I know....I know!

I said I would write every day. I haven't done that! I'm taking a few minutes now to catch up. :)

Both of my DD's have had birthdays. I know have DD13 and DD15! They both had friends over for the last 2 weekends. DD13 went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D and DD15 went to see Valentine's Day. They made out with money and gifts. They both got about $80 each. DD13 loves her sewing machine. DD15 loves her video camera--we got her a Vado.

With the weather changing, we're trying to walk every day. At least a mile. We did it today. We were only able to go one day last week, because of rain. It's so nice to get out, and I'm praying the pounds start dropping off with the exercise.

We want to do a 3 mile hike by June, and I'd like to lose 50 pounds before doing that...and walking every day will help condition our muscles to be ready for the long hike. It's supposed to be beautiful and warm all week, and I'm without a car. Only way to get the mail is to walk! It's a mile round trip. The hardest part is the walk home...the last part is all up hill. UGH! I hate hills. I hope it gets easier as we do it more.

Time for a shower, and then dinner needs made. We're having chicken stir fry tonight.

Looking good for the weekend

Our walk didn't turn out well...too much snow. But otherwise, things have been good.

DD12 got her big birthday gift yesterday. We got her: Singer 4205 Inspiration Sewing Machine Today, we went out for project supplies. She decided she wants to make a tote bag. $52 later....yeah, we could have bought one at Wal Mart for $10!!!! LOL AND, that's not even her first project really. I have some scrap fabric here, and some patterns, so right now she's working on an apron! She knows how to fill a bobbin, and how to thread her machine--she's a fast learner. I helped her iron the fabric for the apron, and she's washed the fabric for her tote.

So far, we've given her the sewing machine, 5 books, and I gave her a rolling suitcase/tote to hold her sewing supplies in. I was going to hold off on the rolling bag, but she really needed somewhere to store the stuff she got today, and it's perfect for her crafting supplies. 

It's hard to believe that she'll be 13 when she wakes up in the morning. 

We had a big surprise this afternoon. I saw that the girls had left the trunk lid open, so sent DD12 out to close it. Stripes appeared! Stripes is a cat we've had for a very long time. For the last year, she has wandered. We haven't seen her since July or August, and now she's just back home. She's fixed, so no worries about kittens anywhere. I think someone on the street has taken her in, and sometimes she sneaks out and comes here. She's a beautiful kitty. She doesn't look skinny, or beat up or anything. She looks very healthy. :) And she is VERY happy to see us. Rubbing all over everyone and everything, and purring like crazy.

It has been FOREVER...sorry!

Since I last wrote...I quit my job, have been working on my own business (www.custodyandsupportsolutions.com), and have started marriage counseling with hubby.

Lots of changes!

I won't try to fill in details on what you've missed, but instead I'll start with today!

I now have a workspace. Sort of. It's almost complete. Hubby and I cleared out the corner desk area in our room yesterday. I've ordered Board Dudes 18"x22" Magnetic Combo Board (15094-4) and 2010 Blue Sky Endless Summer Wall Calendar 15 x 12 for the wall to help me keep track of things, and shelves are in the works as well. Hubby has to fix the outlet there, so I can plug in the laptop, then I'm all set! Working on my bed is awful. Every day I have to clear the bed when hubby gets home, and I have no where to put my stuff, so it ends up on the floor. Now I have a place for everything, a nice window to look out of, and a set space to turn my brain onto work mode.

I didn't sleep well last night at all. Maybe got 3-4 hours. Had to take stepson to school this morning. When I got home just before 8, I grabbed some chicken and rice, set DD14 up for school work that she could do on her own, and went back to sleep. When I woke up just after noon, I felt horrible. I retain water pretty often...today it's 8 pounds of extra water. YUCK! I had a headache as well. So I sat around all afternoon...then decided to work out.

After 20 minutes on the Wii Fit, aerobic activities mainly, my headache was nearly gone, and my attitude was much brighter. Still retaining water...but that will go away probably tomorrow morning--I'll pee like crazy. I'm drinking lots of water for the rest of the day to flush it out.

With a clearer head, and better attitude, I decided that we're getting out of here tomorrow! The girls and I are going to head to a local state park in the afternoon and go for a nice walk. We have been snowed in for so long...and I'm definitely tired of looking at the inside of my house. If it goes well, we'll try to do it once a week.

Dinner tonight is going to be fried Whiting and mac & cheese...and mixed vegetables. The kids wanted the mac & cheese, but we have to have some healthy veggies, too! We've had nothing but chicken and burger for weeks, so the fish will be a nice change. And yes, baked would be healthier...but everyone else likes fried better. I don't care about how it's fixed...so long as it's not chicken! LOL

The girls' birthdays are coming quickly! D12 will turn 13 on Friday. She has big plans for her birthday. She and two friends are going to see Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. Afterward, we'll have pizza and ice cream cake from DQ, and the friends will be staying over for the night. Sounds like fun to me!

The following weekend will be D14's birthday, turning 15. She's having a sleepover as well...but no movie. She has plans with her friends to go see The Last Song in April when it debuts. Too bad it's not a month sooner. She'll have a great time anyway.

I promise I will update more often. Will try to go back to every day :) 

It's Tuesday...yay...

I'm glad that my work week is done!

Hubby has been pitching in around the house for the last couple of weeks on the days that I work. Tonight, he did dishes, cleaned our bathroom, and did laundry! He's also been working for the last 2 nights with DD14 on her science project. He did all the math...she and I will assemble it according to his calculations tomorrow, and take pictures to send to her teacher.

She is doing a flat model of the solar system to scale. 10 cm to 1 AU. An AU is an Astronomial Unit, and represents the distance from Earth to the Moon--if I remember correctly. All distances from the sun to each planet had to be converted from AU to centimeters, and scaled down. They chose to do 10 cm to 1 AU. The farthest distance is almost 4 meters...so we can't do this on the kitchen table. We'll be taking the string, gourds to represent planets, and something for the sun, down to the park tomorrow. We need to do it on the asphalt parking lot so that it will show up in the pictures. Our yard isn't going to work.

Stepson has a pulmonary funtion test in the morning. We will finally put to rest a 14 year debate over whether he does, or does not, have asthma. The ex has always said he did, however no doctor on record has ever heard him wheeze, seen him having an attack, or any sort of breathing problems at all--except when he had pneumonia once as a complication of having tubes put in his ears. She always took him to the ER the next day...or to the doctor days later, and claimed he had an asthma attack. 100% of the time it was tied to visitation by hubby or his parents...she didn't want them to see stepson. One ER visit note says "Mother's chief complaint is that she doesn't want the child to visit with his father today. "

She had the pediatrician prescribe an inhaler twice in the last year, and told us that he was to use it every 6 hours...when the doctor had actually prescribed it for "as needed" use only. It's been psycho. Now that hubby scheduled the test--after the most recent prescription for an inhaler--she says "Oh, well...he had it when he was younger. I know that for sure. He might have outgrown it now." We shall see. It's not likely we'll know anything tomorrow. But then again, maybe so.

Pet update...Lily is wagging her tail a little, but only to one side. She is lifting it some, but not straight out as she used to. There is improvement...so we're hopeful.

Snowflake has a couple of red places on him again. He may have to go get another shot when we have the money. :( The vet said if it was a food allergy, it could take 6-8 weeks to completely clear up, and it hasn't been that long yet...so we're still waiting. Making sure he eats nothing but the special allergy free food. Now

Rugs has been biting at his back, and we have no idea why. He isn't pulling out hair-yet! He has never had any sort of allergy, this is new for him. Will give him a bath tomorrow and see if that helps. It's been too cold for the last couple of weeks to give him a bath, but tomorrow it will be near 40. Even though he's inside, he is so tiny that he gets cold very easily...and he hates the blow dryer.

The stray cat is still around. I haven't seen it, but the kids and hubby saw it over the weekend. I wish it would just go away!

I guess that's about it for today. Hope everyone is having a terrific week!

Mondays are always bad

But today hasn't been too horrible! DD14 and I had a little trouble with pre-algebra, but she did eventually get back on track and complete her work. Hubby helped her get started on her science project after he got home, and she didn't complain about it at all.

DD12 spends most of her time these days in her room. She only comes out for food, it seems...three times a day. I pulled her out and took her to the post office and pharmacy this afternoon, and then again an hour or so later to make apple fritters. I bought apples a couple of weeks ago, and told her that she could make fritters, and then we forgot. She really enjoyed doing it. She mixed them, and I fried them.

DD14 on the other hand, says that she doesn't want to be in her room--she's usually sitting at the kitchen table--because she doesn't want to be all alone. LOL They truly couldn't be more different! Quick update on her meds...the Vyvanse is working great! It's a very low dose, and she is still somewhat scattered and frustrated during school work, but her mood has remained stable. I'm thankful, and hope it continues.

Stepson had his first counseling session this morning. His mother actually showed up! She doesn't usually go to counseling, and he hasn't been there since September. Hubby said it went well. Issues were brought out, and the therapist is now up to speed. Hubby would like to continue taking him once a week, but it will be a couple of weeks until the next appointment because she's booked up.

I worked again tonight. I absolutely dread working. I don't know which is worse...when someone does speak, or when they hang up. I think I do like the answering machines, though. LOL I'm going to put myself on a schedule daily, so that I can better utilize my time and accomplish something that will help me get out of that job.

Hubby is considering going back to school. If he does, I will quit. He will be gone from 6 am until 11 pm during the week, and he'll get quite a bit of extra money for going. I won't need the $8 an hour to help with anything.

Not a lot to write about today. It's going on 2 am, and I should go to bed. Can't sleep in...school work continues whether I'm tired or not. Hope tomorrow goes as smoothly as today has!

What else is new?

 Kids are crazy, and I'm broke...but I guess it could be worse!

Hubby got stepson in to his therapist, but she wouldn't see him until part of the bill for our family was paid. We've been billed for $200. I assumed she wanted at least $100, and hubby said something about $225--and again, I assumed that was the entire bill. WRONG! The entire bill is $550!!!! We've never seen a bill for $350 of that. She wants half, which is the $225.

After getting slammed with propane, and we had a huge cell bill because it's the one the girls's phones are on, with prorated charges, etc.---and they've not been giving us our 15% off discount, and we have $112 in other medical expenses to pay...we had just enough money in the bank to give the therapist $225. That means, we're broke. I think there will be about $50 in the bank when all is said and done.

It's absolutely necessary that stepson get back into therapy, so we had no choice. He's out of control, and even shoved hubby yesterday :( 

We also have nothing left in savings. Hubby used his AAFES card and bought a couple Visa gift cards to cover us with gas, and DD14 HAS to have new jeans--this weekend is 50% off at Goodwill, and I'm taking her in just a few minutes. 

On the up side, our state tax return has been processed, and we should have the money next week! Just checked on it this morning. That money is ours to spend, and although it's only $268, it's something. It makes up for what we had to pay the therapist anyway.

We have a roof over our head, meat in the freezer, and we'll get by.

Hubby and I played Wii bowling last night. We both won some and lost some, but I beat the previous high score record (also set by me), and bowled a 215 game. We also did 100 pin...and we both suck at that! LOL Hubby holds the record there of just under 1900, and the highest either of us got last night was 16something.

He just came back from getting the mail, so I need to run to Goodwill! Don't know if I'll get to update tonight or not. :) If not, for sure on Monday!

What a freakin' day!

Woke up at 7 am, so that DD14 could get bloodwork. There was about an inch to an inch and a half of snow on the ground. Hubby took her to get it done. :)

He got back, and ordered propane...the price went up tremendously! We have a lock-in price plan with Ferrell Gas. It's supposed to be $1.799 a gallon--and we thought it was for an entire year. We were wrong. It's for the minimum amount that we are required to buy per year. 600 gallons. Well, we use close to 1000 gallons a year! So we had to pay $530 instead of $380. That was a big difference--and almost my entire grocery budget. But we have to have heat. Now...waiting to see when they'll bring it. Hopefully tomorrow.

My W-2 came in the mail today, so I was able to file our taxes. All but $100 of that money is spent already--local taxes, property taxes, and DD12's braces. At least we have the money to cover what we need it for!

After all of that, hubby and I went to the commissary. I didn't buy any extras, and came out with enough food for two weeks, spending only $124.90. I bought a 4.5 pound rump roast, a 5 pound pork roast, 2 large packs of pork chops, 10 pounds of ground pork, 6 pounds of ground beef, 2 extremely large stuffing pork chops, 1 small pack of boneless pork ribs, 3 packs of chicken thighs, a large pack of boneless-skinless chicken breasts, lots of frozen veggies, some pork and beans--so I can make my yummy baked beans--10 boxes of cereal (At $1.50 a box for Hunny Bunches of Oats and Fiber One frosted shredded wheat!), some pasta, spaghetti sauce, toiler paper, 2 sugar-free syrup, brown rice, ketchup, sesame oil, shampoo, conditioner, and small jar of Brandy Butter--it's butter with brandy in it! It was 50 cents, and I've been wondering what it is since I saw it before Christmas. LOL I think we did pretty good for what we spent.

While we were out, hubby asked me if I'd like to go on a couple's bonding retreat! Talk about shocked...this is very unlike him. I agreed, and we're going to do it. It's free, sponsored by the military. Hotel is free, meals are free, counseling is free, all of the class and small group sessions are free, and they incorporate free time for us to spend together sight seeing, or just doing whatever. I think it'll be a good thing! No idea when we're going to go...and no idea what we'll do with the kids. It's a 3 day event...Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Stepson will be with his mother, but the girls...we have to figure out who they can stay with. 

We had delicious pork chops for dinner--the only way I like them. Boil in water with lots of onion, some salt, and pepper. Then remove from the water, and place on a baking sheet. Strain out the onion, and put on top of the chops. Squirt some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ on there, and bake until the BBQ sauce is set.

As always, stepson drama took place today. Hubby was just leaving to go get him...and saw that he'd called. The message said "Don't come get me until tomorrow." WTF? Hubby called him back, and said he'd be there in 25 minutes. Stepson yelled "I told you not to come and get me!" and hung up. Uh-oh...guess who just lost their phone privileges?

Hubby  called the ex, and told her either he continues to come every Thurs-Monday or it goes back to Fri-Fri. She actually backed him up, and gave the option to stepson. Stepson decided he would choose Thurs-Mon. The reason is...he's suspended from school, and home alone during the week if he's there. Here, DH and I are home. He played video games all day at his mother's today while she was at work. Some punishment there!

So, hubby tells him to hand over the phone, and he refuses. Then lies and says it's at his mother's house. So hubby calls her, and tells her that if she finds it, she needs to hold on to it until hubby can get it from her--because stepson wouldn't tell anyone where it was for her to just go get it. Hubby was extremely frustrated with his attitude.

I took charge...and butted in. I took hubby by the arm, walked up to stepson, and told him he had 1 hour to tell his dad where the phone is, or it's gone forever. I also informed him that due to his lying attitude, it's already gone for a month anyway--it's a month to month, and runs out on the 3rd anyway. 15 minutes later, the phone was in hubby's hand, and his attitude was gone.

Hubby is calling to make him a counseling appointment tomorrow.

I think we're going to play some Mario Bros. tonight, and I'm really wanting some choc. chip cookies...

Mid-week, and all sorts of things going on

Can I just say that I H-A-T-E to be woken up without knowing about it before hand? I had my alarm set for 8 am, as I knew I'd sleep in if I didn't, and DD14 needed to get caught up on some work today. I wanted an early start. At 7:45, DD12 woke me up!!!!!! I was so angry! I told her that my alarm was set for 8, and that she'd better go away pronto! I went back to sleep until 8. LOL 

If I know someone is going to wake me up, it's ok. Or if I set my alarm, it's ok. But when someone just wakes me up out of the blue, I wake up angry....and I tend to stay that way for a while, just can't shake it. I don't know why.???

My new steam mop arrived today!!! I haven't had a chance to even take it out of the box, but it's got tons of attachments, and from the outside of the box I can see that it will clean absolutely everything. I think the only thing it won't do is laundry, and us. LOL Maybe I can try it out tomorrow.

The girls' Waterpiks arrived as well, and those things are AWESOME! They have 6  attachments...there's two for rinsing, one for brushing, one for brushing under the braces, one for flossing, and even a tongue cleaner attachment. The water really shoots out. I helped DD14 with hers, and she couldn't handle it higher than a medium setting--it hurt because the pressure was too high. It's going to take some practice to learn to use it without shooting water all over the place. We were wet everywhere. LOL DD12 used hers on her own, and she really liked it as well. DD14 likes that she won't have to use toothpaste. She HATES toothpaste--any flavor, any brand, any type. We've tried them all.

The girls and I had a good day, DD14 got the rough draft for her research paper turned in. She worked on it for several hours.

I went out to get a few things---TP, A&W, and something besides turkey for dinner. LOL I guess I never turned the sound back on for my phone...or something??? But when I looked at it, I saw that hubby had called me several times, and he'd sent texts...and DD12 had sent texts. I was only gone for about 1 hour! Stepson was suspended from school today for 3 days. He is in 8th grade, and a pretty big boy. He was talking and playing around with 2 6th graders yesterday at the end of the day. The 6th grade boy playfully smacked him, and stepson punched him in the face, giving him a bloody nose.

The ex called hubby flipping out, and yelling. (as usual) She said he did it because we told him he could hit someone back if they hit him. And, she said it was all our fault, and not his fault at all. Well, he didn't tell her the entire story. Later in the day he did tell her that the conversation we had was much different--that he could defend himself if physically attacked and injured by someone. Not that he could just haul off and punch anyone who does anything. She actually called hubby back and apologized! That was a huge shocker. She said that once stepson told her the entire story, she understood better. It looks like school will be canceled tomorrow for snow, so he likely won't go back until Tuesday.

Because of that, hubby and I can't go grocery shopping on Friday. We don't leave stepson home alone with the girls as he can't be trusted. Hubby surprised me by taking tomorrow off so we can do the shopping. We want to go to the commissary, and my military ID isn't valid, so he has to go with me. But...we're supposed to get 2 inches of snow overnight and through tomorrow morning.That's really gonna make things yucky, and we may not be able to get up the driveway. Might have to take the truck...the truck gets up the driveway.

DD14 will be having her blood work in the morning-finally! Meds were taken at the right time tonight, and the lab opens at 8 am tomorrow, so we plan to be there then. Might be hubby taking her--due to snow--but it's going to get done. Let's just hope she remembers to pee in the cup when she wakes up...they gave us cups last time, because she can never do it there, and she has to have urine tests as well.

I worked on the Excel project for a while today...it frustrated me greatly, and I gave up. I don't know if it's a good idea to continue, because I don't have the time that I need to get it done. And, it's extremely frustrating to me. It's a great idea, and something that people will definitely use...but I just don't think I can do it. :( Marsha has put a lot of work into it, and says it's "fun"! LOL I don't understand that...I don't find it fun at all.

It's Tuesday

Well, sort of...Blogger will post it as Tuesday, and my day hasn't ended yet, but it's really already Wednesday :)

Today went pretty well. I took Lily to the vet. The vet has no idea what is wrong with her tail, although there is definitely something wrong. It's not broken, and it's not neurological damage of any kind. She's on aspirin for 3 days, every 12 hours, to see if that helps at all...it won't hurt. And if she's still not better by Friday, we'll put her on antibiotics. Apparently a lot of things can cause a dog to not move their tail. Intestinal upset, respiratory infection...she doesn't seem to have either of those...swollen anal glands...no problem there either. The swelling in her tail is actually completely unrelated to the non-movement. I found out today that there are glands at the top of all dogs' tails. A huge pack of glands, and sometimes they increase in size--perfectly normal. She doesn't seem to be in any pain, and the vet squeezed her tail really hard...all the way down, and also along her backbone, she didn't even flinch. The aspirin is just in case there is inflammation somewhere. We'll wait and see.

Lily was the first appointment of the day, so I made it home in plenty of time for the girls' ortho appointment. DD14 is doing well, although some of her lower brackets need to be removed and replaced at the next appointment. Nothing she did, but they didn't tell me why. They were saying something about her gums...so perhaps they are too close to the gumline? I don't have a clue. Her teeth are straightening up so nicely! I didn't realize how quickly it would happen. She hasn't had the braces on for a year yet--will be a year in May. the overbite has significantly lessened, and just in the last couple of months, a bottom tooth that was behind the others is in perfect place! I'm very happy with her progress.

DD12 will get spacers in March when they both go back. Then she will go back the following week for the anchor braces, and top brackets, and headgear! She is to wear the headgear as much as possible--pretty much any time that she isn't eating or out of the house. Most kids only wear it at night, but because she's homeschooled, she can wear it all day. The more she wears it, the quicker she'll be out of it. :) She has to have one baby tooth removed for now. The adult tooth is in, and the baby tooth just moved out of the way--it sticks straight out from her gum--instead of getting loose and coming out. We'll take care of scheduling that when she has her cleaning at the end of March. The orthodontist said it won't impede his work at all, but it does need to come out. She has another on top that has done the same thing, and it will also need out at some point. As for all theo ther baby teeth--9, we're hoping they will come out on their own. She's just now--at almost 13--getting her 12 year molars in. Her teeth were always late.

When we got home from all of that, I realized I'd forgotten to stop for more Diet A&W and toilet paper. All I wanted to do was take a nap, so I did! We can live with using paper towels until tomorrow morning. I slept for two blissful hours. Woke up at 6, mixed up some pancake batter for the family's dinner, and went to work.

When I logged in for work, I was excited, because they had me scheduled for ASI training. ASI is a program where they send out DVD's of television shows to willing participants, and then we call at a set appointment time to interview them about what they watched. I don't know a lot about it, but it seems much more exciting than what I've been doing, and I've been looking forward to it since I got hired. My excitement didn't last long, though...due to my scheduled shift time, I was bumped out of ASI training, and replaced with someone else with a compatible shift time. :-( If they'd have told me yesterday, I would have gladly changed my time to fit the schedule. I hope that I will still get to do it at some point. 

Tomorrow will be busy, although I won't be going anywhere--except a quick run for TP and get the mail. I'm going to work on my excel project tomorrow and help DD14 get caught up with school work. She falls a behind every week, and we have to take a day to catch up every week. But, I don't have to work! 

So, today sucked from beginning to end

The incident with hubby yesterday left me quite perplexed. I dared to ask him to explain what it was all about...that led to a huge argument, with nothing settled still. I've felt sick all day...way too much stress in my life. time to knuckle down and make some very important decisions about my life. Where is it going? Where do I want it to go? How can I accomplish my goals?

DD14 did much better with school work today. She started taking a new medication--Vyvanse--on Saturday. She's no longer eating us out of house and home, and can concentrate on things better. So far, overall mood hasn't been negatively affected. I hope it lasts. Ordered her a new swimsuit, so that she can go to the pool every weekend. The kids all need more exercise--especially this time of year.

DD12 had a meltdown over a paper she has to do about "Is progress good or bad?" She asked me, wanting a simple answer, a simple topic to start with...and that didn't happen, because I didn't know what she wanted. Once she was more specific, we narrowed it down to a couple of options. I'll check with her in the morning to see if she completed it.

At some point today, the girls told me that Lily's tail looked funny. I didn't think much of it, as they're always worried that something is wrong with one pet or another. Around 4:30, DD12 showed me what she was talking about. Looks like her tail is broken. Lily is our 75 pound German Shepherd/Beagle mix. She looks nothing like either a German Shepherd or a Beagle. She's just big. She is constantly wagging her tail, banging it into everything. It wasn't caught in a door, and no one pulled it...so we're sort of clueless. But, it's definitely swollen, definitely bent, and definitely feels broken. She's not able to move it. The vet will see her in the morning, couldn't get her in this evening, and in the meantime is on aspirin. Apparently dogs don't digest the enteric coating on most aspirin, and neither Rite Aid nor Family Dollar had regular uncoated aspirin. I did get one that says "lightly coated" and no where does it say that it's "enteric coated", so hopefully she was able to digest it and get some relief.

Of course I had to work this evening...so after getting the aspirin, I made some turkey noodle soup. It is sooo good. Had 1 bowl of that, then headed to the dungeon to start my shift. Worked from 7-11:40 instead of midnight tonight. I was greatful, as I was watching the clock constantly...counting the minutes from 11:00 until we were told to wrap up for the night.The job isn't difficult, just boring.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. Dog to the vet at 9:45, back home, and then the girls have orthodontist appointments at 12:30...have to be home by 11:30 to get them there on time....and the vet is 30 minutes in the opposite direction. Then I'll do some laundry, get them through their lessons, make dinner, and work again...7-12. Maybe the shift will get cut a little short again tomorrow night.

I really need to do something else with my life.

Almost forgot!!!! A couple of days ago, one of my favorite Ginsu knives broke. The blade came right out of the handle! I called today, and they are just sending me a new one! They don't even want me to send the broken one in...and didn't even ask for any proof that I own one to begin with! I was surprised. Their customer service gets an A++++++++++++++ from me!

I'm still alive!

I'm sitting in the kitchen waiting for hubby's movie to go off. He, for whatever reason, chooses to watch things that are offensive to me. It's not been a good evening!

First, I finished my shift at 9. Went straight into the shower...to find that it was barely lukewarm water. I was freezing to begin with, and wanted nothing more than a very hot shower to warm me up before bed. Hubby was the cause of this...he was running the dishwasher. Yes, I should be happy he did something domestic, but he knew I was going to take a shower at 9. The dishwasher could have waited until I was done!

So then I was wet and cold, and had no sweats or jammies to put on. I thought he was going to do some laundry...and he didn't. I put on shorts and a t-shirt, and headed to the kitchen for some leftovers. It had been about 7 hours since I last ate at that point...and the meal 7 hours earlier was it for the day. That was a waste...stuffing was gone, cranberry sauce was gone, and rolls were gone. I had a little turkey and some green beans. Yes, it's the healthy part...but dang it...I made specifically clear that there were TWO rolls for each person, and then there would be 2 left over. I only had 1...they could have at least saved me my 2nd dinner roll! And I really like a little cranberry with my turkey. *pout*

So here I sit...freezing, with wet hair, in the kitchen, waiting for laundry to get done, waiting for the dishwasher to get done so I can unhook it--so hubby doesn't have a cold shower in the morning, but...on the bright side, I'm updating my blog. :-)

Stepson is on some medication for acne. His mother gave it to hubby on Thursday--all of it, without keeping her share out, so that stepson would have to return it to school tomorrow...and that would be a huge hassle. I immediately said that I will NOT get up earlier, put on nice clothes, do my hair, etc. in order to take his meds into the school. Either his mother can meet us at the school at 7:15 am, or hubby could go to work late and deal with it himself. They chose to have his mother meet us at the school.

Well, we divided up the medication, so this doesn't happen again...and then hubby says "What if someone sees the pills in the parking lot (in the dark), and thinks you're dealing drugs?" Where the hell that came from I have no idea. But all of a sudden he doesn't want ME taking the meds. So now he's going to take stepson to school, and go to work late. It makes zero sense to me...and sounds like he wants to see the ex for some reason. I'm not asking. I'm so done with the whole mess....5 years, 4 1/2 months to go.

I do have something to look forward to! I ordered Haan MS-30 Multi-Purpose Steam Cleaner!!! It should arrive by the end of the week. Also ordered both of the girls WaterPiks--they need them with the braces. I can't wait to 1) get the floors cleaned...it's been a while, 2) clean walls and ceilings with this thing! 

And a Snowflake update...he's doing SO much better. He's been taking his pill every day like a trooper--helps that I put it in a little ball of cheese or canned food--and his skin is no longer red. He's not scratching or licking, and is much more active than he's been for weeks.

Another good thing happened today! I no longer have a box of food under my kitchen table. YAY! The small pantry cabinet has been assembled, and is in place. It looks very nice...and I let hubby know that he has a very limited amount of time to get a range hood installed, or the cabinet will warp from the steam of cooking. It's right next to the stove. We'll see how that goes...if he isn't on it in the next week or two, I'll move the cabinet out into the floor...and it will be in the way--that's how I got him moving to put it together in the first place. I took all the food out of the box, piled it on the table, threw the box outside, and told him that's where everything will remain until he moves on it! He was working on it within 5 minutes. :-)

Well, his stupid movie is over, and maybe now I can go to bed. Although I already know that I'm not going to sleep well. :-(

Yesterday

Yesterday was a mix of up and down. DD14 decided to clean her bedroom--an absolute miracle. She's been working on doing up all of her laundry ever since. She has a long way to go. I was thrilled that she wanted to clean! She never wants to clean anything, and her room is usually akin to a natural disaster site.

On the downside, my steam mop is broken. It won't even turn on :(. I don't know what I'm going to do exactly, as I refuse to go back to any type of conventional mop. They are just awful, and the steam mop is absolutely dreamy. I had this: Haan FS20-Plus 800-Watt Steam Cleaning Floor Sanitizer , and I have loved, loved, loved it. I haven't even had it for 2 years. :( It's known to be reliable, so I have no idea what went wrong.

The only thing I wished was that it would do walls and other surfaces...and guess what? They make one that does! Haan MS-30 Multi-Purpose Steam Cleaner They say it will even clean your sink...and one reviewer stated she cleaned her fridge with it. I don't know if I'll go that far with it...but to be able to wash ceilings, walls, windows, and floors with one item...and no cleaning products...and without a chair to stand on sounds like heaven to me.

Hubby says he will look at the broken one, and see if he can fix it, before I buy the new model. That translates to: It will sit in my way for 6 months until I get tired of looking at it and put it out for the trash. He didn't even glance in the direction of the steam mop last night...and I've been waiting MONTHS for him to assemble one cabinet for the kitchen--yes, my baking supplies are still in a box under the kitchen table because there is no where else for them to go. He continues to tell me he will get to it...I have my doubts. The kitchen is still surrounded by blue painters tape along the ceiling as well--I painted in November, asked him to remove the tape. I'm giving him through the weekend, and if he hasn't checked out the steam mop, I'll be ordering the new one on Monday.

The girls' lessons have been difficult this week. DD14 has 2 very big projects due...a research paper, and a timeline paper. She does not do well with these things, and is procrastinating, crying, whining, and trying everything she can think of to NOT do the work. I am looking into other options for next year's schooling. While Connections Academy is a very good school, it's too accelerated for her. In our local public schools, research papers aren't done until high school English. Prior to OCA, she'd never written more than a paragraph on any subject. For a kid who can't follow more than 1 direction at a time, and has a very short attention span, it's very difficult to pull together a research paper with note cards, source cards, cover page, intro, the paper itself, and bibliography. And...it's not just for Language Arts, it's also required for Social Studies and Science classes.

DD12 is currently working on a brochure about coal. Yes, a front and back, tri-fold brochure about coal. She couldn't get the Word template figured out, so she's going to do one by hand, and scan it in. I'm glad they gave that option. I didn't quite understand the template either. Wish they'd have allowed her to do a Powerpoint presentation--she does very well with those.

I have to wash clothes, and go get a few things for dinner. We're going to have crispy chicken cutlets with cheesy rice and broccoli casserole for dinner, and I need breadcrumbs! Have a great day!

What a start to the week.

Today was the first day of the week for me, as hubby and stepson were off of school/work yesterday, and the girls had no school work. I fell asleep sometime after 1 am last night, got up at 6 this morning, it's now midnight, and I'm still going.

I took stepson to school, bright and early. I left at 6:45, got home an hour later. All I wanted to do was crawl back into bed, but my phone reminder went off--reminding me to call the vet for Snowflake. Called just after 8, and got a 10 am appointment.

I was about an hour at the vet's office. An elderly couple brought their husky in to be put to sleep. It was a beautiful dog, but could no longer walk. I felt for them...I've been in their shoes and it's awful. Then two women came in...it's not just at Wal Mart that people dress funny. ( www.peopleofwalmart.com if you want to check it out)

Woman #1 had a cat, and was wearing all black...with a dressy wool coat, black slacks--not jeans, pink and green striped scarf, and hiking boots. She even took the time to expose her socks and pull them up--they were thick black. She pulled them up, and then folded them over...odd. There is no snow on the ground, her boots weren't muddy so she didn't appear to have walked through any. The boots were very out of place with the rest of her ensemble. But she was well dressed compared to the other woman.

Woman #2 didn't bring her pet in...left it in the car and said she would go get it when it was her turn. She was wearing a black hoodie--so worn and faded that it looked gray, with a flared, shiny black polyester mini skirt, bare legs, and black hooker boots that went almost to her knees. Of course she had very bleach blonde hair, with lots of black roots showing, and it was permed. Ohio Valley style all the way!!!

I'm not saying I was well dressed. I was in black sweat pants, a t-shirt, Skechers, and my black Army coat. But, at least my pieces went together!

The vet looked at Snowflake, and agreed it may have been the food. He got a steroid shot to stop the itching--and hopefully keep him from pulling out more hair. (He was doing better for a couple days, but started pulling out his hair again). And he has antibiotics to clear up the skin infection caused by scratching and pulling out his hair. He should be feeling better already, and the skin will clear up in a few weeks. The hair won't grow back for months, most likely. We're to keep him on the allergen-free food for 6-8 weeks, and if he's doing much better we'll keep him on it forever. If not, we can change it to something completely different again.

Made it home around 11:30 I think. Helped Jessica with some school work. Played a little Super Mario Bros. with Ashlea, and then made some chili for dinner. Ashlea was bummed because she'd done several days' worth of work ahead, and it was all for nothing. LOL Their online classes are sorted by a scheduler. The scheduler tells them what they do for each day. Last week, teachers were supposed to update the scheduler...but her homeroom teacher didn't do it until yesterday. When the scheduler is updated, it moves all of the already completed assignments out of the way, and fills the spaces for the current day and all future days with new assignments. Instead of being over a week ahead, she now shows new assignments for those days.

After dinner, I waited for hubby to get home, and then went to the basement to work. I worked 7-11 tonight. It was an interesting night. I can't talk about the surveys that I do, but I can tell you a little something. One man answered the phone and asked where I was calling from. I told him Ipsos-Reid (company name). He said "Well, my caller ID says you're calling from Quebec! You people in Quebec need to keep your calls in Quebec! Us, Albertans, are doing just fine without you. Keep your calls in Quebec!" I thought his reaction was sooo funny. Apparently, there is a huge feud between certain provinces in Canada due to discrimination between the French and the English. I found out through several calls that unlike the states...where we are all united under the United States of America, in Canada they relate more to their provinces as countries than the country as a whole. People don't care much about the rest of the country--only their direct province. It's very interesting.

A couple more funny moments...a woman answered, and I needed to ask for a male. So I did. She said--in a very angry tone--"You're out of luck! No men live here! I'm a single mother!" then gave a very odd laugh. I quickly was able to calm her, and my screen said if a male wasn't available I could survey a female, and she ended up completing the survey. :)

And I've saved the best for last. One man was giving really crackpot answers, acting like he was completely stupid...said he lived near his barns, that he shoveled shit for a living, that he completed 6th grade twice and since 6 + 6 is 12 that means he had 12 years' education. Well, I have to record his answers regardless...there are people who look through them and toss out obviously fake ones--that's not my job. After about the 5th question, he said "I'm just pulling your leg, dear. I hate telemarketers and survey people, so I do my best to pull their legs anytime they call." He was quite funny, though...and took up some time for me. lol

When my shift was over, I took a very hot shower. Glad that my headache was finally gone. I had a horrible headache for most of the day. Finally...6 ibuprophen and 4 Tyelnol knocked it most of the way out. My headaches like that are hormone related. My Depo shot wears off after 6 weeks...it's supposed to last 12--and did when I took it years ago. So when I get the first headache at 6 weeks, I take pills to supplement. Those usually end the headache within an hour or so, and I'm good for another 3-4 weeks...but then they aren't enough, and the headache comes back again when the progesterone levels drop more. It'll go away in a day or two, and I'll get my shot in a couple of weeks and be good for another 6 weeks. I'd go on Seasonique or something similar, except I'm afraid that I'd forget to take it every single day. The last thing I want at this point in my life is to be surprised. LOL!!!!!!

When I came back upstairs, I noticed that my wonderful family had not bothered to turn on the dishwasher--after I loaded it, put in the washing tablet, and ASKED hubby to turn it on when they had finished eating dinner (portable dishwasher hooks up to the sink). Nor had dinner been put away. And there were several tubes of crackers open--we had chili, and love it with Ritz crackers. The outside cats hadn't had their evening food, and Snowflake's food was spilled on the table among all the other table mess. First thing I did was clean the kitchen, do up the extra dishes, clear the table, and now the dishwasher is running. I have to stay up until it's finished--going on 12:30 am now...I've been awake for 18 1/2 hours on 5 hours' sleep!!!!! I'm tempted to go to bed before it's finished. See, when the dishwasher is hooked up all night, the hot water tank doesn't heat...I have no idea why. It's a quirky thing. The water isn't running once it finishes, but the hot water is only lukewarm in the morning. Hubby takes a shower at 5 am...would serve him right to get a cold shower for not turning it on earlier. But I'm not mean like that.

Marsha and I have decided to postpone our meeting, since I haven't had time to get the layout ready for the project. DD14 needs blood work at some point this week. I think we're going to try for tomorrow--if she took her meds late enough tonight. She needed to take them so that we can get blood work done  12 hours after. If she took them at 8, that's too early. The lab is closed on Thursday, so our next opening will be next week since she sees the doctor on Friday morning.

While I'm waiting for the dishwasher to finish, I'm going to go play some Wii. :-) Hope I can get to bed within the next hour!

The start of a new week

Once again I skipped a day. But, it was for a good cause. Today is my and hubby's 14th anniversary. Sunday, we sent the kids with MIL to see The Lovely Bones. MIL had been wanting to see it, and hubby and I needed time without kids! I hadn't had any kid-free time in weeks.

About 30 minutes after the kids left, hubby wondered if he should give me my anniversary gift early. Not only was I shocked to get a gift...but I was shocked at what he bought-Super Mario Bros!!!! It was everything I remembered from 20 years ago, and more! We played for hours--even after the kids came home. He had never played before, so there's a learning curve, but he's getting it! We played some more this afternoon.

It was wonderful to just sit, and talk, and do something together. That was the best gift of all--the time together. I absolutely loved it.

This morning, as I was carrying laundry to the washer, he presented me with a card. Again, shocked! A gift AND a card! It was the best anniversary we've had in a long time--the weekend, period, that we've had in a long time.

I finally got to work today. However, my 5 hour shift was cut to 4 hours...and then cut further to 3 1/2. But at least it was something. Every little bit will help. I work again tomorrow, after that I'm not sure. Hopefully, I can begin pulling in money from my project soon, and I won't have to worry about working that job anymore.

The kids are all getting restless. It's been in the 40's, and they're anxious for Spring to arrive. It's way too early, and I'm sure these above average temperatures will change soon enough. The yard is very squishy from the snow melt, and the field in the park has a couple of sinkholes, so they can't get out in any green areas. I told them they are all to wear boots until mid-July. lol Our yard is never dry...ever. Even when there's a drought and everyone else's grass is brown and brittle, ours stays green. We have underground springs that feed the yard. Makes it difficult mowing wet grass.

I'm not complaining, though. Because of the warmer weather, I can now leave the house! The car is fixed, the snow is melted, and I am free! I can get the mail tomorrow, and Wednesday, too! Thursday I'm planning to go visit my friend, Marsha. She is helping me tremendously with the project I'm working on, and we really need to get together so we can work side by side. Hubby is taking the day off to stay home with the girls and help them with their lessons.

In the meantime, I have to put in some serious hours so that I'm prepared when I get there! I can work tomorrow until 3--if I can stay awake--and all day Wednesday. I hope things go smoothly with the girls' lessons so I can work. Even though they are teens, they require a lot of overseeing.

The next thing I need to do, is plan a day with my sister. We haven't had a day together in years. :( We live 3 hours apart, and that makes it hard, but I'm going to make it a priority. Every time we've planned something, something else came up and plans fell through. I hope we can do it soon.

It's after midnight, and I have to get up at 6 am...stepson has to be taken to school in the morning. I'm ignoring the sink full of dishes, as that will take me another hour, and heading to bed. And, Marsha...I will continue to ignore the dishes until 3 pm tomorrow! LOL If the girls need something, they know how to wash. :)

I skipped a day!

I promised myself I would write every day, but I didn't post anything yesterday. :( Life happens I guess. I've been feeling really down, just not wanting to do anything at all. Yesterday, helped the girls with their school work, and then watched TV. Today...I laid in bed and watched TV for most of the day.

I did go to my nephew's birthday party today. It reminded me why I don't have big parties for my own kids. People are strange...and some of our family members are just downright weird. So anyway, nephew turned 4, and it was at a bowling alley. DD14 and stepson bowled several games, and had a great time. DD12 made some new friends. The most important thing is...the kids had fun. :)

The kid got so many presents, he didn't want to open them. We got him a 24 piece Cars puzzle, 2 coloring books, a helicopter and a school bus. The helicopter and school bus were bigger than matchbox size...maybe 3 times as big. Just perfect for little hands. He really liked those. I try to give fun things, and educational things, for little kids. Especially those who have everything.

We may try bowling on Wednesdays. Hubby and I are looking into getting our own shoes first. I don't like the idea of putting my feet where others' feet have been. Neither does DD12--which is why she didn't bowl. 

Tonight, we're going to watch a movie. It's either going to be Dark Mirror or Angels & Demons. Hubby is out right now getting us a rare treat--KFC. I LOVE KFC. It's the only fast food I will eat, besides McD's breakfast sandwiches, and I only have one or the other a couple of times a year. It's so unhealthy!

I hope I can sleep tonight. I haven't been able to fall asleep before 2 am for several nights...I just lay there. Maybe tonight will break the insomnia streak.

Day Six...

I don't even know what to write about today. Actually, I know what I want to write, but don't know how to word it.

My day started with my oldest, known from this point on as DD14 (Dear Daughter, 14), was yelling at me that I sleep until noon every day. First of all, it was 9 am. Second of all I rarely sleep past 8am. But, DD14 being who she is and having no concept of time, felt like it was noon. So she had a meltdown about it. It all began because my youngest, DD12, woke me up to tell me that DD14 was playing games on the computer, and she wanted to get busy with her school work. I stayed up late last night, and thought I might not wake up at the crack of dawn, so I left my laptop on the kitchen table so that they could get started whenever they wanted. DD14 said it was my fault that she was playing games because I sleep until noon. Love her logic. If she put 1/100 as much effort into looking at the clock on the computer--or the stove--or the microwave--as she did in her drama fest directed at me, she'd have known it wasn't noon. But I had to tell her the time...and then she settled down.

DD12 got her work done quickly, and DD14 only had 1 assignment...a test. They each had one live lesson as well. I figured I'd be good to go today! I could get my laptop for most of the day, and get some work done on my Excel project. I was wrong, of course.

DD14 carried continued to draw out Drama Fest most of the day. I think she finished her test around noon, and then DD12 had her lesson.  DD14 has lost use of her phone for 2 days...but she can earn it back early with extra good behavior. Even with her work done, there was drama over everything...she was bored. She wanted to bake something--which requires quite a bit of oversight on my part, she didn't want to finish her laundry--that she did yesterday and left in the washer and the dryer. On and on it went. I think she finally settled down around 5:00 this evening. Thank goodness for me!

I tried on the new bra that arrived yesterday, thanks to MIL getting the mail for me. :) But, it doesn't fit. It's waaaay too big. It was the size I ordered...and I know the girls haven't shrunk any. I was irritated to say the last. It's non-returnable. Maybe I can make something out of it! I bit the bullet and ordered one of my favorite bras. The Valmont, padded, push-up bra.I wore out three of them over the last 18 months, and couldn't bear to spend $25 plus shipping, each, for new ones. Today, I did. And every 2 weeks I will buy one until I think I have enough! It would be nice to have 2 in every color....they come in 3 colors--white, black, and fuschia.

I knew hubby was getting home early today, but had no idea when, and was waiting to hear from him all day. He works 10 hour shifts, with a 1 hour commute each way, so he's gone 12 hours a day. That's a long time--in my opinion--to not speak to your spouse. It's not like he can't contact me...he can. He just chooses not to.

The only way I knew he was home was the sound of my stepson's voice. Hubby didn't even come in...he did put a battery in my car though. And he says it's fixed. We'll see...

Anyway, when he did finally come in, he proceeds to read me about 10 text messages between himself and stepson's mother--there were more, but I cut him off. All because she didn't know if he was picking stepson up today or not. What is there to not know? He picks stepson up every single Thursday...every. single. Thursday. That has been the schedule for the last year and a half. The kid is 14 years old, not 4. I don't understand 1) Why it takes so many text messages to ask and answer a question. I'd think 2 at most...one asking, one answering, done. 2) Why any clarification was needed in the first place since it's been the same schedule for over a year--and she has a calendar with every single day that she will have stepson, and every single day that we will have stepson--and she was told that if there are any changes, he will let her know.  3) Why he can carry one an unnecessary text conversation with her, but can't find 2 seconds in his day (he said he was too busy) to ask me how I was doing...or let me know when to expect him home...or ask if I needed anything from the store since I have no way to get anywhere!

Oh, and while we are having the conversation that ensued from my lack of understanding, his phone rings. Guess who? By that time, I'm ready to spit fire, and drown myself in a bottle of Bacardi. But, dinner wasn't done yet, and the kids don't need a drunk for a mother, so I refrained...and politely left the room.

Call me petty, call me whatever...I'm sure I've been called worse, but the man will NEVER put me first in his life...never has, never will. I know it. He knows it. The Lord above knows it. And I'm damn tired of playing second fiddle to everything and anything else. Our 14th anniversary is Monday...Happy Anniversary to me.

Hubby then proceeded to sleep through dinner. He woke up after everyone had finished, and then we watched Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself. There was a message to me in that movie--and no I've not been hitting the rum...yet. lol He's asleep again, of course.

With the movie over, I cleaned up the kitchen. Was scraping the brownie remnants from the pan and cut my finger on my favorite spatula. It's not horrible...but enough that a stitch wouldn't hurt. I washed it real good, put on some antibacterial ointment--my answer to everything--and a nice bandaid. Then took a shower. As I was heading to the shower, I realized that I'd just bandaged my finger...and either had to waste the bandaid, or keep that hand out of the water. I couldn't stand the thought of wasting the bandaid, so I took a one-handed shower. Ever try to wash your hair with just one hand? How about using a pouf? It's not easy. lol Ironically, it was the same finger I sliced open with a catfood can lid a couple of years ago--that got me 5 or 6 stitches--and brought back memories, as I couldn't get it wet until the stitches came out.

One good thing did come out of this day! I watched the premiere of Carnie Wilson: Unstapled. I LOVE that show! It's on GSN (Game Show Network). It will be on every Thursday at 8 pm. It's a reality show--which I generally stay away from. The commercial for it has been drawing me in all week, so I set the DISH box to turn to it automatically. Glad I did! I'd have forgotten otherwise. I saw a lot of me in her. I'll be tuning in every week. I'll miss the first half of Dave Ramsey on Thursdays--and it's so worth it!

The stray cat is still around, but still won't let anyone close enough to it to tell if it's male or female. The other cats--and the dogs--don't like it. It's a stranger, and they know it. When it's on the porch eating, the dogs pace in front of the door wanting out. They just know when it's out there. I'm hoping that they run it off...and it finds a nice place to call home.

Geez, I have a lot to write about! It's going on 1 am...I'd better go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day. Hubby will be up to take stepson to school at 6. The girls start a new semester tomorrow, and have quite a bit of work to get done. The router is coming at some point--early if I'm lucky. And someone HAS to get groceries or we'll have no dinner. Stepson has an orthodontist appointment in the afternoon. Busy, busy day.

Day Five...

I just watched the movie American Violet. It was a very good movie, but sort of a chick flick. It was available for instant play through Netflix. At the end of the movie, it was stated that 90% of all people in prison in the US accepted plea bargains. Only 10% chose to be tried by a jury of their peers. The movie made me really think about how many innocent people have accepted plea bargains, because the alternative--a longer sentence--was unbearable for them to even consider.

My brother was sentenced today to 15 months in a federal prison. I don't know him at all. He's a half brother, and I've only seen him once in the last 10 years. And only a couple of times prior to that. He turned 20 on December 30th...in jail. He accepted a plea bargain. 15 months in prison, 2 years of supervised probation after. He may, or may not, get credit for time served. His charge was carrying a stolen firearm.

I'm not concerned that he was innocent. He was arrested with a concealed, stolen, gun on his person. He was also in the possession of drugs. I don't know what happened with the drug charge.

It's very sad to me that his life brought him to where he is today. It doesn't have to continue on the same path, but that decision is up to him. I pray for him.

While it now seems insignificant, the FedEx tracking number finally has some info. My router was shipped today--no doubt if I hadn't contacted them today, I'd still be waiting. FedEx says it will be here on Friday. I sure hope so!

My car still isn't fixed. Hubby now says he will get a new battery tomorrow. He is more concerned with getting the best price than getting it done. I'm more concerned with it getting done, and could care less about saving $10 on the battery. I've only been out of the house a handful of times since before Christmas, and it's really starting to get to me! I'm with the girls 24/7, and while they are old enough to not need constant supervision...it's still nice to get away once in a while.

I heard from my employer again today. They've canceled my shift for next Sunday, but have assured me that I will work on Monday. I sure hope so. We have a lot of things coming up, and really need the money. Braces for our youngest--my oldest and my stepson already have them, property taxes, local taxes, dog tags, and all the animals are due for annual exams and shots at the vet. I will be taking them in several at a time, as they cut me a deal on the office visit charge that way. It's been a month since I last worked!

It seems we may have been adopted by another cat. It's been staying in the straw under our shed for a couple of days. I fed it last night, but it won't come closer to me than about 5 feet. It's tame enough that I know it had a home...but doesn't know us, so it's wary. I just hope it's either male or spayed.  Lord knows we don't need any kittens--and right now can't afford to have one fixed. We have 2 un-neutered males here now that need to be taken care of...and if this one is an unaltered female, she'll have to be done first. I'm really hoping the cat is just passing through--we've had a few of those. But with warm straw to sleep in, and food to eat, I have a feeling it will hang around for a while.

Speaking of cats, Snowflake's skin is clearing up quickly! He has no more redness...it's healing. It will take a while for the hair to grow back and the scabs to go away, but we're glad we figured out it was a food allergy. His new food, Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Salmon Formula Dry Cat Food, seems to be working just fine. Since it's winter, he sleeps all day upstairs. He comes down to eat twice a day. When he came down this evening, he went right to his bag, and meowed. Didn't take him long to know that's his food. He also gets the special privilege of eating on the table. I know it's awful...but it's the only way to keep everyone else out of his food for now. At first he didn't like it...because he knows he's not allowed up there. But now he jumps right up, eats, and then goes back upstairs. He's a pretty smart kitty.

It's 1 am, and I should go to bed. Morning comes early around here. Hubby will be up in 2 hours to get ready for work. He travels a lot during the day, and once a month he takes a trip across PA. He goes in 2 hours early...and tomorrow is the day. I need to take a roast out of the freezer before I go to bed. (Note to myself. lol) I sure hope I can go grocery shopping Friday. I haven't shopped in weeks; hubby has been picking things up as we need them...but we're low on everything. We're down to 1 roast, 1 turkey, and a cooked turkey breast that I froze when I did a turkey over New Year's weekend. It's time.

Updates

Remember when I said, "That's the way my life goes" ???? Here's a bit of an update. I spent another 30 minutes on hold for support chat at Cradlepoint to find out where my router is. Remember, Monday I was told it would be here Monday or Tuesday. Of course, that didn't happen...nor did it come today.

I FINALLY got a tracking number for FedEx today. They won't tell me when it was shipped--it was supposed to be shipped as soon as they got the defective one. They got the defective one on Jan. 04. Guess what? The tracking number they gave me says "no information can be found in our system". OF COURSE! Because....everyone say it with me...."that's the way my life goes!"

My guess is, they haven't actually shipped it yet. It's in a box sitting somewhere, waiting to be picked up by FedEx. I am LIVID, and will NEVER deal with these people again. It's been 2 weeks without a router, and I was promised speedy turn around. I don't call 2+ weeks speedy!

Then I also have a gripe about UPS. I was waiting for 2 microSD cards for mine and hubby's Blackberries. I assumed they would come via USMail, as the ones I ordered for our daughters did--from the same company. Guess I was wrong...I checked on the order, and there was a tracking number. When I tracked it, UPS said that they were delivered to my CAR three hours prior.

Yes, my car...the one that's about 100 feet from my house on the street, at the bottom of the hill on which I live. I sent my youngest down to see if she can find it. They put the box in a plastic bag, and hung the bag from a windshield wiper on the street side of the car!!!! I was shocked! NEVER have they done that. I had UPS deliveries earlier this week, and they brought it up to my porch. UPS always brings it up to my porch, or if it's one of the guys who know me, they have my cell #, and I go down--or send a kid--to get it so they don't have to walk. (Their trucks will not make it up my driveway even in good weather...the last one that tried lost a mirror)

Again..."that's the way my life goes!" At least I do have the SD cards...mine stopped working a couple of weeks ago, and hubby has never had one. I lost all pictures, ringtones, etc. that was on mine :( My computer couldn't read the card either...so it just went bad. When I have some free time--yeah, right, what's free time?--I'll put some new ringtones on.

My MIL was kind enough to pick up my mail for me. So my new bra is here, and my Netflix movies! YAY! I sent youngest down the hill to get it all from her--as she got stuck 2 out of the 3 times she's tried to come up the driveway in the last week, and ended up backing down. It's awful to back down a steep hill with a curve in the middle when it's covered in snow and ice. *yikes*

Defrosting chicken for dinner. Oldest is doing laundry. Youngest is reading a book. I've got to get back to work!

Day Four...

Tuesday didn't go so well for me. I tried to make the best of it, but the odds were stacked. The router still isn't here. This makes 14 days that I've been sharing my computer with everyone in the house because we don't have a router. That makes me very crabby! The girls each have about 4-5 hours of school work to do. My youngest starts around 8am, switches off with the oldest if there is a live lesson, and tries to get done by noon. Then the oldest starts, and hopefully is finished by 4. I can do nothing on the computer in the meantime.

Spanish has been a little difficult for my oldest. It's an elective, and she's wanted to learn Spanish for as long as I can remember. Her first two grades were A's...the last 3 or 4 have been F's. Spanish is different than her other classes, as there's no active teacher doing lessons for it. It's all computer based, with not even a book. She wants to drop the course, so I contacted her intervention teacher to ask that she be dropped from Spanish. The intervention teacher found the teacher in charge of Spanish--as we had no idea there was one, and asked if we'd like to work with her on it. The answer was a resounding "no", and I told her to just drop the class. This morning, I check school email, and have a note from said Spanish teacher stating she's reset the assignments that were F's, so that they can be tried again. *sigh* That means even more work, as we have at least 3 to redo, and then 2 from this week that she didn't do because we wanted to drop the course. The semester ends Thursday. Not a lot of time to get it done in!

Then there's me...my car is dead. If I haven't stressed before how much I hate walking up and down the hill, let me say it again--I HATE WALKING UP AND DOWN THE HILL! It's too cold for the snow to melt, and I am not physically able to shovel it. Hubby didn't do it last week before he went to drill, and has no time this week to get to it. I've been holding out for warmer temperatures. Tomorrow we'll jump from low 30's to low 40's. It will then start to melt.

Anyway, the snow isn't even the point right now. I did walk down the hill yesterday...I needed to get the mail. So I bundled up, walked down, got in the car, and nothing. The battery was dead. I had to walk right back up. Called hubby, who left work early to get a new battery. Except, he didn't get a new battery. He came home about an hour early, jumped it, and said it was fine.

I have a dentist appointment today, and the girls and I have glasses and contacts ready at the eye doctor that need picked up, so he was going to take the car, and leave his truck here for me to take...just in case. When he went to work this morning, the car wouldn't start. I told him to just take the truck, and I'll reschedule my appointment--again. It was originally supposed to be last Thursday, but we got a huge snowstorm. He's supposed to bring home a battery today. I wonder if he will?

It's too cold to walk to the post office, so I guess our movies will just sit there until someone can get them. We renewed our Netflix this week, and I was looking forward to watching my movies!

I have a project going on, that will hopefully someday bring in some extra cash...since my job isn't working out. But sharing the computer with the kids is making it difficult. I was up until 1 am trying to work on it, and that's also why I got up at 6 am this morning. It's now 7, and I've accomplished nothing! I'll have to turn the computer over in about an hour, and likely won't have time to work until after hubby falls asleep tonight. Guess I should have just stayed asleep.

Wonder if tomorrow will be any better? It's not looking real good for today.

Day Three...

So far, today has been good. I thought I'd post now while I have a few minutes, don't know if I'll be able to later.

The highlight of my day was the arrival of the UPS man! He brought my new air card. *cheer* AND!!!! A box from my sister! Birthday presents! She got me an awesome new purse. It is sooo cute! I can't wait to use it. She also sent me a $50 gift card to Sephora!! I love Sephora! Last year, she gave me a gift card...and it took me until a month ago to use it. But once I got the products, I was hooked. I ordered some Philosophy products.

Let me take a minute to tell you what Philosophy products can do for your skin. I've never been one for skin care. Wash it and forget it, right? That's what most people do. However, I tried Philosophy's Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash, and instantly my skin was smooth. I mean, I didn't realize how rough my face was until it wasn't! I use it daily, and if I skip, I can tell. After I wash my face with that, I then put on Philosophy Hope in a Jar. It keeps my skin from drying out...and lasts ALL day. It seriously is worth every. single. penny. Not only does my face feel soft and smooth, but it looks smooth-less blotchy. And make-up, when I wear it, goes on very quick and easy, and looks better as well!

I signed up for Sephora's beauty club, which has given me several freebies! When I place my next order, I will be getting 3 lip glosses for FREE as my birthday present from them. In December, I got a $15 gift card, and used that as well.

Ok, commercial over...but honestly, it's GREAT stuff. :) 

So, the aircard...it works. I no longer have to tie the Blackberry to the laptop. That's a huge plus. I then contacted the router manufacturer to find out where my router is. They told me it should be here today or tomorrow. They shipped it FedEx Ground. I'm going to assume it's not coming today, because FedEx Ground usually comes in the morning to my house. It's 4 pm, and FedEx hasn't been here yet. I'm very optimistic for tomorrow, though! *crossfingers*

My foot is feeling much better today. It's a little swollen, which makes it weird to walk. But it hardly looks like anything was there at all. And the pain level has been less than 1, on a scale of 1-10. I needed to go out and check the mail. But was worried about walking down the hill to the car. I did it anyway...and survived. Then had to walk back up...and survived. It's a good thing I went, because my oldest daughter's necklace arrived. She's been waiting for this necklace since I ordered it in the first week of December. It's sort of special to her...it's a replica of the ones that the mermaids wear on the H20 series. It's not worth near what I paid for it...but the fact that I never again have to hear "Can you please, please, please get me the necklace?" or "Do you know when the necklace is coming?" is priceless! That said, I do NOT recommend anyone ordering anything from www.sterlingsilverart.com They have no customer service. They will not respond to emails, and it takes 6 weeks to get what you order.

I think I'm gonna see if my girls are up for a game of dice before I start dinner. We're having lasagna tonight!

Day Two...

I wanted to write this last night, but it didn't quite happen. I had a typical busy day.

First, I was up Saturday night until 3 am...with Rugs. He wanted out several times, due to his having eaten something he shouldn't have. Still don't know what it was...but happy to report that he's 100% better! No more table food at all for him if we can help it.

At 9 am I was awakened to the sounds of a teenage girl singing to Miley Cyrus tunes. That sure was a wonderful treat! After I threatened to take every single electronic device from her for the rest of her life, I went back to sleep. Woke up again at 10:30 in a better mood!

The husband called around noon. A rare treat, as he doesn't usually call during the day when he has drill. (He's in the Reserves, and drills 4 hours from home one weekend a month) We were able to sort out the pet food changes, and it was decided that he would bring it all home.

I put together some lunch for the girls and I. Turkey, broccoli, and cheese. I guess it was a casserole...but I hate that word. The word casserole makes me think of a glob of unknown food, thrown together with a sauce of some sort, and eaten quickly so you don't have time to think about what's in it. Ours was delicious!

After lunch, I played dice with youngest daughter, while oldest caught up on some of her live lessons. They both attend virtual school through Ohio Connections Academy. OCA requires that they attend "Live Lessons" for each class once per week. If they miss one they have to watch a recording and complete an assignment to prove that they watched the recording. We have had technical issues (sounds better than saying a fluster cluck) that have made it difficult to do everything we need to do.

Our router hasn't ever worked consistently. I finally got tired of messing with it, and asked for a replacement since it was still under warranty. That was on 12/29. I mailed the old one back to them on 12/30. I was assured that the replacement wold be sent the day they received the defective one. They received it on 1/04. Today is 1/10, and I still do not have the new one! Until it comes, we're all sharing one computer--MINE!

To make matters worse, the aircard is broken...I posted a little about that in my intro. Hubby went to get a new one, but it couldn't be done. "We'll ship it and you'll have it tomorrow," is what they said...That was the 8th. Today is the 11th...and UPS reports that it's on the truck for delivery. I sure hope so! In the meantime, we had to sign for a plan to tether my Blackberry to the computer. Of course the wonderful Verizon associate didn't give us any instructions on how to get the computer online through the phone, but after a couple of hours and some serious Googling, I figured it out. However, I'm without the use of my phone when anyone is online. *grumble* AND every now and then, it just disconnects me. Like it did just now!

The threat of disconnect made me leery of working. I work from home, and need internet access to do so. I was laid off before Christmas, but was scheduled to work 1/10. I decided I'd not call off, and muddle through the best that I could. I mean...after not working for a couple of weeks, I was looking forward to getting back to business!

That didn't happen. Not because of internet issues, but because one of those things happened that only happens to me. I was changing into some comfy sweats about 45 minutes before my shift was to begin, when it happened. I felt a prick on the bottom of my foot, like I'd stepped on a thumbtack. I looked at the floor--nothing. I looked at my foot--nothing. Took my sock off, and there it was-a splinter at least 2 inches long, embedded in the ball of my foot!

We have hardwood floors, that are 99 years old. Apparently...there was a loose splinter. I sat down with tweezers, and pulled on the end. It broke. I tried again, it broke again. I then decided I would cut it out. I had to work in 40 minutes at this point, and the splinter HAD to come out. Cutting it out turned out to be more painful than I had anticipated, and wasn't working anyway. I had no other choice but to go the hospital. This thing was huge, painful, and I wanted it out! I had to call off work. :(

How to get to the car was my next problem. I live on a hill. When it snows, the driveway is impossible in my car unless it's shoveled. My car is at the bottom of the hill...I'm at the top of the hill with a huge splinter in my foot and can barely walk.

I sent a text to hubby, who suggested I call his mother. Thankfully, she was home. I thought...it's Sunday afternoon...it won't be busy...I'll get in and back out. WRONG! They were packed. The receptionist told me that it was dead all day, but everyone came at once. Just my luck!

After waiting over an hour, I finally get called to be seen. they put me in a cubicle...and then tell me that they can't remove the splinter there, so I have to be moved. Of course this was after they told me to take off my sock and shoe. They ended up wheeling the bed into another cubicle, so I didn't have to walk. That's embarrassing. After a certain age, it's no longer fun to have someone push you around on a wheeled cart.

I got to where I was supposed to be, and they set up the splinter extraction tray. They called it a "suture tray" but since I didn't get sutures, I prefer "splinter extraction". LOL I waited for the doctor, and then someone came in and removed the tray! My tray! My only hope for the future! (Ok, that was a little over the top)

Not 2 minutes later, the doctor came in, looked all around, and threw his hands up as if to say, "Where is the tray?!" I told him it was there, but someone came and took it.

The nurse found it, and brought it back. Then the doctor was missing, so she had to find him. Finally, after an eternity, all necessary people and instruments were in place, and we got down to business.

The doctor told me, "There will be a little prick as I give you the shot to numb your foot." I've had similar shots before when I had stitches two years ago, no big deal. He gave the first injection, and the pain was astronomical. My foot jerked, and I almost kicked him in the head!

I immediately apologized, and felt just awful. That's when he decided to tell me the truth. Apparently, feet are not made to handle any pain. They are full of nerve endings, and getting a shot in the eyeball would be less painful than a shot in the foot. I told him that I've given birth completely natural twice...and I'd prefer that over what he just did to my foot. He then proceeded to do it another 4 or 5 times.

I think his next step was retaliation for my almost kicking him, but I can't be completely sure. He dug into my foot and pulled several times. Despite all of the "little pricks" he put me through, it wasn't numb just yet. I felt everything. When it finally came out, I actually yelled. In hindsight, if I'd known the pain levels...I'd have forgone the numbing and just had him dig and yank. It was far less painful!

Today, I'm hobbling around a little. It's swollen and a little sore, but otherwise I'm ok.

Hubby got in after 11. He came bearing food for the pets. They were appreciative, and gobbled it all down. I didn't have any dinner, because I'd bought steak to cook for us after he got home. He knew that...and yet stopped at McD's and was full! I waited, starving, so I could have dinner with him...and he'd already eaten. Why do men do things like that?

We then went to bed, and I was glad for the day to be over. Let's hope that today is a little less eventful.

The Crabby Housewife...Day One!

As I said in my intro, yesterday was the first day of my new year. I woke up tired after a night of very little sleep...partly due to being upset with hubby, and partly due to a dog with the runs. For those who don't know me...I have 4 dogs, 7 cats, 2 fish, and 14 hermit crabs. That's as of last count...which I took today.

I'll likely write about the dogs, cats, and kids more than anything else. Rugs is our 7.12 pound toy poodle mix. He's the one with the runs. He kept jumping off the bed needing out, then barking at me to put him back up on the bed...all night long. The last time he did this it was because he ate some generic cat food, this time I think it's too much table food. Rugs thinks he's a cat. He plays with the cats. He licks the cats. He gets overly friendly with the cats--if you know what I mean. He eats cat food. We sure fixed him...we stopped buying cat food, and all the canines and felines eat Joy Professional dog food. The cats love it. *shrug* Who am I to second guess it, right?

Wrong! It appears that Snowflake (cat) might be allergic to the food. So, we're changing him to Natural Balance cat food. It's all natural and allergen free. It's going to cost us a fortune, and we haven't figured out how to keep the other cats from eating his food, or how to keep him from eating theirs, but it has to be done. Of course, as The Disgruntled Housewife, it's up to ME to figure out how to get it done.

We haven't decided on a new food for the other 6 cats, but they did good on Purina One previously, and Snowflakes allergies weren't as severe--so if he gets into it, it won't be horrible. I think we're leaning in that direction.

One of the dogs is also having an allergy flare up, although not as severe as Snowflake...so we're changing the food for everyone. I think the dogs will like Eukanuba Naturally Wild New Zealand Venison & Potato Dry Dog Food. They see deer in the yard, and carry on like they'd like to eat one...let's see if they really DO like eating one.

After sorting out the pets, I had a nice visit from my mother-in-law! She only made it partially up the driveway, and she came bearing gifts! She brought me two indoor tulip sets. I couldn't find the ones she bought me to link to, but they are wonderful! Two rounded rectangle metal pots, and 4 tulip bulbs go in each one. I planted them, and then as the directions said, I put them in a cool, dark room in the basement where they will live for 16 weeks. On May 1, I will bring them out, and put them on the window sill above my kitchen sink. They will be perfect there! She also brought me a cinnamon candle--yummy!--Ferrero Rocher, a beautiful Friends plaque, and some Sweet Pea hand soap from Bath and Body Works. Loved it all! She stayed for a couple of hours, and played dice with me and the girls. Just before she left, I baked some M&M cookies. It was a very nice afternoon.

My mom called me later in the evening to see if I had a good birthday. We chatted for a bit, and that was nice. My youngest daughter and I played six games of dice--and she won EVERY SINGLE GAME! I couldn't catch a break no matter what. After game six, I told her I was done! We shall reconvene tomorrow after I've had some sleep!

I just realized that "tomorrow" is "today" as it's 12:30 am. I need sleep. The daiquiri I finished off about 15 minutes ago is making me sleepy. Nothing like a little Bacardi to help you sleep. *wink*

Happy New Year!

Yeah, it's a week late...but it's the thought that counts, right?

It's the first day of my new year anyway, as yesterday was my birthday. I spent a large portion of the day being upset at my husband who NEVER does anything for my birthday. I was also bummed out because I'd planned a sleepover with friends, but that didn't pan out. Then I accidentally broke the aircard for my internet access. I didn't sleep at all last night, and my dog is sick. It seemed like a complete waste.

Today, I gave a lot of thought to the good things. I woke up to see a happy birthday text from my best friend, and then she sent me the cutest Hoops and YoYo e-card! (Love Hoops and YoYo!) It made me smile...several times. (Including now, as I'm thinking of it!) My daughters made me cards that will be treasured forever, and are now hanging on the fridge. My grandma mailed me a very pretty card full of bright colors and positive words. My sister called to wish me a happy birthday, and we hadn't talked for a while. My mother in law called to wish me a happy birthday as well. I'm loved! I am grateful for all those around me who took time out of their day to let me know they were thinking about me.

Today is the first day of my 37th year. (I'm 36 for those who can't do math!) I'm feeling old, but blessed. I have a roof over my head, enough money to get by, good friends, an awesome sister, and my kids...who I love more than anything!

Now, you may be wondering why I titled this blog "The Crabby Housewife". I wanted "The Disgruntled Housewife", but that was taken! So I looked in the thesaurus, and thought "Crabby" fit well. LOL

The first paragraph of this post is how my life goes. I could have named it "The Crabby Housewife, Mother, Nurse, Therapist, Teacher, Doctor, Veterinarian, Maid, Chauffer, Chef, Stylist, Lawyer, IT Person, Personal Shopper, Accountant, Nutritionist, and Pet-sitter" but that was a little too long.

I'm a stay at home mom. I do it all, and so far have lived to tell about it. Yes, I'm crabby sometimes! I pull overtime every day, and don't even get a salary-let alone time and a half.

Now, I'll get on with my first official daily post!