Hey guys, be sure and check out the review and the giveaway over at Redneck Review.
Kristin, my very favorite Redneck Diva, participated in the Norton PC Tuneup blog tour, and three lucky readers have the opportunity to win a PC tuneup of their very own. Check it out - and good luck!
Hey, Hey, Hey!
or is it
Ho, Ho, HO!
It's Christmas Giveaway time again over at 5 Minutes for Mom, and all I can say is WOW. You have got to check it out, people.
My fingers are DEFINITELY crossed.
I have GOT to start posting more often, people! Lately I just can't seem think of anything to say beyond:
I'm losing weight.
My kids great.
My kids are insane.
I'm great.
I'm insane.
CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE!
So, in the interest of knocking the cobwebs off my sweet little blob here, I'm doing what the great ones have done: I'm opening this sucker up for questions.
That's right, y'all. Send me your questions. Put 'em in the comments, e-mail me, do whatever you want. And unless it's completely inappropriate, I'll answer it.
Seriously.
Hey, good mornin'. It's 9:26 down here in Texas, and I'm about to write one of the most boring posts I've ever written.
See, one of my not-so-good character traits is that I always feel like I'm not doing enough. Now granted, sometimes it's because I haven't moved all day long, and I'm NOT doing enough. But other days, like today? I've got to give myself a good kick in the pants and say, "SELF, of course you're doing enough! Now keep up the good work!"
Unfortunately, my Bloggy Friends, you get to suffer through my pep talk this morning. Because I need ME to acknowledge that this morning I:
Got out of bed (that's absolutely the hardest part!)
Made Scooter's lunch
Got Scooter ready for school
Took Scooter to school
Went by my parents' house to pick up some nuts (not the human kind - my house is full of those)
Came home
Started a load of laundry
Got Pooh started on her school work
Took a shower
Cleaned out the medicine cabinet
Listened to Tink whine (currently her favorite sport)
Made my Meal Replacement Shake
Took my supplements
Sat down on my butt to drink my shake and write this post
Yeah, that's not so bad for 9:35, is it?
So do you think I could get away with taking the rest of the day off? Nah, better not.
Almost every day, when I greet friends at church or kids' school or volleyball practice, "Hey, how are you?" I hear, "Tired." "Worn out." "Run ragged."
But you know what? I'm not so tired, worn out and run ragged anymore. And it's because a few months ago, Big Daddy and I were introduced to great nutritional products and a company called Advocare.
Being overweight AND living with Crohn's Disease has REALLY robbed me of my get-up-and-go these past few years. And with kids in the equation? Coma city. But these products, y'all? Have changed my life.
Every morning when he gets up, Big Daddy mixes us both a big old cup of Rocket Fuel. It's a combo of Spark, Rehydrate and Arginine Extreme. It's OH, so much better than a cup of coffee. At least for me it is.
Spark gives me enhanced energy and mental focus, WITHOUT JITTERS. The best way I know how to describe it is this: It makes me feel THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO. Although I apparently still end sentences with prepositions. I really must work on that.
Rehydrate makes sure that my body stays hydrated, since I'll admit, I DO NOT drink as much water as I should. When I'm hydrated properly I sleep better at night, and a quick Rehydrate even chases away those rotten headaches I get sometimes.
Arginine Extreme enhances strength and stamina as well as helping promote a healthy respiratory system. Although stupid Crohn's Disease attacks my gastrointestinal tract, it also jacks with random things like my joints and respiratory system, so I need all the help I can get.
Friends, since I'm an AdvoCare distributor, OF COURSE I make a bit of money when someone buys products. But listen, I COULD NOT endorse this stuff if it hadn't already changed my life. I'm not a salesperson; I'm just someone who wants to get healthy and help others do the same.
There are other AdvoCare products that Big Daddy and I take, like MNS Max 3 for weight loss, ProBiotic Restore for intestinal health, Joint ProMotion and Catalyst (liposuction in a bottle!), and if you want further information about any of the products or the discounts available, just e-mail me or leave a comment.
Now since I'm about a gazillion pounds overweight, I've obviously got quite a way to go before I'm the picture of health. But Oh, Thank Heavens I've got these products to help me get there.
Without a doubt, AdvoCare Works For Me.
Y'all. I am on the phone with some jokers from Dell, and I am here to tell you, I will never buy another Dell laptop again, as long as I live.
Unless it's a really good deal on Black Friday, that is. But it better be dang cheap. And I will NEVER, EVER pay money for a warranty from Dell. That is $300 that I could have spent on something much less frustrating.
When I purchased my Spring Green Dell laptop, I was oh, so thrilled. My dad and cousin swear by Dell, and I have a Dell desktop that, while slow, has served us well.
But today? Dell Sucks.
Dell Sucks.
Dell really, really sucks.
On-Site, Next Day, Extended Warranty? Actually means that you have to talk to a person in another country, and it's oh, so hard to understand them, FOR HOURS, while they ask you questions and refuse to send someone to the house until they can figure out, IN TIMBUKTU, what the problem is.
Man, I have spent hours and hours on the phone and on chats with these Dell people. On at least 4 occasions. And they have run test after test after test after test. But until they can figure out what the problem is, they won't send a technician to my house. I can, however, send it to them FOR 7 TO 10 DAYS, and they can figure it out at "the depot."
How is that On-Site Service?
This international fellow even asked ME, the ditz in Texas, WHAT TESTS THEY HAD RUN. How the Sam Hill do I know? I clicked on the links and I entered the codes and I gave them remote access, and beyond that? Hey, I was filing my fingernails.
It's WHY I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, dude.
Okay, so I was a bit petty when he asked me to repeat my address for the 5th time. I told him it hadn't changed since the last time I gave it to him, and it hadn't changed since I purchased the laptop IN APRIL.
I'm not even making sense right now, probably, but DANG I am frustrated. And I want this out there, in the cyberwebbyverse. And if some ditzy mom like me who wants a cute Spring Green laptop is thinking of buying a Dell, she'll STOP RIGHT THERE, missy. Just go on down to Best Buy or Circuit City, or heck, even Big Lots, and buy a laptop WITH NO WARRANTY, because this dadgum warranty is useless.
Send chocolate. And Jack Daniels. And a bodyguard for the joker in Bangkok, Egypt, cause I'm fixin' to go right through this phone line and beat his sarcastic butt.
That is all.
Wassup, my internet peeps? Anyone still out there, hoping against hope that I'll post something, ANYTHING, of substance?
Yeah, well substance it ain't, but here's what's up down here in Texas.
Vacuum cleaner still half-broke.
High-falutin', newfangled dryer not heating. Since it was a floor model, can you say NO WARRANTY?
My house is oh, so cluttered this week. Yes, I mean more than usual. I ordinarily do a fairly good job of keeping the public areas and the girls' bedrooms straight, if not dust-free. Right now? Not so much. Maybe it has something to do with the grillion piles of laundry waiting to be washed AND DRIED.
So tired of hearing about and talking about politics. It's over, it's done with, we can't change it anytime soon, so let's pray and move on.
50 Days Until Christmas? Are you kidding me? And what, 3 weeks until Thanksgiving? EEK! I'd better get out the Amy Grant CDs.
I wanted to lose about 40 pounds between July and the holidays. My 25 pound loss ain't shabby, but I wish it were more.
And finally: I have to make stuffing for a church dinner, and I will not be attempting cornbread stuffing. That's my mom's gig. I will confess that I absolutely LOVE Stovetop Stuffing, but I'm trying to think of a way to make it jazzier for the stuffing snobs. Any suggestions?
Peace out, y'all.
Hey, y'all. Yes, it's been a solid week since I blobbed. See, we went out of the town for the weekend, and I was afraid to say anything, since I'm sure half of you are just dying to know when I leave so you can come steal my 32" TV and my half-broke vacuum cleaner.
I'll tell you more about my trip after I rest some more.
In the meantime here's a funny I found on YouTube.
Hey, I try not to get all political or philosophical or controversial over here in Dirty Laundrydom, but you know what?
I am just so sick of hearing about moratoriums on foreclosures and making mortgages more affordable and affordable loans for borrowers with less-than-stellar credit, ad nauseum.
Let me tell ya why.
I live in a 1450 square foot house, because it's what I can afford.
Big Daddy is a licensed plumber who has worked in construction for most of our marriage. Sometimes he's made great money, sometimes he's made crappy money, and right now he's blessed to have a job with a great company and great benefits.
I'm a stay-at-home Mom, but in my former life I was an administrative assistant. I was blessed to make a decent wage, but it wasn't excessive.
We do this little thing in our home called budgeting. Now we're not as good as Dave Ramsey
When BD and I got ready to buy our first house in 1998, I think we qualified for maybe $100,000. Didn't matter what we qualified for, though, cause we knew WHAT WE COULD AFFORD. We bought the cutest little duplex that cost $51,000, and we loved it.
Next house, we qualified for about $120,000, but we only spent $75,000. Cause that's what we KNEW we could pay for.
Next? We were approved for a whopping $150,000, but we bought this house for $87,000. Eight years ago next month. We have since added 3 darling daughters to our family, and we are here in this sweet house with 1450 square feet, because it is just too scary for us to take the gamble of living beyond our means.
You know what? I bet 3+ years ago, when BD had a rockin' job and I was still working and we were getting paid by the State to provide foster care, we could have qualified for and bought a big honkin' house in my dream neighborhood. But you know what? It was too big a gamble. One that we would have lost, by the way, because the foster stipend ended when we adopted, and Big Daddy lost that rockin' job, and my girls needed me at home with them more than they needed a big house or too many clothes.
Aren't I good at rambling on?
My point is this: Why in the Sam Hill are we rewarding people for making BAD FINANCIAL DECISIONS?
I'm gonna be real blunt here, okay? If I buy more house than I can afford because the realtor or whoever gets me some creative financing, I deserve to get foreclosed on if I don't make my payments.
If I have bad credit, then I need to RENT until I improve my credit. BAD CREDIT means that I don't pay my dadgum bills! Why on earth should anyone give me a loan to buy a house if I haven't paid the bills I already have?
Now I know that there are people out there who are so naive that they get screwed. I had a friend who bought a brand new little house at a reasonable price, but the salesman flat out lied to them about their taxes, and their payment went up about $500 the second year. That was $500 they couldn't afford, so they had to sell their house.
That's right, they sold their house and moved back into an apartment until they could repair their credit and buy another house. It took 2 years of sacrifice, but they did it. They didn't whine and ask for relief and demand that the government help them out. They HANDLED THEIR BUSINESS LIKE GROWN-UPS.
Okay, so can ya tell I'm passionate about this? It just irks me that I've lived within my means even though it's difficult, but people who made poor choices are being rewarded.
Am I missing something here? PLEASE tell me sweetly what you think.
So I may have mentioned on Wednesday that I am OH so busy this week, and believe it or not, i left out some of my schedule. And since I know that you've spent countless hours wondering, "Is that all? What else might Lori be doing this week?" I'm here to let you know.
Last night Big Daddy took two of the girls and went to the sporting goods store to buy a new bike seat and volleyball gear. While he did that, I went to Kinko's, back home, Payless, Staples, Kinko's again, Target, and Jack in the Box. While he bought a bike seat and some shoes.
Not that I'm keeping score or anything.
This morning I participated in a Senior Health and Wellness Fair, came home to babysit, and at 2:00 we're going to watch Scooter5 cheer in the Homecoming Pep Rally. How cute is that?
But I'm sleepy, y'all. My eyes are really sleepy. I can't wait for 3:00, when hopefully I will be snuggled down deep in my bed with these eyes closed in blissful sleep.
A girl can dream, can't she?
Hey, let me tell ya something.
I can't wait for Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa to open. Those penguins crack me up!
Okay, that's not really what I was gonna tell ya, but the commercial came on as I was typing, and seriously! I can't wait for this movie!
But anyway.
Hey, let me tell ya something, dang it. I am a homebody, my friends. I like to be here, in my home. And not so much in other places. And this week? Is all about the other places.
Monday night: Fantasy Football meeting at the sports bar/family restaurant.
Tuesday night: Pooh8 volleyball practice (fun!) and Big Daddy's softball game (lost!)
Wednesday night: Life Group
Thursday night: Shopping for new bicycle seats, cheerleading shorts and volleyball gear
Friday night: Sweet, sweet nothing, I hope.
I'm more than a little overwhelmed, because the days are just about as full as the evenings, with homeschooling, babysitting, and business stuff.
Now I realize that many of you are MUCH busier than this, but me? I need me some down time, yo. Or I get all delirious and start saying things like "Yo."
Oh hey, you know what other movie I wanna see? The one with the dog? Who thinks he's a superhero, but he only plays one on TV? It's called Zoom or Flash or somethin' like that. John Travolta is the voice of the dog, and it looks like a hilarious movie.
Okay, I looked it up - It's actually called Bolt.
In still other movie news, we saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua on Monday, and it was <what's another word for hilarious?>. Honestly, I wasn't crazy about Drew Barrymore as the voice of Chloe, but the movie? GREAT. George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez? Ridiculously funny.
So thanks for sticking it out with this rambling post. I'm off to find some medication for my adult-onset ADD.
You know what's weird?
That someone who doesn't like me reads my blog first thing every morning. Sort of gives me the willies.
Yes, it's still me. I just can't seem to stop changing backgrounds and colors on my little ol' blob here.
What do you think?
So yeah, it's another Saturday and I'm sittin' here chillin' with my girls. I love my hubby cause he left the house 20 minutes early to run an errand for me so I don't have to leave the house.
Rock on, Big Daddy.
I've spent the morning scanning images and trying to get some inspiration to redesign my blog and that of my VERY favorite friend, The Redneck Diva. I changed my background first and when I took a look at it I realized - I HAVEN'T POSTED IN ALMOST A WEEK! So it's time for yet more randomy goodness.
The highlights of my week?
Found a dentist here in town - and I think he's good! Now I don't have to drive 15 miles to Next Biggish Town to the dentist office I didn't like anyway.
Learned that Pooh8 is missing some canine adult teeth, so she's gonna be a snaggletooth until she's a little older, when we can get her some fake chompers. Bless her heart.
Enrolled Scooter5 in a Mini Cheerleading camp at school. She's dadgum hilarious. HEElarious.
I'm currently addicted to fajitas - thank goodness they're relatively healthy. The only problem? The lingering smell of onions that hangs in my house for 2 days afterwards.
We're listening to The Traveler's Gift
Highlights to come?
We're planning a trip to Albuquerque soon - combining business with pleasure. Big Daddy has TONS of family there, so it should be a GREAT time. Long drive, though. Maybe I should self-medicate.
And on that note, my friends, I've got to go chop up some onions and cry my eyes out. Have a great weekend!
Well, I've gone and started blogging about Dancing With The Stars again. If you watch the show, come on over to the Review Blog and tell me what you think!
Scattered thoughts this week, my friends. Scattered thoughts. For example:
Why do they send so much crap home from Children's Church? And I feel so guilty throwing any of it away! For goodness sakes, my kids made the crafts with their own little bitty hands, and the handouts have scripture all over 'em! Yeah, I trash most of it anyway. I just add 10 minutes to my daily devotions to make up for it.
~
And while we're on the subject of paper and other crap, tell me - what is it that y'all do with school papers and teacher notes and birthday cards and insurance policies and electric bills and vet records and just all those pieces of paper that comes into our houses every day? Because this crap is threatening my sanity.
~
When you've got a whole gallon of milk, and you realize it expires tomorrow, is it wrong to feed your kids cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner? They don't mind, and I make sure to throw in some fruit to balance it out. Thoughts? Opinions? Scathing critiques?
~
When did people stop typing 2 spaces after the period? I still do it, but I think I'm in the minority. Y'all, it's a rule of grammar. Or typing or whatever. They can't just change it, can they?
~
Why is Breast Cancer so much more important than the other cancers? This is a serious question; I'm not being flippant. Is it more prevalent than, say, pancreatic or lung cancer? I mean, my goodness, everything is pink these days! I'm not complaining, cause I love pink and I certainly want to see cancer beaten, but I just wonder about these things.
~
I have an urge to sew and I really, really wish I could find my sewing box. I have pins and needles and thread and tape measures and all sorts of equipment in there, and I can't find it. I could go buy new supplies, but I think the only place to do that in my town is Wal-Mart, and although I'm not opposed to Wal-Mart, I am opposed to rude people and crowds. So you see my dilemma.
They don't have needles and thread at Michael's or Target, do they?
~
I love my friends, y'all.
I'm not talkin' about those people you think you know, and then you realize that it's all just a phony, fake act.
I'm talking about people who have your back, no matter what. Friends who hurt when you hurt, not friends who hurt you on purpose. I'm re-learning (AGAIN!) what it means to be a friend and to have a friend and just to be who I'm SUPPOSED to be, instead of what someone else expects me to be.
Ya know?
Pooh: I didn't know Angelo was a country in Africa!
Me: Huh?
Pooh: I didn't know Angelo...Angela...uh...Africa...
Me: Angola?
Pooh: I didn't know Angola was a country in Africa!
Me: Yep.
Pooh: THAT'S AWESOME!
It's AWESOME that Angola is a country in Africa?
Seriously.
I may be a bit catty tonight.
Hey, y'all. Just wanted to say
HEY! I'm alive!
Obviously I haven't been motivated to post anything this week, and I'm not really sure why. I could beat myself up about it, and I'm really good at that, but it wouldn't turn back time and have posts magically appear, so...meh.
So what's been goin' on? A big old bunch a nothin'. Hence the absence of posts.
Let me see if I can bring you up to date.
Cooked.
Babysat.
Schooled the chirren.
Watched Big Daddy play softball.
Built an Advocare empire.
Hopefully cut off drama's head, once and for all.
Looking forward to?
Peace.
Some rest, maybe?
Seeing Fireproof.
Oh yeah, and 3 years ago today we finalized the adoption of two of our girls. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the other. I'd love to write a post about it, but every time I try I get all verklempt and nothing I write is coherent or makes sense. Stay tuned.
And have a great Friday, people. I'll try not to be such a stranger.
So I haven't been sleeping very well lately. I've had just some VERY vivid dreams about stupid drama that's been imposed on our lives, as well as various aches and pains that keep me from getting good rest.
Last night (and early morning) I woke up several times, the last time being around 5:00. I remember thinking, "Wow, I sure wish I could sleep in, instead of getting up and getting ready for church." I do that a lot in the middle of the night; plot and scheme ways to get some more sleep. My plans rarely become reality.
Around 6:00 I woke again to hysterical crying, and stumbled into my bathroom to find Scooter throwing up. I tended to her, gagging myself, because that's how I roll, all the while thinking, "Hey, I bet she's gonna have to stay home from church."
But y'all, my scheme wasn't about wanting to skip church; it was just how to get in some more sleep. So now I'm awake, an hour early, tending to a sick kid, AND I don't get to go to church.
Explain to me how that's fair.
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