Monday was so hot in Iowa it’s unreal. I feel like I’m living down south but without the benefit of the beaches. You won’t catch me complaining to much though after the arctic winter we just had thats for dang sure.

Two weeks ago the girls and I were finally able to go to the pool for the first time this summer season.

Here is Sarah modeling her bathing suit and having a good time poolside.

Sighs….that would have been so refreshing today. The girls and I want to go so badly but with Liz’s shingles we can’t go. I just don’t feel right leaving her home alone. Though if this tropic weather keeps up she might just have to suffer alone.

Right now the weather is still so hot and humid. A person can’t sleep in this kinda heat. Although
I do have an air conditioner, it’s having problems keeping up with the heat.

So my weather report for right now is………
Temp : 75.0 °
Conditions : Fair
Humidity : 90 %
Wind : Calm
Dewpoint : 72.0 °
Barometer : 29.85 in.

Wait, didn’t I say that I wouldn’t complain? Oops my bad. LOL

Tomorrow I have physical therapy for my back and leg. I’m really hoping that it won’t through my body in an uproar again. Took me 3 days just start feeling my normal pain, instead of the elevated pain I had been feeling.

Well, I’m off to try and get some sleep. I drank to much caffeine once again and of course can’t sleep because of it. One of these days you would swear I would learn. LOL

June 23rd, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

It’s hard to believe the weekend is already over. I know I say this every weekend but it’s the truth. The older I get the faster time seems to be going for me. Bah humbug!

We didn’t do much this weekend at all. Thursday I had physical therapy and I’ve been paying the price ever since. I’m getting a new treatment that I will blog about at a later date as it’s a blog in it’s self.

Thursday night Liz comes to me and asks me to look at her back. She thought she felt something there. The second I saw it I knew it was shingles. I asked her if she needed some cream on it and she said no.
So bright and early the next morning I called the doc and got her an appt. He confirmed that yes indeed it is shingles. She’s only 17 and from what I understand this lasts for several weeks. She’s not happy about it all. She’s experiencing some nerve pain in her back from them and nothing I have on hand is working for her. Thank goodness the cream is helping with the itching.
I did snap a pic of it. The pic isn’t the clearest but you can still see.

It’s basically a bunch of blisters clustered together. She has them on her back, her side, a few on her tummy and a very small cluster on one arm. She’s on medication from the doc but I’m not sure what it does for her per say. I have to call him in the morning and have him prescribe something for the pain.
As someone who suffers from nerve pain on daily basis I know how much pain she is in.

I hope all the Fathers out there had a fantastic Father’s day.

June 22nd, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

This pic makes me giggle. Is this the new Fast Food?

Not a whole lot going on here. The kids are out of school and of course driving me insane. LOL! Normally I have workbooks for them to work out of so they don’t forget what they’ve learned over the summer. Sadly I’ve not been able to find any and I guess to lazy to make my own up.
I’ve been kinda down lately. No reason in particular, I guess it’s just hormones.

Liz started babysitting a boy with Autism at our house today. It went really well. His name is Kaleb and he is the funniest kid you will ever come across. He had me rolling. I swear he’s gonna grow up to be a comedian!
He even got Sophie to play super heroes with him. Too funny!

We don’t have anything going on this weekend due to lack funds. I wanted to get a pool pass so bad this year but once again it’s not happened. They are expressive but well worth it if you go alot. I think for myself and my girls to have a pool pass it would have been about $130.
We only got to go swimming about twice last year. Hopefully we will get to go a few more times then that this year.
Truth be told the weather has been pretty crappy here anyway.

I do get childsupport next week so we are planning a swim day then. Should be loads of fun.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

June 13th, 2009 by Jamie
2 Lions/Lambs

There was a small carnival in the mall parking lot last weekend. I figured it would be something fun for the girls and I to do.

So I loaded the diaper bag, stroller and of course the children in the trusty ole van-mobile and away we went.

The girls were so excited, it’s not often we get to do things like this, so when we do they really appreciate it.

When we arrived there were not to many people there. It was pretty dead in fact. Good part were there were no lines for anything!

There was no admission, which I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be. The tickets for the rides were pretty steep. $1 per ticket and each ride cost 3 tickets. Good thing there were not very many rides.

I did explain to the girls that they wouldn’t be able be able to go on anything more then once, but they would be able to ride each ride one time then we would go to Burger King and grab some dinner.

They were just thankful to be there at all and didn’t complain about not getting to ride more then once.

We started off with the Carousel which was so slow I was afraid they would be lulled into an afternoon nap.

After that came the fun rides. One carney talked me into letting the girls play a game. He told that he would give both Emma and Sophie a prize even if they didn’t win and he would throw one in for Sarah too. So I dished out the two bucks so they could play. It was just throwing a dart at a balloon. The first time Emma missed and the guy taught her the secret to how to hit one and gave her a second chance for free.

Then it was Sophie’s turn and she popped a balloon first try. The guy just looked at her in shock, gave her a hi five and told her how impressed he was she got one.

Then gave them each a small stuffed Whale. Sarah loved hers and held on to it the entire time we were there.

The girls 2nd favorite ride was the slide, (can you call it a ride) well anyway…As you can see from the pics they had a blast!

Up, Up, Up we go!

Coming in for a landing!

End of the road

Emma was going down that thing so fast her butt actually went up in the air and she landed. She was laughing so hard I thought she was gonna pee her pants.

After we were done with all the rides we got back in the trusty ole van-mobile and went to Burger King for cheeseburgers and some fun in the playland.

We got lucky there as there was not any other kids there, they must of all been at the carnival which had picked up by the time we left.

Sarah got to play to her hearts content. Here is a pic of her coming down the slide like a big girl. Gotta love that smile!

After we left Burger King we went to PetSmart and bought a new goldfish to replace the one that had died a few months prior.

So were now a proud owner of The Golden One.

We got home about 7 that night and came in and just chilled in front of the tv. All in in all a nice outing with no fighting.

I do so love doing things with the girls!

For those of you wanting to comment. You will see the date underneath this sentance and under that you will see no lions/no lambs. click on that and you will be able to comment.

June 6th, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

You Are Low Maintenance

Compared to most people, you are incredibly easy going. To be honest, you are truly a breath of fresh air. You are open minded about trying new things, and you’re not upset when things don’t work out. You are willing to go along to get along. And your attitude helps you truly enjoy life!

June 1st, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

May 27th brought to us the last day of school, and Sophie’s kindergarten Graduation.

The parents were invited to have lunch with their children before the ceremony.

It was so neat being able to eat lunch with Sophie. She was super excited. As we went through the lunch line, we had a choice of pepperoni, sausage, or cheese pizza. They served corn, fruit cocktail or peaches (your choice), and pb&J and butter sandwich (again our choice).

We sat next to Sophie’s very best friend Rachel. Both girls had absolutely huge smiles on their faces the entire time we were eating.

After we were done eating we all lined up and were told we were going to recess. Oh goodie! LOL! Because it was raining they held recess in the gym. My goodness was it ever loud in there.

Heres a pic of Sophie with her two friends Jordan and Rachel during recess.

After recess was over we again lined up and walked to the class room. Where the parents waited out in the hallway while the kids changed into their shirts they had made.

Here is a pic of it front and back.

Once they were all changed and their room was set up. The parents were allowed to come into the room for the ceremony.

It was so cute. Each child had a line in a poem, then they showed pics they had drawn of what they wanted to be when they grew up.

After that they moved their “tassels” over to the other side and it was over.

The teacher provided refreshments and we all got to mingle with the other students and parents then leave at our leisure.

So here is my little Graduate! Class of 2021!

None of my other children had a ceremony like this so it was so neat to watch.

May 30th, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

About a month ago the girls and I stopped at GoodWill on a whim. They had never been in one before and it had been years since I had.

You never know what kind of treasures that can be buried within that store.

So while walking through I see a bunch of wooden items just sorta thrown on a shelf. Things were on top of each other and it was a big mess.

I thought hmmm….I wonder what is in that pile of stuff. When what do my wondering eyes should I see but a small wooden rocking horse just Sarahs size. I just kinda eyed it and thought no, it’s gonna be to much and walked away without looking at the price. We finished walking through the store and my gut said go back and just see how much it will be.

The girls walked, and I hobbled ( my bad leg was killing me by this time) back to the horse and I had Liz pick it up and check the price. So I said well, what is the price, gearing for something huge. Liz tells me it was only $6. I was like WHAT? No way! Let me see. Well…guess what? It WAS only $6. I said quick put it in the cart before someone else takes. (We were the only ones in that section)

Here is a little video I took of Sarah enjoying herself.

As you can see she loves it!!!!! She makes time out of her busy schedule to ride it every day. I just know she is saying yeeeeeeeeeeeee-haw in baby langue. LOL.

We also got another wonderful deal. We saw a stack of games and there was one we had never heard of called 1313 Dead End Drive. I was weary of buying games as you don’t know if all the pieces were gonna be there. So I had Emma check the price out and it was only a buck! I said well if it turns out that all the pieces are gone then we are only out a buck. So we bought. Folks, let me tell you this game is in like new condition and ALL the pieces are there.

What a treasure trove we found that day.

I hope everyone’s Saturday goes famously.

Huggles,

Siggy by Me

May 30th, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

Liz and I had been hearing a lot about something called eyebrow threading. It was supposed to be less painful, easier on the skin then waxing.

We had noticed about a month ago that they had a little station set up in the mall and thought hey lets go try it out.

For those of you who don’t know what eyebrow threading is…it’s a technique from India. Here is a clip from youtube that shows how its’ done.

Let me tell you they lie. It hurts like hell!

So I get to the mall and tell her I would like my brows done. She has me sit in this chair then scoot all the way down and rest my head on the back of it.

As she started to do her thing I felt my eye tearing up as the pain started. Then she tells me to hold my my skin right above the eyebrow and the corner of my eye. I started sweating bullets by this time. Thinking should I start my Lamaze breathing?

She says to me, this is your first time isn’t it? I swallowed and demurely nodded and said yes. She said it only hurts the first time. I did a half smile knowing the pain I was in.

As I look up to see the results in the mirror there are about 4 people standing there watching me be tortured.

I think that this is the way for the people of India to get back at us for lord knows what. Because it is not painless. I DID get red! I will say this about it though. I wasn’t as red like when I get waxed. I also have a beautiful arch that they have never been able to achieve with waxing.

Will I go back? Yes, I will try one more time. It’s only $10 bucks and I do like the look even if the pain sucks.

Liz got hers done about 30 minutes after I got mine done and her reaction was the same as mine about it all. So it wasn’t just me being a big ole baby. LOL!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!

Huggles,

May 28th, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

The past few days here have been full of firsts. On Friday I was talking to my Mom on the phone, and Sarah had gotten way to quiet and had gone to the other side of the couch. So I peek over to see what she was doing and she had removed her diaper. Not normally a big deal in it’s self but it was full of poop. As if that wasn’t bad enough she was putting her finger in it and painting her lips with the poo. I don’t think she put any in her mouth and thats the thought i’m gonna go with. LOL

Later that night Emma went to her very first school dance. She was so excited. She said most didn’t have any dates (she’s in the 4th grade) so they were all gonna go as a group. LOL!

She’s growing up so fast. Already 11 and going into 5th grade. Where has the time gone?

While Emma was having a good time at the dance Sarah fell off the couch and hit the back of her head on the rocking chair. She got a huge goose egg right away and it was cut. So I had to get a hold of Liz as she had my van and have her come home so I could take Sarah to the ER. I was fairly sure she was ok but I chose to errr on the side of caution. She doesn’t have a big enough vocab yet to be able to tell me if she’s feeling funky.

Of course she was just fine, but they agreed it was best I had brought her in as you just never know. She didn’t need stitches but she was close to needing them.

It’s Memorial weekend and we didn’t have any plans. We did run to Walmart and get Sarah some new sandles as she outgrew her olds ones over night it seems. Then Brian took us out to Mc’Ottos.

Sarah got her very first taste of lemon and it was too funny. I almost always have my camera on me so I was able to capture her first taste.

It was too funny! She was done with it after that. I don’t think she will be trying another lemon anytime soon. LOL!

We’ve not done much today. Brian went in and got two new tires for my van as one kept going flat all the time. Then he came home and BBQ’d hamburgers and hotdogs. He even bought the most delicious potato salad too. So I didn’t have to do anything but put the beans on the stove. After dinner we all had watermelon for dessert. Boy did it taste good.

Right now he’s over at his parents helping his Dad do some drywall. Hopefully he won’t be over there all night and we can watch a movie together. Something we’ve not done in a very long time.

Well I guess thats about it from here. I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.

Huggles,

siggy by me

If you would like to comment you will see you can click right underneath this to comment. Looking forward to hearing from you

May 24th, 2009 by Jamie
No Lions/Lambs

It’s 10 in the morning on Mothers Day and my day is already going south.

I debated on writing this blog but dang it, it’s my blog and I should be able to express all my feelings. I’m also tired of pretending things are perfect in my marriage.

Brian went to bed last night just a bit before 9 and didn’t get up until 9:30 this morning. Only after Sophie woke him up while talking to Sarah and I.

I was able to sleep in until about 9:15 this morning, only because Sarah slept in.

So I get up and I hear Sophie telling Brian he needs to make me breakfast. He comes up to me and says what do you want for fuckin breakfast. I reply nothing. He said you better tell me what you what or I’ll rub a dirty diaper in your fucking face.

I again reply nothing and he walks away. I was hoping that was the end of it. He did go in the kitchen and he made some eggs for both myself and him. The girls were starving and hadn’t eaten yet so I asked him if he made them anything. He said no he was fucking hungry they could wait until he was done eating. Sighs…..I said Brian children come before adults and his reply was not in my fucking world.

I took the food that he made for me and divided it up between the 3 girls so they could eat. Sighs….. Liz was supposed to make me breakfast anyway. She even posted on facebook she would. However shes upstairs sleeping. I guess I’m making my own today. (Whats new)

Anyway…by this time Brian is cussing up a storm and just randomly yelling at me about various things. I asked him to keep it down because Liz has a friend over. He said he didn’t give a fuck it was his fucking house.

Then he said oh by the way Happy Fucking Mothers Day. By this time Sophie was pretty upset as she could see I was fighting back tears. She asked him to stop being so mean to me.

Today’s episode from Brian is pretty much almost an every day thing with him. Has been for years. Oh well, it could be worse. At least I have a roof over my head.:)

On the upside I did get a beautiful card that Sophie made for me and a recipe holder. She painted it red and pink. She told me those were my favorite colors. *giggles* Emma made me a nice bracelet that says Lov, she didn’t have any “e’s” so she left it off. *giggles* I love my girls!!!!!

Later today I’m gonna take my Mom’s card and gift card I got her over. I bought a card for Brian’s Mom too and not sure what Brian is gonna do for a present. I’m guessing flowers.

I hope everyone else has a super fantastic day!

Huggles,

May 10th, 2009 by Jamie
2 Lions/Lambs