Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Boys

I hate when school is not in session. It seems that the boys do nothing but call my at work and complain that they are bored. I ask them if they have done their chores and I get the standard answer-----YES! But home i go home it all looks the same as when I left in the morning. If you look at their rooms you would think a tornado had hit them. Steven does not know what to do with a hanger, much less dresser drawers I often wonder why he has a dresser since everything is on the floor, on his bed, under the bed or in the closet. It takes me back to when I told the boys that I was going to purchase the condo that has three bedrooms and they can both have their own rooms. Steven was quick to say well I guess we will see who the cleaner one is of us now that we are going to have our own rooms. Like most siblings they always blame the other when the room that they shared was trashed but it was always the other ones fault. Well, I see that Steven wasn't entirely telling the truth about him being the less messy brother since his room is always the worst of the two. Shawn's clothes (most of them anyways) are either in the closet hung up crookedly or they are neatly laid across his night stand, but I can say that he things that belong in the dresser are in the dresser but just not the correct drawers.

Well you know how boys will be boys. Don;t get me wrong, I did grow up with four brothers and they were the same way. LOL. Now since they have "grown" up you would never know that they used to be so messy. SIGH, I guess I will have to wait until they move out and get their own places before they won't be so messy, but I guess I can live with that for now. LOL.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I am having a hard time believing that my oldest son is a junior in high school and will be a senior next year. There are so many decisions that have to be made this year and many many more for next year. He is currently taking the SAT prep classes and will be able to take the SAT test on March 14, 2009. But we have to find out where the test is going to be and i just found out today that we have to register for the test by 2/11/09 but trying to figure out how much we have to pay for is very confusing, I am just going to have to talk to my friends whose kids have already taken the test to figure it out. Then coming up next year where he wants to go to college, financial aid, senior portraits, graduation etc. I guess in four years when my youngest has to go through all this I will hopefully remember who, what, where and when but I doubt it since i seem to have half-timers disease (half the time I can't remember anything).

My next biggest challenge is to find a good tax person to help me with my taxes since I just bought a house last year and one that is not going to charge me an arm and a leg to do them. Any suggestions???? Anyone? Hello is this thing on? Oh well, just wish me luck.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Good Long Time Friends

This past Saturday my friends Vivian and Dennis came to visit. I first met Vivian in July of 1985 when I moved here to Maryland and she was working in the same office as I was. We both worked for Hudson Trail Outfitters. I was the receptionist and she was the payroll person for the two companies that worked out the same office. We just seemed to hit it off and then she began dating Dennis and we have all been friends since then. If you do the math it has been or will be 24 years of friendship.

Vivian has always been like a mom to me. She was always there when I needed someone to talk to without being judged or just needed some motherly advice. She never let me down with negative thoughts or feelings no matter how much trouble I seemed to get into. Especially when I got pregnant with Steven and Shawn, she was always there for me to lean on and there were some pretty lean times but she always was just available. She and Dennis got married and they included us in their plans and all their family activities and just introduced me as their adopted daughter. They are still there to this day when I need them. My boys call them Grandma and Grandpa and they have always been tickled by that. This would mean that my boys were their first grand kids. We love going to visit them and the boys seem to have a lot of stuff to share with them and they like it when they come to their sports games or just come to hang out like they did this past weekend.

Dennis is very handy and when one of my chairs was broken he took it and fixed and you would never know that it was ever broken. They brought it back down this weekend, it will be nice to have six chairs around the table again.

They will be traveling this week to Arkansas to put the land they have there up for sale. They were going to eventually build a house there but decided that it was just to far from the kids so they are going to put it up for sale as well as their house in Union Bridge, Maryland and buy something in a retirement community and I think that is a wonderful thing for them they have worked hard all their lives and need to settle down in a place that does not need to have so much upkeep. I love going to their house and just chilling out. I feel so safe and comfortable that I don't get up there often enough. I used to go there when I need some down (before kids as well as after kids) and it would be my secret place and no one would know where I was, it was my safe place and every one needs a safe place.

I have only two other friends that I have had longer than Vivian and Dennis and they are Lisa and Ron W., they were my first friends at College and no matter how long it has been since we last talked we just pick up from where we left off and keep on trucking. Long time friends that you can be comfortable with no matter what the situation are wonderful ones to have.

i hope you have a long time friend that you can always count one. At least one anyways and if you have more, more power to you. Keep those friends close.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

I'm So Excited!

Well, most of you that know me know that I am over weight. Since I have seeing my new Doctor as my primary care physician she is the most awesome IN-YOUR-FACE Doctor that I have ever had. I need that kind of doctor and she will not hesitate to let me know when she is disappointed in my progress or when she is elated at my progress. She had changed all my meds about a year ago and we have finally found the right solution to my needs. In July I started this new medication call Janumet for my diabetes II and from July until October I lost 11 pounds (also being on the Columbia Association and with my doctors approval a program called Fit Beginnings where they teach you how to work out and use the machines at the gym), then I went to the Doctors today for my every three month fasting appointment and I had lost 14 pounds since October for a total of 25 pounds lost to date. YEAH ME! I love this program that got me started on my journey to losing weight the correct way and eating right really helps out as well. I will continue to keep you posted on my weight lose as I go. Drinking lots of water helps me to maintain the eating out of boredom/I think I am hungry symptoms that happen to every one.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Loving others kids

I just love playing with other people's children. I can spoil them rotten and then give them back to their parents. On Tuesday night the youth of our church did one big birthday party for all the kids birthdays for the year with a white elephant gift exchange. While they were doing their opening ceremonies I was in the hallway and my friend Kelly came walking down the hall with her three adorable kids. I shouldn't have favorites but you know their is always one that grabs your heart and with her children it is Heidi. She is the cutest dirty blonde, blue eyed girl. Heidi always seems to like to play with me every time I see her and we have a great time, in fact all of her kids are great kids. They are very well behaved kids every time I see them and they are very smart as well. I think Kelly and Ed are doing a great job raising them.

I also have many other favorite kids of my friends as well and with each of them they have their own special thing about them that I love. I always seem to like the babies of the family, for instance their is my Connor, Moses, Morgan, Shannon and many many others that I just love being around and they are (for the most part) the babies of the families.

Just like adults each kid has their own special thing about them that makes then unique. Moses is very shy but flirty, Connor is rambunctious, Morgan and Shannon are very out going and will let you know when you are not paying enough attention to them. I could go on and on about many other things and kids but I think I will go on to the White Elephant exchange now.

It was so much fun to watch what the kids brought in from around their houses for this exchange, for instance there was a moose that pooped jelly beans, a green alien, fanny pack, electric socks, faux animal print fur hat and bag, cup of noodles, twizzlers, a Clint Eastwood movie, gerber gradutes microwave meal and many other thins. The looks on some of the kids faces was priceless. They even had two pinatas for the youth to hit with candy in it. I had some of the much younger kids with me watching it and when they opened the pinatas I made sure that they were able to get some of the candy and goodies from it and the kids really enjoyed that.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Try Try Try Again!

Well, it is a BRAND new year and I thought I would give a try again at this blogging thing. I am hoping to post mostly upbeat things that have happened to me on a daily basis but with the way things work out you never know what can end up here positive or not!

News Years day was a very quiet day up until Steven got sick, I mean like projectile vomiting all over the bathroom. It was gross! I couldn't even clean it up he had to do it or I would have just added to the mess. YUCKO! I hate throwing up but alas it didn't last to long due to that following Saturday I was the one who was in my bathroom from 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM throwing up and on Sunday was in no way shape or form to move anywhere but from the bed to the couch and the bathroom. Then Shawn got sick as well but not as bad as Steven and I did.

Well, I came back to work yesterday and was it ever a busy day trying to catch up with just being off one day and trying to finish what I needed to from Friday. I hate that.

Let's recap some of the things that happened over this past year. Steven ended up playing Varsity Lacrosse and loved every minute that he got to play. He had a very busy summer with Boy Scout Camp, EFY, Football camp, Lacrosse camp, playing HEROS Lacrosse, going on vacation to Williamsburg, then football training starting right after we got back from vacation. All in all he had a great summer. He really loved going to EFY and it was both a very Spiritual awakening as well as meeting alot of new friends. He so wants to go again this year so I am hoping that I will be able afford it. Steven also was excited to turn 16 this year and for keeping up his grades he got a cell phone for his birthday. He wants to get his permit but I am making him wait until this summer so he can take drivers ed and so that he can keep his mind on his studies as he is taking SAT Prep classes, regular schhol work and Lacrosse practices/tryouts.

Shawn had a great summer also, he played HEROS Lacrosse, went to a Lacrosse camp, Football camp, Boy Scout camp and to Williamsburg as well. He was to young to go to EFY but he will be old enough this year but I think I am going to let him wait another year like I did Steven. Shawn has a rough time being away from me for long lengths of time yet so maybe one more year of maturing will help (I hope). Shawn is naturally gifted as an athlete and I was not surprised that he really made lasting impressions on the coaches for both Lacrosse and Football. The coaches are making plans for when he is a freshman next year so that is a positive thing for Shawn to give him incentive to keep his grades up and to give it his all.

As for me, with the boys being so busy makes it nice for me that I know what they are doing and where they are. I bought a three bedroom condo with two bathrooms this year which is so very exciting for me to be able to do that. It took me quite a few years t get my credit straightened out and I have talked to the boys about what I went through and gave the insight to hopefully not fall into the credit card trap that I did. I have some pretty awesome friends come and help me clean the condo, paint and move in to the new place as well. Ron was such a great help as he was in charge since I had to work and he made sure that everything was done in a timely fashion. My Home Teachers were also the best as they stayed and made sure that, along with Ron, all the beds were put together and the rooms set up so we would at least have someplace to rest our bodies.

I hope you all have a great and wonderful day and I will post more as I can.

Peace out!