First Term Almost Done

My first "term" at Kaplan is almost over.  My last day of this term is October 5.  My next "term" starts October 13.  This term started out as a bit of a challenge, but it got better.  When it started, the kids hadn't started back to school yet, so I had 3 weeks of trying to take care of them while attending my online seminars, studying, and doing my work.  I was able to get through it by doing school work before they woke up, and then again after they went to bed.  Once they started back to school, it was much easier since I then had the 2 hours every day that B is at school to do.  I have also had the trouble of knowing at times when to just walk away from school work at times.  But I have learned that I can not spend all of my free of the kids time studying, I also need some of that as "me" time.  With only a little over a week to go of this term, I am still keeping my "A" average in both classes.

One of my final projects is to interview an attorney, then write up a summary on that interview along with my thoughts on it, etc.  I had one attorney agree weeks ago to the interview.  But after he agreed, I never could get through to him to set up an appointment to do the interview.  So I had to call around to several other attorney offices to find one that would agree.  Out of the 20 or so that I called and/or left messages for, only 1 called me back.  Now I need to actually write up the summary.

Like I said before, my next "term" starts October 13.  My next two classes will be College Composition I and Introduction to Legal Technology.   I am so not looking forward to the Comp class considering I hate to write essays.  The Legal Tech class may be okay though.

Kids' School & Mine

All 3 kids are in school now.  R is now in the 4th grade.  School is school to him.  He doesn't want to go, but he knows he has to.  C is in Kindergarten.  She doesn't want to wake up in the mornings, and throws a fit every single morning about not wanting to go.  The only thing she says she likes about school is her cousin, J, is in her class.  B is in Early Childhood.  He doesn't want to go in the mornings either, but once his ride gets here he is ready to go.  And comes home everyday saying he had fun.  So far all 3 kids are doing good in school.

I have just a few weeks left in this term for my classes.  I survived midterm week with a B on both my midterms.  Even with the B on my midterms, I am still carrying an A average in both classes.  Of course, that is always subject to change in the next few weeks with finals, but all I can do is my best.

Week 2

I survived another week of my online classes towards my degree.  One of my assignments for week 2 was a 500 word paper.  Not a long one, but I still stressed over it just the same.  That's just the way I am.  When I got my grade back on it, my jaw dropped.  Out of a possible 75 points, I got 75 points!  I had gotten a 100% on my paper, I couldn't believe it.  I ended week 2 carrying an A average in both my classes.  I know that can always change though, and all I can do is my best when it comes to my assigments.  I like the look of my A's though, so I will do my best to try to keep my grades that way!  Of course, it doesn't hurt that these are also introductory courses.  I know the further I get into my program, the harder the classes will be.  But I am up for that challenge!

The kids start school next week.  R & C start Tuesday...R in 4th grade and C in Kindergarten.  B starts Wednesday in Pre-K.  I can't believe my baby is starting school already!  B will only be in school for 2 hours and 15 minutes a day, but I am looking forward to that time alone so I can use it for my own studying

Week 1 of Classes

As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to go back to school.  My first round of classes started the 28th and will last for 10 weeks.  I will then have 8 days off before my next round of classes starts.

This "term" I am taking Eight Effective Skills of the Legal Studies Student and The Paralegal Professional.  So far I like both classes.  They are taking some getting used to though.  The online classroom is so different from a traditional classroom, just as one would expect them to be.  Even if I was taking traditional classes though, it would still take some getting used to considering the only time I have been in a classroom in the last 12 years is for parent/teacher conferences for my children.

The first week of class hasn't offically ended yet, but I have gotten all of my assignments finished.  This first week saw the first essay of this back to school experience.  I was stressing over the essay big time.  The essay was only 300-400 words, which is really short.  And the topic was my ideal career.  Should have been easy, right.  But I stressed over it so bad.  I don't have a lot of confidence in my writing skills.  I think they suck big time.  But with the help of a friend physically asking me questions to get me brainstorming, I was able to write the essay.  Even though I thought it sucked majorly, I submitted it to my instructor.  My instructor apparently didn't think it was as horrible as I thought it was because out of 85 possible points, I got 73 (no, that is not percentage, that is points)!  Like I said, I think my essay skills suck horribly, so I was thrilled with that grade.

Since I am done with the assignments for the first week, I have reviewed the material again, and have now started some of the reading assignments for the second week for both courses.

Back To School

R & C are ready to go back to school, and B is ready to start school.  In fact, C was upset the other night because school won't start right now.  All 3 of them will have to wait though, since they don't go back until August 17.  R will be going into 4th grade, C into full day Kindergarten, and B into Pre-K for a whole 2 hours and 15 minutes a day.

I, on the other hand, am a different story.  I have been talking for a few years about going back to school, but I have finally buckled down and took that plunge.  My classes start in 7 days!  I will be going for my Associates in Paralegal Studies (but do plan on getting a bachelors sometime after that), through Kaplan University.  I will be taking 2 classes online every 10 weeks, with 8 days off in between. 

I know it will be a challenge, but I am up for it.  I plan on doing my work and studying while B is in school for his 2 hours and 15 minutes a day, then do some more after all 3 kids are in bed for the night.  And since the kids are now spending weekends with their dad, that gives me all weekend to myself to study.  So I should be able to get in quite a bit of study time...at least once the kids start school next month.  Until they go back to school the plan is to get up a little earlier in the mornings to get some studying done before they wake up, then do some after they go to bed, and on weekends.  Since C & B love to sleep in, it should be no problem having some study time in the mornings.

So I will be blogging about the joys, challanges, etc that come from being a F/T mom and student 

Pearl Paradise Giveaway & Review

You've heard it said that diamonds are a girl's best friend.  But not this girl.  This girl loves pearls.  I think perals are a classic peice of jewelry that never go out of style.  I also love how they go great for casual wear or dressy.  And a girl can never have too many pearls.  That is why I am trying to win some. 

You can enter to win too!  Just head on over to Two Classy Chics to read their great review on a company called Pearl Paradise and learn how you too can enter the giveaway!

Bath & Body Review + Giveaway

Do you love bath & body products? What about products that help make your home smell great? Now you have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to order your choice of bath, body, or home fragrance items!

Two Classy Chics have written a product review on some of our bath products. They are also hosting a giveaway, sponsored by me, on their site. You can read the product review and enter the giveaway at http://twoclassychics.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-and-giveaway-crystals-comforts.html Several ways to earn entries! You can even earn daily entries!





This giveaway ends July 24 at midnight EST time.


To learn more about the great bath & body products, visit my other blog

Getting To Know Family

I am sad to say that up until recently, my children didn't know their cousins.  Which is a shame considering that the town we live in is right next to the town they live in.  It was just that my sister and I live seperate lives, and we don't even see each other that often. 

But my kids are now getting to know their cousins.  With summer vacation going on, my nephews were getting bored at home.  So I have went and picked them up a few times so far.  They come out here and go swimming with my kids, and they all jump on the trampoline together.  On Monday, they all even went blackberry picking together in the back field. 

I am so glad that the kids are getting a chance to get to know each other.  And I am glad they are getting along together.  It is so nice to see them all doing something together. 

Changes

Sometimes life likes to throw things your way and they are hard to deal with.  I had something thrown at me me earlier in the month that has changed my life in a big way.  I don't really want to talk about it right now, because I am still not exactly sure what I am going to do.  But things are a little difficult in my life right now.  My children are having a hard time with things that are going on and happening.  They think the things that are happening are their fault.  I keep explaining to them that they had nothing to do with any of it, that none of it is their fault, that they have done nothing wrong.  The kids are also acting up during this time.  I am trying to be patient with them.  I know they are just kids and don't really understand what all is going on.  And being kids, the way they handle some hard situations is to act out.  It does get annoying, but they are doing okay 

WTH

R is 10 now.  He spends every Saturday with the Young Marines.  Some of these days are long (8 hours), some are shorter (2 to 4 hrs).  It just depends on what they are doing.  A couple weeks ago, the Young Marines did a campout from Friday night til Sunday morning.  There are always adults present at the Young Marine things, whether they are Young Marine staff or parent volunteers.  The kids aren't left unsupervised at all. 

Other than the Young Marine activities, R is home most of the time.  He is either with me, my husband, or one of my parents.  Last night he did spend the night with a friend, then called today to ask if he could spend the night again.  The friend's mother told me it was okay with her, so I said it was okay with me.  I have met this friend's parents (both mother & father).  I know where they live, I know where they work.  My family knows this family...heck, our families have known each other for YEARS!  So it's not like I'm leaving my child for a couple days with people I don't know.

But I had someone tell me today I am a bad parent for sending R "away" all of the time!  That I should be with him ALL of the time.  That I apparently don't want to spend any time with him.  WTH!  He goes somewhere without me once, maybe twice, a week!  And he is 10 years old for crying out loud.  He needs some independence.  He needs to go out and do things without me, with kids his age.  And it's not like I am dropping him off somewhere alone, like the mall or park or whatever.  When he is at the Young Marines (an organization designed for kids to keep them off the streets and off drugs), there are adults present.  He is at a friend's house right now, with adults present.  He doesn't want, or need, me up his butt 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  He can't learn to be independent if he doesn't get some independence.  And I spend plenty of time with him the other 5-6 days a week that he is home...we go fishing together, play games together, play in the pool together, read together, etc. 

So if I am a bad parent because I let my son go somewhere without me once or twice a week, then I proudly wear that title. 

Not Too Young

When my son or I tell anyone he is now in the Young Marines, I always get, "Isn't he too young for that?"  The answer is no.  The Young Marines is for children ages 8 - 18.  I have also gotten, "Why are you trying to turn him into a soldier so young?"  The Young Marine program doesn't try to turn children into soldiers.  One thing the Young Marines DO do is promote physical and mental developments of it's members, along with morals and a drug-free lifestyle.  They also teach the ideals of honesty, fairness, courage, respect, loyalty, love of God, and fidelity to our country.  And let's face it, kids now days need this because too many parents out there aren't teaching these things.  The Young Marines also try to get the kids interested in and have a respect for their own academic achievement, along with the history and traditions of the U.S.A.  They learn teamwork and leadersip.  They learn about community service, and see how good it feels to do things for others. 

So why wouldn't I get my child involved in something like this.  Yes, I can teach and do all this stuff with him at home, but he is getting older.  He wants to go out and do things with kids around his own age without his mom (thought that wouldn't come around to at least the teenage years, lol). 

As a side note, R DOES want to be in the military when he grows up.  It has nothing to do with the Young Marines.  It is something he decided when he was 4 years old, and he hasn't changed his mind since.  He has a love for this country, and yes, I do encourage it.  And yes, I am proud that he wants to join the military when he is old enough, and will be even prouder when he does.   

Going Shopping

I have my list all ready, and later today I will be going to buy foods from my okay to eat list for the "Blood Type Diet."  I will start this diet tomorrow.  I won't be cutting all my avoid foods out all at once, but will instead start to slowly eliminate them. 

Blood Type Diet

I have been reading "Eat Right 4 Your Type" by Peter J. D'Adamo.  It is basically a diet with a list of foods that are right and wrong for your blood type.  It is more of a diet to optimize your health, but weight loss is one of the affects of it.  Since I have been eating not so healthy lately, and have packed on some weight, I am going to give them Blood Type Diet a try.

I know this will be hard for me.  On the list of things to avoid for my blood type are red meats, pork, and most dairy (I can still eat poultry though).  Since these are some of my favorite things, I know this will be hard.  But if it helps with my health, then it will be worth it.  Even if I don't lose any weight, eating better will still be beneficial to my health.  Since I am going to have to give up some of the things I love to eat, I am going to start this in baby-steps.  Since I already have poultry once or twice a week, I am going to start cutting red meat/pork out once a week until it is completely out.  I am also going to start to phase dairy out (and slowly go from regular milk to soy milk).  I will try to keep an update on my progress and how I am feeling as I start this process

My Oldest

In one week from Saturday, my baby boy (who isn't really a baby anymore) will be graduating from Recruit Training for the Young Marines. I am so proud of him for doing this. After the first day he told me, "You would have thought they would have went easy on us since it was the first day." Even after saying that, he said he was ready for the next weekend to come to go back. And every Saturday he has woke me up at the crack of dawn telling me to get up so we won't be late, lol. I can't wait to see him in his camoflauge uniform for the first time.

To learn more about the Young Marines and see if it is something your child might like to be involved in, you can go to http://www.youngmarines.com/.

Birds

Last Tuesday, my male Parakeet, Forrest, died. C cried all day long about him passing away. She had never paid a bit of attention to either Forrest or Skye (the female), so I have no idea why it hit her so hard. Of course the next day she was all over me, telling me I had to go get another bird that looked just like Forrest so we could name him Forrest the Second.

So just forward to Friday. Skye was a little lonely, so I did go buy her a new friend to keep her company. I got a male that is blue and almost looks like her. B is the only one of the kids that knew I was getting it, and that's only because he went with me while the other two were at school. Neither C nor R noticed the new bird in the cage at all. R did finally noticed, but only after my dad walked in the door and went over to say hi to Skye and says "Good, you got her a new friend so she won't be lonely." Then R jumps up and runs over there. C never noticed on her own. Finally at bedtime I told her to go look in the bird cage. She was excited for all of 5 minutes, then got mad because I didn't get a green bird. Anyway, the new bird's name is Cobalt.

Young Marines

Ray had been wanting to join the Young Marines, so I finally got him signed up. He started is recruit training for it this past Saturday, and will have his graduation from recruit training on May 1. When I picked up him, he told me, "They could have went easy on us since it was our first day." I told him that once he goes back next Saturday, he will see that they probably did go easy on him, lol. And even though he thinks they were hard on him and the other new recruits, he is ready to go back. He is looking forward to what the Young Marines have to offer, and all the cool things he is going to get to learn and do (like the camp outs and rappelling down things).

He does have to know the Young Marine Creed by Saturday, so we have been going over it several times a day. I'm afraid he won't have it memorized though. It takes a while for him to memorize things like that...just like his daddy. But all I can do is my best to help him remember it

Spring Break - Day 2

Nothing got broken today, thankfully. I took the kids fishing for a few minutes today. Brian got bored after about 5 minutes though.

Spring Break - Day 1

Today was the first day of Spring Break for my kids. It started with Brian rubbing sunscreen all over the kitchen floor and some pictures. Then either Ray or Chey decided casting Brian's fishing pole in the house was a good idea...I know it wasn't Brian since he doesn't know how to cast yet. He has a Spongebob fishing pole that has one of those things that tie on the end to give it some weight to help learn casting. So one of them casted the thing and got Plankton stuck in a plant hanging from the ceiling. Then instead of coming to get me, they just pulled on it to get him unstuck. They got him unstuck alright...along with half of the plant! Of course, Ray said it was Chey, and Chey said it was Ray. The both got a talking to since the plant was right in front of the window!

Who knows what the rest of the week will hold. But I am sure by the time school starts back, I will be ready for a padded room. And even saying that, I wouldn't trade my kids for anything in the world.

Too Many Books

I like to cook, and I love to try out new recipes. I mostly look for new recipes online, print it off, then put it in a binder I have for recipes. I personally don't have many cookbooks. The ones I have, the recipes I like from them are copied for my binder. The cookbook is then put away or given away.

But I was cleaning the bookshelves of a relative recently. There were something like 100 cookbooks on one of them! There were fat ones and skinny ones. Big ones and little ones. Ones bought at stores and ones made for fundraisers (schools, churches, etc). There were ones dedicated to main dishes, side dishes, desserts, etc. Just about any kind of cookbook you can imagine was there. But how many cookbooks does a person really need? How many cookbooks does a person that does not even cook need?! What about if that person only cooks rarely and then from a box?

Seriously people, a person does not need that many cookbooks. If you have a ton of cookbooks that never get opened at all, then those cookbooks are doing NOTHING for you except creating clutter!

Same with any kind of books. If you have books that you have read, that you have no intention of ever reading again, why let them cause clutter. Pass them onto someone else to read by giving them to a friend, the library, the hospital, nursing homes (yes, the elderly do still like to read). I love books and yes I have a lot (plus I go to the library about once a week). But the books that are mine, once I read them leave the house. I take mine to my sister, who passes them on when she is done with them.

I wish....

I wish that the sick germs would just once pass by the kids and myself! Some stomach bug has hit the house. First it got C, and I was hoping no one else would get it. No such luck. R, B, and I all got it.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, and we can get more fresh air, hopefully we all won't catch as many germs

New Jammies

A few weeks ago I entered at giveaway over at Sugar Pop Ribbons Reviews & Giveaways. The contest was for a pair of pajamas from New Jammies. I was notified on March 1 that I was the winner! The jammies I got were very cute, with little geckos on them. And I received them very quickly. I was not able to respond to my winner notification the day I got it, but the next day (March 2). Then I received my prize on the 5th! Not only very cute jammies for my youngest son, but very quick shipping...definate A+!

Head on over to Sugar Pop Ribbons Reviews & Giveaways to check out all the great reviews and giveaways currently going on!

Turning 4!

My baby is turning 4 tomorrow! It doesn't seem like he should be 4 already! We celebrated his birthday this past Saturday, and he loved everything he got. He had asked for a combine cake. So I did my best to make the cake look like a field, with a John Deere combine and tractor on it. It wasn't great, but B LOVED it. The tractor and combine on the cake were actually presents from Pawpaw. Although he liked all his presents, Pawpaw is the only one that got kisses. One of the things that I got him was a shirt with a 4-wheeler on it. But he will tell you Pawpaw got it for him. Pawpaw gets credit for everything, lol.

I guess I need to stop calling him my baby now. He gets mad at me when I do, and tells me, "I not a baby, I a big boy."

Meatloaf

After work today, my dad told me a lady at work had brought meatloaf into work today to share with everyone. Being the nice man he is, he told the lady it was really good, but said in reality it was horrible. So I decided to share my meatloaf recipe. I usually have to double this recipe and there is never any left over. Even the kids gobble this up.

1 lb ground beef
1 (14 oz) jar pizza sauce
1 box cornbread Stove Top Stuffing mix
1 egg, beaten

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the ground beef, stuffing mix, egg, and 3/4 of the pizza sauce. Shape and put into loaf pan. Spread remaining pizza sauce on the top. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes.

If you want, you can add optional things like chopped onion, chopped peppers, grated carrots, etc.

So Sweet

The other night, I was looking through some old pictures when I came across this one. I just love this picture...back before Ray and Chey were fighting all of the time. This was taken at the end of March of 2007, so Chey was 2-1/2 years old and Ray was almost 7. It was only 3 short years ago, but it seems like longer.

4 Years Ago

On this day for years ago, I was 5 weeks away from my due date with my 3rd child, Brian. While it should have been a joyous time, I was miserable! I had been on partial bed-rest for almost a month. The baby had already dropped into position, so it was very uncomfortable to even stand. I was still suffering from horrible morning sickness...okay, all day sickness where I could hardly keep anything down. And I was taking care of an almost 6 year old (Ray) and an almost 17 month old (Cheyenne) at the time.

As I said, I was miserable. The only good parts of my whole pregnancy with Brian that I can remember is my ultrasounds and getting to hear his heartbeats at my doctor's appointments. But if I had to go back and go through that horrible pregnancy again, even knowing that it was going to be horrible, I would do it all over again. Because just 2 weeks later, my baby boy came into this world. And now he is getting ready to turn 4! He is growing up so fast. And even though there are times he makes me want to pull my hair out, I wouldn't change a thing.

Stupid Adults & Rude Children

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ray was diagnosed with strep throat on Sunday night. We were supposed to have company (a friend and her kids) on Monday morning. I let her know that Ray had strep throat since most parents would not bring their children (aged 9, 7, and 4 months) around a sick child. Not only did she still come over, the original time she was supposed to come was 10 am and didn't come until 1 pm (um, things to do here).

While here, her 9 year old tried to tell me Brian wasn't allowed in Ray's room, that my dog was too big to me inside, that Brian wasn't allowed to be near the baby, that Brian was annoying, that Ray needed to be allowed to play outside since he was feeling better, etc. When Brian decided to play on the computer, the 7 year old ran and jumped into the computer chair trying to keep Brian from playing.

The whole time the mother just sat there, not saying a word to her kids. I said stuff of course, and so did my mother. I would never let me kids get by with talking to an adult the way this 9 year old was talking to me, or let my kids act this way. Not only would I correct them, they would be disciplined

Not a Good Winter

This winter has just been the pits. It all started 2 days before Christmas. That is when Chey started to run a fever, and was vomiting. Her fever finally broke Christmas Eve night. Only for me to wake up Christmas morning feeling like I had been run over by a truck and having to blow my nose every 2 minutes. The afternoon brought Brian vomiting. Thankfully, Ray got by without any of it.

Chey and Brian got better, but I didn't. The month of Jan brought Pneumonia for me. Then a couple weeks ago Chey was diagnosed with Pneumonia. Then this past Saturday night, Ray started to complain that his throat hurt. Sunday he was running a fever that didn't want to go down too much, didn't want to eat because his throat hurt him too much, and he started vomiting. Since it was a Sunday on a holiday weekend, I took him to the ER. The poor boy has strep throat. Monday night Chey started running a fever again, but thankfully it was gone by morning and didn't come back.

And for me, it has just been one cold after another this winter. We have never been sick this much before. I wish I knew why this winter is different.

Shoe Shopping

On Saturday, I had to take the kids shoe shopping. R goes through shoes like water. If he doesn't grow out of them, he wears them out. He had boots, but was in need of some tennis shoes. Since K wasn't home this weekend, I was going to have to take all the kids. Since it is always so much fun (insert sarcasim here) taking all 3 kids to the store, my dad offered to go with to help. Not only do they want to fight in the truck all the way to the store, they can't get along in the store, forget their manner, ask for everything they see (like most kids do), try to go off on their own, etc.

On the way home, my dad told me he sees why I am always so stressed out when I get home from taking all 3 kids some place together.

Feeling Better

C was sick most of last week, along with the end of the week before. The poor girl had pneumonia. She was running a fever for 4 days from it. I felt so bad for her while she was down and out since I just got over the same thing a couple weeks ago. I know how crappy it made me feel, so I can only imagine how crappy it made a normally energetic 5 year old feel. Thankfully she is better now. She went back to school on Thursday. Although she hated to take her antibiotics, she will admit they made her feel better.

I Don't Want to Go to School

C is only 5.  She is in Pre-K (her b-day falls after the cut-off date for starting K this school year).  Up until Christmas break, she LOVED school.  A lot of mornings she would wake me up.  The mornings I had to wake her up, she jumped out of bed.  Every minute was, "Is it time to leave yet?"  After school was always, "But I wanted to stay at school longer."  And she hated weekends or any other day there was no school.  She would even complain she didn't get homework like R did.  When she did start getting "homework", she was always so excited, telling everyone, "I was so good at school today my teacher gave me homework."

But apparently that all changed during Christmas break.  Since starting back at the beginning of the month, every school day starts the same..."I don't want to go to school today, I want to stay home."  This is every single day from the time she wakes up until she gets to school!  She's even told me, "If you were a good mommy, you would let me stay home."  So apparently I am a bad mommy because I make her go to school, lol.

My Unlikely Duo

I have been meaning to get this pictures up for a while now, and just never got around to it.  These are two of our dogs.  Actually, these are MY dogs (the other 4 dogs in the house belong to other household members).  This is Blanca and Cleo (short for Cleopatra).  I call them my unlikely duo.  They do everything together.  And I do mean everything...eat, sleep, play.  What makes them so cute together is their size difference.

This one is from September, but Cleo (the little one) hasn't grown much.  Even though you can only see Blanca's head in this, you can still see the size difference between the two.  But they are the best of friends.

Here's Cleo (on the right) stretched out next to Blanca.  Here you can see the size difference.  And they don't do anything apart.  Cleo think Blanca is her mother (even though her real doggy mommy also lives in the house).  These two seriously do not do anything without the other along. 

B & His Lead Poisoning PART 3

Anyone that follows me on twitter saw a few days ago how I was ranting about the lead coordinator of this county.  Thankfully, I have calmed down some since then.

This lady finally called me back the morning of the 21st, after I had left I don't know how many messages for her since October!  Whatever happened to people returning calls in a timely manner?  Anyway, she was claiming the only results she had were from the last county we lived in.  That she didn't have any results from getting B tested in this county.  Whatever.  The hospital lab has it in their records that they were all faxed to her.  Heck they had even faxed December's results to her AGAIN the day before she called me, yet she claimed she didn't have those either.  I told her exactly what his levels were (and called the hospital to have them faxed to her yet again).

During the call, she also informed me I needed to make an appointment for the guy from the Lead Abatement Program to come back out to retest the house, and that I needed to take B back in now for another lead level check.  I told her that unlike her, I kept up with what I was supposed to do, and that the house had already been retested.  I also told her it was not time for B to get another level check seeing that he is supposed to get it checked at this point every 8 weeks and not every 4 weeks, and it had only been 4 weeks since his last check. 

She calls me back about half an hour later to tell me, "His levels were what you said they were.  The guy retested the house, just like you said he did, on the date you said he did.  And you were right, he is supposed to get checked every 8 weeks just like you said."  I felt so much like being childish and telling her, "I told you so."  But some of the things I did tell her not appropriate to post here.  This is one of my children we are talking about here.  I don't know what kinds of other parents she deals with, but I for one keep up with any medical tests and/or care my children need...especially something as serious as lead poisoning! 

5 in 1 Tasty Baker

The 5 in 1 Tasty Baker is a unique all-in-one table top appliance that will bake muffins, bread, cake, pancakes/waffles in the one compact unit!  It even has different molds to do different shapes...perfect for when cooking for the kids.  To get your chance to win one for yourself, head over to http://www.trying2staycalm.com/2010/01/5-in-1-tasty-baker-review-and-giveaway.html

Kids' Clothing Sizes

I don't know about anyone else, but I think clothing for kids should also come in half sizes.  My kids don't really have anything that fits them just because all 3 seem to be stuck in between sizes.  A size 8 is too small for R, but size 10 is too big on him.  B is too big to wear 3T, but 4T's are too big on him.  With C, 5's are too small, but 6's are too big.

And the length of things.  Just as adults can be classified as petite, regular, and tall, kids can too.  With R I need tall, and with the other two I need petities. 

Maybe I just need to finally break down and learn to use this sewing machine sitting in the next room .  That way I can make their clothes myself to fit. 

B & His Lead Poisoning PART 2

Before I pick up where I left off in my last post, I just want to mention that when B gets his lead testing done, the hospital lab is required to send the results to the county lead coordinator.  It is then the lead coordinator's responsibility to get the results to me in a timely manner.  I am also just going to write about the last 3 times B has had his lead levels checked.

I took B in August to have his blood drawn for his lead level check.  I waited for the results to come to me in the mail.  Finally I called the lead coordinator.  She claims the lab never sent her the results.  So I call the lab.  They have it in their computer that they DID fax her the results already, but they fax them to her again while I am on the phone with them (the lab).  This was morning time.  I get a call from the lead coordinator the next afternoon.  She didn't even tell me the levels (which I knew from calling the lab), she just told me, "B's lead levels are high, and he has lead poisoning."  Yeah, lady, I think we've already been through this...I ALREADY KNOW THAT!  She still never told me his levels, and never sent me a copy of the report she got (like she is supposed to do). 

He was due for another lead check in October.  Again, after I took him in, I waited for her to give me the results.  Again, I didn't get anything.  I tried calling her, leaving messages on her voicemail.  Never got a call back from her.  I call the hospital lab again to get the results (it is really against their policy to give out results over the phone, but they are great and give them to me anyway).  They have it in their computer that they have faxed the results to her not once, but TWICE.  And they fax them to her a 3rd time. 

By the time December rolled around, and it was time for yet another lead check for B, I STILL had not heard a word from the lead coordinator on his results from October!  She is the one that is supposed to get the results to me.  That is supposed to be her responsibility and hers alone.  B went the Monday before Christmas to get his lead check.  I had the results just before the New Year because I again called the lab and they gave me the results. 

It is now almost the end of January.  It has been over a month since B's last lead check.  If I hadn't called the hospital lab, I still would not have the results of that lead check!  I still haven't heard a word from the lead coordinator.  When I called the lab last month, they again had it in their computer they had faxed the results to her.  Wednesday (Jan. 20) afternoon, I decided to try to call her.  Of course she was out of the office.  So I asked to speak to her supervisor.  I let her supervisor know that since moving to this county, I have had to call every single time to get his results because she isn't giving them to me.  I let the supervisor know that I have left several messages for the lead coordinator, and have not gotten a call back since September!

B & His Lead Poisoning PART 1

I started out making this one post, but it started to turn into a book.  Therefore I am breaking it into different posts.
My youngest son, B, who is 3, was diagnosed with lead poisoning last year.  The normal levels in children should be less than 10, and at the time, his levels were 27!  We had someone come out and test the home we were living in at the time to discover the source.  It was the mini blinds the landlords had in there when we moved in.  Out of the 12 sets of mini blinds in the house, only 1 did not test high for lead!  We got those taken out, and his levels started dropping slowly. 

Every time B had to get a blood draw to test his levels, his results were sent to the "lead coordinator" in the county and it was her job to send the results to me.  This lady was great about getting the results to me.  As soon as she got them, she would call me to let me know.  She would then send a copy of the results to me, and let me know if he needed to be retested.  It was her responsibility to get the results to me, and she made sure she did it.   

A few months later, we moved to another county.  I called the lead coordinator in this county, just to make sure the case had been transferred over here.  To start with, I called her office about twice a week for almost 3 weeks.  Each time she was either not in the office, or was on the phone so I was given her voicemail.  I never got a call back from her.  So finally one day while out and about, I popped into her office.  I finally got to talk to her.  I tell her my son has lead poisoning, that we had just moved from another county, and I just wanted to make sure that his case had been transferred to this county.  She looked up his case to make sure she had it.  Then she told me, "Your son has lead poisoning."  Um, yeah, didn't I just say he had lead poisoning! 

My next post will go into detail of my dealings with this woman since then.  Or should I say lack of dealings.

Tart Warmer/BreakAway Tart Package Giveaway

I want to scent my home by thinking safety and functional in a Country Style. Prim n Purdy is giving away the Country Copper Punched Stars Tart Warmer and BreakAway Tart package. If you're a Prim n Purdy Fan, and you would like a chance to scent your home by thinking safety and functional in a Country Style, you won't want to miss this giveaway! Stop by before 11:59pm CT on Friday, January 22nd and enter to win! 

To enter, visit http://www.primnpurdyblog.com/2010/01/time-for-giveaway.html

Brain Block

Need ideas on what kinds of things you , as a reader, would like to see on my other blog, Treat Yourself.  So leave me a comment on either this blog, or on that one and let me know what kinds of things you would like to see on there.

Whatever

If your job is to sit in front of a computer all day long, typing words in, then I do NOT want to hear, "When I had pneumonia, I went to work every day so you CAN get more done around the house."  Um, yeah, cause we all know that sitting in front of a computer all day is the same as cooking 3 meals a day for the kids, taking care of 3 kids, washing dishes, doing laundry, running errands (with kids in tow), cleaning up after the kids etc. 

Yes, I do have pneumonia, but I am still taking care of my kids, cooking them meals, making sure they are clean with clean clothes, cleaning up after them.  So what if the clean clothes aren't making it out of the laundry baskets at this specific time.  The clothes are clean and folded!  So what if I am sweeping the floors every 2-3 days instead of every day, at least there is no garbage or toys piled all over them.  And I don't think it's hurting anything that my floors have only been mopped once in the last week and a half.  I just don't have the energy to mop them right now.

I am doing what needs to be done.  I am making sure the kids are bathed.  That the kids have clean clothes to wear, and good meals to eat.  The dishwasher gets ran every single day.  Garbage gets thrown away, and every single day the garbage is taken out of the house.  Toys are put up at night when it's bedtime for the kids.  Sure, there are things that need to be done, but wiping the fridge out (at least there aren't any science experiments growing in there), and dusting each room in the house from top to bottom can wait until I feel better.

My Little B

My little B can be such a sweetheart at times.  I have been sick since Christmas Day.  I just couldn't seem to shake what I thought was just a cold.  After running a fever for 4 days in a row, I decided this past Monday I needed to go to the doctor.  B had to go with me since I had no one to watch him.  The whole time at the doctor's office, B was patting me, telling me, "It okay, Mommy, the doctor make you better."  Well, the doctor did help to make me feel better, giving me prescriptions for my pneumonia.  It was so sweet of B to help "comfort" me during the doctor's visit though.

Then yesterday B was running around in circles, and gave me a game, telling me to push the "banana" buttons (the yellow ones).  He said it would turn him off.  So I pushed them.  He told me I did a good job turning him off and also told me, "You so brave, Mommy." 

This kid just cracks me up

Sample "Hogs"

A sample of a product is just that...a sample.  The reason for a sample is for you to try the product to see if you like it or don't like it.  That way you can see if you like it before you make a commitment to purchasing a fill size of the product.  Samples are provided as a courtesy.   

I am an independent representative for a couple great companies (which you can read about here).  I do pass out samples for customers to try before they buy.  I had a lady recently ask for some samples of mineral makeup, and she let me know what types of colors she liked.  I picked around 4 samples to give to her.  A few days later, she said how much she loved one of the colors, and wanted 4-5 more samples of just that color.  Um, no. 

I did my part.  The lady asked me for samples, I gave them to her along with information on how to order.  Since she liked the product and the color, it is now up to her to order the product if she wants more.  The samples I give out, I do have to pay for.  If I passed out 4-5 samples of one color to one person, I would have to do it for everyone.  That would be money out of my pocket.

I don't mind giving samples to try a certain color, product, or scent.  But if you like the product, color, or scent, then that is up to you to order it.  It is not up to me to provide you with unlimited samples.  Would you ask for unlimited samples from drug-store makeup companies, Bath & Body Works, etc.  No, you would not.  So don't try to get unlimited samples from Direct Sales representatives.   

Win a MP3 Player

ThriftyGrl has a new site – you’ll wanna check it out!  It looks great!

While there, enter to win a MP3 Player! Contest ends 1/6. http://tinyurl.com/y9gr3ke

Coral Digital Studio 2010 Giveaway

What's That Buzz is having a great giveaway for Coral Digital Studio 2010.

 Included in Corel Digital Studio 2010:

1. Corel PaintShop Photo Express 2010 for your Photo editing and photo projects

2. Corel VideoStudio Express 2010 for Video editing and movie making

3. Corel WinDVD 2010 with Superior DVD playback

4. Corel DVD Factory 2010 for DVD burning and converting