Lazy Weekend

This has been a lazy weekend for us! Besides going grocery shopping yesterday, we haven't done much! It's been a nice relaxing weekend! I did write two letters today, so hopefully I will have two new pen pals! One of them is in San Francisco, CA which is exciting to me, as I am from California!

Earlier this month, I ordered a workout DVD on amazon and have yet to receive it. Per the vendor/seller, it was shipped on February 3rd. According to their email, they said it should arrive within 4 to 14 days. Well, it's been 18 days! I am tired of waiting so I emailed the vendor asking for a refund. It was shipped via USPS and I know things don't take that long to arrive.

I am anxious to receive my pilates workout DVDs! Yesterday I did a few different pilates workouts from videos I found on youtube! I forgot how much I enjoy pilates.

Kyle still enjoys school! He loves riding the school bus too! He's always so happy when he gets off the bus, I can see it in the way he acts while we are walking home (from the bus stop). The school already has snow make-up days set, which is great! I didn't like that Kyle had to miss a whole week of school.

A little something different

We just got back from Walmart a little while ago. We bought so much food! Instead of the usual, I went with "refried beans, shredded cheese, salsa, tortillas, and potatoes theme." I needed something different this time around, I am a little tired of pastas and rice type of dishes! The next two weeks of meals will be burritos, quesadillas, and/or baked potatoes!



We haven't bought any junk food or sodas lately. Shannon is on a "trail mix and granola" kick, so they are always in the house. I don't mind, they are both good and the granola goes great with my yogurt. We did buy some frozen concentrate orange juice again this time, which is great to drink instead of water all the time.

I bought colorful writing paper to use for writing letters to my pen pals. I stocked up on tooth brushes for us and Kyle, as well as toddler toothpaste (it's safe to swallow).

We also needed new sippy cups for Kyle! The last time we bought sippy cups for him was about 2 1/2 years ago or so. So these are for bigger kids. Hopefully he'll get used to these.

Back to Pen Palling

I have decided to get back into pen palling again. I miss receiving real mail instead of junk, bills, and freebies. Freebies aren't bad but it would be nice to receive letters again. I started writing yesterday and now have 4 letters done! I have several more letters to respond to, so that should keep me busy this week. I also got back into pen palling because I have some really amazing people I write to and I miss writing them!

Shannon brought home a packaged tray of cookies from work on Christmas Day! He said someone from the kitchen gave them to him, I guess the Chef had many trays left over so he was giving them away! They are delicious and Kyle and I have been eating cookies here and there.

Kyle is doing really well eating at the table! While I was writing letters on MY NEW TABLE, Kyle came up and sat down too. So that's when I pulled out his crayons and a coloring page for him to color on. He wanted to scribble on my letters so I gave him a blank piece of paper. He colored a bit on the table but thankfully that came off.

Catching up

Since we were approved for Medicaid for Kyle, I was able to schedule a doctor’s appointment for him at the end of this month. I am looking forward to this checkup for him.

Shannon was off yesterday and then he’s off tomorrow. He went to the store last night to get the other half of our groceries. He went earlier this week for groceries but only bought half of what we normally need. He also bought me a big box of envelopes so I am finally able to write my letters. I have about 10 more letters to write.

I placed an order from a company called L’Bri. They sell all natural products made with aloe vera as their first ingredient. Anyway, I received my order yesterday. I had gone to a home party for this company a few months ago and just started using the samples again last week. I loved the feeling of my skin so I bought the full size skin care set.

I seem to have a new obsession with aloe vera and it’s benefits. So far, my plant is still alive.

More Info

I finally made it to the mailbox today. The last two days have been rain for most of the day. Today it finally stopped so I could go outside without getting another shower.

Last week, I received a response from the Department of Health and Human Services, regarding my Medicaid application. The case worker wanted more information from us, such as proof of citizenship, proof of state residence, proof of income, and copies of our social security cards. Anyway, Shannon finally made copies of everything we needed so I was able to mail it out today.

Waiting for an answer and Catching up

I filled out an application for Medicaid for Kyle and put it in today’s mail. I am hoping we get approved. He hasn’t been to the doctor since he was 18 months, which is about a year ago.

I wrote two letters today. I have a few more letters to write, which I will get to throughout the week.

Yesterday was Shannon’s first day back after 4 days off from work. It sounds like the issues with the three family members that work there are being taken care of. One of them is a department manager and we think he’s on an action plan. He was mandated to go to a workshop on how to talk to people. He also has a sister in law in his department and Shannon is stuck working with her on his shift. She is a terror and acts like a diva…literally. Apparently she can’t stand to work with certain people (unless they are her friends). If she can’t work with her friends, she makes everyone else’s life hell. Thankfully, it sounds like she’s being taken care of because her attitude has improved, but we’ll see how long that lasts. There have been plenty of complaints about her and even HR knows about her. There is another family member (she works in sales), and she is married to the department manager and her sister works there (the diva), anyway, she is no prize either. There are so many complaints regarding this family that the upper managers are finally investigating, which is why the problems are improving.

Shannon will be eligible to transfer/promotion in a few months, so hopefully there will be opportunities by then.

We’re still waiting on that check. I sent in more info to them so they can investigate my account. I am hoping to have my money very soon.

Crazy Weather and Chores

Today is Mother’s Day! I started my afternoon with writing two pen pal letters! I hope to work on more this week. I am a little behind and don’t like to keep my pen pals waiting too long.

It’s been a crazy weather day! I felt like I was back in Northern Nevada! It started out overcast and then a little rain. Then it was sunny, when a huge grey cloud moved over our complex. That’s when it started hailing for a few minutes. Once the hail stopped, it was overcast again. The sun decided to come out and then it started hailing like mad! When I opened our side door, some of the hail came inside! The hail was a little smaller than golf balls. Shannon had called me from work beforehand to say there was a tornado warning in effect. He said it was hailing the size of golf balls. The hail was so loud, we could hear it hit the rooftops and cars. We even heard a few car alarms go off.

After the weather calmed down, I took the time to clean! I cleaned the kitchen, both bathrooms, and vacuumed. I find myself vacuuming a few times a day. I can’t wait to get our steam vacuum! It’s my Mother’s Day gift. I ordered it online about a week ago and it should be delivered to the store soon. Our carpets need to be deep cleaned and I can’t wait to do that. It will be interesting with Kyle running around. He likes to follow me when I am vacuuming.

Relaxing Family Day

Today was Shannon’s day off from work. We had a chance to talk over lunch and coffee. We just talked about his job and how everything is going. I also let him know what’s been going on with Kyle. We also talked about moving expenses and figured out what our monthly bills would cost. It looks like we’ll be okay in terms of paying our bills. We decided that we’re going to rent a washer and dryer instead of purchasing them. There are a few things we need once we get all moved in. But it is all very exciting thinking about our new apartment and being closer to Shannon’s new job.

Shannon had to run a few errands today. He dropped off his suits to get them fixed and pick up his new suits. One of his suits is an Armani! Anyway, they are very nice and he needed them for work. Shannon also had to get his hair cut.

After he was done with his errands, we all had a chance to just be together as a family. Shannon spent time with Kyle. I had to do a few loads of laundry.

I am looking for more pen pals so I hope to receive some letters in the next few weeks. I also wrote 2 intro letters today. I have more letters to write this weekend too.

Gift for Kyle

"Mom." - Kyle, my son

I finally got around to ordering the Aquadoodle for Kyle from my Mom. I picked out an Elmo Aquadoodle mat. All of the reviews about the Aquadoodle are positive and the kids seem to love it. Plus there is no mess with playing with this thing. I’d love to get Kyle some crayons are markers but I think he’s still too young and I don’t want him marking up his face or find him eating crayons. LOL

Shannon has a job interview on Tuesday in the afternoon! It’s a little less than an hour away.

I was able to write a letter yesterday and plan on writing more today. It’s so funny trying to write letters with a 2 year old. I have to distract him and put a Pooh movie on or any other movie he likes. Once in awhile he’ll climb on my lap or want to see what I am doing.

The little extras

"Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you." - William Arthur

We went to Walmart for groceries today. I also bought a folder and a little file folder thing that could hold coupons or index cards. But I use it to keep our paid bills in, it helps me stay organized. Shannon bought the biggest case of beer! BLEH! LOL I bought some chocolate and a 4 pack of Starbucks iced frappacino (spelling?) coffee. Kyle was very good in the car and in the store. He loves going for rides in the car. He’s always so quiet in the store, which I am thankful for. He just loves looking at everything, everyone and every item we put in the cart.

When we got home, I received some goodies in the mail. I got 3 letters from my pen pals! Which reminds me, I have a few letters to write. I also got my last order of soy candles! They all smell so delicious! Very highly scented. They are the new spring/summer scents and since they all sounded yummy and I couldn‘t choose, I opted for scents I wouldn’t normally choose. I can’t wait to burn them!

This morning and afternoon it was overcast, windy and raining like crazy. However, this earlier evening, it’s now blue skies with the sun shining, but still a little windy.

All Caught Up

“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” - Anatole France


I haven’t been in the mood to write any letters so I had to encourage myself to get back into writing. I knocked out 6 letters this weekend. I received 2 letters last week so I have plenty of time to write those. I am just proud of myself for getting them done and plan on mailing them out on Monday.

The only way I can write letters is when Kyle is distracted. So I have learned to turn on one of his favorite movies. His usual movies are either of the 2 Winnie the Pooh movies we have or Cars. We also have Dumbo and Peter Pan, so I am trying to work those in and get him used to those movies. I turned on Dumbo last night and he started crying! LOL I turned on Peter Pan today and he lost interest. I just have to keep turning them on here and there for him to get used to them.

I also realized that I am almost out of stamps so I bought a sheet of forever stamps. I do plan on buying more forever stamps before the price goes up.

I am going to buy more soy candles for myself. I think I deserve it since I never got anything for our anniversary (except 4 bags of peanut M&Ms), and nothing for Valentine’s Day (not even a hug, kiss, or wink and those are all free). Yet my husband decided to donate over $600 to the Ron Paul campaign on the day of Ron Paul’s wedding anniversary to his wife. So if Ron Paul and his wife can get over $600, I think I deserve to spoil myself.

I am still waiting on my other soy candle order from my other company I am with called Country Charm Scents. I can’t wait to try those candles too! I miss burning candles!

The Second Interview

My husband just got the call for a second interview tomorrow afternoon at 2:30pm. We are both very excited! He’s really hoping to get this job. It sounds like the perfect job for him!

I’ve been busy with my PTC (paid to click) sites. I joined a new site yesterday. The PTC world is very unstable with the fact that there are scammers out there. So I tend to do my research and read what others are saying. Well the new site I joined is owned by a person known to be honest and pays since he/she already owns a PTC site that I happen to be a member of! So I had no problem joining this site. I got paid from another site of mine and I was excited about that. My next payment will be over $2400! PTC sites aren’t a way to get rich and I am not claiming to be. PTC sites offer extra money, which I wholeheartedly welcome. Plus they are really fun and addicting.

I should be receiving my order from Bath & Body Works today. I used my $25 gift card that I earned from a site I belong to, so my order cost less than $3. I earned that gift card from reading emails and/or through my other online purchases. Shannon is also a member of this site, I signed him up under me! We have earned gift cards from Walmart, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Old Navy! We are also signed up with upromise, so I am hoping to do more shopping through them in the near future.

I haven’t been in the mood to write any letters! Ever since I heard about the stamp prices going up again, it really made me upset. I don’t want to give up on pen palling, because I love receiving mail. Plus I like writing letters.

I think we are pretty much ready to file our taxes. I am going to do it online for free, since we meet the qualifications.

AGAIN?!

I read online that the stamps will go up in May to another 1 cent, which means stamps will cost 42 cents! What are they trying to do, kick the snail mailers out of business? It is definitely time for me to stop taking on new pen pals. Unless Shannon finds a job soon, then maybe I could continue like I am. I am thankful for online bill pay as well. Paying my bills online saves me the postage for my letters instead. I already know I cannot afford overseas pals, so I only stick to USA only.

Shannon applied for 2 city jobs today. The application process seems really simple. You can mail, fax or drop off your application before the closing date. If you meet the minimum requirements, your application is forwarded to the hiring department and they call you for an interview. Yesterday I filled out the application to the best of my ability and had Shannon fill in the blanks. To save stamps, I decided to fax the applications in.

Shannon also received an email response from one of the many jobs he applied for online. Shannon just needs to call the person to let them know he is interested. We’ll see how that goes.


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3 Letters/Vitamins/Errands

I wrote 3 pen pal letters today. I wanted to get a few letters out that were sent to me over 2 weeks ago. Just trying to get through my pile of letters.

We started Kyle on the generic brand of Flintstone vitamins. The first day, I tried giving him a full vitamin but he wasn’t going for it. He tried but I guess it was too much for him. So then I tried cutting them in half and at first he didn’t want them. But now I have learned to give them to him at lunch. I have to place it on the table next to his plate and he eats it either after his meal or halfway through his meal. But thankfully he’s taking his vitamin. He’s still a little hesitant though. I was looking into using a powder form of vitamin for him. I may change to a powder vitamin after he’s done with these.

I told Shannon that we need to go to the bank to get my name added to the account so we can order checks! He said we’ll do the last of our errands this week! We also need to register our car. He said once that is all done, he’s going to start going out to look for jobs (instead of just applying online).

We are running out of the checks that the bank started us out with so I really want to order checks before we run out.

I got a BEANIE!

My husband got a call back from one of the jobs that I applied for him. I saw these two jobs listed on a hotel job site and I applied for both of them. Hopefully he’ll get an interview this week!

I received a letter from a new pen pal! I also received the first set of Cds from Shaklee. I am trying to earn $100 worth of product. I just have to listen to these Cds.

I got my first beanie in the mail today. It was for one of the freebies I signed up for. I have it on now and I really like it, its pretty comfortable. It’s black with the company logo on the front.

I only had time to write one letter today. It took me about 45 minutes it seemed. I may try to write more letters later today.

Another item I received in the mail was my long awaited gift card from Walmart for $150! I was so proud of myself to have earned that. It took a LOT of offers to complete but I did it. Very pleased. I am not sure if I want to buy a new digital camera or not. I think I deserve to spoil myself a little.

Personal Time

I've been catching up on letters and yahoo groups. I wrote 4 pen pal letters yesterday! They were all letters I received in the early part of July. I never used to wait that long to respond to letters but since stamps are so expensive, I've been taking a little longer. Plus, Kyle takes up most of my time.

I hope to switch to earth/environmentally friendly cleaning products very soon. As soon as my current cleaning supplies are out, I will be switching! I am looking into making my own cleaning products but I don't know if I could do it.

Our son turns 19 months old tomorrow! Wow! The time sure does fly by with him. He is eating more these days. Also, he hasn't really been taking naps for almost a week. I wonder if it's because of the heat or because he's getting older. He still sleeps all through the night, but he does wake up at night -- most likely from the heat.

We just got another big bag full of clothes for our DS so I need to go through it soon.