Making a statement...

I'm a big believer in making a statement and standing by it. My newest that I'm trying to spread is on a green lifestyle. I've been doing my best to change, and I believe that I've been doing pretty good. It's been a long road and I still have a ways to go, but my family is getting there.

Right now I'm working on buying clothes made of bamboo fibers and organic cotton when our clothes need replacing. Well, I'm also buying us clothes that make our statement for us.

Check out Micheal and I:

Micheal loved his new outfit and wore it with pride today! Of course, I think his pride had more to do with the Sesame Street characters than with the statement he made wearing it. He'll understand one day though.

I'm going to be working on finals tonight... I want them to both be perfect before I turn them in. I want the best grade I can possibly get it...

Well, I need to go. Almost bath time for the kids...

Work today...

I always dread having more than one day off because it makes me really hate going back to work. I miss staying home with my kids. It just really isn't fair, I feel like I miss out on so much. I keep hoping that since I am revamping my resume that I'll find a better position somewhere else. Gary told me last night that he can't wait until I can get a degree and get a job in the field that I've been wanting to get into... He's really starting to back me up. Of course we were talking about bills and I was adding up how much time I have left until I graduate... That feels like forever whenever I do the math. I asked him if he realized just how much I'll be making when I get my Master's and later when I have my Ph.D. and he asked me if he would be a kept man... Yes, we have some crazy conversations...

Oh, I finally got another steam mop yesterday... I have to say that my floors definitely needed it. I out it together and went straight to work. I'm in love with it all over again!

After Gary got home, Micheal and I went to the park with Dorsann and Jake. Micheal loved it... He and Jake got to run and play for an hour. I also came to the realization that my son is a leader, so not a follower. He does his own thing and doesn't care what someone else is doing. He also is good at telling you no, you need to do it like this... 

Here are a few pics of the boys having fun...

Micheal stopping to say cheese:

Do it like this Jake:
Smile for the camera:
Two dirty and tired little boys heading home:
Well I've gotta run... Gonna get ready for work now...

Never been so happy...

I have never been so happy to see a zero balance! I paid off Kyle's surgery bill today, zero balance there, and then looked at my school invoice for next semester, and I now have a zero balance there! Woohoo!!! I am thrilled!

I spent the day cleaning the house and doing some minor yard work, what I do on most days off. The boys were at daycare, so I really did some deep cleaning. I also went to Costco and got Micheal a few outfits for school. I might just get him a few more next week too. They had some really cute clothes. I can't wait to post some pictures of him in his new clothes. Now he needs new shoes...

Well, we're about to go to the park to play... I will chat at you later.

Our evening...

Last night, after a long day of Micheal crying at the drop of a hat we decided to go for a ride. Kyle was over it before we got started, so he stayed home with his daddy instead. We decided that while we were at it we would go to the store and get his snacks for his preschool class. He had a lot of fun on our ride and loved picking his snacks to give to his class.

They both go back to daycare today... I'm going to Costco to get the rest of the stuff he needs for school. After that I'm just going to get everything done around the house that I can and maybe a little gardening... Although, right now I need to get all the dirt out from under my nails that I got from gardening yesterday.

Well, I'm off to do some schoolwork and drink some more coffee.

We're back...

Well, I'm definitely not impressed with the school. The principal doesn't know how to speak to anyone... And the office staff acted like they didn't know why I would be stopping in there instead of just finding my way to the class.

I went straight to gardening when I got home. So here are some pictures of all my hard work:

The front of the house

The flowers around the tree

The new flowers in the flower bed, and as you can see my hanging plant is still doing great

The boxwoods and my new marigolds

The marigolds around the vegetable garden to keep the bunnies out

And the side of the house that my neighbor did last year

Everything's coming in nicely... I'm quite happy with how everything is growing. At least something is going right today.

So, tell me what you think...

Going to the school today...

I get to go see Micheal's classroom today. I'm so nervous for the poor kiddo. I'm hoping that he loves it, but I'm just so scared... I don't want him riding a bus. I hate the idea of it. And riding the bus twenty minutes away from the house? I hate that even more... I'm just hoping that everything works out as well as it is supposed to, that he has a great classroom, he makes friends, and that it goes fine. I'm so not ready for my baby to be starting school.

Oh, we found out last night that apparently he has a nickel allergy. He has a sore on his stomach from his favorite pair of pants. Typically, his pull-ups cover where the button is, but he slept with them on one night and the pull-up wasn't all the way up, so the poor baby got a sore from them. The doctor told me that the best way to handle it for now is to put clear nail polish on the button on the inside of the jeans. And the spot on his foot? Could just be a reaction breaking out elsewhere on his body, but definitely not ringworm. I am very happy about that to say the least.

Well, I need to get going... I have to get some work done on my finals today. And, if it ever stops raining, I'm buying some marigolds to plant around the vegetable garden, gotta find some way to keep the rabbits out.

Done...

I just slapped together my assignment that was due tonight. I had forgotten all about it. I somehow forgot to right it down in my planner, so it's a really good thing that I got online to check out my classes. I must say that I did quite well, especially considering that I only worked on it for an hour. Now I just need to concentrate this week on doing really well on my finals... I almost panic just thinking about it, every two months I go through this now. This month I'm more scared than last time. It seems like the classes just get harder and harder as I go along. I'm excited though, I'm doing a lot better this block than I did last block, and I'm hoping I'll do better on the next block than I did on this one.

Thanks for listening to my rambling, I've got to get to bed now... Work in the morning....

Grrr...

So Gary decided to pull a fast one on me. He set locks on the Dish so I couldn't watch anything! I called in this morning and explained that I had a teenaged babysitter that did it and the woman gladly helped me change it. Took all of five minutes. I've left it alone and now I'm going to wait and see how long it takes him to notice that his password has been changed. He can be quite the pain sometimes...

I'm going to work today, although I would love to call in. I just can't do that to Rae and Kandi. They don't deserve for me to call in today and leave them stranded.

Oh, we made Kyle walk yesterday! Gary held one hand and Micheal held the other and made him walk around the entire yard before letting him sit. He didn't even try to stop once. I'm convinced he can do it, he just doesn't really want to.

Well, I need to go... Gotta get a shower and still need to do a little schoolwork before leaving the house.

Job Fairs...

Job fairs are awful... I just spent three hours at one that I saw on the news. Me and 700 other people who were all there trying to to get just one of the 75 jobs available. It's frustrating. We all had our resumes printed, we were all dressed in our best clothes, and none of us got anything. Out of 25 resumes that I printed, I only gave out 3. Three employers were interested in contacting me at a later date, I partially think that is only because I was so persistent.

I'm slightly discouraged. I did get a website for almost every company that was represented though and I intend to post my resume to every one of them and send it in to any email addresses that I picked up today as well. I will get another job. I will not continue working at Walmart for the rest of my life.

On another note, my fourteen month old is learning the art of falling as I type this. He refuses to walk, although I have no doubt that he can when he's ready, so Gary and I keep standing him up in the center of the room where there's nothing he can hold on to. He stands until he realizes we're not holding, then he gracefully falls to the floor.

Well, I'm off to do some yardwork.

Oi vey...

I can hear the kids... They're awake and squawking and giggling. I'm afraid that they're concocting an evil plan against me... The door's cracked open and Micheal has not even attempted to come out of his room. Very wierd. Oh well, I'll let them play.

I called in today. Gary's not released to do anything, so I'm going to stay home and take care of the kids. Not something I necessarily wanted to do, something I had to do for my family. I could always call in tomorrow too and use a sick day. It's not like they could fire me right now, most of my points have already fallen off.

I'm finally working on my facebook page after being on there for forever... Gary joined yesterday while he was forced to lay around with nothing to do but play on the computer. He's doing things left and right and I keep getting messages from facebook saying that so-and-so has added me as a friend, Gary has updated this and that, and so on and so forth, so I got on there and started playing around with it. I'm adding pics, but nothing that all of you that read this haven't already seen. If you would like to check it out though, be my guest...

Well, I need to get going, the kids are going to attack soon, I can feel it! LOL...

Done with school...

For this week. I've got to get to work on my finals though. Fun for me... I do at least know what I intend to do for them, which makes things easier. I spoke with a few classmates who aren't even that far on theirs. I'm a little scared, I want to do well so badly and I'm worried that I won't. I've just been out of this for so long now that it's been a hard adjustment.

As for Micheal's decision day and how that went... I'm more that a little scared for that kid. He scored very low on a lot of the tests that they put him through. The good news that comes from that though is that he'll be starting school full time. The bad news is that he starts on his birthday... I have to leave my baby with complete strangers on his birthday. Of course full time for him is about two and a half hours. He'll be there in the morning until about lunch time.

After I left from that meeting, I went to get my military ID. I've been lazy and haven't gotten it after Gary's been in the Guard for two whole years... Now that I have that, I've at least been able to send it to my school to get my military discount. I have to say that it is definitely worth going through everything to get that ID... I'm saving $900!

Well, I need to go, I'm gonna get to work on those final projects.

Today

Micheal's decision day is today... I'm so nervous for the poor kid. I'm scared of what they'll have to say. I'm scared of losing my temper with these people if they try to push us into something that I know he doesn't need. I know after the assessment that they sent me that they're going to try to push for things that he doesn't actually need.

I wanted to show you guys a video that we did the other day... You can see here (for those of you who know him) how much better he's doing.

Please excuse the crappiness of the video... He wanted to take pictures instead.

I just hope this morning goes well... I'm a nervous wreck. Pray for him, please. I'm just going to make sure that he at least gets to go to the school that I want him at...

Well, I've got to go, got a lot of stuff to do before I get over there this morning...

So...

Here are some much needed photos...

Tonight my kids proved that they can make any food messy. Totino pizza rolls... All over their faces!

Micheal, with his cute, accomplished smile:

"I don't know what mess you're talking about mommy." is what that look says to me:

Here's me, that picture I promised you:

So here's the order of today's events:

1. Got hair done.

2. Picked Gary up.

3. Got rear-ended by complete and total idiot.

4. Gary (hopped up on Valium) let idiot go, making him an even bigger idiot.

5. Got to Gary's doctor's office, checked him in, and got his vasectomy!

6. Listened to him whine the rest of the day.

Yes, my beautiful van was rear-ended and Gary let the guy go because "his car was fine", never mind that my van is all scratched up and the bumper is dented, and oh yeah, I HIT MY HEAD! I have had the worst headache since... I just want to hurt him for letting the guy go. I got out of the van just in time to see the guy drive off. I was screaming at him to stop when Gary informed me that "Everything was fine, it didn't damage the guy's car." and all I could say was "BUT HE HIT ME!!!"

Well, I'm off to sulk about my van and watch Grey's Anatomy...

Not afraid to say...

I'm not afraid to say that I will never be dying my hair at home again. I am so not impressed with the color at all. Gary said he liked it, although I did catch a smirk on his face that told me otherwise. I'm going out today and having it professionally done. I will definitely post a pic then... And no, I'm not going anywhere that people know me. I just can't do that... In case anyone else finds it as awful as I do.

After that, I'll be picking Gary up, and he'll be having his vasectomy! I'm excited. I am completely happy with my family of four, and if that ever changes, we'll get a dog. If that doesn't help, we'll pursue adoption, which is what I always wanted to do. There are plenty of babies out there who need good, loving homes and I think that we could give them one. For now though, I think we'll all be happy together and start looking for that furbaby that I've been dreaming of... Maybe a golden retriever? We had one growing up and I loved her, she was the best dog ever. My mom has two, and when the female gets old enough to have puppies, maybe I'll get one.

Well, that's about it for now... Gonna see if the coffee is ready and do some schoolwork.

Cutting overtime...

I'm taking a nice long lunch today so that I can cut overtime. It's been a nice day at work. I'm not getting into trouble, as a matter of fact I'm working on project after project. Like I said, it's been a nice day. Well, other than the cut that I got on my thumb and the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm developing an ulcer. I keep getting shooting pains...

I've decided to dye my hair. I won't tell you the color, I'll show you a picture after it's done. If I like it, that is. Cross your fingers that it turns out good!

I can't wait until 5:00, I'll be off from work for the next two days and by the time I get back, I'll have been there an entire year. I'll get my vacation no matter what after that. I'll also get personal days.

Finding A Balance

I was speaking with my financial aid counselor about this... She asked me how my classes were going for this block. I told her that I thought I had finally found a balance. She laughed, I don't think she quite understood. It's hard when you work a 40+ hour work week, have two kids, a husband, and a home to take care of. It's hard when those two kids are young and not quite able to entertain themselves and they depend on mommy to entertain them. It's hard when one of those kids has appointments for everything under the sun, much less both of them going to the doctor all the time for one thing or another. It's hard when your husband whines and complains that you don't spend any time with him anymore. It's hard when you get phone calls from work every five minutes. It's hard when you're told that your husband is going off to school for four months, coming back, and then leaving you again for a year. It's just flat out HARD!

That being said, it's hard, but I think I've found my balance. You all know how I love to plan out every little second of my life. I keep a detailed planner so that I know when I have time available and what I can do in that time. I get up earlier in the morning so that I can work on my schoolwork. I stay up later at night. I come home and work on it during my lunch breaks. I get my kids to their various appointments and I bring a notebook so that I can work on it then and type it up later. I do the same thing at work (Shhh... Don't tell the managers, I'd probably get in trouble for that too!). I bring my kids to the park still, I spend quality time with my husband, I go to work and don't call in (and still answer some of those phone calls), I pretty much do everything except work out... I need to find time for that. I'm not Supermom though, so who knows when I'll fit that one in. Maybe someone could get me a Blackberry with all the cool stuff and then I could do my schoolwork on my phone, that would save me even more time.

That's all... I promise. I may post later though, so watch out!

Out of pocket expenses...

Yep, that's right. I said it: Out of pocket expenses. Scholarship didn't quite cover everything with my school this time. I have to pay in $500. A little less that that actually. I want to cry. I have the money, it's just that I have to sell my stocks to get it. So I sold my stocks this morning, something I really didn't want to do... Gary's going to kill me. I just had to go ahead and do it though, otherwose I wouldn't be able to go to school for my next block. Now I'm thinking I might have that money rerouted into my savings account instead of buying more stocks. At least then I would have it when I needed it instead of having to wait for it to be sold and transferred into my account. And the fees! My goodness the fees... That in itself should make a person cry!

Well, I'm off for now... Gonna do some more schoolwork and cry like a baby.

Gaaah! I want to scream!

I, yet again, almost lost my job today. A "customer" called and placed a complaint against me. This person was Joellen Brock, my neighbor's sister. She is fighting with her sister and decided to put me in the middle of it. It was bull. She said I said and did stuff that I never did. There were some things that were similar to actual events, but a lot of it I think she has an incredible imagination to come up with...

I'm irritated. I just want to make it through until I can find another job. I applied for two more this morning... I just want one of them to pan out. They're not even much more money, but I can deal with that.

Today is also my neice's birthday! Happy 17th birthday Alyssa! I didn't forget, I just couldn't get in touch with you this morning.

Well, on to my schoolwork. Yay...

Hot dog! Go BREASTFEEDING!

Okay, I'm not breastfeeding anymore... We stopped about a month ago because the kiddo kept thinking it was funny to bite me, and the last straw was when he pulled down a (not very) low-cut shirt in the middle of Walmart and thought that I would feed him then and there just for the heck of it. We had cut down to only at night by that time anyhow... His pediatrician will be disappointed, he recommends up to two years, but I just couldn't do it anymore.

This post isn't about that though... I'm watching the news this morning and I guess they have now found even more benefits to the mom when breastfeeding and even later in life. I hope that they air it again and moms-to-be get to watch it. It's great to breastfeed, even if it's for "selfish" reasons. It's healthiest for both mom and baby, and I really think that I am closer to my kids because of it. With Micheal, it didn't last past the six week mark, and I have always regretted that, but I am happy that I was able to breastfeed for even that long. With Kyle, I am proud to say that we lasted through 13 months!

My plea to any moms-to-be, whether you're currently trying to concieve or about to check into Labor and Delivery, is to please consider breastfeeding. Do the research, give it a try, check out the pros and cons. Even if you're a working mom, you can do it, after all, I did. I hated pumping, but I did it and was so happy to say that my youngest never had a drop of formula enter his mouth...

Well, I'm off my soapbox for now. Time to get some work done around the house...

A Good Day

Today has been a pretty good day. I went to work and actually didn't get in trouble... Woohoo!

I found my brother's former wife and one of her daughters online and have traded emails with Gwen (the daughter). It's been nice talking to them...

I do however have a pet peeve or two to discuss tonight though... Two to be exact.

1. PDA- Public Display of Affection. Since when is it okay to make out and grope your significant other in public??? Seriously, I've had enough of it. I can't stand watching the show everyday.

2. Customers telling me that they simply will not shop at my store anymore if I don't comply with what they ask. It's what Walmart for Christ's sakes, you not buying your pictures is not going to hurt my feelings any. Oh, and you will be back to shop, it's inevitable. I always say I'm not going to shop there, but I always come back.

With this, I leave you... Until tomorrow! Time to start some tickle wars with the boys!

Oops... I forgot to post this weekend.

It's been a long weekend and I'm so tired... At this point, I just can't wait for Thursday.

I don't really know why I'm so exhausted. Maybe the closing shifts... I hate working by myself, the time passes so slowly. At least I go in at 7:00 today. I'm looking forward to that...

This is going to be a short post. I am just too tired.

I did want to post the picture that Gary took of Kyle yesterday though.

That baby loves his spaghetti!

Here again...

So I didn't quit. I went back in at 4:00. Chris wouldn't speak to me, I think she knew better, she left immediately upon my arrival. I have no use for her anymore. I need to find a new job.

Not much else to report... The kids are great tonight. We just put Micheal to bed and Kyle is on his way... They're my little sweethearts, they were coming back and forth to give me kisses tonight.

Talk to you all tomorrow... And I will try to get some pictures of the yard with the mulch down and with it weeded soon, I was just a little too upset today.

The last straw...

I just got sent home from work for an extra lunch... Apparantly if I keep getting overtime I can get fired. Maybe I should try for it again. I'm pissed. I'm so over this... The funny thing is that I informed them when I got back from lunch and everything was fine. Then all of a sudden Chris told me that Marci wanted to see me in the office, didn't say what it was actually about. Marci was such a b**** about it. I left the office, clocked out, sat in the break room for a few minutes amd then went back to get my purse... Chris asked me what all that was about, although Marci informed me that it was her that turned me in and said that it was an ongoing problem, and I just kept my mouth shut and left. I'm just done with it. I apply for every job that I can and still nothing. I just can't keep working there... I will find something else, I have to.

Well, in half an hour I have to go back... Unless, that is, Gary tells me not to. I'm kind of hoping he does.

I actually SLEPT!

I actually got some sleep last night... First time I think that I really and truely slept in a long time. The only problem was that I didn't go to sleep until about midnight, I just couldn't actually go to sleep. I was having a hard time shutting my brain down by the time I finally went to bed. I slept completely through until my alarm went off though, and did NOT want to get up when it did. Until I remembered that it's Friday of course and that I have to get up...

Just have to make it through the day... I need to keep telling myself that. I have overtime, so I should get off early and that's a great thing. Gary's talking about cutting out of work early too. Maybe I can have an afternoon date with him. We actually got to shop together the other day and I think I had forgotten how much fun it can be to go do something, anything, together without the kids.

I need to order Micheal's party invitations today. That being said, I also have to stand up to my in-laws and say that we're having it here rather than their house. They live too far away, nobody would show up.

I just ordered Micheal's little backpack with a matching pencil bag. I can't wait to see it... I bought it from the same lady that I got by purse from. I hope he loves it. He should, she's supposed to put a little surprise on the inside for him... Spiderman fabric hiding inside for him to see, but outside, it matches daddy's uniform!

Well, I need to get going... Talk to you all later.

I made it...

Made it through today. I got my house clean, got a nice dinner cooked, and we had Gary's friend over. This was actually a nice guy. He's on active status with the Guard too and trying to get his family moved down here right now. I told him that he was more than welcome to come back whenever he felt like it, although I would not be cooking a big meal every time. I ended up doing homemade rolls, parmesan chicken, corn, and green beans. Everybody loved it too... Nicholas (Gary's friend) kept telling me that I was a great cook, so obviously the guy must have been eating crap for a while to think that I can cook!

The guys went running afterwards and I tried to put my bicycle trailer together. Trying here means that I took the parts out and waited for the guys to come back and do all the work for me. And, of course they did, because we know I'm absolutely helpless!

I'm uploading a picture of me... I haven't exactly kept up with what I promised, but I'm just going to try to do a little better from here on out... No promises being made.

So here's me at the end of my day, doing schoolwork and trying not to sleep...

I meant to take a picture of the table set up all nice and everything, but there was just no time. Oh, and I think I got the chicken parmesan down perfect now. Only problem was I decided to do a spicier spaghetti sauce with it and almost killed myself... I'm still burping it up hours later.

I'll try to take some pictures of my trees and shrubs tomorrow with all their pretty mulch and weeded. I did get it done today, surprisingly. Just don't make fun of me... I have two different kinds of mulch now... They actually had the cedar mulch I wanted to begin with, so now I just need to buy a few more bags to cover up the flower beds...

Well, I'm going to hit the sack now. Talk to you all tomorrow.

Forgot to post these...

I got everything done... I just was tired and forgot to post the photos as proof. Please excuse the weeds that I was too lazy to get up. I'll be getting them today when I put down mulch. I think I did pretty good. I had to post the only color that I currently have in my yard too! I can't wait for my flowers to start coming up. Speaking of that, has anyone ever had issues with their weed blocker blocking their flowers? I cut holes plenty big enough for them to come through, but they just don't seem to be doing it.

Well anyhow, here are the pictures:

    

Oh, and my little hams had to have their pictures taken too:

 

As you can tell, it's laundry day... That's my fresh mound that needs folding. Anyone want to come do that for me? :)

Well, I'm off... Talk to you all later. Got a ton of stuff to do today.

Dinner...

Gary wants to invite a friend from work over for dinner one night soon. His friend (I've forgotten his name) is away from his family and will be deploying to Iraq soon. That being said, I am preparing my house to have company over soon. The house is clean, but just not to my satisfaction to have someone over for dinner. I want to do some serious yard and house work before that happens. So it looks like that's what I'll be doing today. Yay me.

Now I can get the house ready, no problem. The question is, what to have for dinner? I want to fix something that tastes great, looks delicious, and will hopefully not have me stuck in the kitchen all day long. Any ideas out there??? Please, somebody help me.

I'm about to embark on this mission. Step one is to do what I've been saying for weeks: Go through my dishes. I'm not looking forward to it, but it's time. Step two is my yard. I'm going to get at least one tree, hopefully two and get them planted and finish my row of boxwoods. I also want some flowers for the front, seeing as how nothing is up and blooming yet. The good news is that I should get all of this done today and tomorrow, so I'll be ready whenever Gary invites this man over.

Oh, and we found out that Gary will for sure be deploying to Iraq next year. I'm not thrilled, but we'll make it through. The thing that sucks is that he'll be going away to school for four months more than likely here soon, so I'll get him back and then lose him again. Somebody please remind me why I signed up for this job. I love him, you've got to know that, but this is just a little depressing. I thought we were done with this when he got out of the Marine Corps.

Enough of my bitching, have a great day.... I'll post the finished pics this evening. That way I'll be forced to get just a little accomplished!

Blah...

Just need to make it through today at work and then I'll have two whole days to myself! I can't wait. One of our managers came back with an order for 52 20"x30" posters at 3:30 yesterday. He expected them to ready before 5:00! They'll still be printing today, those things take 20 minutes each and someone has to be there to press the button... This means that all I'll be doing today is printing posters!

I'm finally able to watch last week's House and in a few minutes, I'll watch this week's episode.

Not much else going on. Going through the dishes tomorrow and getting rid of some. I'm also going to try and get some yard work done. Maybe I'll go to Goodwill and hunt for a new table and some chairs that I can pain. I want one with a bench, but those are impossible to find second hand, so I'm going to have to work to get the set that I want... I'm willing to though.

Well, I need to go for now... Got some work to do.

Up and out...

Turns out he was supposed to be up at 5:30 this morning. I didn't know because he didn't tell me though. He doesn't even remember where he put my charger. Yay me. I have a car charger, so it's no big deal I guess. It just won't get the chance to fully charge the phone in the few minutes it takes to get the kids to daycare and from the daycare to work. Oh well...

I was about to pick up my house phone to call and check on my Walmart stock (seeing it's current value and if they've puchased more for me) but the house phone is dead too. Fan-freaking-tastic Gary. I wish the man could learn to put things back where they belong. Phones belong on their bases, chargers belong somewhere in the general area that they are often used... I don't think I ask for much. Sorry, this is just a morning for pet peeves.

I should be getting ready for work at this point and making sure that the kids clothes are picked out, but I don't wanna. No urge to. I suppose I should though, being the right thing to do and all.

Talk to you later...

Slept late...

Actually, I was laying there waiting for the alarm to go off when I finally decided to see what time it was... Yikes! My phone was off. I panicked and ran into the kitchen. 6:05 a.m., I slept an hour late. Gary has hidden my cell phone charger good this time, I haven't been able to find it in two days. I'm going to have to ask him, but that leads to a fight over me not leaving it out in the first place and I tell him that it wouldn't be a problem if he'd learn to put things where they belonged and where I could find them... So not fun.

On to the subject of yesterday... The guy who got the promotion. Everyone was very unhappy about that. Turns out that he takes credit for a lot of people's work and they let him so that he doesn't get in trouble. So now they're all ticked off and saying that they aren't going to help when he gets his department. I don't blame them. And I've pretty much decided the same thing. Too much of a pain to deal with.

Two more days... Today and tomorrow and then I have two days off. I can't wait. I think I'm going to get some shrubs and get them in the ground on Wednesday. I might try to get some trees next, don't know for sure though. I'll post pictures when it's all done.

Well, gotta run, time to ask where my charger is... Waking the big guy up.

I'm still steamed...

I went to work yesterday and ended up working by myself for a good portion of the day. That's not what I'm upset about, there was a very good reason why my co-worker had to leave and her and her family are in my prayers. I'm upset because this idiot, that has not been there as long as me, that does not know how to perform the basic functions of his job, got a promotion that he for sure does not deserve. Everyone in the store knows that he doesn't deserve it and the only reason that he got it is because he knows how to kiss some good behind... He brings in homemade cakes to the managers (he's 19 and lives at home still) and volunteers for work that others have to complete for him because he doesn't know how. The thing that just gets under my skin is that I have covered for this kid almost every time that he bites off more than he can chew, even yesterday. He works electronics and is supposed to be trained in both photo and cell phones, but honestly doesn't know jack about any of the three. He was supposed to cover my lunch yesterday and I came back to a lab that looked like it had blown up. It took me almost two hours to clean it up and get everything back running.

The crap that just kills me is that I can't get a promotion because I have two coachings on file. One for the crap back in December and the other for attendance. Neither was justified. The December one was just stupid and the attendance was for missing days that I didn't actually miss, but Jeremy refuses to fix it. I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job. I just can't wait to find something else. This is more reason for me to keep working hard on my schoolwork and get my degree. I have to get out of Walmart. A year of this is too long. At least in another year I should almost have my degree, I just don't know if I can last that long.

On to something better... Gary stayed home with the kids yesterday. I think they are all finally getting closer. The boys don't always start screaming and crying when I leave now, and when they do, Gary says it doesn't last as long now. Kyle has started giving kisses... Actually puckering up and giving you a peck (although a sloppy wet one) on the lips just out of nowhere, it's so sweet. He's a very happy little boy lately. Micheal is Micheal, he is having a hard time lately... I got his assessmant report in from the school and it made me cry. I still don't want to talk about that, it was awful. I'm going to go to the meeting, but I honestly don't know if I want him to have services with that school. They don't know him or anything about him with only spending 5 hours split between two days with him.

Well, I'm going get off here, but before I do: Happy Easter! I know I may be down today, but I am truly thankful for every minute of my life, stressful as it may sometimes be, and I am very thankful for the reason for this holiday. Have a great day everyone...

Ahhh... The weekend.

I don't know why the thought of the weekend seems relaxing right now, I don't have a day off until Wednesday. It does though. Thank God it's Friday! I get to sleep late tomorrow and Sunday, so I guess that's a plus, although I won't take advantage of it. I like getting up and doing my schoolwork, getting all of that stuff out of the way before I really start my day helps me out, I don't stress as much.

I'm trying right now to figure out how I can come up with money for a new dining room table without selling my stock. I bought the one I have as a get me by until I could get something else, but I'm really beginning to dislike it. I want something that can seat more people. Whenever someone comes over, we have to sit in the living room to eat and I just really hate that. I've already found the table that I want, I just need about $200 more... And then an excuse for why. Gary doesn't think it's a necessity, and granted, he's probably right. I just really want it.

Well, time to get the kiddos up... Yay.

Going in early today...

It's a Thursday, my early day... Yay me. Don't get me wrong, I love getting off at 4:00, but I hate going in at 7:00. Getting the kids out of the house by 6:30 is next to impossible.

Right now I'm watching Lie To Me. I love my DVR. I wasn't able to watch it last night because Gary had the news on. I've finished four out of 7 books on living green now. I'll have to let you know how they all are when I am finished with all of them.

I've decided that on my next day off I'm going through my dishes and clearing out my cabinets. Seriously, who needs 21 coffee cups? 16 plates? 14 bowls? The problem is I don't have a full set of any of them anymore, too many have been broken. Maybe I'll get rid of all of them and buy some new ones. It has been four years after all... Most peoples dishes last longer than that, but I'm shocked that mine have made it through both of the moves. I really want to get a new dining room table in there too, but that's going to have to wait for now.

Well, I need to go... I've killed enough time on here.

Doing some reading...

Read, read, read. I'm trying to research my final topic for my environmental science class and it's a pain in the butt. I have read so much that I don't think my head can hold much more information. The sad thing is that I haven't started on my other final yet. Luckily for me I have almost a month left.

Micheal's evaluation went great today. We have his case conference in two weeks and I get to hear their recommendations. He hasn't had a good day since though. He wanted his daddy for a good portion of the day, and then when daddy came home he didn't go straight to Micheal and it was the end of the world.

Kyle is being a sweetheart. I think he knows that I can't take two upset kids today. He is all grins and has had so much fun just playing.

I figured out what to get Micheal for his birthday. He's getting a basketball goal (one of the little ones of course), some new shoes, and a backpack for school. I'm going to have the backpack special made from the same place that I got my purse (www.designsbykeri.com). I just told Gary and he seemed to think it was a good idea.

Well, I'm getting off here for now, I've avoided my schoolwork for long enough.

Grumbly...

Gary deleted my House episode and Hulu.com hasn't uploaded it yet. I guess I'm a little irritated. I had to hunt for the remote this morning only to find that out 10 minutes later when I actually got the satellite turned on. I thought no big deal, I'll just find it online, but apparently it doesn't upload as fast as Grey's Anatomy or Private Practice does...

Micheal goes for the second half of his evaluation today. I'm a little nervous for him. He did good yesterday... Never cried once, just wanted to go straight for the basketball goal they had in the classroom (or so I'm told). It was torture for me, I got to see my kid go through two big metal doors to a classroom that I wasn't allowed to go to. Then I was told to leave. I walked around Hobby Lobby for two hours and waited out the remaining time in the waiting area of the school. Today I'm going to Once Upon A Child to sell some of the kids clothes and toys. I can't remember what time they open, but I'm hoping it's 9:00 instead of 10:00. Maybe I can just get everything over with and get back to the school.

We have the decision day on the 24th of this month. I keep wondering how that's going to go. There's a part of me that wants him to be just above that cutoff line for services. I know that sounds awful, but I just want to be done with speech therapy, I want him to start talking to me. And I really don't want to have to put him in that preschool.

Well, I need to go...

Baking Soda

I just cleaned my kitchen... with baking soda. The entire kitchen. Started with the sink, then the counters, moved on to the dinette, and finally the floor. I've got to say that it actually got up a lot lot more than I thought it would. I got a stain out of my counter that I thought was there for good. Who would've known? Baking soda. Can't believe it.

Now to try some more of the stuff I've been reading about...

Oh yeah, for those of you who were wondering, yes, I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor. Won't be doing that again any time soon. Nope, not I. I'm trying to convince Gary to get me another steam mop, seeing as how he broke the old one. I loved that thing... No chemicals, just good old fashioned steam. No work to it, no elbow grease at all, just push it along. That was the life.

I've got some ideas for Christmas presents too... Not telling, but letting you all know that they will definitely be environmentally friendly.

Well, I've got to get the boys to bed now...

Micheal's evaluation...

Micheal's evaluation is today and tomorrow. I'm a little nervous for him. He is picking up on a lot, but I just wonder how he'll do with strangers, and I won't be there with him... I just hope that he is okay. Poor kiddo, I don't think he can handle much more change. Last night I think it all caught up with him and he just fell apart and started crying when I asked him to help me clean his room...

On another note, we had the worst storm ever last night. It hailed and got so loud for a while that you couldn't hear anything over it. Micheal slept through it, but poor Kyle woke up and was really scared. It took almost an hour to get him back to sleep.

Other than that, not much going on... I've reading and crocheting like crazy. I'm finally getting some free time again since Kyle is getting more independent (he just needs to start walking!). I've gotten my hands on some pretty good books though. My favorite (thus far at least) of all of them is Simply Green: Easy, Money-Saving Tips for Eco-Friendly Families by Melissa & David Seligman. The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living by Josh Dorfman is a good reference, you can find any website for organic clothing or anything at all that you need, but I feel like it's poorly written. It just has too much information on one page that you don't actually care to know. That's just two out of seven... I'm not near done reading yet. I'm about halfway through It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living by Crissy Trask, I'll let you know how it is as well as the others I'm working on.

Why, you may ask, am I reading all these books on living eco-friendly? I'm trying to make a better world for my children and one day my grandchildren... That's one reason. I also just feel like it's my responsibility to do everything I can to help. By the way, Earth day is coming, plant a tree. I was talking with my classmates about how the school system has changed in the last twenty years. All I can remember about Earth day is planting trees and endangered species. I don't remember being told about our part in it or how we could actually help, I just remember selling t-shirts for endangered species and planting a tree on Earth Day. Sad, isn't it? Luckily for us, our kids are growing up with this knowledge being forced into their heads and maybe, just maybe, they will teach us all a thing or two.

Well, I need to go... Coffee is calling my name.

Easter Egg Hunt...

I brought the boys yesterday to see the Easter Bunny at Walmart. Did not go as planned though... Micheal did okay, wasn't thrilled, but he did okay. Kyle, on the other hand screamed his head off. I didn't even take his picture, just grabbed him up and left. We left from there and went to the egg hunt in my in-laws' neighborhood. Micheal did really good. According to my sister-in-law all he was concerned with was getting the plastic eggs up and seeing what was inside them before moving on to another one. No prize eggs for either kid though, not that they cared...

We moved on from there and went to Costco so that Mary Kay could see them. I could tell it made her happy that I wanted to bring them up there... We were there for SOOOOOOOOO long though, I felt bad for the kids and myself. I can't spend that much time shopping (especially when I didn't bring any money). Big Gary though, I think he can shop longer than anybody I know...

We had dinner when Mary Kay got home from work. Faith brought some friends over. I can say one thing for sure, she has some very questionable judgement when it comes to friends. I hung out with some wierd people way back when, but these guys were beyond that... I'm generally the one that takes up for her and her choice of friends, but I can't continue to do that. I don't believe that I'll be asking her to watch the kids any time soon...

Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

Micheal with the Walmart Easter Bunny:

Micheal and the fire truck that was at the egg hunt:
 

Second try with the Easter Bunny:

The egg hunt:
 

Sorry...

No April Fools post for me... I was busy, and plus, nobody would have wanted to hear about yesterday anyhow. I'll just say it was the worst day that I have had at work so far and leave it at that. Maybe not as bad as when I got suspended, but that day was good until that, yesterday started off bad and got worse.

On a good note, a customer came in and asked who does all of their posters and stuff that he always sees hanging on the doors. He was sent to photo, but of course no one could tell him who it was, and Chris thought that someone was in trouble so of course she pointed her finger right at me. And I, of course, took credit and defend my work. He told me that he loves my poster and that I am wasting my talent working at Walmart. I was still reeling (picture me with steam coming out of my ears) from something that happened earlier, but I told him that I knew he was right. He told me about a graphics arts design company that it hiring in Indy and in Greenwood, both within minutes of my home, and with the possibility of some work from home projects. I'm going to check it out next time the boys are at daycare on one of my days off.

The boys are doing great. Micheal misses his daddy and Emily, and I'm sure he'll miss Kelly today. I buttered him up last night by letting him sleep in the top bunk of his beds. He does it all the time without my permission, so I decided that just maybe it would make him happy. It did too, he was out like a light... The rest of the time he's up and down, in and out of the bed... It's just a pain. Kyle has no idea what's going on, but I think he's happy to have more time with mommy and less with daddy. He is such a moma's boy, could care less about Gary 90% of the time.

Oh, goody for me. I had a weak point last night... Gary's dad called last night and invited me to come to a egg hunt in his neighborhood on Saturday. I don't know what I was thinking when I said yes. Gary even laughed and said he could tell I was off my game since I said yes. I'm always good a wriggling out of those things and just didn't even bother last night. Of course, one selling point is that Mary Kay will be at work, so I don't have to worry about any drama. She has calmed down so much lately though, I'm hoping that she stays this way... I need the calm.

Well, that's all I have for now... Time to clean house and get the trash out.