .16 OVERNIGHT! It's going to be cheaper for me to quit working if they don't stop. Then they wonder why the economy is struggling... most of us can BARELY pay for the gas to fill our cars to work, let alone go shopping, ect. It's just annoying. They need to plan another raise in pay ASAP before people just quit working and then things really go to shit, or they need to lower the cost of gas.

My Introductory Post

2008-07-14T16:01:00.001-05:00

With every blog (or almost every blog) I've read, there is always an introduction post (typically close to the beginning) of the blog. Thus said, I will give you my introduction post.

Myself
My name is Jess. I'm 25 years old. I graduated from college in March 2008. I started working less than a month later at Wal Mart. I enjoy reading, blogging, chatting with friends, and spending time with the family. I've been divorced. I have three kids from the previous relationship. Steve and I will probably never have kids together, although I'm fighting with my doctors to untie my tubes because I have PTLS (post tubal ligation syndrome) and I basically live on some sort of pain killers. Even after that I don't think we will have kids anytime soon (if ever).

My Husband
His name is Steve. Heck, before it's over... you might even see him posting on here (but not at the moment). He's 28 years old. He works at a local shipping company at the moment. He enjoys being outside doing "manly" stuff (fixing stuff or tearing it up... whichever way you look at it!). He's been divorced as well. He has one kid from the first marriage and two from the second... giving me three step children. He's supportive of me getting my tubes untied so that I can feel better and not have to take pain killers (tylenol, since the other stuff they give me makes me tired... I only take it on my worse days) everyday.

The Wedding

We got married on October 19th, 2007 in a SMALL ceremony at the court house. In fact, the people that you see in the photo were it. You see my husband, myself, my best friend Karen, and our friend Brian. We also had a photographer friend there and the judge of course! We look forward to many years together in the future and can't wait to see where we end up! It's another of life's adventures! (Photo is us exchanging rings.)

Our Family
So, like I said we have a fairly large amount of kids. Between the two of us we have 6, however only 5 come see us. Laura is the oldest and she's 8 years old (She's Aug). *D* is the next oldest and he's 8 years old (he's also the one I don't have any photos of). *A* is the next and he's 6 years old (He's Sept). Caleb is next and he is 6 years old (He's Oct). *R* is next and he's 4 years old (He's Sept). Then there is Matt who is 4 years old (He's Jan). They do keep us busy... but it's a job that I wouldn't give up for the world. I love them all!

Hum, I think that is about all for now... if you want to know something else, just ask. I'll add it in here!

That Day Off...

2008-07-11T22:18:00.001-05:00

So that day off… turned into a working day! They called me at about 11 this morning and wanted to know if I would come in and work for about 5 hours. I won't refuse work since we can always use the money to get caught up and staying ahead and all… so I went in at 1 and stayed until 6. I was counting fabrics all day today… fun stuff that was! It's not HARD work, it's just a lot of work doing the same thing over and over and it gets kinda exhausting mentally counting all that stuff. Even better is that a lot of departments, when inventory people come through, they count it all and throw everything on the floor. They get paid by the hour so they can't just take time to make things neat again or something. UGH! I hope that's not actually the case. At least the stuff I'm doing today they won't get to mess up… because they don't re measure it! YAY!

The boys were dropped off this morning… and since I end up making more than Steve, I went to work today while he stayed home. He did a lot of work on the house… including rearranging my living room like I wanted it, so I can't complain! Aside from some laundry, I don't' need to do house work today… I just gotta do some laundry for work and then hopefully the rest can wait until Monday when I'm off work next!

Well, I'm drained from working today… tomorrow at 7 AM I am back at it again. So hopefully it will go well. I am counting MORE fabric tomorrow. WOOT!

Ouch!

2008-07-09T22:15:00.001-05:00

At this point and time, work is VERY stressful. What started out as what can be described as "over staffing" over half the time has turned into a dwindling few. They are saying that the department is "over" as the time for new plant growing gets less and less. They are slowly but surely moving people out of the garden center and into other departments. All in all, it wouldn't be so bad if we weren't so busy still. Yeah, it might be slow in the morning… but we still have to load a lot and we still have to do so much stuff that them taking all our people isn't necessarily convenient. Soon enough, I switch over full time to stationary. I guess it's all part of the fun that comes with working something seasonal. Where you start to gain and loose staffing at weird times. But it's stressful for the rest of us too… when we play the role of 3 people at once!

I've been cramping like I'm supposed to be starting my period… but that just ended a couple days ago. I'm hurting like crazy though. Last time, they said it was me having ovulation and the place where my tubes are "scruntched" my tubes can't "swell" like they normally would so it causes me pain on top of the fact that I now have cysts… so it's probably another one of those. Just peachy. I hope it goes away by morning…

Yesterday I tackled most of my daughter's room… today I finished it and then I started on my kitchen. It is almost done too… but I had to sit down for awhile because I'm hurting. So I will probably try to finish it tomorrow morning before work. I actually don't go into work until 10 so it's all good J.

I must say, I'm glad that I finally get to be the "relief" person… I hate it when I'm one of the main people there in the morning and I have to wait for the relief person to start our breaks. Ugh! So this time, I don't have to worry about it… because I'm the person everyone's going to be waiting for. Of course, we'll even have to see how many people are still back there! LOL!

Also, I figured today was as good as any for the announcement of my link to go out to my MySpace friends. Soon I will be working on family and friends… but releasing the information one at a time is my plan. It makes me a bit nervous to be out there… I'm out there with you guys… but you know with the family around and all. Hum...

Nesting...

2008-07-07T22:21:00.000-05:00

I am completely and totally nesting. Now before you say anything like "You're not even pregnant" you must understand. When you raise kids 11 months out of the year… when you are separated for a month, you feel this strong urge to make everything perfect for them. This is very much like a pregnant woman does during her pregnancy. I'm nesting… worse this year than I did last year! I mean, geesh! I'm breaking a sweat and I'm exhausted but by golly the house will be straightened to perfection!

I talked to my ex's parents today about them going up half way to pick up the kids for me. This came just HOURS before I checked my e-mail for the first time that day (we're talking 3:30, which for me is a RECORD) and found an e-mail from the ex himself. As much as I tried to tell him that I couldn't just plan things the week of, he writes and wants to know if I can meet him Sunday to pick the kids back up. Hello? I've told him and his parents they have to work out the pick up date/time themselves and let me know so I know when to get them from his parents house. Now I'm kinda just sitting here waiting!

I have some topics I want to write about one of these days… probably when I have nothing else to write about… but I have some things on my mind… and it should be interesting to take me out of the "daily" grind and put me in a more "discussion" based grind. We'll see I guess.

Back To School

2008-07-06T22:23:00.001-05:00

I got off work at 3 tonight. I was door greeter until 2 and then they pulled me and put me in stationary (back to school) which was fairly easy to zone because I helped set it all up! J Anyways, I did that for an hour and got that section done and half of the regular stationary department zoned. However, something must have wore me out because I had no energy when I got home.

Steve was off work (he has a little side job now) when I got home and he was fiddling with our old computer. So, when I walked in I hopped on my computer and started checking my e-mail and everything else. However, that didn't last long for both of us… we both ended up laying down and falling asleep! We ended up sleeping until 8 PM. This will make it very hard for me to go to sleep here in a little while, but oh well. I needed the sleep if I fell asleep as hard as I did.

Which reminds me… I forgot to tell ya. I have Laura's back to school list of supplies. I should have Caleb's soon and Matthew won't need much I don't think… mostly just a back pack. Anyways, I think that my next paycheck I should have the kids back and I'm going to take them school supply shopping before the "mad" rush. It's crazy out there when the mad rush hits and right now no one can believe that we already have school supplies back up. LOL! I can't wait… we actually aren't struggling as much as we could be and I LOVE it!

We watched "The Ultimate Gift" again. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE that movie! It's a great movie. Steve said he was going to buy it for me. It kinda makes you think about certain things in your life and such. It really, really got to me in some parts. If you get a chance to see it, you really should. It's pretty good.

Also, I'm reading a new book. It's a Steven King book… "Cell". So far I'm into it… it's not a bad book so far. It's not as confusing as some of the books that I've read recently where you are trying to keep track of this person and that person while they run back and forth with two story lines. Until I finish it I don't really want to give it a review… ya know? Because what if it blows at the end?! Hehe.

Anyways, I'm gonna hop off here and do some laundry and busy work around the house until about 12:30 and then go to sleep. :P I'm starting to get tired again… which once I start a load of laundry is a good thing! A really good thing!

A Date :)

2008-07-05T23:26:00.000-05:00

I mentioned the other day that I wanted nothing more than to have a date away with my husband. I also mentioned that we already had a date planned. There was a fair going on that I wanted to get to go to. Well, we turned it into something that was a bit more than "just" a fair. J I'm SSOOO happy. A quick run down of how our date night went… (Easter 2006 I was given a Pondorosa gift card from a friend of mine… it was something like $20.) Steve and I FINALLY went out to eat some place that wasn't McDonalds. We went and ate at Pondorosa. It was pretty good. We enjoyed food and each other's company. Then we headed to Wal Mart to get a gas card because you save 3 cents per gallon (and come on, every little thing helps) just by using their GIFT cards… not one of those "credit card" scams. Anyways, we headed out to the fair a couple towns over. We ran into some friend of ours and they were going to the car durby that was going to start at 7… they gave us some extra money since we didn't have extra. We took enough to eat, get into the fair, and bracelets for rides. Anyways, we watched the car durby (which was pretty cool). Then we ate some funnel cakes and we drank some lemon shake ups. It was VERY yummy! Since the rides SUCKED… we played some darts instead and Steve won me a stuffed kitten. J It's pretty cute. Then we came home… I posted this and now I'm going to sleep.

I'll update again tomorrow… I work at 7 AM until 3 PM so I hope you all have a great Sunday!

Work...

2008-07-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

I worked today… as I typically do. LOL! I was working again only 6 hours. I was there for MAYBE an hour before I managed to get called up front to do cashiering. Our store manager came back to garden center to get me and asked if I had signed her paper yet. I said no, but I was told that I was supposed to find her but I hadn't had time yet. So I went back to the back and I got a raise… of course, only because min wage went up. So, I have a raise. I'm due for about 2 more VERY soon. Then I went up front. Awhile later one of the department managers came though… she said I was the one she was looking for. I signed the papers today that made me part time as well! It was a pretty big day today! YAY!

I went by and saw my mother today… It was nice to visit for awhile. I need to make sure that I make it to my dad's house soon! I miss him and it would be nice to visit him for a little while too!

I'm starving so I'm going to go for now… I'll update again tomorrow.

Work News...

2008-07-03T20:29:00.000-05:00

I went by and saw my mother today… It was nice to visit for awhile. I need to make sure that I make it to my dad's house soon! I miss him and it would be nice to visit him for a little while too!

I'm starving so I'm going to go for now… I'll update again tomorrow.

Pick Ups

2008-05-11T21:07:00.000-05:00

Heya everyone... sorry about the bulk updates! I haven't had much of a chance to get on here recently. Plus my internet was down and it still is for the moment. I do however have my wireless thing back so I'm hoping onto signals. LOL! So, I still am around less because it boots me constantly... but until we get this unemployment check to make up for the lost income so far we are stuck doing what we can do! OUCH!

Some of you have been wondering how everything was going... with work and all. Well, honestly, I don't mind it so much. They have been giving me some good hours and I appreciate that. We need all the hours we can since Steve hasn't been working. But it does leave me a bit tired still... although I am adjusting.

I got my diploma the other day! From my college! Plus two copies of my transcript. WOOT! I'm so happy that it's over with, at least for now.

I have a new cell phone... I went with Verizon... because when I go to take/get the kids from Colorado I won't be able to get a signal for Cingular past the Missouri border... and I NEED it all the way across... ya know? It's still prepaid. As of this moment I don't have time on it. But I will get some time on it very soon (Thursday).

A funny for the day... This evening Matt is sitting here watching me play Sims 2 when he looks at me and says "I've got the pick ups." Which was followed by a hick-up. Steve and I both heard it and had to keep from laughing. He then does it again and looks at me all sad. He says "Will you pick me up, I have the pick ups."

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T09:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day
To all the moms and moms to be out there :)

CARD!!

2008-05-09T23:32:00.000-05:00

I got my NEW social security card in the mail! WOOT!!

Funky Monkey

2008-05-06T21:10:00.000-05:00

That is the name of the monkey that came home with Laura today from school. It's their "class pet" and each student gets to take it home and then spend the evening with it and write about it in a journal and then return it the next day! Laura really enjoyed her visit with "funky monkey" as the class named it.

A Trip

2008-05-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

I went to Effingham to accomplish TWO things today....

1) Change my name on my Social Security card
2) Get Steve's interview with Unemployment over

We did accomplish TWO things...
1) My NEW social security card will be here in 6 days or so
2) We have everything turned into unemployment and now we wait.

My Confessions

2008-02-12T10:02:00.000-06:00

A little background behind Steve and I. Keep in mind this is a VERY controversial story. This could break some of my friendships... but I think it's necessary to get it out there. Plus, I really did nothing WRONG... just the timing could have been better.

I separated from my ex-husband in Jan of 2006. I will admit that I'm not completely innocent in the matter of our relationship's failure. I've had an affair when I lived in Germany. It wasn't right and there isn't an excuse for it. But it was the decision of a young scared woman. However, I am 99% sure that my ex had cheated on me during his tech school training, just weeks after we were married, so cheating was throughout the relationship for him and a one time occurance for me. I admitted to mine to him. Over the final three years of our relationship it was really rocky. He hit me more than ever before. He had more than one affair, including online ones. The last one, I knew was it done. To this day I don't know how long it had been going on. But for awhile before I found out. I found out because I went to run an errand and came back and got on the computer. I noticed that one of the windows was still open from when he was on the computer. I clicked on it and it opened. I figured out it was an e-mail window from his government account. I was going to close it out when something caught my eye. Turns out it was series of replies from him and his girlfriend. Serious e-mails too. After reading them all I can't remember EXCATLY what caught my eye but I think it was the line that said "my wife thinks I'm talking to Sgt. ____ and I'm going to let her keep thinking that". I asked, even though I didn't have to, if he was having an affair. He denied it up until I told him he couldn't deny it... I still should have printed that e-mail. I stayed for about 2 weeks while I was making plans to take myself and my kids back to Illinois.

Steve's story is a bit different. (Keep in mind his ex wife was a "friend" of mine, meaning she couldn't care less for me when it wasn't convient for her... but if she needed something I was around.) Steve's ex came to him and told him she had an affair with a person that he knew. He already had a suspiction because of something that was said by this person a few days before. Anyways, Steve doesn't give second chances very often after his first wife for cheating. Anyways, he went ahead and gave her one...and she did it again, with the same person. Well, that was the end of their relationship. She moved to her mom's shortly after while he stayed in that house for another week before moving to a hotel and eventually to where we live now. They were now legally seperated. I had found out about her affair one night at some god-awful hour in the morning when Steve called me trying to get me to tell him how long his wife had been cheating on him. He said I was her friend and he was sure I knew about it. However, I didn't. Remember, she didn't really tell me anything or even care if I was around anymore (and this was going on for awhile now). I remained "friends" with both in them... until she started lying to my face. I did continue talking to Steve. But nothing was going on between us. His ex used me as an excuse for her affair. She told him that my ex gave me a second chance and he should do the same. However, when she got it, she abused it and he was done! When he moved into the hotel room we started dating.

We began dating because we had similar interests and we had similar experiences. We both agreed to the fact that IF we were to get interested in someone else, we were to break it off (even if it's within a marraige) before you go any further with the other person. That way, it's not a blind side attack. However, neither of us are going to use this.

Now, I understand that this isn't actually a good thing, to date (and marry) your friend's ex. But honestly, he didn't do anything wrong as far as what went wrong. He didn't cheat on her. But, life goes on. If you cheat and get a second chance and cheat again, I don't think you cared enough in the first place. But that's my frame of mind.

Now, I guess I can understand why she might spread the rumors she has spread across this GRAND town that I live in... because she's bitter. However, I must say... I DON'T spread rumors that I don't have facts about. I don't do it about my ex, I don't do it about his girlfriend, I don't do it about Steve's ex. However, I've heard so many stories about me... things like she walked in and saw Steve and I fucking... she never cheated on Steve... we were daing for months before... blah blah... at one point I was pregnant... yeah. That was a hell of a converstaion to have in the PA office. (I worked at a day care center at one point and saw the mom of one of the kids... I asked how the kids were doing and said I bet they were growing like weeds. She said yeah and we talked for a few. I was there to report my getting married to Steve BTW. She said, you married Steve? I said yeah. She said, I thought Sam was dating Steve. I said Sam is dating this Steve, I'm dating this other Steve. Oh, your the one dating W's ex? Yeah, that would be me. Well, are you pregnant now or did you just have the baby? Um, WHAT? Oh, she told me you were pregnant with his baby. Um, NO. I can't get pregnant. I have my tubes tied... and REMEMBER to REMIND W of this next time you see her because she KNOWS as well. We did talk a little more but that was basically it.) Steve's parents were told that Steve was cheating on her with me. They know better now... but she went quickly to try to spread that one! She told many of my friends these stupid stories and instead of asking me... they just stopped talking to me. So whatever! I'm done with it all! I'm often ANGRY about the fact that friends I had that were mine and didn't like her, took her side. But whatever. If they couldn't come to me... they weren't really friends anyways were they?

So that's the background of Steve and I... out in the open. Now, I do want you to remember you may not approve of this type of thing. In that case, I want you to be an adult. You don't like it, you can always STOP reading my site. Any comments of negative or hatred will be DELETED! So play nice and if you don't like it, once again, unsub... if you really want you can block me I don't care.

We're both happier now than ever... and we look forward to the rest of our lives. We think things happen for a reason and if not for every step we've taken this far... we might not be in the same place we are now! Plus I love him more than I've loved anything before (well, you know... I love my kids too!).

I always grow impatient

2008-02-11T22:01:00.000-06:00

I always grow impatient about this time of week. Especially during the final grade week of school. I'm ready to know what my final grade will be 100% and I hate the waiting. UGH! I'm hoping that they post them tomorrow... but I'm really not holding my breath on that one! Honestly, patience is a vertue that I don't possess yet.

Many of you have read my other blog. One post was entitled that something wasn't right. I still have something wrong... I still have the same "symptoms" as before. However, I've added that my muscles are so sensitive. My daughter comes up to hug me and it hurts. I don't know what's up. This week, I will probably call around to see if I can find a different doctor. I was going to last week... but was way to stressed out with school. I think I'm going to ask them to check my thyroid and my iron levels. Plus anything the doctor thinks I need in addition. I've gotta get through this sometime!

Yesterday I got a valentines day give from Steve... I got my Flickr account PRO! I'm so excited because now I don't have to limit my photos. WOOT! Today I was looking on Walmart.com to find something for my IPOD. (For our tax refund, Steve got me an IPOD nano, 3rd generation.) It's in a silicone "case" right now. But it doesn't really protect the screen or anything. I found this cute little case that I thought I would like. So when Steve called me to talk over his break I asked if I could have ONE more thing... Plus it's only $10 (with shipping it was $10.80 something). The reviews have been pretty good so far... minus one. Anyways, so I'm expecting this little beauty in by the end of the week/beginning of next week.

Hum, I think that's it for now... I'm gonna get ready for bed... I'm exhausted and could totally go to sleep as soon as my husband gets home and I send my babysitting kid home :).

Labels only #3

2008-01-01T15:00:00.000-06:00

Labels only #2

2008-01-01T14:59:00.000-06:00

Labels only

2008-01-01T14:56:00.001-06:00

This is NOT a real post... this is only to get ALL my labels up so I know what I plan on using!

Tomorrow... Or Today!

2007-10-19T00:10:00.001-05:00

I can tell you... that I'm extremely happy and although we are slightly behind schedule as far as homework being done and such everything for the wedding (ceremony) is done.

My outfit is almost ready to go. I've gotta iron my shirt in the morning but I'm ready to go as far as that. My nails are on... and we'll see how easily I can put in my contacts. Steve even bought an outfit for the event! I'm thrilled. I bought a new perfume for tomorrow... which I love the smell of and thought the name was just perfect for the event. It's called "Lucky You". It's quickly becoming my favorite as I am smelling it tonight before my bath.

This is my ring before I add the wedding band to it! :) I asked for small and simple and even though Steve hates the idea of small and simple (he says I deserve much more) I'm very happy with what I've selected.

Hair Styles

2007-10-18T01:03:00.000-05:00

So, technically... since it's almost 1 AM on Thursday morning... I'm getting married TOMORROW! I'm excited and nervous and all that good stuff! I can't wait!

Today we worked with some hair styles. We are down to two different styles. I'm not sure 100% which one I'm going to go with, although I have a pretty good idea. So here are the choices!

Style 1...

Style 2...

On both of these... the hair down by my face will be curled.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to be Mrs. Kirk! I can't wait!

On Track

2007-10-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

I'm on track so far... I've stuck with my plans for the week... which helps out a lot. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I still have to get done yet... but it's only because I'm letting myself get carried away! :o)

*Wednesday, October 17th*
* Complete all homework for the week and get turned in.
* Get van cleaned.
* Deep clean house.
* Get all laundry done!

*Thursday, October 18th*
* Set aside the ring, license, etc for easy grabbing.
* Iron clothes
* Finish last load of laundry
* Straighten house

*Friday, October 19th*
* Up EARLY!
* Get dressed, put in contacts, earrings, etc.
* Do hair
* Brittany does my nails
* Make sure house doesn't need spot cleaned
* Drop kids off at school
*To the courthouse

So far the last few days all I've done is talk about wedding stuff. I'll do a better update tomorrow. I do want to share a few photos I found yesterday after my last post :)

This is definetly NOT the best photo of me... but you get the idea of what color my hair was before we dyed it back to brown!

When your witness lives a ways from home, you've gotta do what you've gotta do to plan!

That means Text messaging back and forth. :o)...

This is me waiting for my hair to dry after we dyed it... Matthew isn't alseep... I'm on a friend's computer.

Getting Married :)

2007-10-16T21:33:00.000-05:00

So, yeah. I'm getting married. I'm SO very excited. I'm looking forward to being Mrs. (insert last name here). But with any wedding/ceremony there's a lot of stuff that needs to go into it. So, this week has been STACKED full of all kinds of stuff... and it's not even done yet. My initial plan was so great... spread out but didn't function very well in some parts. So, I'm taking it in stride... but everything is going okay.

A little background... this was all decided in the middle of the week last week... but I was waiting for some "gel" before I announced it. I wanted the ball rolling and going before I posted anything about it. But in that time, my family knows, his family knows, friends know... so it's about time!

Friday, we went out and bought our rings! *YAY!*

Yes, they are two different materials... His ring is titanium. His jobs are much rougher than mine. I think that a normal ring might bend or scuff much easier. This is stronger material. Mine is gold. Simple band. It's what I wanted. Plus, matching titanium would be to heavy for my finger... his ring is much heavier than mine is.

Then, we spent the weekend not doing much of anything to do with the wedding except for telling family about it. I did gather documents on Sunday so we could get our marriage license.

So on Monday (today) we went and got our marriage license. Quick and fairly painless. Instead of the $25 we budgeted, it was only $15. It's now put up in a safe place with the rings :).

(I took this tonight while playing with the rings/license combo!)

Then we slept the day away (I'm on his schedule... so while the kids are in school... I sleep until about 1-2, then I'm up cleaning until 3, then I get the kids and I'm playing/taking care of them, then they go to bed and I clean some more, then do homework, then Steve gets home and after awhile we both go to bed... normally around 4:30-5 AM. Then I'm up at 7 getting everyone ready again, then come home and sleep again... this does this even on the days the kids are not in school, except that I don't get to sleep after 8 AM.)

After Steve went to work, I caught up with Brittany to find me some black slacks to wear with my new red shirt that I had bought. Well, I couldn't find a pair that I liked, so I went with a skirt. I bought it for $3.50!! I should have tried there to find my shirt... but I didn't. Let's see... we went to Wal Mart and bought some hair dye, panty hose (since I went with a skirt instead of pants), a necklace/earring combo). Then off to the dollar store to get some nails (she wants to do my nails that day). Here are some photos of the processes of the day...

This is my outfit... you can see my necklace. My legs will have some color and my hair will be different. I will also have my earrings in and my contacts in.

My Necklace... it's a heart and has earrings that go with it!

Slightly closer up of my outfit...

We were playing around... this is us looking at some photos.

Here we are... dying my hair back to brown... (which has a lot of red left in it though!)

I'm waiting for my time to be up and I'm talking to my dad on the phone. Today we (or I) told him that I'm getting married on Friday :).

I don't have photos of my hair done back to brown... I'll take the after photos in the morning. I don't have exact plans onto what I'm going to do with my hair. I will be loosing the glasses (if everything goes as planned) on that day. I will have my nails done (either with fake or with paint). I will be wearing hose... (I didn't want to put them on yet because they tend to not look as good the second time).

I'm sure I'll be back around to update again soon... Maybe with more photos... maybe not. I'm not sure. But I'll be back soon! Hopefully, you will all tune in to follow this week's adventures.

How's It Been?

2007-10-09T21:08:00.001-05:00

It's been stressful. UGH! The last few days have been busy/stressful/worry filled. I'm not sure where I left off... so I'll start out with where I mentioned how the kids were being kinda bad on Saturday.

The older two went to their grandma's house. I kept Matthew home, because he wasn't feeling very well. I didn't want to make him go if he wasn't feeling very good. The kids had a great day/night/morning with their grandparents. Then, since Laura didn't have school the next day she got to spend another night there... then went to work with her grandma on Monday. She seemed to have a lot of fun!

During the time that the older two were at grandma's we had some stress with Matthew. The boy woke up Sunday morning running 102(+) fever. He was pretty miserable and just wanted to be snuggled. No big deal there... but he wasn't responding to fever reducers very well. I let him sleep off the day and hoped that he would have gone down by morning. Well, by morning it was 102(+) again and he was extremely lathargec. The poor boy was miserable. So I called the doctor. (I hadn't taken him to the ER because all they ever tell ya is to give him medicine and wait it out until the doctor opens... the ER here is USELESS.) They got him in at 1:30 that same day. He wouldn't tell anyone what, if anything, was hurting. He had stepped on something the day before at the lake (well, I guess that was Saturday night) but it shouldn't have been causing what was going on. So, we write up labs for urine, strep culture, and an x-ray of his foot (to make sure that something long didn't stick him in his foot and break off or anything). We did the strep thing first... then the x-ray and I still haven't gotten him to co-operate with the urine thing yet. I asked how long the results would take on the strep screening and they said 20 minutes and so I gave them 30 to get the results back to the doctor before I called to ask how that went. Well, they said it was positive. So, they would call something in for him. So, we picked up that medicine. This is the first time I've ever had to deal with strep. I hope I don't have to do it again anytime to soon!

In the mean time, before Matthew's appointment the doctor FINALLY called me with my results. I'm not sure what to make of them... besides they stuck me on a different antibiotic. I'm gonna ask them at my follow up appointment.

I've been so busy cleaning/rearranging my house... it's been crazy!! I'm glad that I'm almost done though. I think I bleached all the walls and floor boards. Steam cleaned the carpets... WOWSER! That's part of what's keeping me so busy... is cleaning on the house!

I did take the lil' man to the lake the other day and got some GREAT photos... I'll try to share them a little later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Things...

2007-10-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

Things have gone well for the kids... We were both having a bad day the other day... but thankfully it passed for all of us.

I REALLY haven't had much free time to come on here and update. I've been working on school... It's gone okay. It's officially started. I've been cleaning the house and hanging out at a friends house. I've been taking care of kids and making sure everything is going okay with all their stuff.

However, I'll be on in a bit to update... however, be prepared... it's more sick kid stuff!

A Trip To The Doctor

2007-10-03T21:12:00.001-05:00

I went to the doctor's today... I wanted some relief and I didn't want to/couldn't wait until tomorrow. The good news is that by going in today, they will have cultures back by Friday. The other good news is... that they think they know what's causing my pain (an infection of some sort, which is why we are waiting on cultures). I didn't bring up the bloated look I have all the time now... but I'm thinking that it might be the result of some swelling or something that's involved with the infection... so hopefully, when I finish treatment it will go away too. They went ahead and started me on some antibiotics today... they will call Friday to let me know for sure if those will work or not. I chose to go ahead with it because IF it is the right medicine at least I'm 2 days closer to being done... if it's not... it will take care of any other infections looming in the area that could be there. So YAY! I'll find out more Friday... but will probably know something by Friday morning as far as if this drug is working (at all).

My house is extremely quiet right now... it's 8PM and the kids are all in bed. Steve fell asleep in the bed that's in the boys room (it's *A*'s bed when he's here). I'm sitting (laying down) on the couch with my lap top because I don't want to sit up given that I'm not sure if this medicine will react with me or not (some make me sick/dizzy/etc). Plus, I might as well just sit back and relax and enjoy the night after a long day of doing house stuff.

Yesterday I'd finished up the car port cleaning outside... so today I was able to just stay inside for the most part. I DID have to go out and pick up trash from one of the bags that an animal got into last night and the trash guys made worse by just picking up the torn bag (that was obviously torn by an animal) and letting everything just fall out. So I had to do that. But other than that, I enjoyed a day inside the house. The inside of the house is pretty much clean. I still need to do all that laundry and vacuum the floors and try to steam clean them.

The landlord had to come by today because of a leak in the kitchen. But it seems that he's fixed it and we now just have to let the cabinet stay open for a couple days to air it out before the wood does what wood does when it's wet. He seemed nice enough coming over and fixing it. Our old land lord couldn't even spare the 5 minutes to come out and look at the damage that was done when their electrical messed up.

Tomorrow I go back to the doctor for my follow up on my anti-depression pills. I'm seeing the actual doctor and not the nurse practitioner. I'm going to see if there's any way of switching them/lowering the dose... because while they worked when I was taking them... they also made me so tired that all I was doing was sleeping. So, I'm gonna check about that.

The kids don't have school Friday, so I've gotta come up with something to do as a family! I'm not sure what we will do yet. It might be as simple as a trip to the park (maybe out by the lake). But I'm not 100% sure yet. But the plan right now is FREE... This paycheck will be short since Steve had that strep throat stuff. *Kill joy* We still have other bills that HAVE to be paid this week... like our washer/dryer & bunk beds... a loan company here needs their money from when we had an emergency (which is a totally reasonable amount so it won't wipe us out completely). Um, let's see.... I think that's about all that I have in the line of bills... but those add up considering I don't know how much he's getting without those days. The kids are suppose to be with their grandma Saturday-Sunday... so that will mean a REALLY quiet house Saturday night. Steve will be working and I'll be all alone! WOW! I might read a book or something and enjoy the quiet... or I might be online... or I might be sleeping (imagine the possibilities!!). Maybe I'll make Steve rent me a movie so I have something to watch on the TV.

Caleb is 6 now... officially. *Sigh* When did they start growing up so dang fast!? I know I didn't grow up that fast (haha). He had a really good day overall. He finally got to wear some of his new clothes that I bought him. Grammy stopped by to give him presents from her... which rocked for him. He loves the firefighter action figure that grammy got him. His dad also called tonight to wish him a happy birthday... and he talked to the rest of the kids. I'm thinking that if I have enough money come the 15th (ish) I'm going to put some money on my phone (it's prepaid) then call cingular's phone plans thing and pay the $19 to get so many nights and weekends so that the kids can use those instead of using my prepaid minutes. It wouldn't be so bad... if their dad was cingular. Anyways, he's still waiting for the present to arrive from his dad. Hopefully soon!

I'm off for tonight... Gonna try to make it to everyone's blog and leave a comment. Then I'm gonna probably fall asleep here before long... it's early but I could use the extra sleep.

Sick Lil Boy

2007-10-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

I went to sleep happily on the couch at 1:00 AM.
At 1:30 AM Matthew whines and fusses a bit
Then lets out a blood curdling SCREAM!!

I check on him, he had thrown up just a bit.
But goes back to sleep after I clean him/the bed up.

Back to sleep...
2:00AM All I hear is Matthew screaming...
I go in when I hear him HEAVE
Grab his bucket and help him throw up for the next 5 minutes.

Get him a drink and he seems better.
Has gone back to sleep.

It's going to be a long night... full of bleach and germ-x!

Landlord

2007-09-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today we met our new landlord. We didn't even know that they were still selling the house (the last person's loan fell through). But he came over today and introduced himself. He let us know that he was wanting to cut down (or trim one of them) three trees from the yard... okay. So, he started this afternoon with his cutting down of the trees! He finished cutting all the lower limbs of a pine tree we had in front of our house... he finished trimming the other tree in the front yard. He worked on getting some of the plants off the fence (which is funny because I wanted them down anyways... but I wasn't sure how the old landlord would feel about me cutting it down!). He has yet to start on the dead tree in the back yard but since that's just a cutting it down thing... he's waiting until he has help as well as finishing the main tree part of that pine tree in the front yard. Overall, the new landlord seems nice. He's really trying to make some improvements with the house (which makes Steve wonder if he's going to sell it?). He's talking about in the spring putting new siding up on the house... which would ROCK!

Laura had homework today... and she fought me tooth and nail until it was finished. That child's gonna have to give something here soon in her additude. She was just being lazy today though. She wanted me to give her the answers and I don't do that. In the end she did it all by herself and she was very proud. Silly girl.

Caleb didn't get a sticker today :( He says that he got one but they didn't have the kind that he wanted so he didn't take any. I asked him if he would at least get one even if he doesn't want it because it shows mommy that he was a good little boy. When he doesn't come home with a sticker it's because he's been bad and had to move his clip.

Matthew had his second day at Head Start... he stays dry during his morning pre-k program at the school... but always pees his pants during the Head Start program. I'm hoping it's nerves. Because he normally does great at home. He was much happier getting off the bus today than he was yesterday because he knew he was going to see mommy.

I'm not sure how much I will be around this weekend... it's our weekend with Steve's boys! Which means, 5 kids and 2 (sometimes 1) adult! I'm not sure if Steve's working this weekend or not, which would tell me more on if I would be around online quiet as much. LOL! But it's all good! I can't wait to see the boys again and neither can the kids.