Awakening

I had an awakening tonight.  I realized that I am trying to maintain my blog as I did before I started my full time job.  I am used to spending all of my time on my blog.  I have realized that trying to update my blog every night is tiring and very difficult.  It is taking away from my personal time, family and other things. 

I am going to finish up on my current reviews and try my hardest not to accept any new reviews.  I have been selective in the last few weeks but I am still exhausted when I get home from work.

My blog was my full time job and I am still treating it as a full time thing.  I am unable to do this anymore because I am at work for 9 hours a day.  By the time I get home, I am very exhausted and just want to relax.  Tonight was the breaking point. 

Our toilet flooded tonight which meant we had to soak up all of the water with our towels.  By the time we caught it, the water was a good inch or two in the bathroom.  I threw about half of towels in the washer and the other half is in the tub for now. 

I go to sleep around 9pm because I set my alarm for about 5:20am and get out of bed around 5:40am or so.  I want to be well rested when I wake up in the morning. 

The in-laws are moved in

The in-laws arrived on Wednesday night around 10:40pm.  They did not expect to arrive so late, but they ended up leaving much later than they expected.  The hired movers took 6 1/2 hours to load their U-Haul.  The movers were slow and one of the guys had no idea what he was doing.  They plan on complaining to the company that sent the moving guys. 

The in-laws stayed two nights in our second bedroom.  They were able to get their apartment keys yesterday and they started moving in a few of their things.  My mother-in-law set up their bathroom so that they could shower in their shower this morning. 

The U-Haul arrived yesterday and the movers moved all their stuff in today.  They even helped transport and unload their things into the storage unit they rented. 

They are exhausted and trying to get settled in. 

New Washer and Dryer

Our washer and dryer is here!  I love it!

Not only that, they were delivered on time.  They called me a little after 9am to say that they will be here around 9:30am and they were on time.

While they were installing it, the maintenance guys came by to change our filter and do pest control.  One of the guys asked, "Did you buy those?"  I said, "Yes!"  He said, "Wow, those are nice!  They are better than the ones we use."  I think he was referring to the ones the apartment complex rents out to residents!

Kyle loves sitting in front of the washer and watch the clothes spin around.

 Our old washer also had a window that he could watch the clothes spin around.  Now he can watch both the washer and dryer through the window! 

Two Front Teeth

Kyle is missing his two front teeth.  He lost one tooth last week or so and the second tooth earlier this week.  He's already lost a handful of teeth and each time we think he swallows them because we never find them afterwards. 

We're just glad the missing teeth don't bother him. 

Expressing his thanks

When Shannon gets home from work, we usually have only a few minutes to talk and catch up because he's either going to bed, wanting to relax or we're just going our separate directions. 

Today, I was telling him all the laundry and cleaning I did.  He then expressed how he would never be able to do everything by himself.  He's working two part time jobs that are giving him almost full time hours right now and he's going to school full time.  While he is working, I take care of the laundry, our home and cleaning for the family.  I also take care of Kyle and makes sure he gets on and off the bus safely.

Needed to get out

I was feeling a little confined so we decided to get ready to go somewhere.  We ended up going for a drive.  We went to Red Robin to eat.  Kyle actually sat still the entire time!  We think it helped that we sat near the window so he had a nice view to look out of.  We had a nice quiet meal at a restaurant for the first time ever!

Afterward, we went to Target to walk around the store.  It was nice to get out of the house! 

Since being back home from our vacation, Shannon has been job searching and applying like crazy.  It's nice not having to do everything around here for once.  He's actually doing his own job search and filling out online applications.  I just wish he started looking for jobs weeks ago. 

In Florida, we ended up having a discussion about our marriage and I told him everything that bothered me and angered me about our marriage.  He didn't realize, nor did he see that everything was just building up and making me unhappy.  He thought that the little things do not matter, only the big things.  Since then, he's changed completely. 

For the last 3 years, he would talk about nothing but his case.  He would always brush off what I wanted to talk about or my hobbies as things that do not matter.  He has also changed his direction in life.  He no longer bases his future on what a psychic told him.  He's finally thinking and planning for Plan B, rather than what may happen.  All of which, I believe he/we should have been doing the entire time.

A nice outing

Today, we went to Greensboro, NC to eat at Red Robin. We don't take Kyle out to eat at restaurants because of his special needs, so trips like this are far and few between. Afterwards, we went to Target. I earned a $10 gift card a few months ago, so I wanted to use it. I ended up getting paper towels and a pack of 2 bras ($16.99). It was so odd going to Target since we normally don't shop there. I can tell they are trying to look like a department store. They have nicer shelving and displays for their merchandise. This particular Target had a fresh/frozen food section, as well as a Starbucks in it! Wow! Target sure has changed.

Jurassic Park

Yesterday, we ended up watching Jurassic Park on cable. It was nice to sit down as a family to watch a movie. It is rare for Shannon and I to watch TV together, so it was really nice.

Our bills

This weekend, I made the decision to call our cable/internet/phone provider and our auto/renter's insurance company about lowering our bills. 

I just got off the phone with our cable/internet/phone provider and they were able to lower our bill.  Our current bill is a little over $127 a month and they were able to lower it to $113 a month for the next 6 months.  He gave us free DVR service for 6 months as a special promotion (I think it's a great way to offer to their current customers to keep them as customers). 

I just have to call back in 6 months (May) to make sure we keep our DVR service on. 

I was going to call our auto/renter's insurance company but the cordless phone was low on battery.  I plan on calling tomorrow. 

Corelle Dishes

The other day, I was finally able to purchase a set of Corelle Dinnerware on Amazon.  My order came to $0.  Even the shipping was free.  I used my Amazon gift cards to pay for the entire order!  I can't wait to get our new dinnerware set.  The dishes we have now have lasted us over 9 years (my in-laws bought them for us shortly after we got married).  Unfortunately, some of our dishes are chipped and some pieces are missing because they broke over the years.  I'm tired of having dishes that chip and break. 

The above picture is the set that I chose!  I chose blue and green because they are our favorite colors, Shannon likes blue and I like green. 

Dinner invite

Today was Kyle's last day of school for the year!  He has the next two weeks off from school.  On his way off the bus, his bus driver gave him a candy cane, which was really nice of him.  I didn't see him give a candy cane to any of the other kids either!

Our neighbor gave us an invite to another dinner party they are having on New Years Eve (the day before our 9th Wedding Anniversary).  They invited us over to make dumplings and then have dinner.

They invited us to a dinner party they were having for last Saturday but we ended up not going.  We have two reasons for not going: 1. My diet.  I'm a vegetarian and I would feel rude for not eating their food.  2. Kyle's special needs.  Sometimes Most of the time he can be a complete handful and take all of our energy trying to hold him and keep him from misbehaving.

Anyway, they ended up bringing over some of the leftover food they had.  Their kids were all dressed up and the little girl looked so cute in her red plaid dress!  Both kids are so adorable!  The little boy happens to be 4 months older than Kyle and they ride the same bus to school.  They ended up giving us 2 slices of pizza, 4 chicken breasts, 1 slice of cake, 1 slice of pumpkin cheesecake, and some bread.   Shannon was so shocked at how generous they were for bringing over the food.  I had the pumpkin cheesecake, which was really good.  Shannon ate the pizza and chicken breasts! 

The last time they invited us, Shannon straight out said that we shouldn't go.  He doesn't like to be social.  I would like to be friends/social with neighbors every once in awhile, but I'd also like to share it with my family! 

Remember the Orange Julius?

I remember when I was a kid, when my parents took us to the mall we usually stopped to get an orange julius -- a sweet treat!  It truly was a treat because we didn't get to enjoy this every day! 

This evening, we went to the mall and there was an Orange Julius!  We stopped and got a medium size drink to share.  I remember back in the late 80s and 90s, Orange Julius used to have a handful of blenders and they would make your julius right in front of you.  Well, today, it seems they no longer do that.  The orange julius comes out of a machine! 

As we walked away from the Orange Julius place, I thought about look up a homemade recipe version!  We tried making it years ago and I even found a recipe I wanted to try, but Shannon just took that over and made it the way he wanted.  This time I will make it the way I want to, with a recipe. 

Bath adventures

A few nights ago, Shannon was taking a bath and Kyle would always play in the water with him.  He'd put his whole arm in the water or take one of his toys and play with it in the water.  The other night, Kyle decided to get in the bath with his daddy!  It was so cute!  So they took a bath together! 

Last night I was taking a bath and Kyle decided to take a bath with me too!  It was too funny and cute at the same time.  So we ended up taking a bath together.  I shampoo'd his hair and washed his body as usual.  He seems to like how high the water is in the bathtub.  When I give him a bath, I fill it about 4 or 5 inches high. 

I'm "sorry" about how it all went down

I am "sorry" about how it all went down.  My brother had plenty of time to change his ways.  All we asked for is a little respect.  Be nice to us.  Say "hello" or even "good morning" to us!  Say something to us.  All he had to do was acknowledge us when he walked by.  Instead he ignored us.  If he would have just given us a little friendly chatter, he could still be living here.  If he took more initiative to help clean, offered to help pay our bills, etc that would have really helped too. 

In order for us to get this apartment, we pre-paid our entire lease (9 months).  As you can imagine, that took up a majority of our savings.  It bothered me to no end that my brother acted like he was entitled to live here.  He just basically swooped in and stayed in his room all day.  My husband and I offered him a roof over his head, a bed, a shower, paid for his groceries when he first got here and he treated us the way he did. 

He seemed fine when he first got here but as the days and weeks went on, he eventually stopped coming out to hang out with us.   He acted like he was too good to be around us.  I did not appreciate how he shut my son out and was even rude to him.   Your his only Uncle and that's how you treat your nephew?  Really?!  He just didn't want to be a part of our household/family.

My husband took my brother to find a weekly motel to stay in, so he is finally out of our apartment.  Kyle can have his own room again! 

It's just really sad that he's depending on other people to support him.  I had to stop enabling him and get him out of here. 

Day with parents

I spent yesterday with my parents.  They came over to the hotel early in the morning and we all had continental breakfast!  We went across the street to Home Depot and I helped my mom find jade plants for my dad.  My dad has been looking for a jade plant because it reminds him of his grandparent's house, so my mom and I ended up finding two different jades.

Then we headed over to my grandparent's house for a family meeting to discuss my grandpa's funeral and last minute details.

On the way home, we stopped at Costco where I got a zippered sweathirt and matching pants by DKNY.  They are a faded green/avocado like color.  I also bought a layered set of tank tops. 

We went back to the hotel and just relaxed for a bit before we had dinner at Sizzler's!  It was pretty good and I haven't eaten there in so long. 

In California for a bit

I am in California for my grandpa's funeral.  He passed away on October 1st.  I am staying at a hotel while I am here.  I was supposed to stay two nights at my Uncle's house but I could barely make it one night.  They have 4 cats and I am allergic.  I can handle living with one cat with the help of homeopathic medicine but 4 was too much for me.  About 30-40 minutes after I entered the house, my allergies started flaring up.  My eyes got puffy, my nose got stuffy, and to top it off, my asthma flared up!  I got about 2 or 3 hours of sleep that night.  I am now staying at the hotel and feeling much better.  I slept like a baby at the hotel.  I can tell I am still on East Coast time because I woke up at around 4:30am PST, which is 7:30am EST.  The hotel has continental breakfast from 6am til 10am so I filled up on food from there.  I will have a nice healthy breakfast every morning I am there!

The hotel is located near shopping so I just walked next door to Old Navy!  I spent about 45 minutes there, but didn't buy anything.  My mom and I went shopping at Walmart and Kohl's.  We ended up getting a zip-up cardigan/sweater with a hood for myself and 5 toys for Kyle!  Two of them are remote control cars and the other three are Toy Story 3 toys.  The Toy Story 3 toys were on clearance.  They are so cute, they are a flashlight and they talk!  Then we headed over to Kohl's.  My mom bought a black tie for my Dad, shoes for herself, and shoes for me.  I found a pair of toning shoes that were on sale by Avia.  I've been wanting a pair of toning shoes for awhile now and so glad I have a pair. 

Fun pics

Here are some fun pics I took with my son.

I can't believe I caught him smiling here!

He realized he saw himself on the screen and he was reaching out towards the camera!

That's Daddy's knee on the left. Kyle was distracted when we took this one.

Lazy Sunday

We spent today just relaxing and spending time as a family. I did a few loads of laundry today. I also had to find my dress shoes and also found more of my dress pants, which needed to be washed. I am just glad I have everything ready and washed. I already figured out what I am going to wear for my interview.

Disney's Cars was on TV today, so I turned it on for Kyle. The second he heard it, he ran over and started watching it. Shannon and I ended up watching it too since it had been awhile since we've seen it. It's a cute movie!

It's been a lazy day for all of us. I hope to get back into swing of things tomorrow.

I think I may have found what developmental delay Kyle may have. I am not sure, but Shannon and I are talking about it more and more and trying to figure it all out. Although, I should say that he has not been officially diagnosed by a doctor, nor have we received word from his speech therapist regarding her observations and test results. The other day, I was looking at getting a Leap Frog DVD for Kyle. One of the customer comments lead me to research a certain developmental delay. I looked up the symptoms and they sound a lot like Kyle. Soon after, I read them out loud to Shannon to see if he noticed them too. Since then, I have been reading more about it. With this certain disorder, most parents don't notice a problem until their child isn't progressing as other children are. This disorder is usually diagnosed around the age of 3. This is the first site that I found that was very informative. I found this second site that has a lot of great information. As I read through these sites, I realized that the questions the speech therapist was asking us were for her to make a general conclusion to a certain disorder/delay.

I hope to get the Leap Frog DVD very soon! As soon as I receive the amazon gift card from one of my websites that I use, I will get it! The DVD teaches the alphabet in a fun animated movie, they have catchy songs for each letter. The customer comments were positive and the kids really enjoyed watching it over and over. Kyle loves music and songs, so I hope he will like this DVD.

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.