What's new?

I can't even begin to try to update you on everything that has happened to my family in the last month and a half but I can share a few things.

I dusted off my stamps and starting making time to create a few new cards every now and then. I actually took some time to make some extra special ones to send as thank you's to everyone that really supported us with bringing the girls into our lives. Many people gave us donations of clothes and toys. Without that we financially would have had a really rough time.

Speaking of that, we may have to make the decision for my DH to quit his job to stay home and care for the girls full time. We found out yesterday that we will be losing our child care benefits from the state. This is a very scary feeling but we have come a long way and will be able to handle it. We have come through some really tough times in the last year and now we are both financially and spiritually able to take on this huge life change.

I am posting today because I am off work to go to, hopefully, the last court case for the girls. We are legal guardians now but have to go today for child support. We aren't fighting for it but the state is taking the girls mom to court to collect from her. We receive a benefit from the state for kinship care and they in turn try to collect from the parents. It's really kind of ridiculous because if someone cannot care for their children and give them up how are they ever going to be able to pay child support. This is just one more thing that will hang over her for a long time. I don't want to post too many details here but she has so many things stacked against her that it must be miserable to be in her shoes.

Anyhow, I am going to shorten this post because I have a ton of things to do around here. I have to take advantage of the few opportunities I have alone at home to straighten up without all those little feet right under mine.

Long time no see.

It seems I have been gone for a while and I really have no good reason. Another blog I read Lucy's Island made me realize this. She posted some wonderful comments about my blog and it made me feel kind of bad for not keeping my blog updated. Lucy posted about the lurkers she may have and I came out and told her that I am a faithful lurker. In fact her blog really cracksme up. She has a real way with words. Her blog is one of the first one's I check for new posts on a daily basis. So here is my official thanks to Lucy for outing me and making me feel so special.

This poses a question I often have had. I have a way of checking my stats and I know I have a few lurkers. I wonder how many of you want to out yourself. It can be kind of hard to do at first but you never know how good it may make you feel. And, if you don't want to, just know that I appreciate you taking the time to read about little old me.

Exhausting week

I am terribly exhausted and I don't know why. I have spent the last week dreading each day. Much to my surprise and happiness when I entered the office on Thursday it really wasn't Tuesday.

Have you ever had one of those days where you totally forget what day of the week it is anymore? It's kind of strange. Usually it is later in the week than I thought so it ends up better than I thought.

I don't even remember most of what has happened this week.

Wait! It's coming back.

One night we decided on pizza for dinner. I chose Little Caesar's because they have it "hot and ready". What a joke. I get there and there is about 10 people waiting for pizza. So much for "hot and ready". I decided that since I was there it would take less time to just order and wait than to go somewhere else. It took me about 25 minutes to get my 2 pizzas. The funny thing about that trip was that there is a sign carrier outside to advertise their hot and ready pizza. At one point she came in and spoke to the manager. Apparently she was being verbally abused because for some reason people didn't think waiting 25 minutes for their pizza qualified it as "hot and ready". I think the other 20 some people now in the waiting area all laughed at that one.

On a positive note, I had a great experience at Target. I had gotten a gift card from my co-workers in celebration of the finalization of the guardianship of the girls. I thought it would be best used to purchase a new set of car/booster seats so that I can pick up the girls from daycare if need be. I decided which style I wanted but there was only one on the shelf and I needed two. I picked up a customer service phone to call for assistance. They give you a message that someone will be by within 60 seconds to help. I barely had hung up the phone and someone was already coming to serve me. I told him that I need 2 of these seats and asked him to check in the back. About a minute later he rolled out a flatbed cart with one more seat on it. He told me this was the last one. The box on the shelf was pretty crushed so I asked if I could just check to make sure it was all there and no dents or dings on it. We opened the box and the seat was fine. He then walked me up to the front of the store. The lines were pretty bad so he offered to check me out himself. He then asked me to pull my car up so he could load it up for me. He tried to put a box in the backseat but it was a little too large so he told me he would just take them both out of the boxes so that they would fit and then I wouldn't have to worry about disposing of the big boxes. It doesn't seem like much but it was a great experience and not something I ofter experience around here. Customer service seems to have gone out the window where I live.

Another thing that happened this week was my husband's brakes took a crap. He suddenly started hearing a horrible grinding noise. He told me he was almost afraid to drive it. He took it in and got the repairs done the next day. The speed was nice but out pocketbook is still crying over that one.

The rest of the week was pretty ordinary except it was all very exhausting. I wish I could just sleep the whole weekend away but then we would be starting another exhausting week and I would be back to square one.

Vote for me or...

at least check out the contest.

http://www.mkeonline.com/people/blogcontest.asp

I have made serious changes to my blog since the last time I was included in the contest and I have posted a ton more content. I think if anything I should get a vote because I have the most improved blog. Wait! They don't have an entryy for most improved. Either way, check it out and vote!

Finding my niche

I am finally getting into the groove of this blog thing. I have 5 different blogs going and I am regularly updating all of them. With the exception of this one, I have been making each one about a different niche topic. These are all things I am enthusiastic about and can find lots to write about. The problem with this is finding the time to do it. I have added a daily reminder onto my Outlook calendar and set it for 9:00 everyday. This seems to be the quietest time around here since the girls are usually asleep by 9:00. The only problem is deciding which I am going to focus more of my time on each day. I am sure that once I get a routine going it will be easy to make that decision.

I don't think I can do it.

I have been absent for a few days because I have been attempting to get a few other blogs going and I have been trying to quit smoking.

I have no idea starting many many blogs but I am afraind I can't manage the smoking thing. At this point I wish I could be put into a deep sleep for about a month so that when I wake up I could be smoke free.

This has got to be one of the hardest things in the whole world to do. I have read that it is easier to quit heroin than to quit smoking. Why aren't their treatment centers to deal with this?

AAAAAAARRRRRGGGG!

Full of information

I have spent the last few days gathering as much information as possible for my weight loss and Freedom from smoking. I have posted all of this in my Healthy Ways blog.

That is the other things I have been working on. I have been transferring my blogs from Blogger to Wordpress. This has it’s advantages and disadvantages but I am giving it a try. I am keeping all posts at both for now to see which gets more hits. Although I like posting these for the sake of keeping a journal of my life I also hope that someone can benefit from the things that I post.

The last few days have been mostly me sitting in front of a computer filling my brain and spilling that information into my blogs. I hope you enjoy.

What a roller coaster ride...

I was just apologizing to a friend because I haven't been a very good friend lately. I have been so preoccupied with my own life that I haven't taken the time to have much communication with my friends. I sort of let them go by the wayside when I am riding this roller coaster called life.

This last week has been one heck of a ride. Last Thursday my hubby woke up with a pain in his hands. He said it felt like he slept on them funny. Friday he woke up and they were worse with additional pain up his arms. Saturday when he woke up he had lost a lot of strength in his hands and they were sore almost up to his shoulders and his legs were starting to ache. He headed to the Urgent Care. I was in Wisconsin Dells but he called me while he was waiting for test results. He called after he got them but was only told that most of his results were fine. The told him that his blood sugar was elevated and if his condition got worse he should go straight to the ER. He called me Sunday morning and told me I needed to take him in to the ER as soon as I got home because he had no strength in his hands. He couldn't even turn on a faucet or open a door anymore. He knew he couldn't drive himself.

I got home about 6:00 PM and we ate a little dinner and headed to the ER. My niece stayed with the girls and the plan was to take her home that night depending on what time we got home. I ended up getting home at about 3:30 AM. They ran a number of test. A lot of different doctors and nurses came in. They had him on a saline drip because some level in his blood was elevated and so was his blood sugar. After much convincing they admitted him into the hospital.

The next day he didn't get much information but there was one doctor/nurse that indicated that he would be there overnight again. He had a muscle test done. His description was that it felt like they were electrocuting him. They couldn't explain his muscle loss or why his nerves were reacting as they were. They told him he would be there another night and he apparently had an argument with the doctors because we had court the next morning. After his threat of removing his own IV they consented to giving him a day pass.

I picked him up at 7:45 AM and we headed over to children’s court. We sat for a while and weren't sure if the girls Mom would show up. By the time we were called she hadn't shown up but the last court hearing she surprised everyone and walked in as the judge was about to postpone the case. She never did show and the judge found her in default. He listened to our testimony and asked for the Guardian ad Litem's opinion. She stated she thought it was in the girls best interest if Guardianship be transferred to us permanently. The Judge agreed and we are now permanent legal guardians of both girls.

When we got back to the hospital there were 4 or 5 doctors reviewing my hubby's case and they were trying to decide on the best course of treatment. They told him the options and wanted to know what he wanted to do. One thing to do would be treat it as Diabetes related symptoms and have him follow up with doctors and get on a regimen to treat Diabetes. The other option would be a spinal tap and based on the results he could have a treatment that sounded pretty severe. My hubby decided on the less evasive treatment and is treating himself as a diabetic. This was a tough pill to swallow but we are using this as an opportunity to change our lifestyle. We are going to quit smoking and start healthy eating and exercise. With any luck he will be Diabetes free in no time at all.

Through all this there really seems to be a big stressor done in our lives. I learned to appreciate everything you have rather than dwell on what you want. I am turning to God to help pull us through whatever else comes our way. Only he can help us find the correct path to be on. That may even include a few detours such as Diabetes.

Hug your spouse. Hug you kids. Let everyone know just how much you appreciate them. And be sure you don't forget about your friends. They can life you up when you are on the downward slope.

Vacation

The girls and I are headed out today to Wisconsin Dells and the Sandy Beach Resort. We are going with Grandma, all the aunts and uncles, cousins and a few more. Uncle Richard has to work tomorrow so he gets to miss out on all the fun. He doesn't fell well anyhow so it is probably for the best.

I post more about our trip when we get back.

May you be blessed!

www.mayyoubeblessedmovie.com

Bummer of a day

Today just seemed to fall to pieces. Without revealing too much I can say that most of it was work related.

A co-worker had some issues and we had a very emotional conversation. This helped me as much as it helped her. We came out of this with a much better understanding of each other.

I was called about a job I applied for and had 2 interviews for and was told they job had been offered to someone else. It was a pleasant call because I received a lot of compliments. I am sure that they went with someone more qualified for the job and not because they didn't like me. It was a downer but I am very accepting of not getting it. Everything happens for a reason and I know my time will come.

Personally there was an issue with the girls mother that I thought would be resolved yesterday. She had to go to court but after checking on the results today I see that her court appearance was adjourned.

Nothing awful happened but the day seemed to progressively go downhill.

On an upside, I learned a lot of management skills and things I needed to work on when I was at my training last week and I put what I learned to good use. I held a meeting with my team today and I felt like a real manager and like we will make some serious progress together. I told my team that I have a renewed spirit as a manager and hope to bring the positive aspects of that to them to help them personally and professionally.

The whole day wasn't so bad but I can't wait to wake up tomorrow to get a fresh start.

Figuring things out

I am trying to keep up with life in general. Between work life and home life I don't know which end is up. I need to find a system to organize myself and try to keep track of all the things I need and want to do. I will be going about my normal business and a though will pop into my head of something I want to do and no sooner is the thought there and it suddenly disappears from my mind. Sometime later it will pop into my head and I wonder why didn't I remember it the last time.

I have tried a PDA type thing and that failed. I tried a normal calendar to carry in my purse and I keep up with updating that about once a month but that idea always seems to fail. I tried adding things into my outlook calendar at home and that never went anywhere. I even tried adding things to my work calendars. Nothing works for me. What other options do I have other than to get a brain transplant to add more memory space?

Currently I have a number of things I have to do but always remember at very inconvenient times. I am going to end up missing the opportunity to make appointments when I need them. I am going to become an outcast to my family and friends because I seem to always forget to call them even to just say hi. I almost never remember to acknowledge birthdays. I might forget my own birthday if people didn't remember it for me.

What's a girl to do?

Catching up

What's new? A lot has happened since I last posted. Nothing extra special but a lot of things that made it so there wasn't much free time.

Last weekend was my birthday. We decided to head out to the Wisconsin State Fair. We were going to have my mom watch the girls so that we could have some free time but we decided at the last minute that the girls would have a good time so we took them along. I neglected to take any pictures but they really enjoyed themselves. Their biggest moment was being able to pet a live horse. They were really excited about all the animals but I think we have 2 horse lovers on our hands. They were grossed out by seeing the cows going to the bathroom but it helped them see another side of nature. The hardest part was that my hubby got me a chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick and told me to enjoy it all myself. Try explaining that to 2 toddlers that want to eat it all themselves.

Sunday was a lazy day because I knew I wasn't going to be around much the rest of the week. I cleaned up a little in hopes that I would come home to a half way clean house.

I left for a business trip in the afternoon on Monday. My hubby had the girls in his hands for the next 3 1/2 days. He certainly had his hands full. I was away at a management training. I learned a lot and it renewed my spirit as a manager. I made some new friends and got to see the beautiful mountains in San Jose California.

I got back at about 1:00 AM and could not fall asleep until about 3:00 AM. I blame that on the time change and being wound up from the flights. I was woken up by the sounds of my hubby trying to keep the kids out of my bedroom. This was about 7:30 AM. I decided to get up and spend a few minutes with them before they headed out to daycare. After that I was wide awake so I got ready and headed to the office. This day is exactly why my spirit was shot down as a manager. I am still going to use some of the techniques I learned in my training in hopes of making things better in the future. I wanted to leave the office early to try to catch a little sleep before the kids got home but that certainly didn't happen. I got home well after they did.

Yesterday we attended the 2nd annual Katie's Kids baseball outing. My family attends a Brewer's game in honor of my grandma's favorite pasttime. She loved watching the Brewer's. This is the 2nd anniversay of her death. It's kind of a sad thing and hard to have a good time when you think about the meaning behind us being there. It seemed as though everyone had a good time but who knows what happened after we left in the 5th inning.

Today is my time to catch up on cleaning. So far I have only finished the bathroom. I started with the room I hate cleaning the most. One thing I learned is that the Clorox Bleach pen works wonders on the grout in between those tiny tiles we have on the bathroom floor. I also used a tip I learned from a cleaning show on cable. I took the shower curtain liner down and filled the bathtub with some water and poured in some laundry soap. You then stomp on the liner until all that mildew comes off. It makes it pretty easy to clean the liner. I cleaned down all the walls and the shower curtain rod. I had a shower curtain I won on an online auction sitting on a shelf for a few months. I decided it was time to whip that out. Let's see how long it takes for hubby to notice I switched it out.

ALl in all it's been a pretty busy few weeks around here. I am happy to be home but cannot wait for August to be over.

Zoo pictures

These are the better animal pictures from the zoo.

The seal waving to us.

The polar bear relaxing.

How many peacocks do you see?

A sun bathing seal.

Not a total waste

Not long after I posted this morning the rain started to slow down. At about 11:30 I called a friend from work to ask if the zoo was still on. The biggest concern I had was that our office planned for months and spent a lot of time and money on organizing this event and if no one showed it would have been a total waste. My friend said she wasn't sure what was happening but she was going to make sure there were no issues since she was one of the planners. I hemmed and hawed and finally asked my hubby (who was trying to take a nap) if we should try to go since the rain was now just a slight drizzle. We decided to go and if it started to get too bad we could always leave. We live only about 10 minutes from the zoo so it wasn't like we had to go far.

We packed up the girls and got to the zoo about 12:15. By the time we made it to the picnic area we were pretty soaked. I was surprised to see a majority of our group had shown up. We were the last ones to show. After standing in line for who knows how long to get our food, there was no place to sit under the covered seating area so we settled on a picnic table that was soaked. I figured since we were already wet it wouldn't hurt to get a little wetter. By the time we finished eating we had about a half hour to kill before we had to go to our group seating at the sea lion show. We slowly wandered our way to the show and took in a few other animals. We saw the sea lion show with front row seating and then headed out to see more animals. We decided to let our visiting niece pick what to see since she hadn't been to the zoo in a long time and we were just here a few months ago. We headed to her main choice, the Expedition Dinosaur. She loved it but the 2 younger ones were a little frightened. When we were done there we headed for the train ride to finish off our day. We didn't do a whole lot but we were still there from 2:15-4:15. The kids had a blast and we mostly enjoyed our time there.

Rain, rain...go away.

We were supposed to go to the zoo for my company summer outing. It's been raining all morning with no end in sight. You can't very well go to the zoo, which is mostly outdoor walking, with it raining outside. We have one of our other nieces with us for the weekend and all 3 girls we looking forward to the zoo. I was even looking forward to spending the day with them someplace other than our apartment. It's no fun spending the day inside. I really wish the rain would just go away. I would still take them even if it is a little wet outside but dashing from building to building when it is raining sounds like no fun at all.

America's Walk for Diabetes

I’m writing to share some good news and to ask for your help. I recently signed up to participate in America’s Walk for Diabetes, a premier walking event held to benefit the American Diabetes Association. Participants walk in locations across to country to fight diabetes and join in a healthy activity together.

As a participant in America’s Walk for Diabetes, I have accepted two important challenges. The first is to live a healthier lifestyle and to get in shape to walk the distance for diabetes. By accepting this challenge, I have also made a commitment to raise funds to support the mission of the American Diabetes Association— to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States and contributes to the deaths of more than 213,000 people each year—more than AIDS & breast cancer combined. Over 20 million men, women and children are estimated to have diabetes. Unfortunately, since diabetes can be symptomless for years, more than five million of them do not even know they have the disease. . If improperly treated or left undiagnosed, diabetes can cause serious complications including blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke or amputation. The American Diabetes Association is striving to prevent and cure diabetes through valuable research, educational activities and advocacy programs.

I think both of these goals are worthy of my best efforts and hope you will help by being one of my sponsors for the event. If you wish to donate you can go to my Walk Page to learn more.

I am proud to be a part of this worthwhile endeavor. With your support I will be able to walk to make a difference!

Keeping up

Sometimes it can be so hard to keep up with all the life events that are planned for my family. I keep a calendar but find it difficult to remember to keep it updated. If I can't remember to keep it updated then how am I supposed to remember all the events. This month is insane with all the plans I have.

Tomorrow I am going to dinner at my bosses house.
Friday my sister wants to go to dinner to celebrate my brother and siter in law's 15th anniversary.
Saturday is a 1st birthday party for my nephew.
Sunday is a day at the zoo with my company.
The following Friday I am taking my team out for a night of bowling and pizza.
Saturday is my birthday with no real plans as of yet.
Sunday my friend wants to grill out with her daughter and my girls.
Monday I leave on a business trip to San Jose.
Return late Thursday evening.
That Saturday is a family 2nd memorial Brewer's baseball game in honor of my Grandma.
The following Friday we are going to Wisconsin Dells for the weekend with all my nieces and nephews.
I am then on vacation.
The next Tuesday in another (hopefully last) court date for the girls guardianship.

This month is out of control. It appears as though my whole month is already planned for me. How is anyone supposed to get anything done?