Friday, January 30, 2009

Keeping My Fingers Crossed

Well Phish tickets went on sale today for Deer Creek (or Verizon Wireless in Indy) and we did not buy them, I am hoping that it works out that we will be able to get tickets to that show and to the two at Alpine Valley but Shane wants to wait until next week so I am not sure how probable it is for us to get them...oh well, I guess I can just sit here and keep my fingers crossed with the whole if it is meant to be then it will happen mantra!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Interview!

Well I should be interviewing this week or next for a supervisor position here at my agency. I would lose my four day week but with the pay increase it would all be worth it for me. Plus I feel like I would be more challenged in my day to day skills and to be able to move up would be so nice. It would be odd as all of the co workers that I had when I first started working in mental health are now supervisors and team leaders and it was like we were pruned for these opportunities by our wonderful team leader at the time, Dr Mike O'Brien. He was the best and after having learned from the best I feel that there is nothing out there that I can not do. I know that I have made some mistakes in the past and that I fought for a long time wanting to do this type of work as it is stressful and it wears on you but in the end, well this is what I was meant for and I have come to accept that and I love what I do!

Productive Weekend

Well this past weekend I was actually productive, I know hell must have frozen over. I don't know what type of weird bug has gotten into me but I am super into getting my whole house in order and getting things perfect. I am even going to start on closet cleaning soon and I am just going to set a goal each week and then each weekend. My weekend goal of getting Andrew's room done was accomplished. My week goal is to get the laundry done and completely put away and to get the floors done throughout the house...just a little bit of work each night and all of my goals will be accomplished.

So I am super happy about all of this and all in all well I just want a nice and beautiful home to come home to each night and I know if I do a bit of extra work each night then I will not ever be in the position that I am in now. Althea has all clean blankets and sheets after this weekend and next weekend I am going to do Andrews and then the following week I am going to do Shane and I's. I am gong to take our comforters to the laundry mat as they are too big for our washer and drier over the weekend and then I will replace the sheets and wash them before my the weekend as that way my mom will have clean sheets to sleep on while we are in Austin.

I am now in the process of making a master cleaning list as well as every other weekend big cleaning jobs that way if I do one basic chore each night and just the regular pick up for the day things will be kept in order. I also am making lists of all of the big projects that I have left, cleaning out totes, catching up on scrapbooking, cleaning those closets, etc. I also am in the process of organizing a shopping list of what is needed when I get my tax refund. I know that summer clothes are not needed for the kids, a second swimsuit for Althea and two swimsuits for Andrew are needed as well as their sandals, getting Andrew some Keens, getting Allie some Tevas and a pair of Keens that unfortunately will probably not fit her until next year but I am going to have all of her shoes bought through size 4s so that she is good as well as Andrew two pairs of tennis shoes in the next size up, he still has crocs that will fit this year so that is nice but he will need some tennis shoes and he wants a pair of converse and sketchers so I think that I can handle that and his Keens! For Shane and I just a few clothing items, some new shoes for me (Keen sandals and black shoes for work and a pair of Earth brown shoes for work) and then a North Face coat for each of us and the winter clothes for the kids for next year!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

My Busy Day Today

So I awoke to horrible weather outside. I was all ready to leave, started my car at 5:25 am and then went to check to see if there were school closings. I ended up waiting until nearly 6:00 am to see that my son's school was indeed canceled. Then I ran upstairs, woke him up, threw some snow pants, boots, coat, hat, gloves on him and grabbed some clothes to take to grandma's. I also grabbed the baby and an extra outfit for her as well as some socks for both of them then threw the baby in her snowsack and headed out the door. The drive was very slow and it was kind fo a pain knowing that things were going to take so much longer today than needed and necessary in my opinion as they are just going to be busy and my three trips to Chillicothe and back are going to be painstakingly long. I am working on getting some stuff together to start some clients on some new programs and had planned on doing some of that today but with the extra drive time to factor in those are just going to have to wait a week or two.

Other than that, well I am on my way to head out for the day. I just hope for no accidents and if there is an accident, well I hope for a totaled car and to have my complete health and not to be injured. Only hope for totaled if I wreck as my car is worth far less than I owe and I have the GAP insurance so that I would have my loan paid off if the car were to be totaled.

I am just hoping to be successful in all that I am doing and that I can really get on top of things and do an overall good job and make everyone around me happy and all of that good stuff. So I am hoping to keep up on this more as well, just haven't had a lot of extra computer time lately, but after the tax return time that will no longer be an issue as I am planning on getting a mini laptop so that I can access the internet at anytime and keep on my posts on here, my myspace and facebook better and to be able to continue to work on a book as I really would like to at least finish a book within the year 2009 and have it sent off to publishers if not yet a contract signed for it. So with all of that on my plate I have a long way to go and the mini laptop seems like the first step for me to start doing better.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Wild and Crazy Weekend

Well I am still not feeling up to par. Just feeling kind of ill and weak. We found out the Phish schedule and it looks like we are going to attempt 6/16 with the kiddos and 6/19-6/21...not quite sure how this will go as the 21st is dad's day but it is my weekend and since Andrew's dad is pissed at me, well he is not wanting to trade or do anything to make my life the least bit easier.

Court went well. The OP for Andrew's dad not being able to spank him went through and he was ordered by the judge to take parenting classes. The judge was really a good one so I am hoping that she will be hearing the rest of our case. Not much else is going on, just busy and hoping to get some things in order.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Beautiful Story

So my good friend Holly had this story on her blog on myspace and I thought that I just had to post it as it actually brought tears to my eyes and was one of the most beautiful stories that I have ever read. Thanks again Holly!

My question is: "Would you have made the same choice?" At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves childrenwith learning disabilities, the father of one of the studentsdelivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff,he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is thenatural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other peopletreat that child.' Then he told the following story: Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understoodthat if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. I approached one of theboys on the field and asked (not expecting much)if Shay couldplay. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losingby six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a smalltear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy atmy son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning,Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and playedin the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. Inthe bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now,with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning runwas on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At thisjuncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance towin the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyoneknew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't evenknow how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with theball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitchcame and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow groundball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been outand that would have been the end of the game. Instead, thepitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, outof reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and bothteams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Neverin his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and strugglingto make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on theirteam who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too,intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming,"Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!" Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the gamefor his team 'That day', said the father softly with tears nowand rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world. Shaydidn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, havingnever forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her littlehero of the day! *AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousandsof jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but whenit comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyber-space, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressedin our schools and workplaces. If you're thinking about forwardingthis message, chances are that you're probably sorting out thepeople in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' onesto receive this type of message Well,the person who sent youthis believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day tohelp realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seeminglytrivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanityor do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world alittle bit colder in the process? A wise man once said "everysociety is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongstthem.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Hmm...

So my thought for the day is about this wonderful quote that I found.

"What is life for? It is for you." Abraham Maslow

It makes me think about how we each have our life and we need to be thankful for that wondeful and precious gift and that we need to be willing to stand up and fight for what is ours and be able to have courage in so many areas and things. I just want to be remembered for good and doing good things for others and being a good person. I don't want my past mistakes or the mistakes that I continue to make to override what a good person I know in my heart I can be and to override the good works that I see it fit in my life to perform.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Busy Sunday!

So Sunday was very busy! I went to church with Andrew and my mom and some of her friends and then we went to lunch at Old Chicago. It was a good time. Andrew really likes going to church and that makes me happy as he seems to really get something out of it and he also has been behaving and being such a good boy lately. I really hope that it continues to go in this direction as he is making me so proud and he really makes me want to do lots of special and fun things with him now that I know that he can behave.

So then we went home and I cleaned our horrifying kitchen, so much work!! I then ended up putting away the ornaments and getting our tree ready to be carried outside. I am going to really need to get on things with Andrew's room and I am so excited to clean my floors with the Shark!! I am going to do those two things tonight and work more on the laundry and then next weekend it is cleaning all weekend long.

I have a very busy week ahead of me. I have to go to court on Friday!! That is going to be one heck of a trip in itself but I have faith that all is going to be working out for the better in the end. I am super stressed, just freaked out thinking that I had missed traffic court and it is on January 28th not December 28th as I had thought that it had been. So I freaked out and stressed for no good reason at all. I also realized last night that I had expired tags on my car and that I need to go and take care of that tomorrow as well. And then I had a bill come late to me from the Children's Place and I have to run out there to drop off the payment to avoid getting a late fee and I am so freaking out and afraid that I am going to forget something. Plus I am trying to get things in order for me to pay off bills and get things in order. I am super happy that I am going to be able to pay off some of the bills when I get my tax return and that I am going to be able to buy some of the stuff that I would like to for the two kids. I am going to get some winter clothing for next year for both of them and each of them a winter coat and then I want to get Shane and I each some clothes as well. After tax returns though I am going to pay off one of my big loans and one of my small credit cards so that will be some extra cash each month that I do not have right now!

So cheers for paying off debt and feeling better financially!! And best of luck to you all!! I hope that your days are going well and that good blessings and good fortune will come to you as well!!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Prescription Crisis

So as you all know, I am a bit hyper and high strung, duh!! Anyways I have always had a hard time focusing and following conversations and such and I got a prescription for Adderall. I did not know that prescriptions were only good for 10 days and I took it to the pharmacy today to get it filled and could not have it as it was over 10 days from when the prescription was written. I am freaking out as my MD is out of town and I do not know how I am going to be able to get in to get a new script. I am hoping that I can get something worked out over the phone on Monday otherwise it is going to be a long week without my medications!! I am going crazy right now my mind has been racing all day and all I want to do is to get my medications and feel normal and to be able to focus again!

New Blogs!

Well ladies I am at the blogging machine, lol!! I am going to be doing multiple blogs to keep myself accountable in different areas of my life and one that just looks at a passion of mine for food and cooking. Yep, I'll admit that I have a passion for eating...lol!!

So my weight loss journey and the journey for a healthy BMI will be blogged about at
http://amandas-losing-weight.blogspot.com/
Here I will talk about my struggles to lose weight, the embarassing and the frustrating times and my overall journey on obtaining health. I will also be chronicalling my work outs through this site and I have my goals set high in this area and not just for the time but for the rest of my life as I know that the true key to health is pushing the limits of our body.

My other blog is about food...yep the good, the bad and the plenty!! It is going to be my chronicle of making healthy meals and healthy food choices for my family and also to give out some great recipes of the dinners that I am preparing for my family. So if you are interested and you enjoy cooking or trying new things, this one might be for you! There will of course be some days when I use the easy way out and don't cook all natural meals but my goal is that we not eat prepackaged or preprepared foods more than two times per week! So I know that I am going to have to put in some extra time to give my family good and healthy meals each and every night of the week!
You can read this one at
http://amandas-journey-with-food.blogspot.com/

Friday, January 2, 2009

And the Year is Off

January started off with a bang at our house. We had so much fun! We hung out with friends and family and celebrated the coming of the new year. Andrew got to stay up extra late (10:00 pm) and toast the new year with some sparkling grape juice as we did two toasts that night, one with him and one later with champagne with the adults. It was a good time that actually seemed to commence a bit early for how wound up I was with the hopes and prospects of what a new year could bring. Who knows where we will all really be in a year? I am convinced that positive changes are going to occur in my life and therefore I will make a more positive impact on those around me.

I am so excited to watch the kids grow and change and to be able to share in some great memories and happy times with them.

Now for my goals of the weekend, well I want to update some pictures on here, myspace, and in my Wal-Mart photo albums so that I can order pictures as soon as possible.

Tomorrow Shane and I are going to head to Peoria to get lunch together at One World and go shopping at the International food mart to get some needed ingrediants for me to start cooking some good food from our new cookbook with Thai and other Asian recipes, I am so excited to make some good Thai food and such. I do know that since I am wanting to do this one purchase that I will make soon is going to be a food processor. I don't have one and for several of the recipes that I would like you need one so I am going to have to hold off on those until I get one.

Not many other plans for the next few days. Andrew wanted to go to grandma and grandpa's for a night and he is going over there on Saturday afternoon so that he and grandpa can build a rabbit trap together and then he is going to stay the night and I will meet him at church the next morning. As for Allie and Shane and I well I want to get the house all picked up, holiday decor put away and get things organized after Christmas. I am hoping that I can accomplish all of this...I am going to be positive and say that I can!! Oh and I want to start doing menu planning for every 2 weeks so that I have a guide for what I will be purchasing at the store and to make grocery lists, which I hope to accomplish today. There will be one for a generic grocery store (Wal Mart, Hy Vee, Kroger, Schnuck's, etc) one for the international food mart, and one for Aldi (hey you gotta save money when you can!!).