Long time, no blog, right? ;) I've been super duper busy this semester. The online classes are kicking my ass, it's a lot harder keeping up than I had anticipated. I'm doing well in all of my classes, though, so that's good. I was also busy for a while helping to plan my sister's wedding. She got married on October 18. Hopefully I'll have pictures to put up soon! We haven't been able to get together to get the pictures since she got back from her honeymoon. It all went beautifully, though. We had a houseful the weekend of the wedding. My sister, her boyfriend, and my niece stayed with us all weekend. Then we had my other sister and niece, more nieces and nephews, my sister-in-law. One night, we had 14 people sleeping at my house! It was a disaster area by Monday morning.
My dad came to the wedding, and we visited with him some the next day, which also happened to be my birthday! So, I'm 30 now. I was kind of dreading it, but it doesn't feel any different than 29 or 28 or 27. I don't feel any different than I did when I was 18, in fact.
We went and voted today, of course. We took the kids, and I let Maggie press the button to cast my vote, then gave her my 'I voted' sticker. I printed out a map of the US and a chart of all the states and their electoral votes on it. We colored in the map, and marked off each state on the chart for Obama or McCain. I told the kids they could stay up as late as they liked and watch the returns with us. I told them however things turned out, this was an historical election and I wanted them to remember it.
Hunter stayed up with us for the whole thing. We skipped around from MSNBC to CNN to ABC, and even watched Comedy Central's Indecision '08 for a while. The whole thing was very exciting. I was more nervous and energized than I was in the previous two elections. I feel like the country got it right this time, especially in comparison to the '04 election. I was grinning like a fool after it was called. I actually enjoyed John McCain's speech. I felt he was very gracious in his words, and I believed what he said. I couldn't wait to hear President-elect Obama's speech, and I wasn't disappointed. Not only do I like Mr. Obama's ideas and policies, but it is nice to see him act like a person, rather than just a politician. You can see the love between him and his wife, and the love he has for his daughters.
I am very proud of my country tonight. It is an awesome moment in our history, and I'm so glad to be witness to it. Well done, everyone!
11.05.2008
9.02.2008
My brother, the stranger
Back in June, my little brother got in touch with me. He was leaving for the military in September, and wanted to see my sisters and I before he left. He's 25 now, the last time I saw him he was 16. We didn't grow up together, we don't really know each other. All we had in common was our DNA. It was funny, though. When he got here, it wasn't all that weird or awkward. We had a great visit, and we planned to come to their house in Tuscaloosa as soon as we could. We ended up visiting a few weekends ago, and had another great visit.
My brother and I sat on his patio for over 5 hours, talking until the wee hours of the morning. We got to know each other, told stories from our childhoods (how weird is it that you have to share stories of growing up with your sibling?), and talked about our parents. We laughed, and we cried. A lot.
He left for the military this morning. I'm worried about him, and I'm kind of angry. I don't feel like I had enough time with him before he left. I know he won't be gone forever, but he won't be in touch until around Christmas time. After that, who knows. The closest he may be stationed to us is a 7+ hour drive, or he could be as far away as overseas. I still don't know him. I feel we're on our way to having a good relationship, but it's still weird sometimes. I don't feel as completely comfortable with him as I do my sisters. We don't have childhood memories in common. He was so young when our parents split, that he doesn't remember much from when we all lived together. It's the small things that bring it home to me how much we don't know about each other. I don't know if something I say might offend him. I don't know if, when we get off the phone, I should say 'I love you', or if it makes him uncomfortable. And I don't feel comfortable enough to just ask him, like I would my sisters.
I miss him already, and I just hope he stays safe. It's hard enough staying in touch with a sibling when you've grown up together, but it's doubly hard for us. Not only are we trying to stay in touch as brother and sister, we're still trying to get to know each other as brother and sister.
My brother and I sat on his patio for over 5 hours, talking until the wee hours of the morning. We got to know each other, told stories from our childhoods (how weird is it that you have to share stories of growing up with your sibling?), and talked about our parents. We laughed, and we cried. A lot.
He left for the military this morning. I'm worried about him, and I'm kind of angry. I don't feel like I had enough time with him before he left. I know he won't be gone forever, but he won't be in touch until around Christmas time. After that, who knows. The closest he may be stationed to us is a 7+ hour drive, or he could be as far away as overseas. I still don't know him. I feel we're on our way to having a good relationship, but it's still weird sometimes. I don't feel as completely comfortable with him as I do my sisters. We don't have childhood memories in common. He was so young when our parents split, that he doesn't remember much from when we all lived together. It's the small things that bring it home to me how much we don't know about each other. I don't know if something I say might offend him. I don't know if, when we get off the phone, I should say 'I love you', or if it makes him uncomfortable. And I don't feel comfortable enough to just ask him, like I would my sisters.
I miss him already, and I just hope he stays safe. It's hard enough staying in touch with a sibling when you've grown up together, but it's doubly hard for us. Not only are we trying to stay in touch as brother and sister, we're still trying to get to know each other as brother and sister.
7.14.2008
Working from home - not your usual data entry
Working from home is all the rage these days - anyone with a telephone can get a job answering phones remotely, taking orders, and providing other customer service. But there are a whole range of jobs available that vary from the norm - they aren't the usual telephone work or data entry. Some pay better than others, some have varying schedules, so it's not constant income. It just depends on what you are good at, and what your financial needs are.
Please note: It is a good idea to research any job opportunity, and don't get scammed! The number one sign of a scam is that you are charged to start a job. A real work at home job will not ask for money up front (disclaimer: a few reputable companies will charge for things like background checks, but they don't charge to actually start the work).
Research positions:
Organized Wisdom - This is a health care related website. You will choose topics on various health related subjects, and compile "Wisdom Cards" related to that subject. You must have excellent research skills, as well as a good grasp of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Court Researchers - Court researchers go to area courthouses, look through records (on anything from real estate to marriages and divorces), then input the data to the company's website. There are numerous companies that employ people for this type of work; I'm only listing a few of them. A Google search will turn up many more. This is not an "at home" position, but it does allow you to be flexible with your time, and work when you want to. You will need to be able to travel to the courthouse(s) that you choose, as well as work on a deadline.
Other court researcher companies: JellyBean Services, United Data Network
Writing:
Mahalo - Mahalo is a human powered search engine. As a Guide, you are considered a freelance writer, not an employee. You put together links, write up short information segments on search terms (with citations), and a fast fact list.
Helium - On Helium, you can write articles on just about any subject. You come up with the subject and content, send it in and if approved, it is listed on the site. Articles are ranked by other members (you can rank articles as well). Members are paid by a shared revenue system; the more you write and participate (reading and ranking other members' articles), the more money you can make.
Associated Content - On Associated Content, you also write articles. However, you are paid a flat rate per article you write. The pay varies, so be sure to read up on their terms of service.
Handwriting - Handwriting jobs are usually location specific. You do work from home, but you must live within a certain radius of the company's location, because work is picked up and dropped off in person. Handwriting jobs usually include doing things like writing out thank you cards. You are hired to write them for someone who may be too busy to do it themself.
Write On Results, The DNR Group, Aria Calls and Cards
Voiceovers:
Opuzz Voice - Doing voiceover work is a bit more complicated, because you have to have (or have access to) certain equipment. However, if it's something that you can do, I think it sounds like a lot of fun!
Live Search Guide:
ChaCha - ChaCha is a live search site. You are hired as a guide to basically do people's searches for them. You must have excellent search skills to do this job, as there is a small turn-around time in which you must find the answers. This is a very flexible position, as you log in and work when you want to. Another plus is, you never know what searches you'll get, so it's not boring!
Website User Testing:
User Testing - To be a user tester, you view new websites while talking (using software provided to you), to record the website's functionality, ease of use, etc. You fill out a detailed profile, and are contacted when there are websites available that match your profile. Pay is $10 per website tested.
Stock Photography:
Shutterstock - On Shutterstock, you upload your original photography, which is then sold to subscribers to use as stock photography. You are paid 25 cents per photo downloaded. Pay is available through PayPal, or a check in the mail. The more photos you have on the site, the better your chances are of having them downloaded.
Surveys & Product Testing:
Product Evaluator - This is not a paying site, but you are sent brand new, cutting edge consumer items to try. You must actively use the items, and then provide feedback via the web, through surveys, or on the telephone.
Women For Hire - This is a list of paid survey sites, as well as product testing.
Freelance Position sites:
Guru and iFreelance are two great sites to find freelance work in many different areas. You bid on jobs against other freelancers.
Paid Blogging:
Blogitive, iHype, PayPerPost, and PayU2Blog are all paid blogging sites. You choose items that you wish you blog about from their site. Once your blog post is accepted, you will be paid the previously agreed on amount.
Other job search sites:
Rat Race Rebellion and Work Place Like Home both list work from home jobs on a regular basis (RRR lists daily, WPLH lists as members find them). Although they try to only list reputable jobs, it is your responsibility to research and use common sense when contracting or accepting employment with any company.
Disclaimer: I don't have personal experience with each of these companies. I do have accounts with Helium and ShutterStock. The Shutterstock link is a referral link, but that is the only one. From what I have seen, they are all legitimate companies and not scams, but please do your homework, ask questions, get all information in writing, etc.
Please note: It is a good idea to research any job opportunity, and don't get scammed! The number one sign of a scam is that you are charged to start a job. A real work at home job will not ask for money up front (disclaimer: a few reputable companies will charge for things like background checks, but they don't charge to actually start the work).
Research positions:
Organized Wisdom - This is a health care related website. You will choose topics on various health related subjects, and compile "Wisdom Cards" related to that subject. You must have excellent research skills, as well as a good grasp of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Court Researchers - Court researchers go to area courthouses, look through records (on anything from real estate to marriages and divorces), then input the data to the company's website. There are numerous companies that employ people for this type of work; I'm only listing a few of them. A Google search will turn up many more. This is not an "at home" position, but it does allow you to be flexible with your time, and work when you want to. You will need to be able to travel to the courthouse(s) that you choose, as well as work on a deadline.
Other court researcher companies: JellyBean Services, United Data Network
Writing:
Mahalo - Mahalo is a human powered search engine. As a Guide, you are considered a freelance writer, not an employee. You put together links, write up short information segments on search terms (with citations), and a fast fact list.
Helium - On Helium, you can write articles on just about any subject. You come up with the subject and content, send it in and if approved, it is listed on the site. Articles are ranked by other members (you can rank articles as well). Members are paid by a shared revenue system; the more you write and participate (reading and ranking other members' articles), the more money you can make.
Associated Content - On Associated Content, you also write articles. However, you are paid a flat rate per article you write. The pay varies, so be sure to read up on their terms of service.
Handwriting - Handwriting jobs are usually location specific. You do work from home, but you must live within a certain radius of the company's location, because work is picked up and dropped off in person. Handwriting jobs usually include doing things like writing out thank you cards. You are hired to write them for someone who may be too busy to do it themself.
Write On Results, The DNR Group, Aria Calls and Cards
Voiceovers:
Opuzz Voice - Doing voiceover work is a bit more complicated, because you have to have (or have access to) certain equipment. However, if it's something that you can do, I think it sounds like a lot of fun!
Live Search Guide:
ChaCha - ChaCha is a live search site. You are hired as a guide to basically do people's searches for them. You must have excellent search skills to do this job, as there is a small turn-around time in which you must find the answers. This is a very flexible position, as you log in and work when you want to. Another plus is, you never know what searches you'll get, so it's not boring!
Website User Testing:
User Testing - To be a user tester, you view new websites while talking (using software provided to you), to record the website's functionality, ease of use, etc. You fill out a detailed profile, and are contacted when there are websites available that match your profile. Pay is $10 per website tested.
Stock Photography:
Shutterstock - On Shutterstock, you upload your original photography, which is then sold to subscribers to use as stock photography. You are paid 25 cents per photo downloaded. Pay is available through PayPal, or a check in the mail. The more photos you have on the site, the better your chances are of having them downloaded.
Surveys & Product Testing:
Product Evaluator - This is not a paying site, but you are sent brand new, cutting edge consumer items to try. You must actively use the items, and then provide feedback via the web, through surveys, or on the telephone.
Women For Hire - This is a list of paid survey sites, as well as product testing.
Freelance Position sites:
Guru and iFreelance are two great sites to find freelance work in many different areas. You bid on jobs against other freelancers.
Paid Blogging:
Blogitive, iHype, PayPerPost, and PayU2Blog are all paid blogging sites. You choose items that you wish you blog about from their site. Once your blog post is accepted, you will be paid the previously agreed on amount.
Other job search sites:
Rat Race Rebellion and Work Place Like Home both list work from home jobs on a regular basis (RRR lists daily, WPLH lists as members find them). Although they try to only list reputable jobs, it is your responsibility to research and use common sense when contracting or accepting employment with any company.
Disclaimer: I don't have personal experience with each of these companies. I do have accounts with Helium and ShutterStock. The Shutterstock link is a referral link, but that is the only one. From what I have seen, they are all legitimate companies and not scams, but please do your homework, ask questions, get all information in writing, etc.
7.12.2008
I am employed!
I went out and got me a job today. I've been looking, but not getting any responses from anywhere. On a whim today, I called the movie rental store I worked at a couple of years ago and talked to the manager. I asked him if they were hiring, and when he found out it was me, he told me to come in and get an application. When I showed up, he had already called the district manager and okay'd it with him to hire me. I start tomorrow. Woot!
I don't even know how many hours he's needing someone for, but I need a job, so I don't care. I know the hours they are open, and I can work any of them. I am a bit nervous about managing to work and go to school, but I won't be the first person to do it, and I'll manage it somehow.
Go me!
I don't even know how many hours he's needing someone for, but I need a job, so I don't care. I know the hours they are open, and I can work any of them. I am a bit nervous about managing to work and go to school, but I won't be the first person to do it, and I'll manage it somehow.
Go me!
7.11.2008
I have writer's block
I've been trying to come up with ideas to write about lately, and I've had plenty of them! I just can't seem to craft anything into a coherent, non-sleep inducing post to entertain the masses (okay, the two of you that read here). Something will happen and I'll think "Oh! I can make a blog post out of that!", only to discover when it comes down to it, that I can't think of much to say on the subject.
Maybe things will get more exciting here, soon. The kids do go back to school in a month, and I start a couple of weeks after that. Hey, maybe one of the kids will get a sucky teacher again this year. That will guarantee ideas. Okay, I'm just kidding there.
I think I may be getting a bit delirious. It is past my bedtime. Okay, uh, bye!
Maybe things will get more exciting here, soon. The kids do go back to school in a month, and I start a couple of weeks after that. Hey, maybe one of the kids will get a sucky teacher again this year. That will guarantee ideas. Okay, I'm just kidding there.
I think I may be getting a bit delirious. It is past my bedtime. Okay, uh, bye!
7.05.2008
Not much to say lately
It's been pretty boring around here lately, and I haven't had a lot to blog about. Last weekend was fun, we spent Saturday with my brother, SIL, nephew & niece. On Sunday, we took the kids swimming and then fishing. The rest of the week has just been kind of blah. We've done pretty much nothing.
Tonight was a huge bust. We were supposed to go over to a friend's for a party, but that didn't work out. So we just sat around here and did a lot more of nothing.
I've got some stuff I wanted to get listed on eBay, but I haven't even taken the pictures for it yet. I've still got to call and schedule Maggie's Pre-K physical, and Shelby has a dental appointment in less than two weeks. I want to do some crafts with the kids before they go back to school, which is in a month. The girls and I are going to do some tie-dye shirts, and I don't know what else.
Boring, I know, but I wanted to post an update.
Tonight was a huge bust. We were supposed to go over to a friend's for a party, but that didn't work out. So we just sat around here and did a lot more of nothing.
I've got some stuff I wanted to get listed on eBay, but I haven't even taken the pictures for it yet. I've still got to call and schedule Maggie's Pre-K physical, and Shelby has a dental appointment in less than two weeks. I want to do some crafts with the kids before they go back to school, which is in a month. The girls and I are going to do some tie-dye shirts, and I don't know what else.
Boring, I know, but I wanted to post an update.
6.27.2008
974 and 195
974 is the number of text messages my husband had on his cell phone for last month's billing cycle. More were received than sent, and all of them were from and to my SIL. 195 is the dollar amount that said text messages are costing us on our bill. Pissed doesn't even begin to describe me over this. Like we can afford an extra $200 charge on our cell phone bill right now. I think I'm going to have to break down and buy the $30/month unlimited texting plan because the stupid bitch doesn't listen when she's told not to text anymore. What is so wrong with dialing the number and actually talking? Get an IM program if you want to type out your conversation! JHC!
6.21.2008
What is so fascinating about the shampoo?
What is it about shampoo that is so fascinating to a three year old? Maggie has this thing with pouring out entire bottles of shampoo and/or conditioner. In the past week, she has dumped out two family size bottles of shampoo and one of conditioner! It's driving me insane! I try to keep the bottles put up out of her reach, but sometimes I forget after I give baths. That's what happened with the first bottle of shampoo and the conditioner. The other shampoo was Hunter's, and he didn't get it and put it out of reach when I warned him to.
We have tried time-outs, talking, reasoning, explaining, taking away treats, and even spanking for this and she still does it. Why do kids think bathrooms in general are such fun places to play? Maggie and Shelby's bedroom is right outside of a bathroom, so Maggie is able to sneak in there when I think she's playing quietly in her bedroom. I'm thinking seriously about having them switch rooms with Hunter. His room is right outside of the laundry room, but I could put some childproof lock on the cabinet in there.
I hope she grows out of this soon!
We have tried time-outs, talking, reasoning, explaining, taking away treats, and even spanking for this and she still does it. Why do kids think bathrooms in general are such fun places to play? Maggie and Shelby's bedroom is right outside of a bathroom, so Maggie is able to sneak in there when I think she's playing quietly in her bedroom. I'm thinking seriously about having them switch rooms with Hunter. His room is right outside of the laundry room, but I could put some childproof lock on the cabinet in there.
I hope she grows out of this soon!
6.18.2008
Movies to blubber at
I am so chatty lately. I just keep thinking of things to blog about. I think it's my boredom showing.
Anyhoo. Tonight Darrell and I watched The Bucket List. It has Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. They meet in a hospital where they both have cancer, and they create a list of things to do before they die, and then go and do them. It started out great, Morgan Freeman does some narration and I could just listen to his voice for days. It was funny, and the two played off of each other so well.
Then something happened. It turned sad. Horribly sad. I admit, I cried like a little baby. I don't think I've cried at a movie like that since Steel Magnolias. The grave scene does it to me everytime. Darrell was looking like he was getting a little worried about me there for a minute.
If you've seen the movie, the part where he marks 'kiss the most beautiful woman in the world' off the list is where I officially lost it. Now I must buy this movie. If you haven't seen it, you must go get it now!
Anyhoo. Tonight Darrell and I watched The Bucket List. It has Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. They meet in a hospital where they both have cancer, and they create a list of things to do before they die, and then go and do them. It started out great, Morgan Freeman does some narration and I could just listen to his voice for days. It was funny, and the two played off of each other so well.
Then something happened. It turned sad. Horribly sad. I admit, I cried like a little baby. I don't think I've cried at a movie like that since Steel Magnolias. The grave scene does it to me everytime. Darrell was looking like he was getting a little worried about me there for a minute.
If you've seen the movie, the part where he marks 'kiss the most beautiful woman in the world' off the list is where I officially lost it. Now I must buy this movie. If you haven't seen it, you must go get it now!
6.17.2008
*Ring, ring* It's Avon NOT calling
I had requested some information about selling Avon recently. I thought it might be a good way to earn a few extra bucks, and I wouldn't have to do anything like home parties. I get a call from a lady wanting to meet with me to well, let's be honest, get me to sign up. She's not from here, but she had a meeting today in a nearby town, so I agreed to meet her at McDonald's in my town. We were supposed to meet at 3:30 this afternoon.
At a quarter to 3, she calls me, telling me she's leaving said nearby town and I gave her a little assistance with directions. She gets part of the way here, and calls back to make sure she's heading the right way. I assure her she is, and she is only about 20-30 minutes out -- tops. This was around 10 after 3. We get off the phone, and I wait until 25 after 3 and head to McDonald's.
The kids and I get there, I buy them an ice cream, and we sit down to wait. They eat their ice cream, we rent a movie from the RedBox, and she still hasn't shown up. I take the kids out to the play area to wait a little while longer. Finally, at 10 after 4, we have to leave to go pick Darrell up, and she's had plenty of time to get there. Even if she had to stop for directions to McDonald's once she got into town, she's still had plenty of time.
So, we left. I get home and she hasn't called me back at all. I realized I should have taken her cell phone number with me, but I forgot. Oh wait, now that I think about it, she gave it to me last night and I put it in my purse. I had it with me the whole time! D'oh! Oh well, too late now. I don't know what's going to happen at this point, I'm kind of turned off from the whole thing. I don't really see why someone that sells in this area couldn't have contacted me, since they would know their way around, and wouldn't be asking me to drive 40 miles to come to them.
I think, at this point, I'm not going to worry about it anymore. I'm still looking for an evening job out of the house. I'd really like to get out of the house by myself some. I'm bored, remember?
At a quarter to 3, she calls me, telling me she's leaving said nearby town and I gave her a little assistance with directions. She gets part of the way here, and calls back to make sure she's heading the right way. I assure her she is, and she is only about 20-30 minutes out -- tops. This was around 10 after 3. We get off the phone, and I wait until 25 after 3 and head to McDonald's.
The kids and I get there, I buy them an ice cream, and we sit down to wait. They eat their ice cream, we rent a movie from the RedBox, and she still hasn't shown up. I take the kids out to the play area to wait a little while longer. Finally, at 10 after 4, we have to leave to go pick Darrell up, and she's had plenty of time to get there. Even if she had to stop for directions to McDonald's once she got into town, she's still had plenty of time.
So, we left. I get home and she hasn't called me back at all. I realized I should have taken her cell phone number with me, but I forgot. Oh wait, now that I think about it, she gave it to me last night and I put it in my purse. I had it with me the whole time! D'oh! Oh well, too late now. I don't know what's going to happen at this point, I'm kind of turned off from the whole thing. I don't really see why someone that sells in this area couldn't have contacted me, since they would know their way around, and wouldn't be asking me to drive 40 miles to come to them.
I think, at this point, I'm not going to worry about it anymore. I'm still looking for an evening job out of the house. I'd really like to get out of the house by myself some. I'm bored, remember?
6.16.2008
Shelby: Gymnast Extraordinare
I had a cute idea for a post. I took pictures of Shelby doing her gymnastics stuff and was going to put them in a post. But, alas! ;p For some reason, PSP is missing from my computer, and we can't find the disk anywhere, so I have no way to resize. So, I can only link from my DropShots account
Anyway, Shelby loves doing gymnastics. She's taught herself how to do cartwheels, one and two handed; head stands, and back bends. I snapped some pictures of her doing her stuff the other day to put in a post. You can still click the link and see the pictures. Just a couple of things before you do.
1. I don't know what is on Shelby's butt in the head stand pictures. I think she got something on her pants from lunch, which she had just recently eaten when we took the pictures.
2. I had to get a head shot, so you guys could see her teeth, or lack thereof. And as of a couple of days ago, she has lost yet another. Right now, she has absolutely no front teeth; all four of them are missing. She's had three of them missing for almost 3 months now! We can finally see one permanent tooth poking through the gums a little, so I imagine she'll have them all in soon. I think she looks adorable with the no teeth look, though. :)
3. Maggie had to get in on the action, so there are a few pics of her rolling around on the floor. After we did those pictures, they decided they wanted to do some posing, so those are there, too. Feel free to look through the other dates as well, I put some newer pictures up there a month ago or so. I really need to get better about taking pictures more often.
Anyway, Shelby loves doing gymnastics. She's taught herself how to do cartwheels, one and two handed; head stands, and back bends. I snapped some pictures of her doing her stuff the other day to put in a post. You can still click the link and see the pictures. Just a couple of things before you do.
1. I don't know what is on Shelby's butt in the head stand pictures. I think she got something on her pants from lunch, which she had just recently eaten when we took the pictures.
2. I had to get a head shot, so you guys could see her teeth, or lack thereof. And as of a couple of days ago, she has lost yet another. Right now, she has absolutely no front teeth; all four of them are missing. She's had three of them missing for almost 3 months now! We can finally see one permanent tooth poking through the gums a little, so I imagine she'll have them all in soon. I think she looks adorable with the no teeth look, though. :)
3. Maggie had to get in on the action, so there are a few pics of her rolling around on the floor. After we did those pictures, they decided they wanted to do some posing, so those are there, too. Feel free to look through the other dates as well, I put some newer pictures up there a month ago or so. I really need to get better about taking pictures more often.
6.10.2008
Summer vacation has ceased to rock
Yeah, that lasted long, didn't it? I am so freaking bored! I guess the past two semesters at school got me used to being busy and now I have nothing to do but clean the house. It's too hot to hang around outside for very long, gas is too high, and we are too broke to go and do many things.
Mackenzie finished her softball season last night. I got some pictures of her when she was batting, but she never got a good ball to swing at, so they really didn't turn out too great. Of course, the time she actually hit the ball, I wasn't down there with the camera.
Something funny happened at the game last night, too. This year, the girls can steal bases. So, we had a girl running bases and she was at third, running towards home. The catcher got the ball and was coming towards her, so our girl started running back toward third base. The catcher threw the ball and the third base girl caught it, so our runner started running back to home. The third base girl threw the ball back to the catcher, and she caught it, so our runner started running back to third base again. The catcher threw the ball back to the third base girl again, but this time she didn't catch it, so our girl ran for home again and made a run. It was so funny, though, it might have been one of those things you had to have been there for. All the parents for our team were yelling, too: "Go back! Go back! No, run to home! No, go back! Go back! No, home! Home!" Etc.
Mackenzie finished her softball season last night. I got some pictures of her when she was batting, but she never got a good ball to swing at, so they really didn't turn out too great. Of course, the time she actually hit the ball, I wasn't down there with the camera.
Something funny happened at the game last night, too. This year, the girls can steal bases. So, we had a girl running bases and she was at third, running towards home. The catcher got the ball and was coming towards her, so our girl started running back toward third base. The catcher threw the ball and the third base girl caught it, so our runner started running back to home. The third base girl threw the ball back to the catcher, and she caught it, so our runner started running back to third base again. The catcher threw the ball back to the third base girl again, but this time she didn't catch it, so our girl ran for home again and made a run. It was so funny, though, it might have been one of those things you had to have been there for. All the parents for our team were yelling, too: "Go back! Go back! No, run to home! No, go back! Go back! No, home! Home!" Etc.
6.04.2008
It's official! Maggie's in preschool!
I got a call yesterday telling me that Maggie had definitely been secured a spot in the Pre-K program for next school year, and asking me if I wanted to go ahead and come in today to get her enrollment papers and have her testing done (They do some academic tests on them at the beginning, and then at the end of the school year. Of course, testing so early may skew Maggie's results, since she won't be four until September. They'd usually do the testing in August. But, anyway).
So, we went in this morning and got everything. The teacher that Shelby had was the one that did Maggie's tests, so Maggie was somewhat familiar with her. They finished the tests before I had finished going over everything with the director, and Maggie actually went off with Mrs. K again to play and wait for me in another room. I was pretty surprised, considering Maggie will generally not look at, talk to, or allow anyone she doesn't know well to touch her. Which does concern me for her starting school, but I can't keep her home forever.
Anyway, all I have to do now is return the enrollment packet after we get her physical done, and a copy of her shot record. My baby is going to school! Hold me.
So, we went in this morning and got everything. The teacher that Shelby had was the one that did Maggie's tests, so Maggie was somewhat familiar with her. They finished the tests before I had finished going over everything with the director, and Maggie actually went off with Mrs. K again to play and wait for me in another room. I was pretty surprised, considering Maggie will generally not look at, talk to, or allow anyone she doesn't know well to touch her. Which does concern me for her starting school, but I can't keep her home forever.
Anyway, all I have to do now is return the enrollment packet after we get her physical done, and a copy of her shot record. My baby is going to school! Hold me.
5.26.2008
And around....
Now Mackenzie's sick. :/ She's got the same symptoms the other kids had; fever, chills, headache, stomachache. She's not vomiting but she feels like she's going to. Ugh!
Yesterday, we went to my sister's house for a cookout. My other sister came, my grandparents, mom, uncle, and my sister's fiance's mom and stepdad were all there. We started it in late afternoon (around 4), since my sister worked yesterday. We visited for a bit while the burgers and hot dogs were cooked, and then ate. In addition to the hamburgers and hot dogs, we had chips, baked beans, two kinds of potato salad, coleslaw, and for dessert there was banana pudding, brownies, and cookies.
Most of the kids were swimming for a while, too. After we ate, we went to a field down the driveway and played a game of baseball, and then some volleyball. We kept playing until it got too dark to see. We all had a blast, though. I did something to my finger when I hit the volleyball, though. The area between the first two knuckles started swelling and bruising. It is still swollen today, but not nearly as bad as it was, and it's just a little discolored, not horribly so. I don't know what the hell happened.
ALL the kids went down to my other sister's to spend the night. Well, except Shelby & Maggie. But my two older kids, all three of my one sister's kids, and my cousin. She had two of her three kids home, so in all, she had 8 kids at her house. :O No way, I say! Of course, she ended up with 7, since we had to go get Mackenzie at almost 1 o'clock this morning. She came home, I gave her some Nyquil and put the mop bucket beside her bed, and she slept until around 11 this morning. I just gave her a piece of toast and some applesauce, and she's resting on the loveseat and watching tv. I hope this is the end of this damn virus that's been going around all the kids!
Yesterday, we went to my sister's house for a cookout. My other sister came, my grandparents, mom, uncle, and my sister's fiance's mom and stepdad were all there. We started it in late afternoon (around 4), since my sister worked yesterday. We visited for a bit while the burgers and hot dogs were cooked, and then ate. In addition to the hamburgers and hot dogs, we had chips, baked beans, two kinds of potato salad, coleslaw, and for dessert there was banana pudding, brownies, and cookies.
Most of the kids were swimming for a while, too. After we ate, we went to a field down the driveway and played a game of baseball, and then some volleyball. We kept playing until it got too dark to see. We all had a blast, though. I did something to my finger when I hit the volleyball, though. The area between the first two knuckles started swelling and bruising. It is still swollen today, but not nearly as bad as it was, and it's just a little discolored, not horribly so. I don't know what the hell happened.
ALL the kids went down to my other sister's to spend the night. Well, except Shelby & Maggie. But my two older kids, all three of my one sister's kids, and my cousin. She had two of her three kids home, so in all, she had 8 kids at her house. :O No way, I say! Of course, she ended up with 7, since we had to go get Mackenzie at almost 1 o'clock this morning. She came home, I gave her some Nyquil and put the mop bucket beside her bed, and she slept until around 11 this morning. I just gave her a piece of toast and some applesauce, and she's resting on the loveseat and watching tv. I hope this is the end of this damn virus that's been going around all the kids!
5.21.2008
It just keeps going around...
In my previous blog post, I said that Maggie was sick. Well, she was better by that weekend, and by then Darrell was sick. He was also being a big baby about it. I know he felt bad, but come on! I just thought Maggie was whiny. Heh. He went to the doctor on Monday, and has a severe sinus infection, so he's on antibiotics and some other meds. Monday morning, Hunter got up saying he wasn't feeling too well, but he went on to school anyway (it was the last day!). We had to pick up report cards yesterday morning, and he was still feeling bad. He went back to bed when we got home, and then started running a fever and vomiting. So, now he's sick. Geez, this shit can go the hell away any time now!
Mackenzie's softball schedule is well underway now. They've played three games and had one canceled due to rain. They've lost all their games so far, too, unfortunately. They are a good team, it's just a few sloppy plays that seem to lose it for them. They've lost two of the games just by one and two points, and the other one was the second game in a doubleheader. They were tired, and the pitcher kept walking the other team, so it was finally called after they got so far ahead.
Mackenzie is wanting to learn to do fastpitch, so we've been looking at instructional videos and stuff, but she doesn't want to practice the techniques, so I don't know how it's going to turn out. If she wants to learn to pitch properly, I have no problems helping her learn, but she just wants to go out there and start throwing the ball instead of practicing the wrist snap, and making sure she's holding the ball correctly, etc. I'm not going to push her, though. If she really wants to learn, she'll put the effort in.
Mackenzie's softball schedule is well underway now. They've played three games and had one canceled due to rain. They've lost all their games so far, too, unfortunately. They are a good team, it's just a few sloppy plays that seem to lose it for them. They've lost two of the games just by one and two points, and the other one was the second game in a doubleheader. They were tired, and the pitcher kept walking the other team, so it was finally called after they got so far ahead.
Mackenzie is wanting to learn to do fastpitch, so we've been looking at instructional videos and stuff, but she doesn't want to practice the techniques, so I don't know how it's going to turn out. If she wants to learn to pitch properly, I have no problems helping her learn, but she just wants to go out there and start throwing the ball instead of practicing the wrist snap, and making sure she's holding the ball correctly, etc. I'm not going to push her, though. If she really wants to learn, she'll put the effort in.
5.15.2008
Summer vacation rocks!
I have been thoroughly enjoying my summer vacation so far. To start with, I got As in Spanish II and Sociology, and a freaking B in Algebra. Hallelujah! The first week (last week), I pretty much laid around and did nothing, just relaxed, enjoying not having to study or complete homework. Woot!
This week, I went to the library and got some books, plus my sister gave me a big stack, so I've been reading a lot. I wasn't able to read much while I was in school, so I'm making up for it. I've read four books this week already.
The kids' school year is winding down as well. In fact, Monday is their last day of school, and we pick up report cards Tuesday morning. There is no school on Fridays this month, so they only have one whole day of school left. They haven't been doing much the past week-week and a half, either. Just things like field days and picnics and free recesses. Basically the teachers are killing time. Hunter had his D.A.R.E. graduation today, so I went to that.
Darrell would have went with me, but unfortunately Maggie is now sick. It appears that she has the same stuff Shelby had. She spiked a fever this morning, and it hasn't went away yet. She's complaining of the same pains Shelby was, which are headache and stomach ache. She's being dosed with Motrin and is laying around sleeping off and on, inbetween whining sessions. (Poor kid is very whiny when she's sick)
Mackenzie started softball last week. They only had a couple of practices before their first game. There was another game scheduled for tonight, but it rained off and on all day, so it was canceled. She is doing really well so far, though. She's a much better batter this year than she has been in previous years. She's playing centerfield again, that seems to be "her" spot. She is fast though, and has a very good arm, so she can get the ball back to the infield when it's hit way out there. She has been talking about trying out for the middle school softball team next year, but I think I'm going to encourage her to play with the park league until she's in 7th grade. 6th graders don't get a lot of playtime, and playing with the park league will give her another year of practice and experience before trying out with the school team. After this spring, she'll have played for 5 years, so she'll have 6 years of playing under her belt by the time she tries out for the school team.
We also finished up our Girl Scout meetings this past Tuesday. We did spring registration, although we didn't get nearly the amount of girls re-registering that we started with this year. Which is actually fine by me. We had 8 girls re-register, which is about what I expected. We have two more that are unsure, but I'm waiting to mark through their forms until I get ready to mail the stuff, so they can make up their minds for sure. I still have to meet with the troop leader over the summer to come up with about three projects for the girls' bronze award, so they can choose when we meet again in the fall. But we have plenty of time for that.
I guess that's about all that's going on around here. I am definitely enjoying my rest, and the less stressful pace of life right now. I have until mid-August before it starts back in full force!
This week, I went to the library and got some books, plus my sister gave me a big stack, so I've been reading a lot. I wasn't able to read much while I was in school, so I'm making up for it. I've read four books this week already.
The kids' school year is winding down as well. In fact, Monday is their last day of school, and we pick up report cards Tuesday morning. There is no school on Fridays this month, so they only have one whole day of school left. They haven't been doing much the past week-week and a half, either. Just things like field days and picnics and free recesses. Basically the teachers are killing time. Hunter had his D.A.R.E. graduation today, so I went to that.
Darrell would have went with me, but unfortunately Maggie is now sick. It appears that she has the same stuff Shelby had. She spiked a fever this morning, and it hasn't went away yet. She's complaining of the same pains Shelby was, which are headache and stomach ache. She's being dosed with Motrin and is laying around sleeping off and on, inbetween whining sessions. (Poor kid is very whiny when she's sick)
Mackenzie started softball last week. They only had a couple of practices before their first game. There was another game scheduled for tonight, but it rained off and on all day, so it was canceled. She is doing really well so far, though. She's a much better batter this year than she has been in previous years. She's playing centerfield again, that seems to be "her" spot. She is fast though, and has a very good arm, so she can get the ball back to the infield when it's hit way out there. She has been talking about trying out for the middle school softball team next year, but I think I'm going to encourage her to play with the park league until she's in 7th grade. 6th graders don't get a lot of playtime, and playing with the park league will give her another year of practice and experience before trying out with the school team. After this spring, she'll have played for 5 years, so she'll have 6 years of playing under her belt by the time she tries out for the school team.
We also finished up our Girl Scout meetings this past Tuesday. We did spring registration, although we didn't get nearly the amount of girls re-registering that we started with this year. Which is actually fine by me. We had 8 girls re-register, which is about what I expected. We have two more that are unsure, but I'm waiting to mark through their forms until I get ready to mail the stuff, so they can make up their minds for sure. I still have to meet with the troop leader over the summer to come up with about three projects for the girls' bronze award, so they can choose when we meet again in the fall. But we have plenty of time for that.
I guess that's about all that's going on around here. I am definitely enjoying my rest, and the less stressful pace of life right now. I have until mid-August before it starts back in full force!
5.11.2008
My dishwasher is fixed! Yay (and I am drunk)
Darrell got some bug up his ass today and fixed my dishwasher today, and our toilet (thank god, I was tired of using the kids' bathroom). So I don't have to wash dishes by hand as much anymore. Woohoo!
I am also totally drunk right now. Today is my sister's birthday. Her fiance is out of town, because his grandfather died, so we went over to her house tonight. It was just my two sisters, my mom, and me. I brought two six packs of Smirnoff ice and then I did seveal whiskley shots. My sister who has the birdthday and I were totally smashed. We were playing singstar, a ps2 game, and I'm sure we sounded horrible, but we had a great time. I am goin to call her tomorrow and say 'where you going with the mask I foudn?' Haha. My head is reallys wimming right now, i probably eed to go to bed. I think Darrell is mad at me, but I don't care. I had a lot of fufn, and it's been so long since I got drunk. Like before I hd Hunter, that's how long. This is probably lthe worst blg entry int he history of blog entries, so I'll stop now. See you all later.
I am also totally drunk right now. Today is my sister's birthday. Her fiance is out of town, because his grandfather died, so we went over to her house tonight. It was just my two sisters, my mom, and me. I brought two six packs of Smirnoff ice and then I did seveal whiskley shots. My sister who has the birdthday and I were totally smashed. We were playing singstar, a ps2 game, and I'm sure we sounded horrible, but we had a great time. I am goin to call her tomorrow and say 'where you going with the mask I foudn?' Haha. My head is reallys wimming right now, i probably eed to go to bed. I think Darrell is mad at me, but I don't care. I had a lot of fufn, and it's been so long since I got drunk. Like before I hd Hunter, that's how long. This is probably lthe worst blg entry int he history of blog entries, so I'll stop now. See you all later.
5.07.2008
Update on Shelby
Shelby is still sick. I took her to the doctor this afternoon. Her temp is running about 103, and I can't get it to come down. :/ They did a strep swab, which was negative. Then they drew blood, and said she's fighting a "strep-like" infection. Whatever the hell that means. The doctor said she was calling it tonsillitis, but uh, Shelby has no tonsils. If her fever hasn't broken by Friday, I have to take her back in. They gave us antibiotics for her, and told me to keep her home from school tomorrow, which of course I would anyway since she still has a fever! Duh.
As of now, her fever is still very high. She is being dosed with Tylenol every four hours, but it doesn't seem to be doing much of anything. I don't know what they plan to do if she still has a fever on Friday. I just hope it breaks before then.
So, that's all I know at the moment. Hopefully the antibiotics will start working and her fever will break and she'll be good as new soon. :)
As of now, her fever is still very high. She is being dosed with Tylenol every four hours, but it doesn't seem to be doing much of anything. I don't know what they plan to do if she still has a fever on Friday. I just hope it breaks before then.
So, that's all I know at the moment. Hopefully the antibiotics will start working and her fever will break and she'll be good as new soon. :)
5.05.2008
Shelby's sick. :(
Shelby came home sick from school today. She was wearing her jacket when she came out of the building, and it was 77 degrees this afternoon. She said it was cold in the school, so I didn't think much of it. Then she told me that she had slept the whole nap and Mr. H had to wake her up to leave, so I thought she was still groggy from having just woke up.
We went by the grocery store before we came home, and she was shaking and shivering the whole time, saying she was freezing. She even had chillbumps all over her arms. When we got home, I carried her into the house, and her legs were burning up. I put her on the couch and she laid down for a while, and gave her a chewable Tylenol. At one point, she got up and went outside, saying she felt better, but I made her lay back down. She fell asleep around 5, and she's still asleep. She's woken up a few times, including once to take more medicine, but she falls right back to sleep. When she woke up a little earlier, she told me her stomach and head hurt. :/ So, I guess she'll be staying home from school tomorrow; I'm not sure if I should take her to the doctor, or wait it out and see if it's just a virus. Decisions, decisions. I feel bad for the poor girl, though.
We went by the grocery store before we came home, and she was shaking and shivering the whole time, saying she was freezing. She even had chillbumps all over her arms. When we got home, I carried her into the house, and her legs were burning up. I put her on the couch and she laid down for a while, and gave her a chewable Tylenol. At one point, she got up and went outside, saying she felt better, but I made her lay back down. She fell asleep around 5, and she's still asleep. She's woken up a few times, including once to take more medicine, but she falls right back to sleep. When she woke up a little earlier, she told me her stomach and head hurt. :/ So, I guess she'll be staying home from school tomorrow; I'm not sure if I should take her to the doctor, or wait it out and see if it's just a virus. Decisions, decisions. I feel bad for the poor girl, though.
4.30.2008
Drama in la clase de espanol
(Sorry, I can't get the tilde over the N)
Today was my Spanish final (as well as Algebra), and it started out boring enough. I was there about fifteen minutes early, and a few other people and I were just chatting. Everyone started coming in and we were just talking about how nervous we were, etc. The teacher was about 5 minutes late, but she came in and we were talking and joking around with her.
All of a sudden, the instructor looked over and said "Are you okay?" I looked over to see what she was talking about, and this boy was sitting in his chair, having a seizure! He was leaning over the side of the desk that isn't open, if you know what I mean, and his arms were sticking straight out and he was shaking and foaming at the mouth. It was so freaking scary.
Mrs. B yelled at us to call 911 (there's a group of us that sit at the back of the room near the phone), so my friend Cindy dialed and then Mrs. B ran out of the room yelling for help. A couple of boys in front ran over to him, threw the desks in front of him out of the way, and pulled him out of his desk onto the floor. A nursing student in the room yelled at them when they said something about putting something in his mouth to keep him from choking, and told them to not put anything in his mouth, just roll him on his side.
Another professor came in the room and they turned him on his side. He stopped seizing by then, but he was breathing funny, it sounded like a snore, and he was blowing spit when he breathed. It seemed to take forever for the ambulance to get there, but they finally did, and they asked him some questions and took him out on the cot thingy.
Then, we got back to business and took our test. But everybody was pretty damn freaked out. One boy said, after it was all over, "Well, I won't ever forget my last day in Spanish!" Heh. I don't think I will, either.
Today was my Spanish final (as well as Algebra), and it started out boring enough. I was there about fifteen minutes early, and a few other people and I were just chatting. Everyone started coming in and we were just talking about how nervous we were, etc. The teacher was about 5 minutes late, but she came in and we were talking and joking around with her.
All of a sudden, the instructor looked over and said "Are you okay?" I looked over to see what she was talking about, and this boy was sitting in his chair, having a seizure! He was leaning over the side of the desk that isn't open, if you know what I mean, and his arms were sticking straight out and he was shaking and foaming at the mouth. It was so freaking scary.
Mrs. B yelled at us to call 911 (there's a group of us that sit at the back of the room near the phone), so my friend Cindy dialed and then Mrs. B ran out of the room yelling for help. A couple of boys in front ran over to him, threw the desks in front of him out of the way, and pulled him out of his desk onto the floor. A nursing student in the room yelled at them when they said something about putting something in his mouth to keep him from choking, and told them to not put anything in his mouth, just roll him on his side.
Another professor came in the room and they turned him on his side. He stopped seizing by then, but he was breathing funny, it sounded like a snore, and he was blowing spit when he breathed. It seemed to take forever for the ambulance to get there, but they finally did, and they asked him some questions and took him out on the cot thingy.
Then, we got back to business and took our test. But everybody was pretty damn freaked out. One boy said, after it was all over, "Well, I won't ever forget my last day in Spanish!" Heh. I don't think I will, either.
4.28.2008
Classes are over!
I had my last day of class today, woot! I have final exams on Wednesday and Friday, but that's it. And? I had my last Algebra test last Wednesday, and I made a 93 on that sucker! Hell, yeah! I thought I did well, and I'm glad I did. I raised my average to an 82 with that test and redoing some homework to raise that grade. I just have to not bomb the final, and maybe I can make it out of that class with a B. :D
Darrell took Shelby to the dentist today, and she has cavities. :/ More than one, even. I don't know, she brushes her teeth twice daily just like the other kids, she doesn't eat any more junk than the rest of them, either. She's having one of them capped and the rest filled. Unfortunately, July 13 is the first date they can get her in for this work, and it'll have to be done over 4 visits. :/ We're on the cancellation list, so hopefully they'll call and get her in earlier.
The dentist also said something about possibly having to pull some of her baby teeth on the bottom in the back. I'm not entirely clear, but the way Darrell talked, it sounded like her permanent teeth were taking up more space under the gum than her baby teeth were above the gum, and it would cause problems when she started to lose her baby teeth in the back. I'm going to have to get clearer explanation and then go from there. My first instinct is that I'm not comfortable with them pulling teeth like that.
Darrell took Shelby to the dentist today, and she has cavities. :/ More than one, even. I don't know, she brushes her teeth twice daily just like the other kids, she doesn't eat any more junk than the rest of them, either. She's having one of them capped and the rest filled. Unfortunately, July 13 is the first date they can get her in for this work, and it'll have to be done over 4 visits. :/ We're on the cancellation list, so hopefully they'll call and get her in earlier.
The dentist also said something about possibly having to pull some of her baby teeth on the bottom in the back. I'm not entirely clear, but the way Darrell talked, it sounded like her permanent teeth were taking up more space under the gum than her baby teeth were above the gum, and it would cause problems when she started to lose her baby teeth in the back. I'm going to have to get clearer explanation and then go from there. My first instinct is that I'm not comfortable with them pulling teeth like that.
4.25.2008
Pet Peeves
Everyone has little things that bother them. I'm going to share some of my pet peeves now, because I'm PMSing and bitchy. Heh.
- There are some obvious ones, like chewing with your mouth open. That drives me pretty damn crazy, like I want to jam the fork into your eye if you do it.
- Cutesy little words that people use, like vaca instead of vacation, pressies instead of presents, and sammies instead of sandwiches.
- Having to wait on people. When I'm ready to go, I want to go, dammit. Of course, if someone has to wait on me, that's probably okay. ;)
- Lack of respect in general. I don't know if that falls under "pet peeve" really. For example, when you tell someone, oh, say, your sister-in-law, that there was nearly $100 of text messages on oh, say, your husband's phone last month, and you can't afford the bill being that high, and then she continues to text him with the same regularity.
4.23.2008
I refuse to feel bad
To my husband:
Yeah, I know I'm busy. I'm sorry if it seems like I don't have much time for you lately. But I am trying my level best to keep everything in order and running smoothly. You can say that I'm always either on the computer or watching tv, but I think we both know that I am usually cleaning the house, doing laundry, taking care of the kids, cooking, or studying. Yeah, I do have shows that I watch every week, and some days I do spend more time than I should online. But so do you. You're always off in the bedroom working on that stupid machine you're trying to build, and you never offer help when it comes to cooking or cleaning. I have to specifically tell you to do something if I want it done, and if I'm lucky, you'll get to it eventually. If I didn't have to put so much time into keeping the kids clean and fed, and the house clean, in addition to my schoolwork, then I might have more time for you.
I know you're worried about how your back stuff is going to pan out. I, however, am not a fucking mind reader! If you need to discuss something, just tell me. Don't expect me to notice it, when you know all that I have on my plate as well at the moment, and then try to tell me that I'm too busy watching tv and being on the computer all the time to notice. That's just insulting.
Lastly, I will not apologize nor feel bad for going back to school. This is just how it's going to be until I'm done. Yes, it takes some free time away. As long as I'm in school, I won't have as much free time, but I would have more if you would chip in and help me out. Especially since you aren't working. When I am at school all day, and then have to come home and pick up, start laundry, cook and clean up from supper, when you've been hanging out with Maggie all day, something is wrong with that picture. I do more than my fair share, especially for a household of our size. And I'm sick and tired of you acting like I don't have to do anything school related when I am not at school. Attending classes is not the sole requirement for being in school. I have out of class projects, assignments, and studying, and I'd appreciate a little bit of respect for that fact.
Okay, I just had to get that off my chest. :/
Yeah, I know I'm busy. I'm sorry if it seems like I don't have much time for you lately. But I am trying my level best to keep everything in order and running smoothly. You can say that I'm always either on the computer or watching tv, but I think we both know that I am usually cleaning the house, doing laundry, taking care of the kids, cooking, or studying. Yeah, I do have shows that I watch every week, and some days I do spend more time than I should online. But so do you. You're always off in the bedroom working on that stupid machine you're trying to build, and you never offer help when it comes to cooking or cleaning. I have to specifically tell you to do something if I want it done, and if I'm lucky, you'll get to it eventually. If I didn't have to put so much time into keeping the kids clean and fed, and the house clean, in addition to my schoolwork, then I might have more time for you.
I know you're worried about how your back stuff is going to pan out. I, however, am not a fucking mind reader! If you need to discuss something, just tell me. Don't expect me to notice it, when you know all that I have on my plate as well at the moment, and then try to tell me that I'm too busy watching tv and being on the computer all the time to notice. That's just insulting.
Lastly, I will not apologize nor feel bad for going back to school. This is just how it's going to be until I'm done. Yes, it takes some free time away. As long as I'm in school, I won't have as much free time, but I would have more if you would chip in and help me out. Especially since you aren't working. When I am at school all day, and then have to come home and pick up, start laundry, cook and clean up from supper, when you've been hanging out with Maggie all day, something is wrong with that picture. I do more than my fair share, especially for a household of our size. And I'm sick and tired of you acting like I don't have to do anything school related when I am not at school. Attending classes is not the sole requirement for being in school. I have out of class projects, assignments, and studying, and I'd appreciate a little bit of respect for that fact.
Okay, I just had to get that off my chest. :/
4.21.2008
Busy weekend
It was so beautiful here this weekend. We got our tax return on Friday, and we went shoe shopping Saturday. We went to Columbia to Ross, and found Hunter & Mackenzie a pair of tennis shoes and Shelby some sandals there. Then we went to a store called Rack Room Shoes, and Shelby got tennis shoes there, Maggie got sandals, and Darrell and I got tennis shoes. It was expensive, but we all needed the shoes. The rest of the money had to go for bills, of course.
Yesterday, it was something like 75 degrees. We cleaned the house up really well, I did between 10-15 loads of laundry (we didn't do any laundry through the week last week), and we did a bunch of yardwork. We worked in and around the house for about 8 straight hours, doing this and that. We splurged on dinner at the local BBQ place since we'd worked so hard and were exhausted.
Unfortunately, my legs were acting up from all the activity and I had a hard time getting to sleep. I have Restless Leg Syndrome, and it was BAD last night. I kept dozing off and waking back up. It's actually never been bad enough to wake me up before. Finally I massaged my legs for a few minutes each and was able to get to and stay asleep.
Yesterday, it was something like 75 degrees. We cleaned the house up really well, I did between 10-15 loads of laundry (we didn't do any laundry through the week last week), and we did a bunch of yardwork. We worked in and around the house for about 8 straight hours, doing this and that. We splurged on dinner at the local BBQ place since we'd worked so hard and were exhausted.
Unfortunately, my legs were acting up from all the activity and I had a hard time getting to sleep. I have Restless Leg Syndrome, and it was BAD last night. I kept dozing off and waking back up. It's actually never been bad enough to wake me up before. Finally I massaged my legs for a few minutes each and was able to get to and stay asleep.
4.15.2008
Randomness
I'm bored, and don't have anything in particular to talk about right now. I should probably be studying double object pronouns or logarithms, but I don't feel like it.
Darrell got his MRI last week, and we got the results this morning. They're referring him back to the pain clinic, and we'll see what that doctor recommends at that point.
I registered for the fall semester last week, but I changed it this morning to all online courses. I'll have to discipline myself to spend adequate time studying and working on it. I'm taking College Math, Astronomy, Intro to Communication (speech), and Intro to Education. I won't have to drive to the campus except for certain tests, and to turn in my speeches. Woot!
We're winding down Girl Scouts for this year. I think we're going to work on one more patch (that we already have enough of), and then we'll just be doing some planning for the fall. We're going to be ambitious and try to earn all of the last year Juniors the Bronze award. It's a lengthy process though, but a high honor for a Junior Girl Scout.
I only have four classes left before finals. Woot! I have one more Algebra test (next Wednesday) and other than that, finals are the only tests I have left. I am so relieved. I can't wait for summer vacation. My kids only have 5 or 6 weeks of school left right now. I plan to get the house clean from top to bottom after I relax for a few days. Then I'm going to spend some quality time with my children, and try to do some fun stuff with them this summer.
I guess that's all that's going on around here at the moment. I love this time of year. :D
Darrell got his MRI last week, and we got the results this morning. They're referring him back to the pain clinic, and we'll see what that doctor recommends at that point.
I registered for the fall semester last week, but I changed it this morning to all online courses. I'll have to discipline myself to spend adequate time studying and working on it. I'm taking College Math, Astronomy, Intro to Communication (speech), and Intro to Education. I won't have to drive to the campus except for certain tests, and to turn in my speeches. Woot!
We're winding down Girl Scouts for this year. I think we're going to work on one more patch (that we already have enough of), and then we'll just be doing some planning for the fall. We're going to be ambitious and try to earn all of the last year Juniors the Bronze award. It's a lengthy process though, but a high honor for a Junior Girl Scout.
I only have four classes left before finals. Woot! I have one more Algebra test (next Wednesday) and other than that, finals are the only tests I have left. I am so relieved. I can't wait for summer vacation. My kids only have 5 or 6 weeks of school left right now. I plan to get the house clean from top to bottom after I relax for a few days. Then I'm going to spend some quality time with my children, and try to do some fun stuff with them this summer.
I guess that's all that's going on around here at the moment. I love this time of year. :D
4.06.2008
Back on the treadmill.
I've decided to restart the healthy eating and exercising. I feel like I'm at a place where I'm ready to do it. I don't want to go all gungho and screw up shortly after I start, so I'm just making a few adjustments to start with. There are three changes I'm making to start with:
1) Drink more water
2) Pick healthier snacks
3) Be mindful of portion size
I'm going to try to do some of my exercise DVDs at least twice a week to start with, and I can add more later on. I'm not going to weigh regularly for now, I'm not logging my food or anything either. I'm going to attempt going at it from a completely different angle than I was before. I don't know if it's the smartest thing to do, but frankly, right now I don't have time to input all my food into some website. I'm going to watch my portion sizes and my snacks without knowing exact calorie counts.
So, we'll see how that works out. I've got to drop some of this weight so I can feel better about myself. Plus, my sister's getting married in October, and I don't want to look like a butterball waddling down the aisle.
1) Drink more water
2) Pick healthier snacks
3) Be mindful of portion size
I'm going to try to do some of my exercise DVDs at least twice a week to start with, and I can add more later on. I'm not going to weigh regularly for now, I'm not logging my food or anything either. I'm going to attempt going at it from a completely different angle than I was before. I don't know if it's the smartest thing to do, but frankly, right now I don't have time to input all my food into some website. I'm going to watch my portion sizes and my snacks without knowing exact calorie counts.
So, we'll see how that works out. I've got to drop some of this weight so I can feel better about myself. Plus, my sister's getting married in October, and I don't want to look like a butterball waddling down the aisle.
4.01.2008
My kids are funny
Shelby:
[Comes in the house after I heard Hunter say someone was pulling in the driveway.]
Me:
Who's here, Shelby?
S:
It's some guy, he wanted to go somewhere, but he didn't know where to go, so he asked Daddy where he should go.
Me:
It was someone wanting directions?
S:
Yes.
Maggie:
[Goes to the bathroom and is in there a while. (This is never a good sign) I go in to check on her.]
Me: What are you doing Maggie? Did you poop?
Maggie: I pooped and peed!
Me: Well, let's wipe you.
Maggie: I'm not done yet. I have a lot more poop to do.
Mackenzie:
[Telling me about the Got Milk? posters at her school.]
Kenzie: They've got all these singers and bands on them. Names a few singers...and, the Pumpkin Smashers.
Me, laughing: It's the Smashing Pumpkins.
Kenzie: Oh.
Hunter did the most hilarious and yet most disgusting and heinous thing I never thought my child would do, which is why I won't be sharing it here. It happened at my sister's house when he spent the night there last weekend. She shared it with me today. If it had happened here, at our house, I definitely wouldn't be laughing. But since it was at her house, it's funny. Although it makes me a little embarrassed to be his mother at the same time.
[Comes in the house after I heard Hunter say someone was pulling in the driveway.]
Me:
Who's here, Shelby?
S:
It's some guy, he wanted to go somewhere, but he didn't know where to go, so he asked Daddy where he should go.
Me:
It was someone wanting directions?
S:
Yes.
Maggie:
[Goes to the bathroom and is in there a while. (This is never a good sign) I go in to check on her.]
Me: What are you doing Maggie? Did you poop?
Maggie: I pooped and peed!
Me: Well, let's wipe you.
Maggie: I'm not done yet. I have a lot more poop to do.
Mackenzie:
[Telling me about the Got Milk? posters at her school.]
Kenzie: They've got all these singers and bands on them. Names a few singers...and, the Pumpkin Smashers.
Me, laughing: It's the Smashing Pumpkins.
Kenzie: Oh.
Hunter did the most hilarious and yet most disgusting and heinous thing I never thought my child would do, which is why I won't be sharing it here. It happened at my sister's house when he spent the night there last weekend. She shared it with me today. If it had happened here, at our house, I definitely wouldn't be laughing. But since it was at her house, it's funny. Although it makes me a little embarrassed to be his mother at the same time.
3.27.2008
Did I mention I hate Algebra?
I had my second test in Algebra yesterday. I got a little extra help this time, and thought I had a decent handle on it. I felt pretty decent about the test when I got home yesterday, then I went on the website today to see my grade. I made a 72 on this test, which means I actually made a 67, and got the 5 extra points for doing the practice test. Damn, man! I hate that I can't grasp this, I hate struggling and not knowing what I'm doing. I hate that this class is going to drag my GPA down, and I hate that I can't just let it go and try to be happy squeaking by with a C. I'm super frustrated about this. :/
In other news . . . :) Hunter's birthday was yesterday, he is 12 now! I can't believe it's been 12 years already. He got his present over the weekend, a new bike. It's a 10-speed mountain bike, and he's been riding it all over the place since he got it. I made a "Lego" cake last night, using cupcakes on a 13x9" cake to make it look like a lego brick. It looked a little sad, in my opinion, but everyone said it looked good. Whether they were just saying that to spare my feelings, I do not know. Heh. It tasted good anyway, which I guess is what matters. I got a picture of it, but I'm having a difficult time getting my pics transferred. I'll post one if I can get them transferred in the near future.
4 weeks of school + finals left! Woot! I can.not wait. Fall registration is coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I need to start thinking about that. I've decided that I'm going to try to take all of my classes for the fall semester online. Since Maggie will (hopefully) be in pre-school, no one will be home during the day, so I can carve out a block of time each day just to do school work. I'll just have to make sure I'm disciplined, and don't mess around on Delphi or anything. Heh.
They don't offer a ton of online classes that I have to take, but I know that Geometry, Speech, and Astronomy are all online classes. If I can just find one more, then I'll be set. I need to check and see if they have the catalog up on the website yet.
I've got several pictures I wanted to post on here, so I'm going to try to get my camera software working so I can transfer them and put them up here!
In other news . . . :) Hunter's birthday was yesterday, he is 12 now! I can't believe it's been 12 years already. He got his present over the weekend, a new bike. It's a 10-speed mountain bike, and he's been riding it all over the place since he got it. I made a "Lego" cake last night, using cupcakes on a 13x9" cake to make it look like a lego brick. It looked a little sad, in my opinion, but everyone said it looked good. Whether they were just saying that to spare my feelings, I do not know. Heh. It tasted good anyway, which I guess is what matters. I got a picture of it, but I'm having a difficult time getting my pics transferred. I'll post one if I can get them transferred in the near future.
4 weeks of school + finals left! Woot! I can.not wait. Fall registration is coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I need to start thinking about that. I've decided that I'm going to try to take all of my classes for the fall semester online. Since Maggie will (hopefully) be in pre-school, no one will be home during the day, so I can carve out a block of time each day just to do school work. I'll just have to make sure I'm disciplined, and don't mess around on Delphi or anything. Heh.
They don't offer a ton of online classes that I have to take, but I know that Geometry, Speech, and Astronomy are all online classes. If I can just find one more, then I'll be set. I need to check and see if they have the catalog up on the website yet.
I've got several pictures I wanted to post on here, so I'm going to try to get my camera software working so I can transfer them and put them up here!
3.16.2008
She'll probably have the first broken bone, too
We had an adventure with Shelby tonight. She was in her room around 10 PM, jumping on her bed. She was supposed to be laying down, waiting for me to come read her a bedtime story. But instead she was jumping on the bed, fell, and hit her head on a screw that was sticking out of the wall. The reason there was a screw sticking out of the wall is because Shelby & Maggie switched rooms with Hunter about a month ago. Hunter had taken down a shelf, and left the screws there for some reason. I've been in their room a hundred times since they switched, but I never realized he'd left stuff in the walls.
So, anyway, she comes out of the room and has this huge gash on her head, up in her hair. It looked awful. We got ready and took her to urgent care, and an hour later we walked out with one internal stitch and three external ones. We have to take her back in a week to have the external ones removed.
She did very well, though. She cried, and tried to get up off the bed a couple of times before we got started, but she didn't fight us or anything. The nurse there was awesome, too. She was very good with Shelby, and kept her talking about school and stuff like that while the doctor was stitching her up. She got popsicles and stickers when we left.
I've gone through nearly 12 years of parenthood without having a kid have stitches (well, technically, Shelby had stitches in her throat last July when she had her tonsils out, but it wasn't due to an accident). I fully expect Shelby to be my first to break a bone as well. She is so fearless, she scares me sometimes. Is it any wonder I've found some gray hairs on my head?
So, anyway, she comes out of the room and has this huge gash on her head, up in her hair. It looked awful. We got ready and took her to urgent care, and an hour later we walked out with one internal stitch and three external ones. We have to take her back in a week to have the external ones removed.
She did very well, though. She cried, and tried to get up off the bed a couple of times before we got started, but she didn't fight us or anything. The nurse there was awesome, too. She was very good with Shelby, and kept her talking about school and stuff like that while the doctor was stitching her up. She got popsicles and stickers when we left.
I've gone through nearly 12 years of parenthood without having a kid have stitches (well, technically, Shelby had stitches in her throat last July when she had her tonsils out, but it wasn't due to an accident). I fully expect Shelby to be my first to break a bone as well. She is so fearless, she scares me sometimes. Is it any wonder I've found some gray hairs on my head?
3.11.2008
Out of the mouths of babes
Darrell has teased me for a long time that the Spanish word for down, or below, abajo, sounds like: a butthole. Well, today, Maggie was watching Diego on tv. He was saying 'mas abajo' over and over. Darrell said to Maggie, "Ma's a butthole? Did you hear him? He said Ma's a butthole." Maggie, without missing a beat, said "Daddy is, too!"
HA! I love that kid.
HA! I love that kid.
3.07.2008
Change is not good
I generally take change very well, I can handle changes in my home life, at school, with the kids, etc. But, today, we had to get a DirecTV DVR box instead of the Tivo box we've had for the past 2 1/2 years. Our Tivo box bit the dust, and DirecTV doesn't have a contract with Tivo anymore. And, well, it sucks. I don't like the DVR format, I don't like the way you record stuff, I don't like the way you set up things on a season pass (although it isn't called season pass in DVR speak, I can't remember what they call it), I don't like learning new buttons on the remote, I just don't like it.
Yeah, I know, it's totally lame that I'm whining about DVR v. Tivo, but there you have it. I'm just going to say it, I don't take electronics change well. Whew. I'm glad that's out in the open. Hopefully I can move on with my life now that I've gotten it off my chest.
Yeah, I know, it's totally lame that I'm whining about DVR v. Tivo, but there you have it. I'm just going to say it, I don't take electronics change well. Whew. I'm glad that's out in the open. Hopefully I can move on with my life now that I've gotten it off my chest.
3.06.2008
Spring Break is loverly
I haven't done much of anything this week, and it's been SO nice. I got the house completely cleaned on Saturday, and I've had the energy (and time!) to keep it clean this week, so it's not a mess like it usually is on a Thursday. I took Mackenzie to Girl Scouts on Tuesday, and also gave blood earlier that day, but that's all I've done this week. I have to grocery shop today, and Mackenzie and I are doing another booth sale tomorrow night, but it's at Movie Gallery, and my friend Dawn is working, so this one should be fun. Plus, the manager is letting us set up inside the store, which is awesome, because it's supposed to snow tomorrow.
Last weekend, Darrell and I watched the movie American Gangster, with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. It was a pretty long movie, but I thought it was very good. Denzel was excellent as Frank Lucas. It is based on a true story, but I had never heard of this guy until I watched the movie. Anyway, we give it two thumbs up!
Well, that's it from around here. I'm loving this week, and dreading starting back to school next week. I can't wait for the end of April, and then I'll be on summer vacation until August. Woot! Just 8 weeks to go!
Last weekend, Darrell and I watched the movie American Gangster, with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. It was a pretty long movie, but I thought it was very good. Denzel was excellent as Frank Lucas. It is based on a true story, but I had never heard of this guy until I watched the movie. Anyway, we give it two thumbs up!
Well, that's it from around here. I'm loving this week, and dreading starting back to school next week. I can't wait for the end of April, and then I'll be on summer vacation until August. Woot! Just 8 weeks to go!
2.29.2008
I'm feeling unloved
At this very minute, I'm feeling very insignificant, unappreciated, and unneeded. And not by my children either, it's my husband. He's been off work for almost a month now, and this situation isn't working. I've tried to give him time to rest and get used to things, but he doesn't seem to be getting into any kind of routine. Well, he has if you count laying around all day, playing on the computer, and things like that to be a routine. I know I'm not working either, but I do go to school twice a week, and he seems to think that I only have to do things for school when I am at school. I don't have any breaks at school though, so all of my homework and studying has to be done at home. He doesn't clean the house at all when I'm gone. Sometimes he'll start doing laundry, or pick up the living room, but he just generally straightens up if he does anything, not really cleaning. My house is more of a wreck now than it was when he was still working, I guess because he's here all the time to mess it up.
To make things worse, it's like he's this huge social butterfly now. His phone is constantly ringing, and he's talking to this person or that one, or texting with his sister, or one of his friends or his sister is over here, or he has to run over to someone's house for something. On Wednesday, when I got home from school he was on the phone, and literally, until about 10 that night, he was either on the phone with someone, or someone was over here. We, or I guess I should say he, had three visitors that evening/night. He barely spoke to me that whole time, he was too busy. Then he decided he'd sit down with me at 10:30 and try to chat me up. Well, fuck you buddy. You haven't had the time of day for me all this time. What, I'm only good enough to hang out with when there's no one else around?
Last night was Shelby's birthday, and shortly before we were getting ready to cut the cake, his aunt called and he had to rush out to her house real quick. So, needless to say, we are fighting right now. :/ I just know he's going to have to get over this shit because I'm not going to be put on the back burner for too long. Why even be here if he doesn't have time or the inclination to interact with us and spend time with us?
To make things worse, it's like he's this huge social butterfly now. His phone is constantly ringing, and he's talking to this person or that one, or texting with his sister, or one of his friends or his sister is over here, or he has to run over to someone's house for something. On Wednesday, when I got home from school he was on the phone, and literally, until about 10 that night, he was either on the phone with someone, or someone was over here. We, or I guess I should say he, had three visitors that evening/night. He barely spoke to me that whole time, he was too busy. Then he decided he'd sit down with me at 10:30 and try to chat me up. Well, fuck you buddy. You haven't had the time of day for me all this time. What, I'm only good enough to hang out with when there's no one else around?
Last night was Shelby's birthday, and shortly before we were getting ready to cut the cake, his aunt called and he had to rush out to her house real quick. So, needless to say, we are fighting right now. :/ I just know he's going to have to get over this shit because I'm not going to be put on the back burner for too long. Why even be here if he doesn't have time or the inclination to interact with us and spend time with us?
2.27.2008
It's the halfway point!
I realized yesterday that I only have 15 classes left before finals this semester. That's only 7 weeks plus one class the week of finals. Woot! I don't know where this semester went, but half of it has passed by very quickly. I'm sure you will all be glad, too, so you don't have to listen to me whine about Algebra anymore. Heh. Speaking of, I only made a 70 on that test last week. :/ I got 5 extra points for doing the practice test, so that brought me to a 75, but it's not as well as I wanted to do. It is passing, and I did study hard, so if that's the best I can do, then I have to be happy with it.
I need to make an appointment with my advisor soon, to see if I can substitute the Phys. Geo. that I took in '01 with the World Geo. that is now required for my degree (Phys. Geo. is no longer required, but it was when I took it). I'm also thinking about seeing if she can do something about the developmental reading course they're wanting me to take. I would like to just have that taken off without having to retake that portion of the compass test. I know that is probably unrealistic, but it's worth trying, anyway.
I'm out of school for Spring Break now, too. I had class today, and I don't have to go back until March 10. Double woot! Of course, I'll have to spend that time studying Algebra, working on my Spanish vocab, and studying for my Soc. test that is the Wed. after we get back. But I won't have to attend classes, so I won't complain. :D
I need to make an appointment with my advisor soon, to see if I can substitute the Phys. Geo. that I took in '01 with the World Geo. that is now required for my degree (Phys. Geo. is no longer required, but it was when I took it). I'm also thinking about seeing if she can do something about the developmental reading course they're wanting me to take. I would like to just have that taken off without having to retake that portion of the compass test. I know that is probably unrealistic, but it's worth trying, anyway.
I'm out of school for Spring Break now, too. I had class today, and I don't have to go back until March 10. Double woot! Of course, I'll have to spend that time studying Algebra, working on my Spanish vocab, and studying for my Soc. test that is the Wed. after we get back. But I won't have to attend classes, so I won't complain. :D
2.18.2008
Come on, summer!
Back in the winter of '04-'05, my family was sick everytime I turned around. We passed things around and around, and as soon as the last person was getting over something, someone got something else and started passing it around. Well, we're going through that again this year. We've had colds and viruses and bronchitis and who knows what else thrown in there. I've already had something like 4 colds this season, and I maybe get one cold per year, usually. The good thing is most of these things have passed quickly.
This weekend, Shelby got sick on Friday night. She was up off and on all night vomiting. No fever or anything else, and by Saturday afternoon she was fine. I woke up Saturday feeling puny, and extremely tired. I slept from midnight Friday night until 11 AM Saturday, took a nap from 3-5 with Maggie Sat. afternoon, then went back to sleep from 9:30-10:30 that night, got up and took a shower, and went back to bed at around 12 or 12:30, and slept until around 10:30 this morning. I had a headache and a stomachache yesterday, and I almost passed out right at dinnertime last night. So I was laying down and resting for most of the day. Maggie was complaining of her stomach hurting yesterday, which is why I laid down with her, but luckily nothing came of that.
I think part of my being so sleepy had to do with everything catching up with me. These past two weeks have been some of the busiest weeks I've ever had. I've had school, homework and studying, Girl Scouts, general household things to do, errands galore, and school activities for the kids, and I think it just wore me down to where I couldn't take it anymore. I needed the sleep, so I slept. I know that I will just be absolutely ecstatic for this semester to be over, and to be able to hang out with my kids over the summer and do a lot of nothing. :D
Of course, now it's 1 AM and I have to be up at 7 to get ready for school, so I should really go to bed now. I sat here and worked on Algebra homework for over 2 hours. :/ I've got my first test coming up Wednesday, so I've got some hardcore studying to do tomorrow night and Tuesday. I already informed L that I won't be at girl scouts this week, I need to be studying that night, she'll have to handle it alone.
Here's to a less busy week, although I can already think of about 50 things I have to do this week, so that's a pretty laughable notion.
This weekend, Shelby got sick on Friday night. She was up off and on all night vomiting. No fever or anything else, and by Saturday afternoon she was fine. I woke up Saturday feeling puny, and extremely tired. I slept from midnight Friday night until 11 AM Saturday, took a nap from 3-5 with Maggie Sat. afternoon, then went back to sleep from 9:30-10:30 that night, got up and took a shower, and went back to bed at around 12 or 12:30, and slept until around 10:30 this morning. I had a headache and a stomachache yesterday, and I almost passed out right at dinnertime last night. So I was laying down and resting for most of the day. Maggie was complaining of her stomach hurting yesterday, which is why I laid down with her, but luckily nothing came of that.
I think part of my being so sleepy had to do with everything catching up with me. These past two weeks have been some of the busiest weeks I've ever had. I've had school, homework and studying, Girl Scouts, general household things to do, errands galore, and school activities for the kids, and I think it just wore me down to where I couldn't take it anymore. I needed the sleep, so I slept. I know that I will just be absolutely ecstatic for this semester to be over, and to be able to hang out with my kids over the summer and do a lot of nothing. :D
Of course, now it's 1 AM and I have to be up at 7 to get ready for school, so I should really go to bed now. I sat here and worked on Algebra homework for over 2 hours. :/ I've got my first test coming up Wednesday, so I've got some hardcore studying to do tomorrow night and Tuesday. I already informed L that I won't be at girl scouts this week, I need to be studying that night, she'll have to handle it alone.
Here's to a less busy week, although I can already think of about 50 things I have to do this week, so that's a pretty laughable notion.
2.11.2008
What day is it today?
I keep thinking it's Tuesday today, dammit! I hate when I do that. I was just freaking out because we have to take some sandwiches to GS tomorrow, and I was thinking it was tonight and I didn't have them ready!
So, now that that's out of the way. I have been horrible about new posts in here lately. It has just been on warp speed around here. Trying to find time to study, attend school, do girl scouts, having a huge fight with my sister, and Darrell quitting his job, my head is spinning.
All I did this weekend was deal with cookies. Instead of helping to pick up the cookies, and helping deliver them to the woman's house where we keep them, and helping sort them, I've had to do it all by myself. 218 cases of cookies, 12 boxes of cookies to a case. It took us two hours to load them up, on the trailer, in the back of the truck, and in the cab; it took us another two hours to sort them by girl (thank goodness Darrell has helped me out with this, I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to do it alone). I also have to handle the Friday night booth sale next week. I was supposed to be at the Saturday one as well (which is all week), but I'm letting someone else handle that one. I've done a lot to get the cookies ready, and I'm going to let someone else take care of the Saturday booth sale.
I had my first test in Sociology last week, I made a 98. Woot! I only missed one question out of 55, so technically I made a 98.18. My first Spanish test is Wednesday, and my first Algebra test is next Wednesday.
Darrell finally had enough of his dad and his shit, so he up and quit his job last week. I know, it was a hugely rash decision, but aside from having no money coming in, I'm glad he did it. I have been trying to get him to find something else for a long time. His dad has just gotten worse and worse on him, and his back has too. Last Monday, he was taking a sick day. We've had a virus going around, and he didn't need to be too far from a bathroom, if you know what I mean. I left Maggie here with him since he was home. His dad called him bitching him out shortly before lunch, and he had to go in to work, taking Maggie with him. As if that wasn't enough, when he got there, his dad was just being a total asshole, throwing stuff against the wall, telling him he needed to get his ass to work when he went into the office to rest for a minute, etc. It just got to him and he decided he'd finally had all he could take. There is a ton of backstory on his dad and their relationship, but I just don't have the time or energy to go into it. :/
So, anyway, that's what I've been up to lately. Boring, but busy. ;)
So, now that that's out of the way. I have been horrible about new posts in here lately. It has just been on warp speed around here. Trying to find time to study, attend school, do girl scouts, having a huge fight with my sister, and Darrell quitting his job, my head is spinning.
All I did this weekend was deal with cookies. Instead of helping to pick up the cookies, and helping deliver them to the woman's house where we keep them, and helping sort them, I've had to do it all by myself. 218 cases of cookies, 12 boxes of cookies to a case. It took us two hours to load them up, on the trailer, in the back of the truck, and in the cab; it took us another two hours to sort them by girl (thank goodness Darrell has helped me out with this, I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to do it alone). I also have to handle the Friday night booth sale next week. I was supposed to be at the Saturday one as well (which is all week), but I'm letting someone else handle that one. I've done a lot to get the cookies ready, and I'm going to let someone else take care of the Saturday booth sale.
I had my first test in Sociology last week, I made a 98. Woot! I only missed one question out of 55, so technically I made a 98.18. My first Spanish test is Wednesday, and my first Algebra test is next Wednesday.
Darrell finally had enough of his dad and his shit, so he up and quit his job last week. I know, it was a hugely rash decision, but aside from having no money coming in, I'm glad he did it. I have been trying to get him to find something else for a long time. His dad has just gotten worse and worse on him, and his back has too. Last Monday, he was taking a sick day. We've had a virus going around, and he didn't need to be too far from a bathroom, if you know what I mean. I left Maggie here with him since he was home. His dad called him bitching him out shortly before lunch, and he had to go in to work, taking Maggie with him. As if that wasn't enough, when he got there, his dad was just being a total asshole, throwing stuff against the wall, telling him he needed to get his ass to work when he went into the office to rest for a minute, etc. It just got to him and he decided he'd finally had all he could take. There is a ton of backstory on his dad and their relationship, but I just don't have the time or energy to go into it. :/
So, anyway, that's what I've been up to lately. Boring, but busy. ;)
1.29.2008
I'm tired
Between three kids being sick over the past week, trying to keep up in Algebra, cooking, cleaning, and general day to day stuff, I'm tired. Thank goodness all the kids are well again, Hunter missed three days of school last week and Shelby missed two. Maggie was sick from the previous week, through the weekend, and she went to the doctor on Tuesday. It was mostly viral, with a touch of bronchitis. But now I feel like I am getting a cold again. :/
Algebra is actually a lot better these days, although I know there are still a lot of classes left, and they aren't going to get easier. I carry my book around with me everywhere, and I've already filled up almost half of my notebook just from working the example problems in the different sections and doing my homework. I go through every section and work every example, even though they are already worked out in the example (heh), then I go and do random odd problems at the end of the section. Our homework is based online, so we don't actually use the end sections for homework. The online place has problems exactly like what we do in class, though. I'm thinking our professor picks exactly which ones she wants us to do.
Anyway! I did three homework sections today, and took one quiz. I made not one, not two, but THREE 100s on the homework sections. And one of them was word problems!!!! I about fainted. I have always, always had issues with word problems, and I couldn't believe I was able to make equations that made sense and then work them out. On the quiz, I made a 90, but it was only 5 questions. It told me I got 4 right and was given partial credit for 1, but it didn't show me what I missed.
Tonight, I have to handle the Girl Scout meeting alone! L, the troop leader, called last night and has some sort of banquet to go to for her son's boy scout troop. I think she said she would probably get to the meeting before it was over, but for the most part, I'm handling everything alone. I'm kind of nervous. Me, against 20 rowdy, loud girls? Wowza! I've got things planned, though, so maybe I can keep them busy.
And? There are issues with my mom and younger sister cropping up. It's a long, convoluted, and probably boring story, plus I don't have time to go into it. Just suffice it to say that Mom is trying to bail S out again, to her own detriment. I have already said S cannot come stay here, so I imagine Mom is going to start looking for her a place so S can move in with her. Which is a huge mistake. She's staying with us so she can get some past bills paid off, and she's going to be doing very badly financially if she moves now. But she's an adult, and this is her baby we're talking about. *gag*
Algebra is actually a lot better these days, although I know there are still a lot of classes left, and they aren't going to get easier. I carry my book around with me everywhere, and I've already filled up almost half of my notebook just from working the example problems in the different sections and doing my homework. I go through every section and work every example, even though they are already worked out in the example (heh), then I go and do random odd problems at the end of the section. Our homework is based online, so we don't actually use the end sections for homework. The online place has problems exactly like what we do in class, though. I'm thinking our professor picks exactly which ones she wants us to do.
Anyway! I did three homework sections today, and took one quiz. I made not one, not two, but THREE 100s on the homework sections. And one of them was word problems!!!! I about fainted. I have always, always had issues with word problems, and I couldn't believe I was able to make equations that made sense and then work them out. On the quiz, I made a 90, but it was only 5 questions. It told me I got 4 right and was given partial credit for 1, but it didn't show me what I missed.
Tonight, I have to handle the Girl Scout meeting alone! L, the troop leader, called last night and has some sort of banquet to go to for her son's boy scout troop. I think she said she would probably get to the meeting before it was over, but for the most part, I'm handling everything alone. I'm kind of nervous. Me, against 20 rowdy, loud girls? Wowza! I've got things planned, though, so maybe I can keep them busy.
And? There are issues with my mom and younger sister cropping up. It's a long, convoluted, and probably boring story, plus I don't have time to go into it. Just suffice it to say that Mom is trying to bail S out again, to her own detriment. I have already said S cannot come stay here, so I imagine Mom is going to start looking for her a place so S can move in with her. Which is a huge mistake. She's staying with us so she can get some past bills paid off, and she's going to be doing very badly financially if she moves now. But she's an adult, and this is her baby we're talking about. *gag*
1.17.2008
School daze
I started back to school on Monday. It was a very overwhelming day. I think I'm going to like Sociology, I got to Spanish and realized I had forgotten a lot of the vocabulary from last semester, and then I got to Algebra and I wanted to run screaming from the room. And in the midst of all of that I still had no idea what I was supposed to do for my Speech class (online).
So, when I finally found the speech class and what all it entailed, I dropped it. Immediately. It's just not the type of class that I think I can do online. Plus, I was going to have to tape myself giving all of my speeches and I don't have any type of video recorder, except on my camera, and they don't accept digital copies. I'm actually pretty relieved.
I'm having to study my ass off just to refresh myself in Intermediate Algebra concepts. I'm very askeered of the Algebra. It took me an hour today to do a homework set consisting of 14 questions. I suck at math in general, and it's been 7 years since I've taken any type of math course. The book we're using has several review chapters in the beginning, so I've been going over them. Some of it is coming back to me, but I don't ever remember learning how to complete the square or the quadratic equation formula. Maybe I did, but I sure don't remember it.
So anyway, that's what I've been doing this week. It's been a busy week, and I haven't had a lot of time to get online, and I probably won't have much time for the rest of this semester. I should have a good handle on algebra by the end of it, though! :D
So, when I finally found the speech class and what all it entailed, I dropped it. Immediately. It's just not the type of class that I think I can do online. Plus, I was going to have to tape myself giving all of my speeches and I don't have any type of video recorder, except on my camera, and they don't accept digital copies. I'm actually pretty relieved.
I'm having to study my ass off just to refresh myself in Intermediate Algebra concepts. I'm very askeered of the Algebra. It took me an hour today to do a homework set consisting of 14 questions. I suck at math in general, and it's been 7 years since I've taken any type of math course. The book we're using has several review chapters in the beginning, so I've been going over them. Some of it is coming back to me, but I don't ever remember learning how to complete the square or the quadratic equation formula. Maybe I did, but I sure don't remember it.
So anyway, that's what I've been doing this week. It's been a busy week, and I haven't had a lot of time to get online, and I probably won't have much time for the rest of this semester. I should have a good handle on algebra by the end of it, though! :D
1.12.2008
Update at the zoo
Mackenzie woke me up this morning and told me that she was vomiting. Ugh. She threw up probably 5 or 6 times this morning and was white as a sheet. Around noon I sent her to bed and she took a nap for a couple of hours. I had her sipping on a bottle of water, too. When she got up she said she felt better and ate some crackers. I hope that's the end of it, and that none of the other kids get sick. I start school Monday, and I don't need to miss the first day!
In other news, Maggie is almost completely potty trained! We started at Christmas, and had a lot of accidents in that first week. We had ran out of diapers on Christmas day, so I decided it was as good a time as any to get started. I wanted to have her trained during the break, anyway. She's done really well during the past two weeks, although she will still go in her underwear if she doesn't feel like going to the bathroom. And? Last week, Darrell was doing some straightening up in our bedroom, and found a half bag of Pampers. Ha! I guess they fell behind the shelf and he thought we were out. But I'm not going to go back to them, of course! I'll just give them to one of my friends that still has a kid in diapers.
I'm finally getting over my hellacious cold from a couple of weeks ago. I was feeling awful and taking cold meds like clockwork, which I usually never do. It was just really getting me down with the congestion and general blah feeling. I still have a lingering cough, which has finally gotten productive, so I hope to be over that here soon.
In other news, Maggie is almost completely potty trained! We started at Christmas, and had a lot of accidents in that first week. We had ran out of diapers on Christmas day, so I decided it was as good a time as any to get started. I wanted to have her trained during the break, anyway. She's done really well during the past two weeks, although she will still go in her underwear if she doesn't feel like going to the bathroom. And? Last week, Darrell was doing some straightening up in our bedroom, and found a half bag of Pampers. Ha! I guess they fell behind the shelf and he thought we were out. But I'm not going to go back to them, of course! I'll just give them to one of my friends that still has a kid in diapers.
I'm finally getting over my hellacious cold from a couple of weeks ago. I was feeling awful and taking cold meds like clockwork, which I usually never do. It was just really getting me down with the congestion and general blah feeling. I still have a lingering cough, which has finally gotten productive, so I hope to be over that here soon.
1.08.2008
3:10 to Yumama
This morning I was listening to the radio while I was driving the kids to school. The station I listen to has a trivia contest every morning, called Gender Wars. They have a woman and a man contestant, and they ask each one questions that are typically something that the other gender would know. So, this morning they asked the woman what western movie starred Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, 3:10 to ______.
She decided to use the screw, where the other person has to answer the question, so the man had to answer it. He said 'Yumama?' (pronounced you-mama) OMG, the DJs were cracking up, and I was laughing so hard I could barely drive. I know the poor guy was embarrassed, but damn it was hilarious. I still start laughing when I think about it.
She decided to use the screw, where the other person has to answer the question, so the man had to answer it. He said 'Yumama?' (pronounced you-mama) OMG, the DJs were cracking up, and I was laughing so hard I could barely drive. I know the poor guy was embarrassed, but damn it was hilarious. I still start laughing when I think about it.
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