Everyone is always chasing happiness. Perhaps a few videos will give you a pointer or two. Enjoy.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Guardian Angels
Do you ever have something bad happen and you realize "Man! We must have had a guardian angel watching over us tonight."?
I decided to take the kids to a museum 20 miles away for a few hours to give us all something to do. We have a year membership so the only cost to us was the gas getting there and back. No big deal. Even with being greatly outnumberd (4 kids to 1 pregnant adult) things went amazingly well. Only had a few "interventions" with Power Ranger. Jabber Box was a HUGE help with Power Ranger.
After 3 1/2 hours we felt the day had been seized and we were all ready to head home. The kids all fell asleep in the van on the drive home. It was dark already outside which helped to lull them to dreamland.
We had already determined that as a treat we would stop off at Arby's for dinner. We rarely eat out and I thought this might be a nice treat for us all.
I continued on the highway past our usual offramp to go to the one close to Arby's. In this short distance I felt like something had just happened to the van yet I couldn't see or feel anything different - yet. I got in the left turn lane and was amazed to find that the light had recently turned green and I wouldn't have to actually stop. As I entered the intersection I could now feel what had happened. The surpentine belt broke. My dash was dimmed and all the guages were varifying my guess. I lost my power steering and all the other goodies that come with having a fully working belt.
Much to my amazement... EVERY light I passed was GREEN. I had to make another left turn to head towards home and I typically have to stop at this light. Not tonight. There was a nice break in the traffic waiting for me to pass through.
I was able to get all the way home and into the garage. I unlocked the house door and turned on a light then went around the front of the van to open the sliding door and wake all my peacefully slumbering kids. It was when I was rounding the front when I heard the radiator blow.
Looking back on this trip.... If that belt had broken at any point prior to when it did we would have been stuck on a cold highway - in the dark - waiting for someone (if I could find anyone home and able to help) to come pick the kids and I up as well as waiting for a tow truck.
I feel truely blessed to have had this happen so close to home. I have had several experiences with this dang van having a fit about something and I was in an area where I could either get home or could pull into an autozone or checker parking lot and fix it myself. The last fit was when the breaks completely went out (some rear seal burst) and I was only 1/4 mile from home.
I tell ya.... I think we have an army of angels watching over us with the volume of problems with old cars that we've had over the recent years. One angel would simply not be enough. They would be much overworked.
(we are now accepting donations to our "get a new and reliable vehicle fund")
I decided to take the kids to a museum 20 miles away for a few hours to give us all something to do. We have a year membership so the only cost to us was the gas getting there and back. No big deal. Even with being greatly outnumberd (4 kids to 1 pregnant adult) things went amazingly well. Only had a few "interventions" with Power Ranger. Jabber Box was a HUGE help with Power Ranger.
After 3 1/2 hours we felt the day had been seized and we were all ready to head home. The kids all fell asleep in the van on the drive home. It was dark already outside which helped to lull them to dreamland.
We had already determined that as a treat we would stop off at Arby's for dinner. We rarely eat out and I thought this might be a nice treat for us all.
I continued on the highway past our usual offramp to go to the one close to Arby's. In this short distance I felt like something had just happened to the van yet I couldn't see or feel anything different - yet. I got in the left turn lane and was amazed to find that the light had recently turned green and I wouldn't have to actually stop. As I entered the intersection I could now feel what had happened. The surpentine belt broke. My dash was dimmed and all the guages were varifying my guess. I lost my power steering and all the other goodies that come with having a fully working belt.
Much to my amazement... EVERY light I passed was GREEN. I had to make another left turn to head towards home and I typically have to stop at this light. Not tonight. There was a nice break in the traffic waiting for me to pass through.
I was able to get all the way home and into the garage. I unlocked the house door and turned on a light then went around the front of the van to open the sliding door and wake all my peacefully slumbering kids. It was when I was rounding the front when I heard the radiator blow.
Looking back on this trip.... If that belt had broken at any point prior to when it did we would have been stuck on a cold highway - in the dark - waiting for someone (if I could find anyone home and able to help) to come pick the kids and I up as well as waiting for a tow truck.
I feel truely blessed to have had this happen so close to home. I have had several experiences with this dang van having a fit about something and I was in an area where I could either get home or could pull into an autozone or checker parking lot and fix it myself. The last fit was when the breaks completely went out (some rear seal burst) and I was only 1/4 mile from home.
I tell ya.... I think we have an army of angels watching over us with the volume of problems with old cars that we've had over the recent years. One angel would simply not be enough. They would be much overworked.
(we are now accepting donations to our "get a new and reliable vehicle fund")
Friday, January 16, 2009
Just another January...
Every year my sweet hubby works for X-Dance: http://www.x-dance.com/
He sets up the equipment (along with 1 other guy. This process is a BIG job.), runs the projector and has to sit through all those sports films. For most men this would be a dream job.... Being that neither my hubby or I are really into sports it's kinda a form of extended boredom/torture. LOL! Last year he started telling me about a film here or there. He's learning to appreciate them more I guess.
Although I basically lose my husband for a week (SUPER long work days/nights) I must say my favorite part is the swag bag at the end. He has been able to bring home enough fun little gadgets (headphones, backpacks, sunglasses, t-shirts etc..) to keep me happy.
It's kinda funny... my life is so boring that I find myself writing about my husband's life. Only thing going on with me is I worry about being home alone with 4 kids for a 4 day weekend. I wish we had some extra $... (well... any $ for that matter) so I could do some stuff with the kids. I rented some new movies for them to watch. I think I may get out one of our tents and put it up in the play room. They like to pretend they're camping out.
I'm still VERY nautious and just got a refill of my favorite anti-puke med to keep me happy. I am GRATEFUL to say that so far, this pregnancy is still plodding along quietly and boring. I LOVE that. I will take boring any day. Oh, and yes, I do feel the little peanut moving around.
He sets up the equipment (along with 1 other guy. This process is a BIG job.), runs the projector and has to sit through all those sports films. For most men this would be a dream job.... Being that neither my hubby or I are really into sports it's kinda a form of extended boredom/torture. LOL! Last year he started telling me about a film here or there. He's learning to appreciate them more I guess.
Although I basically lose my husband for a week (SUPER long work days/nights) I must say my favorite part is the swag bag at the end. He has been able to bring home enough fun little gadgets (headphones, backpacks, sunglasses, t-shirts etc..) to keep me happy.
It's kinda funny... my life is so boring that I find myself writing about my husband's life. Only thing going on with me is I worry about being home alone with 4 kids for a 4 day weekend. I wish we had some extra $... (well... any $ for that matter) so I could do some stuff with the kids. I rented some new movies for them to watch. I think I may get out one of our tents and put it up in the play room. They like to pretend they're camping out.
I'm still VERY nautious and just got a refill of my favorite anti-puke med to keep me happy. I am GRATEFUL to say that so far, this pregnancy is still plodding along quietly and boring. I LOVE that. I will take boring any day. Oh, and yes, I do feel the little peanut moving around.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Survived
Well... the holidays have come and gone.... we survived. I was sooooo careful to keep everyone pumped up on sleep and vitamins etc... Then we were brought an "extra gift" when the grandparents came for a visit. Croup for the little one and a nasty cold for me. Tinkerbell recovered rather quickly. Thank goodness. I'm almost back to my regular self...
Right now..... our biggest thorn is my husband's main client. This past year they changed their payment policies... One month my husband turned in his invoice and they said "oh, did we mention that we're paying 30 days out now?". Typically we would get paid within 2 weeks of submitting the invoice. Then about 2 months later we got this: "Oh, did we mention that we're now 60 days out for paying invoices?" So... here we sit. Broke but owed enough money that we could survive if they would just pay us. UGHHHH!!! Being self employeed has some benefits (being able to do what you enjoy for $ - picking when you will work - working from home).... I think it has more negatives at times: Having to say yes to certain work simply because it's work and not because you love it, Having to work MUCH longer hours than if you had a "regular job", No health insurance, Being at the mercy of your clients for getting paid, When one project is done you are then "unemployed" until someone calls again for work... etc...
Sorry... don't mean to post a bummer post. It's just how I've been feeling lately. I get so frustrated with life sometimes that it feels good to get it out.
Just for some fun: I am adding a poll to see what other people think we're having. In a couple of weeks we will be going in for our "big" ultrasound. As long as this little one cooperates we will find out what he/she is. I just thought it might be fun to see what everyone thinks is currently baking. We have 2 girls and 2 boys so our odds are 50/50 it seems.
Right now..... our biggest thorn is my husband's main client. This past year they changed their payment policies... One month my husband turned in his invoice and they said "oh, did we mention that we're paying 30 days out now?". Typically we would get paid within 2 weeks of submitting the invoice. Then about 2 months later we got this: "Oh, did we mention that we're now 60 days out for paying invoices?" So... here we sit. Broke but owed enough money that we could survive if they would just pay us. UGHHHH!!! Being self employeed has some benefits (being able to do what you enjoy for $ - picking when you will work - working from home).... I think it has more negatives at times: Having to say yes to certain work simply because it's work and not because you love it, Having to work MUCH longer hours than if you had a "regular job", No health insurance, Being at the mercy of your clients for getting paid, When one project is done you are then "unemployed" until someone calls again for work... etc...
Sorry... don't mean to post a bummer post. It's just how I've been feeling lately. I get so frustrated with life sometimes that it feels good to get it out.
Just for some fun: I am adding a poll to see what other people think we're having. In a couple of weeks we will be going in for our "big" ultrasound. As long as this little one cooperates we will find out what he/she is. I just thought it might be fun to see what everyone thinks is currently baking. We have 2 girls and 2 boys so our odds are 50/50 it seems.
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