New Shoes

Shannon and I went to the mall so he could get new shoes.  He bought the same Nike shoes that he currently has.  They had his size too.  After finding what he wanted at JC Penney, we decided to walk around the mall.  It was a nice outing for us.  We had frozen yogurt before leaving. 

Black Friday orders

I received my Black Friday orders!  We received Shannon's black pants yesterday.  He hasn't had the time to try them on.  I want to make sure he likes them and that they fit right.  He will be using them for Best Buy, as well as when we're at home. 

I received my JC Penney's order today!  I tried on my first pair of skinny jeans and love them!  They are so comfortable and fit just fine.  I love my black boots too.  I don't have a full length mirror, so I stood in the bathroom and lifted my leg so I could "see" my boots on my feet and how they look with my skinny jeans!  LOL  I also love my Skechers sneakers!  They fit just perfectly too. 

Shoes

Kyle has new shoes.  Shannon bought him new shoes the other day.  He seems to like them.  I also bought myself a new pair of shoes.  They are Skechers and so cute.  They have a slimmer look!  I bought a half a size smaller than I normally wear thinking I could wear them comfortably.  When I tried both of them on at home, they felt a little snug.  I've been walking around in them at home to see if they would work, otherwise, I will exchange them for my normal size. 

Shannon is still working like crazy.  Yesterday, he only worked at Best Buy.  Today, he has to work at Best Buy and then come home, sleep for a few hours and work at his security supervisor job for 8 hours overnight.  The hours are great, we're just not sure how long he can keep this up.  Hopefully his hours with both jobs will smooth out.  We love the extra hours though.  Now we can't wait until he gets a few paychecks! 

Voting Day

Shannon was off from both jobs today, however, his boss from his security job called this morning a little after 7am.  Shannon is working today with supervisor pay, which is even better because he gets his full rate.  His boss said he was going home and he'd pay Shannon at the supervisor rate, rather than the guard rate.  He works until 3pm on that site.  Then he's going to work another shift tonight. 

We just talked on the phone and decided that we don't need to vote.  We both don't like either candidate... 

Since he has a few hours between shifts, he's going to run to the mall to get shoes for Kyle.  This time, we're going to buy a name brand shoe for him rather than a Walmart shoe brand. 

We're glad that the hours are there.  We definitely need the hours!

Monday

Kyle has today and tomorrow off from school.  Since Shannon started working, Kyle and I have had a lot of time to spend together. 

Shannon worked today at Best Buy.  He did computer training.  From what he described, it sounds like the same training as I had with Walmart.  He worked 5 hours at Best Buy.  His security job called this morning asking if he could cover a shift, however, he had to turn it down because he was schedule to train at Best Buy.  Then his boss at the security job called again asking if he could work later in the day.

It turns out, he is covering for someone who called this evening.  He's working 5pm until 10pm.  If there is another call off for graveyard, he may cover it.

So far, he is off from both jobs tomorrow.  We both want to vote tomorrow and we also want to go to the mall.  Shannon needs additional pairs of pants for Best Buy and I would like to get Kyle a new pair of shoes.  His shoes are coming apart at the soles.  They are already half way off.  There's only fabric keeping his feet in his shoes.

A time for Therapy and Shopping

Kyle had therapy today.  I set the alarm extra early so I had time to get ready and eat breakfast.  Kyle ended up waking up/sitting up right after I got out of bed.  He and I had breakfast together, he had cold cereal and I had oatmeal.  I was surprised he actually wanted cereal because normally he's so picky about what he has to eat.  As we were getting dressed and ready to go, Kyle wanted his school backpack because he thought he was going to school.  He seemed to know that things were out of routine, which he makes him nervous and uneasy.  When that happens, he starts whining.

A few days ago, my MIL mentioned to both Shannon and I that Kyle's hair doesn't look as shiny anymore and wasn't as soft to the touch.  I told her that it will shine in the sun.  Then she asked if he's still taking vitamins and I told her no.  Her comment made me realize that he does need to be taking vitamins as he does not eat that well!  He's a picky eater times 10!  In the end, I am glad she said something about Kyle's hair as she does not always feel his hair or see it everyday. 

While Kyle was in therapy, Shannon and I went to Walmart.  Shannon stayed in the car, mainly because he hasn't showered in days.  LOL  I ended up getting some colorful tops that were only $7, capri-type pants that can be worn for working out or lounging around, 2 pairs of jeans, shoes for Kyle, two different types of vitamins for Kyle, almond milk, and liquid plumr.  When I find jeans that actually fit in the waist, I tend to get 2 pairs!  These jeans fit like a glove, plus they are Levi's brand and so comfortable!  Kyle's feet seem to be growing like crazy because he needs new shoes.  His other pair of shoes that I bought from JC Penney's need to be returned because they will be snug on him.  This time, I bought him a size 11 in toddler.  I tried looking for BOY size shoes but they are still way too big for him.  I ended up getting Kyle two types of vitamins, one is a multivitamin and the other is for "immune support."  Hopefully that will help him stay healthy at school and not bring home as many colds!  I bought him "gummy type of vitamins" since he seems to like those.

My MIL and I ended up going to the "mall" here.  I wanted to return Kyle's shoes.  We went to another department store and I found a workout top on clearance for only $2.98!  I couldn't pass it up and bought it! 

New Clothes and Shoes for School

Kyle's clothes and shoes arrived today!  The pants are so cute, they are a little long in the legs so hopefully they will shrink or we'll have to roll up the pants.  He is still growing though!  He has grown taller since last year!  His shoes are adorable too!  I bought him a brand name shoe by Vans!

I still need to buy some school shirts for Kyle.  I plan on buying him boy sizes (instead of toddler clothes).  

Here is a picture of Kyle's new shoes!  They are toddler size 10 shoes. 

Here is a picture of both shoe boxes.

Here's a picture of Shannon's shoe and Kyle's shoe side by side! 

Sick Again?!

Kyle has his speech therapy and occupational therapy yesterday.  When he woke up, we could tell he wasn't feeling well.  He was also being whiney and having fits.  Although, he did really good in therapy.  He already knew that he gets to play during therapy so he looks forward to it.  While Kyle was in therapy, Shannon and I went to Kohl's which is just down the street.  Shannon needed new shoes and found a nice pair by Nike.  Shannon no longer wants to get his shoes from Walmart because those sneakers aren't as comfortable and sturdy as a name brand, which I understand.  I want him to be comfortable.  We have never been to Kohl's so it was pretty fun for me to see what they have!  It seems they don't have toddler clothes because I tried looking for school clothes for Kyle. 

Kyle woke up this morning and just wanted to lay in bed, he's still not feeling well!  Kyle didn't seem interested in eating breakfast either.  Kyle did end up throwing up twice this morning!  I am just hoping it's not another 3 weeks straight of throwing up!  I don't want to go through that again, especially without being able to use the washer and dryer freely!  Plus, Kyle starts school next Wednesday!  I really need to talk to his teacher, I still don't know what his school schedule will be.  I am going to ask to have him go 4 days a week so that we have one day off to take him to therapy.

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!

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. 

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.

Preschool News and Work Clothes

Shannon shaved Kyle's head today! He looks adorable! Immediately after, I gave Kyle a bath since there was hair everywhere! Kyle went nuts because he's scared of the noise of the razor. By the time he got in the bath, he was fine.

We had a meeting at the main offices for the local school district for Kyle today. The whole meeting lasted 1 hour. This was the final meeting to discuss whether or not Kyle would qualify for special education and discuss what they (the school psychologist, speech therapist, audiologist, and preschool teachers) came up with. In this meeting, it was just the preschool teachers. They discussed the entire report written by everyone above and it was determined that Kyle qualifies for special education with the school district! They already have a school and class picked out for him. He would attend from 7 AM til 2 PM for 3 days a week and have speech therapy for 2 (of the 3) days a week! They also asked if we wanted Kyle to be picked up by a school bus. My 3 (almost 4) year old...on a school bus!? Shannon and I opted to take Kyle to school for now. I am also going to put in to have my availability at work changed. I don't even know if it would be approved or not, but it doesn't hurt to put in for it. Kyle's preschool teacher will call us, otherwise we can call her to set up the days for Kyle to come in. This particular class has about 6 kids, but they all don't attend everyday. So the days we choose, there may be less kids there. This class has a teacher and a teacher's aide.

The two pairs of jeans that I bought from Walmart on Black Friday fit much better after I washed them! I am so glad that they fit me! Before they were washed, they were really big on me. I decided to keep them because they were only $9 and plus they hadn't been washed yet.

I received my order from JC Penney's!! I ordered black Reebok shoes, dark brown corduroy pants, and a zip hoodie for work. They all fit really well! The shoes seem comfortable, I haven't tried them on with my WalkFit insoles yet. Surprisingly, the pants fit around the waist. I never know what my sizes are anymore. I bought corduroy because I have always wanted a pair to wear for work. I haven't had a pair of corduroy pants in several years. Hopefully after a wash, they will fit better! My hoodie fits just perfect too, really soft. It's starting to get cold at work so it will be nice to have something to keep me warm. I am trying to pull away from buying my clothes at Walmart as much as I can since clothes from there don't seem to last me that long. All of my work pants are from Walmart and they are labeled a size 4 and they literally feel like a size 10 because they are so big on me!

4 Stores Before Work

My MIL and I went shopping before I had to go to work tonight. She wanted to take me to a place called Shoe Rack Room. It's a discount shoe store. I found 2 pairs of shoes that I liked but when I put them on, they felt really tight around my toes, like they were too small for me. I even tried a half of a size smaller and it was the same feel. I am not sure if it was the shoes or me. It was two different NAME brands too. I ended up not getting them because the store had a "no returns" policy.

In the same shopping center, they also had a store called JR Cigar. In addition to cigars and cigarretes, they also had toys, perfumes, lotions, towels, etc. It was a knick knack place, plus a discount store all in one. They had so much to look at. We didn't buy anything there. Then we went into Dollar General, which is like a Dollar Tree but not everything is a dollar. Dollar General also carries NAME brand products or at least product brands you have heard of. I ended up getting two makeup brushes by e.l.f. (for $1 each), which is a really good brand. I bought an eye shadow brush and an all over makeup brush.




I also bought a pack of 10 black pens. I needed new pens for work as well as writing letters. The pens were only $2!

Then we went to the grocery store, called Food Lion. My MIL needed a few things and I also picked up soy milk, milk for Kyle, and bread! While we were there, I saw a display of candles by Nature's Finest, they are made of palm wax oil! I love palm wax oil candles because they have a crystallized appearance! Plus they are just as good as soy wax candles! It's good to know that we can get these candles at a nearby store. We didn't buy any since we still have our soy candles that we bought a few months ago.

9 Hours

I have a long day today, I have a 9 hour day at work today with a one hour lunch. I plan on writing a letter on my lunch hour since I don't take an hour to eat lunch. I usually end up walking around the store after I eat. I am back to pen palling. I miss receiving letters in the mail.

We bought Kyle new shoes. They are Toy Story velcro shoes and they light up when he walks. He loves them and loves walking around in them. They make a different sound when he walks and he loves the new feel of them.

Kyle recently learned how to jump! He also started dancing. I usually start dancing and he starts dancing too. He loves it! Shannon also taught him to look through binoculars outside. He loves looking all around with them.

Sluggish Days Off

Yesterday and today were my days off from work. I have been feeling exhausted and sluggish from my period. I am surprised at how much it's slowed me down.

Shannon has a phone interview on Wednesday! It's the same place that called him last week. We're both excited, but at the same time, we're not getting our hopes up too high. We're still thinking positive.

I finally received my Walkfit Platinum insoles that I bought on ebay! I know it took a little while longer than I thought, but it was being shipped from China. When I did contact the seller a few days ago, he wrote back within minutes.

Food, Snacks, and Arch Supports

I had a nice short day at work today! I also have a short day tomorrow too! After work, I met up with Shannon in the store, he had Kyle in the shopping cart all buckled in. Kyle is always so good in the store, sits so quietly and looks all around at everything. He doesn't complain either.

I ended up getting arch supports for my shoes. Hopefully they will help with the pain, especially after working so many hours each day. I haven't had a pair of arch supports in years. The arch supports have a soft "massaging gel" on the bottom and feel very soft and cushion-y.

We bought some groceries and Shannon picked up a ton of snack foods! I guess they will help with my work lunches too. I could tell he didn't eat before he came to pick me up, he picked up so much junk food! LOL I also bought Kyle little containers of corn, peas, and green beans. They are packaged like pudding, in those little container cups. The veggies are microwavable, and very convenient. Kyle loves his veggies and this is perfect for us, we won't have to open a big can of veggies. They didn't have very much clothes in Kyle's size, so we ended up buying him 3 pairs of pajamas.

My MIL's dryer is not working for some reason, so we have to hang dry our clothes. She is trying to get someone to come out and check it out. It seems they always have something breaking down or needing to get fixed. I am doing a small load work clothes and some of Kyle's clothes and they will need to hang dry! LOL

Adventures in Shoes

We went to Walmart yesterday for groceries and other things. While my husband was looking for new shoes, I took our son to look for new shoes for him. So I went over to the kids section and saw an ENTIRE aisle for little girl shoes! I went down another aisle and saw a small section for little boy shoes. Imagine looking down a shopping aisle, now look to one side, don’t look too far down because little boy shoes only cover less than HALF of one side! LOL To be fair, the other half of this aisle had big boy sizes. For my son’s sizes, they had about 6 pairs to choose from…literally! Three of the pairs were Velcro and the other three were shoe laces. I wasn’t about to buy shoes with laces for my almost 3 year old! LOL They had Thomas the Tank, Disney’s Cars, Spiderman and some other brand. Kyle doesn’t really watch Thomas the Tank so we choose Disney’s Cars in his size and Spiderman in one size bigger!

My husband ended buying 2 pairs of shoes as well, one of them is waterproof.

Groceries & Shoes

Shannon had today off and then he has to work 2 more days and then he'll have 2 more days off. UGH! Hopefully it will pick up at his work.

On Monday, if I don't hear from the Food Stamp office by 10AM (which I most likely won't), I am going to call them yet again and leave another message. This is ridiculous. I need to get this taken care of. I'd like to know what else we need to prove our income, besides a letter from his HR department.

We went to Walmart today for groceries. Shannon also bought 2 pairs of shoes. He really needed new shoes, since the ones he wears now are about 3 or 4 years old at least. We also bought 2 pairs of shoes for Kyle. We bought 2 different sizes so that we won't have to worry about buying new ones when his feet get bigger. One of his shoes is of Disney's Cars and the other is Spiderman!