Back to the Past

Shannon and I had the appointment with the bankruptcy attorney this afternoon. We were able to leave him with my in-laws. I don't think Kyle even noticed we were gone. They stayed outside most of the time, but did come in to have lunch. It was really weird to not have Kyle with us, we kept feeling like we were forgetting something. We stopped at the bank to make a deposit and the attorney's office was a few doors down.

On our way home, we stopped at the grocery store. I ended up signing up for their "club card" because they are part of the upromise network. We can earn money towards Kyle's college with each purchase, plus upromise allows me to add "e-coupons" to my club card.

Shannon had a phone appointment with the college this afternoon as well. The phone call took about 5 minutes, but then he has an orientation later this week. Shannon is thinking about what he needs to be prepared for college. He's going to buy some ink for our printer (finally!). Now I'll be able to print out coupons, when I want!

Earth Day at the Park

It was so hot yesterday! Not only that, our air conditioner was not working. My in-laws are having a guy come out this morning to (hopefully) fix it. We had to sleep with the window open all night. We need to find our summer clothes or at least buy some new summer clothes.

We went to Earth Day at the park. We had a nice shady parking spot, which seemed to be the only good thing about it. There were a lot of people. Kyle had a chance to see lots of kid older and younger than him. He saw kids talking, and he started "talking" more when we got home. He did talk a bit at the park, but he has such a little voice. We saw animals and even showed them to Kyle. He was more interested in looking at the kids and sky. LOL I think he was unsure that he could pet the animals. I felt bad for the animals, they had at least 8 goats caged in a little area, they could barely move. From what I could see, I think they also had baby ducks or bunnies, but there as a huge crowd around them. There were people also hold snakes! Yikes!

I did get a free tree for my in-laws. I wasn't sure what type to get, so the lady just gave me a River Birch. They had a few other types and there were some people getting more than one! Anyway, the tree is a little one, it came bare root. My MIL put it in a bucket of water shortly after we brought it home, and it's in a pot for now. It literally looks like a big twig, so I hope it survives! The River Birch tree will looks like this:

I also got a free plant. I think it's a vegetable plant, but not sure what it is. It was the last one on the table and I asked the guy if that plant was "spoken for." He replied, "it's for a small child." To me, that meant it was "reserved." So I walked away. Then I turn around and he's offering the plant to my son! Of course, I was shocked! I thought it was "reserved" for another "small child" as he stated. So that made me mad, why didn't he ask if I had a "small child" if the plant wasn't taken??? And why would you hand a small plant to a 3 year old? He wouldn't hand the plant to me and I didn't dare put my hand out to take it (he seemed so against me having the plant). I let Shannon take the plant.

Anyway, they had about 10 booths (from what we could see). The booths weren't labeled or marked. All we saw were big groups of people, no signs! So we really didn't know where to go. Shannon was also disappointed, they didn't have any food or drink. LOL He was going there expecting to get a burger or hotdogs. So, yes, Earth Day sucked. I am glad we got a free tree and a mystery vegetable plant for my in-laws. The event was poorly done, no signs on the booths, no food.

We are glad that Kyle had a chance to see other kids. He may have been a little overwhelmed but hopefully he picked up that he could talk. We also showed him the ducks in the park, and he of course, wanted to run up to them! Shannon had to hold him back.

Roasting Hot

The weather feels really hot today! I feel like I am roasting when I am outside. We've been limiting Kyle's time outside and making sure he drinks water when he does come in.

Tomorrow is Earth Day/Arbor Day at the park! I am excited and really looking forward to going! I hope they have plenty of activities and animals to see.

Shannon received a call from the college. He is officially enrolled!! Classes start next month, so he should receive more information before then.

I called the Post Office regarding our package, and they said they found it and it will be delivered today! I hope the homeopathic medicine will help Shannon quit smoking and help with the withdrawl process! It is NOT fun when he stops! LOL It's like being around a woman with PMS, or even like walking on eggshells the entire time.

Shopping and Pizza

My mother-in-law and I went to the mall today. I got my haircut...finally! It's been about a year and a half since I've had my haircut. My hair was down to my elbows! I was so annoyed with my long hair and hated combing through it after a shower. Just glad to have it short again! The hairdresser used a flat iron to curl my hair, which I didn't know you could use (I always assumed you had to use a curling iron).

We shopped at JC Penney's, Sears, and Belk. I ended up buying 2 pairs of jeans that were on sale. I tried looking for tops, but they were all more than I wanted to spend. I have more of a Mervyn's, Target, Walmart, or Kmart type of budget.

On our way home, we decided to get pizza! It was so good. Kyle had a few pieces too.

Shannon finally received a call back from the unemployment office. They are going to send him another card. They claimed it was sent out on April 6th, which we never received. He already has 4 weeks worth of pay on the card.

The "really rude creditor" is still harassing us. He left another voicemail today, and he didn't identify himself! LOL I can't wait until we officially file for bankruptcy, then he will have to STOP calling. I wish I knew how to record his voicemail and put it on the internet. They are hilarious. He actually sounds like an abusive/obsessive type of person. He sounds like a guy who would be verbally abusive to his wife or girlfriend, just by the way his voicemail sounds. He is pretty much demanding that we call him back.

I am still waiting on our package from the Post Office. I checked the status of our package ad it somehow ended up in Charlotte! They called us 3 days ago to say they can't find it. I waited 2 days before contacting them again via the web and they called us today. I have to call them back tomorrow. In the meantime, I already re-ordered the same product from another website. I wish I had purchased it from the second website, they didn't charge an arm and a leg for shipping and they shipped my order within 24 hours! Plus, I was able to pay by Paypal.

Busy Monday

My in-laws have their new refrigerator! It's much bigger and has so much room for lots of food. It's energy efficient, so hopefully their energy bill will be much less, especially with their dryer that was fixed last week. Their old refrigerator was on it's last leg. The new appliance is digital (the temperature is displayed on the inside) and high tech looking.

I am doing laundry and I did some cleaning today. I vacuumed the whole upstairs and stairs, which needed it. The cat has snuck into our room a few times, so I needed to clean the carpet to help alleviate my allergies. I also cleaned our bathroom and . . . the dreaded toilet! I bought some green-friendly toilet cleaner, which I love using. I am now using my green-friendly cleaners to clean as well as my handy dandy microfiber towel, instead of paper towels.

Shannon has another appointment at the University with the school counselor tomorrow. He's going to enroll, pending his approval of FAFSA and a student loan. The classes start in May, which was perfect timing for him to contact the school in the first place, and hopefully he can get approved before classes start! The classes are 5 weeks long and he can only do one class at a time, since they are so accelerated and consecutively scheduled.

Shannon also called the local unemployment office regarding his unemployment checks. They said he should have received the debit card by now, they said it was sent out on April 5th. LOL I hope they can re-send him a debit card.

A few weeks ago, I ordered Shannon a homeopathic remedy for his smoking. I checked the delivery confirmation online and it said they "attempted to deliver" on Saturday and a notice was left on the door. Of course there was no note. It also said we could pick it up or reschedule a delivery so I chose to have it redelivered today. The post office called today and said that it was delivered, so now they are trying to track it down. What is going on with our mail? LOL It seems our mail is getting lost!

Say Ahhh!

Kyle loves playing with flashlights, especially a mini maglite flashlight. Tonight his Dad taught him how to say "ahhh." You have to hold the light towards your mouth and say "ahhh" and then point the light to Kyle's mouth and he'll say "ahhh." LOL

I found a preschool taught through a church that is close by. They had a sign with their website, so I looked them up. I emailed the director asking if they have any openings for a 3 year old. I need to call her this week. I've been talking to Shannon about wanting to enroll Kyle in preschool. I need to talk to the director for more information, but I am leaning towards enrolling Kyle there. Kyle could meet other kids his age and have lots of fun playing and learning. I also like this place because it's really affordable as well!

My in-laws have a busy day tomorrow. They have to take their dog to the vet for an operation, they also have to take their truck in to get it reupholstered, then they need to pick up their seat cushion that is getting re-stuffed. Lastly, they are having their new refrigerator delivered!

Kyle's hair is growing so long and Shannon wants to shave it. We may do that on Tuesday, since it's supposed to rain on Monday.

Since Earth Day is this week, I wanted to see if there was a local event we could go to and found one! It's next Saturday at the park and free to attend. It looks like there will be lots of family friendly activities.

We predict

Shannon and I were talking about Domino's and the recent events of bad publicity that have come to light (and posted all over the internet)! We made some predictions as to what Domino's will do to change their image!

Shannon thinks that Domino's will come out with a "better ingredients" pizza, improve their product, or something to that effect. He also thinks they will give their employees a raise. He also thinks they will install cameras in the employee work areas, just so they can watch their employees whenever they need to.

I think that Domino's will try to change their image and win America's heart again. I bet they have already hired an "image consultant" or someone similar to help them with a new campaign to change the way America feels. I have a feeling a new advertising campaign will roll out.

Developments

A few nights ago, I found a local management job for a hotel, so I submitted Shannon's resume and cover letter yesterday. Shannon also checked online for his unemployment and it says he will be receiving it!

Yesterday I received a call from one of our creditors. To make a long story short, I ended up hanging up on him, he kept questioning me for more personal information and asking me why I haven't paid them. Anyway, I ended up hunging up on him and he ended up calling back at least 7 times. My husband ended up answering one of the times and the guy wouldn't identify himself. When he called back again, my MIL answered and the guy asked if she was MY MOTHER!!! WTF?! He called about 5 more times and finally left a message without leaving his name or business, pretty much trying to smack talk me. The dumbshit got my birthday wrong. If you are going to talk smack, at least get my info right. Shannon looked up the laws on creditors and harassment and he broke at least 3 of the 6 rules they are supposed to follow. We have 2 recordings of him NOT identifying himself and of this harassment. Also, there were 4 adults in the same room while he called us back those 7 times. Anyway, Shannon can't wait for him to call back because he's going to tell him about the laws that he broke and to stop calling us.

Shannon finally agreed to filing for bankruptcy! I really think this creditor harassing us made him realize that we need to. I've been wanting to file for some time now. I just want a fresh start. I emailed 2 local lawyers, and one of them already replied back!

UPDATE:

We have an appointment scheduled with the bankruptcy attorney in two weeks. I am looking forward to getting this process going.

Happy Tax Day!

Today is Tax Day! I did our taxes a few months ago. I am not the type to wait until the last minute, otherwise it would bother me until I did so. I don't like things "hanging over my head." I like to finish any tasks that need to be done and get them over with! If I left our taxes up to Shannon, he would be doing them at 11 PM tonight. LOL

Shannon had his appointment with a school counselor at the University of Phoenix, which is located in Charlotte, about 45 minutes away. He left around 12:30 PM (his appointment was at 2 PM), and he got home around 4 PM. Going back to college is something Shannon really wants to do, so Kyle and I are behind him and supporting him. If Shannon gets his unemployment, then we will definitely have him go to school. Initially, he was going to pursue his Bachelors in Hospitality Management, but after looking at the courses for Criminal Justice and talking it over with his dad, he decided he's going to pursue Criminal Justice. He loves the subject and he knows he will do very well in it. Plus, there is a law school here offering a full scholarship if you have a 3.5 GPA or higher.

My mother-in-law (MIL) had to call a repair company to fix their dryer and refrigerator. Come to find out, they will need to buy a new refrigerator because their current one will break down. So they went shopping today, and finally found one they like. They chose an "energy star" fridge. The dryer [will hopefully] be fixed tomorrow morning. We are really hoping it can be fixed, we have at least 3 loads to do and my MIL has laundry too!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

My mother-in-law wanted to get some toys and an Easter basket for Kyle and she tried going shopping on Friday, but the stores were packed! I told her she could go the day after Easter, Kyle wouldn't know the difference. He's happy with what he has now. He doesn't know what Easter is, he would just enjoy playing with the basket and toys more than anything else. LOL

Update:

My mother-in-law and I went to the grocery store and ended up buying food to barbeque with! She also wanted to get some fruit. My father-in-law went to buy the barbeque they picked out! So we had some grilled veggies, meat, and hamburgers. Yummy! It all tasted really good. Even Kyle had a few bites of corn on the cob! It was surprising to see him actually eat the corn. It was a nice Sunday. It was a little uncomfortable with my father-in-law because he was really grumpy, his back is hurting and in pain. I warned Shannon about it and he said it rubbed off on him.

So now I am watching Kyle so Shannon can have some alone time. Kyle is watching some educational kid shows.

Eventful Day

We tend to stick to a routine, mainly for our 3 year old son, but mostly because we got used to it! LOL Although, Kyle is the type to just roll with it, he doesn't care if our day doesn't go by the same routine.

For starters, Kyle woke up around 7 AM, which usually wakes me up. Soon after I took him downstairs for breakfast, he brought me his shoes, meaning he wanted to go outside to play - at 7:15 AM!. LOL He ended up not eating at all. I had to get dressed and get him dressed real quick to take him outside. Shannon woke up while we were getting dressed.

We had a DirectTV contractor came out to install our cable TV in our room! I feel so spoiled. It's been over 6 weeks since we've watched any TV. I was looking through the menu and was amazed. LOL It's been so long since we've had a TV to watch. Although, we don't have DVR in our room, so any shows I miss, I will keep watching on the internet. The DirectTV guys was really nice and talkative and he and Shannon seemed to get along, they were even talking politics! LOL Before he left, he showed Shannon that we have a storm coming our way. We have thunder, lightening, rain, and hail in our area!

My mother-in-law and I made brownies! My first time making brownies! It came from a box and not from scratch, but still! It was pretty fun. It was agony waiting those 42 minutes for them to bake! Boy oh boy, were they good!

This afternoon, we discovered that our internet was compromised. Apparently, when they went to a certain website and clicked on something, it downloaded a virus on their computer. In turn, it created an email address from their IP address and started sending out SPAM emails to random people. We got this notice on our screen saying one of our computers was infected and to call them to fix our internet. Shannon and I both try to protect our computers and run the anti-spyware, anti-malware, etc. It was his dad's computer that was infected. We downloaded an anti-malware program on his computer and it found about 200 viruses! Shannon and I were both relieved it wasn't US that did this! I am always running and checking my computer for viruses and spyware!

I am very excited that Shannon took the first step to starting college again. He had University of Phoenix call him and he has an appointment with them next Wednesday! They will request his transcripts from his high school and college for him! He's going to get his Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management and then go for a law degree at another college.

Meant to be

Do you ever feel like the past events in your life were meant to be, that lead you to a certain stage in your life?

Shannon and I have talked about why we ended up here and why he never got the job in Vermont. After he received the letter from the unemployment office that he could receive unemployment, we are now thinking it was meant to turn out this way. We'll find out after April 15th if he will be receiving unemployment for sure. Once we know that, he will be signing up for college. He's been wanting to go back to school for the last few years now, but we never had the money or time. Speaking of college, while Shannon and I were talking today, he decided to just fill out the contact form on the University of Phoenix website. He's done that once in the past and they literally call within about 30 seconds! LOL They did the same today as well! LOL So as long as Shannon receives his unemployment, he's going to taking online college courses. We feel like this is meant to be, time is allowing him to go back to school! He has an appointment next Wednesday at the school campus to talk to a counselor about his college plans!

His dad found out yesterday that he has a herniated disc, and now he is out of work. Shannon's been helping his parents with their yard since we've been here. So with everything that's happened, maybe we are meant to stay here for a bit longer than expected. Shannon will be mowing the lawn now and anything else that will need to be done that his dad can't do outside.

We also realized that all of us (adults) are not working, but we're doing just fine. Talk about living off the system! LOL We plan on re-applying for Medicaid and Food Stamps, and also get on WIC. My first priority is getting myself and Kyle on Medicaid, and then go for WIC.

Hoping it will stick!

Shannon said he wants to try to quit smoking due to the tax hike increase in cigarette prices. I am really hoping he means it because (I think) smoking is unhealthy, it stinks, it's costly, and I DISLIKE IT! =o)

I suggested we try a homeopathic method to quit. He's tried the gum, the patches, the lozenges, and quitting cold turkey. Tonight I found a homeopathic medicine that helps with quitting smoking ~ from the cravings, nervousness, and anxiety & irritability! It took me awhile to find the right product, after that, I did some price comparisons. I ended up ordering it tonight! Can't wait to get it so we can get Shannon started!

One of the biggest issues with Shannon when he tries to quit is he gets really irritable! It's like living with a woman on PMS! I always try to stay out of his way, because he's easily annoyed and is not himself.

I am convinced that homeopathic medicines and treatments work! I have been using 2 types of medicines and they have both helped me. We don't have health insurance to go to a doctor to get a prescription. Plus, we'd have to pay for the prescription! It would be so expensive to go that route.

Long Odd Day

Shannon was up early this morning by 9 AM or so! He's been waking up pretty early lately, it's so weird having him up with us in the morning.


My in-laws had doctor appointments this morning. My in-laws were also having DirectTV installed, and they were expected between 12 PM and 4 PM. They were also putting a cable cord through the room we stay in, so now we'll have a TV to watch.

I told Shannon that I need to order more homeopathic medicine for my allergy to the cat. I think my allergies are slowly coming back. I ran out of my medicine a few weeks ago and have gone this long without it! It's pretty surprising. I ordered more medicine, as well as another item.

Shannon received some good news this afternoon, he will be receiving unemployment! The court ruled in his favor! His former employer have until April 15th to dispute the ruling. Once we get our first check, we definitely need to get the car fixed! We also want to get Kyle a power wheels toy.

He always wants us to push him up and down the yard in his tricycle! He loves being on the move! So he would love this toy!

Now that Shannon will be receiving unemployment, he can be picky with which jobs to accept! It's nice knowing we'll have some income coming in, some is better than none. We will be applying for WIC and Medicaid soon as well! I am also thinking about taking the CNA course for sure! Although, the school is 45 minutes away! I have looked at the CNA jobs in this area and they are all for private homes. I have seen a few job ads to work at a facility/hospital/rehab center type of place. I am not really wanting to work at someone's private home.

The DirectTV guys were for over 4 hours! It was such an inconveniece because we had to keep Kyle away from the guys while they were working because he would just run up to them and stand next to them to look at what they were doing! LOL So we stayed outside most of the time they were here. My in-laws also got a DVR recorder and Shannon showed them how to use it, they are going to see how much easier it is! We were so spoiled with our DVR! I would record all of my favorite shows!

My mother-in-law made chocolate covered strawberries! YUM! The last time I had those was back when I was working at the hotel where I met Shannon (my first hotel job). They were leftovers from conventions, meetings, or room service. I do miss that job because we did get a few plates of free food from the conventions!

We Disagree

My in-laws think that Kyle is autistic or have some form of it. I have read a few websites that list the "symptoms" and Kyle may exhibit one or two of the things listed. But his behavior sounds more like he has obsessive compulsive disorder. But Shannon would say I am a little OCD. LOL No, I have never been disagnosed, but I do like things a certain way. I like to run my household a certain way. I am not the type of OCD person who must turn on the faucet 62 times before I can wash my hands. Or I don't have to lock and unlock the door 95 times before I feel safe.

The only thing I see on this list, that Kyle does is he does like to open and close doors. He likes the doors closed if he sees one open. But he doesn't do this ALL DAY! Also, he doesn't really talk (he does try), rather he pulls us to what he wants. He has his ways of letting us know what he wants or what he wants to do!

My in-laws seem to think that after watching autistic kids on TV and seeing some behaviors that Kyle does means he is or may have a mild form of it. Shannon and I both agree that he is NOT autistic and we've gone through the list of symptoms and it sounds like Kyle is obsessive, rather than autistic. He likes to put things back in it's place or the way he found it. He believes that everything has a place and to put things back.

I told Shannon that we need to get on Medicaid so we can take him in for a 3 year check up and ask about Speech Therapy, hearing test, etc. My mother-in-law has offered to take Kyle (and me) to the doctor just to get him tested, but after talking to Shannon and thinking it through, I have a feeling she'll tell the doctors only the things she has noticed just to get the autistic disagnosis. Shannon also brought up a good point. My in-laws only see Kyle for a portion of the day. They don't see him when we put him to bed, and how he laughs and jumps up and down to play! Or they don't see him smile or even sit quietly and watch what we do on the computer. They only see him when he's outside playing in the backyard, going up and down the yard. Or when he's downstairs and has to close the doors that are open.

We both want to get on Medicaid just so we can take him to the doctor to PROVE to my in-laws that he isn't autistic.

Another roller coaster ride

Over the weekend, I found 5 job postings for management positions in hotels on craigslist. Since you never know if the job ad is a scam or not, I only sent out Shannon's cover letter (that I wrote)! On Sunday, we received a response back asking for his resume. Yesterday, we received another response for a resume to be forwarded.

Shannon also received an email regarding a position I had applied for on March 21st. It is for an Assistant General Manager position in Virginia. The email was from the CEO and VP of Operations of this company. Shannon replied back to her email, so hopefully she'll call! The hotel property is only 4 hours away, so it wouldn't be such a huge move.

Warm Peaceful Sunday

Today was another quiet peaceful day. Shannon and my mother-in-law went to BJ's (a warehouse store, like Costco) and bought lots food! This much food lasts us about 3 weeks, with mini trips to the store throughout the month.

We now have fruit and Kyle ended up having an apple. He picked it up himself and handed it to his dad to cut up for him. Kyle seems to love fruit, so that is good.

The weather has been much warmer compared to the last few days, it was as high as 78 degrees!

I took Kyle outside this morning and not long after, he came inside already splattered with dirt! He had splatters of mud on his pants and some dirt on his face and shirt. I don't know how he does it. He loves playing outside and wanted to play in the dirt today.

To CNA or not to CNA

That is the question...

I've been thinking about taking a CNA (certified nursing aide, certified nursing assistant) course for awhile now. There are a few nurses here in North Carolina that offer "fast track courses" that are a few days long to a few weeks long.

There is also a school offering a course that is 3 weeks long. They offer morning, evening, or weekend courses and it's only $250 to $300 to take the course. I am favoring this school because they offer job search, resume help, and references.

Since I am job hunting (for my husband), I see a lot of job ads for CNAs. Plus I have read a few news articles that are saying that the health care industry is safe during the recession.

I told Shannon about this school last month and just saw that they are offering another course starting later this month. He supports me in whatever I decide to do. He is also aware that the health care industry is a good industry to get into.

Hip Hop Flight Attendant

Enjoy!




Hip Hop Flight Attendant @ Yahoo! Video

Friday and Saturday

We had really nice weather on Friday and Saturday! Kyle was outside for most of the time. There is a boy who lives next door who is between 11-13 or so. He plays basketball on the driveway and everytime Kyle hears him playing, he runs over to the fence and watches him play.

FRIDAY:

My in-laws discovered that they finally received their disability check (they waited 4 years) in their account. They ended up going shopping on Saturday morning. They bought 4 adirondack chairs in a green color for the backyard and a few chairs for their porch. They plan on buying more goodies and doing some much needed repairs to their house.

My mother-in-law and I planted one row of onions and a tray of beets. We plan on doing another row of onions in about a week. We still have more planting to do in the next few weeks. They bought a little greenhouse to keep the seeds in.

SATURDAY:

I started job hunting two more job sites. I am now searching on craigslist and another hospitality job site. With craigslist, I am very careful since there are lots of scams and fake ads posted. I sent out a cover letter to 5 job ads. I didn't attach a resume, instead I asked them to reply back for a resume, since I have no idea who is receiving my email.

We ended up having pizza, Coronas, and Sprite. The beer was for my in-laws and Shannon. I don't think I would like the taste of beer, so I don't drink it. So I drink soda instead. My in-laws and Shannon aren't big drinkers so just 2 beers and they are buzzed!

The neighbor also gave us a little recliner for Kyle (her boy grew out of it). It's a grey-ish blue color and so cute. It's a recliner just for kids. When we introduced it to Kyle, we told him it's "his chair" and to go sit in "his chair." He quickly got the hang of it.