A Bit of This and That

Holiday Prep

2009-11-09T07:36:00.002-06:00

The holidays are barreling toward us at a frightening rate! I am looking forward to the hubbub of the holidays like I always do. Well, until I feel like I am behind the 8 ball and wishing I had a dip machine, 12 maids and a chef. I always have a list that is far longer than I can possibly accomplish by myself. I am going to try to take advantage of my kids as much as possible this year with some of the cleaning and organizing that needs to be done so that I don't turn into a person that I don't like. I hope it works!

Remembering

2009-11-09T07:08:00.002-06:00

A long time ago in an animal physiology class I had to learn how to take a person's blood pressure. For the life of me, I don't remember why that was a necessary part of animal physiology. I learned a whole lot in that class but obviously it hasn't all stuck with me. I might have learned about conjugated linoleic acid in my animal nutrition class but I don't remember. I think that if we could remember just a very small fraction of the things that we forget we would all be geniuses. And why is it that we forget the things we want to remember and remember the things we want to forget? Crazy, I tell you!

Realization

2009-10-16T13:13:00.002-05:00

The other day it really hit me that soon I my oldest 2 will not be under our roof. It won't be long and they will be worrying about ACT and LSAT prep. I just about cannot fathom not being able to touch them every single day. Having them sit close to me on the couch and tell me about their day is one of the best parts of my day. And soon I won't have that with those 2. Now I know how my Mom felt the fall I left for college and my older brother married and moved out. I know that is part of raising them up but does it have to happen so soon?

Weird Combo

2009-10-16T13:09:00.002-05:00

I bought prenatal vitamins today. I also looked at weight loss pills and whey protein powder. I know it is certainly a strange combination of items! I am not pregnant. Jasmine was complaining about her nails. I told her that prenatal vitamins are great for your nails. I picked up a bottle today. I think I will take them, too. I also looked at whey protein powder for Clint. He is in weight training and is supposed to be drinking protein shakes. Walgreens did not have any. However, the diet pills were right next to that sort of thing so I looked at them. Oh, my! There are all sorts of OTC pills a person can buy. (I think I'll pass.) See, perfectly logical explanation for all of those things!

Tis The Season

2009-10-13T17:27:00.002-05:00

When you live in an area that boasts some of the largest white tailed bucks in the country this is an exciting time of year! People from all over come here to hunt for "The Big One". Men, boys, women and girls alike are likely to be scoping out their favorite hunting areas for signs of deer in the next few weeks. And talk of rackmounts for that prize rack will become commonplace. You just gotta love living here! We are a perfect blend of normalcy and redneck.

Old Truck Keeps Running

2009-10-13T17:23:00.001-05:00

Tom's truck is celebrating 18 years this year. It is probably one of the roughest looking trucks you will ever see but it keeps running. It has a Cummins diesel engine so the body will most likely disintegrate around the engine. If Tom had replaced the grill each time he hit a deer I am not sure how many truck grilles he would have bought. I would wager it would be close to a dozen! That truck has been through a lot and yet it faithfully starts every morning to get him to work. Its too bad that finding people that faithful is like finding a needle in a haystack!

Too Small, Too Big

2009-10-06T08:04:00.002-05:00

I had to take Karly shopping for jeans and underthings this weekend. The poor girl is growing so fast that things that fit a few months ago don't now. She was the proud owner of 1 pair of jeans. That just doesn't work when you are a tomboy like she is! The next issue I think will be that her body will decided to act like it is on weight loss pills and slim down. Then we will be right back to buying new jeans because suddenly they will be too big. This whole puberty thing is just one big roller coaster!

2009-09-19T16:37:00.002-05:00

Not only is my house going to be taking diet pills but the rest of this place is going to be, too. I am going to start spending a bit of time when I do morning chores to cleaning out the barn. There is a lot of stuff laying around in the barn that is not where it belongs. I usually pick up all of the feed bags and trash that somehow ends up laying around the barn floor. I swear that I live with a bunch of hillbillies! I want to walk through the barn and feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Gearing Up

2009-09-19T14:29:00.002-05:00

My house is about to experience weight loss unlike any weight loss supplements can provide! I am gearing up for a decluttering of my entire house. I am sick to death of the piles of junk that are in every corner, on every table, under every bed and in every closet. If it is salable, it will go to the resale shop. If it is not salable but still usable, it will go on freecycle. If it is complete junk or unusable to anyone else, it will find its way to the burn pile. I want so much to walk into my house and not feel the clutter! Watch out house! You are in for a rude awakening!

Mommy Brain

2009-09-13T10:33:00.002-05:00

Lately my oldest daughter has been giving me a hard time for forgetting things. She keeps telling me that I am old! Nah. I am not old. My brain is merely filled with everyone else's schedules and stuff to remember. Perhaps there is a new software development for brains like mine. Mommy brain. Its so full of stuff for other people that we can't for the life of us remember the name of the child in front of us or where the mayo is supposed to go. Do you know what I am talking about? I can only hope that as the house gets emptier the brain does, too!

Dental Bills!

2009-09-13T10:28:00.002-05:00

We have yet another dentist appointment coming up in a few weeks. Much like the doctor bill, this is one bill I can never keep up with! With 4 kids going to the dentist every 8 months and myself going annually, I feel like we are always there. I wish that Tom's insurance included good dental discounts. Unfortunately it doesn't. We have AFLAC dental and that helps some but not enough. I am hoping to be able to pay off a good chunk of the bill this month all depending on some other things. My next step will be to switch a couple of the kids to an annual check up. I would really like to get back to not getting a bill from that office monthly.

Life Insurance

2009-08-23T17:42:00.002-05:00

Speaking of insurance, we have been getting some information in the mail about life insurance rates. I laugh at these crazy things. I imagine that some people really do fall for some of that sort of junk in their mailboxes though. My father-in-law is our insurance agent and I trust him to do what is best for us. He isn't one to sell insurance just to meet a quota or line his own pockets. I am sure there aren't too many out there like him!

Health Woes

2009-08-23T17:34:00.002-05:00

Well the way we have been going the last 3 weeks I may have to get some insurance quotes. In that time frame, 3 of the kids have been to the doctor with 2 of them being twice! And that isn't all. I have one that will be going through some additional testing this week. And that isn't all! I have another that is currently running a fever. I think she also has a corneal abrasion which will entail a visit to the ophthalmologist. I think we will meet our family deductible by the end of the week. And we weren't even close to meeting it 3 weeks ago. Nice. I hope this is not a foretelling of how the rest of the year will be!

Kitchen

2009-08-04T20:03:00.002-05:00

Okay, I am tired of the lack of light in my kitchen. Actually, my kitchen is plenty light with 2 large south facing windows. However, my work areas are situated so my back is always to the windows. That makes for some dark work areas! I wish that I had projector headlights installed above my work areas so I can see. I also wish that someone would gift me with enough money to completely revamp my kitchen. I want to put in a nice big work area and more cabinets and lots more lighting. I want to move my sink so that it is under the windows so that doing dishes is more interesting. I want a lot of things don't I!

Adaptation

2009-07-28T19:23:00.002-05:00

Do you remember when barcode scanners first showed up in stores? I don't remember the exact year but I do remember their entrance into retail. People were up in arms about it. How were we supposed to know how much something costs if there is no price sticker on it? Its funny that we quickly adapted to looking at the shelf to find a price. Today its as if price stickers never existed for the most part. Sometimes you find a store that still uses them but not very often. Technology phases in and out so quickly anymore that I think we adapt that much quicker. I still love those old price stickers and cash registers though.

BAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-28T19:20:00.002-05:00

I am going to start reading weight loss supplements reviews. I am so tired of not being able to stay on track with any sort of diet or eating plan! It would be great if there really was some sort of magic weight loss pill available. I know there isn't. I know that the key is to move more and eat less. I don't know why I can't seem to put that into action though. I am looking at another way to go about losing weight. I'll let you know if I think it will work for me or not.

Trip Plans

2009-07-21T09:07:00.003-05:00

I have been checking out some travel deals for when we go to Springfield. I would love to be able to get a hotel room for the night. The only problem is that we now need to have 2 hotel rooms. So I have been looking for really cheap deals on hotel rooms so that we can afford to do that. We are going to go to the Lincoln Museum and whatever else we can fit into the weekend that does cost too much. The Lincoln Museum is surprisingly inexpensive and I know that the Old Capital Building is free. Whatever we do it will be fun!

Gardening to Weigh Loss

2009-07-21T08:38:00.002-05:00

Whew! One way to really burn fat is to spend hours in the garden pulling weeds and laying grass clippings between the plants. I feel like I live in the garden lately! Before you know it I will feel like I live in the kitchen taking care of all of the produce from the garden. As long as I can keep up with watching what I am eating, I should be able to drop some serious pounds in the next few months. Gotta love that!

Whew

2009-07-02T08:09:00.002-05:00

We have been running our fool heads off this week! We have had 2 softball tournaments going at the same time this week along with games for another league and a couple of basketball scrimmages. Whew! Who needs the best diet pills! All you have to do is have kids involved in summer softball. That being said, we will be cutting down on the softball next summer. There is no need for our kids to be over involved in anything and that is what has happened this summer. Last Saturday was the first family day we have had in more than a month. I don't know about you, but I think that is plain wrong. We are really looking forward to the last tournament (that starts next week) to be over! We are looking forward to some home time and some family time and some time to get things done around here.

Wish Fulfillment

2009-06-26T11:04:00.004-05:00

It is a secret. We have never owned any sort of gaming system like XBox or Wii or anything. Our kids, all 4 of them, have consistently had Nintendo DS on their Christmas lists for several years. I think that this year we will be able to finally grant them that wish! We enrolled in a Christmas Club at our bank last fall and have been putting aside a little a week. This little bit will be enough to get each of them a DS and a game. I am so excited that we will be able to do this for our kids!

Shrinking

2009-06-26T10:50:00.003-05:00

I have not had to resort to weight loss pills. All I had to do to get motivated to be serious about losing weight was to go shopping for some shorts. I did that last Saturday and I am very happy to report that I have stayed on track with my eating this week. I have also lost 5lbs to date. My newly revised goal is to lose 30lbs by my birthday. Only 25lbs left to lose! I have 20 weeks to lose 25lbs. I think that it is a very doable goal at only 1.25lbs/week. Stay tuned as I keep you updated on the amazing shrinking woman!

Reflection

2009-06-26T10:41:00.002-05:00

We are way past having to send out baby announcements. (Well at least I think we are. God could always change our plans.) I am happy to be at a point in our parenting that our kids are mostly self-sufficient. Although I still miss some of the baby stuff. Cloth diapers, the smell of their sweet heads, being able to sit multiple times a day while nursing and all of the first. Its all of those firsts that have led us to where we are. They now can fix their own meals, wash their own clothes, bathe themselves and generally be responsible. In only a few short years, we will start to send them out on their own one by one. It sure has gone by quickly.

Lost and Found

2009-06-11T07:40:00.002-05:00

We recently lost one of our inside cats. She went outside unnoticed and was gone for 4 days! When she got back she was thin enough that it appeared that she had been on a fat burner supplement while she was gone. She ate a really big bowl of cat food before curling up in a chair and sleeping the day away. We were all so happy to have our only girl kitty back! She is a sweet girl and our main mouser. I have had enough of lost animals for a while! Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that we lost 3 of our 4 dogs last week. The were found, thankfully!

Working

2009-06-08T08:42:00.002-05:00

I remember back in the day when I was a senior in college. Our last semester was interlaced with interviews. I hated that process. Mostly because I really didn't want to get a job and go out into the real world. And I suppose I hated it because I really didn't think I was anyone a big company would be remotely interested in hiring. And I didn't want to live far, far away from my family. I am sure that there are plenty of young people who are just dying to get started on their sales job search or whatever type of work they are in job search. I wasn't one of those people. I was happy to go back home and work part time at a couple of jobs. I finally did find a job and move a short distance from home. All in all, I only worked for 9 years after graduating college. Then it became way more important to stay at home and raise our kids. And I am happy to not have to be a slave to work.

If Every Day...

2009-06-08T08:33:00.002-05:00

If I could spend every day like I spent Saturday, I would not be contemplating using Lipovox. We were on the go from 6am to 6pm. And I don't just mean running around doing errands, watching ball games or shopping. I mean we butchered 31 chickens and then planted the rest of the garden. I was so sore and tired by evening that I could hardly move! I am sure that I burned way more calories that I could have possibly consumed that day. If every day was that way, I wouldn't need to worry about dieting. Our forefathers sure had one up on us there!