Preschool News and Work Clothes

Shannon shaved Kyle's head today! He looks adorable! Immediately after, I gave Kyle a bath since there was hair everywhere! Kyle went nuts because he's scared of the noise of the razor. By the time he got in the bath, he was fine.

We had a meeting at the main offices for the local school district for Kyle today. The whole meeting lasted 1 hour. This was the final meeting to discuss whether or not Kyle would qualify for special education and discuss what they (the school psychologist, speech therapist, audiologist, and preschool teachers) came up with. In this meeting, it was just the preschool teachers. They discussed the entire report written by everyone above and it was determined that Kyle qualifies for special education with the school district! They already have a school and class picked out for him. He would attend from 7 AM til 2 PM for 3 days a week and have speech therapy for 2 (of the 3) days a week! They also asked if we wanted Kyle to be picked up by a school bus. My 3 (almost 4) year old...on a school bus!? Shannon and I opted to take Kyle to school for now. I am also going to put in to have my availability at work changed. I don't even know if it would be approved or not, but it doesn't hurt to put in for it. Kyle's preschool teacher will call us, otherwise we can call her to set up the days for Kyle to come in. This particular class has about 6 kids, but they all don't attend everyday. So the days we choose, there may be less kids there. This class has a teacher and a teacher's aide.

The two pairs of jeans that I bought from Walmart on Black Friday fit much better after I washed them! I am so glad that they fit me! Before they were washed, they were really big on me. I decided to keep them because they were only $9 and plus they hadn't been washed yet.

I received my order from JC Penney's!! I ordered black Reebok shoes, dark brown corduroy pants, and a zip hoodie for work. They all fit really well! The shoes seem comfortable, I haven't tried them on with my WalkFit insoles yet. Surprisingly, the pants fit around the waist. I never know what my sizes are anymore. I bought corduroy because I have always wanted a pair to wear for work. I haven't had a pair of corduroy pants in several years. Hopefully after a wash, they will fit better! My hoodie fits just perfect too, really soft. It's starting to get cold at work so it will be nice to have something to keep me warm. I am trying to pull away from buying my clothes at Walmart as much as I can since clothes from there don't seem to last me that long. All of my work pants are from Walmart and they are labeled a size 4 and they literally feel like a size 10 because they are so big on me!

Two Treats for Myself

I got my haircut after work yesterday! I had about 8 or 9 inches cut off! My hair is now shoulder length. I love how short it is, my long hair was getting on nerves and in my way. Shannon said he likes the length too.

I also had enough gift cards saved up to buy myself something through Amazon! I heard a news story from one of our local news stations about a product called Pro X by Oil of Olay. Our local news station wanted to know if this product worked or not, so they did a story about it. It's nice to know that this product does work. So I found the product on Amazon and "bought" it for $0!

This weekend was busy at work. I am so glad to have the next two days off! I am ready for a break! Last night, I went to bed early. I was off by 4 PM and went to bed around 8:30 PM.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

I had to work both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I had to work all day on Thanksgiving and was off by 7 PM. We weren't too busy, but steady for most of the day. We did slow down by the end of my shift. I did have a little to eat at home. At work, they had chicken strips, potato salad, and potato wedges for the employees, which was really nice of them.

Yesterday was Black Friday and we were still busy by the time I got there for my shift. They had me in the Garden Center with another cashier. It was pretty fun working so close to another cashier that I could talk to! We just helped each other out whenever we could. We were pretty busy at times! Since I wasn't up at 5 AM shopping to see all the deals and specials, I saw what other customers were buying and that gave me ideas of what I could get. We had DVDs for $2 and $9. I also saw people buying pajama sets, jeans and t-shirt sets for men and women!

Shannon and I needed to get groceries so he met me after my shift. Kyle was so well behaved in the store. He didn't make a peep, he just looked around at everything. Shannon looked around a bit in the electronics section and I went to look at what was left of the DVDs and clothing sets on sale. I found 2 pairs of jeans and t-shirt sets for Shannon and myself and they were only $9 each! The brands were also ones that I have heard of: Jordache, l.e.i. and Wranglers for Shannon's jeans. I was surprised to find our sizes still available, especially after an entire day of shoppers going through the store!

We did a mini-grocery trip this time around. We only needed a few things. At the checkout, I used my discount card and we ended up saving over $12, it's great being able to save 10% on EVERYTHING in the store. The other employees also love the discount during the holidays.

New Laptop!

I am back online with a new laptop! Today was my day off from work. My laptop screen was destroyed by Kyle yesterday. Unfortunately, Shannon didn't want to go shopping until today for a new laptop! We went to Best Buy and the closest one is in another city about 40 minutes away. I found a laptop that I really liked and it's the same brand as the one I had before. The keyboard is shaped differently so now my hands need to get used to the feel of it. My laptop also has a webcam and mic!

I am currently working on getting all my settings set to my liking. I probably won't have my computer fully set up until later this week. I have to work full days for the next two days!

For Christmas, Shannon ended up getting the e-cigarettes for himself. He's been reading the reviews of users of e-cigarettes so he's wanted to try them. A few days ago, I bought Kyle two pairs of slippers. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to like them. He put them on and took them off. I think he was unsure about them being so soft inside. They are both really cute, one is of Lightning McQueen from Disney's Cars and the other is camouflage. Yesterday, I bought myself new shoes, pants, and zippered hoodie all for work. I can't wait to get my order!

Feeling Better

I was off yesterday and spent it relaxing! I treated myself to a homemade facial using green tea leaves, honey, and rice bran powder! I can't wait to do that again for myself.

Kyle spent most of the day outside playing. I also spent a little bit of time outside with him.

I decided to stop taking the over the counter cold medicine and I felt better, still sick without the foggy feeling. I am feeling much better today! I am just glad I didn't have to call in this time.

I have a full work day today of 8 1/2 hours! This week is the most hours I have ever had since I started, I have 33 hours! I do have to work Thanksgiving and the day after, which I don't mind. I do have to work a full day on Thanksgiving and I don't have to work til the afternoon the day after. By the time I get to work on Friday, the morning sales and craziness will be over!

I have a few loads of laundry to do, but I am going to have Shannon do that for me. Since he's home, he has the time.

I was also chosen as the Cashier of the Month by my managers!! It was quite a surprise! They took my picture and it is now hanging in the employee area across from the break room, plus they gave me a $10 gift card from Walmart!

Around Christmas, Walmart offers a little special for employees. This year, they are giving us a discount on regular food products too. Normally, we get a discount on general merchandise and fresh vegetables and fruits. But during the holidays, we get a discount on the entire store!

I'm SICK Again!

UGH! I am SICK yet again this year! This is the second time I have been sick in ONE year, which is very uncommon for me. I normally get sick but once every other year, if that. I bought some name brand cold medicine for day and night time and it doesn't seem to be helping, but it's only been a short time. I just hope I can sleep tonight. This cold started just like the last one I had about 2 months ago.

This time around, I thought if I bought the "name brand" that it would work! Last time when I got sick, I bought the generic brand of medicine. Shannon also had to take the generic/store brand last time we got sick and he said it really knocked him out and didn't make him feel better. I thought the same thing, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or the medicine.

Or maybe these store bought medicines aren't working that well because my cold/flu is much worse!?

I just hope I get better soon! I have a full work day tomorrow and I am not looking forward to it! I worked tonight and felt "out of it" for most of my shift!

I had a chance to spend most of the day with Kyle. He was very playful and in a good mood. He was very interactive with us and just wanted to play and be silly! I definitely miss spending time with him and hate being away from home for so long!

Day off with family

Today was my day off! We had a nice day as a family. We went to BJs, which is about 40 to 45 minutes away in another city. We ended up getting my MIL's vacuum! We found what we planned on getting for my FIL but it doesn't come with an iPod! So Shannon didn't get it. Shannon said he'll think of other things to get for him and keep looking. Since we were there, we walked around the rest of the store. I bought a few more things for my breaks at work. I also bought soap - 16 bars to be exact! That should last us at least a year or two! LOL I also bought liquid hand soap that comes in a foam dispenser for the bathroom! It came with 4 soap dispensers.

Since I had to work so many days in a row, I ended up doing laundry. I had to wash my work shirts and pants. I didn't do any cleaning today except a quick vacuuming. I cleaned the bathroom yesterday before work.

I have to work the next 3 days and then I am off again.

The 6th day

Today is my 6th day of working without a day off. I only have a 4 hour shift tonight. I definitely enjoy working in the evenings, it's so much more laid back!

I am off tomorrow. Shannon and I may get my in-law's Christmas gifts. Instead of getting his Dad a camera, his Mom suggested we get him a stereo system that he wants. She was worried about us spending so much on a camera, which ranges from $500 - $1100, depending on what accessories you want to get with it. We can get both of their gifts at BJs. Thankfully I still have my membership card. I asked Shannon if we're going to wrap their gifts and he said we could, which actually means I would be the one to wrap them! I am not sure how I am going to wrap a vacuum box! That should be a challenge! I am not sure how big the stereo is.

I have seen a few little gifts I could get for Kyle and wrap them for Christmas! They have a lot of little gifts out for people to buy!

His birthday

Today is Shannon's birthday!

My MIL and I went to get him an ice cream cake yesterday afternoon. First, we went to Food Lion (local grocery store) and they had ice cream cake, but the cakes didn't have the "cake" part, just ice cream with a thin layer of frosting as the border. It was basically ice cream with frosting. So we went to Baskin Robbins/Dunkin' Donuts to get an ice cream cake and thankfully they had some pre-made! We ended up getting one with oreos on top with cookies and cream ice cream inside. Since we were there, we both got a small ice latte! It was really good!

This afternoon, I ended up making an ice latte at home. It was pretty easy! All it takes is ice, milk (I use soy milk), coffee, sugar, a bit of vanilla extract (optional), and whip cream (optional)!

Only 5 hours

Yesterday at work I realized that I was exhausted from working so much. I was on my lunch break and I finally had a chance to sit down to breathe and relax. I just really wanted to go home. I was so tired!

We were pretty busy yesterday! I didn't have a chance to breathe until my break and lunch times. It is always good when it's busy but I am in the middle of a 6 day work week, so I guess I am just exhausted!

I only have a 5 hour day tonight. It's a little bit of a relief after the last two days of working so much. When I am home, I don't have the energy to do any cleaning.

Friday the 13th

I had a full day at work yesterday, I was stuck at work for 9 hours! The day went by pretty fast since it was busy! I have been wearing my Walkfit insoles for the last few days. They seem to be helping my body overall, the only part that hurts are my feet but they don't hurt after I take my shoes off at night. My legs feel stiff while at work, so I try to stretch them out throughout the day.

Shannon did a load of laundry for me yesterday. It does help that he takes care of that part for me. It gives me one less thing to worry about on my days off.

I ended up buying some bath towels that were on clearance. I bought them after I got off of work since I knew they wouldn't fit in my locker. It will be nice to have more than one set of bath towels to use! I also bought two new bras and hair conditioner.

I have another full day today, except I only have an 8 hour day. I hate being away from home for so long.

Every now and then I hear co-workers complaining because we are on a hiring freeze, yet we are short staffed. All that means that we have more hours and they expect us to work harder, yet they don't help us out with hiring more people! I am surprised that they haven't hired seasonal workers since the holidays are here!

Almost confusing

Yesterday I went to work a little early so I could do some quick shopping before I started my shift. I needed to buy more feminine products. It's been at least 4 or 5 years since I've had to buy any for myself because I had a ton given to me, plus I received samples here and there. There are so many to choose from! I had coupons for 3 different brands but I ended up getting the Walmart brand just because I am not too picky on the brand name. I also bought some Suave body lotion with a coupon and some chocolate. At checkout, I finally was able to use my discount card!

Shannon did some shopping last night too. When he does, he usually arrives about a half hour before I get off of work to go shopping and then he meets me outside. He bought everything on the list that we needed! I was very proud of him!

Shannon and I have been thinking about getting my in-laws something for Christmas. He knew his Dad wants a brand new camera, his Dad enjoys taking pictures as a hobby. So Shannon had to "fish" for information on what type of camera he wanted. Shannon was able to find out what camera his Dad wants and last night, I figured out what we're going to get his Mom for Christmas! His Mom wants a Dyson vacuum, the same brand we have, she loves the suction power on it. But she wants the lighter version, the "ball" version, since it's easier to maneuver.

I wore my Walkfit insoles last night for my 5 hour shift. My feet did hurt, but the rest of my body wasn't sore. When I took my shoes off, my feet didn't hurt nor are they hurting the next morning!

Quiet day off

I was off of work today. The weather was nice enough for Kyle to play outside. He stayed outside for most of the day. I did two more loads of laundry today as well.

I made the homemade toothpaste. It didn't take long to mix the ingredients. The time consuming part was pouring the mixture in my squeeze bottles! Luckily I had a funnel to use. It definitely has a different texture. It looks the same as regular "gel" toothpastes, but it doesn't foam and bubble up when you brush your teeth. I am not sure what to think of this toothpaste yet. I want to give it a try and see how it goes. I do like that it's all natural ingredients without the harsh chemicals.

Shannon ended up emailing both managers back about the management jobs they contacted him about. Since they are the same company, he said that he was interested in either position. Hopefully something will pan out from either property!

I received my order of roll on perfume/premium body oil from one of my home businesses. I used my discount and another coupon code that I had from commissions that I earned earlier this year. I only ended up paying for the shipping costs. I ended up getting a perfume that smells just like Mariah Carey's Luscious Pink. At first sniff, it smelled a little manly! After wearing it for a bit, I got used to the smell and now I like it! It does have a sweet side to it's smell. I also like that it comes in a roll on container, so I could carry it in my purse if I wanted to.

All in a days work

Yesterday was my Saturday from work. I ended up doing two loads of laundry. I didn't really do any cleaning, I just wanted to relax. My body was sore from work. I have been too worried about wearing my WalkFits to work since my feet are still getting used to them. I did wear them once for a 4 hour shift and my feet hurt so bad. I may wear them for another 4 hour shift to see how it goes. I have realized that the pain that I get in my feet and legs is not normal, especially since I have no arches in my feet.

Kyle and I ended up taking a nap yesterday. He and I started feeling tired around the same time. We both crawled into bed and he fell right asleep. I fell asleep soon after. I slept for about an hour and a half or so and Kyle slept a full 2 hours! Thankfully he woke up in a good mood. I gave him a bath after he woke up. He was just fine for the rest of the night.

I did some job searching online for Shannon last night. I checked craigslist again and found a few to apply for. When I checked Shannon's email this morning, he already received a response from one of the jobs I applied for. It's for a management job in Virginia. Then a few hours later, the [same] corporate company emailed him saying they received his email from their HR department. They are looking for a General Manager for a brand new property in Virginia!

My Friday

Today was essentially my Friday from work! I have the next two days off! It was a busy day too!

I received my schedule for the week of Thanksgiving. Someone asked me if I had Thanksgiving off and I didn't even realize or notice if I did or not. I am working that day, but that doesn't matter. Also, that week I have 33 hours! That's the most hours I have ever had since starting there. Recently the assistant managers rotated departments, they are now in charge of a different area (Walmart does this every so often). Anyway, if I had 34 hours, that would be considered "full time" under Walmart policy. Since the switch of assistant managers, I have noticed that this new manager gives me more hours! I am not sure if it's because of the holidays or because we are short staffed. Hopefully my work schedule will settle down a bit. I AM getting two days off in a row, which is a nice change!

I was invited by SheSpeaks to try a new toothpaste, so I signed up and just received my full size product of toothpaste to try! It's brand new, here's a commercial for the product:



I was planning on making my homemade toothpaste tomorrow, but now I have a full size toothpaste to try! I will probably still make my own toothpaste and try both!

Kyle Approved

The last two days, Kyle has "helped" me choose what to wear for work. I am not sure if you would call it "helped," or rather he insisted on what I should wear! Yesterday, I choose a shirt and pair of pants to wear to work. He quickly pulled the shirt off the bed and pulled me towards the closet. I wasn't sure what he meant so I kept resisting, finally I grabbed another shade of blue shirt and he was okay with that color.

This morning, I chose a pair of pants and top and he didn't like either. I gave him a choice of another pair of pants and another top and he approved both of them!

Last night was pretty busy at work! When I walked in, there were long lines! I didn't get out of there until almost 15 minutes after I was supposed to. The lady that was supposed to relieve me, didn't show up until then!

I also overheard that we are on a "hiring freeze," which is too bad since the holidays are quickly approaching. Hopefully they will hire extra people for the holidays!? The Christmas merchandise is already out on the floor! It's so crazy!

I did find two very local management jobs and applied for both for Shannon. These jobs are both located in a neighboring city that's about 20 minutes away! So, we're hoping he gets a call for either or both of them.

Bits of good news!

We still haven't heard the news we were waiting for but we did receive three bits of good news! First, we found out that Obama signed a bill to extend unemployment benefits! Lucky for us, our state is included.

According to the article: The law provides another 14 weeks of benefits to all out-of-work people who have exhausted their benefits or will do so by the end of the year, estimated at nearly 2 million. Those in states where the jobless rate is 8.5 percent or above get an additional six weeks.

Our second bit of good news is that I received my employee discount card for Walmart today!! This is exciting since it will help us save a bit every time we shop there! Since I am married, Shannon also receives his own discount card to use!

The third bit of good news is that I received a check for $35+ from one of my money making sites! Every little bit helps!

Two Days to Relax

I had yesterday and today off from work and it is great! Yesterday, I did laundry and today I vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom. This time I cleaned the bathroom with tea tree oil. I used tea tree oil to clean the shower liner. I just scrubbed the liner with a sponge and a few drops of tea tree oil. It really seemed to work better and easier than baking soda. I also scrubbed the sink and tub with baking soda.

I am not looking forward to my upcoming 6 days straight without a day off. These days off have been a great way for me to re-charge!

Update on a news story

I just saw an update to a headline of a news story that I wrote a blog about!

Here is the article: La. Justice resigns after interracial wed flap

My favorite quote in the article: "We are better off without him in public service."

~~~> I should post the entire quote: "By resigning ... and ending his embarrassing tenure in office, Justice Bardwell has finally consented to the will of the vast majority of Louisiana citizens and nearly every governmental official in Louisiana ... We are better off without him in public service."

All I have to say is, "it's about damn time." You can quote me on that one!

Gathering supplies

I have been gathering the supplies I need to start making homemade toothpaste! A few weeks ago, I bought 2 of the ingredients online because they were so affordable. I need just one more ingredient but I can find that at the store.

Today, during my lunch break, I bought the containers to use to keep our homemade toothpaste in. I thought about using old toothpaste tubes, but it seems like such a hassle to cut them open and wash them on the inside, etc. So instead, we're using travel size shampoo/conditioner bottles that have the flip top. They were less than a dollar at Walmart. I ended up getting two of them, one blue and one purple. One would be for me to use and the other for Shannon.

A bit of relief!

During my shift, I asked another cashier (who has worked there for awhile) if it's normal for cashiers to work 6 days straight without a day off. She said, "yes it is, and sometimes even 8 days straight." I then told her that I have two sets of 6 days straight with no days off. I told her that I would love to pass them on to anyone who wants my hours. She then said she knew of someone who wants hours, this person is full time, yet they are only giving her about 15 hours a week! She said she would ask this person if she's interested in my hours and she came back with what days/hours she can work. During my break, I went over to talk to the gal and gave her my hours for the next two days. She basically said she would take them. The next step, was to ask a manager.

The end result... the manager approved the switch. He just said that we shouldn't do that in the future... give my hours to a person who is off. Doesn't make sense, but I understand. She's full time, has more seniority than me, etc. I don't mind, she can have more of my hours if it was okay. I just don't understand why they are giving me so many days of work! I would prefer more days off and/or less hours a week!

So, I have the next 2 days off! I am excited!

It was busy today! The good thing about it was that the time went by pretty fast! I have no idea why today of all days was busy, but it was good!

Shannon and I went shopping for groceries after my shift! I worked until 7 PM tonight so it wasn't too late for us to shop. Kyle was good in the store, he was busy looking at everything and observing. I bought snacks and lunch friendly drinks to bring to work. I bought some drink mix and vitamin enhanced mix to add to my water. I also bought V8 and V8 Fusion Juice for work. Shannon picked some Kyle-friendly food. I also bought some waffles for Kyle since he seems to like those now.

What are they thinking?!

I have my new schedule for the weeks ahead. This week, I am working 6 days straight without a day off and then I have 2 days off. Then I have another round of 6 days straight with one day off! What the heck are they thinking? Is this going to be every week now? I don't think any other cashier has this type of schedule. I am part time. Why am I working so many days straight?

4 Stores Before Work

My MIL and I went shopping before I had to go to work tonight. She wanted to take me to a place called Shoe Rack Room. It's a discount shoe store. I found 2 pairs of shoes that I liked but when I put them on, they felt really tight around my toes, like they were too small for me. I even tried a half of a size smaller and it was the same feel. I am not sure if it was the shoes or me. It was two different NAME brands too. I ended up not getting them because the store had a "no returns" policy.

In the same shopping center, they also had a store called JR Cigar. In addition to cigars and cigarretes, they also had toys, perfumes, lotions, towels, etc. It was a knick knack place, plus a discount store all in one. They had so much to look at. We didn't buy anything there. Then we went into Dollar General, which is like a Dollar Tree but not everything is a dollar. Dollar General also carries NAME brand products or at least product brands you have heard of. I ended up getting two makeup brushes by e.l.f. (for $1 each), which is a really good brand. I bought an eye shadow brush and an all over makeup brush.




I also bought a pack of 10 black pens. I needed new pens for work as well as writing letters. The pens were only $2!

Then we went to the grocery store, called Food Lion. My MIL needed a few things and I also picked up soy milk, milk for Kyle, and bread! While we were there, I saw a display of candles by Nature's Finest, they are made of palm wax oil! I love palm wax oil candles because they have a crystallized appearance! Plus they are just as good as soy wax candles! It's good to know that we can get these candles at a nearby store. We didn't buy any since we still have our soy candles that we bought a few months ago.

Happy Halloween and Happy November

Yesterday was Halloween! It rained all day and evening! The rain didn't stop the kids, we saw some parents drive their kids down each street! We didn't hand out any candy, my in-laws decided long ago not to since their dog goes bonkers every time the door bell rings or he sees someone coming up to the door. Like last year, my in-laws ended up going out to see a movie. Last night they went to see Couples Retreat. When they got back, they said it was the "worst movie [they] have ever seen." I guess the only "funny" parts were in the trailer. I don't like Vince Vaughn nor would I care to see his movies, he's not that funny.



Instead of handing out candy or going out, we ordered Chinese food and enjoyed it at home. Shannon came home with a heavy bag of food, he kept saying I ordered too much. I wasn't sure what sizes to get, so I got the bigger of the two sizes they offered. Plus, leftovers aren't so bad!

I can't believe it's November already. Shannon's birthday is in 14 days. We're thinking about getting him a vanilla ice cream cake, probably from Baskin Robbins.

Today I watched two movies. The first was Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. It was pretty good. I also saw Premonition with Sandra Bullock. I remember seeing the trailer for it a few years ago and wanting to see it. It reminded me of the movie The Butterfly Effect because it kept switching to the past and the present.