My back is going to thank me.

  I am kind of excited. For the first time in a few years, I am going to have insurance. It is not the best insurance.... but it is better than nothing. That is the good part. The bad part is that half of my paycheck every week is going to the insurance! Hopefully we can afford it, haha!!!! My family will have chiropractic which is especially nice since my back went out a couple days ago. No prescription, vision or dental but I guess you gotta start small?

Hangin' Tough for 9 more days.....

   Jason and I are going to see the Backstreet Boys and the New Kids on the Block with Matthew Morrison (Mr. Shue on Glee) as the opener. I am actually getting a little excited... not only for the concert but to spend time with my husband. We don't get to spend a lot of time without the kids, so something like this is definitely going to be fun.
  Honestly, I want to see the New Kids dance. I wasn't a fan when I was younger but I still can't wait to see it in person. LOL! This is just a preview of what we are going to see...... I know you're jealous!!!

Everybody poops.

  My 15 year old daughter told me that she needed a T-Dap immunization before the end of the school year. The paperwork I got from the school said that you couldn't register for next year unless you had the immunization.... which means that I had a few months until I had to take her in. Regardless, three days before school got out, Alexis was FREAKING OUT and insisted on getting the shot NOW. I called Kaiser and they told me that they were only going to be giving the shot one day that week... the day before school got out. I was going to be working extra hours that day and then I had to be at work at 4am the next day (which means early bedtime for me!). I really didn't want to drag everyone down to the doctor's office because I was extremely exhausted but Alexis continued to freak out, so I took her.
 While sitting in the waiting room, the little kids are playing with the toys and having a blast. Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all! WRONG! Dylan very loudly tells me he needs to poop. Another mom laughed.... I turned red. I leave Alexis in the waiting room and take the 2 little ones to the restroom. We occupy the handicapped stall and as I am helping Dylan sit on the toilet (he was a little too short to reach by himself), Gracie is laying on the floor trying to look under the other stall. OMG, how embarrassing! I pick her up and hold her in my arms. Then, another person came into the stall next to ours. Dylan starts grunting very loudly. Seriously kid?! The lady in the next stall starts pooping too, haha. As soon as Gracie hears the lady's plop and water splash, she starts yelling, "Ewww..... stinky poo-poo! That yucky. Wanna see yucky poo-poo." She starts squirming to get out of my arms so she can look under the stall! I was sooooooooo embarrassed. I couldn't get her to be quiet. Why are my kids so loud at the most inconvenient times?! Thankfully, the lady found some humor in the situation because she was laughing. After we were done in the restroom, we came back to the waiting room and I was getting ready to tell Alexis what had happened when Gracie decided to be loud again. "Ewww! That smelly poo-poo, Lexie! Lady went poo-poo!" Oh dear God!!!
  The nurse calls Alexis back to get her shot. We get in there and the nurse tells me that Alexis has already had the T-dap but she needed 3 other shots. WHAT?! She didn't need the freaking shot???? All of this embarrassment for no reason?! The nurse asked if we wanted to do the other shots that day. Alexis said no..... I said, HELL YES! Twenty minutes later, we were walking out and Alexis had 3 hot pink band-aids on her arms. Nice. Then, Gracie started screaming that she wasn't going home because she wants to stay and play. I had to take her out of Kaiser kicking and screaming. I was so exhausted that we picked up dinner on the way home and I was in bed an hour later. Next time, I am getting a babysitter for any dr's appointments.

60 hour work weeks suck!

   I have had a hard time blogging lately! I guess I just haven't had anything blog-worthy. I didn't want to just write something just because... I wanted it to be something that was important to me. Well, I am tired of waiting for something GREAT to happen. I am just going to write about nothing important.
  My job has changed. I am still working for the same company but I changed my position. My new job is not very hard or challenging. I am hoping it is just a stepping stone because after a month and a half, I am already bored. Plus, I have to wake up at the ass-crack of dawn and I am having a really hard time adjusting to the schedule! Once I get off work, I am extremely tired. Three o'clock is a really bad time for me, haha.
  We are getting Dylan ready for kindergarten. I am sad and excited. He can't wait to go to school and is asking every day when he gets to go. Telling a 5 year old that he has to wait for a few months is not easy. He doesn't understand why he can't go tomorrow! I think when he actually goes to school, it will be the hardest on Gracie. She is going to be losing her best friend. She will be lost for a little while but I'm sure once she gets used to it, she will be okay.
  Jason's new job is going.... and that is the nicest thing I can say about it. I really appreciate the hell that he is going through at this place so that he can support his family. It makes me feel bad knowing that he has to go through so much freaking stress. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a better option for him.
  My mom has been getting stronger every day. After she fell in November, I thought she would enver walk again. I am happy to say that not only is she walking, but she is gaining weight also. The MS is controlling so much of her, but I still get glimpses of the mom that I remember. Most of the time, she is not really there.... but when she is, it is awesome. One day she was so punchy. She was making jokes and laughing (mostly at me, haha). I haven't seen that side of her for almost 10 years. It was a nice reminder of the way she used to be. I really miss having a mom that I can talk to or hang out with. The good thing about her being sick is that I have gotten extremely close to my dad. I consider him one of my close friends. I love that I can call up my dad when I am having a problem and he just listens. He doesn't offer unsolicited advice. When I ask for his advice, he is always so wise. I am lucky to have him.
  I guess my life lately has been busy..... but not exciting busy. We have the life of a working family trying to have enough time for each other. Tiring work days and spending time with 4 kids does not help to cultivate a relationship. We just have to make the most of the little time we have together.

I Can't Get No Satisfaction.......

  The title sucked you in... didn't it?! Well, get your mind out of the gutter, haha!!! I was actually talking about my job. I love 95% of the people I work with. I like parts of my job (other parts are really annoying and brainless). It is close to my home and the hours don't bother me. The company is paying me, so that makes me happy. But.......... my job doesn't bring me any joy. I have no passion for what I am doing. I am just collecting a paycheck and it makes me sad. My job doesn't change lives or help people in any way. I really want to do something that is going to change the world or at least help one person. Working in retail is leaving me feeling empty. The biggest concern that most customers at my store have is how are they going to get the biggest discount and "Can I use my coupon?" It frustrates me. There is more severe problems than your useless coupon in this world! UGH!
  I would love to volunteer with at-risk LGBT teens, the HRC, an abused women's shelter, a surrogacy agency or pregnant teens. That would make me feel much more fulfilled. If I could get paid to work at one of those types of places, that would be my ideal job. Why can't I find a paying job doing something that helps people? Am I going to be stuck feeling unfulfilled at work until my kids are older and I have time to volunteer? I want to LOVE my job AND help make a difference. Is that too much to ask for? The once a year volunteering at the Food Bank is not enough for me. That just makes me realize that my job is not cutting it for me. Hence... I can't get noooo, sat-is-faction.

Skating on the edge of everyone's normalcy

 This has been a weird, crazy week! My husband started his new job this week. It is strange not having him home. I miss him already. He has been home for a few years (working at home and on unemployment) so the house has been totally turned around. His brother has been coming over and babysitting the little ones. He hasn't run out of the house screaming yet so that is a good sign! He got over here early this morning and he was asleep on the couch and I totally forgot that Jason was at work... Jonathan was snoring and he sounded exactly like Jason. Kinda creepy. I know that Jason and Jonathan kinda look alike but I never thought that their snores would sound alike! LOL.
 I really depended on Jason a lot when I was at work. He took such great care of the kids and did everything that needed to be done around the house.... grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry. Yep, great catch! I hope his work appreciates the sacrifices I am making by letting him come there 5 days a week. I just wish that one of us could get paid to stay at home and play with the kids. That would be ideal.
 ** I had to take a quick break because Gracie threw a temper-tantrum because I wouldn't let her wear my lipstick. When did she turn into a girl??**
 This morning, while listening to Jonathan snore, I realized that I was really bored. I needed someone to talk to. So, I logged back in my old twitter account. I didn't have anyone to talk to, but I felt like I was talking to someone so it satisfied me. For some reason, Facebook is not as much fun as it used to be.
 Oh, I almost forgot about my roller skates!!!! I found my old Skecher roller skates in the garage!!!! I am going to pack a pillow in my jeans and try to get out and skate tomorrow. Hopefully I don't kill myself or anyone else in the process. I'll update tomorrow and let everyone know what happened. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sushi and Cupcakes!!!!!!

 As I sit here typing this out, I can barely move! We have had a day full of fun and food. Since it is Alexis and Gracie's birthday, we have had too much fun. We went to downtown HB and got cupcakes from Lil Red's. We have not eaten the cupcakes yet, but they look wonderful. We did buy a cake pop for each of us and those were really good!!!! Then, we went to Downtown Disney to visit Build-A-Bear. Gracie made a Hello Kitty (yep, that was my influence on the kid) and Dylan made a dinosaur. They had so much fun. I couldn't stop Jason from buying a HUGE bag of caramel kettle corn. I can't believe how much of it I ate. Good thing I wore my big jeans, haha!
 Alexis had her choice of dinner since it is her birthday and she chose sushi. Good choice, my dear! Since the little kids are not fans of sushi, they got chocolate chip pancakes. We tried a place that is right across the street from our place, Sushi Ya. It was so good. If you are in the area, try it! You will not be disappointed.
 This Saturday, I took a vacation day so I can take Alexis out shopping. Yeah, I am not really looking forward to that. I am not a fan of shopping but like most 15 year old girls, she is a huge shopping fan, haha. I may need some positive thoughts that day!

**** Edit!!!****  We just started eating the cupcakes and they are SOOOOOOOO good! I ate half of the Bananas Foster and the Salted Caramel. Two thumbs up for Lil Red's.

 I smushed the marble cupcake on the left. OOPS!