Thursday, January 24, 2008

Alcohol Rehab

My nephew was finally moved out of jail and into a brand new rehab facility. Well, I guess it's been about three weeks, because he will move out of rehab and into the half way house next week. We are so hopeful for him this time. There are actually counselors that are helping him deal with all of his demons. He went in for alcohol rehab, but is also getting some grief counseling--and honestly--I think that will be the one thing that keeps him out of trouble!

Mission To Argentina

We have a nephew who is getting ready to head out on a mission. That means he will be out of the country for 2 years. These are very common around our hometown--but people in Illinois are shocked to hear about them. This young 19 year old is heading to Argentina and with the rugged terrain--I honestly think he's going to need some pretty tough luggage. You know Swiss Army or something just as durable. He will be fluent in Spanish when he gets home but will be mature beyond his 21 years! It's a sad/happy/proud moment for his family--and we wish him the best!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Spring Cleaning

Do you ever get in the mode of Spring Cleaning? I don't know why they call it that--I generally get it as I'm putting Christmas away. That's a mere 2 weeks into winter--it's not even Mid-Winter cleaning! Today I worked in the Master Bedroom. Our dressers are out of control! Who knew I kept my chemises in my husbands t-shirt drawer! Tomorrow I will be working in the garage. I have the heater all lined up ready to keep me warm when it's nearly 20 degrees outside--but after that--I'm DONE! The house is looking great--and it's taken a few weeks, but when it's all done--it will be amazing!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

He's Finally Trained

We are finally finished potty training! Brett just turned three--and amazingly enough--after 10 years of working with poop----I'm finally free of diapers and wipes! Can you even imagine how good that feels? He's got lots of cute little boy underpants to wear, and he's really excited about that--which is really fun to see. He still likes to collect stickers for every time he uses the toilet, but hey, for me--I'm happy to keep it up as long as he needs me to!

Trifecta Of The Worst Kind

I'm sure you've all seen by now--but the "Death Trifecta" has hit again. First there was Christopher Bowman, followed by Brad Renfro and now Heath Ledger. All of these guys were younger than 40 years old, and quite a bit younger than that. It's made me really think about our family and take stock of what we've got. We are older than most of these guys--and live relatively 'safe' lives. We carry car insurance, health insurance, home owners insurance--but nothing to protect our future. How sad is that! I really do need to start looking into some life insurance quotes. If something were to happen to one of us, it would leave the other with some mighty hefty responsibilities with four kids and a house to run!

Monday, January 21, 2008

She Moved To NYC

My sister in law just wrote on her blog about something terrible that has happened in her family. Actually--it's great for one member of the family--but the others are having a hard time with it. You see, her sister just moved from Utah, and is now ready to be counted among the New York movers and shakers! She got a great job in Manhattan and being a single lady--she was up for adventure. My sister in law is having a hard time with the thought of losing her sister to 2000 miles-but for Emily--she's in for some fun!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Traveling Smart

Some of you may remember that last November I traveled to Las Vegas and promptly got sick! Actually I was sick before I even got on the airplane, but because I had failed to purchase travel health insurance I couldn't afford to call the trip off. Most of the time when we travel we don't get this insurance and we've never really needed it. But when you are face down in a rented toilet bowl----my oh my, do you wish you'd purchased the coverage just to be home in your own bed!!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Boys And Balls

Why is it that kids must do the things you expressly tell them not to do? As with every other parent, in every other house, my kids can not walk and carry a ball at the same time. They must constantly toss it in the air or throw it to each other. Last week their harmless little game of catch caused quite a bit of destruction. They knocked a vase off of the mantle (it shattered), tipped over one of our air purifiers and left a big black spot on the wall above the couch! I've told them over and over if I see a ball in the air I will pop it in front of them, and I guess it's just time to live up to the threat!

Insurance Premium Time

January is always our month for insurance premiums. I think it would have been so much easier to space everything out, but in a way, it is nice because it's always the same. I just paid the yearly auto insurance, up next is the home insurance, and after the next paycheck we will take care of the life insurance. I don't mind paying it, and it does save money paying it all up front, but boy does it shatter my budget! We don't go overboard too much at Christmas, so it all works out just fine, but still, if we spread them out a bit it wouldn't be such a bitter pill to swallow every year!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Eliptical Training

One of my goals for this coming year is to get in shape. Not so much to lose weight to but to become more physically fit. To this end, I have spent several days getting myself accustomed to my new elliptical. I got it for Christmas and it's beautiful, I'm just amazed at how 'not in shape' I really am. I thought for sure 30 minutes would be a breeze, but I'm breathless and DYING after just 7! I shall persevere however, because this year is my husbands 20 year reunion from High School. I would like to be fit and have some muscle tone in my arms before I have to go meet all of his friends again. I was pregnant with baby number 2 the first time around, and I was BIG!

Camping In The Basement

My kids are so funny. They all asked for different things for Christmas this year, but it was all based around a single theme, camping gear! I didn't have a problem buying it, I thought it was a nice healthy hobby that they could enjoy for the rest of their lives. Plus, with my oldest going into Boy Scouts soon he'll need this gear for all of their outdoor activities and well, why not get it now for Christmas rather than breaking the bank the night before the 2 mile hike? What is funny is that ever since Christmas they have been begging me to set up their tent in the back yard so they could camp. They didn't mind that there was a foot of snow in the backyard, they were just excited. Well, since I'm not all that big on frozen popsicle children, we finally decided to just set it up in the basement. Hard, cement floor and all. They started the night down there last night (we left the lights on because the basement can be kind of spooky) and even with the lights on, they didn't make it much past midnight. The each waddled on up to their bedrooms to their own beds.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Golf Addiction

My father in law is the worlds biggest golfer. It's something that he's loved to do since he was a teenager. I have never gotten into the game of golf--I don't really understand the impetus behind it. But it keeps him young, and it keeps me covered when it comes to gift giving ideas. Well, me and everyone else in the family. There is always something new for golfers. Did you know that there are now Nike golf clubs? As if cornering the shoe market weren't enough--they've moved into clubs. I think that's kind of cool! I just wish we lived somewhere where he could get out and golf year round. Maybe when they retire!

2008 Resolution

I have loved being able to use my sisters computer whenever I've needed it. Our old computer would be pretty easy to fix, it just needs a new hard drive, but it would also need to be updated in many other areas as well. It's more of a dinosaur than anything else.

This year is the year of our new computer! I know this because it's what I'm saving up for. Birthday/Anniversary/Christmas--you name it, I'm saving for it! I will miss the "chat" time I get every week with my sister, but honestly--she can't love having us all over at her house all that much!!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Boys Will Be Boys

I think it's so strange how even young kids can find joy in all things relating to cars! My 8 year old has this amazing ability to name every car he sees. He can also tell you about their wheels, spinners, caps ect. He's even got it down when it comes to a billet grille! Now, I'm happy to see all of this, I'm thrilled that he has a memory not to be matched...I just wish he would find something that I may actually be able to carry on a conversation about! In fact, I'm so bad that when I do throw in some of my own conversational inspirations, he rolls his eyes at me and gives me the "correct" answer. It's kind of fun to irritate him with my cluelessness. There is a lot of huff and puff that comes along with it!