Stroller Rage!

I recently read an article about stroller habits that piss off the entire world.  I had to giggle because I am guilty of most of them!  Of course I have to throw my two cents worth in and explain the stroller issues.

1.  Not closing the stroller in a crowded restaurant-  Ok, for starters, crowded restaurants are a pain in the ass for everyone.  And depending on how many babies are in there… a high chair may not be available.  Now some may say that if one isn’t available I should go somewhere else.  I say, “If you don’t like it, you can leave.”  We usually try to stay away from crowded places but it’s not always easy.  We also try to eat outside to avoid the crowd inside.

2.  Hitting people in the back of their ankles-  I’ve only ran my hubby over so far with the stroller, but accidents happen people!  You don’t get all bent out of shape bumping shoulders on a crowded street.  Why get all crazy about this?

3.  Blocking the view at the zoo-  Teach your children patience!  Oh, and find some for yourself as well.  We all have to wait our turn at the zoo sometimes.  This one is just crazy to me…so petty.  Parents these days need to work on their parenting skills.  My children have to learn to wait their turn, why not yours???

4.  Refusing to fold the stroller on a crowded bus-  I’ve never taken the bus so I cannot relate to this one.  I don’t even see how someone could get on a bus with a stroller unfolded.

5.  Using the stroller as a walker-  Oh yea!  I’ve leaned on the stroller quite a few times!  Does it really bother you that I lean on the stroller?  How does it affect your day?  Seriously?  And have you gone days and days without sleep because your 5mth old has his/her days and nights mixed up?  Didn’t think so….so shut up.

6.  Knocking over store displays-  I haven’t had this accident but not saying I won’t.  Some stores are so cramped and have no organization.  I’ve been in some stores that made maneuvering a stroller about as hard as playing Operation!

7.  Taking up the entire sidewalk-  Really?  Go around or go play in traffic!  Geez!  How petty can people get?  We don’t control the width of the sidewalks.  Talk to your city council about that one.  Does this really piss you off or are you just trying to get smashed in the ankles?

8.  Using the stroller as a glorified shopping cart-  I admit that when I go to places like a swap meet or flea market, I use a huge ring thing that clips on the stroller handle that holds the bags.  But why does that piss anyone off?

Well, there you have it.  Just a few things that some people get irritated about for no particular reason.

Pregnancy surprises they forget to tell you about…

Pregnancy is a beautiful experience.  You will be growing a tiny little person inside your tummy.  You will feel him/her grow, kick, punch, hiccup and roll.  It is so amazing!

You will put up with nausea, low back pain, being tired all the time, constant peeing and lots of hunger!  BUT…there are few things people tend to leave out!  Allow me to enlighten you!

What mood swings???

• MOOD SWINGS – These aren’t just any normal mood swings either!  One minute you are fine and the next… BAM!  You are ready to beat someone’s ass or you are crying a river over socks that don’t match.  I haven’t had these but my husband swears I have!
• STUFFY NOSE –  You could be stuffed up the WHOLE TIME!  This could lead to nose bleeds too.  I haven’t been able to breathe for months!
• BLEEDING GUMS –  No matter how soft and tender you are while brushing and flossing, your gums will bleed like crazy.  No one wants to taste copper after brushing their teeth!  I have been as careful as possible and still deal with it daily.
• NO MEMORY –  Pregnancy brain does exist!  You will forget why you walked into the living room, what you were going to the store for and everything else that should be a “no brainer”!

Huh?!? LOL

• BOOB AND/OR NIPPLE PAIN –  I have heard so many doctors and nurses use the word “sore” when referring to these two body parts.  They lie!  They hurt like hell!  The pain is horrible and makes you wanna live in a bra.  Taking off the bra no longer means freedom!
• EVERYTHING SMELLS BAD –  A lot of my favorite snacks stink.  Most normal scents smell like 90 day old funk!
• CONSTIPATION –  I’ve never really had an issue with constipation until now.  It is a horrible feeling when you gotta “go” and can’t!  Hubby gave me Colace because it is supposed to make it easier “to go”.  What a crock!  “Easier to go” really means an entire day of diarrhea!
• ROUND LIGAMENT PAIN –  Now, they call it round ligament pain…it is actually intense cramps and stretching pains!  Imagine a rubber band being stretched to its limit and then slowly let back down to normal size.  When you sit up, roll over in bed, sneeze or cough you will feel this lovely symptom of getting bigger!
• ACNE –  Acne, acne, acne…in the weirdest places!  I had a little acne growing up, mostly on the forehead area due to bangs or wearing a ball cap during softball season.  But this is ridiculous!  I have little surprises popping up on my chin all the time.  My chin…makes zero sense.  My chest area has been plagued as well.  I have never had that issue before.  No matter what you do, the acne will just creep up.

Ain’t this the truth?!?

• BELLY TOUCHES –  This drives me up the damn wall!  People will want to touch and rub your tummy, even strangers.
• DREAMS –  I dream crazy crap anyway, but during pregnancy they get way weird.  I’m sure a lot of you could share some doozies!  Purple elephants, swimming in jello, flying penguins and other crazy stuff tend to plague you from month 5 till the end!
• PICKING A NAME –  Names put a lot of pressure on you.  You have to think about how his/her name will impact their life.  Will other kids pick on their name?  Is he/she going to go by their first name or middle name?  Is this a name you can see yourself screaming out the back door when it’s time for dinner?  And ultimately, will your child like this name?
• UNCONTROLLABLE PEE –  Your poor bladder gets karate kicked and squished constantly.  You always seem to be running to the bathroom…well, not running…more like waddling with your legs crossed.  Don’t laugh to hard, cough or sneeze without being prepared!  A panty liner is a good idea after month 6 or 7!

• BENDING –  Just thinking about this makes me giggle!  Shaving your legs is a riot!  I’m in my 8th month and bending down in that direction with a razor in my hand is dangerous!  Putting on socks and shoes gets a little rough too!
• BABY KICKS GET ROUGH –  Those little feet and elbows really do a number on ya!  Those little toes really feel like boulders being dropped on my bladder and hooha.  Laying down causes the baby to put on an alien show.  I can lay down around the same time every evening and just watch little hands and feet go crazy.  She moves, kicks and turns around nonstop.  And the bigger they get, the less room they have in there.  It gets a little painful.
• DROPPING THINGS –  In the 3rd trimester you don’t get around so good.  You will have a hard time seeing your toes and taking the stairs becomes an obstacle course.  Dropping stuff will become something you want to walk away from.  I’ve dropped utensils in the kitchen and said “to hell with it!”  Hell, if I am lucky enough to get down there, I probably won’t be able to get back up!
• PELVIC PAIN –  This is the worst one I’ve dealt with.  It feels like I’ve done a split everyday!  Getting out of bed in the morning is so damn painful!  Be prepared to use a body pillow at night.  Fold it in half and put it between your knees and thighs while you sleep.  It really helps with the pelvic pain.

Haha!

 

Letting go…

I talk to people.  I talk to people a lot!  I get to know them.  I love hearing life stories…the happy stuff, sad times, troubles, proud moments, joyful memories, etc.  I must admit though, I always hear stories about that one person that was just never happy with anything.  You know the one…he/she gets mad at nothing, blames everyone but themselves when shit goes wrong, never says positive things, etc.  We all know one!

They could be an aunt, uncle, mom, dad, sibling, so-called friend.  And I may not be the smartest or give the best advice, but here goes.  LET GO!  Stop trying to please someone who doesn’t care.  Stop being overly nice to someone who is constantly ugly to you.  Don’t beat yourself up when they say or act like everything is your fault.  Please understand that I’m not saying you should be mean and hateful.  Just stop wasting energy and getting stressed for something that isn’t your issue to fix.  It takes two people to make a relationship work.  Friends and family relationships take work, but you gotta work together.  If that person is not willing to do his/her part, let go.

I have personally dealt with a person like this.  I tried and tried and tried until I thought I would go crazy.  I talked, apologized, was so nice, gave space, took the silent treatment, dealt with the hateful words….and for what?  Life is a little too short to wade waist deep in crap.  Some people just need some time to come around.  They need to take a good look and realize you’re important too.  And you need to realize your life can’t revolve around just one person who doesn’t give 100%.  I know some of this comes off as me being cold and mean, but I promise I’m not.

Anyway, I hope this little bit helps and feel free to comment and vent!  Venting does a lot of good!  And feel free to disagree as well!  Haha…I know this has probably made a few people think I’m horrible.

Common Core…aka: total BS

 Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

Common Core is not a curriculum but a set of standards and federally funded tests that are backed by the federal government and President Obama.  It is sponsored by the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the Counsil of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

States are relinquishing control of education to the federal government.  This takes education out of the hands of the States and the teachers.  Does anyone else see why this is a major problem???  The federal government is now telling each state, that adopted this “standard”, how to run their school.  States that wanted to apply for grant funds associated with the Barack Obama administration’s Race to the Top (RTTT) program were required to adopt the Common Core.  Does that sound right to you?  Basically, these standards are not that “optional”.  States were not even sure what they were adopting since the actual criteria for Common Core was not presented to them.  And the cost to change over to this is staggering.

The standards are supposed to be flexible, but they aren’t.  A child struggling with reading and/or math will have a very hard time keeping up.  Teachers are pressured to cover all the federal sanctioned lesson plans and some kids will get “left behind”.  Hmmmm….  We can’t blame the teachers either.  The lesson plans and curriculum has been taken out of their hands.

Education is supposed to be in the hands of the States, not the federal government.  Our teachers should be “teaching” our children, not being told that they have a time limit and that the kids should be teaching themselves.  Take a moment and look up CCSS.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/344897/why-there-s-backlash-against-common-core-lindsey-m-burke

http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/04/pulling_a_reagan_against_common_core.html

Work from Home

Working from home is searched online countless times everyday.  There are so many people looking to gain and/or maintain a comfortable lifestyle from home instead of having to deal with traffic, gas prices, childcare, etc.  As an Army wife, I have seen so many spouses looking to do the same thing.  Working from home during deployments makes life a little easier as well.

Everyone wants to make money.  Everyone wants to live comfortably instead of paycheck to paycheck.  However, there are SO MANY that do work through Avon, Scentsy, MaryKay, etc.  I’m not downing these companies, but the success rates suck!  Think about it.  You have so many spouses at one post and a ton of them selling Avon…each consultant is gonna have a pretty hard time finding a demand for those products.  It’s the same with the others I named.  Why settle for selling makeup or smelly stuff for just a little bit of money when you could make a decent income actually working?  Why stuff envelopes or make hundreds of cold calls everyday?

There are several companies out there that allow employees to work from home making a suitable income.  I have checked out several of them and talked to women who work from home.  There are credit card companies like Capital One that hire customer service reps to work from home.  There are also mystery shopper jobs from home.  You place calls to businesses like Pizza Hut to check their customer service and such.  Here is a list of links you can check out.

https://www.alpineaccess.com/index.php/

http://www.westathome.com/

http://www.convergys.com/

http://speakwrite.com/WEB/sw/voice-to-doc.aspx

https://workers.virtualbee.com/

http://www.liveops.com/

http://affiliateprogram.1800flowers.com/

http://about.chacha.com/about/careers/

http://freedomathometeam.com/(S(3ly2x455s5eluwar5pgleb3n))/Home.aspx

https://www.leapforceathome.com/qrp/public/home

http://jobs.uhaul.com/

http://www.perstrat.com/

http://intelichek.simplicant.com/job/detail/10859

http://www.telexpertise.com/

Please keep in mind that those get rich quick schemes you see on t.v. aren’t always what they are cracked up to be.  You don’t get rich over night and you don’t sit back while the money rolls in.  These are JOBS that require work, real work.  Some have set hours like any other job and some let you make your own hours.  There are also freelance jobs available for writing and opinions.  Check WAHM.com to find more work at home jobs too.

The Ransom Box! Haha!

 Kids…

Kids are wonderful.  Kids are precious.  Kids make our world go round.

Kids have the power…to destroy a house in 3 minutes!

Admit it!  Kids can seriously destroy a living room in the time takes you to fix a cup of coffee!  All parents go through this lovely stage.  We go through the dreaded time of trying to teach them to clean up their messes and pick up their toys.

My daughter is turning 10 this year and we still have a hard time getting her to keep her room clean, dirty clothes picked up, and putting her toys away after playing with them.  We have used the chore chart in the past but that failed mainly because of me.  I would have my daily things to do while she was at school and would end up doing her stuff just to get everything done.  Ugh!  It was very frustrating for me to clean the house but have to leave certain things undone.  Another issue has been all her toys, crafts, and electronics left out.  She leaves her stuff everywhere!  My husband and I would gather her things and drop them in her room.  That left me feeling kinda crappy though when I would stay on her about cleaning her room.  I know I shouldn’t have felt that way, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I made her room messy by chunking stuff in there.

Well, we have finally found an awesome solution!!!  Drum roll please………….

The Ransom Box

We used one of my husband’s old Army boxes and a jar for the chores.  Anything that she leaves out goes into the box and she must draw a chore from the jar to get an item back.  She’s not allowed to go through the box at any time.  She must do a chore to open the box and then she can go through and pick one thing.  Last week she left her purse in the dining room, her craft box in the living room floor, and her school shoes under the kitchen table (again!).  She realized her purse must have been put into the box so she asked if she could draw a chore.  She completed her chore and went to the box.  I waited to see what she would choose, since she NEEDS her school shoes.  A few seconds later she walked into the living room and showed me her school shoes!  Haha!  This was her first lesson with the Ransom Box.  It didn’t take her long to figure out that keeping her stuff put away nice and neat would save her from having to do chores to get her shoes out!

My next goal…figuring out how to get my husband to pick up his stuff!

Operation Dog Tag

 Operation Dog Tag is an organization of wonderful people who love dogs and wish to protect them from poor living conditions, over crowded shelters, and being euthanized.

This organization began in October 2011 and works diligently alongside local animal shelters and foster families to save dogs and give them a better chance at life.  They work mainly with military families.  Military families band together and help with transporting and fostering these furry little friends until they can be adopted.  Each family usually has the puppies for 10-14 days before they go to their new families.

My family just began volunteering with this organization.  We are so excited to get our first dog tomorrow!  We will have her for about two weeks.  She looks absolutely adorable!  Our daughter can’t wait!  She is so happy that she gets to help rescue puppies so that they get good homes.  I know there are people out there that may not agree, but organizations like this bring so much happiness.  We get to help save these animals, place them with owners that will love them, and teach our kids the importance of giving and volunteering.  Our daughter loves all animals!  She is really getting the chance to learn that helping others is important in life.

If you would like to help out you can join their page on Facebook… www.facebook.com/groups/OperationDogTag/   We would love to have your help!  This also may be a great idea for some you ladies during a deployment!

 

The ‘Burbs update #1

 Ok, so I get up this morning to the normal chaotic routine of getting my daughter ready for school.  We actually make it out the door on time and as we are walking to the car…I stop dead in my tracks.  Our neighborhood Rambo has a “For Rent” sign in his yard!  What the hell?!?  I feel instantly crappy ’cause the first thing that hits my mind is…I really wanna get a video of this dude doing his Rambo sneak attack before he moves!  How horrible is that?  Haha!

I shake off the thought and get my daughter in the car and we head to school.  On the way home, I get to thinking about Rambo moving and another thought hits me.  Ahh hell, who is gonna move in now?  Part of me doesn’t want the new neighbors to be normal!  I gotta have some entertainment!!!

I haven’t seen the “cram it down your throat religious child” in a few days.  I’m guessing she took a little hint after I had to ask her to leave my house.  She was attempting to argue with me, from the front porch, and was angry at my daughter for not wanting to go outside to play with her.  But then again, the weekend is coming up…so I’m sure she will come out of her dwelling!

I’ll be sure to update during or after the weekend!  Have a good weekend everyone!

Money Saving Tips

We all know money doesn’t grow on trees…

Saving money is something everyone wants to do.  The problem is following through with it, thinking it’s too hard, or not believing you have enough time for it.  We get in such a rush and continue with the same old routine.  Saving money is actually not that hard to do and is pretty simple.  It does take a few changes and discipline though.

Here are a few tips to help ya get started…

COUPONS-  Don’t get bogged down by those coupon shows or the stereotype that comes with using coupons.  Coupons are an excellent way to save money and once you learn how to do it…it’s a piece of cake!  Visit coupons.com, SmartSource, SouthernSavers.com to get printable coupons and a list of store’s weekly sales.  There are several phone apps for weekly sales ads as well.  You can also check your local area to see if anyone sales inserts weekly and order from them.  That is a great way to get inserts fairly cheap and tons of coupons.

BUY IN BULK-  You don’t have to buy everything in bulk, but you know what your family uses the most of on a regular basis.  It may not seem like it at first, but buying in bulk will save you money in the long run.  Those times you run out of those items you use the most and have to make a quick run to the grocery store…no more!  No more quick trips to the store and spending way to much.

USE CASH–  Using cash makes saving money so easy!  Only take cash with you to the grocery store and other stores.  MAKING A LIST goes along with this tip too.  Make a list before you go to the store and stick to it!  Only buy the things on your list.  Also, before you leave the house, tally up what those items will cost and take that amount in cash.  It will amaze you to see the savings at the end of the month.

PACK A LUNCH-  Yes, I said it!  Brown bag it folks!  Taking a lunch will save sooo much money.  Buying fast food really adds up and isn’t very healthy anyway.  Drinks and lunch stuff can be bought in bulk too.

LOOK DOWN-  When you are doing your grocery shopping, look down.  Lower priced items are actually below eye level at most grocery stores.  You don’t always have to buy brand name items or items just because they are on sale either.

SMOKING AND DRINKING-  I am not gonna waste time telling anyone not to drink/smoke .  That is a personal choice for everyone.  But quitting smoking will save your health and tons and tons of money.  And if you are going to drink…drink at home.  It is way cheaper to drink at home versus drinking at a bar.

CREDIT CARDS–  Yes, credit cards help build credit but they also get you in hot water!  Trust me…pay off that credit card debt and only use that thing in case of emergencies!  Don’t cancel the credit card though.  Canceling a credit card will damage your credit…even if you have paid the due amount every month on time.

NETFLIX-  Cable costs way too much nowadays.  It is much easier to cancel it and get Netflix.  Netflix will only cost you about $8 a month and the Xbox gold card (if you’re using the Xbox) is $60 a year.  Look at the spending there…~$150 a year for that compared to paying for cable every month.  Some people I know spend $150 a month for cable!  You could be saving over $1600 a year!!!

PHONE–  Depending on bundle packages, (house phone and internet) canceling your house phone and just using your cell phone will save money as well.

ENTERTAINMENT-  Instead of buying movies all the time, try using RedBox to rent movies.  It is pretty cheap and they are in convenient locations.  Museums and parks are free for your family too.  There are several history museums and lots of city parks that will provide weekend treats for your family.  Hikes and picnics are cheap ways to fit in valuable family time.

HOLIDAYS-  Do your holiday shopping throughout the year.  Make a list of the people you will be buying for and keep it with you.  I have a small flip pad that I keep in my purse.  I put that list of names on it and a gift idea, if I have one, next to their name.  When I’m out shopping, I keep an eye out for those gifts and such.  It saves money at the end of the year and there is no rush right before the holiday.

MEALS-  Making meals at home is great for your bank account.  It is a lot cheaper than eating out.  And when you’ve got a few couples that want to get together, do a cookout!

BUDGET–  Make a budget people!  It sucks and it’s a little time-consuming at first, but totally worth it.  Keeping that budget and tracking your spending will discipline you.  You’ll get a better idea of how miscellaneous spending kills your account and which things are easy to cut out.

Well, there you have it!  I hope this helps.  Feel free to comment any other ideas you may have and let me know if you have any questions.

The ‘Burbs!

Ya’ll remember that movie with Tom Hanks?  He lived in that crazy neighborhood with all those quirky people.  Well, guess where I’m living?!?

When we moved in, things seemed so quiet, calm, and “normal”.  The neighbors would all check the mail, put out the trash/recycling, and rake leaves at the same time.  Everyone seemed to have normal routines.  Weekends were laid back and quiet.  The kids would all get together and ride bikes.  Yea, that lasted all of about 3 months!

Directly across the street is a quiet couple who seem ordinary at first.  But after a while, I’ve noticed they don’t seem to speak very much.  She isn’t home most of the time and he just yells at the dogs a lot.  And no, I’m not one of those creepy neighbors who spy on everyone…I just keep a watchful eye out!  On several occasions I have noticed him creeping around his house at night.  And he doesn’t just creep folks!  He does this whole “Rambo sneak attack” routine!  He sneaks around the corners of his front porch and jumps around the side.  Then he tip toes across the front yard to his car and sneaks around it.  He has this squat/creepy walk thing he does around the entire car before he sneaks back up to the front porch to peek around the sides again.  This isn’t a one time incident either…he does this A LOT!  There is NEVER anyone out there.  There are no noises or animals to explain why he does this.  Makes no sense to me.  Just the other night he came out on the porch and began yelling at this three dogs.  He then picked up one of the dogs, holding him like a sack of potatoes, and proceeded towards his car.  He opened the back door of the car and kind of slung the dog in the back seat.  He got in the driver’s seat and started up the car.  I see him ranting at the dog and then, after about 30-45 seconds, he shuts off the car and gets the dog out.  He puts the dog back on the front porch and just walks in the house.  Hmmmm…

Next on the list is the family about 3 houses up from us at the end of the road.  Now, when I met them, I thought they were pretty good folks.  They came over and met me and my husband.  We chatted a little about the neighborhood and where each of us were from.  I told them that their daughter was more than welcome to come over anytime to play.  Things seemed great.  And then, about two months later, they (the parents and the daughter) began quizzing my daughter about religion.  I’m not gonna turn this post into a religious debate, but I don’t agree with anyone pushing religion on anyone else.  I also don’t think you have to attend church every week to be considered worthy.  This little girl began to be very ugly to my daughter because of the attendance issue and her parents have made little comments and sent over church business cards.  This little girl is quick to make statements like…”I am a Christian, so I think she ( my daughter) should be able to do her homework outside.  I am a Christian, therefore I have responsibilities.” (when asked if she wanted to come inside my house to watch The Fox and the Hound.)  Yea, I know you’re thinking…WTF!  Made zero sense to me either.  She talks back to adults and never takes no for an answer.  It is driving me crazy!!!

There’s a couple more crazy folks around here but I’ll save those for later.  I’ll keep ya updated on future crazy incidents here in “The ‘Burbs“!  Hopefully no one will be digging in their backyard late at night while it’s raining!!!  Haha  Do you have weird ones in your neighborhood?  Share your stories…I’d love to hear about it!