I'm Your Avon Representative!

Hey all of you that happen upon my blog I am starting an Avon business and need your help by having you click on Avon Representative Melia Benjamin. I will be so happy to help you in any way that I can and if you cannot find something you need or want please let me know and I will try and get it for you or help you find something just as good.

Don't forget that Christmas is right around the corner and I am sure there is something at the store just for that hard to buy for relative or friend. There is even something for the little ones in your life.

I know the economy is tight but Avon is good with giving great deals to get the most for your buck!

Joined the Avon Community!

As a stay at home and writer I need to make a few extra dollars and am trying my newest adventure that I hope goes better than my last adventure into working at home. I would appreciate helping you with your beauty needs at My Avon Store at Avon.com. Do not worry if you do not live near me as you can choose to have your order shipped directly to you.

I am looking forward to the annual National Novel Writing in a Month contest that is held every November. This means that during that month I will write a novel and you will thus hear a lot about NaNoWriMo and hopefully the good progress that i make on a daily basis. The idea here is to write 50,000 words or more in a months time and that comes to about 2,000 words a day at least for the first twenty-five days of the month. My first book:

was my first novel finished during that month in I think 2005. I am very proud of it and would love for you to read it. I am hoping to get the sequel edited soon so that maybe I could publish the two together as they were both written two different years for the NaNoWriMo contest.

For now I am off and need to get to work on finding customers.

Ugh!

I am frustrated as all I can get onto is Google and nothing else this morning. I am usually on facebook at this time or at least when I get up in the morning and I am unable to do that or get into my email and many other websites. I am not sure if it is me or if it is something that is a problem that the sites are having. There is also a chance that it has something to do with my ISP. I am clueless none the less and what goes along with that is frustration. I do not like being disconnected to the world around me.

I have no idea what is going on but I am hoping to find out soon.

Where Am I Going?

My life is at a standstill while I look for a job in the field of work from which I got my degrees in human services and social work. What I was hoping to do is be a disabled student coordinator and is something I I have wanted to be since I met Lisa Thies my first year in college at Cal State University, Fullerton. She was my coordinator first, then my supervisor, and eventually my friend. The year was 1990 or '91 and I was struggling through my first year in the university and I found I needed help so I turned to Disabled student Services and the first person I met was Lisa, my assigned coordinator of support services, in her wheelchair and bright charming, inviting, friendly, smile. I felt then that if she could get through college so can I despite my disability. I also learned that I have rights as a disabled person to aide me in accomplishing my goals through reasonable accommodations provided under federal laws such as Americans with Disability Act of 1990.

In about 1993 I got an internship and job at the Disabled Student Services office as a student assistant and found that I wanted to do be a Lisa someday. She told me then I would need to get a master's degree to qualify for a job such as hers thus two years after graduating with my bachelors and a year after having my first child I chose to go on to graduate school in social work while my husband was in graduate school getting his Ph.D. in Psychology so that once my husband finished I could get a job at the university in which he is employed. I was hoping that if there was not a job at the university he was at there would be a job at another university nearby -- fat chance of that happening.

My husband ended up at a small university that does not care about the law and squeaks by by assigning people already at the university to deal with the disabled students that need services. I feel that they are saying to others that it is okay to disregard the law if you want to and the law seems to not apply to you. There is no office door or sign that designates a certain place as a starting point for those in need of disabled student services. I am not even sure that many of the professors understand that disabled students with physical, learning, or emotional may need reasonable accommodations that are afforded them by law. By no means does the accommodations mean they get preferential treatment in or outside of class. They simply get what they need to succeed in their college career and hopefully beyond.

This is my situation and I hope to change my luck even if we must step away from the place we have called home for the last nine years. My kids know no other way and I hope that we do not have to uproot them but if I cannot find a job that pays we have no choice because even my husband is faced with not getting enough pay to feed te family. There should be no reason for a person with a Ph.D. to be paid less than many other professions which require less education. I do believe that it would not be such a bad idea to get us out of the middle of nowhere to a place that has a culture but especially to a place that has more respect for the job my husband is capable of doing if given the pay and encouragement he needs.

This Mom ---

Is One Step Closer!

At least that is what I hope in that yesterday morning I went into Guymon and took a social services test for the Department of Human Services office in Texas county. The good thing about this job is that it is in an area of in which I have studied in the past and have a master's degree in social work and the position is as a social worker. The test itself was somewhat challenging in two ways.

One is just because it is the first test I have taken in about seven or more years. You must remember that I am a stay at home mom that has focused on my mothering and writing skills thus very little besides maybe my disability awareness that I have kept up for me and the hopes that I may someday get my ultimate job as a Disabled Student Services Coordinator of Support Service. I therefore have not done much studying but hope that I did not jeopardize myself too much. What can I say -- my family and children will come first, and should until they are raised. In my defense I will lso add that I finished my master's in 1999 thus it has been a long while.

The second reason I found the test challenging is that I know they say that they are not trying to trick you but I feel there were some questions that had two possible answers. I also have to say that I was never a great test taker and would do better, I believe, if it was an oral test rather than a multiple choice thing. I wouldn't even mind a short essay test question test in which I could demonstrate that I am smart and do seriously know what to do in a situation. The one thing I learned in college was that I was an essay test taker not a multiple choice taker. I will definitely find the wrong answer even when it is a true/false situation.

We shall see soon exactly how I did!

Is Ready for Another Day!

But are You Sure it is Not Friday Yet?

This week is dragging on as slow as possible and there is no way to make it go by any faster. I woke up thinking it must be Friday after my girls were up and ready for school at six-thirty this morning. This was the second morning that they have woken me up before my alarm, and their alarm, goes of at six-forty-five and theirs at seven. I basically told them now that they have a TV in their room that they are not allowed out of their room until at least seven AM because it is getting ridiculous before you know it they will be up at six in the morning and waking up the whole house and thus making everyone upset.

Today is for getting things accomplished or at least set up. I am trying to get in touch with the testing site to set up a test I need to take for an application I sent out yesterday for the Department of Human Services regarding an opening for a social work/case manager position open. I also need to get my son to Wal-Mart as he wants to get a few things before I have to pick up my daughter from Brownies. Thus carpooling an managing of the house and people in it continues until I can find a job.

There is one thing that my husband cannot say at the moment 'You are not trying.' I am looking and doing all that I know how to do in looking for a job in a very small city and the rural town I live we currently live in. If jobs at the university don't look like they are opening up there might be a reason for him to look elsewhere for a professorial job in Psychology elsewhere where I can also find a job. I would love to work in a Disabled Student Services office on a college or university campus but this campus does not have an office per se as the counseling department is good enough, or so the university says. The reason I got my Master's in Social Work in the first place is I was told that to do a professional job on a campus, especially a coordinator of support service in a depart such as Disabled Student Services I would at least need a masters in something -- so I got that! Now this, and I am qualified but they are unwilling to hire me now and when I first got here nine years ago.

The Fly is No More

It fell into my coffee as I blew on it to try and get it of the cup. I guess it was old because I usually don't have that easy of luck and must wait for one of my two men of the house to get them for me. Flies seem to like me and my computer for some reason, probably because of my hair products. Sounds Good!

Ugh, and another fly just found me! What joy, I hate summer for the reason of flies. I can stand any other bug but flies are my arch nemesis when it comes to insects and such.

Two Job Applications Out!

I am so ready to get ouft of my house and back into the working world. I did something good and spent a few hours filling out an application for DHS today. I also went to Lodestar a hiring agency and turned in an application I got from them on Friday. We shall see soon if any of my effort does any good.

I Must Be a Mom

As I Really Love Mondays!

I love the fact that my kids and husband are back in school and I am left along for a few hours at a time. The fact is that I only get about two hours to myself and thankfully that is all I need to rejuvenate myself for what I must encounter in the afternoon. The longer school day for my two older kids means that they sare tired and grumpy by the time they get home to do their homework and read.

The problem also comes with trying to get a snack in before dinner because if the homework takes longer than forty-five minutes I have had to lessen the time between getting the after school snack and dinner time giving the possibility that my daughters won't touch dinner an increased risk. Where was the parental input when it came to these schedule changes? Why is it our elementary kids need to stay in school as long as the junior and senior high school kids? To me it just does not seem fair. The consequences are the kids are beyond tired of behaving in school that they misbehave at home, the parents thus are seen as the bad guy in the raising of their kid(s). The teachers get the good side and send them home about the time of what around my house is called 'The Witching Hours.' It is no wonder that when a teacher says or places on a report card 'a pleasure to have in class,' the parents look dumb-founded and are wondering if they are talking about someone else's child.

9/11 is Still Hard

At the time of the World Trade Center plane incident I was pregnant with my second child and I was wondering why I am bring another being into the world. I remember my TV turning on and the first thing I see was the first plane crashing into the first building -- I was in shock! Why would anyone do this as a suicide mission?

I do say that I was glad President Obama's speech was short and sweet thus getting the job done. I wonder though how come we must go through the names at the trade center each and every year and why we show it on national TV every year. I do mind it being done but with the age of the internet and such why does it need to be shown on TV and because they only did a few on ABC this morning what about all the other twenty-eight hundred names that were not said on TV. This could be done, and probably is, on the internet where the love ones can tune in and listen for their loved ones names if so desired.

I will say that I was lucky as my relatives all live on the other side of the country and thus I had no one that was hurt or effected by the incidents of that day. The thing that most bugs me these days is the fact that the crash was everywhere on the TV and there was no way of getting away from seeing the crash or tragic loss of lives that were the exact cause of the plane crashes.

Iu guess you could say that I at least did not have one of my children on that day any year before or after the incident itself. I would hate to have my birthday overshadowed by the whole thing and have to be reminded yearly, on my day, that this is the anniversary of... No my birthday is on a national holiday, yes, and is overshadowed but at least it is a happy celebrating day -- the day being July 4th!

Sugar Sara After a Facial Grooming

Enjoy the Picture. I actually groomed her myself. I think I found a new profession -- I just wish it was easier for me and that I had the proper equipment but that is for the wealthy :-).

The Bugs are Loud!

In the panhandle of Oklahoma one would think that there is a tractor or motor outside of our house but it is only because we have three fully grown trees in our front yard and I think the cicadas are out in full force this year. They remind me of a time when my hubby, oldest son and I lived in Columbia, MO and we would go walking through the university on our way to the coffee house and pass by the many trees. The cicadas would get so loud at times that we could not hold a simple conversation because the clicking that comes from them was over powering our voices. Then of course there was the time that one actually went down the back of my husband's shirt.

I do so miss those walks we would take in the fresh air and all the nature we would see that we cannot find here in the Oklahoma panhandle. We would simply watch the bats congregate around the Dome of Jesse Hall that my son nicknamed "His Dome." There were also the many fireflies that would fly around us as we strolled around the campus and downtown area. Let me not forget the squirels that would frolic around the quad area near the columns.

Well, After Yesterday's Hooplah with the President

Today just seems pretty bland!

I really don't even have anything to write as nothing of substance has happened here in the life of Melia in the Oklahoma Panhandle. All I really have done to this point is look at my resume. I guess I also held the dog as the pest control people went around and sprayed my house.

Thus far that has been my day and yes I did warned you in the headline that there was no fun this morning and the rest of the day will be just as boring. I am sure I will try and get on my stair stepper and least get in about five minutes on it.

The Address to Our Students by Obama

Earlier today, September 8th, 2009 12:00EST



Say what you wish but it was good in my opinion. This is all something that I would want my president to tell my kids. Those of you who kept your children home at least sit down and watch it with them now.

My Own Remarks After Reading and Seeing the President's Speech to School Children

So what is the big deal and why are we treating our President in such a manner that he can no longer be a role model to our children. I read the speech yesterday at: Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama Back to School Event and then today I watched the speech online. I am going to add some excerpts from the speech here:

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Please do go to the above site to get the full speech in its entirety. I don't believe that anything was said that would encourage a student to a particular agenda or whatnot. Pres. Obama is just doing as many presidents before him and encouraging students to do their best and stay in school even through the subjects you may hate or are hard at but focus on what is easier for you as no one is good at everything they do from the very start. Everyone adult has had to do things that they may not want to do in order to do the things they are good at doing.

A Side Note: Since I know many of you white conservatives feel that Obama is just a black president and such -- please take into account that he was raised by his white mother and maternal grandparents. Race being such a big factor is ludicrous.

Conservatives need to take a step back and give this president time to mop up the mess that their conservative republican administration left him.



You can find a statement made by former first lady, Laura Bush in regards to the presidents speech when asked on Monday September 7th by Zain Verjee in a CNN article: Laura Bush praises Obama, bemoans excessive partisanship. Here is an excerpt from that interview with CNN:

Bush didn't completely dismiss the concerns of some conservatives but noted that controversial Education Department plans recommending that students draft letters discussing what they can do to help Obama had been changed.

"I think there is a place for the president ... to talk to schoolchildren and encourage" them, she said. Parents should follow his example and "encourage their own children to stay in school and to study hard and to try to achieve the dream that they have."

Bush indicated that she didn't think it was fair for Obama to be labeled a "socialist" by critics and expressed her disappointment with the intensely polarized nature of contemporary American politics.

Part of the reason for the polarization, she said, was the increase in the number of congressional districts dominated by either strongly conservative or liberal voters.

Just remember: Obama is our President no matter what and our job as parents to teach our kids that the President should be respected provided he follows the rules of the road, so to speak.

Tomorrow should be the Start of a Normal Week

At least that is my hope as I am ready to get my life back onto a normal schedule. I do better when I can follow some sort of routine. I am hoping to maybe get to trying to get a job again. I really want a full time job in which I could use my degree in social work but my guess is around here that will be turned down in most places because my degree is a masters and most places around the panhandle want to save money and hire those people they can get away with hiring the lesser of the qualified to save money in this harsh economy.

I am now looking forward to having just those measly three hours to my self with the hope that printing something does not mean that my two girls have to touch it as it is spit out the printer. I would of course also like to get a few cups of coffee in my system in silence or at least with no kids wanting or needing something 'right now.'

Sandy Candy, the Cat, Woke Me Up

I was none to happy with her this morning as she woke me up at 4:45AM when she decided to try and jump on a stack of my DVD's near a plant she was after. The thing was that the DVD's fell waking me, a mother, up instantly. Why is it that men never hear these things but women, especially mothers like myself are instantly jarred awake?

I ended up not even trying to go back to sleep as what is the use I would have to get up in two hours anyway to get the kids to school as the school decided that the air quality was back to normal and school could resume on the Friday before a three day weekend. In one of my girl's agenda's I put a simple two word phrase for her two teachers and that was "Good Luck!" I am not sure what it is that the administration thinks that the teachers could accomplish on just a two day week with the added day off next Monday.

I am going to get back to my job search on Tuesday as I feel there is very little that I want to even do before the holiday weekend as I am sure that some are already looking too far ahead to even think about today. I will get my résumé ready by Tuesday. I figure that it is for the most part ready but I just want to make absolute sure it is ready for an employment agency as I need a job now not later. I also really need a job with benefits but I'll take almost anything at the moment.

As far as I Know

School will be back in session tomorrow but don't take my word for it but I am guessing I will be kid-less n the morning tomorrow. The thing the school was waiting for is the air quality to get good enough not to make the kids sick if they were in the building all day. I just have to wonder if there is much reason to go to the tomorrow as it will be Friday and this is a holiday weekend. If you were to ask me I would have said you might as wait til Tuesday to resume classes and know that the building is a-ok. That is just my two cents. As a parent I will be glad to have my mornings free again to do what I need to do and possibly continue my search for a job.

I do know that my girls need to have the time away from each other. They are not twins and they have two different personalities but they are having to live in the same room and that seems very stressful at times because they can never truly go to their room and be alone. i have found that school does allow them to get that much needed break from each other and I have come to depend on the time that they are away from each other and can be their true selves.

Nothing Accomplished

The kids were home again today and thus I will get nothing done. I am lucky with one thing and that is that my girls are done at one of their friend's house and thus it is semi quiet. The only reason it is not extremely quiet is that every once in a while I here my son yelling at his game that he is playing on the XBox360.

I just hope that everything went ok with the air quality tests that the school took this morning and that school will be re-opened tomorrow. Too much time off will mean that for my two girls age groups they will have to start all over at square one. The fact that we have a three day weekend this week is not a good thing either.

I have to wonder if starting school as early as we do and getting out mid-May is a good idea all around. In many states the public school systems wait until after labor day before starting their first week of classes. Just something I think about which has nothing related to the incident that happened at the public school this last week.

Another Day

The things I was going to do today will definitely not get done due to the fact that my kids were sent home early because of an incident at the school they go to. The fact is that my kids are home instead of where they should be learning.

I will now put off the continuation of my job search until tomorrow. I am planning tomorrow to go to an employment agency from which i hope they can help me in finding a desk job that will not cause me to have to worry about standing too long and possibly getting hurt because of that shear fact. I will still be hoping that there will someday, soon, be a job on the university campus but right now they are not really hiring any outsiders because they would rather just shuffle people around and then leave one department one person left.

Anyways, my day is shot and I have to live with the fact that computer is not all mine today. Sigh...

Just a Thought (Re: Pres. Obama)

Regarding an Incident that Happened when Pres. Obama went to a town
hall meeting in New Hampshire on August 11 where guns may be legally carried firearm near but on church property where the law enforcement could do nothing (or so they say). Here is a statement I found on CBSNEWS Blogs on August 11, 2009:

New Hampshire state law is pretty clear about protecting its citizens' rights to carry firearms in public. Carrying a pistol or revolver openly is permitted without a license; carrying a concealed weapon requires a license from the state or local police.

William Kostric took advantage of that law on Tuesday to show up outside President Obama's Portsmouth, N.H. town hall meeting and hold a sign saying "It Is Time To Water The Tree Of Liberty." That invokes a phrase from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

...

Portsmouth police spokesman Lt. Frank Warchol told the Boston Globe that because Kostric was on private property -- it belongs to a church near the school with the town hall meeting -- he would not be arrested. "We can't do anything about it," Warchol said. "Obviously he's on our radar screen at this time."

The thing that my husband said to me is okay well if it was Pres George W. Bush and he went to one of his rallies carrying a gun in a legal gun toting state he would have been escorted off immediately. He thinks that there is a double standard because of the fact that Obama is not white and whatever else we simply don't worry about him as much as any of the other previous Presidents.

There is one more thing I would like to add when it comes to Obama and his race: He is also white and was raised by his white American mom and maternal grandparents who are also white. Yes, his father is Kenyan and still lives there but Obama was born in the United States and that is all that matters no matter what you Birthers want to believe.

In my final thoughts I just want to say: Is this not America and Shouldn't we do everything to Protect our President?

Is There Any Way?

Is there anyway that I can make my book sell and my blog to be read?

I feel like I do much if not all that I can do to try and get the word out to others that indeed I have written a book but less than a handful of people have read it. I also write in this blog daily with again only a handful of people reading it each day.

I would love for my writing to sell but how. How do I get my name known? I wish others would help get the word out that I am here and I am worth reading even if it is for the lightness of the reading to entertain you for the day.

I even post some things about the cause I am truly interested in: Disability issues, especially in terms of physical disabilities in schools and the workforce. I having cerebral palsy allows for me to not only understand those with disabilities but me to need to stay up with the challenges they face along with me on a daily basis. You would think the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 would have solved many of the issues that face the physically disabled people on a daily basis but that was only a start, now it is time to make sure that every state and local government makes sure the law is enforced fully. Case in point that this is not happening is the fact that my husband is at a university that has maybe half their buildings fully accessible to those with a physical disability. I was at a big university previous to this where I got my Master's in Social Work whose university was the same way and they did not seem to think that they really needed to upgrade their buildings so that the disabled could get to their professors offices and other places in certain buildings.

Anyways I would like you to come see what I have to say so that I can keep doing what I love and that is speaking my mind with whatever is on my mind at the time.

Nice Saturday!

I have nothing really on the tab for today and thus the girls and I will probably stay home and do absolutely nothing for the day. The men are going to go see Inglorious Basterd this afternoon and tonight we are going to have steak and potatoes for dinner. I just hope to get a chance to relax and do nothing. I keep hoping my girls friends would come and ask if they want to play but it is just my luck today they won't.

Right now, I have no motivation to do anything but sit here and do nothing because my older of two girls is driving me batty. I have to say that the only thing that helps is I know that most of what she does is because she is tired and needs a chance to rest.

Almost the Weekend!

Not Soon Enough!

I have to say this week has seemed a lot longer than it really was. I had a few meltdowns from the daughter, I'll let you guess which one, which were bigger than they should have been over things that are really not important. I am kind of lucky in that all I have to do is force myself to step back and let them run their course as once the meltdown is over she eventually calms back down. I understand this is because she is tired as when I was her age I did the same thing around the same time or times of day. The ones I hate the most are the ones she has in the morning before going to school and just like my mom always said to me I say to her.."Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

I am glad tomorrow that even if it is only an hour or so I will get to sleep in and not have to worry about getting anyone anywhere anytime in the morning. I like the peace and quiet on the weekdays that I get for a total of about two hours and fifty minutes but I do so look forward to the weekends when I can sleep in if I so choose.

Wowzer...

I just told my youngest daughter that she could go take a nap and she went to her room. i love it that she has been taking a nap almost every single day since school started. The thing is that she becomes really tired when she has to get up every morning around seven and then have to pay attention in class that takes a lot out of a four year old.


As I wait for the other two to get out of school

I am searching for my college and grad school transcripts which I am unable to find and will have to send a request to both universities so that I can finish getting stuff in for a résumé I have floating around the university here for an upward bound position here. I just want to get the rest of anything I may need for a job in order so in case I have to fill out another application or résumé I will have it ready for them and will not have to go through this process yet again. I am not sure exactly how I am missing both transcripts in the first place but I am and probably the safest bet is to just get a new one from each university.

Sigh...paperwork!

Getting Off on the Right Foot

I swear that is the only good sign around here that today will be a good day. I am hoping that the youngest got enough sleep and then the two of us can go to the Noble Center on the university campus and get some exercise in before having to get the older two kids from school. I personally just like to go so that I can visit with others that are not in my family or that I can have an adult conversation with without them wanting money. It seems like there is a need for people who call the house to want money we don't have and beg until they get the money owed to them.

The joys of being a single income family. I am hoping that ends real soon with a job position I applied for on the university campus here where I live and my husband works. I can hope, I can, and do!

Lazy Day

The Morning

I am going to do little today as the morning was hectic trying to get the kids to school on time. We usually get out of the house at about 7:50 AM but today it was almost eight and school starts at ten after eight. Then the older of the two daughters forgot her homework so because I noticed it early enough I went ahead and went back to school to give it to her teacher whom I found in the hallway so I did not even have to interrupt the class, thankfully. As I was walking back to the front office to deliver the visitor pass back to the secretary I saw my youngest daughter's class being led by the teacher to the library so they could get their books for the day and she looked grumpy and was at the end of the line.

All I have to say is I hope that my youngest gets a nap before the older two kids come home at 3:30 PM. I know that she had a hard time last night getting to sleep after her dad had to go back to work to check a few things out because apparently some email address were hacked. The girl's are used to getting many hugs and they only got a few so the whole process of bedtime was screwed.

Parent Orientation Night

Last night we had Parent Orientation Night at the school where even though we know the teachers we met with four of the teachers (youngest one techer. middle daughter's two, and one of our son's teachers). The thing was that the teacher's wanted to go over how they teach and what needs to be done at home in terms of homework, study , and reading. Our son's teacher we met was the computer teacher whom we had yet to meet because of the fact that he has never had an actual computer class before this year his eighth grade year.

My Older Daughter...

Sometimes I wonder what is going through her head. Today she felt it necessary that she and her younger sister dress alike. now there is only one shirt that they have that is exactly the same only because I did not want to go through the hell that happens if one girl got a stuffed animal with her shirt and the other did not but she had to make sure today that they were wearing that shirt. I feel sorry for my youngest.

My youngest daughter is more independent and I do not think, even at four years old, she wants to be exactly like her sister but she will do what her sister wants just to keep her sister quiet. She has learned in order to keep her sister happy it is best not to do as she says.

IO think it is funny how my middle child is all into matching and looking like twins. I know when I was little my sister did anything not to look like I did and if I dared where or want something that matched her our mom got an earful from my sister, I being the younger sister.

My Son Cleaned His Room

My son finally did what we asked him to do and that was to clean his room. He got about seven bags of trash which tooj him about four and a half hours. He probably has about another two or three hours of organization to do in his room but he at least gets a break so he may go to the movies with his dad this afternoon. They are going to see District 9.

And speaking of movies, my husband and I went and saw The Time Traveler's Wife from which I thought was great and well done and well Eric Bana is not bad to look at throughout the movie. I would give this about a three and a half stars if I was a movie critic but then again I am not and I hardly ever get to see a movies with my husband. Heck I am a stay at home mom and my kid's come first.

My Son's Hair is Still Not Long Enough

The lady we go to said it would probably be another three months before he could get it long enough to donate to Locks of Love. He is currently about seven inches thus he has about three more inches left to grow. Therefore we are looking at about another three months of growing before he can donate to the one charity that he is doing this for all in the name of wanting to help others.

I am very proud that my son has this much patience to go through the hell that goes a long with all the stages of growth that comes with having to go almost two years total for one cause. Actually, I think it will be a little less than two years but even so it has seemed like a lifetime for him and me. The thing is that kids between the ages of ten and fifteen often do not realize the commitment involved in doing something this drastic for over a period of time.

All I can say is the day we can finally get his hair there will be a big party. We will definitely have several happy campers in our house one of which is my son who begged me to allow him to grow his hair long in the first place.

Happy Days!

Under the Income Based Repayment (IBR) plan and the fact that I am having a hard time finding a job I may have to pay under $15 or less. My hope is that they will be forgiven totally. This excites me as the fact that I would love to pay my loans back if I could find a job but jobs around the rural area of the Oklahoma Panhandle commonly known as the 'No Man's Land' has very few jobs that I could do as a disabled woman. I really want a job in the university where my husband is currently employed but the current status at the university and in many if not all universities is that job openings are frozen and the only way they would hire new people is if the university cannot function without someone filling that position.

So at this point I fill out the forms and wait to see what the loan company decides.

I do encourage everyone who has student loans and are are making less than about $50,000 then you should ask you loan companies representative because you never know you too could be considered for the program. I encourage you to see: Income Based Repayment Plan

What a Week

A Very Long Week, If You Ask Me!

I am so ready for the weekend and a chance to relax. There is a reason why I do all my housework during the week and that is because I deserve to relax on the weekend. Why should I work when the whole family relaxes? The only thing that is reserved for the weekends in terms of housework is clean the bathrooms as I do that before I take my shower on Sunday mornings.

Today I must do the mundane task of mopping the the kitchen floor and clean the kitchen counters. I will also be going to the store with my husband.

Tomorrow I hope to go out just me and my husband to the movies. I really want to see 'The Traveler's Wife.' The fact that my son is now old enough to babysit it is nice to be able to do things with just my husband rather than having to try and find a babysitter and whatnot.


Big Brother Update:

Oh and if you car about Big Brother 11: Jeff is HoH this week and thus the two cuddling sweethearts are safe for another week. Lydia was voted out of the house and heads to the Jury House with Jessie who own lover from which I think she was secretly hoping to do before Natalie. Get all the updates and such at: BBDish! Ya Gotta Have It!

My Day is Pretty Bland

Compared to yesterday I have done very little to nothing since about ten in the morning. After all the cleaning I did yesterday with the evidence on my facebook page I can tell you that I needed a day off because of all that back-breaking work in the girls' room.

I am now watching the Big Brother Live Feeds on Realplayer. I just caught a very cute picure of Jeff and Jordan under the covers. If you have been watching the show or feeds at all then you know the two of them are romantically involved.

The Cuddling sweethearts. Young love is so fun to watch!

Having to clean

I need to clean my daughters' room or maybe help them or something. There is too much of a mess that I am afraid that they could not handle alone. I know, I know my oldest daughter is seven and thus she should be able to do it alone but I kind of feel bad when I make her do it because he sister who is four gives very little help. Whatever I end up deciding on doing it will get done somehow, someway, today.

Maybe, I can at least get the blankets and clothes off the floor and then just maybe they could help me with the rest. Sigh...Whatever I decide it must be tackled on this day because procrastinating is not what actually gets the work done in a fast efficient way.

The joys of being a stay at home mom seems to be cleaning all the time and never being done with the work around the house. I think i am ready to start asking my kids to pay me to conquer their room when it gets so bad. Not a bad idea, right? Part of their allowance to clean their room for them!

Give More Money to the Universities, Colleges and Education in General

The advertisement I am really getting sick of see these days is any of the ones that advertise that as a Mom I need to go back to school and get my degree. Sorry but that is not going to happen at this point and time in my life because I have already gotten a Bachelor's of Science in Human Services and a Master's in Social Work. I want a job now that my youngest daughter is in school. I need to now make money to help the family I created with my husband's help so that he does not have to stress himself to death.

The thing that is holding me back at the moment is the states keep placing more budget cuts on the universities and colleges across the state. I live on the Panhandle of Oklahoma and for that it means that all the job openings have been frozen at the university where my husband works and where I was hoping to get a job once my youngest went off to school. States need to know that in order for others to get a quality education with staff and qualified professors there must be some money coming in or students will be coming to an empty campus with no professors or support staff to fulfill the students' wishes and dreams.

In other words if you want Mom's to get a quality education you must give them the people and tools necessary to get the goals of the students achieved.

My First Morning Without a Kid

My youngest daughter is now in Pre-K and I could not be happier. No one is ever going to accuse me of having become too attached to her because she is my last child. I am ready for her to get the school experience as well as giving me the few hours to myself to reboot, reload, and rejuvenate my own body so that I can be the mother that my thirteen year old son and seven and four year old daughters deserve. I love the three of them but I love myself as well and that means that I must take care of myself first.

I have to say that I never understood those mothers who have put themselves last because if you truly love your family then you first must take care of yourself so that you can be there and take care of your family. It is as easy as one, two, three, right? I think it is, at least!

After having my cup of coffee I did get out the clothes from my girls closet which were thrown everywhere in the bottom of the closet and threw them on the floor of the living room. I then went threw each and every article of clothing and separated
them into about eight different piles depending on what the article was and whose of the two girls it belongs to.

Tomorrow I will be tackling the girls room.

Who's on First!