I am having a Calgon moment...

The last few weeks have been very hectic and stressful. Battling pneumonia, making sure all paperwork and whatnot's are complete for Jeff's graduation AND college enrollment.

Finalizing the cap and gown order (because Riverview has no idea what they are doing) By the way, whoever heard of buying your cap and gown? That is so ridiculous! It's like a prom dress. It's only going to be worn ONCE! Y'know when this is all said and done I am going to NEED a few weekend getaways.

My best friend, Jennifer, and I have have talked about the expense of buying what is needed for graduation, the party, a few mementos for the kids to remember their high school days, getting their crap ready for college. We both decided that once the two siblings (Jeff and her daughter, Cassie, are half brother and sister) graduate that we will all get together and celebrate their milestone. So, sometime in June they will be coming here so we can celebrate the kids accomplishment together. I know Jennifer and I will probably cry more tears because they represent an accomplishment for us. Both our children have carried out what we could not and both our children have grown into mature and responsible people. And as Jennifer said to me " We did good by our kids, neither are parents"! I had to laugh at that because that was one of my biggest fears, becoming a grandparent before Jeff graduated high school!

Feeling a whole lot better now.

The past few weeks I have been battling pneumonia. I made it worse by continuing to work and then it just knocked me out. I am feeling much better now and I have an enormous amount of work to catch up on. I will never do that to myself again.

A lot has happened since I last blogged. My dad lost his job as a maintenance man for a condo association on Longboat Key. It was nothing my dad did or didn't do, they just changed board members and the vice president let my dad go so that he could bring in his friend that didn't have a job. I don't think it is fair or that something like that should even happen without the residents vote but they did it anyway. My dad's boss was livid but there is nothing he can do to stop it without the possibility of losing the account. In this day and in this economy I understand that fear! My dad's boss did do something that normally they wouldn't do. They told the board members that they would have to give my dad notice and allow him to train the new guy and they would have to pay him a weeks severance pay. The firm that my dad worked for will definitely place my dad somewhere else when a position opens up. It still angers me that they let him go in the first place.

Katie is selling Girl Scout cookies again and so far we have done two cookie booths. Friday and yesterday. We were signed up for six but they took one away to give to another girl that "mistakenly signed up for a wrong day" and the only other booth slot left was for a day that Katie is already working. I am not going to allow Katie to work two shifts ( 4 hours total) on the same day. Two hours is plenty long enough for a nine year old! Chris, Katie and I do our best to help the troop reach their goals every year and this year it seems like we are the bubonic plague or something. There are only a handful of girls that we will work with because the other handful do not do anything but whine and complain. I can not and will not participate with them or their parents. It's sad but I can't make them do what they are supposed to do. I am not their parent!

Jeff is seriously looking into buying his scooter. We have shopped around here locally for a 50cc and the prices are absolutely mind boggling. We shopped online and found the same exact bike for $689.00 plus with the cost of shipping would make it $888.00 While the same exact bike sold here is $1300.00 I can't justify spending the extra $400 or so just to help a local merchant! No difference in the bikes or warranty either.

That's all I am going to rant about now! I am getting a headache just thinking about these things.

I was down for the count.

I am feeling much better now though. Whatever it was that got a hold of me really put me through the ringer. I made it worse by working Friday and Saturday and then Sunday I barely made it out of bed. I am not sure if it was virus or if I ate something that didn't agree with me but let me just say that my energy level is in the red and I am hoping to feel "normal" again here soon.

Chris seems to think that I am working myself to hard but with only a few clients I don't think that is what is. Although I can pick up just about any virus or cold since I am working in other people's houses and that really does compromise your immune system.

While I was sick in bed for the last couple of days, Chris and the kids went to work on cleaning out our garage. We have a lot of stuff to either sell or get rid of. I am not sure I want to deal with a garage sale right now but I have talked Chris into advertising on Craigslist. I would like to sell our stackable washer/dryer through the website rather than in a garage sale. Chris is trying to talk my dad into putting his motorcycle into self storage but I know that won't happen. That motorcycle is his baby and he personally has not rode it in several years. It's a 1980 Suzuki and except for a little rust on the exhaust pipe it is in perfect condition. The last time I drove it was just before I found out I was pregnant with Jeff. I don't know why but whenever I mention to people that I have driven motorcycles they give me this weird look. Except for Chris, he just gets turned on. Guys are funny sometimes. LOL! One of my best friends used to compete (although I have been told he is trying to make a comeback) in the motorsports circa. So… I grew up around bikes and if I really wanted to I could have competed but back then girls weren't widely accepted into the motorsports circle. I don't think I could ride one now.

This weekend was a complete blur!

Over the weekend we celebrated my son, Jeff's, 18th birthday. He doesn't turn 18 until tomorrow but the weekend was the best time to get everyone together. It took me almost two weeks to get the house in order for company. Pictures were hung and furniture rearranged. I wanted my house to look somewhat in order before the gang showed up.

We took Jeff, Katie, Mark and Sebastian (Kat's boys) bowling in the early afternoon. One of the guest that Jeff had counted on was not allowed to come at the last freaking minute. But fun was had and I am glad that everyone enjoyed themselves. After bowling I picked up Kat and Chris picked up another of Jeff's friends. I had to run to the Sweetbay to pick up the cake and candles. I wanted the trick candles but they didn't have them. Guests started to arrive and before I knew it my house was packed like a sardine can.

The kids occupied their time playing Wii. From Rock Bank 2 to Mario Kart. The adults mingled back and forth. I am pretty sure that everyone enjoyed themselves.

There were four generations of my family under one roof. I think it would be neat if my grandparents lived long enough to see their great-great grandchild. Of course that would fall on the shoulders of Jeff and I hope to heck that he doesn't father a child in the near future. LOL!!! But it could happen. When Jeff was born my great grandmother was still alive. She didn't pass away until Jeff was seven years old. So it is cool to have a picture of the five generations all together.

Jeff made out well in the gift department. Mostly money but hey you can never have too much of that to begin with. We asked him what he was going to do with his birthday money. He wants to save most of it and then buy some accessories for the scooter we plan on buying for him and luggage for college.

I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. I know he has a good head on his shoulders and he has grown into a responsible man. I just can't believe that tomorrow my baby will be a MAN! Nobody warned me that my heart would be ripped from my chest when my baby grows up. Now I will have to suffer through all this again when Katie turns 18 in 9 years!

I have been interviewed!

Amy from Amy's Musings had asked if anyone wanted to be interviewed. I thought it would be fun so I signed up. Amy asked some pretty in depth questions and I enjoyed answering them.

 

Businesses, kids, husband, life, etc. are you happy and if so, what is your philosophy for being happy?

The place I am right now in my life, I would say that yes I am happy. There are ups and downs but I think when you have a strong family connection it makes it so much easier to get through the rough patches. I don't really have a philosophy other than what Chris' is always spouting off at me when I do get overwhelmed and it always calms me. "Do not worry about today for tomorrow has its own worries".

I notice that one of your businesses is a green friendly cleaning service, is your home green friendly? What do you and your family do in terms of the environment? What simple advice would you give for someone who was just starting out trying to go green friendly?

1. Definitely! The products that I use in my business are used in my own home.
   
2. We are very anal about recycling. My daughter especially.
   
3. Baby steps are best when you are looking to change the way you have lived for some many years. Start with ridding your house of all harsh chemicals and look for ones that are safe enough that you do not have to store away from children. They do exist. Humans are creatures of habit and it takes at least seven days to break an old habit and create a new one. Start small and eventually the bigger changes are not so big after all.
   

Any tips on cleaning grout and getting the stains actually OUT of the grout?

There is only one product that I know of that actually works great on grout. Sol-U-Mel. Depending on the grime factor, this product works wonders. I have sprayed this on tile and walked away for five minutes and when I come back most of the cleaning work is done. On heavier soiled areas a little elbow grease is used. To maintain the clean grout you must wiped down your shower after every use. Saves time in the long run of having to clean the shower all the time! Another factor to consider is whether or not the grout was sealed upon installment of the tile. If it was sealed the dirt is all surface dirt and would take little effort to clean. However, if the it was not sealed, this is where you have the long intensive labor of trying to get it cleaned like the day it was first laid. I have heard that baking soda in a paste form can improve the look of grout but not exactly clean it.

Describe your "perfect" day...

My perfect day is one of uninterrupted reading of any book of my choosing. Seriously, if I am left alone I can finish a book in one day!

 

Ok, you go out to a bar for drinks, what is the first drink you order?

Easy peasy! My favorite is an Alabama Slammer. I love those! Fruit punch with no alcoholic taste and before you know it I am feeling no pain!

 

If you would like to be interviewed just leave me a comment!

Definitely not an A list blogger....

I am probably close to a Z list ( if there is such a thing). I don't blog every day because I don't always have something going on worth blogging about and I am not witty enough to be funny on the spot. With that said...

I am getting the house ready for company this Saturday. Jeff is having his 18th birthday party here at the house with family and friends. Although the house is not dirty it is most definitely cluttered. There are still pictures to be hung and a few boxes to be emptied and discarded. Chris and I cleaned and straightened the garage and now I am just going through everything to find out whether or not it is worthy to keep. So I have been extremely busy trying to get the house all nice and perfect before Saturday.

It's a little inconvenient cleaning other homes while I am trying to get things in order at my own, but hey... that's my choosing right? I have to say that with all the hustling around I am doing I am disappointed with my weight. I am much more active now than I have have been in over 6 months and there is no change in my diet. But I am not losing any weight at all. In fact I have consistently been gaining over the last several months. That is freaking ridiculous. I am really thinking of trying a diet pill like Leptovox but not sure I want to commit to something that may not work for me. How can someone at the age of 38 with a moderate exercise level and eating three meals a day lose weight without going on any fad diets or starvation (which really doesn't help anyway)? I know my metabolism is getting a boost when I clean because I sweat a great deal and my heart is pumping like a fiend. I am at a loss here. And the energy level? Nope not there. I force myself to get things done otherwise I would much rather sleep. I feel exhausted all the time. I don't think that's right.

Cold weather and joints falling apart!

It's a bit colder in Florida today. With the cold front from the north pushing its way in and the nasty rain shower with high winds yesterday, my joints are screaming at me. I swear my body is trying to tell me that even though I am only 38 years old, arthritis is looming around the very next corner. Chris is suffering with a lower back spine sprain that should start to feel better in another 4 weeks. It can take anywhere from 3-8 weeks for something like that to straighten itself out. He is going on week 4 now. The doctor recommended Physical Therapy to help alleviate the discomfort but at $75 a pop and the first installment of $100.00 we would be looking at $1000.00 over the next two weeks. TWO WEEKS! That is crazy!!! So... luckily for him I have been his personal masseuse. He gets a 30 minute rub down just before bed. He knows that once his back is in tip top shape again the rub downs won't come free. ;)