Long Time No Type!

So lets see, the last time I updated was over a month ago! Can't believe it's been that long! So many changes, lots of stuff going on.

First off, I'm now officially down 60 lbs! And wearing a size 22 pants comfortably without having to contort myself to fasten them or anything. Can't remember when I've felt this good wearing this size! I'm almost ready to go bra shopping again as this one is made as small as it can be and I still have wiggle room. Still doing the same things I've been doing, cutting back on sweets and portion sizes and cutting out almost totally on the pop. Haven't really been drinking my coffee either for a while.
I'm walking the dog every day, and sometimes also go for a walk with one of the kids or by myself. Drinking lots and lots of water, 4-8 20oz bottles a day, depending on the heat and whatever else I drink.
I'm looking forward to clothes shopping!

As far as the kids, they are fine. Same old same old. Gabe is finally sleeping more, and only rarely comes in by me.
Our living situation has changed some, and we are in the process of moving in with my inlaws. That meant that we needed to rehome Scooby, as 3 dogs is really more like 2 dogs too many.
Monday I'm going to go get our storage unit, and this week will be spent putting things in storage. It's going to be challenging at times I'm sure, but we can make it work.


I'm going to make an effort to post at least once a week, which shouldn't be a problem since our school year will be starting soon. It'll be good to keep track of all the fun we have and the projects we do.

Took A Little Hiatus...

Needed some time to figure things out and get my mind straightened out. It's been a long month. Been busy with the kids and life in general.
Our houseguests have finally moved on. They were with us for 6 months, and have now moved on to stay with some other friends in Chicago. I miss Adrian terribly. He was my little shadow, always following behind me when they were here. They've been gone nearly a week. I'm not sure if they're coming back before she has the baby or not. I can't wait to see him again.
Dad's younger brother died the 13th, he was 51. We were told it was a heart attack, but I can't help thinking that the stroke he had this past year didn't maybe have something to do with it. Got to meet his daughter at his memorial service. She seemed nice, we talked for a little while, and I showed her a picture that mom had found when she was going through her photo album. It had Russ and his wife (her mom), Rick and his wife, Dad and Mom, and Peggy and her husband. It was a nice service, with about 50 or so people.
The kids are doing good. We've been taking it easy with some of the school work, and doing a lot of outdoor things. The have gotten to go to the parks, and be in the yard and see things growing and blooming. They got to help paint bedframes, and we'll be doing the boys' walls soon. It's been staying fairly warm during the day, with highs in the 60's and 70's. But night time it still gets down in the 30's and 40's. We've had a little rain, and even a couple thunderstorms. Nothing too bad though. And we're supposed to get more rain this weekend.

Guess I'll update more later. Just so busy right now, what with Spring being in full swing right now and all.

Changes..And Good Ones!

The wheels of change are working in our favor right now! I can't go into details, but suffice to say that things are getting better. Financially, things are getting caught up, vehicle-wise things are getting straightened around, and there may also be a move in our future.
I know, we already moved, and yes we're happy where we are. But IF we move, it will be a better environment neighbor-wise for the kids. And we'll be closer to Grandma. It's not a definite thing yet, but it is "in the works" so to speak.

Saturday will be busy, as I have 2 trips to Milwaukee and back to get Dad and Colleen. And again sometime between the 24-27th so he and Colleen can come back down and meet my sister's kids for the first time ever.
School is going well, kids are doing well. Mike and I are doing well. Hope to post more about our experiences and what will hopefully be happening at our place soon!

Busy Busy Busy

Been busy packing things into boxes and taking them little by little across town. Mostly 4-5 boxes at a time, and unpacking what I can, and stacking what I can't. We moved the dressers, leaving just enough clothes here for the kids to wear till we are fully moved. My brother in law is putting a new back door and screen door on, and should be done with that this weekend.
The kids' new beds will be delivered this next week sometime, and as soon as that happens, I plan to move the rest of what we have left here over there. I already put in the change of address forms, just waiting for them to change it now lol.
Met the new neighbor, she has a kid who is 7 and another who is 13 I think she said. Whenever we come over with more boxes, her son comes over and asks to play with Gabe. It seems like the more I pack and bring over, the more crap there is to pack.

In other news, we have a new puppy. His name (chosen by Gabe) is Scooby. His birthday is May 17, and he is a beautiful fawn color. He's mostly potty trained, and we are crate training right now. He's also learning to walk on his leash, come when he's called and not chew my shoes.

Not too much else going on, just packing, packing and more packing.

We're Moving!!!!

The best call in the world came today, just when I'd resigned myself to staying here another year or two. My sister called, and we were offered a chance to rent the house we were in before, without the drama from before. And, for less money than before!!!! We are going to meet tomorrow, and we can have the month of August free! Wow, words can't express how thrilled I am right now.

I've been going over in my head the things that I'm going to get rid of, either rummage sale wise or by donating/junking/giving away. And what all I need to pack, how long it will take to move, and all that jazz. Last time, we moved EVERYTHING in a matter of 3 days! The whole house, in 3 days. Not happening this time. I've already got 1o boxes packed and stacked in my closet and room, and another 8 packed and stacked on shelves in the kitchen. Not to mention the stuff I've had packed away upstairs that was never unpacked in the first place. This should be fairly painless and easy.

I'll give our 30 day notice on the 1st, and fix whatever little things I need to fix here through the month. We need to replace a couple blinds, and patch a bit of plaster where it's cracked. And of course give the house a final cleaning once we have stuff outta the house and outta the way.

We decided to get the kids new beds from the rent a center place here, and I'll go on the first to arrange that, they're called captain's beds with a trundle underneath them. And once they're paid down, we're going to get the kids new dressers too. I'm so full of energy right now, I just can't sit still. The other place isn't carpeted so I'll have to look for some area rugs and maybe a nice large rug for the living room. So many things that I'm thinking of right now.

Another 2 Week Catch-Up Post

Lets see, in the last 2 weeks, Mike went from 3rd back to 1st. He wasn't liking the hours, and wasn't getting enough sleep. Our room is on the first floor, where all the noise and action is all day long, and also doesn't have a door on it. Add to that 3 boys and a girl who all like to start stuff with each other allllllll day long, and fight and scream and run up and down the stairs, and you can easily see why he had such a hard time sleeping.
We've pretty much put moving on hold, as we can't really find anything that suits us well enough to go through the torture of packing, moving and unpacking. We looked at a few places, but a good majority were the "no pets" kind of places, and he's really unwilling to get rid of the dog if it comes down to it.
So for now I'm going to focus on making this place feel more like home to me. In the year we've been here, we've never completely unpacked all the boxes. I have 10 or so in my closet and 4 or 5 more in my room, not to mention the ones in the upstairs bathroom closet and in the kitchen. I want to focus on getting things the way I want them in the house and de-cluttering to the point where I can unload those last billion boxes. I want to focus on getting out credit straight so we can get a house of our own in a few years. I want the stability of not moving for a few years. And most of all, I want a home that my kids are familiar with and comfortable in, especially Gabe. He has such issues with moving, and still cries about the "big old house" on Park that we used to live in. We bought that house and lived there for 5 1/2 years. It was the only house he knew and he still talks about how he wants to go back "Home".

Dad and Colleen are coming down for the 4th, we're going to have a big cookout with Mom and Dave and Dad and Colleen, and Jaime and her kids, and us and Adrian. Brats, hotdogs, hamburgers, pork roast, chicken breasts, macaroni salad and a bunch of other stuff!
We're also gonna do sparklers and maybe a few fountains.
Not much else has been going on here, more of the same old same old. The kids are good, and so are we. Just going with the flow, and trying to make sure that the ends meet in the middle.

Crazy And Chaotic, As Usual!

Another 2 weeks or so between posts, but mostly because I've been busy packing things up and looking for rentals. Plus finishing up the end of our "homeschool" year. Officially public school here ends on June 10. Been cleaning and de-cluttering, getting rid of things we don't use, or haven't used in quite some time.
Today we got rid of a frying pan (visionware) that I've had since we got married(12yrs!) and NEVER used! Not even 1 time! Also got rid of an extra toaster and a bag full of tupperware, plastic bowls, lids that don't match anything, and old plastic plates. I also have 2 big 30-gallon trash bags FULL of outgrown/barely worn/stained/torn clothes to go through and get rid of.
We also cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, swept, mopped, packed things in there, and partially cleaned and washed the fridge. I scrubbed cabinets, wiped walls and baseboards, and went through things bit by bit to see what we can pack (read live without!) and what needs to be left til we move.

This past couple weeks went pretty well. We had Adrian's birthday the 16th, Jane's 24th birthday was the 29th, the twins' was the 30th, Colleen's son Justin's 18th was also the 30th, and Daniel's was the 31st. Went up to Miwaukee the 30th to get Dad and Colleen, and took them back up the same day. Also saw aunt Rae, Pete, Aaron and Pete's son Bubba. They were moving and had to be out by Monday, so Mom and I and the kids went up Monday to help move, and Tuesday to help unpack. Kind of a crazy weekend, but not too bad. Going to call on some houses in Watertown tomorrow, and a few more here as well.

The kids are doing well, and Mike is too. Since he started working 3rd shift as a smokehouse operator, it's been a little chaotic at bedtime, but the kids are adjusting well, and we are making sure that he gets his sleep during the day by doing our quiet chores and things we need to finish for school while he sleeps, and going out for a bit near lunch time to get other things done. Seems to be working well so far, and he usually gets up around 2pm or so.

Been waiting to get my computer fixed, and until I do, I'm tethered to the ethernet cord in order to have internet. Windows 7 OS is nice, but doesn't have the drivers that I need for my wireless. So, my wonderful brother in law is going to re install Vista on it and fix my issues. Until then, I'll probably not be on too much, as chasing kids is WAY more important than updating the blog.

Packing, Soc Sec Stimulus and Birthdays....

Been keeping busy this weekend. Rearranged the front room because we got Grandma's old recliners (she got new ones!), and we needed to make room for them. We've been planning on getting rid of the couches before the move, so this was the perfect opportunity. They're sitting in the garage now, waiting. Took down the bookshelf that has been slowly falling apart. Boxed a lot of books and knick-nacks that we won't be needing before the move.
I've been going thru the kids' clothes and mine to get rid of things that don't fit or are ripped up. If things are decent enough I'll put them in a rummage sale before we move. Otherwise they will be trashed and whatever doesn't sell will go to goodwill.
We're getting rid of a bunch of games that the kids no longer play with, and some movies that we never watch anymore. Little things everyday to get things moving in the right direction before the move so that we're not trying to run around like crazy moving everything in just 1 or 2 days. The last time we moved, we took 3 days, and on the 4th day we cleaned things up at the old place, making sure that we had it locked up and all that. This time I want to be more prepared than that.
Still waiting to hear from the landlord on the new place, I did talk to him Wednesday, and he told me he was looking into some options and that he had another meeting on Friday. So hopefully he calls us on Monday or Tuesday.

On another note, I'm really happy that they are doing this stimulus thing for the people on SSI and Social Security. I know that it's going to help a lot of people, including us. Some people have already gotten theirs, and the rest will be staggered throughout the month of May.

And, we have a bunch of birthdays this month! Adrian will be 2 on the 16th, his mom will be 24 on the 29th, Caleb and Caitlin will be 10 on the 30th, and my nephew Daniel will be 9 on the 31st! That's a LOT of cake! Usually Jaime makes cakes and such for the birthdays, but she's got a lot going on right now, with some personal issues at home. So we'll see about that, maybe we'll just wait till the next weekend after their birthday to do something like we did last year.
Guess that's all for now, need to go chase kids and give baths and all that jazz.

Finally Getting Better!

Well the week didn't kill me. He had his meeting at work with the managers on Tuesday, and was informed on Thursday(a week after being walked out) that he had his job back. Friday we went and looked at a house in Hanover, rent to own, awesome house. It's a 3br 2 ba, ranch style house with an attached 1 car garage. And we go Monday to fill out apps for it. A good friend of ours is willing to co-sign on the loan, and will be living with us in the furnished part of the basement.
Adrian went home to his parents on the 24th, after 12 days of being here. They've decided to get back together, and are working on their problems together. He's doing good and will be 2 in a couple of weeks.
The other kids are doing well, same stuff different day. I'm really hoping that we get this place and can move their this summer. It's a really quiet neighborhood, small town and only 20 minutes outside of the city we live in now.
Hopefully more on that later this week.

TGIF--a Day Late

Yesterday was total chaos. Not that that would be anything out of the ordinary. Spent Thursday in Milwaukee, and took the kids around town, and to the Mitchell Park Domes. Awesome! The kids really like the domes, and we try to make it a few times a year. We've only managed twice since the summer of 2006 when grandma died, because it was really hard for me. We had taken Gabe the morning after she passed, because mom and I needed some time to talk about all that had happened the night before. But thats a whole other post right there.
Anyway, yesterday we did school and our running and bill paying before Mike got home. Then we dropped the kids off at grandma's for our first night out in a year! We went TV shopping, and picked up more stuff for our already spoiled kids, lol. We settled on a 32 inch (the same size we already had) LCD tv, the last one they had (floor model) for $100 off! Great deal!
Also picked up more school stuff, like they need more! Picked up stuff to make our own word wall, and magnetic letters for Gabe. 4th and 5th grade books for James to work out of, and more stuff for next year's schooling.
I'm hoping that when we move, I'll have more space for our school stuff, not just a couple shelves on the bookshelf.
In other news, my desktop weather says it's 48 degrees out!!! Heat wave! Get out and enjoy the day!

Man am I sore!

Just started working out recently with the Total Gym, and am doing 45 minutes at a time now. My body is rebelling and telling me where to go! So far I've only lost 2 lbs, but hey 2 is better than none! Been drinking lots of water, about 2-3 liters a day. Plus of course my coffee, because I'm not human without it.
So far the kids are doing well, we have a lot of things that we are working on right now, and James wants to do some Unit Studies. We are planning a unit on the Solar System, and one about Rome and the gladiators. Caitlin wants to do a unit on different types of cats, and Caleb hasn't decided what he wants to do.
On another note, our basement is leaking, so I spent today washing clothes and rearranging the basement to make sure that our stuff wouldn't get ruined or wet. I moved the shelving units from one end of the basement to the other and got Mount Laundry contained. Then Mike wet vac'd it and I mopped. We got 5 loads of laundry done today, and have 2 more loads in right now, so tomorrow is fold it and put it all away time.
We are looking for a place sometime after spring gets here, but are in a lease until July 31. I hope the next place we find has some counter space! Course a first floor laundry would be awesome too! We've decided to look within an hour of where we live now, which opens up a lot of possibilities. That gives us: Janesville, Milton, Fort Atkinson, Johnson Creek, Whitewater, Watertown, and Jefferson, plus probably a few others that I can't think of right now.
Still trying to figure out how to get traffic to my blog, haven't had much time to do much of anything lately though, but I have a few minutes here and there to post. I'm going to try and post every day, hopefully that will keep me motivated.