I lied

So, here's just a quick post of pictures of Christmas with the kids and stuff. Details will come later.

Christmas Time!!

So, I'll be off work until the New Year and probably won't update either of my blogs. Sorry... but I'm taking the time to be with my kids.

I heard that there's a snow storm headed my way. I've seen pictures today of what has hit in the West so far and I'm sort of excited for finally getting snow. Although, if it gets too bad, I won't get to travel to see my mom, 2 brothers and grandparents on Saturday. But.. that can certainly hold off for a few days. I'm glad that we have a fire place and I don't really have to worry about how I'm going to keep the kids warm if the power goes off. Cooking will be troublesome, but at least they'll be warm. I'm also prepared to take in others if needed.

Hubby opened Lilly's electric scooter to get it charged before Christmas and there was a bolt missing! He was suggesting that I take it back to the store, but I told him to just get a bolt and put it in there. He did and its fine. Yeah, it makes me mad that I paid that much for the toy and there were parts missing, but its an easy fix and no fuss was needed.

I have all the gifts wrapped except what is going to be from Santa and the big toys from us, but I don't think we are going to wrap the big toys. I'm not really sure what hubby has in mind for those.

I have the next few days to prepare my house to do Christmas Eve breakfast for hubby's family. Part of me wants to invite my grandparents because I know they'll come down. But that would leave my uncle and one brother alone on Christmas Eve because I know they won't come. Its only breakfast, but I don't want them to think that I'm excluding them. Its a tough call really. The other thing is seating. If hubby's family comes down, that's another 8 people. Count them and us and that's 12. I only have enough seating for 7 in the living room. For eating, I have enough for 10...11 if I put Zach in his high chair instead of at his table. If I invite my grandparents, that's another 2 and if my brother and uncle do decide to show up, that another 2. I wouldn't really think it to be a big deal, but hubby's nephews and niece just don't listen to anything and they'll be running around all crazy and I can just imagine them tearing up my kids new stuff... which they probably will. I'm just being grumpy.

Ok, I've slacked off most of the day. I now have 2 hours to get caught up so I can go on vacation.

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. OR Happy Holidays... whichever you prefer. I hope you all stay safe.

Also, tomorrow at 9:30 am, please have a moment of silence in remembrance of the tragedy in Connecticut. My heart still breaks for them, and always will.

Sadness

So many things... so many thoughts.

Last week there was a gas line explosion near where I live. It was the town where my dad lives. 5 houses were lost, but thankfully no one was home at the time. The fire scorched the interstate and the road had to be repaved. Lilly's school is taking up donations, so I'll be donating what little I can to help out.

 

As all of you should know by now, a terrible tragedy happened last week. I cannot express just how saddened, heartbroken and sickened I am at what happened. Every time I think about it, I burst out in tears. I cannot see how anyone could ever do what that gunman did. 26 lives.... most of them children. I pray for their families every night and they will forever be in my prayers. No one should ever have to experience that. That could have just as easily happened anywhere else. I vow to make sure that my children know what to do in times of emergencies. I had a talk with Lilly last night. She had heard about the shootings, but it didn't really click in her mind. We talked about it for a while, I told her about the heroes that lost their lives while trying to save the kids. I told her about the little girl who was the sole survivor in the classroom because she played dead. Lilly was ok talking about this. I then proceeded to tell her that I am going to make sure that she is prepared no matter what happens. If we are in a car wreck and I get knocked out, if there's a fire at our house, if someone breaks into our house, if someone tried to take her, if a shooter is in her school... I told her we are going to have a plan for it all. I know you can never fully prepare for such things, but I'm going to try my best. After she realized that these things can happen to her, she burst out crying. I reassured her that this was just for her protection. It may never happen, but its good to be prepared. I'm going to teach her to use my phone, we're going to make a fire plan for the house, she's going to learn to use my gun and she's getting her own .22 on her birthday this March. I will teach her about gun safety. She was worried about if our house caught on fire that our pictures would burn. I told her that all of our pictures that we have printed out are all also on a disc and she can go with me next Friday to put them in our safe deposit box at my work. That made her feel a little better. I told her that its her job to be prepared, but its my job to make sure everyone is always safe. My mom told me to get Lilly a fire proof safe so she can put some stuff in there. I think that's a really good idea. She'll be getting one of those soon.

It is a scary thing.... you go through life thinking nothing bad can ever happen to you. I don't want to scare my children, but I want them to live in reality and be prepared for anything. I don't want them going through life thinking everyone is good....because they aren't. I don't want them thinking they are invincible. They are fragile.

 

I also want to take this opportunity to thank every teacher, every day care worker, every person that works with kids that loves and treats them as their own.

OW

The doctor said that my wrist is just inflamed and gave me a wrist splint and some anti-inflammatory medication. He said that if its not better in 10 days, that I'll go in for x-rays. Something tells me that he really doesn't think that its just inflammation, but whatever. It still hurts, but its not swollen any more.

We took the kids last night to see a festival of Christmas lights. Zach loved it, but Lilly complained.
This one is going to be short since its difficult for me to type with my brace on.
Might be going Saturday to finish my Christmas shopping. I still have to get the kids one more thing that goes with something else I bought them, my brother and his family their gift. Next weekend is when we are going to have our Christmas with my mom.
Seth had to go to day court today. He got sited for selling alcohol to a minor during a police sting. He was freaking out. My step dad came with him and I walked across the street during my lunch to go too. Nothing is going on his record, he wasn't really charged with anything, but had to pay $210, $50 was the fine and the rest was court costs.

Ok.. my wrist is really hurting. Don't think there will be any update until next week

Just me Rambling

I was just thinking how funny/weird it is that I've grown into who I am. I look back at my years in school and I like that person, but I am no longer that person. I look at who I was friends with, who I had a crush on, how I acted and how I treated other people. I was always nice and hung out with generally good people. I did have a group or two of friends that I would not associate myself with today. I also see where my crushes are in their life and I am glad that I didn't end up with them. Its one of those "I dodged a bullet" kind of moments.

I don't even talk to my best friend from kindergarten to middle school any more. She was the first person I had a sleepover with. I did gain a different group of friends outside of my other friends starting in the fourth grade and I stayed great friends with them until our senior year in high school. I still talk to them from time to time, but we have just grown apart. My best friend now.. I've known her since first grade, but didn't become friends until 7th grade. I slowly switched best friends and brought her into my second group of friends. I sort of feel like I'm growing out of her now. I feel like a little old lady compared to her. She still goes out to bars and clubs and drinks and parties. I never did any of that and I don't really want to. I enjoy the time I spend with my kids and my husband, but I don't think she understands that I don't want to do the things she does. But without her, I am basically friendless. I have a few gals that I talk to and hang out with, but none that are at best friend status. None that I can complain about my husband to or call up crying.
Everything was so simple in high school. I thought it was the toughest part of my life at the time, but looking back at it all now, it was a breeze. I didn't have a job or bills to pay. I did still have my brothers to look after and take care of, but its nothing like actually being a mother. I miss learning. I miss carrying a stack of books. I miss having my own homework and not making Lilly cry when she's frustrated over math.
I look back at when I first had Lilly. I knew what to do. There was never any question. It was just me and her against the world and we made it work. She grew up so fast. I'm now slowly selling her baby clothes and it makes me so sad. Not only has my little girl gown up, but by finally selling her clothes, I am acknowledging that I will not have another child after Zach. I found a pair of Zach's newborn socks the other day and I just sat and cried. Its funny how my priorities changed so fast. In a blink of an eye, it was no longer about me and I stepped up to the plate with no problems. I was prepared. I just think that one day I might look back and miss not being able to do what people my age do. I didn't get to finish college. I didn't get to 'party' even though its not really my thing. I don't regret my decisions, I'm happy with how I've grown and I'm happy with myself for making those decisions in the times that I did.
If I compare myself to my brothers... I kind of hate to say it, but I am better off than they are. I have 6 brothers. Mom told Tony the other day that she feels like she has failed all her kids but me. I hate to tell her, but I didn't succeed because of her, I did it all because of me. She didn't raise me to be like this.

I know I ran off track somewhere. This was just supposed to be about how I'm not who I used to be. What happened? I ramble sometimes. Whatever.
I've seen some of my past crushes on Facebook and I have to giggle. One is bald and so very religious. One is a drug addict. One lives off welfare. I've grown apart and out of my friends. All I really have is my kids and my hubby.... and I like it that way.



So... apparently I did something to my hand/wrist. I woke up yesterday morning and my left wrist hurt really bad. I wrapped it in an ACE bandage last night and woke up this morning to my entire hand swollen. My wrist hurts even more. I can't do simple things like type correctly, open a door.. I couldn't even hook my bra this morning. I had to take it off and hook it and then kind of crawl into it. I'm leaving work at noon to go get it looked at. People are telling me its carpal tunnel, but I looked it up and the pain and problems are on the opposite side of my wrist as what carpal tunnel is. I'm not saying its not carpal tunnel, I'm just saying that there is a very good possibility that its something else. I don't remember hitting my hand, bending it weird or anything. And I sleep with my arm, wrist and hand flat under my pillow... I guess I'll update you guys tomorrow, if I can.

Can't NOT be busy

Yet another busy weekend/week... I'll make this one short and just provide you with some pictures.

Thursday-I took this day off work. The day care was having breakfast with Santa so I went with the kids. We ate with Zach's best friend and his little girlfriend. I was the only parent that came in Lilly's age group. After Zach was done eating, he jumped down and went straight over to Santa before I could even get up from the table. Lilly hopped up and I got a good picture of them. I think Santa was the janitor and Zach loves him. Phil is his buddy. We got Phil a Christmas card and I gave it to Zach to give to him a few days later and he was running through the halls yelling, "PHIL! PHIL!" It was so cute. He really loved getting the card. I left the kids there and went home to wrap presents and work on the basement. I've got almost all of Lilly's old clothes sold now.

Friday- Hubby went Christmas shopping so me and the kids just hung out at the house after we got home.

Saturday-I picked Tony and Bre up and took them to the mall. We made it to town just in time to catch the Christmas parade. It was Zach's first and he loved it. Lilly was a bit upset because it started raining and we left in the middle of it. That night we went to the fire station for dinner and a visit from Santa. We couldn't keep Zach away from him.

Sunday- We went to a birthday party at one of those places with the bouncy houses and giant slides. Zach loved the slide and Lilly found a little girl her age to play with. Santa stopped by here too.

All last week, I searched the mall for Christmas shirts for the kids and came out empty handed. I finally asked a guy at Gap for kids why no one had anything and he said that having shirts with Christmas trees and Santa are just not politically correct. Serious? Really? What is wrong with people these days that they have to go and ruin everything for everyone. I broke down and just got Zach a red plaid shirt and Lilly wore her dress from last year.
Oh, and some pics of our Elf

Bllllllaaaahhhhh

I left work early Friday, but I headed to the mall. I picked up Donavan's shirt that I ordered on Black Friday, got Bre a shirt and CJ some cute string dolls that she likes. I then went and got a few more stocking suffers for mom's boyfriend's grandson that lives with them. I looked around for the kids some Christmas shirts since they are meeting Santa Saturday, but no one had any out yet.

I'm trying to get Zach to go to sleep in his own bed now. He sleeps in it, but he won't go to sleep in it. He likes to cuddle when he goes to sleep. Friday he did ok. It only took about an hour and a half. Saturday he didn't go to sleep until after 11:00 and last night it was 11:30 before he went to sleep. Its slowly coming together. At least we got him asleep in his own bed, now we have to work on an earlier time.

Saturday, I didn't really do much. We shopped at Walmart. CJ brought her mom down to see my house, but they only stayed a few minutes. Then one of hubby's friends came over and stayed most of the night. We ordered pizza and watched a movie. It was warm this weekend. I took Zach out and we played. He enjoyed finally being outside after a few weeks of coldness. Its funny..it snowed in October, but in December, we're running around without jackets on. The weatherman said that it was "April-like weather"

Sunday, hubby had to go to work and then he had a meeting at the fire station. I took Zach out again and we played soccer, he rode his little riding toy and we picked sticks up out of the yard. After lunch he took a nap and I wrapped some presents. I made sure I wrapped non-breakables and stuff that wasn't the kids. I wanted to see how Zach would act before I put anything else out. I forgot how long it took to wrap! 2 hours and only a few things done. I finally watched Resident Evil for the first time, too. After work, hubby went and bought a fireplace insert for our house. He was gone most of the day.

Last week, I was panicking on trying to figure out how I was going to pay a week of day care. I was behind and had to pay. I did a little too much Christmas shopping and used all my paycheck. I was going to use my Walmart Discover card to pay day care. Its a Discover card, I can use it anywhere. I got to the day care and realized that it was expired and I never got a new one. So.. I scrambled to come up with money. I sold a few more things that used to belong to Lilly, but it wasn't enough. Then, on Friday, I log in and look at my account online and it says that I have enough money. I was getting these emails from Amazon, but not paying attention. Apparently everything that I bought on Cyber Monday was free shipping and I had calculated everything WITH shipping. So.. I was excited. Friday I went in and paid a week of day care. Then, I get in today and look and I'm overdrawn. There's 2 charges on there that I don't remember, but they are just pending right now and won't know where they are from until they go through. Child support is late and I have no way to cover it. So.. I'll have 3 overdraft charges on my account. Hopefully after this paycheck on Friday, I'll get everything straightened out. Its my fault for not keeping up with it. I just hope that after all the charges, I'll have enough in my account to pay day care for 2 weeks and my satellite bill. I doubt it, but we'll see. I'm going to try to sell some more things. Between the money from selling stuff and whenever my child support decides to come in, I should be fine. Its just enough to cause panic in me right now. I hate that the very bank I work at is making a fortune off my overdraft fees. After the new year, I'm going head first into looking for a better job again.

Um....

The weekend is here!!!! Nothing really planned. I think hubby wants to get his Christmas shopping done, but that's it.
I just sort of fell asleep at my desk, so I'm updating my blog to help keep me awake. I only have about an hour left. I get to leave a little early today since I'm at my 40 hours for the week.
I brought in my little 3 1/2 foot Christmas tree to work and put it up in our new space. I put it on one of the desks that we aren't using at the moment. A few of the girls are going to bring in ornaments. I think I'm going to look through all my decorations and see what all I have. I might bring some stuff in to decorate the entire space if I can. I'd like to, but I don't think I have very much. I never really had space to put decorations and hubby said that after the holidays, we'll get some while its on sale. So this year, we just have our tree. We will go get some outside lights to put up, but that'll be it for now. After, we're going to get a bigger tree. Our 6 foot tree just looks tiny in our new house. I was admiring it last night. I really do think it looks nice this year. I actually have room to step back and look at it this year. I love the colored lights and the red garland. I'm not a fan of blinking lights, but I don't hate them. I think that's what hubby and Lilly agreed to for the outside and I'm ok with that.
I have moved our elf, Dee and that's where he'll stay until Monday when Lilly sees him. I'm going to work on being more creative. Zach's really not into it yet and he doesn't understand. I do try to put him up where Zach can't reach him or won't see him. The story says that if you touch him, he loses his magic and I can just imagine the kind of fit Lilly would throw if she saw Zach touch him.
The gift I bought my grandparents came in the other day. I ordered it off Amazon and the box was a little damaged, but the gift wasn't. I got them a new shredder since theirs is broken and has been for a while now. I got one of the criss-cross shredders. I should also be getting 5 more packages. Each shirt I ordered is coming separately. There's a movie coming separately and then some toys coming together I think. Oh, and some stuff off another website.
So... Happy Weekend and here's where I put Dee up.

How many days 'til Christmas?

One of the teachers at the Y pulled Lilly's tooth yesterday. She was so excited about it. She was carrying around her plastic tooth container in her backpack, so she had a place to put it when it came out. Last night, she put it under her pillow and me and hubby realized that we didn't have any cash. I was going to be a bad mom and take money out of her piggy bank to give back to her, but then I remembered my secret stash of weird money. I have silver and red notes, I have Canadian money, I have silver dollars and half dollars, I have money from India... I have all kinds of different stuff...So, I dug out 2 gold dollars, a half dollar and a penny that was given to me years ago when I was working at a convenience store that has a cross hole stamped in the middle of it. She grabbed the coins up this morning and didn't seem very amused until I told her what they were, then she got so happy. "I have 2 GOLD dollars!" And that penny made her day.

Chris, Tony and Bre came down yesterday to look at some stuff that I had put back for their apartment. They only ended up taking the microwave, one towel and my 2 end tables. The didn't want any of the things for the kitchen like bowls, plates, cups, forks and stuff. They did want a pizza pan, but I didn't have an extra one... that I've found anyway. They stayed and watched me cook dinner. It was our Thanksgiving dinner with Lilly. I cooked ham with Dr. Pepper and brown sugar, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. I tried to get them to eat, but Chris only had a piece of ham and that was only to see if he could taste the Dr. Pepper. He said he really liked it. He was also surprised that I made mac and cheese. He said that no one in our family makes mac and cheese for Thanksgiving and he wished they would. So, I told him next year, I'll bring some.

I think I'm going to start posting pictures of our Elf on the Shelf and where he hides. He's been on our mantel, in the Christmas tree, on my bookshelf, on the dining room chandelier and today, he's in Lilly's stocking. Every morning after Lilly is dressed, she goes around the house looking for him and she always thinks that where he is at is funny. The sad thing to me is that when Zach is old enough to get 'into' the Elf, Lilly won't be interested in it anymore. Next Saturday is the Christmas dinner at the fire station and I'm hoping Zach won't cry and throw a fit this time. The Thursday before is breakfast with Santa at the Y, so I guess that will be my trial run. I'm taking that day off to do breakfast with both kids and then go home to clean and decorate for the holidays.

Today I'm selling one of Lilly's old blankets. Its a Dora throw that looks brand new. She hardly used it and don't want it anymore. I'm selling it to CJ's aunt for $15 and tomorrow I'm selling Lilly's old crawling baby for $10. I'm in desperate need of this money since I over did it on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and I need to pay day care. With child support, the check my neighbor gave me for getting her Just Dance 4, and the money from these things...I think I will have just enough money to pay for next week day care. Its gonna be tight. I can't spend any money until pay day on December 7th, but I have to pay 2 weeks day care out of that and the satellite. I still have my boss and one co-worker to buy for, but I think I found them some cheap things on Amazon that I liked. Last year they got wine glasses. This year, they are just going to get a funny sign to hang in their office/cubicle. One of them is a saying that my co-worker says all the time.

I accidentally fell asleep last night while trying to get Zach to sleep. He was in my room watching cartoons and then hubby left to go on a fire call. I went to the bedroom and turned the tv off and I fell asleep. I woke up about 10 minutes before hubby came home and realized that Zach had leaked through his diaper...again. So I changed him and cleaned him up and he was getting made at me and screaming until I put him in his own bed. I then changed the sheets and was in the process of putting the ham in the fridge when hubby came home. It seems that every time Zach falls asleep in my bed now, he gets it wet. I should know by now.

An Odd Topic

Ok, there's something that I just want to take a minute to talk about. Yes, its a bit odd and honestly, a little out of my comfort zone. Today, I want to talk about.... teeth. Yes, that's right, teeth. I have good strong teeth with a couple fillings because, well, I didn't really take care of them when I was little and I got some cavities. I'm still paying for it these days, but they are getting better. But that's not really what I want to talk about.

Lilly is on her way to losing her 4th baby tooth. She's so excited about it. Its barely hanging on, or so she says. I haven't seen it and I refuse to look at it. Teeth just make me sick. I told her that I could pull it for her, but I'd end up throwing up all over her face. So.. naturally she told me that it was fine and I didn't have to. I was trying to convince her to pull it this morning, but she wouldn't even though it hurts when she eats. She said that one of the teachers at the Y is going to pull it and she doesn't make it hurt. Lilly's refusal to pull her tooth even when its barely hanging on reminded me of me.

I was 7 when I lost my first one, as was she. I remember sitting in my second grade class watching a movie, crying in the darkened room with a paper towel in my mouth trying to pull my tooth. I knew it wasn't going to hurt, but it was just so gross. I could pull it and twist it all around with no pain. When I finally did get it out of there, I cried. I cried so hard they had to stop the movie and send me to the bathroom. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I ended up being the only one that pulled my own teeth. And with every one it was a new kind of horror. I couldn't even look at the tooth once I had it out.

I was a bit old when I lost my last baby tooth. I was... 14 I believe. I had just gotten on the bus to Canada and it accidentally came out. I was in no rush to pull that thing. Like all my other loose teeth, it was just barely hanging on when it came out. I just think that this tooth couldn't hold on any longer. I held it in my hand and tried not to look at it while I frantically tried to find something to put it in. It ended up going in a small inside zipper pocket of my backpack. I never took it out of that pocket. When the backpack got so torn up it needed thrown away... I threw my tooth away too. By 14, there's no need to  hold on to your teeth. You're not going to get money for it, so what do you do it?

When Lilly puts her tooth under her pillow, we have a special plastic container that is shaped like a tooth that we put it in, that way I don't have to touch it. I open it up and dump the tooth in a plastic baggie and put the money in the container and back under her pillow.

If teeth are healthy and intact, not wriggling or decaying.... I'm fine. I can't even look at my mom without her teeth in or even look at her teeth when they aren't in her mouth.

Lilly's not even 8 yet and she's losing her 4th tooth. It kind of makes me sad. My little girl is growing up. She teases me when she has a lose tooth and wriggles it when I'm looking at her. I told her last night that if she wants me to puke on her then keep doing it. She finally stopped. Hubby is ok with teeth. He hasn't pulled one of Lilly's yet, though. But Lilly hasn't pulled one either. No, I think she may have pulled one.

I can't believe I talked that long about teeth.

When I was almost 8, my older brothers ruined everything for me. They showed me mom's box full of all our teeth and told me there was not Tooth Fairy. They then proceeded to tell me that nothing existed, but I was still very horrified that mom had a box full of teeth. Now, I'm the one collecting the teeth...mostly because I have no idea what to do with them. I don't want to throw them out. Ew, and I saw yesterday that someone famous.. Ke$ha or someone, was wearing clothes made out of teeth that her fans had sent her. How disgusting is that? First off...why would you send someone your teeth? Why would you mail them? That's gross. Second... What possessed this woman to WEAR the teeth of strangers? I just saw the headline for it. I refused to look at any pictures regarding this piece of clothing made out of teeth.

Ok....I'm done before I gross myself out some more.

WOW!

Where do I start?

Thanksgiving was crazy. First, Wednesday night, my sister-in-law calls me inquiring about Thanksgiving dinner. She thought we were having it at my house and her mom was getting upset because no one has told her what was going on. I told hubby to call everyone to set the record straight. I am not cooking this year. The house is not ready to have that many people in it and I will not be home. I have other places to be. We will do it next year though. His mom went ahead and bought everything so hubby went over there and grabbed some stuff for us to take home to make. Hubby comes home from being out hunting for almost a week with his deer and his buddy's deer saying that all the deer cutting places are full and that he has to go back in the morning, so he spends some of the night stuffing them with ice and storing them in our garage.

Thursday. I got up super early and took a shower and some Advil. The Advil was just a precaution. I knew I'd be getting a headache that day, so I was just trying to prevent one. Hubby leaves to try a deer cutting place to see if they have any openings. This one doesn't. I take Zach and leave to go get Tony and his girlfriend at her house. I make a stop at a grocery store to grab a pumpkin roll. I didn't have time to make anything, so I bought it. I cheated. I then take them back to my house to get hubby, in hopes that he got to drop his deer off at the other place. If he didn't, then he would have to stay home and cut it up himself. Thankfully, they took his deer and he was ready when we got back to the house. I ran inside and grabbed a few things including my brother's engagement ring.

First stop was K-Mart. They were having a sale from 6am to 4pm, so I had to run in and grab a few things and hubby needed to get a doe stamp anyway. I ran in and grabbed a Bopit and Elefun since the games were buy one get one free. We also went ahead and grabbed Lilly's electric scooter. The ad said that it was $74.99 right now, but they already had a tag on it saying it was $69.99. We get up to the register and everything rings up like there was no sale. I told the lady that the games were BOGO and she said that it is and that the money was taken off. I told her that it didn't look that way and she assured me that it was. Hubby then told them that the price on the scooter was wrong. The manager came over and told him that they went ahead and put the tags up to prepare for the sales on Friday. Hubby said if the tag is there then we get that price. She finally told me to come back while the right sale was going on and she'd give me the difference. When we got back to the car, we noticed that she charged me full price for the games, so hubby went inside and got me the sale price on the games and went ahead and got the money back on the scooter.

Second stop-My grandma's house in my hometown around 11:30. We were the 3rd car to arrive. Turkey was just coming out of the oven. My mom was there already. We claimed our seats before the house got full. Slowly everyone started showing up. Food was great. Everyone got along. Zach played with the boys and tossed a balled up napkin around with my grandpa. We didn't stay long.

Third stop-My second ex step-dad's (Jeff) house. Tony had ordered a game and had it delivered there or something and he and his girlfriend (Bre) went up to get it. Seth was up there. He didn't come to dinner. When they got back to the car, Bre had her ring on. He purposed to her and she said yes. I couldn't get it out of them how exactly it happened.

Fourth stop- My other grandma's house. Chris was in his and Tony's apartment just across the street, so Tony and Bre went there while me, hubby and Zach headed inside. Dad and my uncle were there. My grandma has problems with her fingers locking and she can't move them. So I jumped in the kitchen to help. She usually yells at me to get out, but this time, I made her get out. I cut up the ham and put it on the table and made deviled eggs for the first time from instructions from my grandma while she was in the next room. They turned out pretty good. My uncle got the turkey out and everything just fell in place. I texted Tony and Chris and told them to come eat. We made our plates and I texted Josh to see where he was. He was 1/2 hour away. I set up Lilly's little Dora table for Zach to eat at and Chris sat down with him. Hubby didn't eat much since he over stuffed at my other grandma's. Josh finally showed up and I headed out leaving Tony and Bre.

Fifth stop- Home. Zach fell asleep in the car, so we left him there. Hubby unloaded the car and I ran inside to cook real fast. Hubby stayed in the garage while Zach slept in the car. He hid Lilly's scooter in the garage behind some couches that are still out there. I grabbed everything up and headed out the door.

Sixth stop- The in-law's house. When we got there, everyone was in a mood. Hubby's mom was yelling. All the kids were throwing a fit. His sister came into the bedroom where I was putting Zach back to sleep and started going off about how she was getting yelled at by her mom and how her kids have been acting. We ate. They put in some old (I'm talking old) home movies and everyone got into a better mood. I saw hubby at about Zach's age and they look like twins!

At about 6:30 we left there. I dropped off hubby and Zach at the house and I headed out to meet my bff (CJ) at my work. It was the only place I trusted my car to be over night. When I got there, I scared the security guard. He met me at the door and was asking me a million questions. It was a bit comical. CJ picked me up and we headed out.

First shopping stop-Walmart. It took us about 15 minutes to find a parking spot. We had to park in the next store over. The big sale started at 8:00 and it was a little after already. It was packed. I've never seen so many people out at one store. We assumed that since it was so early, everyone was there. People were there with their kids and babies. CJ was after a laptop. I was after PJ's for Lilly, slippers for Zach and 2 Just Dance 4 Wii games. One for the kids and one for my ex neighbor. I ended up getting a memory foam bath mat too and the last Harry Potter movie for only $1.97. It was only $5 and I figured I'd find someone to give it to. When we got there, we went straight back to the electronics to ask about the laptop. They told us that they wouldn't know anything until the sale for the item started which was at 10:00. So we shopped and checked out and at 9:30 we asked them again and they told us the same thing. CJ's hubby was at a different Walmart and they were giving out tickets for the laptops and they were already gone. So, we went to someone that didn't work in electronics and she told us that they would be in the garden section. So we headed there. They were already out... an hour ago and the sale didn't start for another 1/2 hour. She was so mad. Her hubby ended up getting one, but it was a bit more expensive.

Second stop-K-Mart. Oh, I did some shopping here. We got there and it was almost empty. I grabbed hubby's rechargeable Craftsman light and went to the toys and got an arm load before I decided it was time to get a cart. We realized that it didn't FEEL like Black Friday if we could actually push a cart around. I loaded that thing up. I got Jake and the Neverland Pirate's Sword for Zach, 2 old Atari games for some boys, make your own Monster High kit for Lilly, socks for both the kids, a mini La La Loopsy for Lilly, 2 things that looked like pocket knives, but were eating utensils, clothes for both kids, and a bunch of stuff I don't remember. I saved over $90.

Third Stop-mall. We parked all the way on the top and there was a car there with some guys that were freaking us out. We sat there with the doors locked until they left. We went to one of the toys stores and I grabbed up a sit and spin for Zach and CJ got a stuffed dog. We went to the other toy store and I grabbed a bunch of small stuff to make a stocking for someone and Lilly got a zipper bracelet. After that we went into American Eagle, Aerie, and Aeropostale, but CJ didn't find anything. We went up to eat.. its about 2:30am now. We grabbed some Steak Escape and sat down while we ate. After that I hit up Hot Topic to get Donavan a shirt. We walked around Sears, but didn't find anything. We walked to the other side of the mall to JC Penny. Everything online said they open at 4am. We sat and waited until 4:15 and left. Come to find out they didn't open until 6am. We got Starbucks and went into a candle store just to smell some candles.

Fourth stop-Big Lots. Didn't open until 6 and we got there about 5:15. We sat in the car and I cat napped. There was only about 10 cars on the lot and people started lining up. I had to laugh at them. It wasn't like the lot was full and they had to be the first ones inside or anything. Really made me laugh. The doors opened and everyone rushed inside while we were taking our time. CJ got a tv for her step dad and few other things. I got the kids a bean bag chair each and a thing of Spongebob candy. We spent a lot of time here for some reason. I swear I looked at everything in the store 3 times before we left. CJ also ended up getting $60 rugs for $25 because they didn't have the right ones in stock.

Fifth stop-Another Big Lots to see if they had the rugs that she really wanted. They did. We grabbed it and headed out.

Sixth stop-CJ's house to unload the car of all her stuff. This was the first time I had been to her house since she's been back to WV. We had to be really quiet since everyone was still asleep.

Seventh stop-My car to finish unloading.

Eighth stop-Harbor Freight to buy hubby's giant roll away tool box. It came in 3 boxes and they laughed at us when I asked if they could squeeze it in CJ's car. I asked if they'd hold it for me and I'd be back in my bigger car. This store was only a couple miles from my house.

I sent hubby a text to check on him and Zach. They were up (Its about 8am now) and Zach was eating breakfast.

Ninth stop-My car. I say my goodbye to CJ and I get in my car. I had to stop for some gas and went to Harbor Freight again to get the toolbox.

Final stop-HOME. I got home about 9:30, told hubby he was not allowed in the garage and noticed that Zach didn't touch his breakfast, so I made him something else. Hubby hopped in the shower and I had to go to the garage to get his gun and he headed off to go hunting again. Me and Zach hung out. I was exhausted. I got him asleep around noon and I took about an hour nap. I woke up and ran out to unload my car while he was asleep. I sorted everything, took note of what I had and took pictures. I had just put the last thing in the closet when Zach woke up. We had lunch and I called my ex neighbor and she stopped by for a bit. I gave her the game I got for her. 10:00 Zach went to bed for the night and I stayed up until after midnight wrapping hubby's gift. The boxes were really heavy. I had to put them on a blanket so I could push them across the floor. Oh, I didn't mention that it took me forever to actually get them IN the house. Finally wrapped, I covered them up so Zach would leave them alone and I went to bed. He woke up once that night, but I was so tired that I just took him back to my bed with me. I woke up at 7:30 to him staring at me and a wet bed. I stripped the bed and did laundry.

I was supposed to meet a lady that was going to buy Lilly's old clothes off me, but she canceled at the last minute. I went to my grandma's to get Lilly. We stayed there a couple hours before we headed home. About 6:00, hubby came home.

I don't really remember what happened Sunday. Hubby had to work. I stayed in my PJ's all day.

Yesterday was of course Cyber Monday. I ended up mostly finishing off my list of people to buy for. I got Lilly another La La Loopsy (the one she asked for), Zach a t-ball set (that's probably going to be put back for his birthday, my grandparent's a new shredder, all my brothers t-shirts, Jeff an heated ice scraper, hubby's sister and his cousin a cute snowman with some cute saying on it, Chris and Tony a bathmat with bloody footprints on it, and Mom memory foam pillow.

I even made another trip to K-Mart and got more stuff. I bought for hubby's niece. I got her a really cute purse and some cotton candy spray. I got a couple things for hubby's cousin's kid for her birthday and Christmas. I got the kids shoes and an Aquadoodle mat. 2 of my brothers got headphones for their Xbox and a movie for Lilly.

I've spent way too much money, but I'm done. I did just notice that I ordered a shirt of the wrong size for one of my brothers.

I met someone yesterday and sold a few of Lilly's old Barbies and bought Zach a Mickey Mouse train set.

Phew! its been a crazy few days. Oh, yeah... Sunday, we got our tree put up and the Elf on the Shelf came out of hiding on Saturday. Here's a few pictures.......... and no, I forgot to get any pictures of the Black Friday fun.

Its almost Time

Ok, ok...tomorrow is Thanksgiving and then I'm off to do some Black Friday shopping. Today didn't start out too well. I was near tears when I left the day care. Took everything I had to not cry. Lilly was getting upset because she wouldn't see me for Thanksgiving. I hugged her goodbye and told her I'd see her Saturday and she wouldn't let go. It sucks so bad. I just got her back Monday and she's going back to his house today. He drops her off at my grandma's on Friday and she'll spend the night there and I'll get her Saturday. I could get her Friday when I'm done shopping around noon, but she wants to stay the night there. I think she'll end up changing her mind. She hasn't stayed there in a long time because she always calls me to come get her. I told her that I'll be out shopping all day anyway and she won't miss any time with me. Yes, I lied, but my grandma really wants her to stay.

My bff came down to my house last night and we made our Black Friday shirts. Mine is uneven and off to one side, but oh well. I let Lilly draw on one of her plain shirts with the paint pens too. Zach wanted to color too, so I got him some crayons and a coloring book.

Tomorrow, I'm going to get up super early and head out to Kmart to do some very little shopping. All I'm going to get is 2 games-Bopit and Elefun. They are buy one get one free. Can't beat that, really. Then at noon, we are on our way back to my hometown to eat with family. There's gonna be about 40 of us crammed into a single wide trailer. After that I'm off to my other grandma's for food and family time. After that we go to hubby's sister's house and I don't know how long I'll stay there before I head out. The first sale is at Walmart and it starts at 8pm that night. But since they don't really close their doors, people go in and grab what they want and wait in line at the registers until 8:00. I'm not going to do that. But I'd like for what I want to still be there when I get there. I don't know what time we're getting started.

Hubby left Friday to go to the "farm" so he can hunt this week. I haven't seen or talked to him since then. It was just me and Zach all weekend until Lilly came home Monday after school. Saturday we didn't do anything, but make a trip to Walmart for some food. Sunday we cleaned. He's such a good helper too. I gave him a Swiffer Duster and he went to town. He helped pick up his toys and do the laundry.

My grandparents came down Sunday with my uncle to show him my house. I cleaned my butt off cuz they were coming and they only stayed about an hour. I swept and mopped, I wiped the bathrooms down, cleaned the toilets, cleaned the kids rooms, cleaned my room, did the dishes, swept the carpet, made the beds, unpacked a couple more boxes.... and now, you can't even tell I did all that. The house is a mess again. I've gotten some clothes out of the basement to sell on Facebook and they are all over my room. The dining table is so messy, theres no way  you can sit down to eat now. Dishes need done again and trash needs taken out... and the kids rooms exploded with toys.

Hubby is supposed to come home today. I don't know what time yet. I haven't talked to him. I sent him a text and he hasn't answered me at all. I love my kids to death, but not having adult interactions for a few days is hard on a gal. It was just me and Zach from Friday afternoon til Sunday when my grandparents came down for only an hour. Then it was just us again until I went to work, but I don't really talk to anyone here.

I know there's  so much more, but I'm getting a headache and I still have some stuff to do before I leave work for the week.

Happy Thanksgiving and I'll have pictures of my Black Friday adventures next week.

Bored at Work

I'm just sitting here at work, bored. I don't really want to start anything right now. Its been a busy day as it is. I think its time to sit back and relax. My boss is out for the day. I'll work tomorrow when she's back. I have an hour and a half of trying to look busy now, so I'm updating my blog. Its the holiday season, I get lazy. What can I say? I've already warned my boss that I'm basically worthless at least until after Black Friday. After that we'll just play it by ear.

I bought Zach's big Christmas gift today from a lady that advertised it off of one of the Facebook yardsales. It was the first time I had ever bought anything. I've sold some things. She even came to my work to drop it off to me. I bought him a Power Wheels firetruck. We were looking at something like this. Cabela's is going to have a camo battery powered ATV on Black Friday, but I think the firetruck is a bit safer. He can sit inside of it instead of on top of it. The fire truck only holds up to 40 pounds, but the ATV went up to 65 pounds. That's one bad thing. Its in pretty good shape for a used toy. I'm excited about it. I now have a few things for both kids. I'm not going to get Lilly a telescope anymore. Maybe next year. I figured since Zach is getting a riding toy, she should get one too, so we are going to get her an electric scooter.

The maintenance guys here at work are staring to put up the Christmas decorations. It makes me even more excited. I have an extra tree that I'm going to bring to work and set up in our small little area, but I'll wait another week or so before I do that. I probably even have some decorations I can put on it. We'll probably even end up getting a bigger tree this year for the house. Or we'll wait until after the holidays when everything is on sale and get it for next year.

My mom just called, so I have 1/2 an hour now until I leave.

If everything goes ok, Friday, I'm going with my bff to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. I'm excited about it, but I'm not at the same time. I've been kind of disappointed in the movies so far. I heard that there's going to be a twist ending, so that has my curiosity sparked. I'm trying to figure out how I can go. It just depends on how long it is and when it started cuz I have to make sure I can be there to pick Zach up. Hubby is leaving Friday to go to the camp for hunting.

Oh, and did I mention that I finally have pictures hung up in my house? I think I did, but its still an awesome thing.

Today was employee appreciation day at work. We got free breakfast and played games all day. The training department would send out an email to everyone with a riddle and you have to solve it. 3 people for each question wins. There's been 5 questions. We are just awaiting the winners now.

Now, I'm just rambling to pass the time. And now my mind is drawing a blank. I think I've run out of things to talk about at the moment.

While going through my things in the basement that has been stuffed in storage for years, I came across what is the beginning of a book that I was writing. Of course its just a rough draft and needs plenty of improvement, but I'm thinking about trying to finish it. If I have time. Its kind of a adventure/suspense theme. Its about these 4 girls that run away from home, end up in another state and try to make a life for themselves. One gets injured really bad, one becomes a prostitute, one has a baby and I think one of them dies. After a few years, they decide to move back home, but it still doesn't go well from there. I've only gotten to the point where they start to leave and have made it halfway to their destination. Its kind of hard to write about a place I've never been. But I think with the help of Google Maps, I can now pin point exactly the characteristics of this place. I just don't know when I'll have time to do it. I've had a couple more ideas about books. I've thought of a scary one, but haven't really gotten to figure out exactly what the scary part is yet. I've even thought about writing a book or two about my Black Friday adventures. I started one a few years ago, but I have no idea where it ended up. I also found my paintings while digging through my stuff. I think I'm going to give them to Lilly if she wants them.

Ok, I know have 20 ish minutes before I head out and I still have to get this thing posted. I also want to share this picture with you of Zach's new Power Wheels.

No Title, Just No

Some more crazy days.
Left work early on Thursday to take Lilly to the dentist. Nothing big. She was just getting sealant put on her back teeth.
I took Friday off work to work on my stuff in the basement. All my stuff. My big pile of stuff. I also took an hour break to go to Lilly's awards assembly at school. She got the Principals List award and the Citizenship award. I teared up about 5 times during the whole thing. I know when its Zach's turn to do this, I'm just going to bawl my eyes out. Got back home and went to work again. I went through old stuff from high school, Lilly's newborn clothes, old toys, old pictures and so much more stuff that I had forgotten about. I was on my feet from 6 in the morning until 11 that night. The only time I sat down was at Lilly's awards assembly and in the car to drop off and pick up the kids. I didn't even sit down to eat. I ate at the counter while I was cleaning up the kitchen.
Saturday, I woke up and couldn't move. My back, hips, knees and feet hurt so incredibly bad and was stiff. I made the mistake of thinking I was 14 and could go all day without resting. Granted, I'm only 26, but I swear I have the joints and muscles of an 85 year old. I had to get moving. I took a super hot shower and made the kids breakfast. I kicked hubby out of bed because we had to get going. Lilly had soccer at 11:30 and he still needed a shower and get new tires on my car. I stayed while Lilly played and Hubby took Zach to go look at fireplace inserts with a blower. After soccer, I stopped by the store and bought me and Lilly lunch. I am trying to teach her the importance of money now. I showed her how much cheaper it is to buy and fix your own food than to go out and buy it already made at a fast food place. I'm also starting to teach her to cook. She's been helping out a lot. She made gumbo the other night and then I showed her how to made our own chicken nuggets. After lunch, we ran to the fire station to view and buy our pictures that we had done just a couple weeks before. I wasn't a fan of any of the family poses, but there were a few good ones in there. There was one of me and Lilly that I really liked and one of hubby and Zach that I really liked and one each of the kids. We did get all of them because she just gave them to us. What we didn't pick out to buy, she gave to us.
After that we headed back to my hometown about 45 minutes away to my nephew's 9th birthday party. The kids had fun and I got to see everyone. Zach was more interested in their dog than anything else. We left there about 7pm and headed home for dinner.
Sunday I took the kids to my grandma's house. We hadn't seen her in a while. We stayed for about 5 hours before we left. The kids played hard outside on the swing set and in Lilly's giant doll house. We went and looked at my brothers new apartment and saw my uncles new camper. We left there so Zach would go to sleep and went to wait for hubby at Cabela's. We got there around 2:30, Zach slept until 3:30 and then I took the kids inside to wait since they were both kind of grouchy. Hubby finally showed up after 4 and we didn't leave the store until around 6 and then we headed to Walmart for more shopping and then home.
Monday I was off work and I wanted to get some more work done on my stuff in the basement. I took the kids down there. Zach played and Lilly went through some of her old toys. That's basically all we did all day. I cleaned the kitchen and did laundry while Zach napped. He was out for almost 4 hours.
Ok... now that my weekend is out of the way.... its time to talk about Black Friday some more. Hubby finally agreed to stay home so I could go out, but he ask that I be home at a decent time so he can go out hunting that evening. So, I'm going to aim to be home at noon. He was asking me questions about when am I going to sleep since I'm coming home to Zach and I told him that its the same thing I did the year before and was fine and dandy. I don't sleep at all for about 2 days straight. It sucks, but I've learned to preoccupy my tiredness with shopping and when I get home, I still have to go through my things and see what I got and didn't get and I'll have Zach to tend to. I don't get grouchy when I know I'm not going to sleep, but when I expect sleep and don't get it, that's when I get grouchy. I value my sleep. And.. at least twice while I'm out with my bff, I will snap at her and she'll call me a grouch. Going out isn't all cupcakes and butterflies, there's some dead frogs in there too. All the ads to the stores that I want to go are all out now. Hubby was trying to tell me how to go about shopping last night. He told me that I needed to make sure I got the best deals. I just laughed at him. He said, "I'm serious." I told him that I made spreadsheets and Word documents and even have pictures of everything I'm going to get so it'll be easier to find. I know what I'm doing. The only problem is, getting there before what you want is all gone.
Today seems to be going by pretty fast. I'm about to take my lunch and then I'm going to do some black Friday online strategy plan making things....I haven't had the chance to check out Target or JCPenny's ad yet. I am starting to get a headache, but this is the first day since Thursday that I have gotten to actually sit down for more than 5 minutes. Its kind of nice. So, here a few pictures of the kids.

Talking About All the Things!

So Black Friday is only 16 days away. I still don't really have any money saved up either. I think I finally have about $50 that I haven't touched. I'm hoping to add another $50 on each Friday leading up to it, so I'd have $200. Hubby said he'd give me some money. The thing I want to get him is $150 and then I have online stuff for my mom and brothers and stuff. Of course I don't have to get the online stuff for a while. I think..... I didn't think about delivery times. I might have to try to get that stuff ASAP. Christmas is just a month and a half away, people!! I'm freaking out. I am so excited for Black Friday. I'm still not actually sure if I'll be able to go or not due to no baby sitter for Zach. But a lot of places are having great sales on Thanksgiving and even through Saturday and a couple places through Monday. So if I don't get to go out, I will still be able to get my stuff. I did get the Black Friday app yesterday and have been adding things to my wishlist, so all I have to do is open it up and look to see what I need and what store its cheapest at. I did see a power wheels thing that is Zach's size that is a cammo 4-wheeler. If we get it, I might hold it for his birthday or something. Maybe. I sent a picture of it to hubby to see what he thought, but he hasn't said anything yet. I am just so excited!!!!! I have been scouting out Black Friday ads. Yes, some of them are already out. K-mart has released theirs. Cabela's has released theirs. Walgreens, Staples, Michaels, Best Buy.. all out. I'm mostly waiting for Walmart, Toys-r-Us, and Target's to be released now. Then I can really start planning. I just thought I'd have more money saved up by now.
I found out that the day care the kids go to are hiring part time from 2:00-6:00. I was thinking about it. Work where I am now from 7:30-1:30 then go to the Y. I'd get a discount on child care. But after I did some math, me losing those 2 hours a day didn't even out the discount. I be losing money and getting home at a later time. I'm just trying to find ways to make some extra money for the holidays. I might resort to cleaning houses on the weekends for a few extra bucks. Or something. I don't know yet.
Ok. The election is over. When I went to vote, I saved the president for last. I thought about my views and feelings on everything. I thought about how my life has been the past 4 years. I went for Obama. Yes, he's not really for the coal industry which is basically what powers my state, but he is for women's rights. I felt that if I voted for Romney, I would be saying that I was ok with America going back 75 years where the white male is what mattered. Romney was trying to tell women how to live their lives and I was not ok with that. I want to be equal to men. I want to live in a world where my kids have a chance, where my daughter won't be scrutinized, where women have a right to their own bodies. Now, on this issue, I just want to say that I am pro-choice and only for the fact that I would rather a woman realize that she can't care for a child before its too late. We have so many unwanted kids in America. We have so many children that are abused, neglected and killed because their parents didn't want them or couldn't care for them. I also believe that if a woman is raped, she should have the choice whether or not to have that baby. Could you go the rest of your life having to share custody with the man that raped you? That's how the court system works. If the father seeks custody or visitation rights, the court doesn't care if your child was a product of rape or not. I personally would never get an abortion, but I feel women should have the right to decide that on their own. I used to be pro-life until I started watching the news and I see all these babies that are born addicted to drugs or live in a dirty house or are left in the car on blistering hot days or are pushed and shoved and abused and starved. I do also believe that there needs to be a shorter time limit on when you can have abortions. I heard Arizona is making their latest time at 20 weeks, but I think we need to go earlier. I think as soon as you know you are pregnant, that's when the decision needs to be made. 10 weeks or less. A baby is likely to survive outside the womb at 24 weeks. Yes, this is a touchy issue, but these are my views.
I am also for same-sex marriage. I believe that you don't choose who you fall in love with and no one should be able to tell you that its wrong. We don't live in the 1800's people. We don't live in a nation with arranged marriages or women staying home while the men work. This is 2012. Things have changed and will continue to change. Why can't gays have the same rights as straights? If they want to be married to share the same benefits, let them. They can love just as much as we love. They are people. They are no different.
Yes, I am a Christian, but there are things in the Bible that has changed as time went on. Like.. back then, women were basically property, couldn't wear pants and had babies if it was God's will. No birth control. Several wives. So many other things that I can't think of right now. Times change. We don't live in a time where people live hundred of years anymore. I'm not bashing the Bible. As I said, I am a Christian. I just believe that times change, which they do.
In the first 4 years that Obama was president, I got a full time job and am now making the most I have since I started working 8 years ago. Hubby did get laid off, but after 5 months he got a much better job with excellent pay. I had my second child. We bought our first house. I have health care for myself and my family for the first time that isn't issued by the state government. My kids have never gone hungry and always have plenty. They've always had clothes and a roof over their head. They've always had clothes to wear. I don't think Obama did such a bad job. My life got better while he was in office. But I also think that a lot of it has to do with me. I strive to make sure my kids are fine and I am not being supported by welfare. It kills me to see people on welfare that shouldn't and I strongly believe that those on welfare needs to be drug tested. So, I guess I'll sit back and see how the next 4 years are going to turn out. Hubby was all for Romney and so he's not having a happy day. But today is the happiest I've been all week.
When I was done voting, I was on my way back to my car, and my grandparents pull in. I was stuck in conversation with them, but I was on my lunch hour break and tried to get going. It was kind of funny. I thought that they would have already been there. They are both for Romney. I think I'm the only one in my family that was pro Obama... Other than Tony, my brother. He called me last night and we talked for 2 hours. Everything popped up. He told me last week that he was going to propose to his long time girlfriend and I helped him pick out a ring over the internet. I introduced him to Black Diamonds and he loved them. They are both goth, so its perfect and Black diamonds are cheaper than white too. He's having it delivered to my house.
Hubby's oldest nephew had surgery Sunday to get his appendix removed. It was almost ruptured. We are going to go visit him at home today to see how he's doing.
Zach's new words are nugget, diaper and tv. Yeah, I realize that's completely random, but I wanted to tell you.

Time goes by so fast

I just fell asleep at my desk so I figured it was time to get my brain going, so I'm updating my blog.
We went to a party of one of my old new friends on Saturday. Zach played with her son again. It was a good party. Very kid friendly. She even had the tv turned on cartoons for the boys. I only had one jello shooter and one small alcoholic drink. I don't even know what it was. Orange juice and pineapple flavored vodka. I'm not a big drinker, especially in front of my kids, but for the spirit of it all, I had a little. Wasn't even enough to give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
Sunday was spent mostly down in the basement going through all my stuff that was in my storage building. I think I'm about 1/2 way through. I have so many clothes. Between me and Lilly, there's like 30 trash bags full. And then I have all the boxes. My brothers, Chris and Tony finally got an apartment together, so I really want to get through my stuff to give them some things. I really want to have the basement clean and an area rug down by Christmas so the kids can do down there to play. My grandparents got Zach a tent and Lilly already has one set up in the basement, but the floor is cold down there. I'm going to work on it a little through the week. I'm taking Friday off to work on it some more while the kids are gone. Lilly's school is having an awards assembly at about 8:45 on Friday, so I have to take a break and go for that.
Nothing really happened yesterday. I still hate my job and I got really angry yesterday. I don't really want to talk about it. I'm still wanting out and I hope to get out soon. But I've been trying forever and haven't gotten anywhere, so whatever.
A really old and really good friend contacted me last night on Facebook. Took me by complete surprise. He was my best friend for about 2 or 3 years. I was friends with him before I started dating Lilly's father. They became good friends and then her father got to keep him as a friend in the break up. They even work together now. I've missed him. We didn't really talk about much. It was late. We talked about how fast time has gone by and I even said to mom today that I was preparing for my black Friday shopping coming up in 16 days and it feels like we just had Christmas. I vividly remember sitting up until 2 am on Christmas morning putting together toys for the kids and doing last minute wrapping. Was that not just yesterday? What has happened to the time? Its crazy. I can't believe it. My kids are growing up and I'm growing old. Zach is in pull-ups now. We are just beginning potty training and he's doing ok. Lilly is in the second grade with straight A's. Almost every paper she brings home from school, she has a perfect score. I am so very proud of her. It seems like yesterday it was just me and her staying up late and falling asleep cuddling on my couch in my tiny apartment in town. Oh, if I had a time machine, I would go back and relive everything just as it happened. I wouldn't change a thing.
Today is election day. I went out on my lunch hour and voted. I did a bit of research before I went on votesmart.org and it helped out a bit.
Well... here's some pictures of the kids. There's a couple of Zach and his new friend Carter at the party, too.

Pics of trick or treat

Here's Zach from last night. We went to trunk or treat at a church and they filled his pumpkin. He was loving all the dogs. Then we went to a few houses by ours, the fire station and to my ex neighbor. She dumped the rest of her bowl in his pumpkin and filled it up again. So, we have enough for Lilly too... More than enough. Lilly's father sent me a pic of her. She looks happy. I hope she had a good time.