So I am slow...

I saw Crazy Frog on the Cartoon Network for the first time today. It was hilarious and I loved his version of Axel F.

Am I the only one on the planet who has not seen this already? (Even my kids had all seen him before!) If you are slow like me, go check out the video. It is a great laugh!

Weekend Wasted

We spent the weekend taking four steps backwards in our attic remodel process. I find that to be the most frustrating part of all of this. We are hoping to get it insulated this weekend and then get the stairs in but at the rate this project is progressing, don't hold me to that.

One bit of good news came today though. The sink for our bathroom will be here in a few short days and then we can install it and FINALLY be done with a project. I will have to put the ceramic baseboards in once we get the vanity mounted where it needs to be, but that can't be done until the sink and counter arrive. That is a 30 minute project anyway so it won't take too long. I PROMISE to post a picture once we get the sink in. You will be amazed at the changes.

We lost one of our kitties this month. Kiara, our black and white cat, disappeared almost 2 weeks ago and I don't have high hopes that she will be back. She was an old and somewhat ill cat. I only hope she found her happy place.

I am about ready to start spring cleaning. The bug has bit me (since the remodeling bug sucks!) and this office is going to be the first to get hit. I feel like chaos is all around me in here and it is NOT organized chaos. I need to go buy some organizing bins. I read on another gals blog that she bought a bunch of baskets and the like at her dollar store. I must follow up on this lead.

Only 22 days until spring.... Not that I am counting or anything.... he he he

Why we eat chocolate...

Random Bits

After taking four kids to the doctor (some of them twice) in the last two months we are only 100.00 away from meeting our 600.00 deductible for the YEAR! Is that insane or what? I always know it is a rough winter if we meet our deductible before June. It is only February.

Our car estimate came back. Apparently the antifreeze is leaking and the intake manifold gaskets need replaced. This is going to run us 697.14. We are a tad skeptical of this diagnoses and will be taking the van to some other places to see if they can tell us what is wrong. Can this van get anymore expensive? Blah!

Went to Menards last night and spent the last of our tax return on plywood for the attic remodel. We are moving right along on this project, at least until it comes to mudding the drywall. LOL! The girls are already planning what they are going to do with their bedrooms. I just can't wait till it is done.

I have only missed one day on my treadmill so far this week so I am still doing really well. I wish I could say I have seen some weight loss but I haven't. So is my life. My shoulder pain has been intense this week as well but not because of the exercise. I know I need to go see the doctor about it but I really just don't want to know, ya know?

My mom has made contact with me for the first time since the end of September. She sent us all a valentine's card. Do you suppose that means I am forgiven?

I am still working on Dr. Phil's self matters book. I must say it leaves me in a funk after working on the tasks he gives. It involves thinking IN DEPTH about events in my life that I am not particularly proud of nor happy about. The idea is to view them now with maturity and wisdom on my side. It is helping me see how a somewhat insignificant event has shaped me into who I am today. It has been extremely eye-opening but sometimes painful. I just don't enjoy digging up the past. I prefer to live in the present.

Okay, I will quit now since I am sure you are all bored to death. I just am not feeling creative today. Maybe tomorrow. :)

Not my area....

Mr. Bill was walking around holding his tail today. I thought we had hit the stage where he goes around holding himself which is a huge pet peeve of mine. I politely said, "Mr. Bill do you need to go to the bathroom?" He looked at me with big tears in his eyes and said, "No my tail hurts." I felt so bad. I asked him to let me see. Rather embarrasingly, he let me look. I couldn't see anything so I suggested we put some "medicine" on it. He let me put some vaseline on and by naptime things were better.

This is NOT my area of expertise. Where the heck is his daddy at times like this?

Blah!

Had to take my van back to the dealership today as I suddenly have no heat. The air blows but blows cold! When it is -20F here in good ole South Dakota heat is important.

Please let the bill be low!

Goal Check-up

Checking in on our financial goal progress today.

1. 500.00 in savings by the years end
2. Contribute to Billy's 401K
3. Begin to payoff our revolving debt (i.e. credit cards) Get at least ONE paid off by years end
4. Eat out NO MORE than one time per week as a family.

The news is good and bad.
1. We have 167.00 as of today and 42.00 goes into savings at the beginning of each month. We are actually ahead of schedule as I should have 250.00 by June but I will have 335.00 if we stay on track.
2. We filled out the forms and started with 2%. We are not sure how this is going to impact us as they haven't started taking it out yet. If we can handle it I would like to up the percentage in the near future until we hit the max that his company will match.
3. One department store card paid off! I still have our two major cards but they are down to half their balances so we only have 2000.00 to pay off there. We have an overdraft account too that is carrying a small balance so I am going to throw that in to this goal and get it paid off first than work on our credit cards.
4. We did really good on this goal for a month or so until we got our tax return. Since then we have been eating out just about every day. I know, BAD! But once the tax money is gone (which should be in a few minutes as hubby is at Menards picking up the last of our supplies for ongoing home projects) we will go back to eating out no more than once a week.

Three out of four isn't bad right? I am feeling really good about where we are headed and we are actually able to keep money in savings this way. I have never set a dollar amount as a goal and I have found this helps me tremendously. For us eating out one meal is 30 dollars so by not eating out and adding 12 dollars we are able to set away enough to meet our savings goal each month easily.

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My other goal (treadmill) is going well. I managed to get on the treadmill for 30 minutes each day this week. Only 3 weeks to go!

It's Finally Friday!

I love Fridays. Knowing I don't have to hurry anyone along to get done what needs to be done. Knowing tomorrow the alarm won't go off and wake me from a beautiful dream. Knowing I can feed the kids pb&j for dinner and they don't care.

What do you most look forward to about the weekend?

Stuff

Last night I got a call from my neighbor who is 7.5 months preggo with a baby boy. She just had her fifth kid 18 months ago. She thought after the fifth they were done but got a surprise. To her horror, she had given away all of her baby stuff. I told her I still had Mr. Bill's although most of it would be the wrong season. I told her I would look to see what I had. As I dug through the rubbermaid boxes of baby clothes I wanted to cry. It is so final to give away my last baby's outfits and baby paraphanelia. I almost had to stop and put it all away. After cutting some emotional ties I was able to find several things that may work for her. I bagged them up and will be getting them to her tonight. I did keep a few outfits that he just looked so darn cute in for sentimental reasons. Boo hoo!

Becca is home sick today which is making my job so much easier. She threw up in the middle of the night but seems fine today. And since she is baby hungry she has been holding my little baby all day. Right now they are curled up on the couch and the baby is snoozing. Becca is loving every minute of it. Almost makes me want to have another one. Almost....

I have managed to get on the treadmill every day so far this week for a good 30 minute workout. Today I sooooo DID NOT want to get on it and even into the first 10 minutes I was debating about getting off. But I kept on running and soon enough I was in the cool down stage and feeling great that I had pulled it off yet again. I am giving myself a month to see some changes before I complain to my doctor. Hopefully I will have some results to share by March 11.

Wordisms

Overheard conversation between Cassie and Mr. Bill:

C: Mr. Bill can I play with the caterpillar toy?
B: No he is inside a racoon!
C: The racoon ate him?
B: No he went in there to sleep so he could turn into a butterfly, silly!
C: You mean he is in a CA-COON?
B: Yea, that is what I said. He is inside a racoon!

i before e except after c

Why can't we write decided like this: decideed. After all to make a word past tense you add -ed right? So why is it that just because it already has an e we don't add the whole -ed?

I remember learning in English, for 12 long years, all the rules of grammar. Several of them I couldn't tell you now even if I wanted to. For example, I have no idea where in a sentence a semi-colon is appropriate. The only time I use one is after however in a sentence. That much I remember.

Some rules have stuck with me though. Like the i before e thing. Which brings me to Megan's homework question last night: "Why are there exceptions to the rules?" Good question! Why do they make exceptions? If whoever invented these "rules" had left out the exceptions part this language would be so much easier. We would have not thought twice about seeing a word ending in e with an -ed after it now would we?

Then we could all write like this:
I have decideed to make my own grammar rules. So there!

Spring yet?

I am getting spring gardening catalogs in the mail at an alarming rate this week. Perhaps is has something to do with the fact that I ordered something from one last year and now I have "POTENTIAL CUSTOMER" written across my forhead?

I am not sure but looking at the pictures of colorful flowers in the sunshine is making me very eager for spring. I have so much to plant and so much time to wait.

Run, Run, Run!

I picked up my treadmill today at Wally World and tested it out once we got it assembled.

In 30 minutes I did:
1.733 miles
269 calories burned
3,664 steps taken

I am feeling the burn! The funny thing is, I was trucking right along thinking, "This is easy! I can do this for 30 minutes." Then I look at the timer and I am only 4 minutes into the program. OY! I kept it up though. Each time the treadmill upped the incline I felt the burn but kept on going. Then when it upped the speed I ran or power walked. And in the end I DID IT! And the best part?

My shoulder doesn't hurt from exercising.

Tomorrow I will do it again!

A normal day please...

Today is Marea's Birthday. With my other kids I would be popping in here to sing happy birthday to them and I would be happy myself.

With Marea, it is a whole different story. Since she came to live with us holidays, birthdays, and any other major days have become a dreaded event. Marea has issues due to RAD and they rear their ugly head on these days. I don't tell her about her birthday until the night before (thank goodness she can't tell the days yet) and even then I think I tell her too early. She is soooo selfish and mean when she thinks the world should be dancing around her every whim. I can only imagine what her teacher is going through right now.

The good news is that it is getting better. Every year the trauma is a little less and the meanness slows somewhat. I am hoping by the time she knows her birthday is coming she will have learned how to control this side of her a little more.

So until then,
HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY MAREA!

Round 4693???

Made a run to the doctor's office again this morning. Mr. Bill woke up holding his right ear and crying because it hurt so bad. I called the doc and got him in again. Once we got there she said everything looked good except that ear. (Well as good as can be expected with RSV). He doesn't have pnuemonia thank heavens.

His fever seems to have subsided for now. I gave him the albuterol last night for the first time and he went wild. I mean it was like he was on drugs. He ran around in circles and kept saying, "I LIKE THAT MEDICINE!" and then he finally sat down on my lap and for some reason had his hands up in the air. He looked at them both and said, "Would someone please put my hands down?" Billy and I about died laughing. Then Mr. Bill crashed and was out like a light until about 2 a.m. This medicine could be a good thing eh?

This new doc recommended some nasal spray as well since he also woke up with a bloody nose and told me to get the humidifier running too. Soon, I will be as well equipped as the hospital.

RSV SUCKS!

Mr. Bill is really down. Monday after running him to the doc he just seemed to get worse and worse. The doc basically boiled her diagnosis down to RSV after running a flu test, doing chest x-rays (four times because the tech couldn't get the correct angle!) and a blood draw. He only cried during the flu test when they stuck a q-tip up his nose. I think I would even cry at that. Poor guy.

This afternoon he woke up and seems to be a tad perkier and his fever is almost gone, I hope. The nights are worse than the days so sleep has not been abundant for me or him. He is back in our bed for now as I am too paranoid to send him to his bed and he is too miserable.

I hope this is over soon.

Campaign for REAL Beauty

I applaud Dove. I have been a faithful user of dove products for well over 12 years (since my dermatologist recommended it for my acne).

Their new campaign is something we should all be standing up and cheering about. It is about time a company put their foot down and stopped showing 6 foot models who barely weigh 100 pounds using their products.

Face it, only 2% of the population actually looks like that so why is all advertising aimed at them? Isn't that rather ineffective advertising? Yup, I thought so.

I really hope everyone jumps up to support this company and its idea so other companies follow suit. Our kids deserve to like themselves for who they are, not for who hollywood says they should be. Right? RIGHT!

Go Dove!

Sneaking in....

I am sneaking in early today whilst my youngest snoozes, or rather sleeps fitfully. I don't have the baby today since Saturday afternoon Mr. Bill got sick. He started talking like a frog and just a few hours later he had a horrible barking cough and a fever. His eyes are all swollen and red and now he has a runny nose too. I am running him in to the doc today to see if there is anything we can do for him. I am guessing they are going to tell me it is all viral but we shall see. Cassie got to run to the doctor on Saturday too. She came home after school on Friday just bawling because her ear hurt really bad. Turns out she had an ear infection and was headed for a sinus infection as well. Megan is feeling better at least. Is it summer yet?

Oh, and someone's birthday is coming soon. Don't forget! :)

OMG!

Where do the days go!? I just logged in and saw my last post was from Tuesday! I am depriving you all of my wonderful tidbits aren't I? I am so sorry! ;)

Billy is off at his Uncle's funeral today. It seems like his family is just leaving us left and right. Since we have been married (almost 13 years) we have been to over 10 funerals. Yikes.

Megan is home sick today. I got 'the call' at noon that she had thrown up at school. Every kids worst nightmare. Of course now that she is home she is fine. Go figure.

This weekend we have tons of home improvement stuff to get to. We are putting closet doors in the upstairs bath that will hide the washer and dryer. We have the downstairs bathroom baseboards to put in and we need to go buy the sink for the bath as well. I don't think we will get to sit at all this weekend.

Sorry I have nothing insightful or funny to share today. I am just on the run.....