Crazy Before the Snow

Kyle had preschool today. Hopefully he'll be on the bus schedule by next week!

The forecast calls for snow tonight and into tomorrow. They estimate our area to get between 2-4 inches!!! It will be much more in the higher elevations. With the snow coming, everyone was out shopping and getting ready for it. We were so surprised that there was so much traffic in the afternoon, but it was Friday and the snow storm is coming. We had to make a few stops before picking Kyle up from school. First, we stopped by my MIL's car insurance office to drop off some paperwork. I loved their office because they had plants all over, they were all so beautiful, healthy, and big.

We then went to Home Depot, my MIL wanted rock salt for the walkway and porch. We also bought paper towels, mainly because they sell it there and to save a trip to another store. Before we left, I wanted to look at the plants. I ended up buying a cute little palm plant! It looks like this one. The picture is a little deceiving, but it's really a small/dwarf plant! Mine is in a 3 or 4 inch pot. Then we went to a little grocery store and they didn't have what she wanted. On our way to pick Kyle up, the traffic was bad! You could tell people were getting upset and in a hurry.



Kyle looked happy as can be getting out of school, which is the complete opposite from how I left this morning. He was crying and whining a bit. I know he has a great time and gets to play with the other kids.

On our way home, we stopped at Food Lion (grocery store). My MIL bought turkey deli meat, dog treats, and candy. I ended up buying more chocolate candy too. YUM!

Shannon and I are missing each other! It is Day 5 of 12 of his business trip. He only has 7 days left until he comes home. We communicate only through email. He said he is bored since there isn't anything to do (after work). Plus he's bored because they are training him on things he already knows! He also said there are casinos there! LOL He said he may go eat at a buffet at one of them with another manager that he's training with.

I have a Pea Coat

A few hours after we dropped Kyle off at school, my MIL and I went shopping. We stopped at JC Penney's because she had to return a pajama top that she bought yesterday. They had several racks of 75% off in all departments. I ended up getting myself a Pea Coat that was on sale/clearance! It is so cute and it's a petite, size small. It was the last coat on the rack! I don't know how it hadn't been snatched up yet! I have wanted a coat and now I finally have one to keep me warm. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it's "dry clean only." I guess if I need to, I could use the at-home dry cleaning method.

I also bought Shannon two more pajama pants. He loves the ones he got for Christmas from his parents. These were also on sale/clearance.







After doing some damage at JC Penney's, we went to Bi-Lo to buy groceries. We ended up getting some frozen dinners from Healthy Choice! Most of them were vegetarian, so I bought one of each. I had one today and it was really good. It was "sweet and sour" which I normally don't eat and it made my mouth numb and it was spicy, it had a nice kick to it. I also had to pick up some over-the-counter allergy medicine! My allergies have been bothering me since the wind and rain were here a few days ago. The outdoor allergies are bothering me and the indoor allergies (cat dander) are pretty bad. This morning I had to take a Zyrtec, thankfully I had a sample and it helped me go back to sleep.

We're not sure about school on Friday. The weather forecast is calling for snow and ice! School could be canceled or on a 2-3 hour delay. There were a few school districts that were closed and one that was on a 2 hour delay today but they were in the higher elevations.

First Rain Boots

Kyle received his first pair of rain boots today! They are Spongebob Square Pants and they are really cute. The store also had Disney's Cars but they didn't have his size. They actually didn't have his shoe size, so his Grandma bought one size bigger, which is fine. Plus they were on sale and she couldn't pass them up!

Kyle was off of school on Monday and there was no school today as well. I don't know how kids learn anything around here with all these days off, weather related days off, etc! Plus they only have school for 6 1/2 hours a day! When I was in school, we had at least 7-7 1/2 hours a day!

Another thing that is a whole new concept to me is school uniforms! Kyle's school requires school uniforms! They really aren't "uniforms" more like certain colors he can wear at school.

12 Days Out of Town

The last three days were spent getting Shannon ready for his trip out of town. His employer wanted him to fly to Kansas City, MO for training. There are other new Property Managers flying out as well. They paid for his airline tickets, rental car, and hotel stay!

Shannon bought a 4 piece luggage set at JC Penney's that was on sale! He wanted professional looking luggage, especially since he's traveling for work. He didn't want to go through the airport and then arrive at the hotel with a huge duffle bag.

I made sure Shannon had clean clothes, while he packed and organized what he needed.

I woke Shannon up at 1 AM this morning. His flight was at 6:30 this morning so he wanted to make sure he got there earlier enough.

The weather was crazy last night. Along with the wind and rain, there is damage in the backyard! It knocked down part of their fence and there are big clumps of dirt all along the fence. There is also debris against the fence from the neighbor's yard.

Frugally Fun

I am so proud of myself! I made my own sugar scrubs and homemade laundry soap! I decided to make my own sugar scrubs because I recently became infatuated with Bath and Body Works and browsing their website. Although it doesn't help that I am on their email list, so they are sending me specials and coupons now. I don't mind it, it's just so tempting

I love using different beauty products (even though I have way too much already). When I have time to pamper and treat myself, I am going to take advantage! I saw some sugar scrubs on the "bath and body" website and that got me thinking about making my own! I love searching online for beauty recipes to try and found many different versions. Thankfully I found a simple recipe that I made with things I already have.

After I made my sugar scrubs, I decided to finally make homemade laundry soap! I found this recipe not too long ago and it looked really simple to make. I liked this version since it uses DRY ingredients, without having to melt or mix it with water and store it in a bucket, etc. The hardest part was grating the soap, it took me so long to do since I did it by hand using a cheese grater! I decided to make it because my skin is experiencing an odd reaction and I am not sure if it's with our current laundry detergent, our bath soap, or just a reaction to the winter weather! I don't think it's our bath soap because I recently switched brands and I have used this brand in the past and never had a problem.

Regardless, I love going natural, going green, and saving money whenever I can! Overall, both recipes were really easy to make. Grating the soap was the only "un-fun" part of it.

3 Days Home

Shannon came home last night. He has 3 days off and then he'll have to fly out to Kansas City and stay there for two weeks (instead of one) for training. A few hours after he got home, he received a call from the President of the company he works for asking if he can train for two weeks in Kansas City. Thankfully Shannon and I can communicate via email while he is away from home.

Meanwhile, I found an apartment complex that I like. Hopefully we'll have time to see it in early February and then decide whether or not to apply. We want to move out there as soon as we can, that way we won't have to be apart for so long.

I will be inquiring about getting Kyle enrolled into the new school district and ask about the process. So far, Kyle seems to love school! He looks comfortable going into the school and in his classroom.

To the Mall We Go

My MIL had a 3 hour shift to cover as a volunteer for the Artist Guild here in our city. My in-laws belong to the Artist Guild and they are asked to volunteer in the gallery. The gallery is located in the mall. She asked if Kyle and I would like to go and just hang out at the mall while she is working. They have a place where they have 3 different bouncy houses and she wanted to see if Kyle would like bouncing in them. It turns out, he didn't. I even got in with him and bounced a few times. He got the idea of the bouncing part, but he wasn't having any fun. After that, he pretty much whined and cried the entire time. He did calm down near the end and was even running around and jumping as usual.

In between his whining and crying, I walked through the department stores. The only other store I did stop in was Bath & Body Works. I bought 3 lotions and 3 lip glosses! While in there, I noticed that most of their products don't even has prices on them, which is really sneaky. The lotions I bought were actually marked at $4, so that's why I bought them. They had several signs that said "buy 3 get 1 free" or even "buy 4 and get 2 free" or something like that.

I think the 3 hours wouldn't have been so bad if the mall was bigger and offered better stores. The mall here is really lame, plus they don't even have a food court! Their "food court" is an IHOP and some other place I have never heard of that offers southern-friendly food. YUCK! I entertained Kyle with the little waterfalls they have in the center of the mall. I also brought snacks and juice boxes, which I am glad I did!

When we got home, we all ate because we were so hungry! I am exhausted and I hope Kyle goes to bed early tonight.

First Day of a New Job

Today is Shannon's first day of work with a new job! He was out the door right at 6 AM! He had packed his bag the night before.

Today was also my first full day of watching Kyle. It sure has been awhile. I think I will have to let Kyle play outside tomorrow because he got pretty antsy today. If the weather permits, he will play outside! I may even take him for a walk. Kyle is doing better with eating. He ate a good breakfast of cereal, had a corn dog for lunch, and tuna helper for dinner. I am making an effort to offer him milk and juice at each meal.

Shannon is hoping we can move as early as mid-February! We're open to renting a house or an apartment. Since I found his job on craigslist, we are looking on craigslist for rentals. We are aware of the many "scams" on craigslist, so we're being careful and cautious.

Booster Seat Time

Ever since Kyle started Preschool, it made me realize that perhaps it's time for him to be in a booster seat! When we go to pick him up from school, they have it set up like a drive-thru at a fast food restaurant! It's actually kind of funny how it works. I guess we never realized the process until we had to start doing this. Each car pulls up and lines up in a long line in the parking lot and the teacher(s) walks each child up to the car [in the front of the line] and help him/her into the car. The kids just jump in and seem to sit down in their booster seat on their own. We're not sure if they buckle themselves but the parents just drive off after that. However, when it comes to our turn, we have to buckle Kyle in because he's still in a car seat. It's a little awkward because we end up holding up the line because we have to strap Kyle in and adjust the seat belt, etc. The other parents aren't complaining, I am sure they want each child to be safe, but it's just time consuming for everyone!

For the last few weeks, I have been telling Shannon that we should get a booster seat for Kyle. He's been putting it off saying he still fits in his car seat. Well, today, Shannon finally saw that Kyle has outgrown the car seat! Shannon had to move Kyle's car seat out of our car and install it in his Mom's car (since Shannon is going out of town to start work). Shannon said he saw on the side of Kyle's car seat it says: up to 35 lbs. Whoops! Shannon finally gave me the "go ahead" to buy a booster seat online!

I found a booster seat that was very affordable and will adjust with Kyle's growth! This should be much easier to buckle him in.

Getting ready for New Job

Shannon has spent the last few days getting ready to start his new job on Monday! Yesterday, he went to JC Penney's and bought "business casual pants" and polo shirts, all in neutral colors. He also bought work shoes and a belt. Today, we went to Walmart and bought groceries for Kyle and myself. I also bought toiletries to pack for Shannon, since he wouldn't think of those to pack. I had to buy him a travel soap container, lotion for men (for face and body), and travel size shampoo. He picked out a laptop shoulder bag for when he travels. We didn't need soap since we still have plenty of soap left from when we bought a 16 pack of soap from BJ's Warehouse! LOL Which reminds me of the following commercial:



Shannon is due to start work on Monday at 8:30 AM, which means he will be leaving at 6 AM. The job location is about an hour and a half away. He wants to leave early, just in case. He doesn't want to be late on his first day!

As for groceries, I planned out Kyle friendly food choices. Plus, I am a little rusty on feeding Kyle on a daily basis since I was working so much. Hopefully Kyle will like them, or at least try them. This week he likes corn dogs so we bought more of those. He also likes broccoli, which is another surprise! He'll eat both the stem and floret. I also bought a variety of breakfast foods, such as bagels, yogurt, and frozen blueberries (to add to yogurt). I picked up a few packages of Uncle Ben's rice that come in the pouch, I have never tried them but they look good (plus I had a coupon). I had coupons for a few other things, so I bought some food items that we haven't tried yet.

Back in November, I bought Kyle 2 pairs of slippers. When I tried to put them on, he didn't like them on his feet and he quickly took them off. Well, 2 months later, I finally put a pair on his feet and he didn't take them off!!! He seems to like them too!

Change of Plans

Shannon received a call this afternoon around 2 PM from his future employer! They have moved up the date for him to start training!! He's going to start on Monday, January 18th!!!!

Here's the backstory... The company is building and in the process of opening up 8 new properties across the United States. In the meantime, they have every available member of the corporate office working at various properties to help cover, etc. Since there are 8 properties opening up, they just hired 8 new property managers and they are trying to coordinate all 8 new property managers to come to Kansas City, MO at the same time to train all at once! They are going to fly out each manager, put them up in a hotel, and give them a rental car while they are there for the week. Wow! Shannon has never had a position that did that for him!!! Shannon said they called again tonight, but he wasn't able to answer the phone (he was taking care of Kyle). He checked his email and they asked him for his shirt size. We are guessing they are giving him a polo shirt with the company logo on it!

As for Shannon's training schedule, they have the following planned... They want him to report to the hotel that he will be working at on Monday, January 18th and stay there during the week to train with the current property manager. For the week of January 25th, they are going to fly him out to Kansas City, MO (along with the other 7 property managers) to train for the entire week! After that week in Kansas City, he will then report back to the property where he will be working and work the next two weeks with the current property manager for more training and learn the job. After Shannon got off the phone with his Director of Operations, he started stressing out a little bit. He's trying to figure out what he needs to pack, what he needs to buy, etc. in order to be ready to start working.

We ended up going shopping at Staples. Shannon bought a day planner and a pack of pads of paper. I bought two plastic file folders with 7 pockets each. I chose the pads of paper because we could both use them: I can use them to write letters to my pen pals and Shannon needed a pad of paper to use while in training! I bought the file folders because I wanted something to organize Kyle's school papers in. I wanted an organized system so when we go to enroll him in preschool, we will have everything I need. I bought the second file folder to keep our important papers in.

Shannon is also worried about school. He is currently in the middle of a class. He plans on asking for a month off from school in order for him to focus on his new job/training. Shannon will probably end up taking my laptop with him for the next month while he is working!

As for me, I am more worried about getting Kyle to and from school. I am hoping we can get him scheduled on a school bus before next week. Otherwise, I will be taking a cab just to get Kyle to school! I am also worried about getting Kyle enrolled at another school, but that won't be until we are ready to move. I don't think we will be moving until the end of February, after he is done with training!

He got the job!

Shannon was offered the job yesterday! Pending the background check, etc., they want him to start training on January 25th! They emailed him the paperwork and he filled it all out last night and faxed it over this morning! He will be going to training in another city, rather than in Kansas City, MO like they originally mentioned. At least he'll be in the same state and time zone.

I am turning in my notice at work today, my last day will be January 24th, that way I can be the one to walk Kyle to the bus stop and pick him up. Speaking of that, we are going to set Kyle up to start taking the bus to and from school from now on. His teacher is the one to set it all up for us.

Since I am off tomorrow and Kyle will be in school, we are going to drive out to the area where he will be working. We're going to drive around to look at the area and look for apartments. I am also stressing out about getting Kyle enrolled in a new school district!

Coach Handbag is here

My Coach handbag arrived today! I didn't have to work until 5 PM tonight and of course it didn't come until after we left to go to work! It was a slower today at work, I guess I got so used to the busy days from the holidays.

Just before we left for work, Shannon received a call back from the Director of Operations, he was the second person he interviewed with for the Property Manager position. It turns out, that they had two really good candidates and they want to hire both Shannon and the other candidate. There is another property that has an opening, as the current Property Manager had to go on a leave of absence and they are unsure how long he/she will be gone. So, they are going to have Shannon take that position of Property Manager! Anyway, the Director of Operations said that he will receive a call tomorrow to talk more about the position, etc. Once we get the final word that he is officially hired, I will be giving my two week notice at work!

When I got home, my package was waiting for me on the bed. I didn't open it until after I took a shower. My handbag is beautiful! It was nicely and carefully wrapped. It even came with a cloth bag to store my handbag in.

Power Outage = No School

We took Kyle to school this morning and pulled in to an empty parking lot. Usually there are other parents waiting in their cars for the door to be opened. It was also dark inside. Our first reaction was to check the time...again. Are we early? Are we late? Did we miss something? Was there no school today? Shortly after we pulled in and parked, another preschool teacher ran up to our car to explain that the power was out, which meant no heat! They were basically sending kids home. She told us that they had no idea how long it would take to get the power back on. We ended up taking Kyle home with us. As we drove by the front of the school, we noticed it was the entire school that had no power! Shannon and I couldn't understand why they don't have a backup generator!?

I had the last 3 days off and it was glorious! It was so relaxing and I feel re-charged! I did all of our laundry on my first day off. I also had a chance to catch up on my workouts! Since I have been working so much, I barely had the energy or time to devote to working out.

Shannon had a second job interview on Saturday, it was a phone interview with the Director of Operations. His first interview was with one of the owners of the company. Today, he received an email asking for "at least 3 references," which is a really good sign! The job location is close to the law school he was looking at going to! He is going for a property manager position with a hotel.

My FIL had to have his truck towed, the clutch wouldn't work right. It's probably because of our cold temperatures!

Shannon helped his mom rearrange the furniture in the living room. His mom wanted to move the couch, chair, and area rug around. It looks nice. It's in a similar layout as when we first move here.

2 Hour Delay

The local school district put all schools on a 2 hour delay, which means school starts 2 hours later than normal. When I look out the window, I still don't know why they put on the 2 hour delay...there is no snow! LOL We still have to pick Kyle up at the usual time. I also found out that Kyle and his classmates will be having lunch in the cafeteria! Normally they eat in the classroom. I can't imagine taking 3 and 4 year olds to a cafeteria! LOL

Shannon had a job interview for a hotel/property manager position yesterday. The interview was an hour away and the property is nearby. The hotel is being built, so they had the interview at another hotel. He interviewed with the President of the company. He was also told that there are 3 serious candidates that they are considering and he is one of them. Shannon also just received an email and the Director of Operations wants to set up a second interview!

Yesterday, I ended up giving up 3 of my days to another cashier since she was looking for more hours. I could do with much less hours, I would be happy! Next week, I would have 6 days straight without a day off! So I ended up giving up 2 of those days to the other cashier. After tonight, I have the next 3 days off! I need some days off! I have laundry and chores to do. Just a lot of stuff to catch up on.

Sick again!?

Last night I started feeling a tickle in my throat. I was also having trouble falling asleep. Today, I am drinking echinacea tea, hoping to beat whatever sickness is trying to take over!

Shannon is back to school, as of yesterday. He also has a job interview tomorrow for a management position at a hotel. They called last night around 7:30 PM to set up the interview. He also had to take an assessment test online. Since I will be at work on Thursday, my MIL will be watching Kyle while Shannon is at his interview.

I finally treated myself and bought a Coach handbag! My purse zipper broke. It was barely zipping up before it finally broke. I found the bag last night, after searching all the major department store websites. I went through upromise to purchase it, that way I earn money for Kyle's college.

Back to School

The last few days have been busy for us. Our 7th Wedding Anniversary was on January 1, 2010! Then Kyle turned 4 on January 3, 2010!

Last night the temperatures got down into the teens, around 15 to 17 degrees! I also heard on the news that none of the shelters were going to turn anyone away.

Winter Break is over and Kyle went back to school today. Our morning routine needs to be re-established because I woke Kyle and Shannon up a little later than I anticipated! After we dropped Kyle off at school, Shannon and I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel! They had a fire roaring in the fireplace and we were seated right in front of it! It was so nice to go out to eat without Kyle! So quiet and peaceful.