What am I thankful for?

It is November, and that means Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

A wonderful understanding husband

Two beautiful and healthy children

A roof over our head

Food on our plates

A car to get us from point A to point B

The list could go on forever...but I will stop here

What are you thankful for?

Oh yes

I have a blog....LOL


Sorry for no recent update... Ive been a bit busy with school! I graduate on the 28th!! Woot!!


Tata for now

Change Me Plan: New Healthy Food Sunday

I kind of cheated. I tried my "New Healthy Food" yesterday. And at that, it really was not a "food". I keep coming across things that say green tea is so good for you because of all of the anti oxidants that are in it. So, that is what I tried last night.

I bought a package of green tea, along with two fresh lemons. I made the tea per the directions on the box, added my lemon, and drank. OMFG. Green tea tastes like regular tea, which I only force myself to drink when I have a sore throat or am under the weather. I will not be having anymore green tea until I am sick. That was about as nasty as regular tea. BLEH!

So, new healthy food, FAIL.

Next week, either avocados, papaya, or real figs (not the kind in fig newtons lol)

The Change Me plan

There are several things that I would like to change about myself. First, I am overweight. This happened after having two babies, and one of my medications doesn't let me loose weight, but it wont let me gain weight either. I would like to spend more time doing stuff with my family. Hubby and I have been having Date Night once a week, every Monday. I take Lil Red out to do something on Saturdays, and Tiny Red and I go do something together on Sundays. Friday night is ME time, and I usually watch a movie on VOD.

Other parts of the change me plan is to exercise every other day, along with yoga on the opposite days. On Sundays, I must try one new healthy food. Yes, only once a week. Other wise it could get very expensive. By Tuesday of next week, I will be down to a half a pack of smokes a day, while my quit date is roughly the last day of October, pending graduation date. Also, I am trying to walk the dog every day. This one is difficult because he is a big pain in the arse when it comes to walks. He pulls, he walks in circles, he runs into me. I have tried several ways, such as those taught by the Dog Whisperer, and by Its me or the dog, but none have worked. Yesterday after taking him for a short walk, we returned home due to my frustration. I went to Fleet Farm and purchased one of those nose harness things. Apparently a Large is too big for my chocolate lab... Today I get to exchange it for a smaller size. Maybe the smaller size will not put pressure on his EYEBALLS.

Anyways, my plan is working ok so far. It helped to create a list of things I can do with the girls along with what new foods to try. Now I just need to figure out the yoga and exercise thing. I know walking the dog is exercise, but I would rather keep that as just spending time with the dog.

Ok so now you all know about the "Change Me" plan! I will keep you updated on my progress.

The Bus and More

Ok. The bus this year has been faithfully coming at teh same time everyday. This is a first. Last year it would come anywhere from 7:45 to 8:15. This year, it has been right on time (as the time sent to me by the bus company), or well a minute early. It comes every morning at 8:00 (the schedule says 8:01). Every morning I send Caitlin outside at 7:50 just in case. Every morning the neighbor can not get her kids out the door before the bus sits at the corner. Today it took her children two minutes to get out the door and on the bus. First the older one came out, then the middle boy and then the youngest. She insists on yelling at them their entire way to the bus. Why?? Why can she not get her boys outside and ready to go before the bus arrives?? I just sit back and watch the mayhem happening across the street. Its my morning entertainment...

I shop at Target, and their generic appears to be "Market Pantry". So I have been trying to shop more frugally since food prices seem to be rising with no relief on the way.. I have started to buy generic poptarts, cereal bars, jelly's, baking soda, and snacks for the kids. I must say, I do not like the generic poptarts, but that is ok since I probably don't need to be eating them anyways!! The children have not complained one bit, even though I have been buying generic cereal bars on and off for years. Caitlin was rather excited to have "Chickadee's" instead of "goldfish"...

Smoking.

I must quit. I told myself I will quit when I graduate with my AA in CJ from Kaplan. First I was done in June, but then Hamilton switched to Kaplan, and that moved my graduation date up to April. Sometime in there I got a letter saying I was done in January. Then I got a letter for my externship, saying I was done in October, but as I was meeting with the person in charge of the externships, the registar stopped by and said I would not graduate in October, but in January because I was short credits. When I picked up my schedule, my graduation date went back to October, because the registar found some credits from when I went to college right after high school. Thank you art class! So anyways, back to the smoking.. My quit date keeps changing. I was ready to quit in January. But keeping my word, I must quit in October. I have been visiting a few websites and one of them said to keep track of my *triggers*. Thats going to be hard, since everything is a *trigger* for me to go smoke!!! I must be down to a half a pack by September 16th. Wish me luck!


Ok thats all I have for now..

Politics.

*sigh*

I have to admit, I never really get into politics... I usually vote for who ever my very smart husband suggests.

This year, it is hard to stay silent. We watched the Republican thing (see I don't even know what it was called...) on TV last night and listened to what Sarah P. was preaching about. I managed to get a few things out of the garbled politics boring crapola. Mainly, she would fight for more nuclear power plants in the US to help us get away from foreign oil. Wow. Where does she plan to put all this nuclear waste?? Does she wish to have more Chernobyl's?? Ugh. That just absolutely disgusts me. Why not put all of the money saved from NOT building more nuclear plants into wind, solar, water, and geo thermal energy?!

The other thing that I took away from her speach was that she is an average every day mother. I am sorry, but an average everyday mother who wishes to continue to be there for her children would not want to run for vice president of a very large country. How does she expect to raise her special needs child, and a grandchild if she is too busy following around the president?? She has FIVE kids. I have never really seen the vice president's job as a 9-5, Monday - Friday job that ends when you leave the office. No, I am not after working parents. I just dont think she would be good for the job.

Another thing that was not discussed at the Repblican thing (Convention?) was how many controversy's that Sarah P and John McCain have been envolved in. Google it. Why would we want people who create controversy in Washington??

Lastly, Sarah P.'s youngest child has a disability. As far as I know, Republicans are the ones who always vote against keeping programs that benefit children with disabilities. Can she continue to call herself a Republican?! when they themselves deny children with disabilities the programs that they and their parents need?? Many of her views do not seem to back the Repblican way. How does a country expect to elect a president whos VP doesnt follow the ways??

I do not think that Sarah P. is right for the job. Not because she is a woman, but because of the things above that I mentioned. Yes it is great what she has done for Alaska, but do we really need to change a law that was made several years ago because one party does not agree with it? (Roe vs. Wade) Why does government feel they must step into someones live and tell them that they can not have an abortion?? We settled this issue! Leave it alone! There are more important things to worry about! Off the top of my head I can name a few... The ecomonmy, the war, local energy, less foreign oil, balancing the budget, social security... Lets worry about those before we try to dictate US womans lives.



/Rant

The Great Battle

Ugh. Time for homework again for Little Red. Thank goodness that Tiny Red does not have homework yet in Headstart! LR loves to fight me tooth and nail about doing her homework. Yesterday, she came home with her spelling words for her test on Friday. She also came home with math homework that is due on Thursday. Today she will come home with her Anthology book, and that homework is due Thursday also.

I always have her write her spelling words a million times, then I test her on Thursday night, day before the test. Last year, every time she did this, she got all five correct. This year she has a list of ten. After writing the first couple of words a few times, the complaining started. She continued to ask why she must do this, she claims to know the words, and how she doesn't like doing this. She took forever getting to the end of the list. Then came dinner, and as that passed, I told her she must do her math homework. After getting up from the table a few times and mom telling her to sit back down and just do it, she got up again. At this time, I told her that if she got up one more time, or complained again, it was time for her to go to bed. Five minutes later, she was up. I said BEDTIME. She argued. I said BEDTIME three more times trying to talk over whatever she was complaining about. UGH. Day one of homework. Only a couple hundred more to go...

I do homework daily. I have been since October of last year. I tried telling Little Red that mommy does homework all the time to get good grades and she too should try to get good grades. Does not seem to work.

Hopefully today homework time will go smoothly, since I have class at 5:30. We also have to start to find distractions for Tiny Red while Little Red is doing homework. That was another issue we had to deal with last night. Maybe her homework will be identifying the letters on the alphabet and writing them each a couple of times. I don't know yet...

Ok speaking of homework, I must study for my test in statistics tonight...