I have a few minutes so I thought I would pop in and say thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers and to answer a few questions.
My mom was not sick. This was totally and completely unexpected. We don't know at this time what she died from. She died almost 5 days before my sister and stepdad had someone break into her house. When I got the call they had just gone in and found her.
They are doing an autopsy but we won't have the results for at least 6-8 weeks.
I am doing okay. I didn't have the greatest relationship with my mom but she is my mom and I love her. I am sad mostly about the way she left the earth and that no one was there with her.
Her funeral is Monday at 2 p.m. so I should be returning home on Tuesday.
My sisters and I have spent the last two days preparing for the funeral and cleaning out my mom's house. That was not a fun job for a lot of reasons. Some are too gruesome to share but let me just say I never want to have to do that again. Thankfully my sister's and I got along beautifully and we handled the situation with great maturity. That is not something many families can say. Death in the family usually brings out the ugly in people. Thankfully it didn't in ours.
I will try to post more later but most likely it won't be until I get home. I thank you so much for your continued prayers. As I read the comments I cried again. That you all are thinking of me means so much.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Update
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Really People!
Yesterday two kids had a stomache ache. Today another one is home throwing up.
We can really stop acquiring germs any day now.
Really!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Good News, Bad News
It is Monday. I am here. I survived the weekend. Barely...
I got the Tamiflu on Friday about 6 and took the first pill immediately. At that point I was taking two aleve twice a day and it was not making my body aches and head aches even SLIGHTLY better. I was ready to curl up and give in. Then sometime during the night that little pill must have started working its magic. The headache and body aches ended and just that made me feel 100% better. Today I am still coughing and have a sore throat but for the most part I feel okay. That prescription was worth its weight in gold, or the 80 bucks it cost, despite what my husband may tell you. (We haven't met our deductible for the year yet.) Just wait until he gets the flu and then I will laugh as he whines at me. Muhahahahahahahahaha!
A very good blogging friend, Thrice Blessed Momma, has unexpectedly passed away this week. Some of you may have seen the comment her cousin left on my blog. Here is part of the email she has sent me:
Helena, left us on Thursday, February 21st. But now she is with peace and her husband Andrew. She had told us that the people she had met blogging were like a family to her. Please keep Madison, Zoe, and Jonathan in your thoughts and prayers.
Doctors are unsure as to what the cause of death was at this point. They think possibly an aneurysm. Helena's husband also died a few years back and so she was raising her triplets by herself. They are five years old. I cannot imagine the pain they must be in after losing their dad and now their mom in just a few short years of each other. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. ***Update: There is more info about Helena on The Dairy Wife's Blog.***
We went to the movies yesterday (with all 7 kids) to see The Spiderwick Chronicles. It is a good movie. I really enjoyed it. The ending is a bit scary for the younger kids (half of mine had their hands over their eyes) but it was well worth going to see. I do think this is a movie we will be purchasing. I always can tell when it is a winner when the kids spend the next week or two quoting lines from the movie.
My sister is coming to visit us this weekend. I think the kids are going to burst out of their skins waiting. I get to cuddle my niece and nephew too. It makes the week ahead a little easier to face. Of course I will spend the week scrubbing the house down. Well, if I ever get off the computer that is. :)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Holy Smokes!
We were watching one of those design shows on HGTV this weekend and they had the coolest t.v. console. The t.v. slides down at the touch of a button INTO the cabinet. On the design show they had this in their bedroom. "What an awesome way to hide a t.v. in the bedroom!" I thought. So after some research online I found a page full of tv lift cabinets.
I am so totally in love with this one. A t.v. cabinet and fireplace in one! And while they are spendy, if you compare the price of a fireplace and lift cabinet alone they aren't bad. And shipping is free, which is even better.
Quiz Time
After doing some shopping this past week, I am curious as to how many of you are brand-specific when shopping.
I mentioned quite awhile ago that I almost never buy brand name anything. But note I said almost.
There are some things I am particular about. Like Kraft Ranch Dressing. It is the only one I like (well that and the one they use at Perkins but they won't tell me what that is). And I used to only buy Cascade but lately I have been buying the Walmart or Target brands with similar results. And I always buy Aquafresh toothpaste for sensitive teeth (same ingredients as sensodyne but about 2 bucks cheaper).
So it got me to thinking. What brands do you buy of the following products?
Toothpaste:
Macaroni and Cheese:
Bread:
Shampoo:
Diapers (if you buy em):
Soup:
Cereal:
Peanut Butter:
Toilet Paper:
Dishsoap/Dishwasher detergent:
Frozen vegetables:
Yogurt:
Anything else you buy a specific brand of:
To-do more
I have fallen off the exercise wagon for the last several months. I had finally gotten my motivation back when the flu hit. I would like to get back to Denise Austin in the mornings but now she only has one show on and it is on at the exact time I need to get up and get moving in the morning. So then started dreaming of an exercise room in our basement. Only our basement is icky. It would involve a lot of work to make it an exercise room. And the only exercise equipment we have is a treadmill right now. My husband dreams of the day we can buy weight benches and free weights to use.
I guess we will just have to add an exercise room on our list of things to do to the house. I don't think that list ever gets shorter. It just keeps changing as time goes on.
Spring cometh?
Today it was 45F here! It was sooooo nice. We took the kids to the park to play. While it was wet and mushy it was glorious to get out of the house, feel the sunshine, and watch the kids play and run.
While we were there we heard sirens and pretty soon the ambulance pulled up across the street from the park. The kids thought that was rather exciting until they realized nothing happens after the ambulance parks outside someone's house. :)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Thankfully
Still sick today. Thankfully I was able to get Tamiflu through my doctor. I was rather skeptical but I took it anyway. I took the first one last night about 6. Sometime during the night my body aches and headache subsided. Then this morning I took another one. I seem to be slowly getting better or at least I am not getting worse. Yesterday morning I felt icky but nothing too bad but by bedtime I was really really sick.
Hopefully by Monday I will be feeling "normal". And hopefully I will be able to eat more than soup and juice. That is probably the only good thing about having the flu. I have no need for weight loss pills. I am on the Influenza Diet. ;)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Flu Friday
It is Friday. Which means all my kids are home thanks to the 4 day week at school. Which means we could be playing games, going to town, going shopping, or any number of other FUN things.
But instead I woke up with the flu. I swear a truck came through my room last night and ran me over.
And here I was just thinking yesterday how I must have avoided this particular strain because the kids all had it for the last three weeks. They are all better now.
Never say never.
F-f-freezing
It is almost noon and I still haven't gotten in the shower.
Not because I am being lazy but because our water heater is on our power company's energy control program. That means they can shut if off whenever they need want to.
And lately they have been shutting it off from about 6:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Which isn't retarded. Not all all. Afterall who wants to shower before going to work or school?
Sure we could call and take our water heater off their program. But that would be like trying a credit card telemarketer that you DON'T want their insurance for 50.00 a month.
So instead we are going to install tankless water heaters in the bathrooms. So we get hot water when we need it. Like in the morning, when we are showering.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Help Please!
I need a good book that explains all the things a tweenage girl needs to know about her body, boys, and the birds and the bees.
We have had the discussion many times now but I would like for the girls to have a sort of "reference" book to look back at as they get older. I think it is all too much to take in in one sitting.
Any ideas?
You Make My Day!
The rules for the "You Make My Day" award, are to re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know through an email or posting to their blog so they can pass it on. You may get the award more than once, so if you do, consider yourself very loved! So pass it on!!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
MaKe My Day
Yesterday we took the kids out to dinner. We chose a chinese buffet place.
I was so nervous about going because Jack had been having a really bad day. He spent a good 2 hours total in his room screaming his head off. Gotta love those days.
But about halfway through our meal a lady who was sitting at a nearby table came over and told us we had the best behaved kids she had ever seen. (I imagine seeing 7 of them sitting nicely and eating was kind of shocking.)
That made me feel really good because we used to get those compliments before we got the boys.
It was good proof that we are making progress with the boys. And it sure made the rest of my kids feel good too.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Scream
A few of you have asked how Jack is doing.
Jack is doing....okay?.....
Since the other day when he actually laid down without screaming we have had 3 other times of actually laying down without screaming.
The rest of the time he screams. And yesterday he started kicking the wall or the side of his crib in addition to screaming his head off.
I am not sure you would call this progress. But at least we have had three good days.
Of course he is still screaming during the day. Especially on days when he feels entitled to get what ever he wants when he wants it. We are still working on that too.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Eval
Holy smokes Billy's work needs to get this for their employee's performance reviews. This year he was due for his evaluation in June. He finished the paper work and handed it in by July 1st, as requested.
But he didn't have his actual evaluation meeting until DECEMBER! 6 months is way too long to keep an employee hanging.
One goal at a time
Right now I am totally immersed in getting ourselves debt free. It seems to consume most of my energy. I would like to lose weight too but I don't seem to have enough brain power to do both at the same time.
For now I am content to watch our debt go down. As that gets easier and starts to flow I will start working more on the weight issue. One goal at a time...
Wooohoooo!
We are now the proud new owners of the GMC YUKON!
Yeeeeehaw! It is a beautiful beast of a car. We all fit in comfortably and with room for all our stuff.
Too bad the gas mileage isn't a little better.
God's timing couldn't have been better though as my van bit the dust on Wednesday night. It is going to cost 900 to fix.
Cuppa Joe
When I go to the grocery store, my favorite aisle to walk through is the coffee and bread aisle. It always smells so good. I just don't understand why coffee doesn't taste as good as it smells.
Not that it stops me from trying it over and over. After all if it smells like irish creme it should taste like irish creme right? But it never does.
I have been looking at the new coffee makers online and some of them are really nice and would look so pretty on my counter. I just need one that make hot chocolate I guess. :)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Can it be!?
Jack layed down for the first time EVER at naptime and hasn't made a sound. Usually we have 45 minutes of screaming before he falls asleep.
Although I have the little girl I babysit here today longer than usual so I layed her down for a nap and it was sooooooo funny because Jack was eating in the dining room which is right next to my room. He saw me lay her down, tuck her in, and shut the door. He stared at the door almost in shock that she wasn't screaming. I said, "Look she layed down to sleep and she isn't screaming."
Then about 20 minutes later I took him upstairs and layed him down but first I told him, "No crying. It is bedtime. You need to lay down and go to sleep." Not that I haven't told him that a gazillion times already but I keep trying. So I layed him down, tucked him in, and shut his door.
And NOTHING. He didn't make a peep.
I am astounded. Either he is doing something really naughty (thus being really quiet so I don't find out) or he is asleep.
Sad really
It is sad to me to watch our newest boys as they adapt to a normal life.
The oldest came home from preschool with his bag full of valentine's and candy. I told him he could pick three things to eat right away. You would think I offered him the moon the way he responded. So he sat at the table and tried really hard to bite a sucker. Finally he got through and looked at me with big eyes and yelled, "There is gum inside!"
We had to have a little lesson in what you were supposed to do with a sucker that has gum inside. Odd that something that should be so simple and experienced years ago is so new to a five year old.
His brother, the one year old, sits at his feet begging like our dog. Of course I stressed sharing with others and he gladly gave his brother some candy too. But he devoured it and is back to begging. I keep having to send him off to play. Sharing is one thing, giving it all away is another.
Two lessons learned with one bag of candy.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
OOOOOHHHHH!
I found a car! A 2004 GMC Yukon that seats 9 people! And it is in our price range! OOOOHHHH! I am sooooo excited.
We are going to go look at it on Saturday!
Cross your fingers and say a few prayers that if this is the vehicle for us we will get it.
Proving Myself
I came here about 10 times yesterday trying to think of something to share with all of you.
Did you want to hear about our attempt to get all 120 valentine cards signed and candied so the kids can take them to school tomorrow?
Or how I have been working on our mountain of laundry on a daily basis?
Maybe you want to hear about how Jack spent his entire day yesterday screaming in his crib because I couldn't understand what he was trying to ask me so instead of trying to tell me again he just resorted to a screaming fit?
Or maybe how Jack won't eat anything that isn't an orange/yellow/or tan color? Vegetables are the enemy you know.
I could write about how we FINALLY got a bedroom door thanks to our neighbor?
Perhaps I could tell you how amazing Mr. Bill is lately? He in in Kindergarten this year but is starting to read words on his own and they are not little words either. Yesterday he was drinking a Sprite soda and was staring very intently at the bottle. He said out loud "No caffeine." You could tell just from his tone of voice that he had suddenly figured out what it said. Now at night when I read to him he can read some of the words in the books. He amazes me.
Or maybe you want to hear about how I talked to my Dad on the phone the other day? He told me a story about when I was little and he was making cookies. There was one on the counter which he told me I could not have. He said I looked right at him and grabbed the cookie and ate it. I am still laughing at this because that is sooooooo my personality. If you tell me I can't do something, I will prove to you I can. Even if I get in trouble doing it.
Of course none of these make a great post all by themselves but I guess together they give you a good glimpse of what I have been doing so far this week.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Monday Mania
It's Monday. And the routine here is the same. Chaos, chaos, and more chaos.
Last night we took all 7 kids to the store to pick out valentine cards. And of course the candy to go with them. We walked out with 20.00 worth of cards and about 15 in candy. Crazy. I try not to be stingy with the money for holiday stuff like this because I remember all too well what it was like to be a child whose parents bought the cheapest and ugliest stuff to pass out. If I have to pay 2.50 for a box of valentine cards instead of .99 I will do it.
Today Mr. Bill went back to school after a full week off from being sick. He is still on antibiotics for the ear infection but should be feeling fine. He sure didn't like having to get up early though.
I am fighting off the usual seasonal depression since it is once again going to be below zero for the entire week. I really don't know how much more of this cold weather and lack of sunshine I can handle. On top of that I spend my days with our newest kids who aren't too fond of behaving. I am really struggling. I could use some summer sunshine today. Instead I am getting snow and cold. Blah.
Billy got to chaperone a middle school dance this weekend. Let me just say the stories he told me about what some of the kids were doing makes me wonder if sending our daughter to these dances is a good idea. Middle school kids are ummm.... very immature? To say the least.
Billy and I also attended the Home Show this weekend while a babysitter watched our kids. We happened upon a concrete stamping company. Intrigued we stopped and talked to him for bit. We wondered about a concrete driveway or patio area. The rough estimate? 5,000 dollars. Ye gads! When did dirt and glue get to be so expensive?
After the home show we went out for lunch together. Just the two of us. It was so nice. I could use more days like that.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Woody
When I hear someone talking about putting wood in a car I think of this:
For the person who has everything or for the person who likes to customize everything they own (like my daughter who has recently learned how to change my desktop wallpaper, screensaver, and cursor). They can have their own car decked out (couldn't resist the pun!) with these new wood dash kits.It is a far cry from the ugly paneling of the 80's isn't it?
Friday, February 08, 2008
Snowball
I am surprised at how surprised everyone was with my last post. I guess I didn't realize how much everyone tries to hide their debt and financial situation.
Part of paying off our debt is being honest with myself. I look at that debt every single day of every single month. It isn't going to go away and the balances are hardly budging every month. Nothing is more depressing than sitting down and looking at my bank accounts and feeling like I have not made any progress.
I decided enough was enough. It is time to take control of the situation. So I am.
It is a slow process. And sometimes very frustrating. But it just takes baby steps to get the ball rolling. I started this process in November so I am a few months in. But I cannot tell you how much those little baby steps snowball! It is incredibly motivating to see that first balance start to go down and soon to be paid off. This is the first month I have managed to pay off anything and it felt great! I can't wait to get to the next one.
In the end we will have almost 900.00 extra each month that won't be going to credit card companies, a bank, or other companies we have done business with.
If you think you can't get out of debt, think again. Just take that 2.00 you are spending on a soda out of the vending machine at work and put it on a loan instead. 2.00 doesn't seem like much but it will reduce the interest you are paying. After you are used to putting that extra 2.00 on a loan move on to somewhere else you are spending money.
I am using the plan that was recommended on Oprah's website. I pay double the minimum on one bill and pay just the minimum on the others. When that one is paid off then take that money and apply it to the next bill. For example our first cc payment was 20.00 a month. So I doubled it and paid 40.00 a month. Now that that bill is paid in full I am taking that 40.00 I was paying and applied it to the next bill. That minimum payment is 60.00 so now I am paying 100.00 to this bill each month. In the end I will be sending 350.00 as a payment to our last bill. See how the snowball grows? I have gone the extra step and am taking any little extra money we get (insurance checks, my babysitting money, etc.) and applying that to the bill we are working on as well.
It starts with one little babystep.
In another post I will talk about savings accounts...
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Pinching Pennies
It is not always an easy choice. Somedays that meal out, or that shirt, or those new rugs are way more tempting than saving the money to pay more on a bill we have.
And sometimes things that I can't control, like needing to buy 840.00 worth of propane an entire month earlier than we should have. Or when the van breaks. Or a child suddenly grows 5 inches and needs new pants asap. Those things have to be remedied immediately.
So I have learned quickly that although I have a budget and a plan, I HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE. It is hard to not get frustrated when we end up spending money on something unplanned. But if I take a step backwards and look at the big picture we are still getting out of debt. Sometimes we just have to take a small baby step backwards first.
So even though we are a few steps behind where I would have liked to be right now, I can happily say I have TWO credit cards paid off this month. One had a 200.00 balance and the other had an 800.00 balance. That is a giant leap forward! If we can keep going forward and not have any major setbacks the next one will be paid off in April. That is only 2 months from now. It currently has a balance of 1500.00.
We also put our entire income tax return onto our van loan cutting the balance in half. We now owe only 4900.00 on our van. I hope to have that paid in full in a year's time.
But I will be flexible.
(And because nothing is more motivating than sharing your goals with the internet world, I have posted our bills and their current balances over there--------> in my sidebar.)
Right Up Our Alley
My husband is a computer geek. Yes, I admit it. If you show him a catalog or webpage with computers in it he knows what all those acronyms and code words stand for. And he knows which is better. He always somehow ends up on the page with the MOST expensive computers with the biggest and best of everything.
Me? I look for how much it costs and what it can do. End of story.
So I had to laugh when I saw these PC Kits. These are right up my husband's alley. It says all you need is a screwdriver and they will ship all the parts you choose to build your own computer, literally. Now he is handy enough and educated enough that he can do this. And it could very likely be the way to get a 5000.00 computer for much less.
But seeing how we have 3 laptops and a desktop ALREADY in our house, I think I will be hiding this little webpage from him. Shhhhh! Don't tell.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Playing Favorites
The doctor was waaaay behind today and so Billy and I sat in the waiting room until 11:00 which was a good 40 minutes past our appointment time.
But it wasn't time wasted. Mr. Bill sat and told me all about his 5 year-old philosophies of life. It was funny to listen to him because you could tell parts of what he was saying were things he had learned at school and others were things he had just thought up on his own.
Finally we were taken back into the exam room and waited for the doctor. There were pictures all over the walls and he kept asking me what they were of in his nervous-chattering way. We discussed the poster that showed pictures of the inside of an ear that weren't infected and pictures of an ear that are infected. I told him his probably looked like the one that IS infected. He thought that was gross. LOL
Then he saw the squeeze bottle of gel that the doctor uses when they listen to a baby's heartbeat. He wanted to know what it was. I told him it was for pregnant mommies. He then looks at me and says, "You are pregnant." To which I violently shake my head. "Well you were pregnant with me." he responds. I nod. "And you were pregnant with all the girls. But you had them first. And I was born last."
He said this with the most accusing tone of voice I have ever heard from him. As if I had any control over what order my kids were born in. Clearly he thinks I chose to have all girls first.
And then he looks at me and says, "But you love me more!"
Tacky or Trend?
I was watching one of those "sell your house" shows the other night on t.v. and the realtor/designer gal walks into the master bedroom and gasps at what she sees hanging on the wall.
A t.v.!!!!!!!!!!!!! The horror!
Apparently it is quite a fashion disaster to hang your t.v. up now. Who knew? (Well of course unless you have a flat screen t.v.) So I was really surprised when I saw a website that sells several tv mount designs. But then they aren't a few two by fours slapped up on the wall either. They are stylish and practical all at the same time.
I prefer my t.v. on the entertainment center and one day I intend to find one with doors so I can close the whole mess up.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Heaven Help Me!
I. have. three. kids. home. sick.
T. H. R. E. E.
***Edited to add: It would appear we are passing around Influenza A. Becca, who did go to school today, said the teachers were all talking about it. We are dealing with sore throats, fever, cough, stuffy noses. Mr. Bill also coughs till he throws up but he has always been this way. He doesn't deal well with snot running down his throat.***
Giving
As the tax year wraps up I have been hearing all kinds of tips and tricks to lowering the amount of taxes we will need to pay by donating to charities.
While I know there are many charities out there that are needing help and money, I am always hesitant to give to most of them.
Then I heard about Car Angel (http://www.carangel.com/). Car Angel is a non-profit company takes cars as a donation, as well as other donations to make movies on video for kids. So far they have given away more than 2.4 million videos to children. You can see the movies they make here.
Now I live in hickville where many landowners have fields and fields of old cars. Maybe if a few of them would take a look at Car Angel and donate car, boat, r.v., or even a house. The cars don't have to be running. What a great way to clean up a yard and benefit kids.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Thanks
2. I am thankful we have finally gotten Jack's screaming under control. He seems to have figured out that we mean what we say now and that every little thing is not worth throwing a fit over.
3. I am thankful the deep freeze we were in seems to have finally passed. The temps are supposed to be in the 20's this week. That is a huge improvement over last week.
4. I am thankful that we have heat. I filled the propane tank last month for 870.00 and because it has been so cold I had to fill it again already for another 830.00. But we could pay for it and that I am very thankful for.
5. I am thankful for good friends and family who are there when things aren't going well.
Friday, February 01, 2008
And the winner is...
First off, let me just say this:
