Walmart

Today started one of the busiest weekends of my life. Especially since I haven't slept since my nap yesterday afternoon.
It never fails, just when I go to climb into bed, something or someone interrupts my dreams of peaceful slumber. I go to climb into bed at 2:00 am after cleaning and spending some quality time with hubby, and my daughter woke up with a nightmare . She didn't go back to sleep until 8:30 this morning. I however needed to be at a friends house by 10:00 am to help set up for her sisters baby shower. I went and helped with the set up, and planning, and came home took a shower, packed up and dressed both of my children and returned to the shower, an hour late. I helped with the take down of decorations, packing up of presents, took my canopy down out of the back yard so I would have it for my daughters party tomorrow, stopped by Pit Boss where my husband was covering a cooking shift to pick up the cake for tomorrow ( this way I don't have to run around like a nut tomorrow), dropped the cake off at our house, went back to Pit Boss to give my husband the shopping list and then proceeded to Walmart....
The original plan was that hubby would shop tonight after work, well that changed. I hate shopping as it is, and hate shopping even more when it involves two over tired children. My son was a help for the first 15 minutes. My daughter absolutely refused to cooperate, and in the end ended up completely surrounded by groceries in the cart, instead of seated properly in the front of the wagon. I then go to check out, and for some strange reason someone at Walmart who has decided to cut hours thinks that 8 regular registers and 2 express is more than enough for the 5:30 rush at the store. I choose a line to stand in, and end up standing there for 45 minutes. Then to top it off, trying to be prepared and all I had a case of Budweiser set at the front of my groceries WITH my ID sitting on top, and the cashier asks " Why is your ID here? " Ummm, because I am 26 years old, and your policy is to ID if I look younger than 35 ( now I know I have had one of those days, but there is no way I look 10 years older than I really am) I respond " Because of the case of beer" she looks at me and says " I don't need this yet, wait until I ask for it." Now, I didn't hand it to her, I wasn't standing there waving it in front of her, I set it on top of the case of beer, while I unloaded my groceries and chased 2 children around the aisle. This woman actually handed me back my ID, since it apparently was a huge distraction for her while she finished giving the guy in front of me his change. Then asked for it back. I was trying very hard to be cooperative, all i wanted to do was get out of that mad house with my groceries, and manage to have both of my children with me. She then asks again why I had my ID out before she asked for it... I lost it . " I had my ID out, because I knew you were going to ask for it, I had my ID out because I have a cart full of groceries, and 2 children not behaving in the store, that if you had taken any longer to check the 2 customers out in front of me I was going to be leaving my cart where it was and forgetting about the whole shopping experience, I was trying to save myself from digging through my purse and wallet, and also save the rest of the people behind me another 30 minute wait in line, since it has officially been 45 minutes of standing, with two children asking for candy and pokemon cards."
I hate Walmart so much, I hate shopping there, I hate that I really have no choice since they are the cheapest place in town, and I can get everything from Diapers to a watermelon, and a new package of underwear all at the same time. I hate that within a 20 mile radius 10 stores pop up on their store search, and that they are spaced out at 10 miles from each other. I can see more Walmart stores in a 20 minute drive then I do gas stations. The worst part is they know you can't help but be sucked in to the black hole, that you can't help but walk through their doors, and that they know they are putting every other place except Target out of business.
Now I have to finish cleaning, bathe the kids, and ship them off to bed, but I think I should probably attempt to serve dinner first, two and half hours in that store killed me worse than the entire night of no sleep, and the worst part is over 1/3 of those two and half hours of my life was spent standing in line and checking out. I just hate poor customer service. Then to top it off, the lady behind me walked the cashier through the process of a wic check including which buttons to push and when. I know wic is not easy, and is often a pain, but even when I was filling in on a register at Winn Dixie ( I was a Deli and seafood associate, and filled in when they got busy) I could do it in less time than this lady did, course I was smart enough to have a cheat sheet written out and on my register for things that I couldn't remember or procedures that had changed. I think I am more upset that they couldn't have had more registers open, knowing that all of the lines were at least 3 customers deep, mine was 5 deep not including me.
Hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly and I don't lose my mind before everyone leaves.

Planning.

I have come to the conclusion I am crazy. I do this every time we plan a birthday party. So far every party has been in our house, and every time we have a party I say next time we will have it some place like the bowling alley etc.
So now I have 30 plus people coming to my house on Sunday for my daughter's 3rd birthday ( kids plus their parents) . No big deal, I love planning these things, I just put off the important stuff - like cleaning - till the day before ( like I should be finishing laundry and instead I am sitting here blogging LoL ) .
So now I am planning burgers, hot dogs, and snacks for 30 plus people, we ordered a 1/2 sheet cake, I still have to pick up all of the food, cut fruit, and have a baby shower to help set up for tomorrow, what a busy weekend. OH well, I'm sure I'll have something fun to talk about when it's all over and done with. I love hanging out and letting the kids play, and hope that my house is the house my kids friends want to be at when they get older - I can keep an eye on them that way...
I am starting to think I live for stress....

Been a long time

SO i was told I needed to do an update... LoL
It seems like it has been ages, I have gotten really bad with this, especially since I was posting daily, but now is a good time to get back into my routine and talk about life so here is an update on the last several months....

I was diagnosed with Bipolar and an anxiety disorder and am now on medicines that work and am happy about it. I have no problem sharing this experience and am grateful to my doctors for finally figuring that part out.
However, I have a cyst on my cervix and am going through tests to decide the best course of Action for that, and it has not been fun.
My son graduated kindergarten in June.
We went on a wonderful camping trip to the keys with my mom and my sister. We stayed at Bahia Honda State Park and camped in our tents. The beach was 100 feet from our campsite and it was absolutely worth the almost 9 hour drive for us to get there. We took two cars, my mom had both kids with her, so hubby and I got some much needed quality time. I would definitely recommend Bahia Honda to anyone looking for a decent trip for reasonable price, we stayed 4 nights on our campsite for 130.00. We did take the trip to the southern most point in key West, but spent most of our time lounging on the beach, with the kids playing in the waves. Hubby spent time fishing, and is proud to say he had a few fishing buddies come visit- two nurse sharks decided to investigate I was not as thrilled as he was.... We had raccoons, and hermit crabs, and even a small crab come visit our campsite- the kids thought this was exciting.
I turned 26 on July 14th, my hubby bought me flowers, a x 's & o's bracelet, and an x's & o's mom bracelet from the kids.
Now I am planning my daughters 3rd birthday for Sunday july 20th, She'll be 3 on July 22nd, and chose My little pony as her party theme. So I should have a lot to write about for a while...
I have substitute teacher training on August 28th, construction has been so slow for my hubby. I can not wait to get back to work though.

Happy New Year

It's been a while, Life has been hectic with the Holidays and just life in general. Been looking for work, which is not going so well... but it'll happen soon I hope.

I only had to re - wrap presents once this year- my husband decided to put the presents from us under the tree early, my daughter decided to have her own Christmas about 3 days too early, so I re-wrapped everything. Good thing I bought extra paper.

Christmas is a time for friends and family, and that is exactly how we celebrated our Christmas. We went out for Christmas Eve dinner with the in-laws and my husband's grandparents. YAY, it actually went well, with a 2 year old, a 6 year old, a husband who I am finally getting along with again ( we've had some ups and downs the last few months) thank goodness, my mother and father in law, my brother in law ( who is almost 17) and then 3 aunts, an uncle, and the grandparents. We managed to not make a huge scene. The two year old only had to go out side once, the 6 year old to the bathroom 3 times, and only one issue with food. ( Thank goodness again, because it seems it happens every year that someone has a problem). My daughter liked the ice cream from my banana foster dessert, our sons clothes managed to stay clean, and we only managed to have one piece of chicken being saved for later... no not in a diaper- in a shoe. Don't ask, I have no idea, but our daughter took her shoes off half way through dinner, I went to put them on to take her outside and she had chicken in her shoe. Always an adventure in Columbo Land.

Christmas day was amazing, we spent the morning at home, let the kids play with their new toys, and try on some new clothes. Then we went to my in-laws house and hung out for a bit. Let the kids open their stuff there and play for a while. Then we stopped by my moms, picked up stuff for our dinner ( she bought prime rib for hubby and I to eat at home, and made us some French onion soup) and did presents there. Then came home, I cooked, and hubby and our son played Transformers on the PS2 ( well hubby played our son watched - it's only a one player game) then played darts on hubby's new dart board. It was great.
I was actually almost relaxed.

I am going to the Doctor's on Jan 2nd, I have a physical I need done to start substitute teaching, and I am going to talk to them about putting me on something for anxiety. I have lived with it for a while, and it is finally getting to be too much. I am tired of feeling like I have coffee running through my veins, not being able to sleep, and then once finally asleep not wanting to get up in the morning. We did some research and I have a lot of the classic signs, worrying too much, irritability, fatigue ( from not really sleeping), and of course this " shakiness" that won't ever go away. So we'll see how that goes. I am just tired of feeling like a bad mom and wife because I can only handle so much before I want to just break. I have to try to laugh it off, but the feeling makes me want to scream. So I'm sure that will be updated and mentioned along the way. I figure if my problems help someone else with their own, or feel like they are not alone then I have no problem discussing it freely with the internet and live world.

So my thought of wisdom for the new year...
Only make resolutions you think you will keep.
Reach for the stars, but know they are a million miles away...
Forgive, but don't forget, just don't hold a grudge or bring up something from 5 years ago.
Smile, someone else out there may need to see it.
Try your best, and that is better than being perfect.
Last, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it, don't ignore something that maybe obvious to everyone else around you. Take your life and gain control.

So while I'm at it, want to spice up your " private life" go check out the adult store link in the shopping section, they have some really amazing stuff for good prices.

The holidays are here already?

The holidays are fast approaching, Thanksgiving is 3 days away, Black Friday shopping is 4 days away. Christmas is a little over a month away. Then the new year will start....
Where does time go so fast? We just sit around watching it fly by. We forget to sit down and take a few minutes to breathe, watch the grass grow, the wind blow, our kids grow out of their shoes.

We don't have a lot of money here, and won't for quite a while.... but the holidays always put me in a giving mood. Last year I picked up a couple gift cards for my garbage men to McDonald's and Ruby Tuesdays, and ended up giving them to a man and his dog sitting in front of Walmart. I know there are a lot of scammers out there, but he was not one of them, he was a well known, nice, homeless man from the area. It felt good. My son likes to give his change to the bell ringers, he knows we don't have much and scrape to get by, but we are scraping by and not everyone is....

So this year, I found a website ( had found it earlier this year actually, and just came back across it ).... it is www.anysoldier.com they have a where to send link with a list of soldiers ( the direct link to the list is in my support the troops links on where to send ). I was browsing through the lists, and clicking here and there to view some requests, I think this year I may request an address, and pick up some movies, and a few odds and ends like Christmas lights, on sale while I am out shopping on the after Thanksgiving sales, packing up a few books that I have read and can pass on. On sale items, but something none the less. Maybe get ambitious and make some home made cards for the troops to send to friends and family and let my kids and sister write letters and color pictures to include in the box as well.... They also have a nice 2008 calendar that the money is used to keep the website running, I think we may be giving those for Christmas presents this year to the in-laws, my mom, and one to hang up here at home.

I think that with the stores preparing for the holidays in July makes some of us forget what the holidays are about. It's not the presents or the number of lights that we have up, or who gets on TV for the coolest light show. It is a time for thinking about others. Some stores are already playing Christmas music- they started before Halloween, I like Thanksgiving the food, the friends and family, just being thankful we are all here to share it together, I want to enjoy that before I start thinking about Christmas. But commercialization of the holidays is making that harder and harder to do. It is sad. Maybe that is why I get into the giving mood, because I hate it all being pushed on me to buy more and spend more, and be the most decorated. I don't know. I just want to do something nice for someone else, someone I don't even know.

Veteran's Day

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. Most places here, in the United States are celebrating today - Monday, or at least giving everyone a much needed day off.
The thing is with the sales in the stores, and just the fact that most people are off today and had a 3 day weekend, we often forget what we had the break for.
SO, when doing your shopping, or watching TV or whatever it is you do on a break. Try to remember that Veterans day is a day to remember those who have fought for you. Our war hero's rarely get the acknowledgement that they truly deserve. Both current war and past war veteran's. These people were doing their jobs. They probably didn't like being separated from their families, sent to a strange country, then have to fight for their lives to come home in one piece. Today is a day for remembering ALL veterans, from the birth of our country to the current.
You may not agree with the war, or any of the past wars, but these men and women who fought, would have fought to protect you here in your own back yard. So if you see a soldier or know a war veteran try to remember to say thank you. If you know a military wife, try to remember to Thank her for the sacrifices she made ( or is making) while her husband was "working".

Thank You Staff Sargent Michael Schaeffer for the sacrifice you made. You left this world too early, but will always be remembered by those who knew you. You were brave, and saved lives the day you left us. RIP. Thank you Danielle. I did not know you and I wish I did. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. I am sorry you lost such a wonderful person so early. Mike was our hero. Do NOT ever be afraid to talk about him and what he did the day that he was taken from us. He is not just a hero here at home, but is a hero to the men he saved that day, losing his own life to save those in his platoon. THANK YOU. He truly was an amazing person. I was lucky to have known him, and to have grown up knowing his family.
Thank you Cody Grater for your sacrifice. I did not know you, but many people I know did. They say what a great person you were, and how proud you were to be a soldier. Thank you to Cody's family for everything you are and everything you have done.

Thank You to my soldiers - Frank, Gary, Jesse Jeremiah, and Chris. You are always in my thoughts. You guys are the best friends that I could have ever had when we were growing up, and are amazing people doing the things you are doing, now. Stay safe while you are fighting. Come home safe. Enjoy the time you have while you are home.

Random- Why not to send hubby shopping, and weather

Why you NEVER, EVER send a man to do your shopping for you.

I sent my husband with a handwritten grocery list. This list contained
Salami
pretzels
Juice boxes
pull ups - store brand is cheaper
mayo
bread


He comes home with a small , 20 something count, package of pull ups( Pampers) frozen pizzas, salami, bread, mayo.... OKAY wonderful, so what is our son taking in his lunch box for school this week, other than his sandwich? We did make it through one day of school, and honestly I give hubby credit, cause he went back to the store the next night and made sure he remembered juice and snacks.
Turns out he had rewritten the list on another piece of paper- adding the things he wanted or needed. I just looked at him with my evil grin- " Umm, wouldn't it have been easier to add onto the list I gave you, instead of hoping to write it all down from memory and add onto it?"

I'm hoping it gets warmer soon, because we are camping Thursday and Friday night and will probably be freezing our you know what's off. Yes, I am in the sunshine state, but once the humidity disappears it feels cold outside to all of us... LoL
Being an unofficial Floridian - I was born In Massachusetts, but have lived here since I was 5 ( so 20 years now) I have forgotten what cold is. We complain about our 95 degree summer, not including the heat index that makes it feel like 105. The humidity makes most of us miserable and want to hide in the air conditioning. Yes, we have heater's and YES we use them- a lot- once winter comes. The panhandle has been known to get snow. Believe it or not there are winter days I wish it would snow, it would actually warm up the air. My thing is, if it is going to get into the 30's at night, then let some flurries through. LoL , Just not this Thursday and Friday night.... when I am in a tent, with 2 little ones trying to cuddle up in between my husband and me.Sleeping in our sweat pants and seat shirts. I say this, but it is supposed to be in the 60's or 70's when we head that way. But ya know, Florida weather is beyond unpredictable