Monday, September 29, 2008

Tag!

WOOHOO I got tagged by Jess. Sorry Jess it took me so long I have been very busy and overwhelmed as usual.

Here are the rules:Link the person who tagged youMention the rules on your blogTell about 6 quirks of yoursTag 6 fellow bloggers of yours to do the sameLeave a comment to let them know... Now I'm being lazy so I probably won't tag anyone, but please feel free to do it if you'd like:-)

1. I have to start my day with a cup of coffee and reading the news on the internet, or the day is all messed up.

2. I have to make my bed every day or I go crazy.

3. I am addicted to Anderson Cooper 360 and Nancy Grace.

4. I love to eat raisin bran at night.

5. I am addicted to diet coke. It is the only thing that gets me through the day.

6. I used to be addicted to cigarettes for 15 years (I started smoking at 15). I have replaced that addiction with my laptop. Not as unhealthy but still takes up time.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Anxiety everywhere

I cannot turn off the news. I listen to it all day long. And at night I watch Anderson Cooper. And I am left with the news that we could be heading for another great depression. I hear words like catastrophic, unreal, history making, demise etc. These words sit in my stomach. What does all this mean for me? Here I am trying to get my finances in order. Paying cash for everything. Trying to do my best. And here in California it is even worse. The budget just passed and there is even less funding for schools. What does that mean for my boys? Will they get the help they need? I have the feeling that everything is crumbling and a lot of people are going to be suffering for a long time.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Garage Sale

I have been going through the house cleaning out and deciding what is good to sell and what is trash. This is a big big job. I am excited to see how much I sell and how much money we make. I am aiming for Oct. 4th but who knows. All the money will be used toward Christmas. I still really want to get the kids a dog but probably not the Goldendoodle we wanted. We'll see.

In other news the boys are hangin in. Everyday is a struggle but that is to be expected. I really feel like Anthony's teacher is just not good for him. She is really too tough on him. She never reminds him of anything and he needs constant reminders. I had to tell him 4 times this morning to brush his teeth. He has been needing to take a reading test for 3 days. So I emailed her and asked her to please remind him to take the test today and get a new book. Hopefully she will.

Emmy has a sinus infection and isn't eating well. So she is in a bad mood all the time. I took her to the doctor yesterday and she put her on amoxicillan. Hopefully she'll recover fast.

The boys have their first campout with the Indian Guides this weekend. They are so excited. This group has done wonders for the boys. It is extremely supportive of the boys. Michael has really enjoyed it. No one is mean to anyone. No one teases anyone. When one of the boys talks they all cheer and support him. Michael did such a great job at the last meeting. Charles was so surprised and happy. He said Michael stood up in front of the group with the talking stick. He introduced himself and told the group about things he likes. Then he shared the praying mantis he brought. Charles said he spoke loudly and looked at everyone. At the end everyone cheered for him. His smile was so big. He also enjoyed cheering for the other boys. This made me so proud. I gave him a million hugs and kisses when he got home. These boys never cease to surprise me.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Takin care of business.

Well we have been trying to take care of our loose ends lately. Emmy is finally getting Baptised and the boys are registered for CCD. We also are reorganizing our finances. We were out of control with our credit cards. Especially me. I was always buying stuff for the kids. Stuff they didn't even ask for but I just thought they would like. Emmy has 3 sets of bedding. What child needs that? And I almost bought her another one last week but I finally came to my senses and put it back. And if I walk into the Disney store I go insane. I want to get her all the Tinker Bell and Ariel things. Half the time she isn't even interested. It is me who wants them for her. The boys have more books than the library. Every time I am at Sam's I would leave with books. And I can't tell you how many DVDs I have gotten for the kids. And they are rarely inside. I love love love shopping. It makes me so happy. But in the end it made me stressed.

So we are on a new tight budget. If we don't have the cash we don't buy it. It is going to be very hard for me. I love walking into Target and leaving with a basket of stuff. Or going to the mall and buying a pair of new shoes and makeup. So fun. But I have to remember that at the end of all of this we will have more spending money and everything we buy we will actually own without having to pay interest.

So in closing I will say that credit cards are evil evil evil. I will never carry one in my purse again. I think they should be outlawed. No more loans or credit for anyone. Including the Federal Goverment who currently owes 10 trillion dollars.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Black Cloud

Sometimes I feel like a black cloud is hovering over us. First my extended family is falling apart. Then my boys are struggling with school already. Anthony in particular has completely shut down when he sees a math page. As I sit with him during homework I watch him struggle to focus on each problem. He hits himself in the head and makes odd noises. If I don't help him look down at the problem he would never do it. He has a hard time answering the simplest problems like 4-1 . The school is going to do a long list of tests on both the boys. Those results won't be in for a couple of months. So in the mean time they go to school. They struggle and fail everyday. Their self esteem is being chipped away at. My heart is so heavy. I have so much information but don't know where to start. And on top of all of that I occasionally find myself saying "Why?" . I realize that it is counter productive to spend time wondering why this is happening to them. But none the less it does pop in my head. All this on my plate and constant worrying is paralyzing me. I have a hard time eating and doing things like laundry and dishes. I am going to have to force myself today to get through.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Craziness

Well I don't know what is in the water around here but divorce is catching like wild fire. Last summer my brother announced that he was getting a divorce. Then a couple of months ago my BIL James told us that he was separated from his wife Dana. And last night my husband got a call from his other brother Rich who told him that he was getting a divorce from his wife Summer. I almost couldn't believe it. Sucks when people who you felt were like family are suddenly gone. I have known both these women for over 15 years. Just hope it doesn't spread to this house.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Finally

I am so glad it is Friday. It has been an insanely busy week. I will still be busy all weekend but I won't have to get up at 6am. The boys are tired too. Especially because I have been making them walk to school. It really does make their legs tired because of their low muscle tone but their therapist said it would help tremendously with their figiting in class. Plus it has forced me to walk 8 extra miles.

Michael has had a great week actually. He hasn't finished everything but his attitude has been great. Anthony is of course taking a while to get in the swing. He truly hates school and that is something I really want to turn around this year. He needs an attitude adjustment but I am not quite sure how to go about it. I am just going to keep being really positive in front of him.
He did very good with his homework last night and I made a big deal about it. So hopefully that sinks in.

I also reorganized my bathroom and the kids bathroom. I love it when everything is where it is supposed to be. I wonder how long that will last. Next week I am hoping to clean out and shred a lot of our files. The cabinet is full of old bills from a long time ago. I have so much going on and to keep track of that I need a really good system.

We have also been getting our house painted this week. It is so disruptive when you have workers around all the time. Hopefully it turns out ok. I like the main color of the house but I am not sure if the trim color is what I wanted. It is so hard to decide. I hate the pressure of knowing we are paying $3200 to get the house painted and hoping it is the right color.

Well that is it. Lots of laundry to do today.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Busy Busy Busy - But happy

This is the first time I have sat down since 5:45 am. So about 7 hours. I walked 2 miles this morning including walking the kids to school. Then when I got home I went to the grocery store, came back unloaded, then went to Sam's Club. After unloading Sam's I reorganized my pantry and pre packaged all the boys snacks like pretzels and cheezeits . Then I cleaned the kitchen and unloaded the dishwasher. I picked up the living room, made all the beds and threw in a load. Now I am finally sitting and drinkin a diet coke. I love getting things done. Makes me feel good. Tomorrow I have to exchange some stuff my MIL bought for the boys and then I am reorganizing the kids bathroom and our bathroom. I need a new system because too much stuff is ending up on the counter. I can't wait.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Back to school anxiety.

My whole family has it except Emmy who absolutely cannot wait to get to school. My boys have been crying off and on all day. They are so sad for summer to end. I try to be positive for them but I am just as anxious as them. I don't like a couple of the kids in Michael's class. And I found out that Anthony's teacher is going on maternity leave in a month and then he will have different subs for 3 months until she comes back. That is so disruptive. There is no way he can thrive like that. I have already written his IEP coordinator and asked to have him moved.

Anyway we are going to walk to school every day. It will be good for all of us. Emmy's preschool is only a couple of blocks away from the boys school. I measured it with my car and it will be a 1 mile walk for Emmy and a 2 mile walk round trip for me. Hopefully it will get the wiggles out of all the kids.