Brandon's Puppy

The 2010 baby boom begins

2010-03-08T04:48:07Z

Found out today that my friend C is having a baby! She's about two months along, and will be finding out if it's a boy or girl in a few weeks.
They say it happens in threes...I wonder who else will be taking prenatal vitamins and dealing with morning sickness in the near future. I am wishing and praying like mad that my two friends who are actively trying complete the trifecta soon.

BINGO!

2010-03-06T02:42:05Z

Ooh, I just got a Bingo in Scrabble with the word oximeter! I scored 110 points, as I managed to start the word on a triple-word spot, got one of the letters on a double-letter spot, and used all my tiles.
I tend to lose more games than I win, but I think I have this game in the bag with that lead.

Exhausted

2010-03-06T02:05:24Z

Went to the first showing of Alice in Wonderland with a bunch of people from work last night. I'm running on 4 hours of sleep. Wish I could call it an early night, but it's already 9pm, and I just got home just a short while ago. (p.s. it was great, go see it!)

I've got a long weekend ahead of me: there's Carnaval on the Mile, and my co-worker's baby shower on Sunday. Thomas is in town, though we're not sure yet if we're going this weekend or next. We can't afford it, but Brandon has been anxiously awaiting Thomas's arrival for the last month, and I told him we'd only be going if he behaved in school. Guess who's been a perfect angel the last two weeks?

Love my new vacuum!!

2010-03-02T01:42:12Z

A couple of weeks ago, our vacuum died. We had the Bissell with the detachable canister, and the thing that connected to the base (technical term) burnt out.

My coworker, who's cousin is a manager at Brandsmart, was able to get us a new vacuum using his employee discount. Yesterday we used our new Bissell Cleanview Helix, and OMG that thing is amazing! We tested it out in the living room area, and by the time we finished 3/4 of the dirt bucket thing (another technical term) was full with all sorts of icky stuff.

This leads me to believe that our old Bissell was no longer sucking up dirt properly. After six years, I'm not really surprised, but can you believe all the garbage in that thing? You'd think I hadn't vacuumed in months!
I really love my new vacuum, and I hope it serves us for as long, if not longer, than the old one.

(p.s. This is not a paid post, I just love my new vacuum and wanted to share.)

Sad News

2010-03-01T03:07:47Z

Remember the post I wrote about my friend's parents and their Valentine's Day gift? I'm sorry to report that indeed it was their last Valentine's Day together. Sadly, Paul passed away yesterday morning at 6:10am. Angie called me at 8am, as I was setting up the space at the clean out sale, and I didn't fully have a chance to process the loss till last night.
Paul, you were a wonderful man, and it was an honor to have known you. Rest in Peace.

One person's trash is another person's treasure

2010-02-28T16:55:18Z

I participated in my community's seasonal Clean-Out Sale yesterday morning. My neighbor and I split the cost of a space, and we sold almost everything in our inventory.
It's amazing how much stuff people have. One guy had a small collection of Nascar jackets, and there was actually a bidding war going on for them! I never realized there were so many Nascar fans in my community. Another two guys bought a boat motor. It was funny to see them lug it across the parking lot to their car. One lady bought a futon set from the people right across from us. I still don't know how she got both the frame and the mattress to fit into her compact car.

I made $47, which is not bad for my first time. It was also all profit, since I stopped myself every time I got the urge to browse around, which could have led to me spending money, defeating the purpose of the whole thing. It was lots of fun, and I already started a "Clean-Out Sale" pile for the next one in June.

Homework Time

2010-02-26T02:13:57Z

Last night's homework:

My pupy Music fell down on a box, ran away and hit his leg hard. My Dad took him to the Vet. they waited their turn. the vet looked at him and found no problem.

Tonight's:

1. My favorite place is Disney World.
2. I like to drink chocolate milk.
3. I stand beside my mom when we go shoping.
4. I am looking at my fish.
5. I like shareing my toys with my friends.
6. I never get problems.
7. I like turning around so fast.
8. Me and my brother both like eating fish stiks.
9. Choosing a fish is so hard.
10. My brother is eating fish stiks again.
11. I can jump and down.
12. Get away from me.
13. Gravity* pulls us down.

I've got the plan, now I just need to put it into action

2010-02-25T03:18:18Z

My boss asked me if I was planning on taking vacation soon, since my one-year-anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. I told her that I am not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. We can't afford even the cheapest of Outer Banks vacations (or any other kind of vacation) at this time, but I'm hoping that changes within a couple of months. Once some legal stuff we're going through clears up, I'm implementing a new payday rule: Pay ourselves first. I figure putting aside even just $10 a paycheck will build a nice little nest-egg in a relatively short time. At minimum, we can have $520 in a year, and that's not a bad start to a vacation account.

A couple of highlights

2010-02-24T02:34:13Z

We went to the pet store on Saturday and purchased a new fish. We went with a blue Betta again. Brandon very creatively named him Mr. Blue Fish. No pictures yet as we've not transferred him to the fish tank.

Today hubby and I met with Brandon's teacher, counselor and school psychologist. He has been recommended for gifted testing, and we had to sign the consent forms. They should have him evaluated before the end of the school year, and dependent on the results, he'll potentially be in the gifted program next school year. So proud of my smart boy!!

Breakfast for Dinner

2010-02-24T02:23:15Z

Did you know today was free pancake stack day? I went to IHOP for breakfast for dinner with my mom and her friend. Not even the best weight loss products can keep me away from free pancakes (and that's assuming I'm on a diet, which I am not). I also purchased a hash browns, and did my good deed for the day by donating $5 to the Children's Miracle Network.
I'm very proud of myself for remembering both free breakfast days this year.

Nemo's Demise

2010-02-20T15:35:58Z

Nemo was swimming kind of funny last night, and hubby said he wouldn't make it through the night. When we woke up this morning he was belly-up on the surface of the water. We just told Brandon, who had been forewarned last night, but that didn't make it any easier. We had a burial at sea, with one boy in tears and the other thinking it was a game and eager to flush again when the fish didn't go down the pipes.
Hubby is making breakfast, then we're off to the pet store for another fish.
RIP Nemo, you were a good fish for the week we had you.

Sugar and Spice

2010-02-19T02:32:15Z

One of the two owners at work was in town this week, and she brought her daughter with her. She’s the cutest, sweetest seven-year-old…wasn’t shy at all, gave hugs to everyone every day, chatted with everyone who paid her even the slightest bit of attention. She even told me a knock-knock joke today. “Knock knock. Who’s there? You. You who? What are you calling me for?”)

I asked my boss if she wanted to temporarily trade two boys for one girl. She just laughed at me. I told her I love my two boys, but I long for a girl, and I’d start taking natural prenatal vitamins this instant if there was a guarantee that my next baby would be a girl.

New Fishy, part tres

2010-02-19T01:16:28Z

My friend Claudia called me on Saturday and said, "Do you want a new fish?". I said, "Sure...we still have the fishtank, why not?!" She was at a church carnival and witnessed someone throw the fish, plastic bag and all, in a garbage can after winning it in a game. Really, who does that?? About an hour later she came by to drop off our new pet. After much deliberation (about ten minutes), the boys decided on a name. Meet Nemo:

Odd

2010-02-18T02:09:00Z

My former district supervisor from my first job ever, as a salesperson and cashier over 17 years ago, is possibly interviewing at my current employer early next week. While my position is not necessarily above the one she would be interviewing for (that department is structured differently), my position is slightly above hers in our organizational chart. Is it just me, or is that kind of weird?

Reality check

2010-02-17T03:03:43Z

Hubby ended up having to work yesterday, so after a bit of coaxing from my big sister, the boys and I joined her and my nephews at the zoo. The day was perfect for a visit to the zoo: it was in the high 60’s/very low 70’s, with the sky slightly cloudy and a very light breeze. Just about all the animals were in plain sight, most of them taking a leisurely nap in the shaded areas within their habitats. (I'll post pictures tomorrow, just too lazy right now to download from the camera).

As much fun as I had with my sister, her friend, and six boys between us, I really would have preferred to take advantage of a long weekend and head to Central Florida. I was very tempted Friday evening to search online for Orlando vacation rentals, and my longing did not subside when my sister mentioned she and my brother-in-law are considering visiting The Mouse during Spring Break.

I'm worst than a child when it comes to Disney: I think I love it more than the boys do! I keep reminding myself that for the amount of money we'd spend going to Orlando for three days, we could go on a cruise, or even go to Vegas for a weekend.