Word of Caution!

I am writing this for anyone who may encounter something similar.

About 2 years ago in December I got a phone call from a lady who said she was with a collection agency which freaked me out because although there was a time in my life when I was behind in bills often enough to get these calls I was no longer in that stage when I got the call. The lady and I spent about 30-40 minutes on the phone, but within the first 15 minutes she had me in tears telling me that I was a horrible person for not paying my debts and when I asked her what it was for and if she would get me a copy of it she responded with "YOU incurred the debt, ma'am you should know what it is for." Through tears I told her I had no idea what it was for, on and on we went. She then said if I did not pay $875 immediately they sheriff would be coming to my office with a warrant for my arrest. She also said that an attorney was already at the courthouse getting ready to file a judgment against me.

{NOW, keep in mind I work for an attorney and have worked in the legal field for 15 years so I should have known better but she got me to a point that I was so vulnerable and so scared that I honestly believed her!}

I continued to cry and tell her there was no way I could her that full amount and so then she turned on her "nice voice" and said calmly "Let me see what my manager will do." she came back to the line and said that they would take $450 immediately. So I gave them my debit card information and paid them.

For a brief moment I felt relieved - but then it hit me. It hit me that she had just completely lied to me! I called my husband and explained what happened. We tried to call the bank to cancel the charge and they said they wouldn't be able to do that, but that I could wait until it cleared my account and then fight it. Which we did, but couldn't fight.

These scammers know how much they can collect without it being a felony and also how to work the system!

I filed a complaint with my state's District Attorney's office, they investigated it and found them to be scammers but they could not force them to return my money and they told me I could hire an attorney to fight it - BUT again, for $450 I would spend more than that in legal fees PLUS the scammers were out of Florida and I do not live in Florida! The District Attorney sent them a letter that they could no longer practice business in Colorado, but I'm sure the scammers didn't care!

I'm sure what I have written is not news to you, I'm sure you have heard plenty of stories like this but what I want to warn you about is that I have now discovered that the scammers have either SOLD my information OR have just started a new business and hope to catch me when I'm weak again because the calls have started again.

One way to tell that they are scammers is that they don't want to give you copies of the debt information. By law a bill collector has to give that to you if you request it. Recently, I had a call from a bill collector for a doctor and I knew she was legit because as soon as I asked for documentation she said "sure, give me a couple weeks and I will get it to you by mail." and within a couple weeks I had all the papers proving I had not completely paid that doctor's bill.

Scammers also are very rude and try to intimidate and they tell lots of lies (warrants being issued, wage garnishments filed in your name, attorney at court house, etc.). Make sure you know your rights and hold your ground, if it is a legitimate debt the bill collector will be willing to work with you, a scammer will continue to be rude.

So now that I have figured out my info has been sold to other scammers I am on high alert. I even got a call at my office (which was the giveaway that my info had been sold because they came in on a back-line and I don't give out that number but I did call that first scammer from my office back line!) and the gentlemen who called said almost word for word what the first scammer said to me. I told him to remove this number from his call list and if he would mail me the debt documentation I would look it over. His response was "I've mailed it several times and you've ignored it. I also have mailed you a motion." {being wiser now and using my legal experience I said "what kind of motion?" and his response was "A motion for your arrest." -- There is no motion for an arrest that can be filed. When I told him I didn't believe him he said "Fine, I'll see you in court" I took great pleasure in saying "YES you will!!!" knowing full well he had no court date, no motions and no grounds to collect any debt from me!}

Anyway, I just want everyone to be very careful of any bill collector calls and be sure you do not pay scammers - remember to ask for copies of the debt if you are unsure of what they are referencing. Sometimes even scammers will use names of debts to try to lure you in, but a legitimate debt collector knows exactly what the charges are for and what company and if they don't know it they will find out for you. You will lose your money most likely and they are hard to track down and they know it! So just be very, very careful!

President's Day

Even though I work for an attorney and the courts will be closed on President's Day, our office is generally open for business. We actually set up quite a few client meetings because it is a convenient day for clients to come in. I have been with the current law firm for 5 years and we have worked every President's Day. BUT, today a strange thing happened. I got to work early and was busy working when my boss walks in and says "uhhhhh, what are you doing here? I thought the office was closed?" {He is the boss, he makes the rules, why is he asking ME?} I told him that he had not said anything to me about it last week so I assumed we were open. He went in his office and about 15 minutes later comes out and says "I checked my calendar and sure enough we are open. This is one of those holidays I have to check each year." So I half-jokingly said "Let's just make it easy then and close up. Call it good and call it a day!" After he stared at me for a moment or two he said "Let's not."

Hee hee. Ok, back to the client project I was working on!

This celebration makes me sad though...

Almost 5 months ago a dear friend of ours passed away after his long battle with stomach cancer. Today is his birthday. His wife and kids baked him a cake and are celebrating his life, even though he is gone from this world. It makes me so sad to think we have to celebrate this BIRTH day when he is gone.
I miss the smile that he always seemed to wear and how he had just the right things to say - even when he was suffering he would ask me how I was doing - as if that mattered, I wasn't the one fighting for my life. I suppose he is having a grand celebration in heaven and THAT makes me smile.

Happy Birthday Tom!








Here is a picture taken a few weeks ago of his beautiful wife and children.

Create a renewed spirit in me....

I sat on the couch this morning, sipping my coffee and watching the sun come up. I love those peaceful times in the mornings when it is just me. The "me time" I need when no one else in the house is awake (except maybe the mouse we think is living in the garage, but I try to avoid to him and am thankful he avoids me as well!). It is when I read my Bible, when I read other books (time permitting) and when I reflect on things.

This morning as I was staring out the front window, sipping that delicious cup of coffee (nothing is as good as my first sip of the day!) I started to reflect on some things that I did over the weekend that were weighing heavily on my mind. Decisions I made that I wish I had made differently - nothing earth shattering or anything like that, but some simple decisions that were not the best of choices. It was good reflecting and I made some new decisions as to how I can change what I already did and how to not make the bad choices again. I rely too much on myself sometimes - sometimes I think I don't need anyone else to help - not my husband's help, not God's help, not the help of friends and/or family. I can handle it all. I realized today I can't do it all alone. There are times that asking for help or relying on others opinions and advice is necessary. I think after all these years I am finally ready to accept that.

Even though it seems as though my morning time this morning was depressing it really was a good thing and I feel quite refreshed and renewed this morning!

Off to continue this glorious day (it helps that the sun is brightly shining and the birds were chirping outside the window!)

A little bit of this and that

We have had such nice weather over the last month or so, this week has brought some high winds but the temperature is still very nice. I have been walking a lot and getting some good exercise! Woo hoo! Love spring weather!
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Had been using an online program to store all my recipes but wasn't as happy with it as I wanted (it was free so you know what they say "you get what you pay for"!) so I decided to create a recipe folder on my home computer and store it on a flash drive. I finally got all my recipes put in only to have my neighbor give me a stack of cooking magazines - I will, no doubt, find more exciting recipes to try out!
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The kids have been invited to so many birthday parties lately I feel like we are constantly shopping for and wrapping up presents and driving all over to the different parties! I'm getting worn out!
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Spirit has been practicing a specific song on his guitar to play for the talent show, he is getting pretty good at it, but I am getting pretty sick of hearing that song over and over and over and over.....
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So when I volunteered to be the secretary for the PTO at school for next year, who knew they actually meant I needed to start now?!! It's ok, I have been having fun with it!
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Not related to the PTO secretary position, I volunteered to prepare a flyer for the school to advertise for a supply kit they are selling. No one told me until the day it was due, that it was MY responsibility to find someone to translate it to Spanish. So I asked the principal for some suggestions and every one was "too busy" to help me. So then the school secretary suggested Google Translator. I did that and then got nervous it wasn't accurate. When I took the Spanish and put it in the Google Translator and told it to give me the English on it... ya, it did NOT translate accurately! So I ended bribing the Spanish speaking school secretary to look at it. Only cost me a Starbucks - not bad. I am SO glad she looked at it because there were several things she changed! Well worth a Starbucks to me! Funny thing is, the person responsible for copying it emailed me asking how I got Martha to translate that for me so quickly because she "never does anything that fast for me!"
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Freaking out about what to do with the kids for summer daycare. I can't afford full time daycare for three kids and although the kids say the summer is short when you are the parent paying for daycare it is a LONG time!! 11 weeks of daycare is a lot and is extremely costly! I am hoping and praying for a mom I can swap care with OR a nice inexpensive college student to help me out!
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Well, that's all for now folks! Have a good day! :-)

Really?

I may be callous but the show Bachelor or Bachelorette really disgusts me. I watched that show, I admit, the first few seasons. Then I started really looking at - analyzing it I guess you could say. I listen to the Bachelor or Bachelorette, whatever the case may be, carry on about these 12 (or more) girls/guys that "I am really falling in love with".... isn't true love with ONE person? How can you be "in love" with all those different ones at the same time? I realize there are varying shades of love, like I love my brother, but not in the same way I love my husband. But it appears that these people are describing the love you have for a spouse. That just doesn't seem right.

Then I get equally as annoyed by the ones who aren't chosen - "I had so many feelings for him/her and I just don't know why I wasn't picked?" This is a competition. Is this REALLY how you want to meet your spouse? You competed amongst a bunch of other girls/guys and just happened to be the last one standing after 6 weeks. SIX WEEKS people!!! Six weeks is not nearly long enough to really get to know someone. I knew of my now husband probably 6 weeks before he ever asked me out on an official date! I am sure there are exceptions to this rule, but those exceptions probably don't involve a large group of other potential mates you are fighting against!

Then there is the one who gets chosen, how many of them have gone on to say how hard it was to watch the taped shows and see how their bachelor/bachelorette treated the other potentials on the show and how hurt they were to watch them passionately kiss someone else. I am not sure what they expect?

I guess I am disgusted that the men and women go on this show and degrade themselves down to a level that is so wrong. I don't know any of them individually but surely they are better than that. Out of the last 13 or 14 seasons only 3 couples remain together - this should tell you something.

I feel bad that these people have such little self esteem that they would attempt a show  like this.

I am sure I will offend people with this post, but I was so bothered when I got online and saw all the talk about it I had to post this.

Back in the saddle again

Soooo since I hadn't been posting here and to be honest with you I was having quite the time trying to figure out what to write about anymore, I made the blog "private" figuring no one would notice.

Boy was I wrong about that! I started getting flooded with complaints and people asking me to reconsider that decision.... including hounding from my husband to keep this blog going. I honestly figured I had been so boring for so long that I had lost all my readers anyway.

Sure made me feel loved to know I was wrong about that!

So, here I am back at it and will see what kinds of things I might be able to talk about that won't be too boring!

Back in the saddle again!

Just a little bit of this and a dash of that

From about November to the early March our house tends to be busy busy! Of course you have Thanksgiving planning and entertaining, then comes all the hustle and bustle and festivities associated with Christmas, then 2 weeks later brings Spirit's birthday and then another 2 weeks and Mr. Man and I have our wedding anniversary, then another 2 weeks brings Lady Bug's birthday. We get a slight breather, 3 weeks after Lady Bug's birthday is Mr. Man's birthday. After that we can finally take it easy until the end of April.

I say all that to say, I have been so busy that I haven't even had time to post on here. I have all these ideas and by the time I get a moment to relax, I can't remember what those ideas were... *sigh*

Hopefully I can get some posts up soon!

Snowy day

It snowed most of the weekend and it was so beautiful ...


UNTIL.....


5:30 this morning when the phone rang. Both Mr. Man and I flew out of bed being awakened from our deep sleep in horror and when Mr. Man answered the phone it was a recorded message that the schools were on a one hour delay.

great. thanks.

Needless to say, I've been awake since 5:30 AM.

*sigh*

Phew...

I picked up the kids from school Friday and both boys immediately hand me notes from the teacher. I read Lefty's first and his says that he is getting an award on Tuesday (it doesn't say what the award is for) and Spirit's says he has been argumentative, refusing to do assignments and back talking.

This is where I say parenting stinks. How can be so excited for one and so irritated at the other. *sigh*

So, I say nothing about either note and shove them in my purse. When Mr. Man gets home from work I show him both notes. He had the same reaction I did.

Lefty is slightly concerned about his note and keeps asking what it was about. We finally tell him he is getting an award on Tuesday and we talk to him about how proud we are of him.

Just before bed on Friday we have a little talk with Spirit about the note and he says "I have no idea what she is talking about." Mr. Man and I, in unison, say "I do! You've been like that at home all week!" He hangs his head. Mr. Man says he isn't quite prepared to hand out a punishment (which we will later discover may have been the best idea!) and lets Spirit know that he better have a perfect attitude all day Saturday. Mr. Man had to work and I was having a baking day with some friends so Spirit was informed there better not be ANY issues Saturday. There wasn't. He was an angel. If I said I needed his help, there was no eye-rolling, no stomping, no attitude. If he asked for something and I said "no." he let it go at no. It was a very pleasant day.

Sunday was a busy day and we were gone all.day.long. But, again, the attitude was excellent with Spirit. But, we had to address the letter. So Sunday night we sat him down. Mr. Man asked him to just tell us exactly what was going on, being completely honest with us no matter what the answer. Spirit said off the bat "well, I was bad. I didn't think I was as bad as she said though. I was having a bad week and I think she was stressed out." **I need to insert here that the teacher, Ms. L, is a student teacher. This year there is the regular teacher, Mr. S, and TWO student teachers. Last week Mr. S was substituting in another class and the other student teacher was out sick so that left Ms. L alone so chances are she was a tad bit stressed.** So as we talked more with Spirit about why his week was bad and what we do going forward it was all a very good conversation. Letting it rest over the weekend was a good idea, he got to spend time reflecting on it and we got time to calm down a bit. We talked to him for probably 30-45 minutes and he really opened up about stuff that has been bothering him and we had no idea. We were able to help him work through some of it (or at least I think we were).

I made Spirit write Ms. L an apology letter and I wrote her a letter as well. I didn't tell Spirit what to write, but I read his letter before he left for school. He only wrote 3 lines, but it said "I am sorry for being bad last week. I will try hard to be good today. I'm sorry for being rude." I thought that was all pretty good and I was satisfied with it. I am anxious to see how today goes.

Other than all that we had a great weekend and my baking day was successful!

The first of December

So I find myself sitting here wanting to write about something and I really have nothing I can share. Sure, I have some stories swirling in my head, but none are blog-worthy.

I can't believe it is December One! WOW! Time flies I guess, whether you want it to or not! I started working on Christmas cards and decided to do a Christmas letter, which I haven't done in a while. Now to be sure to get them addressed and mailed off in time!

The kids are anxious for winter break and all the good that comes along with that (like opening presents!) so they have 2 weeks of school before the break and they are counting down the days.

I have said it before, but Lefty is a very good gift-giver. He apparently has been listening to what his brother and sister wanted for Christmas and so last Friday he asked me to take him shopping, even though I didn't feel great I did take him to one store. He knew exactly what he was getting so we were in and out fairly quickly. He did a great job picking stuff out and also spent wisely! Spirit, on the other hand, hasn't mentioned shopping for anyone except himself. *sigh* We are working on that. As I typed that I realized he has mentioned MY gift... he knows what he wants to make me for Christmas! We started working on our handmade gifts too and they are coming out nicely.

Spirit has a choir concert next week that he is quite nervous about. He gives a concert to the school during school hours and then again for parents that night. He said he is afraid because of all the "millions of people" that will be there. I don't think it will be that many so he should be better off than he is expecting!

Ok, so this may not be blog-worthy and my sister will probably kill me, but I have laughed all day about this. I was talking to my sis on the phone last night and she says "Oh, hold on, I need to order my Starbucks" as I am listening I hear "Welcome to Starbucks. What can we make for you today?" and my sister says "HI! this is Stephanie" and the woman through the speaker says "Hi Stephanie, see you at the window!" -- Are you kidding me? Can you say ADDICT? I am still laughing. SO funny and SO my sister!

Hope you having a great day and a great week! Happy December!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I hope your day is filled with lots of good food and good company!

Disclaimer

The more I write on here the more I feel like I shouldn't. Each post offends SOMEONE somewhere. I started this blog as a way to journal the fun and funny things my kids say and do. I also wanted friends and family who don't live close to be able to read about what we are doing as a family. My original plan was to maybe someday turn it into a book (there are some great sites out there that do this for you!) But, you can't please everyone all the time and so often I get emailed about how I have offended someone.

You know what? I write as a journal and not to please anyone or everyone. The definition of the word Journal is "A personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis; a diary." A PERSONAL RECORD... hmm interesting! There have been some things I just chose not to post because I knew someone would be offended which sort of defeats the purpose of a journal. I know when I was a kid a journal or a diary was private and the only person  you worried about reading it was your mom or your siblings, but when I am blogging it becomes quite public (so public I can't even imagine all the people who have access to my journal!) I get that, I get that I need to be careful which is why I don't post certain things and why I keep our names private, but those who read this know who we are.

Friends and family have passed along this blog to other friends and family and I am always surprised to bump into someone I haven't talked to in a while and they tell me how they've been reading my blog..... Really? I am glad people can keep up on our doings, but in "real life" no one is ever going to be 100% accepting of the things I say or do or the way I may act at times, so why is it different when I write on my blog? Am I supposed to become someone else to write on my own blog? I think not! This is MY blog and I can post what I want to and what I feel like I want captured.

I am putting my disclaimer now that I may or may not offend you. My intention is not to offend. I may say things you don't agree with. My family may go to an event you wouldn't. We may let our kids do things you don't let your kids (or not let our kids do something that you would), but this is MY blog and if I offend  you then you are welcome to not read that post or not read this blog ever again, that is YOUR prerogative just like it is MY prerogative to say what I want on here. If you want to have a civil discussion with me about something then that is fine and I am open to listen, but I don't appreciate hateful emails or comments posted by "anonymous" people who aren't big enough to tell me who they are.

Thank you very  much for listening!

Now back to your regularly scheduled posts! :-)

Getting a good work out!

I wish I were referring to me... but no, I am speaking of my poor car!

This is what a typical week looks like for my car:

MONDAY:
7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
8:30 am - Drive kids to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands
1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
3:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
4:45 pm - Drive to pick up husband from work
5:30 pm - Home to rest

TUESDAY:

7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
7:55 am - Drive Spirit to extracurricular activity at school
8:30 am - Drive Lefty and Lady Bug to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands
1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
2:30 pm - Office errands
3:30 pm - Rest in parking lot
5:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
5:30 pm - Take Spirit to his writing class (he is learning to write a book)
5:40 pm - Drive to pick up husband from bus stop
6:25 pm - Drive to pick up Spirit from writing class
6:45 pm - Home to rest

WEDNESDAY:

7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
7:55 am - Drive Lefty to extracurricular activity at school

8:30 am - Drive Spirit and Lady Bug to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands

1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
3:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
4:45 pm - Drive to pick up husband from work
5:30 pm - Home to rest

THURSDAY:
7:20 am - Drive Spirit to Choir practice
7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
8:30 am - Drive Lefty and Lady Bug to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands

1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
5:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
5:30 pm - Drive to pick up husband from bus stop
5:55 pm - Home to rest
 
FRIDAY:
7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break

8:30 am - Drive kids to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands

1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
3:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
4:45 pm - Drive to pick up husband from work
5:30 pm - Home to rest

There are days that I feel like I just barely get in the house and get my coat off before I have to put the coat back on and get back in the car! sheesh.

This n that...

Mr. Man has been on vacation for 11 days and today he goes back to work. He gave himself a long to-do list that he wanted to get accomplished over the week. I think he put a small dent in his to-do list,  but got a lot done. (his to-do list was entirely too long for an 11 day vacation!)

He painted my family room (need to find a camera so I can take some pictures) - it looks so beautiful! I chose the color and then as soon as he started painting I was worried I chose too dark of a color, but once it was all done I was in love! It looks wonderful! We also rearranged the furniture and added a desk down there. I will get pictures (one way or another) and post them here as soon as I can.

He also refinished a desk that has been out in my garage for ages, this is the one we moved into the family room. This is supposed to be MY desk, we'll see how long it takes for my kids to move in!

The kids were out of school Friday so they went to our friends house and picked apples! They had a great time! I've made apple bread and apple muffins! It made the house smell SO wonderful this weekend - very fall-like!

I love all seasons as they come (and go), but I have to admit that fall is my very favorite season of them all! I love the weather, the changing colors in the trees, the holidays it brings, the fact that I can snuggle inside my house on a cold evening and craft to my hearts content, all the baking I can do and not heat up the house, the homemade soups I get to make and on and on and on! I just plain LOVE fall!

I am off to have a pumpkin spice latte.... another fabulous thing about Fall! 

Letter to man who borrowed my pen

Dear Man-at-grocery-store-who-asked-to-borrow-my-pen:

Although I generously and graciously gave you my pen that you asked for to write your check and although you promised to give it back when you were done, thank you for NOT giving me my pen back.

As I stood behind you in line and glanced at the items in your cart I noticed you had several disturbing items. For instance the many bottles and boxes of "lice killing" items along with the lubricants and condoms, not to mention vegetable oil and whipped cream in a can (no doubt you were cooking a great dessert when you got home) were all a little bit odd considering there were no real food items to speak of. Then as you started putting the items on the conveyor belt I noticed you also had some hemorrhoid cream and wipes and a tube of anti-itch cream.

So dear sir, thank you so much for not keeping your promise to return my pen. I can live without it.

Hope your evening was splendid and I just wonder if your "date" knew about all the items you bought?

You can't call him Your Honor

My boss heard back already today that he did not get the judgeship (he applied for 3 positions and only interviewed for one so far). This is good news for me.

Business has been a little slow however, so he cut my hours from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday - Friday to a somewhat wonky schedule: I will now work M-W-F 9:00 am - 3:00 pm and Tu-Th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. This means that I will be able to pick up my kids 3 out of the 5 days per week! This is exciting for all of us! My boss did indicate that the hour change may be temporary and when business picks back up he will resume my regular schedule again.

This cut in hours doesn't affect my take home pay, necessarily, because I will be saving money from not having to pay for after-school care. It basically will be a wash in the end. IF he ends up and needs to cut more of my hours then I might need to get worried, but so far so good.

Back To School

Well, summer is over (it went by just a tad bit too fast if you ask me!) and the kids head back to school today - well, the boys do and Lady Bug starts on Wednesday.

The school hours changed this year so instead of starting at 8:00 and going until 2:30, they will start at 8:45 and go until 3:15. The boys are excited that they get to sleep in a little this year and I am excited that they get out a little later. 2:30 seems to come so quickly after 8:00! :-)

Spirit is going into FOURTH grade....eek - where did all the time go? Didn't he just start kindergarten? Wow. Lefty is starting THIRD grade - I will say it again, time moves way too quickly! Then there is Lady Bug, who is excited and a tad scared all at the same time to be starting kindergarten!

We had back to school night on Friday and got to meet the teachers and see the classrooms. It was neat to have a little one-on-one with each teacher and see where the kids will sit, etc.

In 1st grade Lefty had a best bud, but they got separated in 2nd grade and we discovered that they are in the same class again this year so Lefty is very excited about that!

Here's hoping for another GREAT school year!

P.S. - I will probably be shedding a lot of tears on Wednesday as my baby starts kindergarten - I am trying not to think of that right now.

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In Other News:
My boss has an interview today for ONE of the judge positions he applied for (he applied for 3 total). So I may or may not know more about my job in the next couple of weeks -- I will keep you posted.

A little of this and that!

* We still haven't found the camera. :-(

* I have been dieting and exercising and have lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks! YAY! I say "diet", but really I am watching portions and paying more attention to what I eat. I have been walking 3 miles nearly every day too. Only 14 pounds more to go until I get to my goal weight!

* I am on vacation from work this week! We didn't have daycare for this week so I am using vacation time to stay home. It works perfect because the kids start school next week and so I plan to use this week to prepare for next week, we are readjusting bedtime routines so we are going to bed at a decent hour and we will organize all the school supplies, etc. We also made a "to-do" list for this week of things the kids want to do with me! Today we are going to see a movie! Good times!

* In the last week we have deep cleaned and rearranged the family room a little bit, I love how it feels in there. We also deep cleaned Spirit's room - looks awesome! Over the weekend we deep cleaned and rearranged Lefty's room and I made the bottom bunk of his bed into a fort -- it looks awesome (wish I had a camera to show you pictures). This week I am going to work on Lady Bug's room and one thing I plan to do with her is switch dressers with her. The one she has is just so big for her tiny room, so I will take it and give her the one I have been using. Hopefully that opens up her room a little bit for her.

* Due to no camera, I guess I will be asking for a new camera for Christmas. :-(

* I am enjoying the cooler weather we are having - cool mornings and cooler evenings! I just love it.

* We had a garage sale this past Saturday and really did quite well! I didn't think we would do as well as we did! At the sale I made a comment about using the money to buy a new chair for our family room and Spirit said "Mom, maybe you should buy our school supplies." - Since when did he become so practical?

My Marriage

I saw this on a friend's Facebook page and thought it might be kind of fun to post on my blog.

About My Marriage

1. When was your "engagement" anniversary?
January 2000. I remember when he proposed and how when we selected the wedding date it gave me 18 days to plan the ceremony!

2. When is your "marriage" anniversary?
January 29, 2000

3. How long have you known your spouse?
We always argue about this, he says it has been 13 years (and unfortunately for me he has proof that it is 13, I always want to say 14 or 15 years)

4. How long did you date before you were engaged?
About 3 years

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
At a friend's house. I had gone to her house to pick her up to go to a BBQ (which happened to be at my now Mother-in-law's house) and Mr. Man was at this friend's house helping her with her deck (he was in construction at the time). Mr. Man ended up going to the BBQ also, but we didn't all ride together. He had originally said he wasn't going, but when my friend and I pulled up to the BBQ his truck was there.

6. Do you have any children?
Yes. 


7. How many?
We have 3 children - 2 boys and 1 girl. In addition to these 3 wonderful children we have an angel in heaven - in 2003 we delivered a still born baby boy also.


8. Do you have any house pets?
Currently we just have a few fish and frogs. Our dog ran away a few weeks ago and the beta fish died this past weekend, but we have a tank of about 6 or 8 fish and 2 frogs.

9. How many places have you lived?
We have only lived in one state, but in our 10 year marriage we have lived in 6 houses in 4 different cities!

10. Do you live in the country or city?
City

11. What is one of your favorite activities together?
Taking walks.

12. Do you have a favorite vacation spot?
We love the mountains.

13. How many siblings (including in-laws) do you have?
I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers, Mr. Man has 4 sisters.

14. Do you attend church?
Yes.

15. Is this the church you were married in?
Not sure how to answer this one - we occasionally attend the church we were married in. We were married in my father-in-law's church (where he preaches), but we don't attend there regularly.

16.  Do you work or stay at home?
I work but have a nice schedule so I am able to be with the kids more than some working moms I know which I am very grateful for!

17. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Estes Park, Colorado

18.Who drives when you go out together?
Mr. Man does

19. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
After the BBQ I had seen him a few times with mutual friends but these weren't "dates" and so I guess we knew each other a month or so before dating.

20. Who asked who out?
He asked me out

21. How many years apart are you?
He is 13 years older than me

22.Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mr. Man's

23. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Probably dealing with finances. We see things so totally different and sometimes it is hard to come to an agreement on where we should spend money or what the financial priorities are.

24. Did you go to the same school?
No.

25. Are you from the same home town?
Yes.

26. Who is smarter?
Well, dah.... ME of course! I am kidding. He is a whiz when it comes to math and I am NOT! I am very good with spelling, grammar and writing. When it comes to helping the kids with homework, I take the literacy/writing part and he always is given the math and science stuff! I will often go to him for answers about things, because I think he is a very smart man!

27. Who is more sensitive?
Oh geez, this is a hard one. He has a very tender heart, but I am the dork who cries at McDonald's commercials so I don't know who is more sensitive - might be a toss up!

28.Where do you eat out most as a couple?
When it is just the two of us we will try someplace new or go somewhere we know the kids hate.

29. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Washington, DC

30.Who has the craziest exes?
Mr. Man with out a doubt!

31. Who has the worse temper?
We both have a temper!

32. Who does the cooking?
I do most of the cooking but he can cook some yummy pork tenderloin sandwiches and he also makes the BEST salsa I have ever had!

33. Who is more social?
He is by far. There have been plenty of MY office holiday parties that I am sitting at a table perfectly content to people-watch while he is off chatting with everyone!

34. Who is the neat-freak?
We both are.

35. Who is the more stubborn?
We both have a little stubborn streak but I would say his is definitely more than mine!

36. Who hogs the bed?
Definitely him! Sometimes I will wake him up to scoot over because he is not only laying diagonally, but he is also in the middle of the bed crowding me out. 

37. Who wakes up earlier?
I do. I am a morning person and he is definitely NOT!

38. Where was your first date?
We went to park to walk around and then out to dinner. 

39.Who has the bigger family?
He does. In our wedding photos when they took a picture of us with his side of the family the photographer had to pull so far back to get everyone in - and that side has grown a lot more in 10 years!

40. Do you get flowers often?
Actually I do!

41. How do you spend the holidays?
Together as a family and often meeting up with all or parts of his family.

42. Who is more jealous?
Probably me- as much as I hate to admit that.

43. How long did it take to get serious?
Looking back I think I had fallen in love with Mr. Man immediately but didn't recognize the feelings right away. I had never felt the way I felt when I was with him with anyone before. We took it slow for awhile though - we dated for 3 years before he proposed so that says something!

44. Who eats more?
I could out-eat him anyday, but I don't! I am trying to lose some weight so I let him eat ALL he wants!

45. Who does the laundry?
I do most of the laundry, but he helps out when I need him to.

46. Who is better on the computer?
We both know the way around a computer

47. What is something special he does for you that you really appreciate?
He is always supportive of whatever crazy idea I may have - no matter WHAT the crazy thing involves! He is always supportive.

48. Do you do something special for him in return?
He needs more sleep than me so when I know he is worn down I allow him to sleep in or take naps or whatever he needs.

49. How old were you when you got married?
I was 26 and he was 39.

50. What is one piece of advice you could give to other couples:
Don't let things bottle up inside. When something is bothering you, hurting you, frustrating you...whatever it is talk about it as soon as possible. Don't talk about something when you are angry though, wait  until you have taken a few deep breaths then approach your spouse in a calm voice. When you let things build up then a little thing can cause you to explode and the problem is bigger than it needs to be.