Faith

Sometimes it's all you have. I am relying on my faith to get my family through the next year and a half. I know God will help us get the justice deserved and to ensure that Ted comes back to us Alive, Well, and Fully Functional.

New Year's Resolutions

I have come up with my New Year's Resolutions

1. Be a better Christian

2. Be a better mom

3. Be a better wife

4. Be a better friend

5. Loose 35 pounds

6. Exercise 5 days a week

7. Eat healthier

8. Bring my GPA up from 3.0 to 3.4, and kept it that way

9. Put my big girl panties on and handle this deployment without whining.

10. Don't sweat the small stuff

11. Put more money into savings

12. Spend less

13. Give more (time or money)

14. Talk less

15. Listen more

16. Be more thankful

17. Listen to my elders, they impart wisdom

18. Forgive those who are evil, or who I deem as such

19. Act like a little kid sometimes, enjoy the simple things in life

20. KEEP ALL OF THESE RESOLUTIONS ;)

Christmas was nice

We had a really nice Christmas this year. It's always awesome to have Ted home.We were able to spend time just enjoying each others company. The coming year will be a little harder, but we're up for the challenge. Still working on what my New Year's resolution/s will be. I do know what one of them will be, just chill :)

It's almost Christmas!!!

I am so excited that we will be celebrating Christmas in less then 30 hours. Zachary has been excited since last week. Katelyn doesn't get as excited as her brother, but we know she is excited, too.

4 More days!!!

We have 4 more days till Christmas. Zachary is super excited about Christmas, which makes me super excited. It is awesome to see the joys of life through the eyes of a child.

Christmas Time

I can't believe that it's already Christmas time :) The year has gone by so fast..

Find my family

I really like this show. It makes me cry, but it is so sweet.

The look out for the 60 hours

Study, study, study, eat, study, study, eat, study, study, study, eat, study, sleep, and repeat the next morning for the next 60 hours.

Thanksgiving

We had a really great Thanksgiving. I am so grateful that Ted was home with him this year :)

The 30th

can't get here soon enough.

Katelyn!!!!

She is the most awesome young lady a parent could want! She has her own mind, stands firm in her beliefs, and is a very loyal friend. We are so proud of who she has become, and all she has to offer. We are so lucky to have her in our lives.

Zachary!!

We love Zachary! He is the most awesome little boy in the whole wide world. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He has taught us so much and we look forward to the next 50 years of "The University of Zachary". Yeah Zachary!!

4 1/2 weeks

I have four and a half weeks till this semester is over. I would be excited, but there is soooo much to do still. Hopefully I do well.

November

I cannot believe that it's almost November. We have birthdays and our anniversary next month.

Forever

It's been forever since I have written anything on this blog. The fact that I am bed bound and can't speak (my throat is swollen shut) may be what is driving me to post. I am sick,sick, sick.
Life is pretty stressful for our family right now. It would be nice if it were self induced,but NOT SO MUCH..

NOT ME MONDAYS

IT WAS NOT me who gave her van to her husband with no gas in it, the gas light was on, and didn't even bother to tell him.

IT WAS NOT me who ignorantly gave her boss's child something to eat with out asking.

IT IS NOT me who wants to bitch slap my foster daughters' mom, really be a lazy mom for 14 years and then be pissed at me because I am doing a ton of stuff for them you didn't.

IT IS NOT me who has decided not to contact the girls parents, and instead just get them glasses out of my own pocket. One minute you have $125.00 and the next minute you don't have any money, and you don't know where the money went. HELL FUCKING LOW PEOPLE~~~ We have bought them new clothes, given them food and shelter, and taken them to the doctor without asking you for a damn thing. NOW you want to get pisses with us. NOPE, go fluck yourself, we don't want shit from you. We will continue to get the girls the things they need.


IT WAS NOT me who got really pissed off at one of the residents I work for/with. She was just being a butt and complaining about things that were beyond my control.


IT WAS NOT me who didn't want to go back out for laundry detergent so she has laundry (stinky, smelly, stuff) piled up in the laundry room.

Not Me Monday

It was not me who thought her new Supervisor didn't know her butt from a whole in the ground.


It was not me who wanted to take her Supervisor's overly cluttered, the one I have to share, and through it out the window.


It was not me that thought it was funny when she had to re-introduce herself to the same Residents over and over again.

It's not me who is just really bitchy right now.

It's not me who doesn't want her daughter to go to Arizona:(

Not Me Mondays

It WAS NOT ME that ignored her blog for a week

It WAS NOT ME that got addicted to face book

It WAS NOT ME that wanted to call the pool attendant a bag of dog mess.

It WAS NOT ME who let her son eat three packet of blueberry muffins

It WAS NOT ME who shopped at Wal-mart (I morally object to Wal-mart-not very strongly, apparently).

Not Me Mondays

It was NOT ME who undercooked the corn AND potatoes yesterday.

It is NOT ME who hates when dogs lick, eat loudly, and make a mess drinking, yet has two dogs.

It's NOT ME who's three year old has tried soda.


It's NOT ME who didn't clean her bathroom last night, or for the last week.

The Commisary makes me Snarky

Today, we decided we were going to the Commissary. The day went something like this...

Me... let's just take the boy with us to the grocery store

Ted..... Sounds good

We tell Zachary he has to get in the shower.

Zachary.... No! I do not want to get in the shower!

me... Want to take a shower with mommy

Zacahry... NO!


As soon as I am done, and were ready to go, Zachary gets in the shower. So we wait around for him to get done....he takes FOREVER!!! He gets done, and then Ted has to go to the bathroom. I decided to write a short novel, because this is how long we'll be waiting.
Once my novel is done were ready to go.Zachary wants to take the Tundra, so we do.

Ted... It's really raining out here

Me... well if it isn't Captain Obvious

Ted... you're in a mood

Me.... Nope, just gearing for the Commissary

The Commissary is my worst nightmare, but the food is cheap. We get to the Commissary,or what I like to call "What The Hell Where They Thinking When They Left the House" Wonderland.I swear these women really need to think before they leave the house, they're representing their husbands for crying out loud.


Just a few brief observations...

4- Women with V-neck tank tops and boobs hanging out everywhere (at least have nice boobs if you're going to do this-no I don't like boobs, but we all know there is a difference)

1- Woman with a butt load of tattoos.The tatts were not what I took issue with, her rotted out teeth were. If I had bad teeth I would spend the money on my teeth,not a tattoo. I have two tattoos which cost me a total of $500.00. With Tri-Care that goes a long way towards fixing your teeth.

2- Really dirty children. I can understand not having money for clothes, the military doesn't allows pay it's service members well, but at least you can give your child a bath.

12- People with nothing but junk food in their carts. No fruits, veggies, yogurt, water, or healthy cereal. This really irritates me because it is so prevalent in the military. The soldiers are suppose to pride themselves on health and fitness, but they eat garbage. I just don't get it!

We got done shopping.Then we went to pay for our food. The cashiers on post are MEAN!! They snap at you, aren't helpful, and act like you're interrupting their days. We get up to our "charming cashier" and she doesn't even check our I.D.'s. WTH!! We get done paying and all of our groceries are in paper bags. Remeber, it pouring outside. I ask her why our groceries are in paper bags and she says, "you have to ask for plastic bags. WTH, by the time we get to the car the bags are going to be nothing but mush. Is there a point were common freaking sense comes in to play?

This is why the Commisary make me Snarky.

Thoughtful Thursdays

Tonight we went to honors night at "Arpac 1's" school. She got an award for making honor roll all year. She has also been selected to go into honors Biology, Math, and English next year.She "graduated" from junior high tonight, too.

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me Monday's

I did NOT lose "The Comp's" truck keys on Saturday.

I did NOT dig through the garbage to see if I through them away.

I did NOT pray for rain so "The Comp" would quit doing yard work for one minute.

I did NOT miss a doctors appointment on purpose.

O'Crappy Days......

Our Crappy Day........ (really gross)


The Suspects......















The Victim...






The Weapon









The Investigation





The Evidence and Trial....






The Verdict







The Victim is Repaired and Justic is served!!!!

Thoughtful Thursdays

Today was a huge day of reflection for me. We have two of "Arpac 1" friends living with us right now.Their parents have lost their jobs, which caused them to loose their home. There are people all around the nation who can't even afford to buy the basics.It breaks my heart and I just wish there was more we could do.I bought each of the girls an outfit(the clothes they do have are falling apart)and plan to buy them more clothes each pay day. Their situation has really opened my eyes to how truly blessed my family is.I know my Father in Heaven has blessed us and continues to do so daily.

Kayleigh is no longer in pain....

Kayleigh, passed this world and into our Heavenly Father's loving arms. Please, lift her parents up in your prayers as they struggle to get through this difficult time.

Not Me Monday!!

It was NOT me who slept most of the weekend.

It is NOT me who is addicted to coke (the drink)!!!

It was NOT me who did not mop the floors yesterday (gotta mop at least twice weekly)

It is NOT me who keeps telling her son we can ride the roller coaster tomorrow every day. I do feel bad about this so "The Comp" is taking him somewhere special when they take "Arpac 2" to the airport.

It was NOT me who got mad at "Arpac 1" for only making corn with tonights chicken (I had my last final).

I have been blessed

This is me...






And I have been blessed......


















Far more then I deserve..

My family is the greatest thing that has ever, and will ever, happen to me. I celebrate today because of who they allow me to be.

F!!KING COMPUTER!!!!

I can not believe the freaking luck I have!! I had a final in my on-line course today and my computer took a HUGE dump!! I was not able to leave work to go to another place to take the final because I work 7-6pm on Thursdays (the final was available from 6am-6pm). I am not sure what my professor is going to do, if she does anything. Without the final the best I can get in the class is a high C or a low B. I am praying for a low B. I got an A in my other two courses so this really pisses me off.

Not Me Mondays!!

It was NOT my son who picked his nose in front of a bunch of high ranking military officers!

It was NOT my son who yelled, "I have to go pee" in front of the same high ranking officers!

It was NOT my son that ate cake for breakfast!

It was NOT me who left the house with my shirt on backwards for the ceremony where the High Ranking Officers were present (yes I changed my shirt be for we got there-gotta love the Georgia middle of nowhere rodes).

I was NOT me who let her son dance around the living room with just a shirt on while he played his guitar.

The Good, Good deals!!!!

I had a test in one of my classes and was a little stressed about how I did. I ask Dr. Math to grade is, because I was super stressed, and I got in the low 90's. It's the worst grade I've gotten so far but.......I'll take it. After the test I needed to de-stress, and get a cleaning pad for our hardwood floors,so I went to Target which is in the mall. I decided to go to GAP and Gymboree and see what their clearance sales looked like. First, I went to GAP to see what they had. The following is what I got and for how much:

3 Shirts for "The Comp": that were regularly $16.00 a piece. I got the shirts for $3.00 a piece.

2 Coats for me: One that was regularly 59.00 and another that was regularly 69.00 . I got them for for less then $18.00.

3-shirts for me: Which were regularly $29.00 (got it for $7.49), $18.00 ( got if for $3.74),$14.99 (got it for $5.99).

I go a total of $238.00 worth of clothes for $45.99!!!


Then I headed for Gymboree:
I got the "Arpac 2" some deals too.

2 pairs of pant: one the was regularly $29.50 ( got them for $9.99), and one the regularly $28.70(got them for $ 9.99)

1 hooded sweater type thingy: was $28.75 (I got it for $6.99)

I got a total of $87.00 worth of clothes for $28.66


A Grand total of $325.00 worth of clothes for $74.65


I am so EXCITED~~~~

Judgement

If you have a faith in God does this give you the right to judge others? Can you say, "this person is lazy", "this person is a bad person", or even comment on what God wants for someone else? It really bothers me when people use God (our their faith in God)to judge others. We really do not know what is in another person's heart, mind, or spirit. We do not know their physical, mental, or emotional limitations.Leave the judgement to God,please!

Finally Feeling a 100%

I hate being sick, but hate surgery even more( I have had 25 in my lifetime). My leg (more accurately my groin area) is feeling A LOT better.The first week and a half was all about learning how to get up with stretching my groin(on my right side). I hated not being able to pick up "Arpac 2". He didn't understand why I couldn't pick him up, which totally broke my heart. I love being a to pick him up, kiss and hug him, tickle him and dance around the house like loons.
We got the bill from the hospital today, and it was $3,996.99 for less then 5 hours in the hospital!! We owe $133.00(we would owe nothing had I been admitted ???)so I can't complain.If we had Tri-Care Prime we wouldn't have paid a dime. I refuse to go to military "doctors" so we have standard which allows us to go to any doctor we choose. That's the news you can use~~~

P.S. I had male parts but in.....totally kidding....I had a heart cath

It's been a while so let's catch-up

"The Comp" is doing a great job as a father, as a husband,and a soldier. He's been really good with the children the last month(as always)as I've had to deal with illnesses. He has supported me through my illnesses with nothing but support and love. He will take Command on the 4th of May which means he will be busy,very busy, and extremely busy.

"Arpac 1" is doing really well too. She visited the High School and decided that she wants to take all honors classes. I am really glad because she has not been challenged in a long time. She also plans to do AP classes the last couple of years of high school. While we are not to crazy about her going to the college, we know it's important for her academic career.She's on Spring Break right which means lots of sleep-overs.

"Arpac 2" is energetic as ever. He doesn't stop for anyone or anything. He's doing well in the PT department. He has decided that his dinosaur has to go with us everywhere and the dinosaur has to be in a car seat(a separate car seat).LOL He starts pre-k in less then 4 months :( I can't believe how big he's gotten.

I am still chugging along at school and still have all A's . We have finals in three weeks!! I can't believe I'll actually be a grad student soon.I was sick once in March,and had surgery this month,so I am amazed that I am doing so well in school.

Well, that's our life in a nutshell.

Always a mom

I haven't had an infant in over 3 years now, but I still respond to infants crying. I was sitting on the couch when I heard a baby crying(it was on TV) and almost got up to get "the baby". When I am out without my kids and hear "mom" I look. I hope I am not the only one who does this.

My family

I miss my family :(





My brother, sister-in-law, my neice, and Arpac 1



"The Comp" and Our Neice





My dad and Arpac 2





My Dad and I





Ben and I

My Socks Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sock buddy sent me the coolest socks in the world this past Saturday!!! I love them and so does "Arpac 1". I wore them as I rode around on my bike last night and they brought a smile to several peoples faces.









These are the socks that rock!!!

Mommy, "I want gooturide

I love the way little man says gatorade. The "Comp" thought he wanted to go on a scotter ride.LoL

Sock it to me

I am taking part in the "sock it to me exchange". I find myself to be challenged and unable to post the sock link so you'll have to forgive me. I am excited to send my sock buddy some wonderful socks.

Another Test and other ramblings

I got a 103% on one of the tests I took last week!! I currently have 101% in the class:) I still have not got the grade back on my other test.I am pretty sure my grade will not be anywhere near 103%. I misread one of the essay questions which was worth 25 points. He did give all of us an extra ten points because he hadn't graded the tests on time:) I am hoping my grade will be at least an 85% now.
I started a 7 week course last night too. The book for the course is soooo boring. It's as if the instructor said," Let me see if I can pick the most boring book out there" . I have to read at least 80 pages a week so I am hoping I can make it through.
The little Arpacs are doing well. Arpac 1 is in the middle of some state testing.She feels like she is doing well on the tests. She's really enjoying mutual and spending time with her friends. I can't believe she'll be 14 soon. It just seems like time has flown.
Arpac 2 is doing OK with potty training. It's harder to train him because of his sensory integration disorder BUT we are getting there. I am praying that we are able to get him trained (fully) by the end of July. He is starting to listen better too. I am trying to get him ready for pre-k so the teacher's job is a little easier.

Georgia Continues to suck!!

I failed to mention that I borrowed this from http://www.alittlepregnant.com

Hey, if you're not too busy following NASCAR or looking at each other in surprise and murmuring, "How 'bout them Dawgs?" or finding mammal bones in candy that should by all that's holy be boneless — and I understand if you are — can you please do something about Georgia Senate Bill 169, the so-called Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act? It's important. If it passes, it could mean the end of effective IVF treatment for the men and women of your state.
Bad law. Let's run the bullets:
It limits the number of embryos to be transferred in a cycle to two for women under 40 and three for women over 40.
It limits the number of eggs that can be fertilized to the number to be transferred in that cycle — two or three, depending on age, with no accommodation made for the inevitable attrition that occurs. (Ahhhh, "nothing to transfer" — are there any sweeter words in the English language? Besides perhaps "pro-life slips it to us backdoor-style"?)
No cryopreservation of embryos, a concern made moot by the previous provisions. (I guess they want to make sure Georgia's infertile people know just how screwed they are.)
No destruction of embryos, also moot but a tasty little morsel to toss to the hungry conservative dogs who will gobble this bill right up. (I am well aware that I am cementing my reputation as a black-hearted enemy of tiny frozen people everywhere by flagging this provision as objectionable, but I firmly believe in a patient's right to have her embryos destroyed if it suits her to do so.)
No compensation for gamete donors, a move that will dramatically decrease the number of people willing to donate.
No companion legislation that offers insurance coverage for infertility treatment — the only possible The bill was introduced by State Senator Ralph Hudgens (R, and I know you're shocked). According to Hudgens, it was inspired by our good friend Nadya Suleman, who is "going to cost the state of California millions of dollars over the years; the taxpayers are going to have to fund the 14 children she has. I don’t want that to happen in Georgia." I beg Senator Hudgens' leave to doubt that responsible fiscal policy is his primary concern; the bill, which also declares that "a living in vitro human embryo is a biological human being," was crafted in concert with Georgia Right to Life.
If you live in Georgia, here's what you can do:
Attend a meeting tomorrow, Thursday, March 5, at 9:00 AM in Room 450 of the State Capitol. The Georgia Senate Health & Human Services Committee will hear testimony from the public — please give yours.
Contact Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle today to express your concerns before the meeting.
Contact your state representatives today — RESOLVE's made it easy with an e-mail form, but a fax or a phone call would be even better.
If this bill becomes law, it will result in a disastrous decline in the standard of IVF treatment in Georgia. It will impose a financial hardship on infertile people, requiring them either to undergo multiple expensive cycles or to travel for treatment. It will undermine the financial stability of Georgia's reproductive medicine industry. (Do you want to be the one to tell that nice doctor there'll be no boat this Christmas? But I kid. I kid because I'm bitter.) And it will be a foot firmly planted in the door for other incursions against our reproductive liberties.
Georgians, please: put down those suspiciously crunchy M&Ms and take action today. There's not much time.

P.S. to Missouri: Heads up. You're next.
P.P.S. to the press: Stop calling Nadya Suleman Octomom. Jesus. Just...God. Stop.
UPDATE: The bill has been referred to a subcommittee "for more research" — asleep but not dead. Please continue to let your legislators know how you feel for when this thing oozes back out of committee, as it could all too easily do. Thanks.

Mean Girls!!

Most of those who know me known I am from the west coast. I currently live in the South and have had a hard time with their "cultural norms". Since I don't officially start my grad school program till the fall I thought I would take some simple courses. One of the classes I decided to take was Georgia history. I figured it would give me a better understanding of the place I live and maybe help me hate it less. LoL Anyway, it's a 100 level class which means freshmen and teenagers. Being from the west coast I talk like someone from the west coast. Most of the little girls in my class talk with slow southern drawls(totally nothing wrong with this). They think my accent, speech pattern, is fun to make fun of. It's childish and shows their age, but it still bothers me. I haven't said anything to them because it's just not worth my time ,but I would love to tell them to shut the HELL up and grow up!

Mommy, we have to find Walter!

After I put "Arpac 2" down for bed last night I couldn't sleep so I watched The Changeling. I had just started watching it when I heard, "Mommy, we have to find Walter he's lost". My little boy sounded so concerned about Walter it touched my heart. It reminded me how truly special our little ones are. I am so grateful my son has such a loving spirit.

Getting 4 carseats in a mini-van

I am watching a friend's children tomorrow so she can go to a job interview. I remembered, all of 30 minutes ago, that "Arpac 2" has a doctor's appointment at the same time. I just loaded four car seats ( Arpac 2's, an old one of Arpac's and two from my child care days) into my van. I learned that if I stand on my head, from the back of the van, I can use enough of my body weight to secure two car seats:) I also drew up a detailed plan of where everyone is seating in case some crazed soccer mom (God Forbid) crashes into me. I know paranoid, but I don't normally take other people's children in my van. I am sure the doctor's visit will be a "blast". I think the only one that will give me any problems is the one from my womb.

The children's bible in a nutshell!

The Children's Bible in a Nutshell
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think20He must be a lot older than that.
Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.
Then God made the world.
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.
Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.0A
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments.
These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff.
Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.
One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.
After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with=2 0a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.
After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.
One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor=2 0league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It20would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats.
Jesus also had twelve opossums
The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they=2 0named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.
But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again.
He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

The rush for free preschool!!

Today was the day, everyone one in our city, rushes to sign their child up for pre-K. It's an all day program, taught by certified teachers, and it's FREE!" Did I mention there are only 140 slots?? "The Comp", got there at 5:00am and was still 64 in line. A couple of people actually got there at 2:00am. Crazy stuff!!

The Tests are back

I got both of my tests back today :) I got a 98 on one test and a 99 on the other!!! I am really excited, but...we have another test on Monday and Wednesday of next week. I also have a paper I need to turn in on Monday. Lucky, for me, the paper is already done.

"The Proposal"

The Proposal"
When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall street, and the media normally congratulate the CEO for making this type of "tough decision", and his board of directors gives him a big bonus. Our government should not be immune from similar risks. Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%.
Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.Some Yearly Monetary Gains Include:$44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165,200 pay / member / yr.)$97,175,000 for elimination of the above people's staff. (estimate $1..3 Million in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Million in staff per each member of the Senate every year)$240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%. $7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year. (those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion / yr)The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country? We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing. Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established. (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few)Note: Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we have 3 senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have been accepting full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress.Summary of opportunity:$ 44,108,400 reduction of congress members.$282,100, 000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff. $150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff. $59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members. $37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members. $7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members. $8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings. (that's 8-BILLION just to start!)Big business does these types of cuts all the time.If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits there is no telling how much we would save. Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term. IF you are happy how the Congress spends our taxes, then just delete this message. IF you are NOT at all happy, then I assume you know what to do.

Stressed

I am a little stressed right now. I took a test in my history class last Wednesday (the 4th) and was pretty sure I did well. I went to class last night and the professor was mad at how poorly the class had done as a whole. Does this include me, I don't know. He said he wouldn't even hand the tests back until the 16th!!! Why say something like that and then leave us hanging for a week?? I really missed he wouldn't have said anything!

Arpac 2 and his friends

We had the day off today so we had some friends over. We had lots of "broken trucks" that we had to fix. The first picture is of "arpac 2", the second picture is his friend "M- the magnificent", and the last one is his friends " C- the creative, and "B- the baby". We fixed the trucks in not time flat! They are running much more effectively now. Hopefully, we didn't break any child labor laws.

Picture of the men in my life

I haven't posted a picture of "the comp" yet so I thought I would. The only problem with posting a picture of "the comp" is .... he's the grey ghost and I have hardly any recent pictures of him. This one is of "the comp" and "arpac # 2" when we went to Sea World. I think they went on this ride like 100 times. "Aprac #2"loves roller coasters. He even went on a roller coaster, at Busch Gardens, that had a loop.It terrified me to watch him ride the coaster but he LOVED it! I made "the comp" hold on to him for dear life (thus the death grip in the picture) because I was terrified the whole time he was on the ride.

Transvaginal Kidney Removal

It's a groundbreaking approach to kidney transplantation. For the first time ever, surgeons at Johns Hopkins have removed a donor kidney through a patient's vagina.Healthwatch reporter Kellye Lynn talks with the woman who had this unusual procedure.Doctors say the goal is to make organ retrieval easier for patients.The scar left after Kimberly Johnson's gallbladder surgery is significantly larger than any of the marks that remain after her latest procedure. The 48-year-old donated a kidney to her niece, Jennifer, Thursday."Her chances of survival were getting lower and lower. She was getting sicker and sicker," said Kimberly Johnson."My kidney was slowly decreasing in function," said Jennifer Gilbert.Normally, transplant doctors make a five-inch incision in the abdomen through which they remove a donated organ. But this time, Johns Hopkins surgeon Robert Montgomery approached the procedure in an entirely different way."Rather than taking it out through an incision in the abdomen, which is more painful, we removed the kidney through a natural opening--the vagina," he said.It's called transvaginal kidney removal. Doctors insert a camera in the patient's navel, which allows them to see their movements on a monitor. Using instruments inserted through two other tiny incisions, the surgeon cuts the organ away from other tissues and blood vessels."Then we introduced a tube through the vagina and in the tube is a plastic bag and we deployed the bag, dropped the kidney in a bag and pulled it out in an incision made in the vagina," Montgomery said.The advantage is less pain for patients and recovery time is cut in half, two weeks instead of four. Kimberly left the hospital the day after surgery."I'm still sore, still very, very tired but I feel very grateful that I have a niece that I could help get a life," she said.Jennifer is also doing well. So far, her body is showing no signs of organ rejectiongeons Remove Donated Kidney Through Vagina

Serious Weight Loss

Arpac # 1 lost around 50 pounds in just on short day. Talk about serious weight loss!! She went upstairs to put her laundry away and came down like this! This is what it looks like when a size 00 puts on a size 10 :)

Batman

This is my little batman! Most moms brag about their sons' being "doctors", "lawyers", or even "The President" not me! My son is "Batman" he keeps the world safe, is a very successful business man, and stands up for what's right.

Two scholarship essays, 200 pages, and 80 math problems

"The Comp" and I make to much money to qualify for financial aide (maybe someone should tell our bank account). We just paid $2,000.00 plus books for this last semester and I am only taking 8 credit hours. I decided to scorer the globe in search of free money a.k.a scholarships. I found several scholarships last weekend that looked promising. I came across two really good ones for $2,500.00 each. The only problem...... both required 3 page essays and references by the 30th (yep, less then a week). I got all of my references in the course of a day (on the night of the the 29th), but the essays were HORRIBLE to write. The first one asked me to write an essay on how to fix the economy?? Hello, I am NOT an econ major. The other one was globe clement change. Ummm, yeah that is defiantly something I know a lot about, NOT! My brother ,and "the comp", gave me several suggestion on the first paper which helped a lot. The second paper took some research. The packets were mailed off on time and all was well.

I also had to read 200 pages for one of my classes so that I could make flash cards in time for our test. I did really well with the reading until the book became redundant. Why do they do that in books? Is it to make the book longer so that they can charge more? Makes no sense to me but it's done and I can move on.

Next we have math :( I am not required to take math but my poor math skills say otherwise. "The comp" kicks butt at math so he has been a huge help. I got ALL 80 problems done between Saturday and today so I feel like a rock star!

I was stressed all week trying to get everything done AND work. I am so glad it's done and I can now focus on my test and starting my paper. It's hard getting into the swing of things all over again. If I would have gotten a worth while degree the first time I wouldn't be doing this all over again. I KNOW it will be worth it in the end though.

College is different this go around!!

I remember when I was in college in my late teens to early twenties and boy is it different in my thirties. I had to get something to eat between classes today and as I was looking out at all the faces my thoughts were that of a parent. I was not worried about what party to go to or if we'll hang out at my house or theirs, it's all about arpac #1. She'll be one of the faces in the college crowd five years from now. That just blows my mind!!!
Will she be the "social butterfly"or the "book worm"? Will she be one of the "lucky ones" who only have to work for spending money or the "unlucky ones" who have to work her way through college? My wish is for her to be happy and to have her sole focus be on her education. If she can maintain at least a 3.0 then I have no problem paying her way. I want her to go to a good school too (Berkley,MIT,Georgetown, etc) not just an average school. I do think she should work part-time so she learns the value of money and how to budget correctly(she's a money hoarder so I am not to worried).

Headache please go away

I've had a headache all day. It started this morning and is still with me at 12:50 am. I've taken several Tylenol with NO relief. I can't sleep because every time I lay down it feels like my head is going to explode. Not fun at all!

Only paper please!

I decided to carry only cash and leave the debate cards at home. When I go to the grocery store I have a set amount of money and that's it. I've found that I would always buy extra because I knew I had the money in my account. Now, not so much!
I went to the store on the 1st of the month and went over by $10.00,luckily "arpac #1" had money. I didn't learn anything from that experience . I went again on the 15th and "the comp" and I both had money. I had $220.00 and he had another $180.00, lucky for me because the groceries came to $280.00. I have to( unfairly mind you) blame "the comp" for the overage because is beauty distracted me from my mission. Finally, last night I went to Target and once again went over. This time, however, I had no money extra money on me. I felt like a total moron as I put stuff back. I did learn a lesson from this though. The whole thing is a learning experience.

I am learning my habits, limits, and better budgeting. I know this is going to help me grow in the long run (once I get over the growing pains). I think it will be a valuable lesson to the kids too.

The Presidental Inaugration.

We now have a new president. For those living under a rock, Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president. I watched Obama, and Joe Biden, get sworn yesterday in which was an awesome experience. I know a lot, well most if were are being honest,of my friends are upset that I voted for him, but I felt he was the right choice.
I hope that people will give him a chance to prove himself before they pass judgement. I really do not understand everyone that wants him to fail either. If Obama fails we suffer as a nation. I hope we are able to become a nation that is(once again) respect by the rest of the world.

Freaking Exhausted!!

I feel like I haven't slept in a week! I've been so busy lately with school, state certs. for teaching, and being a mom that sleep hasn't been one of my biggest concerns. I might spend all weekend sleeping. NOT! I am lucky if "the comp" let's me sleep past 9:00 am on Saturdays. We're STILL ("we" being a relative term-meaning "the comp") . I know the bathroom is going to look AWESOME! I'll be sure to post pictures when it's all done. We are just busy,busy,busy!
We have a couple of arpac #1's friends staying with us for a couple of months. They're parents are victims of the current economy and job loss crisis that has gripped our nation. We are very fortunate, and I don't take it for granted for a minute, that "the comp" great job security. Hopefully, things start to improve soon.
Well I've got to go study, don't be jealous now. LoL

What the heck!

I 've tried to post several times with no luck! I am sure it's me, the operator, and not the site. I am "the queen on the move" and am a 34 yrs old small business owner. My dh is "the comp" and is a 38 yr old Army Comptroller. Our dd is "arpac 1" and is a 13 yr old 8th grader and drama queen. Our ds is "arpac 2" and he is a 3 yr old dictator. Lastly, we have two fuzzy fur feet. We have the rabbit Kujo and the stinky Lily.

I hope to keep this site fairly consistent with updates, news, and other stimulating material. Do not expect perfection as I am far from perfect. My own views and opinions are just that. Please, try not to be/get offended.