My Mind is all a Swirl

I have so much flying through my mind right now! I was sick last week and the kids were under the weather this week; so I am totally thrown off. I am late/behind on sending out my Christmas cards. My shopping is behind and I totally need to go to the grocery! I have tonight and Sunday night to get stuff done, no pressure. I don't think I have ever been this behind. I did manage to buy some things online last week. I am hoping they make it on time....

On top of that, I have been seriously considering renting my house out. We have tossed the idea around for many years. We have recently met many people who have 1 or more rentals. A good friend of mine recently acquired her second rental property. Her realtor told her not to sell any of them right now,because of the market, and that renting was the way to go with this crappy market. I have read that the sell of homes are down 6.7% from this time last year. Due to the huge amount of foreclosures and the mortgage industries tightening of standards, there are more people out there renting than purchasing. So, I don't know.....We are both going to pray about it. Renting out your house can be a big deal. So the other half and I are going to pray about it ALOT and have dinner with my good friend K and her Hubs and hear how they have gone about having 3 mortgages and 2 sets of tenants. I have always wanted to have a rental property, weird I know. But they can afford you some financial security when you are older. The properties could also be sold at a later date and pay for C or G's college or any extra expenses we may incur due to G's delays. It's alot to think about. So we are praying about it. We also seem to be running into quit a few acquaintances that have a property or two and have been more than happy to share their experiences with me, which is lovely of them to do.
So my question to any of you is, have you ever had a rental property? If so what was your experience with that, tenants, lawyers, and realtors?

Thanks!

Have Yourself and Eco-Friendly Christmas...

We are headed to a "Green" Christmas Party tonight with a gift exchange. My first thoughts when I was invited were: is this a spin on a white elephant but I bring something green, and that's a cute incorporation of the Christmas seasons use of the color green. It was good that I asked about the whole "white elephant" thing, because I was sooo wrong! It is to be an environmentally friendly gift. We have to be creative and the gift must be an,"interesting and fun gift that is either made from sustainable materials or will help in some way, by it's very use, to reduce energy consumption to put under the tree for a gift exchange." This struck me as a fun challenge. I mean it's easy to find eco-friendly things, but to find something "fun" and "creative" that seemed to pose more of a obstacle. So I have spent the past week racking my brain and scouring web sites. Last week I read a great article in our local paper that helped me on my journey.


According to the newspaper, "going green" for Christmas is the thing to do. So much so that the accounting company of Deloitte & Touche surveyed on the subject. They found that 12% of people in my state plan to buy more eco- friendly gifts this year. while 20% will use less plastic bags when they make their purchases. 19% of people, state wide, were planing on not wrapping their gifts with traditional wrapping paper. (It doesn't recycle, so it just sits and landfills.) It was good to see I was in good company this holiday season, but this didn't help with where I could find cool, green, gifts pronto! Further in the article I had my answer! It would seem that Home Depot, Target, Yahoo! and Walmart (?!) all have environmentally friendly products on their websites! How great is that?! So I perused Target, Home Depots, and Yahoo!. Great sites all. Great selections. Now I didn't end up buying anything from the site, though I may in the future. (I didn't have enough time for the shipping) But I did do something that I know to be easy on the planet and that is: I shopped local. There is a Wild Birds Unlimited not too far from me. On top of selling bird seed and bird things, they have a good selection of eco-friendly soaps, jewelry made from natural materials,and natural jewelry by women in Africa. So I chose from that and am putting my gift in a reusable tote. I think that meets all the requirements. We'll see. I am off to have a good time and I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with!


More Tips For a Planet Friendly Holiday:

• Buy a potted Christmas Tree. Replant it in the spring or donate it to your local parks department.


• Use LED lights on the tree. They use 90% less power that traditional lights, but they do cost more to purchase.


• Make your own gift. Who doesn't like something so thought full as something made by hand? From candy, to soaps, to scarves, all ways a way to make it creative and personal.


• Make your own wrapping paper. You can use the comics, maps, brown bags, ect. I did this one year using brown bags and paint. I painted the bags free hand and I used potato and rubber stamps. It was alot of fun!

Links to Websites listed above:

Home Depot http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/

Yahoo! Green http://green.yahoo.com/

Target http://www.target.com/b/sr=1-1/qid=1197750629/ref=sr_ilm_1/602-6617218-2806255?ie=UTF8&node=357202011

O Christmas Card! O Christmas Card!

I was at a Christmas party several years ago. Someone there expressed how they found the end of year letters, that some people put in their Christmas cards, to be annoying and self important. I was opening cards, yesterday and reading some letters, when I was reminded of this conversation. I love those letters. I am not the best on the phone. My lifestyle does not provide a lot of time for the phone or meeting up with my friends on a regular basis. Plus, some of them live out of state. So I find these letters give me a chance to find out of all the fun things that have happened to them this year. It gives my friends and I something to talk about next time we meet. I also enjoy each persons unique writing voice. Receiving such a letter makes me feel that the giver finds me to be a close enough friend that I probably do care about what has transpired in the last 365 days. So, to all of those out there who fill their cards with an end of the year synopsis, keep 'em coming! You are not gloaters! 98% of we recipients get a joy out of reading your years joys and adventures. Bring 'em on.

And to those of you that feel these letters are "annoying and self important", don't read them. That way you aren't annoyed by someone who has mistaken you as someone who cares. Also, don't complain at parties about these things. You run the risk of hurting the feelings people who only have the best of intentions by sending these letters. If you think about complaining openly then you have to ask yourself ,"Who's the real self important one here?"

Wordless Wednesday

This picture sums up their sibling relationship!

Ten Rules to Live by

The topic for Letters to my Daughters writing project is "Ten Rules to Live by." I have tried to give this a lot of thought. I really have. However, I am not sure what my "rules to live by” would be. So we will stumble through this together.


1. I do believe you have to believe in something higher than yourself. It gives some reassurance to know I am here for something bigger than to eat, drink, breath, work and die. I find meaning in believing in a force bigger and more loving than myself.


2. Strive to be and do better. Everyday should be a new day to try to be a better, more loving, more forgiving individual. Making the world a better place starts with you and your smile.


3. Get outside. When we take the time to get outside and take a walk, garden, or just sit, we have the opportunity to unwind and see what it is all about! When one takes the time to observe the outdoors it takes you out of yourself. It gives us a reason to want to preserve the planet.


4. Take risks, stretch yourself. It can be any kind of risk. Go to a new coffee shop, travel to a place you have always wanted to go. There is such a feeling of freedom and accomplishment when you push yourself to do something new, learn something new, or go some where new!


5. Do not be afraid to fail. We are all afraid to fail. Failure is inevitable. Every great somebody failed many times before they succeeded. The secret is to learn from the failure and head back to the drawing board!


6. Never quit, never give up! See #5 :)


7. There is a reason for everything. I believe this with all my heart. Too many things have happened in my life that back up this theory. The trick is being patient enough to find out what the reason is or was.


8. Travel and learn about other cultures. If you can't afford to hop a flight, go to the library and check out a book. Learn about people and countries other than your own. You will find we are all more alike than we are different.


9. Study the arts. There are so many to choose from, you are bound to find something that tickles your fancy and lets you see the world in a whole new light!


10. Love. Love someone, love something. A pet definitely counts! When you love and take care of something other than yourself, you become less selfish and there is such a freedom in that. It is not easy, it never will be, but it is a necessary and useful journey all the same.


Hey look at me! I was able to come up with some stuff!! I think I just learned a little more about myself, this is always a good thing.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love the holidays! One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to have a nice hot cup of Starbucks Christmas blend and mint M&M's. These are two things you can't get any other time of the year other then December. I love them so much that I usually try to stock up on a few bags of both before they leave the stores for another 11months.
Some times it just the little things, ya know?

It's Official

The Other half has officially killed his knee. Last Saturday ,while playing basketball with his "Old Fogey" league, he did a jump shot and blew out his knee. A 4 Doctors visits, 2 xrays, and one MRI later the verdict is in, his ACL is toast. The other things in his knee are either stretched or blown out too. We have been told that his ACL will have to be reconstructed with either his own tendons or cadaver. My vote is for his own tendons. (Please pray they can use them) They will do some scoping/scraping will they are in there too. We meet with the Surgeon on Monday to get the full rundown of all the fun and to get a date for surgery.
This will be surgery number 2 for The Other Half in less than 12months. SHESH! I told him he's getting expensive and I might just have to trade him in for another model! ;) His sister texted him and said,'You might not think 30 is old, but you knee sure does!' That had me rolling!
On a serious note, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Him having surgery always makes me nervous. And I am not looking forward to paying off yet another surgery. Thank God for insurance!

Random Quote

Me: "G, I need you to get ready for bed."

G, is ferociously strumming his sister's pink barbie guitar to some Goo Goo dolls song.

Me: "G, Listen to me! You need to get ready for bed!"

G, still ferociously strumming:" I can't! I NEED to rock and roll!"

This comment comes on the heels of him having broken my mixing bowl while drumming to the sounds of the Foo Fighters. *Sigh*

Me, tiredly:" Ok, five more minutes of rock and roll and then off to bed."

G: "I NEED to rock and roll!!"

Me: "Five minutes or I take the guitar NOW.Which is it?"

G: "Ok, five minutes."

Even rock stars know when not to mess with mom!
;)

Wordless Wednesday

My 3 Boys

Thanksgiving

I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. This year has passed very quickly for me and my family. There is so much for me to be thankful for this year. Yes, I may not have the house I thought I would, but I do have a house, a roof over my head. I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for C's school and staff. She is flourishing there, even more than we thought she would. She hates being sick on school days! What?!

I am thankful for G's school and staff. With out those amazing women he would not be communicating even close to as well as he does now. They are miracle workers.

I am thankful for my friend The Psychologist who has helped to guide us with G. Without her expertise and friendship G's delays would have gone undiagnosed for several more years. I can't tell you how many people use to dismiss my concerns of his delayed speech, hyperactivity,and over sensitivity as him "just being a boy." She was the first person close to me that had the training and the confidence to say," I'm concerned too." I am so thankful for that.

I am thankful for The Other Half's new position and for his self growth. I am thankful that he is such a great father, lover of cats, and that he loves my dogs more everyday.

I am thankful for good friends and their love and understanding.

I am thankful for my self growth this year. I hope I never forget it.

I am also thankful for family and that they really do pull through for you when the going gets tough.

Last but not least, I am thankful that this year is almost over! This has been one big fat funky year and I can't wait to finish taking the lessons from it and move onto next year. Clean slate. (Ya ever have just one of those years?)

We will be traveling during this holiday. I love gearing up for it by making a mix cd or two. It kinda gives the travel a sound track, other than the 2 wild children fighting in the back seat and asking why the car is stuck in traffic and why aren't we there yet! I have found that sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to feel hip and sane while parent or traveling. So my mix cd's usually has something hip, something old, something new, something emo, and something Laurie Berkner or Ralph's world-ish. I can truly say my cd's are eclectic!

To those of you that are traveling, I wish you safe traveling and I hope you keep your sanity.

For those staying near, I wish you a happy holiday as well!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

Yet another leg of the Journey

I have written a little about my sons sensory processing disorder. Well now he is at an age where they need to find out if some of the things he is dealing with are in the autism spectrum or some other kind of delay. So this weekend I filled out a form that will rule out (or in) "regular" autism. His teachers and therapist have assured me that they don't think he is autistic. But by having me fill out this form it will help them to start to narrow down what is happening with G. In February we start another leg of our journey into special needs by having G tested by a woman who is amazing. She comes to us highly recommended by friends of ours who are colleagues of hers in the field of psychology. She is the go to woman for high functioning autism and a plethora of other things. She has no agenda other than the child's welfare. Sounds good.
We are doing all of these things in hopes of getting G the right programs and help when he starts school next August. By getting him tested early we can get him started on the way to learning in a way that he can understand. These test results will also help his teachers to help him and understand him better.
I have had many friends talk about being uneasy with children being labeled. I understand that. I really do. Unfortunately if you want any help, your child has to be "labeled" so that those around them know how and why to help. I am hopeful that whatever the out come G won't ever feel like "I am a kid with speech delay" or "I am the high functioning autistic kid." Our goal at home, and away, is to for him to be G, our son, who learns the way he learns, and is just as special and cool as anyone else.
This is an interesting leg of our journey.( Not that any twist or turn with G has ever been dull or uninteresting.) I feel that we are getting even closer to having questions answered that have tugged at my heart for the 2years that we have been on this road. I don't want my son to be anything that he is not, but I do want him to be comfortable with who he is. I really feel that these tests are getting us one step closer to getting us all there.

If you would like more information about Sensory Processing Disorder, The SPD Network has a very informative site. http://www.sinetwork.org/

If you would like more information on Autism, Autism Speaks will keep you informed. http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Christmas Shopping China Free

A local artisan turned me onto this great site called Etsy. It is a website filled with crafters/artisans from all over the world, but mostly from the US. I have yet to order anything yet because I still have to narrow down my gift ideas. There is so much to choose from! Most,if not all,of the artist take paypal. Etsy tells you how much that "shop" has sold and its approval rating. There is something for everyone ,or anything, on your Christmas list at Etsy. If you like giving one of a kind gifts,without breaking your budget,you are bound to find something on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/

Long Time no See

Well October was one crazy month that did not go according to plan. To make a long story short we were suppose to sign the papers on both homes the first Friday of October and be out the following Tuesday, 4 days later. Something came up for our buyer and so we had to post pone closing every week for the next 3 weeks! Then the buyer went MIA therefore voiding our contract. It turns out she was not pre-qualified like her realtor had told us. The buyer was so frustrated with the people she was working with that she just stopped returning phone calls. It has been a disheartening situation for all of us. The kids are very sad/mad that they won't have their new bedrooms. Because our buyer wanted all of our appliances I went out and bought new appliances, of which are currently in my garage. To top it off my house is emptier than ever and for the month that it has been back on the market we have not had one showing. We have always had,at least, 2 showings a weekend. So, I took it upon myself to list the house on Craigslist, in addition to it being on our Realtors website. I am really struggling to understand Gods rhyme and reason for all of this. We have had our house on the market almost a year. I am really getting disheartened/ depressed about this.

On a good note, The Other Half started his new DM job at the end of October and loves it. His districts numbers are totally in the toilet. These poor guys have not had a manager that cared. And for the last 6months they didn't have a manager at all! Luckily for them the Other Half is a total optimist and loves a good challenge. He has met every single one of his distributors and they were all down in the dumps, but they are hard workers, and are ready to do better, they just want someone to help them get there. Most of these guys already know The Other Half because he trained them to do their job or they've met at work conferences. We both know this has helped him get off to a good start with these guys.

A week after the Other Half officially started his DM job we went with some friends to San Francisco and Napa. I will post more on that later, with photos. It was a great trip!

To sum it up, October was interesting.

My House is in Contract!!!

This is a quickie update. I hope to post more in the up coming days. A quick recap of the past 2weeks and why I've been on hiatus. The kids started school! Yippee! We all have been passing the flu around the past 2weeks, booooooo! On Tuesday of last week the other half received a promotion and on Wednesday a woman put an offer on our house?! Crazy great! By Thursday we had finished negotiations and I had the real flu, leaving my sick self, The Other Half, and our realtor to look at houses all this past weekend. We have to be out of our place by the second Tuesday of October, No pressure! It is a challenge to find a house you like when you are well, but let me tell you it is down right no fun when you are sporting a 102 degree fever! But we think we found something we like, out of the 20 we saw this past weekend! I kid you not, 20 homes and I have only found one that seems to have what we need. Just our blessed luck it happens to be Bank owned and in PERFECT condition!!! So we place a bid on Tuesday and we should know by tonight or tomorrow what the bank thinks.
Please say a prayer that we get the right place for the right price. God has really been moving the past two weeks and it is so exciting! I am so excited to see what he is going to come up with when it comes to our lodging!
I hope you all are well and I will blog more soon!
:)

Mini Hiatus

I will be back and blogging in the next couple of days. Life has been a little crazy with all the back to school stuff and getting use to the new schedule.
Best of luck to all of you gearing up for the new school year as well!

What's in Your Shopping Cart?

It's that time again,back to school shopping! I usually love shopping but this year it was just too much! I think everyone had the same idea as C and I. We went to the uniform shop, busy. We went to Target, busy. As we were almost done at Target I remembered that C needed a "dressy" pair of shoes and my little niece needed a birthday present. Being that my niece is 3 I knew there was a good chance that some of her favorite things had been recalled.Which in turn reminded me that I am trying my darnest to boycott China. I was looking for My Little Ponies and some of her other favorites. None were to be found. They were recalled, I suppose. Then I remembered I had promised her Playdough. When she was over 2 weeks ago she and G had played with it and she loved it! I had told her next time I saw her I would bring her some. So I was off to find the Playdough. We found it. I figured it was there because it wasn't made in China. WRONG! Playdough is made in china?! Yup. Did I give in? Yes. Why? I made a promise and I couldn't find any substitutes. After that my guilt ridden self took C to the Target shoe section. All I could find were made in china shoes! I'm not saying ALL of Targets shoes are made in China, but all of the ones in her size and of the dressy persuasions were! Geez! I was tired from shopping but determined not to give in again, so I asked C if we could go to Once Upon a Child and see if they had loafers or something there. She was fine with that. (Thank God!) I don't have alot of time to shop and run around for shoes, but I figure if the item is second hand I can live guilt free, right?

After are shopping I was exhausted. It was a while before I decided to unload our days purchases. As I was unloading it dawned on me to look and see where everything had come from. This is what I found:

Made in China

• Body Loofah


• Foohy Erasers


• Crayola flash cards


• Rose Art Washable Markers


• Elmars Glue


• Target Bandages


• 2 Piggy Banks from the dollar bin


• Starpoint Tinkerbell folder


• Focus folder


• Sweet Art folder


• Maybe it's time,inc folder


• AND the big heart breaker......High School Musical Folder

Made in USA or else where

• Cotton Cotton balls, USA


• PaperMate pens, Mexico


• PaperMate pencils, USA


• Bic pens, Mexico


• Crayola Colored Pencils, Brazil


• Crayola Crayons, USA


• Color Sharp highlighters, USA


• Target Disinfecting Wipes (their answer to Clorox wipes), USA


• Method aroma spray, USA


• School Uniforms, USA


• Norcom construction paper, note books, and loose leaf paper, Mexico


• Fruit of the Loom tank tops, El Salvador


• Hanes crew socks, USA

As you have seen from my list, not all of Crayola's products are manufactured in the same country. I found this to be true with several companies. I'm sure there are many more. Target's Circo brand, for instance, had blue knee socks made in China. Circo also had similar socks that were made in Mexico and the United States.

As I have fully realized,from today's adventures, boycotting China is not easy. However it is necessary. The companies of the USA and China have to see that we know what goes into Made in China and we care about what goes into Made in China. I am willing to read labels and do the best I can to stop buying Chinese manufactured products.

Lastly, I have to comment that buying Chinese manufactured products isn't always cheaper. Many of the competing products out there are BOTH made in china. I picked up 2 packages of undershirts. One was Fruit of the Loom the other was some Target off brand. The off brand wasn't in it's rightful place, so I decided to take both packages to the scan station to see how much it was. Turns out the off brand was a dollar more expensive for the same about of undershirts and the off brand was Made in China. I suddenly had two good reasons to go with Fruit of the Loom.

Another Recall ?!

Mommyzabs from http://www.mommyzabs.com/ has recently started a new site. While she will still be blogging on mommyzabs.com, she now has a site devoted to a cause she is passionate about. Her new "baby" is http://www.notchinamade.net/. It is a blog devoted to exposing the harsh reality that is the oppressive communist regime of The Peoples Republic of China. She explores and uncovers their harsh treatment of their own people and their lax business practices. It is a site that answers the question "is cheaper really better?".

We, as a people, can no longer think what China does is its own business and it doesn't effect us. We have seen in the last 9months how much China does effect us right down to our home lives. We kicked off the year with the menu foods pet food recalls that spanned from Walmart dog food to Eukenuba. Then we had the Thomas the Train lead paint recall. This week we entered into not only another toy recall but we are also having a toothpaste recall!

If this causes you to ask your self,"What in the heck is going on over there?" Then click on the notchinamade button and go find out!

What do you do?

What do you do when it suddenly dawns on you that a family member has changed and not for the good? What do you do when you don't recognize who they are anymore? What do you do when you are concerned about their health and well being? What do you do when it is the proverbial "damned if you do and damned if you don't." What do you do? These are some of the things that are weighing on me currently and I don't have any answers for any of them.

Things My Kids Love

I don't know about you, but I have a picky eater. C isn't really a picky eater. She'll try most things and then we have her brother.... G has Sensory Processing Disorder, lactose intolerance and is allergic to citrus. We've been told because of his Sensory Disorder that he doesn't like alot of texture when it comes to clothes, food, the world. I don't know how much I believe about the food thing, but I do what I can to get him to eat healthfully. Having him eat healthy can be a challenge. I have to make sure the food he eats doesn't contain any citrus or dairy. (Although he can have cheese.) I am continuously reading labels. One of the things I was bummed to find was that he couldn't eat anymore was applesauce. Almost all brands of applesauce have cornsyrup and citric acid. If they don't have cornsyrup they still have citric acid. G adores applesauce so this label find was a real bummer. A couple of months ago I came across the greatest thing, Mott's Healthy Harvest. They are snack size applesauce by Motts. They come in blueberry, granny smith apple, country berry, summer strawberry, and peach melba. They are all made with all natural fruit. G loves the blueberry the best. He thinks it is pudding because it is a similar color to his sisters pudding cups. :) He also favors the strawberry and the peach. I love it when I find a win-win food item!

A Gymboree Gift Card Contest @ Shakadoo!

The ladies at Shakadoo have a really neat site and a really neat contest. Shakadoo is a site that has "Everything to do with your Shak." They have info on home decorating, kids,home improvements (currently with a tool give away!),gardening, electronics, and a section for if you work from home. To top off how fun the site is,they are having a contest for a $250 Gymboree back to school gift card! All you have to do it sign up by posting under the Gymboree post by posting, then post on your own blog about their post. Then you are officially entered!
Even if you don't want to enter the contest I recommend the site,it really is informative.

Shakadoo is at http://shakadoo.com/ , and may the luckiest mom win!