Busy Day!

I feel like today was a busy day!  First, I received a call from the Social Security office.  They wanted to do the application for Kyle over the phone.  That call took a little over a half hour!  Now we just have to drop off some paperwork and sign a form or two and then he can submit his application for SSI. 

A few days ago, I received a job lead on facebook about a "front desk" position at a hotel in our city.  A friend on facebook updated her status about hotel front desk openings at a hotel near Charlotte, NC.  I responded to the comment asking where the hotel was located.  Then, I received a message in my inbox (from a complete stranger) saying that a hotel in our city is hiring for front desk agents.  I wrote him back thanking him and he then responded telling me that he's the General Manager of the hotel!  So we stopped by the hotel today so I could fill out an application.  When we got home, my in-laws said I received a call from the hotel wanting to schedule an interview!  I was surprised they called so fast, considering we just came directly from there!  I called the lady who called me for an interview and scheduled an interview with the General Manager for tomorrow morning!  When I came in to fill out the application, I was told that it's a "part time position" and I would have a rotating schedule ranging from 7am-3pm, 3pm-11pm, or 11pm-7am!  I am not thrilled about the graveyard shift!  I guess it depends on the pay to see if this type of schedule is worth it! 

In today's mail, we received a letter from Social Services saying that Kyle's Medicaid will be terminated on July 31st because we failed to return the necessary paperwork!  After I had a few minutes to process the letter, I promptly called Social Services to find out why.  I was told that our caseworker is no longer working there.  The person that I spoke with looked at our file and realized that we did return the necessary paperwork and she will reopen our file to process it.  In other words, she has several other cases that need to be reopened since the old caseworker is no longer there.  Thankfully, Kyle's Medicaid will be renewed! 

Speech Therapy and Groceries

Kyle had his Speech Therapy Evaluation today!  The Speech Therapist wanted to talk to us for about 15 minutes, just to ask us a few questions about Kyle.  Then she took him for about an hour to play/work with him to get a feel for where she needs to start and build some goals.  Since we had an hour to kill, we decided to leave property to go to Walmart.  I ended up buying the non-groceries things we needed.  I bought Kyle a new pair of shoes in size 10.  He seems to be outgrowing the size 9's (but he can still fit them), and they are worn down.  I also bought 3 tubes of toothpaste since the were on "rollback" for only $1.50 each!  I picked out some new slippers that are really cute and a bath puff for some body wash that I have.

The therapist said he did really good and she's excited to set some goals to work with him!   We set up his Occupational and Speech Therapy for next Tuesday at 10am and 11am. 

We ended up going straight home after his therapy.  Shannon wanted to take a nap.  During that time, I had a chance to work on my computer since it had a virus.  I kept running the only anti-virus program I was able to download and finally the virus is completely gone!  I have no idea where the virus came from or how I got it, I am just glad it's gone and we didn't have to take it in to the shop!

We ended up going to the Walmart that is here in the city we live in.  We bought our groceries as well as some other things.  I bought some hand weights, that I plan on adding to my workouts.  I am excited to use them since I am trying to work on my arm muscles more!

Cookbook

I "bought" a vegetarian cookbook from Amazon today.  I also "bought" a bar of soap to use on my face to help with the occasional pimples that I get!  BOO to pimples!  My order was free since I've been saving my gift cards that I have earned from Swagbucks.  Anyway, I am excited to receive my cookbook, it has overwhelmingly positive reviews and it seems like a great way to cook on a budget!  Plus, the book was just over $5!  Most vegetarian books feature recipes that require rare or hard to find ingredients.  This book seems perfect for us and our lifestyle! 

Kyle has his Speech Therapy evaluation on Tuesday at 10am.  After this appointment, he will be receiving Occupational and Speech Therapy once a week!

2nd Youtube Video!

I made my second youtube video the other day, you can view it here or watch it below!



I am having so much fun making these videos and posting them on youtube.  When I want to make a video, I have to make sure Kyle is distracted, so I usually make them in the early afternoon while he is playing on the computer!

Spa recipes at home

I was browsing around the Sephora website and saw "brown sugar body polish" for $65 and thought that it was a ridiculous price to pay for something that you could make at home.  Today, I also saw a local news story about "making your own spa products at home."  You can also view the video below.



I decided to look up recipes on how to make "brown sugar body polish" at home.  After finding several different recipes, it's pretty much the same ingredients as the sugar scrub recipe that I have.  Since I don't have brown sugar on hand, I used white sugar and mixed it with olive oil, honey, and coconut oil.  These type of homemade spa recipes are customizable and you can add whatever you prefer, which is what I like about them.  I can't afford to go to a spa, but I can find these ingredients at the grocery store!   The recipe was easy to put together and I used it after I showered and rinsed it off when I was done.

This evening, I made spaghetti!  I haven't made spaghetti since 2005, right before the time we found out we were pregnant with Kyle.  Anyway, I used one package of whole wheat store brand noodles, Prego spaghetti sauce, and added a can of corn!  It was so easy and everyone loved it.  Shannon ate at least half of it.  Kyle loved it because he loves noodles.  He looked like a vampire while he was eating, the sauce was all over his lips, cheeks, and chin.  I wish I had bought more spaghetti noodles now.  I did buy other types of noodles and have a little spaghetti sauce left, but I also bought alfredo sauce.  I am not sure if Kyle will like the other noodles or just spaghetti noodles.  I was going to offer some to my in-laws but wasn't sure if it would be up to their standards of "organic, all natural, Oprah-approved, Dr. Oz approved, upper class, etc."  But I don't have to worry about that because there's only a tiny bit left that Kyle can eat tomorrow.

I got lost at Walmart!

Today was Kyle's Occupational Therapy evaluation!  It lasted about 2 hours!  The first hour or so was for the therapist to ask Shannon and I about Kyle and going through the survey we filled out.  Meanwhile, Kyle had a chance to play in the room!  It was a nice size room with a padded floor (like you would see at a gymnastics studio).  It also had big plastic balls, cardboard bricks and all kinds of things to build with.  It also had a soft swing that Kyle was playing with.  He was pushing it so it would swing back and forth.  He would push it to make it swing and then duck so that he would swing over his body and head!  He loved running around the room and play with the swing. He had so much energy too!

The last 45 minutes was for the therapist to do some "standardized" tests to see where he was at with motor skills so that she could set some goals to work on with him for future therapy.  Shannon and I decided to leave property and ended up going to Walmart.  We had Subway and then I went shopping and bought Hanes underwear, slippers, and liquid plumbr. I ended up getting lost in Walmart because it had a different layout!  It was a beautiful store, but I had to ask where something was! 

Next week is Kyle's Speech Therapy evaluation at the same location!  Once that is done, we'll set up weekly therapy sessions one day a week.  They are going to schedule his Occupational and Speech Therapy back-to-back so that we don't have to go there twice a week.  I am really excited for him to have Occupational and Speech Therapy.  I look forward to seeing him improve and hopefully start talking more with us!  I would love to be able to communicate with him.  I am so glad that this therapy is covered by Medicaid too.  We're still waiting to hear whether or not Shannon and I will be covered with Medicaid too.  

I also mailed in our application for food stamps yesterday.  That whole application process will take about a month to be approved or not! 

Yesterday, I received a surprise in the mail.  Somehow I am on Marlboro's mailing list and I don't even smoke.  They sent me a metal water bottle thing.  It's really nice and a nice color of red!  It was funny that I got this because I thought about buying one from GNC because they had some on display on their "clearance" table. It looks like the one below without the keychain clip. 

My first Youtube Video!

I just made my first video and uploaded it on youtube, now it took me at least 10 tries on the video to make the perfect one!  LOL  But it was fun in making them.  I plan on making more videos about the things I find and want to share! 

You can view my video by clicking here, or below. 

A nice break!

Today was my day off from the job I hate!  It was a nice, quiet, stress-free, and relaxing day off!  Earlier in the week, I made a list of everything I wanted to do today (my day off).  I accomplished everything on the list, except I still need to fax over our application for food stamps, but the application is completed! 

First, I called the our Medicaid person back, since she called yesterday.  She needed some additional information from us and I wanted to get her that information so we can get that going!  It sounds like Kyle will remain on Medicaid, which we are glad to hear.  She is trying to make sure Shannon and I can get on Medicaid as well! 

Then I called the place that offers Speech & Occupational Therapy and set up two different appointments for Kyle.  Both appointments are expected to take approximately 2 hours each because they are the initial evaluations!  One appointment is for the Speech evaluation and the other appointment is for the Occupational evaluation.  Since I am working, I may not make either appointment.

Third, I returned the phone call I received from Walmart.  The lady in personnel had a question about my availability.  I am hoping I hear back from them because I would really like to be re-hired there. 

Fourth, I put together our food stamps application.  I still had our application from earlier this year and just printed out the pages that needed to be updated with our information.  It's all filled out and ready to be faxed over on Monday! 

We went to Walmart today for some groceries and other things.  We didn't buy our usual amount of food since my in-laws only have one refrigerator, we don't have as much room to put our stuff in there.  My MIL just went to the warehouse store a few days before and bought a bunch of food for the freezer and refrigerator.  I did buy additional snacks for work to eat on my lunch or break (if I can get one). 

I really want to get a DVR for the TV in our room so that I can record my favorite shows.  I am always working and may not be home to watch my shows, and not all shows can be seen online either.  There are also movies I would love to record.  I found a DVR online that looks really good, plus there are no monthly fees associated with it. 

Yesterday was a bad day

Yesterday was a bad day at work for me.  I am still in training and learning everything.  The person training me always has something to say when I am doing something "wrong" or if it's "not allowed" and points it out to me.  One thing she pointed out to me is that we're not allowed to wear sneakers, which I was NOT told this information.  I had been wearing my black Reebok sneakers since I started working there and yesterday I decided to wear my white Skechers.  She likes to point out that "other cashiers will tell on you and you will get in trouble."  I am tired of that crap!  I don't like working at a place where I have to watch my back around my co-workers because they are going to stab me in the back.  There is also a lot of drama between some of the cashiers and I want to stay out of that.  There is a lot of gossip that I am not fond of.  I am always telling Shannon about everything that I hated about my job and thankfully he understood what I was saying. 

I was so ready to quit yesterday and even thought about calling my old job to see if they were still hiring.  I have been told by a few my co-workers there that they are still hiring.  A few of them even told me to call and ask for the department manager!  When I got home from work yesterday I called, and talked to one of the customer service managers and she said she wasn't sure if they are still hiring but to talk to personnel.  I called again and talked to personnel and told her my name and that I used to work there as a cashier.  I don't think it "clicked" with her who I was, and she gave me the usual "your application is good for 60 days."  I was a little disappointed that I didn't get anywhere with my calls to my former job.  I decided to just wait and see if they would call me, eventually!

Since working at Sears, I have realized how "spoiled" I was.  I was guaranteed my breaks at Walmart.  At Sears, I may not get my 15 minute break because there is no coverage.  At Walmart, there are other cashiers around that I can ask questions/help from.  At Sears, I have to call a cashier on the other side of the store to help. 

This morning, I wanted to "try" to have a better day so I worked out before I got ready for work.  It felt good to let out my aggression and sweat it out!  My workout seemed to give me some positive energy and I was in a better mood. 

Today, I splurged and bought myself two new pairs of shoes, that I could wear at work or not.  They are really cute and they remind me of ballerina shoes. I bought them in black and brown, that way I can wear them with black or khaki pants!  They were on sale, plus I got my employee discount. 

Slow Day

Today I worked 9:30am until 2pm.  It was a slow day and time seemed to go by so slow.  I hate the job!  I miss Walmart because it was usually busy and that made the time go by fast. 

We ended up not going to Walmart after I got off of work.  We are going to wait until my next day off, which is Friday to go. 

Shannon's unemployment hasn't been renewed yet.  Meanwhile, we are going to be "surviving" on my pitiful minimum wage paycheck.  I really think unemployment needs to be changed to encourage the unemployed to go out and get jobs!  I don't know if more incentives need to be offered to employers to hire those who are current unemployed or incentives need to be offered to colleges to encourage people to go back to school.  Something needs to change!  I already know that the people on unemployment are turning down job offers if it pays too low.  Why get a job when you can make more on unemployment? 

On Friday, I plan on doing some catch up.  I need to call the company that offers Speech & Occupational Therapy and set up an evaluation for Kyle.  I really want him to get into this therapy that can help him learn and thrive.  He is really trying to "talk" and communicate.  He knows how to say "no" and even uses it occasionally.  Other times, he likes saying "no no no" in a sing song voice.  I also plan on filling out the application to apply for food stamps!  We miss being on food stamps and that really helps us financially.  We are now waiting to see if Kyle will remain on Medicaid.  This time, I also applied to add Shannon and myself on it. 

So much to do, and so little time, especially with having to work so much.  I can't rely on Shannon to make the phone call or fill out paperwork because he will always make up an excuse or take 8 weeks to finally get to it. 

4 hours and 45 mins

Tonight, I worked 4:30pm to 9:15pm shift.  It was very slow and we pretty much stood around for most of the time.  We did help straighten out the clothes and keep our departments clean.  The entire time, I kept thinking about Walmart.  I miss it there so much! 

I feel like I have "baby fever" when I am at Sears.  I work near the baby section where I see strollers, car seats, baby cribs, toddler clothes, and maternity clothes!   Not only that, one of the gals who works there is pregnant and every once in awhile I'll see a pregnant customer!  Surrounded by babies!

I have to work tomorrow at 9:30am until 2pm.  I like that I am off fairly early.  I also like working shifts where I don't have to take a lunch break.  I think it's a waste of time and I'd rather go home early than take a lunch.  I think we're going to Walmart tomorrow to do our grocery shopping since that seems to be the only day we'll have time. 

Highlights and Haircut!

I worked yesterday from 1pm to 5pm.  After work, I went to the salon within the mall to get my haircut and highlighted.  Since I work in the mall, I got a 20% discount on my haircut and highlights!  I really needed a haircut since it's been almost 8 months since my last haircut.  I was going to wait a few weeks to get my haircut but decided to do it now since my work schedule is so crazy!  I am not looking forward to next week's schedule.  I am only working one night and the rest I am working the morning shift and off by 4pm or 4:30pm.  I hope I have less hours in the coming weeks. 
 
Work is going okay.  I am understanding how to do a lot of the different transactions but will still need help here and there.  Working in a department store is completely different from working at Walmart.  We are able to do returns and exchanges at the register, unlike at Walmart, you have to go to a separate area.  I don't "like or enjoy" the job, but it's a job for now.  In a way, I miss working in Walmart since we always shop there and I already know the store. 

I am off of work today, taking it easy and just relaxing.  My next day off isn't until Friday!  UGH!  I hate split days off and working in retail.  I miss working in hotels, they actually give you two days off in a row!

Next Week's Schedule

The new schedule for next week was posted.  I am disappointed because I was under the impression that I was part time and I would be working 2 to 3 days a week.  Instead, I am working 5 days next week with a total of about 27.52 hours!  Three of those days are full 7-8 hour days!  Although, I am hoping it's just a "fluke" because my department manager is on vacation next week and 2 cashiers are quitting (I was hired to cover one of them).  I think they hired another cashier already, but I am not too sure. 

I am worried about working alone, but I will have a back up person to help.  This place is not like Walmart where I would have other cashiers around to ask for help.  They have one person covering each "cashwrap," which is where you can checkout.  Each cashwrap has 4 registers. 

I think I am learning everything that I can learn on the job, but there will still be instances where I will need help.  Everyone seems really nice.

I am optimistic about the County job that I applied for.  I am hoping to get called for an interview. 

I received a response from another company that offers speech therapy and occupational therapy.  They are in the next town, so it's not too far.  They want us to call to set up an evaluation for Kyle.  I am thinking of having Shannon call to set up an appointment since I will be working so much next week.  I also have to call the Social Security office to apply for SSI for Kyle, but I may have to have Shannon do that as well.  It's that time for us to re-new our Medicaid for Kyle and I am unsure if we will qualify.  Thanks to the big chunk we received from Uncle Sam from our tax return, we may have too much in our bank account to qualify.  However, when I return the forms with our bank statements, I will include a note stating where the money came from with proof from the deposit.  I am unsure if our tax returns will count against us in this case.  If we lose Medicaid, I am hoping we get approved for SSI for Kyle because that money will be used to pay for his speech and occupational therapy.

He's Diagnosed

Today I was off of work because Kyle had a doctor's appointment with the behavioralist.  The drive there was fun.  Shannon got a McDonald's breakfast meal, plus 2 hashbrowns (for Kyle and I) and a Mocha Frappe for me! 

The doctor asked us a bunch of questions for a survey to help her figure out what Kyle's diagnosis is.  She had read the surveys and evaluations I had sent in 3 months earlier to help determine what he has.  She said he's just before the middle of the autism spectrum.  She gave us some suggestions as to how to proceed, she suggested we make another Individual Education Plan (IEP) with the school, as well as look into ABA Therapy and Speech Therapy for Kyle.  I told her about the issues I am having with trying to reach someone from Speakability and she said "if they have that kind of customer service to just move on!"  In other words, find another place that offers speech therapy!  She also said that he would qualify for SSI, which I am glad she informed us of this.

When we got home, I went online to fill out the "pre-application" for SSI.  I am not sure if someone from the department will call us or we call them.  I will call them on my next day off if we don't hear from them before then.  I also looked up nearby ABA Therapy and Speech Therapy services for Kyle.  The doctor also gave us a list of places that offer those services.  I found all the information I needed on autismspeaks.org.

I also called work to get my schedule for the rest of the week.  I asked if I could have tomorrow off and she said that I would need to work the rest of the week because I will be on my own after that!  UGH!  I definitely miss working at Walmart for this reason.  At Walmart, there are always other cashiers to ask for help!  At Sears, you have to page someone overhead! 

I really wanted tomorrow off because we never went to the laundromat this past Monday like we always do.  So it's been almost 2 weeks since we've done laundry.  If I needed something cleaned, I had to hand wash our clothes in the bathtub and hang dry them.  Well, now my MIL said we could use the washing machine since it hasn't rained lately.  Their septic tank starts overflowing when it rains.  We're back to only doing one load of laundry a day.  Since I have to work tomorrow, Shannon will do a load of laundry for us.

Third Day

Today was my third day at work!  I was surprised that I finished my computer training.  There was a whole section that I couldn't do.  I did as much as I could, but I was unable to do most of the section because it was all quizzes. 

I work tomorrow for 4 hours and I chose 1pm to 5pm again.  I will be on the sales floor tomorrow!  Hopefully I'll just be watching a cashier do the job and she can walk me through what she is doing. 

Kyle has a doctor's appointment on Thursday.  We set this appointment in March or April.  He's going to see a behaviorialist.  I think they are going to diagnose him or give him a label, hopefully.  They had us fill out a 6 page survey about Kyle and also wanted his teacher to fill one out too.  I am curious as to what they are going to say.  The doctor's office is about an hour away so we're going to leave early for it. 

Second day at work

Today was my second day at my new job.  I spent my 4 hour shift doing more computer training.  There is a total of 20 hours of computer training.  I am not even half way done! 

Before my shift and during my break, I did some shopping to look for clothes I could wear for work.  I did see some pants and socks that I wanted to look at further.  I also looked at bras but decided to hold off for now.  I could always get my bras at Walmart.  After my shift, I found 2 pairs of black pants that actually fit.  They are size 4!  I wasn't sure what my size was so I grabbed size 6 first and when those were too big, I went to size 4 and thankfully they fit!  I also bought 3 pairs of black socks.  Apparently, I wear "plus size socks" because I had to buy socks that fit my shoe size.  LOL  I never thought I would wear "plus size" anything!!!

I have to work tomorrow for 4 hours and I am also supposed to find my department manager for my schedule for the rest of the week.

Fourth of July evening

Kyle got his haircut this evening by my MIL.  Kyle sat on the kitchen counter and he was able to see himself in the big mirror on the wall.  Of course, he didn't like it and kept squirming around.  Afterwards, I took him outside to brush the hair off his clothes, face, and neck.  He ended up wanting to run around outside.  He was running around smiling and touching his head!  He loved the weather and I think he realized he hasn't played around outside in weeks.  It was perfect beautiful weather and the sun was still out.  He played with his tricycle for a bit and then we pulled out the hose for him to play with the water.

I am wanting to get my haircut.  Hopefully this week or next I can get it done before or after one of my shifts at work.  I have been thinking about getting highlights again, I haven't had that done in a few years.  I think it will look good for the summertime.

Another trip

The other day I told Shannon that I only bought enough food for a week (instead of two).  He said he made the same mistake too!  My MIL and I ended up going to the store today since she needed groceries.  I ended up buying snacks and drinks that I could bring to work and food for the week. 

We bought Subway sandwiches to eat at home.  I bought one for Shannon and one for me. 

Lastly, I found a black top that I could wear for work and it was only $5, I have the same top in 4 other colors.  I still need more pants for work, which I will try to find at Sears.  I will keep checking JC Penney's for work pants.

Shannon said he received an email from one of the places I applied to (for him) and they said they had hired for the position that he (I) applied for but they have another position open.  If he was interested, they asked him to call or email back.  Our plan is to stay where we are until Shannon is done with his college and look into moving once he's accepted to law school.  We plan on moving near to where the law school he is going to attend.  Hopefully there will be a Sears there and I can look into doing a company transfer!  Otherwise, I would be okay with being a stay at home parent again. 

My First Day!

Yesterday was my first day at my new job at Sears!  I definitely liked the short shift of 4 hours that I had.  Right now, I am doing computer training.  I had to sign a few more documents as well.  I was also given a temporary discount card to use until I receive my discount card in the mail.  They scheduled me for two more days for training and both days are only 4 hour shifts!

After I was off, I went over to JC Penney's to look for more clothes for work and was disappointed because I couldn't find anything that I liked.  As for pants, size 6 was way too big and size 4 was too snug!  Maybe that means I have to go into the junior sizes, instead of the misses/ladies section.  As for the tops, the ones I tried on were too thin and see through!  I also went to Belk, which is another department store in the mall and I didn't see anything that I liked.  I think I will have better luck at Walmart, I like the prices and variety.  Otherwise, I will shop at Sears for clothes since I get a discount.  I also realized that wearing white and black tops are not my colors!  LOL 

While I was at work, Shannon moved our bed to the middle room which was Kyle's playroom and/or our "living room."  It's a bigger room and it also has a television.  I used this room to workout while Kyle used the computer to play his games.  Kyle even helped Shannon push the mattresses over to this room.  I think he loved helping!

When Shannon dropped me off of work yesterday, he said that Kyle started crying a little bit and saying "momma momma" over and over again when they got home.  When he opened the car door for Kyle to get out, Kyle started walking down the driveway and Shannon had to direct him into the house!  That's when he started crying and saying "momma momma" over and over.  When I saw them parked in the parking lot to pick me up, I waved to them and as I got closer to the car, I saw the biggest smile on Kyle's face!  He was sitting on his daddy's lap in the front seat and he was getting up to go into the back seat.  He just froze and smiled at me!  When I got up to the car, I just waved at him and he kept smiling at me. 

I am still not too thrilled with the pay, but it's better than nothing at all.  I definitely like having a discount card to use.  I will have to figure out Kyle's clothes sizes because Sears sizes stop at 4T and Kyle would fit into 5T.  I guess that means I have to shop in the boys section, instead of the toddler boys section for him. The boys clothes would be too big for him.  There is a clearance section of boys clothes that are marked at 40% off plus with my discount there would be additional percentage off.  I could stock up but I don't think we have the room for it at home.

I start a new job today!

I got the job at Sears and I start training today.  I have no idea how long I will be there, I was just left a voicemail by the lady in personnel that I should be there at 2pm today.  Although she never specified, I am hoping it's just computer training.

If I get off early enough, I plan on doing a little shopping at JC Penney's for some work clothes.  Hopefully I can find the right colors.  I need more clothes since we only do laundry once a week.  I am looking forward to working at a place that actually closes each day.  In the last 10 years, I haven't worked in a place that closes!  The jobs I've had in the last 10 years were at hotels and casinos, and Walmart!  Hotels and casinos never close, and Walmart only closes once a year!

I am also looking forward to getting out of the house every once in awhile.  Since Kyle has been out of preschool for the summer, he's been attached to my hip.  He doesn't like to leave my side.  If I leave the room, he has to follow.  My time away from home will give him some time with his Daddy!

I told Shannon that I want to get two new toys for Kyle.  One of them is Mr. Potato Head and the other is legos!  Mr. Potato Head can teach him the different parts of the face and body.  We can use that to show him where his eyes and ears are.  I also want legos so that Kyle and I can have something to play with.  He doesn't really like playing with toys, he'd rather hang around us.  Legos are colorful and I think he'll like putting them together and taking them apart.