I am ashamed to say that we are still in debt. We were in debt when The Man got kicked out of the military. He is receiving unemployment while he is looking for a job but I was not prepared for such a life change. We were able to afford all or debt while he was in the military. Now, I'm not so sure that any of that was ever a good idea. Those loans we took out and the credit cards we used are coming back to haunt us now. We have been barely skating by since March and now I am afraid we might end up drowning. We will figure it out in time. And, by the grace of God we will come out better and smarter on the other end.
Have a super fabulous wonderful day!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Thrift store shopping
We all need to buy clothes for ourselves and our children. When money is tight (or even when it isn't) buying clothes because a kid grows is stressful. We have 4 kids, all of which were had prior to our crappy situation. Unfortunately, they don't quit growing just because it is stressful.
I have figured out that the Value Village across the street from my house has some amazing deals to be had. Thursdays they put a certain color tag at 50% off and on Monday that tag is $.99. It is a hit or miss on whether you can find what you are looking for but the deals are there to be had.
I didn't have much of a wardrobe when I moved back to the states, so when Christmas time came around and my mom asked what I wanted I told her clothes. Since she and I have very different taste in clothes it worked out better that she chose to give me a gift card (with the stipulation that it could only be spent on me). I spent several Monday mornings standing in line waiting for Value Village to open. I managed to spend that gift card and fill my closet quite fully. My mom would never have shopped at the thrift store but when I was able to tell her I got such and such brand skirt, dress, or shirt for only a dollar, she was amazed.
I have also been able to keep my kids clothed by watching the racks at Value Village. I have been able to find my teen the Levis jeans he likes for $4.99 or less. I was also able to find him various brands of basketball style shorts for summer for less than $3. Most of my daughter's footed pajamas came from there costing only $.99 -$1.50 each.
I like to shop at thrift stores because it is a thrill to find something that would have normally cost $60 and only pay $1. Even when we get back to a better place in life I will still shop at the thrift store.
Have a super fabulous wonderful day!
I have figured out that the Value Village across the street from my house has some amazing deals to be had. Thursdays they put a certain color tag at 50% off and on Monday that tag is $.99. It is a hit or miss on whether you can find what you are looking for but the deals are there to be had.
I didn't have much of a wardrobe when I moved back to the states, so when Christmas time came around and my mom asked what I wanted I told her clothes. Since she and I have very different taste in clothes it worked out better that she chose to give me a gift card (with the stipulation that it could only be spent on me). I spent several Monday mornings standing in line waiting for Value Village to open. I managed to spend that gift card and fill my closet quite fully. My mom would never have shopped at the thrift store but when I was able to tell her I got such and such brand skirt, dress, or shirt for only a dollar, she was amazed.
I have also been able to keep my kids clothed by watching the racks at Value Village. I have been able to find my teen the Levis jeans he likes for $4.99 or less. I was also able to find him various brands of basketball style shorts for summer for less than $3. Most of my daughter's footed pajamas came from there costing only $.99 -$1.50 each.
I like to shop at thrift stores because it is a thrill to find something that would have normally cost $60 and only pay $1. Even when we get back to a better place in life I will still shop at the thrift store.
Have a super fabulous wonderful day!
Enter to win a free tumber
Head on over to Facebook to enter to win a free tumbler from International Delight.
Have a super fabulous wonderful day!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
So much has changed...
So much has changed in life. We ended up having to move out of my high school friend's house shortly after I wrote the last post because she chose to invite her husband back home. They didn't kick us out. I chose to move quickly since I wasn't going to be living in a house with someone who I was told used drugs. I have no first hand knowledge if he does or doesn't but I wasn't going to sit around and hope for the best. I chose to move out quickly and let her have her life with her husband that she took back. It has pretty much ruined all the years of friendship that we did have since I couldn't trust her not to lie to me any more. She had told me not even two days prior she wasn't talking to him at all and had no way to contact him. That was a lie when she could manage to show up on the porch with him so quickly after. Any way it is over and after a short stint borrowing the basement of a friend of a friend we finally have our own apartment.
It isn't exactly how I had pictured my life but we needed a roof over our head and a place that would allow our oversized dog. We have a little 3 bedroom apartment with a patio. The patio area even has a small place where the dogs can relieve themselves without doing so on the patio. It has been hard trying to fit our stuff in the apartment because we had a much bigger place in England and The Man seems to lean toward hoarder tendencies. We are happy to at least have a place to call our own after this time.
The Man is still unemployed and my trying to find a minimum wage job after this time hasn't proven to be successful either. When I interviewed at a local fast food restaurant the woman conducting the interview asked me why I would want a job there when I was so educated. I haven't worked since 2006 and when I did I was a hairstylist. I would like to get back into hairstyling if I can manage to find a place to take me with the gap in work. I do and have a license to do hair since 1999. It has taken me 3 months to get the reciprocity process done to get my license in Washington again. 3 months sure feels like a really long time when you are waiting on something so important. It finally arrived today.
The Man has an interview tomorrow. It is for a company that one of the other apartment people told him about. He had a phone interview with the company on Monday and tomorrow a face to face interview. I am really hoping he gets this job and that it will have hours that I am still able to do hair around. Being out of the comfort of the military paycheck is very stressful because we have bills to pay. Unemployment had kept us afloat until this point but a job would help even more. I think that we are both going to have to work for a while if we can swing it to continue to pay the debt we have.
Now, that I have rambled on for a while I will let you be for today.
Talk to you soon
Have a super fabulous wonderful day !!
It isn't exactly how I had pictured my life but we needed a roof over our head and a place that would allow our oversized dog. We have a little 3 bedroom apartment with a patio. The patio area even has a small place where the dogs can relieve themselves without doing so on the patio. It has been hard trying to fit our stuff in the apartment because we had a much bigger place in England and The Man seems to lean toward hoarder tendencies. We are happy to at least have a place to call our own after this time.
The Man is still unemployed and my trying to find a minimum wage job after this time hasn't proven to be successful either. When I interviewed at a local fast food restaurant the woman conducting the interview asked me why I would want a job there when I was so educated. I haven't worked since 2006 and when I did I was a hairstylist. I would like to get back into hairstyling if I can manage to find a place to take me with the gap in work. I do and have a license to do hair since 1999. It has taken me 3 months to get the reciprocity process done to get my license in Washington again. 3 months sure feels like a really long time when you are waiting on something so important. It finally arrived today.
The Man has an interview tomorrow. It is for a company that one of the other apartment people told him about. He had a phone interview with the company on Monday and tomorrow a face to face interview. I am really hoping he gets this job and that it will have hours that I am still able to do hair around. Being out of the comfort of the military paycheck is very stressful because we have bills to pay. Unemployment had kept us afloat until this point but a job would help even more. I think that we are both going to have to work for a while if we can swing it to continue to pay the debt we have.
Now, that I have rambled on for a while I will let you be for today.
Talk to you soon
Have a super fabulous wonderful day !!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Life in Limbo... Still
Life is still in limbo. The Man is home from over there. It is nice to have him home because we are all together as a family. I love my little (or big) family. We are still staying with my friend from high school. This is still not an ideal situation but we have a roof over our heads and we are all together right now and safe. Life threw us some curve balls and we are trying our best to work with those.
The Man made it home almost two weeks ago. He is now out of the military. They were not nice and gave him less than a week notice to get the house stuff and vehicle shipped because some computer stuff was getting shut down or some other line of b.s. It also ended up costing us our final paycheck because he wasn't able to get the house cleaned properly to turn over to the housing people so it gave us less money to live on while he is unemployed. Yippee! Things don't ever seem to work out how I plan but they always seem to work out somehow in the end.
He has applied for a bunch of jobs and we are waiting to hear back from unemployment and the food stamps office. I am hoping that unemployment and food stamps can help get us through for the month or so til we can get back on our feet hopefully. I am also going to send out my papers to get my cosmetology license up here so that I can get work up here too if need be. I just didn't want to get a hair job and then quit because I loved doing hair so much before and I wont want to give up my independence again to stay at home again and The Man has the ability to make so much more money with better benefits. Once he does get a job though I will possibly see if there is some way that I can work part time around his schedule though because I would like to get back out there and do something for myself and feel like I am contributing more than just housework to the house.
The job loss hasn't affected the kids yet as they really haven't noticed anything other than their dad is home, which is exactly what I had hoped for when I moved them back. S's grades are improving and he is doing better in school. T is still doing amazing in school. The two little ones are working at potty training. It would be a miracle if I could stop buying diapers and pull ups (the lady I live with will not let me wash cloth ones in her washer).
The Man made it home almost two weeks ago. He is now out of the military. They were not nice and gave him less than a week notice to get the house stuff and vehicle shipped because some computer stuff was getting shut down or some other line of b.s. It also ended up costing us our final paycheck because he wasn't able to get the house cleaned properly to turn over to the housing people so it gave us less money to live on while he is unemployed. Yippee! Things don't ever seem to work out how I plan but they always seem to work out somehow in the end.
He has applied for a bunch of jobs and we are waiting to hear back from unemployment and the food stamps office. I am hoping that unemployment and food stamps can help get us through for the month or so til we can get back on our feet hopefully. I am also going to send out my papers to get my cosmetology license up here so that I can get work up here too if need be. I just didn't want to get a hair job and then quit because I loved doing hair so much before and I wont want to give up my independence again to stay at home again and The Man has the ability to make so much more money with better benefits. Once he does get a job though I will possibly see if there is some way that I can work part time around his schedule though because I would like to get back out there and do something for myself and feel like I am contributing more than just housework to the house.
The job loss hasn't affected the kids yet as they really haven't noticed anything other than their dad is home, which is exactly what I had hoped for when I moved them back. S's grades are improving and he is doing better in school. T is still doing amazing in school. The two little ones are working at potty training. It would be a miracle if I could stop buying diapers and pull ups (the lady I live with will not let me wash cloth ones in her washer).
Friday, January 25, 2013
Did you know that Dollar Tree takes coupons?
I have been back in the states now for a couple of months and am learning new things all the time. One thing I found out recently was that Dollar Tree takes manufacturer's coupons. This can make for some good deals. Here are two that I was able to score this week.
I bought my Sunday paper at the Dollar Tree for $1. I cut 2 coupons and used them the next day when I was out running errands. $1 off 1 Speed Stick deodorant and $1 off 2 Hormel pepperonis. 3 items we would have bought at some point anyway for $1 plus tax. This worked out as a pretty good deal to me. I actually went back and got three more papers so I could get more free deodorant and cheap pepperoni.
Did you know that the Dollar Tree took Manufacturer coupons? Did you know they carried name brand items that coupons could be used for? Have you scored any amazing deals there?
Have a super fabulous day!!
I bought my Sunday paper at the Dollar Tree for $1. I cut 2 coupons and used them the next day when I was out running errands. $1 off 1 Speed Stick deodorant and $1 off 2 Hormel pepperonis. 3 items we would have bought at some point anyway for $1 plus tax. This worked out as a pretty good deal to me. I actually went back and got three more papers so I could get more free deodorant and cheap pepperoni.
Did you know that the Dollar Tree took Manufacturer coupons? Did you know they carried name brand items that coupons could be used for? Have you scored any amazing deals there?
Have a super fabulous day!!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Update on Me
Well life is in limbo at the moment. The kids and I are in the states. The Man is still over there finishing up his time. He is being booted, for lack of a better word. He was originally going to be booted for not making his rank but he is now being booted for failing his PT test. He had surgery and couldn't pass a PT test 6 weeks after and couldn't pass. This isn't the first time this has happened to him. This is the third or fourth time this has happened. His body is falling apart. So after 15 years of serving for the military he is going to be out on his butt and in the real world. I am trying to see this as a blessing in disguise. Really, it scares the crap out of me!
Currently, the kids and I are staying at a friends house. This has been a nightmare. She has not grown up at all and acts like she is still a carefree teenager, even though she is in her 30s and has children of her own. I came here to try to help her out of a bad relationship and to try to help my kids transition into the real world before The Man lost his job. I feel like I have done a huge disservice to my oldest boy. She will not get a job or even make a good effort at putting in applications. She will not discipline her oldest child and he is mean, mouthy, and a bully to my oldest. She sleeps all day if I do not wake her up and make her get out of bed. She seems to think this world owes her something. I know I should not complain about her like this. She is my friend and has been my friend since high school but I really do not know how to help her. I really would like to see her succeed at life. I would like to see her be able to take care of herself and her children without depending on everybody else around her to do everything for her. Everybody around her tries to help her just to try to help her get a leg up in life but it seems she has come to expect it at this point.
I was started on Topamax for my health problems and have been stepping up to the full dose for the past several weeks. It has been helping my migraines. They don't come on nearly as often as they were or as strong which is good. I have lost about 10ish pounds since starting it. I cant be certain if this is from the medicine or from all the stress I have been under but weight loss is part of what the doctors wanted. I do have the tingling in the hands and feet which is very irritating. I was hoping to be able to go back doing hair when The Man came back but I cannot do that if my hands are tingling. I am hoping once I am on the full dose for a while it will start going away. Also, I have noticed that my face will start twitching occasionally. It must not be too bad because I asked my friend if she could see it and she couldn't and I asked The Man if he could see it and he couldn't. I can see it in the mirror if I remember to try to look but of course I am more judgmental of myself probably.
The three little kids are doing great. They did awesome on the airplane over here and they adjusted to the time difference within the first week pretty well. My oldest is still struggling a bit. He is having a hard time fitting in at school. I knew this was going to be the case because I have personal experience at this exact thing. Going from being a military dependent child, going to a DOD school, with other military dependent children, then moving to a town where most of the children have lived and gone to school with the same children their whole lives is very hard. These children have had the same friends their whole lives, their parents already know one another and it is very hard to fit into a clique. I was the same age as my oldest son is now when we moved to this very same school district when my dad retired from the military. It took me until I was in 9th grade (2 whole years) and joined the dance team until I really felt like I fit in somewhere. It also doesn't help that my friend's son is being a bit of a bully at school to my son. I have tried to talk to her and she blows it off. It is very frustrating. My son has three F's right now. This is heart breaking to me. This is from a kid who normally has all A's and B's. We did come part way through a quarter so that counts into it so in a couple weeks it will wipe clean and he will be able to start over and try again but it is still frustrating.
If you made it this far. Wow! Thanks for reading. I hope you have a super fabulous wonderful day.
Currently, the kids and I are staying at a friends house. This has been a nightmare. She has not grown up at all and acts like she is still a carefree teenager, even though she is in her 30s and has children of her own. I came here to try to help her out of a bad relationship and to try to help my kids transition into the real world before The Man lost his job. I feel like I have done a huge disservice to my oldest boy. She will not get a job or even make a good effort at putting in applications. She will not discipline her oldest child and he is mean, mouthy, and a bully to my oldest. She sleeps all day if I do not wake her up and make her get out of bed. She seems to think this world owes her something. I know I should not complain about her like this. She is my friend and has been my friend since high school but I really do not know how to help her. I really would like to see her succeed at life. I would like to see her be able to take care of herself and her children without depending on everybody else around her to do everything for her. Everybody around her tries to help her just to try to help her get a leg up in life but it seems she has come to expect it at this point.
I was started on Topamax for my health problems and have been stepping up to the full dose for the past several weeks. It has been helping my migraines. They don't come on nearly as often as they were or as strong which is good. I have lost about 10ish pounds since starting it. I cant be certain if this is from the medicine or from all the stress I have been under but weight loss is part of what the doctors wanted. I do have the tingling in the hands and feet which is very irritating. I was hoping to be able to go back doing hair when The Man came back but I cannot do that if my hands are tingling. I am hoping once I am on the full dose for a while it will start going away. Also, I have noticed that my face will start twitching occasionally. It must not be too bad because I asked my friend if she could see it and she couldn't and I asked The Man if he could see it and he couldn't. I can see it in the mirror if I remember to try to look but of course I am more judgmental of myself probably.
The three little kids are doing great. They did awesome on the airplane over here and they adjusted to the time difference within the first week pretty well. My oldest is still struggling a bit. He is having a hard time fitting in at school. I knew this was going to be the case because I have personal experience at this exact thing. Going from being a military dependent child, going to a DOD school, with other military dependent children, then moving to a town where most of the children have lived and gone to school with the same children their whole lives is very hard. These children have had the same friends their whole lives, their parents already know one another and it is very hard to fit into a clique. I was the same age as my oldest son is now when we moved to this very same school district when my dad retired from the military. It took me until I was in 9th grade (2 whole years) and joined the dance team until I really felt like I fit in somewhere. It also doesn't help that my friend's son is being a bit of a bully at school to my son. I have tried to talk to her and she blows it off. It is very frustrating. My son has three F's right now. This is heart breaking to me. This is from a kid who normally has all A's and B's. We did come part way through a quarter so that counts into it so in a couple weeks it will wipe clean and he will be able to start over and try again but it is still frustrating.
If you made it this far. Wow! Thanks for reading. I hope you have a super fabulous wonderful day.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Dear Life
Dear Life,
I love you! I would, though, like you to please stop working against the well laid plans that I have. I have been working my butt off to make sure everything works the best I can but you are throwing a few too many curve balls at me. Please if you would take a break on the surprises and let everything run a bit smoother for the next little bit I would be eternally grateful.
Yours Truly,
The crazy lady trying to catch your curve balls
I love you! I would, though, like you to please stop working against the well laid plans that I have. I have been working my butt off to make sure everything works the best I can but you are throwing a few too many curve balls at me. Please if you would take a break on the surprises and let everything run a bit smoother for the next little bit I would be eternally grateful.
Yours Truly,
The crazy lady trying to catch your curve balls
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween
I wish all of you a Happy Halloween. Stay safe while out tonight.
If you do not celebrate Halloween, I wish you a great day anyway.
If you do not celebrate Halloween, I wish you a great day anyway.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Donation Box
It is getting to be that time of year again when the boxes are out to donate food or toys for less fortunate people. Today while picking up a few groceries for ourselves we also picked up a handful of shelf stable items for The Man to take to his work donation box. K and I also picked up a donation list when we walked into one of the stores and decided to pick up a few of the items for their donation box as well. It isn't much, but I figure if everybody just dug the change out of their car and donated whatever they could buy with it then the boxes would fill quite quickly.
I also took the opportunity to teach K that giving to others was a good thing to do. I explained that certain items that went into our cart were for ourselves and then certain items were for daddy to take to the work donation box and certain items were to drop off with the lady by the big box who gave us a piece of paper. When we checked out I put all of those items in a bag and had him hand them to the lady as we walked out. I am not sure if he totally understands at the age of three but it is definitely not too early to start trying to teach compassion and giving.
We don't have a lot of extras, but I feel it is important to give if I can because at one time or another we all hit rough spots. I have been there and had help. I am glad that I had that help at the time and feel like if I can help even in the slightest way, I should try. I am not perfect, nor would I recommend giving to the point it makes your own life harder, but I think helping out others is important. It also makes you feel pretty darn good that you could be a part of the good that is left in the world.
There are many ways to donate especially at this time of year. The local food pantries are always in need of donations. Most accept money as well as food. The McDonald's has coin boxes to drop your change in to help out families who need to use the Ronald McDonald House. Stores will start having boxes for food or toys to help over the holidays. Usually right before school starts, places will take donations of school supplies. Charity shops like Goodwill or The Salvation Army take donations and use the proceeds of the sales to help out people in need. Not all donations must me monetary either, time is just as valuable. Animal shelters generally have volunteers to help train and walk animals so they can be re homed. Soup kitchens have volunteers to serve up meals to the people who come to eat a nice meal.
Currently we donate food, toys, or clothes the most, but as my children age I hope to find more opportunities to teach them about donating. It makes me feel good for being able to help out and also makes me stop and be thankful for the wonderful things that we do have in our life even if we don't have the best or newest.
I also took the opportunity to teach K that giving to others was a good thing to do. I explained that certain items that went into our cart were for ourselves and then certain items were for daddy to take to the work donation box and certain items were to drop off with the lady by the big box who gave us a piece of paper. When we checked out I put all of those items in a bag and had him hand them to the lady as we walked out. I am not sure if he totally understands at the age of three but it is definitely not too early to start trying to teach compassion and giving.
We don't have a lot of extras, but I feel it is important to give if I can because at one time or another we all hit rough spots. I have been there and had help. I am glad that I had that help at the time and feel like if I can help even in the slightest way, I should try. I am not perfect, nor would I recommend giving to the point it makes your own life harder, but I think helping out others is important. It also makes you feel pretty darn good that you could be a part of the good that is left in the world.
There are many ways to donate especially at this time of year. The local food pantries are always in need of donations. Most accept money as well as food. The McDonald's has coin boxes to drop your change in to help out families who need to use the Ronald McDonald House. Stores will start having boxes for food or toys to help over the holidays. Usually right before school starts, places will take donations of school supplies. Charity shops like Goodwill or The Salvation Army take donations and use the proceeds of the sales to help out people in need. Not all donations must me monetary either, time is just as valuable. Animal shelters generally have volunteers to help train and walk animals so they can be re homed. Soup kitchens have volunteers to serve up meals to the people who come to eat a nice meal.
Currently we donate food, toys, or clothes the most, but as my children age I hope to find more opportunities to teach them about donating. It makes me feel good for being able to help out and also makes me stop and be thankful for the wonderful things that we do have in our life even if we don't have the best or newest.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Just Some Updates
I am finally feeling mostly better. It got colder here and we turned on the heat and my head got all stuffy and I got a bit of a cough. It hasn't been good because I have felt drained but today I am feeling much better.
The Man has been working days now for about 3 weeks. WOOHOO! I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I love having him home at night. We haven't slept in bed at the same time much our whole marriage due to his work schedules. This has also been awesome for him because he hasn't been as tired and his body has been feeling better. I tried to convince him that nights was rough on a person but he didn't believe me. He is just hoping that he can convince the higher powers that this is a good change and that he can keep this schedule for a while.
I have weaned my last breast fed baby now. It is a sad and a happy time for me. It is sad that I will not ever have another tiny baby of my own but I am happy that life is progressing. It has also been nice because she is now sleeping through the night most nights. I love my sleep. Even though I have a rough time falling asleep, it is nice to be able to stay asleep after I do actually fall asleep.
T is doing wonderful in kindergarten. He likes being able to go and play and hang out with other kids his age. I think he is a bit of a busy body but the teacher hasn't complained as of yet.
S is doing good in school too. He started playing the clarinet last year and is taking intermediate band this year. I love listening to him play his music. I never learned to play any instruments so I think it s wonderful that he has picked it up and progressed so well. He is also doing awesome in math as usual. He struggles a bit in social studies but I cant complain too much as he still has pretty great grades.
K does so much better now that T is in school. Our only struggle with him at the moment is that he doesn't like waking up from bed or nap to have to get ready and walk to the school to drop off or pick up T. I think he gets this from me. He is much nicer and calmer since T started school too. I think maybe T's craziness affects the kids a bit too.
H is now 18 months and wow she is quite different than any of the boys. She is smart and loves to help me with my housework. The boys never quite wanted to help and still don't like when they have to help. She is picking up many words and has some great baby dance moves. She dances all the time when I put the music on while I do housework. She is growing like a weed. I think someone forgot to tell these kids that I wasn't ready for them to all grow up so fast.
I think The Man and I have figured out where we want to move. I think we are going to go to Washington. I lived there as a teen and went through junior high, high school, and beauty school there. It is a lot like here as far as the weather goes. I like the weather here. It isn't crazy high heats or lots of feet of snow. I will be near some of my friends that I have kept in touch with. My dad's side of the family is also there, except for him. It is also isn't much difference in driving time from Arizona to The Man's family so that will be nice too. I am going to go back early with the kids to get a job and get set up for when he is released from the military. We both wish he could just go the extra 4.5 years to retire but the odds are not in his favor for that.
I am having a lot of stress over life in general but things are pretty good too. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
Have a great day!
The Man has been working days now for about 3 weeks. WOOHOO! I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I love having him home at night. We haven't slept in bed at the same time much our whole marriage due to his work schedules. This has also been awesome for him because he hasn't been as tired and his body has been feeling better. I tried to convince him that nights was rough on a person but he didn't believe me. He is just hoping that he can convince the higher powers that this is a good change and that he can keep this schedule for a while.
I have weaned my last breast fed baby now. It is a sad and a happy time for me. It is sad that I will not ever have another tiny baby of my own but I am happy that life is progressing. It has also been nice because she is now sleeping through the night most nights. I love my sleep. Even though I have a rough time falling asleep, it is nice to be able to stay asleep after I do actually fall asleep.
T is doing wonderful in kindergarten. He likes being able to go and play and hang out with other kids his age. I think he is a bit of a busy body but the teacher hasn't complained as of yet.
S is doing good in school too. He started playing the clarinet last year and is taking intermediate band this year. I love listening to him play his music. I never learned to play any instruments so I think it s wonderful that he has picked it up and progressed so well. He is also doing awesome in math as usual. He struggles a bit in social studies but I cant complain too much as he still has pretty great grades.
K does so much better now that T is in school. Our only struggle with him at the moment is that he doesn't like waking up from bed or nap to have to get ready and walk to the school to drop off or pick up T. I think he gets this from me. He is much nicer and calmer since T started school too. I think maybe T's craziness affects the kids a bit too.
H is now 18 months and wow she is quite different than any of the boys. She is smart and loves to help me with my housework. The boys never quite wanted to help and still don't like when they have to help. She is picking up many words and has some great baby dance moves. She dances all the time when I put the music on while I do housework. She is growing like a weed. I think someone forgot to tell these kids that I wasn't ready for them to all grow up so fast.
I think The Man and I have figured out where we want to move. I think we are going to go to Washington. I lived there as a teen and went through junior high, high school, and beauty school there. It is a lot like here as far as the weather goes. I like the weather here. It isn't crazy high heats or lots of feet of snow. I will be near some of my friends that I have kept in touch with. My dad's side of the family is also there, except for him. It is also isn't much difference in driving time from Arizona to The Man's family so that will be nice too. I am going to go back early with the kids to get a job and get set up for when he is released from the military. We both wish he could just go the extra 4.5 years to retire but the odds are not in his favor for that.
I am having a lot of stress over life in general but things are pretty good too. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
Have a great day!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Moms need sick days too
I am not feeling well today. My head hurts and my sinuses are stuffed up. I really wish I could have a sick day to drink hot tea and lay in bed all day. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen. I had to be up at the crack of dawn to get two of my kids off to school and stay up to take care of the other two. Wouldn't it be nice if being a stay at home mommy came with a couple sick days too?
I hope everyone has a great day!
I hope everyone has a great day!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Stress is not good for me
I failed at getting all the laundry done this week. The past two weeks I have been caught up by Friday. This week I only got about half done. I did get other things in the house done and cleaned the van which is a whole task on its own. I have been feeling very stressed and down trying to figure out what to do about the future since The Man didn't make his rank and most likely wont have a job come next year.
I am scared! I do not want to think that after all these years that we can just up and be left without a place to live or any income. It is sad to know that you are just a number and can be replaced at the drop of a hat. I keep trying to think of new plans or ideas. I keep running into road blocks due to the fact we are stationed overseas until the end. It makes me sick to my stomach. It gives me headaches. I cant sleep. It is terrible. I am going to have to go to the doctor and see if they can give me something to help calm me. It is ruining my life. I don't want to stress and be miserable.
I don't know how people make it when they lose their jobs. We wont have a place to live since we have been living in base housing our whole marriage and we are supposed to be stuck here til the end. Then we have no where. Military life while a tough one has been good to us. We have had medical insurance and dental insurance. We have had a roof over our head and a steady pay check. The Man has been in the military his whole adult life. He does not have any other kind of job experience. I have been a stay at home mom for almost 6 years now since I was put on bed rest with T. I was a hairstylist. I haven't been working so I am a little out of the loop. I am sure they have changed or improved techniques since I started staying home. I am not up on current trends or hairstyles either. I was and am still good at doing hair cuts and colors. I have been cutting my family's hair and coloring friends' hair since I have been home but I haven't had any salon experience. The only other job I have had was working fast food. I am not even sure how easy getting a job in fast food is in this day in age. I read the news about how many, many people are jobless but I have not been living in the USA for over 3 years now. I have not seen it first hand. I am scared to be thrown out on our behinds and then not be able to find jobs as well. This is the scariest time in my life. I do not like it one bit and I am not handling it well. I need some answers and soon or I will probably go loony.
I am scared! I do not want to think that after all these years that we can just up and be left without a place to live or any income. It is sad to know that you are just a number and can be replaced at the drop of a hat. I keep trying to think of new plans or ideas. I keep running into road blocks due to the fact we are stationed overseas until the end. It makes me sick to my stomach. It gives me headaches. I cant sleep. It is terrible. I am going to have to go to the doctor and see if they can give me something to help calm me. It is ruining my life. I don't want to stress and be miserable.
I don't know how people make it when they lose their jobs. We wont have a place to live since we have been living in base housing our whole marriage and we are supposed to be stuck here til the end. Then we have no where. Military life while a tough one has been good to us. We have had medical insurance and dental insurance. We have had a roof over our head and a steady pay check. The Man has been in the military his whole adult life. He does not have any other kind of job experience. I have been a stay at home mom for almost 6 years now since I was put on bed rest with T. I was a hairstylist. I haven't been working so I am a little out of the loop. I am sure they have changed or improved techniques since I started staying home. I am not up on current trends or hairstyles either. I was and am still good at doing hair cuts and colors. I have been cutting my family's hair and coloring friends' hair since I have been home but I haven't had any salon experience. The only other job I have had was working fast food. I am not even sure how easy getting a job in fast food is in this day in age. I read the news about how many, many people are jobless but I have not been living in the USA for over 3 years now. I have not seen it first hand. I am scared to be thrown out on our behinds and then not be able to find jobs as well. This is the scariest time in my life. I do not like it one bit and I am not handling it well. I need some answers and soon or I will probably go loony.
Anybody Out There??
Does anybody actually read my blog? If so would you please leave a comment and say hi?
I keep checking my page counts and it appears that there a few people who read it but I don't know how to tell if the page counts are me coming to find the blogs I follow. I do have it clicked so that it isn't supposed to count me but I don't know if that works or not.
Anyway, if there are people reading......HHHHHEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! And, I hope you have a fabulous day!!
I keep checking my page counts and it appears that there a few people who read it but I don't know how to tell if the page counts are me coming to find the blogs I follow. I do have it clicked so that it isn't supposed to count me but I don't know if that works or not.
Anyway, if there are people reading......HHHHHEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! And, I hope you have a fabulous day!!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Happy Birthday Mom and Mother In Law
The first year The Man and I were married I called my mom to wish her happy birthday and as I was on the phone with my mom, my sister in law called to remind The Man to call his mom and wish her happy birthday as well. How cool is that? Both of our moms have the same birthday. This makes me a super awesome daughter in law since I will never forget The Man's mom's birthday.
Since two very special ladies share a birthday and we cannot be with them we celebrate in our house and share pictures via Facebook with them. The cupcakes above are what we had last year. They were homemade carrot cake cupcakes. This year we picked up a store bought cake. I must say while picking up a cake at the store is easy, homemade cupcakes were tons better.
I hope they both had a fabulous day. We had fun celebrating their birthdays with our own celebration.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Cleaning the van
I wonder.... Does washing and vacuuming the van count as cleaning for the day? I haven't gotten to my house chores yet today but I did run a couple errands and wash and vacuum the van. It really needed it.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful hump day!
Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful hump day!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Whew, more done
I didn't know that when Child #2, T, went off to kindergarten this year that my life while a lot busier surely seems a lot easier. The two kids at home with me all day are much calmer and more willing to do whatever I need to do without fuss. T is a high energy kid who needs to be entertained at every given moment. I thought it was just me being a lazy person when I couldn't keep my housework caught up. It probably was partly my fault, but I now know that I was spending a good portion of my day running behind T dealing with his fighting with his siblings or making more messes. I have been caught up on my laundry and dishes for the whole two weeks since T started kindergarten. It feels so great to see the bottom of the laundry closet or walk into my kitchen and not see a whole sink full of dishes. I love T with all my heart but I really didn't realize what handful he was. I really cross my fingers that he is being much better behaved at school. I did ask his teacher and she said he was doing great.
Do you have a high needs child? How do you deal with the needs while getting everything else in your life done?
Do you have a high needs child? How do you deal with the needs while getting everything else in your life done?
Friday, September 14, 2012
Getting off WIC
Originally, I was going to get off WIC when The Man made got a promotion and a raise. The promotion and raise didn't happen, but after a few months I have decided I am going to give it a go and try to go without it anyway. I was supposed to go in and do my recertification this week and I didn't feel good about having to go in and get WIC again so I cancelled my appointment. Could we use it? Sure we could, it is a big help when money is tight. Do we need it? I don't *think* so. I really feel that we in our house should change our priorities and try to go without it. I dont like depending on others when it is not a need. In a year, if things are worse than they are now, since The Man probably wont have a job, we will reconsider our options. I am hoping that things will get better even with the chance of The Man losing his job. Our priorities in life have changed quite a bit from even a few years ago and we are going to do our best to keep our heads up even in the rough times and try to get through it in one piece.
I am in no way bashing WIC or anybody who receives it. It is an AWESOME program that provides food for women, infants, and children. It has been a great help for us during our times of need. I am just hoping for my family to try to become a little more self sufficient and for me sometimes it takes just jumping in feet first.
I am in no way bashing WIC or anybody who receives it. It is an AWESOME program that provides food for women, infants, and children. It has been a great help for us during our times of need. I am just hoping for my family to try to become a little more self sufficient and for me sometimes it takes just jumping in feet first.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Good Week but Dealing with Jealousy
We are on our second week of school for T and third week for S. It seems to be going well. I feel like last week just flew by. I had been spoiled by the fact that S had been old enough to walk to the bus stop by himself for the past couple of years and that I didnt have to get up and get dressed. This year, we all have to get up and dressed every weekday. S still walks himself to the bus stop since he has to be on the bus and gone before we pass his stop. The three littlest and I get ready and have walked every day so far to take T to kindergarten. It has been a bit hectic getting everyone ready and out the door but found that me getting up and getting dressed to walk him to school has made my day start earlier even though I was waking up the same time last year. I didn't have to actually get up and get people ready or lunch made or do any exercise. My legs actually hurt last week from the walking.
Once the two littlest and I get home from taking T to school, I let them watch a few minutes of TV and start a load of dishes and laundry. I even managed to get all the laundry done for the past two weeks in a row. This is a big feat for me. I am going to make sure to do it again this week. It felt so good to get to the end of the pile before Friday and not have to do laundry on the weekend, other than helping S with his laundry.
I found out this past week that I have a bit of an issue with jealousy. I never thought I could or would be a jealous person. I have been a stay at home mom for 6 years now and been living here with no friends around for the past 2 years. I never paid much attention to the people when I went shopping or out and about. Well, last week when T started kindergarten The Man went with us the first day and found out that one of his coworkers children was in T's class. He introduced me to his coworker and his coworker's wife. She is beautiful! Tall and thin and has a great tan and name brand clothes. Remember, I am fat and frumpy and don't really have any kind of fashion sense. Her children were both decked out in Gymboree clothes, shoes, and accessories from head to toe. I love the clothes and things her little girl was wearing. I haven't bought my daughter many clothes since she has been born because my mom has sent a huge wardrobe and I don't see much sense in spending more money when she has perfectly fine clothes. But man! I really long to be able to dress her in fancy, expensive, matchy-matchy clothes, shoes, and accessories. I also wish I could be tall and skinny and tan. How did this jealousy come over me? It bothers me because I do not want to be a jealous person. I was perfectly fine with the things we have until last week. I am not sure what came over me. It is terrible.
Do you have an issue with jealousy? How do you combat it without trying to keep up with the Jones'?
Once the two littlest and I get home from taking T to school, I let them watch a few minutes of TV and start a load of dishes and laundry. I even managed to get all the laundry done for the past two weeks in a row. This is a big feat for me. I am going to make sure to do it again this week. It felt so good to get to the end of the pile before Friday and not have to do laundry on the weekend, other than helping S with his laundry.
I found out this past week that I have a bit of an issue with jealousy. I never thought I could or would be a jealous person. I have been a stay at home mom for 6 years now and been living here with no friends around for the past 2 years. I never paid much attention to the people when I went shopping or out and about. Well, last week when T started kindergarten The Man went with us the first day and found out that one of his coworkers children was in T's class. He introduced me to his coworker and his coworker's wife. She is beautiful! Tall and thin and has a great tan and name brand clothes. Remember, I am fat and frumpy and don't really have any kind of fashion sense. Her children were both decked out in Gymboree clothes, shoes, and accessories from head to toe. I love the clothes and things her little girl was wearing. I haven't bought my daughter many clothes since she has been born because my mom has sent a huge wardrobe and I don't see much sense in spending more money when she has perfectly fine clothes. But man! I really long to be able to dress her in fancy, expensive, matchy-matchy clothes, shoes, and accessories. I also wish I could be tall and skinny and tan. How did this jealousy come over me? It bothers me because I do not want to be a jealous person. I was perfectly fine with the things we have until last week. I am not sure what came over me. It is terrible.
Do you have an issue with jealousy? How do you combat it without trying to keep up with the Jones'?
Friday, September 7, 2012
I Buy Cheap Vodka
I know, I know, I am poor and shouldn't be buying vodka.
It is bad for my health, I shouldn't be buying vodka.
I don't buy vodka to drink though. I buy it to make things with. I have been making our homemade vanilla extract for a few years now and am currently attempting to make mint extract. We cook and bake a lot at home and so we go through quite a bit of vanilla extract. It is expensive at the store and I had found blogs a while back that showed me how to make it for cheaper. It is simple. I split 10 vanilla beans in a liter of cheap vodka and let it sit for a few months and the end result is vanilla extract. You can choose to strain the solids out but I leave mine in while we are using the bottle. When we get about half way done with the current bottle we start a new one so it will be ready in time and we wont have to try to find a deal on it. You can also top up your current bottle with new vodka a couple times before your beans are spent.
We bought a live mint plant not too long ago to make some food with and when we were done I planted it outside. It hasn't been long but that plant has gotten quite big. We have been picking the leaves off to add to our water. It helps to get more water down if you don't like plain water. I had a bright idea when I realized I had to start a new bottle of vanilla this week that maybe I could use the leaves to make mint extract as well. I did a little looking around online and sure enough there were sites that said they put bruised mint leaves in vodka and let sit for a while and had mint extract. I got a bunch of mint leaves and bruised them. I put them into a canning jar and poured the cheap vodka over the top. They are up high in my cupboard to sit and mix for a while. I am excited to see if this turns out as well as the vanilla extract.
Making these extracts at home are an easy way to save money if you do a lot of home baking.
Have you ever made any extracts at home? Which ones? Did you like them?
It is bad for my health, I shouldn't be buying vodka.
I don't buy vodka to drink though. I buy it to make things with. I have been making our homemade vanilla extract for a few years now and am currently attempting to make mint extract. We cook and bake a lot at home and so we go through quite a bit of vanilla extract. It is expensive at the store and I had found blogs a while back that showed me how to make it for cheaper. It is simple. I split 10 vanilla beans in a liter of cheap vodka and let it sit for a few months and the end result is vanilla extract. You can choose to strain the solids out but I leave mine in while we are using the bottle. When we get about half way done with the current bottle we start a new one so it will be ready in time and we wont have to try to find a deal on it. You can also top up your current bottle with new vodka a couple times before your beans are spent.
We bought a live mint plant not too long ago to make some food with and when we were done I planted it outside. It hasn't been long but that plant has gotten quite big. We have been picking the leaves off to add to our water. It helps to get more water down if you don't like plain water. I had a bright idea when I realized I had to start a new bottle of vanilla this week that maybe I could use the leaves to make mint extract as well. I did a little looking around online and sure enough there were sites that said they put bruised mint leaves in vodka and let sit for a while and had mint extract. I got a bunch of mint leaves and bruised them. I put them into a canning jar and poured the cheap vodka over the top. They are up high in my cupboard to sit and mix for a while. I am excited to see if this turns out as well as the vanilla extract.
Making these extracts at home are an easy way to save money if you do a lot of home baking.
Have you ever made any extracts at home? Which ones? Did you like them?
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