28 years

years ago..my parents were married. Today was their anniversary. Mom had to work this morning, then they went to my brother's to watch the Michigan/Michigan State football game. And I am happy to say, Michigan won! GO BLUE! I stopped over before the game to take them their gift. I got them fillet mignon. Yes, very expensive, but when you are buying it for 2 ppl, versus a family...it's not too bad. and it was a gift...With that, I got them a small little cake from the bakery, King Hawaiian rolls (which mom loves) and red potatoes. In the card, I wrote that they are to enjoy the meal in its entirety...from cooking it to cleaning up. i worded it nicer than that..but the point being, to take the time to enjoy each other, work together, savor the experience...lol. They loved the gift....especially seems how fillet mignon is not something they would ever splurge on for themselves. They plan to have that for dinner tomorrow. Hopefully it is a relaxing, peaceful, "tender" experience.

I gave my presentation on my multicultural house thursday. It was so fun to learn all the facts about past generations in my family. I loved it. Hopefully we will know our grades on it, this thursday. I am sure i did well. Our teacher may not be back to class though. He informed us thursday that he is going in on monday for tests on his heart. Depending on what they find out, he may or may not be back. If it's just minor blockage (Or nothing at all wrong), he will return. however, if it is major blockage/requires surgery, they will be bringing in a new instructor. I hope it doesn't come to that. Hopefully it's something simple and he is able to return soon.
*I am currently trying to upload a picture or two to share. I know I have promised them several times...but it really takes forever and two days to upload them on here. I get frustrated and give up, usually. But the picture i am trying this time is makenneh getting on the bus, her first day. Depending on how fast it loads, i may even try another one. In the meantime, I will have to think of more things to ramble about. Because, if i sit and wait for it to upload, i will go crazy.

I have to do an informative speech for my public speaking class next week. I couldn't think of a topic for the longest times. I mean, we get to choose anything..and well, that leaves a lot of options. Finally, tonight, while sitting here thinking, i decided to do it on postpartum depression. I mean, i know all about that stuff, first hand, unfortunately. The outline is due monday. I have trouble starting with an outline. I don't understand how you can outline from thin air. I must write the paper first, then go back and do the outline. So, i managed to write a very decent rough draft in just a couple hours. I am quite pleased with myself. but, i had to do it that way in order to get the outline. it's just easier for me. (NOTE: picture still hasn't uploaded).

oh, i can't believe i didn't mention this already...we got a new kitty yesterday. Her name is snickers and she is just around 8 weeks old. We got her from my aunt michelle. She is calico and tiny and sweet. lol. I had to do it, because the other night, makenneh got a piece of paper and wanted me to draw people. I did. She asked who they were, i said, who do you want them to be? She said, no, who are they. So i said, "you and buddy". She said, well can you draw you and daddy and my kitty so i can remember him. i wanted to bawl. it was so sad. Please keep in mind that i am not an artist. i can't draw a straight line with a ruler. But i drew me and daddy and kitty. then, she wanted me to write about her kitty being gone. So, i wrote a short story and read it to her. She took the paper and held her to her lips and when i looked over at her, she had tears running down her cheeks. i swear silent tears are the worst. I held her and stroked her hair and let her cry, as i cried with her. Seeing the hurt in my little girl just makes me all the more mad at that neighbor lady who is superstitious so made up crap to complain about to get rid of the black cat. I hate her right now. I know it's a strong word. But, damnit, i know that cat wasn't causing her any problems. He has never caused any problems. The damn thing wouldn't even bother food i would leave sitting on counter. He was the most amazing cat i have ever had/seen/known. Before we moved to this Hell, we would go for walks and he would follow us all the way. NEVer going too far. he would run ahead, then wait for us. run ahead and wait. it was crazy. And he loved to be petted and held and cuddled. every day he would come beg some lovin. We will never be able to "replace" him bc i truly believe he was a one of a kind kitty. I did call the animal shelter, but heard on the recording that it's $25 fee and $9/day for animals picked up. So, even if he was there, we don't have that kind of money to get him back. So, i decided it was best to not even know if he was there. Not to mention, i wouldn't want to hear that he was euthanized. OK, i don't want to think about this anymore. I am sad.
Here is the pic. Not the one i thought it was, though. Oh well. I did make it small, bc i figured it would load faster. It is late now, but maybe tomorrow i will try another one.

Candy galore

Well, the kids had fun trick or treating last night. They got a decent amount of candy. More than any little kids need,for sure.

We went to a local church and did the trunk or treating. It was nice to just be able to park the car and do it all in one spot. Each car had their trunk open and decorated and they would sit or stand there and hand out candy. So, rather than go door to door, in and out of the car, we went parking spot to parking spot. The only bad thing was it started misting shortly after we arrived and so it was a wet night. but, a fun one. They even served hot dogs, popcorn and drinks. It was nice. They also had two bounce houses, which is cool, but really, i didn't think it a good idea to be jumping around in a bounce house with halloween costumes on. sEems rather dangerous to me. So, we skipped that, much to the childrens' sadness. They quickly got over it though, when we left there to do a little more trick or treating...of course, just to family's houses at that point. Which, i just realized, oh my gosh, i forgot to take my kids to my sister's house. Ugh, now i feel like a complete ass. It is so hard when you have little kids, everyone wants you to stop by so they can see your kids.

Oh and the field trip was fun. My mom and sister went along as well. We went on a hayride through the trails lined with characters like The INcredibles, Dora, Clifford, Snoopy/Charlie Brown, Fantastic 4, Transformers, Nemo, Pirates of the carribean, Spiderman, Superman, etc. The characters are actually made from wood and painted by a local artist. He does a fantastic job. Then, everyone got to pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. Then we toured the the cider mill and watched how apple cider is made, went out to see the animals,t hen had lunch. We kicked the whole thing off with cider and donuts.

Makenneh seems to feel good during the day, then gets to coughing at night, in her sleep. She is still playing and running and having a good time while awake.

Well, I have to finish up my project for my multicultural class and i need to clean. So im of fhere!

No time to get sick...

Makenneh is sleeping but she has started coughing horribly. I just tried giving her some medicine, but she didn't want it. I hope she feels better in the morning..we have all these fun things to look forward to. I don't want her to be sick and miss out.

Makenneh's costume turned out beautiful. I will try to post pics soon. She is going as a queen, per her choice. For as bad as my mother in law can be, she can be quite crafty with the sewing machine. She had a formal dress that she altered, then she made a crown and shawl. Makenneh is going to be sooo cute! Sebastian is going as Diego. WE got his costume for 3.49 from Goodwill. Still new in the package. CAn't beat that deal. Anyway, we still aren't sure where we will take the kids for trick or treating. And now, it will mostly depend on how makenneh is feeling.

Jeremy has an appt with the oral surgeon on Thurs to see about getting his tooth/teeth removed that are infected. REmember all that from Sept? Yeah, they are just getting to him. And just in time, it would seem, bc the teeth are starting to hurt him again.

WEll, given our very busy day tomorrow, the fact that I still need a shower and that Makenneh is sick and likely to wake in the night, I better get off here nad get some sleep (after the shower of course).

Happy Halloween and stay safe!

Mom's birthday, moves and more

Monday is mom's bday. Unfortunately, I may not even get to see her.=( I am quite sad about that. But, she starts work tomorrow. She is going to be training to be manager at a local restaurant. She has to be to work at 8am. By the time she gets home, I will probably be headed to school. I am hoping she will be home early enough for me to at least stop in before going to school. With that, I have to make other arrangements for Sebastian. My uncle Ken said he would watch him once he gets laid off (bc he gets laid off for winters), but for now, I need something. My aunt Kathy is going to watch him tomorrow and we will see how it goes. The problem is, she has a puppy who likes to chew on people and well, Sebastian isn't too keen on dogs that like to be in his face. He hates it. Mom doesn't have to work Wednesday, so that day is covered. I will have about a week to come up with something.

We carved the pumpkins tonight. Makenneh just couldn't wait and really, with Halloween being wednesday, tonight was the best time. I did take some pictures. I want to share them, but we all know how long it takes to upload pictures on here. I may work on it anyway and add them in later. Now, i have pumpkin seeds to cook. The kids love them. Grandma got them hooked.

Oh my, it is 8pm and both, repeat, BOTH kids are asleep...hugging their jack-o-lanterns! Wow! They played very hard at grandma and papa's, jumping in huge leaf piles, raked just for their jumping pleasures! And i have to say, Seb is shaping up to be papa's lil sidekick. He just adores his papa. The bond has really grown since dad is on 8 hours and is usually home before i get there to pick Seb up after i get out of school. Of course, now that mom won't be babysitting, Seb is going to suffer some papa withdrawals. He's gotten used to seeing him every monday and wednesday!

Wednesday, Makenneh has a field trip the local apple orchard. WE are going on a hay ride through the pumpkin patch, where the kids get to pick a pumpkin, then we will tour the cider mill, see the animals in the little petting zoo and enjoy cider and donuts. My mom and sister are going to join us. They both have worked at this orchard and love it there. Im sure we will have a great time and the weather is saying 60 and some rain. Let's hope the rain holds off, though. But, we will certainly take the 60* temp! Thank you!

I finally got a letter in the mail about the student loan I applied for. They can't process it because you have to have a cumulative gpa of 2.0 or higher. Unfortunately, when i went to college the first time, all those years ago, I didn't do so hot. That GPA is figured into current grades, so i no go! Next semester I should be fine though, because I am doing very well in all of my classes, which will raise my gpa. See, if only we could get stubborn teenagers to realize that every foolish choice they make will affect them even years later. This is one of those examples. but for some reason, as teens, we think we are invincible and know it all. Ignorance is only bliss until it catches up with you! Then it downright sucks!

Im sure I have mentioned on here at least once that everything is going so well, I can't help but wait for the bottom to fall out? Well, it's beginning to fall. Little bits of things that just chip away at my happiness. My mother in law is one of the biggest chippers of happiness. But it's not surprising as misery loves company. She is just so darn spiteful and hateful at times. The cell phone bill was in her name and she was actually even paying for ours for a bit. I can totally understand her shutting our phones off. But, the fact is, she was sly about it and lied. No big deal again, bc ive come to realize you can't expect much different from her. The ass kicker? She calls me the other night and just had to rub in my face that she got all the phones turned back on bc it was cheaper to do that than to cancel our 2 phones. So, the next words out of her mouth, and I can't even make this stuff up....I figure that way i can give guys at one bar one phone number, guys at the other bar the other and then keep my phone for my family and such. WTF? Just rubbed me the wrong way. I don't expect her to pay for me to have a cell phone, by any means. But i had just been telling her how I have to fly home from my math class on mon and wed to make it in time to get Kenneh off the bus. I don't know what is gonna happen when snow flies and roads are slick on some days or if i break down or there is an accident and i get held up in traffic. The bus driver lets her off without knowing if i am there for her or not so she would be left at the bus stop, all alone, til who knows when. This is a serious fear of mine. Yet, Chris feels it necessary to throw in my face how she is paying for a total of 3 phones so she can work the men at the bars. Not to mention, she took the phones saying she was going to return them for a credit. So, now there is no credit on our portion of the bill. Just the whole thing and how she was so sneaky about it. I can't put it all into words. Then she stops by our place and her phone is ringing..she doesn't answer it. it rings again and she says, Oh is that my phone? In one of those irritating voices. Hey, dumbass, you KNOW it's your phone because we don't have one. WTF. Just things like that. She makes me want to vomit. Or how she said she would do a dress for makenneh's halloween costume and turns around and said she didn't remember. I may have vented about this before....but the fact is, if she would lay off the drinking, she might recall some of the things she says. grrrr.
end rant

ON to better news. I ordered a cell phone yesterday from At&t. I didn't think it would go through, bc other companies require a credit card, even if you don't owe anything. ATT does the credit check instantaneously so they don't require the credit card. It honestly happened so fast, it was almost scary. We just got one of the phones that they offer free when you sign contract and order online. And with that, we got a basic phone plan. I feel much better, knowing that should something happen on my way home from school, i can call someone to rescue my baby. A huge relief to me. I would get so antsy in class the closer to 330 it got.

And how about another move? Because life would be far too simple if things ran smoothly. My uncle Ken called my mom again about his situation with his fiancee (the one who let us move in here...who owns this mobile home). Things are turning very sour very fast for them and he is not wanting to stay with her. This means, we will have to move. I am trying to stay positive and know that everything will work out one way or another. At the same time, I am freaking out bc we do not, in way shape or form, have the money to move. It requires deposits and rents up front and all that. ANd moving isn't so easy with Jeremy's record, bc places will deny our applications for it even though it wasn't a violent offense and he did it when he was 17 yrs old and he has since grown up and moved on and become a productive member of society. They don't care. WE also can't afford to rent anything that costs much more than what we are paying now. That drastically limits us. Then, there is the whole school thing. If we change school districts, Makenneh won't be able to go to school, as most of hte headstart programs would be full now. We also can't move anywhere that is any further from the guy who takes Jeremy to work. We are thinking if we have to do this move...we are going to try to get a house to rent...as all this moving and it's tiresome. Helen, I don't know how you do it. This next move needs to be long term, to get us through until I am near or done with school. So, we are thinking of looking at places in the town we just moved from. the housing is quite a bit cheaper, schools are still good (the only prob with our last place is we were just inside the other school district that is crappy) and close for Jeremy's ride to work (he lives in that town). If we attempt to rent a house here in this city...it will no doubt be close to $1000 for even a 2 bdrm. In the other town, we could probably get something for around 450. We are hoping this can wait until income tax time, but who knows. My uncle even took my mom to look at another trailer in here for us. He says he will help us make the move, as he feels bad for asking us to move in here and now needing us to move out. It was his offer and I don't know how much help he can provide as money is tight for him, so im not counting on it, just because I don't think he will be able to do much. The offer was kind though! This other trailer is quite old..mom said a late 70s model. I really dont want something that old, bc we will be in same old situation with rotting floors, leaking windows, falling apart everything. it will cost so much in upkeep and maintenance that we will be swallowed up by it. Not to mention, like i said, i want this next move to be long term. I can't see something like that being long term. I also HATE this community. The more i see, from being at the bus stop, even, the more i hate it. I mean, if we have to, we have to. But, please God, don't make me stay in here too long! I don't know if it's in the water, but i surely don't want to become like these people...drinking til drunkenness day and night, drug problems, horrible family dynamics. I may sound like a snob, but this place is truly the epitome of white trash. This is the place you see on an episode of COPS. It looks nice to passers-through, but the inside is what counts, isn't it? Maybe i was spoiled by the last community we lived in. It was quiet, respectful tenants, everyone kept mostly to themselves, minded their own business, life went on. Here, i can't help but feel i have to walk on egg shells. I can go on about it, but i will just sum it up with saying, this place feels like anything but home.

Well, I am going to see if JEremy is still watching a movie in the bedroom. IF he hasn't fallen asleep, I am going to take advantage of this opportunity to snuggle up with him and enjoy a movie, alone, together! Then I have to get everything ready for tomorrow! Back to school, back to work!

Despite the drabness of most of this post, I still feel pretty good. I just know that I have to roll with everything. I am making changes (school) to better our lives and eventually it will pay off. I know that some day we will look back on all this crap and laugh. I hope we laugh til our drinks spray out of our noses..til we pee our pants, til we can't breath! Someday, this will be funny! LOL.

Car back in commission

My dad took the wheel up to the used tire shop and got a new tire put on it after he got out of work today. So, car is all set. I asked him how much the tire was and he asked why. I told him so i could give him money for it. HE asked if I was sure and would it leave us tight. I replied, "well, a little, but that's life." So, he said talk to your mom about it...you two can take care of it. Mom is with my sister picking up some tickets to a haunted house that my sister won from a radio station. i will have to try to call her again. But at any rate, the tire is fixed. Whew! Someday, I will not have to worry about bald tires, holy tires, old tires. I will be able to drive nicer (probably never brand new) vehicles with tires replaced as needed without a worry as to the cost. Someday.

Yeah, maybe 5 is going to be better with Makenneh. I talked about she cleaned up the living room the other day without even being asked. Well, today, she folded clothes without being asked. I honestly thought i would have to refold them..but no! She actually did quite a good job, towels, clothes and all. She put them all back in a basket to take care of them, too. Whoa. I can handle this. It's a reminder that it is time to give out chores. She is more than ready for small tasks around the house.

I made one of those Betty Crocker Complete meals tonight..ya know, the box with everything you need to make dinner?! IT was Chicken Alfredo and I have to say, it wasn't bad. And just one dish to dirty. Can't go wrong there. Only thing easier/better is eating out. LOL.

Well, Sebastian is being a big brat and I will have to get off here. He has been fighting naps real bad. today, i found something that just might be helpful. Every day that I am home with it at nap time (which, face it, isn't a lot of days), I am going to put him in his room, shut the door and make him stay in there until he takes his nap. Yep, sounds cruel. But, he has got to start taking naps. I am sick of his whining and crabbiness when he gets over tired.

Ok, yeah, time to go

Darn Tires

I got a flat on my way to class tonight. I had to call my mom who was on her way home. She took me to class and we found out class was closed. Luckily i have this strange habit of reading obituaries and saw that my teacher's mom had passed and her funeral was today. So, I had mom wait for me while i made sure we had class. OTherwise, i woulda been stuck up there until class would have been over. Not that it would have been all bad. But im sure before the 3 hrs were up, boredom would have sunk in.

So, tomorrow i get see if the hole in tire can be patched (I hope, bc it's so much cheaper) or if i have to get another tire.

It seems every week something happens that takes money we don't have. We can't ever get ahead.

Well for some reason, this computer is being strange and i can type real fast, but the cursor can't keep up with me and it's very frustrating and making for some typos. So, im gonna get off here and get to bed....

Where did the weekend go?

I slept it away. That's where it went. I think that because I am so sleep deprived during the week, i try to play catch up on the weekends. Just give me a pillow and blanket and let me be, thank you. And sleep is one of those things that the more i get, the more i want, it seems. Thankfully, I have a husband who lets me get my beauty rest. haha. The weather was beautiful, so this wasn't a good weekend to sleep away. Probably the last one like this. Today, it reached 79*. Sadly, i didn't step foot outside until around 7pm and only then to go to car to look for a toy. I haven't left the house all weekend. Well, friday i ran to walmart to get a few things we needed for dinner. Haven't been out since. It's kinda nice to not go anywhere. I did manage to get some laundry done (it is a never ending battle, so it's not all done) and i cleaned and did things around the house. not as much as i should have, probably, but better than nothing.

Remember me dumping pop on my keyboard awhile back? Well the keys to the far left are getting quite sticky. The shift key and tab key are a pain to use. If i hit shift to cap a letter, it sticks and caps the 2nd letter. So, i am sometimes just leaving the caps out all together.

My father in law and his girlfriend stopped in Saturday. We haven't seen them since jeremy's bday. Just as much our fault as theirs. Although i must say, we don't have gas to go anywhere. Enough to get me back and forth to school and Seb to my mom's and that's about it. By friday, it's on E and ready for the check to be cashed.

Oh and guess what? I missed my parent teacher conference appt for friday. I didn't realize it til saturday. Then, as i was doing laundry, i found one of makenneh's shirts with a paper pinned to the back. Opened it and it was the reminder from the teacher. Don't know how it was missed. I feel like a complete heel. So i will have to call the teacher to set up another one for this friday. Hopefully she still has an opening left.

Sebastian is growing up. He doesn't want diapers on much anymore. Unfortunately, that's a problem as he also wants nothing to do with the toilet. The potty chair got left at the old place, so we need to get a new one and see if he will use that. But, he likes to take the diaper off and put on big boy undies. hopefully he will be easier to potty train than makenneh. That girl had me thinking she would start kindy in diapers.

Oh, when i was filling out the paperwork for Makenneh to start school this year, i checked the box for info on counseling and behavioral health. the coordinator for our district called last week and is going to see what she can find out for me. I told her that I am supposed to be on anti-depressants but haven't been able to take them for a year bc i have no insurance. She said she will be sending me some info. Ya know, i am doing much better than i thought i would without the meds. More than anything, i probably need a pill to give me patience. They should make such a wonder drug. Think of how much happier the world could be. IF i had some patience, there wouldn't be much room left for stress, depression, irritability. most of all of those things stem from the lack of patience. I have been making a conscious effort to work on it.

ah patience make me think of my kids and that makes me think of something Makenneh did the other day...friday. She cleaned up the living room on her own without being asked. I was so impressed. I praised her over and over and even days later brought it up and praised her. That is sooo awesome. Sometimes, she does things like that that gives me hope for a better tomorrow. She can be so absolutely trying, but i have noticed that the closer she gets to 5 (waaahhh, my little girl is going to be 5), the better she gets. i just told Jeremy tonight that maybe 5 will be a good age. And at this same time, Sebastian is really hitting the terrible twos. HE loves to say no. Sebastian, leave that alone. NO! complete with the head shaking. And things like getting dressed is a game now. He likes to run off laughing. HE thinks he is quite funny. MOm doesn't always agree, though.

And to save hassles in the am, I am going to start getting their clothes out the night before. One issue with makenneh is her clothes. She wants to wear skirts with tshirts and mismatched outfits, you name it. Shorts when it's cold, etc. So, to save the hassle, i will get out 2 outfits, she can choose one. that way she can still feel like she is getting a choice and yet, those choices are limited and both ones i approve of. it's a win/win situation.

Wicked Storm

Wow. We had a severe thunderstorm going on here....it started out quite neat, actually. The sky would look like one of those postcards you have probably seen with the lightning flashing perfectly in a dark sky. gentle rain, subtle thunder. Then, things sure picked up fast. I was sitting with seb trying to get him to sleep when the phone rang. It was my brother calling to tell me to take shelter bc they had reported winds at 100 mph about 2 miles from here. So, i wake Jeremy up, turn on the tv and we decided to wake Makenneh to be ready for taking cover. And nothing happened. Well, nothing tragic or exciting or scary. It seemed to pass us by which is quite alright with me, bc i don't know how much shelter you can take in a single wide mobile home, full of clutter and furniture, bursting at the seems. But, hey. Finally got the kids back to sleep and shortly thereafter, the lightning became intense, cracking as it hit things, thunder booming like crazy, rain pouring so hard, my floors were about flooded from open windows (too warm to shut the place up completely). Absolutely crazy. They did extend tornado warning til 6am. great, im supposed to sleep with a tornado warning lurking til the morning. I love storms, but when they hit that close to home, with such great intensity, eh, i have to rethink that. LOL. right now it is calm and quiet. THen i can't help but wonder if it's the calm before the real storm. As long as i don't lose power, i will be happy. hahahah. How's that for concern? Obviously i don't want a tornado or anything equally scary.

Anyway, just had to post that. It was quite a riot around here for a little bit. Hopefully all is well in the morning.

What is it about puddles

and little boys? Walking Makenneh to the bus stop this morning, Sebastian just had to jump in the middle of the puddles, splashing water up all around him. The ones he didn't jump in, he still had to stop and admire. HE was excited as could be. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Makenneh doesn't like to step in the mud or puddles..and will go out of her way to avoid them. Most of the time anyway. I can't blame Sebastian for his fascination, because, I can remember being a little kid and having a good ol time walking through mud puddles, barefoot. The feel of the warm,muddy water on my toes...oooh.

The weather is absolutely beautiful. The last couple days have been warm enough for tshirts. Love this weather. Not too hot, not too cold. It has rained most days, but even that hasn't been constant or too bad. Right now (and as has been for most of the day) the sun is shining brightly and there is a comfortable breeze.

One of the girls from Makenneh's class rides her bus and also lives on our same street. TOday, walking home from the bus stop, McKenzie asked if Makenneh could come play. Of course, Makenneh was all ears on t hat one and has done nothing but hound me since we got home. I had to finish dinner and now Im eating. The girl's dad is the one who got the kids off the bus and he didn't say anything...so I am not sure if i should take her. And then, i need to be getting ready for school and I don't know these ppl well enough to leave my child there, without me. Sooo, i think tomorrow is a better day. And they can maybe play here. I don't know where she got her social butterfly of a personality from, but neither her dad nor I are very social people. I am more so than Jeremy, but still.

well, i am off here to get ready for school. JEremy hasn't been getting home til 5 or a lil after because they have someone else riding with them and it cuts it close for class. It seems like he walks in the door and I just about have to be walking out.

Ok the kids have gone wild, gotta go

I am so lucky

This is where i gush about my hubby. He has been absolutely amazing. I thought with me going back to school, i would get a bit of grumbling about him being home with the kids almost every night (and for the first few weeks, it was every night). I figured wrong. He has done what has needed to be done so i can go to school. Granted, the dishes don't usually get done, but he does pick up the living room, feed the kids their snacks, does baths, whatever needs doing while I am at my night classes. So, then I figured seems how he has been so good about this, that I would surely get a lil grumbling when I had to be away for bunco, spa parties and all that that seemed to be going on...but no. He takes it in stride. Then, a couple of us from English have started going to the pub after class for a couple drinks, every wednesday. I was really sure he would grumble about this. No. He has just been amazing. Then, this weekend, just topped everything off. I feel like a complete and absolute princess. I have been sick. I have slacked on the housework because, i just don't have the energy to do it. It takes all i have to get me and Kenneh to school and Seb to my moms. Well, this past weekend, Makenneh stayed all weekend with gma. Saturday, I felt so lifeless, I just slept most of the day. I awoke from one of my naps to a very clean house. Complete with dishes done, laundry going, the kids' room cleaned. Wow. I was so happy. I am still happy. Add to this that it's that time of the month for me, yet we have had the most intimate weekend. Don't worry, no dirty details...we just shared affection with kissing, hugging, just being close to each other. It was so nice. We were able to reconnect on a level that has been shoved aside and replaced by day to day life. I fell in love with him all over again, this weekend. (ok, i fall in love all over again with him often). I mentioned to him how we haven't had any arguments or anything really since we moved. Just a few minor things, but nothing like the weekly blows we were having before the move. He said, you know, it's probably the fact that neither of us are any longer depressed about that place. He is right. Our marriage has grown so much stronger because of the bumps we have gone over together. There were times when i was ready to throw in the towel. And now, i am soooo glad that I stayed and saw things through. I don't know if it is possible to love someone more than I love him. My heart is ready to explode with love.

And now, I will stuff with the mushy love stuff. But, I just want to give him credit. He has been an outstanding husband and father and he deserves some credit. And you can bet your bottom I have let him know over and over again how much I appreciate him. Now, I just wanted to let the world now how lucky I am!

Kids are finally asleep...so i am off of here!

This and that

The past week or so has been so hectic. But, it's Friday. (well, technically, but for me, it's still thursday bc i haven't been to bed yet...lol).

School: I have to give an oral presentation on Monday. That means, I have to pick a poem, song, speech, anything really and memorize it and recite it emphasizing vocal inflection, gestures, facial expressions. Yippee. The memorizing part was easy...bc I chose a song and well, I love my music. But I am out of my element if i have to basically "act" in front of the class. It doesn't come natural to me to be animated. At least not unless Im in a very comfortable and familiar setting.
I had a test in Math on Wed...don't think I did so hot. Then again, i could be wrong...bc the last test i was sure i didn't do so well and got them all right. We shall see on mon.
English...well, the teacher finally kinda "taught" on wed night. Wow. It was different. Usually he spends the entire class time talking about family and other odd subjects. He jumps topics like no other.
In Multicultural communications, we are starting to work on our projects. My partner and I chose English culture and Helen is going to help with it. Im excited about it because I think, with Helen's personal touch, it will be a great presentation.
That's about it on the school front.

Makenneh is loving school. Things are going great there.

I am feeling a tad bit better, but still have a nasty cough that gets the best of me sometimes. But, i have been able to cut down on the meds, so that is a good thing. I was taking so much medicine, that my head was groggy from all of it. (One problem for my math test..i felt out of it).

Tues was a drama-ful day. I told Julie about it in an email, but gee, i don't know if i want to go through all of it again. I will give a short and sweet version. Feel free to email if you need more details.
Tues I have no class. But, i was hosting bunco so, i had a lot of things to do. I got Makenneh on the bus, although, we almost missed it. Ran around to finish up shopping in prep for bunco. Got home in time to take a breath and head to bus stop to get her off bus. I almost missed getting her off bus..well technically, i DID miss it. I rounded the corner of our street as the bus was pulling away. She was at the bus stop, looking around. I yelled her name, but i dont think she heard. When i reached her, she was holding hands with a big girl who was very kind. The girl said that Makenneh told her her mom wasn't there, so the big girl (whose name i didn't get it) said, "It's ok, I'll help you." and took her hand. I thank the girl and also made sure to tell her where we live, in case, God forbid, this happens again. Then, we get back home and i have to cook the food and get everything ready. Bah. THe kids were under foot, wanting everything, getting into everything and i was already frazzled. We rented the community room at the office for bunco, bc we wouldn't all fit in my home. They are getting ready to remodel so the room is about bare, causing awful echoing. OMG. I already had a headache and this was horrible. But, we dealt with it. Then, shit started flying. My cousin ashley ran home real quick (she lives across from me and our street is right across from office). it was during a mini break....two tables were done with the round, some ppl were outside having a cigarette break, etc. Well, my mother in law (and i guess a few others, though i missed their words) were complaining and carrying on bc ash ran home. I stepped out, hollered for ash and she was already on her way back. I get back in the room and mother in law is being down right bitchy. I said, ok, guys...if you want to play bunco, you need to be available form 6 pm til 10 pm. We shouldn't be rushed all the time. This is our night out, supposed to be fun. Well, when ash walked in, mother in law lit into her. Ash said, if you have somewhere better to be, go! So, mil (Mother in law) got up and left. Not before getting a jump start (her jeep wouldn't start) from my aunt all the while bitching about my cousin. Bah! Drama! Then i get home, jeremy goes to bed. I go to ashley's. Jeremy comes over about 20 mins later or so. I was like, wth? He said the neighbors music (we could all hear it blaring). He stayed about 2 mins and left. Gets to the road and they blare it again. I hear yelling and run outside to see J walking back to our place shirtless! I get to him and im like, what just happened. I guess, he was in bed, heard the music blaring so he got up, got dressed, went over, kindly asked them to turn it down (his words were, could you please turn the music down because i have to get to bed for work). They were all drunk and kinda blew him off, but did turn it down. HE walked from there to ashley's (she lives right next door to them) and was there about 2 mins...he left to go home, they blared it again, so he stopped back there and this time was firm and a bit grumpy...I just effin asked you to turn the music down. It hasn't even been 5 mins! And with that, the drunk guy comes at jeremy swinging, grabs his shirt, etc. So, jeremy hit him. (Ugh...but...). So, needless to say, the adranaline rush kept him up til about 2am. They haven't had music on since. Hopefully it stays that way. I hate that it had to end in physical confrontation, but at least i can say jeremy did try to do the right thing. Should this problem arise again, we are just going to call cops without any warning. THey are drunks and druggies and not ppl to deal with bc you never know their reaction to anything (obviously). Ugh! More drama.

Guess that ended up being pretty much the full version...oh well. Now you know. LOL.

On a positive note, Jeremy's grandma is home from surgery and doing pretty good. She will go in for check ups to see how positively the spleen removal is helping. I guess her spleen was changing the shape ??? of her blood or something and causing problems. I don't know, this is just what jeremy's one aunt said in the email update. At any rate, I was glad to get his aunt's update because JEremy's mom (drama queen, anyone?) said in a dramatically sad voice that Jeremy needs to go see his gma bc she isn't doing well and she didn't think she would get to go home any time soon. She is out of it and doesn't know anything that's going on anymore, and so on and on. Wow.
And while we are speaking of my mother in law (her name is Chris, shorter to type)....while at bunco, she saw the tag on my mom's shirt from headstart (my mom volunteered in Makenneh's class that day) and asked about it. She told my mom that she didn't even know that m was in school (all pouty). Well, that's complete and utter bullSHIT. She stopped by sunday and I told her that Makenneh was in school and riding the bus and loving it. Of course, she was blown out drunk (or close to it, couldn't even hold her damn eyes open) and so she doesn't remember. She failed to mention that to my mom when she was trying to lay on a guilt trip. Ugh. I am so sick of her drama. It's times like that when I kick myself in the rear for ever insisting that Jeremy mend relations with her. Sometimes i think my life would be a bit more peaceful if i would have left well enough alone. OH well. Hindsight is always 20/20.

So yea, welcome to my world. Thank God im in school. A break from the insanity. except on days when i can't find a parking spot and drive around and around the sprawling campus, wasting time, causing me to be late. Yeah, we don't like those days much. I am glad I only have one class on the main campus. The parking is soooo horrible there. NOt enough parking to accommodate the student population.

Are you suffering from information overload yet? lol.

Well, im off for the night...

Thank God for Mom

I was laying on the couch, dozed off tonight, when we heard a knock at the door! It was my mom and dad! Mom brought several meds over for me. She has a medical book of some sort and she read about bronchitis for me and went and got some of the meds they said would be most helpful. One was mucinex type med (we always go with generic. Doctor has even said that they contain the same ingredients and if you take a moment to check, you will see they do). I took one of those and it has been very helpful. In fact, it's about time to take another. I still feel exhausted and as if all my energy has been sucked from me. I spent most of the day sleeping/napping, lazing around. Although i have washed dishes, twice, helped cook dinner and have been working on laundry. When you're a mom, there is no sick days. The household chores still need to be done. The kids still need to be tended to. And as a college student, homework always need done. I did get the homework done. it's not that the teacher is going to collect/grade it, but we can use it on our test which is tomorrow night. So, i had to get it done, along with reading 2 chapters. I still have the rest of chapt 4 to read, but it is so hard to comprehend what i read, bc my head is so groggy. I am a tad nervous about this test, just because I don't feel like I am very ready for it. I will try to squeeze in more reading and studying tomorrow before and after my afternoon class.

Then, wouldn't it figure that i am sick and I get all kinds of company this weekend?! One of my aunts and uncles kept the kids for us friday night, so they brought them home saturday and stayed and visited and watched a movie, then my other uncle and his fiancee stopped by. Then we went to my parents for a cookout. Today, Mark and Missy came back over so she could use the internet, then my parents stopped by, then Jeremy's mom stopped by, then my cousin and her husband (the ones who just got married a couple weekends ago) stopped by. Wow! And you can imagine that this place isn't exactly spotless. I have been doing bare minimum. OH well, that's life. It is what it is! (my dad uses that phrase a lot and ya know, I like it.)

Oh, i just noticed that someone cut the cat's whiskers. The poor boy. Grrr! Makenneh insists she didn't do it, but who knows. I didn't see who did it and i've found no evidence. No wonder he runs off outside. ;-)

Well, im going to finish my rounds on here and try to get some sleep. I really hope I feel decent enough tomorrow to survive school. I dont' wanna be hacking and coughing and gagging and feeling lifeless through the class. LOL.

Oh and to add to my weariness, AF started tonight. Couldn't that wait? I already feel run down enough! Blah!

bark, hack, cough

I just know I have bronchitis! I used to get it regularly...then went awhile without getting it. It hit me today. I am absolutely miserable. My lungs hurt from the coughing. Now is not a good time to be sick, thank you very much!

Jeremy's grandma had her surgery on Friday. Everything went well and the surgery only took 25 mins. She is recovering wonderfully. I had planned on Jeremy and I going up to the hospital to see her tomorrow, but now that I am sick, I don't dare. So, as soon as her phone in her room is turned on, I will give her a call. Hopefully she continues to recover well and is on her way to feeling much better!

I have a bit of homework to do. I worked on it for awhile tonight, but i just feel so miserable I called it a night. Usually when you are sick, you feel worse at night, so i am hoping that tomorrow during the day, i will be able to get much more accomplished. The homework i need to do also requires that I do it on my cousin's laptop, bc i need to print it, and her laptop only has 49% battery left, so i thought I would close it down.

Anyway, I am going to head to bed and get some rest. Or at least make an attempt!

busy bee, busy me

Go go go! That's me. wow. Some days I don't even have a chance to eat until 5pm. It's insane. Makenneh is loving school and the bus ride. I am so glad that she has taken to school. Every day, she is so eager to get on the bus that she wants to head to the bus stop 20 mins early! I'm enjoying the one on one time this gives Sebastian and I. I think he is liking it as well. Today we went grocery shopping. Oh what fun! But he was such a good boy. I was so proud of him. And when it's just one kid, I am able to take in more of their wonder as they observe the world around them. Our day was spent running around. We went with my cousin Ashley bc we both needed to get groceries. After getting Makenneh on the bus, we spent the whole time she was at school, getting groceries. wowzer! THen, it's get home, get groceries put away, get ready go to class. Jeremy handled dinner for the most part. That was a huge help. I was so exhausted before class I wasn't sure I would survive 3 hours. But i did and even stayed awake! go me! AFter class, I went to the local grocery store to get a few things that they had on sale (and a few things that weren't even on my list...lol). So yea, essentially my day was spent at grocery stores. But we have food. We have toiletries. Everyone is happy. LOL. I tried to shop for convenience, because most nights are so hectic, having things are quick and easy just sounds better. But, with a limited budget, I don't want to be shoving banquet tv dinners down my family's throat too often. That's a heart attack waiting to happen. I did buy a few, though.

My English class is getting to me. I love English, for the most part. I've always enjoyed the writing and all that. And it's always came fairly easy to me. Well, this class....we don't learn anything. He talks about his family non stop and doesn't cover anything course related. Well last night (wed night), he showed the class how to do an outline. A few things grated on me. 1. This is English 102. 2nd level english, ya know. College course. WE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DO A DAMN OUTLINE BY NOW. Ok, so maybe he wants to refresh memories. Probably a good idea. There are some of us, myself included, who haven't been in school for several (or more) years. But here is number 2. The outline he showed is like 8th grade level outline. I sat there thinking, "wtf, you have got to be kidding me!" Scary. Absolutely scary that this man is allowed to teach at a college level. Oh and he passed out this packet with poems in it that he compiled, on our first day of class. Every class he reads some of them. Ok, fine. But, he doesn't do it in a way that we are learning anything. Not like he discusses the different types of poetry he is reading or anything. He says he loves poetry, so we will listen to them. JOY! Everyone feels lost and it's because we feel like we should be learning something but we aren't. We feel like there should be homework, but there really isn't. When there is, he spends all of 5mins out of a 3 hour class to talk about the assignment. AAAGGGHHH! He is a great guy. Don't get me wrong. But his teaching abilities expired a decade ago, im afraid. A few of us in the class decided that we should go to the bar after class for a drink to wind down. It's that frustrating. LOL. All i can say is i better get an A in this class. He isn't teaching anything, so how in the hell can we get lower than that?

I got a B on my first test in Multicultural communication. I really am not too happy about that. It was open book/notes. The problem was, though, that most questions were worded poorly. We were discussing after class how many of the questions could have had more than one answer...and they were multiple choice on a scantron. So, not like you could cover your bases in a written out answer. Hopefully next week's test won't be so ambiguous. I decided to work with a partner for our big project for this class. That's the one I mentioned before where we pick a culture to do a 30 min presentation on. We decided to do it on English culture. REAL English culture...Helen's English culture! LOL. So, Helen, take notice, you are going to have some homework....lol. You will be our primary source of information. We can read books and articles until our eyes pop out, but how better to get the true feeling than to talk to someone who lives it?! Hmmm, wonder if i could get an educational grant to fly to England for my own "research"? I can dream! I have to mention that when I first mentioned this to my partner (who just graduated high school this past summer), she said, but England's culture is pretty much the same as ours. I said, oh but it isn't. It is quite different. I think there is this assumption that because we speak "English", the cultures must be alike. Our culture here is American culture. Sure we share similarities...but it is plenty different. Anyway, we just picked our topic and have yet to get started. I am looking forward to this project. I don't even mind the part about getting up in front of the class to give a 30 min presentation! We also have to start on a project called my multicultural house. We have to talk about our own ancestry, culture, etc. That should be fun too! of course, when you think about it, it will be involved, as my ancestry involves my mom's maternal and paternal side and my dad's maternal and paternal side. That's a lot of information. I know the most about my paternal ancestry, so i will probably focus on that. There are actually interesting stories for that side of the family.

Well, im off to finish my rounds so i can get to bed!

soggy first day of school, packages, refund checks and misdiagnose

I almost feel afraid to get excited! Julie's package arrived today! The kids were so excited. They played with playdough and coloring books and crayons while I was at school this evening. Of course, Sebastian ate the playdough more than he played with it. LOL. And the clothes are very nice. My mom is going to store the clothes at her house until Sebastian grows into them. And we are thinking the buzz lightyear boots will fit Seb this winter. My kids have such huge feet. I had to take Makenneh today to get a new pair of tennis shoes and had to get her a size 1. Crazy. Of course, her dad and I both wear size 10s.
Thank you Julie for your kindness and generosity! The card was very beautiful and thoughtful..i almost cried! Lots of hugs to you! I have to tell you, My mom was simply amazed by your generosity and thoughtfulness. She said, you don't find people like that very often. She was equally touched by your kindness!

Then to add to our joy, my financial aid refund check arrived today! Sooner than I had expected it. Of course, the down side is, it's spent by the time we pay back my mom, pay the bills and kiss it good bye. But, then, we can be back on track and hopefully stay there, barring anymore unforseen expenses.

The third thing is I got an email from Jeremy's grandma. The lab had lost her test results and finally found them. She tested negative for the luekemia but has myofribrosis (not sure if that's exactly it) and the reason her spleen is so large is bc it's full of fibroid tumors. Whew...big difference btwn fibroid tumors and bone cancer! Once her spleen is removed on Fri, she will be feeling better.

Makenneh's first day of school was rainy. We had to wait in the car for the bus bc it was pouring down. But, mom managed to get some pics for me. i will upload them later. I am exhausted. She loved her first day and the bus ride. I thought she would be sleeping early, but she still managed to stay up til 11pm. Im sure by thurs, she will be ready for bed earlier. Or at least, i hope.

My day was hectic. We got up, got ready, went to mom's to drop seb off while kenneh and i headed off to get her a pair of shoes for school. WE had to hurry back, get gma and seb and head to the bus stop. After she was off to school, i had to take my mom and seb back to mom's house and head to math. After math, it was home to get kenneh off the bus, then pick seb up, home to cook dinner and out the door before i could even eat.

I am near ready for bed, which is amazing for me. Tomorrow I get to take it a bit slower. I will get Makenneh on the bus then Sebastian and I will head out to pay the bills and take care of all that. I don't have school tomorrow, so that will be nice. I also don't have anywhere to be tomorrow night. That's a first, since school has started.

ya know, i can't believe that i just cashed a check for $1000 and we are still broke. That's sooo pathetic. I can't wait to be done with school and have a career. I just keep focusing on how some day, we will look back on these hard times and laugh, while sipping on fine wine and dining on caviar. Hahhahaha..im kidding. I hate wine, no matter how fine it is and no way caviar will ever make it to my lips, much less past them. My stomach churns at the very thought. But it sounded good right? I will just be happy to be able to pay bills, have a decent car that doesn't bounce and rattle and threaten to fall apart over each pot hole in the road. And a house big enough to live comfortably without being crammed in small quarters like sardines. A play room for the kids, their own bedrooms, more than one bathroom, so no one will ever have to hold it or hurry up again...ya know, those simple things. Of course, if im to achieve this, i need to get my butt in gear on homework. So much of it, it becomes overwhelming at times. Julie mentioned that being busy can be a good and she hopes it is for me...well, it is for the most part. I feel a sense of belonging to the world when i am packed with things to do, running here and there. But, it also elevates my stress levels so i have to try hard to keep things in focus and not get too caught up in the hustle bustle of things. I still have to work on time management and organization. Once i get that down pat, it won't seem so overwhelming. Right now, i sit in each class (excluding math, bc that lesson plan is pretty mapped out and steady) and hear of all these assignments to do over the semester and can't help but feel overwhelmed. Tonight, in comm class, he talked about a good 3 big assignments coming up. AHHHHh. He tends to bounce around topics and run from here to there and back again, so it probably makes it seem more overwhelming than it really is. I do best in a step by step situation. TAlk about the assignment at home, touch on the upcoming ones while keeping focus on the assignment at hand.

Then, tonight, while in class, listening to the few students who still had to give their first speeches...i found some inspiration. ONe lady, Robin, is 45 years old. she got up to speak and was absolutely compelling. She talked about how she used to love to learn. She couldn't get enough. She went to Central University for a year before transferring to (I think) minnesota, where she excelled at everything she did. She took her LSATS and scored very high, receiving scholarship offers for law school. It was 1984...she was on the fast track to a very successful career. Then, that winter, she was diagnosed with cancer. She spent most of her 20's, fighting this awful cancer. She said that while fighting the cancer, she still learned. She took it upon herself to learn all she could about her medical situation and all that it encompassed. She also learned a lot about life. She referred to "the journey" as the holy grail. She has been out of school 23 years. She is now attending our community college as well as a university, where she is working on the 36 credits she needs to finish her degree she had set out for all those years ago. She said she is going to do it. She is finally going to go for that law degree. Just hearing her speak gave me goose bumps and brought tears to my eyes. She is a true example of how it is never too late to go back and follow your dreams. Sometimes we get off course, but when the storm calms, it is then that we need to pick ourselves up and continue our journey! I also couldn't help but feel a connection, if you will, because she reminds me so much of my aunt dawn. Like my aunt dawn, this woman is very obese. The difference though, is that this lady doesn't let it hold her back. My aunt avoided many things in life bc she was ashamed of her weight. I couldn't help but think that if my aunt were here, I would tell her all about Robin and her story and her determination. But, it's too late for my Aunt Dawn. She had always dreamed of getting an accounting degree, but couldn't even think for a moment about going back to school out of fear. I guess she didn't need that accounting degree to be an angel. God had better plans for her. One goal (or act of kindness, if you will) is that before the semester is over, I will talk to Robin and tell her what an inspiration she is! I wish her all the luck in reaching her goals. I feel blessed to have our paths cross. Here's to you, Robin!!!!!!

Ya know, I really truly feel like God gave me today to raise my hopes. As a reminder that great things are yet to come. Life isn't all bad...there is good in there, even if only sprinkled in. And that good, even in small proportions far outweighs the bad.

And, on that note, I am done for tonight!

Bring on Monday

I am so ready for monday. today was crazy. Jeremy have been at our wits' ends with makenneh's behavior lately. She pushes every single limit. She is mouthy, rude, disrespectful. We have tried everything...finally today, jeremy decided we would take the toys away. She was warned, but refused to straighten up. so, we packed up all the toys, leaving on the books. this child sobbed and sobbed. I felt bad, but for the first time, i think we got through to her that we mean business. After awhile, she was over the sobbing and went about the day being rather delightful, polite, and well behaved. WE decided we would keep toys packed and when use them as incentives for good behavior. For instance, she was very good the remainder of the day, she was able to get a couple toys back. a few good things seem to have come of this. One, she is realizing that we are not taking her behavior anymore. two, their room is now clean. I got hurt earlier trying to put clothes away. They(mostly she) refuse to pick their toys up. Every time it is time to pick up, she suddenly is too busy, sick, legs hurt or just deaf. She is very proud of her clean room too. I was in the shower and she came in excited for me to come see her clean room. She is also playing in there now that it is clean. So, the decision to pack up toys seem to be a good one, albeit a tough one for me. the original intent was to take them to my parents' to store them but they are currently out on porch. I need to bring them in...but i want to wait til they are sleeping. the one thing she is not doing so well with is going to sleep. she is busy putting her few toys to sleep right now. she is very excited for school and moreso, riding the bus, that it doesn't help. but, if she isn't going to go to sleep, she isn't going to get a toy back for the bedtime part of the deal. She is so stubborn.

enough of that whole thing. It sucks being a parent sometimes. I have a math test tomorrow. I should do fine, so long as i don't get in a hurry and make some stupid arithmatic mistake. I feel good though, bc i got a b on the last test when the class avg was a d. That's crazy that most students got a D on that test.

I am ready for a child-free weekend. I know that not all parents can do this, but it is helpful to me, as a mother, to have a break and rejuvenate. It's not that im pawning my kids off to go party and get wasted or anything. Most often, when they are with other family members overnight, i stay home, enjoy peace and quiet, take a leisure shower (as opposed to my rushed 7 min shower), get cleaning done, catch up on housework (and now homework), spend alone time with Jeremy, as that is a very rare commodity, watch a movie while we can both see AND hear it at the same time...ya know, just simple things like that. I don't see a weekend break happening, though. I tried to convince stephanie that she could keep the kids at her house next weekend, but she said it's their homecoming weekend.. I have had stephanie all summer and every weekend since school started.

well, i am gonna go....gotta get these kids to sleep. Seb had a late nap,so i knew he would be a treat tonight...but makenneh has school tomorrow and has to get on the bus at 1105am. She needs her sleep. I am so emotional about her riding the bus. funny. I was sad the first few days she went to school last year..but she loved it so much i couldn't help but be happy. But, riding the bus is me relinquishing yet more of my parental control. I have to let her climb aboard that gigantic yellow bus and then the rest is in the bus driver's and teacher's control. I have been emotional since being told she would ride the bus. She has wanted to ride one since she was 2 yrs old. She used to beg. Now, she is so excited to know she gets to ride. I will be posting pics...my uncle loaned me his camera and it's a pretty nice one. Mine doesn't take good pics, so i was so happy when he offered.

Oh and before we can get her on the bus, i have to run to the store and get her a pair of tennis shoes. this should have already been taken care of, i know...but i procrastinate. I was really sure her tennis shoes still fit, but those feet grew the past couple months. Im hoping to find a pair on clearance, as we really don't have the money this week. But, either way, she needs them, so it's not an option. *sigh*

Ok, im off of here...finish my rounds and get ready for bed myself...Hope everyone starts their week off on the right foot!

More prayer requests

I just read on myspace about a childhood friend. We actually were neighbors as kids. Well, her mom has battled cancer for awhile and now she is losing the battle. She had surgery to put in a colostomy bag but when the surgeon opened her up, he found too many tumors and obstructions to continue and had to just close her up. The doctors said there is nothing they can do for her at this point. They did give her a four and half year life expectancy, for what that's worth. But they had to do some rerouting with her stomach and intestines and she will never again be able to eat solid foods. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. I just hope that God can give them the strength they need to get through this.

Also, my aunt Charlene was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She is on medicine to see how it will help. If you could keep her in your prayers as well. Hopefully this medicine will help her with the pain the disease causes. She goes in for a surgery on Oct. 2. then, on the 5th, Jeremy's grandma goes in to have her spleen removed.

Such gloomy news. Remember to let those you love know how much they mean to you!

Pooey

That's how i feel. I seem to have caught the flu-like bug that's been going around. I feel so sick to my stomach, weak, tired, blah. This all came on suddenly, today. I am hoping it doesn't last long, because Monday is school for me and Makenneh. Don't want to be sick for all that.

I did start my paper for Multicultural communication. We had to choose a world religion (either the beliefs or the practices) and then do a report and a 10 min presentation. I chose Paganism beliefs. So, i started looking up things on it tonight. Ten mins is a long time for a presentation, especially seems how we are only doing one aspect of the religion. So, im going to have to do a lot of digging. Of course, we have a research paper to do in English that i could do on Paganism, also. That would save me some time with research, bc i could do the research for each class at the same time. They would be two totally different projects, but i could use some of the info for both assignments. English assignment is of course formal research, whereas the multicultural assignment is more informal.

Well, jeremy is heading to bed, so im going to get off here. I didn't expect him to go to bed so darn early on a weekend, but ah well. I may be back later to post some more.

Good news and Prayer Request

I'll start with the good news, so i can hold back the tears. The headstart coordinator for our school district called today. THey have an opening for Makenneh. I go today at 4pm to meet with her teacher and get the paperwork I need to fill out. She will be going in the afternoon and will get to ride the bus. She is going to love that! It makes me feel a bit sad. It's a big step. But, she is more than ready to get on that bus. She has wanted to ride a bus since she was about 2 yrs old!

And to the next thing: Jeremy's grandma just emailed that she has to go in for surgery on Oct. 5 to have her spleen removed. It is so enlarged it is causing a multitude of problems for her. She has a very positive mind set and she is confident that it will go well. But she has asked for prayers. As you may recall, she was diagnosed with a form of leukemia just a few months back.
Anyway, say a prayer, send a positive thought, whatever it is that you do.

Thank you.

I have to go now..besides, the tears have started falling and the kids are winding up because we are getting ready to leave.

Go me!!!!!!

I did it, I did it! First, I got my math test back today. Prior to handing them back, he said the average was 10 right out of 15. That's not a great grade on a test. Well, he handed mine back and i had 13 out 15! I was so excited. I got a B and I will certainly take that. The bad thing is, one of the problems I got wrong was a simple subtraction mistake. grrr! But, i still did better than the average student. Yay me!

Then, i got to my speech class tonight. I was full of knots in my stomach, sweaty palms..the works. Today was presentation day for our speechs AND a test over chapters 1 and 2. Yikes. Talk about overload. He gave the test first. We were allowed to use our notes. After everyone finished the tests, he graded them while we took a break (he used the electonic scan cards..scan-trons so it was a matter of slipping htem through a machine which marked the problems that were wrong). He passed them back and he called my name to come get my test, he handed it to me and said, good job! I had 45/50! He said anything over 39 was good. And the fact that he complimented me made my night, as he didn't say that to everyone! So, that relieved a little of the knots. Then, he took volunteers to start speeches. 9 ppl volunteered. YOu can bet i wasn't one of them. LOL. Well, for the rest of the class, he had us put our name on a piece of scrap paper and drop it in a hat. He then started to draw names. mine was the SECOND name he drew. That meant, i was the 11th person to give my speech. Ugh. Before I knew it, it was my turn. I did it. It wasn't as bad as i expected. I have had speech class before in high school, but that was like 9 or 10 yrs ago. I walked back to get my critique sheet from him and i got 48/50! Woohoo! I feel so darn good! I should add that we get 5 points extra credit points for making name cards to put on our desk so he can call us by name, rather than hey you. So, technically, im only missing 2 points from a perfect grade.

Tomorrow is my day with no classes. I get to spend it cleaning. Yippee!

The temps reached 89* today. That's crazy. Tomorrow we are looking at 85, then 75 for wed. I can handle 75. But these 80s are just too warm for this time of year. I shall not complain too much though, bc it won't be long and i will be complaining about cold and snow.

I just wanted to take time to say thank you to Julie (JulieQ). She is sending me a box of clothes for Sebastian, winter boots for Makenneh...things her kids no longer can wear. I thought it was thoughtful of her. She is so sweet and kind! Thank you, Julie!

My keyboard is still working, thankfully, but some keys are very sticky and hard to use. Mostly the tab key, caps lock, shift, number 1. The rest are ok. I imagine if i used those other keys more, they would loosen back up. I got lucky. While a new keyboard wouldn't cost a whole lot, it is more than i can really spare right now. This week, $40 came out to fix that flat tire we had...it was not expected and as things go right now, we are pay check to pay check. And i added the expense of gas into the mix with going to school...Thankfully our internet is free from the college. It seems like every week there is something coming up to take extra money out for and it sucks. This next check will prob be expenses for Jeremy's tooth as it is still hurting him like crazy. He is taking ibuprofen like no other. that can't be good for his insides. I am going to try to call the dental place to see if they would call in more antibiotics. We cannot afford for him to miss another day of work to go in. When that happens, we miss out on a day's pay, plus have to pay $25 fee and then the cost of the Rx's. last time he went in, it cost us a total of $145 by the time you add in the missed work. That's an expensive trip to the dentist, especially when you are broke. He is on the waiting list for the oral surgeon, but who knows how long that is going to take. They are open until like 530, so if they would let us set an appt, it wouldn't be so bad, bc he could take the latest appt and we could make it there when he gets home from work. But i guess they are booked through end of october. The only way he can be seen before then is to be a walk in which requires missing a full day of work. There certainly is no winning when you are down and out. Just more incentive to do good with school and get my career going. Then we won't have to stress over small things like broken keyboards, printers out of ink, keeping gas in the car and painful teeth.

Well, my hands actually hurt from all this typing...its a bit more strenuous with the few sticky keys. Ok, that makes a difference as well. I had removed the wrist support thing when the pop was dumped on it, and never put it back on. Never realized how helpful that thing is until it's not there. Im going to wrap it up though and head to bed.


ETA: I thought I would swing by the free samples website I've talked about on here before....here is a sample. They had a neat little option...tell a friend, post to blog. So i thought, why not share this with the world...a lil "perk" for reading my blog. It's a free sample of Folgers gourmet coffee. I have tried the vanilla biscotti and it is delicious. I am not a huge coffee fan, but it was yummy. This time i opted for the chocolate truffle, bc come on...it has to be good. I also found a link for a free sample of this stuff, provided by walmart...so on that one, i chose the creme brulee!

Here's the link:


ENJOY!!