Looking Forward to March.

I am looking forward to March 6th. I can't wait to take my little weekend getaway with my children to visit one of my best friends (Abbey) in Burlington, IA. I am very excited to go, I am sure that we will have lots of fun. We always do when we are together. Plus it will be nice to get out of town, a mini vacation.
I took my car to GoodYear to have them check it out. I have been hearing a popping noise coming from the front end of my car. They told me what was wrong and they gave me an estimate to fix it. This is what needs fixed, Lower left ball joint, right inner tie rod, and a wheel alignment to fix the tie rod, and rear shocks. The estimated price to fix it all is $717. Don't get me wrong I am sure that they do good work because the do work on the City of Moline's police cars. However I am not going to pay that much to have the work done. I found another reputable shop (QC Muffler and Auto) who can do the work the cheapest and I trust them, and they told me with tax to fix the ball joint, tie rod and wheel alignment would be $319. I will wait to do the shocks because it is not necessary, and I only plan on keeping my car for one more year. It is necessary to do the shocks don't get me wrong but it won't make my car unsafe to drive, if I wait. Even if I did the shocks that would put the price at $460, still cheaper than GoodYear and I am all about saving money. My friend Abbey and her husband Jeff are going to loan me the money so that I don't have to get a signature loan and pay an outrageous amount back for interest. Thanks you guys I love you both. I will pay them back and they know this. This would be the second time that they have helped me with money when it comes to fixing my car. I had a different car a few years ago and they loaned me $800 dollars to fix it and they let me pay it back when I got my taxes. At that time they waited like 6 months for the money maybe 4 months I can't remember. I really appreciated the help and they know I am good for it. Only this time I will be paying them in monthly payments of $100.

My oldest daughter was treated for a Urinary Tract Infection yesterday. I didn't realize what her problem was for the past week when she kept going to the bathroom. I thought that she was just holding it too long and not emptying out her bladder all the way, just to get to use the public restrooms. She has done that before. Well when I picked her up from school on Wednesday she wanted to hurry home she said that she thought that she had peed in her pants. Forgetting that she is only 8yrs old I was like you either did or you didn't, she said that she felt wet. We got home and she ran upstairs to go use the bathroom and she started crying saying that it hurts to pee and that it won't come out. I asked where does it hurt like an idiot and she said, where the pee comes out of. I called her Pediatrician's office but they didn't get back to me as quickly as I was expecting, by the time they did I was already at Trinity Express Care Clinic. When we got there she said she had to go to the bathroom and mind you she went like 20 times before we got there. She was freaking out because she didn't understand what was going on with her body, and she didn't understand why it hurt so much to go, and why she felt like she was going to pee every time she moved. They started her on antibiotics and sent her tiny sample that took her 45 mins to squeeze out to get cultured, they did a quick test on it there but they explained to us that they are not very good and it is better to have it cultured, which would take about 2 days before we would get the results. He asked her questions about what was going on and he said that its seems to him that she has a UTI. He told me to follow up with her doctor and make sure she has her urine retested to make sure that it cleared up. He explained the importance of it and said that if it doesn't go away and she is not rechecked to make sure, then it can backup into her kidneys and cause scarring and kidney failure. Don't want that. Today she did a little better. I kept her home from school because she was up all night going to the bathroom and crying. She still was by morning, but by late this afternoon it didn't hurt any more however she still went to the bathroom every 5-10 minutes because she felt like she had to go. She went through 3 double rolls of toilet paper because of this. Finally I had to hand it to her to make sure she didn't use up all of my toilet paper. Poor little thing. I hope she is well enough to go to school. If not she will go to my Brother's house.
Well so far that is all that is going on with me so until next time have a great day!

I've Been Busy!

I have been so busy that I totally forgot to take time out and blog about what has been going on in my life. Well you should all know that my baby is completely better. It took almost 2 weeks for her to recover from bronchitis but she did it. I also got my taxes earlier than last year, thanks to my best friend Christie. (Thanks babe.) I stocked up on household supplies, paid off some bills, fixed my car (still a work in progress), and managed to lose $400. I have no idea how I managed to do that or where for that matter. That really sucks too. I made sure to put a $600 credit on my gas and light account, since I don't have a bill. That is nice not having to worry about paying it for awhile. I renewed my car insurance, and I am planning on visiting my other best friend Abbey for her birthday in March. She lives in Burlington, IA and I have never been to her new house that they bought. That is my gift to her. I will be spending the weekend there. She has been on my case about visiting her and her family for about 2yrs now. I haven't had the money to do it, but I can now. I had to tell her I was coming because I didn't want to get all they way there only to find that she came to the Quad Cities to celebrate her B-Day with me and the rest of her family. That would have sucked, me being there and her being here. So I told her exactly 2 weeks before her birthday. It is March 6th. I am really looking forward to my trip there, so is my oldest daughter. The baby has no clue (Duh.) I am trying to get all of my finances in order, and getting rid of the unnecessary bills. I want to save my money so that I can get me a better car. Don't get me wrong I love my car, but she is falling apart. The engine is good however the body sucks, I have a huge hole in the driver's side floor board. Everything that is wrong with it is minor and mostly has nothing to do with the engine. Tomorrow I will be getting the front suspension examined because I have been hearing some funny noises. I just got new front tires. I was very lucky that I changed them when I did because one was getting ready to blow out on me. I dodged the bullet on that one thank God. My goal is to drive my car until I can't drive it any more, and save as much as I can in the meantime. I have some money stashed away for my better car and I can't touch it even if I wanted too. (Like for more car work.) Oh well it will be worth it in the long run. I plan on saving all of my taxes next year except for $1,000. that will go for stocking up on household items and bills that I can put credits on. Lets not for get the car insurance. I pay it every 6 months. Once I finally get a better car I plan on getting new furniture and bedroom sets for myself and children. I also hope that I will get a 3 bedroom apt. where I live. Although that may be awhile.
I am also in the process of joining the YMCA again, I am just waiting to hear back to see if I qualify for the discounted rate for lower income families. I can't wait I am so excited. Now that I know that I can't get pregnant I will focus on losing weight and trying to live a healthier lifestyle. I can't wait until my best friend Christie gets her papers turned in, then we can go together. I plan on living at the Y, whether I am swimming, working out, enjoying the hot tub, whatever I can do there I will. I am so determined to get the weight off. I am going to be more active this summer as well, more trips to parks and swimming pools, going on walks with my daughters. I want to be spending more time outside instead of on my butt. So Christie if your reading this remember to turn in your paperwork. I want a Spa Day at the Y with you damn it. :) Luv ya miss lady. Anyway that about sums it up for now, ... well I tried too. So until next time have a great day!

My Poor Baby! :(

My poor little baby girl has been sick for awhile. She started out with a cold that got progressively worse. She had been fighting off a cold for about 4 days as of Jan 14th 2009. On Friday evening on the 16th she started running a fever. Come Saturday the fever got higher. She already had a cough and runny nose. She was now hacking up green mucus and she had green junk coming out of her nose as well. The fever was the new part of her cold. I called the her pediatrician and explained what has been going on. I also explained to her that my baby was treated not very long ago for an ear infection on Jan 3rd 2009 and not quite 30 days before that she was treated for another ear infection in the opposite ear on 12-08-08. I told her that she was seen in there office in December and was given Amoxicillin for 10 days, and on Jan 3 she was given another dose of Amoxicillin which was a little stronger for 7 days from Trinity Express Care Clinic. Now she is sick once more only this time she has a cough and a runny nose of which she was coughing up some green mucus and it was also coming out of her nose. So the Doctor told me that she would give her some Agumentin. She explained to me that it has another antibiotic in it besides the Amoxicillin which works well with together to clear up infections when one alone is just not cutting it. The Doctor told me that what probably happened is her ear infection must not have cleared up completely and it was helping to cause the cough and nose thing. So I agreed that I would bring her in the doctor's office first thing on Tuesday to be seen, since Monday was a holiday and the office would be closed. Well the next day she was still the same and no improvement on anything. I was fine with her up until after we woke up from a late nap. It was about 6:30pm when my baby woke me up crying, (she was sleeping next to me) she laid her head on my arm and I noticed that she felt like a little fireball. She felt hotter than ever, so I took her temperature and it was 103 degrees and it didn't get to finish reading her temp. because she pulled it out from her arm. She was whining and wanted it out, so I didn't make her do it again. As I was holding her I quickly noticed that she was breathing very fast. Like she just got done running a marathon and she just couldn't catch her breath. So I called the doctor's office again, (mind you it was the emergency line for the Pediatrician) I told her that my baby wasn't getting better and that her fever was higher than ever and she was now having difficulty breathing. The Doctor explained to me that a lot of times when children run a high fever they start to breath faster. The Doctor asked me if I had been giving her Motrin and alternating with Tylenol. I said yes, however only the Motrin seemed to be the most effective in helping to bring her temp. down and that from my medication log she was do for another dose of Motrin. The doctor told me to give it to her and she explained that if her breathing doesn't improve once her temperature goes down, then I would have to take her to be seen at the Emergency room because she cannot wait until Tuesday to be seen. So I waited about 5 minutes and then I called my friend Brenda over to my house to observe my baby and to make sure that I wasn't crazy about her breathing. She herself was very concerned about her breathing and told me not to wait and just take her to the Hospital. She gave us a ride since my car quit running. By the time we arrived her fever had gone down to 100.5 however she was still having difficulty breathing. She was acting just fine minus the breathing. Her pulse ox was at 100 percent so that was good. We were taken back in the ER right away and she was examined by the nurse who agreed that her breathing was too fast and noticed the wheezing along with it. She left the room and almost as quickly as she left the doctor came in fast and examined my daughter. He said that yes her breathing was of great concern for them so he said that they would do some blood work, get a chest x-ray, and give her a breathing treatment. Then he left the room. A few minutes later a different person came in to give my baby her breathing treatment. I swear it didn't help but the lady said that my baby sounded better. Well about 20 or 30 minutes later the nurse came back in and checked her breathing. She said, "Does it sound like she is still breathing fast to you?" I said, "Yes, I thought so after she had the treatment but the other lady said that she sounded better." The nurse left and the doctor hurried back in the room to listen to my baby's breathing and he agreed that she was back to the same condition before the breathing treatment was administered. Then he left to speak with my daughter's doctor over the phone. Before we knew it we were taken to the X-ray department and she had her chest X-rays done. Then we got back to the room she soon had her blood drawn from someone for the Lab department. After about an hour the doctor came back into the room and explained the test results to Brenda and I. So far the blood work was good and the chest X-rays were good. He said that he and my daughter's Pediatrician felt like she has asthma and her being sick with bronchitis caused her to have an asthma attack. We don't want to call it asthma just yet since she is so young but we feel this is what she has. So they sent us home with a nebulizer so that I can continue to give her breathing treatments at home along with a steroid called Prednisolone to help keep her airways open, I am to continue the antibiotics and follow up with her doctor on Tuesday. Okay, I was comfortable enough to take her home and was confident that her breathing would get better. When we got home I tried to give her the liquid steroid that was prescribed but she puked it up as soon as I gave it to her. So I tasted it. Well let me tell you it smelled like it would taste good but I was deceived, it was horrible and I wanted to vomit from the taste myself. So I looked at the clock and it was time for a breathing treatment which she clearly needed, so I gave it to her. I decided to try the steroid in the morning when I could mix it with some juice. On the morning of Monday the 19th my baby was still sick and she was now vomiting everything I put in her mouth and then some. I called the doctor's office and spoke to the other doctor that was now on call. He told me to continue doing what I was doing. Not to force anything and continue to offer her fluids. If she still continues to vomit call back. Well she quit vomiting enough that I was able to get her to take some Motrin mixed with juice. She quit vomiting but she was still dry heaving. She tried to refuse almost all the liquid I would give her to drink but I kept trying anyway. We made it through the day and night. Come Tuesday it was a different yet the same story. I got my older daughter up and ready for school while my baby slept. I made her a bottle of formula since she was refusing table food. She only wanted to drink, so I figured since she will still drink it then I'll continue to give it to her so she is still getting some kind of nourishment. She drank it while she was half asleep, and I let her rest all morning. When we both woke up at 11am I gave her some Motrin because her fever was just as high as the night before and it was past the time for a dosage. Only this time I only got to put a few drops in her mouth and then she started vomiting all over my bedroom. She threw up all of that formula that she drank at 7:30am everything she had she threw back up and then some. I didn't know that she had that much in her to vomit out. I couldn't wait to get her to her appointment that afternoon. When I finally got her there and we saw her doctor. The Doctor felt that the Agumentin was too blame for her upset stomach not just the sinus drainage. So she said that we could try something else. I reminded her of the Zythromax that she had when she was about 3 months old when she had pneumonia. That worked well. She said we could do that or they could give her a shot of antibiotics. So I agreed to the shot to save me the trouble of trying to get her to swallow and keep down another medication. As for the steroid she gave me a prescription for it in dissolve able tablet. So that it could dissolve in her mouth and there would be a lesser chance of her vomiting it back up. Then she told me that she would give me a prescription for some suppositories that would help her with her nausea and vomiting so that she could keep her fluids down to keep her from getting dehydrated. Then she told me that she wanted my baby back in the office again on Thursday, January 22nd to make sure that her breathing was improving and that she was getting well because my baby has been sick long enough. You don't have to tell me about that I already know that she has been sick too long, and I can't wait until she is better. So I tell you I am trying my best for my baby and I hope this will help her to get better. I say a prayer every night for her to get well soon. I hope it helps. I'll keep you posted while I can. I only found a brief moment to blog about this since I have been occupied with the task of motherhood. I haven't been to work this week and from the way things have been I may not get to work at all this week. Plus, my car is still broken down and I am relying on my good friends for help with transportation to appointments. Thank goodness I have some money saved up to be able to pay them for their gas usage.
Until next time have a good day and I hope to have better things to blog about.

What a day.

On Jan. 14th my day started out like any other day minus the crappy snow. Only my oldest daughter turned 8yrs old today. I kept her home from school do to the crappy weather. I can't stand all of this snow. I couldn't work cause the weather sucked and lack of daycare. I tried to make the most of it for me and my children. I had a few errands to run once the roads were clear enough to travel on. I paid a bill went to the grocery store for some food. I let my daughter pick out some treats and pick out her birthday dinner. I wear she asked me for everything in the store. Every time I turned around she was asking me to buy her something different. I would tell her no! Then she would get that puppy dog face and say "but it's my Birthday." I would give in on a few little things but she would keep asking me for everything she could find. Her excuse was always the same. But it's my birthday she would say. I said that doesn't mean you get everything you want. There is a limit to my generosity. That didn't keep her from trying though. After all of my running was done we finally made it home where it is soo toasty warm. I pre-heated my oven to make fish sticks because that is what she wanted for her birthday dinner. Long story short I forgot that I stuck some dishes in there that were inside my favorite blue roasting pan. So next thing I know I smell somthing burning and I see smoke coming out of my oven. All of the plastic melted in my pan ruining it and some of the goo managed to get on the bottom of my oven. Oh my the smell was awful and overwhelming. I almost puked. I tried to open my back door to ventilate my kitchen faster but I had a very difficult time trying to open the door since the lock was frozen. I did get it open after trying so fiercely. I ended up making her fish sticks in the microwave, they just weren't the same as the oven. Defineatley not crunchy. Thank goodness she didn't mind. Later that evening we were all in my room getting ready for bed. Lilliana was playing with her baby sister Luciana on my bed while I was getting myself ready. Only the baby didn't want to play because Lilly was bouncing Lucy on her legs. I kept asking her to stop, but she wouldn't. I tried to take Lucy out of her grip but I couldn't without hurting her. Next thing I know my baby is screaming and I am yelling at Lilly and asking her what happened. She told me that she was bouncing the baby (duh) and she hit the baby in the face on her knee. I knew that she hit her in the nose because she gave my poor baby bloody nose. I freaked out of course and little Luciana wouldn't let me touch her nose and I managed to put a little pressure on it to slow the bleeding. I called the Pediatrician to ask her for advice. She said that I did all I could do for Lucy. She explained to me that I should take her to the Emergency room if it continues to bleed after 15 or 20 minutes. I'm glad it stopped. I'm glad that she didn't get a bruise. I am glad that yesterday is over.

I tried to start my car this morning so that I could go to work, only it wouldn't. I was surprised because for as long as I own my car it has always started up no matter how cold it has been. Today it is -18 degrees and with the wind chill it is more like -47 degrees. At least that is what the news said when they gave us the weather report. School is cancelled of course. Which surprised me because they never cancel where I live. I will keep trying because I want to go to work. I just doubt that I'll be able to get my car to start. I got my fingers crossed. I can't wait until it warms up. I want this winter weather to be over. I think the snow is pretty and should be anywhere but here. Oh well. It could be worse I guess. That god it's not.

Well until next time enjoy your day.

Time to bring you up to speed.

I had a blast for New Year's Eve. Partied with my brother and some friends. I was lucky enough to have a babysitter, (my mom) who kept both of my girls over night. So I got to party hardy. Which is something that I don't do very often. It was my baby's first overnight stay anywhere. I missed her so much. You would think that I would have slept like a baby myself, but I didn't sleep very well because I missed my children. I long for a break and when I do get it I want them back. I of course make no sense.
On Jan 14th my oldest girl will be turning 8yrs old and I have no clue what to do for her birthday. I am not throwing a party until Feb. To many people are broke and refuse to attend a birthday party with no gift. I think I will take her to a little place called Bounce Town. We have never been there before so I hope it is fun. It is an indoor something. You know those inflatable jumping things that you can rent in the summer time, to jump around in. Well it has quite a few of those indoors. She sees the advertisements for the place and always asks if we can go. So I think I will take her for her Birthday.
The weather here has been absolutely too cold. Arctic weather. I think the penguins and polar bears have moved next door. This is their kind of weather. I can't wait until it warms up. We are supposed to be getting a whole bunch of snow tonight, so we will see. I hope we don't. I can't stand driving in it. Right now I am looking forward to receiving my taxes. I am planning on buying a better car. My car is a piece of junk. The engine is good but everything else keeps falling apart on it. I think the transmission is going out on my car. I am going to get it looked at. If I can make my car last another year, I will and I'll save my money that I get from my taxes and then wait until next year's taxes to get a really nice car. As long as I know my car should make it. I'll find out soon I hope. I just have to find the time to get it looked at.
My best friend Christie does my taxes for me every year. She does a very good job. She makes sure that I get all that is coming to me. (eat your heart out H&R Block) I get it filed and direct deposited into my account in 7-10 days and it costs me nothing to do it and she does it all for me for free!! :) I always take her out to eat, somewhere nice. Where ever she wants to go. The rule is somewhere new that we normally couldn't afford any other time. Thanks Christie your the best. My best friend Abbey who is like a sister to me is going to help me save my money so that I can buy a better car. She will open a new bank account for me an won't let me touch the money until I am ready to buy my car. Don't worry I can trust her with anything including my life. Besides one year she loaned me almost $1,000 to fix a car that I ended up having to junk. That sucked, but she trusted me to pay her back with my taxes and I did. Just like I said and when I said. She will make sure that I don't waste my money. She already knows what I do for Christie. So as soon as I take care of Christie I get to hand over my money. It will be worth it in the end.
Until next time have a great day.

So Irritated!

I am so irritated and tired of my brother staying with me at my house. He has over stayed his welcome. This idiot so mean and inconsiderate. He calls me up from Florida whining that it's not working out there and that his friend is totally taking advantage of him. He wants to come home but he has nowhere to stay. Me like and idiot as well decided to let him stay with me until he can get a place of his own. Big mistake for me. Since he has been here he barely helps me out with gas money for driving his ass to and from work. He still needs to help out with food and other bills that he helps wrack up. I told him that he would have to help out and it is like he wants to be here for free. Don't get me wrong he has bought some food but still. I do his laundry. I cook his food. I do almost everything for this ungrateful bastard and I get a I hate you bitch die in a fire phrase. I don't care if he is being sarcastic. It is still a mean thing to say. All I gotta say is he needs to be out by Dec 31st. Since I can no longer put up with his crap. I am family for heaven's sake and he is totally taking advantage of me. Well no more yeah jerk! Go move in with Mom. Besides the fact that he is totally getting on my nerves, I want my house back to the way it was. I miss my privacy, my intimate time with my man. To make matters worse he is mean to my children. That is why I am kicking him out. He is suck an ass and he wonders why his friend took advantage of him. What goes around comes around. I know he is upset about that but don't take it out on my family and I. I just want him gone. I can handle him only when he lives somewhere else.
On a more positive note. My Mom totally took my older daughter for a few days so that I can have a break from all of her energy. She will also be keeping my baby as well on New Year's Eve so that I can cut loose at home with friends. I really need that break, to be kid free for one night. I know I will sleep very good in peace and quiet. Well until next time I'll chat with y'all soon.

The week was a bore!

Oh my goodness this whole week has been a total blah. Nothing eventful except for the weather. First snow, then ice and snow, then more snow!!! I am fed up with the deep freeze. Just quite for a week please. The roads are constantly crappy and I want a break from it. Don't get me wrong I love snow but too much of a good thing is bad. You tend to grow tired of it real quick. At least we don't have this crap year long. I should be thankful. My baby is just growing so fast. I just don't want to think about it. She can't stay a baby for ever I guess. I just want them little for as long as I can. I know it can be challenging at times but hey this is what I wanted. Surprises all of the time. Kids are great for surprising you all of the time. They never stop amazing me. I am so proud of them. I hope that I can raise them well and that they will turn out to be outstanding citizens. Awe they are sooo precious when they are sleeping, true angles. Well it was nice to blog, it gave me a chance to take my mind off of all the blah, blah.
Until next time see ya soon.

A boring Birthday.

It was a very boring birthday for my baby. Thank goodness she won't remember this when she is older. Nobody came over because of the crappy weather that was coming. It was only going to be family but still. The weather prevented that. I was gonna have a birthday party for her on Dec. 13th but my most of my friends said that they didn't want to attend on account of they didn't have any money to buy her a present. I didn't care I just wanted people to come over and help me celebrate her turning 1yrs old. I wanted to take pictures and have cake and ice cream. I was even going to provide food. However they said that they would feel awkward coming to a party without a gift. It's not like she is going to remember this any way I just wanted proof of a party memories. Well I will just have to throw her a party after the holidays. I'm sure they will come then. My best friend Abbey will becoming in town next weekend I think to celebrate my baby's birthday. I love her she is more than just my best friend she is family to me. Just like my friend Christie. They mean a lot to me just in very different ways from each other.
Earlier today I got to attend my older daughter's Christmas program which was the first one I have ever been able to attend since she has been in school. I have always missed it on account of work. Today I didn't have to work so I got to see her up on stage singing with her class. Silly me I left my camera at home. Luckily my Brother and Sister-in-Law was there recording their daughter and they got mine too since I didn't have my camera. I love them. This is the first year that their child is attending school. She is in preschool. So they are so excited to be involved in school functions. They still have 2 younger children at home. So they will have plenty of school events to attend.
Well today was pretty boring, I suppose it could have been worse. Thank god it wasn't. Abbey did stop by to give me my baby's gifts, she just couldn't visit like we planned because of the nasty weather. Thanks Abbey! Kiss the kids for me I miss you guys, and maybe the next time your in town you can visit longer or even stay over night. I hope Jeff has a safe trip.
Well until next time I will see you all later.

I love the weather and I hate the weather.

I love the snow but I also hate it at the same time. When I was a kid I used to look forward to the next snow storm, that would mean that there was a good possibility that school would be cancelled. Then we could have the day to play in the snow. I really miss those days. Now I dread those winter storms because I will have to be the one who has to drive in it to take the kids to School and Daycare. Yippy! Not. If school gets cancelled on account of the weather then it is up to me to find some one to watch my school aged child while I go off to work. While she gets to play. Not fare if you ask me. I guess it is payback for all of the times my parents were in my situation. I should have seen this coming back when I was a kid. But who plans that far ahead anyway.
Today my baby turns 1yrs old, it seems like I just had her yesterday. Boy time sure does fly when your having fun. She does so much now and has her own personality. Before I know it she be moving out of the house and starting a life of her own. Wouldn't you know it my older daughter will be having a birthday just around the corner. Jan 14th and she will be 8yrs old. I really miss her being a baby too. They just grow too fast. I wish I could slow time down just a tad so that I can really enjoy them being young. I really am gonna miss all of this when they are grown. All I can hope for is grandchildren. Just not too soon. Well you all will be hearing from me later to let you know how my baby's day turned out. So until later, have a great day.

I Love Family Get Togethers.

I just love the holidays. Every Thanks Giving and Christmas everyone comes over to my little apartment to spend time with each other and eat awesome food that I prepare. We watch movies, snack all day long, play games, and talk about everything. We just have fun. We also invite our friends because we have a lot of love and fun to share and we just can't see letting someone go without for the holidays. I love cooking for everyone. I may act crazy and get a little high strung, but once the turkey is in the oven and the rest is almost done I can relax and enjoy in the fun. We are not rich, but when we pull together miracles happen. I love trying to incorporate new foods to see which ones will be made into traditional foods that must be prepared every holiday. I love to see the the kids running around like little crazies, (to a point). We all just kick back and relax and have fun and show our appreciation for one another. I prepare and cook all of the food that we have for the holidays. Except for the pies. I don't like all of that extra time that it takes to make them. So we buy them. This year I made a apple crisp instead of buying a dutch apple pie. Let me tell you it was a big success. It tasted just like the pie only without the crust. It is something I will continue to make. It doesn't require too much effort on my part.
Everyone may arrive at different times but for the most part we all get to eat at the same time. Some even arrive stuffed from other get togethers, but when they get to my house they always manage to find room for my delicious food. I have it all snacks, turkey, sides, desserts, veggies, fruit, almost everything. I'm sure most families do the same thing I just feel like mine is even better. You really have to be here to see what the hype is all about. We have fun and make memories. It really is great and I love it. I look forward to this time of year every year.
Until next time. Have a Happy Holiday.

I feel like I'm in a Daze. I feel like I am on the outside looking in on my life and watching it, but I can't respond. I have so much on my mind right now. I am really stressed out, I can't sleep and I feel unresponsive. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts when I got off work, that I drove all the way home before I realized that I forgot to pick my baby up from daycare. The weird thing is that last week I forgot to pick my 7yr old from school. I don't know what is going on with myself, it's like I can't snap back to manual drive, like I'm stuck on auto drive. The last week has been like I'm here but not.
Any way on a brighter note my baby girl figured out about 3 weeks ago that she can pick her nose. Tonight she decided to see what they tasted like. Gross!! After she saw my reaction she kept on doing it. Can you say barf. They do the darnedest things and when they get a cool reaction from you they keep on doing it. Like when she learned that her finger fit in her nose and she smeared boogers all over her face, nose, and ears. She tries to pick my too!
Last night my older daughter and I got into an argument which she always over dramatizes. She is a true Drama Queen. I told her over and over to finish eating her dinner, she would just sit and pick and then she would get distracted and start playing. I gave her 3 chances to eat and each time I told her if she didn't then she would go to bed without finishing. She must not have believed me until I sent her to bed. Then came the okay I'll eat and I had to tell her no. I stood my ground and sent her to bed. Ohh she cried and screamed and started throwing a fit and I made her go to her room. Before I knew it she was screaming at the top of her lungs and kicking my floor. It sounded like she was gonna fall through the ceiling. The last time I had to do that she kicked a hole in my closet door and her bedroom door. I tell you sometimes I just don't know what I am gonna do with her. I love her but most days it is so hard dealing with her. I have to leave the room to recoup but she follows me and she just doesn't stop. I even step outside and she will follow me. She makes it hard to calm myself down. I do manage to do it, but only after I force her to stay in her room usually by scaring her. I hate it, but I don't know what else to do? She is constantly just crying and caring on and in my face. I just wish that when things got to that point, to where I needed a break, that she would just stay in her room until I'm ready to talk to her. Kid don't do that though. She gets herself so worked up to the point to where she is crying uncontrollably and hyperventilating. I have to try and calm her down before she pukes or passes out, and when I'm so angry it is hard to do. Oh but I love her so much. She is still my pride and joy no matter what she does or how angry I get. My brothers think that I should spank her, only it doesn't work and she would get it all of the time if I did. They just don't understand how to deal with a child with her type of disability. A child with ADHD and ODD who also suffers from anxiety need a different approach to discipline that other children. I am trying to learn new ways then what I have been doing because I am not getting far and I don't like battling it out with her. What works for one child won't always work for another, especially if they have a disability like mine or worse than mine. I am just glad that all my baby does right now is turn the TV on and off and the whole picking of the nose and eating it thing. It makes my job easier. I don't look forward to the teenage years if I can't keep her in line now. I am seeking help so I hope that it works. Cross your fingers and wish me luck.
Until next time have a good day.

It's has been a long time.

It has been a very long time since I had a chance to get back to blogging. I have been very busy this past year. I was pregnant the last time I had a chance to write and well guess what? I gave birth to my second child ( a little girl) on Dec. 18th 2007. I had a rough pregnancy. I was in constant pain pretty much all over. It was because I was so over weight. It didn't help that I have high blood pressure too. Through it all I managed to have a healthy baby girl. I have been very busy and I forgot about what I enjoy doing when I have free time to myself, blogging. My older child keeps me on my toes and drives me crazy in the process. She has ADHD, ODD, and she suffers from anxiety. Let me tell you she is quite the handful and I add a new bundle of joy into my life and everything keeps me on my toes. I love my children and I wouldn't trade them for the world. It wasn't easy for me to bring them into this world but it was always fun to make them. I enjoy watching them grow and learn new things. Even when I get so frustrated I have to remember that one day I'm gonna miss this. They will grow up and eventually they will start their own lives, I just hope to be there for them when they do. Help out when they need it. So many times I think I just can't wait until they grow up, why do they color on my walls, I talk and its like talking to a wall, in one ear and out the other. The back talking, crying, screaming, laughing, smiling, timeouts. It can be overwhelming at times, but I know one day I'll miss this. I am proud to be a parent. I couldn't picture my life any other way. I would be lost without them. Hey some people don't want kids I say hey that's your choice and it doesn't bother me. It's your life do what you like. I just can't stand the people who have them when they want nothing to do with them or abuse them. I say if you really did want your kids then you should have kept your legs closed or given them up for adoption. There are plenty of couples who would like to have children and can't or who would like more than one and can't. Those people bother me. The weird thing is they keep having them. I am blessed to have my children and if you have any I believe you should feel the same way. They don't stay little for long and before you know it there gone living their lives. Then you'll look back and miss it too.
Until next time.

Good things do happen to good people.

My best friend Christie had an unfortunate thing happen to her. On July 4th,2007 there had been some pretty heavy rain in our area. Christie, along with 20+ families had to face the devastating effects that the rain brought early that morning. Like so many people Christie woke up to find her basement flooded with water.
I find it hard to understand why this happen to all of these families. They are all located on top of a hill so the water should have traveled down the hill instead of in their basements. I also noticed the road construction that had been going on right next to her home. They were supposed to be resurfacing the top of the street. I noticed the day before the big storm that the construction company's crew members had torn apart the storm drains and were doing some kind of work on them. All I know is that the letter that all the residents received before the road work stated that the work should take approx. 1wk. It has been over a month. To our surprise we found out that there was alot of debris in the storm drains all along the road being worked on, stuff that shouldn't have been there in the 1st place. I asked her in all of the years that she lived in her house did it ever flood at all? She said no. So I told her that it might not just be an act of nature, that someone else might be to blame. For example the construction company or even the City. As it turns out her neighbors all feel the same too.
Poor Christie, she had the worst of it in her basement. She got over 4ft. of water in her basement. All of her personal items and pictures she was saving were all ruined. Stuff that you just can't replace. Baby photos, cherished pictures, memories from the last 15yrs of her life ruined, gone. Washer, Dryer gone. Everything down there just completely destroyed.
Since that devastating day she has been a complete wreck. She has no way of really getting back what she lost. She rents the house she lives in and the landlord didn't have flood coverage included in the house's insurance. So Christie can't even get compensated for her loss. I really feel that it was the construction companies fault for every ones damage. I hope she gets something from all of this. She is a single mother trying to make it on her own and raise a wonderful little boy who doesn't understand why some of his toys and clothes got ruined. This has been such a difficult time for her and her son, and it really has taken a toll on them. She had to miss a lot of work in order to clean out the basement for the landlord, who of all people only made things worse for her. At one point the landlord said that she should not of had so much stuff in the basement. She was very upset with Christie because there was so much stuff that the landlord had to pay to have a special removal. She was in such a hurry to clean up the stuff and get rid of it that she started throwing Christies stuff out even the stuff that was salvageable. She even had the nerve to curse her out and disrespect Christie, and tell her she had to move. I understand the landlord's frustration with everything, but Christie lost more stuff, than the landlord, things nobody can replace. Eventually the landlord apologized for her own actions but it doesn't take back the mental anguish that she bestowed on her. Christie didn't deserve to be treated so cruelly. She was so depressed that she actually thought about taking her own life. With the loss of her belongings and the mental anguish, it was all becoming too much to handle. I did my best to be there for her in her time of need, I wanted to help out more, but she wouldn't let me since I'm pregnant. I did made it a point to be there for her,and to try and lift her spirits and keep her mind off of the bad thoughts. I feel like I helped. Today Christie was very depressed because she has exhausted all of her savings and was finding it hard to make ends meet, but out of the blue an angel came to her rescue and helped her in a way I could not. She received a phone call from the Dispatch, a local newspaper company and they told her that a man heard about her story and wanted to help her specifically. He gave a cash donation and told her that he hopes it helps her until she gets something from the insurance company either from the construction company or the city or both. Only time will tell, she may not get nothing. He wanted to remain anonymous, I believe that the bank said that if she wanted to thank this mystery she could give it to them and they would see to it that he received her appreciation and thanks.
She never expected that anyone would help her and she never asked for any charity of any kind, but this donation couldn't have come at a better time for her and her son, it will help her tremendously. She received $500. from this person and is eternally grateful. She wishes that she could meet this person, to tell him face to face how much he just helped her and her son. Since she can't she will send him her thanks, she respects his need for privacy. I'm just so happy that there are people out there like this person willing to give what they can to help someone out in their time of need. If anybody needed the help the most it was Christie. I wish I could thank him as well, he helped in a way that I couldn't and I am grateful too.
So if your out there and you happen to read my blog then you know who you are and we send our thanks and appreciation out to you. Thanks for your help, you made such an incredible difference. Words can't truly explain how thankful they are.

Lazy Days

Well in the past few days I have been real lazy lately. I haven't really wanted to do any thing. I feel like such a bad parent. I have even bee slacking around the house. It's not bad but still I can do better. I am just so tired all of the time and I just sleep. I guess this is normal for when your pregnant, I just remember having more energy when I was pregnant with my daughter. I am not even that old. I am only 26 yrs. old. Well I haven't been sleeping that well, I feel like I should move my bed into my bathroom since I am in it practically 90% of the time. At least it feels that way. I am very thank full that my daughter has been so understanding with me. It is actually quite surprising since she is stuck inside most of the time and she is only 6yrs old. She does talk me into playing games with her since I won't let her play outside when I can't be out there to supervise her. She seems to think that she can play out there by herself, but I say no. Really she is still to young to be out by herself and have no adult supervision. My luck she would go home with a stranger if I wasn't out there with her. Or she would get beat up by the other kids because she has this I don't want to share thing with other peoples toys including her own toys. Well kids will be kids. So far this week I have been blessed with rain so she can't ask to play outside. I do plan on taking her out to the park and swimming this weekend so hopefully she won't be too disappointed in me. Well I will quit complaining and I will talk to you all later so in the mean time take care.

Boring weekend.

I had a pretty boring weekend, I really didn't do that much. I worked some extra hours but really I did nothing. My friend Brenda took me to see the Backwater Gamblers. It is a water show, where they do tricks on water skis. I didn't really get to enjoy it because I am not feeling the best. It's this whole pregnancy thing. I have a lot of pregnancy issues. Nothing serious just what you would expect and it is making me very uncomfortable. Tell you the truth I forgot what it felt like since it has been 7yrs since I have been pregnant. Hopefully I will feel better enough to do something fun with my daughter this week and this weekend. Well I don't really have much else to talk about that isn't complaining like a sissy. So until next time take care and have a good day.

Nothing new... maybe a little new.

I really don't have much to say. I had and ultrasound on 7-9-07, the baby is doing very well. It is just growing like it should be. I am almost 15 weeks pregnant with my second baby. I can feel it move too. All I feel is fluttering and little nudges from the inside, I can't wait until you can see it move through my abdomen. On a different subject my job at Lowe's is gone after the 13th, they are cutting hours and a lot of people are getting laid off. Well I am cool with it. I knew that the job was seasonal and that it can go at any time. I still have my other job at Help At Home Inc. All I need to do is just ask for more hours. I kept this job just for the whole lay off reason. I needed to stay employed continuously. Plus I didn't want to go through the whole rehire process and lose my pay that I earned over the years. I have been given more hours to start next week so I am glad that I won't be losing too much money. Well I will quit boring you all and I will talk to you all next time. So I hope that you have a wonderful day in the mean time.

My scary lunch encounter.

Today 2 of my friends and I went to the Olive Garden for lunch to eat their unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks. I had been begging my friends to go there for our work lunch for 2 weeks and we finally went. Everything was going great, our waitress was a little slow but she had a lot of other customers to tend to. I was eating the rest of my bread stick and I felt a hard crunch on my teeth. For a minute I thought that may be for some reason I might have chipped my tooth on the bread stick. Don't ask me why I thought this, I am pretty stupid when I am pregnant; well that is how I feel all of the time. Anyway I pull it out of my mouth and went to wipe it on one of my plates when it poked me almost cutting my finger. So I took a closer look and it and realized that it was a small piece of glass. So I left the table and went to one of the associates that seats you when you enter. They asked my where I was sitting and got the manager for me. While I was sitting and waiting I found another piece on the table with the crumbs from the bread sticks. I showed the manager both pieces, and I showed her which one I pulled from out of my mouth. She asked me if I got cut at all. I said no, but I kept feeling around in my mouth for more pieces and she would keep asking me if I got cut. I said I wonder how many pieces I might have ate before I found that one. One of my friends Christie said, Hey she is very concerned because she is pregnant. I said yes it's true and that can't be good if I ate any. The manager gave us all our lunch for free and she gave us new salad plates and me a $30 gift card. When I got my new plate I freaked out because I thought that there was more of the glass on my plate but my friend and the waiter told me that it was ice because they freeze their salad plates. Thank god it was just ice, I really couldn't eat much after that because I was too nervous and scared. It is just terrible that our lunch ended the way that it did, at least I didn't get hurt, and I hope that I didn't eat any more pieces without realizing because I don't want to hurt my unborn baby. I'm sure I'll be fine. Well until next time have a great day!

Oh what a boring day.

Hello. Today has been very uneventful for me. Pretty much just blah. I went to my first job today and I took care of an elderly woman. All I do for this client is clean and talk to her. Since I only see her once a week we always have stuff to tell each other to catch up from our last visit. After my time ended with her I went to my other job where I work in the lawn and garden center at Lowes. For the most part is was boring and very hot. I got sick pretty quick, this is the part of pregnancy that I dislike oh so very much. I can't wait until I can feel the baby move. Any way back to the blah. I ended up spending most of my time trying to stay cool and keep from getting sick. My friend and co-worker did her best to assist me in staying cool. She bought me a big bottle of water and let me take a short breaks the break room where it is nicely air conditioned. My daughter had a better day than me. She got to go on a field trip with her day care center. They went to lake story and went swimming and had a picnic and just played. I would have loved to go with but of course I had to work. Kids have it so good. Well that's okay I plan on having a fun weekend, even if it rains all weekend we can still go to the YMCA and swim indoors. Well I am done boring everyone so until next time I hope you all have a wonderful day.

My Poor Baby! :(

On Friday 6-15-07 I recieved a phone call from the daycare center that my daughter attends. They told me that my daughter had an accident there, they said that she got hurt bad, but that it wasn't bad, but her injury was bad. Makes no sense I know. So I asked what happened. They told me that during play time outside she was playing on one of those flat scooters and went to take a dive on to it with her belly and missed the scooter. She went face first into the pavement and broke out half of her front tooth. They asked me if it was a baby tooth since she is 6yrs old. I said yes all of her front teeth are permanent teeth. Then they said to me well we are supposed to inform you when your child gets hurt and we aren't sure if you want to get her now or wait until your usual time to pick her up. What the heck why wouldn't I pick up my child. I broke a tooth like that as a child and it hurts very bad. Why would I make her suffer until I got off of work? So I went and got her and I hunted all over town to a Dentist that would accecpt my insurance and fix it that same day. So many offices close early on Fridays that you would be surprised. I found one and we have to do their walk in appointment where you sit and wait with no guarantee that you'll be seen. On the positive side they told me that children are consider priority and are bumped up the the top of the walk in list. She had to suffer for 3 hours before being seen and to top it off the accident happened at 10:15 am which is before lunch. I got her to the Dentist at 11am and they didn't take any walk ins until 11:30am. That left me with no time to try to give her anything. It wasn't like she would have been able to eat anything any way because the tooth she broke was one of the top middle teeth. They did give her some juice so that she would have something in her stomach before they fixed her tooth. They capped it and told me that when she gets older she will need a crown and in the mean time to keep an eye on the tooth to make sure that it doesn't turn gray, because that means that the tooth as died or is dying. If it does she will need to see a specialist and ect. ect. it will cost a lot of money since my insurance won't cover that procedure. They told me that it is very possible the tooth could die since it sustaned extensive trauma and the root isn't finished forming. Well I hope for the best and so far so good. So I hope that this is it for that tooth until she is old enough for a crown. I was told that I should wait until she turns 16 or 17yrs old. I hope that tooth will make it.
Until next time I hope you all have a wonderful day. :)

Nice start to summer.

I must say that this weather we have been having has been so nice for summer. I admit that sometimes it feels too hot and humid, but hey it beats the rain and snow. I love how everybody is just out and about when the weather is so nice. For the most part everyone is in a good mood. Weather has that affect on everyone. When the weather is not so nice or threatening, so are the people around you. I don't know maybe its just me.
I love it when the weather is nice it makes working out in it that much better, with just a few exceptions and I am sure that you know what those are. Right now the one I can't stand is the very high temperatures and humidity, being pregnant doesn't help because all of that makes me very nauseated to be out in it. I hope it passes soon. Well for the most part today really wasn't very action packed, just a usual day I guess. I hope you all have a wonderful day, until next time. Peace out.