Ick...boogers, coughing, sore throats, we've all got it. It started with Ginny last week but now we're all sick. It's kicking our arses and we're having a hard time kicking it. Justin seems to have the worst of it...he's feeling so crummy he's allowed me to give him Tylenol when he was super hot and cough meds at night before he went to bed. We'll live, but it would be nice if it would go away sooner rather than later. :)
Working on getting some sort of a schedule/routine for the kids and I so we'll have something to fall back on if we sort of get lost along the way with Tim gone. More having to do with daily to do's and homeschooling topics...I want to be sure everything is getting covered. We're still eclectic unschoolers, but once in a while we throw in a few curve balls and see what happens. :)
Justin and I printed out a few recipes from NickJr.com and he can't wait to try them (banana pops, etc). Gotta get groceries and need $ to do that. Rent took all our money this paycheck (1st of the month) but at least we still have a positive checkbook balance.
I hear J coughing so I'll leave now and go cuddle my big guy. Remember that life is SHORT, far too short to waste...so take advantage of opportunities that present themselves if for no other reason than you and your familiy can have an adventure together.
Blessings!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Ginny is sick, Tim got another job offer...
Ginny has a cold. Been alternating Tylenol and Motrin to help keep her from spiking a fever and having febrile seizures again. She keeps waking up in the middle of the night because she can't breathe through her nose and keep sucking on her pacifier 'binky' at the same time. Poor kiddo!
Tim got another job offer on Thursday. It pays less, but it's a great opportunity for him to get his foot in the door. Tim should hear back from him on Monday.
Friday I went to a new primary care physician. Now this place was awesome....at patient registration they offered me a cup of coffee; I waited less than 5 minutes in the waiting room and less than 2 or 3 in the actual exam room. Had my PAP done. Have to get some bloodwork done on Monday. Also need to make an appt with my psychiatrist....she has appointments available on Monday so I need to call first thing Monday AM to get one...she's got to manage my meds. :)
Justin and I read a book together yesterday. Since he has officially "graduated" from his HeadSprout phonics program and is a READER now we're working to keep him interested in reading and working at recognizing common words as well as sound out words he doesn't know.
We moved the house around again...well, the furniture anyways. LOL With Tim going back to days next week at the newspaper (new job won't start until 1st week in September?!) we put J's bedroom and computer back into his bedroom and the couch back into the livingroom. So not only do I share the bed with Justin and Ginny, I've gotta make more room for Tim, too! LOL
Ahhh, Ginny just fell back asleep...and since it's so early I'm going to try to catch a few more z's myself.
Talk to you all soon!
Tim got another job offer on Thursday. It pays less, but it's a great opportunity for him to get his foot in the door. Tim should hear back from him on Monday.
Friday I went to a new primary care physician. Now this place was awesome....at patient registration they offered me a cup of coffee; I waited less than 5 minutes in the waiting room and less than 2 or 3 in the actual exam room. Had my PAP done. Have to get some bloodwork done on Monday. Also need to make an appt with my psychiatrist....she has appointments available on Monday so I need to call first thing Monday AM to get one...she's got to manage my meds. :)
Justin and I read a book together yesterday. Since he has officially "graduated" from his HeadSprout phonics program and is a READER now we're working to keep him interested in reading and working at recognizing common words as well as sound out words he doesn't know.
We moved the house around again...well, the furniture anyways. LOL With Tim going back to days next week at the newspaper (new job won't start until 1st week in September?!) we put J's bedroom and computer back into his bedroom and the couch back into the livingroom. So not only do I share the bed with Justin and Ginny, I've gotta make more room for Tim, too! LOL
Ahhh, Ginny just fell back asleep...and since it's so early I'm going to try to catch a few more z's myself.
Talk to you all soon!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Ya, I know...it's been a few days....
lots going on. Tim got a job offer on Friday...still waiting to hear whether his security clearance is good to go or needs to be reactivated, etc. The new timeline has him leaving the first week in Sept. At least he MIGHT be home for our 13th anniversary, right? LOL
It's been all over the news, but Tropical Storm Fay (upgraded to hurricane by the time it gets to us) is on the way. For some odd reason I'm REALLY freaked out by this storm. Called the management of our apt complex and they pretty much said we're on our own. (great help! :rolleyes: ) We're in a non-evacuation zone, so even if there were a cat 5 hurricane we wouldn't evacuate as a storm surge (the wave from the ocean that will cover land) shouldn't reach us. (oh yeah, VERY comforting)...so if it goes bad we'll be stranded on the middle of Pinellas County, Florida (a peninsula, right across the bay from Tampa, west coast of FL, Gulf side). No one seems really worried, but last time folks were this lacksidasical (sp?!) about a tropical storm turned hurricane it pretty much destroyed Punta Gorda, FL....(closer to where my dad and step-mom live, and my bestest pal Jen and her parents live). We only have windows on the south side of our apartment, and one of those is a pretty shoddy slider...the window bangs around in the frame already, so I don't count on that providing much in the way of protection. We only have one room in the house with a door (aka not a metal bifold door) and it's not really big enough for us, but we could squeeze in if we needed to. We get water delivered and have 15 gallons (give or take) of drinkable water and I filled the empty 5 gallon jugs with water from the bathtub for drinking (boil and drink if necessary), flushing the toilet, washing up, dishes, laundry, etc. Already did all the laundry and put it all away. Same with the dishes. Cooking up 6 chicken breasts tonight so at the very worst we'll have fresh cooked meat for a day or two. Got batteries for the radio and flashlights. Will bathe the kids tonight and then clean out the tub and fill it up with water before bed. Have first aid kit already. Have dipes and wipes for Ginny (and extra besides). Have some plastic silverware, paper plates and cups to use if we run out of regular dishes. Apparently the power tends to go out with these storms and can last 10-14 days if we're lucky. :shrug: Not looking forward to no AC...yeah, I'm a spoiled domestic goddess! Meds (mine) already put into my med container to last for 2 weeks. Stocked up on toilet paper, got a gallon of milk (and got powdered milk with Ginny's WIC vouchers last week), another loaf of bread, freezing stuff in the freezer (jugs of water...they'll last longer than ice cubes will if we need to move things to our cooler). Granola bars, cereal, popped a few bags of micro popcorn and will bag it up and store it tonight.
At the very worst we'll be decently prepared. At the best, I'll have wasted water freezing jugs and filling the 5 gallon jugs and bought a few extra things. Filled up the gas tank in the VUE...no electricity, gas pumps won't work. We have no means of cooking, at the moment, because we can't grill here due to fire code regulations. There IS a "community" grill outside for residents to use and we could get some wood to burn to cook if necessary...though I imagine with 350 units and about 4-5 grills there'd be lines to access it. We sold our big tent a few months back, didn't see any use for it...now I wish we hadn't. It might be cooler outside in a tent than inside the apt should the power go out for any length of time.
Got extra dog food for Scoots, the gerbils have had their home freshly cleaned and have finished rearranging the bedding and hay to their liking. We're all healthy (well, I'm seriously having a major anxiety attack about this storm!), and we have a plan to be able to go to my dad and step-mom's house, or even Jen and her parents house (the back up to the back up plan) should we be without power for too long and they HAVE power...Pam and dad have storm shutters for their house, a pool full of water, etc. I'd feel safe there, except they aren't equipped for kids and I'd be wigging out that they'd break something, yk?
May even go so far as to pack a bag with clothing for 1-2 days for all of us JUST in case...not sure it's necessary, but at the very least this storm will give us a lot of rain in a short amount of time (aka flooding...and we have a pond to the south of us, literally 50 or so feet away from our screened in porch? We're ground level apt), and winds up to 95 mph, says the weather channel on TV. I'm prepared to shove my family and animals into our master bedroom walk in closet (pretty big) and even toss out the extra stuff on the floor in there to make room, throw J's twin mattress down on the floor (we can put it against the inside of the metal bifold doors to protect us if necessary)...it's the most interior room we have, the biggest without being huge, and it's already got clothes in there, and we've got 5 5-gallon jugs of water right outside the closet and in the bathroom, toilet in the very next room (the closet and bathroom share a wall), can grab meds, food, first aid kit, water, dipes and wipes for G, wipes for keeping ourselves clean, etc...we can stuff it all in there and be okay for, well, as long as necessary. I dug our "cube" cooler out of the storage area outside and put it towards the front so we can grab it quickly and easily if need be. The queen mattress (air mattress) can be secured against the sliding glass doors. We can nail blankets and stack furniture against the other windows if the wind gets really bad or a window breaks. Charging up both our cell phones, Tim's MP3 player (it gets FM/AM radio on it), charging up my laptop now. Even registered with Red Cross's Safe and Well program...(look up Tim or Stacy Wheeler of Clearwater, FL for an update if things get sketchy down here...we'll do our best to lyk what's going on through that or by phone). Boiled a dozen eggs, peeled and put them in the fridge (high in protein!).....peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pasta salad, spaghetti, all in the fridge already...will cook that chicken tonight and add that to our stockpile of food. We don't have much in the way of perishables due to finances being what they are, but we'll be fine for about a week, if necessary.
I just feel like I'd be a totally irresponsible parent/person if I didn't take some precautions for our family. Tim's not worried, but is going along with my need to feel okay about riding out a storm that could get bad or end up nothing but a few rain showers and wind.
4 flashlights
18 light/glow sticks (got them for 25 cents for a pack of 6 weeks ago on clearance at WalMart....so glad we got them, now!)
Foods...veggies, fruits, tuna, noodles, beans, rice, granola bars, cereal bars, baby cereal for Ginny (has lots of the nutrition she needs and she LOVES it!), Raisin Bran and Rice Chex for eating/snacking on, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, marshmallows, fresh bananas and apples and a few veggies tucked in the fridge, fruit juice.
15 gallons of bottled water. 20 gallons of refilled 5-gal jugs with water from the tap (flushing, washing, etc). First aid kit, clothes and dishes done. Toilet paper (don't want to run out of THIS if we're without power and no one is selling anything because their computer systems are all run by, you guessed it, ELECTRICITY!. Lots of books, several board games and cards we can play...
Can you tell how anxious I am about this upcoming storm/hurricane? I've been through blizzards in NH (even drove THROUGH one and made it out alive, no worse for wear!), tornado's in OK (mere minutes before we drove through Oklahoma City the city was decimated by a tornado), tornado's in OK where we lived (Ft. Sill/Lawton) Flooding, hail, winds, rains...we've been there and one that. I've even been through hurricanes in NH and while bad, they weren't THAT bad. This is only expected to upgrade to a category 1 hurricane when it hits the Tampa Bay area so it shouldn't be more than lots of torrential rains and powerful winds. Hopefully no trees will fall near us (or on us, JUST kidding!).
So, if you don't see a new post from me within a few days, we may very well be without power and thus without internet access, obviously, but feel free to call my phone or Tim's and we'll have it with us.
So, wish us luck, folks! (and for the rest of you Floridians, KEEP SAFE!)
It's been all over the news, but Tropical Storm Fay (upgraded to hurricane by the time it gets to us) is on the way. For some odd reason I'm REALLY freaked out by this storm. Called the management of our apt complex and they pretty much said we're on our own. (great help! :rolleyes: ) We're in a non-evacuation zone, so even if there were a cat 5 hurricane we wouldn't evacuate as a storm surge (the wave from the ocean that will cover land) shouldn't reach us. (oh yeah, VERY comforting)...so if it goes bad we'll be stranded on the middle of Pinellas County, Florida (a peninsula, right across the bay from Tampa, west coast of FL, Gulf side). No one seems really worried, but last time folks were this lacksidasical (sp?!) about a tropical storm turned hurricane it pretty much destroyed Punta Gorda, FL....(closer to where my dad and step-mom live, and my bestest pal Jen and her parents live). We only have windows on the south side of our apartment, and one of those is a pretty shoddy slider...the window bangs around in the frame already, so I don't count on that providing much in the way of protection. We only have one room in the house with a door (aka not a metal bifold door) and it's not really big enough for us, but we could squeeze in if we needed to. We get water delivered and have 15 gallons (give or take) of drinkable water and I filled the empty 5 gallon jugs with water from the bathtub for drinking (boil and drink if necessary), flushing the toilet, washing up, dishes, laundry, etc. Already did all the laundry and put it all away. Same with the dishes. Cooking up 6 chicken breasts tonight so at the very worst we'll have fresh cooked meat for a day or two. Got batteries for the radio and flashlights. Will bathe the kids tonight and then clean out the tub and fill it up with water before bed. Have first aid kit already. Have dipes and wipes for Ginny (and extra besides). Have some plastic silverware, paper plates and cups to use if we run out of regular dishes. Apparently the power tends to go out with these storms and can last 10-14 days if we're lucky. :shrug: Not looking forward to no AC...yeah, I'm a spoiled domestic goddess! Meds (mine) already put into my med container to last for 2 weeks. Stocked up on toilet paper, got a gallon of milk (and got powdered milk with Ginny's WIC vouchers last week), another loaf of bread, freezing stuff in the freezer (jugs of water...they'll last longer than ice cubes will if we need to move things to our cooler). Granola bars, cereal, popped a few bags of micro popcorn and will bag it up and store it tonight.
At the very worst we'll be decently prepared. At the best, I'll have wasted water freezing jugs and filling the 5 gallon jugs and bought a few extra things. Filled up the gas tank in the VUE...no electricity, gas pumps won't work. We have no means of cooking, at the moment, because we can't grill here due to fire code regulations. There IS a "community" grill outside for residents to use and we could get some wood to burn to cook if necessary...though I imagine with 350 units and about 4-5 grills there'd be lines to access it. We sold our big tent a few months back, didn't see any use for it...now I wish we hadn't. It might be cooler outside in a tent than inside the apt should the power go out for any length of time.
Got extra dog food for Scoots, the gerbils have had their home freshly cleaned and have finished rearranging the bedding and hay to their liking. We're all healthy (well, I'm seriously having a major anxiety attack about this storm!), and we have a plan to be able to go to my dad and step-mom's house, or even Jen and her parents house (the back up to the back up plan) should we be without power for too long and they HAVE power...Pam and dad have storm shutters for their house, a pool full of water, etc. I'd feel safe there, except they aren't equipped for kids and I'd be wigging out that they'd break something, yk?
May even go so far as to pack a bag with clothing for 1-2 days for all of us JUST in case...not sure it's necessary, but at the very least this storm will give us a lot of rain in a short amount of time (aka flooding...and we have a pond to the south of us, literally 50 or so feet away from our screened in porch? We're ground level apt), and winds up to 95 mph, says the weather channel on TV. I'm prepared to shove my family and animals into our master bedroom walk in closet (pretty big) and even toss out the extra stuff on the floor in there to make room, throw J's twin mattress down on the floor (we can put it against the inside of the metal bifold doors to protect us if necessary)...it's the most interior room we have, the biggest without being huge, and it's already got clothes in there, and we've got 5 5-gallon jugs of water right outside the closet and in the bathroom, toilet in the very next room (the closet and bathroom share a wall), can grab meds, food, first aid kit, water, dipes and wipes for G, wipes for keeping ourselves clean, etc...we can stuff it all in there and be okay for, well, as long as necessary. I dug our "cube" cooler out of the storage area outside and put it towards the front so we can grab it quickly and easily if need be. The queen mattress (air mattress) can be secured against the sliding glass doors. We can nail blankets and stack furniture against the other windows if the wind gets really bad or a window breaks. Charging up both our cell phones, Tim's MP3 player (it gets FM/AM radio on it), charging up my laptop now. Even registered with Red Cross's Safe and Well program...(look up Tim or Stacy Wheeler of Clearwater, FL for an update if things get sketchy down here...we'll do our best to lyk what's going on through that or by phone). Boiled a dozen eggs, peeled and put them in the fridge (high in protein!).....peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pasta salad, spaghetti, all in the fridge already...will cook that chicken tonight and add that to our stockpile of food. We don't have much in the way of perishables due to finances being what they are, but we'll be fine for about a week, if necessary.
I just feel like I'd be a totally irresponsible parent/person if I didn't take some precautions for our family. Tim's not worried, but is going along with my need to feel okay about riding out a storm that could get bad or end up nothing but a few rain showers and wind.
4 flashlights
18 light/glow sticks (got them for 25 cents for a pack of 6 weeks ago on clearance at WalMart....so glad we got them, now!)
Foods...veggies, fruits, tuna, noodles, beans, rice, granola bars, cereal bars, baby cereal for Ginny (has lots of the nutrition she needs and she LOVES it!), Raisin Bran and Rice Chex for eating/snacking on, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, marshmallows, fresh bananas and apples and a few veggies tucked in the fridge, fruit juice.
15 gallons of bottled water. 20 gallons of refilled 5-gal jugs with water from the tap (flushing, washing, etc). First aid kit, clothes and dishes done. Toilet paper (don't want to run out of THIS if we're without power and no one is selling anything because their computer systems are all run by, you guessed it, ELECTRICITY!. Lots of books, several board games and cards we can play...
Can you tell how anxious I am about this upcoming storm/hurricane? I've been through blizzards in NH (even drove THROUGH one and made it out alive, no worse for wear!), tornado's in OK (mere minutes before we drove through Oklahoma City the city was decimated by a tornado), tornado's in OK where we lived (Ft. Sill/Lawton) Flooding, hail, winds, rains...we've been there and one that. I've even been through hurricanes in NH and while bad, they weren't THAT bad. This is only expected to upgrade to a category 1 hurricane when it hits the Tampa Bay area so it shouldn't be more than lots of torrential rains and powerful winds. Hopefully no trees will fall near us (or on us, JUST kidding!).
So, if you don't see a new post from me within a few days, we may very well be without power and thus without internet access, obviously, but feel free to call my phone or Tim's and we'll have it with us.
So, wish us luck, folks! (and for the rest of you Floridians, KEEP SAFE!)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Ahhh, what a relaxing few days...
no demands, no pressures. Dh got some extra, and much needed, sleep. The kids have been good (aka not too much fussing!). We even indulged in a few sweets while watching the Olympics (GO USA!).
Made a great chicken dinner last night with mashed potatoes, home made gravy, corn, and carrots. Ginny ate up everything, as did dh and me, but Justin...well, some things take time. Food aversions and oral motor sensory issues are NOT good in an autistic kiddo who's already a very self-limiting (aka PICKY) eater. We're working on it, though. He HAS tried many new foods in the past few months, so I'll give him his due there. :)
Cuz got her paperwork notarized and mailed, so hopefully we'll hear from the attorney soon and get this adoption (of Ginny) done and over with. For crying out loud, Ginny will be ONE YEAR OLD in 2 days! (Aug 15th).
No passport for Tim yet, so can't continue to apply for those overseas jobs until he has that in his hand. I still can't believe that he's willing to go into a living situation where he'll be confined to a base for a year, work 60-80+ hour work weeks, 7 days a week, may have to take only cold or bottled water showers if no hot showers are available, may have to eat MRE's if no dining facility. It could be that bad, or he could be stationed somewhere "nice" like Dubai and live in a hotel for a year. (THAT would be great for Tim!).....I don't like the idea of sand and dust storms, living in 8-30 man tents, sand in EVERYTHING (including food, clothes, eyes, mouth, etc)...possible mortar attacks, random gunfire, etc. I can only hope he gets the first job he applied for because the pay is better and it may NOT be in Iraq/Afghanistan or a very "uncomfortable" place to live/work for a year. That my dh is willing do go through all that for 1-2 years (or more) to get our family financially stable and have a padded nest egg/bank account so we can get a house, well, that absolutely AWES me. Yeah, it won't be easy for this mama with 2 kids, but he'll have the worse end of the stick in the bargain, if you ask me. To be willing to do that for his family, Tim ROCKS!!!
Wow, though, no sex or lovings from my guy, just me and the two kids....I sure hope I have enough patience for that. Just me, Ginny and Justin. All day, every day. LOL Sounds scary....how in the HECK do military mamas do this? (You Amity Mama military mamas, you SO ROCK!). Homeschooling, library, pool, beach once in a while, I'll have to figure out some stuff for us to do that's easy, free or cheap, and doesn't require a lot of driving. If we're lucky my bf Jen will come and stay with us a while, if not, then well 'settle' for a visit now and again. Although I do believe Jen has her heart set on going back to NH to live/work. :<
A few days ago I realized that I "lost" my business plan for Home Sewn by Stacy...can't find it on my computer or on my memory stick thingy...so I have to start over from scratch again. :sigh: Still no word from my VA employment lady or the VA Voc Rehab guy....they're both in KY, so not sure why I'm being ignored or ??? I've been contacting them for a few months now...wondering if I should send a certified return-receipt letter for creeping out loud.
Talked to my MIL the other day....apparently Tim's Grandma (aka Mamaw) fell and banged herself up a bit...she's hurting, but is otherwise okay...something about hitting her face on the house?! Mamaw and Trena (Tim's aunt) are in TN with another of Tim's aunts (Virgie) for a bit...Mom will go to pick them up in another week and bring them back home. Mom's apparently retired so she can watch the kids (Tim's niece and nephew) full-time...they even go to school in the town she lives in, not the one they live in with their dad. I feel badly for her...I can't imagine having to retire early because your 30-something year old kid can't care for himself, never mind his two kids. :rolleyes:
Mailed some pkgs this AM and the kids and I went to the library...apparently we can check out SIX DVD's per library card....teriffic...now how do I keep J from watching movies all day long and get some school work/educational stuff done? A lady in the library asked J when he started school...J looked at me and I kindly told her we school year round because we're homeschoolers..she and another librarian looked rather pleased and the first lady pointed out some homeschool-y books for us to check out and lots of kids books they put out for sale for the Friends of the Library. :)
OH! http://www.handipoints.com Took a while to set it up, but working well so far. It's pretty much a place (free!) where you and your child can set up chores/tasks...each one worth so many handipoints and bonus points. Each of the points can be "spent" on clothes, home, furniture, etc for their cat...their virtual cat....J named his Sunny and picked a girl. (though now he wishes he had a boy cat but we don't know how to change the sex of the cat). He's "bought" movies to watch (think older cartoons...Popeye, etc), played games, interacted with other "cats" aka kids, explored his town (library, school, etc). WICKED cute!
Planning on getting him http://www.zookazoo.com membership ($6- a month) so he can get some educational stuff in as well as have fun, interact with other kids (aka virtual ZELFS)....while having fun and learning. Going to wait a while, though, to see if he sticks with the handipoints stuff for a bit to learn if he's got the attention span and understanding for it. (so far so good!).
Well, have some dishes to dry and put away, laundry to fold and hang up, and a tired babe who's getting cranky. Until next time!
Made a great chicken dinner last night with mashed potatoes, home made gravy, corn, and carrots. Ginny ate up everything, as did dh and me, but Justin...well, some things take time. Food aversions and oral motor sensory issues are NOT good in an autistic kiddo who's already a very self-limiting (aka PICKY) eater. We're working on it, though. He HAS tried many new foods in the past few months, so I'll give him his due there. :)
Cuz got her paperwork notarized and mailed, so hopefully we'll hear from the attorney soon and get this adoption (of Ginny) done and over with. For crying out loud, Ginny will be ONE YEAR OLD in 2 days! (Aug 15th).
No passport for Tim yet, so can't continue to apply for those overseas jobs until he has that in his hand. I still can't believe that he's willing to go into a living situation where he'll be confined to a base for a year, work 60-80+ hour work weeks, 7 days a week, may have to take only cold or bottled water showers if no hot showers are available, may have to eat MRE's if no dining facility. It could be that bad, or he could be stationed somewhere "nice" like Dubai and live in a hotel for a year. (THAT would be great for Tim!).....I don't like the idea of sand and dust storms, living in 8-30 man tents, sand in EVERYTHING (including food, clothes, eyes, mouth, etc)...possible mortar attacks, random gunfire, etc. I can only hope he gets the first job he applied for because the pay is better and it may NOT be in Iraq/Afghanistan or a very "uncomfortable" place to live/work for a year. That my dh is willing do go through all that for 1-2 years (or more) to get our family financially stable and have a padded nest egg/bank account so we can get a house, well, that absolutely AWES me. Yeah, it won't be easy for this mama with 2 kids, but he'll have the worse end of the stick in the bargain, if you ask me. To be willing to do that for his family, Tim ROCKS!!!
Wow, though, no sex or lovings from my guy, just me and the two kids....I sure hope I have enough patience for that. Just me, Ginny and Justin. All day, every day. LOL Sounds scary....how in the HECK do military mamas do this? (You Amity Mama military mamas, you SO ROCK!). Homeschooling, library, pool, beach once in a while, I'll have to figure out some stuff for us to do that's easy, free or cheap, and doesn't require a lot of driving. If we're lucky my bf Jen will come and stay with us a while, if not, then well 'settle' for a visit now and again. Although I do believe Jen has her heart set on going back to NH to live/work. :<
A few days ago I realized that I "lost" my business plan for Home Sewn by Stacy...can't find it on my computer or on my memory stick thingy...so I have to start over from scratch again. :sigh: Still no word from my VA employment lady or the VA Voc Rehab guy....they're both in KY, so not sure why I'm being ignored or ??? I've been contacting them for a few months now...wondering if I should send a certified return-receipt letter for creeping out loud.
Talked to my MIL the other day....apparently Tim's Grandma (aka Mamaw) fell and banged herself up a bit...she's hurting, but is otherwise okay...something about hitting her face on the house?! Mamaw and Trena (Tim's aunt) are in TN with another of Tim's aunts (Virgie) for a bit...Mom will go to pick them up in another week and bring them back home. Mom's apparently retired so she can watch the kids (Tim's niece and nephew) full-time...they even go to school in the town she lives in, not the one they live in with their dad. I feel badly for her...I can't imagine having to retire early because your 30-something year old kid can't care for himself, never mind his two kids. :rolleyes:
Mailed some pkgs this AM and the kids and I went to the library...apparently we can check out SIX DVD's per library card....teriffic...now how do I keep J from watching movies all day long and get some school work/educational stuff done? A lady in the library asked J when he started school...J looked at me and I kindly told her we school year round because we're homeschoolers..she and another librarian looked rather pleased and the first lady pointed out some homeschool-y books for us to check out and lots of kids books they put out for sale for the Friends of the Library. :)
OH! http://www.handipoints.com Took a while to set it up, but working well so far. It's pretty much a place (free!) where you and your child can set up chores/tasks...each one worth so many handipoints and bonus points. Each of the points can be "spent" on clothes, home, furniture, etc for their cat...their virtual cat....J named his Sunny and picked a girl. (though now he wishes he had a boy cat but we don't know how to change the sex of the cat). He's "bought" movies to watch (think older cartoons...Popeye, etc), played games, interacted with other "cats" aka kids, explored his town (library, school, etc). WICKED cute!
Planning on getting him http://www.zookazoo.com membership ($6- a month) so he can get some educational stuff in as well as have fun, interact with other kids (aka virtual ZELFS)....while having fun and learning. Going to wait a while, though, to see if he sticks with the handipoints stuff for a bit to learn if he's got the attention span and understanding for it. (so far so good!).
Well, have some dishes to dry and put away, laundry to fold and hang up, and a tired babe who's getting cranky. Until next time!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Hooking up with an old friend....Job Searching...
when dh was still in the Army and based in Germany, we met Winston, Alex and their kids L and L. Well, we've had contact with them on and off for years but the past two years we seem to have lost each other. Low and behold, after a lot of digging on Tim's part, we found them again! Turns out W's working in Kuwait at the moment (retired Army).
Funny how things turn out, huh? Tim's got his resume out to several companies that contract out with the DoD, and after a lot of talking, fact finding, talking with Winston, he's truly going for it. He'll probably go to Iraq or Afghanistan for the first year as he'll make more money there and we hope to pay off all our credit debt and Ginny's hospital bills in the first 3-4 months, then chip away at our student loans and be 100% debt free in under 9 months, a year at the latest, then sock away the rest for a house. In the mean time, his passport is still processing (expedited to two weeks as opposed to whatever it usually is), so as soon as he has that in hand he can literally get a job today and be gone tomorrow. So the teetering on the edge thing has me a little edgy, sad at the prospect of having my dh gone for 6+ months at a time before we see him again (Ginny's not even one...will she remember him when he comes home for a visit?!)...he plans to do this for 2 years to "set" our family's finances and create a nest egg for us, as well as pump a lot of $ into his 401K for retirement.
Thank goodness for Winston...he has lots of contacts with these companies and he and Tim have spoken at length about specifics of living over there (in Southwest Asia...aka Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi, etc) such as where he'd be living (in barracks or in the local town or in a hotel), get a company car, that he'd be able to eat regular food there (same stuff we could get in Germany as far as the PX and Commissary go), laundry, etc.
Tim'll be in the rear (support for comsec/IT/electronics maintenance/repair), so he's less likely to be in danger in Iraq and Afghanistan, though I still worry about it. I'm seriously considering looking into Dragon Skin for Tim if he goes to Iraq or Afghanistan....rather be safe than sorry. Don't know how feasible that would be, though, or if he's use it or need it.
The job Tim's currently in was pre-approved for a certain amount of a raise by a certain time or it wouldn't be worth us moving here to FL....well, they put a freeze on raises and the guy who was going to take the retirement/buy-out pkg rescinded his offer and so now Tim can't even get a raise through a promotion to a Senior position (which is a promotion as opposed to a raise, but with the promotion comes a raise).
So, we're in a holding pattern, just waiting...I suppose it's just a matter of time before he's offered a job. Tim and I have talked and talked and talked about this...despite the dangers of him over there, missing out on the kids, missing me, the freaking heat over there and sand storms, well, the money is worth it. He's the breadwinner, not me, I'd never be able to make that much money in several years of working. So, in our old-fashioned home it's dh that the duty falls to to earn the duckies and this is a way to do it that will make us debt free and have a good sized nest egg in under a year...the 2nd or 3rd years will just add to that, but we'll take it one year at a time (contracts are typically for a year).
So, if you have positive thoughts, can you send them our way for a successful job search for Tim?
Funny how things turn out, huh? Tim's got his resume out to several companies that contract out with the DoD, and after a lot of talking, fact finding, talking with Winston, he's truly going for it. He'll probably go to Iraq or Afghanistan for the first year as he'll make more money there and we hope to pay off all our credit debt and Ginny's hospital bills in the first 3-4 months, then chip away at our student loans and be 100% debt free in under 9 months, a year at the latest, then sock away the rest for a house. In the mean time, his passport is still processing (expedited to two weeks as opposed to whatever it usually is), so as soon as he has that in hand he can literally get a job today and be gone tomorrow. So the teetering on the edge thing has me a little edgy, sad at the prospect of having my dh gone for 6+ months at a time before we see him again (Ginny's not even one...will she remember him when he comes home for a visit?!)...he plans to do this for 2 years to "set" our family's finances and create a nest egg for us, as well as pump a lot of $ into his 401K for retirement.
Thank goodness for Winston...he has lots of contacts with these companies and he and Tim have spoken at length about specifics of living over there (in Southwest Asia...aka Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi, etc) such as where he'd be living (in barracks or in the local town or in a hotel), get a company car, that he'd be able to eat regular food there (same stuff we could get in Germany as far as the PX and Commissary go), laundry, etc.
Tim'll be in the rear (support for comsec/IT/electronics maintenance/repair), so he's less likely to be in danger in Iraq and Afghanistan, though I still worry about it. I'm seriously considering looking into Dragon Skin for Tim if he goes to Iraq or Afghanistan....rather be safe than sorry. Don't know how feasible that would be, though, or if he's use it or need it.
The job Tim's currently in was pre-approved for a certain amount of a raise by a certain time or it wouldn't be worth us moving here to FL....well, they put a freeze on raises and the guy who was going to take the retirement/buy-out pkg rescinded his offer and so now Tim can't even get a raise through a promotion to a Senior position (which is a promotion as opposed to a raise, but with the promotion comes a raise).
So, we're in a holding pattern, just waiting...I suppose it's just a matter of time before he's offered a job. Tim and I have talked and talked and talked about this...despite the dangers of him over there, missing out on the kids, missing me, the freaking heat over there and sand storms, well, the money is worth it. He's the breadwinner, not me, I'd never be able to make that much money in several years of working. So, in our old-fashioned home it's dh that the duty falls to to earn the duckies and this is a way to do it that will make us debt free and have a good sized nest egg in under a year...the 2nd or 3rd years will just add to that, but we'll take it one year at a time (contracts are typically for a year).
So, if you have positive thoughts, can you send them our way for a successful job search for Tim?
Friday, August 8, 2008
Friday and another Pay Day....
too bad it goes too fast! LOL
Woke up at 5:30 this morning with two more things for the grocery list. Don't you just hate when that happens?
Sold a few things on Ebay, just waiting for payments.
Busy week coming up...my mom's bday on the 9th, my auntie's on the 11th, my best buds on the 14th and of course our very own Ginny Moira Arwyn's 1st birthday on Friday the 15th.
Dog had fleas on him last week, we've been bathing him in dish detergent and it really works! The fleas rinse out deader than a door nail! Unfortunately I think there may be some in the house so we're going to figure out how to bomb the apartment while keeping the gerbils safe (aka out of the house) and taking the dog with us wherever we go (he's seriously neurotic, so he's going to be a nut wherever we take him and we can't just leave him in the truck....too hot!). So, that's my fire to put out today...what to do with the dog and gerbils while we're bombing the house. (any ideas for this cash strapped family?!)
Made Ginny some more baby bling yesterday....a few anklets and another necklace. She's so cute...she loves wearing the necklaces and she had, at one point, two anklets on each ankle and she made sounds when she walked so I knew where she was without even seeing her! LOL
Okay, so TO DO today:
1- bathe both kids.
2- mail pkg
3- Await PayPal payments
4- get groceries once said PP payments arrive
5- Finish up the laundry (one in washer, and one load ready to be washed)
6- Phone my VA lady again
7- Work with J on completing his phonics lessons (at least one today!)
8- Clean out fridge
9- Go through bucket on my desk and figure out what goes where and put it there (aka NOT on my desk!)
10-Get some reading time in with both kids
11- More floor time with Ginny (you should HEAR her laugh when I chase her! LOL)
So, that's my accountability list of things to do....so whip me with a wet noodle if I don't get them done, eh?
Until next time!
Woke up at 5:30 this morning with two more things for the grocery list. Don't you just hate when that happens?
Sold a few things on Ebay, just waiting for payments.
Busy week coming up...my mom's bday on the 9th, my auntie's on the 11th, my best buds on the 14th and of course our very own Ginny Moira Arwyn's 1st birthday on Friday the 15th.
Dog had fleas on him last week, we've been bathing him in dish detergent and it really works! The fleas rinse out deader than a door nail! Unfortunately I think there may be some in the house so we're going to figure out how to bomb the apartment while keeping the gerbils safe (aka out of the house) and taking the dog with us wherever we go (he's seriously neurotic, so he's going to be a nut wherever we take him and we can't just leave him in the truck....too hot!). So, that's my fire to put out today...what to do with the dog and gerbils while we're bombing the house. (any ideas for this cash strapped family?!)
Made Ginny some more baby bling yesterday....a few anklets and another necklace. She's so cute...she loves wearing the necklaces and she had, at one point, two anklets on each ankle and she made sounds when she walked so I knew where she was without even seeing her! LOL
Okay, so TO DO today:
1- bathe both kids.
2- mail pkg
3- Await PayPal payments
4- get groceries once said PP payments arrive
5- Finish up the laundry (one in washer, and one load ready to be washed)
6- Phone my VA lady again
7- Work with J on completing his phonics lessons (at least one today!)
8- Clean out fridge
9- Go through bucket on my desk and figure out what goes where and put it there (aka NOT on my desk!)
10-Get some reading time in with both kids
11- More floor time with Ginny (you should HEAR her laugh when I chase her! LOL)
So, that's my accountability list of things to do....so whip me with a wet noodle if I don't get them done, eh?
Until next time!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Beautiful morning at Clearwater Beach....
dolphins, schools of little fish swimming around us, low tide, but with some big waves to play in, and of course, digging a hole to China for J to jump into and bury both kids up to their tummies in sand. :)
Of course the cheery morning ended with that...Justin was whining about watching his Pokemon movie. Ginny was just super needy this afternoon and yelled half the day. As a result I allowed myself to get totally cheesed off and was ready to kill both kids. *sigh* and thinking like that only leads to guilt, and of course more frustration. How to we help Justin get through his feelings, express them without freaking out totally? And we're working with Ginny with words and signs (eat, drink, more) but so far no good....yelling and grunting is getting on my last nerve and I don't have many left today. My blood pressure must have jumped high because I got a headache before we were even home from the beach this AM.
Though I did chill out with dh while he played his PS2 game X-Men something or other, while feeding complete meals for lunch and supper, snacks, drinks, getting some dishes and laundry done, and trying to keep the house in a somewhat decent shape...aka keeping the toys in one area instead of all over the house. OUCH that Pokedex hurt when I stepped on it!
So, I'm cranky, crabby, and ready to start rolling heads if anyone even LOOKS at me wrong. (hmm...wonder if Sally is due to start soon?!) In the meantime, how the HECK am I going to be able to care for the two kids if/when Tim goes overseas for work for a year or more?! Do they have pills that make you constantly cheerful, positive and the best person/parent ever?! If so, I want them. I think they're called Jelly Belly Jelly beans. LOL Boy do I wish I had some sugar right now. Groceries are running out and we're going to have to go further into the hole to get some more fresh fruit and veggies, and milk.
I'm ready for bed, but I'm sure Tim is ready for some romance tonight since we've been waiting forever for the kids to go to bed. :grin: How do you tell the guy you love more than life that you're tired and sleeping is a higher priority than sex at the moment?! I dunno, I may change my mind once things get hot and heavy. ;)
Gnight, everyone!
Of course the cheery morning ended with that...Justin was whining about watching his Pokemon movie. Ginny was just super needy this afternoon and yelled half the day. As a result I allowed myself to get totally cheesed off and was ready to kill both kids. *sigh* and thinking like that only leads to guilt, and of course more frustration. How to we help Justin get through his feelings, express them without freaking out totally? And we're working with Ginny with words and signs (eat, drink, more) but so far no good....yelling and grunting is getting on my last nerve and I don't have many left today. My blood pressure must have jumped high because I got a headache before we were even home from the beach this AM.
Though I did chill out with dh while he played his PS2 game X-Men something or other, while feeding complete meals for lunch and supper, snacks, drinks, getting some dishes and laundry done, and trying to keep the house in a somewhat decent shape...aka keeping the toys in one area instead of all over the house. OUCH that Pokedex hurt when I stepped on it!
So, I'm cranky, crabby, and ready to start rolling heads if anyone even LOOKS at me wrong. (hmm...wonder if Sally is due to start soon?!) In the meantime, how the HECK am I going to be able to care for the two kids if/when Tim goes overseas for work for a year or more?! Do they have pills that make you constantly cheerful, positive and the best person/parent ever?! If so, I want them. I think they're called Jelly Belly Jelly beans. LOL Boy do I wish I had some sugar right now. Groceries are running out and we're going to have to go further into the hole to get some more fresh fruit and veggies, and milk.
I'm ready for bed, but I'm sure Tim is ready for some romance tonight since we've been waiting forever for the kids to go to bed. :grin: How do you tell the guy you love more than life that you're tired and sleeping is a higher priority than sex at the moment?! I dunno, I may change my mind once things get hot and heavy. ;)
Gnight, everyone!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Nice few days....
Tim's promotion/advance and raise isn't going to happen. The guy who was taking the retirement package rescinded his acceptance so Tim won't be able to get the Senior position and the promotion/raise that goes with it. :sigh: Needless to say Tim's got his resume out and has hopes that he'll find a better paying job. He's even willing to go overseas even if it means the kids and I will be left here in the states so he can get some big pay so that he can assure our bills are paid off and we're okay to buy our first home. Gotta love that man! It'll be super difficult being on my own with two kids, but military moms do it all the time, so I guess I can do it. If it weren't for Tim's Army education he wouldn't even qualify for this one job. He sent in his resume today. He applies for his passport in the AM (requirement of job) just to be sure he's ready.
Hopefully my cuz will get the paperwork signed/notarized and return it to the lawyer so we can get the adoption completed asap (preferrably BEFORE and IF Tim goes overseas for work)....going to call Auntie G. to get on her to complete it asap. It's the only thing holding us up at this point.
Tim's off today, Mon and Tues, so we have 3 days with him...planning to go to the beach early tomorrow AM. I believe we've got a few movies to watch tomorrow, as well.
So, I'm feeling as though so much is up in the air at the moment and not wanting to do much until we figure out what's what. Financially the job would ensure we're debt free, able to live comfortably and buy a house. I still can't believe he's willing to do that for us...go to Saudi or Turkey or Iraq or somewhere in SouthEast Asia to work as a contractor so he can take care of his family. I can't help but worry, though, that his head will come home to me in a box....all that they can find of him. I can't help but think of those contractors that the Iraqi's burned, hanged and then put their heads on pikes for all to see. :shudder: It's the same exact job he had in the military and he's actually looking forward to getting back to that kind of work again, the travel, and the experiences.
Oye, G's crying...gotta run!
Until next time!
Hopefully my cuz will get the paperwork signed/notarized and return it to the lawyer so we can get the adoption completed asap (preferrably BEFORE and IF Tim goes overseas for work)....going to call Auntie G. to get on her to complete it asap. It's the only thing holding us up at this point.
Tim's off today, Mon and Tues, so we have 3 days with him...planning to go to the beach early tomorrow AM. I believe we've got a few movies to watch tomorrow, as well.
So, I'm feeling as though so much is up in the air at the moment and not wanting to do much until we figure out what's what. Financially the job would ensure we're debt free, able to live comfortably and buy a house. I still can't believe he's willing to do that for us...go to Saudi or Turkey or Iraq or somewhere in SouthEast Asia to work as a contractor so he can take care of his family. I can't help but worry, though, that his head will come home to me in a box....all that they can find of him. I can't help but think of those contractors that the Iraqi's burned, hanged and then put their heads on pikes for all to see. :shudder: It's the same exact job he had in the military and he's actually looking forward to getting back to that kind of work again, the travel, and the experiences.
Oye, G's crying...gotta run!
Until next time!
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