tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67711175397539928772024-02-07T07:53:14.274-05:00Random musings from Beckys world~Random thoughts that flit through my head~Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-83484293198956405442013-05-29T18:05:00.000-04:002013-05-29T18:05:55.965-04:00Working mama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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I started working outside the house last July, I love my family and spending time with them is one of my favorite things to do. But it was time for me to get out and work again. I needed to do something out side the house, both for me to get a break from the daily grind at home, but also so I could feel like I was contributing financially. <br />
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I started out working at this really great banquet hall as server. I got to work some amazing parties,weddings, corporate gatherings,etc. I loved the job, most of the people I worked with were pretty awesome, the money was good, and best of all the hours were perfect. My boss was great about working with my schedule, and still getting me decent hours. Sadly right after Thanksgiving something stupid happened and I had to go on my way.<br />
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Maybe 2 weeks later I landed a new job at this great restaurant again as a server, and occasionally a bartender. After I was there about a month in a half I was given the position of floor manager.On top of serving, and the occasional day behind the bar, I was now responsible for the scheduling of the floor staff, deal with staff issues from petty arguments to discipline,interviewing and hiring servers, and scheduling and running banquet parties. I loved it, and for awhile I was making good money,then decent, then not so much worth leaving the house. <br />
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But while I was still working at the restaurant I finally got a call for the school district I applied to last year. After an amazing interview a background check and finger printing I was hired as a Substitute Teachers Aide (ParaPro). I've been working for about a month now,a different school everytime and only about once or twice a week. I have to say I love it though, the kids I'm working with are amazing and sweet and so so smart. I'm almost always in a POHI class or one on one Aide to a special needs student. The hours work great with the kids, and I'll get the summer off with them too. <br />
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I ended up leaving the restaurant early this week~ you can read more about that <a href="http://randommusingsfrombeckysworld.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-not-to-run-restaurant.html">here </a>,I intend to find another serving job asap. But for right now I have to wait until some issues with the hubs employment are worked out.I look forward to being able to work full time again.<br />
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As much as I loved my years as a SAHM I really enjoy having something outside that's mine. I'll always be his wife, and his/her mom, but now I get to be Becky too. I also love that after years of feeling like The hubs was the bread winner, I've been able to add to that,and feel like it was ok to do something or buy something (within reason) without asking. For my own sanity not to mention what's best for the family I am now and will continue to be a working mama.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-91068522894294222272013-05-28T22:45:00.002-04:002013-05-28T22:45:31.688-04:00When to discuss what topics with your younginsWhen is the right time to talk to your kids about drugs, sex, violence, bullying, political issues, etc? At what age are each of these topics appropriate? There's no manual that pops out with that beautiful little bundle to address these issues, and of course different people have different views on how to handle them. <br />
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My approach so far has been to handle each topic as it arises. When one of my kids have questions I figure out the best way to answer them for whatever age they are to give them the information they are inquiring about without giving them more than they can handle at the stage their at. Sometimes it's a question that brings about the conversation, but something that comes across the tv before I can get the channel changed or the radio station. However the conversation comes about my main goal is to be honest and informative without overloading my kids with the craziness of the world to early.<br />
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It's getting harder with the princess though. She recently turned 11 and I noticed were having more and more conversations that I thought I had more time to get ready for. The sex talk well it's been had and continues to be had, since it's been turned into a series of talks, not just about sex but about her body and the changes she is going through and what she will continue to go through over the coming years. As well as what is appropriate and inappropriate touching, attention, etc. <br />
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I was working in the little princes class one day when another mom I'm friendly with stopped in, we started talking and she mentioned her other son (who is the same age as the princess) recently started questioning her about weed. She was at a loss and didn't know how to handle it or what to say. She thought she had more time. Not anymore. Kids learn earlier and earlier about things our generation didn't know about till at least our teens. She asked me what I thought. I told her she obviously didn't have a choice now if he's asking she needed to sit down and discuss it with him. Explain the differences of the different types of drugs, and how some are far worse than others,that even medication and alcohol are drugs, and that no matter what none of them are ok for kids. Regardless of if it made her uncomfortable he's asking and she needs to be honest with him and address it, before he goes else where for answers. Because that's really the worst thing we can do to our kids is make them think we don't care enough to talk to or listen to them when they have questions. Because they are resourceful little buggers and they'll get answers, answers we may not like, answers we or they may not be able to live with.<br />
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The princess and I have talked about drugs, not a lot of choice in my life. We've had a few addicts in our lives (more me than her, I've managed to shelter her from seeing the ugliness I've witnessed) But it has affected some things in our lives and she realizes that. She's questioned things that the only way I could explain was by telling her the truth of those addictions. I hate that she has to know these things. But at the same time I hope that she listens and learns from the mistakes of those that came before her.<br />
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What is your personal approach to these talks? What was the hardest topic of conversation you've faced with your kid/s?<br />
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Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-43515138430449085872013-05-28T22:39:00.001-04:002013-05-30T17:53:35.419-04:00How not to run a restaurant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div>I'm not now, nor have I ever been a restaurant/bar owner. However I have worked in enough to know a thing or two, on top of being blessed with a fair amount of common sense. So when I see something that isn't going to work it's either from experience working in the field or just plain old common sense says that's just not cutting it.<br />
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Up until a few days ago I worked in a restaurant that I can with 97.9% positivity guarantee will not be open for more than another 6 months. It's to bad because the owners have put a ton of time and money into the place, unfortunately they don't have the experience or knowledge to keep it open. So here's a list of how not to run a restaurant if you want it to be successful and stay in business.<br />
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1. Don't~ wake up one morning and decide since you love food you should open a restaurant.<br />
Do~ Do your research and when you think you know everything and you're ready to open a restaurant, stop and research more. Learn every little thing you can from successful establishments that have been open for several years.<br />
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2. Do~Know what you want from your establishment. Decide on a theme and work with that theme.<br />
Don't~ Try to be everything to everyone. If you're a bar than be bar, of you want to be family friendly, then go with that,fine dining, etc. You <b>can not</b> be a fine dining restaurant the is also a sports bar/family place/party bar/banquet hall//.<br />
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3. Do~ Come up with an original menu with a decent selection and a signature item or two.<br />
Don't~ Have a novel for a menu, to many items and so many things can go wrong. From the kitchen to the servers, a large menu is just asking for trouble.<br />
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4. Do~ Make sure the menu has a nice layout with easy to read script and prices, as well as a description of each item and what it comes with.<br />
Don't~ Use crazy colors that make the menu hard to read.<br />
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5.Do~Have one person in charge of all ordering of supplies.<br />
Don't~ Have several people ordering different things, this is when something gets ran out of at the worst possible moment.<br />
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6.Do~Make sure if it's on the menu that it's available.<br />
Don't~Put anything that is not constantly in stock on the menu. Save those things for daily specials.<br />
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7.Do~Make sure when hiring staff that you check into their references and prior employment whenever possible.<br />
Don't~ Hire people with absolutely no experience and throw them into their job after a day.<br />
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8. Do~ Make sure you know all the rules, regulations, and laws in regard to pay and treatment of staff.<br />
Don't~ Break any of those rules, or laws.<br />
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9. Do~ Involve your family in the business, if they're able to contribute in anyway.<br />
Don't~ Bring your family issues or unruly children to the job. Both of those things spill over to your customers and staff. <br />
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10. Do~ Treat your staff with respect, courtesy, and honesty.<br />
Don't~ Take your stress out on employees, yell or demean them, or lie to them.<br />
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11. Do~ Make sure you pay your staff on the day that pay is due. They don't work for free, and yes bartenders and servers receive tips, but pay should be given on time every time regardless if they're a tipped employee or regular paid employee.<br />
Don't~ Make employees ask for their pay, not pay them on the day you specified was payday when they were hired, or tell them about your money problems as an excuse for not paying them on time. If you can't afford to pay them, then let them go or close your doors.<br />
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12.Do~ Pay employees according to the job they do. Floor managers should be paid more than the bartender and other servers due to the amount of work they do.<br />
Don't~ Pay all employees the same and think that you will keep quality people on staff. Not paying fairly is a sure fire way to make your best staff, someone elses best staff.<br />
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13.Do~ Have a employee hand book and complete training system in place for new hires.<br />
Don't~ make the rules up as you go for either, or allow an improperly trained person on the floor.<br />
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14.Do~ Have open communication with staff and guests.<br />
Don't~ Send mass texts to employees regarding issues you have with one or more of them, berate them, or to address a change in rules or a grievance.<br />
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15.Do~ Be as polite and accommodating as possible with guests, if an issue arises do everything in your power to make it right.<br />
Don't~ Comp an entire tab for one or two complaints, when just taking the offending item off the bill will suffice.<br />
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16.Do~ Advertise, everything from coupons, yellowpages, news papers. Any where and everywhere to get the name out there.<br />
Don't~ Stick to one area when advertising,or wait till the last minute to put the word out about a special event.<br />
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17.Do~Let the customers see you, and from time to time personally take a minute to greet them and thank them for their business.<br />
Don't~ Get in the way of servers or bartenders trying to do their job, while you are making your rounds, and don't hang around the customers table/area of the bar conversing with them unless they clearly want to talk to you. Most people are not entering your establishment with the purpose of hanging out with you. They are not your friends they are your customers.<br />
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18.Do~ Listen when a complaint is being made about a member of your staff.<br />
Don't~ Yell at or chastise said staff member in front of anyone else, staff or customer.<br />
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19.Do~ Listen when someone whose been in the profession for longer than you has something to say, or a suggestion on what may make things run more smoothly.<br />
Don't~ Think you know everything and the person talking to you is beneath you because your the owner.<br />
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These are just some of the basics.If I sat here long enough or asked others I know who have worked in this business I could easily list another 20 or 30 dos and don'ts. But you get the general idea.<br />
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Have you worked in the food and liquor industry? If so what would you add to this list?<br />
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So here's a little update/add on. After talking to a really good friend whose also been in the business. Again there's probably several dozen more that could be listed. These are just the ones that come to mind from places we've worked, places we've patronized, and stories we've heard from others.<br />
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20. Do~ Hire enough staff to cover the amount of business you get, as it gets busier make sure you have enough people for those times.<br />
Don't~ Have less than the necessary staff on your busiest nights.<br />
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21. Do~Make sure your building is up to code and well maintained. This includes being anal about hygiene, cleanliness and sterilization.<br />
Don't~ Allow your kitchen to be a pit, allow tools such as coolers, dishwashers etc. to fall below regulated temps, or for the bar area to be anything less than pristine. <br />
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Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-4681629270421504472012-10-20T12:53:00.001-04:002012-10-20T12:53:56.438-04:00Truly appreciating my new car<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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When I was 17 I got my first car. It was a hand me down, as all or most teenagers have and should have. My very first car was a 1985 Mercury Grand Marquis, with cream paint and cream leather interior, in it's heyday it was a luxury car. By time I started driving it was just a smidge above ghetto. Don't get me wrong I loved that car and everything it represented, most importantly my freedom and independence to do what I wanted and needed to do when I wanted or needed to do it without having to ask for a ride. I loving named her my land yacht and she got me back and forth from work, and my boyfriends and where ever else my little heart desired to go so long as I continued to put gas in her very thirsty tank. Of course back then gas was like $1 a gallon so $20 would get me pretty far. After about a year or so of driving her around she started giving me some problems, mechanical issues I just didn't have the money to fix so with the help of my boyfriend I traded her in and leased my first new car.<br />
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From then on for the next 10 years or so I drove nothing but new cars. Every 2 years or so a shiny new car would grace my driveway. Sometimes there would be more than one at a time, as the boyfriend became the hubs and we became parents we both needed vehicles. So this continued for about a decade. <br />
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I loved everyone of those vehicles but I will be the first to admit I don't think I ever really appreciated them. I had learned to expect them, that was the way it was. A nice new car that I enjoyed driving but never truly appreciated. <br />
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Then things got rough for awhile and we just couldn't afford to get another new car with a shiny new car payment when are last one went back. So we found the nicest used mini van we could find and purchased it. For 3 years I was just like so many others, I drove around in a car I didn't love but I appreciated it because it was dependable, got me every where I needed to go and when we weren't in a place that we could take on a payment it was paid off.<br />
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I dreamed about the day I could have a new car again, but was also grateful for how lucky I was to have what I did. I knew so many others who didn't have anything, or had unreliable vehicles that would constantly break down. I knew it could be worse and that we were very lucky to have what we did.<br />
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Over the summer I started working and are income had improved, we found ourselves in a place that we could actually afford to take on a payment again. We waited a little while to research and decide if it was the best choice for us. We looked at a lot of different options, hemmed and hawwed over gas mileage, size, etc.<br />
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This past Monday I picked up my new 2013 Ford Escape. It's everything I need and want in a vehicle. It's beautiful, comfortable, roomy enough for my whole family and has amazing gas mileage. The monthly payments are super reasonable, and most importantly I've learned how important it is to not only love your car but to appreciate it.<br />
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I'll never regret my years with my used mini van because it was a great family car, but also because it taught me to appreciate everything I have. Be it a brand new shiny right off the showroom floor car, or one that has 100,000 miles on it and petrified goldfish forever stuck in the carpet under the seats. <br />
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I'll write another post about all the awesomeness that is the Ford Escape later with pictures, but for today I just wanted to write about how important it is to know what you have and not turn into that chick that was once me with the attitude of entitlement and expectation. I'll never expect to get what I want just because that's how it's always been again. Now I'll enjoy every minute of what I have, be grateful for the good and work my butt off to get those things I want.<br />
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Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-85247183614607432202012-06-27T07:13:00.000-04:002012-06-27T07:13:04.278-04:00Our family vacation~ memories made and memories found<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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The family and I just returned from and almost 3 week vacation and honestly I'm glad to be home after all the traveling. We did have an absolutely amazing time. <br />
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10 days were spent in Florida with my mom, who I already miss. She moved almost 7 years ago and I only get to see her once a year, twice if I'm really lucky. It was a great 10 days though. We spent a few days at the beach near where my mom lives, took a trip to Orlando and spent the day at Universals Islands of Adventure (really cool place), spent a day at Daytona Beach which was a first for all of us (except for my mom) and spent some time with my grandfather and great-grandmother. <br />
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I think out of all the family time though my favorite day was the day I spent with just me and my mom. My amazing husband stayed at my moms with the kids and our dog and hers so we could have a mother~daughter day. Something we haven't done in many years. It was really awesome we didn't do anything super exciting just some shopping, including drooling of Coach bags at the Coach outlet,picked up some clothes for the princess at the Justice outlet, and the little prince at the Carter outlet, and a few things for myself a Rue 21, after shopping we went to Old Saint Augustine and wandered around and had a late lunch. What was so great about it was just being able to spend time with her and not have to share her attention with my kids or anyone else. Maybe that sounds selfish, but I don't care how old we get sometimes a girl just needs time with her mom. <br />
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When it came time to leave we had all had a great time, but it was so hard to say goodbye. My mom, the princess and I all cried, and the princess and I continued to cry for a good 100 miles after we got on the road. I know it was hard for mom too, but she swears she's coming up no matter what for Christmas. I sure hope nothing happens to stop that from happening, I may have to hurt someone.<br />
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After we left Florida we headed up to Tennessee to visit with my dads side of the family. Our trips there are a tradition that started the summer I was pregnant with the princess and have continued every year since. I have a huge extended family there and I love them to pieces. We say with my great-uncle (my grandmas baby brother) who I've always been fairly close to but really became a special an important part of my life when my grandmother passed away. He's absolutely amazing he's like the keeper of the families stories. While we were there I was able to spend time with some of my cousins and an aunt who has always been a favorite. There isn't a ton to do in the small town they live in but it doesn't matter much when you get to see family that is able to give you pieces of your past back. While I spent time with them I was told story after story about my grandparents when they were young, when they were older and I was already around, my dad both as a child and adult, even things about my childhood I only vaguely remember. It is always so amazing to hear these stories and have them brought back to life for me. I miss my dad and grandparents so much and they are able to make me feel a little closer to them. Of course it makes me sad that their not here, to see me and the life I've built with the hubs and the beautiful children we have, or for those children to get to know. But at least I have these wonderful people in my life that loved them too, and can help me teach my kids about their grandpa and great grandparents who would have loved them with every breath in their bodies. <br />
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I was pretty emotional during the time we were in Tennessee from already having had to say goodbye to my mom, and then from my walk down memory lane. So when it came time to say goodbye to my uncle I was a wreck. We both cried (we always do) but my heart felt like it was breaking to walk away and get in my car this time. I sobbed over having to leave him, over missing my mom, over the deep ache that will never go away from the loss of my daddy and grandparents and over the distance between so many of our family members (and I don't mean in miles).<br />
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I realized on this trip that not only does family mean everything to me, but I need to do more to try to fix a few relationships that I've allowed to become splintered and broken, while there are some I may never be able to do anything about, and some I need to let go. But for my heart and my babies sake I need to make things right or at least try and if I don't make the first step then chances are no one else will either. <br />
<br />Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-52000439412494457592012-06-07T22:06:00.002-04:002012-06-07T22:06:56.884-04:00And another school year comes to an end<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Tomorrow morning I will drop my munchkins off for their last day as a kindergartner and a fourth grader, and it's oh so bitter sweet. It's been a long crazy year with many changes and more to come, both at home and school. <br />
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On a personal level we moved from the only home the kids had ever known and out of the city to a completely different district, we were able to finish the school year but were unsure what next year would bring. After a lot of thought, tears, agonizing and talking it over as a family we decided to go ahead and apply for out of district school of choice and see if we could at least keep the kids in the school they knew and loved. The girl was especially heart broken at the prospect of leaving her friends and classmates all of whom she had been with since pre-school, next year is huge for her 5th grade graduation, the dance, along with a dozen other activities just for them and I can't say as I blame her for being upset at the thought of leaving. I was too, I love that school as much as she does, it truly has a sense of community I don't want to lose. So we applied and within a very short time were thankfully accepted. So my babies get to stay where I know they'll be happy.<br />
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On a school level we gained several classes and couple hundred students when another local school closed it's doors, we also went from having only a principle to also having a vice principle. Many of our teachers moved grades and a few retired. The biggest news though was finding out a few months back that our principle of 18 years was in the running for the superintendent of the districts position. She got that position with the backing and blessing of everyone of us, because if she can do for our entire district what she's done with our school amazing things are in store for everyone who attends that cities schools. That does leave us wondering who will fill her shoes, and those are very big shoes to fill, but I have faith that she will leave us in good hands.<br />
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The princess was blessed not one year but two years in a row with an amazing teacher that we both came to love and adore and I believe will both miss something awful next year. To the point I almost begged her to move up a grade just one more time so that the girl could stay with her throughout her 5th grade year as well. Sadly it was not to be. I have put in a request for a particular teacher for next year but I won't know till a few weeks before school starts if she will get her or not. Hopefully whomever she ends up with will be half as wonderful as the teacher she's had these last two years, because she's one that will leave a lasting impression for a lifetime.<br />
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The little prince was beyond blessed this year and after the amazing pre-school teacher he had she was a hard act to follow. But his teachers, yes plural were more than I could have ever asked for. The main teacher Mrs.G is actually retiring this year and I want to cry just typing this, because she so obviously cares and loves these kids. I just thank god she chose to wait one more year before leaving, so that my son and I got the chance to be apart of her class. And her co-teacher Ms.C is probably one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I have no idea how to thank these women for everything they've done to help prepare my baby for what comes next. Especially when I wasn't entirely sure at the start of this year if he was ready for any of this. But thanks to the hard work they put in everyday I know he is not only ready but will do well. <br />
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So tomorrow when I drop them off I will be happy for the break that comes and excited for the munchkins because they made it through yet another year and are now 1st and 5th graders. But a little sad because they are growing up so fast and because some amazing women that have graced our lives will be gone when we return next fall. I wish them the best in whatever comes next on their journeys and hope that maybe someday our paths might cross again, even if it's just for a quick hello.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-35506324061278239342012-05-14T11:32:00.002-04:002012-05-14T11:32:44.549-04:00The scare of my life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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On Friday after school the princess went home with a friend and stayed the night. Saturday afternoon I picked her up, and off to my godsons birthday party her, her brother and I went. She was a little more clingy than normal but I didn't notice anything off about her and she played with the kids like she normally would. <br />
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But that night sitting down talking with her dad we noticed that the right side of her mouth wasn't moving when she talked. We thought she was purposely talking out of the side of her mouth, after a few minutes we noticed her right eye was a little droopy and wasn't blinking either. The longer we looked at her the more concerned we both became. In all honesty though I'd never heard of a 10 y/o having one she looked like she had, had a stroke. She said she felt fine but there was definitely something not right going on. <br />
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Not having any idea what could be wrong, we decided the best course of action would be to take her to the emergency room just to be safe. Because of the type of symptoms she was having they got her in very quickly, and though he doctor determined in the first few minutes that she most likely had Bell's Palsy they still had to run the full gamut of test for the stroke protocol. <br />
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After 4 of the longest hours of my life she was officially diagnosed with Bell's Palsy and prescribed steroids, has to wear and eye patch to bed and use eye drops to keep her eye moist since she is unable to blink on that side. They have no idea what may have caused this, especially since she has had no illness in the recent past. They do want her to follow up with a neurologist even though all the tests they ran at the time came back clean. The doctor at the hospital assured me that she would be ok and shouldn't have any long term complications from this. It will probably last a few weeks to a few months, and will gradually get better till it is gone.<br />
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But I have to admit I'm still scared. I know from everything I've read she's 99.9% likely to be absolutely fine, and it's something that just happens sometimes. But I also know it's not all that common in children and it usually happens after some kind of viral infection, head trauma, or other illness. She's had nothing wrong with her recently except for this. It's just super scary when you have a perfectly healthy child suddenly have something like this happen. I can only begin to imagine what parents with kids far worse off than mine go through, and my heart goes out to them even more if that's possible. <br />
<br />Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-500725526552252362012-02-15T23:44:00.000-05:002012-02-15T23:44:50.333-05:00The princess hits double digits10 years ago on this date I was in full on labor with my first child. The princess was born on February 16th at 2:52p.m. after 25 1/2 hours of excruciating labor. I've written about that <a href="http://randommusingsfrombeckysworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/9-years-ago-today.html">before</a> so I won't go into all the details again. <br />
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Tomorrow morning when my beautiful baby girl wakes up she will be 10 years old, double digits y'all that's crazy. I've officially been in possession of this most precious of gifts for a decade. (I'm feeling really old right now) So when my girl wakes up in the morning we will sing to her and smother her in hugs and kisses, and give her the second of her outrageous gifts. We may have spoiled her a bit this year. Today we gave her the first of her gifts which was her new 22' flat screen tv with a built in dvd, tomorrow she gets her new ipod nano. I won't apologize for being a tad bit excessive though, both of my kids are gifts I'm lucky to have and I want to give them the world, seeing as that's not possible I do what I can. Also she's a damn amazing kid. I won't begin to pretend she's perfect but like the songs says She's close enough to perfect for me. <br />
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I count my blessings everyday for what a wonderful kid she truly is, she has her moments of little miss sassy pants, but she tries hard to help me out as much as she can, she does what she's told most of the time, she doesn't yell or throw tantrums like I've seen so many kids her age do, she has a heart of pure gold and would give the shirt off her back if someone was in need. I'll take some of the credit for her good behavior, we all know parenting plays a part. But to be honest the majority is just who she is. She's just a wonderful soul, that's full of life and love that shines on everyone who has the opportunity to have her in their life. <br />
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So yea we spoiled her a bit, were also having a party for her this weekend nothing over the top there. Just a party at home with family and friends, food, cake and ice cream. Oh and how could I possibly forget the sleepover. It won't be the first by any means but it is the first time I didn't limit the number of overnight guests. I really have no idea how many little girls I will be hosting all night, but it should be interesting. The party itself is Smurf themed but the sleepover will be spa night. Yes folks I may have finally gone over the edge and lost what was left of my mind. But the girl, she's looking forward to it so a good time will be had, even if it kills this mama. I do think Xanax may be in order by time the night is over, please wish me luck. <br />
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For now though I just want to tell my beautiful girl how much I love her and wish her the happiest of Birthdays <3 <br />
<br />Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-45993656607669811902012-01-29T10:59:00.000-05:002012-01-29T10:59:58.886-05:00The closing of a chapterTomorrow marks the closing of a chapter in mine and my families lives. We've known for almost a year this was coming and for the most part were all ok with it, the hubs and myself are even relieved it will finally be over. Tomorrow we sign the closing papers on our old house and it is officially another young woman's new home. Her first new home at that. I have to admit that makes me feel well kinda good. That house was our first home.<br />
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We bought it when I was about 7 months pregnant with my daughter who is about to be 10 in just a few short weeks. We planned our wedding surrounded by those walls, we cried over the loss of a pregnancy, we rejoiced over the conception and birth of our son, we fought, we loved, we had many family gatherings. It was a wonderful first home to us even if the bank wasn't so wonderful, the memories of that house will always be with us, cherished reminders of our first decade as a family.<br />
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Leaving it has been both easy and hard. Easy because we had plenty of time to get use to the idea, not to mention our new home is also mine and the husbands old home. We moved back to the house we lived in with my in-laws before we bought our own house. Only now the new house is remodeled to our standards and the in-laws have all moved on to different lives. But I think moving to a house we all know so well has made it easier. It's also been hard more for the kids but emotionally for us as well. This is the only home my babies ever knew, and as I said this was our first home. We picked every piece of carpet out, painted every wall, laid tile and marble ourselves. Not to mention I'm giving up some truly amazing neighbors, whom I will miss desperatly, hell I already do. Miss R from next door who moved in after her just as amazing grandmother passed away. You just don't find them like her, or Miss C from across the street with her beautiful backyard garden who always had an ear and a shoulder to offer. Or the great school moms that were within walking distance, and were always there for one another. I will miss all of them, thankfully I have Facebook to keep in touch, but we all know it'll never be quite the same. <br />
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The other really hard thing about this move will be the transferring of schools next school year. I refuse to pull my kids in the middle of the year, but next year I have no choice I just can't keep up the 20 minute drives one way 5x a week. That makes me as sad as it does my daughter. She's been there since kindergarten and next year would be her final year there. We've both invested a lot of time in that school, a new school is as scary a concept for me as it is to her. I love volunteering and being a part of the school, now just like the kids I have to meet new teachers, new staff and try to make new mom friends. Honestly I'm freaking out a little. <br />
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But tomorrow it's time to close this chapter in our lives. The home we've all known for so long will be someone else's. It will be her turn to make it hers, paint the walls, put in new carpet, re-tile floors, and begin making her own memories. I wish her all the luck in the world and I hope she finds much happiness there as we once did. May the closing of this chapter in our lives be the beginning of even better chapters for everyone involved.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-89059642964270226112012-01-03T09:44:00.000-05:002012-01-03T09:44:43.605-05:00Skylanders and the a-holes on ebayFor Christmas we got the lil man the Skylanders set up for the Wii. For those of you unaware of what this is, it's the newest generation of Spyro the dragon game. You get a disk, a portal, and 3 character figures. Then you must buy extra figures to help advance you further in the game. I bought him 2 extra packs of figures and figured he could buy more after Christmas with the money I knew he was getting from the grandmas. <br />
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He loves his game and of course wanted to get more figures as soon as he had money to do so. So like a good mommy I got his want list and off to the store I went. 6 stores later and I hadn't been able to lay my hands on 1 single Skylanders figure. Turns out this is one of the hottest sellers this season, and either A)the stores were all completely unprepared for this, B) the manufactures were and didn't have enough product made, or C) a little bit of both. Either way after several hours and much agonizing I came home empty handed. So I went to the internet and couldn't believe what I saw.<br />
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People on ebay have these figures all day long and are making and enormous profit from them. I now understand why the stores are out. Normal people didn't go out and buy these. Asshole ebay sellers did so they could sell them for double, triple sometimes even more than the actual price. I'm dumbfounded, whats worse is people are paying these prices. Listings read very rare, hard to find, blah,blah, blah. Yeah because people like this seller went and bought the local store out of every single piece on the shelf. Stores should really have some kinda of quantity rules when it comes to hot ticket items like that. I mean it's kind of obvious when someone is buying multiples of the exact same item they aren't for their own household. And people should really wise up and quit playing into the scam I've actually seen people bidding on 1 single figure for over $100 that I heard is coming back out in the next couple weeks for under $20. <br />
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Don't get me wrong I love ebay and will shop through them when I'm having trouble finding something or looking for a deal, but I hate when I see people twist it's purpose in this way. Although their not alone in this one, I went on Amazon this morning and saw similar price gouging going on there, just not to the extremes I witnessed it on ebay.<br />
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Where does the greed end? These are children's games and people are trying to make the biggest profit possible off some poor hard working parent whose just trying to give their kids the toys they want. I can even understand wanting to make a profit but this is just beyond ridiculous. <br />
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A couple of great things about the game itself is if your interested in purchasing the start up kit you can get it for almost any system (Wii, Nintendo 3ds, PC/MAC, XBox) and only the portal and disk are different for each system. The figues themselves are universal so if you find them they are good for any system. The game says 10 and up but my lil man is 5 and really has no trouble at all with it. Both my kids enjoy playing and to be honest the hubs and I don't mind getting suckered into playing with them. Draw back is obviously how hard it is to get the extra characters and it is only a 2 player game.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6D7UngI67xwzZZs85MN_D441yD2Tyr5SufvVKRK2309MF1OUlChHR8ovcovC49zsXVsYuEI-j55XTTQjR42yl0awTf7XfjfkKcbFJ4LK60KnMSKr6tdZogwUAEWjjSmJCgFsegYuYwSy/s1600/2079829-box_skyland_large.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6D7UngI67xwzZZs85MN_D441yD2Tyr5SufvVKRK2309MF1OUlChHR8ovcovC49zsXVsYuEI-j55XTTQjR42yl0awTf7XfjfkKcbFJ4LK60KnMSKr6tdZogwUAEWjjSmJCgFsegYuYwSy/s320/2079829-box_skyland_large.png" /></a></div><br />
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*Disclaimer legal thingie this post was in no way sponsored by anyone I bought the video game and all opinions are my own. However if Skylander, or anyone else would like to send my kids extra figures I won't say no. (you can't see it but I'm giving you a big cheesy smile and batting my eyes)<br />
<br />Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-58010709324523303682011-12-02T09:01:00.001-05:002011-12-02T09:43:32.072-05:00Sell this house~The stranger merry go roundIt's now December and were still living in our house. The new house is finally showing real signs that we've been working on it. Most of the painting is done, the carpet is in all the bedrooms, linoleum gets put in the kitchen and dining room today. There's still the hardwood floor in the living room, and a bunch of little thing that need to be done, and then of course there's the basement. But the worst of it will be done and it will be just about ready for moving in. <br />
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Now we just need to sell this house. We've had quite a few showings, at least 2 or 3 a week but no bids as far as I know. It's only been on the market for a couple months and I know that's not to bad and I'm not really stressing about the length of time it's taking, it's the showings themselves. That part is kind of a nightmare. First you have to deal with the randomness of the timing, my relator will call me with anywhere from an hour to 2 days notice, I've actually had them call me 9:50 and say someone is coming between 10 and 11. I then have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make sure the place is presentable. Because try as I might I just can't keep the house clean enough,(thanks kids for all your help on that). <br />
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Then there's the fact there are strange people traipsing through my house. I know it's necessary to sell it, but there's strangers in my house. Logically I know they could care less about my personally possessions, but it still weirds me out. I can never get this book I read once out of my head. In the book this perfectly unassuming guy would go to an open house, and after everyone else left he would stay behind by hiding under a bed or in a closet, he would then kidnap the unsuspecting female do horrible things to her and kill her. Needless to say I've had some sleepless nights and a nightmare or 2 since this process started, it definitely didn't help when one of the relators forgot to lock up on their way out.<br />
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We don't have a lock box either so someone needs to be here to let each showing in before we can leave, so I've had the pleasure of seeing most of the potential buyers and though most of them have been normal everyday people a couple have just added to my OMG I'm so going to have those nightmares tonight. One guy even looked exactly like the guy described in the book, I almost sent him away.<br />
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On top of all that it's the holidays so now I'm all stressed about weather I should go all out and do my regular decorating routine, or if that will turn off a potential buyer, but I don't want to ruin my kids Christmas traditions because someone that's looking at the house may not like my mistletoe being hung from the door way. I just can't wait till it's over and I don't have to hear the words we have someone scheduled to come look at your property today at blah, blah, blah. That will be nice.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-13163020328360381072011-10-11T22:51:00.000-04:002011-10-11T22:57:32.313-04:00Remembering The Band's BabiesOctober 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Something everyone of us has been affected by in some way. Maybe you've lost a baby, maybe you've miscarried, or maybe someone close to you has gone through one of these. <br />
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So on Saturday October 15 <a href="http://www.bandbacktogether.com/">Band Back Together</a> will be~<br />
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<a href="http://www.bandbacktogether.com/remembering-bands-babies">Remembering The Band's Babies</a><br />
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The Band will have a post that will be continuously updated with your babies you want to remember. To participate please send the following to jana@bandbacktogether.com with the subject OCTOBER 15.<br />
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Baby’s name (or names for twins, triplets or multiple losses)<br />
Dates and the cause of death (miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, heart defect, group b strep, etc.)<br />
URL to your blog or a post about your baby(ies)<br />
Your first name if you want it included<br />
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If you'd like to share your stories here you can e-mail me at rsavu30@gmail.com with the same information as above. We may not have our babies here with us physically, but their memories never leave us and deserve to be shared. <br />
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Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-87335384610704029042011-10-04T10:02:00.000-04:002011-10-04T10:02:58.000-04:00Yea I'm a union wife
The hubs is a United Auto Worker. He works for the company that didn't take a bailout. His father before him worked for the same company. My grandparents both worked for rival auto companies. Needless to say I grew up understanding that the UAW was important and that they were what helped keep food in my belly and a roof over my head.
But I also understood then and now what they did for the labor movement. Without the UAW workers rights would have been and still would today be trampled all over. Safety would be next to non existent. I'm not saying the UAW did this on their own, lord knows unions all across this country in many different forms made a difference but the UAW is what I know. They're the ones that have taken care of me and mine for pretty much my entire life in one form or another and I'm sick and tired of sitting back and listening to people bash the union and it's members.
Now I'm not naive I know they're not perfect. I know there's corruption, I know there are area's that need improvement. But I also know without the UAW there would be 10s of thousands or more men and women unemployed or working at unreasonably low wages with craptastic to no benefits. These members fought long and hard to get what they have today and without doing what they've done, people in other industries would have no map to follow to fight for their own wage increases, better benefits etc. These are hard working men and women who go to work everyday, they have earned and deserve what they get. Sure they're are some that have learned to work the system. They're are always going to be a few bad apples. But to sit and call an entire group of people lazy and worthless because of a handful of people is ridiculous.
I hear almost daily how the unions did what was needed and just aren't needed any longer. Really? Do people really believe if they just went away that big business wouldn't just do away with all the hard fought for and earned rights they gained? Who would be there to make sure they were kept in line? Government? I somehow doubt it when in most places it seems our government is hard at work looking for ways to get rid of our unions. What about health and safety? Who will look out for the health and safety of the workers? Again I don't see the government doing this, they can't even look out for our poor.
The wages of the union members have helped keep economies going, think I'm wrong look at areas where plants have shut down. Take away those jobs and money is no longer being spent in those areas before long those areas dry up. Flint, Michigan is a perfect example of this, and I'm sure that many of you can think of other areas this has happened to. Take away the unions all together and we go back to the days of big business being our overlords and all the rest of us being their serfs. Maybe I'm wrong and I'm just holding on because of the hubs job, maybe if he was in another industry I would feel differently but some how I doubt it.
Oh and for the record the average income of an hourly worker in 2010 was not $109,000 as one idiotic Michigan news station reported, nor do workers make $58 or more and hour. The average income in 2010 was around $74,000 if that person was lucky enough to pull in overtime maybe more if they worked 65 to 70 hour weeks but I guarantee you the average was no where near what was quoted. (I know this because the hubs worked every minute of overtime his building allowed and didn't come near that and he had the highest hours in his building) and $28 an hour is the max that any worker is making without o/t. Yes they do receive pretty good benefits, but don't hate them for that.If you want to be mad that your employer can't or doesn't offer the same be mad that the system is so screwed that it's not affordable for everyone, or that insurance companies are allowed to get away with the crap they are. Either way all the ills of the world are not the UAWs fault they can only do so much and their jobs are to take care of their workers. At the end of the day unions aren't the enemy, corrupt government, to big business, and jealousy are the enemy.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-75291862054937066672011-09-24T09:59:00.000-04:002011-09-24T09:59:40.776-04:00When puberty strikesMy princess is 9,her next birthday is about 5 months away and she'll be the dreaded double digits. I really haven't been that worried about this age, not like I worry about the impending teen years. <br />
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But I've noticed some changes lately that have made me realize the teen years aren't that far off, and she doesn't need to be a teenager to have things start happening that are freaking me out a little.<br />
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A couple days ago as she was getting dressed I walked in her room to hurry her along, (she is so slow in the mornings I'm starting to think maybe getting her up and hour earlier is necessary)so I walk in and notice these 2 little points poking out of her shirt. Well hell really she's only 9, I grab a cami and tell her to put it on under her current shirt and sure enough there's 2 pointy little nips poking out. What? When did this happen? This is my baby girl right? When did all this growing up start? Where the hell do I find a sports bra in her size?<br />
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At least now I am starting to understand her mood swings and emotional outbursts a little better. But cripes I thought I had a few more years. So I talked to a friend of mine with 3 girls one of which is the princesses bff, and 2 that are older and she informed me that nope it can start this early and even more fun is in store within the next 2 years. Lovely.<br />
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We've already had the talk about what she can expect when she gets her period. We had this talk for many reasons one is because the girls in our family do tend to develop young but not quite this young. I just keep hoping that this is a really slow process. But if the last few months are any indication of what we can expect it so won't be as slow as I want it to be. <br />
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I can just imagine how much fun the next oh say 5 or 6 years are going to be around here. For now I'll be planning a shopping trip for some mini sized bras oh what fun.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-47078172850594423752011-09-02T18:33:00.000-04:002011-09-02T18:33:33.596-04:00Choosing to let goSome friendships last forever, some for a short period of time. Sometimes they're worth fighting for with everything you have, other times you have to make the decision to let it go and walk away.<br />
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I've recently been faced with one of these choices in this particular instance I'm going with the latter. I thought this person was a good friend I've been there for them through some serious amounts of bs in their life. But when someone decided to go all kinds of high school and bring my name into their family drama instead of talking to me like a true friend this persons first reaction was to turn on me and accuse me of things I didn't say or do. I chose not to fall into this crap, I told them I did nothing wrong,but if they wanted to throw our friendship away over this that was their choice, I wished them well and told them I was done, and that's exactly where I stand. <br />
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Since I made position clear this person has sent me several messages wanting answers at this point I refuse to respond any further. I understand they've had a rough life and have trust issues but I wont be dragged into these kind of dramatic high school games no matter who is behind them. I have more than enough going on in my own life to worry about my friends turning on me too. <br />
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It's sad and I'm sorry to say goodbye to someone I once considered a good friend but sometimes that's just the choice that has to be made. I have to do what's best for my own life and family. I wish this person the best in life and hope that they can find peace and happines in their family, unfortunately I just can't be apart of that lif any longer.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-80647387721159661782011-09-01T10:26:00.000-04:002011-09-02T17:26:51.731-04:00New name same great BeckyI'm sure a couple of you noticed there was a change of name on my blog. I figured I should give a quick explanation. I received a very cordial cease an desist order, in the form of an email stating that apparently my previous blog name is already in use and has been for some time. So being the nice person I am I changed my blog name and url.I didn't really have a choice the person who had already been using it has had it since 2006 and it really is only right. She was pretty nice about it too. So if you follow me please be sure to update in you feed etc. <br />
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In happier news I finally figured out how to blog from my nook and android so there will be more posts coming in the near future.Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-84145449892888696322011-07-30T09:37:00.000-04:002011-07-30T09:37:13.189-04:00Weekly ramblings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">~The hubs worked on a buddies Mustang the other day and when he was finished he had to drop it off at work for the guy. I haven't driven a really nice Mustang like that since before the hubs sold his a few years ago so he let me drive it. The whole time it took everything I had to behave and drive like a responsible adult, especially with that damn voice in my head chanting "Drive it like you stole it, drive it like you stole it" over and over. I didn't but man did I want to. He's lucky we didn't have to take the freeway or I totally would have given in to the voice. I still keep dreaming about that damn car, now I feel the undeniable urge to steal it.<br />
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~After dropping off his buddies Mustang the hubs stopped to talk for a minute while I went to park, as I drove by I heard someone ask him if that was his daughter driving. I laughed a lot. Hubs is 32 in a couple weeks & I just turned 31. That's just funny. I asked him later about it, he said the guy thought I must be his daughter because he thought his wife was fat and ugly. Now I'm wondering what the hell the hubs says about me at work. It's driving me a little nutty wondering. <br />
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~The last few weeks at the new house have been spent on cleaning out anything that's garbage, needs to go to the garage sale, or does not belong to someone in my immediate family or my MIL or BIL., and peeling wall paper. Lots of wallpaper, some of it painted over. For the love of all that is holy if you have wallpaper you don't like and you decide you want to paint, scrape that crap off first. You or the future owners of the house will appreciate it in the future. Besides I'm pretty sure it's like bad house juju to paint over wallpaper, or at least it should be.<br />
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~The princess is so cute the hubs and I are getting new phones and I told her I was adding her pick up and go phone onto our contract because it was cheaper. She say's "well since your getting a new one you can just give me your old one, I don't want a junky old flip phone anymore" Right darling daughter because a 9 year old who only uses their phone for emergencies and to call mom for a ride or to say good night needs and Android 2, with a $50 a month data package. I think not lovely. Next thing I know the 4 y/o will be demanding a phone too. Sheesh. <br />
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~About those new phones I had to go to the Verizon store to get the hubs a new one since his well is useless, can't even shut his alarm off now the screen is so cracked and he's way over due for an upgrade anyway. So I go in expecting to have to deal with another airhead (the last 3 times I've been there the chicks I've dealt with have been 27 grams short of a pound) but yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by Ed he was spectacular. He understood what I was telling him about my account (that one of the previous airheads totally screwed up) the first time and was able to help me right away and he hooked me up with a free phone on top of the hubs new one so yay for once I didn't leave confused or angry by what just happened. He even let me know when he'd be in so I could bring the phones back in so he could transfer all our stuff over. Ed is my new bff at the Verizon store. I'm totally calling ahead from now on to make sure he's in.<br />
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~ I've learned that staring at things does not suddenly make what you want to happen. EX: staring into the freezer will not make the last ice cream cone reappear after someone and theived it, nor will staring at my humongous pile of dirty clothes or dishes make them wash themselves. I find this to be ridiculous. Also I want that damn magic wand I was promised in a dream.<br />
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~It occurred to me yesterday that there's only 4 more weeks left of summer vacation, this both saddened me and made me want to dance a jig. I'm sad because the sooner school starts the sooner the leaves will fall and the awful 4 letter word will come, I want to run around dancing like a crazy person because this mama needs a break from her kids. (I'm not the only on right)<br />
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~While most people I know are whining about the amazing amount of sweat inducing heat we've had this summer, I've for the most part reveled in it. I can not abide by the cold. In fact I take great issue with my parents producing me in such and arctic wasteland. I think I should become a snow bird now even though the hubs and I are no where near retirement age. Don't get me wrong I love the Mitten for about 4 months out of the year, sometimes 5.<br />
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</div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-19758235768935931902011-07-12T12:39:00.000-04:002011-07-12T12:39:57.279-04:00Downy UnstoppablesAbout a week or so ago I received a nifty little package in the mail that said blogger exclusive on it. Well now my curiosity was piqued. This was the first time I had received anything as a blogger so I have to admit I was pretty excited. So I rip into the packaging and it's a full size sample of Downy Unstopables from Vocalpoint which they would like me to try out and if I would like to share my opinion on my blog they wouldn't mind.<br />
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Ok I can handle this. I like free stuff, I definitely don't mind giving my opinion so here we go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4D5igMY_n7N13oA268obe5yZ0LeRZneFe7CtVBoT2VHdk-qWFRYjkAOpNiORLapU2IuwQtDDEzABUMZa6Do3XKShmkx2GRfJrX91IK7Nlwa0bBwjVNH-RjHf9RGIfedSepnxVwbtfzksk/s1600/bg_address.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4D5igMY_n7N13oA268obe5yZ0LeRZneFe7CtVBoT2VHdk-qWFRYjkAOpNiORLapU2IuwQtDDEzABUMZa6Do3XKShmkx2GRfJrX91IK7Nlwa0bBwjVNH-RjHf9RGIfedSepnxVwbtfzksk/s320/bg_address.png" width="268" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
<b>What it is:</b><br />
<br />
Downy Unstopables in wash scent booster is a new laundry scent booster. The dissolving scent beads go in before you start the wash. (They say to do it before so more scent infuses into your laundry and that the scent lasts for up to 30 days, I haven't had it for that long so I can't prove it but I can guarantee it lasts at least 8)<br />
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<b>How to use:</b><br />
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1) Gather a load of laundry<br />
2) Shake a little or a lot of the Downy Unstopables into the cap<br />
3) Pour directly into drum of washing machine<br />
4) Add detergent<br />
5) Add laundry<br />
6) Enjoy the lasting fresh scent<br />
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I decided to start with a load of towells for 3 reasons. First it was the biggest load I had, second they were all damp and starting to smell kind of funky and third I'm notorious for forgetting them in the washer for at least a few extra hours and them starting to get that smell (you know the smell).<br />
<br />
So I liberally filled the cap and poured it in and proceeded to fill the washer with my detergent and towells. After the cycle was finished and I went to pull the load of towells out the scent was a little over powering and I decided I had been a little to liberal with the scented beads. So on the next load I cut the amount from a full cap to a little under a half cap that was much better.<br />
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It's now been 8 days and the towells and sheets that were washed with the Downy Unstopables still smell as fresh and clean as they did fresh out of the dryer.<br />
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<br />
<i>Disclaimer: I received no compensation from Downy for this review. Vocalpoint did send me the sample for trial and review purposes. </i> <br />
<br />
If you or anyone you know are interested in becoming a Vocalpoint member and getting the chance to sample exclusive products and give your opinions visit their website at www.vocalpoint.comBeckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-83944867342408826392011-06-30T19:37:00.000-04:002011-06-30T19:37:10.086-04:00I'm just floored<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In my last post I talked about my personal experiences with the loss of my father and the more recent leaving of my father in law. Now my father in law leaving was rough on the family but all his children are grown, he didn't abandon any of us. He is just taking a different path now in what I guess you could call his twilight years.<br />
<br />
But the night I posted that I talked to a pretty close friend and found out her husband is leaving her and her kids. Just totally walking out on his family. This floored me, hell it devastated me. This was a couple I thought would be together forever. I've only known them for about 6 years but in that time I've seen what I would call an extremely close family, and a couple that could survive damn near anything, and from the stories I've heard they had. But not this time.<br />
<br />
I don't know all the details and even if I did it's not my story to tell but there's some old demons that have reared their heads again. Apparently this time he just can't or won't find the strength to exorcise them. So instead this man whom I always thought very highly of is walking away from his beautiful wife, his high school sweet heart, the mother of his 3 beautiful girls, the woman whose stood by his side through everything and not just her but their children. He's just giving up on all of them and leaving, not just the home but the state. I don't understand.<br />
<br />
I'm trying not to judge him because I haven't spoken to him, nor have I walked in his shoes. But I'm having a hard time seeing anything that makes how he's handling this situation ok. The youngest daughter is the princesses very best friend in the whole world and like a third child of ours and I can't stand the idea of anything hurting this child, and she idolized her father.<br />
<br />
My friend is one of the most amazing, strongest women I've ever met and I had to watch her fall apart while she told me what was going on. I don't blame her for falling apart, I wouldn't expect anything less, what upsets me is that someone so strong that has been through so much in her life should not have to go through this. She should not be worrying about how to get her girls through this, or thinking what she did wrong, or to deserve this. She's not perfect none of us are but damn it she deserves happiness and to have her family. She should be making plans for family camping trips, summer bbq's, our get togethers to the beach. Not stressing out about making sure her kids don't see her upset, or worrying about getting them into counseling to deal with the fall out.<br />
<br />
The whole situation just really suck and I wish there was more I could do. But all I can do is be here when she needs a friend and keep telling her it's not her fault. All I can say is WTF, and hope and pray that they all make it through this ok and maybe just maybe he comes to his senses and realizes everything he's walking away from. </div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-56180493116524891892011-06-29T11:03:00.000-04:002011-06-29T14:23:06.629-04:00When fathers leave<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've been thinking about dads a lot lately. Yeah I know fathers day was over a week ago but this isn't really a fathers day post anyway. I'm talking about more when fathers leave your life for one reason or another. Be it their choice or lifes.<br />
<br />
Ok yesterday would have been my dads 59th birthday. But my dad died 13 years ago this August, and his birthday, fathers day, the date of his death, really a big chunk of summer is really hard for me to get through with out thinking about him. Obsessing over things left unsaid. Wondering if he would be proud of the woman I became. Wishing he could have been here to see his grandbabies, would he have liked the hubs, would we be as close today as I think we would have. Regretting all the little moments he should have been here for from giving me away even though I had my amazing poppy to do that job I still wish my dad would have been here. Or for my sisters graduations, or for the births of my kids or to talk some sense into my sister when she started dating the ass jacket she's with (though I know she never would have felt the need to be with some loser like him in the first place but that's a different story altogether) there's just so many things in all our lives I know would be so different if my daddy were still here. A piece of all of us died when he left this earth and nothings ever been the same.<br />
<br />
I think this year it's hitting me a little harder than most because of every thing going on with my father in law. Today he leaves for Romania and were not really sure were ever going to see him again. He basically gave hubs and I his house, has said he has no intentions of returning to our state at all if and when he comes back to the states and we only have a vague idea of where he will be in Romania. On top of all that the man is in his 70's and not in the best of health to begin with. It's kind of like were saying our final farewell. Only I didn't get to do that. I tried to go say good bye to him yesterday but he wasn't around like he was supposed to be. And today I won't be able to go with the hubs and kids to take them to the airport because I'm watching my girlfriends kids and I can't drag 3 extra munchkins with us.<br />
<br />
I'll be the first to admit I'm not always my FIL's biggest fan but I still love the old guy. But most of all I know that his leaving and the possibility of never seeing him again is really hurting the hubs. He's not saying to much about it but he loves that old man and he's gonna miss him something awful. I just hope and pray for him and the kids sake that this isn't the final goodbye. That they get at least a little more time even if it's just a visit here and there. The not knowing where he is and how he's doing is the worst. <br />
<br />
I know in my FIL's heart he feels were all going to be fine without him.So he's not needed any longer and for the most part he's right we can all take care of ourselves. But we still want our family around, we'd like to know he's ok and to see him from time to time. I guess for now we'll just have to wait and see what happens.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">Update: I did manage to go for a few minutes and see my father in law before the hubs and kids took him and the wife to the airport. So I was able to say my goodbyes and was shocked to find myself choking up and ready to cry like a baby. I can't believe how heart breaking it was for me to realize I may never see the old man again. We may not have always seen eye to eye and agreed on everything but I really do love the old coot, he's family and such a huge part of my life for the past 13 years I don't know what were going to do without him around. I just hope and pray this isn't the last time we see him. The good news is this time we do have a phone number and address so we can at least stay in touch,</span></i></div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-40921200248990751402011-06-25T10:14:00.000-04:002011-06-25T10:14:57.685-04:00Vacation fun and back to reality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The family and I just returned home from a wonderful 9 day vacation to sunny, fabulous Florida. No one really wanted to come back to the Mitten. Why would we? It's beautiful down there, the weather was amazing (I love hot, not cold) and well there was no craptastic family bs to deal with. 9 days of not having to deal with all the crap of our daily lives. It was heaven.<br />
<br />
We went to visit my mom who I hadn't seen since last summer when we were there, and I can't even begin to describe how good it was to see her. No matter how old I am I still miss my mom and I have to admit it kinda sucks not having her around all the time. But I guess if she has to live 1000+ miles away at least it's somewhere great to vacation.<br />
<br />
We didn't do anything huge this year like Disney or Sea World. We did go to the Jacksonville zoo which is absolutely beautiful. Other than that we spent time with my mom and grandpa, did some shopping at the outlet mall and visited my great grandmother. Oh and of course practically lived at the beach. The beach I'm very sad I can't be at right now, the beach that I love almost as much as my family. I've been going to this beach since I was just a little one and I'll go back again for probably the rest of my life but for some reason this trip the beach was just well like home. All of us had so much fun, playing in the waves, walking along the shore, picking up shells, building sandcastles. Both kids were totally into playing in the ocean this year, even my timid little guy that wouldn't leave his tidal pool last year, this time we couldn't get him out of the water for love or money. Pretty sure they were meant to be beach bunnies not snow bunnies.<br />
<br />
So after 9 wonderful sunny days of vacation we had to pack the van up and head back to our reality. Our reality is we our moving from the house we've lived in for the last almost 10 years into the house the hubs father signed over to us. The problem with this is my father in law is leaving town and all he is taking from the new house is his personal belongings (clothing, paperwork, a few photos) everything else is being left behind. Were talking 4 or 5 peoples worth of stuff from over 40 years. We get the pleasure of cleaning out all of it. Almost like if he passed away only without all the sadness of him actually passing. (thank goodness for that). But It's a shit ton of work, every room is full of furniture, knick knacks, clothing, etc. Not to mention that the house itself needs work.<br />
<br />
Every room needs no less than a coat of paint and new carpet. But many of the rooms have wall paper that my wonderful FIL and his wife in all their wisdom decided to half ass paint over, some worse than others. Any room they decided to redecorate in, well fixing their work is going to be an exercise in patience not to mention a giant pain in my ass.<br />
<br />
I'm trying really hard to be excited about the move the fact of the matter is the house is much bigger than the one were in, the payment is way cheaper and were going into it with equity already. The neighborhood is nicer, and the school district is supposed to be better. (not that the schools matter since I'm not really planning on moving the kids schools for at least another year). But there's so much work.<br />
<br />
As if the work we have to do there isn't enough we still have to worry about packing and moving all our stuff. Deciding what were keeping and getting rid of from both houses and consolidating them.Having at least 2 garage sales to get rid of the stuff we don't want worth selling, several trips to the dump to get rid of the stuff not worth keeping or selling. Then there's finding a place for and moving my MIL and BIL which is another issue all on it's own.<br />
<br />
All this reality pretty much smacked us in the face as soon as we returned home because you know real life waits for no one, and to make it all that much more fun we went from sunny 90+ degree days on the beach to rainy dreary and not even hitting the 70's. (Someone forgot to give Mother Nature the memo it's summer in the Mitten too).<br />
<br />
Talk about wishing we could turn around and go back. When we got back, heard the weather for the week, started making lists and plans for all the things we needed to get started on the hubs and I looked at each other and both said we should have stayed the rest of the week and just enjoyed the last few days of our vacation before coming home to deal with this.<br />
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</div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-10398763857311541032011-06-02T10:07:00.000-04:002011-06-02T10:07:51.872-04:00The summer that will change everything<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I usually look forward to summer vacation with as much anticipation as the kids, and this summer is no exception I do very much look forward to the break from all the craziness that is the school year. However this summer will bring with it a lot of changes that are going to shake my little family up and all I can do is cross my finger and pray that it is all for the best.<br />
<br />
We (meaning the hubs and I) decided recently we are going to get rid of the house were currently living in and take over the house his dad wants to get rid of. If everything goes well it should be a win-win for all of us. The new house is bigger, in a better area and the payments are way more in line with our budget. Of course this wouldn't be my life if there wasn't a whole list of cons and stress factors involved.<br />
<br />
To begin with there is of course getting rid of the house were in. But that's really the least of our worries, were kinda at the point where whatever happens, happens. Our mortgage company has screwed us around, over and under and we just can't take it anymore. We would like to be able to work something out that doesn't mess up our credit for life but we'll see how it all goes down. We are talking bank of America here and if anyone has dealt with them your well aware it's akin to bargaining with the devil.<br />
<br />
Then there is the cleaning out, packing and moving of 2 households worth of stuff. Yes 2 houses worth of stuff. My father in law is leaving the country and decided when he signed his house over to us that with the home came everything in it. So on top of having to box up and move my entire house I have to figure out what to do with a lifetime worth of his belongings.<br />
<br />
Luckily we will have help with that and some of the stuff is already spoken for. We know a few things are staying in the house. My MIL, BIL, and SIL are all going to go through and decide what they want and after all that has been done the rest will be sorted, boxed and transported to our house to sell in our yard/moving sale. There may possibly be 2 of these depending on the amount of stuff we have from both houses. <br />
<br />
As if all of these issues weren't enough to deal with there is of course the human element. The princess and lil man are both coming to terms with the idea of moving, but nothings been packed yet it's all just words to them right now. I'm not sure how well this is all really going to go over once the boxes come out and possessions move from one house to another, fingers crossed they take it all well. I have a feeling it will take some time to adjust though. On top of moving from the only house they've ever know they will be losing their grandmother who has lived with us for the last 6 and a half years. She will be getting her own place not far from us but it still won't be quite the same.<br />
<br />
<br />
There are a few other things that keep adding to the stress level and hopefully they can be dealt with, without bloodshed or any serious arguments. But I have my doubts on a few of them I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens. I do know that a few of them were not part of the equation when our decision was made and those ones will be dealt with swiftly, and maybe not so pleasantly if they become serious issues over the coming months. <br />
<br />
In 8 days the princess will go to school for the last day before summer vacay starts, then we will go spend 2 weeks in Florida with my mom. When we get home the craziness of this move will begin and my summer will pretty much be spent cleaning, packing, painting, oh and selling off all the stuff that none of us want.<br />
<br />
This summer may very well change everything, I just hope it's for the better for all of us. I think if we all come together as a family and work through it we'll be fine, now if everyone can just get along long enough.</div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-43158776185094028292011-05-24T09:11:00.000-04:002011-05-24T09:11:44.028-04:00The end of an era~kinda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I can't believe it. Today is the last day of preschool for my son. It seems like just yesterday I was dropping him off and crying because he was totally ok with me leaving him, and now it's all over. It's like the end of an era or something.<br />
<br />
This year has just flown by so fast, and been so amazing to watch him learn and grow as a little person. When he started he couldn't read or write, his social skills were well lets say they left a little something to be desired. But now he can read many a sight word, he can write his name as well as the alphabet and most of those same sight words that he can read. He knows his abc's and 123's, he is so much more social and less shy when it comes to making new friends. He went from being utterly terrified of school to loving it and wanting to go even on the weekends and over vacations. I think more than anything or anyone else I have his <br />
teacher to thank , she is an amazing woman who I never had a qualm about leaving my child with. She's now taught both my children and they are both better for it. She's a very special woman, one of those rare teachers these days that you know is in the profession 100% for the kids and the love of teaching not just because she needs a job. Unfortunately the economy has been hard for our district like so many others and our preschool is being effected yet again, and though she'll have a job in the fall she doesn't know where at the moment but where ever it may be I hope the parents that get her next year realize how lucky they are to have such a caring, wonderful teacher for their kids. I wish her the best and will miss seeing her at our school, but I know there are still many generations left that will benefit from her.<br />
<br />
As for my baby boy he'll head off to kindergarten next fall fully prepared because he had someone as wonderful as her guiding him this year. I have no doubt he'll be ok, because she would never let him go if he wasn't ready. Now if I can let him go is a whole nother issue. <br />
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</div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-34853191932037337662011-04-27T22:42:00.000-04:002011-04-27T22:42:34.067-04:00When did I start hating the phone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In my younger days like many a teen girl I pretty much had a phone glued to my ear. Now my teen years are way back in the dawn of time you know right before everyone had a cell phone and texting was the norm, before any of us really knew what the internet was, let alone how to email or IM. The most advanced gadget we had was a pager which was just a way for someone to get you to call them when you weren't at home.<br />
<br />
So the phone was my go to communication device for obvious reasons. When I turned 18 I got my first cell phone, nothing fancy still just a way to make and receive calls. Which was fine, I was a talker and that was all I needed. After a couple years I upgraded to push to talk cell ( the walkie talkie like Nextel/Sprint phones) still these phones were all about talking. It wasn't until I was in my mid 20's I got my first phone that took pictures and could text message. Now I adored these new features but I was still a talker. I've since upgraded a few more times and now have the do it all Droid 2 with more features than I even know how to use.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the way I stopped being a talker. Now and then I like to have an actual conversation, but for the most part I would rather text, email or FB than pick up the phone and talk. It has nothing to do with the people on the other end of the line, I don't love them any less, I just don't feel like talking. Now weather this change has more to do with me aging and changing or the changes in technology making it so much easier to be less personal I don't know.<br />
<br />
Recently I've come to pretty much despise the phone for it's intended purpose. I'm happy to use it to text, email, post an update or a tweet,or play a game of angry birds, just don't ask me to make a phone call. I forget to call people back even the ones I really intended to call, if you have a cell and especially the same service provider I will text instead of calling . When it rings I get all annoyed without having a clue who it may be, just the ringing annoys me, and it's not the ringtone I've tried changing it, it doesn't help. I don't know exactly when my feelings about talking on the phone changed or why, but I actually kind of hope I get over it. I'm starting to feel like an asshole, shut in, whose not going to have any friends left because I can't be bothered to pick up the phone and return a call, or answer when they call me.</div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771117539753992877.post-38214663106418228742011-04-23T11:00:00.000-04:002011-04-23T11:00:10.953-04:00Veggie garden time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I love spring for so many reasons. The weather is starting to warm up, Yay! No more snow, another Big Yay. Grass is starting to grow, leaves start coming back, my flower beds start filling out again. My flower beds are a huge thing for me since I finally got them just about where I want them a couple years back and very little tweaking needs to be done to them each spring. Just the basic clean up and weeding and I can sit back and just watch all the hard work I put into them come back again and again. I love that.<br />
<br />
But one of my favorite parts of spring is planting my garden (my vegetable garden). Every year I try and every year something goes wrong. Something will grow but only one year did everything I put in the ground actually grow and yield fruit or veggies. But this year I have a feeling things are going to be different. I haven't done anything massively different, it's just a feeling.<br />
<br />
I started most of my seeds indoors in greenhouse flats, this is nothing new I've tried this before and failed miserably. But this year I waited until the middle of April and things began sprouting almost over night. I now have over half of 2 flats filled with starter plants that will be ready to go into the ground by next week as long as all chances of frost are gone. That shouldn't be a problem, but this is Michigan and it's not unheard of to get frost in the last week of April but I think by next weekend we should be safe.<br />
<br />
I'm super excited about having fresh veggies all summer from my own garden. Last summer we had tomatoes,cucumbers, and peppers and just having those 3 things fresh on a regular basis was amazing. Not to mention money saving since we eat a lot of salads around here. I also love teaching my kids about providing for themselves, as well as others since any excess we have that we won't be able to use or can in time we will donate to local shelters or food banks. The kids will help with everything from planting, to weeding, harvesting, and if all goes well canning and preserving for winter. They will also go with me to donate any extras.<br />
<br />
Until then I will be dreaming of all the fresh yumminess that will hopefully be coming from my own backyard in the next few months. How about you, do any of you have plans for backyard gardens? If so what will you be planting?<br />
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</div>Beckysworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17299952096914616858noreply@blogger.com