I Needed a Vacation from My Family Vacation

Wow...just wow what a TRIP that was. We got back last Monday (today is Saturday) and I'm just now feeling up to blogging.  I was exhausted emotionally and physically.  I've been on the couch the last 3 days with a killer stomach ache that the nurse said I might have an UCLER.  WTF!  I think I just ate something bad and maybe all the soda I drank while on vacation just messing with my tummy.  I prefer my diagnose.

Vacations are suppose to relaxing...right?  Yeah right when you travel with 2 kids on the road for 2 days then visit with family for a week then drive back in the RAIN through mountains, nope not relaxing in my book. 

However, I got to visit with some awesome family and friends and it was WORTH it so yes I might bitch a bit but it was overall a wonderful trip! 

This week was suppose to go a lot different but being on the couch sick made me slow down so I guess this was my laying by the beach moment.  I know reaching but hey it worth a shot.  I'm back feeling better and get ready for posts about our Family Road Trip!

BTW...kids are still up in Washington with their grandparents :)

Kids Addiction To Swimming

Today my eyes were opening up and its around 7:30am and there is this curly hair girl looking at me and says "Are we going swimming today?" not "good morning mom or how are you mom".  The pool opens at 2:30pm so in my head I'm like why is she asking me this question so damn early.  But in her head this is the big EVENT so she needs to plan her day.  I roll my eyes and let her know she needs to brush her teeth before asking me questions that require her to breath in my face.  She giggles but stays there and asks again.  Yes Sahara we are going swimming today! 

Ronnell wakes about after 8am comes and gives me a hug then asks "Mom are we going swimming?" yet again not even a  "good morning" but at least I got a hug before the big question.  Once again I roll my eyes. "Yes sweetheart we are going".  Then it was all smiles for about 2 hrs then the "When is it 2:30?" starts happening.  I did work this to my advantage though.  Every time they said something they had to do a  chore around the house.  Guess what got done by my kids today- they cleaned their rooms, they did dishes, vacuumed living room, and I got a load a laundry done by them. 

They were packed, swimsuits on, waiting by the door by 1:30.  LOL.  I am such a mean mom because its 2:13 and I'm still on the computer writing a blog entry. HEHE! 

Guess its time to go SWIMMING! 

Going on a Road Trip

Am I even ready- no this is how I deal with STRESS, wait until the last minute!  HEHE!  No laughing matter here people, okay yes it is.  Back in the old days I used to write lists, get upset if things didn't get done, stress on everything and anything but now a days I just ROLL WITH IT!  Who am I joking???

I might not be as "anal" as I used to be but how could I with kids and a husband.  We will leave something behind, won't finish something I wanted to do, forget something important at home of course but what can I do about it when I'm already on the road.  My family will probably say- you will throw a fit- curse a couple times and then whine a couple hours but then it will be okay. 

I tend to do things at the last minute because that's just who I am!  My hubby will say its the Sagittarius in me- okay I go with that but really if I did all this crap last week it would get all dirty again, I would have to pull it out and really its just easier to pack the day before going. 

I have 3 lists:  To Pack, What We Need, To Do Around Here- very professional huh! 

I won't let this Family Trip stress me out! 

What are some things you forget at home you wish you didn't, great road trip tips, or anything you want to add to this ROAD TRIP post?

Happy 4th July Everyone

Enjoy Family and Friends today

I'm dealing with Perimenopause

Well I think I have hit that wonderful experience (right, can you see me rolling my eyes!)- so excited... NOT! I'm going spare you on all the gory details but this is NOT FUN.  It says it can last  2 to 8 years- really?  My mom says it will be worth it- do I believe her though, lol!  I know this is a normal part of life but that doesn't mean I can't bitch about it, lol! 

This weekend was horrible! I was in a lot of pain and it was a nice weekend but I was in bed oohing and aahing.  My hubby did take the kids out for awhile on Saturday leaving me with some peace and quiet to sleep.  Sunday we got up and cleaned early so we could have the rest of the day off. I pretty much took it easy but still was trooper (even in pain).  Today I feel a bit better and the pain sustained but still not all the way myself.   The kids and hubby were wonderful and I feel so bad they have to see me like that though.  I will be making a doctor appointment this week because I don't want to go thru that pain every month. 

Something to look forward to: Menopausal Muffin Top LOL!  BTW I already have that, ugh!

What can I do to help me deal with this:

• Eat Healthier- something I've been working on so this won't be hard to do.  They suggest diet low in saturated fat and includes plenty of fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, and high-fiber grains and breads.
• Get adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D
• Get regular exercise.  Working on that.  Been doing a lot of walking.  I want to start doing Yoga too.
• Limit caffeine, alcohol, and stress.  OMG...does this mean I have to give up coffee.  Not sure if I can do that!  Limit alcohol and stress I can do that! 2 of 3 not bad right. 

Want to read more please go:
http://www.webmd.com/menopause/tc/menopause-and-perimenopause-overview

Thanks to Facebook I have a NEW NICKNAME

ShortStack and guess who is having so much fun calling me it....yep Lil Mama!  Then guess who told her to call me that...ummm my mom!  Thanks Mom!  But really I have Facebook to blame for this.

Last week I was working on fan landing pages for PinkMama's Place and Mr Airbrush Hands and I was using the site Shortstack to design them (which BTW the site ROCKS).  I "liked" the Shortstack site and it posted it on Facebook and my mom had so much fun with that one. 

Last night my daughter comes in room after calling me Shortstack for the 20th time ( and after having a conversation with my mom on the phone) and says " Mom your short and your stacked"  Ummm okay how she said it was fricken funny but she didn't realize exactly what she said because right after she said that she says "You stack books, clothes, and all kinds of things"  well you know what my hubby and I thought, right.  I am stacked! 

So thanks Facebook for the new nickname and the laugh.  At least my nickname from Lil Mama isn't as bad as what she calls her daddy "panties" I'm not sure how she came up with that name but I do know why...because it bothers him and she LOVES to pick on him. 

WTF Wednesday- Spending Habits

I've been out of work for 2 months and wow my spending habits are very different now compared to when I was making money.  We are down to 1 income.  That alone is stressful but we had to do some changes to our lifestyle too!

Eating Out: Before quitting my job we went out to eat 2-3 times a week now maybe 1 time.  If we do go out its not at the cool family restaurant we used to dine at its like McDonald's or KFC now.  Just wrong.  This past weekend we felt like going out to breakfast and guess where we went, Denny's EWWW!  The kids liked it but I'm a bit picky and like my sausage to taste like sausage not mystery meat. It will be a long time before we do that again.

Grocery Shopping: I used to buy whatever was on sale and work around that.  Nope I need a list and what is on the list is what I buy.  If there is something on sale I might get it but it has to be a damn good sale.  My weekly budget is $100- try feeding 4 people on that but it works and we all have to stuck it up we don't have the abundance of food in the pantry.  You have to work with what you got.  I don't spend on frivolous things anymore.  I tend to put stuff back too! 

Treats:  I used to get a latte/mocha pretty much every day and now its like one every 2 weeks when I have a little spending change.  When I say change I mean quarters, dimes, nickels man I saved up for that white chocolate mocha and yes on the whip cream!  Also the kids don't get that weekly ice cream treat anymore.  I make ice pops out of juice now. 

Shoes/Clothes:  We haven't bought any summer clothes and we need them so next week I'm taking $100 and going to a consignment store to see what I can find.  Kids will be fine with used gear they don't need to know what store, right.  But I am having purse withdraws but as my kids have pointed out many times....Mom you have way too many purses!  Ugh! 

Entertainment:  What is that?  Going to the movies is what we enjoyed a lot.  Nope none of that going on anymore. We have Netflix and we enjoy that so it's all good.  We might pick up a bootleg movie at the flea market next time.  Reading is a great source of entertainment and we have been some reading fools with the library right up the street and its FREE! 

I make light of my spending these days but it was also a BIG EYE OPENER on just how much money I was wasting.  We have been finding free stuff to do and we are just FINE! 

Now if I can just get my hubby to stop stressing we might make it through this hard bump in the road. 

Twitter Tuesday~ What Tools Do You Like?

I've been playing around with Twitter lately and its growing on me.  I can never keep up with all my followers but I do find COOL articles, a lot of sweeps, free items but also a lot of great information. 

Tool I use: 

HootSuite:  I really LIKE this site because I can post to several different pages at one time.  Plus schedule tweets.  There is so many things you can do! 

TweetDeck:  This is similar to HootSuite.  I say give both of them a try and see which one you like the best. 

TwitPic:  You can post photos or videos to TwitPic from your phone, from the site, or through email. I use this one for my hubby's airbrush business.  I post pics of his artwork and also can see how many views and people can comment on them. 

TweetMeme: Retweet cool stuff you come across.  The TweetMeme retweet button is for websites and blog publishers who want to encourage their audience to tweet their content on Twitter. The button shows a live count of the number of times your webpage or blog post has been tweeted.

Twellow: A search directory of people by area of expertise, profession or other attribute listed in personal profiles on Twitter.  I call this the YELLOW PAGES of Twitter!

WeFollow: Another SEARCH directory like Twellow. 

TwitterGrader: I got 98.2 out of 100- not bad!  This is a cool site that gives you some info to help you do better on twitter.  Can't believe I signed up for Twitter 3 years ago- WOW! 

Tweeparties: LOVE LOVE this site!  You can see a calendar of twitter parties and also start a twitter party.  If you don't know what a twitter party~ well is a fast virtual party on Twitter that uses #hashtags to keep track of the conversation.  Most are held at night and sometimes they even give away prizes.  I've done a couple and I got a lot of followers through the party.  Most of the time a Brand/Company will be the one hosting but anyone can throw a PARTY!

What about you any COOL Twitter sites/tools/apps you use and want to SHARE?

We Need a LOCK on the Fridge!

Guess what it isn't for me either!  It is for my 9 year old son.  Dude has been eating us out of the house.  I can't keep up with it.

Yesterdays Menu:

Breakfast:
Bowl of Cereal
Bagel w/cream cheese

Snack:
Banana
crackers

Lunch:
2 Sandwiches
Apple
Rice Cake Chips
BBQ Chips
Fruit Snacks

Snack:
Orange
crackers

Dinner:
Full plate of Chinese Food

Dessert:
3 Popsicles (only had permission for 1)

That what I know of!!!  I tell him to cool down because we can't go thru food this fast but he keeps telling me he is hungry.  What DO I DO?  If he keeps this up I might have to go on a hunger diet because we can't afford to feed him like this everyday.

Is this NORMAL for a 9 year old??  He isn't overweight but he isn't a skinny mini either.  I don't want to put any weight issues on him but is he in training for becoming a football player?

HSN Arcade- PLAY WATCH SHOP

HSN Arcade...a new casual gaming and digital commerce portal from multichannel retailer HSN.

• In an unprecedented move to combine casual gaming with the ecommerce experience, HSN Arcade allows people to play their favorite games online while they simultaneously watch HSN streaming live in HD, view the item currently on-air and quickly shop the last 15 items aired…all on one screen.
• HSN Arcade integrates with Facebook® to allow players to easily share their scores and achievements with their Facebook friends.
• HSN Arcade hosts 25 games, including the exclusive Today’s Special Jigsaw Puzzle, Lights! Camera! Subtraction! (featuring HSN’s celebrities), Crossword Puzzles, Word Search, Mahjongg, Dimensions, Sudoku, Treasure Hunt, BlackJack and more.
• Celebrities like Wolfgang Puck, Colin Cowie, Lisa Price and Wei Briant among others will play a role in some of the games.
• The games are FREE to play.
• Players can win prizes, including the Today's Special product or a gift card, by being the fastest to complete the daily “Today’s Special Jigsaw Puzzle” and receiving the best score.
• People can participate in tournaments with HSN’s celebrity guests, hosts and other players for the opportunity to win other prizes, such as gift cards and products.
• Winners can be announced via TV, online and mobile.

I played a couple of the games and had a blast then the kids wanted to play too! Mom can't have any fun. 
Also make sure you enter the The $150,000 More to Celebrate Giveaway

PS:  I did not receive any compensation for this post. Just Spreading the INFO!