Trip To The Highway Patrol

Today I took Thomas to the Florida Highway Patrol to see about getting one step further on his requirements on earning his tiger cub badge for Cub Scouts. We just needed to ask what the Trooper did to help the community, but it turned out, we got alot more than we bargained for! The lady Trooper that came to say hello to Thomas was SO nice and helpful. She asked if Thomas had any questions, and Thomas asked if she ever used any weapons. I was like " what a weird question, but ok. He's 7 and I guess a boy and into that sort of thing.. then asked "do you catch alot of bad guys?" Ok , now we're getting somewhere..., Then "do you like to help people?", as he got more comfortable, more questions started coming out of his mouth . I was impressed! It was like he was conducting his own interview! Before we knew it, the fun part began.. She offered to show him her police car. You wanna see a kid's eyes light up! What do YOU think? well she left, drove her squad car around,and Thomas' eyes lit up. She popped the trunk, and there was her hat in a shell to protect it- I never knew they kept it in a carrier- {so that's how they keep it so nice and tidy looking}, You learn something new everyday! Thomas tried it on for size, Brendan too- they looked too cute! There was this wheel where they trace one point of the scene of an accident to impact point {something like that} - I'd have to say Thomas' favorite item was the baton though for some reason. He kept wanting to hold it and have it taken out. We learned how to hold it and how to use it. Then Thomas got to sit in the squad car- front AND the back- he tried on cuffs too for fun. We slid them on loosely so he could slide his hands out- good photo op. He said - these are like mine at home only they're real! LOL We also turned the lights on and discussed safety like always buckling up because you never know whats going to happen on the road. And you never want to find out the hard way. { Thomas has a nasty habit of unbuckling along the way or not buckling at all no matter how many times we tell him to buckle up while were driving, so we thought if a police officer gave him a talking to, maybe he'd listen}.After bunch of pictures and souvenirs, and a tour of the department, we finally bid the kind Trooper adieu. She did more than her share of coming through, and definitly showed a kid that the police are definitly are our friends and should not be feared whenever we see them on the road as he had in the past. Score one for the good guys!

Brandygirl

I guess there comes a time in every woman's life where they enter the realm of womanhood, whether you are on the brink of becoming, or ARE a teenager, or in this case, a nine month old dog! Yes, Brandy has recently entered that stage. 3 weeks ago she had began spotting, then bleeding, and the poor thing couldn't figure out why we were freaking out and secluding her to her cage and the backyard and the lanai all the time . Everytime she came in the house, she wasn'y allowed to roam free as when she wagged her tail she would go "bloop bloop" and leave these droplets of blood all over the place , so into her cagfe she would go. or out side- at night she would get caged up. This lasted for two weeks. A couple times she snuck into our room and "left her mark" shall we say I shampooed it out, and thank goodness 80 % of our house is linoleum so lots of it just got wiped up - she couldn't help it. So I call the vet to find out how much it would cost to have her neuterd. and how long this would last. She said "' the bleeding would last a weekend to a week, and take three weeks for her uterus to go down " ok , sounds like a typical woman with a normal cycle.. well, she bled for TWO weeks so I have two weeks left? But she tells me it will cost 475 dollars to have her neutered and more to do it while shes in heat! SCUSE ME??! This is a dog! Not a human! I paid 25 dollars MORE for ME to have a scar revision done from my OB! Are you outta your freakin mind? and how much for if she needs to stay over? I cant afford that! is that the going rate? I can't see everyone having to pay that much- Theresgotta be a better price out there- what about the shelters and stuff? I'm gonna check them out and see if they can do it for a lower cost and I'll make a donation if I have to! 475 dollars My ass! Youre on drugs girl! My Car payment aint even that much { my cars paid off but still even when I was MAKING payments! } so now I'm looking around, The damn dog keeps escaping from my yard because shes in heat , so shes in and out of the house . I have these cinderblocks blockading the gap under my fence where she digs a trench big enough to fit herself under and squeeze her ass under and run away down the block. I got the neighbors returning my dog, and when I took the boys to Chuckie Cheese just as we were leaving , She came barrelling around the side of the house where she dug herself under the fence as if to say :'"wait for me ! wait for me! " It's comical, but it's not. Now we gotta look at one of those electric fences or something to keep her in the yard, because this is getting obnoxious. She's so determined and such a digger. Well,. Off to call the shelters on my neuter inquiries. That's my update on our Brandygirl. Ya Gotta love her!

Day At Chuckie's

Today was the last day of spring break before Thomas goes back to school. I decided to take him and Brendan to Chuckie Cheese's to lunch and have a little fun for the day. He hadn't got out much during the break- we got out a little bit for errands and such , mostly because he just didn't WANT to. What was up with that I don't know! He gets like that sometimes. Just becomes introverted and hooked on his video games { which I can't STAND! } I can't wait to get up north- NO video games, NO hanging around the house, NO acting like a hermit! During the week I took him and Brendan to the fountains where they had a blast- running through the fountains, getting soaked, having water wars, just having a blast for 4 hours. Even packed a picnic. Today I sprung 20 bucks for a pizza, sodas and tokens ,and the kids went wild playing games, romping in the play area, munching on pizza, dancing in the dance production area seeing themselves on t.v., riding the rides, and even getting a photo taken with Chuckie. It was money well spent. They get a day out and go back to school tomorrow with some fun memories. They grow up so fast, money's hard to come by and budgets need to be stuck by, but sometimes you just gotta look in those eyes and say " what the hell, let's go have some fun!!" ;)

John Edward Seminar Updated

Last night Tom and I went to The John Edward seminar in Orlando for my birthday present. I was hoping to get read, but unfortunately, my Mom or any other of my family members didn’t come though. In any case, We left here around 3:15, and got there around 5:30, so we decided to get some dinner. We went to Red Lobster to grab something quick- { I know, all the great restaurants in Orlando and that’s what you pick?} We were pressed for time and wanted something quick with no lines and it was on the fly so there we were. The food was really good PLUS they got the lobsterfest going on right now so we took advantage I had this grilled lobster trio with shrimp n scallops and Tom had it with linquini alfredo - TOTALLY blew our diets, but hey, we get a cheat night in so I guess that was it! Off to the show, we find our seats, the place filled up quick. We were amazed at how many people there were, and since the rain made us start late, he went right into the readings instead of the seminar, then the readings- cool! There were some Funny readings and some sad readings.. like One womans son came though who died in an alchohol related crash that said he was glad she was honoring her feeelings for being mad but now it was time to move past, and another woman lost a 3 yr old to drowning where she just had a 5 week old and gave the child cpr,and was feeling blame toward the 5 yr old { i think thats how old }that was with her at the time sort of and said dont do that - she got a good story and lecture - a real eye opener - real sad - I did alot from crying, another got a lecture because she wouldnt go get her lump in her breast checked that was detected from a lost family member where she had two smalll children she could leave behind because she was scared and it was probably nothing but needs to move past the fear. And the funny one was a woman’s husband came through where all he wanted to do was validate he once stripped to his skivvies and had a big you know what and was proud of that! He did two hours worth of straight readings talking his usual 90 miles and hour of Long Island talk I thought talking that fast I would get squeezed in there somewhere, but not tonight. It’s o.k. It’s just not gonna happen. LOL Afterward we drove home with barely any traffic reflecting on the nights events and stories and how they come close toour own lives. Tom apologized for Mom or anyone else not coming through. I said it was alright. I prayed and asked her and wore some of her favorite jewelry so she would "find me" if that sounds odd through her personal effects . but then I thought, maybe she wasn’t ready, or since I talk to her alot { i validate her}already , maybe she felt she didn’t need to come through... It still would have been nice though. Oh well maybe another time. It was a fantastic experience nonetheless and I’d do it all over again if he came back to town again.

New Month, New week, New Me

Starting today Tom and I have vowed to get back in shape for when summertime comes and to lose our wintertime potbellies! Over the holidays we aquired much more than presents I’m sad to say. My jeans get that "muffintop" look which I HATE when I look in the mirror, I’m starting to see the signs of saddlebags which I REFUSE to have, and my ass which I used to pride myself on I know it sounds a little stuck up, But I used to like my ass, well, It’s seen better days! We decided it’s time to take some action. I’m almost 40 in two years and I won’t go quietly. Tom either. He’s been fighting his battle for a couple years now , It’s more fun when there’s a team I think. We’re doing our own " The Biggest Loser" We’re betting each other something with meaning to give each other incentive to lose the weight and work out , but not much is coming to mind- maybe if I win he has to move up north? hmm ... theres an idea.. heehee. We figured It’s a new month, new week, perfect timing for a new us!. Anyway, At 5 am today I started my ritual. I couldn’t sleep anymore and figured Girlie it’s now or never, I guess it ’s gonna be now. So I put on my workout clothes, tucked my walkman into my boobs, got my water, and went into the garage to start my workout. We divided the workouts into 3 days - Tuesday, Thursday,& Saturday- here’s an example of my workout this morning:

body part excercise sets reps
abs Traditional crunch 1 12-15
abs Bent leg knee raise 1 12-15
abs oblique v-up 1 10 on each side
abs bridge 1 1or 2
abs back extensions 1 12-15

legs squats 2 10-12
upperbody/arms bench press 2 10
upper back pulldown 2 10
shoulders military press 2 10
upper back upright row 2 10
arms triceps pushdown 2 10-12
legs leg extension 2 10-12
arms biceps curl 2 10
legs leg curl 2 10-12

cardio treadmill or walk the dog N/A 30 Minutes

Wish me luck! It’s not all that bad- my weight is 127 and BMI is 27 -I’d like it to be back in the teens where it was- and lose my jiggly thighs & cottage cheese butt! LOL EWW! never thought I’d have THAT! Just need a ’Lil toning and tweaking and firming to look good again for the beaches this year! That’s what I get for my love of cheesecake!- Comes back to bite me in the ass literally!

Fun Day Fishing

Yesterday we finally got to get out and get a little fishing in. Me , Tom and Thomas. Just the three of us. How I had missed doing that! The fresh air, the sunshine, the fish jumping freely in the water, the serenity. i know I know, A woman baiting her own hook? Eww! I have NO problem baiting my own line. NONE whatsoever. Must be the Tomboy in me- I grew up with the love of fishing. I've been doing it since I was like 10? Worms, sunnies, bread; so shrimp and pin fish are nothing to me. Didn't catch a damn thing - barely caught a tan, but trying was just as fun . Tom's mom watched Brendan, and we packed drinks and sandwiches and bought bait on the way. I brought my walkman so I jammed to some tunes while I fished which made it more fun. What made the day even MORE interesting was what Thomas came across fishing and Tom helped hike it up the wall so Thomas could take a picture with it- he was afraid of it but after a while didn't mind posing with it. At least SOMEONE brought SOMETHING home! Pretty cool! He felt a little stupid after he felt his teeth and was like OWW! I said they're little razors dopey! DOn't touch those!He was like " oh yeah" LOL whadda ya want he's only 7? What a day though the weather couldn't have been kinder to us. He's got an ear infection now - hope the sea didn't do that- but he's been sniffling for a while, the trouble ear agin - Oy vay! Anyway, Was nice to get out and do something with Tom n Thomas and do something fun again . I was starting to get cabin fever.

Student Of The Month

Today Thomas had his Awards ceremony where he got awarded Student of The Month. I went to his school and they had an ice cream party for the students after they received their awards and it was very sweet. Thomas was kinda freaking out because his class was still at recess and he almost missed the awards ceremony . The principle had to call on his walkie -talkie to remind the teacher that the ceremony was going on and that the students needed to come down to the cafeteria. I never saw two kids tear it around a corner so fast! LOL I took Brendan with meand he was surprisingly well behaved. Not that he' s abrat or anything, I just thought with there being ice cream he'd be all wiggly, but lately, he doesn't like ice cream unless its a shake. So that went well. After the awards ceremony, homas returned to his class, and Brendan and I went to the parking lot to wait for him {since only a half an hour he would be released} I got a phone call from the school saying Thomas collided with his classmate Paulina and chomped down on his tongue and made it bleed by taking a chunk out of it- Ow???? So I had to come and get him since he wanted to go home.. Thankfully I was just in the parking lot.. this kid's gonna be the death of me!! he spends like every other month in the clinic! teeth fall out, kicked shins, doesn't feel good, more teeth, headaches.. i got more clinic notes than I know what to do with.. anyway I 'm very proud of my Student of the Month even if the day DID end on a sour note... Con gradulations buddy. This makes award # 10 to add to the folder nice job! *beaming*

Egg Hunt

Today we all went to an Easter egg hunt where Thomas has his Cub scout meetings . Despite the misty rain, everyone had a nice time. Brendan being so small, surprisingly knew just what to do when it came time to find the eggs! He just put two and two together-: i have a basket , there are eggs, I shall put the ggs in my bunny basket! So Tom helped Brendan find his eggs that he needed to find- { we were given this piece of paper with colored eggs that we were only to find those specific colored eggs so as not to mess up anyone elses egg finding but soon we found no one paid much mind to that with the mounds of eggs that were leaving the grounds! }When we got our designated eggs, we went inside for games, and crafts and cookie decorating, then headed home for some food shopping for tomorrow's meal. That will consist of ham and Green bean casserole { my favorite, !} Garli cmashed potatoes, rolls, cucumber salad, - all the yummies! Anyway the kids just had a ball! We got a bit wet, But it was all worth it!

Happy Birthday Brendan!

Today we celebrated Brendan's 2nd birthday. Two years old. Wow. Man did time fly! I remember when he was just born! These guys keep me hoppin I tell you ! Time just flies by and before I know it, a whole year just flew by already! It seems like I just had him, mom passed away, I was devastated, was up north, battled those "firsts" without mom, then all of a sudden, life flew into fast forward and Thomas is 7 and Brendan is celebrating his second birthday already ! Holy Crap! In any case, it was a real nice day for a birthday. I started Brendan's cake, Got them dressed for the day, We packed a lunch for the three of us, went to the park for a few hours and gave Tom some peace and quiet in the house {as he had a training session to do and needed silence]. Then after needing to go home as Mr. Thomas took off on me and damn near gave me a heart attack not telling me where was going, - he could have been taken from someone for all I know- A mother's worst fear being taken by some sicko at the park! Thankfully he was next door at the fountains playing with some kid's Transformers - but that's no excuse - we promptly and immediately left the park no if's and's or but's. I was sick to my stomach! After taking him to the restroom with me to change Brendan's pull up , he goes and pulls this. Time to go.We were there for 3 hrs anyway. We stopped at Publix supermarket to pickup the custom giant cookie I had made for brendan - since he doesnt eat cake or cupcakes. I had a cookie decorated like Nemo design- real nice job they did, then home for pizza and presents- Good Friday- can't have meat so pizza it is! Then we opened presents and Brendan loved them all! From Transformer's Bumblebee,{So he would stop stealing his brother's} to Diego, to Thomas the train movie and toy trains, to an Elmo sounds storybook, to a nice knobby puzzle, then we had cake, and the boys watched Power Rangers , then off to bed. He went out like a light. My little sweetheart. He's so good. God Bless Him . May he have many many more . Happy Birthday Little man! I love You!

Yard Sale

Yesterday we had a community yard sale in our area. At first we weren't going to participate, but then I decided if we were going to try and get rid of some of the kids toys, why not try and make some money off of them? Even if it IS a couple bucks? So I put the toys together the night before in the garage so the kids wouldn't get upset and say " I still want that! AAAhh! " the whole same thing they always do when ever they see the toys they NEVER play with where they could make room for NEW ones and make money on OLD ones! We did pretty well I think considering things were going for a buck or two- we made 65.00 in 4 hours time! We also sold this ram statue that we aquired in Virginia that never really found a spot in our house except for the attic! it went on the coffee table, then the bedroom, then the knee wall, then the counter, then finally the attic. , an air purifier, a speaker system, some rescue heroes, mostly toys, some kids conned their parents- like some rubber lizards, and some large stuffed animals, some dinosaurs, a musical turtle, also some frogs that go by the pond that drove the dog crazy we decided to sell! the rest came out of an assorted 50 cent and 1.00 box we were selling one of our robots that Thomas was punished for that I was surprised didn't get picked up although alot of begging and pleading DID occur from many a child that came about! I was ALSO surprised to see people were coming around at 6:30 in the morning for the sales! We weren't even set up yet! Let a woman get out of bed and have a bite to eat people!! Jeeze! Talk about your hardcore garage salers! They were up at the crack of dawn for the good stuff! Not EVEN because they were driving by our houses before we even set UP!! It was still dark out! anyway it turned out to be a nice day for a yard sale and when we were done, did our errands and enjoyed he rest of the day. Thomas used his birthday money and his share of what he sold of his toys at the yard sale and bought the transformers he had his eyes on so all hurt feelings were .Everyone was happy. Brendan got what toys he still wanted back that didn't sell, PLUS made some money on the toys and clothes that DID sell . All in all everything worked out for the best.