Ohhh Mylanta! I am so proud of my son!!!

Ok, so I wanted to take this oppurtunity to brag up my son!!! We've been having severe behavioral problems with my oldest child, in my opinion although I will admit not nearly as bad stories I've read in books, magazine, online & in newspapers but none the less it's been a nightmare for us living with him. Anyways, yesterday it came up that I was going shopping with his little sister so he asked me if he could play the computer while we were gone to which I agreed. Side note: we have a kid's computer schedule and it was not his turn and the standing rule is that there is no swapping, trading, ect. of computer time. He went to get on and Jerry told him that he can't be on because it wasn't his turn. I overhear this as I'm trying to get out the door. Now, I fully anticipated and excepted my son to EXPLODE!!!! Anger is the main things we've been working on with him and something like this would have set him off to Nuclear Level as we refer to it. I expected cuss words, slamming of doors, destruction of his toys/furniture.....I think you get the picture. What we experienced instead was....calm!!! He walked downstairs to watch TV and although I could see on his face he was not happy about it, he remained CALM!!! This is such a huge victory!!!! I explained to Jerry that I ok'ed it, and he ended up playing on the computer. We took time at dinner to tell him just how proud we were of him and much to my surprise Jerry gave him an extra hour of computer time that night for his excellent self restraint - he wants David to know that there are good consequences for our choices as well. Jerry also told him, that even though we greatly appreciated his wonderful choice of how to deal with his feelings, another option would have been to say, "Stepdad, Mom said I could since they were going to the mall. If it's ok with you may I play?" That is step two of the plan --- to teach him how to problem solve but I can not express in words just how extremely proud of him I am!!!! He was upset but dealt with it without becoming out of control. Praise God, thank you for helping us help him!!!

Well, here it is in a nutshell.

Chief is in the hospital, the good news is he's not "actively dying" *I am not sure what that means*. The bad news is because he's in a posey bed, which is considered a restraint, there aren't any options as far as his care except coming home. I'd love for him to come home but there are complications with that. One is Mom. She's not mentally strong enough to take any more and physically, she's a tiny little doll next to him. Two, is the kids. Noise aggitates him. How do I tell the kids to not make any noise? The upside is he will get the best care here at home and it will be the most economically option for them financially.

Now keep in mind, this is coming off being told that he has only a few days left to live so this is quite a shock to us as we have all prepared ourselves for his passing. Again, it's great news - but man! What an emotional roller coaster. At this point, we are being told it comes down to if he will eat or not. He's not been eating much at all and they wont put in a feeding tube because he will pull it out. He's not mentally lucid to know that he needs to eat to get healthy, well as healthy as he can get. Unfortunatley with his dementia we are told there is no going back or reversing the mental state. As it stands at this very moment, if he passes it will be due to starvation. So....again, incrediably frustrating!

My son is coming along. Since starting the Ablify one month ago his moods have really stablized. He actaully seems happy! Wooo wooo what a transformation! However, he still refuses to talk to his Dad which bothers me greatly. They've went two weeks without speaking living in the same house. As it stands now, he's lived here and not spoken to his Dad for about two months. I struggle everyday on how I can help reconcile them because neither one is making any attempt *that I can see* to resolve this. It's incrediably frustrating for me!!!

On another note, the Dr. wants to increase his meds to double what he's taking now. The goal is that it would help to stablize his moods even more so. My concern is strictly financial at this point. We are not eligable for help from the manufacturer and the cost is $170 a month with inusrance for just that one medication. Typically this would not concern me, but given all that is going on with Mom & Chief we are not sure how long will have their assistance *they pay us a small amount each month to help with living costs*.

Jer says we may have to sell the house this coming Spring - a year from now. So....joy oh joy! I am going to start doing what I can to improve it. Painting the entire house, he wants to do the outside too *ugh*. It's going to be alot of work. We are even going to be putting in new bathtubs, toilets, vanities, lighting fixtures, etc etc. The house is solid but hasn't been updated since it was built in 1979.

So there it is, my life in a nutshell.

dancing the night away

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Been awhile.....

Ok, so nothing in paticular to write about today but a few random things on are my mind. One, I had a great shop today!!!!!Here are the details:

4 Glade Sense & Spray air freshner things
1 Glade Scented Oil fan air freshener thing
1 Cologate whitening toothpaste
1 Garnier Fructis shampoo
1 Garnier Fructis hairspray
1 Garnier Fructis hair molding stuff
4 chocolate crosses (for Easter baskets)
4 religious themed tin eggs (for Easter baskets)
1 gallon of milk

Shelf: $81.96
Saved: $69.49
Paid: $12.47

I haven't exercised for a few day :( I feel as though I've lost a pound or two, but guessing I won't hit my goal of 5 pounds by this time next week unless I stop eating and exercise at least twice a day LOL!! However, my clothes are a bit more comfy now so it's all good.

I am so excited to go hang with Mary and Ariane!!! I can't believe I finally get to meet them after ......just over two years??? of knowing them. To be honest, I am a bit nervous---just getting to know their and them to know my little quirks. Like, I walk very heavy--so in heels on a tile floor, ummm yah grab your earplugs LOLOLOLOL!!! I talk very loudly too---why? I have no idea, but I always have.

Because I am a little nervous and my hormones, my right side is broken out with 5 pimples and I HATE that!!!! Ughhh!!! I have always struggled with my skin, but since I started using Proactive it's been very clear MOST of time. Just figures that a week before I go out of town I get a break out :( Two on my upper lip and three on my chin.....I am so bummed out about this. Been putting the Provatic refining mask on them and Neosporin. They are not clearing up and hurt like the dickens.....I am so desperate considering trying Windex (from My Big Fat Greek Wedding) LOL!!!!

Ok, well the next time I will be back from Vegas and hopefully not broke!!! Wish me luck!!!

Jello - everybody needs a little wiggle room???

Ohhh mylanta!!! LOL ya'all!!! I just worked out for the first time in ..... years. Yes, I am ashamed lol to openly admit that. I got a lot of weight off in 2000, down to a size 14 from a 22. After that I bounced back and forth between a size 14 and 20 for a few years. Then our revamp on the house started and I lost a ton, a TON of wieght!!! Got down to a size 10 wooo hoooo!!! Wasn't even trying to lose wieght, it was just a natural effect of working on the house. I suppose 14+ hours a day of physical labor will do that to a girl!!! That was in ... August 2007. I cant remember the month as most things are not important for me to commit to memory and those things that are I end up forgetting anyways LOL. Now, I don't mention weight (pounds) because I never weigh myself. I could care less what number pops up on a scale, not even so much about size although I have to admit I do like it when I get to say "size 12". For me, it's about how I feel physical.

Well, right now sitting her in my computer chair I can feel my big ol' pot belly (had 2 c-sections so I will always have a small pot belly no matter what)and fat rolls on my sides and might I add, the feeling SUCKS!!!! My 14s are feeling tight even though they don't like tight. So what am I going to do about it? Glad you asked LOL

I started by doing my first workout tonight. I taped Denise Austin on my DVR, she's on at 4:30 am and as much as I am a night owl, even for me that is pushing it. I am usually in lala land by then. So, I am hot, sweaty and outta breath LOL :) But I feel good --- NOW that it's over LMBO!!!!

Let me tell you - during the workout I had things giggling and a shaking that I didn't even know I had. I felt muscles that I never knew existed. And Praise God her 30 min show is really only about 15 plus or minus minutes of actual workout. I don't think I could have went much longer :) When I finished my body felt like Jello and I am positive I don't want my body to have wiggle room any longer hehehehe

Tonights Rockin Smoking Hot Shopping!!!!

I have to admit, there is nothing that relaxs me quite like shopping - especially the easy way!!! No Marah with me LOL!!! I am so excited about tonights shopping!!! Here's what I did:

Wal-Greens::::
Wal-Greens Chocolate Nutrition drink $4.00(donate to food bank)& a $4.00 rebate
two rolls of 20sqft Reynolds aluminum foil $0.89 each & (2)$1 off q's = FREE + $0.11
Nivea Body Oil for Marah's sensitive skin, clearance $4.19 each & (2)$1 off q's
no slip ponytail holders 20 count, clearance $1.19
two Hershey's candy bars & (2) BuyOneGetOneFree q's - somehow I ended paying $0.20 for both but didn't want to make a fuss over $0.20.....
Shelf price = $32.49
Total spent = $12.53
Rebate coming = $4.00
Total OOP (out of pocket) = $8.53

RiteAid::::
Garnier Frutis Conditioner $2.99 & a $2.99 rebate
two packs of tooth/gum pain reliever swabs $4.99 each & two $4.99 rebates
ten soy joy bars $5.00 & a $5.00 rebate (doante to food bank)
Total spent = $18.10
Rebate coming = $17.97
Total OOP = $0.13

Albertsons Transaction 1::::
three pillsbury biscuits
five Nature Valley granola bars
Shelf price = $34.88
Total OOP = $17.75
Catalinas = $13.50 off you next order

Albertsons Transaction 2::::
two warm delights
eight fruit roll ups
Shelf price = $28.50
Total OOP = $16.79
Catalinas = $13.50 off your next order

Albertsons Transaction 3::::
five chicken broths
two bags chips
one 6oz fresh blueberries
Shelf price = $14.93
Total OOP = $2.83
No catalinas on this one :(

I figure I spent $68.00 out of pocket, have $25.96 coming in rebates and $23.50 left of my "off your next order". As far as my savings (not counting RiteAid) I saved $60.90 from the shelf price by using the sales, rebates and coupons!! As Mel says, woooo hooooo!

Wowwww Ohhh mylanta!

I received an email from a dear online friend of mine that just sent me into ...... I can't even describe it. Anger? Frustration? Humilitation? These are just a few of the things I felt. Ok, ok - I have to admit it made me laugh as well, I mean really? Really? People really did this? Is there no common sense left in America? I mean not only was it the stupidity and lack of foresite by the ... plantiff, but the what about the juries??? I mean COME ON PEOPLE!!!! What happened to be responsible for yourself?? It amazes and appalls me that out of your own stupid choices you can profit. Here is what I am talking about.

7TH PLACE : Kathleen Robertson of Austin , Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.

6TH PLACE : Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.

5TH PLACE : Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to
the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT, days on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish.

4TH PLACE : Jerry Williams, of Little Rock , Arkansas , garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog
with a pellet gun. ***My own note on this: he's lucky I wasnt' on the jury because I've had charged him with trepassing and animal cruelty. Think he would have been surprised????****

3RD PLACE : Amber Carson of Lancaster , Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. Whatever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?

2ND PLACE : Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000.....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure. ***My note, yes I can't refrain myself. If I was on the jury I would have recommended breaking and entering charges against her and the labor it cost to clean the bathroom where I am sure her two front teeth made quite a little mess.****

1ST PLACE : (May I have a fanfare played on 50 kazoos please)This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the
freeway, crashed and overturned.

Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting
in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat
while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you
sitting down, $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually
changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs.
Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home. *****All I can say is, "HELLO PEOPLE - IT"S CRUISE CONTROL NOT AUTOPILOT*****

LOL, I actually feel kinda sorry for the poor sap who gets me as a jurer because I firmly and fully believe in every action has an equal and opposite reaction and you will have consiquences for every choice you make, whether good or bad.

Where's the beef?

I'll tell you where it is! In my freezer!!! I am so excited - hubby just scored some awesome deals on meat today!!! Shelf price is $202.58 but with the sales he only paid $86.79 :) Yeahhhhh Hubby! Here's what he got:
4 whole chickens
6 rump roasts, beautifully trimmed I might add
1 sirlion steak
1 bottom round roast
1 pork loin roast (it's huge!! he is going to cut this and it should make two meals of pork chops and one meal of a pork roast)

This will make 14 meals for us at a cost of $6.20 for the meat per meal not to mention the roasts are so big I am positive that there will be leftovers for lunch the next day. That is awesome in my book!!!

Every little bit helps

So I've been constantly turning off lights..... & TVs for that matter…when my family leaves a room. This is a never ending battle, I promise you I get a full walk in every day just going around room to room turning off lights and whatever else has been mindlessly left on. In addition, I unplug things that aren't in use like the toaster, can opener (heck, to be honest I use my hand operated one 99% of the time now because it's just as easy to get it out than to plug in the electric one), nightlights and such when they are not being used.
I also only do the laundry and run the dishwasher after 8 p.m. I bet you thought I was going to say I washed the dishes by hand didn’t you?? LOL – no way, never, not on your life! I detest doing dishes! LOL

I scored big too at Spokane Discount on florescent light bulbs - they came out to like $1 a bulb!!!! So, yes, lol - those are in play too. Darling Husband turned the water heater down a couple degrees. Now, I am not in favor of him doing because I soooo miss my piping hot showers but.....I suppose it's part of the sacrifice towards the end goal. He also put our computers to sleep mode or something like that (I just use the computer, I don't care how it works lol)so when we don't use them after so many minutes (again see my comment about how I don't care how they function)they basically shut down to conserve energy. The biggest thing we've been able to do is utilize our wood stove. We spend about $200 a month on wood for it but our heater hardly runs - which is set at 68 degrees of course.

For the month of December we fully expected our electric bill to around $700. Due to the changes we made in our lifestyle our bill was only $300. Now, I know, I know - we spent $200 on wood but that still brings it to $500 which is $200 less than we were anticipating. So yes, I have a big ol' smile on my face because I now know that every little bit does in fact help!

I'm stocked

**These pictures are about 3 months into my adventure**

Ohhhh mylanta, I have to tell you this! From playing the grocery game I've managed to save $4,717 on groceries, health & beauty products, cleaning supplies, pet food and so on and so forth for the last six months of 2008. Now, I know you are probably thinking well how much did you spend? Well, that my dear friend is $4,487. So roughly I saved 50% and I am excited about that!

Still think that is alot? Let me tell you, I was spending about $2,000 a month - yes, you read that right, a month - on these types of items to run the house. I would make my list and go to the store for my big shop once a week. But then you have those moments of "oh, I need _____" which when you go back to the store for the one item you end up with sixteen other items in your cart that you didn't know you needed until you got to the store LOL. I guess I should mention we are family of seven and have 3 dogs & 1 cat.

Obviously before I joined I had no grocerybudget LOL. I just bought what I needed *clears throat* thought I needed. I had no idea how much I spent each month until I was preparing my case for my better half of why we needed to join this game. When I joined I set my budget to $600 a month. I had no idea how this was going to work out as I had already been buying store brands and sales......but I was determined.

I was sooo overly afraid of missing a deal that I went over budget by a few hunderd dollars each month for the first few months but realized "hey, the deals do come around again" and backed off and now stay in my $600 month budget. Heck in November and December I had money left over in my grocery envelope so I moved it to our emergancy fund!

Right now I only HAVE to go shopping each week for milk, eggs, fresh fruits & veggies. You notice I didn't say bread. That's because my darling husband figured out the cost of the ingrediants and I make a loaf myself for about 60cents. And to my surprise I found out I like making bread. As a matter of a fact I LOVE making bread since I got the breadmaker for Christmas :).

The goal is to stockpile items you use on a regular basis while they are at their rockbottom price. Needless to say I am fully stocked on everything from shampoo to cereal. At this point I have to be careful on shopping because my basement pantry is pretty stuffed and I don't have hardly any room left to store things.

Plus, I started saving all the coin change I got from my grocery budget and after 3 months it totaled $100. Now I am saving all my $1 bills in addition to my change and in the last three weeks I've already accumulated $44 in dollar bills. I am so excited to see where this game takes me because I got to tell ya, it's been a great ride so far!

**If you check out the grocery game and want to sign up please put me as a refernce - email me @ohhh.mylanta@gmail.com & i'll give my email addy that I use for that**

Is it worth burning the bacon?

So I am a busy Mom. I assume most of us are busy whether you are a Mom, or a parent for that matter, or not. The afternoon started with cleaning up the kitchen, showering and heading out on a few shopping errands. Marah and I fight the snow and ice on the roads and safely make it to our stores with no hassles. We scored some great deals while out to. Heck, I think she did better than me! For her $5 she got a Rudolph lunch bag, a reindeer headband that lights up and a Backyardigans music set. I am shining proud of her and how she has learned to scope the clearance isles when it comes to spending her money. So we get home after hitting three stores and I start dinner. I am making a sandwich I've been thinking about all day - chicken breast, bacon & swiss cheese. I am happy to say it turned out as great as I thought it would! However, because I wanted bacon I had to fry it and the only thawed pack was 5 lbs. So, I start my venture of frying the bacon. Mind you I have to fry the whole pack as it has been previously frozen already.

An hour and a half later I am still frying bacon......Marah is in the tub calling for me. Whining for me. I am frustrated, doesn't she know I'm frying this massive pack of bacon??? Geez! I finally give in and go up to the bathroom. She proceeds to entertain me with song and dance and of course - a water show. I have to admit this, and I am so ashamed to, but I was getting mad! I mean -couldn't she smell the bacon? She knew I was cooking, trust me, I made that obundantly clear. But as my darling 4 yr old continued the show *after all, the show must go on* I couldn't help it, a smile breaks and my heart melts. So here is the point in my life where I learned that sometimes yes, it is in fact worth burning the bacon.

Tis the New Year

Ok, I've been gone for awhile. Wrapped up in Thanksgiving, my FAV holiday of the year!!!!, and Christmas. I have nothing to target speficially tonight but I will leave you all with a thought.

Our recession...we can learn a lot from this. For far too long far too many Americans have been living beyond their means with the help of loans and credit cards - it's simply catching up to us. Now, don't take it as I blame all Americans for this - oh no! The companies that offered us the easy financing are to blame as well. They approved us when there was NO WAY we should have been approved - whether for a house, car, credit car, furniture...the list goes on and on. We applied for things we KNEW we couldn't really afford (if we were being completely honest with ourselves) and the finance companies where more than happy to oblige.

I can guarantee you this - when you get your debt paid off and purchase things with your hard earned cash, not only will you be more price aware of how much you are paying but you will have a greater satisfaction with your item. Can you imagine your life where when you want a new ZZZZZ, just go to your safe or bank, take out the cash and go buy it? Can you imagine your life where when you have an emergancy, it's not a huge problem because you have a cash reserve? It can and will happen for you if you sit back, reflect and learn about why and how we got ourselves into this situation and make it a point to not let yourself ever get sucked back into the same web. Blessings!