My thoughts

Testing to see if this works...

2009-11-19T10:30:00.002-06:00

Well, a friend of mine does Swagbucks and it really works for her...SOOO, I have decided to try! :)

Wow, so I still have a blog???

2009-10-27T08:25:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness, I can't believe this thing is still up here. I was sure I had been forever kicked out of the blogging community due to my never posting.

I'm not going to give empty promises of saying I will post more, because I probably won't! Hahaha....

In December my children will be 3, 5, 7, and 9. They are getting so big, time is just flying so fast!! Next year Jodie will be in school and Jaylin is going to be in preschool, so my house will be quiet for a couple hours a day. Hmmm, will I work or take a nap? It's a toss up. I SHOULD work, but I will probably nap! Haha..

My job is going fine. I did get a promotion (actually 2) so that's always good.

Okay! Well, speaking of that new job, I better get to it! I have a busy couple days. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and then have to get the rest of the supplies to make 2 more little tutu's. :)

I need to write more of this stuff down!

2009-04-27T18:18:00.002-05:00

I need to get better about blogging, I just find my time is spent better doing other things. However, the kids say such cute and funny things sometimes I really want to remember some of it.

Jodie is such a random/literal/funny little girl. Just now she (very excitedly) came up to me and we had this conversation:

Jodie: Mommy, mommy! Did we go to the pumpkin patch?
Me: Yes.
Jodie: And did we get a pumpkin?! (jumping up and down)
Me: Yes.
Jodie: And did we go potty?
Me: Yes we did. And then I laughed that the things that came to mind about the pumpkin patch was the pumpkins and going potty. In that order.

:)

Jen

Wow, it's been a looooong time...

2008-12-03T06:20:00.002-06:00

Sorry about being away from my blog so long...I guess life got in the way!

Hmmmm,,,what's been going on...Jodie turned 4 on December 1, Jaylin will be 2 on December 7, and Jake will be 8 on December 20. Wow, it makes me feel so old having a child who is 8. On December 20 I will have a 2, 4, 6, and 8 year old. Man oh man, time really does fly when you have kids.

Me- Still working along. Trying to put money back for a "rainy day."

I'll end with a bit of cuteness from Jodie:
We went shopping and I had all 4 kids with me (a regular thing these days), and I had Jaylin in the front and Jodie in the cart. She did NOT want to be in the cart though and she was a little upset that I was making her be in there. So we're going along and she's just talking away and I finally hear what she's saying "Mommy, I do not want to be in here. I am not groceries!" Haha, it made me laugh. And no, I didn't let her out, mean mommy! :)

Jen

Here I am!!

2008-09-19T05:54:00.002-05:00

OOps, I think I missed my every day for 30 days post! I think I need to start it ALL over again. I just got so busy.....yeah right, it only takes 2 minutes to post so I have no excuse. :)

Well, I started the 6 week body makeover the other day. I was going to start last Thursday morning, but that was the day after Jason's birthday and we still had a lot of yummy home-made strawberry cake. I did okay with not eating that all day, but then came the planned dinner and I just couldn't take it. It was spaghetti and anyone who knows me knows that spaghetti is my favorite meal. So, after eating good for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, I finally caved in and decided to start the diet on Monday because everyone knows that's when you start a diet. Then I allowed myself to have cake and spaghetti. Kind of a last harrah.

Now it's going along good. I have lost 5 pounds since Tuesday so that's great!

Jason is taking the kids camping with the cub scouts this weekend. They should have so much fun and I really wish I could go to. They are going to Gulf Shores. Oh, and my dad is going with them :) Also, my mom will be here with me and we will be working on some sewing projects that I have to finish up! (sorry I haven't sent it yet Kim, the week has been so full, but I promise it will be mailed out first thing Monday morning!!!) Is it bad that I'm looking foreward to that camping trip? I love love love my family but it will be nice to have a quieter house the next couple of days.

Anyways, I have to get to work and make my breakfast (1 bowl of oatmeal with splenda, 1/2 banana, 2 hard-boiled eggs with the yolk taken out).

Jen

Starting the 6 Week Body Makeover

2008-09-10T21:54:00.002-05:00

Well, my mom got the the Michael Thurman's weight-loss system. Supposedly you can lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks if you follow the program and I will. I was going to post some before pictures but this blog is open to the world and I don't want anyone to see me in my before pictures as I'm only wearing shorts and a bra. I will post them on a more private forum tomorrow. I'm sure it will be the most embarassing thing I have done. But that's why I'm doing it, so I don't have to be embarassed any more.

Six weeks, here I come! :) I went and got some smaller clothes at JC Pennies and I WILL fit in to them!

Okay, I'm out-

Jen

Thinking of crafts..

2008-09-08T13:07:00.002-05:00

KIM- My payday is Wednesday and then I will get some fabric for the apron! I'm looking foreward to making it :)

So, I was thinking about ways to get money for Christmas and my "pay off my credit cards" fund. We do have a flea market out here and we are fastly approaching the "season." I was thinking of opening a little booth and selling some things but I have NO IDEA what I would sell. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Here are some thoughts I had:
1- I could make little and big aprons and little chef hats for the kids. I just think that would be cute you know?
2- The shopping cart covers?, maybe.

I'm thinking and racking my brain trying to figure out something I can make for cheap and then sell for a little profit. Anything that would help during Christmas time would be awesome. Please give me some ideas okay? ......did I say please? :) :)

Jen

Testing

2008-09-05T13:43:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here ~~watching TV~~ working. What I really need is a nap!

Testing, so see if the strike thingy worked...
Jen

Trying to get in a better mood,

2008-09-05T13:32:00.005-05:00

I'm just in a bad mood today, yesterday, the day before, you get the picture. What the heck is my problem? Actually, I KNOW what my problem is.

I just don't know what to do about it.

UGH, I guess I'll go back to work, wahooh. (catch my enthusiasm)

Jen

I'm a cheater and I know it..

2008-09-04T18:27:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm the kind of person who reads a mystery book, gets about 3 chapters in, and reads the last page. I do go on and read the whole book though. I just like not having the stress of worrying about "who did it." :)

Jen

Does anyone sing along with the radio...

2008-09-03T17:20:00.003-05:00

when you are driving? Do you sing loud, or pick up random things and use them as a microphone? I do, a lot.

Mystery solved

2008-09-03T16:39:00.003-05:00

When I was in college I drove a Geo Tracker. A purple Geo Tracker. Super cool (hahaha)
Well, after my first semester my parents flew down to drive home with me. (We were moving from AZ to TN, and I was going to school in FL) SO, out of town we are driving and we have this thing PACKED, I mean, I am squished in the back of the car without any leg room. It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic!

My dad was driving, my mom was in the front, and I was squished in the back. We are almost out of town sitting at a red light and all of a sudden *someone* opens the passenger side door. My mom screams because she had been resting her head on the door and someone just comes and opens the door. Well, just as fast as it opened, it closed again and I couldn't see who it was. We were like, "Who in the heck could that have been?" I probably would have known, but the back was so packed, I couldn't even look out the window. So I guess it would stay a mystery. We laughed and laughed about that the whole way home..

Fast foreward 1 1/2 years. I'm in school just hanging out with a guy named Bob. He was also a student at my college ****Southeastern College, Lakeland FL****. We were talking and he was like "Hey, remember the time I walked up to your car, opened the door and was going to get in the car with you?" Ummmmm, NO, I don't remember that! It took me a second but then I remembered back to the time something strange had happened at a red light.

Mystery solved, It was him! He said he saw my car and he knew it was me. Not everyone had a purple geo tracker. He was going to get in the car with me and ride until the next red light and then get out again, just to be funny. So 1 1/2 years later the mystery got solved. The thing is, I didn't even really know Bob when that had happened. I had maybe said 1 or 2 words to him. Still funny though.

Jen

LABOR day

2008-09-01T16:38:00.003-05:00

Well, actually did a lot of Labor today! I cleaned our downstairs, which has become a makeshift storage room. There were so many things in there, I can't believe I got it looking as good as it is. It isn't perfect yet, and neither is the rest of the house, but I like it down there much more. Now all we need to do is lay down the new flooring. And when I say WE, what I really mean is my DEAR HUSBAND :) Too bad he doesn't read this, maybe he could get the hint! Haha.

So anywyas, the kids were out of school today and it's been nice. They have played together outside and inside. Jaylin is napping right now, although I'll be waking her up soon.

Tonight I think I'll just work and then be lazy...more to post later :)

Jen

KIM

2008-09-01T16:35:00.001-05:00

Hey! I tried to leave you a message on COF! Can I get an invite to your blog? I would LOVE to make you an apron, just let me know what color/pattern you want and your address :)

(my e-mail is jenarias5011@hotmail.com. I actually can't access the 5jarias address any more)

Thanks :)

Jen

Short post today

2008-08-29T22:49:00.001-05:00

My stomach has been hurting since last night. I have no idea why either. Every time I eat, it just starts cramping up. SO, the result is a very short post. I just took 2 Advil PMs and am thinking about going to bed!

Jen

GREAT morning (catch the sarcasm)

2008-08-28T10:49:00.002-05:00

I woke up a little late this morning, which in and of itself isn't too bad. But I got the kids up to get ready for school and walked into the kitchen to get Jada some cereal. Right in front of my refrigerator I stepped in a puddle of CAT PEE. UGH, this cat has a litter box and I have no idea why he wouldn't use it. So I had to go change my clothes because I had on my satin pajama pants. Then I went and cleaned up the mess and mopped the kitchen floor. I also had to pick up the (almost new) huge bag of dog food, because some had gotten on the bottom of the bag and I wanted to clean it.

About 5 minutes before the kids bus comes I pick up the bag of dog food out of the sink to put it away and the bottom came open and a TON of dog food fell out of the bag right onto my kitchen floor. Yes, the kitchen floor I just mopped. So Jake is helping me sweep it up and put it in a clean trash bag, and we almost miss the bus. We are having to RUN to get there. I got the mess cleaned up, but ended up starting work late.

The rest of the day has been fine though (So far) :)

On a different note, I have still been sewing. I made another pair of those shoes for Jaylin, because my first ones were a tad bit too small. I also made a little apron for the girls to wear, just a half apron. It's cute though, and I put 2 pockets on it. I have to say it's so much better than the first one I had made! :) I'm going to try to make something else today and post a picture of it. I'm learning.

It turns out I DID need glasses. Dang Walmart eye center! They said I didn't really HAVE to have glasses and that my eyes were definately not giving me the headaches. I went to another place 2 weeks later though here in town. Well guess what? I do need the glasses and yes it is my eyes that have been giving me these headaches. So, I got the glasses yesterday. We'll see, hopefully it will take care of the problem. I'm just mad because I had to pay WM almost 70 dollars and they didn't do anything helpful. Then I paid 190 dollars (including exam, frames, and lenses) at the better place. I just feel like that 70 dollars were wasted. Grrrr. I hate losing money.

I think I'll go sew something, that is very theraputic :)

Jen

Funny thing happened at Wal-Mart today.

2008-08-27T07:40:00.002-05:00

First of all, I am shocked and saddened to know that the new Wal-Marts and the Wal-Marts that are being updated will be without the fabric section :(

So, I went to a WM (a newly updated one) and was horrified to find the fabric section GONE. So I had no other choice but to go to a different one. (Which really was only about 5 miles away, but anyways) I got to this other WM and pick out my fabric. I have to say this took forever. I had to find the right combination of colors. Finally when I was done I made my way to the big counter/table thing to have my fabric cut. Only there wasn't anyone there. So I walked around a bit longer to see if someone would come.

Finally I went back to the table and no one was there still. There was also another college-aged girl waiting too. We were trying to figure out what to do because we had already rang the little bell...numerous times (that was me, I was trying to get someone's attention). So I went and found an employee and asked them to page someone to come to the fabric section.

Back to the counter/table. A couple seconds after the page, the phone rings. I figure it's someone who works there asking if anyone had helped us yet, so I answer it. Turns out it was NOT a WM worker, instead it was a customer calling with a question. I believe she wanted to know if they had fleece material with certain kinds of patterns on it. I didn't want to leave the lady out in the cold so I just acted like I worked there and put her on hold. I went to the fleece section and found a couple that she wanted, went back to the phone and described the kind I had found. Kind of like "Maam, we have this kind and this kind." She was happy and said thank you very much and hung up.

Jason couldn't belive I actually answered their phone and then helped the lady like I actually worked there. But hey, who else would have answered her question? Obviously not the person who was supposed to be at the counter.

HA!
jen

Made the shoes.

2008-08-26T18:04:00.003-05:00

Well, it took FOREVER, because I kept on messing up and had to undo what I did. I probably did that about 10 times, no lie, but they are finished! When I went to try them on her they were too small :( Oh well, I'm giving them to a friend and will make another (bigger) pair!

These are the University of Alabama (Roll Tide) shoes. :) :)

Picture of that apron

2008-08-25T15:53:00.004-05:00

So here's the apron I made yesterday. It took me HOURS. But, not bad for my first attempt, especially since I didn't have a pattern. I looked at another apron of mine and tried to duplicate it. I really did learn a lot and it was fun, (although I had a headache by the time I was done).

Maybe the next one will be even better!
Jen

Sewing like crazy

2008-08-24T23:04:00.003-05:00

So, way back when my aunt died (over a year ago), I inherited one of her sewing machines. She loved to sew and make blankets and other stuff. I decided this weekend to try to teach myself to use the thing...it's been interesting to say the least! I haven't done **too** bad. Let's see...I made a baby doll blanket, 2 pillows, and an apron.

Someday I would like to be really good and make clothes and everything. I guess we'll see!

Today is day 2 of my whole doing the blog every day thing. I didn't do much to the house because I was busy sewing!

Okay, a more interesting post for tomorrow :)

Jen

IS that you grandpa?

2008-08-23T08:33:00.002-05:00

So, a long time ago, when I was still living at home, this happened to me....Yes, this is a typical Jen story...

My parents were out of the house and I was home alone, (don't worry, I was around 17 or 18). Someone calls on the phone and I go over and answer it. It was my grandpa asking to talk to my dad. This is how the conversation went.

CALLER: Hey, can I talk to your dad?
ME: Hi grandpa! No, he's not here right now, but I'll have him call you back when he gets home though.
CALLER: This isn't your grandpa.
ME: Haha, yeah right. You're so funny.
CALLER: No, seriously, this isn't your grandpa.
ME: Okay then....Well, I'll have him call you when he gets home.....GRANDPA...then I hang up.

Yes, I really emphasized the word grandpa in my last sentance.

Guess what?? It turns out the guy was NOT my grandpa and to this day, I have no idea who it was. He never called back. He really DID sound like my grandpa though.

Oh well, it must not have been that important! :)

Jen

Trying to make a change,

2008-08-23T08:30:00.002-05:00

I find when I keep myself accountable I do much much better with things like work and keeping the house clean. SO, I have decided to post every day for the next 30 days. In addition...I am doing to try to make some kind of improvement (big or small) to the house every day. I'm curious if I will see any actual change. I bet I will, as long as I take it seriously!

So help keep me accountable okay? :) :)

Jen

How Embarrassing!

2008-08-18T18:49:00.002-05:00

So, I went to the Library today.... Me, Jason, Jodie, and Jaylin. Anyways, I bent over to pick Jaylin up and...passed gas. Loud.

It didn't even give me a warning! Oh well, I was amongst old ladies and I'm SURE they could relate. But still, my cheeks are still red...

Jen

Question,

2008-08-05T19:33:00.002-05:00

What's the difference between partly cloudy and partly sunny?

A couple things about me

2008-08-03T20:41:00.002-05:00

- I LOVE spaghetti. I will eat it for breakfast at any chance I can. I always make it at least one time per week sometimes twice.

- I hate swimming in lakes. It really makes me nervous not knowing if something is in the water about to touch me. We went this afternoon and I had to get out because little fish kept on bumping into me.

- While listening to my Ipod I will sing out LOUD and dance all around while I clean the house. Because of this, it takes me about 4 times as long to actually get it clean. I will listen to show tunes too and try to act out each song.

- I went to a Christian college, slept with my boyfriend, and worked as a bartender......all at the same time. (I was a heathen, but not any more!)

- I care way too much about what people think of me.

- Which is funny, because I'm a wierdo.

- I'm a closet neat freak. You would not be able to tell by looking at my house, but I want things a certain way. If someone loads my dishwasher for me and they do it wrong, I will go back and re-do it the way I like it. (Never in front of the person though)

- I want to be crafty, I just haven't found the time.

- I would rather eat beef jerky instead of chocolate any day.

- I secretly want to go hunting and wear camo and paint my face.

- There's more, I just can't think of them right now!

Jen

Weekend before school starts!

2008-08-03T20:34:00.002-05:00

Well, on Thursday 2 out of the 4 children will start school (grades 1 and 2). I think it will be nice for them, although Jake doesn't act too excited. Those kids get so bored here at home and then they start to argue and they get in trouble etc.. It's just good for everyone that they go back to school.

So we went school shopping this weekend. It. Was. Crazy. Let me tell you, it was not worth it, even though it was tax-free weekend. Actually one store (WalMart) was absolutely crazy. We couldn't get through the aisles and we were literally bumping into people. They were also out of a lot of things. Soooo, we strolled on down to Target and it was beautiful! There were even workers there asking us what we were looking for and helping us find it. I know where we'll go next year for school shopping!

Jason was out of town all last week and so my mom took that as an opportunity to come for a quick visit. It was really nice! I always feel bad because she always buys the kids so many things. I can't think of the last time I have HAD to buy them any clothes because my mom keeps them well stocked!

Okay, I'm off to get a snack :)

Jen

Thinking I need glasses??

2008-07-22T20:05:00.002-05:00

My eyes are just so tired. Also, every day I'm getting this headache. Yesterday was the worst. I don't know if it's because I'm at the computer screen all day, or the fact that I'm trying to read more books instead of watch TV, but I want these headaches gone.

Last night I had a big headache and so I took 2 Advil PMs. About an hour later they kicked in and I was so out of it, it was funny. I picked up the phone to call a friend, dialed her number and immediately laid the phone down on the counter. Good thing I didn't leave it sitting there too long, and she wasn't home anyways. I just think that was funny.

Anyways, I think I'll give my poor eyeballs a rest from the screen and go.....read a book? Yeah?

Jen

Pictures? Hopefully...

2008-07-17T09:05:00.005-05:00

Me from a little while ago. I don't have many pictures of myself...I also wear my hair curly or straight. This one is straight, but with the summer heat and humidity, I've been going curly. I'll post a picture of that (maybe)...

This one is of Jada the night she graduated from Kindergarten..the other person was her teacher!

Here is a VERY messy Jodie after she had just made a mess in the kitchen. Yes, she got a bath later...

Here is Jake and Jada on Easter (yes, it's late I know). Please pardon the mess, it was Sunday morning and we were running late..

This is Jaylin and Jodie on Easter. I have better pictures, but they are on my phone and I can't get them right now.. again, this is the play room/living room/office in the background. We are working on a much nicer (no paneling) adult livingroom downstairs.

I took this at the zoo a couple months ago. It still scares me to look at it. I really think he wanted to get to me...

I din't know what to write about..

2008-07-17T08:30:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to get ahead on my bills by working some overtime these next couple weeks. I have suspended going to the gym until I know for sure that I can afford the gas. I wish they had a Gold's Gym here in Columbiana but instead I have to drive about 40 minutes each way to get there. I guess I could go to a different gym, but it's so convenient because my gym has child care. I can't wait to get started in the classes again though. I think my favorite is the Body Flow class. Second is the Body Pump (although that really kicks my butt!). Least favorite is the RPM (bicycle) class because it seriously takes so much out of me. I have tried the Body Step class twice now and I have come to the conclusion that those ladies are CRAZY! Maybe I'll try it again, but I don't have that much rhythm and I end up laughing at myself as the steps get more complex. Then I'm laughing and they are getting more and more crazy and I just can't do it!

So, Jason was thinking about joining the Marine Reserves. I'm not sure if he's actually going to try but he was seriously talking about it last week. I have mixed emotions about it. One thing- it would be really good for him I think. Really, the only negative thing is the possibility that he would have to go to Iraq. I can't imagine my life for 1 year on my own with the kids. Crazy!! Anyways, there are so many benefits other than that so I guess we'll see if he's serious.

So in the background I hear Diego singing "masa bajo, to the bottom of the sea." It's sad, I don't know many of the newest songs out there but I can quote any song word for word if it's from Nick or Disney....oh the life of the mother :)

Jen

A case of mistaken identity

2008-07-16T07:37:00.003-05:00

Ever think you know someone and then take a closer look and realize that person is NOT who you thought they were? Like in the store- There have been many times I see a friend and my face will brighten up and I'll wave like a mad woman and be like "Hey! Hi! How are you?," and then realize that it wasn't them. Then I have to pretend that, no, I wasn't waving at you, I was waving at the person who was behind you. The person that isn't there anymore. I never get too embarassed at stuff like that. Except one time....

My family used to own a convienent store in Arkansas, this was when I was 10 or 11. We actually lived on top of the store, it had been turned into an apartment. Well, we had made friends with this one family that we went to church with. The man was this guy with a really big gut. I mean, he looked almost 9 months pregnant. What I would do when I saw him was bounce off his stomach. (It really was bouncy and wouldn't hurt him at all) I would throw my body into his stomach and promptly bounce back in the opposite direction. Fun :) (I know, I was/still am a dork).

One day I was walking out of the store and there he was at the gas pumps getting some gas. I waved and went over to say hi. When I got to him I did my usual greeting of "bouncing" off of his big belly. I looked up at him to talk and then realized that this guy was NOT the family friend of ours. Instead, he was just some random stranger. So, I continued walking and crossed the street (it was out in the country) and stayed until the man had left.

I wonder what he thought of me. I bet he was really scratching his head over the strange girl who came over and plunged her body onto his stomach, bounced back, and then walked across the street....

Yeah- sounds like something I would do..

Anyone else do this?

2008-07-16T06:50:00.003-05:00

I'm not ashamed to admit it. When I'm sitting around and working or watching TV or whatever, and I have a runny nose, I will get a tissue and stick it up my nose in such a way that it stays there. That way I don't have to continuously wipe my nose all the time when it's running. It seems logical to me. Jason gives me many strange looks to the point where I eventually take it out of my nose...... Some people just don't understand. :)

Jen

Medical Transcription- My Job

2008-07-15T08:08:00.004-05:00

I work from home and that always gets people asking me various questions about what I do. I am a medical transcriptionist. Here's the deal.....if you get sick and go to the doctor, hospital, have a procedure done, get an operation, anything having to deal with seeing a medical professional, there has to be a specific record kept of each encounter. A doctor might do this himself, but not usually. What usually happens, is a doctor will make a dictation- or a voice file- that goes into detail about the patient encounter. This is where I come in. I have access to these dictations through the wonderful Internet, and of course, my employer. I put on my super-cool head set, log onto the internet and my special work program, and begin to transcribe- or type- what the doctor says.

Sounds easy? Think again. It takes skill to be a medical transcriptionist (MT). We have to be able to spell and recognize medical terminology, laboratory values, and medications. Sometimes a doctor will misspeak and dictate a wrong word, or lab value or medication and we have to be able to catch that and flag it. It's hard! We have to keep a 99% accuracy, and if we don't, then it's trouble. If we want to make any money doing it, we also have to be not slow at it too. Honestly, it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life. There are many pros and cons to my job, and I would like to list those.

Pros:
- I get to work from home! I don't have to use expensive gas to get to work, I just walk down the hall.
- I don't have to pay childcare. That gets expensive, especially when you have 4 kids like I do.
- The pay isn't bad, as long as you know what you are doing and are "not slow" at it.
- I have control over what my schedule is.
- It's easy to take off when I need to.
- I don't have to deal with office politics.
- If I want to go out of town, all I have to do is bring my laptop and I can take my work with me.

Cons:
- Sometimes being at home with 4 kids day in and day out starts to get to me. I need some ADULT time!
- It can get boring.
- I always have my work (computer) staring me in the face. It's always there, I can't leave it behind at the office.
- I get paid on production, so if I have an off week then that means my paycheck will be lower.
- More and more MT jobs are being ousurced to India.
- People who say "Hey, I can be an MT because I know how to type." That isn't true at all. Just because I know how to give my child Tylenol doesn't mean I can go to the hospital and be a nurse. It's a professional job just like any other.

So there it is. My list of pros and cons. I'm slowly going back to school though. :) Until then though, MT is what I'm doing. Some days are better than others!

Jen

The GHOST of our livingroom.

2008-07-11T10:05:00.002-05:00

This happened a couple months ago but I just remembered it now.

My sister-in-law and I were in the kitchen talking and all of a sudden Jodie comes in scared to DEATH. I mean, she is crying and wants out of the livingroom. She is screaming "No! No! Go away!" At this point we look into the living room and no one is there. What in the world? We ask her what she is scared of and she points to near the couch, but again, there is nothing/no one there. So we look at each other and both of us are getting a little spooked. We go in there and she starts crying again and we are trying to figure out what she's afraid of.

Of course we are like "Is it here now?" By now we are both getting a little scared of what in the world was scaring Jodie. On the floor is her magna-doodle. It's a fancy one my mom got her, it has a button that you push and Dora talks to you while you draw. Soooo, it turns out that the batteries were almost out and made Dora's voice drag and just make crazy freaky noises. So, the "ghost" was Dora. I can really see how it scared her though, if I were little it would have really freaked me out too!

What makes me laugh is how my sister-in-law and I were almost ghost hunting that night trying to find it!!!

I miss her, she's living in CA again...:)

Jen

Bad blogger!

2008-07-11T09:30:00.002-05:00

I know I'm a bad blogger. It's so hard especially in the summer time. So, I was reading back through my prior postings and noticed some spelling mistakes. I hate it when I catch them a couple months too late! Even more, is HOW I am misspelling them. I will write patients instead of patience. Which, is understandable for me because I do medical transcription so everything gets turned medical whenever possible :)

So what's going on in my life?
- I quit that second job. It really became too much for me to take and some things happened that just put a bad taste in my mouth.
- I got a raise with my other job! Always a good thing. I will never turn down a raise.
- School starts in less than 4 weeks. I guess I should fill out the forms that I should have had filled out already. I am quite the procrastinator.
- At any given moment I have about 15 loads of laundry waiting for me and I can never seem to catch up. I'm always secretly jealous of someone who braggs of just finishing their laundry. No need to rub it in my face! ;) Speaking of which, I think I need to go switch a load.

Okay, I guess I need to get off this site and start to work. I'm trying to go FT and need to get my 40 hours in for the week (which really shouldn't be that hard this week, I'm actually AHEAD- go me!).

I'll try to post sooner next time....

Summertime

2008-06-19T08:19:00.003-05:00

So, the kids are out of school and it's officially summer. I would have to say that it's my least favorite season of the year. I think Fall is my favorite, followed by winter, then spring. Lastly... summer. I don't know why really, I guess it's because it's so dang hot! I love the fall and the fall holidays. I would have to say Thanksgiving is my favorite. It's all the food I think, and without being obligated buy many presents :) .

Anyways, the summer started out fine. Jake's baseball is over and that's great news. It's always fun but it's a relief when it's over because it takes up so much time. Then, we went to Arkansas for 2 weeks to visit my family. It was a very good visit! for the most part.

My job(s) are doing good. I'm not exactly sure how long I will be able to do both of them. My goal is to get all of the credit cards paid off and then save money for Christmas and some extras. It would be great if I could put money back to fix up this house. I just want it DONE...NOW.

I love my cat but I hate fleas, and the poor kitty is bringing them in. Guess who is the one who gets bit by them ALL THE TIME? Yeah, you guessed it....me. They love me and it's driving me crazy. I did the fogger in the house on Monday and I think I'm going to do it next Monday too. It's getting too much for me and I just want to pull all the (nasty) carpet and put hardwood or laminate. Seriously, this carpet has seen better days. I know my kids can be messy but I think it was messed up before we came to live here anyways. So I think hardwood would be so much cleaner and easier to clean up spills and everything. Maybe by the end of the summer I can have all those credit cards paid off and enough money to do what I want to do. Fingers crossed!

Well, I better get back to work because it's how I'm getting the $$ to do all this stuff I want to do. :)

Jen

My poor family!

2008-05-08T16:26:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy lately!
1- My regular job. I'm helping out with QA this week. If you don't know what that is, it's just where I go an basically check other people's work. I enjoy it because it's an hourly job, as opposed to production.
2- I'm trying to get a promotion at my work and to get it I have to pass this test. It's HARD. I have to make a 98% to make a passing grade. Then I second guess myself and end up getting all confused.
3- I have gotten another medical transcription job to do on top of my regular one. It's been crazy trying to learn everything and finding the time to do it.

On top of all this, I am taking care of the kids and trying to keep a clean house. Poor Jaylin is so sick of me sitting at my desk that she will cry when I sit down! It won't always be this busy though. I need to pick a job and stick with just one.

Well- Jaylin is getting redy to wake up from her nap so I think I will take a few minutes to visit with Jason before she does!

Jen

Almost Summer!!

2008-05-02T16:01:00.002-05:00

Well, school is almost out for the kids!! Oh to be young and have a summer break again. I had it made and didn't even know it. I guess I could get a job as a teacher but then I would have to spend all school year with a whole bunch of kids that aren't mine and I just don't have the patients for it.

Anyways, I think there are 6 or 7 baseball games left. I'm so ready for that to be over. Last night we had a 6:00 game which is so much better than a 7:30 game. The kid's bedtime is 8:00, so obviously everyone gets to bed late on those nights. It was crazy, Jodie disappeared about 3 times. I would look the other way and then all of a sudden she would be gone again. Twice she went to a game that was right across from us and was sitting and visiting with this lady. The girl has no fear and it's scary. I know everyone out there is nice but I'm considering some sort of leash/restraint system/straightjacket for her. You think it would be cute if I got one in pink and put glitter on it?

After ball and school I am taking the kids to Arkansas with me for a couple of weeks. My whole family lives there and I'm looking forward to the trip.

ANYWAYS, I guess I better get to work as the reports won't do themselves. Although, in this day and age they will be doing themselves soon enough. ;)

Jen

I'm alive

2008-04-14T13:26:00.002-05:00

But barely! Actually, I went into it a little nervous, like the new kid in class, but I had nothing to worry about. It was a small class and everyone was nice. I liked it! At first at the end I was like- Well that wasn't too bad at all! And then I started walking around and picking up kids and was like "Woah." I was getting spaghetti legs and arms big time! I have a feeling I will be VERY sore tomorrow- which is a good thing because it means I made progress. Anyways, I think I will take a nap, I am so tired. Then I'll get to work :)

Jen

On my way out

2008-04-14T07:15:00.001-05:00

I'm going to do the body pump class this morning. I'm actually a little bit nervous because I hear it's a big fat workout. Ahhh! All in the name of getting into shape and shedding a few pounds! I'll check back in later today- If I'm still alive~

Jen

Spinning Class

2008-04-11T08:56:00.003-05:00

WOW, I took the kids with me last night to the gym so I could take a spinning class. It is supposed to be an hour-long class but I only lasted 25 minutes. Maybe next time I'll last for 30 or more. Let me tell you, I was pouring sweat and I really did do it until I couldn't do it anymore! My face was red and it was hard to breath, so I think I did good. I then went and tanned to cool down. That sounds funny huh? The one I do has giant fans on it and it's almost cold. I like it :)

Today is supposed to be very stormy so I decided to get groceries last night while I was in town. I actually like going to the grocery store, but this time I had all 4 kids with me and we couldn't get out of there fast enough! They really are good kids, it is just so crazy when I have them all at one time in a store. One wants to go this way and the other wants to go that way. All the while, I'm making sure they stay by me. I was beginning to regret going right after the gym. But it's done now and I can dedicate my day to working and doing all the laundry in the house. We'll see how long I last today, I'm hoping for at least 12 hours :) :)

Okay, speaking of work- I better get to it before Jaylin wakes up.

Jen

Well, I decided on the sandwich

2008-04-10T11:08:00.002-05:00

Following Kriss, I'll post a picture of my lunch! It is ham, turkey, fat free cheese, pickles, mustard, on a toasted onion bagel. I know it looks huge, but it's all in the way you fold the meat. It IS big, but not as big as it looks :)

Jen

Funny story

2008-04-10T09:59:00.002-05:00

I posted about this on a different blog a long long time ago, but I thought I would post it on this one because I STILL laugh about it! ;)

So, have you ever had anything strange happen to you? I just remembered a funny thing that happened to me in College and I thought I would share: My second semester of my second year of Southeastern I got to live in the apartments. The thing is, I had to find 2 roommates as fast as I could because I had to fill it. I asked an acquaintance friend of mine if she would like to move in with her current roommate. They said sure! So we ended up moving into the campus apartments together and we really didn't know a lot about each other at all.

One night, I think about the second night in the apartment we were all in bed talking. (there were 2 sets of bunk beds. I was in the bottom left. Amy was on the top right, and Deana was on the bottom right. Anyways, we were just getting to know each other and talking and stuff. Out of the blue, Amy asks us "Have you ever had a the top bunk of a bunk bed fall on you before?" We were like- ummmm no. She said that she had never had one fall on her but she had been on the top bunk when it fell through before. We were like, "Oh, ok. That's kind of funny." Then we went on to talk about something else. About 5 minutes later, out of nowhere....CRASH....the top bunk that Amy was on fell down onto Deana! I was like "No Way." We were laughing so hard and Deana was like "HELLLLLP!!" And we were laughing so the bed just stayed on top of her probably for a full minute and minutes can be long in a circumstance like that. Anyways, Everyone was fine and noone got hurt.

After that night we did't feel wierd being around each other. Maintenance came and fixed the bed, but Deana was still a little bit nervous about having someone sleep above her again. I wouldn't let Amy sleep above me because I am certain that she has a thing with top bunks of the bunk bed that makes them fall in. Amy ended up sleeping in the living room that night and we probably stayed up close to all night just talking and laughing. That was funny. I gues talking about something can make it happen........So, have you ever won a million dollars? OK, have a great day!!

Working today

2008-04-10T09:47:00.002-05:00

I'm working right now and all I can think about is hot wings. I really want some. I think I have to have some. Maybe BBQ? That just might be just as good as hot wings, maybe. I think I may call Beverlies and order me up a platter. Today is pay day and although I don't have A LOT to spend, I think I can afford just one little plate...right?

Tune in next post to see if I follow through with it or if I just make me a sandwich..

Jen

Lesson learned

2008-04-09T12:07:00.002-05:00

I went to the gym today and really just felt like crap. What happened is, I have been taking these vitamins called Advocare. It's more like 15 vitamins a day. You take one packet 30 minutes before breakfast, one packet 30 minutes before lunch, and there are 2 additional packets that you take during a meal. I usually take those with lunch. So, I decide to have spaghetti for breakfast (my favorite!) and took the vitamins 30 minutes before I ate. Then I guess I got confused because when I went to eat I took the next package. Why?? I still don't get it. Basically I took the breakfast and lunch pack all at the same time and I think it had some sort of a reaction. UGH. So I had to get a java smoothie from Sonic- to help me feel better....Right?

Rachel- to answer your question- I go to the Gold's gym in Pelham, but I have been thinking of switching to 280 because it's closer I think. I have a free 7 day pass for a friend if you want it- then you can check it out! I would LOVE to take a class with someone, it would be fun. I'm thinking about doing a spinning class (which totally doesn't sound like a bike class, it sounds like old ladies sitting around one of those spinning machines making yarn) anyways- :) I better get to work, I have to pay for the gym membership somehow! haha,

Here's to me feeling better and not ever taking 11 vitamins all at one time again. UGH. I think I need another smoothie....j/k..

Jen

RACHEL

2008-04-08T19:44:00.001-05:00

Hey! I have tried to write a comment on your blog 3 times but for some reason my computer WILL NOT let me! Just wanted to let you know that I'm reading!! :) :)
Jen

Hey there!

2008-04-08T19:35:00.002-05:00

I have been meaning to come back and write some things, but time is NOT on my side and I keep on putting it off. Sorry! :)

What has been going on in my life now? Oh- I joined a gym. I'm so excited, maybe I can lose a good 30-40 pounds. That would really rock. I went for the first time yesterday and today I am so sore. I had my initial evaluation and everything where they weighed me and did my body fat...I am officially overweight. You know- I have always thought that but I didn't want somebody else telling me! They are supposed to say "Oh, you look great.....for having 4 kids." Well, maybe I can just start to look great and it ending there. One thing I love about my gym (Gold's Gym) is that they have childcare and the kids LOVE it. It so great not having to depend on anyone but me to go exercise.

I'm trying to watch American Idol right now but I'm just not that "in" to it right now. I will go clean the kitchen during a commercial so I will cut this short...although I could actually go and clean the whole house and then come back here and no one would know the difference.

Okay, I'll write a more interesting post later!!

Jen

Sorry, it's been awhile...

2008-03-22T07:44:00.002-05:00

My parents took the three oldest kids for the week and so I have only had 1. What a crazy time that was. What did I ever do with myself when I "only" had one child?? Actually, she didn't have anyone to entertain her so in a way it was more difficult.

So, I have so much to talk about but can't right now. I will though. Soon.

Jen

Tithe challenge

2008-03-08T16:23:00.002-06:00

For a while now I have stopped tithing. I looked at my bills and then the cost of tithe and decided I really couldn't afford it. Lately I have been having so much financial hardship that it has really opened my eyes. Maybe I should be faithful. Maybe I should listen to the voice inside me telling me I should do this again. Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying these things have happened because I have not tithed, I just think I may have missed out on many blessings because of my unfaithfulness. From now on, after each and every check, no matter whether I think I can afford it or not, I WILL tithe. I'm not saying this to boast AT ALL. I am doing it as a beginning of a testamony. I know this is the very beginning for me. Even if nothing amazing happens- I know I am being obedient. So, I will update on this matter again. This in no way is to make myself look good, but only to show how our God is faithful. Whether I have a lot of money or close to nothing I know that I am blessed.

:)

Jen

Facing the lies with truth...

2008-03-05T14:53:00.002-06:00

Due to recent things going on in my life I have started to have a bad attitude. In this attitude I realize I have been lying to myself. I have been listening and believing these lies. Therefore, I'm going to face them and then replace it with truth....

I am a bad mother.... I am a wonderful mother. I love my kids and would do anything and everything for them. I will raise them in the way they need to be raised. I will be a good example to them. I will pray for them and be there for them. I will forgive them when they do wrong and praise them when they do good. I will lift them up when they are down and I will not overbear them with too many expectations. I will teach them to reach for their goals and always do the best they can do. I will be proud of them whether they become a doctor or a hair stylist.

I am a bad wife... I am a good wife. I love my husband and will do anything and everything for him. I will love him no matter what. I will pray for him and believe in him. I will hold my hand out for him to hold onto and I will not point my finger at him in accusation. I will come to him with problems, I will listen to his counsil. I will believe in him. I will gently speak the truth to him when he's wrong. I will step back and not smother him when I think he should do things my way. I will be proud of him.

I'm a bad housekeeper.... Even though I am almost always behind in laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, decluttering, mopping and sweeping.... hey...I'M A BAD HOUSEKEEPER!! That's okay, I can do better. www.flylady.com I can do it. I CAN do it.

My finances are a wreck and I will get ahold of them. I can work and save and pay off. I can do without things. I don't HAVE to have a starbucks. Folgers will do.

I have been way too negative lately. I have decided to change my mindset. I can do this. I cannot do this alone. I will ask for help when needed.

There. I feel better

Jen

A Typical Jen story

2008-03-04T07:33:00.002-06:00

This happened about 9 months ago, but I thought I would share.

I have a problem with returning things like movies from the movie place and books from the library. I am waiting for amnesty day. I missed it the last 2 years, so maybe this year will be my year!! Anyways- I had been getting some phone calls from the library **reminding** me to return my books. I was getting tired of them calling and just wanted them to leave me alone. I have got to return them on amnesty day because that way I won't have to pay a fine. SO, the phone rings one day and on the caller ID it says something about Shelby County. Great, I thought. They are calling me AGAIN. Here is the conversation.

THEM: Hello, is Jennifer A** there?
ME: No, she's not here right now, can I take a message?
THEM: Well, this is the nurse from Jake's school and I needed to talk to her.
ME: (Panicking inside because I can't just turn around and say Hahaha, just kidding- it's me). I'll try to get ahold of her and have her call you back.

So I get off the phone and am wondering what to do. I had to know what she was calling for- what if Jake was sick or something happened? I start calling people here in Alabama seeing if they could call for me- but no one is home. Last resort, I called an Arizona friend and thank goodness she was able to call for me. Here is that phone call.

HER: Yes, this is Jennifer A*, Jakes mom. I'm returning a call from the school nurse.
NURSE: Hello! I just wanted to let you know that Jake has pink eye and you need to come get him from school.
HER: Oh, okay. Is he okay?
NURSE: He's fine. Here, do you want to talk to him?
HER: (Very fast) Oh no, I'm coming right now.

Can you imagine if Jake had got on and realized that it was not me on the phone, just someone pretending to be me? So I go to the school and walk in and Jake's sitting in the office. Here's THAT conversation.

ME: I'm here to get Jake.
SECRETARY: Okay, just sign this..yadda yadda yadda
ME: SO, do I need a doctor's note to get him back into school or what?
SECRETARY: Just do whatever the nurse told you to do.
ME: Oh, I didn't talk to the nurse.....(pause)....(saying kind of fast so I can get out of there) Except for when I just got off the phone with her before I came. Okay, thanks!

Then we high-tailed it out of there.

The moral of the story is to ALWAYS return your library books :)

Jen

He came home with WHAT??

2008-03-03T12:15:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago Jake came home with something on and I was like what!!??? While to some this may not be a big deal- to us here in Alabama it IS. He came home with an Auburn jersy shirt on.......

We are NOT an Auburn family, we are 100% ALABAMA fans. To those of you who don't know- Alabama and Auburn are both in Alabama and here you are either for one or the other, they are rivals. We have chosen our team and now we have to stick to it. Jake was like "I'm for both teams." I said "nooooooooo" You can't be for both teams. Like the Bible says- kind of- you cannot serve 2 masters. You will love one and hate the other. It just doesn't work. So we had a talk and he will NOT be wearing that shirt again.

Hahahaha, all this in good fun really. If he chose to go for the ...other....team, I would still claim him as my son. He would just have to walk 5 paces behind me. Just kidding. Honestly- It's just something fun to do. My life will go on whether they win or lose, so whatever. ;)

Jen

Today

2008-02-23T16:53:00.005-06:00

Whew! I am tired :) I have done a lot today, but it's the stuff that you can't actually SEE, so it looks like I haven't done anything. I have just joined the world of online banking. Just so I don't look totally lame, I access my bank account online and have for years, but I am doing the bill pay with my bank. I set up all of my bills with my Wachovia account and instead of going to 20 different web sites and logging on and off paying 1 bill at a time, I will just go to my bank's website and pay them all there. Crazy I tell you! :) :) :)

Jason suprised me today by going to church this morning for the men's meeting, they were having breakfast. :)

It's starting to be busy season around her with baseball and everything. It always starts out as fun and then gets soooooo tiring later on in the year
*************************************************************************************
yeah, that's as far as I got and then stopped for a week! I'll do whole other post for the weekend ;)

Jen

Does it ever really slow down?

2008-02-19T09:36:00.003-06:00

I don't think so!! I haven't done too much today...I'm just sitting here trying to talk myself into going to the mall or something. Should I stay home and save money or go anyways? I don't know- there's something I really want and I'm just not sure......I guess we'll see. I do need to save money though just in case...you never know.

:)

Later- I think I have talked myself into going to the mall....I think....

Jen

Getting Caught Up

2008-02-08T06:09:00.001-06:00

Well, by no means am I *ahead* yet but I think I'm almost caught up. The Holidays really stretched my pocketbook and I probably spent a lot more than I should have. Next year will be better. I should start saving now. My mom had an idea to get 20-50 dollars giftcards every time you get a paycheck (whether that be Walmart or AMEX or whatever). Then by the time Christmas rolls around I'll have a big chunk set aside for Christmas. I think I will do that- I really need to do something.

Today I'm going to get my finances in check. I have been so scared to look at them because of knowing there wasn't enough to cover everything. But I'm turning over a new leaf. Just because I don't look doesn't mean the bill isn't there, so I have to have some sort of reality check.

Speaking of checks, we got our taxes today!! Yeah!! Jason and I are splitting them this year which is really awesome. Also, Monday is my payday and it should be a good one, and although I'm probably not too much ahead, I AM going to be caught up (or almost caught up). My next paycheck will be just as good if not better than this one and it includes a bonus, wahooh! My goal is to pay off all my little bills this year...

My goal is to improve my credit in the next 2 years. I just want to pay everything on time and still have some left over to put in savings. I enrolled in a credit watch so I'm going to be checking my credit every month to see if the changes I am making will have a positive affect on the score.

So that's that. My next post will be about anything but money :)

Jen

Working at 3 am

2008-01-31T04:39:00.000-06:00

Before I start my post I would like to thank everyone who read my previous post, your comments were taken to heart and I really appreciate you ladies! I love you!!

So, around 2:30 Jaylin wakes up and I get her a little drink for her sippy cup. I just threw her bottle away a couple days ago so it's still a transition for her. Actually, ever since getting that sippy cup she hasn't been waking up at night, except for tonight. After I put her back in her bed she just stands there and cries. Now, this is something I can handle- a crying child. Jason though, cannot handle it and he got her up and was trying to get her to lay down on him. She really wasn't having it, she just wanted to try to crawl over to me. (awwww) So I finally tell him that he needs to just put the covers over his head and let her cry it out. It was 3:00 so I just decided to start my work day. She only cried for 6 minutes- then she was out.

All this confirms that we REALLY need another bedroom. So I have to work work work to save for some kind of an addition to the house or who knows. Jason is in love with the land that we live on. I think I would like the house better if ***someone*** would start doing things like putting drywall in place of the wood panneling. Do you know how much I HATE wood panneling? Yeah- a lot!! Honestly, I would do it myself if I knew how. And doubly honestly- I don't think Jason knows how. He got a book and read it. We'll see now won't we. Of course, if he does it and it looks perfect I will be the first one in line with an apology ;)

Jen

:)

2008-01-24T18:59:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, January 15

2008-01-15T07:25:00.001-06:00

Okay, it's writing in Hindi and I can't make it stop! Well, Christmas has come and gone. I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas. I LOVE the excitement in the air, looking at all the lights, teaching my children about the true meaning of the season. I HATE all the long lines at stores, traffic, greediness of my children caused by being overrun by commercials about every toy imaginable. But one year down and now life can get back to normal.

So my birthday is soon, January 22....I'll be 29. My very last year in my twenties. I hear life starts at 30 so we'll see! ;) Life has been just crazy these days. I've been trying to work and get ahead and the more I try, the more behind I am. That's how it is these days I guess. It's stressful. Now for me to just be honest....I have been in a struggle the past oh, lets see...years. Spiritually I'm in a desert and I want out. I am living my life day to day in what seems like a cloud and just getting by. So we have been going to Church lately and ever since then life is getting hectic again. I'm getting frustrated with my husband more it seems and he's getting more frustrated at me. I'm paying tithe and I'm having money problems. What in the world? I feel like I'm being attacked on all sides and I need a bit of relief! I'm trying to be OBEDIENT to what I should do. It's hard to have faith though and I'm really trying. With the tithe I prayed "Lord, if I'm not giving this with the right attitude, please change it. I want to be obedient and do what you say but I'm going to be honest here, it makes me nervous writing out this check. PLEASE help me." Did I pray it wrong? I don't think so, but maybe I did. Maybe I showed lack of faith by being nervous. I didn't pay it expecting a big return, really...I just didn't think I would get to this point...

So, that's what's going on in my mind. It's a battlefield. So now what? Keep doing what I'm doing? I just need some help here! And I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about everything else. Why is it that I'm having one of the best years in my marriage right now and then I try to get involved in Church again and do right and all this crap is coming back? I need to fight it and claim it. I must be doing something right or headed in the right direction though right?? Right? OHHHH, I'll stop rambling now!!Jen

Soooo, has it really been this long?

2007-12-05T06:32:00.000-06:00

Almost 2 months since my last posw. WOW, I really didn't think it had been THAT long. I'm trying to remember what I haven't posted about...

Jason's grandma died and him, his sisters and mom had to fly to California. It was a pretty crazy time. I had just gotten my bonus and then ended up paying for everyone's plane ticket. Now, I don't mind helping out, but most of that was bill money. One of my SIL was going to pay me back, of course DH paid me back, and then there's the situation with my other MIL and SIL who is not at fault. Here's what happened: Right when the death happened, I took it upon myself to help out by pricing some plane tickets. They were on average 800+ dollars...EACH. There was no way that was going to happen. So they decided to drive. My MIL's dad was sending her 500 dollars to help out with the trip. But then we found out the funeral was going to be for a later date and Jason said I should check on priceline.com. I thought I would offer the ridiculous amount of 175 dollars for the round-trip ticket and it got ACCEPTED! Wahooh! With taxes and everything it would be 220. Not bad for a last minute round trip ticket. Well, to make a long story short, my MIL was supposed to give me the 500 dollars to pay for her ticket and my other SIL's ticket (who is flat broke), and even part of another ticket. They said they would pay me back. .......fast foreward to after CA. MIL was sending me a check. I knew MIL's dad gave her a lot more money because she was telling my SIL about it and was crying about it, so I know it wasn't 20 dollars, it had to be more. SO, I get my check in the mail (which was supposed to be 500) and it said 212 dollars. WHAT??? Almost 300 dollars short. That would have been fine except I'm late on some bills and needed to get caught up. NOW I didn't get to pay them and there are late fines etc...I was so frustrated. So now I try not to dwell on it because it would just make me angry. I seriously don't mind helping out. If I had the money and didn't need it then it would have been fine but that wasn't the case. Anyways, I get paid in a week and there should be a bonus that will make up the difference, so I know thinkgs will be fine. I guess I'm more upset about the whole trust issue here. She said she was sending 500 dollars and she sent 212. Well, enough about that....

Work is going good. I'm trying to hold out for another position and I'm being told that it could be soon so fingers crossed!!

Well, speaking about work, I need to get to it if I want to make some Christmas $$$$$.

Jen

Wednesday..

2007-10-10T17:40:00.002-05:00

Life is so busy right now!! My mom and dad came on Sunday night. They were supposed to stay until Thursday but ended up leaving Tuesday afternoon :(

Another thing is we started painting. Well, actually priming. We're doing Jada's room first and I am so excited. Our house is all panel and can seem so dark at times. So far the room doesn't look good but it's just had 1 coat of primer. We will do another coat and then put color on the wall.
:)
So that was Monday.
:)

So I had my midterm yesterday. I think it went good. :)

Ok, DH is home so I better get going....

Jen

My voice is GONE!

2007-09-27T07:12:00.001-05:00

My throat started to hurt the other night and so I knew it was coming...I don't feel too bad, just a little tired and of course my throat still hurts, but I have no voice! I can squeak out a sound but it's not pretty. My dear husband who is so funny, is like "huh?, can you speak up please, I can't hear you!" haha. :)

Oh, I can't begin to say how tired I am right now. I have worked every day for the past two and a half weeks. I'm not complaining though because I should get a couple great paychecks. My goal is to actually get 10-20 hours of overtime. Wouldn't that just rock? I think I could actually get caught up and start saving for Christmas. I would love to have money put back for the Day after Thanksgiving sales. Last year I was only able to get a handful of things but this year hopefully I can get more. Two years ago we were out of money and Jason got a bonus check at the last minute. We ended up getting all the presents on Christmas eve. It was slim pickin but we survived and it was fun!

I can't wait for the Holidays. I actually want to start on some new recipes so if you have any, I'm trying to come up with some more things to make...

Ok, gotta get to work!!

Jen

Funny story about high school Jen

2007-09-22T07:52:00.000-05:00

I went to high school in Memphis Tennessee...actually, a town called Bartlett. Anyways, when I was a senior in high school it was a requirement for everyone to do a big term paper at the end of the school year. Like always I waited until the last minute to do mine and had a couple sleepless nights. Now that I think back, that is when I became addicted to coffee...

So, I finally got the paper done, not my best work though, and I needed to type it out. It was due that day but for some reason the computer at my house was not working. Ugh, I had to type it at school. I typed all day long because it was a long-*ss report. When English class came around I still didn't have it done, but she said as long as I turn it in that day it wouldn't be counted late. I FINALLY got it finished but when I went to turn it in she wasn't there yet and I had to go to work. I was getting desperate because I knew it wasn't my best work and if I turned it in late then I would automatically go down 1 letter grade.

So, I went to work (shoe carnival) and got an idea. She said if it was turned in THAT DAY. So I got the phone book and looked her up. She was actually hard to find. I had to call a couple people and even talked to some of her relatives. I finally found her number and next to it was her address. Easy. After work I would run by her house and turn it in, before midnight, therefore technically turning it that day. I was getting off work late though, around 10:30 so I had to hurry.

When I finally left work I set off to find her house. It was late and I didn't want to wake her up though. It actually didn't take too long to find it. Oh, the term paper was in a plastic binder thing. I not only had to turn in the typed report but I also had to turn in a whole butt load of notecards. Hmmmm, what to do. All the lights are off and I don't want to knock on the door. So I positioned it against the garage door. She would have to see it that way. In the morning she would get it, I would not be docked a whole grade because I had turned it in the night before. Perfect.

After dropping it off I went home and went to bed. Then awoke a couple hours to the most horrible sound.....rain. Yes, it had rained. Not only rained but it stormed too. I prayed that maybe it magically didn't rain at her house.

So I get to school the next day a little late and as I'm walking to my first class people passing give me little comments like "Hey, sorry about your paper." "Woah, are you okay?" I'm a little confused at this point but I know it can't be good. It turns out that it did storm at my teacher's house and my report and note cards got blown out of the folder. All over her yard. And her neighbor's yard. She said neighbors were bringing her notecards all the next week. Great. I guess that's what happens when you procrastinate! I ended up getting a D I think...and now she has a story of "How NOT to turn in your term paper."

:)

Jen

Waiting

2007-09-21T08:09:00.000-05:00

Now I'm just waiting for my rough draft to be returned by the teacher. I actually changed quite a bit of things before I turned it in. When I get it back I have someone that will look at it for me and give me more feedback. I really want a perfect score on this paper. Silly I know, I just really want to prove that I can do it and do it right! It's funny to be in school again. I can't wait until next semester. I think I'm going to take psychology 2. I already took psychology 1 when I started college the first time.

So it's the weekend and I will be working. I don't mind, I volunteered. The pay is good and I really need the money and I have to make up hours I didn't make during the week. I had a huge headache yesterday morning and so I took something for it, and it made me a zombie the rest of the day. I only got about 4 hours in yesterday. On October 1 I have myself as switching to full time. That means I will have to get at least 39 hours during the week. I hope I'm able to keep up, but it really shouldn't be a problem. I will be happy to finally have school finished and be able to start my career as a nurse.

Oh, I'm glad all the drama at COF is over. I didn't write too much about it here but my goodness. Anyways, it's over so no need to open up that can of worms again!

Jason and the kids and my SIL are going to the fair tonight. I may go too, it just depends. I think AF is going to start and if so then I am certainly NOT going. Last time was my first since having Jaylin and it was HORRIBLE. I'm not sure if it's because I had my tubes tied or what. I hope it calms down though.

Well, I better get going, I have a big day ahead.

Jen

Monday

2007-09-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

So today should be a regular old Monday. I'm sitting here with my little kitten, he's so cute! I wish I could find the cable to my camera then I could post pictures.

So, some things are going on a COF and it has me really bothered. Actually, it's one person. I don't even know what to say. I think she just wants to create some drama. Oh well, I won't even bother with her :)

We went to church yesterday. It was good. I liked the sermon. On the way to church though Jason was being a little testy I don't know what his problem was. Also, on the way home from church he was just onry. He later apologised so that's good. After all that he took the kids and my SIL to the movies. It was so nice because I only had Jaylin and it was her nap time. I got a couple hours of just quiet!!

After that, I made dinner and put the kids to bed. Then my SIL and I went to WalMart to get groceries. When we got home I saw that I ended up with a couple of bags of someone elses groceries. There was nothing I could do though, it takes 30 minutes to get to WalMart from here and it was already after 10:00. There were 4 big blockes of motzerella cheese, one Mexican queso cheese and some chicken. Hmmm, I wonder what all that cheese was for? I'm going to have to look up some recipes that call for lots and lots of motzerella. Maybe I could make motzerella sticks....

Anyways, I guess it's time to go to work. :)

Bye!

Jen

Wednesday, Hump Day

2007-09-12T06:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I have always thought that sounded a little bit dirty...

I can't find the cord to my camera, that means I can't download any pictures to my computer. I have no idea where it is, I have looked everywhere I can think of. It's really starting to bug me.

Today I am trying to get a lot of work done. One of my best friends and co-workers are on the same account at work. It's actually funny how we met. I had just gotten a job at MedQuist and needed some childcare for a month or so. Back then I had to train in the office. Anyways, Jewlee had an ad out in the paper for childcare. I gave her a call but then some family came into town so I didn't need anyone because they were going to do it. Weeks later though I had lost her number, so we almost didn't meet. But, she ended up calling me.

She had a home daycare thing going on and I was always very impressed with how good she was at her job. We got to talking though and it turned out that she was ready to do something different. She was asking about what I did and where I went to school and then just decided to do it. To make a long story short, now we work at the same place on the same account. Even though she still lives in Arizona and I'm here in Alabama she is one of my closest friends.

Wow, all that to get to this. We are "racing" this pay period. Whoever gets the most lines wins and the loser has to send them a Starbucks card. With that said, I need to get to work!! I could really use some Starbucks now...

For now though I will just have my coffee with sugar and French Vanilla cream and be happy!

Let's see if I can beat my old record for most lines in a day...or at least get to 2500...I'll let you know!!

Jen

Friday!!

2007-09-07T11:29:00.000-05:00

So it's Friday. I, however, am going to work all weekend so It's not too much of a weekend. That's okay though because I'm saving up money. There are a few things that I really want to save up for:

- Ipod
- Recliner for Jason
- There are materials I want from Lowes to update my Kitchen. (we all know how much money that can take!!)
- School. I'm paying up front. No more student loans for this girl!
- An exercise bike or treadmill. Not too expensive.
- Christmas
- Savings

To name a few :)

Tomorrow is the Alabama football game. I have no idea who we are playing but I just love football season. Here you either go for Auburn (boo) or Alabama (roll tide!!). We just got a new coach so hopefully we will have a successful season. This is my favorite time of year. Soon it will be halloween then Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. You don't have to worry about giving or receiving presents, it's about food and giving thanks for everything you have. And I have a lot to be thankful for.

I'm afraid my yard is becoming a typical Alabama yard. I hate to say it. We have about 2 acres, so nice and so different from our yard in Arizona. I drive a Kia sedona van. Not my dream vehicle if you ask me but it's nice, 2003. Jason drives a little honda that he baught for $50.00. Yes, fifty dollars. So you can imagine it's not beautiful. The poor thing is dented and just about to fall apart. He drives it to work though and it's great on gas. Next, we have a F-100 truck. I think it's nice, it's a 1970s model. It's black and nice. Kind of. It is broken down. Jason is saving to fix it up really nice. Right now though, the engine is out and it needs a new hood. Finally, this last week he decided he needed a running work truck. He found one and baught it for 700 dollars. It's an F250 and blue. (I'm pretty sure it is spray painted) So now we have one nice vehicle and three old ones. I fear our yard is going to look like a junk yard!! Well, it doesn't look THAT bad. If I had the $$ I would get him a different car and help him fix up his truck, and as long as I have the money let's just get him a nice work truck too!! (a girl can dream)

Maybe after I become a nurse. :)

Jen

Tuesday feels like Monday!

2007-09-04T05:24:00.000-05:00

Doesn't it always feel like this on a Tuesday after a holiday?

This week I have a couple things I need to do. For one, it's important that I finish reading my textbook assignments for my English class. I'm not sure I will LOVE this class but I am glad to be taking it. It's my first step to finishing school. It's so embarrasing though. I went to college for 2 1/2 years and don't have too much to show for it. What did I do back then? I know, I played! I did really bad my first semester and then decided to do good the second and made the Deans list. So that means I failed English 101 and then passed English 102 with flying colors. If I only knew now back then... I really think some kids should not go to college straight out of high school. I know I should have waited until my maturity level was up a bit. You know you feel so "grown up" and free. If I were really as grown up as I thought, I would have gone to class more and studied. Oh well, you live and learn.

My class right now will be a series of essays. So I guess I need to write in my Blog more for practice. If I do good this semester maybe I'll take 2 classes next. We'll just have to see.

My house is horrible. That's one thing I have got to do this week. I want to fix my house up and I really can not do that unless it is clean. I just don't understand how it can get like this so fast! I will literally have a clean kitchen one morning and by bedtime it's trashed. I'm sure it has nothing to do with having 4 children. ;)

Well, I must go make some coffee. The kids will be up soon and Jake needs a bath.

Have a great day!!!

Jen

Work

2007-08-25T06:49:00.000-05:00

Work is going fine. They are going through a lot of changes lately and some are good and some are not so good. I am still up for the Production Supervisor job but I don't know how long that will be. They have put a hold on hiring for those jobs for now. They want to wait until all the changes have been put in place. But I am getting to do QA, usually a couple days a week. QA is where I basically check the other transcriptioninsts work and fill in their blanks. I like it because it isn't a production job, I get paid hourly. It's just nice to do.

I'm still doing school although there isn't much to do right now. Once September starts I'll be getting my assignments. I am really looking foreward to this, it's my way to prove that I CAN do it.

Well, I need to get to work now. I got called yesterday to see if I would be intersted in doing QA this weekend and although I worked all last week, I jump at the chance to do QA whenever I can!!!

Jen

Wow, it's been a while!

2007-08-22T07:13:00.000-05:00

It really has huh? Hmm, where to start? Jake and Jada started school 2 weeks ago. I can't believe I now have 2 kids in school. The house seems so much more quiet and calm during the day. It's easier to keep the house cleaner while they are away. Jada is really enjoying Kindergarten. I knew she would. The poor thing was getting so bored at home so I know she was ready to do things! Jake likes first grade too. He really feels like a big kid now that he's a big first grader ;)

What else?... Oh, I went back to school. Actually it's an online class through the college in town. English. I don't really like the whole writing essays and stuff so I thought I would get that out of the way. It came with 3 text books, one of which is a novel that we have to read. I am happy to report that I read it all a week ago. I can be a procrastinator so this is a big deal for me. We don't have to have it read until the middle of September but I have it all done. Yeah me! My final goal is to go into nursing, but it's going to take a long time. That's okay though.

My aunt died almost 2 months ago and it was a real suprise. I really miss her, we were close. What is crazy is about a week before she died I was looking through some pictures and came across one of her. I thought to myself "I should call Aunt Elaine and see how she's doing." But I got busy and never got to make that call. Then she passed away. She was only 51. She will be missed, but I know she's in heaven now with my pawpaw and having a grand old time! She was an avid sewer and I got one of her sewing machines. My mom should bring it up soon. I don't know how to sew but I'm planning on teaching myself! I have visions of me making clothes and quilts!!!

Ok, I have GOT to get to work. I'll try not to forget about the blog any more though :)

Jen

Long week

2007-04-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

Whew, what a week! I decided last Wednesday to get a dress or skirt for Easter. It's been about 2 years since wearing either so that's kind of a big deal for me. Off to the store we went but to no avail, Wal Mart had nothing. I didn't think they would honestly. The next night I took Jaylin and Jodie with me to shop some more. I went to Ross and they had nothing. I went to Old Navy and they had nothing. Then I went to Belk. This really nice sales associate helped me pick out an outfit and I thought it looked ok. She said it was really flattering. When I checked out the total for one skirt and one shirt was 48 dollars! Well, I don't usually buy clothes so I decided I would just get it.

On my way home I began to feel a bit of buyers remorse. When I got home I went up and tried the outfit on again and totally changed my mind. That shirt did NOT flatter me, it made me look downright chunky! I just had my fourth kid, there's not much that really is going to flatter me to be honest...I decide to return the outfit. I haven't yet but I will this week.

Saturday after an easter egg hunt at our church I took the kids with me to Goodys. I tried on a couple things but didn't really like any of them. All these dresses and skirts look so cute on other people but not really on me. Instead I buy a brand new pair of shoes and earrings and a necklace. I got a shirt from WalMart and wore it on Sunday with jeans, and the high heels and earrings. Not the necklace because it didn't look good with the whole thing. I am not much of an accessory person, I wish I was....Maybe someday I'll put together a really cute outfit on my own. Until then I rely on my friends, acquantiances and yes- the random person shopping within 2 feet of me. If I had a quarter for each time I stop someone to ask if this and that matches I would be able to afford that outfit from Belk!

:)

Jen

Wow, that was easy

2007-04-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

So, I just got off the phone with Fisher Price and they are sending me a replacement, it's that easy. For some reason I thought it would be harder! Yeah!!

Oh, and I went downstairs to feed Jaylin this morning and found my rocker/glider chair is broken. Well, I got good use out of it. It was from Wal-Mart so I think it did great lasting as long as it did. I got it when Jodie was born. I guess this is my sign that I was right to think about getting Jason a new "daddy's chair" for our 7 year anniversary. Maybe I'll get 2!! This time I'm going to get a nice rocker recliner chair. Lazyboy maybe? I'm not sure what kind to get- I guess I'll just have to go shopping! Oh dear ;)

Jen

OH GREAT!

2007-04-03T05:52:00.000-05:00

Crap, crap, crap!! The swing broke around 1:00 last night. The mobile will work and so will the music, but it just won't swing. I'll be calling Fisher Price today and see about a replacement. The thing isn't even 4 months old for crying out loud! Well, maybe Jaylin will learn to sleep in the pack n play now....

My journal had been about my journey with the Flylady and I'm still doing that, just not going so much into detail. I feel like I've gotten a little behind but I'll get caught up soon- I just have so much do do right now it seems. I would love to finish getting the bathroom all organized, along with both living rooms and my bedroom. I SO want all this paneling gone from my house. I want drywall that's painted. It would be a whole new house. I think if it was just me I would have had it done already. Not to make him sound bad or anything, but Jason just doesn't get in a hurry about things like that. He started a project before Christmas of '05 and I was a little worried that it would just sit there. Now, Spring of '07,......it's just sitting there. It can make a woman go mad!! Good thing he's so handsome! :)

Work is going pretty good, I'm actually running late this morning thanks to the whole swing ordeal. That baby takes her naps and everything in that thing- I'll update once I talk to Fisher Price, hopefully they will help me out as Jaylin practically lives in that thing!!!

OK- Gotta start work. I did a whole budget where I have to bring home a certain amount of $$$ and anything over that goes into my spending budget. Since I'm paid on production, if I produce a lot more then I get more money and therefore I get curtains!!!! (and an IPOD), (and new pots and pans), (and drywall???)..we'll see.

Jen

Flylady up to day 12-15

2007-03-23T06:38:00.000-05:00

I'm still doing good. Sink is still shining and I'm trying to keep up the decluttering although I'm a little behind on that because of work and other things. Jodie was sick on Wednesday and it looks like Jada is sick today. Hopefully no one else gets this little bug...

As a review:
day 12- Delete all e-mails I have saved up from the Flylady. Easy for me, I delete them after I read.
day 13- Do one of Kelly's missions. Every day she has a specific mission to be completed. Obviously I have to read it and do it. So far I have read it, maybe today I'll get to do one!
day 14- Do what I've been doing
day 15- Make bed every day in the morning from now on. Shouldn't be too hard. Just get up and make it. :)

Yesterday Jake made a comment about the sink always being clean. Yeah!!! I'm trying to do this right and not get too ahead of myself but it looks like it's working and before long I'll have a clean house all the time without making myself crazy.

Back to work!--

Jen

Flylady day 9, 10, 11

2007-03-19T07:12:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a weekend. My parents are here and that was a pretty good visit although I have to say I was ready for them to go home!! They do help keep the kitchen clean and they always do laundry but for some reason whenever the leave the house seems more cluttered than ever. There are also little annoyances I tend to have with my mother, but I won't go into that right now :)

Flylady...Going good! Slowed down over the busy weekend (Jake's first baseball game of the season) but I still did okay. The sink is shining so I did pretty good!

Day 9- 2 minute hot spot.

Day 10- Add a 5 minute room rescue and 15 minutes of decluttering. I haven't done the decluttering thing yet but I think I'm going to do the file cabinet, it needs it BAD!

Day 11 (today)- Write in the control journal an "inspirational page." With things like I can do it! and so forth.

Ok, back to work. I want to get as much done so I can get some $$$ to fix up this house! :)

Jen

Flylady day 7 and 8

2007-03-16T14:09:00.000-05:00

Things are going good so far. My mom and dad are here for a visit and that's going fine. One thing the Flylady says is not to be a perfectionist. You don't have to have things perfect all the time. It will drive you crazy and you won't be able to get everything done. It can hinder you at times. I find that is true. Before my parents came I didn't have much time to sweep and mop. Usually that is a big deal around here. We move all the chairs and high chairs into the other room along with the trash can and sweep everything up. This may mean sweeping it a couple times to make sure we get everything. Then you mop and put everything back. It is tedious and takes time and I like to get it looking perfect. (for 5 minutes until something is spilled on it AGAIN!) Instead of doing that I swept real quick. I did a good job, but I probably didn't pick up everything as I didn't move the chairs all out of the way. I then did a fast mop by spraying Mr Clean and then mopping the floor with a wet mop. This took all of 5 minutes. It looked good too. Wow, even though it wasnt "perfect" it worked. My dad even said, hmmm, the floor looks real good. :) :) It's starting to work already!!

Day 7 was a day to add to my list of "to do" things. Before bed I pick out my clothes for the next day. Easy enough, and it eliminates me having to think in the morning. I like that.

Day 8 I have to get out a foulder and put paper in it. This is the beginning of my control journal. Actually I'm cheating a bit because my mom is helping me get a Fly Lady control journal. :) I'm excited about that. That's it for now!!

Ohh, ohh, today I did a 2 minute hot spot clean up. My whole desk is cluttered, bad. What good is 2 minutes? Well- I got one whole side of the desk cleaned up! I know it sounds silly, but even with that little part cleared out, I already feel better. Just one step closer to that wonderful feeling of having a truly clean house. :)

Jen

Fly Lady day 5 and 6

2007-03-14T06:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was day 5. It was to recognize the negative voices when you hear them and changing the words to be nice to you. Then she wanted me to write them down. I can find myself having the attitude that I can't have a clean house and nothing will ever change. I wrote down that yes I will have a clean house and yes I can do it. Wow, this kind of seems silly, but I'll give it a go- especially if it makes my life a little easier!

Today is day 6. Now we are getting started with the "good" stuff. Today we learn about hot spots. A hot spot is a place where things tend to get built up. Mine is my kitchen counter, desk, beside my bed, file cabinet, fireplace mantle, etc...wow, I have a LOT of hot spots!! I am supposed to take a timer and set it for 2 minutes and just pick up. When the timer goes off then stop. You would be suprised how much clutter you can clear out in just 2 minutes. Now throughou the day us Flybabies get many many e-mails. One e-mail is a reminder about your hot spots and tell you to take 2 or 5 minutes and get them cleared out. Wow, after a couple times clearing they will be clutter free. Then keeping it up every day- I can see how such a small trivial thing can lead to a more organized home.

Tata!!

Jen

Fly Lady Day 3 and 4

2007-03-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm not mad any more and I **might** have been overreacting a little bit. It was a stressful day and I did get the building cleaned out with the help from my darling son and no thanks to the big humungous carpenter bees. They scare the crap out of me even though they don't sting. They are really intimidating. The were seriously ganging up on me and trying to buzz me out of there...it almost worked.

Fly lady- Yesterday was day 3. The instructions were to just do what I have been doing, that is keeping the sink shiny and getting dressed all the way first thing in the morning. I did that, pretty much...I didn't get a shower until later, but it was lazy Sunday so it's ok.

Today is day 4. The instructions are to do everything I have been doing and to put a post-it note on my mirror and above my sink as little reminders to keep it up. So far it's going good. Although DH is making fun of me because I want the sink dry at all times now. To him it's just a sink and they get wet. I understand that, but it can be dried out after you use it right?

My goal is to go all the way through the 31 steps of Flylady and get this house in order. I want to do this without telling DH what I'm doing and it make enough of a difference that he says something on his own about how nice the house is looking. We'll see!

Jen

Fly Lady Day 2

2007-03-10T12:10:00.000-06:00

Well, yesterday went good. I shined my sink and now I find that I'm anal about keeping it dry and shiny ;)

Day 2 - www.flylady.com We'll see how this goes- hopefully good because I want my house to be nice and clean and stress free...Yeah right-

I deleted this post because it was kind of mean towards my dear husband. :)

Jen

Fly Lady Day 1, take 2!

2007-03-09T10:26:00.000-06:00

Well it didn't even work out yesterday. I gut busy with work and didn't get to start the whole shining the sink process until 9:30. I was tired and to shine the sink properly you have to fill the sink with hot water and bleach and let it set for an hour. Needless to say, the sink did NOT get shined last night! So, I'm doing day 1 today and the sink is soaking as I type.

Ok, I have to get to work now as in about 2 hours my niece will be coming to play. Jada and Jodie should have fun with that. She's spending the night and it's their first little sleepover :) I'm thinking tents and sleeping bags downstairs...I have a feeling we are going to be tired tomorrow!! No problem though, this is what having kids is all about ;)
Jen

Fly Lady Day 1

2007-03-08T11:28:00.000-06:00

Ok, ok, I said I was going to be better about writing in my blog..:) I'll do better I promise.

So in the quest of getting my house more organized I decided to try Flylady again. It has never worked before because I would try to do all the steps at one time and get too overwhelmed. Well, I'm going to follow the "rules" this time and see how far it gets me. There are 31 baby steps so I guess today will be the first day for me. Step 1 on www.flylady.com. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to list the actual step so anyone can reference it directly. Seems like a little thing..but I'm going to do it.

Here's to the first day and first baby step to organization for my house!

Jen

Happy Birthday to me!

2007-01-22T10:01:00.000-06:00

Well, this weekend was pretty good. Jason had to work on Saturday so I did too. Sunday morning we woke up and just stayed in bed talking and of course Jaylin ate a lot. We ended up not getting ready for church soon enough so we didn't go. We did sit in bed and watch a movie and some TV and were just really lazy! Later in the afternoon we had to go to town for an eye appointment for Jason and then we ate Mexican food! It was sooooo good. After that I went grocery shopping while Jason stayed in the van with the kids. It was nice to go in there alone. We then went home and I cleaned the kitchen and we cleaned up the house a bit and before long it was bedtime!

This morning has been pretty regular except it's my birthday :). Today I am 28 years old. Wow, I'm 28 and I have 4 kids. Crazy huh? We will still be young by the time the kids finish high school, although Ican't imagine them being that big. My goal for the week is to work on the house at least 2 hours a day, except for Wednesday (my day "off") when I will try for 4. I'll set an alarm and whenever I do dishes or laundry or clean anything it will count down my time. My thinking is things will get really cleaned up this week. That's my goal. Not too much else to add right now. I've been lazy and talking on the phone and not doing too much work so I need to get to it!!

Jen

Friday!!

2007-01-19T06:55:00.000-06:00

Yeah, it's Friday!! Too bad Jason has to work tomorrow. My poor baby has a doctor's appointment today and I'm so sad because she has to get shots and the heel prick test. NOT fun. I wish I could take her place.

Well, she is still sleeping in the swing, that thing is a Godsend.

Not much to talk about right now. I just got a new boss at work because my old one quit last week. This will be the third one in a couple of months. This one sounds very nice and upbeat. The only thing is I think she's a real stickler for working your "scheduled" hours and that's hard with an infant. I can't schedule when she eats so they are going to have to work around that for me. I have got to ask for a raise. I have only gotten one and I have been working there almost 4 years. It's crazy really, but I like the account I'm on so I can't complain too much...

Yesterday started out great!! Then the hungry little girl put a little kink in my plan and I ended up feeding her FOREVER in the afternoon. It is really starting to make me want to switch to bottles, seriously.

OK, I have got to get to work so I can be somewhat productive today. This afternoon after the doctor's appointment I will run by Wal-Mart and get food for dinner tonight and then come back home and work. And eat beef jerky.

:) Jen

God bless the swing!

2007-01-18T06:12:00.000-06:00

Last night I fed Jaylin from both sides and then gave her a bottle. Then I gave her some gas drops and put her in her swing at 11:30 and laid down on the couch. I woke up at 5:00 to her still sleeping! Wahooh!! I don't care if it's in her swing- she slept from 11:30-5:00 and that means I did too! Eventually it will be nice if she doesn't have to be in her swing to sleep all night but if that's what it takes then that's what I'm going to do. Tomorrow she has a doctor's apopintment and is going to be getting shots. I'm so sad for her- poor baby :( Oh well, it has to be done.

Today is the first day of my new goal for myself at work. I'll have to come back later and say how much I actually did, but I am going to **TRY** to get up to 3000 lines a day. I used to only do 1000, then the system changed at work which allowed me to go faster. Then I did 2000+ lines a day. I have gotten up to 3000 a couple times but I'm going to try to make it a daily thing. Then maybe we can get rid of some debt in our lives, wouldn't that be nice?

Ok- Gotta get started on those 3000 lines!

Jen

Four

2007-01-17T06:31:00.000-06:00

That's the hours of sleep I got last night. God sure knew what he was doing when he made babies so cute!! Poor Jaylin just could NOT get to sleep last night. I nursed her until it hurt and finally gave in and gave her a bottle. She still would not go to sleep so I got desperate. I put her in her swing, got a pillow and a blanket and slept on the couch while she was swinging. I put her down around 12:00 and she slept until 4:00. That was a nice stretch of sleep :). At 4:00 she woke up and I took us to bed and fed her. She usually falls asleep doing that but she was moving around a lot. Then the alarm went off and I was talking to Jason and playing with Jaylin. When it was time for me to get up and help Jake get ready for school, that little stinker promptly fell asleep, and is still sleeping now!

I'm wondering if she just isn't filling up good when I nurse her. I will feed her 30-45 minutes and then 1 hour later she's hungry again. I feel like I'm feeding her all the time! It's so hard to get things done right now and I'm torn about what to do about it. I wish I could feed her and then get a 3 or even 2 1/2 hour stretch in between so I can work and get things done around the house. As it is I'm feeding her...getting a little bit done and then it's time for her to eat again. I'm not complaining but I just wish I could figure out how to fix this. Personally, I would like to start to switch to bottles. I know it's more expensive but how many things can one person do? I work for crying out loud! It would be SO NICE to give Jason the bottle and ask him to feed her while I get something like dinner done. I want to eat with my family and not have to go into hiding to feed Jaylin when we have company. My freakin boobs hurt!

Ok, I'm over that now- I just had to get it out.

Today is my day off but I'm going to have to get some work done as I didn't get as much done yesterday as I would have liked. (Please reference the above paragraph) I need to clean the girls' room and do laundry. I would also like to get the whole house vacuumed and the kitchen tidied up. The kitchen will probably take 10 minutes as it isn't really "dirty." My desk really needs to be cleaned up so I guess I'll be doing that too! Is it bed time yet?

Ahhhh, I love my life. I really do :)

Jen

Motivation

2007-01-16T07:27:00.000-06:00

I have none, which is bad because I could use it right now.

1- Work- Umm, we have bills which will not get paid if I don't do good at work. I'm trying to get motivated but it's been hard. Ever since having Jaylin it's been hard. She's a good baby but a little demanding. That's ok- I know she's my last one so I'm not stressing out about it. It just makes it hard to get things done around here.

2- My house. Laundry, cleaning, organizing. I need organization in my life! I am living in chaos and my husband would not believe me but I just want order in my house. I am slacking so bad. I guess for me it's an all or nothing type of thing. Either the house will be all perfect or just a disaster. Right now it's the second one...

3- Bills. I need a budget. Seriously- I think it would make my life easier. The thought of coming up with this big huge budget just makes me tired though. I have bills that are not getting paid because I keep putting them off. The sad part is the fact that we have money to pay (most) of them, I just procrastinate. I had to get the phone turned back on last week because I forgot about the bill. We can blame it on post-partum brain right?

4- My Christian life. This has been put on the back burner. Horrible I know, there's so much on my plate right now and this should be the first thing I try to get into but I just don't. I go to Church on Sunday mornings but beyond that- nothing. I actually had to hunt for my Bible last week. I found it, finally. Don't think I read it. My first goal was to find it and then...I guess I should have at least opened it up huh?

5- Diet and exercise. Enough said.

Well, reading over my list I'm more tired than when I started! I think I'll jog downstairs and throw a load of laundry in and put a load away, start work and pay a bill. Ugh- this is going to be hard. :)

Jen

My thoughts...

2007-01-15T11:44:00.000-06:00

This is my new blog, I thought I would just start all over as the other one has been long forgotten.

Where to start...I'm Jen. My husband Jason and I have been married 7 years in May. In these 7 short years we have had 4 children. Jake is 6, Jada is 4, Jodie is 2 and Jaylin is a little over 1 month old. Jaylin is our last and although I know it was the right decision I still cried when I came home from the hospital and folded up all the maternity clothes for the last time. They are going to my SIL Raquel who is pregnant with their 3rd child. I like our big family, sometimes crazy, but we are a good bunch.

We live in Columbiana Alabama and love it. I think we will be here forever, maybe. I love to read, read other people's blogs, and cook. I love having different kitchen things and I try to actually use them. My goal is to have as many spices as I can in my spice cabinet and know what each of them is for. I would love to redo our kitchen and expand it. Actually, I would love to redo the whole house. God bless the person who invented wood paneling, I just want it out of my house forever. We will start doing this a little at a time. We will also eventually add on to our house, but that will be years away probably!

I LOVE bacon pizza from Pappa Johns, although it's been over a year since I had one. I used to love spaghetti but the last couple times I had it I got heartburn real bad, so I don't eat too much of that any more. I'm working on losing weight, baby fat from this last pregnancy. I'm sure there's more but I can't think of anything else.

The reason for this blog is to just write down my thoughts, sometimes random, sometimes crazy, but that's just me!

My thoughts

Testing to see if this works...

Wow, so I still have a blog???

I need to write more of this stuff down!

Wow, it's been a looooong time...

Here I am!!

Starting the 6 Week Body Makeover

Thinking of crafts..

Testing

Trying to get in a better mood,

I'm a cheater and I know it..

Does anyone sing along with the radio...

Mystery solved

LABOR day

KIM

Short post today

*GREAT* morning (catch the sarcasm)

Funny thing happened at Wal-Mart today.

Made the shoes.

Picture of that apron

Sewing like crazy

IS that you grandpa?

Trying to make a change,

How Embarrassing!

Question,

A couple things about me

Weekend before school starts!

Thinking I need glasses??

Pictures? Hopefully...

I din't know what to write about..

A case of mistaken identity

Anyone else do this?

Medical Transcription- My Job

The GHOST of our livingroom.

Bad blogger!

Summertime

My poor family!

Almost Summer!!

I'm alive

On my way out

Spinning Class

Well, I decided on the sandwich

Funny story

Working today

Lesson learned

RACHEL

Hey there!

Sorry, it's been awhile...

Tithe challenge

Facing the lies with truth...

A Typical Jen story

He came home with WHAT??

Today

Does it ever really slow down?

Getting Caught Up

Working at 3 am

:)

Tuesday, January 15

Soooo, has it really been this long?

Wednesday..

My voice is GONE!

Funny story about high school Jen

Waiting

Monday

Wednesday, Hump Day

Friday!!

Tuesday feels like Monday!

Work

Wow, it's been a while!

Long week

Wow, that was easy

OH GREAT!

Flylady up to day 12-15

Flylady day 9, 10, 11

Flylady day 7 and 8

Fly Lady day 5 and 6

Fly Lady Day 3 and 4

Fly Lady Day 2

Fly Lady Day 1, take 2!

Fly Lady Day 1

GREAT morning (catch the sarcasm)