Getting Ready For The New Year

So it is almost here and I am getting my lists and such together.  I have a big list and so I have a lot of things to do to make those things happen.  There are many small things I will have to do to get to my goals.  With out a plan I am not going to make my goals so  I am putting in the hard work and this year I am going to make these goals happen.

So here are a couple of goals I will be working on this year.  I am going to get my house cleaned and organized.  If you don't already know when I moved back to MI I had to move into my parents house which they left all of their stuff here when they moved.  I am left with cleaning it up and repairing anything wrong with it.  Unfortunately I am part time so I do not have a lot of money so it has been hard.  I plan on making it happen in 2014.

I also plan on losing 30 pounds at least.  If you saw my previous post you know that I am  going to be sharing my weight loss journey over the next year.  It will not be easy and I must admit I am not off to a good start but I have some things in place to get going so I plan to make this year the year I get back to a healthy weight.

I also have a goal to save $5,000 by the end of the year.  I think of all my goals this will be the hardest.  Being part time I do not make a ton.  I will however be getting child support so that will help with my daughters expenses so I can put that money aside once I start receiving support plus I am selling items on Ebay and I am doing surveys.  I have also gotten back into couponing so that save me money.  I also have some other things to make extra money so I am working on it being enough to put stuff away toward this goal. 

So plans are in place but the real challenge will be doing them.  I am the only one that can be held accountable so I have to work hard or it will not get done.   What are your goals for this year and how do you plan to accomplish them?  Are they small or is this the year you go for the big one?  Whatever your goal do it.  Make this the year you make it happen and we can do it together.  We can cheer eachother on along the way.  Lets make this year count. 

A Quick Update

So I have taken a couple days off as I was busy and I was not really sure what to write.  So here is a quick update on my weight loss journey.  I am off to a rocky start to be honest.  I have not been eating to healthy and still haven't gone to the gym.  We have been very busy and I just have not felt like it.  Not to mention I fell and have bruises every where so I am completely sore.

I really do want to get some improvement going I just need to get the motivation.  I will get there I am not discourage yet.  I am however extremely tired so this will be my post for today.  On a side note almost everyone has gotten their power restored from the storm.  I have learned some new things, my next house will have a fire place or some type of alternate heat source and I need to not rely on power so much because I could be with out it.  Maybe I will invest in solar power energy for my next house too.  Have a great Sunday Tomorrow and I will be back with more tidbits to share.

The Beginning Of A Long Journey

We all have things we don't like.  Some we can change and some we can't.  Mine is one that I can take control of.  I plan to undo some very unhealthy damage to my body.  It has been happening over the course of about 8 years and I finally really just said this is it.  I have to make a change.

Due to medical issues I started putting on weight.  It happened very quickly in a matter of 8 months I grew 2 dress sizes but hadn't changed anything I was doing.  I even started exercising more and nothing changed.  I eventually gave up and started getting bigger.  It took the Dr's 2 years before they gave me a diagnoses of something I could actually battle.  Unfortunately by this time I had given up and over the next 6 years I gained over 100 pounds and 8 more sizes.  It was bad.

I moved back to MI a year and a half ago and I did lose 30 pounds so I was getting excited.  Then real life kicked in my body got stressed out and now I have gained back 10 of those pounds.  I am very upset with myself for not staying committed  to losing all the weight I can.  Well things are about to change.  I am sharing pictures of what I look like now so you can see how things progress. I can't tell you how this will turn out a year from now but I am going to really try hard to make it better.

 I am going to put it out there and let you guys follow me on my journey to get healthy again.  I have a gym I pay for but don't use so that needs to change,  I have food at home but get tired and lazy so I eat out to much.  This has to stop.  I literally have people asking me when I am due and I lost weight so I am not happy.  I hope that through this time I will inspire others to take their health back.  Am I some crazy health freak? No, not by any means, but I am tired of being unhealthy.  I don't get work out crazy and I don't buy tons of health food.  I am just a regular person looking to feel better.

I hope that you will follow me and be inspired by my journey and get back on track with your journey as well.  No matter what it is get back to it and make yourself happy.

A quick moment

I thought I wouldn't write but I had a quick second.  I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  I hope you get to spend time with family and friends.  No matter what your circumstances may be, be glad that you get to spend this time together.  There are some that do not have this privilege.  Make it count and tell them you love them and enjoy every second you get with them.

                                                      MERRY CHRISTMAS

So Christmas Is Here

So Christmas is here.  People are excited and can barely contain themselves.  It is a great time of year.  We get to relax for a day and just take it all in.  It is the prize we get for making it all year long even through Thanksgiving when Black Friday hits and people lose there minds. 

So what is really important about Christmas.  Well it is a time when we as Christians can teach people about the birth of Jesus Christ.  We can touch the lives of others and hopefully help them learn about what Christmas is all about.  Now if you don't believe in God I am not here to preach to you and make you feel bad.  I am just saying that it is a chance to get the word out to people about a wonderful savior that is here. We can reach out to families that want to know more about what this season is about.

It is also a chance for family to spend time with each other.  We get one day to sit with each other and look back at all the amazing things that happened during the year.  I saw an idea on Pinterest and it was to put a slip of paper in a jar telling each time something good happened then on New Years eve take them out and read them so you can remember how good the year really was.  Me and my daughter have been doing this so I can not wait to pull them out and remember the awesomeness that was 2013. 

Christmas is a time of togetherness.  So make sure that you slow down.  Take it all in together.  Make sure you say I love you to the people that really matter most.  Even if you had a rough year there is something to be grateful for, even if it is just that you made it through the year and now have another to turn things around.  Just take the time to enjoy it.  Even if you don't have a ton of gifts to give you get to be with people you care for and that is worth more than anything you can purchase.

I probably wont write the next two days so I hope you guys out there have a blessed and wonderful Christmas.  I hope your time with your family is the best part of your year.

Mother Natures Wrath Is Scary

So last night we got hit by a terrible ice storm.  It was awful outside when I got up.  We have thousands with out power and the temp outside is only 30.  It is a great reminder of the fact we are still vulnerable to some things.  Mother Nature can do what she wants when she wants and we just have to hope that we survive when her wild angry side comes out.

With all our new technology we are still no match for nature.  She can disrupt anything at anytime without warning.  She is still reminding us of this as I write.  After the storm raged it began to drizzle and is now lightly snowing again.  Only further complicating the efforts to restore power.  So many that rely on this stuff are without.  Businesses have been forced to shut down due to no power or wires being down.

Travel is slow going as we have to play nice since a lot of the traffic lights are out and we have to make our way around the fallen trees.  The damage is absolutely crazy out there.  Huge trees brought to the ground.  Vehicles under them or behind them unable to move.  They have warnings that unless it is an emergency stay home.  Our power crews have even been borrowing help from other utility companies to try to get things cleaned up on the roads.

Just remember there is always something out there bigger and meaner than you.  It can take things out in the blink of an eye.  Tempting nature is very dangerous, and while thrilling it can be fatal.   Do not risk your life if not necessary.

Time for Goal Planning

So with a new year coming it is time to assess what it is that we want to accomplish.  We start planning out what we will make out of the new year.  What kind of amazing things will we do this year that we have never done before?  It is a time to get creative and dream big.

Although if you have not had the best year you may just be trying to plan how to survive the next year too.  Sometimes it is just the hope that the new year will be better than the one before that gets people through this time of year.  It is the dream of great things to come that helps one hold on.

Then there are people like me.  I am going with both.  I have hope that with this difficult year ending I am headed for a great year ahead.  I have changed the way I think about things, I am practicing better actions and trying to look past peoples flaws to really feel compassion for them.  I have big goals for this up coming year.  I want to save enough money to redo the house I am living in, start my own business, and pay off my bills.

How do you achieve big goals?  First you have to have some.  Sometime people get so down that they just give up working toward anything.  when you stop dreaming you are really just coasting through.  Start thinking of things you have wanted to do.  What is something that has always been an interest to you but you just never did it?  Is there something you wanted to do but as you got older and started a career or family you set it aside?  Well it is time to get back to those things.

Next put it in writing.  You have to make yourself see it.  Make a to-do list so to speak.  Just like you have a list to check off each day you can make a list for the year.  Put down everything you would like to accomplish this year and put it somewhere you can see it on a regular basis.  If you can see it you can do it.  It will help you stay on track if you can see what it is you want to do.

Then prioritize.  Put the items in order of which you want to get them done.  What is most important to you should go on top of the list.  Then continue down the list and whatever you can handle doing last should be last on the list.  Don't just go random in listing.  really make this list important.  Make it so it is something you will check in on regularly to accomplish.

So now that you are thinking about it get going.   Start the yearly to-do list.  Make it fun too.  You can even make it a family thing to have even more fun.  What ever you decide just make sure you do it.  Then remember like any list, if you don't finish it this year it can roll over to the next.  So lets get listing and see what we can accomplish this year!

New Year approaching, Proceed with Caution

So this year is almost over and that means a whole new start again.  This year has definitely a struggle so I am ready for a new beginning.  On the other hand I worry that I will bring this year to the next and that is not a good thing at all.  I want to start 2014 clean. 

My divorce will be official in March so i can finally move past all this drama.  My finances seem to be looking up so that is very relieving and mine and my daughters health have improved so I am super happy.  I am excited by all the blessing we are receiving.  It is hard to get too excited since I have been at this point before and then got sent all the way back to the start again.

I am very proud of myself for hanging in there and keeping my faith even when everything looked like it was over.  I still have a ways to go to be back where I was but the fact that I am on the right path is very exciting.  I feel that 2014 will be the year of recovery.  I see things getting better and better from here.

I encourage anyone who has been struggling to really reach deep.  Know that if you keep strong and keep your faith you can get through what ever is holding you back.  It may take some time but do not give up.  There is a bright side that will come through.  Please stay positive and just be true to yourself and it will work out.

Make sure that you pay real close attention to the people in your life too.  They can have a real impact on what happens.  Make sure you are trusting the right people and staying for away from the wrong ones.  Having positive people in your life that help you reach your goals can get you far.  You need people that will help you when you have nothing.

It is going to be a great 2014 just make sure you pay attention to what you are doing and don't give up.  Stay blessed and you will be impressed with how far you go.

Holiday Busy

With the holidays here it has been so busy.  I have been making to do lists and really trying to stay organized so I keep on task.  It is not easy when you have to fit in your child's scheduler either.  We are doing pretty good though.  I have all of my Christmas shopping done.  I just have to wrap them.  I am very excited about the gifts I found for my daughter this year.  I found some great deals early on.  I got an $80 item for $35 by watching sales and having some killer coupons and such.  It is going to be so fun watching her open them. 

That has been one of my time consuming events.  Going from store to store to get things I need on my list at a good price takes a good chunk of time.  You have to go with a plan to really optimize your time.  I have my list for each store and stay on track to those specific items.  This really saves time instead of just wondering to look for things.  Know what you want from each place and go.  If you get of track then you will waste precious time. 

The next problem I have is I had to have all my gifts for others now.  My daughter has to go to her Dads on the 20th so that cut time short to have our celebrations with other families.  We have one each day starting tomorrow through Thursday.  So I work then go to the parties each day.  So Friday will be a day to finally relax.  That will be different I don't even know what I will do with the time.  I am sooo busy that it will be crazy to have nothing to do.

There is also the work schedule.  It is all over the place and then sometimes Saturday so I have to work my time around that too.  I am happy to have a job but sometimes the hours make it hard to get stuff done this time of year.  Luckily one helpful thing is there is a Walgreens right in the same parking lot so I have been able to utilize them for some things as well, which has been nice. 

I can hardly wait until Christmas day when we get to relax and just enjoy each other.  It will be so nice to just hang with my parents and my daughter and enjoy each others company.  Which frankly is what it is really about.  I just cant help myself during the holidays

So what is your struggle during the holidays and how do you handle them.

Starting Again

So I was doing really well with the blog and then got distracted but I see many people are still looking.  I am going to get back to it and we will see where it goes from there.  I have been up to so much this year.  I have been just so busy and working on so many different things. 

This year I started out separated and not feeling to happy.  I am now only three months away from my divorce and doing ok.  I have gone back to church more often and I am feeling much better in my faith now.  I am learning a better way to pray and to trust God even more.  It is nice when you can just feel great about things. 

 My job not so awesome but I have one and right now that is a bonus.  I can kinda pay my bills and I can feed my daughter and myself so that feels good.  My car is almost paid off so that will be nice when I am done with that.  It will be extra money to put toward some other bills.  I have been turned down for full time three different time so that has been a little crushing for me.  I applied for another one but not getting too excited about it because I have a feeling I am not getting which has a lot to do with the position itself and a little with my employers.

I have reduced my medications drastically which has been a very nice change for me.  My daughter has been having less seizures which is very exciting and her grades are up from last year along with her reading skills improving this year.  This is something she has struggled with for years.  She also got nominated for the new Leadership club at school.  She makes me so proud.

I have also been working on getting my business up and going strong.   I have made some changes to what I am doing and I hope I can get things going so I can work for myself and have more time with my daughter.  She is growing up to so fast I want to get as much time with her as I can before college comes around

Well that is a quick catch up of some of the things that have been going on with me since I have been absent from writing.  I hope I can keep you interested and get things going on the blog regularly again.  Thanks for reading.

Getting Nervous About Tuesday

So Tuesday is going to be a really big day here.  My daughter will officially turn 13.  Is exciting and sad at the same time.  I am so glad that she is here and mine but to know that she is growing up is very hard.  I am the kind of person who has worked hard at not making my daughter grow up to fast. 

I have enjoyed watching her just be a kid.  Somethings in my lief made me have to grow up a little faster than most kids and I wanted to make sure that never happened to my daughter.  I want her to be a kid as long as she possibly can.  That fact that she will be a teen means that growing up is just around the corner.  I am trying to let her hold on as long as she can.

This is also hard because I am not always the one she is with.  She goes to her Dad's house and she spends time with my friend when I am at work.  They are trying to make her grow up and she is still a kid and it is hard for her and for me to watch.  I really want my child to not have to worry about being more grown up when she is still a kid.

I am excited that I have been her Mommy for this long at the same time.  We have had some amazing years together.  I have learned a lot from being her Mommy.  She always makes me smile when I feel down.   She amazes me all the time with the things she says and does sometimes.  She is very smart on some things and it makes me smile all the time.  She is the most perfect thing in my life right now.

On Tuesday we will celebrate this special day and I will be happy for her but at the same time I will be sad.  I will know that my little girl is closer to adulthood.  All I can do is be there for her when she needs me.  I can love her with everything I have and at the end of the day hope for the best.

Change In Plans

I know I said it was going to be about savings right now but I have had some days that are very draining.  Things have been so backwards and I think I keep making it worse.  I am not sure I am really listening to my inner voice.  I feel disconnected from every thing right now. 

I should be feeling excited and a little sad because my daughter is about to be a teenager.  Instead I am struggling with things that are going on around me.  I am praying for guidance but I will be honest I don't think I am getting it.  Not that something is wrong with God but there is something wrong with me receiving his grace and mercy.

I have been struggling with this for some time.  I know he is there and I have no doubt that he really does do miracles.  I just have not figured it out yet.  I don't think that I myself am capable of getting it.  Again don't get me wrong I am NOT anti God, I just feel that something in me blocks me from getting all that he has to offer.

This is all for today.  I am drained from the last few days so I am going to get ready for bed early.  Have a great night.

Day 2 of Savings Apps

As promised I am continuing my posts about apps that are for shopping.  I really like the apps because they are very convenient.  I just have to remember my phone and I can save.  I am not saying that I don't still use coupons but apps can also be used with coupons and I generally do the worst shopping mistake and shop on a whim instead of being prepared.

https://keyringapp.com

For today's topic we will discuss the key ring app.  I like this app because you can put all your savings cards in one place.  Instead of having a million loyalty cards in your wallet you can put them all on your phone.  In addition to this for some of the stores it will even tell you the savings that are going on for that store.  You can even join other programs that may not have a card but that Key Ring has partnered with.  It is very helpful in getting your savings at your favorite stores.

I have been using it for awhile now and it has been a life saver.  Sometimes I have had to grab a set of spare keys or I am driving a different car and then I don't have my card.  I may even just be going for a short trip so I don't grab my wallet and that means no card.  It is very frustrating to lose points or discounts because I forgot it.  Nothing like not getting the sales items because you forgot your card.

That is why this app is so great.  It clears up your wallet space which is nice for putting other things in there and it makes it less bulky.  That is a bonus in itself.  One thing any body can use is more space and less clutter.  I know I am happy that way.  If you are a multiple loyalty card holder this is a must have. 

Upsetting Day So Lets Talk Savings

So today did not go as planned at all.  I was not able to get anything that I wanted to done so I am not very happy.  I could not get on the site to finish my divorce papers so I was not able to go file.  My cable was out and couldn't get it fixed so that was annoying.  So today we are going to talk about savings and points apps.  I am going to cover them over the next couple days.

For today we are going to talk about Shop Kicks.  If you do not already know what this is, it is a phone app where you earn points for shopping and then redeem the points for awards.  It is very easy.  You just take your phone with you when shopping and it will alert you to the different kicks you can earn.  You can earn kicks for just walking into a store or by scanning the specific merchandise.

So far my favorite place to get kicks from is Target.  I have earned bonus boards there which is when you scan a full group of specified items.  I also earned $2 to shop just for getting kicks and entering the store.  They also have books as they are called.  You can look through specific store to see the latest items they have.  Some times for looking through the books you earn bonus kicks.  They can be right then or some are issued the next time you go to that specific store.  It is free and you are earning stuff from doing it.

The hardest part for me is when I am just running in and out of a store I some times forget my phone so I miss out on kicks.  The good news though is that they are free so I am not losing anything by forgetting.  It can be a little frustrating when you are so close to getting the level of points you want but that is the good thing, you can always earn more. 

You can use it to make shopping fun for the kids.  You can do the bonus boards as scavenger hunts and they can help.  It will earn you kicks and it will keep them occupied helping to look for the items.  I mean who couldn't use a way to entertain the kids while shopping.  The bonus is you can earn free stuff doing it too.

The prizes are pretty good.  They range from gift cards to merchandise, they even have it so if you earn enough points you can get a Vespa scooter.  The nice thing about it is that you are already going shopping so why not get something back.  If you are interested in trying it out http://get.shopkick.com/lithium12388

Weird Kind of Day

This is going to be a quick post for today.  Nothing went as planned and I have so much to still get done.  I woke up and things started good, then it got a little awkward.  Then work was weird as well so that really threw me for a loop.  The rest of the day did not go as planned either so nothing worked out the way it was supposed to.  I just got home like 3 hours after I was supposed to and I still do not have my divorce papers and I wanted them to be ready to file  tomorrow.

So it is the big day I finally start the process and I am not really sure how I feel now.  I was sad and then I was ready and now I just want to get it started so I can be done with it.  I have been married to him for the last eight years and never thought it would end.  Even when he told me he had gotten a girlfriend when I thought we were going to be making things stronger.  That my friend was a big shock.  You think that you are going to make your marriage stronger and he tells you he has a girlfriend and does not want to be with you like that anymore.  It was really hard.  Especially now that he puts his girlfriend before you and your child. 

He only seems to want to hang out with her when he wants and is very inflexible about weekends.  I am just beyond the whole situation.  I just want to get it done so that I can move forward with what is best for me and my daughter.  It in no way will be easy but after a year I feel it is time.  I really tried to work on it but he is unwilling so time to go.

Happy Days

So I have been busy the last two days and I hope it pays off.  I really want to get stuff together.  I am planning to file my divorce papers Wednesday which is sad.  I have been trying for a year with no change so I feel it is time to move on.  I have been working on the house trying to make it feel a little more like my home instead of my parents home.  We are making progress slowly but surely.  I feel things are turning around slowly in my favor.  It feels good for a change.

Work not so much.  I am not the favorite at work by any means so things can get a little sticky now and then.  It is a love, hate relationship.  I love my paycheck coming in but hate that I have to go to work.  I am trying to find something I can do that I really enjoy.  Maybe starting my own business.  I would much rather be the boss than keep working some place where I do not feel respected. 

I am just going to Keep Swimming.  It has to go up from here.  I do feel sad on some things but happy that I am strong enough to keep going.  I am thankful to the people who continue to support me even when I don't want to support myself.  It has been a long year and it looks like I am finally heading in somewhat the right direction.  I only hope the next year goes even better.

Well it is late and I have  plans in the morning.  Have a great day.

Getting My Clean On

So after sleeping in today we got up at 10.30 then went got breakfast.  Then we cam home and got to work hard core.  We were scrubbing things like crazy and we got things going pretty well.  We got a lot of stuff cleaned up that has been needing done for awhile.  We moved into this house but my parents never moved their stuff out so it has been a challenge to deal with their stuff and ours so working on getting it out today was great.

We also had to do our regular chores too.  Of course today made for 2x everything.  Especially dishes.  We are pulling out all the dishes to get them cleaned up and get out the ones we don't need.  We still have baby dishes from when I was a baby in this house so it is a lot of work.  I do feel a good sense of accomplishment while I am getting this stuff done.  I will be really happy when I can get all of my stuff in here.  It has been hard without my stuff to use. 

I really miss having my own stuff.  We have been using my parents stuff for the last year.  I can not wait to get back to using my own things.  I miss sooo much of my stuff.  I keep finding stuff in the still packed boxes.  That only makes me work harder to make room for it.  Well it is getting later and I still have some stuff to take care of so I am going to be done for tonight.  Have a great day.

On Some Kind Of Weird High

So after so much that has happened I have actually been in a pretty good mood.   I saw a person that I used to go to school with and I have been talking to them for like 2 days.  It has been kinda great to just talk to someone about stuff.  Of course because of spending so much time texting I have not gotten much else done which is not a good thing at all.  I am behind again on everything it is really hard to be behind this much.  I really need to get focused because I will be starting school again in a few weeks, plus I have a birthday to plan.  Then there is the drama

I posted before about me and my husband and how we were not getting along.  I have decided to officially end it by filing paper work.  It will be sad and my daughter is not happy but we have not lived together in over a year and he doesn't even talk to me anymore so I think I am better off just moving forward and trying to be happy.  I really hate the idea I miss him a lot but he has shown no interest in even talking to me about our child so I think it is best that I just go on.

So I really don't know how to deal with it for my child.  She is soo devastated about the idea but I can't just sit here waiting for him to change his mind for years.  I need to do stuff that is going to make me happy so that I can make my daughter happy.  I truly hate that we could not make it work out but I guess it is better to find out now than when we are elderly and have spent our whole life's together and then don't know what to do.

 Well I am getting off of here to get some sleep and hopefully clean my house tomorrow.  Have a great day

WoW

So I am still behind on my To-Do list.  I have a page long list that never gets shorter.  It has been crazy but I did manage to get school layaway done.  Not much else got done today really.  My house is still not clean because I forgot to go to that store.  Plus I am kinda out of money at the moment so that put an end to the shopping today. 

We did get some good stuff for school and the house so I don't mind so much.  It just sucks because my daughters birthday is in a few weeks and due to her Dad not being involved so much I am not sure he will be contributing so it makes it very nerve racking to know if I will have the money.

On a good note I enrolled back in school so I am super happy.  I will be getting a Bachelors so that will be cool.  I have been out of college about 2 years so I must admit I am nervous.  I did my Associates no problem really but I am not so sure about this.  It will be different being back again.

Well today is short because I have to get up for work and it is already late.  Have a great night.

Still So Busy Does The Stuff Stop Coming

So today at work was crazy.  I kept making all kinds of small mistakes that were so annoying just because they were so minor yet mistakes. I did however get out an hour early so that was nice although I still didn't get home until the same time so that was not fun.  I have so much I want to get done but no time.  I have been working 6 days a week so that really cuts into my time.  The problem is that I am part-time so it does not add up to as much as you would think.  Last year I didn't even clear 20000.  So while in theory it sounds good not so much.

I must admit though that I am happy to have a job.  There are many people who are jobless so it could be worse than it really is.  I really am glad that I can sorta pay bills and take care of my daughter.  There are times my budget is more than tight.  I mean the budget is sooo tight my bills are like a muffin top spilling over, but with no job it would be even worse so I have to be positive on some level.

I am still very confused on what is going on in my life but I also know that being angry and sad all the time is not going to help anything.  I some how need to find better balance in my life.  I am so stressed all the time about how I am going to get things done it completely takes over my life and I get really emotionally drained as talked about in yesterdays post.   I need to start learning techniques to help me just let all this go and be more invilved in life instead of worrying about it so much.

Well that is my thought for today.  I need to get to my other things before bed and that will be soon since I have still not been getting much sleep trying to get it done.  Have a great day

Emotionally Out Of Control

Today I had a break down emotionally.  It seemed like anything that could break me down was happening.  I literally cried the entire time I was in church service.  It was awful.  Now I am completely drained.  I have really lost all energy today.  Things were just out of control.  I have so much going on and I am worried about so much that I finally burst.

 I did talk to a member of the prayer team today and it helped a little.  I believe in God.  I have no doubt that he is out there and he does work miracles. That I do not question at all.  I have problems having faith in myself.  A lot of the time I feel like it is me that is broken and I am incapable of receiving all that is out there.  I know that this is not what God intends but I still can not grasp it in me.  I pray I tithe and I go to church but I still feel broken.

By no means am I trying to lead people one way or the other.  While I hope that everyone would find their path in Christ I also know that everyone has free will.  I am not hear to force my beliefs or UN-beliefs.  I am just here talking about how I have been feeling.  There might be some one out there with the same odd feeling and it might help to know they are not alone.  They may have questions also that can be answered.  I am hoping that people will start getting engaged and commenting on my posts so that everyone can find help with things that may be on their mind.

I have a lot to do and I am going to have to make a to-do list to get it all done but bit by bit I hope to get everything done.   Sadly I am also starting my divorce so it is a sad time all around any way.  On that note I am signing off for the night so that I can get some other work done.  Have a great day.

Never Enough Time In A Day

I have so much to get done but there is not enough time in the day.  Between working and trying to earn extra money plus my other normal stuff I need more time to get everything done.  I have multiple side jobs so keeping track of all of them is tough.  I have to cut down on some of my ways of earning extra income so I can really put more effort into the ones I really like.

I have church in the morning so no staying up really late tonight either.  So after that I have a been to church I am meeting with one of the ladies to help me grow my faith, then an open house in the afternoon then getting ready for work after that and trying to catch up on some more stuff.  I think I need to get an assistant just to help me get through my emails.   I may even need a to-do list to remind me to do my list.

So I am still sorting out the different survey sites but a lot I have already stopped a few because they only wanted to pay you for buying other sites items.  If I had the extra money then I wouldn't be trying to take surveys to make more so I didn't need them anymore.

Well that is it for tonight I have to get to bed and I still have to make the bed before I can do that sooo off I go to get some sleep.  Have a great day.

Another Day of Tested Patience

So today really worked my nerves and sadly I made a comment this time.  I am not proud of it but 3 people were verbally ganging up on me and it was all I could take.  I didn't yell or anything like that but I did let them know that the way they were talking to me was less than appreciated.  They really didn't talk to me the rest of the day.  Which honestly was fine by me at that point.  I have to work again tomorrow and I am not really looking forward to it.

I did get to talk to a coworker that no longer works in our office and he made me feel better and just reminded me to keep positive and my faith and don't let the rest get to me.  I know that is what I am supposed to do so I am really trying.  I want to have a more positive experience at work so I am trying to keep positivity in my own day.  I will at some point not have to worry about others because I will be so comfortable with myself.

Totally off subject though, the survey money making is hard.  My inbox is overflowing and I can not seem to catch up at all.  I keep staying up so late to work on them I am over sleeping but still not getting enough sleep.  While I do not have a favorite yet, I do have some tips in case anyone out there is thinking about it.

1- Set up a separate email account just for surveys
2- Make sure that you have at least 3  hours a day if you sign up to a lot
3- Be prepared to see a lot of the same thing from different places
4- Don't expect to get rich right away

Another thing I found out about today in case you have not heard of it is Ibotta.  It is like Shop Kicks but they pay you cash.  You can get it from the Play Store for your phone.  I have already earned a couple dollars just by looking at the grocery items they have on there.  It seems pretty easy so if you have a smart phone and shop I say give it a try.

Also I am highly recommending that if you shop at Kmart then you need to make sure you are part of their program.  It earns you money to save on your next purchase.  Yesterday I got a new shirt and between the program and the gift card I had I got the shirt for $0.30.  It is totally worth it.  Plus if you are a member and you do a layaway by the end of next week you get it with out the maintenance fee.  That is a good thing as well.

I am going to end for tonight. Sorry it is all over the place tonight but I am really tired and typing things as I think of them.  Going to get ready for bed and try to get some sleep tonight.  Have a great day.

Eye Opening Days

Well I have been back at work for 4 days now and things are actually different now.  I see things a little different there.  I just don't even get caught in the drama right now, i mostly just shake my head and laugh.  The extra effort put in by some people just to make others miserable is beyond me.  It has been very uplifting for me to be able to withdrawal from the personal drama has been nice.  I am even using it with my husband. 

After not hearing a word from him for our anniversary  I was a little bummed but saw it coming.  Though my daughter text him and she never heard from him that day.  Then yesterday he text me after 6 saying he was picking her up and I told him to talk to her about it because she had already made plans which turned into a fight because he wants his way when he wants it and not a minute later.  Ultimately my daughter told him the same thing and he stopped texting her for the rest of the night.  I do not know why he could not compromise and let her do her activity and then get her but since she didn't want to go when he said he is not taking her now.  Although he complains he never gets to see her but also does not call her during the time he does not see her. It is very frustrating to deal with some time.

Now when he wants to argue though I just stop him by saying I am not fighting about it and he can work with me or I have nothing else to say about it.  That leads to him not talking to me for awhile usually.  I hate that my daughter has to be punished because he wants to pick a fight with me but at the same time I refuse to let him run our lives when he is the one that walked away.  even after that I have been letting get what he wants and trying to fix the marriage but he is the one that wants to keep fighting about everything.

I am not going to say that it is perfect today was a challenge.  There were things that were trying my patience but I made it through.  I just kept telling myself that it was not worth it.  There are far more important things I can worry about rather than the bad moods of other people.  Plus I find that the day goes faster when I am in a good mood.  It makes the customers happier and I get things done a lot easier because it is not such a chore at that point.

Well I need to get some sleep due to the fact I have only been sleeping about 5 hours a night for the last week.  Have a great day.

Today Is One Of Those Days

So today was another good day at work.  With another crazy coworker day and a lot of nonsense work to be done.  I dove in and kept smiling even at the nonsense.  I have actually been in good mood for the fact that today was supposed to be special.  I should be celebrating and remembering a perfect day.  It should have been one of the happiest days of the year.

Unfortunately for our 8 year anniversary me and my husband are now separated.  When we should have been celebrating I have a feeling he was spending time with his new girlfriend whom he ironically met this time last year but didn't tell me about her until she moved here into his house which was like 2 months after he moved back home.  It was a blow for sure.  I mean we had our problems but the whole time we were separated for military reasons we were still talking and texting on a regular basis.  He is soo different now and it has really hurt a lot.  He not only treats me different but also our daughter as well.

She text him today and he never even responded.  He does this quite often and it is really confusing for her.  She and her Dad used to hang out all the time and now he chooses the new girl over her as well.  I think that is what makes it so hard even today.  She will be 13 next month which is such a special age and he won't even text me back to talk about her birthday.  It is a mess.

I am surprised by how calm I have really been today though.  I have been smiling and trying to get things accomplished and move ahead and do what is best for my daughter.  I just hate that I feel like I wasted the last 10 years of my life with this guy.  I was with him for 2 years before we got married and he knew how I felt because of past relationships but he made me forget all that.

He was fun and always made me feel special when we were together.  Eventually he asked and I said yes 8 years later he has a new girl and I have a lot of broken promises.  I really wanted to work things out as sad as that may seem to some.  I am starting to realize that even though I love him I can not just sit and wait to see if he gets bored with her and comes back.

The lack of anger and hurt that I do have today makes me realize that even though this has been hard I can still smile and I will at some point be OK.  I am going to be sad and I will always have some kind of love for him but I think that it is time for me to only look forward and smile at the sun.  I want my daughter to know she comes from a strong person and she can make it too.

First Day After Vacation

So today was my return to work.  It was very interesting to say the least.  The things that normally would have made me sooo mad I just laughed at.  I had this peace over me that just helped me keep my calm all day.  It was a great feeling to not care so much about the little things that didn't effect me at all.  Other people have been letting their emotions run high and questioning my place of employment.  Today I just went about my business and it went by so fast and sooo smooth it was crazy.  I hope I can hold onto this peace each day so every day is this nice.

On another note I felt amazing as well due to the fact everyone was loving my new hair cut.  Customers that barely ever keep a conversation going with me were talking about my hair and how cute it was.  I had to smile.  It was nice to get the compliments and to know that people actually noticed.  I think I smiled more today than any day lately.  It was nice to have these great things happening today.

I have a short day tomorrow so that will be fun too.  I go in for only about 5 hours so I am in and out.  No big deal.  It will be nice to add to my great first day.  I actually look forward to going tomorrow.  Tomorrow I going to be interesting on another note but that will be for tomorrows posting.  I have to have something to share then.  Well off to more survey doing and job searching.  Have a great day.

Super Busy Day

So today was busy.  We woke up late though and missed church so I was not super happy about that but the rest of the day went well.  We went and got lunch at McDonald's and won some instant prizes from the Monopoly  game going on right now.  We picked up the newspaper and got some stabilizer for the gas in the lawnmower and after many attempts it looks much better now.  Not perfect but better.  I also worked on a little laundry.

After the whole lawn thing I came inside and entered 10 codes to the online Monopoly McDonald's game which is the maximum for the day and won two free rentals on Red Box. That was fun winning two free movies so I know I have some entertainment coming in the future.  I also took the time to enter some Coke rewards points.  I am sad because I had over 100 but I didn't log in with points for too long and lost them all so now I only have 15.  I have to make sure to log them when I get them so I don't lose them again.  They have some really neat prizes and free items you can get. 

I am currently into getting all the freebies and stuff I can.  I am trying to take more advantage of these offers and see how it turns out.  I am still working on the survey sites.  I have already unsubscribed to 2 of them because they were going nowhere.   They just kept wanting you to buy stuff or subscribe to other sites not really what I am looking for.  I have a page full of them so far and still looking for which ones are the better to use.

Well even though I got some stuff done.  My vacation is over and I can not stay up late to work more so now I feel like I did not get enough done.  I am going to try to get a few more emails down before I go to bed.  Tomorrow is not going to be fun getting up early again.  Hope every one has a great week.

Useful Information About Target

So today we went to Target to get some dog food and we like to occasionally eat at the cafe.  We first stopped at the cafe and did our eating.  As a side not to this story be careful of getting the salads from the cooler the chef salad my daughter got had lettuce that was not so appealing looking.  We then took our usual stroll through the $1 section.  If you are a teacher you can find some useful items like stamps for papers, chalkboard border, grade books and more.  Then it was off to the dog food.  I myself find there are way too many options to choose from and I am always comparing prices to pounds.  We are currently using IAMS.  We tried the Rachel Ray brand but our dogs would not eat it very well.

Now it was time to head to the check out.  As you might know Target has a few different private label cards.  I personally have the store credit card.  You may also know that when you use your Target credit card you can receive 5% off your purchase.  I am really trying to not use my cards as much as possible due to my finances.  I need to pay stuff off.  So the cashier rings things up and ask how I am paying.  I say debit and he starts into the whole thing about using the Target card to which I inform him I have a card already.  Then he says do you have our debit card, I say no and that I only use the credit card for the discount.  Here is the part I was unaware  of.

The cashier proceeds to tell me that with the debit card you also get the 5% discount.  This is not something I personally was told about before.  All it is, is a debit card linked to your checking account you already have and then you still get the 5% off.  So now you can still shop with out having to extend your credit and get the discount.  It took less than 5 minutes to sign up for the card and you can use it immediately.

Another thing that some people may not know is that by using the card you can get the 5% even at the cafe and the pharmacy.  As another bonus when you use your card to purchase your prescription you can have the rewards program and after 5 purchases you get a day of discounted shopping.  This place is full of ways to save and now you can use the method you would have in the first place to get it.

To make this trip even better my daughter asked that since her salad was not to her liking could she get some popcorn,  which I was fine with so we went over there with my temporary card and ready to save on our popcorn when The guy at the counter says to my daughter " I have not seen you in awhile but if I remember correctly you were sick so are you feeling better."  He was right the last time we had been there she had been having stomach trouble and had to be careful about what she was eating.  I was very impressed that he remembered but not shocked.  He is amazing every time we go there.  The first time I saw him there I was having a bad day and had been crying and he was so nice that I left feeling 10x better.  I admit I am not positive on his name and I need to make sure to let his management team know just how great he is.  I believe his name is Roy and he works at the Target on W Saginaw if you are ever in the neighborhood.

I just wanted to share the new info I learned about their card program and throw in the amazing service that I got today.  It is so rare for people to just be nice to other that I wanted to make sure I let you know about and amazing local person.

Working Hard And Getting Nowhere

So I have been doing the survey thing and it is actually getting very overwhelming.  My inbox is filling up faster than I can do the surveys.  I have over 500 emails now and every time I take one there seems to be about 10 more that show up.  I am still on ones that arrived on Tuesday and here it is Saturday so it takes a lot of patience. 

I still have not found my favorite yet but I have found a few that I am not a big fan of.  It is hard to qualify for the surveys or they are really long and seem to go nowhere.  I started on last night and after like 45 minutes it still kept going and I was only 50% done.  I finally gave up and went to bed since it was 3 AM.  I can say for sure that if you are a person who needs sleep then you may want to think about this before you do it.  Or if you can not sit still for long periods I would not recommend this to you either.

I am going to get back to work now so that I can come up with my favorite list and pass it on to my readers. This is my last real day of vacation so I also want to do some other stuff as well.  Tomorrow we will be getting ready for a new work week and we have Church in the morning so no staying up too late tonight either.

Trying To Get Things Organized

Well we have been home for 2 days now and we are still disorganized.  we are working on cleaning and also getting ready for a yard sale, and going back to our routine next week.  Even though I have all day I feel like there is not enough time to get things done.  I have all my emails to get through, clean the house up, of course the blog, everyday stuff and hang out with my daughter.

My daughter keeps trying to distract the process with games and stuff even though she is supposed to be folding her clothes and putting them away.  She keeps trying to find other things to do other than her chores.  This is not new to me.  This is kind of like her trade mark when it comes to cleaning.  She will use any tactics to try to get out of it.  I love her but she is the queen of unclean. 

She is so special to me.  She is definitely a gift for me.  She makes me so happy and proud of her all the time.  She always amazes me with the things she can do when she puts her mind to it.  She has done so many things in her 12 years with extra curricular activities and overcoming issues at school.  Health problems have not been able to hold her back.  she is amazing.

Well I got off topic there and she is now back to taking a break.  We have so much to do by Sunday night it seems like we will never get it done.  Life can be so crazy some times.  Even with all the hours available in the day sometimes it still seems like there should be more.  Well I am off again to work on more projects.  I am working on getting the post together about the work at home opportunities that I have found.  I want to make sure I have gotten to all of them and see which ones are really working.

* I also have some advertising space if you own a company or have something you want to advertise, feel free to contact me and we can work out the details.

Winding Down

We are back home now that is one of the reasons I did not post yesterday,  we were traveling home and getting reorganized.  We always seem to come back from my parents with twice as much as we went there with.   We had a good time though and it was nice to relax.  It is still weird being on vacation.  I feel like it should be the weekend already but it is not even Friday.  We still have three more days before we go back to a real schedule.

Although our schedules are anything but normal.  I work part time so my hours change all the time and I have a child so I am doing different things all the time with her or for her so it can be different each week.  It is a situation that has two sides really.  I enjoy having more time and freedom being part time but being full time I could have a set schedule and guaranteed what my pay check would be each pay day.

Pay day is always more like mystery day.  I never know what my pay will be since it is different every time.  This can be hard considering I have also had to adjust to one income.  I am currently working on ways to make some extra money.  There are a lot of different ways to do it but the hard part is making it work for you.  You really have to be patient with some of the opportunities or you will get too frustrated to make the money.  I am going to make that a future post for others who need to earn extra.

 

New Look

So today I got a new hair cut.  Nice and short for this hot weather.  My Dad paid for it at the local hair salon up here.  It is different than I thought it would be but it is still nice.  It is different from what I normally get done.  I think next time I might go shorter in the back.  It is different from what I have had in awhile. If you are Up North in MI you can visit the salon.  It is called Teasers and is downtown.

Now we are just sitting doing nothing and relaxing.  This is our final night up here so we are just enjoying the quiet and taking in the freshness of the north.  It is so peaceful up here.  It is so laid back and easy going.  The only thing that is not good is today is sooo hot that you can not be outside very long.  That is hard when it is so nice up here.

Tomorrow we will make the 2 hour drive back to our regular routine.  It will be happy and sad at the same time.  We will miss my parents and the easy days, but we will be going home to our dogs and friends and all our stuff in general. 

That is really the hard part of going any where for vacation.  It is nice but then you start missing your own stuff and other things you are used to at home.  Unfortunately when you get home you start wishing you were on vacation again.  It is a viscous no win situation.

Vacation Is Going On

So I am officially on my vacation.  I get this week off.  I am spending most of it with my family then me and my daughter will be going back home to do house work and get ready for a yard sale the following week.  We are working on getting our home more organized and efficient.

We are currently in Up North, MI.  It is sooo peaceful here.  It is nice to just do nothing and be where life is still so simple. No worries or busyness to get in the way.  Just simple living at it's finest.  I have been enjoying up here since Friday when I got out of work.  It has been so good to get away.

My daughter enjoys being up here because she gets to spend time with her Grandparents and I like that she gets outside and just does kid stuff.  There is no crazy world influence pushing her to be too grown up or to get her in trouble.  I enjoy seeing her just be a kid.

The world is so busy today that some times even children get caught up in it.  They are moved around from this to that and school for part of the year.  Then they have friends pulling them on either side.  It is good for them to just have time to relax and experience a relaxed day.

I am still up dating the blog and will be for a while so please let me know anything that would make it better or just leave comments in general.

That Funny Feeling

So I forgot to bring my meds with me on vacation so it has been 3 days with out them. I had planned to phase them out any way but this was a little faster than I had planned. I am having the foggy feeling from the withdrawal. It is not as bad as I thought it would be but it is still uncomfortable. I figure that by the time I got back home it should be over with. I am still working on the site so It is a work in progress. It is not completely the way I want it yet but it is getting there. I hope that as it grows you will enjoy visiting and the benefits it offers. Please feel free to offer advice or ask any questions as I continue this new journey.

Starting over

I have decided to start this blog from scratch. I too am starting over in many things so it is actually fitting in a way. The old blog had too many errors and such. Plus I want to take this in a different direction a little bit. I am hoping it will be more helpful in many ways and draw more participation than before.