Unexpected Surprise in the mail!

Yesterday, I received an unexpected surprise in the mail.  I am an ambassador with the Purex team and I use my blog to write about their products or do product reviews for them.  They sent me a $10 Amazon gift card for Mother's Day! 

This will be the only gift I will receive for Mother's Day!  I am so thankful.  I'm not sure what I want to get though! 

It's been a good Friday

This morning I found out that my graduation date is about two years sooner than they had originally had me scheduled for because my transcripts have been applied.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now and it's not too far!

I also received my rough draft of my paper back from the Teacher's Assistant and he gave me great feedback on my paper to make it better.  He also complimented me on my writing and said I had a well structured paper.  Looks like my Honors English class back in high school really played a huge part, even though it's been over a decade since I've been in high school!  My final paper is due next week and today I changed my paper based on his feedback.

I am all caught up for school for this week so I have the rest of the weekend to relax and not worry about school.  Next week is the last week of the class and it doesn't look too difficult!  

This afternoon, my Corelle dinnerware set arrived!  They are so pretty and lightweight which is a huge difference from our current set.

Aside from everything above, we ended up keeping Kyle home from school today.  He was looking like he wasn't feeling well the last few days and this early this morning (around 3:30am) he threw up!  He then threw up this morning and this evening!

Second day in a row

I love my new workout so much that I did it again today!  I woke up this morning a little sore from the day before of doing the new workout.  I felt a little more sore after doing the workout today.  I start to get short of breath during the warm up [of the workout] but then I remember how much fun I am having and just keep going.  I do stop a few times throughout to drink water.  I forgot how much I enjoy Turbo Jam and can't wait to get more videos to add to my collection! 

Shannon received his Eminem CD today!  He's already listened to a few songs on the CD.  I am really glad I was finally able to use my Amazon gift cards to get something for him for a change!  I am still waiting for the Twilight Saga hardcover book set and satin pillowcases. 

Shannon went to get his haircut today, it's been a few months and his hair was getting long!  I also had him stop by the grocery store for a few things.  We needed eggs, orange juice, chocolate milk, and toilet paper.

Another Amazon order!

I just placed another order on Amazon!  This time, I ended up getting something for Shannon and another thing for both of us.  On the way home from Kyle's therapy, Shannon said he would love to buy Eminem's CD with his favorite song: Not Afraid.  The album just happens to have one of my favorite songs: Love the way you lie.  So I found the album on Amazon and bought it with my gift cards!  I also bought another set of satin pillowcases.  I previously bought a set of satin pillowcases in green and it's a very dark green, this time I bought blue (Shannon's favorite color).  This order came out to almost $21 and it didn't cost us a penny, since I used my gift cards!

More FREE stuff from Amazon!

Thanks to a survey site I belong to, I was able to make another purchase from Amazon.  I have been a member of a particular survey site for a few years now!  As a member, I earn points for every survey I complete and after a few years, I had over 4000 points saved up.  The site finally added better prizes and I redeemed my points for Amazon gift cards!  I was able to gain $35 worth of Amazon gift cards!  My Amazon order came out to over $32 (including shipping) and my order didn't cost me a penny!  I ordered the hardcover book set of Twilight Collector's Edition (The Twilight Saga) and another Turbo Jam workout DVD to add to my collection. I am looking forward to receiving my goodies!  I have yet to read the books, but have seen the movie Twilight.  Based on the book reviews, everyone loves them and they read the entire set within a few days. I am excited about adding another Turbo Jam DVD to my workouts, I love Turbo Jam so much.

More Good News!

First, Kyle is not sick!  He started feeling better shortly after he threw up yesterday!  So he is better, but isn't eating much these days.  I guess he doesn't have much of an appetite.

Today we found out that we were approved for Food Stamps!  I am so surprised that we were approved so quickly.  It's only been a few weeks since I sent in our application!  But I am not complaining.  The Food Stamps will definitely help with groceries!  We are still waiting to hear whether or not Kyle is approved to receive SSI.

Earlier this week, Shannon bought Kyle his first remote control car!  It's a police car and he's been playing with it indoors for now.  At first, Kyle was not interested, he would run away from it.  But then he saw his Daddy playing with it and making the car move.  When he's not playing with it or when he's done playing with it, we put it away.  It's more exciting for him to play with it when he has to look for it.

The other day, I used my Amazon gift cards to buy two motivational posters!  My entire order came to $0!  I can't wait to receive them and put them in frames!  It was really difficult to select these posters, since there are so many to choose from!  The first poster reminds me of Shannon, he is always coming up with new ideas and ways of doing things.  It reads,  "It takes only a single thought to move the world"

This one reads, "It is not the position you stand, but the direction in which you look" 

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!

I must be bored!

I must be bored with my current workouts with Turbo Jam. While I love Turbo Jam, I just need a change. I've been doing the same 5 workouts for almost a year now and it's definitely getting old. I am still waiting for my workout DVD that I ordered a few weeks ago! I am still looking forward to that workout.

Since I had another $15 gift card from Amazon from another online program that I used, I just ordered two pilates DVDs tonight! Soon I will have a small collection of workout DVDs to rotate!

I definitely miss my pilates workouts! I did a few pilates videos online last week and I could tell it's been too long! The challenge will be good for me. Now I just need to find my pilates mat that's still packed away.

I am looking forward to working on my core and other muscles. Turbo Jam helped me slim down, but pilates can help in many other ways that Turbo Jam can't.

Overall, I am just bored and need a change! I am excited to try my workouts and ready for the new challenge!

No Butts, No Cuts, No Coconuts!

I received my coconut oil today! This was from the order that I placed on Amazon and it cost me $0!!! I am still waiting on the second half of my order from Amazon. They are from different vendors, so they are sent from two different locations. I can't wait to get my new workout DVD!

Here is a list of uses for coconut oil. I love that this is all natural and has many uses for beauty! I can also use it in my cooking! I also love the NOW Brand, a lot of my natural products are made by them.

No School Again

There's hasn't been any new snow fall. It did rain here and there today. It's supposed to rain tomorrow as well. I don't think we'll be getting anymore snow until the weekend.

We just received a call that there is no school tomorrow! Surprise, surprise! I have a feeling there won't be school on Friday either. Either way, I am kind of glad because Kyle is still sick. He woke up this morning at around 2:45 AM, but that's only because he fell asleep at about 7:45 PM! He's been coughing and still have a running nose. He also felt "warmer than usual" to the touch, but I am not sure if it was a fever. I have him on cough medicine today.

Last night, I placed another order on Amazon and my order came to $0!!! I saved up enough gift cards to pay for the order. I ended up buying another workout video and coconut oil. I plan on using the coconut oil for my hair and skin. It's supposed to be really good for your scalp, softening your hair, and making it more healthy. I can also use coconut oil as body lotion and it's good for those with eczema! Another use for coconut oil is as deodorant, I am curious to see how that works. I bought a new workout video because I need a little change from my current workouts. Not that I don't like my current workouts, I just need a little change here and there.

I also found Winsor Pilates workout videos on youtube! They are entire workouts! So I plan on going back to Pilates here and there!

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.

DVD for Kyle

I finally saved up enough gift cards from Amazon and bought Kyle a Leap Frog DVD. The entire order cost me $0! I am hoping he'll like it, especially with all the fun songs that teach the alphabet.

Shannon said that he's let Kyle wear his sunglasses a few times. Kyle likes wearing them and looking at the world through them. He likes looking all around and he looks curious seeing things through the sunglasses. I am surprised he likes wearing them. I hope to get some sunglasses just for Kyle, he'll love that.

Kyle is getting used to me being gone for most of the day. He loves riding in the car, so when it's time, he's ready to go.

Goodies all around

I received my soy protein mix and night night balm today! I am waiting until I receive my Tupperware shake mixer from the ebay seller before I try the soy protein shake. In the meantime, I am still working out and did so today! I felt like I "fell off the wagon" so I am trying to stay on track and keep myself motivated. I am really trying to eat better and not have as much chocolate and junk food, but I do spoil myself a bit. I am trying to be more aware of what I am eating.

I am looking at getting another Turbo Jam workout DVD from amazon.com. I plan on using gift cards to purchase another workout DVD! I have some gift cards that I earned from a site that I use.

Shannon set up the basketball hoop and Kyle is loving it! He's been playing with it whenever he's outside. He's been watching the boy next door play basketball, so it was fitting that my MIL get him his own basketball hoop! She said this was his birthday and Christmas gifts from the last 3 years, which sounds pretty fair to us!

Gearing Up and Amazon Order

Shannon started college this week. Actually he had a few "orientation" type of classes, to prepare new students to how their school works online. They showed him the forum (how to login, how to navigate, etc). They also had a few classes with practice tests. Shannon officially starts his coursework later this month.

We finally received the debit card for his unemployment! We're just glad it arrived safely. They had to send him a new card. We are allowed 2 free ATM withdrawls a month at our bank (Wachovia), after that, there are fees (booooo!). We can also use it as a debit card in any store.

My in-laws are going on vacation this week. They don't have any hotel reservations, they said they are the type to just go and find a hotel when they get there! Shannon and I did that too many times while we were dating, we used to drive up to Reno, NV all the time without reservations. They plan on going to the beach! We get to watch their dog and cat for them during that time. With the hysteria of hog flu, I am sure they will find a hotel with plenty of rooms available and maybe even lower room rates than normal.

I am going to attempt to make a few casseroles this week! Look out! I'll have the fire department on speed dial, just in case. I have never made a casserole on my own, but I figure I can read...how hard can it be? LOL

I made a purchase on amazon tonight! I am so thrilled with this order, I blogged about it here. This was a mother's day gift to myself. I considered purchasing a DVD for Shannon, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008 version), however, I read the reviews for the movie and most of them said it was really bad!