Dreary Days

Oh. . .I despair. . .I saw some snowflakes today. I really was hoping the groundhog was right, but who am I  kidding, its only the beginning of March!

I can't be the only mom that is craving the warmer (not hot) weather where the kids can play outside. There is just something about fresh air and a little bit of exercise that makes for a happier family.

The boys miss their sand box, their swings, their cars, bikes, and wagon. I miss sitting out on the deck and listening to the chaos of the 3 kids screaming and having fun together. Until the nicer weather gets here, we will window shop for backyard swing sets, fun toys to have outside, and warmer activities.

Oh. . . I despair. . . will springtime EVER arrive?????

A Bunch of Crazy Characters

Christmas was fun this year. I felt so much healthier and alive! While we did much less shopping in stores, we found the luxury of shopping online so much less hectic or frazzling! Its amazing the deals that can be found online and with shipping are even cheaper sometimes than driving to the store, buying more than you really need and waiting forever for the slowest checker ever. From fire-proof safes to tv stands, we've done quite a bit of cyber browsing for products. I do believe that it definitely helped us stay on budget this Christmas and definitely improved my stress level.

My brother, Brady, however shopped at the stores and he turned our entire set of kids into quite the characters. There are always the "hit" presents that we have at Christmas time. A few years ago, it was the darn cheap recorders. Its as if my brothers try their best to find the best and most annoying things to give our kids. And, somehow just because they're from the uncles, the boys LOVE them- even the big boys.




This was actually a gift from my parents. And, it is only fitting for Shawn.


I'm anxious to hear from my readers. What worked best for you this year at Christmas time? Online shopping, in the stores, or a little bit of both?

(I wrote this post in anticipation of an upcoming review post for CSN Stores.)

My Review of Rubber Numberer, Conventional

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Built to handle big numbering jobs. Sturdy steel frame stands up to heavy use. Global Product Type: Stamps; Stamp Type: Numberer; Message(s): N/A; Years: N/A.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Global Product Type: Stamps
• Post-Consumer Recycled Content Percent : 0 %<...

Rubber Numberer, Conventional

Date Stamper- 4 numbers

By SChance from Manhattan, KS on 11/8/2010

4out of 5

Pros: Large, Visible numbers, Easy to use
Cons: Only 4 numbers
Best Uses: Dates on student papers

I was given store credit in exchange for writing a review although in my honest opinion, this date stamp will come in very handy in my classroom use. Having to write the date on hundreds of pages of journal writing has gotten to be tedious, so I look forward to being able to simply stamp the date on the papers and use the saved time for more instruction. I thought I was getting one with 6 numbers on it, which I would have preferred, but I did not. The 4 digits will work good for now.

(legalese)

My Review of Fire-Safe® File

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Affordable and portable fire protection for important files in the home or business. This file chest is convenient size and can be easily stored if space is a concern. Keep your files organized and safe in the event of an average house or building fire. UL-classified 1/2-hour proven fire protect...

Fire-Safe® File

Affordable & Great for Keepsakes!

By SChance from Manhattan, KS on 11/8/2010

5out of 5

Pros: Spacy, Great design, Not too heavy, Durable
Cons: Possibly losing a key
Best Uses: Storing keepsakes
Describe Yourself: Budget Shopper

I was given a store credit in exchange for ordering something and writing a review for it. However, in my honest opinion, this safe was well worth the money. After having 2 very close friends lose houses to fires, I feel much more at ease knowing that should disaster strike my home, I will have all the important information saved digitally and some papers in this protected safe. I like the durability and look of it as well and would DEFINITELY recommend it to others. CSN ships very fast and is well worth the experience rather than hassling the crowds during this season.

(legalese)

On a separate note from what I posted to the store website, this safe was the same price, if not cheaper than local retailers had it and the free shipping was hard to beat. I didn't have to lug it into my cart and hassle around with 3 whiny children while I tried to check out and load it into the van.

Boy Scouts and Jury Duty

Last night, I had a webmaster meeting that I couldn't attend because Shawn got called in to work. He NEVER gets called back in, but both last night and tonight there have been critical exams that he's had to do. I guess I never realized how nice it was when he was on call for x-ray, he could just go and do an x-ray and be home within an hour at the MOST. Now, by the time they call him, he has to call Topeka Pharmacy to get the drug doses and they have a certain call-back time to get there and mix up the dose and send it on the way to Manhattan. So already its at least an hour. Then the nuc med exams are usually at least an hour if not 2 or more hours long. So, when Shawn called me at 3:00 and told him that he would have an exam and couldn't pick Zachary up for his boy scouts meeting, I knew I had to step up and get it done, no matter how I felt. I know my icky attitude couldn't have made it much fun for the boys, but we got-er-done.

Zachary had a great time on the hayrack ride. Logan, Malachi and I were on for the first 5 minutes before some of the adults noticed the flat/low tires, so we all jumped off and let the "kids" ride. Some adults didn't get that message! :) It was boredom at the extreme and trying to keep 2 rowdy kids from playing in the dirt and making a mess all over was not easy to do. I missed Shawn because this is "his" thing to do with Zachary. I love having Zach in boy scouts and know how proud he is to be a boy scout and how happy its made him, but I'm just not boy scout material. We had to stay FOREVER to get his awards and then left after that. It was just one of those nights that we were close enough to Manhattan that I decided to just run to town for supper- at 7:30pm! We usually eat at about 5pm, so I'd been feeding Logan and Malachi snacks and gum from my purse to tide them over. (I'm not going to the Best Mom Award FYI!)

Here is a snapshot of us on the hayrack ride. Its pathetic, I know, but kinda funny! I had my little camera, so don't pay attention to the poor quality.

I had some photo-ops with the little boys while Zachary was off on the hayrack ride.



And Logan made an instant friend, who had a rock-chasing dog. This dog was the sweetest dog and she retrieved ROCKS! She wouldn't budge if you threw a stick, but if you threw a huge piece of gravel, she was after it right away. It was all fun and games until a rock went off course and hit an old horse trailer. (It wasn't thrown by my boys, just so ya know.) Then, I realized that it'd probably be a better idea to just pet the dog rather than play fetch, even though it was pretty cool.

Logan liked the campfire. He really was intrigued with the embers from the fire. He said, "Ah, you see all those little baby fires????" And as he was trying to walk around the fire, the wind shifted, sending some of those his way, which got him jumping and running and freaking out. It was hilarious! He took this picture:

Brotherly love:

Strength:

Fear:

I had my first ever jury duty today. It was STRESSFUL and then relieving. I really wonder what the outcome of it was though. Anyone know how I can find out????? I got almost to town and realized I didn't have my purse with me with my Driver's License, and I didn't want to be late, so I rushed home (sped a little) and low and behold- my purse WAS in the dirty van, under my teacher bag and jacket!!! Urgh! By the time I got to the courthouse, I was 5 minutes late instead of the 10 minutes early that I'd planned to be, but still got a good parking spot, no ticket, and dismissed from the jury after about an hour and a half of questioning. I have my husband to thank for getting me out of it, although it really sounded like an interesting case that I would have liked to have heard the rest of. Some woman was arrested at Mercy Regional as she was watching her father be administered drugs that she didn't want them to and it resulted in his death (I think was the jest of it). She was charged with trespassing and assault or something on a law enforcement officer. She was also defending herself, which I think was a HUGE mistake. Oh well.

Tomorrow is back to work for me and I will still have a substitute teacher because I have to help give assessments to my students. There is a LOT of stress at work and the good week that I had had seemed to have disappaited as I checked all my emails tonight (since they don't go to my phone anymore right now). Please pray for this situation and guidance. Shawn and I have been praying and are making some MAJOR life-changing decisions about our careers, living situation, and family life. I want to fill you in, but want to make sure we have discernment on the issue first. Thanks for praying for us. I'm praying too that work can get a little less stressful and that everyone can work as a team and appreciate others' efforts and be as positive as possible.

More this week about: health (I know this is boring, but remember this is my journal and way to keep track of somethings like this); relocating (don't want to completely scare some people but we are considering possibly relocating FAR away from here); reviewing products (see post below), and of course, the concert we went to Sunday night. It was beyond description. I want to blog more about that and Logan's funny sayings later. Its bedtime for now. Another night skipping IV treatment, so hoping tomorrow I can maintain blood pressure and strength. :) Thanks for the prayers.

Doing a Little Shopping and Reviewing

As we finish (again) Logan's bedroom and its in the final stages of needed painted and decorated, we've actually been debating about getting the boys new beds around Christmas time. As I was researching, I found upholstered headboards on this site that were stylish and cute, but I'm not for sure that's really in our boys' tastes. I have really been in love with the bookcase headboards because of the book junkie that I am. However, I like the craftiness of the upholstered headboards on this site and have been debating about getting one for our future guest room. Right now its still in the "hmmmmm" stage until we've officially decided and saved up money for it.

As I mentioned yesterday, I will be starting to do reviews for some products from the CSN stores. My friend, Katie does this and has found it very rewarding and fun. I look forward to shopping with them and reviewing some new, creative products. I'll keep you posted  . . . . for sure!

(I wrote this post in anticipation of an upcoming review post for CSN Stores.)