For anyone out there who may not have done any "real cleaning", let me give you a little clue: CLEANING CAN TIRE YOU OUT!! Today after picking up the dog from Petco we had to de-flea the house. In order to do that I had to pick up everything from the floor, move furniture, sweep under furniture, vacuum, and spray the floors with a flea spray. While doing that I decided to clean some of the baseboard; which needed a little TLC. I had to do this whole process for three bedrooms and the living room. All of this was done after 4:00 pm so in between rooms I had to start and finish dinner. After dinner was done cooking I made sure everyone, including me, was fed and threw the dishes in the sink. Now I am tuckered out. My feet hurt and my body is tired. And, I still have to put the house back together.
Well, it's 9:45 pm and I think I will wait until Saturday to actually put the house back together. Since I had to pick everything up to vacuum and de-flea now I can de-clutter and do some real spring cleaning as I put the house together. So I am looking forward to another long day tomorrow full of cleaning, fixing lunches, and squeezing in some time to spend with the family. So, once again at the end of the day tomorrow I will be TIRED from cleaning but I will feel good knowing that I have a clean house. Hopefully I can keep it that way.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
So Many in Need
Today after me and my two youngest (4 & 16 months) watched Tinkerbell and The Great Fairy Rescue we got ready to actually leave the house. It's Tuesday; which means that it is Happy Meal Day and family movie night. It's Happy Meal Day because they are only $1.99 every Tuesday and it's family movie night because this is the day that we started getting movies from the Redbox or Blockbuster machine.
After finally getting both kids completely dressed and doing my daughter's hair we got in the car, pulled out of the driveway, and proceeded to head towards McDonald's. Today I decided to go to the McDonald's on the other side of town because it was close to Lake Ella. The original plan was to get the Happy Meals and go sit in the grass next to the lake and have a picnic. As we were going through the drive-thru my son decided he wanted to go on the playground. At this point we had already ordered and paid for the food. So we picked up our food, parked, and went inside.
As we sat down I noticed there was a young man who appeared to be a young college student. He was outside putting something on his bike when we walked in then he came inside. He went outside a couple of times to his bike to pick up something and bring something back inside. One time when he came inside he walked in with a bunch of old pieces of cardboard. I noticed that he had a big duffle bag and a lot of other items on his bike. While inside I saw that all he had was some coffee; which isn't unusual when it's chilly but I just felt as if there was something not quite right. Eventually I went to the counter and ordered 2 more Happy Meals (one for me and one I was going to give away). Before just handing the young man the food I asked him if he needed something to eat and he said he was a little hungry so I gave him one of the Happy Meals I just ordered.
He was a very young man. He looked like he could have been a senior in high school or at least in his first few years of college. There is no telling what his background was or how he ended up where he was. It wasn't my place to ask. And I felt bad for not being able to give him a little bit more. I almost felt sad in a way because it made me think about how much I complain when I don't have something or when I need something when I actually am blessed with more than any person could possibly need. I have a loving husband, three beautiful & healthy children, a roof over my head, food on the table, family & friends, and so much more. But here this young man was in need of something so basic as food; something no person should be without. There are so many people in this world who are in need of basic life necessities. And what are we doing about it? What are we doing to make strides in the fight against hunger & homelessness? What are we doing for those who just want something, anything to eat? What are we doing for those who want somewhere, anywhere safe, to sleep? I can only speak for myself and unfortunately I am not doing all that I can. I don't have a lot of money, but it doesn't take a lot of money to make a difference. You can make a difference by volunteering and motivating others to get involved. I challenge every one out there to volunteer at a homeless shelter. Put together a food drive. Gather some friends and serve lunch at a soup kitchen. It may not seem like much, but it's the little things that count. And when you add up all of the small deeds that people can and should do then maybe we can make a dent in the war on poverty, hunger, & homelessness and start to leave the world better off than it was before.
After finally getting both kids completely dressed and doing my daughter's hair we got in the car, pulled out of the driveway, and proceeded to head towards McDonald's. Today I decided to go to the McDonald's on the other side of town because it was close to Lake Ella. The original plan was to get the Happy Meals and go sit in the grass next to the lake and have a picnic. As we were going through the drive-thru my son decided he wanted to go on the playground. At this point we had already ordered and paid for the food. So we picked up our food, parked, and went inside.
As we sat down I noticed there was a young man who appeared to be a young college student. He was outside putting something on his bike when we walked in then he came inside. He went outside a couple of times to his bike to pick up something and bring something back inside. One time when he came inside he walked in with a bunch of old pieces of cardboard. I noticed that he had a big duffle bag and a lot of other items on his bike. While inside I saw that all he had was some coffee; which isn't unusual when it's chilly but I just felt as if there was something not quite right. Eventually I went to the counter and ordered 2 more Happy Meals (one for me and one I was going to give away). Before just handing the young man the food I asked him if he needed something to eat and he said he was a little hungry so I gave him one of the Happy Meals I just ordered.
He was a very young man. He looked like he could have been a senior in high school or at least in his first few years of college. There is no telling what his background was or how he ended up where he was. It wasn't my place to ask. And I felt bad for not being able to give him a little bit more. I almost felt sad in a way because it made me think about how much I complain when I don't have something or when I need something when I actually am blessed with more than any person could possibly need. I have a loving husband, three beautiful & healthy children, a roof over my head, food on the table, family & friends, and so much more. But here this young man was in need of something so basic as food; something no person should be without. There are so many people in this world who are in need of basic life necessities. And what are we doing about it? What are we doing to make strides in the fight against hunger & homelessness? What are we doing for those who just want something, anything to eat? What are we doing for those who want somewhere, anywhere safe, to sleep? I can only speak for myself and unfortunately I am not doing all that I can. I don't have a lot of money, but it doesn't take a lot of money to make a difference. You can make a difference by volunteering and motivating others to get involved. I challenge every one out there to volunteer at a homeless shelter. Put together a food drive. Gather some friends and serve lunch at a soup kitchen. It may not seem like much, but it's the little things that count. And when you add up all of the small deeds that people can and should do then maybe we can make a dent in the war on poverty, hunger, & homelessness and start to leave the world better off than it was before.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Blog Ideas Torn
While doing research for my blog I read several things. One of the blogs I read suggested that you should have a list of the topics that you want to write about. Well I decided to do just that. I started to make a list of the things I was thinking about so I could turn them into blogs. I didn't just sit and make a list in one hour. I have a notebook that I started to manage my blog and keep track of things. So when I think about something I might want to blog about I write it down in my book. Well if you have been reading my blog you know that I have three kids; two boys and one girl. They are very curious and inquisitive, especially my little girl who is 16 months old. She has figured out how to get on tables and reach things she shouldn't be able to reach. The other night I had my blog book next to me because I had several thoughts about what might be a good blog. I kept it next to me so I could write those thoughts down. Well the notebook made it through the entire night, and when the next morning came things started as they usually do. I was working on something after breakfast, don't remember what, and I came back into the living room and discovered that my daughter had gotten a hold of my blog book and torn up the pages with my blog ideas and was chewing on the pen that I wrote with. I wasn't mad of course because she is only 16 months, but rather I thought it was kind of funny.
So now I am starting my list all over again and I thought I would ask you what you would like to see me blog about? I have changed the settings on my blog so that anyone can comment on my blog (we'll see how that goes). But I would like to hear from you. I am open to any ideas you may have that I can add to the new list I am starting. I think one of the first things I will put on my list of blog ideas is the things kids do. Hope to hear from some of you because your ideas may lead to great things.
So now I am starting my list all over again and I thought I would ask you what you would like to see me blog about? I have changed the settings on my blog so that anyone can comment on my blog (we'll see how that goes). But I would like to hear from you. I am open to any ideas you may have that I can add to the new list I am starting. I think one of the first things I will put on my list of blog ideas is the things kids do. Hope to hear from some of you because your ideas may lead to great things.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Taking a Break
Have you ever taken a break from life? Have you ever taken a few moments or a few days to rejuvenate yourself? This world is full of so much negativity and stress that even the average person can get bogged down in all that is going on and reported about. So what can you do about it? Take a break!! By take a break I mean to take a few moments, a few days, or as long as you need to rejuvenate yourself and remind yourself why you are in this world. What is your purpose? Part of this rejuvenation should include a lot of prayer. Part of taking a break should also involve removing yourself from things like Facebook and not giving in to social pressures and social media. Completely remove yourself from the outside world and just think. I can't tell you what to think about. I can't tell you what results may come from you taking a break from life and from the world. All I can say is that you will emerge changed in some way or at least relaxed and ready for a new day. I encourage you to do this often in your life because you may come to some revelation that will hopefully make a difference. It may only make a difference to you, but sometimes that is enough.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Spring Break Chronicles 2011: Day 6
Day 6: Saturday
I consider Saturday part of spring break because kids don't actually return to school until Tuesday due to the Teacher Planning Day. Well Saturday started off with the alarm ringing at 6:30 am; which at first I didn't realize was ringing. After about 30 minutes to an hour after the alarm rang I got up to take my shower so I could wake up my tired husband and sleeping kids in order to get ready to hit the road. Around 8:00/8:30 we all finally were ready and in the car so we could leave my sister's house and depart for Orlando in order to take a surprise visit to Animal Kingdom (thank you Brother Sly & Melly B). While on the road my sister calls to say "Hey you know you forgot the stroller"; I was like d***. A stroller is definitely a must when you have a child that is only 16 months old. The first thought is that it would be cheaper to find a Wal-Mart and just buy another stroller. But after looking up the rental cost of a stroller in the park that was an incorrect assumption.
About 3-3 1/2 hours later we arrived at the Walt Disney World Resort, picked up our tickets, and entered Animal Kingdom. Of course before we entered the park I realized that we didn't have the baby wipes in the bag, but instead of going back to the car we decided to wing it. When we entered none of us had eaten so at first we were going to get something to eat and then start enjoying the rest of the park. Well as we were passing the Tree of Life we noticed that the show they have inside the tree, It's Tough to Be Bug, was getting ready to start. The decision was made to go ahead an see the show. It's a 3D show that is only about 8 minutes long, but really cute and fun. We sat down, put our glasses on, and got ready to enjoy the show. Well the show started, the kids were enjoying it, and everything was going great until it got to the part where Hopper the grasshopper appeared. I guess to some kids the show can be a little scary. Well my second oldest, who is 4years old, all of a sudden started crying and jumping up, and I had to hold onto him to keep him from running out away from me because he was ready to bolt out of the theatre. Well I took him outside, and sure enough he got scared during the part where Hopper appeared. Well he wasn't the only kid who got scared during the show. When we got outside there were some other kids out there and a few more came out while we were waiting for my husband and my other two kids to come out. When they finally came out my son had calmed down, but still a little shaken.
The next stop was to find something to eat. I was stuck on visiting the restaurant that had BBQ, chicken, and all sorts of other goodies. For some reason I thought it was in "Africa" but it wasn't. After almost 15-30 minutes of trying to find that one place we gave up and went to Pizzafari; which had something even the kids would love. After eating and getting ready to tour the rest of the park I decided to look at the map and descriptions of eateries and discovered the place I wanted to eat at. I guess if I would have done that in the first place we wouldn't have spent so long looking for it.
The rest of the day consisted of: playing the drums, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Wildlife Express Train, Conservation Station, Affection Station, The Boneyard, and an attempt to see Finding Nemo-The Musical. I say an attempt because once again my 4-year old got a little scared. Only this time he was scared before the show even started. He has seen Nemo before so he knew there was a shark coming and didn't even want to see it. Well the show started and he once again wanted to bolt. We walked up the steps to go out and I was able to calm him down for a little bit. But when the show got to the part where Nemo got captured he started to run again so this time we went outside. This show was a little longer than It's Tough to be A Bug so we waited a minute for the rest of the family to come out. When they came out I pulled the turkey leg out of our bag we put in there before the show and my and the boys started to munch on it. After that, and because it had already been a long day, we decided against going to see Festival of the Lion King and head on home. We got to the parking lot, got in our car that was parked in the peacock section, and headed on home. The kids fell asleep in the car and the boys basically slept all the way home to Tallahassee.
When we got home just before midnight we thought the kids would stay asleep, but when we got them inside they of course woke up and wanted to stay up. We also thought that the both of us would be tired and wanted to hit the sack right away, but amazingly enough once we got inside we were up for a little bit also. My husband jumped on the computer while everyone else watched some TV. As I was searching for something to watch I came across a series of Superhero cartoons on DisneyXD. So my husband decided he was going to stay up all night until 4am to watch them all. I ended up eventually going to bed around 2am with my daughter and my 4-year old. I don't know what time my husband went to sleep, but it was after me. All in all it was a fantastic day (slideshow to come later) and I hope that I have many more GREAT family days to come.
I consider Saturday part of spring break because kids don't actually return to school until Tuesday due to the Teacher Planning Day. Well Saturday started off with the alarm ringing at 6:30 am; which at first I didn't realize was ringing. After about 30 minutes to an hour after the alarm rang I got up to take my shower so I could wake up my tired husband and sleeping kids in order to get ready to hit the road. Around 8:00/8:30 we all finally were ready and in the car so we could leave my sister's house and depart for Orlando in order to take a surprise visit to Animal Kingdom (thank you Brother Sly & Melly B). While on the road my sister calls to say "Hey you know you forgot the stroller"; I was like d***. A stroller is definitely a must when you have a child that is only 16 months old. The first thought is that it would be cheaper to find a Wal-Mart and just buy another stroller. But after looking up the rental cost of a stroller in the park that was an incorrect assumption.
About 3-3 1/2 hours later we arrived at the Walt Disney World Resort, picked up our tickets, and entered Animal Kingdom. Of course before we entered the park I realized that we didn't have the baby wipes in the bag, but instead of going back to the car we decided to wing it. When we entered none of us had eaten so at first we were going to get something to eat and then start enjoying the rest of the park. Well as we were passing the Tree of Life we noticed that the show they have inside the tree, It's Tough to Be Bug, was getting ready to start. The decision was made to go ahead an see the show. It's a 3D show that is only about 8 minutes long, but really cute and fun. We sat down, put our glasses on, and got ready to enjoy the show. Well the show started, the kids were enjoying it, and everything was going great until it got to the part where Hopper the grasshopper appeared. I guess to some kids the show can be a little scary. Well my second oldest, who is 4years old, all of a sudden started crying and jumping up, and I had to hold onto him to keep him from running out away from me because he was ready to bolt out of the theatre. Well I took him outside, and sure enough he got scared during the part where Hopper appeared. Well he wasn't the only kid who got scared during the show. When we got outside there were some other kids out there and a few more came out while we were waiting for my husband and my other two kids to come out. When they finally came out my son had calmed down, but still a little shaken.
The next stop was to find something to eat. I was stuck on visiting the restaurant that had BBQ, chicken, and all sorts of other goodies. For some reason I thought it was in "Africa" but it wasn't. After almost 15-30 minutes of trying to find that one place we gave up and went to Pizzafari; which had something even the kids would love. After eating and getting ready to tour the rest of the park I decided to look at the map and descriptions of eateries and discovered the place I wanted to eat at. I guess if I would have done that in the first place we wouldn't have spent so long looking for it.
The rest of the day consisted of: playing the drums, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Wildlife Express Train, Conservation Station, Affection Station, The Boneyard, and an attempt to see Finding Nemo-The Musical. I say an attempt because once again my 4-year old got a little scared. Only this time he was scared before the show even started. He has seen Nemo before so he knew there was a shark coming and didn't even want to see it. Well the show started and he once again wanted to bolt. We walked up the steps to go out and I was able to calm him down for a little bit. But when the show got to the part where Nemo got captured he started to run again so this time we went outside. This show was a little longer than It's Tough to be A Bug so we waited a minute for the rest of the family to come out. When they came out I pulled the turkey leg out of our bag we put in there before the show and my and the boys started to munch on it. After that, and because it had already been a long day, we decided against going to see Festival of the Lion King and head on home. We got to the parking lot, got in our car that was parked in the peacock section, and headed on home. The kids fell asleep in the car and the boys basically slept all the way home to Tallahassee.
When we got home just before midnight we thought the kids would stay asleep, but when we got them inside they of course woke up and wanted to stay up. We also thought that the both of us would be tired and wanted to hit the sack right away, but amazingly enough once we got inside we were up for a little bit also. My husband jumped on the computer while everyone else watched some TV. As I was searching for something to watch I came across a series of Superhero cartoons on DisneyXD. So my husband decided he was going to stay up all night until 4am to watch them all. I ended up eventually going to bed around 2am with my daughter and my 4-year old. I don't know what time my husband went to sleep, but it was after me. All in all it was a fantastic day (slideshow to come later) and I hope that I have many more GREAT family days to come.
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