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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Trick or Treat!!

It rained all day and I was SO scared the kids were going to have to trick or treat in the rain..I don't even know how you DO that. LOL After school, Logan told me that he prayed it would stop raining, so he knew it would be ok. I thought that was so sweet and really hoped it would stop for fear if it didn't his faith would be crushed forever. Kyle said he told him that he didn't know how God felt about Halloween so he wasn't sure if that prayer would be answered or not. LOL No worries though, the rain stopped and we had a wonderful time--raincoat and umbrella free. It was a teensy bit cold..but not terrible by any means.

The kids got their faces painted and looked so cute. Dylan in his big long tail was a RIOT. I made a picture show of the pics I took. I'll have to post it later since I am on the wrong computer. We went around the block, same as we do every year, and stopped in to chat with my mom for a couple mins before heading home. They were both showered, pajama-ed, had eaten 2 pieces of candy, and in bed by 8:00 not too bad for Trick or Treat night. I imagined it to be much later when I finally got them settled.

It was a great night..can't wait to do it again next year!! :)

Mortgage Refinancing 101

My friend told me the other day that they just closed on a refinance on their house. I was a little jealous..I would LOVE to do a mortgage refinance on our house. I would LOVE to have some extra money to do some home repairs. Right now, we wouldn't get approved just because of our financial situation with Kyle not working...at least I can't imagine we would. Maybe it's something I will check into. hmmm.

We had attempted to refinance our mortgage at one point, we went through all the steps including, appraisal, application fee, etc. They called us on a Saturday on our cell phone to congratulate us and tell us we were approved, on MOnday they called back and said there was a mistake and because we had been late on one mtg payment they couldn't approve us!! We were SOOOO mad!! I demanded that our appraisal and application fees be returned, which took a lot of, um convincing. *wink* Then they gave us the run around about when the check was sent. It was a really awful experience and I will NEVER use that company again.

If and when I am ready to attempt it again I'll definitely be doing more research through places like www.personalhomeloanmortgages.com the info you find there is really geared toward helping you make intelligent borrowing decisions. They even have my favorite source for finding out information...forums!!

Monday, October 30, 2006

Halloween

Dylan wants to be a cat for Halloween and I was going to attempt to make a tail and ears for his costume. I am SO NOT crafty and was a little concerned how it was going to turn it. It looked great in my head...but in real life??? Dylan's teacher was talking about it with me and so nicely offered to make the tail and ears for me. I took her all the stuff on Friday and she brought it back to school this morning. It looks SOOO cute. I can't wait to see him in it. I'll be sure to post pictures!!

Disclosure Statement

It has been brought to my attention that posting a disclosure policy on my blog might be a good idea since I "do" payperpost and make money for some of my posts about specific products or websites. Personally, I think it's MY blog and I can post whatever I want. BUT..since it seems to be an issue for some people and I trust the people that recommended I do it, a disclosure statement has been posted. I have also included a link in my sidebar so it's always available for anyone interested.

I used a Disclosure Policy Generator to make said Disclosure Statement and it was super easy, in case anyone else is interested in making one.


This policy is valid from 30 October 2006


This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact tricia1103@gmail.com.


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

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

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

The owner(s) of this blog would like to disclose the following existing relationships. These are companies, organizations or individuals that may have a significant impact on the content of this blog. We are employed by or consult with: PayPerPost and Payu2blog.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Computer ZZZ's

Have you ever fallen asleep sitting up at the computer?? I swear I do that all the time. I don't have enough sense to go to bed when I am tired. I wait until I am smashing my face on the keyboard before I will call it a night. Pitiful....that's what it is. I remember my friend Krista telling me that she was on the computer and was falling asleep between pages loading while she was surfing...and I could SOO relate. Nice to know I'm not the only dumb one! LOL I'm going to play it smart tonight though...GOODNIGHT!

Paycheck to Paycheck

I get paid once a month and since K isn't working right now...it's the ONLY money coming in and let me tell you, 30 days between paycheck is a LOOONNNNGGG time. Especially when you are living paycheck to paycheck, like we are. I would be lying if I said I had never thought about using an Instant Payday Loan Company, so far I haven't had to do that, but it is nice to know the option is out there if we are ever decide we need to take advantage of it. It's especially handy that it can be done online...you know, since I rarely leave my house and all. LOL

Sick Mama???

Darn it...I guess I am getting sick now. My nose is running, I'm sneezing, my sinuses feel all blecky and my throat is sore. I took my temp and it was 95.8!! I'm half way dead. LOL It's a new thermometer....I bought it last night at Kroger when I ran there for Ibuprofen for the sick boy. It's awful..not accurate at all and I'm taking it back, so there. Stupid Kroger brand thermometer!! I REALLY don't want to be sick...it's no fun being sick if you have to work anyway. Hopefully, I can take some sinus meds and sleep it away.

It's time to "fall back" 1 hour tonight. I am dreading the 6 am wake up call my kids are SURE to give me. MAYBE I'll get lucky and they will sleep in...ya think??? I'm not holding my breath on that one..that's for sure!!

Confession is good for the Soul

You know what? Working is stressful..no matter what the job is..or how much better or "funner" *grin* it SEEMS than your job, they all equal the same thing...STRESS!! LOL I would think that working for payperpost and being part of the team that allows me to get paid to blog would be an awesome job and lots of fun. I found out this week, that this cool job does NOT come without stress. The team has started making video confessionals and the first one was from Flaming Tamale, it was quite enjoyable and made me laugh out loud more than once. She's a trip and I can tell she would be SO fun to work with..and I BET she brings the stress level for everyone else she works with down just a bit. Check it out...

On the Mend

 

Dylan wasn't feeling much better this morning although he didn't seem to be in as much pain. He was still running a fever and was just laying around so I took him to Urgent Care. they opened at 12 and we were the 2nd people there..so we had like a 10 minute wait!! woohoo!! He has fluid behind his right ear and the left is really really infected, per the Dr. I told him that Dylan just got off a 10 day dose of antibiotics for an ear infection about a week or so ago, so he gave him a shot leg) (which ended up being 1 shot in each of antibiotics this time. Dylan was SUCH a trooper I was so proud of him...and the nurses were impressed to. They had us wait for 20 mins after the shot to make sure he didn't have an allergic reaction. In that time, he fell asleep in my lap. When he woke up to leave, he was whimpering and limping and saying his leg hurt..so I carried him all the way out to the car, 50 pounds is really heavy!! LOL My back was KILLING me.

So, we are home now and he has been in bed watching TV since we got home. he has eaten a little..so I'm pretty sure he's on the mend. He has to go to the Ped on Monday for a follow up..I hope he doesn't need another shot...he'll be devastated!!

Online Shopping--perks a plenty

I do all of my shopping on-line, it is VERY rare that I leave my house and shop. One of the perks of online shopping (besides sitting at home in your jammies to do it and saving gas) is that you can usually find some sort of coupon code to the store you are you shopping at. I recently bought the boys some clothes from Old Navy and was able to find an Old Navy coupon code at Coupon Chief for $10 off and one for free shipping..and I was able to use both!! Gotta love a deal like that!!!

Friday, October 27, 2006

Sick Boy

When I got off work Dylan was complaining of an ear ache which got progressively worse and is making him very very miserable. I have put numbing drops in it, and that's not helping much, he has taken tylenol and that's not helping either. I ran to the store and got some Ibuprofen and when Kyle tried to give it to him, he sat up and threw up. So we got his bed all changed, got him showered, tried to give him the meds then..and again he threw up. So back into the shower. When he got out I gave him a phenergan suppository and he is resting now. Hopefully he will sleep ok, he keeps waking up and whining/crying. Bless his heart. I hate that this stuff happens on the weekends. I imagine we will end up at Urgent care or ER tomorrow. *sigh*

10 year anniversary vacation decision

In December we will celebrate our 9th anniversary, which has me thinking a LOT about the BIG 10 year anniversary. I would really LOVE to go someplace warm and tropical and stay right on the beach so that I can open the doors and hear the waves crashing against the beach and smell the ocean...aaaahh!!

In thinking about all that, of course I have done some research on taking a Caribbean vacation and have come across some really great information.  This site includes reviews of different island vacations as well as cruising and has literally hundreds of articles that tell you where to stay, what to eat, see, and do!!   Now, with all that great information it just makes the decision process that much harder!  LOL  everyplace I read about sounds wonderful.  I am toying with the idea of a cruise too.  I would also LOVE to do Hawaii.

I do have a dilemma in planning anything though and that is that Kyle doesn't like to fly...he has control issues.  *eye roll*.  he did tell me that he would go to Vegas for our anniversary though.  So, I started thinking that if I was going to get him on a plane..maybe we should go someplace else...somewhere more romantic since I may NEVER get him on a plane again.  If we were to go on a cruise we could feasibly drive down to Florida and avoid the plane altogether.  And if we went on a cruise we could take the kids because I hear most of the cruise lines are pretty family friendly, having things for the kids to do etc. hmm. 

You know that one of my favorite sources of info is the good ol' message board.  This site has a great forum set up for travel talk and advice.  If you are thinking of a tropical vacation or cruise in your future it's definitely worth registering and checking out.

While the decision is not going to be an easy one I am glad I have found such an informative site to help me through the process.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Happy Birthday, Tony!!!

Today is my brother's birthday. He is 36. He has mental retardation, so mentally, he is about 5 or so....in some areas he seems to be a little older and in others a little younger. Anyway, birthdays and holidays are a HUGE deal to him..so we'll be going to my moms for cake and ice cream and presents tonight. HIs birthday dinner request was spaghetti and meatballs...but we are skipping dinner. My kids don't like spaghetti (I know they are little weird ones) and I hate meatballs PLUS I have to work until 6 and mom wants to eat about 5. So, cake and ice cream it is. Kyle is making dinner for the kids (porkchops, mashed potatos and peas) before I get off work so we can head over there at 6:30. When I get off at 6 I need to make a mad dash down to K-mart to get him a gift. I would just wait and go to a different store and give it to him this weekend, but like I said..birthdays are a HUGE deal to him...so I'll go pick something up. Plus my kids would have a coniption if they don't have a gift for him.

Trivia Buff Wannabe

I love Trivia games, LOVE them. The problem? I'm not really trivia savvy, which makes winning said games just a little hard...and I LOVE to win a game. I found this blog with all kinds of trivia info. It's just chock full of information about things that you never knew you wanted to know, you know what I mean? You read it and think, "huh, that's interesting" and can't wait to read the next entry. I have added it to my favorites and plan to read it often. One of the entries I read today was The History of the Jack O Lantern. I have big plans to spout off some of this new found knowledge when we carve our pumpkins this weekend!!!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Christmas Thoughts

I am starting to look SO forward to Christmas. I really can't wait. Christmas is probably my favorite holiday. My sister and her girls will be here (and her husband) and I am SO excited about that...I just can't wait to see them and spend time with them. I'm also looking forward to christmas shopping. This will be the 1st year in about 3 that I will actually have money to shop with and I just can't wait to put it to good use on "Black Friday". YAY! I need to start working on a list of what I would like to buy for who, etc. only 2 months to go!!!

I'm in the money...

I am SO blessed to have found PayPerPost, well actually, I am blessed to have Cindy as my friend since she is the one that shared this wonderful way of making money with me!! I made my first PayPerPost post on 10/11. Today is 10/24 and I have made $122. The exciting thing is, is that it hardly took any effort to make and it's not even the most I COULD HAVE made and that amount will keep growing and growing..daily!!! woohoo!! I have already "earmarked" my PayPerPost money as "Disney World money" and am very excited to make that dream come true for our family. At this rate I should have NO PROBLEM making enough money for a disney vacation next year around this time. I can't wait!!! Thanks PayPerPost!!!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

To be lazy, or to shop??

I had planned to go shopping today, Old navy and JC Penney to look for some pants for Logan (he has no uniforms week this week and not enought pants to wear) and Wal-mart Halloween stuff. Then I got lazy. The weather is cold and gloomy and I thought I would just skip it and go tomorrow night ater work. Then I "heard" that Old navy is having a sale...so now, I feel obligated to go. *sigh* I'd rather be lazy, but I know I will be glad I went when I DON'T have to go tomorrow after work. Best to just get it done with I suppose.

We are watching Ghost Hunters right now and then I am going to go. I hope I find some good deals and I don't end up aggravated.

Another Piece

If you are loking for another payperpostbluemonster puzzle piece, here is one. I had intended to play...but I think I am too behind now, so I'm not even going to attempt it. But watch out...because I am DEFINITELY playing next time!! woohoo!!

In case you don't know..the first person to find all 192 pieces (which are posted in various blogs) and arrange them in order and post them on their blog, will receive a $500 opportunity fee.

So, here is piece # 121

If you aren't a fellow postie and want to know what payperpost.com is all about you can read about it here. If you should decide to join the wonderful world of payperpost, I would be SO thrilled if you would use my e-mail tricia1103@gmail.com when you sign up!! :-)

Dylan Issues

I posted this on Friday on the message board I belong to and wanted to put it here also...just to make sure I know where it is so I can look back on it when this phase passes. (PLEASE God let it pass soon)


Dylan is going to end up being kicked out of pre-school. No joke. The teacher just called me to come and pick him up. I am so frustrated and feel like such a bad mom and I have all this damn guilt because I am working...and somehow that makes HIS issues MY fault you know???

He is SUCH a good boy, and he's funny and he's cute as hell and I love him SOOO much, but he is his own person and wants to do his own thing and has a really hard time listening and following directions SOME days. Other days he is wonderful, plays nicely, follows all directions and is SO good. those are the days we get GLOWING reports from school. But days like today, we get calls and "bad reports" that he won't listen, he wants to sit on the floor and cry over everything, he won't participate in music, he won't help clean up and just wants to slide around on the floor. UGH.

I have started this reward system for good behavior, playing nicely, good listening, cleaning up, etc. For every one of those things they do they get a star, at the end of the week they get 1 marble per star and put the marbles in a container and if they got enough marbles they get to put their hand in a grab bag of toys and pull something out...at the end of the month they can cash in the marbles for money and buy something or do something special. It is working great on Logan, we can usually remind him that he won't get his star that night if he doesn't do such and such and he does it and it's over. Dylan on the other hand doesn't care whether he loses a star or not, probably because he hasn't missed out on the grab bag yet since this is only the 2nd week. I just don't know what to do. I added an "extra" star for good reports from school. Before school everyday we tell him how to behave, and to listen, etc etc and he says ok and yes, he understands, blah blah blah. But it's like he just doesn't care.

I don't know what to try now, I don't know how to handle this. And I don't know if it's normal...and he's just socially immature or what. (and is the social immaturity my fault because I have babied him??) I know at this rate, there is NO way he will be ready for Kindy next year.

Kyle went to pick him up. Kyle is worried that bringing him home is going to set a precedent that he gets to come home whenever he acts this way. But I told him that if D gets sent hom from school he needs to sit in his bedroom with no toys and no tv so that he knows if he comes home...home is boring and he gets to do nothing. (until school would be over). Kyle is thinking maybe he just needs to be at the school with him and correct the stuff he is doing...but then what if Dylan thinks he only needs to listen to K and not the teachers. Is K going to have to go to preschool for the rest of the year and sit in those little tiny chairs??

I'm sorry this is so long I am just so frustrated and worried and confused and guilt-ridden and just needed to talk about it. Give me some words of wisdom, please?

update:

Dylan came home bawling his little head off saying he was never going back to school. Kyle took him straight to his room and put him in bed explaining that if he couldn't behave at school he was going to sit on his bed and do nothing. So he creid a while longer, and then laid quietly in bed and eventually fell asleep and took a 1 1/2 hour nap. He and Kyle had a talk when he got up and then he an I had a talk. I am HOPING the "trauma" of leaving school when he REALLY didn't want to (they were making a bat) will help next week be better. I'm really really hoping that this did the "trick".

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Weddings: Planning the Easy Way

9 years ago I was in the midst of planning a wedding. A wedding that would happen in 2 months. I had spent all summer planning and not being the computer savvy person I am now *big grin* I had at least 100 bridal magazines sitting in my living room. I POURED over these magazines religiously trying to have the best wedding and reception we could as cost effective as possible. Not easy. And for some reason, I didn't think to tear pages out of the magazines as I read something helpful or of interest. So, I would be laying bed at night..with my wedding thoughts swirling and remember something neat I read in one of the 100 magazines I had sitting around. I would jump up and frantically try to find the particular article I was looking for. SO NOT easy and 9 times out 10 I couldn't even find what I was looking for in the first place. UGH. So there I am at 2 am, stressed, tired, sitting on the floor surrounded by wedding magazines that I am franticaly flipping through trying to find some article that probably doesn't exist anyway! Yeah, it was SO FUN to be me, then!!! In hindsight, it would have been SOOOO much easier if I would have just been smart enough to type weddings into a search engine. I could have researched everything I needed to know with the single click of the mouse. Decorations? Click. Flowers? Click. Vows & Poetry? Click. How easy is that?



After getting pregnant with my 1st baby, I found something else that I wish I would have had while planning my wedding...the wonderful world of online support in the way of forums. Other people that are going through what you are...are just a plethora of information. And it works out great because you are all after the same goal and they may have researched something you haven't and vice versa. And these people are "strangers" and they aren't tired of hearing about your wedding like all your in real life friends and even fiance' are. LOL And you can even "borrow" the ideas your online friends used at their wedding with the assurance that your friends and family will think you were smart enough to come up with that idea all by yourself. Impressing the friends, family and especially in-laws?? Priceless!!

Live and Learn...that's what I always say. When I get married the next time, I'll know what to do. ;-)

Kids Movie Weekend

We watched Over the Hedge and Garfield: Tale of Two Kitties with the boys this weekend. They were both really cute...I think I liked Over the Hedge better though. Definitely stick them on the must see list if you have kids.

Seeing in the Dark

My inlaws live in a small town in Tennessee. It's basically on top of a mountain in the middle of no where surrounded by lots and lots and lots of trees. The boys LOVE to go there and be what my mother in law calls "country boys". They run and explore and get dirty. Kyle took them in July when I went to TX and while they were there they went out one night and had a "nature hike" in the dark. I guess it was a huge hit and they went to bed thinking their dad was the coolest dad ever. Since then, I have been wondering if night vision binoculars would be a good thing to have at their house, I could give them to Kyle or my Mother in law as a gift? I don't know a whole lot about that kind of stuff, besides what you see on tv and movies. LOL But it seems to me that living in the complete darkness like that having night vision would HAVE to be a good thing, right? My thinking is that it would be exciting, fun, interesting to see what kind of animals are lurking in the woods at night...and it would be nice for my mother in law (who is scared when she is alone) to be able to look out and see what's going around here in the areas her porch light doesn't reach. I don't know..it's definitely an idea I'm keeping in mind.

Old Maid

Logan won Old Maid in his grab bag pull last night. He was less than thrilled. LOL but we played it today and and he had so much fun...unless he thought he was going to get stuck with the old maid. He really needs to learn how to be a better sport. We did have a good time thought and I am excited for someone to get Crazy Eights or Go Fish in the coming weeks!!

PPP Puzzle Piece #138



This is #138 of the payperpostbluemonster puzzle. All of the pieces will be released by sunday evening and there are a total of 192 pieces to be found. The first person to find all the pieces posted in blog ads , and assemble them correctly on their blog, will win a $500 opportunity fee.

This is piece #138...happy Puzzle Piece Pursuing!! :-)

Thursday, October 19, 2006

What day is it?? DENTIST day!!!

Dylan has a thing where he will say "guess what day it is?" and you guess, or say "I don't know" and then he says it's *whatever* day--which is something he wants to do. usually it's McDonalds Day, sometimes it's car wash day, sometimes it's aquarium day. of course we don't usually do those things...but it's cute to hear him say!! :)

Today I asked him what day it is and he said "what?" and I said "Dentist Day", he asked if he needed to take his lunch with him. LOL My kids have NEVER been to the dentist before. That's good parenting, huh? hopefully, they do well and we get good teeth reports!! :)

Pack Rat: ISO Storage

One of the things about being a home owner with a basement is that I have WAY too much stuff. I have a hard time getting rid of anything and it all ends up in the basement stacked on top of each other. It's nonsense really. If we ever had to move to a basement-less house, we would have to rent a storage facility just for all the STUFF we keep hanging around for whatever reason.

Speaking of storage, my dad has been trying to sell his house for forever now...on and off the market it goes and never sells. Their house is relatively small and cluttery do to his wifes love of antiques. The recently were looking for a storage unit to store alot of the extras in to get a more streamlined/clean look in their home. A good site to find and compare storage sites is Self Storage Directory - Moving.bz. Is informative and allows you to search by zip code so you can find the closest places to you. You can also find a lot of other moving info there as well. Definitely worth checking out for your storage/moving needs.

Tree Damage

I never updated about the tree situation. Kyle decided not to go after talking to his mom, he thought it might be a little more than he could handle alone and she would have to end up hiring someone anyway. She said there was damage to the roof and the deck and even to her car which was inside the carport! She made it sound like the there were just limbs, not THAT big of adeal, etc. So, last night she sends up pictures and OMG! There is a TREE ON HER HOUSE...Like the whole top of the tree is on the roof and deck. The roof is severly damaged and the deck is like lopsided. good thing Kyle didn't go and with his 18" chainsaw. LOL Needless to say, she got a company to come out that day and get the tree removed..she said it was quite a "to-do" 5 men and a bucket truck. What a mess. She has also decided not to turn it into insurance because last year, to het her pymnt down, she increased her deductible to $5,000!!! So, she is just going to fix what she can as she goes. At least I think that is still the plan. Kyle might try to change her mind after seeing all the damage.

Comparing Health Care Options

Since my mom is "self-employed" (she gets paid by the state to care for my mentally handicapped brother) she has no health insurance. It is a HUGE burden on her because doctors and prescriptions are SO expensive. She doesn't qualify for any type of health care assistance because she makes too much money. So, whenever I hear or read about something having to do with insurance I always check it out. This morning I came across Vimo. It is ALL KINDS of informative...it's basically comparison shopping for insurance, doctors, health savings accounts, etc. I even checked out my dr. on their list of doctor reviews, left my own review (and got a free t-shirt for it!!). Go ahead...check it out!!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

TIMBERRRR!!

Kyles mom called this morning and said she has a(nother) tree down. This one is on the roof, deck, and covering some of the driveway/carport. She called to see if Kyle wanted to come down and cut it up and move it before she called someone else. So, he is trying to decide if he wants to do that or not. He would have to take Dylan with him and Logan would have to stay here to go to school and then mom would have to help watch Logan and pick him up from school so I can work. So, it might be too big of a pain to really even consider. But...that's what we are doing this morning...figuring out what what he/we should do.

PPP Postie Patrol

So, I'm LOVING being a "postie" for payperpost. Not just all the $$$ I am making, but the idea itself, the atmosphere of the website/forums/blog. It's just FUN!! The newest fun idea they have is the Postie Patrol. Ted and Brit were in the great city of San Francisco and dropped in on Victor, a fellow postie, and offered him the chance to win some money!! He had 3 "challenge choices", he chose challenge #3 which was a scavenger hunt (I LOVE scavenger hunts) and ended up winning $400!! You can't beat that!!

I wonder if Victor had a "heads up" that they were coming? His house was so clean and he had no problem finding some of the items. I would have had to tear my house apart to find a flashlight!! While I LOVE the idea of surprising posties and would LOVE to be chosen for a visit, the thought of being surprised scares me since my house would be dirty and I would probably be in PJ's with messy hair. Now THAT would make an exciting video!!!

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Learning to Read

Oh my gosh. Logan is learning to read and it's kinda driving me nuts. It's like he has a block and can't get it right. He sounds everything out correctly and then says a completely different word with a question in his voice. he sounds it out and then guesses!! here's an example:

Bbbb....Aaaa....Ttttt. Bbb..Aaa..Ttt. TIT??? (wth?? TIT??!!)

He has a huge desire to learn and he is trying SO hard to get it right, bless his heart. He has letter cards that he got at school, each card has a letter and a picture of an object that starts with that sound. So, we have been putting the cards together to make words. He plays with them all the times and goes through the stack saying the sounds. He just can't put all the sounds together for some reason. I hope he figures it out soon, as annoying as it is..it breaks my heart that he's having trouble.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Tickle Me

Remember when Tickle Me Elmo was first introduced 10 years ago? It was all the rage and all the kids had to have it. I remember my sister in law freaking out because she couldn't find it for my niece. We didn't have kids then, but when Emily got "too old" for Elmo, he was lovingly stored and when Logan was 1, it became his. He LOVED it.

Here we are 10 years later and (tickle me) Elmo has made a comeback. It's called elmo tmx and it's even cuter than the older version and just watching him MAKES you laugh. You just need to tickle one of his "tickle spots" (chin, tummy, or toe) to get him started. He starts laughing, slaps his leg, falls down, and stands back up. If you tickle him again, he does it all over again and this time falls on his back and starts kicking his feet, all the while laughing his little head off. He stands up again, asks for another tickle and this time..he just LOSES it!! He repeats everything he has done before and then he (and this is SOOO cute) he rolls over to his tummy and bangs the floor with his little "hand" just cracking up!! (I dare you to not laugh at THAT!) He then stands back up and finishes with a sweet sigh of contentment. I swear, it's too precious!!

Kids computer

Our kids used to use our OLD..OLD computer until it freaked out and wouldn't work anymore. Did I mention it was OLD? So, they have been using the laptop when they want some computer time. For Christmas, I was considering trying to get one of the laptops that Best Buy has on sale for some low ridiculous price and only has 10 in every store and you have to stand in line for like 10 hours to even get a chance at it. yeah.

My mom and her husband got a new laptop and offered us their old computer for the kids. I'm so excited. It's a desktop and it's older..but not SCARY old and definitely good enough for what the kids want to do on it...and it's FREE!! So, the plan for tomorrow is to go through the play room and weed out some old toys, etc...organize things in there and then set up the computer for the boys. They can't wait!! They get very tired of mom and dad monopolozing the laptop all the time. (poor picked on kids. ;) )

To take the dog, or not to take the dog...

One of the bad things about having animals is that you have to figure out what to do with them when you vacation. Anyone that has a Jack Russell knows that you don't have friends lining up offering to watch your "baby". So, anytime you go out of town you have to take them with you or board them which is extra $$, and if you are my sister you would NEVER, NEVER EVER even CONSIDER boarding your dog.

So, we are starting to seriously think about taking a vacation to Disney next year and while thinking about what we will do with, Jack I started looking for Pet friendly Florida Vacation rentals homes and pet friendly Hotels I was very pleased to see that there are quite a few especially in Orlando!!

Now that I know we have the option of taking him...I just have to decide if we actually want to travel with him.

Curious George

What a cute movie..and a CUTE monkey! I love him..I want him to be mine!! Actually, I didn't make it through the whole movie. I kept falling asleep and finally laid down on the couch and succumbed and took a 45 min nap. So, I need to finish watching it tomorrow so I know what happened. I love me a man in a big yellow hat too!! :-)

Oh and Dylan calls George, "cursunen George". ROFL

A little Home Improvement would make it all better

Lately, I have had this "thing" where I think about moving, dream about moving, talk about moving, I even lust after other people's houses. The reality is, that we cannot and are not going to move. Especially since my mom moved 4 doors down not too long ago. (Yeah...I'm sure she be THRILLED if we decided to move. LOL)

I've come to the realization that the moving bug that I have going on would go away if we could simply make a home improvement.....or 10. LOL

The BIG one that I would LOVE to do someday is tear down the wall between the kitchen and dining room and make the living room/dining room/kitchen a great room. Of course we would need all new countertops and I would love to have granite (along with the granite guy from "Home Improvement" LOL). I'd like to have an island and stainless steel appliances too.

Before the dream home improvement can be done we will have to do some of the other stuff that HAS to be done. Hopefully, we'll be able to start doing some of that soon and gain some pride and happiness in our home.

The Wild

We watched The Wild last night with the boys. They stayed up late and are both sick with colds and I am wondering if that was a mistake. Dylan is being SUCH a PAIN this morning. We had a big "to do" over having cookies for breakfast. He is now eating chicken nuggets and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so for the moment he isn't whining..which is always a good thing. Hopefully it STAYS that way. I rented Curious George to watch with them today and I am getting ready to go to the grocery so we can eat something. We are out of just about everything. I hate that and I hate the grocery, but I like to eat...so I guess I better skedaddle.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Rekindled Love for Handbags

I have always had a "thing" for purses. In my younger days, when I had more money I was always in style carrying the bags that were most popular. Then I got married and had kids and traded in the trendy purses for a diaper bag.

2 summers ago my mom bought me a cute purse with matching wallet and my love was renewed. It made me feel girly and classy and I was again hooked on Designer Handbags Right now, I am loving this sweet little blue one in the bottom right hand corner and it has found a place on my Christmas List. Hopefully, Santa knows a thing or two about Designer Purses!!

Asthma Boy

Logan was doing so well over the summer, not one asthma episode and he wasn't even on his meds. Silly me, started thinking that he had outgrown it. No such luck. He has been miserable for about a week now, (even though I started him back on his meds the 1st week of school.) Especially at night, MOSTLY at night. It hasn't kept him out of school at all, but he has had lots and lots of coughing bouts at night. I bring this up now, because he just got done coughing so hard that he threw up all over his bed. I got him cleaned up and K took the blankets down and put them in the wash. I was holding him on the couch and he fell back asleep and wasn't coughing at all. When K came up he asked if I gave him a breathing treatment. I told him no. He asked if I wanted to, I said No. My argument was that he was resting fine now, let's just leave him be. He carried him back to bed and got him all settled. about 30 seconds later he started coughing. K "yelled" down the hall, "yep, he's ALL better". UGH! I hate when he is right.

What a Pretty Little Head

Rita's baby shower for this baby is in November. I would really like to come up with a great gift for her because she is my friend and I love her bunches!! :-)

While I was scouring the internet I saw something that piqued my interest. Mainly because I remember her telling me that Avery's head was an odd shape since he was a preemie and she tried really hard to make sure he never laid in the same spot on his head, but that she thinks it's a teeny bit flat on one part. I think his head looks fine, so I think she did a great job, but if she had had received a baby gift such as this. I can imagine it would have saved her a lot of "grief".

Trying to keep a sleeping baby on it's side, but not in such a way that it could flop over to end up sleeping on it's tummy is hard! There are all kinds of gadgety type wedge thingies that are supposed to help with that. But I think this one looks like one of the neatest I have seen. I wouldn't be surprised if this shows up on a "must have baby gift" list soon.

BRRR...RRR....RRRR....RRR...RRR!!!

BRR!! Darn it!! It's cold. The temp dropped 32 degrees night before last...THIRTY TWO!! good grief!! I actually hda to turn on the heat for awhile to get the chill out of the air. Then I got hot. LOL So, the heat is on and if it stays on too much it gets quite hot and stuffy in the living room, so we keep it kinda low. But back in my bedroom where my office is. I FREEZE. I am wearing sweats, 2 shirts, and socks right now. I think I need a space heater in here. Actually, I think we have on in the basement, maybe I should have Kyle bring it up for me. Of course using space heaters jacks up the electric bill. My mom keeps a scapce heater on just for her dog (a 3 lb yorkie) to lay by to stay warm and her electric bill is always high. The electric co. (HEY, YOU GUUUYYYYSS!! LOL) told her that space heaters use a lot of electricity. SO, maybe I will just stay bundled up and work with icicle toes and fingers. :-)

I do love the changing seasons though. The air is cold and crisp and the leaves are changing and the wind blows and I can hear the dry crunchy leaves blow down the street and sidewalk.

ah! it's fall!! maybe I'll make some potato soup this weekend. mmmmmm!!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Vonage info at your fingertips

You know, I am amazed at the people (like my mother) that just don't know what great info there is "out there" and can be found literally at the tip of your fingers on the internet! It excites me when I simply type a word or two into a search engine and multiple results come up to help me with whatever issue I have going on.

I work from my home office. What enables me to do that is our work phones are connected through Vonage. It is so nice, because as long as I have my vonage router and laptop, I can work from virtually anywhere!

Working from home, if my vonage should decide to act wonky or I have a question about certain features, etc., I don't have a cute techy/geeky guy to come to my rescue. But WAIT! I don't NEED a cute techy/geeky guy for that. I'm a smart girl I can figure out wonkiness and research features on my own. I can take a quick trip over to the Vonage forums and find any answer to any question (vonage related of course) I have. Really. The forums there are chock full of News, Reviews, Help, Opinions. It's a really great site and if you are a vonage user like I am, it's a wonderful aid. Definitely check it out soon!!

The theory is

We have started a new points/reward system with the kids. Hoping to encourage good behavior and focus on the positive to try and steer them away from the darling little brats they are becoming. *big GRIN*

I went online and found some behavior charts and ended up figuring how to make my own on a spreadsheet in some program my computer has. I even entered images. (Yay me).

The theory of the plan is that we keep track on the chart and then on Friday nights we count out all the stars and for each star they get to put a marble in their jar. For so many stars they get to choose something out of the grab bag. At the end of the month they can cash in their marbles for money and buy something or save it up to buy something bigger/better the next month. That's the theory anyway. ;-)

So far it's not going that great. They seem to care about the chart for the 15 minutes after we chart their progress and that's it. Maybe it will just take some time.....

I'm also implementing a 1 day a month family fun day and a some mommy/Logan Daddy/Dylan and vice versa time. I think they crave one on one time and don't get enough.

Hopefully it will work and I can write a book on my theory and make a bunch of money!

Hankerin' for some POKER!!

Last winter we were in Columbus meeting friends of ours. They weren't getting in until late that night so Kyle and I took the kids and walked around Target buying things we didn't REALLY need. :) We bought some playing cards and a Texas Hold 'Em set. I was SOOOO excited!!

We put the kids to bed and sat up LATE eating and playing Poker. It was SO fun especially because I ROCKED at it!! We haven't played again since, and I am a little scared my good luck, was beginner's luck because really, I had NO idea what I was doing. Kyle was annoyed because he said there was no rhyme or reason to what I was playing. LOL WHATEVER! It was working for me!!

Well, I came across that Texas Hold 'Em set again while digging in the closet looking for yarn. and I got a strong Hankerin' to play me some POKER!! I decided to look up some how to's of the game and I found a really great site, explaining the various poker rules, types of poker games, etc. It's a great site and I feel so prepared for our next game of poker--Kyle won't know what hit 'im!! hahahahahahah!!!

She's doing it again!

Remember my friend, Rita? Well, she's doing what I said she was doing in that post..AGAIN!! Yes, her 2 precious babies will be only 11 months apart!! YOWZA! She is nervous, and stressed, but happy. As a bonus this baby is a girl..so she'll have a boy and girl (awwwww) and can be done with the babymaking. Which she is glad about. LOL Baby #2 (tenativly named Alayna) is due February 3 (I believe). I'm excited to buy GIRL stuff!! Pink stuff, dresses, cute little jelly sandals, BIG hair bows!! yay!!!

Congrats, my friend...love you!!!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Vacation Dream Believer

Well, I am feeling a little better now. Could be the fact that work is over and I am done dealing with the diaper problems of the world or it could be that I have spent the last hour dreaming about Florida Holidays. I was born in Florida, (Ft. Lauderdale to be exact) (Broward Co. General Hospital to be REAL exact!!) so I think my "roots" are calling me back there. That or I just REALLY wanna take my boys to Disney World. I really want to go while they are young enough to appreciate the magic of it all and old enough to not be a complete whining pain on the trip...I believe we are almost there!

You're driving me NUTS!!!

UGH!! I have been SO irritable the last 2 days and it's making me miserable. The customers at work are making me a little nuts and I'm just not in the mood for it. I think I MIGHT be on the other side of it now...so HOPEFULLY, tomorrow will be a much better day.

Mission:Totally Possible

So, I posted about my newest money making venture, Pay Per Post, but didn't share that you, yes, YOU (!) can do it too!!! woohoo!! The mission, should you choose to accept it, is as simple as posting in your blog with a strong desire to make money. Easy Peasy!

You can also make some extra $$$ by referring others to join. PPP has an awesome referral program, paying $5 per referral...talk about easy money!!

Hopefully, I have succeded in MY mission and you are on your way over to PPP right now to sign up. If that is indeed the case, I would be thrilled if you would list my e-mail address as your referral. (tricia1103@gmail.com) THANKS!!!

October 30??

I heard from the GI dr. yesterday. The earliest they can get me in is Oct 30th!! I don't know that I can live like this for another 29 days. Kyle suggested I call my dr. and tell her that I can't wait until then and ask if she could refer me elsewhere. I think I might do that. Of course there are no guarantees I will be able to get seen any sooner somewhere else. and maybe the dr's with the longest waiting times are the best drs??? oh well..I don't really care. I'm just tired of being miserable...have I said that yet?? ;)

Joining the rage that is PPP

A few weeks ago, Cindy told me about Pay Per Post. I signed up and left it alone. Now, I wish I had started posting then. I could be $1,000 richer right now. But noooooo.....I was lazy. Better late than never I guess. So I signed into my account, entered the info about my blog and waited to get approved. While waiting for approval, I scoured the site and the blog, determined to learn how to advertise on blogs and be THE BEST Pay Per Post-er EVER! I'm thrilled to finally be on my way with this awesome oportunity!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Criss Cross Applesauce

When did sitting Indian style stop being called that? I guess when the political correctness thing came into play.

anyway, Dylan is slightly pigeon-toed. When K took him for his 4 yr check-up he asked her about it and she said that he would grow out of it as much as he could, but to make sure that when he is playing, watching tv, etc that he is sitting with his legs straight out or "criss cross" (although she said Indian style). He usually sits with his knees bent and sits on his feet..he sleeps that way too...he pulls his legs and feet under him and curls up in a little ball. I feel bad, because I should have paid more attention to that. I just didn't have that problem with Logan...he never sat that way. Now that I think back, I remember it being discussed on my message board a long time ago. I just wish I had been more aware with Dylan. *sigh*

Halloween

I'm pretty sure Dylan is going to be a cat and Logan is going to be a "floating jack o lantern". They should be pretty easy and cheap costumes to come up with. I just couldn't stand the thought of spending $70 on costumes this year. It's nuts! Dylan has wanted to be a cat for awhile so I knew his costume would be easy and cheap...Logan was another story it took a lot of talking and convincing. It may change, but we are not spending $40 on a costume. that's fo sho! ;-)

Monday, October 09, 2006

The results are in...

I talked to the dr. this morning and she said my blood work all came back perfect. (My sugar is on the high side of normal and she threw in that I need to lose some weight, blah blah blah) So, the next step is being referred to the GI doc..that should happen some time this week. I hope it happens SOON because I am miserable. MISERABLE!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Knitting

I took a knitting class in November of '04. I learned how to cast on and knit. I missed the class about casting off..so I have no idea how to do that. so, I knit awhile..and then pull it all out, cast on and knit again. LOL I need to take another class to teach me how to cast off and purl. I might just see if I can figure it out from some online instructions. Anyway, I think I am going to dig out my yarn and knitting needles and do some knitting today.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

I feel SO awful

Oh my gosh. I know I have been whining about this stomach stuff for days now, but today I am just miserable! I can't even lay down because it makes it 10 times worse. Kyle just "made" me drink baking soda and water to see if that would help. It didn't and it tasted AWFUL. stupid Kyle. ;-) Maybe I should go down to moms and take a bath.

Inaccurate info costs a LOT

DHL delivered an envelope yesterday addressed to Kyle, the return address was from the place he was supposed to get a job at. He wasn't home, so being the nosy wife I am...I opened it anyway. :-) I was holding my breath, crossing my fingers and praying, that THIS was an offer of employment and the e-mail he received was a mistake. No such luck. Since they had pulled a credit report for his background check, it was a copy. It also said that the reason he wasn't hired was because of things in his credit report. I looked it over and there are SEVERAL things that are wrong. It did say that if any of it is wrong and we get it changed it can be resubmitted to the company and they may reconsider employment. So, I guess that is good news. But now we have the fun job of calling the credit bureaus etc to get it all straightened out.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Fun at home

I think we are going to veg this weekend. Since I have been working full time I have been trying to do something fun with the kids on the weekends. I think this weekend's theme will be "fun at home". I'm just tired and I don't feel like going anywhere or doing much of anything. Maybe I will go rent a couple movies that the kids would like to see and we can can have a family flix day or something. I have big plans to go buy donuts and choc. milk for breakfast!! Oink.

Well, that figures...

Kyle just told me that my dr. did call. he was on the other line and didn't answer because the caller ID showed the number as 000-0000. What?!?! HE didn't know that is their number?? I knew that!!!

Well, at least I know I will know something on Monday. ( I can't return the call now because the office closes at 4 and no one answers after hours).

*sigh*

'nother day, no call

Still waiting to hear from the dr. I even called and left a message. I'm annoyed. I'm miserable I just want to start the process of diagnosing me so I'll feel better. I'm sure that the bloodwork came back fine..so just call me and let me know so you can refer me to the GI dr. Dang it!!

So, I says to the teacha...

When I dropped Logan off at school I went in and explained the whole Pizza/Prize misunderstanding she laughed and then she said I wasn't the only one. WOOHOO!! She then said that one of the moms came in this morning and asked if they were having a pizza party and she said she said, "..uh...NOOooo.." And she did in that way that you look at someone and let them know just how stupid you think they are. So, I know she was thinking that about me yesterday when she got my note. She even wrote the word NOT in capital letters and underlined it twice...like she was afraid I was going to read "We are not having pizza" as "we ARE having Pizza". Who knows? I probably would have.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Ear Infection?

Dylan woke up at 9:30 crying. I thought he had wet the bed, but he was dry so I took him potty and then back to bed where he grabbed his ear and said his head hurts. Poor baby. So I scooped him up and brought him out to the living room while I found some Ibuprofen for him. He is sleeping soundly now, so hopefully that did the trick. He and Logan have dr. appts tomorrow anyway--perfect timing. Dylan is getting a check up and Logan is getting a flu shot.

Prize reads Pizza

Logan brought home a note earlier this week, saying that Friday was Pizza Day so the kids needed to bring in their "good behavior" cards so they could participate. I read the note several times. I KNOW what it said. Today, I wrote a note to the teacher and asked about the pizza party. The teacher wrote back and said they weren't having a pizza party just a normal lunch. I was confused but figured it got cancelled...but there wasn't a "cancelled" note in with his stuff. I got the original note and read it again and you know what it says? "Friday will be PRIZE day" PRIZE!! How in the hell did I read the word REPEATEDLY as Pizza?!?! I bet the teacher thinks I am a total nut job.

No word

After waiting for the dr. to call most of the day with my blood work results I picked up the phone to call them. Then I remember they are closed on Thursday. UGH. I am pretty miserable with pain today too...it seems to have switched sides though which has me all kinds of confused. Hopefully, I'll hear from the dr. tomorrow. I'm ready to get this figured out.

Kyles job situation

After months of interviewing, testing, signing a contingent offer of employment, having a background check and physical, Kyle was not offered the job we were SO hoping he would get.:( We are pretty upset. The pisser (as my friend Krista loves to put things) is that they don't even give a reason. It would be nice to know if there was something wrong with his physical or if the background check revealed something (although I can't imagine what it would be). So, back to sending resume's etc. I am trying to talk him into going to school. We can survive on what I am making and he woul be eligible for Financial Aid. I really think this is what he should do. I told him I would contact the school and get a catalog and paperwork sent so he could look it over and then decide. We'll see...but I REALLY hopes he does it MY way. ;-)

writing an N and M

Logan's school is teaching him to write a capital (or capitol--I can never remember I think the o is like in "capitol building" right?) N and M the strangest way I have EVER seen and it makes no sense to me. For the N they have them make the back line and then the front line and them connect the 2 with the diagonal line. For the M they make 2 lines then make a dot in between those 2 lines (at the bottom) and then connect the straight lines to the dot with a diagonal line. It is SO strange and seems really stupid to me. But, what do I know?

Rumor Has It

We watched this movie last night. It was pretty good, better than I thought. We used to have Netflix and watched a lot of movies, but with having the DVR and watching a LOT of tv shows, we cancelled it and get the movies we want to see from the library. Of course the waiting list is LONG for the new stuff, but that's ok...we have plenty to watch in the meantime. AND, the library movies are free...except when you turn them in late and have to pay $1/day late fee. OUCH! On average our library movies are about 3 days late. yeah, we suck. I tell myself that the money is going to a good cause...that helps justify it.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain....

It's raining...storming to be exact and has been all evening. I am sitting in the living room with the tv off, the boys in bed, and the hubby in the bathroom....the only sounds I can hear is the rain and the tap tap tap of the keyboard keys as I type. It's so nice. I constantly have noise in my life...constantly and when there is "silence" it always feel so, um..refreshing I guess. I should have more quiet in my life. And as fast as I typed that...the hubby is out of the bathroom and the quiet is no more. LOL

The storming has been wicked tonight. MAJOR lightning and huge rolling thunder. Very cool. I'm thrilled we still have power.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Back from the dr.

So, I went to the dr about my stomach pain, she did a bunch of blood work, gave me some samples of medicine and is referring me to a GI (?) dr. She thinks I probably should have a scope done. yeah, that thing I didn't want done. I don't really care at this point, I'm pretty miserable and just want to feel better. UGH!

Ulcer

I think I have an ulcer. I am in a lot of pain with my stomach and pretty miserable. It's been off and on for quite awhile now and I think it's time to get it checked out. I have a dr. appt at 1 today. Of course this morning it's not really bothering me. figures. I am guessing (with my vast medical knowledge) that she will prescribe an upper GI..I've done that before no biggie. My fear is the test where you have to swallow the camera. no thanks.

Koko

Dylans pre-school calss has a stuffed gorilla named Koko that they take turns bringing home. The theory is, that Koko spends a couple days with the kids and then they return him to school with a "story" about their adventures.

So far, Koko has been molested by Jack (the dog), sat on my printer and watched me work for 4 hours, gone to bed with Dylan...only to be carried out a little while later because he was "freaking me out, mom!", and closed in a closet for the night (to prevent any nighttime molesting from Jack). Somehow, I don't think this is going to make a fun story for the pre-schoolers. So, I am going to send Kyle to the bank with Dylan and Koko in tow. What? that's FUN!!!!

Monday, October 02, 2006

Sunday Midnight

It's midnight..and I SHOULD be in bed...and here I sit watching Celebrity Fit Club on VH1 and can't stop! LOL I should record it and just go to bed already...but it's almost over. I am a reality TV junkie and am loving this show. I only know who 4 of the celebrities are but that's ok.

Tomorrow starts the work week...another week of selling diapers and dealing with issues of diaper buyers everywhere. *sigh* I really love my job, I just get tired of some of the aspects of the job. That's ok though...it keeps it interesting...it's definitely not a boring job. :) I get paid once a month and I figured out what my check should be for October (paid in November) and I am so excited. Working 40 hours/week sure makes a difference in the money coming in. 2 more checks before christmas....that's it!!

alright the husband is summoning me to bed...guess I better head that way.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

We had another wonderful Saturday...I'm loving this.

Another morning of cuddling, then I cooked breakfast, we all got showered and dressed and headed out. First stop the library, to get the 4th season of The Shield (we're loving this show lately), Next we headed back to the museum..yeah, the same one we went to 2 weeks ago. We're members there..so it's free and you just can't beat that. The boys played for a long time and got nice and warn out and then we went to Fridays for dinner. When we got home, Kyle helped Logan put a astronaut puzzle together he got from the gift shop. and then..the boysies went to sleep and Kyle and I watched 3 episodes of The Shield. It was so nice. I am looking forward to next Saturday.