Thursday, December 31, 2009
Pictures from the past.
Well, like I said, today is Austins 11th birthday. My wonderful mom found this picture of 18 year old me and hours old Austin.
Happy Birthday!
Today is my baby boy's 11th birthday!!
He's growing up SO fast! I remember when he was just born. Tiny, bald, naked, and screamin his head off! :lol My first baby, mom caught the red-eye and flew out to Colorado (Which is where we were living at the time) from Ohio (which was probably REALLY expensive being that it was a red-eye AND New Years Eve!) and was there the day he was born. He was just a perfect lil baby, and from there, it went downhill! (Just kidding Monkey!)
Happy Birthday Monkey Man! I love you so very very much!
He's growing up SO fast! I remember when he was just born. Tiny, bald, naked, and screamin his head off! :lol My first baby, mom caught the red-eye and flew out to Colorado (Which is where we were living at the time) from Ohio (which was probably REALLY expensive being that it was a red-eye AND New Years Eve!) and was there the day he was born. He was just a perfect lil baby, and from there, it went downhill! (Just kidding Monkey!)
Happy Birthday Monkey Man! I love you so very very much!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Merry Christmas... and all that happy jazz.
So, Christmas was here and gone. We had a pretty good Christmas. Living with only one income in the house has been kind of hard! I did find a new job, and I start on the 29th! (Hooray!) We set a pretty strict budget this year, and came in just barely over! I achieved that by using online coupons whenever possible. Sams' birthday was on the 18th, we had Christmas on the 25th, our anniversary is on the 29th, and Monkey's birthday is on the 31st! We have a pretty busy December!
The kids were really pleased with their Christmas bounty. They both got DSi's. If you don't know anything about Nintendo DSi's, oh man! I would suggest getting one! They have 2 cameras on them, so you can take pictures of yourself, or outside your DSi. The ones that the kids got came preloaded with a few games and such. Now that we have 4 Nintendo DS/DSi's in the house, we can all play our own games, or, we can use the chat feature and chat with each other. (Yes, I know this is the lazy mans way! *hehe*) They also got some new clothes and some toys. They also got a gift card each, which was promptly spent getting toys and other various things that they deemed as necessities after the holidays. My best friend got us a portrait package from Sears. We're pretty happy about that, the kids would rather have the presents tho.
Sam got himself a very nice guitar for his birthday/Christmas/anniversary present. It's black Fender and it's an acoustic/electric guitar. Maybe next year I will get him an amp! For my Christmas/anniversary present, I got a sewing machine! It's been a very long time since I've used one, and so we just simply bought an inexpensive one. Hopefully, someday, I can be as good as my mom. She used to make things for us all the time. I remember her making me a pilgrim costume for Halloween one time, complete with the white bonnet and apron! More recently, she made a clown costume (which is REALLY awesome, by the way) and a vampire cape! I'm sure she has made other things as well, but, I just don't know about them.
I have already found some really neat things that I want to try to make. Hopefully, I don't screw them up. I have my eye on a couple books that I would like to get. Both the kids would like to learn how to sew as well. This gave me quite the surprise from Monkey. He is begging to have a Sock Monkey kit for his birthday. I would say that we may just have to oblige him that request. My mom made him a Sock Monkey a very long time ago, but, Lilly, his dog, tore it up.
Other than that, things have been going pretty well here. Sam is still working on getting out of the Marine Corps. That seems like a never ending project itself! It seems like it has taken forever for things to work themselves out, but, we have been assured that we're close to the end. We're figuring that it will be at least another 6 months before he gets out. In a way, that's the hardest part, not knowing. We don't know when he's going to get out, so he can't look for a job. Nobody will even consider him unless he's 90 days from getting out. We're in the process of trying to save up a years worth of expenses right now. We refinanced the house and his car, both with a better payment. Unfortunately, we didn't win the Powerball last night either. Congrats to the lucky winner in KY. We sure could have used that $128,600,000! I'm sure alot of people could have.
Anyways, It's Sunday Funday here, and I'm behind on laundry and dishes, so it's time to get back to that! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas, and from my family to yours, Happy New Year!
The kids were really pleased with their Christmas bounty. They both got DSi's. If you don't know anything about Nintendo DSi's, oh man! I would suggest getting one! They have 2 cameras on them, so you can take pictures of yourself, or outside your DSi. The ones that the kids got came preloaded with a few games and such. Now that we have 4 Nintendo DS/DSi's in the house, we can all play our own games, or, we can use the chat feature and chat with each other. (Yes, I know this is the lazy mans way! *hehe*) They also got some new clothes and some toys. They also got a gift card each, which was promptly spent getting toys and other various things that they deemed as necessities after the holidays. My best friend got us a portrait package from Sears. We're pretty happy about that, the kids would rather have the presents tho.
Sam got himself a very nice guitar for his birthday/Christmas/anniversary present. It's black Fender and it's an acoustic/electric guitar. Maybe next year I will get him an amp! For my Christmas/anniversary present, I got a sewing machine! It's been a very long time since I've used one, and so we just simply bought an inexpensive one. Hopefully, someday, I can be as good as my mom. She used to make things for us all the time. I remember her making me a pilgrim costume for Halloween one time, complete with the white bonnet and apron! More recently, she made a clown costume (which is REALLY awesome, by the way) and a vampire cape! I'm sure she has made other things as well, but, I just don't know about them.
I have already found some really neat things that I want to try to make. Hopefully, I don't screw them up. I have my eye on a couple books that I would like to get. Both the kids would like to learn how to sew as well. This gave me quite the surprise from Monkey. He is begging to have a Sock Monkey kit for his birthday. I would say that we may just have to oblige him that request. My mom made him a Sock Monkey a very long time ago, but, Lilly, his dog, tore it up.
Other than that, things have been going pretty well here. Sam is still working on getting out of the Marine Corps. That seems like a never ending project itself! It seems like it has taken forever for things to work themselves out, but, we have been assured that we're close to the end. We're figuring that it will be at least another 6 months before he gets out. In a way, that's the hardest part, not knowing. We don't know when he's going to get out, so he can't look for a job. Nobody will even consider him unless he's 90 days from getting out. We're in the process of trying to save up a years worth of expenses right now. We refinanced the house and his car, both with a better payment. Unfortunately, we didn't win the Powerball last night either. Congrats to the lucky winner in KY. We sure could have used that $128,600,000! I'm sure alot of people could have.
Anyways, It's Sunday Funday here, and I'm behind on laundry and dishes, so it's time to get back to that! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas, and from my family to yours, Happy New Year!
Friday, December 18, 2009
ThriftyGrl Giveaway Take 2!
So, the last time I posted, I posted about a a $50 off of a $100 at Old Navy. Well, she found another one, and I'm trying to win it. Go visit her blog for a chance to win!
Friday, December 11, 2009
ThriftyGrl Giveaway!
So, as most of you know, I try to be as thrifty as possible. As most of you know, living the life of a military wife is not that easy, and it isn't any easier being a military child. Old Navy is one of my favorite places on Earth to shop! Well, there is a nice young lady that is giving away a $50 off of $100 at Old Navy coupon and I REALLY want it! As part of the contest to win this coupon, I said that I would blog about it, and add her to my blog roll. Well, the more that I started looking around, the more that I like the site! I am pleased to announce the addition of ThrifyGrl to my blog roll! Go check her out, and enter to win the coupon!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Black Friday
So, yesterday was Thanksgiving. We stayed at home, just Sam, the kids and I. It was strange actually. This is the first Thanksgiving with all of us together, with no traveling. I cooked a turkey breast because there was really no reason for us to cook an entire bird. It would have been too much for the four of us to eat in a reasonable amount of time. I also made sweet potatoes for the very first time! I know that seems like such a strange thing to have never made for Thanksgiving, but, in all honesty, I've never actually made a Thanksgiving dinner by myself! We've always gone to my moms house. This year my mom is in Texas, my one sister is moving to Tennessee, my other sister and brother are the only two left in Ohio. We did get a call from my sister-in-law and brother. They wanted to talk to the kids and say hello. They missed them. I miss my family too. I'm not sure if we will be able to go to Ohio for Christmas or not.
Sam is out shopping for Black Friday. He ran into his first snag. We were going to get another crate for the Greyhound that we would eventually like to adopt. PetSmart advertising stated that they had wire crates on sale for 50% off. Great deal! Sam gets there this morning, and it's the crates that are a size down from what we would need that are on sale! Ugh! So, he is leaving there to do some other shopping. I guess we will see how it works out!
Sam is out shopping for Black Friday. He ran into his first snag. We were going to get another crate for the Greyhound that we would eventually like to adopt. PetSmart advertising stated that they had wire crates on sale for 50% off. Great deal! Sam gets there this morning, and it's the crates that are a size down from what we would need that are on sale! Ugh! So, he is leaving there to do some other shopping. I guess we will see how it works out!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Roller Coaster of Love
Well, Sam and I had it out last week. It ended up with me staying at J's house with the kids and him eventually going back to the barracks so the kids and I could go back to at least some sort of normalcy.
In a way, I'm sort of glad this has happened. In a way! It gives us fresh eyes into what has really been going on in our marriage while we are so busy with kids, school, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, work, doctors appointments, and just life in general! We weren't making time for each other, we were letting life come between us and it almost ripped us apart! He has been staying here for the last couple days and things have been pretty good. We have been in one, for lack of better word, argument. We talked it out, went back to bed, and I even let him sleep in the net day because I kept him up way too late!
We are going to be going to a marriage counselor to try and work things out and become a stronger couple, not only for ourselves, but, for our kids (yes, even tho they are only mine biologically, they're his too), and for our future. We are both committed to this relationship, and neither of us took off our rings. I did say that I wanted a divorce, but at the time, I was very angry. Neither of us feel like that now, and are on the way back to a happier life.
In a way, I'm sort of glad this has happened. In a way! It gives us fresh eyes into what has really been going on in our marriage while we are so busy with kids, school, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, work, doctors appointments, and just life in general! We weren't making time for each other, we were letting life come between us and it almost ripped us apart! He has been staying here for the last couple days and things have been pretty good. We have been in one, for lack of better word, argument. We talked it out, went back to bed, and I even let him sleep in the net day because I kept him up way too late!
We are going to be going to a marriage counselor to try and work things out and become a stronger couple, not only for ourselves, but, for our kids (yes, even tho they are only mine biologically, they're his too), and for our future. We are both committed to this relationship, and neither of us took off our rings. I did say that I wanted a divorce, but at the time, I was very angry. Neither of us feel like that now, and are on the way back to a happier life.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monkey on reading among other things!
Well, as some of you know, my son (Monkey) is 10. He has ADHD and he was also diagnosed with dyslexia last year. It has been a constant uphill battle to get him to read. He does not have the easiest time at it, and is significantly behind in his reading, which effects alot of other sections of his education, well, actually, almost all of them! Last night, Monkey actually brought me a book and asked if we could read! I was so happy! A couple of weeks ago, we had a conference with his science teacher, and he was in his homeroom right across the hall. He actually got out his book and started reading on his own!
What's the change, you may ask. I think it is a combination of a few things actually. We started buying him books that he really enjoys! We bought him some Diary of A Wimpy Kid and some Bakugon books as well. I'm just glad that he is wanting to read and is actually starting to enjoy it and not scream and cry every time you said it was time for reading homework. Go Monkey!!
In other news around the Charwood house, we're getting rid of cable on Tuesday. Totally not my idea, and it couldn't happen at the worst time! On Wednesday I'm having sinus surgery and will be laid up for a couple of weeks. When I asked Sam what I was supposed to do all day while I was alone, at home, with nothing to do but lay on the couch and talk to the dogs. He said that I could read. I guess that's not a horrible idea.
Oh yes! I started college! I'm actually going to an online school called the Animal Behavioral College! I'm taking Veterinarian Assistant and Dog Obedience. Almost all of the curriculum is online, and then you have to do an externship to complete the course and graduate. It was all actually paid for by the government because I am a military spouse. It's called My Career Advancement Account, and it pays for up to $6,000 to help with college. It's been a big help!
Tomorrow is the Marine Corps 234th birthday! I am proud to be able to say that my husband is a Marine. He is far braver than I! We won't be going to the ball again this year. Wednesday, which is also Veterans Day, I'm having sinus surgery! Of course, Sam didn't tell me when it was this year, so, I scheduled my surgery 2 days before. God love him! My best friends, J, is probably going to go with me. She will be having pretty much the same procedure done in December, so, she would like to go with me. I'll probably be the one that goes with her as well.
The dogs are great! They're both sleeping on the couch right now with their feet straight up in the air. It's actually really cute. Lilly's hair has finally grown all the way back in. She is a fluffy white dog again! Doc is finally in the swing of things around here. He will sit on command now! That was a pretty big thing for us, considering that most people believe that Greyhounds can't sit. Both of the dogs are very quick learners and are doing really great!
Other than that, I think that's really all that's going on lately. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this a little better here in the future. We will see!
What's the change, you may ask. I think it is a combination of a few things actually. We started buying him books that he really enjoys! We bought him some Diary of A Wimpy Kid and some Bakugon books as well. I'm just glad that he is wanting to read and is actually starting to enjoy it and not scream and cry every time you said it was time for reading homework. Go Monkey!!
In other news around the Charwood house, we're getting rid of cable on Tuesday. Totally not my idea, and it couldn't happen at the worst time! On Wednesday I'm having sinus surgery and will be laid up for a couple of weeks. When I asked Sam what I was supposed to do all day while I was alone, at home, with nothing to do but lay on the couch and talk to the dogs. He said that I could read. I guess that's not a horrible idea.
Oh yes! I started college! I'm actually going to an online school called the Animal Behavioral College! I'm taking Veterinarian Assistant and Dog Obedience. Almost all of the curriculum is online, and then you have to do an externship to complete the course and graduate. It was all actually paid for by the government because I am a military spouse. It's called My Career Advancement Account, and it pays for up to $6,000 to help with college. It's been a big help!
Tomorrow is the Marine Corps 234th birthday! I am proud to be able to say that my husband is a Marine. He is far braver than I! We won't be going to the ball again this year. Wednesday, which is also Veterans Day, I'm having sinus surgery! Of course, Sam didn't tell me when it was this year, so, I scheduled my surgery 2 days before. God love him! My best friends, J, is probably going to go with me. She will be having pretty much the same procedure done in December, so, she would like to go with me. I'll probably be the one that goes with her as well.
The dogs are great! They're both sleeping on the couch right now with their feet straight up in the air. It's actually really cute. Lilly's hair has finally grown all the way back in. She is a fluffy white dog again! Doc is finally in the swing of things around here. He will sit on command now! That was a pretty big thing for us, considering that most people believe that Greyhounds can't sit. Both of the dogs are very quick learners and are doing really great!
Other than that, I think that's really all that's going on lately. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this a little better here in the future. We will see!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
H.R. 3501, the HAPPY Act
Well, those of us that have animals might be able to legally claim them on their taxes!
According to this bill, pet owners would be able to get a tax deduction of up to $3,500! It would help owners with things like vet care, heartworm and flea medication, and even food!
This makes me very happy, as I'm sure that it will make other responsible pet owners happy as well! We love our dogs and, for us, they are a part of the family. I'm glad that they are finally thinking of pets as part of the family!
According to this bill, pet owners would be able to get a tax deduction of up to $3,500! It would help owners with things like vet care, heartworm and flea medication, and even food!
This makes me very happy, as I'm sure that it will make other responsible pet owners happy as well! We love our dogs and, for us, they are a part of the family. I'm glad that they are finally thinking of pets as part of the family!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Greetings!
Well, life has been puttering along here in the Charwood home. We have settled into a routine that lets us do the things that we need to do and have some family time at the end of the day! That makes me quite happy!
This past weekend we went to Myrtle Beach for a greyhound convention called BeachBound Hounds. It was alot of fun! We got to spend some time learning about Greyhounds and got to meet alot of other people with Greyhounds! We had pizza on the beach at sundown and then drove home!
We have plans to go to another aquarium next weekend. If all goes well we will get to see some more fish and dig around for sharks teeth! They also have an albino alligator at the one that we are planning on going to! My best friend is so scared of alligators, so I will have to take a picture for her!
Monkey and Bug are doing well in their new school. Bug has made alot of friends and Monkey is slowly making friends as well. Monkey is also in Cub Scouts this year! Sam volunteered to help out with this and is excited to start helping these young boys learn skills that will help them in life. Bug is awaiting Girl Scout Daisies to start. We're just waiting for her troop to start up. She is really excited. That means popcorn and cookies this year!
Sam bought me a new crockpot last night and I got to make a nice pot roast today. I put some onions, carrots, potatoes, the meat, some onion and mushroom soup mix and some tomato paste with some water in before the kids went off to school, let it cook all day, and viola! When we sat down to dinner the meat was so tender that it actually flaked off when you ran your fork down the side! I had a heck of a time trying to get it out of the crock to cut up and put on plates!
Monkey has developed a fear of the 'boogie man' being under his bed, so, today I went and got him some storage bins to go under his bed and a nice blue dust ruffle to hide everything under there. He went to bed with just a slight disagreement because he had to go to bed 15 minutes early for getting in trouble. We shall see tomorrow if this idea has worked or not!
Well, until next time my faithful readers! The husband is snoring, one dog is passed out on the couch, the other in the bed, and both the kids are snuggled safe in their beds, so, now it's time for me to slip in and get a couple hours of sleep so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow!
This past weekend we went to Myrtle Beach for a greyhound convention called BeachBound Hounds. It was alot of fun! We got to spend some time learning about Greyhounds and got to meet alot of other people with Greyhounds! We had pizza on the beach at sundown and then drove home!
We have plans to go to another aquarium next weekend. If all goes well we will get to see some more fish and dig around for sharks teeth! They also have an albino alligator at the one that we are planning on going to! My best friend is so scared of alligators, so I will have to take a picture for her!
Monkey and Bug are doing well in their new school. Bug has made alot of friends and Monkey is slowly making friends as well. Monkey is also in Cub Scouts this year! Sam volunteered to help out with this and is excited to start helping these young boys learn skills that will help them in life. Bug is awaiting Girl Scout Daisies to start. We're just waiting for her troop to start up. She is really excited. That means popcorn and cookies this year!
Sam bought me a new crockpot last night and I got to make a nice pot roast today. I put some onions, carrots, potatoes, the meat, some onion and mushroom soup mix and some tomato paste with some water in before the kids went off to school, let it cook all day, and viola! When we sat down to dinner the meat was so tender that it actually flaked off when you ran your fork down the side! I had a heck of a time trying to get it out of the crock to cut up and put on plates!
Monkey has developed a fear of the 'boogie man' being under his bed, so, today I went and got him some storage bins to go under his bed and a nice blue dust ruffle to hide everything under there. He went to bed with just a slight disagreement because he had to go to bed 15 minutes early for getting in trouble. We shall see tomorrow if this idea has worked or not!
Well, until next time my faithful readers! The husband is snoring, one dog is passed out on the couch, the other in the bed, and both the kids are snuggled safe in their beds, so, now it's time for me to slip in and get a couple hours of sleep so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Newest Family Member
So, we officially have a new family member! His name is Doc's Whipper. He's a retired racing Greyhound that we rescued from Greyhound Crossroads. He's such a sweet boy that we have decided to call Doc. (Or Doc-er Do!) The kids absolutely love him, and he loves them too. Lilly isn't quite sure about this very tall dog that has invaded her house. She will give a warning bark when she thinks that he is getting too close, and will give a nip if he doesn't heed her warning. It doesn't seem to phase him much and he continues to stay close to either me or Sam. She does seem a little jealous, but, she will come to love him as part of the family, just like all the rest of us, in time.
We've run into our first "problem" already this morning! While it's not really a problem at all, it could become one very quickly if we don't figure out a solution. We got up to start our morning routine and Doc was doing very well. We let both Lilly and Doc sleep in our room and have not had more than a couple barks from Lilly to tell Doc "You are not allowed in my bed, go sleep on the floor!" He doesn't seem to mind sleeping on the big fluffy bed that we have for him on the floor. Well, Sam got up to let the dogs out to go potty. It is raining outside. Lilly just runs out the back door and does her business. Doc, on the other hand, stops at the back door and looks at Sam like he's lost his mind! We even tried putting him on a leash and taking him outside under an umbrella. No luck! He will need to go out to use the bathroom about 15-20 minutes after he eats, so, we haven't fed yet today. It's only 8:30am so, it's not like they're going to starve to death.
Other than that, things are pretty good! I will learn about my fate at work on Wednesday. I'm not so worried that I'm freaking out, but I am a little worried. If we could afford it, I would just stay home. Someday!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
New direction.
Ever heard the expression Change is inevitable? Yeah, me too. I hate change.
Yesterday at work, we were all called into a meeting. This is never a good thing. It turns out that the client that I work for is downsizing our department. What was once a size of roughly 30, dwindled down to about 18, and as of September 14th, will only be 6. We got that news yesterday. Less than a 2 week notice that 2/3's of us will no longer have jobs in that department. I am one of those that will be leaving.
The company is trying to move us into different departments. I have taken the test to be moved, and I have seen a tentative schedule. This does not mean that I will be given a job. This does not mean that I will get a good schedule. This does mean that if I qualify for this job, and I don't take it for whatever reason, I am not eligible for unemployment, or anything other benefits.
This is a very big decision for the family. I would love to stay home and be a full time housewife. I think that Monkey needs that type of support to be able to be as successful as he can be. Bug, she still needs help as well, just not as much as Monkey. Unfortunately, this is not exactly feasible at this time. I can't leave Sam and the kids alone at night, so, working a night shift wouldn't really work well for the family. The weekends are about the only time that I get to spend with them, so I would rather not work the weekends either.
I'm sure that we will figure it out and decide what it right for our family and make it work. That's about the only way that things can go. We will make the best of the situation, no matter what happens.
Yesterday at work, we were all called into a meeting. This is never a good thing. It turns out that the client that I work for is downsizing our department. What was once a size of roughly 30, dwindled down to about 18, and as of September 14th, will only be 6. We got that news yesterday. Less than a 2 week notice that 2/3's of us will no longer have jobs in that department. I am one of those that will be leaving.
The company is trying to move us into different departments. I have taken the test to be moved, and I have seen a tentative schedule. This does not mean that I will be given a job. This does not mean that I will get a good schedule. This does mean that if I qualify for this job, and I don't take it for whatever reason, I am not eligible for unemployment, or anything other benefits.
This is a very big decision for the family. I would love to stay home and be a full time housewife. I think that Monkey needs that type of support to be able to be as successful as he can be. Bug, she still needs help as well, just not as much as Monkey. Unfortunately, this is not exactly feasible at this time. I can't leave Sam and the kids alone at night, so, working a night shift wouldn't really work well for the family. The weekends are about the only time that I get to spend with them, so I would rather not work the weekends either.
I'm sure that we will figure it out and decide what it right for our family and make it work. That's about the only way that things can go. We will make the best of the situation, no matter what happens.
Monday, August 31, 2009
New baby.
Well, Sam and I have decided that we don't want to have any more children, and if we do, it's going to be quite some time before we do. (Think 5 years or so.) So, we decided, along with the kids, that we were going to adopt a dog. It's been a dream of mine to have a retired Greyhound for a very long time. I think it's horribly sad that alot of these animals are put to death after their racing careers are over, simply because they don't have someone to take them and love them as part of their family.
Lilly, our American Eskimo dog, she is very high energy. We go outside and play with her and take her for walks, but you can almost tell that she wants another dog to play with. When the neighbors have their dog in the back yard they run up and down the fence line just wagging their tails and playing. It was a decision to bring her home a "brother" as well.
I had been watching two different Greyhound rescue sites for the last few weeks, and Sam and I had fallen in love with one. Before we had really made the decision to go forth with the adoption, he was placed on hold pending adoption. We were both kind of sad, but if he got a good home, then it was great for him!
We took the kids to the ER for the rash that they have, because it spread from Bug to Monkey and Monkey's had gotten worse. The doctor had told Sam it was something that we didn't think it was and we were going for another opinion. We spent pretty much all night in the ER with very little sleep. The next day we slept in and recovered. I also wanted to watch the rash a bit more. I ended up calling the adoption agency that he was at just to inquire about their adoption policy. It turns out that the people that had put him on hold for adoption didn't want him after all! I decided right then and there that we were going to get him.
I filled out the application, answered some questions, and Sunday afternoon we found out that we were approved to adopt! This upcoming weekend the entire family will go meet him to see if he is a good match for us. Everyone at the agency has told us that he is the sweetest guy and that we will fall in love with him the moment that we see him. I have no doubt in that considering we are already in love with him and all we have is pictures!
Hopefully, this guy will be in our home next weekend and part of the Charwood family! Here is a picture that we got from the agency, and the one that made us love him!
Lilly, our American Eskimo dog, she is very high energy. We go outside and play with her and take her for walks, but you can almost tell that she wants another dog to play with. When the neighbors have their dog in the back yard they run up and down the fence line just wagging their tails and playing. It was a decision to bring her home a "brother" as well.
I had been watching two different Greyhound rescue sites for the last few weeks, and Sam and I had fallen in love with one. Before we had really made the decision to go forth with the adoption, he was placed on hold pending adoption. We were both kind of sad, but if he got a good home, then it was great for him!
We took the kids to the ER for the rash that they have, because it spread from Bug to Monkey and Monkey's had gotten worse. The doctor had told Sam it was something that we didn't think it was and we were going for another opinion. We spent pretty much all night in the ER with very little sleep. The next day we slept in and recovered. I also wanted to watch the rash a bit more. I ended up calling the adoption agency that he was at just to inquire about their adoption policy. It turns out that the people that had put him on hold for adoption didn't want him after all! I decided right then and there that we were going to get him.
I filled out the application, answered some questions, and Sunday afternoon we found out that we were approved to adopt! This upcoming weekend the entire family will go meet him to see if he is a good match for us. Everyone at the agency has told us that he is the sweetest guy and that we will fall in love with him the moment that we see him. I have no doubt in that considering we are already in love with him and all we have is pictures!
Hopefully, this guy will be in our home next weekend and part of the Charwood family! Here is a picture that we got from the agency, and the one that made us love him!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Wedge cuts and Faux hawks and layers, oh my!
Well, it was an awesome week with my mom and step-dad visiting! The kids got to spend some time with them, which they really enjoyed. We got to go to their open house for their brand new school. It was just built this year, and they will be the first students there! They're very excited!
Monkey has a male teacher for the first time, he's excited about that. We met him. He's a Star Wars geek, which is something that they will most likely get along very well about. Monkey has the Star Wars trilogy and is often very upset when he can't watch it on the living room TV because his sister throws a fit!
Bug has another female teacher. She seems really nice. This will be her first year of going all day to school. North Carolina is different than Ohio. Kindergarten goes all day, and pre-school is half a day. You have to graduate pre-school before you can go to Kindergarten. I was actually very excited that she had a sign language alphabet on the white board. Bug was learning sign last year in Kindergarten. She has forgotten alot of it, but, knows more than I do!
We decided yesterday that it was time to get some haircuts for the kiddos!
Bug is growing her hair out from a wegde cut that she had last year and Monkey wanted an Mohawk but settled for a Fauxhawk! Sam was too worried that he would get a reputation as a trouble maker if we sent him to school with his hair in the fauxhawk, so during school it will just be jelled in some spiky hair fashion, but on the weekend he will be all Johnny Ramone! Well, maybe not Johnny Ramone, lets hope for someone more tame, like David Beckham!
Today is Sunday Funday! They don't know it yet, but, we're actually going to a soccer game! Monkey will be super excited, but Bug won't be. It's actually one of the women that I work with, her son is playing, who is Monkeys' age and she also has a daughter that is Bugs age! I figured that it would be good for them to have a couple of friends that share their passions (Monkey is soccer and Bug is anything fashion related!) Now it's off to finish house work, so we can enjoy a day of soccer!
Monkey has a male teacher for the first time, he's excited about that. We met him. He's a Star Wars geek, which is something that they will most likely get along very well about. Monkey has the Star Wars trilogy and is often very upset when he can't watch it on the living room TV because his sister throws a fit!
Bug has another female teacher. She seems really nice. This will be her first year of going all day to school. North Carolina is different than Ohio. Kindergarten goes all day, and pre-school is half a day. You have to graduate pre-school before you can go to Kindergarten. I was actually very excited that she had a sign language alphabet on the white board. Bug was learning sign last year in Kindergarten. She has forgotten alot of it, but, knows more than I do!
We decided yesterday that it was time to get some haircuts for the kiddos!
Bug is growing her hair out from a wegde cut that she had last year and Monkey wanted an Mohawk but settled for a Fauxhawk! Sam was too worried that he would get a reputation as a trouble maker if we sent him to school with his hair in the fauxhawk, so during school it will just be jelled in some spiky hair fashion, but on the weekend he will be all Johnny Ramone! Well, maybe not Johnny Ramone, lets hope for someone more tame, like David Beckham!
Today is Sunday Funday! They don't know it yet, but, we're actually going to a soccer game! Monkey will be super excited, but Bug won't be. It's actually one of the women that I work with, her son is playing, who is Monkeys' age and she also has a daughter that is Bugs age! I figured that it would be good for them to have a couple of friends that share their passions (Monkey is soccer and Bug is anything fashion related!) Now it's off to finish house work, so we can enjoy a day of soccer!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Turning into your mother!
While it's not necessarily a horrible thing to want to become like your mother, I certainly did look up to my mother for achieving all that she did with all of us kids! Some people don't want to become like their mother. That was me what I was younger. I always thought that my mom was "mean" and had "unreasonable rules, expectations, and discipline." Today, I think that I have finally come to terms with being my mothers daughter.
Monkey, who recently had a mishap at day care, which had been addressed many times, lost all of his toys but just a few, was throwing a fit. I informed him that because he was not being nice to his sister, not obeying the rules, and was back talking that he would not be getting his 5 toy reward for having a good day at daycare. We had made a deal that every day that he was good that he would get 5 of his toys back and every day that he had a bad day at school, he had to give up 10. It seems to be working for the most part, except for the being at home!
He decided that he wanted to continue to throw a temper tantrum after dinner because Sam wouldn't let him watch TV. The rule is, no TV before bed because it wires him up and he has a harder time falling asleep. I was helping Bug take a bath, and heard Sam tell Monkey that he needed to go to bed because he couldn't follow the rules. I peeked my head out of the bathroom and told him that he needed to clean up his room before he went to bed.
His response?
"I don't want to clean my room!"
My response?
"Well, I don't want to have to go to the work in the morning either. Looks like we both have to do things we don't want to do!"
It was at that point that I realized that I am, in fact, becoming my mother! I hope that I can be half the woman that she is. She did put up with me, my 3 siblings, all of our friends, and all of our combined crazy antics and she never killed any of us!
Thanks Mom! I love you so very much!
On that mushy note, the storms here are getting rather bad and the electricity keeps cutting in and out so I should probably get off of here and go to bed!
-Update: Just as I was typing that they power went out for about an hour. Sam and I layed in bed and talked for about an hour and the electric came back on, so, here it is!
Monkey, who recently had a mishap at day care, which had been addressed many times, lost all of his toys but just a few, was throwing a fit. I informed him that because he was not being nice to his sister, not obeying the rules, and was back talking that he would not be getting his 5 toy reward for having a good day at daycare. We had made a deal that every day that he was good that he would get 5 of his toys back and every day that he had a bad day at school, he had to give up 10. It seems to be working for the most part, except for the being at home!
He decided that he wanted to continue to throw a temper tantrum after dinner because Sam wouldn't let him watch TV. The rule is, no TV before bed because it wires him up and he has a harder time falling asleep. I was helping Bug take a bath, and heard Sam tell Monkey that he needed to go to bed because he couldn't follow the rules. I peeked my head out of the bathroom and told him that he needed to clean up his room before he went to bed.
His response?
"I don't want to clean my room!"
My response?
"Well, I don't want to have to go to the work in the morning either. Looks like we both have to do things we don't want to do!"
It was at that point that I realized that I am, in fact, becoming my mother! I hope that I can be half the woman that she is. She did put up with me, my 3 siblings, all of our friends, and all of our combined crazy antics and she never killed any of us!
Thanks Mom! I love you so very much!
On that mushy note, the storms here are getting rather bad and the electricity keeps cutting in and out so I should probably get off of here and go to bed!
-Update: Just as I was typing that they power went out for about an hour. Sam and I layed in bed and talked for about an hour and the electric came back on, so, here it is!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Learning to fly!
Well, the kids have been bringing home paper airplanes from daycare for the past couple of weeks, and Sam decided that it was time to teach Monkey how to make his own! Bug decided that she wanted to learn as well!! I was making dinner, seasoned chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. Sam taught them the fundamentals of flight, such as drag and such. After they were done with their lessons, they went outside to test what they had learned! I think they had alot of fun even tho it was roasting hot outside. The heat index for today was 105, and at 8:15 this morning the temp was already 87! They flew their airplanes for about 20 minutes or so, then Bug helped me set the table. We ate dinner. Monkey, who is a self professed potato-hater, ate 2 big servings of mashed potatoes! I may or may not have bribed him with a quarter to eat the 2nd helping, but he ate them! Bug, true to self, ate about 4 bites and "I'm full!" escaped. School starts in a week, and I feel so worried about it! The kids are in a completely new place, they don't know anyone, it's a brand new school. Maybe, I'm just being protective!
Anyways! I need to get to bed! I've got an early day tomorrow!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
ADHD
Well, it's nothing new, but Monkey has ADHD. He's been on medication for quite a while. He will be 11 in just a few months and Sam and I have decided that we want to do something to try and help him as much as we can. That's not to say we haven't been helping him since he got here, but, I've been doing some reading, and I have decided on a new course of action.
We have been making a list of rules to print out for the fridge, and we've also been working on a "check list" of things that he needs to do every day with the days that they need to be done colorized. This way, he can just check to make sure he's done his chores, along with a prompting. We're going to also put up the rules list and the consequences for breaking them. We want to implement things like going to bed early, losing TV, video game, and computer privileges, and loss of dessert. (Not dinner, just dessert! LOL) We also have goals to work on. We want to become members of the local aquarium as well, so we would like to reward him with trips there, and other things that don't cost an arm and a leg!
In other news! My wonderful Mom is going to be down to stay for a week at the end of August! The day camp that the kids go to will be out the week before school starts, so, we don't have anyone to watch the kiddos! how crazy is that?!
Last night we went over to my best friends' house and let all the dogs play together which went fabulously, and played some RockBand and Austin is pretty good at the Guitar, not so good at drums, but not terrible either! Jillian was not very good at the guitar, and didn't even attempt the drums! We all had dinner together, meatloaf, cheesy mashed potatoes and greenbeans. (Monkey ate everything!) I attempted to make home-made banana pudding. The first batch came out beautifully! The second batch, which I thought would set up after I put it in with the first, never sat up, and we had banana soup! It's okay. I learned!
We have been making a list of rules to print out for the fridge, and we've also been working on a "check list" of things that he needs to do every day with the days that they need to be done colorized. This way, he can just check to make sure he's done his chores, along with a prompting. We're going to also put up the rules list and the consequences for breaking them. We want to implement things like going to bed early, losing TV, video game, and computer privileges, and loss of dessert. (Not dinner, just dessert! LOL) We also have goals to work on. We want to become members of the local aquarium as well, so we would like to reward him with trips there, and other things that don't cost an arm and a leg!
In other news! My wonderful Mom is going to be down to stay for a week at the end of August! The day camp that the kids go to will be out the week before school starts, so, we don't have anyone to watch the kiddos! how crazy is that?!
Last night we went over to my best friends' house and let all the dogs play together which went fabulously, and played some RockBand and Austin is pretty good at the Guitar, not so good at drums, but not terrible either! Jillian was not very good at the guitar, and didn't even attempt the drums! We all had dinner together, meatloaf, cheesy mashed potatoes and greenbeans. (Monkey ate everything!) I attempted to make home-made banana pudding. The first batch came out beautifully! The second batch, which I thought would set up after I put it in with the first, never sat up, and we had banana soup! It's okay. I learned!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
More Flu!
Well, Friday we had to go back to the Dr for Monkey. He had a slight fever, had been coughing, and said that he had a headache. I took a proactive approach and turns out that I was right! his symptoms were so slight, but he had a fever and he said that he had a headache and had been sneezing since Thursday. With that, I had a four day weekend, with two sick kids! Monkey was acting just fine, and Bug wasn't acting out many of her symptoms, but daycare was going on a field trip and I didn't think that they should be traipsing all over the state with the flu!
What it did mean, was that I could get a head start on house work for the weekend! Which means that I might get a chance to enjoy my Sunday with the kiddos! Sounds great, right?
Yesterday, Sam came home from his meeting and said that he had a headache and was going to lay down for a bit. A few hours later I go to ask him if he was okay, and he was burning up with fever. You guessed it, he's got the flu as well!!
the kids got a package from Grammy yesterday. Bug got a new Hanna Montana backpack for school, and Monkey got a new summer workbook, and then she sent the mother load of goodness! She sent a box of CoCo Wheats! If you don't know what they are, then you must have been hiding under a rock for the last 60 some years... CoCo Wheats are like chocolate Cream of Wheats. Man! I forgot how great the taste! We had that this morning for breakfast, and now my 2 "flu sick" kids are bouncing all over! I think today we will go to the park, and possibly even take the dog as well. Not sure yet.
What it did mean, was that I could get a head start on house work for the weekend! Which means that I might get a chance to enjoy my Sunday with the kiddos! Sounds great, right?
Yesterday, Sam came home from his meeting and said that he had a headache and was going to lay down for a bit. A few hours later I go to ask him if he was okay, and he was burning up with fever. You guessed it, he's got the flu as well!!
the kids got a package from Grammy yesterday. Bug got a new Hanna Montana backpack for school, and Monkey got a new summer workbook, and then she sent the mother load of goodness! She sent a box of CoCo Wheats! If you don't know what they are, then you must have been hiding under a rock for the last 60 some years... CoCo Wheats are like chocolate Cream of Wheats. Man! I forgot how great the taste! We had that this morning for breakfast, and now my 2 "flu sick" kids are bouncing all over! I think today we will go to the park, and possibly even take the dog as well. Not sure yet.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Bug Flu!
So, this morning around 5am, Bug comes crawling in Sam and I's bed and says "Mommy, I don't feel good!" I feel her and she is burning hot! I proceed to call out of work, while I get a cool wash cloth and some water for her. I, unfortunately did not have any children's Tylenol or Motrin, or a thermometer! Sam gets up, gets ready for work, and quickly heads out of the house. He doesn't do sick people well. I put Bug in bed with me, wipe her down with the cool wash cloth and try to get her to go back to sleep.
Around 7:30 Monkey comes in and wakes us up and says "Mom! We're gonna be late if you don't get up!" I tell him that Bug is sick and that they won't be going to daycare today. They were both a lil bummed about that, but, there's not a whole lot that you can do when they're sick! I guess I could have sent Monkey to daycare and just kep Bug home, but that wouldn't really be fair.
I call TriCare to make sure that their primary care provider is mine as well. I guess it's a good thing that I did because they were still registered in Ohio! I then call the doctors office. They didn't have any available appointments for today, but I wasn't going to wait! I went as a walk-in, and it seemed to take forever, especially with Bug whining because the chairs are uncomfortable, that she wants to be held, that it's taking too long, that she doesn't feel good, etc etc, and the other one whining that he doesn't want to sit close to his sick sister! We finally get seen and the doctor wants to test her for strep and the flu. Well, she has the flu! Poor thing.
We get her scripts and we head to Walgreens next to my work because I got a doctors note saying that I don't have to return to work until Monday. It's all going to be on her and how she feels. I'm not going to push her to go to daycare tomorrow because they are going on a field trip and I don't think that she should have to walk around all day in the sun and such. It might just be too much for her.
She is now sleeping on the couch with her "bucket" next to it, while Monkey plays Mario Kart on the Wii. I, on the other hand, am catchin up on house work! So much for a day off work!
Around 7:30 Monkey comes in and wakes us up and says "Mom! We're gonna be late if you don't get up!" I tell him that Bug is sick and that they won't be going to daycare today. They were both a lil bummed about that, but, there's not a whole lot that you can do when they're sick! I guess I could have sent Monkey to daycare and just kep Bug home, but that wouldn't really be fair.
I call TriCare to make sure that their primary care provider is mine as well. I guess it's a good thing that I did because they were still registered in Ohio! I then call the doctors office. They didn't have any available appointments for today, but I wasn't going to wait! I went as a walk-in, and it seemed to take forever, especially with Bug whining because the chairs are uncomfortable, that she wants to be held, that it's taking too long, that she doesn't feel good, etc etc, and the other one whining that he doesn't want to sit close to his sick sister! We finally get seen and the doctor wants to test her for strep and the flu. Well, she has the flu! Poor thing.
We get her scripts and we head to Walgreens next to my work because I got a doctors note saying that I don't have to return to work until Monday. It's all going to be on her and how she feels. I'm not going to push her to go to daycare tomorrow because they are going on a field trip and I don't think that she should have to walk around all day in the sun and such. It might just be too much for her.
She is now sleeping on the couch with her "bucket" next to it, while Monkey plays Mario Kart on the Wii. I, on the other hand, am catchin up on house work! So much for a day off work!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Break-in!
Sometimes people just suck!
My best friend, J, has been out of town for work since the Tuesday after July 4th. I've been going over to her house to get her mail, to feed and water her cat, make sure nobody has broken in. You know, things you do for friends when they're away. This morning I took the morning off to go register the kids for school. I get a frantic phone call from J this morning as I'm getting ready. Apparently someone had broken into her house at some point last night! Her cat, who is just like her daughter, was still there. I quickly got dressed and got in the car and took the quick 9 minute drive over to her house. It seemed like it took forever! She called me as I was pulling into the driveway. I walked in and the house was a disaster! They had cased the place and taken just about everything of value. The kicked in both doors to the house, disarmed the motion lights, and just cased the place. I got there, and the cat was still inside. Thank God for small favors!
My best friend, J, has been out of town for work since the Tuesday after July 4th. I've been going over to her house to get her mail, to feed and water her cat, make sure nobody has broken in. You know, things you do for friends when they're away. This morning I took the morning off to go register the kids for school. I get a frantic phone call from J this morning as I'm getting ready. Apparently someone had broken into her house at some point last night! Her cat, who is just like her daughter, was still there. I quickly got dressed and got in the car and took the quick 9 minute drive over to her house. It seemed like it took forever! She called me as I was pulling into the driveway. I walked in and the house was a disaster! They had cased the place and taken just about everything of value. The kicked in both doors to the house, disarmed the motion lights, and just cased the place. I got there, and the cat was still inside. Thank God for small favors!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday Funday!
Well, we are going to try and continue the trend that my parents started with the kiddos. It's what they called "Sunday Funday" where the whole family goes out (or stays in) together and does something fun.
Well, we decided that we were going to go to the beach! Well, we got the blankets, towels, beach toys, and the most important item, sunscreen!! Monkey has a very fair complexion, just like me, but Bug is blessed with a bit darker complexion like Sam. I slathered Monkey up with some sunscreen and he got his swim trunks, and he was ready to go! Get Bug slathered up with slightly less of the white mess for the sun goddesses skin and she's ready to go! Sam and I get everything packed into the pack, get everything into the car and off we go to the beach! Now, Sam being Native American, we never ever would have thought that he needed any sort of sunscreen. I should have known better! He now is definitely a red man! Of course, I didn't fair much better either. I have very fair complexion just like my son, and should have known better than to not wear sunscreen. I do know better.
When I was younger, I didn't really need to wear sunscreen because I was outside almost all the time with my horses and such. I would just gradually build up the tan as I needed it. Oh no! Not now! Being an adult really stinks sometimes! I miss being able to go outside and play, and just be a kid. Now, I have to stay inside for 8+ hours at work, go get the kids from daycare, come home, make dinner, do laundry, clean the house, make sure the dog has food and water, make the bed, read bedtime stories, run baths, and a million other things!
Speaking of dinner! Boy, did I make a great dinner tonight!! I made a roast, with carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, and garlic. Threw some watered down tomato paste and some milk in there, covered it with aluminum foil and cooked it on 350 for about an hour or so, and oh man it was good! Even Monkey, who doesn't like potatoes, commented how great they were! What a surprise! It wasn't my best roast, but it was close!
Now, it is time to head off to bed. This lady is pooped!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The News
Well, yesterday was a much better day for Monkey. The staff actually commented on how helpful he was and how great he was! Of course, his lunch box was jammed full of food and snacks! I knew that he could do it and I'm so very proud that he showed everyone what a great kid he is.
So, this morning, since everything is done early, we're all sitting in the living room watching Blue's Clues. I'm reading the latest headlines on MSN.com, I'm reading an article on the funeral of Michael Jackson. Bug, the youngest, says "It's really sad that he died." I agree with her and then she says "His name was Andrew Jackson right?!"
I had to laugh at the imagery. Could you imagine our 7th President being Michael Jackson?? I could imagine those poor 1800's people being just as confused as we were about poor 'ol Michael. Don't get me wrong. I loved Michael's music, and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there, but you have to admit, he was more than just a little strange.
On that note, it's time to get the young ones to daycare and myself to work!
So, this morning, since everything is done early, we're all sitting in the living room watching Blue's Clues. I'm reading the latest headlines on MSN.com, I'm reading an article on the funeral of Michael Jackson. Bug, the youngest, says "It's really sad that he died." I agree with her and then she says "His name was Andrew Jackson right?!"
I had to laugh at the imagery. Could you imagine our 7th President being Michael Jackson?? I could imagine those poor 1800's people being just as confused as we were about poor 'ol Michael. Don't get me wrong. I loved Michael's music, and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there, but you have to admit, he was more than just a little strange.
On that note, it's time to get the young ones to daycare and myself to work!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Trouble at school
So, today I dropped Monkey and Bug off at school, and Monkey and I had a small talk before I left, and I told him to be good and keep his hands to himself. He's not well known for being able to contain himself very well. I get a call right before my first break from the daycare and I'm freakin out thinking that Monkey had done something wrong. It turns out that that they spotted some marks on Bug and thought she had a rash. It was from the mosquito bites from the July 4th festivities. The day is going rather well, then I start getting calls at the managers desk from the daycare. It turns out that Monkey isn't doing so well. He's being very disruptive and doesn't want to talk to anyone. I end up having to leave work. Apparently, he was mad at one of the boys in his class and he was hungry. So, instead of telling the director what was wrong, he tried to bite her! He then hit one of his teachers.
He and I talked to his teachers about different ways to get him to come out of his shell. I told him that he needed to be more vocal with his teachers. We came home, did some work writing out our letters and doing some reading. I'm in the middle of making dinner now and doing some more laundry!
He and I talked to his teachers about different ways to get him to come out of his shell. I told him that he needed to be more vocal with his teachers. We came home, did some work writing out our letters and doing some reading. I'm in the middle of making dinner now and doing some more laundry!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Out of the mouths of babes!
So, I made breakfast this morning. Scrambled eggs, toast with strawberry jam, and milk. We're all sitting around the new table (thanks mom!) eating, talking about different things when I notice that there is a Boys and Girls Club of America symbol on the back of the jar. I tell the kids "This is where you guys are going on Monday! The Boys and Girls Club!" to which Monkey responds "Are we going to be making jelly there?"
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Final countdown!
Well, tomorrow the parents and the kids will be here! I'm anxious, excited, and nervous all at once! It's been quite a while since the kids have lived with me, and Sam has never had kids live with him, so it's going to be a big change for us. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for them to be here!
I've been watching HGTV non-stop to get some ideas for the house. So far, I'm seeing alot of things that I like, and alot of money that we don't have to put into it. I know that I want to do painting in the living room, master bedroom, and kitchen, other than that, I got nothin! For some reason, it feels really warm in the house. I guess we're going to have to crawl under the house again and make sure that the cross over pipe hasn't fallen down again. that would be horrible if it had. Yet more small fixes that we don't need and can't afford right now!
We still haven't met any more of our neighbors, nor have we seen our newighbor Jeremy lately either. It's not like we spend alot of time outside tho. That should be changing this weekend tho. I haven't really had time to do much of anything but sleep, eat, unpack, and go to work. At this point in time, I'm just so tired! It's not going to get any better from here, and I realize this.
Tomorrow is going to be crazy as well. We have to go to Lowes or something and get the materials to fix the back gate before everyone gets here, and many other things. I would really like to have my mom take a picture of all of us on the front steps of the house, and then have one taken every July 4th weekend from here on out. I know that it seems like something silly, but, I want to keep a record of how we grow and change throughout the years.
Okay, I have taken enough time to write a little bit and get some thoughts down. I guess it's time to get back to working on the house.
I've been watching HGTV non-stop to get some ideas for the house. So far, I'm seeing alot of things that I like, and alot of money that we don't have to put into it. I know that I want to do painting in the living room, master bedroom, and kitchen, other than that, I got nothin! For some reason, it feels really warm in the house. I guess we're going to have to crawl under the house again and make sure that the cross over pipe hasn't fallen down again. that would be horrible if it had. Yet more small fixes that we don't need and can't afford right now!
We still haven't met any more of our neighbors, nor have we seen our newighbor Jeremy lately either. It's not like we spend alot of time outside tho. That should be changing this weekend tho. I haven't really had time to do much of anything but sleep, eat, unpack, and go to work. At this point in time, I'm just so tired! It's not going to get any better from here, and I realize this.
Tomorrow is going to be crazy as well. We have to go to Lowes or something and get the materials to fix the back gate before everyone gets here, and many other things. I would really like to have my mom take a picture of all of us on the front steps of the house, and then have one taken every July 4th weekend from here on out. I know that it seems like something silly, but, I want to keep a record of how we grow and change throughout the years.
Okay, I have taken enough time to write a little bit and get some thoughts down. I guess it's time to get back to working on the house.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Finally!!
We have everything out of the old place and into the new house! It's a total disaster right now, but at least it's our disaster! We have half unpacked boxes just about everywhere. There are clothes all over the bedroom floor, the closet looked like a Macy's exploded, and the kitchen has stuff laying all over the place. The only 3 rooms in the entire house that don't have anything messy in them is the 2 kids rooms and the bathroom! That will change this weekend tho! Tomorrow we will be picking up and putting things, hopefully, where they belong.
The first night in our house was rather comical. I can never sleep the first night anywhere, I guess that's why I don't like hotels, so, the first night here was rather funny. We're laying in bed, and I keep hearing a noise in the laundry room that sounded like dripping water. The only thing I could think of was that the roof was leaking, even tho it had not rained. I get out of bed, walk into the laundry room and start looking for a leak. I can't find the light switch, so I walk back into the kitchen and turn on the light and walk back into the laundry room. I can't find a leak anywhere, but the sound is still there, so I start looking closer to the floor. There I find it! It's a long, thin black bug that has like a joint in the middle of it's back! It's laying on it's back and trying to flip over on it's feet! That's what was making the noise, so I picked it up and threw it outside. I hope he landed on his feet!
Today has been a very long day! I got up early for my job, and a new schedule. I had to be there an hour earlier, but I got off an hour earlier as well!! It felt nice to get off work and not have to feel like I need to go right to bed. But now, it's almost tomorrow, and I need to get at least a couple house of sleep, so it's off to bed for me!
The first night in our house was rather comical. I can never sleep the first night anywhere, I guess that's why I don't like hotels, so, the first night here was rather funny. We're laying in bed, and I keep hearing a noise in the laundry room that sounded like dripping water. The only thing I could think of was that the roof was leaking, even tho it had not rained. I get out of bed, walk into the laundry room and start looking for a leak. I can't find the light switch, so I walk back into the kitchen and turn on the light and walk back into the laundry room. I can't find a leak anywhere, but the sound is still there, so I start looking closer to the floor. There I find it! It's a long, thin black bug that has like a joint in the middle of it's back! It's laying on it's back and trying to flip over on it's feet! That's what was making the noise, so I picked it up and threw it outside. I hope he landed on his feet!
Today has been a very long day! I got up early for my job, and a new schedule. I had to be there an hour earlier, but I got off an hour earlier as well!! It felt nice to get off work and not have to feel like I need to go right to bed. But now, it's almost tomorrow, and I need to get at least a couple house of sleep, so it's off to bed for me!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
New home!!!
So, tonight is the first night in the new house! We've got almost everything moved. The only thing we have left is the kitchen stuff. We wanted to finish washing the dishes before we moved everything over. We have to finish cleaning the old place as well so we can get our deposit back.
I have about half of the clothes hung in the closet. I need to get some more hangers! It looks rather empty in the closet even with half of the clothes hung up! We had some Taco Bell for dinner because of not having anything in the fridge, and nothing to cook on, with, or eat on!
We've got the TV set up, and obviously the internet. The water tastes a whole lot better than it did at the old place, but still tastes horrible. We already have the spot picked out for the desk, and even got a wireless card for the desktop so we didn't have to drill a new hole in the floor. We've figured out that the vents in the living room, if we put the loveseat against the wall and the TV against the wall, will both be covered up! So, we decided to put the TV against the wall and leave the loveseat pulled out a bit. I guess that the dog can lay back there!
We've still got alot to unpack, but, things are coming along nicely. I found a bunch of clothes that are a a bit too small that we are keeping put up on the shelf as motivation to lose weight. Hopefully that works!
Sam is having alot of fun only using the master bathroom, which is very funny! We have 2 bathrooms now, and he says that the 2nd bathroom is only for the kids, and visitors, so we have to use our bathroom! He is too funny! Today he seen a picture of an American Eskimo puppy, which is the type of dog that Monkey has, and he fell in love. He now wants to buy an Eskie puppy. I told him that we would have to wait for a little while before we could afford to buy one of them. I still want to get my rescued Greyhound. Eventually we will get another dog.
We got to meet one of our neighbors today as well. He has 4 kdis! I can't imagin having that many kids! He does have 2 younger ones that are Monkey and Bugs ages! Sam and I think that it's fantastic that they young ones that can play with them. At least we know that we will have someone to play with! Now, lets hope they get along!
That's all for tonight, I'm pooped and I'm ready for bed!
I have about half of the clothes hung in the closet. I need to get some more hangers! It looks rather empty in the closet even with half of the clothes hung up! We had some Taco Bell for dinner because of not having anything in the fridge, and nothing to cook on, with, or eat on!
We've got the TV set up, and obviously the internet. The water tastes a whole lot better than it did at the old place, but still tastes horrible. We already have the spot picked out for the desk, and even got a wireless card for the desktop so we didn't have to drill a new hole in the floor. We've figured out that the vents in the living room, if we put the loveseat against the wall and the TV against the wall, will both be covered up! So, we decided to put the TV against the wall and leave the loveseat pulled out a bit. I guess that the dog can lay back there!
We've still got alot to unpack, but, things are coming along nicely. I found a bunch of clothes that are a a bit too small that we are keeping put up on the shelf as motivation to lose weight. Hopefully that works!
Sam is having alot of fun only using the master bathroom, which is very funny! We have 2 bathrooms now, and he says that the 2nd bathroom is only for the kids, and visitors, so we have to use our bathroom! He is too funny! Today he seen a picture of an American Eskimo puppy, which is the type of dog that Monkey has, and he fell in love. He now wants to buy an Eskie puppy. I told him that we would have to wait for a little while before we could afford to buy one of them. I still want to get my rescued Greyhound. Eventually we will get another dog.
We got to meet one of our neighbors today as well. He has 4 kdis! I can't imagin having that many kids! He does have 2 younger ones that are Monkey and Bugs ages! Sam and I think that it's fantastic that they young ones that can play with them. At least we know that we will have someone to play with! Now, lets hope they get along!
That's all for tonight, I'm pooped and I'm ready for bed!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Moving!
So, we're still working on getting everything ready to move. We've reserved the truck, got most things packed and have the bodies to move it all. I had left the electric, cable, and water for Sam to take care of because he said that he wanted all the utilities in his name. No big deal. I ask him today when the electric is supposed to be turned on, and he said he hadn't called yet. What about the water? Hadn't called yet. Cable? Hadn't called yet. He asked me if I had called to set up the trash yet and I told him no, because I just found out today that there was no more trash service at the new house. He knew without a doubt that we were going to need at least the water and electric on before we moved into the house! So, I've given him a list of places to call tomorrow to get things rolling. I will be calling the trash people and setting that up and finalizing the day care for the kids. I've been bugging my boss about changing my schedule so I can get off earlier so I can make sure that the kids get picked up before daycare closes. Oh! And I just found out that Sam has a 24 hour duty Friday and won't be home until after 8am on Saturday. He's not going to be much use to us for moving purposes! This is going to be so much fun. *sigh*
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Doctors orders!
So, today, I went to the doctors office. I convinced the nurse to quit smoking using the patch. She had about a zillion questions for me when I told her that I had quit smoking since my last visit and wanted that noted in my records and she started asking me all sorts of questions. I answered them all and she said that she would go pick up a box after work! That made me happy.
The doctor came in and we talked for a while. I told her about the research I had done this weekend about some sinus headaches actually being migraines. We had already taken a CT of my sinuses, which came back negative for anything that would cause the reoccurring sinusitis. So, we decided that we would try the migraine route and she prescribed me some medication called Treximet, it's it's basically Imatrex with Aleve added to it. I went to the pharmacy and filled my prescription. If you can believe this, it is a box of 9 pills, and if we did not have insurance, would have cost me over $200! I took my first pill because I had a headache and went to work. About a half hour into my shift, and and an hour after I had taken the pill, my jaw started really hurting badly. Well, I have this habit of not reading the pamphlets because I sometimes imagine myself having some of the side effects, so I don't read them. Usually give them to my husband to read. So, I pop open the pamphlet and start reading it and one of the side effects is pain in the jaw and it stated to call the doctor right away. I called the doctor and she instructed me to come back to check me again. I leave work and go back to the doctor. She said I was having a mild reaction to the medication and that I should stop taking it. I now have a different perscription called Cephadyn, but it doesn't seem to be working either. She also refered me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist to follow up with the sinuses.
Over all, I'm not real sure what is going on, and apparently neither does the doctor. Eventually, I guess we will figure it out, and when we do, I will be none the happier! I still have a slight headache, but nothing like it was before, so I guess the combonation of all the medications that I have taken today is doing something!
I took my reed oil defuser over to the new house today. The house has a smell to it, but I think that is mainly being caused by the bushes outside the front of the house. For the life of me, I don't know why people would plant these horrible bushes! They smell like cat pee! (I think that they are boxwood shrubs) I think that I would like to pull them all out and just plant flowers or something there. I tell you it's just terrible! For the rest of the week, I'm going to be busy packing and getting ready for the move! Yippie!!
The doctor came in and we talked for a while. I told her about the research I had done this weekend about some sinus headaches actually being migraines. We had already taken a CT of my sinuses, which came back negative for anything that would cause the reoccurring sinusitis. So, we decided that we would try the migraine route and she prescribed me some medication called Treximet, it's it's basically Imatrex with Aleve added to it. I went to the pharmacy and filled my prescription. If you can believe this, it is a box of 9 pills, and if we did not have insurance, would have cost me over $200! I took my first pill because I had a headache and went to work. About a half hour into my shift, and and an hour after I had taken the pill, my jaw started really hurting badly. Well, I have this habit of not reading the pamphlets because I sometimes imagine myself having some of the side effects, so I don't read them. Usually give them to my husband to read. So, I pop open the pamphlet and start reading it and one of the side effects is pain in the jaw and it stated to call the doctor right away. I called the doctor and she instructed me to come back to check me again. I leave work and go back to the doctor. She said I was having a mild reaction to the medication and that I should stop taking it. I now have a different perscription called Cephadyn, but it doesn't seem to be working either. She also refered me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist to follow up with the sinuses.
Over all, I'm not real sure what is going on, and apparently neither does the doctor. Eventually, I guess we will figure it out, and when we do, I will be none the happier! I still have a slight headache, but nothing like it was before, so I guess the combonation of all the medications that I have taken today is doing something!
I took my reed oil defuser over to the new house today. The house has a smell to it, but I think that is mainly being caused by the bushes outside the front of the house. For the life of me, I don't know why people would plant these horrible bushes! They smell like cat pee! (I think that they are boxwood shrubs) I think that I would like to pull them all out and just plant flowers or something there. I tell you it's just terrible! For the rest of the week, I'm going to be busy packing and getting ready for the move! Yippie!!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Home owners at last!
So, here it is folks! This is our new house! We signed the dotted line and at 1:32 pm on June 22, 2009 Sam and I became home owners of our very own home! There are some things that we (note: I) want to change, like the paint inside some of the rooms, but over all it's a great place! J and I have dubbed the master bedroom, the poop room, because the previous owners didn't know how to paint at all! They sponge painted the master bedroom, used the lightest color first, then went out to the darkest color. They didn't even cover the entire wall, nor did they use any painters tape! There is still wall paper showing thru the paint! The living room is the poo and blood room, the walls are dark brown and deep red, yet again, no painters tape so there is even paint on the wood mantle over the fire place! The kitchen isn't too horribly hideous, but yet again, no painters tape, so it's on the trim work over the counters. *sigh*I did get rid of my headache for about 24 hours, but it came back. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and I'm just going to tell her to do whatever it is she's got to do to make it stop hurting even if that means that she's got to drill a hole in the side of my head! the good news about it is, at least it's on the other side now, at least I think that's a good thing. Sam is cutting his hair for work tomorrow, I will help him cut the back and then it's off to La-la land for me!
There should be more pictures soon of all of us moving stuff into the house! I have a couple friends from work that are coming to help move (I bribed them with a 6 pack of beer each to come help).
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Fathers Day!
Today started out a little crazy, if I say so myself. I quit smoking about 2 weeks ago with the aid of the patch, so, I'm still receiving nicotine, but I don't have to smoke to get the result. I have put my patch on pretty much faithfully every morning. I even carry one in my purse in case I do forget, which is going to happen because I'm absent minded. Well, this morning, I got up and could not find my new box of patches anywhere! Not to worry, I did buy them while I was at work, so they've got to be at work on my desk. Sam and I needed to go into town anyways, so, while we're there we will just stop by and pick them up. Well, needless to say, they weren't there and we didn't find them until we got back home and I found them in my car! (Told you I was absent minded!)
With today being Fathers Day and all, my wonderful Mom had my two rugrats call to wish Sam a happy fathers day. It made him smile pretty much the entire day! How wonderful is it to have two small people that love you so very much even tho they are not related to you by blood in any way shape or form. Well, my hubby thinks is fantastic, and so do I. We had to go to Wal*Mart to pick up a few things like lunch meat and some Sudafed for me (Yes, I still have a headache! It's day 3. *sigh*) and we decided that we were going to go out to eat at some place nicer than Taco Bell. We don't do that very often, nor do we eat fast food very often either. We ended up at Cracker Barrel! I love going to Cracker Barrel and the hubby had never been to one before we started dating. We enjoyed the "home cookin'" and sat and talked for a while about what we want to do in the future. We tend to do that alot actually. Of course, having a mind splitting headache and trying to have that conversation is not always the best way to go about things.
I did talk to my sister, who is a nurse, about this headache. She told me that I should check my blood pressure. Wouldn't you know that I forgot to do that while I was at Wal*Mart! I don't think my blood pressure has anything to do with it, because it's only one side of my head that feels like it's trying to rip it's way out, not both. She also suggested that maybe it's not my sinuses at all, maybe I'm having what they call "cluster headaches" or even a mild migrane. I'm not sure what it is, but boy my head sure does hurt! I took some Sudafed and an 800mg Ibuprophen and I'm, again, laying on the couch. So far, nothing has really helped.
Tomorrow is the closing for the house. There is so much to do! After the closing, we need to get the locks changed, get the electric and water turned on, have the cable moved, get boxes, pack everything up, rent the truck, bribe friends with 6 packs of beer to come help move, and move everything over to the new house! Shew! Never thought that buying a house would be this much of an adventure, but it sure has been filled with ups, downs, and everything in between!
With that, I hope that all the fathers had wonderful Fathers Days and your kids got you the tacky tie that you will only wear on occasion because your kids got it for you and you would feel horrible if you didn't, and that you know that above all, your kids love you so very much whether you were the bringer of their life, or the one that is helping raise them now.
Oh, and..... Happy Fathers Day Kevin! Hope you had a great time at the zoo with Mom and the kids! You're tacky tie will be here when you come on the 4th! *wink*
With today being Fathers Day and all, my wonderful Mom had my two rugrats call to wish Sam a happy fathers day. It made him smile pretty much the entire day! How wonderful is it to have two small people that love you so very much even tho they are not related to you by blood in any way shape or form. Well, my hubby thinks is fantastic, and so do I. We had to go to Wal*Mart to pick up a few things like lunch meat and some Sudafed for me (Yes, I still have a headache! It's day 3. *sigh*) and we decided that we were going to go out to eat at some place nicer than Taco Bell. We don't do that very often, nor do we eat fast food very often either. We ended up at Cracker Barrel! I love going to Cracker Barrel and the hubby had never been to one before we started dating. We enjoyed the "home cookin'" and sat and talked for a while about what we want to do in the future. We tend to do that alot actually. Of course, having a mind splitting headache and trying to have that conversation is not always the best way to go about things.
I did talk to my sister, who is a nurse, about this headache. She told me that I should check my blood pressure. Wouldn't you know that I forgot to do that while I was at Wal*Mart! I don't think my blood pressure has anything to do with it, because it's only one side of my head that feels like it's trying to rip it's way out, not both. She also suggested that maybe it's not my sinuses at all, maybe I'm having what they call "cluster headaches" or even a mild migrane. I'm not sure what it is, but boy my head sure does hurt! I took some Sudafed and an 800mg Ibuprophen and I'm, again, laying on the couch. So far, nothing has really helped.
Tomorrow is the closing for the house. There is so much to do! After the closing, we need to get the locks changed, get the electric and water turned on, have the cable moved, get boxes, pack everything up, rent the truck, bribe friends with 6 packs of beer to come help move, and move everything over to the new house! Shew! Never thought that buying a house would be this much of an adventure, but it sure has been filled with ups, downs, and everything in between!
With that, I hope that all the fathers had wonderful Fathers Days and your kids got you the tacky tie that you will only wear on occasion because your kids got it for you and you would feel horrible if you didn't, and that you know that above all, your kids love you so very much whether you were the bringer of their life, or the one that is helping raise them now.
Oh, and..... Happy Fathers Day Kevin! Hope you had a great time at the zoo with Mom and the kids! You're tacky tie will be here when you come on the 4th! *wink*
Saturday, June 20, 2009
It's hot!
So, it's officially 93 degrees outside, but according to weather.com it feels like 103! UGH! I absolutely hate hot weather! I've got a horrible sinus headache and I feel like shoving black-out curtains on every window in the house and turning the AC down to about 50 and taking a nap. I'm sure that it doesn't help that I'm sitting here with a laptop on my lap with the nice hot air blowing on my legs!
Most people think somewhere along the lines of "Hey, it's hot, we're close to the ocean, lets go to the beach!" Nope! It's tourist season here in the coastal regions of the Carolinas'. That means that locals rarely go out to their favorite places. I guess I'm going to have to get really inventive this year and find a nice place to go to the beach that not everybody knows about. I guess that I could go to Onslow Beach. It's military only, but the hubby isn't high enough ranked to get the good beach. Oh yes! Everything is divided by rank on a military base, even the beaches! The really good part of the beach belongs to the Officers. They even have their own little store and everything.
Today, the hubby and I ventured out long enough to go to the local mall and get the new lenses for my glasses. I had originally ordered my awesome glasses (They're orange and brown!) with scratch and glare resistant coating and Transitions. When I recieved them, the only had the scratch and glare resistant coating so they had to order new ones. They do work now! Sam thought it was really cool when we walked outside and they automatically started turning darker to protect my eyes from the sun. They continued to work inside the car as well when they changed to slightly tinted. We then went to Best Buy. We're thinking of doing some upgrading on the kids computer so we can use it for more than just for the kids to play games on. We found a really nice package deal on an Insperion desktop bundle. It was the tower, the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and an all in one printer for a little over $500! We didn't end up getting it, but now have an idea of what to save some money for in the future. We realize the kids won't be children forever and will start to want to play more advanced games than the ones that they play now, so inevitably we will have to buy a better computer.
I think tonight for dinner will be left over chinese food that we got last night and watching Miss Conception that we got in today from Netflix. Just a lazy Saturday for us this weekend.
Monday we close on our house and will be home owners! We're both very excited and nervous about this. We realize that when the water heater breaks after Monday, we can't call the landlord anymore to have it fixed or replaced. We are the landlord! It will be an adventure, that's for sure!
Most people think somewhere along the lines of "Hey, it's hot, we're close to the ocean, lets go to the beach!" Nope! It's tourist season here in the coastal regions of the Carolinas'. That means that locals rarely go out to their favorite places. I guess I'm going to have to get really inventive this year and find a nice place to go to the beach that not everybody knows about. I guess that I could go to Onslow Beach. It's military only, but the hubby isn't high enough ranked to get the good beach. Oh yes! Everything is divided by rank on a military base, even the beaches! The really good part of the beach belongs to the Officers. They even have their own little store and everything.
Today, the hubby and I ventured out long enough to go to the local mall and get the new lenses for my glasses. I had originally ordered my awesome glasses (They're orange and brown!) with scratch and glare resistant coating and Transitions. When I recieved them, the only had the scratch and glare resistant coating so they had to order new ones. They do work now! Sam thought it was really cool when we walked outside and they automatically started turning darker to protect my eyes from the sun. They continued to work inside the car as well when they changed to slightly tinted. We then went to Best Buy. We're thinking of doing some upgrading on the kids computer so we can use it for more than just for the kids to play games on. We found a really nice package deal on an Insperion desktop bundle. It was the tower, the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and an all in one printer for a little over $500! We didn't end up getting it, but now have an idea of what to save some money for in the future. We realize the kids won't be children forever and will start to want to play more advanced games than the ones that they play now, so inevitably we will have to buy a better computer.
I think tonight for dinner will be left over chinese food that we got last night and watching Miss Conception that we got in today from Netflix. Just a lazy Saturday for us this weekend.
Monday we close on our house and will be home owners! We're both very excited and nervous about this. We realize that when the water heater breaks after Monday, we can't call the landlord anymore to have it fixed or replaced. We are the landlord! It will be an adventure, that's for sure!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Life!
Well, it's been a while since I've posted here. I know, I'm a bad blogger!
Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. I turned a year older, which was pretty uneventful, if i do say so myself. The hubby made me a cake, which was really good. A butter cake with chocolate icing! How well he knows me! My best friend J got me Sims 3! But, I guess what S bought me has to beat just about every other birthday present I've ever gotten, (sorry Mom!)we bought a house!
It's a pretty nice place! Three bedroom, 2 bath, fenced in back yard. So now, the kiddos are coming back from Grammys' and will live with "Poppa Sam" and I. We're all super excited to all be back together again and can't wait to have the 2 kiddos and the dog here in North Carolina!
Today was extraordinarily hot! The little thermometer on the computer says it's 90, but I think it's closer to 100 out there! It feels like your skin will melt right off of your body! So, I'm sitting in the living room with my very wonderful husband watching NCIS. It's a rerun, they're always reruns on USA! It's okay, I enjoy watching them with him.
Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. I turned a year older, which was pretty uneventful, if i do say so myself. The hubby made me a cake, which was really good. A butter cake with chocolate icing! How well he knows me! My best friend J got me Sims 3! But, I guess what S bought me has to beat just about every other birthday present I've ever gotten, (sorry Mom!)we bought a house!
It's a pretty nice place! Three bedroom, 2 bath, fenced in back yard. So now, the kiddos are coming back from Grammys' and will live with "Poppa Sam" and I. We're all super excited to all be back together again and can't wait to have the 2 kiddos and the dog here in North Carolina!
Today was extraordinarily hot! The little thermometer on the computer says it's 90, but I think it's closer to 100 out there! It feels like your skin will melt right off of your body! So, I'm sitting in the living room with my very wonderful husband watching NCIS. It's a rerun, they're always reruns on USA! It's okay, I enjoy watching them with him.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Aanii!
Well some things have changed since I've last written.
I'm not married! The Hubby and I have decided that it was time to "get hitched."
*Edit- That was supposed to say "I'm now married"*
This came as quite the surprise to most everyone but us.
We've put a deposit on a new place, so we don't have to live with roommates anymore. Don't get me wrong, I love my roommate, but, it's time for us to get out there and do things as a couple now.
Hopefully, I will be able to get on here more often and update things, and turn this into more than just a blog that I come on once in a while to just update people on things going on in my life!!
I'm not married! The Hubby and I have decided that it was time to "get hitched."
*Edit- That was supposed to say "I'm now married"*
This came as quite the surprise to most everyone but us.
We've put a deposit on a new place, so we don't have to live with roommates anymore. Don't get me wrong, I love my roommate, but, it's time for us to get out there and do things as a couple now.
Hopefully, I will be able to get on here more often and update things, and turn this into more than just a blog that I come on once in a while to just update people on things going on in my life!!
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