Layouts

I didn't want to stay up till the wee hours of the night, just to change my layout. So here you go, July's layout! Love it! Gives you the RED, WHITE, and BLUE without the traditional stars and stripes!!! What do you think? Do you like it or not?

Another day!

Today was another day of water aerobics! I informed the women that I would be posting something about them on my blog and not to worry, no pictures! We are growing and that excites me. Just the fact that they are faithfully coming is a thrill and that they keep coming back for more! See , they whip me. I go home and am beat and have no energy but feel like I am dying! Some are seeing results and have lost weight, inches and yet some have even found those long lost muscles! I am proud of them, but, and I mean but I am going to challenge them and push them harder. We are kicking it up ladies so be prepared to dying right a long side of me! GREAT JOB, PROUD OF ALL OF YOU! :)

A very important issue

Okay, so I know I said that I would be back on but my computer and my Internet decided to act up. First, my computer said I had a virus and then the Internet went out. Good thing, no virus. So remember to always check your computer!!!

I have been contemplating whether or not to post this and finally decided that it needed to be shared. This needs to be shared with everyone, so feel free to pass it a long!

How do you personally feel about your current job? Are you making enough money to pay the bills and provide a few family fun activities a month? Do you think you are worth more then what you are getting paid? If you answered yes to any of these questions, get in line with the millions of people who, like me feel the same way. I know that we are in a recession and that we have been asked to be prepared. But seriously, how are we to do that if you live pay check to pay check and that is not having any extra bills. Just your basics, i.e; rent or mortgage, power, water/sewer, phone service, etc... I guess everyone feels the same about their job or their spouses job, but I feel a little bit more anger when it comes to this. See "Hot" firefighter (hence, firefighter) does not in the least make what he is worth. He has a master's degree and we like many other fellow Civil Service families live in poverty. Check this out, on payscale.com it shows that the national average salary for a firefighter with less than one year of experience is $32,276 and a firefighter with 1 - 4 years on average would make $36,984. Come on people, these are the ones who sometimes give their life to help others and yet they get paid nothing. Many have second or even third jobs just to get to an annual income of $50,000 and what do they sacrifice? A lot if you ask me. Time away from family, sleep, some even end up with post traumatic syndrome.

Don't get me wrong, many of the FF like to be gone from their family. Consider it their time and don't have to be bother with everyday family life. But "Hot" FF, well he's different! He likes to be with us, sometimes the guys at work tease him a bit because they always say how they are glad to be a way from the family for 24 hours. Not "Hot" FF, he tells them so! Loves to be with us and we, well we like to have him around. He doesn't work a second or third job by choice. He wants to be home, wants to help raise the bambinoes, but most of all wants to be an example to them and help them in their own daily lives. Too many people now a days can't live without all the wants and sacrifice so much for those. Yet, what do they lose out on? FAMILY. I understand that sometimes both parents have to work, but I also understand that no boat, car, toy, house, etc... is more important than family.

Next time you see a FF, thank them for their service and time. Know that all schedules are different, but "Hot" FF works 24 on, 48 off and that he doesn't make boko bucks. Remember to tell them to thank their families for sacrificing their time of allowing them to be FF. Raise awareness that FF do not get paid what they are worth and that many are working more then one job just to put food on the table. Let's not forget the ones who are Volunteer FF (they don't get paid, key word Volunteer). Speak up, let the Government know that they need to pay these men and women more. I would rather a FF who loves their job and doesn't have to work many (so rested) save my life, my family, or whatever I might need help with then one who is just there because it is a job, one of many for them and gets them a way from their family for 24 hours. More likely to do their job right and to hold their head high to say, "Yes, I am proud to be Fire Fighter"

Check back later

So I have been slacking in my life long duty of posting post. But I have my reasons and that is that. I can promise you that if you check back later you will be glued to the screen as you read and reread the up coming post. It will draw you in and you want to read more, you will want to come back and see future post. All I can say, is it is something that needs to be said and something that needs to be done about it! Hope you will come back, cuz it will be good!

Birthday Bash and Jury Duty

At last the long awaited day came. Not much excitement, but a lot of relaxation! It was an R & R kind of day. Church of course. A little Father's Day love and then all about ME!!!! We had a nice day! Got some great cards from the bambinoes and "Hot" Firefighter! "Princess" Bambino and "Hot" Firefighter made a necklace and a bracelet for me, with charms. How fun! My necklace has the Eiffel Tower on it. Makes it really special because I went to Paris a month after I met "Hot" Firefighter! Our plan was to go take a nice walk on the beach, but a storm came through and ruined that :( Watched LOST Season 3, not the whole thing but a few episodes. So much fun. Made a yummy cake from "Cook Yourself Thin" and used sweet potatoes in them. So, so yummy! The happy day can't last forever since I knew I had jury duty today and was not very thrilled to say the least.

Jury duty, well lets just say that it was the fastest, easiest way to make money in a day. I showed up, filled out the paper work and just waited. After about 10 minutes and the rest of the jurors showing up they spoke to us. They informed us that all their cases were done for the week and that we needed to make sure that our paper work was filled out so they could send us our check for the week or the day. I really didn't catch what she said as far as the week or day. But hey, that freed up my week and my worry of whether or not I was going to have to completely tell the truth and nothing but the truth on why I would not be able to serve. Having three bambinoes and a husband who is a firefighter is reason enough not to have me serve! Well done. I have done my service and could get called again in three years....WOOT, WOOT!!!

Scouts Head Home

So the week has gone by so very slowly. So slow in fact that I actually saw a snail out run a roach. Wait, maybe that was a roach carrying a snail. Anyway, the fact that the week was so stinking slow only makes matters worse when you can't figure out what to do. I mean I had plenty to do, but did I do it? NO. Of course not. Come on it's not like school starts in a month and I am no where prepared for it to start. Organizational skills this week would have been nice to have. But my organizational button was in the off position! How I could forget that I still have boxes and boxes to unpack since moving. Wait, when did I move... NOVEMBER. Crap, I need to probably replace the batteries to the organizational button. Gosh, I just enjoyed the lazy week that "Princess" Bambino and I had. We did lots of fun things together. Like water aerobics (she swam), went and saw Imagine That, swam some more, watched other movies at home, read books, colored, visited my great aunt (so her great, great aunt) who also took us to dinner! Hum, what else did we do? Went to book group and ate CALACOPE! "Princess" Bambinoes eyes were the size of Calacopes when she saw them sliced in the bowl and so juicy! Watched for storms. Scouts got caught in a bad storm and were almost coming home two days early! Made the paper too! No one was seriously injured, just a little startled! Seemed to have fun! Don't know for sure though, should be home by 10:30 tonight. Well so much for the slow R&R week. We'll be moving along like the humming bird next week. Only two more days till my birthday and still no UPS stop or FedEx. Dang....

Chocolate and Exercise

Today was another successful day of water aerobics! However, I came home and ate two very small brownies. How could I ruin my exercise by eating two brownies. Ask me I dare you, if I really care. No, not really! Because I got a Brownie Batter Blizzard from DQ later on. I am obsessed with brownies. Dang it, I know what is going to happen later. I will be at the beautiful porcelain throne as my innards decide to move and work on digesting those so good brownies!!! You would think I would learn by now. But nope, not me. I have to eat them and suffer later. Well worth it, I might add!

Where did the time go?

So where did all the time go? I hate when we have crazy weekends and let me tell you, this one was a bump in the road! As I was trying to get everyone ready for their Scout Camps, I also had a little one to get ready for her dance recital. Oh and lets not forget the family reunion. I carefully wrote out their list of what they needed and started to gather up their goods. Loads and loads of laundry later, I was able to get them all packed. "Bright" Bambino had to have his first since he left for his cross country trip with the grandparents on Sunday. Man, talk about crazy. He could have cared less if he had any clothes, just as long as his 3D activity book was there he was set. It was Friday night and I had done all that I could for the time being. Everyone was bathed and I was now rolling "Princess" Bambinos hair for her recital, where lo and behold I realized she still had a tattoo on her arm that had been there for two weeks and just would not go away. "Gigantic" Bambino found the rubbing alcohol and whew it was gone! After 30 minutes of rolling her hair we were off to bed!

Saturday mourning was very hectic and since we were suppose to be at the auditorium at 9, that meant that we had to leave by 8. Ugh, and "Hot" Firefighter was of course get off of his shift and was not able to help. Our plan was to meet at the gas station on the way to where the recital was at 8:30. Oops, we didn't leave our house till 8:25 and "Princess" Bambinos rollers were still in her hair. We drove as fast as we possible could without getting pulled over and as soon as we got to the gas station, I jumped in the back and started to unroll her hair. We pulled in at 9:03, with hair done and makeup on! Awesome! Just had to put her costume on and we were set! Took her back stage and didn't have to fight with her to let me go, which was a miracle. The recital was very good and my little "Princess" was the best in her class. I'm not just saying that cuz I'm the mom! It is true :) After the recital we had to pick up the car, take it home and head to the family reunion, which was about an hour and half drive. Yuck...

At the reunion, we ate good food, played games and laughed about anything and everything! It was pretty fun, but we knew that if we didn't leave soon, then we could just forget about scout camp. So off we went. Parents called and said we should go a different way to avoid a crash on the interstate. Dad said we should be fine, but whatever. So we decided to just go on the interstate. Um, big mistake. 40 minutes later, we finally were driving again! It wasn't too big of a deal for us, because the boys were a sleep and "Princess" Bambino was singing and watching movies. "Hot" Firefighter and I enjoyed each other as we conversed!

Packing for one done, two more to go. Sunday came and went and they finally got packed and left today at 5 am. Too early for me, but I got up and kissed them goodbye! Some mothers fret when they send their child off to Scout camp. Which I totally understand. They are entrusting someone else to care for their little one and to return them unharmed, unchanged, and yes, maybe with a little bit more fire. Me on the other hand, is sad they are gone, but jumping so high for joy. I guess it helps to be married to the Scout Master and to know that he will return my child probably dirty, a little scraped, bumped, and standing just a little taller knowing what he had accomplished at camp! Have fun boys!!!

A $1000 FOR YOU Continued....

Alright, it is Friday. So what would you do with a $1000 just for yourself? Here is what I would do... If I had a $1000 and had to spend it just on me (twist my arm) I would by a Kitchen aid Mixer and all the accessories that I could possible afford! "Hot" Firefighter said a new wardrobe. That will just have to be on the next pretend $1000! But yep, that was second choice!!! Still tell me what you would do!

Alicia ~ Redoing your bedroom and getting a new comforter is a great idea! However, unless your husband isn't sleeping or sharing your room, a bedroom makeover would be not only for you, but for him too! So how about new clothes, or wait, what about a trip with your sis? See you would each have a $1000! You could go to Vegas or somewhere fun like that! I'll have a post about "what would you change in your house if you had unlimited funds?" Thanks for the idea though!!!!

Water Aerobics Day 2

I cannot walk. My thighs and calves hurt so bad. Today I had more women, four to be exact! We had even more fun! I had those older ladies laughing so hard, and to me laughing is great exercise! See just 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10 to 40 calories, depending on a person’s weight and the intensity of the laughter. That’s enough to shift between 1 and 4lb a year. I guess we could call it "Laugh Yourself Thin" ! So start laughing :)

We also went and got our glasses today! "Bright" Bambino looks so dignified in his! A little professor! And my, well lets just say (I'll have to take a picture and let you see for yourself). We went to Wal-mart to pick up those last minute items for scout camp and guess what, "Gigantic" Bambino picked out some hiking boots. We got home and he went to put them on. HAHA! He had two left feet. Are you laughing? Remember you will burn calories! HAHA! So I said we needed to go back and get the right one. But before that the boys dared "Princess" Bambino to lick the inside of a flash light, you know where the battery meets the electrode part. It was a big fight of fingers point of who said what, who did what and so on and so on. Finally, we figured out that just her lip touched it, but bad thing is, is that the boys did not know that a battery had exploded inside. We only knew once we opened the flash light up. YIKES. So threw her in the shower with water running on her mouth, washed the area clean and called poison control. They said the same thing, wash and run water on it for 15 minutes then an ice pack. So that is what we did. Glad we didn't have to go to the hospital and glad she doesn't have a flat lip anymore. Dance recital on Saturday.

A First For Me...

Yesterday, I started teaching water aerobics to the women in our church! We had a small group, just me, my mom and one other lady. Small is good for the first time and much more enjoyable! After our session, my friends daughter came out to swim (along with her mom) so I told her I would call "Hot" firefighter and the Bambinoes to come swim! She was so excited and couldn't wait. Poor "Hot" firefighter, he didn't get to swim. See the slide has been taken over by wasp, so he was taking care of that! However, in the midst of killing, one got loose and stuck in "Princess" Bambinoes hair. Oh NO! That's right, you got it, she got stung twice in the same spot. She had a nice big bump and a red mark. Good thing grandma was just about to leave and offered to go get some meds! We told "Princess" Bambino to get back in the pool so the cool water would help take some of the sting out. We let everyone swim for about 10 more minutes and then pulled them out. Grandma called and asked how much "Princess" Bambino wieghed. I asked her "Wet or Dry?" my mom was a little confussed needless to say and then caught on! She laughed and asked again how much she weighs "dry"? I informed her that she weighs about 37lbs dry and maybe 38 lbs wet! We got her some meds and the swelling went down and she felt so much better!

The boys all had scouts tonight, so "Princess" Bambino and I decided to go along for the ride! See "Gigantic" Bambino is doing a fundraiser for scouts and were selling chicken dinners, so we drove them around. Poor boys, only got a $20 donation and sold one dinner. Oh well there are still more weeks to sell!

A $1000 FOR YOU

If you had a thousand dollars, what would you do with it? Here's the thing, you can't save it, you can't share it, you can't even pay those overdo bills with it. The only thing you can do with it is spend it on yourself. So tell me, what would you do with it? Follow the rules and let me know! I'll tell you on Friday, what my plans for a thousand dollars would be!!!! I bet you can't guess. Leave your post and lets see who comes up with the most creative list. Most of all have fun!!!

Dentist

I love the kids dentist! She is really good with the kids and has such a charming way to please everyone! Today was "Princess" Bambino's first appointment to have a picture of her teeth taken (that is how we had to explain it to her). Last time, no way...she would have nothing to do with that. She thought she was getting a "picture" taken! But today, she showed us just how grown up she has be come! Not only did she get the pictures, she also sat and got her teeth cleaned without a fight! When she was done she said "are they as pretty as a princess?"
"Why yes my dear, but I think they are prettier!" The boys did great as usual and were excited to dig through the toy box! See their dentist is just awesome, she had Disney come in to design her office, have a Marshy Movie room, the Wii room, of course a waiting room, oh and get this, above the patient chairs are TV screens that play the same movie from the Marshy Movie room! The boys just love to go to the dentist just to play the Wii and always say the other one will go first! Boys will be boys.

The rest of the day was cool too! The boys were suppose to go to a friends house and swim, but "Bright" Bambino chose to act up and lost that privilege. "Princess" Bambino ask her grandparents if they would take her to lunch! "Bright" Bambino weaseled his way in to going with the grandparents too (good, gives them time to spend with his 9 year old ways). "Gigantic" Bambino went to his friends house and went swimming, made guns out of paper and masking tape, made a movie with their alien costumes and just seemed to have a grand old time! "Hot" firefighter and I had a date! Can you believe, we had a date! We weren't exactly sure what to do, but decided to go to the movies. Wish we would have gone to a different one, but just being together was worth it! We saw "Land of the Lost". If you want to see a typical Will Ferrell movie, then go for it. Yes, there were some funny parts and yes, there were some crude parts (you know Will). But I think one funny part was when the mosquito started to suck his blood. Man, I thought our mosquitoes were bad, and big! We did have fun and that is what it is all about...Now to finish our run on LOST! Season 3, here we come. Agggghhhh, scout camp is next week, we wont have LOST done by then. Oh well, such is life :)

Dreaded Day continued...

The Dreaded Day wasn't as bad as I thought! However, it did take forever, like always and yes over and hour later we finally were done! My appointment was at 9 and "Bright" Bambinos was at 9:15. Well, 9 went by, and so did 9:15, arrrrgh...9:30 they finally called me back! Gosh, if I only knew that I wasn't going to get in till 9:30, I could have slept in a little longer. Typical huh? Every thing seemed fine, until the doctor came in and checked my vision. Remember I told you that I wouldn't have my contacts in? Okay, so I didn't have them in and couldn't see worth a darn. Informed him again that when I get my eyes dilated, I get a migraine. We talked about that for a minute and then he said "okay, but I really need to see if there is any pressure on your eyes" Great, pressure, of course there is pressure... I do not have my contacts in you goof ( I didn't say it to him, just thought it). He continued by saying "so, if this does not show me what I want to see, then we will have to dilate your eyes." By this time, he is already putting the drops in my eyes and is handing me a tissue. I wipe my eyes and what, what in the heck, my tears are dark yellow. "That's normal, don't worry it will go away in a while" So, not only can I not see, my eyes are yellow like werewolves.

As I wait, I go in to the room where "Bright" Bambino and "Hot" Firefighter are. Trying not to scare them of course. I should have just started to howl! That would have made the doc think twice about putting drops in my eyes again! HAHA! Anyways, "Hot" Firefighter asked how it went and truthfully I didn't know so told him "I don't know".

Memories were running through my head as I watched "Bright" Bambino sit and answer the "what letters can you see" quiz. I kind of felt like crying and wondering where the time went and how big he has gotten. I even told him that his first visit to the eye doctors, he couldn't even reach and had to sit up on his knees. Also that he impressed the doctor with his ability to talk to new people and basically tell him the square root to any problem. Hence the name "Bright"! But, then I remembered that I was crying yellow and didn't feel like having streaks of yellow down my face all day. Imagine trying to tell someone why you were all yellow. "Yep, was picking dandelions with my daughter, and felt something on my face and forgot I was holding a flower." I just held it in and wrapped it tight against my heart!

Finally the doctor came back in and said that "Bright" Bambino needed new glasses. Not because his vision had changed much, but because he has grown out of his glasses. I asked about mine, and he said that my left eye had changed. "Changed, what? Come again? I can see just fine out of my left contact" of course, he begged to differ. I am getting new contacts and a pair of glasses. I haven't had them in so long and I am afraid that with the big jump in the prescription, that I might have a hard to time seeing at all. Oh well, they are cute and you should have seen "Hot" Firefighters face when I was trying on the glasses! It was like, you and me and just those glasses!

One Dreaded Doctor down. Next week is another dreaded doctor. The dentist! At least for the kids...

Dread Day

Ugh, tomorrow "Bright" Bambino and I have eye appointments. Now, I don't know about you, but for me this is one of the worst appointments to have with a doctor. I truly do rate it up there with the other DREADED gynecology appointment. I hate getting my eyes dilated. I mean come on, I am going to the eye doctors for the mere fact that I cannot see and have been in glasses and contacts since 8th grade (um, never mind the year). Hello, that is why you are an eye doctor. I understand too, that as an eye doctor, they have to dilate the eye to be able to see the in's and out's of your eye. But I'm blind. I don't have glasses, I am a full time contact user! I need glasses just to have. So yep, tomorrow is the day. "Hot" firefighter has to drive us, since I have to take my contacts out (my very last pair), then "Bright" bambino and I get to sit there together while our eyes dilate. How fun! I can't even read to him, let alone look at a magazine. Just walking to the car is going to kill me. It is like having a white piece of paper outside and the glorious sun blinding you. Times that by 10 and that is how dilation is. Plus, after wards I always have a huge migraine and have to come home and sleep it off. Otherwise I puke. "Bright" Bambino, on the other hand doesn't mind going! Well, so that isn't exactly the truth. His trail to sight started when he was five and we learned he had a lazy eye. I was shoving carrots down him way before this so I think that is just a myth. Anyways, I would have to say that was a very hard year for us. Poor kid! First he tried wearing the patch over his good eye and even put a skull on it for fun. That wasn't working :( so we had to move to more drastic measures. We had to dilate his eye every single day for six weeks, then it was every other day, then every two. We finally got it down to once a week! We had to do the dilation program for a year. It stunk big time. Oh, lets not forget that we went through 12 pairs of glasses in that first year. Pitiful little guy, he broke the first pair just two days after we got them. I cried more than he did. HAHA! Four years later and no lazy eye. We had to do all kinds of exercises to help strengthen his eye and his eye sight in the eye that was lazy. His right eye was working overtime and now they are great! He does wear glasses and is just so ever handsome! But, still for me, the eye doctor is almost neck and neck with the gynecologist!

Calendar update

How could I possible forget something on the calendar for the month of June? How could I do that? Well I did, okay so get over it... it is you know my birthday month! So on June 22nd, yep the day after my birthday, I am scheduled for Jury Duty. Jury Duty, can you believe? I have never done it before and am pretty sure I wont be. See when you are married to "hot" firefighter, he isn't here every day or every night. So if the case, whatever case it maybe goes for a week, there is no possible way for me to do it. There has to be a better screening process for selecting jurors. Now, if I am wrong let me know. But isn't there some law that if you are employed your employer has to give you that time off? Well as a Domestic Engineer, I don't get days off. I am worth over $300,000, but it doesn't mean I get paid and boy gosh, George, I don't even have a nanny. A nanny, that is in my job description! So, I am assuming that it will not take place for me, unless they don't mind my three children sitting "quietly" in the court room. Yes, they are homeschooled, but they aren't your norms. They are loud and I have found that they are very talented at picking. Picking at each other is a new talent that all siblings have encountered from time to time. It involves their hands, feet, eyes, mouth, you name it and it is involved. I can see it now...we are just about to announce the fate of the accused and you hear a high pitched, bellowing "mom, he's/she's looking at me". They are so loud that everyone is unable to hear the verdict and dang the poor person is cuffed and put away or uncuffed depending on what they heard! That would be the last time I show my face in public. Oh, and the last time my bambinoes would see the light of day! :) Wish me luck!