January 28, 2009

Updates

I know I have not been blogging much lately. I was called in to substitute on Monday for Kindergarten and Tuesday for 6th grade. I had so much fun each day with the kids. Both teachers left full lesson plans so I was busy all day long. Normally teachers have students, take a test, watch a movie or other work that does not require me to teach. - so I had a blast!

I still have no job and I cannot afford to substitute full time (even if I were to get called in full time), after daycare I would be taking home less than $200 per week. I am still struggling as to what to do. I think for now I am going to collect unemployment, substitute one day a week (which I can still do and still collect) and look for a better full time job. I am worried that I will go crazy at home (in Gunnison we don't have a lot of activities for kids to do in the winter) especially with Lily. Lily is a challenge but I love hanging out and spending time with Mikayla - I know that sounds bad but Lily is well Lily (screaming, fussing, not napping, demanding all my attention, Lily).

I had a great week of running last week but this week I am really lagging. I did finally get up early and workout this morning but not running. I was going to go for a long run today but it was cold, windy and nasty outside.

January 26, 2009

Body Balance Giveaway

Since only two people entered my Body Balance Giveaway - Carrie from Newlywed Girl and Lisa from Workout Mommy - I have decided to give each one a Body Balance for them each to try. Everyone else - you missed out this stuff is awesome.

Also just an update on me I did 2 long runs last week, one at 8 miles and one at 9 miles. My 8 mile run was a little bit faster than the 8 mile run I had done before so yea! The 9 mile run was not too bad either.

I am signed up to substitute (very few of you know that I actually have a teaching license but I am not using it for many reasons). I got called into substitute for kindergartner today and had a blast and then they asked me to sub for another 3 days so I will be busy this week.

January 20, 2009

Everything Happens in 3's - Walmart.com - the enemy

As you know I lost my job last week well everything happens in 3's. This is a full recap of everything that happened last week.

First - We are currently leasing out our house to a potential buyer with a lease option and we are renting another house in town. We did this because out mortgage payment is huge and the renters are almost paying the full mortgage while we are renting a much cheaper house in town. This is really helping us out financially.

Last Friday the renter called Joe and said that they are going to be having all four of their kids living with them now and they will need a much bigger place since they will have 6 people in a house. I thought a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 living room and 2000 square feet would be big enough of a house but I guess not. We decided to end their lease at the end of May which is when our lease ends. We were really hoping that they would buy the house so that we could be done with it.

Next - We had $1000 stolen from our savings account. Our savings account is connected to my paypal account. I go online about every day or so to balance my checkbook. I noticed that are savings account was negative and there was no reason for it. I did some research and saw a paypal transaction going out for $1000 to walmart.com. I called my bank and let them know that I did not authorize that transaction. I had to do some paperwork but luckily they were able to stop it. I also called paypal and they are doing their thing. The kicker is that I called walmart.com (which it is very hard to find a number to call them and very hard to finally get a person on the line). I really got upset at walmart.com because they said that paypal would have to contact them with a police report before they could do anything. WHAT!! Walmart.com was not willing to do ANYTHING to help me, not even contact the other person, take her name and information, ANYTHING. In my mind they were knowingly allowing someone to purchase merchandise with stolen information. They will get an email from me. Oh - we did get the money back.

Third - I lost my job - I think that says it all. I guess since that is the third thing nothing else bad can go wrong right?

The thing that really sucks in this whole mess is that financially we were finally where we wanted to be at the end of each month. I am just really hoping that I find something very quickly (which is hard to do in this market) and that job is paying the same or close to what my other job was paying.

January 19, 2009

New Year's Resolution

In order to accomplish my New Year's Resolution I vowed to do the following things:
  • Get out of bed at 5am to do a Jillian Michael's strength workout each day
  • Write down what I eat and consume less than 1100 calories before dinner
  • Not drink any wine or liquor
  • Not snack after work

Well this was going great until Friday when I got laid off. I was suppose to go for an hour long run at lunch and I eventually went for a run but only 2 miles - I just was not feeling up to it and I did not do any running this weekend.

But today is a new week and I am starting it up again. I lost 2.5 pounds last week but my weight varies from 144 to 141.5 so it was not a big shock.

This week and I once again writing down what I eat and planning my food for the day and I also plan to get a lot of working out in, since I have no job why not exercise!

I have to admit though my arms are sore. We went to the rec center with the girls yesterday and I decided to do some rock climbing. I only climb for about 15 minutes but I sore! Well - off to my strength workout.

Home Made Laundry Detergent

This is another recipe from the Today Show Saving Money with the Duggars. This is how to make home made laundry detergent.

Ingredients:
  • 4 cups hot tap water
  • 1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (or other bar of soap)
  • 1 cup washing soda
  • ½ cup Borax

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.


Fill a five-gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.


Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (It will gel.)


Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per two gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.


Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons. Top-load machine: 5/8 cup per load (approximately 180 loads). Front-load machine: ¼ cup per load (approx. 640 loads).

I talked with my mom about this because she had recently made her own laundry soap as well. She noticed that she was having to pre-treat some minor stains more often with her homemade laundry soap than with the store bought. With that I mind I added one container of regular store bought laundry detergent (Arm and Hammer) to the recipe to give it some added strength and that seems to have worked. I have not had any problems with the recipe. And I have a ton of it and I have no idea when it will run out!

January 18, 2009

Home Made Fabric Softner

I am always looking for ways to save money on normal every day expenses. I found this recipe for fabric softener on the Today Show - Saving Money with the Duggars (the family that has 18 kids -I would think they would know a thing or two about saving money!)

This is the recipe I use and so far I love it. My dryer takes 1 1/2 cycles to dry the cloths so when I re-set the dryer I through another sponge in - but even the days I haven't the clothes still come out with no static.
Recipe No. 1: 1 container of name-brand fabric softener 4 inexpensive sponges, cut in half Pour a whole container of softener into a five-gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice (two parts water to one part softener). Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use, wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

The reason I don't use this recipe is that I can never remember to add the vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Recipe No. 2: Add one cup white vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Tomorrow I will post the laundry detergent receipe.

January 16, 2009

Help Wanted

In December I found out one of the main attorneys was leaving the firm. I started to worry about my job. My co-worker and I thought eventually one of us would be leaving but not for 6 months or so. Well the news came earlier than I thought and I lost my job today. I was luckily enough to get paid through the end of the month but right now there are not opportunities out their for what I make.

I wish they had let me ago about a week or so ago because there were some positions available but not anymore. I am starting to get worried and I have no idea what we are going to do. This also comes at a point were we have finally got our finances in order that we are not negative any more.

So if you want to help post my blog everywhere and link so that maybe I can earn some money with my BlogHer ads. Or pass any writing opportunities to me.

January 15, 2009

My Runner Mikayla

Tonight Mikayla and I took the dogs for a quick walk - well I thought we were going to walk but Mikayla decided to turn in into a run and boy was she fast. We did 1 mile in 17 minutes and when she was running she was running at about a 12:30 pace! She is only 3 1/2! I was so proud of her.

January 14, 2009

Body Balance - GIVEAWAY


I mentioned in this blog entry that I started taking a vitamin called Body Balance by Lifeforce. I started in late November and at this point I really think it is helping me and my family stay much healthier this winter.


While we were in New Jersey I stopped taking it because it is a liquid and I did not want to pack it. Lily got an awful stomach but Mikayla and I did not get sick. Joe got a little sick but he was not as bad as Lily or his mom. Lily does not take the Body Balance.


Then on the way back from New Jersey I got a very minor cold (little stuffy nose and that is about all). Lily on the other hand has a horrible cold right now. So I have also started Lily on small amounts of the Body Balance. She seems to catch colds a lot easier than Mikayla did at her age.
I truly believe that if I had been taking the Body Balance in New Jersey I would not have gotten a cold at all. I also believe that if I had not been taking the Body Balance at all I would have gotten the stomach bug as well and my cold would have been much worse.
Giveaway - Because I love this stuff so much and I think that everyone should give it a try I am giving away one bottle - at $27.00 value! One bottle lasts my family about a week and a half. That is with Joe and I each taking 1.5 oz and Mikayla taking ½ oz. Everyone takes a different amount but most people take 1 to 2 oz a day. Please leave me a comment before January 25th and I will announce the winner on January 26th or 27th.

Half Marathon

I am so excited - I found a half marathon to do that is only about 1 hour from here and it is in mid march - PERFECT!

I was on http://www.active.com/ today and I did a search for marathons for the next year in Colorado and I came across the Running Through Time in Salida. It is all dirt roads - yea! It starts in a very cute Colorado Mountain Town (with hot springs - I will defiantly hit those at the end!) and the full marathon goes up to a Ghost Town. I won't be doing the full but still this is a perfect training exercise for me.

Joe even said he might train for it. My first thought was what would we do with the girls. But then I figured we could make a date out of it and get a babysitter. We will see if he trains for it.

Make You Laugh

Here is an email that got forwarded to me and I wanted to share it with all of you. Hope this puts a smile on your face before you start your day or your next workout.

Have a great day!!

Dear Diary,For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week-!!

TUESDAY:I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the heck would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other trash too.

THURSDAY:Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny witch to find me.Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY:I hate that witch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the stupid barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY:Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter ( the little brat) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, He would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

January 13, 2009

Just Trying to Get One Good Picture

I really do not have any great pictures of the girls together. It seems as if I get one girl smiling and looking at the camera and the other one is looking away or making a face.

So here is a sequence of pictures I took of the girls last night right before bath time in hopes of getting both girls looking at the camera and smiling. Ignore Lily's messy tummy - she had just had her dinner.

So I gave up and just tried to get a cute picture of both girls individually.

January 12, 2009

Woment Supporting Women

We have all made New Year's Resolutions and so I am creating a support group for everyone to help you keep your New Year's Resolution. Over on the side bar I have created a section called Women Supporting Women. I will link your blog to it so that every month, week or day you can check in with everyone else and they can check in with you to see how they and you are doing on their and yours New Year's Resolution. I will also feature your blog on this blog with a list of your Resolutions. Let me know if you want to sign up!

I have already listed my New Year's Resolutions but I here are my two big ones.

1. Run a Marathon in May
2. Lose 15 pounds.

January 11, 2009

New Jersey Pictures

Here are a few pictures of our trip to New Jersey to visit Joe's family and friends. Joe's parents got a new camcorder for Christmas so we took very few pictures but lots of video. One of these days I will figure out how to get the video uploaded to here or at least a link to u-tube.

Joe's friend, James, bonding with Lily.



Mikayla, Lily and Me



On the way to the circus we had some time so we visited Central Park. I have been going back to New Jersey with Joe for the past 11 years and visiting NYC every time. This was my first visit to Central Park.

While we were in NJ Lily got an awful stomach bug. The really bad part was that she gave the stomach bug to almost everyone. Grandma (who has not been sick in 30 years) got it really bad and was unable to go to the circus with us. Our friend Mike took her place.


My sister-in-law, Sue, is pregnant with twins. She is going to have the babies (at the latest) on the 15th when she will be 37.5 weeks. She is measuring 45 weeks. Doesn't she look great. When you see her from behind you have no idea that she is pregnant until she swings that big belly around. I had so much fun feeling the little ones move. I kept hoping that she would go into labor while we were there (all of the prelabor signs are there) but it was a no go. I guess I will have to wait until this summer to see them.

We had Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's.

This is just a random picture I threw in of Joe and Lily.

January 10, 2009

Lazy Daddy

I caught Joe on the couch watching football a/k/a sleeping. He was too lazy to get up and move less than 5 feet to get one of the 3 blankets we have. Instead he used Mikayla's sweater for a blanket!

January 8, 2009

New Jersey

I am back home from our trip to New Jersey. The trip was great.

We arrived in New Jersey on the 31st (we left on the 30th but did not arrive there until the 31st). It takes a long time to get anywhere from Gunnison. At first I thought Lily was going to be awful flying but she was not. The first 30 minutes or so of the first flight she was terrible but then she passed out and slept the rest of the flight. Mikayla and Joe played the whole time. Then for the second flight both girls were sleeping before takeoff.

Lily and I do not do so well sleeping in the same room together. At home if she wakes up she will cry for a minute or two and then fall back to sleep. In NJ she would wake up, see me and then cry until I picked her up and then she would take over an hour to go back to bed.

Joe and I got away for a night to visit friends who live in New York City and we went out to dinner and had lots of fun. After dinner we went out for one more drink to a local bar. Who knew I had to go all the way to NYC to hear country music! Also in the bar they had a boxing or punching machine and I beat some of the guys who were doing it!!

I managed to get one 4 mile run and and I was fast! I love running at sea level. It was also nice to run up one hill and then down the next and keep repeating this, unlike here where it is all uphill until I turn around and run back down.

Lily also got a bad stomach bug and then she gave it to her Grandma Linda and her Aunt Sue. Aunt Sue is due to have twins any day now. She is 37 weeks and looks wonderful. If you see her from behind you would have no idea that in front is a huge belly. I kept hoping that she would go into labor while we were there (all of the signs are there) but it did not happen. I guess I will have to wait another 6 months to see my new niece and nephew.

Since Lily got Grandma Linda sick she had to stay home while we went into NYC to the Big Apple Circus. We all loved the circus.

Since Grandma Linda did not plan much we had a great time with plenty of down time. You all know how important this is with kids. I wish I would have gotten in more runs but with Lily not sleeping well I was pretty tired.

Now it is back to work and the real world.