Trouble chores and lots of work

So I have been working a lot less hours and being home a lot more. I am really kind of enjoying it! Matt is loving it, he gets to see mama a lot and I get him up and put him down every morning and night, I love it too! I am going to school full time this term and let me tell you I don't know how I am doing it but I am and so far so good, I have pretty good grades in my classes so far, lets hope I can keep it up.
I am really looking at my photography and what I want to do with it. I kind of feel stuck. I have things I want to do but because of financial inability I can't really grow with it, go figure right ;-) any who, I just feel stuck and am trying to get out of the rut.
Ally's glasses are wonderful! She is doing so good on her homework and her reading, she seems to be really excelling since she got her glasses.
So far so good!

'til later

I forgot...
Last night I posted this without the info on the trouble chores. Ally has been having some behavioral issues, such as yelling, back talking, attitude, almost the whole gamete and she isn't even a tween! Anyway after trying to talk to her, yell at her, ground her I have had it. This weekend she was the worst and I sat her down and explained that she was going to have trouble chores. Those are chores that need to be done but mommy doesn't want to have to do them, such as cleaning side boards, wiping down the walls, anything basically that I try to do last, like windows. Anyway, I digress, so one day Ally was absolutely horrendous and I was at my wits end. She did her chores, cleaning her room, dirty clothes that kind of thing, and then she had to do her trouble chore, clean the kitchen sideboards, all of them. They look wonderful!!

I have been doing this for a week now and she has had to do three of them, her attitude is really starting to change, thank goodness!!

'till later (lol)

Ally got glasses

Ya now how mother's have that "motherly sense"? well mine kicked in overdrive with Ally a few weeks ago and I decided that we should probably get Ally into see the eye doctor. John agreed and a couple of weeks ago I took her in with me for mine. When she saw the machines that they used she got a little scared so I went first and showed her how they worked.
They have one that puts a pouffe of air in your eye, I can't do that, I have tried it doesn't work and they have that noted (my eye is just a wussy), but Ally did it like a champ! So we did the beginning part and then it was time to go in with the doctor.

They had to put drops in my eyes to dilate them and I showed Ally what that meant. After my appointment the doctor got Ally into the chair and did the same routine with her, dilation and all. Come to find out Ally is "EXTREMELY" far sided and has a astigmatism. No kidding! The doctor asked why I thought Ally needed to come in and I said it was just an inkling I had.

So Ally has glasses and looks really cute with them on. Tonight we had our first homework assignment since getting them, she got them on Friday, and she read through it all with out a hitch! I am so happy, she seemed to have a great day today and she said she can read better now.

'till later

What a week.

Thursday while I was getting ready to go to school Ally came running in saying that the washing machine was on fire. I obviously went into action and what it was was an electrical fire. Nothing was damaged and I was able to solve the problem but our new problem was that we now had no washing machine and a lot of laundry. Well Saturday I took 5 loads over to my parents to wash after work and got them all washed. While I was washing clothes and doing homework a freind of mine called to see what I was up to and said I sounded a little beat. I told her what had happened and she screamed into the phone she had one that I could have for no charge! I am so extatic!! Yesterday John and I went and got it and I did seven loads of laundry and still have more to do, BUT I got our large comforter washed!!! YEAH!!!
'til later

Cookie time!

I signed Ally up for Girl Scouts right before the holidays and she is loving it. It is now cookie time and she had a BIG goal of 1000 boxes to sell. The adults that were at the last meeting tried to get her to come down a little bit so that she could set a goal and meet it to get a cookie badge. She and I talked and we got her set at a realistic goal, to be reached in 7 days, of 30 boxes. She met that and beat that in three days! I am so proud of her! She and I worked out what she needed to say when she asked.

This is what we came up with.

"Hi, my name is Ally and I am a Girl Scout Daisy. I am selling Girl Scout cookies. They are only four dollars a box. There are lots to choose from. Would you like to buy some?"

She came up with the only part. Guess I'm not the only seller in the family!

It is 11:03 pm and I just finished my math homework. On to Comp. science, gotta love it right?
Thursday we had a minor electrical burning/fire with our washing machine and it ate it. So today after working all day took laundry over to , my parents house to wash, five loads! Now I am drying them. I hope I can stay awake to put them all through the dryer!

'til later

Remiss AGAIN in my posts', Sorry.

So it has been awhile since I posted. Christmas has come and gone, the beginning of a new year and school is back in session.
Last time I posted I was on pins and needles with knowing what my grades were. I am VERY Very HAPPY to say that I got an A in my psychology course and a B in my math! I am so happy with it. I have tried that class so many times and have literally failed it. Christmas came and we had a lovely day. Christmas morning we had grandmas and grandpa over, my mom and dad and my dad's mother. At 10 everyone came over, we had a wonderful breakfast and we all opened gifts. It was really relaxed and everyone had a great time.
After that is was time to go into "end" mode. I got the news that my store was closing on the 19Th. We were closed for business on the 29Th and cleaned out on the 30Th. I have been off work since then, only just returning to work today.
I am down about the closing of my store, however I understand why and support it if it means that people won't loose their jobs. I am back to working at the McMinnville store and it seems a bit odd. I am not familiar with the store and feel a little backwards there.

School is back in session, Ally is loving it and I feel that I just dove head first into a kiddie pool from a hundred feet up! My class schedule is full time and I just hope I can keep up.

We went to the eye doctor today and found out that Ally has to have glasses. She is EXTREMELY far sited and has a astigmatism. This explains a lot with her school work. She is really excited about it and I am a little apprehensive about it. I just don't want her to get called names and for her to loose them. I know it will be all good, but what do mom's do best?

So the New Year has come. Reflecting back on last years "resolutions", I still believe that it setting yourself up for failure, I made three. 1) Loose some weight, 2) pay off some medical bills, 3) do more outdoorsy stuff. I feel pretty confident in saying that I have achieved all three. I lost 37 pounds this year, payed off some of our biggest bills, and did some outdoorsy stuff. I am feeling pretty good!

This year I want to loose some more weight, I want to finish paying off our medical bills, I want to finish my degree with a 3.0, and I am going to make a list of 10 places I want to visit this year and do it.

I think that this is a pretty good list to try for and I feel confident that I am going to do it.

Tomorrow Ally is going to be spending the entire day with her Girl Scout troop having some fun. She is really happy and I am too. She has been so cooped up for the last couple weeks it will do her some good to get out.

Finally.
Last year has come and gone. The time for reflections is here and with that the regrets too. Don't look to the past to push forward but learn from the past to advance in all you do. The past is that, the past. The present is a gift from above and the future is what you make it to be.

Looking at the last year I have no regrets. I have learned a lot about myself and what I want in my life and for my life. Whatever this year brings I am ready, I hope.

'til later.