Monday, March 31, 2008

Take a Glance at Melaleuca for $1 **LAST DAY**

Today is the last day for $1 enrollments into Melaleuca and to place your first order. If you have not seen my blogs on MySpace or heard about Melaleuca, I will give you a little blurb on what it is and why I became involved. Please take a few minutes to read over this and see if it interests you at all. If you still want to read more, I will gladly send you copies of my blog!!

First, I became involved almost a year ago, purchasing Melaleuca when a friend just happened to catch me at the right time. George had recently had eye surgery and was using eye drops constantly. Well, Katie found a bottle of Alyssa’s nail glue for prom, and thought they were eye drops. We got lucky that she did not get them in her eyes, just her finger attached to her eye brow. Katie seems to be really curious as she gets older rather than younger ages, so when I got the IM and then call regarding Melaleuca, I welcomed the products!!

What is it? OK, Melaleuca is a manufacturer of eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning and laundry supplies as well as health and beauty products, pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements. Many of their products were derived from Melaleuca Oil, or “tea tree oil”. Many of Melaleuca’s products are certified as “organic”.

Now, when I mentioned $1 enrollments I am sure you got thinking “what is it”? If you were to go to the website, you would see 2 prices for the items. The PC price is lower, that is preferred customer, and that is what your enrollment gets you. There is another requirement for being a PC and that is you must make monthly purchases of 35 points or around $60. Each product has a points value if you look at the website and pricing. Now, you may think that sounds like a lot, but think of how much you spend on cleaning items, laundry soap, shampoos, soaps, vitamins, OTC medicines, toothpaste, etc per month. I would imagine it is around if not over that $60 range. One thing to also remember, most of the items are in concentrate form in the cleaning supplies! One bottle of the Tough and Tender is a multi-purpose spray is $5.24 at the PC price and it will make 4 regular size spray bottles of cleaner. That is $1.31 per bottle and you will not get 409, Lysol, Clorox or anything comparable for that price per bottle.

For those of you still skeptical, there are numerous sites where you can get good and bad reviews on Melaleuca, as you can with any products line. I can tell you of my experiences first-hand, and I would not ask anyone to look at the products had I not believed in them. I love the fresh smells, I love their cleaning strength, and I love that even my husband has started telling me when we need to order something and not going to the store and buying off the shelf.

Now, with this information, you are encouraged to ask me more questions! If you have no more, great, but I think you will. Yes, you can make money and become a marketing director, which is what I have decided to do after almost a year of using the products, but you are not obligated, you can just use the products and begin to live healthier! You can use them in your business and it is a tax break! You can use them in your home and you begin to live healthier!

Here are a few things you may find interesting:

'Every Melaleuca product is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. If any EcoSense product fails to meet your highest expectations, contact us within 60 days for a full credit or exchange.'

"Melaleuca's products are natural consumable products with ingredients whose properties have been verified or improved scientifically. Only well-researched ingredients of the highest quality are used in the products.

"The products that Melaleuca researches, develops and manufactures are products that we all use 20+ times per day. Products that are completely recession proof as we will continue to brush our teeth and wash our clothes etc no matter what the state of the economy."

Thursday, March 20, 2008

More Melaleuca Information

I was researching Melaleuca more today and I came across some things I thought were interesting as well as informative.

"The products that Melaleuca researches, develops and manufactures are products that we all use 20+ times per day. Products that are completely recession proof as we will continue to brush our teeth and wash our clothes etc no matter what the state of the economy."

'Every Melaleuca product is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. If any EcoSense product fails to meet your highest expectations, contact us within 60 days for a full credit or exchange.'

"Melaleuca's products are natural consumable products with ingredients whose properties have been verified or improved scientifically. Only well-researched ingredients of the highest quality are used in the products.

Product development of each new product begins with selecting the highest-grade ingredients that meet strict requirements for quality, strength and purity. Every step of the formulating and manufacturing processes are then monitored to insure the product will perform far beyond anything available in conventional grocery and drug stores.

Research staff continually seeks to improve and stringently monitor the quality of every ingredient, conducting over 45,000 ingredient inspections. Each month, they monitor the quality of each product in over 7,000 laboratory tests to prove that product performance measures up to the highest of standards and delivers real wellness benefits.

KNOWING that Sol-U-Gard has been scientifically tested, and kills Staph infection HIV, TB, and salmonella certainly eases my mind as a customer and user of these products. Not only does it make the air in my home smell fresh and clean, but I know it kills germs carried into the home by all of us. Febreeze makes my house smell good, but it doesn't kill the germs. Lysol only kills germs on surfaces, not in the air, Sol-U-Guard."

"96% of customers that reorder month to month"

"With Melaleuca, you are NOT a Manufacturer's Rep for the products, we don't sell the products ourselves to the customer, all we do is sign them up for membership, it is up to the 'Preferred Customer' to look into the products and buy them for themselves, and if they want to advertise their website so other consumers can have the opportunity to do the same is all up to them, not for the person that signed them up."

"$29 for membership to be able to buy products 30-40% in savings, sure makes a lot of sense to me. And I did get this $29 back in my first month of ordering my own products for the month, as I saved $33.62 on my first order from the Retail Price, so it is true, NO RISK. " ***the reference to $29 is the regular price and right now the special is $1***

ICalling Family, Friends, and those of you "Going Green"

I have a favor to ask for any of you who have looked at my blogs about Melaleuca. If you haven't looked at the blogs, or checked out the site, or even read any of it, take a look! Now, to my favor....I want you all to look at it again. I don't want you to look at it as I want you to buy from me, becuase you are not buying from me at all. You are buying from the company, for yourself, for the things you use daily and need weekly, monthly, bi-monthly anyway! I am not asking you to join my team and market Melaleuca, although that would be a great thing for many reasons, rather I am asking you to purchase a brand I have come to rely on and believe in and I think you will too.

I have answers for product questions, I have answers regarding prices, ingredients, the money-back guarantee...ask me! Please inquire about it! You have to have something to ask about after reading my blogs. Look at the website, find a question to ask me! Let me introduce you to something that will benefit you and your family in more ways than one.

I am going to do this as a business now, after alot of thought. After procrastinating, after telling myself how much I hate "selling", I had to instead tell myself that I need to get the idea out of Melaleuca and the benefits and the price. I have done comparrison shopping based on price and ingredients. I did it just 2 weeks ago after seeing the new Clorox products. I questioned alot of stuff when I first started purchasing Melaleuca almost a year ago. I know Channon had to think I was going to back out with all the questions I asked!

Now, one thing I hear alot of, is Amway. This is not Amway. You do not buy products and keep them in stock. You do not have to sell anything. You can buy for yourself and your family and that is it! If you want to market the company, go for it, but you do not have to do that in order to get the products. There are no meetings to attend, but you can listen in on product updates and information on the phone or internet if you choose to. There are no "recruiting" requirements to purchase products.

The reason I am bringing this all up again is to give you all the opportunity to take advantage of the $1 enrollment special for the month of March. The normal enrollment fee is $29.95. Don't let it push you off, you are buying from a place sort of like Sam's or Costco where you pay a fee in order to become a member as well; a much higher fee I might ad!

Just ask yourself about what you buy monthly from WalMart, Safeway, Albertsons, etc in the areas of cleaning supplies, hair care, lotions, OTC medicines, make-up, candles, multi-vitamins, diet suppliments, air freshners, antibacterial hand gel and wipes, toothpaste, dental floss....Now ask yourself what those things have in them...what are they made of, are the ingredients all natural, do the vitamins have all the minerals and vitamins I need daily or just a portion, are those cleaning wipes biodegradable, how long is this lotion going to keep protecting me, is that toothpaste ok for my toddler to eat? Or, what about: is it safe for me/my children to be breathing the air filled with that bathroom cleaner I just sprayed, am I suppose to feel light-headed, does smelling like cleaner mean it is clean, will this affect my child's sensative skin, what about his asthma?

Again, ask me questions! Did those things strike you and make you think? Did you look at anything after reading those questions? Did you sit and think of how much you spend on any of those things monthly at the store? Take a minute, or a few minutes, and just think about it.
Think about the words "Going Green". What do they mean to you? Recycling? Using non-aresol cans? Paper rather than plastic, or reusable bags? Biodegradable? Environmentally friendly? Eating healthy? Organic? I believe it is all those things and more. I believe that we all need to take steps to reducing the landfills, the pollution, the health concerns caused by everyday toxins...I also believe that Melaleuca does too, and their products are just the tip of the iceberg on some of the qualities they posess.

For me, just check it out. What is it going to hurt? $1 and an order this month, a money-back guarantee if you are not happy...but I am almost certain that will not be the case! I encourage you to post questions here, that way I can answer it for everyone to see. Maybe you will ask a question that someone else wants to know but doesn't want to ask. I hope to hear from you all soon! I need this favor! I need you to see why I believe in these products the way I do, first hand!

Bad News/Good News

Well, we were awaiting the E-7 list to come out today and G didn't make it. I feel so bad for him, and for all of us as well. This really bites.

He has been in limbo since 2005 April, when he got accepted to reclass in the medical board. He had been slated for BNCOC for his 11C MOS 3 times but could not attend becuase he was reclassifying to 88N. He got slated for the 88N BNCOC and could not attend it because he had not reclassed yet and attended AIT. He asked DA about going to AIT sooner since he got approved to reclass in 2005 and was not slated for AIT until Dec 2007, but they said all the slots were full, so he had to wait.

Well, last year, he was suppose to get looked at for his E-7, but he had not attended BNCOC, so they would not give him a waiver. This year when he got the email about being looked at, they gave him the waiver because it was their delay of him going to BNCOC and he has completed phase 1. So, we were a little hopeful to make the list. but, all the finger-crossing and hoping didn't work, because he is not on the list.

So, now, he will be over 15 years before getting looked at again. This really, really sucks. He should have been an E-8 by now. He would be had he not had an issue early on with some stupid privates when he got his E-5 and then got reduced....and of course we can not forget the injuries that have kept him from being at his best!

On a lighter note...I have a job interview today in Olympia at American General Finance. I have been applying for job after job for almost 2 weeks and was beginning to get really frustrated. Then, yesterday I stopped at a local bank that I had applied for and the bank manager talked to me, had me sign the agreement to look at my background, had me do the little survey thingy and said she will have the results tomorrow and get back to me by the end of the week. Then, I came home and had a message from American General and one from a marketing company. Makes me happy and hoepful...but then the real dilema, which to choose if offered by all. Advice?

American General - fixed hours, no weekends, $12 per hour, 30 mile drive that takes approximately 1 hour to get to, benefits and advancement
Venture Bank - fixed hours, I believe part-time, do not remember the rate of pay either...lol...10 miles, takes me 15-20 minutes
Amex Marketing - unsure of the hours or pay, advancement, 32 miles, over an hour cause of Tacoma traffic

Now, I am looking for work to pay a car payment and insurance and have spending money...essentially to supplement. Sooooooo......help me, ya'll!!!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom;

I never learned the words to a lullaby.
I never thought about immunizations.
I had never been puked on,
Pooped on,
Drooled on,
Chewed on,
Peed on…….
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple little grin.
I never sat up for hours watching a baby sleep.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Send this to someone who you think is a special Mom....And remember that behind every successful mother... Is a basket of dirty laundry!"""

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Love Kids

You know....gotta love them, right? Unless you are in my family!

So, kids got told for the umteenth millionth time to clean their room. Jordan of course hates to touch anything and then Zach gets pissy and goes off and threatens and hits and all that nice stuff. Well, then the door of course got slammed and he kicks Jordan out so I opened the door and removed it from its hinges.

Zach was sitting behind the door and making it hard for me to unscrew the remainder so it made him move. Well, then I got the entire "you are a bitch. I fucking hate you. No wonder Alyssa moved out, she hates you. no wonder your family hates you, you are a bitch. You cry over them and they hate you becuase of who you are."

I remained calm, said yes to all he said and walked away. Boy do I want to know if it is all true. But, you know what, it really is not worth it to me. I made a call today and got told, "I’m cooking, bye" Whatever! I am not worth the time of day and that is fine. I really just hate the fact that I am suppose to bury emotions for their sakes...but I guess it is really for my sake too.

So, there is my vent for the time being. I am not speaking to him. I am not going to give him the satisfaction this time of being able to say those things and get away with it. I am not a doorstep and he will not treat me the way they treat me and if he wants to he can crawl back to them if they will take him and never look back my way. I am sick of being everyones little stomping ground. I have feelings too. I have more than most I guess cause I take offense!
ladedah....

Update on Fundraiser!!!!

Jordan and Katie are doing a fundraiser at school. This is the info the school sent out. Please take a look at it!

"We have the opportunity to offer the products as a test market. Northwest Fundraising os offering us EXTRA PROFIT for our help in seeing how their products for this fall will sell. With your help, you can help them while you help us make extra money! We would like to raise enough money to replace our PA system, get new button markers, and a new bullhorn for PE.

This is not a door-to-door solicitation! Friends and family from out of town can place orders online! Please go to: http://www.supportourfundraisers.com/cart/index.lasso?id=330 for Katie
http://www.supportourfundraisers.com/cart/index.lasso?id=285 for Jordan

If you are not sure about placing online orders, you can mail your order to me after looking at the online catalogue!!! I am going to be placing orders from each of the kids becuase it makes it more fair. If you would likd to do the same and save on shipping, we can have the shipments come here and I can priority mail them or we can wrok something out!

Orders and money must be taken in by March 24th and your products will arrive approximately 4-5 weeks later.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

I Screwed Up!

When making Zachary an email on gmail, I added him to my account rather than creating his own. This caused his new stuff to become my default including my blog to become his! So, I had to delete my blog and start a new one! I posted the older blogs below...just for safe keeping! LOL

Certified Flagger

Well, I took a class tonight to become a certifieid flagger. I am not a Washington State certified flagger! I can flag for road work, clean-up crews, power companies...and it is good in ALL 50 states for the nest 3 years!!! Woohoo for me!

Jordan's Fundraiser

Jordan is doing a fundraiser at school. This is the info the school sent out. Please take a look at it!"We have the opportunity to offer the products as a test market. Northwest Fundraising os offering us EXTRA PROFIT for our help in seeing how their products for this fall will sell. With your help, you can help them while you help us make extra money! We would like to raise enough money to replace our PA system, get new button markers, and a new bullhorn for PE.

This is not a door-to-door solicitation! Friends and family from out of town can place orders online! Please go to: http://www.supportourfundraisers.com/cart/index.lasso?id=285

If you are not sure about placing online orders, you can mail your order to me after looking at the online catalogue!!!

Orders and money must be taken in by March 24th and your products will arrive approximately 4-5 weeks later.

Newer Stuff

Posted by Babs at 10:29 PM 0 comments
Labels: School Fundraising
Just Me
G has been on leave for his permissive TDY and Katie has been sick since Thursday. What a relaxing time...lol. Zach turned 15 yesterday and we took him to Hooters as a surprise with one of the kids he and Jordan play with. We had a good time there and then went and ate ice cream at Dairy Queen before going home. On Saturday we went up to the outlet mall and bought him his football cleats and his training shoes for conditioning that started today for high school football. Those were his presents essentially. Today we bought him a cake so he has gotten to celebrate in one way or another for 3 days.We got a 2nd vehicle so I can now start to look for a job for something to do to take up some of my time. I can also get the kids involved in some stuff to keep them from being bored. Their spring break was cut short due to snow/ice days, so now they only have 1 week! YIPPIE!!! I am so glad...I was not looking forward to having them home complaining of being bored for 2 weeks.We want to get the garage ready for the spring and summer. We still have like 3 boxes to unpack in there of nothing essential, and the stuff to hang on the walls when we get the drywall up; then we have Alyssa's things in there and things we have given her for when she gets out on her own. Her bed takes up a wall...lol...and not to mention the landlady still has some things in there as well. We are going to keep the paint and stuff though from her cause it is touch up and whatnot and she has some tiles in there we have contemplated asking her about laying in the foyer and the laundry room. Just things to keep busy...lol. I also bought stuff to redo my patio set..this will also be keeping me busy til i find a job to occupy my time.There is an update. I have lots weighing on me right now, but I am not even going to waste my time with blogging it. Life throws you lemons, make lemonade...they throw you shitty family, you make yours better!
Posted by Babs at 9:40 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Update on Our Friend Robin
Just wanted everyone to know that we received our first small miracle today. The pet scan shows that whatever was in the liver is NOT cancer. That makes a big difference in my prognosis. I start chemo this week in conjunction with radiation. Will probably make me feel horrible but will go a long way in killing this cancer.Please continue to pray for me.RobinPlease continue your prayers! God is working for her!
Posted by Babs at 12:19 PM 0 comments
Calling All Friends
Just wanted to explain something about loss of communication to those I have not spoken to in a while. First, we have our cells, but no service at the house! We live in the woods...LOL. The cell receives messages and sometimes it rings, but we can't send or answer the phone cause it seems the connection isn't strong enough. Yes, we have home service, but again, we live in the woods! We wanted an all in one package for tv, phone, and internet but the cable company only is able to provide 2 of the 3 services to our area, so we had to go with a different company. We have all 3 services, but we pay for a certain number of long distance minutes. I guess they figure with so many people using cell phones that long distance is over-rated...but since we can't get service here, it isn't over-rated for us! Therefore, it isn't that I do not want to talk to all of our friends, but I don't want to exceed minutes! But, you are welcome to call us! We don't get charged for incoming...LOLJust wanted to clear that up, cause I don't want ya'll to think we are avoiding you or we have one-sided friendships! :-)
Posted by Babs at 12:18 PM 0 comments
Friday, December 28, 2007
Slide Show

Posted by Babs at 2:09 PM 0 comments
First, Happy Holidays to all of you. I hope you all had a great Christmas and received all you wished for! I had my hubby home, so all was good!
G got in very late/early however you look at it, and we made it back home from the airport at 3am on the 21st. That day, we had a Christmas concert to go see at Katie and Jordan's school and we spent the evening at home with the kids and Reuben watching movies and eating tacos.
The next day, we left to go pick up Alyssa and Jose for the weekend. It is a 2 hour drive one-way, and after getting there, Jose's parents decide they want to come to the house! Can you say pissed? I don't care that they want to come here, but they could have saved us the gas and mileage if that was their plan all along! So, they came up for like an hour, to see where their son was going to be and talk a little about the kids' relationship, then off they went back to Vancouver.

On our anniversary, we went Christmas shopping. We hit up the Tacoma Mall, Toys R Us, and then to Outback for dinner. Made it home by 9pm, passed up going to a movie to save some cash since we had a trip to Vancouver to bring Jose home in the morning, and just wrapped some gifts and went to bed. The next morning, we opened our gifts from Alyssa and from my mom, Alyssa and Jose opened our gifts, and then off we went on our southerly trip. Jose's parents would not meet us, so we took him to Vancouver and then drove to Knappa to see G's dad since we had promised to see him that day. We then dropped Alyssa off at G's mom's so that she could spend Christmas with all of us the next day. She was suppose to work, but the schedule changed so she was able to spend it with all of us. We made it back home at 9:30 pm and I spent the rest of the night wrapping gifts, cause I procrastinate soooo much!!
Christmas morning did not start til after 9am! That's right, no kids came in til after then! G and I did not exchange gifts, and the kids went through theirs in record time! LOL Then, on the road we went to head to Clatskanie. There was rain at out place, a mix of snow and rain 40 miles away, then pure snow 29 miles outside of Kelso, then back to the mixture. It snowed throughout the day, which was so pretty. We spent a great Christmas with family and food! When we left, Longview was a slushy mess, but cleared up before home and not a trace of snow to be found. So sad...I really wanted some snow.
The past few days I have spent fighting a nasty cold. G started to get it on the way home Christmas night, and he laid in bed covered from head to toe and got it out quickly. Me, I rarely get sick, and this is kicking my butt. To add to it, my boss called last night. He had called while we were out on the 23rd, then while I was in bed the 26th, I called him yesterday but he was out of the office, and so he called again last night and finally we touched base. He let me know that he did nto think the job was going to work. He and Jamie had talked alot and they hired 3 people throughout the year and with tax season upon us, they felt they did not have time to train someone on the systems. He offered to pay me for the time I had come in and I told him no. He did give me a job lead though. He talked to the local CPA here in Yelm and gave him all my info and the gentleman offered to interview me. So, I am going to be giving him a call to see if maybe that will work out.
So, there is the update from our house. Please read my previous blog, and if you are a praying person, please lift your prayers to Robin and her family.

I wish you all a wonderful remainder of 2007 and a prosperous New Year in 2008.

Prayers for a Friend Please
I have received an e-mail from a family friend and she is in need of your prayers and thoughts. Robin is the wife of G's previous 1SG in Hawaii. He is also the man that taught G and Zach to scuba dive. Their children and our children were the best of friends, especially Jordan and their son Sean. It was so hard to say goodbye when they left Hawaii or better things. Their daughter, Rachel, is a miracle in herself. She was told she would never walk, never do things normal children do because of cancer that took over her legs and she has since lost the feeling in her legs, but she walks, and runs, and dances like any normal little girl. I learned so much from that family. I learned to keep my mouth shut, to open my mouth, and most of all, to believe! Robin needs prayers right now. Here is the letter I have received.Hi everyone,While I am not one to ask for things for myself. Things have happened in the past week that I need prayers for. It started about a month a go. My head and throat started swelling. The doctors thought it was allergy. I thought it was something in the house. The Army Environment Health came out and tested. They found 5 times the level of formaldehyde in the house. They moved us into a new house. The problem was I wasn't getting better. I went to the emergency room. They did several scans and found a 5 cm mass on my chest. It is right in front of the bronchial tumbe and growing into the superior vena cava that is affecting my breathing. They have diagnosed it as lung cancer though it's not in my lung and they also found a spot on my liver that they think could be cancer also. We're not sure of the prognosis because I told them I don't want to know, I will fight for as long as possible. They say it's not connnected to the foramledyde, but an xray 5 months ago showed there was absolutely nothing abnormal. I have already started radiation and am starting to feel better.All I am asking for is PRAYERS....LOTS of PRAYERS. You can send this to anyone you know, because prayers are what's going to save me.Also, if anyone has stories of inspiration about cancer survivors or incredible defiance of the odds, please send them to me, I need them a lot.Anyone who knows me though, knows I will not go down without a fight.ThanksRobin
Posted by Babs at 12:44 PM 0 comments

Old Bloggings!!!

blogging
So, Christmas is almost here and G will be home on vacation for 2 weeks. I did my first batch of Christmas shopping on Friday, spent money and got nothing of substance. This is going to be a very short Christmas this year for the kids. I feel so bad...I love loading under the tree and it just isn't going to happen. Things they really want I am too frugal to buy...something I really need to overcome. We are picking up Alyssa and Jose on Saturday for the weekend. It should be a nice time, can't really go anywhere cause not enough seats in the car, but we should be able to at least spend some time together. Christmas Day is going to be an ache and a joy at the same time. Spending some time with one family but not with another. It is also very weird for me to not have any single soldiers or new people to invite to the house for a gathering and a big meal. I am hoping to maybe do a dinner on the 1st and inviting family, but I may just x-nay that idea as well since I doubt many will do the travel up.I went to work yesterday, but the office is not ready for me yet. I kind of surprised them all. They need to have the IT guy come in and get my name squared away and they were busy with quarter-end deadline and didn't have the time to show me things. So, they will give me a call and get me going. It was nice to go though. I am sure I can do it, at least the tax season stuff and then I will wean into the other stuff. The house looks good for about 2 days and then is up in arms again. I get feeling good about it and I slack. I worked on straightening the garage on Sunday so that I can easily just grab a box to unpack. I placed Alyssa's stuff in one corner and outside or garage stuff in the other corner and now all the other stuff is still kinda in the center, but easier for me to get to things. I have til Thursday to get a little more organized before G comes home and wreaks havoc on it again! LOL I have not hung anything on the walls and I have yet to hang bedroom curtains, but the boxes are so bulky that it is better to unpack them and break them down rather than having them in the way while trying to organize and decorate!Took the kids to the Tacoma Mall on Saturday. We didn't stay long, but it was nice to get out of the area and take a drive...even with the traffic. We found a Goodwill store on the way home and stopped. We love Goodwill! THe Christmas deocr was 50 cents and they had a TON of it! I got myself some work sweaters and a wool skirt and the boys got sweatshirts and pants and so did Katie. We have to ease into the winter clothing! Spendy though, so Goodwill is a great place. We did some baking last night. I made fudge and the kids made Christmas sugar cookies. Talk about some "decorated" cookies! I took some pics that I will have to share. You will get a laugh...and a sugar high just looking at them!So, there is my life in a nutshell lately. Lots more on my mind and in my heart, but I can't go into it since I am not allowed to share those things...back to the keeping things inside and see how healthy I remain! tsk, tsk, tsk....Love and hugs to you all. Stay safe.
Posted by Babs at 11:44 AM 0 comments
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Saturday
Well, today is Saturday! Not that it really makes a huge difference than any other day lately...lol...but it is another day and that is its name! Life here is going OK. A week in the new house, the HHG's are here, internet, cable, and phone are in, kids all in school...can't really ask for much more.G is in VA for his schooling to change his job. Had a heck of a flight there, poor guy. We left early Thursday morning, and he missed his flight by like 5 min due to the traffic taking so long. He got on another flight and seemed to have issue after issue at his layover spot. Landing in VA should have been around 10:50pm and instead was 3:15am! He is having a few minor rumors/problems at the school, but tomorrow I guess is the day we find out if the rumors/probs are true or false. Hope for the false side please! LOL He is there til the 20th then home for Christmas and back out on the 2nd. We are going to pick up Alyssa on the 22 - 24, the Space Needle for our anniversary on the 23rd, and Christmas at Grandma Bes's. The kids are all in school and so far liking it. Katie is on a 30 day trial because of her age. As long as she is up to level with the other kindergarteners, she will remain in school. Zach started Friday. Took him longer because they were trying to get ahold of Knappa for recrds, but due to the severe weather could not get through, so enrolled him and let him start without them.I have been unpacking, stained a shelf, and hung some bathroom border. I have managed to unpack the 9 or so boxes that were in my room, 6 or so that were in the kitchen, 3 in Katie's room, and 2 from the hallway. Not to mention the 5 loads of clothes from a week with no washer and dryer! LOL I am having second thoughts on my accounting job, but mainly for fear of leaving the kids so far away...30 min or more is a long way since I have never been that far away. Separation anxiety! I am scared, too. I have been looking for others locally, but still going to start this one cause I committed to it.We drove to Oregon this morning, early, and Katie ate breakfast with Santa in Clatskanie. We had fin. Then we went to Grandma Jo's for a little bit, but Katie was onrey, so we left. Picked up Alyssa and went to the park in Clatskanie for a bit. Alyssa also brought me her dad and mine Christmas present! I will post pics later! Hush hush for now. After the park, we drove to Kelso and went to the mall for dinner (fast food) and $10 at Chuck-E-Cheese for Katie to play, then off to get our kitties and come home! It was a nice few hours with Alyssa, although I wish it were more. I hate saying goodbye to her cause I miss her so...but life and growing up happen and we all have to deal.So, there is a recap and a look at Saturday! Sunday has unpacking and Christmas decorating in store for me. Laundry as well, I am sure. TTFN
Posted by Babs at 8:47 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Mini Update
Just wanted to let you all know that we have internet and phone and tv, just no phones and televisions! LOL Household goods arrive tomorrow so will be busy all day. G leaves Thursday morning at like 8:20am for his schooling in Virginia. We were stuck out here at the house yesterday due to the road leading into and out of here was closed off due to high water. There are 2 roads and both were closed. We were going to go to Oregon and get our other bags and our kitties, but I-5 is closed due to 8 feet of water over the roadway! They are hoping to have it re-opened by Thursday depending on damages under the water. I will update more when we get things together and I will post pictures of the new home as well.
Posted by Babs at 11:40 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Traveling Cross Country
From the time we set foot on the mainland, we have been on the move. We arrived and spend 2 days in the area, hooking up with a friend for dinner, seeing our new home, and getting together with family for a surprise birthday party for Jordan. After that, we hopped in the car for a surprise trip.We left on Sunday, November 11th and headed east. We traveled through Eastern Oregon into Idaho and then stopping the next afternoon in Nebraska. It had been a long drive and we needed some sleep. I drove the day shift and G the night, but I only nodded off here and there, so sleeping came quickly and easily. There we encountered our first Cabella's Outdoor store and feel in love! We brought books with us and have taken turns deciding what things we want for our new northwest life! lol Tuesday morning we headed out again. I again took the morning shift, and G nodded in and out. I was traveling pretty good, open road, only truckers for the most part, and a cop in the middle of the road out to get ME after being followed by aircraft for miles! I received my first ticket ever on the open roads of Nebraska for speeds alot less than what I had been doing. I drove all day and then G took over in the night. We made it in good time, no real issues, and hit Kentucky around 4:30 - 5am Wed morning. At exit 3, we had our first big "eye-opener"! A good sized buck standing directly in front of us while we are traveling a good 65MPH. G did all he could to get us to stop...with all 4 anti-lock brakes, it was all up to the man above to make sure we stopped. We did, with about 3 feet to spare before the deer realized we were there and hopped across the other lane nearly missing the truck that had swirved when he saw our brake lights. We were fortunate that it was early and there were not numerous people on the road...especially since exit 4 is the exit for Fort Campbell. Needless to say, we were awake then! I started driving again at 5:30. I have to tell you, Kentucky is a looooooong state! It seemed to never end. I hit a 2 minute patch of rain that scared the pants off me, but other than that, we had beautiful skies the entire trip. We made good time, and arrived in SC at Kathy and Leon's at around 2pm. They are such great people and family to us. Funny, but they were the last people we saw when we started our journey to Hawaii leaving from their house on our trek cross-country and they are the first people we saw (other than family) when we got back on the mainland. We essentially came full circle. Friday we went to Fayetteville and surprised Susan and her hubby, Jamie. They were having a gathering to celebrate Jamie's recent promotion, so the timing was perfect. We surprised Bob, Sandi, and Carol the next morning for breakfast. They thought it was Kathy and Leon and Ang coming, and then we walked in. Also a very nice surprise for friends we cherish dearly. We returned to SC until Monday and then headed up to Fayetteville.Our time in Fayetteville was short. We stayed with Kellie. The girls did not know we were coming and the look on poor, sick Sierra's face was so funny! Poor girl was sick and had been at work. She came home and upon entering the house could just stand in the doorway hopping up and down looking at the boys. She saw me, said "I need to puke but I can't cause I am so happy". It was great! Not that she was sick, but the expression on her face when she realized we were there. I wish we had gotten to see them longer, but they went to school the next day and never came back because they took a bus to Philly for Thanksgiving Parade where the Southview band played! Awesome for them!!! G finally got to the mini-mall to get his "undies" that we can not find anywhere else! He is on cloud 9 now! LOL Then, Tuesday night about 9pm, we rolled out. There was a rain storm up north, and we just did not want to risk the chance of winter weather sneaking up on us.So, we drove almost to DC Tuesday night and stopped. Now, mind you, Patty knows we are coming, but she has only know a few days, and Dad has no clue. We have called him and chatted away, but have never dropped any hints or slipped up. So, we stay overnight, then head out again Wed morning. This should only be about 8 - 9 hours. We did great til New Jersey. Our NJ Turnpike travels should only take about 1.5 - 2 hr tops and this day it took us nearly 1.5 hr to get 3 exits! No, I am not kidding! The congestion was horrific. Then, it took us almost 40 minutes to get over the George Washington Bridge in New York! So, after getting into CT, we called Patty and let her know that we were going to stop for the night and be there Thanksgiving morning...cause the kids were not going to go to bed if we arrived at their place and it was late. So, we stayed in Mystic, about 30 min from Dad's house, and he had no clue!!So, Thursday morning, we head out. Chilly! We got to the house and Dad was outside playing catch with Maggie (their puppy). Katie walked up on the porch, stuck her head around to see him, and waved saying "Hi Pappy". He stopped and looked at us. He raised his hand to his brow to block the sun, and I finally said "yeah, we are here" and he came up and hugged me not letting me go. PRICELESS!!! Absolutely priceless!!! He was so happy; he had his grandkids with him, something he wants more than anything, and I did it all without him knowing!!! By now, Patty has been trying to get ahold of my grandma to find out if she is ready to get picked up for dinner. She isn't answering her phone. G, Zach, Katie and Dad head that way to get her. Katie knocked on her door, G'ma said to come in, and they found her stuck on the floor between her table and stove, where she had been for about 3.5 hrs. She had fallen and did not have on her life bracelet to call for help. So, the ambulance was called, she went to the hospital, Dad dropped off the others and picked me up to go and see how she was. 3 hours later, she is OK, but has a broken shoulder and a fracture in her wrist. What a Thanksgiving! Upon arriving back at the house, Dad had another surprise waiting for him. Sami and her kids had come down to share Thanksgiving with us as well. Dad really got a "family" and "grandkids" holiday. We all had a great time. The kids never once argued, the adults laughed, talked food, talked old days, took pics, and even got Dad to strum a few notes on the guitar. All in all, it was an awesome day.We stayed in RI until Monday. Longer than we had planned, but the visit was actually very nice and actually quiet, even with the kids. Patty and Jordan seemed to have found a similar interest in the Playstation...lol. He really loves his Nana. It took Maggie until Sunday night to be calm in the house with all of us around...and Dad and G stayed up one night talking shop and politics...sounds like fun, huh?! I did my trip to the cemetary my first day there. Zach went with me, which I have not decided if it were good or bad, he either kept me from letting stuff out to talk to Grandma, or him being there forced me to hold it together. Not sure which one. I also found Uncle Howard's plot and Angie Algiere and her husband's Louis plot...I wanted to see if Angie was still alive, and that was the easiest way, and I also got info that she is in MA living with her son and no longer in RI (hence no response from last years Christmas letter...lol) We got to see Lori, Erin, and Amanda as well, and Erin has a huge crush on Jordan! It was funny!Monday morning we headed out. Dad was sad to see us go. We had planned to go to DC and spend the day sight-seeing, but the rain crossed that off our list. Instead, we drove west and ended up stopping in Wheeling, WV for the night. We had to stop when we did...the weather had my nerves on edge and I don't think G's nerves were doing so well either. The rain had struck so fast and hard at one point, that he was literally stopped in the middle of the fast lane with his hazards on because he could see nothing...yet 2 semi's passed us! It was nerve-wracking. Up and out Tuesday, we stopped for the night in Columbus, MO which had been our planned stop. Early out and headed toward Colorado on Wed...planning on spending at least one night with Kricket from my KWC board (Online friend since 2001). The kids have really had a day, so my mind got the best of me, and we detoured north and stopped in Aurora, CO rather than heading southerly to Kricket's. I decided that the kids had enough of the car, I have had enough yelling and trying to keep my sanity, so I made the decision to stay 2 nights instead of 1. We will have some time to sight-see in Colorado, we are going to drive to see Kricket and George's family homestead in Canon City, and Katie is dying to play in the snow. Upon leaving here, we have a planned night in Boise for Friday and then onto home Saturday. Hopefully the winter weather that has been moving though has subsided and we will have easy travels.Our phone, tv, and internet get turned on Tuesday, the HHG's arrive on Wed, and G flies out to Virginia Thursday morning. I purchased his tickets for Christmas last night, and he will be home from the 20th through the 2nd for a price of $549. Not too bad, but poor guy has 2 stops before making it home.I know I have more to talk about, but everyone is asleep, including G, so I guess I could do the same. Tis all for now.....
Posted by Babs at 10:07 PM 0 comments
Labels: Traveling

Old Bloggings! Next in Line

A Scream!!!
Written October 30thOK, as if this move was not a pain in the arse as it is, it just keeps getting better! So, you all know this was a last minute thing, and even though we knew it could happen, we were not really ready for it. Well, money wise we are totally unprepared, but hey, not everyone pinches pennies and saves for a rainy day! Well, here we come down to the 7 days prior to leaving the island after clearing housing. Should not be a big deal, but it seems it really is one here in Hawaii. Department of Public Works (DPW) and Army Hawaii Family Housing (AHFH) struck a deal 3 years ago when AHFH took over the housing from DPW. Seems they decided to only offer 3 days of temporary lodging assistance to outbound soldiers, because this way the housing office collects more rent! Well, I didn't like that answer after I had heard near everyone else say 10 days...so I looked it up in the DOD regulations. Sure enough, we are alloted 10 days max, so us asking for 7 really should not be a problem. Yeah, well, thehousing guy denied us so we have to take it to US Army Garrison Command to ask for it to be approved! This is retarded since the regs specifically state 10 days and AHFH is just trying to make a buck! So, that memo has been faxed to him and we will check in tomorrow on that one.So, tonight we go to the Inn to ask about a room. We only need a room for tomorrow and Thursday night because we have plans for Friday and Saturday. So, she tells us $282.70. Now, mind you, this Inn is like a darn Super 8, nothing fancy at all. So, G tells her, OK, TLA will cover that. She tells him, "No, you have to pay it up front and they will reimburse you when you do your paperwork on the other end"! OK, so, we are suppose to pay for our room and board and food and wait for the Army to pay us back? Yeah, right! Beings that will not be until Feb that he can turn in the paperwork! I am just really frustrated. This is about enough. Stay in housing and get screwed out of money until mid-December cause AHFH will hold onto it until then; pay out of pocket and pray they give us money back in Febuary; or just live in the damn car til next Wed!!! I am so beyond pissed at this point. This is sickening the way everyone is out to make a buck off the soldiers...and most let them! Even the military wives board I posted the regs on looked at it and still mentioned just getting 3 days and it was no big deal! It is a big deal people, they are making money off you and you are letting them feed your head with bullcrap and getting away with it! I so wish people would wake up and realize that the civilian people are taking over everything that has to do with our finances and screwing the soldiers and their families, and no one asks questions! Read the regs people! That is what they are there for!!! Then, call them on the discrepencies!! Nothing changes til you confront them!
Posted by Babs at 10:24 PM 0 comments
Labels: Moving with the Military

Leaving the Island
6 November 2007Well, tomorrow is almost here. I ache inside really; dreading G’s farewell lunch today and saying goodbye to D and Paul tonight. I cry just tossing around the idea of leaving here. We may not have the friends nor the luxury of the mainland and the ability to up and go somewhere, but I have peace, happiness, fulfillment here on this island. I will be back….just the thought of coming back makes me ease up a little. I can envision getting off a plane and the drive down H-1 smiling knowing I am “home”. Yeah, I really do feel at home here…this is where I was meant to find myself, and I have. Unless someone can entice me with another island, this is where I want to die…listening to the surf, smelling the clean air, watching the surfers, honu, smelling the plumeria and watching all the colors of the island flowers…all year long!It has been a long week of crap. AHFH is a major money making scheme and the people just let them do it. These wives, husbands, dependants, service members need to stop letting these civilian contracted companies walk all over us. They take our money left and right and make up rules as they go along; but even though people have questions, they never ask them. I am so sick of sitting in silence over the issues that so many of us face and hate yet never talk about in the open. It is sickening to even think about other things that we have yet to encounter that the military is letting people on the outside take from the soldiers and their families. They think just because we are military we have to suck it up and shut our mouths….I am so sick of shutting up. The kids are out of school. Took Katie to say goodbye yesterday and I was in tears. I had to get up and busy myself to not cry and let her see me. Her teacher gave me worksheets on every letter of the alphabet and an entire math workbook so I can continue to work with Katie on the road. I want to be able to have her on track and maybe even show the new school she deserves to be in Kindergarten even if she is 17 days too young! That is such crap in itself. Jordan I am sure is disappointed with his birthday. I feel really bad, but with no place to live and no cash for the extras since we are getting no help with this more, I could not do a party for him. We took him bowling and took Tyrek with us. Ty is a good friend to Jordan, and the really only good one he has had since Sean moved away, so I think it was fitting. Shitty Mom I am though…I didn’t even get him a cake or a card. We did get him some neat drum sticks that you play in the air and connect to his Ipod, though! I think I will ask if maybe everyone can get together in Clatskanie for a small party for him this coming weekend once we get there. Surprise him maybe. G wants to go see everyone, I don’t want to stay, so maybe this can be the happy medium.I think Zach wants to move home sooner than later, but he has not said anything to me. I am afraid to ask him, only because I know that he enjoys this climbing club and he is working on weekends. I think he misses his Mom. If we lived there, he would be happy…and I think he feels that once we move, we will be there a lot, but I really do not have any intention of severely changing my life just because we moved close to “home”. Maybe that idea will change once we get there, but we are not a “working” family like the rest of our family, we are military and have a definite different way of life. I want to remain independent in my ways and with my family life, not try to fit in with them or fit their expectations. Alyssa is on my mind a lot. I keep thinking I will hear the words, “Can I come up with you”. Not going to happen though. She really is doing OK, but just OK. I wish she would decide to go to school and decide on a future instead of worrying about a job and apartment. Jose isn’t even a worry…his parents have him under lock and key until he is done with his schooling or until he decides not to take anymore of the questions and controlling…which either way will be a while. I still wish she would focus more on herself than on them. I have my wonders about other things with Jose….and I still have my wonders of what it is Alyssa really feels or calls “love”. She is still that little girl that needs the undivided attention of the person willing to give it to her. She still has those self-esteem problems that I suppose I put there when she was 3 and was abused, taken into foster care, moved to her grandmothers, then to her dad’s with a step mom that didn’t want her…but it all stemmed from me and my poor choice and my inability to be a Mom at that time. She needs counseling to help her grow. She needs to let out the hatred and fears she has and the anger and resentment she has inside her. Once it comes out, her life will change. I know it will. I have been there for other things, and talking to an outsider who listens and tries to help you, really, really helps to let go and come to terms and deal.Since I am touching on everyone, guess I should mention G…lol. I love him, but there are times I just laugh at him and wonder. I hope this new job will make him a little happier with himself and it proves to be fulfilling and interesting for him. He keeps talking about seeing if he can get attached to group once he graduates, and I hope he can since I know it is something he has wanted for 14 years now. I just hope he actually follows through with his desire and asks and puts his feelers out and does not procrastinate about it like he does with many other aspects of his career. I do not repeatedly ask him if he did this or that or called this person like I use to…I have let it be that if her truly wants it, he will do it…but damn it is so hard to keep my mouth shut and not tell him if he hadn’t procrastinated or if he had done something it may have turned out differently. Other than that, learning some release of stress and anger skills would be a plus…but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks…but I can still try and be encouraging! Try yoga and meditation, damn it!!!So, other than that, life is still what you make it, and mine is just that. Mild chaos, laughter, crying, pent up frustrations, but serene and I could not ask for more nor do I want any less. In exactly 36 hours, I will be on a plane starting another chapter of life in my military spouse experience…sigh…and I am sure that in 3 years, I will be saying the same thing all over again!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Movers are almost done...these guys have been awesome. Katie on the other hand just cost me IDK how much money! One of the cubes in Jordan's room stuck to the floor and when they picked it up, the tile tore and there was a hole about the size of a half dollar. No big deal, we could probably find a tile to replace it with at G's work. Well, little missy here went upstairs and proceeded to tear 4 more tiles up!!! WTH is wrong with this child??? I have never seen a child so distructive! She colored all over her bedroom in crayons, markers, and permanent markers, colored on Jordan's wall in one spot, cut the hair on her little ponies, cut her bedroom curtain 1 days after I put them up, cut her dolls hair, cuts paper into a milion pieces, and we found that yesterday she cut all the fabris that connected the wooden slats to hold the mattress on the top bunk! Yes, we hide, take away, throw away scissors, markers, etc...but she finds them and we can't throw them all away cause some of us still need them....but what is the deal??? UGH
Posted by Babs at 5:23 PM 0 comments


Sunday, October 14, 2007
Stinky Update - FLS in cats
This is so frustrating to say the least. I finally did some looking up online the other night for this issue to get more info and try to figure out how to get her to eat and whatnot. I had to look it up because Friday night, I really thought she was going to die in my lap. I think she had a seizure, and I sat next to her half on me and sobbed. But, luckily, she didn't. What I found, was that it is called FLS and causes are unknown. If caught early, recovery is pretty much guaranteed. 35% will die though if not taken care of. Most are fed via a feeding tube though, and we do not have that. It says you can force feed, which we are doing, but you have to make sure they get enough calories and nutrients. I had to research that info as well. It also states that you may have to force feed for up to 8 weeks if the cat does not show interest in food. So, I feel comfortable with the info I found, more info really than what the vet sent me home with.So, as for her, yesterday she willingly ate canned cat food for me, unlike the night before where we were feeding her through a syringe blended food and formula. She at almost half of a small can, which is good. I could not get her to drink anything though...the day before she actually drank milk, but have not been able to get any liquids into her since then. Today, she has turned her nose up to everything food, eggs, milk, formula, water, and pdeialyte. Good note, she has been walking around and trying to get outside again...she really has not moved in 2 days, so this is a sign she is feeling better. She also managed to walk up the stairs last night or early this morning and she pooped on her way up, which is good cause she hasn't done that in a while that we know of. We know she was urinating though...casue I had to throw out Katie's carpet yesterday because she had found a spot to go and it was awful smelling! I know TMI....lol. We have also noticed, that yes, she gets pissy with us and will not eat. Literally refuses to eat if we make her mad. Because we gave her meds to her the other night, she would not eat. I had to smear it on her paws for her to lick it off before she we eat it willingly from me! So, I do believe she caused this by not eating due to the kittens moving in, which is a feesable reason according to the sites I read.So, here are the stats.....she seems to have more energy today and can walk without the stumbling but still wobbly. Today she is vocal, groaning, meowing, and wanting outside again. She has pooped, but not eaten or drank today. Will be force feeding her before the day is over if she will not eat something willingly. Her jaundice does seem to have lessened some. Please keep praying for her and me! I really need her to get better so that she can move with us.
Posted by Babs at 3:04 PM 0 comments
Labels: FLS, Stinky

Old Bloggings! Oldest Ones

Thursday, October 11, 2007
Stinky the Cat
Well, this has to go backwards a bit to get the full effect here.....1st week or so of September last week in August, G told Katie he would get her a kitty. Actually, he asked her what she would think of getting one. I was kinda floored, cause it is usually me getting the animals, not him. So, we go to the Humane Society and we get a kitten after looking at about 50 total between cats and kittens. He is doing the papers, and the guy says "2 for 1" and we went and got a runt, one we had both taken to that looked so scared...so one for Katie and one for "us". Now, the kitties stay downstairs. One, because they are small and that is where the litter box and food is located, and two because Princess Stinky is the ruler of our room! Well, Stinky did not take to the new kitties very well. Even though her head was as big as their bodies, she was a growling fool and running like the devil when they were around. Well, Stinky then decided she no longer wanted to be in the same house with them, so she chewed and clawed her way out the laundry room window! Come back in when I open the door in the AM, and right back up to my room...where she has essentially lived since we adopted her 3 years ago! When we left for emergency leave, we had a friend watch the cats. We closed all windows and such, or so I thought....til one day about a week into leave, Gabby called and said Stinky got out. She managed to squeeze through the one window G left open and pop out the screen and run. Well, about a week after we got home, she finally came back. She is dirty and thin as can be. For almost 2 weeks now I have tried to feed her, get her to drink, and nothing. She would drink some water and then throw it up withing 20 minutes. She would not eat food, not even chunk chicken I tried to give her. I went and bought baby kitten formula, and I finally got her to drink a bit of that, but not enough to sustain her. She has been walking around lately, so I thought we were making some progress, until yesterday. She walked down here and when she shook her head, she nearly fell over. She could not hold herself up to scratch. I gave her the formula again, nope...so I got a piece of steak from dinner, and she chowed it down! So, I got her more. Progress! I did the same today, fed her steak, gave her chicken broth, water...but she was so weak and wobblie it was sad. So, G and I had been talking about taking her to the vet. I really wanted to try what I could before hand...we just do not have the extra cash to toss around with moving. Her weakness today, we both realized she has to go or she is going to die. To us, it was like she was committing suicide by not eating all because we brought home 2 kittens! Stubborn cat! So, tonight we went to the vet. Her starvation has caused fat to build in her liver and her liver can not process it. Normal liver function numbers are as high as 111. Stinky's was 1138. Her liver is not functioning. We had 2 price options, staying there for care at $1368 or coming home for $398. Luckily, the vet thought if I was managing to get her to eat something, she can be home, but if she does not continue to eat, she has to go there. We walked out paying $400 and getting 4 medications to bring home and her getting blood drawn from 3 spots because her veins collapsed she is so dehydrated, 100cc's of saline in her tissue to absorb (which it did immediately), and 2 shots, one of antibiotic and one to help her liver and the jaundice. G laughed at himself saying he made fun of a friend who spent $400 on their anumal, then tonight, he did just that. I was the one scared to pay the amount, scared of the thought of it! He just kept talking to Stinky. I am still worried that it put us out alot with the moving and bills to clear housing, but it is done now. I just hope she gets healthy so she can travel with us to Washington. She needs to be healthy before we can get her certificate OKing her to fly. So, for you animal lovers, can you say a little prayer for Stinky? She needs them. She needs to get better, healthy, and more vibrant. We need her to get better. She is a part of the Stultz Ohana!
Posted by Babs at 6:31 AM 0 comments
Labels: Pets

Sunday, October 7, 2007
Need to Scream
I am ready to lose my sanity, or what sanity I have left at the moment. We have 3 weeks and 4 days until being homeless. Then, 7 days later we fly to another place to be homeless. Does anyone seem to care? Or how about care that we really do not need to be off the island by November 7th nor do we need to take 28 days leave. You know, leave you want to take, not leave I have asked you to take...seems to be the regular story of leave in this house! God forbid I want you to take some time for ME! So, how much am I suppose to look and tell you about? You can call, you can e-mail, you can actually help out here! I am not Wonder Woman. I am sick of pretending to be!
Posted by Babs at 12:14 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
I Need a Time-Out
I feel the need to scream and send my kids away. I have just about lost control with the 5-year old I have. OMG if I hear "you aren't the boss" or "I don't care" or "no" and many many more of the things that come out of her mouth when told not to do womething or don't touch something, leave the cat alone, go upstairs....I am so ready to just throw something!!!Not to mention I am preparing for this move and made sticky notes of things to do. I bought them specifically for this purpose, nice and bright so everyone could see them and maybe do something. Well, I told Jordan at 9:52 that he could be on the computer until 10:30 and then I wanted some help. Nada, zip, nothing! It is now 1:57. He just brought up his like 5 pieces of clothing that was folded! What a great kid, huh?!So, this is my break for now. I need to go switch out laundry and so another sticky note! I am sure I will be back later...this is going ot be my outlet!
Posted by Babs at 4:52 PM 0 comments
Labels: Frustrations
September 21, 2007
Yet another day of frustration come and gone and it seems today is one more. We took on the task of redoing Mom’s tub. It needed it and G and I can’t seem to get enough fixer-upper projects! We enjoy them, so I guess that is a good thing! Well, what we thought would be 2 days turned into 3 now. Found an unexpected leak and G made a small boo-boo, so we had to get some new plumbing hardware and learn how to sweat the pieces together! We were suppose to be at Jo’s somewhat early for a late b-day thing for Katie and so she could see Alexis and the kids before we left, we got there late, but we got there. We asked for a ride to the airport for today and got told, “I’m not driving to Tacoma”. Kinda pisses me off….my family has put us up and fed us for nearly 2 weeks; we use their cars, washer, electricity and his family is too busy to even give us a ride so we can get home! My family can’t do it today….Jeremy has to help someone with some concrete and Mom is suppose to be at a b-day party for Chris’s gf’s brother. So, now I am yet again looking for rental cars. Hopefully I can find a one-way rental from Kelso to Tacoma so we don’t have to do a 2 hour drive to get a car then back then back up again! Oh, and here is my answer from the budget site Sorry, but we don't allow rentals between those locations. Please change your entries and try again.Guess we are making a 2 hour trip into 2 up, get rental, 2 down to return truck to Mom’s, then 2 back up to the hotel/airport. What fun huh?! Gotta go finish the tub!
Posted by Babs at 4:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: Old Thoughts Put to The Web
September 17, 2007
I did alot of thinking and tossing around of thoughts and feelings while on our emergency mini-vacation in Oregon. I didn't have the best online access (dial-up) and I was not very sociable the night I wrote this...but i need to get it out. There are things I say that explain things I feel...plus, I can look back on it later as well. TodaySeptember 17, 2007Well, today is just another day that I can classify as one of those days. I guess it all started yesterday though. At lunch, I found that there was a flight leaving McChord into Travis tomorrow, the 18th. I was excited. G could only say that I didn’t want to fly on a C-130 if I thought flying on a C-17 was uncomfortable. Well, I want to get home! You can strap me to the damn nose at this point and I will be happy. Today, I got up and started looking for one-way car rentals and of course, found none. So, I told my mom, and she said to call my brother and ask him to drive us the 2 hours. She said she was amazed G had not asked him yesterday. So, I told G to do it. He complained that we all would not fit cause Mom said for both bros to go to keep each other company on the drive back. He did call and left a message.I was packing. Alyssa was up and I heard Katie ask her if she was coming home with us. It just broke me yet again. After being here, I firmly believe that moving from us and not having a plan is the worst mistake she could ever make in her life and that she will never get on track and amount to much at the rate and route she is traveling on. So, needless to say, it made me unhappy the rest of the time and I was in the bathroom crying. G left to take her to work without speaking to me, and I had everything ready to go. Mom isn’t feeling well and had a trip, so the boys and I sat here waiting for everyone to get here to go to the airport. Jeremy arrived and I had the boys put the luggage in the truck, then G showed up. I could tell he was pissed about something. So, I went to look up plane, bus, and train tickets. I then told him we had $400 and a train as early as Saturday would cost us $180.90 to get to Sacramento. Then, we have to hop on another to get outside of Travis and a cab onto Travis to wait for another plane to Hickam. That is, if we do not go and catch the plane out of McChord; but I told him this was his choice because I did not want to be to blame if we did the drive and got no flight, no way back here, and no way we could spend a week in the hotel on base plus food. So, he made calls to no avail to find out time and seating on the C-130 for almost 2 hours. My brother is asking me what is going on and I told him I had no idea, ask G. Next thing you know, G is bringing in the luggage and says we are taking a train Saturday. I left. I cried and made a call to vent. I want to go home! Not that I don’t want to see my Mom, but I have to prepare to move. I have 3 cats at home with a neighbor watching them, 12 kids and parents waiting on trophies, 2 children on the verge of being dropped from school, my schooling to be done, and a house to go to! So, I get a call from his mom about Katie’s fundraiser, and she asked where I was. I told her, started to tell her the whole thing, but lost her. Kinda gave her a rundown and that I was here and maybe we will get together for Katie’s birthday. Get back to Mom’s. Both boys and my brother tell me that G told my bro that it is my fault we are stuck here! Excuse me?! Is it because I decided I needed to pay bills so we don’t have money to just up and leave, or is it because we call came and not just him? I have no idea, but my fault my ass. I have done nothing but look for houses to live in, check ticket prices, call the flight recording…..I am sick of doing all the thinking and planning and being the responsible one for our entire family. I am not the only adult here! I want to go home! Do you not think I am wanting to do whatever I can to get there? I was offered a ticket leaving tomorrow…me and Katie…I am very, very tempted after that comment. I am sick of being the only adult and the responsible one. The responsible one would be thinking of their kids and not the uncomfortable plane ride!I can only think straight for so long. I can only suck it up for so long. Suck up the feelings of being worthless because I don’t help financially; suck up the not clean enough or not having dinner done; suck up the not being fit enough; suck up the not handling money right and not saving or filing bankruptcy and it fucking us; sucking up the kids being mouthy and getting away with shit and having no respect; suck up the moving or deployments, late nights, field problems; suck up the lack of communication, feelings, sex, love making, holding, crying, feeling; suck up the non-existence or recognition within your work world; suck up being a single parent in a dual parent house; suck up missing friends or not having any to fill the voids or the adult times; what more do you want me to suck up and not ever dwell on or feel? Do you want me to turn into a cold-hearted bitch that cares about nothing and no one? Do you want me to turn into you, who only feels in private or hides behind a facad (sp)? Has anyone though about what I feel lately? I came because I worried about G. I was worried that he had not had any deaths to deal with and this may be hard on him. I want to support him. That is what I am suppose to do and what I want to do. I got closed out of those feelings 100%. I asked no questions but hurt inside. I listened to everyone express happiness of us moving here; everyone except Uncle Bob, who asked me why G was worried about everyone else and not us, his family. I had to laugh…that is my thought. Then, when I told my mom, she was happy and had tears in her eyes. Can you imagine the thoughts in my head and heart, knowing I did not want to move here, but everyone, even my Mom was so happy we would be here. All I could ask myself was what is wrong with me, why am I not happy like everyone else? Do you know how that tears me up inside? I just don’t, no explanation other than I do not want to be here. Yes, I want the kids in smaller schools, I want the family environment, I want the sports, the outdoors, but I don’t want here. I also know that it is not going to be a family here, it is going to be me and the kids while he serves in Iraq. I will be mother, father, cheerleader, supporter in a place I really have no desire to be. So, here I sit in Brownsmead typing my thoughts, drinking a 4 pack of lemon drops and listening to Kenny…the man I want to go retire by and stalk…lol. Living a life of relaxation and happiness in a beach cabana surrounded by white sands and turquoise waters. Living a life knowing I was the best Mom I could be and am still the best wife I know how to be…that seems to be so far out of reach these days. Haven’t I tried hard enough and loved hard enough and struggled enough to have that dream and desire? Am I suppose to struggle like my parents and be in my 50’s before I get a sense of happiness but still working my fingers to the bone and never retiring? I sure hope not…bury me now if I have to go through all this til the day I die, because I don’t want to struggle and be unhappy all the time or wondering about my future or bills…I just don’t want to do that…I started too young to have to do this til I am 80. OH, and through this whole trip, I have regained 6 pounds!! Yeah for me.