Brandon's Puppy

Trick or Treat!!

Headed to a birthday party in a few minutes, and then BFF Viv's annual Halloween Bash.

But before all that, I knocked all the following off my to-do list today:

Bathed Sandy.
Folded and put away all the laundry that was on the couch from throughout the week.
Washed and dried three more loads, one of which included Sandy's doggie bed.
Cleaned the boys' bathtub (since Sandy used it).
Wiped down the couches (and realized that I have to do this more often now that we have a doggie).
Vacuumed the boys' room, playroom and living room.
Cleaned the floor (except the kitchen, which I'm doing tomorrow).
Went to the grocery store.
Made curry chicken salad for the party tonight.

And now I'm about to change so we can get out of here. Have fun tonight, everyone!

And Happy Anniversary to my dear friend WB and Sherlock!!

Oh, just a reminder, turn your clocks forward backward one hour tonight. Daylight Savings Time ends tomorrow.

Homework Time

Yesterday's vocabulary sentences:

I go trick or treating on Halloween.

Treats are pieces of candy.

A bat is an animal that has wings and can fly. (Editor's note: Good job, munckin!)

I have pumpkin seeds.

I went to a haunted house.

Today I had a piece of candy.

I think ghosts are scary.

Ghosts can go through walls. (even walls inside metal buildings...or so I hear. Freaky!)

Ghosts say boo.

I have a Transformer costume. (Yes, he does. That was his first and only choice!)

*Bonus word: Tomorrow is Halloween. (No, it's not, but the Halloween celebration at school was today.)

Thursday musings

* Had 5 Guys for lunch. Little cheeseburger with grilled onions and mushrooms, and shared a large fries with my boss and coworker/friend. YUM!!

* We got back B's school portraits today. Doesn't my big boy look handsome? (A little squinty, but still so cute!)

* The boys went to school in their costumes this morning.

See the pumpkin between them, carved with Manny from Ice Age? Brandon won it at the pumpkin patch last weekend. Some promoters for Ice Age 3 (which came out on DVD two days ago) were there handing out goodie bags, and he got the winning bag. It's pretty cool, right?

* I got all creative with B's lunches this week and used my Halloween cookie cutters to cut his PB&J into a bat, a pumpkin, a cat, and a Frankenstein head. He loved the idea, but he says his friends said, "why did your mom do that?" Weird kids.

Uh oh, I'm in trouble

Five Guys opened a restaurant 0.9 miles from my job this week. Guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow?

Bad tummy

Contrary to popular belief, having an upset stomach is not the best appetite suppressant. My stomach has been acting funky all day today, but all I want to do is keep eating. I had a sandwich and a half and a banana for lunch, some yogurt covered raisins as a snack in the afternoon, and I got home and had a bowl of (canned) chicken soup, a handful of grapes, and a sleeve of saltine crackers. Yes, a whole sleeve.
And before anyone even suggests it, no I am not. I've been eating junk since last week, so I think it's an onset of gastritis. I think I'll have a handful of Tums before bed as I'm out of the good meds.

It's a miracle!

We went to Target a short while ago, and not only did I buy just one thing, I spent less than $10! I was going to go to the party store to get B's costume, but I'm glad I headed to my favorite store instead because the costume had an additional 30% off.
We did browse around the store, but nothing really caught my eye. I went to the pet section, anxious to buy a little something for Sandy, but they only had cat supplies in the pet clearance section.
OMG, I just thought of the cutest costume for her...YODA! Do they have that in doggie sizes? I may look for it after Halloween on ebay for next year.

Free money!

When we bought our bedroom and living room furniture three years ago, we purchased a service plan from the furniture store to cover anything that might happen to the pieces. A few weeks ago, we got a coupon in the mail for a store credit for just under $500 because we never used the service plan. We forgot all about it until I found the coupon in my purse last weekend. Good thing I found it because it had an expiration date of 10/24/09. We hauled booty to the furniture store yesterday and were in and out within an hour. This morning, our new sofa table and new breakfast table arrived.

The sofa table is from the same collection as our bedroom furniture. We've been wanting to put something in our entryway for a while, but hadn't quite figured out what. Friends of ours gave us the picture when they bought their new house, and we bought the frame for it a couple of weekends go. It goes perfectly with the table, don'tcha think?

We fell for the breakfast set the moment we saw it. Another perfect fit.

We paid for the delivery fee, but really, it's like we got them for free. Aren't they lovely?

Thrill the World

My friend Claudia (she of the famed Halloween parties) has found the perfect event to blend two of her favorite loves: dressing up (in this case, like a zombie) and the music of Michael Jackson. She is the coordinator of Thrill the World Miami. What is Thrill the World, you ask? It is an annual charity event where dancers try to break the world record of most people simultaneously dancing the zombie dance from MJ's Thriller, while raising money and awareness for charitable causes. Cool, huh?

Claudia has been hosting practices for months. She was featured in the Herald online yesterday, and made front page news in today's print edition. She is raising funds for United Way and Smile Train.

Thrill the World is tonight! I will be there as a volunteer (not a dancer...I don't look good in zombie gear) so come by and join us at the University of Miami Law School courtyard. The simultaneous dancing begins at 8:30pm sharp (otherwise, it's not really simultaneous). See you there!

Homework Time

This week's sentences. The things that occur to him amuse me.

1. My dad washes the dishes every afternoon.

2. I wish I had 30 bakugans.

3. All I need is a trim.

4. I am vaery slim.

5. Will you play with me?

6. My dad puts milk in his cereal.

7. I'm filling my paper full of writing.

8. I'm licking ice cream.

9. I'm picking a flower for my mom.

10. Today I limped because my foot hurt.

11. A life cycle gos in circles. (bonus word)

About shoes

I have one pair of closed shoes, my brown leather boots. The rest are open-toed: either mules, or peep-toe, or plain ol’ flip flops. A cold front hit South Florida a couple of nights ago, and though it’s not cold enough to sport UGG Baileys, my little footsies need to stay warm. I think I might go on a little bit of retail therapy after work tomorrow. I need to have options in place before the next cold front hits.

I foresee a pair of cute black flats in my future…

It's Fall in Florida!!

What a lovely day! We spent the day at the park adjacent to my old elementary school. We were supposed to be having an informal 15-year high school reunion, but only 8 alumni showed up so it turned into some quality time with family and friends.
We took Sandy with us so that she wouldn't be couped up in the house. She was very nervous during the car ride, but got used to it driving back home. It was a windy day, so she spent most of the picnic napping inside an old comforter I brought. Later on in the afternoon we transferred our camp from the tables under a canopy of trees to a sunny spot, and she loved it!
I had a "lightbulb"moment, realizing that exercise is a natural fat burner, and ran around a bit with her and the boys. We even ran up and down a little hill (or, "the mou-ten", as Matty calls it) in the middle of the park.
I told hubby we need to spend days like this more often, especially now that the weather is nonsweaty.

Homework time!

Sorry all, forgot to post these yesterday. That's what happens when you're at work till 7:30pm...

1. I have a plan.

2. Are you glad I'm here?

3. Some flags have picktuers on them.

My car is traped. (trap is the spelling word)

I did this then I did that.

Don't slam the door.

Dad packs snacks. (spelling word: pack)

There are animals in the zoo.

You can go outsaid because I'm working.

I want to pick a flower for my mom.

We were adopted!!!

A sweet little girl on four legs found us and decided to keep us on Sunday. Hubby was home after working a night shift while I was at my cousin's baby shower (boys were at their grandma's). Sometime in the afternoon our neighbor knocked on the door and asked hubby if we had gotten a dog, and if maybe it had escaped, because there was a dog under the shrubs by our driveway. He told her no, but went outside to investigate. He brought the dog water, and noticed it didn't want to move. The neighbor had some canned food, so they fed it. A short while later it began getting up and walking around, but wouldn't leave the area where the shrubs are. Hubby went inside and half an hour later came back out and it was still there, so he brought her into our backyard. I knew when he called me and told me what he'd done that he had fallen for her. And once we got home, so did we.

She's a terrier mix, about 11 months old, with a tan coat. We named her Sandy because she reminded me of the dog from Annie (different breed, but same cheerful disposition). We are officially committed as we spent a-lot-more-than-expected dollars yesterday when we took her to the vet for a check-up. We already got her a tag, and will be getting her chipped in the very near future. She is potty-trained, as she's yet to have an accident in the house, and is very good about holding it until we take her out. She's already established "her" corner, and had her first visitor come to meet her yesterday (my little sister).

Isn't she adorable??

Heavy Hearts

(cross-posted at Babalu)

Hello all,

It is with much sadness that I announce that our beloved Tio Pepin passed this morning at 2am. I know I speak for all the members of our family when I thank you all for your kinds words, warm thoughts, and prayers during the last few months. Although this is something we've been expecting for some time, the loss of a loved one is never easy, but the support of the Babalu family (contributors and readers alike) made it a bit easier to bear.

I'm sure Val will have more to say in the near future, but right now he is by my grandfather side as he deals with the reality of losing his big brother. Again, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

R.I.P. Tio Pepin

News Report

Hi all! Here are the two links for the news segments that featured my employer the last couple of nights. Enjoy!
(Note: videos are in Spanish.)

Video 1

Video 2

Look, it's me!!

We interrupt this work-inflicted 2-day hiatus to announce:

I'm officially a Snackpicks mom! Check out my Halloween party tips here.

Don't miss me too much, I'll be back soon.

Did you watch Telemundo tonight? Part two airs tomorrow. I looked for tonight's clip online, but I couldn't find it. I guess it will be available after part two airs. I'll hunt them down and post them. Check back during the weekend.
I'll be M.I.A. tomorrow and Friday as we (my job) are co-hosting a workshop on Friday morning, and I've got lots to do to get us ready for it. In fact, I may not see hubby and the kids during the next two days!
Be back soon.

Home Improvement

I've decided that hubby and I will spend part of the day on Saturday attempting to complete the repairs started a year ago. (Yes, tomorrow it's a year. I am thoroughly ashamed.) I have assigned myself the task of painting the columns once hubby puts the caulking on them. Does anyone know if we need to put clamps on them while the caulking dries? After all this time, the last thing we need is to do it wrong and then have to hire somebody to fix it.
We still need FIL to fix the five pieces of siding on the back of the house. It's rather amusing to me that that is what the HOA has nagged us about the most, and it's what we've least paid attention to.

Homework time

This week's sentences:

1. I have a jug.

2. My mom has a mug.

3. Do you have a rug?

4. Slugs are snaos that haf no shals. (…snails that have no shells)

5. Plug in the T.V.

6. But I can’t go.

7. I cut my sulof. (myself)

8. I shut the door.

9. A nut was in my haoes. (house)

10. I can strut.

11. October is a month. * bonus word

FNJ: The love affair continues

I was having a little chat with my boss today, during which she let me know how well I'm doing. At the end of this month is my 6-month anniversary, which means not only is it time for my review, I can enroll in the group health insurance on the 1st of November. *exhale*

I am still on cloud nine about this place. Having come from a corporate environment, I can see the difference in administrative practices, and being appreciated is definitely an incentive for embracing not only my job but the whole company (unlike the big former employer). Besides that, I like that I am gaining experience in a variety of things like medical billing to payroll processing and other HR duties (looky that, I'm using my degree!) I even dabble in computer techi-ness as I'm one of a handful of people that doesn't flinch when a window indicating low virtual system memory pops up. I'm definitely learning a lot, and am part of something that I love.

So I am proud to say that our company will be featured in a report tomorrow night at 6:30pm EST on the Spanish channel Telemundo. It is my understanding that it is a national show (like NBC Nightly News) so all of you should be able to catch it. If not, let me know and I'll send you the clip (if I find it online) after it airs.

Surprise savings

Want to know what I did yesterday that will save me a nice chunk of change every month? (Humor me and say yes, because you know I'm going to tell you anyway.) I joined the Walgreens prescription savings club. The cost was $35 to enroll all four of us (or $20 for an individual) for the year.
Joining the club decreased the cost of my 3-month prescription from $79 to $36. This time I paid $71, including the club fee, but next time I pick up my refill, it will cost me $43 less. I'm glad that the pharmacy staff told me about this when I called on Saturday to make sure my prescription was filled. Just wish I'd known about it sooner, I looked through the list of covered medications, and I could have saved a bundle with the other meds we've collectively taken in the last six months.

Whew, that was close!

This morning I got a call from the company accountant: three direct deposits had some sort of error during the transmission and weren't going to go through for tomorrow. Of course mine was one of them. For a second there I had a mild heart attack, given our current financial crisis, but it turned out to be a very good thing. The accountant cut checks for the three of us and dropped them off just before 1pm. Not only did I get paid a day early, it was early enough in the day that I was able to go to the bank my employer uses, cash the check, and go to my bank and make a deposit. Just before 2:30pm the funds were in my account, allowing me to exhale.
You know how they say you learn something new every day? I learned two things today: Things definitely happen for a reason, and juggling is a stressor I need to avoid as often as possible.