Camera Catch Up

Eric started 2nd grade, August 19.

Sean started Kindergarten, August 24.

Sean turned 6. His birthday was September 25, but we had to wait a few days to celebrate. Yes, that is a Sham Wow behind the Legos. He was just as excited about getting that as he was the Legos.

Finally!

Eric finally lost his first tooth yeasterday!

Cough Medicine

Sean informed me today that cough medicine tastes like a dead spider.

A Story By Eric

Eric wrote this story a few weeks ago as part of a homework assignment. I just didn't get around to posting it until now.

"Once upon a time there was a jedi knight named Eric Crumpley. One day he had to face the evil Darth Mola Ram. Darth Mola Ram made Eric do his math homework. Eric just said "No!" and light saber dueled him. Eric choped Darth Mola Ram's arms off. Then, Eric made Darth Mola Ram do Eric's math homework for him! The End."

Again, I spelled everything the way he did and gave it the same punctuation (other than the quotes I put around the story itself).

"I Don't Like Recess"

I know. No one has ever heard a kid actually say that they don't like recess. Well, almost no one that is...

Sean doesn't like recess. He would rather just stay in the classroom and do work. I know that this is his first experience with school, but Eric liked recess from day one. Most kids do.

Yesterday, at parent-teacher conferences, the teacher told us that Sean is doing very well in school and is one of the few kindergartners that can read. She went through all of his scores from before school started and told us the things that he has already improved on. She then went on to her only concern with our sweet boy. He doesn't like recess. Most days he just sits next to the door and waits for her to come get them. One day she felt so sorry for him that she went out and asked him to help her make copies (he told me all about that the same day).

Yesterday, knowing that kids who don't finish their work have to stay in until it is done, Sean raised his hand when she told the class it was time for recess and informed her that he wasn't going to be able to go to recess because he hadn't finished the last line on his paper yet. She informed him that he would go to recess anyway. He was greatly disappointed. Who knows what he will try next to get away from the dreaded recess...

A Banana For The Teacher

A few weeks ago, Sean decided that he needed to bring his teacher a banana. It seemed to be a bit random, but I went ahead and put a banana in his backpack before he went to school. The next day he had this note from his teacher in his folder.

The True Downside Of School

"I like legos. My favorite pearson is my bro. I like playing pro street. I can't get better at vidio games when I'm stuck at school. I am a great runner."

Seriously?

The question has been asked, "Why would they need a graveyard shift at Dish Network?" All I could think of was all the lonely men out there ordering pay per views in the middle of the night. First off, I have to say, I have had as many calls from women as I have from men over the last two nights in regards to that. The thing that has surprised me though is the number of calls I have been getting about bills. I mean seriously, it seems like the perfect time to call and complain that a person can't pay their bill and it is totally unfair to have services suspending for not paying said bill (or should I say bills since they are usually about 2 months past due or have never completely paid their bill in full) is at about 3 am. OK, so you may be saying, "It isn't 3 am all over the country when it is 3 am here in Denver." I know that, but seriously last night we had call after call with little or no down time from about midnight until we got of at 5 am. To me it seemed like the majority of the people calling in were mad that their services had been interrupted sometime in the middle of the night.

One exceptionally crazy lady had already received so many credits on her account in the last few months that she was paying very little for her bills. She had made a payment on Saturday and was absolutely appalled that her cash payment that she had paid at Walmart had not posted to her account. I told her that it could take a few more days, and she insisted that I look up her payment by receipt number. (There is actually not a way for me to do that.) She barely let me talk enough to get her name out of her and eventually asked to talk to my supervisor so she could report me for not doing my job. My joy came when I heard him say, "You know Charlie (speaking of the founder and C.E.O. of the company)?" It seems as though she told him that she had spoken to the highest up person in the company and was supposed to get things a certain way. I don't know what all happened after that, but it made me giggle to myself.

The thing is, yes, Dish Network is open 24 hours a day, but who in their right mind is more concerned about weather or not they can watch TV than sleeping at those hours?

Like Father, Like Daughter

If anyone knows my dad, they know that he is quiet and shy. This is the award I got yesterday when I graduated training. Now I have proof (like I really needed it) that I am Bob Mitchell's daughter...and proud of it!

Group Projects

I HATE GROUP PROJECTS!

These group projects for school are getting to me. I hate them. I think it is dumb to make grown ups learn to work with others, especially since I am going to school only online. Doesn't that make it clear that I don't work well with others?

I would rather just be given the assignment a sweat over getting the work done myself without all of the aggravation of working with people who depend on others to do the assignment for them. When there are five people in the group, why should there only be three people working on the project? Oh, wait...maybe adding a comment here and there that really has nothing to do with the project (like, I am really not good at putting this stuff together) counts. Don't say that you will be the leader for that project or document writer and then flake out. Really, all the researchers are assigned to to is the research and proofreading. They shouldn't have to put everything together as well, and if they do offer to help, don't' say that you don't need help because you are getting it done and will have the rough draft posted soon. When the project is due on Saturday, the team should not be asking where the rough draft is on Friday. (Yes, I know today is Thursday. This happened a few weeks ago.)

I also hate that people can't tell the difference between being mean and constructive criticism. If you don't want the paper that you just worked on to be proofread and corrected, then don't offer to be the draft writer. I personally think that by telling someone that the fist sentence in a paragraph doesn't go with the rest of what is being said and suggesting that the sentence be switched with the first sentence in the next paragraph is not mean. I could have said that the paper just sucked and didn't flow well at all. Instead I made suggestions for improvement. I am not saying that it would have been written well if I had written it, but I would have taken the suggestions into consideration instead of writing back that the other person is wrong.

I know this is a minor problem compared to how hectic things could be right now, but I really needed to get it all out.

The True Master of...

Yesterday, in church, Sean gave a talk. I had just gone into a Primary (kind of like Jr. Sunday School) manual online and copy and pasted it for the most part. Sean was a bit nervous. I told him that he could do it, and he was smart enough to read it on his own. I had him read it to me right before I took him to Primary. He read it all by him self. I told him he did a great job and that I knew he could do it. When it came to be time for him to give his talk, I stood in the back of the room as he told Sister Kidd that he didn't need help. She very happily let him go ahead. My smarty-pants, kindergarten boy then read his talk all by himself. The only time he needed help was when he lost his place. I thought this was very impressive because I didn't even know he could read some of the words in there (throughout, for example). Then, after church, his primary teacher told me that he read a scripture in class all by himself that had some hard words in it too. How did this boy learn these words? Who said he cold get this big so fast?

The Good Call From the School

This morning I checked my messages to find a great message from Sean's teacher, Mrs. Badgett. She was calling to let us know how much she has been enjoying having him in her class so far. She complimented him on how smart he is, and even said that he has his hand up for every question and always has the right answer. It is so wonderful to get this kind of message from the school as opposed to the one I got last February about Eric.

Love Letters From My Boys

Eric made me that on in school last week. What mom wouldn't be happy to be loved so much?

That is Sean's handy work. He said that instead of drawing a picture of the temple in Primary, he wanted to write a letter to Mom and Dad. I am so proud that my almost 6 year old thinks I am pretty good... :-)

At 8?!

In my medical terminology class we have discussions that tie into the parts of the body we are learning. This unit we are studying the male and female reproductive systems and obstetrics and neonatology. Our discussion is about HIV/AIDS. The topic is listed like this: "HIV/AIDS has become epidemic in the world. Discuss some of the medical terms that have become part of our general vocabulary related to this disease. Does the age or gender of the person you are talking with affect what words you use to explain or discuss HIV/AIDS?" We are to post our opinion on the subject, then respond to at least 3 of our class mates. I seem to agree with most of their points. I agree that education is key, and that it needs to be done early. I, however, don't agree on the age that some of them have decided is best to start.

Here is the main discussion that I had a hard time reading.

Unit 3 Discussion
I believe the age of a child or young adult, when discussing the disease and the prevention of the HIV/AIDS problems is everything. Using some of the words such as:Viral load white cell count T-4 cells Window period HIV AIDSWestern blot trachea lungs candidiasis PneumoniaDidn’t mean much to me I had to look every term up.According to a paper from the CDC HIV/AIDS fact sheet educating our young, needs to begin as early as 8 years old.The http://www.globalchange.com/truth-about-aids states that worldwide, pneumonia or pneumocystis carinii are factors of HIV but many of these deaths go unreported, in some rare cases a bronchoscope is used to locate germs hiding in the lung if the Doctor suspects the person to have died of HIV/AIDS.

Dawn Strauss-Berta
11 Aug 09 11:47 AM MST

Hi Jacqueline,I agree with you. Education children as young as 8 years old is a good idea. Do you have any suggestions on how we would do this?Thank you for the link, but when I click on it, the information was not there. Does it work for you?Dr. Dawn

Jacqueline Otero
12 Aug 09 1:48 PM MST

Sorry about the link:http://www.globalchange.com/truth-about-aids-chapter-3.htmis the correct link.another link for children ishttp://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/std/hiv.html#Has some great info on HIV/AIDSI would create a story book with pictures and pronunciations on the big words that go hand in hand with HIV/AIDSthe kidshealth web site above has a picture of a T-cells and how to pronounce immune (ih-myoon), and several other giant words in such a way that children can understand, and pronounce.

Dawn Strauss-Berta
13 Aug 09 2:54 PM MST

Thanks for the links. Great idea with the storybook suggestion!Dr. Dawn

Michelle Giroux
13 Aug 09 1:28 PM MST

There are plenty of ways that we can educate young kids like 8 year olds about this. Like in health class they should discuss it and also do research on it. Maybe if they see pictures and hear that people die from theses diseases they might think twice about having unprotected sex.I know 8 year old is a young age but you never know kids be having sex at like 13. So it's good to educate them young

Dawn Strauss-Berta
13 Aug 09 2:55 PM MST

Hi Michelle,I agree, it is a good idea to education them young. How would you go about explaining it to an 8 year old? Would you teach them any of the terminology?Thanks,Dr. Dawn

Michelle Giroux
14 Aug 09 7:15 AM MST

You can teach the 8 year olds the terminology. And you could also have them do research projects, and some activities that can teach them about the diseases.

Dawn Strauss-Berta
15 Aug 09 8:14 PM MST

Hi Michelle,I really like the idea of having them do activities to help them learn about the diseases.Dr. Dawn

Rosa Crumpley
18 Aug 09 8:56 AM MST

I think 8 is a bit young. At that age, they are just starting to learn the technical terms about their body parts. I agree with educating them, but I think it needs to be age appropriate and tailored to the specific child. I have a seven and a half year old. I teach him what I can. He is a smart kids, but still very young and innocent. I think that telling him all the facts at this age would be information overload.I do agree that kids need to be educated at a young age though.

Danielle Jones
15 Aug 09 5:34 PM MST

I agree we should start teaching them at a young age. i think they should have it in school too.

LATASHA SEWELL
11 Aug 09 6:29 PM MST

Jacqueline, I agree that discussing HIV/AIDS to try to prevent people from getting it should start at a young age. If people educate their children at the age of eight it would help stop the spread of the disease.

Jacqueline Otero
13 Aug 09 1:53 PM MST

How do we get the message to our young people, to stop look and listen?That cool is not being the first one to act on a dare, and that it is ok to say oooo I don't want to get that disease! It looks ucky!

Am I just living in a sheltered world. I think that it sounds crazy to not only have the birds and the bees conversation with an eight year old, but give them all the details of STDs at that age as well? Also, would a second grader really have the know how and motivation to do some big research project on the subject?

Yay!

While going through the training schedule last night I realized that I get to have my anniversary off! Yay! That was the main day that I was bummed about having to work since I started. I hadn't really sat down and looked at it, but I was sure I would have to work that day. As it turns out, since that is the last week of training the schedule will be Sunday through Thursday with Friday off, and then I will start my regular shift (the graveyard shift) on Saturday. That Friday is my anniversary.

Now for an interesting (to me anyway) fact about my anniversary. We got married on Friday, September 4, 1998. This year our anniversary will be on a Friday. Kind of interesting and fun...I think.

So Tired

I am so tired lately! I am probably not getting enough sleep. I don't get home from work until midnight, and then I just want to spend time with John. I get up aroud six (most mornings) so that I can spend time with my husband before he goes to work since I am not home when he gets home.

Homework is kicking my butt. I do still like the learning part, but it seems like most of my free time is taken by doing school work. I guess I shouldn't complain. I could be doing this much work and attending classes. Instead, I am doing this much work and turning it in online. Not so bad I guess.

My kids would be the other reason I am so tired. I love them. They really are good kids. The thing is, these boys need to get into school. They are driving me crazy. They need some structure. I am not a hugely structured person (I guess I could list that as reason number 4). I am sure that once they are in school, things will calm down at least a little bit around here. Only one week for Eric and a week and a half for Sean. Then, they will be in school. Not that I am counting or anything...

General Update

As Jami was so nice to remind me, it has been a while since I updated my blog. This is not because I don't want people to know what is going on with me. I just plain haven't had the time. It is hard to juggle kids and school and work. A lot harder than I thought it would be. I am hoping that once I get into the groove it will be a bit easier for me to find time for my hobbies like blogging and sewing and knitting.

School is going pretty good right now. I have a 99% in both classes. That is great. I had a hard time trying to find time to fit in my school work, but I did eventually get my assignments and quizzes done. By eventually, I mean I just got finished. It's OK. I had five and a half more hours to get the stuff in. It is not completely last minute.

Work is, well, interesting. I am in a class of 12 new hires. We get to sit and learn all about Dish Network most of the time. Sometimes we get to sit for an hour or two and listen to live calls. As boring as that sounds, I actually am having fun most of the time. I like most of the people in the class. I find it interesting that adults are just as clicky in that kind of situation as high school kids. There seems to be 2 obvious groups with a few of us that are, for the most part, accepted by both groups.

The kids went camping with John's family the last few days. It sounds like they had a lot of fun. John and I didn't go, so the kids went up with Rachel. I'm glad that she was willing to do that. The kids looked forward to going on vacation without Mom and Dad. We are lucky to have someone who was willing to aid in that effort.

I think that is all that needs to be updated right now. I'm sure if I left anything out, someone will ask questions....right?

I Know What ____ Is Made Out Of

This is Noel's favorite saying lately. Just about every time I give her food or drink she says, "Mommy, I know what (fill in the blank) is made out of." Sometimes she gets it right. Sometimes it is just so cute or funny that I have to laugh.

Here are some of the things she has said lately:

"Mommy, I know what milk is made out of. Cows"
"Mommy, I know what crackers are made out of. Crack." (My personal favorite.)
"Mommy, I know what corn dogs are made out of. Bread and hot dogs."

Messy Dog

I washed my dog yesterday. She was really dirty! I was so proud of myself for actually remembering to not only wash her, but brush her as well. She was so pretty.

Well, that was last night. This morning she came in from...well, you know...covered in MUD! I was so upset. It was way worse that what the kids would have done. It was almost the same feeling I get when I finally get "all" of the laundry done just to have a child pee in their pants as I fold the last towel. UGH! I would share picture of her, but I was so frustrated I didn't thing about it until after I sent her back out and went to take a shower.

Legos: The Best Invention Ever

I Got The Job!

After playing phone tag with the HR department at Dish Network, I finally talked to Brandy yesterday. I will start my training as a CSR2 (customer service representative, level 2) on Monday. I am so excited and nervous at the same time!

I get to start as a level 2 because I already had 2 years in a call center (it was over 8 years go, but it counts). All that I can tell that means is that I get paid more than the people who have no call center experience. That works for me.

My training sift is going to be 3:00pm to 11:30pm. That means that I can at very least drop my kids off at school, and I don't have to completely miss Sean's first day ever of school or Eric's first day of second grade. That makes me happy.

I am a bit nervous about the fact that while our relationship is so fragile, John and I will only see each other about 2 hours a day on the week days while I am training. It is only for 5 weeks, but it is going to be really hard.

As far as getting the children cared for, my wonderful sister-in-law,, Rachel, will be watching them for a few hours a day. There are still some things that have to be decided on when school starts, but I will have a few weeks to figure that out. I thought that the kids may not like having to go somewhere else to be watched so much, but they are really excited to be going to Aunt Rachel's on Monday.

When I am done with training I will be on graveyards for at least 8 weeks with Tuesday and Wednesday off. That will be hard as far as finding time to sleep, but I will get that figured out. I'm just happy that I will be still able to to be with my kids.

Week Two at Everest

The second week of school is over for me. I can tell that I am already leaning a lot.

The good news is that I still have A's in both classes. I have 100% in Strategies for Success and 98% in Medical Terminology. I took my first Medical Terminology quiz on Wednesday and got a 93%. I was excited! I could have had 100%, but there was one trick question, and I got it wrong. I am hoping to continue to get 100% on all of my other work so that the grade will get even better . (Does that make me a nerd? Oh, well. I'll take that as a compliment if it does.)

I made the mistake a few days ago of actually looking though the syllabuses to get an idea of what my assignments will be for the next few months. It overwhelmed me so much. I had to remind myself that I just need to take this one week or unit at at time. I may even go as far as saying one assignment at time.

The only thing that is really irritating me is the group work. I don't want to have to work as a group to complete any assignments. I guess I will just have to suck it up and do it for the next few months though. I am sure that I will have to do group work in other classes, too. Hopefully, I will be put into a better group though.

A Common Goal

Our marriage counselor suggested that John and I have a common goal to work on since we had been running almost separate lives for so long. It took us a while, but we finally have one. We have started working out together in the morning. For the last three days, we have been trying to get up at 6am and turning on an exercise video and exercising. OK. The videos that we have been doing have only been about 10 minute workouts, but we have got to start some where right?

Dear George

I thank you for buying the tile that I posted on craigslist. I thank you for not only paying my asking price, but doubling it. I am, however, irritated at the way this transaction has been conducted. On Saturday, you said that you would be sending me a check overnight. I expected the check to be in my hand Tuesday at the latest. When you sent me an email stating that your secretary had sent me the wrong check by mistake, and you would like for me to transfer the difference of the funds to your mover, I was understanding. I understand that you are nervous about sending me so much more money than we agreed, but you really need to stop sending me you emails with the subject in all caps. I don't like being yelled at in person or virtually. I have been conducting myself in a professional manner, and I expect the same out of you. I sent you an email stating that my bank would not give me the cash I needed to take to Walmart to do the Moneygram transfer until tomorrow to make sure that the check cleared. Why did you send me an email back telling me to send you the info from the Moneygram receipt today? That would take some kind of miracle. Really, Dude, calm down! I am not the one that made the mistake. maybe you should have a serious talk with the secretary that sent me the amount she was supposed to send the mover. I am an honest person (at least when it comes to stuff like this). I want to get rid of the tile as much as you want to get the tile (maybe even more so).

Thank you,
Rosa

***I feel so much better now!

Torn

I'm torn. I have pretty much been hired on a Dish Network. (I just have to pass the background check and drug screen.) I know I need to work. That part is obvious. The thing is, now that it is becoming more of a reality, I am freeking out.

I was told that I can't miss any days in the first 5 weeks. Sean's first day of school ever (we did preschool at home) will be within that time. John assured me that he can get the day off of work. I am greatful for that, but it is just not the same. I want to be there when he goes into the school for the first time, and I want to be there to pick him up and get his reaction first had as he comes out of school. I am his mommy. It is breaking my heart.

Noel came to me Monday talking about the boys not going to school yet. I told her that they would be in about a month. Her little face lit up, and she said, "Then it will be just me and you til Sean-Sean has a school trip. Then I can go to Melissa's house." That broke my heart too. I had to tell her that it probably wouldn't be that way. She was probably going to have to go to day care. He little face dropped. I told her that we would try to find one that was like going to school (a day care center). She seemed a bit happier, but not as happy as when she thought that her days would be filled with being alone with just Mommy. It broke my heart.

I love my kids. I would do anything for them. I need to get a job so that they can be provided for now and in the future. With the uncertainty in this world, we never know how stable any job is. I hope that in the future that my kids will understand that me getting a job now was for them. In the meantime, I hope the transition is smooth and doesn't upset them too much.

My First Week

My first week of school is done! I can't believe it. I love it so far. I feel like I am actually doing something useful for my family now. I know that in a few years I will be able to work in the medical billing and coding profession and really make a difference in the quality of life for me and my family. That gives me even more drive to do my work.

I am taking two classes this term, Medical Terminology and Strategies for Success. So far, Medical Terminology is a bit hard, but still fun. Strategies for Success seems to be about goal making and prioritizing. I admit that I do need to do this more in my life. At first, I thought this was a horrible class to require student to take, but now, after starting week two, I am thinking that it is great. If I don't get an A in this class, I will scream though.

I am happy to report that so far I have 100% in each class. That actually surprised me. One of my answers on a paper was seriously, "I can't find this anywhere." The teacher still gave me a 20/20 on that paper. I would have to think that either she hadn't posted the information that was needed for that question yet, or she was just being nice since it was the first assignment. Either way, I will be trying harder to make sure I have read everything available for my assignments from now on. I didn't like the worrying about the assignment from Monday (the day I turned the paper in) until Sunday (the day the grade was posted).

Warning! Vent Alert!

This week has been really stressful. I know some of the reason, but not all. I know that when I am looking forward to something it makes the days leading up to said event (in this case going out for my birthday this weekend) a lot harder to handle. I, also, know that when the kids are looking forward to something, it makes them ask when that event is going to happen (in this case spending the night at Uncle Asher's and Aunt Rachel's tonight). There are other more obvious reasons that, as promised before, I will not discuss on my blog.

Why am I writing about this? Well, I have noticed that it seems to be coming to a head this morning. John left for work early this morning. Not as early as he did with he last job, but early for us to be getting up lately. I couldn't bring myself to go back to sleep, so I got up, took a shower, and expected to have some quiet time all to myself for just a little while. I was wrong.

As I came out of my room this morning, Sean came out of his room too. Noel was soon to follow. They both wanted cuddle time. (The mark of the mornings first fit.) I started with Sean, and then cuddled Noel because we determined a while back that going in the order they got up was the most fair way. While cuddling Noel, Eric woke up and wanted breakfast and to be cuddled too (I hope he doesn't decide he is too big for that anytime soon). To get Noel off my lap I told her and Sean to go look in the dishwasher for a cup and a plate for breakfast. There was only one small plate in the dishwasher, and I don't like them climbing on the counters to get stuff out of the cupboards (welcome fight number one). I got up and got plates out for the two remaining children when I was done with cuddling Eric. Then, they were loud and obnoxious through out breakfast. Normally, I interact with them through breakfast, but I just didn't feel like it today because of my already sour mood. After breakfast, Noel got dressed right away (I probably wouldn't have chose that as an outfit, but she is happy, I won't fight her on it). It took Sean about an hour to get dressed, and Eric took about 2 hours to get dress. In the mean time, they continued to be loud. ARGH!

The highlight of my morning so far? John called me just to see how I was doing.

Pierced Ears

On July 3 we took Noel to the mall and got her ears pierced. She was so excited to be able to wear earrings like Mama and Brynna (a girl her age at church). She had decided before going that she was going to get pink earrings and was very excited that they had pink flower ones!

We're Working it Out

John and I have decided that we will be working out our problems and saving our relationship. We both know and understand that there is a long road ahead of us, but we are up to the challenge. What does this mean for me? It means that I don't have to be facing single motherhood. Yay! It means that I don't have to face living without him. Yay! It means that I am learning to be more assertive. It means that A LOT of my time and energy are being taken with these efforts. I can honestly say that I never saw myself in this situation, and I hope to never be again. I feel that this is the right decision for me and my family. The last month (about) has been a roller coaster to say the least. I don't see that going away anytime soon. Life is hard. It is a lot of work. My life has been filled with lots of ups and downs. I have a tendency to dwell on the downs. I seem to look at other peoples problems and wish that they were mine instead. Of course there are problems that other people have that I wouldn't imagine wanted, and I am glad for my trials when I hear about theirs. Then I go back to feeling sorry for myself. I know that only a few of you really know what has been going on, but I want it to stay that way. I don't think it would be good for anyone involved in the mess that has been going on for it to get out. I love my husband. That is what matters. He and I are going to be fine. We are going to get though this and be happier for it. I not only have to believe that, I do believe it.

I know this kind of jumps all over the place. I just felt that I needed to get it out. I needed to let everyone that I am doing fine. I know I have been keeping to myself a lot lately. Just give me some more time. I will back to being social again. I just can't say when right now.

I Changed My Mind

I have been changing my mind a lot lately. It drives me crazy sometimes, but I have learned to deal with it.

I was sure yesterday morning that I wanted to go to school online at National American University. Well, I will still be going to an online school, but I have decided to go to Everest University Online. Through Everest I can get an associates degree upon finishing the medical billing and coding program and then move onto a bachelors program if I so choose. With National American I would have received a certificate upon completion. I feel better about the idea of having a degree. I think it would get me farther. I could be wrong, but at least it is what feels right.

School

There have been and are going to be a lot of changes in my life. Some of them are good. Some I may see as good later.

I have been wanting to go to school for a log time. When I finished high school, I was ready to go to college, but that was not the path that was right for me at that time. About 2 years ago I felt very strongly that I was to go to school. When voicing this need to my husband, he told me that he didn't want me to do that. Like a "good" wife, I listened to him and didn't go.

Now I am facing the big "D" and needing to find a way to provide for myself and my kids. I am still looking for a job, but I have also decided to apply to National American University to start school as soon as possible. I have prayed about this decision and feel that is the best choice for me and my family. My plan is to get my certificate in medical billing and coding. When I finish that program, I will decide if I need/want to continue my education through them.

I have a strong desire to work in the medial field. I would prefer to get into a radiology program, but I know that I need to be home with my kids as much as possible, and I can't complete a radiology program online. Some day I will get into a radiology program and then an ultrasound program. For now, I will do what I feel is best.

Yuck!

Well, the good news is that I am not pregnant. Why would I say that you ask? I was so sick from the stress that I was feeling too sick to my stomach to eat last week. My first worry of course was that I was pregnant. My periods are so far apart that I really can't judge by that. In fact my last two pregnancies the due date had to be determined by ultra sound because that is the only way to judge with me (and those stinkers were STILL a week and a half late).

The bad news...I started my period last Sunday night. For most women this is an inconvenience for about a week. For me, I have deal with this "minor" pain for about two weeks. I know that this only happens to me about every 3-10 months (which means it actually came a month and a half early at least) , but I would prefer for it not to come at all. The way I see it, I am not having any more kids, so why should I have to deal with this grossness. I guess I should feel lucky that it doesn't come as often as it is supposed to, but seriously...two weeks!

Sorry if that was too much information. I just needed to get it out. hehe

The Brute

We went to the park with some friends a few days ago, and I decided to bring the dog along. Eric and Sean thought it would be fun to get Lexie to go up the stairs and drag her down the slide. They were successful the first 3 or4 times. Then, Lexie decided that she wasn't going to do it anymore. She pulled in the opposite direction. Sean was wasn't strong enough to hold her as she pulled. He got pulled instead of the other way around.

Sean getting pulled across the platform.

Where he stopped.

The brute, Lexie, now comfortable.

My Little Hams

I Will Not Be Your Piece of Gossip

I have many reasons that I am shutting down my FaceBook account. One of the biggest reasons is that I feel like I have become the subject of people's gossip. I get that some people care and want to know what is going on, but there are those that just want that juicy piece of gossip. Well, I am not willing to give that to you. I am a person with real feelings, going through a really tough time. I am going through the biggest roller coaster of emotions of anytime in my life that I can remember. Does that mean I have not been through harder times? No. It means I don't remember how I handled my last big trial. Do I think that no one cares about me? No. I just am having a hard time discerning who is sincere in their efforts. Do I not want people to help me? That isn't it either. I just have a hard time asking for/accepting help. Please, give me some time. I do appreciate the concerns of my friends and family. Just understand, if I don't know what I am going to be doing to get through today, I can not make concrete plans for October.

Dear Mr. President

"Dear Mr. President"

(feat. Indigo Girls)

Dear Mr. President,

Come take a walk with me.

Let's pretend we're just two people and

You're not better than me.

I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?

Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?

What do you feel when you look in the mirror?

Are you proud?

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?

How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?

How do you walk with your head held high?

Can you even look me in the eye

And tell me why?

Dear Mr. President,

Were you a lonely boy?

Are you a lonely boy?

Are you a lonely boy?

How can you say

No child is left behind?

We're not dumb and we're not blind.

They're all sitting in your cells

While you pave the road to hell.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?

And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay?

I can only imagine what the first lady has to say

You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine.

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?

How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?

How do you walk with your head held high?

Can you even look me in the eye?

Let me tell you 'bout hard work

Minimum wage with a baby on the way

Let me tell you 'bout hard work

Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away

Let me tell you 'bout hard work

Building a bed out of a cardboard box

Let me tell you 'bout hard work

Hard work

Hard work

You don't know nothing 'bout hard work

Hard work

Hard work

Oh

How do you sleep at night?

How do you walk with your head held high?

Dear Mr. President,

You'd never take a walk with me.

Would you?

[Thanks to swarner@bankexcel.com, Sweetsongstress14@comcast.net, Keir Lewis for correcting these lyrics]

The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

On a warm summers evenin on a train bound for nowhere,

I met up with the gambler ; we were both too tired to sleep.

So we took turns a starin out the window at the darkness

til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, son, Ive made a life out of readin peoples faces,

And knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.

So if you dont mind my sayin, I can see youre out of aces.

For a taste of your whiskey Ill give you some advice.

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.

Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.

And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.

Said, if youre gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.

Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

Now evry gambler knows that the secret to survivin

Is knowin what to throw away and knowing what to keep.

cause evry hands a winner and evry hands a loser,

And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

So when hed finished speakin, he turned back towards the window,

Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.

And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.

But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.

Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count you r money when youre sittin at the table.

Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
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It May Take a While

Many of you have noticed that I have not been blogging much this week. Well, there is a reason for that. My life has been turned upside down. I don't think I am really ready to post the details yet. I don't know if I will ever post the details the worst day in my life. Just know that I will start blogging again. I will be OK. I will get through this a stronger person. I have no choice.

A Good Sign?

I lost 2 pounds this week. The funny thing is that I wasn't even really trying. I haven't been counting my calories, and other than walking the dog, I haven't exercised. I am hoping that this means that I am actually learning how to give myself limits. It either means that or I am just going to be fluctuating between 167 and 170. (That was really hard to admit!)

Noel's "Magic Wand" Picture

I'm thinking the story must go with this picture. Yesterday, my kids were driving me crazy, and I needed to get things done. My solution was to go to one of my favorite kid websites and print up pictures for the two that just like to color and let the other one draw his own picture. I let Sean and Noel pick the pictures that they would like to color. Noel saw this one and very excitedly said, "I want the one with the magic wand!" I asked her to point to it for me because I didn't think I saw one with a magic wand. She pointed to this one.

Sean's Contibution For The Day

From: Eric To: Eric

My Pedometer

I got a pedometer at Target Saturday. I have been wanting one for a while, and I found one that was only about $5.00. I went ahead and got it.

I got it out on Sunday, and by the time I took it off for the night I had almost 4000 steps counted on it. Not great, but considering I spent a lot of time sitting in church, not bad either.

Monday, I put it on and by dinner I had about the same amount of steps counted as I did for the whole day Sunday. I was feeling pretty darn good about that. Then, later when we sat down to watch a movie I decided to take it off for a bit and look at it. The darn thing said 1 step. YUCK! I was so upset. I didn't put it back on that night.

Yesterday, when I went to weed whack my back yard, is said about 300 steps. I thought the number looked low, but then remembered that I had been sitting in front of the computer for most of the morning. The low number then made sense. When I was just about done with the part of the yard I was going to do, I looked down at my new gadget to see how many steps I had done. It said 75. WHAT!

All I can figure is that I keep pushing the reset button while I am doing stuff. How frustrating though. That reset button must be really sensitive or I lean on my right hip a lot. Either way it is making it really hard to get an accurate count so that I can challenge myself farther.

So Mad At Myself!

I am so mad at myself! I gained 3 pounds this week. I only lost 1 pound a week for the last two weeks. That means that one week of not watching what I eat and not working out much cost me more than 2 weeks of weight loss. I have got to reevaluate what I am doing. I need to stop eating out of boredom and stress. I keep telling myself that it would be easier once I get a job, but that job hasn't come to me yet. I need to find something for me to do to keep my mind off of food all of the time. Of course not buying Chex Mix just because there is a good deal on it would probably help too (he he). Today is supposed to be my off day. I am going to enjoy the food tonight without counting it. Since tomorrow I will be fasting for religious reasons, maybe that will help me refocus and get the junk out of my system. Tomorrow starts a new week, and I will be starting all over again.

Lego Lexie

Eric made our dog out of Lego's yesterday. What do you think?

Girl's Night At My House

I know this is short notice, but I was waiting to find out what was going to happen with the job thing first.

John will be going out of town this weekend. I was going to try to plan a girls night out, but I am getting short on funds. So I was thinking it may be fun to have a girls night at my house on Saturday night. I have been dieing for a reason to use my fondue pot anyway. I would like it if no one were to bring their kids if possible. I have a small house. I will have to have my kids here of course, but they will be going to bed eventually and can be distracted by a movie in my room. I was also thinking that maybe anyone who comes could bring their favorite thing to dip in fondue to share. If not, I'm sure I will have some stuff. Any other ideas are welcome. I am hoping for a good turn out.

Please, let me know if you are interested. (Jami and Krista, I have a feeling that you won't be wanting to make the voyage. lol)

My Exciting Purchase

First off, I have to say. I am addicted to shopping. There I admitted it. Are you happy? The funny thing about that is that if you had asked me this time last year or maybe even six months ago, I would have said different. Yes, I shopped, but I was pretty good at getting the essentials and not feeling a void. Then, I got a high of sorts from seeing the balances on our debts go down. Every time another thousand dollars was paid off I considered it a personal victory. Now, I have a hard time going more than a few days without buying something for myself, I start going crazy. Sometimes I even feel depressed if I can't go spend money.

OK. No more depressing. Now for the exciting. Yesterday, I went to Target on my way home from my interview (for those of you not in Brighton, Target is down the street from Kohl's and you would have to drive past it to get back on the highway). John had described a shirt that he wanted and there used to be a dress there that I REALLY wanted but hadn't bought yet (surprisingly enough). I got the shirt for John, but they no longer had the dress. I was sad, but I continued to look through the clothes until I found a shirt that I just couldn't live without (I didn't used to be like that either). Then, I went across the aisle to the lingerie (I love lingerie). I have this secret obsession (not so secret now I guess) with buying pretty panties and bras that match. Of course it help that John loves to see me in them (I know too much info). My favorite color is lavender. They now have lavender bra and panties at Target! Even more exciting than that, I got the bra one band size smaller and one cup size bigger than all of the bras I had bought before, and the panties were one size smaller, and they fit! That means that as I am getting smaller, I am not losing my boobs! Yay!

Goal Check

I know I didn't do this last week. Let's face it, I didn't have much to report. I am also worried about people getting bored reading about how much I fail at the same goals I have had since right after Christmas week after week. I guess if that is the case, those people don't have to read the goal checks. Oh, well. Here goes nothing.

Book of Mormon- Believe it or not, even with school being out, I was able to accomplish this goal three days last week. I have a feeling that this one will be a bit harder over the summer due to the fact that the kids aren't eating breakfast at the same time every day. I may try to move this to lunch time. We'll see.

Exercise- Even with a schedule I only got a work out in 4 days last week. I did however put everything I had into those workouts. I credit the workouts that I did get to the 1 pound I lost last week. Just imagine how much I could lose if I were to keep up on this one. I have a new workout schedule for this week that I am more excited about. If you want to see that click here.

Journals- I wrote in both journals 4 days last week. Not bad compared to the week before. (I know I didn't report on that. There was a reason for that.)

I am going to try to work extra hard this week on my goals. I am determined to accomplish them 5 days this week. I am going to try to tap into the enthusiasm that I had the first few months of the year.