I am IRATE!

So my daughter's teacher informed me that I needed to purchase a milk card for her for snacks and that if I send $5 it buys the card and gets her 20 milks.

 No problem.

A has a binder that goes home with her every night and there are instructions on how to send money for anything.  There is a small manilla envelope labeled "money" and you are to put the money inside a different envelope, write what it's for and then put that inside the manilla envelope and close the flap so that the teacher knew there was money in it.  I did this exactly.  I even looked over the directions several times to make sure I did it correctly.

Yesterday I get a new note saying that Aurora still needs to buy a milk card.  This confused me so I decided to speak with her teacher today after school.  I informed her that I had sent money and she just kept telling me she didn't get it.  There was no apologeticness to her voice and she kind of blew me off like I was either lying or A took the money.  Well, I know I was not lying and A doesn't even understand the concept of money, nor would she have anywhere to spend it unless I took her somewhere, so she would have no reason to take the money.

So, after feeling a bit shamed by the teacher, I decided that I would not let it go so easily.  I know that is only $5, but it is the principle!  I went to the office to let the secretary know what happened.  She seemed apologetic and said she'd talk to the lunch lady to see if a miscellaneous envelope with money was turned in, but her final answer was the same as the teachers- I needed to send in another $5.

Well, I emailed the principal to lodge my complaint.  I understand it's not much money, but it frustrates me that the first time I send money, it disappears.  I specifically followed the teacher's instructions to the letter.

And before you think I am just being hormonal or I forgot to take my medicine today... neither of those is the issue.  I don't even feel angry, I just think this is some grade A bull hockey.  And I want them to know it too.  Oh, I will take the $5 in tomorrow and hand it directly to the lunch lady, but believe you me, I am NOT happy about it.

I can smell the end!

My final day of class/work this semester is May 13!  I'm so excited I can barely contain myself.  And of course I have spring fever and don't want to be there.  I was planning on getting a job over the summer, but I can't do it.  I need a break.  I plan to make money here and there while I can (I might tutor people on how to use ebay or something) but I just am so ready to relax.  I am looking forward to spending a lot of time outside, hanging with friends, rollerskating, bike riding, walks... ah, yes, heaven!

So, once again I have to apologize on my lack of original posts, but coming after May 13, you're gonna get sick of me!

Countdown to Easter begins...

I love holidays. First because my kids think they are magical and special. Second because someone else fixes a gourmet meal and I get to eat it for free. (You know how much I love free stuff!)

Well anyway, with Easter comes a sense of peace for me. Not because of Jesus, although that's a nice idea. No, it means I can de-stress a little. The next couple weeks are going to be maddening. Tuesday I leave for work/school at 8. At 1:45 after class, I leave early to drive back home, which is roughly an hour away. I get about 30 minutes in between and then I have to drive an hour the OTHER direction because I'm taking a sub authorization class so I can substitute teach. It meets 5 times and each class is FOUR HOURS. I have to do this on Tuesday and Thursday the next 2 weeks. Plus, I have papers due, projects due, assignments due, reading to do in the meantime.

I enjoy being busy, but I don't like stress, and this could be kinda stressful. So, I'm looking forward to Easter and knowing the hard part is over, it's almost summer break (which I intend to get a job and take 2 classes) and then it's Christmas! Okay, that is kinda far away, but I love Christmas.

I'm tired, I'm not making sense and I had some awesome mac and cheese for dinner!

How many shopping days until next Christmas?

I am an early shopper. Since my kids both have birthdays around Christmas, I know that if I wait until December to buy presents for them and everyone else, I won't be able to pay my electric bill until February. So, I love shopping early. And I've also been buying school books lately. When doing either of these I like to compare shopping prices because I don't like paying full price for anything. (I think I inherited this gene from my mother.) She can spot shopping deals a mile away. I will find a book that I want for $1, but keep looking at all these different sites because maybe, just maybe, I will find them for a penny.

Anyway, I have a couple favorite places that I like to look for things, like LTD Commodities, Ebay, Amazon, Half.com, Abe Books, Buy.com and Bestwebbuys.com. And then of course, I'll check walmart.com to compare, but I just learned the other day that walmart.com and the WalMart stores are not actually as linked as one would think and you will often find a discrepancy between prices in the store and on the website. For instance, you could find a dishwasher on their website for cheaper than in the store, get free site to store shipping and voila! You just saved some money. You'd be surprised how many appliances you can actually buy from WalMart.

Anyway, these are just some things to think about now that you have a few shopping days until next Christmas, lol. I think I probably buy the majority of gifts through the summer months, but my motto is that if you shop all year round, you don't have to worry about running out of money come holiday time!

Do you guys have any money saving tips when it comes to holiday shopping or good websites to find great deals?






This is a paid post, but content is original.

Decking the Halls!

I can't believe I didn't post anything all week... oh, wait, I can believe it. I ended up having to be at school ALL DAY... until I got home until like 10pm... Monday through Thursday... it was exhausting. Then, yesterday the kids had daycare and I had to run a lot of birthday related errands and then had to finish up my final draft for a 15 page paper that I want to hand in Monday. This coming Wednesday is my last day for the semester and I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED. I'd be more excited if my last two papers were finished, but that will come.

So, today is my daughter's 4th birthday party. I have a feeling it's gonna be very underattended, but that's okay. It's the first time we've had a separate one for friends. Her real birthday is Monday and that is just for family. Four years ago today, I was in the hospital being induced. Yep, I was induced at around 9am on Dec. 5 and didn't pop that sucker out until 12:08am Dec. 7. It was quite ridiculous! I can't believe that 4 years ago today I did not have any kids and life was pretty dull. I believe at that time I was taking classes online for a criminal justice degree while I bided my time trying to decide what I wanted to do. At that time, I think I wanted to be a stay at home mom... boy how things have changed!! Now, that's the LAST thing I want! (Not knocking people that do it, just not my cup of tea.)

Well, I'm off to keep getting things ready, but just thought I'd touch base with what's going on here... I'm also really excited for Christmas! Have a nice day!

I'm Honing My Skills

So I had this interesting conversation with a fellow grad student the other day. I'm going to say this is all hypothetical in case any of my professors read this (which I'm sure they won't) so it could all be a lie. (But it's not.)

Since grad school has started and towards the end of undergrad, I had perfected the art of bullshitting. I like to call it "rhetoric." (This is to annoy my classmates who may be reading this.) My memory is about as long as that of a goldfish. I believe I've posted about this before. So, if I sit down to read an assigned text, not only will I not remember what I read five minutes later or which text said what, but I am so bored I want to stab out my left eye with a stick. And there's something about me that abhors boredom. So, I have since adopted the philosophy that my goal will be to get the same grade as my friends who read 24/7, but I will not actually read. So far it has worked perfectly! One of the major differences I've found in grad school is that professors appreciate the value of discussion over most everything else. By discussion, they figure out if you understand what you're learning/reading. And you can bet I'm always one of the first to raise my hand and I'm a huge participant in all discussions... but I don't read the assignments. I like to think I just learn quickly and know a little about a lot.

Now I'm starting to sound cocky, so I'll move on. I've also made several friends. I love it! And we've started a weekly Wednesday night gathering where every Wednesday we go out after class and hang until the wee hours. This works great for me because I get to sleep in on Thursday mornings. Plus, by the time I would have returned home from class, the kids would be asleep anyway.

Last night was the first week of said shindiggery and it was a blast. Fortunately, what happens in Macomb stays in Macomb, but I will say that I had the pleasure of my first field sobriety test and I passed! Hooray! Being arrested is on my bucket list, but I'm saving that until I can pass it off as being a "crazy old lady." Speaking of bucket lists, sometime before I die I want to save a pig that is on the way to be slaughtered.

Okay, time to pay some bills and do some reviews!

Anyone Have the Time?

With so many analogies about time, you'd think I would have experienced such an issue with it before. There is just not enough time in the day! Especially when you're someone like me who enjoys a good night's sleep (not that I've had one in awhile, just saying.)

Let me tell you a little bit about a typical week for me. I'm not whining or complaining or expecting pity, just saying! Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I leave for school at 10:30am. I get home from work/school at around 9pm. The only break I get during this time is about an hour and a half between work and class. Sunday I work and am gone for 5 hours. Throughout the rest of the week, I have stuff I sell on ebay, I have to write reviews of the stuff being sent to me, read for school, do homework, respond to emails and promote my blog/socialize on Twitter to keep the followers coming.

Then, add to this the fact that I have a 19 month old and a three year old. I get up with them every morning and take them to daycare the three days I have class. I also have everything that's associated with children/household management. There's laundry, cooking, cleaning, picking up toys, playing with the kids, doctor appointments, grocery buying, dishes and so on and so on.

I thrive on being busy, but sometimes I feel like I have to pick and choose what I have time to do. Plus, I want to be able to socialize from time to time as well, but it is a rarity. I want to make sure to give plenty of time to my family, but in order to do so, I find myself going to bed later and later every night or waking up at 4am and not being able to go to sleep because I have so much stuff I feel I could be doing instead.

Okay, so maybe this sounds like a complaint, but I guess I'm just venting. I know it was my choice to go back to school and I feel it is an absolute must if I ever want to make decent money. It's just unfortunate that no one cares about how much "stress" I'm under but me... if only I had a maid, babysitter and chef living in my home, it might be a little easier.

Thanks for listening to me rant!

Friday Randomness

My mind is a jubblyjoo of things I want to say, but are brief, so I'm throwing them in one blog as a stew. Enjoy and hopefully your brain doesn't explode.

1) So, the UPS guy has come TWO DAYS IN A ROW. I am super stoked about this and think that means good things. Because life is sad when UPS doesn't come around for weeks.

2) I need to thank Annette at Fairy Blog Mother Blog for giving me a "Let's Be Friends" award. How sweet! Apparently (according to my husband) no one wants to be my friend, so it's always nice to prove him wrong, lol. Much love to her!

3) Twitter: I love twitter. If you're not on twitter, you're a dinosaur. And people who give "tips on how to succeed at twitter" annoy me. Guy Kawasaki annoys me. Ashton Kutcher (on twitter) annoys me. Just enjoy it and people will come.

4) Online friends: I'm one of those "friends when I feel like it" kinda people- I know, sad, but true. I do have a handful of friends in real life, but only for the occasional instances when I feel like going out. I've got a few friends that I used to be friends with IRL, and am now reconnecting with online and enjoy that bond. Then there's new online friends who I enjoy. So, it's like they're there when I want cause I only talk to them on the computer, lol. Okay, maybe not the best friend ideals, but I want to give them a shout out! (Nellie, Crystal, Misty, more to follow.)

5) I AM DONE WITH MY UNDERGRAD!!! Thursday I took my final test and I am DONE! I don't officially graduate until May (who knows when they'll mail my diploma), but I have nothing left to do in order to graduate but twiddle my thumbs! I'm so excited, because off and on, I've been in college (3 different ones) for NINE stinkin' years! I've never taken more than a semester off and never taken less than 6 hours when I was enrolled. Hallelujah and way to go, me!

6) I have come to the realization that my favorite food is mashed potatoes and gravy. I should have known this awhile ago, but only have since realized it as the truth. I used to say my dad's chili or tacos. Sorry to my dad's chilis and tacos, but you have been bounced from the number one spot!

7) Am I forgetting anything? I don't think so. I have more giveaways coming up, like dvds and what not. Some of the Twilight sponsors would like another go of it and I'm more than happy to oblige! I'm hoping to be inspired by some more original content soon. I have one brewing in my mind, but have to think about how to approach it so as not to draw mass hate mail.

Hope you are enjoying your spring! (Not that it will affect me in any way.) Keep the comments coming and don't forget to check out my sponsors listed to the left because that makes them like me.