Ouch!

My feet are throbbing. Taxing kids to and from games and practice and trips to the grocery store don't require that I dress up and slip into heels. Today we attended our baby cousin's dedication ceremony and I got fancied up. I wore a cream top with cream dress pants. I like these pants because the are long and very slimming. I have to wear 4 inch heels to keep them from dragging the floor. Well the time now is 12:05am and I took the shoes off at 8pm, why are my toes still throbbing?!?!

Who is this Man?!

The past few weeks have been very trying on our vehicles. I took hubby's car to get it inspected last month and it failed due to the brakes not operating properly. Hubby drives over 50 miles (one way) to and from work Monday - Friday. I knew there was an "issue" with his breaks, but had no idea of how serious it was until I drove it that day. I was at a stop light at a busy intersection and depressed the brakes. The car stopped. Suddenly, my foot kept going down, down, down until it was literally on the floor, then the car began to creep forward!! I PANICKED as the car slowly started to creep toward the intersection! Luckily the light changed! I called hubby and he explained that sometimes that happens and he has to pull the emergency brake and/or put the car in neutral when sitting at a traffic stop! (WHAT THE HECK?!?!) I could not believe that he had been driving the car in this condition for so long!

Well, as luck would have it, last week, the brakes on my car began scraping, grinding and screeching like a banchi. So I went to a local repair shop to get an assessment and they told me I needed new rotors and brake pads for both the front and back - the total bill? $650.00!!!

I informed hubby of this unexpected development and he matter of factly stated, "Oh, I can replace the brake pads. Mechanics always say you need new rotors, if the car is not shaking, your rotors are still good. The scraping and grinding is indication that you need new brake pads." This was all on Saturday morning.

So, Hubby went to the local auto supply store and purchased brake pads for both cars (all for under $200.00), and replaced them! The brakes on both cars are good as new!!! You could literally knock me over with a feather! How can I be married to a man for 13 years, a man who has NEVER volunteered to repair ANYTHING, then out of the blue he replaces brake pads on two cars in one weekend!? Who is this man!?!

Well after a few rousing rounds of "Hip-Hip-Hooray!" and "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow!", Hubby is THE MAN around the house! :-))

Then my admiration quickly turned to anger! How can you drive a car, risk your life and the life of our children, by driving a car that you could have repaired months ago!? :-((

After all was said and done, I'm proud that he stepped up and handled business! Hmmm, now about re-tileing the bathroom shower.......

Butterfinger update

There are two Butterfingers in the crisper drawer behind the romaine lettuce. :-|

Butterfinger

There are four fun size Butterfingers in the crisper drawer behind the romaine lettuce. :-/

Daily Stress Buster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR4PQ30VkBk

Enjoy!

Lucky Number 13

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary. Where does the time go? We'll celebrate this weekend (found a babysitter for the kids), but for tonight, a quiet celebration at home with the family. I went to Whole Foods to pick up dinner. The closest Whole Foods is 16 miles from our home, so I don't go there often. But I do have a friend who frequently purchases prepared meals. I enjoy people watching at Whole Foods - there are all types of folks; Caucasians with dread locks, hard rockers, business suits, quiet librarian/professor types and super moms.

Meal Tracking

Today I picked up a cute journal at Michael's arts & crafts store for $1. It has a pretty design on the cover with the words, "Enjoy the little things in life!". I will be using this journal to track my meals each day. Meal tracking has always worked for me to not only maintain and control calorie intake, but to keep me on the healthy eating track (for me and the family)!

No Mas

OK, the new washing machine will be delivered early next week. :-\

Mrs. Fix It Follow-up

Well, it's the coin hose again. A small hole punctured the hose from lose change(a nickel and a dime). Well we were up late, until about 1:30am trying to get the water to stop overflowing from one of the hoses, it seems we couldn't get the clamp tight enough. I was so ready to just get another washer, it was so frustrating. Last year it worked like a charm, but now it's just being stubborn.

Today, with a set of fresh eyes and energy, I ventured to Home Depot to see what I could get to give it a try again. Will keep you posted!

Daughter Dilemma

A few posts back I mentioned a situation with my daughter where she was getting static from team mates and was having a tough time coping. Well there was so much competition going on within the team with positions being changed as well as batting order. I tried to counsel her as best as I could and told her to do her best and to try to block out the negative. "Don't let anyone throw you off your game. Besides, the coach is the one who makes the decisions on who plays where and when." Then I thought about it, the coach is the one who makes that decision.

Upon further investigation I began to notice that slowy but surely, the coach was diminishing my daughter until she was eventually in the outfield, then on the bench. Why is it that my daughter's name was in the papers on numerous occasions for hits and RBI's, when people with a lower (practically non-existent) batting average was placed above her. Why was she on the bench?

Then I took a closer look. Hmmm, all the girls on the field had blonde ponytails. There were three girls on the bench; my daughter (with her dark brown twists pulled back), another girl had her long brunette locks cut over the summer into a cute bob, too short for a ponytail; and the third girl had blond hair, but she too had her summer cut a couple of months ago and her hair was also too short for a pony. Was it just my imagination????

Well upon further investigation, I found that I was not the only one to discover this strange behavior. A couple of parents also mentioned that this particular coach favored girls who closely resembled his daughter (blond ponytail). Ain't that some S***?!

Well needless to say, she will not be playing on that team next season. Hubby and I are actively seeking another home where she will be utilized and not stomped upon!

As for her fareweather friend, she now knows that not everyone who says they are your friend really means it. I'll continue to pray to God to send her a life long friend who will appreciate her for who she is and not feel threatened by what makes them different. Someone with whom she can refer back to the "good ole days" and not recall pain and anguish.

Mrs. Fix It

It so much pressure being superwoman. It's down right exhausting! A year ago our washing machine started leaking. Our laundry room is located on the second floor so we freaked out when water damage appeared on the ceiling below. Busy Hubby wanted to replace the machine. Being "Mrs. Fix It", I took it upon myself to investigate and see if it could be repaired. I discovered a rip in the coin trap hose. You could see the obvious tear and it seemed like a simple do-it-yourself repair. I called Sears, ordered the part and vioila! Just like new for a grand total of $30.00!

Well a few months later the dryer started smoking and gave off a burnt smell. Busy Hubby wanted to replace the machine. I took as much apart as I could and cleaned out an obscene amount of lint! People, it was scary the amount of lint stored inside the dryer! Well, the dryer ran wonderfully until the burnt smell returned a few months later. I didn't want to chance hanging on to a fire hazard so, we replaced the machine. We purchased an LG dryer and I LOVE it! The drum is twice the size as the previous dryer which is wonderful for blankets and comforters! And instead of a loud buzz at the end of the cycle, it plays a little tune. Busy Boy says it sounds like the ice cream truck. Doing laundry has never been this fun! I actually smile when the load is done!

The installer said that usually people will buy a set (oh, no - was he trying to break on a sista'?), but (he caught himself and attempted to clean it up) - a lot of people will buy them separately. (but he added the kiss of death) Then, the other will die within a couple of months. I think he put the whammy on my washer!

Today while unloading towels, I notice water in the washing machine tray. Not again! So before night fall, I must pull out my tool box and check things out again. Haven't mentioned it to hubby yet, but we all know what that response will be, "guess we'll have to replace the machine".

Woman's Stress Diet

Here is an oldie but goodie - a diet specifically designed to reduce the stress level of women.

This is a specially formulated diet designed to help women cope with the stress that builds during the day.

Breakfast
1 grapefruit
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 cup skim milk

Lunch
1 small portion lean, steamed chicken
1 cup spinach
1 cup herbal tea
1 Hershey’s kiss

Afternoon Tea
The rest of the Hershey Kisses in the bag
1 tub of Hagen-Daaz ice cream with chocolate chips

Dinner
4 glasses of wine (red or white) and 2 loaves garlic bread
1 family size supreme pizza
3 Snickers Bars

Late Night Snack
1 whole Sarah Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer)

Remember: Stressed spelled backward is desserts.

Where has the summer gone?

I cannot believe how quickly the summer months are flying by. This will be the last week of camp for the kids. It ends in July and I have nothing planned for the month of August. While walking the pooch, my neighbor asked me if I was enjoying summer vacation - I replied that my "vacation" will officially begin once the kids start back to school.

Yay...

Is commission the new layoff?

Last November I applied for the position of marketing director for a company that manufactures reusable and disposable thermometers (don't judge - times are hard). It's a small local company that has huge potential. Long story short, they hired someone else for the job, but felt my computer skills were invaluable and hired me to work from home doing research to support their sales staff (SWEET). Fast forward 5 months - turns out they don't have a sales staff and somewhere along the way, I wound up using my own research to make sales calls and send literature to prospective clients. Well, last month, they called me in for our "monthly meeting" and I was informed that I would be moving towards a commission based compensation. What the heck!? I didn't even ask to do sales, why am I being punished for something I didn't sign up for? Needless to say, this is not going to work for me. I cannot possibly be expected to work for free. Oh well...

Back on the block

It's been ages since my last post. I've been blogging like crazy (in my head), but just have not made the time to actually log in and put fingers to keyboard. My busy girl is having a rough time and I need to just release some frustration. She has been playing softball for a few years now and is part of a travel team. We have two day tournaments every weekend (3 games per day). I think everyone is burnt out right about now and ready for a break.

Recently she has been running into "static" with her other team mates. She appears to have become the odd man out and is not enjoying her mis-placement on the team. One girl in particular whom she thought was her best friend has been saying some not so nice things and is suddenly extra chummy with the other girls on the team. Today at practice, a team mate yelled at my girl after a play and words were exchanged. She came home in tears. I want to protect her from the "elements", but I think this was her first lesson in perseverance. Should I advice her to stick it out and become the bigger person, or support her request to try out for another team in another district next season? In life we all find ourselves in difficult situations, is running away the answer?

WaWa NoNo.

My Mint budget program has revealed that we spend too much moola at WaWa. Morning coffee, sandwiches, drinks, and quick dinner runs after late baseball/softball games. The good thing about WaWa is they offer a wide variety of foods so healthy alternatives are always available.

The bad thing is we've grown so accustomed to going that it's become second nature to run to WaWa to supplement our meals. I'll challenge myself to stay away from WaWa for seven days and not use WaWa as a crutch for our meals, snacks and weekend breakfasts. I'll just have to plan ahead and prepare meals in advance.

Day 1 morning - so far, so good. Oops, forgot to tell Busy Hubby the plan, hopefully he didn't make a WaWa run before hitting the turnpike!

Mint anyone?

I just have to share this new discovery. Busy Hubby (BH) and myself are constantly looking for ways to create a household budget. Between recreational activity fees, school fundraisers and household expenses (not to mention gas and tolls for BH- creating a budget is a necessity. The first step in creating a budget is to track your spending, not as easy as it sounds. Well while reading the latest issue of Essence Mag, there was yet another article about budget how-to's, "5 Money Tools to Make Your Life Easier". The first tool was www.mint.com, a free money management program. So simple! All you do is create an account and enter your bank, debit and credit card information. The website provides you with an overview of your finances in one location. What makes this program so different is, it actually identifies and records what you are spending on groceries, gas, shopping, eating out, even atm fees! What I've learned is we spend too much money on atm fees, eating out (with all the after school activities, cooking is touch and go), and morning coffee runs.

I love this program!!!! You can also separate work and personal expenses and it keeps track of what credit you have available on your cards as well as if you go over your limit. I haven't had a chance to really play around with it as I'd like. I'm sure there are more benefits that I haven't mentioned.

Wire Transfer Update: Checked account, still no moola.

Hello Old Friend!

Wow, it's been two months since I've blogged. So much to catch up on.

Well, I held an intro to web design class a few weeks ago to a group of children ages 5 - 11. It went very well and they were so receptive to learning, very encouraging! It was intended to be a one time intro class, but the parents and children are interested in learning more in future classes, so we'll see.

The softball and baseball season has officially begun. Busy girls travel softball tournaments begin this weekend. She's already had a couple of scrimmages-they won! So I need to pull out my big game bag and stock it with sunscreen, paper towels, antibacterial wipes, snacks, water, beach towel, visor and my binoculars. I'm all set!

Work has been steady and continuous - good thing. I have a new client that can only pay me via wire transfer. The corporate office is based in Denmark. Well, it's been over two months since I've completed the assignment and every week I keep hearing the same thing, "Our records show the transfer was done on Monday." - this has been told to me for two weeks straight...I don't understand it.

Pajama Jam

Well, we survived the Pajama Party!

In retrospect, it should have been from 6-9, that extra hour was the longest hour known to man. Everyone got along for the most part. As far as the personality range, the party was split into two groups, one was the classroom crew (8 girls), the other the neighborhood crew (2 girls).

A couple of girls had cell phones and I think I walked in on someone about to text a boy while huddled in a group (not a fan of young ones' with cell phones). One girl said her mom gave her a phone but didn't give her the telephone number, that way if she doesn't know the number, she cannot give it out to friends and thus they cannot call or text her. (But what if they give her their number? Must re-evaluate that strategy).

I must admit I was nervous, girls can be so cruel. It would have destroyed me if her PJ party was labeled as boring. The girls played Wii, Dance Dance Revolution (thank the lord for Dance Dance Revolution!), played music on the keyboards, ate, danced and listened to music and played games. I got nervous when I suggested they watch a movie for the last hour and a half of the party and half said yes, the other wasn't interested - YIKES!!!! So I put on a movie and left them to be free (hence the longest hour known to man).

Luckily the parents were Johnny on the spot and showed up right on time. I think the next party will short and sweet at an off-site location!

Birthday Girl

Valentines day is busy girls birthday, she'll be 11 years old. WOW how time has flown. It's so hard to believe that she is turning 11. It will only be a matter of time before she will be going off to college, getting married then having a child! I can't even begin to fathom that happening. I'm trying to remember what I was doing at her age, my responsibilities, thoughts and friendships. She wanted to have a sleep over for her birthday this weekend, but I'm not big on sleep overs. So we compromised and decided upon a pajama party, Sat night from 6pm to 10pm. I'm nervous because we've invited 12 girls, all with a wide range of personalities. The one thing they all have in common is "my girl". We'll see how this works out!

Falling Off

We are approaching the end of the month in the new year and I have been terrible with meal tracking and exercising. I've been using my pulled groin muscle as an excuse. Pardon me while I slap myself.....(SMACK! SMACK!)

Okay, I'm ready to get it in gear. NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!

"Massagy Massagy"

A few months ago I pulled a groin muscle while working out on the eliptical. I thought some stretching and a little icy hot would take care of it, but months had passed and I would stumble while getting up from my seat to walk, or stepping out of a vehicle. Hubby and I are complete opposites when it comes to visiting the doctor. He'll feel a twinge and "BAM" - he has an appointment with the doctor (Are they on your speed dial Man?). Me on the other hand, will wait until the limb is hanging on a membrane before seeking medical help. I've always wanted to try acupuncture and everyone I know who have tried it, swears by it. Ironically, an acupuncture business opened right around the corner from where we live. I asked hubby to stop in to get some information as the sign on the building (a private home) just says "Acupuncture" and does not have a telephone number or web address.

Well, hubby gets home and says, "You won't believe what just happened!". He went into the building and there was a little waiting room area, like a doctor's office. Suddenly, a little Asian woman appears. Hubby asks for information and she cannot speak a word of English. She moves her hands in a squeezing motion and just says, "Massagy, Massagy". Well, he got up out of that place. Maybe we're just being paranoid, but do you think that was a "happy ending" establishment?? On second glance, the sign says, "Accupressure Therapy".

Anyway, I made an appointment to see the doctor and sure enough, it was a pulled groin muscle. She prescribed muscle relaxer and sent me on my way. Just what I needed, drugs to dull the pain.

Meat Eater Be Gone

December of 2007, my meat lovin' husband announced that he will no longer be eating meat....

After I finished laughing hysterically and realized he was serious, I felt bad. I felt bad because I was casting doubt in his ability to remove meat from his diet. I decided to support him wholeheartedly and scoured the internet and cookbooks for non-meat meals. Now, of course the children and I were not going to turn cold turkey on the meat thing, so that became my challenge.

Exactly one week later, hubby and I went to a neighbor's holiday party and he ate meat...

Well, it's been 4 weeks and hubby has been meat free! Yay!!! Our favorite meal? Seared tuna steak with wasabi and soy sauce. Suggestions anyone!!??

Detox

I am in serious need of a detox. The last time I fasted was approximately three years ago. We were living in Michigan and I came across that lemonade diet. I followed it for approximately 5 days (Mon-Fri). For the first couple of days, I thought I was going to pass out. I was so hungry I could eat a horse. And the headaches were brutal. By the third day I could feel a remarkable difference. The cravings for sugar and caffienne were gone and my energy level was up. My tounge even looked healthier! It was an amazing difference. It made me realize how much toxins we allow into our system without even thinking. They recommend easing out of the fast by drinking broth or having soup and salads-light meals. It may be time to do that again, just for a few days, no more than 5, no less than 3. But I'm afraid of all the good food I'll be missing out on. Isn't that terrible!?!

Wii are family!

Happy New Year! I know it's been awhile since I've blogged. I've had a few weeks of well needed relaxation and have been enjoying the time off with my family. Christmas was wonderful. It was the most relaxing, non-stressful holiday that I've ever experienced. We did our traditional gingerbread house decorating, baked cookies and muffins and just enjoyed each others company. This holiday I tried my best to not overdo the gift-giving, and succeeded!

The most popular gift was the Wii. I hadn't intended on purchasing one, but I was in the local GameStop (this location just opened in November 2007) to pick up a Nintendo DS for Busy Girl. I asked the sales clerk about the cost of the Wii and the additional components needed. Jokingly I said, "I know you don't have any in stock - right?". He replied, "We got three in this morning and have one left." I pulled out my cell phone to call Busy Husband to see if we should get it when this woman blew into the store and ran straight for the counter - I just knew she was going to ask for the Wii. I snapped closed my cell phone and yelled, "I'LL TAKE IT!". Little did I know-she already had a Wii and had come in for something else - no matter, we've been enjoying this miracle game.

I had no idea of the additional features - weather, local-national and world news, the ability to view photos from a data card to make puzzles and view slide shows set to music, fitness training, the list goes on and on.

Ahhh the fitness training. My butt is still aching - how is that possible!?!

Busy Husband is in love with the golf. One night he hit a hole-in-one and damn near woke up the entire neighborhood from his shouts of excitement. He stared at the screen for at least 20 minutes, beaming with pride. Then he called each of us from where ever we were in the house to look at the screen, "wow - yeah that's really nice babe...uh, can I get back to my ironing now?"